CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 189I BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE Itfi 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://www.archive.org/details/cu31924092225832 F t-3> f HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS EDITED BY Newton Bateman, LL. D. Paul Selby, A. M. AND HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY EDITED BY Horace G. Kauffman Rebecca H. Kauffman Vol ume II ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO MUNSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY PUBLISHERS 1909 f\77Si7 c^~. Entered accoridng to act of Congress in the years 1894, 1899 and 1900 by, WILLIAM W. MUNSELL In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington fe ^y* GccX^c^. M ' J& PREFACE The following chapters are concerned with the history of a single county of Illinois, and collaterally with such portions of the history of the State as bear a relation to the story of the county and are of interest in connection therewith. The time and labor involved and expended to gather and sift the material here presented, unlike the area covered, have not been small in extent. They have been much greater than was anticipated when the work was undertaken. But if those who read the pages which follow shall find the narrative interesting and informing, shall have their respect and affection for the memory of those who sowed that they might reap, quickened and, perhaps, broadened, and shall be im- pressed anew with the healthfulness, richness and beauty of the region in which it is their good fortune to dwell, then the writers will be repaid for the labor spent upon the preparation. The sources of information have been various. They include histories and historical papers, treatises, addresses, official documents and reports, court records, newspaper files, scrap books, individual and organization records, correspondence and personal interviews. Among the histories and historical writings used are: Boss's "History of Ogle County" (1850); Kett's "History of Ogle County" (1878) ; "Portrait and Biographical Album of Ogle County" (1886) ; "The Bi- ographical Record of Ogle County" (1899) ; Ford's "History of Illinois;" Stuve's "History of Illinois ;" Moses' "History of Illinois ;"Parrish's "Historic Illinois" and "When Wilderness was King ;" Thwaites, "Historic Waterways ;" Volumes VIII, IX, and XI, State Historical Library; Alvord's "Illinois Historical Collection," Volume II; "Boundaries of Illinois and Early Rock Island," William A. Meese; "Pioneer History of Illinois" and "My Own Life and Times," John Reynolds; "Chapters in Illinois History," Edward G. Mason ; "Western Wilds of America," John Regan ; "The Jesuit Relations" and "Allied Documents and Early Western Travels," Reuben Gold Thwaites ; "At Home and Abroad," Margaret Fuller /'Mar- garet Fuller Ossoli," Thomas Wentworth Higginson ; Thwaites' "Boundaries of Wisconsin ;" the files of the "Galena Advertiser" and "Chicago Weekly Democrat," in the archives of the Chicago Historical Society ; "Mount Morris, Past and Pres- ent," Kable Brothers ; Illinois Session Laws of 1853 ; "Evolution of the Counties of Illinois," James A. Rose, Secretary of State ; "Early Bench and Bar of Illinois," John Dean Caton ; "Rock River Valley," Joseph Newton; Manuscript Autobi- ography of John Phelps; "Inimitable Rock River;" "George Catlin Indian Gal- lery," Smithsonian Report, 1885; "Water Resources of Illinois," Frank Leverett; Special Messages on Deep Waterway and Navigable Streams, Governor Charles S Deneen 1907 • "Blue Book of Illinois ;" Illinois Game and Fish Laws, 1907 ; Illinois Fish Commissioners' Report, 1904-1907; Hahn's "Mammals of the Kan- kakee Valley ;" United States and Illinois Geological Survey ; "Report on the White Pine Woods of Ogle County," Forest Service, R. S. Kellog, 1904 ; "Check List of Trees of the United States," Forest Service; "Patriotism of Illinois," T. M. Eddy, D. D., 1865; "Birds of the United States and Canada," Nuttall; "History of the American People," Woodrow Wilson. The authors acknowledge their indebtedness to> the following named organ- izations and individuals for material furnished, either by means of articles or memoranda contributed, by letters, interviews, the loan of books, copperplates, photographs, or other matter, or the use of archives or private libraries : Illinois State Historical Society ; Chicago Historical Society ; Oregon Woman's Council ; Major General Thomas W. Scott, Adjutant General of Illinois; James A. Rose, Secretary of State : Mrs. Jessie Palmer Weber, Librarian Illinois State Historical Society ; J. W. Clinton, Polo, Illinois ; William P. Landon, Rochelle, Illinois ; John V. Farwell, Lake Forest, Illinois ; Jonathan Hiestand, Mount Morris, Illinois ; John Sharp, Pasadena, California ; Mrs. Mary I. Wood, Portsmouth, New Hampshire ; Rev. T. Lee Khotts, Middletown, Illinois ; N. J. Miller, Denver, Colorado ; W. L. Eikenberry, St. Louis, Missouri ; E. L. Wells, Aurora, Illinois ; Frank E. Stevens, Sycamore, Illinois ; Mrs. Ada A. Mix, Redlands, California; Elijah Dresser, Rock- ford, Illinois ; and the following named persons, all of Ogle County ; D. L. Miller, John S. Kosier, Mr. Virgil A. Reed, Victor H. Bovey, Miss Anna B. Champ- ion, Judge James H. Cartwright, Amos F. Moore, Miss Emily Cartwright, Wallace Heckman, Lorado Taft, Mrs. Ralph Clarkson, Dr. and Mrs. A. W. Hoyt, Col. and Mrs. F. O. Lowden, Mrs. H. J. Farwell, Mrs. Barbara E. McNeill, J. E. Miller, Judge J. D. Campbell, Charles T. King, Horace W. Sullivan, Mrs. Cath- erine Nye, Charles H. Betebenner, F. R. Artz, Benjamin Chaney, Mrs. T. O. John- ston, Mrs. Anne Spoor, Mrs. Alice E. Light, Mrs. Mary L. Chamberlain, Mrs. James T. Fosler, Mrs. James H. More, Mrs. Julia W. Peek, Mrs. Emma J. Her- bert, Mrs. Ezra J. Kailer, Miss M. Gertrude Gilbert, Miss Jennie Dimon, Mrs. R. F. Nye, Mrs. H. E. Wade, F. G. Taylor, T. A. Jewett, L. V. Rummery, Mrs. J. A. Barden, Mrs. Emma L. Burroughs, Mrs. Emma Heller, Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Cushing, Mrs. Florence Hawthorne Bailey, Miss Jane Chase, Miss Jessie G. Salz- man, Mrs. Blanche Fearer Strong, Col. B. F. Sheets, Major Franc Bacon, Michael Seyster, J. C. Seyster, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sears, Miss Effa B. Mitchell, L. F. Thomas, Dr. B. B. Bemis, Mrs. Mary Hawthorne Rutledge, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel McGuffin, Dr. W. C. Bunker, Samuel Mitchell, Asa Dimon, Z. A. Landers, W. P. Fearer, William Stout, Mrs. Charles Newcomer, Clarence S. Haas, Wil- liam C. Andrus, James Pankhurst, M. D., David H. Hayes, R. W„ King, J. H. Stevenson, D. D., John A. Atwood, Osmer Noble, Thomas H. Lines, F. A. Eychaner, Mrs. H. H. Stinson, Charles M. Myers, George J. Burroughs, William A. Hunt, William J. Fruin, William D. Mackay, P. E. Hastings, Robert F. Adams, Rev. C. B. Schroeder, Frank Reeverts, B. F. Perry, Urias Brantner, G. W. Dicus, A. D. Reed, Mrs. M. Allen, Mrs. Mary R. Washburn, Elmer C. Thorpe, Rev. William Diekhoff, Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Smith, Roy Householder, Herman Erxleben. Special acknowledgment is made to the Illinois State Historical Society for the loan of the copperplate of Governor Ford in their possession, and also to various operators in charge of telephone stations in different parts of the county for their capable assistance in obtaining desired information. ^y* vtov't&c^t, ^V. L/^^L^J^p^-^t^ . INDEX INTRODUCTION 617 CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. Natural Vegetation — Forests — The "White Pine Woods of Ogle County" — Projected Forest Reservation — Rock River Scenery — Botany of Ogle County — State Tree and Flower Emblems — Some Historic Boulders — A Lincoln Memorial — Site of the Driscoll Tragedy Marked— The Black Hawk Boulder 618-628 CHAPTER II. NATURAL HISTORY— FAUNA. Birds and Animals — Insects — Fishes and Reptiles — The Mussel Shell Industry 628-634 CHAPTER III. THE ABORIGINES. The Mound Builders — Indians — Tribes and Relics — Black Hawk's Vil- lage ; 634-638 CHAPTER IV. DISCOVERY, EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT. County Organizations — The Evolution of Ogle County — Various Counties of Which it Formed a Part— First and Present Area 638-641 CHAPTER V. THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY QUESTION. The First Projected Northern Boundary of Illinois — The Present Boundary — Alleged Violation of the Compact of 1787 — The Agita- tion for Returning to Wisconsin the Disputed Territory — The Meet- ings in Ogle County 641-644 CHAPTER VI. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. Then and Now — The Early Settlers — Grove Settlements, Avoiding the Prairie — Roads and Travel — Hardships and Dangers — Customs — The Log Cabin — Prices and Wages — An Early Wedding — Pastimes and Amusements 644-649 CHAPTER VII. LAND SURVEYS, TITLES AND VALUES. First Deed Covering a Land Transfer in Illinois — Surveys by Metes and Bounds — The Government Rectangular System — Early and Present Land Values 649-652 CHAPTER VIII. PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. First County Building a Jail — First Court House Erected in 1839A- Destroyed by an Incendiary Fire — Later County Buildings with Cost — County Farm Established in 1878 652-653 CHAPTER IX. AGRICULTURE AND STOCK RAISING. Crops and Farming at Time of Settlement — Present Farming — Farmers' Institute — County Fair — Springvale Farm — Sinnissippi Farm 653-657 CHAPTER X. POLITICS AND PUBLIC OFFICERS. Presidential Campaigns — Representation in Congress ; for Governor ; in the Constitutinal Conventions ; in the General Assembly ; in the Courts and the County Offices— the Lincoln Speech of 1856- — Local Option Vote of 1908 658-664 CHAPTER XL WAR HISTORY. Revolutionary War— War of 1812— Black Hawk War— Mexican War- War of the Rebellion — Spanish-American War — Service Rendered by Company M, Illinois National Guard 664-671 CHAPTER XII. A BLACK HAWK WAR TRAGEDY. Ogle County a Center of Activity in Black Hawk War Days — The Durley and St. Vrain Murders — Details of the St. Vrain Affair and Sketch of His Life 671-673 CHAPTER XIII. PATRIOTIC ORGANIZATIONS. Grand Army of the Republic — Its Organization at Decatur in 1866 — Mrs. John A. Logan's Memorial Day Address — G. A. R. Organ- izations in Ogle County — List of Commanders, and Charter Members — Present Membership — Women's Relief Corps — Object of Organ- ization, with Date and First and Present Officers — Sons of Veterans —The Patriotic Song, '"Illinois'* 673-678 CHAPTER XIV. THE COURTS AND BAR. The Courts of the French Settlers and the Civil Law — Introduction of English Common Law — Dislike of Trial by Jury — The French Custom Reinstated by the British Government — First Courts Under State Law — Later Changes — County Commissioners' Court — Probate Justices — County Courts — Anecdotes of Early Practice — Important Trials— Members of the Bar 678-684 CHAPTER XV. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. The Practitioner in Pioneer Days-^Materia Medica Then and Now— Names of Early Physicians— Surgery— Trained Nurses— Present Physicians 685-685 CHAPTER XVI. RAILROADS AND TELEPHONES. The Six Railroads of Ogle County — Early Railroad Enterprises in Illinois — Litigation Over Railroad Aid Bonds — List of Stations on Railroad Lines — The Bell and Local Telephone Companies 685-689 1 CHAPTER XVII. FRATERNAL SOCIETIES. Masons and Eastern Star — Odd Fellows and Rebekahs — Modern Wood- men and Royal Neighbors — Mystic Workers of the World — Court of Honor — Knights of the Globe — Yeomen of America — Knights of Columbus 689-694 CHAPTER XVIII. SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS. Women's Clubs — Temperance Organizations — Business Men's Clubs — Chautauqua — Old Settlers' Association 694-706 CHAPTER XIX. MARGARET FULLER'S VISIT. Well-Known in the East — Traveled From Chicago to Dixon and Oregon in Lumber Wagon — W. W. Fuller 6f Oregon, a Relative — Impres- sions of Rock River Valley — Wrote Poem and Named Spring — Her Marriage to Count D'Ossoli and Their Sorrowful Fate — Margaret Fuller Island Dedicated — Letter From Bronson Alcott 706-710 CHAPTER XX. THE ARTISTS' COLONY. Ganymede and Eagle's Nest — History of the Colony — Authors and Artists Who Have Made it Their Summer Home — Other Noted Visitors— Rock River Scenery — Interesting Events< — Rent-Paying Ceremony — Beauvoir — The Grange — McKenney's Island 710-713 CHAPTER XXI. PIONEER LIFE IN OGLE COUNTY— PART I. Life in Ogle County From 1838 to 1845 — Reminiscences of the Late John V. Farwell — Oregon City in Embryo — Conditions and Methods of Pioneer Life — Hunting and Game — Early Industries and Trades. . 714-719 CHAPTER XXII. PIONEER LIFE IN OGLE COUNTY— PART II. Some Additional Notes on Early History — Mrs. J. W. Peek on "Pioneer Mothers" of Ogle County — Early Domestic Life, Methods and Con- ditions — Col. B. F. Sheets' Reminiscences of Oregon City — Beginning and Development — The Canada Settlement — An Outgrowth of the Canadian Rebellion of 1837-38 — Some Principal Representatives of the Canadian Colony 720-725 t CHAPTER XXIII. EDUCATIONAL. Pioneer Schools of Ogle County — Lafayette Grove School — The Fair- view School — Oregon Schools — The Canada Settlement School — Mount Morris Schools — Methods and Conditions in Early Schools — Rock River Seminary — Passes Into the Hands of the United Brethren — Its Later History as Mount Morris College 725-731 CHAPTER XXIV. CRIMINAL HISTORY. First Ogle County Jail and Treatment of Early Criminals — Court Con- ditions and First Criminal Trial — Other Noted Court Contests — Trial of Liquor Cases — Development of Criminal Organizations — The Prairie Bandits and Murder of Captain Campbell of the Regu- lators — The Driscoll Lynching and Acquittal of the Perpetrators — Story of the Tragedy as Told by an Eye-Witness — Incident in the Life of Gov. Ford — A Lynching Case of Civil War Days — Later Incidents in Court and Criminal History 7Z 2 ~72>7 CHAPTER XXV. TOWNSHIP HISTORY. Individual Sketches of Ogle County Townships Arranged in Alpha- betical Order — Date of Organization, Area and Population — List of Early Settlers and Public Officials — Cities, Towns and Villages — Incidents of Local History — Schools, Churches and Public Libraries.. 738-828 CHAPTER XXVI. BIOGRAPHICAL. The Part of Biography in General History — Citizens of Ogle County and Outlines of Personal History — Personal Sketches Arranged in Encyclopedic Order 829-1067 ILLUSTRATIONS. Andrua Plow Manufactory 810 Castle Eock 793 College Campus 728 Company D, 92d Illinois 668 Court House (1848) 652 Court House (1892) 653 Deere Plow Factory 793 Eagle Nest Camp House 729 Entrance to Sinnissippi Farm •. . 792 Ford Cabin 675 Hotel Eock 793 Inspiration Point 793 Kyte Eiver 792 Lincoln Eock 674 Map of Ogle County 617 Map of the School Districts 617 Phelps Log Cabin 675 Public Library, Oregon 729 Public Library, Polo 729 Public School, Polo 728 Eesidence of Frank 0. Lowden 792 Eesidence of John W. Clinton 729 Euins of Mill on Pine Creek 793 Schiller Piano Factory 810 Soldiers' Monument, Daysville Cemetery 674 Stillman Valley Monument 674 Washington Grove Boulder 674 PORTRAITS. Abbott, Emma 720 Allaben, James W 622 Anderson, John 626 Aplington, Zenas 632 Bain, Angus 715 Baker, David J 642 Baker, Mrs. David J 642 Baker, Elias 636 Baker, John W 642 Baker, Mrs. John W 642 Beers, Richard H 646 Beers, Mrs. Richard H 646 Blanchard, Alba 6 656 Braiden, Miles J 662 Buck, Daniel 678 Buswell, Joel B 682 Buswell, Laura V 682 Campbell, John D 686 Clark, William M 692 Clark, Mrs. William M 692 Clinton, John W 696 Dicus, George W 702 Ettinger, Martin L 706 Farwell, H. J 720 Farwell, Mrs. H. J 720 Fish, Isaac A 710 Fish, Mrs. Isaac A 710 Ford, Thomas 721 Harrington, Chester C 724 Hayes, Charles F. (Family Group) 734 Hitt, Robert R 738 Hoffhine, David 715 Hoffmann, Catherine May McNeill 720 Joiner, Mary J 748 Joiner, William W 744 Jones, Frederick G 754 Kauffman, Horace G. . . . Following Title Page Kauffman, Rebecca H . . . Following Title Page King, William H 758 Knowlton, I. S 715 Korf, William H 764 Kosier, John S 768 Kridler, Burton D 774 Landon, William P 778 Lawrence, Johnson 782 Lowden, Frank 788 McCrea, Alfred B 796 McNeill, Barbara Wagner 720 Moore, Jonathan L 814 Moore, Mrs. Jonathan L 818 More, James H 802 More, Mrs. James H 802 Myers, Charles M 822 Newcomer, Charles 826 Noble, Charles B. (Family Group) 830 Nye, Catherine 720 O'Brien, George D 836 O'Kane, Joseph 840 O'Kane, Jannett 844 Old Settlers (Group— 1894) 714 Old Settlers (Group— 1898) 714 Page, Edward C 720 Patterson, James J 850 Peek, Henry C 854 Perkins, George W 860 Reed, Virgil E 864 Riley, Edwin H 870 Riley, Harriet M 874 Row, William H 878 Schneider, Charles 882 Schryver, Martin E . . . ' 886 Sheets, Benjamin F 890 Shoemaker, Pearson 894 Shoemaker, Mrs. Pearson 894 Shumway, Eugenia M 898 Shumway, Romanzo G 898 Smith, Jonas C (Family Group) 902 Smith, Robert 906 Southworth, John 910 Southworth, Thomas G 914 Stewart, John 918 Stewart, Phidelia M ' 918 Stocking, William 922 Tice, John H 926 Tice, Mrs. John H 926 Tice, Otho 930 Tice, Mrs. Otho 930 Trine, Ralph Waldo 811 Turkington, George E 934 Wamsley, Charles C 938 Wamsley, Rachel H 938 Warner, DeWitt 942 Waterbury, David 946 Waterbury, Emeline 946 Waterbury, John 950 West, MeFarlen J 954 West, Mrs. MeFarlen J 954 Williams, C. K '. 715 Wood, Clarence 962 Wood, Elisha S 958 Wood, Mrs. Elisha S 958 Woolsey, Richard D 966 Zick, Fred 970 Zumdahl, Christian H 974 Zumdahl, Dorothy 974 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. INTRODUCTION. The pioneer period of any region is one of special interest to those who, coming after, reap and enjoy the blessings which the pioneer's sturdy battle with first conditions inaugurated. The imagination pictures romance and adven- ture in the beginnings of a new country. Blaz- ing the way charms with the delight of being first on the scene. The "forest primeval" was pathless and bestowed its beauty of vine, shrub and tree in a pristine freshness never repeated. The virgin prairie, "Its unshorn fields, limitless and beautiful," was Nature's own flower garden. The toils, makeshifts, vicissitudes and dan- gers of pioneer life are trying experiences, but they are full of the satisfaction of personal achievement, of bending Nature to man's use and benefit, unaided by many of the helpful agencies of settled communities. Another reason for our interest in pioneer l history is found in the characteristics of the men and women who become pioneers and make history. In the strenuous march of human endeavor, the conservative citizen remains snugiy at home. He leaves it to his more ardent and ven- turesome neighbor, dreaming of fortune and de- lighting in new scenes, to take his seat in the bow of the boat and, with his eyes directed toward the future, pilot the craft to a distant shore.there to begin with others the founding of a new state. This brings together a group of men and women of vigorous minds and stout hearts, whose more than common qualities of character are devel- oped and strengthened by the demands of the 617 life which they have courageously chosen. They find conditions more than usually difficult, but meet and overcome them. They see others' needs and give, not of money, but of themselves, which is infinitely more. They exhibit the funda- mental virtues in a way and to a degree not always given to those of older communities to do, and the fundamental virtues are sufficient of themselves to give men and women a high place in the estimation of mankind. To be ac- counted worthy, and in the best sense success- ful, men and women need not be prominent or wealthy, or even educated. They must be hon- est, generous, broad minded, good neighbors, good friends and good citizens. "The vital ele- ment in judging any man," says President Roose- velt, "should be his character and deeds, and neither his position, nor his pretensions, should vary the rule." It cannot be said too often that success in life consists in noble living, whicli men and women may achieve with or without wealth or position, or even much education. Men and women in humble circumstances and of limited knowledge exemplify morai excellence, sweet • reasonableness and beautiful service in their unpretentious lives, fully as often as do the rich and the highly educated. And it is, after all, beautiful service, sweet reasonable- ness and moral excellence that appeal to us most forcibly, and which we place above every- thing else in forming our estimate of the value to his community or to his country, of any man's career. It was not Lincoln's brilliant intellect so much as his noble heart that made him >=o beloved as President, and that now obtains for his memory our increasing love and respect. "Conduct," says Matthew Arnold, "is three- fourths of life." 618 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. NATURAL VEGETATION FORESTS — THE "WHITE PINE WOODS OF OGLE COUNTY" PROJECTED FOREST RESERVATION — ROCK RIVER SCENERY — BOTANY OF OGLE COUNTY — STATE TREE AND FLOWER EMBLEMS — SOME HISTORIC BOULDERS A LINCOLN MEMORIAL — SITE OF THE DRISCOLL TRAGEDY MARKED — THE BLACK HAWK BOULDER. "Rhodora ! if the sages ask thee why This charm is wasted on the marsh and sky, Dear, tell them, that if eyes were made for seeing, Then beauty is its own excuse for being." — Ralph Waldo Emerson. In "Western Wilds of America, or Backwoods and Prairies, and Scenes in the Valley of the Mississippi," John Regan, of Edinburgh, de- scribes the prairie as it appeared to him at the time the first settlements in Ogle County were being made. He says : "By and by the forests began to thin and we emerged upon the prairie ; we ascended a vir- gin ground to the right, to take a survey of this celebrated feature of the western landscape. Before us, far, far to the east, lay one vast plain of verdure and flowers, without house or home, or anything to break in upon the uni- formity of the scene, except the shadow of a passing cloud. To the right and left long points of timber like capes and headlands stretched in the blue distance ; the light breeze brushing along the young grass and blue and pink flowers ; the strong sunlight pouring down everywhere, and the singular silence which pervaded the scene, produced a striking effect upon the mind. The light breeze wafted perfumes ; the air was balmy and invigorating; the resplendent hues of myriads of flowers spread effulgence far and wide ; the shadows chased each other across the plain ; the butterfly flaunted ; the bee hummed ; and it would have required but a slight effort of the imagination to suppose ourselves looking upon a world fresh from the hand of its Maker." The early residents all agree with this in their descriptions of the wondrous beauty of verdure and bloom on these wide expanses. William Cullen Bryant, who looked upon these prairies, during a visit at Dixon, Illinois, while they were yet almost in their undisturbed virgin state, says of them, "With flowers whose glory and whose multitude Rival the constellations." Mrs. John Rutledge (Mary S. Hawthorn), who came with her father's family to live at Washington Grove, in 1838, says there were "Indian pinks, wild roses, star flower, — just a bed of flowers in 1840 from Washington Grove towards 'Old Chapel'- — no timber there then, only prairie." Mrs. H. J. Farwell, who came to Mount Morris in 1846, tells of "a great mass of bloom on prairies everywhere, — white, yel- low, purple, red, blue." The rosin-weed, or compass-plant, whose forked leaves incline to point north and south, growing among the flowers, was sometimes seen with delight by the traveller across these "prairie-lands," for other reasons than those of beauty ; and by the small child of those days for the chewing-gum that could be made out of the juice it exuded. In its place the clover blooms, pink, red and white ; the purplish-green of the timothy spikes, the brownish-gold of ripened barley, the green of the waving rye and oats, and the clustered tassel of the corn, with the glint of its broad blades in the August sun, now charm the eye, where once the -wild growths so luxuriantly flourished. But Nature cares for her own, and the seeds have found root elsewhere. Along the high- ways, in the fence corners, in the masses of timber found everywhere in the county, along the banks of its many streams, covering rocky slopes, on the bluffs or clinging in their crevices, in hollows, dells and vales, on cleared timber land, still thick with stumps, is a prodigal wealth of plant, flower, shrub, vine and tree, — where- ever man has kept away the scythe, the prun- ing knife, the plow, the axe, the pasturing stock. The very rainy season of 1907, following a series of several wet years, produced a wonder- ful and unusual profusion of wild growth and bloom, and things not seen for a long time, spring- ing into sight, recalled the memories of early days. The clearings on Hickory Ridge, in Rock- vale Township, were a sheet of robin's plantain, early aster, brown-eyed Susan, and blue ver- vain, edged with blazing star, sunflower and horse-mint, and the tall poison hemlock and artichoke down in the hollow. The white HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 619 fringed flowers of the starry campion were found near another bit of timber ; Culver's root displayed its showy spikes amid the tangle along an overgrown roadside; the striking hedgehog cone-flower lifted its rose-tinted head erect on Wolf's Hill (Sinnissippi Farm), as if it, too, were enjoying the far view of the smiling land- scape. This cone-flower is the "mysterious purple flower," which Margaret Fuller poetically thought must have "sprung from the blood of the Indians, as the hyacinth did from that of Apollo's darling." Some years ago the pupils of the Oregon High School collected, pressed and mounted about twelve hundred species of plants. In this col- lection were many specie's from other parts of the United States, and two hundred from Eng- land. Many of the twelve hundred were ob- tained chiefly from the regions contiguous to Oregon, where a great variety of interesting plant life is found. Along the sloping west wall of "the Narrows," and in the rich, moist river flats on the east edge, are the spring beauty, the hepatica, the anemones, the crowfoots, the bloodroot. the Dutchman's breeches, the dog- tooth violet, the deep blue and "sand" violets, and many others of the flowers so eagerly sought as winter is ending his stem rule. Then follows a procession of flowers, finishing with the asters and golden ro.ds of the late summer and autumn. Here are found the moonseed vine, the smilax, the honeysuckle, the wild grape, the bladdernut, the wahoo. At Knox Spring grows a profusion of witch hazel ; and at the Devil's Backbone is a shrub of this species twenty feet high, as if to hide the severe face of this huge vertebra. In the sunnier openings in the timber to the south of Knox Spring, on Springvale Farm, the wild strawberry has its domicile, as many as ten quarts having been patiently picked there at one time several years ago, by a friend, to be served in a shortcake to the guests invited to celebrate the birthday an- niversary of the mistress of "The Bungalow." A man who worked for some time in the tim- ber of this farm, was in the habit, during the "strawberry season," of taking in his lunch pail a bottle of milk, and gathering strawberries for his dessert. This is idyllic, truly ! The north and east slopes of Liberty Hill are full of all sorts of vegetable forms. There are many varieties of ferns, the maidenhair in great beds. In September, near the rock-steps, one may find the ghostly Indian pipe and the closed-gentian, with its bright blue color. A low huckleberry grows at the edge of the north slope ; and the Virginia creeper, the bedstraw, often used in decorative festoons for a "home wedding" in June and July, the bitter-sweet, with its orange- red seed clusters gathered for winter's cheer, all run riot on Liberty Hill. In the heart of the timber of the "John Phelp's farm" nods the yellow violet ; along the roadway outside runs the poison ivy. On the river bank, near the end of Ford Street in Oregon, are found the cardinal berries of the prickly ash and the purple-blue bunches of the alternate-leaved dogwood, the sumac, evening primrose, pale purple gentian, "baby's breath," bluebell, bellwort, vetch ; and just above these is a large clump of wild-plum. By the road to Daysville, near the Kyte River bridge, is a wide field of iris, or blue-flag, reeds, tall wild-grasses, cat-tails, and violets. On the northwest slope of Pine Rock, farther down the river, one passes through "a sea of osmundas." Between the Pine Creek Town Hall and the Polo bridge over Pine Creek, is a wealth of grow- ing things. There grow the panicled dogwood, with its cluster of white berries m the autumn, and on either side of the bridge, thrifty clumps of the spinea. The "White Pine" region, located here, is most full and complete in a great va- riety of growths, both in the tract itself, and along the railway and the adjacent highways, having been less disturbed by cultivation than many other spots. The white water lily grows abundantly in the bayous of many of the strea ms. The story is told in one of the towns of the county of an evening wedding, for which these white water-lilies were used in ornamenting the rooms. When the nuptial hour arrived, to the dismay of the family, the flowers had closed their petals and gone to sleep, and the beauti- ful green, white and gold "color scheme" had vanished. The ingenious Chinese, it is said, know how "to cheat" these blossoms. They put them in a dark closet, then suddenly bring them, when wanted, out under a strong electric light, and, mistaking it for the sun, the buds open. Mrs. Ralphson Clarkson, of the Artists' Col- ony, has carried out the plan of having nothing but native wild growths around their picturesque summer cottage. She has gleaned from both sides of the river, with charming effect, the wild rose, the elderberry, the sumac, the prickly ash, the wahoo, the dogwoods, the witch hazel, 620 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. the spiraea, Jacob's ladder, Virginia creeper, grapevine, smilax, clematis, honeysuckle, ferns, and much else. She has likewise made a study of the mushrooms of the region, finding several varieties, some of which are edible at some stage of their growth to those who know them. One variety is quite familiar to all lovers of the mushroom who go out early to the woods on a warm morning after a warm rain in spring- time — that is, the one whose outside Is in crinkly folds, with a pale grayish-brown color and vel- vety appearance. Miss Jane Chase, the capable teacher of Eng- lish and of Botany in the Oregon High School, has made up for the use of this history the fol- lowing list of plants of the region studied in her work during 1907 and 1908: Hepatica, marsh marigold, blood-root, pasque flower, anemone, common blue violet, arrow- leaved violet, yellow violet, Dutchman's breeches, white dog-tooth violet, white trillium, wake robin, Solomon's seal, false Solomon's seal, blue- eyed grass, star grass, columbine, meadow rue, bird's bill, crane's bill, yellow lady-slipper, In- dian pipe, shin-leaf, thimble-weed, clematis, Vir- ginia cowslip, puccoon, dogwood, elder blossom, ox-eye daisy, white daisy, robin's plaintain, water lily, lupine, widow's tears, flax, Sweet William, red phlox, Jacob's ladder, sweet clover. Queen Anne's lace, violet, oxalis, harebell, eve- ning primrose, wild rose, cinquefoil, everlasting, everlasting pea, butter-and-eggs, boneset, golden rod, wild aster, wild sunflower, blazing star, downy false fox-glove, purple fox-glove, closed- gentian, five-leaved gentian, blue lobelia, bitter- sweet. Mr. Frank G. Taylor, Superintendent of the Oregon Public Schools, who has enthusiastically and intelligently collected and studied many species and varieties of ferns, by special re- quest, has prepared for this history the follow- ing epitome of his studies of the fern-growth of Ogle County : " 'Enter this wildwood And view the haunts of Nature. The calm shades Shall bring a kindred calm and the sweet breeze, That makes the green leaves dance, shall waft a balm To thy sick heart. Thou wilt find nothing here Of all that pained thee in the haunts of men And made thee loathe thy life.' "It seems as if it must have been the ferns that gave this call to Bryant. There is nothing in the woods so remote from man as the ferns. They seem to be of no practical use to man or beast as a food, or even of medicinal value. Let us believe that they are a special blessing of the Almighty, to take mankind to Nature's heart where he can see beauty, delicacy, and perfection without a hint of the world. "There is probably no section of the Middle West so bountifully blessed with these Divine gifts as is the Bock River Valley, as it extends through Ogle County. On the bluffs and over- hanging rocks, along the banks, may be seen the hardy tufts of the Purple Cliff Brake; nearer the water's edge, the Bulblet Bladder Pern ; and in many places the happy coincidence of Fragile Bladder Fern and Obtuse Woodsia, growing side by side so as to make it easy for the amateur to distinguish each. In sheltered nooks of the limestone cliffs may be found the Slender Cliff Brake and the always interesting Walking Leaf. Polypod is everywhere abundant on sandstone. Along the roadway that follows this 'Hudson of the West' are found, as one lady expresses it, 'just stacks and stacks of ferns.' Here are found extensive and luxuriant beds of Interrupted and Cinnamon Ferns, and on their outskirts and nearby ledges are found an abundance of Brake, Maidenhair, Lady Fern, Spinulose and Evergreen Wood Ferns, as well as occasional fronds of Rattlesnake Fern. From a more extensive search into their favorite haunts collectors have reported New Xork Fern, Ostrich Fern, Royal Fern, Marsh Fern, Oak and Beech Ferns, Ebony, Narrow Leaved, and Maid- enhair Spleenworts, Rusty Woodsia, and Hay- scented Fern. Undoubtedly there are many more not reported and possibly yet undiscovered." That part of the natural vegetation which is the worry of the farmer and the annoyance of the gardener (though often "a thing of beauty"' to the nature lover), is still found growing in pristine vigor, and must be overcome by cease- less cultivation to-day, much the same as when the first tiller of the fields bent over the plow and hoe to eradicate them; the wild rose still crowds out tfce clover and oats ; the thistle, with the wild .-anary balanced on a swaying branch, singing ..s summer lay, the smart-weed, jim- eon-weed, burdock, yellow dock, velvet-weed knot-weed, nightshade, purslane, and many more, still thrive ; the wild ivy and the morning glory still entwine the stalks of corn ; the joint-grass, the foxtail, **3 equaw-grass, and the coarse wire HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 621 and wild grasses, still follow the rains. These are perennial ! It is the generations of human life that vanish, and the records of them must be preserved, in turn, by those who come after ! "I spent some part of every year at the farm until I was twelve or thirteen years old. The life which I led there with my cousins was full of charm, and so is the memory of it yet. I can call back the solemn twilight and mystery of the deep woods, the earthy smells, the faint odors of the wild flowers, the sheen of rain washed foliage, the rattling clatter of drops when the rain shook the trees, the far-off ham- mering of woodpeckers and the muffled drum- ming of wood pheasants in the remoteness of the forest, the snapshot glimpses of disturbed wild creatures scurrying through the grass, — I can call it all back and make it as real as it ever was, and as blessed. I can call back the prairie, and its loneliness and peace, and a vast hawk hanging motionless in the sky, with his wings spread wide and the blue of the vault showing through the fringe of his end feathers. "I can see the woods in their autumn dress, the oaks purple, the hickories washed with gold, the maples and the sumacs luminous with crim- son fires, and I can ( hear the rustle made by the fallen leaves as we plowed through them. I can see the blue clusters of wild grapes hang- ing amongst the foliage of the saplings, and I can remember the taste of them and the smell. I know how the wild blackberries looked, and how they tasted ; and the same with the paw- paws, the hazelnuts, and the persimmons ; and I can feel the thumping rain of hickorynuts and walnuts upon my head when we were out In the frosty dawn to scramble for them with the pigs, and the gusts of wind loosed them and sent them down. I know the stain of blackberries, and how pretty it is ; and I know the stain of walnut hulls, and how little it minds soap and water ; also, what grudged experience I had of each. I know the taste of maple sap, and when to gather it, and how to arrange the troughs and delivery tubes, and how to boil down the juice, and how to hook the sugar after it is made; also how much better hooked sugar tastes than any that is honestly come by, let bigots say what they will." — Autobiography of Mark Twain. "I see the noble forest; Leaves glisten in the sun ; Up shaggy trunk and branches The chattering squirrels run. I think I'll go and chase tnem, And climb those branches, too, Just as in the days long vanished, With joy I used to do." The Days of Long ago : — Rev. G. W. Crofts. "Trees seem to come closer to our life. They are often rooted in our richest feelings, and our sweetest memories, like birds, build nests in their branches." — Henry Van Dyke. Seventy-five years have seen many changes in the forest growth of the county. Most of the trees standing at the present time are second- growths, and so great is the need of to-day for wood, that even the much younger growths must shake like the aspen leaf for fear of destruc- tion. Occasionally among the later forest- growth yet stands "a brave old oak," a tall, strong hickory, a straight sycamore by a stream, or a large elm. The fringe of river timber now owned by Mr. Wallace Heckman, is described by a man who, as a boy, rambled many times through these woods in the '60s, as consisting then of trees mostly of the size of the few large oaks still remaining there, now perhaps three feet in diameter. Oak trees of this size are said to have been common in Lafayette Grove in Lafayette Township, and in Washington Grove In Pine Rock Township. Here also were found "walnut and butternut trees of large and stately growth," as well as "a fine growth of hard maples." From these maples the sap was ex- tracted and a "sugar camp," with all its attend- ing honeyed sweetness, was there established by their owner, Mr. Henry Burton, soon after the settlement of that region, and continued in op- eration for many years, large quantities of sugar being obtained from them. A large water elm was found by the party of foresters of the Bu- reau of Forestry (now Forest Service) who ex- amined the "White Pine Tree Tract," along Pine Creek, during August of 1904. This eini stood by the water, on the east bank, some dis- tance from the dell made by the Spring Valley Branch, and measured fourteen and a half feet In circumference, and 115 feet in height. It was said by this party to be the largest tree they had found in their examination of trees in the State of Illinois, during the summer. V22 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. This tree has since died ; when cut down, it was discovered to be hollow, and the owner of it found it was the home of a thriving family of young squirrels. An elm larger than this, of this species and sound, apparently, is still standing near the center of McKenney's Island, being about eighteen feet in circumference breasthigh. Mrs. Catherine Nye, who came to Mount Morris, in her girlhood, from Hagerstown, Md., with her father, Mr. James Coffman and family in 1840, gives the following interesting account of the forest area at that time : "When we first came it was largely an open country, with scrub timber growth, as prairie fires had destroyed and kept down larger growths. We could drive anywhere across the country ; it was just underbrush and scattered large trees, no solid growth, and the grass was knee-high to a horse everywhere. In a few years the trees grew up very rapidly, where the fires were kept out, as the roots were strong in the soil and sprouted up quickly. Prairie fires ran through the whole country, twice after we came, in 1842 and 1843, from the Mississippi River to the Rock River. At the time of the second fire we were living at 'the old mill.' (This was the first grist-mill on Pine Creek, at the place where a dam was afterwards con- structed and kept in use for a long time, the mill being built by the father of Mrs. Nye and Squire Hitt.) Our folks were out day and night for three days fighting fire. We had to carry some- thing out for them to eat. The men had to 'brush' around the cabins, plough furrows, and fight the fire in every way possible to keep it back. The 'Old Sandstone' could be seen from Mount Carroll, at that time, twenty-five miles distant." Early accounts of this region speak of dif- ferent groves located in different townships. Lafayette and Washington Groves have been mentioned. Then there were Brodie's Grove in Dement Township ; Buffalo Grove in Buffalo Township ; White Oak Grove in Forreston Town- ship ; Burr Oak Grove, Kellogg's Grove, in Brook- ville Township ; Byron Township, "about equally divided between timber and prairie ;" at Eagle Point, the west edge of Buffalo Grove, extending into this township, and the eastern edge of Elk- horn Grove into it from Carroll County ; In Plagg Township, Hickory Grove and a timber tract along the Kyte, near the west line, called Jefferson Grove ; West Grove in Lincoln Town- ship ; Gees' Grove in Woosung Township ; Lynn- ville and Monroe Townships, some timber along Killbuck Creek; Scott, a little, being mostly prairie land; White Rock, a good tract of tim- ber, White Rock Grove; Grand Detour, largely timbered. All the rest of the townships in the county, being along the river and its tribu- taries, were well supplied with forest areas — Rockvale and Pine Creek Townships, especially — Hickory Ridge being in Rockvale, and Oak Ridge and the "White Pine Woods" in Pine Creek. Prof. W. L. Eikenberry, who has closely studied the trees and plants of the county, In a paper on "The Forest Ecology of Ogle County," makes the following interesting statement re- garding the distribution of certain species of trees : "It is in place here to call attention to an ap- parent exception to the general rule that the better land is occupied by the white oak rather than the black. In the formerly timbered areas northwest of the village of Mount Morris the reverse seems to the case. There is no richer land in the county than much of this. It re- sembles the prairie closely, excepting in the vi- cinity of some of the watercourses. The soil and topography make one feel that it was in- tended for prairie, and missed its destiny ; but the remaining timber is of the Xerophytic Oak type — that is, black and burr oak — with some shellbark hickory. The resemblance to the prairie is the explanation of the paradox. What- ever may be the factors which exclude trees from the fertile prairies, they are operative here also, and only the more hardy oaks can make any success of the struggle. The few facts which can be gathered at this late date, tend toward the conclusion that the timbered area was being extended at the expense of the prairie when the settlement of the country interrupted nature's processes. If that be true, this area marks the first considerable encroachment of the forest in this vicinity. "It is an interesting coincidence that, where- ever there is even a small exposed limestone ledge reasonably free from interference by man, there will be at least a few basswoods. This per- sistence of the chief character tree of the cliffs is often astonishing. On the other hand, upon the porous sandstone cliffs stunted pines, cedars and black oaks are almost the only trees present. HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 633 A location of much interest in this respect, and one which shows well the relation these trees bear to the two rock formations, is found along the lower course of Pine Creek and the parts of Rock River between the mouth of the creek and the village of Grand Detour. Here the. sand- stone does not rise to the level of the country back of the stream, and the bluffs are capped with about twenty-five feet of Trenton limestone. Basswood and white elm are here found at the crest of a sandstone cliff rising vertically sev- enty-five feet above the water, and in other un- likely places. The part of the bluff above the trees is composed of a very much broken and thin bedded limestone, which is separated from the underlying sandstone by an unconsolidated clayey layef which seems to be quite imper- meable to water. Springs occur at this leyel at many places, and doubtless bring to the surface along the bluffs a considerable quantity of per- colating water, so that again the occurrence of these trees seems to be related to an abundant supply of water brought near the surface by the peculiar character of the strata." A township map of the county issued by County Superintendent of Schools, Mr. J. M. Piper, in 1900, shows the location of the for- ests at that time, which are found all along the water-courses, large and small, and reaching out pretty well from their sides and into their basins. This amount of woodland has since been more or less decimated by the apparent necessity for cutting, and consequent dying, of some of the tree-covered areas, in consequence of a series of dry seasons during the '90s, followed by some extremely cold winters, with little or no snow, especially during the severe winter of 1898-99. The summer following found the foli- age of many fine trees attacked by insects and turning brown and withered, and in course of time the trees were dead. In 1903, upon the request of the late Hon. R. R. Hitt, who then represented the county of Ogle in Congress, an investigation was under- taken by the United States Department of Ag- riculture upon "The Diminished Flow of the Rock River in Wisconsin and Illinois, and its Relation to the Surrounding Forests." The im- pression for some years had been that the river was decreasing in volume or, at least, changing in the regularity of its flow. This investigation was in charge of G. Frederick Schwartz, of the Bureau of Forestry, and included "a considera- tion of the geology of the region, the recent fluctuations in the rainfall, the effects of the artificial drainage of swamps and fields, and the manner in which forests influence the water flow, and aimed not only to explain the decreased water flow in the Rock River region, but also to throw light on the relation of forests to water supply in general." "The results of this study," says the Government Report, "may be sum- marized as follows : "The geological formation and topography of the Rock River watershed are favorable to a sustained water supply. Since the settlement of the region the forests have been much re- duced in area, while the conditions of growth in those that remain have changed for the worse. Cultivated land and woodlots have been largely converted to pasturage, thus interfering with the waterflow. In some districts the swamps and fields have been artificially drained. . . . Since 1885 the rainfall has decreased. This loss has probably lessened slightly the volume of the river flow. The fluctuations in the flow, however, have been caused by artificial drainage and by changes in the forest conditions of the region. Of these the latter is probably the more important cause." This report ends with some valuable sugges- tions to the owners of land as to having some of it wooded and cared for, as the cultivated fields are, thus making the timber tract, or wood- lot, a regular paying investment like other crops. A tract of forty acres, lying about four miles southeast of Polo, owned by Mr. J. Leavitt Moore, was thus set out by him, about fifty years ago, with young larch trees, with a view to using them for fence posts and railroad ties. This place, now called "Larchwood Farm," is in the possession of Mr. C. E. Bamborough. The trees, having never been cut, are now grown into a beautiful grove, the pride of the owner. Soon after completion of the Illinois Central Railroad through Ogle County, the company offered to the farmers living near its line to transport young larches for such planting, free of freight charges. The European larch has been found especially durable, having lasted for a hundred years in the docks at Liverpool, Eng- land; but that planted on the rich prairie soil, grew too rapidly, and was consequently too por- ous for lasting long when in use as ties. As these trees have grown older, it is found that this objection is being removed, as a resinous 624 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. pitch has accumulated in the pores. Mr. Amos F. Moore, the brother of Mr. J. Leavitt Moore, set out a tract of these larches along the Seven- Mile Branch, but it was destroyed by a hail- storm, while a grove of yellow locust met with a similar fate. Nothing daunted, and possess- ing a large tract of land, Mr. Moore planted a field with soft maple, and this has developed into a dense grove, with many young elms, the winged seed of which was blown there from a white elm planted near by many years ago. Another part of the maple grove is thick with cherry trees, the result of seeds brought there by robins and other birds. Other artificial groves in the county include a small tract of black walnut, and in the same vicinity a grove of black locust, while the hardy catalpa has been planted in several localities. The force of the unchecked winds over the open prairie has led to the raising of "wind-brakes," consisting mainly of the' willow and the soft maple along the borders of some of the farms. The white pine and red cedar, procured from along Pine Creek, were planted around the early homes of the settlers, both in town and country, to protect them from the fierce storms, and for their beauty, too. The groups of these evergreens, as they surround the homes and dot the landscape, are to-day an evidence of the house in which once lived a pioneer family. The story is told of a bright young Methodist minister, now living in California, who, some years ago, in Mount Morris, was trimming up some of these pines that were set too close to the parsonage, with its damp grout walls. A friend passing, stopped to inquire what he was doing. "Pining for light!" came the quick response. A pine grove set out upon the public school ground at Mount Morris by Mr. H. J. Farwell, many years the President of the School Board at that place, is still an attractive feature of that locality. A number of trees had been planted by Mr. Farwell about his home in 1856 and 1857. Having been placed too near to each other, many of them, soon after the completion of the new school building in 1868, were moved by him to the grounds there. Men came out from town to his home, one mile south, in the winter with their bob-sleds to assist. They cut the frozen ground around the trees ten feet across, taking the tree up with the ground and roots frozen together, loading it on the low sled and moving it to its new place of setting-,, in much the same manner as is done at the pres- ent time with large trees by the nurseryman with his modern methods. For the remainder of the trees, including some of the white pines, a trip was made by this indefatigable worker for "a good school", to the first established nursery in the Northwest. This was at Franklin Grove, and was started by Col. Nathan Whitney, who propagated the crab-apple tree which bears his name, and which is found in every orchard in Ogle County to-day. x Hedges of osage-orange surrounding the farms were, for many years towards the waning of the nineteenth century, an attractive feature of the landscape; 'but, as they became winter- killed, they have nearly all beSn removed. These hedges furnished fine shelter for the wild creatures, particularly the brown thrush, the quail and the prairie-chicken. Flocks of quail were often seen hiding in the tangled grass under them. This shrub is the "bois d'arc," or bow-wood, used by the Indians in making their bows, and is one of the native trees of the former Indian Territory and the region contigu- ous. It furnishes a useful fuel for consumption in a grate. "THE WHITE PINE WOODS OF OOLE COUNTY." "The murmuring pines and the hemlocKs, Bearded with moss and in garments green, in- distinct in the twilight, Stand like Druids of eld." — Evangeline: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. "A brotherhood of venerable trees!" — Sormet: William Wordsworth. The evergreen tree tract, for which Ogle County has in recent years become well known throughout the State of Illinois, is situated along Pine Creek. A highway running from Ore- gon to Polo by the Pine Creek Town Hall bounds it on the south ; another highway runs by its east side north to Mount Morris ; the St. Paul line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road goes by its northern edge; to the west and the southwest, it reaches out irregularly to- wards Stratford and over the charming Spring Valley Branch. These boundaries would include about six hundred acres. The tract is owned by a number of individuals, many of whom pur- chased their holdings years ago when the land 1 The writers of this history trimmed off the first whorl of branches of the white pines thus planted, during their first summer vacation after coming to the West to live. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 625 was sold in small timber lots of from five to sixty acres, being purchased for use in connec- tion with the prairie farms in that region. This forest is traversed by Pine Creek, which rises farther to the north, flowing in a winding course, and entering Rock River near Grand Detour. Pine Creek is a most picturesque stream along its course at other points besides that where it cuts through this forest ; but in what is known as the "White Pine Woods," it reaches the height of its picturesque beauty and variety, as it runs by the high, rocky, vine-and-flower-cov- ered banks, mirroring them in its clear ripples as it eddies by. The creek just before it en- ters the tree tract, was deflected from its course in 1885, by the railway company in extending the road to St. Paul. The red cedar is also found along this stream, chiefly on the west side, and the American yew, or ground hemlock, a third evergreen, creeps down long stretches of its rocky walls on the east. In 1903, the Oregon Woman's Council, of which body of civic workers Mrs. Rebecca H. Kauffman has been the President since its or- ganization, took up the matter of saving the "White Pine Woods" by having them purchased by the State for a forest reserve, thus preserv- ing them not for Ogle County alone, but for the entire State. The Woman's Council was assisted in this work by many interested friends, not only in the county but elsewhere. A bill for the purchase of not less than 300 acres, nor more than 500 acres, and asking for an appropriation of $30,000, was prepared by Attorney Horace G. Kauffman, of Oregon, who, accompanied by Mr. Charles Walkup, of , Pine Creek Township, called upon the owners of the land and secured options on its sale for six months. The measure was ably managed in the General Assembly of that year, by the Hon. James P. Wilson, of Polo, assisted by the Hon. Johnson Lawrence, of Polo, in the House ; and by the Hon. Henry Andrus, of Rockford, in the Senate. The bill was passed by the both houses, but Gov. Yates vetoed it on the mistaken ground of needed economy in the finances of the State. A full account of this movement, prepared by Mr. J. L. Graff of Chicago, was published, with illustra- tions, in "The Sunday Record-Herald" of May 17, 1903, which was the Sunday intervening be- tween the passage of the bill and its veto by the Governor. At each session of the General Assembly since a similar measure has been pre- sented by the Oregon Woman's Council, but ask- ing for the purchase of not less than 500 acres, nor more tb"an TOO, and coupling with it clauses- asking for a State Forester, a Forestry Commis- sion, and a Department of Forestry at the Uni- versity of Illinois. In 1903, the President of the Oregon Woman's Council became a member of the newly-organized Forestry Committee of the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs, and later its chairman, thus securing the interest of Mrs. P. S. Peterson, of Chicago, and all the club women of the State in the preservation of this white pine region. No bill, since the first, has been successful, but the Oregon Woman's Council will still continue the effort to have preserved by the State this beautiful heritage of nature to Ogle County. Meanwhile land has risen in value, and timber is growing scarce. The General Assembly at the same term passed a resolution asking the U. S. Depart- ment of Agriculture to make an examination of the forests of the State, and to make a report to the State government with recommendations as to the preserving and propagating of them. Mr. R. S. Kellogg, of the U. S. Bureau of For- estry, now Forest Service, who had charge of this examination, sent a party of young fores- ters, under the direction of Mr. E. A. Ziegler, to visit this region, which later he visited him- self. The following extracts are ' quoted from their reports : "The piece of land should be made into a State forest reserve, since it is the only White Pme Grove in the State and shows excellent prospects of enlarging itself by natural seeding — in time, perhaps, overrunning the greater part of the tract — if a little care is taken to cut out a little oak, now and then, as the young pines become larger and denser. The natural beauties are exceptional. "The tract contains about 500 acres. Natural conditions are favorable to good tree growth. The present forest is young and evidently very few of the trees in it are over 75 years old. In a rather hurried survey, the following species were noted: Red Oak — Quercus rubra. White Oak — Quercus alba. Bur . Oak — Quercus macrocarpa. Scarlet Oak — Quercus coccinea. Chinquapin Oak — Quercus acuminata. White Elm — Vlmus americana,. Slippery Elm — Vlmus pubescens. 626 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. Large Tooth Aspen— Populus grandidentata. Quaking Asp — Populus tremulcides. Sugar Maple— Acer saceharum. Boxelder — Acer negundo. Hornbeam — Carpinus carolinicma. - Hop Hornbeam — Ostrya virginiana. Red Mulberry — Morm rubra. Black Walnut — Juglans nigra. Butternut — Juglans cmerea. Shagbark Hickory — Hicoria o-vata. Pignut Hickory — Hicoria glabra. Mocker Nut Hickory — Hicoria alba. Sycamore — Platanus oocidentalis. Hackberry — Oeltis occidentalis. White Ash — Fraxinus americana. Black Ash — Fraxinus nigra. Choke Cherry — Primus virginiana. Black Cherry — Primus serotina. Wild Plum — Primus wmertcana. Basswood — Tilia americana. Hop Tree — Ptelea trifoliata. Black Willow — Salix nigra. Juneberry — Amelanchier canadensis. White Pine — Pinus sirobus. Red Cedar — Juniperus virginiana. There are a number of other points of interest in connection with the White Pine Woods of Ogle County, which it would be desirable to in- sert in this history, but which lack of space will not permit. Another most interesting woodland tract of Ogle County is that contained in the 6,000 acres of the Sinnissippi Farm, which reaches, in an almost unbroken line, for five miles along the east bank of Rock River. Through this fine for- est area one may drive many miles over wind- ing macadam roads, which have been constructed from rock material found within the limits of the varied and beautiful domain. Through the interest and assistance of Mrs. F. O. Lowden, the writer is enabled to give a list of many of the trees, broadleaf and ever- green, shrubs and ornamental plants, native and planted, now found growing upon the many acres of Sinnissippi Farm. They include: Silver-leaved, Norway, purple-leaved, red, and sugar maple; horsechestnut, European alder, Juneberry ; white, river and cut-leaved birch ; shell-bark and pig-nut hickory ; western catalpa, hackberry, cherry, fringe-tree, thorn, cypress ; white and green ash ; black and white walnut ; larch, mulberry, box-elder, ornamental peach, sycamore, poplar, choke-cherry, wild plum, orna- mental crab-apple and wild crab-apple; black, burr, red, white and pin oak ; black locust, maidenhair tree; willow, ornamental and na- tive variety of linden or basswood; white and red elm ; Norway spruce, balsam fir ; dwarf and prostrate juniper ; red and white cedar ; Aus- trian, dwarf mugho, Scotch, red and white pine. Among the shrubs are : Hercules club, com- mon, purple-leaved, Thunberg's barberry; sweet- scented shrub; gray, red, yellow-twigged, red Siberian dogwood; native and English hazel; Japan quince, deutzia, weigelia, strawberry tree ; golden bell, snowdrop, or silver bell tree; witch- hazel, althea, hydrangea, privet, syringa, japoni- ca, hop-tree; fragrant, shining, staghorn, cut- leaved sumach ; currant ; common and cut-leaved elderberry; bladder-nut, native; snowberry, In- dian currants ; lilacs, ten varieties ; high-bush cranberry, snowball. Among the hardy plants are: hollyhocks,, co- lumbine, butterfly-weed (wild), asters, plume poppy, campanula, glove thistle, bleeding-heart, coreopsis, lily-of-the-valley, larkspur, hibiscus, iris, bee-balm, Boltonia (like asters), digitalis, plantain lily, oriental poppies, peonies, phlox, primrose, spiderwort, yucca. STATE TKEE AND FLOWER. The "Arbor and Bird Day Annual" for 1908, issued by State Superintendent of Public In- struction, Prof. F. G. Blair, published an ex- tended account of a movement for securing by act of the State Legislature the adoption of a tree and a flower which might be accepted for use as a floral emblem by the people of the State. The movement originated with Mrs. James C. Fesler, of Rochelle, 111., and as the result of a suggestion made to Superintendent C. E. Joiner, of the Rochelle public schools, in the month of April, 1907, a circular was sent out to the pub- lic schools inviting, through the teachers, a vote of the pupils on the subject. This was fol- lowed in November, 1907, by the circulation of a blank for voting purposes, which resulted in the casting of 52,107 votes, as follows: Trees — Oak, 21,987; maple, 16,517; elm, 5,082. Flow- ers—Violet, 16,583; wild rose, 12,628; golden rod, 4,315. The vote was canvassed by the Mesdames M. D. Hathaway, Susan Cass and Josephine Barker, and on its submission to the Legislature the following act was adopted: "Sec. 1. That the native oak tree be, and the same is recognized and declared to be the native JOHN ANDERSON HISTOBY OP OGLE COUNTY. 627 State tree of the State of Illinois ; and that the native violet be, and same hereby is recognized and declared to be the native State flower of the State of Illinois." Special credit is given to Representative John- son Lawrence, of Ogle County, and Senator An- drew J. Anderson, of Winnebago, for securing the passage of the act. The only other State which has selected a na- tive tree as a State symbol is New York, which has adopted the maple. Other States which adopted State flowers are as follows : California — California poppy. Colorado — Co- lumbine. Delaware — Peach blossom. Idaho — Syringa. Indiana — Corn. Iowa — Wild rose. Maine — Pine cone tassel. Michigan — Apple blos- som. Minnesota — Moccasin flower. Montana — Bitter root. Nebraska — Golden rod. Nevada — Sunflower. New York — Rose. North Dakota — Golden rod. Oklahoma — Mistletoe. Oregon — Golden rod. Rhode Island — Violet. Utah — Sego lily. Vermont — Red clover. Washington — Rho- dodendron. An appropriate song, "The Oak and the Vio- let," for use in the celebration of the annual Arbor Day, has been published, the words writ- ten by C. C. Hassler, County Clerk of McLean County, and the music by F. W. Westhoff, Su- pervisor of Music in the Illinois State Normal University. SOME HISTORIC BOULDERS. A few boulders are found here and there within Ogle County, some reaching above the surface level while others are almost entirely imbedded in the earth. In Pine Rock Town- ship some of the finest of these rock masses are found. It was on the farm of Mr. George Sturdevant, in this township, that the dark gray granite boulder, weighing between 3,500 and 4,000 pounds, was excavated for the purpose of marking the spot where Abraham Lincoln de- livered his address in the courthouse grounds at Dixon, 111., the day before his address at Ore- gon, in 1856. A red granite boulder, about five tons in weight, before the cutting away of the softer portion, was taken about the same time also from this same farm to mark another his- toric spot at Dixon, but on the opposite side of the river. From the farm adjoining Mr. Stur- devant's and belonging to Dr. M. C. Roe, of Ghana, lying almost even with the surface of the ground, was taken the gray flinty granite boulder which has been placed in Oregon to designate the place of Mr. Lincoln's speech there the day following the Dixon address. A boulder from this region is used also to mark the spot of the Driscoll tragedy at Washington Grove. This boulder weighed 3,000 pounds, and is a dark pink granite. The weight of the Ore- gon Lincoln boulder was about 3,100 pounds, and of so hard a quality as to require no dressing. It was with the invaluable assistance of Mr. Virgil B. Reed that these boulders were se- lected, procured and placed. Mr. Reed, whose home is at the village of Watertown, east of Daysville, hasi made a special study of the boulders of the county, and has at his home a very unique collection of them, of various sizes, colors, shapes, and kinds, set up as a fence around his grounds, and in grottoes, with flow- ers in summer bending brightly above their mys- tic outlines. This collection includes rocks not only from Ogle County, but from all over the United States ; in it ate some fine specimens of meteoric stones, ranging from 500 pounds to 7% ounces ; an English chap granite, probably the only specimen ever found in the United States, which was secured from the "railway cut" west of Honey Creek ; a section of a petri- fied tree, which was uncovered in a ravine on the farm of Mr. John Gibson, in Pine Rock Township ; fossiliferous forms from the lime- stone rocks ; "igneous rocks from the compact, felsitic rocks to the light scoriaceous rocks which will float, and many specimens of min- erals and rock crystals." What is known as "the Black Hawk Boulder" lay on the crest of a cliff along the west side of Pine Creek, in Pine Creek Township, on the farm of Mr. John Lampin. Standing upon this granite boulder one could get a view across Pine Creek down to Rock River. A man living in that vicinity relates that years ago, when a party of Indians were returning through this region on a hunting and fishing trip, an old woman of the number told some of the settlers there, that as a little girl she had seen Black Hawk stand upon this boulder and urge his braves to be valiant ; and that it was his custom to use this cliff and boulder as an outlook. Be- ing himself concealed from a possible enemy, he could see Mount Morris in the north ; east- ward the country across Rock River Valley, and beyond Nachusa in Lee County ; southwestward, could look through the old deserted path of 628 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Pine Creek and across the landscape beyond, to the west, far into Whiteside County. Id 1905, Mr. Victor H. Bovey moved this boulder, to preserve it as an historic relic, to his pic- turesque home, a little distance away on Pine Creek, hospitably fitted up by him as a pleasure resort and named "Bovey's Springs," on account of several springs which find their way out of the rocks at this place. In 1906 a boulder was placed in White Rock Township, to mark the spot where John Camp- bell, captain of the Regulators, was killed prior to the arrest of the Driscolls. Messrs. D. H. Hayes, R. M. King, with a number of others in the vicinity, were instrumental in having this boulder placed. (See Page 827.) CHAPTER II. NATURAL HISTORY— FAUNA. BIRDS AND ANIMALS — INSECTS — FISHES AND REP- TILES — THE MUSSEL SHELL INDUSTRY. "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creep- ing thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so." — Genesis — Chapter I. BIRDS AND ANIMALS. A record of one of the very earliest creatures that must have lived in this region is found in one of the first histories of Ogle County. The account relates to the mastodon, which is placed by Darwin in the "Origin of Species" in "the last geologic period," and says, that in 1858 a tooth of this huge animal was found in a little tributary of Stillman Creek. This tooth weighed seven and a half pounds, and was covered with a black, shining enamel, being "a fine fossil in a high state of preservation." In a history of another county of Illinois, situated likewise in the northern part of the State, along a river much the same as Ogle County, and having much the same surroundings and conditions, is recounted the Indian tradition which the poet Longfellow has told of the famine in "Hia- watha," "O the long and dreary winter! O the cold and cruel winter ! Ever thicker, thicker, thicker, Froze the ice on lake and river, Ever deeper, deeper, deeper, Fell the snow o'er all the landscape, Fell the covering snow, and drifted Through the forest, round the village." "O the famine and the fever! O the wasting of the famine ! O the blasting of the fever!" "All the earth was sick and famished; Hungry was the air around them, Hungry was the sky above them !" From the period of the mastodon to the time of the occupation of the region by the Indian is "a far cry." The early settler rarely found any of the larger animals, and their absence may be explained by this traditional record of the red man. Pere Marquette and other of the early explorers mention the buffalo and elk in their early reports of the country. In a report of a meeting of the "Old Settlers' Association of Ogle County, held at Mt. Morris, August 30, 1883, appears the following: "The chairman (President W. J. Mix), hold- ing in his hand a buffalo horn, said : T hold in my hand a relic sent here by Fletcher Hitt, of LaSalle County— the youngest brother of Thom- as and Samuel Hitt. The card accompanying it says it was picked up by Mr. Hitt while sur- veying in Mt. Morris, and shows that the white man was not far behind the buffalo.' " In the "History of Kane County, by Gen. John S. Wilcox," issued under the direction of the Munsell Publishing Company, and already referred to in the beginning of this chapter, ap- pears the following, which also applies to Ogle County : "Occasionally a bear, a panther or a timber wolf was seen, but these were only individual Instances, and so rare as to give no trouble to the pioneers. Prairie wolves were very numer- ous, but they should not be confounded with the HISTOBY OP OGLE COUNTY. 629 coyotes of the western plains. They were much larger and bolder than the latter. In size they were midway between the timber wolf and the coyote. Many a good dog would hesitate to give battle to a full-grown one, and a pair were more than a match for any dog. They fought with quick, rapid snaps, and their powerful jawa made their sharp teeth cut like knives. They were sneaking and cowardly enough ; yet they were crafty and persistent, and, when hungry and emboldened by numbers, or when cornered and desperate, they were formidable fighters." A story related by Judge Dean Caton, in his "Early Bench and Bar of Illinois," illustrates the prevalence of the deer in the Rock River region. (The story, even if true, is not pleas- ant, though it appears humorous to the nar- rator.) The "English family, of the name of Henshaw," which he refers to as having feasted upon deer so frequently, spent much time in hunting, and was the family with whom Mar- garet Fuller and her friends made their stay while in Oregon. Mr. Henry Elsey, writing in the "Tri-County Press," on "Some Things the Old Polks Saw in Pioneer Days," says : "Deer could be seen grazing in herds of ten or twenty, or skimming over the prairies and passing out of sight into the dense woods. Then there were in the springtime flocks of prairie plovers, crooked-billed snipes, geese, ducks and brants, almost constantly in sight ; while upon some rise of ground the sand-hill cranes were dancing a cotillion and the 'boom, boom' of prairie chickens was heard in all directions. Yes, and there were lots of snakes in the prairie grass ; blue racers, five and six feet long. They did no more harm than to give a man or team a scare; but the little rattlesnake (Indian name (Massasauga), or 'sauger,' was a source of ter- ror, as its bite was deemed to be fatal." At the present time it is reported that a herd of deer, as many as fifty-eight in number, are running about in the central and upper parts of the county. Accounts of them have been re- corded in two of the newspapers of the county during the years 1905 and 1907, showing their location. A mountain lion is reported to have been seen in and about the brush in one of the river townships, in recent years. Possibly it was the Canadian lynx, which was occasionally seen in the early times. A considerable number of wild cats were found. On account of these and the wolves, many farmers at first hesitated to raise sheep. Foxes were prevalent in the early day, and still are sometimes seen and cap- tured. The woodchuck still abounds to worry the farmer with the unguarded entrance and exit of earthworks to his underground dwelling in the fields of succulent clover and grass. This hibernating animal is still the "weather fore- caster" of the spring, and "ground-hog day" is quite as well known to the generations of the present as it was when crops and seeds were put in the ground according to the infallible "Gruber." A bounty of twenty-five cents is at present placed upon the ears of this indefatig- able wild creature — as a hunter some time ago found out, in presenting for bounty a number of skins which lacked these appendages. In spite of this bounty, however, the number seems not to diminish. The raccoon and otter are once in awhile yet found ; but the opossum, never numerous, has vanished. The mink, the weasel, the skunk, thrive as of yore. Rabbits are still found, leav- ing their tell-tale tracks in the new-fallen snow to tempt the sportsman without a license. The gophers, gray and little striped, were found liv- ing in the region, as they still are, doing no harm but trying the patience of the farmer as he goes over his field replanting the corn they have dug for their food. Rats and mice are still here to trouble house, barn, granary and crib ; but these pests came along in the wake of the settling up of the country — among the ever-pursuing hordes that forage upon the flanks of civilization. Moles, with their silky fur, and field mice were here when the first settlers came, and are here yet, the mole still making its burrows and chambered hillocks under the lawns and pastures just the same; and, with the precision of a skilled engineer, tunneling under the moist earth, with here and there a shaft to the surface for air and food. The gray squirrel and chipmunk are now rarely seen, but the red squirrel still runs over the trees for hickory nuts, and sometimes feasts, as that very observing and truthful nature-student, Mr. John Burroughs, charges, upon the eggs it finds in the nests of birds as it whisks about. The flj - ing-squirrel, covered with the softest of fur, still at night flits about in search of food. The harmless bat, but connected with such deep- seated superstition, and having such a fine, soft covering, still darts, of evenings, into the lighted house to the terror of the inmates. 630 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. The muskrat still builds along the water- courses. During the winter of 1905-1906, many muskrat houses were built along Margaret Ful- ler Island, and in the bayou above the home of Mr. E. A. Laugblin. At the latter place these Interesting animals ("musquash," the Indians called them), went on unconcernedly, during the autumn, building their houses while golf was being played near. The houses were high, broad at the base, perhaps four feet each way from the surface of the water, conical or rounded at the top, made out of mud and a mass of lilies that had grown in a net around the place. The common belief that when the muskrat builds high the winter will be severe, was contradicted by the weather of that winter, which was very mild, the river where the current was deepest and strongest not being at any time wholly frozen over. This fact, and the proximity of the muskrats, nearly cost a young skater his life one afternoon during this winter. Down the river he came from Byron, when a muskrat running about on the ice not far from its house, caught his eye ; watching it, he skated on un- aware of the opening he was approaching and of a sudden went down in the open, cold water. He would have drowned, in spite of some lads near who were without skates and means of rescue, had not a companion skater suddenly appeared around Arrowhead Island with a hock- ey stick in his hand. Rock River could tell many a tale of such disasters, summer and winter. With all her fair, picturesque beauty, she has her Scylla and Charybdis that bring danger and death, year after year, to those who skim along over her glistening ice or who find pleasure in or upon her rippling waters. The eagle, "proud bird of the mountain," has found "a local habitation and a name" along the Rock River, at Eagle's Nest Bluff. Here was its eyrie, its favorite spot on the rocky steep, where its young were nurtured among the craggy cedars spreading out as a screen. It was with this bird and this spot that the bril- liant, but unfortunate, Countess d'Ossoli linked her name and her fame as a writer in 1843. Eagles have been found in Ogle County in recent years. About ten years ago a dark, blackish- gray eagle, its wings measuring five feet from tip to tip, was captured by a farmer in his corn- field, three miles west of Mount Morris. This eagle is now in the possession of Mr. A. W. Brayton of Mount Morris, its skin having been stuffed and mounted at the time of its capture by Mr. Brayton's son Louis. The wild turkey and its concomitant, the tur- key-buzzard, were found in Ogle County. The woodcock, which is a species of snipe ; the pheasant, which is the partridge of New Eng- land, or the ruffed grouse ; the quail, or the "bob-white of everywhere," and the prairie chicken, are still found, but no longer in large numbers, as they were in the times of the first settlement. The taking of them at all seasons of the year, and the clearing away of so much of the protecting undergrowth, have al- most exterminated these game birds. Under the progressive leadership and management of Dr. John A. Wheeler, the State game commis- sioner, Illinois now leads the States in the propagation of game. Dr. Wheeler has been instrumental in securing the adoption of much important legislation for the protection of game, and has systematized the workings of the game department. Game Wardens now patrol every county, and the license (which costs the hunter one dollar per year) and the fines- make the State game department self-supporting. At the State game farm, in Sangamon County, are prop- agated these fast-dying game birds, besides other varieties to take their places. Mr. C. H. Whitman, of Mount Morris, the chief of the game wardens of Ogle County, has received during the past several seasons, shipments of quail and pheasants from the State game pre- serve, and has distributed them over the county to individuals who wish to take care of them till late spring, and then liberate them upon their farms or land. A lover of birds who took two pairs of these quail from one of these ship- ments, in experimenting as to the kinds of food they preferred, discovered them to be most fond of apple seeds — and apples at that time were selling at sixty cents a peck ! — and canned black raspberries. It is not the native pheasant that is sent out, but the English and Chinese bird of this species that is being domesticated. The turtle dove, with its mournful "coo!" too human to be considered game, still builds its rude twig-nest near the habitations of this later day. The water-birds, the snowy and the blue heron, the bittern, the horned grebe (with the obnoxious name of hell-diver), the pelican, the sandhill and the whooping crane, the her- ring gull, commonly designated "sea gull," mak- ing its long flight up from the Mississippi ; the HISTOPY OF OGLE COUNTY. 631 loon, with its long-drawn, melancholy notes, when approached, are all still found about the streams. A party of youthful sportsmen, in search of ducks on Rock River, were much startled by the sighing cry of the loon, shoot- ing one by mistake, with much difficulty and time spent in the effort — the shot seeming not to penetrate the close, oily plumage, as the bird would dive and swim under water, coming up at a different place each time. The slim little snipe and the plover are still in the region. Many kinds of duck, among them the bluebill, the teal, the butterball, the mallard, are still found making- their semi-annual visitations, as well as large flocks of geese, and occasionally the brant. In the days of the wilderness of reeds and grasses and the undrained, unfilled "sloo," great flocks of wild ducks and geese went flying over, and it is said the sound of their call could be heard at all hours of the day and night, as they winged their way north or south, or settled for rest and food upon some prolific feeding ground. Early settlers tell of great flocks of the wild passenger pigeon which would fly north in the spring and return in the autumn. One season, it is said, immense numbers went north, but very few returned in the autumn ; nor have they ever been numerous since. It is said that crows were not numerous when the country was first settled. It must be that the rich fields of corn and grain have at- tracted them. Easily five hundred in a flock were seen not many winters ago going through some council-like performances on the ice on Rock River and constantly making a long black line over a well-defined crack in the ice. The crow, "stately" as the raven, which it so re- sembles in this latter day, has a bounty upon its poor, defenseless head, regardless of the use- ful service it, too, performs. A partial list taken from the writer's obser- vation, of the song birds still more or less abundant in the county, some of which remain all the winter, is here given : Hairy, downy, red-headed, golden-winged and red-bellied woodpecker ; white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, bluejay, butcher-bird, robin, junco, meadowlark, bronzed graekle, song spar- row, bluebird, fox-sparrow, cowbird, belted king- fisher, phoebe, chickadee, tpwhee, golden-crowned kinglet, yellow-bellied sapsucker, tree sparrow, hermit thrush, ruby-crowned kinglet, cardinal, chipping sparrow, winter wren, field sparrow, myrtle warbler, red-winged blackbird, cedar waxwing, white-throated and white-crowned sparrow, brown thrush, barn swallow, black- throated green warbler, catbird, wood thrush, chimney swift, American goldfinch, Baltimore and orchard oriole, kingbird, oven-bird, red-eyed vireo, scarlet tanager, yellow warbler, rose- breasted grosbeak, bobolink, whip-poor-will, wood pewee, yellow-billed cuckoo, blue-headed vireo, bay-breasted warbler, nighthawk, indigo bunt- ing, ruby-throated humming-bird, purple mar- tin. The evening grosbeak, in seasons when food is scarce in Minnesota and Manitoba, and re- gions farther north where it winters, sometimes comes south as far as this region. Several years ago, a flock of forty or fifty evening gros- beaks spent the mid-winter holidays on Rail- road Island, flying up every two or three days to the fringe .of hackberry trees, which loaded with their sweet berries edged the bank of the river at "the Dr. Mix home." Some years ago the chimney swift was so numerous in the region that hundreds of these swallow-like birds darkened the way over the large chimney of the new Oregon public school building ; and there have been seasons when the bank swallow flew in countless numbers over the river and made their nests in the hollows of the hardened clay of the river slope to the north of Eagle's Nest Camp. Owing to the protective bird laws of the State, it is said that the feathered song- sters have doubled in number during the last few years. Much of this sentiment of protec- tion to the birds is due to the Illinois Audubon Society, which has this for its object, its efficient work being thoroughly carried on by its Presi- dent, Mr. Ruthven Dean, of Chicago, and its Secretary, Miss Mary Drummond, of Lake For- est. The work of the Audubon Society is en : tirely unselfish, not done solely to protect game thai? the shooting harvest may be increased, but looking only to the saving of the birds for the general good of mankind, and to the preserva- tion and care of the beautiful and helpless wild creatures. During the summer of 1907, Rock River Val- ley was visited by Mr. John Ferry, grandson of one of the early pioneers of Ogle County, Mr. John V. Farwell. Mr. Ferry, who is engaged in the work of the Columbian Field Museum, of Chicago, was sent out in the interests of that institution in order to investigate a theory. •632 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. which was held by the bird department of the museum, that, taking a strip of country up the Rock River Valley north into Wisconsin, the birds of the region were not quite the same as to color and size as the same speries in the country contiguous, east and west. After a sur- vey and examination of two weeks, this intelli- gent and competent investigator decided that there is no difference. INSECTS. Among the insects of this region what is com- monly known as the "sand," or "river" fly is interesting. This is the May fly, and is known wherever the trout and salmon are found, and in many waters where they are not. This fly, and in its larva? and nymphse states, is eaten by the smaller fish and by the larger ones in the earlier stages of their growth. This fly is a good bait for the angler. In some sea- sons the banks of the river are literally black with these flies hanging even to the tiniest blade of grass. Sometimes they fly to the houses along the bank and, clinging to their sides, in a day or two cast off their wornout shell, just as the spider and the cicada do, and doing no harm in any way. Once a few years ago an immense swarm of these May flies, looking like a dark snowstorm, flew from the river bank as high up in the air as the eye could follow in the dusk of the evening, and suddenly disap- peared in the twilight towards the trees of Liberty Hill. That part of the Rock River "Valley included in Ogle County was, in the year 1905, visited by the "seventeen-year locust." Properly speaking, this is not a locust at all, but a cicada, like the yearly harvest fly, or yearly cicada. The locust itself is like the grasshopper, only it has three joints to each foot, while the grasshopper has four. The antennae of the real locust are shorter than those of the grasshopper, and it has a greater power of flight. These "seventeen-year locusts," or cicadas, began to crawl out of holes in the ground under trees, or where trees had once been, towards evening on June 8, of the year 1905, and fastening themselves upon the limbs and trunks went up the trees where pretty soon the brown shell began to crack open in the back, and in a few hours a soft white cicada emerged, which in a little time began to turn to the usual brown color of the insect. In a .day or two they were ready for flight and song, living about six weeks. A part of them has a grayish white fluted membrane, ridged like an accordion, under each wing, which the insect expands and contracts; this makes the song of the cicada, which always has sounded to many people like "Phar-c^oh^oh," in lingering remembrance of the plague so long ago in the far-off land of Egypt. The under-body of the remaining number of these cicadas is supplied with a lance for cutting along the tender parts of the branches of the trees, in making deposi- tories of the egg out of which is to grow the cicada of the next cycle of seventeen years. These punctured twigs die and drop to the ground as the egg develops and the little white worm burrows into the ground and fastens it- self upon the tree roots, which nourish it dur- ing its long underground stay. It is this which injures the trees. It is a prevalent notion that these cicadas do not eat anything during their brief life above the earth. This is an error, as it extracts vegetable juices, through a long tube in the end of its proboscis. At their appearance in 1888, there was a countless number of these insects, and the trees were covered all over with scored branches. In 1905 they came up in numbers only here and there. Likely the dry seasons referred to elsewhere as causing the trees to die, may have had something to do with the decrease in numbers, and the great number of cicada worms feeding upon their roots may have helped to weaken the trees. At the time of the making of the first set- tlements in the Rock River Valley the water of the river was clear ; the rocky, pebbly bottom could easily be seen, with many kinds and great numbers of fish lying upon it, or darting hither and thither nearer the surface. It was this clearness, showing the nature of- the river bed as well as the cliff formation along its sides, which caused the Indians to give to Rock River its name of "Sinnissippi," or "rocky water." The "settler" near the river could go out with spear, as the red man had done before him from time immemorial, and take out "a mess of fish" for the family meal — pike, catfish, mus- kalonge, eels, bass, and other toothsome varie- ties. But the possession of the white man has changed all that! The surrounding soil, bared of its protecting forests with their natural growth of herbs, moss, tree seedlings, shrubs, N m > 03 > M 2; o l-J o 2; « > > H o 2 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 633 and rich receptive mold, is carried by the heavy rains into the once sparkling water, clouding it most of the year and depriving it of its former transparency ; and the fisherman, with his ex- terminating nets and seines, has added his share to the destruction of the finny dwellers of the stream. Protective laws enacted by the State, and enforced by Pish Commissioners and wardens, have in recent years brought about better con- ditions in some of the streams of Illinois ; but, as yet, not much has been accomplished for their protection and increase in the Rock River. Illinois being large and almost surrounded by water of diverse conditions, it is difficult to legislate and easily care for the fish in every stream and body of water. The law in force July 1, 1905, said that seining shall be "allowed between the first day of July in each year and the 15th day of April in the following year, with seines, the meshes of which shall not be less than IMj inches square, in such rivers and streams as are used for navigation within the jurisdiction of the State." Under acts of Con- gress, Rock River is recognized as a navigable stream, and consequently comes under the pro- visions of this law. The fishing law in force July 1, 1907, among other provisions, imposes a license fee for use of a hoop-net of 50 cents per year;, for each 100 yards of seine or trammel net, $5 per year; admits of fishing with hoop-net between June 1 and April 15 of the succeeding year, and with seine between September 1 and April 15 of the succeeding year ; limits the use of the trammel net between June 1 and April 15 to the Illinois, Ohio, Mississippi, Big Wabash and Calumet rivers, and to the catching of carp, dogfish, buffalo and catfish ; and prohibits the catching of black bass, pike, pickerel or wall-eyed pike, except by hook and line, and provides that fish so caught shall not be offered for sale or for shipment between the first day of September and the 15th of April ; also prohibits the use of seine or trammel net between sunset and sunrise of the following day. Any violation of the provisions of this act subjects the offender to a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $200. VARIETIES OF FISH IN BOCK EIVEE. Prof. S. A. Forbes, of the University of Illi- nois, is one of the best authorities on fish and fish life in this country, and a list, taken from some of his published bulletins, of the native fish of Illinois, many of which are found in the Rock River and its larger tributaries — Mill Creek, Stillman Creek, Leaf River, Kyte River, Pine Creek — will be of interest to the people of Ogle County. This list is as follows : "Basses — Large mouth black bass, small mouth black bass, rock bass, striped bass, yellow bass, dark crappie, calico bass ; pale crappie, pike- pickerel, little pickerel, grass pike, wall-eyed pike. "Perch — Sauger, jack salmon, common ringed perch, white perch, sheepshead, common sunfish, red spotted sunfish, red eye, blue spotted sun- fish ; Warmouth red eye bream. "Suckers — Red horse, common sucker, native carp, river carp, quill-back buffalo. "Shad — Hickory shad, gizzard shad, shovel fish, or paddle fish. "Now and then an example of lake herring, a few eel, dogfish and gar." A part of the work undertaken, both by the United States Fish Commission and the State Commission, is the replenishing of the different varieties of fish in the streams. In the distri- bution during the season of 1904-05, black bass to the number of 600 were placed in Rock River at Rock Island, and 1,000 crappie in Rock River in Lee County. During the season of 1905-06, native black bass were placed in the river in Whiteside and Lee Counties, 500 in each county; and several times during the last few years, through the interest of Judge and Mrs. James H. Cartwright, of Oregon, several lots and kinds of fish have been added to the stream at Oregon. In May, 1908, 2,000,000 eggs of the wall-eyed pike were placed in the river at the same locality, through this thoughtful in- strumentality. The foreign carp was introduced into the streams of the United States about thirty years ago. It is called the German carp, but is a native of Asia, and cultivated for many cen- turies in Europe, whence were brought to our streams the improved varieties — the leather carp, the blue carp, the mirror carp. This fish is regarded by many with as much dislike as is another of our importations — the English sparrow. However, it is said to be highly prized by fishermen for market purposes, and to find a ready sale in the large cities ; it is also said that there are no better waters in the country, 634 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. if in the world, to produce the carp, than those of Illinois. Dr. Hugh M. Smith, Assistant U. S. Fisli Commissioner, says : "The carp has been domesticated ' in Europe from time immemorial, and represents among the finny tribe the place occupied by poultry among birds. It is a fish adapted to the far- mer's ponds and to mill-dams, less so to clear, gravelly rivers with a strong current. Where there is quiet water with muddy bottom and abundant vegetation, there is the home of the carp ; there it will grow with great rapidity, sometimes attaining a weight of three to four pounds in as many years. It is a vegetable feeder and not dependent upon man for its sus- tenance. As an article of food, the better va- rieties rank in Europe with the trout and bring the same price per pound." Marie Hansen Taylor, the widow of Bayard Taylor, in her book of reminiscences, "On Two Continents," relates an amusing incident in which the German carp is the chief figure. It was while Mr. Taylor was representing the United States as Minister to Germany that the incident occurred. He brought, unexpectedly, a guest to dinner (as the good man of the house often does, to the consternation of the "Haus- frau!") and the cook served but one small carp for them all — though Mrs. Taylor adds, that the fish was delicious. THE MUSSEL INDUSTRY. Within a few years there has sprung up in the State of Illinois a rapidly growing water Industry, which is the taking of the mussel, or fresh water clam, from the rivers for the manu- facture of buttons from its shell. In the Rock River clam shells pearls are sometimes found, which adds another motive for the industry. A lady residing in Oregon, while visiting in New York City during the winter of 1907, was told by a young friend who had formerly resided in this region, of his having been surprised not long before by seeing in a jeweler's window in that great metropolis a tray of these beautiful translucent spheres, marked "Rock River Pearls." Some years ago Mr. Edwin J. Allen, of Mount Morris, fished especially along the Rock River for pearls, meeting with considerable success. One of the pearls found in 1907 by the indefatigable and well-known fisherman, Mr. Henry Twogood, of Oregon, was sold in the neighborhood for $250. This same fisherman, early in the spring of 1908, caught in his seine a huge sturgeon weighing about seventy pounds. CHAPTER III. THE ABORIGINES. THE MOUND BUILDERS — INDIANS TRIBES AND REL- ICS — BLACK HAWK'S VILLAGE. "Full many a legendary tale Still holds aside oblivion's veil, And speaks to men of other days, Those ancient warriors' blame or praise, Attested down the years unknown, By pictograph and rough-hewn stone, Whereon, in symbols rude, we read The archives of a nation dead, With boulders, mounds and mountain-rents, And river bluffs for monuments." — The Myth of Stone /doZ :— William P. Jones. The Mound Builders, very remotely, seem to have been the first occupants of the Rock River region. The evidence of their possession re- mains in the tangible records which they con- structed, for whatever reason, with so much labor and persistence, and in such numbers. The Indians appeared to have no knowledge of these mounds or earthworks, found so widely scattered over the territory from the Allegheny to the Rocky Mountains, and their purpose, whether for burial places, for religious rites, or for war, cannot be entirely understood. In the "Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois," Vol. I of this work, pp. 388-391, it is said : "The Rock River region seems to have been a favorite field for the operation of the mound builders, as shown by the number and variety of these structures, extending from Sterling, in Whiteside County, to the Wisconsin State line. A large number of these were to be found In the vicinity of the Kishwaukee River in the southeastern part of Winnebago County. The famous prehistoric fortification on Rock River, just beyond the Wisconsin boundary — which seems to have been a sort of counterpart of the HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 635 ancient Fort Azatlan on the Indiana side of the Wabash — appears to have had a close re- lation to the works of the mound builders on the same stream in Illinois." From about the time of the Revolutionary War until the first coming of the whites, the Rock River Valley was occupied by the Sacs, Foxes, Pottawatomies and Winnebagoes, tribes of Indians. How long they had been in this country is not known, but when Father Mar- quette came down the Mississippi in 1673, he turned up the Illinois River, and a few miles from its mouth found a small Indian village. When La Salle visited the country five years later he found Indian settlements along the larger rivers that he explored. The French were the first white men to settle among the Indians in Illinois. The Sac tribe of Indians, at the close of the French and Indian War, was driven out from their village near Quebec by the united efforts of the Indian tribes occupying that territory. They settled at Montreal, and then at Mackinac, being driven out of each place by their enemies. Finally they settled at Green Bay, and there first met the Fox Indians, with whom they formed a national alliance. They soon be- came as one tribe, and, thus strengthened, were able to hold off their enemies without difficulty. Hearing of the beautiful waters of the Rock River and the richness of the surrounding coun- try from an exploring party of their tribe, the Sacs and Foxes gathered together their pos- sessions and moved down from Wisconsin to the Rock River Valley, driving out the Kaskas- kias as they came. This was their first settlement in what is now Illinois, made after the whites came in. With this settlement was Pyesa, father of Black Hawk ; and here Black Hawk was born in 1767, of Sac descent. The Sacs and Foxes increased their territory in Illinois, until by 1795 they claimed as far west as Council Bluffs and as far north as Prairie du Chien. A portion of the tribe under Black Hawk enlisted on the side of the British in the War of 1812, their services hav- ing been refused by the Americans. By the treaty of Rock Island (or Fort Armstrong) at the close of the Black Hawk War, the Sacs and Foxes ceded large tracts of land to the United States Government. In 1842 the tribe was di- vided into two bands and moved to reservations farther west. The Sacs and Foxes have warred with the Sioux, the Pawnees, Osages, Kaskaskias, and other Indians, and their record shows that they ranked among the fiercest and most warlike tribes. Drake said of them : "The Sacs and Foxes are a truly courageous people, shrewd, politic, and enterprising, with not more of feroc- ity and treachery of character than is common among the tribes by whom they were sur- rounded." The Winnebagoes were a branch of the Da- kota or Sioux family, having migrated eastward to Wisconsin some time before 1670, and settled in the region around Green Bay. Marquette and the French were the first whites to be- come acquainted with them. The Winnebagoes were firm friends of the French until the Revo- lution, when they joined the English ; made peace with the colonists afterward, but sided with the English again in 1812. In 1820 the tribe numbered about 4,500, living in five vil- lages on Winnebago Lake and fourteen on Rock River. The Winnebagoes were at most times friendly to the whites, taking no part in the Black Hawk War, although, in 1827, a brutal assault by the whites on some of their de- fenseless people caused the "Winnebago War." By treaties in 1832 and 1837 they ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi to the Gov- ernment, and were themselves moved to Iowa. They lived in several different places in Iowa for a time, and were finally moved to Blue Earth, Minnesota, where they had no more than settled down when the Sioux War broke out, again causing their removal, this time, in 1863, to lands near Omaha, where in 1885 they numbered 1,600. Early in 1600 the Pottawatomies were driven by the Iroquois out of lower Michigan to the country around Green Bay, Wis., where they were first found by the French. The Pottawat- omies joined Pontiac in his uprising in 1763, and .took sides with the British in both the Revolution and the War of 1812. By treaties in 1821 and after they ceded away nearly all of their Illinois and Wisconsin lands, until in 1838 a reserve was allotted to them on the Missouri, to which part of them were moved. The whole tribe at that time numbered about 4,000. After this they became considerably scattered, some of them wandering into Mexico, while some of them settled down and became citizens of the United States. 636 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Catlin says of the Pottawatomies : "They are the remains of a tribe once very numerous and warlike, but reduced by whisky and small-pox to their present number (1884), which is not more than twenty-seven hundred. This tribe may be said to be semi-civilized, inasmuch as they have so long lived in contiguity with white people, with whom their blood is considerably mixed, and whose modes and whose manners they have in many respects copied." In August, 1908, there died in Menominee County, Mich., David Krotch, the last of the Pottawatomie chiefs of that part of the tribe remaining on the eastern side of the Mississippi. He was a young brave of twenty when the re- moval of his people in 1838 to the West oc- curred. After the Indians had removed from this region, it was their custom to make trips through it on the way from their reservation to the Indian Agency at Milwaukee, where they would receive their annuities. These journeys were made for some years after the settlement of the valley by the whites, and many of the early residents recall the passing of these Indian bands through that region during the late 'thir- ties and early 'forties. It is said these Indians always went up the east side of the river and down the west, hunting and fishing on the way, bringing canoes with them, and ponies which dragged the tents over the ground on bent sticks. Prom fifty to a hundred are said to have constituted these bands, made up of men, women and children. A resident of Oregon, Ogle County, remembers their once passing the home of her father on Third street, and seeing a little papoose drawn on a sort of sled, to which it was bound, its head hanging over to one side, and those by it showing no concern. They usually remained two or three weeks, camping sometimes at the mouth of Mud Creek, on the flat where the cluster of black walnut trees now is, and where then was a fine sp*ing, which the building of the dam below has caused the river to overflow. Sometimes they en- camped upon the level space where now is sit- uated the county farm, and near to Devil's Back- bone; sometimes by the mouth of Pine Creek. No one, it is said, had any fear of them at this time. One of the boys of that time recalls his father taking himself and his brothers to the river to see them. Many of the residents would go to see them in their wigwams, and to witness their dances around their camp-fires. It is said that they spoke English pretty well. Mr. Benja- min Chaney, of Oregon, remembers some Indian words which he heard when a small boy used by a party of the Pottawatomies on one of their pilgrimages through the valley. In their language, the word horse was nac-a-toJc-o-she ; deer was pi-sic'-o-sen; whiskey was scut'-o-op-po, meaning "fire-water" ; steamiboat was scivt'-o-fu- ze, meaning "fire-boat." The story of the Black Hawk boulder would indicate that sometimes these returning people were of the Sacs and Foxes, too. The early historical accounts tell of these returning Pottawatomies encamping at Jefferson Grove, where they left their lodge poles standing, "which could be seen as late as 1856-57." The first white settlers in the county found many evidences of the former occupation of this region by the Indians, in the burial mounds which were grouped along the river and near the mouths of its tributaries, and in the im- plements often found. These mounds have all been excavated and their relics mostly taken out, though occasionally some are still unearthed. Mr. Arthur D. Reed, in digging for the founda- tion of his summer home on the east bank of the river below Daysville, a year or two ago, came across a number of Indian relics. A cor- ner field, by the river on Springvale Farm, when covered by short grass, shows plainly the con- tour of a number of mounds, the earth being replaced after examining the original hillocks. A writer in describing the region says of In- dian Mound, two miles south of Oregon, that it "is famous as being the place on the summit of which the Indians sharpened their spears, carving in so doing rough allegorical images of human figures, animals, etc. A prominent chief and friend of Black Hawk was also interred, by the latter's direction, on its summit, placed in a sitting position and covered with twigs and rocks. The elements and relic hunters have de- stroyed all traces of both carving and chieftain ; but there are many old settlers still living in Oregon (1880) who remember both perfectly well." While at Oregon, Margaret Fuller re- corded her observation of some of these mounds. She says, "A little way down the river is the site of an ancient Indian village, with its regu- larly arranged mounds. As usual, they had chosen with the finest taste. . . . They may blacken Indian life as they will, talk of its dirt, ELIAS BAKER HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 637 its brutality; I will ever believe that the men who chose that dwelling-place were able to feel emotions of noble happiness as they returned to it, and so were the women who received them. Neither were the children sad or dull, who lived so familiarly with the deer and the birds, and swam that clear wave in the shadow of the Seven Sisters." Margaret further says of these tribes of peo- ple found dwelling in this country at the coming of the white man: "The Indian is steady to that simple creed which forms the basis of his mythology ; that there is a God and a life beyond this ; a right and wrong which each man can see, betwixt which each man should choose ; that good brings witB it its reward, and vice its punishment. His moral code, if not so refined as that of civilized nations, is clear and noble in the stress laid upon truth and fidelity. And all unpreju- diced observers bear testimony that the Indians, until broken from their old anchorage by inter- course with the whites — who offer them, in- stead, a religion of which they furnish neither interpretation nor example — were singularly vir- tuous, if virtue be allowed to consist in a man's acting up to his own ideas of right." In the "History of Illinois," by Davidson and Stuve, a similar expression of commendation is made regarding the "Constitution of the Indian Family :" "The most important social feature of the prairie and other tribes, and that which dis- armed their barbarism of much of its repulsive- ness, was the family tie. . . . Though in many of the most endearing relations of life the men, from immemorial custom, exhibited the most stolid indifference, yet instances were not wanting to show that, in their family attach- ments, they frequently manifested the greatest affection and sympathy." Mr. Charles B. Farwell, on returning to Ogle County for a visit several years before his death, made an effort to find on Liberty Hill what he described as "an Indian tower," which he said he had seen there many years before when a young man assisting in surveying. One of the early histories of the county speaks of a "mound" there, which was probably the same which Mr. Farwell was trying to find, and which is supposed to have been removed to make room for the reservoir in connection with the city water-works. On the river's edge of the timber on the farm of Dr. A. W. Hoyt, to the rear of Inspiration Point, runs an irregular low bulge, which would appear to have been at some time a line of earthworks, of which, however, there does not seem to be any record or infor- mation now extant. It would, indeed, seem to be difficult, at any time, for even the learned to know whether many of these mounds and earthworks were of the era of the Indian or of the mound builder. There was a tradition cur- rent among the early settlers that, upon the summit of Inspiration Point, the Indians were accustomed to build signal fires, which could be seen north as far as where Rockford now Is, and south to the region where now are lo- cated the cities of Dixon and Sterling. Apropos of this returning of the former mon- archs of the country to the scenes of their for- mer habitations and attachments, is the follow- ing, taken from "Early Rock Island," by Will- iam A. Meese: "The chief Sac village was located on the north bank of Rock River about three miles from its mouth, and was built about 1730. It was one of the largest Indian towns on the continent and had a population often as high as three thousand. It was the summer home of the Sacs. Here was located the tribal burying ground, a spot more revered by an Indian than anything else on earth. Here reposed the bones of a century of the Sac warriors, their wives and children, and here each Sac came once each year to commune with his friends and family who had departed to the 'happy hunting ground.' On these occasions all vegetation was removed from the mound and the mourner addressed words of endearment to the dead, inquiring how they fared in the land of spirits, and placed food upon the graves. The Sacs were particular in their demonstrations of grief. They darkened their faces with charcoal, fasted and' abstained from the use of vermilion and ornaments of dress. "Black Hawk said : 'With us it is a custom to visit the graves of our friends and keep them in repair for many years. The mother will go alone to weep over the grave of her child. After he has been successful in war, the brave, with pleasure, visits the grave of his father, and re- pairs the post that marks where he lies. There is no place like that where the bones of our forefathers lie to go to when in grief. Here, prostrate by the tombs of our forefathers, will the Great Spirit take pity on us.' " 638 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. Perhaps a similar sentiment helped to prompt the visits of the Indian people to the Upper Rock River Valley once again ! A warm heart may beat under a red skin as well as under a white ! CHAPTER IV. DISCOVERY, EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT. COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS — THE EVOLUTION OF OGLE COUNTY VARIOUS COUNTIES OF WHICH IT FORMED A PART — FIRST AND PRESENT AREA. "Little of American history had been made when the making of history began in Illinois." — Stephen L. Spear. "Not without thy wondrous story, Illinois, Can be writ the nation's glory, Illinois." — C. H. Chamberlain. In 1634, but twenty-seven years after the settlement at Jamestown, Lake Michigan was discovered by Jean Nicolet, and named by him "Lac des Illinois." While on the Fox River in Wisconsin, Nicolet learned of the Illinois In- dians. He visited some of their villages, and was probably the first white man who saw the prairies and rivers of Illinois. He made no explorations in Illinois, however. The first white men to do that were the enterprising voyageur, Louis Joliet, and his companion, the zealous missionary, Father Jacques Marquette. The year was 1673. Before that time, French- men from Montreal, a settlement after 1642, had discovered and explored the Great Lakes, and had returned with vague news of a "great water" to the west of the lakes, according to information gathered from the Indians. Count Frontenac, the royal Governor at Montreal in 1672, under appointment by Louis XIV, deter- mined to solve the problem, and commissioned Louis Joliet, twenty-eight years of age, and a fur-trader fond of exploration, to undertake the quest, associating with him Father Jacques Mar- quette, missionary at the mission of St. Ignace near Mackinac. Thither Joliet went in the fall of 1672 and wintered with Father Marquette. Together they completed their plans, and on May 17, 1673, with two birch bark canoes and five Indian guides, they set out on the most famous voyage of inland exploration in America. They ascended the Fox River from Green Bay to the portage of the Wisconsin. Descending the lat- ter to its mouth, they came upon the broad surface of the great Father of Waters of which they had been told. This they named the River St. Louis. They were in the heart of the con- tinent ; they would make their report to Fronte- nac and henceforth the new region, the great valley, should be known to the world. They continued southward, passing near the sites of the present cities of Prairie du Chien and Du- buque. They slept at night anchored in mid- stream, for fear of hostile natives, but for ten days they saw no human being. The region was one of absolute solitude. The loneliness be- came oppressive. Finally, leaving their guides to guard the canoes, Joliet and Marquette to- gether started eastward over the prairies, in that part of Illinois, probably where the site of the present town of Carthage is, to ascer- tain if the new country possessed any inhabi- tants away from the river, since none were to be seen along Its banks. They came upon a village in front of them, and to their right an- other appeared. 1 They hailed the former. At first all was confusion in and about the wig- wams. Presently four men came to meet them. 1 In a footnote attached to the translation by John G. Shea of Marquette's diary of his trip down the Mississippi in 1673, and published in the "Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi Valley" by the former (1852), referring to the incident of the visit jf Marquette and Joliet to the villages of the Mini here alluded to. Mr. Shea says : "The villages are laid down on the map" (prepared by Marquette) "on the westerly side of the Mississippi, and the names given as Peouarea and Moingwena, whence it is generally supposed that the river on which they lay is that now called the Desmoines :" and he adds that "the upper part of that river still bears the name Moingona, while the latitude of the mouth seems to establish the Identity." According to Marquette's narrative the point where these villages were dis- covered was about the 40th to the 41st parallel of latitude, which would agree with the mouth of the Des Moines, while the time (eight days) which had elapsed, and the distance traversed (60 French leagues — or approximately 150 English miles), after entering the Mississippi from the Wisconsin River, would imply that the location of the villages may have been at least as far north as the mouth of the Iowa River. The distance which Marquette and .Toilet traveled to reach the first village, after leaving their canoes on the Mississippi, the former estimates at "about two (French) leagues" (five English miles). Francis Parkman also accepts the theory that this event occurred on the western side of the Mississippi. HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 639 To these Marquette spoke in the Algonquin tongue, and was informed by them that they were "the Illini." The Indians said, "Inini,'* which, for euphony, the French changed to "Il- lini." The explorers proceeded still farther down the new stream, with which, later on, they saw mingle the yellow current of the Missouri, passed also the mouth of the Ohio, and when the mouth of the Arkansas was reached, they were satisfied that the "Great Water" flowed into the Gulf of Mexico and not into the Pacific Ocean. Not caring to meet the Spaniards at the Gulf, and hearing, too, of hostile natives ahead, they retraced their way on the Miss- issippi until the mouth of the Illinois was reached. They then ascended the latter stream, and by way of the Des Plaines River, the Chi- cago portage and Lake Michigan, they returned to Green Bay, after having traveled 2,500 miles during an absence of four months. While going up the Illinois, they saw no na- tives until probably at, or near, the site of the present city of Peoria. They made a stop just below Ottawa, where they found a large In- dian village, the largest and most important of the "Illini." Marquette named it Kaskaskia. Years afterward, when the tribe removed, the name was bestowed upon the new French vil- lage on the banks of the Mississippi, which later became the capital, first of the Territory, and then of the State of Illinois. The voyagers were now in the heart of Illinois. The time was June. Vegetation was at its height, and the since-then oft-told beauty of the virgin prairie was theirs to see and enjoy, perhaps never be- fore beheld there by the eyes of the white man. Fish rippled the surface of the stream, and deer and buffalo came to the river's edge. Stretches of woodland diversified the scene. Father Mar- quette wrote, "We have seen nothing more beautiful." (This portion of early Illinois his- tory will be found treated somewhat in detail in connection with the personal sketches of Joliet, Marquette, La Salle and Tonti, and in the General State History, in the "Historical En- cyclopedia" division of this work.) Lead was discovered at the site of the pres- ent city of Galena in 1700 by Le Seur. Ore was taken out by the Indians, Dubuque's men, and others at various times, in the succeeding years. without there being a permanent settlement until 1820. when Bouthillier, an Indian trader, occupied a cabin and built a ferry, having re- moved, it is supposed, from Prairie du Chien, a settlement after 1750, where he was known as early as 1812 as an interpreter and guide of the British soldiers. About the same time several American families came. Interest in the mine? increased, and immigration followed rapidly. Inside of three years there was a population of 150, and a fortnightly mail to and from Van dalia. The place was first known as La Pointe, but was soon called Galena, because of the qual- ity of the ore discovered there. In 1821 all Northern Illinois, north and west of the Kanka- kee and Illinois Rivers, was constituted a county, and thus Galena, like Chicago, in the words of a writer of the time, was "a village of Pike County," and the larger of the two. Thirty-seven counties, in whole or part, have since been formeil out of the territory originally embraced in Pike County. The first was Fulton, in 1823; the second, Putnam, in 1825, which included what is now Ogle; also Henry, which embraced what is now most of Henry, part of Whiteside, part of Carroll, and most of Jo Daviess. In 1826 a voting precinct was established at Galena, by the County Commissioner's Court of Henry County, and called the Fever River Precinct. This was the first election precinct in North- western Illinois. The number of votes at the first election was 202. Whatever else these voters favored, it was not taxation. A deputy collector failed to get a dollar because of a unanimous refusal to pay, as appears by a tax- list and collector's report now on file at Peoria. By 1S27 the Galena settlement had sufficient population to warrant a petition to the General Assembly praying for separate county organiza- tion, with Galena as the county-seat. This was granted by forming Jo Daviess County, bounded as follows : "Beginning at the northwestern corner of the State, thence down the Mississippi to the northern line of the Military Tract ; thence east to the Illinois River ; thence north to the Wisconsin State line ; thence west to the place of beginning. Ten counties, in whole or in part, now comprise the territory thus in- cluded, namely. Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Ogle, Carroll, Lee. Whiteside, Bureau, Henry, Rock Island, and a fraction of Winnebago. Four years later, June 8. 1831, the County Commissioners of Jo Daviess County took action as follows: "It is considered that the persons residing within the following limits shall constitute 640 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. voters within Buffalo Grove Precinct, namely, east of Lewistown Road and south of a line to include the dwelling of Crane and Hylliard, running to the southern boundary of the county inclusive. "It is considered that John Dixon, Isaac Chambers and John Ankeny be and they are hereby appointed judges of election for the Buffalo Grove Precinct. "It is ordered that the house of John Ankeny be the place of voting in and for the Buffalo Grove Precinct." The new voting precinct here laid off com- prised what is now Ogle, Lee, and eastern Car- roll and Whiteside Counties. It is believed that the voters in this large precinct did not then number, perhaps, over twenty-five, the only set- tlers in what is now Ogle County being the half-dozen families at Buffalo Grove. By 183G, Oregon, then called Florence ; Dixon ; Polo, then known as St. Marian ; Daysville ; Byron, then called Fairview ; and Grand Detour had been founded, and enough settlers in addition were located on claims in what is now Dement Town- ship, then known as Brodie's Grove, Flagg Town- ship, and Lafayette Township, to justify the people in thinking they were entitled to a nearer county-seat than Galena, distant seventy miles. The immediate occasion of the organization of Ogle County, after settlers had located at vari- ous points in increasing numbers, was the desire on the part of John Phelps, who had chosen a farm and home of several hundred acres three miles west of Rock River in the southern part of Rockvale Township, and had also made a claim and established a ferry where Oregon now is, for a state road from Chicago to Galena that should cross Rock River at his ferry, where several houses had already been built, and the town-to-be had been christened Florence, instead of crossing at Dixon's Ferry. This he expected would, sooner or later, make his town, not Dixon's, a county seat. Accordingly, by an act of the Legislature ap- proved January 16, 1836, the boundaries fo" - a new county were denned as follows : "North from the southwest corner of Town 19 North, 8 Bast of the Fourth Principal Me- ridian, to the southwest corner of Town 26 North, 8 East ; thence east to the Third Prin- cipal Meridian ; thence south to the southwest corner of Town 43 North, 1 East of the Third Principal Meridian ; thence east to the southeast corner of Town 43 North, 2 East ; thence south to the southeast corner of Town 37 North, 2 East ; thence west to the Third Principal Me- ridian ; thence south to the southeast corner of Town 19 North, 11 East of the Fourth Principal Meridian ; thence west to the beginning, shall constitute a county to be called Ogle." Governor Ford, then Judge Ford, presiding Justice of the Circuit Court for the northern part of tne State and residing at Oregon, sug- gested the name "Ogle" in honor of Captain Joseph Ogle, a soldier in the War of the Revo- lution, whose bravery was particularly shown at Fort Henry, now Wheeling, and who after- ward lived in Monroe County, 111., where Thomas Ford's mother, with her family, also settled. Nearly a year elapsed before the election for county officers was held and, in the meantime, the county -to-be remained a part of Jo Daviess County. Its official existence began January 3, 1837, when the first meeting of the County Com- missioners was held. The Legislature appointed Charles Reed and James B. Campbell of Cook County and James L. Kirkpatrick, of Jo Daviess County, as Commissioners to select the county- seat. They named it Oregon. Two years later Lee County was set off from Ogle, since wmcn time the latter, with its boundaries just as they now are, has shared in the progress, development and vicissitudes of the great State of which it forms a part. The organization and settlement of Ogle County occurred during a time of important changes in the industrial life of the people of the whole country. In 1834 Cyrus H. McCor- mick invented the reaper that was to aid so much in successfully cultivating the extensive grain areas of the West. The steamboat and the steam-car had suddenly shown that they were coming into general use as important fac- tors in all transportation enterprises, and es- pecially in the matter of settlement of the new and distant States. In 1830 there were twenty- three miles of railway, all operated by horses; in 1837, fourteen hundred miles, with steam as the power over most of that distance, and m 1841, three thousand miles. In 1836 means were found to use coal as fuel in the production of steam. In 1838 the screw propeller was in- vented, which brought ocean navigation in sight, and in 1839 the steam hammer, which became at once the strong right arm of the forge, whose output of powerful machinery it soon so greatly HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. 641 increased. Also in 1839 Charles Goodyear dis- covered the process of vulcanizing rubber, and in 1840 Samuel F. B. Morse obtained his first patent on the telegraph. All these new me- chanical devices, except Goodyear's, were of di- rect interest and benefit to the pioneer. Their immediate effect was to draw nearer to each other the East and the West, and, by making travel both easier and swifter, to accelerate immigration and settlement, besides assuring more rapid development of the new regions when once the settlers were on the ground. Seventy years, the Biblical, three-score years and ten allotted to human life, have come and gone since the career of Ogle County began. In the age of a community, that is but a brief span. The oldest County of Illinois, St. Clair, was formed one hundred and eighteen years ago, while the oldest in the United States, Al- bemarle in Virginia, dates back nearly three hundred years. These are young compared with the shires of England, or the provinces of France or Germany. And yet the brief years of Ogle County's existence have witnessed more progress in mechanical invention, more additions to the comforts of life, more advancement in commerce, in government, in knowledge, than ever before in a like period of time. The one matter of transportation illustrates this. Since the time when the word county itself came into the English language, just after the Norman Conquest, no invention, barring that of printing alone, can compare in its beneficent influence upon civilization with the transportation methods of the modern world, whose blessings to mankind, in the opinion of Macaulay, have not been equaled by any of the achievements of genius since the Phoenicians invented the al- phabet. .Modern transportation is co-extensive in its rise and progress with the growth of Ogle County, the steamboat coming into general use a little before and the steam-car a little after 1837. The same is true of so many other in- ventions and discoveries which have made for man's advancement and happiness, that one feels that, whereas, in the matter of location Ogle County is included in one of the fertile and beautiful spots of earth, in point of time her career thus far happens to cover seventy of the choice years of history. Recapitulating, the evolution of Ogle County, briefly stated, is as follows : From the time when the memory of man runneth not to the contrary to 1673, a part of the country of the Illini, or Illinois Indians; from 1673 to 1763, included in New France, being first attached to Canada and later to Louisiana; from 1763 to 1778, part of the Illinois Country of the British,' transferred to them by the Treaty of Paris, after the defeat of Montcalm on the Plains of Abra- ham ; from 1778 to 1784, an outpost of Virginia, through conquest by George Rogers Clark, and organized by the House of Burgesses as Illinois County ; from 1784 to 1801, part of the Territory of the Northwest of the United States ; from 1801 to 1809, part of St. Clair County of In- diana Territory ; from 1809 to 1812, part of St. Clair County of Illinois Territory ; from 1812 to 1815, part of Madison County of Illinois Terri- tory ; from 1815 to 1816, part of Madison and Edwards Counties of Illinois Territory; from 1816 to 1817, part of Madison and Craw- ford Counties of Illinois Territory ; from 1817 to 1818, part of Madison, Bond and Crawford Counties of Illinois Territory ; from 1818 \o 1819, part of Madison, Bond and Crawford Counties of the State of Illinois; from 1819 to 1821, part of Madison, Bond and Clark Counties ; from 1821 to 1823, part of Pike County; from 1823 to 1825, part of Fulton County ; from 1825 to 1827, part of Putnam County ; from 1827 to 1831, part of Putnam and Jo Daviess Counties ; from 1831 to 1836, part of Jo Daviess and La Salle Counties; in 1836 given separate organi- zation, but made to include what is now Lee County ; and in 1839 allotted its present bound- aries. The census of 1900 gave the population of Ogle County as then being 29,129 and of Illi- nois, 4,821,550. The population of the county now numbers over 30,000, and of the State be- tween 5,000,000 and 6,000,000. CHAPTER V. THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY QUESTION. THE FIRST PROJECTED NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF ILLINOIS — THE PRESENT BOUNDARY — ALLEGED VIOLATION OF THE COMPACT OF 1787 THE AGI- 642 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. TATION FOB RETURNING TO WISCONSIN THE DIS- PUTED TERRITORY — THE MEETINGS IN OGLE COUNTY. In 1818 the Territorial Legislature in session at Kaskaskia sent through Nathaniel Pope, then Delegate from Illinois Territory, a petition ad- dressed to Congress, praying for the admission of Illinois into the Union as a State. A bill was reported out of committee granting the prayer of the petitioners, naming 60,000 as the population required for admission and reciting the northern boundary to be a line running east and west through the southern extremity of Lake Michigan, in accordance with a provision of the Ordinance of 1787. Then, when the House was in Committee of the Whole, Delegate Pope moved two amendments, one reducing to 40,000 the required population, and the other locating the northern boundary on latitude 42° 30' in- stead of 41° 37'. Both were unanimously adopted. The effect of the latter, it has been claimed, was to move the northern boundary of Illinois 61 miles farther north and to take away from Wisconsin and add to Illinois a strip of land having an area of 8,500 square miles, which has since been formed into the fourteen counties of Lake, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll, Ogle, Du Page, Kane, Cook, Whiteside, Lee, DeKalb, besides furnishing a part of the northern portion of Will, Kendal], La Salle, and Rock Island Coun- ties. Speaking to his amendment, Delegate Pope •advocated the change because it would "give to the State territorial jurisdiction over the southern shores of Lake Michigan," which would "unite the incipient commonwealth to the States of Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York in a bond of common interest well nigh indis- soluble." "By the adoption of such a line," said he, "Illinois may become at some future time the keystone to the perpetuity of the Union." This was remarkable foresight. Perhaps no greater prophetic look into a nation's political future is recorded in history, certainly not in American history. Forty-three years later the prophecy was fulfilled, and its fulfillment was of tremendous national import. Had Illinois gone with the South, what of the Union? Would the Decatur Convention have been called? Would Abraham Lincoln have been President? Would there have been an Illinois-Michigan Canal? An Illinois Central Railway? Or where would have been the city of Chicago? — or the Sanitary Canal ?^-or the scheme for a deep water-way from the Lakes to the Gulf? Examined in the light of the Ordinance of 1787, which was "a solemn compact" between Congress and the people of the Northwest Terri- tory regarding all matters included in its pro- visions, it is impossible for the writer to avoid the conclusion that there was a palpable viola- tion of the supreme law. The Ordinance makes Canada the northern boundary of Illinois, In- diana and Ohio Territories, as they were after- wards created out of the "Territory Northwest of the River Ohio," and then says: "Provided, however, and it is further understood and de- clared, that the boundaries of these three States shall be subject so far to be altered, that if Congress shall hereafter find it expedient, they shall have authority to form one or two States in that part of the said territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michi- gan." That is to say, if Canada did not remain the northern boundary of Illinois, then that boundary should be a line running east and west through the southern end of Lake Michigan ; the same for Indiana ; in order that one or two States might be organized out of the territory left north of such a line. There might, or might not, be a territory, and later a State, of Wis- consin, according as Congress would deem it ex- pedient to let such region remain a part of Illi- nois, or to organize it separately ; but if there were, its southern boundary should be a line drawn through the southern end of Lake Michi- gan, to-wit, parallel 41° 37'. To say, as does Governor Ford in his "History of Illinois," that the Ordinance declared that Congress might or- ganize one or two states in the territory north of parallel 41° 37', but not necessarily of it, is to incorporate into a common English sentence a precision of thought probably never dreamed of by the trainers of it, and, doubtless, wholly outside of their intention. When, upon the admission of Ohio, the change in its boundary was made, slight compared with that of Illinois — Congress proposed to arbitrate the matter with the people of Michigan Terri- tory, from whom the six-mile wide strip was taken, by offering them the upper peninsula, upon which proposition the people voted, first rejecting and afterward accepting it. In the yhf&JaZ^Xfc & cl^c-c^) J-.^DaJejCA^ MRS. DAVID J. BAKER HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 643 «ase of Illinois, Wisconsin's consent was not asked, notwithstanding, that in section 14 of the preamble of the Ordinance, it is solemnly de- clared: "The following articles shall be con- sidered as articles of compact between the original States and the people and states in said territory, and forever remain unalterable, unless by common consent." It was to be expected, therefore, that the peo- ple of Wisconsin, feeling dissatisfied at so con- siderable a loss of territory in such a manner, should be heard from. In 1838, the Legislature of that Territory memorialized Congress to the effect that the act of 1818 came "directly in collision with and was repugnant to the compact entered into by the original States with people and States within this Northwestern Territory." A year later, when a vote was called for upon a question of forming a State Constitution, the people of the district within Northern Illinois claimed by Wisconsin were invited (by the au- thorities of Wisconsin) also to cast their votes. This caused widespread interest in the dis- puted territory. There were public meetings at Galena, Belvidere, Rockford and Dixon. Later, a convention was held at Rockford, at which were present delegates from Ogle, White- side, Carroll, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winne- bago, Boone, Rock Island and McHenry Coun- ties. Hamilton Norton, of Ogle County, was secretary. The delegates formally declared that, in their opinion, the fourteen counties belonged of right to "Wisconsin," and asked that repre- sentatives be elected by the different counties to attend the convention at Madison, there to continue the effort "for an early adjustment of the southern boundary." It happened that, in Wisconsin, the matter was coupled with the question of forming a State constitution, and as public sentiment was against that, nothing was done as to the boundary. But the question would not down. On January 22, 1842, at a meeting held at Oregon, by the citizens of Ogle County, to consider "the expediency of advising and effecting a separation of this section of the State from the State of Illinois and annexing the same to Wisconsin," the President was Colonel Brown, the secretary, Joseph B. Hen- shaw, and Committee on Resolutions, S. N. Sample, W. W. Fuller, D. T. Moss, J. Swan, and E. A. Hurd, while James V. Gale, E. S. Lei and and Joseph B. Henshaw constituted a Central Committee. The resolutions committee reported at length and, among other things, de- clared, "That in the opinion of this meeting, that part of the Northwestern Territory which lies north of an 'east and west line through the southerly bend, or extremity, of Lake Michi- gan, belongs to, and of right aught to be, a part of the State, or States, which have been, or may be formed, north of said line." W. W. Fuller Dauphin Brown, Joseph B. Henshaw, Jehiel Day, James Swan, Spooner Ruggles, Samuel M. Hitt, Henry Hiestand and Augustus Austin were appointed delegates to "proceed to Madi- son, in the Territory of Wisconsin, with full power to consult with the Governor and Legis- lature, or either of them, and to take such measures as, in their opinion, will most speedily and effectually obtain the object of this meet- ing." This committee reported at another meet- ing at Oregon, February 26, 1842, that they had promises from Governor Doty and the Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin of hearty assistance in the common cause. On March 5, 1842, an election was held, at the call of Stephenson County, throughout the fourteen counties, to gauge the sentiment of the people upon the issue. Four hundred and sixty-nine votes were cast in favor of the dis- puted territory being a part of Wisconsin, while only one vote was cast against the proposal. But the voters of Wisconsin were by this time, at least, themselves indifferent. They viewed the agitation "with concern and regret." Finally, when the convention was in session framing the constitution" for the new State of Wisconsin, an effort was made to refer all boundary disputes to the Federal Supreme Court. That failed. The territory of Wiscon- sin was admitted as a State with the northern boundary of Illinois and the southern boundary of Wisconsin remaining at parallel 42° 30'. 1 1 It may not be inappropriate in this connection to state that, when the act enabling the people of Illinois to form a State Constitution prepara- tory to admission into the Union was passed by Con- gress, the Territory of Wisconsin was bot in exist- ence : that the bill as reported hy the committee named the parallel of 41° 39' (instead of 41° 37'), as the northern boundary of the proposed new State, and that the distance between the parallel 41° 39' and 42° 30' (which was finally adopted as the north- ern boundary of the State) was 51 geographical minutes (or miles), equivalent approximately to 60 Bnalish miles. It is a fact of some significance that similar modifications were made in the boundary lines between the States of Ohio and Indiana, on the one side, and Michigan on the other, although the area of territory involved in the controversy between those States was much smaller than that in issue between Illinois and Wisconsin. After the failure to secure any action in the part of Congress or the Supreme Court, on the subject in controversy between 644: HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. It was said that the explanation of the in- difference of Wisconsin was, in part at least, the jealousy of her politicians towards addi- tional competitors. That is less surprising, per- haps, than was the desire on the part of a ma- jority of the citizens of the Illinois counties to be set over to Wisconsin, for the reason, as alleged, that the heavy indebtedness incurred by Illinois when the wave of internal improvements swept over the State would, sooner or later, make taxes high. CHAPTER VI. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. THEN AND NOW — THE EARLY SETTLERS— QROVE SETTLEMENTS, AVOIDING THE PRAIRIE — ROADS AND TRAVEL — HARDSHIPS AND DANGERS CUS- TOMS — THE LOG CABIN — PRICES AND WAGES — AN EARLY WEDDING — PASTIMES AND AMUSE- MENTS. "I saw a dot upon the map, and a housefly's filmy wing — They said 'twas Dearborn's picket flag, when Wilderness was King." — Benjamin F. Taylor. The pioneers who settled Ogle County had few of the common conveniences of life of to-day, and no luxuries, while some things enjoyed as luxuries in the old eastern homes could not be had at any price in the new West. There were no railroads, no wagon roads, only trails. There was the stage-coach, but there were few carriages. A carriage brought from Maryland by one of the pioneer families was a curiosity. The usual means of private conveyance, aside from horseback, was by the farm wagon, which had wooden spindles. Some- Illinois and Wisconsin, the action of the Constitu- tional Convention of the latter in 1847-48, in framing its first constitution, in recognizing the parallel of 42 p 30', named in the enabling act of Illinois in 1818, as the southern boundary of Wisconsin, and the acceptance by Michigan of a similar modification as to the terri- tory north of a line drawn through the southern bend of Lake Michigan and parts of the States of Ohio and Indiana, amounted to a practical solution of the question "by common consent." times the wheels consisted of solid cross sections of a big tree without tires, when the name ap- plied was "the barefooted wagon." There were no telegraphs and no telephones, no mowing ma- chines, no reapers, no corn cultivators, no sew- ing machines, no oil lamps, no coal stoves, no steel pens, no lead pencils, no window or door screens, no steel plows, no traction engines, no threshing machines, no rubber boots or shoes, no alarm clocks, no breech-loading guns, no can- ned fruit, no laundry soap, no carpet-sweepers, no yeast cakes, no baking powder, no laundry starch, no clothespins, no friction matches, few of the things deemed necessary to-day. Yet -the pioneers managed to live without them, and en- joyed life. The wives of the pioneers "clothed their families," like the women of the Proverbs, "with the work of their hands." The settlement of Ogle County, then a part of Jo Daviess County, was brought about by the lead-mining industry at Galena. The Galena lead mines were known as early as 1700. Prom 1823 they developed rapidly and in 1827 county organization was effected. Travel from the older parts of the State, the central and southern, with Vandalia as the capital, followed a trail which crossed Rock River at Ogee's Ferry, after 1830 Dixon's Perry, and led through the west- ern portion of the present limits of Ogle County. In 1829 John Ankeny staked a claim at Buffalo Grove. Returning from Galena in 1830, he found Isaac Chambers located on a claim that overlapped his of the year before. They ad- justed their differences, and Isaac Chambers continued to occupy his log cabin, the first built in the county. In 1833, John Phelps of Schuyler County and formerly of Tennessee, after spending the sum- mer at the lead mines at Galena, and having been attracted in the fall of 1829 by the beauty of Rock River Valley, decided to explore the region with a view to making a permanent home if he found a location to please him. He se- lected, after many leagues of travel through the well nigh pathless country, and upon the advice of Col. William Hamilton, son of Alex- ander Hamilton, who was leading a surveying party along Rock River for the Federal Govern- ment, n spot three miles west of the river, where there was a spring. The place was known for many years as the Phelps Farm, now the Major Newcomer Farm, situated equally distant from HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 645 Oregon and Mount Morris, and containing now 300 acres. In his later days, Mr. Phelps wrote an auto- biography, the manuscript of which remains in the family of his descendants. In this he tells entertainingly of his trip, in company with a Frenchman, and of his meeting Col. Hamilton, mentioned above in the vicinity of where the city of Oregon now stands. In 1834, Leonard Andrus went up Rock River from Dixon's Ferry in a canoe paddled by In- dians. There were no settlers and Mr. Andrus made claim to the land upon which the village of Grand Detour now stands, influenced by the fertility of the land and the water power. The above were the three earliest settlements in the county. In the cases of Phelps and An- drus, the families were not on the claims until a year or so later, at which time other pioneers were coming in at various other places, over this southern end of Jo Daviess County, and by the time the years 1S36-40 passed, the smoke from the cabins of the first families of the new Ogle County could be seen in many directions. The names of the households of those early days included that of Kellog, Reed, Bush, Brooke, Doty, Sanford, Stephenson, Shoemaker, Webster, Hull, Merritt, Waterbury, Shaver, Walmsley, Cushman, Beardsley, Worden, Nichols, Bogue, Wilcoxen, Fellows, Hoffhine, Gannon, Donelson. Good, Sanborn, Phelps, Moss, Mix, Shepard, Campbell, Woodburn, Maynard, Juvenal, Spald- ing, Norton, Hurd, Kimball, Carr, Patrick, Smith, Wood, Knowlton, Bradbury, Brewster, Mclntyre, Irvine, Brodie, Grant, Crary, Noe, Cochrane, Randall, Bartholomew, Flagg, Leon- ard, Andrus, House, Weatherby, Green, Bos- worth, Dana, Warren, Deere, Cushing, Hatha- way, Henry, Day, Palmer, Chamberlain, HubbelJ, Bass, Gardener, Goodrich, Harrington, Anthony, Crombie, Clark, White, Rosecrans, Jenkins, Aiken, Royce, Hunter, Holden, Gaffin, Light, Heaston, Kitzmiller, Piper, Trine, Ryder, Myers, Turner, Mitchell, Andrews, Scott, Whittaker, York, Bryan, Snow, Brown, Eyler, Blair, Mc- Lain, Fossler, Oliver, Hitt, Swingley, Wagner, Rice, McDannel, Stover, Finkboner, House- holder, Crowell, Reynolds, Wertz, Wallace, Al- len, Sprecher, Miller, Artz, Brantner, Sharer, Coffman, Nally, McCoy, Hiestand, Roe, Will- iamson, Peabody, Bemis, Farwell, Dort, Car- penter, Hatch, Paddock, Hills, Richardson, Mc- Kenney, Stiles, Jackson, Key, Wood, Moore, Gale, Hill, Bond, Ford, Everett, Mudd, Spencer, Fuller, Wooley, Roberts, Pickett, Harris, Ray, Leland, Evarts, Griffith, Etnyre, Mumma, Painter, Ruggles, Joiner, Paul, Baker, Perrine, Hagan, Seyster, Walkup, Alexander, Wilbur, Haas, Bridge, Morgan, Stevenson, Paine, Her, Stinson, Maxwell, Taylor, Trask, Russell, San- derson, Friedly, Griswold, Knox, Read, Waite, Marshall, James, Gitchell, Medford, Lucas, Chaney, Hays, Young, Gaston, Wellington, Gees, Peek. The groves were first chosen by the pioneers for several reasons. Timber was needed for building and for fuel, the more rolling wood- land contained springs, which in the days before windmills, were preferred to wells, the prairie seemed most like a meadow, useful for a pasture rather than for crops, and finally, the pioneers having come from wooded regions, it was but natural that they should choose similar sur- roundings. The pioneers came here either overland by wagon, on horseback, or by wagon to Pittsburg, then down the Ohio River and up the Illinois to Peru, thence by stage the remainder of the way. At times and in places the prairie trail was fairly good, and moderate progress could be made, only to be checked by encountering a slough, or by having to ford a stream, where sometimes the strong current carried horses and wagon far below the expected landing into deeper water and softer mud. The resulting delay would sometimes prevent the next stop- ping place being reached that day, when the night would have to be spent on the prairie, sleeping in or under the wagon. William Cullen Bryant, the noted editor and poet, made a visit in 1846, to his mother and brothers at Prince- ton, 111. Narrating his stage-coach experience of Illinois roads in rainy weather, he says : "A little before sunset, we were about to cross the Illinois canal. High water had carried away the bridge, and in attempting to ford, the coach wheels on one side rose upon some stones, and on the other side sank into the mud, and we were overturned in an instant. We extricated ourselves as well as we could. The men waded out ; the women were carried, and nobody was drowned or hurt. A passing farm wagon con- veyed the female passengers to the next farm house. To get out the baggage and set the coach on its wheels, we all had to stand waist deep in the mud. At nine we reached the hos- 646 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. pitable farm house where we passed the night in drying ourselves and getting our baggage ready to proceed the next day." Horseback riding was, perhaps, the most satis- factory mode of travel. Better progress was made that way with less interruption and vexa- tion. For long distances two persons would some- times use the same horse, not pillion fashion as in the Eastern States, but by the method known as "ride and tie," one riding ahead several miles, then tying the horse for the other to use when he would come up, and himself walking on until after being passed by his companion, he should later find the horse tied for his own use again. Supplies were obtained and a market found at Ottawa or Chicago, each place a mere village then, but even at that time a distributing point. To take a load of wheat, or dressed pork, to Chicago meant a journey of a week or more, whether by ox-team or horses. Wheat was marketed usually in September, or October, when the fall rains had so extended the area vt the wet land that to go around all the sloughs was impossible. Sometimes each sack of grain had to be taken from the wagon and carried ahead to drier and firmer ground, and then the lightened wagon drawn forward and the load replaced. Sometimes a sort of improvised "cor- duroy" road was constructed by pulling up the dried prairie grass, twisting it into ropes and fastening it around the tires, thus preventing the wheels from sinking into the mud as they would have done without this protection. There were stage routes over which the stage coach made regular journeys. The roads were laid out by commissioners appointed by the Gen- eral Assembly, and hence became known as state roads, over which the mail was carried. One such route, starting at Chicago, went by way of St. Charles to Sycamore, thence to Oregon, crossing Rock River at Phelp's Perry, thence, via Liberty Hill to Mount Morris, to Polo, and from there to Galena, the objective point Another was from Peru to Dixon, 60 miles ; to Polo, 13 miles ; to Galena, 50 miles. This was laid out in 1825 by an early settler, Kellog, and was long known as Kellog's Trail. It crossed Marshall, Bureau, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Jo Daviess Counties, and was the first overland route between Peoria and Galena. Long after the appearance of white settlers, the prairies were criss-crossed by Indian trails. The Indians marched in single file, and thus made a well- marked, narrow path, which by repeated use became worn into the soil, and as the red men knew the country well these trails avoided the rivers as much as possible and crossed them at easy fords. The white settlers adopted the In- dian trails, and many of the State roads and stage routes were the former Indian trails con- verted into a track for .wheels. Parts of some of them are still in use, for instance the highway via Liberty Hill from Mount Morris to Oregon, which does not follow the lines of the Govern- ment survey, but intersects them. The stage coach in good weather and by re- lays of horses made 60 to 75 miles a day, and the travel, while slow, was in some respects de- lightful. In times of mud, however, all pleasure vanished and nearly all progress. "Stuck In the mud" was a common occurrence, and the passengers were then sometimes compelled to alight when far out on the prairie, and assist in the work of recovering the wheels from the depths into which they had sunken. It is well- nigh impossible to realize such unsatisfactory travel to-day, when in a handsome well-ap- pointed, and luxurious railway car we speed over the prairie and across rivers in all seasons of the year at the rate of 35 to 50 miles per hour, and for no more cost per passenger than was paid in the 'thirties and 'forties for the slow, uncertain, and tiring travel by stage. The slow mails were among the trials which the pioneers and their families were called upon to endure. Perhaps nothing was harder after leaving home and friends than the long weeks of waiting to hear of loved ones left behind and their life at the old familiar places. In these days of 18-hour trains between New York and Chicago, it is difficult to comprehend the slow- ness of the mail service by boat and stage. When to the lonelines of crude and isolated sur- roundings in a strange land, there was added the ordeal of no news from former scenes, it is no wonder there was homesickness. Postage was more of a consideration then than now. To the Bast it was 25 cents ; to Dayton, Ohio, 18% cents; to St. Louis, 6% cents. There were no envelopes. The sheet was folded, fastened with an individual seal, or a common wax wafer, and then addressed. The women of the pioneer households in Ogle County followed a round of duties that in- cluded much laborious work, long since given over to outside agencies, by means of whicb w M « to > z d w HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 647 the wives and daughters of to-day are relieved of a great deal of drudgery. The log house was usually 16 by 18 or 20 feet in size, and con- sisted of one room with a large open fire-place at one end, with the crane and Dutch oven. The latter was a covered pan, in the use of which for baking, coals were placed above as well as below. About 1840 the "ten-plate" stove came into use, and later the cook-stove. Neither was received with universal favor. The second floor of the cabin was a low loft, which was reached usually by means of a lad- der ; sometimes by a narrow open stairway. This was the sleeping room for all the family. The ventilation was perfect, the air being ad- mitted freely between the logs and clapboards. The beds were often of rude construction, some- times having but one post, the three other cor- ners being made by inserting nails in holes bored in the walls. The light was from a home- made tallow candle. The settler's wife leached lye, which, by the addition of fragments of animal fat, she made into soap ; transformed flour, or potatoes, into clear starch ; dried corn and fruits for the long winter's needs ; ground the coffee for daily use in a hand-mill ; spun wool into yarn, which she knit into mittens and stockings, and cut and fashioned most of the garments of her household. The prices of dry-goods and groceries are shown by some of the old day-books : calico, 12 to 35 cents ; muslin, 15 cents ; tea, $1.12 ; nails, 12 cents ; tin cup, 20 cents ; tin bucket, $1.00 ; coffee, 12 cents ; paper of pins, 18 cents ; whiskey, 50 cents per gallon. In 1826 in McLean County, Robert Guthrie husked corn for Isaac Funk for fifty cents per day. In 1844 in Rockvale Town- ship, an account kept by William Artz shows one day's ploughing at 87 cents ; one day's draw- ing wheat with team, $1.25 ; one day's thresh- ing, 50 cents. In the early 'forties Manassas Neikirk of West Elkhorn Grove, erected what was then deemed the largest and best barn in this part of the State. The carpenters were Miles Z. Landon and Justice Rogers. That barn is still standing and, for good substantial workmanship, but few if any modern barns surpass it. A few years later Mr. Neikirk engaged Elias Bt- nyre of Oregon, 111., to erect a house. There were no machine-made sash, doors and mould- ings then, but everything connected with the building was hand-made, and much of that work is as good to-day in appearance as it was sixty years ago. The house has been enlarged and re- modeled, but all the cornice, including crown and bed moulding that had been used in the old house was worked over into the new one, and this made it necessary to make more mouldings to match the old in order to complete the work. The flooring in the Neikirk house was all seasoned white-oak and ash, and it required many days, with two men on the match planes, to do the work. The shingles were made of red-oak, split with a frow and shaved with a drawing knife. The lath was made of half -inch basswood boards split into narrow strips and fastened to the studding with cut nails. The plates of the house were 8x8 inches, and the rafters were "bear-mouthed" into them in a way that required no spikes to hold them in place. The tenons were dove-tailed on one side, while a wedge made to fit the mortise was driven above the tenon and pinned in place with an inch oak-pin completed the dove-tail. All studding had to be mortised into sills, beams, girts and plates, and then oftentimes fastened by pins. Fine white flour was made at the grist-mill on Pine Creek, out of the winter wheat so produc- tive at that time. The flour was so fine and white, that crumbs of the bread made out of it were sent in a letter to friends at Shepherdstown, Va. The bread was baked in a Dutch oven and in ten-plate stove; corn-cakes were baked on top of the stove, while bricks were placed inside, behind the firebox or shelf to bake on. The Dutch oven had to be kept turned around be- fore the hearth-fire, so as to bake the loaf on all sides. In 1846 one of the first stovepipes used In Ogle County was bought in Grand Detour and was lost in driving home across the prairie after dark. Daysville was a business center in those days to which the people from Oregon then came to do their shopping. A settler in the west end of the county, who was invited to attend the wedding of a friend! soon after coming here in 1855, gives a graphic account of the occasion, which shows the customs of these events at that time: The bride-to-be and attendants were waiting in the attic the time for the ceremony when the guest arrived. With his friend, he climbed the ladder to this second floor to be introduced to the young man's betrothed, as she was unknown to him at that time. He found her to be most attractive, and 648 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. knows her still as a bright, capable woman, though no longer Hving in Ogle County. From the windows of the attic the Wedding party could watch the arrival of the guests, coming from all around the neighborhood in great lum- ber wagons, the boxes of which were luxuriously cushioned with bunches of hay for seats. These vehicles were drawn by sleek, well-trained oxen. Sounds of merriment and shouts of laughter floated out over the prairie as they approached the house. When every one had been made wel- come in the cheery room of the first floor, the wedding party descended to this room and the solemn ceremony was performed. Then fol- lowed, as now, the congratulations and good- wishes ; after that, the feast, — and such a feast as had made the hungry Ichabod's mouth water as he looked upon "the hearty abundance" of the "thriving, contented, liberal-minded" Old Baltus Van Tassel ! Here, too, on the table were the delicious lamb and young pig roasted whole, and all the accompanying "good things" which the thrifty pioneer housewife knew so well how to prepare ! . When all was ended and the young couple drove away to their own new home, good-luck wishes and the proverbial "old shoe" were sent after them, much as now-a-days, so long do old customs remain. The first Methodist Camp Meeting was held at Lighthouse in 1839, continuing over two Sun- days. The ministers in those days, always hon- ored with the best, were provided with board tents made of oak slabs from the saw-mill at Washington Grove. Afterward the Camp Meet- ing at Franklin Grove, still in existence, was established, and the one at Lighthouse was no longer held. Quarterly Meeting was often held at "Old Chapel," between Lafayette and Wash- ington Groves, and people came from as far as Rockford and Dixon to attend. People came long distances and across the prairies in lum- ber wagons, and often seated upon chairs. Preachings were held at Phelps School House, and singing school at Silver Creek School. The Motters and the Felkers owned barouches, and they were the subject of much envy when they paid visits to their friends. Mr. Henry A. Neff, who has left some very musical descendants now living in the county, was a singing school teacher. The father of Emma Abbott taught singing in different parts of the county. Prizes were given in singing con- tests, much like in the spelling schools, and both the singing and the spelling contests were very popular. Writing schools, of evenings, were also among the recreations. A writing teacher, by the name of Burton, is remembered as one of these old-time teachers of penmanship at the Lighthouse School. Quilting parties afforded another amusement. In warm weather, as there was but one room, the meal was eaten out-of-doors ; then, in the evening there would be a merry dance, including the Virginia Reel, Crooked "S," and other fig- ures in which the dancers stand in long rows, opposite and facing each other. There were no round dances then; the "cotillion" (quadrille) was in vogue in the towns. Moore's Hotel, at Oregon, was a favorite place for dancing. The hospitable home of Samuel Betebenner, between Mount Morris and Polo, was likewise a gath- ering center for the young folks. "Uncle Billy" Swingley, "Will Cooper," "Billy" Bennett, J. D. C. Artz were among those who fiddled for the merry-makers. W. W. Bennett's tuneful muse recalls some of these youthful gaieties in "Ogle County Reminiscences" : " 'Tis nearly forty years ago Since we fiddled, I and Joe, Way back in fifty-three. "We'd sometimes play at dance or ball, When we would get a man to call At Daysville or at Byron. The 'Opera Reel' or 'Monie Musk' We used to play at some corn-husk, When the fun began at early dusk (There were Shanghais in the oven.) "Ben Hammer used to swing the bow, While spry George Avey tipped the toe, In Betebenner's kitchen ; While Dave, and Ben, and Nehemiah, And all the girls that we'd admire Sat around the rousing hickory fire, And smiled bewitehin'. "Then clear the tables and the chairs ; Put some out doors and some upstairs, For more room was needed To balance partners ; now, first four, Swing down the center to the door, And turn your partners all once more, Was how the fun proceeded. HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 649 "And when the supper we could smell, Its fragrance, more than I can tell, Set us to thinking We'd have a supper most divine, None ever since so nice and fine Can equal those of 'auld lang syne,' When cups were clinking. "And girls were there with eyes so bright, No stars were brighter in the night, That shone o'erhead. Their cheeks with health were all aglow, Their teeth as white as winter's snow, Their eyes would haunt a fellow so, I've heard it said." CHAPTER VII. LAND SURVEYS, TITLES AND VALUES. FIRST DEED COVERING A LAND TRANSFER IN ILLINOIS — SURVEYS BY METES AND BOUNDS THE GOVERN- MENT RECTANGULAR SYSTEM EARLY AND PRES- ENT LAND VALUES. "When we've wood and prairie land Won by our toil, We'll reign like kings in fairy-land, Lords of the soil." Morris. When the first deed to land in Illinois was made no surveyor's nomenclature, or figures, en- tered into the description. No surveyor had then ever set up his tripod or stretched his chain over a foot of Illinois soil. A deed founded on a survey means a division of land to a mathe- matical nicety. But what was an acre more or less, or even a square mile, when the land con- veyed was the whole of the Illinois Country at a time when the value was approximately four cents a square mile. Those were opulent days in land transfers — at least as to land area. The time of the first Illinois deed was 1693. The grantor was Francis De Ja Forest, the grantee. Mickel Akau, the friend of Tonti, the Lieutenant and partner of La Salle ; and the interest con- veyed was the undivided one-quarter of Illinois, while the consideration was 6,000 livres of beaver, , or $1,200 worth of beaver pelts. The manuscript of this interesting document is in the possession of the Chicago Historical Society, to whose kindness the writer owes the oppor- tunity of giving the following copy, the first, he believes, to be published : "The year one thousand six hundred ninety- three, the nineteenth of April, I, Francois De la Forest, captain on the retired list in the marine service, seignior of part of all the country of Louisiana, otherwise Illinois, granted to Mon- sieur de Tonty and to me by the King to enjoy in perpetuity, we, our heirs, successors and as- signs, the same as it was recognized by the act of the Sovereign Council of Quebec, in the month of August, of the year, 1691, the said Council assembled ; declare in the presence of the under- signed witnesses that I have ceded, sold and transferred to Mr. Michel Acau, the half of my part of the above described concession, to en- joy the same like myself from the present time to him, his heirs, successors and assigns, with the same rights, privileges, prerogatives and benefits which have heretofore been accorded to the late Monsieur de La Salle, as appear particu- larly in the decree of the Council of the King ; and in consideration of the sum of 6,000 livres in current beaver, which the said Mr. Acau shall pay me at Chicago, where I stay ; and upon the making of the payment down I cannot demand from him any advantage, neither for the carriage of the said beaver to Montreal, nor for the risk : and as there is no notary here before whom to pass an instrument of sale, I bind myself at the first occasion to send him one, as also a copy compared before a notary of the above men- tioned decree of which we have both signed the said contract of sale, the one and the other, the day and year as above ; and in case that one of us two would dispose of his part, the remain- ing one shall be the first preferred, and this Is mutual between Monsieur de Tonty and me. Made in duplicate the day and year aforesaid. "DE LA FOREST. "M. ACO. "De La Descouvertes. Witness. Nicholas Laurens de la Chapelle, Witness." The above is endorsed : "Bill of Sale, between Mr. Ako and me, conveying the land of the Illinois." 650 HLSTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. In the Eastern States the system of land meas- urements is that known as 'Metes and Bounds." The beginning or end of any distance is a natural monument, a.^ a tree "blazed."" that is. given a white mark by cutting away the bark, the better to know it ; or an artificial monument, as a stone planted at a point designated by the surveyor. These measures, or metes and limits, or bounds, when set out in surveying nomenclature, make up the description of the particular tract of land. Such descriptions are likely to be long, involved and tedious. The writer recalls the surveyor's description of his grandfather's farm of 222 acres, the original letters patent being on parchment, and bearing the signature of the sons of William Penn, and, besides being archaic in form and quaint in appearance, being as difficult to follow as if it had been intended for a laby- rinthine puzzle. It was found that in cities laid out at right angles and according to the points of the compass, places were more easily located and the way to them more readily followed than when the plat was irregular. This may have sug- gested the rectangular plan for the division of the new lands of the West. In 1785, the Continental Congress adopted for the survey of the public- lands of the Northwest Territory, what became known as the "rectangu- lar system," which was devised by Thomas Hutchins, the first Government Surveyor, or Geographer, as he was then called, who, in the French and Indian War, served under Colonel Bouquet as Assistant Engineer. During the War of the Revolution his sympathies were with the colonists and, while stationed at Fort Char- tres, Illinois Territory, he resigned from the English forces. In 1779, while in London, he was accused of treasonable correspondence with Franklin, and was imprisoned in the Tower, but escaped and returned to America. Congress modified the law of 1785 by the act of 1700, which is still in force. Under it all public lands are divided into townships six miles square. Lines are drawn on true meridians and true parallels of latitude. First, there is es- tablished a principal meridian, and at right angles thereto, a base line conforming to a parallel of latitude. Twenty-four miles north (or south) of the base line a standard parallel conforming to a true parallel of latitude is es- tablished as a guide parallel ; also a guide me- ridian twenty-four miles east (or west) of the principal meridian, running due north and south, and intersecting the standard parallel at right angles. The rectangle thus formed is divided into sixteen townships, wherein the tiers of town- ships are numbered north and south of the base line, and the rows of townships, east or west of the principal meridian. The First Principal Meridian coincides with the boundary between Ohio and Indiana, the Second passes through Indiana a little west of the middle, and the Third, which controls the surveys of the six easterly townships of Ogle County, skirts the eastern edge of Srillman Val- ley; while the Fourth, which is the initial line for the numbering of sections for the remainder of the county, i asses just this side of Galena. The Base Line for the Third Principal Meridian has its east end on the Wabash, a few miles north of Mt. Carmel, and its west end on the Mississippi, a little south of Belleville: that for the Fourth Principal Meridian has its east end on the boundary line between Illinois and In- diana at a point five or six miles south of Dan- ville, while its west portion passes through Beardstown, and if extended would intersect the Mississippi five or six miles north of Quincy. Oregon Township is Number 23 North. Range 10 ; which should make it 13S mile? north of the Base Line and sixty miles east of the Fourth Principal Meridian. Each township so surveyed, known as a Government, or Congressional Township, is divided into thirty-six sections, each one mile square, containing 640 acres. The sections are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the northeast corner of the township and go- ing to the left to 6, then dropping to the section next underneath and counting to the right to 12, and so on. The rectangle from which the sixteen town- ships are formed is 96 miles at its southern end, but at its northern end is a little less, because, since all meridians meet at the Pole, the prin- cipal meridian and the guide meridian will con- verge appreciably in the 25 miles ; on account of which the township will fall short of the re- quired 23,040 acres. This makes necessary a correction line for the base line for the next rectangle. It also counts for fractional sections, which, when necessary to be made, are always the eleven sections on the north and west of the township, the other twenty-five sections being made full. The surveys of the townships of Ogle County- were made in 1833. Colonel William Hamilton, HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 651 son of Alexander Hamilton, was in charge of a township surveying party at work several miles north of where Oregon now is, when John Phelps was exploring the region in 1833 in search of a suitable location for a home. The sections were not surveyed until 1838 and later. The land east of the Third Principal Meridian was offered for sale at Galena in 1839 ; that of the rest of the county not until 1843, by which time a land office was established at Dixon. Until the sections were sold and a patent ob- tained, the rights of the settler to the land he had located on and made claim to were those of a squatter. Such rights were nearly always respected. To "jump a claim" was to become a public enemy, especially after the formation of claim societies. One such was organized at Ore- gon with William J. Mix, president, and D. H. Moss, secretary. For such disputes as arose, the society offered settlement by arbitration. The nomenclature of land transactions was often expressively applied to other matters. If a young man paid marked attention to a young lady, he was said to have made a claim ; if it was understood that they were engaged, he was said to have made a pre-emption, and if another cut him out, the successful party was said to have "jumped his claim." It was expected that a man would make claim to no more land than he could use, or care for, usually a quarter-section, sometimes 500 acres and occasionally as many as 1,000 acres. Thomas Ford, just before his appointment as Judge, made claim to 1,000 acres three miles west of Flor- ence, now Oregon, where he built a log cabin and lived for a short time; then sold his claim to John Fridley for $1,000, who obtained a patent for the tract by the payment of the gov- ernment price of $1.25 per acre. The government system of land survey has several advantages over the old irregular method of metes and bouuds. By giving square cornered farms and fields, it lessens labor in the tillage of the crops, at the same time that it adds sym- metry to the divisions of the farm landscape ; by having all highways conform to the points of the compass and an equal distance apart, it facili- tates travel ; and it conduces to brevity and ac- curacy in the descriptions of title deeds. The field notes of the first surveyors, on file at Wash- ington, form a complete history of the lines and monuments of every township and section, even if laps, deficiencies and other variations were sometimes merely recorded when it would seem that they should have been actually corrected, by means of which a surveyor going over the ground to-day may locate any point and deter- mine any distance. An error is sometimes made in the description of a new deed, as by writing "northeast quarter" for "northwest quarter," a mistake easily made, so easily where the descrip- tion repeats the words several times that it may be said to constitute a weakness of the sys- tem. To correct such an error and perfect and quiet title, it is necessary to institute chancery proceedings and obtain a decree of court, usually a purely formal action, for the most part, but entailing some expense. In November, 1842, the Rock River Register in an article setting forth the advantages of North- ern Illinois, the statement is made that there had been paid at the land office at Dixon, for the seventeen months between June, 1841, and November, 1842, by the settlers hereabout, the sum of $280,000. This was "land office busi- ness," for at $1.25 per acre 224,000 acres had been purchased. From the minimum government price, the land gradually rose in value. From 1840 to 1850, prai- rie land changed hands at from $1.25 to around $5.00, without improvements, while timber land sold for from $15 to $20 per acre. In 1852 the owner (Charles Jack) of 5,000 acres of land in Henry County, near Geneseo, offered the prairie land at from $3 to $5 per acre, while for the timber land he asked $50. The writer has been told by men who were residents here at the time that about 1855, perhaps, an offer of $75 per acre was made and refused for the Sanderson farm, two miles west of Oregon, on the Oregon and Mount Morris road, nearly all of which then was particularly well wooded. As lumber from the pine forests of the North became plentiful and cheap, the timber land here dropped in price, while the prairie sections advanced. Twen- ty years ago good farms, well improved, sold for from $65 to $75 per acre. Ten years ago an advance began which has continued until the present time. Timber land now sells for from $45 to $65, and prairie farms for from $100 (o $175. The property valuations for the basis of tax- ation in the county for the year 190S are shown by the Assessor's books as follows : 652 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. Personal property $2,044,450 Farm lands 6,333,379 Town and city lots 1,189,738 Railroad property 1,226,524 Telephone property 15,855 Total $10,809,926 As the total returned by the Assessor is one- fifth of a fair cash estimate, the value of all the property of the county, real and personal, is therefore $54,049,630. CHAPTER VIII. PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. FIEST COUNTY BUILDING A JAIIi — FIRST COUHT HOUSE ERECTED IN 1839 — DESTEOYED BY AN IN- CENDIARY FIBE — LATER COUNTY BUILDINGS WITH COST COUNTY FARM ESTABLISHED IN 1878. The first county building to be completed was the jail of 1840, an order for the erection of which was entered at a special term by the County Commissioners Court in January, 1839. The plans called for a building 18x18 feet, the first story of stone, with walls three feet thick without doors, and the second of wood. An out- side stairway led to the second story ; the cells of the lower story being reached by means of a trapdoor and a ladder, the latter being then pulled up. The cost of the building was $1,822.50, paid to Joseph Knox. In January, 1839, a contract was also let for the building of a courthouse to Wm. J. Mix, Martin C. Hill and John C. Hulett, who, through their representative, Jacob B. Crist, had the two- story brick structure, 40x50 feet, sufficiently com- pleted for use for the spring term of the Circuit Court in March, 1841, when on the 21st, the day before court convened, it was set on fire during the night and burned to the ground. This was the act of the bandits then infesting the county who hoped to help their comrades, six of whom were prisoners in the jail, a few feet from the courthouse, the burning of which they expected would mean also the destruction of the jail and the liberation of their partners in crime. In both matters they were disap- pointed. The court records were at the private house of the clerk, B. T. Phelps, and the flames did not reach the jail. For the destroyed courthouse $4,000 had been expended. This and other money for public uses was not raised by taxation alone, that source of revenue being insufficient at that time, when the county tax produced but $877.78, and a year later, 1842, the total valuation of the personal property of the county was only $167,348. The proceeds from sales of lots from land secured to the county, under act of Congress, of May 24, 1824, were added to the inadequate taxes made under the direction of the County Commissioners Court, whose first agent was Thomas Ford. During the two years between March, 1841, and March, 1843, and while the courts of the county were first held in various private houses, the idea of changing the county-seat arose and was much agitated, Mount Morris, Byron, Grand Detour and paysville being candidates. The matter was finally settled at a mass meeting held at the Oregon schoolhouse, where speeches were made and the question submitted to a vote, re- sulting in favor of Oregon by a small majority, Daysville giving up the contest before the vote was taken, and voting with Mr. Phelps and his friends for Oregon City. The Commissioners Court authorized Philip R. Bennett, W. W. Fuller, and D. H. L. Moss to act as the court's agents in the matter, and the county's second courthouse was built and finished in the summer of 1848, being a one-story brick structure costing $3,000. In 1846 the second jail was built, the one of 1840, always poor, having been condemned. The contract was secured at public auction by Thomas A. Potwin, with Isaac S. Wooley as his bonds- man, for $1,990. This continued to serve until 1874, when the present jail was built, including a residence for the Sheriff for $20,000. The building committee of the Board of Supervisors were Daniel Shottenkirk, Charles W. Sammis and George W. Dwight. The present courthouse was erected in 1892. The old one was inadequate in every respect, yet there was vigorous opposition and strong effort was required to secure a new building. One of the Supervisors who favored the im- provement, happened to be ill when the measure was voted for, but had himself brought from his o o -J X O ^< « O IS 2; o 2 H p P pq W to p o w H P o HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 653 home to Oregon and then carried on a chair to the meeting to register his vote, without which defeat seemed probable. This was Daniel Shot- tenkirk of Lafayette Township, au expert ac- countant, who, for several years prior to his decease, assisted in clerical work at the court- house. The building is of red pressed brick with Naperville and Ashton stone trimmings in rock face design, erected at a cost of $100,000. The building committee was composed of the fol- lowing Supervisors: J. D. White, W. 6. Stevens, F. B. Gale, W. Stocking, R. S. Marshall. The architect was G. O. Garnsey ; the builder, C. A. Moses. THE COUNTY FAEM. Om February 20, 1878, the chairman of the Board of Supervisors appointed the following committee : M. J. Braden, C. W. Sammis, W. E. Curry, J. D. White, D. H. Talbot and J. W. Hitt, to purchase a tract of land for an Ogle County poor farm. The committee purchased of Or. H. A. Mix, 50 acres at $66.00 per acre, the land being situated along the west bank of Rock River a short distance south of the city of Ore- gon. The Board, at the same meeting, had ap- propriated $13,300 to pay for this land and for the erection of a suitable building thereon. The building proper cost $10,695, and was completed for the admission of patients by October 1, 1878. E. L. Edmonds was appointed superintendent, but only continued until April 1, 1879, being suc- ceeded by C. W. Sammis, who filled the posi- tion until August 1, 1898, when C. H. Beteben- ner, the present superintendent, was appointed. On December 21, 1882, the county physician. Dr. E. S. Potter, recommended the erection of another building on the poor farm for insane patients. The following year the Board of Su- pervisors had an 18-room brick building erected at a cost of about $9,500. The farm land has been added to, until it now comprises 207 acres of the most fertile land in Ogle County. The last purchase, in 1906, was that of 80 acres from Fred R. Mix for $10,- 000. George Rummel, W. D. Mackay, S. J. Parker, J; E. Fisher and G. W. King were the members of the Board comprising the county farm committee making this purchase. The present county farm committee is S. J. Parker, L. C. Sprecher, S. W. Pswell, W. D. Mackay, H. J. Cleveland. The buildings are heated with hot air fur- naces with blast, and lighted by electricity. Under the excellent management of the present superintendent and his wife, who is the daugh- ter of the former superintendent, the Ogle • County Farm is one of the best institutions of Its kind in the State. CHAPTER IX. AGRICULTURE AND STOCK RAISING. CHOPS AND FARMING AT TIME OP SETTLEMENT — PBESENT FARMING FARMERS' INSTITUTE COUNTY FAIR SPRINGVALE FARM SINNISSIPPI FARM. "The hill that yesterday was gray And barren in the sun, Is good to look upon to-day — Mark how the furrows run !" — Denver Republican. The farm work of the pioneers was done largely by hand, and with crude implements. The prairie sod was turned by a team of six to eight yoke of oxen, with a plow that cut a rur- row two or three feet wide. The plow benm. from eight to twelve feet long, was framed into an axle, on each end of which was a wheel sawed from an oak log; this held the plow upright. The nice adjustment and fitting of the coulter and broad share required a practiced hand. The foregoing, long since out of use here and seldom seen nowadays, was known as the breaking plow. The ordinary plow had an iron share and land slide and a cast-iron mold-board that might or might not scour, depending upon the character of the soil, unless it was so squarely set against the furrow as to be a heavy draft to the team. Later, when the present smooth, steel mold-board began to be made it was an improvement. In Ogle County both right-handed and left- handed plows were used and are still in use. This difference is owing to the fact that some of the settlers were from Northern Pennsyl- vania, New York and New England ; while others were from Southern Pennsylvania, Maryland 654 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. and Virginia, the former turning the furrow to the right, the latter an equally good one to the left. Wheat was cut with the cradle, the more mod- ern cradle, not long before the advent of the reap- ing machine, having taken the place of the sickle, over which it was as much of an advance as was the McCormiek reaper over the cradle. Each cradle was followed by a man who raked the wheat into bundles, and he by another who bound the bundles into sheaves by means of bands made of the stalks. Often a force of five or more cradlers, each to the left and a little back of the other, beginning with the leader, might be seen at work in the same field, swing- ing in unison as they slowly and rythmically moved forward, each making a cut of five or more feet, and leaving the wheat in an even swath to the rear. This meant fifteen or more persons at work together, though sometimes the one who bound also raked. If not flailed out by hand, or tramped out by horses, passing in a circle over and over it, the wheat was threshed by a rude machine con- sisting merely of a spiked and encased cylinder, which threw grain, chaff and straw all out to- gether. Later, a "shaker" was added, which separated the straw from the chaff and wheat, and a fanning mill completed the work. When first planted to wheat, the lands of the county produced good yields of from thirty to forty bushels per acre. Both winter and spring wheat were then raised. After a few crops were taken, the yield diminished perceptibly, and for a number of years no wheat has been raised for the market, except on newly-cleared timber land, where a good crop may be expected. The re- maining grains— rye, barley, oats and corn- maintain their yields as at first, on well cared- for land. Corn is producing more bushels per acre, and of a finer quality, than ever before. It is not uncommon now to hear of yields of from 50 to 65 bushels per acre, and in some in- stances as high as 75. The same may be said of the yield of oats, especially since yellow oats have been raised. This is owing, as regards corn, chiefly to corn breeding and corn judging with the view of improving the seed, inaugurated and carried forward by the agricultural experi- ment station of the University of Illinois. In order to derive all possible benefit from this, the County Farmers' Institute has for several years sent out to a number of boys throughout the county a thousand kernels of selected and approved seed corn to be planted, cultivated and handled by them according to accompanying directions, and has given a cash premium for the best written report of their success. The Institute has also conducted a class in corn judging from the exhibit made at the Institute, and to the two boys under 20 years of age who stood first and second therein it has given, for the past several years as premium, car fare and expenses amounting to $25 for each, for a two week's stay at the University of Illinois during the time of special instruction in corn growing. One of the legumes is attracting the attention of many of the farmers at the present time ; namely, alsyke clover. This hybrid is liked for pasture, for hay, as a fertilizer, but *nost of all for a crop of seed. Two years ago, Mr. Harvey Griswold of Rockvale Township, cut for seed a fine stand on 39. acres, which upon being hulled, produced the astonishing yield of 303 bushels. Most of this was sold at $8 per bushel. This year the yield was one bushel, or less, per acre. A few experiments have been made with al- falfa. The results have varied so much that no conclusion may as yet be drawn from the meager data. Weeds growing faster than the alfalfa at the start has made a good stand difficult to ob- tain ; while killing out from excess of moisture and a tendency to revert to blue grass after a season or two. have diminished a good stand when secured; but it has permitted three cut- tings during the season, with a yield each time of one to one and a half tons per acre, and its feeding qualities are satisfactory. The Ogle County Farmers' Institute is an acknowledged factor in advancing agriculture. Its last meeting was held at Mount Morris on December 12-14, 1908. The topics discussed were, Bridges and Highways, with special ref- erence to improving Earth Roads by the use of the Split Log Drag; Insects Injurious to corn; Potatoes and their Culture; Cement Construc- tion on the Farm ; Insects Injurious to Clover ; Forestry; Domestic Science. Among the speakers were five from the University of Illi- nois. There were exhibits of com, oats, pota- toes, bread, cake, etc., for which cash and other premiums were given, aside from the special premium referred to» at the beginning of this chapter. There were morning, afternoon and evening sessions, six in all, at which there was HISTORY OF OGLE COUXTY. 655 au average attendance of 300. The Institute re- ceived from the State $75 towards meeting its i i expenses, the County Board appropriated $100 and Col. Frank O. Lowden contributed $100 for premiums in corn judging and domestic science, to two boys and two girls, to be used foT ex- penses in attending the University of Illinois at the time of the special instruction there in January of each year. The total expenditure was $317. The executive committee were Col. Frank O. Lowden, Frank D. Linn, James P. Wilson, President Charles Walkup, Vice-Presi- dent R. W. King and Secretary and Treasurer Horace G. Kauffman. In 1SG5, Mr. Amos F'. Moore of Buffalo Town- ship, purchased three Morgan horses of pure blood and engaged in breeding that strain for thirty-five years. The colts were bandied at Mr. Moore's large farm and sold when well broken. Mr. Moore, at 78, now lives retired in Polo, but still shows his fondness for Morgan horses by having his driving horse of that blood. Mr. Henry Jackson Farwell, of Mount Morris, went to Scotland in 1883 and purchased for the X-I-T Ranch of Texas, a ranch of 1,000,000 acres in which his brothers, John V. Farwell and Charles B. Farwell, were investors, a large ship- ment of Black Polled, or Aberdeen-Angus, cattle. Some of these were brought to Mr. Farwell's farm south of Mount Morris and were thus in- troduced into the county- Mr. James Carmichael, of Maple-Hurst Stock Farm, near Rochelle, has been a breeder of Shorthorn cattle since 1890. His herd at present numbers 65 head. He disposes of his surplus stock at private sale, his shipments extending from Plainfield, Vermont, to Portland, Oregon, and from Wisconsin to Texas. The largest an- nual sales amounted to over $3,900. Mr. Car- michael has twice exhibited at the International Fat Stock Show, at Chicago, and won prizes both times. Mr. Lyman J. Birdsall, of Rochelle, is also a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Abraham and Isaiah Coffman, of Maryland Township, raised them for a period of years. Mr. Stanley R. Pierce of near Creston has the Aberdeen-Angus cattle. OGLE COUNTY FAIE. The first county fair in Ogle County was held in 1853, on the second Tuesday of October, in Oregon, on the Court House Square. Premiums were awarded to the amount of $50 and di- plomas also given. In 1854 and 1855 the fair was also at Oregon, but on the river bank below the ferry, which was just south of where the bridge now is; while in 1856 the place was Byron. It was there that a committee of the Ogle County Agricultural Society, which had been organized in 1853, was appointed to pur- chase 6 to 10 acres of land within one mile of Oregon for permanent fair grounds. A year later 10 acres of the present fair grounds were secured. Additions have been made from time to time, until with the last purchase in 1901 of six acres from Mrs. E. S. Potter, the grounds now comprise 28 acres. Most of the geomids are covered with fine forest trees. A half-mile track, much improved during the present year, is flanked by sheds for 70 head of horses. Now, and for the past ten to twelve years, the three days are largely given over to races and accom- panying amusements, though formerly there had been various exhibits, for which premiums were awarded. The Society was so much in debt after 1858, that in 1872 there was a re-organization under the general incorporation laws of the State. Capital stock to the amount of $10,000 was is- sued, divided into 2,000 shares at $5 each. Shares were sold throughout the county, and for some years the Society has had sufficient money. The first officers were D. C. May, President; J. L. Moore, Vice-President : Daniel Etnyre, Treasurer ; M. L. Ettinger, Secretary. The present officers are Frank Gale, President; E. A. Ray, Vice-President; W. J. Emerson, Treas- urer; W. P. Fearer, Secretary. The grounds afford a fine place for athletic games, the meetings of Old Settlers' Associa- tion and for picnics. From July 3 to 12, 1908, the Society furnished the grounds for the first Ogle County Chautauqua Assembly. Horses owned in Ogle County that have shown speed upon the fair grounds track are: Margaret M, owned by J. C. Seyster, time, 2 :19, trot ; Jerry G. George Eychaner, 2 :13 pace ; Miss Jarvis, Dr. G. M. McKenney, 2 :10, pace ; Sea King, Dr. McKenney, 2 :24, trot ; Retyzdan, Fred Watts, 2:24, trot; Missouri Boy, H. L. Griffin, 2:15, pace; Calcoden, L. E. Prather, 2':13, trot. The greatest speed made was during the fair of August, 1908, in an exhibition mile trot, by Exalted, owned by Judge James H. Cartwright. The time was 2:09%. Citation, also owned by 656 H1ST0BY OF OGLE COUNTY. Judge Cartwright, whose racing time of 2:01%, last fall at Columbus, Ohio, makes her the cham- pion pacing mare of the world, was trained on this track, where as a colt her time was 2 :19. Springvale Farm. — Springvale Farm, adjoin- ing Oregon on the north with a frontage of more than a half mile on Rock River, takes its name from a number of springs rising in a vale at the foot of the hills and running to the river. This attractive spot was one of the first pre- empted, and was the scene of a claim fight, when the settlers turned out and ejected an in- truder and his friends by force. The farm as now constituted contains 365 acres and is de- voted to producing the highest class of light harness horses. Here Kensett, a successful sire and one of the few sons of Rysdyk's Hamble- tonian in the West, was owned and he was suc- ceeded by Sidney, record 2:19% — sire of 110 horses with records ranging from 2 :05i4 to 2 :30 and he is grandsire of the world's champion trotter, Lou Dillon; record 1:58%. Citation, record 2:01%, the unbeaten champion pacing mare of 1907 and 1908, was bred and is still owned at the farm. Exalted, the present head of the stud, has a trotting record of 2:07%, which is faster than that of any other trotting horse in the State of Illinois. Springvale Farm is owned by Judge James H. Cartwright of Oregon, who daily drives to the farm to inspect and superintend raising the light harness horses. The farm has a picturesque location and for several years has been Judge Cartwright's sum- mer residence. A commodious bungalow has been built on the spot known in pioneer days as Knox Spring. Sinnissippi Farm.— Three miles south of Ore- gon, in Nashua Township, on the left bank of Rock River, is Sinnissippi Farm, the home and extensive landed possessions of Col. Frank O. Lowden and family. The nucleus of the farm, known as the "Hemenway Place," was purchased by Col. Lowden in 1899, and additions have been made, until now the united holdings, consisting of field, meadow and woodland, comprise about 5,000 acres. Of this 1,000 acres make the home farm and are given to the breeding of pure- bred live stock, while the remaining portion is devoted to general farming. The live stock includes Percheron horses, Shorthorn cattle, and Shropshire sheep. The herd of Shorthorns is exceptionally fine, being characterized by as pure strains as any in the world, several of the number formerly belong- ing to the famous herd owned by the late Queen Victoria. For Ceremonious Archer, the head of the herd, the price paid was $5,000. The an- nual auction sales, first at the farm and of late at the Stock Yards in Chicago, have brought large returns. Col. Lowden believes "agriculture is just be- ginning to undergo the evolution which has com- pletely changed every other great industry." In a speech in Congress, April 1, 1908, speaking to the proposition of an appropriation in the Agricultural Appropriation Bill for studying the condition of Farmers' Institutes in the different States and in Europe in order to increase their efficiency in the United States, he said: "In every township in the section of country where I live you can tell, almost to a certainty, by the superior crops, by the superior methods, by the general air of prosperity, those farmers who read and understand and practice the les- sons which the agricultural colleges, the experi- ment stations, and the Department of Agricul- ture teach. "Our resources in agriculture surpass the world. The problem is to conserve these re- sources. Our very danger lay in what seemed, even a score of years ago, the inexhaustible rich- ness of our fields. But under the leadership of our agricultural colleges, our experiment stations our farmers' institutes, and our great Depart- ment of Agriculture, we have finally learned that there can be no permanent agriculture without a scientific agriculture. "We now know that you cannot everlastingly subtract from the soil, returning nothing to it, even upon our richest lands, without ultimate impoverishment. I undertake to say that if the methods which obtained a generation ago in the Mississippi Valley, — richer agriculturally than any like area anywhere in the world — had con- tinued for a hundred years, that Valley would have become as unproductive as those sections of the East where farms are only the toy of the well-to-do. "One result of the new agriculture is of politi- cal and far-reaching importance. Much as we admire our great cities, we must all confess that the security of the Republic in the future abides &<£, ri^a^^^d^ HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 657 largely in our rural populations. In every crisis, whether of war or peace, we turn confidently for safety to the sober, deliberate judgment of those who dwell apart from the great metropo- lises. "Many thoughtful people have noted with re- gret the trend from the country towards the larger centers of population. The new agri- culture is doing more to attach the farmers' sons to the soil than all other causes combined. With every advance of science in its relation to agriculture the drudgery of the farm diminishes. There has already begun to be substituted for it a noble profession in which the soils, the crops, and the improved breeds of domestic animals become the servants of the farmers' brain." These words of Col. Lowden give an idea of what he is doing at Sinnissippi Farm. James Moore entered land from the Govern- ment which is now the site of the Lowden home. Luke Hemenway, who made his start in life in a drug-store in Brooklyn, N. Y., and who eventu- ally became wealthy as a ship-owner in Jersey City, N. J., came west in the early 'forties, and in 1843 entered a large body of land. John Carr was the first white man to settle on the section Mr. Hemenway selected as his home place, and the creek was named after him. He held the land only under the squatter right, and having no money, could not enter it. Mr. Hemenway therefore secured his claim, entered the land, at the same time entering 40 acres at one side, which he gave to the dispossessed settler. Mr. Hemenway owned a fine home on the Hudson, in New York, where his family resided during his lifetime, he only using his Eock River place as s a summer retreat where he could enjoy hunting and fishing. On August 23, 1880, the farm was sold to Gen- eral Franklin D. Callendar, a retired army offi- cer, who lived on an adjoining estate but never occupied the home. On May 10, 1885, the land, consisting of 576.41 acres, was sold by the Cal- lendar estate to Emma O. Asay, the wife of Edward G. Asay, of Chicago. Mr. Asay was a prominent lawyer and was possessed of esthetic tastes. He occupied the premises and filled the house with a fine library and beautiful bric-a- brac, much of which was collected on his trips abroad. On April 18, 1895, the farm was" sold to Lorenzo D. Kneeland, of Chicago, for a con- sideration of $35,000. He lived upon the prop- erty for a few years and, on May 20, 1899, sold the place to Col. Lowden. The house built by Mr. Hemenway was at first remodeled by the present owner ; but, proving too small for its occupants, in 1905 it was torn down and a spacious and handsome dwelling, designed by Messrs. Pond & Pond, of Chicago, was built upon the site of the original house, thus keeping the beautiful outlook upon the flue sweep of landscape, of combined river, bluffs and trees. By one owner the place had been given the name of "The Oaks," on account of the mass of these trees surrounding the bend and forming the background. The old house h^d a curious feature as a protection from possible molestations by the Indians, who at the time of its construction occasionally passed up and down the river, — the windows having been constructed with inside sliding shutters, which slipped back on each side of the window into recesses in the wall, when not needed. The living-room of- the •new home occupies very nearly the same place in the plan of construction and location as did the parlor of the former dwelling. In the demo- lition of the old building the walnut woodwork of the old parlor was carefully preserved ; and this age-darkened wood, in its simple, rich beauty,' is now the finish of this modern living-room. The house is irregular in plan, being built of cement, brick trimmed, with limestone, timbered plaster and shingles to suit the varying parts of the design. A unique and charming part of the place is a walled garden, almost enclosed by the wings of the house. In this garden a dense foliage of vines, plants and shrubs, cluster- ing about walks and seats, and the delightful cooling drip of falling water from a fountain in one of the enclosed walls, make a lovely and restful spot. In the library of this house is contained a large and excellent collection of books, — works on subjects of general literature and history. They include a very complete number and vari- ety of volumes pertaining to the history of Illi- nois, which have been consulted, by the courtesy, of the possessor, in the writing of the narrative portion of this History of Ogle County. 658 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. CHAPTER X. POLITICS AND PUBLIC OFFICERS. PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS — REPRESENTATION I3V CONGRESS ; FOR GOVERNOR ; IN THE CONSTITU- TIONAL CONVENTIONS ; IN THE GENERAL AS- SEMBLY ; IN THE COURTS AND THE COUNTY OF- FICES — THE LINCOLN SPEECH OF 1850 — LOCAL OP- TION VOTE OF 1908. The first presidential election after the or- ganization of Ogle County, was that of 1840. Fifteen months before, a Whig convention, the first of that party, met at Harrisburg, Pa., and nominated Gen. William Henry Harrison for President, and John Tyler for Vice-President, but made no declaration of principles, relying upon opposition to the policies which had pro- duced the panic of 1837, and other alleged mis- takes of General Jackson. Party lines were more closely drawn than ever before. A Demo- cratic editor happened to say, "If some one would present Harrison with a barrel of cider, he would sit down on a log, content the rest of his days," and at once the log cabin and hard cider became the campaign emblems. Gen Har- rison had been given the sobriquet of "Tippe- canoe," because of having routed the Indian Chief, Tecumseh, in the battle of Tippecanoe, and on every side were heard shouts of "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," with such jingles as, "Hurrah for Tip. — Hurrah for Ty, For them we go it — hip and thigh." In Ogle County there were Harrison and Tyler mass meetings, with speeches, songs and music. The new community favored the new party. Ow- ing to the "internal improvement" scheme, the State debt had reached the surprising total of $14,000,000; the panic had caused bank suspen- sion ; Illinois bonds had depreciated to fourteen cents on the dollar ; taxes were high and would be higher; emigrants were avoiding the State — all of which was ascribed to Democratic rule. The vote in the county showed 451 ballots for Harrison, and 266 for Van Buren. In 1842, the Democratic nominee for Governor was Adam W. Snyder of St. Clair County. His death occurred soon after the nomination and, to fill the vacancy po made, his party selected Judge Thomas Ford of Ogle County, whose place of residence was Oregon and had been since 1836. When nominated, Judge Ford was an As- sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, and as such had been assigned to circuit duty in the Ninth Judicial District, which included Ogle County, the office of Circuit Judge having been abolished by the Legislature in that body's experimental policy with the judiciary in 1841, prior to which the Legislature had twice elected Judge Ford lo the position of Circuit Judge, and also Judge of Chicago. Ante-dating his service as Judge, he had been Prosecuting Attorney of Northern Illi- nois under appointment by Governor Edwards in 1829, and under re-appointment by Governor Reynolds. His judicial duties took him as far north as Galena, and as far east as Geneva. He was well known, his former residence farther south in the State contributing to that, and he had not been connected with the obnoxious legislation in the interests of the Mormons, for which the Demo- cratic party was then being censured. He was holding court at Oregon when he received notice of his nomination. He immediately resigned this judgeship, entered upon the canvass, was elected in August and inaugurated in December. A curious thing happened in Judge Ford's home county. The only Democratic paper in Ogle County was the Rock River Register, which upon Judge Ford's nomination turned' against him and supported the Whigs. The northern boundary matter was then being agitated by the people of the fourteen northern counties, a ma- jority of whom favored being set back to Wis- consin. In Ogle County that sentiment had found strong expression at a meeting held at Oregon in January, 1842. Judge Ford was op- posed to returning the disputed territory to Wis- consin. He was therefore declared by the Rock River Register to be a "northern man with southern principles." Of course, the central and southern portions of the State desired the coun- ties retained on the score of lightening the taxes needed to be levied to pay the heavy debt. Judge Ford received 46,452 votes against 39,429 for Duncan, the Whig candidate. On general prin- ciples, Ford was a man of upright character and a trustworthy official — in nothing more so than in favoring a just payment of the State's obli- gations and setting himself against the policy of repudiation, which was favored in certain quar- ters. In his History he says : "It is my solemn HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. G59 belief that, when I eame into office, I had the power to make Illinois a repudiating State. It is true I was not the leader of any party ; but my position as Governor would have given me leadership enough to have carried the Demo- cratic party, except in a few counties in the north, in favor of repudiation. If I had merely stood still and done nothing, the result would have been the same. In that case a majority of both parties would have led to either active or passive repudiation. The politicians on either side, without a bold lead to the contrary by some one high in office, would never have dared to risk their popularity by being the first to ad- vocate an increase of taxes to be paid by a tax- hating people." The new county continued to hold to its po- litical faith as first expressed in 1840. In 1844 it gave the Whig candidate, Henry Clay, 503 votes ; the Democratic standard-bearer, James K. Polk, 361 votes, and cast 77 votes for James G. Birney, nominated by the new Free Soil party. In 1848 the county again showed its preference for the Whig candidate by giving Zachary Taylor 682 votes, to 480 votes for Lewis Cass, Democrat, and 413 votes for Martin Van Buren, Free Soil. The Whig party made another attempt in 1852, when they nominated General Winfield Scott, against Franklin Pierce, Democrat, and John P. Hale, Free Soil. In Ogle County the vote stood 898, 725 and 294 -respectively. Various causes were in operation, particularly the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill in 1854, which repealed the Missouri Compromise, im- pelling the organization of a new political party, which should be opposed to the further exten- sion of slavery into free territory and to the admission into the Union of any more slave States. In Illinois, following many mass meet- ings in all parts of the State, but particularly in the northern counties, a convention was called to meet at Springfield during the week of the State Fair. The delegates met under difficulties, but organized and appointed a State Central Committee. At the same time a series of de- bates was going on in the State Capitol, in which Senator Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Lyman Trumbull and others took part. Local candi- dates had been previously nominated. In the First Congressional District, which included Ogle County, B. B. Washburne had received the nomination for Congress. This was the begin- iiing in Illinois of the Republican party. Its adherents included many Democrats, most Whigs and all Free-Soilers. In 1856, the party put forward as its candidate for the Presidency Gen. John C. Fremont. This campaign in Ogle County was made mem- orable because of a mass meeting at Oregon, where the afternoon's addresses included a speech from Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln came to Oregon from Dixon by way of Polo, going to Polo over the then recently completed Illinois Central Railway, and driving the rest of the way, accompanied by Senator Zenas Ap- plington, John D. Campbell, Esq., and J. W. Car- penter, Esq., on the morning of August 16. The speaking took place in the grove in North Ore- gon, at or near the boulder now marking the spot and commemorating the occurrence. A fel- low speaker with Mr. Lincoln was John Went- worth, of Chicago, a former Democrat and Con- gressman of the Second District, familiarly known as "Long John." Mr. Lincoln had been in the Illinois Legislature and one term in Con- gress (1847-49), after which he had resumed the practice of the law, and had not taken much part in public affairs until called forward at the organization of the Republican party by his hatred of slavery. Judge Campbell recalls that the posters gave Wentworth's name first, in let- ters twice the size of those used for Lincoln's name. The occasion was the opening of the cam- paign in Ogle County. Wentworth spoke first, for an hour or more. As Lincoln began his speech, a branch of the oak tree under which had been erected the platform on which the speaker stood, touched his head and disturbed him. Taking from his pocket a huge jack-knife he cut away a portion of the limb, remarking as he did so, "I don't see how John got along with this." "John" was himself over six feet in height. Both speakers urged the election of the Republi- can ticket. There were also present on the plat- form Martin P. Sweet, of Freeport, and John F. Farnsworth, of St. Charles, the latter then candidate for Congress in the Second District. Following Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Sweet briefly ad- dressed the audience. It is said that more than half of the population of the county was present. The four men were entertained at Moore's Hotel, now the Rock River House, where after dinner they shook hands with such of the citi- zens as desired to meet them. After the speak- ing the visitors were taken to the law office of Henry A. Mix, Esq., a two-story building that 660 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. stood on Third Street near the northwest cor- ner of Third and Washington Streets, where a crowd surrounded them and many others met them. Later Mr. Mix invited them to his home at the west end of Washington Street. Mr. Lincoln was asked by Mr. Mix what he thought were the chances of Fremont's election, and re- plied, "Mr. Mix, as an attorney, what is your opinion of the value of a tax-title in Illinois?" As Fremont failed of election, Mr. Lincoln's suggestion of the uncertainty that lay in his own mind, was evidence of his political sagacity. In the evening, Mr. Lincoln left Oregon, return- ing to Polo. John Sharp, then editor of the Ogle County Reporter, now of Pasadena, Cal., with the late Judge George P. Jacobs and the late Capt. Hor- ace J. Smith, constituted the committee of ar- rangements for the meeting. Mr. Sharp, in a recent communication to the writer, in answer to inquiries says : "I well remember the first glimpse of the Great Emancipator. His tall form, enveloped in an ample linen duster, cov- ered with dust, as he arose in descending from the carriage, presented a very striking appear- ance. Perhaps the 1 most notable feature of his speech was the evident sincerity and candor with which he approached the discussion. There was no 'speaking to the galleries' to mystify his hearers, but a straight forward argument in which he presented the question in all its bear- ings, although at times he enlivened the sub- ject with some quaint remark which helped to elucidate the point he sought to make clear. One mannerism he had was to catch the eye of some one in the audience and address his re- marks to that particular person for a time. Not- withstanding the late hour when he began, he held his audience until after four o'clock when many had to travel twenty miles or more to reach their homes. His speeches in the Fremont campaign did more to fuse and mold the diverg- ent opinions of the West than any other agency, particularly in Illinois. From that time he was the dominant figure in the politics of that State." Mr. E. L. Wells, then residing at Monroe, for many years after a resident of Oregon, now of Aurora, was one of those who had driven half way across the county to attend the meeting. Not long since he gave to the Aurora Beacon his recollections of the day, from which the fol- lowing is taken : "In going to the platform, Mr. Lincoln passed within a foot of me. I was standing by a tree about a rod from the platform. My companion said, 'Is this Mr. Lincoln?' 'Yes,' he replied very pleasantly, 'I suppose you thought you would see a good looking man, didn't you?' " The following letter under date of Forreston, 111., relating to the big mass meeting, is from the files of the Chicago Democrat (John Wentworth's paper), issue of August 30, 1856: "Dear Sir : The cause is progressing first rate about these 'diggins' since our grand rally in Oregon. The Buchanan men can't stand the fire. We have but one pro-slavery man in our village, and he is on the quiver." Nevertheless, while Fremont had 899 votes in the county, Buchanan received 755; and Fill- more, the candidate of the American party, as what was left of the Whig party was called, was given 294. Their political faith was shown by their motto, "No alien should be on guard." In the country at large Fremont was defeated, as Mr. Lincoln had indicated. Mrs. Rebecca Hinkle, now a resident of Ore- gon, but who was a neighbor of Mr. Lincoln's in the city of Springfield, living on the opposite side of the street in the years of 184S and 1849, recalls seeing him daily passing back and forth from his office to his house — the plain frame dwelling which later became so well known as his Springfield home. Four years later, Mr. Lincoln himself was the presidential candidate of the Republicans, slave- ry being the agitating question, and the cele- brated Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 being the chief factor in bringing about his nomination. A split in the Democratic party resulted in two nominees, Stephen A. Douglas by the northern faction, and John C. Breckenridge by the south- ern. The remnant of the disintegrated Ameri- can party, calling itself the Union party, nomi- nated John Bell. The total vote in Ogle County of 1848, four years before, now rose to 4,555 — nearly two and one-half times as great, and showing an astonishing increase in population, as well as the intense interest in the campaign. Of the total county vote, Lincoln received 3,184, Douglas, 1,315, Breckenridge, 16, and Bell, 40. In 1864, after conducting a great war for three years with varying fortunes, but with the prom- ise of ultimate success, Lincoln was renominated, his party taking his view that it was "not wise to swap horses while crossing a stream." Gen- eral George B. McClellan was the candidate of HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 661 the Democrats on a peace platform. The vote stood (the absent soldiers voting in the field) : Lincoln, 3,239; McClellan, 1,142. Ulysses S. Grant received 3,666 votes and Ho- ratio Seymour, 1,507 in 1868. In 1872, opposi- tion to some of the public acts of some of Grant's appointees and councillors caused the rise of the Liberal Republican party, which nominated Hor- ace Greeley, while the Republicans renominated Grant. The Democrats endorsed Horace Greeley, and the platform of the Liberal Republicans, except that a few who refused to follow that lead supported Charles O'Connor. The county gave Grant 3,094 votes, Greeley 1,248, and O'Connor 27. It is evident that nearly one thousand voters refrained from expressing their will. In 1876 a new party was in the field for recognition in the matter of the presidency, with Peter Cooper, the New York merchant and philanthropist, as their candidate and demanding an extended issue of treasury notes — "greenbacks" — hence the name Green- back party. The Republicans put forward Ruth- erford B. Hayes, alter a strong effort to nomi- nate James G. Blaine, while the Democrats put forward Samuel J. Tilden, Governor of New York. The county divided its suffrage as fol- lows : Hayes, 3,883 ; Tilden, 1,921 ; Cooper, 104. A dispute over the accuracy of returns from one of the States led to the appointment by Congress of an Electoral Commission consisting of five Senators, five Representatives, and five Judges of the Supreme Court, this body by a vote of 8 to 7 awarding the disputed State to Hayes, thus securing his election to the Presidency. The vote of Ogle County for President at sub- sequent periods has been as follows : 1880— Garfield (Rep.), 4,053; Hancock (Dem.) 2,085; Weaver (Greenback), 249; Neal Dow (Prohibitionist), 11. 1884— Blaine (Rep.), 3,969; Cleveland (Dem.), 2,285; Butler (Gr'b'k), 61; St. John (Prohi.), 138. 1888— Harrison (Rep.), 4,135; Cleveland, (Dem.), 2,255; Pish (Prohi.), 330. 1892— Harrison (Rep.), 3,939; Cleveland (Dem.), 2,244; Bidwell (Prohi.), 283. 1896— McKinley (Rep.), 5,210; Bryan (Dem.), 2,134; Levering (Prohi.), 95; Palmer (Gold- Dem.), 77. 1900— McKinley (Rep.), 5,255; Bryan (Dem.), 2,171; Woolley (Prohi.), 179. 1904 — Roosevelt (Rep.), 5,109; Parker (Dem.), 1,209; Swallow (Prohi.), 418. 1908— Taft (Rep.), 4,848; Bryan (Dem.), 1,761; Chafin (Prohi.), 38S. The vote for Governor the latter year was : De- neen (Rep.), 3,998; Stevenson (Dem.), 2,434. The difference between the vote for the candi- dates for President and Governor on the re- spective tickets was due to the opposition on the part of some of the Republicans to Mr. Deneen as the party candidate, on account of certain alleged mistakes in policy during his first term. In 1892 and again in 1896, Hon. T. B. Reed. Member of Congress from Maine and Speaker of the House, visited this Congressional District and delivered speeches at Rockford, Preeport, Mount Morris and Oregon. Speaker Reed in 1896, in addressing the citi- zens of Oregon and visiting delegations from over the county, made his speech in a wigwam built on the lot at the southwest corner of Fourth and Monroe Streets for the purposes of the campaign. i Ogle County first voted for Congressman in 1839. In 1842 it became a part of the Sixth •District, and was represented in the Twenty- eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses by Joseph P. Hoge, of Galena ; while in the Thirtieth Con- gress, Col. Thomas J. Turner, of Freeport, was the Representative, and Col. Edward D. Baker, of Galena, in the Thirty-first Congress. Col. Baker was a member of the Whig party, ex- cepting whom all of the preceding were Demo- crats. Col. Baker was succeeded by Thomas Campbell, Democrat, of Galena, who in turn was defeated by a Whig, Elihu B. Washburne, of Galena, who remained the Representative of the now again First District during the Thirty-third, Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth, Thirty- sixth, and Thirty-seventh Congresses, 1853 to 1863. A re-apportionment placed Ogle County in the Third District. Congressman Washburne was elected from the latter, and was Representa- tive during the Thirty-eight, Thirty-ninth, Forti- eth, and until March ninth, 1S69, of the Forty- first Congress, when he resigned to become Minister to France, and was succeeded De- cember sixth, 1869, by Horatio C. Burchard, . Republican, of Freeport, who represented the Third District during the Forty-first and Forty- second Congresses, 1869 to 1873. By a second re-apportionment Ogle County became a part of the Fifth District, where it continued to be 66a HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. represented by Mr. Burchard during the Forty- third, Forty-fourth, and Forty-fifth Congresses, from 1873 to 1879. In 1878 Major Robert M. A. Hawk, Republican, of Mount Carroll, was elected from the Fifth District, and was a mem- ber of the Forty-sixth and part of the Forty- seventh Congresses. Major Hawk died June 29, 1882, two days before the date set for the meet- ing of the convention to nominate for the next Congress, at which Major Hawk's re-nomination was expected. The convention met to receive the announcement of his death, and adjourned for 30 days. Upon re-convening, Robert R. Hitt, of Mount Morris, was nominated, and was nomi- nated also for the unexpired portion of Major Hawk's term. He was elected and re-elected so as to sit in Congress for the remainder of the Forty-seventh Congress, and during the Forty- eighth, Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, Fifty-first, Fifty- second, Fifty-third, Fifty-fourth, Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth and part of the Fifty-ninth Congresses, 1882 to 1906, re- signing in February, in 1906 ; Ogle County hav- ing in the meantime, in 1883, become a part of the Sixth District, in 1895 of the Ninth, and in 1903 of the Thirteenth District, which at this time consists of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, Whiteside, Lee and Ogle Counties. Col. B. F. Sheets, of Oregon, was a candidate for the Re- publican nomination in 1882. For the nomina- tion of 1904, Mr. Hitt was opposed by Attorney H. A. Smith, of Oregon, Master-in-Chancery for Ogle County. Col. F. O. Lowden, of Oregon, Republican, was elected on November 6, 1906. for the remaining portion of the Fifty-ninth, and the full term of the Sixtieth Congress. Col. Lowden was opposed for the nomination by At- torney William P. Landon, of Rochelle. The candidate on the Democratic ticket was also an Ogle County man, James P. Wilson, of Woosung, for a number of years minority member of the General Assembly from this senatorial district. On November 3, 1908, Col. Lowden was re- elected for the Sixty-first Congress. Congressman Hitt was a candidate before the General Assembly in January, 1897, for election to the United States Senate. He had made no canvass of the State, but before the contest ended his candidacy had developed formidable strength. Mr. Hitt's name was brought promi- nently before the nation in June, 1904, prior to the meeting in Chicago of the Republican National Convention, in the matter of the Re- publican nomination for the Vice-Presidency. His sudden alarming illness on the eve of the as- sembling of the convention precluded any fur- ther consideration of a project that had been favorably received throughout the country. Ogle County was represented in the Legisla- ture for the first time in December, 1839, when the Eleventh General Assembly convened. It is now joined with Winnebago County to form the Tenth Senatorial District, but at different times it has been in various districts. The fol- lowing are the members of the Senate and the House from 1839 to the present time : 11th General Assembly : Senate, George W. Harrison ; House, James Craig, Germanicus Kent. 12th : Senate, George W. Harrison ; House, Thomas Drummond, Hiram W. Thornton. 13th : Senate, Spooner Ruggles ; House, Leon- ard Andrus. 14th : Senate, Spooner Ruggles ; House. Sam- uel M. Hitt, Anson S. Miller. 15th : Senate, Anson S. Miller ; House, Will- iam G. Dana. 16th: Senate, William B. Plato; House, Dauphin Brown. 17th : Senate, William B. Plato ; House, Wil- liam T. Miller. 18th: Senate, William B. Plato; House, E. S. Potter. 19th: Senate, Waite Talcott; House, Daniel J. Pinckney. 20th: Senate, Waite Talcott; House, Daniel J. Pinckney. 21st : Senate, Zenas Aplington ; House, Joshua White. 22d: Senate, Zenas Aplington; House, Fran- cis A. McNeil. 23d: Senate, Daniel Richards; House, James V. Gale. 24th: Senate, Daniel Richards; House, Dan- iel J. Pinckney. 25th': Senate, Daniel J. Pinckney; House, Thomas J. Hewett. 26th: Senate, Daniel J. Pinckney; House, Ogden B. Youngs. 27th: Senate, James K. Edsall, Winfield S. Wilkinson ; House, Mortimer W. Smith, Jeremiah Davis. 28th : Senate, George P. Jacobs ; House, Isaac Rice, Henry D. Dement, Frederick H. Marsh. 29th: Senate, George P. Jacobs; House, j/^^^£^^^ HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 663 Isaac Rice, Heury D. Dement, Frederick H. Marsh. 30th : Senate, Henry D. Dement ; House, Abi- jah Powers, Frank N. Tice, Bernard II. Trues- dale. 31st : Senate, Henry D. Dement ; House, Frank N. Tice, Bernard H. Truesdale, Alexan- der P. Dysart. 32d : Senate, Isaac Rice ; House, J. H. White, A. F. Brown, A. P. Dysart. 33d : Senate, Isaac Rice ; House, E. B. Sum- ner, A. F. Brown, J. 0. Seyster. 34th : Senate, E. B. Sumner ; House, A. F. Brown, David Hunter, E. M. Winslow. 35th: Senate, E. B. Sumner; House, David Hunter, James P. Wilson, James Lamont. 36th : Senate, Benjamin F. Sheets ; House, David Hunter, William H. Cox, Robert Simp- son. 37th : Senate, Benjamin F. Sheets ; House, James P. Wilson, David Hunter, Prescott H. Talbott. 38th : Senate, David Hunter ; House, James P. Wilson, Prescott H. Talbott, Lars M. Noling. 39th : Senate, David Hunter ; House, Lars M. Noling, C. Harry Woolsey, Victor H. Bovey. 40th : Senate, Delos W. Baxter ; House, Lars M. Noling, Victor H. Bovey, Henry Andrus. 41st: Senate, Delos W. Baxter; House, Lars M. Noling, Victor H. Bovey, Henry Andrus. 41st : Senate, Delos W. Baxter ; House, Henry Andrus, James A. Countryman, Frank S. Re- gan. 42d : Senate, Henry Andrus ; House, James A. Countryman, David Hunter, James P. Wilson. 43d : Senate, Henry Andrus ; House, Fred- erick Haines, Johnson Lawrence, James P. Wil- son. 44th : Senate, Andrew J. Anderson ; House, Wilbur B. McHenry, Frederick Haines, Charles Edward Martin. 45th 5 Senate, Andrew J. Anderson ; House, Johnson Lawrence, Earl D. Reynolds, James H. Cochran. 46th : Senate, Henry Andrus ; House, John- son Lawrence, Earl D. Reynolds, James H. Coch- ran. Supreme Judge : 1895 — James H. Cartwright, of Oregon. Circuit Judges : 1838-1839, Dan Stone, of Ga- lena; 1839-42, Thomas Ford; 1842-47, John D. Caton, of Chicago; 1847-48, T. Lyle Dickey, of Ottawa; 1848-51, Benj. R. Sheldon, of Rock- ford ; 1851-55, Ira O. Wilkinson, of Rock Island ; 1855-57, J. Wilson Drury, (unknown) ; 1857-61, John V. Eustace, of Dixon; 1861-77, Wm. W. Heaton, of Dixon. In 1877 the State was divided by the General Assembly into thirteen judicial circuits, with three judges in each circuit. Ogle County helped to make the thirteenth circuit. The judges who have served the thirteenth cir- cuit, and later the fifteenth, where Ogle County was placed in 1900, and where it is included now, each of whom has presided over terms of court in Ogle County, are Wm. W. Heaton, Will- iam Brown, of Rockford, Joseph M. Bailey, of Freeport, John V. Eustace, James H. Cartwright, John D. Crabtree, of Dixon, and James Shaw, of Mount Carroll. The three judges now serving the fifteenth circuit are James Baume, of Ga- lena, R. S. Farrand, of Dixon, and Oscar E. Heard, of Freeport. Probate Justices: 1837-39, S. C. McClure; 1839-43, William J. Mix ; 1843-47, Philip R. Ben- nett ; 1847-49, J. B. Cheney. County Judges: 1849-52, J. B. Cheney; 1852- 54, S. Ruggles; 1854-56, E. Wood; 1856-65, V. A, Bogue; 1865-69, J. M. Webb; 1869-72, A. Barnum; 1S72-77, F. G. Petrie (first appointed, then elected) ; 1877-81, Albert Woodcock; 1881- 91, George P. Jacobs; 1891-98, John D. Camp- bell ; 1898, Frank E. Reed. Recorders: 1837-47, James V. Gale; 1847-49, John M. Hinkle. Circuit Clerks and Recorders : 1849-56, R. B. Light; 1856-60, M. W. Smith; 1860-72, F. G. Petrie; 1872-76, H. P. Lason ; 1877-84, E. K. Light; 1884-88, R. J. Sensor; 1888-1904, C. M. Gale ; 1904, Jerville F. Cox. County Clerks: 1837-39, S. Galbraith; 1839- 43, D. H. F. Moss ; 1843-47, H. A. Mix ; 1847-49, R. Cheney; 1849-53, John M. Hinkle; 1853-57. J. Sears; 1857-61, E. K. Light; 1861-67, Albert Woodcock ; 1877-82, George N. Hormell ; 1882-90, Henry P. Lason; 1890-1902, James C. Fesler; 1902, Robert F. Adams. Sheriffs: 1837, W. W. Mudd; 1838-40, H. Wales; 1840-44, W. T. Ward; 1844-46, C. B. Artz ; 1846-50, E. W. Dutcher ; 1850-52, A. Helm ; 1852-54, E. Baker; 1854-56, Charles Newcomer; 1856-5S, E. R. Tyler; 1858-60, F. G. Petrie; 1860, J. A. Hughes; 1862, B. F. Sheets; 1862-64, C. R. Potter; 1804-66, J O'Kane ; 1866-68, W. W. O'Kane; 186S-70, B. R. Wagner; 1870-74, J. R. ■664 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Petrie; 1874-82, H. C. Peek; 1882-84, F. H. Marsh; 1884-86, H. C. Peek; 1886-90, George Bishop; 1890-94, Charles H. Betebenner; 1894- 98, Peter Good; 1898-02, George H. Andrew; 1902-06, Joseph L. Slifer; 1906, Charles M. Myers. School Commissioners: 1843-46, S. St. John Mix ; 1847-50, N. W. Wadsworth ; 1851-54, D. J. Pinckney. County Superintendents of Schools: 1855-56, J. W. Frisbee ; 1857-58, A. E. Hurd ; 1859-62, B. W. Little; 1863-64, J. M. Sanford; 1865-1877, B. L. Wells; 1878-82, John T Ray; 1882-86, Fer- nando Sanford; 1886-87, Caroline R. Veasie; 1887 to October, 1887, S. B. Wadsworth; 1887- 89, S. G. Mason; 1889-1903, Joseph M. Piper; 1903-07, Emery I. Neff ; 1907, Anna B. Champion. Surveyors: 1837-39, Joseph Crawford; 1839- 43, L. Parsons; 1843-46, J. Rice; 1846, H. Wheelock; 1847-51, R. B. Light; 1851-55, C. W. Joiner; 1855-57, F. Chase; 1857-59, A. Q. Allen; 1859-61, S. V. Pierce ; 1861-75, A. Q. Allen ; 1875- 1908, J. B. Bertolet. At the session of the General Assembly of 1907, the Township Local Option Law was en- acted. This declared the territory to vote upon the question of license or no license for the sale of intoxicating drinks should be the town- ship, instead of the village, or city, as before. The law gave new impetus to the temperance cause. It was believed that, with the help of the voters from the country, many towns which had before granted license would now refuse it. Besides, the feeling against drunkenness and drink, and especially the saloon, had grown of late years. Added to the moral issues involved, there had come to be a commercial side to the matter. Railroad companies and other corpo- rations and employers had been making stringent rules against the drink habit on the part of their workmen. Many saloons had become the prop- erty of the brewers, who, as absentee owners, defied the law with impunity, while they car- ried away the profits of a disreputable but gain- ful occupation. Meetings were held and a campaign of edu- cation entered upon, with speeches by men well informed upon what had been accomplished else- where, especially in the South, and by means of convincing literature, with such success that when the voice of the people became known after the counting of the ballots, only two townships in the county favored the saloon — Maryland and Forreston. The new municipal housekeeping be- gan on May 1, 1908. CHAPTER XI. WAR HISTORY. EEVOLUTIONABY WAE — WAS OF 1812 BLACK HAWK WAB — MEXICAN WAR — WAB OF THE BEBELLION — ■ SPANISH-AMERICAN WAB SEBVICE BENDEBED BY COMPANY M, ILLINOIS NATIONAL QDAED. Revolutionaby Wab Memobials. — On June 27, 1908, the memorial stone marking the grave of Rufus Phelps, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, was dedicated. Mr. Phelps was born in 1767, was wounded in the struggle for American Independence, and died at the home of his son, John Benjamin Phelps, in White Rock, Ogle County, 111., in 1859, at the advanced age of 92 years. He "was buried in Lindenwood Cemetery, where, in charge of the Rockford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the dedicatory services were held. Col. Frank O. Lowden delivered the address and the W. C. Baker Post G. A. R., of Stillman Valley, and the Woman's Relief Corps, participated in the exer- cises. About one thousand people were in at- tendance. The following is his official war rec- ord: "Rufus Phelps alleges in his application for bounty land that he enlisted for six months in Dutchess County, N. Y., and in a few days left for Green Bush, thence to Fort Herkimer, and was stationed at the last named place until he was wounded and in consequence of which he was discharged by Col. Willet." Mr. Phelps could not recall the name of his captain and the date of his service is not given, but his land claim was granted upon hearsay testimony. The memorial in his honor was erected through the patriotic efforts of Mrs. Joseph Sheaff, of Hol- comb, Ogle County. Mrs. Sheaff is a member of the Rockford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Another Revolutionary soldier's name is re- corded on the Soldiers' Monument placed a few years ago in the Cemetery at Daysville, through HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 66S the assiduous efforts of Virgil E. Reed and the late Dr. H. A. Mix. This record reads : "Daniel Day, in two years' service in Revolutionary War ; the first buried in the Daysville Cemetery, 1838." Daniel Day was the father of Ool. Jehlel Day, a pioneer and the founder of Daysville. The father came to Ogle County during 1837, making his home with his son, but not living long after arrival. Veterans of the Wab of 1812. — John Phelps, one of the earliest of the pioneers of Ogle County, and a soldier in the War of 1812, who took part in the campaign in the vicinity of New Orleans in 1814-15, was born in Bedford County, Va., August 8, 1796, and died in Ogle County, 111., April 1, 1874. In January, 1864, he began writ- ing an autobiography, the neat manuscript of which is preserved in the family of the late T. Oscar Johnson, son of the daughter of Mr. Phelps, who gave to the city of Oregon its sec- ond name. This Autobiography has several times been published in the county ; in recent years by the Ogle County Republican, the TH-Oounty Press, and the Mount Morris Index. Just before his decease, Mr. Phelps received a letter from the Secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, relative to securing it in book form, for the archives of that State, but Mr. Phelps died ere it was accomplished. In this Autobi- ography he relates the stirring experiences of his connection with this war. On the Monument in the Daysville Cemetery is this record: "Silas Hawthorne, served as musician in War of 1812." Mrs. John Rutledge and Mr. Joseph Hawthorne are surviving chil- dren of this war veteran, now living in Oregon. Col. Jehiel Day is also recorded on this monu- ment as serving in the War of 1812. Col. Day was also a Colonel of Militia while living in New Hampshire. He came to Ogle County in 1836, purchasing a claim from Austin Williams, returning the next year with his family to make his home upon it. The names of Major William J. Mix and Dr. William J. Mix are recorded on the Daysville Monument as serving in the War of 1812. Dr. Mix was Assistant Surgeon at the time of the Battle of Plattsburg in September, 1814, and his father commanded a company in the same battle. Later he was commissioned as Surgeon of the One Hundred and Seventh Pennsylvania Militia in 1828, serving until 1835, about which time he and his son came to the Rock River Valley. He entered upon the practice of his profession at Oregon, in 1836, and was one of the first estab- lished physicians in the county. He was the father of the late Dr. H. A. Mix, and grand- father of Dr. George M. McKenney, Mrs. C. M. Gale and Mrs. George H. Hopkins, of Oregon. The name of Mathew Bailey is on the Days- ville Monument as being in the War of 1812. He was born in Ireland, and came from Ohio to Illinois, settling with his family in Nashua Township sometime during 1836. The name of Lewis Hormell is placed on this monument, too, though his burial place is else- where. Elias Reed, who came to Buffalo Grove July 15, 1838, was also a soldier in the War of 1812. John Ankney, who came to Buffalo Grove be- fore the time of the Black Hawk War, originally from Somerset County, had, in 1815, raised a company there, was commissioned its Captain, and ordered into camp. Soon after this the war ended, and he saw no service. On the Soldiers' Monument at Byron the names of six soldiers of the War of 1812 are inscribed, namely : J. Bull, A. Netrow, I. Norton, A. Hewitt, L. Smith, I. N. Gaston. THE BLACK HAWK WAR. Grim-visaged War saw the front of battle first lower on the prairies of Illinois before a regi- ment of American soldiers when Col. George Rogers Clark, in 1778, after a gallant march of a thousand miles across the untrodden wilder- ness, with fine strategy and the avoidance of bloodshed, achieved the surrender of the British and took possession of the Illinois Country for Virginia; and the last time when Gov. John Reynolds, in 1832, raised an army to drive from the borders of the State the remnant of a people whose home the land had been from a period when the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. The history of the one is read with satisfaction; of the other with regret. The true narrative of the Black Hawk War is searched in vain for the necessity that impelled, the pa- triotism that counseled, or the glory that ac- companied it; unless, indeed, one is thinking of the Red Men. The first act in that short, but bloody, drama was performed upon the un- scarred soil of Ogle County. By their treaty of 1804, negotiated by William Henry Harrison, then Governor of Indiana Ter- 666 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. rltory, which then included Illinois, whose north- ern boundary was Canada, the Sacs and Fox Indians ceded to the Federal Government all the territory between the Wisconsin River on the north, the Fox on the east and southeast, and the Mississippi on the west as far south as Rock Island, then Fort Armstrong. A stipulation dis- tinctly stated, however, that so long as the land remained the property of the United States — that is, so long as it was not sold to private owners — "the Indians belonging to said tribes shall enjoy the privilege of living or hunting" thereon. Before the Government had parted with the land — even before it had been sur- veyed — squatters violated the treaty by driving off the Indian women and children, and destroy- ing the property of the Indians, pasturing their corn, killing their cattle and burning their lodges. Then, no sooner had the Government sold a few quarter sections at the mouth of Rock River, and none elsewhere, than demand was made that the Indians give up the country and remain west of the Mississippi, as if that were in ac- cordance with the treaty. The new treaty of 1831 need not be consid- ered, because when Black Hawk and the other chiefs of the Sacs did not come to Fort Arm- strong to sign it, as made out to suit the white settlers, Genera* Gaines sent word that if the chiefs did not come he would go after them with his army, whereupon Black Hawk and twenty- eight of the tribe came and "touched the goose quill" to the document. The treaty of 1804 was the only one of any binding force, and even in that tne extensive territory ceded (15,000,000 acres) was parted with for the mere pittance of $2,500 in goods and $1,000 in money annually in perpetuity, so that — if, as Black Hawk said, the chiefs who signed it were held in duress, were without orders from their tribes, and were intoxicated from whisky furnished them by their white brothers — even that treaty's legality dis- appears in the fraud which surrounded its exe- cution. The fact of Black Hawk taking with him his women, children and old men did not look like going to war. But disquieting reports were abroad. Governor Reynolds was appealed to for troops. He became alarmed and responded ac- cordingly. Eighteen hundred volunteers assem- bled at Beardstown under the command of Gen- eral Whiteside of the State militia, who marched to Fort Armstrong, where he and General Atkin- son of the regular army decided that General Whiteside should continue by land to Prophet'* Town and there wait for Atkinson, who would come by boat with the regulars and all the artil- lery and provisions. Arriving at Prophet's Town, Whiteside burned the deserted Indian villag" and, instead of waiting as agreed, continued on up the State to Dixon's Ferry, where he halted to form a junction with General Atkinson. Here he found 275 more volunteers from McLean, Tazewell, Peoria and Fulton Counties, under the command of Majors Stiiiman and Bailey. Gov- ernor Ford says : "The officers of this force begged to be put forward upon some dangerous service in which they could distinguish them- selves. To gratify them they were ordered up Rock River to spy out the Indians " Major Stiiiman began the reconnoissance on May 13th and proceeded twenty-six miles up the east bank of Rock River without discovering the foe. They were at Old Man's Creek and were about to go into camp for the night, when three unarmed Indians bearing a white flag ap- peared. They came from Black Hawk, who, with forty of his warriors, was encamped on Syca- more Creek, three miles farther on, while the remainder of his band, together with the Potta- watomies and the women and children, were encamped on the Kishwaukee, seven miles dis- tant. Black Hawk, supposing that the whole of General Atkinson's command had overtaken him, and being unable to make allies of the Potta- watomies, had decided, as he claimed, to return west of the Mississippi, and sent the trio under the white flag to arrange a parley, with flv*» ethers to watch at a distance and report the re- sult, the latter being mounted. The truce bearers were made prisoners ; then Stillmen's men saw the five riders appear Mounting their horses, a number of them rusheti forward, without orders, to "kill Injuns," the fun some of the volunteers had enlisted for. The Indians retreated, followed in hot pursuit by the white soldiers, who fired upon them, and, with better horses, were overtaking them, when from ambush behind trees and bushes, Black Hawk and his band opened fire. Several of the pursuers fell, mortally wounded. Their ad- vance was checked, then turned into a retreat, which presently became a rout. Majors Still- man, Bailey and other officers endeavored to rally the now panic-stricken men, but to no purpose. They continued on in their mad flight, HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 667 nor stopped until they reached Dixon's Ferry, twenty-six miles distant, or their homes many more miles away. Gov. Ford, in his History of Illinois, tells a readable story of this event — largely imagina- tive but bombastic in style — as told by a Ken- tuckian and Colonel of militia who was serving as a private with Stillman, but claimed to be the sole survivor of a fierce battle waged against overwhelming numbers of Indians. The hero of this story is also described as "a lawyer, just returning from the circuit with a slight ward- robe and Chitty's Pleadings packed in his sad- dle bags, all of which were captured by the Indians," and it is added, "he afterwards re- lated with much vexation, that Black Hawk had decked himself out in his finery, appearing in the wild woods among his savage companions, dressed in one of the Colonel's ruffled shirts drawn over his deer-skin leggings, with a volume of Chitty's Pleadings under each arm." But to return to the true history : When those who had not joined in the attack realized that a battle was on, they killed one of the bearers of the white flag; the other two escaped. To make prisoners of the two envoys of peace and then to massacre one of their number, was con- duct as atrocious as rushing to battle without orders was unmilitary. It disgraced the bat- talion to which the perpetrators belonged, and was the first of a series of atrocities that chiefly made up the war, but which occurred outside of Ogle County, and need not be narrated here. It is said that Stillman's men had with them a barrel of whisky and that many of them were drunk. In that case no further explana- tion need be sought. The panic is not a matter of surprise. The men were volunteers without training or experience, and it takes a well dis- ciplined army to withstand an Indian ambus- cade. But, of course, Major Stillman's men did not escape ridicule. The next day General At- kinson went forward and buried the dead, of whom there were eleven, while the Indian loss was two. Old Man's Creek has since that time been known as Stillman's Run. The perfidy of the volunteer soldiery aroused Black Hawk to the fiercest indignation, and, tearing the white flag to pieces, he vowed ven- geance. Soon after occurred the Indian Creek massacre in LaSalle County. On May 19th, Sergeant Fred Stahl, of Galena, accompanied by privates William Durley, Redding Bennett, Vin- cent Smith and James Smith, left Galena for Dixon's Ferry with despatches for General At- kinson. They fell into an Indian ambuscade at Buffalo Grove, immediately north of where Polo now is. Durley was killed, and Stahl and James Smith had their clothes pierced by bullets, but were uninjured. The four returned to Galena. On June 25th, the vanguard of General Po- sey's brigade, commanded by Major John De- ment, of Galena, afterward of Dixon, encoun- tered a party of Indians at Kellogg's Grove, in the neighborhood of where Brookville now is. There was a sharp engagement. Major Dement lost four men and twenty horses, and the In- dians nine of their warriors. General Posey, from his camp at Buffalo Grove, hastened to Dement's relief, but the Indians had retreated. The brigade continued on to their objective point, Fort Hamilton, north of Galena. Some years ago, Colonel Dement, in an address before the old settlers of Ogle County, recounted the above battle. A. C. Bardwell, of Dixon, in his history of Lee County, speaking of this event, says : "From Dixon the battalion moved on to Kel- logg's Grove, where a desperate battle was fought with a band of mounted Indians, stripped to the skin and in their war paint, under the command of Black Hawk in person. ... In the annals of Indian warfare, few engage- ments of small numbers will be found more des- perate and bloody." Nothing else of interest occurred within the limits of Ogle County. At that time Dixon's Ferry, Old Man's Creek, Buffalo and Kellogg's Groves were all in the same county — Jo Daviess. Among the militiamen who assembled at Dixon's Ferry was Abraham Lincoln, first as Captain of one of the companies and afterwards as pri- vate in another; while among the soldiers of the regular army were Lieutenant Robert An- derson (Commander of Fort Sumter at the out- break of the Civil War, 1861), Colonel Zachary Taylor (President of the United States in 1849-50), to whom Lieutenant Jefferson Davis (President of the Southern Confederacy, 1861- 65) was acting as aid, and General Winfield Scott, who had come from Fortress Monroe to Fort Armstrong, with nine companies of infantry, in the unprecedented time of eighteen days, be- side fighting the cholera enroute. The war ended with the battle of Bad Axe, in Wisconsin, and the practical extermination 668 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. •of the Sac tribe of Indians. It was the old story over. The Indians had endeavored to re- sist the encroachment of the white man, and had lost. Black Hawk was captured. He was then sixty-five years old. William A. Meese, Esq., of Moline, 111., an enthusiastic student of Illinois history and interesting writer thereof, portraying Black Hawk in his volume, "Early Rock Island," says : "After losing his village and lands, after defeat in war, when but few of his people had escaped the white man's bullet, after being held as prisoner for some months, upon his release and restoration to freedom, this savage who fought for his country said to one of his con- querors : 'Rock River was a beautiful country. I like my tQwns, my corn fields and the home of my people. I fought for it ; it is now yours. It will produce you good crops.' What white man could say more? Black Hawk was truly the last defender of Illinois." MEXICAN WAR. The State of Illinois sent six regiments to assist in this conflict. Ogle County, then so recently settled, furnished but few volunteers, though pro- bably more than are here recorded. Two young men from Daysville were among the number who enlisted — Frank Keyes and Aaron Baldwin. A nephew of the first-named is now living in Ore- gon. Young Baldwin, who was a clerk in the store of William J. Mix, at Daysville, at the time, is said to have enlisted on account of an unfor- tunate love affair, and never came back. On the Daysville Monument appears the record, "Ben- jamin F. Keyes, in Mexican War." Lewis Hormell, of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in later life a resident of Oregon, 111., was a Cap- tain in this war, commanding Company C, First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served thirteen months, participating in the capture of Monterey. In 1852, he came to Illinois from Ohio and located at Oregon, where he was engaged in mercantile business from 1852 to 1873. He died in 1891, leaving surviving him three sons and three daughters, of whom those now residing in Ore- gon are Cornelius, Mrs. B. F. Sheets, and Miss Matilda Hormell. The two daughters have in their possession the dress uniform which their father wore during his service in the army, and which has been worn a number of times, fur- nishing an attractive feature of festive gather- ings and public occasions in Oregon. Simon Rigle, who for some time resided with his widowed daughter, Mrs. Sarah Ellis, in Ore- gon, was a veteran of the Mexican War enlisting from Pennsylvania, and also served in the Civil War. He died in May,/ 1908, at the Soldiers' Home, Danville, 111. WAR OF THE REBELLION. Illinois has nobly remembered her soldiers of this war. In "Patriotism of Illinois," published in 1865 (two volumes), by Rev. T. M. Eddy, D. D., then editor of the Northwestern Christian Advocate, in Chapter XXXV., Vol. I., appears the following : "In the dingy capitol at Springfield, is the Ad- jutant-General's office, where are documents which will be searched in days to come by the historian, the annalist, the lawyer. "Entering a room about forty feet square, you see double rows of desks, and peering above each is a head variously colored. The clerks are hard at work preserving the facts of our Illinois regi- ments. In those pigeon holes are documents which, in court official style, tell of many a deed of daring, and many a weary march. In the cas- ualty reports are enshrined the names of those who have received wounds or died the soldier's death in the field ! These 'Descriptive Rolls' tell you the place and date of birth, place and date of enlistment, height in feet and inches, color of hair and eyes of each soldier. They state when enlisted, when discharged ; and, when completed, will tell the story of wounds and death. We doubt if any office is more exact in the arrange- ment of these details. The best models — Ameri- can, English and Continental — were consulted, and a combined system adopted, covering all the details." Ogle County has well and loyally preserved the records of her "soldier boys!" When the new Court House at Oregon was built in 1892, the third floor was set apart as a Memorial Hall, ( and on its walls are inscribed in compact monu- mental form, the names and places of belonging of all in the Union Army from Ogle County who, both on land and sea, served the Nation in its hour of need. The county owes the placing of this military record -to the patriotic suggestion of Mr. John Franklin Spalding, at that time the Supervisor from Byron Township who had gen- eral charge of this memorial work. This mural remembrance has been characterized by a dis- tinguished American sculptor as one of the finest and most original of its kind ever executed. The o o B > t" 1 o < o d H ffl M JO C/3 H1ST0KY OF OGLE COUNTY. 669 Board of Supervisors have been considering a plan for placing a corrected and more complete list of Ogle County soldiers on bronze tablets set in the walls of Memorial Hall, but the prep- aration of this list has not yet been so far com- pleted as to make it available for this work. The Hall is placed in charge of the G. A. R. of Oregon, and in it are held the meetings of this organization and of the Woman's Relief Corps, and it is the headquarters of gatherings of the soldiers and sailors of the county. It was here that was held the Twentieth Annual Reunion of the Soldiers and Sailors of Northwestern Ill- inois, taking place- at Oregon, September 7 and 8, 1904. Among the veterans present and taking part in the exercises was Gen. O. O. Howard, at different times of the Army of the Potomac and of the Tennessee, who gave "the boys" and as- sembled citizens a glowing, reminiscent talk about "war-times." His signature upon the reg- ister of that reunion is preserved with pride by the Oregon Post, G. A. R. A speech was also made by the Hon. Frederick Landis, Congress- man from Indiana. It was during this reunion, and with the assistance of the veterans, that the Lincoln boulder, set by the Oregon Woman's Council, was dedicated. Was Statistics of Ogle County. — The Report of the Adjutant-General of Illinois for 1865 fur- nishes a complete roster of the officers and pri- vate .soldiers who served in the various regi- ments, and other military organizations, from the several counties of the State during the Civil War. Among the most noted names was that of Gen. U. S. Grant who, coming from the neigh- boring county of Jo Daviess, occupied success- ively the positions of Colonel, Brigadier-General, Major-General and Lieutenant-General, and fin- ally as President, while eleven other Illmoisans held the rank of Major-Generals, twenty-four that of Brigadier-Generals, and scores retired from the service with the rank of Major-Gen- erals and Brigadier-Generals by brevet, including among the latter Gen. Benjamin F. Sheets, of Oregon. Quotas and Credits. — According to the census of 1860, the population of Ogle County was 22,- 863, while the enrollment, quotas and credits of the county for military service during the war period, according to the Adjutant-General's Report, were as follows : First and Second Class Enrollment — (1863), 3,709; (1864), 3,815; Revised enrollment (1865), 3,676. Quotas and Credits. — The total quotas for service under the various calls for troops prior to December 31, 1864, amounted to 2,509, while the credits for enlistments during the same period were 2,445, leaving a deficit for the county of 65. The net quota of 480 for 1865 increased the total for the entire war period to 2,989, the credits during the latter year being increased by 508, making a total credit of 2,953, and leav- ing a net deficit for the same period of 36. The number of persons subject to military duty (i.e. between the ages of 18 and 45), ac- cording to the census of 1865, was 3,222, from which it will be seen that the county ,had fur- nished enlistments during the war period with- in 269 of the whole number subject to military duty during the last year of the war. T'>e expenditures of the county during the same period, in connection with cost of the war, were as follows : Bounties, $385,491.33 ; for Sol- diers' Families, $35,827.13.— Total, $421,318.46. Mr. John Sharp's Recollections. — Mr. John Sharp, who is quoted elsewhere in this history, has, by special request of the editors, contributed his personal recollections of these bounty mat- ters, which are as follows : "In the country's war history it may be noted that a large sum of money was appropriated by the Supervisors, and also by some of the various townships in the county, as an additional bounty to encourage enlistment in the army. In a for- mer history of the county the total of such ap- propriations was given at $223,306, but this was manifestly an underestimate. In this was in- cluded $120,070 by the county and $43,236 from five townships, viz : Flagg, Nashua, Buffalo, Scott, White Rock, an estimate of $60,000 from the balance of the townships. To my own knowl- edge there were several other townships that made appropriations, Among these were : Rock- vale, Maryland, Pine Creek, Leaf River and, I think, Pine Rock and Forreston. "As the war neared its end, a supreme effort was made by the President to increase the army, and this ultimately resulted in a draft being made. At no time during the war was Ogle County behind in furnishing its full quota of soldiers, but, in fixing the draft districts, town- ship line® were ignored and three districts were 670 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. made, running from north to south, the divis- ion lines, I think, being the boundaries between the townships of Maryland, Mt. Morris, Pine Creek, Grand Detour and Taylor, Nashua, Ore- gon, Rockvale and Leaf River, and those of Byron, Pine Rock, Lafayette, Plagg, White Rock and Scott. The westerly and easterly of these districts were fortunate in having more than their quota already in the army. The center district was two short and a draft was ordered. The cause of this was that the town of Mary- land was two behind, and a peculiar result was that one of these was drawn from Grand De- tour, which was largely ahead, and the other, I think, from Mount Morris, which had also fur- nished its full quota. "When it was found that there was to be a draft, but before the number was announced, there was much scurrying about to prevent a draft, some wanting to bond the county for the money needed, but this failed, and what bond- ing was done was borne by the towns. I think that, by counting the total sums raised by the county and townships, and adding to these the large amount contributed by individuals in bonuses, equipments, etc., the total amount would reach fully $450,000. "During the time intervening between the announcement for a draft until it actually oc- curred, the Board of Supervisors was convened and a proposition was made that the county be bonded for money sufficient to pay bounties to procure the necessary men to fill the quota fixed. This project failed because the announcement was made that the draft would be confined to the center district, and what bounties were raised were by townships. "Not all of the money raised for bounties was for the purpose of escaping the draft. Several towns voluntarily raised money to aid in filling the quotas required long before a draft was ordered. In fact, most of the large sums raised for these purposes were contributed by patriotic men whose only purpose was to aid in the prose- cution of the war." SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR Always noted for their patriotism in times of the Nation's need, Ogle County's sons, in the spring of 1898, were quick to offer their ser- vices and lives, if need be, to uphold the Nation's honor. When the call to arms came, there was organized and recruited to its full capacity, Company M, Third Infantry, at Rochelle, under the leadership of Captain Edward A. Ward (now deceased) and Lieutenants George W. Dicus and William F. Hackett. The call came near the hour of midnight, April 26th, Captain Ward receiving a telegram from Adjutant Gen- eral Reece, which read: "Assemble your Com- pany at once and proceed by rail to the rendez- vous at Springfield, prepared for war." The Company was composed mainly of young men from Rochelle and Oregon, but numbered among its members a score of the flower of De Kalb's young manhood. A number of Ogle's men served in other companies and regiments, and each added to the honorable record made by her sons in the War with Mexico and that great conflict of 1861 to 1865. Company M, Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was sworn into the United States service in the Exposition Building at the State Pair Grounds, at Springfield, 111., at 8:30 o'clock on the even- ing of May 7, 1898, being the first full regiment taking the oath in the Spanish-American War, and departed with the regiment on the evening of May 14th, for the general rendezvous at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga, Ga. The regiment was assigned to the First Brigade, First Divis- ion, First Army Corps, commanded by General John R. Brooke, and was the first regiment chosen to accompany Gen. Brooke on the Porto Rican campaign. After a thorough training at Camp Thomas, the First Division departed for Newport News en July 22d, and five days later embarked for the Island of Porto Rico, the Third Infantry being conveyed to the front by the cruiser St. Louis, as the personal escort of Gen- eral Brooke. The expedition arrived at Ponce harbor on the evening of August 1st, and during the night, convoyed by the Battleship Massachu- setts, the Cruisers Columbia and Cincinnati, and the little Gloucester, departed for Arroyo, forty miles distant, which point was reached at an early hour. The port of Arroyo, which was de- fended by a garrison of infantry, cavalry, and a number of field guns, was bombarded by the ships named, aided by the cruisers St. Louis and St. Paul, and under the fire of these guns, the regiment, in command of Col. Fred Bennett, was landed by means of small boats, after a brief resistance by the Spanish forces, with the loss of but one man of Company K, who was killed a few moments after landing. On August 5th the Spanish were pushed into and through the HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. 671 city of Guayama, nine miles distant, and from thence into the adjacent mountains, after a spirited engagement, the Third Infantry support- ing the Fourth Ohio. Later, on August 8th, several companies of the Fourth Ohio were am- bushed in the Cayey Mountains and were sup- ported by the Third Illinois, the Fourth Ohio losing 21 men wounded. On August 13th, the First Division departed on a campaign for a general move toward San Juan, and were as- signed to positions before the works of the enemy, who were strongly intrenched on the top of Cayey Mountain, when, just as the word was given by the Commanding General for the open- ing of the engagement, a courier arrived with word that a protocol had been signed, and the war was at an end. The post of honor, the making of the initial assault! had been assigned to the Third Illinois, but the opportunity to show their mettle was denied them. During this short but decisive conflict the sons of Ogle played such part as was assigned them with honor and credit, and, without doubt, if they had been called upon to do so, would have added to the glory of the State and their county, as did their predecessors in the conflict of 18C1-65. A number of the sons of Ogle held posts of responsibility and honor during the Spanish War, among them being Lieut. George W. Dicus, who was appointed Ordnance Officer of the Third Illinois, May 11th, and, besides equipping the regiment for its term of service, handled the ordnance for the Porto Rican campaign, and to- gether with Private Martin Lindaas, while in command of the outposts, was commended in General Orders by Gen. Brooke for services rendered in the capture of a spy near the enemy's lines. Lieut. Dicus was also given the honor, by Gen. Peter C. Haines, of placing the flag of truce opposite the enemy's works on Cayey Mountain. The regiment embarked for home on the good ship Roumania on the evening of November 2d. reaching New York ten days later after a stormy voyage. During the forenoon of November 14th, they arrived in Chicago and were there given a banquet at the Great Northern Hotel by Col. John Lambert of De Kalb, the barb-wire magnate and a close friend of Col. Bennett. Upon their arrival home they were given a warm wel- come and a banquet at the Presbyterian church, Col. B. F. Sheets delivering the address of wel- come, followed by Rev. R. H. Nye, Attorney Horace G. Kauffman, Attorney Franc Bacon, Rev. F. L. Baldwin, Corporal R. F. Nye, Rev. J. K. Reed and Judge J. H. Cartwright, the ad- dresses being interspersed by patriotic music. Following is a list of the soldiers who com- posed Company M. Third Regiment: E. A. Ward, G. W. Dicus, W. F. Hackett, J. F. Unger, H. S. Bain, J. M. Bearmore, J. H. Carroll, R. B. Longweli, A. G. Baker, A. M. Lind, H. J. O'Brien, C. E. Hakes, R. F. Nye, H. Beader- stadt, C. C. Currier, A. Esheim, A. Forsemen, M. Holland, O. J. Johnson, E. W. Jordan, A. W. Keane, N. C. Korber, M. Lindaas, F. Mallory, F. E. McDermott, W. J. McElroy, J. W. Mc- Mahon, V. S. Mead, H. Miller, A. O. Moore, H. Woodrick, F. Tilton, O. D. Talbot, C. M. Hays, J. W. Kendall, C. Eyster, F. D. Morrison, R. J. Allen, B. F. Bentley, H. J. Brien, F. L. Beaman, G. Brown, R. Carrenduff, TJ. G. Crandall, A. E. Darling, B. H. Newcomer, J. Oleson, M. J. Pat- terson, B. M. Pool, E. S. Rae, T. L. Schade, C. W. Sanford, J. E. Smith, E. Southwood, C. W. Sweeney, L. B. Tilton, R. S. Vetos, C. J. Orner, F. A. Newcomer, A. J. Elmer, E. Myers. CHAPTER XII. A BLACK HAWK WAR TRAGEDY. OGLE COUNTY A CENTER OF ACTIVITY IN BLACK HAWK WAR DAYS — THE DDELEY AND ST. VEAIN MXJBDEBS DETAILS OF THE ST. VEAIN AFFAIE AND SKETCH OF HIS LIFE. While it is not found practicable in this volume to enter into a more detailed history of the Black Hawk War, than is presented in the pre- ceding chapter, it is appropriate that some space should be given to some events of that period connected with Ogle County territory. This is especially true of two tragic incidents, one of them occurring on Ogle County soil and the other near its border — then in Jo Daviess County, of which Ogle County at that time formed a part — and both closely connected with each other and almost marking the begin- ning of the Indian struggle of 1832. 672 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. The first of these events was the murder on the 19th of May, 1832— just five days after the Still- man defeat — of William Durley, who had been sent from Galena by Col. James M. Strode, with a party of three other men under command of Sergeant Fred Stahl — making five in all — to com- municate with Gen. Atkinson, then in command of the regular troops, in reference to the situa- tion. While Stahl's party was passing Buffalo Grove about where the city of Polo now stands, on the way to Dixon for the purpose of meeting Atkinson, it was fired upon by a band of am- buscaded Indians and Durley instantly killed, the rest of the party escaping and returning to Ga- lena. Durley was a miner and lived between Galena and Apple River. The second incident of this series of tragedies occurred five days after the killing of Durley, when Felix St. Vrain, then Indian Agent of the Sacs and Foxes, was attacked and treacherously murdered by a band of Sac Indians, a few miles from the spot where Durley fell, and the day- after he had buried Durley's body. A party con- sisting of Aaron Hawley, John Fowler, Thomas Kenney, William Hale, Aquilla Floyd and Alex- ander Higginbotham, who had been in Sangamon County for the purpose of buying cattle, left Dixon on the morning of May 22d on their way to Galena, but finding Durley's body on the trail, returned to Dixon with intelligence of their dis- covery. Gen. Atkinson, who had just arrived at Dixon, at once detailed St. Vrain to proceed to Galena with the party, and thence to carry dis- patches down the river to Fort Armstrong (Rock Island). Besides being Indian Agent, St. Vrain, who was a native, of St. Louis and of French extraction, was held in high esteem by the In- dians and had been called a "brother" by "Little Bear," who afterward led the band which became his murderers. The St. Vrain party left Dixon's Ferry on the 23d, and proceeding to Buffalo Grove, found the remains of Durley, which they buried about a rod from the spot where he fell. Then, after proceeding about ten miles on their way toward Fort Hamilton, the home of William S. Hamilton, who was a son of the illustrious Alexander Hamilton (see sketch in the "Histori- cal Encyclopedia'' part of this work), the party encamped for the night. Early next morning they marched some three miles toward their destina- tion, when they stopped for breakfast. Then starting again, after proceeding about a mile, they were met by a hand of thirty Sacs under command of "Little Bear." At first St. Vrain regarded the meeting as fortunate, but on ap- proaching the Indians, his offers of peace were spurned in spite of "Little Bear's" professed friendship. It is claimed that Black Hawk had plotted St. Vraiu's death and that this band had been sent out to execute his purpose. It being evident from the temper shown by the Indians and their superior numbers, that the only hope of safety for St. Vrain and his party depend- ed upon escape by the aid of their horses, this was attempted, but firing by the Indians at once began. Fowler was the first to fall, St. Vrain a little later and Hale about three-quarters of a mile from the place of meeting. After scalping their victims, the savage marauders cut off the hands and feet of St. Vrain, and took out his heart, which they cut in pieces and distributed among the "braves" in order that they might boast that they had eaten the heart of a brave white man. Then renewing the pursuit, Hawley was killed, making three victims of the original party besides St. Vrain. While Hawley's body was never found, the evidence of his fate was furnish- ed by the finding of his coat in the possession of Black Hawk. The three survivors, though en- countering other bands of Indians, and being closely pursued, after hiding in forests and other- wise evading their pursuers, finally reached Ga- lena on the morning of the third day. The kill- ing of St. Vrain and his companions occurred on the morning of May 24th, but their bodies were not recovered until the 8th of June when they were buried about four miles south of Kellogg's Grove, now known as Timmis Grove, in Kent Township, Stephenson County, and near the northwest corner of Ogle County. It was through letters from St. Vrain addressed to Gen. William Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs at St. Louis, in May, 1831, that the first official infor- mation was received of the return of Black Hawk and his band to their old village near the mouth of Rock River, which led to the disturbances of that year, and it was probably through the prompt action of Gen. Gaines in sending a body of regular troops to that region, that the Indians were induced to return west of the Mississippi and further trouble was prevented. Possibly some knowledge of this fact may have furnished the ground of Black Hawk's personal hostility to St. Vrain and the plot for his assassination, which was accomplished a year later. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 673 St. Vrain — whose full name was "Felix de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain — is described as a man of fine appearance, tall and slender in stature, "with black eyes and black curling hair, worn rather long," born in St. Louis, Mo., March 23, 1799, and the grandson of Pierre Charles de Hault de Lassus et de Luzierre, who was of noble French ancestry, but was compelled to leave bis native country during the "Reign of Terror," coming to the Spanish possessions on the Missis- sippi, where his oldest son became Governor of Upper Louisiana. Felix St. Vrain' s father, Jaques, was an officer in the French navy, and after coming to America, members of the family held many offices of trust under the Government. Felix was a brother-in-law of George Wallace Jones. Hawley of the St. Vrain party, who fell later, probably at the hand of another band of Indians, was also a brother-in-law of Jones, while the latter was a son of John Rice Jones, the first English lawyer in Illinois. Be- sides being an Aid of Gen. Dodge in the Black Hawk War, George W. Jones held a number of prominent positions in connection with Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa Territorial affairs, including that of Delegate in Congress from the latter, and later United States Senator from Iowa after it became a State. (For sketch of the Jones family, see "Historical Encyclopedia.") The tragic death of St. Vrain was widely deplored throughout the country, on account of his high reputation and his extended acquaintance with, and influence in Indian affairs, and a bill for the relief of his widow and other heirs was passed by Congress on January 6, 1834. The substance of this story of the Durley and St. Vrain tragedies is taken from the manuscript furnished by Mr. J. W. Clinton, of Polo, and Mr. Frank E. Stevens' comprehensive history of "The Black Hawk War," published in 1903. CHAPTER XIII. PATRIOTIC ORGANIZATIONS. GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC — ITS ORGANIZATION AT DECATUR IN 1866 MRS. JOHN A. LOGAN'S MEMORIAL DAY ADDRESS G. A. R. ORGANIZATIONS IN OGLE COUNTY — LIST OF COMMANDERS, AND CHARTER MEMBERS — PRESENT MEMBERSHIP — WOMEN'S RELIEF CORPS — OBJECT OF ORGANIZA- TION, WITH DATE AND FIRST AND PRESENT OFFI- CERS — SONS OF VETERANS — THE PATROITIC SONG, "ILLINOIS." A valued keepsake of the Oregon Post G. A. R. is the Memorial Day Address of Mrs. John A. Logan, prepared by her for the exercises at Oregon, on Decoration Day, 1906. On account of illness, Mrs. Logan was not able to be present, but at her request the address was read by .Mrs. Lowden, wife of Congressman Frank O. Lowden. In this address Mrs. Logan makes mention of the organization at Decatur, 111., in I860, by Dr. B. F. Stephenson, of Springfield, and a few other veterans of Central Illinois, of the first Post of the "Grand Army of the Repub- lic" with the adoption of a ritual, by-laws and articles of incorporation. (For a concise history of this event, with names of charter members and active participants in the organization, see "Cframd Army of the Republic" on pp. 205-206 of the "Historical Encyclopedia" portion of this work.) In this connection reference is also made by Mrs. Logan to the adoption of a system of Decora- tion Day exercises, which was due to the in- ception of the plan by Gen. Logan, who, as first Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, on the 5th of May, 1868, issued an order suggesting the observance of the 30th day of May for the floral decoration of the graves of Union soldiers as a fitting "tribute to the memories of the departed heroes." It is due to the memory of General Logan to say this day has since been recognized as a "National Memorial Day," and has thus been annually observed by the members of the Grand Army and patriotic citizens throughout the Nation. G. A. R. POSTS IN OGLE COUNTY. The following is a list of Grand Army Posts in Ogle County, with date of organization, taken directly from Report of Illinois Department Pro- ceedings at Forty-second Annual Encampment held at Quincy, 111., May 20-21, 1908. A list of Post Commanders, charter members and number of present members will be found in connection with each : Polo Post, No. 84, Polo, chartered September 14, 1880. Post Commanders: F. J. Crawford, O. R. Hibaisger, H. S. Waterbury, G. Wood, Peter 674 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. R. Cover, Peter McKerral, Johnson Lawrence, Harry Cotirsey, John Bogardus and 0. Petti- bone. Charter members : R. D. Woolsey, J. L. Spear, P. J. Crawford, O. W. P. Snyder, Gusta- vus Chaffee, B. S. Waterbury, Jas. Peltz, C. L. Holbrook, Peter McKerral, Cyrus Nicodemus, Russell Barnes, James Scott, Romanzo Pisher, Joel Tobias, Warren P. Schryver, Ira A. Lowell, David B. Stevens, Peter R. Cover, Jas. P. Savage, Louis Shuber, D. H. Waterbury. Present mem- bership, 39. Oregon Post, No. 116. Oregon, chartered Dec- ember 1, 1881. Post Commanders: John Mat- miller, W. A. Washburn, J. P. Hawthorn, B. P. Sheets, Chester Nash, J. E. Gantz, George Petrie, Daniel Stout, J. G. Waldie, A. L. Kemp, Daniel Parrill, and T. A. Jewett. Charter members : B. P. Sheets, Daniel Parrill, R. T. Prentice, A. W. Spoor, W. A. Washburn, H. P. Sargent, H. A. Mix, Albany Matmiller, A. M. Castle, An- tone Beck, J. Vanzile, O. H. Swingly, Joseph Matmiller, J. M. Hitt, John Matmiller, H. B. Mitchaels, William Phillips, S. Marvin, John G. Waldie, J. P. Hawthorn, H. C. Peek, S. H. Roat, F. H. Marsh, J. T. Gantz, L. Currier, E. P. Newcomer. Present membership, 56. Cooling Post, No. 316, Byron, 111., chartered July, 25, 1883. Post Commanders : J. H. Helm, T. B. Gill, S. M. Huston, J. M. Norton, H. Stone, S. H. Shuart, L. C. Spoor, T. B. Gill, E. Burd and John F. Spalding. The charter members were: John Hogan, H. S. Strong, E. P. Bab- cock, Morris Osborne, William A. Grove, Joseph H. Hunt, John S. Spalding, William J. Haw- thorn, Edwin A. Irvin, John H. Helm, I. J. Housevert, Edward W. Swan, Patrick Kelly, H. H. Good, H. A. Smith, G. P. Poss, T. B. Gill, Robert Temple, S. C. Sanders, S. B. Strang. There are 11 members at present. Rochelle Post, No. 546, Rochelle, chartered January 13, 1886. Post Commanders : W. B. Hem- enway, I. E. Thorp, R. L. Walters, O. R. Randall, W. H. Tibbies, B. F. Pulver, J. O. McConoughy, J. J. Paterson, J. P. Minnis, R. M. King, H. H. Glenn, G. E. Turlington and J. G. Gannon. Charter members: Jonathan T. Miller, Henry H. Glenn, Daniel Ringle, Richard L. Walters, Wallace Brown, Harvey O. Perry, D. W. Parker, John Carmicheal, Gideon Williams, Reuben Lilly, James J. Patterson, Charles W. Jaquey, Alonzo Hakes, F. P. Shuman, Frank Barker, Isaac E. Thorp, Newman P. Bullis, Cornelius Kahler, Geo. E. Turkington, J. B. Monley, Albert S. Radley, Wm. B. Bailey, George Harr, David H. Talbot, Prescott H. Talbot, Myron C. Nichols, Edward H. Reynolds, Merritt Miller, Henry Henze, John W. Trenbolm, John W. Phillips, James P. Minnis, Geo. H. Sanders, Gilbert Lane, Andrew Lind, Ira Allen, Wm. Gibson. Present membership, 42. W. C. Bakeb Post, No. 551, Stillman Valley, chartered January 19, 1886. Post Commanders : J. D. White, W. H. Harris, W. Revell, H. H. Hurd and L. Dickerman. Charter members : George F. Trumbull, Wallace Revell, William M. Bly, George R. Dewey, Thomas Johnston, Lucius C. Runyion ; Luke Dickerman, Calyin Baker, Henry Wells, Reuben Banks, William Agnew, William H. Harris, Thomas Fletcher, H. H. Hurd, John McNaughton, E. P. Allen, J. D. White. Present membership, 11. Henby Milleb Post, No. 658, Forreston, chartered April 10, 1888. Post Commanders: J. N. Myers, Fred S. Spahley, William Billig, F. M. Nikirk,- A. C. Miller and Isaac J. Vogelgesang. Charter members : Joseph M. Myers, William H. Robins, Isaac J. Vogelgesang, David Over- dorf, Benjamin F. McCutchen, Frank P. Lam- pert, Thomas Winston, Francis M. Nikirk, Robert Cronkleton, William Kroener, James W. Potter, Andrew Conrad, William Eyrick, Jacob A. Boer- ner, Frederick Stahley, George Detwiler, George B. Harrington, Samuel E. Brown, Joseph S. Meyers, Samuel W. McClure. Present member- ship, 17. J. M. Smith Post, No. 720, Mt. Morris, chart- ered August 22, 1891. Post Commanders : Peter Householder, H. C. Clark, Edward Slater, W. E. McCready, F. D. Fouke, John E. Withers, B. F. Robinson and J. H. Alexander. Charter mem- bers: Peter Householder, Joseph M. Hoskins, David Newcomer, Wm. E. McCready, Robert D. McClure, Holly C. Clark, Dorsey Fouke, Alfred M. Doward, Benjamin Rine, Alfred R. Binkly, Samuel R. Blair, Rigdon McCoy, Samuel Nei- man, Robert Crosby, Benj. F. Tracy, G. W. Davis, Charles Rubsamen, Charles H. Unger, John E. Withers, Uriah Brantner. Present member- ship, 17. STILLMAN VALLEY MONUMENT WASHINGTON GROVE BOULDER LINCOLN ROCK SOULIER'S MONUMENT, DAYSVILLE CEMETERY PHELPS LOG CABIN FORD CABIN HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. 675 Patriotic Song, "Illinois." Mrs. John A. Logan, in her Memorial Day address at Oregon in 1906, alluded to in the open- ing paragraph of this chapter, says: "The in- vincible courage of the men and the intrepid leaders of Illinois, won the admiration of the whole world." This is expressed in the match- less song, "Illinois," written by Mr. C. H. Cham- berlain, which furnishes a fitting conclusion o this portion of the chapter : By thy rivers gently flowing, Illinois, Illinois, •O'er thy prairies verdant growing, Illinois, Illinois, Comes an echo on the breeze, Hustling thro' the leafy trees, And its mellow tones are these, Illinois, Illinois, And its mellow tones are these, Illinois. When you heard your country calling, Illinois, Illinois, When the shot and shell were falling, Illinois, Illinois, When the Southern host withdrew, Pitting Gray against the Blue, There were none more brave than you, Illinois, Illinois, There were none more brave than you, Illinois. Not without thy wondrous story, Illinois, Illinois, Can be writ the nation's glory, Illinois, Illinois, On the record of thy years, Abram Lincoln's name appears, Grant and Logan, and our tears, Illinois, Illinois, Grant and Logan, and our tears, Illinois. WOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS. The following paragraph, published as a "Pref- atory Note" in the late Dr. T. M. Eddy's "Pat- riotism of Illinois," furnishes an appropriate in- troduction to the pages of this chapter, devoted to the history of the Woman's Relief Corps of Ogle County, organized as an Auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic for the purpose of aiding that organization in caring for the sick and needy of the veteran soldiers .of the -Union and their families : "It were ungrateful for rendered service, and untrue to facts, were not mention made of- the devoted patriotism of the women of the State. They have not their record in the organization and marching of regiments, but theirs was never- theless real and noble work. They inspired the love of country by their own spirit. They would hear nothing of cowardice, or wordly prudence. They threw the halo of love of country over all social life. They gave their best beloved to the altar of the State. They organized sewing circles, aid societies, etc., in every neighborhood; they organized and managed fairs; they opened and sustained Homes of Rest for the weary and wounded soldier. This record is a meager one, and does scanty justice to the devoted women of Illinois. Many a soldier has said, 'God bless them !' " In the spring of 1883, Commander-in-Chief Vandervoort, of the Grand Army of the Repub- lic, when issuing his call for the Denver En- campment, invited the auxiliaries which had already been formed in the different States, to meet at Denver July 25-26 of that year, and form a National Association. About fifty wo- men were present besides the Denver Society. The National Association was there formed, E. Florence Barker, of Maiden, Mass., being made its first President. In 1908 the National Presi- dent was also from the Bay State, City of Bos- ton, Mrs. Mary L. Gilman. On January 30, 1884, the delegates from five corps in Illinois — Rockford, Elgin, Decatur, Henry and Palestine, — met in Decatur, 111., for the purpose of forming a State department. The Department officers elected by this convention were : President, Julia G. Sine, Rockford ; Senior Vice-Pres., Sarah Freeman, Palestine; Junior Vice-Pres., Sylvia M. Diehl, Henry; Secretary, Miss Minnie Orren, Rockford; Treasurer, Mary Sanders, Rockford; Chaplain, Emma Sneick, Decatur ; Conductor, Sallie J. Steele, Decatur ; Guard, R. O. Olmstead, Henry ; Inspector, Agnes Bush, Henry. The Department officers in 1908 were as fol- lows : President, Elizabeth A. Morse, Chicago ; Senior Vice-Pres., Blanche Calhoun, Decatur; Junior Vice-Pres., Ella F. Rue, Jerseyville; Sec- retary, Elizabeth Shelhamer, Chicago ; Treasurer, Louise S. Scovill, Rockford; Chaplain, Mary Burtch, Chicago Heights ; Inspector, Dr. Kath- ryn Swartz, Chicago ; Councillor, Mae G. Lincoln, Aurora ; I. and I. Officer, Margaret E. Thomas, Belleville; Patriotic Instructor, Ella V. Work, Chicago; Press Correspondent, Helen L. Middle- kauff, Lanark; Chief of Staff, Georgia B. Worker, Chicago. U. S. Gkant Circle No. 20, Rochelle, 111., was organized August 7, 1894, with the following 676 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. officers : President, Mrs. Isabella Turkington ; Senior Vice President, Mrs. Wallace Brown; Junior Vice President, Mrs. R. L. Walters; Treasurer, Mrs. Maggie Sutphen ; Secretary, Mrs. Mattie Patterson ; Chaplain, Mrs. O. R. Randall ; Conductor, Miss Blanche Howard; Guard, Mrs. B. H. Reynolds. Officers for 1908 were as follows: President, Mrs. Van Patten ; Senior Vice President, Miss Mattie Patterson ; Junior Vice President, Mrs. Bert Trenholm ; Treasurer, Miss Anna B. Turk- ington ; Secretary, Mrs. J. W. Southworth ; Chaplain, Mrs. I. E. Thorp ; Conductor, Mrs. R. L. Walters; Guard, Mrs. William Tilton. The object of the organization is described as follows : "To assist the Grand Army of the Re- public in its high and holy mission, and encourage and sympathize with them in the noble work of charity ; to extend needful aid to members in sickness and distress ; to aid sick soldiers, sail- ors and marines ; and especially to look after soldiers' homes, soldiers' widows' homes and sol- diers' orphans' homes, to see that the children obtain proper situations when they leave the homes ; to watch the schools and see to it that the children obtain proper education in the his- tory of our country and in patriotism. The organization has contributed to the Sol- diers' Widows' Home of Wilmington; Soldiers' Orphans' home in Normal, 111. ; Memorial fund which is used to decorate soldiers' graves in the South ; also school for soldiers' sons in Mason City, Iowa. They are planning to erect a sol- diers' monument in Lawn Ridge Cemetery, Roch- elle, 111., and have about $500 on hand for that purpose. Cooling Woman's Relief Coups, No. 61, of Byron, 111., was organized February 4, 1887, by Minnie M. Kyle. The following is a list of the officers elected and installed: President — Mrs. Emily Spaulding. Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Emeline Sensor. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Agnes Gill. Secretary — Miss Grace Dodds. Treasurer— Mrs. Lydia Catnaugh. Chaplain — Mrs. Sarah Jones. Conductor — Mrs. Orpha Strang. Guard — Mrs. Flora Sanford. Assistant Conductor— Miss Nellie Spalding. Assistant Guard — Miss Eva Mix. The officers for 3908 were : President— Mrs. Emily Spalding (19th year). Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Eliza Stiffa. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Lizzie Kline. Secretary — Mrs. L. Addie Mix. Treasurer — Mrs. Rachel Rush. Chaplain — Mrs. Marinda Wilder. Conductor — Mrs. Mina Houston. Guard — Mrs. Mary Lentz. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Orpha Hawthorn. Assistant Guard — Mrs. Martha Moore. Patriotic Instructor — Mrs. Cynthia Shuarfc. Press Correspondent — Mrs. Lydia Artz. Musician — Mrs. Sada Millis. Color Bearers — No. 1, Mrs. Carrie Johnston ; No. 2, Mrs. Ella Ames ; No. 3, Mrs. Tressa Artz ; No. 4, Mrs. Martha Champion. Polo Woman's Relief Corps, No. 104, was or- ganized April 17, 1888, by Mrs. Jennie Harrison of Sterling Corps, of Sterling, 111. The following is a list of officers elected and installed: President — Mrs. Mary Griffin. Sen. Vice President— Mrs. Agnes Crawford. Jun. Vice President — Miss Ada Fisher. Secretary — Mrs. Verd Holmes. Treasurer — Mrs. Mary Woolsey. Chaplain — Mrs. Ellen Wood. Conductor — Mrs. Louise Dicus. Guard — Miss Jennie Wood. Assistant Conductor — Miss Etta Hazleton. Assistant Guard — Miss Emma Nazerine. The officers for 1908 were: President — Mrs. Mae Smith. Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Elsie Johnson. Jpn. Vice President — Mrs. Mary Griffin. Secretary — Mrs. Eva Lawson. Treasurer — Mrs. Jennie Bracken. Chaplain — Mrs. Emma Waterman. • Conductor — Miss Ella Holly. Guard — Mrs. Adeline Boyd. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Josephine Keagy. Assistant Guard — Mrs. Clara Willet. Musician — Mrs. Ada Stevenson. Patriotic Instructor — Mrs. Bertha Rinert. Press Correspondent — Mrs. Lizzie Newton. Color Bearers— No. 1, Mrs. Nettie Kramer; No. 2, Mrs. Bessie Householder; No. 3, Mrs. Ella Senneff; No. 4, Mrs. Libby Miller. Oregon Woman's Relief Corps, No. 132, of Oregon, III., was organized April 16, 1889, by Julia G. Sine, of Rockford, assisted by Mrs. E. C. Follansbee, of Quincy. The following is a list of officers elected and installed: President— Mrs. Chloe J. Cartwright. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 677 Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Anne Spoor. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Lucy Waldie. Secretary — Mrs. Maude Lason. Treasurer — Mrs. Lodvisha V. Nash. Chaplain— Mrs. Josephine Matmiller. Conductor — Mrs. Lucy Rutledge. Guard — Miss Frank McDaid. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Hattie Cartwright. Assistant Guard — Miss Ida Matmiller. The officers for 1908 were : President — Mrs. Sarah Newton. Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Agnes Zeigler. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Ida Gale. Secretary — Mrs. Lodvisha Nash. Treasurer — Mrs. Adelia Kelly. Chaplain — Mrs. Minerva Allen. Conductor — Mrs. Lucy Waldie. Guard — Mrs. Lottie Flemming. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Susan Boyce. Assistant Guard — Mrs. Alice Waggoner. Patriotic Instructor — Mrs. Margarette Robbins. Press Correspondent — Mrs. Kate Little. Musician — Mrs. Mary Reed. Color Bearers — No. 1, Mrs. Alice Perry ; No. 2, Mrs. Nors Waldie ; No. 3, Miss Elsie Kelly ; No. 4, Mrs. Alzina Abbott. W. C. Bakeb Woman's Relief Corps, No. 277, of Stillman Valley, 111., was organized May 20, 1905, by Mrs. Kelly of Barlville, assisted by Mrs. Ida Palmer and Miss Edgeworth of Chicago, Mrs. Nash, Mrs. Waldie, Mrs. Zeigler and Mrs. Andrews of Oregon. The following officers were elected and installed : President — Mrs. Addie Revell. Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Josephine Roberts. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Ellen Brown. Secretary — Mrs. Clara Trumbull. Treasurer — Mrs. Libbie Thorpe. Chaplain — Mrs. Martha Hurd. Conductor — Mrs. Arvilla Atwood. Guard — Mrs. Myrtle Atchinson. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Laura Hurd. Assistant Guard— Mrs. Gertrude Graham. Patriotic Instructor — Mrs. Charlotte McNaugh- ton. Press Correspondent — Mrs. Lucy Taggart. Color Bearers — No. 1, Mrs. Carrie Sovereign ; No. 2, Mrs. Florence Hageman ; No. 3, Mrs. Julia Dickerman; No. 4, Mrs. Anna Gould. The officers for 1908 were : President — Mrs. Ellen Brown. Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Sarah Hatch. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Clara Trumbull. Secretary — Mrs. Martha Hurd. Treasurer — Mrs. Florence Hagaman. Chaplain — Mrs. Anna Gould. Conductor — Mrs. Arvilla Atwood. Guard — Mrs. Fannie Bly. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Emma Latham. Assistant Guard — Mrs. Gertrude Graham. Patriotic Instructor — Mrs. Charlotte McNaugh- ton. Press Correspondent — Mrs. Addie Revell. Musician — Mrs. Mabel Agnew. Color Bearers — No. 1, Mrs. Mamie Scott; No. 2, Mrs. Laura Hurd; No. 3, Mrs. Carrie Green; No. 4, Mrs. Addie Revell. J. W. Smith Woman's Relief Corps, No. 287, of Mt. Morris, 111., was organized February 14, 1907, by Mrs. Mabel Clark, of Aurora Corps, No. 10, assisted by Mrs. Anne Spoor, of Oregon. The following officers were elected and installed : President — Mrs. Mary McCoy. Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Julia Baker. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Josephine Clark. Secretary — Mrs. Ivy Buser. Treasurer — Mrs. Julia Slater. Chaplain — Mrs. Catherine Guffin. Conductor — Miss Emily Smith. Guard — Mrs. Mary Stine. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Etta Bruner. Assistant Guard — Mrs. Augusta Stevens. Patriotic Instructor — Mrs. Carrie Smith. Press Correspondent — Mrs. Nellie Baker. Musician — Mrs. Malissa McPherson. Color Bearers — No. 1, Miss Eva Withers ; No. 2, Miss Abbie Fouke ; No. 3, Miss Annie House- holder ; No. 4, Miss Minnie Muller. The officers for 1908 were: President — Mrs. Mary McCoy. Sen. Vice President — Mrs. Julia Baker. Jun. Vice President — Mrs. Josephine Clark. Secretary — Mrs. Ivy Buser. Treasurer — Mrs. Julia Slater. Chaplain — Mrs. Sarah Coggins. Conductor — Miss Emily Smith. Guard — Mrs. Mary Stine. Assistant Conductor — Mrs. Etta Bruner. Assistant Guard — Mrs. Augusta Stevens. Patriotic Instructor — Mrs. Carrie Smith. Press Correspondent — Mrs. Nellie Baker. Musician — Mrs. Malissa McPherson. Color Bearers — No. 1, Miss Ruth Wylie; No. 2, Mrs. Abbie Fouke ; No. 3, Mrs. Clara Merri- man; No. 4, Mrs. Elva Miller. 678 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Rochelle Daughters of American Revolu- tion. — The Rochelle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized May 19, 1900, with 22 charter members. The objects of the society are : To perpetuate the memory of the spirit of the men and women who achieved American independence, by the acquisition and protection of historical spots and the erection of monuments ; by the encouragement of historical research in relation to the Revolution and the publication of its results ; by the preservation of documents and relics, and of the records of the individual services of revolutionary soldiers and patriots, and by the promotion of celebra- tions of all patriotic anniversaries. First offi- cers : Regent, Mrs. Josephine Barker ; Vice- Regent, Mrs. J. M. May ; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Fred W. Craft; Corresponding Secretary, Miss Josephine Hoadley ; Registrar, Mrs. W. P. Landon; Treasurer, Mrs. W. W. Gould. Com- mittee of Safety — Miss Mary E. Vaile, Mrs. Han- nah Randal], Mrs. Harvey Countryman, Miss Bertha I. Steward, Mrs. Mary B. Elliott. This is said to be the only organization of its kind in the county, and has contributed largely to Continental Memorial Hall in Washington, D. C, and to the preservation of Fort Massac. Officers 1908: Regent, Miss Anna Turkington; Vice-Regent, Mrs. Geo. E. Stocking; Recording Secretary, Mrs. S. V. Wirick ; Corresponding Secretary, Miss Josephine Hoadley ; Treasurer, Mrs. James C. Fesler ; Registrar, Mrs. Josephine Barker ; Librarian and Historian, Mrs. A. Ward ; Chaplain, Mrs. E. N. Lazier. Committee of Safe- ty — Mrs. Clara V. Braiden, Mrs. B. J. Knight, Mrs: W. P. Graham, Mrs. J. M. May, Miss Nellie Bird. Sons of Veterans. Albert Woodcock Camp, Byron — Albert Wood- cock Camp No. 45, Sons of Veterans, was organ- ized at Byron, 111., in December, 1894, and was the first Sons of Veterans Camp organized in Ogle County. On January 9, 1895, the camp was regularly mustered in with eighteen mem- bers. The first officers were: L. R. Spalding, Captain ; John Gill, First Sergeant ; Lee Drake, Quartermaster's Sergeant. In 1897 the officers were: Captain, Carl Spalding; First Lieuten- ant, W. T. Artz; Second Lieutenant, Frank Van Valsa ; First Sergeant, F. A. Mealio ; Quarter- master's Sergeant, L. E. Spalding, and the mem- bership of the Camp had increased to 30. The Camp then numbered among its members, Father John McCann, the son of a veteran, and the only Priest at that time in the United States regularly mustered into the ranks of the Sons of Veterans. U. S. Villars served this Camp one year as Chaplain. CHAPTER XIV. THE COURTS AND BAR. THE COURTS OF THE FRENCH SETTLERS AND THE CIVIL LAW INTRODUCTION OF ENGLISH COMMON LAW DISLIKE OF TRIAL BY JURY THE FRENCH CUSTOM REINSTATED BY THE BRITISH GOVERN- MENT^ — FIRST COURTS UNDER STATE LAW LATER CHANGES COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT PROBATE JUSTICES COUNTY COURTS ANECDOTES OF EARLY PRACTICE IMPORTANT TRIALS — MEMBERS OF THE BAR. "The laws of a country form the most in- structive part of its history." — Oiiion. The law first administered in Illinois was the- Roman, or Civil Law, as modified and adopted by France. The first court was established in 1726, and was called "The Court, or Audience, of the Royal Jurisdiction of the Illinois." Its first sessions were held at Fort Chartres ; later it convened at Kaskaskia. It was before a single judge, and there was no jury. After 1732, the system of law promulgated by royal edict for New France was the "Custom of Paris." The Court of Audience continued until 1764, or nearly one hundred years. On October tenth of that year the Treaty of Paris, signed the year before by France and England, went into effect in the Illinois Country, but it was not until 1768, that a court of British law was In- augurated, the people living for four years with- out litigation or court decrees, though the royal notary of France, unlike our own notary public, was to some extent a judicial officer. The new court consisted of seven judges ap- pointed by the military commandant, and met DANIEL BUCK HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 679 once each month. The common law displaced the civil law, and trial by jury was introduced. The change was received with much disfavor, especially trial by jury instead of trial by judge. As Frenchmen, the citizens of Fort Chartres, Kaskaskia and Cahokia, had been accustomed all their lives to having their legal differences determined by men learned in the law, and now to submit their disputes to a temporary, unlet- tered, and irresponsible tribunal of shop-keepers and farmers, seemed the height of judicial ab- surdity, and they rejected with contempt the English system. So intense became the feeling against the new courts, and their procedure, that Parliament restored to these French communi- ties the legal system of their La Belle France, and peace and quiet again settled over this out- post of civilization, but not before a number of the people of wealth and prominence, rather than live under British rule, had taken them- selves and their portable possessions across to Saint Louis, or south to Mobile or New Orleans. Under the Ordinance of 1787 the Governor and Judges possessed legislative powers. In 1788 Governor St. Clair, and in 1801, General William Henry Harrison, his successor, met with the Judges and adopted such laws as to them seemed 1 suited to the Territory, which on account of its large area was divided in 1800 and again in 1809, in the last division the western portion becoming the Territory of Illinois. In 1812 the Governor, Ninian Edwards, knowing the desire of the people for a Territorial Legislature, order- ed an election and later convened the first Legis- lative Assembly, which proceeded to form a code of laws. The laws were copied and adapted from the statutes of Pennsylvania, Massachu- setts, and Virginia, four-fifths of them being from the first named commonwealth. Jails were few and insecure, in consequence of which the punishments were summary : for burglary, or robbery, thirty-nine stripes and standing in the pillory; for horse stealing, fifty to one hundred lashes, for the first offense; altering or defacing marks, or brands on domestic animals at large, forty lashes, "well laid on," and fines and im- prisonment in addition, or in lieu thereof. Before organization into a separate county, the territory within the present limits of Ogle County was included in Jo Daviess and La Salle Counties, mainly in the former, which was or- ganized in 1827 and was then bounded as fol- lows : Beginning on the Mississippi River at the northwestern corner of the state; thence down the Mississippi to the north line of the Military Tract ; thence east to the Illinois River ; thence north to the northern boundary of the state ; thence west to the place of beginning. As the north line of the Military Tract was nearly as far south as Galesburg, Jo Daviess County origin- ally extended over an area that is now approxi- mately embraced in nine counties. It was or- ganized from Peoria County, which was carved from Fulton; and that from Pike County, whose organization was effected in 1821 for all the region west and north of the Illinois and Kan- kakee Rivers. In 1829, the General Assembly created the fifth judicial circuit, which was co- extensive with Pike County. Quincy, Peoria, Chicago and Galena were the principal towns, Galena being the largest. To transact business before the courts from the region now making Ogle County, and which in 1829 was beginning to be settled, it was nec- essary to travel to Galena. The Circuit Judge from 1829 to 1835 was Richard M. Young, who in the performance of his duties traveled on horseback from Quincy to Peoria, 130 miles; Peoria to Chicago, 170 miles ; Chicago to Galena, 150 miles ; and then back to Quincy, 190 miles, where he lived, until he moved to Galena. Thomas Ford was Prosecuting Attorney in 1830, and was re-appointed in 1831. By 1831, there were enough settlers in the portion of Jo Daviess County, now included in Ogle and Lee Counties, to cause the County Commissioner's court to form a voting precinct thereof, which was given the name of Buffalo Grove Precinct, and elections were ordered held at the house (tavern) of John Ankeny and he and Judge Dixon and Isaac Chambers were appointed judges of election. By 1836, when the first steps were taken for sep- arate county organization, for what is now Ogle and Lee counties, under the name of Ogle County, the territory was in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, with the Hon. Dan Stone as Circuit Judge, to whom the petition was presented at Galena, and by whom an election of county offi- cers was ordered to be held December 24, 1836. At this time the County Commissioner's Court, made up of three County Commissioners, was the governing body for county affairs, and began its duties in the new county of Ogle, on January 3, 1837, at Oregon in the house of John Phelps, in the persons of S. St. John Mix and V. A. Bogue, 680 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUjSTTY. the third Commissioner elect, Cyrus Chamber- lain, not qualifying until the second meeting, in March. This court appointed the County Clerk, County Treasurer, School Commissioner, granted license to sell liquor, to keep tavern, and to sell goods, wares and merchandise, — the last two occupations usually including the first, — estab- lished election precincts, etc. Before the court adjourned June 7, 1837, after having held three meetings, they passed upon their own claims against the county for services, that of each Com- missioner being for the modest sum of six dol- lars. The last session of the County Commissioner's Court was held November 30, 1849. Its place was taken by the new County Court, provided for by the new Constitution of 1848, and subse- quent legislation, and whose first term was held in December, 1849, with Spooner Ruggles as County Judge, and William C. Salisbury, and Joshua White, as associate justices. One year later the county system of management was superseded by township organization, whereupon the Board of Supervisors succeeded the county court in the transaction of all county business not probate or judicial in character. The change was made by popular vote, and it is interesting to note that Grand Detour precinct, made up of settlers from New England, the home of the town meeting and township system, cast 78 votes for, and 25 votes against adopting township organization ; while Maryland precinct, whose people had been accustomed in their eastern homes to County Commissioners and 1 county gov- ernment, cast 158 votes for and none against the proposed change. The county was divided into civil townships by Daniel J. Pinckney, Henry Hill, and William Walmsley, commissioners appointed by the County Commissioner's Court, the appointment being the last order made by the court before giving way to its successor, the Board of Super- visors. , Contemporaneous with the act of the General Assembly, organizing Ogle County, was one creating the office of Probate Justice of the Peace, and vesting the Probate Justice with ex- clusive jurisdiction in all matters pertaining to estates, and concurrent jurisdiction with other Justices of the Peace in civil cases. The first Probate Justice was S. C. McClure. When the County Court was formed in 1849, all probate business was entrusted to it, as well as the management of all county affairs thereto- fore transacted by the County Commissioner's Court. When the latter, a year later, was taken over by the Board of Supervisors, the County Court continued as a Court of Probate. In 1872 its powers were enlarged, it was given concurrent jurisdiction with the Circuit Court in all civil cases, involving not to exceed $500 in contro- versy, and in criminal cases where imprisonment in the county jail was the penalty. By a later change the amount in controversy was increased to $1,000, which is the present limit. The first County Judge was J. B. Chaney. The General Assembly placed Ogle County in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. The first term of Circuit Court was held at Dixon, beginning Oct- ober 7, 1837, and continuing, not three weeks as now, but three days. Benjamin T. Phelps was Clerk, William W. Mudd, Sheriff, and Hon. Dan Stone, Circuit Judge. The year previous Mr. Stone was a co-Representative in the General Assembly from the county of Sangamon with Abraham Lincoln, with whom he signed the famous Lincoln resolutions introduced in the Tenth General Assembly, protesting against a series of pro-slavery resolutions adopted by the Assembly. The salary of the Circuit Judge at that time was $600 per annum. In 1841, the General Assembly made further changes in the matter of the judiciary, dis- pensing with the Circuit Judges, and assigning the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and eight Associate Justices to circuit duties. The Consti- tution of 1848 made the change back to the for- mer system by re-establishing the office of Cir- cuit Judge, making it elective by popular vote, and as such it has come down to the present time. Five counties make up the present Fifteenth Circuit, — viz: Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, Ogle and Lee, — and three Judges, presid- ing in rotation, hold court three times annually —in January, April and October. The law as- signing three judges to each circuit was passed in 1873. Until recently the salary was $3,500, but is now $5,000. The terms of court were looked forward to in pioneer days for their social and entertaining features. The Judges and the attorneys who traveled the circuit added life to the county-seat during their periodical visits. The sessions were attended by the men of the county in sufficient numbers to make a well-filled court room; con- sequently the examinations of witnesses and the HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. 681 addresses of the attorneys to the juries were made before good sized audiences, whose presence stimulated the questioning and added fervor to the oratory. From 1842 to 1844, the Prosecuting Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which included Ogle County, was Benjamin F. Fridley of Au- rora. Of limited education but much mental ability, many anecdotes are told illustrating Mr. Fridley's methods at the bar. Charles Wheaton, an able and honored mem- ber of the Kane County Bar, related to the writer some years ago at Batavia, that upon one occa- sion he and Mr. Fridley were in a civil suit to- gether. As the case proceeded and the two at- torneys were in a dilemma as to what to do next, Mr. Fridley suggested, "Let's demur," when Mr. Wheaton asked, "But on what grounds?" "Oh," replied Mr. Fridley, "I don't know. But we'll enter a general demurrer, and maybe the Court will find something." The demurrer was filed and later when the case was called the Court remarked, "A demurrer has been entered here, presumably upon the ground that, etc., etc.," stating ground not thought of by the at- torneys and which was of value to their side of the cause. One of the most amusing cases tried in court held at Oregon, occurred some years ago, during the lifetime of Mr. William Swingley, of Oregon. "Uncle Billy Swingley," as he was commonly known, was a witness on the opposing side; his testimony involved the conversation with him of a German "from the other side of the river," who was the plaintiff. Not knowing Uncle Billy, and his capacity for inimitable mimicry and drollery, the Judge presiding told him to repeat exactly what had been said to him. "What!" said Uncle Billy, "shall I tell just what he said?" "Yes," was the answer, "exactly what was said." With a merry twinkle in his eye, he began, and told word for word, in broken English and per- fect German tone and accent, accompanied with the characteristic nervous German gesticulations, the entire matter, which was funny enough in itself. It is said that the jury and bar were convulsed with laughter, and that the Judge leaned back in his chair and shook with mirth. When the court recovered its gravity, the wit- ness was told that that would do. In 1841, perhaps the most unique case in the history of the courts of Ogle County was tried; that of Jonathan W. Jenkins and 111 others indicted for the murder of John Driscoll and William Driscoll, members of a band of horse thieves. Detailed narratives of the trial and of the occurrences that led to it by Attorney Franc Bacon and Attorney J. C. Seyster of the Oregon Bar. are included in Chapter XXIV of this vol- ume. Judge Ford, the Circuit Judge who presided, was a citizen of the county and resided at Ore- gon. John D. Caton, with three other attorneys of the Ninth Circuit, defended the 111. Wishing to have them by themselves in order the better to question and counsel them, the lawyers and their clients, the Sheriff and his deputies ac- companying, "marched out to a little isolated peak in the prairie," as stated in "Early Bench and Bar of Illinois." The peak is the one known as "Sugar Loaf," on the grounds of the Hor- rnell home, on North Sixth Street. The most important early criminal trial of this portion of the State was that of the People of the State of Illinois versus William Bebb, oc- curring in 1854. William Bebb, former Gover- nor of Ohio, purchased Mexican War land war- rants which were placed on government land in Leaf River Township of Ogle County and in the adjoining Township of Seward of Winnebago County, until the ownership so acquired ex- tended over 5,000 acres. About 1850, Governor Bebb built himself a house, locating it just across the line in Winnebago County, and soon after removed from Ohio there with his family and took up a permanent residence. He placed fine stock upon his land, especially Durham cattle. Several years thereafter, following the mar- riage of his son, Michael Bebb, a party, of a hundred of the young fellows of the neighbor- hood congregated at the Bebb home and began a charivari of the usual boisterous sort. The demonstration was displeasing to Governor Bebb, who resented it and ordered the participants to desist and to leave the premises. No attention being paid to his command, he became angered and taking up a gun, fired into the crowd, fatally wounding a young man named Niles, who lived just across the line in Ogle County, and who had been a follower of the crowd rather than a partaker in the orgy. Governor Bebb was indicted for murder. At the trial in Bockford, he was defended by Thos. Corwin, lawyer, United States Senator from Ohio and Secretary of the Treasury in the Cabi- net of President Fillmore, which office he had just resigned. Corwin was a special friend of 682 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Bebb and had come from his home in Ohio, to Rockford, to act as his attorney. It is said that he spent several weeks in the vicinity before the trial, incognito, preparing for his part in the defense by seeing and talking with the people of the locality and making himself acquainted with their knowledge and sentiments in the matter. Others had fired guns and proof was not made that the shot which cost the life of the victim of the unfortunate affair came from the hand of the indicted man. The verdict was an acquit- tal. A good deal of ill feeling towards Governor Bebb was developed and for a time he lived out of the State, but finally made his home in Rock- ford, where he died in 1873. While Oregon was still known by its former name of Florence and before it was a county- seat, its first two attorneys came, — E. S. Leland and Thomas Ford. The former took part in the trial of the Driscolls, being active in behalf of the people. He remained some years in Oregon and then removed to Ottawa, where he was elected to a judgeship. The first deeds to lots in Oregon show Thomas Ford as the agent of the County Commissioners in the sale of town lots. Before that time he bad been Prosecuting Attorney for the judicial circuit including north- ern Illinois, and when Galena was the county- seat for this northwestern part of the State. From 1835 to 1837, he was Judge of the Sixth Judicial District, and was again commissioned Circuit Judge in 1839. In 1841, he was elevated to the Supreme Bench, and from there was elected Democratic Governor in 1842. He con- tinued to reside at Oregon until his nomination for Governor. W. W. Fuller located in Oregon in 1838. He had practiced law in Massachusetts after grad- uating from the Harvard Law School in 1817, but visited the West in 1838 and, upon the advice of Thomas Ford, decided to open a law office in Oregon, continuing practice here until his death in 1849. Henry A. Mix came to Oregon in 1841 from Vermont, being a graduate of the Harvard Law School. He practiced his profession and was identified with various business enterprises until his accidental death in 1867. He joined the newly-organized Republican party. In 1845, John B. Chaney came to Oregon from Maryland, read law with W. W. Fuller, and was elected Probate Justice in 1846, serving until 1851, when he departed for California and the gold fields, dying en route. Edward F. Dutcher began to practice law in 1843, came to Oregon in 1846 from the State of New York, but was born in the State of Con- necticut. He made Oregon his home for the re- mainder of his life, during all of which he was active as an attorney, except for an absence of several years as a soldier in the War of the Rebellion, from which he returned with the rank of Major. He reached the advanced age of more than eighty years, his death taking place only several years ago. J. W. Carpenter came to Polo in 1856 from Peekskill, N. Y., where he had been admitted to practice law a short time before. Students together in law in the East, he and John D. Campbell formed a law partnership in Polo, which continued until Mr. Carpenter's death in 1862. In 1845, Joseph Sears passed through Oregon on his way to Prophet's Town, where he engaged in teaching. He had begun the study of law before leaving his native State of Vermont, com- pleting it in the office of Judge Wilkerson of Rock Island, and being admitted to the Bar, but soon afterward returned to Oregon and settled here in 1852. The following year he was ap- pointed County Clerk and acted in that capacity from 1S54 to 1857. Resuming his profession, he continued in the practice of the law in Oregon during the remainder of his life, receiving the appointment of Master in Chancery in 1888 and performing the duties of that office up to the time of his death, which occurred on June 5, 1892. During the nearly forty years of his prac- tice here no member of the Bar enjoyed a wider acquaintance or in a larger degree the respect of the community. George P. Jacobs read law in the office of H. A. Mix after removing to Oregon with his par- ents from Galena in 1852, and graduating at Beloit College in 1857. He was admitted to the Bar in 1860, from which time until 1881 he practiced his profession, excepting during an absence of two years in the Commissary Depart- ment during the Civil War. From 1881 to 1891 he served as County Judge. His death occurred in 1891. M. D. Hathaway was long a member of the Ogle County Bar from Rochelle. He came from Yates County, New York, to Rockford in 1854, where he was admitted to the Bar in 1856 and HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 683 In 18C1 moved to Rochelle, where he continued to reside for more than forty years, his death occurring in 1896. M. D. Swift came to Polo from Herkimer County, New York, in 1856, was admitted to the Bar in 1860 after having studied law with Car- penter and Campbell of Polo, and continued in practice until 1893, except during an absence of three years, first as a Captain in the Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and afterward as Lieutenant-Colonel of the One Hundred and Forty-second Illinois, in the War of the Rebel- lion. George B. Johnson came with his parents from New York City to Lightsville at sixteen years of age, read law in Chicago in the office of for- mer Governor Altgeld, and in 1882 was ad- mitted to the Bar and opened an office in Leaf River, where he continued in practice until 1899, when he removed to Carthage, 111., dying there in November of the same year. In, 1873 in the office of Col. Swift, James W. Allaben began the study of the law and was ad- mitted to the Bar of Ogle County in 1878. He came to Polo with his parents in 1855 from Delaware County, New York. He continued in the practice of his profession at Polo the re- mainder of his life, or until 1901. William Sears read law with his father, Joseph Sears, and after admission to the Bar at Ottawa in 1889, began practice in bis father's office, as- sisting his father and also doing business on his own account. This was only for a brief period, however, his career being cut short by his early death in January, 1893. Francis E. Dresser, of Lynnville, attended the Chicago College of Law and spent a year in the law office of Charles A. Works, of Rockford. He was admitted to the Bar in 1897. Making Rochelle his home, he practiced law there for several years, meantime assisting in the First National Bank of Rochelle and also for a time filling a clerical position in a department of the State Government at Springfield, until his death in 1906. George' O'Brien came to Amboy, 111., from Franklin County, and became a law student in the office of Attorney Wooster of Amboy. Later, he went to Dixon, where he continued his law reading in the office of his brother, David O'Brien, and was admitted to the Bar in 1884. After practicing for a short time in Dixon, he removed to Rochelle in 1885. He built up a prac- tice and continued his office in Rochelle for twenty-two years, until his death on July 17, 1907. The oldest member of the Bar of Ogle County at the present time is Judge John D. Campbell of Polo. Judge Campbell came to Polo in 1855 from Delaware County, N. Y., having been ad- mitted to practice a few months before at Peeks- kill. For a time he was a member of the law firm of Carpenter and Campbell, after which he practiced alone. In 1872, be was elected State's Attorney and re-elected in 1876. From 1891 to 1898 he served as County Judge. He is 78 years of age and is still at his office and before tht courts. In addition to being the oldest attorney, his years of practice exceed those of any other member of the local Bar. Judge James H. Cartwright was a member of the Bar of Ogle County, in active practice from 1867 until his election as Circuit Judge in 1888, and his subsequent service on the Appellate Bench was followed by his elevation to the Su- preme Bench in 1895, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the Hon. Joseph M. Bailey, his re-election in 1897 and again in 1906. He came of Illinois from Iowa, was graduated from the Ann Arbor Law School in 1867 and soon after opened an office in Oregon, where he still resides. He was attorney for the Chicago and Iowa Rail load Company during its eventful first years. His service in the Supreme Court is of a high order. The present Bar of Ogle County is made up of the following attorneys : At Oregon — J. C. Seyster, Franc Bacon, H. A. Smith, E. A. Ray, F. E. Reed, Guilford McDaid, Joseph Sears, Horace G. Kauffman, William P. Fearer, S. W. Crowell, W. J. Emerson, F. W. Burchell, Bert Duzan, Orville R. Ely. At Rochelle— D. W. Baxter, W. P. Landon, C. E. Gardner, William J. Healy, T. Frank Healy, E. J. MeConaughy, W. B. McHenry, Floyd Til ton, S. V. Wirick. At Polo— J. D. Campbell, Fred Zick, R. M. Brand, George E. Read, Harry Typer, Robert L. Bracken. At Byron — J. C. Woodburn, Lyman Dexter. At Forreston — Frank Wertz, M. H. Eakle. Other attorneys who practiced in Ogle County, but either for a short time, then removing to other fields, or to an inconsiderable degree, giv- ing of their time to other interests as well, have been the following : Samuel N. Samples, who 684 HISTOKY OP OGLE COUNTY. delivered the address at the dedication of Rock River Seminary ; Henry Roberts, F. Oliver Baird, James C. Lucky, Thomas J. Hewitt, N. W. Hal- sey, W. W. Levitt, R. C. Burchell, H. P. Lason, William B Litch, E. A. Ward, H. O. Rogers. CHAPTER XV. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. THE PRACTITIONER IN PIONEER DAYS MATERIA MEDICA THEN AND NOW NAMES OF EARLY PHY- SICIANS — SUR&ERY TRAINED NURSES — -PRESENT PHYSICIANS. At the time of settlement and for some years thereafter, the practice of medicine in Ogle County was materially different from the same vocation to-day. This was true because of con- ditions extraneous to the profession itself. An- swering calls was a matter of horseback and saddle-bags, of crossing sloughs and fording streams. A night ride to a distant farm meant a loneliness impossible now to the rider, mak- ing his way slowly along the boggy trail by the aid of "the lantern dimly burning." Even a night call in the village, where there were few or no sidewalks and no street lamps, necessitated car- rying a lantern, which then burned a tallow can- dle that emitted its faint and uncertain light. The most prevalent ailment was chills and fever, or ague, for which quinine was the sov- ereign remedy and was given in liberal doses, not as now, in capsules, but in the powder it- self. There were few prepared medicines then. The physician from his own supply of drugs rolled the pills and compounded the tinctures. If the medicines were simple, they were none the less powerful. The remedies were largely the well known calomel, quinine, ipecac, opium, jalap and aconite. "Bleeding" was a popular remedy for various ills, especially those of an inflammatory character. When the lancet opened a vein in the arm and the blood flowed freely, improvement was looked for in spite of the fact that loss of blood meant loss of strength. There were no anaesthetics. Sulphuric ether was first used in 1846 and shortly thereafter the value of chloroform for producing insensi- bility to pain was discovered and hailed as a blessing by the profession the world over, but neither came into general use at once. Neither were there any antiseptics, other than the ever present small bags of asafcetida and sulphur, which were worn in times of contagion. Sur- gery was limited to a few simple operations per- formed under difficulties, no less to patient than physician. The latter was also the dentist of his time, but going only so far as to extract a troublesome tooth when an application of clove oil did not relieve the pain. That was the whole of dentistry. The mothers of that time, accus- tomed to depend upon themselves, were always prepared to make and give any of a number of simple home remedies, which were resorted to first, and if they proved unavailing, then the doctor was sent for. These were salves, poul- tices, mustard plasters, herb teas, hot foot baths, "sweats" and the like. Frequently they were all that were needed, a considerable part of their efficacy being found, without doubt, in the rest and quiet that ensued and in the sympathy and care, the "mothering," bestowed by the good angels of the household. In the winter of 1835, Dr. John Roe settled in the county at what is now Light House. He had started from Sangamon County for Ogle County in 1834, but the latter not being yet free of Indians, he and his family remained a year in Putnam County. He followed his pro- fession at Lighthouse for many years and was well known and highly esteemed. His practice extended over a wide area, at times as far east as Sycamore and as far west as Buffalo Grove. Dr. Roe was a Pennsylvanian by birth, but came to Illinois from Kentucky, where his medi- cal education was obtained. His custom of keep- ing a lamp burning all night in the window of his house, upon an elevation' from which the light was seen for many miles across the prairie, gave the name "Lighthouse" to the village that grew up around him. Dr. Malcolm C. Roe, of Chana, who has practiced medicine there for thirty years, is a son, and Dr. J. Benjamin Roe, of Oregon, a grandson of Dr. John Roe, making three generations of physicians in that pioneer family. Dr. William J. Mix obtained his medical edu- cation in Montreal, Canada, but after a residence of several years and the practice of medicine in HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 685 Pennsylvania, came to Oregon Township in 1835. He acted as Assistant Surgeon at the battle of Plattsburg during the War of 1812. He followed his profession in Oregon until his death in 1850, also being engaged in mercantile business for a time in Daysville. He was well known over a wide area of country. Dr. Burns, Dr. Beatty, Dr. Hurd, and Dr. Reed were the first physicians of Polo, Mount Morris, Byron and Rochelle, respectively. Dr. McNiel, Dr. Stephens and Dr. McCosh, of Mount Morris ; Dr. Snyder, of Polo ; Dr. Potter, of Ore- gon ; Dr. Gould, of Rochelle, and Dr. Russell and Dr. Helm, of Byron, were among the early practitioners of the county. In later years, and until his death in 1901, Dr. H. A. Mix, of Oregon, and a son of Dr. Wil- liam J. Mix, was well known throughout the county as a capable physician and surgeon. He was graduated from Rush Medical College, where he did post-graduate work after his re- turn from the War of the Rebellion, in which he was Assistant Surgeon and later Surgeon of the Sixty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry from February, 1864, until the close of the war. Dr. George M. McKenney, who had been associated with him, and is now a practicing physician of Oregon, is a grandson of Dr. William J. Mix, another instance of three generations of physi- cians in a pioneer family of this county. Dr. David Newcomer was well regarded by the people of Mount Morris and the surrounding region, where he followed his profession from 1867 until his death in 1901. He was a graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and an Army Surgeon during the Civil War. In surgery the progress has been no less mark- ed than in materia medica. With ether and chlo- roform for general and cocaine for local anaes- thesia, with antiseptic bandages and solutions and with finely made instruments designed for particular uses according to anatomical knowl- edge, the most exact and profound, the surgeon of to-day performs marvelous operations for the health and life of his patients. At this time Dr. Helm and Dr. Allaben, of Rockford, and Dr. Staley, of Freeport, are called to Ogle County for difficult surgical cases. The trained nurse is a most valuable adjunct of the medical profession of the present time. A number of young women of the county have taken the in- struction and attended upon the general hos- pital practice in Chicago, Rockford, or elsewhere. necessary to entitle them to certificates to act as trained nurses. Those whose services are now being given in that capacity and whose names have been available are the following: Misses Esther Waterbury, Grace Judson, Helena Hackett, Bertha Hanes, Alice Holland, Neila Maynard, Edna Knight, Pearl Unger, Lillian Reynolds, Lydia Hicks, Rosabell King. The physicians of the county at the present time and in the different towns are the follow- ing: At Rochelle— William J. Gould, G. E. Bush- nell, F. G. Crowell, E. C. File, J. L. Gardner, J. C. Kennedy, B. G. Stevens. At Oregon — G. M. MeKenney, J. A. Beveridge, B. A. Cottlow, J. Benjamin Roe, Leo E. Schnei- der, Horace H. Sheets, E. J. Wolcott. At Polo — L. A. Beard, W. B. Donaldson, S. D. Huston, J. H. Judson, George Maxwell, C. W. McPherson, C. E. Powell. At Mount Morris — George B. McCosh, W. W. Hanes, C. J. Price, J. G. Brubaker. At Forreston — J. C. Aikens, F. S. Overfield, R. O. Brown. At Byron— A. J. Woodcock, W. E. Coquittelle, J. A. Johnson, S. E. Thompson. Creston — A. G. Blanchard, H. C. Robbins, J. F. Vanvoorhis. Leaf River — S. B. Bowerman, J. T. Kretzinger, Dr. Replogle. Holcomb — G. S. Henderson, John Murray. Stillman Valley- — A. H. Beebe. Joseph Rep- logle. Grand Detour — James Pankhurst, J. B. Wer- rens. Monroe — J. F. Snyder, H. G. Davis. Chana — Malcolm C. Roe. Brookville — C. R. Brigham, Harriet E. Gam- mon. Kings- — E. B. Johnson. CHAPTER XVI. RAILROADS AND TELEPHONES. THE SIX RAILROADS OF OGLE COUNTY — EARLY RAIL- ROAD ENTERPRISES IN ILLINOIS — LITIGATION OVEB 686 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. BAILROAD AID BONDS LIST OF STATIONS ON BAIL- ROAD LINES — THE BELL AND LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPANIES. "Transportation is the vital fact in the com- mercial growth and prosperity of the country." — President Roosevelt. Ogle County is traversed by the following rail- roads: the Illinois Central; the Chicago & Northwestern; the Burlington; the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; the Chicago & Great Western; the Illinois, Iowa & Minnesota; built in the order named. As early as 1832 the project of a railway from the mouth of the Ohio River northward to the Illinois and Michigan Canal was advanced and discussed. In 1836 the General Assembly granted a charter and in 1837 the scheme was pushed, ~ but beyond the construction of a line between Meredosia and Springfield as a part of the Northern Cross Railroad, nothing was completed and the matter dropped. Finally in 1850, Senator Douglas obtained from Congress a grant to the State of Illinois of alternate sections of land from Cairo to the northwest- ern corner of the State, and extending six miles on either side, foi a line of railway to be char- tered by the General Assembly and built by private capital, the company so organized to be made the beneficiary of the granted land. This resulted in the building of the Illinois Central Railway. When land within the six- mile limit was not vacant, substitutes for the alternate sections were taken east and west of the road to a distance of fifteen miles. ' A branch was to extend from La Salle, the south- ern end of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, to Chicago. The charter exempted the com- pany from taxation, but required that it pay into the treasury of the State seven per cent, of its gross earnings. The total amount so received up to 1904 was $22,722,890. The road was completed through Ogle County In 1853. The stations on this line in the county are Woo- sung, Polo, Haldane, Forreston, and Baileyville. At Polo a fine new brick station has recently been erected. The next railway was a branch of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, known as the Dixon Air Line. This left the main line at Turner Junction, now West Chicago. It was built in 1854, was afterward purchased by the Chicago & Northwestern Company, and is now a part of that road's main line from Chicago to Omaha. The stations in the county are Creston, Ro- chelle and Flagg. While engaged in supervising the construc- tion of the bridge across Rock River at Oregon in 1867, Francis E. Hinckley, of the firm of Canda and Hinckley, Chicago, learned of the efforts of the people of Ogle and Carroll Coun- ties to secure a railway, and of the existence of the Ogle and Carroll County Railroad Com- pany, by which, however, nothing tangible had been accomplished, but whose purpose was to run a railway from Rochelle to Mount Carroll, its charter having been obtained from the Legis- lature as early as 1857. Mr. Hinckley deter- mined to take up the matter and bring it to a conclusion. The result was the act of March 3, 1869, authorizing the incorporation of the Chi- cago & Iowa Railroad Company, and directing the building of a railroad from Rochelle to Sa- vanna. The company organized by the election of F. E. Hinckley, James V. Gale, F. G. Petrie, E. S. Potter, and D. B. Stiles as directors, and the board elected F. E. Hinckley, President, and James V. Gale, "Vice-President. It was expected that the Chicago & North- western Company would aid the project. This failed and, instead, arrangements were made with the Burlington Company for connecting with its line at Aurora. Under the then exist- ing law an Illinois township might by a majority vote donate money in aid of a proposed railway within its borders. Accordingly, aid was voted the new road; in Ogle County, Flagg Township donating $50,000; Oregon, $50,000; Pine Rock, $10,000; Nashua, $5,000; Mount. Morris, $75,000; Forreston, $75,000. The work was pushed vigorously. By the be- ginning of winter of 1869, the new road had been surveyed from Rochelle to Oregon, and the work of grading nearly completed. New York capital to the amount of $1,000,000 was ad- vanced on a first mortgage, and the work went on. In the fall of 1870, grading began at Au- rora, and the construction train of the new road appeared in Rochelle on December 31st, having run through from Aurora. By April 1, 1871, the road was completed to Oregon at a point where the four highways cross east of the wagon bridge, which was then expected to be the per- manent route for entering Oregon, but this was afterward changed to the present route one HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 687 mile farther south. The old roadbed may yet be seen in the outline through the land running southeast from the crossing of the highways just mentioned, and now the farm of S. H. Reints. Freight and passengers began to be car- ried. The building of the bridge began in July and was completed by October 20th. The first train ran into Mount Morris on November 12th, and on the 28th, into Forreston, the west- ern terminus of the road, where connection was made with the Illinois Central Railroad. By arrangements with the Illinois Central and Bur- lington companies, through trains were run over the three lines from Chicago to Dubuque. This gave a much needed railroad across the county from east to west, but one factor in the financing of the enterprise had its disadvan- tages — the railroad aid bonds. The minority opposed to their issue watched every opportunity for technical grounds of objection by which to defeat the obligation and avoid the debt. In the town of Flagg, by the terms of the contract under which the donation was made, the new road was to be completed "in and through the town of Flagg" by January 1, 1871. On December 31, 1870, when the first train ran into Rochelle and therefore into, but not through, the town of Flagg, the minority found cause of complaint, and later obtained an injunction re- straining the officials from issuing bonds to pay the promised aid, claiming that the town was released from any obligation. The Supreme Court sustained the injunction, though on other grounds, holding that, whereas the bonds were voted at a town meeting under a moderator, there should have been an election with judges and clerks to make the bonds legal and binding. The same anti-payment step was taken by Ore- gon, and for substantially the same reason — ina- bility on the part of the company to complete the road to Oregon until a little later than it had agreed to do so. After continuances in the Circuit Court from October, 1871, to October, 1873, by a sort of compromise, the Supervisor of the town of Oregon having defaulted in ap- pearance before the court, a decree was granted allowing the complainants $40,000 and for the defendants $10,000 of bonds of the $50,000 origi- nally voted. For the past thirty-five years this bonded debt of $40,000, after having been refund- ed at various times, with no provision for the payment of anything but the interest, is about to be paid at the rate of $4,000 each year. Forreston Township refused to fulfill its oblir gation to issue bonds for the aid voted. Litiga- tion ensued and her Supervisor, F. H. Tice, being in contempt of court for refusal to exe- cute an order thereof, was imprisoned. The mat- ter was compromised by the issue of bonds for $50,000 of the $75,000 voted. Mount Morris Township also had a minority unwilling to submit to the vote of the majority. When the new railroad was approaching the township as fast as its engineers could build it, an injunction was obtained praying that the offi- cials be restrained from issuing bond®, or levy- ing a tax, in payment of the donation of $75,000. Before the court decree was obtained, the rail- road company and the town reached a settle- ment, whereby it was agreed in terms more than usually amicable, that the aid extended should be $50,000 instead of $75,000, the disaf- fected petitioners becoming parties thereto after themselves receiving a donation from the public iunds of $1,600 to defray their expenses for "lawyers' fees, travelling expenses and court charges." Bonds were issued accordingly, pay- able in ten years. Seven years later, when the time for payment was drawing near, other disaf- fected citizens filed their bill in the Circuit Court, "on the chancery side thereof," for a sec- ond injunction, the prayer of which was that the township be restrained from levying a tax to pay the bonds of the compromise when the ten years should be up. The new ground of ob- jection to payment lay in the report that Super- visor Getzandaner had interviewed the German Insurance Company of Freeport, the holder of most of the bonds, for the purpose of getting from its officers a reduction in the rate of inter- est, and that he had secured a promise from them to thereafter accept eight per cent, instead of ten, whereas, when the next interest fell due, the Insurance Company demanded the rate "nom- inated in the bond," declaring that they never agreed to be satisfied with less. There was evi- dently a misunderstanding, but the minority, now grown to nearly, if not fully, a majority, became incensed at the bondholders for an al- leged breach of faith, and so found, as they be- lieved, a new weapon with which to fight the debt. The Circuit Court dissolved the injunction and the case was then taken by appeal to the Supreme Court, where, after six years of litiga- tion, the decision of the lower court was af- 688 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. firmed. Then for a number of years the enforce- ment of the decision of the court was obstructed by the refusal of the Town Clerk to qualify or to execute the law. Meantime interest at the rate of ten per cent, had gone unpaid for nine years and the original bonded sum of $50,000 now amounted to over $104,000. Of this amount, $47,000 was paid the following year in a tax fourfold larger than any which the people of the township had ever before been called on to pay. The remaining $57,929.25 of the in- debtedness was refunded at four per cent, in bonds of varying denominations in such manner that $3,600 became due each year until all should be paid. The fight put up against paying the obligation had injured the town's credit. The new bonds were offered to N. W. Harris & Co., of Chicago and New York, whose New York repre- sentative on Wall Street was N. W. Halsey, formerly of Forreston, who had special knowl- edge of the whole matter, and it was through his recommendation that his firm took the bonds at par. All but two of them have since been cancelled, the two remaining unpaid not matur- ing until in June of 1909 and of 1910. The Constitutional Convention of 1870 in fram- ing the present Constitution of Illinois adopted a provision declaring that "no county, city, town, township or other municipality, shall ever be- come subscriber to the capital stock of any rail- road or private corporation, or make donation to or loan its credit in aid of such corporation," but without interfering with the carrying out of any such subscription already made, thus put- ting an end to this class of litigation. The Chicago and Iowa Railroad continued to be operated as built for seventeen years, except that its headquarters were removed to Rochelle, but eventually it came under the control and, after passing through the hands of a receiver, under the ownership of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. In 1885 a new organization, the Burlington & Northern Rail- road Company, leased the Chicago & Iowa Rail- road and, beginning at Oregon, built a new line west to Savanna, and north to La Crosse, where, by further leasiDg, through trains were run from Chicago to St. Paul and Minneapolis. Since then both the Chicago- & Iowa and the Burlington & Northern Railroad Companies have been merged into the Burlington Company, whose through trains, with their chair, Pullman, buffet and din- ing cars, run to St. Paul and Minneapolis. In 1874, F. B. Hinckley of the Chicago & Iowa Railroad Company, together with capitalists of Rockford, organized the Chicago, Rockford & Northern Railroad Company. The road extends from Flagg Centre to Rockford, and upon its completion in 1875, was leased to the Chicago & Iowa Railroad Company for thirty years for twenty-five percent, of its gross earnings. Its stations in the county are Flagg Centre, Kings, Holcomb and Davis Junction. That portion of the road north of Davis Junction was taken forcible possession of by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company in an attempt to seize the entire road because of the latter com- pany having purchased considerable Chicago, Rockford & Northern stock, the two roads cross- ing at Davis Junction. The courts restored the captured property, which since then has been used by both roads upon an amicable basis, to enter Rockford. The Chicago, Rockford & North- ern Railroad is now owned by the Burlington Company, which leases the whole of it and also that portion of the old Chicago & Iowa Railroad from Flagg Centre to Stewart Junction, to its former enemy for the latter's trains over the new branch to Mendota. The two companies own jointly a fine new station recently built by them at Davis Junction. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company built into Ogle County from Chicago, via Elgin as far as Byron, in 1875. In 1880 the road was continued through the county as far west as Savanna. The stations are Montoe, Davis Junc- tion, Stillman Valley, Byron, Leaf River, Ade- line, Forreston and Harper. The company paid liberally for its right of way and gives the territory it traverses the best of railroad facili- ties. The next line of railway to enter Ogle County was the Chicago and Great Western, which passes through Lindenwood, Stillman Valley, Byron, Myrtle and Egan City. It was built in 1886 and is a through line from Chicago to points in Illinois and Iowa. In 1905, the American Steel Company built a railroad from Momence, 111., through Joliet, Au- rora, De Kalb'and Rockford, to points in Iowa and Minnesota, known as the Illinois, Iowa & Minnesota Railroad, or Outer Belt Line. This road crosses the northeastern corner of Ogle County, but there is no station on it within the short distance it traverses in Ogle County. Built for freight purposes chiefly, it affords an oppor- HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. 689 tuuity to the people living within reach of it to ship manufactured products and other mer- chandise to points east of Chicago without the delay encountered by switching through that city. Efforts have been made at different times to construct an , electric railway for freight and passenger traffic along Rock River between Dixon and Rockford, passing, in Ogle County, through Grand Detour, Oregon and Byron. In 3903, after several surveys had awakened inter- est in the project, grading was begun a short distance this side of Grand Detour, and poles were set in Oregon and elsewhere, but only for the purpose of prolonging the life of the fran- chise. Nothing further was done. Telephones In 1885, the Central Union Telephone Com- pany established its lines in Ogle County. This was the first company to install a service. The stations were then only the principal towns, with but one central phone in each place, for the use, not of subscribers, as now,' but of those who came to the station and paid so much toll for each call. Telephoning could then be done as far as Chicago and St. Louis. It was not until 1893 that long distance telephony, as we now have it, was accomplished. In that year mes- sages were first sent between New York and Chicago, and a few months later between Bos- ton and Chicago. The Central Union Telephone Company was a sub-licensed company of the Bell Telephone Company, which enjoyed a monopoly of the tele- phone business from its introduction by Alex- ander Graham Bell for nearly twenty years. In- dependent telephone companies did not thrive because of the reluctance of capital to invest in a law-suit. But about 1900, when the Berliner patent was declared invalid, independent tele- phone business increased, especially in the rural parts of the United States, which had been neg- lected by the Bell Company. In 1901, the Ogle County Telephone Company was organized with a capital of $100,000. Its headquarters are at Rochelle. It has extended its lines throughout the county, giving both rural and town service, until now the phones which its subscribers use number between 2,300 and 2,400. By its connection with the Inter-State Telephone Company, communication is held with all the surrounding counties. The service is good and at a reasonable cost. The present offi- cers are: H. Wales, President; G. W. Hamlin, Vice-President; A. B. Sheadle, Secretary and Treasurer. Several years ago the Oregon Mutual Tele- phone Company, the Polo Mutual Telephone Com- pany and the Grand Detour Mutual Telephone Company were organized. The object primarily in each instance was to furnish telephone com- munication to the farmers. That has in large measure been accomplished, but not in the man- ner that was anticipated. Each one of the three local, independent companies has formed busi- ness affiliations with the Bell Telephone Com- pany and is now a sub-licensed company of the latter. At the time of the organization of the above-mentioned mutual companies, the follow- ing named persons were the respective Presidents and Secretaries : At Oregon — John Harris and B. B. Bemis ; at Polo — William Powell and C. C. Price ; at Grand Detour — Victor H. Bovey and Charles W. Johnston. Creston has a mutual telephone company — the Tri-County Mutual — that has continued its in- dependent organization and business since its beginning seven or eight years ago. Its capital Is $6,000 and the number of its phones 120. W. H. Dickinson is Secretary and E. C. Oakland, President. CHAPTER XVII. FRATERNAL SOCIETIES. MASONS AND EASTERN STAE ODD FELLOWS AND REBEKAHS — MODERN WOODMEN AND ROYAL NEIGHBORS— MYSTIC WORKERS OF THE WORLD COURT OF HONOR — KNIGHTS OF THE GLOBE YEOMEN OF AMERICA KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. Ogle County comprises a part of the Eleventh Masonic District of Illinois, and is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the State. There is assigned to each district, by the Grand Lodge, one District Deputy Grand Master. William J. Emerson, of Oregon, is the present District Deputy and Grand Master of the Elev- 690 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. enth District. At the present time two Grand Lecturers of the Grand Lodge of Illinois are residents of Oregon, viz.: C. M. Babbitt and Dr. B. A. Cottlow. MASONIC ORGANIZATIONS. The Masonic bodies throughout the county are in a very flourishing condition, many of the Lodges owning fine properties on which they have erected Masonic Temples, • which are not only a credit to the Order but to the towns in- which they are located. Oregon. The first Masonic Lodge in Ogle County was organized in 1848 at Oregon, and on October 3d of that year it received its charter from the Grand Lodge A. P. & A. M. of Illinois, as Jeru- salem Lodge No. 62, with William Little as Wor- shipful Master. Being unable to maintain its organization, the charter was revoked by the Grand Lodge October 4, 1853. From that time Oregon was without a Masonic Lodge until 1863, when Oregon Lodge No. 420, A. P. & A. M., was organized, receiving a charter from the Grand Lodge on October 5th, 1864, with Ruel Thorp as Worshipful Master. Oregon Lodge, No. 420, now has a membership of 145. The principal officers are, H. E. Wade, W. M., John D. Mead, Sec'y. Meetings are held the first Wednesday on or before full moon. Rock River Chapter, No. 151, Royal Arch Masons, of Oregon, 111., was organized and re- ceived a charter from the Grand Chapter of Illinois, October 6, 1871, with W. E. Thorp as E. High Priest. The Chapter has a present membership of 101. The officers are, J. Sears, E. H. P., John C. Mattison, Sec'y. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month. Sinnissippi Chapter, No. 324, Order Eastern Star, was organized at Oregon, 111., January 24, 1896, and received its charter from the Grand Chapter O. E. S. of Illinois, October 15, 1896, with Anna Spoor, Worthy Matron, Asa Dimon, Worthy Patron, W. L. Middlekauff, Sec'y. The Chapter has a membership of about 125. Offi- cers, Bessie Hopkins, W. Matron ; J. Sears, W. Patron; E. F. Davis, Sec'y. Meetings first and third Tuesdays of each month. Mount Morris. The second Masonic Lodge organized in Ogle County was located at Mt. Morris, Samuel H. Davis Lodge, No. 96, receiving a charter from the Grand Lodge of Illinois, October 6, 1851, with Isaiah Wilcoxon, W. Master. On October 5, 1864, Forreston Lodge, No. 413, was organized and received a charter from the Grand Lodge, but in 1876 it was consolidated, by and with the consent of the Grand Lodge, with Samuel H. Davis Lodge, No. 96, with O. H. Swingley, W. Master. The Lodge has a present membership of 50, with S. E. Avey, W. Master, and J. G. Miller, Sec'y. Meetings held first and third Mondays of each month. Polo. Mystic Tie Lodge, No. 187, A. F. & A. M., Polo, 111., was organized November 13, 1855, and re- ceived a charter from the Grand Lodge of Illi- nois, October 6, 1855, with James C. Luckey as W. Master. The Lodge has a present member- ship of 83. The officers are, William T. Schell, W. Master, and Samuel Goldsmith, Sec'y. Meet- ings first and third Thursdays of each month. Tyrian Chapter, No. 61, R. A. M., Polo, 111., was the first chapter organized in Ogle County, receiving a charter from the Grand Chapter of Illinois, September 27, 1861, with James C. Luckey, E. H. Priest. The Chapter has a pres- ent membership of 48. Officers: Scott Donald- son, E. H. P., and Samuel Goldsmith, Sec'y. Meetings every Monday evening. Corinthian Chapter, No. 412, O. E. S., Polo, 111., has a membership of 71. Its officers are, Flora Hammer, W. Matron ; Albert Foster, W. Patron ; Ella Brand, Sec'y. Meetings on second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Rochelue. Horicon Lodge, No. 244, A. F. & A. M., of Rochelle, 111., was organized and received a charter from the Grand Lodge of Illinois, Octo- ber 7, 1857, with D. A. Baxter as W. Master. Its present membership is 116. The officers are, George Moore, W. Master, and W. B. McHenry, Sec'y. Meetings first and third Tuesdays of each month. Rochelle Chapter, No. 158, R. A. M., received its charter from the Grand Chapter of Illinois, October 30, 1873. It has a present membership of 102, with W. B. McHenry, E. H. P. Meetings are held second and fourth Fridays of each month. Salome Chapter, No. 372, O. E. S., was organ- ized and received its charter from the Grand Chapter O. E. S. of Illinois, April 16, 1897, with Mrs. Emma Brundage, W. Matron ; E. A. Ward, HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. 091 W. Patron, and Julia Morris, Sec'y. Salome Chapter has a membership of 150. Its officers are, Laura Patterson, W. Matron ; Fred W. Craft, W. Patron ; Maude B. Vaile, Sec'y. Meet- ings first and third Thursdays of each month. Byron. Byron Lodge, No. 274, A. F. & A. M., of Byron, 111., received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Illinois is 1858, with Charles F. Wertz as W. Master, and Eleazer Lockwood, Sec'y. Byron Lodge has a membership of 58. Its officers are, Jesse M. Heald, W. Master ; Lyman Dexter, Sec'y. Meetings on third Thursday of each month. Byron Chapter, No. 394, O. E. S., was organ- ized at Byron, 111., February 8, 1898, with Ada Woodburn, W. Matron ; S. B. Shuart, W. Patron, and Helen Woodcock, Sec'y. The Chapter has a present membership of 50. Officers : Ida D. Smith, W. Matron; G. E. Smith, W. Patron; Emma Kosier, Sec'y. Meetings are held third Tuesday of each month. Creston. Creston Lodge, No. 320, A. F. & A. . M., of Creston, 111., received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Illinois, October, 1859, with Asa Dimon, W. Master. The Lodge has a present member- ship of 50. Officers : Thomas W. Fowler, W. Master ; H. V. Linn, Sec'y. Meetings on first Monday of each month. Holcomb. Meridian Sun Lodge, No. 505, A. F. & A. M., of Holcomb, 111., received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Illinois in 1865. The Lodge has a membership of 91. Its officers are, E. F. Gates, W. Master; F. E. Sheaff, Sec'y. Meet- ings Saturday on or before full moon. Holcomb Chapter, No. 455, O. E. S., of Hol- comb, 111., was instituted March 21, 1900, under dispensation from the Grand Chapter O. E. S. of Illinois, with Mrs. E. E. Stanbury, W. Ma- tron ; Calvin Oaks, W. Patron ; R. L. Heydeeker, Sec'y. The Chapter has a membership of 63. The officers are, Mrs. H. Willoughby, W. Ma- tron; Walter Smart, W. Patron; Edna Archi- bald, Sec'y. Meetings first Tuesday on or before full moon. INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. The following embraces a list of the principal Odd Fellows and auxiliary organizations in Ogle County, with date of organizntion, charter mem- bers and present officers : ROCHELLE. Hall of Hickory Grove Lodge I. O. O. F., No. 230, instituted at Rochelle, May 12, 1857. Char- ter members, Miles TenEycke, David M. Smiley, J. B. Barber, J. P. Nettleton, and J. M. Hunter. Present officers, D. C. Russell, N. G. ; Albert Fogle, V. G. ; A. M. Peck, Sec'y; J. O. McCon- aughy, Treas. Mt. Morris. Elyslan Lodge, No. 50, I. O. O. F., Instituted at Mt. Morris, 111., December 22, 1874, by Past Grand Master James S. Ticknor of Rockford. The first officers were: Noble Grand, J. M. Smith; Vice Grand, A. E. King; Sec'y, Elija Lott ; Treas., Benj. G. Stevens. The present offi- cers are : W. G. Freeman, N. G. ; W. E. Mc- Cready, V. G. ; Fred Fredrickson, Sec'y ; W. H. Miller, Per. Sec'y ; A. M. Newcomer, Treas. Leap River. Leaf River Lodge, No. 167, I. O. O. F., was instituted March 1, 1901. First officers: Noble Grand, Herman Johnson ; Vice Grand, H. E. Bowerman ; Rec. Sec., W. S. Mitchell ; Treas., S. M. Graves. Present officers : Noble Grand, A. Malone ; Vice Grand, W. M. Smith ; Rec. Sec., H. P. Miller; Treas., J. W. Foster. Polo. Polo Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 197, was. insti- tuted March 13, 1856, with 60 charter members. The first officers were : Robert Fisher, N. G. ; Ira Demander, V. G. ; Benj. Walkey, Sec'y ; John H. Jay, Treas. The present membership is 142. Present officers : Harry Miller, N. G. ; Maynard Waterbury, V. G. ; Glen Stevenson, Sec'y ; Chas. H. Johnson, Per. Sec'y ; Henry Wolf, Treas. Trustees: E. G. Randall, L. F. Thomas, W. T. Smith, J. C. Smith, William Strickler. Forreston. White Oak Lodge, No. 667, I. O. O. F., Forres- ton, 111., was instituted December 23, 1879, with seven charter members. First officers : Noble Grand, A. Omelia ; Vice Grand, J. J. Mann ; Sec, D. G. Allen ; Treas., F. F. Nicodemus. Present officers: F. M. Billig, N. G. ; John R. Link, V. G. ; D. G. Allen, Sec. ; F. F. Nicodemus, Treas. 692 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. LlNDENWOOD. Linden Lodge No. 829, was instituted, Jan. 4, 1895, by the subordinate Lodge of Rochelle, with 13 charter members, viz. : D. C. Stocking, Frank Bird, Peter C. Arends, Samuel Wright, Frank- lin J. Bailey, Alexander Hill, William J. Bell, Arthur Arends, Cassius B. Perry, Benjamin F. Hess, William J. Dutton, George Jones, James Walker. The first officers were: D. C. Stocking, N. G. ; Sani'l Wright, V. G. ; Frank F. Bird, Secy. ; Peter C. Arends, Treas. ; Franklin J. Bai- ley, Conductor ; Benj. F. Hess, Warden. In 1898 the Lodge built a fine lodge room with store un- derneath. There are now 67 members in good standing. The present officers are : W. H. Perry, N. G. ; Richard Peters, V. G. ; Chas. Spring, Secy. ; John B. Struble, Treas. ; Philip Powers, Conductor ; Willis Talbot, Warden ; Harry Stew- ard, Chaplain. I. O. O. F. ENCAMPMENT. Rock River Encampment, No. 154, I. 0. O. F., instituted Dec. 3, 1888. Charter members, 230. First officers : T. M. Bacon, C. Post ; J. S. San- ders, H. Priesc; Jos. Webb, S. Warden; F. S. Burehell, Scribe ; H. P. Lason, Treas. ; A. M. Newcomer, J. Warden. Present officers : N. F. Carpenter, C. P. ; Victor Olson, H. Priest ; Chas. Reed, S. Warden ; H. Lebowich, J. Warden ; L. V. Rumery, Treas. ; F. C. Potter, Scribe. ORDER OF REBEKAHS. The Order of Rebekahs was organized under the auspices of the Independent Order of 'Odd Fellows, as the outcome of resolutions adopted at the meeting of the Grand Lodge of the latter or- der held in 1850, Schuyler Colfax of Indiana, afterward Vice President of the United States, being a principal factor in securing that result, the object of the order as an auxiliary of the Odd Fellows organization being to visit the sick, re- lieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan. Mr. Colfax prepared the lectures and charges of the new order, which were adopted at the meeting of the Grand Lodge held in Sep- tember, 1851. The first Rebekah Lodge of Illi- nois was instituted at Ottawa, January 14, 1870. FORRESTON. Mizpah Lodge, No. 102, the first Lodge of the Order in Ogle County, was instituted at For- reston, June 18, 188(1, the first officers being: C. E. Nicodemus, N. G. ; Kate Omelia, V. G. ; Nellie Mumma, Sec. ; E. C. Miller, Treas. The char- ter members were: Mr. John Miller, Mrs. E. C. Miller, Mr. S. W. Mumma, C. E. Nicodemus, A. Omelia, M. D. Stover, I. J. Vogelgesang, H. H. Miller, A. P. Seas, S. Seas, Mr. Fickenger, N. Mumma, S. Nicodemus, Kate Omelia, C. Miller, Amanda Seas, Kate Seas, Annie Muhring, Kate Pyfer. Oregon. Good Samaritan Lodge, No. 140, of Oregon, was instituted March 2, 1893. First officers: C. Olsen, N. G. ; Maud A. Lason, V. G. ; Etta Olson, Rec. Sec. ; Mrs. Webb, Fin. Sec, and Irene Thayer, Treas. The 35 charter members were: Brothers — L. V. Rumery, F. E. Thayer, F. M. Gilbert, C. H. Chamberlin, C. Olson, F. S. Bur- ehell, F. E. Reynolds, O. H. Wade, H. P. Larson, F. A. Jewett, D. Stout, F. Webb, F. S. Saunders, W. F. Carpenter,' D. J. Hawn, Z. Snyder, A. Tice. Sisters — Alice Rumery, Irene Thayer, Nancy Jewett, Orissa Hawn, Mary L. Chamberlin, Louisa Burehell, Mary Stout, Electa Reynolds, Addie Welty, H. Elizabeth Wade, Alice Carpen- ter, Alice Waggoner, Elizabeth A. Gilbert, Frances Snyder, Linnie Webb, Etta Olson, Maud A. Lason, Jennie Tice. ROCHELLE. Rochelle Rebekah Lodge No. 471, of Rochelle, was instituted November 6, 1896, with 52 char- ter members. First officers : Amelia A. McCon- aughy, N. G. ; Lucy Furlong, V. G. ; Agnes H. O'Brien, Sec. ; Flora Baker, Fin. Sec. ; Alletta L. Parker, Treas. The Charter members were: Brothers — J. L. Spath, Jas. P. O'Brien, Stew- art J. Baker, Thomas Baker, Wm. Baker, Her- bert Smart, Julius Howard, Duane C. Stocking, Edw. L. Cooper, Joseph Parker, George Luxton, John S. Neil, Robert E. Rae, Chas. M. Hayes, R. L. Walters, J. T. Lynn, W. J. Furlong, M. P. Crossette. J. O. McConaughy, S. M. Boyle, Fred Larsen, Alex Forrest, Daniel Ringle, Euclid Beech, S. J. Parker, Geo. W. Unger, Ellis Kirk, Chns. Dunham, Wm. Burgess, F. W. Clark. Sisters — Rhetta Howard, Laura Baker, Flora Baker, Mary T. Baker, Ella O'Brien, Lucy Fur- long, Anna Forrest, Marth Kirk, Armilda Cooper, Minnie Luxton, Elizabeth Nuge, Alma C. Lynn. Lucretia Ringle, Agnes H. O'Brien, Eva M. Wal- ters, Delia M. Lynn, Rhoda Walters, Filda Lar- sen. Aletta L. Parker, Anna Spath, Amelia A. McConaughy, Florence Parker. A HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 693 Mt. Morbis. Sandstone Rebekah Lodge, No. 538, Mt. Morris, was instituted Feb. 14, 1899. First officers: Julia Slater, N. G. ; Laura Lizer, V. G. ; H. G. Newcomer, Sec. ; Maude Rowe, F. Sec. ; Edna Newcomer, Treas. The charter members were : Brothers — L. E. Lizer, H. G. Newcomer, Harry Knodle, Edward Slater, W. H. Miller, Fred Fredrickson, A. M. Newcomer, W. E. McCready, Samuel Rowe. Sisters — Edna Newcomer, Maude Rowe, Lizzie Lizer, Alice Nail, Julia Slater, Elizabeth Mc- Cready, Anna Rowe, Nora Knodle, Laura Lizer, Ella Miller, Laura J. Newcomer, Fannie Fred- rickson. Polo. Marco Polo Rebekah Lodge, No. 334, of Polo, was instituted March 29, 1901. First officers: Belle Wilson, N.. G. ; Elsie Johnson, V. G. ; Mar- tha Summers, Sec. ; Delia Miller, Treas. The charter members were : Brothers — Alex Anderson, Samuel Croft, H. Becker, John Dick, C. J. Schryver, G. .B. Treat, I. C. Smith, C. A. Dingley, L. E. Prather, R. B. Anderson, W. P. Schryver, George Cross, C. W. Wilson, F. W. Wilson, Charlie Johnson. Sisters — Emma Croft, Jennie Wilson, Laura Smith, Minnie Bope, Elizabeth Barnes, Nettie Kidder, Grace Freisenberger, Lizzie Prather, Sa- rah Kline, Agnes Anderson, Martha Dick, Delia Miller, Maud Bamborough, Nettie Schryver, Katherine. Schryver, Nellie O'Kane, Carrie Lan- don, Elsie Johnson, Anna Dingley, Martha Schry- ver,, Jessie Wilson, Belle Wilson, Martha Sum- mers. Lindenwood. Lindenwood Lodge, ' No. 197, was instituted June 1, 1900, by Mrs. Amelia McConaughy, as- sisted by the Degree Staff of Roehelle Lodge. First officers : Ida M. Spring, N. G. ; Florence H. Bailey, V. G. ; Mary A. Slattery, Rec. Sec; Sara E. Stocking, Fin. Sec. ; Alma Stocking, Treas. The charter members were : Sisters — Ida M. Spring, Florence H. Bailey, Mary A. Slattery, Sara E. Stocking, Alma Stock- ing, Elizabeth Batty, Sadie L. Cook, Kathryn U. Hess, Mary A. Stocking, Jennie M. Stanbury, Georgia Davis, Lizzie Nash, Anna Steward, So- phia Wright, Annie Greenway, Zillah Holmes, Helen Spring. Brothers — C. E. Perry, Horace Stocking, Henry Batty, Milton Stocking, D. M. Slattery, Chas. Nash, O. L. Treadwell, E. E. Stanbury, B. F. Hess, O. D. Talbot, Samuel Wright, Elmer Stock- ing, Joseph T. Luff, Harry Steward, Willis Tal- bot, C. B. Spring, Wm. Hills. MODERN WOODMEN— ROYAL NEIGHBORS. At this time (1908) Camps of Modern Wood- men of America are flourishing at the following named places in Ogle County : Adeline, Byron, Chana, Creston, Davis Junction, Forreston, Flagg Station, Grand Detour, Kings, Leaf River, Mon- roe Center, Mount Morris, Oregon, Paines Point, Polo, Roehelle, Stillman Valley, Woosung. In some of the places named are also Camps of the sister organization, the Royal Neighbors. Economy Camp, 131, M. W. A., Oregon, was re- organized Jan. 31, 1895, by Deputy J. S. Grim with 15 charter members. Since that time the camp has grown to 155 members at the present time. Eleven members' beneficiaries have been paid $15,500 since the reorganization. The reg- ular meetings occur on the first and third Thurs- days of each month in Woodman Hall. Neigh- bor J. A. Heinert has acted as presiding officer or Council since the reorganization, excepting the first year term, when F. E. Grow acted as Coun- cil; The present officers are: J. A. Heinert, Council ; Glenn Heinert, Clerk ; Chas. Eyster, Banker ; Archa Campbell, Escort ; Geo. Hettiger, Clyde Myers, Dr. B. B. Bemirs, Managers. Rock River Camp, Royal Neighbors of Amer- ica, No. 3023, was organized April 24, 1902, at Oregon, 111., with 15 charter members. Meetings are held in Woodman Hall on the second and fourth Thursday evenings each month. The first officers were : Oracle, Alice Perry ; Vice Oracle, Loretta Gale ; Recorder, Hattie P. Bemis ; Man- agers — Mary Barden, William Stout, Susie Eys- ter. Present membership, 40 ; present officers : Gertrude Eeten, Oracle; Ella Caspers, Vice Or- acle ; Nettie Heinert, Recorder. Managers — J. A. Heinert, Susie Eyster, Mae Tice. Mystic Workers of the World. Robert S. Cowan Lodge, No. 118, Oregon, 111., a subordinate lodge of the Mystic Workers of the World, a fraternal beneficiary society char- tered in 1896, was organized March, 1904, with a charter membership of 160. The first officers were: L. H. Valentine, Prefect; Miss Jessie Salzman, Monitor ; Lawrence Fischer, Secretary ; H. C. Jewett, Banker ; Mrs. Lulu Rees, Marshal ; 694 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. A. P. Campbell, Warder; Clark I. Bettis, Senti- nel; E. E. Bemis, E. B. Jones and Robert F. Adams, Supervisors; T. K. Farley and H. H. Sheets, physicians. The lodge was instituted by J. R. Adams of Piano, and enjoys the distinction of being the largest charter member lodge of the order ever organized. The presiding officer at the organization was Fred Zick, of Polo, and the respective chairs were filled by members of the Polo lodge. The first meetings were held in Woodman Hall over the F. G. Jones Co. store, and the lodge has been prosperous, having a membership of over 200. Forreston, Leaf River, Mount Morris, Polo and Rochelle, each has a thriving lodge of this order. OTHER FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS. CHAPTER XVIII. SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS. Court of Honok. — This organization flourished twenty years ago, but the only organization now in Ogle County is at Leaf River. Knights of the Globe. — A garrison of this society was organized at Mount Morris in 1891, the charter being granted under name of Dick Yates Garrison, No. 31, August 28, 1900. Pine Creek Township and Byron also have each a garrison. The Yeomen or America. Oregon Lodge was organized by Fred B. Silsbee, formerly of Ore- gon. At present Charles H. Sauer is President and Frank C. Potter Secretary. Knights of Columbus. — Oregon Council, No. 1092, K. of C, have the following officers for 1909 : Grand Knight, John Mertel ; Deputy Grand Knight, Thomas Meade; Financial Secretary, Norman J. Heckman ; Recording Secretary, Nich- olas Sauer ; Treasurer, Patric Hoar ; Warden, John M. Connors ; Chaplain, Rev. Andrew J. Burns ; Chancellor, Bert S. Schneider ; Advocate, Joseph Holland ; Inside Guard, Earl Meade ; Out- side Guard, William McGuire ; Trustee, Charles J. Schneider ; Delegate to State Convention, Charles Schneider, Sr. ; Alternate to Grand Knight, Thomas E. Colloton ; Alternate to Past Grand Knight, Patric Hoar ; Guard to Grand Knight, William Bursing ; Guard to Deputy Grand Knight, A. H. Miller. WOMEN S CLUBS TEMPERANCE ORGANIZATIONS BUSINESS MEN'S CLUBS— CHAUTAUQUA OLD SET- TLERS' ASSOCIATION. Mrs. Mary I. Wood, Chairman of the Bureau of Information of the General Federation of Wo- men's Clubs, in "Madame," says, "Speaking to an audience of intelligent and thoughtful people, an eminent educator recently said : 'When the his- tory of this period comes to be written, it will be recognized that from 1870 to 1900 was a period of greater significance than any former two hundred years, and out of that whole time of thirty years, that which will be recognized as the most -significant, the most far-reaching, will be the movement that is represented by women's clubs.' " This movement now has passed its initial stage, and it is difficult to trace its origin. It seems to have been Topsy-like, and "jest grow'd." It is unquestionably true, however, that Miss Frances Willard and the great body of the Wo- man's Christian Temperance Union workers. Miss Susan B. Anthony, Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, Mrs. Mary A. Livermore and the Equal Suffragists, and, per- haps, the evolution of the old-time, helpful sew- ing societies of the churches, and the Chautau- qua plan for home study, had much to do with arousing the interest of women and turning their energies into newer and broader channels, as well as the changing of conditions in the indus- trial life which have taken away from the home so much of the work formerly done in it — such as the spinning, the weaving of cloth, the knit- ting, and the making of the garments for the entire family. From the forming of individual clubs, followed logically, in the course of time, the union of these separate clubs into federated organizations, and so to-day each Congressional District in the State has its District Federation ; the State, its State Federation, and the United States, including Alaska, Hawaiian Islands and the Canal Zone, HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 695 its General Federation of Women's Clubs. Start- ing with the individual club, this makes a sym- metrically organized and simple-working system of federations, or union, the work being carried on through various committees. The General Fed- eration was formed in 1890, Mrs. J. C. Croly ("Jennie June"), of New York, and Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, of Massachusetts, being active in its formation ; Mrs. Charlotte Emerson Brown, of New Jersey, was its first President. Mrs. Sarah S. Piatt Decker, of Denver, has just com- pleted four years of admirable work as Presi- dent, succeeded at the Ninth Biennial Meeting in Boston, in June, 1908, by Mrs. Philip N. Moore, of St. Louis. Mrs. Moore was, before her mar- riage, Miss Eva Perry, of Rockford, 111., and a graduate of Vassar College. The Illinois Federa- tion of Women's Clubs was organized in 1889. The State Presidents have been, Mrs. H. H. Can- dee, Cairo ; Mrs. Robert Hall Wiles, Freeport and Chicago ; M.rs. Robert Bruce Farson, Chi- cago ; Mrs. Thaddeus P. Stanwood, Evanston ; Mrs. George Robert Bacon, Decatur ; Mrs. James Frake, Chicago ; Mrs. George Watkins, Chicago ; each serving two years. Mrs. Francis D. Everett, of Highland Park, is now the President. The District Federation, of the Thirteenth Congres- sional District, was formed at Freeport, April 22, 1899. Mrs. L. K. Wynn, of Sterling, is the present District "Vice-President. In December, 1908, the number of individual members in the federated clubs was about 800,000. Many in- dividual clubs, though doing valuable work, have not joined any of the federations. It is estimat- ed that the entire number of club women, there- fore, greatly exceeds this number. Ogle County has shared in the development of this club movement, and the fair sex of the coun- ty has contributed a full quota of study, work and influence. As far as possible a record of this is given in the following accounts prepared with the assistance of several club women active in the work in the county : Golden Glow Gibl's Club, Chana. — The first picnic was held is 1905, but no real organization was made till the time of the second picnic, Aug- ust 10, 1906, when the following officers were elected : President, Bessie Andrew ; Vice-Presi- dent, Nellie Hershberger ; Treasurer, Mate Bur- right; Secretary, Effa Mitchell. In 1908, the annual picnic was held August 14th, and the following officers were elected : President, Jes- sie Emerson ; First Vice-President, Edith Grant ; Second Vice-President, Bessie Hardesty ; Treas- urer, Emma Canfield; Secretary, Maude Aznor; Assistant Secretary, Effa Mitchell. The member- ship, in 1908, numbered 27 residents of Pine Rock Township. Six of the girls having married, are no longer members. To the girls who marry is given "a shower," and they must pay a fine upon that event, which goes towards "a treat" for the next picnic. The Jolly Sewing Club, Haldane. — Organ- ized April, 1907, with twelve members, its first officers were : President, Mrs. Ralph Kitzmiller ; Vice-President, Mrs. Dale Rae; Secretary, Mrs. Howard Harmon. Officers 1908 : President, Mrs. Ralph Kitzmiller ; Vice-President, Mrs. Henry Bass ; Secretary, Mrs. Dale Rae. Object, social enjoyment. The Fleub-de-Lis Chautauqua Club, Hol- comb. — This Club was organized is October, 1902, with twelve members. The officers elected were: President, Mrs. Eudora Sheaff; Vice-President, Miss Donna Henderson ; Secretary and Treas- urer, Mrs. Ella Sheaff. These officers have been re-elected each succeeding year. Nine of the members completed the course in 1906 and receiv- ed their diplomas at Rockford. The club at pres- ent consists of nine members, all graduates who continue the Chautauqua course readings. Current Events Club, Mount Morris. — The first club in Mount Morris, now known as the Current Events Club, was organized January, 1896. First officers: President, Mrs. R. C. Mc- Credie ; Vice-President, Mrs. George B. McCosh ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. Ira W. Wingert. Present officers : President, Mrs. George B. McCosh ; Vice-President, Mrs. W. H. Miller ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. A. W. Neff. Its work has been along literary lines, the study of English and American literature, and, latterly, current events. Some work for public improve- ment has been done. Fortnightly Club, Mount Morris. — Literary club, organized in 1904, with Mrs. J. F. Canode as President and only officer. Officers in 1908 : President, Mrs. J. F. Canode ; Vice-President, Mrs. Frank Coffman ; Secretary, Miss Minnie Rohrer ; Treasurer, Mrs. George V. Farwell. Woman's Social Club, between Mount Mor- ris and Polo. — Organized in the country between 696 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. Mount Morris and Polo, April, 1902. First offi- cers : President, Miss Eva Hammer ; Secretary and Treasurer, Miss Olive Dierdorff. Officers 1908: President, Mrs. Olive Betebenner; Secre- tary, Mrs. George Getzendanner. Object, social entertainment, "particularly in winter. Thimble Club, Mount Morris. — Organized 1902, Mrs. Lucy Hormell Spalding, President. Present officers : President, Mrs. Emory Cutts ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. Charles Wishard. Ladies' Philanthropic Sewing Society, op Oregon— On June 29, 1850, the "Ladies' Phil- anthropic Sewing Society" of Oregon was organ- ized with Mrs. Anna M. Edminster, President. its object being "to encourage a more extended spirit of public enterprise and benevolence, and of promoting a warmer sympathy of thought and good feeling." The membership was 36 with 12 honorary members (gentlemen). The records show that the ladies did a variety of sewing — such as making shirts, coats, vests, ladies' dresses and trimming bonnets. At their first meeting — on July 5, 1850 — they voted to appropriate the first surplus money to furnishing the pulpit of the Lutheran Church, then being built. On October 10, 1850, they held a Pair — of fancy ar- ticles, and also served refreshments. They realized $53.00 and at their next meet- ing voted to loan $50.00 to Mr. John Etnyre at 10 per cent interest and a bonus of $2.50 per annum. Their next object was to purchase a bell, and on August 26, 1851, and the same old bell still hangs in the belfry of the new Lutheran Church and was rung for many years on all public oc- casions, such as town and political meetings, sessions of court, etc. The only living members of the society are Mrs. Amanda Peck and Mrs. Dr. Potter, of Oregon. The New Atlantis, Oregon. — Organized Octo- ber 25, 1893, by women who had belonged to a history club consisting of men and women, the latter members being the nucleus of the new organization. The pioneer club consisted entirely of women and was the first club to meet after- noons. Mrs. Julia W. Peek was leader for the first year ; was permanently organized July 27, 1894, with Mrs. Peek President; Mrs. Alice E. Light, Vice-President ; Miss Ida K. Boyd, Secre- tary and Treasurer. A constitution was adopted -Tune, 1895. The club has studied English and American history and literature, ancient, medie- val and modern art, current history and litera- ture. Present officers: Mrs. Peek, President; Mrs. Elizabeth B. Hastings, Vice-President ; Mrs. Eva G. Etnyre, Secretary and Treasurer. Chautauqua Circle, Oregon. — The Chautau- qua Circle of Oregon was organized is 1894, Rev. J. K. Reed, leader. Some of the members were Mrs. James H. Cartwright, Mrs. John Sheaff, Mrs. H. E. Wade, Mrs. Lucy Rutledge, Miss Katie Fischer, Mrs. Grace Gantz Fischer. The course was continued for several years ; the study of birds was a part of the work undertaken. The Victoria Club, Oregon. — This club was first organized as "The Clionia," and re-organ- ized in 1905 under its present name, "The Vic- toria ;" object, the study of literature and social enjoyment. The first officers were: President, Mrs. E. D. Etnyre; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. James C. Fesler. Officers for 1908: Presi- dent, Mrs. E. H. Wade ; Vice-President, Miss Eliz- abeth Crowell ; Mrs. Jerome F. Cox ; Secretary, Mrs. Matilda J. Stroh. At one time it belonged to the District Federation. Delphian Club, Oregon. — The Delphian Club was first organized as a Chapter of the Univer- sity Association in 1896, for the study of uni- versal history, for some time thereafter both men and women being included as members. Among the charter members were Miss Adalaide M. Steele, Mrs. J. A. Barden, Misses Mary Mix. Lida Mix, Emma J. Campbell, and Ruby E. Nash ; Messrs. Ernest Van Patten, W. M. Forkel, W. J. Emerson, and Evan L. Reed. The officers for 1903 were : President, Mrs. J. A. Barden ; Vice- President, Mrs. S. W. Crowell; Secretary and Treasurer, Miss Grace E. Smith. The Umzoowes, Oregon. — This club, originally "the Doves" was organized uuder the Indian name, "Umzoowe" (Pleasure Seekers'), in 1897, with Ida Marshall (Mrs. J. T. Fredinnick), President; Laura Sanderson (Mrs. Packard), Vice-President; Alice Sears (Mrs. A. G. Baker), Secretary and Treasurer. Its purpose was that the young ladies belonging hold an annual picnic the last Wednesday of July. Of the 235 members whose signatures appear on the Secretary's book, the majority have paid the "fine of ninety-nine cents after entering upon the bonds of matri- mony," which forfeits membership. Every year after the day's festivities, the deserving poor are j^kUJo^>> HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 697 remembered with boxes and baskets of the good things remaining. The officers elected 1 for 1908 were: President, Elizabeth Hastings; First Vice-President, Selma Walberg; Second Vice- President, Florence Gale ; Third Vice-President, Alice Maynard ; Secretary and Treasurer, Blanche Babbitt. Home Culture Club, Oregon. — The Home Cul- ture Club was organized in September, 1898, with three members. Its object was mutual improve- ment along literary lines. The only officer was the President, Mrs. L. V. Nash. At present there are fourteen active members, with Mrs. T. A. Jewett as President, and Mrs. M. Allen, Secretary. The New Century Club, Oregon. — Organized in 1900 as a greeting of the incoming century. The first officers were : President, Miss Lillie Ray ; Vice-President, Miss Evelyn Nye ; Secre- tary and Treasurer, Miss Lillie Seibert. The object is literary study. Officers for 1908 : Presi- dent, Mrs. R. F. Nye ; Vice-President, Mrs. F. R. Robinson ; Secretary and Treasurer, Miss Mary Ray. Two-Penny Club, Oregon. — A Thimble Club, organized January 26, 1905, and meeting once a week, each member bringing with her to the meeting two pennies to go into the club treas- ury, and to be used in making and providing clothing and provisions for the poor. First offi- cers : President, Mrs. Emma J. Herbert ; Secre- tary, Mrs. W. A. Waldie; Treasurer, Mrs. Frank Potter. Officers 1908: President, Mrs. Emma J. Herbert; Secretary, Mrs. Kate Brown; Treas- urer, Mrs. Addie Welty. This club celebrated the third anniversary of its organization by open- ing a Rest Room for the comfort and entertain- ment of the farmers' wives and families of the near neighborhood and the county. An apart- ment for this purpose was supplied by the Board of Supervisors, situated in the southeast corner of the basement of the Court House. This rest room is comfortably furnished, is provided with an attendant, and is kept hospitably open every day. Oregon Woman's Council. — In November, 1901, a call signed by Mrs. J. C. Fesler, Mrs. H. C. Peek, Mrs. E. D. Etnyre, was issued to the members of The Victoria, The Delphian, The New Atlantis, The Order of Eastern Star, the Rebekahs, The Woman's Relief Corps, The La- dies' Aid Societies, The Philanthropic Society, requesting its members to meet in the County Clerk's Office, Tuesday evening, November 12, to take steps toward forming an organization for the purpose of furthering the welfare of the city. The result of this meeting was the forma- tion of the Oregon Woman's Council, which has from that time to the present enrolled among its members sixty-seven women interested in im- proving the place of their residence, both in re- gard to its civic beauty and its moral elevation. With commendable promptitude the movement was approved by the City Council in the adop- tion of a series of resolutions offered by Alder- man Joseph Sears. The first officers were : President, Mrs. Rebec- ca H. Kauffman; First Vice-President, Mrs. Julia W. Peek; Second Vice-President, Mrs. Har- riet M. Etnyre; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Eva G. Etnyre ; Corresponding Secretary, Miss Ada- . laide M. Steele; Treasurer, Mrs. Laura M. Fes- ler ; Directors, Mrs. Alice M. Rumery, Mrs. Hat- tie P. Bemis, Mrs. Verna M. Fearer, Mrs. Li- vonia Steffa, Mrs. Lillian Sears. These officers constitute a Board of Directors, who together with the aid of Committees carry on the work of the Council. The Standing Committees for Outdoor Work have been on Streets; River Banks; Business Rears; School Grounds; Plant- ing of Shade and Fruit Trees, Shrubbery, Vines, and Fruits ; Parks for Playgrounds for Chil- dren : Vacant Lots ; and Pine Woods Library. During the firsl years two departments weir- organized, viz. : the Departments on Home and School Art Decoration. The Home Department es- tablished a Kindergarten and carried on that work successfully for a time. The School Art Department, assisted by the entire Council, im- mediately set about holding an art exhibit In the Public School Building for the purpose of plac- ing pictures and statuary in all the rooms. Ow- ing to this effort the schoolrooms are enriched by numerous artistic adornments of real and lasting worth, the money value of which is now over five hundred dollars ; the educational value is beyond calculation, and in addition to that, there has been started the custom of making gifts to the school. The motto of the Oregon Woman's Council is Carlyle's, "Do the duty which lies nearest thee, which thou knowest to be a duty! Thy second duty will already have become clearer ;" and this guiding injunction is followed in the work un- 698 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. dertaken. The Bill for the Purchase of the White Pine Woods of Ogle County, as a State Forest Reserve, with an appropriation of $30,- 000, which was passed by the General Assembly of the State of Illinois in its session of 1903, and was vetoed by the Governor, was the next work "nearest" to the Woman's Council. ( See portions of Chapter I on "The White Pine Woods of Ogle County" and "Boulders.") In October, 1903, the Council joined the Illi- nois Federation of Woman's Clubs, since which time two of its members have served as repre- sentatives in State club work, viz. : Mrs. Peek, on the Library Committee, and Mrs. Kauffman, as Chairman of the Forestry Committee. This chairmanship gives a place on the Board of Di- rectors of the State Federation, and also a membership in the Forestry Committee of the General Federation, and from this resulted the stopping at Oregon, May 29, 1906, of the special official train on the Burlington Line taking the club women of Illinois to the biennial meeting of the General Federation at St. Paul, besides other favors in recognition of the work of the Oregon Council. The Council also helped to secure the donation for the new Carnegie Li- brary, and has a small sum now on interest in bank with which to add something to the in- terior of the completed building. The membership now numbers 31. Of the for- mer members some have moved to other places, some have dropped out of the work, one has been lost by death, and one has been married. There are fourteen honorary members from among summer residents : Mrs. Charles Francis Browne, Mrs. Ra'.ph Clarkson, Mrs. John B. Coulter, Mrs. Horace Spencer Fiske, Mrs. Oliver Dennett Gro- ver, Mrs. Hamlin Garland, Mrs. Wallace Heck- man, Mrs. Alfred Wright Hoyt, Miss Margaret Kinnear, Mrs. Frank O. Lowden, Mrs. B. H. Laughlin, Miss Hester B. Laughlin (now Mrs. C. E. Pfister), Mrs. E. A. Laughlin, Mrs. Lorado Taft. Mrs. James Spencer Dickerson, who was one of the honorary members, went ou the long, long journey in November, 1907. The present offi- cers are : President, Rebecca H. Kauffman ; First Vice-President, Julia W. Peek; Second Vice-President, Laura C. March ; Corresponding Secretary, Emma J. Burroughs ; Recording Sec- retary, Jessie G. Salzman (Miss) ; Treasurer, Hattie P. Bemis ; Directors — Alice M. Rumery, Eva G. Etnyre, Lillian Sears, Kate E. Little, Elizabeth B. Hastings. The Shakspeabe Club, oit Polo, was organ- ized some time in 1884 or 1885, its first President being Mrs. Burton. Its present officers are : Mrs. Mary Barber, President; Miss Anne More, Vice- President; Miss Olive Nichols, Secretary and Treasurer. Literature and Art are the subjects studied, especially Shakespeare's works. Archi- tecture, house decorations, pictures and authors have been included. Halcyon Club, Polo. — This club was organ- ized in 1886, its purpose being to do Chautau- qua work. Its first officers were : President, Mrs. Clendenning; Secretary, Mrs. Geo. M. Per- kins. Present officers : Mrs. S. D. Houston, President; Mrs. Johnson Lawrence, Vice-Presi- dent ; Mrs. Russell Nichols, Secretary. Wednesday Club, Polo. — Organized in 1890; object, "To become more conversant with noted places of interest in different countries." First officers: Miss Clara Shumway, President; Miss Minnie Waterbury, Secretary and Treasurer. Present officers : Mrs. Davis McCoy, President ; Mrs. C. A. Dingley, Vice-President ; Mrs. John Strock, Secretary and Treasurer. The Twentieth Century Club, Polo, whose object is the study of history, originated with the Lutheran Chautauqua of 1894, as a Chautauqua Circle, including both men and women. The first leader was Mr. Henry Schell. The present offi- cers are : Mrs. Oliver Stroch, President ; Miss Loulou Thomas, Vice-President; Mrs. Frank Hammer, Secretary and Treasurer. The club is composed of fifteen active and five honorary members. The Would-be Tourist Club, Polo, organized September 16, 1907, with twenty members; ob- ject, educational. Present officers : Mrs. Lizzie M. Spaulding, President ; Mrs. Pearle Read, Vice- President; Mrs. Frances Beard, Secretary and Treasurer. The Utopian Circle, of Polo, was organized April 11, 1900, at the home of Mrs. Albert Miller, and is a country club. The first officers were: President, Mrs. John Jones; Vice-President, Mrs. Johnson Lawrence ; Secretary, Mrs. Wil- liam Poole; Treasurer, Mrs. J. W. Sanborn; Or- ganist, Mrs. Benj. Duffy. Its object is to pro- mote the social and intellectual interests of its members. Present officers : President, Mrs. W. H. Hoover; Vice-President, Mrs. J. W. Scott; HTSTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 699 Secretary, Mrs. B. W. Good ; Assistant Secretary, Mrs. S. P. Good; Treasurer, Miss Clara Gibbs; Organist, Mrs. Benj. Duffy. Chautauqua Literary Society, Rochelle* — The Chautauqua Literary Society was organized November' 4, 1890, with Rev. J. B. Fleming, Pres- ident. Officers, 1908: President, Mrs. T. G. Southworth ; Vice-President, Mrs. Ed. Lazier, Sr. ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. J. W. South- worth. Rochelle Woman's Club. — This club was or- ganized October 26, 1897. It has a Shakespearean, a Philanthropic and a Civic Department. The object of the association is "the improvement of its members, and the practical consideration of the important questions that flow out of the relations of the individual to society." It is in- dependent of sect and party, the "basis of mem- bership being earnestness of purpose, love of truth and a desire to promote the best interests of humanity." First officers : Mrs. Edith B. Otjen, President; Mrs. Ida C. Craft, First Vice- President; Mrs. M. J. Braiden, Second Vice- President ; Mrs. Sarah M. Loomis, Recording Secretary ; Miss Dilla H. Tibbies, Corresponding Secretary ; Mrs. Alice Atwater, Treasurer. Di- rectors — Mrs. Lucy E. Furlong, Mrs. Blanche Gardner, Mrs. Anna M. Culver, Mrs. Willmina Golditz, Mrs. Elvese V. Freeman. In 1900 the club contributed magazines and clothing to the soldiers in the Philippines. The sum of $20 was sent through the "Tribune" Relief Fund to the San Francisco sufferers during the earthquake. This club belongs to the District and the State Federations ; at one time, also, belonged to the General Federation. Officers 1908: President, Mrs. E. L. Vaile; First Vice-President, Mrs. A. M. Peck; Second Vice-President, Miss Mary S. Hunter; Record- ing Secretary, Mrs. J. W. Gilmore; Correspond- ing Secretary, Miss Josephine Hoadley ; Treas- urer, Miss Delia Lynn. Directors — Mrs. Eman- uel Hilb, Mrs. Ed. Lazier, Mrs. Elmer C. File, Mrs. Garrett P. Cooper, Miss Dilla Tibbies. Nineteenth Century Club, Rochelle. — The Nineteenth Century Club of Rochelle was organ- ized in February, 1897, and the members have devoted their time to the study of history, art and literature. First officers: President, Mrs. Georgia E. Bennett; Vice-President, Mrs. D. W. Baxter ; Secretary, Miss Addie Lewis ; Treasurer, Mrs. W. Carleton. Officers 1908 : President, Misa v Nellie Bird ; Vice-President, Mrs. W. P. Graham ; Secretary, Miss Mary Hunter ; Treasurer, Mrs. W. P. Landon. Chautauqua Society op the Hall-in-the- Geove. — This Society of the Hall-in-the-Grove, was organized at the Hotel Delos, May 8, 1898, by Mrs. Emanuel Hilb. First officers : President, Mr. C. F. Philbrook; Vice-President, Mrs. Deb- orah A. Bain; Secretary, Mrs. A. B. Sheadle; Treasurer, Mrs. Emanuel Hilb. Its object is "to unite all C. L. S. S. graduates in a perma- nent organization, which shall take a general oversight of all of the Chautauqua work in the community, encouraging graduates to continue habits of systematic study, aiding in the estab- lishment of new circles, and whenever practical, extending its influence into outlining commit- tees." It has always been customary to hold an annual reception. Present officers : Presi- dent, Mrs. Clara Braiden; Vice-President, Mrs. W. P. Landon ; Secretary, Mrs. E. L. Cole ; Treasurer, Mrs. A. Hilb. The Hickory Grove Society Children of American Revolution. — The Hickory Grove So- ciety Children of the American Revolution was organized at Rochelle, 111., April 18, 1906, with Mrs. Geo. E. Stocking as President. The object of this society is the acquisition of knowledge of American history ; to help pre- serve the places made sacred by the men and women who forwarded American independence ; to ascertain the deeds and honor the memories of children and youth who rendered service dur- ing the American Revolution ; to promote the celebration of all patriotic anniversaries ; to hold our American Flag sacred above every other flag on earth, and to love, uphold, and extend the institutions of American liberty and patriotism, and the principles that made and saved our country. Officers 1908 : President, Mrs. James C. Fesler ; Secretary, Harvey Phelps ; Treasurer, Miss Jennie Lazier. The Wednesday Study Club, Stillman Val- ley. — Organized November 1, 1899, with a mem- bership of twelve. This club meets once in two weeks, and is now studying the "Bay View Course." It joined the State Federation five years ago. The officers for 1907 were : Presi- dent, Mrs. H. C. Brown ; Corresponding Secre- tary, Mrs. Mary Lee Trumbull. Present offi- 1 00 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. , -cers : President, Mrs. Charles R. Stroh ; Vice- President, Miss H. Brown ; Secretary and Treas- urer, Mrs. Annie E. Gould. The Commekcial Association of Oregon, III., ■was organized May 25, 1906, having as its object, "to secure the active aid and co-operation of all classes of citizens (bankers, contractors, mer- chants, manufacturers, mechanics, property own- ers, laborers, employes, professional men, and agents) in advancing, promoting and fostering Oregon's material interests ; to bring all classes of citizens together on a common plane of asso- ciation, with a view to developing a profitable exchange of ideas, and . . to use all reasona- ble means and agencies . . to promote com- mercial prosperity of the city." The officers : Clar- ence S. Haas, President; E. F. Davis, "Vice-Presi- dent; A. F. Herbert, Secretary; and P. E, Hast- ings, Treasurer. The general direction of its business is vested in a Board of Directors of nine members, of which Mayor Henry A. Smith is chairman. In 1906 a number of the members, having organized what is known as "The Land Syndicate," purchased a farm adjoining the City of Oregon, a portion of which was platted as the Commercial Addition, and a large number of the lots sold at public sale, the remainder now being improved, the object being to create a substantial fund to be used for the benefit of the Commercial Association in carrying out its work. It was through this body and this enterprise that the Commercial Association located the manufac- turing plant of E. D. Etnyre & Co. on its present site. Temperance Organizations. — During the ear- ly '70s a strong interest in matters of temper- ance was felt throughout the entire country. It was about this time that the lodges of Good Templars, which included men and women as members, were formed, both in the East and the West. Organizations of the "Woman's Chris- tian Temperance Union were also becoming num- erous at about this period. As the time drew near for the election in the spring of 1908, at w r hich the new Township Local Option Law was to be voted on in many town- ships in Ogle County, many leading men in the different cities and villages of the county organ- ized into civic leagues, the better to bring about a majority temperance vote. Women also formed themselves into temperance leagues to assist the ii imi, holding public meetings, prayer meetings at their homes, and providing hot coffee and other refreshments on the day of election at some place near the polls. In Oregon, the women's league was led by Miss Florence Blssell, Mrs. Julia W. Peek, Mrs. Laura C. March, Mrs. F. R. Artz, the men's by Mr. C. M. Babbitt, Mr. Frank W. March, Mr. H. C. Peek, Dr. R. A. Harlan. In Rochelle this work was done by the Rochelle Woman's Club. Polo and Mount Morris were not particularly concerned in this election, as Polo has been a temperance town for a long time, and Mount Morris has always, with but a brief exception. Another means of awakening interest in tem- perance, especially among the boys and girls, was the plan of awarding medals for proficiency in oratory, the selections rendered to be on the subject of the prohibition of the liquor traffic, as devised by Mr. W. Jennings Demorest, of New York, in 1886. The Woman's Christian Temper- ance Union soon recognized the educational value of these contests, and in December, 1897, two years after the death of Mr. Demorest, and who had himself, in connection with Mrs. Demor- est, given away 34,000 medals at a cost of $75,- 000, the W. C. T. U. took up the work and has carried it on ever since. Contests for boys, for girls, and for matrons, are now held. The prizes are cumulative, and a contestant must win the first in the progression before compet- ing for the next, and so on to the highest. The medals bestowed are the silver, the gold, the grand-gold, the diamond. A large number of these contests have been held in Ogle County under the direction and management of the local W. C. T. U. organizations in the churches of the towns ; sometimes in churches and school- houses of the country districts, including Ore- gon, Lighthouse, Chana, United Brethren church in Pine Creek Township, Davis Junction, Stillman Valley, Polo, Creston, Forreston, Chris- tian Church in Lafayette Township, Haldane. Miss Winnie Heller, of Oregon (now Mrs. Frank Hills, of Rockford), in 1892, won a silver medal; Grover R. Stroh, of Oregon, iu 1903, won a sil- ver, also ; Mrs. Kate E. Little, Mrs. Charles Walkup, Mrs. Albertus Tice. Mrs. Lillian Stat- ion were contestants in 1906 at Oregon, Davis Junction and the U. B. Church, each winning a silver medal. In 1905, Miss Nelia B. Sears, of Oregon, won the gold medal at Forreston. Miss Edith Walkup (now Mrs. Harvey J. Kable, of Mount Morris), possesses the grand-gold HISTOKY OP OGLE COUNTY. <01 medal, and a Polo lad, Lloyd Wasser, in 1907, at the Dixon Chautauqua Assembly, won the diamond. The W. C. T. U. Superintendents for Ogle County are : L. T. L. Branch, Mrs. V. P. Man- ning, Creston ; Anti-Narcotics, Mrs. Emma L. , Burroughs, Oregon ; Evangelistic, Sunday School Work, Mrs. N. C. Robertson, Forreston ; Flower Mission, Miss Elsie Knowlton, Byron ; Franchise, Legislative Work, Mrs. Frances C. File, Davis Junction ; Medal Contest, Mrs. M. C. Hedrick, Polo ; Press, Literature, Mrs. Emma Heller, Ore- gon ; Railroad Employes, Miss M. Waterbury, Polo ; Scientific Temperance Instruction, Mrs. Sarah Pittiuan, Leaf River ; Soldiers and Sailors, Mrs. J. D. Buzz-well, Polo. At the present time the W. C. T. U. organizations in Ogle County engaged in active work are those at Polo, Ore- gon, Davis Junction, Byron, Forreston, Creston and Leaf River, Polo having the largest mem- bership, and Oregon the next. The W. C. T. U., of Oregon. — This union was organized September 8, 1906, some of the mem- bers of the former organization becoming mem- bers of the new one. There were eight charter members, with the following officers : Emma L. Burroughs, President ; Laura C. March, Vice- President and Treasurer ; Winnie Hills, Secre- tary. The membership has steadily increased, at present amounting to 24. The officers for 1908 are : Emma L. Burroughs, President ; Daisy Harshman, Vice-President ; Sarah Servis, Sec- retary ; Laura C. March, Treasurer. The W. C. T. U., Polo. — The Polo Woman's Christian Temperance Union was organized in April, 1878, under the name of The White Rib- bon Club. The first officers were : Mrs. J. H. More, President ; Miss Capitola Cooper, Secre- tary ; Miss Kittie McNeil, Treasurer. In Sep- tember of the same year Mrs. Calvin Waterbury was made President; Miss Julia E. Read, Sec- retary ; and Miss Minnie Hammer, Treasurer. In November the club reorganized under the name of the Woman's Protective Union. Its officers were Mrs. E. A. Herrick, President; Mrs. C. Waterbury, Vice-President ; Mrs. C. D. Reed, Secretary and Treasurer. In 1882 the name was changed to the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and has continued until the present time an active, efficient society. Mrs. Herrick was President for fifteen years. Its present officers are : Mrs. M. C. Talbott, Presi- dent ; Mrs. R. G. Shumway, First Vice-President ; Mrs. Laura Buswell, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Flora Antrim, Corresponding Secretary ; Mrs. E. A. Herrick, Treasurer. Mrs. Shumway, who was a very excellent helper, has since passed away. Youth's Temperance Alliance of Polo. — At a meeting held in the Lutheran Church on Sun- day, December 1, 1878, a society was formed to be known as "The Youth's Temperance Alliance of Polo, Illinois." The officers were to be chosen quarterly, and regular public meetings to be held the third Sunday of each month. Each member signed a pledge promising never to use intoxi- cating drinks, and to do all in his power to in- duce others to sign and keep this pledge. The following officers were chosen : Superintendent, Rev. 0., F. Mattison ; Deputy Superintendent, J. II. Freeman ; Secretary and Treasurer, Emma R. Pearson ; Musical Director, W. T. Schell ; Or- ganist, Willie Warner ; Executive Committee — Rev. J. S. Detweiler, Arthur Pearson, Mrs. B. McNeil. Mr. -Mattison not accepting the office of Su- perintendent, J. H. Freeman was made Superin- tendent and C. W. Sammis was chosen Deputy Superintendent. The present officers are : Mr. Oscar Schell, President ; Miss Emma R. Pearson, Secretary and Treasurer. Music in Ogle County. — Forty years ago. Singing Schools and Musical Conventions (four .days' meeting) were popular and were both helpful and enjoyable to the singers of Ogle County. The first convention was held in Cres- ton in the winter of 1868, under the leadership of Dr. H. R. Palmer, and \X. S. B. Matthews (pianist), both of Chicago. The second one was held in 1870, in Rochelle, by Dr. L. 0. Emerson, of Boston. The first one at the county seat was in December, 1871, presided over by P. P. Bliss, of Chicago, who also held one in Mount Morris in 1874. Dr. H. R. Palmer also held them in Ore- gon and Byron, and L. O. Emerson had charge of one in Stillman Valley. These were followed in July, 1886, by a four weeks' Institute in Ore- gon, students attending from Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas, and from several counties in Illinois. The teach- ing corps was composed of S. W. Straub and T. Martin Towne, of Chicago, with assistants, W. F. Werschkul, Wm. Beary and Arthur M. Straub, 702 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Besides vocal, piano, and harmony classes, many of the students took private lessons. Several concerts were given, and noted musicians from Chicago took part on the programs, which were greatly enjoyed by the citizens of Oregon. A tew years later, through the efforts of the late Wi. A. Washburn, of the School Board, music Tvas introduced into the Oregon public schools, and J. H. Ketchum was the first Supervisor of Music in the Oregon, Polo, Rochelle and Mount Morris schools. He has been succeeded by Pro- fessors George Krinbill, C. F. Dunham and F. B. Chaffee, the present Supervisor. Ogle County Woman's Exposition Club. — The Ogle County Woman's Exposition Club was organized in Oregon, 111., April 25, 1892, by Mrs. Alice Bradford Wiles, of Chicago, with a mem- bership of thirty, and held meetings once a month. Its object was to secure full representa- tion of the industries and interests of the women of Ogle County at the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. The officers were : President, Mrs. M. A. Lason ; Recording Secretary, Mrs. J. C. Seyster; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. A. H. Wagoner ; Treasurer, Mrs. J. C. Fesler. The following list of Vice-Presidents was also ap- pointed to assist jn the work: Oregon, Mrs. Anne Spoor; Rochelle, Mrs. Frank Barker; Polo, Mrs. James Allaben; Mount Morris, Mrs. Chas. Newcomer; Byron, Mrs. Frank Spaulding; Stillman Valley, Mrs. John Atwood; Forreston, Mrs. Dr. Winston; Grand Detour, Miss lone Harrington ; Davis Junction, Mrs. Eugene Moore ; Chana, Miss Minnie Burright; Monroe Center, Mrs. Chas. Bennett; Creston, Mrs. Upton Swing- ley. At the various meetings articles were read and discussed pertaining to the life and discoveries of Christopher Columbus, Illinois history and wo- man's work at the Exposition. A supper and social was held on Mrs. J. C. Seyster's lawn, the proceeds to go towards a view fund, which was a photographic exhibit of Rock River scenery in the county to be placed in the Woman's Build- ing of the Exposition. The stipulation required that the work should be exclusively that of wo- men. During the month of December an art union was held in Memorial Hall which lasted a week, an exhibit of pictures, curios and fancy work being displayed. More than twenty-five paintings, the work of professional men, who earned their bread by their brush, decorated the walls, and three times as many the work of loca' artists. A musical program and recitals, botl> by home and out of town talent, were rendered each evening during the week of the exhibit. Dr H. A. Mix managed Mrs. Jarley's wax-works and magic mirror and statuary, much to the delight of all. The proceeds of the entertainments went toward purchasing a revolving show-case to dis- play views. One could not but be impressed with the beautiful views, one hundred in number, each representing some delightful spot in Ogle County, and being a credit to the artist, Mrs. O. H. Wheat, of Rockford, 111. At the close of the Exposition the case was returned to the club members and placed in temporary quarters in Memorial Hall, with the understanding that the Oregon Public Library should be its permanent home when built. Ogle County Humane Society. — The Ogle County Humane Society, a branch of the Illinois Humane Society located in Chicago, was organ- ized in Memorial Hall, Oregon, 111., July 13, 1899. by Mrs. James C. Fesler, now of Rochelle, 111. The object of the society is "to enforce nil laws which are now, or may be hereafter, enacted for the prevention of cruelty, especially to cliiidren and animals, and to secure by lawful means, the arrest, conviction and punishment of any uerson or persons violating such laws; also to promote a humane public sentiment." Officers: President, Prof. W. J. Sutherland ; Vice-President," Mrs. James C. Fesler ; Secretary. Mrs. Joseph Artz ; Treasurer, Dr. J. B. DavYS : Superintendent, Chas. W. Sammis ; Agent, Benj. F. Chaney. Directors — Mayor Chas. Schneider. Attorney Jos. Sears, Attorney Horace G. Kauff man, Dr. B. E. Fahrney, Mrs. Anne Spoor, Mrs F. G. Jones, Mrs. J. C. Fesler. Many cases of cruelty and neglect, both to children and animals, have been investigated and conditions remedied. In 1901, the society pur- chased a "humane drinking fountain" which was placed on the corner of the Court House Square. In 1902, the ladies organized a school of domes- tic science which was carried on in connection with the Oregon Public School. Oregon Bachelors' Club : The Owls. — This organization long ago reached its majority, hav ing on August 14, 1908, celebrated its twenty- ninth annual picnic, this festive occasion being the yearly flowering time of the historic society. "The Owls" is the pseudonym of wisdom by HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 703 which the club is commonly designated now-a- days, and the procession of its members in the morning sunlight (for it is said to be a fact that it has never rained on the just heads of these bachelors), gay with yellow sunflowers and the sheltering umbrella of the same golden hue, from under which the doughty holder may not glance at the fair onlookers along the way to "Island No. 1," is one of the much-heralded events of midsummer in the region about Ore- gon. Loud sounds of hooting awake the rever- berations along the Rock River Valley some weeks before the great event, and many whis- perings of fried chicken, and other appetizing viands for the day's feast, are faintly heard. As nearly as can be ascertained the charter members of this club were the following: J. H. Cartwright, George P. Jacobs, J. W. Bardwell, F. R. Artz, J. D. C. Artz, George P. Snyder, J. W. Etuyre, L. C. Hormell, J. S. Sanders, C. W. A. Reynolds, John Rutledge, James N. Davis, C. H. Hormell, Benj. Swartz, S. Munn, A. L. Et- tinger, E. Brown, S. D. Wallace — eighteen in all. It is interesting to note the prevalence of the tell-tale "M" after so large a number of the signers of the constitution, from the charter members down to those of the present time. The Constitution of the club was prepared by J. H. Cartwright, George P. Jacobs, F. R. Artz, John Rutledge, James N. Davis, John Rutledge being the scribe. From the Record-Book, Vol. II, of the club, the following parts of the transcribed document are copied : Preamble. "Whereas, It has become necessary to resist the encroachments of a common enemy by band- ing ourselves together for mutual protection and defense against the wiles of the fair sex and the blandishments of anxious mammas ; and Whereas, The fair sex have repeatedly, and against our earnest protestations and entreaties, endeavored to draw us from the path of rectitude by picnics and croquet, which action demands from every lover of freedom prompt and energetic measures : '■Therefore, Resolved, That we associate our- selves together for "the promotion of the objects aforesaid under the following Constitution : Article I. "Sec. 1. This association shall be styled the Oregon Bachelors' Club. "Sec. 2. This Club shall consist of the present members of the same and such other single gen- tlemen as shall be admitted at any regular meet- ing of the Club by a majority vote of the mem- bers thereof. "Sec. 3. The officers of this club shall consist of a Senior Grand Tycoon, Junior Grand Ty- coon, a Grand Knight of the Quill, a Grand Keeper of the Stamps, Three Deacons and Grand Custodian of the Hatchet Article IV. "Sec. 1. The members of this Club are strictly forbidden from entering into any matrimonial al- liances, except the permission of the Grand Deacons being first had and obtained therefor and permission shall not be granted except upon the withdrawal of the member from the Club and the payment of such sum as will provide re- freshments for the Club at their next meeting." The Annual Meeting — such is the irony of fate — is set to occur at the island in Rock River, since that time named for a woman, and one who was unmarried at the time of her visit to it! At first an annual ball was given to which ladies were invited, but after a time even this conces- sion was dropped. The pioneer Bachelors carried a black sunshade, but this proved too somber for a merry spirit. The membership of this club increased as the years wore away, and its list has included a large number of members, not only from Oregon, but from all over Ogle County, and even over the United States, there being no boundary limit as to that. In 1905, "on the first Friday after the second Monday in August, at 10 o'clock A. JI., at which meeting the officers of the Club are elected," the "Ex-Owls" were invited by the "Owls" to join in the "Owl Picnic." About 150 partook that day of the feast at Margaret Ful- ler Island, and it is recorded that the "outs" and the "ins" were in about equal numbers. At the Annual Picnic at the present day a chromo is awarded to that member who, it has been as- certained in some occult manner, is the nearest to leaving the state of single-blessedness. The growth in size of the organization has, of course, in a measure nullified the provision in the Fourth Article for the use of the fine of the daring Benedict. For 1908 the officers were : A. E. Hawn, W. T. Ray. F. E. Maynard, Oscar Rutledge, Claude L. Reber, F. A. Newcomer, C. S. Jones, Phil O'Con- nell, H. L. Moyer. On the committees were: E. D. 704 HISTOKY OP OGLE COUNTY. Landers, Glenn Andrew, H. R. Sears, E. W. Jones, W. L. Etnyre, H. R. Remsberg, John C. Reed, F. W. Posselts, Charles Grow, Clarence Ray, Charles Eshbaugb, Fred Knodle, John Kaiser, Fred Sonntag, D. S. Lippert, C. G. Gil- bert, E. R. Fry, Carl Reynolds, C. M. McKenney, J. W. Charters, J. A. Waite. Note. — It is not certain as to the origin of the later name of this bachelor organization, but it probably came from the design of an owl being used as a heading on one of the first annual pro- grams. Those attending to the printing, desir- ing a decoration, Samuel Wilson suggested the owl, a cut of -which he had in his newspaper stock of the "Oregon Guard." The Ogle Counts: Chautauqua. — With the view of combining wholesome entertainment with improvement, enjoyment with interesting instruc- tion, there was organized at Oregon, in February, 1908, the Ogle County Chautauqua, the first or- ganization of the kind in the county. The ses- sion was held during the ten days from July 3 to 12, inclusive, on the Fair Grounds in a tent with a seating capacity of one thousand people. The cost of the talent, which included sermons, lectures, impersonations, music, etc., was $1,800. Among those who appeared were Rev. William A. Sunday, Col. George W. Bain. Lorado Taft, Fath- er P. J. MacCorry, Dr. Gabriel R. Maguire, Ross Crane, Chicago Ladies' Lyceum Quartette, Senor Lala, Ralph Parlette. The program proved an excellent one. The audiences were entertained and edified. There was enjoyment and there were also educational and elevating influences that were of much value to the community, which as a whole was "broad- ened, brightened, bettered." The chief benefit arose from bringing good music, high class en- tertainment and uplifting talks to the people generally in the midst of surroundings that were conducive to social pleasures and healthful recre- ation. The attendance in the main was good, though several rains and thunder-storms caused a ma- terial lessening of the receipts, there being a de- ficit of $143 from a total expenditure of nearly $2,200. This was made good by a number of the citizens who had signed as guarantors. The officers were Horace G. Kauffman, Presi- dent ; Z. A. Landers, Secretary ; Charles M. Gale, Treasurer. The chairman of the committee on program was Joseph L. Rice ; on advertising, Rev. J. H. Rheingans; on grounds and conces- sions, Rev. J. W. Funston; on tents, Jerome F. Cox. OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION. The Old Settlers' Association, which holds a meeting each year, usually in August, at some one of the towns of the county, began its exist- ence nearly forty years ago. It met for the first time on February 10, 1869, at the house of Hiram Read, in Rockvale Township, where its organization was effected by the election of John Phelps as President, James V. Gale as Secretary, and William J. Mix as Treasurer, after a con- stitution had been submitted and adopted. The first annual meeting was held May 27, 1869, at Oregon in the Court House. It was then known as the Old Settlers' Society. The first executive committee consisted of William P. Flagg, Hiram Read, Albert Brown, Virgil A. Bogue and Isaac Trask. A talk was given by William Artz of Oregon, and it was voted by those present that all who came into the county prior to 1842 be invited to sign the constitution. The following signed : Members Arrival Place of Birth Age John Phelps 1834, Bedford Co., Va...72 James V. Gale 1835, Concord, X. H 62 A. O. Campbell 1836, Bradford Co., Pa. . Hiram Read 1835, Cornish, X. H William Carpenter.. .1835, Massachusetts .... John Russell 1834, Ohio 77 J. W. Jenkins 1835, Ohio Lewis Williams 1835, Ohio Augustus Austin 1839, Canada Phineas Chaney 1836, Virginia 54 A. I. Allen 183S, Lancaster Co., Pa.. 54 F. A. Smith 1837, Massachusetts 52 Clinton Helm 1837, Xew York 40 F. G. Petrie 1838, Canada 50 Andrew Schecter. . . .1841, Maryland 49 Robert Davis 1836, Virginia 58 William Artz 1839, Maryland 58 Wm. J. Fletcher 1837, Maryland 48 B. Y. Phelps 1834, Bedford Co., Va...59 G. W. Phelps 1834. Wilson Co., Tenn..57 S. T. Betebenner 1841, Maryland 53 Joshua Thomas 1840, Maryland .58 Benjamin Boyce 1837, New York 72 Jacob Dietrich 1838, Maryland 77 John V. Gale 1836, Concord, N. H 55 John James 1841, Connecticut 64 John Sharp born 1838, Ogle Co., Ill 31 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY (05 Tliere was another meeting in 1809, on Octo- ber 12th, and again at Oregon, but at the Fair Grounds instead of in the Court House. For a time there was not sufficient interest to keep up the annual reunion, which is surprising, though it should be remembered that some of the pio- neers most active in the organization of the so- ciety had died, and that the years immediately following 1869 were not sufficiently removed from the period of settlement to form an his- toric background which would attract the people generally. In 1882 there was re-organization at Oregon. A new constitution and by-laws, pre- pared by a committee consisting of George D. Read, John V. Gale, John W. Hitt, F. G. Petrie, and J. R. Smith, was adopted. The new officers were George D. Read, President ; Win. J. Mix, Secretary ; F. G. Petrie, Treasurer ; Hugh Ray, Corresponding Secretary, with a Vice-President for each township. The first meeting under the re-organization was held at Oregon, August 31, 1882 ; the second at Mount Morris, August 30, 1883, with Win. J. Mix, President, and Col. B. F. Sheets as prin- cipal speaker. The latter said, "These old set- tlers have left their impress upon all the sur- roundings. Under their hands these boundless prairies have been transformed into gardens. They came into the wilderness and the wilder- ness and the solitary places were made glad. But, one by one the men and women who laid the foundations of the civilization we are to-day enjoying are passing on to that country that lies beyond the bounds of time." A number of those present being called upon for short addresses, the following named early residents of the coun- ty responded: John V. Gale, Timothy Perkins, Wm. H. King, David Hoffhine, Daniel O'Kane, Blias Reed, Bradford McKinney, Dr. U. C. Roe, Simeon S. Garwell, C. D. Sawyer, D. Harry Hammer, F. G. Petrie. A report of the meeting says, "Invitations were extended to all old set- tlers to partake of a good dinner prepared by the ladies of Mount Morris and served in the dining room of the College, where tables were spread for one hundred and ten persons ; and were filled two or three times before the guests were all supplied. All about on the College Campus were gathered groups of friends, who with cloths spread on the green grass and capa- cious baskets filled with dainties, were partak- ing of a picnic dinner. Probably not less than two thousand were thus enjoying themselves at one time." The third meeting was held at Rochelle on August 28, 1884, at Bain's Opera House, when David B. Stiles was President and the chief ad- dress was made by Rev. J. B. Stoughton. The , fourth reunion was at Polo, August 27, 1885, Elias Baker being President. The place of as- sembling was Buffalo Grove, where the ladies of Polo served coffee to all. Several thousand per.-ons were present. Speeches were made by Rev. Barton Cartwright, Dr. Isaac Rice, Elias Baker, Robert R. Hitt, Pearson Shoemaker. Dr. John Roe. Since then the Association has held a reunion in August of each year at either Mount Morris, Oregon, Rochelle, Polo, Forreston, or Byron. The last two years have seen it at Mount Mor- ris, where it is again to be held next year, with Amos F. Moore as President and A. \V. Bray- ton as Chairman of the committee on program. The principal addresses of the day have been made at one town and another by the following persons who have been a part of the life of the county in either its earlier or later years : Sen- ator Charles B. Farwell, Robert R. Hitt, Dr. J. L. More, Judge Edmund W. Burke, John V. Farwell, Judge James H. Cartwright, Rev. Olin F. Mattison, Col. F. O. Lowden, F. M. Hicks, Victor H. Bovey, John A. Atwood. Among those from outside the county who have been invited to be the speaker of the day may be named Judge James Shaw of Mount Carroll, Charles Fuller of Belvidere, Major X. C. Warner of Rockford, Wm. A. Meese of Moline and E. D. Shurtleff of Marengo. At two of the more recent meetings papers have been read by ladies as follows : "Pioneer Mothers," by Mrs. Julia W. Peek, and "Governor Thomas Ford in Ogle County," by Mrs. Rebecca H. Kauffman. As the result of th« paper on Governor Ford, the Association is ar- ranging for the removal and preservation of the Ford cabin. For these many years the reunions have been characterized by reminiscences given by those who participated in the settlement of the county and experienced the hardships, pleasures and many vicissitudes of pioneer life, which per- sonal recollections being the central idea of the organization, have always been a feature of the meetings. Always a matter of interest, they have also been one of value, since 706 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. "The best of prophets of the Future is the Past." But this characteristic of the reunions is now become less marked than formerly. The pio- neers that continue to dwell in Ogle County are but a handful to those that slumber in its bosom. Sturdy men and women, though they were, for them and their day also has it been true, "That Time flieth and never claps her wings." CHAPTER XIX. MARGARET PULLER'S VISIT. WELL-KNOWN IN THE EAST — -TRAVELLED FROM CHICAGO TO DIXON AND OREGON IN LUMBER WAGON W. W. FULLER OF OREGON, A RELATIVE — IMPRESSIONS OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY WROTE POEM AND NAMED SPRING HER MARRIAGE TO COUNT D'OSSOLI AND THEIR SORROWFUL FATE — MARGARET FULLER ISLAND DEDICATED LETTER FROM BRONSON ALCOTT. In 1843 Oregon was honored by the visit of a distinguished American woman — Margaret Ful- ler. This brilliant daughter • of the E'ast was then at the height of her literary eminence. She had translated Goethe's "Faust," edited "The Dial," the highly intellectual newspaper expo- nent of New England Transcendentalism, and for several years had given in Boston the cele- brated "conversations" which she delighted in, and which drew to her many cultivated and scholarly people, who, with her as their leader, discussed informally literature, philosophy and social and economic reforms. It was not until a year later that, upon the invitation of its editor, Horace Greeley, she became literary critic of the New York Tribune, a position she filled with signal ability, and was the first wo- man in this country to be honored with such an important place. Six years more and her fine ■ career tragically ended. Margaret Fuller was the contemporary of Emerson, Hawthorne, Channing, Alcott, Ripley, Longfellow, Lowell, Bayard Taylor and other well known authors, divines ;md reformers who, from about 1830 onward, so enriched American letters and so profoundly influenced the na- tional thought. Not only was she their con- temporary, but she personally knew them and. included them in her list of personal friends — in the case of Lowell, at least, until in the columns of The Tribune she had reviewed some of his poems and criticised them adversely, even denying to him the poetic faculty, whereupon Lowell retaliated in his "Fable for Critics," in which Miranda, "the tiring woman to the Muses," is Margaret Fuller. The summer of 1843 Miss Fuller spent in travel, mainly on the lakes and in Illinois and Wisconsin, the only long journey she ever took in her own country. She went by boat from Buffalo to Chicago. From there the traveling party was made up, besides herself, of James Freeman Clarke and his sister Sarah, of the East, and a brother, William H. Clarke, of Chi- cago, under whose guidance the four proceeded. Her account of the journey in her first book, "Summer on the Lakes," was a timely volume. It gave information at first hand of what was then the "Far West," a region in which the peo- ple of the East were at that time — the end of the decade following the Black Hawk War — man- ifesting their greatest interest, but concerning which accurate information had been meager, and genuine appreciation even less. Margaret Fuller's pages had both, conveyed in lucid Eng- lish, often becoming elegant through an ample vocabulary, apt similes and historical allusions that were the fruit of wide reading and varied research. In certain of its aspects the volume reads as if, instead of having been written sixty-five years ago, it were the narrative of a much earlier date, because of the primitive life it depicts. The mode of travel from Chicago was by lumber wagon, "loaded," says the author, "with everything we might want, in case nobody would give it to us — ■ for buying and selling were no longer to be counted on." The first evening found them at Geneva, where they remained Saturday and Sun- day, and where they heard, "with his attentive and affectionate congregation, the Unitarian clergyman," a form of church services common in New England, but which it surprises one to learn was found anywhere in Illinois at the time ; then proceeding by Ross's Grove to Paw Taw Grove, consuming several days, and spend- ing one afternoon and night at the house of an HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 70: Englishman, where "the young ladies were mus- ical and spoke French fluently, having been edu- cated in a convent." At the latter grove they "put up" at the tavern. Their experience is re- counted thus : "That night we rested, or rather tarried, at Paw Paw Grove, and there partook of the miseries, so often jocosely portrayed, of bedchambers for twelve, a milk dish for univer- sal hand basin, and expectations that you would use and lend your 'hankercher' for a towel. But this was the only night, thanks to the hospital- ity of private families, that we passed thus. . . We ladies were to sleep in the bar-room, from which its drinking visitors could be ejected only at a late hour. . . . We had also rather hard couches (mine was the supper table) ; but we were altogether too much fatigued to stand upon trifles, and slept as sweetly as we would in the ^bigly bower' of any baroness." The narrative then continues as follows: "In the afternoon we reached the Rock River, in whose neighborhod we proposed to make some stay, and crossed at Dixon's Ferry. "The first place where we stopped was one of singular beauty, a beauty of soft, luxuriant -wildness. It was on the bend of the river, a place chosen by an Irish gentleman, whose ab- senteeship seems of the wisest kind, since, for a sum which would have been but a drop of water to the thirsty fever of his native land, he com- mands a residence that has all that is desirable, in its independence, its beautiful retirement, and means of benefit to others." This was Hazelwood, better known as the "Governor Charters Place," situated several miles north of Dixon. In her poem, "The West- ern Eden," indited while there, Margaret Ful- ler says, "Blest be the kindly genius of the scene ; The river, bending in unbroken grace, The stately thickets, with their pathways green, Fair, lonely trees, each in its fittest place." Hazelwood remained much as Margaret Fuller describes it for many years after. Latterly it came into the possession of the late Charles Hughes of Dixon, and now belongs to his estate. The party tarrted here three days, and then moved on to Oregon, their principal objective point in Illinois, because there then lived in Ore- gon an uncje of Margaret Fuller. This was William W. Fuller, a practicing attorney of the Ogle County Bar. After being graduated from Harvard, and then having read law, he followed his profession in the East for a time, and upon the advice of Governor Ford, came west to Ore- gon. At the date of his niece's visit he was un- married; hence the fact of Miss Fuller staying at the house of his friends, the Henshaws. These were people from the north of Ireland, given to hospitality, fond of outdoor life and of gay times, who lived on the east bank of Rock River, north of Oregon and opposite the present Fair Grounds, where a clump of fine elms still marks the location of the "double log cabin" that to the eye of the distinguished guest was "the model of a Western villa." They built a "sod fence," after the manner of those common in the north of Ireland, consisting of an earth embankment with a ditch on the inner side, and which can still be traced along the east side of the high- way leading north from the location of their house, at and beyond the turn of the road from the river, as one enters the woods in driving to Mr. Wallace Heckman's summer home. The Henshaw family and "Governor" Charters were intimate friends and visited back and forth fre- quently. "Leaving Hazelwood, we proceeded a day's journey along the beautiful stream, to a little town named Oregon." . . "At Oregon, the beauty of the scene was of even a more sumptuous character than at our former 'stopping-place.' Here swelled the river in its boldest course, interspersed by halcyon isles on which Nature had lavished all her prod- igality in tree, vine, and flower, banked by noble bluffs, three hundred feet high, their sharp ridges as exquisitely definite as the edge of a shell; their summits adorned with those same beautiful trees, and with buttresses of rich rock, crested with old hemlocks, which wore a touching and antique grace amid the softer and more luxuriant vegetation." . . . "The aspect of this country was to me enchant- ing beyond any I have ever seen, from its full- ness of expression, its bold and impassioned sweetness. Here the flood of emotion has passed over and marked everywhere its course by a smile. The fragments of rock touch it with a wildness and liberality which give just the need- ed relief. I should never be tired here, though I have elsewhere seen country of more secret and alluring charms, better calculated to stim- ulate and suggest. Here the eye and the heart are filled." "This beautiful stream flows full and wide 708 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. over a bed of rocks, traversing a distance of near two hundred miles to reach the Mississippi. Great part of the country along its banks is the finest region of Illinois, and the scene of some of the latest romance of Indian warfare. To these beautiful regions Black Hawk returned with his band 'to pass the summer,' when he drew upon himself the warfare in which he was finally vanquished. No wonder he could not resist the longing, unwise though its indulgence might be, to return in summer to this home of beauty." "Of Illinois, in general, it has often been re- marked, that it bears the character of country which has been inhabited by a nation skilled like the English in all the ornamental arts of life, especially in landscape-gardening. The villas and castles seem to have been burned, the enclo- sures taken down, but the velvet lawns, the flow- er gardens, stately parks, scattered at graceful intervals by the decorous hand of art, the fre- quent deer, and the peaceful herd of cattle that make the picture of the plain, all suggest more of the masterly mind of man, than the prodigal, but careless, motherly love of Nature. Especial- ly is this true of the Rock River country. The river flows through these parks and lawns, then betwixt high bluffs, whose grassy ridges are cov- ered with fine trees, or broken with crumbling stone, that easily assumes the forms of buttress, arch, and clustered columns. Along the face of such crumbling rocks, swallows' nests are clus- tered thick as cities, and eagles and deer do not disdain their summits. One morning, out in the boat along the base of these rocks, it was amus- ing, and affecting too, to see these swallows put their heads out to look at us. There was some- thing very hospitable about it. as if man had never shown himself a tyrant near there. What a morning that was ! Every sight is worth twice as much by the early morning light. We borrow something of the spirit of the hour to look upon them. "Two of the boldest bluffs are called the Deer's Walk (not because deer do not walk there) and the Eagle's Nest. The latter I visit- ed one glorious morning : it was that of the fourth of July, and certainly I think I had never felt so happy that I was born in America. Woe to all country folks that never saw this spot, never swept an enraptured gaze over the prospect that stretched beneath. I do believe Rome and Florence are suburbs compared to this capital of Nature's art." Margaret Fuller's poem, "Ganymede to His Eagle," was "composed on the height called the Eagle's Xest," and, it is said, under the old gnaried (and now dead) cedar still to be seen there. In Grecian mythology Ganymede suc- ceeded Hebe as cup-bearer to Zeus, and by him was at times directed to minister to his eagle, whose strength and power of flight Zeus employ- ed to carry off the beautiful boy from earth to heaven. The Greeks placed Ganymede among the stars as Aquarius, or "water-bearer." The following lines are taken from the poem : "A hundred times, at least, from the clear spring, Since the full moon o'er hill and valley glowed, I've filled the vase which our Olympian king Upon my care for thy sole use bestowed; That, at the moment when thou shouldst descend, A pure refreshment might thy thirst attend." Miss Fuller's friends "had prepared a little fleet to pass over to the Fourth of July celebra- tion, which some queer drumming and fifing from the opposite bank had announced to be 'on hand.' " "We found the free and independent citizens there collected beneath the trees, among whom many a round Irish visage dimpled at the usual puffs of 'Ameriky.' " "The orator was a New-Englander, and the speech smacked loudly of Boston, but was receiv- ed with much applause and followed by a plenti- ful dinner, provided by and for the Sovereign People, to which Hail Columbia served as grace. "Returning, the gay flotilla cheered the little flag which the children had raised from a log- cnbin, prettier than any President ever saw, and drank the health of our country and all man- kind, with a clear conscience." Mrs. Amanda Woolley Peck, daughter of Isaac i-'i. Woolley, respected pioneer settler of Oregon Township, is, perhaps, the only person still resid- ing in Oregon who saw and remembers Miss Ful- ler. As a little girl, she was present at the Fourth of July celebration and picnic of 1843, which, she says, was held on the river bank, near the ferry, about where the bridge now crosses, and she saw Miss Fuller with her friends "come down the river in skiffs." They remained for the picnic dinner. The week's stay at Oregon and in the Henshaw home was one of enjoyment to Miss Fuller in HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 709 every way. Concerning the latter she exclaims : "In this charming abode what laughter, what sweet thoughts, what pleasing fancies, did we not enjoy! May such never desert those who reared it, and made us so kindly welcome to all its pleasures !" But the time for her departure arrived, and she says : "The 6th of July we left this beautiful place. It was one of those rich days of bright sunlight, varied by the purple shadows of large, sweeping clouds. Many a backward look we cast, and left the heart behind." "Farewell, ye soft and- sumptuous solitudes! Ye fairy distances, ye lordly woods, I go, — and if I never more may steep An eager heart in your enchantments deep, Yet ever to itself that heart may say, Be not exacting ; thou hast lived one day." Returning to her eastern home, Miss Fuller 1 spent several months in preparing for the press the narrative of her journey, "Summer on the Lakes," before mentioned, spending many hours of study in the Harvard College Library. "The book," says her latest biographer, "yielded noth- ing to the author save copies to give away." Nevertheless it has lived longer than most books of travel, and is read with interest today, be- cause instead of being merely statistical, its pages abound in observations and reflections that "picture the new scenes for the mind's eye." In December, 1844, Miss Fuller became the lit- erary critic of the New York Tribune and a mem- ber of Mr. Greeley's household. She contributed besides book reviews, numerous original articles, and the variety and depth of her knowledge, the' range of her sympathies, and her keen, penetra- ting and profound comments upon life have not been surpassed in similar work since her day, not forgetting the excellence of the work done by her successor, George Ripley. A year and a half later she went with friends to travel in Europe, the while writing letters to the Tribune. The first twelve months were spent in England, Scotland, and France, with a short stay in Rome. She met Thomas Oarlyle, Eliza- beth Barrett, Robert Browning, James Martineau, Beranger, George Sand, and, most of all, Mazzini, then in exile for his liberal political principles, but unalterably devoted to the freedom of his native Italy, who inspired Miss Fuller with the hope of an Italian republic, and whom she was to meet so soon in his own land and capital city. (n the year 1847, after spending the summer in Switzerland, Miss Fuller established herself in Rome. The causes which led to the Italian Rev- olution of 1848 were then at work, and appealed to the young American woman's love of liberty. To throw off Papal rule and establish a republic at once enlisted her sympathy. It chanced that she now made the acquaintance of Marquis Os- soli, youngest son of an old Italian family of rank, all of whom, excepting himself, were adherents of the Pope, while he was a revolutionist and Captain of the Civic Guard of Rome. The ac- quaintance ripened into friendship and love, and in December, 1847. Margaret Fuller became Mar- chioness Ossoli. Her husband remained at his post. He was stationed during the sharpest of the hostilities on the Pincian Hill. With the entry into Rome of the French, who had es- poused the Papal claim, the revolution terminat- ed in defeat, and it became necessary for Ossoli, and none the less his wife, whose pen had aided the patriot cause, to leave Rome. They went to Rieti and later to Florence. At the former place in September, 1848, when Ossoli had returned to Rome, a son was born to them, and named Ange- lo Phillip Eugene Ossoli. Margaret Fuller Ossoli employed her pen in writing a history of the Italian Revolution, which ' it was decided should be published in America, upon a visit there soon to be made. Ossoli had to forego such patrimony as would have been his had not his country's cause taken the turn it did, and as his wife had but little means, their plans for the voyage to the United States led them, in order to save expense, to embark, May 19, 1850, on the merchant vessel, the Elizabeth, bound for Philadelphia from Leghorn. The voyage was a long and trying one. "The world seemed to go strangely wrong." The captain sickened and died of smallpox. Baby Ossoli took the disease but was nursed back to Jiealth. At Gibraltar they were detained in quarantine. Finally when land and home were in sight, in the early morning of July 19th, during a terrific gale that had begun twenty-four hours before, and which, unknown to the second mate, had. carried them sixty miles out of their course, the ship ran upon the rocks off Fire Island, just below New York. By after- noon, after waiting in vain for the storm to sub- side, or the life-saving crew on the nearby coast to come to their assistance, and when about to commit themselves, as a last hope, to such safety as clinging to a plank might give among the no HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. tossing waves, the devoted three, along with the steward and several others of the crew, were swept from the forecastle by the heavy seas, and perished. The shipwreck, with its attendant agony and despair, that cost the lives of a loving family, from one of whom the promise to American liter- ature was sure to add valuable achievements to excellent work already accomplished, makes as sad reading as any of which the writer knows. Years after Margaret Puller Ossoli's sojourn among them, the people of Oregon took steps that have specially aided" in perpetuating her memory. They walled up with substantial and attractive masonry the beautiful spring at the foot of Eagle's Nest Bluff, named by her "Gany- mede's Spring," and placed above it the marble tablet on which are inscribed the fact of her visit and the naming of the spring. The large island on Rock River just below the spring was at the same time fitted up for summer pleasures and named Margaret Fuller Island. Among the men most active in these memorial matters were the late Dr. H. A. Mix and Col. B. F. Sheets. A day, September 17, 1880, having been set apart for dedicating the spring and the island to •Oregon's literary patroness, many people assem- bled at the pavilion erected on the island, and, after listening to a program of addresses, poems and music, spent the remainder of the day in a general picnic. Among several letters read as having been received in answer to an invitation to bo present, was the following : "Concord, Mass., September 7, 1880. "Dear Sir : — You honor me by your note of in- vitation to attend the dedication of Margaret Fuller Island, at your Oregon, in the distant Illi- nois. In this celebration of a noble representa- tive American woman and author of wide repute, your townsfolk confer a lasting honor on them- selves and on the spot they dedicate to her ge- nius. Should it happen that I find myself in your near neighborhood during the coming autumn or winter, I should not willingly pass by without paying my respects to yourself and neighbors. "With my acknowledgments for your kind invi- tation, I am, "Very truly yours, "A. Bronson Alcott." The following is a copy of the inscription cut upon the marble tablet placed at Ganymede Spring at this time during the summer of tne year 1880 : GANYMEDE'S SPRING, named by Margaret Fuller (Countess D'Ossoli),. who named this bluff EAGLE'S NEST, and, beneath the cedars on its crest, wrote "Ganymede to His Eagle," July 4, 1843. CHAPTER XX. THE ARTISTS' COLONY. GANYMEDE AND EAGLE'S NEST HISTORY OP THE COLONY — AUTHORS AND ARTISTS WHO HAVE MADE IT THEIR SUMMER HOME OTHER NOTED VISITORS ROCK RIVER SCENERY INTERESTING EVENTS — RENT-PAYING CEREMONY — ■ BEAUVOIR THE GRANGE MC KENNEY'S ISLAND. Mr. Wallace Heckman, of Chicago and "Gany- mede;" may truly be considered one of the pio- neers of Ogle County, though of a later time, day, and purpose. „ Like another -SDneas, it was he, "Troiae qui primus ab oris Italiam fato profugus Laviniaque venit Litora," with family and friends, to make a home amid the sweetness and glory of the outdoor frag- rance and bloom, and to enjoy the picturesque richness of "the beauty of Rock River." It was in the year of 1892 that the attention of Mr. Heckman was directed by a friend to the tract of fine, wooded land, a natural forest, which he afterward purchased, and upon a bold bluff of which, commanding a sweeping view of a wide and magnificent stretch of river and region, he built a home to live in when the voice of the country calls the dweller of the city thence. The house constructed for this first summer home was built of Naperville cut-stone. A good quality of stone for other purposes, however, is 1 ■ HI * ^B ■ i.~ r- Jlfr ' ly . Je I! ;> l£ wttffam ' - "^Jt •J.^,.,. !^^hH^ L , Jfe "x*^" ^ 1 sir /" J ^3 1 ■'■mm^^ ;SH MR. AND MRS. ISAAC A. FISH HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 711 obtained from a quarry along the roadway with- in the confines of the tract. Though not in the mind of the owner at the time of purchase, the tract forms an ideal place for an artist-colony. The ridge included within its. boundaries is the famous "Eagle's Nest Bluff," holding near its crest above the steep river-side, the craggy rocks where is the gnarled and aged group of cedars, once the home of the eagle. In the tract, too, is contained the spring which bears the name of the beauteous youth who was cup-bearer to the Great Jove, King of the Gods, according to the classic myths of the Greeks and Romans — once a part of their religious belief. It includes, too, the island named for the gifted writer, of tragic fate, whose name and fame are indis- solubly linked with nest, bluff and spring. It is especially fitting that the region, so early asso- ciated with literary genius, should become the later home of artists and authors, and that sixty years after her historic visit, in setting apart with ceremonious rites "Ganymede Spring" in memory of Margaret Fuller, her name and fame should thus be preserved in this connection. Writing, in answer to some questions regard- ing the settlement -of himself and the Artists' Colony by the side of Rock River, Mr. Heck- man, modestly omitting that it was owing to his wise thought and generosity that they chose this spot, so suitable for a summer home, says : "The artists' colony came in 1898 from a site on the shores of a pleasant lake in Indiana which turned out to be malarial. They had under consideration a location at the Dells in Wisconsin, but finally, after canvassing the mat- ter, selected Oregon. The following gentlemen took the somewhat permanent lease of the site : Lorado Taft, Ralph Clarkson, Oliver Dennett Grover, Charles Francis Browne, Henry D. Ful- ler, Hamlin Garland, Horace Spencer Fiske, James Spencer Dickerson, Allen B. Pond, Irving K. Pond, Clarence Dickinson. "Their enjoyment of their summer home there, the charming company of friends — writers, sculp- tors, painters, musical men and women, archi- tects, naturalists, scientists, and others engaged in kindred interesting occupations who constant- ly come and go — and the extent to which they have made the striking features of the Rock River Country known, are now matters of com- mon knowledge, as well as the fact that they no longer regard themselves as visitors, but as a permanent part of our community." That they have not been idle is shown by the fact that it was there, as Mr. Heckman states, that "Mr. Garland wrote 'Her Mountain Lover' and the greater part of the 'Eagle's Heart' ; Mr. Taft produced a large part of his 'Solitude of the Soul,' 'The Blind' and other pieces of sculpture and wrote the 'History of American Sculpture,' while Prof. George S. Goodspeed, of the Univer- sity of Chicago, wrote a considerable part of his 'History of Ancient Civilization.' Mrs. Peattie, Miss Monroe, Miss Wallace, Mrs. Summers, Mr. Puller and H. S. Fiske have each done consid- erable writing on the bluff, while Mr. Clarkson has occupied his time very largely for recrea- tive purposes. Mr. Charles Francis Browne and Oliver Dennett Grover, on the other hand, have made Oregon quite famous with their brushes." The terms of the "somewhat permanent lease" alluded to by Mr. Heckman, appear to be chiefly for the benefit of residents of Oregon and Ogle County, as they include two lectures each year on art subjects, to be given by the lessees, to the people who live in the region. These lec- ture courses are presented at the Court House, under the management of the Public Library Board of Oregon, and almost all the members of the colony have, at one time and another, taken part in them, besides some of their tal- ented friends, the result being not only enter- taining but beneficial, extending the intellectual and artistic horizon of the hearers. One of the residents of the colony, whose Eng- lish is always charming for its felicity of ex- pression, has this to say about their location : "Our territory — just above Ganymede Spring and northwestward, completing the point of the plateau, with a bit of the ravine beyond — is said to contain thirteen acres ; but the whole land- scape is ours to enjoy, particularly the great panorama of the Rock River Valley, extending for miles up and down stream. The view from our heights, so exceptional in Illinois, is a con- stant source of inspiration to our painters. There is no important exhibition in Chicago which does not contain from one to a score of paintings of this picturesque region." Many residents will remember the tepee on the brow of the bluff, in which Mr. Garland wrote the stories referred to in the summer of 1899, just after the return from his Alaskan trip. It was during the same summer that the brilliant and realistic story-writer and a charming young sculptor of the colony found a romance of their 71.3 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. own, and the merry wedding bells pealed, later, tlipir "grand, sweet song." In the seclusion of the "outlook" library of Ganymede, Mr. Taf't prepared the manuscript for his work on the history of American sculp- ture. In this attic outlook, too, are the "extra quarters" for the entertainment of the overflow guests attracted by the genial hospitality of the owner and his wife and daughter. Many inter- esting visitors from afar have been entertained at Ganymede and Eagle's Nest Camp, among them Daniel H. Burnham, Charles L. Hutchin- son. Martin Ryersou, Robert Herrick, Ernest Thompson-Seton, Leonard Ochtman, Herrnon MacNeil, Cyrus Dallin, Madeline Yale Wynne, Elizabeth Wallace, Harriet Monroe, Lucy Pitch Perkins, Judge C. C. Kohlsaat, Fannie Bloom- field-Zeisler, George Barr MeC'utcheon, Ella AT. Peattie, the late Dr. William R. Harper and his family. Dr. and Mrs. Harry Pratt Judson, and Prof. Michelson, to whom was awarded in 1907 the Nobel Prize for physical research. Mr. Taft's group. "The Blind," is the outcome of a play, by Maurice Maeterlinck, "Les Aven- gles," given by the colony, in the original French, at the dusk of evening among the trees sloping down to the north from the studio of the sculp- tor. Mr. Taft is now at work upon a colossal statue of George Washington, which, when fin- ished, is to be placed upon the campus of the University of Washington at Seattle. This work has been carried on at his studio upon the bluff now for two summers, being transferred during the winter to his studio on the Midway. It is considered by competent judges that, since the death of Augustus St. Gaudens, Lorado Taft oc- cupies the foremost place among American sculp- tors, and it is expected that this figure of Wash- ington will rank equally with the great repre- sentation of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Park, executed by St. Gaudens. Mr. Taft is also at work upon a statue of Black Hawk, to be placed above Eagle's Nest, overlooking the valley. In this connection may be mentioned a num- ber of paintings which have been on exhibition in the Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, repre- senting scenes on Rock River. These include paintings to be seen a few years ago in the ex- hibit of Mr. Charles Francis Browne, and later some art works by Mr. Oliver Bennett Grov;er, nil of which tend to prove the beauty of Rock River scenery. At the time of the preparation of mat- ter for this chapter. Air. Ralph Clarkson, a suc- cessful and popular portrait painter, is build- ing a studio at the bluff and in the rear of the camp, where he contemplates doing summer work. Others who have been frequent visitors at the colony are. Mr. Horace Spencer Fiske. Professor of English Literature in the Univer- sity of Chicago and author of a volume of poems ; Jfr. AA r allace Heckman, Counsellor and Business Alanager of the University of Chicago; Mr. James Spencer Dickerson, for a number of years editor of "The Baptist Standard," Chicago, and the Pond Brothers— Allen B. and Irving K. — architects and designers of the Lowden home and the Oregon Public Library building. Of the house of Col. Lowden, William Herbert, in the "Archi- tectural Record" for October, 1897, thus writes: "The place of Col. Frank O. Lowden, at Ore- gon, 111., belongs to a class of country estates which are numerous in the East, but which are as yet comparatively rare in the West. It is an estate of large acreage, situated in a fine, well- wooded and well-watered country, which the ow-ner uses, not merely as a residence, but as a combination of dwelling and farm. Altogether it is one of the most convenient and compact plans which we have ever seen, and equally in- teresting is the sturdy simplicity of the treat- ment." The Oregon Library building is characterized by the same "sturdy simplicity" and will increase in architectural effect as time darkens its color- ing. It is not probable, however, that a similar satisfaction will be derived from the place of the location of the structure. An art room is a special feature of the library building. This ad- dition is due to the suggestion of the architects and artists of the colony. In October, 1908, oc- curred the initial exhibit in this art room, con- sisting of paintings by Mr. Leon A. Makielski, of Rock River scenery. From this exhibit the Ore- gon Woman's Council has placed the first picture in the art room. In the "Sunday Magazine" of the "Chicago Record-Herald," during the winter of 1908, ap- peared a wholesome story from the pen of Mrs. Peattie. This was entitled "The Girl from Grand Detour." and attracted the interest of many renders. The story was the result of a sum- mer's stay by Mr. and Mrs. Peattie at the camp in the vacant cottage of Air. Grover. In "The House Beautiful" for August, 1904. may be found an article by Miss Harriet Alonroe, de- scriptive of the artistic homes and surroundings HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. 713 of the residents at Eagle's Nest Bluff. The large Camp-House, designed by the Messrs. Pond for living-room and dining hall, is the central fea- ture of the house, and is a cheery gathering place with its generous fireplace and hospitable air. One of the events of the Camp is the observance of Labor Day. Much time and thought are given by the members of the colony to the preparation of costumes, banners, mottoes and transparencies, in true parade style. At the sunset hour, with the sound of trumpet, drum and bugle, the pro- cession sets forth, their objective point being the home 'of their "over-lord," and the climax of all this ceremony is their, paying to him their an- nual rent-money, Which is the sum of one dollar "in hand paid/' One of their transparencies, one year of financial depression over the country, read. "Work for the unemployed !" Among the other summer residents along Rock River are Dr. and Mrs. A. W. Hoyt, of Chicago. Their home in- cludes the well-known "Trask farm," beyond the "Second Narrows," and the fine stretch of wood- land extending south to Mud Creek. These new owners have made upon this tract a very attrac- tive summer home, which they have named "Beauvoir," often remaining in it over Thanks- giving and returning at Christmas-time to en- joy the winter pleasures of the region. "The Grange" is the river home of Mr. B. A. Laughl in, having been built by himself and his sister, Miss Hester B. Laughlin, now Mrs. C. B. Pfister, formerly of St. Louis. In this capacious and hospitable home both their old and their new friends have been entertained by them with gen- uine Southern cordiality and hospitality, and the river has been at times much enlivened by their canoes and boats, and river-side sports. This property adjoins Springvale Farm, and "The Bungalow" of Judge James H. Cartwright, and has upon it a large spring of fine water similar to Knox Spring, and just above it. Near the Grange on the hillside to the northwest also is the summer home of the Van Inwegen family. For a number of years, the "Dr. Mix Home" attracted many visitors each season to Oregon during the summer, where some of them have fince made permanent homes. Among these is Mr. L. Warmolts, who has replaced, with a sub- stantial cement dwelling, the home on the east bank of the river, near the Three Sisters, which was burned some time ago. Mr. C. M. Babbitt, of Chicago, has also built a residence in which to live all the year round, and takes an active part in the affairs of the region. AIcKenney's Island, now also called Elm Isle, a little distance south of Oregon, has latterly been the home of summer residents. Some years ago, the lower half of the island was purchased from Dr. George M. McKenney and Mr. Charles M. Gale, by a number of Mount Morris people and their friends, who added several cottages to the buildings already there, and formed the "Mount Morris Camp," having a commodious structure for a common living-room and dining room. To this camp, since its formation, have belonged the following: From Mount Morris, Mr. H. W. Cushing and family, Mr. R. C. McCredie and family, Mr. C. B. Price and family, Mr. George V. Farwell ; from Rock Island, Mr. A. D. Welch and family, and Mr. G. B. Canode ; from Rock- ford, Mr. A. E. Elmore and family ; from Ef- fingham, Mr. F. W. Hazelton ; from Tiskilwa, Mr. C. N. Pettigrew. Upon the upper half of the island the following have made a summer home : from Oregon, Mr. J. C. Seyster and family, Judge Frank E. Reed and family, Mr. W. H. Guilford, Mr. C. M. Gale and family, Mr. George Hopkins and family, Dr. George McKenney, Miss Jennie Dimon ; from Kewanee, Mr. R. H. Lamb and family ; from Rochelle, Mr. J. L. Spath and fam- ily. The summer residents on McKenney's Is- land have "kept house" with old-time generous hospitality, and the many visitors there have been given a cordial welcome. The latest summer home is that of the artist, Mr. A. D. Reed, on the east bank of the river, just above McKenney's Island. Mr. Reed for- merly lived in this vicinity, but his artistic work of illustrator has taken him to New York for a part of the year. In his present picturesque sur- roundings he finds abundant material for his sketches. The pen and ink sketch of the Wash- ington Grove Boulder, signed "A. D. T.," was made by Mr. Reed, and contributed by him, pur- posely for the use of this history. 714 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. CHAPTER XXI. PIONEER LIFE IN OGLE COUNTY.— PART I. LIFE IN OGLE COUNTY FROM 1838 TO 1845 REMI- NISCENCES OF THE LATE JOHN V. FARWELIi — OREGON CITY IN EMBRYO CONDITIONS AND METH- ODS OF PIONEER LIFE HUNTING AND GAME EARLY INDUSTRIES AND TRADES. (By the Late John V. Farwell.) The Farwell family moved from New York to this county in 1838, when "Oregon City" was the county seat, and was thus described by one who then saw it: "The great city of Oregon City, three houses and a smoke house." A most vivid recollection of Illinois is drawn from a "prairie schooner" containing the Farwell family, July, 1838, bound for Rock River. Old Fort Dearborn, erected to fight Indians, was then one of Chica- go's notable structures. The rest were mostly one and two-story wood buildings. There was a population of about 2,000. The journey to Rock River was over wild prai- ries, with here and there a stopping place for travellers at small groves of timber, of which there were very few ; so that it became a common saying, when no timber was in sight, that we were "out of sight of land." Arriving at our destination, the 20-foot square log house, in- stead of being prepared for our reception, was filled with garden truck, and our moving "prai- rie schooner" had still to do duty as our habita- tion until the house was cleaned and renovated. The next vivid picture upon the canvas of my memory is composed of two families in our log house, fourteen in number, all but my mother and the baby sick with chills and fever, and the doctor sitting on a trunk in the center dealing out medicine. Father was completely overcome with this dismal picture, and proposed to mother to go back to our old home in New York State as soon as we were well enough. Mother replied, "We have come here to make a home for ourselves and our children, and God helping us, we will stay and accomplish our purpose." This settled it, and Father said to the doctor : "All these depend on me for support, and you must cure me at once for that purpose." The necessity of the situation opened the way for the doctor and Providence to effect his cure, and only one of the 14 found a grave before a new commodious log house was finished, so that each family had a roof of its own. In the meantime some of us were real shakers, for the fever and ague did not leave us for months. To see us shake with the chills was a moving picture not to be produced in any other way. [Mr. Farwell here alludes to the episode of the war between the "Prairie Bandits" and the "Regulars," which resulted in the lynching of the Driscolls, but as this is told in another chapter, it is not neces- sary to repeat it here.] In the winter of 1838-39 Indians, moving out of Illinois into Iowa, camped near our home. They got some whisky, instead of the gospel, from some of these frontier human fiends, and two were killed in a drunken brawl. I visited their camp and, for the first time, saw the In- dians who once populated all North America. They had caught some muskrats and I saw them cook and eat those animals. They dug a hole in the ground, put in it a raw skin of some kind, filled it with water, then heated some stones red hot and put them in the water with the muskrats, whole, making it boil until they were cooked. Then the Indians ate them, entrails and all, with an appetite that proved that "the survival of the fittest" had made them competent to feed on such diet. Sports. — It is not to be supposed that the early settlers of Illinois were without sports or recre- ation. The vast prairies were so full of prairie chickens that, in the breeding season, their mu- sic was heard on every breeze. The scanty for- ests were crowded with squirrels, raccoons and deer. Beautiful Rock River swarmed with enough fish to feed a continent. Black bass, as game as speckled trout, and catfish weighing from one to 70 pounds, were always obtainable in their season. There were no $20 rods to be had, and there was no money to buy them with if there had been such rods ; but a spear for night work, and a hook and line and pole that did the business in the daylight, were imported from Chicago. Sup- pose we accompany the farmers' boys on a night fray. They are in a boat provided with an iron grate in front to hold a torch made of hickory bark. Proceeding slowly up stream, it is not long OLD SETTLERS, BARBER'S PARK, 1898 OLD SETTLERS, MT. MORRIS, 1894 DAVID HOFFHINE C. K. WILLIAMS I. S. KNOWLTON ANGUS BAIN HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 715 before they strike a 20-pound pickerel, which struggles for freedom with such force as to break the spear handle. However, enough of the fiber remains intact to land the fish on the bot- tom of the boat. Numerous smaller fish are ob- tained after that; then a 20-pound catfish is caught on the spear. When landed inside the boat, its strength was sufficient to make havoc of our seat with its swinging tail, reminding its cap- tors that it must be thrust under the gunwale in front or it would soon unload the boat of all the smaller fish. That ends the night's sport, which has resulted iu the capture of two fish weighing forty pounds, and enough smaller ones to bring up the total catch to 100 pounds. Black bass were caught from a high rock rising 50 to T5 feet out of the river. The eddying cur- rent below made it ideal fishing ground. Bass weighing from two to five pounds could always be had in season for the effort of catching them, and no finer fish swam than those taken from the clear, cold water of Rock River. Catfish were also caught with hook and line. One hallelujah Methodist, with less common sense than noise, hooked a 70-pounder, and drawing it ashore, be- came very religious, making the welkin ring with his "Glory Hallelujah!" It is the only instance I know in which a catfish was the means of a religious inspiration. Prairie chickens, raccoons and deer supplied meat for the early settlers, at the same time giving the hardy frontiersmen plenty of exercise as well as sport. Suppose we go out with the same party with "coon" dogs for a night's hunt. Soon we hear the barking of the dogs, informing us that the unwary raccoons are, by invitation of the dogs, up a tree, waiting for us to take care of them. That is done in the following fashion : The most handy climber mounts the tree and with a club, knocks the raccoons insensible, so that they let go their hold and drop to the ground, where the dogs form a reception com- mittee as noisy as a brass hand. To this uproar the "coon" adds his unavailing protest against a personal attack. Incidents of this sort are repeated several times and then the journey home begins, which is interrupted by an extraordinary incident. A deer that has been sleeping among the top branches of a fallen tree attempts to rise and run just as the dogs are passing. It gets entangled in the tree limbs and so becomes an easy prey to the dogs. Never before have the "coon" dogs captured a deer. Thus fresh meat is supplied to the house for a month without drawing on the farmyard. Not infrequently, when snow was on the ground, the deer traveled in droves of from 3 to 20, going from one grove to another. I remem- ber seeing a drove of 20 deer passing in front of a farmer's house. A boy named Charlie Farwell, with a shotgun loaded with three bullets large enough to fill the barrel, started for them up a steep hill after they had passed the brow. Ar- riving at that point, he raised his gun and fired, whereupon he suddenly turned several somer- saults backwards down the hill. His gun went off at both ends effectually. The muzzle of it had taken in two inches of snow in the ascent and was blown off at that point when he fired. Nothing daunted by his mishap, he hurried back to his shooting position and on to where the deer had been when he shot at them. There he found a great deal of blood on the snow. He followed the trail into a hazel thicket, but there it was lost. Consequently he concluded that he had merely drawn blood by a slight wound. But the following night was made hideous by the howling and quarrelling of a pack of wolves that was holding high carnival over the carcass of the deer. Another search by daylight revealed the bones that were the only relics of the wolves' re- past. Prairie chickens hardly ever graced the tables of the early settlers. Without hunting dogs, prai- rie chickens were hard to get. They could al- ways hide in the grass during the summer and fall, and during the winter they took to the trees in great flocks, where they could spy the hunter before he could get within gunshot. When hunting dogs took in the situation a few years later, there was plenty of magnificent fun and there were also feasts that kings might have been proud of, whenever time could be spared from the farm work to make a raid on the chickens. "Sport," the dog already referred to, was a watch dog. When wolves howled around the house that he had to guard, he howled back at them, the information that he was on duty. Such scenes, intermingled with raising corn for fuel and food, making brick, and a wagon to transport them, together with constructing log cabin furniture and similar employments, made life as picturesque as any modern city could make it. At the same time were produced brain and brawn which, with our boundless prairies of 716 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. exceptional fertility, commingled to give us such men as Lincoln and Grant, and such a wealth of agricultural products as served very soon to make Chicago the center of the Northwest. Judging by the past, this city will one day be the center of the world, by the force of natural wealth, utilized for general distribution. Sixty-seven years in Illinois has witnessed more of progress than a like period in any other country the world has ever seen ; and a look over one's shoulder at the Indian camp, and at old Fort Dearborn when in Chicago, built as a de- fense against the Indians from the standpoint of today, makes one feel that his memories must certainly be only the wild creations of a dis- eased imagination instead of sober facts. We came in time to see the Indians leave this marvelous country, and now over 3,000,000 white people have taken their place. The new log mansion was hardly finished before Rev. Mr. Mit- chell, a Presiding Elder of the M. E. Church, made a meeting house of it, and the whole country for miles around came together for religious services. Rock River Seminary, at Mt. Morris, the protege of the M. E. Church, soon sprang into being, and in it Henry Farwell, my father, took a deep in- terest; and here I spent several winters before going to Chicago, keeping "bachelor's hall" in a little brick cabin built for that purpose, and ac- quired such an education as that institution could give. This, with the robust constitution acquired in work on the farm, was splendid capital with which to start business in after years in Chicago. Let us take a look into one log cabin. First, chairs, tables and bedsteads are needed, with only an axe, several augers, a saw and a draw- shave for tools, and green timber for material. The corners of the cabin are taken for the loca- tion of beds and only one post is required for two side pieces, the other two sides being fixed to the logs of the cabin, which made a very firm foundation for one or more occupants, according to size, and with room underneath for a lower story of beds. Chairs and tables are also in due time evolved from the same materials, with the same tools, and a well-furnished frontiersman's home stands before you. One singular fact is that we had a labor union in those early days. Wihenever a man had his logs drawn for a house the neighbors all came together and rolled them into a house, without charge, except a good dinner which always meant enough. Labor unions now seem to think that no one but a member has any right to work for a living, saying nothing about building a neigh- bor's house for a dinner only. The Farwell family lived some distance from the brickyard, and how to get the brick to the chosen location was a puzzle, as it would not do to use the lumber wagon, which was the only "go- to-meeting" conveyance in the country. So en- terprising home-made mechanics evolved wheels from a tree three feet in diameter, sawing them off to make them two feet wide and working holes through them for an axle made of a small hickory tree. Thus a wagon grew from a mental evolution of all its parts subjected to the same tools that furnished the log cabin. A look at this wagon with 1,000 bricks on it, greased with home-made soft soap, and drawn by three yoke of oxen, was another moving picture that would capture any cosmopolitan assembly, if it could only be reproduced in Burton Holmes' lectures. But what about farm work and farm products to support such luxurious homes and churches? Imagine a prairie plow drawn by four yoke of oxen, attended by two men, getting two acres a day ready for a crop of sod corn, that would pro- duce 10 to 30 bushels to the acre, and when the crop was ready for use, finding it the cheapest fuel you could get, both for your fireplace and for your stomach. It is not hard work to imag- ine also that diamonds, silks, satins and broad- cloths would never be dreamed of as any part of the luxuries of that day. Calico dresses and sheep's gray clothing were the luxuries most ap- preciated. And yet there were royal society functions in those days, when the young men could take their sweethearts to social gatherings on horseback — the girls rjding behind and being compelled to make of their lovers an anchor for safety, by hanging on with arms of strength if not of af- fection. The young man who could steal a march on all his comrades by engaging the only side-saddle in town for his female companion's use, was not envied as much as he might have been, as the one-horse vehicle afforded much the better chance for a lively conversation, just as private as a wide prairie could make it. When the old people were in search of social enjoyment, the "prairie schoner," with sails all furled and laid away, was seated with boards across the box and as many families as could be mustered on the same road to make a full cargo HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 71? were gathered up on the way to the rendezvous, and no charge was made by the captain of the "schooner." It was a free pass, and there was no law against it, either. Another thing : there was more real pleasure extracted from an evening's entertainment at a farmer's home, than in the millionaire showdowns of our great cities of today. Industrial combinations and labor unions in Illinois began not alone with the rolling of logs into a house by men of a community without cost to the owner, except a good dinner. One family of boys started a basket factory with the primi- tive tools of the settlers and a few young white oak trees, to supply the farmers' demand for im- plements for handling corn, which was the main product of the farm. Those boys had learned the trade in New York State in helping an old man in his work, and now, out on the frontier, what they sowed in kindness they reaped in stock in trade, representing an income very much appre- ciated by the family, while the baskets were a benefaction to farmers in handling crops, thus making the factory very popular. Imagine white oak saplings, through the ne- cromancy of brains, muscle and a little early training, turned into transportation facilities that made an income for the boys and a joy forever to the farmer, who needed just such an addition to his implements for the production and disposi- tion of his crops. This was the modus operandi : A sapling was cut and split into lengths for ribs and splints and formed into regulation shape and lengths. These were then riven into thicknesses suitable for weaving the baskets of the sizes de- sired, and soon an assortment of all sizes was ready for the market. There was never a strike in that basket factory, and the division of pro- ceeds was on the most liberal scale. The whole family shared in them, except the proceeds of one basket (full size) which the junior member of the firm took to town on a trading excursion to obtain a jackknife for his individual use. The basket was cheap at $1.50, and the merchant de- manded it for the knife, which probably cost him not over 15 cents. Here is ■where capital in that early day took advantage of labor, and yet there was no strike and no mob as a result. The boy pocketed the knife instead of revenge, and went home to whittle out the loss into a great gain in an improved instrument for doing the fine work in basket-making. No tariff was needed in those early days to pro- tect home Industries, but it was absolutely nec- essary occasionally to import from Chicago a few luxuries like tea, coffee, sugar and calico, which home industries could not produce, and to sell enough farm products to provide the purchase money. The first export was several sleigh-loads of dressed pork, in a bitter cold winter, the drivers of the sleighs going together for mutual protection. The reader will imagine himself one of the drivers, in the middle of a prairie, twenty miles across, and his ears assailed by the clamor of a howling, hungry pack of wolves which have surrounded the caravan, having scented fresh meat as a most desirable repast. If they had been the big gray wolves, there might have been a tragedy. There was a hotel and a good fire more hospitable than the grove where that wolf-beleaguered party arrived on the hither edge of that twenty mile prairie. After three more days of good sleighing, the pork was sold at $1.50 a hundred pounds, $30 for a ton. But $30 was a big sum in those days even with tea $1 a pound, coffee 50 cents, sugar 25 cents and calico 25 cents a yard, and the whole proceeds of the sale in purchases could be put into the smallest basket produced by the home factory. This picture would not be complete without a look at a summer trip to market to sell wheat and get trimmings and finishing lumber for a brick cottage mentioned on a previous page. There were no bridges in those days and the numberless sloughs were more troublesome than live streams. To cope with these it was necessary to land one load of wheat at a time on the Chicago side of the slough with several teams. On arriving in Chicago the wheat was sold for 45 cents a bushel, or $18 for the load, with six good hard days to make it. The wheat was hoisted into the second story of a store at the corner of State and South Water streets with a rope elevator, and carried back 40 feet to a bin prepared to receive it. The merchant who bought the wheat pulled at the rope with the farmer boys who sold it. Armour's elevator is somewhat more effective, handling a few more bushels a day. Railroads, with 60 cars in a train and car- rying 80,000 bushels from Rock River in five nours, now afford a somewhat improved method of transportation. Capital and labor combined may be credited with the transformation. Before rail- roads were built by capital the great possibilities of labor in making the Northwest a great empire 718 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. were among the mysteries of God's law of unde- veloped evolution. My recollection is that the first brick house in Ogle county was the product of home manufac- ture, from the brick to the wagon that trans- ported them. We were quite proud of this out- growth of an enforced tariff. We had no visions of "free" trade in those days, for we had no cash to meet balances of trade, and so had to work out our own salvation from every want that stared us in the face. Illinois was the pioneer State of the great Northwest in transforming into farms wild prai- rie lands covered with grass and flowers. As the prairies were boundless, this was not the work of a year, but of many years. If these fertile plains had been covered with forests instead of grass and flowers, like Ohio and other States in the East, this transformation would have requir- ed a century of time and an expenditure of labor and capital sufficient to span the continent with a first-class, thoroughly equipped railroad. But the farmers had to wait many years be- fore these farms meant anything to them more than a home, not because they did not raise good crops 'of all kinds, but because it cost as much to market in Chicago all that could not be eaten at home, as it brought if the labors of team and driver were counted for anything. Let us picture, if we can, the amount of labor necessary to produce 40 bushels of wheat, or one wagon load, and market it: Plowing two acres, man and team one day, say $2.00 Seed, sowing and harrowing 1.00 Harvesting, two men, one day 2.00 Threshing, horses and men, by treading out on the ground and winnowing in the wind 4.00 Team and man, six days, to market in Chicago 12.00 Feed for man and team, six days 3.00 Total $24.00 Sold in Chicago for $18.00 The men who did the plowing and harvesting with the implements of that day were exhausted at the end of a day's work by holding a plow and walking behind it, or swinging a cradle to cut the grain. Now the plow holds itself, and gives the man a spring seat to ride on, and the wheat is sown and cut with machinery on which one man rides, drives a team and sows 15 or 20 acres. When the grain is ripe one man and team with a reaper cuts and binds 15 acres in a day. Accidents will happen in the use of the com- monest utensils, as well as of complicated ma- chinery- I remember an ambitious farmer's boy who imagined he could cradle. In his first swing of that harvesting machine, he slashed a three- inch cut in the calf of his leg. This kind of har- vest required a surgeon, and his older brother hurried to the house for thread and needle, and sewed up the cut in the same fashion that he sewed on the buckskin cover of a baseball, with- out any anaesthetics, either. The only possible way to harvest crops with cradle and rake was by means of an excellent labor union among farmers and their boys, to gather the fields that were first ripe. Such an aggregation of labor thus employed made the work comparatively easy, as there were wide- awake ones that were weeks ahead of their neigh- bors in plowing and sowing ; then others graded down to the "slow coach," always behind his fel- lows. So a little army of laborers, going from one farm to another as the crops were ripe, made it one of the most successful labor unions I ever saw. There was no walking delegate, to be sure, warning all hands to quit because some one was at work who did not belong to the union. The only ones that had any right to complain were the farmers' wives, who had to feed this little army ; but even here installments in the cooking line from the neighbors' reserve forces were al- ways ready to help feed their own families at an- other man's table, as it would soon be their turn to be the principal providers for that army when their wheat was ready for harvest. The McCormick and Deerings were the natural products of these western prairies. They saw that it was not possible to harvest by hand, these vast regions of grain, and so they set their brains to work to produce reapers. They are the bene- factors of not only the farmer but everybody who consumes farm products, giving one an easy time in raising endless quantities of wheat, and the other a much cheaper price for his daily bread. The reaper lias now surrounded the globe with its cheap food music, and enabled the husband- man to educate and clothe his family like a prince, while the man who, in the long ago, had no reaper and had to sell wheat for less than labor cost, had to get his children educated with as many difficulties as he encountered in farming. One farmer's boy worked in a brick-yard to HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 719 earn brick enough to build a one-story house 16 feet square, in which to board himself and obtain a seminary education after having been gradu- ated in the common school near home. The sem- inary, the first one in the northern part of Illi- nois, gave to the State one Governor, several Congressmen, one Senator, a General in the army under Lincoln and Grant, and ministers ad libitum. Our first church service was in our doctor's cabin. The furniture was two double beds and some wooden benches, and the organ was a live one, the doctor's wife. The minister was Luke Hitchcock, who drove 21 miles, and preached 15 minutes, with a class meeting to follow. The au- dience was unique, more children than adults, but the music filled the room with a symphony of real worship that no hired choir can begin to equal, for it was a heart, as well as a vocal or- chestra, when "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," was sung as only my mother could sing it, and re- minded me of that voiceless music of the fog turned into a crown of silver and gold clouds, to crown the mountains, on my way to market in New York State. The next year, 1840, there was a camp-meeting in the grove near a fine spring, coming up from the ground, as if to remind them in answer to their request, like the woman at Jacob's well, "Give me of this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." A large number drank of that living water, among whom were the Farwell boys, two of whom have gone where they "thirst no more." My own father led me to the altar the next day after I had heard my sainted mother praying for me before retiring for the night. Another meeting that had important results was held near Mount Morris, at the time the corner stone of the seminary was laid. A Bishop and many ministers of high rank were present to celebrate that event. There was another in- teresting person present — an Indian minister of very fine appearance, who could sing to perfec- tion, making the forest ring with his music. Robert Hitt, then a very small boy, was one of the early students, his father being a prominent minister and an able supporter of the seminary. The problem of the young man of that day was to find opportunity to invest the capital of labor and ability for capital in cash, which was much more scarce than labor, and yet needed such partnership, as it always does and always will. In due time one of those boys concluded such a partnership at $8 a month and his board, with the promise of more if he earned it at the end of the year. Working from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and sleeping in the store as watchman were the con- ditions of the partnership. It was the second largest retail dry-goods and grocery store in town, selling about $25,000 worth of goods a year. The work was selling goods and keeping books. It did not take a seminary graduate long to learn the ins and outs of this trade in a town of, say, 10,000 people, and when the year was up and no addition to the $8 a month salary was allowed, that labor partner in trade shook the dust of that store from his feet as he bade good morning to the capital partner. Within an hour he quadru- pled the $8 a month salary at another store. The cash capital partners in 'both, as well as the la- bor partner, were members of the same Methodist Church, but the labor partner readily discovered a wide difference in the practical Christianity of the cash partner, in their business enterprises. When we had advanced so far in our farming business as to need a hired man, a very pious one was found, if noise is any evidence of that vir- tue. His "glory hallelujahs" in the class room, would nearly lift the roof, but when he took to the woods for prayer early in the morning and waked up "Sport" with his hallelujahs, so that Mother was wakened by Sport's answers, same as he gave to the wolves in the evening, Mother said to him at the breakfast table, "Mr. H., my opinion) is that God is not deaf. He can hear a whisper, and, if religion is noise, Sport has more than you have. He waked me up this morning, when he answered your noisy prayers, the same as he does the wolves when they howl. Kindly try a whisper after this, and let me sleep, and you will get just as much from God and a much better breakfast from me, when I am mot dis- turbed and wakened, when I ought to be sleep- ing." 720 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. CHAPTER XXII. PIONEER LIB'E IN OGLE COUNTY— PART II SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES ON EARLY HISTORY MRS. J. W. PEEK ON "PIONEER MOTHERS" OF OGLE COUNTY — EARLY DOMESTIC LIFE, METHODS AND CONDITIONS COL. B. F. SHEETS' REMINISCENCES OF OREGON CITY — BEGINNING AND DEVELOPMENT THE CANADA SETTLEMENT — AN OUTGROWTH OF THE CANADIAN REBELLION OF 1837-38 — SOME PRINCIPAL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CANADIAN COLONY. A series of "Local History Lectures," given in the High School Assembly Room, at Oregon, during the winter of 1904-05, under the auspices of the Oregon Woman's Council, constituted an interesting feature of entertainments of that period. One of these under the title, "Pioneer Mothers," by Mrs. Julia W. Peek, was delivered at the Old Settlers' Picnic at Mt. Morris, August 25, 1904; then in the series above referred to, on October 14, 1904, and again before the His- torical Society at Polo, October 12, 1905. This lecture would furnish interesting reading to a large class of readers, not only in Ogle County, but elsewhere, and it is only lack of space which prevents its publication in full in this volume. In this paper Mrs. Peek draws a vivid and ex- ceedingly entertaining picture of the life and work of the Pioneer Mothers, as the following extracts will show : "We are too far from the actors of the past, now fifty to seventy years away, to attempt more than a general statement, leaving you to fill in the names that must come thronging to your memories, as the homely details pass in review. It seems to be .i law of nature that only a few names of those who have achieved' great results shall be known, while the great mass of men and women, whose skill and patience have brought events to pass, shall remain forever. . . The stories I would like to tell have been told, not by those modest mothers who obeyed, too literally, St. Paul's injunction to keep silent, but by loving husbands and grateful sons. They could not tell the story of their own achieve- ments without doing so, for close beside them in danger, difficulty, discouragement and hard work, always stood a faithful woman, and sometimes the woman led, and always hers was the heavier burden, for to slightly change a familiar say- ing, 'The pioneer mothers endured all the pio- neer fathers did, and the pioneer fathers, too.' "The nineteenth century was a period of great improvement in all departments of life, and in none was it more rapid than in the manner of living. We can understand this only by recalling how our ancestors carried on their avocations in contrast to the way in which we do today. . . When the pioneer of today goes away out west to Dakota, or Montana, or Idaho, or Oklahoma, . . . they charter a car, put into it all their household goods, their stock and implements, and arriving at their destination, build a house which, save for smaller enclosing walls, is quite like the house they left behind. . . . "Our pioneer mothers did their own work. Now-a-days we live in furnace-heated houses, with hot and cold water coming with a twist of the fingers ; another twist, and the electric lights flash out ; a 'phone to call the butcher, the baker and the grocery man to do our errands. We hire our washing and ironing done, have a woman come to sweep and wash windows, a man to beat rugs, a seamstress to make what we cannot buy ready-made, and say we do our own work. . . Mr. Peek says, one of his most vivid recollections of his childhood is waking in the night and hear- ing his mother's wheel going. These processes sound short in the telling, but were long and ard- uous. I have seen cards — a sort of curry-comb for making the wool into rolls ready to be spun. Spinning on a large wheel must be done standing, and when we realize that for every yard of yarn spun, the spinner must walk two yards, we can realize the miles of tramping required to spin enough to make a suit of clothes." (Mrs. Peek then describes the tedious process of reeling the yarn in skeins, the supplying of the warp, the coloring and weaving the yarn into cloth and the manu- facture of the cloth into clothing for the boys and older members of the family by the mothers in the home, or with the aid of a tailoress who used the needle instead of the sewing machine of to- day.) "The mothers knit all the stockings, made the bread and butter, rendered the lard and tal- low after the butchering season, and from the • remnants, with lye leached from ashes, manufac- tured the soap for laundry and toilet purposes; H. J. FARWELL MRS. H. J. FAR WELL MRS. CATHERINE NYE EDWARD C. PAGE EMMA ABBOTT MRS. BARBARA WAGNER McNEILL KATHERINE MAY McNEILL HOFFMANN HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 721 made starch from corn or potatoes, and candles by molding or dipping, and furnished four or five meals per day during the harvesting and haying season. "They (the mothers) were good neighbors, al- ways ready to help in time of trouble, and after a heavy day's work, went willingly to watch with the sick and 'lay out' the dead. . . . "Perhaps the greatest privation, because the most far-reaching in its results, was the lack of schools. The brothers and sisters who remained in the old home sent their sons, and sometimes their daughters, to college, but in this new coun- try the struggle for bare existence was so des- perate that every hand that could help was pressed into service. . . Coming as they did from the strongly religious communities of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New England, our mothers felt keenly the lack of church privi- leges; but whatever was left behind, the Bible came, and there were not wanting those who could lead in prayer, so that services could be held whenever those who desired them gathered together. Almost every building erected for a school was used for a church until regular houses of worship were established. . Ev- erybody was in the same boat, and there was nothing remarkable in the homely details I have instanced, for there was nothing different to compare them with/ . . Goodfellowship and hospitality prevailed, and there was always the hope of better times in the future, which is the pioneers strongest characteristic." The closing paragraph is especially worthy of reproduction in this connection. Referring to the changes which have been wrought in economic life by the progress of the last fifty years, Mrs. Peek says : "The railroad came, making transportation to market easy. The spinning wheel and the loom were laid aside ; sewing machines made the family sewing easy ; knitting machines made 'boughten' stockings cheaper than home-made ; mowers, reapers, corn planters and threshing- machines made out-door labor easier ; while the wind-mill, pumping water from deep wells, made the prairies habitable for the cattle and swine that were the farmer's gold-mine. "All too soon the last of the spinners will have passed away, and the hum of the wheel exist, only as a memory, in the hearts of men and women who fondly cherish the recollections of pioneer mothers. The knack of swinging the scythe and cradle is a lost art, and fine haud- sewing is called 'fancy work.' Before we part let us twine a wreath to the memory of the pio- neer mothers, brave, strong, unselfish, deeply devout, given to hospitality, out-spoken for what they believed to be the right, merry in the midst of trials that would have crazed women of less [wise — they acted their part well, and their chil- dren do rise up and call them blessed." PIONEER HISTORY OF OREGON CITY. The following portion of this chapter, dealing with the local history of Oregon City, is taken from a lecture delivered by Col. B. F. Sheets, on "Early Oregon and The Pioneers," before the Woman's Council of Oregon, in 1904 : "These pioneers were a sturdy, industrious and intelligent class of men and women, who have left the impress of their characters upon all the heritage they have bequeathed to us. Their im- press is upon the laws, the public school system and all the charitable institutions of our great State. "The man that can challenge the most rigid scrutiny of his life and can appeal to all the world for a verdict of his integrity, has a prouder honor than office or place can bestow upon him. He leaves a richer legacy to his children than the spoils" of office can give. Such a man is a public benefactor. The pioneer men and women were largely of this character. No higher tribute can be paid to their memory. They could have left no better or more enduring monument. They made a little go a long way and it is perfectly wonderful how economical they could be. The pioneers were frugal. They lived within their means and their surroundings were in harmony with their circumstances. They were industri- ous, and the rich soil soon placed most of them beyond the reach of want. So far as I am able to learn, the first visit of a white man to this locality was made by John Phelps in 1829, who was born in Bedford Coun- ty, Va., August 8, 1796. He was a man of reso- lute will, warm in his friendships and bitter in his enmities. On his first trip, he visited with the Indians, who treated him with the greatest kindness. In the fall of 1833 he hired a French- man who had lived with the Indians, and the two visited 1 this locality again. About a mile above the present city of Oregon, they discovered a tent on the banks of the River, and supposing it to be an Indian wigwam, the Frenchman was 722 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. sent to get something to eat. He found it occu- pied by Col. W. S. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamilton, who had been sent by the United States Government to survey the Rock River country in townships. On the recommendation of Col. Hamilton, Mr. Phelps located a farm claim about half way between Oregon and Mt. Morris, now constituting' a part of the estate of the late Major Charles Newcomer. He also made a Claim now included in part of Oregon. This was surveyed in 1835 and in 1836 was platted in town lots, the new town being given the name of Florence. In 1836 Miss Sarah Phelps, daughter of John Phelps, and later the wife of Mr. Wesley Johnson, renamed the town Oregon City. At that time the Rock River coun- try was a part of Jo Daviess County, of which Galena was the county-seat, from 1827 to Decem- ber, 1836. In 1836, Ogle County was established by act of the Legislature, and was named by Gov. Thomas Ford, who was one of the early settlers in Ore- gon. The name Ogle was intended to perpetuate the memory of Captain Ogle, an army officer of great courage and daring who was conspicuous in the siege of Fort Henry. In 1836 it embraced all of Lee County, which was set off from Ogle in February, 1839. During the time the two coun- ties were one there was constant strife between Dixon and Oregon for the county-seat, these ri- val interests leading to the final division and separation. During this rivalry the courts were migratory and were held at Dixon, Buffalo Grove and Oregon. The first effort to elect County Commissioners before the division of the county resulted in a victory for Dixon. John V. Gale, formerly an Oregon pioneer, wrote in his diary concerning that election : "There was great ex- citement at this election. All the towns were against Oregon. A large quantity of whisky was drunk and several fights occurred. Dixon, Grand Detour, Buffalo Grove and Bloomingville, now Byron, all combined against Oregon. It was the noisiest, roughest, most exciting election ever held in the county." The commissioners ap- pointed for the purpose by the State Legislature. June 30, 1836, selected Oregon as the county- seat, and named the southeast quarter of section 4, Town 23 North, Range 10 East of the Fourth Meridian, as a place for the future court house. A stake was set by them on Sand Hill, just north and west of the old schoolhouse. now the home of C. W. Snnimis. A contract was let in Jan- uary, 1839, for grading down Sand Hill and for building a court house and jail. The court house contract was awarded to Dr. William J. Mix, Martin C. Hill and John C. Hulett. The contract for the jail was first awarded to John Acker, but the conditions not being complied with, it was later awarded to Joseph Knox. The contract for leveling down the sand hill was awarded to the same person. On July 3, 1839, Knox having com- pleted the work, was paid $326.12. The spring on Judge Cartwright's farm was named for him and was known for many years as Knox Spring. The foundations for the first court house were built on the sand hill, but before work was begun on the main building, it was discovered that the commissioners had made a mistake, in the loca- tion. Joseph Crawford, Surveyor of Ogle County, was called to survey the ground and certified to the error on October 2, 1839, and the Commis- sioners, on the strength of this certificate reset the stake at the place where the court house now stands. A bitter controversy grew out of the change in location. Lots had been sold, expect- ing the court house to be on the sand hill. The strife continued and was carried to the authori- ties at Washington, D. C, and finally the Land Commissioner of the United States settled it in favor of the present location. The contract for the removal of the foundations from the sand hill was awarded to John D. Grist in 1840. Dur- ing that year the first court house in Oregon and for Ogle County was built, and was completed in March, 1841. The first court to be held was set for March 22, 1841. On Sunday night, March 26, the building was fired by a gang of thieves and burned to the ground. An account of this is given elsewhere in this volume. After the burning of the first court house a great effort was made to remove the county-seat from Oregon. Mt. Morris, Daysville, Grand De- tour and Byron were the aspiring towns. At that time and for a number of years, Daysville seemed more active and progressive than Oregon, and without doubt, Mt. Morris and Grand De- tour were far in advance. In April, 1843, a meeting was called to settle the county-seat ques- tion, assembling at the school-house, a part of which is still standing as the present home of Jonas Scyster. Before the vote was taken, Days- ville withdrew its claim and by its help Oregon won the county seat. Immediately following the Commissioners planned for a new court house, and this was built in 1848 and was used for many HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 723 years for all public occasions until replaced by the present elegant structure in 1892. The first house on the town plat of Oregon was built by Jonathan W. Jenkins. He was one of the 112 men indicted for the shooting and kill- ing of John and William Driscoll, two of the no- torious outlaws who infested the county in 1841. This was of logs and was located near the old "Reporter" building. At that time there was no saw-mill in the county, boards, siding, flooring and shingles had not made their appearance in this section. This first house was used for many purposes — a residence, a hotel, a boarding house, a court house and a church. It is said that the first sermon ever preached in Oregon was in that house, by John Baker, a Baptist minister. At that time and until 1852, the river was crossed by means of a ferry-boat, the first ferry being put in by John Phelps, in 1835. The first bridge over the river at Oregon was built in 1852 , and I crossed it in December of that year. It was built on piles and without any side railings. None of the islands above or below the bridge, except the large one, existed then, there being but the wide expanse of water from bank to bank. These sand and gravel islands around the bridge have been formed by numerous breaks in the dam, the sand and gravel being dug out by the ice, often to th« depth of ten, twenty or thirty feet and deposited below the dam, forming these Islands. These holes have been filled with trees and stone until there are hundreds and hundreds of trees, and thousands of cords of stone, that lie buried under the present dam. Owing to the washing of the river banks the stream has been widened below the dam. When Mr. Petrie and I built the mill on the east side of the river in 1861- 62, the mill was set into the east bank of the river, and the water passing through the wheels was carried west in a tail race to the channel of the river, showing that the river is at least 200 feet farther to the east now than then. These Dreaks in the dam and the consequent damage to the mill are forcibly impressed on my mind, be- cause in these deep holes lie buried the earnings and savings of my young manhood. We have at least $30,000 safely buried and covered by fath- oms of water. The first physician in Oregon was Dr. William J. Mix, who commenced his practice here in 1836. The first male child born here was Lamon T. Jen- kins, son of Jonathan W. Jenkins. One of this family, Mrs. Elijah Glasgow, still lives here. The first female child born in Oregon Township, was Martha E. Mix, mother of Dr. McKenney and of Mrs. Charles Gale. The first postmaster was Harry Moss, a relative of Mrs. Judge Petrie. The office was established in 1837 and mail re- ceived once a week. The first church organiza- tion was that of the Lutherans, in 1848, and two years later they built the first church in Oregon. . In 1848 the population of Oregon was made up of 44 families with 225 men, women and children. The Sinnissippi Hotel is one of the old landmarks, built fifty-six years ago, and it is a place where all kinds of scenes have been enacted. My first view of Oregon City was from the summit of Woolley's Hill, on the east side of the river, the old) road running south of the present one. It was a cold December day in 1852. At that time my home was out on one of the level prairies of Blackberry Township in Kane Coun- ty. With a comrade I was on my way to enter school at the Rock River Seminary, Mt. Morris. The ambition to go to the Seminary was inspired in me by the entreaties of my sister Carrie, two years older than myself. The day on which I had that first view of Oregon will always be re- membered. A wonderful panorama stretched out to my view, and the sight was one of wonder and magnificence to the prairie lad. At that time I had not been down into the Grand Canon of Arizona and, from the banks of the Colorado, looked up 7,000 feet to the rim above; I had not at that time walked the floor of the Yosemite Valley, and felt the strange and bewildering sen- sations that come over one as he looks up to the summit of EI Capitan or Sentinel Point, South Dome of Glacial Point or other peaks all towering from 3,000 to 5,000 feet above, or where the water of the Yosemite falls into the Merced River from a point 2,600 feet in the air. This view of fair Oregon from Woolley's Hill, to a boy reared on the prairie, was grand and in- spiring, even if the thermometer was at zero. I had read and heard of Oregon City and expected to see something large and fine. As we crossed the bridge and looked at the few ugly, scattered houses, I could hardly believe that we were be- holding Oregon City. The town had gained some notoriety, being the county-seat of a large agri- cultural section, and as the home of Governor Ford, and more as the place where Jonathan W. Jenkins, with 111 others had been tried and ac- quitted of the killing of the outlaws, as previous- ly mentioned. However, at that time, Oregon 724 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. was a small place, no better appearing than the present city of Daysville. The people had not yet learned the value and beauty of paint, the greater part of the residences being without this covering. It has been reported that one of the early founders of Oregon said: "If I can keep God and the Yankees out, I will build a city here." At that time it looked to me that he had been in part successful, for it was one of the most discouraging looking places I had ever seen. Nine years after the trip I have described, I came to Oregon to live, on the first of January, 1861. At that time, twenty-six years after the town was laid out, the population was only about 350. There was not a sidewalk in the town. I bought a small house on the lots, where I after- ward Wilt the house now owned by Mrs. Rhen- ius Stroh. That year we laid a single plank walk from Washington Street north to my house. If I have counted correctly, there were only seventy-one houses in Oregon at the beginning of 1861. For ten years afterward we had no rail- road. We made frequent efforts, and succeeded every winter in building on paper, one east and one up and down the river. All freight had to go and come from Franklin Grove, and we had a daily stage line. At present we regard a rail- road as an important factor in building up a place, and it undoubted]}' is ; but I am reminded that I sold more goods in 1869 and 1870 than in any two years since that time, and the goods were all handled by the Dewitt Sears' mule express. Of the future of Oregon I must speak briefly. Nature has done so much for this section that on every hand lie opportunities to make this city one of the most beautiful in the State. Much public spirit has been shown but much more is demanded. With public utilities installed and public parks opened up to the people, a great change will come about, and in a single decade Oregon will be completely transformed. (Col. Sheet's lecture closes with an appeal for local improvements and beautlfication which have since been, In part at least, accomplished.) CANADA SETTLEMENT. The Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 in Canada, re- sulted in the settlement of many emigrants from that country in Ogle County, among the first of these being John Lawrence and Schuyler Lamb, who arrived in Buffalo Grove in August, 1838, locating near Rock Spring where the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad now crosses Buf- falo Creek. They were early reinforced, by set- tlers from the Eastern States, some of the latter coming even before the arrival of the Canadian settlers, but it is believed that few entries of land were made before the establishment of the Government Land Office at Dixon in 1840. Can- ada Settlement lies in about equal parts in the corners of the four townships of Buffalo, Eagle Point, Brookville and Lincoln. The groves of timber were drained by streams fed by numer- ous springs and these streams were early util- ized for milling purposes. The schoolhouse, soon located, was the center of the original Canada Settlement. In the spring of 1839, the families of John Sanborn, James Mosher, David Huie and Wil- liam Poole, came to Ogle County, via Buffalo and the lakes, and settled in Canada Settlement. That same year, John Lawrence, who had re- turned to Canada the preceding year, came back to Ogle County with his son-in-law, Alfred Chess- man, William Donaldson and their families. About this time "land-grabbers" were making extensive claims, sometimes amounting to thou- sands of acres, for speculative purposes, and some of these sold their claims to these new- comers at exorbitant prices. Mr. Johnson Law- rence, a descendant of one of these families, and now a resident of Polo, has been a Representa- tive in the General Assembly for three terms, besides filling other local offices. In the summer of 1840, James Brand, with his five sons came to Canada Settlement ; and the same year John Lawson also came with his two sons and one daughter. About 1842 or 1S43, John Rae and John Donaldson arrived in the settlement : in 1843, Isaac Slater, Frank G. Jones, James A. Bassit, with their families, also located here. James and Joseph Sanborn, sons of John Sanborn, one of the early members of this colony, each served three years as soldiers of Illinois regiments during the Civil War. In 1844, the additions to the settlement included James Lyle, Joseph Allison and their families, and in 1849, William Rae took up his residence here. Following this, there were many from Canada who sought homes here, brought by the tidings sent to the old home by those who had already arrived, but it is impossible in this con- nection to give a complete history of all who came during the period referred to. Schools and Library. — The first school in the settlement was held in a bedroom of John Law- CHESTER C. HARRINGTON HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 725 rence's house, and taught by Ann Bradwell, in the summer of 1842. In the fall of 1843, the first schoolhouse was built nearly on the site of the present one, in the southeast corner of Brookville Township, of sun-dried brick, weath- erboarded, 18x24 feet, and served its purpose until 1857. Laura Wilber was its first teacher, opening school in the fall of 1843, and she was followed by many others. Desiring to secure a library, the people of the Canada Settlement perfected an organization known as the Washington Library Association, and each member, by payment of one dollar an- nually, was entitled to the benefit of the asso- ciation. With what funds they could secure, the association bought books and a bookcase and for a time the library was kept in different private homes. When there were about 100 volumes in the library, interest decreased, so that in Decem- ber, 1858, the organization was dissolved, and the books divided among the members. The present school edifice was erected in 1896, at a cost of $1,200, and with recent improve- ments, is one of the finest rural school edifices in the county. Some other schools in Canada Settlement were taught in private residences. In the winter of 1849-50, Agnes Huie taught school in a log building on the farm of William Poole. Charles Thurber taught school in his own home in the winters of 1850 and 1851, and his wife taught during the summers, just a little south of the present Burr Oak School. During 1852 and 1853 school was held in a very small log house a little west of the Burr Oak School ; and the first school- house in this district was put up on the corner of a farm owned by Ambrose Sanborn, which was replaced by another. James Brand, Sr., taught some pupils in addition to his own children, for a short time in the early 'forties. This is a brief review of the pioneer teachers of Canada Settlement. The literary, educational and religious activ- ity of its members exerted a wide influence upon the surrounding community, and the Settlement stood second to no other in point of enterprise and intelligence in the county. CHAPTER XXII. EDUCATIONAL. PIONEER SCHOOLS OF OGLE COUNTY LAFAYETTE GROVE SCHOOL — THE FAIRVIEW SCHOOL — OREGON SCHOOLS THE CANADA SETTLEMENT SCHOOL — MOUNT MORRIS SCHOOLS METHODS AND CONDI- TIONS IN EARLY SCHOOLS — ROCK RIVER SEMINARY PASSES INTO THE HANDS OF THE UNITED BRETHREN ITS LATER HISTORY AS MOUNT MORRIS COLLEGE. The settlers of Ogle County from 1835 to 1855, after building dwellings that their families might be sheltered, proceeded to construct school- houses. LaFayette Grove School. — One of the first schools of the county, and without doubt the first in a house erected for that purpose, was estab- lished in the winter of 1836, at LaFayette Grove, and the teacher was Miss Chloe J. Benedict, who continued to teach there during 1837 and 1838. One morning the hnilding, which was of logs and without a wooden floor, was found burned to the ground, evidently by a group of bandits, because a Methodist class meeting was to be held there on the following Sunday. But a curious thing happened. The bandits entered the building and, gathering up the books, papers, slates and even pens and pencils of the pupils, carefully deposited them on the outside out of the way of the fire, showing that, while they objected to religion, they did not see in education any danger ahead to them and their wickedness. If they did not be- lieve in the saying, "every knave is a fool," they proved the truth of it in their own case later on. Miss Benedict later married Rev. Barton H. Cartwright, then beginning a long career as a pioneer preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Riding from Washington Grove over to Mount Morris, Mr. Cartwright asked Rev. Thomas S. Hitt to accompany him back in order to settle a question of claims. Mr. Hitt at first declined, saying that he did not consider himself competent in that line of business, but upon being informed that the matter to toe settled was one of hearts and not of lands, he proceeded with his 726 HISTOKY OP OGLE COUNTY. friend to Washington Grove and performed the marriage ceremony. It was in 1836 that the first school house was built at Byron, in the summer of 1837 the first teacher being Miss Lydia A. Weldon. In 1853 an academy was started there under the control of a stock company, with William B. Christopher as teacher in charge. It was never successful finan- cially, but those who attended testify to the ex- cellence of the instruction received, and it was sold to the district, becoming the old part of the building in use for a number of years and recent- ly destroyed by fire. Also in 1836 the first building used for school, church and general public purposes was built at Buffalo Grove by subscription. Among early teachers there were Simon Fellows, afterward Prof. Fellows of Rock River Seminary and Cor- nell College, Iowa ; Yirgil A. Bogue, afterward Judge Bogue of the Probate Court of Ogle Coun- ty: C. R. Barber, Rufus K. Frisbee, John W. Frisbee, afterward founder of Rock River Nor- mal College at Polo and County Commissioner of Schools, when he held the first institute in Ore- gon; Mrs. Rozella Pearson, Sarah H. Stevenson, late Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson of Chicago; and John Burroughs, now of Esopus, N. Y., the eminent naturalist-author, known on two conti- nents for his interesting books on Nature. Mr.' Burroughs had relatives living at Buffalo Grove, which was the occasion of his coming there. The Faikview School. One of the earliest schools in Ogle County was that established in 1838, by Jacob Rice, Sr., in Mount Morris Township. The building was of logs and located in a hollow north of what was then Mr. Rice's residence. The slabs of which the benches and desks were made were sawed at the mill near Grand Detour. For a number of years this rude equipment was endured, when it was supplanted by pine desks surrounding the sides of the room. Among other furnishings was a rough blackboard. The first teacher was Joshua Rice, a son of Jacob Rice, and a graduate of Transylvania College, Kentucky. After teach- ing for many years, he died en route to Califor- nia, via Panama, in 1849. At the age of eighteen his brother Isaac Rice took charge of the school, receiving as salary $18 per month. Among later teachers were Robert Debenham, D. Harry Ham- mer, later an attorney in Chicago, but lately de- ceased. During this period teachers "boarded around," about two weeks with each patron. Or- thography was a prominent feature of education in those days, and spelling schools were frequent, both as a method of education and social enter- tainment. Oeegon Schools. It was in the winter of 1837 that the first school was taught in Oregon in a small building erected by the side of the dwelling of Jonathan W. Jen- kins, the first house built on the town plat, one year before, on Third Street where the Jones shoe-store now is, Dr. Adams being the teacher. This was a subscription school, as was also the next, held in a log house on Fourth Street on the lot opposite the Mix livery barn in 1838, by a Mr. White of Xew York. This had an enroll- ment of about 40, the population then being from 200 to 250. The first school house, intended as such when built, was erected in the summer and fall of 1839, and is still standing, being now the dwelling of Jonas Seyster on Fifth Street, just off Washing- ton Street. The sills were hewn from trees cut on the farm of Mr. Seyster's father, west of Ore- gon. The boards were from the Phelps sawmill on Pine Creek. Each desk accommodated four pupils and faced the front of the room, which was an innovation in those days. This was a pub- lic school in later years, but whether or not it was at the beginning it has not been possible to ascertain. Isaac B. Woolley was connected with the establishment of the first school under the State law. The first teacher on Fifth Street was Alfred Marks, who seems to have taught there again at a later date. In 1842 the teacher was a Mr. Doe. Norman B. Wadsworth was the teacher about 1S44 and for several years after, followed about 1S47 or 184S by Caroline Wheelock, who, it is believed, taught for a longer time than any one else. Private schools continued, Mrs. King and Mrs. Woodbury being teachers, the latter in a wing of the old court house ; also Mary Mix and several of the Lutheran preachers, two of whom were Mr. Trimper and Mr. Koontz. E. L. Wells was an Oregon teacher in 1859, working in the Etnyre Building next to the Ma- sonic Temple, the school house on Fifth Street then not being large enough to accommodate all. In a letter Mr. Wells says, "instead of boarding around, I boarded at the homes of Robert Light, John M. Hinkle, and Mrs. Stone. They wished me to help their children evenings and boarded HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 727 me without charge, the first two were school di- rectors." The enrollment was probably about sixty, and the branches taught were mostly read- ing, writing, spelling, arithmetic, grammar, geog- raphy and U. S. History. The text-books were numerous, sometimes two or three in one branch of study. Some of them were the Elementary Spelling Book, English Reader, Rhetorical Reader, Kirkham's Grammar, Thompson's Arith- metics, and Mitchell's Geographies ; also Cobb's Spelling Book. At a later date Mr. Wells was County Super- intendent of Schools for three consecutive terms, when he founded the Wells' Teachers' Training School of Oregon, where he labored until his re- moval to Aurora a few years ago. De Witt Sears taught on Fifth Street in 1857 and 1858. In 1859 the second new school house was erected for Oregon, a good sized brick build- ing now the dwelling of Charles W. Sammis, dur. ing the construction of which use was made of the Court House, the teacher being Mr. Brown of Galena. At this time the teacher who was conducting school in the Etnyre Building was Albert Wood- cock, afterward Major Woodcock, from his ser- vice in the Civil War. He made Oregon his home for many years, serving as County Judge for two terms, and acting for several years as United States Consul at Catania, Italy, under appoint- ment of President Arthur. The Canaoa Settlement School. In Buffalo Township six miles from Polo, along the old stage road from Dixon to Galena, was the Canada Settlement of pioneer days, a colony that came in the early 'forties from near Toronto, being originally from Scotland. Their first school house was built in 1841, of sun-dried clay brick. There was a single room with small windows, a door at one end and teacher's desk at the other, while on each side was a long desk the length of the room and facing the wall, provided with slab benches without backs for seats, for the use of the older pupils, with similar benches, without desks, about the room for the smaller children, and in the center of the room a large box-stove. The Canada Settlement School was known for its excellent teachers, its library and the study it induced. Mount Morris Schools. The first school at Mount Morris was taught in a log cabin a half mile west of the site of the village, in the grove on the farm then owned by Samuel M. Hitt, and later by Prof. D. J. Pinck- ney. The teacher was A. Q. Allen, who came with the Maryland Colony, the founders of Mount Morris, with the understanding that he would inaugurate an educational home in the Par West, Samuel M. Hitt and Nathaniel Swingley having engaged him for that purpose. The school was opened with twenty-six pupils soon after the arrival of the colony and was called "The Pine Creek Grammar School." On the 4th of July, 1830, when the cornerstone of Rock River Semi- nary was laid, Mr. Allen's pupils attended the ceremony in a body, many of them later becoming pupils in that institution. Later this school was conducted as the primary department of the Seminary, and was then in charge of Miss Fannie Russell, but was discontinued in 1843 and pri- vate schools maintained for the children of the village. In 1851 a new public school building, a long, two room, one-story frame structure, was erected in the east part of town where the dwell- ing houses of William H. Miller and Dr. J. B. Cauode now stand. Here Mr. Allen again taught and at various times Mr. Streeter, John Page, with Miss Hannah Cheney, and Miss Sybil Sain- mis. The branches taught in our pioneer schools were reading, often from the New Testament; writing, the teacher setting the copies ; arithmetic through Fractions and Proportion — called then the "Rule of Three;" spelling to the end of the book, a great deal of it, including words of five and six syllables not often met with afterward, and geography in a limited way. In the case of the United States there was considerably less geography than now, because then the settlement of the country extended scarcely beyond the Mis- sissippi River, and all that remained from there to the Pacific the maps and the text briefly dis- posed of under the inclusive name and descrip- tion, "Great American Desert," "good only for grazing," which was a view expressed even by Daniel Webster in the Senate in 1850 in a speech against the admission of California as a State. United States History was taught now and then. While the buildings and appointments were rude and the equipment was meager, it can neverthe- less be said that the teaching was often good, be- cause then, as now, the personality of the teacher counted for so much, after predicating, of course, a reasonable education. 728 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Another of the early schools of the county was that located on the Phelps farm northwest of Oregon. A story is told of a spelling match be- tween this and a neighboring school, in which it was agreed that no word should be given the spellers not found in McGuffey's spelling book, notwithstanding which the teacher of the Phelps school interpolated a word in pencil in his copy of McGuffey, and acquainted the best speller of his school with it and its correct orthography. At the match he reserved the word until but two competitors remained on the floor, when he gave it to the pupil of the opposing school, who failed to spell it, and then to his own coached cham- pion, who, of course, spelled it and won out. Rock Riveb Seminary. — The initial school at Mount Morris was called "The Pine Creek Gram- mar School." It was given this particular name because its founders meant that it should develop into a school of higher education. With that end in view Rev. Thomas S. Hitt, while attending the Illinois Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in session at Jacksonville, proposed that that body take the institution under its care and make of it a conference school. What the con- ference did was to appoint a committee to locate a seminary in Northern Illinois. Kishwaukee, Roscoe, Joliet, Chicago and the Maryland Colony came forward with offers, the most liberal of which was from the Maryland Colony, pledging .$8,000 in money and 480 acres of land, and thus securing the seminary- Messrs. Samuel M Hitt, Nathaniel Swingley, and C. Burr Artz were ap- pointed a building committee' and on July 4, 1839, the corner-stone of a building to cost $18,000 was laid, and in the fall of the following year Rock River Seminary opened its doors. The annual i-ommeucement, or Mount Morris Exhibition, constituted a great occasion for hun- dreds who came from the surrounding country to listen to the clay's exercises. For forty years, or until 1870, Rock River Seminary exerted a marked influence upon education, not only in Northern Illinois but throughout the State, and beyond, having in the meantime been Alma Mater of a number of men who became prominent in Illinois history. A concise history of its later life after it passed into the hands of the United Brethren, will e found in the following section of this chapter. Mount Morris College. Rock River Seminary had an eventful career, but having been practically abandoned by the Methodist Church, which had been its patron for many years, it finally became financially involved, and when it became necessary that the property be sold, the Hon. Robert R. Hitt came to the res- cue and purchased the property. Through him it came into the hands of the Church of the Breth- ren. Three names stand out prominently in the movement that led to the present ownership of the school. The first is that of Elder Melchor S. Newcomer, then a farmer of only ordinary learn- ing, but a successful business man who felt keen- ly the need of a stihool where men of limited means might send their children. The second was Elder John W. Stein, a man well educated and a school man of no mean ability, whose school training and practical experience eminently fitted him to become the first President of the institu- tion under the Brethren, and the success of the school during its first years showed wbat he might have done had it not been for a moral weakness that led to his early and disastrous fall. The third man was Elder Daniel L. Miller, a successful business man from Polo. To these men who saw what was needed and were willing to assume all responsibility, a debt of gratitude is due from their own denomination. After con- sultation with each other and Mr. Hitt, and sev- eral public meetings at Mount Morris, sufficient interest was aroused and means secured to pur- chase the property and plan for the future. The buildings were in a dilapidated condition, and it soon became apparent that considerable money must be spent to put things in shape for tlie opening of school, August 20, 1879. The build- ings were repaired, the grounds were put into shape, courses were arranged and teachers en- gaged. Three courses, namely. Academy, College and Business, were offered. The first term saw sixty students in attendance. The first Board of Directors was : J. W. Stein, President ; D. L. Miller. Secretary; M. S. Newcomer, Treasurer; and S. A. Stein. The first faculty was: J. W. Stein, President ; W. E. Lockard, Professor of Mathematics and Teacher of Elocution; J. W. .Tenks, Professor of Languages and Literature; Fernando Sanford, Professor of Natural and Phy- sical Sciences ; M. G. Rorbaugh, Principal of Commercial Department; Mattie A. Lear, As- sistant Teacher in English Branches; A. McClure, Teacher of Vocal Music ; and Margaretta Lauver, Teacher of Primary School. PUBLIC SCHOOL, POLO CO 6 w W o 2 O O w o . L. Miller and Joseph Amick, of that denomination, who consolidated it with "The Primitive Christian," of Hunting- don, Pa., and changed the name to the "Gospel Messenger." A large and thriving business was established, and a number of church papers, books and tracts were published. In 1896 the business was taken over by the Brethren Church and it has since been known as the Brethren Publishing House. In September, 1899, the plant was moved to Elgin, Illinois. At that time the circulation of the "Gospel Messenger" was about twenty thousand, and the sum of the year's busi- ness approximated $125,000. Among those con- nected with the success of the work in Mount Morris were Galen B. Royer, Elder J. H. Moore, Elder D. L. Miller, Elder Joseph Amick, L. A. Plate, S. M. Eshleman. A prosperous business has continued to be carried on by the Publish- ing House in its present location. The Old People's Home. — The Old People's Home of the Brethren Church is supported by the District of Northern Illinois. Elders Joseph Amick, Edmund Forney and Melchior Newcomer were appointed by this division of the church, a committee to incorporate and found a home for aged members of the church and orphans. Mount Morris was selected for the location of this home, and a tract of land containing about thirteen acres, in the southwestern part of the village, was purchased for this purpose. Upon this ground a brick building was at once erected at a cost of $10,000, to which an addition has since been built costing $1,500. The funds for the in- stitution were donated by the different churches in the district. An endowment fund for its maintenance was created by Jacob Petrie, of Polo, who bequeathed his estate to the Church for this purpose. Other bequests and sums have been added to this original amount of $18,000, till at the present time the endowment fund amounts to $22,900, and the addition of a valua- ble farm of 250 acres near Pontiac, 111., recently bequeathed for this purpose. The building is so arranged that about thirty people can be com- fortably taken care of in the home. Ornamental trees and shrubs have been planted around the dwelling, flowers are cultivated during the grow- ing time of the year, and the land has been set out largely with fruit-bearing trees and small fruits, making a very attractive and restful place in which to spend the declining years of life. Mr. Levi Kerns first had charge of this institu- tion, and was succeeded by the present Superin- tendent, Mr. Lewis Miller. 732 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. CHAPTER XXIV. CRIMINAL HISTORY. FIRST OGLE COUNTY JAIL AND TREATMENT OF EARLY CRIMINALS — COURT CONDITIONS AND FIRST CRIMI- NAL TRIAL — OTHER NOTED COURT CONTESTS — TRIAL OF LIQUOR CASES DEVELOPMENT OF CRIMI- NAL ORGANIZATIONS — THE PRAIRIE BANDITS AND MURDER OF CAPTAIN CAMPBELL OF THE REGU- LATORS THE DRISCOLL LYNCHING AND ACQUIT- TAL OF THE PERPETRATORS — STORY OF THE TRAGEDY AS TOLD BY" AN EYE-WITNESS INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF GOV. FORD A LYNCHING CASE OF CIVIL WAR DAYS LATER INCIDENTS IN COURT AND CRIMINAL HISTORY. The following record of Criminal History in Ogle County is taken from a lecture on that sub- ject, delivered hefore the Oregon Woman's Coun- cil during the winter of 1004-05 by Major Franc Bacon, an attorney of the city of Oregon. On ac- count of lack of space, it has been found neces- sary to condense some portions of Mr. Bacon's address : For the first year or two after the establish- ment of Ogle County, it had a floating seat of justice, and court was held in Dixon and in Oregon. In 1840 the first jail was completed, by Joseph Knox, at a cost of $1,822.50— a small structure, standing a little west of the present court house. There were no doors or windows in the jail proper. The criminal, upon being arrested and brought to prison, was taken upstairs, a trap- door in the ceiling or roof of the jail proper was raised, a short ladder 10 or 12 feet in length was lowered through this, and down it the offender backed into his cell, when the ladder was re- moved, the trap-door lowered, and the jailer de- parted feeling that his bird was secure. The walls were supposed to be of stone three feet in thickness, yet so faulty in construction, that his- tory says that one prisoner, with the aid of an old jack-knife, dug his way to liberty in the short space of three hours. This jail was used until the brick one, which stood south of the present Temple of Justice, was erected in 1846. This second jail was used until 1874, when the present building was erected at a cost of $20,000. The first court house built in Ogle County was completed in 1840, at a cost of $4,000, but was burned on the evening before the opening of any court therein, presumably to either destroy the indictments on file against certain members of the banditti, or to afford an opportunity for the escape of some of the clan who were then con- fined in jail. Whatever the purpose, it failed, as neither were the indictments burned nor pris- oners released. The first term of Circuit Court of Ogle County was held' at Dixon in October, 1837, and was pre- sided over by Judge Dan Stone, who had but shortly before been appointed a Circuit Judge, and assigned to duty in the northern part of Illinois. At the time of his appointment, he was a member of the Legislature from Sangamon Coun- ty. In 1838 Judge Stone made a decision con- cerning an alien's right to vote which was dis- tasteful to his party, and very shortly afterward, upon the reorganization of our courts, he was legislated out of office. "Father" John Dixon was the foreman of this'first Grand Jury, which body returned seven true bills of indictment, among the number being one against the then Sheriff, W. W. Mudd, for a palpable omission of duty, also another against Nelson Shortall, for a like offense. The records show that the first criminal trial in our circuit courts was that of Shortall, at the May term, 1838, when he was acquitted. Major Chamberlain, John Roe, William M. Mason and Jonathan W. Jenkins, were members of the trial jury on that occasion. At the same term there were two other acquittals, no convictions, and one indictment dismissed, and a little later the one against Mudd was also stricken from the docket, thus disposing, without a single convic- tion, of all the indictments found by this first Grand Jury. The first conviction secured was in June, 1839, when John Porter was found guilty of counterfeiting, and given two years in the penitentiary. At this same term was found the first true bill of indictment for a violation of the dueling net. This was against one Bar- clay, but he was never brought to trial. At the September term, 1839, the Prosecuting Attorney for this Circuit failing to appear, the Court ap- pointed another member of the bar as Prosecut- ing Attorney pro-tern. It seems he was there for a purpose, for on his motion practically all the HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 733 indictments theretofore found, upon which there had been no trial, were stricken off. At the June term, 1840, the first indictments for selling liquor without license were returned, and from that date to the present, this form of violation of the public laws has been more or less frequent, and a notice- able feature of the Grand Juries' work. We have experienced frequent crusades, and there have been times when the entire attention of our Cir- cuit Court has been taken up with liquor cases. The largest number ou the docket at any one time seems to have been in 1874, when out of 94 criminal cases on the docket, 43 were for viola- tion of the dram shop Act, of which the venue in eleven cases was changed to Lee County. Also at the October term, 1874, were returned two indictments for murder, growing directly out of, and in fact committed in places where in- toxicants had been illegally sold. The first was against Edward O'Brien, who was charged with killing McCoy. The scene of the murder was near Polo. O'Brien was convicted, and being under eighteen years of age, could not lawfully be confined in the penitentiary, and at that time there being no institutions known as reform schools, the prisoner was, by order of the court, committed to the county jail for one year. The other murder case at that October term was the one against Koefer, a saloon keeper at Creston. There never was any real merit in this case, and the jury rightfully acquitted him. The first term of court held in our present court build- ing was that of August, 1891, when the entire term was given over to the business of indict- ing and trying offenders for violations of the liquor law. So strenuous was the work that we had all three of the Circuit Judges then upon the bench here holding court and hearing the num- erous cases. At that August term, 1891, every male per- son who had been in Oregon after May 1st and up to the beginning of court, was invited to come in and interview the grand and trial juries, but there was such an astonishing amount of absent- mindedness, and such woeful failure of the sense of taste to perform its customary work, that it was the exception, and not the rule, when one was able to draw the line between beer and coffee, or tea and whisky. One of the first criminal charges made against a woman in our courts was for violation of the dram-shop act, and the last conviction against a woman was at the last term of court (1904-05) on a similar charge. An inspection of the crim- inal records of our courts has disclosed but few charges of a criminal nature against the fair sex. To return to the June term, 1840, I notice that in one of the liquor cases, the court quashed the indictment, and in the other, the jury, com- posed in part of well-known men, such as Ruel Peabody, William. Carpenter, and W. A. House, acquitted the defendant. In speaking of this class of offenders, I am reminded that on one occasion a keen, brilliant and polished member of the bar, in defending "Peggy" Wertz for sell- ing intoxicants illegally, took occasion to read to the jury portions of the Bible, and it is said found authority therein to justify his client's acts. Probably this was the* only occasion in history, however, where this law book was read to a jury in a whisky case. But this member of the bar displayed more familiarity with the Good Book than another of our local bar, who, in making an impassioned plea in the Philip Tice arson case said: "Gentlemen of the jury, my client is just as innocent of this crime as the infant Jesus in the bull-rushes." In 1841, the criminal class of this county had perfected an organization extending not only throughout all portions of the county, but also in the neighboring counties of Lee, Whiteside and Winnebago, and into adjoining States and Territories. It had its passwords, grips and signs of recognition, and its membership was closely banded together for the common purpose of plunder and rapine. It was so strong as to set at defiance public justice, and was able to and did control trial juries and public officials. To meet this organization of the lawless, the law-abiding citizens of our county met organiza- tion by organization, and as a result, throughout our county were organized societies known by various names. For instance, at Inlet, then part of Ogle County, there was formed "An Associa- tion for the Furtherance of the Cause of Jus- tice." It had a cast-iron constitution and, among other things, provision was made for a com- mittee of Vigilants. Another organization was that which had its headquarters about White Rock, where a Mr. Long was elected Captain, in 1841. Shortly after his election his mill was burned, and this seemed to intimidate him so that he resigned and was succeeded by John Campbell. Tins organization was at that time composed of only fifteen men, and their first business in dealing with the criminal classes, was 734 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. to serve notice on several of the undesirable citizens of the county to depart at once, with the admonition that if they failed to heed this request, the lash would be used. Their first victim was a man named Hurl, and history says, after taking the whipping administered, he at once joined the organization and, after that, his life was one of irreproachable honesty. The or- ganization rapidly grew until its . membership embraced practically all of the honest, law-abid- ing citizens of the county. The Driscoll Tragedy. — Among the number notified by the committee to leave the county, was a family of the name of Driscoll, then re- siding in the eastern part of the county. Shortly after they were so notified, and in fact after they had promised to leave the county, the out- law element met at the home of William K. Bridge, then living near Washington Grove. The house of this meeting was a log affair, and was near the frame house now on the public road, being the first house on the right-hand side after passing the residence of James Cummings going toward the Grove. At this meeting of the out- laws, it is claimed that the death of Captain Campbell was planned, and David and Taylor Driscoll were selected to perform the murder. On Sunday, June 27, 1841, Taylor and David Driscoll went to Campbell's house at White Rock Grove, secreting themselves in some hazel brush, and when Campbell appeared at the door, he was shot to death. The Driscolls were recognized by Campbell, and also by his wife, the former living long enough to walk several paces before he fell dead. His son, Martin Campbell, who died in Ogle County a few years since, also saw the Driscolls, and but for a failure of his shot-gun to explode the caps, It is likely that one or both of the murderers would have paid the penalty of the crime then and there. That Sunday night messengers were dispatched to various parts of the county, and the Regulators were called to- gether. John Driscoll, father of the murderers, and two sons were first taken in custody, the connecting link showing the old man's participa- tion in this murder being furnished by the track of his horse, by some peculiarity of the shoe, thus enabling the searchers to follow it from Camp- bell's to Driscoll's house. Sheriff Ward first had custody of John Driscoll, and he was taken to the jail at Oregon. Three of the Regulators gained possession of John Driscoll, and he was taken by them on Tuesday, the 29th, to Steven- son's Mill, which was located on property now owned by F. R. Artz. At Stevenson's Mill the other Regulators brought down William and Pierce Driscoll, when the entire party moved across the road to a large oak tree, where the trial and executions were had. This place was about ten rods east of the present residence of Harry Wilson, and about five rods north of the present course of the public road. A court was organized and a jury of 120 persons was sug- gested. Counsel was appointed for the prisoners, as well as for the prosecution, and a presiding officer chosen. As a result of challenges, nine of the 120 proposed jurymen were struck off, and a jury composed of 111 persons entered upon the trial of this famous case, which consumed the greater portion of the day. During the trial, it is said, both John and William Driscoll made damaging statements showing complicity in other crimes. The verdict of this, the largest jury known in the criminal history of the world, was "guilty" as to John and William Driscoll, and "not guilty" as to Pierce Driscoll, and the sen- tence of the court was that the two guilty should be hanged, but afterward on their request it was changed to death by shooting. Fifty-six men were detailed by this jury to execute one de- fendant, and fifty-five the other, one gun placed in the hands of each of the two sets of execu- tioners, it is said, not being loaded. The guns were handled by the committee and passed out to the executioners, so that no one might know who held the empty pieces. This afforded an opportunity for each and every one of them to feel and believe that it was not his rifle that contributed to the death of either of the victims. Afterward, at the September term, 1841, of our Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Thomas Ford, then an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the State, a Grand Jury was empan- elled, evidence heard, and two indictments re- turned against 112 persons, one charging the murder of William Driscoll, and the other of John Driscoll. Part of the men indicted were members of this Grand Jury, and in a way con- tributed to present true bills of indictment against themselves. It is apparent, however, from an inspection of the record, that it was the desire of the Regulators to have indictments re- turned, so that there could be a trial and ac- quittal of i those accused when the surroundings were favorable to that end. It is said that, as a. matter of fact, Jonathan W. Jenkins, the per- C. F. HAYES AND FAMILY HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 735 sod first named in each of these indictments, had nothing to do with the execution of the Driscolls, out was regarded as friendly to them, and it was feared that perhaps .he might furnish some damaging evidence. Under the law, as it then existed, a person indicted for a crime could not testify, and his mouth was closed by the return- ing o$ this indictment against him. The indictments, framed in the peculiar phrase- ology of the time, were returned on Friday, Sep- tember 24, 1841, and on the same day all but ten of the defendants were placed upon trial. Under the law then existing, each of the defendants had a right to The peremptory challenge of twen- ty men, and this would have disposed of 2,040 jurors, a much large number of men than there were then in the county ; but, as I take it, no challenges were used by the defense. When the first case was called, an attorney named Knowl- ton asked leave to assist the People in the prose- cution of the case, but his request was denied, at the suggestion of the Prosecuting Attorney. It is said that the jury did' not leave their seats before returning a verdict of not guilty. The same jurors were then accepted upon the trial of the other indictment, and the same verdict was rendered. On the following day, the State's Attorney, Seth Farwell, dismissed the indict- ments as to Jonathan W. Jenkins, Seth W. Hills, George D. Johnson, Commodore Bridge, Moses Nettleton, William Keyes, Wilson Dailey, Abel Smith, Jefferson Jewell and James Harpen, the ten who did not receive the benefit of an ac- quittal. Thus was ended a criminal litigation that was not only remarkable for the number of the accused, but unique in the finding of the indictments — the personnel of the Grand Jury composed of some of the accused ; the speedy re- turn of the true bills and instant arraignment; the vast number of challenges allowed by the law and the significant use of none: the fact that the same jurors were accepted in the trial of the second indictment, to try a case upon the same facts as the one they had just heard, and having heard it, must have naturally formed and expressed an opinion of the merits of the case, yet were taken on the second case, when ordi- narily this question would have been asked, the sealing of the mouth of one dangerous party by making him a co-defendant, then not putting him on trial with the others; the rendition of the speedy verdict given on those occasions, and, above all, that all things done and said seemed to have met the approval, not only of the court, but of al) law-abiding people. We have often heard it said, that the scene of a murder has some fascinating drawing power which impels a murderer to return, even at the ' peril of his life and liberty, to the scene of his crime. However that may be, it is true that Taylor Driscoll, who either fired the fatal shot at Campbell or was with Dave when he did, after making his escape at the time the Regulators were after him, and after remaining away for some years, again returned to the comity, when he was at once arrested. He secured a change of venue to McHenry County, where the first jury disagreed, and on the second trial, by aid, as is claimed of friendly members of the old con- federacy upon the jury, he was acquitted. This miscarriage of justice in the case of this mur- derer only more fully justifies the acts of the one hundred and eleven so-called jurors in in- voking the aid of a court where it was impossible to get confederates upon the jury. Judge Ford, the presiding Judge at the hear- ing of the lynchers cases in 1841, was then a resident of Oregon, and afterwards was elected Governor of the State. It is said of him that he publicly from the bench admonished the ban- ditti that he was about to leave his home, and that, if they dared to disturb his family or prop- erty, he would gather a posse and take summary measures against them. It is also said of him that, during the time when so many guilty men were escaping by verdicts of acquittal, a lawyer defending on a criminal charge when speaking of the policy of the law, that it was better that ninety and nine guilty men escape than that one innocent man be convicted, Judge Ford took a shot at him by remarking: "That is the maxim of the law all right, but the trouble here is that the ninety-nine guilty have already escaped." Story of a Witness of the Event. — The fol- lowing account of this tragical event as related by Mr. Michael Seyster, has been furnished by his son, Attorney J. C. Seyster, for this work: "I was sixteen years old when the Driscolls were executed. I was sent to Oregon on an errand ; the Regulators wanted a horse and took mine. I went with them to look after my horse and to bring it back. We went to the west bank of the river where there was a number of the Regulators who had in their custody John Dris- coll. One horse, for some reason, had been taken from their wagon and mine was put in its place. 736 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. I got in the wagon preparatory to starting across the river to Daysville, when the Sheriff came on a run, hatless and coatless, and seized Driscoll, declaring that he was his prisoner and in his custody, and he intended to keep him. He took him from the wagon and started back with him. The suddenness with which this was done, seemed to have dazed those who tiad Driscoll in charge. It appeared that they had no leader, and, for a few moments, nothing was done ; when John Phelps sprang from the wagon and ex- claimed. * 'If we are going to be men, let us act like men, and not like a lot of boys,' and started for the Sheriff. He was followed by the others, and they took Driscoll from the Sheriff, who said he had done his duty. "Driscoll was then put in the wagon, and we crossed the river on the ferry, and went to Days- ville, where there were many more of the Regu- lators with William and Pierce Driscoll. They all went from there to Washington Grove, where the trial took place. Evidence was introduced and a vote taken by the Regulators, and John and William Driscoll were condemned to death. They were given time to prepare for death. John was sullen and unrepentant, but William spent the time from his sentence to his death in prayer. One-half of those having guns were drawn up in line, and John Driscoll first led out and blindfolded and placed on his knees to be executed. I did not want to see it and retired, with some others to a ravine out of sight. When the guns were discharged we returned and found that they had only executed the father, who had fallen forward on his face and was still breath- ing faintly ; they were leading William out to be shot. We had not time to retire, but witnessed his execution. He was blindfolded and placed on his knees, and shot by the other half of the Regulators, and died instantly. The victims lay on their faces as they fell forwards, and a num- ber of places showed on their backs where the bullets had gone through. Graves were then dug where they had fallen, and they were hastily buried. "One item of evidence I remember against the father was that on the night Campbell (Captain of the Regulators) was shot, he, the elder Dris- coll, went to a neighbor's and asked permission to stay all night with him, saying that something might happen that night and he wanted to be with an honest man, so he could prove himself innocent. The item of evidence I remember against William was, that after the Regulators were organized he was heard to say that they would have to do as they had done at another place, where he had lived when a similar organi- zation was formed. They killed their Captain, which was the end of them. It was a pathetic and affecting scene, some were opposed to exe- cution. Many strong men wept like children. "It was said that William, in his prayers, con- fessed that his hands had been stained by the blood of six men. It was generally thought that a mistake had been made in executing the father first ; that he did not think they would take his life, but were trying to intimidate him into mak- ing a confession. If the son had been first put to death, he then would have known that the men were in earnest, and he would have con- fessed. The son was wild with despair and terror at the sight of his father's execution, and pleaded and begged for mercy when taken to be executed. "The son Pierce was warned to leave the coun- try, which he promised to do. He said that his brother should not have been executed as he was as he had been brought up, but had nothing to say as to the justice of his father's punishment." The story of "The Prairie Bandits," as they were widely known, has furnished the basis of much literature in the newspaper press and other- wise, including a volume under the title, "The Banditti of the Prairies : or The Murderers' Doom," which had a wide circulation among pioneer families. Continuing, Mr. Bacon closes his history of the "Prairie Bandit" incident as follows : It is not often that we can approve of lynch law, but the circumstances then existing de- manded a resort to this law, and the results fol- lowing were all for the best interests of society. It virtually was the beginning of the end of the reign of lawlessness in Ogle County. Another Lynching Case. — The only other case of lynching in Ogle County was that of Burke at Rochelle. He was being tried on a charge of arson before a Justice of the Peace, when it was suggested that he was a rebel sym- pathizer, and was guilty of committing the dif- ferent acts of incendiarism charged for the pur- pose of aiding the South, and, thereupon, some of the hot-headed members of that community placed a noose about his neck and hanged him from a window of the court room. Several prom- inent citizens of that locality were indicted at HISTORY OF OGLE COLLNTY. 737 the June term of court in 1862, and a trial had at the same term, resulting in an acquittal. It was this incident that led to the change of the name of the village of Lane to Rochelle. The only occasion in late years when any con- siderable number of men have set the peace officers of the county at defiance was in April, 1881. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- way Company started out to seize or take forci- bly from the Chicago & Iowa (now a part of the Chicago & Northwestern) the line of road from Rochelle to Rockford. It gathered up about 1,000 thugs, moved them out to Davis Junction, and there began the struggle for the road in ques- tion. The Milwaukee people claimed the legal right to the road, based on some proceedings had before Judge Brown of this circuit, while the Chicago & Iowa was acting in conformity with the orders issued by Judge Eustace, also one of our Circuit Judges. After several days of tur- moil, the matter was settled by calling in the third Judge of our Court, Judge Bailey, and his decision, sustaining Judge Eustace, was accepted by all parties. Several of the Milwaukee officials were indicted here for riot, and a mild fine was imposed in one or two cases. One of the leaders of that gathering was Edward Walker, an emi- nent attorney of Chicago, and the same one who was selected by the United States Attorney-Gen- eral as special counsel to aid the District Attor- ney during the great railroad riot of 1804, at which time the aid of the Federal Courts was invoked, and writs of injunction issued to sup- press the rioting, from which sprang the cam- paign charge of conducting government by in- junction. The criminal history of the county shows but few occasions when the public has suffered by defalcations of public officials or banks, Na- tional, State or private, there being upon the records of our county indictments against only one banker and against one public official, a School Treasurer, and in neither case was there any trial, but as we understand it, the losses were made good and the cases dismissed. We have had the usual number of minor felonies and misdemeanors, ranging in numbers less than in our sister counties. It has been said that crime is more prevalent when a country is practically new, but the facts and figures show this to be a false assertion. It is said that at present there are four and one-half times as many murders and homicides for each million in the United States, as there were in 1881. This county has had lew felonious homicides. The court records show but thirteen indictments for murder, of which we have noticed the case of the two Dris- colis, the Burke, O'Brien and Koefer cases, in only one of which was there a conviction. In the Dildine case there was no arrest made, and in the Livingston case the defendant, after a mis- trial, was permitted to enlist in the army, and the case was dropped. In the Slater and Paul cases, verdicts of acquittal were rendered. In that of John and Menno Arends, and in the one against John Temple, verdicts of guilty were rendered and penitentiary sentences imposed. It is claimed by some that the reservoir hill near our city received its name of Liberty Hill, because Judge Ford adjourned the court at the time of the trial of the Regulators from the house where that September term of 1841 was being held, the site of which was between the old Catholic church and the old red building called "the skating rink," to the hill in question, and at that place received the verdict of acquittal and there restored to liberty the 102 then on trial. I have failed, however, to substantiate this and must regard it as pleasant fiction. I am rather of the opinion that it got its name from another criminal case in our courts, when a prisoner being without counsel or means to employ one, the court performed its duty by appointing an attorney to defend. This attorney requested the privilege of consulting his client and taking him to an adjoining room, it is said, pointed out this eminence, remarking, on top of that hill you will find liberty, and he legged out and did get his liberty. A candid review and inspection of the history of Ogle County will develop nothing to bring a blush of shame, a word of apology or aught of condemnation, when taken and considered . as a whole. The records are open to the world, the acts of the departed pioneers who made the most of the stern history of the county, when weighed in the light of the circumstances surrounding the men, is to be commended ; there is little to censure, but little to gloss over, and much, indeed, that ought to be gratefully remembered by their sons and daughters, and later comers into this garden spot of the world, which they won from the dominion of the Prairie Banditti. 738 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. CHAPTER XXV. TOWNSHIP HISTORY. INDIVIDUAL SKETCHES OF OGLE COUNTY TOWN- SHIPS AREANQED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDEE — DATE OP ORGANIZATION, AREA AND POPULATION — LIST OP EARLY SETTLERS AND PUBLIC OPPICIALS — CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES — INCIDENTS OP LOCAL HISTORY — SCHOOLS, CHURCHES AND PUB- LIC LIBRARIES. At the general election held in Ogle County, in November, 1S49, the citizens decided in favor of the adoption of the system of township organi- zation, authorized by Act of the General Assembly of the same year in accordance with the Consti- tution of 1848. At the same election a County Judge and two Associate Judges were elected and continued in office until the election of the first Board of Township Supervisors. Previous to 1849 county affairs had been under control of a Board of County Commissioners, and at the last meeting of this Board held in 1849, Messrs. Will- iam Wamsley, Henry Hill and Daniel Pinckney were appointed a committee to divide the County in Townships, and in accordance with their re- port made to the County Board, on February 5, 1850, twenty townships were created with area as follows : Monroe — Comprising all of T. 42 X., R. 2 E. Third P. M. Scott— All of T. 42 N., R. 1 E. Third P. M. White Rock— All of T. 41 N., R. 1 E. Third P. M. Lynnville— All of T. 41 N., R. 2 E. Third P. M. Plagg— All of Towns 40 N., R. 1 and 2 E. Third P. M. Lafayette — North y 2 of T. 22 X., R. 11 E. Fourth P. M. Eagle— All of T. 23 N., R. 11 E. Fourth P. M. Taylor — All portions T. 22 N., R. 9 E. Fourth P. M., in Ogle County, comprising nearly north half of governmental township. Nashua — The part of T. 23 N., R. 10 E. Fourth P. M., on east side of line drawn along middle of Rock River, and all south of line running east and west through middle of sections 10, 11 and 12, same township (23-10) ; also Islands No. 7, 8 and 10 in Rock River. Oregon— The part of T. 23 N, R. 10 E. Fourth P. M., on west side of Rock River, and the part of same township on east side of Rock River and north of half-section line running east and west through sections 10, 11 and 12 of same town- ship ; also islands in Rock River within boun- daries of same congressional township not placed within Nashua Township. Brooklyn— All of T. 24 N., R. 10 E. Fourth P. M. Marion— All of T. 24 N., R. 11 E. Fourth P. M. and part of T. 25 N., R. 11 E. Fourth P. M. lying south of Rock River. Byron— All of T. 25 N., R. 11 E. Fourth P. M., which lies north and west of Rock River, and all of east half of T. 25 N., R. 10 E. Fourth P. M. Grand de Tour— All of that portion of T. 22 X., R. 9 and 10 E. Fourth P. M. in Ogle County and west of middle of Rock River — amounting to about one-third of a congressional township. Pine Creek— All of T. 23 X., R. 9 E. Fourth P. M. Mt. Morris— All of T. 24 X., R. 9 E. Fourth F. M., and east half of T. 24 X., R. 8 E. Fourth P. M. Leaf River — West half of T. 25 X., R. 10 E., and east half of T. 25 X., R. 9 E. Fourth P. M. Harrison — West half of T. 25 X., R. 9 E., and east half of T. 25 N., R. 8 E., Fourth P. M. Brookville — West half of T. 24, and west half of T. 25 X., R. S E. Fourth P. M., and all of fractional Towns 24 and 25 X.. R. 7 E. Fourth P. M. Buffalo— All of T. 23 N., R. 8 E. and fractional Towns 22 N, R. S E., and 23 X., R. 7 E. Fourth P. M. lying in Ogle County. The first Board of Supervisors for the several townships in Ogle County, chosen at the election in April, 1850, was as follows : Oregon — J. B. Cheney ; Buffalo — Zenas Applington ; Brookville — David Hoffman ; Pine Creek — Spooner Rug- gles ; Mt. .Morris — James B. McCoy ; Brooklyn — N. W. Wadsworth ; Harrison — Samuel Mitchell ; Leaf River— William C. Salisbury ; Byron — A. C. Campbell ; Marion — E. Payson Snow ; Scott — George Young : Monroe — Austin Sines ; Lynn- ville — C. C. Burroughs ; Flagg — Ira Overacker ; Eagle — Jeriel Robinson ; Nashua — Joseph Will- iams ; Taylor — Hiram Sanford ; Lafayette — Thomas Paddock. mmm.m&Msmv Boiasw. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 739 The following changes have been made in names nnd creation of new townships : November 12, 1850, the names of Harrison changed to Maryland ; Brooklyn to Rockville, and Eagle to Pine Rock. September 11, 1869, Haldane Township created out of west part of Mt. Morris and east part of Brookville; September 11, 1872, name of Hal- dome changed to Lincoln. September 11, 1855, Dement Township created out of east half of Flagg Township and embrac- ing all of T. 40 N., R. 2 E. Third P. M. March 5, 1857, Forreston Township taken off from west part of Maryland Township and north part of Brookville, its area being equal to one complete congressional township, but made up of the west half of Towns 25 N., Ranges 7 and 8 E. Fourth P. M. September 15, 1869, Eagle Point Township set apart from Buffalo Township and embracing the east half of T. 24 N., R. 7 E. Fourth P. M. September 15, 1880, Woosung Township set apart from Buffalo Township embracing an area of one-third congressional township, made up of the two northern tier of sections in T. 22 N., R. 8 E. of Fourth P. M. Ogle County, embracing an area, according to estimate of Census Bureau, of 773 square miles, is thus divided at the present time, into twenty- five townships, with a total population, according to the last decennial census, of 29,129. In the following pages the history of individual town- ships is given in alphabetical order, with inci- dents of early settlements, sketches of cities, towns and villages and other facts connected with local history. BROOKVILLE TOWNSHIP. (By J. W. Clinton.) In 1850 a portion of the town of Buffalo was set aside as a new township to be known as Brookville. It is bounded by the township of Forreston on the north, Lincoln (originally Hal- dane) on the east, and Eagle Point on the south. and the county of Carroll on the west, consisting of just one-half of a governmental township, being three miles wide from east to west and six miles in length from north to south. It is a strictly agricultural district, with Brookville as its principal village. Bur Oak Grove is a beautiful cluster of trees nearly in the center of the township. Elkhorn Creek flows through it, and the soil is very fertile. While Brookville was a part of Buffalo Town- ship about 1842, Isaac Chambers built the first flouring mill at Brookville. It was a small affair, and stood further up the creek than its successors built by Samuel and Isaac Herb. Schools and Churches. — In January, Feb- ruary and March, 1847, James L. Franks, a brother of Charles Franks, the pioneer who plat- ted Brookville village, engaged to teach a school in a house on the land of George Bingaman, and he was paid $18 per month. Among his early pupils were Hannah Franks, Charles, John, Jo- seph, William and Jeremiah Franks ; Lewis and Phoebe Reynolds ; Henry, Ellas, George and Joseph Bingaman ; Henry, Riley and Mary Lower ; Emanuel, Samuel and Washington Sar- ber. This earliest school only continued two months. Later when a schoolhouse was built, Charles Franks contributed the land. In 1851, the first church was built. The Walkey family came in this same year, also, as probably did J. G. Esher, to be followed by these others : Jacob Kemerling, 1852 ; William Strasberg, 1853 ; John Sindlinger and John Schneider, 1854; John Sindlinger and August Huelster, 1855 ; George Fleisher and R. Dubs, 1856-57 ; H. Rohland and D. B. Byers, 1857-58 ; H. Rohland and William Goessele, 1858-59; J. Gibbens and A. Gackley, 1859-60 ; J. Reigel and E. Von Freeden, 1860-61 ; J. Reigel, 1861-62; Henry Shoemaker, 1862-63; John Schneider, 1863-64; J. G. Kleindeneicht, 1864-65. After this those who sought a home in the fertile valley of the Rock River can scarcely be called early settlers. The Evangelical Church at Brookville was or- ganized soon after the arrival of the colony which came with the Herbs. The first preacher was Christian Leintner, who was followed by Jacob Kemerling. A Lutheran Church was organized at Brook- ville at an early day, and a church edifice erected, but no data is at hand for a sketch. Early Business Enterprises. — One of the im- portant families of Brookville is that of Herb. Mr. Herb brought with him not only his house- hold goods, but also a stock of dry-goods. He was a miller by trade, and he and his son built a mill about 1846, and this was re-built in 1870 at a cost of $10,000. In 1883, Isaac Herb, son oi 740 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Samuel Herb, the pioneer, repaired it at a cost of about $3,000. The mill was burned in 1887 and was not re-built. The first mill was kept running day and night from Monday to Saturday, but never on Sunday. When Samuel Herb's mill and store were running, this was quite a business center, and Charles Pranks laid out the village. In 1849, Jacob Walkey came from Pennsylvania and for a few years carried on blacksmithing and farming. About this time, the brick store was built in Brookville, and it was continued until it was moved to Polo. John Hamilton, about 1850, built a pottery for his son-in-law, Hiram Winter - steen, where earthenware crocks, jugs, etc., were manufactured, but it burned sometime in the 'sixties. It was rebuilt, but passed into the hands of Daniel Yeager, who conducted it until it was again burned a few years later. The building of the railroad to Polo checked the growth of the village. It is still a good point for a store and smithy. The Brookvilte postoffice was established May 31, 1848, and Samuel Herb was the first Post- master. The present Postmaster is Joseph Die- belbeis. The office receives a daily mail by rural route carrier from Polo. Township Officers.— The following have been Supervisors of Brookville Township since date of organization : David Hoffhine, 1850 ; John Garman, 1851-52; Walter Donaldson. 1852-62; Benjamin Good, 1863 ; Ambrose Sanborn, 1864- 68; William Brand, 1869; Walter Donaldson, 1870-78; Ambrose Sanborn, 1879-80; Levi S. Bowers, 1881 ; John Bowers, 1882-83 ; Walter Donaldson, 1884; Jeremiah B. Bowers, 1885-89; Elias G. Bowers, 1890-93; Jeremiah E. Bowers, 1894-97 ; Edwin J. Frey, 1898-99 ; Henry Ruben- dan,- 1900-01 ; Henry H. Kahl, 1902-03 ; Edwin J. Frey, 1904-07 ; George Paul, 1908. Other officers of the township for the year 1908 are : Town Clerk, Rufus H. Kahl ; Assessor, Joseph D. Herb ; Tax Collector, E. L. Shipman ; Justices of the Peace, William Kroener, Benja- min J. Rubendall ; Constable, David Peat ; High- way Commissioners, Jacob Mcllnay, William Paul, Benjamin Buisker ; School Treasurer, Joseph D. Herb. BUFFALO TOWNSHIP. (By J. W. Clinton.) The early history of the region comprised with- in the four townships of Brookville, Eagle Point, Woosung and Buffalo, in the southwestern part of Ogle County, is given in connection with that of the last, for during pioneer days this territory was all known as Buffalo Township, until the increasing population justified the several sub- divisions. One of the factors which contributed largely to the opening up and settlement of the Rock River Valley was the discovery and working of the lead mines at Galena. Many of the emi- grants from Eastern States, traveling to Galena, passed through the beautiful and fertile valley, and either abandoned their original destination in order to locate in what afterwards became Ogle County, or returned to secure homes in that locality. This, without doubt, was the case with Isaac Chambers, probably the first settler of Buffalo Township. With his wife. Ann (Lee) Chambers, he had passed through this region about 1827 on the way to Galena, but in 1830 he returned and took up a claim on the eastern edge of Buffalo Grove. It was his intention to build and keep a tavern for travelers, who would pass on the way to Galena, as it was just off the Galena Road on the south bank of Buffalo Creek. The cabin Chambers erected was. without doubt, the first white man's dwelling in Buffalo Grove. Following Chambers by only a few days came John Ankney, who had intended to locate upon the same site as that chosen by Chambers, and some controversy ensued between them in which Chambers was successful, Ankney finally choos- ing land on the north side of Buffalo Creek, about one-half mile northwest from Chambers, where he put up a rival roadhouse. The third settler at Buffalo Grove was John Alliuger, whose claim covered Rock Spring, but in 1831 he sold out to Samuel Reed, who prob- ably was the fourth settler, and an hour after his arrival, came Oliver W. Kellogg. In June, 1831, Elkanah V. Bush and John Broo'.cy arrived from Kentucky, but they sold out their claims to Captain Stephen Hull who came in 1835. They are remembered because they brought with them some fine Kentucky thoroughbred horses, the first to be introduced in Ogle County. Elkanah P. Bush was made the first Postmaster, February 12, 1833, but was soon succeeded by O. W. Kel- logg. The early trails through Buffalo Township supplied the place of roads, of which there were then practically none. Probably O. W. Kellogg was the first white man to pass over what be- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 741 came known as "Kellogg's Trail," in 1825. This crossed Rock River between Mount Morris and Polo, touched the western part of West Grove and continued north to Galena. In the spring of 1826, John Boles opened up. another trail, which was not quite so roundabout, crossing the river at Dixon, and passing through the country about a mile east of Polo, north to White Oak Grove, half-a-mile west of Forreston. and thence through Crane's Grove on to Galena, which was the great objective point in those days. In honor of him, this second trail was given his name. In March, 1827. Elisha Doty, who became a settler of Buffalo Grove in 1833, at Dixon's Ferry saw 200 teams on the way to Galena, gathered at the ferry waiting for the ice to go out. The old Galena or State Road from Peoria to Galena, surveyed in May, 1833, by Levi Warner, very nearly corresponds with the trail laid out by John Ankney and two other commissioners in December, 1829. They reached Buffalo Grove on Christmas Day, and then it was that Mr. Ank- ney decided to locate on the site afterwards selected by Isaac Chambers. Portions of this road still remain in use. It begins a quarter of a mile south of Buffalo village and runs north to Brookville village. The "Lewistown Trail," opened about the time of Kellogg's, passed some distance west of Ogle County and crossed Rock River a little above Prophetstpwn. Another old trail was known as the Army Trail from Dixon Ferry to Crane's Grove, and perhaps on to Galena, which may have corresponded with or been the same as the "Boles Trail." Another trail, almost parallel with this, bore the name of "Indian Trail," which could easily be traced as late as 1850. These trails were not much more than footpaths, but the frontiersmen knew how to follow them, and when the emigrants began to come over them in large numbers, they soon became widened into rough roads. One of the distinguishing features of Buffalo Township was its beautiful groves, and the pio- neers never tired of telling of them after the axe of the white man had marred their original beauty. These groves were almost alive with honey bees, and the wild honey proved very grateful to the first settlers. Unfortunately the Buffalo Grove of to-day is scarcely a skeleton •of what it was originally. In the 'thirties its boundaries were much wider, and its oaks, wal- nuts, elms and maples were the result of cen- turies of growth. Their wide, spreading branches afforded ample shelter and room for the pioneer's cabin, while its springs furnished the necessary water supply. For the first ten or fifteen years after the first settlements made in Buffalo, the grove furnished material for near- ly all the lumber for the settlers' homes, for enclosing their farms and for their fuel. The early frame houses of the settlers of Buffalo, from 183G to 1840, were largely built from the lumber sawed from timber obtained from Buf- falo Grove or Pine Creek. The first saw-mill in the township, owned by Samuel Reed, was built on or near the site of the second house of Isaac Chambers, and its owner was kept busy for an entire year sawing railroad ties, all of which were taken from the groves. Buffalo played its part in the great tragedy known to history as the Black Hawk War, but as this is taken up in both the Military History of Ogle County and in the Historical Encyclo- pedia, as well as in the biographical depart- ment, no further reference to it is deemed avail- able here. During 1832-33 emigration to Buffalo was stopped by this war, but some of those who were brought into this region by the conflict, were so pleased by it that they came back a few years later to make it their permanent home. Elisha Doty located a claim at Buffalo Grove, and Levi Warner at Elkhorn Grove during 1833, but neither occupied them. The latter was married in 1835, and his daughter, now Mrs. Lewis Rey- nolds of Polo, was the first white child born in Elkhorn Grove. He built a schoolhouse, and was. active in promoting religious worship. Levi Warner was the first Town Clerk of Elkhorn, and was active in that city until 1856, living to be eighty-four years of age. Elisha Doty probably brought his family in 1834, and in 1852 or 1853 he operated a small grocery in the American House in Buffalo Grove. When Polo began to grow, he went to the new town, built the Polo wind-mill on the site now occupied by the Polo Water Stand-pipe, in con- junction with several business associates. In 1858. he and S. Y. Pruse were running a general store at Polo, but losing all through reverses, he finally moved to Oxford, Iowa, where he began life anew, later visiting his old friends in Buf- falo from time to time. He lived to be about ninety years old. The oldest settler still a resident of Ogle Coun- ty is undoubtedly Isaiah Rucker, of Buffalo 742 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Township, son of Joshua Carter Rucker who died when eighty-eight In 1833, Isaiah Rucker came to Buffalo Grove, and in the spring of 1834, he began to drive a stage on John D. Winter's line between Peoria and Galena, and thus continued until the fall of 1837. He is still very active and is held in high respect. The first death in Ogle County was that of Samuel Reed of Buffalo Grove, father of Samuel Reed the settler, who had come on a visit from Peoria. He was taken sick and died August 17, 1833, and was 'buried on his son's claim, where later was established the Rock Spring or Reed Cemetery. Prospectors were more numerous in 1834, the postoffice established the preceding year, and the stage line, as well as the Black Hawk War, had advertised Buffalo Grove. In this year may be mentioned Cyrenus Sanf ord, then sixty years old, who with most of his large family, located south of Buffalo Grove, and built a saw-mill on Buffalo Creek. His sons were Amos, Warren W., Joel, Albion, Harrison, Vernon and Bennett Sanford. When Cyrenus Sanford died on May 2S. 1858, he was one of the oldest men in the township, being then eighty-three. Other settlers during 1834 were Pearson Shoemaker, George W. Knox, William Brooke, Garret Deyo, Hamilton Norton, Leyman Preston, Hiram Pender, a Mr. Sackett. Stephen Fellows, and his son, Simon Fellows, who took charge when nineteen years old of the first school ever taught in Ogle County, in the cabin of Samuel Reed, in the winter of 1834. It is interesting to note that in the fall of 1834 Samuel Reed harvested corn, pumpkins and pota- toes, although not for the. first time, and that in the summer he harvested the first winter wheat. In 1835 Buffalo village was surveyed by Levi Warner, and was called St. Marion lor the wife of Henry Stevenson, who, with O. W. Kellogg, hired Warner to do the work. This name was abandoned some years later on account of the refusal of the Government to change the name of the postoffiee, which was known as Buffalo Grove. At the time of the survey, there was not a house on the town site, but the tide of emigra- tion set in strong during 1&35. James Talbott, Joseph M. Wilson, Rev. James McKean, Jack Phelps, Leonard Andrus, David Hoffhaine, Wash- ington Knox, Hiram MeNamer, John Clark, Sol- omon Landis, George R. Webster, Peter Hull, Captain Hull, Benjamin Dean, George D. H. Wilcoxon, Matthew S. Schryner, Stephen Smith, John M. Smith, William Illingworth, Charles Kitchen, Hugh and John D. Stevenson, all set- tled during this year about Buffalo or Elkhorn Groves, while David Worden settled on Pine Creek. It was in 1835, that James Talbott and Joseph Wilson began building the first flouring mill, and they began grinding corn in June, 1836, before the roof was on. John D. Stevenson brought the first stock of goods to Ogle County, and was Postmaster at Buffalo Grove from April 11, 1839, to March, 1840. His store and cabin were built in 1835, but were not occupied until New Year's Day, 1836. In 1851 he was elected Town Clerk of Buffalo Township, and held the office for six years. Mr. Stevenson took an active part in the formation of the Republican party in his local- ity, and lived until 1890, when he died in his eighty-sixth year. An interesting feature of his funeral, which was held at Polo, w r as the fact that there were present more than one hundred old settlers over fifty years of age. David Hoffhine settled at Chambers Grove in 1835 and is associated with the securing of thor- oughbred stock, and the history of Brookville village. The history of the selection of a county-seat when Buffalo was one of the aspirants for the honor, is gone into fully in another chapter. In 1836 there was another wave of immigra- tion, and among those who came here this year were : Virgil A. Bogue, Frederick Cushman, Jonathan Bellows, Horatio Wales, Vernon San- ford, Daniel O'Kane, John M. Smith (the first blacksmith), as well as many others. Hunn & Co. arrived during this year with the second stock of goods brought to the township. It was also during this year that Wilson's mill began to grind wheat, Kellogg built his saw-mill in Buffalo Grove, and Phelps built his saw-mill on Pine Creek, while Phelps, Hitt and Swingley built their flouring mill on Pine Creek in 1838. William Merritt built the first frame house in Buffalo Grove in this year, and it was during 1830 that the schoolhouse was begun. Then, too. Stevenson's log store was succeeded by a frame building. By 1840 the first settlements had all been made. In this year many settlers arrived who after- wards became prominent in county history. While the exact number of settlers then in Buf- falo is not known, it is probable that it held its own. There has been some discussion as to who. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 743 was the first physician, some contending that the honor belongs to Dr. Benton, and others that Dr. Fells was the first to locate here, but neither remained long. Before that, Dr. Everett of Dixon, or J. D. Stevenson, as well as Mrs. Stephen Hull, were called upon to visit patients. The latter became widely known for her minis- trations to the sick, and by many was always preferred to a regular physician. It was in March, 1840, that George D. Read settled at Buffalo Grove, although for two years he had been in different parts of the county. By trade he was a tailor, and perhaps the first of that calling in the county, but he did not follow his trade after coming to Buffalo Grove. In 1841, he was appointed Postmaster, served In the Mexican War and,' in 1853, was again ap- pointed Postmaster and held that office until 1861. He was Justice of the Peace and Police Magistrate at Polo, led the Democratic party in his locality, and in 1860 became the editor of the "Ogle County Banner," which was published at Polo, so that he was one of the most promi- nent men of his time, dying in 1882, aged about seventy. Deacon Timothy Perkins and John Broadwell both came with their families, as did Rufus Per- kins, in the fall of 1840, and located at Buffalo Grove and in the village of Buffalo. Deacon Perkins had been a deacon in the Congregational Church of Buffalo Grove before his removal to Polo, when he joined the Independent Presby- terian Church. When he came to Buffalo Grove, he brought with him between 250 and 350 yards of what was called "broad or fulled" cloth, and this was eagerly bought by the settlers, although they paid principally in barter, for they had very little money. He also took a very active part in the "Underground Railroad." His house was the stopping place for the preachers of all denominations. Others to settle in Buffalo about this time were: Isaac Higley, John Lawson, Joseph Kellogg, John H. Woodruff, Alexander and Robert Lawson, Ira Z. Roberts, William Tucker, Thomas Woodruff, Isaac Sheldon Wood- ruff, William G. Woodruff, Newton Woodruff, John W. Stewart, John H. Hawes, Fisher Alli- son, Alfred StefBns, Daniel Fager, Jacob Petrie and Edmund Coffman. From the records accessible, it would seem that comparatively few settlers were added to Buf- falo Grove in 1841, but the following did locate here : Daniel Bascom, Rev. Lucius Foot, Michael O'Kane, Edward Helm, a blacksmith, and Dr. J. B. Curtis. The winter of 1842 and 1843 is remembered as the Cold Winter. The first snow fell on November 8th, and by January, 1843, it was thirty degrees below zero. On May 1, 1843, the ground was too deeply frozen to plow ; Rock River did not open until April 8th, and there was snow in the fence corners as late as May. In August, 1843, L. N. Barber visited Buffalo Grove, and decided upon locating there with a stock of goods. Returning to Vermont, he en- listed the interest of his brother, C. R. Barber, and in October of the same year, they opened a store in the office of Moses Hetfield's tavern. This was the beginning of the first real store in Buffalo Grove, and during the next twelve years it developed wonderfully. In 1855, the partner- ship was dissolved, and Newton Barber took charge of the store and his brother devoted him- self to farming and banking. Eventually he built a brick store on the corner of Mason and Division Streets in Buffalo, and continued to conduct his business until his death, July 28, 1859. He was Supervisor of the township and Polo. He was also active in the establishment of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. C. R. Barber's name became connected, as second President of the Board of Trustees, with the history of the township through asso- ciation with his brother Newton in the mercan- tile business, and also from the fact that he taught school in the winter of 1843-44 in Buffalo Grove. On May 19, 1847, he was appointed Postmaster of Buffalo Grove, and held the office until July, 1849. He also opened a bank in 1856, in the west room on the first floor of Sanford's Hotel. In those early days the tavern (or hotel) was used for many purposes. Soon he put up a brick structure for his hank, near the present site of the Lutheran Church, corner of Locust and Division Streets, Polo. This banking busi- ness was afterwards disposed of, but in 1874 he founded the present banking house of Barber Brothers & Company, now conducted by his son, Bryant Harvey Barber, one of the strong finan- cial institutions of Polo. In 1846, the following arrivals are recorded: Robert Huie, Sr., Aaron H. Johnson, Isaac Grush, John A. Dixon, Hawks and Moore and their families, Anthony Wilber, Sr., Alexander Henderson, Arnold T. Anderson, Lewis F. Thomas, Elias B. Waterbury, Daniel Ebersol, 744 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Captain Hiram Cutts, Thomas B. Cutts, John B. Wilber, Rev. George Frisbee, Anthony Wilber, Jr.. Nicholas W. Harrington, Isaac Kimble, John Emrick, Benjamin Rubendall, Warner Mil- ler, Tillinghast Wilber, Lucius S. Thorp, Archi- bald Gennell and Samuel Herb. The majority were married men with families. Rev. Leman Gilbert arrived about this time. A letter writ- ten about this period gives a little idea of the prevailing prices in Buffalo. The wages earned were- a dollar per day in summer and a dollar per one hundred for making rails. Four bushels of corn were paid for a day's work on the stack. Pork sold for $2 and $2.50 per 100 pounds. Wheat sold from 35 to 37% cents per bushel, and corn for from ten to twelve and one-half cents per bushel. The best of beef sold for two to three cents per pound. Potatoes and apples were practically unsalable. In this letter men- tion is made of the prime hunting and fishing. War Record. — While the records of soldier.-; who served in the Mexican (as well as the Black Hawk) War, as preserved at Springfield, are de- fective, there is evidence that of those who en- listed from Buffalo Township were Charles H. Osterhoudt, George D. Read, Elias Reed, and John A. Dickson. Some soldiers of the Revolu- tion and of 1812 settled in Buffalo. Of the former was Rufus Perkins, and of the latter, Timothy Perkins, George Di H. Wilcoxon, John Ankney, Samuel Reed, Sr., and Peter Hull. Postoffices and Postmasters. — The records of the Postoffice Department show that an ad- vertisement issued from the department, June 18. 1827, contained a call for proposals for a route from Peoria to Galena once in two weeks, but there is no evidence that a contract was made. The first department record of a route that would pass through Buffalo Township, is for services from 1830 to 1834. Such a route was continued through several successive con- tracts. Isaiah Rucker, as has been elsewhere mentioned, was a driver on one of these routes, and from him have been obtained sotae facts in this connection. The government records also show that Buf- falo Grove Postoffice was established February 12, ia33, with Elkanah P. Bush as Postmaster. January 30, 1856, the name was changed to Polo, and the office was moved one night from Buffalo Grove to Polo, and George D. Read was re-appointed Postmaster for the new town, as ho had been for the old. June 30, 1S5I!. The present incumbent of the office is Harry E. Spear, who was appointed October 21, 1899, and re-appointed in 1903 and 1907. The first Rural Free Delivery Routes from Polo were established August 15, 1900, with Willard H. Atkins and W. E. Grim as carriers. In 1907 there were eight rural routes, extending out and serving all the neigh- boring territory. In addition to these eight routes, operating from the Polo Postoffice, there are the following postoffices, which were in the original town of Buffalo : Brookville, Eagle Point, Hazelhurst. Hitt, Elkhorn Grove, Woosung, Stratford, Pine Creek and Barclay. Polo was entered as a second class office July 1, 1907, and for some years it has been a foreign as well as domestic Money Order Office. Schools. — Buffalo Grove teachers are headed by the name of Simon Fellows, who undoubtedly was the first teacher in this locality. He taught a little group of pupils in the winter of 1834 in the house of Samuel Reed, following this by an- other term during the winter of 1835. The next winter, he taught in the house of Oliver W. Kel- logg. There appears to be no definite data re- garding the teachers during 1836-38, but in 1839, Miss Percis Williams, a sister of C. K. Williams, taught at Buffalo in the summer. About the time of the founding of the village of Polo, John W. Frisbee began the erection of a school building on a ten-acre tract just south of the village of Buffalo, to which was given the name of Rock River Normal School. Mr. Fris- bee was born in Delaware County, N. T., in 1828. graduated from the State Normal School at Al- bany in 1847, and joining his parents at Buffalo Grove, during the winter of 1849-50 taught a select school in the second story of Isaiah Wil- coxon's house, the first floor being occupied as a postoffice, stage station, and for other purposes. Despite many disadvantages, his school was a success, and after teaching two or three terms under better conditions, he opened his school in August, 1S53, in his new quarters. He was a zealous student, had written some text-books, and had the capacity of imparting his enthusiasm to his pupils, besides winning the confidence of a large class of patrons. In 1854 he married Miss I'hrocine Whiteside, in the same year was elected County Superintendent of Schools, but in Novem- ber, 185.", soon after the passing away of his father, his promising career was cut short by his death at the age of twenty-seven years. A post- WILLIAM W. JOINER Died in Eagle Point Township in 1864, age 33 years HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 745 humous daughter, and his only child, is the wife of Congressman William B. MeKinley of Cham- paign, 111. In 1851 or 1852, a schooner was built at Kish- waukee and run down Rock River, cutting all the ferry ropes. The master was prosecuted at Byron, Oregon, Grand Detour and Dixon, but he defeated all the suits on the ground that Rock River was a navigable stream. Some of the arrivals at Buffalo Grove about this time were Samuel Waterbury, Amos Maltby, Daniel Hunt- ley, George and Charles Huntley. As Polo grew into prominence, the history of Buffalo Township became merged in that of the larger interests, and can best be followed by taking up the account of the rise and progress of this most beautiful of Illinois towns. From time to time several townships have been separ- ated from the original Buffalo, and their history is presented in alphabetical order in this chap- ter. Public Officers. — The Supervisors of Buffalo Township, since organization have been : Zenas Aplington, 1850; C. G. Holbrook, 1851; L. N. Barber, 1852-54; Zenas Aplington, 1855; C. H. Williams. 1850-57 ; L. N. Barber, 1858-59 ; L. W. Warren, 1860; D. B. Moffatt, 1861-62; C. H. Williams, 1863; David B. Moffatt, 1864-65; Charles F. Barber, 1866-67; Martin F. Bassett, J. W. Stewart, 1868 ; Charles W. Sammis, J. W. Stewart, 1869 ; Amos F. Moore, Daniel Bovey, 1870; William L. Fearer, Jerome B. Snyder, 1871 ; Lyman Preston, 1872 ; Luther Morse, 1873 ; C. W. Sammis, 1874-76 ; William L. Fearer, 1877 ; Charles W. Sammis, 1878; William L. Fearer, 1870-80 ; Walter W. Pierce, 1881-83 ; William L. Fearer, 1884; J. L. Moore, 1885; William L. Fearer, 1886-87; William H. Barkman, 1888; A. J. Sanborn, 1889-93; Samuel W. Powell, 1894-95; R. D. Woolsey, 1896-97; Samuel W. Powell, 1898-1907 ; Albert H. Johnson, 1908. Other township officers in 1908 were: Town Clerk, Harry Pyper ; Assessor, H. W. Coursey; Collector, Tunis R. Swart; Highway Commis- sioner, Samuel S. Landis ; Library Trustees, L. F. Thomas, James Donaldson. The vote on the question of licensing saloons under the local option law in 1908, stood: For license, 155 ; Against, 422. CITY OF POLO. The town of Polo was incorporated by Act of the General Assembly of the State, February 16, 1857,. a little more than two years after the Illinois Central Railroad was built. This char- ter was amended, February 18, 1859, and a city charter was granted by the Legislature, Feb- ruary 19, 1869, and adopted by vote of the people, February 27, 1869. On June 25, 1877, the ques- tion of dropping the special charter, and re- organizing under the General Law, was voted on by a majority of more than three to one being cast in favor of remaining under the old charter. The first President of the Board of Trustees was Zenas Applington, and the Mayor in 1908 was Horatio Wakes. The first schools in Polo antedate the organi-, zation of the Polo District by almost two years. In the winter of 1854-55, Miss Lucy Bassett con- ducted a school in the Williams building on Mason Street, the site of which is now occupied by the Becker Block. This school was continued by Miss Bassett during the summer of 1855, and was undoubtedly the first within the present limits of the Polo District. It is said that during the winter of 1855-56, John C. Savage taught a public school in Wil- liams hall. If he did it was as a part of the Buffalo Grove District, from which he drew pay for his services. On April 21, 1856, Polo School District was formed, and called District No. 2. As at first organized, it reached nearly to the ' town line, and south a mile or more beyond the corporation limits. It was barely organized, when the district was divided, the division line running on Mason Street, the portion north being District No. 1, and that south, District No. 9. From April, 1857, until the creation of Polo School District by Act of the Legislature, in February, 1867, there were continuous changes or el'foiis for changes. In the spring of 1864, the two Polo Districts and Buffalo Districts were united. In December, 1866, Buffalo District No. 4 was again set off by itself. In February, 1867, by special Act of the Legislature, the pres- ent Polo District was established, with about its present territory. After the building of the schoolhouse, in 1867, there followed a period of ten years, during which the people were satisfied with the new structure. In time, however, the teachers and pupils discovered its imperfections and, as early as 1884, dissatisfaction became so pronounced that calls were made for an enlargement of the old or the building of a new structure. The ventilation was unsatisfactory ; there were no class rooms; the building was heated by stoves. As early as 1875, the building was overcrowded, 746 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. and children were sent to the basement, or to the basement of the Presbyterian church. From 1890, the need of a new building was apparent to all who investigated. After much discussion, it was decided to remove the old building and erect a new and up-to-date structure. In 1898, the School Board levied a tax of $7,000 for the beginning of a building fund preparatory to building, and on February 22, 1899, the School Board voted unanimously to erect the new build- ing, and also to issue twenty-four bonds of $500 each, to bear interest at four per ee,nt, payable semi-annually, to bear date of March 1, 1899. These bonds were sold March 2, 1899, at a premium of $193.20. J. L. Silsbee was the archi- tect employed at a cost of $1.03)1.52, and the records show that the contract was let to T. P. Ruth for $19,000. This contract was modified until, at the completion of the building, the Board reported a total cost, not including heat- ing plant, furniture, blinds, etc., of $29,902.87. The furnishings were supplied and owned by cer- tain public-spirited citizens, but subject to pur- chase by the Board, and valued at $8,375, making a total expenditure, as the building then stood, of $38,277. The grading of the grounds, laying of the walks two years later, cost about $1,680. If cost of lots and subsequent additional expen- ditures to make it what it is to-day were added, the entire property could not be replaced for $50,000. Ground was broken April 25, 1S99, the work of demolishing the old building begun May 1, and the new structure completed and opened for public inspection on November IS and 19, and in those two days 2,151 persons visited and passed through the building. On Monday, November 20, 1S99, the public schools occupied it for the first time. Friday, December 23, 1899, the dedi- catory exercises were held, and were very im- pressive. Polo cherishes the names of those who were its first teachers. According to best information, Miss Lucy Bassett, the first teacher, was suc- ceeded in 1855-67 by John C. Savage, Helen Bogue and Alfred M. Webster; and in 1857-58 by Sarah Hackett Stevenson, Matthew Van Bus- kirk and Lucy Todd. The teachers who fol- lowed cannot be justly counted among the pio- neers in pedagogy. The total number of pupils who have completed the four year high school course since 1872, is 485. The Polo High School is now on the accredited list of the leading col- leges of the Middle West. The school district was first governed by the Township Trustees, but the first Board of Direc- tors was chosen in 1856 under the Free School Law of the previous year. Newspapers — Political. — In the spring of 1857, Zenas Applington, Drs. Burns and Warren, L. X. Barber and S. E. Freat purchased material for a newspaper and employed Charles Meigs, Jr., to edit and publish the "Polo Transcript," the first copy of the "Transcript" being issued in June of that year. The editor was a man of some ability, but he belonged to the class of printers, all too common, who loved their cups, and, before the year had passed, the stockholders and he had differences, the paper was suspended and Mr. Meigs drifted to Chicago. On May 0, 1858, Henry R. Boss issued the first number of the "Polo Advertiser," having purchased the plant of the stockholders of the defunct "Transcript." He continued the publica- tion -of the "Advertiser" until December, 1800. when he sold out and moved to Chicago, and for a number of years was in the employ of the "Tribune." The "Advertiser" under Mr. Boss was one of the best local papers in Northern Illinois, and gave much more of its space to local affairs than was then customary. It was a vigor- ous advocate of the principles of the Republican party. In July, 185S, it proclaimed Lincoln's name as its candidate for the Senate, and in November was enthusiastic in its advocacy of Lincoln for the presidency. In Polo, the politi- cal enthusiasm awakened in 1856, educated in 1858, and wrought'to a white heat in the campaign of 1860, was powerfully aided by such men as Applington, Helm, Bogue and the early Aboli- tionists, who by 1858 had affiliated with the Republican party. Boss's paper was a vigorous advocate of liberty and the exclusion of slavery from all the Territories. When the Lincoln-Douglas debates were ar- ranged for, some of the Buffalo Republicans at- tended several of these debates, and probably there were several hundred from Polo at the one held at Freeport, on August 27, 1858. The rail- road fare was placed at one dollar for the round trip, and many, both Republicans and Democrats, took advantage of this opportunity. Another impulse to political activity at Polo, was the nomination at Rockford, on September HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 747 22nd, of Zenas Applington for the State Senate, for he was a man who had been prominent from the beginning of Polo, and also in Buffalo Town- ship. On January 6, 1859, Mr. Boss began in the "Advertiser" the publication of his history of Ogle County, afterward issued as a pamphlet of about ninety pages, without index. He sold his cloth-bound copies of this history for twenty- five cent?. In 1903, a cloth-bound copy of this valuable work was sold at auction in Chicago for $9. Mr. Boss was a prominent figure in Polo history for some years, and lived to be seventy-two, dying in Chicago, 1907. On the liquor question Polo has always been strongly in favor of Prohibition, and it is the boast of the people that not one cent of license money has gone into their improvements. This is a remarkable record, and one worthy of emu- lation by other municipalities. Some Civil War Reminiscences. — During the war, recruiting and bounty-raising meetings were held nearly every week, from the time of Lincoln's last call in December until the middle of March, 1865, when the deficit in the Buffalo quota was wiped out by the enlistment of men who received a combined bounty of $700 each from the town, county and the general govern- ment. The public sentiment in Polo towards the soldiers and the war is indicated by the vote at a, special town meeting, held February 10, 1865, for or against a town bounty of $500, which stood 365 for the bounty, and 107 against. In May, the boys of the various regiments, who had enlisted from Polo, began to come home, and from then, until September, they continued to arrive. The only lynching Polo was seriously threat- ened with, was on that April day when the wires flashed the terrible news of the assassination of President Lincoln, and, as it was then feared, of members of his cabinet also. Early that morn- ing it was reported that Peter Dawson, an elderly lumberman, had expressed his joy at the news. In their excited state, the people could not let such remarks pass unheeded. Cooler heads appointed a committee of fifteen to go to Dawson and give him one hour to leave town, and he, appreciating his danger, took advantage of the warning. Wednesday, April 19, 1865, is a day that will always be remembered in Polo, as it was the one set apart for observing the funeral obsequies of the dead President. All business houses were closed. At twelve o'clock, religious services were held in all the churches of a solemn and impres- sive character. At two o'clock the church serv- ices being concluded, the congregations formed a procession and inarched to the vacant lots south and west of the Presbyterian church, where they united and took up a line of march, all wearing badges of mourning. Returning to the lots, mili- tary salutes were fired, the benediction was pro- nounced, and the services were over. Polo was visited in 1878 by a terrible scourge in the form of diphtheria, between twenty and thirty deaths occurring, the victims generally being children, but many more suffered from the dread disease. It was finally discovered that the trouble resulted from impure well water. In 1856 it is probable that Rev. Todd built his brick house on the corner of Congress and Dixon Streets, which now forms a part of the house of A. W. Schell. In that year, or the one following, Phelps & Johnson built a large frame building on the present site of Campbell's law office. As the years passed, many changes were ef- fected. In June, 1879, the Odd Fellows left the old Porter or Woodruff building on Franklin Street, and fitted up a lodge room in Powell's building that had been re-built after a fire in January. In August, 1879, Black Brothers took down their steam flouring mill on east Mason Street and removed it to Beatrice, Xeb. In December, 1879, the press and the people began to agitate for lighting the streets by electricity. Church History. — No true history of Polo can be given without devoting considerable space to that of its churches, for the pioneer preacher ever follows close on the footsteps of the first settler. The first religious services in Buffalo Township were held in the new house of Captain Stephen Hull, before the roof was on. Probably these services were conducted by Rev. Aratus Kent, an early Presbyterian minister of Galena. L. A. Gregg probably visited the district in 1834-35. James McKean was sent to the Buffalo Grove mission in 1834 or 1835. Mr. McKean or- ganized the Buffalo Grove and Polo Methodist Church, March 3, 1835, which was the first or- ganized church within the present limits of Ogle County. George D. H. Wilcoxon, Stephen Smith, Mary Oliver, W. Kellogg and Oleitha Hughs were among the first members. The same day a Sab- bath school was organized of which G. D. H. ( Wilcoxon was Superintendent, and Emeline Hub- ?48 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. bard and Isaiah Wilcoxon teachers. In 1836, the Buffalo Grove school house was built and in this edifice services were held. In this little build- ing, afterwards enlarged to double its original size, the first quarterly meeting of the church was held, and people came long distances to attend. Then, as for years afterwards, people opened their homes to entertain those from abroad over- night or as long as the meetings continued. The present church was erected in 1898 at a total cost of $15,000, and dedicated on January 29, 1899.' When the services commenced there was a deficit of $3,675 to be raised, but before the conclusion of the evening services, the amount was In the hands of the Board of Trustees. The present commodious parsonage was built in 1900 at a cost of $3,800. In October, 1901, Rev. H. K. Carpenter succeeded Rev. Thornton and was pas- tor for four years, and he was followed in 1905 by Rev. Perley Powers, who gave place to the present pastor, Rev. C. K. Saunders, in October, 1907. The membership of the church is now over 350, and the Sunday school is in a flourish- ing condition. The Independent Presbyterian Church was or- ganized in the old first schoolhouse of Buffalo village, May 5, 1848, the same day the Congre- gational Church disbanded. It is the heir, if not the child, of the older church. The Rev. Calvin Gray was the presiding officer of the meeting, and Revs. Mills and Pearson participated in the deliberations. Rev. Robert Proctor became pas- tor of the church in October, 1868, and served about three years. During his pastorate many extensive repairs were made on the church and ' Sunday School room. Rev. James Vincent suc- ceeded him, and he in turn was succeeded by Rev. Granger. Alexander Allison was the next pastor, and from ]883 until 1889, Archibald McDougall was in charge. J. G. Obwden fol- lowed, and remained with the church until 1901. In January, 1902, Kirby J. Miller took charge, and he was followed by various pastors from dif- ferent churches and professors from the Chicago University, from McCormick University, and the Chicago Theological Seminary, until July 1, 1907, when the present pastor, Rev. C. O. Shirey was railed by the church. The total membership of the church is about 180. In May, 1898, the church celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its organization, and in August, 1907, the fiftieth anniversary of the dedication of the church edifice. As early as 1854 or 1855, Father Thomas Ken- nedy of Dixon, began holding occasional serv- ices in private homes in Polo. About the same time, in 1855, St. Mary's Catholic Church of Buffalo Grove began work to erect a church in the new town of Polo. The parish then com- prised about forty families, located in Polo and its vicinity. This first church was very small, but was later enlarged to about double its orig- inal size. It was located on North Franklin Street, the lot being donated to the church by Zenas Applington. The chapel was completed and occupied in the winter of 1856, and was the first church to be built in Polo. The priests who have been in charge are as follows : Fathers J. H. Kennedy, M. McDermot, Michael Ford, Dr. Louis Lightner, Morris Stack, Thomas Mangan and possibly others. Up to 1887, the church was served by priests from Dixon or Freeport. In that year, Father D. B. Toomey was given charge of all the churches in Ogle County, ex- cept that at Rochelle, and made Polo his home. He began work for a new church edifice. In the fall of 1894, he was succeeded by I>. X. Du Four, who the same year was succeeded by Father John J. McCann, and during his pastor- ate, the present beautiful brick church was built at a cost of about $10,000. December 24, 1899, Father McCann held the first service in the new church, and his last in Polo, having been ap- pointed to the rectorship of St. Mary's Church of Elgin. His successor, Father Jeremiah J. Crowley, held his first service in the new church. New Year's Day, 1900, and the following Sunday, the church was dedicated. The present incum- bent, Father S. J. O'Hara, took charge in No- vember, 1906. The society has recently bought the property adjoining the church on the south, removed the old structure, and is building on the site a parsonage which will probably cost $6,000. The church communicants number about 200. The United Brethren Church of Polo held services in the Buffalo Methodist Church and in the old schoolhouse, as early as 1858. About 1859, they repaired and furnished the old school- house with seats, and held regular services there until their own church was built about 1863. John Mowery, Sr., was one of their first preach- ers. In 185S, Rev. M. Roe was stationed at Pine Creek and probably conducted services for this organization. In the fall of 1860, T. B. Bur- roughs was the pastor, but Rev. Bacon was prob- MARY J. JOINER HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 74,9 ably pastor when steps were taken for building at Polo. On October 5, 1865, the Rock River Conference of the U. B. Church was held in the new Polo church, although it was still a part of the Pine Creek circuit. In 1895 and 1896, under J. E. Barr, the church was repaired, and im- proved at a cost of several hundred dollars. The present membership is about seventy, and V. W. Overton is the present pastor. The Emanuel United Evangelical Church of Polo can be said to have commenced in 1869, when a number of Germans used to meet at the homes of the members and hold prayer meet- ings. In the fall of that year, Rev. Daniel Krae- mer, pastor of the Brookville Evangelical charge, hearing of these meetings, offered to preach for them once in two weeks, on Sunday afternoons. They secured the use of the United Brethren church for the meetings, and in the spring of 1870, Rev. J. G. Kleinknecht succeeded Mr. Kraemer, and he organized a class. From 1872 to 1877, no record of the church has been preserved, but in the latter year, they had a nourishing Sunday School. By the fall of 1878, the congregation built the church on the south- east corner of Locust and Congress Streets, at a cost of $3,500. While Rev. E. K. Teakel was pastor in 1890, or 1891, the split in the denomi- nation occurred, and the bulk of the members went with the new organization, and conse- quently lost their church building in 1893. They rented until they bought property in 1900, re- paired it, and had it dedicated in November, 1900. It is a comfortable church, and there is a par- sonage connected with it on South Division Street. The membership is 140, and the present pastor is E. Y. Knapp. The Evangelical Church of Polo has the same history from 1869 to 1890 as the Emanuel United Evangelical Church, which separated from it in the latter year. Since then the minority have formed the Evangelical Church, and the organi- zation has been maintained, with regular serv- ices. The present pastor is Rev. W. A. Schultz. The Evangelical Lutheran Church was organ- ized in August, 1870, in the Methodist church building, with thirty-six members by Rev. P. G. Bell. In 1872, they built a church at a cost of $17,000, and in 1876 put up a parsonage costing $1,400. In 1897, the present parsonage was built at a cost of $4,500 ; the church has been remod- eled, and on January 31, 1907, a fine pipe organ was installed. The church buildings are the largest and most costly in Ogle County. The membership is about 275, and the present pastor is Rev. F. M. Keller. The Christian Church of Polo was organized in 1904 by Elder Harold Monser, who held a short meeting in the Baptist Church, and ap- pointed a committee to look after the new church. In 1906, the church was fully organized and the present pastor is Elder F. A. Sword. On April 21, 1857, the Polo Cemetery Asso- ciation was organized, with Rev. William Todd, pastor of the Presbyterian Church as President. The original cemetery has been enlarged to double its size, and it now contains about sixteen acres, and is known as Fairmount Cemetery. The Catholic Cemetery joins it on the south, and 'both are carefully cared for, and reflect credit upon the management. Litebaby Society — Public Libbaey. — A power- ful influence for good among the young people of Polo has been the Literary Society, the first mention of which was made publicly in the "Press" of April 1, 1870, when it was declared that, at the first meeting, a membership of twenty-nine had been secured, and suggested that the society discuss the matter of securing a library. After much agitation, a committee was appointed, a public meeting was held and $845 pledged towards a library. Eventually a build- ing and lot were secured, many of the leading business houses of Polo contributing, and finally, on December 21, 1871, the building was fur- nished, well supplied with books, and opened to the public with Miss E. F. Barber as librarian. The library was to be open two evenings and Saturday afternoons of each week, but one of the original by-laws provided that the library should never be open on Sunday. A small charge was made to those who were not stockholders for the use of books, but none was made to those who read in the rooms. From the first, until the library was turned over to the town- ship, its history is a succession of struggles for existence. A lecture course one year, donations from the literary society, the Young Men's Chris- tian Temperance Union, and from private citi- zens, helped to meet its meager expenses, fur- nish periodicals and new books. For more than twenty years, its librarian stood by it faithfully, serving almost without pay. On February 15, 1890, the board voted in favor of turning the property over to the town of Buffalo for a free 750 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. public library, provided the electors of the town would vote a one-mill tax for its support. At the town meeting the electors voted for the tax, a meeting of all stockholders was held February 3, 1891, and a majority voted in favor of the transfer, which was effected April 21, 1891. Janu- ary 2, 1893, the C. K. Williams bequest of $500 was reported as received. In June, 1893, the Dewey system of cataloguing was adopted. Early in 1901, Mayor George W. Perkins and some of the citizens wrote to Andrew Carnegie, soliciting a donation of funds for a library build- ing. April 1, 1901, the Board of Trustees sent a similar request to Mr. Carnegie, and April 20, 1903, word was received as to the conditions under which he would give $10,000 for a library building at Polo. The board accepted his terms and May 11th, it was notified that the money would be provided as needed for the construction of the building. November 6, 1903, the corner- stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies, and on September 29, 1904, the building was opened to the public. The total cost of the building, including grading of the lot, cement walks and steps, and other improvements, was about $15,000. Miss E. F. Barber is still the accommo- dating librarian. The annual expenses are about $900, which are met by the one-mill tax levy, the interest on the Williams bequest, etc. Public Utilities — Municipal Conditions — The population of Polo in 1909 is about 2,000. The city is situated on the Chicago, Burlington & Quiney, and the Illinois Central Railroads, has a sewer system, and a purifying plant which cost $40,000, and including the outlet, 7.19 miles of sewers. Its water system, which is free from debt and supplies nearly all parts of the city, cost over $50,000. It has a school property that could not be duplicated for $50,000, and the value of its church property must be equal to $100,000. The streets are lighted by electricity, and there are miles of cement sidewalks. The township owns the town hall, or Opera House, which is a very handsome building. It is the boast of this beautiful city that not one cent of liquor license money "has gone into its improve- ments, and there are to be seen very few of the tumbledown houses which mar the beauty of so many municipalities. The streets and lawns are kept in excellent order, and the people natur- ally are proud of what they have accomplished. The effort made in the past to build up manu- facturing interests, was not successful, for this is essentially an agricultural community. The Polo Mutual Telephone Company and the Ogle County Telephone Company have each a large exchange and give the city good service. Polo has a National and a private bank, its business houses are much above the average, the absence of licensed saloons for forty-four years has added greatly to the prosperity of the city. BYRON TOWNSHIP. In 1835, Jared W. Sanford of Connecticut was on his way up Rock River from Dixon's Ferry to Midway (then Rockford), a place of "two families and eight or ten young men," where he had a brother in the employ of Germanicrus Kent. As he passed a point a mile west of where Byron now is, attracted by its beauty and by the op- portunity the river showed for water power, he stopped and staked a claim. Then going on to Midway he returned next day, bringing with him his brother, Joseph Sanford, and Perry Norton, the latter lately arrived from New York. The three staked claims until they had included about two sections, this proving the beginning of what is now Byron Township. Pioneer. Conditions and Development. — Soon after, Jared W. Sanford and Perry Norton, in order to establish their claims, returning with a horse and a yoke of oxen, plowed a strip of ground and laid the foundations of two cabins, In order to procure oxen, Mr. Norton traveled as far as Indian Creek, near Ottawa, before he found any for sale, there purchasing three yoke, for which he paid $150.50. Then returning he brought with his cattle a cart and plow, and with M. M. York, who bought an interest in the claim, P. T. Kimball from Vermont, and a Mr. Rogers, began splitting rails for fencing the claim. For twenty-three days they lived in the wagon-box and a rail shanty. This was in October. They obtained a canoe made by Potta- watomie Indians, who passed up and down the river at intervals. Their name for the stream for generations had been "Sini-sepo," which be- came for us "Sinnissippi." After spending the winter at Midway, Mr. Norton returned in the spring and found a log cabin already built and occupied by M. M. York, P. T. Kimball, Sebra Phillips and Joseph San- ford. The cabin, 10x14 feet, was the first house in the township, being located across the river HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 751 and opposite the village which grew up later. During the year other settlers came, the first being Asa Spaulding and Silas St. John Mix, from Bradford County, Pa., and L. O. Bryan. These were followed by Erastus Norton of New York, Lucius Reed of Vermont, and A. O. Camp- bell, Andrew Shepherd, Allen Woodburn, J. L. Spaulding, Simon S. Spaulding, Hiram R. May- nard, and Rev. Chester Campbell of Bradford County, Pa., and Samuel Carr. Those who came in 1837 and 1838 included Alexander Irvine, Deacon Morley and John Sabens, Daniel Simms of Bradford County, Pa. ; Col. Dauphin Brown and John M. Clayton and I. S. Knowlton, of Massachusetts ; A. T. Johnson of Ohio ; Joshua, Samuel and Dudley Wood of Schoharie County, N. Y. ; Mr. Mclntyre and Isaac Norton, the lat- ter bringing with him four daughters, while Col. Brown brought four daughters and three sons. There was also Deacon Brewster with seven daughters and two sons. The names of others who came to Byron Township in the forties and in the fifties, are John S. Rosier and Daniel Bar- rick from Perry County, Pa., Charles Fisher and J. P. Smith from Massachusetts, John O. Davis from England, Charles L. Hall from Canada, William Lockwood from Ohio and F. A. Whee- lock from Vermont. Daniel Simms was the oldest resident of Byron Township at the time of his death, •De- cember 2, 1908, having then attained the age of ninety-one. - From 1838 to 1908 he had re- mained on 160 acies of land in Section 12, which he had entered from the Government. A. G. Spaulding and Brothers, the well known Chicago merchants, extensive dealers in athletic goods, are sons of J. L. Spaulding. Edwin Brush, the magician, who appeared before the Ogle County Chautauqua Assembly at Oregon in 1908, be- longs to a family whose home for some years was Byron, now Rockford. A village was promptly started on the claim of Jared W. Sanford and Perry Norton, the first house being erected by S. St. John Mix in the fall of 1836, which was used as a dwelling and general store. The second house was built by P. T. Kimball and occupied by Lucius Reed as a tavern. Mr. Bradley built a dwelling and a blacksmith shop, these four making up the build- ings on the village site for the first year. The name given it was Fairview, after the Connecti- cut home of Jared W. Sanford. Under order of the County Commissioners' Court at Galena, the first election at Fairview was held in August, 1836, at which a constable and Justice of the Peace were elected, and votes were also cast for county and State officers, the number of votes polled being thirteen. In 1837, Sanford Brothers and Brown built the first sawmill on the small stream north of the village. The houses put up in 1836 were pro- vided with hewn lumber only, or sawed lumber obtained from Elkhorn Grove or Pine Creek, where a sawmill had just been completed by John Phelps. Other supplies were equally diffi- cult to obtain. Galena and Chicago, then towns of about the same size, and with a combined population not to exceed 5,000, and Ottawa and Peru were the nearest trading points. Even the nearest gristmill was at Elkhorn Grove, twenty miles away, or, a little later, on the Kishwaukee. But in 1838 the settlers had a grist mill of their own, built by William Wilkinson of Buffalo, N. Y. The nearest post-office was Dixon, twenty-six miles down the river, and mail was obtained when some one drove for it, usually once a week. This continued only a short time, and when the stage line of Frink and Walker was established between Dixon and Rockford, the village was given a post-office. In the meantime the name had been changed from Fairview to Blooming- ville, and as there were then a Bloomington and a Bloomingdale in the State, another change was advisable. It is said that a lover of the poems of Lord Byron made the suggestion of honoring his memory, which was adopted. The new town grew apace. It had the general store of Wilbur & Norton, the two-story brick hotel built by the Woods, the wagon-shop of Mix and Messenger and later of William Lockwood, and the foun- dry of Wood and Byington. Plows were made by the Woods and William Lockwood, and after 1854 by Solomon Dwight. It is claimed the first corn cultivator to plow a row of corn at a time was made at Solomon Dwight's shop. Advent or the Raileoad. — Byron was without a railroad for many years, its nearest station then being Rochelle and later Oregon. In 1874 the Chicago & Pacific Railroad was projected from Chicago to Elgin as a narrow-gauge road, but the plan was changed to broad-gauge from Chicago to Byron. Citizens of Byron subscribed $24,500 of the stock, among the subscribers being A. O. Campbell, Joseph Blount, M. D., I. S. Knowlton, Hiram Gitchell, W. S. Ercanbrack, 752 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Junius Rogers, E. H. Evans and John Rosier. The road was completed to the river on March 19, 1875, but to get into Byron it was necessary to have $5,000 additional for a bridge. This was advanced by the citizens and trains ran into Byron in the fall of 1875. Five years later the road was extended to the Mississippi at Savanna and came under control of the Chicago, Milwau- kee & St. Paul Company. In 1886 the Chicago and Great Western Railway was built through Byron. Schools. — One of the early schools of the county was that taught in Byron by Lydia Wel- don. The house stood where the Masonic Hall now is, and was built by St. John Mix in the fore part of 1837. School began the following summer. This was a private, or subscription school, which was the kind in vogue until after the enactment of the public school law of 1855, the first school law (that of 1825) proving a failure while several later ones were little better. In 1851 the Byron Academy was started, a building being provided by a stock company. This proved a good school, but was a financial loss and was later sold to the village for its public school. The first principal was William B. Christopher. Other pioneer teachers of Byron were Mrs. Dr. Bradley, Miss Clark, Professor and Mrs. Turner. The academy building re- mained the home of the public school until 1903, when it was destroyed by a fire occurring during the school session, but without loss of life or injury to any of the pupils. A pretty new brick building was at once erected on the same loca- tion, the grounds of which cover a block, at a cost of $16,000, which with the value of the grounds represents $20,000. The number of pupils enrolled is 250. A four years' high school course is maintained. The present Superin- tendent is Miss Laura Halm. The Board of Education consists of the following : L. D. Mar- shall, President; E. Burd, S. S. Piper, F. R. Kendall, F. R. Detwilder, J. A. Johnson. Churches. — The first religious denomination to be represented by a society in Byron was the Congregational, in 1837, when Rev. Morrell of Rockford effected an organization. The first members were Col. Dauphin Brown, L. O. Bryan, P. T. Kimball, David Holt, Mrs. Eleanor Mix, Luke Parsons and Lucius and Mrs. Reed, at whose house the meetings were held. The first pastor was Rev. E. Brown, who came from North Hadley, Mass., in 1838. In 1846, the brick church — still standing but no longer used by the congre- gation — was built and was dedicated the fol- lowing year, the dedicatory sermon being preached by Rev. Jonathan Blanchard of Knox College, Galesburg. In 1905, the present new edifice was erected at a cost of $9,000. The membership numbers 195. The pastor is the Rev. S. A. Long. The few settlers of the Methodist faith held their first meeting at the house of Perry Norton in 1835, when Rev. Abbott, who was passing through the region, preached for them, which next was done by Alexander Irvine, a local Meth- odist preacher and farmer of Rockvale Town- ship. Organization was accomplished in 1837 under the direction of Rev. McKean, with six- teen members. Eighteen years later their first church was built, during the third period of service there as pastor by Rev. Barton Oart- wright, who hauled all the stone for the foun- dation and walls himself, and worked on the building as it was being constructed. In 1884, the present frame church was erected at a cost of about $3,500, the stone building forming the rear of the new plan. In 1908, alterations and improvements costing $4,000 were made, among them being two handsome memorial windows — one the gift of Judge Edmond Burke of Chicago, formerly of Byron, in memory of his father and mother, Patrick Burke and Elizabeth Whitney Burke, old settlers of Byron Township, and the other presented by Mrs. Emily Kosier of Byron, in memory of her mother, Julia Whitaker Stuart, long a resident of Byron and daughter of John Whitaker, the first settler of Marion Township. The present membership of the church is 100. The pastor is Rev. W. H. Locke. There is also a strong Catholic congregation, having a church of their own built about twelve years ago at a cost of $3,000, in which mass is said and a sermon preached every alternate Sun- day by the priest stationed at Oregon, at this time Rev. Andrew J. Burns. The membership is 150. This church, like those of Oregon and Polo, is now in the new diocese of Rockford, at the head of which is Bishop P. J. Muldoon. The first priest to officiate at Byron was Rev. J. J. McCann. There originated in this county, not many years ago, a religious belief as extraordinary as any recorded in American annals. In 1877, the pastor of the Congregational Church of Byron HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 753 was Rev. L. C. Beekinan. His wife, Dora Beek- man, was fond of taking the part of Bible reader and exhorter in connection with the Sunday and mid-week services of the church. Her friends declared that She had ability as a speaker; others asserted that her discourse was rambling. After a year or more of such ministration, dur- ing which she extended her field of endeavor to Alpena, Mich., and St. Charles, Minn., she startled the community by the relation of an alleged supernatural visitation. She stated that she awoke at midnight at her home with an irre- sistible desire to pray. She arose and, leaving her sleeping husband, went into an adjoining room, where she knelt in prayer. In the midst of her supplication and adoration, she saw the room become bright, as if an angel with trailing robes of light were passing through, and heard a voice which said, "Dora ! Dora !" Awed, but inspired by the beautiful solemnity of the scene, she replied in the words which she had so often read from her Bible, "Abba! Father!" when the voice answered and said, "Thou art the beloved of the Lord." Meantime Mr. Beekman had been awakened and he, too, saw the light and heard the voice. Here was an utterance pertaining to religion which demanded all the credulity that ever Delphian oracle did. From the time of her divine recognition on- ward, Dora Beekman called on all Christians to believe that she was the manifestation of the second coming of Christ, and immediately she had followers. Some who had listened to her Bible readings and her exhortations now saw in her "the first born of the re-appearance of Christ upon earth." They took the name of "The Church of the First Born." They believed Dora's radiant baptism had made her perfect; hence came the name, "Perfectionists." Mrs. Beekman went to Alpena, Mich., and there made some con- verts among the former attendants upon her readings and exhortations. One of these was George Jacob Schweinfurth, a Methodist minis- ter who was to be an important figure in the affairs of the new sect. A church was estab- lished at Alpena ; also at Chicago and Paw Paw, 111.; St. Charles, Minn.; Kansas City, Mo., and Buena Vista, Colo., with the one at Byron mak- ing seven. In the language of scriptural allegory these were called "The Seven Churches of Asia," alluded to in Revelations. In 1882, Mrs. Beekman died at Buena Vista, Colo. Those of the new faith believed she would rise from the dead on the third day. When that did not happen, her body was brought to Byron for burial, but this was not accomplished without some conflict with the authorities, because of a refusal at first to open the coffin. Her followers then looked forward to her resurrection at the end of forty days. When that failed, "many were sorely perplexed." The ministry of the lost leader was taken up by her early convert and enthusiastic adherent, George Jacob Schwein- furth, upon whom her mantle was regarded as having fallen, and in whom her spirit was seen guiding their affairs. This disciple, who, it was said, possessed some education and was an im- pressive speaker, established himself and a band of his believers on the Weldon farm, four miles from Byron, where he built a commodious man- sion out of money given and the income of lands deeded to him by the heads of several well-to- do families of Byron Township, where all lived on the community plan. This continued for ten years, or more, and until Byron people who were not Perfectionists said so much about evident irregular conduct at Schweinfurth's community home as to cause some of the more prominent and substantial members to withdraw their sup- port. This resulted in a lack of sufficient funds for its maintenance and the home was broken up and abandoned. In 3894, Schweinfurth reported to the New York Tribune Almanac, for use under the head of "Religious Societies of America," the name of his denomination as "The Church Tri- umphant," having twelve societies, of 135 mem- bers, and property of the value of $15,000. The number of adherents at Byron was, perhaps, forty. No organization is maintained there now, nor are there any "Beekmanites," the name by which the Church of the First Born was most commonly known, to be found anywhere else as an organized church society, at least in this country ; but the "Agapemonites" of Somer- setshire, England, whose affairs have just re- cently gotten into the courts there, possess a cult, the ethics of which contain the following statement: "Having the spirit of God, we are lifted above the ordinary code of morals and cannot sin," which is substantially the same sort of curious theological propaganda that used to be heard among the Perfectionists of Byron. UndebqbotjNd Railroad Reminiscences. — By- ron was a station on the Underground Railroad in slavery days, and in successful operation from 754 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. the time of tbe enactment of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, until andi after the beginning of the War of the Rebellion in 1861. When the Mason and Dixon Line, or the Ohio Eiver, was reached and crossed, hope increased and steps quickened in the knowledge of the shelter and aid sure to be found at the hospitable stations of the Under- ground Railway. The escaped slaves sometimes came into Ogle County at Polo from Sugar Grove in Lee County, and were protected and sent for- ward by station agents — Virgil A. Bogue, Tim- othy Perkins, Solomon Shaver, John Waterbury and others — across the county to Byron, where they had the good offices of Rev. George Gam- mell, Jared W. Sanford and Lucius Reed, who conducted them to Lynnville, to be piloted from there over into DeKalb County, nearer to Chi- cago and Detroit, by Elijah Dresser. It also happened that the fleeing bondmen came up the east side of Rock River to the station at the farm of Ruel Peabody in Nashua Township, and were by him safely delivered at Paine's Point, to be taken thence to the Lynnville station. Elijah Dresser, still living at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, in the city of Rockford, has furnished the following recollections of his experiences in this line for use in this history: "The fugitive slaves seldom came singly, but by twos and threes and sometimes more. One night a load of six was brought to me — one man, three women and two boys. It was largely the practice after crossing the border for them to be secreted by Free State men for a time, and then got together and brought on by law break- ers, like myself, under cover of night. How- ever, I always went by daylight. The last fugi- tive that came my way was a mulatto woman about thirty years of age, together with her baby, eighteen months old. She staid at my house a number of days and we learned some- thing of Jier life and history. She was raised at Padncah, Ky., was taken to Missouri at the out- break of the Civil War to be sold South, which led her to make desperate efforts to escape. She was helped by Free State men, having been driven all one night in a covered carriage, with two men on horseback, revolvers in hand, to pro- tect her. She was intelligent, could read, had her husband's Bible and hymn-book with her, her husband, who had died of consumption, hav- ing been a deacon in the African Baptist Church. All runaway slaves had a great horror of being captured ; if captured, they were invariably doomed to be sold in the far South." Byron Township sent many brave men to aid the nation in the struggle of the War for the Union. The strong sympathy for the cause led to the agitation of the erection of a monument early in the summer of 1864, and the formation of the Byron Monument Association later was the result of this feeling. As a permanent as- sociation its first meeting was held on Septem- ber 27, 1865, I. W. Norton being chosen Presi- dent ; M. L. Seymour, Secretary ; James John- ston, Treasurer ; a constitution and by-lawa adopted and a committee, consisting of F. A. Smith. Silas Kidder, Wright C. Hall, Aquilla Spencer, A. T. Johnston, J. P. Smith, Dr. J. Blount, John S. Kosier, M. L. Seymour, appoint- ed with power to carry on and complete the work pertaining to the erection of a suitable monu- ment in honor of the soldiers of Byron. This monument, the first erected in Illinois in mem- ory of the recently fallen soldiers, was completed and dedicated October 18, 1866, the people of the village and of the surrounding country partici- pating in the exercises, the address being deliv- ered by former Adjutant General Allen C. Ful- ler, of Belvidere. The monument stands in the center of the crossing of Second and Chestnut Streets, and can be seen from a long distance off to the south and west. The shaft is of beau- tiful Rutland marble, surmounted by an eagle poised for flight. The stone base of the monu- ment rests on a grassy mound four feet in height and is surrounded by an octagonal wire fence set on stone coping. On the northeast side of the plinth is engraved the following : "In mem- ory of the patriotic boys of Byron, who fell in subduing the Great Rebellion— 1861-1865." On the southeast and northwest sides are inscribed tbe names of the soldiers. On the southwest side is the coat of arms of the State of Illinois deeply carved. In May, 1887, another plinth of the same kind of marble, was placed under the one first included, thus making the monument nine- teen feet six inches high, and the entire cost $1,700, raised by subscription. On May 30, 1900, an accident befell the be- loved monument. The cement used in its con- struction gradually working loose, a sudden, strong gust of wind struck the monument, decked in its memorial emblems, overturning and shat- tering all but the chiseled figure on the top of the shaft, which lay, still triumphant, at the foot &7^es$ HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 755 of the mound. The' ubiquitous reporter, hap- pening to be on hand, ascribed the accident to a stroke of lightning. The monument was immediately rebuilt, a new Shaft replacing the broken one, the deposed, yet victorious eagle again surmounting it, and the names of all soldiers residing in the township, and of all who enlisted from it in any one of the wars of our country, were carved on the base. In 1897. through the interest of the Albert Woodcock Camp of Sons of Veterans, and main- ly through that of Captain Carl Spalding, of the Camp, two cannon, weighing 4,500 pounds each, and twelve feet in length, were obtained and placed inside the monument enclosure. These are abandoned guns from the United States Ar- senal at Governor's Island, New York harbor. The Press. — The newspaper now published in Byron is "The Byron Express-Record." It was started in 1878 by Ervin and Hewitt and by them called "The Byron Express." Later it was removed to Shannon, 111., by Mr. Ervin, who had bought out his partner, and then brought back to Byron. In 1884, Shiley and Humbert became its owners, followed at different periods by Ed- ward Eliot, D. W. Hartman and O. C. Cole. The last named sold in 1898 to the present owners and publishers — Lydia R. Artz and Son. The people of Byron look to the "Express-Record's" weekly appearance for a chronicle of the local happenings of the community. A Disastrous Fire. — On November 13, 1877, Byron sustained a great loss through a disas- trous fire, which started in the rear of the drug- store of Thompson and Kennedy and, extending to the adjoining buildings before anything could be done to check it, it swept on in its path of destruction until most of the business portion of the village had been destroyed. The loss was $40,000, with insurance of only $6,000, but re- building was begun at once and, with new places of business and new stocks of good, the mer- chants and others soon re-established their vari- ous lines of trade and again prospered. Business Enterprises. — Byron now has gen- eral stores and shops, two hotels, two livery barns, and two banks — the Farmers and Mer- chants Bank, of which Thomas Roberts is Presi- dent; A. W. Bunn, Vice-President; George F. Bunn, Cashier ; and Frank Detwilder, Assistant Cashier ; and the Byron Bank, with W. A. Smith, President. J. C. Stires, Vice-President ; Ray Bar- rick, Cashier, and A. R. Mize, Assistant Cashier. A canning factory, representing an investment of $10,000 and managed by a stock company, was established several years ago, but is not now in operation. The village possesses a municipal water supply plant, an artesian well of a depth of 2,004 feet, furnishing an abundant supply of pure water. That and the rest of the equipment represents an outlay of $20,000. A private elec- tric light and power plant, owned and operated by Daniel Goughner, gives the village excellent lighting service. The present officials are John Whitaker, Mayor ; W. A. Hunter, Clerk ; C. F. Bunn, Treasurer ; Henry Myers, Philip Cooper, James C. Woodburn, W. D. Hunter and John Gill, Aldermen; and Lyman Dexter, City Attor- ney. Township Officers. — Byron Township was one of the first townships organized in the coun- ty. Since its organization the following have served as members of the Board of Supervisors : A. O. Campbell, 1850-51 ; Isaac W. Norton, 1852- 53; A. G. Spaulding, 1854; J. P. Smith, 1855; Jesse Reed, 1856-59; Solomon Dwight, 1860-63; Augustus T. Johnston, 1864-65 ; Isaac W. Nor- ton, 1866-71 ; Levi B. Burch, 1872-78 ; Harvey Thompson, 1879; Levi B. Burch, 1880; Harvey Thompson, 1881-83; James Campbell, 1884-87; John F. Spaulding, 1888-97 ; John C. Stires, 1898- 1907; D. D. Emery, 1908. The other officers for the townsTiip for 1908 are : Town Clerk, T. L. Hanger ; Assessor, Hen- ry Hamaker ; Tax Collector, William Dillon ; Justices of the Peace, Lyman Dexter, F. A. Wheelock ; Police Magistrate, Jacob E. Sherman ; Constables, Charles J. Reese, Garret Stires; Highway Commissioners, James Dillon, William D. Barry, T. E. Collotan ; School Treasurer, Wiley S. Johnson. DEMENT TOWNSHIP. Colonel John Dement, of Dixon, entered the north half of Section 23. Tp. 40 N., R. 2 E., and a village named for him was afterwards estab- lished upon the northwest quarter of this sec- tion. The territory now forming Dement Town- ship was at first included in Flagg Township; in 1856 it was set off as a separate township and at that time given the name of the village 756 HISTOBY OF OGLE COT/XTY. situated within its limits. The region had been known unfavorably among the very early set- tlers, who were loath to take up the land and make their homes upon it. This was on account of the first settlement made, which was in 1836 by John Brodie, who was a native of Ohio and a relative of the dreaded Driscoll family, and for whom the Grove near which he lived was named. Whether or not he actually assisted these ma- rauders of the early pioneer days, to have them frequent his house and be a kin to them placed a ban upon him and a fear of his connection with them. Perhaps for this reason the first resident did not find his location to his liking, and sold his claim to David Worden. In 1840 the claim again changed owners, being purchased by Elias Snive- ly, Henry Sharer and Captain Nathaniel Swing- ley, who had come to the county with the colo- nists from Maryland, and had remained awhile with that group of people about Mount Morris. Captain Swingley lived long enough in the Mount Morris region to leave as a memento, a fine row of hard maples along the old stage road in front of the place now the property of Mr. Charles V. Stonebraker. Heetby Shabee's Stoby of Eaelt Settlement. — At the time of the preparation of the Ogle County History of 1886, Mr. Henry Sharer, then of Mount Morris, furnished to the writers of that work some of the following facts which are incorporated in this chapter : "Snively and I bought the claim of David Wor- den, and his brother, Benjamin Worden, occu- pied the claim as a tenant up to the time of our taking possession in 1841. Benjamin Worden, if living, is at South Grove, DeKalb County. Baltz Xiehoff and family were employed by Snively and myself, as we were both unmarried at the time. He remained with us about two years, and then moved to Carroll County. We then employed Frederick Finkboner and f ami ly, who lived with us up to my marriage in 1845. From 1841 to 1849 we had no neighbors short of South Grove, which was seven and a half miles, and we were the only family in the present township of Dement. In 1849 we rented our claim to Rod- ney Burnett and Mr. Stevenson, his brother-in- law. Part of the time while living there, Frink & Walker ran a line of stages from Chicago to Galena, good four-horse coaches, and on that thoroughfare our cabin was the only house in 24 miles. From Huntley's, now Dekalb City, to our place was 12 miles, and the next house was at Paine's Point, which was 12 miles. I can't tell anything about marriages or births ; but the first death in the township was that of a son of Brodie, who died in 1839 and was buried at the Grove. I presume there is no mark of his grave left. You can put as the first settlers the Bro- dies ; next, Benjamin Worden ; then Elias Snive- ly and Henry Sharer, with Niehoff as tenant; then Frederick Finkboner, then Burnett and Stevenson, and next Win. Youngs, and follow- ing him Samuel Brock. "In 1850, Thomas Smith came from Canada and occupied the farm of Nathaniel Swingley during his absence in California. He soon after- ward entered land for himself -and was recog- nized as one of the leading citizens of the town- ship. When the postoffice was established at the Grove, he was made Postmaster and was the first in the village; was also the first station agent Mr. Smith died some years ago. In 1S54. when Barzilla Knapp located in the region, the fol- lowing named comprised the actual settlers, so far as I can remember : at and around Brodie's Grove were Josiah Snively, Nathaniel Swing- ley, Thomas Smith. Josiah Hurd, Levi and Hor- ace Howard, Robert P. Benson. In the south- west corner of the township near the present city of Rochelle, were E. G. Vaile, Thomas S. Smith, James E. Rice. During this year Norman Paine and William Knapp came in. locating in the Grove where two years previously they had entered land. "The completion of the railroad in 1854 caused a large immigration to this section the follow- ing year. The prairie land, which had so long been . vacant, was rapidly taken up and in a short time the whole face of the country was changed. The settlement was made so rapidly that it is impossible to mention the names of those who located in the township in 1855 and 1856. Dwelling houses, school-houses, churches and other buildings went up as if by magic. Eighteen years had passed away since the first settlement made in the township before any great improvement had been made, and now what a change! "A postoffice was established at Brodie's Grove about 1852, with Thomas Smith as Postmaster. When the village of Dement was laid out Mr. Smith moved the office to the village and con- tinued to serve as Postmaster until 1856 or 1857, when Anson Barnum was appointed. Mr. Bar- HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. 757 mini did not serve long and was succeeded by H. H. Clark, and he by G. W. Place. In 1869 Charles E. Adams was appointed and served un- til the summer of 1885, when Charles E. Coun- tryman was appointed. "The first religious services were held at the house of Josiah Snively by Rev. Miller, a Bap- tist minister, and also by Rev. Chester, a min- ister of the Congregational Church. About the time the railroad was completed the Rev. Todd, an Episcopalian, held services at the house of Thomas Smith. Mr. Todd located at Dement, now Creston village. "The first school, it is said, was taught by George Swingley at the house of Nathaniel Swingley. The first school house was erected at Brodie's Grove in 1855, Miss Cummins teaching the first term. About this time the township was divided into two school districts, No. 1 com- prising all north, and No. 2 all south of the railroad. Other districts were subsequently or- ganized from these, school houses were built. and in every respect Dement Township will com- pare favorably with all others in the county in respect to educational matters." One of the early teachers in the Dement school furnishes the following interesting reminiscent sketch regarding some of the first instructors : "The first school-house in the little town was built in 1857, a frame building, 26 by 32 feet in size, where church services were held for about nine years. The first teacher in the new building was William Wallace Washburn, who, in 1856, at the age of nineteen, had come west from his home in Woodstock, Vt. Mr. Washburn after- wards graduated at Ann Arbor and became Pres- dent of the State University of Minnesota, but gave up the position and went back to join the Detroit Conference. To-day, at the age of sev- enty, he is one of the leading Methodist Episco- pal preachers in Detroit. "During the years of 1856-60 many families from the East settled in the little village, among whom were Alexander Parmele and Walter Rickey from Lima, N. Y., in the spring of 1858. A young daughter, Mary L. Rickey, aged fourteen, began in 1859 to assist Mr. Washburn by having some of the pupils recite in the back part of the school-room. As a result of her services, at the end of the year, a present of a ten-dollar gold piece was sent to her. the most precious piece of money she ever possessed before or since that time! Before very long a room was built on the south side of the school -house and she was installed the first and only assistant, receiving good wages for a period of eight years. She was not a college graduate, her only means of ad- vancement being her studying outside of school hours and reciting to her teacher after the day's work was done ; and probably, if she had been re- quired to pass an examination, she would never have received the two 'certificates' which are in her possession, and are precious keepsakes. The first one (a second grade) was given by Eldridge W. Little, then Superintendent of Ogle County Schools, when he visited her school in 1862 ; and in 1865, when H. B. Norton, of Stillman Valley, was the 'School Commissioner,' his assistant, W. T. Payzant, on visiting the school, filled out a first-grade certificate, valid for two years, at the end of which time her place was filled by her worthy successor." ("The little elf, Love him- self," having intertwined his lessons among the others "after the day',s work was done," this young teacher became the "assistant," for life, of her teacher's brother, Warren A. Washburn.) "A new school building was erected in 1869," continues the sketch, "after which three or more teachers were employed, and to-day the town of Creston (formerly Dement) feels justly proud of her public school, which is one of the best in Ogle County. P. R. Walker (now of Rockford). E. L. Wells and J. T. Greenman (both now in Aurora), are among the many excellent teachers who have assisted in the Creston School in past years.'" The present senior editor of the "Ogle County Republican" wrote not long ago, in the follow- ing reminiscent and humorous vein, of one of the former schools of Dement Township : "A news item from the 'Rochelle Register' carries the 'Republican' editor back several years, to 1864, when Mrs. Urilla Clark, a daughter of the late Captain Nathaniel Swingley, one of the earliest pioneers of Ogle County, was teaching the school at Brodie's Grove, and had among her pupils many who have since become famous for one thing and another — principally the latter — the editor of this religious journal being one of the bright lights of that generation, having just prior to that date landed over on the prairie two miles east of the grove . . . following the long, tedious journey from southwestern Missouri to Ogle County with an ox-team as the only means of transportation ; and we recollect with satis- faction our pleasant relations in the Brodie's 758 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Grove School, presided over at that time by Mrs. Clark. The school has since been abandoned, school-house sold and the district added to the Creston school district." The teachers of the Creston School at the pres- ent time are H. V. Lynn, Principal ; Miss Eva N. Perkins and Miss Cora A. Reese, assistants, with an extra teacher usually during the winter months. Some Later Settlers. — Among the settlers in this and Lynnville Townships about the year 185S, were the Countryman brothers, of whom Norman, Harvey and Alvin are now living re- tired in Rochelle. The creamery on the north line, once operated by them, is no longer in busi- ness. Upton Swingley, son of Nathaniel Swing- ley, lives in Rockford; and many .others of the old settlers are gone — some moved away and some not living. Their places have, in many in- stances, been taken by the Norwegians who first began to settle to the south in Lee County, about 1857/ where they established a Lutheran church as their place of worship. These later settlers have made good citizens, being like the Germans, industrious, saving and thrifty, and now possess- ing many of the rich prairie farms that have proved so productive and valuable ; these lands, once looked upon as worth so much less than the coveted timber land, now bringing from $100 to $150 an acre with their improvements. The names of these Norwegian settlers may be seen likewise among the business people of the village of Creston, showing that they have taken a per- manent place in this part of the life of the township, also. Among those well-known among the early settlers still residing in the township are Dr. H. C. Robins, A. B. McCrea, and Charles E. Adams, each one of whom has a member of his family residing in the city oi' Oregon, two of them being the present County Clerk and his wife, and another the wife of the recent States Attorney. Brodie's Grove, once the designation of the region, and a fine tract containing walnut and hickory, exists mostly but in name, the trees having been cut down to supply the needs of the people, with the same disregard of the future as has been shown everywhere else all over the broad domains of our country, until in very re- cent years. Soft maples and willows, usually for hedges and wind-brakes, are the inferior present-day substitutes for the stately trees of that forest grove. A Land Speculation. — Messrs. Truman & Hewitt, a firm of lawyers of Owego, N. Y., were closely connected with the early development of the township. They bought up many tracts of land in this part of Ogle County, as- well as in Lee and Dekalb Counties, ahead of the coming of the railroad, at $1.25 per acre. This land was then sold by them on time to the various pur- chasers wishing to make homes upon it. This firm had their office with "Uncle Tommy" Smith, who had general charge of their affairs. Twice a year the members of the Owego firm would come to settle up, take their interest, give deeds, etc. It is said by one who remembers these oc- casions that people would come from all around the region in their wagons, till it appeared like a camp meeting assembly. The "absentee land- lords," of course, got rich and were dubbed by the disaffected as "land grabbers," though there were not many persons who were not accommo- dated in some manner ; and when the panic of 1873 came, this firm kept right on as before and was really of much valuable assistance to the farmer. Dement Changed to Creston. — The postofflce was at first called Dement, but there being a Bement in Piatt County, much trouble with the mail ensued, so the name was changed to Cres- ton. This was at the suggestion of Mr. E. L. Wells, on account of the site being held to be the highest point on the latitudinal line between Chicago and the Mississippi. Mr. Wells pre- .pared the petition to the General Assembly for the change of name, which occurred in 1869. Business Enterprises. — One of the most thriv- ing industries of Creston is a tile factory, where an excellent quality of drain tile is manufac- tured, which is shipped in addition to nearby points, as far from the plant as West Chicago and Morris. A good red brick is also nude. The factory was established in 1882, the company owning a tract of 2S acres, at the edge of Cres- ton, where the clay for the process is obtained. Asa Dimon, now of Oregon, but formerly of Creston, and who for two terms filled the office of County Treasurer, is President of the Creston Tile Company, and W. H. Dickinson is the Sec- retary and Treasurer. As the wet fields of the county, and the original "swamp lands" have been, and continue to be tiled, there is a con- stant demand at home for such factory products. Another flourishing industry is the creamery / " // HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 759 built about twelve years ago by Guiler Brothers of Dekalb, and operated by them in connection with a number of others in different localities. This is now owned by Peter Nelson, and fine butter is made, the region roundabout being a good dairying country, and milk being brought to the creamery from twelve miles away. The "creamery on the north line," previously alluded to, was a busy industry while it was in operation. It was called the "Countryman & Co. Creamery," and was organized about 1870 as a stock company by Alvin, Norman, and Har- vey Countryman, and R. P. Benson, and made at first Limberger cheese. In 1876 it was changed to a creamery alone, and produced from 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of butter yearly, which was shipped mostly to New I'ork City. There are two elevators along the line of rail- way, one operated by Dickinson & Lewis, the other, by Martin Kennedy. A fine grain busi- ness is done by the Creston elevators, consider- able corn and oats being shipped. Among the business houses of the village are the dry-goods stores of Enian Oakland and R. E. Bowles. The post-office is in charge of Dr. H. C. Robins, who looks after its duties in connec- tion with his drug store. Creston has quite a satisfactory Opera House, which might do credit to a larger place. It was built about 1875 by a stock company at a cost of about §9,000, and is a paying investment. It is a two-story brick building, the upper floor being used as the Woodmen Hall. The first floor is fitted with a well-appointed stage, and the room has a seating capacity of between three and four hundred. "The Creston Times," which was founded in 1S72 by Isaac B. Bickford, is now published in Malta by the "Malta Record," the publishers of which issue "a Creston edition," which is called the "Creston Observer." The paper since its first issue has had a number of different editors and publishers, among them have been Dr. H. C. Robins, D. C. Needham, G. W. Morris & Son. Village Officers. — In 1867 the village was in- corporated under a special charter, and Thomas Smith was elected President ; Joseph White, G. W. Place. A. B. McCrea, Daniel Dimon, Trustees ; G. W. Allen, Clerk. In 1870 it was voted to in- corporate under the General Act. In 1886 the officers were R. G. Swan, President ; J. P. Lord, A. H. Taylor, William J. Mettler, Z. A. Landers (now editor of the "Ogle County Republican"), George Thompson, Trustees; Charles Sheffer, Clerk. At present A. B. McCrea is President, and George Edwinson is Clerk. Local Churches. — There are three religious denominations in Creston. The Congregational Church, organized in 1856, by the Rev. Flavel Bascom, Agent of the Illinois Missionary Associa- tion, with fourteen members ; edifice erected in 1860, and a parsonage later. The Rev. G. L. McDougal is now the pastor. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at Brodie's Grove in 1857 bj the Rev. John Nait, with nine members; house of worship erected at the village in 1866. The present pastor is the Rev. J. W. Parks, The Norwegian Lutheran Church was organized about 1870, the house of worship be- ing erected in 1871, at a cost of $3,000. The Rev. R. O. Hill was the first pastor ; the present pas- tor is the Rev. K. O. Ettreim and the church has n congregation of about 450. The population of Creston numbers between 400 and 500. The village is lighted by kerosene street lamps set upon the old-time posts. From a well 400 feet in depth, under village manage- ment, is pumped by gasoline engine the public water supply. Township Officers. — Since the organization of the township the following have been Super- visors : Nathan Swingley, 1856 ; Anson Barnum, 1857-60 ; Barzilla Kuapp, 1.861; Anson Barnum, 18G2-64; Edward L. Wells, 1865; Albert Lewis, 1866; Robert J. Rickey, 1867 ; Anson Barnum, 1SGS; Alfred B. McCrea, 1869-70; Asa Dimon, 1871-72; Upton Swingley, 1S73-74 ; John A. Mc- Crea, 1S75-76; Joseph White, 1877-86; Frank B. Gale, 1887-89; Daniel Dimon, 1890; R. E. Bowles, 1898-99; William J. Mentor, 1900-03; H. J. Cleveland, 1904-4)8. The other officers of the township for 1908 are : Town Clerk, George Edwinson ; Assessor, Wil- liam J. Somers ; Tax Collector, Daniel Dimon ; Justices of the Peace, W. C. Kernpson, John M. Aska ; Constable, John Vanstone ; Highway Com- missioners, Thomas Perkins, Boyd Ritchie, Ed- ward Hanneman ; School Treasurer, S. O. Swain. EAGLE POINT TOWNSHIP. (By J. W. Clinton.) Eagle Point Township, situated in. the south- west corner of Ogle County, originally consti- 760 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. tuted a part of Buffalo Township, from which it was set apart by act of the Board of Super- visors in September, 1869, afterward approved by the legal voters and the first Board of town officers elected in April, 1870. It is bounded on the north by Brookville Township, on the east by Buffalo, by Whiteside County on the south and Carroll County on the west. Like Brook- ville Township immediately north, it consists of eighteen sections — three in width from east to west, and six in length from north to south. Eagle Point, on the western border, is the only Tillage in the township, though Hazelhurst. a station on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, just west of the Carroll County line, : s a hamlet in what is known as Elkhorn Grove, ,'ocated in part in Eagle Point Township. At an early date Eagle Point was quite a business center. Michael Ayers made chairs, spinning wheels, reels and swifts and other fur- niture and hand-rakes and probably grain cradles. There was probably a blacksmith shop there as early as 1840 or even earlier. Mason Crary set- tled here in 1S40, and established a store later, which he conducted as late as 1865 or 1866. In 1845, John Anderson had a wagon shop at Eagle Point. In the eariy 'forties. Mason & Beech Crary had quite a business, buying, curing and selling pork on the market. Later, Mason Crary tunned leather and manufactured sheepskin over- coats and gloves. In the 'fifties, John Horner had a two-story shop in which he manufactured sash, doors and furniture. In 1851 Henry Blsey came here. In its early history Naaman Spencer had a •cooper shop where he manufactured flour and pork barrels, some of which were used at Wil son's mill and at Fulton. As early as 1855, Naaman Spencer, Jr., ran a threshing machine u'irh a Gate's steam-engine for power, probably the first so used in the United States. He was the inventor and builder of several kinds of agricultural machines, among them being the long straw carrier, the side elevator for thresh- ing machines, and the Spencer gang-plows. Of the latter, he manufactured a large number which were sold over a wide extent of territory. In 1870, the demand for this plow exceeded the supply. The region is a strictly agricultural one. Churches. — About 1852, Rev. Jeremiah Ken- oyer, a United Brethren Evangelical preacher, neld a protracted meeting in the old schoolbouse nt Eagle Point. Under his preaching many were led to join the church, which he organized at the close of his meetings. Among the members were these old pioneers, Pearson Shoemaker and his wife. For the next five years, services were held in the schoolhouse at Eagle Point, or at Mr. Shoemaker's house and in his big barn. In 1856, when Rev. W. T. Bunton was in charge, Mr. Shoemaker was the leading man in building the brick church, as it was then known, although now the brick is not visible, as it is sided over. Mr. Shoemaker hauled most of the brick for the building himself, and to carry the enterprise to completion, he assumed a considerable part of the expense, for which he was never re-i'oabursed. The church was not completed until the autumn of 1857, when it was dedicated by Bishop Davis. The task of raising the money to pay for the building fell to the lot of Rev. Bunton, who war- more than successful. This church is now a part of the Coleta charge, and services are held there once in two weeks. A Sunday school is main- tained at the church. The cemetery adjoining this church, where many of the early pioneers are resting, was established years before the church was built. The Rev, Silas Jessup came to Eagle Point as a farmer and pastor of the newly formed church of the Presbyterian faith at Elkhorn Grove, at an early date, was an active preacher from 1846 to 1855, and the Presbyterian church at Eagle Point was built under his charge. During all of his pastorate, his salary was prob- ably not more than $400 per year, and this was partly paid by the Home Mission Board of the Church, and the balance by the local church. The first camp meeting in Ogle County was undoubtedly held in Elkhorn Grove in the fall of 1S36. The preachers were Rev, Alfred Bron- son, P. E. W. Wigley of Galena, C. D. James, M. Shunk and James McKean. Without doubt Samuel M. Fellows taught in the family of John Ankney in Elkhorn Grove, in the winter of 1834-35, and was the ilrst teacher of this locality. On July 7, 187:1, the Eagle Point Mutual Fire Insurance Company was organized, with Abram Hiarley as President, and. Henry Elsey as Secre- tary, aor! the latter still holds that office. Postoffices formerly existed at Eagle Point and Elkhorn Grove, the former established July 31, 1848, with Mason Crary as Postmaster, and the latter December 31, 1848, with Joseph Gorgas as Postmaster, but both were discontinued in 1900, HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 761 the territory now being supplied by the Rural Free Delivery System. Henry Elsey was the list Postmaster at Eagle Point and Fred Berge- man at Elkhorn Grove. Township Officers. — The following persons have served as members of the Board of Super- visors for Eagle Point Township: Wm. Donald- son, 1871-72; John Nichols, 1873; Wm. Donald- son, 1874 ; Daniel W. Newcomer, 1875-81 ; George Poole, 1882-92; Johnson Lawrence, 1893 to De- cember, 1902 ; Kussell S. Nichols, December, 1902, to April, 1903; James D. Ander, 1903-08. The other officers for the township in 1908 were : Town Clerk, Allen S. Elsey ; Assessor, John Eckerd ; Collector, Adelbert Bellows ; Com- missioner of Highways, Andy P. Shoemaker. FLAGG TOWNSHIP. (By William P. Landon, Esq.) The first settlement in Flagg Township was made three years after the Black Hawk War, in 1835. Previous to that time the only inhab- itants bad been roving bands of Indians between the Illinois River and the Kishwaukee. As these tribes passed over the prairies, they camped in the groves on the same spots year after year and they left their lodge poles standing. As late as 1845 traces of the Ottawas could thus be seen, and of the Pottawatomies in Jefferson Grove in 1857. First Settlers. — Jephtha Noe was the first permanent settler in March, 1836, in Flagg Town- ship, at Jefferson Grove, on what is now the Ed. Leonard farm, a little to the north and west of the road going out to "Klon- dike," the summer picnic grounds, on the Os- borne Randall farm, of a small club of Rochelle men, and! there built a log cabin one and one- half stories high with roof of "shakes," "pun cheon" floor and chimney of split sticks. Wil- liam Cochrane came next and settled near Mr. Noe in September, 1836, bringing later in the fall his family, consisting of his wife, his son Homer, afterward a doctor ; his daughter, Mrs. Lucy Lake, a widow, who afterward married W. P. Flagg, her son Oscar M. Lake, who is still living in Rochelle, being the oldest settler in this region ; his second daughter, Julia Anne, who married A. S. Hoadley. Mr. Cochrane's cabin was large enough for religious worship and was often so used after the settlers became more numerous. Amos Hubbard, an old man, and John Hayes, a young man, worked for Mr. Cochrane at this time, Hayes chopping wood and cutting rails at $8 a month. Mr. Hayes was the father of David H. and Emery C. Hayes, and be- came a prosperous farmer in the north part of the Township. In 1837, John Randall, with his sons, George, John and James P., William P., Ira and Wesley, and three daughters, Sarah, Margaret and Mahala, built a log cabin on Main Street on the north side of the creek a little southeast of the Henzie house. This was the first house in Hickory Grove. The next year, 1838, came Sheldon Bartholomew and Willard P. Flagg and bought Randall's claim for $1,500, and Randall moved to Jefferson Grove, purchasing the claim of a Mr. Jarvis. Bartholomew and Flagg lived together in the Randall cabin until 1839, when Flagg built a cabin north of the Riley lot in the middle of the present Avenue C, near South Main Street. These two men di- vided the Randall claim, which extended indef- initely on both sides of the creek, Flagg taking all on the south side, while Bartholomew took that on the north. In July, 1839, Mr. Flagg and Mrs. Lucy Lake were married and she and her son Oscar, who was then about seven years old, lived in the new home of Mr. Flagg. In 1838 Hiram Leonard came to Jefferson Grove and married Sarah, a daughter of John Randall, and settled on the farm which Edward Leonard now owns. Mr. Leonard had come to Washington Grove in Feb- ruary, 1835, where Charles, Richard and Thomas Aikens and David Maxwell settled the same spring. William Howe also settled at Jefferson Grove and married Margaret Randall. In the year 1840 there were about a dozen or fifteen more settlers in Flagg Township. At this time the settlement near Jefferson Grove contained several more people than that at Hickory Grove and the former was called "Skunk Town," not because of the people, but because of the large number of skunks killed there at one time. Among these early settlers were : Mr. Pembrock, who settled first on a swamp farm near Brush Grove, and soon moved just north of Rochelle on the old Lane farm and built a log-cabin just east of Morris Clark's present residence ; Josiah Steele, near Kyte River on the north road; Cum- mings Noe, Job Rathbun, Bradley Wright, and his father on the west side of Jefferson Grove ; 762 HISTOHY OF OGLE COUNTY. Samuel Huntley and his son Asa, and another son, Francis Huntley, near them ; Benjamin Rathbun, west of Jefferson Grove; Paul Taylor and Nelson Hill, near the Randalls, all settled near Jefferson Grove about 1840. Simeon Ches- ter, and Mills Steward came in 1843, Hiram T. Minlder and Richard H. Beers took claims in 1845 south of the Flagg farm. Mr. Minkler built the first frame dwelling in the Township. Mr. Beers married Miss Dollie Rathbun, and both are living on their original claim south of Rochelle. Constant N. Reynolds, his father, Searl, and brothers, Davis, Tupper and Simeon all settled northwest of the present town in 1840. The first grave in the Township was that of Lu- ra Reynolds, the little daughter of Constant Rey- nolds, and the next was that of Sheldon Bar- tholomew, who died December 9, 1846. Neces- sary brevity forbids further mention of the other early settlers. The early settlers had no extra hardships to endure. The supplies were at first purchased at Hennepin in Putnam County. There were also small stores at Daysville, Grand Detour and Oregon before a store was started at Hickory Grove, but the principal trading point was of course Chicago, and here the farmers sold their grain. Constant Reynolds and Harmon Minkler first introduced sheep-raising and many sneep were killed by wolves and other wild animals. Indian Visitors. — Until 1850 this region was regularly visited by a band of Indians who camped at Jefferson Grove. They traded from beyond the Mississippi River to the Govern- ment Station at Milwaukee. They numbered from twelve to seventy-five. They were peace- able and friendly to the whites, with whom they had some dealings in provisions. The wellknown Indian Chief Shabbona, who lived at Shabbona Grove, came to these parts fre- quently. This region was very little molested by the notorious Driscoll family who lived north of Flagg Township. The Rathbun Bridge was one of the first to be built across Kyte River. A stage line ran from Chicago through Flagg Centre and then south to Dixon. Other stage lines along Rock River touched at Daysville. The health of the pioneers was excellent. Dr. John H. Roe, of Lighthouse Point, and Dr. Lyman King, west of Jefferson Grove, practised medicine throughout these parts. Rochelle History. — The first settlement of Rochelle was called Hickory Grove from the large number or hickory trees in the grove — and possibly some pine trees, as it was early called "Loblolly Grove" — the location being on the south side of Kyte Creek, near the cor- ner of South Main Street and Avenue C. and near the present residence of John Riley, Jr. This hamlet was the only collection of houses in this locality and consisted of three or four log cabins, a store and a blacksmith shop, up to 1853 when the Northwestern Railroad was built. In this year, some capitalists from Rockford, R. P. Lane, T. D. Robertson and Gilbert Palmer, bought a large tract of land from "Aunt" Charlotte Bar- tholomew, widow of Sheldon Bartholomew, and platted that portion now known as the original town of Lane, after one of the owners. During the building of the railroad, some stores located in the region of the present business district and the hamlet of Lane started. The Village of Lane was incorporated by act of the General Assembly, February 22, 1861. In 1865-66 a bill was passed changing the name of the Village to Rochelle, and on April 10. 1872, by election the Village was changed to the City of Rochelle. Coming of the Fiest Railroad. — The great event of the time was the building of the "Dixon Air-Liue," a branch of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad. Great rivalry existed as to the route it should take. The name "Air- Line Railroad" was jeered at by the residents of the county-seat as the "Gas-Line Railroad." Work was prosecuted with vigor and on January 14, 1854, the last rail was laid. Upon the com- pletion of the railroad a banquet was held at the Lane Hotel, run by Horace Coon. An original song composed by William Cochrane and his daughter, Mrs. A. S. Hoadley, and W. P. and Lucius Flagg, was given by the then well-known singers : Constance Reynolds, Sidney and A. S. Hoadley, and W. P. and Lucius Flagg. A train of excursionists from Chicago had been expected to take part in the festivities, but in the evening word came that their engine had broken down, and so baskets of provisions were sent them by means of a wagon. Lane was the terminus of the railroad until the following year and John R. Hotaling ran a stage from Lane to Dixon, At this time Lane had a boom and stores and dwellings multiplied rapidly. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 7fi3 Business Devempment. — The first store was in a little log cabin, which had been a part of Mr. Cochrane's house at Jefferson Grove, and was hauled over and placed near the river opposite Mr. Flagg's house on the Southworth land. Bruin Walker was the first store-keeper. Lucius Plagg ran a blacksmith shop in a shanty a little west of the south end of the present bridge. During the summer of 1853, M. J. Woodward kept a general store in the house which Lucius Flagg vacated. Cus- tomers had to find Mr. Woodward and then he would unlock the store and serve them. After the railroad was built business moved rapidly in- to the present district. The first house was erected in Lane in August, 1853, by Isaac Ross, on Second Street, between Main and Washington. A shanty with a car-roof was the second build- ing but first store, built in 1853 and located about on the southeast corner of the Neola Ele- vator Company's lumber yard and owned by Johnson Brothers. The groceries were mixed, wet goods predominating, and the resort was called "The Shades." The Lane Hotel, the fore- runner of the Hotel Delos, and the third build- ing, was built in 1853 by Horace Coon and con- ducted by him for several years. Mr. Kendall next was "mine host" till 1858 or 1859, when he was succeeded by Col D. C. May from Rocklord. David B. Stiles in 1853 built the fourth building and conducted a general store in the vicinity of John Rae's. Henry Burlingim in 1854 began business in a small building with a car-roof called the "ark,"' on- Washington Street just north of Evans & Barber's seed-store. In 1856 he built a store on the site of Bert Baxter's furniture store and conducted the first real grocery store with Miles J. Braiden as a partner. The same year, J. B. Barber built just east of the present People's Bank a rival store and did a rushing business, with Oscar M. Lake and J. S. Patchin as clerks. Barber formed a partnership with John R. Hotaling at the end of the year, and in 1856 the "Republican Block," or the corner brick," was erected by them on the site of the People's Bank. Before the building was finished the firm was dissolved and Major Hotaling took the building and Barber moved into a new store on the west side of Washington Street, one of "Lovejoy's Row," which was destroyed by the first large fire of 1860. "Jerry" Barber also dealt in coal, furniture, bought grains and be- came the leading merchant of Lane, enjoying the confidence of the community and being a very popular man. He failed in business later and died in 1872, having lost both his money and his friends. The "corner brick." called the "Repub- lican Block," is an old land mark and was first oc- cupied by Frank and Milo Cass as a general store, they being succeeded by Barber & Co. Brownell Brothers, Lawrence and Will, opened a general store in the building in 1861 and did a large bus- iness. After 1871 it was successively occupied by Francis Glenn & Co., Shinkle & Co., Aaron Cass, Edward Brownell, Morgan & Heintz. In 1904 it was rebuilt into a modern banking house by Baxter & Hathaway for the People's Loan & Trust Company. Other business men from 1857 to 1869, were Hughes & Frisbee, drygoods ; Thornton Beatty, A. H. Fields & Judson F. Bur- roughs, John F. Nettleton, and I. M. Mallory, lumber ; James S. Patchin, general merchant ; George E. Turkington & Thomas Padgett, and M. T Ellinwood, hardware ; Knight & Bennett, Clark & Dana and J. L. Putnam, druggists ; R. W. Por- ter, furniture. Delos A. Baxter was the pioneer harnessmaker, starting his shop on the present site of the New Rochelle Hotel. He also ran a hotel in connec- tion with his harness business. Mr. S. J. Par- ker started a harness shop in 1860 and continued until recently, and now has retired but is com- pleting his eighteenth year as Supervisor. Jo- seph Parker, who was a delegate from Ogle Coun- ty to the State Constitutional Conventions of 1869- 70, conducted a book and stationery business in Rochelle up to his death in December, 1908. Dr. D. W. C. Vaile came to Lane to practise at about the time of the opening of the railroad. Dr. Reed came in 1857, and Dr. W. W. Gould opened an office in 1860 and is still in active practice. Grain Trade — Elevators. — The grain trml< j at Lane was important on account of the fertile farming region surrounding the vil- lage. The first elevator was erected by James Smith, and was situated on the lot south of A. Phelps' hardware store. Boyce & Bump operated this elevator until it was destroyed in the second large fire in May, 1861. A large ele- vator was built by Spaulding and Hotaling on the lot just west and was occupied by Lake & Blackman when it was destroyed by the same fire while filled with grain, O. M. Lake, the head of the firm, being in Chicago attending the funeral services of Stephen A. Douglas. The old 76* HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Elevator east of the present Sullivan livery was built by Mallory & McConaughy, and the stone elevator by M. J. Braiden & Henry Burlingim about 1860. In 1863 the elevator north of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway on Washington Street, was built by a company and Shockley & Phelps placed in charge. The elevator north of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway on Washington Street, was built in 1872 by Shock- ley & Company. Postoffice History. — Prior to 1854 the Post- office was called Story and was located south of the river in Hickory Grove. It was next moved a mile north at the Birdsell corners and kept by Alba O. Hall. In 1854 this was abandoned and Lane became the postoffice, and D. B. Stiles first Postmaster. Others who have served as Post- masters, with date of appointment, are : 1857, J. B. Barber ; 1861, C. B. Boyce ; 1869, Major Hotal- ing ; 1884, H. H. Glenn. George W. Dieus is the present Postmaster. The old store of Joseph Parker has given place to the fine new Stocking ' building, the first floor of which is used as the postoffice, the second floor as offices, and the third floor as the Masonic Hall and ante-rooms. Pour rural mail routes run out from Rochelle and free delivery of mail in the city has just been established. Fires — A Lynching Episode. — There have been three destructive fires in Rochelle. The first two occurred so closely together on Decem- ber 22, 1860, and June 7, 1861, as to cause sus- , picion that an incendiary was trying to destroy the town. Nearly all the business buildings on the west side of Washington Street were con- sumed in the first, and in the second the row of grain houses and elevators between the north side of the track and the alley, from the corner brick to the stone elevator. This was just after the war and excitement ran high, a public meet- ing was held, a committee of investigation ap- pointed and a detective employed. A man by the name of Thomas D. Burke, a suspicious char- acter in sympathy with the South and of ec- i en trie habits, was at once suspected. The de- tective, by pretending to be a Southerner, a bit- ter secessionist, an agent of Jefferson Davis, and even a robber, obtained Burke's confidence and claimed that he extracted a confession from Burke that he started both of the fires and de- signed to burn up the town entirely. Burke was arrested and a preliminary examination was held and the detective was the first witness, who re- lated in a dramatic manner, the alleged confes- sion of Burke of his incendiary acts and other fiendish deeds. After the case was closed the crowd called for the reading of the narrative of the testimony. While the Justices were making out the order of commitment, the prisoner was seized by the excited citizens, a rope placed about his neck and he was violently thrown feet fore- most from the northwest window in the third story of the "corner brick." After a few brief struggles he was dead. The alleged confession was that he was a murderer, a robber, an in- cendiary, and was then premeditating the mur- der of a youth who had incurred his hatred. After the lynching, grave doubts arose in the minds of many as to the guilt of Burke, and the citizens felt deeply the disgrace of the affair, and this proved one of the reasons for the change of name of the village from Lane to Rochelle. Some of the leading parties in this lynching were indicted and tried but cleared by the jury. The third great fire, on December 10, 1870, swept all the buildings from Lake's shoe-store north to the corner of Stocking's Bank. The total loss was estimated at $55,000. The following sum- mer and autumn the row was entirely rebuilt with brick stores of unusual excellence for that time. Railway Enterprises. — Flagg Station was es- tablished four miles west of Rochelle in 1866, and Flagg Center, on the Burlington Road, be- came a station in 1875. The Chicago & Iowa rail- road was completed from Aurora to Rochelle December 31, 1870, and from Rochelle to the east bank of Rock River opposite Oregon, April 1, 1871. After a hot contest Flagg Township voted $50,000 for this road, the proposition being car- ried by a majority of nine. By the terms upon which the donation was voted, the Company was required to complete its road into and through the Town of Flagg by the first day of January, 1871 ; but the first train ran only to Rochelle on the night before, and consequently an injunction was served by Isaac M. Mallory, Daniel Shock- ley and S. L. Bailey, to prevent the issue of bonds. The Northwestern Railway furnished its general counsel to assist these citizens, and the Supreme Court decided that the town meeting was not held according to law and, therefore, the bonds should not be issued. The train used to run one way and back the other, and went daily WM. H. KORF HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 765 — "If the snow permitted." The wheezy old en- gine "Advance"' was the butt of many a joke. The auditor's office and the general freight office of this railroad were located in Rochelle for a number of years. The Chicago, Rockford & Northwestern Railroad was completed between Rockford and Flagg Centre in 1875. The Rathbun Bridge was the first to be built over Kyte Creek in this township. When Flagg built his log cabin he laid out the present road and attempted to build a bridge, but only the stringers were placed in position and foot pas- sengers could cross on them. Later David Stiles built a bridge scarcely above the water's edge and it was swept away by a flood. Shortly be- fore the railroad was built a permanent bridge was constructed. Mills Stewart, down by the stone quarry, Flagg and Bartholomew occupied the three houses in Hickory Grove, until the hamlet boomed because of the building of the new railroad. Mr. A. Harlow was the first to enclose a town lot for residence purposes. Mr. A. S. Hoadley built a house in 1854, east of the Brackett House. The old J. M. May House was built by J. B. Barber. In the year 1855 a house was erected by J. M. McConaughy, now occu- pied by Dr. J. L. Gardner. Schools. — The first school in the township was at Jefferson Grove and was taught by Mary Rathbun, having ten scholars, one-half of whom were Rathbun children. It began sometime in the first decade of settlement. The first school at Hickory Grove began several years later and Miranda Weeks was the first teacher. The first school-house was built on the south side of the creek near the residence of W. P. Flagg. Miss Lucy Miller taught here just before the railroad was built. In 1854 a large building was erected just south of the Presbyterian church. The first teacher was Mat. Andrews and the next Miss Mary J. Miller, who afterwards married O. M. Lake. In the summer of 1858 a large school was built on the present school grounds. School was held in both houses for one year ; later the old building was used for a grist mill. The newer building was burned April 7, 1869. At that time the school had increased so that six teachers were employed. Prof. A. J. Blanchard was at that time principal and continued for four years. The new school building reflects great credit upon the public spirit of the citizens. It is a large brick structure, three stories high besides basement, and contains eight rooms for the grades, a study hall and three recitation rooms for the High School, costing about $40,000. Prof. Blanchard was followed by Prof. P. R. Walker, Prof. Greenman, Prof. Philbrook, and Prof. C. E. Joiner, who now presides with much ability. The High School has a four years' course and its graduates are admitted to our leading colleges without further examinations. The first class was graduated in 1874, and since that time 397 pupils have graduated. There are at present four teachers in the High School and ten teach- ers in the grades, besides drawing and music teachers. A new school building has now been decided upon by election, but erection has been delayed by litigation concerning the site. There are at present 122 pupils in the High School and about 430 in the grades. The Alumni Associa- tion of the High School is a live one and num- bers 372, besides 25 who have died. Churches. — The first religious services in the township were held in the log cabin of William Cochrane at Jefferson Grove by Jephtha Noe. The first religious services in Lane were held in a passenger car in 1854, Thornton Beatty conducting the services. The Presbyterian church was organized September 1, 1854, with ten members and the first meetings were held in the old school-house, just south of the present Presbyterian church. Rev. A. C. Miller was temporary supply the first year, Rev. S. N. Evans the first pastor and under his charge the first church edifice was built, costing about $3,000. Mr. Evans was killed by lightning September 30, 1858. Rev. James McRae was pastor from 1860 till 1862, Rev. Samuel H. Weller from 1862 till 1870, and under his ministration there was a great increase in membership. Rev. T. M, Wilson was next pastor for a brief period, and then Israel Brundage served from 1874 till 1886. Under his pastorate the present building was erected at a cost of $16,000. The next succeed- ing pastors were the Revs. Edgar S. Williams, J. B. Flemming, William P. Landon and Harvey S. Crouse. Rev. J. S. Martin has been the pas- tor since May 1, 1902. During his pastorate the parsonage was built and the church is in a flour- ishing condition with a membership of about 200, a Sunday School of over 200, an active Christian Endeavor Society and other organiza- tions. The Methodist Episcopal Society erected its first church about 1858, but meetings were held and a church organization perfected soon after 766 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. the completion of the railroad. Numerous pas- tors have served: this church, of whom Revs. Mr. Bales, Dr. Horn, Mr. Legear and Rev. W. H. Otjen have been noteworthy. Rev. Mr. Perry is the present pastor. The Sunday School num- bers about 175 and the Epworth League is active. The Baptist church was organized in 1868 and has been small in numbers but sustained by members of peculiar loyalty and devotion. The present pastor is Rev. Mr. Porter and the church is making progress. The origin of the St. Patrick's Catholic church grew out of mass first held in 1853 by a travel- ing priest. In 1856 Rochelle was attached to St. Patrick's Church at Dixon as an out-mission. Rev. Father Kennedy held the first regular serv- ice in 1856 and built a church in 1857. The resi- dent pastors have been Fathers Duhig, Gormley, Luby, Dr. Gavin, Frolich, Tracy, Quigley, O'Cal- laghan, D. D., Green, Carr, and Thomas Finn, who took charge in 1893 and continued to 1907. The fine brick church was built in 1890 and the rectory about 1900. Rev. Father D. J. Conway is the present pastor and is very popular. About two hundred families are communicants. A parish school is now being started in the old Southworth residence. The German Lutherans have a prosperous or- ganization and own the building formerly used by the Presbyterian church. Their present pas- tor is Rev. Mr. Schoembeck. The Swedish Luth- erans also have an organization but do not own a building. The Episcopalians have a church organization and the Christian Science church has an association. The Universalists had an organization here about 1870, which continued for four years. Fraternal and Social Organizations. — The secret societies of Rochelle are the Masons, Odd Fellows, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Modern Woodmen and Knights of Columbus. Horicon Lodge, No. 242, A. F. & A. M.. was or- ganized under dispensation June 3. 1857. and received its charter October 7, 1857, with D. W. Baxter, W. M. ; H. H. Frisbee, S. W. ; Henry Burlingim, J. W. Meetings were hel'd in Repub- lican Hall and then in the Odd Fellows' Hall.' Later they met in the Opera House Block, then in the rooms occupied by the Knights of Colum- bus. Their present rooms are on the third story of the Stocking Post-office building, and are very handsome and convenient. The Lodge numbers 119, with George E. Moore, W. M. ; Fred W. Craft, S. W. ; and William F. Hackett, J. W. The Rochelle Chapter, No. 158, R. A. M., is an active organization with W. B. McHenry, B. H. P.; J. R. Patterson, King; David Kelly, Scribe; Adolph Hilb, Treasurer ; G. H. Moore, Secretary. The Mystic Workers of the World have 89 members with James Brundage, Jr., Prefect ; Eva Weeks, Monitor ; Anna Caspers, Banker ; Alec. Hodge, Marshal. The officers of other organizations are as follows : Royal Neighbors of America. — Mrs. K South- worth, Oracle ; Mrs. Nellie Tigan, Vice-Oracle ; Mrs. Hattie Caspers, Recorder ; Mrs. R. Unger, Banker. Daughters American Revolution. — Miss Anna Turkington, Regent; Mrs. G. E. Stocking, Vice- Regent ; Mrs. Mary Elliott, Treasurer ; Mrs. S. V. Wlrick, Secretary. Catholic Order of Foresters. — T. M. Keegan, Deputy C. R. ; James DeOourcey, P. C. R. ; Theo. Shade, C. R. ; A. E. Ludwig, Secretary. Grand Army of the Republic. — Major Gammon, Commander ; Cash Perry, Senior Commander ; J. O. McConaughy, Q. M. ; I. E. Thorp, Adjutant, The Ladies' G. A. R. is an active organization with Mrs. Van Patten as President. The Modern Woodmen of America has 119 members, with the following officers : A. A. Cas- pers, V. C. ; W. H. Williams, Clerk. The Order of Eastern Star has about 130 mem- bers with Mrs. J. R. Patterson, W. M. ; Mrs. E. L. Vaile, Secretary. Hickory Grove Lodge, No. 230, I. O. O. F., was organized May 21, 1857, with J. B. Barber, Noble Grand. Their meetings have been held first in Republican Hall, next in the Hall over McHenry's present shoe-store, which was de- stroyed by fire, then rebuilt and reoccupied by them. In 1870 the lodge room was again de- stroyed by fire. They now have permanent quarters over the rear of the Stocking Bank. The present membership is 117, with George Kramer as N. G. ; D. C. Russell as V. G. ; and A. M. Peck as Secretary. The Flagg Lodge, No. 115, A. O. U. W., began May 20, 1878. It has been a prosperous Lodge but at present does not hold meetings. The in- surance feature is attended to by J. F. Bird, Recorder. The Knights of Columbus started in 1905 and has about 90 members, with D. J. Sullivan as HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 767 Grand Knight, and occupies the former Masonic rooms in the Bain Block. The Woman's Club of Rochelle, a wide-awake organization with 100 members, was organized in 3897 and has for its present officers, Mrs. Arthur M. Peck, President ; Mrs. Fred W. Craft, Vice-President ; Miss Josephine Hoadley, Sec- retary. A Chautauqua Circle has been active here for twenty years, many members have graduated and the organization is prosperous. The Nineteenth Century Club is another Ladies' literary club which has stimulated the intellectual life of Rochelle. Manufacturing Enterprises. — The Agricul- tural and Mechanical Association of Rochelle was organized July 31, 1873, the first officers being M. J. Braiden, President ; E. L. Otis, Sec- retary ; M. T. Ellinwood, Treasurer ; D. C. May, Superintendent. Agricultural fairs and horse races were held annually until about 1904, when the organization was dissolved and the grounds sold to Morris Kennedy and re-sold by him to a committee to obtain the location at Rochelle of the Vassar Swiss Knitting Factory. This com- mittee subdivided the tract into lots and sold the lots for about $15,000, which was used as a bonus to secure the factory. A little over five years ago, a number of prom- inent and enterprising citizens exerted them- selves to secure some factories for Rochelle. The first one obtained was the Vassar Swiss Under- wear Company, for which a bonus of about $15,- 000 was raised and factory buildings erected. The corporation is composed chiefly of Chicago people and George Rutledge is the resident man- ager and inventor of the knitting machines. About 75 people are employed. The P. Hohenadel, Jr., Canning Company was established in 1903 and is engaged in the can- ning of corn, peas, sauer kraut and pickles. Connected with this industry is the Hohenadel- Stocking Farming Company, which uses about 2,000 acres in raising vegetables for canning. The citizens donated the site to the factory at a cost of about $5,000. About 100 men are em- ployed in the busy season. The Billmire Bridge and Iron Works occupy the old foundry plant in the east part of town and came here in 1905. It employs about 30 men. The George D. Whitcomb Company occupies the building southeast of the city limits, which was built by a company of citizens for the Ro- chelle Novelty Manufacturing Company. The only novel thing about this latter company was its experience with the manager, who was in- dicted for stealing the intricate parts of their machines, but was acquitted on the ground that as manager, he had a right to the possession of them. The Whitcomb Company came to Rochelle in 1907 ; has employed about 75 men and is en- gaged in the manufacture of machinery, princi- pally for mining. The Rochelle Clock and Watch Manufacturing Company came here in 1906, receiving as a bonus from our citizens about $15,000, which was the cost of buildings. About 100 people are employed. The Rochelle Wire Manufacturing Company is engaged in the manufacturing of barbed wire fence. The officers are P. Hohenadel, Jr., Presi- dent, and George E. Stocking, Vice-President and Treasurer. The Dust Proof Furniture Company was or- ganized in 1906 and manufactures principally office cases for filing papers, etc. The financial prosperity of Rochelle has been greatly improved by the extensive drainage of the lands in the vicinity. In 1893 the Brush Grove Drainage District was formed for the pur- pose of draining lands west and south of Ro- chelle in Ogle and Lee counties, and a large amount of low land was drained. Other smaller drainage districts have been formed and also much private drainage has been done. As a result these low lands are the best and are worth from $125 to $150 per acre, and the in- creased crops have made the community much more prosperous. Banking Institutions. — Enoch Hinckley and Son were the first bankers, beginning in 1860. E. T. Hunt and Company started a second bank about 1861 and sold out the next year to I. M. Mallory, who organized the business into the Rochelle National Bank in 1872 and became its President, with J. T. Miller, Cashier. The pres- ent officers of the Rochelle National Bank are Emanuel Hilb, President ; Daniel Cary, Vice- President; A. B. Sheadle, Cashier. Its paid in capital is $50,000 with $25,000 surplus. Its offices have recently been handsomely rebuilt and beautifully furnished. In 1872, also, the first National Bank was organized with M. T. Ellinwood as President and John C. Phelps, Cashier. Peter Smith was its ?68 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. next President and J. T. Miller its Cashier. Later this bank was purchased by William Stocking and Company and conducted as a private bank. Albert Bird was for many years its Cashier. In 1906 it was re-organized as the Stocking Trust and Savings Bank. Its present officers are, George E. Stocking, President; Horace Stocking, Vice-President ; Otto Wedler, Cashier. Its paid in capital stock is $150,000 with $15,000 surplus. A handsome gray stone building on the corner of Washington and Fourth Street is its elegant home. In 1904 the People's Loan and Trust Company was organized as a Bank with its present offi- cers, D. W. Baxter, President ; II. D. Hathaway, Vice-President ; J. C, Fesler, Cashier. Its paid in capital stock is $50,000 with $25,000 surplus. It occupies the old "corner brick," now rebuilt into a fine banking and office building. The com- bined deposits of these several banks average $1,000,000. Rochei-le Bar. — Rochelle has had a gifted Bar ; among some of the past lawyers of promi- nence were H. O. Rogers, 31. D. Hathaway, Sr., who was' probably the most widely known of the older members of the bar and accumulated a large fortune in his practice, banking and gen- eral business interests ; David O'Brien, who is said to have been the most brilliant lawyer that ever practiced in this part of the country ; his brother, George D. O'Brien, who was a pains- taking student of the law and a wise counsellor, who died in July, 1907. The present members of the Bar are, D. W. Baxter, C. E. Gardner, W. B. 3IcHenry, W. P. Landon, Floyd Tilton, William Healy, Frank Healy, Edward McConaugby, S. V. Wirick and Fred A. Wirick. Newspapers— The first newspaper, the "Lane Leader," was established by John R. Howlett in Lane, October, 1858. His style was so full of vim that his paper was not a financial success, but he struggled along until the summer of 1861 when he sold out to Prof. James A. Butterfield, who issued the "Lane Patriot" in the fall of 1861 and suspended publication in the spring of 1862. Prof. Butterfield was a musical genius who afterwards became the leader of the Chi- cago Delegation of Gilmore's Peace Jubilee and wrote several popular songs, including, "When Yon and I were Young, Maggie." The first issue of "The Lane Register" was July 25, 1863, by Mr. E. L. Otis, its founder, who moved from Rockford to Rochelle. Mr. Otis became known as one of the most vigorous and able editors in this part of the country. There was not a neutral hair on his head and he built up a strong paper. In 1865 the name was changed to "The Rochelle Register," when the name of the village was changed. Mr. Otis continued as the editor and publisher of the paper until he sold it in 1887 to J. C. Neff, who had been the station agent of the Northwestern Railroad at Rochelle, and who published the paper for one year. 3Ir. H. C. Paddock bought the paper in 1888 and published it until No- vember 20, 1891. George W. Dicus then became its owner and editor, having published the "3Iil- ledgeville . Free Press" for two years prior to 1890. 3Ir. Dicus was an active and able editor and materially increased the influence and cir- culation of the paper until it occupied a promi- nent position in this county. On May 13, 1907, Emery I. Neff, who had been Superintendent of Schools in Ogle County, became the publisher and is now conducting it with ability. It has always been Republican in politics except under 31r. Paddock, when it was eclectic. On August 18, 1881, G. W. Morris and his son, Howard A. 3Iorris, as partner, founded "The Rochelle Herald." They had previously pub- lished "The Malta Mail" and "The Creston Times" at Malta, and in 1882 they merged them all in "The Herald." This paper has been suc- cessful and has always been Republican in its politics. In 3Iarch, 1893, G. W. Morris died and his son Howard continued as the owner and editor. Howard Morris has had the longest period of continuous service of any of the pres- ent editors in the county. December 16, 1897, "The Rochelle Independ- ent" was founded by the Lux Brothers, Chas. A. and Fred E. Lux, and has been successful and enterprising. It is Republican in politics and enjoys a large circulation. Several other papers have had a brief exist- ence in Rochelle, one published by John M. King in 1881, and a Free Silver paper, published by Norman Rappalee in 1896, had a brief existence. City Officers.— The present officers of the City of Rochelle are: W. B. McHenry, Mayor; Dr. T. E. Fouser, Clinton Myers, W. J. Vaughn, Morris Kennedy, William Kahler and A. B. Sheadle, Aldermen ; W. P. Landon, City Attor- ney; Thomas M. Keegan, City Clerk, and O. M. Lake, Police Magistrate. M#-lCl^, JV^ fCo-flA- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 769 Litigation Over Real Estate. — For a number of years residents were greatly exercised over a litigation that threatened to affect the title to 'most of the town-site. This was called the Ross Heirs' litigation. Charlotte A. Powell, the widow of old Sheldon Bartholomew, who came here in 1838, had a daughter, Maria, who married Isaac- Ross and these three made a deed to R. P. Lane of the northeast and southwest quarters and the southwest quarter of Section 24, which is in the original town of Lane. This deed was invalid because it did not state that Maria Ross was the wife of Isaac Ross, nor did the certifi- cate of acknowledgment state that Maria Ross was examined separate and apart from her hus- band, or that Ihc contents and meaning of the deed were made known and explained to her. The deed, failing to conform to the requirements of the statute, was declared invalid. In the 'seventies there was considerable talk about the validity of the title and, in the 'eighties, the Mettlers (Ira, Iliff and William) and Porter Chamberlain, were interested by Wil- liam T. Agnew to buy the interests of five of the children of Maria Ross, who had since died. Agnew was the husband of Carrie Agnew, one of the six children of Maria Ross. In the 'eighties a good deal of litigation was brought by Agnew and the Mettlers against citizens to to eject them from their property. Cases are found in 15 Illinois Appellate Reports (pages 668 and 670), also in 120 Illinois Reports (page 665). These cases were unsuccessful for vari- ous reasons that did not go to the merits of the situation. Finally in 1891, David O'Brien be- came the attorney for the Mettlers and, in the case of Ira Mettler vs. Joseph Craft (39 111. App. 193), it was decided that Mr. Craft must lose his home and receive nothing for the im- provements. Consternation fell upon the prop- erty holders. They had formed an organization to defend their titles. Ex-mayor M. L. Ettinger was then employed to make research, but Judge Frank E. Reed of Oregon made the vital dis- covery. He was then employed as a clerk in the abstract office and was making an abstract for some property in Rochelle. It had been the custom of the abstractors to make a copy of the record up to the time of Lane's Plat; but Mr. Reed was not satisfied with the meagerness of the abstract of a certain suit, and examined the records to obtain fuller details. While thus en- gaged he ran across the record of another suit, which turned out to be the assignment of dower to Charlotte Powell, in which the seven and one- half acres west of the old Rockford road were set off as her absolute property. Hence the deed to that part did not require Maria Ross and hus- band to unite in it. This seven and one-half acres was the part that was most dubious, and this discovery was a great victory to the people. The citizens had employed Messrs. Cohrs and Green of Chicago as their lawyers, and while the suit was still pending in 1894, Mr. Ettinge- bought for the citizens the oue-sixth interest or George Ross for $750 on his twenty-first birth- day, although he had as a minor made a previous deed to the Mettlers. This stopped the proceed- ings of ejectment as it gave to the citizens a right of occupancy. In 1895 all of the other interests were purchased for $1,500, and a deed was given to Albert Bird as trustee for the owners. The expenses for this contest were $6,000. Other parts of the town-site were af- fected, but not to the extent of this forty-acre tract. This litigation retarded the improvement of the city, but as soon as it was closed, a new period of prosperity began. Recent Development. — There has been an active building boom in recent years. Besides the buildings mentioned elsewhere, fine business buildings have been erected by A. Binz, C. E. Valentine, A. Hizer, Edward Reynolds, the Lux Brothers and J. J. Johnson. The latter has just completed building a large Coliseum for public amusement, 66x120 feet. The old Chockley Block on the corner of Washington Street and Cherry Avenue, which has been a land-mark, is at pres- ent being handsomely remodeled. Rochelle is a prosperous city of three thou- sand inhabitants. An unusually large number of pleasant homes, costing from $5,000 to $12,000 each, make the town delightful, and a public water system, with a large supply of the purest water from a deep well, a fine sewer system in- stalled in 1907, a municipal electric plant, built in 1907, a modern gas plant and a complete tele- phone system furnish the city with modem con- veniences. Three large railroad systems, the Chicago & Northwestern, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, give excellent shipping facilities. A spirit of enterprise possesses the people and vigorous efforts have been made to interst fac- tories to locate here. Business is in the hands of 770 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. middle-aged men, who are active and aggressive. Public enterprises enlist great interest and the social life of the town is delightful. The Supervisors for the township of Flagg since its organization are as follows : Ira Over- acker, 1850-51; Peter Mills, 1852-53; Ira Over- acker, 1854-55; Henry Burlingim, 1856-58; Wil- lard P. Flagg, 1859-60; Joseph Parker, 1861-62 W. P. Flagg, 1863-64; Joseph Parker, 1865-68 Denard Shockley, I860; Caleb B. Boyce, 1870-74 Miles J. Braiden, 1875-80; James Rae, 1881 Elijah Taylor, 1882-84; William Stocking, 1885- 89; Elijah Taylor, 1890; Samuel J. Parker, 1891-1908. The other officers for the township, in addition to the Supervisors for 1908, are: Town Clerk, Ira T. Longwell ; Assessor, Oscar M. Lake ; Tax Collector, Robert Wiley ; Justices of the Peace, M. L. Ettinger, Fred A. Wirick ; Constables, C. A. Hizer, W. R. Sechler ; High- way Commissioners, T. J. Dailey, James Tilton, Robert E. Banning ; School Treasurer, O. A. Wedler. FORRESTON TOWNSHIP. This township lying in the northwestern cor- ner of Ogle County, consists mainly of the now valuable prairie land. What was early known as White Oak Grove was the only timber -jt any account in it; and here, i" 1 831, Isaac Chambers at first considered aiding, but de- cided the timber was not sufficient for a per- manent settlement and located farther to the south where the grove, on the line between Brookville Township and Carroll County, bears his name, this being related in the history of the four townships of that region which were so closely connected in their early settlement. Early Settlers. — In 1838 Jacob Hilsinger was living in White Oak Grove, but left for an- other region, unknown, leaving his log cabin in the grove for many years as a reminder of his short tenure, and as a shelter for the indefatig- able hunter. In 1852 Orville Samuel and Ran- som Bailey located in the north part of the township, their land lying upon the county line and a part of it afterwards becoming the site of the village of Baileyville. The surveying for the building of the Illinois Central Railroad at- tracted other settlers, but it was not till after the completion of the railway and its operation was established, that families began to come in greater numbers to stay permanently. Then the villages of Baileyville and Forreston were laid out, business places were started in them, and additional farms were taken up. The town- ship growth from that time to this has been steady, and other villages have sprung up. North Forreston at the junction of the Illinois Cen- tral and Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- ways, and Harper on the line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. Many of the earliest residents moved into this township from neigh- boring regions after the tide of settlement set this way. Among earlier and later residents of the town- ship have been Matthew Blair from Pennsyl- vania ; Samuel Mitchell from Maryland ; Cyrus Billig, who was born in Ogle County in 1840, his father being among the earliest of the pio- neers ; Samuel and Aaron Billig, Cornelius Bow- man, P. P. Aykens, B. K. Shryock, Aaron Bowers (1871 from Pennsylvania), H. P. Brookmeier, Robert B. Brown (1858, Pennsylvania), John W. Cahill (1860, Maryland), N. J. Clark (1S75, Canada), Bernard Coyle (1855, Ireland), Jacob and Gelt Deitsman, Meinert Dewall, John H. Diehl (1852, Worms, Germany), and Emma Sflmell Diehl, Christian Dovenberger (1859, Maryland), Henxy Dovenberger, M. P. Eakle, John and Geske Menders Frei (1869, Hanover, Germany), J. C. Galbraith, George Geeting, George T. Gibbs, Frederick and Ettie Poppen Greenfield (Hanover, Germany), Simon and Mary Hartman Gross (Pennsylvania), Seton and Frances Dean Halsey (New York) — the parents of the senior member of the firm of Wall Street Brokers, New York City, N. W. Halsey & Co. ; William and Clara Hackett, Charles M. Haller, George W., Theodore, John J., and T. D. Hewitt, J. N. Knodle, Evert Ludwig, Jonathan, Peter S.. Abram and J. M. Myers ; Edwin H. Riley, Lewis F. Rowland, Dr. Thomas Winston (Wales, 1849), who, in 1861, married Carrie E. Mumford, one of the preceptresses of Rock River Seminary ; J. L. Wright, Principal of Schools in Adeline in 1873 and in Forreston in 1S76 ; Jan Boekholder, John Zollinger, Benjamin and Christian Yordy, Jacob Reigard. Frederick Veitmeyer. Lewis Fosha, N. D. Meaeham, Philo J. Hewitt, J. A. Fisher, Onnie DeWall and Frank Wertz, son of Lewis Wertz. an early settler in Rockvale Town- ship. Township Organization. — In the fall of 1856 a meeting was held in Brookville, the territory now comprising Forreston Township then being HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 771 included in Brookville, for the purpose of or- ganizing the township. The organization was con- summated, since which time the following have been the Supervisors of Porreston Township : Matthew Blair, 1857-60; Isaac B. Allen, 1861; F. N. Tice, 1862-68 ; Isaac B. Allen, 1869 ; E. H. Middlekauff, 1870; Andrew Etahley, 1871-72; F. N. Tice, 1873-76; Cornelius Bowman, 1877- 78; William Reintz, 1879-84; Matthew Blair, 1886; Lemuel I. Hackett, 1886-88; Jacob F. Swank, 1889-1905; Jacob E. Fisher, 1906-07; Jacob F. Swank, 1908. The other township offi- cers for 1908 are : Town Clerk, Otto Garard ; Assessor, C. E. Nicodemus ; Tax Collector, John Wilhelms ; Justice of the Peace, Cyrus Billig ; Constable, J. It. Myers ; Highway Commissioners — Simon Klock, Lewis Otto, William Duitsman ; School Treasurer, E. E. Haller. Foreeston Village. — The original plat for the village of Forreston was made in the fall of 1854, by George W. Hewitt, the land having been purchased by him from the original owner, Col. John Dement, of Dixon. To this he later added thre,e other adjoining districts ; Neal's Addition and two by the Illinois Central Railroad have also since increased the area of the village. The main tracks and sidings of the former Chicago & Iowa, now a branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and of the Illinois Central are located on and through the last-named Ad- ditions. Here also is the round house, this being the end of the Burlington branch. Its trains no longer go farther, but start from here and return here, the one in the middle of the morning, and the return train at noon, making the trip to and from Chicago, as formerly, while the others travel back and forth and connect at Oregon. The township is well provided with railway facilities, as connection with the Illinois Central can be made at Forreston and from that with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul at North Forreston, a mile or two to the northwest. The first buildings erected in Forreston were a depot and a house for boarding the people working on the railroad, early in 1854. These were followed by a small warehouse for pur- chasing and shipping grain, built by John J. Hewitt. Previous to this an enterprising Ger- man named Shuey had put up a building for a stable, in which he was living with his family until he could erect his dwelling, and this he turned into a temporary inn for the accommoda- tion of arriving future residents. During 1855 Aaron Middlekauff and Martin Heller built the second warehouse near the railroad, and I. B. Allen erected another in 1857. This being a favorable point for shipping grain on the Illinois Central, an elevator — the first regular one — was built by Jacob Rodermel, and still another by Mr. Hewitt. The present large structure, with a capacity of about 25,000 bushels, was con- structed by William Hewitt, in 1875, steam- power being used in conveying the grain to the top of the building. This was purchased by Wil- liam Poole in 1882, and is now owned by Calvin A. Beebe, who conducts the business. During the spring of 1855 another building was erected by William F. Daniels, who placed in it a small stock of groceries and kept the post-office there for a short time. Following this a house was set up by Theodore Hewitt, he having pro- cured the material, framed, in Chicago. This building was used for a hotel. Mr. Hewitt died the same summer of typhoid fever, his being the first death in the village and, so far as known, in the township. This house was long used for the accommodation of travelers. In 1857 the Forreston House was erected, and soon after the Sherman House, later known as the Central House, these hostelries for many years since making comfortable and hospitable stopping places for the traveler and "dweller within their gates." The proprietor of the Forreston House is at present Henry Trumbauer, while of the Central House, Frank J. Acker is the proprie- torial host. Henry Hiller built the next house for a store and dwelling, the store being sold later to Mr. Woodruff, who disposed of it to David Bernhardt in 1858. Samuel Mitchell and Matthew Blair, who came the spring of 1855, erected dwelling houses and a store building, in which they opened a stock of groceries. The first brick house was built in 1855 by George W. Hewitt, who used it as a dwelling. Mr. Hewitt died in 1871. This house is still standing, and is being used as a dwelling at the present time. The first drug-store was started by Frank Bar- ker, afterwards of Rochelle ; the first hardware, by Abraham Sager about 1857, and another! by' John W. Cahill. The first shoemaking was done by Frederick Meyer, and he was followed in this industry by John Lang. A year or two later John J. Hewitt and B. F. Emrick opened a gen- eral merchandise business, which, in 1859, was purchased by C. M. Haller, who continued it for HISTORY OF OGLE COUXTY. a number of years, afterward engaging in the drug business. A blacksmith shop started by Thomas Botdorf soon after his arrival in 1855, later developed into a wagon shop and then into a wagon and carriage manufactory, which for many years carried on a thriving business. This was pur- chased in 1868 by Salter & Hunter, and was managed by them till 1873, when the firm became Salter & Blair. William Flora now owns the premises and runs a blacksmith shop in the building. The present Sheriff of Ogle County, Charles M. Myers, before his election to that office, in addition to his duties on the Burlington Road, conducted an ice business in Forreston, which was his place of residence at that time, the ice being obtained from near the line of the railway between Mount Morris and Forreston from bodies of enclosed water, known as "Myers' Ponds" by the frolicsome young people of the nearby region, allowed to skate upon their well-cleared and smooth surfaces by their genial and generous owners, the parents of the present efficient and courteous county official. Mr. Daniels was succeeded as Postmaster by Samuel Mitchell, who served till 1861, when Matthew Blair was appointed and continued in office four years. Following Mr. Blair were Samuel Rockwood, John C. Galbraith, Dr. Thomas Winston, Dr. J. D. Covell, and several others ; at the present time Riley M. Garman being Postmaster. Banks. — The Bank of Forreston, a private bank, was started by J. B. Kimball and B. C. Whitlock in 1867. A few months after it had started the ownership changed to Kimball & Hewitt, a year later to J. J. Hewitt. In 1S72 Reuben Wagner, of Polo, became the owner, but later the firm became Wagner & McClure for a time, after which Mr. Wagner continued the business alone until its close in 1885. The Farmers & Traders Bank was organized in 1880 by J. J. Hewitt, who erected the present bank building in 1882. Charles McCullough was the first cashier, followed by T. D. Hewitt, son of the owner. At the present time this business organization is called the Forreston State Bank. Its officers are J. T. Campbell, President ; S. E. Campbell, Vice-President; C. L. Robertson, Cashier. The founder of the Farmers & Traders Bank in 1881, on account of ill-health, made a trip to California, where at Riverside, he was attracted by its fine orange-growing, and became the owner of a valuable orange ranch. After spending his winters in Riverside for a time he finally made it his permanent home, and there his death occurred several years ago. Schools. — The first school house in the vil- lage was built in 1856. It was a frame build- ing, which is still standing, opposite it in 1878 being the residence of Philo J. Hewitt, It is now occupied as a dwelling by Otto Garard. Miss Maria Blair was the first teacher. She was followed by Thomas J. Hewitt and A. Q. Allen, the latter the first teacher in Mount Morris. In 1867 a substantial three-story brick school-house was erected, including grounds and furnisnings, at a cost of $16,000. Among those serving as Principals of the public school are J. L. Spear and J. W. Clinton, afterwards editor of the "Polo Press," and now writer of the history of the four associated townships of this History of Ogle County ; G. M. Glenn, M. L. Seymour, George Blount, J. L. Wright, O. S. Davidson, and Mr. Winslow, who took an active and commend- able interest in High School athletics, particu- larly in the Annual Track Meet. The present Principal is S. H. Hetrick, and the Assistant Principal Miss Jane Parmalee, of Rochelle. In- cluding the Principal, six teachers are employed in the Forreston public school. The course in the High School includes four years' work About 200 pupils are in attendance in all the departments during the school year. A year ago the High School was made a present, by the Board of Education, of a fine Schiller piano. The members of the present School Board are: Fred J. Deuth, President ; Lewis DeGraff, Frank Wertz. J. C. Aldus. J. E. Fisher, Calvin A. Beebe. M. A. Trei. Churches. — The Methodist Episcopal Church was the first religious organization in the vil- lage, a class being formed in 1856, of which Samuel and Hannah Mitchell and Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Starr were members. The first sermon was preached in the railroad depot during this year by the Rev. William Underwood. Services were later held in the school-house and in the church of the United Brethren till 1864, when a frame building for church purposes was com- pleted and dedicated by the Rev. Dr. Eddy. A parsonage was added to the church property in 1873. Quarterly Conference was first held in Forreston March 21, 1857. On account of many HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 773 removals and the large German population, the membership decreased, and services are no more held in it. The sparrows have pre-empted a dwelling place under its eaves, and their homely, cheerful, busy notes are the only songs now peal- ing forth a hymn of prayer and worship. The United Brethren in Christ erected the first house of worship in the village, soon after their organization in 1S58. The class formed consisted of a number of members. The first minister was the Rev. S. S. Osterhoudt. A Sunday School was formed about 1878. This denomination showed immediately a broad-minded spirit, and the new church building was at times used by the other denominations till they had edifices of their own. There are no services held in the church at the present time. The Evangelical Lutheran Church was organ- ized and a constitution adopted October 21, 1859. The Rev. Ephraim Miller was Chairman, and the Rev. J. K. Bloom, secretary of the conven- tion and pastor. Mission work had been pre- viously carried on by the Rev. J. G. Donmeyer, the pioneer minister of this part of the county. Charles M. Haller was elected elder, and Thomas Botdorf and Benjamin F. Emrich deacons. The church building, of brick, was completed in 1864, and about the same time the parsonage was purchased, it being the home of the Rev. Mr. Bloom, who was leaving the charge. The Sab- bath School was originally organized in 1858 and was a Union school ; by withdrawals of others forming the Union, at length, in 1871, it became the Evangelical Lutheran Sabbath School. The Rev. S. H. Yerian is the present pastor. Zion Reformed Church was established about 1857, by the Rev. George Weber, mission work having been carried on by the Rev. John A. Leis. A brick church edifice was erected on the cor- ner of B and Third Streets in 1870. This cost $7,000; a parsonage had been built in 1867 for the sum of $2,000, and a Sabbath School organ- ized in 1874. At present the Rev. J. A. Noble looks after the spiritual welfare of this congre- gation. Bishop's Church of the Evangelical Associa- tion was organized in 1860, services being held in the school-house until 1869, when a commodi- ous frame edifice was erected at a cost of $7,000. This church was named "Bishop's Church" ttoough the esteem and affection which was held for Bishop J. Long, who was residing in Forreston at the time of its erection, and who died about the time of its completion. The Rev. Mr. Preeden was the first pastor, Rev. E. E. Keiser being pastor at the present time. The German Reformed Church was organized first as the "Reformed Protestant Dutch Church," but took its present name in 1867. The Rev. J. H. Karston was the first settled pastor in 1865. Services were at first conducted in the Holland language and the record kept in that language, the German afterwards being adopted. The church was built in 1866, and dedicated by the Rev. J. Muller. The first officers were J. R. Heeren, B. Daneks, Jacob Smith, M. Reintsema. A Sabbath School was formed in 1869. The Rev. H. Potgeter is the present pastor. The services are still conducted in the language familiar to its people, the German. The Memorial Evangelical Church was organ- ized some years ago, the original members hav- ing been a part of Bishop's Evangelical Church. The church building, a frame structure, was erected at a cost of about $2,000. A Young People's Missionary Society, which meets month- ly, takes an active interest in carrying on the helpful work of the church. Rev. H. Messner is the pastor at the present time. Newspapers. — The "Forreston Journal" began its publication April 6, 1867, under Saltzman & Mathews. Later Mr. Mathews retired and C. P. Dore became the partner. In 1872 J. W. Clin- ton, of Polo, purchased the entire interest, and continued the publication for a year or two, when he sold to G. L. Bennett. In 1874 I. B. Bick- ford purchased the paper and removed it to Byron. M. V. Saltzman, one of the first editors, died, much respected, in 1878. The "Forreston Herald" was started in 1878, F. N. Tice, editor, C. W. Slocum followed him as editor and proprietor, and he was succeeded by L. G. Burrows; in 1882 N. W. Halsey leased the office and continued the paper for one year. In 1884 C. M. Kenyon became editor, Mr. Bur- rows retaining the ownership. Later Theodore F. Haller became editor and proprietor and con- ducted the paper for a number of years. In 1902 it was united with "The Hustler" and the "Ogle County Review," and published by the Kable Brothers Company, being edited and managed' by Ethel M. Griswold, under the style of "Ogle County Review-Herald," which name it now bears. Its editor and publisher now is G. W. Graves. 774 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Municipal Histouy. — The population of For- reston is now about 1,100. The village was in- corporated by special charter in 1868, and under the General Law in 1888. The present officers are S. W. Mumina, President ; John Boekholder, Treasurer ; Martin Brant, William Duitsman, John McKinstra, M. A. Trei, Henry Timmer, Charles Nicodemus, Trustees. The village is supplied with water pumped by gasoline engine from an artesian well. This well was drilled about 1890, and is 302 feet in depth. The elec- tric lighting is obtained through a private plant owned by George Orombie, who also furnishes electric light from his plant at Forreston to the residents of Adeline. Business Firms. — Among the business firms in Forreston are John Boekholder, general store ; Martin A. Trei, shoe-store ; Edward Haller and Harry Lebo, drug-stores ; DeGraff Brothers, fur- niture and undertaking ; J. E. Xampel, harness ; Joseph Abels, implement; Fred J. Deuth, Duits- man & Aykens and Ulfers, hardware ; W. F. Derby and Mrs. Peter Aykens, groceries ; Otto Garard, variety store; Samuel Brown, Andrew Omelia and Henry Schell, restaurants. The creamery is owned by John Newman, of Elgin, Illinois. North Forreston was started in 1881, now having about ten people. Its elevator is owned by Calvin A. Beebe, of Forreston. The district school is situated about a quarter of a mile dis- tant. Baileyville. — This village was laid out in 1855 and named for the men upon whose land the site was located. The station agent of the newly-completed railway was a Mr. Philbrick, who also kept a store in which the post-office was located, its interest being looked after by Orville Bailey. The village prospered and after some years numbered about 200 inhabitants. Being on the line between Ogle and Stephenson coun- ties some of its places of business came to be located across the boundary. One of the first general stores was owned by Miller & Company, and in charge of Charles Boadman. William J. Reitzell succeeded this firm in 1878. Other early business firms were Samuel Druck, and Aykens & Brother conducted a general retail store ; J. F. Rinders, C. W. Borgaer. groceries; Frederick Kobo, blacksmith and agricultural implements; George Conrad, blacksmith ; C. W. Prine, car- penter and builder; Peter Brand, shoemaker; P. Lyman, painter ; Christian Dovenberger, coal- dealer ; Charles Arms, agent for J. B. Smith, grain buyer; J. Roscom. shoe-store; Dr. D. H. Carpenter, early physician. Some of the business firms at the present time are William Geiger, lumber and coal; Albert Geiger, general store; Henry Biggers, general store; an elevator owned by E. P. Hill of Free- port. Henry Biggers is the present Postmaster. A creamery was established about twenty years ago, which is now operated by John Bechtold. School is taught now in one room of the brick building, by Miss Lillian Clark. There are two churches, viz.: German Re- formed and German Baptist. The membership in the German Reformed Church numbers about fifty, and Rev. E. H. Thormann is pastor. The German Baptist Church has a membership roll of about eighty. The Rev. Mr. Willis was one of its early pastors. The services, which were conducted at first in German, are now in both German and English. The pastor is the Rev. E. Huber. Harper. — This village was started along the line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- road in 1881, and it now has about fifty people. The post-office is in charge of Dennis Sullivan; the elevator is owned by Isaac Bowler ; the creamery, by John Newman. There are two stores, a general store conducted by Jacob Buss, and a hardware by Miller Brothers. The lum- ber and coal yard is owned by William Geiger of Baileyville. The district school in the neigh- borhood is taught by. Miss Mary Morgan. GRAND DETOUR TOWNSHIP. On Blanchard's Historical Map of Illinois is found the name "La Sallier's Trading Post," marking a point in the Rock River Valley near where Grand Detour now is, and intended to locate a camp, or trading post, of the French fur traders who traversed the Rock River Val- ley in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. "Pierre La Porte, a Frenchman born at what was old Fort Frontenac, in Canada, worked for the old American Fur Company for a great many years. Beginning with the nineteenth century, and for a period before that time, he had as his territory Rock River, running from a point just above where Janesville is now located. The sreat double bend about half way up the Ouis- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 775 consln line was one of his camping spots, or trading stations. The mouth of Rock River was his down stream terminal." So writes Frank B. Stevens, of Sycamore, 111., author of a late History of the Black Hawk War, in a letter to the writer. Pierre La Porte was the great-grandfather of Mr. Stevens, who has the information from his mother, still living. Mr. Stevens continues : "My mother distinctly remembers the home- coming trips of the old gentleman, and also the amount of baggage he was compelled to carry — 87 pounds. When he had a season's purchase, he pushed through to what is now Chicago, skirted the Lakes and delivered the load at some point on the Saint Lawrence, I believe, though upon that point I am not certain." Pierre La Porte was possibly the last of the French fur traders of the Valley, as "the latter part of his service was out in the Rocky Moun- tains." The fur trader's press receded before the pioneer's cabin. While one reads of the trader. Bouthillier, at La Pointe (Galena), and o* his operations there and at Prairie du Ohien lor a number of years before 1825, no mention appears after that date, the supposition being that he had removed to newer fields as soon as a settlement began to be made. But while the French traders themselves kept moving west- ward with the line of the frontier, as demanded by their occupation, their language, in at least one instance in the Rock River Valley, remained, and became fixed to the scene of their former operations. They made their camp and estab- lished a fur press where Rock River makes its grande de tour, and when later the place be- came a settlement of eastern people from a State and region where French names remained from an earlier time, as Vermont, Montpelier, Orleans, Vergennqs, it was both natural and appropriate that the name chosen for the new village should be Grande de Tour, now become Grand Detour. Here came Stephen Mack, former student of Dartmouth College, and lived several years, be- ginning, perhaps, in 1827. He traded with the Indians, probably in furs as in other things, and used, it may be, the abandoned fur press of the French fur traders. Having lost the friendship of the Indians after a time, because he would not include whisky among the things which he sold to them, he and his Indian wife, a Potta- watomie woman, left the "big bend," and going northward to where the Pecatonica River emp- ties into Rock River, at their junction founded Maektown. He was the first permanent settler of the Rock River Valley, and traces of the embryo village remained for a number of years. The Andrus Claim on Grand Detour. — In 1834, when the Rock River country was being much talked of, the last Indian hostilities of the Black Hawk War having ended in the defeat and almost extermination of Black Hawk's band at the Battle of Bad Axe in Wisconsin, Dixon's Ferry was the crossing place over Rock River on Kellog's Trail from Peoria to Galena. To this point came Leonard Andrus, of New York and Vermont, looking for location for a home in the "Far West." He employed two Indians to take him along Nature's highway northward in a canoe. After paddling for ten miles against the current, they came to a great bend, where the river turned back and flowed in the opposite direction for a mile or more, as if loath to leave the enchanted region of varied beauty that marked its course. Added to the charm of the landscape, was the fertility of the Valley, and evident to the eye accustomed to see the streams of the Green Mountain State, was the great possibility of developed water-power. The canoe was stopped and Mr. Andrus proceeded to make claim to what afterwards became the site of the present village of Grand Detour. Part, at least, of the following autumn and winter was spent by Mr. Andrus at Constantino, Mich., as is shown by old letters written to him on December 22, 1834, from Dixon's Ferry, and on January 27. 1835, from Chicago, by David Andrews, who was surveying the water-power and " seeing to splitting rails on the claim and protect- ing it from other settlers coming in. Three time-stained communications were mailed with- out envelopes, by placing the address on the blank side of the folded sheet and sealing with a wafer. The postage is marked on the upper right hand corner of the first of these letters^ there being no 25-cent stamp in those days, and on the second twelve and one-half cents. They are now in the possession of the son, William C. Andrus, of Grand Detour, to whose courtesy the writer is indebted for consulting them and for the copy of the interesting bill of lading here- inafter given. When Leonard Audrus returned to his claim, he came again from New York, whither he had »gone from Oonstantine, Mich., bringing with him from the latter place, W. A. House, the latter's wife, Sarah I. House, and her 776 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. sister, Sophronia Wetherby. A log-cabin was built and their residence at Grand Detour began in the summer of 1835. The names of other pio- neers who settled there in the years from 1835 to 1840 are : Amos Bosworth, William G. Dana, Marcus and Dennis Warren, Mrs. E. G. Sawyer, Cyrus Aiken, Russell Green, Solon Cummins, Charles Throop, C. C. Colburn, John Deere, E. H. Shaw, Joseph Cunningham, Edward Wright. Reminiscences of Pioneer Life. — Through his interest in the pioneer life of the county, Victor H. Bovey, of Pine Creek Township, sent for this history the following account of the settlement of Grand Detour, taken from an old volume in his library : "The Fourth of July, 1836, was celebrated in Grand Detour by digging the town well. Mr. Ruel Peabody related that, on that day, there sat down to dinner seventeen men and three women. It was then he first tasted potatoes in Illinois. The three women were Mrs. Hill, Mrs. House, and Miss Wetherby. The last named was the first teacher of her sex in Grand Detour. One Mr. Goodrich taught the winter preceding her summer term in a slab shanty of two rooms, in one of which he lived with his family. Among the recruits in 1837 was a newly-wedded couple, Cyrus Aiken and his bride, formerly Eliza Ath- erton, from New England. Mr. Aiken's uncle had settled on Rock River and wrote such glow- ing accounts of the country, including the offer of 80 acres of land to the young people if they would come and occupy it, that they decided to try their fortunes and were soon en route to the land of their hopes. When they arrived after incredible hardships and weary delays, what was their surprise to see so small a vil- lage, only two or three log houses and one in process of erection for themselves. They began their western life in the uncle's home with sometimes as many as twenty-five in the family, crowded together in two rooms. When after a few weeks their own house was completed, they found the first night that they were not the only inmates. Too weary to put up beds, they slept on carpets and comfortables laid on the floor of split logs. Waking up in the morning, Mrs. Aikin saw something gliding along the side of the floor iu the early sunshine. Examining, she found to her horror that it was a large rattlesnake. The first act of housekeeping was to kill the unwelcome guest. This done, she set about puttiDg her house in order, but it was housekeeping under difficulties. They remained in Grand Detour about two years and then moved to the east side of the river. "Of religious associations in Grand Detour, the Congregationalists were the first to organize, which was done July 8, 1837. Rev. Colvin W. Babbitt became the first pastor. The Society consisted of twelve members, of whom Mrs. Esther Sawyer is believed to have been the last survivor. The ohurch building was dedicated November 12, 1848. The lumber was purchased in Chicago and hauled out by Ruel Peabody, who was one of the first trustees. The society is now disorganized and the building no longer exists. "The first Episcopal service was at the resi- dence of E. H. Shaw, on an evening in June, 1838, Bishop Chase officiating. The pulpit was a three-legged stool set upon a table and covered with a towel. Tallow candles were used for lights. The church building was commenced in 1840 and completed the following year. The ladies' sewing society paid the first one hundred dollars for lumber, which was bought in Chicago by E. W. Dutcher, who hauled the first load. The house was consecrated by the name of St. Peter's Church by Bishop Whitehouse on October 22, 1852. Its first rector was Andrew J. War- ner. "A Methodist Class was formed by O. F. Ayres in 1839. Its church edifice was built by Cyrus Chamberlain in 1857, at a cost of $2,500. This was dedicated by Revs. T. M. Eddy, Luke Hitch- cock and Henry L. Martin in January, 1858. "The first Temperance Society was organized in February, 1839, with a total of seventy-one members. Chester Harrington was its first sec- retary. The first school-house was built in 1839 and the present one was completed in 1858, which at that time was the best in the county. It is a brick building of two rooms and cost $4,800. A mail stage line was established from Dixon to Grand Detour in 1838 by Leonard Andrus. W. A. House was the first Postmaster, receiving his commission from President Van Buren. He and Robert McKenny kept a store for several j'ears, afterward selling out to Charles Throop. who continued in business for nearly fifty years. Of the merchants of the early days Solon Cummins was the principal one. Mr. Throop once spoke of their amuse- ments and related the first picnic in Grand De- tour as follows : 'We rigged up a team, found HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. 777 one old worn-out harness in one place and an- other in another, got one horse here and another there and the wagon somewhere else, and went to Oak Eidge and had a day of real enjoyment. Once on a very cold night Miss Sophronia Weth- erby and Mr. Throop were returning from an evening party. When two or three miles from home, they become so cold Mr. Throop alighted, threw the wraps over the lady, seized the horse by the bridle and walked the rest of the way. Miss Wetherby afterward became Mrs. Stephen Hathaway. In those days the Indians some- times annoyed the housewife by watching such culinary operations as might be going on outside the cabin, or by walking in uninvited, their moccasins wet and muddy. To defend herself she would take the broom, point to the door and say, 'Marchee!' They would obey without offence." Miss Sarah Bosworth of Vermont, who had spent the summer of 1837 at Green Bay, Wis., started for her home in the autumn of that " year and stopped off for a visit at Grand Detour, where she found such good society and life so gay she remained for the winter. In the spring she went on to Vermont, but only to return the ensuing summer, having become the wife of Leonard Andrus, their marriage taking place at her home In June, 1838. For the purpose of developing the water power, the very first settlers organized an Hydraulic Company, which in 1837 began to build a dam, race and sawmill. A gristmill was completed in 1839. It should be remembered that the first plow made by John Deere in his Grand Detour blacksmith shop, was the first plow ever made with a steel mold-board. It was a great improve- ment, especially in a loam soil like that of Illi- nois, in turning which the cast-iron mold-board would not scour, as in the case of the clay soil of the East, unless it was set so squarely against the furrow as to be a heavy draft to the team. Mr. Deere would forge the steel into shape, and the rough mold-board would then be taken by Mr. Andrus across the river to where there was the one grindstone of the locality, where it would be ground smooth. Two years later Andrus and Deere started the Grand De- tour Plow Factory (see cut). Afterward Deere moved to Moline, where the John Deere Plow Company was organized and has been doing an extensive business ever since. The manufacture was continued in Grand Detour for a time by Andrus and Bosworth, who were succeeded by Solon Cummings, who moved the plant to Dixon, where a large trade was built up. During the fifteen years from 1840 to 1855, more mercantile business and more manufactur- ing were done in Grand Detour than in any other town in the county. The firm of Dana and Throop disposed annually of merchandise to the value of $40,000. Besides plows, flour, wagons and tinware, grain cradles were made in large numbers — in 1855 as many as 5,000 — by J. A. D. and D. S. Cushing. The shops and stores drew trade for many miles. It was a common occur- rence for teams to the number of thirty or more to be at the ferry in the early hours of the morning waiting to be ferried across, some ar- riving there long before daylight in order to be among the first to get over. When it was found that a railroad was liable to come that way, the merchants opposed it, saying their trade would be decreased by being divided with that of other small towns which the railroad would cause to spring up. The reasoning was, of course, falla- cious. Two roads passed the village by and then it was that the trade was soon divided with other towns, which by the aid of the railways soon outgrew Grand Detour, captured all of its manufacturing and most of its other business. During the years of its prosperity Grand De- tour was a stopping place for steamboats from St. Louis. At that time boats doing a carrying trade came north as far as Rockford, and even Janesville, surprising as that seems to-day. There is documentary evidence of goods ordered at St Louis being delivered at Grand Detour by steam- boat in a bill of lading still preserved by Wil- liam C. Andrus, among one of many of his father's papers and records of the time : i This bill of lading, bearing date July 27, 1844 — the year of the great flood in the Mississippi River — makes mention of a number of packages of iron and steel used In the manufacture of ploughs, as "shipped in good order and well con- ditioned, by Lyon, Short & Co. . . on board the steamboat Lightner Keel . . . now lying at the Port of St. Louis and bound for Grand de Tour to be delivered without delay in like good order at the Port of Grand de Tour . . . unto Mr. Ijeonard Andrus, or his assigns; he or they paying the freight at the rate 50 cts. per 100 pounds," and is signed by "C. A Fairchild," as "Master or Clerk of said boat." Port of Grand De Tour! How fanciful the 778 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. designation to ns to-day, when the only boats seen on Rock River within the limits of Ogle County are rowboats or gasoline launches of light draft! But if the Deep Water Way pro- ject now engaging attention shall be brought to a successful consummation. Rock River may again be navigable, in fact as well as in law, and boats that weigh anchor and slip their cables may repeat their calls at the "Port of Grand Detour." An Early Abolition Society. — An interesting indication of the political complexion of the vil- lage is found in the fact that an Abolition So- ciety was formed in 1839. As it was only six years before that there was organized in Phila- delphia the first of such societies in America, the citizens of the little settlement in the "Far West" were in the vanguard of what later be- came a mighty onward movement in civic right- eousness, reflecting credit on every one who es- poused it, especially in its infancy. There were fifty-two members, twenty-nine men and twenty- three women. The officers were : Hugh Moore, President ; Joseph Cunningham, Vice-President ; Chester Harrington, Recording Secretary ; S. N. Anthony, Corresponding Secretary ; A. B. At- wood, Treasurer. Seth Abbott, the father of Emma Abbott, the noted prima donna, lived for a time, when Miss Abbott was a young girl, on, the James Warner farm, on the north line of Grand Detour Town- ship where it joins Pine Creek Township. Grand Detour had a telegraph station for a time. A telegraph line was built along Rock River from Rockford to Dixon in connection with the establishing of Frink & Walker's Stage Line. There was a pole on the top of Castle Rock. As the railroads came and the telegraph lines were made to follow them, the river line was aban- doned. The war news of 1861 to 1865 was read from the long white ribbon of dots and dashes of that day. From the time in the 'thirties, when W. A. House constructed the first ferry, it was the means of crossing Rock River at Grand Detour until 1901, when a fine iron bridge was built, at a point where the stream is the dividing boundary line between Ogle and Lee Counties. It has four spans and a length of 808 feet. Its cost, together with that of the long approach on the Ogle County side, was $80,000, which was shared by the two counties. There had been two ferries, the upper and lower, made necessary, or at least convenient, by the river's detour of several miles in extent. These were in demand and did a thriving business in the days when Grand Detour was the town of most importance in the county. Gband Detoue in Decadence. — 'The writers first knew Grand Detour in 1878. It was then "the deserted village," "Its glades forlorn confessed the tyrant's power," in this instance, the railroad. But if every-vary- ing trade passed it by, Nature has been a more constant friend. Because of the charm of its setting in the midst of unusual beauty of river, forest and glade, people delight to go there from surrounding towns and from the City of Chicago for a day, a week, or a month during the spring, summer and fall, either choosing a site and camping, or staying at the Sheffield House or the Colonial Inn. The drives from Oregon and Dixon to Grand Detour are unex- celled, and are taken by many persons of a sum- mer's Sunday afternoon with Grand Detour 1 as the objective point for a stay of several hours and supper. And Art has discovered what the place holds for the pencil and the brush, and thither for several seasons the landscape painter, Charles Francis Browne, has taken a class from the Art Institute of Chicago to spend a fortnight or more sketching and painting. Several years ago, the post-office was discontinued and Grand Detour now receives its mail by rural delivery from Oregon. Township Organization. — The township of Grand Detour was organized in 1850, its boun- daries being determined by the Commissioners appointed to divide the county into civil town- ships. The following have been members of the County Board of Supervisors since that time : S. C. Cotton, 1S50-55 ; Cyrus Chamberlain, 1856 ; Solon Cummins, 1857-G1 ; Leonard Andrus, 1862- 66; Charles Throop, 1867-68; Francis Hemen- way, 1869; Willis T. House, 1870; Chester Har- rington, 1871-73; Samuel Young, 1874-77; Wil- liam H. Cox, 1878-83 ; Charles W. Johnson, 1884- 85; William H. Cox, 18S6; George W. Palmer, 1887-91; William E. Sheffield, 1892-93; Charles W. Johnson, 1894-1903; Dr. James Pankhurst, 1904-07; W. I. Palmer, 1908. In other offices of the township for 1908 the following are the incumbents : Town Clerk, C. W. Johnson ; As- sessor, John Cool ; Tax Collector, Charles T. f ^tT"^^?^.^^-?^^ HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 779 Lambert ; Justice of the Peace, John F. Bovey ; Constable, W. H. Winebrenner; Highway Com- missioners — Charles T. Lambert, M. B. Davis, John W. Myers; School Treasurer, E. B. Ray- mond. LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP. Lafayette Township is on the southern border line of townships, Lee County lying across the line ; Pine Rock on the north, Flagg Township on the east and Taylor Township on the west, are the other boundary limits. It consists of a fractional congressional township embracing 18 sections. Two small streams flow from this region in a northwesterly direction through Pine Rock into Kyte River — Prairie Creek and the one flowing through Lafayette Grove. This grove and the one to the north received their designations from patriotic settlers who wished to associate with their new and distant home the names of these two foremost Generals and patriots so often linked in mind and history, Lafayette and Washington. First Settlement. — One of the Ogle County Histories contains the following account of the early settlement of this immediate region. "The first settlement was made in the spring of 1835 by James Clark, David White, Isaac Rosecrans, Jonathan W. Jenkins, Richard and Thomas Aikens. They were soon followed by Dorson Rosecrans, Charles C. Royce, and others. The settlement was made in and around the grove. Dorson Rosecrans and Royce purchased the claim of White. "Among the settlers of Lafayette and Wash- ington Groves were men of strong religious con- victions, members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was not long before their presence was known to the circuit rider, and Rev. James McKean came and organized a class, probably the first in the county. This was the fall of 1835. A log bouse was at once erected to be used for Church and school purposes. Miss Bene- dict, a step-daughter of James Clark, and now the wife of Rev. Barton H. Cartwright, taught this house the first term of school in the town- ship." Mrs. Cartwright's Story of the First School. — This school taught by Miss Chloe Jane Benedict, afterward Mrs. Barton H. Cartwright, was the first school taught in Ogle County, in a house erected for school purposes, as stated in Chapter XXIII, on "Pioneer Schools of Ogle County." There was teaching done prior to this in Buffalo Grove, but the instruction was given in a room of a dwelling house. The following statement made by Mrs. Barton H. Cartwright some time before her death, and kindly sent to the writer for the use of this history by Mr. William A. Hunt, Supervisor for Lafayette Township, relates to this matter : "We left Ohio and came to Lafayette Grove, 111., in the fall of 1835. We travelled by wagons and most of the way I rode on horseback, fre- quently carrying my youngest sister on the horse with me. There were three cabins along the Grove. We lived in a log cabin of one room. We had no floor for about a month ; finally father made us a puncheon floor. A stick and mud-chimney was built from the ground on the outside of the house. Our nearest market was Chicago, where father had to take all his grain and produce by wagon. I spun and wove the clothing, as well as the bed-spreads and other necessary articles used by the family, and made by hand, fine thread lace for trimming. "In the spring of 1836 I taught the first school ever taught in Ogle County. [That is, in what afterwards became Ogle County, as its territory, and that of adjacent regions, were then included in Jo Daviess County.] I taught school every summer until I was married in 1839. After that time my lot was that of a pioneer minister's wife. I went with my husband as a missionary to Iowa, before it was admitted as a State, and shared with him the dangers, toil and privations of the early days." Later Teachers and Pupils — The school house in which Miss Benedict was the teacher was built and maintained by subscription, as, of course, all the schools were then. It was located in Section 4, in the center of the extreme south side. It was atlerwards torn down and another built one mile west. Mr. Hunt, who has thor- oughly investigated the matter of the site of this school house, is considering plans for permanently marking the historic spot. The school bouse, used also as a church, services being conducted by the Rev. Jephtha Nee, and which was burned by the bandits as related in Chapter XXIV, was not this one, but was situated near where now is the Chapel Hill Cemetery, on the east bank of the creek opposite the location of the present Chris- tian Church. It was rebuilt after the incendi- 780 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. arisin and came to be known as "Old Chapel ;" it was also used as a school. It was built of oak lumber worked out at the saw-mill in Wash- ington Grove. After many years it was torn down and what was still good was used in build- ing the Methodist Church stone structure ,at Mount Pleasant Hill, two miles north of Ashton, which now, too, has gone into decadence. Pratt Beebe was one of the early teachers at the "Old Chapel," and Mary Weatherington , (now Mrs. Walker, of Ashton), and Mary S. Hawthorn (Mrs. John Rutledge, now of Oregon), are among those who attended the school. Oscar M. Lake, now of Rochelle, Gilbert Reed, now of Ashton, were pupils of Miss Benedict during the period of her teaching in the Lafayette Grove school. Some years later, after the return of his parents to Lafayette Township to live, Judge Cartwright "learned his letters" in the school house in which his mother had taught. Josephus Moats, now living in Ashton, also went to school in this build- ing under a later teacher. A sketch of Mrs. Barton H. Cartwright is in- cluded in Chapter XXIII. Her step-father built and managed an inn at Mount Morris, returning to his farm after remaining there for a short time, and going to California at the time of the discovery of gold on the Pacific Coast. His son Henry, who was drowned in the West, was also an "Argonaut of '49," as was likewise Daniel G. Shottenkirk, of Lafayette Township. "Uncle Dan Shottenkirk," as he was familiary known to the people of Ogle County, died April 16, 1907, at the Sinnissippi House in Oregon, having attained almost the Biblical "if by reason of strength they be fourscore," but still possessing his remarkably accurate memory and ability in figures. He had been for many years prominent in the business and public affairs of the county ; being an ex- ceptionally skillful accountant, he was often called upon to straighten out mathematical dif- ficulties occurring among the county records, and on the books of business firms and citizens. His character as a man was quite as reliable as his equipment of mind. Among other earlier and later residents, have been John R. Chapman, John Cross, A. J. and Levi Drummond, (the death of the latter occurring in 1907, at the age of seventy- five), James Quick, T. W. Hunt, D. S. Huston, Justice Davis, Daniel and J. M. Hardest)-, I. B. Rested, R. H. Luckey, Charles Dugdale, John and Mary S. Payne, Paul Pfetzing, William and Nancy Hardesty Tilton, Elijah and Rachel Til- ton, John Weeks, G. W. Weatherington, C. H. Cyrus and Peter Yorty, William A. Hunt, G. W. Myers. There are two church organizations in Lafay- ette Township, The Christian Church, which is across the creek west of the Chapel Hill Cem- etery and near the northern boundary, was or- ganized about 1840. The first minister was the Rev. John Walworth. The church is a frame structure. The Rev. G. A. Brown, now living in Oregon but still preaching occasionally, was in charge of this congregation from 1880 to 1883. The Rev. Adelbert Welch has been the last res- ident minister. One of the first Sunday Schools of the county was organized in this church. The Church of God, which is known by a familiar New Testament name, Antioch, was established over forty years ago, the Rev. J. M. Stevenson and the Rev. Henry Cullom being among its first ministers, and the denomination being organized under the direction of the Lanark Church. The Rev. Eldred G. Marsh, recently from the State of Iowa, has charge of the Antioch Church in con- nection with the "Stone Church" at Oregon, in which place he has his residence. There are three school districts in the town- ship ; the Yorty School, District No. 108, east of the center ; District No. 109, Prairie Star School, in the northwestern part; and District No. 110, Antioch School, not far from the church of the same name. The township was organized in 1850, since which time the following have been the Super- visors : 1850 — Thomas Paddock ; 1S51 — Hiram D. Woods; 1852-53— Milliken Hunt; 1854— C. C. Royce; 1855 — A. J. Drummond; 1856 — Aaron Weeks; 1857-59— D. G. Shottenkirk; 1860-62— Aaron Weeks ; 1863— J. G. Gibson ; 1864— Aaron Weeks; 1865-66— D. G. Shottenkirk; 1867— Thomas Paddock; 1868 — J. Lyman Frost. 1869-74 —Daniel G. Shottenkirk; 1875-80 — S. D. Clark; 1881-85— William A. Hunt; 1886-89— Daniel G. Shottenkirk; 1890-08— William A. Hunt. Other officers at present are : Town Clerk, W. A. Dun- ston; Assessor, V. W. Wood; Tax Collector, Edward Reed ; Justice of the Peace, A. C. Dug- dale; Highway Commissioners — Herman Mall, William Leahy, Charles Payne; School Treas- urer, N. A. Petrie. One of the present institutions of Lafayette Township is a musical organization which fre- quently is culled upon to add life and gaiety to outdoor festivities and public celebrations. Mr. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 781 George Orner, leader of the Lafayette Band, was recently presented with a $35 baton in recogni- tion of his service as a teacher and leader in music. LEAF RIVEK TOWNSHIP. (By Jonathan Hiestand.) Leaf River, one of the northern tier of Ogle County Townships, is bounded on the east by Byron, south by Rockvale and Mount Morris Townships, west by Maryland Township, and north by Stephenson and Winnebago Counties. It was organized as a township in 1850. The Surface is undulating. Originally it was well timbered, the western half being known as North Grove. At present there is but little of the primitive timber left, the greater portion of the soil being under cultivation. The stream of Leaf River traverses the entire township, its principal trib- utary being Mud Creek, which joins the larger stream near the village of Leaf River. The Early Settlers were principally from the State of Maryland, with a few New Yorkers and Germans, the first of the pioneers coming about the year 1837. Among *:he earliest were a Mr. Snyder, David Hunter and Joseph Myers, followed soon after by W. C. Saulsbury, long a Justice of the Peace ; Allen Beebe, Reuben Odell, Jacob Myers, Jacob Piper, John Light, Alvah Gaffin, Elias Thomas, Samuel McCreary, John Wright, Leroy Highbarger, Noah Speaker, Jacob Strouse, William Knodle, Benjamin Holden (from Kentucky), Englehardt Fosler, Benjamin Hiestand, Henry Wagner, Jacob Zeigler, Amazon Ryder and sons (John and Seth), Henry Hiller, Henry Hess, Nathan and Fleming Welch, William and James McDaniel, John Kitzmiller, John Heller, Henry Schrader, John L. Smith, Chris- tian Trine and John Her. Schools and Churches. — The first school, as far as positively known, was kept by Sarah Car- penter in 1844, the building being a log house about two and one-half miles northwest of the village of Leaf River. It is said by some that an earlier school was taught in Section 15, and that Mr. Davis and Mr. Stone were the first teachers, in a log house built there for school purposes. Among the earlier itinerant preachers were Nathan Jewett, Elijah Ransom and Aaron Cross of the Methodist persuasion, and who held ser- vice at the school houses and at private dwellings. One of the first deaths was that of Mrs. Frances Hiestand Hayes, the interment being at the Rice cemetery in the adjoining township of Mount Morris. A Notable Crime. — In October, 1853, occurred the only homicide in the history of the town- ship, the victim being Horace Gaffin. The latter got into an angry altercation with Mr. Bailey, his brother-in-law, when Nathan Bailey, a son, took part, striking and killing Mr. Gaffin with the seat-board of the wagon. Mr. Bailey left the country, and on account of the nature of the affray and the close relationship of the parties, no attempt was made to capture him. The interment of Mr. Gaffin was also at the Rice cemetery. Lightville Village. — The village of Lightville Was laid out in 1848 by John Light, the owner of that as well as the adjoining land. A postoffice called Wales was established in 1850, Fleming Welch being Postmaster. Subsequently the post- office and store were conducted by John Light, Samuel McCleary and J. B. Bertolet. Railroads. — The township is traversed by two railroads, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, a double-tracked road running across the township, and the Great Western crossing the northeastern part of the township. Upon the latter road are situated the villages of Myrtle and Egan, both being stations from which there are large ship- ments of grain and stock. Leaf River Village. — The village of Leaf River is located on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at the junction of Mud Creek, the upper stream of this name, with Leaf River. It was laid out in the winter of 1880 and 1881 by J. M. AVest and C. E. Gaffin, and at present has about 600 inhabitants. The village is incor- porated and its officials are G. W. Finkboner, President ; S. P. Allen, E. S. Pypher, W. A. Schel- ling. J. D. Palmer, H. L. Eyrick, B. H. Gaffin, Trustees; P. T. Allen, Clerk, and William T. Hanger, Police Magistrate. It has a large, well lighted and ventilated school building, situated in the south part of the village. There are about 150 pupils, the present principal being H. E. Truax. There are three churches, the Methodist Episcopal in charge of Rev. J. C. Jones ; the Christian, whose pastor is Rev. R. W. Pitman; 782 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. and the United Brethren (Radical), presided over by Rev. T. O. Loomis. The village boasts of five fraternal orders, viz.: The Modern Woodmen, Mystic Workers, Odd Fellows, Knights of the Globe and the Court of Honor. J. F. Harrison is the present Postmaster, having acted in that capacity for sixteen years. It has one bank, established in 1888, reor- ganized in 1907 as the Leaf River State Bank, the President being F. L. Ayres ; Directors, J. H. Newcomer, M. J. West, F. L. Ayres and H. S. West. The first President was J. H. Newcomer ; first Cashier, F. B. Stitley. The "Leaf River Mirror," newspaper, published weekly, is owned and edited by J. W. Allen. Business Entekpkises and Professions. — The village has two grain elevators and a well- patronized creamery. The hotel is conducted by Eli Icely and has a fair patronage. Two blacksmith shops are conducted, severally, by Bert Embick and James Powers; two livery barns operated by John Myers and P. T. Allen ; a drug store by S. C. Butterfield ; dry-goods stores by D. M. Myers, J. B. Palmer and John Spreeker & Co. Leaf River has three physicians, Doctors J. T. Kretsinger, H. E. Bowerman, and W. H. Rep- logle ; one veterinary surgeon, Dr. W. A. Ham- mond, and one dentist. Dr. W. E. Pruner. Township Officials. — The present township officials are : Supervisor, C. G. Pyper ; Assessor, Melvin Strickland ; Clerk, J. F. Harrison ; Col- lector, E. H. Heiter ; Justices of the Peace, Joseph S. Myers and F. E. Hoverland; Constables, James Wilier, John Myers. Highway Commis- sioners, Daniel C. Hoover, David S. Forrest, Alfred Malone ; School Treasurer, J. B. Bertelot. The Supervisors for the township have been : William C. Saulsbury, 1850 ; Elias Thomas, 1851; Nathan Welch, 1852; William C. Sauls- bury, 1853; Elias Thomas, 1854-59; Samuel J. Beeler, 18(10; Samuel McCreary, 1861; Enos Butts, 1802 ; Hiram S. Marks, 1863-64 ; John W. Mack, 1N';.~i-66; Levi Kretzinger, 1807-09; John W. Mack. 1870-72; J. B. Bertelot, 1873-77; S. W. Bowerman, 1878-70 ; Joseph H. Newcomer, 1880-85: Martin Light, 1886-88; Alfred Malone, 1889-00; Joseph H. Newcomer, 1897-1000. Martin Light, 1901-04; Chester G. Pyper, 1905-08. LINCOLN TOWNSHIP. (By Jonathan Hiestand.) This township comprises all of Congressional Township No. 24, Range 8. It was organized in 1870, the east half then belonging to Mount Morris, and the west half to Brookville. In its primitive condition it was almost entirely prairie, a small portion of West Grove extending- into the northeast corner. The quite early settlers, here, as elsewhere, shunned the prairie, and chose the timber as the most congenial location. Here settled those pioneers, Jacob and Jonathan Meyers in 1837. Absalom and John Harmon, and Samuel Mitchell came in 1838; Michael Brantner in 1839; Robert Lawson, Aaron and James Billig, Martin Rodermal, Daniel and Emanuel Stover in 1840 ; Jacob Price and George Avey in 1845. Others, before and after, were Michael Garman, Sr., Daniel Arnold, Benj. T. Hedrick, Lyman and Joel R. Carll, Jacob and William Phillips, David Butterbaugh, John Ham- mer, Jonas Shafstall, Isaac Kimbel, Jacob Long, Joshua Slifer, Peter Fager, Henry Kitzmiller, Jacob Mase and Simon Geeting. These sturdy and industrious pioneers came mainly from Maryland and Pennsylvania. Railboads. — The township has two railroads, the Illinois Central, and the Chicago and Iowa. After the advent of the former road the settle- ment took rapid strides. Within its borders are two small villages, Haldane (originally Campus) and Maryland. Though scant in population, these stations ship annually vast quantities of grain and livestock. Haldane took its name from Alexander Haldane, who came in 1856, from Edinburgh, Scotland. He engaged, in business, and became its first Postmaster. The present post-office official is R. R. Hedrick. The village of Maryland was laid out in 1873 when the Chicago & Iowa Railroad was built. The first Postmaster was Mr. Bull, the present official being Lester Sollenberger. Mr. Fundeburg is thought to have been the first teacher. The township is now well supplied with schools and churches, among the latter being the United Brethren at Haldane, two Ger- man Baptist churches — the Old Order, west of Maryland, and the other about two miles east of that place. One of these Brethren churches was the first in the township, the first preacher being Elder Jacob Long; the present Elder Is Samuel Plumb. There is also a church north of J^Z/wl^*^ ^\fUlHM4X/^_ HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 783 the same village. Besides, there are two Ger- man churches, a school house, and a beautiful cemetery situated in the southwest corner of section number 1, in the northeast corner of the township. It has, perhaps, as little waste land as any other of its sister townships, and is almost entirely under cultivation. There being no large towns, the people are devoted almost ex- clusively to agricultural pursuits, and as a con- sequence, they are more than ordinarily thrifty and prosperous. A pauper is rarely seen within the borders of its precincts. Official Roster. — The present roster of town- ship officials is : Supervisor, Urias Brantner ; Town Clerk, H. H. Harmon ; Assessor, R. R. Hedrick; Collector, I. L. Leek; Justices of the Peace, J. W. Scott and R. R. Hedrick; Consta- ble, Levi Diehl ; Highway Commissioners, Henry H. Newcomer, John Ver Teen, Grant Harmon. Since the organization of the township the following have been the Supervisors : Isaiah Speaker, 1870-71 ; William T. Curry, 1872 ; James Pettigrew, 1873; Benjamin T. Hedrick, 1874; R. D. McClure, 1875-76; Warren Curry, 1877- 79. Michael Garman, 1880; Peter McKerral, 1881-83; Levi Hanshaw, 1884; L. P. Rowland, 1885-89 ; Jasper W. Scott, 1890-94 ; Urias Brant- ner, 1895-1908. Schools. — The following statement regarding the schools of Lincoln Township has been ob- tained from the office of the Superintendent of Ogle County Schools: In 1907 there were 370 persons under twenty- one years of age, 253 of whom were of school age. Of the latter number 163 were enrolled in the schools. The township was divided into nine school districts, and one male and nine females were employed as teachers, receiving salaries ranging from $32.50 to $50 per month. There were nine frame school houses valued at $8,400. The amount of tax levy was $3,125.. LYNNVILLE TOWNSHIP. This township — in the middle of the eastern tier of townships in Ogle County— took its name from an early settler, whose name was first be- stowed upon the settlement in the northwestern part of the township before its organization. The first settlements were made about the same time as were those in other parts of eastern Ogle County, some time in 1837 and '38, near Campbell's Grove, which also took its name from an early settler. Among the early settlers were Dr. Andrews, Louis P. Piper, David Bdrington, David Potter, Calvin R. Hoadley, William Campbell, Michael Cheshire, John Jenks, Calvin Hamlin, Elijah Dresser ; Elias, Susan and Daniel Champion ; 'Charles Burroughs, Lewis and William Stock- ing, Isaac Pullen, John Dresser, David Fletcher, John C. Roberts ; Corydon, Gleason and Louis Burroughs; Richard McCray, Wm. Somers. Among later residents were William and Eliza- beth Ford Bird, Milo H. Blood, John Brown, James Carmichael ; Daniel, James A. and 1 Calvin Countryman, Harvey and Alvin Countryman ; Joseph Dailey, Lyman Dewey, George Drexler, Joshua A. Knight, John Olsen, William F. and William T. Perry, Levi Price, Hiram F. Pritch- ard, Robert Pullen, Prescott H. Talbot, Joshua Whitcomb : M. L., Lewis and Horace Stocking, Patrick Murphy, George Only, Samuel Lamont, B. F. Perry, James Elliott. Of these William Stocking removed to Rochelle, where he became connected with the banking business; Prescott H. Talbot represented the county in the Lower House of the State Legislature, but now lives at Rockford ; Elijah Dresser, who was con- nected with the "Underground Railroad" before and during war time, then at Lynnville, now lives at the age of eighty-seven at Rockford; B. F. Perry, the present Supervisor for Lynn- ville Township, now lives on the farm upon which his. father, William T. Perry, who came from Connecticut, located in 1855. Some Eaely History. — The following valuable and original record of Lynnville Township his- tory has been prepared by Mrs. Florence Haw- thorne Bailey, granddaughter of a pioneer fam- ily, the older history having been given to her by Mr. Elijah Dresser, who, with Mrs. Mary Bur- roughs Stocking, constitute the only ones left of the earliest residents of this region : "Though in a mixed, unsettled state of society, the peoplfe early established religious worship on the Sabbath, meetings being held in Calvin R. Hamlin's log house, a local preacher by the name of Sovereign coming over from Kishwaukee. One Sabbath after service, a member of the congre- gation started in to take up a collection for the minister. He at once stopped him, saying he would not take anything, and that no one should say that he preached the gospel for money. 784 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. "On the 25th day of March, 1839, the first white child was born in the town of Lynnville, in a log cabin on Section 191. The baby was given the name of Angeline Campbell, and be- came the wife of N. C. Burroughs, now of Rock- ford. "The first man known to die here was Will- iam Campbell, who died March 11, 1841, aged fifty-one years, and was buried in the grove about 100 rods north of where his daughter Angeline was born. The land has been cleared of timber and the grave cannot now be located. "Dr. Andrews, living in a double log-house east of the creek, was the first Postmaster, ap- pointed in 1845, and died the next year. The first school was taught during the summer of 1846 by Mrs. Dr. Andrews in her own house. The next summer (1847) Lucina Ross was teacher for $1.50 per week, she boarding round in the district. The following winter, the school was taught by Chas. C. Burroughs west of the creek in the front room of Calvin R. Hoadley's house, for $15 per month, he boarding in his own house. About all the recreation the young people had during the long winter evenings was the spelling school, many married people joining in the sport. "The first public celebration of the Fourth of July was held in the town in 1848. A spacious bower was built at the intersection of the Ore- gon and Byron roads, people coming in from all around with well-filled lunch baskets. Elder Tomas from Monroe was chaplain of the day, and a young man from Rockford named McCary was orator. The prayer had been said and the oration was well under way, when suddenly a four-horse team, hitched to a lumber wagon, was seen approaching on the Byron road at a fast gait. DriviDg up in front of the stand it was found to be loaded with a consignment of fugi- tive slaves from Missouri — five in number, three men and two women. All was confusion for a time, but being about noon, the lunch baskets were brought out and all fed liberally. They then drove on to the next station and the cele- bration went on. "The driver of the team was a man named Shafer, from the west part of the county near North Grove. This incident marked the open- ing of the 'underground railroad' on this route, Lynnville becoming a relay station from that time until the outbreak of the Civil War. It is said that Elijah Dresser, now living in Rockford, fearless of the law, acted as station agent, and frequently as conductor over the underground railroad. "The neighbors were aware of the fact that Mr. Dresser's house was a station on the line, but such was the respect in which he was held and so great the sympathy with his work, that the fact was scarcely ever mentioned, even among themselves. "At an early date in the settlement of the town C. R. Hoadley built a saw mill on the creek just east of the Lynnville Union Church. It was a slow-running concern and some wag christened it the 'Tri-weekly Sawmill.' This same year the first school house was built on the east side of the creek near the northwest point of Perry's Grove. It was built of native hard- wood, cut in the grove, and sawed in the "Tri- weekly Sawmill.' Being the only school in a wide extent of country for some years, some chil- dren attended it from the towns of Monroe and White Rock. "Up to this time Lynnville and Monroe had been included in one precinct. The towns now separated and organized by electing town offi- cers. Chas. Burroughs was elected the town's first Supervisor ; Louis P. Piper, Justice ; E. Dresser, Assessor, and Gleason Burroughs, Con- stable and Collector. The first assessment of the town was made on two sheets of fool's-cap, the fee for going over the township and doing the work being $5.00." [An incident of this period was the mysterious killing of a man named Miner, who had come to that locality with another named Slater, from the vicinity of Chicago the year previous. The two men had become bitter enemies and Miner was found dead in his cornfield early one Sep- tember morning in 1850. Slater was arrested on suspicion and, after being held in jail at Ore- gon for a year and undergoing a sensational trial, was acquitted. The lawyers for the defense were H. A. Mix of Oregon, and a Mr. Marsh of Rockford, while the prosecution was conducted by a Mr. Stillman (son of Gen. Stillman of Still- man Valley), but who was removed by the Judge on account of intoxication during the trial, an- other attorney being appointed to take his place, who was assisted by Attorney Holland of Rock- ford. By the end of the trial Slater's hair had become prematurely gray. After being liber- ated, he disposed of his property and left the neighborhood.] HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 785 "In its early settlement, the town of Lynnville was served with a tri-weekly mail, carried from Sycamore to Oregon on horseback or by road- cart. Later the Frink & Walker Stage-coach Company secured the contract and ran a four- horse coach tri-weekly from Chicago to Galena. Still later the mail was brought by stage from Holcomb until the building of the Chicago Great Western Railroad in 1887. "As late as 1851 there was no public burying place in the town, friends burying their dead usually on their own premises. This same year John Dresser made a donation to the town of two acres for a public cemetery, located in the northwest corner 'of Section 8. The cemetery now has a fund of $1,000, which is to be perpet- uated. "At an early date the Wesleyan Methodist Church was organized. As the population in- creased, a Christian Church was formed, and a little later, an Episcopal Methodist, these three organizations for a number of years holding services in the one school house on alternate Sab- baths. This proving unsatisfactory, a subscrip- tion was started and funds obtained, resulting in the erection of the present 'Union Church of Lynnville,' which has been in use for' the past forty years. The Holy Scriptures are accepted as the only rule of faith and practice, and Christian character as the best ground of fellow- ship. The Rev. Mr. Trueblood is now the pastor. "One of the lamentable events connected with the early history of Lynnville Township was the hanging by a mob of the Driscolls (father and son). They were executed at Washington Grove, their bodies being brought home and buried on their own land. Some of their descendants are living in the neighborhood greatly respected by their friends and neighbors. (The main facts In connection with this event are told in the county history part of this volume.) "The Chicago Great Western Railroad was built through the town in 1887, after which a new village sprang up. The new town spread toward the old until now both villages are called Lindenwood. In 1890 two large sheep sheds were built by the Railway Company for housing and feeding sheep ; and 10,000 sheep can be fed at once. They are now managed by R. F. Quick & Son. In 1905 other sheds were added and at present the capacity is 30,000. They also con- trol grazing for the same number. A large ele- vator has been built for the storage of grain and feed, the yearly consumption of grain being about 4,000 tons and 1,500 tons of hay. "The school building becoming inadequate a new one was built in 1895, a fine two-story struc- ture with two school rooms on the lower floor and a large hall above. A fine small library and a good piano are owned by the school. The present teachers are Miss Margaret Wray, Prin- cipal, and Miss Ruth Marget, primary teacher. The following constitute the present School Board: M. D. Stocking, President; R. L. Dres- ser, and J. P. Bailey, Clerk. "In 1903 a cozy parsonage was built. The Ladies' Aid Society of the Union Church main- tains a fine lecture course every year. "An elevator built in 1890 is now owned and run by H. Stocking & Son. They also run the lumber and coal yards. "In the town is the largest and best equipped blacksmith shop in the county, owned and oper- ated by Strang Bros., and drawing trade from a radius of ten miles. "The town has two stores : J. F. Luff's and O. D. Talbot & Co.'s, the latter containing the post-office. O. D. Talbot is a veteran of the Spanish-American War." An attractive writer, now a resident of Oregon, but a teacher in Lynnville Township, in the early '70s, closes a contribution to this chapter with the following reference to the northeastern part of Lynnville Township, which was settled by a colony from England, "all related by birth or marriage" : "Thirty-five years have brought changes to country and people. The writer drove through this district early in the present summer (1908), and, lo! this region is no longer romantic, rural England, but practical, progressive America! The hedge-rows have been cleared away, the lanes have disappeared, with one or two excep- tions, and the new commodious farm houses are located on the highway. The very surface of the country is changed, for swamp lands have been tiled, and where were sloughs in which grew only pickerel weed, blue flags and cat-tail, now are fields of growing corn and rich meadows ; not so picturesque, but more profitable. "Most of these pioneers are now dead, but the names of Holmes and Greenway and Batty and Wadey and Moon and Greenowe and Clark still live in their descendants, and in the memory of friends in adjoining districts. Their toil and thrift and sturdy integrity have had their part 786 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. in the development of Lynnville Township." Rev. C. B. Sehroeder, present pastor of the Linden-wood German Evangelical Lutheran Church, furnishes the following facts in refer- ence to the history of that religious organiza- tion : ''As near as I can find out the Germans came here as early as 1862. In that year Karl Broitz- man came and worked around Lindenwood sev- eral years, and then bought a farm one mile north of Holcomb, where he still resides. He came from Pomerania, a province of Prussia. After 1802 the Germans came in quick succession. In 1865 Louis Schumacher, from the Duchy of Mecklenburg, Germany, and in 1868 his brother Fred Schumacher ; both are living yet, Louis in Esmond and Fred one mile north of Lindenwood. Others came in the sixties, who have died or moved away." From the church record of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lindenwood, which com- mences 1872, Mr. Sehroeder gives a long list of citizens from different parts of Germany who settled in Lynnville Township, but a number of whom removed to Iowa in the 'seventies. The Lindenwood church now has about 55 male mem- bers over twenty-one years of age. The first physician in Lynnville, and the first in that part of the county, w.as Dr. Daniel Gif- ford, who came there from the State of New York. When, later, the village of Monroe was incorporated, Dr. Gifford removed to that place, his being the fourth house in the new location, though he did not live many years after to occupy it. In the Lindenwood Cemetery is the monument erected recently in memory of a soldier of the Revolutionary War, which is told about in Chap- ter XI. At the time of the dedication of the monument the stone was unveiled by Harry Wil- loughby, a great-great-grandson of Rufus Phelps. The Lynnville and Monroe Mutual Fire In- surance Company was organized in Lynnville Township early in the '70s. It is a farmer's company and its business as conducted has been very satisfactory. The present officers are: President, H. T. Knight; Secretary, 0. D. Tal- bot; Treasurer, Horace Stocking; Directors — B. F. Perry, James Carmichael, H. T. Knight, Joseph Holmes, Jr., Horace Stocking, J. T. Tal- bot. In 1884 a Town Hall was erected in a some- what central location in Section 17. The following have served as Supervisors since the township was organized in 1850 : C. C. Bur- roughs, 1850 ; C. R. Hoadley, 1851 ; David Fletch- er, 1852 ; L. P. Piper, 1853 ; John Dresser, 1854- 55; David Fletcher, 1856-57; John Cook, 1858- 59; William F. Perry, 1860-65; Elijah Dresser, 1866-67 ; William F. Perry, 1868 ; David Fletcher, 1869; Alvin Countryman, 1869-71; William F. Perry, 1872 ; John Brown, 1873 ; Alvin Country- man, 1874; Alonzo Countryman, 1875-76; P. H. Talbot, 1877; John Brown, 1878-79; Joshua A. Knight, 1880-82; James A. Countryman, 1883- 86 ; Prescott H. Talbot, 1887-89 ; James A. Coun- tryman, 1890-1900; Daniel Sullivan, 1901-02; Horace Stocking, 1903-05 ; B. F. Perry, 1906-1908. The township officers for 1908-1909 are : Super- visor, B. F. Perry; Town Clerk, Oscar D. Tal- bot ; Assessor, George M. Yeo ; Tax Collector, Ottis Bump; Justices of the Peace, Herbert T. Knight and Edgar Confer ; Highway Commis- sioners — James H. Sharp, Joseph Wadey, Robert L. Dresser ; School Treasurer, O. D. Talbot. MARION TOWNSHIP. The first permanent settler of Marion Town- ship was John Whitaker, who came from Putnam County in 1836, after moving eleven years earlier to Illinois from Virginia via Kentucky, having tarried a short time in the latter State, where he was married. He located his claim in 1835 on Sections 4, 5 and 8, and erected a rude cabin ; after which he returned to Putnam County and brought his family north the following year, traveling by ox-team. He was accompanied by Aaron Paine, for whose family another cabin was built, but later the latter settled at the place which afterward became known as Paine's Point. In March of the same year, Seth Noble left Northern Ohio, near Elyria, whither he had gone three years before from New York, and journeying across Michigan and around the Lakes to Chicago, there to purchase certain supplies, and then continuing westward, on July 15th his four yoke of oxen had brought him, his family and their possessions to their destination, on Section 22 of Marion Township, Ogle County, as now known, but then Black Walnut Grove of Jo Daviess County. Until their cabin was built, the family lived for a short time in a cabin which had been vacant at the month H1ST01JY OF OGLE COUNTY. 787 of the Kishwaukee. Mr. Noble had been to the land the year before and had broken a strip of ground one rod wide and fifteen rods long, aa was the custom to mark his claim, and had also laid up four rows of logs as a foundation for a cabin, the better to hold the claim. Later he owned land also in Sections 23, 25 and 27. At first neighbors were distant two miles. Harry Spaulding came in 1836 and pre-empted a claim on Section 24, bringing his family in the fall of the following year, the journey from Bradford County, Pa., occupying forty days. In 1837 John Eyster came from Berks County, Pa., and settled on Section 21. In 1838 Joshua White came from Loudoun County, Va., and located on Section 2, and Thomas A. Youngs from near Cleveland, Ohio, bought claims to several hun- dred acres in Marion and Scott Townships. The last named crossed the Chicago River on a ferry, that village, then of 3,000, still having no bridge. Other settlers who came to Marion Township from 1836 to 1856' were L. O. Bryan, David Juvenal, E. Payson Snow, Daniel Currier, the names of whose eastern homes were not obtain- able; Deacon David Lewis. John Can- and Pres- ton S. Gardner, from Massachusetts; Dr. A. E. Hurd, Charles Wilbur, Smith Hall, Timothy Brown, and Joseph B. Hagaman, from New York ; Asa Spaulding, George Spaulding and Eli M. Chaney, from Virginia ; John D. Prane, George Northup and Joshua D. Harleman, from Penn- sylvania ; Daniel Weld and F. W. Wilcox, from Vermont ; John Gwynn and William Blecker, from Maryland ; Solon S. Crowell, from New Hampshire ; Ruleph Bird, from New Jersey ; A. M. Trumbull, from Connecticut ; and Freeman Woodcock, John Atwood, Peter Traxler and Isaac Sovereign, from Canada ; also Samuel Shelley from Pennsylvania. Dr. A. E. Hurd was the second County Superintendent of Schools, in 1857 and 1858; Joshua White represented the county in the Twenty-First General Assembly as a member of the House ; Thomas A. Youngs' son, Ogden B. Youngs, was Representative in the Twenty-Sixth General Assembly, 1868 to 1870. Black Walnut Grove was the point of attrac- tion for the early settlers, then other groves, and lastly, as always, the prairie. The nearest postoffiee was Dixon, until Frink & Walker's Express brought the postoffiee to Byron, previous to which the mail was obtained from Dixon once a week by taking turns in driving the twenty- five miles for it. To have milling done, it was necessary to go to Ottawa, or Beloit. The first mill in Marion Township was Nettleton's, at the mouth of Stillman Creek, then called Old Man's Creek. This mill was afterward owned by Free- man Woodcock, who "ran it till after the War." Daniel Weld also had a mill, and there were several others. Now the mills of those early times are gone from their well-adapted sites, and the mills which provide the bulk of the flour used to-day are situated much farther away than Beloit, or Ottawa, the nearest place, per- haps, being Minneapolis. Coming of Foreign Immigrants. — To the western part of the township came a number of German farmers at a later date. Perhaps the first was Andrew Schaeffer, about 1850. He soon purchased a quarter-section of land for which he paid $800. Half was paid down, and the seller remarked that Mr. Schaeffer would never own the land. But good land, good farming and German thrift were equal to that and more, and the balance of the money was paid over in due time. Mr. Schaeffer became well-to-do and was highly respected. Two of his sons were educated for the ministry and are now preaching in Iowa. Others who came about the same time and later were Frederick S. Erxleben, from Magdeburg, Germany, Geerd Reeverts, from near Hanover, Prussia ; Henry Nuppenau, Andreas Roos, Mteint Telenga, Jacob Telenga. Hans Roos, Peter Hy- enga, Meine Baumgardner, Albert Ehmen and Arend Esman. These citizens still cling to the German language in their religious services, singing hymns and listening to sermons in the speech of the Fatherland in their churches in Rockvale Township and at Paine's Point. Swedish people began coming to Marion Town- ship years ago, and have continued moving in until now there are, perhaps, 250, fifty of them being voters. About one hundred are in Still- man Valley, where two stores are conducted by them. Some upon renouncing their allegiance to King Oscar and their native Northland, came direct to Stillman 'Valley, but most are from other portions of Illinois. The first of the Swedish-Americans to engage in business in Still- man Valley was Peter N. Alfors, who opened a tailor shop in 1895, and having joined with him, as a partner, Andrew Johnson, in 1902, the firm of Alfors and Johnson is doing business now in merchant tailoring and in men's furnishing goods. Stillman Valley. — The site of the first trag- edy of the Black Hawk War, Stillman's Defeat. 788 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. has become the location of the pretty village of Stillman Valley, named from the depression caused by Stillman Creek and readily observed as one looks from the historic spot of the battle. The village was platted in October, 1874, on land of Joshua White. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company was then building through the township, so that the village started with railroad facilities, and twelve years later had a second railroad, the Chicago and Great Western. Instead of one mail in seven days, as in pioneer times, there are now seven mails in one day. There are five general stores, two of which are owned by men of Swedish birth. A grain elevator, doing an extensive business at the tracks of the Chicago & Great Western Rail- road, is owned by P. H. Griggs. The Armour Company have one at the tracks of the other road. A bank is conducted by Charles H. Wil- bur, Albert C. Brown, James H. King and Fred C. Baker, the first and second being President and Cashier. T. C. Johnson does an extensive business in the making and shipping of cider and vinegar. As many as one hundred carloads of apples have been shipped in to feed his press, besides using the apples of the surrounding region. The product is marketed all over the Northwest. Churches. — There was an organization effect- ed for church services in the township as early as 1854 by the Baptists and in 1858 by the Con- gregationalists. The former meet for worship in a neat wooden building erected a number of years ago. The membership numbers fifty. At the present time there is no regular pastor. The latter possess an attractive brick , church of Elizabethan architecture, costing when built in 1895, about $9,000. There are 200 members. The pastor is Rev. Charles Brunei - . There are also two Swedish congregations, each of which has its own place of worship. The one is known as the Free Mission Church, of which the present pastor is Rev. E. O. Carlson. The other is called the Christian Mission, at the head of which is Rev. Carl A. Malme. Schools. — One of the first schools, perhaps the first, was taught in one end of the log house of Seth Noble on Section 22, in 1837 and 1838, by a Mr. Sheldon. There are now ten school dis- tricts in the township, including that of Still- man Valley where the building, erected a number of years ago and added to since then, represents a cost of about $6,000, and where the enroll- ment is 115, with five teachers. There is a four years' high school course. Miss Margaret Skaggs is Principal. The directors are Lovejoy Johnson, E. L. Osgood, and D. C. Robbins. The ground forming the half-acre around the spot where had occurred the burial of nine of the twelve militiamen killed in the outbreak of the Black Hawk War, when Black Hawk made his famous sally against Major Stillman's volun- teers, was never allowed to be plowed over by its owner, Joshua White, who entered the quar- ter-section, including this historic spot, fourteen years after the battle and remained in possession of it until his death in 1890. Later the half acre, with land adjacent, was platted and be- came a part of the village of Stillman Valley. In 1899, when the lots comprising it were offered for sale at public auction, the citizens of Still- man Valley, with patriotic forethought, organ- ized the Battle Ground Memorial Association, and incorporated the same under the laws of Illinois, with Lovejoy Johnson, President ; John A. Atwood, Secretary ; and J. J. White, Treas- urer. The Association then obtained by subscrip- tion $1,000 and purchased the lots, which were soon beautified by planting trees, laying cement walks and terracing. The Forty-Second General Assembly was asked for an appropriation of $5,000 for a monument, which was obtained, chiefly through the efforts of Henry Andrus in the Senate and James P. Wilson in the House, and there now rises from the spot a shaft of Barre-granite with convex corners, giving the appearance of four columns, resting upon a stone base bearing suitable inscriptions, and surmount- ed by the figure of heroic size of a citizen sol- dier, the whole fifty feet in height. Dedicatory exercises were held on July 11, 1902, when an address was made by Judge Lawrence Y. Sher- man. A survivor of the battle was present in the person of William Copes of Atlanta, 111., then ninety-one years of age. The names of the militiamen who perished in the onslaught of Black Hawk's forty warriors are Captain John G. Adams, Sergeant John Walters, Corporal James Milton and Privates Isaac Parkins, David Kreeps, Zadoc Mendinhall, Tyrus M. Childs, Joseph B. Farris, Bird W. Ellis, Joseph Draper, James Doty, and a scout named Gideon Munson. The graves of Bird W. Ellis and Joseph Draper are not by the monument, but at distant points, while the grave of James Doty is unknown. HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. 789 Local Press. — The village newspaper, the "Stillman Valley Graphic," is owned, published and edited by John A. Atwood. It was started December 1, 1899, by Clara M. Wayland, who sold out in 1891 to Anna M. Atwood, who after two years of ownership and management, dis- posed of the property to its present owner. The local news is carefully given and the "Graphic's" influence is a factor in the community's welfare. In 1904, before the Old Settlers' Association, Mr. Atwood read a paper giving the story of Still- man's Defeat and the newly erected monument referred to above, which account was afterward printed in pamphlet form, and was used as a source of information by the writer hereof. Township Officers. — The members of the Board of Supervisors for the township of Marion since its organization have been as follows: E. Payson ' Snow, 1850-51 ; Dauphin Brown, 1852- 53; Joshua White, 1854-70; A. M. Trumbull, 1871; Joshua White, 1872; O. B. Youngs, 1873- 74 ; A. F. Brown, 1875-80 ; James H. King, 1881- 82 ; James D. White, 1883-85 ; Ogden B. Youngs, 1886-87; James D. White, 1888-94; George H. Brown, 1895-1900; Samuel H. Agnew, 1901-08. The other officers for the year 1908, for Marion Township, are the following: Town Clerk, Cal- vin Baker ; Assessor, G. H. Brown ; Tax Col- lector, Joseph H. Rock ; Justices of the Peace, John A. Atwood and W. H. Sovereign ; Consta- bles, Thomas Carmichael and J. E. Stowell ; Highway Commissioners, G. J. Garnhart, Sam- uel A. White, Oliver C. Fish; School Treasurer. Fred C. Baker. MARYLAND TOWNSHIP. (By Jonathan Hiestand.) Maryland Township, in the northern tier of Ogle County townships, is bounded on the north by Stephenson County, on the east by Leaf River Township, on the south by Mount Morris and Lincoln, and on the west by Forreston Township. In area it comprises 36 sections, equaling a con- gressional township, embracing the east half of Township 25, Range 8, and the west half of Township 25, Range 9 east, of the Fourth Prin- cipal Meridian. Originally a great part of the town was well timbered, but at present the greater portion is under cultivation. The prairie land was in the western and northern part of the town. The surface is undulating, and the district well watered, Leaf River, its principal stream, running the entire area from west to east. Commencing at or near North Forreston is a range of gravel banks extending nearly to the Village of Adeline, called by geologists moraine terraces. The township has one double-track rail- road, known as the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. The station is about three-quarters of a mile south of the Village of Adeline, which name it bears. The date of settlement was in the year 1837, the early settlers being chiefly from the State of Maryland and Germany, the latter coming direct from the Fatherland. Pioneer Settlers. — Among the pioneers were David J. Baker, and William C. Baker, the lat- ter, now well advanced in years, but still hale and hearty, residing in Adeline. Others were Henry Etnyre, Samuel Blair (father of J. F. Blair) ; Samuel W., Abraham and Nathaniel Coffman ; Samuel McFarland, Isaiah and Jere- miah Miller ; Enos, Dr. Samuel I., and Hezekiab Jacobs ; Joseph and Daniel Newcomer, John C. Foster, Henry Omholtz, Henry Byerly, Emanuel Morrison, E. M. Sheller, John A. Ettinger ; Allen, William and Nathaniel W. Beebe; Henry, Jacob and Christian Dovenberger ; John B. Cooley. Daniel Erdman, Samuel Rinehart, Andrew Row- land, Jonathan Wagner, Daniel W. Stouffer and Frederick Timmer, Louis Fosha, the Veitmeyers and Broekmeyers — the latter consisting of four families from Germany. The township is extremely fertile, well adapted to stock raising, and with exception of the land bordering on Leaf River, is mostly under culti- vation. Village of Adeline. — The Village of Adeline was laid out in 1845 by John Rummel, the owner of the surrounding land. Hon. T. J. Turner of Freeport purchased a lot, and the town was named Adeline for Mrs. Turner. The village was incorporated in 1882 and has about 250 inhab- itants. Mr. Rummel kept the first store as well as the postoffice. The first postoffice of the town- ship was about three miles north of the village. Following Mr. Rummel, stores were kept by Julius P. Smith, late of Byron, M. H. Philbrick, George W. Mitchell, Christian Fosler, I. A. Fosler and G. R. Rummel, and A. J. Mitchell. There are three churches, a Methodist, Luth- eran and United Brethren. Among its Postmasters were John Rummel, Nathaniel Landis, Stephen Hicks, G. W. Mitchell, 790 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Dr. Reichenbach, Emanuel Morrison, John Mum- ma, W. S. Graham, I. A. Fosler, Freeland Little, the present Postmaster being John Milhaven. The village has a fine school building, of two rooms, erected in 1868. The first principal was Miner L. Seymour, followed by such prominent educators as J. W. Gibson, George Blount, Frank Cooper, S. M. Grimes and H. P. White. The present Principal is H. Mclntyre. On May 18, 1898, the village suffered a serious injury, being swept by a branch of the terrible cyclone which devastated a portion of Ogle County. A number of buildings and the bridge over Leaf River were wrecked and two of its citizens killed. Township Officials. — The township officers at present writing are : Supervisor, J. F. Shaf er ; Clerk, F. H. Stukenberg ; Assessor, J. S. Ettin- ger ; Collector, Henry Omholtz ; Justices of the Peace, J. E. Seibert and J. H. Eakle ; Constables, J. F. Shafer and U. S. Cain; Highway Com- missioners — H. T. Miller, C. F. Long, and Elias Timmer. The Supervisors for the township have been the following: Samuel Mitchell, 1850; John A. Ettinger, 1851-52 ; Elias Rowland, 1853- 54; N. W. Beebe, 1855; John A. Ettinger, 1856- 59 ; Elias Rowland, 1860-(;.j ; Jeremiah Miller, 1806-67; George W. Mitchell, 1868-78; William Sloggett, 1879-80 ; Joseph S. Myers, 1881-85 ; Wil- liam Sloggett, Jr.; 1886; George Rummel, 1887- 98 ; C. W. Downey, 1899-1900 ; George Rummel, 1901-05; J. F. Shafer, 1906-08. Valuable Mineral Discovery. — The following interesting matter pertaining to Maryland Town- ship is taken from the "Ogle County Reporter," November 25, 1908: "Men prospecting for mineral deposits on the William Hamilton farm near Adeline, Ogle County, were rewarded a lew days ago, after digging a considerable distance, by coming across a vein or ore. The deposit is known as kaolin and is quite valuable. The sample taken out has been assayed and is found to be sixty-hve per cent pure kaolin, which retails in drug stores at twenty-five to thirty-five cents a pound, and in large quantities is worth from $45 to $125 per ton. A company will be incorporated with a capital sufficient to place the company on an easy work basis. The mine is so situated that no trouble will be met with removing and shipping the ore. From the small excavation made with pick and shovel about five tons of the material have been secured, this, too, before strik- ing the vein proper. The material is susceptible of many bi-products, as firebrick, chinaware, and paint pigment, etc. The company will pay most attention to the medical qualities, as they are very valuable and in demand." MONROE TOWNSHIP. This township is situated in the northeast corner of the county, and consists mostly of rich prairie soil, which, in these later days and closer proximity to market, is of considerable value, farming lands well improved selling in the neigh- borhood of Monroe Centre as high as $150 per acre. Some timber is still found skirting the waters of Killbuck Creek, which flows through the township on the western side, meandering across the line, in a neighborly manner, into Scott Township and back again before it empties into the Kishwaukee after leaving the County of Ogle. This stream takes its rise in the township of Dement and flows through Lynnville Town- ship before reaching Monroe. It received its name in Dement, as John Brodie. who must have had some redeeming trait among his sinister qualities, named this creek for a stream near his former home in Ohio. One of the histories also ascribes the naming of the stream to the Dris- colls, for like reason. One of the very valuable publications of the Illinois Historical Society contains literal copies of some letters in the Canadian Archives at Ottawa. Among these is a letter from Cooshocking, January 18, 1779, to Mr. John Montour, which is signed "Galalemend." This signature was the name of a Tuscarawas Chief (a Delaware Chief) who was an Ameri- can partisan. In English he was known as Captain John Killbuck, and it is this name of this friendly, trusted, noble Indian Chief, which the stream in Ohio bore, and which is perpet- uated in the "Killbuck Creek" of the Rock River Valley. The Creek is about the size of Leaf River and affords the residents of the township, who are fond of outdoor sports, a pleasant out- ing in suitable parts of the year. Early Settleus. — Among the early settlers in this township were Henry and Betsy Brooks Crill, Asa and Fanny Tupper Tyler, W. W. and Amanda Covey Bennett, Austin and Ruth Lord Lines, John P. Earl, Joseph W. Hall, Thomas and Nancy Vandawalker Miller, Peter J. Shaule, HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 791 George Bressler, Joseph Sweeney, Abraham Hess. Henry Crill settled in the township in 1843, coming from the State of Pennsylvania, and locating upon a tract of land comprising about 1,500 acres. Thomas, John J. and William Crill were his sons. The Rev. Austin Lines came in 1845, and was ordained a minister in the same year, living till September 13, 1886, when he passed away at the age of 83 years, the life of Mrs. Lines closing soon afterwards at about the same age. In 1886, some time before Mr. Lines' death, it was said of him "there is no individual who has been in the conference in this district as long as he!" Thomas H. Lines is a son of this pioneer divine, and lives on the same tract purchased by his father in 1845. Joseph W. Hall came in 1S50; John P. Earl in 1849; Thomas Miller in 1S48 ; Peter J. Shaule in 1854 ; George Bressler in 1S4S ; Abraham Hess in 1849 ; Jesse J. Cook in 1848 ; David A. Cipperly in 1863. Among other settlers and residents are Justus H. Cain, Austin and Warren Walker, Willard Woodworth, Herman Wright, L. M. Tale, Alfred Yager, William A. Clark, C. C. Chandler, P. A. Goonradt, James E. Corbet; Harvey, I. J.. Michael and Orlando F. Crill ; August Drager, Willard W. Earl, Dr. Alonzo J. Edson, John and Clarinda King Eychaner, Frank Eychaner, George W. Farber, Albert Field, Joshua File, Mrs. Barbara Ann Fullerton, Dr. Daniel Gifford (his only daughter, Lillian, now Mrs. Joseph Sears of Oregon), Frederick, Henry and Lewis Hildebrand, Xorman Hitchcock, Gottlieb Horn, Jared W. and De Forrest Knapp, James McCul- lough, Frederick Nashold, John and Thomas Reed, John Schaad, Riley Sweet, James and Anna Blackman Turley, Horace C. and Silas D. Tyler, sons of Asa Tyler, who lived to be almost a centenarian. It was upon his farm that the village of Monroe was located in 1875, being laid out in 1S75 by his son Silas D. Tyler, who now lives in Rockford, where also is living his son, Charles C. Tyler, several years ago Circuit Clerk of Ogle County. The son Horace C. Tyler was the first to be buried in the new cemetery by the young village. This cemetery was laid out upon a beautiful plan, an open space being left in front for the planting of shade trees. Monroe Centeb. — Immediately after the found- ing of the village of Monroe the old post-office of Monroe Center was moved to the new location, but the mails of Uncle Sam still keep the old postal name. The completion of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway through the township, was the immediate cause of the starting of the village of Monroe, and this rail- way now has a double line of tracks passing from Chicago to the Mississippi River. The site of the village is an attractive one, being on somewhat of an elevation. Many of its resi- dents at the present time 'sire farmers who have reaped well where they have sown, and now are enjoying retirement from active toil in comfort- able and handsome modern homes. A desirable feature of the village is that it has always been a temperance town, with the licensed saloon un- known. The village is furnished with electric lighting, and some private gas plants have been added more recently. Several town pumps pro- vide the water supply, in the still old-time manner. The first houses in Monroe were built by Horace C. Tyler, Jesse J. Cook, DeForrest Knapp and Dr. Gifford. The first store building was erected by Charles Fisher, who placed in it the first stock of goods for sale ; following him was John Roberts, and after him his son, T. S. Rob- erts, who continued the business. A drug store was soon opened by Dr. Knowles of Cherry Val- ley, and a hardware store by Hiram Wilson. Hildebrand & Chandler were his successors in 1877, after which the firm became Hildebrand & Eychaner. The second general store was owned by Skeels & Snow, who began business in 1S76. Sidwell & Company of Chicago completed a warehouse soon after the railroad was finished, and an elevator was then built by a joint stock company composed of citizens of the place. This was purchased from the company in 1882 by Sipley & Jones. A livery stable was opened at once by Horace C. Tyler, which, after his death in 1879, was for some time owned by John Earl. Hildebrand & Chandler, in 1882, and after them, Cipperly & Crill, were engaged in the furniture trade. Andrew Main started a blacksmith shop in 1875 ; a shoe shop was added to the list of businesses in 1877, which was owned by Joseph Freidbauer in 1885. Thomas Martin began the manufacture and sale of harness in 1879, con- tinuing in business for some years. A hay-press was built in 18S5 by Smith & McAllister. The first hotel was built in 1876 by James Sturgeon, who was its proprietor till 1880, when he was succeeded by Frederick Storz. A meat market was opened in 1877 by William Earl, who also 792 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. managed the first restaurant, afterward con- ducted by William Krist. John B. Thompson afterwards carried on the meat business. C. C. Chandler, of Hildebrand & Chandler, owned a fine fruit farm near the village for some time after changing his residence to Evanston, 111. Dr. Lewis Hormell, son of the Mexican War veteran of the same name, who once practiced medicine in Monroe Center, now is settled in the "Land of the Dakotas." Doctor J. P. Snyder and Dr. Harry G. Davis, son of the well-known pioneer, Jeremiah Davis, were practicing physicians in the village soon after its start. Dr. Davis and Dr. Snyder still continue in practice at Monroe Center. The Methodist Episcopal Church was erected in 1876. and the building remodeled a year ago. The congregations of Monroe Center and Fair- dale, the latter across the county line in DeKalb County, are united now under one pastorate, a parsonage being connected with the church in Pairdale. The present minister is the Rev. E. W. Ward. A two-story public school building was erected here about 1881, to which an addition was made a short time ago. It is prettily located at the top of a slope, and the school has always had good teachers and a reputation for progressive- ness. The present primary teacher is the daugh- ter of a highly respected early settler and has taught here close to twenty years. The first school was a very successful private one, taught by Miss Anna Wright, who studied at the Wells' School. Mr. Wells once lived near Monroe Cen- ter, being engaged in teaching. The teachers in the Public School at present are G. W. Jamieson, Principal ; Assistants, Miss Ella Hogan and Miss Mary Clark, Primary Department. About 1890 and for a period after that, a newspaper, the "Monroe Mirror," was published by Edward Elliott. The Monroe Center State Bank was estab- lished July 17, 1903. The first officers were P. A. Eychaner, President ; C. A. Crosby. Vice-Presi- dent ; P. A. Hildebrand, Cashier. The same reliable officers are still in charge of its sub- stantial business. The Bank is owner of the building it occupies and has a capital of $25,000. There are at the present time two elevators, one owned by C. A. Crosby and the other by Wellington Nashold. A general store is con- ducted by Tyler & Raup, one of the partners being a son of Silas D. Tyler. An implement store and harness-shop are owned by the present Supervisor of Monroe Township, W. H. Crill. Other thriving businesses are being carried on — hardware, furniture, grocery, drug stores, livery barn and restaurant being among the number. Excellent bakery supplies come daily by rail from Rockford and Chicago, with no trouble to the dealer but to receive them, and no labor to the consumer but to purchase them. Monroe Center possesses a fine Opera Hall, a frame building of two stories owned by an in- corporated stock company, and which is used for public purposes on the first floor, and for lodge rooms on the second. Monroe Center has about three hundred in- habitants, but is not incorporated. Since 1877 the Town Hall has been located at the village, it having been moved there from its former location after considerable opposition. The "Lynnville and Monroe Mutual Fire In- surance Company of Ogle County, 111.," was or- ganized September 13, 1873. The first officers were : President, William P. Perry ; Secretary, Daniel Gifford ; Treasurer, A. H. Warren ; Direc- tors, Elijah Dresser, Wm. P. Perry, Harvey Countryman, Albert Field, Austin Clark, Horace Tyler, A. H. Warren, John Brown, Daniel Gif- ford ; Surveyors, Joshua Knight, Horatio Graves, Joseph Holmes, Norman Hitchcock, Joseph Hall, Thomas Lines. Township Officers. — Monroe Township was organized in 1850, and since that time the follow- ing have been the Supervisors. Austin Lines, 1850-54; Allen Light, 1855; Austin Lines, 1S56- 57; James Wellsi 1858-62; R. M. Thomas, 1863- 64; William A. Clark, 1865; Albert Field, Jr., 1866-68 ; Herman Wright, 1869-70 ; Albert Field, Jr., 1871-75; Herman Wright, 1876-77; S. S. File. '1878: Albert Field, 1879-83; Thomas S. Roberts, 18.84-86 ; Walter M. Smith, 1887 ; T. H. Lines, 18SS-S9 ; Cyrus C. Conant, 1890-91 ; Frank A. Eychaner. 1892-96; W. B. Tyler, 1897-1901; Frank A. Howe, 1902-07; W. H. Crill, 1908. The other officers for the township in 1908 are : Town Clerk, W. A. Fisk ; Assessor, C. G. Ben- nett ; Tax Collector, Frank A. Drager ; Justices of the Peace, George Higgins and C. A. Crosby; Constable, Albert Saam ; Highway Commission- ers — A. W. Drager, George Higgins, Charles W. Butler ; School Treasurer, J. P. Snyder. SINNISSIPPI FARM, RESIDENCE OF FRANK O. LOWDEN KYTF RIVER w w o w S 2; c s o Z o f-1 u . p ^2 of- 1 Pu Q BQ W< DO c w > c z c < J5 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 793 MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP. The sturdy pioneer, John Phelps, settled with his family on a large tract of land, now partly in Mount Morris and partly in Rockvale Townships, when the first men came to locate in Mount Morris Township, having brought his family here in 1835. During the summer of 1836 Sam- uel M. Hitt aud Nathaniel Swingley came, and having spied out the land, returned to Maryland, whence they had come, to bring others to occupy the land with them. When they came back they found Larkin Baker occupying a cabin and claim about four miles southeast of the present site of the village of Mount Morris, which land was later owned by Daniel Price. Daniel Worden had located a mile and a half southwest and one or two other settlers had settled in the edge of the timber. Squire Hitt and Captain Swingley, however, located their claims on the prairie, the former taking up 1,000 acres, and later building upon it the large stone house now occupied by Christian Zumdahl, who with his brother owns the Phelps tract. Captain Swingley took up the claim, a part of which is now owned and occu- pied by William Koontz. In the spring of 1837 Hitt and Swingley re- turned, bringing with them Michael Bovey (whose death has recently occurred at the ad- vanced age of ninety-two years), Adam, Daniel and John Stover, Balka Niehoff, Samuel Grove, Eli Householder, William McDannel, Abram and Jonathan Myers, Frederick Finkbonar, and others. Of this number Householder, McDannel and Daniel Stover were accompanied by their wives ; with the Householders was their son Peter, then a child of two years, and now still residing in Mount Morris. Mrs. Elizabeth Ank- ney, with her little son Albertus and daughter Anna Amelia, who became Mrs. William Watts of Pine Creek, was with this party. This was the first group of what came to be called the "Maryland Colony," after their eastern home. This party came by wagon to Wheeling, W. Va. ; by boat on the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Peru, and by wagon the rest of the way. Upon their arrival they lived for two weeks in the cabin built by Governor Ford, which was then vacant. Their cooking was done on a stove brought from the east by Mrs. Ankney, and for a while this was the only one of its kind in the neighborhood, many making use of it for baking their bread. As quickly as possible cabins were erected for the newcomers. The first one built in the township was a double log cabin on the claim of Mrs. Ankney, about three- quarters of a mile southwest of the present vil- lage of Mount Morris. In the two small rooms of this dwelling lived four families ; that of Mrs. Ankney, who afterwards married the build- er of the original "Old Sandstone," James B. McCoy, and the Householders in one ; and that of the Stovers and McDannels in the other. Solon Crowell, father of the recent State's At- torney for Ogle County, who occupied a claim a mile north of the village; Martin Reynolds, who had located where was afterwards the home of Professor Pinckney ; and David and Benjamin Wertz, located on Pine Creek, had arrived in the vicinity about this time. During the year of 1837 other families came, among them John Rice, Sr., John Wagner, and the Rev. Thomas S. Hitt. Mr. Rice and family left Washington County, Md., in September, 1836, intending to settle in Illinois. The brother-in- law of Mr. Rice, John Wagner, Sr., had stopped temporarily in Ohio, en route for the same desti- nation, and Mr. Rice with his family remained in Ohio over winter. In the spring of 1837 these two men came on horseback to Ogle County to take up claims, in July, being followed by their families with twelve children each. These men lived the rest of their lives upon the farms they obtained from the Government. The origi- nal claim of Mr. Rice is yet in the family, being owned by a grandson, Mr. J. L. Rice, whose father was Dr. Isaac Rice. "Timothy Bunker, Esq.," the facetious editor of the "Cross Roads News" of the "Mount Morris Index," is also a grandson. Until recently, two daughters, ' Mrs. Daniel Etnyre, of Oregon, and Mrs. Susan Thomas, of Leaf River, were still living. Many descendants of this pioneer family are still resi- dents of Ogle County. "Aunt Kitty Rice," who died in Mount Morris, December 26, 1900, at the extreme old age of over 103 years, was the step- mother of this family of twelve children. The claim taken up by John Wagner, Sr., is the farm three miles northeast of the village, now owned by Mr. George W. Carr. Here this family grew to manhood and womanhood, an unbroken family circle till 1891. when Joseph died. This family held many enjoyable re- unions, the last notable one being in 1896 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob A. Knodle, when many relatives and friends assembled in an old- 794 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. time, out-of-door gathering. Mrs. Hannah Knodle, Mrs. Barbara E. McNeill, Mrs. Catherine Griffin, of Mount Morris ; Nehemiah, of Chicago ; and Mrs. Henry Wertz, of Falls City, Neb., still survive. Captain Benjamin Wagner died in 1898; John, in 1897; Mrs. John Timmerman, in 1898; Reuben, in 1903; Mrs. Sarah Good, in 1907; Captain David C. Wagner, in Chicago in 1908. Among the later arrivals of the year 1837 was the family of Rev. Thomas S. and Emily Hitt, who came by carriage from Ohio, Mr. Hitt being attracted by the favorable reports of his brother Samuel, and expecting to continue his ministry in the Methodist Church. There were eight chil- dren in this family, some of them born in Ogle County : Robert R. Hitt, who represented this district in Congress with distinction for many years ; Mrs. Margaret Newcomer ; Mrs. Maria (Hitt) Newcomer, wife of the late Major Charles Newcomer ; John, present Deputy Collector of Customs in Chicago ; Martin Emery, Thomas Morris, who was engaged in government work in Washington ; Henry P. Hitt, and Mrs. Eliza- beth Wagner, -wife of the late Captain Benja- min Wagner ; these four having now for a num- ber of years lived near Tyndall, S. D. In 1905, Robert sent some "historical data" to Messrs. Kable Brothers for their "Seventieth Anniver- sary of the Settlement of Mount Morris Town- ship, Souvenir Edition, Mount Morris Index," which included some notes written in a day book by his father. The following is quoted from these data : "My father with his family had arrived Sep- tember 22, 1837, and at first for a few days stopped with his brother-in-law, Mr. Martin Reynolds, who lived where is now the Lohafer residence one mile west of where the Seminary and village were afterwards erected. In the woods, a quarter of a mile west of Mr. Reynolds' place, a little log school house was built in 1838, the school taught by Mr. Quimby Allen. That school was the seed from which grew the Semi- nary, and then the College of to-day. On Sep- tember 24, 1837, is the entry: "Preached at Oregon, Psalms 58 :11." On the 28th of Septem- ber, 1838, he took up his residence on what is now the Baker place, two miles south of where the village was afterwards built. It was a large farm, a thousand acres, bought for $2,500 from a Mr. Painter, and was only a neighborhood 'claim,' and $1.25 per acre had still to be paid to the government for 'entry.' The deed is in the hand- writing of Governor Thomas Ford, then at Ore- gon. The next year that farm was sold to Mr. John Price, who lived there many years. "Meantime Thomas S. Hitt had in 1838 built a home on his own chosen 'claim,' 960 acres, lying just north of where Mount Morris is, and into that log house he moved January 18, 1839, and it has always remained the family homestead. It was of two stories, 16 by 24 feet, and was con- sidered a large house. In it during the early years church services and marriage ceremonies were often held. It has stood 68 years." A part of this "claim" is now the Railroad Addition to Mount Morris; and upon one corner stands a handsome group of four modern homes belonging to descendants of these pioneers of 1837. Martin Reynolds and John Wallace, Sr., who had married sisters of the Hitt brothers, also set- tled in this region, the one in 1837, the other in 1838, the former having already completed a house on the site of the later residence of Prof. Daniel J. Pinckney, by the early autumn of that year. Caleb Marshall and family also arrived in 1837. His son, Reuben S., then ten years of age but recently deceased, lived for many years prior to his death, in the brick country home on the pioneer estate. A sister, Mrs. John V. Gale, also attained a fine old age, living in Oregon till 1902 surrounded by several sons and their families. John Fridley also came in 1837. In the spring of 1838, 'Squire Hitt and Cap- . tain Swingley returned East for their families, and with them came a number of families, many of whom remained in this vicinity. From this time on the settlement grew to be known as the "Maryland Colony." The first teacher in the township, A. Quimby Allen, was brought by these two pioneers. Others who came in 1838 and 1839 were Philip Sprecher, John S. Miller, John Smith, John Coffman and family, Henry Hiestand and family, Henry Artz and Michael Brantner. Mr. Brantner reached the good old age of ninety-one, dying in the autumn of 1907, at the home of his son Charles, near Maryland in Lincoln Township. Henry Sharer, another pioneer of this period — "Deacon" Sharer, as he was familiarly called — also lived to an advanced age, ending his days among his children and grandchildren in 1905. Four of his descendants still reside in the community, and take an in- terest in its affairs — two daughters and two sons, Mrs. John Swingley, Mrs. W. W. Wheeler, Mr. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 795 John Sharer, who for many years has been con- nected with newspaper work in the county, and Mr. Charles Sharer, who has established in Mount Morris College the yearly "Charles Sharer Oratorical Prize Contest." Another old resident belonging to this family was Mrs. Priscilla Sharer, known as "Aunt Prissy," and then as "Grandma Sharer," who survived into the nineties. In 1840, on July 4th. James Coffman setl out with his family from Hagerstown, Md., with a party to settle in this township. They came by team, and William C. Baker ("Uncle Billy Baker" ) , now living in Adeline, is proud to have driven one of the "big teams" (four-horse) in the Coffman party. They reached their destination August 16th. James Hayes was with this party, being a millwright, brought by Mr. Coffman, who had been a miller in the Bast, to set the machinery in the grist-mill built by him, on Pine Creek, Squire Hitt furnishing money to join in the enterprise. This mill was burned and Mr. Coffman died before the second one was com- pleted. It, too, met with disaster, being struck by lightning in a storm one Sunday morning. A third one was afterwards built, the one which is in ruins now ; and the dam once supplying the water, after being many times washed away in the years of high floods, is also gone. A saw-mill was established near this creek also very early, in Pine Creek Township. The mill near Pine Creek was operated for a number of years by John Stewart ; then was leased in 1853 by Messrs. Brayton, Baker and Petrie, who fitted it up for an oil-mill. Later they erected a large two-story frame structure with stone basement, near the southwest corner of the vil- lage, running it by steam, and adding a saw- mill. This was in charge, for several years, of Jacob Hilger, who came from Germany in 1851, and who still lives with his son on a farm in the vicinity. This mill was later purchased by Messrs. Petrie and Sheets and removed to the east side of the river at Oregon, where for eighteen years Mr. William Schott, still living in Oregon, was the miller. Several years ago, this building, having been refitted for the use of the Rock River Silver Plating Works, took fire in a high gale, and all but the stones of its base was burned, leaving a picturesque ruin, which the artist, Mr. Leon A. Makielski, of the Artists' Colony, has painted in the moonlight. Before its removal from Mount Morris, the mill was the scene of two disasters, the oldest son of Frederick B. and Charlotte W. Brayton having lost his life among the machinery, and Mr. Pet- rie being deprived of one hand. In his paper on "Early Oregon and the Pioneers," Col. B. F. Sheets tells of other losses with this mill. The 'forties brought many who were eager to make their homes in the new country. Among the familiar names connected with this period are the following : Jacob Turney, Michael Swingley, David Mumma, William Printz, Jonas Shafstall, Moses Crowell, Jacob Buck, Daniel Wolfe, Joseph Rowe, Jacob Detrick, Samuel S. Fouts, Benjamin Myers, Silas Snyder, Adam Patterson, Otho Wallace, Solomon Nalley, Henry A. Neff, Bartholomew, Benjamin McNett (father of John H. McNett) , Jacob and Henry Hiestand, William Watts, Daniel and F. B. Brayton ; Peter, Emanuel, Jonathan, Jacob and Joseph Knodle ; Benjamin Swingley, Frank Hamilton, Samuel Newcomer and his sons Charles and Albert, George Avey, father of Josiah Avey ; Emanuel, Henry and Andrew Newcomer, Joseph and Fris- bee Watts, Michael E. Miller. The "Rock River Register," published January 1, 1842, by Jonathan Knodle, at Mount Morris, had this item : "Mt. Morris was well founded in the spring of 1841, and is now already found, when not yet ten months old, to hold 282 souls, inclusive of the students and teachers at Rock River Seminary, which dignifies the center of the vil- lage. This day, January 1, 1842, the citizens number 137, and the town consists of twenty- one houses. Mt. Morris is five miles west of Oregon City, in the same county, and eighty miles west of Chicago. It is handsomely sit- uated on one of the most beautiful and extraor- dinarily fertile prairies which distinguish Illi- nois, and especially the Rock River region, for abundance and excellence of agricultural produc- tions. It is named in honor of Bishop Morris, of the M. E. Church." Most of the old settlers are of the opinion that the name of the village is to be accredited to the good Bishop, but Mr. Horace G. Miller, now living in retirement at Hinsdale, 111., with his son, of the firm of Patton & Miller, Chicago Architects, who was then living at Kishwaukee and active in his- efforts to secure the location of the Seminary at that place, and served as one of its first trustees, says he bestowed the name upon the town in memory of his own native 796 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. place, Mount Morris, New York. The chroniclers of many important facts pertaining to Mount Morris history, say in one of their publications : "It may be that he (Mr. Miller) suggested the name of his old town, and that the Methodist elders adopted it at once because of its being in honor of Bishop Morris as well." A happy solution of the controversy ! 1 Rock River Seminary.: — A further quotation from the "Historical Data" of the late Hon. R. R. Hitt, refers to the founding of this attrac- tive village of Mount Morris and its famous old institution of learning, as follows : "In the day book kept by my father, Rev. Thomas S. Hitt, and in his handwriting, is this entry : 'May 8, 1839, stake stuck on Rock River Seminary site.' At that time, as I well remem- ber, the high, green swelling prairie, where now stretches out Mount Morris, was for miles per- fectly clear, smooth ground, as seen from our house three-quarters of a mile to the northwest where it still stands. The beginning of the vil- lage was at that spot, and at that date, for the Seminary was the first house and was long the most important one. In 1852 the larger Seminary building, 'Old Sandstone,' a noble struc- ture yet, was constructed." As no steps were taken to incorporate the village of Mount Morris till the year 1848, and as the rise and progress of Rock River Seminary were the heart and life of the community, it is proper that the history of this institution should be given a prominent place in this volume. After the policy of founding an institution in Northern Illinois had been approved by the Methodist Annual Conference held at Jackson- ville in 1838, and a committee appointed for the purpose of choosing its location had selected Mount Morris for the same, a fund of some $8,000 and a tract of 480 acres of land having See" donated, a building committee, composed of Samuel M. Hitt, Nathaniel Swingley and C. Burr Artz, was appointed, plans adopted and the con- 1 A note or memorandum book now in possession of Mrs. Sarah (Hiestand) Rice, contains some facts re- lating to the history of one of the first debating «""ieties in Ogle County, organized on September 25, 1842, at the old Rice log-schoolhouse, about three miles north of Mount Morris under the name of the West Wave Lyceum. Joshua Rice was the leading spirit in the movement and the society continued in -xistence until 1845. The memorandum contains a list of the principal participants in the debates and of the Directors in School District No. 2 in 1843 and in 1844. with a list of some seventy volumes con- stituting the private library of Mr. Joshua Rice, in- cluding text-hooks covering historical, scientific and Iheological topics. tract for the erection of a building was awarded to James B. McCoy, for the sum of $18,000. By July 4, 1839, sufficient progress had been made to lay the cornerstone. So great was the Inter- est in the undei-caking, that people came from a distance as far as forty miles, to witness the ceremony. The exercises were conducted by the Rev. Thomas S. Hitt, who later was appointed agent of the institution, and managed its affairs for many years ; and it was his son, the late Robert R. Hitt, who, when the seminary had run its course of usefulness and encountered finan- cial obstacles, took upon himself the ownership of the place with which several branches of his family had been associated from its beginning. (For a concise history of the Seminary during the forty years of its existence ending in the year 1879, and what afterward became Mount Morris College, now being conducted under the auspices of the United Brethren denomination, see Chapter XXIII of this volume, under the title "Educational." ) The first Principal of the Seminary was Prof. Joseph N. Waggoner, next Rev. Daniel J. Pinck- ney. Others who later acted in the same capac- ity include Prof. S. R. Thorpe, Dr. J. C. Finley, Prof. S. M. Fellows, Rev. Carmi C. Olds, Profs. George L. Little, Spencer S. Matteson, W. T. Harlow, John Williamson, O. F. Matteson, Rev. J. M. Caldwell, Rev. R. H. Wilkinson, and Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson. Among the preceptresses were Cornelia N. Russell, Ruth R. Carr, Electa V. Mitchell, Al- mira M. Robertson (who in 1847 married Wil- liam Williams Fuller, a lawyer of Oregon, and uncle of Margaret Fuller), Eunice A. Hurd, Rosalie D. Blanchard, Sarah A. Steele, Mary E. Hoverland, Harriet Fowler, Carrie E. Mumford, Clarinda Olin, Mrs. M. C. Catlin, Stella Chap- pelle, Florence Farnsworth, and Charlotte E. Smith, afterwards Mrs. O. L. Fisher. Among well-known students and graduates of the Seminary have been the following: Albert Deere, S. M. Fellows, James C. T. Phelps, Wil- liam J. Mix, Gen. W. H. L. Wallace, Gen. M. R. M. Wallace, Capt. John F. Wallace, Margaret C. Hitt, Helen M. Judson Beveridge, Elizabeth Rey- nolds Sanger, Robert R. Hitt, John W. Hitt, Dr. Benjamin G. Stephens, Anne E. (Swingley) Phelps, John Hitt, Maria (Hitt) Newcomer, Gen. John A. Rawlins, Gov. John L. Beveridge, Sena- tor Shelby M. Cullom, Daniel H. Wheeler, G. L. Fort, James H. Beveridge, Henry L. Magoon, II Ji 'o^zz^ HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 797 Moses Hallett, Rev. Dr. Fowler, the Farwell brothers — H. J., John V., and Charles B., — George W. Curtis, Judge James H. Cartwright, Judge John P. Hand, Judge Theodore D. Murphy, Judge Edmund W. Burke, Judge Lucien C. Blanchard, Gen. Smith D. Atkins, Fernando Sanford, Col. B. F. Sheets (who was the valedictorian of his class), J. C. Seyster, Ella Vinacke Seyster, Al- phonso G. Newcomer, Henry C. Newcomer, Ralph Waldo Trine, Katherine McNeill Hoffman, E. A. Ray, John T. Ray, Charles H. Sharer, Judge Merritt W. Pinckney, Judge Reuben C. Basset, Edward Carlton Page, Dr. Augustus H. Ankney, T. C. Ankney, Rev. John Emory Clark, John B. Cheney, John Sharp, Minnie Petrie Satterfield, Florence and Isabel Bosworth, A. W. Brayton, Hale P. Judson, Dr. Isaac Rice, Jonathan Hies- tand, Dr. Thomas Winston, Robert M. Cheshire, William A. Meese, Lillian Farwell Cushing, Dr. Anna Gloss (Medical Missionary in China at time of Boxer rising), Rev. George W. Crofts, Wil- liam P. Jones. Township Organized. — Under the Township Organization Law, enacted in February, 1849, the township of Mount Morris was, organized, a year later the first town meeting being held in the chapel of the Seminary, April 2, 1850, and town officers chosen. D. J. Pinckney was mod- erator of the meeting, and Benj. G. Stephens clerk. The election was by ballot (107 voting) and the following were elected the first officers : Supervisor, James B. McCoy ; Town Clerk, A. Q. Allen ; Assessor, M. Garman ; Collector, Jonathan Knodle, Sr. ; Highway Commissioners, Abram Thomas, Jacob Myers, Henry Hiestand ; Consta- bles, Peter Knodle, Henry I. Little ; Justices of the Peace, James M. Webb, Henry I. Little; Overseer of the Poor, Benj. G. Stephens. The following have been the Supervisors from that date to the year 1908 : 1850, James B. McCoy ; 1851, Benjamin T. Hedrick; 1852, Andrew New- comer ; 1853, Joel R. Carll ; 1854, Samuel Garber ; 1855-58, Elias Baker; 1858, Daniel Sprecher; 1859-61, Francis A. McNeill ; 1861, John W. Hitt ; 1862-69, B. T. Hedrick; 1869, John W. Hitt; 1870-73, Charles Newcomer; 1873-79, John W. Hitt; 1879-89, M. E. Getzendaner; 1889, Reuben S. Marshall; 1890-93, H. H. Olevidence ;1893-97, William Stahlhut ; 1897-1905, George V. Farwell ; 1905-08, Lewis C. Sprecher. Of the important offices which men from Mount Morris Township have filled are the following: Member of Congress (House), Hon. R. R. Hitt; State Senators, Prof. Daniel J. Pinckney, Dr. Isaac Rice ; Illinois Representatives in General Assembly, Samuel M. Hitt, Prof. D. J. Pinckney, Dr. Francis A. McNeill, Dr. Isaac Rice, Franklin N. Tice; Sheriffs of Ogle County, Elias Baker, Charles Newcomer, Frederick G. Petrie, Ben- jamin R. Wagner; County Judge, James M. Webb ; County Surveyors, Joshua Rice, A. Quimby Allen ; County Superintendent of Schools, Eldridge W. Little, Joseph M. Piper ; County Coroner, Dr. W. W. Hanes ; County Commis- sioner, Henry Hiestand ; Members of Constitu- tional Conventions, Daniel J. Pinckney, Charles Newcomer ; State Game Warden for Ogle County, C. H. Whitman. Village Incorporated. — A mass meeting was held in the chapel of the Seminary January 8, 1848, at which it was voted to incorporate the village of Mount Morris. At a meeting held on January 15, 1S48. the first trustees were elected : A. C. Marston. Andrew Newcomer, James J. Beatty, Jonathan Knodle, Sr., William McCune. At the first meeting of trustees held a week later, of the eight ordinances passed was one forbidding the sale of intoxicating liquor. President of the Village Board of Trustees, have been : D. A. Potter, Elias Baker, Andrew Newcomer, James Clark, James B. McCoy, F. B. Brayton, Samuel Knodle, Henry Sharer, Martin T. Rohrer, Samuel Lookabaugh, Henry I. Little, B. G. Stephens, H. H. Clevidence, John W. Hitt, Charles New- comer, Isaac Rice, David Newcomer, W. H. Jack- son, W. W. Hanes, A. W. Brayton, J. E. McCoy, William D. Davis. The first postoffiqe was established in Mount Morris in 3841, with Rev. John Sharp as Post- master. The mails were brought by stage until the building of the railways, and for a long time the postoffice was kept in a store, the Postmaster usually being the store-keeper, including, Fred- erick G. Petrie, F. B. Brayton, O. H. Swingley. Following Mr. Swingley the Postmasters up to the present time have been: Henry Sharer, Franklin N. Tice, John E. McCoy, Holly C. Clark. Upon the completion of the Seibert Block, the postoffice was located there, where it has since remained, Mr. McCoy purchasing the modern fixtures which are now a part of it. Public Schools. — After the Pine Creek Gram- mar School became the primary department of Rock River Seminary, private schools were con- 798 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. ducted in some of the homes of the village. About 1845, perhaps, a building for public school purposes was erected where the residence of Wil- liam H. Miller now is located. A list of the many boys and girls of Mount Morris who attended this school includes many familiar names, Thomas C. Williams, Gussie Williams (now Mrs. Charles V. Stonebraker), Samuel Rohrer, Frank Baker, Merrit Pinckney, Harley Hedges, Frank Knodle, Edward Sharp, Ella Funk (now Mrs. H. J. Griswold), Lottie Rohrer (Mrs. William A. Newcomer), Libbie Allen (Mrs. R. D. McClure), Florence Brayton (Mrs. W. M. Gilbert), Lillie Bray ton (Mrs. W. H. Miller), Lizzie Guy, Charles H. Allen, are a very few of the pupils of that time. Among the teachers were John Page, Hannah M. Cheney, Holly Allen, Sibyl Sammis, Helen Coffman, Enoch Coffman, Hattie Little. The present substantial stone building was erected in 1868, largely through the untiring efforts and broad-mindedness of Mr. H. J. Far- well, who served as President of the School Board fioin 1865 to the time of his death in 1S90. The cost of the building was $10,000. During the summer of 1908 i stone addition, costing $6,200, was completed, the first structure having been purposely planned to allow of this enlargement. Among the Principals who have had charge of the Mount Morris Public School are Miss Frances E. Hoverland (now Mrs. Charles Craw- ford), Joseph M. Piper, Horace G. Kauffman, Virginia Brown, B. E. Berry, Rebecca H. Kauff- man, (teacher, also), Alphonso G. Newcomer, C. W. Egner, S. A. Long, Mary McClure. Among the teachers have been Florence Hoverland (af- terwards the wife of Dr. Benjamin G. Stephens), Holly C. Clark, Lottie Waggoner, Lillian Far- well (Mrs. H. W. Cushing), Elsie West, Emery I. Neff, Fannie Stephens, Antoinette Shryock, Lil- lian Hpss, Lulu Kable, Anita Metzger, Charles R. Holsinger. The first class to complete the pre- sci'iber! course, as laid out by Professors Piper and Kauffman, graduated in 1878. To this num- ber belonged Susie McCosh (now Mrs. Charles H. Sharer), Eva Davis (Mrs. Jonas Petrie), Fred Knodle, Harry Little, Charles Davis. Since the time when this first class held their commence- ment, many other graduates of this school have been made happy by having its diploma bestowed upon them for diligent and thorough work, and, while the writers of this history know so many of them "by heart", it is not possible within the limits of this volume to refer to any others, either graduates, pupils or teachers. The President of the Board of Education at the present time is Mr. J. L. Rice. Newspapers. — The "Rock River Register" has already been referred to. A veteran newspaper man of Ogle County, Mr. John Sharp, now of Pasadena, Cal., referred to elsewhere in this his- tory, furnishes the following regarding early newspaper publications : "In the spring of 1850, the old 'Mt. Morris Gazette' issued its first edition. This was the genesis of the continuous publication of news- papers in Ogle County. Prior to that date sev- eral attempts had been made to establish papers, first in Mt. Morris, then in Grand Detour, and again in Mt. Morris, these all proving failures after a few numbers had been issued, but at no time since the 'Gazette' appeared, in 1850, has the county been without a weekly newspaper. The event of its birth is well remembered by the writer. The office was in the basement of the old brick store building which then stood on one of the corners east of the Rock River Seminary campus, the building having been built by Rev. John Sharp, father of the writer. It was the most important* event of the town, and most of the few people living there were present at its accouchement. The papers, as they came from the old Smith elbow-joint hand-press, were largely taken as souvenirs, and it was considered that the town had now acquired an institution which, together with the Rock River Sernina-ry, entitled it to be considered the literary center of North- western Illinois." Mr. Samuel Knodle and Mr. John Sharer, both active in newspaper work, have their names as- sociated with the papers that have been published in Mount Morris, Mr. Sharer being at the present time on the staff of the "Mount Morris Index" Mr. Knodle ended his very useful life but recently at the home of his daughter, Mrs. John Walker, of Oregon, reaching beyond the four score years, with his bright mental capacity unimpaired. The papers following those alluded to by Mr. Sharp, were variously called the "Northwestern Repub- lican", "Independent Watchman", "Ogle County Press" (afterwards developed into the present "Tri-County Press" of Polo), "Mount Morris In- dependent", "Ogle County Democrat" and the "Mount Morris Index". Churches. — The church denominations of Mount Morris are the Methodist, the Lutheran, HISTORY OF CGLE COUNTY. 799 the Christian, the Brethren. The Rev. Thomas S. Hitt and Rev. Barton H. Cartwright are among the early Methodist ministers who were assigned to the charge here, the first regular services being held in the new seminary, and later continued in the seminary chapel until just before the erection of the present church edifice in 1877. The church was built, at a cost of about $8,000, during the pastorate of the Rev. E. W. Adams. The Rev. N. R. Hinds is the pastor at the present time. The first Lutheran minister was the Rev. N. J. Stroh, who came from Pennsylvania in 1845 and settled in Oregon. Father Stroh's long term of Christian useful- ness ended in 1897, being then over ninety-nine years of age, the oldest minister of the Lutheran Church, and one of the two oldest residents of Ogle County. During the year 1856, at the time of the ministry of Rev. George A. Bowers, the brick edifice, now used for worship by the Chris- tian Church, was erected. One of the pastors, from 1858 to 1859, was the Rev. Cornelius Rem- mensnyder. The present church edifice in the west end of the village was dedicated November 10, 187S. Rev. L. Ford is the present pastor. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was organized in March, 1880, the brick structure of the Lutheran denomination being purchased and remodeled. Jacob Keedy, W. S. Blake and Joseph Waggoner were chosen the first trustees ; Dr. Mershon and C. G. Blakeslee, elders ; W. S. Blake and Scott Kennedy, deacons. Rev G. W. Ross was the first pastor ; the present pastor is the Rev. L. F. DePoister. The membership of the church is about 100. It has a flourishing Sabbath School, a Christian Endeavor Society, and a Ladies' Aid Society. Mount Morris is said to have had the first band in Ogle County, which was formed in the spring of 1845. To-day Mount Morris has still a fine musical company in the Mount Morris Con- cert Band, frequently instructed by Prof. David S. McGosh, composer and teacher. There are four burying grounds in the town- ship of Mount Morris, the "Old Cemetery", within the village limits; Oakwood Cemetery, west of town ;. Silver Creek Cemetery, several miles northeast of town ; and the old Rice Cemetery, about three miles north of town, no longer used for burials. An artesian well was drilled in the year 1895, and a system of water-supply was installed in the village. An electric light plant was estab- lished by private enterprise during the year 1900. The population of the village in 1908 is about 1200. In 1904 an arrangement was made between the Village of Mount Morris and the Mount Morris College, by which a part of the College Campus has been fitted up as a park under the shade of the trees, with a fountain. These grounds make a center around which the business places and homes of the village cluster. Inns and hotels are among the requisites of a community from the beginning. The first regular lodging-place was the large red brick house on the present site of Frank Keedy's livery barn. The red brick house was built by James Clark, and conducted by him under the name of the "New York House," until he, after a little time, rented to Daniel Brayton, and returned to his farm. In 1851 W. S. Blair opened Blair's Hotel in the brick house which is now the residence of Dr. George B. McCosh, whose wife is Mr. Blair's daughter. In 1854, Jonathan Mumma built the Eldorado House on the present site of Hotel Rohrer, and students, mostly, were its boarders. In 1858, it was purchased by J. M. Webb, and for many years the "Webb House" was the home of large number of boarders, and frequent "tran- sients" After the death of Judge Webb the hotel was conducted by Mrs. Webb, who was the daughter of the sincere, ingenuous minister of the Methodist Church of the pioneer days, the Rev. W. P. Jones. This hotel was afterwards conducted by Mrs. Benjamin Rine, Mrs. Mary McCoy, Andrew J. Long and Charles Rohrer. The Webb House was torn down, and the present "Hotel Rohrer" erected upon the site in 1894, Mr. Rohrer dying soon thereafter. The hotel is owned at the present time by a stock company of Mount Morris business men, under the man- agement of A. T. Olson. From the beginning Mount Morris prospered. Settlers were attracted to the neighborhood in order to educate their children, the fertile soil of the land roundabout affording them a sub- stantial living. More inhabitants brought trade and soon places of business began to flourish. The first store, later owned by A. W. Brayton, ("Brayton's Old Reliable,") was started in Octo- ber, 1841, by Rev. Daniel Brayton and son, Fred- erick B. Brayton. A one-story brick machine- shop was built in 1844 by Baker, Pitzer & McCoy, and was torn down in 1876 to make room for the 800 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. present Methodist Church. In this shop were manufactured "travelling" threshing machine, and "Fountain" reapers. Among business firms of Mount Morris from that time to this have been those of Samuel Bents, Hitt & Petrie, Wood & Petrie, H. J. Farwell, Coffman Brothers, William Little & Son, George Brayton, John Ankney, T. C. Ankney, William Hedges, S. N. Beaubein, Jonathan Mumma, Potter & Webb, Atchison & Clems, Edward Davis, Sprecher & Clevidence, L. C. Stanley, A. H. Knodle & Co., F. K. Spalding, B. S. Cripe, D. S. Gripe, G. W. Deppen, Looka- baugh & Middour, B. K. Shryock, Wheeler & Watts, Gilbert & King, Wlngert & Swingley, O. H. Swingley, O. E. Marshall, J. M. Hosking, J. A. Kable, Alfred R. Blnkley, Upton Miller, E. O. Startzman, A. W. Neff, Calvin A. Potter, Joseph Knodle, H. H. Newcomer, Sr., H. L. Smith, George W. Fouke, Peyton Skinner, M. F. Noel, Mrs. Mary McNeill, Mrs. C. Startzman, McCosh & Mishler, Levi Bear, Mrs. Robert Crosby, Brubaker & Sharer, R. E. Arnold & Co.. Jonathan Knodle, S. G. Trine, Peter House- holder, Willis Mumma, H. E. Newcomer, Samuel Knodle, Gregor Thompson, Roy Householder, L. J. Brogunier, A. M. & W. A. Newcomer, Joseph S. Nye, C. E. Price & Co., Baker & Coffman, J. T. Stewart, Joseph Patterson, Clark & Wingert. Samuel P. Mumma, Peter Funk, Wishard & Powell, Price Stouffer. Frank Coffman, Mr. & Mrs. R. C. Clark. The first bank was established August 1, 1877, by Major Charles Newcomer and Dr. Isaac Rice. After Dr. Rice withdrew from the business, it was continued by Major Newcomer until January 1, 1899, when it was included with the business of the Citizen's Bank of Mount Morris, founded in 1893 by Joseph L. Rice and John H. Rice, now making but one banking firm in the village. The first carload of grain marketed from Mount Morris to Chicago after the construction of the Chicago and Iowa Railroad, was raised and sent by Major Newcomer, who erected the middle elevator in 1874. The north elevator was built in 1875 by Daniel Sprecher. This was af- terward purchased by H. H. Clevidence, who was engaged in the grain-buying business for nearly thirty years. Since his death a son, Arthur E. Clevidence, conducts the trade. The south eleva- tor was built in 1882, and is now owned by the Neola Elevator Co. In 1878 John W. Hitt and Thomas Mumma (now of California) erected and established a creamery, for the manufacture of butter and cheese, which has had several owners : Michael E. Miller, William Jackson (now of California), Campbell & MaeMaster, Robert C. McCredie (now of Sunnyside, Washington), at present be- longing to George C. Hopkins, of Oregon. During the occupancy of Mr. McCredie the frame butter- making building was burned down, and the structure now standing was built by him. The Buser Concrete Company of Mount Morris represents a new industry of the present time. Its head is N. E. Buser, an architect and builder of Ogle County. The firm deals in coal and lum- ber, in connection with the building contracts, and with the making of the blocks and like forms out of the concrete substance. One of the important business concerns of Mount Morris is the printing and publishing firm of Kable Brothers Company, first organized in 1898 by Harvey J. and Harry G. Kable, twin brothers, who purchased the weekly "Mount Mor- ris Index," since developed into a large printing establishment. The company was first incorpor- ated in 1904 with a capital stock of $15,000, in- creased in 1906 to $35,000. It now occupies its own building, a modern two-story structure, fur- nished with electric light, power and heating plant, and equipped with modern machinery. A score or more of periodicals are being issued, the larger number being fraternal, beneficiary and society publications, besides book, catalogue and commercial work. The total circulation of the dozen or more such publications printed by the company aggregates over 200,000 monthly. These contracts have all been secured from out-of-town points, including Chicago, Rockford, Oak Park. III., Milwaukee, Stoughton, Wis., Williamsport. Pittsburg, Pa., Detroit, Mich., etc. Sixty-five persons are employed by this company. In recent years in the rich soil about Mount Morris has been developed a thriving and in- creasing industry in fruit-growing and market- gardening, especially in the raising of straw- berries, onions, sweet and Irish potatoes and ginseng. Among the growers of these products are A. W. Brayton, Charles V. Stonebraker, Wil- liam W. Peacock, John H. McNett, John H. French, John Wakenight, Emanuel Holsinger. NASHUA TOWNSHIP. A sketch of the early settlement of Nashua Township has been prepared by Mr. William J. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 801 Fruin, a resident of the township, who came from England with his family, some years ago. It is said that some friends of Mr. Fruin and his family arrived at Honey Creek on the night train one of these later years, during the "break- ing up" of winter, and in the morning they looked out over a great expanse of slush and mud, and heard no cathedral bells. This was different from the old university town, but they would scarcely be willing to exchange their present home iu this fertile region even for one in "merrie old England." "The township was first permanently settled about 1836, by Dr. John Roe, who moved to Lighthouse Point and lived there many years. He died in Nebraska. A son, Dr. M. C. Roe, of Chana, and a grandson, Dr. J. B. Roe, of Oregon, are now practicing medicine in this immediate neighborhood. The exact order in which the settlers came from that time to 1838 is uncertain. It is said that Austin Williams, who had made claim to the site of the present village of Days- ville, selling his claim to Colonel Jehiel Day and some others, but not remaining, had come in 1835 ; and likewise John Carr, who died on his homestead some years ago. Silas Hawthorn, father of Joseph T. Hawthorn and Mrs. John Rutledge, now of Oregon, came in 1838. Ruel Peabody, who settled on Section 28, was one of the well-known first comers, and Major Chamber- lain, who settled on Section 13 ; Stephen Bemis, who settled' on Section 25, and whose son, Stephen A. Bemis, now resides in St. Louis, Mo., and his son, Henry Bemis, in Oregon ; Levi Dort and Henry and Nancy Farwell and family. The Farwell farm is now owned by Col. F. O. Low- den ; the senior- Farwells dying at the home of their daughter, Mrs. E. W. Edson, then of Ster- ling. John Carpenter settled where the village of Watertown afterwards sprang up, part of the farm being still owned by his son, Willis R. Carpenter. James Hatch, John Martin, Alansori, William and Noah L. Bishop, Joseph Williams, Riley Paddock, John Edmonds, Seth H. Hills, Daniel, Richard and John McKenney, with their families, and William J. Keyes were among the early settlers. "The man who had first made claim to the land on which Daysville is situated, and built there a log house( had sold to Colonel Day (for whom the village was named), Jonathan Rawson, and James Moore, and they laid out the village in 1837. The wife of Jehiel Day was Cynthia Hemenway, sister of the first owner of Hemen- way Place. A descendant, their daughter Rosa, now Mrs. John Bain, now resides in Rochelle. Soon after came John Taylor and family, Henry Stiles, William Jackson, Lyman Reed (father of Virgil E. Reed), and Daniel Day. Lyman Reed lived here till the time of his death, as did also the Colonel and Mrs. Day, James Moore whose wife was also a sister of Luke Hemenway, was residing at Dixon at the time of his decease. The only store now in Daysville is that of George M. Reed, which is a continuation of the store estab- lished by his father, Lyman Reed. The present Probate Judge of Ogle County, Frank E. Reed, of Oregon, is a son of this merchant, George M. Reed. Henry Stiles ran a polo ferry across Rock River near the village in 1837. Aaron Baldwin, William J. Mix, and others continued it, ending with that of Simon Wilson about 1860, since which time none has been operated. "As Daysville was one of the earliest of Ogle County villages, it was made one of the stations of the Methodist Circuit soon after it was laid out. Leander S. Walker was among the first to hold regular service and Barton H. Cartwright was the last to preach regularly. For many years the Rev. Erastus Woodsworth preached every fourth Sabbath. The present minister in the township is the Rev. Alfred Simester, ap- pointed by the Rock River Conference in 1907, living in the parsonage by the Methodist Church at Lighthouse, where religious services are held regularly. The prospects for Daysville were quite flattering, and an active trade was carried on by four stores ; but, when the railroad came through, and passed it by, its prosperity was ended. In the northeast corner of the township Honey Creek station was established on the Chi- cago & Iowa Railroad, and a village plat was laid out by Major (baptismal name, not military title) Chamberlain in 1873. W. T. Wilson was the first postmaster at Honey Creek. He was followed by Alonzo Wood in 1877, who opened up a stock of groceries at this point." Other Hamlets. — Honey Creek has in 1908 about thirty-four inhabitants. An elevator is located there under the operation of the Neola Elevator Company, and vegetable gardening is carried on by Theodore Cole. Watertown is now a place of several dwelling houses, some of them standing upon the abutting farms, and here is located the interesting and rare collection of boulders of Mr. V. E. Reed, Vft fffSTOBY OF OGLE COUXTY. wtw J,t*5« ct«f« a jart of v.* <>?,£,:.>.. John Car- j^AVrf 1»r:it, Uttf ■*>■"<■- '/? M.-. ICe>ed faei.'-j; a O-^isr:.- t*r '/? tfria y/)i>f.r Titi* *...*.&: i* located upon K^to li. ver ; «l««r« w* were carried on seresral iin'..i:.K it>'<- tt»«fy *o ws-At-A for witw. nick member of the houwAoid. A ?<;•/, yrsarx prior to her death, Mrs. (i/,<-, who -//»>, then living with her hoo in Ghana, puMi'bed 30 interesting VOiUW: of ll':ttl'.hiV*mlfm of the early e^perienc*, in till* region, of her«-If ami tiiiiiit:/. To Mr. V. K. ileed the writer 1* indebted tor tie- following recollection* of Dayv.ville : "In Die <-;irl,y 'forties I >:> yavMb was one of the prom- ising litfb- village* of the Ktate of Illinois, being situated on the banks (it S'jfV. Illvct near the month of fh<- Kyle, come three mile* southeast of Oregon, (he county seal, ft retains a place o/i the map. but prosperity for many years has '■'■unfit l« smile upon II. Many of the streets are clo.ed lo the public, and most, of the building.** hnvc linnhled down, never to resume the business of I he past, which was varied and had good pat- ronage. Two coomiudlous hotels were managed by different landlords at different titties: A. J. Gil- herl occupied Hie old Itanlel ftay house for cvcral years, and was pros[*crniiH, while Rlehard llardei-ly did equally well ul I he old .lames .Moore limine. These are hoi Ii gone. The mall wiih con- veyed lo Hie lown llirh'e weekly by Hie (Frink & Walker Hinge Une), running between Itoek- I'ni'd ii nil IM son. "There was n nourishing I rude carried on by I be tbei'i'liiiiilH of Hie place. Wlllluin .1. Mix WMM pro|ii'lelor of ii large nssorl inenl of dry good*, grorcrlcH, elc. ; ulsn Joseph WllllaniK (known iih H(|Ulre) owned Hie Mucke.ye Slore. David Mi'llenry wiih one of the moneyed men, mid dean In all i nni <>r goiulH, Mending mil a peddler's wiigiiu Ihroiighoiil Hie coiinlry for ninny yeni'i 1 . I.yinnn I'.eeil, for Iwenly years or more, ell ti'liil an iissnl'l inenl of dry goods, groceries, elolblng, bonis mill hIioch, bnnlwiirc mid inedl- eliH'ii. ( l. II. .Incksnn, for ii lime, ilenll In n VMI'lely nf f'.noilM, .lull II M. Illllkle condilcleil n gcnenil slore. Ocorgc Wlllliuiis worked nt Ills li'tide. Mini of shoe iniikliig, Ills son John denll In r r>r3.~r.'.rmeey. Wefewne M:->"ir»* iJK asaeral \,lssm:-~::.-::.'.:-z tx-d gnE-repairiiig. Jmepto ParScer for z'.jiji'i ream did the zedioriug and later W!E- iaia Ckmd. William Cox and Hs.rve-7 Hitc&eoefc . Dr. Aden C. D. Pratt had a good practice, and later Dr. Addison Newton practiced medicine in the place. So promising was DaysTHle at one time that David JIc-Henry erected a large ware- house near the river, in anticipation of river traffic "One store still exists as managed the past forty-odd years by George >I. Reed. He also held the office of Town Clerk for over thirty-one years. The Rural Free Delivery has displaced the post- office. "The district school is still running, but its early house, erected sixty years ago by Lyman Reed, has long since been rebuilt by his son. Ooorge M. Reed. One of the early teachers, and who was much liked by her scholars, was Mrs. Oewift Sears, of Oregon, whose husband was for a number of years teacher In the district sehooN of the county, and whose son and granddaughter are engaged in the same profession, in Ogle t'oiinty in 1908. "A weaver's loom is now in operation and turns out a good quality of rag carpet. The latest industry of Daysville now in progress is that of 'clam catching'. A camp of fishermen is located at the river and hundreds of tons of the shells are piled there. A fish wagon makes weekly trips through the country selling fresh fish." Among oilier settlers of the region were Lor- enzo lilssell, who came from Canada in 1840, and who still resides with his wife and a son and daughter upon his farm near Lighthouse; Moses Hlssell, his brother, who came in 1S47, and who died recently at his home in Oregon, where his wife mid daughter Florence are now living; Thomas Stewnrl, :i stanch Presbyterian, who with his brothers, John and William Stewart, came to this region from County Tyrone, Ireland. Mr. Thomas Stewart died in 1906 in Sacramento, • 'ul., where his widow, Margaret Snyder Stewart, HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 803 is now living. David H. Wilson, who resides a part of the year upon his land near Lighthouse, and a part of the year at Cleveland, Ohio, where he at one time filled a position in connection with the Internal Revenue Department, and is one of the stockholders of the Ogle County Bank, at Oregon, is the only remaining descendant of a family of early settlers in this region. For some time during the life of Mr. Hemenway, Mr. Wil- son was in charge of the Hemenway Place, which is situated in Nashua Township, and is now the heart of the Sinnissippl Farm. Daniel and Will- iam T. Williams are enterprising farmers living in the vicinity of Daysville, and are members of a family well-known among the early residents of the township, the head of the family, George Williams, having come to this region from County Cork, Ireland. Near here also, is the summer home of the artist A. D. Reed. (See pen and ink sketch of the Driscoll Boulder). In this neighborhood is the farm long owned by Thomas Morse, who now lives in Chicago. The property has been purchased by Louis Kiefer, stock-broker and exporter at the Union Stock Yard's, Chicago, who uses this farm, and some others in other localities, for the raising and feeding of cattle. A Margaret Fuller Word Picture. — The fol- lowing attractive picture of a church in this region was written by Margaret Fuller in 1S43 : "Passing through one of the fine, park-like woods, almost clear from underbrush and carpeted with thick grass and flowers, we met (for it was Sunday) a little congregation just returning from their service, which had been performed in a rude house in its midst. It had a sweet and peaceful air, as if such words and thoughts were very dear to them. The parents had with them all their little children ; but we saw no old people ; that charm was wanting which exists in such scenes in older settlements, of seeing the silver bent in reverence beside the flaxen head." In the Cemetery at Daysville is the Soldiers' Monument which was erected in 1900. ( See illus- trations.) The erection of this monument is due to the patriotic efforts of the late Dr. H. A. Mix of Oregon, and Mr. Virgil E. Reed, they both having served in the War of the Rebellion. This memorial is of Bedford granite, being form- ed of a series of tapering blocks, surmounted by the figure of a soldier with his gun at rest. Upon the faces of the basic blocks are inscribed the names of 379 soldiers. These names include all the soldiers of Nashua and Oregon Townships who had served in any of the wars of our coun- try, and of those who had come from other localities and were living in the two townships at the time of the placing of the monument. All soldiers buried in the Daysville Cemetery are now interred in the memorial lot. The cost of the monument, about $1,600, was paid by contri- butions from the old soldiers and their friends. Township Officers. — The following have been Supervisors of Nashua Township : Joseph Will- iams, 1850-51 ; Riley Paddock, 1852 ; Enoch Wood, 1853; William J. Mix, 1854; Jehiel Day, 1855; Enoch Wood 1856-57; Philo B. Wood, 1858-59; Major Chamberlain, 1860; Riley Paddock, 1861- 62 ; John M. Hinkle, 1863 ; John Carpenter, 1864- 73 ; Lorenzo Bissell, 1874-75 ; James Bailey, 1876- 81; Frank W. March, 1882; Webster C. Smith, 1883; Frank W. March, 1884; James Malarkey, 1885-88; William G. Stevens, 1889-90; Frank W. March, 1891-94; Clinton Bemis, 1895-96; Fred- erick Bissell, 1897-98; Clinton Bemis, 1899-1902; Willis F. Carpenter, 1903-04; Clinton Bemis, 1905; William J. Fruin, 1906-08. The other officers of the township for 1908 are : Town Clerk, Edward Smith; Assessor, Leon A. Reed; Tax Collector, George J. Fruin ; Justices of the Peace, Leon A. Reed, Henry E. Arnold ; Highway Com- missioners, Frank Althouse, George Carson, George J. Fruin; School Treasurer, Charles E. Cross. OREGON TOWNSHIP. Pioneer names of Oregon Township as contra- distinguished from the names of settlers of the village, first of Florence and later of Oregon, the places of their nativity and the years of their arrival, are as follows : George W. Hill, Vermont, 1S37 ; Joseph Henshaw, and Hugh Ray, Ireland, 1837; Michael Seyster, St., Maryland, 1838; James Rae, Ireland, 1838; Daniel Etnyre, Mary- land, 1839 ; Joseph F. Hawthorne, New York, 1840; Lemuel Wood, New York, 1844; Rev. Erastus Wadsworth, New York, 1845 ; Solomon J. Eschbach and Rebecca Hinkle, Pennsylvania, 1850 ; Frank A. Sauer and Michael Sauer, Baden, Germany, 1S51 ; Eva Sauer, Luxembourg, Germ- any, 1857; Edward D. Murray, Ireland, 1858. Names of the settlers of Oregon and a narrative of the early years of the new county seat will be 804 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. found in chapter XXII, in a paper prepared by Col. B. F. Sheets. The first newspaper of Ogle County, the "Rock River Register", published at Mount Morris, in its issue of October 28, 1842, ten months after the first number was printed, contained an article relating to Oregon, in which the new town's business statistics are given as follows: "One clock and watchmaker, one saddler and harness- maker, three cabinet makers, two painters and glaziers, one turner, one wheelwright, two masons and plasterers, two shoemakers, one blacksmith, one chair maker, three tailors, two barbers, two stores, one grocery, two taverns, and six attor- neys-at-law." Reminiscences of Rock Riveb Valley. — In 1851, the "Mount Morris Gazette," the successor of the "Register", which withstood the vicissi- tudes of pioneer journalism only two or three years, published a series of articles entitled, "Reminiscences of Rock River Valley", supposed to be from the pen of Samuel Fellows, then a professor in Rock River Seminary, wherein is found the following: "Hon. Thomas Ford, late Governor of this State, settled in Oregon in 1836. . . W. W. Ful- ler, Esq., S. X. Sample and J. V. Gale were also among the most influential men in the early his- tory of Oregon. The whole country around Oregon, I might add the whole Rock River Val- ley, was settled by a very intelligent and enter- prising class of inhabitants. Most of them were from The middle class of society, both in regard to intelligence and wealth. They had been ac- customed in their native States to habits of in- dustry, and they did not leave those habits behind them. They endured the hardships in- cident to a new country with patience, and entered upon the labor of opening farms and gathering around them the comforts of life with a zeal and determination which could not fail of success. Xor, while they were thus engaged in securing their own interest, did they neglect the public weal. As soon as a sufficient number of families settled in a town or neighborhood, a schooolhouse was built and a school opened." Ferries and Bridges. — Rock River at Oregon was first crossed by ferry. Soon after John Phelps made his second claim where Oregon is now situated, he built and operated a ferry. He was instrumental in having a new State road from Chicago to Galena cross Rock River at this point over his ferry, which he continued to own for many years. Mr. Phelps was a Southerner with the South's sectional prejudices of that day. Gov. Ford, in his "History of Illinois," while recognizing the mutual prejudice then existing between natives of the North and South, in dis- cussing the social conditions of that day, takes note of the Southerner's hospitality, which was illustrated in the case of John Phelps, as shown by the recollections of Mr. John Hitt, present deputy collector of customs in Chicago, but form- erly of Mount Morris, in an address prepared for delivery before a meeting of old settlers in 1907, and later printed in the "Mount Morris Index." Mr. Hitt says : "My father and mother moved to this beauti- ful country in the 'thirties, with their family of three little boys. We were ferried across Rock River at Oregon, and spent our first night in Ogle County at the house of Mr. and Mrs. John Phelps. Do any of you remember your first ar- rival here on the prairies? Do you recall the hearty welcome given you by the neighbors who had lately moved to the Rock River Country? Well, that was the welcome we received from Mr. John Phelps and his family, which then included his daughter, Miss Sarah Phelps, afterwards Mrs. Johnson. Their kind tone of voice and their words of solicitude to make us comfortable after a long and weary trip overland, ring in my ears to-day. In memory's glass I see their friendly faces as they bade us welcome to our new home in Ogle County. Long years since, after lives of honorable usefulness, they passed away here in Ogle County, but I can not fail to pay a tribute of appreciative words to the first Ogle County family I met in Oregon." The ferry was a matter of legislative franchise, and the rates were fixed by law : For a footman, 12% cents ; for man and horse. 25 cents ; for two horses, or yoke of oxen, and wagon, 75 cents ; for two-horse pleasure carriage, $1. The ferry continued to be used until 1852, when the first bridge was built. This was a toll bridge, provid- ed by private capital. The Board of Supervisors undertook to make a donation of $1,000. but was enjoined by the Circuit Court from paying over the money. Wooden piles formed the foundation and the life of the bridge was short, being carried away by ice in 1857. In 1858 the County Board appropriated $8,000 for a free bridge, the remainder of the total cost of $25,000 to be raised by the Town of Oregon. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 805 Of this remainder ($17,000), $10,000 was sub- scribed by people of the county, the residue being raised by assessment on the town. The contract was let for $24,915, but contractor Pierce dying soon after taking the contract, his surety, H. A. Mix, undertook and completed the work. The bridge was accepted by the Supervisors in 1859. Bridge No. 2, after being in use eight years, fell on June 5, 1867 — or two spans did — after having undergone "thorough" repairing, and being "considered entirely safe" a month before. A ferry was then re-established. The Board of Supervisors voted an appropriation this time of $15,000, provided, that the Town of Oregon "pay the sum of $5,000 for said purpose." The con- tract went to Canada and Hinckley for $20,000 and the old bridge. The bridge was turned over to the authorities on November 4, 1867. By 1870, Bridge No. 3 was showing the need of substantial and extensive repairs. These came in 1882, when the roof was removed, new braces placed underneath, and the entire structure given a general over-hauling, and the "Hinckley Bridge", as it was called, lasted fifteen years until 1897. By that time is was unsafe, and in the spring of that year, work was begun on the present iron-bridge by the Lafayette Bridge Company of Lafayette, Ind. It was ordered by the Board of Supervisors that the cost should not exceed $20,000, of which $12,000 should be paid by the county, and the remaining $8,000 by the Town of Oregon. The contract was awarded for $19,500 and completed that year. During the interim traffic was kept moving by means of a pontoon bridge, planned and erected by Col. B. F. Sheets, after the manner of those used in the Civil War. Religious Societies. — The first denomination to organize for religious activity in Oregon was the Methodist, when in 1839 Rev. G. G. Worth- ington established a class of eleven persons, two of whom were men. Oregon was then on the Buffalo Grove Circuit, established four years earlier, extending from Rochelle to the Missis- sippi River and from Prophetstown an equal dis- tance north. James McKean was the first pastor to travel this district ; but the best known circuit- rider in Oregon was the Rev. Barton Cartwright. who later made his home at Mount Morris, and. after that again in Oregon, where he died. Becoming the head of an Oregon Circuit in 1852, and in 1869 a station, requiring a pastor's whole time, the Oregon charge had increased sufficiently in membership to accomplish the building of a first church (1857) and a parson- age (1869), at a cost respectively of $3,000 and $2,800. In 1873 the present brick edifice was erected at a cost of $15,000, the interior of which has recently been remodeled, refurnished and redecorated. Among the appointments made by the Rock River Conference for the Oregon pulpit was that, in 1884, of Rev. P. H. Sheets, who had grown up in Oregon and : in the Methodist Church, the son of Col. B. F. Sheets. Keeping pace with the progress of the church is a flourishing Sunday School, which for many years was under the able superintendence of Col. B. P. Sheets. The church has a present mem- bership of 256. The present pastor is Rev. J. W. Punston ; members of the Board of Trustees are B. P. Sheets, P. G. Jones, Z. A. Landers, George Hiestand, J. E. Powell, S. H. Burns, Albert Bis- sell, John Purves. The Lutheran denomination was the first in Oregon to erect a church building, which stood for many years at the north edge of the Court House grounds and was the church home for a long time, not only for the Lutherans, but of the Methodists and Presbyterians as well. The cor- ner-stone was laid in 1850, two years after the organization of the society, during which interim meetings were held at the "Phelps School House." The organization was effected by the Rev. X. J. Stroh, the first Lutheran pastor in the county, the pioneer of his church, who was on the ground as early as 1846. Father Stroh continued a resident of the county for the remainder of his life, living until 1897, which brought him within one year of being a centenarian, meaning in his case ninety years in the faith. In 1802, the first church, which had been remodeled, enlarged and much improved in 1875, was torn down, the lot sold and the present edifice built at the cor- ner of Fifth and Jefferson Streets. The latter is of Romanesque architecture, built of red pressed brick with Bedford stone trimmings, and is valued at $10,000. A parsonage has been built on the lot adjoining on the north. A quaint deed of gift pertaining to the bell that used to ring out from the cupola of the old Lutheran church of 1850 on public occasions and for municipal purposes, as well as for re- ligious uses, has been preserved among the records of the Ladies' Philanthropic Sewing So- ciety of Oregon, and is now in the possession 806 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. of Mrs. Alice E. Light of Oregon. The follow- ing is a copy : "The Ladies' Philanthropic Society of Oregon, wishing to secure as far as in their power the greatest good to the public, hereby agree to make the following disposition of the Bell which they purchased and fulfill the expectation of the com- munity as promised : The Society donate the bell in trust to the Lutheran Church of Oregon, to be put up in the belfry of their house of wor- ship, to remain there for use so long as the building shall be used as a house of worship, re- serving the right to the citizens of Oregon to use the bell in said church on all public and suitable occasions as a Town Bell. This agreement may be terminated by consent of the Trustees of said Church and the citizens of the Town at any time, but not by one party so long as these terms are complied with ; and if, at any time, there shall be a failure on the part of said Lutheran Church, or its Trustees, the Bell with its fixtures shall be at the disposal of the citizens of Ore- gon ; this instrument to take effect as soon as approved by the Society and accepted by the Trustees of said Church. "Signed by us, a Committee hereunto duly empowered by said Society. Mary H. Crowell, Malviwa S. Potwin. "Accepted this Twenty-sixth Day of August, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hun- dred and Fifty-one (1851). Geokge Lilly, Sen., Daniel Etnyre, Ernst J. Reiman, "Trustees of the Lutheran Church." When the old church, after standing for near- ly fifty years, was superseded by the present church on a different site, the bell was trans- ferred to the belfry of the latter, where, in its new surroundings and to another generation of worshippers, it still proclaims religion's "Sweet hour of prayer." Two of the earliest active settlers of Oregon, John M. Schneider and Michael None, being of the Catholic faith, soon exerted themselves to have a service of their church conducted in Ore- gon, and by subscription raised $1,600, with which the stone church at the corner of Third and Monroe Streets was built in 1862. That continued to be their house of worship until 1800, when the present large and beautiful St. Mary's church was erected on the corner of Fourth and Monroe Streets at a cost of $17,000. The architect was F. Herr of Dubuque, and the contractor and builder was N. E. Buser of Mount Morris. During the fall of 1908 the in- terior has been frescoed, all the work being freehand. For some years mass was said and the other services of the church were conducted at irreg- ular intervals by visiting priests, the first to officiate by appointment being Rev. Lightner, who came from Dixon 'each alternate Sunday. The first to be stationed at Oregon, though hold- ing service also at Polo and Byron, was Rev. Otto Greenbaum. The present priest is Rev. Andrew J. Burns. The membership numbers 225. A recent bull of the Pope, dated at Rome, Sep- tember 23, 1908, provided for erecting the dio- cese of Rockford, and later, Pius X, named Bishop P. J. Muldoon, of Chicago, as the first Bishop of the new diocese. His authority ex- tends over twelve counties, the Oregon church being included in the new See. The organization of the Presbyterian Society of Oregon was accomplished in 1873, with twen- ty-three members. Prior to that time, as already stated, those of that faith made a part of the Lutheran congregation. The first elders were E. L. Wells, Anson Barnum, and Harvey Jew- ett ; the first pastor was Rev. Robert Proctor. In 1874 a church edifice was erected and dedi- cated at the corner of Fifth and Jefferson Streets, which for thirty-five years has served its purpose. To its first cost of $14,000, $1,200 was added several years ago for interior changes. Rev. Arthur S. Hoyt, who was pastor from 1878 to 1887, but is now of the Theological Seminary at Auburn, N. Y., returned in May, 1908, to preach the funeral sermon of a member of his former congregation, and one of the original twenty- three who constituted the first membership in Oregon — Miss Agnes J. McMollan. Among sev- eral other bequests for religious uses Miss McMollan gave $500 to the Oregon church. The work of the church is continually and exten- sively furthered by the Ladies' Aid Society. The membership at this time numbers 110. The members of the Board of Trustees are : P. E. Hastings, C. D. Etnyre, F. R. Artz, J. H. Cart- wright, and H. G. Kauffman. The pastor is the Rev. John Henry Rheingans. Education. — A desire to be abreast of the times in education has always prevailed in Ore- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 807 gon, the school sentiment being common to most of the towns of Northern Illinois. The several grounds and buildings of the public school have been the outcome of hearty interest and liberal expenditure. The teacher has been highly re- spected and esteemed. The character of a people, their worth as a community, is, perhaps, never better illustrated than in their attitude towards the school and teacher. (The pioneer schools of Oregon are referred to quite fully in Chapter XXV of this history.) In 1873 the Oregon school was for the first time systematically graded. The division was made into ten grades, after the system of that time, by Superintendent Emanuel Brown. Two years later Mr. Brown, whose place as Superin- tendent had been filled during the intervening year by John R. Leslie, added a two-years' high school course. The first class was graduated in 1877, numbering two members, who were Mary J. Mix (Mrs. Henry D. Barber) and Helen A. Mix (Mrs. George Hormell). In 1876 S. B. Wadsworth became Superintendent, continuing until 1886. He added a year to the high school course, and changed the grading by adopting the plan of eight grades instead of ten, which re- mains to-day the plan in common use the country over. Succeeding Superintendents were : William Bellis, J. R. Gibson, and Lincoln E. Harris during the years from 1886 to 1895. In 1894 the present commodious building was erect- ed upon the gently sloping elevation covering an entire block and occupying a particularly handsome site, the cost being $20,000. It was occupied in January, 1895, W. J. Sutherland being then Superintendent and continuing until 1901. Under his administration the high school course was extended to four years, which had come to be the rule in most schools, and which so remains to-day. The eight grades were re- duced to seven. This proved to be an injury to efficient grade instruction, and, in 1904, under the administration of E. S. Hady, Ph. D., who became Superintendent in 1901, the former sys- tem of eight grades was restored. From 1905 to 1907 the Superintendent was George C. Griswold, A. B. By this time a special teacher of drawing had been employed, who with the special teach- er of music, the four teachers in the high school and those of the grades, made a corps of four- teen teachers in all, which is the present num- ber. The Superintendent during the past and the present year is F. G. Taylor. Up to the present time approximately 230 graduates have taken the courses of study and received the school diploma. During the past year the Lowden oratorical contest has been established for the senior class of the High School. Under its conditions the fiim of $25, the gift of Col. F. O. Lowden, is expended for two gold medals, one to be given to the boy who writes and delivers the best oration in a competitive test with the other boys of the senior class, and the other to the girl who writes and delivers the best essay among the girls in the senior class. The first contest was held at the Methodist church on the evening of May 8, 1908, and the medals were awarded to Edna Becker, who chose for her subject "Chivalry," and Harlan G. Kauffman, whose subject was "The Spanish Armada." The event created much interest. The Wells Training School. — The Wells School was established April 14, 1879, by Mr. E. L. Wells, who had been Superintendent of the Ogle County Schools for twelve years. He found many earnest and faithful young teachers who wished to improve in their work, but could not go away to a normal school. For several years Mr. Wells had planned a school which students might attend for any length of time and take such studies as they chose. After visiting schools in Europe, he established this school. For a considerable time it was known as the Teachers' Training School, abbreviated by the students to "T. T. S." The opportunity for taking chosen studies brought students who desired county, State, and Chicago certificates, some of them being Principals of High Schools, Superintendents of City Schools, and County Superintendents, at one time including eight graduates of the Illinois State Normal Univer- sity. State Superintendent Richard Edwards, in a biennial report, gave the names of thirty-five persons to whom he had granted Life State Certificates, seventeen of whom were students of this school. This advanced work resulted in nearly 100 students obtaining state certificates, and as many more obtaining Chicago certificates and teaching in that city. The total number of Mr. Wells' students has been 1,412, represent- ing sixty-one counties in Illinois and twenty-two different States, the largest total attendance in any one year being 168. 808 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Mr. Wells, feeling that a younger man must take his place, in 1895 selected Horace W. Sulli- van for Associate Principal. Mr. Sullivan had been a student in the school and had proved himself thorough in his work. He was granted a five-year State certificate in August, 1895, and, in 1897, as a result of more extended work, a State certificate of life-grade was awarded him and, in 190J. he became sole owner and man- ager of the school. The school affords oppor- tunity for regular courses of instruction in thir- ty branches of study, the topics assigned em- bracing collectively the entire work of any given branch of study. Public Libkary. — In March, 1872, the Gen- eral Assembly enacted a law authorizing cities, villages and townships to establish and main- tain public libraries by the levy of a tax, not to exceed one mill (since extended to two mills) per $100 upon all assessable property. In De- cember of the same year the City Council of Oregon passed an ordinance carrying out the provisions of the law by providing a library and reading room for the general public. The fol- lowing constituted the first Board of Directors : Albert Woodcock, E. L. Wells, G. C. T. Phelps, G. W. Hormell, J. B. Hitt, John Matmiller, John Rutledge and William W. Bennett, and at their first meeting Albert Woodcock was elected Presi- dent and E. L. Wells, Secretary. At the next meeting. January 10, 1873, Albert Woodcock and W. W. Bennett were appointed a committee for the selection of books. The first place for keeping the books was the drug-store of R. C. Burchell, but in December, 1874, a permanent location was found, two rooms being leased of J. B. Mix on the second floor of his building on Washington Street (now the First National Bank Building) at a rental of $30 per annum, and these have continued to be the home of the library to the present time. For a number of years the members of the Library Board took turns in acting as Librarian, during the two or three evenings of each week when llie library was open. In 1903 Mrs. Addie Welty, the first salaried Librarian, was appointed, after a service of two years being succeeded by Miss Ethel Herbert, and the same two years ago, by the present Librarian, Miss Emily Cartwright. In 1904. through an inquiry and request made by the writers hereof, it was learned that Mr. Andrew Carnegie would donate $10,000 for a public library building in Oregon. In order to meet his condition of a maintenance fund of ten per cent, the people voted to change from a city to a township library. They were also in- vited by the Library Board to vote upon the selection of a site, the location chosen being at the corner of Third and Jefferson Streets. The following citizens constituted the Library Board at this time : W. H. Guilford, Presi- dent; C. D. Etnyre, Secretary; J. C. Seyster, Michael Farrell, F. E. Reed and Horace G. Kauffiman. In the spring of 1907 W. H. Guil- ford and J. C. Seyster refused to stand for re- election, and on account of the vacancies thus created, Franc Bacon and D. A. Bellis were elected. Plans for the library building were drawn by Messrs. Pond and Pond, architects of Chicago and members of the summer colony of artists at Eagle's Nest Bluff, and the contract was let in the summer of 1907, to M. D. Smith, of Dixon, 111. The building is now finished, and about to be occupied. It is of white brick, of Elizabethan- Gothic architecture and severely plain. The interior is commodious and pleasing. At the suggestion of the artists' colony an art room was provided by making a portion of the build- ing two stories in height, and to meet the addi- tional expense of $2,000, Col. and Mrs. F. O. Lowden contributed $1,000 and Mr. Wallace Heekman, $100. Mrs. Malvina F. Potwin, a long time resident of Oregon, her family being among the earliest settlers, included among the bequests of her last will and testament, pro- bated in 1905, a gift to the library of $500. The books number upwards of 2,500 volumes, not including encyclopedias and other works of reference, numbering about 100 volumes. In its new home the library will be much more con- veniently housed, and, with the two fine new reading rooms, its efficiency and usefulness will be greatly increased. The first use of the new art room, which was also the first use made of the library building, was an exhibit of paintings in October, 1908, by Leon A. Makielski, of the Artists' Camp at Eagle's Nest. The paintings numbered over 100 and were Mr. Makielski's work done at Eagle's Nest, all the different canvases representing scenes along and near Rock River at Oregon. The exhibit continued each afternoon for a week, with a reception on Saturday afternoon to Mr. HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 809 Makielski under the direction of the Oregon Woman's Council, by whom a painting was pur- chased for placing in one of the reading rooms of the library. Other purchases were also made. Newspapers. — Two weekly newspapers are published in Oregon — the "Ogle County Re- porter" and the "Ogle County Republican." The former, the older of the two, has been published under its present caption since the fall of 1851, prior to which, for a few months, it was known as the "Ogle County Gazette," founded by R. C. Burchell, who continued as publisher until 1853, when he sold to Mortimer W. Smith. Between that date and 1872, it changed proprietors sev- eral times, the different owners being Edward H. Leggitt (1857), John Sharp (1861), M. W. Smith (1868), Charles L. Miller and E. L. Otis (1871), Charles L. Miller and J. P. Miller (1871), W. II. Gardner (1871), W. H. Gardner and Timoleon O. Johnston (1872), T. O. John- ston (1872). Mr. Johnston remained publisher and editor until his death in 1899. Meantime he built for an office and print-shop the brick building on the east side of Third Street about 120 feet south of the Schiller Piano Factory. Later in the same year the paper was sold by the administratrix of Mr. Johnston's estate to P. G. Schatzle, who came to Oregon from Free- port, and a partner whose interest Mr. Schatzle bought out soon afterward, the latter continuing to conduct the enterprise until 1906, when he disposed of the property to the present owner and editor, Frank R. Robinson, formerly of .Chicago. The "Reporter" was at first neutral in politics, but in 1856 it espoused the cause of the newly organized Republican party by giving its sup- port in the Presidential election of that year to Fremont and Dayton, and since then has always been a stalwart Republican sheet. For more than half a century it has chronicled the local life of Oregon and vicinity and has re- ported the important county and state news to the satisfaction of a large list of subscribers. The present proprietor of the "Reporter" is improving its columns in the matter of news presented in a clear, courteous and attractive manner, and, particularly, is conducting an edi- torial page which shows much more than com- mon ability on his part as a ready and pleasing writer. Mr. Robinson is the author of a num- ber of short stories, dealing chiefly with rail- road life, which have been published by the leading magazines, especially "The Cosmopoli- tain" and "McClure's." The newspaper out of which has grown the "Ogle County Republican," began under the own- ership and direction of B. B. Bemis, by whom it was christened the "Ogle County Local," and was printed in a small building where the Knodle Brothers laundry now is, its first issue being on May 4, 1888. In 1890, then having a circulation of 1,000 copies, it was sold to J.. D. Seibert and S. G. Mason, who continued as its publishers for four years, when they disposed of it to a stock company, whose shareholders were F. G. Jones, Rev. Caldwell, and E. L. Reed, the last named acting as manager. The name was changed to the "Local Advocate." Shortly afterward a fire occurred at its place of publi- cation, which then was the rooms over the store of F. G. Jones, and a little later sale was made to E. L. Reed, and the name was changed to "Ogle County Republican," which has continued to the present time. In 1895 Mr. Reed asso- ciated with him Z. A. Landers of Creston, who had formerly been engaged in the newspaper business. They continued as partners until 1898, when Mr. Reed, upon leaving Oregon, leased his interest to Frank E. Sorrells, and in September, 1900, sold out to his junior partner, since which time Mr. Landers has remained editor and publisher, but in 1906 took his son, Ernest D. Landers, into the business with him, the firm becoming Landers and Son. The paper was printed for several years in the building now occupied by the "Ogle County Reporter," but in 1900 the plant was removed to its present quarters in the Kauffman-Bemis Building, where room had been designed and provided for it when the building was erected. In politics, the "Republican" advocates the principles of the party indicated by its name, and has from the time it came under the management of E. L. Reed. It has been said of the present editor that he "has energy, ability and a brilliant method of expression," and under his manage- ment the circulation of the paper has greatly increased, and it has won a position near the front rank of the weekly papers of the State. A third paper, the "Independent-Democrat" was conducted for some years by A. H. Wag- goner, who, in 1896, sold out to Reed & Landers, who disposed of the presses, etc., to purchasers 810 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. in various parts of the county and it went out of existence. Before the paper's ownership by Wag- goner, it had been published under varying titles by William B. Ray, Henry P. Dason, Charles R. Hawes, G. L. Bennett, J. J. Buser, E. T. Ritchie and Samuel Wilson, originating under the direction of the last named editor, in 1866, under the name of the "Oregon National Guard," as an organ of the local democracy. Banking Institutions. — The First National Bank of Oregon was organized in 1872, being formed from the private bank of Lott and Baird, which began as Baird & Miller, in 1870. The first President was Daniel Etnyre, and James D. Lott was the first Cashier. The capital is $50,000 with a surplus at this time of $30,000. The Bank owns its well appointed office build- ing. It has within the past year opened a sav- ings account department, as well as added to its equipment a special vault of safety deposit boxes. Its resources, as shown by its last state- ment, February 11, 1909, were $376,895.04. The directors at this time are J. L. Rice, Charles Schneider, W. H. Guilford, George H. Mix, and Charles D. Etnyre, the two first named being President and Cashier, respectively, with John D. Mead, Assistant Cashier, who succeeded Stephen H. Pankhurst, the latter having been identified with the bank for many years. The Ogle County Bank was established in 1884 upon a re-organization of the Exchange Bank of Oregon ( which was founded in 1878 by John B. Seibert and William Artz, the latter retiring in 1884, and P. 'E. Hastings, Simon and Joseph Sheaff coming in as new partners. John B. Seibert was the first President and P. E. Hastings the first Cashier. It began business with a capital of $30,000, and soon after erected the fine brick building where its business has since been carried on. In 1884, John B. Seibert retired and John Sheaff entered as Assistant Cashier. In 1907 the Bank was incorporated as a state bank with a capital of $50,000. It opened a savings account department and provided a special vault of safety deposit boxes. Its re- sources according to its last statement, February 11, 1909, were $308,996.46. Its directors are P. E. Hastings, John Sheaff, H. C. Peek, P. C. Malarkey, and Glyndon Haas, the first two and last named being President, Cashier, and As- sistant Cashier, respectively. In 1906 Oregon's third bank, the Oregon State Savings Bank, was organized. The first Board of Directors was made up of J. C. Seyster, George M. McKenney, W. W. Crowell, Jacob Zeigler, and C. M. Gale, who chose the first and last named President and Cashier, respectively. Miss Martha Gale is Assistant Cashier. The stockholders have provided a permanent home for the bank by the erection of a handsome new brick building, with front of Bedford stone, on Washington Street, which was completed and first occupied in March, 1908. The bank has a savings account department, and part of the double vault is devoted to safety deposit boxes. Each of the three Oregon banks is paying three per cent interest on savings accounts, three per cent on certificates of deposit if left six months, and four per cent if left one year. Manufactures. — The Schiller Piano Company is Ogle County's largest industrial enterprise It was started in a small way in 1893, with local capital, most of which was furnished by F. G. Jones, who was elected President. Mr. Jones took no active part in the management of the Company until 1895, when placing his large gen- eral mercantile business in the hands of old and trusted employes, he left the store he had suc- cessfully guided for twenty-eight years and became general manager, as well as President of the Schiller Factory. The business had just fairly got started under the new management when the disastrous panic of 1S96 began. For six months of that year it required skillful financial steering to keep the Company from going into the hands, of receivers, but in the fall of that year, after McKinley's election, there was a demand for the Company's bills receivable and also its product ; and from that time to the pres- ent, the Company has gone on building additions to its plant and increasing the list of its cus- tomers, until they now extend to all parts of the United States, Canada, Hawaii and Italy. As the business of the Company has increased, Mr. Jones has placed the management of differ- ent departments of the enterprise in the hands of his three sons, each of whom has had careful training in the factory for the department it has devolved upon him to handle. During the fifteen years of the Company's his- tory a pay-day has never been missed, neither has there been a strike or a shut down, but all has gone on smoothly and of late years steady employment has been given to upwards of 300 M ' t Slouch manufactory^ GKAWI9 »E T to IT 51 ~~ Onle Co Illinois. " AfdZ- /? JK SCHILLER PIANO FACTORY, SHOWING WATER POWER HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 811 men. About 40,000 pianos have been made and sold and are giving satisfaction to their owners. This number of pianos going into so many different parts of the world has done much to advertise Oregon and Ogle County. The Company has built up its large business, not by extensive advertising, or by a large force of traveling salesmen (of the latter it employs but one), but by .making its product .'reliable and dealing honestly with its patrons. The factory occupies six full lots adjoining the water power, and lias a floor space of 122,506 square feet, all of which is utilized in making pianos and piano players. The present officers of the company are : P. G. Jones, President ; George H. Jones, Secretary ; Edgar B. Jones, Treasurer ; Benj. F. Shelley, Assistant Treasurer ; Cyrus P. Jones, Superintendent of Player Department. The Purves Piano Company is the manufac- turer of the Purves Piano and the Purves Player Piano. This is a new enterprise recently estab- lished by John Purves, who has had extensive experience in the piano business, acquired by actual service from his earliest youth. Asso- ciated with him are his brother, James Purves and Arthur Locke, in charge of the mechanical and finishing departments respectively. The in- terior player made by this Company, like most of the recent musical inventions of the kind, is adapted for the use of those who love piano music, but are unable to play the piano, and who by simply working the pedals can have the highest class of music at will. The Purves piano is a high grade instrument that is finding a market and promises to make a name for itself in the musical world. The capacity of the fac- tory is 1,000 pianos annually. Another manufacturing concern in Oregon which makes piano players is the National Piano Player Company, organized scarcely more than eighteen months ago. The player of this Com- pany is placed within the piano along with a small electric motor, by means of which power is supplied by attaching to the socket of an electric lamp for the operation of the player. At the present time twenty-five skilled workmen are employed. The officers are F. W. Farwell, President and Treasurer; C. E. Merrill, Vice- President ; and W. E. Cleveland, Secretary. The Oregon Foundry and Machine Company, organized eight years ago, is engaged in the manufacture of piano plates and foundry mold- ing machines, the -latter an invention for facili- tating and cheapening the molding of castings, the work being done by machinery instead of by hand. The Company employs from twenty-five to thirty men and boys. The officers are F. G. Jones, President ; H. E. Wade, Vice-President ; E. B. Jones, Secretary and Treasurer ; and M. J. Stanton, Superintendent. The E. D. Etnyre Sprinkler-Wagon Factory, which began in a small way twelve years ago, has steadily increased its business and now sends its product to all parts of the United States, last year's output being 500 sprinklers, besides steel tanks for the farm and elsewhere. The sprinkler-wagon is giving excellent satis- faction wherever used. The plant has been re- cently enlarged, consisting of a brick structure one-story in height covering an area of between 12,000 and 13,000 square feet. To the original business is being added that of the manufacture of automobiles, both the auto-buggy and the touring car, the first of each having been com- pleted and being already in use. The Rock River Broom Company has for some years been engaged in the manufacture of the ordinary house broom, and has established and maintains a good business. L. L. Woodville is the proprietor and manager. Chester Nash has for. many years carried on the business of millwork and general jobbing. Dedication of the Lincoln Boulder. — An event of deep interest in connection with the history of Oregon is the dedication of what is called the "Lincoln Boulder" on occasion of the Twentieth Annual Reunion of the Soldiers and Sailors of Northwestern Illinois, held at Oregon September 7-8, 1904, and in commemoration of an address delivered in that place by Abraham Lincoln in 1856. The exercises were held on the afternoon of September 8th under the auspices of the Oregon Woman's Council, the program including a parade of Veterans, with Company M of the Third Regiment Illinois Volunteer In- fantry as escort, Captain Franc Bacon acting as Chief Marshal and Judge J. H. Cartwright de- livering the principal address, followed by Hon. Frederick Landis, of Indiana, in a glowing trib- ute to the martyred President. The program also included band and vocal music with invoca- tion and benediction. The officers of the reunion were : Mr. T. A. Jewett, President ; Capt. J. M. Myers, Vice-President, and George Petrie, Sec- retary. The boulder had been placed, with the con- 812 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. sent of the owners, upon the grounds of Mr. and Mrs. Lcager — but now owned by Mr. George H. Jones and occupied by himself and family — as near the place of the speaking in 1856 as it was possible to ascertain from a number of per- sons who heard the speech. These grounds are on the east side of North Fourth Street. Mrs. Rebecca H. Kauffman, Mrs. Julia W. Peek and Mrs. Lilian Sears were members of Committee of the Oregon Woman's Council who had charge of the securing, placing and preparing of the boulder, Mrs. Kauffman presiding during the dedicatory exercises. After the dedication the Woman's Council placed the boulder in charge of the Women's Relief Corps of Oregon, to be fittingly remembered by them on Decoration Day in connection with their other observances of that memorial occasion. There has been some uncertainty as to the actual date of the delivering of Mr. Lincoln's speech, intended to be commemorated. At first September 9, 1856, was accepted as the date and this was placed upon the boulder, but through an entry made in the diary of the late Daniel G. Shottenkirk, which has been corroborated by an item found in the files of the "Chicago Demo- crat," the true date of , the event is found to have been August 16, 1856, and the Oregon Woman's Council contemplate changing the in- scription on the boulder in accordance therewith. Township Officers. — The following have been the Supervisors for Oregon Township since its organization: J. B. Chaney, 1850; E. F. Dutch- er, 1851; P. R. Bennett, 1852; James V. Gale. 1853-54; T. H. Potwin, 1855-58; James V. Gale, 1859-68; George P. Jacobs, 1869; Mortimer W. Smith, 1870; George M. Dwight, 1871-74; John V. Gale, 1875-84; William J. Mix, 1885-86; Henry C. Peek, 1887-89; George M. Dwight, 1890-94; Henry C. Peek, 1895-98; Arthur F. Herbert, 1899-1908. The other officers for the township for 1908 are : Town Clerk, O. R. Ely ; Assessor, John C. Mattison ; Tax Collector, Edgar Eychaner ; Justices of the Peace, E. A. Ray and W. P. Fearer ; Constables, L. C. Wilson and Daniel Stout ; Highway Commissioners, William Kessel- ring, S. H. Reintz, George W. Fisher ; School Treasurer, L. V. Rumery. PINE CREEK TOWNSHIP. For the following comprehensive sketch of the early settlement of Pine Creek Township the writers of this history are indebted to Mr. Vic- tor H. Bovey, whose home is in that region : "Larkin Baker, a hunter and trapper on the Illinois River, came to Dixon in the spring of 1833. He then traveled on north on the west side of Rock River ; after crossing Pine Creek near its mouth he reached high ground in Sec- tion 10, Grand Detour Township, where he pitched his tent for a short time. From that spot, known as Fourth Rock, Mr. Baker dis- covered that the river, after making the great bend, turned northward. He then traveled up Oak Ridge, until he came to the south line of Section 13, where the Rock River Valley opened before him again on the east, with a fine view of the Mount Morris country on the north, and nearly the whole of Pine Creek Township on the west. He located near what is known as the 'John Price Corners,' hard by a beautiful spring; he had timber on l he east, where game was ■ abundant, and rolling prairie on the west. Here he resided temporarily for one year ; then in the spring of 1834 he erected a log house, about eighty rods west of where Luther Hanes now lives, and commenced tilling the soil. This, without doubt, was the first permanent settle- ment in Pine Creek Township. Mr. Baker's son James afterwards located on the 'Hiram Morter farm,' now owned by Jerome Burroughs ; and another son, John Baker, located in Section 35. Dewitt Warner, Supervisor of Pine Creek Town- ship, now owns the farm. Latee Comebs and Events. — "The second per- manent shelter was constructed by James Bab- bitt, in the spring of 1835, in Section 10, on a hill by a beautiful spring, for which the' town- ship in noted. During the summer of 1835 David Demmen built a log cabin near where the Co- lumbia School House now stands. The cabin is gone, but the place is known yet as the 'Demmen Spring.' Gottfried Wiesel now owns the place. In 1836 Spooner Ruggles built a log cabin on Section 35. Mr. Ruggles was very pub- lic-spirited and benevolent, and his advice was sought by settlers far and wide. In 1844, Mr. Ruggles was elected to the Fourteenth General Assembly and was afterwards elected Judge of the Ogle County Court. Wilbur Brooke now owns the Ruggles homestead. Charles Walkup is a grandson of this capable pioneer, his mother being a daughter of Spooner Ruggles. "John Phelps, who was the founder of Oregon, HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 813 Pine Creek in Section 27. It is said be traded built a saw-mill operated by water power on the Indians flour for helping in its construction. At that mill the lumber was sawed for the first frame buildings in that part of the county. Vic- tor H. Bovey now owns the property. A mile up the creek from the saw-mill, Thaddeus and Isaac Bordman, in 1841, built a flouring-mill, which did an immense business, farmers coming from fifty miles distant to have their wheat ground into flour. Samuel Funk, brother of 'Aunt Kitty Rice,' was the first miller. "The first death in the township was that of John Peirce, who died in 1838. All attending the funeral came on foot. He was buried near the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of Section 26, and so far as is known his grave is unmarked to this day. Wesley Hampton settled on the northeast quarter of Section 12. He afterwards sold it to John Tice, Sr., and it is now occupied by his son Otho. One of the Hampton children died in 1838 — the first child^s death in the township, so far as is known. "During the summers of 1837, '38 and '39, came the Brooke, Tice, Ooddington, Price. Mot- ter, Samuel Funk and Abraham Wetmer fami- lies seeking homes ; and, with some cash, they readily found sellers among the Baker colonists, John Baker being the last to sell, they not being used to the bleak northwest winds and severities of climate. "A history of Pine Creek Township would not be complete without mention of 'Grandma Palmer,' now living at Oak Ridge! She was born in the State of Vermont in 1811. Her father, Henry Hayden, went to the war of 1812, where he was slain, leaving a widow and ten children, of which Mrs. Palmer was the young- est. Seventy-four years ago she was united in marriage with Irvin Palmer, and they came west and settled at Oak Ridge, where she has since resided. Mr. Palmer died about ten years ago. They had three sons> and a son-in-law who fought in the war for the Union. Grandmother Palmer relates that she wove cloth in partner- ship for John Deere, when Mr. Deere was a resident of Grand Detour. She relates many anecdotes of the early settlement, how the wild deer used to come and feed by their cabin door, and says their first team was a yoke of blind oxen, which she afterwards fattened for market with potatoes. Mr. Palmer's sister, Elmyra (Angeline), married Seth Abbott, and their daughter was the famous singer, Emma Abbott. They resided at Oak Ridge on the farm now owned by James W. Warner. Mr. Abbott was considerable of a musician, and on one occasion was to supply the music at an entertainment at Franklin Grove. One might in those days walk from Grand Detour to Franklin Grove, and from Franklin Grove to Jefferson Grove, without see- ing a fence, or scarcely a dwelling. Mr. Abbott started on foot, with his violin for a companion, but found on entering a tract of timber that he was closely pursued by a wolf. He sought safety in a tree, which his weight bore almost to the ground, and in this uncomfortable position played all night on his instrument to keep the wolf at bay. At daylight his unwelcome com- panion departed. While living at Oak Ridge, his daughter Emma, twelve .or fourteen years of age then, hearing that Clara Louise Kellogg, a vocalist of note at that time, was to sing in Chicago, persuaded her father to go with her on foot to Chicago to hear her. While on the way they gave short concerts in school houses to defray their expenses. By the aid of inter- ested friends Emma Abbott obtained an intro- duction to Miss Kellogg ; and, by her friendly influence, the way was opened for the cultivation and development of Miss Abbott's musical gift. "In the early 'forties Aunt Kitty Rice came from Maryland, with John Bovey and settled on Section 28 with her brother, Samuel Funk, where she lived a number of years. "Out of the patriotism possessed by Spooner Ruggles, Irvin Palmer, Peter Newcomer, Dr. John Perrine and others, grew that great loyalty which caused twenty-six boys to go from one school district in Pine Creek Township to de- fend their country, three families furnishing ten soldiers ! "In the industrial progress of Pine Creek Township it can be said, that the first threshing machine to separate the grain from the straw was operated by Joseph Glidden, of barb-wire fame, in 1846. The first reaper owned in the township was the property of Benjamin Bru- baker. Schools and Chtjeches.— "The first school was taught in a private . house, known as the 'Hass residence,' where Benjamin Ringer now lives. The school was taught by Alfred Helm, brother of the noted physician, Clinton Helm, of Rockford. The teacher was afterwards Terri- 814 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. torial Governor of Nevada. The first house built entirely for school purposes was constructed on Section 35, in 1839, Spooner Buggies and, his sons bearing nearly all the expense of its con- struction "The first house of public worship was built by the Free- Will Baptists in 1853, Spooner Rug- gles and E. T. Gates donating one-half the cost of the building. "Pennsylvania Corners was so called on ac- count of the large number of Pennsylvanians who settled near there. Benjamin Cummins was perhaps the first, coming in 1843. Then came Robert Wilson, Lewis Poote, George Yates, Ben- jamin Brubaker, John and Samuel Bovey. In 1851, Samuel Pinfrock started a store at the Corners and continued in business for many years. His successors in the store were Arthur Preet, John Ambrose, A. L. Palmer, Andrew Sanberg, and Jacob Kalebaugh, who now owns the 'Corners' store. Prom 1847 to 1850 Benja- min Brubaker kept the Government postoffice one mile east of Pennsylvania Corners, at what is now known as 'Trump Corners.' The school house at Pennsylvania Corners was built in 1852, and the church in 1857. This hamlet now consists of the First Christian Church of Pine Creek, the dwelling house and store combined, a dwelling house owned by S. Beard and occu- pied by Thomas Sheean, William M. Clark's farm residence, the old school house used by the Knights of the Globe of Pine Creek as quarters, and a blacksmith shop. "Pine Creek Town Hall, used for election and kindred township purposes, was built in 1897. It is conveniently situated on the road running east and west to the south of the well-known 'White Pine Tree Tract.' Near the Town Hall is the Columbia School House, built in 1892, and named to commemorate the great event in the history of the New World, which that year reached its 400th anniversary. This new school building took the place of the old brick school house that was built in the later 'forties." Township Schools.— Prom Miss Anna B. Champion, the present efficient Superintendent of Ogle County Schools, has been obtained for use in this history some statements in regard to the schools of several townships. The follow- ing is the statement for Pine Creek Schools for the year 1907 : "There were 380 persons under twenty-one years of age, 240 of whom were of school age. Of the latter number 187 were enrolled in the schools. The township was divided into nine school districts, four male and eight female teachers being employed, receiving salaries rang- ing from $30 to $50 per month. There were nine frame school houses valued at $8,890. The amount of tax levy for the support of the schools was $3,475." The following paragraph is taken from the" sketch of Pine Creek Township in the "History of Ogle County" published in 1886: "From the report of the County Superintend- ent of Public Schools for the year ending June 30, 1885, the following items are taken: 'There were 553 persons under twenty-one, of which number 363 were of school ages. The township was divided into ten school districts, and en- rolled in its schools were 349 pupils. Bight male and twelve female teachers were employed during the year, receiving as wages from $18 to $4G per month. There was one stone, one brick and eight frame school houses, valued at $2,530. The tax levy for school purposes was $2,350." Lateb Churches. — One of the later churches in the township is the Mount Zion United Brethren church, situated in the eastern part. The house of worship is a frame structure, and the building, the first erected; it was built in the early 'seventies. Near it on the south is the parsonage, the entire church property being worth at the present time about $2,500. The present minister in charge is Rev. B. P. Spur- lock, who also looks after the interests of the Oak Ridge Church and Providence Chapel in Pine Creek Township. The membership of the Mount Zion Church numbers about sixty. Thomas J. Fearer, who formerly lived near this church, was for long a Trustee and prominent and active member. The Oak Ridge Church was erected in 1853 by the Pree-Will Baptists, and now used as a Union church, in which the resi- dents of that neighborhood attend service. A Unique Insurance System. — One of the most valuable helps to the farmer, the Pine Creek Mutual Fire Insurance Company, has long been in existence in this township. David F. Miller, who owned considerable land in the township, and whose son, George W. Miller, still possesses a portion of his father's estate, was for many year the Secretary and Treasurer of this Company and devoted much of his time to the m > > O o w HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 815 advancements of its interests. Thomas J. Fearer, now living at Oregon, in pleasant retirement at the age of eighty-five, succeeded Mr. Miller in this office and successfully carried on the work for a long time. Victor H. Bovey holds this office at the present time. This is a unique form of farm insurance: no policies are issued; no premiums are paid ; the book of the Secretary and Treasurer contains the only records kept. In this book, after visiting the applicant for insurance and looking carefully over his prem- ises, the Secretary enters the name of the assured and amount of protection guaranteed in ease of loss along with the description of the property, this making him a member of the company. In case of fire, three adjusters are appointed from among the assured to reckon the amount of loss and the sum to be assessed pro rata upon the members of the company; and, so prompt and ready have been the responses to this, that the Company has never had any need to enforce the payment of its assessments. At the present time the company assures against loss by cyclone, which at first was not included; and during its earlier term of existence, no one could be insured who used a steam engine for threshing, horse- power having to be employed for such purposes. Usually insurance in a Farmers' Township Mutual costs the individual members belonging to the company less than a policy taken in one of the regularly organized large concerns. Under "Mount Morris Township" Mr. Hitt is quoted in telling about the early settlement of that region, and refers to the tract of land of 1,000 acres in this township first purchased by his father of "a Mr. Painter, and being now the Baker place." A large part of this tract was the property of James A. Baker, and it is interesting to record that three of his sons, Albert M. Baker, Edward F. Baker, and Amos N. Baker, now own this land and make their homes upon it. This is in Section 3, in the vicinity of the "White Pine Woods of Ogle County." These woods, for which this region is now famous, are told about in Chapter I of this his- tory. The "White Pine Tree Tract" has a num- ber of owners, who possess six acres and up- wards. Among them are David Barnhiver, J. A. Powell, J. H. Davis, A. M. Johnson, Gottfried Wiesel, William Hammer, Samuel Hays, Fletcher Burke, Samuel Powell. Village op Stbatfokd. — Stratford is located a little to the west of this evergreen forest region, being laid out and platted in 1886 just after the completion of the Chicago, Burlington & Northern Railroad, which intersects Pine Creek Town- ship. Its name was bestowed by a reader of the great dramatist, the place of whose birth it sug- gests to all lovers of Shakespeare's verse. Near this station Messrs. Bgner & Ryder, then of Mount Morris, built a creamejy in 1893, and butter was made by them for a while. The plant was later purchased by R. C. McCredie, who operated it as a milk receiving depot till remov- ing it to Mount Morris in connection with his business there. The village of Stratford con- tains about twenty inhabitants. It includes an elevator owned by P. E. Bomberger, a grocery store and a postoffice. Fred O'Kane in the station agent. Considerable livestock is shipped from this neighborhood. Township Officers. — The first town meeting was held in a log school house on Section 29, in April, 1850. The chairman of the meeting was John Perrine. The Supervisors have been as follows: Spooner Ruggles, 1850-56; H. J. Mot- ter, 1857-59 ; Simon Seyster, 1860 ; William Join- er, 1861 ; George Yates, 1862-65 ; James A. Baker, 1866; Elias Malone, 1867-70; Martin Heller, 1871 ; Elias Malone, 1872-73 ; John Perrine, 1874 ; Elias Malone, 1875; George Yates, 1876-77; Charles W. Baker, 1878; Lyman C. Wilson, 1879; Simon Hildebrand, 1880-83; Victor H. Bovey, 1884-91; John H. Davis, 1892-95; Henry Coffman, 1896-99; John Betebenner, 1900-01; Charles Walkup, 1902-07; Dewitt Warner, 1908. The other officers for 1908 are: Town Clerk, Roy A. Nettz ; Assessor, W. B. Dusing ; Tax Collector, Henry B. Maysilles ; Justices of the Peace, Jacob Cox, and O. W. Crumbling; Con- stable, Daniel Myers ; Highway Commissioners, Irvin Trump, Henry Seyster, Henry Stahler ; School Treasurer, J. H. Hoshaw. PINE ROCK TOWNSHIP. When the 275 militiamen from McLean, Taze- well and adjacent counties were placed under the command of Major Stillman at Dixon's Ferry, in May, 1832, with orders to spy out the Indians by proceeding northward along the east bank of Rock River, and were surprised and routed by Black Hawk and forty of his war- riors, at least one of the militiamen was not so precipitate in his retreat but that he observed 816 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. and remembered the, pleasing appearance of the wooded country and the richness of the prairie in and about what later came to be known as Washington Grove. This soldier was David Maxwell of McLean County, who, with his brother-in-law, Samuel Aikens, made claim to land and settled in Washington Grove three years later. Xhe latter was from Franklin County, Ohio, whence he removed his family in 1837. Public opinion connected the names of three of Aikens' sons with the Driscolls and their crimes, but Aikens himself and the young- est son, Samuel, "were respected as good citi- zens." A Reminiscence of Bandit Days. — To Wash- ington Grove, in 1835, also came William K. Bridges. He was well regarded until his neigh- bors were forced to believe him an associate of the Driscolls. Upon their trial and summary execution, Bridges disappeared. Returning, he was later arrested for participation in the Mul- ford robbery. The Mulfords, who lived a few miles east of Rockford, were visited by armed men, who searched the house and obtained $484 in gold from a bureau. Bridges was tried, con- victed and sentenced to eight years in the peni- tentiary. Land which he owned was sold and from the proceeds the Mulfords were paid the amount of their loss. Settlers in the 'Thieties. — In 1836, Aaron Paine, who had come with John Whitaker from Putnam County to Marion Township, took up land and settled with his family where later the location came to be known as Paine's Point. Another settler near by was Benjamin Boyce, who soon sold his claim to George Taylor of New York, who lived there the remainder of his life. The farm descended to his son, Mason Taylor, and is now owned by Scott Gale, of Oregon, who until his removal to Oregon to live, occupied it. A little south of where Ghana now is, at what was given the name of White Oak Grove, Homer Morgan took up a claim in 1836. He was from Pennsylvania, but had been a Baptist preacher in Ohio. A grist mill was built on Kyte Creek, near by, by his eldest son, Lyman Morgan, who later in Wisconsin, whither he had removed, be- came known as the inventor of the Morgan water wheel. Names of other pioneers in the settle- ment of what is cow Pine Rock Township, with States from which they came, are : Thomas Stinson, New Hampshire; Isaac Trask, Massa- chusetts; Milton Burright, Milo Haselton, Allen Eychaner, Benjamin F. Canfield, New York; John Roe, Merit Dailey, John L. Grant, Penn- sylvania; David Welty, Christian Eakle, Mary- land ; Frank Tilton, Ohio ; Hiram Sanford, Vermont ; Augustus Austin, Canada ; Riley Paddock, Thomas Paddock, John H. Steph- enson, John Bailey, Franklin Andrew, also William Rice, New York, 1837; John C. Ober, New Hampshire, 1854; John Ray, County Derry, Ireland, and Matilda Hutton Ray, settled on Section 5, in 1843; H. H. Stinson and J. L. Stinson, New Hampshire, 1854; Jonathan Sea- worth, Germany, born on Atlantic Ocean, set- tled on Section 14, 1843 ; Silas Walls and Fanny Pelton Walls, Ohio, 1854; James Mitchell and Nancy Brown Mitchell, Ireland, settled on Sec- tion 21, 1854; William Ray, Ohio, settled on Section 5, 1838. Religious Obganizations. — Methodist classes were organized very early by the settlers of what are now Pine Rock and Lafayette Town- ships. The first was known as the Washington Grove Class and the second as the Lafayette Grove Class. Service was held at first near Lafayette Grove in the school house that was soon burned by incendiaries, supposed to belong to the Driscoll banditti ; later, at the "Chapel," as it was called, which replaced the burned school house and was used for both school and religious purposes ; then at the Canfield school house, and finally, and now, in Chana, in the church building erected there in 1875. Among those belonging to these classes in their begin- ning were James Clark and Mrs. Clark, Chloe J. Benedict, Isaac Rosecranz and Mrs. Rose- cranz, Jeptha Noe, Thomas Aikens and Mrs. Aikens, Richard Hardesty, Samuel Aikens, Brook- ings and Mrs. Aikens, Orson Rosecranz and Mrs. Rosecranz, Rebecca Rosecranz, Martha Aikens and Margaret Aikens. Rev. Barton Cartwright was one of the early preachers. Later the Can- fields were especially active in the church work, as they are now. At the present time the same minister preaches at both Lighthouse and Chana, residing in the parsonage at the former village, Rev. Alfred Simester. The Methodist church at Paine's Point was built in 1853. The first members were Jonathan Butterfield, Daniel Potter, Erastus Wadsworth, Augustus Austin and H. Hayes, and the first pastor Rev. Henry Miller. The present minister HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 817 is Rev. George A. Griswold, who resides at Kings and supplies both churches. The building stands on land taken up from the Government by Augustus Austin, who gave the sites for both church and school. The tract of land of which it is a part now belongs to Jesse Allen. A Lutheran Church was built at Paine's Point about 1852. In 1874 the present wooden build- ing replaced the earlier one of stone. The con- gregation does not maintain a pastor of its own, but depends upon the Oregon charge. Across the street from the Lutheran Church is the Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church, organ- ized in 1891. The name of the first minister was Rev. L. Brenner. The present pastor is Rev. J. T. Hassfeld, who resides in the par- sonage by the church. The congregation is made up of the families of German farmers who in recent years settled in and around Paine's Point. It is a flourishing church. The German citizens, from being renters, have become the owners of many of the farms of the early settlers, espe- cially northward from Paine's Point. Soon after the building of the Chicago & Iowa Railroad, in 1871. Phineas Chaney, of White Rock Township, purchased the 80 acres forming the west half of the southwest quarter of Sec- tion 15 of Pine Rock Township, through which the railroad passed, and laid the land out in town lots for a new village. The intention was to make the name of the station the same as that of the founder, but a mistake was made in the plat by writing "Chana" for "Chaney." The first building was a grain warehouse built by Phineas Chaney and managed by Benjamin Chaney, his son, who was also station agent. Later the Andrew Brothers (Prank and David) put up the first elevator. They sold to David Welty and he to James Miller, -who leased to West and Andrew, with Samuel Mitchell in charge, and afterward, in 1884, to George H. Sidwell, who enlarged the elevator to its present capacity — 100,000 bushels. It is now the prop- erty of the Neola Elevator Company. As a grain buying and shipping point, Ghana ranks well. Ghana's principal store is owned and con- ducted by William Hoopes, who came to Chana from Ashton in 1901, when his first year's sales amounted to $16,000, while this year they will total $40,000. Chana has had a bank since 1905, known as the Southworth Banking Com- pany, with Thomas G. Southworth of Rochelle, President, and J. W. Hoffman, Cashier. Two miles south of Chana on the Charles- Bailey farm, in 1905, upon the belief of George E. Canfield of near Chana, who had made a study of the location of petroleum, Ellsworth King, Walter King, John Babcock and Fanny Snyder King provided an oil-drilling outfit and sank a well, drilling to a depth of 1,017 feet, but without success. On his own farm Mr. Canfield drilled 500 feet, but found no oil there. In Pine Rock Township is located the boulder which marks the spot where occurred the trial and execution of the Driscolls, a tragic event which lingers in the memory of the early resi- dents of Ogle County, and the account of which is yet repeated with awesome feelings by even their youngest descendants. The place of this occurrence, and where the boulder now stands, is just off the highway on the left side, as it cuts across the southwest corner of the farm in • Section 19, of James Cummins, formerly owned by his father, William Cummins, the highway running from Daysville towards the southeast, following the meandering outskirts of the Wash- ington and Lafayette Groves, as they formerly were. Some years ago a disastrous wind storm swept over the heart of Pine Rock Township, coming up from Lee County and proceeding on in its course northward into White Rock Town- ship. This was the tornado which destroyed the school-house, formerly called for the owners of the nearby farms, the "Canfield School House," but which since its rebuilding has been named the "Cyclone School." No lives were lost in this cyclone, but some property was injured, includ- ing the houses on the farm of John C. Ober. Township Officers. — The first election in Pine Rock Township was held in April, 1850, at which time the usual town officers were elected. The Supervisors since that time have been : Jeriel Robinson, 1850-52; Thomas Stinson, 1853- 54; Samuel Aikens, 1855; Mason Taylor, 1856- 57 ; Isaac Trask, 1858-59 ; Lorenzo W. Page, 1860- 61 ; John R. Steel, 1862 ; John Acker, 1863 ; S. J. Eshbach, 1864-67; John Slaughter, 1868; W. H. Ferguson, 1869; Thomas Stinson, 1870; John Cummins, 1871; Jacob P. Lilly, 1872-73; Israel Trask. 1874-77; Lewis Drummond, 1878-83; George E. Canfield, 1884; Dr. Malcolm C. Roe, 1885-86; John B. Bailey, 1887-91; Samuel Mitchell, 1892-95; Malcolm C. Roe, 1896-97; Samuel Mitchell, 1898-99; Malcolm C. Roe, 1900- 818 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 01; George J. Burroughs, 1902-07; Henry Lums- den, 1908. The other officers for the township for the year 1908 are: Town Clerk, E. A. K. Sargent ; Assessor, Willis S. Grant ; Tax Col- lector, E. D. Buker ; Justices of the Peace, Jacob W. Hoffmaster and Samuel W. Wren ; Constable, Henry C. Aulls ; Highway Commissioners, Henry Rice, John B. Canfleld, and J. D. Drummond; School Treasurer, Charles E. Cross. ROCKVALE TOWNSHIP. This township is rich in picturesque features. The "Riviere n la Roche" — the name which the French early gave to the "Sinnissippi" of the Indian, and the later Rock River of the Anglo- Saxon — flows through the heart of this region called Rockvale. In this township lie two fair isles — Swan's and Margaret Fuller — and two tributary streams — Leaf River and Silver Creek — the Upper and Lower Narrows, Inspiration Point, Old Baldy, Sinnissippi Heights, Eagle's Nest Bluff, Ganymede Spring, Knox Spring, and the Old Flood Plain of Mud Creek. Here, too, attracted by this charm of landscape, are the homes of many of the summer residents, flitting back and forth like the birds of migration — Beauvoir, Van Inwegen's Hill, The Bungalow at Springvale Farm, The Grange, Eagle's Nest Camp and Ganymede. It is in this township that the Muse of Poetry first spread her wings in the Rock River Valley, and bequeathed to its denizens the inspiration, "Ganymede to His Eagle," and by its edge was the author housed near the tall elms by the wayside home. In this home of the Henshaws the Angel of Death was first to lay his touch upon a boy of the then servile race. It is in this township, too, that the "Ford Cabin" stands on the land once the "claim" of Judge (and afterward Governor) Thomas Ford. And here was the home of Thomas Medford, who helped to guard the great Napoleon on the prison Island of St. Helena. Rockvale Town- ship will also possess the gift of Lorado Taft to the Rock River Valley — his heroic figure of Black Hawk, looking down from Eagle's Nest, with resignation and dignity, upon what once were the possessions of himself and his people. The Ogle County History of 1886 contains the following statement regarding Rockvale Town- ship: "About two-thirds of the township is timber and the remainder a rolling prairie. On the west side of the river the soil is good to the river bank, but on the east side there is sand for nearly a mile back from the bluffs which line the river." So much of this timber was of the hickory type that the elevation, running laterally through the township, was designated Hickory Ridge. Much of this has been either thinned out or cleared away. During the winter in which this statement was written, 600 cords of hickory wood were cut on Hickory Ridge and near it, under the supervision of Major Charles New- comer from the land in his charge for W. H. Holcomb, and shipped to him for use in his work to Portland, Oregon, where Mr. Holcomb was then engaged as Superintendent of the Oregon Short Line and Transportation Company. The inclusion of Rock River within the bor- ' ders of the township makes the problem of hard- road making a difficult one. Each side of the stream must necessarily have a driveway fol- lowing its course, in addition to the customary number of the rectangular public roads. Early Settlebs. — The territory covered by Rockvale was one of those first settled. When Michael Seyster, Sr., came in 1838, with his wife and children, they found, for a short time, a hospitable stopping place with a family al- ready snugly domiciled on the bottom land a little northwest of the mouth of Mud Creek ; and here a later comer, though house and all other trace of habitation were gone, was sur- prised to find asparagus growing, its vigorous vitality having survived all other evidence "of human occupation. Among the early settlers were John, George W. and Benjamin F. Phelps — three brothers, who came to stay in the spring of 1835. John Phelps is referred to elsewhere in this History. The double log cabin built by him is still standing. George W. Phelps removed to the city of Oregon, where he died some years ago, one of the streets in the north end of the city being named for him, having been platted on land at that time owned by him. After a few years' stay in Ogle County the other brother removed to Missouri. John Wagner and family came in 1837, locating on land in Sections 19 and 30, the farm with the home-site being now owned by George W. Carr. Being a part of the "Maryland Colony" the Wagner family is re- ferred to in connection with Mount Morris Township. Seth H. Hills came in 1835 and made a claim on Section 33, which was pur- chased from him by Joseph Knox in 1839. Hiram Read settled on Section 10, where he lived until HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 819 tUe end of his life many years ago. William Sanderson, a native of Scotland, settled in Rock- vale in 1835. John Fridley came with his family August 15, 1838, having visited the region dur- ing the previous year, and having then bought from Judge Ford his claim of 1,000 acres, where now the historic cabin stands. John Fridley, Jr., was born in this cabin. William Artz came from Maryland in 1839 and located on Sections 20 and 29, and his son, F. R. Artz, is said to have been the first person born in the township. George Griswold, who came from England, was one of the very early settlers. On his land was found au excellent quality of limestone, and for many years a lime-kiln was operated upon his place. Joseph Knox, for whom Knox Spring was named, was the contractor to whom was allotted the building of the first county jail at Oregon. After a few years he went to Iowa to live and there died. Clark G. Waite located on the west side of the river in 1838, afterward residing in Oregon. C. S. Marshall was a set- tler of 1838. Benjamin Boyce located on the east side of the river. John James, Hiram Gitchell, Silas Lyman, Exra Bond, Andrew Hart, Linus Morgan, John Farrell, Robert E. Page and Thomas Medford, were all early residents. The Waite brothers furnished another instance of three men of the same family becoming early settlers in the township. In addition to the one mentioned, there were E. J. Waite, who removed to Oregon, where he died several years ago ; Mrs. J. A. Barden, referred to under Lynnville Township ; Mrs. Josephine Barker, of Rochelle ; Merton B. Waite, who is engaged in the Depart- ment of Agriculture at Washington, D. O, and A. J. Waite, whose son, J. A. Waite, still resides on the home farm by the river's west side — the first house built still remaining as the north end of the present dwelling— were all members of this pioneer family. Daniel B. Wagner, one of the early farmers of Rockvale, came from Wash- ington County, Md., with his parents in 1838. His death occurred but recently at the age of eighty-five; while two sisters, Mrs. Martha J. Knodle and Mrs. Mary E. Swingley, for many years of Rockvale Township, survive him. Mar- tin Beard, another pioneer, came from the same county and State in 1907. Among earlier and later residents of Rockvale are: Theodore Austin, John Allen, George J. Betz (from Wurtemburg, Germany), F. T. Binckley, Thomas E. Coverly (from Canada), David Crockett (Scotland), Henry Ehman, L. W. Davis, John C. Folsom (New Hampshire), David L. Foote (New York), Mahlon Forrest, Arvey Frost (Ohio), Mahlon T. Fuller (born in Washington Grove, Ogle County, in 1840), Jacob Good (Pennsylvania), Patrick Haney (Belfast, Ireland, 1845), Arthur and Ann Farley Holland (Ireland, 1870), Amos C. James (New York, 1842), Charles Jones, William Knapply (Wimpfen, Germany, 1858), Enoch Eshbaugh (Pennsylvania, 1868), Edward and John Call- han, Nelson Johnson, John Kelley ; David, Josiah and William H. Knodle ; Charles and Mary G. Clancy Lewis (New York, 1849), Isaac Listeberger (Pennsylvania, 1868), and Catherine (Patterson) Listeberger ; Samuel McGuffin (Can- ada, 1843), and Frances Griswold McGuffin, Samuel Sutton, A. Joesten, Charles Erxleben, C. K. Mattison, Henry F. Meyer (Prussia), John and Catharine (Middour) Newcomer (Pennsylvania), Hiram Row, Andrew Sehecter (Maryland, 1845) ; David, Jacob and William A. Steft'a ; Joseph Matmiller and family from Erie, Pa., via the Lakes on first trip of the ill- fated "Lady Elgin," 1853; George W. Swan, William Swingley (Maryland, 1845) ; Joshua Stoner, William Camling, Henry L. and Joshua Thomas, Michael Zeller, John Gallagher, John Brooke, Andrew Sverkersson, John Timmer- man (Oldenburg, Germany, 1853), Edward O. Trask, Henry Thompson (Canada), Emanuel G. and Elizabeth Fridley Wagner, David Wertz (Pennsylvania, 1850), who, with his brother Lewis, built the first flouring-mill in the town- ship, in 1850, and ran it in connection with a saw-mill built by Lewis Wertz some time before 1842. David Wertz and wife died some years ago in Nebraska, where they and their family had become pioneers again. Thomas and Mar- garet Lynch (County Kerry, Ireland), were for many years residents on the east side of the river in Rockvale, Mrs. Lynch dying about the end of the year 1908. Churches. — Rev. Alexander Irvine came in 1836, and was the first minister to locate in the township. He died in 1840 and his "Last Will and Testament" was the first one probated in the county. The marriage of a daughter, Marg- ery Irvine, and Miner M. York, in 1837, is said to have been the first of a long line of nuptial knots tied in the township. An earlier history says that, at the time of its writing, there were no church buildings in the township. At that 820 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. time, however, there was a German Reformed church, which still stands on the Rockvale side of the east line between Rockvale and Marion townships. It is known as the "Ebenezer Kirche" and was built in 1875, the first pastor being Rev. Mr. Watermiller. Rev. William Diekhoff is the present pastor. The services are conducted in German, but the minister is Amer- ican-born and educated. The congregation con- sists mainly of German settlers living in the townships of Rockvale and Marion, and num- bers between four and five hundred, there being eighty communicants, and about one hundred ten families who are attendants. Sabbath School and divine services are held each Sunday morn- ing, and catechetical lessons every Tuesday. This is the white frame church, with the spire seen so conspicuously many miles off through the trees and across the river from the highway near the "half-way house" on the "old State Road" between Mount Morris and the county-seat, and it is the bell from this church-tower that is heard ringing sometimes down the valley. The bell cost $1,800, and the church has a pipe organ which cost about $1,000. Abraham S. Shelley, of Rockvale, is organist, and the present church officers are : Peter Hayenga, Poppe Maas and Behrend Behrends, elders ; and Frank Reeverts, John Ulferts and John A. Roos, deacons. There is a frame parsonage near the church, and a cemetery is located in the neighborhood. Schools. — Benjamin Boyce located on the east side of the river, taught the first term of school in 1841, in a log school-house near his residence. The second school house was built some time later in the Phelps neighborhood, and was known as the "Phelps School." This stood in the timber west of the cross-road running on the east side of the John Phelps farm. It was a log house consisting of one large room, heated by a wood stove and furnished with benches. This was superseded by a later structure which stood in the hollow at the north end of the same cross-roads until a few years ago, when the present school building, known as "Rockvale Heights," was erected. From the office of the Superintendent of Ogle County Schools has been obtained the following statistics: "Rockvale, 1907. There were 318 persons under 21 years of age, 216 of whom were of school age, of this latter number 177 being enrolled in the schools. The township was divided into eight school districts. One male and seven females were employed as teachers, re- ceiving salaries ranging from $30 to $45 per month. There were eight frame school houses valued at $4,500. The amount of tax levy $2,500." The following is quoted from the Ogle County History of 1886 for the purpose of comparison : "For the year ending June 30, 1885, in the town- ship there were 410 persons under twenty-one years of age, of whom 294 were of school age. Of that number 241 were enrolled in the public schools. The township was divided into eight school districts, each of which had school reg^ ularly during the year. All the schools were un- graded. . There were four males anad eleven female teachers employed, receiving salaries ranging from $25 to $45 per month. There were two stone and six frame school houses, valued at $4,900. The amount of tax levy was $2,250." Some years ago a creamery conducted by Otto Timmerman did a flourishing business on Silver Creek, but like many establishments of its kind, in more recent years its business has proved unsuccessful. As early as 1843, one of the many saw-mills of the county was established and operated by Benjamin Boyce, while Hiram Read kept a small grocery store on the east side of the river, both near the Brooklyn School. Township Officers. — The following have been Supervisors of Rockvale Township since 1850: N. W. Wadsworth, 1850-51 ; William Artz, 1852 ; James W. Johnston, 1853 ; A. C. Richardson, 1854-55 ; Benjamin Boyce, 1856-57 ; William Artz, 1858-61 ; Hiram Read, 1862 ; William Artz, 1863 ; Adoniram J. Waite, 1864-65 ; Henry Thompson, 1866; William Artz, 1867-68; Jacob Good, 1869- 71; Andrew Schecter, 1872-73; James C. T. Phelps, 1874; Jacob Good, 1875-79; E. A. Irvine, 1880-82; George Petrie, 1883-85; Otto Timmer- man, 1886-91 ; Judson A. Waite, 1892-1908. The officers for 1908, in addition to Super- visors, are : Town Clerk, William H. Smith ; Assessor, Henry F. Tice ; Tax Collector, Arend DeVries ; Justice of the Peace, Albert C. Wilde ; Highway Commissioners, William M. Camling, A. W. Blanchard, Scott Wissinger ; School Treas- urer, A. S. Shelley. SCOTT TOWNSHIP. In 1838, Thomas O. Youngs, of New Jersey and Canada, who for nineteen years had lived HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 821 near Cleveland, Ohio, decided to make a home in the "Far West," and taking six horses, two wagons and a carriage, started for Illinois. Other Ohio people, acquaintances of his, had set- tled in Ogle County, and thither he journeyed, via Chicago, then a town of 3,000 population. After fourteen days, he arrived with his family and possessions at W'hite Kock Grove, and there purchased of Henry James, a Kentuckian, a claim of several hundred acres. The land lay partly in what is now White Rock and partly in Scott Township. There was a log cabin on the portion in the latter township, now Section 31, with twelve acres broken. This became the home of Mr. Youngs and was the first settlement in Scott Township. For some time Mr. Youngs went to Beloit, thirty-five miles distant, for milling purposes, and to Chicago for general marketing, while among his experiences were carrying a revolver in his belt as he plowed his fields and while sleeping in his barn to protect his stock at night. Some Pioneer Experiences. — In 1839, Albert Wilbur, of New York, who had gone to Joliet in 1835, removed to Ogle County and settled on Section 19 in Scott Township. His travel was by canal to Buffalo (from Oneida County), to Detroit by Lake steamer, and thence to Chicago by stage, the journey occupying eleven days. The hotel in which he stopped in Chicago was a two- story log house, which stood where afterwards the well-known Tremont House accommodated the public for many years, and where now the Northwestern Law School is located. The mud on Randolph Street was so deep that planks had to be laid from the stage for the passengers to walk on, to the hotel door. Rostee of Early Settlers. — Other early set- tlers of the townehip, with the States from which they came and the sections upon which they located, are as follows: Benoni L. Beach, New York, 1842, Section 29 ; F. H. Baker, New York, 1849, Section 21 ; Richard McDonnough, Ireland, 1850, Section 3; Simon Sheaff, New York, 1851, Section 31 — fed the first stock raised for market in the township ; William W. Wade, Massachu- setts, 1854, Section 28; Elijah R. Morse, Ver- mont, 1854, Section 10; A. A. Walker, Illinois, 1855, Section 24; Lemuel Colwell, Maryland, 1856, Section 1 ; O. W. Norton, New York, 1855, Section 19 — found but five houses in the town- ship ; Joseph Sheaff, Ohio, 1855, Section 34— was the first settler in that immediate region, the nearest house being one and one-half miles away, and is a surviving resident of the town- ship to-day, with his home in Holcomb ; Peter Sheaff, New York, Sections 31 and 32 — came to Ogle County in 1852, but lived for six or seven years in Rockvale and Oregon Townships ; Pat- rick Carmichael, Ireland, 1859, Section 7 ; John Corcoran, Ireland, about I860, Section 2 ; John R. Rice, New York, 1860, Section 15; L. W. Blackman, New York, 1861, Section 13; Michael Monahan, Ireland, 1861, Section 13; Alfred Nash, New York, 1862, Section 25 ; John Murray, Scotland, 1863 ; Marcus Wortman, Pennsylvania, 1868, Section 11 ; Robert Richardson, England, 1871, Section 14; R. H. Woodworth, New York, 1872; John J. Nashold, New York, 1874, Sec- tion 12 ; John Wilson, Canada, 1875, Davis Junc- tion ; Emery J. Burdick, New York, 1875, Davis Junction ; P. Brace, New York, 1875, Davis Junc- tion. In 1877, Israel Boies, who in 1876 built the first creamery in the county at Byron, settled on Section 23, and became a director of the Rock River Butter Factory at Davis Junction, which from August 1 to February 1, 1878, made and shipped 20,000 pounds of butter. When Jeremiah Davis, in 1858, purchased 320 acres of the land in this township on Section 23, and moved i here with his family from Milton, Wis., "there was not a house to be seen from any portion of his land." Later Mr. Davis added 880 acres to his original purchase. The writer drove across that portion of Scott Township in 1878 and remembers the long distances between neighbors at that time, as well as the noticeable contrast between that part of the county and those portions around Oregon and Mount Morris, because of the absence of timber and the level land around Davis Junction. In 1855 this prairie, which the settlers left to the last to be converted into forms, sold at $2.50 per acre, while in 1878 Mr. Davis's farm of 1,100 acres, which he was then handling, was valued at $67,000, showing the rapid increase in value when once the occupation of the land for farming purposes began. Village or Davis Junction. — In 1875, Jere- miah Davis platted the village of Davis Junc- tion. The first dwelling was erected by Robert H. Woodworth and the first store by John K. Dentler, whose son, O. S. Dentler, occupied the new building with a stock of general merchan- 822 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. dise. Ellenwood and Scranton provided a build- ing for Mr. Bruce's stock of hardware, and there were two other stores conducted by Joseph Ken- dall and Mr. Scale. At the present time there are four stores in Davis Junction — two general stores and two hardware stores. One of the former is owned and managed by Frank Dent- ler, grandson of the early settler, J. K. Dentler. The lumber business was begun during the first year by Moody and Freeman, blaeksmithing by R. H. Woodworth and wagon^making by Bur- dick and Wilson, while Peter Xilton built and conducted the first hotel. In 1877, the first vil- lage school house was built, a two-story, two- room frame building, which still meets the edu- cational needs. A two years' high school course is maintained, from which the pupils pass to the third year of the course in the Rockford High School. Walter Richardson is Principal. In 1883, a Methodist Episcopal church was built and dedicated the following year, this being the only church edifice now in Davis Junction. The present pastor is the Rev. Collins, who re- sides at New Milford and has both charges under his care. The membership numbers fifty. The two railway companies (the Burlington & Milwaukee) whose lines intersect at the south side of the village, have built there a joint sta- tion at a cost of $9,000. It is a timber and cement building, with waiting rooms, smoking room and lunch room, well constructed, pleasing in appearance, commodious and comfortable. The lunch r.oom in its appointments and supplies is the equal of places of many times the size. The grounds surrounding the station have been artistically laid out, set in grass and planted with shrubbery. The walks are of vitrified brick, long and wide, following the tracks for some distance where the passengers take and leave the trains. Village of Holcomb. — In 1870, Joseph Sheaff, at the southern edge of the township, on Sec- tion 34, the place of his farm residence, laid out a new village and named it Holcomb in honor of W. H. Holcomb, then and for some time a citizen of the county, residing at Rochelle; first an employe and afterwards an officer of the Chicago & Iowa Railroad Company, later con- nected with the Oregon Short Line and Trans- portation Company of the Pacific Coast, and in 1893 Superintendent of transportation at the Columbian Exposition at Chicago. Mr. Holcomb died in March, 1908, at Hinsdale, III. The first house was a dwelling occupied by T. P. Frantz, a mason by trade. This was followed by an elevator built and operated by Joseph Sheaff, who in a short time rented and later sold out to West & Andrews, who in turn rented and then sold to George Stanbury, whose son, Edgar Stan- bury, is now the owner and operator. This elevator did all the grain business until 1886. when the Great Western Railway being com- pleted through Holcomb, Armour & Company established an elevator on that line. The second dwelling was erected by Dr. John Murray, who was an early settler of the region, and who con- tinued in the successful practice of the homeo- pathic school of medicine at Holcomb during all the years up almost to the present time. In December, 1908, Dr. Murray and his wife re- moved to Southern Illinois. A store building was built by David Sheaff about the same time as the first dwelling and was occupied by Peter E. Hastings, with a stock of general merchandise. This was sold in 1879 to R. F. Oakes, and is now owned and conducted by Phillips & Sheaff. A second general store was started in 1878 by O. S. Dentler, son of John K. Dentler. who pro- vided the building. There is now but one gen- eral store, the other being a hardware store. In 1879, a church was built at a cost of $2,800. by the German citizens residing in and around Holcomb, chief among whom were the Knotts. a numerous family active in the religious life of the community. At the present time the con- gregation is small. In 1892, a bank was established by David Sheaff, Joseph Sheaff, W. D. Oakes, Walter Sheadle, and Charles Eyster, all of whom, ex- cepting Walter Sheadle, who soon sold his in- terest, are its owners now. Charles Eyster is cashier. Township Officers. — Since the organization of the township of Scott in 18-">0. the following have been the Supervisors : George Youngs, 1850-51; Gould G. Norton, 1852-63; Jeremiah Davis, 1864-67; Orlo H. Norton, 1868; Jeremiah Davis, 1869-70 ; George S. Youngs, 1S71-72 ; Jere- miah Davis, 1873-74 ; James D. White, 1875-79 ; E. E. Moore, 1880-81 ; Charles H. Wilbur, 1S82- 83; Joseph G. Woodmau, 1884; T. H. Baker, 1S85-86; Sidney S. File, 1887-88; O. W. Norton, 1889 ; D. C. Pepper, 1890-93 ; D. A. Hatch, 1894- 95; Isaac N. Barden, 1S96-99; H. L. Barber. 1900-03; Charles E. Davis, 1904-08. (3^L~ -^ <^7t^^ HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 823 The other officers of the township for the year 1908 are: Town Clerk, Charles J. Rich- ardson; Assessor, S. K. Jackson; Tax Collector, Ernest Kreitsburg ; Justices of the Peace, Menzo Nashold, D. H. Larnont ; Constables, S. B. Camp- bell, John MeCormick ; Highway Commissioners, F. A. Knott, G. C. Zimmerman, Fred Ward; School Treasurer, Charles Eyster. TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. Taylor is a border township, touching Rock River on its west side and Lee County on the south. It is not the size of the usual township, being the north part of what was surveyed as Township 22 North, Ranges 9 and 10 East of the Fourth Principal Meridian "in Ogle County and east of the middle of Rock River." The northwestern section of Taylor Township was originally quite well timbered, and the land- scape partakes of the attractiveness and beauty which characterize the region of its neighbor "across the water," Grand Detour Township. Clear Creek flows in a northwesterly direction, nearly crossing the township, and empties into the river. Settlement History. — Among the early set- tlers in this locality were Elisha Arnold (1844). Albert Bissell, who now resides in retirement in the city of Oregon; Joseph Earl (1848), who made the trip to California in '49 with the Gold- Seekers ; John Mackay, L. L. Scott, Row- land Thomas, Elias and Manley Teall, John Worthington, Joseph Cunningham, Isaac Bly, Oliver Edwards ; B. F. March, whose son, F. W. March, resides in Oregon, and is an active tem- perance worker in the county ; Jacob Hanger, Hiram and Faxton Sanford, Parker Stepens, William Richardson (1845) ; Henry Ling (1865) settling on a farm in Section 12, and living con- tinuously in the same Section to the present time ; Washington Paddock, Jacob Wingate, Ruel Thorp. Fernando Sanford is a son of one of these old settlers. Levi Trostle, one of the pioneers of the Brethren people in Ogle and Lee counties, and who helped to establish the church of that denomination at Franklin Grove, owned several tracts of land in Taylor Township. A village settlement was soon formed by those choosing the farm land of this neighborhood for permanent homes. To this was given the name of Carthage, perhaps by some student of Roman history, who remembered the famous Carthage of ancient history. The postoffice was named Taylor, as another settlement in Illinois had already appropriated the historic appellation. The progressive changes of time have made a postal station no longer necessary, and Uncle Sam obligingly delivers the mail daily at the homes along the roadside by a rural mail route from Oregon and from Dixon. Formerly there was a store at this place kept by Joseph Stephens, an old and esteemed resident ; also a blacksmith shop, but these are no longer in operation. There is now at Carthage a group of homes, about a half dozen, two or three of them having their farm-lands adjacent. About twenty persons live in this community. The residents of this township are engaged chiefly in farming and stock-raising. Farms with buildings sell at the present time for about $100 per acre, corn and oats being the crops usually raised upon the land. One of the large farming tracts, 196 acres, once owned by Wil- liam Stewart, an old resident, is now in the posssession of Dr. Huston, of Joliet, 111. An- other large tract belonging to John Stewart is now owned by his widow, who resides in Ore- gon. Ogle County. Among more recent owners of farms are Maria Sanford and Isabella Teall, the names still representative of the early set- tlers. At one time two creameries flourished — Clear Creek Creamery on the east side near the Lafayette Township line, and another at the eastern edge of the once timbered tract ; but the butter is now made by the landowners them- selves and sold by them direct to customers. The church-going people of the township at- tend service usually at the Methodist Episcopal Church at Lighthouse, in Nashua Township, there being no house of worship within the limits of Taylor Township. There are four school districts in the town- ship, viz. : Hoosier State, No. 79, near the east border, which name would suggest some set- tlers from Indiana in that vicinity ; Tealls' Cor- ners School, No. 81, named for an old settler ; Carthage, No. 80, and Riverside, No. 207. sit- uated near the bordering river. Among the leading farmers of the township at the present time are C. S. Businga, Frederick W. Rolph, son of Rev. F. B. Rolph, who many years ago was pastor of the Christian Church at Washington Grove — the son still living on the old home-place ; Joseph B. Cleaver, William '824 HISTOKY OP OGLE COUNTY. D. Mackay, son of the early Scotch Irish settler, John Mackay, and living also upon the home farm ; John Shierer, Charles Fruit ; R. M. John- son and his son, Frederick Johnson ; William Lane, D. C. Edmonds ; John S. Richardson, son of William and Eliza Stewart Richardson, and John W. Groenwald. Township Officebs. — The township was or- ganized in 1850, and named for Zachary Taylor, who died July 9th, of that year. The Super- visors of Taylor Township have been as follows : Hiram Sanford, 1850-51; Ruel Thorp, 1852; William Paddock, 1853-58; Washington L. San- ford, 1S59-60; Ruel Thorp, 1861; David San- ford, 1S02; Elisha Arnold, 1863-64; M. D. Mar-, tin, 1865-67; Jacob S. Stanger, 1868-70; Faxton Sanford, 1871-73; F. B. Rolph, 1874-79; J. Z. Taylor, 1880-82; Albert Bissell, 1883-84; J. Z. Taylor, 1885-86 ; Floyd Thompson, 1887-90 ; A. J. Stewart, 1891-92 ; Jerome C. Thompson, 1893-94 ; John F. Vance, 1895-1902; C. S. Businga, 1903- 04 ; William D. Mackay, 1905-08. The other township officers at the present time are : Robert Boyles, Town Clerk ; C. J. Hepfer, Assessor ; Gilbert Spratt, Tax Collector ; E. A. Clover, Justice of the Peace ; Taylor Stultz, William Hart, J. B. Cleaver, Highway Commis- sioners ; C. D. Hussey, School Treasurer. WHITE ROCK TOWNSHIP. At the date of settlement of Ogle County as well as at the present time, the Township of White Rock — or what became such in 1852 — possessed but little timber land. For this reason there were but few early pioneers, and those were the settlers in and around White Rock Grove. The adjoining wide expanse of prairie was not much ventured upon as a place for farms until the latter part of the 'forties. As late as 1S50 Michael Cheshire entered 180 acres in Section 1. First Settlement. — The first log house built in White Rock Township was erected by Amos Rice in 1837, when he removed with his family from New York and settled on Section 7, where he purchased 300 acres of unbroken land. The same year came Annis Lucas from Massachu- setts and entered one mile square of the un- cultivated prairie, part of which he afterward sold. Timothy Searles and family, including two step-sons, Eli M. and William D. Ohaney, who had removed from Virginia to Ohio in 1829, came to Illinois in 1834, first locating in Putnam County, whence they removed to Ogle County and settled in White Rock Township. In 1838, land to the number of 307 acres in Section 8 was claimed and settled upon by John Campbell of Canada. In the same year Phineas Chaney from Virginia, John F. Benner from Europe, and Peter Smith from New Jersey, made their claims and built their cabins ; also Cyrus Wellington. In 1839, Michael Cheshire, who had gone from Virginia to Ohio, where he tarried two years, joined the few pioneers of White Rock Township, and there entered 80 acres in Section 35. In the same year, after having lived thirteen years in Ohio, where he had gone from New Jersey, came Richard Hayes, of the North of Ireland, and purchased 480 acres of raw prairie land in Section 6. First Government Land Sale. — The first land offered for sale by the Government was that lying east of the Third Principal Meridian, and the first sale was made on October 29, 1839, when the first tract purchased was the east-half of the northeast quarter of Section 1, Township 41 North, Range 1 East of the Third Principal Meridian, now the northeastern cor- ner of White Rock Township. Away from the grove, entry of the land and the settlement of it in this township progressed slowly because of lack of faith in the prairie for the purposes of agriculture beyond that of grazing, and also because of insecurity of life and property on account of the robberies by brigands who in- fested four counties, the headquarters of some of whom were in the near-by sheltering timber land of Washington Grove, Brodie's Grove and Lafayette Grove. It was in White Rock Town- ship that the organized movement to rid the region of the desperadoes originated, and here that the ' hero of it, John Campbell, gave his life, in 1841. Other early settlers of the township, the States from which they came, the years of their settlement, and the Sections upon which they located, are as follows : John Hayes, New Jer- sey, 1841, Sections 4, 5 and 6 ; James Lewis, Wales, 1842, Section 16; H. L. Grant, Canada, 1845, Section 19: Ezekiel Thayer, New Hamp- shire, 1847. Section 34 ; Richard Haselton, New York, 1848, Section 30; H. C. Preston, New HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 825 York, 1849, Sections 7 and 18; John Savidge, Pennsylvania, 1850, Section 9; Samuel Doctor, Pennsylvania, 1851, Section 8; F. Blackman, Pennsylvania, 1852, Section 36; David Scheaff, New York, 1853, Section 2 ; Edward Gardhouse, England, 1854, Section 36; John K. Dentler, Pennsylvania, 1854, Section 16 ; John, Abraham, and William Seohler, Pennsylvania, 1854, Sec- tions, 15, 16 and 27; R. W. Sheadle, Pennsyl- vania, 1854, Section 27 ; George Stanbury, Eng- land, 1855, Section 11 ; Adam Benner, Pennsyl- vania, 1855, Section 10 ; Hiram Hayes, Illinois, 1856, Section 23 ; Henry Doebler, Pennsylvania,. 1S57, Sections 3 and 15 ; William H. King, Illi- nois, 1858, Section 27 ; Albert Lovell, New York, 1858, Section 13 ; James Nicholas, Pennsylvania, 1858, Section 31; R. W. Steuben, New York, 1859, Section 25. Others who came later were : Abner J. Bilsborough, Pennsylvania, 1860, Sec- tion 28; Samuel Gibson, Scotland, 1860, Sec- tion 20 ; W. D. Oakes, Pennsylvania, Section 22 ; William Boom, New York, 1861, Section 4 ; David H. Weeks, New York, 1861, Section 24; Carl Miller, Germany, 1863, Section 15 ; Lyman Gilbert New York, 1864, Section 13 ; R. P. Oakes, Pennsylvania, 1868, Section 21 ; Thomas Schoon- hoven, New York, 1868, Sections 30 and 31; Andrew Diehl, Pennsylvania, 1869, Section 7. Hamlets and Villages. — A number of years ago, in the center of White Rock Township was started a hamlet. Here in 1886 were situated a school, a church and a cemetery. The church, which was of the Methodist Episcopal denomina- tion, has since been removed to Kings. The cemetery and the school still remain in the same location. The settlement was known as White Rock Center. The village of White Rock Burg had its origin very early in the settlement of the region after- wards forming the township. The Methodist Episcopal Church was built sometime after the establishment of the village, about 1860. This church continues to hold religious services at the present time. In 1878 there were situated at White Rock Burg a school house, a wagon and blacksmith shop, a general store conducted by Hathaway Brothers, and a postoffice called White Rock. There is no postoffice there now, the only dis- tributing point for the United States mail in White Rock Township in 1908 being located at the village of Kings. Benjamin Eyster was the first postmaster in the township. The village includes about forty inhabitants at present, and has one store operated by J. S. Dentler. The most thriving village of the township, at the present time, is the comparatively late one of Kings, which was laid out in 1875 by W. H. King. The then new line of the Chicago, Rockford & Northern Railroad was that year completed and the village was located along the right of way in the north part of Section 27. The first building, an elevator, was built by Harry King. There are now two elevators, one owned by Armour & Company, and the other, known as the "Farmers' Elevator," is the prop- erty of a local stock company of which Richard King of Rockford, is President. The first store was conducted by R. W. Sheadle and the first blacksmith shop by George Pettingill, for whom the shop was provided by W. H. King. There are now several blacksmith and wagon-shops and several stores, besides a bank, two churches and a school. The bank was organized twenty years ago by W. H. King, Charles T. King, and W. D. Oakes. It is now owned by Charles T. King, Frank J. King, Richard M. King, and Emeline King, and known as The Farmers' Bank of Kings, with a capital of $16,000 and deposits of between $30,000 and $40,000. It has been twice entered by burglars. The first time about $1,500 was taken, but the second time the safe stood the test and nothing was secured. The bank was not affected by the panic of 1893, nor by that of 1907. Chtjrches. — In 1863, the people of the Meth- odist faith in the surrounding country region built a church in the southern part of Section 23 and called it Bethel Methodist Church. It was then an out appointment belonging to the Rochelle charge, but in 1868 it was cut off from Rochelle and G. W. Elwood was the first pastor. In 1887, the church building and the parsonage were moved to the new village of Kings, one mile to the west, leaving only the cemetery to mark the initial place of church worship in the township. The membership now is about fifty with Rev. C. H. Beale pastor. The Presbyterian Church of Kings is the lineal successor of the first Presbyterian Church organized in Ogle County. According to the statement of Mrs. Emory C. Hayes of Kings, who was present on the occasion, the church was organized in October, 1847, by Rev. George W. Stebbins, in an upper room in the 826 H1ST0EY OF OGLE COUNTY. unfinished house of Mrs. Alexander Bain, three or four miles south of White Rock Burg. Daniel Taylor and Richard Mayberry were elect- ed elders, and Mr. Stebbins was their first minis- ter, visiting them once a month. At first the services were held in the unfinished "upper room" where the church was organized, later in school houses, finally locating at "the Burg" (White Rock) which gave the church its name. In June, 1858, sixteen members of the "Church of White Rock," including Richard Mayberry and his wife Elizabeth, were by a committee of the Presby- tery of Chicago organized into "the Presbyterian Church of Centre." Samuel Mayberry and James H. Brown were elected elders, and Joseph Cham- bers, Hastings C. Preston, Alfred F. Konkle, Dan- iel F. Cooper, James C. Mayberry Trustees. In January, 1868, the two churches known as "White Rock" and "Centre" agreed to unite under the name of "The First Presbyterian Church of Ogle County," which action as ratified by the Presby- tery of Rock River, this arrangement continuing till 1875, when another change took place. This change was revolutionary, and for twelve years the society was known as "The First Congre- gational Church of White Rock," tout since the names of the elders of the old church appear among the officers of the new society, and the same house of worship is occupied, it would seem that it was the same old church and people under a new name. In 1887 occurred the last, and most important change. The house of wor- ship was removed about a mile and a half to the village which had sprung up at King's station and on the new railroad and, under jurisdiction of the Presbytery of Ottawa, the church was re- organized on August 20, 1887, as a Presbyterian Church. Two elders were elected, Hasting C. Preston and Alfred F. Konkle, who are still serving (1909). Since their names first appear- ed among the Trustees elected at the organiza- tion of Centre church in 1858, they have never been absent from the list of officers of the church through all the changes of name, location and government. With Elmer J. Preston, son of H. C. and Rodney Wilder King, they consti- tute the present Session of the church. Since September. 1903, Rev. J. H. Stevenson, D. D., has been the pastor. The present membership of the church is about 60, the largest in its history. Elder R. W. King is the efficient Superinten- dent of the Sabbath School, which now has the largest enrollment in its history. The congre- gation owns a small but comfortable manse, which, with the house of worship, is in good re- pair. The church has had the remarkable ex- perience of having been under the jurisdiction of three separate presbyteries — Chicago, Rock River and Ottawa — while occupying practically the same territory, its families living upon the same farms. It has also been known by five dif- ferent names. But through all its changes the church has stood for the Bible as the Word of God and the rule of life, faith in Jesus Christ as the only way of justification, and honesty and morality as the essential evidences of christian character. Schools, — The following record of White Rock Township Schools is taken from the history of 1886: "In 1839 a school house was erected on Sec- tion 5, the first in the township. Amanda Rice held therein the first term of school. This house was used for religious as well as school pur- poses. In 1847 there were but thirty-eight white children of school age, and in 1855 the highest wages paid male teachers in winter were $20 per month ; to females, $10 -per month. In the sum- mer time the highest wages paid were $10 per month. As a contrast, from the report of the County Superintendent of Public Schools, for the year ending June 30, 1885, the following interest- ing items are gleaned : There were 423 persons under 21 years of age, of whom 217 were enrolled in the public schools. The township was divided into ten school districts, all the schools held therein being of an ungraded char- acter. Two male and 23 female teachers were employed during the year. The highest salary paid was $45 per month, and the lowest $25. There were one brick and nine frame school houses in the township, valued at $8,280. The amount of tax levy for school purposes was $3,420." The following statement prepared by the County Superintendent of Schools of Ogle County, brings the statistics to the end of the year 1907 : "There were 323 persons under 21 years of age, 245 of whom were of school age. Of the latter number 188 were enrolled in the schools, several being in nearby high schools. The township was divided into ten school dis- tricts presided over by ten female teachers re- ceiving salaries ranging from $30 to $65 per month. There were nine frame and oue 6s>^Ld-£/x^ C^'CVTl-trv-r-L-C/L- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 82" brick school houses valued at $9,500. The amount of tax levy for the support of the schools was $6,000." The Campbell Bouldek. — The following accu- rate record of the placing of the boulder to mark the spot -where John Campbell, the fearless Scotch Captain of the Regulators, was shot in the quiet Sabbath evening sundown, while going to his barn, was prepared for this History by Mr. D. H. Hayes, still ardent and active at seventy- eight, who drove eight miles from his home in White Rock Township, purposely to make a per- fect transcript of the inscription on the Camp- bell boulder : "During the summer of 1906 the matter of placing a boulder monument to mark the place where John Campbell was shot by the Prairie bandits June 28th, 1841, was suggested by R. M. King and D. H. Hayes. Other old settlers were spoken to concerning the subject and all favored the plan, notably among these were C. T. King, A. B. Eyster, E. S. Doctor, Geo. H. Hayes, C. F. Heltness and Geo. H. Oakes. Accordingly a boulder was found on the farm of D. H. Hayes in White Rock Township, of suitable size and shape, and was taken to Rochelle by R. M. King and the following inscription placed thereon by an engraver : 'J. CAMPBELL, CAPTAIN OF REGULATORS. Shot Hebe by Pbaibie Bandits. Juke '23, 1841.' "When the stone was in readiness it was taken by D. H. Hayes to the place where it now stands on the old Campbell farm twelve miles north- west of Rochelle, in Section 8, White Rock Town- ship, afterwards owned by Martin S. Campbell, son of John Campbell. The boulder is placed within ten feet of where John Campbell fell and rests on a concrete base about 18 inches in thick- ness and three feet square, is egg-shaped, three and one-half feet high, and weighs 1,500 pounds. ■The dedication of this stone to the memory of Mr. Campbell was on the sixty-fifth anniversary of his death. "On the day that the boulder was to be erected a dedicatory service had been announced and old settlers flocked in from a distance of 12 miles. C. T. King'was chosen chairman of the meeting. D. W. Baxter of Rochelle was the principal speaker, Revs. Tibbies of Rochelle and Simester and Stevenson of Kings, also E. C. Hayes and R. M. King made short addresses suitable to the occasion. The grand children of John Campbell residing in the vicinity assisted in making the necessary arrangements and contributed well toward the necessary expenses." Township Officers. — White Rock Township was formed in 1852, and since that time the fol- lowing have served as members of the County Board of Supervisors : William Stocking, 1852 ; Samuel Doctor, 1852-57; Edwin Rice, 1858-60; Osborne Chaney, 1861 ; Franklin Blackman, 1862 ; Edwin Rice, 1863 ; B. Eyster, 1864 ; Samuel Doc- tor, 1865; Edwin Rice, 1866; Martin S. Camp- bell, 18C7; Edwin Rice, 1868; William Stocking, 1800 ; Thomas G. Getty, 1870-72 ; Samuel Doctor, 1873-74 ; William H. King, 1875-76 ; George Stan- bury, 1877; William H. King, 1878-84; David Sheaff, 1885; William H. King, 1886; D. H. Hayes, 1887 ; Charles T. King, 1888 ; Edwin Rice, 1889; William H. King, 1890-95; J. E. King, 1896- 1901 ; J. F. Harleman, 1902-05 ; G. W. King, 1906-07 ; E. E. Stansbury, 1908. The following are the other officers for the township for the year 1908: Town Clerk, E. L. Hayes ; Assessor, A. B. Eyster ; Tax Collector, True Hazelton ; Justice of the Peace F. T. Bab- bitt ; Constable, Charles Sechler ; Highway Com- missioners, W. D. Blackman, J. C. Oakes, Allen Reintz ; School Treasurer, W. H. Gibson. WOOSUNG TOWNSHIP. (By J. W. Clinton.) At a meeting of the Board of Supervisors, on September 15, 1880, a petition was presented praying for a division of the town of Buffalo, and the creation of a new township to be known as Woosung. Considerable discussion and some litigation ensued, but in 1881 or 1882, Woosung was added to the townships of the county. It is bounded by Buffalo Township on the north and Grand Detour on the east, and by Lee County on the south, and White- side on the west, and the village of Woosung near the southeastern corner of the township and on the Galena Branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, is its principal trading point. The new township embraces an area of 12 square miles, made up. of the northern tier of sec- tions (numbered 1 to 12) in T. 22 X., R. 8 E. of Fourth Principal Meridian. It is the seat of some of the most fertile farms in Ogle County, and it ships heavily to Chicago markets. 828 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. At the election held April 4, 1882, the town- ship officers elected were : Walter W. Peirce, Supervisor ; Thomas Treat, Town Clerk ; M. S. McCoy, Assessor ; James W. Allaben, Collector ; William Prather, Highway Commissioner. At a joint meeting of the Supervisors and Assessors of Buffalo and Woosung Townships, held June 16- 17, 1882, the funds of the original township were divided, the net sum awarded to Buffalo Town- ship being $1,319.61 and to Woosung Township, $333.18. Churches. — The "Polo Press" of May, 1866, noted the fact that the Woosung people were ex- pecting to build a United Brethren church soon. In the winter or spring of 1867, the movement took form, and the people of Woosung and ad- joining territory began to act. John H. Ander- son donated a fine lot, and the Trustees raised about $3,000 as a building fund. The corner- stone was laid September 5, 1867, with prayer and appropriate remarks by the Rev. B. R. Pierce. The building was 32x56 feet, with a steeple 60 feet high. It was dedicated as a United Breth- ren church by Bishop Edwards on January 12, 1868, but was not free of debt and in 1879 it was sold to satisfy the creditors. It was bought by a company composed of a committee of citizens, and held by them as a church to be open to all denominations. This church was destroyed by lightning in 1898, and another union church re- placed it in 1899. Pastors from adjoining terri- tory hold services in it when the weather per- mits, and a Sunday School has been held there for a number of years. The Woosung postoffice was established Decem- ber 26, 1855, with William Brimblecome, Post- master. The present Postmaster is Ira Pultz. Township Officers. — The following is a list of Supervisors of Woosung Township who have served since the date of organization in 1881 : James P. Wilson, 1881-84 ; J. M. Kauffman, 1885- 86 ; Henry H. Baer, 1887 ; John Reynolds, 1888- 90; Prank P. Peck, 1891-96; Nelson B. Kidder, 1897-1900; Alexander Anderson, 1901-02; Mat- thew Shore, 1903 ; Alexander Anderson 1904-08 The other officers of the Township in 1908 are : Town Clerk, J. C Hagerman ; Assessor, J. Fred Scholl ; Collector, W. G. Cramer ; Highway Com- missioner, Ambrose Kilday. The vote of the township under the local option law, on the question of granting license to saloons at the election of 1908, was : For License 20 ; Against License 38. BIOGRAPHICAL CHAPTER XXVI. THE PART OF BIOGRAPHY IN GENERAL HISTORY — CITIZENS OF OGLE COUNTY' AND OUTLINES OF PER- SONAL HISTORY — PERSONAL SKETCHES ARRANGED IN ENCYCLOPEDIC ORDER. The verdict of mankind has awarded to the Muse of History the highest place among the Classic Nine. The extent of her office, however, appears to be, by many minds, but imperfectly understood. The task of the historian is compre- hensive and exacting. True history reaches be- yond the doings of court or camp, beyond the is- sues of battles or the effects of treaties, and re- cords the trials and the triumphs, the failures and the successes of the men who make history. It is but an imperfect conception of the philoso- phy of events that fails to accord to portraiture and biography its rightful position as a part — and no unimporant part — of historic narrative. Behind and beneath the activities of outward life the motive power lies out of sight, just as the furnace fires that work the piston and keep the ponderous screw revolving down in the darkness of the hold. So, the impulsive power which shapes the course of communities may be found in the molding influences which form its citizens. It is no mere idle curiosity that prompts men to wish to learn the private, as well as the pub- lic, lives of their fellows. Rather is it true that such desire tends to prove universal brother- hood; and the interest in personality and biog raphy is not confined to men of any particular caste or vocation. The list of those to whose lot it falls to pay a conspicuous part in the great drama of life, is comparatively short ; yet communities are made up of individuals, and the aggregate of achieve- ments — no less than the sum total of human hap ■ piness — is made up of the deeds of those men and women whose primary aim, through life, is faithfully to perform the duty that comes near- est to hand. Individual influences upon human affairs will be considered potent or insignificant, according to the standpoint from which it is viewed. To him who, standing upon the sea- shore, notes the ebb and flow of the tides and listens to the sullen roar of the waves, as they break upon the beach in seething foam, seem- ingly chafing at their limitations, the ocean ap- pears so vast as to need no tributaries. Yet, without the smallest rill that helps to swell the "Father of Waters," the mighty torrent of the Mississippi would be lessened, and the beneficent influence of the Gulf Stream diminished. Count- less streams, currents and counter currents — sometimes mingling, sometimes counteracting each other — collectively combine to give motion to the accumulated mass of waters. So is it — and so must it ever be — in the ocean of human action, which is formed by the blending and re- pulsion of currents of thought, of influence and of life, yet more numerous and more tortuous than those which form the "fountains of the deep." The acts and characters of men, like the several faces that compose a composite picture, are wrought together into a compact or hetero- geneous whole. History is condensed biography ; "Biography is History teaching by example." ' It is both interesting and instructive to rise above the generalizations of history and trace, in the personality and careers of the men from whom it sprang, the principles and influences, the impulses and ambitions, the labors, struggles and triumphs that engross their lives. Here are recorded the careers and achieve- ments of pioneers who, "when the fulness of time had come," came from widely separated sources, some from beyond the sea, impelled by divers motives, little conscious of the import of their acts, and but dimly anticipating the harvest which would spring from the sowing. They built their primitive homes, toiling for a present subsistence while laying the foundations of pri- vate fortunes and future advancement. Most of these have passed away, but not be- fore they beheld a development of business and population surpassing the wildest dreams of fancy or expectation. A few yet remain whose years have passed the allotted three-score and ten, and who love to recount, among the cherished memories of their lives, their reminis- cences of early days. [The following items of personal and family his- tory, having been arranged in encyclopedic (or alpha- betical) order as to names of the individual sub- jects, no special index to this part of the work will be found necessary. 1 ABBOTT, Emma. — From an Encyclopedia is taken the following outline of the life of this beautiful singer : "Emma Abbott, one of the foremost American dramatic sopranos, was born in 1849, and died in Salt Lake City, in 1891, while making a West- ern tour with her company. She began her mus- ical career by singing in the Plymouth Church choir, Brooklyn, X. Y. Then she studied abroad, 829 830 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. with San Giovanni, at Milan, and at Paris ; then joined Mapleson's Company and made her debut at Oovent Garden, London ; toured three years in Great Britain. Returning to the United States she spent her remaining years there, the late ones with the Emma Abbott English Opera Com- pany. In 1878, she married E. J. Wetherell, of New York." The Encyclopedia gives the place of her birth as Chicago, but this is an error, and the place of her nativity is not known certainly by her relatives in Ogle County, who think it perhaps was St. Charles, Illinois. She lived on a farm at Oak Ridge, in Pine Creek Township, in Ogle County, as is told by Mr. Victor H. Bovey in the sketch of that township, written by him. The father of Emma Abbott was the Seth Abbott, the singing school teacher, who is still remembered by many of the old residents, they 'having at- tended the singing schools taught by him in dif- ferent parts of the county, many years ago. "Grandma" Palmer, still residing at Oak Ridge, and as far as is known, the oldest resident of Ogle County, now past ninety-seven years, is an aunt of Emma Abbott, her husband, Irvin Palmer, having been a brother of the Angeline Palmer, whom Seth Abbott married, and who was the mother of the famous singer. Seth Abbott used sometimes to take his little daughter with him on his trips about the county to con- duct his singing schools, and took great pride on these occasions in having her sing for his music scholars. This was in Civil War time and she sang patriotic songs with much spirit. It is said that at this time they were quite poor, the father making his drives with a little old spring- wagon, and an old horse, while Emma was but poorly dressed ; but it is remembered by these older residents that he was a "good teacher," and that she "sang well." So much for the indelible stamp of genius and ability which Time imprints on the Memory ! The writers of this history heard this singer, in Chicago, several years before her death, singing in "The Bohem- ian Girl," with a voice of wonderful richness, fullness and melody. The father of Emma Abbott was living at the time of his daughter's untimely death. In her will she made ample provision for a comfortable maintenance for him, as a warm affection ex- isted between them. A brother is said to be now residing in Chicago ; and, among the relatives in Ogle County, is a cousin at Grand Detour, Mrs. J. H. Mumma. Miss Abbott frequently visited among her friends in Grand Detour, and was well known by Mr. William C. Andrus, of that place, who recalls with pleasure and sadness meeting her in Tacoma, Washington, and hearing her sing there in "Mary Stuart," just two weeks before her death. Among the many friends whom this singer attracted to her by her musical ability were Miss Clara Louise Kellogg and Madame Adelina Patti. The following paragraph relative to Emma Abbott is taken from an admirable work just out, in December, 1908, "David Swing, Poet- Preacher," written by the Rev. Joseph Port New- ton, the author of the poetic description of the Rock River Valley, quoted from in Chapter 1 of this volume: "In public influence and esteem Swing held in his last years a position such as few men have ever held in any metropolis. . . . Par and near he went, sometimes weak and weary, to lay wreaths of hope upon the graves of the dead, as he knew so well how to do. No one who heard it can ever forget his tribute to Emma Abbott, as she lay in Music Hall clad in the lilac robe worn in the first act of 'Ernani,' with a rose in her white hand. At such times his words were touched with a tender pathos which, proceeding from a melted heart, melted all who came under their spell. Old Music Hall held many a rich memory not only as a forum and a temple, but as a shrine where shone the bright face of genius. There sounded the heavenly voice of Patti. There glided the winsome figure of Emma Abbott, her soul like a perfume and her throat full of song." ADAMS, Robert Fulton. — The family of which Robert Pulton Adams is a worthy representative has been inseparably associated with mercantile and political affairs in Creston since some time before the Civil War, and its leaders have been noted for the practical and dependable results of their lives, and for their uprightness, indus- try, and ability to see- and improve the oppor- tunities by which they were surrounded. The present County Clerk of Ogle County inherits many of the sterling qualities of his father, Charles E. Adams, who was born in Washington County, N. Y., in 1839, and who married Jennie B. Fulton, a native of Rochelle, 111. The elder Adams came to Ogle County during the '50s and in Rochelle gained that preliminary experience as a clerk which resulted in his subsequent suc- cess as an independent merchant in Creston. He carried a general stock in his store, conducted bis business along progressive and practical lines, and in connection therewith served twelve years as Postmaster during Republican admin- istrations. His useful life came to an end April 25, 1895, his wife having pre-deceased him on New- Year's Eve of 1877. Robert Pulton Adams stepped into the wait- ing opportunity of his father's general store, be- ginning at the bottom round of the ladder and working his way up through practical effort. He was born in Creston March 2, 1869, and was educated in the public schools of his native town and at the Bryant & Stratton Business College, of Chicago. In 1902 he was elected County Clerk and re-elected in 1906 on the Republican ticket, having been quite active in local cam- paigning for several years. He is a member of the Masons, Mystic Shriners, Modern Woodmen of America, Yeomen and Mystic Workers. Mr. Adams became a benedict July 18, 1894, marry- ing Mable S. Robbins, daughter of Dr. Henry C. and Martha E. Prescott, natives of Massachu- setts, and married in their native State. Dr. w w w W 3 o a M > d ■A n o w t- 1 « > o > d t/3 tn K m f w M d W M Z it a , ■■'■■ ■■■'■. m r 4' * -40*. " "■ f - ' • 111 t #" T 5L Jfe»X*M,; a . f ' : I- J p „ J . ' ;'«,T ■■■' ■ ^^ "■^to^iii-' 1 HHfi&yf ^, . V :|«i: JB lv/-''T-l SS^SlES^tSIHkjBH *---.. SP -,11 O ' ' %0V >^%H < jKE* J ^ifjmffi — — * _ — j, g Mi \ |fi« ^ 4 4 * *f* ; * y '"'"• <•* * ,/dfefe t ^W . tiftEft. '.' * B^- K''JB -lyiB v r*** - -s, HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 831 Robbins was a surgeon in an Illinois regiment during the Civil War, and at the close of hos- tilities came to Greston and engaged in the practice of his profession. Subsequently he re- tired from active life, but now is the owner of a drug store, and for the past twelve years has been Postmaster of the town. He is an active Republican and a man of high business and general standing. To Mr. and Mrs. Adams have been born two sons : Earl Clay, July 4, 1895, and Dudley W., October 31, 1901. Mr. Adams en- joys an enviable reputation in and out of Cres- ton, is invariably straightforward in his deal- ings, prompt in meeting an obligation and de- pendable in his social and business relations. AGNEW, Samuel H. ( a retired farmer of Mar- ion Township, Ogle County, 111., owning more than a section of fine land within its limits, and one of the most prominent men in his local- ity, was born in Scott Township, same county, October 4, 1857. His father, James Agnew, was a native of Ireland, and the birthplace of his mother, Sarah (Graham) Agnew, was in, Can- ada. During the '50s they came to Ogle County, 111., locating in Scott Township, where James Agnew followed, his wonted vocation, that of farming, for a long period. About the year 1899, he and his wife moved to Stillman Valley, which is now their home. They became the parents of six children, all of whom are living. James Agnew has always been a Republican in politics, and, in religious faith, his parents are Congregationalists. Samuel H. Agnew, who is the eldest of the family, was brought up on the paternal farm, in the vicinity of which he re- ceived a common-school education. In early manhood he applied himself to farming on his own responsibility, and continued thus on rented land in Marion Township, for nearly ten years. Then he bought a farm, acquiring additional land from time to time, until his landed posses- sions reached a total of 642 acres. In the fall of 1904, he relinquished his agricultural labors, and since that period has spent his time in leisure. On August 10, 1882, in Marion Township, Ogle County, Mr. Agnew was united in marriage with Carrie L. Merrifield, who was born in that town- ship, a daughter of John and Lucy (Stewart) Merrifield, old settlers in the locality. The father of Mrs. Agnew died on his farm when forty-two years old, but his widow still survives. To the subject of this sketch and his worthy wife three chiidren have been born, namely: Neva L., Clarence J. and Norma L. In political action, Mr. Agnew has always been identified with the Republican party, and has taken an active and leading part in township and county affairs, serving as Supervisor several terms. He has been one of the successful farm- ers of Northern Illinois, and is classed as a rep- resentative citizen of Ogle County. ALLABEN, James W. (deceased), lawyer, Polo, 111. As truly as there are men who outlive their usefulness, there are others who are cut down when the world seems to need them. Of the two possibilities, the latter is by far the sadder. This thought is suggested by the seemingly un- timely death of the late James W. Allaben, a native of Delaware County, N. Y. Mr. Allaben was born June 12, 1849, a son of Dr. Jonathan C. and Angeline (Decker) Allaben. The family came to Ogle County in 1855, arriving at Polo October 12. Doctor Allaben located on a farm south of Polo where, while giving attention to agricultural matters, he continued the practice of medicine, in which he had been quite suc- cessful in the East. So firmly did he establish himself professionally in the confidence of the people that, in 1860, he moved to Polo, where until his retirement from active life in 1879, he devoted himself exclusively to ministrations 'to the medical and surgical needs of his fellow citi- zens. He passed away December 16, 1889, his wife surviving him until July 20, 1900. Their son, James W. Allaben, was educated in the Polo High School and, in 1873, began to read law under the direction of Col. M. D. Swift. After five years hard study, he was, in 1878, ad- mitted to practice in the Supreme Court and in minor courts of Illinois. Though his pru Ses- sional career was a brief one, it was so success- ful as to mark him as a man of ability and hold out much promise for his future. He was elect- ed City Attorney of Polo 1 and, for some time before his admission to the bar, officiated as Town Clerk. As a Democrat he was influential in all local affairs of moment, and as a cam- paigner was active and efficient. He died at Polo, 111.. January 28, 1901. Mr. Allaben married Miss Vernon Baker, Octo- ber 23, 1878. Their son, Max Fenimore Allaben, was graduated at Amherst College, Mass., with the class of 1907, and is a law student at the Northwestern University, Chicago. Their eldest son, Jonathan C. Allaben, died in childhood. Mrs. Allaben was a daughter of Elias and Mary M. (Swingley) Baker, born at Mount Morris, Ogle County, October 23, 1849. She received a good education and before her marriage was for some time a teacher in the county. ALLEN, Chester F., farmer, Leaf River Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. Pennsylvanians, where- ever they have gone, have borne to newer lands characteristics and education along economic and patriotic lines that have been conducive to enlightenment and prosperity, and Ogle County has reason to be grateful for the Pennsylvanian element in its citizenship. Leaf River Township has numerous representatives of the Keystone State, and none is better or more favorably known than Chester F. Allen. Mr. Allen was born in Luzerne County, Pa., October 20, 1841, a son of Peter and Sarah (Shaw) Allen, both of Pennsylvania nativity, Peter Allen moved to Ogle County, 111., in 1854, and settled in Leaf River Township, where he died at an advanced age, his wife following him when she was about eighty years old. Of their 832 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. five children, Chester F. Allen was the fourth in order of birth. He was about fourteen years old when his family settled in Leaf River Town- ship, which has been his home ever since. His early education was acquired in Pennsylvania, and there and in Ogle County he gained a thor- ough knowledge of farming. In the spring of 1864 he enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-second Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he saw about six months' arduous service in the Civil War. February 27, 1867, Mr. Allen married Miss Indiana Trine, who was bom in Washington County, Md., a daughter of Christian and Mary E. Trine, who came to Leaf River Township some time after 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have four children — James W., Peter, Mary and Flora. A biographical sketch of James W. will be found in these pages. Mary is the wife of Dexter Grady. The Christian Church retains the alleg- iance of Mr. Allen and his family. Devoted heart and soul to the interests of his community, he has from time to time accepted township offices, which he has administered efficiently and with an eye single to the public good. His farm is one of the best in the vicinity, consisting of 240 acres of land, well improved and provided with everything necessary to its successful cul- tivation, including a good residence and all other requisite buildings. ALLEN, Isaac B. (deceased), Forreston Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. In a sense we all labor for those who are to come after us. Usually there seems to be justice in this, for we come into the civilization made for us by those who have passed our way beiore our time. But it would be hard to say wherein the pioneer in the new country has such advantages as have been suggested, if we except the provision that nature has made for him and which he can make avail- able only through hardship and toil. At the same time his value to the present generation is in evidence on all sides. Of course, the pioneers sought their own advancement, as do the men of the present day, but the latter have inherited more from them than they found available when they came into the country. A popular recog- nition of these facts has tended to promote ap- preciation of the pioneer and gratitude for his achievements. One of the unselfish pioneers of Ogle County was Isaac B. Allen. Mr. Allen was born in Oneida County, N. Y., July 5, 1820, and died at his home in Forreston Township, 111., February 2, 1903. October 15, 1842, he married Miss Harriet Gorton of Herki- mer County, N. Y., who died in Ogle County, March 17, 1S65, and in 1807 married her sister, Martha M. Gorton, who died in 1894. In his early life in New York State Mr. Allen was a dairyman. II is father, John F. Allen, and Dar- win W. Allen, his brother, came to Belvidere. 111., in 1852. He came with his wife and son in the fall of 1856 and they stopped at Belvidere. In December, 1856, Mr. Allen went from Belvi- dere to Forreston, where he entered into busi- ness partnership with others in the grain and lumber trade. He took charge of his company's warehouse and in June, 1857, having his busi- ness running well, brought his family to For- reston and, in the fall of the same year, they moved into the house which was his home as long as he lived, and which is the home now of his own son, Darwin G. Allen. After handling grain for fifteen years with success, he engaged in farming and invested heavily in land. Later, from time to time, he sold considerable land, gradually reducing his holdings. A few years later he returned to the grain trade, but con- tinued farming and, at the time of his death, had been for forty years a farmer. In politics he was a Republican and for a time served his township as a member of the County Board of Supervisors. In his business he was brought into relations more or less intimate with the farmers and business men of his vicinity, and those who knew him best gladly testify to his great worth as a business man and as a citizen. His father died in Belvidere in 1859. his brother dying August 22, 1905. Darwin G. Allen, son of the pioneer business man above referred to, was born in Erie County, N. Y., January 25, 1851. From boyhood until his father's death he was closely identified with the hitter's business. He is now the owner of two farms, one of sixty acres, the other of 160 acres, which are operated by lessees. The elder Allen acquired considerable real estate at For- reston, upon which from time to time he erected houses and other buildings. Mr. Allen is a Re- publican. As an Odd Fellow he has passed the Chairs of White Oak Lodge, has been its repre- sentative in the Grand Lodge of the order, and in all ways is active in lodge work. A lover of outdoor sports, he is a devotee to hunting and fishing. ALLEN, James W., farmer and proprietor of the "Leaf River Mirror," Leaf River, Ogle Coun- ty, 111. From a biographical sketch of Chester F. Allen, which appears in this work, it may be learned that his son, James W. Allen, is de- scended from good old Pennsylvania stock. His success as a farmer and stockraiser, and his later success as a newspaper publisher, have been noted by his admiring fellow townsmen. James W. Allen was born in Leaf River Town- ship, December 10, 1867, the eldest of the four children of Chester F. and Indiana (Trine) Allen. There be was reared and given a practical course in farming. He began his book education in the public school near his home, and con- tinued it at Mount Morris College and at Rock- ford Business University. After his graduation he was for ten years a school teacher, but did not at any time relinquish his farm interest or lose his residence in Leaf River. While doing miscellaneous farming, stockraising has been his chief business. His specialties are Short Horn cattle, Percherou horses, Poland-China hogs and Shropshire sheep. His farm consists of 220 acres of fine land, most of it well improved. January HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 833 1, 1903, he bought the "Leaf River Mirror," a local Republican newspaper, with a circulation of six hundred, which is rapidly growing in pop- ularity with readers and advertisers. Mr. Allen's intimate knowledge of farming and his life-long acquaintance with the ''Mirror's" con- stituency, peculiarly enable iiim to make an ideal home paper. As a Republican he is interested in all national affairs and especially solicitous for the progress and prosperity of Leaf River and Leaf River Township. He is Secretary of the Egan Elevator Company at Egan City and Treasurer of the Egan Creamery Company. On September 26, 1901, Mr. Allen married Miss Anna M. Piper, a native of Ridott Town- ship, Stephenson County, born July 26, 1869, a daughter of John and Ellen (Humphrey) Piper, and they have a daughter — Mildred B. Allen. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are active members of the Christian Church, and fraternally he is identi- fied with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. ANDERSON, Alexander. — Conspicuous and un- derlying the many human elements which have contributed to the development of Ogle County since the dawn of its history, is the spirit of conservative dependability and thrift grafted upon its progress by men whose early inspira- tions were drawn from the hardy environment of Scotland. To this class belonged Alexander Anderson, Sr., father of the present Supervisor and farmer of Woosung Township, who became identified with this section during the early '50s, and from an humble and obscure position in life became one of the best farmers and larg- est land owners in his township. Mr. Anderson sailed from Scotland in 1850, and after residing in Eagle Point Township, Ogle County, for sev- eral years, he married Agnes Spense, also born in Scotland, and with her located in Whiteside County, 111., which continued to be his home nine or ten years. He then came to Woosung' Town- ship, where he had bought a small farm, added to it as prosperity came his way, and finally owned about COO acres of as fine land as the county contained. His death occurred August 27, 18S7, at the age of fifty-six years, and he is survived by his wife, who lives in Jordan Town- ship, Whiteside County, 111., the original Illinois home of the couple. She is the mother of four children, of whom Alexander and Ellen survive, the latter being the wife of Amos G. Hoak, of Jordan Township, Whiteside County. Alexander Anderson, Jr., was born on the farm he now owns and occupies, June 11, 1872, and though the son of a wealthy and prosperous farmer, after the death of his father, which occurred when he was fifteen years old, won his way through the force of his own individuality and determination. Educated in the public schools, he always has been an earnest and in- quiring student, and in addition profited by a course in the Business College at Dixon, 111. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and has ample facilities for conducting the same along scientific and approved lines. Upon his 300 acres are many fine improvements bespeak- ing the resource and industry of both father and son. but the latter has profited by the innova- tions of a later day, sparing neither time nor ex- pense to make his farm unexcelled in general equipment. He is in thorough harmony with his work, has faith in its place among the great op- portunities for mankind, and performs his tasks with conscientious and painstaking exactness. The marriage of Air. Anderson and Ida L. Kidder occurred October 4, 1899, Mrs. Anderson being a daughter of Marcellus and Ella (Annan) Kidder, of Jordan Township, Whiteside County, 111. Mr. Anderson now is serving his third term as Supervisor of Woosung Township, and he also has held the office of Town Clerk. He has taken a keen interest in general township affairs, is a stanch promoter of education and religion, and a believer in social orders and diversions. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Polo Lodge, No. 197, I. O. O. F., and with his wife, is an active member of the United Brethren church. He has recently been elected for his fourteenth annual term as Superintendent of the East Jor- dan Sunday School, and has served for three years as Secretary and Treasurer of the Ogle County Sunday School Association. He is a young man of excellent habits and engaging per- sonality, and his general characteristics are such as to lend assurance to the prophesy of long and continued usefulness. ANDERSON, Arold Theodore ("Earl"), retired farmer, Polo, 111. The success that was won by this well known citizen of Ogle County is the success that comes of industry and the exercise of business common sense. To the rising genera- tion such a success is significant because, while at first thought it would appear to be within the reach of the great majority of men, it is, in fact, grasped by but few. Mr. Anderson was born near Mendville, Crawford County, Pa.. February 2, 1S25, a son of George and Betsy (Freeman) Anderson. His educational advantages were lim- ited but he availed himself to good purpose of such as he had. In 1843, when be was about eighteen years old. he learned that Alexander Henderson had received a letter from the latter's brother, Thomas R. Henderson, the old Buffalo miller, offering him a bonus of forty acres of land if he would move from Crawford County out to Illinois. Alexander Henderson was not only Anderson's neighbor, but was a former em- ploye of Anderson's father and the young man's good friend ; so "Earl," as he was called, came to Illinois with Henderson in the fall of that year. They made the trip with a team, driving through over roads of all kinds and through a great diversity of country, in about three weeks. Henderson received the land that had been promised him and set himself to its development into a farm. Young Anderson was practically penniless when he arrived, but soon got work at fifty cents a day and board. He cut cord wood, dug and walled wells, and did whatever else he could find to do and, in the following 834 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. spring, had $350 in cash which he had saved from his small earnings. With that capital he went back to Crawford County, Pa., and there on September 28. 1847, married Miss Lorinda Clark, of Meadville. In the following spring he returned to Illinois, bringing his wife with him, a second time making the journey with a team. Leaving his wife with the family of a friend, he went with his brother, John Z. Anderson, and Arthur Dodson down the Mississippi. They worked their passage and looked for profitable employment by the way. "Earl" and Dodson finally reached Mobile, Ala., where they found employment in the cotton yards, handling bales .at three cents each. By the following spring each of them had saved a neat sum of money, which they took back to Ogle County. Mr. An- derson bought forty acres of land in Buffalo Township, two miles southeast of Polo, on which he lived until 1875, when he retired from farm- ing and moved to Polo. He still owns that farm, but has bought so much other land that he now owns eighteen "eighties," including 160 acres which he calls his old farm, 250 acres near by, a farm of 147 acres in Woosung Township, and a fine town place in Polo. He acquired consid- erable swamp land in Lee County, and the state- ment that he bought it at five dollars an acre and sold it at sixty dollars an acre, contains a suggestion of his sagacity and exceptional busi- ness success. During his active years as a farmer he gave considerable attention to stock, keeping at times as many as two hundred head of cattle and one hundred and fifty horses. It was not until 1890 that he sold off his personal property and relinquished his farms entirely to the man- agement of others. An idea of the extent of his ■operations is afforded by the fact that his sale of implements, stock and other personal prop- erty kept two auctioneers busy for two days, during which be boarded all who would stay on the place, realizing the sum of $24,000. To illus- trate the methods by which he fairly won his remarkable success, it may be stated that it was his custom to buy land when he could buy it cheap, and sell it when it would bring a good price. In much the same way he dealt in live- stock. His removal from the farm was hastened by the failure of his wife's health. She died at Polo, September 28, 1877, thirty years to a day after their marriage. He married Emily Ida Wells, of Sterling, 111., September 28, 1879. By his first wife he had children named as fol- lows : Scott, who is a commercial traveler for the Peat Fuel Company ; George A., a farmer of Ogle County ; I-Iunad, a retired farmer living at Sterling, 111. ; Laura, who married John Lee and lives in Colorado ; Imogene, who died unmarried, aged thirty, and Ella, died aged thirty-four; Mattie is living with her sister in 'Colorado. His daughter Bertie, his eldest child by his present wife, died aged twenty-seven years ; Myrtle married Earl Fossler, who is operating one of her father's farms : Leonard died in childhood; Paul is married and lives in Polo. Mr. Anderson has, in every way, given each of his children a good start in life, dividing among them much of his land, though he still holds a half-interest in two farms in Ogle County, two of his sons being his partners. In politics he is a Republican, and has been during his adult life a church member. ANDERSON, George A., farmer, Buffalo Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. There is a rapidly grow- ing class of young and middle-aged men who are coming to the front in Ogle County as farmers and as men of affairs. One of the worthiest and best known of these is the progressive citizen whose name appears above. Not only is Mr. Anderson prominent in Buffalo Township, but he is a native of the soil, and son of Arold Theo- dore ("Earl") Anderson, of Polo. His mother was Lorinda (Clark) Anderson, who died at Polo, September 28, 1877. His father is a native of Pennsylvania, while his mother was born in the State of New York in 1830. In order of birth he was their seventh child. George A. Anderson has, from his youth, been familiar with all the details of farming. Reared at his father's home in Buffalo Township, he has lived there all his life except for ten years spent in Lee County, 111., and three years in Montana. He married, at Aurora, 111., March 4, 1893, Miss Florence Smith, a native of Buffalo Township, a daughter of Henry and Catharine (Flook) Smith, the first of whom died at Polo in November, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have sons named Sidney and Henry. In every sense of the word Mr. Anderson is a practical, thorough-going farmer, up-to-date in every department of his work, and he has always given as much attention to stock-raising as to farming, and with an equal degree of success. In all affairs of his township and county he takes a deep and abiding interest, well knowing that his personal success must largely depend upon the prosperity of the community in which he lives. His farm contains two hundred and ten acres and his buildings are ample and modern. The attention of the reader is directed to the sketch of the life of Arold Theodore Anderson which appears elsewhere in this volume. ANDERSON, James.— The pioneer history of Ogle County is very interesting, as it contains the records of many families whose members bore an important part in the development of this part of the State. When scarcely three years old, James Anderson came to Ogle County with his parents. John and Margaret (Sim) Ander- son, from Delaware County, N. Y, where he was born October 12. 1842, the family making the trip by way of the lakes to Chicago, and from that point overland. John Anderson first located at the village of Eagle Point, where he worked at wagon and cabinet making, and, when occasion demanded made coffins for the dead. There he remained three years, when he moved to the present farm of James Anderson, buying eighty acres of government land. Mr. Anderson moved the shop, in which he had worked in HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 835 Eagle Point, to his claim, and in this one room, 14x18 feet, the family lived for several years, the whole nine being given accommodations. In time John Anderson added to his holdings until he owned 172 acres. James Anderson comes of Scotch parentage and ancestry and his family are long-lived, his grandparents attaining to ripe old ages, while his father, born in 1807, lived to be seventy-nine dying March 21, 1886. His mother, born in 1800, lived to be eighty-three, dying June 1, 1892. He is the fourth of seven children, the others being : Alexander J., George, Jane A., wife of Gilbert Monroe ; John, Nettie, widow of W. W. Pierce; and Maggie, wife of George Glbbs, of Brookville Township, Ogle County. With early advantages in no sense out of the ordinary, Mr. Anderson has advanced to many- sided usefulness and influence in his township. He early developed an appreciation of the dig- nity and worth of the calling of his forefathers, and unfailingly has devoted his best energy and heart to maintaining a high standard of agri- culture and stock-raising. In 1868 he took charge of the home farm. On April 2, 18S5, Mr. Anderson married Addie L. Gibbs who was born in Brookville Township, Ogle County, November 22, 1854, a daughter of Leonard and Maria (Kenyon) Gibbs. Leonard Gibbs was born in England, came to America at an early age, and married Maria Kenyon in her native State of New York. The family came to Ogle County in the early '40s, settling in Brook- ville Township, where the father died at the age of seventy-nine, and the mother at the age of eighty-five. Mrs. Anderson is the youngest of five children, and is herself the mother of two children — Belle and McKinley J. Mr. Anderson is the owner of 400 acres of choice farm land, all in one body, and it is safe to say that few properties in the county more nearly express the highest ideals of country life and endeavor. The owner has provided a fine set of buildings, constructed largely with a view to extensive stock-raising, for it is to this branch of agriculture that Mr. Anderson has devoted the best energies of his mature years. Notwith- standing the responsibilities entailed by large land ownership, he has found time for many outside interests, and not the least of these is the Eagle Point Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of which he is now President, and with which he has been connected for the past twenty-five years. In politics he is a Republican, and has served as Treasurer of Road Commissioners for twenty years, as Township Collector two years, and as Supervisor several terms. He is in thor- ough sympathy with all kinds of progress, and believes that the elevation of the individual is the only sure foundation for advancement. ANDRUS, William C— The distinction of hav- ing been the first settler of the village of Grand Detour, belongs to Leonard Andrus, a native of Vermont, born in 1805, and a descendant of an old New England family. Starting out for himself in early life, he was led to the then unsettled regions of Illinois as offering an ex- cellent opening for a young man without capi- tal. A visit made to the present site of Grand Detour, as early as 1834, gave him a favorable impression of the location and surrounding coun- try, and during the spring of 1835, he became a permanent resident of what later became a pros- perous village. More than seventy years have brought their varying changes to the town since he first settled here ; those who joined him as settlers have long since passed from earth, and a second generation of citizens have grown to old age, leaving the commercial, activities of the community to younger hands. During the year 1S37 a partnership in the manufacture of plows, was formed by Leonard Andrus and John Deere, but some years later they dissolved, deciding that they were manu- facturing a greater number of plows than the market demanded. For a time Mr. Andrus made plows alone, but as the business increased, he took into partnership a brother-in-law, Amos Bosworth, under the firm name of Andrus & Bosworth, the connection continuing until the death of the junior member. Shortly after the opening of the Civil War, Mr. Bosworth volun- teered in the Union Army and went to the front with his regiment, remaining there until his death. Later, the firm of Andrus & Cummings was formed with Theron Cummings as the junior partner, and this association continued until the death of Mr. Andrus, which occurred in February, 1867, when he was sixty-two years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Bosworth, was born at Royalton, Vt, and died at Grand Detour in 1858, when about forty years of age. Three children composed the family of Leon- ard and Sarah Andrus. Their only daughter, Caroline, died at the age of eight years. The youngest child, Leonard, Jr., received a fine education and became Cashier of the City Na- tional Bank of Dixon, 111., but while still in life's prime, his activities were cut short by death. The second child and older son, William C. was born in the village of Grand Detour, November 28, 1850, and has been a life-long resident of that place, although meanwhile being an exten- sive traveler both in this country and abroad. Primarily educated in local schools, he was later, sent to various institutions in the East, making his longest stay in the Peekskill Military School at Peekskill, N. Y., where he was a student for four years. His studies were completed at Han- over, Germany, where for two years he studied under a private tutor and enjoyed exceptional advantages for gaining a knowledge of Germany, its language and people. Throughout life he has been engaged in different occupations and has become an extensive owner of real estate and unimproved property, in both Ogle and Lee Counties, and in the South. Relieved from any necessity of strenuous exertion, he has found leisure to enjoy travel, the reading of current 836 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. literature and the enjoyment of intercourse with a large circle of warm personal friends, and at the same time has kept thoroughly posted con- cerning the problems confronting our National Government in its administrative policies. Leonard Andrus, Jr., born in Grand Detour, November 10, 1853, was educated in the com- mon school of Grand Detour, and the Academy at Malone, N. Y. After finishing his education, he joined his brother in Germany and there spent one summer. On October 4, 1882, he mar- ried Miss Elizabeth M. Alexander, of Dixon, 111., where he was living at that time, being con- nected with the City National Bank, of which he later became Cashier, and which position he was occupying at the time of his death, being also identified with other business interests. In poli- tics he was a Republican. In a general way, he was active in politics but never an office-holder. He had one son, Leonard A., who survives him and is now engaged in contracting in the South, being a civil engineer by profession. ANKNEY, John (deceased), early pioneer of Ogle County, 111., was born in Somerset County, Fa., September 15, ITS", a son of Peter Ankney, being of Huguenot stock, his ancestors having come to America as early as the middle of the eighteenth century. His father was born De- cember 23, 1751, at or near Hagerstown, lid- John Ankney was married in 1806, to Mary II. Kimmell, daughter of George Kimmel, and for several years they resided in Somerset County, where they had been married, where Mr. Ank- ney was a clerk in the Profhonotary's office at Somerset. In 1815, he raised a company, and was commissioned Captain, but as the war closed about that time he saw no service. Mov- ing to Jackson County, 111., in 1818, he made it his home until April, 1827, when he moved to Galena, locating on Smallpox Creek, where he opened up a farm. In December, 1829, with some others, he was appointed to lay out a road from Galena to Dixon's Ferry. On Christmas Day, he made his claim at Buffalo Grove by peeling the bark from a tree, and making his declaration upon it. On his return after finish- ing the survey, he discovered that Isaac Cham- bers had selected the same spot for a home, and Mr. Ankney went about half a mile west, on the north side of Buffalo Creek, and made a second claim. In January, 1830, John Ankney, and his two eldest sons, Harrison B. and Oliver R., and a hired man, built a cabin and split rails preparatory to opening a farm, and in April of the following spring, the rest of the family came to the new home. After some differences, the breach between John Ankney and Isaac Cham- bers was healed, and they eventually became firm friends. In 1831, trouble with the Indians forced the families of Ankney, Samuel Reed, Jr., John C. Thomas, Mr. Rogers and W. T. Bush, with his hired men, to seek protection at the Apple Creek settlement. In March, 1832, soon after the marriage of his daughter, John Ank- ? ey ™ hls claim in Buffi alo Grove, and removed to Llkhorn Grove, where he opened a farm, but later sold this claim, and then went to White Oak Springs, Wis., but later returned to Elk- horn. In 1849, he built a house in Mount Mor- ris, was made Postmaster there and held that position until his death, June 15, 1853, he and his wife being interred in the cemetery at Mount Morris. He was a Whig in politics, but was so efficient a Postmaster, that the Democrats re- tained him in office. ANKNEY, Nathaniel A. — More than seventy years have passed since a number of energetic emigrants from the State of Maryland founded in Ogle County a colony that bore the name of their former home. When Samuel M. Hitt and Nathaniel Swingley came to this region in 1836, they found few settlers. Two and one-half miles east of the present site of Mount Morris they came to the log cabin of John Phillips. Four miles southeast they found Larkin Baker, while David Worden had taken up a claim one and one-half miles southwest. The two visitors were pleased with the country and located claims on the prairie, including the present site of the village. During the autumn they returned to Maryland for the purpose of closing out their affairs and removing to the West. In the spring of 1S37 they were accompanied *to Illinois by Michael Borcy ; Adam, Daniel and John Stover; B. Niehoff, Samuel Grove, Eli Householder, Wil- liam McDaniel, Abraham and Jonathan Myers and Frederick Finkbohnar. Only two of these emigrants, Mr. McDaniel and Daniel Stover, were accompanied by wives. The only other woman of the expedition was Mrs. Elizabeth Ankney, a sister of Nathaniel Swingley, and a young widow. For two weeks the company occupied a cabin owned by Judge (later Governor) Ford at Fridley's Grove, east of Mount Morris. Mean- while the men were building cabins. The first one was built for Mrs. Ankney, three-quarters of a mile southwest of where Mount Morris now stands, and to it she removed from the crowded cabin, where she had built a bake-oven and . cooked for the large party ; the sleeping quarters were in the Ford garret, where mattresses were spread on the floor. In the expedition there was a boy scarcely old enough to understand that the old Maryland home was being left behind forever. This was Nathaniel Albertns Ankney, who was born at Cold Spring. Washington County, Md., August 17, 1833, the younger child of Samuel and Elizabeth (Swingley) Ankney, natives of Mary- land. Prior to the War of the Revolution the Ankney family was established in America by four brothers from Bremen, Germany, and afterwards some of the name labored to develop the agri- cultural resources of Maryland. Samuel Ank- ney was taken by death while still in the dawn of young manhood, leaving his young wife with the care of their two children. The daughter. f I f HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 837 Ann Amelia, born January 22, 1832, married William Watts and died February 21. 1898 ; ber sons are well-known citizens of Mount Morris. Tbe son, wbo forms tbe subject of tbis narra- tive, was about four years of age at the time of accompanying bis mother to Illinois. His uncle, who was administrator of the estate, se- cured for Mrs. Ankney a section near Mount Morris ; later she married James B. McCoy, and five years afterward came to Mount Morris, where she died March 4, 1892, at the age of seventy-eight years, seven months and twenty- two days, ber birth having occurred July 12, 1813. At the age of fifteen years, Nathaniel A. Ank- ney, started out to earn his own livelihood and soon acquired an excellent knowledge of the carpenter's trade. For three years he worked for a banker named Colby, who owned a planta- tion in Mississippi, and on leaving there in 1859, he joined an expedition bound for the West. The company fitted out at St. Joseph, Mo., in the spring of the year, and started for Pike's Peak, but later joined a caravan for California, where he arrived without special incident. After hav- ing mined for a few months, he went to Sacra- mento and became interested with a partner in the manufacture of haybalers. The business flourished and gained profitable proportions. With the intention of starting another factory at Marysville, he started for that town, making the trip with a broncho. While on the road the animal threw him, breaking one leg, three ribs and crushing his hand. While confined to his bed in consequence of his injuries, his partner drew out all of the money and disappeared, never to be heard of again. This left him with- out any money except a dollar be had in his pocket. The payment of doctors' bills and other expenses had to be deferred until his recovery. Going to Virginia City, Mr. Ankney secured employment as a carpenter, and later was in the employ of a man who had taken out four claims, notwithstanding a law that permitted only one claim to the same 1 man. Learning that the facts were known and a man was about to jump the claim, Mr. Ankney forestalled him, held the land for nine months and then sold at a profit, which enabled him to pay off all his debts. During 1867 he followed the trend of mi- gration to the Nez Perces gold mines in British Columbia, making the trip with mule and pack- horses and meeting an old friend en route. Later he went to Virginia City, Mont., where he met old Illinois friends and, with Levi Avey, now of Polo, worked of nights on a windlass for a mine. > During the fall a company of seven men traveled one hundred miles to the Yellowstone River and camped overnight with a French trader, Bozeman, whose land occupied the pres- ent site of Bozeman, Mont. The Frenchman had a number of Indians, who bad lived around him for fifteen years and of whom he was quite fond. The seven men decided, against the wishes of the old trader, to build a boat, and soon com- pleted one twelve feet long, seven feet wide and three feet high. Oars were constructed, but sails also were used at times. The men started down the river in their boat and, on reaching the first fort, learned that the Frenchman bad been killed by a pet Indian. Proceeding down the river about 2,500 miles the party arrived at Sioux City, Iowa, after a perilous voyage. At times the river was crowned by banks five hundred feet in height. Rocks and boulders filled the bed and made navigation hazardous. Here and there were rapids with several falls of ten feet or more. On the last night tbe men camped out within fifteen miles of Sioux City. A heavy rain fell during the night and Mr. Ankney contracted asthma, from which he has since never been free except for brief periods. After an absence of nine years, he returned to Ogle County and, for two years, followed the carpenter's trade. During the fall of 1869 he married Margaret, daughter of Shafer and Naomi Mumma. She was of a family of ten children and was born in Pine Creek Town- ship, Ogle County, August 20. 1846, and died May 3, 1905. One daughter blessed their mar- riage — Ella May, who resides with her father and is connected with one of the business houses of Mount Morris. For some years after his marriage Mr. Ankney lived on a farm in Pine Creek Township and later farmed in Lincoln Township, but in 1883 removed to Mount Morris, where be still makes his home. Since selling his farm land he has lived retired. Politically Mr. Ankney votes with the Demo- cratic party. Fraternally he is a Mason, was made a Master Mason in 1858, and, with the exception of Dr. James H. Moore of Polo, is the oldest member of Samuel H. Davis Lodge No. 96. His recollections carry him back to other scenes than those which surround his declining years. Wild rides in the West, terrorizing ex- periences at the mines, encounters with lawless desperadoes and weary journeys over deserts — it is such recollections as these that memory brings to him over the dim vista of years far- past. Of all his experiences those at Leaven- worth, Kans., during the period of border war- fare, were the most perilous. About that time he saw Jim Lane and John Brown, as well as others noted in the struggle made by "bleeding" Kansas. Since his return from the West life has flowed along tranquil lines. Serenity and peace have crowned his age, the friendship of many bas sweetened the afternoon of his exist- ence, and a competence, honorably secured, has provided comforts for his declining days. APLINGTON, Zenas, was born December 24, 1815, the seventh child of James and Caty (Dean) Aplington, descendants of the' first set- tlers of Massachusetts. His childhood was spent in Broome and Delaware Counties, N. T., and his education was gained in that locality, and in his twenty-second year he left home, reaching Buffalo Grove in 1837. For a time he was em- ployed in the saw mill of Oliver W. Kellogg, and during the next twenty years was engaged as S38 HISTOBY OF OGLE COTJXTY. blacksmith, carpenter, sawyer, farmer, railroad contractor, merchant, real-estate dealer, legis- lator and soldier, as the demand came. He was an early member of the Regular Baptist Church of Dixon and Buffalo Grove, his name appearing in the church records as a member of the Church Council as early as June, 1840. On April 27, 1842, Mr. Aplington was united in marriage with Caroline Elizabeth Nichols, daughter of William and Jane (Look) Nichols, and six children were born to this union, as fol- lows : Harriet C, who married Col. M. D. Swift ; Sophia M., who married Josiah P. Scott; Henry of New York City, who married Sophronia P. Webster ; John, who married Kate A. Smith ; Dr. Burton Z. : and Winneshiek. In 1S43. with Timothy Perkins, Mr. Aplington caused to be circulated a petition to the School Commissioner, asking him to prepare and cause to be exposed for sale Section 16 of the school lands of the township, and in 1844 he was elected Township Treasurer, holding that office until he was elected the first Supervisor of Buffalo Grove in 1850. and first Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in that year. He was the second, and probably the last, clerk of the "claim com- mittee" organized for the purpose of settling the claims of the "squatters." In 1852 Mr. Aplington secured an eight-mile contract for the construction of the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad, and through his influence and the offer of a part of his farm to the company, in- duced it to locate the road and the town of Polo where it now is. He laid the foundation for the first brick building in Polo in 1853, where his business was carried on, and his interests grew phenomenally, although during the depression of 1857. with nearly everybody else, he was af- fected. In June, 1857, he was a stockholder in the first Republican newspaper started in the town, and during the same year with Elisha Doty and James Brand, Sr., erected a stone flouring mill, which, however, proved a failure. He was one of the first trustees of Fairmount Cemetery ; was President of the Buffalo Bible Society; a member of the Young Men's Association — a Library Association ; was President in 1859 of the Templars' Alliance, and a member ot the Good Templars and Masonic fraternities. He was President of the first Board of Trustees of the town of Polo in 1857, and was leader in a movement for the establishment of a township graded and high school in October, 1859. A leader in the political affairs of the Repub- lican party from the time of its organization, Mr. Aplington in 1858 was a successful candidate for State Senator, being unanimously nominated to this office at Rockford, September 22, by the Republican Senatorial Convention of the Third District, and while serving in the Legislature, was a member of the Senate Committee which investigated the celebrated canal scrip frauds from which the State finally recovered $238,000 on property turned over by Ex-Governor Matte- son. On February 9, 1860, Mr. Aplington was elected President of the Republican Club of Polo. From the days when Sumter was fired upon and Lincoln's first call for volunteers was issued,. Senator Aplington devoted much time to pro- moting enlistments of volunteers, and in the summer of 1861, he himself enlisted in what be- came Company B, Seventh Illinois Cavalry, was commissioned Captain of the company on August 11th. and November 13th was promoted to Major. A considerable portion of his company was made up of his old friends and neighbors in the coun- try adjacent to Polo. Following the enlistment came the winter of miserable weather at Bird's Point, and a time of inaction. Then followed the active campaign of March and April at New Madrid and Island No. 10, this campaign end- ing for Major Aplington in his death, on the 8th of May. near Corinth, Miss., an account of which, taken from a letter by William R. Waterbury, of Company B, Seventh Cavalry, and published in the "Polo Advertiser" of August 14, 1862, being here presented : "On the 4th day of May the Third Battalion of the Seventh Cavalry, under Major Aplington, left camp to form the advance guard of Gen. Pope's Division, then camping near Farmington, Tenn. Nothing of importance took place until the 8th save skirmishing between pickets. About 10 o'clock p. in., two companies of Major Apling- ton's command, consisting of F and M. the former under C. F. Lee and the latter under Lieut. John- ston, were ordered to advance so as to draw the enemy's fire. Ten men were ordered to advance as skirmishers, and after advancing within two miles of Corinth they were fired into by the rebels, and the remaining portion of the two companies came to their support, driving the rebels from their position and holding the same until Major Aplington received orders to charge with one platoon, consisting of about twenty men. They charged about eighty rods, followed closely by the balance of the remaining two companies. The enemy's pickets being reen- forced, it was thought advisable not to proceed further with so small a force, and the Major or- dered a halt, shortly after which Gen. Paine sent a messenger, ordering the Major to drive the rebels from the woods, which he hesitated to do until a second ord^r came for him to advance, or he would be put under arrest and his com- mand sent to the rear in disgrace. Lieutenant Lee was ordered to advance with the first pla- toon, which he did about a quarter of a mile then being fired into he dismounted his men and moved as skirmishers, driving the rebels back slowly about a quarter of a mile, until they were in sight of a rebel battery and a strong line of infantry. At this time the Major came up at the head of the other three platoons, but they were checked by a heavy musketry fire and the Major ordered a halt. At that instant he fell from his horse, a ball penetrating beneath his right eye. Thus ended the life of a good man and an efficient officer ; one whose loss is HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 839 greatly regretted among the men and officers of this regiment." ATWOOD, John A., one of the leading citizens of Ogle County, 111., and very favorably known as the editor and proprietor of the Stillman Val- ley "Graphic," was born in the vicinity of Lon- don, Ontario, Canada, May 21, 1850. His father, Joseph Atwood, was a native of New Hamp- shire, and his mother, Elizabeth (Utter) At- wood, was born near Toronto, Canada. Joseph Atwood followed farming as a means of liveli- hood. In June, 1853, he and his family came to Illinois and located in Marion Township, Ogle Count}', where the remainder of their lives was spent, the father dying January 5, 1885, and the mother May 27, 1893. To their union were born lour children, namely : Nancy, who died in Ma- rion Township in 1856 ; John A. ; Nathan J., a resident of Marion Township ; and Melinda, wife of Andrew Elsing, who lives at Edison Park, 111. John A. Atwood was but three years old when his parents settled in the above mentioned town- ship. His youth was passed on his father's farm, his education being obtained in the common schools, and in Arnold's Business College, at Rockford. For a number of years he was en- gaged in farming in Marion Township, and con- tinued to occupy his farm there until the fall of 1887, when he took up his residence in the village of Stillman Valley, erecting a new house provided with modem improvements. Since December 1, 1903, he has been the editor and publisher, of the "Stillman Valley Graphic," which was founded four years previous to that time, by Clara M. Wayland. The subject of this sketch is a member of the/Illinois Press Associ- ation, and, besides his newspaper connection, is identified with the insurance business. He is also a licensed undertaker, conducting an establish- ment in that line in Stillman Valley in partner- ship with J. C. Scott. He has been prominently interested in public affairs, and is furthering all movements pertaining to the prosperity and wel- fare of his town and county. Such is the con- fidence reposed in his ability and integrity that he has acted as administrator of numerous es- tates, and discharged the duties of guardian over many orphan children. On June 30, 1875, Mr. Atwood was united in marriage at Harlem, Winnebago County, 111., with Arvilla A. Andrus, who was born in that county March 6, 1852. Mrs. Atwood is a daughter of Joel and Sally (Atwood) Andrus, pioneer set- tlers of Winnebago County. Her father died in Stillman Valley, February 3, 1907, when nearly ninety years old ; while her mother still survives at an advanced age. In politics, Mr. Atwood has always been a Re- publican. For thirty years he held the office of Township Assessor, and has been President of the School Board of Trustees many years. For twenty-four years he has acted as Justice of the Peace, and has officiated at the weddings of more couples than have all the clergymen in the vil- lage. For a long period he has been a member of the Republican Township Committee. In Sep- tember, 1907, he was appointed by Gov. Deneen, a Trustee for the Illinois State Training School for Girls, at Geneva. Fraternally, he is affili- ated with the A. F. & A. M., I. O. O. F., M. W. A., K. O. T. G. ; K. of P., and C. of H. In reli- gious faith he is a Congregationalist and takes a very active interest in church work. He is Superintendent of the Sunday School of that de- nomination in Stillman Valley, as well as a dea- con in the church, and is Registrar of the Rock- ford Association of Congregational Churches, which comprises sixteen church organizations. AVEY, Josiah, for a long period successfully engaged in farming in Maryland and Mount Mor- ris Townships, Ogle County, 111., and a man of high character and substantial pecuniary re- sources, was born at Boonsboro, Washington County, Md., January 15, 1845. His parents were George and Nancy (Wheeler) Avey, natives of Maryland and descended from German ancestors. In the fall of 1845 they journeyed overland to Ogle County, together with a considerable num- ber of Maryland people, including the Swingley and Watts families and other pioneer settlers, sufficient in number to constitute quite a colony, when joined with those who had but recently pre- ceded them from the same part of the country. Some of those who made this journey tarried but briefly in the new western settlement, returning to their homes in the East without unloading their household effects and other belongings. Mr. Avey's was the only family of their name to lo- cate permanently in Ogle County, and they set- tled four miles west of Mount Morris, in what is now Lincoln Township, near the Hitt home- stead. There, George Avey entered up a tract of government land, which he held unencumbered throughout his life, without ever having a "scratch" against the property. The paternal es- tate comprised 240 acres, and the homestead farm is now owned by his son-in-law, Thomas O. Watts. The father died on this place in April, 1895, at the age of eighty-four years, his wife having passed away two years previously when seventy-seven years old. In early life Mr. Avey followed the occupation of a tanner. He had a very vigorous and rugged constitution, was quite indifferent to extreme cold, never wore mittens during the winter, and was accustomed to drive long distances in the freezing air, with only his ordinary clothing to protect him. His attention was devoted wholly to his farming interests and he found no oppor- tunity to mingle in public affairs. Five of the children born to him and his good wife reached mature years, namely : Levi, of Polo, 111., an auctioneer ; Benjamin, a farmer in Greene Coun- ty, Iowa; Josiah; Martha (Mrs. Thomas O. Watts) ; and Mary, who became the wife of Robert Allen, and died at the age of twenty-four years. Two of the children passed away in youth. 840 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Josiah Avey grew up on the home place, at- tending the Rock River Seminary in boyhood, and remaining with his parents until he was twenty-one } r ears old, his father continuing to operate the farm until Josiah's marriage, at the age of twenty-eight, to Elizabeth Bovey. Mrs. Avey is a daughter of Michael and Margaret (Welch) Bovey, the former a native of Wash- ington County, Md., and the latter born in Ire- land. Michael Bovey settled in Ogle County in 1837, coming with a colony from Maryland con- sisting of a number of families, among which was that of Samuel Hitt. He worked at split- ting rails, clearing land, breaking prairie and other kinds of manual labor. Together with three others he went to Forreston, where he cradled oats for six days, the provisions brought being destroyed the first night by the trampling of horses, which confined the party to an allow- ance of a few small potatoes for their sustenance a part of the time. He used to recall the fact that he utterly lost his way one winter night while driving over the prairie in search of a cabin where a party was being held. Mr. Bovey was the only one left of those of the 1837 colony who were nearly mature on this arrival in Ogle Coun- ty. Two years after locating in the new coun- try, he was married to Margaret Welch, and set- tled at West Grove, Maryland Township, clear- ing a farm there. Two years after the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth, he and his wife came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Avey. The mother died on April 26. 1880, her birth having occurred April 13, 1813. Mrs. Avey's father was born November 29, 1815, and died May 1, 1908. He was one of the original members of the West Grove United Brethren Church, and was an earnest church worker during all of his active life. In politics, he was always a Jackson Democrat, but not a politician. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bovey, namely : Samuel, a farmer, who died in 1903, when about sixty years old ; Mary C. (Mrs. David Petrie), of Iowa; Lewis, who is living in retirement at Forreston, 111. ; and Eliz- abeth. For seven years after his marriage, Mr. Avey had charge of his father's farm in Maryland Township. He then bought a farm of 160 acres on Pine Creek, in Mount Morris Township, where he remained until 1900, removing then to the vil- in 190-1, he exchanged a stock of hardware, which he purchased upon coming to Mt. Morris, for an he purchased upon coming to Mt. Morris for an improved farm of 240 acres in South Dakota, which is profitably rented out. Benjamin E.. who is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Avey, is an expert for the International Harvester Company, at Aurora, 111., and in this connection occupies a high rank. He married Maude Rowe. of Mount Morris, and they have two sons, Maxwell Ford Avey and Ronald. In politics, Josiah Avey is identified with the Democratic party. AYRES, Fred L., retired merchant, and Presi- dent o!' the Leaf River State bank. Leaf River, Ogle County, 111. — Advanced from mechanic to merchant, from merchant to real-estate dealer and banker — such, in brief, is the business his- tory of the well known citizen of Northern Illi- nois whose name is the title of this article. Mr. Ayres is the foster son of Timothy G. and Adelia (McKee) Ayres, natives of Massachusetts and New York, respectively. They came west about 1837 and settled at Byron, Ogle County, where they lived much of their time during the re- mainder of their lives. Mr. Ayres, who was a farmer, died when he was about eighty years old, his wife passing away about fifteen years younger. Fred L. Ayres grew to manhood in Byron and was educated in the public schools of that town. He then learned the tinner's trade, at which he worked in Byron and Leaf River about twelve years. He then made the first radical change in the scheme of his life by entering the grocery trade, and two years later organized the firm of Ayres & Landt, with E. C. Landt as partner, to go into general merchandising. At the end of nine years he retired from that business, dis- posing of his interest to Mr. Landt, and was soon making money as a real-estate man. He is still handling real estate, but since the organization of the Leaf River State Bank, has been Presi- dent of that institution. He owns 200 acres of land in Leaf River Township, besides valuable property in the village of Leaf River. With an unflagging interest in the community in which he lives, he has always done his utmost toward its advancement. He has been a member of the leg- islative body having in charge the municipal for- tunes of Leaf River, and has for several years been a member of the local School Board. He married December 28, 1882, at Lee Center, Lee County, Miss Nannie L. Crombie, a native of To- ronto, Canada, born April 20, 1864, a daughter of John and Sarah (Warnick) Crombie. who has borne him two children — Zelda M. and Bernice M. BACON, Hon. Franc. — Cherished in the mem- ories of the citizens of Oregon, is the name of Captain Bowman W. Bacon, a martyr in the struggle for the preservation of the Union ; a man who gave his life in defense of a cause he believed to be just ; a citizen with unblemished record both in peace and in war. The prestige which he gave to an honorable family name is being worthily sustained by his son, whose name introduces this article, and whose personality is allied with local progress. The city of Oregon is his native place, his birth having occurred here August 21, 1S58, and with the permanent development of this thriving town his name is indissolubly associated, both through his high standing at the bar and through his sterling at- tributes as a citizen. The family was founded in Illinois during the year 1S39, when Bowman W. Bacon came to the State with his parents, removing hither from Pennsylvania, where he was born October 5, 1823, at Huntington Mills, Luzerne County. Settle- JOSEPH O'KANE HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 841 ment was made In Sterling, whence he went to Mount Morris, entering the Rock River Seminary in 1846 and continuing in that fine old school un- til the completion of his literary course. Later he became a law student in the office of Henry A. Mix, of Oregon, prosecuting his readings under that preceptor until his admission to the Bar. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War he became stalwart defender of the Union and actively in- terested himself in the enlisting of recruits. August 15, 1862, he was commissioned Captain of Company G., Seventy-fourth Illinois Infantry, and soon afterward marched with his men toward the center of warfare, being assigned to the Army of the Cumberland under General Buell. Among the battles and engagements in which he participated may be mentioned those at Perryville, Stone River, Liberty Gap, the Tul- lahoma expedition, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Buzzard's Roost, Adamsville, Dallas, Lost Moun- tain and Kenesaw Mountain. In the last named engagement he was seriously wounded in both arms. With the hope of saving his life ampu- tation was resorted to, but the greatest skill of surgery proved of no avail, and he passed from life's battlefield July 21, 1864, at Nashville, Tenn. Had he been spared a few days, a Colonel's com- mission would have rewarded his valor in the field and his tactful command of his company, but the commission that had been sent from Washington arrived too late to kindle a smile of joy on the face of the fallen hero, whose suffer- ings had been ended by death. Ten years before entering the volunteer service Captain Bacon had established domestic ties, being united in marriage, February 1, 1852, with Mrs. Almira M. Fuller, the widow of William W. Fuller, an uncle of Margaret Fuller D'Ossoli, and a member of the Robertson family. Mrs. Fuller came to Illinois at the age of sixteen years, and later was graduated from Rock River Seminary, in which institution she continued to teach and became its first preceptress. She was a woman of the highest culture and possessed a liberal education, having also graduated at Illi- nois State Normal in 1870. She survived her second husband more than thirty years and passed away in May of 1896, mourned by a large circle of friends to whom her attractive qualities had endeared her. After having completed the studies of the local schools, Franc Bacon was sent east, becoming a student in the Highland Military Academy at Worcester, Mass., from which he was graduated in June f of 1877. Immediately afterward he ma- triculated in Columbia law school at Washington where he took the complete course, being admit- ted to the bar there in April, 1879, when less than twenty-one years of age. Returning to Ore- gon, he opened an office in January, 1880, and the following year was chosen City Attorney, being reelected two years later. In 1885 he was made a Justice of the Peace and in 1887 was honored with the office of Mayor, to which he was reelected in 1889. His election to the vari- ous offices took place on the Republi6an ticket, and he has been an active supporter of the prin- ciples of that party, serving as delegate in the Republican National Convention of 1904. Among those of his profession he is recognized as pos- sessing the broad knowledge of law, the logical mind, the quickness of resource and the energy of action indispensable to successful labors at the bar. He has been peculiarly successful in crim- inal cases and only three of the many clients in this class defended by him were ever incarcerated in Joliet. It has been said of him by his brother attorneys that he never knows when he is de- feated, as he is versatile enough usually to find an opening for his client to get through. Among the many notable cases in which Major Bacon nas appeared as counsel may be mentioned the Tem- ple murder case and the Elgin burning case. In the latter, after a conviction of the accused in the lower courts, Mr. Bacon carried the case to the Supreme Court and obtained a reversal, and after a two-weeks' trial, the prisoner was acquit- ted. It was a case out of the ordinary channels, as it was predicated upon circumstantial evi- dence. The Floto mill case will be recalled tor years, and although defeated, the result was a tribute to Mr. Bacon's legal knowledge and skill as shown in the three trials before juries and in the two occasions when it was before me Su- preme Court. Franc Bacon seems to have in- herited the military tastes of his father, as in October, 1898, he tendered to the Governor a mil- itary company, which was mustered into the Illi- nois National Guard as Company C, Sons of Vet- erans Regiment, and in June, 1899, was trans- ferred to the Third Infantry and designated as Company M. Captain Bacon was in command of the company until March 11, 1905, when he was elected Major of the Third Infantry, a rank which he still holds. The marriage of Major Bacon was 1 solemnized at Dixon, 111., June 23, 1881, when he was united with Kizzie H. Kennedy, daughter of William Kennedy and a niece of Dr. Oliver Elliott, of Dixon, where she was born and reared. Two sons bless their union : Francis Everett and Ma- rion Eugene. BAILEY, John B. (deceased), for many years a substantial and respected farmer in Nashua and Pine Rock Townships, Ogle County, and one of the most prominent citizens of the latter township, was born in Harrison County, Ohio, February 27, 1833. His parents were Matthew and Anna (Williams) Bailey, natives of that State. In 1836 he was brought from Ohio to Vermilion County, 111., and thence, in 1841, to Ogle County, his home being at Lighthouse in Nashua Township. After living there a number of years, he changed his location to Pine Rock Township, spending the remainder of his life in farming, and finally dying in Honey Creek June 26, 1893. On March 21, 1867, Mr. Bailey was married, in Pine Rock Township, to Sallie Pue Trask, a native of that township, where she was born 842 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. January 21, 1847, a daughter of Isaac and Isa- bella E. (Rutter) Trask. Isaac Trask was a na- tive of Gloucester, Mass., and his wife, of Bal- timore, Md., where their marriage took place in 1833. About the year 1837, they moved to Ogle County, 111., settling in Pine Rock Township, where the father died May 2, 1888, and the mother, March 18, 1890. For several years Mr. Bailey held the office of Assessor of Nashua Township, and after be- coming a resident of Pine Rock Township, served as Supervisor. BAKER, Edward F., who is the owner of one of the largest and finest farms in Pine Creek Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., and has been regarded for many years as one of the leading citizens of the community, was born in the same township, March 5, 1849. His parents were James A. and Catherine (Fleming) Baker, both natives of Shepherdstown, Berkeley County, W. Va., whence they came to Ogle County in September, 1839, taking up a tract of 120 acres of government land in Pine Creek Township. Their family numbered eleven children, of whom nine grew to maturity, namely : Charles W., Susan V., Jo- seph T., John D., Albert M., Edward F., Amos X., Lillie V., and Laura A. The father of this group died on the old farm in October, 1885, in the seventy-first year of his age, while the mother passed away in January, 1888, at the age of nearly seventy years, at Carthage, S. .D., where she had gone to visit her daughter, Mrs. Laura Harmon. Edward H. Baker was reared on the homestead place, and has always lived in Pine Creek Township, following his vocation as a farmer. He is the owner of 330 acres of land, all of which is well improved. On January 1, 1873, in Lincoln Township, Ogle County, Mr. Baker was united in marriage with Ida B. Hammer, born in that township, April 9, 1850, and a daughter of John and Eliza (Wit- mer) Hammer, natives of Washington County, Md.. whence they came to Illinois in 1836. After living four years in Sangamon County, they moved to Ogle County in 1840, spending two years at Mt. Morris. Mr. Hammer then took up a claim on government land in what is now Lin- coln Township, and there he died January 5, 1879, in his seventy-third year. His widow died at Mt. Morris, April 1, 1907, when nearly ninety- four years old. They had a family of eight chil- dren of whom two died while young. The follow- ing grew to maturity, namely : Benjamin, John W., D. Harry, Mary E., George W., and Ida B. Mr. and Mrs. Baker became the parents of six children, as follows : Mattie M., who became the wife of Calvin Fulton ; Ira J., deceased in in- fancy; Harry H. ; Albert A.; and Ray J. and Roy J., twins. Politically, Mr. Baker has always acted with the Republican party. He has taken an active interest in the public affairs of his locality, and held the office of Township Assessor for one term, also serving several terms as School Di- rector. BAKER, Elias (deceased), who. was identified with the growth and development of Ogle County almost from its beginning, taking a lively interest in all matters pertaining to his community, and still well remembered as a typical pioneer of the best kind, was born near Boonsboro, Md., June 11, 1817, and spent his early life working on his father's farm, meantime receiving a common school education. While still a boy he showed an aptitude for mechanics, so that he learned the carpenter's trade. In the spring of 1838, he came west and settled at Mt. Morris, Ogle Coun- ty, 111., working at his trade there. He was one of the builders of the original Rock River Semi- nary, which was completed in 1840. The following year he began manufacturing traveling thresh- ing machines, which were an improvement upon former implements of that character, and his model became very popular throughout this part of the State. . In 1848 he began manufacturing the McCormick reaper, and continued in this line until 1851, when, with F. B. Brayton, he en- tered into the mercantile business at Mt. Morris. In September, 184S, he married Mary M. Swing- ley, and they had two children : Frank H. of Chicago, and Vernon, who married James W. Allaben and lives at Polo. Mr. Baker was prominent politically, serving as Sheriff of Ogle County from 1852 to 1854, and was Supervisor of Mt. Morris Township for three terms. Mr. Baker was one of the proprietors of the Mt. Morris Gazette, a weekly published from 1850 to 1852, and perhaps longer, and for many years was a member of the Board of Trustees of Rock River Seminary. Having closed out his mercantile business, he went to Pike's Peak, in 1860, in company with Col. B. F. Sheets, Major Charles Newcomer and Thomas Stevens. They followed the Fremont trail from Nebraska City to Denver, and spent the summer in the moun- tains in the vicinity of Nevada Gulch, Central City and Eureka Gulch, remaining there until September when they started for home. In 1S61 Mr. Baker began farming near Mt. Morris, continuing until the spring of 1S68 when he removed to Polo, where he engaged first in the grain business, and later in the lumber trade, finally becoming a member of the grocery firm of Finfrock and Baker. In March, 1883, he retired from active business. Mr. Baker took a lively interest in the organization of the Old Settlers' Association, and worked with untiring energy to make each annual meeting a delightful success to the great numbers that attended. He presided at the last Old Settlers' Re-union held during his life, on August 27, 1885, at Buffalo Grove. A consistent member of the Lutheran Church, Mr. Baker was always ready with money and ad- vice to advance the cause of the church and of Christ. He was modest and unassuming in de- portment, was enterprising and public-spirited, upright in conduct, honorable in business and kindly disposed to all, and when he died Novem- ber 21, 1885, he was mourned by the entire coun- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 843 ty in which he had been so important a factor for many years. BAKER, John W. — For more than sixty years the Baker family has been identified with the agricultural progress of Ogle County, and has contributed especially to the material develop- ment of Maryland Township, among whose pros- perous farmers John W. Baker is now numbered. Upon his farm of 160 acres near Adeline, he has erected substantial buildings and made valuable improvements, and the entire property bears mute but eloquent testimony to his keen super- vision and intelligent management. After hav- ing cultivated the land for years, in 1906 he rented the tillable portion, in order that his own labors might be lightened thereby. Meanwhile he gives his attention to raising stock of good grades and makes a specialty of Shetland ponies. In addition to his home place he owns eighteen acres of timber in the township, besides 640 acres of wild land in Greeley County, Kan., ten miles from Tribune, which he is holding as an invest- ment. On the death of his father he inherited one-half section of wild land in Sioux County, Iowa, near the village of Ireton. Under his per- sonal supervision this tract has been transformed into a fertile farm, and he still visits Iowa each year in order to keep in touch with the activities on his farm there. In the fall of 1907 Mr. Baker built a house and barn on his Iowa property, and in the spring of 1908 a granary and crib com- bined. A lifelong resident of his present locality, Mr. Baker was born in the village of Adeline, one mile south of his present farm, August 1, 1852, a son of David J. and Leah (Welty) Baker, both natives of Boonsboro, Washington County, Md. The paternal grandfather, Enos Baker, died dur- ing the infancy of David J. Baker, who, in 1838, at the age of seventeen years, came to Illinois with a married sister, settling in Freeport. Dur- ing the first years of his residence in this State he worked in machine shops at Mt. Morris and Oregon, and also followed the carpenter's trade for a time. In 1846 he married Miss Welty, who was born about 1826 and at the age of thirteen years was orphaned by the death of her father, John Welty. Later she came to Illinois with a married sister, Mrs. William C. Baker, and on the 10th of March, 1846, she bought the 160 acres of land now owned by her son John. The house on the farm was erected by her husband, who also bought and improved the Dovenberger farm of 150 acres. Three children comprised their family. The only daughter, Sophia C, was born June 12, 1849, and became the wife of George B. Cooley, settling at the old homestead and remaining there until her death. Since they passed away, their only daughter, Mrs. Herbert Garman, with her husband, has occupied the old brick mansion erected by David Baker in 1863, and which still ranks among the most substantial houses of the township. The elder of the two sons of David Baker is John W., born August 1, 1852. The younger of the sons, Charles D., was born May 5, 1868, and at the age of seventeen years went to Toledo, Iowa, where he attended school. For some time he was engaged in the drug trade in that village, but eventually he removed to South Dakota and became a wholesale hardware dealer at Sioux Falls. During 1874 David Baker built a new farmhouse, to which he removed and in which his death occurred November 13, 1887. His widow passed away December 23, 1896, at the age of seventy-one years. Nothing of special im- portance marked the youthful years of John W. Baker, who alternated attendance at school with work on the home farm. September 25, 1879, he was united in marriage with Mary Ann Garwig, daughter of Jacob and Margaret Garwig, farmers near Adeline, where she was born, reared and educated. Jacob Garwig was a native of Baden, Germany, where he was born September 15, 1830, came to Ogle County, 111., in 1854, and died at Adeline, January 15, 1900. Mrs. Garwig, also born in Germany, April 24, 1830, came to Nau- voo, 111., in 1846 ; in 1849 married Godlieb Rum- mel, who died Nov. 20, 1854, and in 1858 mar- ried as her second husband, Mr. Garwig, with whom she resided in Maryland Township, Ogle County, until her death, April 29, 1888. By her first marriage she had three children — George, Elizabeth Annie, and Godlieb. By her second marriage she had two children — Mary A. and John W., the subject of this sketch. Since his marriage Mr. Baker has lived on the same farm, it being the tract purchased by his mother many years ago. The home is brightened by the pres- ence of his only daughter, Eva M., who has en- joyed good educational advantages and has a host of warm personal friends in the community. Politically, Mr. Baker votes with the Republican party. For some years he has been a director in the Leaf River Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, and has accomplished much toward promoting the success of this concern. BANNING, Kobert E. — The present sole repre- sentative in Illinois of a family that one-half century ago bore its part in the agricultural de- velopment of Lee County, Mr. Banning makes his home in Rochelle and, although ostensibly re- tired from life's activities, still yields an im- portant influence in the development of farm lands and the improvement of country highways. Descended from old colonial ancestry, he was born April 18, 1843, at Lachute, situated between Ottawa and Montreal in Canada. His father, Benjamin, for years operated saw-mills in Can- ada and was engaged in the manufacture of lum- ber, besides which he frequently went into the timber as a woodman and, by the sturdy blows of his axe, secured the material for the running of the mill. After bringing the family to the United States about 1855, he settled on a farm in Illinois between Aurora and Batavia, and in 1864 removed to Reynolds Township, Lee County, where he bought a large tract of land six miles south of Rochelle, and for years prosperously de- 844 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. voted his attention to agricultural pursuits. Eventually he disposed of his homestead and re- moved to South Dakota, where he purchased cheap lands and took up a claim near St. Law- rence, Hand County, remaining there for ten years. He was born in Vermont in 1816 and died in South Dakota in 1891 at the age of seventy- five years. While living in Canada Benjamin Banning met and married Margaret Jane Stevens, a native of Canada, where she resided during her youth. Her death occurred in Rock Rapids, Iowa, in 1901, at the age of seventy-six years, and on that occasion all of her children who had reached ma- turity (six sons and three daughters) met at her funeral for the first time since leaving the old home. One child had died at an early age; the nine survivors had a group picture taken in 1901. Since then they have not met, although all are still living. With the exception of Robert they make their homes in Dakota and Iowa, having gone west from Lee County, 111., in early years. When twenty-one years of age Robert E. Ban- ning began to operate a threshing machine, and for eight years continued that work in the har- vest season. With a brother Benjamin, he took a contract for breaking three hundred acres on the largest farm in Illinois, and this work was completed as agreed upon. Entering the employ of the railroads in construction work, he held numerous responsible positions in various local- ities, including the foremanship of construction from Stevens Point, Wis., to Lake Superior ; also was foreman of construction from Chicago to El- gin, 111., being employed for one year as foreman with Gardner & Higgins Bros., contractors on railroad work, and also for three years as fore- man on the Chicago & Iowa Railroad, from Au- rora to Forreston. As early as 1873 he became interested in agricultural pursuits and since then he has owned farms in Ogle, Dekalb 'and Lee Counties, including the old homestead in the lat- ter county. During 1892 he removed to Rochelle and erected the residence which he now occu- pies. Recently he purchased 266 acres in De- ment Township, one mile east of Rochelle, for which he paid $130 per acre. The lands which he has purchased cost him $40, $50, $67 and up- ward per acre, and some he has sold at $135 per acre. His only child, George, is manager of the farm lands and has made cattle-feeding the prin- cipal industry. The Republican party has received the stanch allegiance of Mr. Banning, and on that ticket he was elected Road Commissioner of Flagg Town- ship, which position he has filled since about 1902. Under his supervision hard roads have been built of crushed stone and as one of the Commissioners he purchased a stone-crusher for the Township of Flagg. The township pays about $2,000 annually for road work and it is said to have the finest roads in the entire county. By operating from one to two months of the year about one. mile of hard road is built, and the re- pairing of all bad places completed, the system proving satisfactory to tax-payers. At one time Mr. Banning held the office of Alderman. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. A tireless laborer in va- rious lines of activity, he has gained a compe- tency through industry and wise judgment, and always has kept his money invested in farm lands, believing that the increase in land values, and the marketing of good grades of cattle, pro- duce a revenue as satisfactory as can be secured from other investments. In 1871 he married Mary, daughter of Joseph England, and a native of Washington County, Pa., coming to Illinois In girlhood and settling with the family on a farm. Born of their union was one son, George, now manager of his father's land, who married Car- rie Ettinger, youngest daughter of M. C. Ettinger, and they are the parents of two children, Ruth and Robert. BARBER, Chanceford R— Banking, which of necessity is the outgrowth of financial con- veniences, and invariably indicates a certain de- gree of accumulation and commercial develop- ment in a community, was an unknown factor in Ogle County until the establishment, in 1856, of the banking firm of Barber, Frisbee & Company. Chanceford R. Barber, merchant and senior mem- ber of the firm and largest stock-holder, was also its foremost promoter, and is entitled to the dis- tinction of being the first man to assume the practical functions of banking within the bor- ders of Ogle County. Mr. Barber was of New England ancestry, and was born in Wardsboro, Windham County, Vt., October 18, 1818, the son of Thomas and Mercy (Bryant) Barber. He received a common school education in Vermont, and in his native county married, September 6, 1849, Lucie H. Eager, a descendant of General Ward, of Revolutionary fame, and who was born in Windham County July 4, 1830. With his wife Mr. Barber returned to Ogle County, in which he had settled in 1843 with his brother, Lemuel X., and with whom he had established a general merchandise business. In 1856 he located in Polo, and as before stated, established the banking firm with which he was so long connected, and which, in March, 1S74, was reorganized and operated by two members of the original firm, Mr. Barber and Isaac H. Trumbauer. Mr. Barber continued the active head of the bank up to the time of his death, August 21, 1879. He was essentially a business man, being calm and conservative, and thorough- ly dependable. He had no political aspirations, and was not especially interested in matters out- side his immediate field. Of Mrs. Barber's three children, Gertrude died at the age of fifteen years, and Henry D. October 26, 1806, the only survivor being Bryant H., of Barber Brothers & Co., bankers of Polo, 111. The son of Chanceford R. and Lucie H. Barber, he has lived in Polo since 1856, having been edu- cated at the public schools of that city. His practical business education was received from JANNETT O'KANE HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 845 his father, with whom he was associated in bank- ing and other business enterprises, and he is now actively engaged in the conduct of the banking institution which bis father founded. BARBER, Henry D., was born in Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, 111., March 3, 1855, a son of Chance- ford R. and Lucie H. Barber, and died October 26, 1896. He was educated in the public school of Polo, being a member of the first graduating class of 1872, and later taking a course at Har- vard University. He received his business train- ing in his father's bank, which was the first in- stitution exclusively devoted to that line of bus- iness in Ogle County. Beginning work here at nineteen years of age, from the formation of the firm of Barber Brothers & Company until his death, he was actively engaged in the manage- ment of its affairs. In the meantime he took an active interest in all matters pertaining to edu- cation and religion, and was always associated in any movement calculated to develop the high- est standard of citizenship. A man of uprightness and integrity of charac- ter, of lofty ideals and of brilliant intellect, as well as an untiring student, Mr. Barber's judg- ment was held in high esteem in financial circles. An exceedingly successful business man, ne pos- sessed the ability of a masterly teacher or col- lege professor, and was so well informed in med- icine that he might have been an excellent phy- sician, while his understanding and grasp of the law were so complete he would have rated as a good lawyer. He could view a subject from so many different points that he could comprehend all its bearings, and was thus enabled accurately to estimate its importance and judge of its prac- tical results. He was not satisfied with anything less than a perfect mastery of any subject, which he undertook to explore. Mr. Barber was married February 21, 1884, to Mary Jacobs Mix, daughter of Henry A. Mix, a pioneer lawyer and business man of Oregon, 111. His wife and two daughters, Lucie R. and Mary C, survive him ; a son, Henry Mix, was born No- vember 1, 1885, and died February 12, 1891. BARBER, Lemuel Newton, was born in Ver- mont, but came to Illinois in October, 1842, and taught school in Rockton the following winter. The next spring he became a clerk in the store of Lucius Reed at Byron. In August, 1843, he started out to find a suitable location, and at the same time peddled goods. In this way he came to Buffalo Grove, and decided that this place of- fered a good opening for a store, he returned to Vermont, and /with his brother, C. R. Barber, brought a stock of goods to Buffalo Grove in October, 1843. The brothers opened a store in the office of the Moses Hetfield tavern, and for the next twelve years a flourishing business was conducted by the brothers. They bought the pro- duce of the farmers, and hired others to haul this produce to Chicago. In 1855, they dissolved partnership, L. N. Barber taking the store, and C. R. Barber devoting himself to farming and banking. That same year L. N. Barber built the brick store on the corner of Mason and Division streets, and conducted the leading store of the town until his death, July 28, 1859, thus passing away before he had reached his forty-fourth birthday. Mr. Barber was elected Township Supervisor four times, and served as the second President of the Board of Trustees of the town of Polo. When the Presbyterians decided to build a church in Polo, he was chosen one of the Trustees, and was not too busy to give the work his service, advice and support. On July 20, 1847, Mr. Barber was married to Sarah Paynter of South Elkhorn, but sbe died in a little less than two; years. The subject of this sketch was one of the most thoroughly rep- resentative business men of the early class in Polo, and he and his brother were the originators of the first really well established store of Buf- falo Grove. BAXTER, Delos A. (deceased), long one of the most prominent citizens of Rochelle, 111., where he filled the highest local offices with marked ability and fidelity, was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., December 23, 1826, the son of Alexander and Philinda (Baxter) Baxter, na- tives of that State and county, who went thence to Ohio in 1848, where the mother died the same year. In 1856, the father moved to Rochelle, 111., which was his home for twenty-six years, his death occurring in 1882. Delos A. Baxter re- mained at home until he was seventeen years old, and then learned the trade of a harness-maker, afterwards becoming foreman of a harness shop in Ogdensburg, N. Y., a position which he filled until the removal of the family to Ohio, where he continued to act in the same capacity. In 1855, he opened a harness shop at Paw Paw, Lee County, 111., and in the fall of that year, was married to Mary Wirick. In the following spring he changed his location to Rochelle, build- ing a shop and house, and three years later be- coming the proprietor of the Baxter House, which he conducted while still continuing at his trade. Selling his store in 1865 he bought an- other place, which he kept a number of years, adding in 1876 an undertaking department and managing both lines with profitable results. The seven children of Mr. Baxter who reached the age of maturity are as follows: Delos W., A. Breese, Guy A., Bert B., Blanche P., Paul G. and Mary M. In politics Mr. Baxter was identi- fied with the Republican party, having a potent voice in its local councils. He served as Alder- man, and held the office of Mayor of Rochelle for two terms, and was a member of the School Board for a period of twenty years. His re- ligious connection was with the Presbyterian Church, of which he was one of the trustees and officiated as elder. Fraternally, he was affiliated with the A. F. & A. M., being an active member from his early manhood, and was High Priest of the Royal Arch Chapter for twenty years. Mr. 846 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Baxter's decease occurred at his home in Roch- elle, December 11, 1898. BAXTER, Delos W., Rochelle, 111., was born in his present place of residence July 29, 1857, the son of Delos A. and Mary (Wirick) Baxter, and received his early education in the primary and high schools of Rochelle, graduating from the latter in 1870, and after teaching for a time, entered the Law Department of the University of Iowa, graduating therefrom in 1881. Then returning to Rochelle, he there began the prac- tice of his profession, which he has continued to the present time. In 1884, Mr. Baxter was elected State's At- torney of Ogle County, serving three terms, or until 1896, when he was elected State Senator from the Tenth Senatorial District, in which position he served one term (1897-1901). In 1886 he formed a law partnership with M. D. Hathaway, under the firm name of Hathaway & Baxter, this relation continuing until 1891, when the partnership was dissolved by the re- tirement of Mr. Hathaway from practice. He then entered into partnership with C. E. Gard- ner, under the name of Baxter & Gardner, which was continued until 1896, after which he prac- ticed alone until January 1, 1908, when he formed a partnership with S. V. Wirick, the firm assuming the name of Baxter & Wirick. Mr. Baxter was married September 19, 1894, to Georgia Ambrose, of Huron, So. Dak., daugh- ter of George and Ann (Hess) Ambrose, early settlers of White Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., but later of South Dakota. Mr. Baxter is a Republican in politics and, besides the four years' term of service in the State Senate, already referred to, the official positions held by him include Mayor of Rochelle (1889-90), Alderman and member of the Board of Education, is also President of the People's Loan & Trust Company, of which he is one of the organizers. Fraternally, Mr. Baxter is identified with the A. F. & A. M., being a mem- ber of the Crusader Commandry No. 17 ; Rock- ford Tebala Temple ; A. A. O. Mystic Shrine, and is also an Odd Fellow. BEARD, Martin (deceased), one of the worthi- est and most highly esteemed of the pioneer set- tlers of Ogle County, 111., was born in Washing- ton County, Md., November 25, 1830, a son of David and Christiana Beard, who came from that State to Illinois in the spring of 1848, and after spending two years In Lee County thence removed to Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, where the father died. About the year 1850, Martin Beard located on the farm of 120 acres which was his home for nearly three score years. He built a log house and, later, a grocery store. The old home with all its contents was destroyed by fire in 1900. The whole family was reared there, and Martin Beard was the sole survivor of four children, of whom three were sons. John, one of the brothers, died Feb- ruary 22, 1899 ; David died from wounds received in Sherman's March to the Sea ; Mary married Asop Morris, located near Stillman Valley, 111., and died at the home of her son Clinton, near Rockford. The mother of this family died on the old homestead in her eighty-fifth year. In youth Martin Beard attended Rock River Seminary, and at an early period became the head of the household, adding, in course of time, to the extent of the paternal estate on which he followed farming for many years. He was the last survivor of the pioneer settlers of Silver Creek, his boyhood friends, David Wagner, Reuben Marshall and Howard Waugh, having passed away before him. He was a man of frail appearance, and it was a matter of surprise to all who knew him that his intense vitality sus- tained his existence so long. Politically, he was a firm Republican and creditably filled many local offices. In religion, he leaned toward the Adventist faith. He died September 29, 1907, and was buried in Silver Creek Cemetery. The widow of Martin Beard, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Bauby, still survives, and is deeply respected by all who know her. She was born near Erie, Pa., and when six years old, came to Rockvale Township, Ogle County, where she grew to womanhood. Of the three children resulting from the union of Martin Beard and Elizabeth Bauby, one of the daughters, Elsie, married Cyrus Camling, and died March 9, 1907, in her thirty-sixth year ; the other, Charlotte, died in childhood; and David, the son, was born on the old homestead September 28, 1869, and received his education in Oregon, Ogle County, taking charge of the home property, on leaving school. He has continued to live there ever since, and has increased the extent of the place, which is known as the "Silver Creek Stock Farm," until it contains 380 acres. He is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Chester-White hogs, also feeding many head of stock. His un- dertakings have indicated an enterprising and progressive spirit and sagacious management, and have been very successful, gaining for him the reputation of one of the most substantial farmers and stock raisers of his locality. On October 3, 1900, David Beard was mar- ried to Clara Wilke, of West Bend, Washington County, Wis., where she was born and reared. Two children have resulted from this union, — Carl Martin, born June 23, 1903 ; and Aaron Leslie, born June 24, 1906. In politics, David Beard is a supporter of the Republican party. His wife is a consistent member of the Lutheran Church. BEERS, Richard H., one of the oldest and most highly respected farmers of Northern Illinois, for considerably more than half a century a resident of Flagg Township, Ogle County, and now living in comfortable and honored retire- ment at his home near the village of Rochelle, was born in Delaware County, N. Y., March 24, 1S29. The father, Samuel Beers, brought HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 847 his family to Illinois in 1830, locating at Mar- seilles, five miles above Ottawa, with the inten- tion of ultimately building a woolen mill there, having previously operated one In New York. This purpose was not accomplished, however, as he was seized with sinking chills three years after his arrival, and succumbed to the attack, at the age of about forty-six years. The mother was left with four children, and in 1832, during the Black Hawk War, was compelled to take refuge in the fort as a safeguard against Indian atrocities. She afterwards kept house for a friend at Yorkville, 111., and there was married to Peter Minkler, Richard remaining with his mother until he was between seventeen and eighteen years old. In that vicinity the latter availed himself of the opportunities for mental training afforded by the primitive log school- house, and later attended the graded schools. In 1846 he came to Ogle County, 111., where his uncle, Sheldon Bartholomew, lived at Hickory Grove on the site of the present village of Rochelle. Mr. Bartholomew's home had been there for some time, as had also that of Harmon T. Minkler, Peter Minkler's son, who married Mr. Beers' sister Abigail. They had moved to this locality from Yorkville, settling on a farm just south of Rochelle, on the spot where now stands a fine black-walnut grove. The seed for these trees was dropped by Mr. Beers about the year 1850. Mr. Bartholomew died in 1846, when Mr. Beers made his home with Harmon Minkler. Soon afterwards he took charge of the Bartholomew Tavern, which was the only house of public entertainment there except the hotel kept by Willard P. Flagg, who had accompanied Mr. Bartholomew from Ottawa, and in honor of whom Flagg Township was named. Mr. Beers remained with Mrs. Bartholomew until she married Matthew B. Powell, continuing to manage the tavern. Mr. Powell went to Cali- fornia and was never afterwards heard from, his wife dying in Rochelle several years after his departure. She sold land to Dr. Lane, of Rockford, 111., for a depot, and also disposed of some town lots to him in Rochelle. Dr. Lane named the town, but still maintained his resi- dence in Rockford. In 1854, Mr. Beers began to improve a tract of government land which he had previously entered. It comprised 240 acres, and on it he built a frame house, 18 by 22 feet in dimensions, standing not far from the place where he now lives. The nearest saw-mill was at Chana, eight miles distant. He owned a small tract of timber land in Jefferson Grove, and out of lumber sawed from the trees there, built his dwelling. He has occupied this farm since 1854. For many years he kept cows for making butter and cheese, and has always looked after his farming interests, al- though spending some time in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. He has a fine country home, his residence being sheltered, on the north and west, by groves of pines and tamaracks, set out by him about 1880, and now constituting a con- spicuous ornament to the place. On September 16, 1854, Mr. Beers was mar- ried to Dolly (Rathburn) King, a widow, of Jefferson Grove, and immediately after the wed- ding, they commenced housekeeping on this farm. Mrs. Beers was born in Steuben County, N. Y., September 19, 1829, a daughter of Benja- min and Margaret (Walker) Rathburn, who set- tled in Jefferson Grove, Flagg Township, in 1835. They were pioneer residents, arriving just as the Indians disappeared. The father soon died but the mother reached an advanced age. When sixteen years old Dolly was married to Andrew Jackson King, who followed farming on rented land, and who died three years after his mar- riage, leaving a son named Daniel. After re- maining a widow seven or eight years, during which period she lived with her mother, Mrs. King became the wife of Mr. Beers, with whom she had been acquainted for three years. She is one of three surviving members of a family of eleven children, the others being David Rath- burn of New Mexico, and Almira, widow of David Houston, of Rochelle. Mr. and Mrs. Beers have had two sons and six daughters. The sons died in childhood, and two of the daughters are deceased. Those still living are : Alice, Etta, Margaret and Ella. Alice, the eld- est daughter, is the wife of George Seeley, whose home is three miles from Rochelle, his house standing on the county line. Etta married Barney Bryant and lives at Fairfield, Neb., and has twelve children ; Margaret is the wife of Henry Banks, a machinist, of Rockford, 111. ; and Ella is Mrs. Louis Huhr, and has one daugh- ter, Lida. Another member of the family is Martha King, a grandchild of Mrs. Beers, her father, Daniel King, of Lee County, 111., being Mrs. Beers' son. Martha King was taken charge of by her grandmother when fourteen months old, at the time of her mother's death. She was a student in the Rochelle High School, and now is teaching in the vicinity and living at home. A former inmate of the household is William Braumann, who was taken into the family when twelve years old, and remained until he was of age, being provided with a good common-chool education. After attaining bis majority, he worked two years with Mr. Beers. He is now engaged in farming in the vicinity of Thor, Iowa, and his labors have been rewarded by success. He has become a useful and respected citizen and is the father of three promising sons. Mary King (a sister of Martha, before men- tioned), wife of Glenn Pritchard, of Rochelle, 111., was also taken into the Beers family at the age of four years, on the death of her mother, and remained until her marriage. Daniel King, Mrs. Beers' son, previously alluded to, who was eight years old when his mother married Mr. Beers, also grew to manhood on the Beers farm. Alice Beers, the eldest daughter, has four sons and two daughters ; Etta's children are six sons and six daughters ; and Margaret has two sons and two daughters. Mr. Beers still retains the original 240 acres, most of which cost him but $1.25 per acre, and 848 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. some of it even less. He has laid considerable tiling, and has added more room to the old house, but it is virtually the same dwelling. He built another house in 1891, and has a tenant, Louis Huhr, his son-in-law, who has conducted the farm for sixteen years. In politics, Mr. Beers has, in the main sup- ported the Republican ticket, although not a poli- tician. He has always been active in behalf of the best interests of his locality, and especially in promoting the cause of education. BELLOWS, Levi M., retired farmer, Polo, 111. The State of New York has given to the State of Illinois a quality of citizenship that is every- where marked for its peculiar excellence. Dela- ware County, in the very heart of the Empire State, has given to Ogle County a large number of pioneers, and sons and daughters of pioneers, who, by their sturdy character, have done much to make that latter distinctive among its sister counties. The group of Delaware County pioneers named Bellows have impressed their influence for good upon Eagle Point Township. A repre- sentative of this family is Levi M. Bellows of Polo, who was born in Margaretville, N. Y., on Christmas Day, 1842, a son of Hoton and Sarah E. (Banker) Bellows, and was brought to Ogle County by his parents in June, 1848, when he was in his sixth year. Jotham Bellows, his grandfather, and Charles Wesley Bellows, his uncle, were already living in Eagle Point, where they were among the earliest settlers and where they were then building a new house which was a landmark in that township. It was taking form on their land in the west end of Buffalo Grove, on the Mil] edge ville and Polo road, five miles west of Polo. Near there Hoton Bellows made a good farm, to which he added until he had 120 acres. Late in life he removed to an- other farm, where he died March 17, 1888, aged seventy-eight years. The wife of his youth died two or three years after their settlement in the county and he married Cornelia Decker, also a native of Margaretville, N. Y., who died in De- cember 1907, aged about seventy years. By his first wife he had seven children : Levi M. ; Mary married her cousin, John Bellows, and is now a widow, living in Eagle Point Township ; Tallman C. lives in Buena Vista County, Iowa ; Sarah E. is the wife of Murray Hodge of Law- rence, Kan. ; Benjamin died in 1856 ; Orson died in the prime of his manhood ; Relief married her cousin Ward Bellows, brother of John, and died in Buffalo Township. The following children were the issue of Hoton Bellows' second mar- riage : Charles, of Watertown, 111. ; Emory of Greene, Iowa ; Adelbert, who lives on the family homestead in Eagle Point Township ; and Jotham, of Whiteside County, 111. The father of these children was a busy, persevering, yet quiet and retiring man, devoted to his country, his State and his family. He was for many years a deacon in the Baptist Church. Jotham Bellows, father of Hoton and grand- father of Levi M. Bellows, died on his old home- stead at an advanced age. His son, Charles Wesley Bellows, uncle of Levi M. Bellows, died there also, as did his wife, who was Amanda Ellis. Their son Andrew is now living on the old farm. Levi M. Bellows grew to manhood on his father's farm and received his education in the district schools near his home. Early in life he turned his attention to threshing and, secur- ing the best machinery obtainable at that time, devoted himself so honorably and so efficiently to the work that, for forty years, he was the leading thresher in his community. While en- gaged in that business he gave his attention also to farming. He and his father broke much land with ox-teams, and at the time of the construc- tion of the Illinois Central Railroad through the county, he hauled logs from Buffalo Grove to a saw-mill and removed the lumber after its manu- facture from the saw -mill to the line of the road. He developed a good farm near his father's homestead, upon which he lived until 1891, since when he has had a pleasant home at Polo in the old Hitt house erected by Andrew Hitt. He still owns his old farm and is not likely, while he lives, to lose his interest in his old vo- cation. While not in the ordinary sense active in a political way, he is a steadfast Republican ; has served as School Director and for two years as Justice of the Peace. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren church of which he is also a trustee, while his wife is treasurer of the Ladies' Aid Society connected with that organization. On February 20, 1867, Mr. Bellows married Miss Annis M. Wolcott, a daughter of Francis and Mary Ann (Robin- son) Wolcott, born at Prattsville, Greene County, N. Y. When she was eleven years old her parents came to Illinois, making their way by wagon to Buffalo, N. Y., thence by water to Chicago and thence again by wagon to Ogle County. They settled in Buffalo Township but removed, not long afterward, to Carroll County, whence they removed to Knox County, Neb., where Mr. Wolcott died. His widow, aged ninety-four, died January 15, 1908, in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Bellows have four children : Walter Burton, married Hattie Mcllney and is living on his father's farm. Wilson H. is a machinist and lives at Waterloo, Iowa ; Mary Ann married John McCausland, a farmer at Polo, and Fanny B. is a member of her father's household. Five children of Mr. and Mrs. Bellows are deceased, viz : Francis C, Rosa Lee, Hattie N., Edith Belle and Harry R. BEMIS, Clinton, for nearly all of his mature life one of the most favorably known farmers of Nashua Township, Ogle County, 111., prominent in public affairs and associated by paternal rela- tionship with the development of his locality from the pioneer period of its history, was born on the farm where he now lives, April 2, 1852, a son of Stephen and Mary Elizabeth (Early) HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 849- Bemis, natives respectively of Massachusetts and Ohio. Stephen Bemis had been previously mar- ried, while a resident of the Old Bay State, and in 1837. came west to Illinois with the father of John V, Farwell, the widely known merchant, of Chicago, his first wife being a sister of the elder Farwell. Stephen Bemis settled on a farm near that of Mr. Farwell (now owned by Hon. Frank O. Lowden), and then acquired a tract of government land at the regular purchase price of $1.25 per acre. His occupation was that of a chair-maker, and he made many of the chairs used by his neighbors. He built a frame dwell- ing on the site of the present Bemis residence, and about 1850 erected a brick house, which was later partly torn down for rebuilding so that, virtually, the subject of this sketch still occupies the house where he was born. The father died in the old brick residence, his attention having l>een devoted to farming and chair-making from the period of his arrival in the county until he became too feeble to work. At the time of his de- cease he was eighty-six years old. His wife having died years before, he was married, in Nashua Township to Mary B. (Early) Neville, who had come to Ogle County with her mother, then Mrs. Stewart. The decease of the second wife took place several years before that of Mr. Bemis. The offspring of the first marriage was three children, namely : Stephen, of St. Louis, who left Ogle County when a young man ; Jud- son, of Boston, who went away about the same time as his brother ; and Mary, of Sycamore, 111., wife of Nate Latin. Mrs. Neville had one son, William Neville (now deceased), who was a lad when she married Stephen Bemis. The issue of the second marriage of Stephen Bemis was as follows : Henry, of Oregon ; Cassius, who enlisted during the Civil War, in the Fourteenth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, was re- ported missing after a battle and never re- turned ; George, a farmer now living in Oregon ; Clinton ; and John, a resident of Rockford. Stephen Bemis was formerly an active member of the Baptist Church, but late in life, became a believer in the Second Advent doctrine. Clinton Bemis bought out the interests of the other heirs in the paternal estate, and except during two years spent in Kansas has always lived on the old homestead. His farm is the original 120 acres acquired by his father, all bottom land, and on it he is engaged in general farming. In early manhood he learned the trade of a carpenter, but preferred agricultural pursuits. On January 26, 1875, Clinton Bemis was mar- ried to Ida Hardesty, a daughter of Daniel Har- desty, one of the early settlers of Lafayette Township, Ogle County, where she was born. Her parents came from Ohio to that township in 1842, and there Mr. Hardesty died, since which time his widow has made her home with Mrs. Bemis. Seven children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bemis, namely: Olive (Mrs. Clarence Hetfer), of Taylor Township; William ; Nellie; Hattie Alice (Mrs. James Hay), of Nashua Township ; Early, a mechanic of Rock- ford, 111. ; Joseph ; Alwilda, a student in the Oregon High School. Joseph and Nellie are at home. Politically, Mr. Bemis is a Democrat, and has served the public in township offices for eighteen years, although his township is strongly Re- publican. He was Assessor six years, and his service as Supervisor covered a period of twelve years. While he was incumbent of the latter office, the county farm was enlarged repeatedly. BETEBENNER, Charles H. — Superintedent of the Ogle County Farm (post-office, Oregon), was born in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, March 9, 1851, a son of Samuel and Rebecca (Strouse) Betebenner, both natives of Mary- land. The elder Betebenner came to Illinois in 1840 and brought on his family in 1844. He was buried at Polo on his ninetieth birthday ; his widow died aged ninety years and eight months. This worthy couple spent all their active days on their farm of 320 acres, which is now the property of their son John. Charles H. Betebenner left his father's farm when he was twenty-five years old and, for a time, had a general store at Dysart, Iowa, later was employed four years in the store of Artz & Ray at Oregon, and the succeeding four years passed in the railway mail service, running between Chicago and Dubuque, Iowa. In 1890 he was elected Sheriff of Ogle County, which office he filled creditably for four years. He has held his present position since 1898. He is a Mason and until 1S96 was a Democrat. Then he broke old ties because of the free silver question. He was elected Sheriff as an independent candidate, and was the third Democrat, to hold office in the county, which is strongly Republican. He mar- ried Miss Inez Sammis of Buffalo Township, but a native of La Salle, 111. Of their children two have grown to maturity : Ruth, who is the wife of W. H. Dorn. a boot and shoe dealer in Cleve- land, Ohio, and Sammis. who graduatel from the high school in June, 1908. Mr. Betebenner devotes all his time to the superintendency of the county farm. This prop- erty was acquired by the county in different tracts at different times, the last purchase, of eighty acres, having been effected in 1907 at $125 per acre. It consists of two hundred and seven acres of rich bottom land, extending from Rock River to the foot of the bluffs, and an island of twenty acres in Rock River. There is upon it a three-story house, whose frontage of 144 feet, including a main structure 30 by 40 feet and two wings, each 52 bv 28 feet, faces the river. This building, containing fiftv-two rooms exclusive of the Superintendent's living rooms, was erected in 1878 at a cost of $10,000. There is an auxiliary building, a brick structure 50 bv 24 feet and two stories high, which was erected for the accommodation of insane pa- tients in 1888. and was so used for fifteen years 850 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. until the insane were cared for in a State insti- tution. The number of inmates of the institu- tion averages fifty-five, the proportion of the sexes being usually three men to two women. Most of these are too decrepit to be of material assistance in the work about the place. In the summer of 1907 three girls and one man, the latter mentally incompetent, were the only wards of the county thus employed. Two men and two women, besides a nurse, are hired constantly. The nurse devotes her time exclusively to eight old ladies whose average age is more than eighty years, and one of whom is within six years of the century mark. The cost to the county per inmate for maintenance including all expenses, is $91.25, though under other management it has been as high as $118. The medical work is un- der the supervision of the County Medical Super- intendent, who has personal charge of all oper- ations. The farm is well supplied with out-build- ings of all kinds, and its productiveness is such that it amply supplies the institution not only with vegetables but with meat. Mrs. Betebenner ably fills the office of matron, and all female inmates are under her care. BIRDSALL, Lyman H., a prominent citizen of Flagg Township, Ogle County, 111., who is successfully engaged in the breeding of high- grade horses and cattle, is known throughout Northern Illinois as the owner of "Maple Lawn Farm," near Rochelle, which turns. out some of the finest registered Polled Durham cattle and Percheron horses produced in the Prairie State. Mr. Birdsall was born July 11, 1849, in Steuben County, N. Y., just north of the town of Bath, where his father was engaged in farming. The latter is Henry Birdsall, and the mother is Amanda (Crawford) Birdsall, both natives of New York State. For several years Henry Bird- sall owned land in Dement Township, Ogle County, spending part of his time there, but maintained his residence in New York. His daughter, Harriet A., wife of W. H. Nichols, of Painesville, Ohio, lived in Dement on her father's farm for some time and his brother, R. C. Bird- sall, followed farming near Creston on the same farm. The subject built a brick store at Cres- ton, from which he still derives an income. In boyhood, Lyman H. Birdsall attended the public schools and the academy at Lima, N. Y., remaining at home until he was twenty years of age. In 1870 he came to Rochelle, Ogle County, 111., where some of the Crawford family, relatives of his mother, lived. He had taught school one term before leaving New York, and after arriving in Illinois, had charge of the Carthage (Ogle County) School for one winter, buying a store in that village at the end of the term. After keeping this store four years, he located at Maryland Station, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (then the Chica- go & Iowa Railroad), erecting the first store building at that point and moving his goods there. He remained at Maryland Station four years, and then moved to the vicinity of Rochelle, 111., bujing the Scott farm, located a mile north of the village and containing 112 acres. Between three and four years later he bought Col. D. C. May's farm of 48 acres adjoining the former, to which he subsequently removed, adding 40 acres more lying to the west of it, and thus making a fine farm of 200 acres. The house, erected by Maj. J. R. Hotaling at the close of the Civil War, is still standing, and its location, just north of Rochelle, commands a pleasant view of that place and the surrounding country. The prop- erty is known as "Maple Lawn Farm," and is devoted to breeding Polled Durham cattle and Percheron horses. This has been the main feature in the operation of the farm since 1890. Mr. Birdsall's herd of Polled Durhams number from 50 to 60 head, and he readily sells all that he can raise, at satisfactory prices. He keeps the registered grade, and finds it difficult to sup- ply the demand for local exhibits. He also has a number of registered Percheron horses, and all that he can produce are quickly disposed of. On July 20th, 1875, Mr. Birdsall was married in Taylor Township, Ogle County, to Mary R. Stevens, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Sharp) Stevens. In early life, the father of Mrs. Birdsall was a woolen manufacturer in company with his father- in-law, at Russellville, Ky., and came to Illinois when his daughter Mary was a child. He located on a farm in Taylor Township, and, besides his farming operations, conducted a store in Carth- age. That village was then a lively business center on the old "State Road." Both parents are deceased. Two children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Birdsall, namely : Edith M. and Grace S. The former, a graduate of the Rochelle High School, is the wife of Otto A. Wedler, Cashier of the Stocking Loan & Trust Company Bank in Rochelle. Grace S„ who also graduated from the high school, married George F. Colton, of McFarland, Coulton & Co., dealers in lumber and coal at Rockford, 111., where she was form- erly a stenographer for the K. S. O'Connor Com- pany. Politically, Mr. Birdsall is identified with the Republican party, and has rendered public ser- vice in several township offices, acting also as a delegate to local party conventions. BISSELL, Lorenzo. — Descended from French ancestry, the Bissell family became identified with the history of the new world during the colonial period, and some of the name were early settlers of Connecticut. Across the river from Ogdensburg, N. Y., and in cose proximity to Brockville, Ontario, Canada, stood the borne of the Bissell family, they having removed thither from New England. However; the Can- adian location was not entirely satisfactory, and the father visited Illinois on a tour of inspec- tion. Shortly after his return to Canada he was taken ill and soon died. At that time Lorenzo, who was born near Brockville August 26, 1829, was a youth of sixteen years, and his assistance jWtf&t&Z^t^. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 851 was of the greatest benefit to his widowed mother, whose eldest sons already had started out to earn their way in the world. Shortly after the father's death the family came to Illinois and joined the Martin, Farwell and Woods families, all of whom were relatives. The widow secured land which had been en- tered by Mr. Rowe from the Government. On the place stood a cabin built about 1836, and this became the home of the family in 1846. The mother's life was one of self-sacrificing devotion to her church and her children, and at her death in 1893, at the age of eighty-seven years, she was mourned by those to whom her beautiful character had endeared her. During early days she always kept a light burning all night in a window of her cabin, which stood on a hill, so that the light could be seen for miles, enabling strangers to find their way through storms and darkness. Near by stood a church founded by the Rowe and Martin families, and to this was given the name of the Lighthouse church, by which name it is still known. Mrs. Bissell was one of the last survivors of its charter mem- bers, and had always been one of its most earn- est supporters and generous contributors. The eldest son in the Bissell family was Ezra, who came from Canada to Illinois about 1844, , and settled in Taylor Township, remaining there for a few years. At the time of the discovery of gold in California he joined a band of gold- seekers and. in 1845. made the long journey to the western mines, where he made a futile effort to gain success. Returning to Illinois he took up farm work, but about 1865 he sold out and re- moved to California, where, afterward, while in camp with a neighbor, he was killed presumably by the Indians. Moses Bissell, the second son in the family, went to California in 1849, and later sailed across the seas to Australia, spending five years in the mines there. After an absence of seven years, he returned to Illinois and bought the Martin farm near the Lighthouse church. Dur- ing the year 1892 he removed to Oregon, where he died and where his widow still makes her home. Another son, Albert, also visited Cali- fornia, but returned and took up farming pur- suits in Taylor Township, eventually selling out his land and embarking in the bank business in Kansas. Later he entered a claim to a section of land in Dakota, and finally removed to Ore- gon, where he is living retired. The youngest of the sons, John William Bis- sell, was two years of age at the time the family came to Illinois in 1846, and he was giveD bet- ter educational advantages than the older sons could secure. After having attended the Rock River academy he entered the ministerial de- partment of the Northwestern University at Evanston, where he remained until graduating, and then was ordained to the . Methodist Epis- copal ministry. For twenty-eight years he was President of the Northern Iowa University at Fayette, Iowa, and at this writing is Presiding Elder of the Waterloo (Iowa) district of his denomination. Travels through this and other counties and researches in the Holy Land have given him a breadth of personal knowledge which, aided by the splendid command of lan- guage and oratorical ability, enables him toliold large audiences deeply engrossed by his popular lectures. There were, in addition to the sons named, two sisters in family, both of whom died in Florida. It fell to the lot of Lorenzo Bissell to be his mother's mainstay and helper at home, for the older boys started out in the world at an early age, while the younger children, after the death of the father, were kept in school in order to re- ceive needed advantages. Had it been possible for Lorenzo to gain a training in mechanics, he would have been unusually successful in that line, as his talents run in that direction ; but the necessity of earning a livlihood and helping his mother kept him busy at the plow and in the harvest field, so that he has had no further asso- ciation with his preferred occupation other than the running of a threshing machine and the maintaining of a shop on the farm. In boyhood years he became a member of the Lighthouse church and for thirty years has been a class- leader in the congregation, while for seventeen years he officiated as Superintendent of the Sun- day School. During Civil War days he gave his support to the Abolition movement. For a time he voted with the Republicans, but for twenty years or more he has been stanch in his adher- ence to the cause of prohibition and usually votes that ticket at general elections. At differ- ent times he has held the most of the township offices, and these he has filled with zeal, energy and the utmost fidelity to principle. The marriage of Lorenzo Bissell united with him Miss Sarah J. Rose, a native of Wisconsin. Of their children the following are now living; Nellie, who married Clarence Butterfield, of Leaf River ; Walter, who has settled in the State of Washington; Rosa, of Chicago; Frederick, a bachelor and an energetic and capable farmer, prominent in the public affairs of Nashua Town- ship and the incumbent of various positions of trust ; Bertha, who is employed as a dressmaker in Chicago ; and Mary, who married Henry West, cashier of the Bank of Leaf River. The Bis- sell family still occupy the old homestead in Nashua Township, Lorenzo having bought out the interests of the other heirs, which enables him to spend the afternoon of his active exist- ence on the farm endeared to him through the associations of many years. BLAIR, John Franklin, farmer, Maryland Township. Ogle County, 111. In the cosmopoli- tan population of Ogle County nearly every European country and probably all of our East- ern States are represented!. Whilei Pennsyl- vania and Maryland would seem to have con- tributed most liberally to the population around Forreston, many other of our older States have 852 HISTOBY OP OGLE COUNTY. furnished their quota of citizens. The family of Blair has long been prominent in Pennsyl- vania and the family of Chidester, is well known in New Jersey. Samuel Blair married Mercy Chidester, and their son John Franklin Blair was born in Crawford County, Pa., November 6, 1835. On his father's side he inherits Irish blood. In 1837, when he was about two years old, his parents came from Pennsylvania to Ogle County and settled on the farm in Maryland Township which is now his home. There his father died in 1861, aged about seventy-eight, his mother the same year, aged about seventy-six years. Of their seven children, John Franklin was the youngest. He grew to manhood on his father's farm and was educated in common schools near his home. In the fall of 1862 he married Miss Amelia Robins of Oregon, Ogle County. Mrs. Blair, who was a daughter of John and Elizabeth Robins, was born in the State of New York. She bore her husband seven chil- dren as follows : Clarence E., died in Maryland Township in October, 1901, aged thirty-seven years ; Arthur L. died in 1885, aged nineteen years ; Harry G. is a farmer in Maryland Town- ship, as are also Elmer S. and Lewis H. : Nellie V. is the wife of John Newcomer of Maryland Township ; and Hattie C. married George Rum- rnel. Mr. Blair has given his whole life to farming, in which he has been successful, but latterly has given much atention to stock-raising. He owns about 600 acres of rich land, all under Improve- ment, with good buildings. He has always taken an active interest in township affairs and has held the office of School Director for twelve years. He has been especially interested in the village of Adeline and has done much toward its advancement and general development. Mrs. Blair died in August, 1890, aged forty- six years. She was a woman of the highest character, helpfully concerned in all the affairs of her neighborhood, a good wife and mother, whose untimely removal was deeply regretted, not only in her own home circle but by all who had known her. On coming west Mr. Blair's father, with his family, drove through from Pennsylvania to Maryland Township, in a covered wagon. At the time of his arrival there were no other set- tlers in his locality. He first built a cabin of round logs. He afterward built a frame house from oak timbers and later another frame house. J. F. Blair has since his father's death, built another frame house, which makes four dwellings erected on the same site. J. F. Blair recalls having counted as high as 72 deer in one drove. Wolves and other wild game were very plenti- ful in the early days. Of the seven children born to Samuel and Mercy Blair, there are two besides the subject of this sketch still living : Samuel Wilson, of Parker, Kan., and Mrs. Sara Ann Blair, of Nap- erville, 111. The first school which Mr. Blair attended, was located where Adeline now stands and was con- ducted by John Ettinger and supported by sub- scription. It did not last long on account of lack of pupils. A year or two later a log school house was built and this was where Mr. Blair received his education, working on the farm in summer and attending school in the winter. BLANCHARD, Alba G., M. D.— A capacity for painstaking effort as a physician and surgeon, sufficient patience and determination to calmly await the development of his ambitions, and a healthful interest in those social and general opportunities which exist in all cosmopolitan and promising communities, has projected Dr. Al- ba G. Blanchard into the front ranks of the civic promoters of Creston, Ogle County. Dr. Blanch- ard was born May 4, 1848, in La Salle County, 111., of which his parents, Psalter and Phoebe (Thorp). Blanchard, were early settlers, coming from their native State of New York in the early part of their married life. The elder Blanchard died in Brookfield. 111., at the age of sixty-eight years, while his wife died in Streator, 111. age eighty-nine years. The fifth in order of birth in a family of nine children, Dr. Blanchard worked at farming and attended the public school in La Salle County, at the age of twenty years leaving the old home- stead and engaging as a clerk in a drug store in Seneca, 111. Here he found an outlet for inclina- tions which had failed to harmonize with the monotony of farm life, and developing a pro- found appreciation of the profession of healing, he employed much of his time during the thir- teen years of connection with the drug-store, to delve into the mysteries of medical science. In June, 1882, he was duly graduated from the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, and thereupon inaugurated his professional practice at Pullman, 111., whence a few months later he removed to Streator. Four years later, in March, 1886, he came to Creston, and since that time has conducted a general medical and sugi- cal practice with gratifying success. Notwithstanding the many-sided responsibil- ities connected with the profession, Dr. Blanch- ard has found time to evidence marked public spiritedness and large capacity for public ser- vice. As a Democrat he has been a controlling force in party affairs for some years, served as Postmaster through appointment by Grover Cleveland from 1893 until 1897, and has been President of Village Board of Aldermen for three terms. He is possessed of practical and progressive civic ideas and has done much to promote the educational, governmental, sanitary, moral and social conditions of the town. The first wife of Dr. Blanchard, whose maiden name was Lucy C. Farrell, was born in Ottawa, 111., where she died. In Creston, January 30, 1S95, Dr. Blanchard was united in marriage to Eloise Dimon, a native of Ogle County, and daughter of Daniel and Arvilla (Woodward) Dimon. Of this union there are three children : Marion B., HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. £-53 Glenkern A., and Clifford T„ all at home. Dr. Blanchard Is fraternally identified with Creston Lodge No. 320, A. P. & A. M., the Rochelle Chap- ter O. B. S. No. 158; Sycamore Commandery No. 15, and the Medinah Temple of Chicago. The doctor is a kindly and sympathetic man, and supplies a large need in the community with which he has been connected for the past twenty- two years. His name is a household word, and around it is the devotion and gratitude which is rooted in confidence in his ability to alleviate the most distressing and complicated physical woes to which human kind is heir. BLY, Bony. — As among other classes of toilers, the true philosopher among farmers is the man who schools himself to minimize drudgery by contemplating the final results thereof. To find pleasure along the whole course of one's tasks, is a gift responsible for a large part of the suc- cess of the world, and this truism is echoed in the lives of many of Ogle County's painstaking upbuilders of the present, and finds no more worthy expression than in the career of Bony Bly, an extensive agriculturist and stock-raiser in Taylor Township, and owner of the Maple Grove Farm, and property in Taylor Township. Mr. Bly was born on a farm in Taylor Township May 7, 1860, a son of Isaac and Rebecca (Dailey) Bly, natives of New York State and Pennsyl- vania, respectively. Isaac Bly came to Ogle County during the •early '40s, and, contracting the mining fever which swept over the land in 1849, left his farm near Ashton and joined his friends, Joseph Earl and Rufus Wood, in a search for gold beyond the Rockies. The transportation facilities of these enthusiastic Argonauts consisted of three yoke of oxen and a covered wagon, and thus they laboriously traveled overland for about six months. Mr, Bly was the average rather than exceptional miner, and after returning with more experience than gold, via the Isthmus of Panama, he visited his old home in New York, and soon after resumed the less exciting and adventurous, if more dependable, occupation of farming. He had paid his help sixteen dollars a day for labor on the coast, had sold hay for fifty dollars a ton, and had paid about a dollar a pound for the average edibles to be found there. His marriage followed shortly after his return to Illinois, Mrs. Bly being a widow, Mrs. Rebecca (Dailey) Van Patter, who had two children, Orlando and Hattie. the latter of whom became the wife of James Giffin, and died in her early married life. The couple settled on the farm of the wife in Taylor Township, but later they moved to another place in the same town- ship, the same being now occupied by their daughter, Mrs. Floyd Thompson, and here Mr. Bly died in his eighty-second year, his wife dying three years before in her eighty-first year. Both were suddenly taken from accustomed sur- roundings, and until within a short time of their •end, enjoyed fair health. Mr. Bly had many in- teresting and homely maxims, and used to say that he would rather wear out than rust out. He invariably arose early and retired early, and had a keen sense of order and method, both within his home and around the farm. He en- joyed a good joke, congenial company and loyal friends, and his love for horses was well known, he owning at one time "Post Boy," a famous race-horse. In politics he was a Republican, and was unceasing in his support of the local schools. Of his four children, Addie, wife of Robert M. Johnson, is mentioned above ; Alice is the wife of Charles A. Ling, of Dixon, 111. ; Bony is the subject of this sketch, and Flora is the wife of Floyd Thompson of Taylor Township. The education of Bony Bly consisted of the public schools and the Wells Training School. After leaving home he located on a farm rented from his father, with his sister, Addie, as house- keeper, for two and a half years. March 1, 1887, he was united in marriage to Jessie Rolf, young- est daughter of Rev. B. F. Rolf, and a native of Wisconsin. Mrs. Bly lived to share the rising fortunes of her husband until 1901, when her death occurred. She was the mother of six children : Mark Victor, Florence, Earl, Harold, Clarence, and Ernest. Mr. Bly was left by his father a part of the farm which he now occupies and upon this he has conducted general farm- ing and stock-raising, making a specialty of the latter. He owns 200 acres in Taylor Township. He is an exponent of temperance principles, and a faithful and consistent member of the Method- ist Episcopal church. Politically he votes for the man best qualified for the office, therein evidencing the breadth of mind which has led him ever forward in a search for the best and most practical of personal and community ideals. Mr. Bly's only daughter has acted in the capacity of housekeeper for her father for the past three years. BOGUE, Horace P., son of Judge V. A. Bogue, when only seventeen, enlisted in the Sixty-fifth Illinois Infantry, and served until the close of the war. He then went to Nebraska, and took up government land, later removed to Bismark, S. D., and acted as Postmaster and later as Sheriff, which office he held at the time of his death. Mr. Bogue left one son, Gilbert Foster, who was Assistant Postmaster at the time of his father's death, and a daughter, Mrs. Mary LaMonee, whose husband was State Senator in the Legislature of North Dakota. BOGUE, Judge V. A., son of Publius V. and Katherine (Robinson) Bogue, was born at Paris Hill, N. Y.. August 4, 1804. After many changes, in the fall of 1835, Judge Bogue visited Buffalo Orove, Ogle County, and located the farm after- wards known as the Bogue farm, and then spent the winter at Galena clerking. In the spring of 1836, his wife who had borne the maiden name of Jernsha Benton, gave birth to their second daughter, and he rejoined her at Hartford, 854 H1ST0BY OF OGLE COUNTY. Conn., where they were living. During that summer, they came overland to Buffalo Grove. In June of the following year Mrs. Bogue died, and her remains were interred in Buffalo Ceme- tery, and hers was the first grave in that burial ground. The second Mrs. Bogue was Harriet Mayhew Nichols, who nursed the first Mrs. Bogue in her last illness. Sometime before 1840, Mr. Bogue spent the winter at Vandalia, then the State Capital. About 1840, he . sustained permanent injuries in a runaway, and was never afterwards able to do any manual labor. How- ever, he served in many public offices, being County Commissioner, Justice of the Peace and was active in settling claims and estates. He was the first Deacon of the Congregational Church, organized in May, 1837. In 1856, he was chosen Probate Judge, and held the office until 1866. In that year, he moved to Polo, where he died November 25, 1869, aged sixty- five years. Originally a Whig, he later became a Republican. In his younger days he was a teacher, and conducted the Buffalo Grove school for several winters. For a year or more he was employed as General Agent for the American Bible Society, and was always very prominent in religious work. Mr. Bogue was one of the founders of the first temperance society at Buff- alo Grove. The second Mrs. Bogue died Novem- ber 24, 1868. Judge Bogue's funeral was held in the Presbyterian church at Polo, and he was buried in the beautiful cemetery there. Many old settlers were in attendance, and the cere- monies were impressive. BOMBERGER, Elias D., — One of the oldest liv- ing farmers of Ogle County, 111., and of late years a resident of- the village of Stratford, where he is a leading citizen, and holds* the of- fice of Postmaster, was born in Washington County, Md., September 28, 1839, a son of John M. and Mary M. (Snyder) Bomberger, natives of that State and county, and who came to Ogle County in 1857, settling in Pine Creek Township where they lived for many years. Ultimately, they moved to Woosung Township, in the same county, which was their home until a short time before their death. The father died April 17, 1900, when nearly eighty-three years old, the mother passing away November 20, of that year, when more than eighty years of age. Their family numbered five children, of whom the sub- ject of this personal record was the second in order of birth. He accompanied his parents on the journey from Maryland, in March, 1857, and made his home with them until he was twenty- four years old. Up to 1888 he was engaged in farming, also operating a threshing machine, wood-saw and eorn-sheller, and in July, of that year, lost his left arm while running the last- named machine. He is the owner of 135 acres of land in Buffalo and Pine Creek Townships, which is well improved. For seven years he acted in the capacity of tourist agent for a Rail- road Company. On December 12, 1863, Mr. Bomberger was united in marriage, in Pine Creek Township, with Elizabeth Hays, born in that township, November 8, 1844, a daughter of William and Mary (Wilson) Hayes, old settlers in that local- ity. The father of Mrs. Bomberger died in the same township, in his seventy-fifth year. He and his wife reared a family of twelve children, of whom Mrs. Bomberger is the eldest. Immedi- ately after his marriage, Mr. Bomberger located in Buffalo Township, where he continued to live until the spring of 1S92, when he took up his residence in Stratford, Ogle County, having withdrawn from active business pursuits. Mr. and Mrs. Bomberger are the parents of five liv- ing children, namely: Viola, who is the wife of Charles W. Hays, of Buffalo Township; Charles W., Frank J., Grace, and Harvey. One of their daughters, Lulu, died when- nearly seven years of age. In politics, Mr. Bomberger has always acted with the Republican party. He served as Tax Collector for one year, and has officiated as Postmaster of Stratford, continuously, since 1892. BOVEY, John F.— For the past thirty-eight years John F. Bovey has occupied the same farm iD Grand Detour Township, and the result of his labor is a property of eighty acres, well equipped with modern agricultural appliances, having a comfortable home and excellent general improve- ments. Mr. Eovey is a man of quiet ambitions and thrifty habits and what he has is the result of patient toil and the ability to live within a modest income. His experience has been en- riched also by five years of mercantile life in Woosung, this State, but he is a natural farmer, and the fresh air and outdoor exercise of the country have made a persistent appeal to his peace-loving nature. The oldest of a family of ten children, Mr. Bovey was born January 4, 1837, in Washington County, Md., coming with his parents to Ogle County in boyhood, and was there reared on the farm in Pine Creek Township, taken up from the Government by his father. Quite early in life the chief burdens of the home place fell largely upon his shoulders. On January 12, 1860, he was married to Martha Dunlap, a native of Pennsylvania, and daughter of Isaac Dunlap. Of this union there were three children : Net- tie, the deceased wife of George Engle, of Dixon, 111. ; Elmer, who died in Grand Detour Town- ship in 1884; and Charles. Mrs. Bovey died March 18, 1881, and on April 11, 1882, Mr. Bovey married Emma Yates, born in Grand Detour Township September 9. 1855, a (laughter of George and Adilla M. (Crane) Yates, natives of Maryland and Ohio, respectively. There is one child of this union, Frank W. Until 1875 Mr. Bovey continued to live on the old Bovey homestead in Pine Creek Township, and then came to his present farm. For a short period he was engaged in merchandising, but ■■ la s 1 " ' ■■■■■: m - i ■■:■■"'■ | , . A SHHr 4 ■ # li' mfinKP' J Brai ' ••■^sF J ^B. fl^lli*"*' ' | iPIL > ■ .'■ /V." ,; ,.. ' '. '■■. '#;.. -/ y ' : :''. '■^^F'' -^K ' " x7 y» 1 ^ . k ' 12 ^ ; ■ <2 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 85.5 otherwise his entire time has been devoted to farming. In both Pine Creek and Grand De- tour Townships he has been prominent in poli- tics, and has served as Justice of the Peace, Tax Collector and Assessor, and invariably has pro- moted the well being of the people who have honored him with their votes. He is a liberal minded and progressive man, a consistent mem- ber of the Christian Church, and is widely known for his integrity, fairness and general de- pendability. BOVEY, Hon. Victor H., an extensive stock dealer and farmer of Pine Creek Township, Ogle County. 111., and prominently connected with telephone and insurance interests in his locality, was born in Pine Creek Township, March 6, 1856. His parents, David and Eliza (New- comer) Bovey, who were natives of Washington County, Md., came to Ogle County in 1842, set- tling in the above named township, where they passed the remainder of their lives. The father died at the age of forty-nine years, the mother passing away when forty-four years old. They reared a family of ten children, the subject of this sketch being ninth. Victor H. Bovey was reared in Pine Creek Township, which has al- ways been his home. In youth he attended the common schools and Rock River Seminary, and from early manhood has devoted his attention to farming and raising live-stock. He is the owner of 310 acres of land, on which are good improvements. His home stands on a part of the old John Phelps saw-mill tract, the land having been entered up by John Phelps, founder of the city of Oregon. His was the only saw-mill in the vicinity which did a flourishing business. In addition to his farming and stock-dealing operations, Mr. Bovey is President of the Pine Creek Telephone Company, and Secretary and Treasurer of the Pine Creek Farmers' Insurance Company. On June 13, 1882, at Dixon, 111., Mr. Bovey was united in marriage with Ida Osbaugh, born in Greencastle, Pa., a daughter of William and Hattie (Ruthraugh) Osbaugh, natives of that S"tate. Pour children resulted from this union, namely : Maude E., Clayton, William F., and Abigail. Politically, since reaching his majority Mr. Bovey has always been identified with the Re- publican party, and has taken a prominent part in the public affairs of the township and county. In 1880. he acted as Census Enumerator for Pine Creek and Grand Detour Townships, and from 1879 to 18S4 served as Township Assessor. In 1884 he was elected Supervisor for the former township, serving eight years, during half of that period officiating as Chairman of the Board. For many years he has held the office of School Director. In 1894 he was elected Representative in the State Legislature from the Ogle County District, and was re-elected in 1896, serving in the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth General Assem- blies. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Knights of the Globe. Mr. and Mrs. Bovey are communicants of the Christian Church, and take an earnest interest in church work. BOWERMAN, Hughling E., M. D., Leaf River, Ogle County, 111. One-half of the success of the average physician depends as much on the qual- ity of his manhood as upon his professional standing and attainments, and the doctor who does best where he is best known is to be con- gratulated for more reasons than one. Dr. Bow- erman has established himself in a good practice in the community in which he was born and reared to manhood, and where, by the excellence of his life, he has won the confidence of old neighbors and fellow townsmen. Born in Leaf River Township December 13, 1874, a son of Dr. Solomou B. and Margaret (Motter) Bower- man, he was educated in local public schools and in the Wells Training School at Oregon, studied medicine under his father's preceptorship and was graduate] from the Bennett Medical Col- lege, Chicago, in May, 1897. Dr. Solomon B. Bowerman, father of Dr. Hughling E. Bowerman, was born on Pennsyl- vania and first came to Ogle County In 1858. After teaching school there for awhile, he went back to Pennsylvania and began to study medi- cine. He was making some progress in the ac- quisition of professional knowledge, but dropped his books at the outbreak of the Civil War to en- list in the Two Hundred and Tenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was com- missioned Captain of his company, promoted to Major and later promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, and served with great credit four years. He was graduated in medicine in 1866, and after prac- ticing in Pennsylvania a year or two, came back to Ogle County and established himself at Leaf River and was. for years, a leading practitioner in that vicinity. He married at Leaf River Miss Margaret Motter, also a Pennsylvanian by birth, who at the age of four years was brought to Ogle County by her parents. They had four children ; Hughling E., Addie, Anna and Minnie. Addie is the wife of Elmer Myers and Anna mar- ried Milton Myers. Dr. Solomon B. Bowerman died. November 27, 1905, aged seventy-six years, but his widow still survives. Dr. Hughling E. Bowerman practiced in con- nection with his father until the latter's death. He is a member of the Ogle County Medical So- ciety and of the Illinois State Medical Associa- tion. He has long been a Mason and is an Odd Fellow, a Modern Woodman of America and a member of the Order of Mystic Workers. December 28, 1898, Dr. Bowerman married Miss Fannie C. Nally, who was born in Leaf River Township, a daughter of Jeremiah and Ellen (Burd) Nally. Doctor and Mrs. Bower- man have two children, named Herbert B. and Dorothy B. Bowerman. BOWMAN, Grant W., son of the founder of Harper, 111., farmer and stockman, with resi- 856 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. •dence at Harper, Ogle County, 111. Ogle County's Pennsylvania stock has done as much as any other element of its population to build up and foster its important interests. In almost every field of human endeavor within its borders Pennsylvanians have been useful and successful. An example of this is afforded in the lives of the Bowmans, father and sons — a family that is well and favorably known in Northern Illinois. Cornelius Bowman, a son of John and Eliza- .beth (Mortuny) Bowman, was born near Berlin, Somerset County, Pa., August 13, 1831, and died in Ogle County. December 6, 1903. John Bow- man died in 1844, aged fifty-two years and his widow in 1890, aged eighty-four years. Cor- nelius was reared on his father's farm in Penn- sylvania and gained a limited education in schools near his home. To this he added knowl- edge gleaned in fireside study until he qualified to undertake duties and responsibilities as a teacher, after which he taught school for a few terms. He married Miss Theresa Hauger, Jan- uary 27, 1852. In that year he was a renting farmer in his native county, but the next year he and his brother bought a farm which they op- erated successfully for thirteen years. In this period he was several times elected Assessor and School Director. In 1885 he came west and rented a farm for one year in Lee County, 111. The following year found him on a farm, which he had rented near Forreston. He then bought eighty acres, which he sold several years later in order to buy the David Raisenger farm of 200 acres in Forreston Township. After the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- road was constructed through the county, he laid out some of his land in town lots and named the plat the village of Harper. The chief center of the village was his general mercantile store, which he conducted with success for seventeen years and until his retirement from active life. During that time he was Postmaster about six- teen years, filled the office of School Director, was Supervisor two terms, and Commissioner of Highways six years. He was one of the organ- izers of the Forreston Fire Insurance Company, in which he was a stockholder and of which he was secretary seven years. He and his wife were active and useful members of the Re- formed Church. In politics he was a Republi- can from the organization of the party to the day of his death. His brother Chauncey served as a soldier through the war of the Rebellion, and was wounded at Gettysburg. Of the twelve children of Cornelius and Theresa (Hauger) Bowman, seven are living, while three died when they were quite young. John died as the result of an accident when he was nine years old. Rebecca, who was the wife of F. F. Xicodemus, of Forreston, died in Octo- ber, 1902. Grant W. and Harvey own the Bow- man homestead at Harper. Harvey has retired and lives at TIarper. Grant is operating the farm, where he and his wife dispense a gratify- ing hospitality to all visitors. Norman married and is in business at Webster City, Iowa. Ros- anna E. (Mrs. Costello) lives at Harper. Agnes M. is the wife of Henry Fisher, who is a farmer in ' Oklahoma. Mary G. is the wife of Jacob Piper, also an Oklahoma farmer. Vema D. married William Bwhus, a farmer living near Kirkland, Dekalb County, 111. BRAIDEN, Miles J. (deceased), for thirty- seven years an honored resident of Rochelle, 111., sagacious, progressive and forceful in his large business undertakings, highly efficient and faith- ful in his prominent public relations, and ad- mired by all on account of his noble traits of character, was born in Castle, Wyoming Coun- ty, N. T., on the bank of Silver Lake, October 10, 1835. His parents were Roger and Sophia (Fletcher) Braiden, the former of Scotch-Irish descent, born in the North of Ireland, in 1788, and the latter a native of Westfield, Mass., of English ancestry, the daughter of a Revolution- ary soldier, and a cousin of President Franklin Pierce. The paternal grandparents, Joseph and Nancy (Gillespie) Braiden, were of Irish birth, born in Ulster, while the grandparents on the maternal side were Isaac and Ruth (Pierce) Fletcher, Massachusetts people, whose birth- place was in Westfield. In 1795 Roger Braiden was brought to the United States by his parents, who landed in New York City and soon located in Wyoming County, N. Y., where the father car- ried on farming until the time of his death in 1845. In 1S50 the widow, accompanied by her son, moved ro Benton, 111., near Waukegan, which was the home of her daughter, Mrs. L. D. Warren, and Miles attended the academy in the latter place, his mother soon afterwards taking up her residence there. In 1856 they moved to Rochelle, where Mrs. Sophia (Fletcher) Braiden died in 1872. For the first four years after his arrival in Rochelle, Miles J. Braiden was in partnership with Henry Burlingim in the grain trade. In I860 he bought a section of land in Lee County. 111., following farming there until 1872, when he purchased the Flagg farm of 146 acres adjoin- ing the corporate limits of Rochelle, later plat- ting it in as an addition to the city. During the same year he made two more additions to the city from land purchased of Miles Stewart in 1809, and containing stone quarries. He then began to deal in stone, lumber and coal, soon de- veloping an extensive and lucrative business, which is still continued. He was also for a num- ber of years, engaged in western mining opera- tions. For the first two years of its existence he was President of the Rochelle Agricultural and Mechanical Association, in the organization of which he took a leading part and donated the grounds which it used during a period of five years. In 1857, Mr. Braiden was united in marriage with Julia P. Flagg, a daughter of Willard P. and Lucy (Cochran) Flagg, born in Rochelle, May 3, 1S40. This union resulted in four chil- HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 857 dren : May C, Nettie C, Lulu S. and Wilber F. Of these, Nettie C, wife of Archibald A. Mc- Clanahan, of Chicago, 111., is the only survivor. On January 26, 1882, Mr. Braiden married Clara E. Vaile. Mrs. Braiden, who still survives, an object of deep respect and warm regard to a large acquaintance, is a daughter of Edward G. and Caroline (Cooper) Vaile, and a native of Pennsylvania, where she was born in Washing- ton County. The residence of Mrs. Braiden is one of the most graciously inviting homes in Ro- chelle. The surviving children of the second marriage are : Roscoe Vaile, aged twenty years ; Bryant Fletcher, aged fifteen years, and Marion Gillepsie, aged twelve. At the age of sixteen years, Roscoe V. Braiden entered the Kenyon Military Academy at Gambier, Ohio, and remain- ed until the building was burned, when he en- tered the Chicago University. Miles J. Braiden died May 19, 1905. He was a member and liberal contributor to the support of the Presbyterian Church, his actions being ever regulated in accordance with the teachings of the Divine Master. As he had requested, the 91st Psalm was read at his funeral obsequies. Politically, Mr. Braiden was a firm Republican, and filled several important offices with notable ability and fidelity. While a resident of Lee County, he served as Supervisor and Treasurer of his township, receiving every vote east at the election in which he was a candidate. In 1870- 71, he represented his district in the State Leg- islature, for six successive years acted in the capacity of Supervisor of Flagg Township, and served two terms as Alderman in Rochelle, and six years in connection with the School Board. In fraternal circles, he was identified wtih the A. F. & A. M., being a member of Horicon Lodge, and of the Dixon Commandery, K. T. His entire career was a shining example of upright charac- ter, commendable achievements and an exalted standard of citizenship. BRAND, James (deceased), born in Scotland, January 16, 1799, came to America when twenty years old. but returned home and there married Janet Farris. In 1827, with his wife and two children, he again came to America, and being an excellent carpenter, followed his trade at Utica, N. Y., until 1830, when he went to Toron- to, Canada. In 1840, he came to Buffalo Grove, and until he was able to get up his own cabin, lived at "The Barracks," where so many of the emigrants were housed. He soon had a claim in Brookville Township, and his family moved into the little house he put up before there was chim- ney, door or window in it, and they lived there until Polo was organized, when Mr. Brand moved into it and served on its first Board of Trustees. He, with others, built a wind-mill on the present site of the Polo Water Tower, but lost on his venture. He was a schoolmate, second cousin and great admirer of Thomas Carlyle, and was like him in many respects. The death of Mr. Brand occurred April 5, 1873. His wife died April 13, 1871. BRAND, Lester A., one of the men thoroughly representative of the best interests of the Central West, whose home is always open to his friends, and whose word is as good as his bond, was born in Brookville Township, Ogle County, April 28, 1855, a son of George and Leanora (Sanborn) Brand, the former born in Utica, N. T., October 12, 1827, and the latter in Canada July 20, 1830. The father of George Brand, James, who was one of the early pioneers of the State, was born in Scotland, but came to the United States in 1825, bringing his wife and two children. They lived in New York City and Utica until 1830, when they went to Toronto, Canada, and in a year or two settled on a farm twenty miles from that city. Mr. Brand was a carpenter by trade, and followed that occupation while clearing his farm of timber, thus continuing until 1840, when he and his family came by way of the Great Lakes to Chicago. At that point he hired two teamsters to bring them and their household goods to Dix- on's Ferry, paying $25 for the job. After reach- ing the ferry, he hired William Donaldson and Henry Cusbrnan to bring the family and effects to Buffalo Grove, then called St. Marlon. The same year he went to Brookville Township and bought 160 acres of government land, and at va- rious times owned different farms, finally coming to Polo in 1854, where he engaged in the lumber and farm implement business, building several houses for rent and sale. He formed a partner- ship with Zenas Applington & Elisha Doty, and built an unsuccessful wind grist-mill intended to grind wheat for flour, which was partially de- stroyed by a tornado, the venture thus proving a failure. James Brand was one of the first School Trustees and Treasurer of the Board. serving in both capacities, for many years. He died April 5, 1873, aged seventy-four years, his wife dyjng April 13, 1871, aged seventy-two years. They had children as follows: William who died in 1902; Lucy who married William Hetfield (deceased), and lives in Stanford, Conn. ; George who died May 30, 1902 ; Jane who married Benjamin Walkey and died in 1907; James F.. who died September 9, 1904; Robert of Oakland, Cal. ; Mary who married John H. Blward, and they live at Hutchinson, Kan.; Henry of St. Paul, Minn., and Anna, widow of Austin W. Spoor of Oregon. George Brand was about thirteen years old when he came with his parents to Ogle County, and lived with them until his marriage, in 1854, to Leanora Sanborn. At that time he bought eighty acres of government land for $1.25 per acre, in Brookville Township, and this he im- proved and added to until he owned 240 acres, living thereon until 1875, when he sold the prop- erty and located at Buffalo Grove, there buying 148 acres. Later he bought 160 acres adjoining, and made of it a very valuable property. In 1887 he moved to Polo and retired from active life, dying May 30, 1902. His widow died Jan- uary 16, 1909. Mrs. Brand was a member of the Sanborn family, whose record appears in connec- 858 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. tion with the sketch of J. P. Sanborn of Grand Detour. Lester A. Brand was educated in the district and high schools of Polo. On November 23, 1875, he married Mary Wolf and commenced farming in Buffalo Township, where he owned eighty acres. After remaining on this property eight years, in 1883 he moved to Brookville Township and bought the farm of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Sarah Wolf, and for four years made it his home. At the expiration of that time he moved to his father's farm in Buffalo Township, and rented it for four years more. In the fall of 1889 he moved to Polo, and worked as a carpenter until August, 1890, and then for eight years clerked in a grocery store. In 1898 he bought one-half in- terest in a grocery, his partner being Cyrus Nico- demus, and since then the business has been successfully conducted under the firm style of Nicodemus & Brand. They have a very nice store and carry a full line of fancy and staple groceries. Their methods of business are such as to win and hold for them a good percentage of the best trade in the city, and their name car- ries far with careful housewives. Mr. and Mrs. Brand are members of the Meth- odist Church. Fraternally Mr. Brand is an Odd Fellow, Knight of the Globe, a Mystic Worker and member of the Stars of Equity. Mrs. Brand is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps and the Rebekahs. In politics Mr. Brand is a Repub- lican and cast his first vote for Rutherford B. Hayes. He is very much interested in the Anti- saloon movement and gives it his hearty support. While living in Buffalo Township he served as School Director. Mr. and Mrs. Brand have had three children : Iva who married Harley J. In- gram and they have one son, Hubert, of Bur- lington, Iowa ; Alpha, of California, who has two sons — Lester and Herbert ; Hazel who died in infancy. The Brand home is one of the most hos- pitable in Polo. All are made cordially welcome, for Mr. and Mrs. Brand are ideal hosts and never seem as happy as when entertaining. Mrs. Brand is very active in church work and is a teacher in the Sunday School. They have hosts of friends in the community where they are so well and favorably known. BRANTNER, Urias.— Though a member of the retired colony of Polo, which he joined after many years of farming in his native township of Lincoln, Ogle County, Urias Brantner still Is an integral part of the working forces of his com- munity, and among other responsibilities is cred- itably discharging that of Supervisor, which he continually has held since 1895. Mr. Brantner has closely woven his career into the history of this section of the state as a farmer, soldier and politician, and thus adds to the work of advance- ment achieved by the sons of Marylanders, than whom no more helpful class of people have real- ized the fertility and general advantages of this county. His father, Michael Brantner, was born in Washington County, Md., August 23, 1816, and some time after his location in Ogle County, was united in marriage with Mary Ann Phillips, a native of Pennsylvania. The young people began their wedded life amid the most humble of sur- roundings, but persevered untiringly until suc- cess rewarded their efforts and they were in a position of comparative affluence. Of their eleven children the following attained maturity: Sam- uel, a farmer of Lincoln Township ; John, a farmer of Minnesota ; Joseph and Jacob, resi- dents of Iowa ; Alma, wife of George Gorman, of Rockford, 111. ; and Charles B., of Lincoln Township. Urias Brantner was born on his father's farm in Lincoln Township, August 14, 1847, and was reared with the average advantages of farmers' sons. That he is a man of more than average information and progressiveness is due mainly to his own efforts, as he has been a constant stu- dent of newspapers and current literature, and has kept well in advance of the happenings of the world in general, and the United States in particular. He engaged in farming continuously until 1899, in that year moving to Polo, where he now makes his home. He is the owner of eighty-four acres of land in Mount Morris Town- ship, with other property in Lincoln Township. He was a practical and energetic farmer, as ev- idenced by his comparatively early retirement, and he set an example of noble and helpful adap- tation to a time honored and profitable calling. Ever since casting his first presidential vote, Mr. Brantner has been in complete sympathy with the Republican party, and he has held many important offices in Lincoln Township, including that of member and clerk of the School Board for twenty-three years, and Supervisor since 1895. Since the Civil War he has been active in Grand Army affairs, and is a member of the John M. Smith Post, No. 720, of Mount Morris. He was a brave and valiant soldier when called upon to defend the Union flag in 1864, serving nearly six months in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. BUCK, Daniel, pioneer merchant, Polo, 111. Among the men who engaged in business in Polo in 1855 and '56, Daniel Buck is justly prominent. In those early days of Polo's history, the town had a large company of adventurers or men not fully equipped for business. Many lacked expe- rience, capital, or integrity, or other qualifica- tions to fit them for success, and so failed and drifted away to other occupations and other lo- calities. Daniel Buck came to the new town in the spring of 1856, a young man of twenty-seven years, but well qualified for a successful career. His jolly good nature won him friends at once. He knew his business — general merchandising — and inspired the confidence of his customers. He built a story-and-a-half wooden structure on the site now occupied by the Bracken Brothers on Mason Street, and for a time occupied the upper story as a residence for his family, later moving to the residence on the West side, Franklin HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 859 Street, three doors north of Locust. Later he built his commodious home on the corner of Franklin and North Streets. In May, 1858, he bought out the grocery of John J. Wood, which then stood on the site now occupied by the Chad- dock grocery, and there the firm of Buck and Clopper continued the grocery business, while Mr. Buck continued the dry-goods trade at his first store. The grocery was subsequently dis- posed of, and as early as July, 1860, Buck and Clopper opened a store in Forreston. In the big fire in February, 1865, Buck's store in Polo was destroyed, and replaced by the present brick structure in which he continued the business un- til he sold out in 1867 to M. E. & O. F. Sammls. Later, he again engaged in business until about 1872, when failing health compelled his retire- ment. He died December 15, 1874. Daniel Buck was born October 10, 1829, in Butler County, Ohio, a son of John and Tennie (Gunkle) Buck, and in childhood his parents removed to Attica, Ind., where he received his common school education, which was supple- mented by a course at a business college. Later he engaged in business at Americus, Ind., where, at the age of twenty-four years, he was united in marriage with Miss Lucy A. Humphrey, daughter of Chester and Huldah (Bronson) Humphrey. To Mr. and Mrs. Buck five children were born, two sons and three daughters, only one of whom (Mrs. George W. Perkins) is now living. His son Charles grew to manhood and won a position of trust as cashier of the North- ern Pacific Express Company at St. Paul, Minn., where he died after a brief illness on February 26, 1895, aged thirty-eight years. The other children died in childhood. During an extensive revival of religion in the winter of 1859-60, Daniel Buck cast his lot with the Methodist Church and became an earnest, conscientious Christian worker. He was es- pecially active in Sunday school work, and wield- ed a powerful influence over the lives of many boys and girls of Polo, and was also a liberal con- tributor to the missionary enterprises of his church. His kindly sympathy and timely aid to the poor endeared him to the unfortunate. The "Polo Press," of December, 1863, spoke of him as "Captain Dan Buck, of the Saw-buck brigade," because he enlisted the men about town and led them in sawing the wood of "war widows." He was a firm friend of temperance and could be de- pended upon to lead in the prosecution of viola- tions of the anti-license ordinances when some others were less decided. His death, on Decem- ber 15, 1874, was deeply mourned, not only by his family and his church, but by all who knew and had learned to admire and love him. His wife, an estimable woman, survived him nearly ten years, passing to her reward February 25, 1885, aged nearly fifty-two years. BURKE, Daniel F., farmer, Buffalo Township, Ogle County, 111., is an example of the class of men who have made intelligent use of the favor- able conditions due to the older race who are passing from the stage of action. Once it was no uncommon thing for a man to live a third of a century under the fostering care of his father, but boys of to-day, if they are not so well sit- uated that they have no incentive to the initia- tive, are pretty likely to want to strike out for themselves. Daniel F. Burke was born in Frank- lin County, Pa., November 25, 1855, a son of Mi- chael and Mary A. (Wingard) Burke, both na- tives of the same county. There he lived the first thirteen years of his life, attending school and doing such small work as his small hands found to do. Then, in 1870, Theodore Carpenter and his wife, who was Daniel's sister, came out from Pennsylvania to Ogle County, and the boy, look- ing for broader opportunities, came with them. He soon found employment with S. W. Powell, to whose confidence and good opinion he so well commended himself that he was a member of Mr. Powell's household for eighteen years. Mr. Burke married Miss Minnie Fearer, a daughter of William L. Fearer, of Polo, a bio- graphical sketch of whom is included in this vol- ume, and they have five children named as fol- lows : Mary Hazel, Stata Blanche, Ruth R., Al- bertus L., and Kenneth. Since boyhood, Mr. Burke has devoted himself entirely to farming, and he has come to be known, not only as a good farmer, but as an expert operator of agricultural machinery, which he has handled for more than thirty years. He is the owner of a snug little farm of thirty-four acres, well jmproved with good buildings and all accessories esseiitial to its successful management. He is 1 al member of the Modern Woodmen of America auij hisJriterest in his township and the prosperity of its people has led him from time to time into mrilor official po- sitions. Michael Burke and his wife came to Ogle County in the late '70s and settled in Buffalo Township. From there, in the course of events, they removed to Gage County, Neb., where the father died aged about sixty-five years. Of their seven children, Daniel F. was the fourth in order of birth. BURNS, William Wallace, M. D. (deceased). — In every community, great or small, there are found men who, by reason of superior abilities ,and more industrious effort, have risen above their fellows in public, business or professional life, and such a man was the late William Wal- lace Burns, M. D., in whose death, April 18, 1905, the city of Polo, 111., lost its most prominent his- toric character. William Wallace Burns was the youngest son of Edward and Mary (Walker) Burns, the former a -native of Scotland and the latter of Pennsylvania. Born in Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pa., May 10, 1821, his first birthday found him an orphan, and he had no recollection of his parents. An uncle, and later, an older brother, provided a home for him, as well as a common-school education, so that at the age of seventeen he became a teacher at 860 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. Chambersburg and a student of medicine. For the next three years school teaching and study for his profession engrossed his time, but in 1842 he removed to Cincinnati, and in the same year matriculated in the Medical School at Louis- ville, Ky. There he completed the entire medi- cal course and graduated with honor in 1843. He then went to New Orleans, but his health was so poor that he did not at once engage in prac- tice, and spent the winters of the next three years in the South and the summers in the North or in travel on the Mississippi River. In one of his trips up the Mississippi, in August, 1847, while at Galena, he made the acquaintance of the late L. N. Barber of Buffalo Grove, who prevailed upon him to visit the town and later to enter upon the practice of his profession there. It was intensely interesting to listen to Dr. Burns' rem- iniscences in this vicinity. He had been located here only a short time, when an epidemic of bil- ious and typhoid fever swept over the vicinity, and he found his services in demand day and night for weeks. Nearly every home contained one or more patients and, in some of them, there were not well ones enough to care for the sick. The young doctor gave himself to his work with the earnestness and devotion which ever char- acterized him in the care of his patients. Dr. Burns first resided at Buffalo Grove, oc- cupying an office in the same building in which Wilson Allen had his tailor shop. This was lo- cated on the west side of the street, between Barber Brothers' store and the building after- wards known as McClure's residence. Decem- ber 2. 1852, he was married to Miss Harriet Moffatt, and four children were born to them, two of whom died in infancy, and two — Minnie E. and Elbert L. — survive their parents. Mrs. Burns, a woman of sterling character and worth, died October 4, 1899, in her seventy-fifth year, mourned by her family, and highly esteemed by all who knew her. When the Illinois Central Railroad was built to Polo, Dr. Burns built one of the first resi- dences in the new. town, now the residence of Miss Pearson. From that time until the day of his death, he continued to be a resident of Polo, and during all the early days was active in ad- vancing the interests of the town. He was twice President of the Town Council, and later, for three years was Mayor of the city. For twenty-seven years, and until about ten or twelve years ago, he was a member of the Polo School Board. It was under his leadership that in ISfiS the first school-house for the whole town of Polo was built. At that time it was the finest and most costly school building in the whole county, and though there was at the time an intense opposition to the manner it was obtained, it is quite possible that it could not have been secured in any other way. At all events, it gave Polo a prestige in schools which she has never lost. When the Mexican War was in progress, Dr. Burns was tendered a com- mission in the medical service, but his health prevented its acceptance. During the Civil Wai he was given an appointment as Surgeon by Governor Yates, which made him subject to a call to the field in any case of emergency, and after the battle of Shiloh he was thus engaged caring for the wounded for some weeks. As a citizen, and as President of the Town Council and later as Mayor and as President of the Board of Education, his influence was on the side of law and order and temperance; but during- all his busy life, first and foremost with him were his patients, for whom he ever fought loyally, inspiring in them a hope and a deter- mination to live when they were ready to de- spair. To the day of his death he never lost in- terest in his calling and, to the last, he sub- scribed for and read the leading medical jour- nals. In his day he was associated with such early physicians as Dr. Everett of Dixon, Drs. Potter and Mix of Oregon, Dr. McNeill of Mt. Morris, and others, most of whom passed away many years ago. During the almost sixty years of his public life in the city, he stood for the best interests of society and the community. The older residents of this vicinity will miss the Doctor as a friend and physician, endeared to them by his long years of fathful ministra- tions. He never, apparently, lost interest in his patients and gave himself to their care with en- thusiasm which grew with his years. Undoubt- edly the giving up of his active practice was one of the severest trials of his long life. BURROUGHS, George J., Supervisor of Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., who is the owner of one of the largest and best farms in the township and has figured prominently in the public life of his community for a considerable period, was born in Lynnville Township, Ogle County. January 31. 1854. His parents were Gleason F. and Salina M. (Grant) Burroughs, respectively natives of New York State and Canada. Gleason F. Burroughs came to Ogle County in 1843, settling in Lynnville Township, where his marriage with Salina M. Grant took place November 6, 1850. They lived there until 1S66, when they moved to Paines Point, Ogle County, where the father died June 4, 1893. The mother still survives. They had four chil- dren, namely : Ida L., wife of Scott Gale, of Oregon, 111.; Jerome L. and George J. (twins) ; and Horace, who died March 31, 1863, in his third year. George J. Burroughs lived at home until he was twenty-six years old, receiving his primary education in the common schools and attending Rock River Seminary for two years. After leaving home he was engaged in farming in Pine Rock Township, until 1894, when he withdrew from active pursuits, locating at Paines Point. He is the owner of 325 acres of well improved land, acquired through inheri- tance and his own energy and progressive spirit. On April 29, 1880. Mr. Burroughs was mar- ried to Nellie E. Austin, born in Pine Rock Township, and a daughter of Augustus J. and GEORGE W. PERKINS HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 861 Annie (Rutledge) Austin, the former a native of Canada, and the latter of New York State. Mr. Austin was born in 1810, and died at Paines Point, September 16, 1880. His wife was born at Avon, N. Y., December 4, 1813, and died at Paines Point June 4, 1895. Politically, Mr. Burroughs has always acted with the Republican party, taking an active part in the public affairs of his locality and filling several local offices. For three years he served as Highway Commissioner, and for several terms, has held the office of Supervisor of Pine Creek Township. He and his wife are leading members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has officiated in various capacities, having been Superintendent of the Sunday School thirty years. Fraternally, Mr. Bur- roughs is affiliated with the A. F. & A. M. BUSER, Nathaniel E., architect and President of the Buser Concrete Construction Company, Mount Morris, Ogle County, 111. Although con- crete construction is no new thing, it has within the past few years been developed far beyond Ihe wildest dreams of those who were its earn- est advocates twenty years ago. As its utility is more generally recognized, its value as a sub- stitute for lumber, which has become small in quantity and high in price, is more and more widely recognized. It has been demonstrated, too, that it can be used for so many purposes and after so many methods, that in a practical way it need fear little competition from lumber in the future. The force of this claim will be evident when it is remembered that it is not increasing in price, and that invention is all the time developing new means and fields for its use. Nathaniel E. Buser was one of the earliest in this country to see a great future for cement construction, and he has been working at the problem since 1882. Of six hundred members of the National Association of Cement Users, he is one of only three who have had to do with the business for that length of time. Mr. Buser was born in Washington County, Md., in 1851, and since 1868, when he was in his seventeenth year, he has been a resident of Mount Morris. His father died when the boy was only seven years old, and the fact that the latter had relatives in Mount Morris caused him to direct his steps toward Ogle County. It is said that farmers are born, not made, in the same sense that the same thing is said of ar- tists. It is no lest, true that architects and build- ers are born, not made. Upon his arrival in Mount Morris young Buser was offered induce- ments to enter upon a career that might have made him a farmer ; but he unhesitatingly re- fused twenty-five dollars a month proffered him for services on a farm at Polo, and accepted ten dollars a month to work with carpenters. That was his pay during the first year of his ac- tive career. For the second year his wages were considerably larger. The third year found him in' partnership with his former employer, Henry Middlekauff, but his ambition was for something more original than carpenter work simply as such. He planned to become an archi- tect, and traded a double-barrelled shot-gun for two books on architecture. In his work as a car- penter and builder he found ready means to ap- ply such knowledge as he gleaned from these books and from other sources of information, and so rapid was his progress that, in time, he was licensed as an architect — one of the first to be so licensed in Illinois. For twenty-six years he has been a superintendent of construc- tion, and he so long ago demonstrated his ver- satility that he has usually been called upon to furnish his own plans for buildings, and without exception they have been found of high grade. Many of the finest residences in and about Mount Morris were designed by him. So com- prehensive have been his resources that it has long been his custom to take contracts for houses complete from cellar to roof, including even interior decoration. It is now more than twenty-five years since he began to use cement, and the knowledge of its possibilities as building material that has been gradually unfolded to him, under his careful study of the subject and in the every day use of concrete, would be sur- prising even to him, had it not come to him gradually as the result of his own foresight, la- bor, and invention. His building operations have not been confined to Ogle County, but land- marks of his professional and business progress are to be found in many cities and in several Western States, including Nebraska and South Dakota. He has given much attention to cement sidewalks, and recently has added to his business the construction of concrete bridges. The Buser Concrete Construction Company was incorporated April 2, 1906, with a capital of twenty-five thousand dollars. Its official roster is as follows : Nathaniel E. Buser, President ; Robert E. Buser, Secretary and Treasurer ; Na- thaniel E. Buser, Robert E. Buser, Enos Jacobs, directors. The principal office of the company is at Mount Morris, with a branch office at Still- man Valley, and at both places is engaged in the manufacture of brick and stone. The com- pany also handles building stone, other classes of building material generally and coal, and con- stantly employs thirty to fifty men. Its annual business amounts to from $30,000 to $50,000, and it pays to its stockholders in semi-annual dividends five per cent. Mr. Buser married at an early age at Mount Morris, and is the father of an interesting family. His daughter Floy is the wife of J. W. Wine, cashier and bookkeeper for the Buser Concrete Construction Company. His daughter Pearl married Leslie E. Rees, a teacher. His son, Robert E. Buser, married Elva Jacobs, and is Secretary and Treasurer of the Buser Concrete Construction Company, and manager of its Stillman Valley branch. Ruby is the wife of George Ewens, a railway engineer, living at Trenton, Mo. Mr. Buser's present wife was Miss Ivey D. Eversole, 862 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. daughter of Daniel Eversole of Mount Morris. She was graduated from Mount Morris college in 1890, and before her marriage, achieved an enviable reputation as a teacher in Ogle and Carroll Counties. She is a stockholder in the Buser Concrete Construction Company, Secre- tary of the Ladies' Relief Corps, a member of the Queen Esther Society, and a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church. BUSH, Charles S., retired railroad conductor and farmer, Polo, 111. Proud, as we have a right to be, of our citizens of foreign birth, we have still more right to take a patriotic pride in such of our citizens as are descended from those soldiers of the Revolution who risked their lives to win American liberty. Among the descendants of Revolutionary soldiers liv- ing in Ogle County, there is not one who is better or more favorably known than the man . whose name introduces this sketch. Charles S. Bush is a grandson of that John Bush, from Fairfax County, Va., who served six years as a soldier in the struggle for Amer- ican Independence, and was with Washington at "Valley Forge duirng that historic winter of hope deferred but of unwavering faith. After 'the war, John Bush married Eva Smith, a na- tive of Delaware County, N. Y., but of Holland Dutch ancestry. He died in Broome County, N. Y., in 1848, and his widow survived him six years, passing away aged ninety-four years. Their son, Nicholas Bush, was born at Roxbury, Delaware County, N. Y., May 31, 1803, and died at Eagle Point, September 13, 1890, in his eighty- eighth year. He remained with his parents un- til he was about thirty years old. June 8, 1833, he married Lydia Wolcott, who was born in Greene County, N. Y., June 2, 1810, a daughter of Gideon and Caroline (Decker) Wolcott, natives of Columbia County, N. Y. Gideon Wolcott died in Greene County, N. Y., in 1857-, and Caroline, aged eighty years, in Eagle Point Township, Ogle County, 111., in 1864. Nicholas Bush and his family came west and located in Eagle Point Township in 1856. Mrs. Nicholas Bush died June 7, 1882. Charles S. Bush, their eldest son, was born in Delaware County, N. Y., March 25, 1834. Nancy, the next in order of birth, died within a year after her marriage to John Red- man. Nicholas, the younger son of the family, is deceased. When Nicholas Bush, the father, came to Eagle Point Township, he bought eighty acres of land, thirty acres of which had been broken, but the remainder, Charles S. Bush plowed for the first time. About four years afterward, the father bought ninety acres more, which his son Charles had previously broken for the use of the land for two years. At the time Nicholas Bush purchased this property there was on it a house 18x20 feet and a barn 12x16. lie built a new barn 40x50 feet and an addition to the house. Nicholas Busli and his wife lived on this farm until their death. After his father's death, Charles built a new house on the place and a corn crib and granary 48x24, two stories high and put an elevator in it. This is one of the best buildings of the kind in the county, and holds 8,000 bushels of small grain. April 4, 1855, Charles S. Bush married Hep- zibah J. Booth, who was born in Delaware County, N. Y., March 7, 1835, a daughter of Levi and Phebe (Harley) Booth, both of old Connecticut stock. About a year after their marriage, they accompanied the family of Nich- olas Bush to Ogle County. In 1859 they re- moved to Michigan, Mr. Bush having accepted a position as conductor on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway. He was contin- uously in the employ of the company controlling that line until 1874, when he retired from rail- roading to engage in farming in Eagle Point Township, where he owned 170 acres, which he sold in December, 1906. He is now living in re- tirement in Polo, where he has established a pleasant home. Mrs. Bush died October 17, 1906. Mr. Bush became a Mason in 1870, politically is a Republican and, while living in Eagle Point Township, served three terms as Township Clerk and otherwise took an active interest in public matters. Mr. Bush has one daughter, Miss Clara P. Bush. BUSWELL, Joel Battie, (deceased), former re- tired farmer of Polo, Ogle County, 111., was born in Barton, Vt., February 4, 1834, and died at Polo, 111., September 8, 1905. He was a son of John and Prudence (Abbott) Buswell, the former born in Kingston, N. H., February 14, 1790, and the latter in Parsonsfield, Maine, March 10, 1791, both dying at Barton, Vt. The father, John Buswell, who was a farmer in Vermont, died about 1838, the subject of this sketch being then about four years old. The latter was the youngest of a family of eight children, of whom only one, Clark Buswell, of Littleton, N. H., is now living. In 1851, when about seventeen years of age, Joel B. Buswell came west, first locating at Hudson, Wis., where he taught school during the summer months, working in the pine woods in the winter. After remaining there until 1857, he then went to Eagle Point Township, in Ogle County, 111., where he engaged in teaching, and also bought stock for Carlos Herrick of Polo, 111., until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. In April of that year he enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into the service on May 24, 1861, at Freeport, 111., under command of Col. Thomas J. Turner. This was the first company enlisted at Polo, and formed a part of one of the first regiments organized under President Lincoln's second call for troops after the firing on Fort Sumter. Among the memorable engagements participated in by the Fifteenth Regiment were the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, and at Pittsburg Landing. HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. 863 After three years and four months of service, Mr. Buswell was mustered out in the summer of 1864, and returning home, again engaged in teaching school at Eagle Point. On April 6, 1865, he was united in marriage with Laura V. Shoemaker, daughter of Pearson and Elizabeth (Parker) Shoemaker, whose sketch appears in another part of this volume. From 1865 to 1868, Mr. Buswell was engaged In farming on rented land, but in the latter year bought 215 acres of land in Elkhorn Grove Township, Car- roll County, to which he made additions by pur- chase until he became the owner of 400 acres. Here he remained until about three years be- fore his death, when he purchased a home in Polo, 111., where he spent the remainder of his life, and where his widow now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Buswell became the parents of five children, namely : Emily Fidelia, wife of C. Spurgeon Thorpe, of Hitt, 111. ; Elizabeth Pru- dence, wife of H. H. Antrim, Cashier of the State Bank of Freeport, 111.; Dr. Clark A., re- siding at 421 East Irving Park Boulevard, Chi- cago; James Cromwell, who resides on the home farm in Carroll County, and Ina Lillian, wife of Rev. William R. Johnson, who is a mission- ary at Nankin, China. In politics Mr. Buswell was a Republican and served for some time as Supervisor of Elkhorn Grove Township, and for some twenty years was Township Treasurer. He was recognized as one of the strong men and influential citizens of Carroll County. Pearson Shoemaker, the father of Mrs. Buswell, was one of the early pi- oneers of Ogle County; having settled in Elk- horn Grove in 1834. (See sketch of Pearson Shoemaker on another page.) Mrs. Buswell still resides at the family residence in Polo. BYERS, George N. — The Byers family, which to-day is widely represented in Ogle County, had as local progenitor John G. Byers, who ar- rived in Freeport, 111., May 2, 1854, and who, be- tween that time and his death, May 20, 1884, gave evidence of a many sided and substantial usefulness. John G. Byers was born in Adams County, Pa., December IS, 1818, and came of a family long identified with the farming inter- ests of the Quaker State. He married Cather- ine Nicodemus, born in Blair County, Pa., and who, in her eighty-third year, still residing in her home in Forreston, 111., is possessed of excellent memory and faculties, and entertains a deep in- terest in the affairs of the younger generation. Mr. Byers added to his vocation as a farmer the trade of carpentering, which, in the early days of his settlement in the county, was of incal- culable usefulness to him and the community. He settled on a farm in Brookville Township, now owned and occupied by his son, John L., four miles north of the village of Brookville, and here he made his home until moving to Forreston. where he owned a beautiful house and spent the last four years of his life. Orig- inally owning eighty acres of land, about the best he could do with his capital of five hundred dollars, he subsequently paid taxes on 500 acres. He had been known as a successful auctioneer in his native State, and his experience in the State of his adoption justified the high rating accorded him in this capacity. Many farmers disposed of their belongings through his elo- quent espousal of their cause, but he ceased auc- tioneering upon his retirement to Forreston. He was made executor and administrator of many estates in the county, often appointed by his old-time friends who had unlimited con- fidence in his honesty and judgment, and became the guardian of several children, whose affairs he managed with special care and conscien- tiousness. By far too 'trustful and accommo- dating for his own good, he several times met with severe losses through signing notes for others, at one time losing eleven hundred dol- lars in this way. Mr. Byers was a stanch ad- herent of sound principles, and held many local offices of importance. He was pre-emi- nently religious, as were all of his family, and three of his cousins were in the ministry. He himself was active in church and Sunday-school work, and was one of the original promoters of the same in his neighborhood. Gifted with a re- markable memory, he was a delightful com- panion and enlightening friend. One of his chief diversions was hunting, for which he owned two guns, and he ever was ready to help his neighbors in their butchering, insisting on shooting the hogs, which rarely escaped his un- erring aim. In addition to other claims upon the consideration of the community he had a family of twelve children, to whose development he devoted the best thought and energy of his life. Of these, Christian N., a soldier in Com- pany D, One Hundred and Forty-second Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, died at White Station, near Memphis, Tenn., at the age of twenty years, seven months and twenty-four days ; Nancy A., is the wife of Samuel E. Broan, of Forreston ; George Nicodemus heads this sketch ; Mary J. is unmarried and lives with her mother ; John L. is on the old homestead ; Sarah E. is the wife of John Bricker, of Free- port ; Susanna is the wife of Mr. Forg, a gro- ceryman of Freeport ; David N. is a salesman for the Minneapolis Harvester Company, and lives at Freeport ; Joseph L. is an engineer on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and lives at La Crosse, Wis.; Samuel G. is a black- smith of Forreston ; Andrew C, a painter by trade, lives with his mother; and Daniel is a mechanic identified with a stone manufacturing company of Freeport. George W. Byers was born in Blair County, Pa., near Martinsburg, November 13, 1847, and remained on the paternal farm until his twenty- third year. After his brother enlisted in the war a large share of the farm duties devolved upon him, as his father's many responsibilities took him away from home a great deal. Even- tually he secured 120 acres adjoining the home 864 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. place, and February 23, 1871, was united in marriage to Maria Marsden, of Blair County, Pa., whom he met just twelve days before the ceremony. Mrs. Byers formerly was an edu- cator. Mr. Byers remained on his farm until 1902, and in the meantime had erected two sets of buildings, each adapted in its way to the needs of the time. Subsequent additions to his original purchase resulted in his ownership of 320 acres in one body. Upon the death of his wife, November 26, 1901, Mr. Byers made preparation to leave the farm, and the following year sold his stock and removed to Shannon, Carroll County, where he engaged in the livery business. In February, 1907, he handed this business over to his sons and came to Polo, where he owns a fine home and devotes his time to oversight of his farms. He owns also a half-section of land in South Dakota. In political affiliation he is a Repub- lican and has held many township offices, in- cluding that of School Trustee for many years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Polo. The second marriage of Mr. Byers occurred December 10, 1903, at Oregon, 111., to Bffie L. Shott, daughter of William and Susanna Shott, the former a miller by trade and an early resident of Ogle County. Bight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. By- ers : Christian, a farmer of Carroll County ; Harry A., of Carroll County ; George D., a ru- ral mail carrier of Carroll County ; Archie, at home ; Walter G., who is managing a rural mail route ; Grant, a farmer of Carroll County ; and John William and Ambrose, who died in child- hood. CAMPBELL, Judge John D., Polo, 111., was born at Old Paltz, Ulster County, N. Y., July 21, 1830. When he was about a year old, his par- ents removed to Delaware County, N. Y., and there he acquired his earliest recollections of a farm on which he lived until he was seventeen years old. He later became a student in Hobart Academy, where he studied in summer months, and during the ensuing winter served as prin- cipal of the Hobart public schools. He contin- ued his studies in another advanced school in Hobart until he received an appointment as a student in the State Normal College at Albany, which was given him under a rule by which each county in New York was entitled to have as many students in that institution as it had representatives in the Assembly. After his grad- uation, which came in April, 1850, he was em- ployed as a teacher of a public school at Ver- planck's Point, opposite Stony Point, N. Y., and after two years' experience there, he went to the school at West Farms, on the Bronx River, in Westchester County, this locality being now included within the limits of Greater New York. There he labored two years as principal of a large school. In the intervals of his labors, Judge Camp- bell had read a good deal of law. In 1854 he became a student in the law office of Edward Wells, at Peekskill, N. Y., and on the third of July, 1855, was admitted to practice in all the courts of the State. Having relatives at Polo, 111., he had already visited that young but promising town, and in the fall of 1855 entered there upon the successful practice of his pro- fession, which to this date has been unbroken for a period of fifty-three years. When he ar- rived in Polo, there were eleven places in the then village where liquor was sold, but there was as yet neither church nor school house. From the first he made it a rule not to defend any man who was being proescuted for selling liquor. Undoubtedly his adherence to that rule cost him many good fees, but he has never re- gretted his course in that respect. Always a strong advocate of temperance, he has at all times used his official and personal influence, as far as possible, to make Polo a temperance town, and he is proud that for more than forty years the sale of liquor has not been permitted within its limits. To him fell the honor of fill- ing the office of President of the village for two terms after its first incorporation, and of being Polo's first mayor after it became a city. He has ever since declined the mayoralty, but ac- cepted the office of City Attorney and was for nine years a member of the Board of Education. He also filled the office of State's Attorney two terms, from 1872 to 1880, this being a time of special criminal activity. He gave exclusive at- tention to the practice of his profession from 1S80 to 1890, when he was elected County Judge of Ogle County ; was re-elected in 1894 and served until the expiration of his second term in 1898, when he was obliged to undergo a sur- gical operation for cataract. During his judi- cial service he was called upon to pass on many matters of moment. One case in particular, which has taken its place in the history of ju- risprudence in Illinois, was that in which he de- cided that pasting the name of a candidate on ii ballot-slip used under the Australian system was not in accord with the law. The case was appealed to and affirmed by the Supreme Court, thus establishing a precedent in the courts of the State. December 22, 1859, Judge Campbell married Miss Mary E. Cutts, a daughter of Captain Hi- ram and Eunice (Brown) Cutts. In his early life Captain Cutts had commanded a vessel in the merchant marine, but turning his attention to agriculture he settled on a farm near Polo. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have two daughters. Juniata, the elder, is the wife of Prof. Thomas F. Hunt, of the chair of Agronomy, Cornell Uni- versity, N. Y., she and her husband being grad- uated in the same class from the Illinois State University, and for a time after leaving college she was a teacher at Aurora, 111., and in the high school at Polo. Mignonette, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell's younger daughter, was also a teacher for some years, but became the wife of Samuel B. Hammer, one of Polo's prosperous merchants. VIRGIL E. REED HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 86c Fraternally Judge Campbell is a member of the Order of Odd Fellows, and is one of the Past Noble Grands of his lodge. His useful life has embraced much of the history of the prairie town of his adoption, and in all things he has been one of its most progressive and public- spirited citizens. CANODE, Jonas Finley, D. D. S., a skillful and successful practitioner of dentistry at Mount Morris, Ogle County, 111., who has commended himself to the confidence and respect of his fel- low townsmen to a degree which has won for him an enviable reputation, was born in Frank- lin County, Pa., January 23, 1863. His parents were William Lewis and. Mary B. (Sites) Can- ode, natives of that State and county, the pa- ternal grandparents. Jonas and Mary (Hilde- brant) Canode, and the maternal grandfather, Emanuel Sites, also having been born in the same State. In Pennsylvania William L. Can- ode followed farming, and continued in this oc- cupation in Mount Morris Township, Ogle Coun- ty, from 1876 until the time of his death in 1900. His wife died in 1895. They had a family of four children, as follows : Frank E., deceased ; Susan R. (Mrs. Dr. B. F. Swingley), of Free- port, 111. ; Jonas F. ; and William Lewis, of Ore- gon Township, Ogle County. Jonas F. Canode obtained his literary education in the public schools. In 1891 Dr. Canode installed a laun- dry plant at Oregon, 111., and conducted the bus- iness until 1894. In 1895 he entered the Chi- cago College of Dental Surgery, and after tak- ing a three years' course, April, 1898, located in Mount Morris, there opening an office for the practice of his profession, in which he has met with notable success. On November 24, 1895, Dr. Canode was wed- ded to Lucy A. Seyster, a daughter of Michael and Margaret (Ridenour) Seyster, natives of Washington County, Md., who moved to Oregon, 111., where Mrs. Canode was born. Three chil- dren have blessed this union, namely : Mary S., born April 9, 1899; Maurice S., born July 31, 1900 ; and Robert F. born March 4, 1904. In political affairs, Dr. Canode is a supporter of the Republican party. Fraternally, he is af- filiated with the M. W. A. ; K. of G. ; and M. W. He and his estimable wife are highly regarded by all classes in the community. CARMICHAEL, James.— The County of Done- gal in the North of Ireland is the native place of James Carmichael, but he retains no recol- lections whatever of the old Irish home, for he was an infant when his parents, Robert and Jane (McKim) Carmichael, bade farewell to friends and started across the great ocean to the new world. The vessels of those days were far inferior to those of the twentieth century, and the family spent three months on the ocean in a sailing vessel, meanwhile encountering storms and heavy winter weather. It was in November, 1849, that the start was made and James, who was born on September 29th of that year, was only six weeks old. Late in the win- ter they landed at Philadelphia, Pa., where the father died six months afterward, leaving the family to struggle for a livelihood among stran- gers and without means. Under these circum- stances the children were obliged at very early ages to become self-supporting. Their mother remained in Philadelphia until 1881, coming then to Illinois and making her home in Ogle County with her son James ; and here her death occurred February 2, 1887, at the age of sixty- six years, seven months and twenty-five days. Two years previous to her removal to Illinois she had suffered from a stroke of paralysis and from that time on she was an invalid. Mr. Car- michael's only sister, Eliza, was married to James Harper, a paper-maker, in Massachusetts, where they resided until 1888, in which year with their family thoy removed to a farm which they had purchased near Adams, Neb., which is still their home. With his older brother John, now a farmer near Beatrice, Neb., at the age of ten years James Carmichael came to Ogle County in 1859, and from that time supported himself, being taken into the homes of farmers for whom he worked in exchange for board and clothes. The life was one of constant labor and he had none of those pleasures usually falling to the lot of boys, yet he managed to secure a common school education and arrived at man's estate, sturdy, energetic and resourceful. December 25, 1873, he was united in marriage with Miss Alma M. Knight, born in Jefferson County, N. Y., March 10, 1854, daughter of Joshua A. and Achsah J. (Davis) Knight, and a granddaughter on the pa- ternal side of Hezekiah T. Knight, and on the maternal side of Richard and Lois (Eddy) Davis residents of Schuyler, N. Y., where Mrs. Knight was born July 7, 1832, being the third in a fam- ily of six children. Joshua A. Knight was born in Middleville, Herkimer County, N. Y., Septem- ber 30, 1830, and was united in marriage with Miss Davis in that county April 19, 1852, the young couple Temoving thence to Ogle County, 111., during October, 1855. The land which they secured was situated in Lynnville Township, and to its cultivation Mr. Knight gave his close attention, remaining there until his death, April 1, 1883. Ever since his marriage Mr. Carmichael has been engaged in farming in Lynnville Township, where he owns 240 acres of well-improved land, bearing excellent buildings adapted to their va- ried uses. In addition to raising crops suited to the soil, he has made a specialty of stock bus- iness and has kept on the farm stock of good grades. His family consists of six children : Robert J., Berton E., Edith J., Elwood H., Wil- bur J. and Leonard D., all of whom are edu- cated and cultured, possessing decided ability as well as honorable characters. Robert J., who is a graduate of the business college at Rockford, 111., married Miss Jessie Downs, of Jeffers, S66 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Minn., and is a farmer by occupation. Berton B., who is a graduate of the Agricultural Col- lege of the University of Illinois, now holds a position as chief of the animal husbandry de- partment of the State Experiment Station at Wooster, Ohio, where he married Miss Nellie Holmes and makes his home ; Edith J. is a graduate of the Young Woman's School at Au- rora, 111. ; Elwood H. and Wilbur J. are grad- uates of the Rochelle High School, and Leonard D. is a senior in the same school. Mr. Carmichael is stanch in his allegiance to the Republican party and maintains a warm in- terest in township affairs, favoring measures for the benefit and prosperity of the community. An earnest supporter of the public-school sys- tem, he has held the office of School Director for twenty-one consecutive years, meanwhile accom- plishing much in elevating the standard of ed- ucation and securing efficient instructors. Other offices held by him, include those of Collector and Assessor, which he held for two and three years, respectively. With his wife he has been interested in church work and has contributed generously to the maintenance of religious or- ganizations, as well as to general philanthropic and charitable work. CARTWRIGHT, Barton Hall, one of the eleven children of James Cartwright, a Baptist minis- ter, and Catherine Gray Cartwright, was born March 0, 1810. in Cayuga County, N. Y. In 1822, his father came to Illinois to prepare a home for his family on land for which he had traded the home in New York, but was taken sick and died at Phillips Ferry in Pike County. As the result of his father's death the son was thrown upon his own resources at twelve years of age, and was sent out into the world to make his own living. From that time he never had any oppor- tunity to attend school, and all the education lie received was obtained by reading and study. He worked for two years for his board and cloth- ing, and afterward for small wages, among, other things, chopping wood for t the Syracuse Salt Works at twenty-five cents a cord. In the early spring of 1833, he started alone from Syra- cuse, N. Y., with a knapsack and staff, walking through mud and over frozen ground the long distance to Olean Point on the Alleghany River. From there he went by flat-boat with other im- migrants to Pittsburg, and thence down the Ohio River by steamboat. At Cincinnati lie met and shook hands with Black Hawk, the Indian Chief, who was on his w;\y to Washington as a prisoner of war and whom he afterward met frequently in the Iowa Territory. He was a member of the Methodist Church and, coming up the Missis- sippi River, attended a meeting in an old log court house in Quincy on the last Sundav of April, 1833. He Anally left the steamboat at Flint Hills — now Burlington, Iowa. There were no houses nt the place, but there were two cabins four miles buck from the river. Two brothers had preceded him to the "West, one of whom had been in the Black Hawk War and the other had helped to put the first ferry-boat across the Mississippi River in the autumn of 1832 to the "New Purchase," as Iowa was then called. He went to his brother's cabin four miles from the river, but the United States soldiers from Fort Armstrong were burning the cabins and driving out the settlers for the reason that by the treaty the territory could not be occupied at that time. The settlers being driven out, he came over into Warren County, 111., and there held his first re- ligious service on the first Sunday in May, 1833, in a settler's cabin in place of Barton Randall, the missionary on the Henderson River Mission, who was sick. The missionary sent him to hold services in the afternoon at Swan Creek, seven miles away, and on his return he was commis- sioned to hold such services. Peter Cartwright, the great pioneer minister, was a cousin of his father, and on March 22, 1834, commissioned him as a missionary and authorized him to preach and form societies in the Flint Hill set- tlements in Iowa Territory. There were no mis- sion funds and no compensation whatever, and but few settlers in the new territory. He bought four yoke of oxen and "broke prairie," support- ing himself and preaching on Sunday, frequently traveling fifty miles on that day. He formed the first Protestant Society in Iowa Territory, which fact is commemorated by a memorial win- dow in the Methodist church at Muscatine. In 1834, he came across the river and preached the first sermon in the log cabin of Judge Spencer, which was the first house erected where Rock Island, which was then a trading post, is now located. There was preaching at that time at Moline by Asa McMurtry, a missionary. When he went to Rock Island by steamboat he carried wood to the landing to pay his passage. In the fall of 1834, he joined the conference, which then included Iowa and Illinois, and was ap- pointed to the Knoxville Mission, embracing what is now Knox, Warren and Henderson Counties, Illinois. In the fall of 1835, he was sent to the Pittsfield circuit, embracing Pike and Calhoun Counties. In December, 1836, having determined to visit his mother in New York, he went into the woods and cut two long poles, which were bent in such a way as to make run- ners and shafts, or what was called a "jumper." and put on it a box for a seat, the whole thing being made with an ax and auger. Fearing that the snow would melt and he would have to finish his trip on horse-back, he fastened his shafts to the saddle on his horse, and with no other harness started on the trip. He had a bear- skin with the feet and head on, which he threw over his lunch-box seat, and wore a new suit of "home-made jeans," a blanket overcoat, a seal- skin cap, wolf-skin shoes and coon-skin mittens. The winter of 1836 was remarkable for the amount of snow and ice, and its duration. He went to La Porte. Ind., then to White Pigeon and from there to Detroit. The ice on the Detroit river was not considered safe, but he did not HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 867 make a practice of turning back; and he walked and led his horse and finally got a man to walk in front of him with a pole to try the ice. When they found it too thin, they would back away and try another place and by trying for about three miles along the river, he finally got across. He attended an important missionary meeting in London, Canada, and thence went to Niagara Falls, Rochester, and to the homes of his mother and sisters in New York. He returned in the spring to Olean Point, disposed of his horse and jumper, and again went down the Alleghany River to Pittsburg, and from there down the Ohio and up the Mississippi River, home. In the summer of 1837 he was sent to Buffalo Grove circuit, which was bounded on the west by the Mississippi at Fulton, and extended on the north- east to a point near Rockford, including all the Rock River towns and taking in Sterling, Como and many settlements. He preached to the set- tlers in their cabins on every week-day as well as on Sunday, and rode from forty to fifty miles every Sunday, preaching three times on that day. He received about fifty dollars a year during this time. On April 10, 1839, he married Ohloe Jane Benedict, at Lafayette Grove in Ogle County. She was born in Delaware County, Ohio, on January 27, 1819, a daughter of Stephen and Laura Melvina Benedict, and niece of Kirby Benedict, who made the speech in the Illinois Legislature in 1845, which was the main cause of repealing the Mormon Nauvoo Charter, and who was apointed by President Buchanan, Judge of the Supreme Court of New Mexico, and re- appointed by President Lincoln, retaining that office until his death. Miss Benedict came to Lafayette Grove in the fall of 1835 with her mother and stepfather, James Clark, riding on horse-back most of the way and generally carry- ing her youngest sister on the horse with her. There were three cabins along the grove at that time. In the spring of 1836, she taught the first school every taught in a house specially erected for school purposes, in Ogle County, and also taught the two following summers until she was married in 1839. Reverend Thomas Hitt, father of Congressman Hitt, performed the ceremony at the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright, for that purpose coming from Mt. 'Morris with his wife on horse-back, she carrying their child, Elizabeth, afterward Mrs. Benjamin Wagner, on the horse in front of her. In 1840 Mr. Cart- wright was again sent to Iowa Territory, living at Lyons for a time and afterward at the present location of Maquoketa. His charges extended from Muscatine to Dubuque and embraced all the territory west of the Mississippi, including Davenport, Maquoketa and as far west as there was a settler's cabin. He preached the first ser- mon at Iowa City when there was no house there, but board shanties had been put up for laborers to work on the territorial State House. Before that time the Legislature had met in the basement of the church, which he es- tablished at Flint Hills (Burlington). He fre- quently swam his horse across the Mississippi and across most of the streams of eastern Iowa by the side of a skiff, and went from cabin to cabin holding meetings among the settlers. He remained in Iowa Territory four years, receiv- ing from $75 to $100 per year, largely in family supplies. In the late winter of 1843, he started from Maquoketa with his wife and two children, one of them a few months old, to bring them to Ogle County for a visit. He followed a trail from the Mississippi through Carroll County, which could be traced by the stubs of prairie grass and bushes, which had been burned off, bringing his family safely with him. The Illi- nois Conference, which included Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, was about to be divided, and he wished to belong to the Rock River division, which included all of the State, as far south as Peoria and Nauvoo. After the visit he drove back to the Mississippi River opposite Bellevue reaching the river at early sunrise. The ferry boat, was kept on the Bellevue side, and was out on the shore being repaired. He then secured a skiff and took his wife and two children over to the Iowa side. The ferry-man did not get his boat fixed that day and the horse and buggy re- mained on the Illinois side. Mr. Cartwright had an appointment to open a meeting at Maquoketa the next day; and, so the next morning, he and the ferry-man took two canoes and went to the Illinois side. They strapped the canoes together and drew the buggy on them ; the ferry -man sat in front and rowed the boat and Mr. Cartwright remained at the back and swan the horse across. The river was a mile and a half wide, but they got across and at two o'clock that afternoon Mr. Cartwright was in the pulpit at Maquoketa twenty-two miles away opening the meeting. It was not uncommon for him to cross the Mississippi, or other streams, in a skiff amid the floating ice, by throwing his weight on cakes of ice as he came to them and sliding the skiff over them. In 1844, he returned to Illinois, to Prophetstown, and filled various charges cover- ing this part of the State. Afterward he was. in Knox, Warren and McDonough Counties until the fall of 1850, when he again took charge of the Buffalo Grove circuit. He filled appoint- ments at Lighthouse, Pecatonica. Winnebago, Cedarville and Byron, and hauled with his own team the stone to build the Methodist church at Byron and "tended mason" on the work. During the years of 1850 to 1862, inclusive, his work cov- ered most of northwestern Illinois. In the spring of 1863 Mr. Cartwright was com- missioned by Governor Richard Yates as Chap- lain of the Ninety-second Regiment Illinois Mounted Infantry, with the rank of Captain of Cavalry, and served with that regiment until the close of the war, going with Sherman on the "March to the Sea." This service he regarded as the greatest and most important in his life. He attended the mail, looked after the sick, was with the men in the trenches and gained the sin- cere affection of every member of the regiment. After the war he resumed his ministry i» the Rock River Conference and filled various charges 868 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. until the year 1883, when he located at Oregon, but continued to answer frequent calls from his old friends until his death, which occurred in 1895. He represented in his person the perfect type of the fearless and rugged frontiersman, and, in his character, the highest exemplification of the Christian religion. He belonged to a type which has passed away, never to be seen again. Like others of his time and place in the frontier days, he wore home-made jeans for clothing with overcoats made from blankets, and shoes, caps and mittens made from skins, but although he had no regard for style or fashion, he was scrupu- lously neat and particular as to clean linen and personal habits. He was noted for an apt and genial humor, and many interesting stories of this trait, so essential to the "circuit rider," are related by those who knew him. He was "a good story teller," a friend says of him, "and had al- ways a story ready to reinforce the arguments of his talks and sermons." It is related of him that on the next morning (Sunday) after arriv- ing at the camp succeeding his appointment as Chaplain, he walked down in front of the line of tents, calling, "Ho '. all you men ! You come out to hear me preach a half hour, and I will help you work in the trenches two hours tomorrow !" During his chaplaincy the soldiers gladly at- tended his religious services, and during the long illness before his death, old soldiers who knew him in the army came from different parts of the country to see him. Both before and after her marriage, Mrs. Cart- wright spun and wove the clothing, as well as the bed-spreads and other necessary articles, used by the family, and made by hand very fine lace for trimmings. Mr. Cartwright's education was self-acquired, but was far from superficial, and men of learn- ing and ability were his interested listeners. James H. Cartwright, one of the pioneer min- ister's sons, was born where Maquoketa now stands, then in Iowa Territory, during the mis- sionary service of his father in that region, and in his youth attended the common schools and Rock River Seminary at Mt. Morris. From April until October, 1862, he was a private of Company K, Sixty-ninth Illinois Infantry and afterward, in 1864 was Captain of Company I, One Hundred and Fortieth Illinois Infantry. He was elected Judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in June 1888 ; was reelected in June, 1891, and assigned to the Appellate Court for the Second District. In December, 1895, he was elected Judge of the Supreme Court of the State to fill a vacancy caused by the death of the Honorable Joseph M. Bailey. At the regular election in 1897, he was reelected for the term of nine years, which ex- pired in June, 1906, when he was again elected for a term of nine years. After taking a course in Mt. Morris Seminary, Judge Cartwright graduated from the Law De- partment of the University of Michigan in 1867. His Ijome is at Oregon, Illinois. This son has inherited some of the force of character of both his father and his mother. Two daughters, Miss Emily Cartwright and Mrs. F. W. March, reside in Oregon. Mrs. Barton H. Cartwright, as well as her husband, was a fine type of the "fearless and rugged" pioneer. To her, during the many and long absences of her husband on his circuit, and, afterward in the discharge of his military duties, fell alone the care and bringing up of the family. She died in Oregon, 111., a few years ago, having reached a beautiful old age. CASS, Aron and Edward S. — Aron Cass (de- ceased), one of the best known citizens of Rochelle, was born in Tompkins County, N. T., July 2, 1833. His parents were Moses and Eliza- beth (Mott) Cass, natives of Connecticut, but early settlers of Tompkins County. The boyhood of Aron Cass was spent in Watkins, X. T., and he completed his studies at Starkey Seminary, North Hector, X. Y. He was a manufacturer of lumber in company with his father and brother, but, owing to weak lungs, he came west for his health and settled at Rochelle, 111., in 1S55. where his older brother had located, and there engaged in the mercantile business until the Civil War broke out. He married Susan M. Smith, May 11, 1869, a daughter of Peter Smith. (See sketch of latter). Their children were Edward, of whom, further mention is made in this article ; Margaret Austin, wife of W. P. Landon (see sketch) ; Annie Amelia Crouse, who married Harvey S. Crouse. a former pastor of the Pres- byterian Church of Rochelle ; Ruth Frances, who resides at Rochelle ; Charlotte May and Willie B„ who died in childhood. Mr. Cass was a director of the Rochelle Na- tional Bank from 1876 to 1881 and actively en- gaged in its management. He then resumed the dry goods business for several years but finally retired to attend to his farms and other invest- ments. He was a silent partner in several firms in Rochelle. From 1891 to 1S93 he was Mayor of Rochelle and conducted that office with satis- faction to his fellow citizens. He continued in good health until the fall of 1893, when he con- tracted muscular rheumatism and died March 21. 1894. Mr. Cass was a Democrat in politics with pro- hibition tendencies. He had a genial tempera- ment and most attractive manner, and was as popular a man as ever lived in Rochelle. His judgment was sound, his mind keen, his reading extensive, his sense of humor, quick and his tact permeated every feature of his character. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church and universally regarded as a true Christian. Edward S. Cass, the eldest son of Aron Cass, was born in Rochelle, August 6, 1870, and died on the twenty-eighth anniversary of his birth, in 1898. He graduated at the Rochelle High School, attended Lake Forest University and graduated at Amherst College in 1893. He re- ceived the degree of LL. B. from the Harvard Law School after graduating from a three years course in that institution, and was admitted to practice law in Illinois. He practiced about a year and a half in Chicago and exhibited an un- HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. 869 usual capacity for his profession. Probably no young man ever lived in Rochelle who had bet- ter preparation for his life work, or had greater natural gifts or more of the instincts of a gen- -tleman. The companionship between him and his father was so strikingly beautiful as to be frequently remarked upon by their friends. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. CHAMBERS, Isaac, was born east of the Alle- gheney Mountains, in Maryland or Virginia, (probably Maryland l, December 27, 1783. In 1811, he married Ann Lee, and they came west soon after their wedding day. After stopping for a time in either Indiana or Ohio, they moved to Sangamon County, 111., then a little later to the head of the Winnebago Swamps. The next change was made to Galena, and it was while passing through the Rock River Valley, that Isaac Chambers became impressed with the de- sirability of this location. In 1829, Chambers left Galena, and came south of Buffalo Grove to a small grove now called White Oak Grove. Not liking this location, he went north a few days after John Ankney had marked out what he in- tended to be his. claim, and he and his man Walker began building near, but a little south of the crossing of Buffalo bridge and the Galena road. Here he established a tavern, as did John Ankney. although there was not enough patron- age for one, and for sometime a bitter feud ex- isted, but the necessities of the situation brought them together and made of them warm personal friends. In 1831, Chambers sold the much dis- puted claim, and went to a little patch of timber, known as Hickory Point, later called Chambers' Grove. In 1832. Chambers and his family sought safety during the Black Hawk War. in the fort at White Oak Springs, and their house was burned, but later he replaced it and built a small mill on the Elkhorn. A Miss O'Kane came to live with Isaac Chambers and his wife, and she taught a little school at Mr. Chambers' ex- pense, during 1837. In 1844, Chambers sold a part of his original claim, to Charles Franks, and took up his residence nearer his mill. The Chambers Cemetery is on his farm, and the first to be buried in it was an unfortunate woman whom Mrs. Chambers befriended. He was a Whia in politics and died December 23, 1845, aged sixty-two years, while his widow sur- vived him until January 20, 1847. dying aged six- ty-seven years, and both were buried in Cham- bers' Grove Cemetery. Mrs. Chambers was famil- iarly known as Nancy Chambers, and was the first white woman to settle in Ogle County. It is believed that both Mr. and Mrs. Chambers belonged to the Christian Church. They had an adopted daughter, Electa Spencer, who married Edgar Clark, and they lived in Polo for some years, but died in Kansas. CLARK, Anson Delos, one of the most prom- Tient and prosperous farmers of Flagg Township, Ogle County, 111., and a man greatly respected throughout the community, was born in a log cabin on the farm where he now lives and on the spot where his present house stands, January 17, 1855. Hi>; father, Alanson Du Bouise Clark, was born in Steuben County, X. Y., October 14, 1822. and the birth of his mother, Melinda (Big- gers) Clark, occurred August 10, 1827. Their marriage took place April 26, 1843. Alanson D. Clark, a farmer by occupation, who first ar- rived in Ogle Count}-, September 18. 1845, was a son of Silas Delason Clark, a native of New York State, and a farmeer and shoemaker. After sojourning briefly in Ogle County, he bought land in Lee County. 111., but returned to New York in a short time. Morris Clark, a brother of A. Li., followed him west at a later period and is still a resident of Rochelle. Another brother, Addison Clark, made his home in the same local- ity for a few years, but finally went to Iowa, where he now lives. Alanson D. Clark located on 160 acres of land, a part of which was se- cured from the Government, costing S1.25 per acre. It lay on the State road from Grand De- tour, and in his first house he kept an inn, which was known by the name of the "Farmers' Home. - ' The old sign, bearing this designation, is still in the possession of Anson D. Clark. The sign was set up in 1854. attached to a high pole in the front of the building which was used for public entertainment for years after the present residence was erected. The Kyte River Postofflce was started in the old log house, and Alanson D. Clark was the first Postmaster, acting in this capacity four terms. He was also the first As- sessor of the township and the second Township Clerk. He held also the office of Township Trus- tee, and served two terms as Justice of the Peace. It was through his influence, that the railroad station was located at Flagg Center. Although not a church member he was a re- ligious man, and discharged the duties of Super- intendent of the Sunday School for twenty-eight years, attending Sunday School conventions throughout the county. He made a trip to Europe, remaining abroad one year, and travel- ing through Palestine, Syria and Egypt. He spent all of one summer driving through Minne- sota. Nebraska and Kansas, writing letters for publication describing the country, and visiting the Sunday Sr-liools at each point where he stopped. He prepared a narrative of his Euro- pean trip, but it was never published. He was a well-read man, thoroughly informed in regard to questions of public moment, and capable of ex- pressing his views with facility and force. Dur- ing the Civil War he bought and sold army horses. He owned nearly 600 acres of land and was one of the most extensive farmers in Ogle County. At one time he owned land in Iowa, but never improved it. His entire life in Illinois was spent on a single farm. Alanson D. Clark died November 21, 1893. his wife having passed away June, 3, 1891. Their children were : Alonzo B., Silas D.. Rhoda A. ("Mrs. G. Reed), of Ashton, 111.; Amerett B. (Mrs. E. R. Cooley), of Pine Rock Township, Ogle County ; Anson D. and Frank D. In poli- 870 HISTORY OF OGLE COUXTY. tics, the elder Mr. Clark was a Democrat, al- though in his later life he paid little attention to political matters, not even voting regularly after 1S73. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Stephen A. Douglas, and made public speeches in his behalf, during the latter's senatorial and presidential campaigns. Anson D. Clark was married on March 18, 1SS4. to Lucy E. Mayberry. born in Ohio, on June 25. 1S67. a daughter of Samuel and Rachel (Thornbury) Mayberry, natives of that State. This union resulted in two children, namely: Pauline M., who atended the Rochelle High School, graduated in music at Rockford College, and is now a music teacher: and Walter D.. a student in the Rockford Business College. Lil- lian Nelson, now engaged in teaching, has been a member of the Clark family for seven years. CLARK, Holly C, the efficient and popular Postmaster of Mount Morris, 111., was born in Berkshire County. Mass.. November 20. 1847. and in boyhood worked on his father's farm un- til 1S63, attending school during the winter sea- son. In the latter year he enlisted in a Massa- chusetts regiment attached to the Army of the Potomac, and took part in all the heavier fight- ing, from- the Battle of the Wilderness, in May. 1864. to the surrender of Lee. being wounded at Sailors' Creek. Ya.. April 6. 3865. He graduated from Eastman's Business College. Poughkeepsie. X. Y.. in ]S»'ii;, and taught school at Martinsburg, \V. Ya.. from 1867 until 1871. In the last men- tioned year he located at Macon. Mo., moving thence in February. 1S73. to Mount Morris. 111., where he was engaged in teaching for seven years. From 1881 to 1884 he sold lumber, and from the latter year to 1SS0. was engaged in the grocery trade. In February, 1889. together with Ira W. Wingert, he bought and successfully con- ducted the concern previously owned by the Minnesota Lumber Company. On March 31. 1875. Mr. Clark was married to Josephine Stroh. youngest daughter of the late Rev. Nicholas J. Stroh. Three children were born to this union, namely : Roscoe C, of Aurora, 111., Holly Riner of North Yakima. Wash., and Grace. In politics Mr. Clark has always been a Re- publican. He was appointed Postmaster of Mount Morris in 180S. and has ever since been the incumbent of this office, the duties of which he ha« discharged with great acceptability to all classps of patrons in village and country. CLARK, John, came to Buffalo Grove in 1835, and settled near Shoemaker and Landes. other early settlers. He was a native of Greene County. Pa., born November 3. 1705. When a boy. he was taken to Ohio, and there he married, in lSlt;. Christina Reed. Their children were: Mary Ann. who married Oliver Ankney : Lydia. married Nicholas Wirt: Sarah, married Thad- deus Morgan and later Anthony Shaver; Eliza Jane. Job. John and William. John Clark and his son Job built the first saw-mill in Elkhorn Grove. All the family except Mrs. Shaver moved to Griggsville, Pike County, 111., many years ago. Date of death of the senior John Clark is not given in the data furnished for this sketch. CLARK, William M. — After long years of ardu- ous labor, in which energetic efforts and strict economy have met with a just reward, many of the farmers of Ogle County are enjoying retire- ment in their later years, renting their land. .ImoDj those who have attained to more than average success is William M. Clark of Pine Creek Township, Ogle County. 111., who was born in Huntingdon County. Pa.. November 14. 1S32. a son of Isaac and Nancy (Campbell) Clark, natives of County Antrim. Ireland, who came to the United States, landing in Phila- delphia, Pa., in 1832, and settling in Huntingdon County, that State. There Isaac Clark followed farming and brought up his children on the farm. The eleven children born to himself and wife were as follows : William M. ; Thomas, of Seat- tle. Wash. : Mrs. Sarah Carrier. Clarion County. Pa. : James of Jefferson County. Pa., and David of San Juan County. Wash., living, and Mrs. Elizabeth Carrier who died in Seattle. Wash ; Mrs. Mary Montgomery who died in Wright County. Iowa : Jlr*. Nancy Butler, who died in Jefferson County. Pa. : Samuel who died while .t prisoner of war in a stockade prison at Flor- ence. S. C. being a member of the One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Yolunteer Infantry, cap- tured at Plymouth. N. C. and after being im- prisoned at Ander=onville and Charleston, was sent to Florence where his death occurred two weeks before peace was declared: John who died in Jefferson County. Pa., at the age of four year*, and Isaac who died in Clarion County. Pa. William M. Clark spent the early part of his life in Huntingdon County. Pa., and there for a short time he attended the district schools. At the acre of thirteen he was apprenticed to learn the shoemaker trade, but had only served six months, when he returned home and was em- ployed by his father at farm work with wages of 85 per month. When sixteen he was bound out to a blacksmith, but this occupation did not suit him. and after a few months trial he aban- doned the idea of becoming a blacksmith, and se- cured employment in the iron works, where he continued for three years. His next work was lumbering, and he continued in this line until he had saved $500. Giving his father 8200. he went with the remainder to Plumas County, Cal.. in 1S54. by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and after arriving there engaged in mining. He next went to Sierra County. Cal.. where he also mined on his own account, until November, 1860, meeting with fair success. Returning home by way of the Isthmus of Panama, in February, 18*31. he settled in Ogle County, 111., purchasing 160 acres of land, which he rented until his mar- riage. From time to time he has added to his holdings until he now owns five farms, contain- ing about W0 acres, and for many years he fol- lowed farming and stock raising upon an exten- d^^^vr s\^uy HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 871 sive scale, becoming one of the leading agricul- turists of Northern Illinois. He has shipped as high as five car-loads of cattle and hogs per year Since retiring from active farm labor he has given up this feature of farming, and he rents his land for cash and on shares. On July 12, 1866, Mr. Clark married Amanda C. Yates, a daughter of Charles and Catherine (Minick) Yates of English and German extrac- tion, respectively. Mrs. Clark was born in Mid- dletown, Frederick County, Md., March 12, 1839, of a family of nine children as follows : John, who died in Ogle County; Mrs. Lucinda Fox- well, died at Vinton, Benton County, Iowa; George died in Ogle County ; Elizabeth, living in Benton County, Iowa ; Mary E., died in Freder- ick County, Md., in infancy ; Isaac, died in Fred- erick County, Md., at the age of seventeen ; Mrs. Rebecca Mumma, died in Ogle County; Edward, is living in Lewis County, Wash., and Mrs. Clark. The latter was brought to Ogle County by her mother when seven years of age, being but three years old when her father died. Soon after marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Clark commenced house- keeping on the farm which Mr. Clark had pur- chased when he first came to Ogle County, and in 1868 they moved to their present home. Mr. Clark has always acted with the Demo- cratic party. Fraternally he is identified with the A. F. & A. M.. and with the I. O. O. F., hav- ing been a member of the latter organization since 1856. Mrs. Clark is active in the work of the Christian Church, with which she united early in life. Both are held in the highest esteem in the community whose best interests it has been their constant effort to promote for forty- seven years. CLEAVER, Joseph B., an energetic and progress- ive farmer of Taylor Township, Ogle County, 111., as well as a man of high character, and ac- tive in public affairs of his locality, was born in Lee County, 111., November 26, 1869, a son of Samuel Y. and Minerva (Brierton) Cleaver, natives of Pennsylvania, who were among the pioneer residents of Lee County, the father be- ing fifteen years old and mother eleven, when brought there by their respective parents, who settled three miles east of the town of Dixon in 1838. Minerva Brierton was a direct descend- ant of one of the girls sent to Virginia to be ex- changed for tobacco, and to become wives of the young Virginia cavaliers. Joseph B. Cleaver was born on the old homestead, and, on reaching mature years, farmed in that vicinity until 1900, when he bought his present place, the William Richardson farm of 200 acres, in the north part of Taylor Township, Ogle County, seven miles south of Oregon. Here he carries on grain-rais- ing, and is a breeder of horses and sheep, also feeding many hogs. He has greatly improved the property, building a good barn, etc. February 26, 1896, Mr. Cleaver was married to Violet M. Canfield, of Chana, 111., a daughter of Benjamin and Anna (McGufBn) Canfield, now living near that village. Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver have five children namely: Clara jlmogene, Joseph Benjamin, Annie Rose, Charles Ken- neth and John Courtney. Mrs. Cleaver's father was born in New York State and her mother in Canada, the former coming in childhood with his parents to Ogle County, 111., and settling in Pine Rock Township, where he lived until his death in 1874. Mrs. Canfield came with her par- ents to Rockvale Township, Ogle County, while a child, was there married to Mr. Canfield, and still survives, living at Chana. In politics, Mr. Cleaver is a Republican. He has represented his party as a delegate in con- ventions, and has served as Highway Commis- sioner of Taylor Township. He and his wife are members of the Lighthouse Methodist Episcopal Church. CLINTON, John Waterbury, born November 21, 1&36, in Andes, Delaware County, N. Y. His parents were George Nelson Clinton and Jane A. Gibbs. George N. was born September 1, 1806, and was the son of Joseph Benedict Clinton and Abigail Camp. Joseph B. Clinton, born at New Canaan, Conn., May 28, 1762, was the son of Joseph Clinton and Phoebe Benedict. Joseph Clin- ton was born September 19, 1733, and married Phoebe Benedict, September 1, 1757. They had eleven children of whom Joseph B. was the fourth. This Joseph Clinton was said to be the son of Joseph Clinton and Esther Woodlin, who were wed at New Haven, Conn., March 31, 1726. It is thought that this Joseph Clinton or his father was an emigrant from England to Massa- chusetts, early in the eighteenth century. Joseph Benedict Clinton was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War, in the Connecticut line, under Col. Webb, and died in Andes, N. Y., January 8, 1828, aged sixty-six years. His son. George N., the father of the subject of this sketch, spent most of his life in Andes, and died there June n, 1879. in his seventy-third year. Jane Ann Gibbs, the mother of John W., was the daughter of Phineas and Anna (Thompson) Gibbs. Phineas Gibbs was a native of Massa- chusetts. His wife Anna, born in Greene County, N. Y., was a daughter of John Thompson, an Irish Quaker and a school master. J. W. Clinton was educated at Andes and Roxbury Academies, N. Y. In October, 1857, he set his face westward and arrived in Polo on the 17th of that month. He was engaged for a five months school at Buffalo Grove on the 31st, fol- lowing John Burroughs, the naturalist and es- sayist, who conducted the school the previous winter. The next summer he rented the build- ing erected by John Frisbee for his Rock River Normal School, and conducted a private school during the summer. This was the last school held in the building. For the seven years follow- ing he was employed in teaching at Forreston, Polo and Buffalo Grove. August 1, 1865, he bought and began publish- ing the "Polo Press." as it was then called. Un- der that name and "Ogle County Press," he con- 872 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. tinued its publication until July 1, 1901. In 1875 and 1S76 he was associated with D. L. Miller as publisher of the "Poultry Argus," a monthly magazine devoted to the poultry and pet stock interests. From 1871 to 1874 he was the owner and publisher of the "Forreston Journal," with M. V. Saltsman and, later, E. P. Rhoderick, editors. He has served in various public positions, as follows : Town Clerk of Buffalo Township, from 1S66-69; Assistant Supervisor in 1872-73; Post- master at Polo 1875-1883; Trustee of Buffalo Library fourteen years ; Treasurer for several years, and in 18S4, President of Illinois Press Association. "The Press" was one of the first — if not the first — local paper in Northern Illinois to stand strongly for local prohibition. It always stood for no-license, even when many good men favored a high license to replenish the city treasury. The paper was conducted as an independent Republi- can paper, aiming, however, to be fair to all parties. Its greatest aim was to encourage and foster in Ogle County and Polo those institutions which would develop the highest and best in the social, intellectual and moral life of the people. January 24, 1861, Mr. Clinton was united in marriage with Carrie A., youngest daughter of Deacon Timothy and Sarah (Vegtie) Perkins. Timothy Perkins served as a private soldier in the War of 1812-14, enlisting at Delhi, N. Y. He settled at Buffalo Grove in the autumn of J 840. He was a son of Rufus Perkins, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who was born at Bridgewater, Mass., in 1763, enlisted at Ashfield as a private August 26, 1777, under Captain Abel Dinsmore and Colonel Ruggles Woodbridge, serving three months and fourteen days. He also served six months under Captains Causton and Hughes. August 12, 1781, he enlisted a third time under Capt. Oliver Shattuck and served three months and two days.. After the war he resided at Buckland, Mass., where he later mar- ried Nancy Brackett, then removed early in the nineteenth century to Delhi, N. T. He was mar- ried a second time at Delhi, in 1815. From Delhi he followed some of his children to Buffalo Grove, 111., about 1847, where he died at the home of his son, Timothy, October 3, 1848, in his eighty-fifth year. Rufus Perkins was a son of Timothy Perkins of Ashfield, Mass. Mrs. Clin- ton's mother was a daughter of John Vegtie of Gloversville, N. Y. Seven children came to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, four of whom are living: Evangeline, at home with her parents ; George Perkins, M. S.. Ph. D., Botanist of Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station at New Haven, a graduate of Illinois and of Harvard Universities ; Edgar M., a graduate of Leland Stanford University, and now life insur- ance agent at Polo; Anna Lucile, a graduate of the Library School of Illinois University, and now City Librarian at Charleston, 111. ; Georgi- nna and Bertie F., died in infancy, and John D., who graduated from the Chemical School of Illinois University, died in October, 1905. Soon after retiring from the newspaper, Mr. Clinton began to devote a portion of his leisure to the collection of material relating to the early history of Buffalo Grove and vicinity for Polo Historical Society, of which he has been the President since its organization September 22, 1903. He is a member of the Wisconsin Histori- cal Society, of the recently formed Mississippi Valley Historical Association, and has been for several years a member and Director in the Illi- nois State Historical Society. COFFMAN, Addison. — For a long period the homestead owned and occupied by Addison Coff- man has been in possession of the family of which he is an honored and prominent representative. The scenes familiar to his mature years are those that date back to his earliest recollections, for he was only one year old when the family se- cured the raw land, removed hither and began its improvement. Wonderful has been the trans- formation to which his eyes bear testimony and of which his lips give witness. Towns have sprung up and developed to imposing size ; lands have been brought under cultivation, school- houses have been erected every few miles, neat farm-houses dot the landscape and give pleasure to the passing traveler. The evidences of pioneer days seemed to have disappeared with the pio- neers themselves, and on every hand the civil- ization of the twentieth century greets the eye. The Coffman family was founded in Ogle County during the spring of 1840, when Samuel W. and Catherine (Downey) Coffman, natives of Washington County, Md., removed from the latter location to Ogle County, 111., and took up a tract of land in Maryland Township. On this place they remained for a brief period, subse- quently removing to the land now owned by their son Addison. The years passed quickly with their pleasures, their toils, their sorrows and their successes ; old age came to the father and mother in their quiet country home, and then came death with its summons to cease their labors. The mother was sixty-two and the father seventy-seven when they were called from earth. Of their ten children one son Charles, died in childhood ; the others were named as follows : Naomi,' John D., Catherine (deceased), Lewis (deceased), Addison, Susan, Peter (deceased), Matilda, and Charles (deceased), the fifth in order of birth being Addison, who was born August 24, 1843, in Maryland Township which has always been his home. When Samuel W. Coffman with his wife and their three first-born children, came to Maryland Township from Maryland, they made the over- land trip in a covered wagon, being about six weeks on the road. Part of the trip was made by boat up the Mississippi River, as far as Sa- vanna. After arriving, Mr. Coffman first built a log shanty for his family, a second one being built in 1844, which stood where his son Addi- son's home now stands. Here he lived until all his children were born and partially grown. It w o % w W o w g > « en M > to O w a o w > w HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 895 principal occupation in life has been general farming, but in addition he has been employed at the stone-mason's trade to a greater or less degree, ever since he gained his first knowledge of that occupation at the age of sixteen years. Alike during the trying days of the Civil War, when he fought under the stars and stripes to aid in the preservation of the Union, and during the years of development following that his- toric struggle, he proved his loyalty to his coun- try and commonwealth, and worthily ranks as a public-spirited citizen. The early childhood years of Isaac A. Fish were passed on a farm in Washington County, N. Y., where he was born April 2, 1833, his par- ents being Daniel and Pamelia (Adams) Fish. During the spring of 1842 the family started for the then unsettled regions of Illinois and, after a tedious journey, they arrived in Winnebago County, where the father took up a tract of un- improved land. It was not his privilege to gain success, for death came to him at the age of forty-three years, when he was laying the foun- dation of a hoped-for independence. His widow survived him for a long period and attained the age of eighty-four years. Of their family of ten children, the fourth in order of birth was Isaac A., who was a lad of nine when the on-land journey was made from the East to the new home in Illinois. The death of his father obliged him to become self-supporting at an age when most boys are in school, hence his education was not what he would have wished had destiny been more kind. Yet the necessity of earning his own livelihood developed in him traits of self-reliance and perseverance, and exerted a valuable forma- tive influence upon his character. For perhaps six years Mr. Fish worked out by the month on farms, three years being spent on Missouri farms. At the outbreak of the Civil War his sympathies were at once aroused in be- half of the Union, and he was eager to offer his services to the country. In September of 1861 he was accepted as a member of Company F, Thirty-fourth Illinois Infantry, with which he marched to the front and participated in numer- ous engagements. The hardships and perils of warfare fell to his lot and were endured with the fortitude characteristic of the soldier the world over. Mr. Fish took part in the following battles during the Civil War: Shiloh, Siege of Corinth, Rossville. Siege of Atlanta, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta, March with Sherman to the Sea, the battles of Black River, and Ben- tonville, N. C, besides participating in numerous other skirmishes. In the battle of Kenesaw Mountain he was wounded in the left leg; was also wounded in the head during the battle of Bentonville. in March. 1865, and at Black River, was slightly wounded in the leg; but with these exceptions he had the good fortune to take part in the engagements of his regiment without suf- fering injury. With an honorable record as a soldier, Mr. Fish, was mustered out of the service in July, 1865, and at once returned to Illinois, where he became interested in farming. Beginning with a small purchase of land in Oregon Town- ship, Ogle County, he added to his possessions from time to time until he had acquired the' title to 227 acres. After having made his home in Oregon Township for sixteen years, he dis- posed of his property there and removed to Pine Creek Township and settled on the farm which he now owns and occupies. The tract includes 213 acres, improved with the buildings necessary on a first-class estate. A large proportion of the land is under the plow. Substantial fences di- vide the acreage into fields of convenient size. Good grades of stock are kept in the pasture and modern machinery assists in the practical care of the crops. The first marriage of Mr. Fish took place in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, March 22. 1855, uniting him with Miss Helen M. Paul, who was born in Vermont, June 12, 1831. Her par- ents, Kiles and Eunice Paul, were natives of Ver- mont, and as early as 1837 removed thence to Illinois, settling among the pioneers of Ogle County and taking up a claim in Pine Creek Township. On this land Mr. Paul took up the arduous task of a pioneer farmer, and here he remained until bis death at the age of about fifty- two years. His widow survived him and lived to be eighty years of age. Of their eight chil- dren the fifth was Helen, who was six years of age at the time she accompanied her parents to Illinois, and where she was educated and mar- ried. Four children were born of her marriage, namely : Kate, who is the wife of John Little, of Oregon, 111. ; Rena ; George, who died in in- fancy ; and Annis, who is the wife of George Reynolds. Mrs. Helen Fish passed from earth September 3, 1892, and on the 10th of October of the following year, Mr. Fish was united with her sister, Miss .Teanette B. Paul. Interested in local affairs, he has aided measures for the bene- fit of the township and county, and has been es- pecially active in the philanthropic work of Ore- gon Post No. 116, Grand Army of the Republic, of which for years he has been an active member. He has attended the national reunions of the G. A. R. at Columbus, Ohio, St. Paul, Minn., Mil- waukee, Wis., and Chicago, 111. In politics, Mr. Fish is a Republican. FISHER, Jacob E. — The family represented by this influential citizen of Forreston ranks among the honored pioneers of Ogle County, and vari- ous of his kindred were associated with the early agricultural development of this section of Illi- nois. His parents, Joseph and Elizabeth (Mey- ers) Fisher, were natives of Dauphin County. Pa., and were married at Elizabethville. that county, whence in the spring of 1854 with one child they crossed the country to Illinois, settling in Ogle County. Elizabeth was a daughter of Peter Meyers and had two uncles. Jacob and Jonathan Meyers, living at West Grove. Jona- than being the father of Peter Mevers. of Lin- coln Township. Mrs. Fisher's mother, Hannah, had two brothers, John and Jonas Shaftstall, the 896 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. former a farmer at White Eagle, and the latter living at West Grove. In addition, Joseph Fisher had a brother John, who, for some years made his home in Cherry Valley. A tract of about 800 acres lying directly west of Forreston, had been acquired by Peter Mey- ers, who subsequently presented 200 acres to each of his four children, and for his own use he retained fourteen acres adjacent to the village. On that land in 1855 he erected a residence that was at the time the finest stone-house in all the country. Thus pleasantly situated, he enjoyed the advantages of both town and country life. For years he was an honored and familiar figure on the streets of Forreston. In 1871 he lost his first wife and, later, married the widow of his brother Henry, returning to her home in Penn- sylvania for the wedding. At the time of his death, which occurred in September of 1889, he was eighty-seven years of age. His youngest son, Peter S., remained on his farm for some years, but eventually acquired the old stone residence, and there he died about 1902. The second son, John, sold his farm in 1880 and removed to Spokane, Wash., near which city he engaged in farming until his death. The oldest son, Jacob, continued on his Ogle County farm until 1880, when he removed to Fort Dodge, Webster County, Iowa, and there remained until death. The only daughter, Elizabeth, became, as pre- viously mentioned, the wife of Joseph Fisher, and for a short time lived at West Grove, but in the fall of 1854 settled on the 200 acres received from her father. The original home was a log cabin, but in 1856 a better house was put up, and, as time passed, buildings were added, so that abundant facilities were provided for the stock and the storage of grain. During 1890 the fam- ily bought and removed to a farm of eighty acres near Forreston, the same having been formerly the property of Peter S. Meyers. Eventually Mr. Fisher acquired 405 acres adjacent to the village, all of which had been a part of the Meyers es- tate, and in addition he owned 149 acres south of town in Lincoln Township. With the excep- tion of a short time devoted to the hardware bus- iness in Forreston, he continuously followed ag- ricultural pursuits, and became thoroughly con- versant with every branch of farming. His wife passed away July 29, 1892, at the age of sixty- seven years, after having been an invalid for four years ; his death occurred March 22, 1901. In early life he had voted with the Democratic par- ty, but for twenty years before his death he gave his stanch allegiance to Republican principles. At the time of the organization of the Reformed Church at Forreston, he and his wife became charter members, but after his wife's death he returned to the Lutheran Church, which was the faith of his boyhood. Of a broad mind and gen- erous disposition, he contributed to various con- gregations and was ever ready to help a strug- gling church in its efforts to secure a house of worship. In the family of Joseph and Elizabeth Fisher there were six children, namely : Sarah, who died at the age of twelve years ; Hannah Mary, who married Cyrus Gross, now a retired farmer at Forreston ; Frank, a farmer living in Carroll County ; Lizzie, who married Charles Rebman, now a retired farmer at Pipestone, Minn. ; Henry, a farmer living at Peckham, Kay County, Okla. ; and Jacob E., of Forreston, whose name intro- duces this article, and whose birth occurred at the homestead one mile west of Forreston, March 14, 1867. During boyhood he was a pupil in the schools of the town and in 1889 he rented 280 acres belonging to his parents, which he even- tually purchased and continued to operate the tract until 1905. Under his supervision the land was maintained under high cultivation and every convenience was introduced for the successful raising and feeding of stock. Upon retiring from the farm he sold the place and erected the resi- dence in the village which he now occupies. De- cember 29, 1892, he was united in marriage with Luella Diehl. daughter of John and Emma (Schnee) Diehl, pioneers of Forreston Township, where she was born and educated. Of her mar- riage there are three daughters, Lucille V., Lil- ian Elizabeth and Anna Mae. Mrs. Fisher is identified with the Evangelical Association, while Mr. Fisher holds membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons and the Knights of the Globe. Active in the local work of the Republican party, he has been a leader in the same and has con- tributed toward the success of its candidates and its principles in the county. For six years he served as a member of the School Board and in 1906 he was further honored by being chosen Supervisor of the Township, which position he now fills. As a member of the County Board he has been devoted to the material interests of his township and county, and has evinced a public- spirited devotion to their progress. Measures of undoubted value never fail of his support, and he has proved a valuable acquisition to the board, cheerfully bearing his part in its numerous re- sponsibilities and aiding in its decisions with wise judgment and impartial spirit. FL0T0, Ernest (deceased). — In the death of Ernest Floto, on April 17, 1900, Ogle County lost the strong and unique personality of one who had shared its manifold advantages for many years of his active life. Mr. Floto was born in Han- over, Northern Germany, February 1, 1820, and, when only thirteen years old, came to the United States in a sailing vessel, having at the time the advantage of several friends of himself and fam- ily living in this country. He first went to Pitts- burg, Pa., where a half-brother was engaged in coal mining, and the youth was similarly em- ployed for about a year, in the meantime rapidly picking up the language of his adopted country. Finding coal-mining a gloomy and depressing occupation, Mr. Floto made his way to Chicago, and from there walked all the way to Grand Detour, Ogle County, where lived an old friend of his father. He soon after got work in the Plow Works, built himself a log house, and sent for his half-brother back in Pennsylvania. After a severe attack of malaria he located on a farm HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. S'J7 in Pine Creek Township, a few miles from Ore gon, and after clearing about 160 acres, sold his property and bought another farm in Mount Mor- ris Township, which remained his home until 1890. The old log house that he built sixty years ago is still standing. The half-brother, Lewis Floto, lived until very old at Grand Detour, and finally died in Dixon at the age of eighty-two years. From the farm Ernest Floto moved to Forreston, into a residence built by Matt Blair, a carpenter, who at one stage of his life has been glad of a home in Mr. Floto's corn-crib. Another occupant of the hospitable corn-crib was Henry Appel, and the friendship between the three men never waned, Mr. Blair dying first, and Mr. Ap- pel, now of Forreston, being the only survivor. At Grand Detour Mr. Floto was united in mar- riage to Elizabeth Zumdahl, who earlier had come from Hanover, Germany with her parents, and who was her husband's senior by twenty- five years. Mrs. Floto was an invalid for the last sixteen years of her life and required con- stant attention. Her ailment was peculiar, hav- ing been examined by almost fifty physicians who could come to no definite or satisfactory di- agnosis of her case. For many years she could not sleep except when under the influence of morphine. During that time, and until her death, Mr. Floto was the soul of devotion. In 1891 he married for his second wife, Margaret Roth, of Marshalltown, Iowa, who had by a former mar- riage, two daughters — Mrs. Sasha and Mrs. Ham- mond. Herman Hammond was a great friend of Mr. Floto's, and it was through him that he met the widow who became his second helpmate, and who still surviving, occupies the old town home- stead. Mr. Floto was a particularly agreeable and accommodating man, was always ready to loan money upon reasonable security and some- times without interest, and many now in pros- perous circumstances owe their start to the prac- tical assistance and confidence which he ex- tended to them. FOGLE, John (deceased), for thirty-seven years one of the most worthy farmers of Dement Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., a dutiful citizen, and a man who rendered meritorious service in the Union Army during the Civil War, was born in St. Charles, Mo., March 15, 1830; his parents, Nicholas and Elizabeth (Greis) Fogle being na- tives of Hanover, Germany. Of their children but two lived to reach maturity. When a young man John Fogle lived on a farm in the vicinity of Lincoln, 111. In 1854 he went by way of the Isthmus to California, where, with a friend, he spent three years in the mines. On return- ing east he brought a sufficient sum of money with him to buy a farm near his native town. This he sold to his brother, and enlisted in the Fourth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, re- enlisting in an infantry regiment as a Corporal on the expiration of his three years' term, and serving until the end of the war. He took part in all the fighting done by his regiment, including the battle of Shiloh and other notable engage- ments. In 1866, while on guard duty at Syra- cuse, N. Y., he made the acquaintance of Matilda Greis, a native of Saxe-Weimar, Germany, who became his wife. Mrs. Fogle was brought by her parents to Syr- acuse when fourteen years of age, and at the time of her marriage was twenty-three years old. Immediately after this event, the couple spent a year at Lincoln, 111., and then lived for an equal period on a farm near Champaign. In the fall of 1867- the subject of this sketch moved to the vicinity of Rochelle, where his parents had located, and where his sister, Mrs. Charles Pal- mer, was also living. Nicholas and Elizabeth Fogle are deceased, but the sister still survives, residing in Dement Town- ship. Mr. Fogle bought prairie land in Dement Township ; the purchase price ranging from $25 to $37 per acre. On that place he followed farm- ing thirty-seven years, taking up his residence in Rochelle in September 1904, and departing this life November 20, 1905. He had added eighty acres (bought at $75 per acre) to the tract originally bought by him, and at the time of his death owned 160 acres, on which he had erected good buildings, laid tiling, etc., making it one of the best farms in the township. The widow's share of the estate is now operated by one of her sons. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fo- gle: Lizzie; Charley, who died in infancy; Min- nie A., deceased in childhood ; Edwin, who is on the home farm, married Mary Hunter, and has two children — Edith and Margaret; and Albert, who is administrator of the estate and is in the agricultural implement business in Rochelle, formerly being a partner of his brother Edwin. In politics, John Fogle was a firm Republican, was also an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and regularly attended the regi- mental reunions. He and his good wife were reared in the faith of the Lutheran Church. FOSHA, Henry. — It is given to but few men to spend a long and active life on one homestead, but such is the gratifying experience of Henry Fosha, a leading farmer of Maryland Township, Ogle County. On the place where he still resides, he was born September 27, 1848, and his earliest recollections cluster around the log cabin where he first saw the light, and where his early years were uneventfully passed. Few schools and churches had then been built, and the region was only sparsely settled ; but the pioneers who came hither were sturdy and robust physically, and possessed high moral principles. The high posi- tion attained by the county is due almost wholly to. the fine character of the men who became its earliest settlers, and none possessed greater in- dustry or loftier principles of honor than did the Fosha family. The history of the Fosha family shows that Frederick was born in Lippe-Detmold, Germany, where he grew to manhood and married Doro- thea Spillker. During 1836 the young couple crossed the ocean in a sailing vessel, which for ten weeks buffeted the winds and storms of the sea. In the course of the voyage a son was born 898 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. to them, to whom was given the name of Wil- liam. Arriving in the United States the family settled in Virginia, for a time also making Mary- land their home. During 1846 they started for Illinois to join a friend, Henry Sheirer, who had come hither the previous year, and with whom was their twelve-year old son. The journey was made with a team and wagon. When they ar- rived at Dayton, Ohio, they were so pleased with the country that they would have remained, had it not been for their boy in Illinois. For his sake they were obliged to proceed, but they had no reason later to regret this fact, for they pros- pered beyond the average. Arriving in Ogle County the family secured a tract of land in Maryland Township, where the subject of this sketch now resides. On this land a log cabin was put up, and here the children passed happy years, while the parents meanwhile were busily engaged in earning a livelihood for them. During 1865 a neat house was erected, and the family left the old cabin home. Addi- tional land was purchased until the farm com- prised about 300 acres, and eventually Frederick Fosha became known as one of the most capable farmers in the entire township. After becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States, he voted with the Democratic party. With his wife he became a charter member of the Evangelical Church, whose services for years were held in a stone building erected for that purpose. The farm continued to be his home until he died in March, 1878, at the age of seventy-five years. For thirteen years his widow survived him, pass- ing from earth at the age of eighty-three. They were the parents of five children who at- tained mature years. The eldest, William, died in Story County, Iowa, at the age of forty-six ; Lewis became a well-known citizen of Ogle Coun- ty, 111., and his sketch appears on another page of this work ; John, a farmer of Stephenson County, died at the age of sixty-seven ; Mary, (Mrs. Christian Kilker), who was the only daughter, died at the age of thirty-two. The only surviving member of the family is Henry, who took charge of the old homestead some years before the death of his father. The latter had aided each child financially and thus it became necessary for Henry to assume a mort- gage on the home place, but eventually he in- herited the entire homestead, and to this he has added 340 acres, making over 600 acres in the Fosha property. A portion of this land is culti- vated by tenants. As a stock-raiser, Mr. Fosha has been successful and each year usually fattens and ships a car-load of cattle and one or two cars of hogs. In cattle he has made a specialty of Short-horns of high grade, and in stock of all kinds he believes in having the best. At one time, in company with three others, he bought 10,000 acres of North Dakota land, which was held about four years and then sold at an ad- vance. On October 17, 1878, he married Mary Stanfacker, who was born in Germany and came to Illinois at the age of seven years, settling with her parents in Maryland Township, where she was reared to womanhood. Of their marriage five children were born, Henry, Johanna, Clara, Ellen and Orletta May, all of whom remain with their parents on the home farm. The family hold membership in the Evangelical Church and con- tribute to its maintenance as well as to other movements for the well-being of their community. Politically, Mr. Fosha has been a stanch believer in Democratic principles and has never swerved in his allegiance to the party, but he has not been a candidate for office, and takes no part in public affairs aside from giving his support to his party ticket. FOSHA, Hiram. — A product of the prairies of Illinois, and of the education and training ac- corded the youth of the prosperous Central West, Hiram Fosha embodies the energy and resource- fulness of his time and place, and is one of the ambitious and successful farmers and stock-rais- ers of the vicinity of Baileyville. Mr. Fosha rep- resents the third generation of his family to help make history in Ogle County, and the name has been a familiar one to the residents of this sec- tion since Frederick and Dorothy Fosha, the grandparents of Hiram, arrived during the sum- mer of 1839. Settlement was at this time made on a tract of land three miles east of the present town of Baileyville, and the same farm now is owned by Henry Fosha, son of the pioneer. An- other son. Lewis Fosha, father of Hiram, was seven years old when he came to Ogle County with his parents from Lippe-Detmold, Germany, where he was born May 7, 1831, and where he lived to the ripe age of eighty years, his wife sur- passing him in longevity by two years. The mar- riage of Lewis Fosha and Wendalena Merlein. daughter of Hiram V. and Gazena Merlein, oc- curred September 19, 1857, Mrs. Fosha being at that time twenty-one years old. She was born in East-Friesland, and was eighteen years of age when the family immigration to America took place. Mr. Fosha farmed near his father for twenty years, then settled on land adjoining Bai- leyville, where his son, Hiram, now lives. In 1889 he came to what is now his widow's home in the village of Baileyville, and spent the last years of his life in practical retirement. H<-- became the owner of several hundred acres of land, which now is owned by his children, and was very successful and progressive in his busi- ness methods. Naturally of a religious nature, he and his wife helped to found the first Ger- man Reformed Church in Ogle County, and they became the sole survivors of the original mem- bers thereof. Of his children, Louis is cashier of the Bank of German Valley. 111. ; Hiram lives on the old homestead ; Walter is a resident of Bai- leyville; Gazena is the wife of Benjamin Hes- senes ; Dora is the wife of Otje Oltmann ; and Lena is the wife of Charley Lamm, of Mitchell, Iowa. Hiram Fosha was born on the farm which he now owns and occupies on the outskirts of Bai- leyville, March 18, 1871, and at the age of twen- ty-seven years was united in marriage to Lena ROMANZO G. SHUMWAY EUGENIA M. (PALMER) SHUMWAY HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 899 "Lamm, sister of Charley Lamm. Of this union there are three sons: Lewis, Cyrus and Oliver. Mr. Fosha is a well informed and intelligent farmer, and leaves no stone unturned to bring his property to the highest state of perfection. He has a large, roomy and cheerful home, well constructed barns and ample outbuildings. He has a fine herd of cattle, is a great lover of all kinds of stock, and, as a natural consequence, is successful along this line. He is an encouraging example of what may be accomplished by close application to business and thorough integrity of character. FOSHA, Lewis, Cashier of the German Amer- ican State Bank of German Valley, Stephenson County, 111. Reference is made elsewhere in these pages to a party of German immigrants who became pioneer settlers at and near Adeline, Ogle County. In that connection the name of Fosha is prominent, Frederick Fosha having been one of the early settlers in Maryland Town- ship, where he died at an advanced age. His son Lewis, who was four years old when his parents came to America, married Wendalena Merlein. Lewis Fosha was born in Lippe-Det- mold, Germany, and his wife was also a native of the Fatherland. They were the parents of the subject of this sketch. After their marriage they settled on a farm in Maryland Township, where they lived for many years, finally remov- ing to Baileyville, where Mr. Fosha died July 21, 1898, in his sixty-eighth year. Lewis Fosha, son of Lewis the pioneer, was born in Maryland Township, June 28, 1863, the fourth in order of nativity of the eleven children of his parents. He was reared on his father's farm and attended school in Maryland Town- ship and at Baileyville. He married in 1886, and settled on the old Fosha homestead in Mary- land Township, where he lived until December, 1906, when he removed to German Valley, where he has a fine residence, which, with his house on the homestead, constitutes for him two homes in the vicinity. In January, 1907, he opened the German American State Bank, of which he is Cashier. His farm contains ]60 acres and has good buildings and other improvements. He owns three quarter-sections of land in South Da- kota and 160 acres in Kansas, and has an in- terest with others in 63,000 acres in New Mex- ico. Under his able management, the German American State Bank is taking high position among the financial institutions of this part of Illinois, and Mr. Fosha is widely recognized as an enterprising but conservative financier and as a man of affairs of the finest ability. On March 10, 1886, Mr. Fosha married Miss Alice Harberts, a native of Stephenson County, who has borne him five children ; the first, a boy who died on the day he was born ; Esther J., next Cora L., who died as the result of an acci- dent, July 4, 1903; in August of the same year Cora L. (2), now living, was born, and Lulu A. V. is the youngest. Mr. Fosha takes a helpful and public-spirited interest in the affairs of his township, county and state. In the considera- tion of questions affecting the country at large his point of view is that of a Democrat. He and his family are attendants upon the services of the German Reformed Church, of all the inter- ests of which he is a liberal supporter. FRASER, William. — It is given to certain men to become the head of large concerns, whose, workings require superior executive ability and a thorough knowledge of the exacting demands of the trade. Such men command success be- cause they earn it through sheer determination and capacity for hard work that tells. Polo, Ogle County, 111., is the home of several large enterprises that give employment to many peo- ple, bring into the place capital, and those whose earnings are spent for necessities with home merchants. Among them is the Truesdell Syrup Company and the Polo Electric Light and Power Company, of which William Fraser is the exec- utive head. Mr. Fraser was born at Polo, De- cember 25, 1867, a son of William and Emma (Spicer) Fraser. The elder William Fraser came west in the early 'sixties from New York City, and was one of the pioneer business men of Polo, first being engaged as ticket agent for the Illinois Central Railroad Company, then embarked in the grain business in partnership with J. G. Brown, finallv being interested in the banking business with Rube Wagner. His death occurred at Polo, 111., in 1867. when he was only twenty-nine vears old. The younger William Fraser attended the Polo public schools, and, upon reaching manhood's estate, began working for himself, first engaging in the wholesale and retail produce and commis- sion business. From 1892 until 1902 he was en- gaged in a retail shoe business in Polo, and in the latter year embarked in the real estate bus- iness that engaged his attention until 1905. From 1905 until 1907 he owned and operated retail stores at Paw Paw, Warren and Freeport. 111. In 1906 Mr. Fraser bought the plant of the Trues- dell Syrup Company of Freeport, 111., and the following year moved it to Polo. In 1908 he se- cured control and management of the Polo Elec- tric Light and Power Company, which, together with his syrup business, is engrossing most of his time and attention at present. The Truesdell Syrup Co., with William Fraser as President and Robert Allen as Secretary and Treasurer, are manufacturers of Aunt Kate's Pancake Syrup and Aunt Kate's Green Mountain Syrup. On October 5, 1891, Mr. Fraser married in Polo. 111., Nellie M. Clark, a daughter of Mrs. Louisa Faulders of Polo, and this union has been the source of one son. Robert. In politics Mr. Fraser is identified with the Republican party, although the engrossing cares of his business precludes any active participation in local cam- paigns. FRENCH, John H, for forty-three years a resi- dent of Mount Morris, 111., and well and favor- ably known as a thriving and well-to-do raiser of srardeu nroduce for the local market, also as a public-spirited and useful citizen, was born in 900 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Washington County, Md., August 12, 1837, a son of John and Elizabeth (Davis) French, natives of that State and county, as were also the pater- nal grandfather, George French, and the grand- parents on the maternal side, Thomas and Sarah Davis. John French, the father, was a veteri- nary surgeon by occupation, and a Government Inspector of horses during the Civil War. At the Battle of Gettysburg he was captured by the Confederates, after which all traces of him were lost. His wife died in Washington County, Md., in June, 1865. John H. French remained with his parents until he was twenty-two years old, attending the district schools of the neighborhood in early youth. Then he hired out on a farm, continuing thus until March, 1865, when he moved to Ogle County, 111., locating at Mount Morris, where he bought a house and two lots. For many years he worked at fence making, adding to his property, in the course of time, two blocks of ground in the western portion of Mount Morris, each containing fourteen lots. On this he de- voted his attention to market gardening, in which he is still engaged to some extent. The marriage of Mr. French took place on May 31, 1863, on which date Malinda Hause be- came his wife. Mrs. French was bom in the vi- cinity of Hagerstown, Md., August 6, 1844, and is a daughter of Samuel and Eliza (Sheets) Hause, whose entire lives were passed in that locality. Her father died in 1889 at the age of eighty-seven years, her mother passing away in 1890, when eighty-three years old. To Mr. and Mrs. French were born two children, — Ida Ellen (Mrs. Thomas Holmes), of Freeport, 111., and Samuel H., of Chicago. In politics, Mr. French has always been a Re- publican, and has served three terms as a mem- ber of the Village Board of Mount Morris. His religious connection is with the Methodist Epis- copal Church, to which his worthy wife also be- longs. Both are highly esteemed members of the community. FRUIN, William J. — Since his arrival in Ogle County, 111., in the summer of 1881, William J. Pruin has given evidence of a many-sided and practical activity and has established a com- mendable precedent in agriculture, politics, so- ciety and general living. To the framing of his early life-purpose, Mr. Fruin brought qualities inherited from a long line of English ancestors, and strengthened by a practical training in ag- riculture on the farm of his parents, George Wil- liam and Ann (Chapman) Fruin, in Oxfordshire, England, where he was born October 10, 1856. He had the advantages which arise from growing up in a large family of children, as he was the third oldest of nine to share the resources of a rather small farm. The marriage of Mr. Fruin and Clara Annie Fruin occurred in Oxfordshire, England, Sep- tember 10, 1877, and in 1881, with his wife and two children, George J. and Claude E., Mr. Fruin came to America, locating soon after on land in Nashua Township, where, with the exception of two years spent in Pine Creek Township, he since has engaged in general farming and stock-rais- ing. In this country his family has been aug- mented by three children, of whom Ella A., died in Nashua Township, November 16, 1906, at the age of twenty-five years, as the wife of Edward Hedrick ; and William J. and Percy L. are with their father. Still another grief awaited Mr. Fruin when, on February 23, 1907, his beloved and ever helpful wife passed beyond mortal ken, thus depriving him of both wife and daughter. In the fall of 1907, Mr. Fruin visited his native place, Oxford, England, returning in December following, reaching home on the 10th of that month. On April 30 following, he was united in marriage, at the St. Mary's Episcopal Church, East Boston, Mass., to his present wife, Elizabeth (Francis) Fruin, of Oxford, England. The activity of Mr. Fruin extends to local pol- itics and has materially influenced the trend of his preferred party. He has served as a mem- ber of the Board of Education, as Clerk and Col- lector of Nashua Township ; was a candidate for Sheriff of Ogle County in 1905, and in April, 1907, was elected to his present responsibility as Supervisor. He is an active member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, gives generously to the same, as well as, to many local causes, and is prominent in the ranks of the Odd Fellows, Ma- sons, Foresters and Knights of the Globe and Yeomen of America. He is a man of wide gen- eral information and pronounced views upon cur- rent happenings, and his personality and char- acter command the respect and good will of all who are privileged to know him. GAFFIN, Charles E., retired farmer, Leaf River, Ogle County, 111. Among the comparatively few survivors of active service in our Civil War yet living in Ogle County, the subject of this no- tice is well and favorably known. Especially is he highly esteemed in Leaf River Township, where he was born and reared and where he has passed all the years of an active and useful life, except for the time he was in the army. There were many young soldiers who offered their lives to the country at that time, of whom Mr. Gaffln was one. Charles E. Gaffln was born July 8, 1848, a son of Abraham and Margaret (Zigler) Gaffln, who married in Ogle County and settled in Leaf River Township, where they passed the remain- der of their lives. Mrs. Gaffln died in 1860, her husband passing away soon after 18S0, at the age of sixty-six years. They had three children who grew to manhood and womanhood — Charles E., William H. and Mary L. The latter married Courtney Rowe and died in Sedgwick, Kan. Some time after the death of his first wife, Mr. Gaffin married Jane Plantz, now deceased, who bore him three children named Amos, Frederick and George. Of children of Abraham and Margaret (Zig- ler) Gaffin, the subject of this sketch was the first born. He passed his boyhood in Leaf River Township, and in the spring of 1865 before he HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 901 was seventeen years old, enlisted in the Fifteenth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry. As a mem- ber of Company H of that organization, he served until the end of the war, and now he continues old army associations by membership in A. B. Horner Post, No. 383, Grand' Army of the Re- public. Mr. Gaffin gave all his active years to farming, retiring in 1901. His property formerly included about one-half of what is now the village of Leaf River, and he still owns 260 acres inside of the corporation limits. Politically he is a Republi- can so far as questions of national import are concerned ; in local affairs he advocates election to office of the best man who will take it. He is a member of the Knights of the Globe and of other local organizations. His interest for his township and village has led to bis services for many years as Highway Commissioner and as a member of the Village Board, and he has served several terms on the local School Board. August 30, 1871, Mr. Gaffin married Mary Hie- stand, who was born in Leaf River Township, May 5, 1844, a daughter of Benjamin and Lydia (Rice) Hiestand, who bore him four children whom they named Lydia R., W. Ward, Benja- min H. and C. Harold. Lydia R. is the wife of Charles C. Myers. W. Ward is a civil engineer in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. C. Harold is Secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association of Denver, Col., and Benj. H., runs the home farm. Mrs. Gaffin, who was long an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, died March 21, 1898, deeply regretted by all who had known her. GANTZ, John T., the present Postmaster of Oregon, has been an important political factor of Ogle County affairs for many years, and un- questionably has continuously represented the voice and conscience of the people while filling many positions of local trust and responsibility. Mr. Gantz is an evolution from the farming con- tingent of Washington County, Md., where he was born February 23, 1840, and was sixteen years old when he came to Ogle County with his parents, John and Elizabeth (Landis) Gantz, the latter of whom was born in Washington County, Md., while the former, also a native of Maryland, was of German descent. The family In Ogle County located during the summer of 1856 in Mount Morris, and a year later settled on a farm in Pine Creek Township, five miles east of Polo, where the father died at the age of eighty-six years. The year John T. Gantz attained his majority found the war clouds hovering low over the land, and his first experience out of the ordinary was as a soldier in Company F, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he enlisted September 7, 1861. Three companies were raised for this regiment in Ogle County, and Mr. Gantz was in that commanded by Captain Oscar Van Tassell. Colonel E. N. Kirk, who commanded the regiment, died of wounds received at the battle of Stone River, December 31, 1862. On this memorable occasion Mr. Gantz himself ter- minated his military usefulness, as his right thigh was fractured by a ball, resulting in his honorable discharge from the service in April, 1863. He had been appointed Fourth Sergeant of Company F, and had become known as a tire- less and fearless bearer of Union arms. After the war Mr. Gantz added to his common school education by a course in a commercial college in Chicago, and also attended the Mount Morris Seminary. He already had established a reputation for Republican activity, and in 1867 was elected County Treasurer, serving in that capacity four terms, or eight years, the bounty bonds being paid in during his administration. He also became a fur dealer and manufacturer on a small scale, and was interested in a chair fac- tory which suffered financial disaster at the end of two years. In 1880 he served as census taker for Oregon Township, was City Alderman several years, Assessor for two years, and April 14, 1906 ; was appointed Postmaster, receiving a large en- dorsement therefor, headed by Congressman Hitt. The postoffice went into second class in July, 1907, and Mr. Gantz has two employes in the of- fice and five rural carriers. The first rural de- livery was established six years ago. The of- fice is a credit to the community, has modern fixtures and furnishings and the service is char- acterized by unfailing courtesy and considera- tion, Mr. Gantz is a man of many-sided Interests, and is particularly active in the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 116. On two occasions he has been Post Commander, and has attended sev- eral National Encampments. He is widely known as an advocate of temperance, and is not afraid to advocate the cause whenever favorable oppor- tunity offers. The marriage of Mr. Gantz and Mary E. Wadsworth occurred in Grand Detour, 111., December 31, 1868, Mrs. Gantz being also a native of Maryland and an early arrival in Ogle County. Her parents were Christopher and Ma- tilda (Feasler) Wadsworth, who came overland in a wagon from Frederick County, Md., and en- dured the hardships and discouragements inci- dent to pioneer life. Mr. and Mrs. Gantz are the parents of three children: Grace, wife of Lawrence Fisher, of Oregon; Mary L., formerly a teacher in the schools of Oregon, but now similarly employed in Dixon ; and Frank Wads- worth Gantz, a graduate of Oregon High School, and now identified with the American Colortype Company of Chicago. GARMAN, Edwin E., dealer in agricultural im- plements, carriages, harness, etc., Adeline, 111. The sale of farm implements has assumed large proportions throughout the country, especially in the Middle West. It is not the character of the implements alone that counts, but the character of the dealers as well. One of the most depend- able merchants in this line in Northern Illinois is Edwin E. Garman. Mr. Garman is a farmer and son of a farmer, and is able to look at a ma- chine deal from both sides. Knowing what farm- ers require, and being able to supply their needs, 902 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. his disposition to fair-dealing always makes a sale satisfactory to a customer. Mr. Garman was born in Brookville Township, Ogle County, December 11, 1872, a son of Joel E. and Elizabeth E. (Meyers) Garman. His father was born in Lincoln Township, May 16, 1850, a son of Michael Garman, a Pennsylvanian who settled in Ogle County, among the pioneers, about 1838, and died at Forreston past the allotted age of three-score and ten years. Elizabeth E. Mey- ers was born in Lincoln Township January 9, 1852. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Garman settled in Brookville Township. They did not long remain there, however, but moved to Lincoln Township where they lived about ten years, when they settled in Maryland Township two and a half miles southeast of Ade- line, where Mr. Garman died July 20, 1906, leav- ing three children. A sketch of the life of Herbert S. Garman ap- pears in these pages. Nettie V. Garman married Eugene Ainsworth of Preeport. Edwin E. Gar- man has been a life long resident of Ogle County and has built up a business reputation of which any man might be proud. After leaving school he devoted himself to farming until 1900, when he established his present business at Adeline. Representing none but first class manufacturers, he handles none but first class machines, and his business system is such that he is able to make a sale, especially among his old friends in Mary- land and adjoining townships, against any com- petition in .Northern Illinois. GARMAN, Herbert S., farmer, Maryland Town- ship. Ogle County, 111. All honor is due to the memory of the pioneers who left comfortable homes in the older portions of our country, and came to the western prairies to bring them un- der cultivation and fit them for the occupancy of farmers yet unborn. Among these sturdy pio- neers in Ogle County, was Michael Garman, who came in 1838. His son Joel E. Garman was born in Lincoln Township, May 16, 1850, and married Elizabeth E. Meyers. For a short time after their marriage they lived in Brookville Town- ship. From there they removed to Lincoln Town- ship, where they remained about ten years, then removed to Maryland Township, two miles and a half south-east of Adeline. Joel E. and Elizabeth E. (Meyers) Garman had three children named as follows in the or- der of birth: Edwin E., Herbert S. and Nettie V. The latter is the wife of Eugene Ainsworth of Freeport, and a sketch of the life of Edwin E. Garman appears in this work. Herbert S. was born in Lincoln Township April 4, 1874, and there spent the first eight years of his life, but afterward removed with his parents to Mary- land Township and there grew to manhood. He was educated in the public schools in the two townships mentioned, and from boyhood has given attention to farming and stock-breeding. He owns a farm of 200 acres with good improve- ments, and is an extensive producer of Berkshire hogs and Red-Polled cattle. On December 20, 1897, Mr. Garman married in Maryland Township, Miss Alice L. Cooley, who was born in that township, a daughter of the late George E. Cooley. Her mother was So- phia C. Baker. Her father died in Maryland Township September 9, 1905. Mr. Garman, so far as any man can do so, makes the vital in- terests of his community his own. He is es- pecially interested in the local public schools and has six times been elected School Director for his district. GEIGER, William J. — The commercial success of William J. Geiger is centered around two lum- ber and coal enterprises, one in the town of Baileyville and the other at Harper, seven miles distant on the main line of the Milwaukee Road. Mr. Geiger is a young man of unquestioned busi- ness ability and more than average ambition, and has made a thorough study of the products which he supplies to an appreciative public. He- became interested in his present business in 1897, when he succeeded Christian Dovenbarger, who then retired after nearly thirty years identifica- tion with the coal trade in Baileyville. He car- ries practically everything in the building line required in this part of the State, and his pa- trons are spread over a large setcion of surround- ing country. Mr. Geiger is a native son of Baileyville, where he was born April 26, 1867. His parents, John and Catherine (Hann) Geiger, were born in Baden and Alsace-Loraine, Germany, respec- tively, and the former came to America to avoid military service in the Revolution of 1848. When he arrived in Illinois he was accompanied by his brother Theodore, and with him located at Free- port, where they engaged in a general merchan- dise business. He also was a cashier in a bank in Freeport, and in 1866 came to Baileyville, where he, was identified with merchandising un- til shortly before his death, in 1878, at the age of sixty-one years. His wife, who survived him for twenty-seven years, or until 1905. was the mother of two daughters and three sons, of whom Augusta is the wife of Leroy Wilkins, of Bailey- ville; Oscar J. is a commercial salesman of Chi- cago ; Albert A. is engaged in the mercantile bus- iness in Baileyville; and Jennie M. is the de- ceased wife of J. H. Howell. At the age of fifteen years William J. Geiger was taken out of school and started upon his in- dependent, wage-earning career. He helped his borther in the store, and also engaged with him in the live-stock business, buying up large quan- tities of cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens and, for ten years, was very successful, giving great aid and encouragement to the farmers raising these products throughout this part of the county. During 1895-96 he clerked in a store in Freeport and from there, in 1897, came to Baileyville to establish his present enterprise. In October, 1895, Mr. Geiger was united in marriage to So- phia Steffin, of Stephenson County and of this union there are three children : Marie, Ailiue and Isabella. Mr. Geiger possesses many agree- w g V > g H n en g HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 903 able personal traits, and is very popular with the purchasing public. He is a young man whose general qualities bespeak continued success, and large co-operation with the general upbuilding of the community. GEYER, Peter, who is successfully engaged in farming in Section 6, Lafayette Township, Ogle County, 111., was born in Bradford Township. Lee County, 111., March 13, 1867, a son of George and Lena (Bitner) Geyer, natives of Germany. The parents of Mr. Geyer were married in Ger- many and emigrated to this country in 1866, pro- ceeding directly to Illinois and settling in Lee County, where the father carried on farming. The mother died in Ashton, 111., leaving nine children. Peter Geyer, who was the second child of the family, was reared in Lee County, und there received his education in the district schools. In 1893 he moved to Rockford, Iowa, where he remained seven years. Returning to Illinois at the end of this period he located in Ogle County, on the place which he now owns In Lafayette Township. His farm, which con- sists of 172 acres, is nearly all Improved, and contains a comfortable residence and convenient outbuildings. The marriage of Mr. Geyer took place in Lee County, 111., March 8, 1890, on which date Anna M. Kries became his wife. She is a native of Germany, where her birth occurred September 22, 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. Geyer six children have been born, as follows : Emma E., Prank W., Bertha C. Albert P.. Mabel A. and Ralph P. Mr. Geyer does not mingle in political affairs to any active degree, but is classed as a support- er of the Republican party. Mrs. Geyer is a member of the Evangelical Church. GIBBS, George D. — When emigration was drift- ing toward the prairies of Illinois during the early '40s, among those who sought homes in the new country was James Gibbs, a farmer of York State and a member of an old family of the East. Accompanied by his wife he traveled in the prim- itive fashion of those days and landed in Ogle County, where he settled near the hamlet of Brookville. Three years later, about 1844, their son. Leonard, joined them from New York and identified himself with the pioneer interests of the frontier settlement. The original home of the family was on a claim of government land of eighty acres in Brookville Township and, in addition, the father acquired the title to ninety acres in Eagle Point Township. A log cabin of primitive design served as the home of the fam- ily until more prosperous conditions rendered possible the erection of a more modern structure, and here James died at the age of eighty-seven years, having been spared to witness the remark- able development of the region whose early his- tory was familiar to him. While living in New York Leonard Gibbs mar- ried Maria Kinyon, a native of that State, and three of their children were born before they removed from the East. Eventually he erected a residence on the old Galena road, and there he resided until his death, in 1883, at the age of seventy-one years. Through all of his active life he had been interested in movements for the benefit of his community and, in politics, he had been a stanch supporter of Republican prin- ciples. His wife survived him twenty years and attained the age of eighty-seven. Of their chil- dren, William makes his home in Eagle Point Township; Mary (Mrs. Charles Bassett) is liv- ing in South Dakota ; Clara is a resident of Polo, 111. ; George is living in Brookville Township ; and Adeline married James Anderson of Eagle Point Township. On the old homestead in Brookville Township, George D. Gibbs was born July 24, 1852, and his earliest memories are of the log cabin which served as a shelter for the family until they were able to erect a modern residence. After he had attained man's estate he took charge of the farm and continued to supervise its cultivation until the death of his mother, when he purchased the interests of the other heirs, and thus acquired 220 acres in one body. The house has been re- modeled since he purchased the property, and he also has erected outbuildings as needed for the shelter of stock and storage of grain. It is his custom to feed each year two carloads of hogs and from one to three carloads of cattle, and he has gained a reputation as one of the most ex- perienced and successful stock-raisers in the township. Giving his attention wholly to the management of his farm, he has not had leisure for participation in public affairs, nor has he had any desire for office. However, he is public- spirited in his championship of all measures for the development of the township and the en- largement of its interests. The marriage of George D. Gibbs took place February 18, 1880, and united him with Maggie Anderson, a sister of James Anderson, a well- known and honored citizen. They have two chil- dren, John and Jessie, the latter a graduate of the Polo High School.. Mrs. Gibbs was the daughter of a Scotchman who loved his violin and possessed considerable skill as an amateur musician, which talent descended to the grand- son, John Gibbs. At the age of eight years the latter begain to evince talent for music and was given excellent advantages for the study of the violin. After having studied for six years in Chicago he was sent to Berlin, Germany, where he remained four years, meanwhile enjoying the advantages of study under the great violinist, Joachim Wirth. By travel through Europe in company with great artists he gained a wide knowledge of the world, as well as varied ex- perience in his art. Since his return to this country he has been teaching for three years in the violin department of the University of Wash- ington at Seattle. GIBSON, Robert W., was born on the farm where he now lives, in Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, III., March 30, 1879. His parents were John G. and Elizabeth M. (Clark) Gib- 904 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. son, natives, respectively, of Scotland, and Northamptonshire, England, the birth of the father having taken place December 24, 1823, and that of the mother May 21, 1847. When he was nineteen years of age the father came to the United States, making his way to Illinois, where he settled in Pine Rock Township, Ogle County. Elizabeth M. Clark had arrived in the same county at an early period, and there was united in marriage with John G. Gibson. This union resulted in five children, namely : James A., Mary J., Agnes P., Sarah A., and Robert W. The head of this family followed farming in Pine Rock Township during the remainder of his life, dying November 30, 1900. His worthy widow still survives. Robert W. Gibson, received a common school education in boyhood, and, since reaching ma- turity, has cultivated the 160 acres comprised in the old homestead, his labors being attended by good results. He was married March 30, 1903, to Iva M. Pearl, who was born in Chana, 111., October 4, 1884, a daughter of Charles F. and Annie (Sturtevant) Pearl, to whom were born seven children, of whom Mrs. Gibson is third. Charles F. Pearl died in Chana, May 30, 1901. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson are the parents of one child — Garnet P. On political issues, Mr. Gibson is aligned on the side of the Republican party. GILBERT, George, farmer, Woosung Township, Ogle County, 111. There is no royal road to suc- cess in farming. Good land being conceded, the rest is wholly a matter of hard work and good business ability. Among the successful farmers of Woosung and Buffalo Townships the Gilberts have long been held in high esteem, not alone for the success which has crowned their efforts, but for those qualities of manhood which make for neighborliness and good citizenship. The founder of the family in Ogle County was Daniel Gilbert, a native of Washington County, Md., whose wife was Elizabeth Hardnock, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Gil- bert brought their family to Ogle County in the spring of 1857, from Washington County, Md. For two years the father was employed as a farm laborer in the vicinity of Polo; then for three years he rented a farm within the present limits of Woosung Township, and after that bought eighty acres of new prairie land at six- teen dollars an acre, which he began to improve and to which about two years later, he added forty acres more. So well did he prosper that he was able to buy other land from time to time, until he owned about 600 acres, most of which he eventually divided among his children, so that, in the final period of his life, he retained only 160 acres. He died March 25, 1905, in his sixty-ninth year, his widow dying December 24, 1907. They had ten children, of whom John H. Gilbert of Buffalo Township, was the eldest. He was born in Washington County, Md., March 19, 1856, and was about a year old when his parents settled in Illinois. Since that time, with the ex- ception of about two years, he has lived in Buf- falo and Woosung Townships. During all his active years he has given his attention exclu- sively to farming and stock raising, and he is now owner of 160 acres of improved land. He married in Woosung Township, February 8, 1881, Miss Mary C. Marks, a native of Washington County, Md., and a daughter of Alexander and Rosina (Booker) Marks. They have no children of their own blood, but have adopted a son who is known as Charles L: Gilbert. Mr. Gilbert has held the office of School Director and he and his wife are members of the German Baptist Church. George Gilbert, the ninth in order of birth of the ten children of Daniel and Elizabeth (Hard- nock) Gilbert, was born within the present limits of Woosung Township December 15, 1872. He grew to manhood on his father's farm, got a sub- stantial education in the public schools and at the age of twenty-two years began farming for himself. After managing his father's farm for two years, he bought 160 acres which constitute his present homestead. He has fitted it out with good buildings and all necessary accessories and by good farming has brought it to a high state of improvement. Mr. Gilbert married, May 11, 1896, Miss Mary A. Burger, who was born in Lee County, 111., a daughter of John Burger (now of Whiteside County), where she grew up and was educated. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert have had four children : Raymond, who died at the age of two months ; Glenn D. ; Willard L. ; Thelma, who died Sep- tember 22, 1907, aged one year and seven months. In a quiet but very patriotic way Mr. Gilbert takes a good deal of interest, not only in the pub- lic affairs of his township and county, but in all questions affecting the general prosperity of the nation. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church. G0SCH, Frederick.— There are fortunately few to whom the somber side of life is so early re- vealed as it was to Frederick Gosch, a well-known farmer of Dement Township, Ogle County. His childhood days were uneventfully passed in the German home where he was born March 2, 1840. Meanwhile flattering reports came to the family concerning prospects in the new world, and the parents, Frederick and Mary Gosch, decided that they would take the children across the ocean, with a view to gaining a success in America that their own country could not afford. Could des- tiny have pictured their future they would have been content to remain in their humble German home; but there was no vision to warn them of sickness and death hovering over their pathway. With hopeful hearts they took passage on a sail- ing vessel on the fourteenth anniversary of the birth of their son, Fred, and for four weeks and four days they pressed slowly forward toward their destination, eventually landing in safety. Immediately after landing the family traveled west to Chicago, where they secured a humble HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 905 cottage and found employment. All seemed well and they worked hopefully, but in two short months they were stricken with cholera and the father, mother and three of the children died ou the same morning. Fred was stricken with the same dread disease, but his robust consti- tution enabled him to survive the suffering, al- though a long time elapsed before he recovered from the terrible ordeal of pain and bereave- ment. When he had regained his strength, it was necessary for him to secure immediate em- ployment, for he was alone among strangers, an orphan and penniless. However, there were not wanting people to take pity upon his lonely con- dition, and he found helpful friends in a land of strangers. Employment was secured for him on a farm in Cook County, where he worked for his board and clothing, and for three years he continued in this position. Coming to Ogle County during March, 1857, Mr. Gosch worked on a farm in Lynnville Town- ship for one year, and then worked out for farm- ers for two years, after which he bought a team and began to work independently. All of his earnings were frugally hoarded. Little by little the fund grew until he felt himself to be in a position that justified an investment in land, whereupon he purchased forty acres in Dement Township. The land had few improvements, but the shanty gave him a shelter until he was able to build a better home. His life was one of toil and sacrifice, but it had its reward in in- creasing prosperity, and he was enabled to pur- chase an adjoining tract of forty acres of wild land, so that he became the owner of eighty acres in one body. On this property he erected a neat farm-house and a substantial barn. From time to time' other improvements have been made, until the farm is now said to be one of the best in the township. Reared in the Lutheran faith, Mr. Gosch al- ways has retained his affiliation with that de- nomination. Movements for the general wel- fare command his attention and aid, and he has been especiallv interested in educational work, having served as School Director for about twelve years. His marriage took place in De- ment Township about 1864, uniting him with Miss Mary Somers, who was born in Ireland and died in Dement Township in February of 1895. An only child blessed the union, Marcus M., who was born January 11, 1866, and received the educational advantages afforded by his home <-ounty. Upon starting out for himself he adopted his father's occupation and has identified him- self with the agricultural interests of the town- ship. December 10, 1895, he was united in mar- riage with Miss Anna Scamp, who was born at Roseoe. Winnebago County, 111., and by whom he has two children, Mary and Fred. GOVIG, Peter J., a resident of Dement Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., for more than forty years, an extensive landholder and known throughout the county as the owner of "Fair View Farm," one of the finest pieces of farming property in the northern part of the State, was born in Nor- way, June 4, 1833. He is a son of John and Martha (Randa) Govig, natives of Norway, who died in Dement Township at the home of their son Peter, both parents having reached their eighty-third year when death called them away. The subject of this sketch was reared in Nor- way, where he lived until the spring of 1857. When eight to nine years of age, he was put to work at the task of herding sheep, goats and cattle, and continued in this occupation, to- gether with some farming until he was eighteen years old. During the period thus spent he learned how to make wooden shoes, and often completed quite a number of them at odd hours, which he disposed of at very good prices. From this time on, while he remained in his native country, his work in the summer months was herd- ing cattle in the mountains, and, in the winter, sailing on the coast of Norway as a fisherman. In April, 1857, he left Norway in a sailing ves- sel, and after a voyage of six weeks, landed in Quebec. From that province he made his way to Illinois, and was employed as a farm hand until April 15, 1859, when he bought a yoke of oxen, and, together with three others, started for Pike's Peak. After traveling as far as the South Platte River in Nebraska, the party re- ceived word that the prospect at Pike's Peak was not encouraging, and Mr. Govig and his com- panions changed their plan, determining to go to California. Accordingly, they drove their oxen in that direction, arriving at their destina- tion in September, 1859. In California Mr. Govig followed various occupations, but meeting with little success, finally concluded to return. He walked from Ringgold in that State to Gregory (now Denver), Colo., the journey consuming fifty-two days, during which, from Carson City, Nev., to Camp Floyd, forty miles south of Salt Lake City, ht carried his provisions on his back. All but three days of the fifty-two were spent in walking. After reaching Colorado, he was em- ployed at mining for others during the winter season, prospecting in summer on his own ac- count. He remained in Colorado about four years, when he went to Montana and there con- tinued mining with varying results, for four years longer, and then came back to Illinois. In the course of a few weeks be crossed the ocean to Norway, and after staying nine months in the land of his birth, returned to this country. Acquiring possession of a considerable tract of land in Section 35, Dement Township, Ogle County, he settled down to farming and there has passed his days since 1868, except while lumbering in Wisconsin, where he owns about 600 acres in Lincoln County. He is the owner of 480 acres in Dement Township, well improved, fenced and tiled. Besides his general farming operations, Mr. Govig has devoted much of his attention to raising stock, and all his undertak- ings during the long period of his residence in Ogle County have been attended by uniform suc- cess. On September 19. 1868. Peter J. Govig was joined in matrimony with Bertine Aska, a native of Norway, where she was born May 15, 1850. 906 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Twelve children resulted from this union, their names being as follows: John, Elsie, Peter (de- ceased), Johanna, Peter, Nellie (deceased), Nels, Mabel, Noah, Martha, Samuel and Daniel. Mr. Govig has always taken a good citizen's inter- est in township affairs, and has rendered faith- ful public service as School Director. GRAEHLING, Henry.— In Alsace - Lorraine, then a possession of France, where he was born June 28, 1S28, Henry Graehling laid the founda- tion of his success as a farmer and blacksmith of Ogle County, receiving a practical common school education, a rather exacting home train- ing, and the experience of two years as a black- smith apprentice. In the spring of 1850, he put into execution the plan of emigration which slowly had formed in his mind ever since he had learned of the larger opportunities on this side of the Atlantic, and embarked in a sailing vessel which landed him, after forty-eight days of storm and calm, at the pier in New York. In July of the same summer he came west to Pittsburg, Pa., and after working three years in a vise factory, moved to Westmoreland County, the same State, where he combined farming and blacksmithing for two years. In September, 1856, Mr. Graehling came to Chicago, leaving behind him his wife, whom he had married in Pittsburg, August 8, 1853, and who formerly was Walburga Beck, born in Wurtemburg, Germany. February 25, 1835, and who, when fourteen years old, came across the ocean with her sister and brother to Pittsburg, Pa. Mr. Graehling, at the time of his arrival in Chicago, had little financial backing, as he had lost practically all that he had in the world through the failure of a broker with whom he had entrusted his money. He soon succeeded in get- ting work at his trade, however, and at the end of seven months sent for his family and with them located in Sugar Grove, Lee County, 111., where he followed his trade several months. He then came to Eagle Point, Ogle County, and after working at his trade two and a half years, bought the five acres which comprised the nu- cleus of his present possessions. Here he con- ducted small farming and blacksmithing, and eventually purchased more land until he owned 500 acres, 200 of which he has since disposed of. His farm has a fine set of improvements, includ- ing a capacious house, well constructed barns and out-buildings and well kept fences. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and his property shows the painstaking and methodical care invariably associated with the farmers of French-German extraction and birth. For one year during the Civil War Mr. Graeh- ling lived in Polo, but otherwise has continuously made his home on the first five acres bought in Eagle Point Township. In his political preferences Mr. Graehling is an uncompromising Republican, and in religion is a member of the Lutheran Church of Polo. To himself and wife have been born ten chil- dren, of whom two sons, Albert and John, died in infancy. Those living are as follows: Mary M., widow of Fred Diehl, living in Rock Creek Township, Carroll County; Alexander, retired farmer of Sterling; James, on his farm in Elk- horn Township, Carroll County ; George, on his farm in Eagle Point and Brookville Townships; Henry Jr., on his farm in Buffalo Township; Elizabeth, wife of Andrew Peters of Wysox Township, Carroll County; Augustus A., lives with his father; and William of Fairhaven Township, Carroll County. Mr. Graehling is the stanch friend of educa- tion, and his children have been given the best opportunities available in the neighborhood. He is a broad-minded and progressive farmer, an intelligent observer, and a fine example of the continued usefulness and vigor resulting from a moderate and well balanced life. Mr. Graehling's grandfather, John Jacob, was a farmer and a native of Alsace-Lorraine, as were his parents, Henry and Magdelene (Green- await) Graehling, and which continued to be their homes to the end of their lives. At that time Alsace-Lorraine was a part of the French Empire, and the father (Harry Graehling) served as a soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte from 1812-17. As a result of the Franco-German War of 1870, this province is now a part of the German Empire. Henry Graehling, Jr., after coming to Ogle County, was one of the first to engage in the cul- tivation of grapes, utilizing the training which he had received from his father in his native land. Since his first experiments in this line, he has introduced many new varieties, and the business has been carried on successfully. GRANT, Alexander, a venerable and highly re- spected resident of Eagle Point Township, Ogle County, 111., where more than three-score and ten years of his life have been passed, the greater part of this long period having been spent on the farm where he now lives, was born in Stanford, Delaware County, N. Y., May 6, 1826. His par- ents were Duncan A. and Jennette (Grant) Grant, both natives of that State and County. The paternal grandparents were from the High- lands of Scotland, and the grand parents, on the maternal side, were born in the Scottish Low- lands. Duncan A. Grant and his family left their home in New York State for the West in the fall of 1836, and after spending the winter at St. Joseph, Mich., came to Ogle County, 111., and settled in Eagle Point Township in the spring of 1837, arriving in the month of May. He there located near the Shoemaker farm, on a claim consisting of a quarter-section of unim- proved prairie and timber land, which he bought from William Journey, living for a time in a covered wagon until he built his first log-house. This land he improved and continued to live upon it until he moved to Eagle Point Village, where he spent the remainder of his life. Dun- can A. Grant was born February, 24, 1788, and died at Eagle Point, July 6, 1866, in the seventy- ninth year of his age, while his wife, born De- ROBERT SMITH HISTORY OF OGLE CTTUNTY. 907 cember 25, 1795, died at Polo, October 9, 1874. They had nine children, the subject of this sketch being the sixth. From early manhood until his withdrawal from active business pursuits, Alexander was engaged in farming in Eagle Point Township, for a few years operated his father's farm, later purchasing the place whore he has since lived, containing 160 acres. Here he put up convenient and sub- stantial buildings, and made other desirable im- provements. He has always taken a good citi- zen's interest in local affairs. Wild game was abundant when the Grant family came to Ogle County, and the son, Alexander, became a great hunter in his boyhood. He still preserves a large elk's head with the horns, which he has had mounted on the wall in his dining room as a memento of pioneer days. On June 5, 1852, Mr. Grant was married, in Eagle Point Township, to Jennette L. Smith, who was born In New Boston, N. H., March 23, 1834, a daughter of Daniel and Hannah (Butler) Smith, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New Hampshire. About the year 1840, her parents came to Jo Daviess County, 111., lo- cating at Galena, where they lived many years, and where the father died. The 'mother passed away in Arizona upwards of eighty years of age. Their family consisted of eight children, of whom Mrs. Grant was the second born and the only daughter. Six children have , blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Grant, three of whom are deceased. Those living are : Lillie, who is the wife of Dr. Norman Lane, of Chicago ; Janes P., and Archie. The others died at an early age. Politically, Mr. Grant has long been identified with the Republican party, and has creditably discharged the duties of several township offices. His waning years are cheered by the conscious- ness that he enjoys the confidence and cordial good will of many friends, and is the object of the tender solicitude of a noble wife and the surviving members of his family. GRONEWOLD, William.— No citizen whose life work has gone parallel with the history of Oregon has contributed more to the making of his architectural surroundings than William Gronewold. It is his skill that is responsible for the majority of the structures which house the people and industries of the town, and the use- fulness of his life and value of his work cannot be overestimated. Mr. Gronewold derives his practical and thrifty "traits from his German forefathers and his early training, the first twenty-nine years of his life being spent in Ger- many, where he was born in December, 1836. When about fourteen years of age, according to the custom of the Fatherland, he cast about for a useful trade, and applied himself to learning that of carpentering. Desiring larger opportunities than seemed to exist in"his native land, Mr. Gronewold came to America during the last year of the Civil War, locating in Ogle County where he worked at his trade a few years before making his permanent home in Oregon. He married Gertrude Krowl, also a native of Germany, and their home has been blessed with seven children, of whom John, the only son, is a farmer in Taylor Township, Ogle County ; Dena lives at home with her par- ents ; Mary is the former wife of Fred Beaman, whom she married March 21, 1894, and Minnie is the wife of George Wakefield of Chicago. Three died when young : Lizzie, Ida, and Minnie. Mrs. Beaman since 1904, has conducted a board- ing house in Oregon, and is accounted a great success, as she is anxious to please, is a fine cook and extremely orderly in her surroundings. She is a lady of sunny disposition and large heart, and has many warm and appreciative friends in the community. Of her two children, Harold was born in October, 1895, and Carroll William, February 6, 1896. HACKER, Thomas Northey (deceased), one of the most prominent and prosperous of the pio- neer business men of Polo, 111., was born in the parish of Stokeclimsland, Cornwall, England, August 23, 1819. AVhile he was still a child his parents crossed the Atlantic to Prince Edward Island, and. a few years later, came to the United States and located in Philadelphia. When they reached that city financial distress prevailed in the eastern part of the country, and the family soon pushed forward to the rich prairie regions of Illinois, settling, in 1838, near Elkhorn Grove in Ogle County. In 1850 Thomas N. Hacker made a trip to England for the pur- pose of visiting the home of bis childhood, and while in his native land, attended the first World's Fair held in the Crystal Palace, London, in 1851. In the course of this sojourn in the old country he made the acquaintance of Elizabeth Philip, whom he afterward married. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Philp, of Ply- mouth, England, who accompanied him to his home in Illinois in 1851. To Mr. and Mrs. Hacker three sons and one daughter were born, of whom the sons died in childhood, only the daughter, Minnie, surviving her parents. When the Illinois Central Railroad was built through Ogle County Mr. Hacker took up his residence in Polo and engaged in business, start- ing a lumber yard and dealing also in grain and live stock. Being a man of energy and enter- prising spirit, and acquainted with nearly all of the early settlers in his locality, his trade soon developed into large proportions, profitable re- sults following all of his undertakings. Early in the '60s on the completion of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad to Lanark, III., he opened a grain, stock, lumber and general mer- chandising concern in that town, which proved equally successful. He built the first business block in Lanark, and was the principal mer- chant of the place for several years, finally sell- ing out his interests there. At the time of his death he had a large property in Polo. Besides his attractive residence, he was the owner of seven lots on Mason Street, three of which were valuable corners improved with substantial busi- ness blocks. 908 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. After a painful illness of several weeks, Mr. Hacker departed this life April 24, 1873, in the fifty-third year of his age. The large assem- blage which filled the church on the occasion of his funeral, was an impressive tribute to the wide influence which he wielded, and an indi- cation of the high estimation in which he was held by the many who appreciated the admirable traits of his character. During his entire career be was a regular attendant at the services of the Presbyterian Church, being for many years a pew-holder. During the Civil War, he was an earnest supporter of the Union cause. He was public spirited, always taking a good citizen's part in civic affairs, but utterly devoid of any ambition for political preferment. When the Polo Library Association was organized he was one of the original stockholders, and did much to promote its development. Mr. Hacker was a man of quick perception and action, keen and alert, and his judgment in business affairs was exceptionally sound and sagacious. Of a genial temperament and so- ciable manner, he readily won friends on every side. Mrs. Hacker, a woman of the most excel- lent and amiable qualities, survived her hus- band for fifteen years, passing away May 18, 1888, beloved and esteemed by all who knew her. She was a faithful member of the Presby- terian Church. HAGEMANN, Hermann W., farmer and stock- man, Leaf River Township, Ogle County, 111. The history of the self-made man is old, yet ever new, because no two men in all the world are alike, and no two men since the world began have had experiences precisely similar. The life history which it will be endeavored here to present, will be found in some ways peculiar. Hermann W. Hagemann was born in Lippe-Det- mold, Germany, November 18, 1865, a son of William and Sophia (Volmert) Hagemann. The latter Mr. Hagemann died in Ogle County in 1880, Mrs. Hagemann in Germany, December 25 1890. Of their ten children, Hermann was the sixth in order of birth, and was in his twentieth year when he came to America. He arrived in Ogle County in 1885, and for the en- suing eight years worked out by the month. After his marriage be settled on the 200-acre farm which has since been his home. He has erected on it sightly and substantial buildings at a cost of four thousand dollars, it is well stocked and is supplied with every implement and ac- cessory which be needs for its successful culti- vation. He began life with no capital except honesty, a brave heart and willing hands, and he has won not simply a financial competency, but the friendship of all who have come to know him. His public-spirit is proverbial, and he is a steadfast friend and promoter of education. As School Director, he has contributed not a lit- tle to raise the scholastic standard in his town- ship. He and his wife are members of the Ger- man Reformed Church. Mr. Hagemann married, at Mount Morris, De- cember 22, 1892, Miss Kate Funk, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, who was born March 24, 1870, a daughter of George and Kate (Schmidt) Funk, both natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Funk came, with their family, to the United States in 1889, and settled at Mount Mor- ris, where they have since lived. Of their seven children, Mrs. Hagemann was the fourth born. She has borne her husband nine children, of whom one died in infancy. The names of the others follow: Ella, Clara, Clarence, Susie, Dora, Walter, Bertha and Emma. Emma died September 26, 1906, in her tenth year. HAMILTON, John Quincy, who is successfully engaged in farming in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., was born in that township, January 16, 1864, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Funk) Hamilton, natives of Washington County, Md., and early settlers in Ogle County, where they located in the same township. Sam- uel Hamilton followed farming for a long time and also operated a saw-mill. He died on his farm when about seventy-six years old, his wife having passed away at the age of fifty- seven years. Of their family three sons lived to reach maturity, namely: Martin D., Alonzo B., and John Q. One son died when quite young. John Q. Hamilton attended the district schools in his locality, and from early manhood, farm- ing has been his occupation. He is the owner of 137 acres of land, the greater portion of which is improved. He is a careful, thorough and thrifty farmer, and profitable results have at- tended his labors. Mr. Hamilton was married at Polo, 111., on January 7, 1886, to Jennie E. Brooke, who was born in Eagle Point Township, Ogle County, January 16, 1867, and is a daughter of Thomas F. and Rosanna (Mumma) Brooke, respectively natives of Illinois and Maryland. Mr. Brooke settled in Ogle County at an early day. He and his wife had five children, as follows: Jennie E., Lottie V., Burton, Wilbur and Lillie. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have one daughter, Ada B. HANES, Luther, a lifelong resident of Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., who has made a most creditable record as a farmer and as a serviceable member of the community, where his sterling character is known to all, was born on his father's farm in this township, July 10, 1850. His parents were Samuel B. and Mary (Walkup) Hanes, the former born in Washington County, Md., February 28, 1816, ±he birth of the latter taking place September 13, 1820. In 1832, Samuel B. Hanes was brought by his father, Adam Hanes, from Maryland to Greene County, Ohio, and thence, in the fall of 1845, he and his first wife, whose maiden name was Susanna Fauber, came to Ogle County, 111., set- tling in Pine Creek Township, where the death of Susanne (Fauber) Hanes occurred February 11, 1849. One child resulted from this union, Sarah E., who married John L. Medlar, of York, Neb. On September 30, 1849, the marriage of Samuel .B. Hanes with Mary Walkup was solem- nized, she having come to Ogle County about the HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 909 year 1846. They lived in the old home until 1871, and in the spring of that year, moved about half a mile to the west of it, where the father died October 19, 1890. The mother passed away at the home of the subject of this sketch, December 22, 1904. Their family consisted ol five children, namely : Luther, John C, Ade laide, who died in September, 1904, and was the wife of George Bovey, of Pine Creek Township ; Samuel W., and William W. Luther Hanes grew up on the old homestead, attending the common schools and receiving a practical education. He remained with his par- ents until he was twenty-six years old, and since that time has been successfully engaged in farm- ing. He has always lived in Pine Creek Town- ship, where he owns 120 acres of well improved land, and is classed among the most thorough farmers of his locality. Mr. Hanes was married, June 1, 1876, to Mary A. Teeter, who was born in Bedford County, Pa., " December 22, 1847, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Davis) Teeter, natives of that State. They came to Ogle County, 111., about the year 1851, locating in Grand Detour Township, where they died— Mr. Teeter, in July, 1890, when about seventy-seven years old, and his wife, March 4, 1906, at the age of eighty-five years. Twelve children were the offspring of their un- ion, Mrs. Hanes being the eighth. Mr. and Mrs. Hanes became the parents of ten children, two of whom are deceased. Those surviving are: Bertha V., a trained nurse; Orpha Belle, John M., Lester Leroy, Mina May, wife of George Lee ; Samuel Jacob, Adam Luther, and Olive Pearl. Two sons, Chester Clinton and Ernest died in infancy. Mr. Hanes has always taken an active part in township affairs. He is identified with the Republican party, and has held the office of School Director for twenty-four years. He and his wife are members of the Dunker Church. HANES, Samuel W., is still living on the old homestead farm in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., where he was born July 13, 1858. His father, Samuel B. Hanes, was born in Wash- ington County. Md., February 26, 1816, and his mother, Mary (Walkup) Hanes, was born Sep- tember 13, 1820. Samuel B. Hanes had been brought to Greene County, Ohio, by his father, Adam Hanes, in 1832, and thence in the fall of 1845, made the journey to Ogle County, 111., with his first wife, Susanna (Fauber) Hanes, to whom he was married in Greene County, Ohio. They settled in Pine Creek Township, where she died February 11, 1849. They had one child, Sarah E., who became the wife of John L. Med- lar, of York, Neb. The father married again September 30, 1849, wedding Mary Walkup, who was born September 30, 1820, and came to Ogle County about the year 1846. They continued to live on the old homestead until the spring of 1871, when they moved about half a mile west of it, and there Samuel B. Hanes died October 19, 1890. Mary (Walkup) Hanes died at the home of her son, Luther, December 22, 1904. They had five children, as follows: Luther, John C. ; Adelaide, who married George Bovey, and died in Pine Creek Township, in September, 1904; Samuel W. and William W. Samuel W. Hanes has followed farming from early manhood, always living on the old home place, and being recognized as one of the lead- ing farmers and citizens of the township. He is the owner of 354 acres of land, of which about 250 are improved. Mr. Hanes was married at Dixon, 111., April 4, 1889, to Clara Lampin, who was born in Pine Creek Township, October 28, 1862, and is a daughter of Michael and Cather- ine (Teeter) Lampin, natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in Philadelphia, and the latter in Bedford County. Mr. Lampin was brought to Ogle County by his parents when nine years old, and his marriage with Catherine Teeter took place in 1861. He died October 28, 1906, in his seventy-first year, his widow still surviving him. Five daughters were born to them, namely : Clara, Mary, Ella C, Ida M., and Bessie D. Mr. and Mrs. Hanes have two children living — Har- old S. and Hazel M. — having lost a son, who died in infancy. Politically, Mr. Hanes is a Republican, and has served as Highway Commissioner and School Director. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren Church. Fraternally he is af- filiated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, Knights of the Globe, and Mystic Workers. HANES, William W., M. D.— A professional as- sociation with Mount Morris, covering a period of more than twenty years and witnessing a steady increase in practice, has brought Dr. Hanes to a position of prominence in that city besides winning for him the confidence of the people of the surrounding country. While giv- ing his attention closely to his practice he has found leisure to take an interested part in the work of the Ogle County and the Illinois State and American Medical Societies. For twenty years he has filled the office of County Coroner and such responsibilities as the position has brought to him are always discharged with promptness and professional skill. With this exception he has declined to hold public offices and has taken no part in politics aside from vot- ing the Republican ticket, while in fraternal re- lations he has not identified himself with any other order than that of Masonry. The doctor was born near Oregon, in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, June 13, 1861, a son of Samuel B. and Mary (Walkup) Hanes, natives of Ohio. As early as 1846 the father came to Ogle County and settled in Pine Creek Township, where he transformed a raw tract into a fertile farm with excellent improvements, For years he continued on the same place and devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits. During 1870 he purchased adjacent property, which made him the owner of 280 acres in one body. On the organization of the Lutheran Church at Mount Morris, he became a charter 910 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. member of that church and afterward filled the office of deacon. His tastes did not lead him to a public career, and he took no part in politics other than voting the Republican ticket after the organization of that party. It was his privilege to witness the remarkable agricultural develop- ment of this region. When he died, October 19, 1889, ,-it the age of seventy-four years, he had been a resident of the township for forty-three years. At first he had been obliged to haul his grain to Chicago and, on the return trips, he brought the lumber used in building his first house on the farm. As the years passed the markets were brought nearer, and the building of railroads was the final act that put the pio- neer into touch with the world of thought and activity. The first wife of Samuel B. Hanes died in 1849, leaving a daughter, Sarah, who is now the wife of John Medlar of York, Neb. During 1850 he married Mary Walkup, who died in Decem- ber, 1903, at the age of eighty-three years, dur- ing the long period that she survived him mak- ing her home with her children. Of the second marriage there were four sons and one daugh- ter, namely : Luther, a farmer in Pine Creek Township ; John C, a graduate of the Physio- Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, for years a practicing physician, but now living in Mount Morris : Addie, who married George Bovey, a farmer in Pine Creek Township and died at the age of fifty years ; Samuel W., who occupies the old homestead and is engaged in general farm- ing; and "William W., of Mount Morris. The last named received a common-school education, supplemented by a year in Jennings Seminary at Aurora, 111. After a preliminary professional training under O. W. F. Snyder, M. D., of Polo, he entered the Physio-Medical College at Cin- cinnati. Ohio, from which institution he was graduated in 1883. Three years were then spent at Adeline, Ogle County, from which point he removed in 1886 to Mount Morris. His marriage took place in August, 1889, uniting him with Georgia Rohrer, daughter of Martin Rohrer. Mrs. Hanes was born in Mount Morris and re- ceived an excellent education in the college in that city, which institution is now attended by her only child, Ernest. HANNEMAN, Edward, whose record as a farmer and citizen in the counties of Lee, Boone and Ogle, 111., has been very creditable to his in- dustry, good sense and progressive spirit, and who is now demonstrating these worthy quali- ties in Dement Township, in the last named county, was born in Germany, August 18, 1862. When between two and three years old, he was brought to this country by his parents, who set- tled in Lee County, 111., where he was reared to manhood. Then he changed his location to Boone County, and, after working three years there by the month at farm labor, went back to Lee County, continuing in the same occupation until he reached the age of twenty-two years. At this period he began farming for himself, cultivating rented land one year, and afterward farming the same length of time on a piece of land which he rented in Lafayette Township, Ogle County. Following this, he returned to Lee County, where he carried on farming on a rented place six years, and at the expiration of this time, purchased it and remained a year longer. Then he sold the property, moving again to Ogle County, and in the spring of 1894, buy- ing the farm which is now his home. It consists of 160 acres of choice land, on which he had made good improvements in the way of buildings and otherwise. His undertakings have been re- warded by well merited success, and he is now in comfortable circumstances. Mr. Hanneman was married in Lee County, 111., November 13, 1884, to Julia Krug, who was born in that county, December 10, 1864. Six children have resulted from this union, namely : Louie F., Etta S., Clara M., Lena C, Elsie E. and Irene. Mr. Hanneman is a Republican in politics, and has rendered faithful public service to his town- ship, filling the office of Highway Commissioner two years, and that of School Director, three years. HARLEMAN, Joseph F., a retired farmer of ample fortune now residing at Holcomb, 111., who is the largest landholder in White Rock Township, Ogle County, and has long been recog- nized as one of its most prominent citizens, was born in Northumberland County, Pa., October 11, 1839. His parents were Joshua D. and Eliza- beth (Fogleman) Harleman, natives of the Key- stone State, the former having been in early life a shoemaker by occupation, but later turning his attention to farming. He and his wife lived for a time in Lycoming County, Pa., and thence moved to Illinois, locating in Marion Township, Ogle County., on the dividing line between that and White Rock Township. He bought 352 acres of improved land, which adjoined the farm of Peter Smith, an early settler, on one corner. There he followed general farming until 1871, when he took up his residence in Oregon, 111., where his w T ife died. After her decease he re- turned to the farm, on which he remained twenty years, dying in 1S98, when eighty-seven years old. The old farm is now the property of his son Emerson. He and his wife reared a family of four children, as follows : Joseph F. ; Mary, now living in Rochelle, 111., widow of Robert Sheadle, who was a farmer in Marion Township ; Lucy, who married Charles Hart, and died in middle life; and Emerson, the above mentioned owner of the homestead in Marion and White Rock Townships. Joseph F. Harleman stayed at home until the end of the Civil War, and in the spring of 1865, moved into White Rock Township, where he was engaged for two years in farming on rented land, in the meantime buying the place. In 1874 he had bought the farm adjoining, making a half- section in all, the price paid for the first pur- chase being $25, and for the second $60 per acre. In 1874 he changed his residence to the latter farm, living there ten years and meanwhile ac- JOHN SOUTHWORTH HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. all quiring additional land. Several years later he added to his holdings another tract to the north, paying $70 per acre and in 1894, bought 80 acres in Section 10, of the same township, the price of which was $102 per acre. This was well im- proved and was the first land in White Rock Township which brought as much at $100 per acre. Besides the acquisitions already indicated, Mr. Harlenian had become possessed of half of Section 15, White Rock Township, and of an- other tract in Section 9, the highest price per acre paid by him in the later transactions being $130. The aggregate of the several purchases above recounted comprises 1,265 acres, all in one body but divided into six farms. Besides these he has considerable pasture land, and has devoted some attention to feeding stock, al- though mainly accupied in general farming oper- ations, small grain being the chief crop. At present, his land is mostly rented out. It reaches to the village of Holcomb, and he has platted a few town blocks. In 1902 he built a modern residence in the village, on land that had been laid out in lots before he bought it. He has always maintained a firm confidence in the enhancement of farming land in this region, and has realized from his farms fully six per cent, interest on present valuations. He is the most extensive landholder in White Rock Township, and this fact is almost wholly due to his own energy and sagacious management. For his first purchase he had to depend on his credit, not having a dollar to pay on it. All of his land is arable and well adapted to purposes of culti- vation, some of it having been tiled by him- self at a period when he was doing his share of hard work. On December 29, 1864, Mr. Harleman was married to Elizabeth Doebler, a daughter of Henry and Sara (Born) Doebler, who was born in Lycoming County, Pa., whence her parents brought her to Illinois in 1857, when she was sixteen years old. Mr. and Mrs. Harleman are without children of their own, but have an adopted child, Ina, a daughter of Mrs. Harle- man's brother, whom they took charge of when she was a year old. They have given her a good education, and she has taken a vocal and instru- mental course in the Boston Conservatory of Music, developing notable musical talent. In politics, Mr. Harleman is a Republican, and has served two terms as Supervisor, covering the period from 1902 to 1906, succeeding J. Ells- worth King in that office, and being succeeded by George W. King. His official record was highly creditable. He has once represented his party as a delegate in cpunty conventions. Fra- ternally, he is affiliated with the A. F. & A. M., belonging to Holcomb Lodge, No. 505, which was organized at White Rock, and is connected with the R. A. M. Chapter at Rochelle. He and his wife are members of Holcomb Chapter, O. E. S. HARRINGTON, Chester C. (deceased), for many years one of the most prominent, useful and greatly respected citizens of Ogle County, 111., and a man in whose composition were combined all the virtues which entitles the departed to lasting remembrance, was born at "Sandy Hill on the Hudson," New York, August 22, 1813. He was a son of Rev. Ebenezer Harrington, a Bap- tist clergyman, located for a long time in Cayuga County, N. Y., who moved West to Wisconsin in 1840, settling in Burlington, Racine County. There he died in 1842, his wife, having preceded him to the grave about two years previously. The maternal grandfather, Patrick Doolan, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Chester C. Harrington received his education in the com- mon schools of Cayuga County, N. Y., and be- fore his removal to the West, pursued the occu- pation of a surveyor for some time, being subse- quently engaged in teaching in his native State. In 1834 he located in Chicago, whence, three years later, removed to what was then Ogle County, but now a part of Lee County, the place being just across the river from Grand Detour. Shortly after his arrival he devoted his atten- tion to surveying and continued thus for a few years, subsequently engaging in other work. Fin- ally, he purchased 320 acres of land, which had been but slightly improved. On this he made the requisite improvements, the lumber for his house being hauled from Chicago. With the ex- ception of brief intervals of absence, he re- mained on this farm fifteen years, then taking up his residence in Grand Detour, where he lived for fourteen years, and then returned to the farm where he spent his declining years. His death occurred in Dixon, 111., at the home of his son, Eugene, on July 8, 1904. He was a man of the highest type of character and of un- swerving integrity in all the relations of life, enjoying the profound respect and unreserved confidence of a host of friend throughout Ogle and Lee Counties. In the ante-bellum period he was an inflexible opponent of the institution of slavery, and in those memorable days, was known as one of the conductors on the "Under- ground Railroad," assisting in the escape of many slaves to freedom. During the Civil War he was a member of the Union League, and rend- ered signal patriotic service in this connection. In the cause of temperance he was very active, and total abstinence from intoxicating beverages had no more earnest advocate, having been a member of a temperance society since fifteen years old. He was the secretary of the first temperance organization formed in this county. The marriage of Mr. Harrington took place November 14, 1 844, on which date he was wedded to Zarina Chamberlin, a native of Genesee County. N. Y., where she was born December 5, 1820. They were married at Dixon, 111. Mrs. Harrington was a daughter of Cyrus and Pluma (Burton) Chamberlin, Vermonters by nativity, who settled in New York State at an early date. Cyrus Chamberlin came west to Illinois in 1835, and entered up a tract of 900 acres of government land in Lee County, across the river from Grand Detour. On this he built a saw-mill, which he operated in connection with his farming opera- tions for a number of years. The closing years of his life were spent in Grand Detour, where he 912 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. lived in retirement, and his death occurred Feb- ruary 22, 1881, at the age of ninety-one years. Mr. and Mrs. Chester C. Harrington were the parents of four children, as follows : Ingalls I. and Inez I., twins, of whom the former died in infancy ; Chester Eugene, before mentioned ; and Cyrus C, who died in 1881, when nearly twenty-one years old. The mother of this family died January 19, 1891. Inez I. Harrington is a highly cultivated and refined lady, possessed of many graces of mind and heart, and is held in cordial esteem by a wide circle of friends. In political action, Chester C. Harrington was identified with the Republican party. For a con- siderable period he served as Supervisor of Grand Detour and Nachusa Township, Lee County, and was the incumbent of several other township offices. His religious belief was in conformity with the creed of the Baptist Church. HARRISON, James F., Postmaster, Leaf River, Ogle County, 111. No story of the life of a self- made man could be so poorly told that it would be uninteresting and unedifying, if only it contained the true facts of the man's ca- reer. On this presentation, which far tran- scends mere assumption, it is the inten- tion of the writer to briefly outline the biography of the prominent citizen of Leaf River Town- ship whose name is mentioned above. James F. Harrison was born in this township January 11, 1857, a son of John and Catherine (Gerrick) Harrison. His father was of Scotch, and his mother of German nativity. They married in Pennsylvania in 1853 and came to Pecatonica, Winnebago County, 111., but about a year later removed to Ogle County, settling in Leaf River Township, where they lived the remainder of their lives. Mr. Harrison was a shoemaker by trade and had the first shoeshop at Lightville. When the village of Leaf River came into exist- ence they went there and kept a hotel known as the Leaf River House, where they both died — he about twenty years ago in his seventy-fourth year and she January 10, 1906, in her eighty- fourth year. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison had five children, of whom James F. was the fourth born. He was educated in the common schools, but beyond that he is extensively self-educated. He was teach- ing school before he was twenty-one years old and taught thirty-six terms of four months each in Leaf River Township, most of them in three districts. For more than twenty-eight years without an interruption, he held the office of Township Clerk. For nearly fifteen years he has been a member of the Republican County Committee. He was appointed Postmaster in 1892 nnd has held the office continuously to the present time. For about fifteen months he man- aged the hotel at Leaf River. He has been clerk of Camp No. 90, Modern Woodmen of America for ten years. January 8, 1880, Mr. Harrison married at Forreston. 111., Miss Mary Ellen Hehnan, a na- tive of Franklin County, Pa., and a daughter of Henry and Sidney (Beck) Helman. Mr. and Mrs. Helman died suddenly from paralysis after they had lived about thirty years in the town- ship. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison have three chil- dren named respectively in the order of their birth : Shelby M. ; Charles L., who married Miss Etta Koontz of Adeline, Ogle County'; and Grace A. HARTJE, August, one of the most industrious, persevering and thrifty farmers of Mount Mor- ris Township, Ogle County, 111., who began work in the county as a hired man and is now the owner of a finely improved farm, was born in Hanover, Germany, May 19, 1859, and was reared on a farm in the Fatherland. On Feb- ruary 2, 1879, he left his native country, and coming to the United States, proceeded directly to Freeport, 111., where he met a farmer who brought him to Adeline, Ogle County, and there he worked for the Zumdahl brothers for five years. After leaving them he was employed one year by Anton Piper. The first summer his wages were $12 per month, and in six years he saved $1,000. He had figured closely, and had money enough to buy stock and teams. He was married March 26, 1885, to Amedia Schnulle, a sister of Mrs. Anton Piper, who came to Ogle County in 1881, with her brother, Fred. Mr. Hartje rented, from John Harmon, the place where he now lives (the old Curry farm), three miles west of Mount Morris, and adjoining the Piper farm. He afterward bought of Mr. Harmon 115 acres of the land, paying for it in the course of time. He built a new house and rebuilt and enlarged the barn, and the property is now in fine condition. He has devoted his attention closely to his farming interests, and his labors have been rewarded by richly merited success, his reputation being that of one of the most thorough and successful farmers of the township. Mr. Hartje and his wife are without children of their own, but they have reared a niece of the latter, Amelia Piper, of whom they took charge when she was five years old. She is now a young lady of seventeen. Politically, Mr. Hartje is a supporter of the Democratic party. In religion, he was reared in the Luth- eran faith from the age of fourteen years. HASTINGS, Peter E. — Almost as inevitable as the fact that banking is the outgrowth of the need of its facilities, is the accompanying fact that banks are established and maintained by men who, because of the practical activity of their lives and the confidence which has grown out of their endeavors, have themselves helped to produce the extension of business in their lo- cality which makes possible successful banking undertakings. No exception to this rule is pre- sented in the Ogle County Bank, of Oregon, which owes its existence and subsequent man- agement to Peter E. Hastings, a man of the people, born in Rockvale Township, Ogle Coun- ty, July 30, 1851, the son of poor parents, the heir to large responsibilities and few advan- HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 913 tages in his youth, and whose rise is an expres- sion of courage and determination which cannot but inspire admiration and emulation in the youth of the rising generation. Edmund and Mary Ann (Sheaff) Hastings, parents of Peter B., came to Ogle County about 1849, settling on a tract of land in Rockvale Township, where the father died a couple of years later, being survived by his widow, who was born in New York State in 1824. Peter B. was left early to shift for himself, and such pre- liminary education as he received was during tie winter months at the district school, his labors as a farm-hand consuming practically all of his remaining time. Owing to his thrift and economy, he was enabled to pursue the higher branches at Mount Morris College for a year, but the monotony of farm work was not lifted from his shoulders until his twentieth year, when he went to Washington, D. C, and for a couple of years worked as a t:lerk in a grocery store. Returning to Illinois, he was employed in a general store in Rochelle for two years, and in the fall of 1875 went to Holcomb, Ogle County, and engaged in a general mercantile business for about four years. Early in 1880 he went to Beatrice, Neb., and after operating a general store there four years, returned to Ogle County, which since has been his home. In 1884, in partnership with Simon and Jo- seph Sheaff and John B. Seibert, Mr. Hastings organized the Ogle County Bank at Oregon, and in 1907 the bank was incorporated under the State law with Mr. Hastings as President, John Sheaff Cashier and G. R. Haas Assistant Cash- ier. The institution has had an uninterrupted career of prosperity, and enjoys a reputation in .keeping with the high character and strong financial standing of the men conducting its affairs. Mr. Hasting's interests, however, have been by no means confined to the arid business of banking, but have extended into many phases of municipal life and responsibility. His far- sightedness assumed local importance several years ago when, with F. G. Jones, he installed the electric plant at Oregon, this being one of the first started in this part of the State in a town of its size. He later disposed of his in- terest in the plant to Mr. Jones. Mr. Hastings has served one term as Alderman, and for twelve years was a member of the Board of Education. He is an extensive landed proprie- tor in Ogle County, and through his own efforts encourages scientific and practical agriculture. At Rochelle, Ogle County, in October, 1876, Mr: Hastings was united in marriage to Eliza- beth Bird, a native of Pennsylvania and daugh- ter of John T. and Mary (Beck) Bird, also born in the Quaker State and early settlers in Ogle County. Mr. Bird has made a place for himself among the substantial business men of Rochelle, where he was engaged in the banking and agricultural implement business for many years, and where his death occurred in 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Hastings are the parents of three , children : Mrs. Edith Nye, Elizabeth E., and Edmund A. The family find religious home in the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Hastings is high- ly appreciated both for his ability and charac- ter, and the accomplished purpose of his indus- trious life will be of enduring usefulness to the town and county. HATHAWAY, Mortimer D., Vice-President of the People's Loan and Trust Company, of Ro- chelle, 111., and a man of high business and so- cial standing in the community, was born in Ro- chelle, February 5, 1866, a son of Mortimer D. and Martha A. (Piatt) Hathaway, the former a native of Penn Yan, N. Y., and the latter born in New England. The father located in Rock- ford, 111., in 1854, and after studying law for two years, was admitted to the bar. In 1861 he changed his residence to Rochelle, there, contin- uing the practice of his profession and subse- quently becoming a member of the law firm of Hathaway & Baxter, which had a large patron- age for many years. He was chosen President of the Rochelle National Bank in 1S74, and continued in this capacity for many years. His death occurred February 19, 1896. He was a lawyer of superior attainments and forceful qual- ities, a sagacious and reliable financier and, in both spheres of effort, was regarded as one of the most prominent and successful men in his section of the State. Politically, he was an ac- tive and influential Democrat, repeatedly repre- senting his district in State Conventions, and, in 1878, being his party's candidate for Repre- sentative in Congress from the Fifth District. His worthy widow still survives, occupying the old family home on the corner of New Holland and Bartholomew Streets, in Rochelle. Four children were born to them, namely : Grace, Mortimer D., jr., Frank B. and Kate D. The subject of this sketch received an excellent common school education. At the age of seven- teen years he entered the service of the Rochelle National Bank, of which his father was the head, and when twenty-three years old, had passed through all the grades up to that of Cashier. In July, 1899, he severed his connec- tion with the institution, selling his interest. In 1894, Mr. Hathaway was united in mar- riage with Elizabeth Vallon, who was born in Rochelle, 111., a daughter of Adolph Vallon. From this union three children have been bom: Mor- timer D., Jr., Roderick D. and Charles F. Mr. Hathaway has gained an enviable reputation as a capable and enterprising business man, and in social circles, he and his amiable wife are the objects of cordial regard. HAYES, Charles F., one of the well known, en- terprising and prosperous representatives of the agricultural element in the northern portion of Ogle County, 111., was born on his present home- stead in Section 4, White Rock Township, Ogle County, June 26, 1856, his birth taking place in a building now used as a granary. He is a son of John and Jane (Weeks) Hayes, detailed men- tion of whose lives is made, together with par- ticulars concerning the entire Hayes family, in a biographical record of Emery C. Hayes, ap- pearing in this connection. John Hayes came 914 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. from Ohio to Illinois in 1837, to see the country, having two uncles who had previously located in Ogle County. He selected government land around which he plowed a boundary expecting to hold it, but did not remain. His reports on returning to Licking County, Ohio, however, in- duced his father and family, who lived there, to move to Ogle County. He went to the South- ern States, but returning to Ogle County about the year ' 1841, took up a tract of land which is included in the present farm of the subject of this sketch. This farm consists of 320 acres, 80 acres of which was in timber, situated in the northern part of White Rock Grove, and adjoin- ing the home of Capt. John Campbell, who was killed by the Driscolls, in 1841. John Hayes was living on the place at that time. Later, he built a granary on the site of the present resi- dence, three-quarters of a mile east of his for- mer location, and, in 1860, erected the stone res- idence which now stands on the property. This house, constructed of stone quarried within a few miles of the spot and dressed on the prem- ises, is of two stories, 36 by 40 feet in dimen- sions, and is surmounted by a cupola. It became a landmark, and is the center of observation for miles, in every direction. Notwithstanding the lapse of time, it is still an imposing structure. After living on the farm until 1878, John Hayes went to Sioux Falls, S. D., where he followed farming, and was also engaged in the buggy trade. Six years later he removed to Califor- nia, where his death occurred on May 12, 1894, at the age of seventy-eight years, nine months and twenty days, his birth having taken place July 2, 1815. His first wife passed away about the year 1864, when forty years old. His second wife was Maria Carter, who died one year after their marriage. His third wife before their mar- riage was a widow named Lovisa Jane Sears. His fourth wife, Martha Jane,' to whom he was married in South Dakota, is living, her home being in California. By the first marriage he had five children, as follows : Henry Martin, who died May 14, 1884, at the age of forty years ; Harriet Elizabeth, widow of Lewis Jones, of Calistoga, Cal. ; Sarah Jane (Mrs. Lorenzo Jones), of Sioux Falls, S. D. ; Gilbert, who farm- ed at different times in Iowa, South Dakota and California, and died in the last named state ; and Charles F. The second marriage resulted in one son, Elmer Grant, a minister of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, at Canton, S. D. ; and one son was born of the third union, named Ezra, who is a merchant at Calistoga, Cal. On removing to South Dakota the father left two sons in Ogle County, Henry M., whose farm was in Scott Township, and Charles F., who was living on the old homestead. The lat- ter operated the home farm for three years be- fore his marriage, having bought the property. Besides his general farming operations, which have been very successful, Mr. Hayes feeds con- siderable stock and raises cattle and horses, es- pecially roadsters and farm horses. All his un- dertakings have met with good results, and he is recognized as one of the prosperous and substan- tial farmers of his locality. On December 27, 1881, Mr. Hayes was united in marriage with Margaret Goetz, a daughter of Jacob and Lena (Handschuh) Goetz, natives of Germany. The parents of Mrs. Hayes emi- grated to the United States at an early period, each coming separately and single. Their mar- riage took place in Pennsylvania, and they lo- cated in Ogle County, 111., about the year 1852, her father entering government land in the northeast corner of Section 4, White Rock Town- ship, the old farm being now owned by their son, George. Jacob Goetz died at Holcomb, 111., in 1896, when sixty-eight years old, and his widow is still living in that place at the age of seventy- eight years. Mrs. Hayes was born on the Goetz farm, where she grew to womanhood, attending the same school as her husband, and both have spent all their lives on the same section of land. To them have been born six children, as follows : Calvin Leroy, Eva Lena, Margaret May, Earl Melville, Pearl Amelia and Carroll Victor. The eldest son, Calvin L., was educated with a view to mechanical pursuits, and is now an electrician located at McKinley, Minn. ; Eva is a trained nurse in the Rockford (111.) City Hospital; Mar- garet M. is a student in Wheaton College ; and Earl M. is on the home farm. Pearl A. is with her parents. In politics, Mr. Hayes is not a strict partisan, but is classed as a Republican, with a strong leaning toward the prohibition cause. Mrs. Hayes is active in religious work, being a mem- ber of the Evangelical Church in Holcomb. HAYES, Emery Chester, one of the few surviv- ing of the honored pioneer residents of Ogle County, 111., for a long period a successful and extensive farmer in White Rock Township, and now a venerable and profoundly respected citi- zen of the village of Kings, where he is passing his waning years in comfortable and contented retirement, was born in Jersey Township, Lick- ing County, Ohio, May 27, 1S27. He is a son of Richard and Hannah (Noe) Hayes, the father being a native of Ireland, who came to the United States when a boy, and the birth of the mother occurring in New Jersey, where on reaching years of maturity, their marriage took place. In 1812 or 1813 they went to Ohiorwhere the father whose occupation had been that of a shoemaker, turned his attention to farming. In 1839 he left that State, journeying to Illinois. While he was a resident of Ohio his son John had spent some time in the Southern States, and had also visited his uncles, Jephtha and Cummins Noe. who had settled at Jefferson Grove, Ogle County, 111., four miles east of Rochelle, in 1834. Jeptha Noe hav- ing built the first house at "The Grove." John Hayes staked a land claim in the same locality, and in consequence of a favorable report made by him in regard to the inducements offered in that region, several other settlers were attracted thither. Among these were Ebenezer Noe and Michael Cheshire, the latter not long married. / / 'A&Ts HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 915 Cyrus Cook was also a pioneer in the new set- tlement, together with his wife, Phoebe, a daughter of Richard Hayes. All of them made the journey in one party, and were on the way three weeks during the month of September, 1S39, using five covered wagons. The Hayes family, as well as part of the others, located in White Rock Township. The land upon which they settled was put upon the market that year, and Richard Hayes went with others to Galena, 111., to effect their purchase at the Government Land Office. Peter Smith, also well known in that vicinity in the early days, arrived in the course of the same season. Richard Hayes en- tered up a quarter-section for his son John, the tract being a part of what the latter had se- lected three years previously. The former set- tled on Section 6, in the western part of White Rock Township, and John secured another piece of landfin the northern part of the township, on which he built the "big stone house." In 1856 Richard Hayes, having sold his farm, built a dwelling on forty acres belonging to the subject of this sketch (but which he had leased), and lived there for many years. His death occurred at the home of his son Hiram, when he had reached an advanced age. His family consisted of the following children, namely : John ; Phoebe, who married Cyrus Cook, and died in Illinois ; Hulda, who became the wife of Arza Noe, and died in Vinton, Iowa ; Hiram ; Emery C. ; David ; Mary, widow of Samuel Ward, of California ; Mima, wife of John Gilchrist, of the same State ; and Lucinda, widow of Bolivar Roe (a son of Dr. Roe), an early settler of Lighthouse. John Hayes had a farm in the northern part of White Rock Township, but moved to Sioux Falls, Dak., and afterward to California, where he died. The maiden name of his wife was Jane Weeks. His son, Charles F., is on the old farm. Hiram owned a farm a mile east of Kings, and there died about the year 1889. All of his family left the township. His homestead is owned by his nephew, Charles E. Hayes. David H. lives in The southwestern portion of the same township. Emery C. Hayes remained at home until he was eighteen years old, and then started out for himself, working as a farm hand for two years near Ottawa, ill., and later being employed in cutting cord-wood on an island in the Illinois River. In 1848 he entered up a tract of 340 acres of government land in Section 20, White Rock Township, which he developed into a farm. His place was surrounded on all sides by gov- ernment land, most of which was shortly after- ward taken up with Mexican War land war- rants by Dr. R. S. Maloney. a well known pioneer who lived at Belvidere, 111. Neigh- bors were few and far between from Kings Point west to Brady's Grove. In 1855 he traded "his farm for a part of his present property, -which was the same tract originally entered up by his father for John Hayes, as before men- tioned, and which had remained uncleared. He settled on the edge of a fine grove of hickory tim- ber, and cleared and improved the place, making a fine farm on which he lived until 1904. He increased the extent of his landholdings, buying 160 acres from his uncle at about six dollars per acre, paying $600 in cash, and ultimately became the. owner of 400 acres. In course of time he built a creamery, which he carried on several years, and which was finally destroyed by fire, the total loss being nearly $6,000. He devoted much of his attention to breeding Polled-Angus cattle, and was also engaged to a considerable extent in feeding stock. His son, Emery L., is now operating the farm. About- the year 1853, the subject of this sketch made the first drilled well in White Rock Township. He learned about this time that the original land warrant to 160 acres of his on Section 26 was a forgery and, as a result, he was forced to borrow money at three per cent, per month and hire a man to go to Springfield and again buy the land on which he had paid taxes for several years. On March 18, 1848, Emery C. Hayes was unit- ed in marriage with Charity Ann Mayberry, a daughter of Richard Mayberry, of Flagg Town- ship, Ogle County, and a native of New Jersey, who was brought to Illinois by her parents in her girlhood. Eleven children resulted from this union, as follows: Mary Ann, wife of El- bert Lair, of Rockford. Iowa ; Delphine. who is at home; Elizabeth, wife of Robert Lilly, who died in her fortieth year ; Frank, who lives on the old homestead; Henry, whose home is at Kings, Ogle County; Charles, who owns the Hi- ram Hayes farm; Ella, who died at the age of sixteen vears; Mattie, who married Riley Mills, and resides at Rockford, 111. ; Flora, wife of Charles Talbot, of Lynnville Township, Ogle County; Emery L.. who. as before stated, is op- erating his father's farm; and Elsie, of Rock- ford, 111., who became the wife of Horace Elliott. In politics, Emery C. Hayes is an old-time Re- publican, having voted at every presidential election since the organization of his party. For four terms he served in the capacity of Justice of the Peace, and has faithfully discharged the duties of several township offices. He has long been a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal Church in (he village of Kings, Ogle County. HAYS, Charles W., farmer, Buffalo Township, Ogle County, 111. The family of Hays (the name is variously spelled) is well known in all parts of the United States, and there is no field of hu- man endeavor in which men of the name have not been conspicuously successful. The name has been made eminent in the law, in medicine, in the pulpit, in statesmanship, in all the learned professions, in art and literature. The genealo- gy of the family is especially interesting be- cause it is impossible to trace any line of it without coming upon information as edifying as it is interesting. The family is represented in Ogle County in more than one of its branches. We have here to deal somewhat with the family history of the late John Hays, more particularly with that of his son Charles W. Hayes. John Hays was born in Maryland and on De- cember 15/ 1858, married Harriet Coffman. a 916 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. native of that State. He came to Ogle County In 1854 and it was not until after that date that he forsook bachelorhood. He settled first in 1'ine Creek Township, but after four years' resi- dence there, he removed to Buffalo Township, where he acquired a good property and lived un- til within a few years of his death. Then retir- ing from active life, he lived out his remaining days in Pine Creek Township in a home just across the road from his earlier residence, in tvhich he died .in his sixty-third year. Mr. and Mrs. Hays had two children, Charles W. and Margaret. The latter is the wife of Samuel Artz of Buffalo 'Township. Charles W. Hays was born in Pine Creek Township, December 15, 1859. He acquired his education in the public schools near his home, meanwhile assisting his father in farming oper- ations until he was twenty-seven years old. At that time, by both precept and experience, he was an exceptionally good farmer, and his en- tire life to the present time has been devoted with gratifying success to farming and stock- raising. He owns about 300 acres of fine land, including his father's old homestead, on which he has erected commodious modern buildings. By reading and otherwise he has kept abreast of ail advancement in agriculture, and is fully informed as to the latest and best methods which have grown up in the most up-to-date farming. He takes an active interest in everything af- fecting the well-being of his township and his neighbors, and he and his wife are consistent and helpful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Hays married Miss Emma V. Bomberger in Buffalo Township, December 14, 1886, and they have children named Bryant, Harold, Ed- ward and Max. Mrs. Hays was born in Ogle County, a daughter of Elias and Elizabeth Bom- berger of Pine Creek Township, both living in that township. HEDRICK, George Morton. — What was known as the Maryland Colony of Ogle County contain- ed many of the foremost agriculturists, politi- cians and general upbuilders of that section of the State. These tireless and, in most instances, capable seekers after homes and fortunes, and these early promoters of much of the prosperity which we of the present enjoy, had no more representative members than those comprising the Hedrick family, chief among whom were Benjamin T. and Ann (Shryock) Hedrick, and the former's brother, Alexander Hedrick, and his family. Benjamin and Alexander Hedrick each bought sections of land adjoining each other, on the prairie in Lincoln Township, seven miles west of Mount Morris and six miles north- east of Polo, and subsequently Benjamin T. bought two other sections, which made him one of the largest land-owners in Ogle County. All of this land was in the same township, and Ben- jamin made many improvements on his property, taking great pride in its tillage, products and general neat appearance. Eventually he retired from active management of his farms to the village of Polo, and here his death occurred at the age of eighty-three years. He was a Repub- lican in politics and was Supervisor of Mount Morris Township before the organization of Lin- coln Township. , Besides George Morton, his old- est son, he had a daughter, Lucy, an unmarried lady of Polo; a son, Allen M., who lives in Cal- ifornia ; and a son, Walter K., who lives in Chamberlain, S. D. Alexander Hedrick had four sons in the Union army during the Civil War, and died during that period of small-pox. George Morton Hedrick was born in Washing- ton County, Md., and was two years old when the family came to Illinois. His youth was un- eventful, being devoted chiefly to helping his father on the home farm and attending the dis- trict school. At the age of twenty-seven years he established a home of his own marrying his first cousin, Martha Shryock, daughter of his maternal uncle, John Shryock. Martha Shryock was born at Gettysburg, Pa., December 4, 1847, was raised at Johnstown, Pa., and, in 1869, came to Illinois to visit relatives, her marriage occurring the following year. Mr. and Mrs. Hedrick settled on a farm adjoining the old Hedrick farm in Lincoln Township, and from that time until the death of the former, Decem- ber 26, 1899, was engaged in general farming and stock-raising. Mr. Hedrick was prominent and successful, and a progressive power in the community. He sustained the family reputation for broad usefulness 1 and unquestioned integrity, and he certainly left the world better for his having lived in it. Of the five children born to himself and wife : Harry S., who lives in Cham- berlain, S. D., married Grace Kitzmiiler, of Ogle County, and have two children, Francis and Lu- cille ; Anna is the wife of C. E. Bamorough, of Polo ; Ross R., is a farmer in Lincoln Township, Ogle County, married Ollie O'Kane and has one child, Pauline; Ray D., is engaged in farming on the old home place and married Letta David- son ; they have one child, Max ; Florence is a student in the Polo High School. HEDRICK, Ross R. — Inheritance has made of Ross R. Hedrick a natural farmer ; ability and concentration have brought him success, and ed- ucation and experience have developed him into one of the best informed and thoroughly trained residents of Lincoln Township. Owing to his ability to rise above the limitations of his youth and to make the most of his environing opportu- nities, Mr. Hedrick is the owner of 470 acres of land, and one must travel far to find a prop- erty more carefully and scientifically managed or profitably operated. Mr. Hedrick was born on the old homestead of his parents, George M. and Martha (Shryock) Hedrick, in Lincoln Township, July 29, 1878, and ever since has made this township his home. George M. Hedrick was born in Maryland and came to Ogle county with his parents when two years old. Benjamin Hedrick, the grandfather of Ross R., was one of the very early settlers of Lincoln Township, and the family is thus one HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 917 of the very old and also substantial ones of the community. George M. died after his retirement to Polo, at the age of about fifty-six years. He was a general farmer and stock raiser, and be- came known as an uncompromising Republican, although never au office-seeker. Of his five liv- ing children, Harry S. is the oldest ; Anna is the wife of C. B. Bamborough ; the others being Ross R.. Ray D. and Florence, of whom Flor- ence is the only child living at home. One child died in infancy. In addition to receiving a practical education in the public schools of Lincoln Township, Ross R. Hedirck attended the Agricultural College at Lansing. Mich., making a specialty of the nur- sery business and stock-raising. He finished at the Polo High School with a good average, and, ever since arriving at an appreciation of the value of knowledge, has been an earnest student along many lines of human endeavor. For the five years previous to his marriage, May 3, 1904, he had the entire management of the home farm, and thereafter settled upon his present farm, where his comparatively brief occupancy has wrought many important changes. Before her marriage Mrs. Hedrick was Olive O'Kane, born in Eagle Point Township May 16, 1880, a daugh- ter of Harry M. and Ellen (Light) O'Kane. She is the mother of a daughter, Dorothy Pauline. At the present time Mr. Hedrick holds the of- fice of Township Assessor, School Director and Justice of the Peace, having been elected to the latter office in the spring of 1907. He is keenly interested in the political and general upbuild- ing of the community, and especially is a pro- moter of schools, for the present high standard of which he is entitled to a large share of credit. With his wife he is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. HERB, Miss Eliza, one of the old residents and most highly esteemed ladies of Ogle County, still residing in Brookville Township, was born in Northumberland County, Pa., in July, 1833, a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Zartman) Herb, "both natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. Herb owned a store and mill in Pennsylvania, but went west to Ogle County, and purchased a water power grist-mill in Brookville Township, to which he brought his family in 1846. They made the trip principally by water to St. Louis, and from there came by land to Ogle County. Mr. Herb began to operate his mill and thus continued until his death. He also built a store which he ran in connection with his mill, and became very suc- cessful. His first wife died in 1855, having borne him four children : Daniel, who died in young manhood ; Isaac, Sarah and Eliza. Later Mr. Herb married Mrs. Elizabeth Baumgardner, widow of the Rev. Baumgardner. During his res- idence in Ogle, Mr. Herb acquired about 600 acres of land. Miss Eliza Herb was educated in the schools of Pennsylvania and Illinois, and had the ad- vantage of a year at school in Chicago. After her mother's death, she kept house for her father for one of two years, and then for twelve years made her home with her sister., Mrs. Andrew Wolf. When the wife of her brother Isaac died, Miss Herb went to his home and for many years remained in charge of his household, with loving care rearing his children, who loved her as a mother. She now makes her home with her nephew Joseph, who owns the original home- stead. Miss Herb has been a member of the United Evangelical Church for many years, and has been very faithful to it. She is an educated lady, kind-hearted, gentle and devoted to her family, and is beloved throughout the entire neighborhood for her many excellent oualities. HERB, Isaac. — The life which this narrative depicts began in Northumberland County, Pa., February 20, 1831, and closed in Ogle County. 111., March 24, 1904. The head of the preceding generation was Samuel, whose father, Daniel Herb, born in the East, died there in 1844. Northumberland County was the native home of Samuel, who there married, March 17, 1829, Miss Mary Zartman, likewise a native of that county. As early as 1846 the family came from the East to Illinois and settled in Ogle County, where Samuel purchased the old Chambers mill from Mrs. Chambers, the widow of the original owner. At that time Mrs. Chambers was very advanced in age and she died the following year in the Herb home, where she had remained after the sale of the property. On coming from the east Samuel Herb brought wtih him a stock of merchandise, and this he placed in a part of his house at first, but in 1857 built a store at Brookville and afterward car- ried on a large business among the early set- tlers. In those days Brookville was a much more important business town than now, its lo- cation on the old Galena road favoring the growth of profitable trade. Goods were hauled from Chicago and Galena, and the trip to the latter town was usually made with a load of flour. Before leaving Pennsylvania he had en- gaged in the milling business, but bad depended upon help to operate his mill, and he followed somewhat similar plans in Illinois, giving his personal attention to the store, while experi- enced assistants carried on his saw and flouring mills. During 1870 he built a new mill and suc- ceeded in getting the plant in practical working condition before his death, which occurred two years later, at the age of sixty-six years. With his other enterprises Samuel Herb had not neglected to invest in land and, at his death, owned about 600 acres. In political belief he voted with the Republican party ; in religion was of the Evangelical faith and donated the ground for the church and the cemetery of that sect, also aided generously in the building of the first and second houses of worship. Before leaving Pennsylvania he met Bishop John Seybert, of the Evangelical Association, who promised to come to Ogle County the following June and as- sist in starting a congregation of that faith. The appointment was kept and a congregation was organized, of which Mr. Herb was a charter member, and for years his house was headquar- !US HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. ters for visiting preachers. To him religion was the most vital point in life, rising above all other matters in importance, and he was always ready to discuss religious questions, preferring to con- verse concerning the Scriptures rather than to sell goods to a customer. His first wife died July 4, 1853, and later he married Elizabeth Baumgardner, who survived him some years. His eldest son, Daniel, married Amelia Kimmer- ling and both died young, leaving two daughters ; a son, Joseph, died in infancy, and one of the daughters died a few years after her parents. The second son, Isaac, is represented in this sketch. The older daughter, Sarah, is the widow of Andrew Wolf, of Polo. She had three chil- dren, two of whom are living. The youngest daughter, Eliza, is unmarried. On the death of Samuel Herb, his son Isaac bought the interest of the other heirs in the es- tate, and afterward conducted the mill until it was burned, February 21, 1887. Included in his possessions was a farm of more than 500 acres in one body, and on that place in 1892 he erected an elegant residence. For a long period he en- gaged extensively in feeding and shipping stock, but for ten years prior to his demise he lived in retirement. Like his father, he had no political ambitions and took no part in public affairs aside from voting the Republican ticket. His marriage, January 10, I860, united him with Sarah Ann Messner, daughter of John and An- na M. (Bonovitz) Messner, of Dauphin County, Pa., who came to Ogle County during the same year with the Herb family. Mrs. Sarah Ann Herb died July 21, 1873, after which Miss Eliza Herb assumed the care of the children and be- came her brother's housekeeper. The eldest son of Isaac Herb was Aaron C, who became interested in ranching near Hast- ings, Neb., where he remained for four years. His death occurred at Elbert, Colo., August 10, 1888, at the age of about twenty-seven years. The second son, Samuel, became a physician and made his home for a few years at Geneva, Neb., but death terminated his professional career at Lancaster, Pa., December 22, 1899, when he was thirty-seven years of age. Luella married Dr. W. H. Miller, of Shannon, 111., who died at Chadwick, 111., January 24, 1900, at the age of forty-five. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Miller has continued to make her home at Chad- wick, Carroll County, where she has charge of the Bell and Mutual Telephone Exchanges. Both before and after her marriage she taught music and was well trained in that art. A younger daughter, Mary C. died before the de- mise of her mother. The youngest son, Joseph D., was born November 6, 1870, and is now the sole representative of the family in Ogle Coun- ty. Having purchased the interests of the other heirs in the estate, he continues to operate the old homestead, the size of which he has reduced to 200 acres. Stock-raising is his principal oc- cupation and he makes a specialty of sheep. Though not solicitous for office, he has consent- ed to fill a number of local positions of trust, and has kept posted concerning the issues con- fronting our Government at the present era. Among his acquaintances he has a reputation as an energetic, resourceful and capable agricul- turist and a patriotic citizen. HERRICK, Carlos. — The surging and many- sided events which have characterized the growth of Ogle Count}' for the past thirty-five years, have not served to obliterate from the memory of the contemporaries who survive him the genial nature and sturdy efforts of Carlos Herrick. This erstwhile civil engineer, grain mer- chant, and all around progressive citizen, de- parted this life June 28, 1873, at the age of thir- ty-five years, having been born in Morrisville, Vermont, May 2, 1838. He was of English an- cestry, his American progenitor having been Henerie Herrick, who settled in Salem, Mass., in 1629. The youth of Mr. Herrick was overshadowed by the death of his mother when he was seven years old, and by the death of his father when he was fourteen. Drifting uneventfully through his 'teens, he became a civil engineer, and event- ually accompanied Solon Cummings to Illinois, where he engaged with Mr. Cummings in the grain and lumber business at Polo. Later he be- came the partner of R. Wagner in the grain and lumber business, and during the Civil War was given large government contracts for grain. He sustained at times serious losses, but was even tempered, as became a man who had selected a purely speculative line of business. Possibly through too close confinement to business affairs, he developed pulmonary trouble, and in the hope of overcoming the same visited California, Col- orado and Minnesota, all to no avail. He was a patient sufferer during the last months of his life, and his untimely taking off left a void in the hearts of a host of friends and well wishers. The married life of Mr. Herrick, though nec- essarily brief, was a decidedly happy one, the ceremony uniting him to Eliza A. Perley. oc- curring at Livermore, Maine, August 28. 1862. Mr. Herrick met his future wife at Henry, 111., where both were visiting. She is a graduate of a school in Livermore, and a schoolmate of mem- bers of the Washburn family, including Hon. E. B. Washburn, former United States Senator from Illinois, and Hon William D. Washburn, now of Minneapolis, Minn. The Washburn sis- ters were close friends of both Mr. and Mrs. Herrick. She also attended the Gorham Sem- inary in Maine, and Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio. Mrs. Herrick is closely identi- fied with temperance issues in Illinois, and for thirteen years was President of the local W. C. T. U. She has attended several conventions of the association, and still keeps up her active in- terest in the same. She is the devoted mother of two children, of whom Carlos Perley Herrick is engaged in the grain and stock business at Polo, and May E. is the wife of C. E. Mohr, Vice-President and treasurer of the Challenge Wind Mill Company, of Batavia, 111. U « > o X V, w H K > »-3 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 919 HESSENIUS, Ben. — Grit, determination and initiative are among the leading traits thus far evidenced in the career of Ben Hessenius, owner and operator of a farm of 170 acres near Bailey- ville, Ogle County, purchased thirty-three years ago by his father-in-law, Lewis Fosha. Mr. Hes- senius swells the long list of Frieslanders whose efforts have redounded to the well being of Ogle County, and who, coming here many times in direst poverty, have become in many instances the largest tax-payers and most enlightened citi- zen of their neighborhood. Mr. Hessenius was born in Lier, Ost Priesland, northern Netherlands, November 19, 1865, and in 1892 left the land of his forefathers to join the large colony of his countrymen who were pros- pering in Ogle County. January 26, 1898, he was united in marriage to Gazina Fosha, daugh- ter of Lewis and Wendelena Fosha, who was born August 22, 1868. A year after his marriage Mr. Hessenius came to his present farm, which adjoins that of his sister, Mrs. Oltmanns, and since has made a specialty of high-grade stock, including horses, cattle and hogs. Mr. Hessen- ius is a careful and painstaking farmer, mindful of small details, and living always within his in- come. He is an enthusiastic farmer, appreci- ates the dignity and usefulness of his calling, and views with pleasure the prospect of training his two sons, Lewis and George, to follow his meritorious example. This successful stock- raiser is not particularly interested in politics, and is averse to office-holding, feeling that his home and farm are entitled to all of the time and energy he has to bestow. He is respected for his uprightness and integrity, for his genial manner and generous disposition. HILB, Emanuel, President of the Rochelle Na- tional Bank, an old resident of Rochelle, 111., where he was long a prosperous merchant, and, in later years one of the most trusted and able fi- nanciers of Ogle County, is a native of Germany, and came to the United States in 1854, at the age of twenty years, without money or friends. His first work in Ogle County was as clerk in a clothing establishment, and in 1859 he located in Rochelle, opening a store in that line of trade. Starting on a small scale, by energy, persever- ance and close application to business details, he built up a successful enterprise, and contin- ued prospering until 1886, when his brother, Adolph Hilb, who had become a salesman with him in 1866, bought the store. It is still in op- eration, being now conducted by Hilb & Klein, forty-eight years from the time of its inception, and is the oldest concern of its kind in Rochelle. Emauel Hilb is one of the original stockhold- ers of the Rochelle National Bank, in which he has been a director for more than twenty-five years. In 1898 he was unanimously chosen Pres- ident of the bank, and to the duties of this posi- tion has since devoted a large portion of his at- tention, although he has also extensive real es- tate interests, and is the owner of a fine farm in the immediate vicinity of Rochelle. In politics, the subject of this sketch is a Re- publican. In early years he served as City Al- derman, and has also held the office of City Treasurer. He has amassed a handsome fortune, and his highly creditable career, unaided by ad- ventitious fortune, is solely the result of those inherent ciualiiies which invariably command success. In the ripe fullness of his years, he may well look back with something of just pride toward the strenuous exertions of his early days in the country to which he came as an utter stranger destitute of pecuniary resources, and may indulge in pardonable self-congratulation upon the results which have crowned his labors. HILL, Peter 0. (deceased), for many years an industrious and highly respected farmer in De- ment Township, Ogle County, 111., a gallant vet- eran of the Civil War. a man who made his own way unaided in the world, and one who enjoyed the confidence and good will of all who knew him, was born in Norway, March 1, 1835. His youth was spent in his native country, a part of the time being passed in farm work and the re- mainder in sailing along the coast as a fisher- man, the latter occupation occupying his atten- tion for three years. When about twenty years of age he came to the United States, and pro- ceeding to Illinois was employed as a farm hand until the beginning of the Civil War. In the spring of 1861 he enlisted in Company I, Fourth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, in which he served about two- years. He was then trans- ferred to the gun-boat Cairp. which was subse- quently blown up on the Yazoo River in front of Vicksburg. He served on another gun-boat until his term of enlistment expired, and, on his discharge, returned to Illinois and again ap- plied himself to farm labor. A short time after- wards he bought 160 acres of lad on Section 35, in Dement Township, on which he put up neat and substantial buildings and made many other necessary improvements. There he carried on fanning with profitable results during the rest of his life. He was a very diligent, persevering and thrifty farmer, as well as a man of kindly disposition and upright character. The duties devolving upon him as a citizen were faithfully discharged, the public affairs of the township were always matters of serious interest to him, and he was looked upon as a useful member of the community. On February 5, 1866, at Dixon, 111., Mr. Hill was joined in matrimony with Osey Espe, who was born in Norway, December 11, 1842. To this union were born eleven children, as follows : Lincoln. Oscar C. Josephine O, Peter O., Jr., Carrie O., Emma M. (deceased), Charles O., Jo- seph O. (deceased), Anna E., Joseph O. and Roy- al E. The death of Emma occurred March 22. 1896, at twenty-one years of age, and the first Joseph O. died June 15, 1880. The father of this family departed this life April 14, 1890. Mrs. Hill, who still survives, residing on the old homestead, is the object of sincere respect among nil her neighbors. She is a devoted member of the Lutheran Church, as also was her husband. 920 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. HILLER, Edward (deceased), Leaf River Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. In earlier days, before the business of milling had been placed on its present footing and when transportation facili- ties were so inadequate that a mill was necessa- ry in every neighborhood, the miller was a man of great importance in his community and the business everywhere attracted capital and brains. The well remembered citizen whose name ap- pears above, was one a leader in this industry. Edward Hiller was born in Baden, Germany, March 21, 1831, and came with his parents to America in 1837, settling in North Grove, Ogle County. In 1854 Mr. Hiller married, at Free- port, 111., Miss Mary A. Schreiber and they had seven sons and six daughters. He was a farmer exclusively until 1864, when he removed to Iowa and engaged in milling. In 1878 he went from Iowa to Missouri, where he lived until 1881, when he returned to Ogle County and built the Leaf River Roller Mill. During his active life he built and operated seven flour mills and two sawmills in the States of Kansas, Iowa, Mis- souri and Illinois. A man of enterprise and force of character, he was always planning and carrying out worthy business projects, and though he met with some reverses, he was of too stern stuff to weakly succumb to them. His education was limited, but by reading and obser- vation he became well-informed. About this time Mr. Hiller did considerable teaming to and from Chicago, a distance of 100 miles. In 1850 after spending two years in the lead mines near Ga- lena, he made an overland trip to California with an ox-team, which was marked by many hardships and perils. In 1871 he visited Europe, and what he saw there was of the greatest in- terest to him, as he was blessed by the posses- sion of a thoughtful and practical mind and found edification in a comparison of conditions in the old world with the conditions in our newer country. He was an earnest Christian and an indefatigable Bible reader. The last two years of his life were spent in the home of his daugh- ter, the amiable and accomplished wife of Mar- tin Light, of Leaf River Township. His widow, with whom he traveled life's pathway more than fifty years, survives. He is buried by the side of his parents in the Adeline Cemetery. At his passing, many a Christian man and woman who had long known him was impelled to repeat : "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." He died October 3, 1907, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. A biographical sketch of Martin Light, his son-in-law, will be found in its proper order in this volume. HITT, Robert Roberts.— In the issue of the "Ogle County Republican," of December, 24, 1903, appeared a communication addressed to the editor of that paper, consisting of a careful and comprehensive estimate of the public ser- vices of the Honorable Robert Roberts Hitt, written by Mr. Horace G. Kauffman. of Oregon, and afterwards published by other papers of the region. The death of Mr. Hit! occurred on Sep- tember 20, 1906. On the 17th of February fol- lowing, the House of Representatives met in special session in memory of this recently de- ceased and honored member. His successor, the present member of the House from the Thir- teenth Congressional District, of Illinois, made a memorial address at this special session. This address by Col. F. O. Lowden, and the estimate by Mr. Kauffman, together, make so complete a presentation of the life and work of the late Hon. R. R. Hitt, that they are given in full to make up the sketch of him for this chapter. Mr. Lowden's address is as follows : "An old Roman once said that man was to be likened to a sentinel on duty, obliged to stay at his post until summoned hence by his com- mander. Perplexities might come, ill health might press him down, but he is bound, smiling- ly, if he can, patiently anyway, to bear the bur- dens of the earth until released from above. The man whose name we affectionately take up- on our lips today, whose image is in our hearts, illustrated by his life and death this everlasting truth. More than a decade ago death was very near him, and during the time that since has intervened, he knew that he was under sentence to die almost any day. And yet, never was he more useful to his country than during these years. He was, in very truth, a sentinel on guard, and serenely served his country and his time until the summons came. There is nothing which more dignifies man, which more benefits the world, than obedience to the law of service until the very end of life. The young can ex- hibit no triumph of mind which, in sublimity, equals that of the old man — old as the world measures age — who looks point-blank into eter- nity and genially and graciously helps to bear the burdens of the world. Robert Roberts Hitt was fine in his splendid youth ; he was finer still in his latest years. Though he knew that death had but given him truce, he lavished the best that was in him upon his country, family and friends. He made it easier for all of us to meet old age and to meet it with a smile. Never were Itis perceptions keener, his charity broader, nor his affections deeper than during the very last year he walked the earth. His soul never shone more resplendent than at this time, though his feeble body was galloping to the grave. Then why shall we not believe that he survived the clay where he once abode and that we shall meet him yet again? "Robert Roberts Hitt was born at Urbana, Ohio, January 16, 1834. His parents were Rev. Thomas H. Hitt and Emily (John) Hitt. The former was a minister of the Methodist Church. When young Robert was three years of age his parents migrated to Ogle County, 111., and set- tled at Mount Morris. Thomas Hitt was de- scribed by those who knew him as a man of high character and ideals, devoted to his work. The pioneer preacher in every stage of the de- velopment of this country has borne a conspic- uous part; Thomas Hitt was a fine type of his class. The mother of Robert was a woman of HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 921 great intellectual ability and beauty of charac- ter. This Is the uniform testimony of those who knew her best. "Young Hltt was educated at Rock River Seminary and at De Pauw University. During his college course he grew deeply interested in the stenographic art and became a very accom- plished shorthand reporter. He preserved to history the Lincoln-Douglas debates of fifty- eight, and it is said that Mr. Lincoln never arose to speak during that epoch-making time until he had assured himself that "Bob" Hitt was present and at his post. To us of Illinois he seemed the closest link between the martyred Lincoln and the times we call our own. The con- fidence in and friendship for Hitt which Lincoln cherished, the reverence which Hitt felt for Lin- coln, who once was ours and now belongs to the world, made Lincoln seem very near to us in- deed. "Mr. Hitt was first secretary of legation at Paris from 1874 to 1881, and charge d'affaires a part of that time. He was First Assistant Sec- retary of State under Blaine during Garfield's Administration. He was elected to Congress from the old Ninth Illinois district in 1882, and served continuously until the time of his death, September 20, 1906. He became Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the begin- ning of the Fifty-first Congress. He was ap- pointed in July, 1898, by President McKinley, member of the commission to establish govern- ment in the Sandwich Islands. During the last years of his life he was also Regent of the Smithsonian Institution. "Mr. Hitt was married in 1874 to Miss Sallie Reynolds, a lady of great beauty, charm of man- ner, and cultivation of mind, who, with two sons, Reynolds and William F., survive him. His home was a happy one. Those who were privi- leged to enter it found culture and hospitality so graciously interwoven that every visit there produced a delightful memory. "Of Mr. Hitt's career in Congress, his old col- leagues in this House are better fitted than I to speak. I may be permitted, however, to say that the people of our district were proud of his achievements and knew that his counsel was of infinite value to the nation. In every crisis in our foreign affairs we turned confidently to Washington, for we knew that the wise, just, pa- tient statesman we had sent you would be heard. He was the soul of honor, and simplicity was the dominant quality of his mind and heart. Elabo- rate logic, too much refined, will miss the goal, where simple, unpretentious directness will win. This simplicity of which I speak was never more marked than in his public utterances. There are two kinds of speeches — one intended to show the marvelous mental machinery of the orator, the other to elucidate the simple truth from out a complex mass of facts. Mr. Hitt's method was the latter. "Genial and gentle, he was the most lovable of friends. The richness of his mind made him a center of interest in any company. Perfect naturalness seemed his. And this is why he liked men and men liked him. He was equally at home among the great and small. He knew that rank and wealth 'were but thin disguises of the soul.' "Almost a quarter of a century ago, on an oc- casion similar to this, he, whom we mourn to- day, in speaking of Major Hawk, who had pre- ceded him as Representative to Congress, used these words : " 'He satisfied his constituents — no easy task, for that Galena district had been accustomed to being represented by men of national reputa- tion, Baker, Washburn, Burchard, with whom he would be compared. But the people appre- ciated his solid qualities, his worth, his faith- ful services. They trusted and honored him again and again, and when he was cut off so un- timely they mourned his death as a personal sor- row.' "These words seem to have been as prophetic of his own career as they were descriptive of that other career then just closed. He was al- ways proud of his district, and the district justi- fied him in his pride. In thrift, intelligence, pa- triotism, and self-respect are, as I believe, the qualities which finally give superiority to men, the people of this district are second to none any- where. He had an affection for the old district, and it loved him. "It is indeed a notable district. It was the home of Grant and Rawlins, upon whom that great captain leaned. It was once represented in the Congress of the United States by Baker, who fell at Balls Bluff while yet 'his fame was in its dawn.' Early in the 'fifties, before the Republican party was born, this district sent Elihu B. Washburn to this Chamber, where he remained until he became Minister to France. Then came Horatio C. Burchard, who was a recognized authority on all questions of finance. He in turn was followed by Robert M. A. Hawk, a gallant soldier who died all too soon, the re- sult of wounds received in the Civil War. From then until a few months ago, Robert Roberts Hitt was the fitting Representative of the histor- ic Galena district. Of the great group I have named Burchard alone survives, and the even- ing of his life is gently closing in about him. "I have heard many regrets that Mr. Hitt's distinguished services to his country did not bring him higher place. I can sympathize with the thought which prompts the regret, but I do not join in the conclusion reached. It seems to me that to have served his country with the ability and fidelity which always characterized him, to have spent the last quarter of a century of his life in this great body, to have won its ad- miration and respect and now to live in its af- fections is a perfect public career. "On a lovely September afternoon, near the beautiful town in which he lived, I beheld the dust of Robert Roberts Hitt descend into the earth. It seemed to me, as I stood there, that much of the brightness of this world had also gone into that grave. But what we saw was not our friend — it was only the garment of his im- mortal soul. Some place, we know not how nor 922 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. where, that bright, bewitching, and gentle mind, that tender love, have found full play." Following is the tribute to Mr. Hitt's life and character from the pen of Mr. Kauffman, al- luded to in the opening paragraph of this article : "To The Editor : Those of your readers who heard, or who have since read the speech of President Roosevelt at Rochelle in June last, will recall the well merited encomium from that high source upon the character, ability, standing and public service of Robert R. Hitt, the distin- guished member of Congress from this district and widely known Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. That portion of the Presi- dent's speech is as follows : " 'It is always a fortunate thing when one is able to illustrate doctrine by example. Now I am not in the habit of saying what I do not think, on the stump or off the stump, so you can take my words at face value when I congratu- late the people of this district in having in pub- lic life the kind of public servant who raises im- mensely by his presence the tone of all public service — Congressman Hitt. (Applause.) Con- gressman Hitt has served for years at the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House. That kind of service is indispensable to the na- tion ; but it offers few chances of doing anything that will, particularly locally, attract the atten- tion of the district ; and sometimes I fear that the very fact that a man is of immense use in Congress to all the United States, fails to get him quite the recognition that he should get from that portion of the United States which votes for him at elections. Therefore I want to thank and congratulate you, the people of this district, for having had a standard of public service in your minds which has made you con- tinue Mr. Hitt in Congreess. You have set a good example in the higest type of self-govern- ment to the rest of the nation.' "The North American Review for November contains an article upon the strength and weak- ness of our National Congress by S. J. Barrows, a former member of the House, who in discuss- ing his subject says, 'If we seek a weakness which may be said to be composite or character- istic of American public men as a whole, we shall find it in the faults and weaknesses and limitations of the very system of representative government which creates them. It is their ten- dency to see their duty too much in relation to the needs of their district, too little in relation to the needs of the country as a whole. Hence is developed a certain provincialism or sectional- ism. This is seen too frequently in our atti- tude toward foreign governments. The accom- plished chairman of the committee on Foreign Relations, Mr. Hitt, and the Secretary of State often find this provincialism a serious obstacle in conducting international affairs. The pro- vincial member is disposed to disregard interna- tional traditions, to wrap himself in the Ameri- can flag, and conclude that we can get on with- out the rest of the world if the rest of the world can get on without us.' "It is noticeable that President Roosevelt in his remarks and the writer in the North Amer- ican Review, express the same appreciative thought in relation to Mr. Hitt. Bach sees him an able and distinguished statesman and diplo- mat, participating in national legislation and in the disposition of international questions with the broad outlook of an enlightened patriotism. The hearty and discriminating words of the President are not only gratifying to the people of this district who have held Mr. Hitt in high esteem these many years, but are of practical application at this time in that they show the wish of the administration that we return Mr. Hitt to Congress, because of his immense use in carrying forward the principles and policy of the Republican party. "The special session of Congress just ended was devoted almost wholly to matters coming before the Foreign Affairs Committee of which Mr. Hitt is Chairman — Cuba, Panama and the Isthmian Canal — in the consideration of which, both in debate on the floor of the House and in advisory conversations with Mr. Roosevelt, Mr. Hitt ren- dered service of the highest order to the whole country, and so gave new proof of his value in the national councils. "Raymond Patterson, the Washington corres- pondent of The Chicago Tribune, in an extended interview with Mr. Hitt upon the questions of international law involved in the recognition by the United States of the Republic of Panama, uses the following introductory words : 'No man in this country ranks with Robert R. Hitt of Illinois, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House, as an authority on in- ternational law and custom. In view of the fact that Secretary Hay and Mr. Bunau-Varilla signed a canal treaty which will be certain to provoke discussion among international lawyers, I feel fortunate in having secured from the greatest American authority on the subject an elaborate interview, which will in all probability be taken as expounding the settled policy of the administration in anticipation of Democratic at- tacks.' "Congressman Charles V. Landis of Indiana, who on Tuesday lectured in Rockford. gave an interview on men and measures to the 'Rock- ford Star' in which is found the following para- graph : "The Congressman is a great admirer of Mr. Hitt. 'If the people of his district know him as we know him in Washington,' said Mr. Landis, 'there would be no doubt of his return. He is a perfect encyclopedia and we all rely upon him. Really there isn't a more useful or intelligent man in the congress than Mr. Hitt. The Pres- ident and Secretary Hay often call him in con- sultation on knotty foreign questions. The country cannot spare Mr. Hitt at this critical time in our affairs.' "Rising to introduce the resolution calling upon the President to transmit to Congress the papers and correspondence relating to the ac- tion of the administration with Colombia and Panama (the first resolution to come before the session), Mr. Hitt was at once accorded recog- WILLIAM STOCKING HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 923 nition by the Speaker — an all important requis- ite surely, for getting things done, but for many members as difficult to obtain under the present rules as princes' favors. His speech of last Fri- day, as reported in the newspapers, Is a defense of the President in acknowledging the indepen- dence of the new Republic against an attack by Representative Dinsmore of Arkansas. It is a sharp and vigorous retort, showing that this Government did only its duty. Read in full in the 'Congressional Record,' it is a masterly ef- fort;, Mr. Hitt spoke for an hour and was re- peatedly cheered by the Republicans. Mr. Can- non came down on the floor of the House and took a seat near Mr. Hitt, that he might hear every word and was most hearty in his congrat- ulations. "Mr. Hitt's public career began in the diplo- matic service. After seven years In Paris as Secretary of the American Embassy, he re- turned to the United States to be Assistant Sec- retary of State under Mr. Blaine, only to go out of office with Mr. Blaine twelve months later, when the latter resigned from the Arthur Cabinet, and was the same year elected our Representative in Congress. At about this time upon the death of his mother, he purchased the home farm ad- joining Mt. Morris, where the family had lived since early pioneer days, and there in a commodi- ous residence, built by his mother and by him en- larged and further beautified, he is at home to his constituents upon his return from Washing- ton. It may be added here, because of recent mistaken statements regarding Mr. Hitt's pres- ence in the district, that at his residence in Mt. Morris and in visiting the different counties of the district, he has spent the whole or the greater portion of most of the vacations between ses- sions of Congress, one summer's absence being on account of a prolonged illness, another be- cause of a visit to Alaska and a third occasioned by a journey to the Hawaiian Islands where, as Co-Commissioner with Senator Cullom, under appointment by President McKinley, he took part in devising a system of laws for the new possession. "Mr. Hitt's interest and activity concerning the special needs of his district are shown by appro- priations obtained, as follows: $100,000 for a public building in Rockford, $100,000 for a like building in Freeport, $100,000 for river improve- ment at Galena, and $45,000 for a public build- ing at Sterling. A bill is before the House ask- ing for $100,000 for a public building for Dixon. The committee appointed to investigate the di- minished flow of water in Rock River, and whose interesting and useful report has lately been published, was due to Mr. Hitt's initiative. "As the son of an honored pioneer family of Ogle County, Mr. Hitt delights to talk of the early days of Rock River valley, of whose natural beauty and resources, its history, its people and the vicissitudes and contrasts of the life of the pioneers as compared with ours of today, he pos- sesses a knowledge, and for which he manifests an interest unsurpassed by any man I know. Upon such subjects, no less than upon public men and measures of today, conversation with Mr. Hitt is instructive, stimulating and enjoy- able, one's pleasure being greatly increased by his genial personal qualities. Affability, ap- proachableness and courtesy, always desirable, are especially appreciated in a man in public life. "The recent speeches at Polo and Rochelle on Cuban Reciprocity, the Isthmian Canal, the Co- lombian Treaty and the new Republic of Panama, were clear, full and forceful expositions of act- ual current public business, delivered to constit- uents who were pleased to listen to an elucida- tion of such themes by one who, their Repre- sentative in Congress, is a principal participant and advisor in the consideration and settlement of affairs of such importance to the progress and welfare of the United States and the State and the district." HOAR, Patrick F., a well known and thriving farmer of Oregon Township, Ogle County, 111., and a man looked upon as one of the most use- ful and reliable members of the community, was born in the same township, April 25, 1869, a son of James and Ellen (Lynch) (O'Connor) Hoar, natives of County Kerry, Ireland. The first marriage of James Hoar took place in Massa- chusetts, when he was married to Catherine Moriarity, both he and his wife being natives of Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. Two children were born to them, James and Mary. The first wife having died, Mr. Hoar later married in Oregon, 111., Mrs. Mary Ellen O'Connor, widow of James O'Connor, also a native of County Kerry, Ireland. Two children were the issue of this marriage : Patrick F., subject of this sketch, and Helen, the wife of George Colson. James Hoar, who was a farmer by occupation, died on his farm in Oregon Township, April 25, 1886, his widow still surviving him at eighty years of age. George Colson, the first husband of Mrs. Hoar, on coming to this country, located in La Salle County, where he followed the life of a railroad engineer, dying at Peru, 111., at the age of thirty- five years. He and his wife were the parents of three children — John, Catherine and Jeremiah. Patrick F. Hoar was reared and schooled in Oregon Township, where since early manhood he has followed farming. He is the owner of 80 acres of desirable land, on which he has made good improvements, erecting substantial and convenient buildings, and being successful in his farming operations. On political questions, Mr. Hoar is a supporter of the Republican party, and has taken a good citizen's interest in the affairs of his township. For six years, he has held the office of Highway Commissioner, and is serving on the Board of School Trustees. He is a devout member of the Catholic Church. HOERNECKE, Gustav, an industrious, thrifty and successful farmer, who has been a resident of Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., for 924 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. thirty-three years, was born in Germany, No- vember 20, 1849. Twenty-seven years of his life were passed in the Fatherland, three of which— 1871 to 1874 — he served in the German army. In the latter year he left his native country for the United States, landing in New York in Novem- ber, and proceeding thence to Ashton, 111., where be was employed as a laborer until the fall of 1875. Then he hired out on a farm, and after working thus a year, located in Pine Rock Town- ship, where he was again engaged as a farm hand for two years. For the next five years he operated a rented farm, buying the place at the end of that period. Coming to this country with no money, but with a strong will, sturdy frame and economical habits, he made his own way in the world until he became the owner of 120 acres of choice land. Nearly all of his farm was cleared by him, and he has built on it a good residence and substantial outbuildings. Mr. Hoernecke was married in Ashton, 111., November 17, 1874, to Minnie Shaffacx, who was born in Germany, January 8, 1837, and emigrated to the United States in 1873. Four children have blessed this union, namely : Agnes, wbo is the wife of George B. Hueber ; Wilhelm, Au- gust H., and Fred C. In politics, Mr. Hoernecke votes the Republi- can ticket, and in religion, he and his worthy wife adhere to the faith of the Lutheran Church. HOFFHINE, David, born in Circluville, Ohio, July 20, 1809, was one of the most successful of all the pioneers who settled at Chambers Grove in 1835. He served as the first Supervisor of Brookville Township, and later as Postmaster. As a farmer, he early gave his attention to se- curing thoroughbred stock. He was prominent in promoting the re-unions of the Buffalo Grove Old Settlers' Association, and later those of the Ogle County Association. In 1882, he acted as Vice-President from "Brookville of the first County meeting, and as President when George D. Reed died. Mr. Hoffhine was four times married, his first and second wives being sisters, Naricy and Julia Ayers ; his third wife was Milli- cent Franks, and his fourth wife, who survived him and is yet living, was Sarah Jacobs. In poli- tics, Mr. Hoffhine was a Democrat ; fraternally he was an Odd Fellow. His death occurred, De- cember 5, 1884, aged seventy-five years. Not one of his descendants now lives in Ogle County, the family being widely scattered. HOFFMANN, Katherine, (McNeill), whose ca- reer as a singer in concert, oratorio and opera, made her known throughout the West and in the Hawaiian Islands, was born at Mount Morris, where known as Kitty McNeill, her early life was spent until her mother's removal to Polo. Showing n voice of promise in song, she went to Chicago for musical training. Later she studied in Bos- ton, and the year 188:; found her in Paris. In the French capital she was under the instruc- tion of Madame de la Grange, upon whose recom- mendation she was invited to sing for a month in the Church of the Madeleine. During her stay in Paris she was present at the debut of Marie Litta, the Illinois Prima Donna. After two years she went to London, where she com- pleted a four years' course of musical study abroad. While in London, she achieved a suc- cess at the Crystal Palace Concert, concerning which the "Morning News," an American paper published in Paris, said, "On her last appear- ance, when she sang an aria from 'St. Paul,' 'But the Lord is Mindful of His Own,' with full orchestra accompaniment, the large audience cheered her heartily, and the eminent composer, A. C. McDenzie, who was in the house, called on her in her loge and gave her his personal con- gratulations." Miss McNeill returned to this country in 1887, and immediately following her arrival from Europe, gave a series of concerts in her home and adjoining towns. She made her debut in America with the John A. McCaul Opera Company, with which she sang for several sea- sons. She was also with the Tavaray Opera Company, with Jules Levy, the Innes Band, and the Metropolitan Opera Company. The following concerning her singing appears over the name of James O'Donnell Bennett, the well known critic : "Tonight's performance of the opera will bring out another new soloist, Miss Katherine McNeill, who has signed to sing contralto roles. Miss McNeill's capacity for doing things thoroughly is famous, and her voice is worth going far to hear. She is a Chicago woman, but has won her fame largely on the other side of the water. She pos- sesses a rich, powerful contralto of wide range and great sweetness." Later, Miss McNeill organized a company of her own, known as the Columbia Opera Com- pany, with which she made a tour of the West, including Winnepeg, Victoria and Los Angeles, and extending to Honolulu. In 1900, Miss McNeill was united in marriage with Dr. Walter Hoffmann, of Honolulu, the ceremony being performed in the English Ca- thedral of that place. Since her marriage she has made her home in the Hawaiian city. Dr. Hoffmann is a physician and a recognized in- vestigator in bacteriology. Mrs. Hoffmann no longer appears in opera ou the stage, but frequently makes, use of her tal- ent for the aid of charitable objects, and for the pleasure of her friends in Honolulu and in the United States upon her visits to her former home. The writer recently heard her sing at a reception and welcome given for her, when the richness and melody of her voice and the charm of her manner were as evident and as pleasing as upon her return from London. Mrs. Hoffmann's father was Francis A. Mc- Neill, M. D., whose birthplace was Alleghany County, Md. Dr. McNeill first entered the min- istry and, upon his health failing, took up the study of medicine and moved to Illinois upon beginning practice, finally settling at Mount Mor- ris, so that his children could have the advan- tage of the best school of his church (the Metho- dist) in the State. In the War of the Rebellion he was Surgeon of the Thirty-fourth Illinois HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 925 Volunteer Infantry. In 1847 his first wife died, and in 1857 be was united in marriage with Barbara Wagner of Rock,vale Township, daugh- ter of John Wagner, one of the earliest of the pioneers. Two children of this marriage are living — besides Mrs. Hoffmann, Francis A. Mc- Neill, whose wife is the talented artist, Florence Stewart McNeill, now living at West Plains, Mo. Dr. McNeill died in 1874. Mrs. Barbara McNeill, whose home for a time was Polo and, later, Chicago, returned to Mount Morris in 1900, when she built the house which since then and now makes the pleasant home in which her hearty hospitality, her genial disposi- tion and her companionable ways have been the delight of her numerous friends for many years. Her widowed sisters, Mrs. Hannah Knodle and Mrs. Kate Griffin, reside with her. HOWE, Frank W., a prosperous merchant of Monroe Center, Ogle County, 111., and recognized by all classes as one of the leading citizens of Monroe Township, which he serves as Super- visor, was born in Cherry Valley, Winnebago, County, 111., November 28, 1865, a son of May- nard and Susie (Foster) Howe, natives of New York State. The father died in Cherry Valley when about forty years old, and the mother mar- ried again. They were the parents of two children — Fannie, who is the wife of George Cramer of Cherry Valley, and Frank W. The latter re- ceived his education in the public schools of that place, and lived there until he was nearly twen- ty-one years old. Then he entered the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Com- pany as a telegraph operator, holding that posi- tion about one year. In the spring of 1887, he moved to Monroe Center, 111., where he went into the lumber business, and after continuing thus for two years, purchased the hardware stock of Hildebrand & Erchaner, in which line of business he has since been engaged. He is in partnership with his step-father, Thomas M. Lee, of Cherry Valley, under the firm name of Howe & Lee, who are the sole hardware dealers in Monroe Center, and conduct one of the most flourishing concerns of the kind in Northeastern Ogle County. Besides making a highly credit- able record as a man of sound business quali- ties and keen commercial enterprise, Mr. Howe has taken an active and prominent part in the public affairs of his locality, wielding a strong influence in promoting all measures tending to advance its best interests. On March 12, 1889, the subject of this sketch was united in marriage, at Cherry Valley, 111., with Cora Alexander, who was born in that place and a daughter of Job and Anna Alexander. This union resulted in two children: Maynard A. and Vera M. In politics, Mr. Howe is a pronounced Repub- lican, with a potent voice in the councils of his party. For four years he officiated as Post- master of Monroe Center, under the administra- tion of President McKinley. He was elected Supervisor of Monroe Township in the spring of 1902, and has since served continuously in that capacity. He has also held the township offices of Assessor, Clerk and School Director, dis- charging the duties of all with ability and fidel- ity. In fraternal circles, he is identified with the A. F. & A. M., having taken the degree of K. T. ; and is also affiliated with the M. W. A. HULL, Peter, was born in Connecticut, July 27, 1768, and by trade was a ship carpenter. He and his son, Captain Hull, were ship carpenters, farmers and cabinet-makers. Within two weeks after their arrival in Buffalo Grove, in the fall of 1835, Peter Hull bought out the 400-acre claim of Bush and Brookie, paying them a good price. There were three log buildings on the place, and a field of corn. Many of the chairs, bedsteads, tables and other furniture used by the pioneers, were made by Peter Hull. He also made spin- ning wheels and coffins, and many articles made by him seventy-five years ago, are still in an ex- cellent condition, so good was his work. The first table used in Buffalo Grove Church was made by him out of lumber he brought from Peoria before the Kellogg saw-mill was built. This sturdy old pioneer died March 14, 1844, in his seventy-sixth year, his wife having died be- fore the arrival of the family in Illinois. HULL, Captain Stephen, was born in Connecti- cut, a son of Peter Hull, and about 1810 the fam- ily removed to Delaware County, N. V. At the age of nineteen, he married Anna Sanford, who was in her fifteenth year. He obtained his title of Captain because of his service in the New York Militia. When he came to Illinois, Cap- tian Hull was possessed of some ready money, and this enabled him to help more than one set- tler to pay for his claim. Mrs. Hull was con- sidered almost as good as a physician, and did much to help her neighbors in times of sickness. Mrs. Hull died at her home in Buffalo village, in November, 1854, and Captain Hull died in De- cember, 1855, and he and his wife are interred in Buffalo Grove Cemetery. HUNT, Thomas Winfield.— The third oldest in a family of five children, Thomas Winfield Hunt was born on the farm which he now owns and occupies in Lafayette Township, Ogle County, October 13, 1852, a son of William Hunt, men- tion of whom will be found in another section of this work. Under the able direction of his father Mr. Hunt acquired a knowledge of and appreciation of stock-raising as a life-work, and has devoted his energies thereto with a vigor and progressiveness which leaves him no rivals and but few equals in his line in the county. Educationally, Mr. Hunt qualified at the dis- trict school near his father's farm, and at the Ashton High School. January 30, 1877, he was united in marriage to Sarah Ann Myers, born on the old Myers homestead in Lafayette Town- ship, July 28, 1853, a daughter of Manassah and Nancy Ann (Billmore) Myers, the former of whom was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, and the latter in Washington County, Ind. The 926 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. parents of Mrs. Hunt were married in Ohio, and in 1850 came to Ogle County, settling in La- fayette Township, where the mother' died July 9, 1873, in her fifty-eighth year, and the father died July 11, 1896. They had six children, of whom Mrs. Hunt is the youngest. She is the mother of a son, George M., who now lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Hunt farm contains the improvements of two generations, and is one of the most valu- able and best equipped in the county. It is op- erated along broad and scientific lines, and method and order control in every department. The facilities for breeding stock are particularly adequate, and for fifteen years the owner made a record as one of the foremost breeders of Short-Horn cattle in the State. At the Wis- consin State Fair, held in Milwaukee in 1894, he took the largest number of prizes of any ex- hibitor, and his honors were duplicated at the fair held in Springfield, this State, during the fall of the same year, he being the only exhibitor in the State to take a Short-Horn prize. In politics Mr. Hunt is an Independent, and he al- ways has refused overtures toward office. HUNT, William A. — By reason of habits of close observation, as well as his lifelong residence in Ogle County, Mr. Hunt has gained a thorough knowledge of the soil, best modes of cultivation, kinds of grain suitable to the land, and such other important points of information as con- duce to success in agriculture. The farm in La- fayette Township which he owns and operates contains a neat set of buildings, well adapted to their varied uses. Every facility is provided for the care of stock and shelter of grain and ma- chinery. In addition to raising good grades of stock, for thirty years or more he has engaged in shipping stock to the Chicago markets. The laborious cares of a farmer's life do not pre- vent him from participating in public affaire. On the contrary, he is a man of progressive spirit, intensely interested in measures apper- taining to local development. For twenty-five years he has represented his township on the Board of Supervisors, in which body he has sup- ported measures for the benefit of township and county, yet always maintaining a due regard to the claims of tax-payers. For three years he held the office of Assessor, and for upwards of twenty-five -years has served as School Trustee. To these varius offices he has been elected on the Republican ticket, this being the party of his choice. The Supervisor of Lafayette Township is a son of the late Milligan and Nancy Ann (Reed) Hunt, natives of Vigo County, Ind., the former born July 29, 1821, and the latter born Decem- ber 1, 1824. Reared in their native county, they there married November 19, 1845, and in the spring of 1846 bade farewell to relatives and friends, turning their faces toward the' West with the intention of securing a claim on govern- ment land in Illinois. Indeed, the young hus- band bad made a previous trip to Ogle County, and in August of 1845, had located a claim on Section 7, Lafayette Township, to which he brought his bride. A log cabin served as their early home. Settlers were few, and to all pass- ers-by the latch string hung on the outside, with a genial welcome from the young farmer and his wife. Years followed in swift succession. Slowly prosperity came to them as a reward for pains- taking toil. A substantial house was built and outbuildings were put up for the shelter of stock and storage of grain. Upon retiring from the farm pursuits in 1886, Milligan Hunt removed to Franklin Grove, Lee County, 111., where he remained until his death, August 9, 1906. In politics he always adhered to Republican principles after the organization of that party, and for three years he served as Supervisor of Lafayette Township, besides which he held other local offices of trust. Fraternally Tie was a Mason and his funeral was conducted under the auspices of the Masonic Lodge at Franklin Grove. In religion he was identified with the Christian Church, while his wife ad- hered to the Methodist Episcopal faith. At the time of his demise he had five children, ten grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, his death being the first break in that large and happy family circle. The children are as fol- lows: William A., Nancy Rosetta, wife of Ga- briel W. Myers, of Rochelle ; Thomas W., re- siding in Lafayette Township; Emma, wife of Joel Wetzel, of Lafayette ; and John E., who is engaged in the practice of law in Chicago. On the old homestead in Lafayette Township, William A. Hunt was born September 27, 1846, and here he grew to manhood, meanwhile at- tending the country schools and Rock River Seminary. January 19, 1870, he was united in marriage with Miss Melissa Arnold, who was born in Taylor Township, Ogle County, March 12, 1849. Her father, Elisha Arnold, was born near Ogdensburg, N. Y.. September 26. 1812, aud married Mrs. Asenath (Earl) Isabell, who had lost her first husband one year after their marriage. Mr. Arnold's marriage took place in 1842, and two years later he brought his wife to Illinois, settling in Nashua Township, Ogle County. Some two years afterward he removed to Taylor Township, where he made his home for many years, engaged in farming. After nearly forty years of happy married life, he was bereaved by the death of his wife, who passed away at Ashton, 111., November 1, 1880, and he survived her for more than eight years, dying January 29, 1889, at the residence of his son in Lafayette Township. Of Mr. Arnold's four children William E. enlisted in Company K, Ninety -second Illinois Infantry, at the opening of the Civil War and served with honor until he died suddenly in camp in Kentucky, August 16, 1863. The eld- est daughter, Helen, is the wife of Abijah Reed, of Ashton. The second daughter, Helen, mar- ried James Richardson, who died at Ashton March IS, 1886. The youngest daughter, Me- lissa, is the wife of Wlllian A. Hunt, and the mother of five children, namely : Ada M., who HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 927 was bom June 19, 1871, and is the wife of Oliver Griffith of Ashton; Ella Grace, born November 8, 1873, and married Frederick McDermott, a resident of the State of Washington; Charles A., born September 6, 1878; Olive G., born July 11, 1882, and is the wife of Francis D. Chad- wick, residing in the State of Washington; and Helen Eva, who was born November 15, 1886, and is at home with her parents. Mrs. Hunt is an earnest member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church and Mr. Hunt contrib- utes to the same. Like his father he is a dis- ciple of Masonry, his membership being in Ash- ton Lodge A. F. & A. M. ; Nathan Whitney Chap- ter No. 21, E. A. M., and Dixon Commandery Knights Templar. HUNTER William, a well known fanner, of Dement Township, Ogle County, 111., whose oper- ations cover the greater portion of a section of land, and who is much respected by his fellow townsmen, was born in the southern part of Scotland, August 2, 1836. His father, James Hunter, and his mother, Ann (Milligan) Hun- ter, were natives 0f Scotland, where all of their lives were spent. Seven children composed their family. William, the third of this family in or- der of birth, followed farming in Scotland, where he remained until 1883. In July of that year he came to the United States with his wife and eight children, and proceeding directly to Ogle County, 111., first located at Paine's Point, Pine Creek Township, and after living there one summer, rented a farm of John Lynn, in Flagg Township. This he occupied five years and then tor three years, rented another farm in the vi- cinity of Holcomb, Ogle County. In 1891 he rented the farm where he now lives, which was formerly owned by the late Thomas Guest. Mr. Hunter operates 520 acres of land and farms on an extensive scale, being engaged also in stock- raising. The marriage of Mr. Hunter took place in Scotland. June 4. 1S60, on which date he was wedded to Miss Monfort Welsh, born in South- ern Scotland, a daughter of William and Jean- nette (Hollidav) Welsh, who died in their na- tive country. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter became the parents of eight children, six of whom are liv- ing as follows: Anne, wife of John Pearson; Maggie. James, John, Jessie and Mary, who mar- ried Edwin Fogle. Those deceased are: Agnes, who died in Dement Township. October 15, 1897, at the age of thirty-six years; and William, whose death occurred in the same locality, in his twentv-seeond vear. The religious connec- tion of Mr. and Mrs. Hunter is with the Pres- byterian Church. IVES, William S., than whom no farmer in Byron Township, Ogle County, 111., is more to be commended, in view of the worthy traits of his character and the admirable record made by him during a lifelong residence in this locality, was born in Byron Township, December 14, 1857. His parents were John and Lora (Beane) Ives, na- tives of Canada, but the former of New England ancestry. They settled in Ogle County in 1855 locating on land which the father had purchased a few months previously, and continued to live on the same farm until his death on June 21, 1897, at the age of sixty-eight years. The mother still survives an object of profound re- spect to all who know her. To them were born seven children, of whom the subject of this per- sonal narrative is the eldest. Mr. Ives was born on the paternal farm in Byron Township, which is now the property of D. B. Zellers, and received his primary education in the common schools ol the neighborhood, finishing his studies at Rock- ford and Wheaton. Since reaching manhood he has always followed agricultural pursuits, hav- ing located on the place where he now lives in 1884. This farm consists of 200 acres, and on it he has erected couvenient and substantial build- ings, and otherwise added to the appearance and value of the premises. Mr. Ives was married March 1, 1884, at Still- man Valley, Ogle County, to Carrie Lewis, a daughter of Homer D. and Adeline (Bacon) Lewis, natives of Massachusetts, where the former was born in Ware and the latter in Barre. Homer D. Lewis was brought to Ogle County by his father, Deacon David Lewis, also a native of the Old Bay State, the journey from Massachusetts being made in wagons. Deacon Lewis was one of the pioneer settlers of this region, having settled in Marrion Township, Ogle County, near Stillman Valley, about the year 1838. There he lived for many years, a successful farmer and a highly respected member of the community. His death occurred at Winsted, Conn., at the home of his daughter. After living on his farm in Marion Township for a few years, Homer D. Lewis took up his residence in Still- man Valley, whence, in course of time, he moved to Rockford, 111., dying in that city November 29, 1897. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom Mrs. Ives was the sixth. her birth having taken place in Marion Town- ' ship, May 25, 1863. To Mr. and Mrs. Ives have been born four children: Ruth L., Carrie L., Laura G., and W. Homer. Politically, Mr. Ives is indentified with the Republican party, and has rendered creditable public service as School Director for a number of years. He and his wife are active members of the Congregational Church of Byron, Ogle County. JACOBS, George P., a brave soldier, a wise leg- islator, an able and fearless Judge and upright citizen, who has indelibly impressed his individ- uality upon the locality in which he made his home for so many years, was born the only son of Pyaru and Clarissa (Hathaway) Jacobs, with whom when a child he removed in 1837, from Massachusetts to Ottawa, 111., thence in 1850 to Galena, and still later, in 1852, to Oregon, 111. He was graduated from Beloit College, Wis., in 1S57, and under the instruction of Henry A. Mix.' gained a thorough understanding of law, 928 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. and, when admitted to the Bar of the State of Illinois, in 1860, at once took rank with the leading attorneys of the county. In 1863 Presi- dent Lincoln appointed him Commissary of Sub- sistence in the Union Army with rank of Cap- tain, and he remained in the service until the termination of the war, going with Sherman on his famous "March to the Sea." He was elected to the State Senate from the Twelfth Senatorial District in 1872, and served during the Twenty- eighth and Twenty-ninth General Assemblies. Although the youngest Senator, he served upon a number of important committees and dis- charged his duties with characteristic vigor and thoroughness, and his record was stainless. In 1880 he was appointed County Judge to fill a va- cancy, a position he was elected to fill in 1882, and re-elected in 1886, thus filling that impor- tant office ten consecutive years. Judge Jacobs was better known and more widely discussed in his position as Judge than in any other. He was the soul of honor always, and his name was the synonym for integrity. His rulings and deci- sions were given from a clear conscience and with a ripe judgment, made with great care, deep thought and laborious research. Judge Jacobs has left as the result of those ten years of public service voluminous records which will ever be of inestimable value to his successors. Everyone who knew Judge Jacobs realized that, with his sense of justice, his best efforts would be directed toward the advancement of his community. They also knew that his first impression of any matter was liable to be the correct one. It is said of him, "No lawyer was more apt to be right on his first impression, be- cause it was based on the natural internal feel- ing of right and justice, that was part of his na- ture." Judge Jacobs never married, his life having been devoted to his parents, his widowed sister and her family. JOHNSON, Charles W.— The family repre- sented by this extensive agriculturist and former Supervisor of Grand Detour Township comes from colonial ancestry of Virginian associations, and has had long and honorable identification with the material upbuilding of our country. The first of the family to seek a home in the fertile but uncultivated lands north of the Ohio River was Aaron H. Johnson, who in early manhood had married Marietta Boone, member of the family that gave to Kentucky its most famous scout and pioneer. For some years the couple had made their home in Jefferson County, in what is now West Virginia, and there a son, Charles W„ had been born May 27, 1845. When he was about eighteen months old, in the autumn of 1846, the family had joined the tide of emi- gration drifting toward the valley of the Miss- issippi, and had traveled in the primitive style common to that day, from their old Virginian home to the new lands of Illinois, settling in Ogle County and taking up a claim in Pine Creek township. Years came and passed with their varying changes, bringing new settlers to the county and new openings for capital and labor. About 1871 the family sold their original holdings and removed to Buffalo Township, where they bought a farm and engaged in agri- cultural pursuits.. During 1894 removal was made to Grand Detour, where in 1897, the father died in the seventy-seventh year of his useful life. Afterward the widowed mother became an inmate of the home of her son, Albert M., at the old farm in Buffalo Township, where her death occurred at the age of about eighty-six years. There were two children in the Johnson fam- ily who died in infancy and six who lived to years of maturity, the eldest of these being Charles W., who, as previously stated, was eighteen months of age when brought to Ogle county. His earliest recollections cluster around the scenes in Ogle County one-half century ago. The schools were then inferior to those of the twentieth century. Text-books were crude and schoolhouses were uninviting specimens of the carpentry common to that period. Yet in these schools he acquired a fair education and of sufficient breadth to enable him to teach suc- cessfully for several terms. However, school- teaching has not been his chosen work ; instead, he has given his attention principally to farming and stock-raising, in which line of activity he is an authority. For years he was one of the lead- ing agriculturists of Grand Detour Township, where he still owns a tract of 326 acres, mostly under the plow. Since 1890 he has not lived on the farm, but has been a resident of the village of Grand Detour, and has been retired somewhat from business activities. The marriage of Mr. Johnson and Miss Savilla M. Bovey took place in Grand Detour Township, December 29, 1868. Mrs. Johnson was born in that township, March 5, 1850, being a daughter of Samuel and Barbara (Funk) Bovey, natives of Washington County, Md., and pioneers of Ogle County, whither they came in the spring of 1846, settling in Grand Detour Township. For many years they were well-known residents of that township and took a leading part in social and educational affairs. At the time of the death of Mrs. Bovey, which occurred in 1888, she was seventy-one years of age, and Mr. Bovey survived until January of 1891, when he passed away in his seventy-sixth year. Of their family five. children had died in early life and five lived to years of maturity. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson comprises five children now liv- ing, namely : Bertha O., who married Jerome F. Cox ; Nellie J., wife of Amos L. Palmer ; Francis M. ; Etta May, who is the wife of Finis S. Idleman ; and Bessie L. One son died in in- fancy. Ever since attaining his majority Mr. Johnson has voted with the Republican party. During the Civil War he was a stanch supporter of the Union cause, and in April, 1864, being then less than nineteen years of age, enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Fortieth Illinois Infantry, in which he served until honorably discharged in October of the same year, and he now is identified with Dixon Post No. 299, Grand Army HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 929 of the Republic. His sterling traits of character and intelligence have qualified him for public office, and frequently he has been chosen to oc- cupy positions of local trust. For eight years he held the office of Highway Commissioner, during which period he labored tirelessly to promote the making of good roads. For sixteen years he served as Justice of the Peace and for a similar period held the office of Trustee of Schools, also served one term as Collector of township taxes. For twelve years he represented Grand Detour Township as a member of the Board of Super- visors, and during one year of that long service, was honored with the chairmanship of the Board. In that position, as in all others, he has occupied he made it his aim to promote the permanent welfare of the township and county, and while striving to advance all progressive measures, he yet endeavored to protect the best interests of the 'tax-payers, thus making a broad and im- partial, yet conservative, representative of the people. JOHNSTON, J. Alba, M. D., a well-known and skillful physician of Byron, Ogle County, 111., who besides commanding the respect and con- fidence of the entire community in his pro- fessional capacity, is regarded as a highly use- ful citizen in connection with civic affairs of the village, was born in Byron Township, Ogle County, December 31, 1859. He is a son of Amzi A. and Alma (Miller) Johnston, respectively na- tives of Ohio and New York. The father of Dr. Johnston settled in Ogle County in 1836, enter- ing up government land in Byron Township, and his marriage with Alma Miller took place in 1848. The remainder of their lives was spent in the same township, Amzi Johnston dying in January, 1808. at the age of seventy-seven years, and his wife passing away in the following March, when about sixty-seven years old. The former was a prosperous farmer, a man of strong character and upright life, and took an earnest interest in the public affairs of his locality. For many years he and his worthy spouse were lead- ing members of the Congregational Church. They reared a family of four sons and one daughter, a son and daughter having died in in- fancy ; the gentleman to whom this writing re- lates was the fifth in order of birth. Dr. Johnston was brought up on the old home- stead in Byron Township, receiving his prelim- inary education in the common schools of the neighborhood, and finishing his literary studies at Wheaton College. In 1884 he went to Buena Vista County, Iowa, and for about six years was there engaged in farming. At the end of this period (in 1891) he took up the study of medi- cine in the University of Nebrasha, graduating from the medical department of that institution in the class of '94. Immediately succeeding his graduation, he began the practice of medicine in Burt County, Neb., and after remaining in that State between three and four years, returned to Illinois and located at Byron, where he has since devoted his attention to the duties of his pro- fession. He has acquired an extensive practice and gained a high reputation, winning the con- fidence of all by his skill and fidelity. He is a member of the Illinois State Medical Society, the Ogle County Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. On December 23, 1887, Dr. Johnston was united in marriage at Belvidere, 111., with Carrie E. Nash, who was born in that place, a, daughter of Edgar and Mary (Benedict) Nash, natives of New York. To Dr. Johnson and his wife have been born four children, namely : Alma M., Howard N., Helen A. and Paul A. In politics, Dr. Johnston is a Republican, and has served as a member of the Byron School Board continuously since 1901. He and Mrs. Johnston are active^ members of the Congrega- tional Church of Byron, in which the Doctor has officiated as clerk for a number of years. JOINER, Alvin, Polo, 111., was born at Buffalo Grove, OgJe County, 111., November 13, 1848, a son of Charles W. and Harriet M. (Waterbury) Joiner, who came to the State as pioneers in ■Tune, 1837. In 1857, the family went to Sanilac County, Mich. Alvin was educated in public schools in Illinois and Michigan, at the Royal- ton (Vt.) Academy, and at the Hillsdale (Mich.) Business College. When he was twenty-one years old he was admitted to a partnership with his father in the lumber manufacturing business. They owned several saw-mills and extensive pine lands in Eastern Michigan, and transacted an important business, with headquarters in Huron County. In 1870, they bought large tracts of pine land in Lake County, which proved a most fortunate investment, as much of their timber in the eastern part of the State was de- stroyed by forest fires in 1871. Pushing their enterprise with a vigor that was commendable, they erected mills on their new holdings and laid out the town of Chase on the Pere Marquette Railway. Mr. Joiner returned to Ogle County to live in May, 1884. Mr. Joiner married, in Wood County, Ohio, June 14, 1873, Miss Ida P. Wood, daughter of the late Hon. Henry L. Wood, who helped to construct the second railway in the United States, represented his district in the Legisla- ture of Ohio, and served his country in the Civil War with the rank of Quartermaster. Their daughter, Jennie H., is the wife of John M. Siddall of New York City, one of the editors of the American Magazine. He was graduated at Oberlin, Ohio, and took a postgraduate course at Harvard. Mrs. Siddall taught music in Blair Hall, a well known educational institution in New Jersey, and at Danbury, Conn. Alice, their second daughter, married Ralph C. Bryant, of Princeton, 111., a nephew of the late William Cullen Bryant, the poet. Mr. Bryant was edu- cated in forestry at Cornell University and is now connected with that department of Yale University. Mr. Bryant was the first person in the United States to receive a diploma in for- estry. He was sent to the Philippines, as assist- ant to the chief forester for the United States Government, and took his bride there immedi- 330 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. ately after their, marriage. Mrs. Bryant was graduated from a private school in Wisconsin and for three years was a student at the Leland Stanford University in California. Charles H. Joiner the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Joiner, studied for two years at the Leland Stanford University and took a- special course in agricul- ture at the University of Illinois. He married Miss Florence Hostetter and has a son named Richard Vaniah Joiner. Mr. and Mrs. Joiner's youngest son, Alvin, finished his education at the Leland Stanford University and is achieving success as a stockman. Flora Isabel, their youngest child, while studying at Barnard Col- lege, New York, is taking a special course in domestic science at the University of Illinois. Mr. Joiner became quite extensively interested with his father, in real estate in Illinois, Michi- gan, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Florida. He owns the old Joiner homestead, the place of his birth. He has taken much interest in local af- fairs of a public character, and served his fel- low citizens as Mayor of Polo. It was during his term of office that the city's water system was installed. He Is the owner of telephone lines connecting three counties in Wisconsin. As a farmer he takes a special interest in a 300 acre farm in Carroll County, 111., which he and his two sons are operating as partners. He is a Trustee of the Carnegie Library of Polo, and was active in connection with the erection of its building. In many ways he has shown himself to be a citizen of much public spirit, influential in affairs of county and State and intelligently interested in questions of national importance. JOINER, Charles W. (deceased), formerly of Polo. 111., was born at Royalton, Vt, December 8, 1816, and died July 12, 1904. In 1837 his par- ents, Alvin and Hannah (Van Wagner) Joiner, brought their family to Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, where Alvin Joiner took up government land on the ridge nine miles east of Polo, and four miles from Grand Detour. At that time the settlement last' mentioned was the trading point for that part of the country. Alvin Joiner and his wife both died on the homestead which they made there, and the death of the former is one of the earliest recollections of his grand- son, Alvin Joiner of Polo. William Joiner, son of Alvin and Hanah Joiner, owned the old Joiner place until his death, which occurred about the close of the Civil War. His widow is living in Polo. Paulina, sister of Charles W. and Wil- liam Joiner, married a Dewey and died in young womanhood. Charles W. Joiner preceded his parents to Ogle Comity, 111., by Several months. He took a sailing vessel at Buffalo, and made the trip to Chicago in company with the Sherman broth- ers, who later erected the hotel in Chicago that bears their name. He came on to Ogle County and gathered the material for a home for his peo- ple, who made the journey from Vermont in a covered wagon, being over three months on the road. While there was a small settlement at Old Town, the township was very sparsely set- tled. On June 5, 1839, Charles W. Joiner married Marriet Waterbury. Mrs. Joiner was a daughter of John and Phoebe B. (Broadwell) Waterbury, and was born at Andes, Delaware County, N. Y., November 26, 1815, and came with her parents to Illinois, in October, 1836. In 1857, Mr. Joiner gave up farming and engaged in the manufacture of lumber in Sanilac County, Mich., and later in Huron County in the same State. On different oc- casions he lost six saw-mills, and a large quantity of timber by forest fires. In 1872, he re-estab- lished his business in Lake County, Mich., where he laid out the village of Chase, of which his saw-mill, shingle-mill and plaining-mill were the nucleus. In May, 1884, he returned to Illinois and locating at Polo, erected one of the hand- some residences of that town. In 1884-85, he bought several hundred acres of land in Florida, which he devoted to orange culture. In politics he was a Republican from the time that party came into being until the day of his death. He was County Surveyor of Ogle County from 1851 to 1854, and from time to time he held other offices. Mr. Joiner surveyed and laid out the original plat for the village of Polo. About fifty years later, the work was done again, and Mr. Bertolet, the County Surveyor, said he had not found another job in the county that had been done so perfectly. Until within two years of his death, Mr. Joiner returned quite often to the old Joiner home in Vermont, where he was born and reared. His closing years were passed on his farm on the Oregon road, two miles east of Polo, where he had begun his life in Illinois, and he enjoyed the days he thus spent in a house that he had built many years before, being the third erected on the farm located on prairie land which, at that time, did not appear very promising. He was fond of relating how a neighbor, passing one day soon after his cabin was erected, stopped long enough to cast a pitying glance at his sur- roundings and bluntly advised him to "Curse God and die." His house was the second on that prairie, and the prairie land was then thought to be useless, but time demonstrated the wisdom of his location. Mrs. Joiner died April 12, 1886, deeply re- gretted by all who had known her.- In 1900, when he was about eighty-four, Mr. Joiner mar- ried Mrs. Mary Waterbury. widow of F. H. Waterbury, his first wife's brother, and she is living in Chicago. By his first wife he had two children, Alvin Joiner of Polo, and Mary W., who married a Mr. Thompson and is living at Port Sanilac, Mich. Mr. Joiner was, in his time, a man of more than ordinary enterprise and bus- iness sagacity, and the success that he won was especially noteworthy. JOINER, Henry S. — A career singularly in har- mony with the best tenets of farming and the largest responsibilities of country life, has been that of Henry S. Joiner, the owner of a farm of ^ & HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 931 200 acres in Eagle Point Township, and member of a family whose earliest local usefulness reaches back for considerably more than half a century. Mr. Joiner was born in Grand Detour Townstup, Ogle County, December 29, 1855, and his first years were spent in the log cabin of his parents, William and Mary J. (Smith) Joiner, the former of whom was born in Vermont Oc- tober 23, 1830, and the latter in New York Oc- tober 27, 1831. In childhood both parents came to Ogle County with their parents, the father of the former being Alvin Joiner, and of the latter Robert Smith. Both profited by the education afforded in the subscription schools, married, and for the first years of their wedded life, lived on a farm in Grand Detour Township. While still the cannons of the Civil War were booming in evidence of death and disaster upon Southern battlefields, family removal was made to Eagle Point Township, and here the father died No- vember 13, 1864, while still a comparatively young man. Of his two children, Henry S. and Paulina, the latter became the wife of William B. Mades. of Eagle Point Township, and died March 22, 1897, at the age of thirty-eight years. Henry S. Joiner was about nine years old when his parents came to Eagle Point Township, and the death of his father so soon after com- pelled him, as the only son and oldest child to assume a considerable responsibility. When about fifteen years old he came with his mother and sister to Polo and lived there five years, when he availed himself of the opportunity of- fered by his uncle, Charles Joiner, a saw-mill operator of Chase, Lake County, Mich., with whom he remained as shingle sawyer about four years. He then engaged in the planing mill business on his own account for eight years, then returning to Ogle County where he settled on the farm to the development of which he since has turned his attention. Many fine improvements have marked his sojourn in Eagle Point Town- ship, and his property is profitable and valuable and adapted to general farming and stock-rais- ing, both of which he conducts on a large scale. In political affiliation Mr. Joiner is a Republi- can, and has served two terms as Assessor, and for eighteen years as a member of the School Board. He is a straight forward and fearless politician, aiding only such measures as he deems for the best interests of the people, and enter- taining an ambition ever above personal aggran- dizement at the expense of principle. Frater- nally he is identified with the Mystic Workers. November 23, 1881, he was united in marriage to Ida Hagerman, who was born near New York City September 22, 1860, a daughter of Horatio N. and Anna (Coleman) Hagerman, the latter a native of Hope, Ontario, Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Joiner are the parents of six children : Beulah H, wife of Irving Weston ; Pearl, Irma, Vera, Edna, and Meita. JOINER, Mrs. Mary J.— In naming the early settlers of Ogle County, 111., who have watched its growth and development from a vast untamed wilderness to a fertile, productive territory, men- tion should be made of Mrs. Mary J. Joiner, the owner of a fine farm in Eagle Point Township, three and one-half miles west of Polo, who has been a resident of Ogle County since November, 1837. She was born in Delaware County, N. Y., October 29, 1831, a daughter of Robert and De- borah (Broadwell) Smith, the former a native of Scotland, born in 1796, and the latter of New York State. Robert Smith, who was a weaver by occupation, came to the United States in 1827, and was married in Delaware County, N. Y., to Deborah Broadwell, daughter of Ezra Broadwell, a Revolutionary soldier and pioneer settler of Delaware County. In 1837 Mr. Smith took his wife and family to Eagle Point Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., buying a claim and en- tering the land when it was put on the market. In this wilderness, in which Indians and wild animals were still numerous, Mr. Smith erected a small log cabin, and began the tedious labor of clearing his land from the forest. Years later he erected a first class frame building, and here he continued to reside until a few years before his death, when he removed to Polo, and there his demise occurred November 28, 1881, in his eighty-fifth year. His wife passed away in 1843, having been the mother of three children : Henry Smith, who died in the hospital at Nashville, Tenn., February 13, 1863, having been a member of the Ninety-second Regiment, Illinois Volun- teer Infantry; Mary J., and James who died in infancy. Mary J. Smith was reared to womanhood on the homestead farm in Ogle County, receiving such educational training as was afforded by the primitive schools of the time. On February 1, 1855, she was united in marriage with William Joiner, who was born in Vermont, October 23, 1830, son of Alvin and Hannah Joiner. In June, 1837, William Joiner accompanied his parents to Ogle County, 111., and settled on a tract of land in Pine Creek Township, which, after growing to man's estate, he purchased. He became a large and prosperous farmer, and was known throush- ont the vicinity of his home as a hardworking industrious agriculturist, a public-spirited and progressive citizen, and a Christian gentleman of many sterling traits of character. He held various local offices, and was a pillar of the Baptist Church. Mr. Joiner's death occurred at the Smith homestead, May 13, 1864. To Mr. and Mrs. Joiner there were born two children, namely: Henry, who is engaged in operating his mother's property in Eagle Point Township ; and Pauline, who married William Mades Prom Maryland, and died March 22, 1897. By a second marriage Mrs. Joiner feared one daugh- ter, Bertha, who is now the wife of Wilson Bel- lows of Buffalo Township. A daughter of sturdy, consistent, God-fearing pioneers, Mrs. Joiner has inherited many of their sterling characteristics, and! she is known throughout the community for her many kind- nesses and acts of charity. For the past two years she has lived in contented retirement in the city of Polo. 932 HISTOBY OP OGLE COUNTY. JONES, Frederick George.— A signal illustra- tion of the potency of tireless energy, vigorous force of character, acute sagacity and persistent mastery of detail, when combined with superior business aptitude and thorough business train- ing, in developing a great industrial enterprise, is manifest in the career of Frederick G. Jones, of Oregon, 111., President of the Schiller Piano Co., the most extensive manufacturing estab- lishment in Ogle County. Mr. Jones was born in Cobourg, Canada West, March 19, 1847, a son of John Henry and Rachael Dean Jones, the former, born in Herefordshire, England, May 24, 1810, and the latter a native of Northumberland County, Canada West. By occupation John Henry Jones was a tailor, and was engaged in that business at Cobourg and Port Hope, Can- ada, until 1S80, when he located in Oregon, 111., and lived in retirement until the time of his death. He died on August 7, 1904, his wife hav- ing passed away October 5, 1899. Frederick G. Jones attended school in Port Hope, Canada, until he was twelve years old, when he became clerk in a book store in which he was employed for the next two years. At the age of fourteen he was placed in charge of a like store at Lindsay, Canada West, remaining in that position until he left the Dominion in 1865, to seek a home in the United States. Arriving in Oregon, 111., on May 8, of that year, he worked on a farm until the following fall, and then served two years as a clerk in the store of John P. Wooley, subsequently entering the dry-goods department of W. W. Woods & Co., of Rockford, 111., in the same capacity. After spending a few years in that connection he returned to Ore- gon and engaged in general merchandising with Mr. F. G. Petrie as silent partner. This part- nership continued thirteen years, at the end of which period Mr. Jones bought Mr. Petrie's in- terest and successfully conducted the concern fifteen years in his own name, selling out then to devote his attention to the manufacture of pianos. Since 1893, when he assumed charge of the Schiller factory, he has succeeded beyond his most sanguine anticipations, building up an enter- prise of great magnitude, and increasing the out- put of the establishment from "00 to more than 5,000 pianos yearly. This result has been ac- complished without following the usual methods of conditional sales or expending large amounts for advertising and traveling salesmen, but sim- ply by making an instrument that has become widely popular through its own intrinsic merits. Natural resources, together with the most mod- ern improved machinery, have enabled the com- pany under his direction to attain this perfec- tion of quality in its product, and to place it on the market at an exceptionally low cost. The Schiller Piano Company has an interest in the water power of the Rock River at Oregon and owns its factories. About three hundred men are constantly employed by the company, a larger force than is used by any other concern in Ogle County. Its works have never had a "shut down," never missed a pay day, and its pro- duct finds a market throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Italy and Hawaii. Aside from his responsibilities as the head of the piano company, Mr. Jones is President of the Oregon Electric Light & Power Company ; the Oregon Foundry and Machine Company; the Standard Piano Player Company ; and is owner of the Oregon Water Power which furn- ishes the power to operate the above industries. On November 19, 1872, at Oregon, 111., Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Chloe B. Brockway. born in North Bangor, N. Y. Five children have resulted from this union, as fol- lows: Edith Blanche, born October 2, 1873; George Henry, born October 29, 1875 ; Edgar Brockway, born May 20, 1880; Mildred Gard- ner, born February 10, 1885 ; and Cyrus Fred- erick, born April 16, 1887. Politically, Mr. Jones is an old time Republi- can. In 1870 he was elected Alderman on the "no license" ticket, and served continuously until 1886, and from 1887 to 1897. he was a member of the Oregon Board of Education. His reli- gious connection is with the Methodist Episco- pal Church. Besides identifying his name in a most creditable manner with the upbuilding of one of the most extensive and flourishing com- mercial enterprises of Northern Illinois, he has long commended himself to the respect and good will of the people of Oregon through his ad- mirable traits as a man and a useful member of the community, and the social esteem in which he is held is shared by his excellent wife and the other members of his family. JUDSON, Henry M., retired farmer. Polo, 111. The name of Judson has become well known in Ogle County. The original home of the family was in Delaware County, N. Y„ a county that has furnished to this section some of its very best settlers. Henry M. Judson was born at Delhi, N. Y.. August 14, 1837, a son of William and Lucinda (Robinson) Judson. In 1853 Wil- liam Judson brought his family to Ogle County and settled on land in Eagle Point Township, five miles northwest of Polo. They arrived in the month of September and found their prop- erty onlv slightly improved, with a small box house, big enough to stay in, but scarrelv good eiioush to live in. There the father lived the re- mainder of his days, dying in 1893, aged eighty- two years. His widow died February 18, 1908, aged ninety years, in her later years being a member of the household of her son, Henry M. Of the more than seventy years passed after her marriage, fifty-four years were spent on the old Judson homestead. There her husband, in 1861, built a house of twenty-two rooms, and one of the largest in the county, and in every sense the fiiiest between Polo and Mount Carroll. He built also on the place fine barns and outhouse*. The last quarter-century of his life he lived in retirement from active business. Henry M. Judson, William .Tudson's only child, was six- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 933 teen years old when his parents came to Illi- nois. He passed his youth on his father's f:irm and in gaining such an education as was afford- ed him in the public schools. August "14, 1862, his twenty-fifth birthday, he married Aliueda 8. Henderson, then aged nineteen years, a daughter of Alexander and Sallie Henderson, who lived not far from the William Judson homestead. Immediately after his marriage Mr. Judson assumed charge of his father's farm, which he operated successfully until 1907, adding to it as opportunity offered until it embraced 184 acres of land highly improved and well drained, and constituting an ideal farm for miscellaneous crops and general purposes. He raised many cattle and hogs and made a specialty of fine horses, notably of Morgans, of which breed he sold several at fancy prices. During recent years he has rented his farm, but until lately has kept his own stock. At one time he owned considt- erable land in Iowa which he sold advan- tageously. Not long ago he bought a pleasant new home in a desirable part of Polo. At the time of the administration of Governor Fifer, he held the office of Justice of the Peace in Ea- gle Point Township. He was also a Highway Commissioner of that Township for sixteen years, and for seventeen years was Treasurer of the Eagle Point Mutual Fire Insurance Com- pany, of which his father was the originator and one of the first Directors, and which was organized about 1872. Not long after it began business. Henrv M. Judson became one of its directors and in that capacity he has served ever since. This company was organized to in- sure farm property in Eagle Point and Elkhorn Grove Tnwnshin=. and its policies cover most of the buildings of that description in both of the townships named. It has never made an as- sessment to pav a loss, its membership fees am- ply meeting all expenses, its business thus cost- ing practically nothing. In actual practice it furnishes insurance to its members at thirty cents on each hundred dollars, not only against fire but against lightning, the lisrhtning clause of its policies covering stock as well as buildings. Mr. and Mrs. Judson have two daughters : Mabel, 'born May 4, 1874, and who married Al- bert N. Acker, a well known horseman of East Polo; and Pearl, born May 6. 1880, and still a member of her father's household. Politically. Mr. Judson is a Republican and has always kept in touch with his party. For sixteen or seven- teen years he was a member of the Ogle County Republican Central Committee, and is also Presi- dent of Townshin School Trustee Board and has served for the last seven years. He has been an Odd Fellow since 1867 and has several times passed all the chairs of both lodge and encamp- ment. Of 143 members of his lodge only four— H. D. Parmelee. Henry Wolf, William Bark- man and John W. Clinton — have held member- ship longer than himself. William Judson had two brothers named re- sepctively Roswell and Lewis. For a brief ac- count of the life of Roswell see the sketch of Dr. James II. Judson in this work. Lewis re- moved from Ogle County to Iowa and thence to Colorado, where he died. JUDSON, Dr. James H., physician and farmer, Buffalo Township, Ogle County, 111. Perhaps in a country community more than anywhere else the trustworthy family physician is held high in esteem. In such environment he is a neighbor as well as physician, a friend and coun- sellor, ready with aid and good cheer in all the exigencies of life. Particularly does a physician who is a farmer, enjoy the confidence of other farmers. Such a physician as is suggested by these remarks is the one whose name appears above. James II. Judson was born in Delhi Township, Delaware County, N. Y., August 20, 1839. His father was Roswell Judson, a native of New England, who married Lois Perkins, also of New England birth, and who in 1848 brought his family to Ogle County. They settled in Buffalo Township, where he died in 1883, aged eighty- seven, and she in 1874, aged seventy-seven years. Of their three children, Doctor Judson was the youngest, being about nine years old when his parents brought him to Illinois. After acquir- ing an English and a classical education in the public schools and at Mount Morris Seminary, he began the study of medicine and, in 1863, entered Rush Medical College, where he was graduated with the class of 1865. In 1864 he served one hundred days in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, during the period of his enlistment being detailed to hospital duty and made As- sistant Surgeon, in which capacity he served until he was mustered out, October, 1864. Re- turning to Buffalo Township he began the prac- tice of his profession in connection with farm- ing. He has held the office of Supervisor of Buffalo Township, and was for twenty-five years a member of the School Board. He is an Odd Fellow and a member of the Polo Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he has acted as Surgeon for many years. In pol- itics he is a Republican, casting his first ballot for Abraham Lincoln for President. Notewor- thy as has been his professional success, it has been no more so than his success as a farmer and business man. He has accumulated consid- erable property, not the least item of which is a fine farm of 500 acres in Buffalo Township, and he owns also 240 acres of good land in Hancock County, Iowa. Dr. Judson married in Ogle County, 111., June 5, 1866, Miss Margaret R. Myerly, daughter of John and Emily Myerly, who has borne him four children: Frank E„ who died October 27, 1903, in hospital at Dixon, 111., in his thirty- seventh year, from the effects of an operation for appendicitis, leaving his wife and one child, Grace; Emma L. is the widow of Charles Hil- debrand; George D. is a veterinary surgeon at Roseville, Warren County, 111., and served as Brigade Surgeon in Porto Rico until the close 934 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. of the Spanish-American War ; Grace L. is a trained nurse. Doctor and Mrs. Judson are ac- tive members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Polo. KABLE, Harry G., of Kable Brothers Compa- ny, printers and publishers, at Mount Morris, Ogle County, 111., is known throughout the coun- ty as one of the brightest and most capable rep- resentatives of the younger element in its busi- ness activities, and has made a record in his line of effort which, in view of his years, is rarely excelled. The birth of Mr. Kable took place at Lanark, 111., July 15, 1880, his parents being John A. and Elizabeth (Speicher) Kable, who moved from Carroll County to Mount Morris when he was an infant. In early youth he pursued his studies in the Mount Morris High School, from which he graduated with the class of '96, after- wards becoming a student in Mount Morris Col- lege, but leaving that institution in order to en- ter upon his career as a printer, before the pe- riod of graduation. The concern with which Mr. Kable is connected was established in 1898, and at the outset its operations were confined to the typographical work on one weekly newspaper, the "Mount Morris Index," then in the last stages of its existence. At present two weekly newspapers are issued by the company, together with seventeen monthly periodicals, aside from its bo'ok and catalogue printing, and the usual variety of commercial work customary to such an establishment. The volume of its business has grown, on an average, fifty per cent, per an- num during the ten years which have elapsed since the organization of the enterprise, and it still continues to increase each month. A. H. Rittenhouse was originally in partnership with the Kable brothers, and the firm was incorpo- rated as Kable Brothers & Rittenhouse Co., being re-incorporated in 1906, with the style which it now bears. Under the re-incorpora- tion, the capital stock was increased from $15,- 000 to $35,000. The Board of Directors consists of H. G. Kable, H. J. Kable, J. L. Rice, A. W. Brayton, S. P. Mumma, N. E. Buser and U C. Nye. The initial venture of the Messrs. Kable, modest in its inception, has developed into large proportions, expanding into one of the most sub- stantial and flourishing concerns of its kind in the northern part of the State. Harry G. Kable was married June 14, 1906, at Oregon, 111., to Edith E. Walkup, a most es- timable young lady. Both are members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Kable co-operates with the Republican party in his political action. KABLE, Harvey J., Secretary and Treasurer of the corporation known as Kable Brothers Company, printers and publishers of Mount Mor- ris, Ogle County, 111., and one of the most prom- inent and highly esteemed young business men in the southern portion of the county, was born' in Lanark, Carroll County, 111., July 15, 1880, a son of John A. and Elizabeth (Speicher) Kable, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively, but now residents of Mount Morris, 111. At the age of two years, Mr. Kable was brought from Carroll to Ogle County, and in boyhood became a pupil in the Mount Morris High School, from which he was graduated in 1896. Subsequently he matriculated in Mount Morris College, grad- uating therefrom with the class of '98. Shortly afterwards, he began his business career as one of the promoters of the concern with which he is now connected, the company being organized in the last-named year by himself and his brother,. Harry G. Kable. It makes a specialty of official publications — work for fraternal societies — its first business (1898) being limited to the print- ing of a single weekly newspaper, the "Mount Morris Index," then almost defunct. At present the operations of the company include the issue of two weekly newspapers and seventeen month- ly publications, besides book printing and other classes of work. This business shows an in- crease at the end of each month. From 1898 to 1904 the firm was known as Kable Brothers, with the exception of a considerable period dur- ing which A. H. Rittenhouse was a partner, when the style was Kable Brothers & Ritten- house, the incorporation papers being obtained later under the designation of Kable Brothers & Rittenhouse Co., and the capital stock being $15,000. In 1906 the company was re-incorpo- rated with a $35,000 capitalization, and the name was changed to its present form. The directors are H. G. Kable, H. J. Kable, Joseph L. Rice, A. W. Brayton, S. P. Mumma, N. E. Busei and U. C. Nye. For the past ten years the business of the concern has been increased at the average rate of fifty per cent, a year, and it is now one of the most prosperous printing establishments of Northern Illinois. On May 7, 1903, the marriage of Harvey J. Kable took place in Mount Morris, 111., Pearl Hershey, a daughter of Daniel and Barbara (Johnson) Hershey, then becoming his wife. From this union one child, Forest Theodore, has resulted. Politically, Mr. Kable is a supporter of the Republican party. In religious faith, he and his worthy and amiable wife are Lutherans. KAHLER, John F., very favorably known to the people of Rochelle, 111., as Assistant Post- master of the city, and one of the worthy and progressive representatives of the younger ele- ment in the community, was born in Rochelle, April 15, 1878. His parents, Cornelius and Eliz- abeth (Flynn) Kahler, are residents of Rochelle, the father having been in the employ of the Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy Railway Company for a number of years. At an early age, John F. Kahler became a pupil in the Rochelle High School, from which he was graduated in 1898, and immediately afterward secured a position in the local post-office, commencing work at the beginning of the term of G. W. Dicus as Post- master, and continuing up to the present time. Since 1894 he has officiated as Assistant Post- master. He is a young man of superior intelli- gence, good ability and creditable attainments,. r* V HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 935 and is popular with all classes of his fellow townsmen. In polities, Mr. Kahler is a Republican and takes an active interest in the public affairs of the city, township and county. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, Uni- formed Rank, being a Deputy Grand Knight. Religiously, he was reared in the Catholic faith, and is a devout member of St. Patrick's Church. KANEY, Lewis. — In Maryland Township, Ogle County, four and a half miles from where he now lives, Lewis Kanev was born April 17. 1851, a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Fosha) Kaney, the latter being an aunt of Lewis Fosha. now deceased. Both Henry and Elizabeth Kaney were born in Prussia, and came to America on the same vessel, their marriage occurring in Shenherdstown, Md.. in 1848, at the home of the bride's brother. Imbued with the pioneering in- stinct, the young couple came overland with wagon and team, accompanied by the bride's brother. Frederick Fosha, and two or three other families, and owing to high water they were compelled to take to the river at Fulton. 111. Mr. Kaney took up government land in Maryland Township, having as near neighbors many so- journers from his native State, and lived there until coming to Forreston Township, during the first year of the Civil War. Here he took up a tract of prairie land, leaving his Maryland Town- ship farm to the care of his son John, who now owns it, and to the new property he gave of his best strength and purpose, remaining thereon un- til his death in 1899, at the age of eighty-three years, his wife having pre-deceased him in 1897. at the age of eighty -one years. Mr. Kaney was generosity personified to his children, giving each of them a farm, and delighting ever in the co- operation of his sturdy sons, the labor of whom enabled him repeatedly to add to his landed pos- sessions. He had four sons. John, Henry, Lewis and August, and two daughters, Elizabeth, wife of August Kitker, of Maryland Township, and Anna, wife of William Richter, of South Dakota. Lewis Kaney was educated in the public schools, and, upon starting upon his independent career, received from his father 160 acres of land. His home tract now contains 320 acres, and he also owns a quarter-section in Silver Creek Township, Stephenson County. He is an energetic and practical farmer, raising stock and the usual products of this section of the country, and having the best of, modern improvements and implements. Independent in politics, he is an im- portant factor in local affairs ; as a member of the Board of Education has advanced the cause of education and has been an advocate of the maintenance of good roads and general pub- lic utilities. Much of his success in life Mr. Kaney attributes to the economy and assistance of his wife, who formerly was Minnie Zumdahl. of Lincoln Township, whom he married at the age of twenty-five years, and who is a daughter of Christian Zumdahl. To Mr. and Mrs. Kaney have been born eight children: Emma, wife of Daniel Korf, of Forreston Township; Minnie, wife of Henry Drake, of Maryland Township; Annie, Alfred, Lewis, George, Edgar and Mar- tha. Mr. Kaney is rated among the honorable and dependable men of his community, whose courtesy and geniality are well known, and whose strict sense of honor and integrity are proverbial. The most of his land he has acquired by strict adherence to business rules, and he well deserves the confidence and influence which have grown out of his life-long association with the same county. KAUFFMAN, Horace G., and Rebecca H.— Hor- ace G. Kauffman was born July 31, 1855, at Greencastle. in the southern end of the Cumber- land Valley of Pennsylvania. His family is of German and French descent. His paternal American ancestor came to the colonies from Switzerland nearly two hundred years ago, and settled on the border of the occupied portion of the grant to William Penn, perhaps in what be- came Adams County. There his great-grand- father owned land and there his father, John Kauffman, was born, March 31, 1811. The lat- ter also went to the border to make his home, to Louisville, Ky., but was drivei back by the chol- era scourge of 1832, when he entered the Acad- emy at Chambersburg and .ater taught school for a time, settling in Gredncastle in 1840. In politics, he was a Whig and later an Abolitionist, and from the formation of that party in 1854, a Republican. He was a close reader of the "New York Tribune," especially of the editorials of Horace Greeley, whom he greatly admired, pos- sessing a complete file of the Weekly Tribune from its beginning in 1848 to 1880. In his reli- gious belief, he was a Unitarian, due to the in- fluence of the writings of Greeley, Theodore Parker, George Ripley and other New England Unitarians of that time. He was united in mar- riage, in 1850. with Susanna Carbaugh. Her Swiss ancestors came to Pennsylvania at about the same time as the coming of her husband's people. In her later years she was a member of the Lutheran Church of Greencastle, though at one time attending the Grace Reformed Church of that place, in which church her chil- dren were brought up. The son, Horace G. Kauffman, was educated in the private and public schools of Greencastle, at the Pennsylvania State Normal School, and at the University of Wisconsin, at Madison. In 1876, Mr. Kauffman was offered the assistant principalship of his home school at Greencastle, but preferring to come west, he obtained the po- sition of Superintendent of the Mount Morris Public School, which he held for three years ; and then a similar one at Batavia, HI., for four years. He then went east to attend the Harvard Law School, but ill-health changed his pians, and after a year of interrupted law reading in Chicago in the law offices of McCagg and Culver, be returned to his former Mount Morris position. Finally completing the study of the law by at- tending the law lectures at the University of 936 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Wisconsin, he was admitted to the Bar in Chi- cago in 1893. Since 1897 he has resided in Ore- gon. For several years previous to this he re- sided on the farm at the east edge of Mount Mor- ris, changing the outdoor life of that to the home of "Hickory Square" on the west bank of Rock River, near the north end of Oregon. He has served as President of the Oregon Board of Ed- ucation, member of the Library Board, and of the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Church. In politics, he has always been a Re- publican, and has acted as delegate to various Republican conventions, but refused to go to Springfield in 1896 as the Chairman of the Ogle County Delegation, on account of being opposed to the nomination of John R. Tanner for Gov- ernor. August 23, 1876, Mr. Kauffman was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca Harlan Brice, of Sunbury, Pa. They had been classmates at school. They came at once to Illinois to make their home. Mrs. Kauffman's father was Thom- as Brice, whose parents, Thomas P. Brice and Honora St. Leger, came from Dublin to' Amer- ica immediately upon their marriage in 1805, and settled in Washington, D. C, where her father was born, August 16, 1806. Her grandfather en- tered the army in the War of 1812, and died in the service, in the artillery corps, her grand- mother serving as nurse for the soldiers of the same war. Later her grandmother married An- drew Nebinger, of Philadelphia, where her un- cles by this marriage were well known physi- cians for many years. Her mother was Mary Wenck, whose grandparents and mother came from Germany and Holland in 1804. She was an earnest adherent of the Presbyterian Church, in which her oldest son was an elder, and her sec- ond son was preparing for the ministry and to attend Princeton, when the war of the Rebellion broke out and took him away from these plans. Both her own mother and her father's mother were women of much strength of character and practical ability. Mrs. Kauffman was educated in the public schools of Northumberland, Pa., entering the High School there at the age of eleven, at a pri- vate school, at the Danville and Sunbury Acad- emies and at the Pennsylvania State Normal School. After coming west, she studied short- hand at the Chicago Athenreum. She has been a teacher in the Mount Morris and Batavia schools. From her mother and her step-father she derived a love of nature and a fondness for all the things of the outdoor world. During the past few years she has given much of her time to such pursuits, and has been actively con- nected with the Oregon Woman's Council and the Forestry Committee of the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs. With the support of these organizations she has earnestly endeavored be- fore four sessions of the General Assembly to secure the passage of a law providing for a State Board of Forestry and for the purchase of the White Pine Woods of Ogle County for a State Forest reserve. Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman's son, Harlan G. Kauffman, was born May 19, 1891, at Mount Morris, 111. In June, 1908, he graduated at the Oregon High School, and in September entered the Freshman Class of Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, 111., where he is now a student. Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman together are the edi- tors and writers of the narrative portion of this History of Ogle County. KEEDY, Franklin C, proprietor of livery, feed and sales stable, Mount Morris, 111. Persever- ance is the keynote to all human success. No man should despise a small beginning or be dis- couraged because at times his progress is not so rapid as he would like to have it. The idea that nothing can be done in this age except by corporations is a fallacy. America presents to- day as promising a field for initiative and in- dividual effort as it ever has done. To under- stand this one has not to turn his back entirely on the large cities, but he will get more light on the subject by quietly investigating business in country towns. Franklin C Keedy, who is prospering at Mount Morris as a liveryman and dealer in horses and feed, was born in Washington Coun- ty, Md., August 8, 1869, a son of Edward and Elizabeth (Blecker) Keedy. Before the close of that year his parents removed to Ogle County and settled a mile and a half east of Mount Mor- ris, on a farm of 148 acres, which Edward Keedy bought of Andrew Rice. There Mr. and Mrs. Keedy lived out their allotted days, the former dying in his sixty-seventh year. In early life he had learned the millwright's trade, but had chiefly devoted himself to farming. He was the father of three daughters and five sons, all but one of whom are living. Charles C. is a farmer in Wisconsin ; Daniel B., who was a teacher and a carpenter, died in his thirty-ninth year ; Howard E., also a carpenter, is living in Mount Morris; William H. is a farmer in Mount Morris Township ; Franklin C. is the immedi- ate subject of this sketch ; Anna M. married Martin Zellers of Mount Morris Township ; Alice M. is the wife of Samuel Sprecher'of Mount Mor- ris : Susie T. has not married. Mr. Keedy grew to manhood on his father's farm and received a substantial education in public schools near his home. He was employed on the homestead until he was twenty-four years old. During the ensuing five years he worked by the month for a compensation of twenty dol- lars a month and his board. Then he was for six years with Lewis Sprecher as a partner, doing threshing, corn-shelling, corn-shredding and wood-sawing. In 1002 he 'bought the livery and sales stable of H. L. Smith at Mount Mor- ris, and has carried on the business with satis- factory success ever since. At this time he gives steady employment to two men and keeps ten to twelve single rigs, three carriages and an omni- bus running, and is prepared at all times to furnish teams for almost any use. He is a man of much public spirit, alive to the best interests HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 937 of his community. His political affiliations are Republican. He is filling the office of Constable of Mount Morris Township. He married Feb- ruary, 1899, Miss Altha A. Coffman, a daughter of John and Mary Coffman and a native of Pine Creek Township, where her father was a suc- cessful farmer. They have children named Or- ville, Mary, Leroy and Martha. KELLOGG, Oliver W., was born April 25, 1788, in New York State. In 1820, he moved to San- gamon County, 111., and there married, February 25, 1822. Sarah Sherwood. In 1827, he broke the trail from Ogee's Ferry to Galena, and in 1829 moved to Kellogg's Grove, to which he gave the name, but before his arrival known as Burr Oak Grove. Here they remained until April, 1831, when Kellogg bought out Isaac Chambers. The same summer, Mr. Kellogg moved south of the grove on the brow of the hill, where he had a larger house, which six or seven years later became known as "The Barracks," and was set aside for the use of newly arrived emigrants un- til they could find places for settlement. In 1852, this building was demolished to give place to George D. Read's steam saw-mill. The well Mr. Kellogg dug about 1833, is still in use. The Kel- loggs came to Buffalo Grove better supplied with goods than most of the settlers, and he soon con- trolled the patronage of the Galena road owing to the accommodations he was able to offer travelers. As Mr. Kellogg was away from home when the Black Hawk War broke out, Mrs. Kel- logg was taken in charge by the neighbors, and taken first to Dixon, and later to Galena. While Kellogg was acting as guide for the army, his farm and house were pillaged by the Indians who carried off everything, but not discouraged, Mr. Kellogg resumed his farming in 1832. On December 21, 1835, Mr. Kellogg succeeded P. Bush as Postmaster of Buffalo Grove, and he was the first Treasurer of Ogle County. In 1835, he assisted in laying out St. Marion, later Buf- falo Grove, and gave the land for Buffalo Cem- etery. Until 1846, he lived in Buffalo Village, but then having sold out, went to Tipton, Iowa, where he became pastor of a Methodist Church, but died while on a visit to his daughter, at Dix- on, 111., December 28, 1849, aged sixty-one years. He built a saw-mill at Buffalo Grove, and at it was sawed the lumber used in the first frame house erected in the Grove, and considerable of the lumber used in the first court house of Dee County. The Kellogg house in Buffalo Grove was always open to all the preachers, and there was organized on May 28, 1838, the third church of Buffalo Grove. KILMER, Daniel.— The life of Daniel Kilmer, which began in Bartonsburg, Berkley County, W. Ya., January 19, 1849, and which ended in Ore- gon, Ogle County, 111., October 20, 1902, furnished many lessons in usefulness, integrity and gen- eral worth, and expressed the beneficent and wholesome compensations of conscientious and painstaking farming. When a youth of tender years, Mr. Kilmer lost his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ml Kilmer, and thenceforth the responsibility of selt-support fell heavily upon him. Accustomed to the surroundings of the farm, he continued to find employment as a hired hand in his native State, and because he was thrifty and econom- ical, succeeded in laying by a tidy little sum of money. In 1871, when about twenty-one years of age Mr. Kilmer came to Ogle County and worked for his brother-in-law, John Seibert, until his mar- riage, in September, 1887, to Elizabeth Koontz a native of Berkley County, W. Va., and daugh- ter of Juwayne and Margaret (Staley) Koontz natives of the same part of Virginia. The young people rented a farm near Mount Morris for nine years, thereafter renting land in Pine Creek Township, where Mr. Kilmer spent the last days of his life. In December, following his death, his wife moved to Oregon, and for one year kept house for William Williams. She then invested in a residence on North Third Street, where she has since lived, and where she is successfully conducting a boarding house. Her son, Forest J., was born March 8, 1888, and lives in Kimball S. Dak. Mr. Kilmer was a quiet, unassuming man, en- tertaining no political or other public aspirations, yet stanchly supporting the Democratic -party. He possessed social qualifications of a high or- der, and was a member of the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows. KING, Charles T., for more than three-score years a resident of Ogle County, 111., but now living in retirement in Rochelle, after taking a leading part in the development of his locality for half a century, was born in Worcester Coun- ty, Mass., February 11, 1836, a son of John M. and Lucy (Boyington) King, natives of England and Massachusetts, respectively. The name of the former was really McCandish, that being his father's name, although his mother married a King before John could recall his father. Years afterward, he answered a newspaper advertise- ment' calling for "John McCandish King," and going to New York in response to the consequent summons, established his identity by means of a scar on his hand, resulting from a wound in- flicted by his cousin in childhood. Thus he be- came possessed of his rightful inheritance. John McCandish King was a very intelligent man, possessing wide information concerning public events, and being quite interesting in conversation and forcible in controversy. In 1846, he and his wife journeyed to Illinois, settling in Marion Township, Ogle County, and there the father lived until 1878, when he removed to Kings Station, the mother having passed away in 1847. John M. King died in August, 1887. When eleven years old, Charles T. King hauled wheat to the Chicago market with an ox- team, being eight days on the trip, during which time he neither ate nor slept in a house. He remained at home until he was eighteen years old. going then to Sangamon County, 111., and working on a farm, and being likewise thus em- 938 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. ployed two years in Ogle County. Following this, he bought a farm in Taylor County, Iowa, which he operated two years. Returning to Illinois, he rented a piece of farming land in White Rock Township, Ogle County, until 1863, and then bought the place on which he lived up to the time of his removal to Rochelle, in 1900. This contained 380 acres, and he greatly improved it by tiling and by putting up good buildings. The home farm has been operated since he left it, by his son, Roddy Wilder King, formerly a mer- chant at Kings Station, and later a farmer in Iowa. He is a breeder of Polled-Angus cattle. Charles F. King assisted in organizing the Farm- ers' Institute, of which Horace G. Kauffman is Secretary. To this body he presented, in 1907, a handsome agricultural gavel, made from corn ears. Since its inception in 1870, he has been Treasurer of the White Rock Mutual Fire Insur- ance Company. Mr. King, with his brother Richard, and David Hayes, secured the boulder which was used to mark the place of the murder of John Campbell, by the Driscoll bandits, and on which they carved the following inscription : "John Camp- bell, who was shot by the Driscolls," also giving the date of the act. This boulder was placed on the spot in Section 8, White Rock Grove, where the murder occurred. ( See story of the Driscoll lynching in Chapter XXIV of this work.) On September 2. 1861, Mr. King was married to Martha Wadsworth, a native of Beloit, Wis., and their union resulted in eight children, as fol- lows : Armena (Mrs. Conklin), of Grand River, S. D. ; Roddy W., Flora M., Ara A., Lewis E., Hattie J., Charles C. and Edith E. The mother of this family died August 30, 1884. Op May 31, 1886, Mr. King was again married, wedding Mrs. Lizzie Ehy, of Elkhart County, Ind., whose son, Carson Eby, has been reared by Mr. and Mrs. King from the age of eight years. He is a mer- chant in Colorado, located at Boulder. Politically, Mr. King has taken an independent course in his later life. In early manhood he was a Greenbacker, and afterwards a supporter of Free-Silver. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace. His religious connection is with the Congregational Church. KING, George Walter, whose landholdings in White Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., place him in the rank of one of its foremost agricul- turists, and who, besides his extensive farming and stock-raising operations, is a prominent figure in connection with the public affairs of his locality, was born at Kings Station, Ogle County, on the farm where he now lives, August 22, 1858. Full particulars in regard to his parentage and ancestry, together with elaborate details con- cerning the history of this branch of the King family, may be found in a biographical record of his father, William H. King, appearing else- where in this connection. George W. King was reared to farm life, and, in boyhood, utilized the opportunities afforded by the common schools in the neighborhood of his home. Subsequently, he was a student in Mt. Morris College for a year, and spent a period in study at Wheaton College. In 1883, he started in the general store trade at Kings Station, under the firm name of King & Taylor, and three years afterward, entered into partnership with his father, William H. King, and his brother, John E. King, under the style of William H. King & Sons, continuing thus until the death of the father, March 16, 1898. Be- sides merchandizing, the latter was engaged in farming and buying and shipping cattle and hogs to a large extent. When the paternal estate was settled up, George W. King inherited 160 acres of the 480-acre homestead property. To the home farm he has since added eighty acres, and also has 400 acres in Pine Rock Township, all of which he operates himself. The King brothers are still occupied in live-stock transactions on an extensive scale, as formerly, but not in conjunc- tion ; the subject of this sketch shipping on his individual account, about one car-load of stock per week. He is recognized as one of the most successful stock-raisers in Northern Illinois, and his energy, enterprise and upright dealings have resulted in largely increasing the value of the in- heritance left him by his father. On September 15, 1881, Mr. King was united in marriage with Nellie M. Stevens, of Wheaton, 111., who was a student in Wheaton College, and a schoolmate of her husband. Eight children were born to this union, as follows : Rosabel, whose profession is that of a trained nurse; Al- ta M., who became the wife of Rev. Hugh Hiett, a minister of the Baptist Church, located at Dal- las, Tex. ; William H., who is with the Bankers' National Bank, of Chicago ; Harold R., a student in Wheaton High School ; and Burton, Marjorie, Nellie Edna and John Ellsworth, Jr., who are all at home and attending school. Politically, Mr. King is identified with the Republican party, and for three years acted in the capacity of Township Clerk. He has also served as a mem- ber of the County Farm Committee. In 1896, he was elected Supervisor for White Rock Town- ship. In fraternal circles, he is affiliated with the M. W. A. The venerable mother of Mr. King still sur- vives, occupying the old family residence, a state- ly structure at Kings, and is the object of pro- found regard and tender solicitude on the. part of relatives, and friends. KING, Kichard McCandish, one of the most gal- lant and faithful among the surviving veterans of the Civil War, a representative agriculturist of Ogle County, 111., and known throughout the county on account of the enterprising and pro- gressive qualities which are the foundation of his ample fortune, was born at Pelham, Hamp- shire County, Mass., on January 28, 1845. Com- plete details in regard to his parentage, ancestry and general family history are contained in a narrative of the career of his brother, Charles T. King, published elsewhere in this connection. The boyhood and youth of the subject of this sketch were passed on the parental farm in Illi- nois, whither his parents had removed at an o X t- 1 is w p 05 r 1 M O « i- 1 t" 1 w HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 939 early period, and where he remained until the fall of 1862, receiving his education in the dis- trict schools. On September 5 of the last men- tioned year, he enlisted in Company B, Ninety- second Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Col. Smith D. Atkins, of Freeport, 111., commanding, and after serving in Kentucky and Tennessee, fought under Sherman at Atlanta and marched with that famous General to the sea. He was constantly on the firing line, and participated in every battle in which his regiment was engaged, without being wounded or taken prisoner, a very unusual record. Men were shot down on all sides of him, and he often helped to carry his wound- ed comrades from the field of combat. His reg- iment was the fighting center of the entire Divi- sion, and his last service was in the Mounted In- fantry, a part of Wilder's Brigade at Cbicka- mauga, the only brigade that maintained its stand against the furious attack of the enemy. In 1S65, after his return from the war, he be- came a pupil in Mt. Morris Academy, and sub- sequently taught school two terms in "White Rock Township. Then he began farming on rented land, and later bought forty acres in the vicinity of King Station, for which he paid $35 per acre. To this he added other small tracts, afterwards selling the eighty acres thus acquired, and buying 120 acres in the southwest corner of White Rock Township, on which he remained five years. At the end of this period he gave up farming and went to Rochelle, 111.,' but after spending two years there, resumed agricultural pursuits one mile northwest of Kings Station, on what was called the De Volt farm. Buying ad- joining land, he increased his holdings until they comprised 188 acres, and erected substantial and convenient houses, barns, etc. Besides the arable portion, he has seventy acres of growing timber there, and is also the owner of 120 acres at Stillman Valley, 111., which is rented out. In addition to his Illinois holdings, he has owned lands in the Dakotas and Minnesota, and still has a farm in Miner County, S. Dak. He has carried on the home farm twenty-six years. For part of this he paid $75 per acre, and a maxi- mum of $62 for the rest. He has laid some tile and the place is now in excellent condition. Grain and live-stock are the principal features of his operations, and he devotes a good deal of attention to feeding. He raises thoroughbred Polled-Angus cattle, keeping registered grades. From the time of its organization, he has been Vice-President, and President from March 1, 1908, of the Farmers' Elevator Company at Kings, the shares in which are held by farmers of the vicinity, and yield from five to six per cent, dividends. The property of the company cost $10,000, and has been enhanced in value fifty per cent. Emerging from the Civil War almost empty-handed, Mr. King has accomplished great things through his energy, progressive spir- it and sagacious management, making a record equaled by that of few men in the county. He has a brother, John M. King, now a prosperous farmer, of St. Lawrence, S. Dak., who served with him in the same company during the great struggle in behalf of the Union, and whose uni- form, at the end of the Battle of Chickamauga, was pierced with seven bullets. On October 18, 1866, Mr. King was married to Lettie J. Dalrymple, born in Ohio, and daugh- ter of John and Eleanor (Logan) Dalrymple, who moved from Ohio to Ogle County about the time of the Civil War. Previous to her marriage, Mrs. King taught school for two terms. Six children resulted from this union, as follows : Carrie E., who formerly taught school in Ogle County, and is at present a teacher in the Taylor School, Chicago ; Frank J., a bank cashier ; Lulu B., who was Deputy Circuit Clerk of Ogle Coun- ty for two years, and is now successor of the. firm of Houston & Company, of Rochelle ; Harry L., who operates the home farm ; Jean L., a book- keeper in Chicago, now the wife of Charles Ap- ple, of Columbus, Miss. ; and Eleanor, now prin- cipal of a school at Waterman, 111. In politics, Mr. King is identified with the Re- publican party. He is an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 54G, at Rochelle, 111., of which he is Past Commander, having served two years. He has attended most of the Grand Army Reunions and National En- campments of recent years, among the latter, those at Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis and Den- KING, William Henry (deceased), founder of the village of Kings, Ogle County, 111., and one of the most successful and prominent farmers and financiers whose names have been identified with the development of the county since the beginning of its history, and whose memory is revered by all who had the honor of his ac- quaintance, was born in Worcester, Mass., Feb- ruary 22, 1834. He was a son of good English parents who became prominent residents of the old Bay State. His father, who was of noble parentage, was John MeCandish King, born at Manchester, England, November 18, 1802, and came to America when eighteen years old. The mother, Lucy Boyington was born at Pelham, Mass., August 20, 1805. This sturdy couple were married December 23, 1827, and removing to Ill- inois in 1846 with their family of six sons and two daughters, they settled in Marion Township, near Byron, 111., at a little place known as Black Walnut. Here they reared their family and made for themselves an honorable place in so- ciety, at the same time imparting to their chil- dren those strong traits of character which go so far toward the making of good citizens. The mother died here March 23, 1852. On January 31, 1853, John M. King married at Rockford, 111., Mrs. Armenia (Wright) Wads- worth. Mrs. Wadsworth had gone to Beloit, Wis., from New York State at a time when one small house and a mill race constituted the entire vil- lage. There she had experienced many hard- ships, buried her parents and husband, and was left with a family of daughters and a son. This noble woman gladly assumed the care of Mr. 940 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. King's motherless children, and reared both fam- ilies with tender care and firm kindness. Later in life, John King and wife removed to Kings, 111., where tliey resided until they died, the former on August 2, 1886, and his wife on March 16, 1908, twenty-two years later. On February 22, 1855, at Oregon, 111., occurred the marriage of William Henry King and Erne- line Wadsworth, the latter born May 27, 1838, the first girl born in Beloit, Wis., and a daughter of Ariel B. and Armenia (Wright) Wadsworth. Mr. Wadsworth was a descendant of one of three brothers, who emigrated at an early day from Scotland to America. This marriage took place two years after the marriage of Mr. John King and Mrs. Wadsworth, and on the twenty- first birthday of William Henry King. The young couple had nothing with which to begin married life but their good health, energy, con- fidence in each other and their devoted love. For two years they farmed in Marion Township, Ogle County, and then in 1857 they moved to the 80-acre farm where they were to make their home at Kings Station, and this they operated until the death of Mr. King. When that unhap- py event occurred, Mr. King was at the head of the firm of William H. King and Sons. Although possessing only his active brain and willing hands, from the very beginning Mr. King was successful. He always was very ambitious and oftentimes did the work of two or three men. Possessed of unusual buisness capacity and sound, practical judgment, and ably assisted by his thrifty and industrious wife, Mr. King suc- ceeded in accumulating a fortune. In 1870, when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was surveyed through his section of the township, Mr. King gave $3,000 and a right of way for the depot, sidings, etc. He had paid to this road $72,000 in freights during his business career, an average of $600 per month, and by means of this, some idea can be formed as to the extent of his business of shipping live-stock, which he carried on upon an extensive scale. Mr. King was recog- nized as one of the most successful judges and raisers of live stock in Northern Illinois, if not in the West, and at the time of his death, he had ready for market over 1,000 head of fat cattle. He owned about 3,000 acres of fine farm land in the vicinity of Kings Station — which place was named for him — besides valuable tracts in other States. He built the hotel, elevator, store and a dozen or more tenement houses in the vil- lage of Kings. In 1881, in partnership with Mr. Oakes, he established the Farmers Bank of Kings, which is now owned by the King Brothers & Company, the partners being Charles T. and Richard M. King, brothers, Frank J. King,' nephew of the deaceased, and Mrs. Bmeline King, the widow of the subject of this sketch. The word of William Henry King was as good as his bond, and this in itself made him a power in the business world. Eight children were born of the marriage of William Henry King and Emeline Wadsworth, namely : Alta Mary, born in Marion, Ogle Coun- ty, January 18, 1856, attended the Rochelle High School, and died March 17, 1875 ; George Walter, born at Kings, August 22, 1858, married Nellie M. Stevens, September 15, 1881; Ella Jane and John Ellsworth (twins), born July 22, 1861, of whom the former garduated from the academy department and studied art at Wheaton, later becoming a teacher in the art department in Dixon College, but died on March 22, 1888. John Ellsworth married Nellie M. Oakes, December 23, 1886; Mary Ada, born June 9, 1866, married Emery O. Lovett, a Baptist minister, June 28, 1887; Martha A., born May 22, 1869, married Benjamin Eyster, January 4, 1894, and died May 1, 1902; Fannie Lavonia, born August 27, 1873, graduated from Wheaton College in 1895, and married John Frazier Snyder, a Chicago lawyer, October 12, 1898; Bertha May, born October" 17, 1875, and died February 5, 1899. Bertha May had at that time completed the preparatory course and entered her second year in college, when her health broke down. She had gone west and south in hopes of regaining her health, but all efforts were in vain, and she was taken away in the flower of young womanhood. In the meanwhile Mr. King's own health had broken down and he was suffering from compli- cated stomach troubles and indigestion. He joined Mrs. King and their adughter Bertha at Fort Worth, Texas, hoping to obtain benefit from rest and change of climate. But these hopes were not realized, and the suffering ones re- turned home only to die soon after. The week after the daughter's death, Mr. King was taken to Mercy Hospital, . Chicago, where at first the physicians thought of operating, but later de- cided that be was in no condition to undergo an operation, and six weeks after his daughter's demise, at eleven o'clock Thursday night, March 16, 1899. he passed away at Mercy Hospital. Mr. King was a large-hearted, generous man and public-spirited citizen, and possessed an accommodating and sympathetic temperament, whose charities were large, and many of them never known. A man of strong convictions, he stood firmly by them. He was an earnest Chris- tian and a stanch supporter of the Presbyterian Church for many years, although when converted at an early age, he had joined the Methodist Church. In 1881 he transferred his membership to the Presbyterian Church, of which he was made trustee, and for many years was Superin- tendent of the Sunday School. In politics he was an independent, and was always a fearless advo- cate of those principles which he thought for the best interest of mankind and the community gen- erally. He held the office of Supervisor of White Rock Township for twenty-one years, retiring as Chairman of the Board. The funeral of Mr. King was one of the largest ever witnessed in Ogle County. The entire coun- ty seemed eager to pay a last tribute to the memory of the departed. The two churches would not accomodate the crowd. The floral of- ferings were tokens of high regard and were al- most without number. Reverend Clendennin" HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 941 of Chicago, in his funeral oration, paid him the highest of honor in an eloquent address. The following brothers survived Mr. King: James H., a banker of Rockford, 111.; Charles T., of Rochelle; John M., of South Dakota, and Rich- ard M., of Kings, 111. Two sisters, Lucy Ann and Isabel Morehead Gordon, died before he did, and since his death George W. King of Flagg Center has also died. Two half-sisters, Mrs. White of Iowa, and Mrs. Robbins of Stillman Valley, are living. One half-sister and a half- brother, died at an early age. The devoted wife and mother, whose lovely character endeared her not only to her family, but to all who know her, still occupies the spa- cious, modem home which was erected about 1882, and which Mr. King promised his bride on their wedding day. She relied upon the fulfill- ment of that promise, although years of toil and thrifty saving intervened, and her confidence was justified in this as in every other way, for Wil- liam Henry King was a man who never made a promise lightly, or failed to keep it if it lay within his power to do so. He was a citizen at once prominent and useful, filling with credit to himself, and satisfaction to others, the multi- form duties and obligations imposed upon those whom talent and industry have placed in posi- tions of responsibility and trust. KNIGHT, Bradley J. (deceased), formerly one of the most energetic, enterprising, and success- ful farmers of Flagg Township, Ogle County, 111., and> a citizen greatly esteemed for his many ad- mirable traits of character, was born in Lynn- ville Township, Ogle County, May 29, 1856. His parents were Joshua J. and Achsa (Davis) Knight, natives of New York State, born in Her- kimer County. Joshua J. Knight came to Ogle Comity in company with his father, Hezekiah, just after the birth of the subject of this sketch. Hezekiah Knight and his wife had three sons, namely: David A., and Harvey, both of whom died in Nebraska ; and Joshua, who died on his father's farm in Lynnville, Ogle County, in 1882. His father had then removed to Mt. Morris. His widow still lives at Lynnville. Their chil- dren were: Alma, wife of James Carmichael. of Lynnville ; Bradford, an attorney, of Rock- ford, 111. ; and Bradley, his twin brother ; Her- bert, who occupies the farm at Lynnville, for- merly owned by his father ; Addison, an inter- preter of the Spanish language, located in Cuba ; and Achsa Jane, his twin sister, who died at nine years of age. The only daughter of Heze- kiah Knight who survived him is Anna, wife of Rev. Mr. Burrell, of Yakima, Wash. In youth Bradley J. Knight attended the Rock River Seminary, and remained at home, working on the farm until the time of his marriage. In early manhood he spent several winter seasons in teaching school, in the meantime farming dur- ing the summer. After marrying, the young couple moved to a farm owned by the father-in- law, and in 1884 Mr. Knight bought the old Aus- tin Stalford farm of 160 acres, situated two miles and a half north of Rochelle, to which he sub- sequently added forty acres. Austin Stalford built the first residence on the place, which he occupied for several years. Mr. Knight made ex- tensive improvements on the property, putting up buildings, laying tile, etc. At the same time he operated other farming lands, comprising, in all, 500 acres, and requiring the services of a considerable force of farm hands. He had a lively ambition to push forward his undertakings, and a strong inclination to raise and train trot- ting horses. In furtherance of this idea he built a private track on his own farm and took great interest in this class of stock. Mr. Knight's death occurred September 27, 1887, after a short attack of quinsy. He was a prominent and use- ful citizen, and was always ready to do his full share in promoting the public welfare. In poli- tics, he acted with the Republican party and held various local offices, including those of Con- stable, School Director, etc. The marriage of Mr. Knight took place Feb- ruary 17, 1881, on which date he was wedded to Mary A. Litch, a daughter of George H. and Frances (Austin) Litch, natives of Vermont. Mrs. Knight was born in Orange County, that State, and was three years of age when taken by her parents to Wisconsin, where the family located in Dane County. Her father owned land adjoining the Knight homestead, which Mr. Knight had rented, and he first met her when visiting Mr. Litch. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Knight, namely : May Frances, Edna B., George A. and Bradley J., the last named being but three weeks old at the time of his father's death. A brother of Mrs. Knight, Eugene Paul Litch, came to the bereaved home from Wisconsin, and for six years, conducted the Knight farm. Her uncle, William B. Litch, an old bachelor and a pioneer attorney at Rochelle, 111., who had practiced law in New York City, also gave such attention to the fatherless chil- dren as they required, relieving the mother of much care, although his feeble condition was a source of solicitude on her part. He remained with the family eight years, and died while a member of the household, when rnore than eighty years old. He attained considerable reputation as a lawyer in connection with the suit of Flagg versus the Chicago & Iowa Railroad Company. He was a bright, strong-minded man when in his prime, and during his waning years took a deep interest in the Knight boys, his last thought being of these children. It was in accordance with his advice that the youngest son took up the study of law. Mrs. Knight remained on the home farm, renting the land to neighbors but keeping her own stock. She has provided her children with a high school education. Since 1893 her son, George has conducted the farm, extending his operations, however, to other land besides the homestead property. He usually feeds and ships two carloads of cattle each year. All the children are graduates of the Rochelle High School. May Knight graduated with the class of '98, and afterwards taught school in Arizona, at present being thus engaged at Still- 942 HISTORY OF OOtLE COUNTY. man Valley, Ogle County. Edna B. graduated from the High School in 1902, and is a trained nurse, having also graduated from the Rockford Training School for Nurses in June, 1906. The graduation of George A. — now, as before mention- ed, on the home farm — took place in 1903. Brad- ley J. graduated in 1905, and is a law student in the University of Illinois. Mrs. Knight and her family are communicants of the Presbyterian Church. She is prominently connected with sev- eral ladies' societies and clubs, is engaged in Chautauqua work, and is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. One of her ancestors was Capt. John House, of Revo- lutionary fame, who raised three companies of troops during that war, and was with Washing- ton at Valley Forge. He donated 100 acres of land to Dartmouth College. Mrs. Knight and her daughter have visited his birthplace in the vicinity of Hanover, X. H, and in 1907 they were visitors at the Jamestown Exposition. KORF, August F., farmer, Forreston, 111. The man who lives an upright life and rears a family of children in the fear of God, doing his utmost to give each of them as fair a start as possible upon a useful career, comes as near as the aver- age man can ■ to fulfilling the requirements of good citizenship; if he does all this, and besides, risks his life for his adopted country, he certain- ly deserves the highest praise. Those who read this article to the end will understand the appli- cation of these brief statements. August F. Korf was born at Vaderfald, Lippe-Detmold, Germany, May 2, 184?.. His parents were Lewis and Mary (Fosha) Korf. The father, also born in Lippe- Detmold, Germany, in 1797, was an humble swine-herder, who made a bare living in the Ger- man village in which his lot was cast. His wife was a «ister of Frederick Fosha. father of Lewis and Henry Fosha of Maryland Township, Ogle County. Hoping to better his condition in the United States, Mr. Korf with his household and others, embarked from Bremen on a sailing ves- sel, which was eight weeks in getting to New York. His half brother, Henry Scheria, who was considerably his junior, was living in Maryland Township, Ogle County, 111., at that time, and his wife's sister, Elizabeth, was married to Hen- ry Kaney. a blacksmith at Grand Detour ; con- sequently they came to Ogle County, where they arrived July 19, 1848. The survivors of those rel- atives and friends so happily reunited celebrated the semi-centennial of their meeting July 19, 1898, when only those who were children at the time were yet living. In the second year after his arrival in the United States, Lewis Korf bought eighty acres of land in Maryland Township, about half-way between Adeline and Forreston. Meanwhile, he had worked at farm labor and split rails at thirty-five cents a day, taking his pay in grain and other available produce. He and his family occupied a one and one-half story log cabin', with a floor of rough boards, and had to do without very many things the possession of which would have made them only comfortable. But Mr. Korf was so thrifty and business-like that event- ually he owned 240 acres of land, and was able to give each of his sons $1,000 as a financial start in life. He died in Stephenson County, 111., in July, 1871, aged seventy-five years, his widow passing away September 28, 1870. Of their chil- dren, six grew to maturity : Minnie married William Mandhank, of Baileyville, 111.; Dorothy became the wife of John Pothast, and they are both dead; Elizabeth is Mrs. Frederick Toad- man of Forreston Township ; Frederick, who was a farmer, died at Forreston in 1864; Henry is living in retirement at Newton, Jasper County, Iowa ; August F., the youngest son, was only five years old when he was brought from Germany to Ogle County. August F. availed himself as ful- ly as possible of local educational advantages, but received most of his education in the school of experience. March 9, 1870, he married Doro- thea Mary Zumdahl, who was born at Sabben- hausen, Lippe-Detmold, Germany, April 27, 1848. Mrs. Korf, who came to America in 1850, was a daughter of Christ and Dorothea (Schmittnyer) Zumdahl. She was educated in an American school in both English' and German. Mt. and Mrs. Korf had four sons : August C, born Feb- ruary 23, 1871, was educated at the Dakota Col- lege and is a member of his parents' household ; Jesse A., born January 14, 1874, was graduated at the Illinois State Normal School at Dixon, and is a farmer in Lincoln Township ; George F. was born May 10, 1877, graduated at Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio, and is Vice-President of the Medical Institute at Freeport, 111. ; William H. was born October 31, 1880, and died Decem- ber 28, 1906. A sketch of his life is given in this work. August F. Korf lived on his father's old home- stead until 1881, when he bought a farm of 330 acres in Lincoln Township, on which he has fine buildings and all essential improvements. He owns also 320 acres of land near the homestead, which is farmed by his son Jesse. A large resi- dence has been built on this property which Is otherwise up-to-date. Mr. Korf owned lands in Iowa, which he bought advantageously and sold when they had satisfactorily increased in value. He also sold the old home in Maryland Township. He gave his personal attention to his home place untii August, 1903. Since then he has occupied a fine residence which he built at Forreston, renting his farm. He has afforded each of his sons a good education, and, besides paying each of them $200 for each year spent in his service after the age of twenty-one, has given them a good financial start in life. In March, 1865, Mr. Korf enlisted in Company F, Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which he joined at Morehead City, N. C, and with which he remained until the close of the war. After taking part in the Grand Review at Wash- ington, D. C, the regiment went to Louisville, Ky., and thence to Leavenworth, Kan., and its members were mustered out and discharged at Springfield, 111. In his political affiliation Mr. DE WITT WARNER HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 943 Korf is a Democrat, but he believes in electing good men to office and in local affairs is gen- erally an independent. His first presidential vote was cast for General McClellan, in 1864. A friend and promoter of education, he was for twelve years a member of his home School Board. He is an elder of the Reformed Church of the United States. KORF, William H. (deceased), editor and pub- lisher of the "Ogle County Review-Herald," of Forreston, 111., from June, 1904, to December 28, 1906, the date of his death. Mr. Korf was the youngest son of August Frederick and Dorothea Mary (Zumdahl) Korf, and was born near North Grove, Ogle County, October 31, 1880. He was received into full membership of the Reformed Church at West Grove in April, 1895. After completing his work in the district school at West Grove, he entered the Forreston High School, from which, after an attendance of three years, he was graduated June 8, 1900. In the fall of that year he entered Heidelberg Univer- sity, Tiffin, Ohio, and became editor of "The Aurora,'* the junior class paper, and "The Kili- killik," the college paper. There he pursued his studies until he was graduated with his class in June, 1904, when he returned to Ogle County and entered into business as editor and proprietor of the "Review-Herald." His influence was soon wide-reaching and, in editorial expression and in his private life, it was for the uplifting of his fellowmen. The two years and a half of his journalistic career were filled with earnest work directed to the upbuilding of a reputable and in- fluential newspaper that in every emergency would stand for human advancement. As a writer, his style was pleasing and facile and the honesty and earnestness of his own life were reflected in every editorial that came from his pen. The "Review-Herald" was so successful that it became a regular visitor in nearly one thousand homes. His brethren of the press all testified to the nobility of his character and to his editorial integrity and ability, and the public deplored the untimely termination of his useful career. KOSIER, John S., a resident of the City of By- ron, Ogle County, 111., for more than half a cen- tury, during which he has been known as one of the busiest, most skilful and most successful building contractors in the county, as well as one of its most substantial and useful citizens, was born in Perry County, Pa., Jume 29, 1830, the son of John and Maria (Rice) Kosier, who were also natives of that State, where they spent their entire lives, dying in Perry County. They were of German extraction, their progenitors having emigrated from Wurtemberg, Germany, at an early day, and settled near Philadelphia. The maternal grandfather was Zachariah Rice, who was the father of sixteen sons and five daughters. John and Maria (Rice) Kosier were the parents of thirteen children, seven of whom were sons, and five of .whom rendered faithful service to the Union during the Civil War. One was mortally wounded at the Battle of Shiloh and died at E\>rt Henry, where he was buried. Another, Jesse, died of fever, and was buried on the field of Antietam. The father and mother were stanch friends of the Union cause, the latter es- pecially proving her patriotism by giving up her sons for the preservation of her country. The subject of this sketch, who was the third child of this family, was reared in the locality of his birth, and up to the age of nineteen years fol- lowed various occupations. At that period he began working at the carpenter's trade, serving an apprenticeship of two years, at $50 per year and his board. After learning the trade he went to Pittsburg, Pa., and was employed as a car- penter in that city, during 1851. From Pitts- burg he removed to Rockford, 111., pursuing the same line of work there for one year. In the spring of 1853 he located at Byron, 111., and ap- plied himself to carpentering on his own ac- count, continuing in the occupation of a building contractor for fifty-four years. In 1905 he with- drew from active exertion, and has since lived in retirement. During the long peTiod of his ex- perience in Byron, Mr. Kosier has built more than 125 houses in this vicinity, and many of the best residences in the village are the result of his diligence and mechanical skill, as well as a number of grain elevators along the line of the Chicago Great Western and the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railways. He has also erect- ed four depots at points on the latter road. He has accumulated a snug competency, and is the owner of 190 acres of improved land in Byron Township. On January 2, 1854, Mr. Kosier was married, at Rockford, 111., to Rebecca N. Bull, a native of the same" State and county where his own birth took place. Two children were the issue of this union, namely : Frances M. and Charles B. The former died in Byron, 111., July 21, 1886, at the age of thirty-one years. Rebecca (Bull) Kosier passed away at Byron, October 2, 1858. Mr. Kosier was again married, in the same city, December 26, 1859, wedding Elizabeth Litus, born in Otsego, N. T., who bore him four chil- dren : Adella, Rebecca E., Belle L. and Albert H. Adella, the eldest daughter of this union, became the wife of Craige C. Kennedy, of Hinck- ley, 111. ; Rebecca E. married Maj. Henry C. Newcomer, of Pittsburg, Pa. ; Belle L. is the wife of Jesse M. Heald, of Byron, which place is also the home of Albert H. The mother of the fam- ily died in Byron, September 29, 1902, when 71 years old. Politically, Mr. Kosier has always acted with the Republican party, having cast his first pres- idential vote for Gen. John C. Fremont. He has taken an active part in all movements pertaining to the best interests of the community, and has faithfully and efficiently discharged the duties of several local offices. In fraternal circles, he has been identified with the A. F. & A. M. for fifty years, officiating twenty-one years as Master of Byron Lodge. In the waning days of his busy 944 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. career, he is cheered by the consciousness that he enjoys the respect, confidence and good will of all his fellow townsmen. KRETSINGER, Josiah T., M. D., Leaf River, 111. The medical profession is well represented in Ogle County. There the physicians and sur- geons are as well educated, as diversely expe- rienced, as able and as successful as the same number of physicians anywhere in the country. One of the most favorably known of them is Dr. Kretsinger, a brief account of whose active and useful career is here submitted. Dr. Josiah T. Kretsinger was born in Leaf River Township, Ogle County, October 8, 1848, a son of Lewis and Caroline (Zigler) Kretsinger. His father, who came to Ogle County in 1844, was a native of Virginia, while his mother, who came in 1841, was born in Washington County, Md. They married in Ogle County and settled in Leaf River Township, where Mr. Kretsinger won success as a farmer. He spent the years after his retirement in Leaf River Village, where he died in 1889, aged sixty-six years. His widow has attained an advanced age. Of their ten children, Dr. Kretsinger was the second in order of birth. It was on his father's farm that Dr. Kretsin- ger took up the active duties of life. He was educated in local public schools, at the Rock River Seminary and at the Illinois State Normal School, Normal, 111. Meanwhile he began teach- ing and was thus employed for several years in Minnesota and elsewhere. In his leisure, he took up the study of medicine, for two years was a student at the Minnesota Medical College, Min- neapolis, and then entered the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York, where he graduated with the class of 1885. He entered upon the practice of his profession at Minneapolis, Minn., but about a year later settled at Leaf River, where he has met with noteworthy success. It is greatly creditable to him that he has been able, amid the scenes of his childhood, to firmly establish himself with old friends and neighbors as his patients. He is a member, and Secretary and Treasurer of the Ogle County Medical So- ciety, and also a member of the Illinois State Medical Society, and of the American Medical Association. November 27, 1904, Dr. Kretsinger married Miss Carrie Ieely, a native of Leaf River Town but that the time is well remembered by men of middle age. the line between farmers and busi- ness men was so sharply drawn that one seldom met a practical farmer who was a business man, or with a business man who had ever learned anything about farming without his coat on. The distinction is rapidly disappearing. In many parts of the country important business enter- prises are being organized by farmers and made successful by farmers' brains and farmers' money. The career of Lewis F. Kretsinger, of Leaf River Township and Egan City, 111., well illustrates this fact. Mr. Kretsinger's activities are scarcely fully scheduled in the statement that he owns and operates the Maple Leaf Farm is Postmaster at Egan City, is a Director and Treasurer of the Farmers' Creamery Company at Egan City, and Director and Treasurer of the Ogle County Elevator Company, at Egan City. Mr. Kretsinger was born in Leaf River Town- ship, Ogle County, September 11, 1852, the fourth in order of birth of the ten children of Lewis and Caroline (Zigler) Kretsinger. His father was a Virginian, and his mother a native ot Washington county, Md. They emigrated to Ogle County and there married, and it was in Leaf River Township that Mr. Kretsinger entered upon a prosperous career as a farmer, devel- oping a fine farm, upon which he lived until his retirement from active life. He passed his de- clining years at Leaf River village, where he died in 1889, in his sixty-seventh year. His widow still survives, having reached an advanced age. It was on his father's farm that Mr. Krets- inger got the good knowledge of farming that has served him well through life. Between the in- tervals of his work in the fields, he attended the common schools as opportunity offered, and thus obtained a good English education Farming, howeveT, was his chief business until 1904. Ma- ple Leaf Farm contains 104 acres of well im- proved land, and its buildings and accessories are better than those of numerous other farms in its vicinity. Since 1894, Mr. Kretsinger has, from time to time, identified himself with vari- ous business interests, some of which have been mentioned, fte is a member of the firm of Kret- singer Brothers, dealers in hardware, lumber and coal at Egan City, the partners in which are L F ME. and D. E. Kretsinger. Since 1S89. when that ' enterprise was started, he has been con- iTiiaa ^ttlllC AIJCTIV, rt JJfclLlVt; UJ. JJCai 1V1 V CI lUVVll- luck. •-" r Til™-*,,, TTq , v -IS ship. He has been a member of the Leaf River nected with the Ogle County Elevator He was Village Board, and for several years a member appointed Postniaster at Egan City in l&yb, ina has held the office continuously to the present time In his political alliances he is a Republi- can and in the public affairs of his village and township his interest is steadfast and helpful. He has been a member of the Leaf River Town- ship Republican Committee, and has held the office of School Director for many years. Both he and Mrs. Kretsinger are active members of the United Brethren Church. On December 20, 1877, Mr. Kretsinger mar- ried Miss Margaret Ellen Speaker, who was born in Ridott Township, Stephenson County, of the local School Board. He is identified with the Knights of Pythias and Knights of the Globe. Busy as he is with his profession, he has been led by a natural liking for business affairs to identify himself, from time to time, with non- professional interests. He is President of the Leaf River and Egan City Mutual Telephone Company. KRETSINGER, Lewis F., Postmaster at Egan City, 111., and proprietor of the Maple Leaf Farm, Leaf River Township. Not so many decades ago HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 945 March 31, 1857, a daughter of William and Mary Speaker, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kretsinger have had born to them four chil- dren : George O., Clarence M., Daisy E. and Burton Ray. KRIDLER, Burton D. (deceased), former mer- chant of Polo, 111., who died August 18, 1905, re- gretted by all who had known him, was probably better known throughout Ogle County than any other man for many miles around Polo. He was generous and public-spirited to a fault and no worthy cause or enterprise failed to receive his hearty support or, if it were needed, his financial aid. It is no little honor to have lived such a life and to have won a place in the hearts of so many people. Mr. Kridler was born in Ply- mouth. Luzerne County. Pa., November 18. 1843, and when about nine years old was brought by his father to Illinois, the family settling on a farm in Carroll County five miles northwest of Milledgeville. There, as a farmer's boy, he learned something of pioneer life in the prairie country of the Middle West. In 1861 he took up his residence in Polo, then becoming a clerk in the store of Pierce & Barber, general merchants, but at a later period opened a grocery store, which he conducted for a number of years with indifferent success, because he did not find it in his heart to refuse anyone something to eat or, in some cases, to question even as to whether he would ever receive pay for his merchandise. In 1881 he foTmed a partnership with William Strickler in the dry-goods, furniture and under- taking business, which was unbroken for twenty- five years, and then dissolved only because of Mr. Kridler's illness. December 26, 1867, Mr. Kridler married Miss Eliza Baker of Polo, who bore him one son, Fred B. Kridler, who is well known throughout the county and now a resident of Richland, Wash. He is survived by his widow and son ; by his brothers, Wilber H. Kridler of Fullerton, Neb., and Dr. S. R. Kridler of Red Oak, Iowa, and by his sisters, Mrs. Marion Hallett of Polo ; Mrs. Alexander Windle of Iowa Park, Texas, and Mrs. Orris Mosher of Walnut, Iowa. The keys to Mr. Kridler's success were honor, justice and affability, and perhaps his most noted characteristic was his kindly and cheerful dis- position. It has been said of him by one who knew him well that he was not affable for the purpose of financial gain in business, or solely to those with whom he thought he might do busi- ness, but he was friendly to all at all times. He loved children, and they came to him naturally, as to a confidential and unfailing friend. There were few of his business associ- ates who took a deeper interest than he in Polo and Ogle County, and in everything that made for their advancement and prosperity ; but, while he promoted these with ready liberality, he did so as a citizen with the public welfare at heart and not as a politician. LANDES, Solomon, an early pioneer of Ogle County, 111., was born in Hardin County, Va., (now W. Va.), January 3, 1806, coming to Buf- falo Grove October 1, 1835. In 1829, he left his native State, first coming to Cass County, Mich., whence he removed six years later to Ogle County. His first wife was Elizabeth Detmore, who died in April, 1866. Two years later, he married Mrs. Jane Stewart Craig. Mr. Landes died in November, 1892, aged eighty-six years. LANDON, William Pierce, attorney-at-law, Rochelle, 111., and a man of ability and character who is highly regarded by citizens of Ogle County, was born October 27, 1865, a son of Jud- son S. and Emily A. (Pierce) Landon. The father, Judson S. Landon, LL. D., was Supreme Court Justice in New York State for twenty- eight years. Justice of the Court of Appeals, author of "The Constitutional History of the United States," and President of Union Univer- sity. In 1882 Mr. Landon graduated from Schenec- tady Classical Institute, receiving the prize for oratory. In 1886 he was graduated from Union College. Schenectady, N. Y., where he once more received the oratorical prize. He then entered the Albany Law School, from which he was grad- uated in 1889 as valedictorian, and the same year was admitted to the New York Bar, and also to the Minnesota Bar. For a few months fol- lowing, he practiced law in St. Paul, Minn., and then became Assistant to the Rev. Robert Chris- tie, D. D., pastor of the House of Hope Presby- terian Church. Continuing with Mr. Christie as his assistant during vacations, he studied the- ology, and was graduated from McCormick Theo- logical Seminary in 1893, as President of his class. In May, 1893, Mr. Laudon was sent to Rochelle as pastor of the Presbyterian Church of that city, and. at once began to revolutionize things, receiving 100 members into the church in a year. His health broke down in 1894, and during the following year he took a trip to Europe in order to try to regain his lost strength. Being relieved of all pastoral duties upon his return, except preaching, it was hoped he could continue, but he was forced to resign in April, 1897, on account of the state of his health. Mr. Landon then took up ranching in Kansas for several years, but re- taining his residence in Rochelle. eventually being admitted to the Bar in Illinois, when he resumed his practice which he has continued to the pres- ent time. He manages a dozen farms for clients, and has given careful attention to matters tend- ing towards the improvement of the soil and the best methods of farming. A strong Republican, Mr. Landon was the de- feated candidate in the primaries for Congress in 1906, against Col. F. O. Lowden. He also ran against William Emerson for State's Attorney in 1908, and was defeated. For four years. Mr. Landon was City Attorney of Rochelle, and was one of the best officials the place has ever had. He has taken an active interest in public af- fairs, and also in moral, social, religious and 946 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. literary matters, and is often called upon to speak upon these subjects. Fraternally, Mr. Lan- don is a Mason, a Woodman and a member of the Eastern Star. In 1892 Mr. Landon married, in Schenectady, N. Y., Kittie W. Kosboth, who died May 24, 1893. On August 4, 1896, he married as his second wife Margaret Austin Cass, of Rochelle, 111., and a daughter of Atou Cass, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this' volume. Mrs. Landon is very prominent, belonging to the Daughters of the American Revolution, the East- ern Star, the Women's Club, the Nineteenth Cen- tury Club, and the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Landon has one son by his first maTriage, Wil- liam K. Landon. LAUGHLIN, Elmyr A., a very energetic young dairy farmer of Rockvale Township, Ogle County, 111., and the enterprising proprietor of one of the finest and most flourishing creameries in Ogle County, was born in St. Louis, Mo., March 11, 1879. His father was Henry D. Laughlin, who was formerly a leading member of the bar in that city, and at one time a Judge of the "Four Courts." His mother was Ella (Haynes) Laughlin, both parents being natives of Kentucky. Their family consisted of three sons and one daughter. The youngest son, Elmyr, was reared in St. Louis, and there received his education. On leaving the Bench, Judge Laugh- lin moved to Chicago, engaging in the manufac- ture of railroad supplies, and after finishing his studies in St. Louis, Elmyr, became associated with his father in that business. At a later period he went into the roofing line, continuing thus about nine years. In 1900 he purchased the farm where he now lives, consisting, approxi- mately, of 300 acres, and known as "The Grange," on which he established a creamery soon after taking possession. The product of this is exten- sive and of the finest quality. It is mainly shipped to Chicago, and the annual output amounts to about $72,000. On July 1, l'.t03, Mr. Laughlin was married, in Chicago, to Bessie Darling, a native of Rhode Island, where she was born in Pawtucket. Mrs. Laughlin is a daughter of Ira Darling, who moved from that place to Chicago becoming a member of the firm of Darling & Company, dealers in fertilizers, etc. Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin, namely : Elizabeth D., and Elmyr A., Jr. On political issues, Mr. Laughlin is a sup- porter of the Republican party. As a business man, he is credited by all who know him, with the possession of more than ordinary capacity. LAWRENCE, Hon. Johnson. —There is really little difference between what Americans are pleased to call American stock — meaning de- scendants, usually of Englishmen, who came to the colonies in pre-revolutionary times — and Eng- lish stock, so-called, the representatives of which are descendants of Englishmen who came to the United States after the establishment of Ameri- can independence. It is simply a question as to when the first American progenitor of the family came across the sea from the mother country. John Lawrence was born in Kent, England, March 11, 1801, a son of John and Susanna (Sayles) Lawrence. In 1818 he came to Phila- delphia ; three years later went to Canada, where he cleared and began the improvement of a farm ; in 1826 he married Lydia Johnson, daughter of Abram Johnson, who was born near Toronto, Ontario. In 1838 Mr. and Mrs. Law- rence came to Illinois, where he continued farm- ing with gratifying success, and where they both died, the former October 30, 1886, and the latter November 16, 1888. They had seven children, as follows : Nancy, who married Philetus Peck and died in Nebraska in 1867 ; Susanna, married Albert Slater and removed to Oregon, where she died April, 1907; Mary, married James Wil- liams of Denver, Col. ; Jordan, lives in Geneva. f ll. ; Catherine, married Moses M. Culver and died in November, 1868, in Nebraska ; Maria L., married Isaac D. Appleford (now deceased), formerly of Dixon, 111. Johnson Lawrence was born at his parents' prairie home, June 17, 1S44, and passed his boy- hood days on the farm and at school. On August 19, 1862, he enlisted, when little more than eighteen years of age, in Company D. Ninety- second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was later mounted , and attached to Gen. Wilder's brigade. With that organization he served for about a year, taking part in the battles of Chat- tanooga and Chickamauga, when the Ninety- second was transferred to a brigade commanded by Gen. Eli Murry and attached to Kilpatrick's Cavalry division during the Atlanta campaign. Later it accompanied Gen. Sherman in his his- torical march from Atlanta to the sea, thence through the Carolinas to the end of the war. Dur- ing his three years service in the army. Mr. Lawrence was on duty every day and did not miss a single roll-call during the entire three years service. He is the present Representative of his district in the General Assembly of Illi- nois, having been elected in 1903 and now serv- ing his third term. Mr. Lawrence was married, April 8, 1S79, to Julia E. Reed, who was bora at Buffalo Grove. Ogle County, August 12, 1851, a daughter of George D. and Mary (Wamsley) Read, early set- tlers of the county, who came here in 1836. The father died in 18S2. and the mother in 1884. Mrs. Lawrence was the eldest of the family, the other being George E. Read, now City Attorney of Polo, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence have one daughter, Lillie M., born September 21, 1885. LEACH, Joseph, one of the most favorably known among the well-to-do farmers in Section 33, Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., was born in Adams County, Pa., July 18, 1845. His parents were Eli and Barbara (Lowver) Leach, natives of the same State aud county as their son Joseph, the father being of English parent- 3 > < > W w w g w K > W W HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 947 age. Both died in their native county. They reared a family of seven children, of whom the subject of this biographical sketch was the third. The latter was brought up on a farm until he was fifteen years of age, when he went to Wash- ington, D. C. where, although too young to en- list, he secured employment as a teamster in the Government service, driving a six-mule team during three years of the Civil War. He was captured by the Confederate troops in 1864, but ■was soon released and shortly afterwards re- turned to Adams County, Pa., continuing to live there until 1871. In that year he came to Ogle County, 111., and worked as a farm hand, by the month for two years. In 1873 he located on a farm in Section 33, Pine Creek Township, where he remained five years, removing then to Woo- sung Township, Ogle County, 111., and thence, one year later, to Pocahontas County, Iowa, which was his home for the next thirteen years. At the end of this period he sold his property there, and returning to Ogle County, purchased the 120-acre farm on which he has since lived. He has been successful in his business under- takings and besides his farm, has other valuable Interests. In August, 1873. Mr. Leach was united in mar- riage with Mrs. Susan C. (Lockridge) Lampin, widow of Joseph Lampin, and who was born in Maryland. This union -resulted in two children namely : Barbara E., and Rosa J., wife of Ir- vin M. Trump, detailed mention of whom is made on another page of this volume. In politics, Mr. Leach is a supporter of the Democrat party, but is rather independent in his views on political issues. LIGHT, Martin, ex-Supervisor of Leaf River Township and proprietor of Blmwood Farm, Ogle County. 111. There are in this township a num- ber of well-to-do men of middle age who were born here, have practically passed their lives here and who have been so successful in every way that, as one of them has expressed the idea, "it is a good enough place for them," These men have grown up as neighbors and friends, and many are highly esteemed throughout the county. Conspicuous among this class is the progressive farmer and stockman whose name appears above. Martin Light was born in Leaf River Town- ship, May 23, 1847. a son of "John and Catharine (Schucker) Light. John Light was born in Leb- anon County, Pa., and came to Ogle County in 1837. Catharine Schucker was born in Schuyl- kill County. Pa., and came to Illinois some years later than her husband. They married in Ogle County in 1845 and settled in Leaf River Town- ship, where they passed the remainder of their lives. He died April 18, 1901, in his eighty- ninth year, and she on May 4, 1907, in her eighty- third year. Mr. Light kept a country store at Lightville and was the first Postmaster there, the postoffice having been known as "Wales. His interest in the community led him to erect a school house at that point entirely at his own expense, and that was only one of many public- spirited acts of his from time to time. Mr Light laid out the town of Lightville and tb same was named after him. Mr. and Mrs. Light were devoted members of the River Brethren Church and were active and most efficient in all church work. Except for the few years . while he was merchandising at Lightville, Mr. Light devoted himself exclusively to farming. In this connection some mention of the seven children of John and Catharine (Schucker) Light will be of more than passing interest. Tena is the wife of Henry Schrader, of Leaf River Township ; Martin is the immediate sub- ject of this sketch ; John died in Stephenson County ; Catharine is the wife of J. C. Pannen- borg, of Hammond, Ind. ; Henry lives at Rock- ford, 111. ; Mary married Riley Motter and Jives in Stephenson County, 111. ; Joseph, the youngest died in Stephenson County about 1899 ; Martin, the eldest son. was reared and educated in Leaf River Township, and has lived there all his life except during two years when his family had its home in Stephenson County. He was brought up to farming and stock-raising — knows his business thoroughly and conducts it on a lib- eral scale and quite profitably. He is the owner of 200 acres of land, most of which is well im- proved and on which he has a good residence and ample outbuildings and accessories. December 24. 1867, Mr. Light married Miss Harriet J. Schrader. a native of Leaf River Township, born September 20, 1846. They had three children : John H., Joseph Frank and Cora A. The latter is the wife of Fred Alden of Winnebago County, 111. Mrs. Light died June 20. 1887. Mr. Light was married October 22, 1890, to Miss Lizzie Hiller as his second wife, born in Leaf River Township, January 15, 1864. a daughter of the late Edward and Mary A. (Schreiber) Hiller. An article giving in con- siderable detail the life of Mr. Hiller, has a place in this volume. By his second marriage. Mr. Light hp,= six children named, respectively : Wilbur l-\, Edith, Lyman M.. Marion, Mildred and Shelby J., all at home. Mr. Light adheres to the principles of the Re- publican party. He is devoted to township and county affairs and is deeply interested in local schools. He held the office of Supervisor of Leaf River Township nine years and was a School Director five years. Mr. and Mrs. Light are members of the United Brethren Church, to the various interests of which they are helpfully de- voted. LINES, Thomas H., who has lived on his pres- ent farm in Monroe Township. Ogle County, 111., since 1845. and has always been regarded as a representative agriculturist, not only of his lo- cality, but of the county at large, was bom in Monroe County, N. Y.. September 17, 1834. He is a son of Austin and Ruth (Lord) Lines, na- tives respectively of Vermont and New York. Austin Lines came with his family to Illinois in 1845 settling in Monroe Township, Ogle County, 948 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. where he entered about 400 acres of government land. He was a minister of the Christian Church, having been ordained in 1845. He preached acceptably and effectively until 1883, and died on the old homestead, now owned 'by his son Thomas, September 13, 1886, when about eighty-three years old. He was one of the old- est of the pioneer settlers of Monroe Township, and was the first Supervisor, as well as the in- cumbent of other local offices. The mother passed away on the same spot as her husband, March 4, 1887, at the age of eighty-four years. When the Lines family came from New York to Ogle County, they drove to Buffalo, N. Y., in a wagon, coming from Buffalo to Chicago by steamboat. At Chicago, they were met by friends who had preceded them to Ogle County. ;md who accompanied them to their future home in Monroe Township. Of the 400 acres which Austin Lines bought, 320 were purchased from the Government with soldiers' • warrants, for a portion of which he paid as low as sixty cents per acre for land which could not now be pur- chased for $125 per acre. On the eighty acres which he purchased from R. B. Thomas were a log house and a barn, and the family moved into the former and occupied it for about three years, when they built an ell to the original dwelling, which is still occupied by Thomas H. Lines. In 1856 or 1857 the first log house was moved away and replaced with the present residence. At that time prairie chickens, deer, wolves and wild-cats were numerous, and many rattle- snakes were to be found. Indians were also seen occasionally. There were then only a few set- tleTS, the nearest of them being two families about a mile away. They used to mow hay with a scythe and cut grain with a cradle. Austin Lines improved all of his land with the exception of a tract of timber on the west. The family of Mr. Lines consisted of six chil- dren, of whom the subject of this sketch was second in order of birth. The latter was reared to manhood on the home farm, where he has continued to. live ever since. He is the owner of 250 acres of land in a compact body, all of which is well improved, and he is classed as one of the most substantial and prosperous farmers in his locality. He has borne, for many years, the rep- utation of being one of the most public-spirited citizens of the community, taking an active part in all movements tending to promote the general welfare, and enjoying the unreserved confidence and sincere respect of his neighbors and fellow townsmen. He is one of the Directors of the Lynnville and Monroe Fire Insurance Company, and President of the Killbuck Telephone Com- pany. Mr. Lines has been twice married, his first marriage taking place October 20, 1856, on which date he was wedded to Mary J. Nelson, who died May 15, 1877. Four children were the offspring of this union, as follows : Eva A., who died at the age of ten years ; Lena L., wife of William E. Conradt; Milton L., who died when about eighteen years old; and Charles C, who is Sup- erintendent of the Street Railroad at Freeport, 111. On May 10, 1882, Mr. Lines took as his second wife, Laura Nashold, born in Schoharie County, N. Y., October 8, 1858, a daughter of Frederick and Caroline,. (Baitsholtz) Nashold, who settled in Monroe Township, Ogle County, in 1868. Mr. Nashold died on his farm when forty-five years old, he and his wife having reared a family of ten children, of whom Mrs. Lines was the fifth. Of this second marriage four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lines, namely : Martha C, wife of H. B. Hested ; Effie May ; Leota, who married E. E. Ward ; and Mamie Pearl, who is engaged in teaching school. Politically, Mr. Lines has always acted with the Republican party, having cast his first presi- dential vote for Gen. John C. Fremont. He has held nearly all the local offices including those of Highway Commissioner and School Di- rector, and has served two terms as Supervisor for Monroe Township. In fraternal circles, he is affiliated with the A. O. U. W. LOWDEN, Col. Frank 0., whose place of resi- dence is Sinnissippi Farm in Nashua Township, three miles southeast of Oregon, is Representa- tive in Congress from this, the Thirteenth Illi- nois District. Congressman Lowden was born at Sunrise, Minn., January 26, 1861, whither his father, Lorenzo O. Lowden, moved in 1853, from Pennsylvania. His father was of Scotch- Irish and English stock, while his mother, whose maiden name was Nancy Elizabeth Breg, was of French and Dutch descent. After 1868. the family home was Hardin County, Iowa, where on the farm young Lowden grew to manhood. He attend- ed the rural schools during winter months, and at fifteen was himself a teacher. Teaching al- ternated with farming, but a determination to enter college was continuous, and after five years the entrance examinations to Iowa University at Iowa City were taken and passed, during which time a partial course had been pursued for a time at the Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa. At the beginning of the junior year the young student's funds needing replenishing, he became principal of the school at Hubbard, Iowa, and while teaching and earning, kept up with his class, which he re-entered at the opening of the senior year, and was graduated valedic- torian. During the following year, he was engaged in teaching Latin and Mathematics in the Burling- ton High School, meantime studying law on his own account. He then, in the year 1886, went to Chicago, entered the law office of Dexter, Herrick & Allen as stenographer, and at the same time took advance standing in the Union College of Law. Keeping up both lines of work, he was graduated in 1887, again as valedic- torian, and received two first prizes, one for his oration and one for scholarship. His con- tinued interest as an alumnus of Union College of Law, now Northwestern Law School, has re- sulted in the new assembly room being named HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 949 "Lowden Hall." After his graduation, Mr. Low- den began the practice of the law in Chicago, took part in politics and was connected with vari- ous civic reform associations. During the Span- ish-American War Mr. Lowden was elected Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the First Regiment of Illinois Infantry. In 1899 Colonel Lowden purchased a beautiful old homestead and farm of 600 acres on Rock River near Oregon, 111. He has replaced the' orig- inal house with a commodious cement and tim- bered plaster dwelling, increased the woodland bordered lawn to a hundred acres, or more, plant- ed to shrubbery and laid out in macadam drive- ways, and extended the farm acreage until now there is a country estate of about five thousand acres, which is used as a combined residence and farm. In 1904, Colonel Lowden was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor. He announced his candidacy at Oregon at a public meeting of citizens of Ogle County, presided over by the Hon. Robert R. Hitt, then Congressman from the Thirteenth District, made a canvass of the State, and in the celebrated deadlock con- vention, which convened at Springfield May 12th, and, after a recess of ten days, beginning May 20th. adjourned June 3d, received 631% votes, the highest number to go to him, on the seventy-third ballot, the number necessary to a choice (752), being obtained by no one until the seventy-ninth ballot. Becoming a candidate for Congress in the Thirteenth District, upon the resignation of Rob- ert R. Hitt in the spring of 1906, Colonel Lowden received the Republican nomination at the pri- maries held throughout the district, and was elected for the unexpired term of the Fifty-Ninth and the full term of the Sixtieth Congress, en- tering upon his duties in Washington on Decem- ber 3, 1906. Speaker Cannon appointed him a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which his predecessor had been the Chairman for many years ; and also made ■ him a member of the Committee on Militia. In 1904 he was chosen National Republican Committeeman for Illinois, and was re-chosen in 1908. He opened the campaign of the latter year in this State with a speech at Murphys- horo, and spoke repeatedly in different parts of Illinois for the election of Secretary Taft and the re-election of Governor Deneen. In the Thir- teenth Congressional District, where he was again the Republican nominee for Congress, he made one or more speeches in each of the six counties of the district, closing by addressing the citizens of Oregon and vicinity on the even- ing of the day before election at a meeting held in the Court House, where, besides Republicans, adherents of other political parties were also pres- ent, the occasion being made a reception to Col- onel Lowden personally, as well as a political meeting. Colonel Lowden was married in 1896 to Miss Florence Pullman, of Chicago, daughter of the late George M. Pullman, President of the Pull- man Car Company, and founder of the town of Pullman, 111. Miss Pullman received her educa- tion at Miss Anne Brown's school, New York After her graduation, she traveled abroad with her sister, under the chaperonage of Mrs John A. Logan. Colonel and Mrs. Lowden have four children : Pullman, Florence, Harriet Elizabeth and Frances Orren. Mrs. Lowden takes an in- telligent interest in politics and public affairs, and often accompanies Colonel Lowden when making political tours and addresses in the Dis- trict and in the State. She possesses the ad- mirable, old-time quality of looking, with thoughtful kindness and care, after the welfare of those about them. She also is in sympathy with the broad plans for the agricultural devel- opment of Sinnissippi Farm, and both herself and the children, as well as Colonel Lowden, are very fond of the beautiful outdoor life and sur- roundings of their Rock River home. LYMAN, Orva A., an enterprising and progres- sive farmer, of White Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., who takes an active part in the pub- lic affairs of his locality and is a useful member of the community, was born on the site of his present home in White Rock Township, August 12, 1870, a son of Gilbert and Ann Eliza (Bird) Lyman, natives of New York and Ohio, re- spectively. Gilbert Lyman was born in Herki- mer County, N. Y., January 18, 1835, and came to Ogle County, 111., in 1856. His parents were Hubbard and Mary (Belshaw) Lyman, both New Yorkers by birth. They located in Ogle County in 1878, and the grandfather died in 1884. Until 1861, Gilbert Lyman farmed on rented land, and then purchased 80 acres in Lynnville Township, on which he lived one year. Selling this, he bought another 80-acre tract in the same township, which he later disposed of, removing to White Rock Township, where he acquired a farm of 160 acres. The land which he bought about the year 1864, was all raw prairie, the purchase price being $25 per acre. In 1892, he moved to Rockford, Iowa, which is now his home. After moving to Rockford, Iowa, he purchased a farm near Rockwell, that state, of 240 acres, which he owned until the death of his son Emmett, who occupied the place. Mr. Lyman was married, March 14, 1868, to Ann Eliza Bird, a daughter of Wesley and Mary A. (Austria) Bird. She died in August, 1887, and he later married an Iowa lady, Mrs. Eliza- beth Hubbard, widow of Ellison Hubbard and a former resident of Lynnville Township. Four children resulted from the first union, as fol- lows : Celesta E., wife of Bert Baxter, of Rochelle, III. ; Orva A., who lives on the old homestead ; Emmett S., formerly a farmer in Iowa, who died August 24, 1907, at the age of thirty-three years ; and Ina M„ of Rockford, Iowa, wife of Guy Mitchell. The grandmother of this family passed away October 1, 1896, at the age of ninety-three years. The subject of this sketch was reared on the home place, and received his education in the 950 HISTOHY OF OGLE COUNTY. common schools. After his father's removal to Iowa he took charge of the paternal property, which he has since continued to occupy. The family residence was built in 1871. On October 2, 1895, Mr. Lyman was united in marriage with Ada C. Cogswell, born in Scott Township, Ogle County, December 8, 1872, and a daughter of Marshall and Frances (Linn) Cogswell. Mrs. Lyman was educated in the common schools in the neighborhood of her home, and was a teacher in that vicinity until the time of her marriage. Two children have been born to this union, namely : Floyd G. and Fay M. In politics, Orva A. Lyman is identified with the Republican party. He has held the offices of Road Commissioner and Township Collector, and has acted in the capacity of County Committee- man of his party. MACKAY, William D., Supervisor of Taylor Township, Ogle County, 111., and one of the most prominent farmers and citizens in that portion of the county, was born in the same township. January 6. 1865. His parents were John and Eleanor (Irvin) Mackay, natives of Ireland. The former came to the United tSates when twenty years of age, and the latter was seven years old at the time when she was brought to this coun- try by her parents. She came to Illinois with her brother, David Irvin, and was reared in Taylor Township. John Mackay worked in the plow shops at Grand Detour, 111., and after- wards as a farm hand. In a short time he bought the farm, where his son William D., now lives, and followed farming there until the time of bis death. He and his wife had three chil- dren, namely : Elizabeth, William D. and John. The widow reared the family on the farm, and after her death, the subject of this sketch bought the interests of the other heirs. The farm con- tains 120 acres, and on it Mr. Mackay is en- gaged in breeding high-grade horses. Elizabeth Mackay married Clinton Johnston, and lived in the same vicinity until her death, in 1905. John made his home with his brother, William D., until October 22, 1901, when he died at the age of thirty-three years. On April 12, 1893, Mr. Mackay was married to Sadie Dwight of Oregon, 111., a daughter of George Dwight, a well known blacksmith, now deceased. Mr. Dwight served a long time on the County Board. In politics, Mr. Mackay is a Republican, and before his election to the office of Supervisor, served ten years as Assessor. He is now in his fourth year of service in the former office. MARSHALL, Reuben S. — Some there are whose and well-to-do farmer, of Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, 111., was born on the old Marshall homestead in the same township, September 10, 1867. His parents, Reuben and Matilda (Steffa) Marshall, became residents of Ogle County in 1837, the father dying in 1907, and the mother in 1875. The youth of Mr. Marshall was spent on the home farm where he remained until he had reached his twenty-second year, hav- ing attended the common schools of the vicinity when a boy. Since he began farming for himself he has occupied a portion of the homestead place, and on the settlement of the paternal estate, became possessed, partly through purchase, of 140 acres of the property. Besides this, he also operates 120 acres belong- ing to his sister. From early manhood he has devoted his whole attention to general farming on the homestead where he was born and well merited success has attended his labors. On April 10, 1889, Mr. Marshall was united in marriage with Grace May Kountz, a daughter of Nicholas and -Susan (Mumma) Kountz, born in Mount Morris Township, and in her eighteenth year was wedded to the subject of this sketch. Two sons have been the result of this union, namely : Walter Lee and Lloyd William, respec- tively aged eighteen and sixteen yeaTs. Both are at home and both have attended Mount Morris College, and are gifted with good mental capac- ity. A niece of Mrs. Marshall, Ruby May Blake, now thirteen years old, has been a member of the family since the death of her mother in 1891. Politically, Mr. Marshall is a supported of the Republican party, but although chosen School Director by his fellow townsmen, is not an aspir- ant for public office. Fraternally, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall are members of the Mystic Workers. MARSHALL, Reuben S. — Some there are whose restless ambitions crave change and excitement, while others prefer the tranquil round of duties oft-performed in the midst of associations en- deared by time. To the latter class belonged Reuben S. Marshall, an honored pioneer of Ogle County, who for seventy years lived on the same homestead. The seasons came and went, taking him from youth to manhood and from life's prime to old age, and in all these years he lived contentedly on the same farm, prospering in his chosen occupation as a tiller of the soil. As early as 1859 he erected a brick residence on his farm and. in 1874, built an addition, also of brick, the whole forming a comfortable and com- modious farm-house, well adapted to the needs of a large and prosperous family. It was his privilege to retain his mentality to the last days of his iife, but his physical powers began to wane in 1901, and June 16, 1907, he passed from the midst of the scenes so long familiar to his vision. His body was laid to rest in the Silver Creek Cemetery, on land which at one time, he had owned, but which had been acquired by the Ger- man Baptist Brethren Church as a burial-place for their dead. The daughter of Reuben S. Marshall, who occupies. the old homestead, is Mrs. Viola Bock, who was born there December 11, 1870, and there became- the bride of David M. Bock, April 15, 18S8. Mr. Bock was born in Franklin County, Pa., December 2S, 1858, and coming to Illinois about 18S2, secured employment on the farm of Ephraim Trostle, with whom he remained un- til the time of his marriage. Eighty acres of the One of the Readers of the Delaware County Colony of 1836 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 951 Marshall homestead belong to his wife, and he has 120 acres altogether under his supervision, devoting the land to the raising of such crops as are adapted to the soil and climate. Of this marriage there are four children. The eldest son, Reuben, is named in honor of his grand- father and has been given an education in Mount Morris College. The only daughter, Matilda, was given the name of her grandmother. The youngest sons are Guy and Harry. Ira Marshall, son of Reuben S. Marshall, re- ceived a common school education and remained beneath the home-roof until he had attained his majority. December 17, 1879, he married Miss Delia Smith, and they have two children. The daughter, Bessie, married J. O. Betebenner and lives in Pine Creek Township. The son Jesse, married Grace M. Hostley of Rockford, and is engaged in farming in Mount Morris Township. Two years before his marriage Ira Marshall be- gan to operate one of the farms owned by his father, and on that place he continued for fifteen years, meanwhile purchasing the land from his father. In 1895 he sold it back to the former owner and bought his present tract of 160 acres known as the Luther Strowe farm, situated near the village of Mount Morris. On this place he has done some tiling and erected a substantial house and barn. One of his specialties in busi- ness is the raising of Poland-China hogs, form- erly also making a specialty of the dairy busi- ness, which he lias discontinued. While occupying his father's farm Ira Mar- shall engaged in the meat business for five years at Leaf River, and for one year of that time he operated a branch market at Byron, later con- ducting a similar business at Rockford for eighteen months, at the expiration of which time he sold out and resumed agricultural pursuits. Politically, he has always been a stanch Re- publican and has been a frequent participant in convention work of the party. At the expiration of a service by his father as Road Commissioner for thirty-three years, he succeeded to that posi- tion, which he has filled for six years or more. He has also been a member of the Mount Morris Board of Education for twelve years. Fratern- ally he holds membership with the Modern Woodmen, has served in all the offices in the local lodge and is now a member of the board of managers, besides being a delegate to the Grand Lodge held at Decatur. The birth of Reuben Sanburn Marshall oc- curred in Clinton County, N. Y., October 4, 1827, in the home of Caleb and Louisa (Sanburn) Marshall, both natives of Stowe, Vt, and pio- neers of Clinton County, N. Y., where their six children were born. Mrs. Marshall was a daugh- ter of a soldier in the War of 1812, and Caleb Marshall served in the same regiment with his father-in-law. In November of 1834, Caleb started for Illinois accompanied by his family, but reports of hostile Indians in that then un- settled region caused them to sojourn in Ohio for two years. During October of 1836 Caleb ar- rived in Ogle County, 111., and entered a claim of a half section of land in Mount Morris Town- ship, after which he returned to Ohio on foot and by way of the lakes. February 22, 1837, he and his family left Cleveland in a "prairie schooner" for their new home in Illinois, arriv- ing at Oregon on the 19th of March. Three weeks later they removed to their claim, build- ing a small log cabin for the shelter of the fam- ily. At first the cabin had only an earthen floor but eventually a floor of puncheons was provided. During the first year a small crop was raised with the aid of a two-horse team. The total cap- ital of the family on coming to the State was $16.50. Wheat was hauled to market at Chicago and payment was made in currency. Sometimes the grain was taken to Galena, where silver and gold were given in payment. It was necessary to pay taxes in coin, and the pioneers frequently were hard pressed to secure it. When they had neither pork nor grain to sell in Galena, they would work in the lead mines in order to secure tax-money. When Reuben was fifteen years of age he made his first trip to Chicago with wheat, seven days being required. In his old age he often told to younger generations tales of those early days, and every statement im- pressed upon his hearers the difference between pioneer times and the present era of prosperity. At the time of his arrival in Oregon there were only three log cabins constituting the village, and only seven in Freeport, with not even one house between the two towns. Coming to Illinois at the age of ten years, Reube S. Marshall previously had enjoyed no educational advantages, nor was his subsequent experience more gratifying. The longest time he continuously attended school was twenty-one days. He was a pupil of John Wagner in one of the very first schools in Ogle County. The building was of logs with a puncheon floor and slab seats, and the method of instruction was as crude as the building itself. Though not privil- eged to attend school he was fond of reading and acquired a wide fund of information. Among his cherished souvenirs was an Ulster County Gazette, bearing date of January 4, 1800, and containing an account of the death of George Washington. Also he had a copy of the New England Weekly, April 3, 1728, and the New York Morning Post. November 7. 1783, which latter paper contained several notices of sales of slaves. Politically he voted with the Republi- cans after the organization of the party. For thirty years he served as school director, for an even longer period he filled the position of road commissioner, and for two terms he was a member of the board of supervisors, meanwhile being a member of the building committee having charge of the erection of the present court-house. For two years he was chairman of the claim committee of the supervisors and for one year he served on the salary committee. In religious af- filiations he belonged to the Lutheran church at Mount Morris. The marriage of Reuben S.- Marshall was sel- 952 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. emnized January 13, 1850, and united him with Matilda Steffa, who was born in Washington County, Maryland, July 29, 1831, and in 1844, came to Ogle County with her parents, William and Elizabeth Steffa. Her death occurred Feb- ruary 24, 1875. Born of her marriage were the following named children : William C. ; Mary E.; who died in infancy ; Emma May ; Ira W., who is mentioned in this sketch ; Charles E., Albertus S., Francis E., Ida E., John C, Grace A., Viola and Oliver E. The children were born at the old homestead and were given the best edu- cational advantages within the means of the par- ents, who trained them wisely and prayerfully for the responsibilities awaiting them in life, and who gave to them the example of upright characters and industrious dispositions. McCLOUD, Stephen (deceased). — Although twenty years have come and gone since Stephen McCloud passed from the scenes of earth, his memory is still green in the affection of his de- scendants and in the hearts of the few surviving pioneers who were associated with him in the early development of Ogle County. Coming to Ill- inois during the pioneer period of the State's history, it was his privilege to witness and aid in the agricultural growth of his county, and none took a greater pride than he in the build- ing up of prosperous villages and the improve- ment of profitable country estates. During the last fifteen years of his life blindness cast its dark shadow over his pathway and he was shut off from beholding the light of the sun and the faces of those he loved ; yet in the midst of his affliction he found compensation in the thought- ful kindnesses of children and friends, who sur- rounded him with every comfort and ministered -with untiring hands to his personal needs. The lineage of the McCloud family is traced to Scotland. Stephen McCloud was born in Washington County, Pa., September 8, 1810, be- ing a son of Ira McCloud, who died near Colum- bus, Ohio. Passing the days of youth in his native county, Stephen there learned and fol- lowed the trade of a cooper, but later devoted his attention wholly to agricultural pursuits. While still a young man he lost his first wife, and later was married, in Washington County, Pa., March 28, 1838, to Miss Ruth Simpson, a second cousin of General Ulysses S. Grant, and ■of Baldwin, the inventor of locomotives. Mrs. McCloud was born in Greene County, Pa., April 6, 1817, a daughter of David Simpson, a na- tive of Pennsylvania. •After her marriage she and her husband began housekeeping on a farm in Greene County, and for some years they con- tinued to make their home in Pennsylvania, but eventually were led to follow the drift of emi- gration to the West. Settling in the vicinity of Gallipolis, Ohio, they remained on a farm there for five years. The middle of the nineteenth century found the McCloud family removing from Ohio to Illi- nois, where they became pioneers of Ogle County and secured a tract of raw land in Nashua Township. Two years later they removed to Pine Bock Township, and engaged in general farming for several years. The next move took them to Nashua Township, where they were liv- ing at the outbreak of the Civil War. Although Stephen McCloud was exempt from service by reason of being more than fifty years of age, be was as eager to enlist as his sons, and in the fall of 1862, was accepted as a volunteer in Sheney's battery, which was organized at Dixon, 111. After having served with fidelity for two years he was honorably discharged on account of dis- ability. Returning to his farm in Nashua Town- ship he resumed agricultural pursuits and con- tinued on the old homestead until his death, which occurred in May, 1888. On account of having been stricken blind very suddenly, while engaged in the usual routine work of the farm, he was forced to retire from manual labor when his inclinations still impelled him to activity, but he had accumulated a competency and, in his last years, had all the comforts of life to lighten his affliction. His wife survived until she was ninety, passing away January 16, 1907. Ten children were born to the union of Stephen and Ruth McCloud, but two, Warren and Sarah, died in early life. The others were': Norman, David, Jasper, Newton, Almira, Emeline, Merri- man and Josiah. Norman was born in Greene County, Pa., February 19, 1839, and accom- panied his parents to Illinois during boyhood years, afterward making his home with a half- brother, Madison McCloud. in Bureau County, 111., where, in December, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company H. Forty-seventh Illinois In- fantry. With his regiment he went to the front and took part in about thirty battles and skirm- ishes during his service of three years. After an honorable career as a soldier he was discharged in St. Louis, Mo., at the expiration of his term. Throughout life he has followed agricultural pur- suits and ever since starting out as an independ- ent farmer, he has lived in Nashua Township, with the exception of three years spent in Ne- braska. The second son of the family, David, was born in Greene County, Pa., May 24, 1841, and at the opening of the Civil War, volunteered to aid in defending the Union. As a member of the Forty-sixth Illinois Infantry he was sent to the front and participated in the engagements and marches of his regiment until he was stricken by disease. After a brief illness he died at Pitts- burg Landing, Tenn. Jasper was born in Greene County, Pa., February 24, 1S43, and Newton in Washington County, Pa., December 13, 1844. Both became soldiers in the Union army and served with valor as members of the Seventeenth Illinois Cavalry. Jasper is still living, but New- ton died at Oregon, 111., during May, 1904. The older daughter, Almira. was born near Gallipolis. Ohio, December 11, 1845, and became the wife of George Reed ; her death occurred in Nashua Township, Ogle County, during May of 1899. The second daughter, Emeline, was born near Gallipolis, Ohio, June 1, 1849. Two sons were born after the removal of the family to Illinois, HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 953 these being Merriman and Josiah, who were born in Pine Rock Township, the former Feb- ruary 12, 1855, and the latter in 1857. The sons and daughters were carefully trained in the pio- neer home of their parents, whose example and precepts resulted in the building up of sterling characters and qualified them for worthily fill- ing their chosen place in life. McCONAUGHY, James O.— Within the city limits of Rochelle may be seen the ten-acre es- tate known as Greenhurst, occupying the site of the old Lane farm at Lane's Station (now Roch- elle), named for Dr. R. P. Lane, Rockford, III., and selected by the McConaughy family as their home upon their arrival in Rochelle during the . year 1854. The elegant residence erected by the present owner, James O. McConaughy, con- tains fourteen rooms, with three stories and basement, and with all modern conveniences. In addition to this attractive homestead, Mr. Mc- Conaughy has become the owner of large tracts of land and is extensively engaged in the real- estate and loan business. Since embarking in this line of activity in 1874, he has platted three additions of about forty acres to the city of Rochelle, has sold considerable vacant -prop- erty and has erected cottages to be sold on the installment plan, besides building stores and private dwellings. He has also handled large tracts of land in Colorado and in Gage and York Counties, Neb. In loans he is careful and conservative, which is indicated in the fact that, for more than twenty years, he has loaned over $500,000 for an eastern capitalist, without the loss of a dollar and without a single foreclos- ure. His record in the investment of home cap- ital is almost as remaTkable and proves him to be a man of unusual judgment. Referring to the family history we find that Dr. John M. McConaughy was born in West- moreland County, Pa., and after graduating from Washington College in Pennsylvania, was made a minister in the Presbyterian denomination. For six years he held pastorates in Kentucky, but at the expiration of that time was obliged to leave the ministry on account of a serious throat trouble. Turning his attention to medicine he took a course of study in the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, Pa., received his diploma from that institution, and in 1850 began to prac- tice at Lindenwood, Ogle County, 111., removing thence in 1854 to Rochelle. The building of an elevator led to the gradual relinquishment of his practice, and thereafter he devoted himself ex- clusively to the grain trade. At the age of fifty- four years he died of typhoid-pneumonia Novem- ber 10. 1869, While living on the farm he occa- sionally preached in the White Rock Church. The marriage of Dr. McConaughy united him with Mary Porter, who was born in Pittsburg, Pa., and died in January, 1903, at the age of eighty-six years. Her father, Hon. William Porter, was Judge of the Orphans' Court and a man of splendid judicial and financial abilities. A pioneer in the manufacture of white lead in the United States, he made a large fortune in this industry and for years shipped lead from Galena by Tiver to Pittsburg, where he was en- gaged in business until his death in 1852. At various times he had invested heavily in lands in Ogle County and one of these tracts he gave to his daughter, Mrs. McConaughy, which was the means of bringing the family to Lindenwood. In the family of Dr. McConaughy there were six children, namely: Emma J. (Mrs. C. O. Longenecker) of Rochelle; James O., of Roch- elle ; John F., who is engaged in the lumber and coal business in Salt Lake City ; George M., who carries on a real-estate office in Salt Lake City ; Robert E., also a resident of Salt Lake City, and engaged in real-estate, mining and irriga- tion enterprises, and Margaret M., wife of John T. Neilson, of Peoria, 111. During the residence of the family in Pitts- burg, Pa., James O. McConaughy was born April 7, 1846, and from that city he was brought to Lindenwood, 111., in 1850, and to Rochelle in 1854. As a youth he attended school and as- sisted in the grain elevator. On the seventeenth anniversary of his birth he enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Fortieth Illinois Infantry, which was sent to Tennessee for the purpose of guarding railroads. At the expiration of then- term of service the regiment was discharged in November of 1864. On his return to Illinois Mr. McConaughy attended the military academy at Fulton, 111. During 1866 he went to Pennsyl- vania and clerked in a general store at Mount Pleasant, where H. C. Frick, the present steel magnate, was a companion clerk, on a salary of $25 per month. On returning to Illinois, Mr. McConaughy as- sisted in the elevator until the death of his father, and afterward operated the same alone until 1874, selling out to West & Andrees of Chi- cago, since which he has given his time wholly to real estate and loans. On the organization of the People's Bank he was chosen a member of the first Board of Directors. Other local enterprises have had the benefit of his co-operation and counsel. Though interested in public affairs he has avoided participation in politics and has steadfastly refused offers of nomination for office. For thirty-five years he has been identi- fied with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, in which he has passed all of the chairs; he is further connected with the Grand Army of the Republic and has held prominent offices in the local post. On February 16, 1876, Mr. McConaughy was united in marriage with Amelia A. Gardhouse, who was born in Toronto, Ontario, coming to Rochelle when a child. This homestead is still owned by herself and a sister ; her father, who also came from Toronto, Ontario, became a large farmer and on retiring, removed to Rochelle, where he died at a very advanced age. In the town and township he was a man of prominence and universally respected. Educated in the coun- try schools, and at old Rock River Semianry, Mt. Morris, 111., Mrs. McConaughy is a woman of culture and superior intelligence, and is promi- nently identified with the Rebekahs, the Woman's 954 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Club of Rochelle and the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic; also holds membership in the Presbyterian Church and has contributed generously to its societies. Of her marriage there are three children now living: Edward L., Grace M., and Ada J., all of Rochelle, where the son is an attorney, having prepared for the profession in the law school of the University j)f Illinois. Two sons, David W. and James, died In boyhood. Another son, Frank H., died in Jan- uary, 1907, at the age of twenty-four years. Had his life been spared a short time he would have been graduated from the University of Illinois, but a sudden attack of diphtheria proved fatal and closed a career of unusual promise. For three years he had been an employe in the Peo- ple's Bank and he had so thoroughly qualified himself as a certified public accountant, that he was selected for Important work of this nature by a firm of experts in Chicago. McCOSH, G. B., M. D.— Two generations of the McGosh family have contributed to the conserva- tive and trustworthy professional element of Mount Morris, and in the persons of John and G. B. McCosh, a structure of substantial success has been reared, extending from the present to the latter years of the Civil War. The name repre- sents all that is stable in medical practice and noble and useful in citizenship, and the services of these two practitioners, father and son, are among the important upbuilding forces of this part of Ogle County. Dr. John McCosh was of Scotch ancestry, while his wife, Elizabeth Snowberger, was of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. The Doctor was a man of liberal education, acquired mostly through his own making of opportunity. He was a graduate of the Philadelphia Medical College in the State of Pennsylvania and practiced for some years before coming to Ogle County in 1864. Thereafter he engaged in a general practice of medicine and surgery for the balance of his ac- tive life, his death occurring in 1882, at the age of fifty-eight years. Of his ten children, eight attained maturity, and seven are now living. He also is survived by his widow, who still makes her home in Mount Morris. Dr. G. B. McCosh was born in Franklin County, Pa., and was about seven years old when the family removed to Mount Morris. He at- tended the public schools and the Rock River Seminary, and naturally leaned towards medi- cine as a life calling, being inspired thereto by the success and popularity of his father. After graduating from the Rush Medical College, Chi- cago, in 1880, he began to practice in Mount Mor- ris with his father, and upon the death of the latter two years later, succeeded to his large clientele. His advancement has been steady and satisfying, and he has become an integral factor in hundreds of homes in the town and surround- ing country. In 1882 Dr. McCosh was united in marriage to Florence Wanda Blair, daughter of S. R. Blair, and a stanch and active member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. While in no sense an of- fice-seeker, the doctor is an upholder of Republi- can principles, and fraternally is connected with the Masons. He is esteemed for his high char- acter, interesting personality, and skill in the diagnosis and treatment of the ills which visit the human kind. He is a tireless student of his inexhaustible science, is well posted upon cur- rent events, and a gentleman whose optimism, control and large heart have won him enduring place in the hearts of an appreciative com- munity. McCREA, Alfred B.— The President of the vil- lage of Creston, who in former years has been one of the most prominent and enterprising busi- ness men of the place, descends from an eastern family that traces its lineage to the north of Ire- land, whither the Scotch progenitors fled at the time of the religious persecutions in their coun- try. The north of Ireland was the native home of William and Abigail (Harkness) McCrea, but from early life they were residents of New York State, where Mrs. McCrea died in Wayne Coun- ty. Later William McCrea came to Illinois and became an inmate of the home of his son, Alfred B., at Creston, where he died at the age of nine- ty-three years. In a family consisting of ten children, Alfred B. McCrea was next to the youngest. He was born in Orange County, N. Y.. April 27, 1838. The family removed about 1839 to Bright- on, Monroe County, N. .Y., where they lived about nine years, thence removing to Wayne County, the same State, where the mother died. During the autumn of 1856, Alfred started out to make his own way in the world, proceeding to Michigan, where during the winter of 1856- 57 he engaged in teaching school near Moscow. During the spring of 1857 he came to Illinois and settled at Morrison, Whiteside County, where an elder brother, S. H., was engaged in the grain and lumber business. Some years were busily passed in teaching school during the win- ter months and aiding in the lumber yards during the summer. The summer of 1859 found the young man starting towards Pike's Peak with a company of gold-seekers, who traveled in a covered wagon drawn by two yoke of oxen and a yoke of cows. Three months were consumed in the westward journey, but it took only a short time to convince the party that prospects were poor in the gold mines, and they soon returned. After an absence of seven months Mr. McCrea arrived in Morrison from his Colorado journey and took up work as he had left it, alternating work with his brother in the lumber and grain business with teaching school. During the win- ter of 1860-61 he taught in La Salle County, 111., and in the summer of 1861 made four trips on the Great Lakes. During September of the same year he enlisted in Company C, Eighth Il- linois Cavalry, and accompanied his regiment to the front, where he remained in active service until the close of the struggle, receiving an hon- orable discharge July 25, 1865. Meanwhile in HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 955 recognition of fidelity he was promoted from the ranks to be the Company Quartermaster Ser- geant. In many sanguinary contests he bore a part and always was to be found at his post of duty. He was with Gen. McClellan in the seven days' fight before Richmond and participated in the engagements at South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and was present in many other battles where the peril was no less, although the results were of minor importance to the Union cause. During his latter months of service Mr. McCrea's regi- ment was especially detailed to guard against the depredations of Col. John S. Mosby, with whom they had frequent engagements in which they were particularly successful. For a few months after leaving the army Mr. McCrea remained at Palatine, Cook County, 111., but in the autumn of 1865 he came to Creston and organized a grain, lumber and coal business, which he conducted in partnership with his brother, John A.,, for twenty-seven years, and ■ later, upon the dissolution of the partnership, carried on the business alone until 1899, when he retired. November 19, 1868, he was united in marriage with Miss Matilda L. Hunter, who was born in Philadelphia, Pa., and died at Creston June 10, 1893, at the age of fifty-five years. Three daughters blessed that union ; Jennie, Ida H. and Edith B. The eldest daughter married W. H. Dickinson, and the youngest is the wife of S. W. Crowell, of Oregon, 111., and Ida H. is at home. Ever since he became a voting citizen Mr. McCrea has supported the principles of the Re- publican party. For several terms he was Chair- man of the Congressional District Committee and for two terms held office as a member of the Board of County Supervisors. Religious work has always received his ardent support, and he has given faithful service as Superintendent and teacher in the Sunday School, besides contrib- uting to activities in the Congregational Church, of which he is a member. In fraternal relations he long has been associated with Masonry, and for years has been identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he has been honored with the office of Commander of the G. A. R. Post at Creston. As President of the Vil- lage Board he has given his allegiance to meas- ures for the permanent development of its and financial interests and has been stanch in his support of movements that will be of benefit along educational and religious lines. MEDLAR, George E. — Significant of the agri- cultural possibilities of Ogle County is the fact that many of the men who passed the years of their youth within its limits have been content to here spend their maturer years, believing that as great opportunities await the labors of the agriculturist in this region as in other portions of the United States. The entire life of George E. Medlar has been passed in Ogle County with the exception of one year spent in Nebraska. Born on the eld homestead which he now owns and operates, he here learned the rudiments of farming, and from here in boyhood walked to the neighboring school, learning lessons from the text-books and from the face of nature itself. No thrilling incidents have characterized his life; on the contrary, his has been a quiet, use- ful existence, devoted to the tilling of the soil and to the discharge of such duties as devolve upon a public-spirited Christian gentleman. Many of the sterling qualities which charac- terize Mr. Medlar have been inherited from his father, Rev. Samuel F. Medlar, a man of deep spirituality of life and remarkable earnestness of Christian faith. Born in Dutchess County, N. Y., in 1814, he was reared in a Christian home and at an early age became a communicant of the United Brethren Church, entering the ministry of that denomination about 1845. From that time onward he was ready to preach wherever opportunity offered to proclaim the gospel. Much of this work was done without expectation of moneyed return, but solely from de- votion to the cause and a desire for the salva- tion of the race. His livelihood he meanwhile earned by the tilling of the soil. After coming to Illinois he was married in Bureau County to Matilda Fearer, who was born in Washington County, Md., January 5, 1825. During 1842 he became a farmer of Ogle County, settling in Pine Creek Township, where he remained until his death, August 24, 1881. Later his widow became the wife of Franklin Black, who died in Polo at the age of about eighty years. Though now advanced in years, Mrs. Black retains the full use of her faculties, and often relates in- teresting incidents connected with pioneer days. The family of Rev. Samuel F. Medlar com- prised four children who attained years of ma- turity, namely : John L., Edgar F., Mary C, who married Alfred Frantz and died in Pine Creek Township; and George E., who was born November 9, 1849, and received a fair education in the country schools near the hometsead. Early trained to a knowledge of the many details con- nected with agriculture, he was prepared to earn a livelihood in that occupation, and always has enjoyed a reputation as a persevering and prac- tical farmer. The homestead which he owns consists of 160 acres, improved with the build- ings necessary to the proper management of a farm. Through a systematic rotation of crops, the land is maintained in a fair state of fertil- ity that proves the sagacity of the owner. When Mr. Medlar's father came to Illinois, he made the trip overland in a covered wagon. The father first built a log house on the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch, in 1842. In 1848, he built a frame house, hauling all the pine lumber and shingles from Chicago. Mr. Medlar's father also hauled his produce for mar- keting to Chicago, sometimes taking as long as a week to make the trip, and often returning in debt, the proceeds received from the sale of pro- duce not being sufficient to pay for purchases made. Wild game was very plentiful in the early day, wolves, deer and prairie chickens being especially numerous. Mr. Medlar can re- T>56 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. member distinctly having seen large numbers of this kind of game. The marriage of George E. Medlar took place in Polo, 111., November 5, 1873, uniting him with Miss Mary E. Bullock, who was born in Sus- quehanna County, Pa., May 3, 1852, a daughter of Sidney W. and Mary E. (Bullock) Bullock, natives of New York State and pioneers of 1855 in Ogle County, 111. The first home of the fam- ily in this county was in Mount Morris Town- ship, where Mr. Bullock took up a tract of raw land. Later he removed to Nashua Township, where he died January 24, 1889, his widow sur- viving at an advanced age. Of their seven chil- dren Mrs. Medlar was fourth in order of birth. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Medlar comprises seven children, namely : Delia V., wife of Fred- erick Cook ; Bertha V., Mrs. Thomas King ; Clin- t6n Dale, who died at the age of about sixteen years ; Elsie Vina, Lloyd R., Leon A., and Clark, who was taken by death at the age of seven years. Ever since his marriage Mr. Medlar has remained at the old homestead, and has se- cured for his family the comforts of life by his indefatigable toil, seconded by the capable ef- forts of his wife. They are earnest members of the United Brethren Church and contribute to its missionary movements. Though not active in township affairs, Mr. Medlar is interested in the same, and gives his support to candidates for office whose election will mean the promotion of measures for the benefit of the community. In fraternal relations he is identified with the Maccabees and the Knights of the Globe. MILLER, Daniel L. — Probably within the en- tire scope of the influence of the German Bap- tist Brethren denomination there is no name more honored than that of Elder Miller, whose influence has been felt throughout the entire brotherhood for many years, and whose talents have been materially effective in promoting the missionary, enterprises of the organization. En- dowed by nature with splendid mental faculties, he was nevertheless handicapped in boyhood by an adverse environment and destiny seemed to restrict his usefulness to a narrow field. With a courage that knew no disheartening obstacle, he secured by laborious application an educa- tion superior to that of many a boy more hap- pily placed. In the mean time he neglected no duty to father and home. At the age of twelve years he was placed with a farmer to work for his board and during all of his youth he worked either on a farm or in his father's mill in Wash- ington County, Md. Upon coming to Illinois for the first time, Mr. Miller secured employment with John Long, but later returned to Maryland in order to assist his father in the mill. On coming west as a per- manent resident, he became a clerk in a store at Polo and later embarked in mercantile pursuits as a partner of Samuel Shoop. His next ven- ture took him into the grain business as a part- ner of George Ambrose, in addition to which he operated a grocery business as the sole owner for five years. Meanwhile he had become one of the leading men of the German Baptist Breth- ren denomination in Illinois, and had assisted greatly in the establishing of mission churches. With two other leading men of the brotherhood he purchased Mount Morris College and con- verted it to the use of the Dunker Church, as his denomination is often called. Disposing of his business interests in Polo in 1879, he re- moved to Mount Morris and for five years gave himself wholly to the building up of that edu- cational institution, having become its President after the resignation of J. M. Stein. During the time of his official connection with the school he also took up special studies. While laboring in the educational field, other lines of activity appealed to Mr. Miller's con- secrated and energetic spirit. In company with Joseph Amick he purchased the periodical "Brethren at Work," after the failure of its former owner, M. M. Eshelman, and changed the title to "Gospel Messenger," of which he acted as editor. His first trip across the ocean occurred in 1883, when, accompanied by his wile, he went to Europe and spent nine months in Germany and Denmark, finally proceeding to the Holy Land. While in Germany he "was admit- ted to University Halle, and took lectures under Dr. Conrad, on political economy, and Dr. Tschacart on church history. Letters descrip- tive of his travels were published in the "Gospel Messenger" and were read in almost every part of the world, the circulation of the journal being greatly increased by reason of the popularity of the letters. In response to a demand for a book account of the trip, he consented to the publication of the letters in this form, the title being "Europe and Bible Lands." The entire edition was subscribed for before it came from the press and subsequent editions were needed. After nine years of devotion to college duties and editorial work, Mr. Miller in 1S92 again visited Palestine, and later published "Wander- ings in the Bible Lands," which received a much wider sale than had been accorded the first vol- ume. His "Seven Churches of Asia" brought gratifying financial returns to the Mission Board, to which he had given the manuscript. In his third trip abroad he was accompanied by Joseph Lehman, visiting Egypt and ascending the Nile about one thousand miles. During 1S95, accompanied by his wife, he started on a trip around the world, returning to America after a year's absence. Two years later he published "Girdling the Globe," which was dedicated to the cause of mission? The fifth trip abroad by Mr. and Mrs. Miller was made in 1S9S. when they made a special study of Jerusalem, Smyrna and India. Their last trip around the world was made in 1904-06, this including a trip to Australia, South Africa (making a special in- vestigation of the Boer country while there), India, China, and Japan, and returning home by way of San Francisco, arriving there two days before the earthquake. After this trip Mr. Mil- ler wrote another book entitled "The Other Half," a description of the other half of the globe. This work was given to the church. With HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 957 slides from photographs taken by himself during his travels he has delivered many interesting il- lustrated lectures, which invariably have been graced by large audiences. In 1868 Mr. Miller married Miss Lizzie Tally, of Philadelphia, who is the author of "Letters to the Young from the Old World," that has run into several editions. While practically retired from life's greater activities, Mr. Miller is at the head of the edi- torial staff of the "Gospel Messenger" and is chairman of the general missionary and tract committee of the denomination. Throughout churches of his faith far and near, he is loved and venerated as a consecrated preacher of the truth and a talented writer. His mind is a storehouse of valuable information which is readily available for instant and effective use. By self-culture he acquired a wide and fluent command of language. Travel broadened his views and enriched his mind. A deep and gen- uine love for humanity has added to his useful- ness. The fact that he lacked early educational advantages has given him great solicitude for others similarly situated, and no one champions more earnestly than he' the cause of our school* and colleges. His has been a life of great useful- ness and activity, and as he passes into the after- noon of existence, it is with the knowledge that he has done his part toward helping his fellow-men spiritually, educationally and morally. MILLER, Frank Z., farmer, Buffalo Township, Ogle County, 111. We are living in the era of the farmer. After all that can be said for the financier, the merchant, the mechanic and the professional man, it is the farmer who develops the, country, builds the city and the railroad and feeds the people everywhere. For many years the farmers of America did a good deal of such work without adequate return, but now they have come into their own and are handling profits and permitting others to pay part of the freight. The farmer of to-day is a broad gauge man of much knowledge acquired by experience, not only of human nature, but of business methods and business possibilities. This is especially true of the younger farmers who, like Frank Z. Miller, are making good headway wherever they may be living. Frank Z. Miller comes of that sturdy Wash- ington County, Md.. stock that is so valuable an element in Ogle County's population. He was born there April 24, 3846, a son of Abraham and Catharine (Long) Miller, the former a Pennsyl- vanian, the latter of Maryland nativity. His father was a farmer and miller and prominent in the Dunker Church. Both of his parents died in Washington County, Md., his father in his seventy-fifth year, and his mother aged fifty- two years. The immediate subject of this sketch, who was the fourth in order of birth of the thirteen children of Abraham and Catharine Miller, re- mained in his native town until 1875, when, in his thirtieth year, he came to Ogle County and settled in Buffalo Township. He had learned farming and stock-raising by considerable ex- perience at his former home, and had come to Illinois with the expectation of making his la- bor as a farmer and stockman pay him better than it had ever paid him before. In that ex- pectation he was not disappointed, as is attested by his fine eighty-acre farm, its good buildings and its improvements. His neighbors in Illinois have found him as deeply interested in local af- fairs as though he were to the manor born. He filled the office of Road Commissioner nine years, during which time about eighteen miles of hard road was built in his township. He has been School Director also, and otherwise has taken an influential and helpful part in town- ship affairs. Mr. Miller was married in Washington Coun- ty, Md., March 3, 1870, to Miss Sallie I. Keller, who was born at Hagerstown, that State, No- vember 3, 1843, a daughter of Judge Thomas Keller, whose wife was Eliza J. Martin. Mr. and Mrs. Keller died at their home in Maryland. Of their nine children Mrs. Miller was the fifth in order of birth. Mr. Miller is a member and an official of the Dunker Church, and Mrs. Mil- ler is identified with the Presbyterian Church. MILLER, George W., a well known and very successful lumber dealer in the village of Byron, Ogle County, 111., and one of the most capable and diligent business men in that portion of the county, was born in Frederick County, Md., No- vember 5, 1848. his youth being there spent up to the age of sixteen years and his education ob- tained in the public schools of that locality. His parents were Jacob F. and Ruth A. (Fink) Mil- ler, the father being a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Maryland, where the death of both occurred in Washington County. When the subject of this sketch had reached the age of sixteen years, Jacob Miller moved with his fam- ily to Washington County, which was the Iat- ter's home until he was twenty-five years old, his occupation there being that of school teacher and farm laborer. In 1875 he came to Illinois, locating in Ogle County. Shortly after his ar- rival he secured employment in a lumber-yard in the town of Oregon, and followed this line of occupation until July, 1877, when he changed his location to the village of Byron. Here he entered the employ of S. D. Wallace, who was engaged in the lumber trade, and with whom he remained nine years. A year after severing this connection (in 1887), he bought out his former employer and has since conducted the business with profitable results. In April, 1894, Mr. Miller was united in mar- riage, at Hagerstown, Md., with Callie A. Wel- tv, born in Washington County, that State, and who died in Byron. 111., in 1S97. Mr. Miller was married a second time, in 1904 wedding Callie A. Foltz, a native of the same State and County as his first wife. To this union two children have been born, namely : Ethel B. and George W., Jr. In politics, Mr. Miller has always acted with the Republican party, and has been a member of the Ogle County Republican Central Commit- tee for fifteen years. Since 1892, he has served 958 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. on the Village Board of Byron. Fraternally, he is identified with the A. F. & A. M. MILLER, Isaac G., farmer, Maryland Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. The family of Miller las supplied several notable representatives of that strain- of sterling worth which Maryland has furnished as its contribution to the citizen- ship of Ogle County. Jeremiah Miller was born in Alleghany County, Md., March 16, 1826, and died at his home near North Grove, October 5, 1903. He married in Maryland, September 26, 1848, Rhoda Jacobs, also a native of Alleghany County, born February 20, 1828. They located in Ogle County, February 18, 1854. As a mat- ter of local history, it should be stated that they were among the constituent members of the Christian Church at North Grove, of which Mr. Miller was continuously a deacon for fifty-three years, until his death. His widow is the last survivor of those who organized that church. The last who died was Major Allen, in 1907. Born and reared in a Democratic family, Mr. Miller was a lifelong Democrat and as such he was frequently elected to township offices, all of which — that of School Director more notably than any other — he filled with singular devotion of ability. Mr. Miller began his career in Ogle County with a capital of three thousand dollars, eighteen hundred of which Mrs. Miller brought with her in a belt which she wore about her waist. From 1854 to 1862 he and his family lived in a small log cabin, which in the year last mentioned was included in a modest house which he built. In 1872 the log cabin part of the struc- ture was moved away and the house was com- pleted as it now stands. A pair of deer horns that he hung on his log cabin is preserved by his son. He prospered so abundantly that he came in time to own four farms, three in Mary- land Township and one in Dekalb County, con- taining an aggregate of six hundred and sixty acres, three hundred and thirty-six of which were included in his homestead. He had begun to add to his original possessions within eight years after he came to the county, and he bought land from time to time until within eight years of his death. For his homestead, which was largely timberland, he paid twenty-two dollars an acre ; some land he bought as low as twelve dollars an acre; for other land he paid as high as sixty-five dollars an acre. Some of the lands included in his more recent purchases were farmed by his children. Three years before his death he practically settled his own estate by apportioning it among his sons and daughters. To each son he had already given five hundred dollars when he had come of age, and to each daughter upon her marriage he had given a like sum. He had also equitably divided among them cattle, horses and other stock and other valuable personal property. The last sixteen years of his life were spent in retirement from business activities, but until the end of his days he had his home on the farm. His sons and daughters are here briefly referred to : James Elliott Miller died in his thirteenth year. Mandana M. married Charles A. Reich- ter, a farmer near Forreston. Mary D. is the wife of George McAfee a farmer of Maryland Township. Rachael Ann married N. E. Brean, and died aged thirty-nine years. Austin C. is a farmer in Dekalb County. Jesse J. died at the age of ten years. Isaac G., who is referred to at some length below, was born October 25, 1866. Libbie M. died at the age of seven years. An infant died unnamed. Isaac G. Miller married Lydia A. Lohr, February 18, 1891. Miss Lohr, who is a daughter of Samuel Lohr, a retired farmer living at Adeline, was born in Pennsyl- vania and came to Illinois when she was ten years old. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have children named as follows : L. May, aged twelve ; Floyd A, aged ten ; Brinton E. aged nine ; and Bessie M. aged four. Mr. Miller operates the old Mil- ler homestead, which now contains three hun- dred and twenty acres, and devotes himself to general farming. He is a Democrat, but is not active politically. He and members of his fam- ily are identified with the United Brethren Church. MITCHELL, Alonzo J., general merchant; ex- President and Treasurer of the village of Ade- line, Ogle County, 111. The people of Maryland Township, have, within easy access, living evi- dence of the efficacy of devotion to some ideal and of the substantial results won by steadfast adherence to fixed purpose. Th» career of Alon- zo J. Mitchell furnishes ample illustration along these lines. He is a native son of Forreston, Ogle County, born March 22, 1856, the son of Samuel and Hannah (Wilson) Mitchell, both parents having been born in Maryland, the father in Washington County, and Che mother at Catonsville, near Baltimore. They came to Ogle County in 1837 and lived for a few years at West Grove, when they moved to Maryland Township, and from there to Forreston, where they remained until 1865. Then they went to Shelby County, 111., where Mrs. Mitchell died in 1868. In 1870 Mr. Mitchell returned to For- reston, where he married Mrs. Harriet Dore, but eventually removed to Assumption, Chris- tian County, 111., where he died in the early nineties, aged eighty-four years. It is a matter of history that he was the first Supervisor of Maryland Township. By his first marriage he .had five sons and a daughter, of whom Alonzo J. was the last born. Alonzo J. Mitchell passed the first nine years of his life in Forreston, then went with his par- ents to Shelby County, remaining there until 1870. At that time, aged fourteen years he re- turned to Ogle County, and found a home un- der the roof of his uncle, George W. Mitchell, at Adeline. Except during one year he has been a resident of Adeline continuously to the pres- ent time, and during all those years he has been connected with local general stores, either as clerk or proprietor. He has always taken an ac- tive part in politics, local. State and National, and has acted in harmony with the Democratic I HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 959 party, and has several times been sent as a del- egate to State and County Conventions. His in- terest in, Adeline and in Maryland Township have induced him to accept several important local offices, including that of School Director, which he filled for several years, and has been repeatedly chosen President and Treasurer of the Village Board of Trustees, and to the local schools he has been especially helpful. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. ( In December, 1886, Mr. Mitchell was married at Harper, 111., to Miss Anna C. Ainsworth, who was born at Adeline, in 1866, a daughter of Thomas and Susan Ainsworth, who were among the pioneers of Maryland Township. MITCHELL, Samuel,— The genealogy of the Mitchell family is traced through a long line of Irish ancestors who lived and died in County Armagh, in the north of Ireland, near the shores of the Irish Sea. Upon starting out in the world to earn his livelihood, James Mitchell, who was born and reared in County Armagh and had learned the baker's trade there, crossed the ocean to the new world and secured employment at his trade in New York State. At Balston Spa, he was United in marriage with Nancy E. Brown, also a native of Ireland. After mar- riage they continued to reside in the East until 1858, when they joined a party of emigrants bound for the new lands of the Mississippi Val- ley. Starting from Albany, N. Y., they journey- ed by rail to Rochelle, Ogle County, 111., and set- tled to the west of Nashua Township. After working two years as a farm hand, in 1860 Mr. Mitchell removed with his family to Pine Rock Township, where they bought a tract of unim- proved land and labored assiduously in trans- forming the property into a valuable homestead. On this place Mrs. Mitchell died at the age of fifty-three years, and her husband when seventy- nine years of age. The family comprised four children, namely : William J., who died in boyhood ; Samuel ; John B., who died in Pine Rock Township December 1, 1902, at the age of fifty-one years ; and Mary J. The second in order of birth, Samuel was born in Albany, N. Y., June 2, 1848, and at the age of ten years accompanied his parents to Illinois, remaining with them until they passed from earth. Meanwhile he had received a com- mon-school education and had fitted himself for thorough work as a tiller of the soil. Until 1880 he gave his attention exclusively to general farming and stock-raising, but in that year he was engaged to represent a Chicago firm as man- ager of the Chana elevator, and for twenty-two and a half years continued to fill this position with recognized efficiency and success, retiring in January of 1903 with a record worthy of com- mendation. Meanwhile he had continued to make his home on the farm and had superin- tended the cultivation of the land, although hir- ing help .for the manual labor. His homestead in Pine Rock Township comprises 261 acres of Improved land, with substantial buildings erect- ed under his supervision. The marriage of Mr. Mitchell took place at Chana, December 30, 1880, uniting him with Miss Frances M. Roe, who was born at Paines Point, Pine Rock Township, July 27, 1858, and received her education in the local schools. Her father, Giles V. Roe, who was one of the earliest settlers of Ogle County, was born in November, 1828, and died at Chana January 2, 1902. Her mother, who bore the maiden name of Eleanor Taylor, died at Paines Point, in January, 1863 leaving five children : John T. ; Martha A., who is the wife of Monroe Cann; Frances M., who married Samuel Mitchell; George S. ; and Eleanor G., who died at the age of fourteen years. Owing to the death of Mrs. Eleanor Roe when her children were very small, little is known by them concerning the ancestry of the Taylor family. After her death Mr. Roe was united in marriage with Luanda Hayes, and five children were born of that union. Four of these attained mature years, namely: Rosa, Mrs. James Benstead; Bolivar, Mendez and Lizzie (deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are the par- ents of an only daughter, Effa Belle. Through all of his active life Mr. Mitchell has been warmly interested in village and township af- fairs and, although averse to taking the leader- ship in projected enterprises, he may always be depended upon to give his support to beneficial measures. For twenty-two years he gave satis- factory service in the office of School Treasurer, and for six years represented the township as a member of the County Board of Supervisors, while in addition he has filled with intelligence and energy the important offices of Township Clerk and Highway Commissioner. MIX, George A., son of Henry A. and Mary Jacobs Mix, was born in Galena, 111., December 15, 1850, and came to Oregon, 111., with his par- ents when he was six months old. He attended Beloit College and, on his return to Oregon, be- gan his business life, first forming a partnership in general merchandising with his brother John B. Mix, later buying out his brother's interest and continuing the business alone until 1878. Soon after this he erected the Oregon flouring mills on the west side of Rock River, and built up this industry to a high state of efficiency. In 1902 he moved to Rockford, 111., where he erected a handsome home on North Church Street, in which he died June 29, 1907. Mr. Mix was married November 6, 1872, to Miss Hat- tie A. Hovey, of Racine, Wis., and to them were born five children, three of whom survive, two daughters having passed away, Abbie H., when a baby many years ago, and Mary C, only a short time before her father's death. The living children are : Arthur H. Mix of Chicago, George H. Mix of Oregon, and Elsie Harriet Mix, now making her home with her brother George in Oregon. Mr. Mix was known to most people from his business career, but his home life was as promi- 960 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. neiit to those who knew him well. He was kind- ly and loving and one of the aims of his life was the happiness of those near and dear to him, lavishing on them all he could of affection. To his business associates he was a just man, straight as a die and honest to the core. His character was above reproach and his example in a business way of the highest. During his long residence in Oregon Mr. Mix was never found wanting when it came to any question of im- provement or other proposition for the better- ment of the city. Upon questions of morality, he was always in the forefront, pushing with his influence as well as with his money. MIX, Henry A. (deceased), pioneer lawyer, bus- iness man, extensive property owner and pub- lie-spirited citizen of Ogle County, and for many years a resident of Oregon, 111., was born at Grand Isle. Vt, September 21, 1816, a son of Capt. Samuel and Roxanna (Pel ton) Mix, both direct descendants of good, old English stock. Capt. Samuel Mix commanded a company at Plattsburg in the second war with Great Britain, and after the struggle, passed some years in that vicinity and also at Grand Isle, after which he went to Canada. Here in the French schools Henry A. Mix acquired a good foundation for the education of later years, and became thoroughly versed in French, which he always spoke fluent- ly. He went to school at Farmington, Hartford County, Conn., and probably at Windsor Locks, in the same county. He fitted for Cambridge, and was graduated from the University Law School in July,- 1841. After obtaining his cre- dentials, he started out to seek a field for his dawning ambition in the West. He first went to Ohio where he had two sisters, and after a short time spent in prospecting, came to Ogle County, where he spent the remainder of his life. Coming to the young and rapidly growing State of Illinois at this early date, he grew with its growth and strengthened with its strength. He had a mind of far more than ordinary power and his genius was brilliant and strong. En- ergy and perseverance characterized all his un- dertakings. He considered no obstacle too great to be overcome, and no difficulty could baffle his determination. At Oregon, Mr. Mix found the opening he desired and soon entered upon the practice of his profession. He possessed to a marked degree the traits necessary to a profes- sional man in a pioneer community, and was speedily the recipient of the confidence of the general public which he never lost, and through- out the whole of his career held a large clien- tage in Ogle County. Besides his law practice, he was interested in mercantile enterprises, in real estate, securing much land at government prices, and also in the water-power at Oregon. He built the first dam across Rock River, also the first bridge at Oregon, which was con- structed on the site of the present one. He was of compact build and carried himself with the air of a man with a purpose which he knew he could carry out. He was self-reliant, and possessed a comprehensive knowledge of men. He seldom made a mistake in judgment, and he also possessed active business habits and executive ability that made him a natural lead- er. No citizen of Oregon wielded greater in- fluence, or had more qualifications for useful- ness in his generation. On September 2, 1867, while crossing the bridge then in the course of erection over Rock River at Oregon, he missed his footing and fell,- striking the bridge timbers in such a way that he was instantly killed. The Board of Supervisors adopted the following res- olution : "Resolved: That, in the decease of Mr. Mix, the county has sustained an irreparable loss ; that his thorough and conspicuous identification for the past twenty years with nearly all of our important public enterprises, his superior bus- iness qualifications constantly being executed not only for the material advancement of the county, but also for the peaceful adjustment of difficulties among men, his untiring energy, gen- erous hospitality, his cordial friendship, his con- descension to the poor, and. above all, the true democracy of his life, and being lost in his un- timely death, has left a void that cannot be filled." Mr. Mix was married October 4, 1846, to Miss Catherine J. Bennett, daughter of Philip R. Ben- nett; she died soon after the birth of their son, John Bennett Mix, August 1, 1849. Mr. Mix later married Miss Mary Jacobs, daughter of Pyam and Clarissa (Hathaway) Jacobs. To this union were born eight children, only two surviving infancy : George A., who died at his home in Rockford, 111., June 29, 1907, and Mary Jacobs Mix, widow of Henry D. Barber, who resides at Polo, 111. MOORE, Amos Foster, Polo, 111., was born at Ackworth, N. H.. March 11. 1832. and named for Lieutenant Amos B. Foster, of the regular ar- my, who was located at Ft. Dearborn (now Chi- cago) when all mail went out by courier and actually mailed at Detroit, Michigan, some seven- teen days after leaving Chicago. Amos Foster Moore's father died when he was two years and a half old, and his mother, with her children, then removed to Northern New York, where lived a brother of hers, who was a minister of the gospel. There Amos did such work as his small hands found to do, and attended district schools and an academy as oportunity offered until he was fourteen years old. During that period he earned his first pair of boots and some other articles, which he found useful. Leaving his relatives in Northern New York, he came to Illinois, whither his brother, J. Leavitt Moore, had preceded him. After living for awhile in Chicago with his uncle, Dr. John H. Foster, who had been a Surgeon in the Black Hawk War, the boy became ill of ague and was obliged to go back east, but there had been much in his life in Chi- cago that he is not likely to forget while he lives. At that time (about 1847) Chicago had not, ac- cording to his recollection, either a railroad or an omnibus line, and as yet it had no police force. Dr. Foster was an influential man of considerable HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 961 property. He helped to organize the Chicago & Galena Union Railroad, the first railroad com- pany that laid a track in and out of the town. Amos, who was his office boy, was sent out to pilot to a new dock a vessel that brought the first flat rails. The boat made so little progress that it consumed the greater part of a day in reaching the dock, where, on orders brought by the boy, the Captain set his crew to unloading the railroad iron and the first of the cargo was taken from the boat by Mr. Moore. These flat rails were spiked on stringers and over them was run the "Pioneer," the first locomotive to enter Chicago, a machine which, in 1893, was one of the attractions of the Columbian Exposition, mounted on some of the same rails that had en- tered into the construction of that primitive track. These old rails were found in an out-of- the-way place in Chicago, and it was Amos who found them, and he helped unload the "Pioneer" on the World's Pair grounds. He also has the distinction of having begun the first fence from Clark Street to the lake. His uncle owned land, now within Lincoln Park and surrounding the site of the bear-pits. The whole tract was a stretch of sand-knolls, presenting no foundation for a good fence, and Amos desisted from his self-imposed task when informed by Dr. Poster that the fence and the sand in which he was plant- ing it would probably be blown into the lake by the first wind from the west. Some years later this sand tract was condemned by the city and Dr. Foster received $20,000 an acre for the same, while three 5-acre tracts were given to his daugh- ter, and one daughter sold five acres to Mrs. Blaine, a daughter of Cyrus McCormick, for $500,000 for school purposes. Later, by advice of Amos, Dr. Foster bought 440 acres of land within the present lifnits of Evanston for $1,500. The youth argued that this place would be de- sirable as a residence, and himself acquired land in the immediate vicinity. Not long after his return to New York State, his uncle entered into correspondence with him relative to the sale of his land north of Chicago to Mr. Evans and oth- ers, as a site for educational institution. He favored its sale, and on it has grown up the Northwestern University. In three years the young man had ceased to suffer from malaria, and, returning to Chicago, he established a foun- dry, which he operated for a time. He was as- sociated with Captain Cyrus Bradley, who in- troduced the original police system in Chicago, and many times accompanied Allen Pinkerton personally in the unraveling of some criminal mysteries. Meanwhile he had begun to buy land in Ogle County. Mr. Moore was then able to buy good land at five dollars an acre, and in 1854 he began to im- prove his farm. The Illinois Central Railroad was under construction at this time. His brother, J. Leavitt Moore, had already settled in the same vicinity. Mr. Moore has lived in Ogle County since 1854. Eventually he acquired 640 acres of land, a part of it through a deal includ- ing the O'Gee Ferry land at Dixon. His hold- ing embraces prairie land, timber land, bottom land and stone quarry. Out of a part of it he developed an ideal stock farm. This is on Seven Mile Creek, which heads at Polo, Sugar Creek having its source on his land. He began to breed Short-Horn cattle, and at the first fat- stock show held in the old Exposition Building at Chicago, took first prize for the best two- year-old steers and second premium on car-load lots of cattle. Adding the breeding of Morgan horses, he made them a large feature of his en- terprise, and his herd of Morgans, ranging usual- ly from seventy-five to one hundred head, was said to be the largest of that breed in the United States. He exhibited car-load lots at the Illi- nois State and Horse Fair, held at Chicago. His aim was the development of gentlemen's driving horses. Eventually he made a feature of sheep, introducing a large flock which he increased to 1,000, and during the Civil War did a large busi- ness in that line. He has long held the office of President of the Morgan Horsebreeders' Associa- tion of Illinois. In the course of events Mr. Moore began to grow apples. He set out his first trees in 1856 and sets a new orchard once in about twelve years. Many of his trees have died, but he has replaced them with others and has achieved a notable success as an orchardist. Ever alive to the farmer's best interest, he early advocated the organization of County Institutes for the dis- cussion of farmers' needs. He not only helped to organize the first Institute, but was President of the same, and was influential in effecting a State organization along the lines suggested and was elected President of this organization. He was made Chairman of the Legislative Commit- tee to secure an appropriation for an Agricultu- ral College to be under State auspices. An in- stitution so called had been planted at Cham- paign by a Federal appropriation. Ostensibly to foster agriculture, it was by many believed to have been used to further the interests of the State University. Mr. Moore was sent to Cham- paign to make investigations as to what and how much was being done to educate farmers, and his report induced legislation making an appro- priation of $150,000 to establish a State Agri- cultural College, and he acted as Director of the State Institute for his district for many years. Mr. Moore's farm is in Woosung Township, which was organized from a portion of the ter- ritory of Buffalo Township. For years he filled the offices of Highway Commissioner, Supervisor, and was Township School Trustee for seventeen years, but his real interest was on the farm, where he remained until seven years ago, since when he has lived in retirement at Polo. He nat- urally takes much interest in the growth and prosperity of that thriving city, because he re- members that* in 1854, when he came to its site, there was but one building within its present limits. He was married there in the fall of 1856 to Miss Marcia A. Cutts, a sister of Mrs. Judge Campbell. Her father, Captain Hiram Cutts, came to that locality in 1946 from Kit- tery, N. H. He had been a sea-faring man and had 'commanded a vessel in the merchant marine. 962 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. He acquired a large tract of land, some of which is now included in Polo. He died before Mr. Moore married his daughter, and part of his land was broken by his son-in-law. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have had children as follows: Albert C. Moore was graduated from the high school at Polo and later from the Illinois State University, is a railroad man at Walla Walla, Wash., where he is an extensive land-owner and Secretary of the Walla Walla Commercial Club ; Amos Foster Moore, M. D., is a surgeon for the Northwestern Railroad at Dixon, 111. ; George Moore, M. D., is a prosperous medical practitioner at Joy, Mercer County, 111. ; Fred L. Moore, who was for ten years connected with a wholesale mercantile house in Chicago, now operates his father's old farm ; Frank Moore, who is a plumber, is a mem- ber of his father's household ; while their daugh- ter, Stata, married Arthur Gruber, head car- penter of Polo. An enthusiastic Republican, Mr. Moore is in- fluential in the local councils of his party and, as a temperance man, his efforts have been di- rected to the uplifting of his town and its peo- ple. As a member of the grand jury, he has done much to advance the temperance cause. He helped to build the Presbyterian church in Polo, is President of the Ogle County Old Settlers' As- sociation, and is one of the Vice-Presidents of the Polo Historical Society. MOORE, Jonathan Leavitt, now living a re- tired life in his beautiful residence at Polo, 111., after many years of active labor, is one of the city's most prominent and influential citizens, and a member of an old and honored family. Born March 8, 1827, at Ackworth, Sullivan Coun- ty, N. H., Mr. Moore is a son of John and Me- hitabel (Foster) Moore, the former born at Lon- donderry, N. H., in 1795. The ancestor of this family, who was the chief of the Clan MacCal- lum-Moore, was killed at the massacre at Glen- coe, Scotland (painted in such brilliant colors by Macauley), in 1692. The ancestor's son John was carried by his mother to Ireland, was rear- ed near Londonderry, and in 1718 was an emi- grant to America, settling in Londonderry, N. H., where Samuel Moore, his son and the grand- father of John Leavitt, was born in 1756., The family on the maternal side is also a prominent one. Dr. J. H. Foster, a brother of Mehitabel (Foster) Moore, was for many years a leading physician of Chicago ; Amos Bancroft Foster, an- other brother, was a Lieutenant in the U. S. Ar- my, stationed at Fort Dearborn, Chicago, and met his death at Green Bay, Wis., at the hands of a soldier for some fancied wrong; while Suel Foster, still another brother, was widely known as a horticulturist of Muscatine, Iowa. The par- ents of these children were Aaron and Mehit- abel (Nichols) Foster, of English descent. In 1834 Jonathan Leavitt Moore and his wid- owed mother went to Franklin County, N. X., but at the age of nineteen years he moved west, lo- cating in Chicago, where he remained for one year. In November, 1849, he located on a tract of land in Buffalo Township, Ogle County, and on June 17, 1851, was married to Stata Hawks, who was born near Deerfield, Mass., April 12, 1831, daughter of Norman and Sarah (Smith) Hawks, with whom she came to Illinois in 1846. Enterprise, industry, hard labor and economical habits soon began to show results, and Mr. Moore found himself the possessor of 500 acres of some of the most finely cultivated land in his section of the county, which was also noted for the great number of European larch, white and blue ash, soft maple> and catalpa trees set out by him. Mr. Moore has not devoted himself to agricultural lines entirely, however, but has been interested in many extensive enterprises and industries of a business and financial nature. He was one of the organizers of the Exchange Bank, serving as Vice-President and a Director since its incep- tion ; was one of the organizers of the Buffalo Mutual Fire Insurance Company in 1874, and, in addition, is Past Vice-President of the State Ag- ricultural Board, of which he has been a mem- ber six years ; was the first President of the Ogle County Agricultural Society, which he help- ed to organize, and for five years was Superin- tendent of the American Fat Stock Show at Chicago. He was also one of the main promoters of the Buffalo Free Library, being one of the ten men to contribute $100 each, to purchase the ground for the building. In political matters a stanch Republican, Mr. Moore was for twelve years School Trustee, Su- pervisor, Highway Commissioner, Town Clerk, and for fifteen years a member of the Republican Senatorial Committee, in addition to being Chair- man of the Township Committee ; was also Pres- ident of Fairmont Cemetery Association and one of the organizers of the Dixon Chautauqua, being its President for the last three years. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, in the faith of which Mrs. Moore died, March 22, 1893. In every relation of life, Jonathan Leavitt Moore has proven himself, and is honored and esteemed as a successful business man and public-spirited citizen, as well as a worthy representative of one of the community's oldest and most respected families. MORE, James H., M. D. — Most men, when cast- ing about for a vocation, are satisfied with one profession, and in that are not always proficient. Such is not the case, however, with Dr. James H. More, now living retired at Polo, 111., who has devoted his life to the medical and the ministe- rial callings, has accounted for himself well in each, and has still found more time to give to public life and the duties of citizenship than does the average man. Dr. More was born at H-al- cottsville, Delaware County. N. Y., August 31. 1829, a son of John B. and Louisa J. (Kelly) More, and his boyhood was spent in Roxbury, that State. He prepared for his college course in the academies at Prattsville and Fergusonville, and for several terms thereafter taught school in Roxbury and Harperpfield, Delaware County, N. Y. On April 27, 1S53, he was graduated from CLARENCE WOOD HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 963 the medical department of the University of Buf- falo, and in the following May located at Buffalo Grove ("Old Town"), where he was in partner- ship with Dr. W. W. Burns until 1856, in which year he opened a drug and book-store at Polo. In 1860 he was ordained a minister of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, at the Rock River Con- ference, and was stationed at Harvard, and later at Richmond, 111., and it was while at the latter place that he became Chaplain of the Ninety- fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the' war. Later he was stationed at Mt. Morris for two years, and at Kankakee for one year, and in 1868 became Presiding Elder of the Dixon district, in which capacity he served four years. He was a member of the General Conference at Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1872. For three years he was at Ster- ling, and for two years at Sycamore, then as- suming charge of the Freeport district, of which he continued to be Presiding Elder until assigned to the Western Avenue Church, Chicago. After one and a half years in the last named capacity, Dr. More was compelled to resign on account of ill health, and he subsequently entered a home- stead in Beadle County, S. Dak., where he held services in cabins and organized a circuit of sev- eral appointments. Also, while there, he again took up the practice of medicine. He was a dele- gate to the Constitutional Convention, and suc- ceeded, as Chairman of the Committee on Schools and School Lands, in having embodied in the constitution, the best provision ror the safety of school funds of any State in the Union. In 1886, Dr. More returned to Margaretville, Delaware County, N. Y., where he engaged in various com- mercial lines until 1890, and in that year came to Ogle County, 111., being engaged in preaching in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Forreston for three years, and since that time having lived retired at Polo. In 1891 he was elected Alder- man and was instrumental in securing many city improvements, being later made engineer and su- perintendent of the city water works. He is one of Ogle County's most distinguished citizens, and during his long and eventful life has done much towards the progress and development of what- ever community he happened to reside. He is greatly esteemed in Polo, where he is spending the sunset period of his life in quiet retirement. On January 21, 1857, Dr. More was married to Harriet E. Frisbie, at Polo. She was born at Roxbury, N. Y., a daughter of Rev. George and Maria (Smith) Frisbie, the former a Methodist Episcopal minister who came to Illinois in 1846, and who passed his later years at Buffalo Grove and at Mount Morris, at which latter place he died in November, 1855. Five children were born to Dr. and Mrs. More : Mary L.. who is the wife of George C. Marsh of Chicago; George Frisbie, an electrical engineer living at Polo ; Annie, living at home ; Faith, wife of Charles L. Keller of Chicago; and Paulina, wife of Robert M. Wetzel of Calumet, Mich. In politics, Dr. More is a stanch Prohibitionist. Fraternally, he is a Mason, having advanced to the Knights Tem- plar degree. MULNIX, Corydon.— Prominent among the en- ergetic, far-seeing and successful farmers of Buf- falo Township is Corydon Mulnix, who was born in Eagle Point Township, Ogle County, August 27, 1860, and who now is the owner of 213 acres of as fine land as is to be found in that section of the State. Mr. Mulnix represents an old New York family long identified with Delaware Coun- ty, N. Y., where were born his parents, John and Lydia (Sweet) Mulnix, both of whom came early to Ogle County, married here, and for many years were engaged in farming in Eagle Point Township. Finally, however, the family fortunes were shifted to Buffalo Township, where the father died at the age of eighty-six, and the mother at the age of seventy-six years. Besides Corydon, who Is the youngest of their children, they had Louise, who is dead, and Homer, a farmer of Woosung Township. The early advantages of Corydon Mulnix did not differ materially from those of the average fawn-reared youth of the Central West, and as is generally the case, his education was laboriously acquired during the winter session of school, April 23, 1882, he was united in marriage to Ger- tie L. Wilder, a native of Buffalo Township, and born November 9, 1862. Mrs. Mulnix is a daughter of Chester P. and Harriet M. (Garrett) Wilder, natives of Onondagua County, N. Y., and who came to Ogle County in May, 1854. The Wilder family settled first in Eagle Point Town- ship, where they remained about a year, when they moved to Old Town, Buffalo Township, where they lived until Mr. Wilder's death, April 3, 1896. In 1903 his widow came to live with her daughter, Mrs, Mulnix, where her death oc- curred November 26, 1906. Mrs. Mulnix was one of two children born to her parents — her brother Reuben, the only other child, dying December 16, 1893, aged thirty-eight years. After his marriage Mr. Mulnix bought a farm in Eagle Point Township, remaining thereon un- til 1901, when he came to his present farm in Buffalo Township, which in seven years has been wonderfully improved and typifies the reliable methods and unquestioned scientific ability of the owner. Mr. Mulnix raises general produce and stock, and among other improvements is a fine modern dwelling, well furnished throughout, and he has either built or remodeled many substan- tial outside structures. Mr. Mulnix takes a keen interest in general local affairs, and although not a politician in any sense of the word, is stanchly loyal to the Re- publican party. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of the Globe. MULNIX, Homer W., farmer, Woosung Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. While credit is due to pioneers who came into the Illinois prairie coun- try when, in a double sense, the land was new, credit is due also to many men of later genera- tions who have taken it up as it fell from their hands, and on the success which they have achieved in building other successes equally creditable and equally significant. One of the 964 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. most conspicuous of this class of citizens in Woo- sung Township is Homer W. Mulnix, who was born in what is now Eagle Point Township, Sep- tember 2, 1858. Mr. Mulnix is a son of John and Lydia (Lunt) Mulnix. His father and mother were both born in Delaware County, N. Y. They had three chil- dren, named in order of their birth : Louisa, Ho- mer W., and Corydon. Further information about the family is included in the sketch of Corydon Mulnix which appears in this volume. Homer W. Mulnix was reared on his father's farm and ed- ucated in the public schools near his home. He was twenty-six years old when he married and settled down in Eagle Point Township as a farmer wholly on his own account. He has given attention to miscellaneous farming and stock raising, and has succeeded so well that he is now the owner of 320 acres of rich prairie land with good buildings and improvements. It was in 1901 that he moved to his present home. On March 18, 18S0, Mr. Mulnix married Miss Nellie E. Williams, a native of Ohio, who has borne him two children, named Forrest R. and John T. He is a Knight of the Globe and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. "While not assuming prominence as a poli- tician, he takes an intelligent interest in all questions of public moment. MUMMA, Henry C. (deceased), formerly a high- ly respected farmer of Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., a man of admirable traits of character and blameless life, and one of the worthiest and most exemplary members of the community in which he lived, was born in the same township, September 9, 1851. His parents were Daniel S. and Naoma (Malone) Mumma, natives of Washington County, Md., and early settlers in Ogle County. Both died at Mt. Mor- ris, 111., the father when about seventy years of age, and the mother when more than eighty. Their children were ten in number, and of this family the subject of this sketch was one of the younger members. He was reared on the old homestead, where he remained until the spring of 1883, when he began farming on his own ac- count. He was the owner of 100 acres of land, of which eighty acres are improved and contain good buildings, as the result of his diligence and enterprise. On April 3, 1883, Mr. Mumma was married, in Oregon Township, Ogle County, to Amanda Young, who was born in that township, August 25, 1853. Mrs. Mumma, who still survives and is an object of high respect and cordial regard on the part of many friends, is a daughter of William and Nancy (Long) Young, natives of Washing- ton County, Md., who came to Ogle County in 1842. They settled in Oregon Township, and there spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. Young died February 25, 1889, in his eighty-fifth year, his wife having passed away April 29, 1870, when nearly fifty-two years old. They had eleven children, of whom Mrs. Mumma is the tenth. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Mumma, namely : Ernest C. and Ruth N. Mr. Mumma died very suddenly, May 26, 1907. He took an active interest in public affairs, and served as School Director of his township for twenty-five years. He was a member of the Dunker Church, to which his esteemed widow also belongs, and in which, for many years, he officiated as deacon. MUMMA, John H. — With the exception of a very brief period spent elsewhere, Mr. Mumma has always made his home in Ogle County, and throughout active life has devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which line of activity he has met with more than ordinary success. After many years of strenuous exertion on his farm in Pine Creek Township, he removed to the village of Grand Detour after having harvested the crop of 1906. December of that year found him in a pleasant home in the town and here he now resides, still owning, however, the old home- stead comprising 160 acres. Besides maintaining a general supervision of his property interests, he acts as Treasurer of the Pine Creek Telephone Company and has accomplished much in promo- tion of this enterprise, as well as in behalf of other movements for the benefit of the county. The history of the Mumma family shows that they are of old Southern lineage, honorably asso- ciated with agricultural pursuits in this country for several generations. Elias and Susannah (Miller) Mumma, natives of Washington County. Md., after having been reared there to mature years, in 1840 made the then long journey thence to Illinois overland, settling in Ogle County. Im- mediately after his arrival Elias Mumma took up a claim of 160 acres in Pine Creek Township, which he finally bought from the Government at a cost of $1.25 per acre. On it he first built a log house, in which he lived until 1858. when he built a brick residence. The land was mostly covered by heavy timber much of which was cleared away by the father. As the years passed, the surrounding lands be- gan to be taken up by other settlers, towns be- gan to grow, schools and churches were estab- lished, and the lot of the pioneer became more cheerful and satisfying. But ere long old age came to the parents and the mother passed from earth at the age of sixty years. Later the father left the home farm and came to Grand Detour, where he died at the age of seventy-six years. In the family of Elias Mumma there were nine children, all but one of whom attained years of maturity. The youngest of the family, John H., was born April 6, 1846, on the old homestead in Pine Creek Township, and grew to manhood amid the surroundings familiar to his earliest memo- ries. Since coming into possession of the pater- nal homestead the subject of this sketch has in- creased its value by clearing more land and other improvements. With the exception of eight months spent in Rockford. he has always re- mained in Ogle County and since attaining man's estate has followed general farming and stock- raising, with the exception of a period devoted to the carpenter's trade. The marriage of John H. Mumma was sol- HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 965 enanized in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, January 1, 1868, when he was united with Miss Augusta Palmer, daughter of Irving and Sarepta (Haden) Palmer, both natives of Vermont, the former born in 1809, and the latter in 1811. The parents of Mrs. Mumma, after their marriage, first settled in Vermont, but during the year 1839 removed to Illinois, settling in Ogle County, where they took up a tract of eighty acres of raw land in Pine Creek Township, which he cleared and otherwise improved, building on it a com- fortable frame dwelling. He also owned other land which he disposed of, finally dying on his original homestead of eighty acres, March 0, 1901. At the date of writing this sketch he is survived by his widow, who has attained the age of ninety- six years. They were the parents of six sons and two daughters, Mrs. Mumma being the sixth in order of birth and a native of Pine Creek Town- ship, born July 26, 1840, and her education was received in local schools. Mr. and Mrs. Mumma are the parents of four children, namely: Elmer A., Maude E., who is the wife of Warren Bur- dick ; Walter A. ; and Lulu M., Mrs. Charles Pyfer. Interested in educational affairs and ever so- licitous to promote the interests of his district, Mr. Mumma filled the office of School Director while living in Pine Creek Township, nnd his work in that position was received with appre- ciation. Politically he has been stanch in his support of the Republican party and its candi- dates. With his wife he holds membership in the United Brethren Church and contributes generously to its support. MUERAY, George, a prosperous farmer and prominent citizen of Buffalo Township, Ogle County, III., was born in the vicinity of Toronto, Canada, November 15, 1850, a son of Thomas and Louisa (Graham) Murray, natives of Scotland. The father died in Canada, January 17, 1866, and the mother passed away at the home of her son George, in Buffalo Township, January 27, 1896. Thomas Murray and his wife reared a family of eight children, of whom the subject of this personal record was the second in order of birth. The latter was brought up in Ontario, where he received a good common-school educa- tion. In 1872 he came to Ogle County, 111., and for a year worked as a farm hand by the month. Then he followed farming on rented land about the same length of time, and for the next few years was associated with his brother in thfc breeding of graded stock. This partnership con- tinued until 1886, when the connection was sev- ered. His first purchase of land embraced a tract of seventy-five acres in Woosung Township, Ogle County, on which he remained three years. Sell- ing this property in 1881, he bought the farm where he has since lived, consisting of 200 acres of valuable land lying near the city of Polo. It is in the finest condition, and its attractiveness has been greatly enhanced by the character of the improvements resulting from Mr. Murray's enterprise, energy and diligent management. He has made his own way in the world unaided, starting out in life with no financial resources, and accumulating a handsome competency through the possession and exercise of those fundamental qualities that insure success. He has always taken a lively interest in educational affairs, and for many years has been a member of the School Board, serving also as one of the Trustees and Directors of the Library Associa- tion. In politics, Mr. Murray is a supporter of the Democratic party. His i religious connection is with the Independent Presbyterian Church, and fraternally, he is affiliated with the Knights of the Globe. MYERS, Captain James M.— The life story of Captain James M. Myers is full of interest, and demonstrates the worth of manly vigor, enter- prise and patriotism in connection, not merely with the history of Ogle County, but with the country which he served during the Civil War. The Captain, who at the present time is a Po- lice Magistrate and engaged in the insurance bus- iness, won his title on the battle-fields, and throughout his long life has evidenced a courage and self-denial equal to that called forth in the time of his country's greatest need. Representing one of the earliest families of Mount Morris Township, Captain Myers was born in a log cabin in what then was almost an uninhabited wilderness, December 2, 1837. His parents, Benjamin and Mary Myers, were na- tives of Pennsylvania and Washington County, Md., respectively, their marriage occurring in the latter State in January, 1857. During the fol- lowing May they came to Ogle County, 111., driv- ing a team the entire distance, accompanying them being the family of Jacob Buck and a num- ber of other early settlers. The elder Myers was a stone-mason by trade, and while making his home in Maryland Township, followed that oc- cupation until old age settled down on him, when he went to live with a son in the town of Mount Morris, where he died in April, 1891, at the age of seventy-six years. He had been a widower for many years, but was fortunate in having in his home the mother of his wife, who, after the death of the latter, at the age of thirty-two years, in 1859, took charge of his children, rearing them as if they had been her own, and making a comfortable home for the entire family. Much credit is due this self-sacrificing woman, and the service she rendered was thoroughly appreciated by the entire family, but by none more than the eldest daughter, Mary, who married John Miller, and with whom the grandmother lived until her death in 1871 at the age of ninety-two years. Of the two other children of Benjamin Myers, James M. and Otho J., were twins, the latter of whom died the winter after his mother passed away. At a comparatively early age James M. Myers left home to seek the rewards of an independent life, finding work as a farm hand in his native township, and continuing thus employed until the breaking out of the Civil War. On September 6, 966 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under command of Capt. John 0. Miller, of Mount Morris, and served with his company until its muster out in July, 1865. On November 6, 1864, at Kingston, Ga., he was promoted to the rank of Captain of the company of which he was in command at the battle of Resaca, May 14, 1864, on account of the disability of his superior officer, Captain House- holder, "who had been sent home on furlough. Previously Captain Myers had served as Ser- geant for four months, and later as First Lieu- tenant at the time of his reenlistment in January, 1864. But one of the original company now sur- vives with Mr. Myers to tell the story of the service rendered and the sufferings endured by the bearers of arms in Civil War days, and that is William H. Bobbins, of Forreston. Mr. Myers participated in the battles of Dallas, Big Shanty, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro, Bentonville and many others, the greatest loss in point of numbers being at Ken- esaw Mountain, Jonesboro, Bentonville and Sbi- ldh, at the latter the company losing twenty-two of the sixty-six that remained of the originally enlisted. At Stone River the number of killed, wounded and captured amounted to about sixty- six per cent, of the entire muster roll. Since 1868 Captain Myers has been a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has taken a very active interest in Grand Army affairs. He is connected with the Henry Hiller Post, of which he was a charter member and the first Com- mander, and which he has since served as Com- mander several times. He has kept track of and attended the majority of encampments, especially national ones, and thus has visited different parts of the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. After the war Captain Myers came to Forres- ton, and for eight years was engaged in the liv- ery business, for two years in the hotel business, and for fourteen years was connected with the Illinois Central Railroad Company. In 1892 he was appointed Postmaster of Forreston, serving four years in that position, after which he en- gaged in the insurance business for two and a half years. November 18, 1898, he was again ap- pointed Postmaster, serving continuously until March, 1907, having been re-appointed in 1902, thus serving under the administrations of Presi- dents Harrison, McKinley and Roosevelt. Dur- ing his incumbency in the office the rural free mail delivery system was established, three routes going out of Forreston. The Captain has been active in Republican politics for many years, and at one time was a candidate for Sheriff of Ogle County. The marriage of Captain Myers and Barbara A. Geeting, daughter of George and Nancy (Wag- ner) Geeting, occurred September 6, 1871, and of their union there are two children : George A., a telegraph operator for the Chicago, Milwau- kee & St. Paul Railroad Company, at Forreston , and Florence, who, since her mother's death, June 16, 1899, has been her father's housekeeper, and during his postmastership was the assistant in his office. Captain Myers possesses pronounced social tendencies, and his breezy, optimistic na- ture has won friends all along the course of his life. Formerly he was an enthusiastic sports- man, taking keen delight in fishing and hunting. He is one of the community's honored and sub- stantial citizens and his life has been an unu- sually active, useful and progressive one. MYERS, Charles M. — The present Sheriff of Ogle County is especially well equipped for his important duties and responsibilities, having a liberal knowledge of men and affairs, a practical education and a wide variety of general expe- rience. A comparatively young man to so cred- itably and intelligently sustain connection with an important and necessary county position, he has the advantage of being a native son of Ogle County, and of winning there the experience which has qualified him for the position he oc- cupies. Born October 11, 1870, on a farm in Mount Morris Township, he is a son of John H. and Elizabeth Myers, the latter of whom died September 11, 1904, while the former still lives on the Myers farm one and a half miles west of the town of Mount Morris. Charles M. Myers spent his early life on what was known as the old Hitt homestead, and be- fore reaching his twentieth year acquired a thor- ough knowledge of farming, besides attending the district schools and Mount Morris College. In 1890 he abandoned farming and became a braue- man on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road, continuing this occupation and that of brakeman and baggageman, until his election to the office of Sheriff in 1906. In the meantime, be has made his home in Forreston, and contra- ry to the general rule of railroad men, took an ac- tive interest in politics, being one of the stanch- est local supporters of the Republican party. He was one of the leaders in the campaign men- tioned and was elected by a majority of almost three thousand over his opponent. With the as- sumption of the duties of Sheriff in December, 1906, he took up his residence in Oregon, and ever since has devoted himself exclusively to the oversight of prisoners and the ridding of the county of undesirable characters. He has shown rare discretion in an office affording innumerable chances for errors of judgment and insight, and has succeeded in harmonizing many discordant factions throughout the county. Of affable man- ner and unaffected courtesy, he often succeeds through the exercise of gentleness and consider- ation where more rigorous and irritating methods would fail. The present Deputy Sheriffs of Ogle County, under Mr. Myers' administration of the office, are William P. Delaney, of Rochelle, and L. C. Wilson of Oregon, both efficient and con- scientious officials. The marriage of Mr. Myers and Nellie B. Roach was solemnized October 31, 1898. Mrs. Myers was bnm at Forreston, Ogle Countv, a daughter of John W. Roach. Superintendent of HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 967 the Railway News Company at Brooking, S. D. To Mr. and Mrs. Myers have been born two chil- dren : Harold, aged seven, arid Donald, aged five years. Mr. Myers is prominent socially, and a member of the Chapter Masons. He is respect- ed for his many excellent traits of character, and the recipient of a wealth of good will called forth by his earnest, upright and painstaking life. MYERS, Jpseph S., ex-Supervisor of Maryland Township, residence, Leaf River, Ogle County, 111. There are in every community men who, by reason of their personality, are naturally looked up to as leaders, men whose sound sense makes them sought as advisors in all matters of impor- tance, and which causes them to be elected to offices of trust in which trained ability is de- manded. The neighbors of the subject of this sketch recognize in him a man of the class re- ferred to. Joseph S. Myers was born in what is now Lin- coln Township, November 22, 1842. His father, who was a native of Dauphin County, Pa., died in 1893. His mother, a native of Washington County, Md., took her son to Maryland Town- ship, Ogle County, where he was reared to man- hood and where he was destined to spend the greater part of his life. His mother, whose , maiden name was Mary Ann Harmon, was born November 6, 1804, and died in Leaf River some months after her ninety-second birthday. Prom 1860 to 1881, Mr. Myers was in charge of dif- ferent schools in Ogle County, at the same time so far as he was able, devoting his attention to farming interests, which he managed with grati- fying success. He gained his primary education in the public schools and later was a student three terms at the Rock River Seminary, Mount Morris, 111. In 1880, and again in 1890, he was Census Enumerator for Maryland Township, and in 1900 he was called to the Census Bureau at Washington, D. C, to assist in compiling and correcting the census returns. He is President of the Leaf River and Rockvale Farmers' Fire Insurance Company. Mr. Myers enlisted in May, 1864, in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-second Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, and was immediately transfer- red to the regimental staff as chief musician, with the title of Fife Major. He served until October 26, 1864, when his term of enlistment expired. He is a charter member of Henry Hil- ler Post, No. 658, Grand Army of the Republic. June 21, 1868, Mr. Myers married Miss Rachel Jane Miller, who was born in Maryland Town- ship June 21, 1845, daughter of Isaiah and Nancy (Barnes) Miller, natives of Alleghany County, Md., who came to Ogle County in 1842, and were among the early settlers in Maryland Township, where Mr. Miller died October 22, 1888, in his seventy-sixth year. Mrs. Miller died December 15, 1907, at the age of ninety years. Of their thirteen children, Mrs. Myers was the sixth in order of nativity. Mr. and Mrs. Myers are the parents of two sons. George G., born August 14. 1871, has been in the Government service as a railway postal clerk since 1889. Frank H., born September 5, 1877, lives in Milwaukee, Wis., where he is Superintendent of the Prairie du Chien and Mineral Point Divisions of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In April, 1898,. Mr. Myers' residence at Adeline Station was de- stroyed by fire and he moved to Leaf River, where he has since lived. Mr. Myers has always been a Republican, hav- ing cast his first vote for Lincoln in 1864. He was five successive times elected Supervisor of Maryland Township, and in his last term in that office was Chairman of the County Board. He has also held the office of Township Assessor, has been Township Clerk, was several times elected Justice of the Peace, has been a Notary Public twenty-five years, for nine successive years was a member of the Adeline School Board, and for six successive years a member of the Leaf River School Board. Mr. Myers is actively interested in all public affairs affecting the wel- fare of his fellow citizens, and in recognition of his leadership he has several times been called to membership of the Republican County Com- mittee. MYERS, Peter R.— The influx into the sparsely inhabited region known as Ogle County in 1837 included many men of sterling purpose and in- domitable will, who viewed with complacency the terrible hardships which accompanied pio- neering, and who were content to await the slow rewards of clearing the land, putting in the seed and gathering the harvests. Jonathan Myers during this year journeyed from his native coun- ty of Dauphin, Pa., and for two years was va- riously employed among the struggling settlers. In 1839 he was united in marriage with Eliza- beth Redman, and forthwith began housekeeping in a little log house with few of the ordinary ne- cessities of life. This rude hut was located on the farm now owned and occupied by Peter R. Myers, son of the pathfinder, and the property has thus been in possession of the same family for about seventy years. Mr. Myers tilled his land with successful results, and his moderate and industrious life stretched out to eighty-two years, his wife dying at the age of seventy years. Of his seven children, six attained maturity, Peter R. being the oldest. Of the others, Lydia is the wife of Louis Bover, of Forreston, 111.; Sarah is the wife of Benjamin McCutcheon, of Oklahoma ; Henry R. is a farmer of Lincoln Township ; Jonathan R. lives in Forreston, 111. ; and Elizabeth is the wife of J. E. Garmon. Peter R. Myers was born on his father's farm in Lincoln Township, December 23, 1843, and was educated in the district school near his home. His general advantages were similar to those of other youths of his neighborhood, and he became an adept in the science of farming and stock-raising. On January 17, 1867, in For- reston Township, he married Sarah J. McLain, daughter of Richard and Melissa McLain, old settlers of Ogle Township and farmers of Lin- coln Township, where Mrs. Myers was born. 968 H1ST0BY OF OGLE COUNTY. With his wife, Mr. Myers settled on a farm in Maryland Township, where he lived twenty- seven years, and then returned to the old Myers farm in Lincoln Township, where he since has lived and prospered. Mr. Myers at present owns 408 acres of land, all under a high state of cul- tivation, and he raises general produce and stock. He is an enlightened and progressive exponent of advanced methods of farming, a believer in method and order, and is fully in accord with the advantages, usefulness and dignity of his time- honored calling. Four children have been born into his family : Lewis F., of Iowa ; Edwin H., a farmer of Mary- land Township ; Charles A., of Lincoln Town- ship ; and Etta May, wife of Jesse B. Derby of Lincoln Township. Like his father before him, Mr. Myers is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, and has served several years as a member of the Board of Education in both Mary- land and Lincoln Townships. His pleasing per- sonality, business and social qualities, consider- ation and courtesy as a neighbor and friend, place him among the best element descended from the pioneers of Ogle County. NETTZ, John R., who is numbered among the most industrious and well-to-do farmers of Grand Detour Township, Ogle County, 111., and withal a man of upright character and useful member of the community, was born in Pine Creek Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., October 26, 1854. His parents were Henry and Margaret (Smicer) Nettz, natives of Maryland, where the birth of both occurred in Washington County. They came to Ogle County about the year 1849, settling in the last named township, where the father died December 25, 1900, at the age of eighty-four years. Their family consisted of six children, namely : Theodore F., Otto J., Edward A., John R., and Samuel B. and Daniel B. (twins). John R. Nettz received his education in the common schools and remained on the home farm until late in the summer of 1860, when he changed his location to Woosung Township, in the same county, where he lived two years, afterwards spending ten years in Pine Creek Township, At the end of this period he removed to Grand Detour Township, which has since been his home. He has a fine farm of 200 acres and has always been very successful in his agricultural opera- tions, being classed among the most thrifty and prosperous farmers in his locality. Mr. Nettz was married in Lincoln Township, Ogle County, on August 5, 1880, to Martha Wragg, a native of Grand Detour Township, and a daughter of Peter and Nancy (Thompson) Wragg, both deceased. The parents of Mrs. Nettz were early settlers of this township, where their marriage took place, each having arrived, single, about the year 1836. Martha Wragg was the youngest child of their family. Three children resulted from her union with Mr. Nettz, namely : George M., a daughter deceased in infancy ; and Cora May, who became the wife of Jacob Dock- ery. In politics, Mr. Nettz is a supporter of the Re- publican party, and has held the office of High- way Commissioner. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Christian Church. NETTZ, Samuel B., a well known and highly respected farmer of Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., as well as a very capable business man, was born in the same township, October 15, 1861, and is a son of Henry and Margaret (Smicer) Nettz, natives of Washington County, Md., whence they came to Ogle County about the 1849. The parents of Mr. Nettz then settled in Pine Creek Township, where the remainder of their lives was spent. Henry Nettz died Decem- ber 25, 1900, when eighty-four years old. He and his wife reared a family of six children, as follows : Theodore F., Otto J., Edward A., John R., Samuel B., and Daniel B., the two last named being twins. The younger of these, to whom this sketch pertains, was educated in the district schools in the vicinity of his home, and remained with his father and mother until the close of 1881. Although he has followed farming since reaching manhood, he has also been engaged .in other occupations in the meantime. For a while he was occupied as a salesman for the Henry Buggy Company, of Freeport, 111., and since 1895, has been connected with the Moore Monument Company, of Sterling. He has also been engaged in the agricultural implement trade. He is the owner of 120 acres of land, most of which is under cultivation, and contains substantial and convenient improvements. Aside from his farm- ing operations and other interests, he is a di- rector of the Pine Creek Mutual Fire Insurance Company. A biographical record of his brother, John R. Nettz, likewise a prominent farmer of the same locality, may be found in this connec- tion. On December 1, 1881, Mr. Nettz was united in marriage with Jennie Todd, who was born in Green County, Wis., and is a daughter of Martin L. and Nancy (John) Todd. Mr. and Mrs. Nettz are the parents of two children, namely : Roy A. and Elmer L. Politically, Mr. Nettz is an earn- est adherent of the Republican party, and has taken an active interest in the public affairs of Pine Creek Township. In 1888, he held the office of Township Collector. He and his wife are communicants of the Christian Church, and are zealous in church work. NEVILLE, William S., one of the most highly esteemed among the pioneer settlers of Ogle County, 111., where his residence covers a period of nearly three-score and ten years, during the greater part of which he has lived in Flagg Township, was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, February 13, 1834. Five years later (in March, 1839, he was brought to Ogle County by his mother, a widow, whose maiden name was Mary Early, the latter being accompanied by her mother and stepfather, Colbert Steward. They settled a short distance southwest of the village of Oregon, near Lighthouse Church. In 1840 Mr. Seward and his wife moved to Jefferson HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 969 Grove, seven miles northwest of Lighthouse Church, and squatted on land now owned by the subject of this sketch, where he died two ot three years later. His widow spent the re- mainder of her life with her daughter Mary, and * another daughter, Mrs. Eliza Acker, surviving her husband about twenty years. Mrs. Neville was maTried to Stephen Bemis in 1840, he having come to Ogle County with his wife's brother, Henry Farwell, the father of John V., Charles B., Henry J. and Simeon Farwell. His first wife had died soon after their arrival, and his mar- riage with Mrs. Neville followed a few years later. Mr. and Mrs. Bemis spent a considerable period on the farm near Lighthouse Church, where Chester Bemis (a record of whose career appears on another page) now lives ; Mrs. Bemis died in Oregon, 111., at the age of" seventy-four years. William S. Neville was the only child of his parents, and while his grandfather lived, spent a part of the time with him. The land, not be- ing surveyed, could not be entered, but as soon as it came into market, it was entered up by Mr. Bemis with money left by the grandfather, and in a few years, was deeded to Mr. Neville, who thus came into possession of his farm when twen- ty-one years old. On June 23, 1888, Mr. Neville was married to Mary A. Shottenkirk, born in Gloversville, Ful- ton County, N. T., May 25, 1839, a daughter of Adolphus and Selina (Foote) Shottenkirk, na- tives of that State. They moved to Ogle County, 111., in 1854, locating in Washington Grove, La- fayette Township, three miles from the Bemis home. Ten years later Mrs. Neville's parents went to Iroquois County, 111., and later, to Clin- ton County, where both died. She is the only one left of their family. Two children were born to this union. The elder, Luella J., who married Warren Biggers, died November 23, 1896, when thirty-seven years old, leaving two children, Raymond and Llewellin. Willie, the younger died at the age of twelve years. For more than fifty years, Mr. and Mrs. Neville have lived on their present farm. The first house, which they occupied about ten years, was a one-story, one room, board dwelling, which then gave place to the house which has been their home during the forty years which have since elapsed. The farm comprises 140 acres, and still has a fine patch of timber which was originally a part of Jefferson Grove. Although the vicinity of the farm abounded in game in the early days, Mr. Neville never killed anything with a gun. Politically, the subject of this sketch has always been a Republican, entertaining, however, a strong aversion to office-seeking. In religious faith, he and his excellent wife are Adventists. NEWCOMER, Alphonso Gerald.— Alphon so Ger- ald Newcomer was born at Mount Morris, Illi- nois, September 13, 1864, being the eldest son of Henry F. and Elizabeth Ann (Knodle) New- comer, and a descendant of Wolfgang Newcomer, who emigrated from Switzerland to America, landing at Philadelphia, about 1725. The grand- father, Manuel Newcomer, was a miller in Lou- doun County, Va„ at the time of the father's birth in 1815. The father, Henry, came west before 1850, settling in Mount Morris, was twice married, and was a cabinet-maker by trade, m later life becoming a grocer. Alphonso received his primary education in the Mount Morris Public School under such teach- ers as Mrs. Crawford (then Miss Hoverland), Miss Sadie Black, Miss Anna Knight, Mr. Piper, Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman, graduating under the latter, later attending Mount Morris College un- der the instruction of Professors Jenks, Sanford, Locy, Burnett and others, and finally spent three years at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he graduated in 1887. He held a Fellow- ship in the Classics at Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., and received the degree of Master of Arts in 1888. He married Carrie M. Jackson, of Oregon, 111., September 23, 1887. Mr. Newcomer was Principal of Mount Morris Public School from January to June, 1889, Instructor in Latin and French at Knox College, Galesburg, (1889- 91), and has been Professor of English Litera- ture in the Leland Stanford Jr., University, at Palo Alto, Cal., since 1891. His work has been wholly in educational and literary lines; has acted as editor of various text books for school use, and is author of "English Composition," "Elements of Rhetoric," "History of American Literature," "History of English Literature," etc. He is now engaged upon a translation of Pindar and a book of "Stories from the Past." He has two children, Erval Jackson, born May 5, 1890, and Mabel, born July 7, 1891. He made a trip to Europe in 1902, accompanied by his wife. In 1906, he and his son made a voyage around the world, going westward and visiting Japan and China on the way. The family have also visited Yellowstone Park, British Columbia, Puget Sound, and other places of interest. Mrs. Newcomer's favorite occupation is flower-garden- ing, which the soil and climate of her Palo Alto home peculiarly favor. Professor Newcomer likes to spend his summer vacations in camping, fishing, and mountain-climbing. His favorite study is Dante. For light reading he prefers books of travel. His son is an enthusiastic ento- mologist, and already has a large collection of butterflies and insects. His daughter is an ard- ent reader of history. While on their return from their trip around the world, Professor- Newcomer and his son stopped for a stay with his mother and family at Mount Morris, 111. This was at the time of the graduation exeTcises of the Oregon High School, Mr. George C. Griswold, the Superintendent of the Oregon Schools at that time, had been a stud- ent at Knox College under the instruction of Pro- fessor Newcomer, and invited him to address the graduating class of that year, the Class of 1906. this commencement address was regarded as so admirable by those who heard it, that a part of it, which had been preserved, was afterwards published by a friend of the speaker for private circulation. An extract from this charming lit- 970 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. tie publication would be added here, did space permit. NEWCOMER, Arthur M., all of whose busy and useful life has been spent in his present locality, where he has long been a leading citizen, was born at Mount Morris, 111., April 3, 1848, a son of Andrew and Eliza (Hamilton) Newcomer, na- tives of Washington County, Md., the former born November 25, 1810, and the latter, February 14, 1815. The father died in 1885, the mother having passed away April 2, 1875. The paternal grandfather was Emanuel Newcomer, the grand- father on the maternal side being Henry Hamil- ton, the Newcomers coming from Swiss ancestry, and the Hamiltons originating in Ireland. In the spring of 1846, Andrew Newcomer and his family journeyed via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Savanna, 111., and thence by wagon to Mount Morris. The father was a cabinet-maker and undertaker by occupation, and was also en- gaged in merchandising from 1867 until the tjme of his death, having sold his undertaking establishment in 1865. For the twenty-five years next preceding his decease he held the office of Justice of the Peace, and at different times, served as Assessor of the township and President of the Board of Trustees, besides filling several other local positions. He was a man who com- manded the respect and enjoyed the good will of all who made his acquaintance. Arthur M. Newcomer was the seventh child of a family which consisted of five sons and five daughters. He received his education in the pub- lic schools and Rock River Seminary, and after his school days were over, worked at the plaster- ing trade from 1871 until 1885. On the death of his father he and his brother, William A., took charge of the Newcomer store, conducting it un- til 1903, when they disposed of the concern. Since that time Mr. Newcomer has done some work at his trade. On May 6, 1875, the subject of this sketch was married to Laura J. Shank, born in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, a daughter of George and Susan (Malone) Shank, natives of Wash- ington County, Md., who settled in Ogle County in the spring of 1849. George Shank, who fol- lowed fanning, took up his residence in Mount Morris on withdrawing from active pursuits in August, 1S77. He died May 9, 1900, his wife having departed this life January 7, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomer have a son and daughter, namely : Howard G., born September 18, 1876, who is connected with a grocery in Chicago ; and Edna B., born July 30, 1880, who is with her parents. In politics, Mr. Newcomer has been long identi- fied with the Republican party. In 1881 he was Collector of Taxes in Mount Morris Township, and has officiated as Justice of the Peace since 1893. In 1881, and from 1903 to 1908, inclusive, he served as Village Clerk. Ever since 1893 he has been a member of the Board of Education, acting as clerk of thnt body, and for two years, was a member of the Village Board of Trustees. Fraternally, he has been affiliated with the I. O. O. F. since 1874, being the only member of the lodge left who was connected with it at that time. He has been a member of the Grand Lodge of that order at Springfield since 1880, and since 1902, has been affiliated with the Rebekahs. An- other of his fraternal relationships is with the K. of G. He is a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has occupied the position of Trustee for many years. The com- munity has no more worthy or highly respected members than Arthur M. Newcomer and his ex- cellent wife. NEWCOMER, Major Charles.— One after an- other, the men and women who saw the settle- ment of Ogle County and were practically con- nected with its early history, witnessing and sharing the pleasures and vicissitudes of fortune in founding and building a new coummunity, have found their last resting place in the bosom of the prairies they loved so well, whose carpet of grass for the living has become, for them, "the blanket of the dead." This has been so in Mount Morris until, of late years, frequent have been the times when one has had to say, "One morn I missed him on the accustomed hill." Less than a year ago the departure to the sil- ent abodes of death was that of Major Charles Newcomer, whose life ended so suddenly on Sun- day morning, August 11, 1907. The face and hearty "Good Morning" of Major Newcomer have been familiar to the people of Mount Morris for more than half a century, with but two brief in- terruptions. He came with his father's family to Mount Morris in 1845. He was then twentv years of age, having been born August 22, 1825. His birthplace was Beaver Creek, Md. The fam- ily genealogy in this country goes back to the year 1740, when the American ancestor landed at Philadelphia from Switzerland. He was one of the colonists who between 1710 and 1750 emi- grated from Switzerland and from along the upper Rhine, from Basel to Strasburg, to the American colonies — chiefly to Pennsylvania and Maryland — and who, with the Scotch-Irish, were a chief factor in the settlement of the Cumber- land and Shenandoah Valleys. The characteristics of the Swiss people of that day were honesty, steadiness, frankness and in- dependence, and these traits have not been lost in their descendants, who have done their share in promoting the principles of republican govern- ment and contributed their quota of men of worth and eminence to the land of their adoption. Perhaps the man best known to the public, whose lineage on one side of his family was that of the Newcomer stock, was the promising youug Gov- ernor of Massachusetts, William A. Russel, whose mother was a descendant of Abraham Newcomer of Pennsylvania. Miss Sarah A. Fridley, who became the wife of Samuel Newcomer, the father of Major New- comer, was n native of the State of New York. She lived to an advanced age, retaining her fac- ulties to the last, and was a most interesting old lady. w^ly^^^ HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 971 Major Newcomer was the eldest of nine chil- dren, the others being Edwin, who died in early childhood in Washington County, Md. Benja- min, who was, also, with the subject of this sketch, an Argonaut of '49, and who died in Cali- fornia ; James, who also went to California and there lost his life in an accident ; Catherine who died in Maryland in early childhood ; Ella E., (Mrs. Trine), who has been for a long period ,1 resident of Mount Morris ; Maggie S., who is the wile of J. V. Shepherd, of Prescott, Ariz., Samuel H„ Albert N., the youngest child, who married Maggie, the daughter of Rev. Thomas S. Hitt. The Mexican War, bringing with it the ac- quisition of California and its newly discovered gold fields, soon followed the settling of the New- comer family in Ogle County. The spirit of ad- venture stirring the heart of the youth of twenty, he became one of the "Argonauts of '49," and set out like another Jason, across "the plains," to find the new Golden Fleece. The small party of which he was a member first, traveled with ox- team, find later with saddle horses and pack mules, making the long, tedious, dangerous, lonely journey without any serious mishap, and without any molestation by the Indians. Before Major Newcomer bad permanently established himself on the Pacific Coast his father's death occurred, thus making it necessary for the young man to return home. The trip back was made by water and across the isthmus, by way of New York to Mount Morris. This was in 1850, and it was then, that he became the owner of the homestead a half mile west of the village, where he resided until 1878, engaged in the business of a practical farmer together with dealing in real estate, except that during the fifties he made a trip to the newly discovered gold region of Pike's Peak. The first carload of grain marketed from Mount Morris was raised and shipped to Chicago by Major Newcomer, who had erected the middle elevator along the line of the recently completed Chicago & Iowa Railroad from Oregon to Forres- ton. The transactions in real estate he carried on in connection, later, with his banking enter- prise, and even after his retirement from active business life. He had a keen sense of land and property values, an unerring instinct and judg- ment in the management of practical business af- fairs, and a thoroughness and carefulness, which eminently fitted him for these lines of work. In addition to these qualities of mind, the Major possessed that other indispensable quality of strict integrity which won for him the confidence of every one who knew him. On July 13, 1853, Mr. Newcomer was united in marriage with Miss Rosalie D. Blanchard, who was born in Lewis County, N. Y., January 28, 1828 and was the daughter of a farmer. Her parents having died in New York, she came to Illinois with her uncle, Royal Jacobs, graduated from Rock River Seminary and afterwards be- came Preceptress in that institution. She was a woman of superior intelligence and of mueti charm of heart and manner. She died at her home in Mount Morris, November 11, 1872, leav- ing three sons surviving her : Franklin Fridley, Charless Edwin and Lyle Caleb. These sons were all educated by their father in the alma mater of the mother they had so early lost. The oldest son settled, afterward, in Texas, engaging ex- tensively in the cattle business, and three years ago his untimely death there sorely grieved the affectionate heart of his father. He has left surviving him a widow and a young son. Charles Edwin is now living in Santa Fe, N. M., and is Deputy Sheriff there. Lyle Caleb is married and is living with his wife and three children on a ranch near Colton, Cal.. and is also following his father's footsteps, engaged in a bank in Col- ton. On June 2, 1889, Major Newcomer and Miss Maria Hitt were united in marriage. Miss Hitt's father was the Rev. Thomas Hitt, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, prominently and widely known in this region in the early days, and her mother was Mrs. Emily (John) Hitt, a lovely and highly intelligent woman. One of her brothers was the late distinguished and la- mented Congressman R. R. Hitt. The birthplace of Miss Hitt was the family homestead adjoining the village of Mount Morris, where she grew to young womanhood, and was a student at Rock River Seminary, afterwards completing a course of music, both vocal and instrumental, at a con- servatory in Washington, D. C, where her brother Morris then resided ; following which she taught music in Rock River Seminary for sev- eral years. Mrs. Newcomer survives her hus- band, and is a woman of true-hearted, noble character and disposition. In their beautiful new home the Major and Mrs. Newcomer entertained their many friends with the most charming cord- iality and hospitality. Major Newcomer was a member of the minor- ity of the Illinois State Constitutional Conven- tion of 1862, the majority of whom on assembling refused to take the oath to support the State Constitution, and undertook to exercise the pre- rogatives of the Legislature by appropriating money from the State Treasury, etc. Upon its adjournment, by recommendation of Governor Yates, President Lincoln appointed the delegate from Ogle paymaster in the army with the rank of Major, and he was assigned to the charge of the field payment of the Army of the Cumber-' land, including the entire force of General Sher- man. His headquarters were at Louisville, Ky., and Huntsville, Ala. In a letter to Colonel Wil- liam Allen, Chief Paymaster of the Army of the Cumberland, Major Newcomer mentioned the fact that some of the officers ordered to report to him were his seniors in rank and service, to which Colonel Allen replied and said, "Your habits and attention to business alone prompted me, and from the expression I have already had from many of the officers ordered to report to you. I am convinced that I have made no mis- take, and that you will have no trouble in the direction you suggest." In 1877 Major Newcomer and the late Dr. Isaac Rice established the Bank of Mount Morris, of which the former became sole proprietor in 972 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1880, remaining so until 1899, when he sold out to Joseph L. and John H. Rice, and retired from active business. Major Newcomer was the last survivor of the group of men who went to Cali- fornia in' '49 from this region, though others among them lived to an advanced age. In poli- tics he was a stanch and active Republican, al- ways taking an interest in local, State and na- tional political questions, and having part in the conventions which shaped the politics of his party, in which he was a recognized factor for many years. It is rightfully said that no person is complete in his character without a sense of humor, — a fifth sense which endows him with a just per- spective of things and adds an indescribable charm. Major Newcomer, as every one who met him knew, possessed this inimitable sense; and, with this fine quality of humor, he also possessed a fund of anecdotes of men and things, gleaned from his close and long contact with the world and its affairs. NEWCOMER, Major H. C— Henry Clay New- comer, commonly known as "Harry" Newcomer, was born at Upton, in Franklin County, Pa., April 3, 1861. When he was ten years old his family settled at Mt. Morris, 111., having previ- ously resided at Upton and Waynesboro, Pa., Martinsburg, W. Va., and also for a brief period at Mt. Morris. His father was the physician, Dr. David Newcomer, who died in 1900, widely known and respected for his many admirable qualities of mind and heart. Harry Newcomer graduated at the Mt. Morris public school and, later, at Mt. Morris College, having in the meantime clerked a little over a year in Mr. O. H. Swingley's drug store, and having spent about a year with his brother David and his sister Kate, on a farm in Kansas. He also served as instructor in Latin and Greek at the College and taught school, for one term each, at the Coon Creek and Fairview school houses. When sixteen years old he entered a competitive examination for appointment to the United States Military Academy, but was unsuccessful, the appointment going to Mr. H. C. Carbaugh, of Lanark, 111., now Lieutenant-Colonel in the Judge Advocate General's Department, U. S. Army. He next planned to study medicine, but this was given up after a successful trial in a second com- petitive examination for West Point in 1881. He entered the Military Academy in June, 1882, and graduated as No. 1 in a class of 77 in June, 1886. He was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, to date from July 1, 1886. He was promoted to the grade of First Lieutenant on July 23, 1888, Captain on July 31, 1897, and Major on April 23, 1904. His first assignment to duty was with the Engineer Battalion and the Engineer School of Applica- tion, then located at Willet's Point, New York Harbor. He served there until August, 1889, when he was ordered to San Francisco on duty under the immediate orders of Col. Mendell, in connection with the construction and care of sea const fortifications. In 1892, he was trans- ferred to West Point, N. Y., where he served four years, first as Instructor, and later as Assistant Professor, in the Department of Civil and Mili- tary Engineering. In 1896, he was given charge of the Third District, Improving the Mississippi River, under the Mississippi River Commission, with station at Memphis, Tenn. While there he supervised sundry pieces of bank protection work and many levee contracts, involving about 13,- 000,000 cubic yards of earthwork. In January, 1900, he was transferred to Wash- ington, D. C, where he served as Assistant to the Engineer Commissioner of the District of Columbia, in charge of the "Surface Division," including mainly roads, bridges, pavements and sidewalks. In the course of this work he par- ticipated in the preparation of plans and speci- fications for the large concrete bridge crossing Rock Creek Valley, on the line of Connecticut Avenue. This bridge has five main arches that are full center with span of 150 feet and is one of the most interesting structures to be seen at the National Capital. In December, 1903, Captain Newcomer was as- signed to duty with troops at Washington Bar- racks, assuming command of Company E, Second Battalion of Engineers, until his promotion to Majority in April, 1904. In May, 1904, he was transferred to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he re- mained nearly three years in charge of works of river improvement on the Tennessee and Cumber- land Rivers and their tributaries. Since March, 1907, he has been at Pittsburg, Pa., in charge of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers and that part of the Ohio above the Penn- sylvania State line. In December, 1886, Major Newcomer, was married to Miss Rebecca E. Kosier, daughter of Mr. John S. Kosier of Byron, 111. They have three children : Harry Sidney, born October 16, 1887; Francis Kosier, born September 14, 1889, and David Albert, born March 29, 1899. Major H. C. Newcomer's strong line of study at the West Point Military Academy was that of Mathematics, his marks in this work there giv- ing him the ranking place in his class. The work, which has been so well done by him since enter- ing the service of the United States Government, has called for the constant use of this practical mathematical knowledge and ability. His work for the Government has been valuable, as indi- cated by his promotion from time to time. NEWCOMER, John D., a creditable representa- tive of the younger element among the farmers of Maryland Township, Ogle County, 111., and who bears an enviable reputation among his neighbors, was born on the farm where he now lives Jnnuary 17, 1876. .His parents were Joseph S. and Mary E. (Wagner) Newcomer, natives of Maryland Township, where they were married, and lived all their lives. The father died at the age of thirty-two years, and the mother, when about thirty-nine years old. Their family con- sisted of three children : John D„ Frank F.. and Charles A. (deceasedl. The subject of this sketch was reared on the home farm, and re- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 973 celyed a good common-school education. Prom early manhood he has devoted himself to farming always meeting with success. He is the owner of the homestead property, consisting of 120 acres of fine and well improved land. On September 21, 1899, Mr. Newcomer was married in Maryland Township, to Nellie V. Blair, a daughter of John F. Blair, of the same township, a record of whose career may be found on another page of this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomer have had one child, Lola M., who died in infancy. Politically, Mr. Newcomer is a supporter of the Republican party. NICHOLS, John (deceased), Polo, 111. The life of this man illustrates not only the benefits of sturdy endeavor and upright living, but also the possibilities for deserving men which were held out by Illinois in the pioneer days, and which, in other forms, are offered today to those who will deserve them. Mr. Nichols was born in Andes, Delaware County, N. Y., in 1818, and died on his farm in Ogle County, May 21, 1880. He grew to manhood in his native State under the fostering care of his parents, William and Jane (Look) Nichols, both natives of Martha's Vine- yard, Mass., but of English parentage and of pre- revolutionary days. William Nichols during many years sailed out from New Bedford on a whaling vessel. The fam- ily came to Ogle County in 1836, making the journey with teams and settling in Eagle Point Township (then a part of Buffalo Township), seven miles west of Polo. They were members of what has become known as the Delaware County Colony, sixty in number, of whom Mrs. M. F. Bassett, of Polo, and Alexander Grant, of Eagle Point Township, are the only survivors (1908). They were only children when they came. This colony settled in a neighborly way in the edge of Buffalo Grove, but on prairie land. There Mr. Nichols' father died aged thirty-eight years, while his widow died on the old home- stead about thirty-five years ago, more than eighty years old. Of their children, Harriet mar- ried Judge Virgil Bogue and died before she at- tained her fiftieth year. Caroline married Major Zenas Applington. Mary became the wife of Joshua C. Applington. V^ttliam removed ,to Tama County, Iowa, about 1860. Russell came, in time, to own the old family homestead, where he died at the age of seventy-six. The early career of John Nichols illustrates the difficulties under which even the most perse- vering men labored in those days in the prairie country of the Middle West. After his father's death he planned to buy land a mile west of the Nichols' homestead, and paid for it by working in the mines at Galena, walking there about 1843 to make the requisite entry at the Land Office, lu time he improved his land, erected upon it good buildings and was the owner of a valuable farm of 160 acres, to the development and man- agement of which he devoted his remaining years. When he was twenty-three years old, Mr. Nichols married Christie Ann Byers, a native of Delaware County, N. Y., and a daughter of James and Jane (Scott) Byers, who settled in DeKalb County. III., about 1838, and remained there until they died. Mrs. Nichols became a teacher when she was only seventeen years old, and taught the Barclay School and other schools until her marriage, which occurred about two years later. She died in 1897 aged seventy-two years, having survived her husband seventeen years. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols had six children named as follows in the order of their birth : Elizabeth is the wife of George Adee, of Syca- more, 111. ; Russell B. is living retired from ac- tive life at Polo : Nettie is the wife of Barnabas B. Wright of Chicago ; Olive lives at Polo, was for twenty years a school teacher in Ogle County and for nine consecutive years taught the school at Eagle Point ; John and James bought the in- terest of other heirs in the old family homestead, and added land to it till they owned 280 acres. The latter (John and James) gave their atten- tion largely to raising cattle and hogs, in which their success was marked. In 1903 they rented their farm and removed to Polo, have not since been engaged in business. During all their active career, almost from boyhood, they were partners, and in their declining years they are still part- ners. James has served his fellow townsmen as Assessor, member of the board of Aldermen and member of the Board of Education of Polo. Mr. and Mrs. John Nichols, parents of the well known family just mentioned, were mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church of Polo. Mr. Nichols was the organizer of the United Breth- ren Church in his neighborhood and helped to build the brick church near his home, and was laid to rest in its churchyard ; but until the es- tablishment of the United Brethren Church his church relations and those of his wife were su"b as previously indicated. A lover of human lib- erty and an advocate of the war to put down the rebellion, it may be believed that he most natur- ally became a Republican. Without being in any sense a politician, though representing his town- ship in the Board of Supervisors, he was con- sistently and persistently devoted to the prin- ciples and interests of that party and within his environments labored effectively for its success. In all of the relations of life. he was essentially helpful, a public-spirited citizen and a charitable and dependable neighbor, who often proved him- self the friend in need who is truly a friend indeed. NICHOLS, Russell B. — Two generations of the Nichols family have helped to till the fertile soil of Ogle County, and in so doing have been interested spectators of local progress since the days when Wilderness was King. Of the estab- lisher of the name in this section one may read in the sketch of John Nichols, printed .elsewhere in this work, he had the strong and forceful finalities necessary to successful pioneering, and in his son, Russell B. Nichols, who now owns and 974 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. occupies a farm in Eagle Point Township, ad- joining that of the old homestead, but who is liv- ing in practical retirement in Polo, these de- pendable traits are by no means lacking. Born November 13, 1S48, Russell B. Nichols remained with his parents until his twenty-first year, in the* meantime laying the foundation of his success in the district schools, and in every day work on the paternal estate. Upon coming into possession of his farm he devoted it to gen- eral farming and stock-raising, made many fine improvements on it, raising it to the high stand- ard prevailing at present among the best expon- ents of farming in the county. About two years ago Mr. Nichols located in the town of Polo, where he owns an imposing residence, and is ever hospitably inclined towards his many friends and well wishers. His home is presided over by his wife, who formerly was Anna Eliza- beth Leal, a native of Delaware County, N. T., who at the age of four years was brought to Car- roll County, 111., her parents shortly after re- moving to Ogle County, where she grew to wom- anhood. Mrs. Nichols on both sides of her family inherits longevity, for her father, Judge Daniel if. Leal, for years a Police Court Judge in Ogle County, lived to the age of ninety-seven years, while her mother, Aldora (Flower) Leal, now is on the threshold of her ninety-second year. Both Mr. and Mrs. Leal were born in New York, the former being of Scotch descent. No children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, but since her twelfth year they have given a home to Lena Arens, who is a graduate of the local high school, and a teacher in the public schools of Ogle County. In politics Mr. Nichols is a Republican. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church and also is a club woman, being noted for her social graces and benevolent tendencies. NOBLE, Charles B., who, for many years during his active life, was one of the most enterprising and successful farmers and stock-raisers of Ogle County, 111., and is now enjoying the fruits of his labors in comfortable retirement at his home in Buffalo Township, is one of the county's few- surviving veterans of the Civil War. Mr. Noble was born in Winnebago County, 111., December 5, 183S. a son of Daniel and Sarah B. (Water- bury) Noble, the .former born in Williamstown, Mass., and became a graduate of Williams Col- lege, while the latter was a native of New York State, and daughter of John and Phoebe (Brad- well) Waterbury. The year of the father's birth was 1815, and he died in Winnebago County, 111., in March, 1830. On July 30, 1845, his widow became the wife of George D. Dement, by this second marriage becoming the mother of four sons and three daughters : John E. and Daniel W., who are defeased; Wallace E., who resides in the State of Washington ; Mrs. Phoebe Breno and Mrs. Louise Rutlcdge, who resides in Den- ver, Colo. ; Helen E., who makes her home with the subject of this sketch ; and Frank L., for a time ,i resident of Blaine, Wash., but who died August 9, 1908. Mr. Dement died in 1877, and Mrs. Dement then made her home with her eld- est son, Mr. Noble, until her passing away, July 15, 1893. Charles B. Noble, who was the only child by his mother's first marriage, after the death of his father was placed under the care of his grandfather Waterbury, with whom he remained until he was sixteen years old. His education was received in the school at Eagle Springs, and well does he remember one morning, when about ten years old, in going to school across the prairie and when within one-half mile of his home, in a hazel thicket, a prairie wolf con- fronted him and wanted the first claim to the nice crisp doughnuts in his dinner bag. The small boy had no notion of going dinnerless, and stood his ground until Mr. Wolf sneaked off into the brush again. Keeping a sharp lookut be- hind, the boy lost no time in reaching the school- house. In those days prairie wolves frequently invaded the farms of the settlers. When sixteen years of age, Mr. Noble started out in life for himself, purchasing at that time three yoke of oxen on time, and giving his personal note in payment. He commenced breaking prairie Tn Whiteside County under contract, making his home with his mother. The first season he broke 100 acres and made $300. From the proceeds he paid for his team and plows, and followed break- ing for two more seasons. In that time he turned over about 300 acres of the virgin soil, at times using as many as seven yoke of oxen to the plow. Often the plow would stick so tight in the red roots and "devil's shoestrings," that he had to take two yoke of oxen and hitch to the back of the plow to haul it out. The prairie grass, kneedeep and wet with dew until about eleven o'clock each day, did not make the w r ork a pleasant one. His next step was to rent a farm which he cultivated until the fall of 1861. In September of that year, he enlisted in Com- pany B, Seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, with which he served in the Army of the Tennessee, and was detailed for duty on the body-guard of Gen. Rosecrans. While on de- tailed duty, just before the battle of Iuka, he was hurt, and fever setting in, he was taken to the field hospital and a short time afterward was moved north to the hospital at St. Louis. Mo. As soon as he was strong enough, he was de- tailed as Warden, also acting as steward during a part of the time. In 1863 he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, when he was sent to Columbus, Ohio, and thence to Camp Douglas, Chicago, to guard Confederate prisoners. There he remained until February, 1864, when he was ordered to Washington. D. C., to join the troops defending the Nation's capital. While there, his regiment took part in the battle of Monocacy on the outskirts of the city, holding the enemy in cheek until General Grant could send reinforce- ments from the field. While in the Veteran Re- serve Corps, he also served a part of the time as drummer, and for two months was stationed in Clifton barracks across the street from tlie White House, south. While there he beat the CHRISTIAN H. AND DOROTHY ZUMDAHL HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 9?;-) morning call and had the pleasure of seeing the President (Abraham Lincoln) almost every morning, and exchanging salutes with him. After three years of faithful service, he was mustered out September 5, 1864, and on returning to Illi- nois, purchased 120 acres of the old Waterbury homestead, upon which he settled down to farm life. On this property he made many improve- ments, and continued to live there until 1876, when he sold it and purchased the farm in Buf- falo Township which has since been his home. During the Black Hawk War, Abraham Lin- coln with his volunteers camped near the Noble home, and a man named Daniel Durley, while in the government service, was killed by a band of Indians in the same locality. Mr. Noble has placed a large native boulder on the spot, on which he proposes to place a brief inscription to commemorate the event. One of the first taverns in the county was located on the farm, where the relays of horses were kept for the use of the government stage, and the carrying of United States mail. The first wedding in the county was performed in this tavern. The farm con- tains 2S0 acres of highly productive land, and he has added greatly to its value by the erection of buildings and otherwise improving it. Although virtually retired from active pursuits, he is still regarded as one of the representative agricultu- rists of Ogle County, and was employed for some years by the J. I. Case Manufacturing Company as traveling salesman. On November 8, 1865, Mr. Noble was married to Phoebe Roberts, who was born in Whiteside County, 111., February 15, 1842, but was reared in Ogle County, where her marriage took place. Mrs. Noble is a daughter of Orrin and Julia A. (Osterhaudt) Roberts, early settlers in North- ern Illinois. By this union there have been ten children, viz : Jesse D., Addie J., Ella S., Har- riet W., Esther H, Lena M.. Ruth A., Olive K., Stella B., and John C. The latter died when but four years old. The first named is living in a neat substantial dwelling built by his father near the family residence, and is now carrying on the home farm. Politically, Mr. Noble has always been an in- flexible Republican, and has rendered creditable service in connection with the school board of his township. His grandfather WaterbuTy was an Abolitionist, and kept a station on the "un- derground railroad," and he instilled into the mind of his grandson his views on the "peculiar institution." and the lessons thus taught were never forgotten. Mr. Noble and family are mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church. NOE, Mrs. Margaret, of Rochelle, 111., is one oi the old settlers of Ogle County and has been prominently identified with its business develop- ment for many years. She was born in New York City in November, 1833, and came with her parents to the town- of White Rock in 1837. Her father was Porter Smith (see separate sketch) and her mother Mary Foster. She received a common school education and married Austin Noe in 1849, and they established a home not far from her father's ' residence in White Rock Township. By industry and thrift, they gained a compe- tence and moved to Rochelle in 1877. Mr. Noe died January 1, 1892. Both joined the Metho- dist Church. Mrs. Noe inherited from her father an unusual aptitude for business and has managed her several farms and conducted an ex- tensive loan business for many years, and is probably the most successful business woman in the county. NYE, John H. (deceased), for many year a pros- perous farmer, in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, 111., and later a resident of the village of Mount Morris, where he was greatly esteemed for the admirable traits of his character, was born in Dover, England, December 31, 1831, a son of James and Harriet (Haylor) Nye, natives of that country. After the death of his father, his mother became the wife of a Mr. Marsh, and came to America in 1850, locating in Ogle County, 111., where she died in 1876. John H. Nye was nineteen years old when he came to the United States, landing in New York City, where he learned the trade of a carpenter, following that occupation there three years. In 1853 he came west, locating at Mount Morris, 111., and entering the employ of Mr. Marsten, who was then building the Rock River Seminary. In 1860 he turned his attention to farming in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, and afterwards bought a farm in Lincoln Township, although he continued to live in the former township, and after 1870, resided in the village of Mount Mor- ris. In 1882 he entered up a homestead in Beadle County, S. D., and in 1893, located at Maywood, 111. In January, 1896, he, with his wife, went to California to spend the winter, and his death occurred at Los Angeles, on February 28, 1896. J. H. Nye was married to Marie Beebe, March 10, 1852, in Lyons, N. Y., and to them were born four daughters, two of whom are still living, their mother having passed away, October 17, 1859. The second marriage of Mr. Nye took place October 2, 1860, on which date be was wedded to Catherine (Coffman) Stonebraker, widow of Michael Stonebraker, horn in Washing- ton County, Md., July 24, 1820. She was a daughter of James and Anna (Palmer) Coffman, natives of Pennsylvania, who settled in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, in 1840, journey- ing from their Maryland home with teams, through Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana. James Coffman bought six quarter-sections of land in Ogle County, and about the same amount in Sangamon County. In 1842 he built a brick house on his Ogle County property, getting the brick within six miles of the place, but finding it necessary to haul the lumber from Chicago. Dur- ing the preceding year he had built a grist-mill on Pine Creek. Mr. Coffman died in 1847. He and his wife had a family of eight childTen. To Mr. and Mrs. Nye were born two children, 976 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. namely : Prank Coffman and Ulysses C. The former, born November 21, 1861, was a young man of exceptional ability and died in Dakota, June 3, 1886. The latter, born April 12, 1864, is a graduate of the Chicago Musical College, and an able and successful music teacher. He mar- ried Ella Green, of Chicago, who died in Cali- fornia in 1896. Politically, John H. Nye was an adherent of the Republican party. His religious connection was with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his fraternal affiliation with the A. P. & A. M. of which lodge he was Master, for several years. His venerable and profoundly respected widow is still living at Mount Morris, an object of warm regard by her many old friends. NYE, Ulysses Clarence. — Some people are gifted beyond their fellows, and in developing their special talent they find both pleasure and profit. Perhaps there is no art which affords more genuine pleasure to both the one who can successfully interpret it and to those who enjoy the results of their efforts, than music. The born musician has within him the power to raise to the skies those with whom he comes in con- tact, and to free his soul from the bondage of earthly things. Ulysses Clarence Nye, of Mt. Morris, 111., is one of the talented musicians of Ogle County, and for many years has been a teacher of music throughout the county. He was born at Mt. Morris, 111., April 12, 1864, a son of John H. and Catherine R. (Coffman) Nye, natives of Dover, England, and Hagerstown, Md., respectively. The father was a carpenter in early life, but later became a lumber merchant. Ulysses was educated in the Mt. Morris public school, and Mt. Morris College, and when he was eighteen, he went to Huron. S. Dak., where he remained seven years. He then came back to Illinois and spent five years in Chicago, during which time he developed his musical talent at the Chicago Musical College, from which he was graduated in 1894. Following this he went to California, and spent two years, when he re- turned to Mt. Morris, where he has since lived, being engaged in teaching music. Prof. Nye is an able teacher and his pupils show great pro- gress under his training. On November 16, 1887, Mr. Nye was married in Woonsocket, S. Dak., to Ella May Green, who was born May 20, 1862, at Arlington Heights, 111., and died at Los Angeles, Cal., February 1, 1895. She was left an orphan at an early age, and was reared in the Fellows family at Arling- ton Heights, III. Mr. and Mrs. Nye had one daughter, Catherine Wanda, born November 28, 1888, and who died in infancy. In politics, Mr. Nye is a Republican. He has been a member of the Samuel H. Davis Lodge, A. F. & A. M. for ten years, and served one term as Master of the lodge. In religious belief he is a Methodist, and takes an active part in church affairs, especially in musical matters. OBER, John C. — Confronted by an unusually cold and blustering winter, in November, 1854, the Ober family settled on the farm in Pine Rock Township, which ever since has responded to their industry by yielding abundantly of its rich store of fertility. John C. Ober, the present owner and manager of the place, was about thir- teen years old when the long trip was made from the vicinity of Bennington, Hillsboro County, N. H., where he was born October 21, 1841, his par- ents, John and Sarah (Robinson) Ober, having been born also in New Hampshire. Both the early and later efforts of the newcomers were suc- cessful, and on the same farm where he had encountered so many pioneer obstacles, the father died, October 17, 1879, in his seventy- seventh year, the mother having preceded him March 24, 1S75, in her seventy-fifth year. The latter was a devout member of the Baptist Church, in which faith she reared her three chil- dren, a son having died in infancy. Of the other children, Sarah M. was born in Benning- ton, N. H., February 27, 1839 ; John C. owns the old farm ; and Dexter S., was born in Benning- ton, October 12. 1844, and died in Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, October 4, 1880. When the Obers first came to Ogle County, there was no house on the farm which they pur- chased, and they first built a small frame house, 16x24 feet, which they lived in until 1875, when the central or main section of the present build- ing was erected, and afterward the wing. In 1892, a cyclone blew away the wing and the roof of the main building, also blew the latter from its foundation, but it has since been built up. For many years after they came to Pine Rock Town- ship, they used oxen with which to do their farm work. At one time the elder Mr. Ober hauled wheat to Rochelle and sold it for 40 cents per bushel. The youth and early manhood of John C. Ober did not differ materially from that of other youth of his neighborhood. He attended the country schools, worked hard on the home place, and now has the satisfaction of recognizing in his immediate environment the different stages of his handiwork. He is the owner of 250 acres of land, all of it improved, and upon which he has excellent buildings and general equipment. He was first married March 21. 1877, to Sarah E. Edmunds, a native of Taylor Township, Ogle County, and daughter of Oliver and Susan (Gantz) Edmunds, old settlers of Taylor Town- ship. Mrs. Ober died May 11, 1889, and in Am- herst, N. H.. September 27, 1899, Mr. Ober mar- ried Mary E. (Robertson) Thompson, widow of Frederick C. Thompson, and born in Greenfield, N. H., October 5, 1855. By her previous mar- riage, Mrs. Ober has a son, James F., who at- tained maturity. Ever since old enough to form political opin- ions, Mr. Ober has endorsed the principles of the Republican party. He has been particularly ac- tive in the cause of education, and the high standard of instruction maintained at the pres- ent time largely is owing to his insistence upon the best possible opportunities for the children of HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 977 the community. He was School Director and Treasurer for about four years, and for nine years held the office of Township Clerk. His ad- ministrations have been characterized by strict integrity and conscientiousness, and that unfail- ing obligingness and forgetfulness of self so noticeable in all of his business and social rela- tions. He is the possessor of a broad and in- quiring mind, of fine principles and great in- dustry, and his attachment to this community has been of unquestioned mutual benefit. O'BRIEN, George Daniel (deceased), for twen- ty-three years a well known lawyer of Rochelle, Ogle County, III., and during most of this period recognized as one of the most able and prominent attorneys of the Ogle County Bar, was born at Fort Covington, N. Y., November 14, 1861. He was the fifth of seven children born to Daniel and Hannah O'Brien, both parents and four of the children having passed away. The surviving members of the family are two sons and a daugh- ter, namely: Allen, of Maywood, 111., and Wil- liam H. and Ella (Mrs. Coggins), residents of Northern New York. One of the deceased sons, David O'Brien, was formerly a partner of the subject of this memoir in the practice of law in Rochelle, and died while practicing his profes- sion in Chicago. In early youth, George D. O'Brien attended the district schools of bis natice place, and graduated from the Franklin Academy at Malone, in the vi- cinity of his home. About the year 1879 he lo- cated in Dixon. 111., teaching school near that town, and reading law in the office of his brother David, and also with Charles Wooster of Amboy. In 1884 he was admitted to the Bar, and after practicing a short time in connection with his brother, as before indicated, became associated in legal work with W. B. McHenry, who had entered his office as a law student in 1895. This partnership began in 1902, continuing three years. Mr. O'Brien's patronage constantly in- creased until he had gained a large clientele and won the reputation of one of the leading lawyers in this section of the State. One of the distin- guishing features of his professional character was his absolute .honesty in giving counsel, which often led him to ignore the prospect of financial gain in the effort to prevent litigation. He gave legal advice freely to those in straitened cir- cumstances, without hope of recompense, and was noted for habitual acts of kindness, which won him hosts of friends. Mr. O'Brien accumulated a handsome competency, including his handsome residence and other desirable property in Rochelle, a valuable farm near Monroe Center considerable farming land in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa, and a personal estate consist- ing of life insurance policies amounting to several thousand dollars, with other financial resources. He was a stockholder in the People's Loan and Trust Company, of Rochelle, and was elected to the Board of Directors on its organization. For several years, Mr. O'Brien held the office of City Attorney of Rochelle, and served several con- secutive terms as President of the Board of Edu- cation with credit to himself and benefit to the city. On December 12, 1895, Mr. O'Brien was united in marriage with Elizabeth Duell, of Rochelle, and their union resulted in one son, George, born in 1900. The busy and useful life of Mr. O'Brien was terminated by death on July 18, 1907, his decease being widely lamented. In religious faith; he was a devout Catholic, as is his estimable widow. Fraternally, he was a Yeoman of America, a Mystic Worker, and a member of the W. M. A. OCKER, John H., farmer and auctioneer, Buf- falo Township, Ogle County, 111., is one among the younger farmers of his part of the county who have achieved success, not alone by being good farmers but by being good business men as well. There is no class of tradesmen the mem- bers of which need more accurate and compre- hensive knowledge of the value of farms, live stock and farm implements and accessories, than auctioneers who conduct sales of farm property, and there is no way in which an auctioneer can better acquire such knowledge than through practical experience as a farmer. It was first as a farmer, then as an auctioneer, that John H- Ocker won popularity in his community. He was born in Washington County, Md., April 30, 1869, a son of Samuel and Catharine (Bowman) Ocker, natives of that county. Of their four children, two of whom are sons, John was the last born. He was only eleven years old" when he left his southern home. Coming to Ogle County he hired out by the month to work for different farmers, and was thus employed until he was twenty-one years old. Then for two years he was a "renter" in Buffalo Township. After that he began to make a farm for himself, and he is now the owner of 130 acres, under good improvement and outfitted for profitable tillage and stock raising. For five years he had charge of Dr. Peter Fahrney's farm of eight hundred acres in Lake county. In 1904 he began business as an auctioneer, in company with Levi Avery, under the firm name of Avery & Ocker, and in this enterprise has met with good success. Mr. Ocker married Verna M. Powell, February 22, 1804. Mrs. Ocker, who was born in Buffalo Township, a daughter of John A. and Catharine Powell, has borne him two children, Armond and Dorothy. In politics Mr. Ocker is a Republican, devoted to the progressive principles and policies of his party. He has held the office of School Director and otherwise has taken an active in- terest in township affairs. 0GDEN, Charles H., a well known and substan- tial farmer, of Flagg Township, Ogle County, 111., and also the owner of farming interests in other parts of the country, was born in Tomkins County, N. Y., January 25, 1854, a son of John and Rufina J. (Dusenbury) Ogden, natives of that county and State, where their, marriage took place. In 1866 they came to Ogle County and settled on a farm, near the places of some of 978 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. the father's friends, who had preceded him from New York State. His farm consisted of 155 acres, the purchase price of which was $35 per acre. It was all improved, the dwelling (which still stands) having been built by Ira Overacker in 1854. On this place he followed farming until the time of his death, which occurred in June, 1SS0, at the age of fifty-eight yeaTS. Politically, John Ogden was a Republican, but took no ac- tive part in political contests. He and his wife had five sons and two daughters, namely : Ben- jamin, Charles H., Myron, John, Fred, Alice and Belle. The eldest son, Benjamin, when last heard from, was engaged in raising horses in the State of Washington ; Myron is a contractor in Norfolk, Neb. ; John owns a ranch in Idaho ; Fred, at last advices (about the year 1892), was in Washington with his brother, Benjamin ; Alice is Mrs. Langford Walters, of Carroll County, Iowa ; and Belle is living at St. Charles, 111., the wife of Dr. Constant. The mother of this family still survives. Charles H. Ogden was twelve years old when his parents came to Illinois, and remained at home until he was twenty-four years of age, receiving his education in the district schools. In 1878, he went to Iowa, farming there for two years, and in 1880, moved to Hanson County, S. Dak., buying land twelve miles east of the town of Mitchell, which he cultivated for five years. Afterwards, he was engaged six years in the grain and lumber trade at Fulton, near his farm, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. Returning to Ogle County in 1894, Mr. Ogden has since operated the old homestead farm, his mother occupying a part of the house. He owns a small fruit farm on the Gulf coast in Southern Alabama, where he spends the winter season, that being a fruit and vegetable climate at that period of the year. On February 24, 1875, Mr. Ogden was married to Elizabeth Ballard, an adopted daughter of Sherman Ballard, into whose family she was taken when nine years old. Mr. and Mrs. Bal- lard are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Ogden have had the following children, namely : Olive, Viola, and Edna. Olive, who is deceased, was the widow of Frank Cross, who died two years before she passed away. Their only child, Lu- cille, aged ten years, is living with her grand- parents; Viola is a teacher, and has taken up a homestead claim in New Mexico ; Edna is the wife of Robert Currenduff, of DeKalb, 111. Mr. Ogden has never been active in political affairs. Fraternally, he has been a member of the I. O. O. F. since he was twenty-one years old. He is also affiliated with the A. O. IT. W., in which he is a Master Workman. O'KANE, Joseph. — When Joseph O'Kane pass- ed from the ken of those who had known and loved him in Ogle County, he left behind him the priceless legacy of a good name and noble exam- ple, the unquestioned distinction of having been broadly useful during his pilgrimage among men, and the inspiration to labor and patriotism which came from having performed well and consci- entiously his tasks as farmer, soldier, extensive land-owner and generally progressive and en- lightened citizen. Mr. O'Kane was born in Franklin County, Ind., December 23, 1836, and was but three years old when he came to Ogle County with his parents, Daniel and Luanda (Johnson) O'Kane, the former of whom was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1811, and the latter in Kentucky in 1813. Daniel O'Kane came from County Tyrone to the United States at the age of eleven years, and on this side of the water continued to develop along many lines, in time becoming a cooper, and acquiring also quite a knowledge of medi- cine and surgery. Upon locating in the wilds of Ogle County he found ample opportunity for ply- ing his trade, and also prescribed medicine and later dealt extensively in grain. He was one of the strong and influential men of his neigh- borhood, and with his wife and fifteen children acquired a lien upon the gratitude and apprecia- tion of the future dwellers of the county. He lived until 1891, having come from a race of long lived people, both of his parents attaining the age of ninety-nine years. His wife died in 1868. Joseph O'Kane grew to maturity on his* father's farm near Elkhorn Grove, little out of the ordinary happening until the neighborhood became disturbed over the reports of gold on the Pacific Coast during the '50s. His opportunity came in 1859, when, with some of his young friends, he went to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and soon after found em- ployment near San Francisco on a ranch at $50 per month. He seems not to have been particular- ly fortunate as a miner, for he returned by the same way in 1861, finding at this end of his jour- ney the urgent call of the Civil War, which re- suited in his enlistment in September of the same year, in Company B, Seventh Illinois Cav- alry. The war experience of Mr. O'Kane was dramatic in the extreme, and included practicallv all of the features, save death, to which the sol- dier is heir. After scouting in Missouri, the com- pany arrived at Shiloh two days after the battle there, participated in the siege of Corinth, in Grierson's raid, and on the way from Memphis to Port Hudson, was sixteen days in the saddle. He was captured at Coldwater, Miss., in Novem- ber, 1863, and confined in various prisons un- til exchanged during March, 1865. While a cap- tive in the terrible Southern prisons, he once es- caped starvation by a hair's breadth, and many of his companions succumbed while subsisting for five days on a quart of meal, a quart of rice, and a pint' of sorghum. With fifteen of his com- panions he sought a means of escape by digging a tunnel eighty feet long at the prison of Cahaba. and after "twelve officers and four soldiers had passed through it and traveled eighty miles to within one night's distance from the Union lines, they were tracked by bloodhounds, returned to prison, and retained there until discharged. He was more than once left for dead, and when re- turned to his home was a physical wreck, many months elapsing before he was restored to even fair health. September 17, 1865, Mr. O'Kane was united HISTORY OF OGLE COUJS'TY. 979 in marriage to Janette Rowand, daughter of An- drew and Elizabeth (Lawson) Rowand, natives of Paisley, Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Rowand crossed the ocean in 1831 and located in Canada, in 1839, coming to Ogle County, where Mr. Row- and combined farming with his trade of stone- mason, establishing himself on a farm three miles from the present site of Polo. Here he died December 27, 1887, at the age of seventy- five years. Mr. O'Kane farmed with increasing success In Buffalo Township, and made quite a fortune from selling wheat at two dollars a bushel. At the time of his death, October 21, 1905, he was one of the prosperous farmers in the community, as well as one of the most honored and influential. His later days were spent in a beautiful home in South Polo, where at present lives his widow, but he continued his connection with many of the interests of his earlier years, and especially was unfailing in his attendance at the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for a time was active in bis devotion to the Interests of the Grand Army of the Republic. He was a man who lived up to the highest tenets of citizenship, and his gener- osity and humanity seemed as unbounded in ex- tent as it was wise in direction. Having no children of their own, Mr. and Mrs. O'Kane opened their hearts and home to many children, in all, nine being either adopted outright, edu- cated or otherwise substantially aided In enter- ing upon their individual careers. Of those who profited by the friendship and parental care of this grandly generous couple, Mabel is the wife of William Lyons, of Beloit, Wis. ; James Ed- ward, who later assumed the name of Foster, lives in Chicago ; Katie Smith died with her foster parents. Others thus aided were: Thomas Fawcett, George Garrett, Philla Sweet and Je- rome Kilmartin. The latter was picked up as a waif at the Chicago Stock Yards, brought to the home of this noble couple, and under their tender and wise guidance developed into a worthy and useful citizen. OLTMANNS, Ontje A. — One mile southeast of Baileyville, in the extreme northwest corner of Ogle County, is the productive farm of Ontje A. Oltmanns, 180 acres in extent, and devoted to general farming and stock-raising. Mr. Olt- manns was born on a farm in Florence Township, Stephenson County, 111., December 28, 1873, and is a son of George and Chakaminia (.Tanssen) Oltmanns, both of whom were born near Laerte, in Ost Friesland, a province of the Netherlands bordering the North Sea. In his far distant, flat agricultural native land, the elder Oltmanns found little to inspire his best efforts, and in 1869 he invested his meager savings in transpor- tation to the United States, coming to German Valley, Stephenson County, where he had rela- tives 'and friends engaged in farming. For a time he worked as a farm laborer, and having saved his frugal earnings, married in the spring ■of 1873, his wife having come to Illinois the vear after his own immigration. Following his marriage he bought land in Stephenson County, managed it with excellent success, and in 1893 moved to Ogle County and bought the farm upon which his death occurred February 2, 1904, at the age of sixty-four years. He left a beautiful and highly cultivated property of 200 acres, now occupied by his widow and operated by his young- est son, Oltmann Oltmanns. A sister, Carrie, also lives on the old place. Mr. Oltmanns was a practical and straightforward man, thrifty and unfailingly honest, and a consistent member of the Reformed Church at Baileyville. The youth of Ontje A. Oltmanns knew the usual duties and diversions of the lads of his time and place, and he remained at home until his marriage, February 15, 1899, to Dora Fosha, daughter of Lewis Fosha, and born in Maryland Township, Ogle County. The farm occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Oltmanns was given the latter by her father, who also presented another farm to his other daughter, Gazena Hessenuis. The Olt- manns farm is well improved, has an excellent country residence, large barns and outhouses, fine shade and fruit trees, and well kept fences. The owner is an up-to-date and progressive farmer, who thoroughly enjoys his work, and takes great pride in his stock and produce. With- out political aspirations, he is a conscientious Republican, and with his wife is a member of the Reformed Church. He is an honest and painstaking man. considerate and obliging to his neighbors, and altogether a worthy representa- tive of a fine and prosperous family. OPDYKE, Joseph, one of the most highly rep- utable architects and building contractors in Ogle County, 111., whose skill and success are manifest in the number of superior residences and business buildings erected by him in Ro- chelle and the surrounding country, was born in Washington, N. J., April 16, 1848. There, in youth, he learned the carpenter's trade, and aft- erwards journeyed westward to see the country. After traveling in Iowa and Nebraska for some time, he came to Oregon, 111., in 1872, and three years later, to Rochelle. For thirty-five years, • he has been engaged as a contractor and builder in and near Rochelle, and now employs about thirtv men. His time is mainly devoted to archi- tectural drafting and superintending construc- tion, his contracts covering all the work done under the designs made by him. On December 14, 1877, Mr. Opdyke was mar- ried to Julia A. Law, who was reared in the fam- ily of Thomas Guest, near Rochelle, and attended the district schools of the vicinity. Mr. and Mrs. Opdyke have one son, George Howard Opdyke, who graduated from the Rochelle High School, passed a civil service examination, and became a clerk in the Cashier's Department of the Chi- cago Post Office. Politicallv, Mr. Opdyke is a Democrat, and has often been 'solicited to become a candidate for local office, but preferred to confine himself to his business interests. He is connected with several fraternal insurance associations, and in frater- nal circles, is affiliated with the A. F. & A. M. 980 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. PAGE, Edward Carlton.— Though born in an- other county and giving his recent years to ac- tivities elsewhere, Edward Oarlton Page may be called an Ogle County man. His mother, Han- nah M. Cheney, came to this county in early girlhood and his father, John Page, was a resi- dent here for several years. Left fatherless in infancy, Mr. Page came with his mother to the maternal home at Mt. Morris and there grew to manhood. He obtained his elementary educa- tion in the village school of his home town, and his secondary training and freshman college work at Mt. Morris College. Later, in the earlier years of his maturity, he taught two years in the rural schools of the county, and for nearly five years was Assistant County Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Page was born in Belvidere, 111., May 29, 1863, his father being Superintendent of Schools of that place at the time. On the death of his father, which occurred in October of the same year, the young son was taken to Mt. Morris to live. Besides the educational training referred to, he completed his college course at North- western University, graduating with the degree of A. B. in 1888. After his service as Assistant County Superintendent of Schools, he entered the University of Chicago and pursued post-graduate work for three years. In college and in the University he made a specialty of history and literature, particularly American history and lit- erature. While a graduate student at the University of Chicago, he was appointed a member of the Faculty of that institution, and for a number of years gave instruction in American history and American literature. On the opening of the Northern Illinois State Normal School at De- kalb, in 1899, he was called to the chair ofHis- tory and Geography, but after a time, the work in geography was made a separate department. Mr. Page remained in charge of the Department of History, and is now in his tenth year of useful service for the State. Besides his regular school duties, he has done much in the way of institute instructing, many of the counties of the State having sought his services. He was on the pro- gram of the Ogle County Institute for eight years in succession. His teaching proclivities seem to be his by inheritance, as his father was a teacher of ability and of more than local fame, while his mother, also, gave a number of years to success- ful service in the school room. Professor Page is a member, and has been an active participant in the proceedings, of the Na- tional Educational Association, the Illinois State Teachers' Association, the Northern Illinois Teachers' Association, the American Historical Association, the North Central History Teachers' Association, and the Illinois State Historical Society. He is also a member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, the Na- tional Geographical Society, and the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, and is one of the five members of the Advisory Commission which supervises the publication of the Illinois State Historical Library. He was one of the founders of the X. M. C. A. at Dekalb, 111., and besides the service rendered in connection with that organi- zation, is an active worker in church, Sunday School and Epworth League circles, especially in connection with the Methodist Church, of which he is a member. In 1899, Mr. Page was united in marriage to Miss Janet Clive Gloss, of Evanston, 111., daugh- ter of the late Rev. Hamilton Gloss, once well known in Ogle County. At the time of her mar- riage Miss Gloss was a teacher in St. Louis. PAGE, Thomas S., a prosperous and well-known farmer of Grand Detour Township, Ogle County, 111., and a prominent citizen of the community with which he has been identified with for more than three-score years, was born in Chicago, 111., July 22, 1842, a son of Thomas and Almira (Da- vis) Page, of whom the former was born in Shropshire, England, and the latter in Vermont. They came from Chicago to Ogle County to make their permanent residence in 1845, although Thomas Page had spent some time in the county in 1828, previous to the surveying of government land. Both parents died in Grand Detour Town- ship on the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch, the father passing away in 1875 in the seventy-third year of his age, and the mother in May, 1904, when nearly ninety-seven years old. Their family consisted of one son and two daugh- ters, Thomas S. being the second born. The lat- ter was reared on the farm where he has con- tinued to live until the present time. In early life he was engaged in the lumber trade for about three years in Ogle and Bureau Counties, aside from this his attention having been constantly devoted to farming and stock-raising. The ex- tent of his landholdings is about 400 acres, and he is classed among the most substantial and well-to-do farmers of his township. Mr. Page was married in Lee County, 111., in November, 1865, to Nancy Shore, who was born in Huntingdon County, Pa., January 20, 1847, a daughter of Benjamin and Margaret Shore, na- tives of that State. Mr. and Mrs. Page are the parents of seven children, namely : Almira J., Maggie M., Margaret N., who is the wife of C. Hegerman ; Ira T., William H., Mary E., and John D. In politics, Mr. Page is Independent. He served three years as Assessor of Grand Detour Town- ship, and has also held the office of School Direc- tor. PALMER, Frank.— The Palmer family was known in the early annals of New England his- tory, and supposedly was established in Pomfret,. Windsor County, Vt., before the Revolutionary War. In Pomfret, one of the oldest and quaint- est of the colonial towns, Irvine Palmer was born November 28, 1809, and his wife, formerly Serepta Hayden, was born in the same place July 28, 1812. They were married in the fall of 1833, and in 1839 came overland with great difficulty and after many harrowing experiences, HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 981 to Ogle County, soon thereafter taking up gov- ernment land in Section 23, Pine Creek Town- ship, which then was an uninterrupted wilder- ness. Here the couple lived in the rudest of cabins and suffered privations which seem almost incredible to the country dwellers of to-day, but the land finally was cleared, and when this early pioneer passed from the scenes of his early strug- gles in his ninety-sixth year, on March 6, 1891, he was surrounded with every comfort needful for humankind. iHs wife, who, in November, 1907, was ninety-six years old, at that date was still In possession of her most needed faculties, and in the enjoyment of fairly good health. She was the mother of six children, namely : Ellen, who is the wife of Mathias Price; Lucien; Au- gusta, wife of John H. Mumma ; Irvine, a soldier in Company A, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and killed in Georgia during the Civil War ; George, deceased, and Prank. Prank Palmer, the youngest in his father's family, was born on the Pine Creek Township farm March 3, 1855, and had the usual opportuni- ties of the youth of that period. He at present , owns 170 acres of the home place, and is en- gaged in general farming and stock-raising. He has a pleasant home and well constructed gener- al buildings, and is progressive in his woric, availing himself of every opportunity for better- ing his lot. He has served as Clerk of the School Board for the past nine years, and is liked and respected by all who know him. PANKHURST, James, M. D.— Inheriting the iron of honesty and determination from English ancestors, and profiting by a capacity for hard work intelligently directed, Dr. James Pankhurst has been an integral part of the life of Grand Detour for the past forty years, and during that time has established a practice which insures him many of the most satisfying compensations of life. He is known, also, as a veteran of the Civil War; and as a promoter of many local in- terests outside his immediate and personal bus- iness interests. Dr. Pankhurst recalls little, if anything, of his childhood home in Westfleld, Sussex County, England, where he was born January J 8, 1845, the seventh of the eight chil- dren of his parents, John and Mary (Welfare) Pankhurst, with whom he came to the United States in 1851, at the age of six years. For a few months the immigrating family lived in the State of Pennsylvania, then came to Mount Car- roll, Carroll County, 111., whence the elder Pank- hurst walked all the way to Grand Detour to seek employment in the plow-shops. Eventually the family" located at Grand Detour, and here the father died at the age of eighty-seven years, and the mother in 1894, at the age of eighty-nine years. The present physician of Grand Detour at- tended the district, schools of his town, and real- ized his first financial independence as an em- ploye of the plow-works. He worked in the shops in the summer and went to school in win- ter, and after finishing his course at the latter, began the study of medicine while still in the shops. During June, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany H, Sixty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and served four months, at the expiration of his term returning to Grand Detour, which he left during the winter of 1865-66 to attend the medi- cal department of the University of Michigan. He next studied medicine with Dr. C. E. Loomis and during the winter of 1867-68 attended lec- tures at the Rush Medical College, Chicago, grad- uating therefrom during the spring of the latter year. He has ever since made Grand Detour the field of his practice, and in many homes in the town and surrounding country his name is a household one, carrying with it unquestioned confidence in his skill and large heartedness. He is one of the most familiar figures in the com- munity, and his cheery voice and interesting per- sonality invariably are welcome wherever met with. The first wife of Dr. Pankhurst in maidenhood was Prances Foxley, and her death occurred in 1894. His present wife, whom he married in 1896, in girlhood was May Sheffield, daughter of Amos A. and Elizabeth P. Sheffield. Dr. Pank- hurst has one daughter, Bessie, at present prin- cipal of .the kindergarten school in Dixon. Since the spring of 1904 Dr. Pankhurst has held the of- fice of Supervisor of Grand Detour Township, having been elected thereto on the citizen's ticket, although a stanch and consistent advo- cate of local Republican politics. For several years he was a member of the County Central Committee of that party. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and fraternally is con- nected with the Modern Woodmen of America. Dr. Pankhurst is medical examiner for several life insurance companies, including the New York Life, New York Mutual, and the Union Central, of Cincinnati, Ohio. PATTERSON, James J., for many years one of the most prominent, prosperous and populaT farmers of Lee County, 111., and one of the coun- ty's most gallant veterans of the Civil War, now living in honored retirement at Rochelle, 111., was born in Ireland, May 20, 1840, a son of John and Sarah Patterson, natives of Ireland, who came to the United States in 1846, and after spending about two years in Albany, N. Y., jour- neyed to Illinois, settling in McHenry County, 111. The parents died but six weeks apart, at the ages of eighty-four and eighty-six years, re- spectively, the father dying at the home of the subject of this sketch, who was then living in Lee County, 111., near the village of Steward. James J. Patterson remained at home until he was fifteen years old, and then worked as a farm hand in Ogle County until he reached the age of twenty years, when he rented a small farm in Ogle County for one season. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in Company H, Forty-sixth Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry (Col. J. A. Davis), in which he was chosen Corporal under Capt. John Stevens, and mustered into three years' service at Springfield on December 28th. The regiment 982 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. was assigned to the Second Brigade, Fourth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps, serving also in the Seventeenth and Nineteenth Corps, Army of the Tennessee, and participating in the en- gagements at Fort Donelson, at Shiloh, Siege of Corinth and Metamora, Siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Spanish Fort and at Fort Blakely, Ala. The regiment performed a large amount of scout- ing, guard and escort duty, traveling, over 10,000 miles during its term of service, and was mus- tered in as veterans at Vicksburg, Miss., Jan- uary 14. 1864, and mustered out February 1, 1866, at Natchez, Miss., and later discharged at Camp Butler, Springfield, 111., Mr. Patterson having been promoted to the rank of Sergeant two years previous. Mr. Patterson is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has kept in touch with re- unions find national encampments, taking the greatest pleasure in meeting his old comrades in arms. He is Past Commander of No. 546, Ro- chelle Post G. A. R. Soon after the war, he set- tled on a farm in Alto Township, Lee County, and later, in 1877, acquired a fine grain farm, containing 190 acres, in Alto Township, on which he built a large barn and made other improve- ments, occupying the latter place until he moved to Rochelie, where he has lived seven years. In 1901 he sold the property in Alto Township and then bought another farm of 240 acres in De- ment Township. On February 3, 1864, Mr. Patterson was mar- ried in Rochelie to Eunice Carpenter, a daughter of James and Julia (Foster) Carpenter, formerly of Elmira, N. Y., where Mrs. Patterson was born September 15, 1840, her parents later moving to the vicinity of Steward, Lee County, Illinois. She died at Rochelie, July 17, 1904. To Mr. and Mrs. Patterson were born the following children : Addie J., wife of Ellsworth Taylor, an electri- cian of Rochelie, who has one daughter, Louise May ; Martha S., who has remained at home tak- ing care of the household affairs ; Josiah A., em- ployed in an implement establishment at Ro- chelie; William E., deceased at the age of twenty- one, having completed a commercial course at Dixon, 111.; Mina, an invalid; Daniel B., de- ceased in infancy ; and Milo G., who served as a private in Company M, Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry during, the Spanish American War. Milo is married to Vera M. Herber, of Minne- apolis, Minn., and has two children, Margaret Eunice and Robert Gerald. In politics, Mt. Patterson is a Republican, and has held the office of Alderman in Rochelie. In religious faith he was reared an Old-School Pres- byterian, but for many years has been a member of the Baptist Church, in which he has acted in an official capacity. PATTERSON, Robert.— The genealogy of the Patterson family is traced to Scotland, whence, during the era of religious persecution, some of the name fled for refuge to the neighboring coun- try of Ireland. Born and reared in County Down, Ireland, Adam Patterson there married Mary McDonald, who, like himself, was born in Ireland of Scotch ancestry. The young couple sought a home In the new world and during the year 1836 settled in Washington County, Mary- land, near the spot where later was fought the sanguinary battle of Antietam. For some years they continued there, but after a time they be- came interested in a proposition to emigrate to Illinois, and during 1844 joined an expedition led by Samuel Hitt, whose influence brought large numbers of emigrants from Maryland to Illinois. While living in the old country Adam Patter- son had learned the trade of carpet-weaving, and after coming to Ogle County he wove many car- pets for the pioneers. Some of these are still to be found in old homes throughout the county. A livelihood was earned for the family by weaving, and in addition agriculture was conducted ac- cording to the primitive methods of that day. As soon as he had acquired sufficient means, he bought, at $3 per acre, a tract of timber land in West Grove, five miles northwest of Mount Mor- ris, a place that is now the property and home- stead of John Diehl. There his death occurred in November, 1868, at the age of fifty-seven years: Of his family of twelve children the following reached maturity : Eliza, Mrs. George Sprecher, who died at twenty-nine years ; Catherine, Mrs. Isaac Listebarger, a widow living in Oregon ; John, who engaged in farming at the old home- stead until his death at the age of forty-four years ; William, of Maryville, Nodaway County, Mo. ; Robert, of Ogle County ; Ellen, Mrs. Ed- ward Samsel, of Polo ; Mary, who married John Stine and is living in Greene County, Iowa ; and Margaret, who is the wife of Charles Eberts, of Chicago. During the Civil War William enlisted in the Ninety-second Illinois Infantry, which he accompanied to the front. At Harrison Landing he was shot through the arm, being the first man wounded in the entire regiment. The injury proved to be slight and he soon recovered so that he was able to continue in the service until the conclusion of the war. Educated in country schools in Mount Morris Township, Mr. Patterson has been a lifelong res- ident of this township, where he was born Au- gust 31, 1850, and where he now makes his home one and a half miles west of Mount Morris. For a time in early life he had charge of the old homestead, where he remained until the settle- ment of the estate. During 1SS1 he purchased eighty acres, mostly in timber, for which he paid $50 per acre. By dint of resolute effort he clear- ed the tract and placed the land under cultiva- tion. All of the improvements to be seen on the tract are the result of his industry and prove his thrift as a farmer. He has never married, and for some time his mother acted as his house- keeper, but eventually she became helpless and, during the last two years of her life, she re- quired constant care. After much suffering she passed away in 1901 at the age of eighty-six years. The principles of the Democratic party were early espoused by Robert Patterson, but later (during the McKinley campaign) he left the old party on account of the free-silver issue, and History of ogle counts. 983 since then has supported Republican candidates at general elections. Local matters receive his attention and he keeps well posted upon all the issues for the benefit of county or commonwealth, yet he has never cared for office and prefers to limit his participation in politics to the casting of his ballot. Quiet in his tastes, methodical in work, irreproachable in character, and progres- sive in spirit, he is of the type of farmers whose worth is unquestioned and whose energy has pro- moted the progress of the county. PAUL, Christian C, who is well known through- out Mount Morris Township and much of the northeastern portion of Ogle County, 111., as a thorough and enterprising farmer, was born in the province of Lippe-Detmold, Germany, No- vember 15, 1S47. Particulars in regard to his parentage and the details relating to his family history are contained in a biographical record of Fred F. Paul, appearing elsewhere in this con- nection. Mr. Paul remained at home until he was about twenty -eight years old, he and his five brothers sometimes working out by the day. On March 6, 1876, he was married to Dorothea Pot host, who was born in Maryland Township, Ogle County, in 1852. His farming career was begun on rented land, and after continuing thus for six years, he bought 120 acres of his present farm, to which he subsequently added fifty acres more, all in Mount Morris Township on the line of Lin- coln Township. On this he built a convenient house and substantial barn, and made other good improvements. He is successfully engaged in gen- eral farming, and feeds his sixty acres of corn to hogs, of which he raises from fifty to sixty head yearly. In company with his brother, Fred, he has operated a threshing machine since 1864, covering about the same territory for six or eight weeks each season. At the outset the machine was run with horse-power, but he was among the first to change the motive power to steam. In the course of his threshing experience he has worn out three Case machines, and has found this enterprise a profitable occupation in connec- tion with farming. Mr. and Mrs. Paul have reared a family of three sons and one daughter, as follows : George, who assists his father ; Jesse, who conducts the home farm ; Edwin, who is married, and lives at Forreston, 111. ; and Ida, who is the wife of Blaine Walb, and lives in Haldane, 111. In poli- tics, Mr. Paul is identified with the Republican party. PAUL, Fred F., one of the worthiest, most fa- vorably known and most thorough farmers in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, 111., was born in Lincoln Township, Ogle County, Novem- ber 20, 1857, the son of Christian and Mary (Zumdahl) Paul, who were natives of Lippe-Det- mold, Germany, and there married, coming to the United States a year or so later. They al- ready had two children while living on the farm where the birth of Fred took place, in the north- east corner of Lincoln Township. They remain- ed there a few years and then removed to Mary land Township, just southwest of Adeline, on the Lincoln Township line, where the mother's death occurred, the father subsequently withdrawing from active pursuits and making his home in Forreston until his death in 1890. at the age of eighty-one years. He was a member of the Re- formed Church and assisted in the organization of the church at West Grove, helping to build its stone edifice. Christian and Mary (Zumdahl) Paul had seven children, as follows: Louisa IX. single and living near Forreston ; Christian C. a farmer, of Mount Morris Township ; Henry and John J. (twins), the former living in For- reston. and the latter in Lincoln Township ■ Min- nie, living in Dakota ; and Lewis, on a farm in Mount Morris Township. Fred Paul remained at home until he was twenty-two years old. and then, in companv with his brother Lewis, rented a nnrt of the homestead farm. On January 3, 18S3 he was married to Minnie Ainsworth, a daughter of Thomas and Susan Ainsworth, of Adeline Ogle County. The father is deceased, while the mother is still a resident of Forreston The birth of Mrs. Paul took place in Adeline, and she was twenty-three years old at the time of her marriage. After this event, Mr. and Mrs. Paul lived seventeen years on the old farm, and in 1900 bought (heir present place (the William Gaffin farm) in Mount Morris Township one and one-half miles from Leaf River. The 'prop- erty comprises 160 acres, and the residence, standing on an eminence and commanding a fine view in all directions, was built in 1891. The other improvements are all convenient and sub- stantial. On this place. Mr. Paul is successfully engaged in general farming. He and his wife' have two children, namely: Annie R., wife of Phil Windle. a son of Georee Windle. whose farm he operates; and Emily G., who lives with her parents, attending school in Adeline. For thirty years, in connection with his brother. Christian C, Mr. Paul ran a threshing machine, each fall, over the same territory, and while operating a corn shredder, lost the thumb and one finger of his right hand. Tn politics, Mr. Paul is a Demo- crat, and he and his wife are memDers of the Reformed Church at West Grove. PAUL, Joseph, one of the oldest, most promi- nent and most useful citizens of Brookville Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., for many years a leading farmer, and a man of strict integrity and ad- mirable traits of character, was born in North- umberland County, Pa., in April, 1835. His par- ents were George and Hannah (Sarfink) Paul, natives of Pennsylvania, who settled on the farm where Mr. Paul now lives in 1849. Valentine Paul, a brother of George, had entered up a tract of eighty acres in the same locality three years previously, and George Paul, on his arri- val, acouired 160 acres more by purchase. Val- entine improved the adjoining land, and there lived to be an old man. George followed farm- ing on his place until his death in 1860, at the age of sixty -three years, his widow surviving him ■984 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. about ten years. The organization of the Lu- theran Church in Brookville was partly due to their efforts. They had a family of twelve chil- dren, six of whom are living, as follows : Joseph ; Isaac, of Polo, III. ; Jacob, of Lanark, 111. ; Lydia, wife of Henry Lower, of Brookville, 111. ; Abra- ham, of Kingfisher, Okla. ; and Peter, of Brook- ville. Those deceased were : Caroline, who be- came the wife of William Michael, and died when about sixty years old ; Henry, who lived In Nebraska ; George, who spent his entire life in Pennsylvania, where he enlisted during the Civil War; Valentine, the eldest, who died at Brook- ville, 111., at the age of sixty-five years ; Daniel who died near Brookville ; and Solomon, who •died when sixty-seven years old. Henry, George, Isaac, Peter, Abraham and Jacob were all sol- diers at the same time, and ail survived the conflict. After serving three years, Jacob was promoted to be Second Lieutenant. Joseph Paul was fourteen years old when brought to Ogle County by his parents. He re- mained at home until the death of his father, having attempted to enlist, but failing on ac- count of his being the only son left at that time to care for those at home. He and his brother Isaac were partners for three years in operating the farm, having purchased the interest of the other heirs, Isaac then sold his share to the subject of this sktech, who has since occupied the homestead property. In 1872 he built a bank barn, and about 1874 erected his house, the brick being made by his brothers, Peter and Joseph, and all the inside work being made by hand. Mr. Paul's farm consists of 206 acres, which he rents out, devoting some attention, however, to feeding cattle. In 1862, Mr. Paul was married to Rebecca Robins, of Carroll County, 111., but born in Penn- sylvania, a daughter of William Robins. She died August 26, 1899, having borne her husband eight children, as follows : Charley, who died jn childhood ; Aaron, a farmer in Brookville Town- ship ; Wesley, who follows farming in Traverse County, Minn. ; Elsie, who died at the age of twenty-seven years ; Oscar, deceased in child- hood ; Uriah, a farmer in Oklahoma ; Minerva, wife of Walter Irvin of Brookville, 111. ; and Harry, who married Catherine Shipman, and op- erates the home farm. They have one child, Melvin. Politically, Joseph Paul is a Republican, his father having been a Democrat. He has taken a somewhat active part in public affairs, acting as delegate to the conventions of his party, and serving as Collector, Commissioner, etc. He is a member of the United Evangelical Church of Brookville, in which he serves as trustee. PEEK, Captain Henry Clay, Oregon, 111., was born in Windsor County, Vt., October 12, 1837. a son of John and Lucretia (Lamb) Peek, both of whom were natives of Vermont. In 1838 his parents brought him to Ogle County, and the family located in the town of Buffalo, now Woo- sung. The family of John Deere came out from Vermont with the Peeks, Mrs. Deere and Mrs. Peek being sisters. Mr. Deere had come out the previous year and at Grand Detour had estab- lished a blacksmith shop in which eventually he made the first plow with a steel mold-board. Cast iron plows were then in use. In repairing plows of that kind. Mr. Deere was led to believe that plows with a cast-steel mold-board would be an improvement on them. He went to Dixon for steel, but could find none, and because he could do no better, he utilized some saws from an abandoned saw-mill not far from his shop, making from them the first steel plows ever made. It is interesting to note that this enter- prise was not without its difficulties, for he was charged with having purloined the saw. The matter was arranged satisfactorily, however, and the plows were so successful that, according to popular opinion, the end, in Mr. Deere's case, had justified the means. Later, in partnership with Leonard Andrus, Mr. Deere made many plows at Grand Detour, which they peddled in wagons over a far stretch of country round about. About 1847 he removed to Moline, where his en- terprise became world-famous. Eventually sev- eral other Vermont families settled at Grand Detour. John Peek cleared and improved a farm on the prairie and lived there until his death in 1864, aged seventy-seven years, his wife passing away four years later. He was a man of strong and Mpright character and one of the noteworthy and successful farmers in his part of the county. John and Lucretia (Lamb) Peek had nine chil- dren: Samuel C. Peek, who left the county about forty years ago, and aged eighty-three years, is still living in Calaveras County, Cal. ; William Pratt Peek, of Amadore County, Cal., who went west in 1851 ; George N. Peek, was a life-long farmer on Buffalo Prairie and died in Polo in his seventy-fourth year ; Janette married F. An- derson and died in Bureau County, III., aged seventy-five years ; F. Franklin Peek owned and lived on the old Peek homestead and died there two years ago ; Mellona Peek is living unmarried in Polo ; John D. Peek died aged thirty-five years ; Horace W. Peek removed some twenty- five years ago to South Dakota, but is now liv- ing at Bolivar, Mo. ; Henry Clay Peek and his sister Mellona are the only members of their parents' family now living in the county. Mr. Peek was brought up on his father's farm and gave his attention to agriculture until 1861, when he enlisted for service in the Civil War in the Fifteenth Illinois Cavalry, being one of about a dozen men from Ogle County who went to Ot- tawa to enlist. He served with that regiment for about two years in Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, taking part in several skirmishes and in the battle of Corinth, Miss. He held the rank of Sergeant until he was promoted to a Captaincy and assigned, at Corinth, to the First Alabama Cavalry, the only regiment of white men re- cruited in Alabama for the Federal service. It is worthy of note that fully one-half the mem- bers of the organization had already fought on the Confederate side. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge had begun to recruit a company of scouts, but so HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. 985 many volunteers offered themselves that he de- cided to recruit a whole regiment instead, which was attached to General Kilpatrick's Cavalry Di- vision, but joined Logan's command at Atlanta and scouted under Gen. Sherman from "Atlanta to the sea," serving later under the same com- mand until the surrender of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Most of the members of Captain Peek's Company were mountaineers, performed excellent service as guides and were in all re- spects good soldiers. The Captain was mustered out In October, 1865, after four years' arduous and patriotic service. On his return from the war to Ogle County, Captain Peek engaged in the grain and livestock trade at Polo, and continued in it successfully until 1874, when he was elected Sheriff of Ogle County and moved to Oregon, being later re-elect- ed at four successive elections and holding the office ten years. After retiring from office he operated a farm two miles west of Oregon for two years. During the fifteen years ending in 3903, he handled grain at Oregon, having a store- house connected with an elevator. For nine years of that time he was a member of the Board of Supervisors representing Oregon Township, and in that capacity was Chairman of the Com- mittee of Public Buildings and other property. The court-house was erected during that period at a cost of $100,000. Since his retirement from active life he has quite successfully handled some fine farm property. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, to which were attached for many generations the ances- tors of both. He is active in Christian work and, as a Republican, in political work. He is a mem- ber of Oregon Post, Grand Army of the Repub- lic. In 1864, Captain Peek married Adeline Chase of Lee County, 111., who died July 17, 1889, aged fortv-nine vears. He was married to his present wife, Julia Waterbury, June 30, 1892. Mrs. Peek was born in what is now Eagle Point Town- ship, Ogle County, a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Whitwell (Williams) Waterbury. Her parents were among the earliest pioneers in that part of the county. They came from Andes, Del- aware County, N. Y., in 1836, making the entire journey with teams. John Waterbury, Daniel's father, was a member of the party. Mrs. Peek was for a quarter of a century a school teacher, and fourteen years of her service in that capac- ity were given to the schools of Polo. She is ac- tive in many semi-public affairs and is President of the New Atlantic Literary Club. Mr. H. C. Peek had four children by his first wife : Bessie C, who was graduated from the University of Michigan with the class of 1896, and is a teacher of German at Fort Collins, Colo. ; Burton Fran- cis took the law course at Harvard University and has been practicing law since 1895, having established himself at Moline, 111., where he has achieved an enviable reputation, both as a coun- sellor and as a speaker; George N. is manager of the Omaha branch of the John Deere Plow Company; Carlton represents the same great concern at Ashland, Neb. Mr. Peek's interests are quite extensive and diversified. While achieving the successes al- ready referred to, he has gradually built up a considerable financial interest, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ogle County Bank. PERKINS, George W. (deceased).— All who knew the subject of this sketch will long remem- ber him as one of the most public-spirited of the citizens of Polo, Ogle County, and a man who could successfully lead in any enterprise for the betterment of his town and community. Mr. Perkins was the son of Rufus and Maria (Saltzman) Perkins, the grandson of Timothy Perkins and the great-grandson of Rufus Per- kins, who was born at Bridgewater, Mass., in 1763, and, while residing at Ashfield, Mass., en- listed as a private in the Revolutionary War un- der Capt. Abel Dinsmore and Col. Ruggles Wood- bridge, serving three months and fourteen days. At other periods he also served under Capts. Can- ston and Hughes, dates not known, and August 12, 1781, enlisted in Capt. Oliver Shattuck's Com- pany, all in the war of the Revolution. This Rufus was the son of Timothy Perkins. Timothy Perkins, the grandfather of George and son of Rufus, was born January 20, 1795, in Buckland, Hampshire County, Mass., and in the second war with England enlisted at Delhi, N. Y., as a sub- stitute in Capt. Amasa Parker's Company, Col. Farrington's regiment, in 1814. Rufus Perkins, the father of George W., was born in Delhi, N. Y., July 13, 1827, and came to Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, 111., with his par- ents, Timothy and Sarah (Veghtee) Per- kins, in the autumn of 1840. Mr. Per- kins' mother, Mrs. Maria (Saltzman) Perkins, was the daughter of Peter and Polly Saltzman, and was born near Mt. Vernon, Ind., February 26, 1830, her father being an ordained preacher in the Old School Baptist denomination. They settled in Buffalo Grove in 1845, his parents and grandparents thus becoming pioneers in this town. George W. Perkins was born November 11, 1.851. The next year, on the 28th of March, his parents set out overland for California and reached their destination September 6th follow- ing, after enduring much suffering and privation on the journey. In 1857 he was sent to New Harmony, Ind., where he resided with his uncle, George W. Saltzman, until 1864, when he came to Polo, 111. At the age of seventeen years he left school and began his business career as a grocer's clerk. In 1868, his father having formed a partnership with George M. Hunt in the lum- ber business, he entered the employ of Hunt & Perkins. Two years later (1870) his father pur- chased the interest of Mr. Hunt, and the firm was changed to Perkins & Son, and, in 1872, his father turned over the business to him. On November 10, 1875, Mr. Perkins was united in marriage with Miss Mary L. Buck, the only daughter of Daniel and Lucy Buck, a sketch of whom appears in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Per- 986 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. kins became the parents of two children, Bryant Leroy and Clara. In October, 1880, Mr. Perkins was appointed Treasurer of the Polo Board of Education, retain- ing that position for sixteen years and until 1896. when he was elected a member of the School Board, which position he held until his death. In 1880 he was elected City Treasurer, and in 1882 and '83 and again in 1893 and '94 was elect- ed a member of the Board of Aldermen of the Town. In 1881 or '82 he merged his lumber bus- iness wtih that of the Minnesota Lumber Com- pany, of which he became Secretary and Treas- urer for the next fourteen years, and until the company was dissolved. In 1890 the company^ sold its fourteen lumber yards in Illinois and Wisconsin and gave their attention to the whole- sale trade exclusively. From his majority, Mr. Perkins had been an active Republican, serving his party on the town and County Central Committee for a number of years, and in 1892 was Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention at St. Paul. Un- like many local politicians of that period, when a move was made in the Republican County Con- vention of 1890, to inaugurate the primary elec- tion system for the county, he favored the move- ment and, some years later, was Chairman of the Committee that reported a plan for primary elec- tions, which was adopted and followed in Ogle County several years before the passage of the primary law by the State Legislature. Prom 1895 to 1901, he was Mayor of Polo and, under his administration, the movement for municipal improvement, which was begun before his elec- tion, was carried steadily forward in a business- like way. In 1896 he was elected a member of the School Board and held that position until his death. He was an active and earnest advocate of a new school house, and was privileged to have an active part in securing the erection of the building which was completed and dedicated in December, 1899. In 1897, the Minnesota Lumber Company hav- ing been dissolved, in connection with Chauncy Pettibone, Mr. Perkins organized the firm of Perkins & Pettibone, and, succeeding to the bus- iness of the old company, engaged actively in the export lumber trade. A year before his death, Mr. Perkins' health began to fail, arid in the winter of 1901-02 he vainly sought relief in a change of climate, going to California and later to Colorado. During his absence, and without solicitation on his part, he was re-elected a member of the School Board by a unanimous vote. During his sickness he patiently and heroically faced the inevitable, finally passing away September 22, 1902. The business houses of Polo were closed during his funeral and seldom has a larger or more sorrow- ful audience assembled in Polo to pay their last respects to one of their number. PETRY, Andrew E. — No more thorough, pains- taking and thrifty farmer takes part in the daily activities of Dement Township, Ogle County, than Andrew E. Petry, who has spent the greater part of his mature life amid his present surroundings. Mr. Petry was born in Montgom- ery County, N. Y., September 5, I860, a son of Henry and Harriet (Dacks) Petry, natives of Germany, being the oldest of their five children. When seven years of age, the subject of this sketch was brought from New York State to Illi- nois, and the family lived three years in Living- ston County. In June, 1872, they moved to Ogle County, where, with the exception of five years' absence, Mr. Petry has since made his home. Prom early manhood he has followed farming and stock-raising with successful results; and is the owner of 160 acres of highly productive land in Dement and Lynnville Townships. He has erected good buildings on his place, and made many other desirable improvements. Mr. Petry was married in Rochelle, 111., No- vember 24, 1887, to Lizzie Fogle, who was born in Lincoln, 111., December 6, 1866, a daughter of John and Matilda (Greis) Fogle, the former a native of St. Charles, Mo., and the latter of Ger- many. The father died in Rochelle November 20, 1905, at the age of seventy-five years. He and his wife reared a family of five children, of whom Harriet was the eldest. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Petry, namely: Myrtle M., Clarence H. and Mabel L. Politically, Mr. Petry is a supporter of the Republican party, and has taken a good citizen's interest in public affairs. For eleven years he has discharged the duties of the office of School Director. PIPER, Daniel J. — Independent of any advan- tage which may have resulted from his father's pioneership and success in Ogle County, Daniel J. Piper has worked out bis own destiny as a pro- gressive and enlightened farmer, and has es- tablished a reputation second to none as a horti- culturist, nurseryman and stock-raiser. For al- most half a century be has lived in the town of Brookville. and to him is due the credit of hav- ing set out one of the first apple orchards in this part of the State. As a fruit-grower he has kept pace with the best results achieved in the prin- cipal fruit centers of the world, and for twenty- eight years has been a leading and valuable member of the Illinois State Horticultural So- ciety. In addition to the best apples produceable in the Central West and as fine strawberries as ever delighted the palate of mankind, he has grown grapes in enormous quantities, sometimes as many as ten thousand pounds in a single sea- son. His devotion to the cultivation of all kinds of trees and shrubbery has stimulated a similar interest in other farmers of his locality, and his knowledge of landscape gardening and possibili- ties or rural ornamentation has been of wide- spread and unquestioned value. In the depart- ment of stock-raising he is no less fortunate and influential, for as a breeder of Red-Polled cattle, for the past nineteen years, he has pro- duced some of the heaviest specimens of this breed ever exhibited in Illinois. His farm is one HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 987 6f the most practically equipped and most thor- oughly cultivated in the township, and the owner is one of the most conscientious, methodical and painstaking of local landed proprietors Mr. Piper was born November 26, 1829 in Washington County, Md., the oldest son of Jacob and Anna Piper. His earliest recollections are centered around the old Richie farm, near John Bnens Iron Works along Antietam Creek, and on the battlefield of the now historic Civil War battle of that name. He was about sixteen years old when the family removal overland from Maryland to Ogle County took place during the summer of 1845, and -he lived at home with his father, varying the hard task of helping to clear a prairie farm with winter attendance at the local school. March 4, 1S52, he was united in £ a 7™l e t0 Cathel ' ine Byerly, who died December 24, 1865, and January 3, 1867, he married Amelia Hummel, a native of Nazareth Township North- umberland County, Pa., and born February 8 1845. Of this union there are nine children five sons and four daughters. Of these, John Wesley was born May 13, 1868, in Brookville Town- ship, and married Anna Roberts, whose par- ents lived one and a half miles east of German Valley, Stephenson County, 111., and who now live near Bristow, Butler County, Iowa. Jacob Chris- tian was born where his father now lives and Mary Bowman in Forreston, Ogle County, and the former began his independent life as a school teacher at Harper, a .year later removing to Forreston, and after purchasing a house and lot engaged in teaching for about two years. He then returned to Harper, and after farming sev- eral years, sold out and engaged in the draying business in Lanark, Carroll County, for three years, when he sold out his business and located near Braman, Ray County, Okla., where he still lives. Ulysses Grant Piper was born February 6, 1872, and at the age of nineteen years began teaching school, several years afterward re- moving to Bristow, Iowa, where he farmed for a time and then qualified for the ministry, in which he still is engaged. While a teacher he married Cora Wissinger. Ada Viola May was born December 7, 1873, and previous to her mar- riage, was a dressmaker for seven years. She married E. L. Ryner and they live near Rudd, Iowa. Zacharias Frederick Piper was born April 7, 1876, and after attending the high school at Forreston, engaged in educational work in the county until his marriage and subsequent settle- ment on the farm near Rudd, Iowa, where he has lived the past seven years. Carrie Duella B. Piper was born October 29, 1878, and lives at home. Pomona Myrta Adella Piper was born September 5, 1880, and married Bert L. Fager; after a year spent in Polo, she moved with her husband to the vicinity of Rudd, Iowa, where they remained two years, when they returned to Carroll County, 111., and engaged in the cement business in Lanark for some time, finally engag- ing in the hotel business at Lanark. He is now working in cement business at Freeport, 111. September 28. 1882, was born William Weaver Piper, who. at the age of twenty-one years, rented his father's farm for a year, and then went to work for $25 a month for J. T. Campbell, and during the following year worked for $35 per month for J. T. Campbell, with whom he still is associated. Edna Estella Miriam Piper was bqrn July 19, 1884, attended the district school from the age' of five to fifteen years, then went to the Forreston Hich School, from which she graduated with highest honors as valedic- torian of her class. She then taught school two years, then attended the Valparaiso school for ten weeks, and again taught two years, or until her marriage, in November, 1907, to Herman J. Brandt. The result of Mr. Piper's first marriage were three daughters and a son: Ann Eliza- beth, who married Hiram Meeker, and now lives on a farm near Hastings, Neb. ; Joseph H, who married Sarah Messner, and has taken up a homestead in Southwestern Nebraska ; Martha J. wife of William H. Heckert, a carpenter by trade formerly of Carroll, Iowa, and Nebraska, and now the occupier of a tract of prairie school land near Piedmont, Okla. ; and Mary S., wife of H. H. Boyer, formerly .engaged in various occupa- tions, including railroading, formerly a renter of farm property but now the owner and manager of his own farm near Lockridge, Okla. An acknowledged promoter of the best possible material results known to country life, Mr. Piper is no less an intrepid and unfailing moral in- fluence. His rugged and sterling qualities are re- flected in his children, and have converted them into the highest types of useful man and woman- hood. Seven of his children have been school teachers, their activity extending to the States of Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, and of his six sons, not one of them ever indulges in strong drink or tobacco. Mr. Piper himself is a total abstainer, and moderation and temperance characterize every phase of his life. PIPER, Jacob (deceased).— The Piper family owes its establishment in Ogle County to the pio- neering ambition of Jacob Piper, who, on the morning of May 15, 1845, left Sharpsburg, Wash- ington County, Md., and traveled by wagon over- land to Illinois, encountering on the way many interesting experiences. In the party of Mr. Piper were his wife, Arm Piper, their only daugh- ter, Elizabeth Ann, and their five sons, D. J., John, Joseph M., Samuel and Jacob W., John Kitts- lniller, father of Mrs. Jacob Piper, and his daughters, Sally and Susan ; Jacob Dovenbarger his wife and brothers, John and Henry, the lat- ter's wife and her sister, Mary Ausherman ; Henry Shearer, wife and two daughters, Eliza- beth and Mary. This pioneering cavalcade traveled in all 1,000 miles in wagons, and for about thirty-five days. During one day they traveled twenty-four miles without coming to a house or settled farm. In journeying through Ohio in the heavy timber, they saw thousands of squirrels scampering and playing in the trees and on the ground, and they crossed the Black Swamp of Indiana over rails laid crosswise of the road, and called the corduroy railroad. All 988 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. of the party settled around the edge of North Grove within a radius of six miles, the land be- ing extremely fertile, and well adapted to corn, oats and wheat. Jacob Dovenbarger located two miles west and one mile north of Adeline, on the farm formerly occupied by David Her, later operated a saw mill in Adeline, finally moving to a farm a mile west of the town. His brother, Henry located about two and a half miles north- west of Adeline, on prairie which he himself broke and he afterwards purchased a farm two miles northeast of Forreston, whence he moved to the town of Forreston and engaged in the bank- ing business with his son-in-law, J. T. Campbell. John, another brother, married a daughter of Jacob Rowland, lived for years two and a quar- ter miles northeast of Forreston, then moved to his present home in Forreston proper. Of the children of Jacob Piper who accompanied him to Illinois, John is living in Freeport, 111. ; Joseph has been engaged in the insurance business in De Kalb, 111., for the past five years ; Elizabeth is the widow of Thomas Trine, and lives on a farm near Le Grand, Iowa ; Samuel enlisted in the Seventy-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and died during his term of service of pneumonia, his remains being brought home and buried in the cemetery west of the brick school house south of the Christian Church, nine miles north of Mount Morris and at the north of North Grove ; Jacob W. lives on his farm about two miles west of Le Grand, Iowa. Jacob Piper and his party arrived at Oregon, Ogle County, June 19, 1845, crossed the Rock River on a ferry-boat near noon, then went to David Staffle's house and spent the night. The next morning he started for North Grove by way of Mount Morris, arriving near noon at the home of Jacob Myers, where were awaiting him a number of old friends with a hearty welcome and offers of help. Next he went to the home of John Kittsmiller, a brother of Mrs. Piper, then on to the farm of William Saulsbury, of whom Mr. Piper had rented land. That summer Mr. Piper put in and harvested corn, and the next year bought a farm of one Fosnaught, where he con- tinued to live engaged in general farming for the balance of his life. Mr. Piper passed from the accustomed scenes in Ogle County August 18, 1897, at the age of ninety-one, years and twenty- four days, his wife having died November 20, 1894, at the age of eighty years and nine months. He was the parent of six children, five of whom are now living: Daniel, John, of Freeport; Elizabeth A. Trine, of Le Grand, Iowa; Joseph M., of De Kalb, 111. ; and Jacob, a minister in the Christian Church, living at Le Grand, Iowa. All of the children were given a common school education, while J. M. attended school at Mt. Morris and Ann Arbor, Mich., and J. W. went to the Mount Morris Seminary, Monmouth College, 111., and to Mount Vernon, Iowa. PIPER, John.— Beginning his independent life as a small farmer in Ridott Township, Stephen- son County, 111., and later working as a carpenter in Ogle County, John Piper has expressed the characteristic determination and ability of his family, and advanced himself to all around prominence as a man of wealth and standing in Freeport, 111., to large land ownership and many years of activity as a politician and office holder. Mr. Piper is a son of Jacob Piper, an Ogle County arrival of 1845, and was born in Mary- land, February 6, 1832. April 6, 1854, he was united in marriage to Mary Myers, daughter of Jacob Myers, who came to Ogle County with his family in 1837, settling on the edge of the timber in North Grove, where his death occurred in 1876, at the age of seventy-five years. His daugh- ter, Mrs. Piper, was born in Washington County, Md., May 2, 1.833, and died June 16, 1867, leav- ing six children: William H., who married Margaret Allen, and after many years of activ- ity in the well drilling, windmill and machine business, has located on a farm in Northeastern Texas ; Elizabeth Ann, died at the age of ten years; Emma E. is the wife of S. P.. Allen, form- erly a hardware merchant of Leaf River, Ogle County; Samuel F., married Ida Jones, has a blacksmith shop in Byron, 111., and is engaged in well drilling, putting in pumps and all kinds of mechanical repair work; Lydia J. is the wife of John D. Williams, formerly a farmer of Ogle County, and now a clerk in a crockery store in Rockford, Winnebago County ; and Mary, mar- ried S. E. Stine (who is now deceased), and later lived in Mount Morris, where she conducted a boarding house in April, 190S ; later married a Mr. Stouffer of Oregon. September 28, 1868, Mr. Piper married Elea- nor Humphreys, of Marion, Lynn County, Iowa, born May 14, 1845, a daughter of David and Jane Humphreys of Montgomeryshire, England. Mr. and Mrs. Humphreys came to America in 1850, locating for a time in Utica, N. Y., and from there removing to Racine, Wis., where Mr. Hum- phreys worked in a tannery. He later lived in Winnebago County. 111., whence he moved to . Ogle County, next to Stephenson County on the Barlow farm, and next to a farm in Lynn County, Iowa. His last home was in Walker, Buchanan County, Iowa, where he died at the age of eighty years. Through his second mar- riage Mr. Piper had four children : Anna M.. wife of James D. Allen, and a resident near Egan, Ogle County ; David J., married Lizzie Grove, and lives on a farm a mile and a quarter from German Valley, Stephenson County, 111., having charge of the rural mail delivery from German Valley ; Myrtle A. died at the age of three wears ; and Bessie E., married David Brandt and lives in Freeport, 111. After his first marriage Mr. Piper lived two years in Ogle County, but in the meantime be- came the owner of a farm purchased for him by his father in Ridott Township, Stephenson County, which he later improved and occupied un- 1 il removing to Freeport in 1893. He has acquired wealth through the exercise of fair and legiti- mate abilities and methods, and is a self-made man in the truest and highest sense of that HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 989 much abused term. He is fond of recalling how he got his first real start in life with an Adams corn-sheller, and since has shelled over a million bushels of grain in Stephenson, Ogle and Winne- bago Counties. At the present time he is the owner of 660 acres of land in Ogle and Stephen- son Counties, besides the beautiful residence and grounds which he occupies at 35 Jefferson Street, Freeport. He has been prominent in poli- tics for many years, and for twenty years was a member of the Board of Education in Ridott Township, and Road Commissioner for eight years. With his wife he is a member of the Christian Church. Years of assiduous attention to the science of farming have made Mr. Piper one of the best authorities regarding country husbandry now living retired in Freeport. He is a discipte of progress and enlightenment, favoring all meas- ures for the uplifting and happiness of humanity, and in his own work and personality supplying an example of moderate, industrious and capable citizenship. PIPER, Rev. J. W.— The youngest son of Jacob and Anna Piper, Rev. J. W. Piper was born near Sharpsburg, Md., July 13, 1844, and when less than a year old came with his parents to Leaf River Township, Ogle County, 111., where he grew to manhood on a farm improved by his peo- ple from the raw prairie. Noticeably studious in even early childhood, Mr. Piper at the age of twenty years entered the Rock River Seminary, at Mount Morris, completing the course with the exception of two or three studies, and thereafter attending Monmouth College for a few terms, Cornell College, at Mount Vernon, Iowa, one term, and the Baptist Theological Seminary, Chicago, for half a year, leaving the latter in- stitution ill the early spring of 1870. ( March 10, 1S70. Rev. Mr. Piper was united in marriage to Tamma R. Hanger, oldest daughter of Rev. J. S. Hanger, of Taylor Township, and thereafter settled on a farm in Taylor Township, where he engaged in small farming pending his many years of activity in the church. In the early winter of 1872, he preached his first sermon in the Christian Church at Ashton, 111., and in the fall of 1877 moved with his wife and three children to North Grove, Leaf River Township, and there taught the district school of his old home. In the spring of 1881 he became pastor of the North Grove Christian Church, remaining in that capacity three years, and in March, 1S84, moved to Le Grand, Iowa, where two years previous he had purchased an eighty-acre farm, the fertility of which ever since has supplied the principal needs of the family. The Christian Church at Le Grand being without a pastor, he was engaged in that capacity for the three months preceding the sitting of the local confer- ence, and then was engaged as pastor for three consecutive years following. The activity in the church during that time was phenomenal, and more marriages were solemnized by the pastor than had fallen to the lot of any of his predecess- ors in the history of the church. There were many additions to the membership, the social features were enlarged, and the greatest possible harmony prevailed. Rev. Piper also officiated as pastor of the churches at Fairview, Bethel iind Ferguson, Iowa, besides engaging in mission work at several other points, and organizing three churches within the bounds of his confer- ence. For nearly twenty years Mr. Piper has been successively elected president of the Central Iowa Christian Conference, and held the presi- dency of the Board of Trustees of Palmer Col- lege for several years, or until requesting re- lease from the responsibilities entailed in the same. He then was elected to the position of Treasurer of the Board, and entrusted with the placing of its $51,000 endowment, which posi- tion he still maintains with large credit and dis- tinction. In the family of Mr. Piper are two married daughters, two married and two un- married sons, and he has eight grand-children. Notwithstanding the many demands upon his comparatively meager earnings in the ministry, and the by no means extensive income from his farm, Mr. Piper has given his children many educational and other advantages, and has sur- rounded them with the best possible moral and intellectual influences. He is a man of large heart and liberal religious views, possessed of a rare degree of unselfishness and generosity, and unconditionally devoted to the uplift of the people among whom his active and useful lot has been cast. Mrs. Elizabeth Trine, only daughter of Jacob Piper, was born on a farm in Washington County, Md., November 9, 1833, and in the spring of 1845 moved with her parents and other mem- bers of her family to Ogle County, 111. At the age of twenty-one years she was united in mar- riage to T. H. Trine, and thereupon moved to a farm in Winnebago County, where she -lived three years. Selling out, the couple spent the following winter in New York City, attending medical lectures, thereafter moving to Boston, Mass., where they studied and practiced physical culture and hygiene. Their next home was. in Providence, R. I., from where they went to New Haven, Conn., all the while following the same line of work. Returning to New York City, they spent the winter studying in a hygienic medical school, then spent a year in Cincinnati, Ohio, whence they removed to Chicago, their home for twelve years. In Chicago they worked up a large practice in Swedish movement, massage and other means of healing, after which Mrs. Trine went to her former home in Ogle County and for ten years took care of her ailing parents. Af- ter the death of her father and mother she re- moved to Marshall County, Iowa, and now makes her home with her youngest brother, Rev. J. W. Piper, employing her leisure in looking after her landed interests. PLUM, Daniel, who owns and operates a very productive farm in the vicinity of the village of Mount Morris. 111., and is considered one of the irost thorough and thrifty farmers in Mount 990 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. Morris Township, was born in Franklin County, Pa., August 11, 1844. His father, Christian Plum, died when Daniel was eighteen years old, and in 1864, the latter accompanied his mother and his two brothers, Will and Joseph to Ogle County, settling in Lincoln Township, on the place where Charles Brantner now lives. For four years he worked by the month for his elder brother, David, a sketch of whose life also ap- pears in this connection, and for one year at Sterling, 111., being employed elsewhere until his marriage, which took place in 1875. In that year, Grace Bushcole,- who was born in Germany, and was living at Forreston, 111., became his wife. Mr. Plum followed farming for a few years on eighty acres of land which he had bought in Lincoln Township, and in 1880 moved to his pres- ent farm in Mount Morris Township, four miles west of Mount Morris, his property running to the line of Lincoln Township. The farm consists of 141 acres, and on it he has erected good build- ings, and made other desirable improvements. He carries on general farming, and has met with deserved success. The children resulting from the union of Mr. and Mrs. Plum are as follows : David, who op- erates a fine farm in the vicinity of West Grove, Ogle County ; Hiram, of Dakota City, S. D. ; Jennie, wife of George Appel, a farmer living a mile north of his father's place; Cyrus, who graduated from a law school, and is now prac- ticing in Chicago, and Mary and Dannie, who are with their parents. In politics, Mr. Plum is a supporter of the Democratic party, but has no desire for public office, He and his excellent wife are members of the West Branch Brethren, or Dunker Church. PLUM, David. — The possibilities which Ogle County offers to men of resolute purpose and wise judgment nowhere find better exemplifica- tion than in the life and labors of David Plum, who came to this county from his eastern home at the age of twenty years, with no capital save youth, health and dauntless energy. Fortified by these, he has risen to a degree of prosperity as noteworthy as it is merited. Some of the finest farming land in Lincoln Township has come into his possession, and he now owns 920 acres in this township, where he has made his home ever since his marriage. After he had purchased and paid for this large tract he began to invest his earning elsewhere, acquiring in this way one sec- tion of wheat land in Manitoba, Canada, also about 2,500 acres in North Dakota and 400 acres in Northern California. For seven years he con- ducted an orange grove of forty acres in Cali- fornia, to which State he has made eleven trips. His travels have made him familiar with all of the great West, but in his opinion Illinois is the banner State of the union and Ogle County un- surpassed by any of the other counties that, by rich soil and valuable products, have brought fame to the commonwealth. Franklin County, Pa., is the place of Mr. Plum's nativity and May 8, 1837, the date of his birth. His paternal grandfather was Adam Plum, who came from Switzerland when a young man and settled in Adams County, Pa. His par- ents, Christian and Hannah (Gelsinger) Plum, were natives of Pennsylvania, where the former remained until his death in Franklin County; later the mother came to Illinois and spent her last days at Adeline, Ogle County. After hav- ing passed the years of youth in the east, David Plum came to Illinois in April, 1857, and settled in Maryland Township, Ogle County. For six months he followed the carpenter's trade, after which he rented a farm in partnership with Jacob Good. Returning later to Pennsylvania, he spent one year in Franklin County. On com- ing back to Ogle County he settled four miles north of Oregon, where he made his home for three years. His marriage was solemnized in Lincoln Township December 31, 1863, uniting him with Miss Martha Louisa Stover, a daughter of John Stover and a native of Washington County, Md. At the age of one year, in 1840, she was brought from Maryland to Illinois by her parents, and here she received an excellent edu- cation, as well as the training in domestic affairs necessary for the management of a home of her own. The young couple began housekeeping on the Stover farm, but in three years Mr. Plum bought a quarter-section of land in Lincoln Township, and settled on his own farm, since which time he has enjoyed a greater degree of prosperity than falls toi the lot of the majority. His three sons, John D., William and Samuel S., were given good educations and qualified by careful training for the responsibilities awaiting them in business life. No one is more stanch in his allegiance to the public school system than Mr. Plum, and his service as a School Director 'covers a period of twenty-one years, during which he has labored unweariedly to promote the welfare of his dis- trict school and to secure the best teachers possi- ble, as well as such equipment as will facilitate the work of instruction. Religion has added its charm to his well-rounded character and has im- parted to life a joy otherwise unrealized. For twenty-five years of more he has officiated as a deacon in the German Baptist Church, of which he has been a member forty-one years, and has been a zealous worker in its enterprises, besides contributing to other movements having for their object the well-being of humanity and the mental and spiritual uplifting of every race. PLUM, George G., farmer, Maryland Township, Ogle County, 111. The farmer, equally with the merchant, the banker and the professional man, builds his success on personal character. In- dustry, economy and square-dealing are as neces- sary to the one as to the other. Beyond those things, the farmer has, in his way, as much tech- nical knowledge to gain as has his contempory in store or office. The subject 'of this brief notice was born on a farm, has worked on a farm as boy and man ; has studied farming in all its as : pects, and is a farmer through and through. He HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 991 first saw the light of day in Leaf River Township, November 26, 1864. His parents were John C. and Catherine (Heller) Plum. His father, born in Franklin County, Pa., June, 22, 1831, died In Leaf River Township, February 5, 1898, and his mother, born in Dauphin County, Pa., May 5, 1839, died in Leaf River Township, June 29, 1898. They had seven children : Mary is the wife of Jonas Shaffstall ; Henry is deceased ; George G. is the immediate subject of this notice; William O. and Jacob live at Jacksonville, Minn. ; Samuel O. lives at German Valley, 111. ; Lydia, who is the youngest of the family, lives with her sister Mary in Iowa. George G. Plum, the third of his parents' chil- dren in order of birth, grew to manhood in Leaf River .Township, by turns attending school and working on the farm v In 1888, he located on his farm of 157 acres in Maryland Township. He has improved the place in every way, erecting on il suitable buildings of all kinds necessary to its profitable operation, and outfitting it with ma- chinery and accessories of all needful varieties. Mr. Plum married Miss Alice A. Myers, October 16, 1888. She is a daughter of George and Mary (Shugers) Myers, natives respectively of Ger- many and Pennsylvania. Her father died in Leaf River Township. Of his eleven children, she was tenth in order of birth. She was born in Leaf River Township, March 20, 1866, and was about twenty -two years old at the time of her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Plum have two daugh- ters : Vernie L., born May 2, 1890, who married John Haire, and Pearl M. born April 12, 1894. Mr. Plum is a Modern Woodman of America and is identified with other local organizations. He has many times and in many ways demonstrated his public spirit, for his interest in all local af- fairs impels him to helpfulness toward every- thing in his community which, in his opinion, pro- mises to benefit any large number of his fellow citizens. In politics, he is a Democrat. ' POLLOCK, Robert.— It was the fortune of Rob- ert Pollock to live in Ogle County for fifty-one years and, during that time, to establish one of the largest and most successful stock-raising en- terprises in the northern part of Illinois. Mr. Pollock inherited the tenacity of purpose and un- yielding determination of his Scottish fore- fathers, and these he transmitted to the children who survive him, and who, in carrying forward his life-work, maintain the reputation so pains- takingly and conscientiously won. Mr. Pollock was "born in Bellshill. Lanarkshire. Scotland, November 19, 1828, and at the time of his death in Ogle County, July 1, 1907, was seventy-eight years, seven months and twelve days old. He was reared on a farm in his native land, at- tended the district schools as occasion offered and, under wise parental supervision, laid the foundation for a strong and dependable manhood. In 1851. when about twenty-three years old. Mr. Pollock shook the dust of Scotland from his leet and in company with twenty friends, in- cluding Robert, Alexander and William Ander- son and their parents, came to the United States and settled in Ogle County, 111. He at once be- came interested in farming, succeeded as an em- ploye and renter, and in Oregon, 111., married, February 22, 1857, Mrs. Mary (Walker) King, who was born in Londonderry, Ireland, and rear- ed in the north of Scotland. In the latter country Miss Walker married William King, and in 1855 accompanied him to America, Mr. King being killed shortly after by lightning. Of this union there was a son, Alexander King, now a prac- ticing physician and surgeon of Pueblo, Colo. After his marriage, Mr. Pollock rented a farm, but soon after purchased railroad land in Lin- coln Township, Ogle County, upon which he erected a small house which he made his home until 1892. In the meantime he added to his land until he owned 250 acres, all of it under cultivation and having the best of modern im- provements, including a fine dwelling, capacious barns and outhouses, and expensive implements. From the first of his farming experience, the owner took a great interest in high-grade stock, of which he became an excellent judge and au- thority, In time he became the stock king of his part of the county, and he' never saved energy or expense in perfecting his breed or improving his opportunities About twen- ty-five years ago he returned to Scot- land and imported some of the famous black cattle of that country, and also some brood mares, and with this nucleus he raised large numbers of blooded stock for breed- ing purposes, finding a ready market for his products in Iowa and other Central Western States. In 1894 Mr. Pollock moved into the beautiful home which be had erected in Polo, although he still maintained a keen interest in his farm and superintended its management. He was for- tunate in having a son. David, who shared his liking for country life, and who readily applied himself to its responsibilities and duties, being at present the sole owner of the splendid prop- erty. Latterly, Mr. Pollock traveled for many months in the'West, and his last days were spent in comparative freedom from business cares. He cared nothing for politics or public life, but was sincerely devoted to his family and friends, and alwavs 'was proud of his stock and farm equipment. He had the strong Scottish tend- ency towards Presbyterianism, and helped to lmiid the Union Church, of which he was a loyal member and generous donor. Of his four chil- dren, Letitia died at the age of fifteen years and William passed away in childhood, while Jean- nette is the wife of George Hay, of Woosung Township, Ogle County, and the mother of four sons and one daughter. Davis, his father's suc- cessor in the stock business, and who is a young man of great energy and resources, has four daughters, of whom Mabel is engaged in educa- tional work, and Edith, Rena and Doris are at- tending the Polo High School. PRICE, Charles J., M. D.— The comparatively brief professional career of Dr. Charles J. Price 992 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. has been dignified by more than ordinary erudi- tion and preparation, and by a natural fitness and adaptiveness, which cannot but lead their possessor far afield in the pursuit of his noble and humanitarian life purpose. Dr. Price who is a native son of Ogle County, was born on a farm in Lincoln Township April 26, 1874, his parents being Jacob and Ann Maria (Brown) Price, the former of whom came to Ogle County in 1842, with Benjamin Swingley, and the latter came in 1847 with a relative, Lewis Downey, who died a short time after his arrival. The subject's maternal grandfather, Brown, followed the mar- tial fortunes of Washington during the entire Revolutionary War, lost an arm in active ser- vice. After leaving the country school Dr. Price at- tended Mrs. Winson's private school during the season of 1878-88, the Forreston public schools from 1889 until 1891, and the University of Illi- nois from 1891 until 1894. His professional equipment was acquired at the Northwestern University Medical School, from which he grad- uated from the three years' course, in 1899, and the Hahnemann Medical College, from which he graduated in 1900. In August of the latter year, he came to Mount Morris to assume the practice abandoned by the late Dr. David Newcomer, and in the meantime has built up a large and lucra- tive business, winning cnfidence and support by his demonstrated skill and ability, and the equally important asset of a pleasing and optimistic per- sonality. He is a member of the Ustion Medical Fraternity, of Chicago, the Ogle County Medical Society, the Illinois State Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. He was spe- cial pathologist at Hahnemann Hospital from 1899 until 1900. In political affiliations Dr. Price is a Republi- can, but he thus far has had no political aspira- tions. At Dixon, 111. December 10, 1902, he was united in marriage to Agnes Bell Chase, and of the union there is a daughter, Margaret, born January 12, 1905. Dr. Price has a keen appre- ciation of the compensations and responsibilities of medical practice, and in consequence is an earnest student along all lines which lend knowl- edge and insight thereto. PYPER, Chester G., a prominent and successful farmer, of Leaf River, Ogle County, 111. In con- sidering the somce, whence Ogle County's popula- tion has been drawn, Scotland will not be over- looked. In proportion to their number, Ogle County citizens of Scotch nativity or descent have done as much for the development of local interests as any other class. The writing of the life history of the canny Scot is usually pleasant, and the reading of it is usually pleasant, also. Interesting as it is to read of "The Land of Burns," it must be found doubly so to read of old friends and neighbors in whose veins flows blood akin to that of the Scottish poet. Robert Pyper was Burns' second cousin. His son, George Pyper, was born thirty miles west of Aberdeen, Scotland, on the Gladstone estate, June 24, 1828. Jane Emsley, who became his wife, was born in the same neighborhood December 11, 1834. They were married in Fettercairn, Scotland, December 11, 1853, and in the summer of 1854, emigrated to America, crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel, and landing at New York in July. There they remained six weeks, then removed to Long Isl- and, where they lived somewhat more than a year. From Long Island they went to Lancaster, Pa., and after a residence there of a year and a half, they moved to a place in the country not far from the city. In the spring of 1858 they came to Ogle County, and settled in Mount Mor- ris Township, where they lived several years. Then, after a few months' residence in Rockvale Township, they went to Leaf River Township, where they had a home for four years. After that they lived a number of years in Maryland Township and later two ye&rs in Carroll County, Iowa, then, returning to Ogle County, they lived a year in Maryland Township ; then four years in Forreston Township, a mile east of Forreston. After that they again lived in Maryland Town- ship until the fall of 1905, when they settled in the village of Leaf River, where Mr. Pyper died, June 15, 1907. George and Jane (Emsley) Pyper had nine children ; Susan married John Koontz and died in Maryland Township, November 5, 1896; Wil- liam died in Bonhomme County, S. Dak., March 14, 1901, aged forty-four years ; Chester G., Is the immediate subject of this sketch ; John S., is a farmer in Maryland Township ; Philip A. is a dentist and lives at Pontiac, 111., in the active practice of his profession ; Ernest S. is in the agricultural implement trade at Leaf River ; Oscar H. is winning success as a jeweler at Janesville, Wis. Two children died in infancy. Chester G. Pyper was born in Mount Morris Township, October 10, 1861. He remained with his father, who was a tailor, fourteen years and afterward a farmer, until he was twenty-one years old, after that time for about six years, being in the employ of different farmers. Then, branching out for himself, he rented a farm in Maryland Township for two years, and after that another farm in Stephenson County for a like period. At the expiration of his second lease, he bought 160 acres of land in Leaf River Town- ship, northeast of Leaf River village, whicli he farmed until December, 1903, when he removed to Leaf River village, where he has since lived As a Republican he has taken an active interest in politics and moie especially in local affairs. For four years he filled the office of Highway Commissioner in Leaf River Township and in 1905, and again in 1907, was elected Supervisor of that Township. His interest in church work is of a helpful, practical kind that has added not a little to his usefulness in the community. He is a director of the Lincoln Mutual Fire' In- surance Company. January 9, 1890, Mr. Pyper married Miss Ida Faulders, a native of Leaf River, and a daughter of Josiah and Sarah Faulders. Mrs. Pyper died April 20, 1903, and on June 17, 1908, he married HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 993 as his second wife, Miss Nena Newcomer of Leaf River, 111. PYPER, John S., farmer, of Maryland Town- ship, Ogle County, is one of the progressive among the younger farmers of his vicinity. His history is that of a purely self-made man. Not- withstanding, it is a history that has been oft- repeated in the West, at least in some of its notable feature — that of a man who works by the month until he is able to rent a farm and with the money made on a rented farm buys and improves a farm of his own — and it will be found interesting to all who seek an insight into the methods by which success has been won in the agricultural districts of Illinois. John S. Pyper is of Scotch blood, Robert Pyper his grandfather, was a second cousin of Robert Burns, while George Pyper, the son of the latter, married Jane Emsley, both being born about thirty miles west of Aberdeen, Scotland, the former on the Gladstone estate. George Pyper was born June 24, 1828, and Jane Emsley Decem- ber 11, 1834, and they were married at Fetter- cairn, December 11, 1853, and in 1854 emigrated to America, landing in New York in July. Mr. Pyper was a tailor by trade but was destined in America to become a farmer. In about six weeks after they disembarked, they took up their resi- dence on Long Island. After remaining there a little longer than a year, they went into Penn- sylvania locating in Lancaster, where they lived a year and afterward, until the spring of 1858, in a rural neighborhood in Lancaster County. Then coming to Ogle County, 111., they lived sev- eral years at Mount Morris, later a few months in Rockvale Township, and from Rockvale Town- ship moved to Leaf River Township. Pour years later they located in Maryland Township and after remaining there some years, emigrated to Carroll County, Iowa, where they lived two years. Coming back to Ogle County, they stopped a year in Maryland Township, then lived four years in Forreston Township about a mile west of Forreston village, but again returning to Mary- land Township, lived there until late in 1905, when they located in the village of Leaf River. There, on June 15, 1907, Mr. Pyper died. The nine children of George and Jane (Emsley) Pyper are here briefly referred to : William died in Bonhomme County, S. Dak., March 14, 1901, in the forty-fifth year of his age ; Chester G., who is a retired farmer well known in Ogle County, is the subject of a separate biographical sketch which appears in this work ; Susan be- came Mrs. John Koontz and died November 5, 1896, in Maryland Township; John S., is the subject of this sketch ; Philip A. is achieving professional success as a dentist at Pontiac, 111. ; Oscar H. is in the jewelry trade in Janesville, Wis. ; Ernest S. is a dealer in agricultural imple- ments at Leaf River. Mr. and Mrs. Pyper the parents of this family had two other children who died young. John S. Pyper, fourth in order of birth of his parents' children, was born in Leaf River Town- ship, November 15, 1863, gained his education in the common schools and by practical experi- ence acquired a good knowledge of farming. He assisted his father until he was twenty-one years old, and during the succeeding two years worked J)y the month for other farmers. Then, after farming on rented land in Maryland Township four years, he bought the farm of 100 acres on which he has since lived. In 1905 he bought his father's old farm of 120 acres, making his entire holdings 220 acres. His success has been note- worthy, and those who best know him are en- thusiastic in the statement that it- is well de- served. His public-spirit has commended him to the esteem of his fellow-citizens and he takes a deep interest in local affairs of importance. Especially has he been a friend to public schools and has conscientiously and efficiently filled the office of School Director for his district. Mr. Pyper was married at Freeport, III., June 24, 1888, to Miss Emma Miller, a native of Mary- land Township, born June 24, 1869, and a daugh- ter of William H. and Nancy (Sigler) Miller. Her father is a native of Alleghany County, Md., born August 24, 1841, and her mother born in the same county, April 22, 1844. They married in Ogle County in July, 1866, and located in Mary- land Township, where Mr. Miller died October 13, 1904. Of their five children, Mrs. Pyper was the third in order of birth. She has borne her husband three children named respectively, Rus- sell E., Gladys M. and Helen V. RAHILLY, John, Sr.— The opportunities af- forded by the new world to young men of energy and resolution are nowhere better exemplified than in the life and character of John Rahilly, Sr., one of the most successful men now residing in Rochelle. Born in County Limerick, Ire- land, in January of 1828, he passed his boyhood years amid scenes of poverty and destitution. The ill-fated land of his birth could scarce provide for its suffering sons and daughters, and many of them were led to seek a home across the ocean, among these being John Rahilly, who in 1854 landed in New York and traveled westward as far as St. Charles, III. During the same year he came to Rochelle, wheTe he secured employment in the building and ballasting of the railroad. Next he spent one season in Iowa working at railroad construction west of Clinton, and on his return to Rochelle began to work as a teamster. The operating of rented land gave Mr. Rahilly his first start in life, and, after having rented for almost twenty years, in 1875, he began to buy land with his savings. At first he purchased 280 acres, some five years later he buying 125 acres. The purchase price originally was about $30 per acre, but later he paid as high as $55. The land is now worth far beyond his most en- thusiastic expectations, and he rents his estate of 405 acres for six dollars per acre. For fif- teen years he has made his home in Rochelle and has rented the farm, meanwhile maintaining the best improvements on the place. Consider- able tiling has been done where needed. Sub- stantial barns have been erected, with every fa- cility for the storage of grain and the shelter of ■994 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. stock. The farm-house is commodious and adapted to the needs of the inmates. The Rahilly farm lies in a body east of town and extends one mile north and south, being bordered on one side by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad for one mile and on the other side by the Chicago & Northwestern Road. While living on the farm Mr. Rahilly kept a hay press .and pressed large quanities of hay grown on his own place, besides buying and baling hay for miles around. One of his specialties was the raising of sheep on his own land and the buying of sheep raised by others, to facilitate which work he owned sheep-feeding yards near the railroad stockyards. In every line of agriculture he was an authority and as a result of his in- dustry, knowledge and sagacity, he attained an unusual degree of prosperity. Besides his large income from his farm he has other sources of revenue and has invested more than $12,000 in buildings in town. Much of the credit for his success Mr. Rahilly gives to his wife, who was a native of County Limerick, Ireland, and bore the maiden name of Catherine Mead. They became the parents of ten children and have thirty-three grand-chil- dren, of whom they very proud. The names of the children are as follows : John, a well-known citizen of Rochelle ; James, who died at thirty- one years of age; Josie, who married William Hope and lives at Dekalb, 111. ; Mary, Mrs. J.^ Harman, of Lee County ; Michael, who died at the age of eleven years ; Anna, who died unmar- ried at the age of twenty-two years ; Emma, who is married and lives at Fox Lake, 111., her hus- band being proprietor of a hotel there; Katie, Mrs. Edward Harmon, of Lee County ; Susan, Mrs. William McDermott, of Dekalb ; and Liz- zie, who is the wife of Maurice Riley of Rochelle. At the time of settling in Rochelle Mr. Rahilly found no services in the church of his choice, Roman Catholic, but later Father Dwyer came from St. Charles to minister to the spiritual needs of the few members in this section, and afterward Father Ford from Dixon, took charge of the work. A small house of worship was erected and Mr. and Mrs. Rahilly still hold mem- bership with the congregation. Throughout all of his life Mr. Rahilly has been a strictly tem- perate man and has never chewed nor smoked tobacco, nor has he ever shot off a gun or pistol. In early life he had neither leisure nor money tor pleasure or, indeed, for anything but the strictest necessities ; and temperate habits were thus formed that have clung to him throughout all of his years. His has been a life of hard work and, with the constant aid of his wife, he has risen to a degree of success beyond his hopes when be landed in this country, a stranger in a strange land, without money or friends, and with nothing to aid him but a robust constitution and an industrious disposition. RASMUSSEN, Martin.— Like the majority of his immigrating countrymen, Martin Rasmussen arrived in this country from Denmark, with few worldly assets, with no knowledge whatever of the language or customs of the people among whom his future was to be cast, but with that appreciation of industry and thrift which the centuries have ingrafted into his hard-working and poverty environed people. He was born Oc- tober 7, 1849, and was therefore twenty-four years old when he stepped from the gang-plank of a sailing vessel in New York, during the sum- mer of 1873, and he went direct to the mines and pineries of Northern Michigan, where he soon found employment in a blasting furnace. Two years later he came to Ogle County and for some time worked as a farm hand, observing the great- est possible economy, and laying by all of his wages that he could spare. A turning point in his life was the marriage of Mr. Rasmussen in Lee County, 111., November 14, 1877, to Anna C. Villadsen, who was born in Denmark September 29, 1856, and who came to America with her parents in the early '80s. Her father died in Nebraska, but her mother still lives. With his wife Mr. Rasmussen settled in Lee County and worked at farming a couple of years, then rented land in Dement Township, Ogle County, for five years, and in Flagg Town- ship ten years. In 1893 he located on his pres- ent farm in Pine Rock Township, where he owns 200 acres of land which he has devoted to stock, and general produce raising. He is a painstaking ;ind conscientious farmer, observing method and order on every part of his propetry, and keeping his buildings and general improvements in ex- cellent repair. A fine orchard, vegetable garden and shade trees contribute to the convenience and comfort of the family, and the home is one in which good-will and consideration are en- couraged and maintained. Mr. and Mrs. Ras- mussen are the parents of nine children : Charles W., Anton, Mary, wife of William Cratty ; Elna M„ wife of H. B. Ludwig ; Jerry H., James P., Henry C, Levi M. and William S. RASMUSSEN, Nels, who is the owner and oc- cupant of a fine farm of 306 acres in Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., is a German by na- tivity, having been born in Holstein, Germany, August 8, 185:1. His parents, Rasmus and Eliza- beth (Jverseu) Rasmussen. spent most of their lives in the old country, coming to the United States in 1SS5. and locating in Kane County, 111., where both died. Their family consisted of nine children. Xels Rasmussen, who was the eldest of these, lived in his native land until he reached the age of twenty-eight years, for two years of this period serving as a soldier in the German Army. In the spring of 1881, he came to this country, settling in Kane County, 111., and applying himself to farming. There he re- mained until March, 1907, when he moved to Ogle County, locating on his present place, which he had purchased some time previously. The marriage of Mr. Rasmussen took place in Elburn, Kane County. 111., on June 21, 1884, when he was joined in matrimonial bonds with Cath- erine Bernhardt. The birth of Mrs. Rasmussen HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 995 occurred in Holstein, Germany, February 21, 1857, and she came to the United States in 1884. She is a daughter of Peter and Sophia (Larson) Bernhardt, of whom the former died in Ger- many. Three children composed their family, of whom Catherine was the last born. Mr. and Mrs. Rasmussen are the parents of five children, namely: Rasmus, Mary, Elizabeth, and Nels and Peter (twins). In polities, Mr. Rasmussen is a supporter of the Democratic party. He is a man of upright character, an energetic and thorough farmer, and an intelligent and well disposed member of the community. REED, Judge Frank E.— The qualities univer- sally recognized as essential to the maintenance of high ideals of life and work, find emphatic ex- pression in the career of Judge Frank E. Reed, whose successful and varied labors have enriched the history of jurisprudence and politics in Ogle County for the past quarter of a century, and whose present and third term as County Judge indicates the local appreciation of his ability, in- tegrity and general fitness. Judge Reed is a prod- uct of the possibilities and opportunities of the prairies of Illinois, having been born in Days- ville, Ogle County, September 21, 1859. George M. Reed, father of Frank E., was born among the hills of New Hampshire, while his wife, Elizabeth (Thompson) Reed, was a native of England.. Lyman Reed, grandfather of the Judge, came to Ogle County during the early '40s, settling in Nashua Township, where at Daysville he was engaged in mercantile pursuits for the balance of his life, his death occurring when his grandson, Frank E., was a small boy. George M. Reed had few years to his credit when the family removed to Daysville, and though now following the paternal example as a store-keeper, he formerly learned the carpenter trade which ever since has been a practical asset in his ca- reer. Two of his brothers, Virgil E. and Edwin E. were soldiers in the Civil War, serving in the Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Virgil E. was captured by the enemy and imprisoned in Libby Prison at Richmond, while Edwin E. was wounded at the battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Both are now living in Ogle County. Mr. Reed has taken a prominent part in general affairs in Daysville, and as a Republican has held many local political offices in Nashau Township. Judge Reed inaugurated his independent ca- reer in that ante-chamber of many callings, pub- lic school teaching, continuing the same for two years, after the completion of his course at the high school in Oregon. His purpose to study law was an early and clearly defined one, and was begun with Judge Jacobs, of Oregon, and con- tinued with Franc Bacon of the same place, and in 1888 he was admitted to the bar. In the meantime he filled'the position of Deputy County Clerk and after his admission to the bar, began a general law practice in Oregon. He was twice elected City Attorney and held the office of Justice of the Peace for several years, and in 1898 was elected County Judge, twice succeeding himself in this important office. During a continuous bench service of ten years, he has evinced those qualities which have proven his fitness for the position which he has occupied. As a lawyer and judge he has proved his skill and capability by the successful hand- ling of intricate problems of law, and has indi- cated an ambition to secure the public good rather than promote his personal aggrandize- ment. Of a genial and optimistic nature, Judge Reed is held in high social esteem, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows, having filled all of the chairs in the latter fraternity. While not a member, he is an attendant at the Presbyterian Church. In May 1886 he was united in marriage to Car- rie A. Pankhurst, who was born in Grand Detour, Ogle County, but has spent most of her life in Oregon. Mrs. Reed's parents are Stephen and Julia (Hathaway) Pankhurst, the latter of whom is said to be the oldest living white per- son born in Grand Detour. Stephen Pankhurst was born in England and came as a small boy with his parents to the United States, settling in Grand Detour and coming to Oregon in 1871, where for nearly thirty years, or until his re- tirement, he was bookkeeper for the First Na- tional Bank of Oregon. Jud^e and Mrs. Reed have one daughter, Helen. REED, Samuel, Jr., was born in Middletown, Delaware County, N. Y., May 23, 1790, son of Samuel and Mary (Benedict) Reed. Samuel Reed, Sr., enlisted in the War of 1812, and about 1817 or 1818, he moved to Jackson County, Ohio, and later to Ross County, where he lived until 1827, or 1828, when he came to Fort Clark (now Peoria), 111. Samuel Reed, Jr., married Phebe Sanford. and in 1820 came to Ohio, where he joined his father, but was not satisfied. In 1830 he spent the winter in Peoria, but in the spring of 1831 came to Buffalo Grove in what was then Jo Daviess County, and locating on the south side of the grove, he v>ent back with his family. Im- mediately upon their arrival, he with his sons put up a primitive log house, and was the first man who came to Buffalo Grove with the express purpose of cultivating the soil. After the dis- turbing experiences of the Black Hawk War, when he and his family were forced to seek safety elsewhere, he put in a crop of wheat, cut hay and prepared for the long, cold winter. In spite of the troubles, the Indian neighbors were friendly, and when Mr. Reed was sick, supplied the family with game. During the Indian scare of 1833, Mr. Reed took his family away, but upon their return, they all settled down to get what they could out of the soil. In 1833, Samuel Reed. Sr., came on a visit on horseback, and died there August 17th, his being the first death in Buffalo Grove, and his burial taking place in what later became the Reed Cemetery. Probably Mr. Reed was the first man from Ogle County to visit Chi- cago for supplies, and while there he was offered 996 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. a town lot on Lake Street for $25. He had bet- ter crops than his neighbors, and not only sold wheat and corn to them, but gave them employ- ment. Samuel Reed, Jr., was a patron of schools, and a substantial, important factor in the pio- neer life of Buffalo Grove. He was made a dele- gate lo the Democratic Convention which nomi- nated Judge Thomas Ford for Governor in 1842. He died July 26, 1852, aged sixty-two years, his widow surviving him until November 2, 1S57. REED, Virgil E.— A resident of Ogle County since his birth, September 1, 1841, Virgil E. Reed is descended from parents of New England na- tivity, who moved to Ogle County, 111., in 1839. His father, Lyman T. Reed, was born in West- field, Vt, December 25, 1809, and Mehitabel (Clark) Reed, born in Gilsum, N. H., April 24, 1814, their marriage taking place at Gilsum, N. H, May 14, 1835. To this union were born six children — four boys and two girls — namely : George M., born at Gilsum, N. H., February 7, 1836; Mary, Daysville, III., July 5, 1840; Virgil E., Daysville, 111., September 1, 1841 ; Lucy Ann, Daysville, 111., April 25, 1844; Edwin E., Days- ville, 111., February 10, 1846; John L., Daysville, 111., February 15, 1850. Lyman Reed, as a carpenter by trade, did much toward erecting many buildings in Ogle County during its pioneer growth. Later he be- came one of its leading merchants and until his death (January 8, 1866), dealt in general mer- chandise at his residence in Daysville. Here the subject of this sketch grew to manhood, meantime acquiring a common school education, and assisting his parents in the post-office and other duties, as circumstances required. When the call for volunteers was made in 1861, he was one of the very first from his neighborhood to offer his services, being accepted as a Musician in Company F, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted August 22, 1861, for a pe- riod of "three years or during the war." De- cember 23, 1863, he re-enlisted as a veteran and continued with his company in all its engage- ments and campaigns, including Sherman's march to the Sea and the Grand Review at Washing- ton, D. C, until mustered out of service July 12, 1865. He was slightly wounded in the left hand and taken prisoner at the battle of Stone River, near Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 31, 1862, afterward was held as prisoner of war until ex- changed at Benton Barracks, Mo., June 11, 1863, when returning to his command, he found them in camp on the battle field where he was captured. On returning to his home Mr. Reed arranged to attend school for a season at the Mt. Morris Seminary. April 3, 1866, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Harriet D. Carpenter, who was born April 3, 1844, in the house where she still makes her home. As boy and girl they attended the same school aud had been sweethearts from an early age. They are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He became a mem- ber of the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 420, Ore- gon, soou after the war; also of the Sons of Tem- perance, adhering strictly to the principles of this order. Mrs. Reed is a member of the Chap- ter of the Eastern Star, No. 324, Oregon, 111. The Reed residence is a choice home, located in Watertown, 111., in Section 13. The dwelling is surrounded by a stone wall some twenty-five rods in length, including a variety of choice rock from nearly every State in the Union, besides a great accumulation of curious specimens to view in the yards, which Mr. Reed has been collecting for the past forty years. Mr. and Mrs. Reed are the parents of four sons, namely : Leon Arthur, born October 10, 1867; Elmer Virgil. February 20, 1871; Ernest Carpenter, August 2S, 1872; Oscar Orrin, June 8, 1877. Leon A., who is engaged in farming, was married December 25, 1900, to Miss Susie E. Pentz. She died September 29, 1904, leaving a son, Delos McKenney Reed, born October 12, 1903. All the sons are extensively engaged in real-estate business, handling Texas lands as a specialty. Mr. Reed is stanchly devoted to the welfare of his native county, and gives his sup- port to all movements for its upbuilding, and particularly has been interested in the develop- ment of the public school system in rural dis- tricts. For a period of thirty-four years he has filled the position of School Director and, during that long time, has accomplished much in advanc- ing the standard of education as associated with country schools. Life for him has meant much in seeking attainment of the highest ideals of honor and truth, and the fulfilling of every duty falling upon a patriotic citizen. The parents of Mrs. Reed were John and Lou- isa (Chamberlain) Carpenter, the latter being a daughter of Major and Elizabeth (Shed) Cham- berlain, who came from New York to Ogle Coun- ty, 111., as early as 1838, settling in Nashua Town- ship. April 29, 1842, Louisa Chamberlain became the wife of John Carpenter, who had come west from Keene, N. H., during the year 1836, and had spent a year near Ann Arbor, Mich., coming to Ogle County, 111., during 1837. Mr. Carpenter after coming to Ogle County, took up land ad- joining the Major Chamberlain homestead, where he kept ''bachelor's hall" for a time. In connec- tion with Major Chamberlain, he developed water-power and started a saw-mill which he operated in partnership with David B. Stiles, later selling the plant to Samuel M. Hitt. uncle of the late Robert R. Hitt, long a member of Con- gress from the Ogle County District. For some years Major Chamberlain made his home in El- gin, 111., but later returned to his farm and there passed away at the age of eighty-four years. Of his family, Louisa was the only one to remain in this vicinity. After the death of Mr. Carpenter in 1874, she married Edward Reese and removed to Roekford, 111. Eventually she married a Mr. Edwards and died in Roekford at the age of seventy-four years. Of the five children born to her union with Mr. Carpenter, only two attained years of maturity, namely : Harriet, who mar- ried Mr. Reed, and a brother Frank. REES, Rev. James M., Lutheran clergyman and HTSTOUY OF OGLE COUNTY. 997 bee eulturist, Mount Morris, 111. If men of any class have a right to look back with pleasure upon years of toil and hardship, certainly preach- ers of the Gospel, who plant churches in new communities, one after another through long pe- riods, have a right to consider their time well spent, and when account is tfrken of their achieve- ments, the people of the different communities in which they have labored can but consider them- selves fortunate in having had for a time such useful and unselfish citizens. There are men born to be pioneers in religious work, just as other men are born to be pioneers in other fields of human endeavor. Such preachers are usually men of strong personalitv, who are 'ible to attract and keep friends and induce them to become also the friends of the cause which they represent. Rev. James M. Rees first saw the light of day in Lewisburg, Union County. Pa., October (!, 1839 His parents were Semah and Margaret (Sites) Rees, and his father was a hatter by trade. In 1850. when he was about fourteen years old, his family moved to the West, making their wav by land and water as best they could. Pour hun- dred acres of land or more, south of Elroy. Ogle Oountv. was secured, and there Semah Rees and his wife lived out their days, he dying aged about sixty-three years, and she aged seventv-five vears. James Monroe Rees went back east and was graduated from Susquehanna College with the class of 18B9. This was a Lutheran college known as the South Missionarv Institute, which had both a classical and theological course. Except in the time spent in college, Mr. Rees had devoted himself to farming, meanwhile giv- ing some time to the study of law. His father had given a farm to each of his six sons. It will he seen that the young man might easily hfve become a farmer, and that, had he been so in- clined, he might have become a lawyer with pretty good chances of worldly success. A law- yer with ability to preach would have been a lawyer with ability to convincingly nresent a case in court, or on the rostrum, to talk himself into the- United States Senate. These things Mr. Rees put sternly aside. He felt that he had a call to preach the gospel and, unhesitatingly, even humbly, he answered to that call. Imme- diately after his graduation, he was ordained to the ministry of the Lutheran Church, after a strict examination at Jersey Shore, Pa., and his brother. Enos S. Rees. was likewise ordained at the same time. Mr. Rees had come of a strong class in college and, by training, by consecration and determination, he was fitted to start out on the rather rocky road that lay before him. His first charge was in Pottawattamie County. Iowa, and to reach it he had to drive overland about 400 miles. He went into a new field, where there were Lutherans hut where thev had no church organization. The people among whom he had' come to labor had advertised for a pastor ; he had answered their advertisement and subse- quent correspondence had brought to him a promise of "a living for a year." He remained three years, first preaching in depots and in such other places as were open for him, and leaving three organized societies as the result of his labor. He married, March 30, 1872, Miss Mary Plumb, daughter of the Rev. Francis Plumb, a Methodist minister and also a farmer. Mrs. Rees was born in Lancashire, England, but had come to Ohio before she was five years old. She had received a good education and when, at twenty-three years of age, she married, she had been for several years a teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Rees began housekeeping in a parsonage that was. erected for them. His next charge was at Elvi- ra, Clinton County, Iowa, where he preached several years. After that he was called to min- ister to a society at Twin Grove, Wis. There he built a church, but in the midst of his success was stricken with sorrow because of the death of his eldest son. He remained there four years, and the next four years spent at Waterloo, Iowa, where he built a country church. His next charge was at Oxford Junction, Iowa, where he preached foui or five years. Thence he was called to Princeton, Iowa, as pastor of an old charge in a country neighborhood. After that he preached for a while at Port Byron, 111., whence he removed in 1896 to Mount Morris, in order to educate his children. He bought the Horace G. Kauffman farm of thirty-five acres, just east of the town, and gives himself princi- pally to the culture of bees, according some at- tention to poultry raising, preaching only occa- sionally. His home is a pleasant one. While he sometimes feels that he would like to return to his old work, he believes that he is paying a debt to his children and to the world. Mr. and Mrs. Rees have had nine children Three of them, Arleigh Osmond, Clyde Clifford and Maud Mabel, are dead. Bertie Octavia mar- ried Jesse Reynolds and lives at Lena, 111. Amy Cleora is Mrs. Fred O'Hara of Port Byron, 111. Leslie Everett, who was the first graduate of Mount Morris College, is Principal of the public school at Davis Junction, Ogle County. Vernon Victor lives at Mount Morris. Vera Alberta is a proof-reader in the office of the "Mount Morris Index." Perley Carlisle is a student at Mount Morris Academy. At the time of her death Maud Mabel was in her nineteenth year, and, having about completed her studies, had been looking forward to early graduation. All of Mr. Rees' children are members of the Lutheran Church. Though a Democrat all his life, he has never been specially active in politics. However, he once served his fellow townsmen as Tax Collec- tor. Useful as has been his career, counting all results to date, his work has been of the kind that will live after him, its influence ever broad- ening, at times taking root in fresh ground, ever bearing fruit creditable to him and grateful to the world. It is work that he has done, not for himself but for Him by whom he was called, and for those to whom he has been called. REMMERS, Reiner G., a retired farmer of Grand Detour, Ogle County, 111., whose industry, energy and thrifty management have made him a 'man of independent means, while his upright character has won the confidence and respect of 998 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. his fellow-townsmen, was born in Oldenburg, Germany, December 11, 1834. He is a son of Ma mm Remmers, also of that country, whose whole life was spent in the land of his birth. The subject of this sketch remained in Germany until he reached the age of thirty-two years, his time being partly passed in farming and partly in the army, in which he served for seven years. In 1866 he emigrated to the United States, pro- ceeding directly to Lee County, 111., and living there for a considerable period. Moving to Ogle County in 1877, he rented land two years and then bought 160 acres in Grand Detour Township, on which he followed farming until the spring of 1898, with very profitable results. At that time he relinquished active exertion, and took up his residence in the village of Grand Detour, where he is now passing his waning years in comfortable retirement. He is the owner of 342 acres of land in Grand Detour Township, the greater portion of which is improved, his last purchase having been made in the fall of 1892. On July 19, 1869, at Dixon, 111., Mr. Remmers was united in matrimony with Caroline Sehroe- der, who was born in Germany, December 13, 1 849, a daughter of John and Dorothy Schroeder. Mrs. Remmers came to this country with her parents in 1866, who settled in Lee County, 111., but afterward moved to Grand Detour, where they passed the closing years of their lives. Their family consisted of six children, of whom the wife of Mr. Remmers was the fifth. Pour chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Remmers, as follows : Hattie A., wife of Albert Tholen ; George F., Charles W., and Bertha, who died at Grand Detour aged eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Remmers have visited notable Expositions, in- cluding the World's Fair at Chicago, 1893 ; the Expositions at Omaha and St. Louis, and the Lewis-Clark Exposition at Portland, Oregon. During the latter trip they visited British Co- lumbia and various points of interest in the western part of the United States. Politically, Mr. Remmers has always acted with the Democratic party, and was for twelve years Road Commissioner of Grand Detour Township. He and his good wife are active members of the German Lutheran Church. RICE, Hon. Isaac (deceased), formerly one of the oldest residents of Mount Morris, 111., and foremost in promoting the development of Ogle County throughout all its earlier stages, was born in Washington County, Md., October 28, 1826, a son of Jacob and Mary (Rowland) Rice, whose Maryland home was near where the Bat- tle of Antietani was fought in after years. In the early thirties his father, who was born Sep- tember 2, 1784, removed to Clark County, Ohio, where Isaac attended school at New Carlisle, and in the spring of l.s:>7, Jacob Rice and John Wagner (an uncle), with their families, started westward through the wilderness of Ohio and Indiana, finally arriving in the Rock River Val- ley, which impressed them as a desirable and suitable spot to establish a home. For a time the "prairie schooners," which they had used in the long journey, furnished their shelter and living accommodations, this condition continuing until an elder brother brought from Cincinnati tools and other facilities for putting up a dwell- ing. Then they built a double log-house, about four miles north of the present site of Mount Morris, and the four rooms of this primitive abode housed the twenty people composing the pioneer party during their first winter in Ogle- County. At that time all the region around them was unsettled and wild, and traces of the recent Black Hawk War were here and there observa- ble. Deer and other wild game were abundant. The necessary milling was done at St. Charles, Kane County, and Chicago was the point for marketing their produce. The subject of this sketch once took fifty bushels of wheat to the Chicago market, using two yokes of oxen, con- suming ten days in the trip to and fro, and re- ceiving thirty cents per bushel for the grain. In 1838, Jacob Rice built a school-house of logs on his own land, with seats of slabs hauled from the saw-mill at Grand Detour and slab desks resting on pegs. At the age of eighteen years, Isaac Rice, who was the largest boy in the set- tlement and the only one fitted for the task (hav- ing attended Rock River Seminary), taught school there for two terms, his compensation being $18 per month without board. In 1840, Mount Morris became the location of the Metho- dist school, and this selection resulted in the town's enduring association with many honored names, notably those of Hitt, Farwell, Wallace, Beveridge, Rawlins and Cullom. On settling in Ogle County, Jacob Rice entered up about d,200 acres of Government land, all of which he improved, being identified during a pe- riod of forty-two years with the development of Ogle County. He died on his farm April 25. 1870, his first wife, Mary (Roland) Rice, who way born May 28, 1788, having passed away Decem- ber 21, 1840. His second wife, Catherine (Funk) Rice, born August 24, 1797, died December 26, 1900. Of the twelve children born of the first marriage, Isaac Rice was the eleventh. After- finishing his studies in the seminary and his ex- perience as a teacher, he read medicine with Dr. Francis A. McNeill and then entered Rush Med- ical College, from which he was graduated wTth the class of 1855. He practiced his profession a short time in partnership with Dr. McNeill, and then began farming on a section of land which he had bought in 1860. After his father's death he moved to a portion of the homestead farm, 160 acres of the paternal estate having come into his possession by inheritance. In 1878 he took up his residence in rhe village of Mount Morris, having in the year previous, together with Maj. Charles Newcomer, organized the Mount Morris Bank. The marriage of Mr. Rice took place January 14, 1857. on which date he was wedded to Sarah Hiestand. a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Newcomer) Hiestand, natives of Washington HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 999 County, Md. Her paternal grandfather was Ja- cob Hiestand, and her maternal grandparents Jonathan and Barbara (Hoover) Newcomer. Her parents settled in Ogle County in the fall of 1837, living during the ensuing winter in the same dwelling with the Rice family, and after- ward taking up government land, on which the father followed farming throughout the re- mainder of his life. He died March 26, 1869, his widow surviving him until May 17, 1882. Mrs. Rice was born January 27, 1836, and was one year old when brought by her parents to Illinois. In childhood her acquaintance with her future husband began, and later, she was one of his pu- pils in the pioneer school-house. Of the three children born to this union, Roland died in in- fancy; Anna, born March 22, 1860, died January 17, 1878 ; and Joseph L., born December 23, 1866, conducts the bank at Mount Morris. Politically, Isaac Rice was originally an Abo- litionist, and after listening to the Lincoln- Douglas debate at Freeport in 1858, cast his for- tunes with the Republican party. In 1872-76, he served two terms as a Representative to the General Assembly of Illinois, being a member of the Committee on Education and State Institu- tions. In 1880 he was elected to the State Sen- ate, in which he served one term (1880-84), act- ing at that time as Chairman of the Committee on Banks and Banking. During his legislative experience he introduced the "Hinds' bill," em- powering women to vote on measures pertaining to licensing the sale of intoxicating drinks, and was also the author of a resoltuion relating to the manufacture of distilled spirits in the State. Dr. Rice died May 3, 1897. By all who knew him — and the extent of his acquaintance was wide — he was regarded as an honorable, upright man, and as one of the most public-'spirited and eminently useful citizens of Ogle County., Throughout his long and busy career he enjoyed the unreserved confidence and high esteem of all who became familiar with his sterling traits of character. He was a consistent and active mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. During the last ten years of his life, Dr. Rice traveled extensively, making three trips abroad, and visiting all of the more interesting points In Europe. On one of these trips, Dr. Rice had a remarkable experience. While crossing the English Channel, he made the acquaintance of the Earl of Lonsdale, a member of the English nobility, who had traveled extensively all over the world. After the journey's end, the Earl in- vited Dr. Rice to accompany him to his home at Lowther Castle, near Penrith, situated in the English lalie district in the north of England. For more than a week he stayed at the Castle as the guest of the titled gentleman, and enjoyed his aristocratic, yet democratic, hospitality. There were a number of other guests who were scions of England's most aristocratic families. During this time, Dr. Rice enjoyed the novel ex- perience that does not often come to a commoner of his self-made type, of participating in the bounty of nobility without a sponsor and with only a few hours previous acquaintance. Among other entertainments during this visit, a grouse- hunt was arranged, that was most elaborate in its many details. From the cable office several messages were sent to his family, and several books of fine pictures of scenery of the English lake region were presented to him. Dr. Rice has often spoken of this incident with great pleasure, as affording him an opportunity of seeing, at first hand, a phase of life that, to most Americans, is a sealed book. RICE, Jacob (deceased), for a long period a representative farmer of Mount Morris Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., and one of the most highly esteemed men in his locality, was born in Wash- ington County, Md., on September 5, 1824, a son of Jacob and Mary (Rowland) Rice, whose homt was near the spot afterward made historic by the Battle of Antietam. Full details In regard to their lives are contained in a biographical record of the late Hon. Isaac Rice, which appears elsewhere in this connection. The subject of this sketch attended the school in Ogle County taught by his brother Joshua, and remained with his parents on the home farm in Mount Morris Town- ship until he was twenty-seven years old, when he began farming on his own account. After his father's death he returned to the homestead, four miles north of Mount Morris, where he died on February 2, 1904, and where his widow and sons still reside. The marriage of Jacob Rice took place Decem- ber 11, 1851, on which date he was wedded to Elizabeth Zeigler, a native of Jefferson County, Va., born September 7, 1833. Mrs. Rice is a daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Stanger) Zeig- ler, who settled in Ogle County when she was eight years old, and in 1841, her father acquired 300 acres of Government land at $1.25 per acre. He died in 1843. In girlhood Mrs. Rice often went out after the cows when the wolves were howling about her in all directions, and her mother brought the first domestic turkeys ever introduced into Ogle County. Three children re- sulted from the union of Jacob Rice and Eliza- beth Zeigler, namely: William A., Frederick N., and Eldredge E. Frederick N. is a graduate of Mount Morris College and of Dartmouth College, and present (1908) County Surveyor of Ogle County. The family are well informed, being habitual and discriminating readers, and the eldest son, William A., is a versatile and popular writer, having for several years been a frequent contributor to a local paper. The Rice homestead is a delightful spot, sit- uated as it is upon an upland, and commanding an extensive view of most attractive scenery, in- cluding the greater part of Leaf River Township to the north. The venerable omther of the fam- ily is an object of profound regard to all who know her. and her sons are among the most in- telligent, substantial and useful citizens of the community. RICE, Joseph L., a banker at Mount Morris, 111., was born in Maryland Township, Ogle County, 111., December 23, 1866. His father and mother, 1000 HTSTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Isaac and Sarah (Heistand) Rice, were brought to Ogle County by their respective parents, the former at the age of ten years, and the latter when one year old. Jacob and Mary (Rowland) Rice, the paternal grandparents, located in the same county in 1837, settling in Mount Morris Township, where Jacob Rice died at the age of eighty-six years. Dr. Isaac Rice, who was a graduate of Rush Medical College, Chicago, with the class of '56. was married at Mount Morris, and after practicing there a few months, was engaged in farming several years in Maryland and Mount Morris Townships, and subsequently taking up his residence in the village of Mount Morris, entered the banking business in partner- ship with Charles Newcomer. He died May 3, 1897, when seventy years old. In politics he was a Republican, and served five years in the State Legislature — first two terms in the lower branch and later in the Senate, being Chairman of the Committee on Banks and Banking in the latter body, and a leader in temperance legislation. After the death of his father he acquired the old homestead property, retaining it during the re- mainder of his life. His venerable widow is still a greatly respected resident of Mount Morris. Of their two children, Anna and Joseph L., the former died at the age of eighteen years, just after graduating at Rock River Seminary. The subject of this sketch was reared in the village of Mount Morris, and after completing his preparatory studies in the public schools and spending two years in the Rock River Seminary, took a course in the Northwestern University at Evanston. Accompanied by J. Hiestand. Mr. Rice made a trip to Europe in 1891, and has, at different times, traveled extensively in the United States. On January 19, 1893, together with his cousin, John W. Rice, he organized the Citizens' Bank, and at a later period, purchased the Bank of Mount Morris. He is also President of the First National Bank, of Oregon, Ogle County. On December 23, 1895, Mr. Rice was united in marriage with Emily Newcomer, a daughter of Mrs. Margaret Newcomer, of Mount Morris. On political issues, although not an active partisan, Mr. Rice is classed with the Republican party. He is a member of the State Bankers' Associa- tion. RILEY, Edwin H., former soldier and grain dealer, Forreston, 111. To the subject of this sketch is accorded by common consent the honor due to those who, in the trying period 1861-65, offered their lives to preserve the integrity of their country. It should be noted, too, that he was one of the first to offer himself for the cause. It is not probable that the simple narrative of the career of nnv other individual soldier of the Civil War would be in a general sense more in- teresting than that which is here presented. To his neighbors at Forreston and round about Mr. Riley has become known, also, through his con- nection with the grain trade of that vicinity. Edwin H. Riley was born at Roxbury, Mass., November 21, 1828, a son of James Riley, who in his time was a leading merchant of that place. When James Riley died he left three sons and a daughter. His son Edwin, who was at that time two years old, passed his early childhood in Rox- bury and when a mere boy spent two years with an uncle in Philadelphia. When he was twelve years old he was taken by his mother to Poland, Herkimer County, N. Y., where she went to care for her sister who was ill. After her sister's death she remained as housekeeper for her brother-in-law. When the boy was seventeen years old, he was apprenticed for three years to learn the tanner's and currier's trade, his wages to be fifty dollars a year, board and clothes, with the privilege of six months' schooling. He learned so rapidly and evidenced so much busi- ness ability that, when twenty-two years of age, being still very young for the assumption of such responsibilities, he became manager of the bus- iness, having charge of the men, of whom there were always three or four, and of such buying as was necessary for the concern. His success as manager of the concern attracted the atten- tion of an uncle from Toledo, Ohio, who visited him several years later, advised him to go to Toledo, where he would have better opportuni- ties for advancement. This he did in 1853, and after a year spent in that city, returned to Po- land on a visit to friends there and, inferior as that little town appeared in comparison with Toledo, he had to admit to himself that Poland seemed to him more like home. Later, by invi- tation of a friend, he accompanied the latter to Illinois and at a place south of Chicago, helped to build a new house on a new farm. He soon aft- er went to Forreston, however, to enter the em- ploy of Isaac B. Allen, whose wife was his cousin, and who had there started a business in lumber and grain. The young man arrived in Forreston July, 1857, and from that time until April 1, 1861, was continuously connected with Mr. Allen's in- terests. He soon after enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, one of the first of the three years' regiments from Illi- nois sworn into the service of the United States Government for the preservation of the Union. Though it had been drilling for some time at Polo, the formal mustering in did not take place until May 24, 1861. The regiment had enlisted in response to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers, and was placed in command of Colonel T. J. Turner, at Freeport, 111. When that officer began to look about for a regimental band, it was found that Mr. Riley had been playing in a local band during the previous winter, and with the young man's aid an organization of sixteen mu- sicians was soon effected. The regiment was sent to Missouri July 1, 1861, and after lying at Rollo, in that State, for six months, it wenjt to Fort Donelson, Ky„ to arrive there only after its surrender. It was then or- dered to Pittsburg Landing, and was in camp two weeks before the Battle of Shiloh, where it found itself in the hottest of the fight. The reg- iment was then in command of Colonel Ellis, of HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1001 Rockford, 111. At the first fire Company H lost twenty-seven men. The regimental musicians helped to carry wounded men from the field to boats for transportation to hospitals, and Mr. Ri- ley was assigned to select ten men from his com- pany to help him in the care of wounded men on the way to Cincinnati. Of the 700 disabled sol- diers in this apportionment, Mr. Riley and his nurses had in charge about seventy wounded men. Some men lay wounded on the field from Sunday to Thursday without medical attention. Among them was Jesse Austin, of Forreston, who died in the hospital at Cincinnati. Returning to Pittsburg Landing, Mr. Riley learned that the band of which he was a member had, in his ab- sence, been _mustered out of service and he went by government boat to St. Louis, to get pay in the sum of $112 that was due him. For a time after his return to Forreston, Mr. Riley was again employed by Mr. Allen, but in about a year John Hewitt, who had a mill near Quincy, 111., employed him for three months as mill superintendent and grain buyer, and dur- ing that time he was engaged in buying wheat and handling mill and money to the entire satis- faction of Mr. Hewitt. After that he was again employed by Mr. Allen until the spring of 1865, when, in response to a call for more troops, he recruited a company, securing thirty men in the first day of his labors in this direction. In all. the company included eighty-five men. It was sent to Chicago, where Mr. Riley was elected its First Lieutenant. From Chicago it was ordered to New York City, and thence to Moorehead City, N. C, with six more companies, to fill up Lieu- tenant Riley's old regiment, the Fifteenth Illi- nois. At Moorehead City news was received of the surrender of General Lee, and in command of Genera] Rogers, the company marched toward Raleigh, N. C. At Goldsboro, N. C, it halted on receipt of intelligence that Sherman's army had gone on to Raleigh, and Lieutenant Riley, in com- mand of twenty-two sick soldiers, was sent by train to relieve a detachment under an Ohio Cap- tain that had been guarding a bridge where the Confederates had been repulsed. Of this duty he and his men were relieved the following morn- ing. Reaching Sherman's army, the company, with others, was added as recruits to the old Fif- teenth Illinois. Johnston's surrender came soon afterward, and at the close of the war the regi- ment participated in the Grand Review at Wash- ington, and then encamped near Georgetown un- til in the course of events it was ordered to St. Louis. When he reached Louisville, Lieutenant Riley was summoned to the headquarters of Gen- eral Stohibrandt, who made him his aid-de-camp and permitted him to choose an orderly from his own company. In that capacity he rendered good service in connection with the embarkation of soldiers on boat for St. Louis. Arriving at St. Louis, orders were received to proceed to Leaven- worth, Kan., and Lieutenant Riley was placed in command of his brigade. At Leavenworth the brigade camped on a favorable site on a fine slope, and July 4, 1865, he took part with his l a ,^ a f- d r ^. lment lr > a parade in that city Bv invitation Lieutenant Riley and staff dined »t = hotel with General Stohibrandt Jufy 21 he regiment was ordered to Fort Kearney Nebr where it arrived August 14, only to start the next te a r y ed°o u a t. niarCh *"* to L ^™th to be'nms- Lieutenant Riley was sent to Springfield 111 t^To CC ° a T^ ti0ns for the soldiers There hi i * S meril} Rogers ' under whose command he had been m North Carolina. On his wa to Sc g v ''HP* 6 h , ad „ been WeU entertained at ?£/'., t r< V t00 ' he was wel1 cared for and attended a ball in a fashionable assembly room where he danced till morning. One memorable event during his stay at Springfield was a speech by Governor Oglesby, who warmly praised all Illinois soldiers who had well and faithfully served their country in its hour of need Lieu- tenant Riley was mustered out of service at Leavenworth October 16, 1865. September 20, 1863, Mr. Riley married Harriet Maria Berry, of Forreston. Mrs. Riley was born September 20. 1842, at Waterloo, Canada and had come to Silver Creek, 111., in 1851. At the time of her marriage she was living with an aunt in Forreston. The fact that she took upon her- self the vows of wifehood on her twenty-first birthday, is a cherished item in the Riley fam- ily history. Mr. and Mrs. Riley's daughter, Ger- trude Laura, born January 27, 1867, married John G. Kendall, of Minneapolis, Minn., in De- cember, 1890, and died December 2, 1900. Their daughter, Jessie Avis, was born June 25, 1876, became a stenographer and was preparing for marriage when July 16, 1900, she died four months before her sister. Mrs. Riley is a mem- ber of the Eastern Star Lodge of Polo, and a charter member of Henry Hiller Woman's Re- lief Corps of Forreston, and was for years Pres- ident of a literary club and is a member of the Lutheran Church, and a thorough church-worker, always ready to help in every good cause. Mr. Riley belongs to Henry Hiller Post, G. A. R., No. 658, of Forreston. BINEHART, Calvin. — Prominent among the pio- neer families of Ogle County, whose devotion to duty, persistence in cultivating the soil, and wise judgment in improving the land, has made of the county one of the finest agricultural regions of Northern Illinois, may be mentioned the Rine- hart family, among whose representatives of the present generation is Calvin Rinehart, owner and occupant of an improved farm of 160 acres, sit- uated in Lincoln Township and bearing valuable improvements secured through his industry and persistent application. The buildings on the land are appropriate to their varied uses ; the res- idence is roomy and comfortable, the barn is well arranged for the shelter of stock, and other buildings have been added as occasion demanded. Many years ago, ere yet Ogle County had been developed or its resources understood, Henry Rinehart came hither from Washington County, Md., bringing with him his wife and children 1002 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. and their little store of household goods. A cabin was built in Leaf River Township, land was taken up, the primeval soil was tilled and other work was done, such as falls to the lot of all pioneers. A fair degree of success came to Hen- ry Rinehart and he died at the age of eighty-two years, honored by all and survived by descend- ants worthy of the name. Among his children was a son, David, who was born in Washington County, Md., received a fair education and for some time taught school in Ogle County. His marriage united him with Catherine Faulders, a native of Washington County, Md., and a woman of beautiful attributes of character, whose death in Forreston, at the age of thirty- seven years, was deeply mourned. For one year after his marriage David Rine- hart lived upon a farm in Maryland Township, whence he removed to a farm in Leaf River Township which had been given him by his father. Five years or more were spent on the farm in that township, and then he removed to Forreston, where he opened a store and conduct- ed a drv-goods business, being one of the first merchants in the village. Later he was asso- ciated with his brother Jacob in the grain busi- ness in the same town. In his family there were nine children, of whom Calvin was third in or- der of birth, born on the home farm in Leaf River Township December 17, 1850. At the age of six years he accompanied his parents to For- reston,' where he attended the public schools. After the death of his mother, which occurred when he was eleven years of age, the family cir- cle was broken and he became an inmate of other homes, where he worked for his board and clothes. As soon as old enough to earn wages, he worked on farms and thus acquired a fair knowledge of agriculture, which he has made his life occupation. September 29, 1876, he was united in marriage with Miss Martha Rodermel, who was born in Lincoln Township March 9, 1854. Her parents, Martin and Mary (Mecum) Rodermel, were natives respectively of North- umberland and Lycoming Counties, Pa., and be- came verv early settlers of Lincoln Township, Ogle County, where they labored strenuously in transforming a tract of raw land into a produc- tive farm. On their old homestead Mrs. Roder- mel passed away at the age of sixty-four years, Mr Rodermel attaining the age of ninety-four years Thev were the parents of ten children, of whom Mrs. Rinehart was eighth in order of birth Of her marriage two children were born, hut the onlv son died in infancy. The daughter, Bessie E., was given superior educational ad- vantages in the Forreston high school, at Whea- ton College and at the Northwestern University at Evanston, and since completing her education has been engaged in educational work, being a teacher in the Dixon schools at this writing- In religious associations Mr. and Mrs. Rinehart are members of the United Brethren Church and lib- eral contributors to its maintenance and mis- sionary enterprises. ROBBINS, Henry Clay.— No business enterprise has more faithfully and progressively illustrated the fortunes of the rising community of Creston than the drugstore of Dr. Henry Clay Robbins. Its bright colored lights have shone out upon the passers by, and its sign indicated healing con- coctions for the ill of human kind since two years after the close of the Civil War, and in all this time it has been a cheerful meeting place for the discussion of town topics and the seeking of advice from the erudite and always obliging owner. In keeping with the confidence bestowed upon him, Mr. Robbins has kept pace with the times in medical and surgical lines, so that now, at the age of two and seventy years, he is no less an exponent of present methods, than he has been of those of the past. From early New England ancestors Dr. Rob-^ bins inherits the sterling and conservative quali- ties which have made him so dependable an ad- junct to Creston and vicinity. Born in Carlisle, Middlesex County, Mass., June 27, 1836, he is a son of Ephraim and Ann (Lovejoy) Robbins, both of whom were born, reared and died in the Puritan State. The doctor was the youngest of six children and until his eighteenth year he at- tended the public schools of Carlisle, from then until his twenty-third year being employed as bookkeeper in a store in Boston. In his home town he became interested in medicine and sur- gery, and in 1860 went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he took a course of medical lectures, paying for the same out of his wages as a teacher. From Cincinnati he came to Newark, Kendall County. 111., where he continued to study medicine a year, then returned to Cincinnati, and in 1861 grad- uated with honors from the Eclectic Medical Col- lege. Beginning his professional practice at Newark, lie soon after settled in Freedom. 111., two years later returning to Newark, where, in 1864, he enlisted as Surgeon in the One Hundred and First Illinois Volunteer Infantry for a year. During his service he took part in a number of important battles, was with Sherman during his march to the Sea, and at Washington during the Grand Review. After the Civil War, Dr. Robbins practiced several months at Newark, and then came to Creston where he was professionally engaged until December, 1865, the date of the establish- ment of his present drug business. He has been one of the busy and wide-awake men of the town, a promoter of education, ethics and religion, and a dispenser of optimism and hope, as well as the products of the pharmacopoeia. In political af- filiation he is a Republican, and, in addition to several other offices, has served as Postmaster during the administrations of Presidents Harri- son and McKinley. He is a member of various fraternal organizations, and of the Edward Bridge Tost No. 124. G. A. R.. Malta, 111. The marriage of Dr. Robbins and Martha E. Prescott occurred in Carlisle. Mass., in July, 1864, Mrs. Robbins being a native of Burlington, Mass. Of this union there are two daughters, of whom Vin- nie M. is the wife of Prof. W. J. Sutherland, of the Western Illinois Normal School, at Macomb. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1003 and Mabel S. is the wife of E. P. Adams, Countv Clerk of Ogle County. ROBERTS, Alfred T., who is the owner of 572 acres of thoroughly improved and highly produc- tive land in Byron Township, Ogle County, 111., and in addition to his agricultural interests, is engaged in important banking and mining enter- prises, was born in Huntingdon County, Pa., August 4, 1855, a son of Edward and Anna (Ha- mer) Roberts, natives of that State. The father died in Winnebago County, 111., in 1889 ; the mother still survives. They were the parents of four children, the subject of this sketch being the second-born. The latter was about two years old when the family moved from the East to Winnebago County, 111., settling on a farm in Winnebago Township. There, Alfred T. Roberts grew to manhood, his education being obtained, for the most part, in the common schools. He followed farming and stock-raising in Winneba- go County until March, 1900, when he made his home in Ogle County, locating in Byron Town- ship. Besides his farming interests, Mr. Roberts is President of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Byron ; and President and Treasurer of the Square Deal Mining & Development Company of Colorado, On May 4, 18TG, Mr. Roberts was united in marriage with Nellie Smith, who was born in Byron Township. October 5, 1852, and is a daughter of Frank A. and Sarah (Brown) Smith, old residents of this locality. Mr. Smith was born at Palmer, Mass., January 22, 1817, and the birth of Mrs. Smith took place at Brimfleld, in the same State, August 8, 1823. Mr. Smith came to Ogle County in 1837, when about eighteen years old, having ridden the entire distance to Byron on horseback. His father was Robert Smith, who died in Massachusetts. Mrs. Smith's father was Dauphin Brown, who also came from Massachusetts, and after living a short time in Byron, moved to Stillman Valley, 111., where he died. Frank A. Smith and Sarah Brown were married at Byron, 111., March 14, 1844, and be- came the parents of nine children, of whom Mrs. Roberts was the fifth. Her father and mother left the old home (now owned by Mr. Roberts) in 1900, and have since lived with their children. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Roberts consists of five sons and two daughters, as follows : Claud- ine, wife of George F. Bunn ; Henry, William, Lena, Clvde and Clifford (twins), and Fred. In politics, Mr. Roberts is identified with the Democratic party. ROBINSON, Frank R.— The editor of the "Ogle County Reporter" has many claims upon the con- sideration of his fellow townsmen and the coun- try at large, aside from the fact that his edito- rials are second to none. in the county as expo- sitions of all that tends to make this important feature of journalism of practical use to a com- munitv. He is a fictionist with an established demand from the leading magazines and period- icals in the country, but the many sided respon- sibilities in connection with the publication of his paper hold in temporary check his preferred and most congenial literary labor. Since his birth in Essex, Vt, January 28, 1869, the life of Mr. Robinson has known many changes and developing experiences. In the Green Moun- tain State, his father, Rev. William C. Robin- son was born at Grand Isle in 1828, while his mother Maria (Eldred) Robinson, was born at Alburg, the same State, in 1830. Daniel Robin- son, his grandfather's brother, followed the mar- tial fortunes of Washington during the Revolu- tionary War. Rev. Robinson was educated at the Waterbury Academy, Waterbury, Vt., and at the University at Evanston, 111., then known as the Methodist Seminary. After completing the course at the latter institution, he returned to Vermont, and thereafter was an active minister in the Methodist' Episcopal Church until a few years before his death, which occurred at Mil- ton, Vt., March 1, 1901. September 3, 1903, his wife also died at Milton. Frank R. Robinson was educated in the graded schools at Essex, Vt., at Peacham Academy and at Hartwick Academy, the same State, and in 1886 came west to Milwaukee, Wis., where he was engaged as express messenger until 1888, in which year he removed to Chicago and there- after represented the same company until 1903. During that year he became circulating manager of the "Lumber Review," of Chicago, later was general manager of the same, and still later filled a similar position with the "Furniture Journal," also of Chicago. November 1, 1905, he resigned and purchased the "Ogle County Reporter," a Republican paper and the dean of newspaperdom in Ogle County, having been established in 1851. Mr. Robinson is an indefatigable worker, a close student of men and affairs, and his finger inva- riably is upon the pulse of the times in which ht lives. Through devotion to its best interests, and clean, informing journalism, he compels respect for his periodical from the public at large, and is recognized as one of the ablest, most scholarly and well informed newspaper men in the State. Fratemnlly, Mr. Robinson is identified with the Blue Lodge A. F. & A. M., of Oregon. Sep- tember 12, 1904. at Union, 111., he was united in marriage to Mildred Adams, daughter of Dr. John J. and Olive (Watson) Adams, the former of whom was a dentist at Union for many years. To Mr. and Mrs. Robinson has been born a daughter, Elizabeth. ROE, Jolm H., or "Uncle John," as he is famil- iarly called by. his relatives and contemporaries, a venerable and profoundly respected survivor of the pioneer settlers of Ogle County, 111., now a resident of the village of Ghana, still sprightly and vivacious in mental faculties and manifest- ing much of the intense force of character that made him one of the most interesting figures in the early development of his locality, was born at Hennepin, Putnam County, 111., April 7, 1833. Mr. Roe is a son of Dr. John and Elizabeth Ann (Lvon) Roe. At the time of the Revolutionary 1004 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. War, the maternal grandfather, Matthew Lyon, served as Colonel in the Continental army. For two terms, he was a member of Congress from Vermont, and during the administration of Pres- ident Adams, was imprisoned six months under the Alien and Sedition Law, being subjected, in addition to his incarceration, to a fine of $1,000. While in prison, he was re-elected to Congress, subsequently was a Representative in the same body for eight years from the State of Kentucky, and still later, was a Territorial Delegate from Arkansas. The maiden name of the maternal grandmother, a woman of remarkable intelli- gence and strength of character, was Beulah •Chittenden, who was a daughter of Thomas Chit- tenden, the first Governor of Vermont. Dr. John Roe, father of John H., was a type of the old-time rural family physician, skillful, diligent and conscientious. He located in Ogle County in 1835. and acquired a practice which extended from Roscoe on the north, to Dixon on the south, and from Sycamore on the east, west- ward to the hamlet of Buffalo. He was one of the first settlers in the county, and was under the necessity of going to Princeton, Bureau County, a distance of fifty miles, to do his mill- ing. Having little competition in his profession, he was a very busy man, and on occasions, visit- ed as many as forty-two patients in a single day, reaching home so thoroughly exhausted as to fall asleep in the saddle. As the region abounded in wild game of all kinds, he often shot a deer while making his medical rounds, and throwing it across the pommel, rode on. One night a num- ber of deer, pursued by wolves, passed near his cabin home, and the wolves were driven away from their prey by the Doctor's dogs. Dr. Roe and his worthy wife were the parents of nine children, of whom the first died in infan- cy. The others were as follows : Uriah Chitten- den, who was born in Eddyville, Ky., and died at Franklin Grove, 111., at the age of seventy-six years ; Franklin Morris, also born in Eddyville, whose death occurred at Downer's Grove, 111., when he was seventy-four years old; Giles Boli- var, born in Sangamon County, 111., deceased at Chana, 111., aged sixty-four years: Matthew Cartwright, born in Sangamon County, deceased in Iowa, at the age of seventy-seven years ; John H., Beulah Minerva, born at Lighthouse, Ogle County, married to James C. Maybury, deceased at Chattanooga, Tenn., when she was sixty-eight years old; Frances Maria, also born at Light- house, married John Conlin, (now deceased) at Malta, DeKalb County, 111., at the age of sixty years; and Dr. Malcolm C, of Chana., 111., a sketch of whose life appears in this connection, containing other details in regard to the parents of the above family. John H. Roe was but two years old when brought to Ogle County, which at that time, had few inhabitants. The first school in the vicinity was kept by a member of the McKinney family in the home cabin built by Dr. John Roe which was known as Lighthouse Academy. John V. Far- well, of Chicago, was the first Sunday School teacher of the' subject of this sketch, and the first day school which he attended was conducted by Mr. Farwell's brother, Senator Charles B. Farwell, deceased. The boots worn by the latter while teaching were of his own make. The first religious services held in Ogle County took place at the residence of Dr. John Roe. At that pe- riod Indians were numerous in Northern Illi- nois, and their trail ran through what is now the village of Chana. Mr. Roe remembers the tedious trip to the grist-mill at Princeton, and recalls the fact that during one winter, after the family got their wheat ready for grinding, a deep snow fell, preventing travel, and as their supply of flour was exhausted, they were compelled to subsist principally on baked potatoes and homi- ny for six weeks. About the year 1844, the thin- ly scattered people of Ogle County suffered many depredations through horse stealing, and Mr. Roe calls to mind the organization of a sort of vigi- lance committee to suppress the nuisance. Of this body a man named Campbell was placed at the head, and he was soon afterwards shot by the notorious Driscolls, leaders of the marauding band. The latter were arrested and confined in jail, but were taken out and shot to death by the "regulators," Mr. Roe hearing the report of the guns. One of the earliest recollections retained by Mr. Roe, of incidents connected with his early life in Ogle County, is his hearing the "munch- ing" of the wagon wheels in the ice while his father was moving from Jefferson Grove to Lighthouse Point; and another is the fact of his being set in the grass near the log cabin at the last named place. The cabin had but a portion of its roof on, and the puncheon floor was not yet laid. The family "camped" in the wagon until the rude dwelling was ready for their abode. When a small boy, Mr. Roe being anxious to be the owner of a Jews harp, his mother gave him a dozen eggs, which he carried to Daysville and purchased the desired musical instrument. One of the interesting experiences of Mr. Roe's pio- neer life was his marketing trips to Chicago, when he drove to that city with dressed pork and wheat, selling the former for $1.75 per hundred, and the latter for 50 cents a bushel. On a certain occasion his expenses for this journey, which consumed six days, amounted to $1.00, of which 25 cents, each way, was spent for ferriage ; 25 cents for dried beef ; and 25 cents for admission to McVicker's Theater, where he went to attend a play in which Julia Dean (then a noted ac- tress) had the leading part. This last expendi- ture afforded him as much pleasure as any similar amusement he has ever enjoyed. At the time the Rock River Seminary was being built, Mr. Roe's father (Dr. Roe) subscribed $100 towards the cost of its erection and his sons, Uriah and Franklin worked out the subscrip- tion for which they received scholarships. In 1 8 !."> the family moved to Chicago, where they lived four years, the father and four of the sons then ?oing to California in quest of gold, while the mother, together with the other children re- turned to Mount Morris, Ogle County. Mr. Roe attended the college there, and among his class- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1005 mates were Senator Allison, of Iowa ; Robert R. Hitt, the eminent statesman of after years ; Gen. John A Rawlins, Gen. Grant's chief of staff dur- ing the Civil War ; and Henry L. Magoon. After completing his studies in 1853, Mr. Roe went to Kentucky, where he taught school and studied law. He was admitted to the Bar in 1858, and at once entered upon his professional work in Paducah, the practice of the firm of which he was the junior member extending through six- teen counties of the Blue Grass State. In 1866, he was appointed general agent of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of New York, for the States of Kentucky and Tennessee, with head- quarters at Louisville, continuing thus actively engaged until 1897, and being interested in the same business until 1898, at which period he severed his connection with that company, tak- ing up his residence with his brother (before mentioned) Dr. Malcolm C. Roe, of Chaua. In one of the twenty-nine years of his agency with the "Equitable," he had the supervision of more than one hundred and fifty subordinate agents. He is still in receipt of his renewal commissions on the insurance policies written under his di- rection. Mr. Roe is the owner of about 740 acres of land in Ogle County. For one of his years, he possesses an exceptional memory, and is very genial and affable in demeanor, retaining an un- diminished popularity with hosts of friends. He has never married. Politically, Mr. Roe is a Democrat, but no inducements of public office have ever had any attraction for him. His re- ligious connection is with the Methodist Episco- pal Church, South. ROE, Malcolm C, M. D. — Throughout a long and successful professional career Dr. Roe has been a resident of Chana. Ogle County, and has extended his ministrations to the sick and suf- fering in the surrounding country. The rudi- ments of his medical education he gained in early life under the preceptorship of his father, Dr. John Roe, a man of broad professional ex- pedience and recognized skill in diagnosis. Later it was his privilege to study in medical colleges, so that he received a thorough training in ma- teria medica, and has broadened his theoretical knowledge by experience and constant study. Since the spring of 1875 he has been engaged in continuous practice in Chana and has won a high reputation in this part of the county. Born at Lighthouse Point, Nashua Township, Ogle County, 111,, October 31, 1842, Malcolm C. Roe was a son of John and Elizabeth Ann (Lyon) Roe, the former born near Philadelphia, Pa., August 20, 1800, and the latter born in Eddy- ville. - Lyon County, Ky., June 11, 1805. Theii- marriage occurred at Eddyville. During early life John Roe was apprenticed to the hatter's trade in Philadelphia, Pa., but the occupation was uncongenial, and at the expiration of his time -he turned his attention to the study of medi- cine, for which he had a decided natural bent. As earlv as 1S32 he began the practice of medi- cine at Springfield, 111., from which city in 1835 he removed to Ogle County. This part of the State was then sparsely settled, but with keen discrimination he foresaw its future develop- ment and desired to become a land-owner here. Settling at Lighthouse Point, Nashua Township, he took up a claim upon government land, which he finally purchased and out of this donated ground for the church and burial ground at Lighthouse Point. While improving his land be also practiced his profession. Removing to Chicago about 1S45, Dr. John Roe engaged in practice in that city until 1849, when, accompanied by four of his sons, he went to Cali- fornia for the purpose of prospecting and min- ing. Meanwhile the other members of the family settled in Mount Morris in order that the chil- dren might attend the excellent schools of that town. During 1851 Dr. Roe returned to Ogle County and settled in White Rock Township, where he purchased 320 acres of land, on which he lived a few years, then sold it and moved to Rockford. After remaining there about a year, he bought 240 acres of land in White Rock Town- ship, one mile east of the present site of Kings Station. Here he remained ten or twelve years, when disposing of this property, he took up his residence in Malta, De Kalb, County, where he conducted a drug store for about one year. At that time the lands of the West were being placed on the market and in 1868, he was induced to purchase about 1,000 acres in the vicinity oi Beatrice, Neb. Removing to the new ranch he embarked in the laborious task of bringing the ran- land under cultivation, and at the same time engaged in the practice of his profession, con- tinuing to make his home on the place until his death June 21, 1871. Shortly afterward his widow returned to Ogle County and settled at Chana, where she died December 28, 1886. Their family comprised seven sons and two daughters, and of these Malcolm was the youngest and is the only survivor with the exception of his brother, John H., the others of this once large family having been called from earth. After having completed the studies of the com- mon schools, Malcolm C. Roe attended Rock River Seminary, at Mount Morris, for two years and for one year was a student in the Western Union College and Military Academy at Fulton, 111., an institution that has since been discon- tinued. During 1868 and 1869 he attended the Bennett Medical College, Chicago, for one year. In December of 1869, he went to Gage County, Neb., where he engaged in the practice of medi- cine for over four years. While a resident of Gage County, Dr. Malcolm C. Roe made a visit to his native State and, before going back was graduated from the Physio-Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio. In the fall of 1874 he returned to Illinois to live, and in 1878 received a diploma from the Bennett Medical College at Chicago. Since his return he has practiced his profession continuously at Chana, and, for twelve years, in addition to his private practice, has served as United States Examiner for pensions. The earn- 1006 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. ings that have been gained by a life of laborious professional activity have been invested partly in land, and he now owns a farm of 220 acres in Pine Rock Township. The marriage of Dr. Roe took place at Bethel, White Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., October 21, 1S63, uniting him with Miss Sarah P. Sturtevant, who was born at Chagrin Falls, Cuy- ahoga County. Ohio, April 13, 1S43, and received her education in the city of Cleveland. Her parents. Benjamin D. and Amy (Martin) Sturte- vant, were natives, respectively, of Barton, Vt., and Richmond, Cheshire County, N. H. On mi- grating from their eastern home they first estab- lished themselves at Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and later became residents of Cleveland, in that state. During the year 1855 they made another move toward the west and settled in Ogle County, 111., where they took up land in "White Rock Township and for many years gave close atten- tion to the improvement of a farm. Eventually they retired from arduous cares and removed to Rochelle, 111. The death of Mrs. Sturtevant occurred at the age of seventy-six years while visiting a son in White Rock Township, and Mr. Sturtevant passed away in Saginaw County, Mich., at the age of sixty years. Four of their six children lived to years of maturity, namely: George N., now deceased ; Milton E., Sarah P., Mrs. Roe, and Emma L., who married James F. Miller and resides in Rockford. 111. Six children comprised the family of Dr. and Mrs. Roe. The eldest, Effa, married John B. Trask and died at Chana, January 13, 1889. Her daughter, Amy Isabella, made her home with her grandfather, Dr. Roe, from the time she was twelve years of age until her marriage, in Feb- ruary, 1906, to Oliver Hull Canfield, of Pine Rock Township. The eldest son of Dr. and Mrs. Roe is Mil tou H. The second son, John B., is a physician at Oregon, 111. The second daughter, Ada M., married Rev. S. D. Bartle, and is now a resident of Omaha, Neb. Maude the youngest daughter, is the wife of Isaac Canfield, of Chana. The youngest son is Malcolm R., also residing in Chana. Dr. and Mrs. Roe are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he has been stanch in his allegiance to the Democratic party. For twelve years he has held office as Supervisor of Pine Rock Township, and for some time served as School Director of the Chana schools. Fraternally, he is associated with the Masons of the Knights Templar degree. ROW, William Henry. — No more earnest and enlightened exponent of twentieth century farm- ing methods has been evolved, from the experi- ences of the past half century in Ogle County, than is found in William Henry Row. who was horn in Washington County, Md., August 28, 1X50, 'incl came to this part of Illinois with his parents, Joseph and Nancy Row, during the sum- mer of 1805. Benjamin Row, the paternal uncle of William Henry, came here in 1855, and in 1S70 removed to Dallas County. Iowa, where he is eng'icred in lumber business. Joseph Row, seems to have followed closely upon the fortunes of his brother Benjamin, for in 1875 he also lo- cated in Dallas County, Iowa, and after many years of successful farming, is enjoying in fair health and excellent spirits the approach of his eighty-first year. Besides his son, William H., he had a son Martin, who went to Iowa about 1870, and was killed there by the cars in 1898. His son Courtney, after losing his wife, moved to his present home in Iowa. A daughter, Mary, lived for some years in Iowa, but now makes her home in Mount Morris with her retired hus- band, William Marshall. Nettie Row married, first William Smith, and now is the wife of Henry Miller, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Like many another youth of limited resources, William Henry Row entered his preferred arena of life through the ante-chamber of school teach- ing, equipping himself therefor in the country schools and the high school at Forreston. For twelve consecutive years he taught in the win- ter and farmed in the summer, and September 23, 1875, was united in marriage to Alice Swing- ley, daughter of Benjamin Swingley. and cousin of Nathaniel Swingley, partner of Samuel Hitt. Benjamin Swingley came in 1847 with his family of four children from Washington county, Mary- land, locating on what since has been the swing- ley farm, two miles north of Mount Morris. In 1892 Mr. Swingley moved to the town of Mount Morris, where his wife died the following year, and thereafter he made his home with his daugh- ter, Mrs. Joseph Moats, until the latter's death four years later. He then went to live with his daughter Ellen, wife of J. E. McCoy, and there his life came to an eud September 8, 1905, at the age of eighty-nine years. He was one of the original members of the Silver Creek Brethren, and until old age laid its limitations upon him, he was an active worker and deacon in the church. After his marriage, Mr. Row for three years rented a part of the Reuben Marshall farm, then made his first land purchase of forty acres in Pine Creek Mount Morris Township. This land he operated in summer teaching school in win- ter, and at the end of four years, in 1881, bought 120 acres a mile and a half north of Mount Mor- ris. For this land he paid $55 an acre, which was by no means cheap, as it was flat and un- drained, and far from being a model of fertility. Owing to the untiring energy and good judg- ment of the new owner, it was converted into an admirable property, and in 1904 it was sold for $125 per acre, a gain of seventy dollars over the original cost. Mr. Row engaged in general farming and stock-raising on a large scale, ro- tated his crops to insure greater fertility and energy of soil, and fed large numbers of stock each year. He was widely recognized as a farmer who kept pace with the times, and was as much in accord with scientific agriculture when he abandoned the calling as he was when starting in to carve his fortune unaided. He now is living on a place one and a half miles north of Mount Morris, where he has an ideal countrv HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1007 home, modern in every particular, and furnished with electricity obtained from the town. He owns forty acres of splendid land, which he contemplates converting into as fine and produc- tive property as can be found in the county, and this, with a home recognized as the superior of anything thus far constructed outside of the city limits, gives him a prominent place among the most ambitious and progressive landsmen of his section. He also owns a farm of 280 acres, three miles east, in Rockvale Township, now be- ing operated by himself. Politically, Mr. Row is a Democrat, but he does not blindly follow the supposed leaders of his party. He was not in favor of free-silver, but stanchly defended the cause of sound money. He is not a member of any church, but is phil- anthropically inclined, and a generous donator to any worthy local cause. In all respects Mr. Row is a home man. devoted to his family and friends, and to the improvement of his agricul- tural surroundings. Pie has led an exceptionally moderate and temperate life, avoiding the tempta- tions and excitement of office, and earing little for the diversions afforded in his wide awake and progressive community. Of his five chil- dren, Edith, formerly a teacher for four years, is the wife of Fay Coffman, of Buffalo Town- ship ; Benjamin is operating his own farm of eighty acres in Mt. Morris Township ; and Effie, Frank and Morris are living in the paternal home. RTICKER, Isaiah, the oldest living settler of Ogle County, now of Buffalo Township, and a son of Carter and Nancy Rucker, was born Oc- tober, !, 1814, at Columbia, Ky., and until he was sixteen years of age lived in that State. In Feb- ruary, 1833, he came to Buffalo Grove, and in 1834 began driving a stage on the John D. Win- ter line between Peoria and Galena. For his first six months, he only received $100, but after that had $35 per month, and continued at this work until the fall of 1837. In January, 1841, he married Sarah Jane Deyo. He has a re- markable memory for all the incidents of early days in Ogle County. RUMMEL, George.— The genealogy of the Rum- mel family is traced through a long line of Ger- man ancestors who lived and labored and died in the Fatherland. About the middle of the nineteenth century Gotlieb Rummel crossed the ocean from Germany to America and accom- panied his parents to Illinois, settling in Ogle County, where he met and married Margaret Snyder, likewise a native of Germany. Immedi- ately after his marriage he settled in Adeline, Maryland Township, where he engaged at the carpenter's trade. Already he was gaining a reputation as a skilled workman when death re- moved him from his work and from the midst of his wife and little children. It was in 1856 that he passed away, being then twenty-eight years of age. Later, his widow was married to Jacob Garwig and continued to make her home in Maryland Township, where she died April 29, 1S88, at the age of fifty-nine years. Of her first marriage four children were born, one of whom died in infancy. Those now living are: George, of Maryland Township; Elizabeth, who is the widow of Jacob M. Piper ; and Gotlieb, residing in Germany Valley, Stephenson County, 111. The village of Adeline is the native place of George Rummel, and October 17, 1850, the date of his birth. At the age of six years he sustained a heavy loss in the death of his father. Remain- ing with his mother, he attended the common schools and, at an early age, was taught to earn his own way in the world. For a time he worked as a farm-hand, and later took up agricultural pursuits for himself. Through all of his life he has been a general farmer and stock-raiser, and has become known for thorough familiarity with his occupation. His home farm comprises 310 acres situated in Maryland Township, and under his management the place has been main- tained in a high state of fertility. The co-operation and counsel of a wife, who possesses energy, sagacity and tact, have been of the utmost assistance to Mr. Rummel in his efforts to secure a competency. January 3, 1877, in Maryland Townhip, he was united in marriage with Miss Alvernia Baker, who was born August 16, 1853, on the farm where ever since she has made her home. On this place she passed the care-free years of childhood, under the sheltering roof-tree she became a bride, and here she has reared her children and prepared them for the duties of the business world. There are two sons, George W. and John C. The elder married Miss Harriet Blair, daughter of John F. Blair, of Maryland Township, where the young couple have established their home. The parents of Mrs. Rummel were William C. and Lydia (Welty) Baker, who were born and reared in Washington County, Md., coming from there to Illinois in 1842 and settling in Ogle County. Thereafter they made their home in Maryland Township, and Mrs. Baker died at Adeline Feb- ruary 17, 1902, at the age of about eighty years. Six children comprised the Baker family, namely : David H., Leah, who is the wife of James L. Neil ; Anna, Mrs. Samuel Riddle ; Susan, who married Charles E. Morris ; Alvernia, Mrs. George Rummel ; and Ellen J., who is the wife of William D. Reichenbach. No resident of Maryland Township is more deeply interested in its welfare and prosperity than is Mr. Rummel, and his interest was evi- denced through a long and efficient service as the representative of the township upon the Board of County Supervisors. With the exception of two years he served for twenty consecutive years as a member of the Board, and finally resigned in order that a younger man might give to the body the benefit of his enthusiasm and progressive pol- icies. Whether an office holder or private citi- zen, Mr. Rummel keeps posted concerning county and township affairs, and may be depended upon to exert his influence in behalf of beneficial measures. For many years he filled the position 1008 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. of School Director, and in educational measures, as elsewhere, proved himself an intelligent, re- sourceful and zealous promotor of the welfare of his community. In politics, Mr. Rummel is a Republican. RUTH, Thomas P., general contractor, Polo, 111. There is perhaps no class of business men the results of whose labors are more conspicuous or more pleasing to the eye and the sense of de- velopment than the enterprising class made up of contracting builders. To this worthy brother- hood belongs the subject of this sketch, and not only in Polo, but in Sterling and other towns, he has built up monuments to his taste, skill, industry and enterprise. Mr. Ruth was born in Montgomery County, Pa., December 19, 1854, and at the age of sixteen entered upon a three years' apprenticeship to the carpenters' trade In 1876 he came to Illinois, and after stopping some time at Sterling he established himself at Milledgeville as a contractor. For more than a quarter of a century his success has been grow- ing. He usurlly employs about fifteen men, and has erected many buildings in the different towns in Ogle County, and not a few beyond its limits. He located in Polo eight years ago and has built there the school house, the Barber residence, and other well known buildings. As a licensed archi- tect, he is atithorized under the law to devise plans for buildings, as well as to carry out the plans of other architects. His career as a busi- ness man has been marked not only by enterprise, but by an honorable attention to all details re- lating to every building in the construction of which he has been concerned, that has resulted in the very best work possible, and made his every patron his personal friend and well wisher. Mr. Ruth married Miss Clara Olmstead, of Carroll county, 111., and they have a daughter named Mary, who is the wife of Poster Fike, of Sterling. 111., While he has pronounced opin- ions upon all political questions, he is too busy to take an active part in political work. In Masonry he has won an enviable place, being a Knight Templar, a Mystic Shriner and a Past Master of his lodge. SAMMIS, Charles Wheeler.— Charles Wheeler Sammis was born February 17, 1831, at James- town, Chautauqua County, N. T., and at eight years of age came with his parents to Buffalo Grove, 111., in March, 1839, the journey being made overland. Mr. Sammis was one of a family of eight children, of whom there now remain only two : Mrs. Mary S. Williams, of Polo, 111., and Oscar F. Sammis. of Pierre, S. D. Mr. Sam- mis made good use of the educational advantages afforded the early settlers of Buffalo Grove, and fitted himself for the responsibilities of the pub- lic stations to which he was called later in life. On May 25. 1852, he united in marriage with Miss Emily A. Helm, and settled on a farm four miles past of Polo. Nine years later the family moved to a farm one mile north of Polo. Mr. Sammis always took an interest in public affairs, and for several successive terms was elected Supervisor of the township of Buffalo. In 1879, he was chosen Superintendent of the County Farm, at Oregon, 111., and continued to serve in that capacity until July, 1898. From that time until his death, June 20, 1906, he re- mained in his home on the site of the old school- house of Oregon, having remodeled the brick building into an attractive and commodious dwelling, surrounded by shade trees and terraced grounds. He and his wife were consistent, earnest mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, and for a num- ber of years he was ruling elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Sammis were not demonstrative in their relig- ion, but were every ready with hands, heart and funds in every good work. Mr. Sammis is sur- vived by his wife, three sons and three daugh- ters. The wife resides in the family home in Oregon ; the children, in residence, are widely separated. In politics, Mr. Sammis was a life-long Re- publican, a man of sterling worth and character, and greatly respected by those who knew him He was dignified in appearance and courteous in" manner. The County Farm, under his super- vision, was successfully managed, with firm, but kindly, care, as the record of his long term of service as Superintendent attests. At his burial, conducted at his home in the quiet of a Sunday morning in summer, Dr. James H. More, of Polo, who has been called upon so many times in re- cent years to say the last fitting words of friend- ship and affection for so many old friends and early settlers of this region (himself one of these esteemed pioneers), paid a most beautiful tribute to these fine qualities of the life and character of Mr. Sammis. SANBORN, James P. — Among those who have established an enviable reputation in the pur- suit of agriculture, and whose integrity, perse- verance and high character are worthy of praise and emulation, mention is due James P. Sanborn, whose entire sixty-five years of existence have been spent in Ogle County, and who is now living in comparative retirement in the town of Grand Detour. Mr. Sanborn was born in Buffalo Town- ship. Ogle County, March 20, 1S43. a son of John and Susan (Johnson) Sanborn, the former born in Massachusetts and the latter in Canada. The elder Sanborn and his wife were married in Can- ada, whither the young man had gone in search of employment, and in 1834 they cast their lot within the untamed region of Ogle County, 111., beginning their housekeeping in a log cabin in Buffalo Township. Not only did they prosper as farmers and stock-raisers, thus adding to the general prosperity and promise of the township, but they reared a family of thirteen children, several of whom are still contributing to the well being of the Ogle County of the present. When Mr. Sanborn's parents came to Ogle County, they drove through from Canada in a covered wagon, and after arriving, the father bought a quarter-section of government land at HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1009 1 $1.25 per acre. This land is located in what is known as the Canada Settlement. He first built a log house, but afterward erected a dwelling of brick, the material consisting of clay and straw, but plastered on the outside. For marketing pur- poses, he took all his produce to Chicago, about 120 miles distant. At that time Grand Detour was the largest city between Chicago and Galena. The youth of James P. Sanborn passed in an uneventful groove until the breaking out of the Civil War, and in August, 1862, he enlisted in Company D, Ninety-second Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, and under Generals Wilder and Kil- patrick, served in the Western Army until the close of hostilities. In all, he participated in about fifty-two engagements, and underwent prac- tically all of the experience of the soldier save illness and imprisonment. Returning to his old home in Buffalo Township, he continued farming there until his marriage, September 19, -1867, in Fremont, Carroll County, 111., to Ann S. Rogers, who died in Horton, Iowa, August S, 1872, leaving a daughter, Ann M., wife of William Veith. February 4, 1874, Mr: San- born married Frances J. Rogers, sister of his first wife, who died in Grand Detour April 14, 1899, at the age of fifty-three years. Mr. San- born settled in Grand Detour in 1881. and ever since has made this his home. He is affiliated with the Republican party, and among other of- fices has held that of Justice of the Peace for sev- eral years and Highway Commissioner. As one who has completed his life work in a compara- tively short time,' and is in a position much earlier than the average to enjoy the aftermath of his industry, he is honored by the residents of Grand Detour and vicinity, and affectionately re- garded by a large circle of friends. SANFORD FAMILY.— Cyrenus Sanford, the head of a historic family in Ogle County, first came to Peoria. 111., from Roxbury, Delaware County. N. Y., to visit relatives, in 1833, and later to Buffalo Grove, as he desired to find a good home for himself and his large family. By 1834 he and most of his children had arrived in Buffalo Grove, and from then on he took an ac- tive part in its history. He was nearly sixty years old at this time, as he was born in Con- necticut in 1775, but moved to New York State when nineteen or twenty years old. There he married Anna Hubble, in about 1800. After lo- cating in Ogle County, he built a saw-mill on Buffalo Creek. At his death, May 28, 1858, he was one of the oldest men in the township, being eighty-three years of age, and at that time nearly all of his descendants were living in the neigh- borhood. — Ahira Sanford, a son of Cyrenus San- ford, married Amanda Hull, and they had one son Stephen. When Polo was started Ahira Sanford moved to the town and started a hotel on Franklin Street in the building now occupied by the Lyon's Laundry. His death occurred August 14, 1888, at Salem, Ore., when he was eighty-one vears old. He was licensed to preach by the Old School Baptist Church of Buffalo Grove, in 1860. — Albion Sanford, another son of Cyrenus Sanford, married Mrs. Lucy Osterhoudt Moats, and they had two daughters: Mary Holmes and Emily Scranton. Mr. and Mrs. Al- bion Sanford moved to Walla Walla, Wash., in 1805, where they spent the remainder of their lives.— Bennett Sanford, son of Cyrenus, married Mary Miranda Sweet, and both were members of the Old School Baptist Church of Buffalo Grove, and for a number of years he served as its clerk! Their children were: Homer, Mahala Jane Rucker. William S., Sylvester, Martha Knapp, Susanna Davis and Garner, who died in infancy. Bennett Sanford died July 12, 1887, and Mrs. Sanford died February 15, 1897. — Harrison San- ford, son of Cyrenus, married Bridget Deyo, and they had these children : Madison, Elnora Fife, Adelaide Harding. Rosella Reynolds, Delilah Cunningham, William B., and Frank. Harrison Sanford was more of a public man than his other brothers. For a number of years he served as Township Trustee and Road Commissioner. In the early 'fifties, he built and conducted the American House at Buffalo Grove, and when Polo was started, he built a two-story brick hotel on the site now occupied by the Exchange Bank block, which he enlarged in 1858 by adding a third story. His hotel at old Buffalo was with- out a bar, but he was licensed at Polo until the town went dry in 1865. He died July 1, 1866, aged firty-four years. His wife died October 14, 1869, aged fifty-five years. — Joel Sanford, son of Cyrenus Sanford, married Jane Osterhoudt, and their children were: Levi, Andrew, Richard, Wallace. William, Pauline and Harriet, all of Iowa, and George of the State of Oregon. Joel Sanford and his wife went to Oregon in 1865, locating in that State in their old age. While living in Buffalo Grove, Joe Sanford was clerk of the Old School Baptist Church, and later be- came an elder in it. — Vernon Sanford, son of Cyrenus Sanford, married Katie Campbell just before they moved to Illinois, in 1836. The chil- dren were : Mrs. Mary Wolcott and Mrs. Nancy Finkle. Mr. Sanford died at his home in San- fordsville. September 8. 1899, aged eighty-nine years. — Warren W. Sanford, son of Cyrenus Sap- ford, came with his father to Buffalo Grove, and located a claim. His wife bore the maiden name of Dolly Ann Osterhoudt. Warren died at the age of forty years, in 1857. He had three children, Amos, Simon and Alice. SANFORD, Fernando.— From "Who's Who in America," is taken the following sketch : "Pro- fessor Phvsics, Stanford University since 1891 r born at Taylor. Ogle Countv. 111.. February 12, 1854; son of Faxton. and Mariah (Bly) San- ford; graduated at Carthage (111.) College, 1879, CM. S.l : studied with Helmholtz in Berlin, 1S86-88: married August 12. 1880, Alice E. Craw- ford. Carthage. 111. : practiced civil engineering one rear: was Professor Physical Science, Mount Morris College, three years ; County Superin- tendent of Schools, Ogle County, four years ; in- structor physics and chemistry, Englewood High 1010 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. School, Chicago, two years; professor physical science. Lake Forest University, one year. Author: (Monographs) Variations of Resistance of Copper Wires in Various Dielectrics ; Experi- ments in Electric Photography ; An Acoustic Pyrometer ; Rain Making ; the Scientific Method and Its Limitations." These monographs by Professor Sanford are the result of original in- vestigations. He is also the author of a text- book. "The Elements of Physics." Those who knew Professor Sanford during his youth and during the work of his early manhood in Ogle County at Mount Morris College and in the office of Superintendent of Schools, remember him as a close student, a careful observer, and a deep thinker along the line of his native talent. In addition to this they knew him as a man of fine qualities of character. These characteristics of mind and man have secured to him long term of service at Stanford University. SCHELL, William T.— Among the leading citi- zens of Polo, 111., who have been prominent in business, financial and civic affairs, probably none are better known than William T. Schell, who has been a resident of the city for more than forty-two years, and cashier of the Exchange National Bank since that institution's organiza- tion in 1871. Mr. Schell was born November 27, 1842, in Lehigh County, Pa., and is a son of Henry and Lydia (Trumbauer) Schell. Edu- cated in the common schools and in Pennsyl- vania College, at Gettysburg, that State, Mr. Schell came to Polo, 111., in February, 1866, where until 1S69 he was engaged in teaching and clerking. In the last named year he became cashier in the bank of Wagner & Schell, and on the organization of the Exchange National Bank, in 1871, he accepted a like position there, which he has continued to occupy to the present time. In addition. Mr. Schell has been identified with various business enterprises, at one time conduct- ing a marble and granite works. His reputation as a business man and as a citizen is deservedly high, and he possesses the respect and esteem of all those who have had the pleasure of his ac- quaintance. On November 9, 1869, Mr. Schell was united in marriage with Cecelia Marks, a native of Nor- ristown, Pa., and daughter of Charles Marks, and to this union there have been born four children, namely : William T., Daisy W., Mar- tina W., and Florentine M. In political matters, Mr. Schell is a Democrat, and was the first City Clerk of the city of Polo. He is a consistent member of the Lutheran Church. SCHELLING, Andrew, farmer, Leaf River Township Ogle County, 111. Leaf River Town- ship has its full quota of self-made men — men who from small beginnings, or from practically no beginnings in a financial way, have deter- mined to succeed in life, have overcome ob- stacles, have persevered in the face of difficul- ties, and finally have triumphed beyond their own expectations. A man of this class is And- rew Schelling. who in early manhood began his life in Ogle County as a stone-mason, and who is now a well-to-do farmer who has richly won the right to look back with satisfaction over years well spent. Mr. Schelling was born in Washington County, Md., February 2, 1830, a son of Joseph and Frances (Schaffer) Schelling, natives of Ger- many. Joseph Schelling was a stone-mason and taught the trade to his son. He died in Wash- ington County, Md., aged fifty-one years, and his wife aged forty-four years. They had ten children, of whom Andrew was the third born. He came to Ogle County in 1853, when he was about seventeen years old, and worked at his trade at Oregon, Mount Morris and Polo, until in the early '80s he bought his farm of 170 acres, which was the nucleus of his present farm of 291 acres in Leaf River Township, every acre of which is well improved and the place fitted with a good residence, ample outbuildings and all modern conveniences. Mr. Schelling takes a patriotic interest in all questions affecting the national prosperity, and is a follower in the foot- steps of the safe and conservative leaders of the Republican party. He has taken an active part in township affairs and has ably filled the offices of School Director and Highway Commissioner. May 30, 1860, Mr. Schelling married at Ligbt- ville. Leaf River Township. Miss Elizabeth Wil- son, who was born in the North of Ireland, June 15, 1839, of Scotch-Irish parentage. Her father was Joseph Wilson, who married Ann McLain. They came from County Tyrone, Ireland, to the United States and in 1853 settled near Byron, Ogle County. About a year and a half later, they removed to Leaf River Township, where he died aged seventy-seven, and. she aged eighty-two years. Of their twelve children, six grew to manhood and womanhood. Mrs. Schelling was one of the older children of the family. She has borne her husband three daughters, : Anna, who married Daniel Hoover, and died at Egan. Til., March 26. 1908: Mary, who is the wife of Wil- liam H. Marks; Isabelle. who is Mrs. Peter Allen. SCHNEIDER, Hon. Charles.— Not the least of the legacies left Ogle County by its early pio- neers are the sons who bear their name and maintain the reputation of their ancestors for honest and painstaking labor. Something of the iron of these courageous settlers has entered into the lives of their progeny, who. placed in entirely different and less exacting circumstances, fulfill their destiny with equally commendable zeal and conscientiousness. Belonging to this class is Hon. Charles Schneider, a contributor to the commer- cial standing of the community of Oregon for the past thirty-four years, as cashier of the First Na- tional Bank, and politically prominent as ex- alderman and Mayor of the town. Mr. Schneider was born in Oregon, Ogle County, 111., October 19, 1S43, a son of John M. and Rebecca (Etnyre) Schneider. John M. Schneider was born in Bavaria, Germany, and there learned the trade of tailor to which he de- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1011 voted many years of his life. He was born June 8, 1808. and died September 30, 1S93. Arriving in the United States during the summer of 1834, lie worked at his trade in Baltimore, St. Louis and Galena, and in 1830 settled in Oregon, where he continued to make clothes for his male con- temporaries. Subsequently he opened the first grocery store in the town, and later still con- ducted a clothing business for the balance of his active life. He was a Democrat in politics and a Roman Catholic in religion. His wife was born in Maryland August 20, 1808, and was the oldest of the children of John and Catherine Etnyre, who came to Ogle County in 1830. Mrs. Schneider died in 1S95, leaving one child, Charles ; Mary and Ellen, having died previous to their mother. After his graduation from Notre Dame Uni- versity, South Bend, Ind., Charles Schneider be- gan his independent career as clerk in a store, and in 1870 became bookkeeper In the bank of Bayard & Miller. When this instiution was con- verted into the First National Bank in 1872, he was advanced to the position of Cashier, and ever since has maintained this responsibility, be- ing also a Director in the bank. This institution is one of the strong and dependable monetary concerns in Ogle County, deriving its standing from the high character and extended experience of the men directing its affairs. At Dixon. 111.. September U, 1871,, Mr. Schneider was united in marriage to Fannie Weller, who was born in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Timmons) Weller. To Mr. and Mrs. Schneider have been born the following children : Frank B., Charles J., William D., Leo, Mary (who died in infancy). Bert A., Ellen and George E. Mr. Schneider is a stanch upholder of Republican measures and principles, and for many years has been active in local political affairs. Begin- ning with 1S85 he served three tenns as Alder- man, and in 1803, 1895, 1897 and 1900, was elected Mayor of Oregon, which office he held until the Spring of 1907. Mr. Schneider is a wide-awake, genial and approachable gentleman, notwithstanding the conservatism hedging in all snccessful bankers, and which, of necessity, is a part of their business qualifications. He keeps abreast of the strenuous times in which he lives, and is ever alive to ways of bettering his own condition and that of the community of which he is a respected and influential member. SCHREIBER, George, farmer and stockman, Leaf River Township, Ogle County, 111., is a brother of Jacob N. Schreiber, a biographical sketch of whom is given in this department of this work. A vivid recollection of his childhood is of his voyage across the ocean from Germany to America, when he was but six years old. He remembers too the long journey of the family from New York to Illinois. All that happened so long ago that, young as he was, he was a pio- neer in Stephenson County, where his parents first settled, and in Leaf River Township where they settled a year later. Andrew and Anna Catherine (Garvick) Schreiber, his father and mother, were born in Baden, Germany. Andrew died in Leaf River Township in his eighty-fourth year, and his wife aged about three-score years and ten. Of their four children, Jacob N. was 1he eldest. George was born February 27, 1848. Mary Ellen is Mrs. Warren Stebbins and lives at Freeport, 1)1. Emma married John Diehl of Harper, Ogle County. Mr. Schreiber has lived in Leaf River Town- ship continuously since he was about seven years old. He was educated in local common schools and learned farming under his father's guidance and instruction. He is the owner of 268 acres of productive land, most of which is improved, and there is probably not a better farmer and stockman in the township. In an unobtrusive but helpful way. he is interested in all local affairs of publjc ■ moment. He married at For- reston, 111., June 25, 1891, Miss Mary Ellen Mayer, who was born in Ridott Township, Steph- enson County, May 26, 1855, and has borne him three children, Earl F., Florence M. and Warren W. He and his wife are members of the Evang- elical Church. Mrs. Schreiber is a daughter of Gottlieb and Catherine (Schreiber) Mayer. Her father died in Leaf River Township, aged seventy-six years, having survived for many years his wife, who died in Ridott Township, Stephenson County, when she was only twenty-three years old. Be- sides Mary Ellen they had a daughter named Elizabeth and a third child who died in in- fancy. SCHREIBER, Jacob N., farmer, Leaf River Township, Ogle County, 111. The pioneers who put the land under cultivation and opened the way for the unexampled prosperity of our era are' entitled to all honor. Of all the citizens of Ogle County of the present time, none should be more proud of it than the sons of those who made it what it is. Jacob N. Schreiber is the son of a pioneer, and in a way he was himself a pio- neer. Born in Baden, Germany, December 3, 1844, he came to America in 1854,' with his parents. Andrew and Anna Catherine (Garvick) Schreiber, both natives of Baden. For a year after their arrival, the family lived in Stephen- son County, 111., whence they removed to Ogle County, settling in Leaf River Township. There Andrew Schreiber died in his eighty-fourth year, and his wife when she was about seventy-five vears old. They had four children: Jacob N.. the immediate subject of this sketch; George, who is represented by another article in these pages ; Mary Ellen, who married Warren Steb- bins. of Freeport, 111. ; and Emma C, who is the wife of John Diehl of Harper, Ogle County. Jacob N. Schreiber was about ten years old when his parents brought him to the United States. He passed his early days on his father's farm, attending the public schools and learning at home practical lessons which he found very useful in his life-work, which was fanning and 1012 HISTOT?Y OF OGLE COUNTY. raising fine stock. In 1901 he removed to the village of Leaf River, where he has since lived in retirement. He owns three hundred and thirty acres of improved land, fitted in every way for profitable cultivation. He takes a public- spirited interest in the village and township of Leaf River, is always especially concerned in the maintenance and improvement of the local schools, and for that reason has accepted and faithfully filled the office of School Director. He is a member of the Evangelical Church, while his wife is a member of the Christian church, both being found in the van of any movement for the benefit of either organization or of any worthy home interest. Mr. Schreiber was rnf.rried at Forreston, 111., in June 1869, to Miss Catherine Myers, who was born in Leaf River Township January 4, 1847, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Her) Myers. Mr. Myers was a native of Ohio, and Mrs. Myers of Washington County, Md., and were among the early settlers of Ogle County. Of their fifteen children Mrs. Schreiber was the eleventh in the order of birth. To Mr. and Mrs. Schreiber have been born five children : Cora E., William F., Ida E., Andrew R. and C. Clifford. Cora E. is the wife of William Johnson. Ida E. married the Rev. Burton Reams, an Evangelical clergy- man. William ■ and Andrew are engaged in farming. SCHRYVER, Fletcher.— With the exception of a year and a half in Idaho with his family dur- ing the Civil War, Fletcher Schryver has spent his entire life in Eagle Point Township. Ogle County, where he was born August 25, 1859, and where he now owns a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Schryver is a son of Erastus W. and Lucinda (Landis) Schryver, the former of whom was born in New York State and the latter in Vir- ginia. Both the Schryver and Landis families were among the very early settlers of Ogle County, the former having been established here in 1839, and the latter in 1836. Lucinda Landis tame here as a small child with her father, Solo- mon Landis, was educated in the early subscrip- tion schools, married and reared her two sons, Albert and Fletcher, both of whom are farmers of Eagle Point Township. Erastus and his wife and children, during the Civil War, withdrew from close proximity to the scenes of strife and journeyed to Idaho, but were not sufficiently pleased with the Far West to renounce allegi- ance to the community of which they were among the first pioneers. In his youth Fletcher Schryver worked hard on the home place, and with his brother availed himself of the leisure of the winter months to attend the township schools. In Whiteside County, 111., March 12, 1884, he was united in marriage to Mary Jane Finkle, born in Jordan Township, Whiteside County, March 16, 1862, a daughter of Gilbert and Nancy (Sanford) Fin- kle, and of this union there is a daughter Anna. Mr. Schryver maintains well the reputation of his pioneer family for industry and thrift, and for those other essential qualities which enable a man to confront obstacles and expect only suc- cess from his labors. He has a well improved and valuable farm, the most of it tillable, and he raises high grade stock, including horses, cat- tle and hogs. His home is one of the pleasant and hospitable ones of the township, and under his roof many friends find delightful and wel- come entertainment. Mr. Schryver is a man of the present, taking a keen interest in matters which interest the world at large, and contri- buting not a little to the social and political growth of the community. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America. SCHRYVER, Martin E., (deceased), late man- ager of the Northen Illinois branch agency oi the Union Central Life Insurance Company, Polo, 111., had a career that should be an inspir- ation to any young man just starting in life. He was markedly a self-made man and his success was such as is achieved only by strong, earnest men who recognize and are willing to fight for the right, regardless of consequences to them- selves or to those who oppose them. Mr. Schry- ver was born at Tioga Center, Tioga County, X Y., January 29, 1838, and died suddenly at Ottawa, III., March 15, 1906. His parents. Bar- nett and Irene (Steele) Schryver, came to Polo in 1862, and spent the remainder of their lives. As a boy Mr. Schryver availed himself of such opportunities as were presented to him to attend public schools in his native State ; and there, too, he early in life became a member of the Bap- tist Church, a step which later had much to do with intensifying the sterling character by which he was known. In 1859, with his brother War- ren, he came west as far as Green Bay, Wis., and from, there, two years later came, to Polo. Mr. Schryver found work on a farm during the sum- mer and fall of 1861, and managed to get him- self employed to teach the Doty School during the winter of 1861-62, but upon examination was unable to obtain a certificate of any grade. Judge Campbell, who had conducted the examination, sympathized with him in his earnest desire to become a teacher, and, giving him some hints as to some things he should learn, offered to ex- amine him a second time just before his school term should begin. The determination to suc- ceed and the willingness to do hard work, which characterized him during all his active career, were demonstrated when he triumphantly re- ceived from Judge Campbell a certificate of the highest grade, after having passed a better ex- amination than any other teacher that gentle- man had examined. He was so successful in the Doty School, and so well liked by scholars and parents, that he was retained as its teacher four years. After that came an unsuccessful venture in the grocery business, which might have turned out otherwise had he not been too generous in giving credit. About this time he became inter- ested in life insurance and resolved to take it up as a regular business. Judge Campbell, who was always his personal friend, had no intimation of this determination until, happening in one day on business, he found him building a desk out of HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1013 parts of old grocery boxes, which he gravely in- formed his visitor he intended to use in an in- surance office, which he would soon open. Mr. Schryver made his first contract with the Union Central Life Insurance Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio, December 17, 1872. When his business had grown a little, he established his pffice in the old Burbank shoe-shop building, where the Odd Fellows' building now stands. Increasing demands for office space compelled him to move ' from time to time to more commodious quarters until, about 1900, he occupied a handsome suite of six office-rooms on the second floor of the Becker building. By this time, as manager of the Northern Illinois agency of his company, he had in different parts of his territory about forty agents, all of whom he was able to enthuse with his own spirit. December 17, 1902, he celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of his connection with the company, when, as a surprise to him as a result of special effort on their part, his agents brought to him new business to the amount of $115,000, and the company itself, in recognition of the standing of his agency as the first in the country in respect to amount of business done., gave him a valuable diamond ring. When Mr. Schryver thought he was right, he was fearless in defense of any position he took. As member and chairman of the Ogle County Republican Central Committee, and in his priv- ate capacity as a plain citizen, he advocated pure politics and the reference of all important meas- ures to the people at large. Having known the pangs of poverty in his younger days, he was especially sympathetic with his less fortunate fellowmen. No man in his town was more prompt and liberal in his contributions for the public good than was Mr. Schryver. While in a broad sense he loved all mankind, he more par- ticularly loved children, and the lawn before his house was a favorite play-ground of many of them, who affectionally called him "Uncle Mart." During the years of his success at Polo, no cele- bration of the Fourth of July would have been deemed complete by his neighbors had he, by any oversight, ever omitted the display of fireworks, which invariably called the people of the town to his lawn on the evening of that national holiday. During the early years of his residence in Polo he held the office of Town Clerk and Assessor ; was also a member of the Board of Education 1884-96. In 1879-80 he was a member of the. City Council and in 1881-82 served as Mayor. He' was an Odd Fellow and a Thirty-second de- gree Mason. From 1889 until the time of his death he was a Director of the Exchange Na- tional Bank of Polo, and was also a Director of the Victor Manufacturing Company of Milford, Oni0 - T T,r j *- Mr. Schryver married Miss Ellen L. Wood, ot Bradford County, Pa.. October 31, 1864, and they had eight children of whom Edwin and Chester died in infancy, and Curtis at the age of six years. The others are: Mrs. S. B. Dexter and Mrs Robert C. Mvlne, both of Aurora, 111. ; Mrs. S O. Adams, Mrs. W. T. Schell, Jr., and Martin E Schrvver, of Polo. Six brothers and sisters died before Mr. Schryver, but he is survived by one brother, Jefferson B. Schryver, of St. Louis, and three sisters : Mrs. B. I. Avey, of Jefferson, Iowa, and Miss A. R. Schryver and Mrs. J. T. Mulnix, of Polo. SEAWORTH, Thomas H.— The family repre- sented by this progressive farmer of Ogle County comes of German lineage and has been identified comes of German lineage, and has been identified John Seaworth brought his wife and children to the new world and settled in one of the Eastern States. After a brief sojourn there he pushed on toward the West in the hope of securing cheaper land than the East offered. Arriving in Illinois he secured a tract of raw land in Section 14, Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, and here gave his close attention to transforming the pri- meval soil into a productive estate. In addition to tilling the soil he built the first grist-mill in the township and operated the same until quite advanced in years. His death occurred at his old homestead July 2, 1884, when he had at- tained the age of eighty-eight. Twelve years prior to his demise occurred the death of his wife at the age of sixty-seven years. Before the emigration of the family from Ger- many, a son, John C, had been born January 15, 1826, and he was a boy of nine years when he landed in America. Reared in the Lutheran faith and confirmed in that denomination, he al- ways has adhered to its doctrines and contri- buted to its missionary enterprises. Under his father's painstaking oversight he became a prac- tical farmer at an early age and always has fol- lowed agricultural pursuits. As a result of his judicious investments he is now the owner of 435 acres, on which he has made valuable im- provements. A commendable interest in public affairs has been maintained through all of his active life, and it has been his aim to keep thor- oughly posted concerning issues of importance to the State and Nation. The marriage of John C. Seaworth united him with Martha J. Davis, whose father, Matthew Davis, was a soldier in the Mexican War, partici- pated in the capture of Pueblo and remained at the front until he received an honorable dis- charge from the army, December 13, 1847. The family of John C. Seaworth comprised eight children, named as follows: Mary E., who mar- ried L. P. Deets and died in Pine Rock Town- ship ; Anna M., who is the wife of Joseph Unsen ; George M., John S., Thomas H., Martha R., Mrs. E. Fox, Lydia M., who married Raymond Nash, and Nancy A., who is the wife of Stephen Hath- away. The fifth in order of birth was Thomas H. Seaworth', who was born on the old homestead in Pine Rock Township July 11, 1865, and re- ceived a common-school education supplemented by a course as student in the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College, Chicago. On his return from college he settled on the old homestead where he was born, and here he has since re- Hided er gaged in farming and stock-raising, giv- ing his attention tn the management of the Burr- 1014 HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. Oak farm, as the place is called. One of his specialties has been the breeding of Short-Horn cattle, in which he has won a local reputation and has achieved commendable success. Three hundred and fifteen acres of the estate is under his management, and he owns forty acres situ- ated on Section 11. In addition to his land here, he is the owner of 320 acres situated in Cavalier County, N. Dak., the latter having been purchased as an investment to be held for an advance in price. In White Rock Township, Ogle County, June 20, 1809, occurred the marriage of Thomas H. Seaworth and Margaret A. Nicolson, who was born in Winnebago County, 111., June 4. 1877. being the eldest of the five children of Andrew C. and Janet (Armour) Nicolson, natives of Scotland, who settled in White Rock Township in 1S90, the mother dying here the following year. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Seaworth comprises four children, Thomas X.. Janet A., John A., and Martha M., the latter born July 14, 190S. Ever since attaining his majority Mr. Seaworth lias supported the principles of the Republican party by his vote, and has maintained a warm in- terest in national affairs. He has also been in- terested in local questions, it being his aim to support measures for the benefit of the commun- ity along all lines of activity. The office of School Director he has filled with efficiency, like- wise that of Township Collector, and has also represented his party as a member of the County Central Committee. In fraternal relations he holds membership with the Modern Woodmen of America, and has been a leading worker in the local lodge of the order. SEIBERT, John E., farmer, Maryland Town- ship. Ogle County, III. Of teaching and farming it would be difficult to say which is the more use- ful or rhe more honorable avocation. It is not safe to measure the value to the world of a man's life work only by its financial value to him. It is probable that in a given number of teachers and the same number of farmers, a larger pro- portion of the latter than of the former would be found to be financially prosperous. Some men fit themselves for teaching with money earned on farms, and there are numerous farmers, a part of whose training was gained at the teach- er's desk. The resident of Maryland Township whose life story suggests these reflections, is John E. Seibert. Mr. Seibert is a son of John T. and Rebecca (Haugh) Seibert. His father was a native of Dauphin County. Pa., and his mother of Center County in the same State. They were married in Dauphin County, and in October, 1856, emi- grated to Ogle County, 111., locating in Maryland Township. Nine children were born to them, six of whom survive. Sarah is the wife of William Raybuck : Alice married Harry Hellar ; Jacob, Alvin and John E. are well and favorably known, and Agnes is Mrs. J. F. Shofer of Adeline. Three children died young. John T. Seibert died in December. 189.",. John E. Seibert was born in Maryland Town- ship, August 21, 1864, and was educated in the common schools, at Mount Morris College and at the Wells Training School, Oregon. In the winter of 1887, he taught his first term of school in his home district in Maryland Township, and from that time for seven years was engaged in teaching almost continuously, but aside from teaching, farming had been his chief business. He owns about 150 acres of land, well improved and supplied with good buildings and every requisite for its .successful operation. He has taken an active interest in all important town- ship affairs, has been several times elected School Trustee and for eight years has filled the office of Justice of the Peace. When he consid- ers home rule, he believes in the election of the most honest and competent man without regard to party affiliation, but in State and national questions, where broader principles are involved, he adheres pretty closely to the tenets and pol- icies of the Democratic party, and is a member of the Democratic County Central Committee. In 1908, at the solicitation of friends, he became a candidate for Representative in the State Leg- islature, but on account of the desire of the Win- nebago County Representative to fill another term, he withdrew. He is a member of the Mod- ern Woodmen of America, a Knight of the Globe, and a member of the Order of Mystic Workers, and Odd Fellows. June 2, 1897, Mr. Seibert married Miss Maggie M. Sloggett, a daughter of William and Mary (Miller) Sloggett. Mrs. Seibert was born in Ogle County and died in Maryland Township, May 28, 1895, aged thirty-five years. She bore her husband a daughter who died in infancy. While teaching Mr. Seibert began the study of law, but after his father's death, he came to the home .farm to live with his mother, and later bought the estate. SEYSTER, Hon. John C— The career of Hon. John C. Seyster has given evidence of no depar- ture from the type which affords unending en- couragement and inspiration to the youth of the rising generation. Having in his youth an early conceived and clearly defined purpose and the qualities necessary for the accomplishment there- of, he inaugurated his independent career as a legal practitioner in Oregon in 1879, and for twenty-nine years has upheld the best tenets of his ancient and honorable calling. Mr. Seyster was born on a farm in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., May 12, 1S54, a son of Michael and Margaret (Ridmour) Seyster, natives of Maryland and of German descent. The history of Ogle County and that of the Seyster family have gone parallel since the arri- val here in ISMS of Michael Seyster and his par- ents, Michael and Mary (Woofkill) Seyster, also natives of Maryland. Michael, Jr., at that time was thirteen years old, and he settled with his parents on a tract of land in Oregon Township, to 400 acres of which he eventually succeeded. He had average opportunities as a boy, worked HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1015 hard to help clear the wilderness farm, and with his parents underwent the privations and trials which were the accompaniment of frontier life. He married, October 16, 1851, Margaret Rid- mour, who was born in Hagerstown, Md., Novem- ber 26, 1830, and after eleven years spent in Pine Creek Township, returned to the old farm in Oregon Township, where he faithfully tilled the land for the balance of his life. The preliminary education of Hon. John C Seyster was acquired in the district schools of Pine Creek and Oregon Townships, and he subse- quently attended the Rock River Seminary, from which he was duly graduated in the class of 187G. He read law with William Barge, of Dixon, and graduating from the Union College of Law, Chi- cago, was admitted to the bar of Illinois in 1879. Locating in Oregon, he soon made his influence and ability felt, and like many of his ambitious co-workers in his profession, became actively in- terested in politics, subscribing to the principles of the Democratic party. In 1882 he was elected to the Thirty-third General Assembly, and dur- ing the session served on the Committee on the Municipal Affairs, and State Charitable Institu- tions. In 1885 his general fitness was further recognized by his election to the office of City Attorney. His political, as well as professional, honors have been borne with discretion and good judgment, and he invariably has worked for the general well being of the community. To thor- ough grounding in the fundamentals of his call- ing he adds an honorable and upright nature, clear insight into the motives and general prin- ciples of mankind, and the faculty of presenting clearly and convincingly his side of the trans- action involved. The marriage of Mr. Seyster and Ella Vinacke, occurred at Blanchard, Iowa, December 15, 1880, Mrs. Seyster being a native of Salineville. Ohio, and daughter of John W. and Avis (Hale) Vinacke. SHAFER, John F.— The village of Adeline, which is by no means the least important of the numerous thriving towns of Ogle County, con- tains the variety of shops and stores to be found in every progressive place, and among these men- tion belongs to the blacksmith shop owned by John F. Shafer, who has conducted the business here since 1891. During the years of his asso- ciation with the business he has built up a trade extending throughout all of the surrounding country. It is no uncommon sight for the fires of his forge to fall upon a line of horses brought in from the country and awaiting the skilled la- bors of the busy . blacksmith. During the busy seasons, and particularly in the early winter, the ring of the anvil may be heard from morning until night. In addition other work is done, in- cluding repair jobs in iron and machinery. Claiming Ogle County as his native place, Mr. Shafer was born in Maryland Township, July 14, 1867. His father, Daniel, was born in Penn- sylvania and, losing his mother by death when a small boy, he was taken into the home of his grandparents, by whom he was reared and edu- cated. During the year 1854 he came to Illinois with relatives and settled in Ogle County, where in Maryland Township, he married Miss Rebecca Heller, a native of Pennsylvania, but from 1852 a resident of Ogle County, having come hither with her father, John E. Heller. Ever since their marriage Daniel and Rebecca Shafer have continued to reside in Maryland Township, where they are well known, and universally honored. Twelve children were born of their union, nine of whom attained years of maturity, namely : John F., whose name introduces this article ; Edna, who married 0. W. Trine; Martha; Anna, Mrs. John Younger ; Emma, wife of James Car- roll ; Daniel E., Elias M., Laura and Ray. The country schools of Maryland Township af- forded Mr. Shafer an opportunity to acquire a rudimentary education. Since leaving school he has broadened his fund of knowledge through close observation and systematic reading, and now ranks among the well-informed men of his town. At an early age he entered upon an ap- prenticeship to the trade of blacksmith, and served a term of two years, since which time he has been engaged in the business. Of a pains- taking disposition, skilled in the trade and soli- citous to please customers, it is not strange that he has become a favorite among those desiring work to be done in his line. Meanwhile he has neglected no duty devolving upon him as a citi- zen. A steady interest in township affairs has been maintained in the midst of the pressure of business. At one time he served as Constable of the township and. in the spring of 1907, was elected Supervisor for Maryland Township to succeed George Rummel. Since becoming a mem- ber of the Board he has attended its sessions and participated in its responsibilities, proving him- self an efficient, reliable and trustworthy official. With his wife he holds membership in the United Brethren Church, while fraternally he is con- nected with the Modern Woodmen of America, Mystic Workers of the World and I. O. O. F. The wife of Mr. Shafer is, like himself, a na- tive of Maryland Township, and here their mar- riage was solemnized February 6, 1896. Mrs. Shafer, formerly Minnie Agnes Seibert, was born August 7, 1867, a daughter of John T. and Re- becca (Haugh) Seibert, who were born, reared and married in Pennsylvania, removing thence to Illinois and settling in Maryland Township, Ogle County, some time during the '50s. In connec- tion with agricultural pursuits, Mr. Seibert fol- lowed the trade of a carpenter and remained a resident of Maryland Township until his death. His family comprised nine children, but three of these died in infancy. Those who lived to ma- ture years were : Sarah, who is the wife of William Rabuck ; Alice, who married Henry Heller ; Jacob, Alvin, John E. and Minnie Agnes, the last named being the, youngest of the family. SHAVER, Solomon, was of Dutch descent, and a blacksmith by trade, who for many years had a smithy in the village of Andes, N. Y. He and John Waterbury came to Buffalo Grove together 1016 HISTORY OF OGLE COtTNTY. in 1835, and located claims side by side, dividing Eagle Spring between them. He returned to his old home, and then with his family made the seven-week trip overland. Mr. Shaver and his wife died at their home between Buffalo Grove and Polo, about 1864 or 1865, and their remains lie in Pairmount Cemetery. Mr. Shaver bought .a unique monument at a fair held at Rochester, N. Y., during the fifties, and while being trans- ported in a vessel on Lake Erie it was sunk, but later recovered, and now marks -the last resting place of this sturdy old pioneer and his wife. SHEAFF, David, for many years one of the .most extensive farmers and stock-raisers of Northern Illinois, and now living in retirement at Holcomb, Ogle County, 111., the possessor of an ample fortune, needs no commendatory pref- ace to the following narrative of his life. His record, as shown herein, speaks for itself. Mr. Sheaff was born near Perry, Cayuga County, N. Y., December 23, 1835. His parents were John and Nancy (Summa) Sheaff, natives of Penn- sylvania and of German ancestry. When an in- fant he was taken to Clarke County, Ohio, in the vicinity of Springfield, where he was brought up •on a farm until he was eighteen years old, help- ing in the farm work in summer, and attending the district school in the winter. He had four brothers, all of whom came to Illinois, their names being : Simon, who lived in Scott and White Rock Townships, Ogle County, and died in Holcomb, 111. ; Peter, who died in Scott Town- ship, when about sixty years of age ; Joseph ; and John Alexander, who enlisted in his eighteenth .year, in the Ninety-second Regiment, Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, and died in hospital at St. Louis, while on the way to the front. Peter and Joseph were also soldiers in the Civil War, being in the Second Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. David Sheaff came to Ogle County in 1854, work- ing two years as a farm hand, his brothers, Si- mon and Peter, having preceded him in 1852, and already located on farms, the former in Scott Township and the latter near the village of By- ron. Their father had made a trip to Illinois in 1849, and had entered up enough government land in this region to give each of his children .240 acres. There were also six daughters in the family, five of whom came to Ogle County, name- ly : Mary Ann, wife of Edward Hastings ; Polly, Mrs. George Farber ; Kate, Mrs. John Downs ; .Jane, Mrs. Wright Leffel; and Emily, wife of Joseph Hicks. The other daughter, Elizabeth Sheaff, remained in Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hastings settled near Byron, and their son, Peter E. Hast- ings, is a banker at Oregon, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Parber located in Monroe Township, and after- ward moved to Monroe Center, where the latter died when post seventy years old. Mrs. Downs arrived with Simon and Peter, and lived in White Rock Township several years, subsequent- ly going to California. Mrs. Leffel lived in Ogle ■County three years, then she returned to Ohio. Mrs. Hicks also went back to Ohio, after spend- ~/i"g a like period in White Rock Township. Mr. Leffel was a cousin of the inventor of the tur- bine water wheel. The land entered up in 1849 by the father, John Sheaff, included all of Sec- tion 2, White Rock Township. After working by the month for two years, David Sheaff began to improve his 240 acres of land in Sections 2 and 3 of the above mentioned township. He was married in November, 1860, to Martha Jane Shoemaker, a daughter of Ben- jamin Shoemaker, of White Rock Township, who settled in Ogle County in 1853. Mrs. Sheaff was born in the same county in New York as her hus- band, and was quite young at the time of her marriage. Their first dwelling, 16x24 feet in di- mensions, stood near their present home, and is still used as a dwelling for tenants, having, how- ever, been rebuilt. After living five years in his first location, Mr. Sheaff bought the farm which had been intended for his brother, John Alex- ander, the latter having died. At a later period he purchased his sister's interest, thus acquiring the whole of Section 2. He also bought other land, until he had 700 acres, all in one body. In 1891 he built his present home, a spacious and attractive residence just east of the village of Holcomb, near the site of his early home. He spent between two and three years in Rockford during the time of the Civil War, conducting his farming operations with hired help, but returned about 1867, and resumed active work. Of late years he has made use of the services of his tenants, having several houses occupied by ten- ants on the home farm. He has another farm of 160 acres (67 acres being timber), in Monroe Township, and also one containing 120 acres, in Lynnville Township. During all of his active life, his attention has been devoted to raising grain and live-stock, feeding cattle and hogs, breeding a superior grade of stock and the best quality of mules, and buying and shipping cattle. He has retained about all the land acquired by him in his long agricultural career, having paid for it from $1.25 to $60 per acre, some being bought at $28 and some at $30, all now being worth $125 per acre. His father owned three good farms in Ohio, and, having invested there when prices were low, was able to give his chil- dren a good start in life. To Mr. and Mrs. Sheaff were born four chil- dren, namely : Katie L., Frank E., Vernie B. and Linton D., each one of whom was liberally provided for on leaving home. The eldest daugh- ter, Katie, is the wife of Fred Wells, of Aurora, 111., and has several children ; Frank E. is a banker at Holcomb ; Vernie is Mrs. Dr. Snyder, of Monroe, HI., and Linton is a member of the firm of Phillips & Sheaff, merchants at Holcomb. In addition to his banking interests, Frank E. Sheaff has, for ten years, supervised the opera- tion of the old homestead property, including the raising and feeding of live-stock. The land Is all rented out, but the work is under his per- sonal attention. Besides his children, Mr. Sheaffs nephew, Peter Hastings, was with him for eight years, having been educated by him. Politically, David Sheaff has always been identified with the Democratic party. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1017 SHEETS, Benjamin Franklin, veteran of the Civil War, legislator, and former Superintendent of State Reformatory at Pontiac, now living in Oregon, 111., was born in Wattsburg, Pa., October 6, 1832, the son of David Frederick and Lucy (McCumber) Sheets, the former born in Dans- ville, N. Y., December 18, 1802, and the latter in Wattsburg, Pa., January 1, 1809, the father's occupation being that of a farmer. In 1844, the subject of this sketch removed with his parents from his native State to Illinois, settling on a farm in Blackberry Township, Kane County, in June of that year. After spending his boyhood on a farm in Kane County, he received his aca- demic education at Rock River Seminary, Mt. Morris, 111., having as class and school-mates Senator Shelby M. Cullom, the late Congress- man Robert R. Hitt, and a number of others, among the best known men of the State. His first employment after leaving college was as a dry-goods merchant, and, after marriage in 1855, he settled in Mt. Morris, whence he removed on January 1, 1861, to Oregon, 111., where he became Deputy Circuit Clerk for Ogle County, and which has been his place of residence continuously to the present time, except while in the army and otherwise officially employed. In May, 1862, Mr. Sheets was elected Sheriff of Ogle County, but on September 4, 1862, was mustered in as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ninety- second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, afterward serving in General Thomas' Corps of the Army of the Cumberland, and receiving the rank of Brevet Brigadier-General for meritorious service in the field. Official positions held by General Sheets at a later period include those of Senator for the Ogle and Winnebago County District for one term (1886-90), and Superintendent for the Illinois State Reformatory, at Pontiac, 1891-93. It was while a member of the State Senate that he introduced and secured the passage of the act establishing the Illinois State Reformatory, lo- cated at Pontiac, 111., of which, by appointment of the board of managers under Gov. Pifer, he became the first Superintendent. Col. Sheets has been a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church since 1846, served as a member of the Official Board forty-seven years, for thirty-one years was Superintendent of the Methodist Sunday School in Mt. Morris and later in Oregon, and for five times has been a lay delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which meets once every four years. He has also been a member of the Oregon Grand Army Post, No. 116, since the date of its organization, and has served as Com- mander of the Post several terms, as well as Delegate to State and National Encampments. In politics, originally a Whig, Col. Sheets has been a sturdy supporter of the principles of the Republican party from its organization to the present time, and has voted for every Republi- can candidate for President since the candidacy of John C. Fremont in 1856. He takes a special pride in the fact that he was able to vote twice for the martyred Abraham Lincoln, and later for such successors as Gen. U. S. Grant, William Mc- Kinley and Theodore Roosevelt. During his long residence in Oregon, Col. Sheets has done a great deal in improving and beautifying the place of his adoption. Besides favoring and aiding efforts for general municipal advancement, he has built and embellished by the development of attractive grounds at differ- ent times, two fine dwellings for his own home, erected a commodious, substantia] and handsome business building, and laid out and improved, with a number of pretty houses, Sheets' Addition to Oregon. Beyond being a promoter of its ma- terial growth, Oregon has always found Col. Sheets an active friend for every good word and work, having in view its moral welfare and intel- lectual progress. Col. Sheets has been twice married, first at Mt. Morris, 111., June 25, 1855, to Alice V. Hill, who was born at Oregon, 111., in 1837, and second, on April 16, 1872, at Oregon, 111., to Catherine Hormell, who is a native of Dayton, Ohio, born September 15, 1840, and there are two living sons by each marriage, namely : Rev. Frank D. Sheets, born October 25, 1858; Rev. Frederick H. Sheets, born December 25, 1859 ; George Ben- jamin Sheets, born January 17, 1873, and Dr. Horace Sheets, born November 24, 1877. After a life of business and official activity and use- fulness, Col. Sheets is spending the evening of his days in deserved ease and comfort, though still associated with one of his son in the hard- ware buiness in Oregon, 111. SHEFFIELD, William E.— Various movements identified with the prosperity and progress of Grand Detour have received the careful coop- eration and active aid of Mr. Sheffield, a leading citizen of the town. Though not a native of the village, much of his life has been passed within its limits or in the immediate vicinity, and he has labored indefatigably for the promotion of public-spirited measures. During much of his active life he followed agricultural pursuits and still owns a farm of eighty acrees in Grand De- tour Township adjoining the village of that name. For perhaps twenty years he maintained business interests through the proprietorship of a mercantile establishment in the town and for two years operated a creamery. The conscien- tious, careful attention given to private affairs has been noticeable in his public affairs, and he has filled offices of local trust with efficiency and success. For many years he has filled the posi- tion of Township Clerk, for one term he repre- sented the township on the Board of Supervisors of Ogle County, also for one term acted as Di- rector of Schools, and for two years filled the re- sponsible position of Postmaster of Grand De- tour. It is worthy of mention that these vari- ous positions were filled with a devotion to duty, promptness, efficiency and intelligence that won the respect of all, irrespective of political views and ties. Descended from Eastern families of colonial associations, William E. Sheffield was born at 1018 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. Gilbertsville, Otsego County, N. T., October 25, 1854, a son of Amos H. and Elizabeth P. (Sco- field) Sheffield, natives respectively of New York State and Connecticut. Severing the ties of youth and early married life, the parents in 1855 left their old home and sought the greater oppor- tunities of Illinois, where they settled in Dee County. During the year 1861, removing to Ogle County they settled in Grand Detour, where the father opened and, for many years, con- ducted the Sheffield house. At the time of his death in 1898 he was about seventy years of age. The wife arid mother survived him several years, finally passing away in June of 1906, at the age of about seventy-two years. They were the par- ents of five children, named as follows : Wil- liam B. ; May U., who married Dr. James Pank- hurst ; Charles A. ; Mark S., and Amos H. At the time of making the journey from New York State to Illinois, William B. Sheffield was only thirteen months old, and was seven years of age when the family settled in Grand Detour. In this village he acquired a fair education and, under the guidance of his parents, was trained for life's responsibilities. Upon leaving the old home he took up fanning pursuits and to these has given much of his attention throughout ac- tive life, although, as previously stated, he also has been interested in merchandising for a long period. His marriage was solemnized in Oregon, 111., March 6, 1879, uniting him with Miss Eliza- beth Mary Jane Foxley, who was born in Buck- inghamshire, England, January 5, 1855, and re- ceived the rudiments of her education in her na- tive land. During 1868 she came to the United States with her parents, John and Jane (Guerie) Foxley, and settled with them in Taylor Town- ship, Ogle County, 111., wheTe Mr. Foxley en- gaged in general farming. After three years he took the family to the village of Grand Detour, where he died at the age of seventy years ; his wife passing away at sixty-four. They were the parents of six children, of whom one son died in infancy. The others are : Elizabeth M. J., Clara A., John A., Frances and Thomas A. Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield have two sons, Arthur E. and Nelson F. Fraternally Mr. Sheffield holds mem- bership with the Modern Woodmen of America, the American Stars of Equity and the Knights of the Globe. SHOEMAKER, Pearson (deceased), an early pioneer and well known citizen of Ogle County, 111., was born in Butler County, Ohio, January 16, 1809, his lather being of German extraction and his mother English. About 1828 he removed with his parents to Union and then to Sullivan County, Ind., and n year or two later accom- panied his parents to Pekin, 111. Previous to this he had learned the carpenter's trade, and in No- vember, 1.S.33, returning to Sullivan County, Ind., he married Elizabeth Parker, who was a native of Virginia, born February 18, 1809, but lived durinc her childhood in Murray County, Tenn., and later near Terre Haute, Ind. Then coming back to Illinois with his bride, they spent the winter with his parents, but during the following spring went to what Is now Carroll County, finally locating on the east side of Elkhorn Grove in Ogle County. While building a cabin and establishing his claim, he and his wife occu- pied a shanty which had been deserted during the Black Hawk war by a man named Parish, who had never returned. They were among the earliest settlers in the vicinity of their new home, and in their later life were able to recall many incidents of that pioneer period of deep interest to their friends and neighbors. The summer of 1834 was spent in making improve- ments on his claim and completing his cabin, which was of the primitive variety with clap- board roof and stick and mud chimney. The following fall they went back to Pekin, and In- diana, returning during the holidays, bringing with them some stock including cattle and hogs, with plenty of provisions, and doors and win- dows for their cabin. Wolves and other wild animals were numerous at that time, and Mr. Shoemaker found it necessary to fight vigorously to preserve his stock. A story of his life during that period says that, after losing some of his hogs, "he built a pen to trap the wolves, and baiting it with some of the meat left, he caught a wolf every night for five nights in succession, and that he trapped a much fiercer animal, a lynx or wild-cat." This indicates the kind of life the pioneers of that day had to meet, to say nothing of exposure to the inclemency of the winter in their rude log cabins. In the summer of 1837, Mr. Shoemaker's industry was rewarded by a crop of superior wheat, a part of which he sold at 51-50 per bushel. During the first year of Mr. Shoemaker's stay in Ogle County, Indians were not infrequent vis- itors at the cabins of the white settlers, and the nearest postoffice at that time was Dixon. A large influx of settlers began in 1835, and the first school in the vicinity was taught in the cen- ter of Elkhorn Grove in the winter of 1835-36. A tragedy told of this period is that of the teacher of this school who, "during the severe cold weather, went to Isaac Chambers, near Brook- ville, got some whisky and was frozen to death on his way home." The first camp-meeting in this vicinity is believed to have been held on Mr. Shoemaker's farm in 1835 or '36. In 1855 or 1856, Mr. Shoemaker built what was first known as the "Empire House," but later called the "Orient House." This he rented for a number of years, his home being in Eagle Point Township, Ogle County. In 1864 he re- moved to Polo, and taking charge of the hotel, continued to manage it with the assistance of his son and daughter up to the time of his death, which occurred at Polo, July 3, 1890, his wife dying at the same place October 18, 1892. Mr. Shoemaker was a Republican in politics, and he and his wife were members of the United Breth- ren Church. Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker were the parents of nine children, namely : Elmer, who died in Ea- gle Point Township, aged twenty-seven years ; HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1019 Mary (deceased), who was the wife of Dr. Ma- son C. McPherson ; Joseph, died in Eagle Point Township, aged twenty-two; Harvey, now living on the old place; Jasper Newton, died in Polo April 13, 1906, aged sixty-five years; Laura V., widow of Joel B. Buswell ; Sarah, who is living with her sister, Mrs. Buswell, at Polo; Lemuel Parker, who died January 31, 1899, in Florida, aged fifty-two years; and Elizabeth (deceased)! wife of Eugene Williams of Freeport, died the 4th of March, 1904. SHUMWAY, Mr. and Mrs. Romanzo G.— Model pioneers were Mr. and Mrs. R. G Shumway of Polo. Among the many noble men and women of the first generation, children of early pioneers, their lives are deservedly conspicuous. They were in nearly every way safe models for later generations to copy. Romanzo Greeley Shumway was a descendant of Peter Shumway, founder of the family in Massachusetts in 1665. His son, also Peter, was the father of Oliver, born October 12, 1724. Oliver's son, Elijah, was born October 24, 1754, and his son, Lewis, was born August 18, 1776. His son David was born March 27, 1803, in Ja- maica, Vt. Here David lived until his marriage to Miss Sallie Greeley, who was born in Ando- ver, Vt., February 8, 1806. She was the daughter of Abel Greeley, born at Wilton, New Hamp- shire, April 1, 1783, was a descendant, of Andrew Greeley, who was born at Salisbury, Mass., De- cember 10, 1646. After their marriage, David and Sallie Shum- way left their native State for Ohio, settling on land now the site of the City of Oberlin. Wbile here, on the 12th of February, 1832, their son, Romanzo Greeley, was born. Four years later, attracted, no doubt by the reports of the beauty and fertility of the Rock River Valley, the par- ents moved westward once more. Their trip from Oberlin to Winnebago County was not made in palace cars, but in "prairie schooners," so common seventy-five years ago. On the 29th of May, 1836, they landed on the banks of the Rock River near the mouth of the Kisbwaukee, six miles south of the then little village of Rock- ford, where David Shumway entered a tract of land and proceeded to make a home for his fam- ily. He was a man of thrift and energy, and prospered. On the farm amid healthful rural surroundings, Romanzo grew to manhood, enjoy- ing only the educational advantages afforded by the rural schools of that day. His active mind improved every opportunity and, at his majority, he found a place as clerk in a drugstore at Rock- ford. A little later, in 1854, he was clerk in a Dixon drygoods store, and in January, 1855, lo- cated at Milledgeville, and soon had a drug-store of his own. The young merchant soon won the confidence of the people and he was made Post- master, a position which he held for fourteen years. He also served the people of Wysox Township as Township Treasurer, and as Su- pervisor. In the early '60s he had gained some surplus capital, which he invested in land and corn. Both increased rapidly in value, and net- ted him big returns. Later he started a branch drug-store in Lanark, and when the National Bank at Lanark was chartered, was one of its stockholders and its first President. In Novem- ber, 1871, he came to Polo, bought an interest in the Exchange National Bank and was chosen its Vice-President, and thereafter actively engaged in its affairs. In 1884, he was elected President, which position he held until 1889. About 1886, he started the Shumway Bank at Milledgeville. When the State Bank of Freeport was organized, he was chosen its Vice-President, a position he held until a few weeks before his death, when he was made President of that institution. Dur- ing the later years of his life, his banking inter- ests extended to Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as Illinois and, at the time of his death, he was interested in seventeen banks. He was also a stockholder in several manufacturing and mer- cantile companies, and took pleasure in helping worthy young men to positions of trust and re- sponsibility. Many men with the varied inter- ests and connected with various enterprises in which he was engaged, would have found little time for anything outside of business. Not so with Mr. Shumway. He always had time to de- vote to the local interests of the community in which he lived, and to work for its improvement. In him the temperance cause and the church found a solid friend and a wise counselor. For six years he served the people of Polo on the Board of Education. For many years he was a member of the official board of the Methodist Church. He was also a stockholder of the Lena Camp Meeting Association. Both Mr. and Mrs. Shumway served their church with zeal and wis- dom, and supported all its various branches of Christian work with open-handed generosity. In them the W. C. T. U. and the Anti-Saloon League found warm friends and supporters. Un- like too many men who are successful in busi- ness, he did not let money-making engross all his thought and life, but gave a part to his family, his friends, the community, and his church. He was not a man of many words, but rather a man of action. Whether he helped to build a church or to aid a young man in business, or to fight the saloon, he did it quietly rather than with the sound of a trumpet. His business methods were never sensational but always unquestionable. His money was invested in no questionable "get rich quick" enterprises, and his success proved that a man may amass a competency by strictly legitimate means. October 17, 1855, at the home of the bride's parents, in Milledgeville, R. G. Shumway was united in marriage with Eugenia Maria Palmer, by that old pioneer Methodist preacher, Rev. James McKean. Mrs. Shumway was the daugh- ter of Dr. W. K. and Anna (Barnum) Palmer. Dr. Palmer was born in Canada in 1806. Her paternal grandparents were Azariah and Anna (Kerley) Palmer, the former a son of Azariah Palmer, Sr. Her maternal grandfather was Her- man Barnum, son of Daniel, whose wife was a Miss Hoskins, daughter of Asa and Elizabeth 1020 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. (McCarty) Hoskins. Mrs. Shum way's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Palmer, were pioneer settlers of Kane County. They settled on the banks of the Fox River, where now is situated the City of Aurora, there being at that time only one other white family there. Here, on the 4th of March, 1839, Eugenia M. Palmer was born. In 1848 Dr. Palmer removed his family to Carroll County and settled at Milledgeville, and it was here at the age of sixteen and one-half years, she became the life partner of Mr. Shumway. Perhaps few people are more fortunate in their family life than were they. Each seemed fitted to supply all the other's need, and years only strengthened the ties which bound them in youth. Three chil dren blessed their union : Clara, Anna and Lucia. With Clara's death in 1892, came, perhaps the greatest sorrow of their lives. Anna became the wife of William P. Wagner, and resides at Green Bay, Wis. Lucia married F. H. Suffel and re- sides at Minneapolis, Minn. On the fiftieth an- niversary of their marriage, October 17, 1905, Mr. and Mrs. Shumway, their children and about five hundred other friends celebrated the event in a pleasant gathering at their Polo home. More than fifty-two years they spent together, and by death they were not long separated. Mr. Shum- way died Monday, March 30, 1908, and Mrs. Shumway passed to her reward on Friday, May 15th, following. SLOGGETT, William, farmer, Maryland Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. Illinois has many citizens of Canadian birth who, in the broadest sense have proven themselves Americans. Such men, recognizing the fact that people born in Canada and people born in the United States are brothers and sisters who cannot be alienated by an arbi- trary line on the map, have found themselves equally at home on either side of that line and, animated by the same spirit inherited from com- mon forefathers across the water, have demon- strated that, under all circumstances, their man- hood is of the same type. Further thought along this line will be suggested by a glance at the fol- lowing brief sketch or' the life of William Slog- gett, who was born in Granby, Province of Que- bec, Canada, near Montreal, November 18, 1844. William Sloggett, his father, was bom in Lon- don. England, and his mother, Bethany (Horner) Sloggett, in Granby, Quebec. William Sloggett and his wife came to Ogle County, III., in 1855, when their son was about eleven years old, and took up their residence at Forreston, where Sirs. Sloggett died, aged about forty-two years, in 1865. Mr. Sloggett was a wagon and carriage-maker. He died at Cole- ridge, Cedar County, Neb., when he was seventy- five years old. Of their nine children, the sub- ject of this sketch was the second in order of birth and the eldest son. He learned the wagon and carriage making business under his father's instructions, and for four years prosecuted it at Baileyville. Stephenson County, 111., where he was at the same time engaged in farming. In July. 1S77, he located on his farm in Maryland Township. Mr. Sloggett married Mary A. Miller, a na- tive of Mount Morris Township, who bore him five children, only one of whom is living — Louis O. Sloggett, Assistant Chief Engineer of the Ill- inois Central Railroad. Mrs. Sloggett died in Maryland Township, August 15, 1883. Mr. Slog- gett married again January 10, 1889, then taking as his second wife Miss Sarah M. Stover, who was born in Maryland Township, April 23, 1867, a daughter of Daniel W. and Mina E. (Stouffer) Stover, who were among the early settlers in Ogle County. By his second marriage he and his wife have three children : William F., Alma C. and Helen M. In politics Mr. Sloggett is a Republican. He was three times elected Supervisor of his town- ship and for several years was active in political work. In 1877 he bought the old Shaffstall farm of forty acres, and by untiring energy has brought it up to a high state of productiveness. For about ten years he was in the ice trade, sup- plying ice to the people of Forreston, Leaf River and other places. While living at Baileyville, Mr. Sloggett enlist- ed at Forreston February 24, 1864, in Company H, Thirty-fourth Regiment Illinois Veteran Vol- unteers, which was attached to the Second Brig- ade. Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. He was wounded at the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864, and left for dead on the field, close to the Confederate line. He was in twenty severe engagements, more or less, and in every one of Sherman's skirmishes in that Gen- eral's famous march from Atlanta to the sea. By a special order, dated March 31, 1865, he was detached as an Orderly at his brigade head- quarters, and in that capacity he saw much hard fighting and had many exciting experiences. Upon him was conferred the marked distinction of holding the banner over General Sherman, when at the Grand Review at Washington, D. C, that officer delivered -his farewell address to the second division of the Fourteenth Army Corps. Private Sloggett was given a gold ring as a memento of his participation in that cere- mony. He was honorably discharged from the service at Louisville, Ky., July 12, 1865, and returned to his home to receive the approbation of his old neighbors and to participate in the blessings of a reunited country. SMALL, John. — Movements tending toward the advancement and growth of Lincoln Township, Ogle County, where he makes his home, always have received the stanch support of John Small, retired farmer and honored veteran of the Civil War. From early life he has been an ardent be- liever in the principles of the Republican party and, although born and reared south of Mason and Dixon's line, he has never been a believer in the institution of slavery. His views on the sub- ject led him to remove from the home of his youth during the Civil War and, after coming north, lie enlisted in the Union army, serving during the closing months of that historic strug- gle and receiving an honorable discharge at the end of the war. HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. 1021 A native of Maryland, born in Washington County, July 28, 1S46, John Small is a descend- ant of an old family of that State, and his father, John A., was also born in the same coun- ty, where he died June 20, 1853, at the age of forty-five years. The wife and mother bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Wenrick and died in Washington County November 16, 1870, when in the fifty-seventh year of her age. Eight children constituted the parental family, and of these John was sixth in order of birth. During boy- hood he attended the schools of his native county. On account of the early death of his father he was obliged to earn his livelihood at an age when most boys are enjoying the pleasures of irrespon- sible youth, but the lessons learned in those strug- gles taught bim self-reliance and developed manly traits of character. Coming to Illinois in the spring of 1864, he settled in Ogle County and secured employment as a farm hand. Later he enlisted in Company K, Fifteenth Illinois In- fantry, and accompanied his regiment to the front, remaining until he received his discharge. Of recent years he has been active in the Grand Army of the Republic as a member of J. M. Smith Post, No. 720, at Mount Morris. Upon returning from the war Mr. Small re- sumed work as a farm laborer and also for sev- eral seasons operated a threshing machine. His earnings were carefully saved until he had enough to justify an investment in land, and thereupon he purchased a tract of forty acres in Lincoln Township, where now he makes his home and where he actively engaged in agricul- tural pursuits until failing health compelled his relinquishment of manual labor. After hav- ing secured a home of his own, he brought hither a bride, being married in Lincoln Township Jan- uary 13, 1876, to Miss Susanna Tschopp, daugh- ter of Philip and Susanna (Heckart) Tschopp, and a native of Leaf River Township, born April 30, 18o5. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Small began housekeeping in Mount Morris Township, but four years later they came to Lincoln Township, and since then have been actively identified with activities tending toward the welfare of their community. For many years Mr. Small has been a member of the Republican County Central Committee representing Lincoln Township. Interested in educational work, he has filled the office of School Trustee and has aided the growth of the district schools. For fourteen years he held the office of Township Assessor, and then was elected to serve his fif- teenth term, but declined to accept the position longer. Few are better posted than he concerning township affairs, and his cooperation has been given to all measures for the general welfare. Under the administration of Hon. John R. Tan- ner he had the honor of being appointed a dele- gate to the Farmers' National Congress, while the same position was conferred upon him twice under the administration of Governor Deneen. For twenty years or more he has served as Sec- retary and Treasurer of the Lincoln Home Mu- tual Fire Insurance Company, an organization established for the benefit of local farmers and maintained in their interests. SMITH, Jonas C. — Well-known among the re- tired farmers residing in Roehelle is Jonas C. Smith, who has large and valuable holdings of farm land in Ogle County and, through a lifetime of intelligent toil, has accumulated sufficient means to provide his declining years with every comfort. A native of Sussex County, N. J., he was born August 8, 1843, in the house where also occurred the birth of his cousin, John Babcock, of Flagg Center. During childhood he was taken to New York State by his parents, Thomas and Jane Smith, who settled on a farm near War- wick, Orange County, and remained there until they passed from earth. Educated in country schools, he started out to earn his own way at the age of nineteen years, and joined his oldest brother, John, at Big Flats, Chemung County, N. Y. The brother had become interested in tobacco growing and he assisted him for some five years, producing what was known as Big Flats tobacco, noted for its fine quality and used for cigar wrappers. Deciding to seek a home further west, during the spring of I860, Jonas C. Smith came to Ro- ehelle, 111., in company with H. L. Smith, whose sister was the wife of John Smith of Big Flats. The first work secured by the young man was as a farm laborer with D. H. Tunison, six and one- half miles northwest of Roehelle, in Flagg Town- ship. After a year he rented the Tunison farm and later added to his responsibilities by. leasing other adjacent lands, which he operated for sev- eral years. Meantime he had invested his sav- ings in a tract of eighty acres for which he paid $80 per acre. November 9, 1871, he was united in marriage with Miss MaTy E. Mead, who had taught in Ogle and Lee Counties from 1867 until her marriage. Born in Dodge County, Wis., she was a daughter of James L. and Mary R. Mead, who had settled on Eagle Prairie, in Dodge Coun- ty, before the Indians had turned their faces fur- ther west. Few white people had come into the region, but the Indians, as a rule, were friendly and peace prevailed in the little settlement. The daughter worked her way through school in a private family, earning her board, and taught classes to pay her tuition until she entered the Seminary at Dixon. There she worked for her board at a Mr. Crawford's, President of the Na- tional Bank of that place, who also gave her the use of a scholarship owned by him, as he did at different times for other young people who boarded there. Later, the faculty gave her the privilege of boarding at the Seminary, that she might devote more time to her studies. This favor she received during the last months she attended, at the beginning of each term giving a note bearing ten per cent, interest, and paying $5.00 per week for board. This she did until prepared to enter a school as teacher, and during the first year she cleared each week just what her weekly expenses had been the year before. In time she paid the debt, and although she was overjoyed to' regain possession of her notes, she 1022 HlSTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. never regretted the obligation incurred, and often recommended the plan to others similarly sit- uated. Some years later Miss Mead's father re- moved to Whiteside County, 111., and eventually became an inmate of her home in Ogle County, where he died at sixty-eight years of age. Her mother lived to be twenty-eight years of age, and passed away while making her home in Wiscon- sin. The paternal grandfather, Thomas Mead, for years held the- position of Principal of the Public Schools at Cincinnati, Ohio, and there James L., who was a native of Kings County, N. Y., received a thorough education in the com- mon branches. Some years after acquiring his first land, Jonas C. Smith added to its acreage by buying adjacent land, and thus became the owner of 160 acres in one body. In the fall of 1882 he sold that farm and bought nearly 200 acres of the old Tunison estate, which now, by means of some changes, contains a full 200 acres. In addition to this property he owns 140 acres in a separate tract in Flagg Township. For some of his land he has paid as high as $70 per acre, but the investment proved wise, for that same property is now valued at $150 per acre. The farm has two sets of buildings and is well tiled, so that it ranks among the best improved farms in the vicinity. Since the fall of 1006 Mr. Smith has lived in re- tirement in Rochelle, where he owns a neat home. However, he still retains an interest in stock- feeding and usually fattens one or more carloads of cattle each year, often buying thousands of bushels of grain for feeding purposes. Politically he was a Democrat in early life, but for years has given his support to the Republican party, With his wife he holds membership in the Ad- vent Christian Church. The eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is Myrtle May, who received a fine education in Jennings Seminary at Aurora, and became pro- ficient both in music and art. She married Rev. J. F. Whitman, pastor of the Advent Christian Church of Annandale, Wright County, Minn., and they have two sons, Edmund and DeWitt, and a daughter, Faith. The eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is Jay Lawrence, a graduate of the Rochelle High School, and now manager of the old family homestead. By his marriage to Mabel, daughter of Oscar Dugdale, of Pine Rock Township, he has three children : Glyndon, Hel- en, and Evelyn. The second and third sons of Mr. and Mrs. Smith are Ralph O. and Earl Jonas, both of whom graduated from the Mendota Col- lege with the class of 1004. Later Ralph mar- ried Ethel Hamill, of Cascade, Iowa, and settled in Chicago, where he is employed in the office of the Illinois Steel Company. Eai'l taught one year in Mendota College, and then became a stu- dent of law in the Chicago University. In all of bis work Mr. Smith has been en- couraged by the capable assistance of a talented wife. While living on the farm Mrs. Smith was able to accomplish an amount of work that would be impossible to most women, yet her health was uninjured by the strenuous activity of those days. It was her custom to sell more than fif- teen hundred pounds of butter each year, in ad- dition to furnishing butter for the demands of the ten or twelve who usually sat at her own table. Through her competent labors, dairying proved the most profitable feature of the farm work. While striving to aid financially, she- did not neglect her children, but carefully trained them morally and religiously, and now has the satisfaction of seeing them hold responsible po- sitions in life. Her devotion to the Advent Christian Church led to her election as President of the Helper's Union and Central Mission Branch of the denomination, in connection with which she occupied the position as editor of the "Helpers Friend," the periodical that reviews the work of the organization. In connection with her office, it has been her duty to keep in touch with all lines of society and church work, and to attend the annual meetings, and she has never missed one of these meetings since the organiza- tion of the church. It is the universal testimony of those associated with the organization that her fidelity to duty, consecrated effort, energy in action and practical supervision of the entire work, have resulted in a gratifying growth of the Union and an enlargement of its field of ac- tivities. SMITH, Peter (deceased), former banker, cap- italist and retired farmer, of Rochelle, 111., was a natural financier who aided much in the de- velopment of Ogle County. He was the son of Edward and Anna (Tebow) Smith, and was born in Franklin, Bergen County, N. J., Decem- ber 21, 1808. His American ancestry runs back to one of the members of a little Swedish colony, who settled in Bergen County, N. J., in 1624. When twelve years old he moved with his par- ents to New York City, where he attended school and acquired a good common-school education. His first business venture was in buying and selling fruit, and when but sixteen years old, he engaged in the poultry business, and afterward carried on the manufacture of mustard and cay- enne pepper, in which business he continued un- til he was twenty-one years old. For the suc- ceeding ten years he was in the wood business, and also in buying and selling horses, purchas- ing his stock in the State of Ohio and selling in New York. He met with success in each line of business, but he believed that he could do still better in the West. Coming to Ogle County Au- gust 1, 1839, he settled in White Rock Township in 1840, and a few years later entered 600 acres of land in Marion and Pine Rock Townships (al- though there were then no townships), and erect- ed a log cabin, 16x24 feet, one and a half stories in height. For miles around neighbors turned out and assisted him in its erection, the time re- quiring but one day. With his wife and two children he there laid the foundation for his large fortune. While developing his own farm, he kept a breaking team of five yoke of cattle to assist other early settlers in the neighborhood. By energy and good judgment it was not long before he owned over 1,000 acres of land. His HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1023 ability lay Id wisely directing the work of others. He was Collector and Constable in Marion Town- ship and School Director for about fifteen years. He continued farming and stock-raising until December, 1875, when he moved to Rochelle. For several years he was President of the First National Bank of Rochelle. In 1883 he sold out his interest in this bank, making his investments in well improved farms and loans. Mr. Smith was a life-long Democrat, but had no taste for holding office. He died November 24, 1886, at the age of seventy-eight years. May 12, 1821, Mr. Smith married Sarah Foster in New York City. She was born in County Ar- magh, North of Ireland, July 12, 1809, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. Eleven children were born to them, five of whom died in infancy ; a daughter, Emma, died at the age of twenty-four. The following survive : Abbie A., who married Minor Parker (deceased), resides at Steward; Margaret, who married Austin Noe (deceased), resides at Rochelle; Caroline, who married Pat- rick O'Mara (deceased), resides in White Rock Township; Susan M., who marries Aron Cass (deceased), (see sketch of Aron Cass) ; George F., who married Mary Jones, and now lives in Byron, 111. Mrs. Smith, by her sound sense, industry and economy, was a great aid to her husband. She was always a Presbyterian. She died July 9, 1897, at the age of eighty-eight years. SMITH, William S., farmer, Eagle Point Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. In these pages tribute has frequently been paid to the good German blood that has entered into the citizenship of Ogle County. Again, it is within the province of the writer to record a family history extending from the Fatherland to the prairies of Illinois, from the days of wild animals and wilder Indians to the civil ization of the twentieth century. Wil- liam S. Smith is a son of Seibert Smith, who was born in Germany, January 15, 1827, and married Catharine Miller, also a native of Germany. This pioneer, when a young man, worked on the first railroad in his native land to earn money with which to come to America. He made the journey across the ocean in company with the late Henry Becker. From New York he came direct to Ogle Conntv and secured employment as a laborer on farms. Later his brothers, Joseph and John, came over from Germany to join him. The for- mer died in Old Buffalo from the effects of sun- stroke and John of illness and starvation in the prison-pen at Andersonville, Ga., during the Civil War. After a few years spent in Ogle County, Sei- bert went to Winnebago County, Iowa, and tak- ing up land began its improvement, but the hos- tility of the Indians made it necessary for h.im to sell it and having done so, he gladly returned to Ogle Countv. On November 15, 1860, he mar- ried Catharine Miller, who was born in Hesse- Darmstadt, Germany, June 28, 1832 They be- gan their married life in Carroll County, in.,- but lived there only a few years, when return- ing to Ogle County, Mr. Smith bought a farm in Eagle Point Township, in its southwestern quar- ter, where they spent the remainder of their lives. he dying there October 16, 1872, and she July 2. 1877. They had six children: Addie, who died April 29, 1882; John C, Henry S., Conrad, who died in infancy ; Seibert J., William S. William S. was born on his father's home- stead in Eagle Point Township, April 6, 1870, and was in his third year when his father died and in his eighth year when his mother died. After he was doubly orphaned, he went to live with Mrs. John Hortnig, an aunt, with whom he had a home for twenty years. He was educated in the common schools near his aunt's, in the high school at Chadwick, Carroll County, and at the Wells Normal Training School at Oregon. He was early initiated into the mysteries of farming, which he has made the work of his life, owning at this time 114% acres of land well im- proved. He is a stanch Republican, and as such was elected Justice of the Peace in 1902. He and his wife are active members of the United Evangelical Church, in the various inter- ests of which he has been deeply intersted since 1890. Mr. Smith was married in Stephenson County, 111., June 27, 1901, to Miss Mary Miller, who was born there January 11, 1880, a daughter of Fred and Eliza (Martin) Miller, natives of Ger- many, who are the parents of ten children of whom Mrs. Smith is the eldest. SOUTHWORTH, John. — The genealogical rec- ords of the Southworth family show that, during the year 1806, Thomas Southworth became a resident of Dryden, Tompkins County, N. Y., and there for a long period was engaged in business pursuits, eventually, however, retiring to enjoy in his old age the fruits of earlier application and effort. Spared to a venerable age, he passed away in Dryden in 1863 at the age of ninety-one years. Next in line of descent was John, born in 1796 and a lad of ten years when the family settled in Dryden. Ten years later he married Nancy Ellis, daughter of John Ellis, a Revolu- tionary soldier and the owner of such extensive tracts of land that he was called the "king of Dryden." During a service as Senator in the New York Legislature, about 1831, an oil paint- ing was made of Mr. Ellis, depicting the strong features and indicating the fine intellect that brought him such exceptional success. While still a mere lad, John Southworth evinced business acumen to an unusual degree. Some of his early experiences brought him trouble, one such occasion being when he traded his father's team and incurred the stern dis- pleasure of that parent; yet, in the end, the trade proved a very fortunate deal and showed that he possessed a sagacity beyond his years. By slow degrees he built up a fortune. His in- vestments showed discrimination and judgment, and almost invariably proved successful. Though possessed of little education, he was naturally a brilliant man, keen in insight, large in sympa- 1024 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. fbies and wise in judgment. In 1834 he erected a commodious brick mansion in Dryden, which is now one of the old landmarks of that city, and furnishes an excellent illustration of the finest styles of building of that era. When the accumulation of early years furn- ished him with an abundance of capital, John Southwprth came to Illinois in search of a field for investments. Selecting lands in Lee and Ogle Counties, he returned to his New York home and said that he had bought "a goose pas- ture for mother." The land was wet and he se- cured it at a low figure, but his judgment dis- cerned its possibilities, and he believed in time it would prove as valuable as any in the State, a belief which later happenings proved to be cor- rect. Eventually he acquired several thousand acres of land in this part of Illinois. M. D. Hathaway acted as his agent in the land deals, while Isaac N. Mallory became associated with him in the banking business, the two becoming directors of the Rochelle National Bank. In the interests of his large holdings Mr. South- worth made frequent trips to Illinois and formed pleasant acquaintances with the pioneers of that period, but always retained his home in Dryden where his wife, Nancy, had died in young woman- hood, and where he passed away in 1877 at an advanced age. During the existence of the Whig party he favored its principles and, after its dis- integration, he became a Republican, always keeping in touch with political affairs, yet never consenting to hold office. Generous in disposition at one time he contributed $500 to aid a church, although he was not a church member. Later this same church needed further aid and he agreed to give $100 more provided certain men whom he named would give $25 to $50 each. The minister labored to secure pledges from other parties, and in this work he was aided by Mr. Southworth, whose arguments, although less pol ished than the preacher's, were far more forcible and convincing. Although very sympathetic, John Southworth never allowed his feelings to warp his judgment. A forcible illustration of this trait is recalled by his descendants. On one occasion he held a mortgage on a cow whose owner made not the least effort to pay even a small amount. After having waited vainly for some attention to be paid to his claim. Mr. Southworth determined to get the animal. Accompanied by a boy he went to the place, opened the gate and told the boy to drive the cow into the road. The man's wife protested and began to weep, exclaiming that the cow was their only source of income. Her sympathetic listener soon began to shed tears in sympathy. The boy, noting the effect of the woman's protestations, failed to drive the cow out of the yard, believing that Mr. South- worth would change his- mind. But the latter, seeing the boy hesitating, cried out with the tears streaming down his face, "Why in don't you drive the cow out?" This instance shows the peculiarities of the man, who indeed was one of the most striking personalities of his town, yet so loving and kind that his son often said it was his chief ambition to be as good a man as his father. Thomas George, son of John Southworth, was born at Dryden, N. Y., November 16, 1829, and died at Rochelle, 111., April 5, 1899. When an infant too young to realize his loss, death took his mother in 1830. In 1867 he came to Illinois as his father's agent and for some years lived on a farm four miles from Rochelle, but later re- moved to the estate lying adjacent to Rochelle. At the age of three years he had been injured so that he was left a cripple and always was forced to use a crutch ; notwithstanding this af- fliction, he was always cheerful and saw only the bright side of life. Through painstaking ef- fort he became an adept in all kinds of farm work and could mount horses with ease, while his crippled condition did not interfere with his pleasures and he even learned to dance grace- fully. A niece of Thomas G. Southworth, Mrs. Jen- nie McGraw Fiske, wife of Professor Willard Piske, of Cornell University, N. Y., presented to that institution a fine chime of bells and, after her death in 1880, a residence which he had erect- ed at a cost of about $500,000. The spacious man- sion in which she had never made her home, but from which she was buried, became, in 1896, the home of the Chi Psi fraternity. The house was finished in woods purchased abroad, and the wood work of the library alone cost $10,000. The entire world had been searched to bring back for the building finishings beautiful and rare, and the effect was all that the most artistic tastes could demand. December 7, 1906, the beautiful structure was consumed by fire and all its rich treasures were destroyed, while the horror of the catastrophe was greatly increased by the death of four members of the fraternity in the fire, three members of the volunteer fire department being crushed under the falling walls. The "marriage of Thomas George Southworth took place April 19. 1S55, and united him with Malvina A. Preeland, who was born at Caroline, Tompkins County, N. Y., August 6, 1834, a daugh- ter of John and Ruth (Jones) Freeland, and granddaughter of Ruth (Jones) Lake, whose mother, Ruth (Wade) Hopkins, was the daugh- ter of one of the passengers on the historic May- flower. Ruth Jones made her home with Mrs. Southworth for more than thirty years and, at the time of her death in 1900, had attained the age of ninety-six years. Up to the last she re- tained her interest in current events and politics, and! was a loving student of the Bible. In re- ligious belief Mrs. T. C. Southworth is a Univer- salist, but she works in harmony with the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, and is actively identified with the Home Missionary Society and Ladies' Aid Society of that denomination. In addition, she has been a leading worker in the order of Rebekah, and in the circle of the Grand Army of the Republic. After the death of her husband she erected in Rochelle a substantial residence of cement, which, with its surrounding grounds, forms one of the most attractive homes in the city. HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1025 John W. Southworth was born at Dryden, Tompkins County, N. Y., April 17, 1856, being a son of Thomas George and Malvina A. South- worth. During the year 1867 he accompanied his parents to Illinois and settled in Lee County, three and one-half miles from Rochelle, and here he uneventfully passed the years of his youth. In 1879 occurred the death of his grandfather, John Southworth, and the estate was thereupon divided among the heirs. The two sons, Thomas G. and Albert, inherited the stock in the Rochelle National Bank. Albert, who was a farmer in Ogle County north of Rochelle, returned to New York after some years and eventually died at the old homestead in the East. Thomas G., who remained in the West, became a large land- owner, a bank director, and owner of part in- terest in the tile factory. Part of his stock in the bank he gave to his son, Thomas G., Jr., so that four generations of the family have served as directors of this bank, in which they still own a large proportion of the stock. John W. was the only son of his parents and was educated in the Rochelle schools, since which time he has managed his large interests in Rochelle, and here in 1892 he erected an elegant and spacious mansion for his home. Politically he votes with the Republican party. For three terms he served as Alderman and on one occasion was nominated for Mayor, but was defeated by M. L. Bttinger. In fraternal affairs he holds membership with the Modern Woodmen. The marriage of John W. Southworth took place February 14, 1882, and united him with Catherine DeCourcy, who was born at Ashton, 111., a daughter of David DeCourcy, a railroad man who died in Lee County. Four children blessed their union, namely : Thomas G. a leading young business man of Rochelle, who married Dixie Tilton, a native of Illinois ; Helen G., Ruth and Elizabeth, all at home. All were given the best educational advantages, and the eldest daugh- ter completed her studies at Mont St. Clair, in Clinton, 111. The family have a high standing so- cially, and its members are welcome guests in the most refined circles of society. Dixie Tilton, the wife of Thomas G. South- worth, to whom she was married in June, 1905, is a daughter of James and Josephine (Eakle) Tilton, natives of Ohio and Illinois respectively. She was born in Ogle County, October 13, 1883, received her education in her native county, graduating in 1902, and is an accomplished pianist. She was the youngest of a family of six children of whom all are living except the old- est daughter. Three sisters are residents of Ogle County, and the only brother is a resident of Iowa. SPRECHER, Philip T. — Many years have come and gone since the establishment of the Sprecher family in Ogle County, the first of the name hav- ing come hither during 1836, in company with Mr. Swingley and other members of what was known as the Maryland colony. Northern Illi- nois was in the initial era of its development. Much of the virgin soil, as yet, had been un- touched by p!ow, and its agricultural possibili- ties were unrealized. Here and there a log cabin rose in a clearing as a mute testimony of a pio- neer's faith in the future. The early home of Philip Sprecher, who founded the family in this county, was situated one and one-half miles east of Mount Morris, on what is now known as the Moats farm. Eventually retiring from farm pur- suits, the aged pioneer removed to Mount Morris and there he died when more than eighty years of age, having survived his wife about one year. In their family were three sons and two daugh- ters. Daniel is deceased. John became a promi- nent merchant in Mount Morris, and George, who owned a farm near that city, gave up agri- cultural pursuits to identify himself with the Zion colony. Anna married Henry Moats and they purchased the- old homestead, which their son now operates. Mary became the wife of George Windle of Mount Morris. When the Sprecher family came to Ogle County Daniel was a young man ready to take part in the pioneer task of evolving an improved farm from a tract of raw land. Early in the '40s he married Barbara Kauffman, daughter of an Ogle County pioneer who came from Maryland. The young couple began housekeeping in a log cabin, and the farm work was done with the aid of one horse and a learn of oxen. Under the capable supervision of the young farmer the land was brought to profitable cultivation, machinery was added, fences were built, and the necessary buildings we're erected. Eventually he left the farm and settled at Mount Morris on the build- ing of the railroad into town. Here he built the first elevator ond embarked in the grain business. When the railroad was built through Leaf River he built an elevator and shipped the first grain, as well as the first car of stock, from that sta- tion. As a buyer he became widely known among farmers, whose confidence he won by fairness and honorable dealings. His death occurred May 4, 1888, when he was sixty-seven years of age. His first wife, Barbara, had died at the age of thirty-nine, and later he had been united with Mary Eakle, who passed away five years prior to his demise. After the death of his second wife he married a widow, Mrs. Elnora Hedges, who is still living in Mount Morris Township. Born of the marriage of Daniel and Barbara Sprecher there were eight children who at- tained mature years, namely : Amos, now a re- tired farmer living at Maryville, Mo. ; Philip T., whose name introduces this article; Lewis, a farmer residing near Mount Morris and now holding the office of Township Supervisor; Wil- liam, who died at the age of twenty-three years; Harvey, who operates a farm in Butler County, Kan. ; Daniel, a retired farmer making his home in Mount Morris ; Eliza, who married Roher Eakle and resides at Johnstown, Pa., and Sam- uel, a citizen of Leaf River. Of the second mar- riage there was a daughter, Birdie, who married Grant Landis. a merchant at Charlestown, W. Va. Brought up from boyhood to a faitli in Demo- 1026 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. cratic principles, Daniel Sprecher voted the party ticket for a long time, but eventually he became convinced that his allegiance should be given to the cause of prohibition and, during the last twenty years of his life, he supported the party pledged to labor for the abolition of sa- loons. At various times he filled local offices, including that of Township Assessor. When the saloon element endeavored to gain admission to Leaf River he gave his support to the anti- saloon men and labored indefatigably in the cause of temperance, which finally triumphed in the town. At one time some men bought large quantities of liquor, some of which was poured out and drunk by a cow. The animal was in- jured and the guilty parties were forced to pay for her. This happened in Mt. Morris previous to the removal of the family to Leaf River. A few weeks before Mr. Sprecher's death he walked to the polls and voted against the sale of intoxi- cants. In religion he was reared a Lutheran, but lie was eminently non-sectarian in his views and preferred to give his allegiance to liberal or- ganizations rather than to the sects. On the home farm in Mount Morris Township, two miles north of the town of that name, Philip T. Sprecher was born May 25, 1847, the date of the birth of Alexander Dowie, founder of Zion City. After having completed his education he embarked in the hardware and lumber business, which he conducted for twenty years, at Mount Morris and Leaf River. About 1900 he sold his business and erected an elegant residence in Mount Morris facing the college campus. Here, surrounded by the comforts earned by prudence and sagacity, he is passing the afternoon of life's day. On disposing of his business he bought a farm one and one-fourth miles east of Mount Morris, and this is operated by his son-in-law, Frank Light ; the land comprises the Middlekoff farm and a portion of the Keedy estate, making a total acreage of 287. The marriage of Philip T. Sprecher took place January 4, 1876, and united him with Miss Susan Newcomer, who was born in Maryland and re- ceived her education in that State, later remov- ing to Illinois with her parents, John and Eliza- beth ( Keedy 1 Newcomer. The only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sprecher is Mary, Mrs. Frank Light, who has two children, Ruth and Leo Light. The only son, William Sprecher, learned the lum- ber business in boyhood and now acts as man- ager of the Citizen's Lumber Company's yards at Jessup, Iowa, where he and his wife and their eon, Philip, have a pleasant home. For twenty years or more Mr. Sprecher has been a stanch worker in the cause of prohibition and has been prominent m conventions and committee work for the good of that movement. With his wife he holds membership in the Christian church at Mount Morris, and has been a generous contri- butor to missionary movements as well as to •charitable and educational causes. STANBURY, Edgar E., for twenty-three years a well known and prosperous business man of Holcomb, Ogle County, 111., and a prominent and popular member of the community, was born in Lynnville Township, Ogle County, July 9, 1862. He is a son of George and Phylena (Burroughs) Stanbury, the former a native of Devonshire, England, and the latter of Pennsylvania. Each came to Ogle County, single, the former during the '50s and the latter when seven years of age in 1840, their marriage taking place in Lynnville Township, June 10, 1860. After living there sev- eral years, they moved to White Rock Town- ship in the same county, where the subject of this sketch was reared to manhood, his education being obtained in the common schools. George Stanbury died at Holcomb, 111., April 21, 1906. at the age of seventy-one years ; his widow still survives. To them were born five children, and of these but one is living, four having died in infancy. In 1883, Edgar E. Stanbury engaged in the grain, lumber and coal trade, with his father — who was fomerly a partner of John Sheaff, of Oregon, 111., in the same business — and con- tinued thus until the father's death. Mr. Stanbury was married in Holcomb, 111., November 25. 1885, to Jennie Allen, a daughter of Joseph S. Allen, one of the early settlers of Oregon, 111., where he died. By occupation Mr. Allen was a painter. Mr. and Mrs. Stanbury liave one son and three daughters, namely : George A., Edna O, wife of Frank Denther, of Davis Junction, 111.; Eva C, and Susan Blach. In politics, Mr. Stanbury is an active Repub- lican, and takes a lively interest in the public affairs of his locality. He has held the offices of School Director and Justice of the Peace. In the spring of 1908 he was elected to represent White Rock Township on the Board of Super- visors. Fraternally he is affiliated with the A. F. & A. M., having taken the Thirty-second Degree ; and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. STEVENS, James H.— Honored for brave and efficient service in the Union Army during the Civil War, as well as for his successful identi- fication with the agricultural interests of Ogle County. James H. Stevens for years has owned and operated a farm one mile north of Mount Morris. Of Eastern parentage and ancestry, he was born in Fulton County, Pa., November 15, 1S4.\ and grew to manhood in Huntingdon County a few miles distant from the place of his birth. The first event of great importance in his life came with his enlistment in the Union Army. From the opening of the war his sym- pathies were wholly with the North, for he was an abolitionist in sentiment and a strong Repub- lican in political faith. February 19, 1863, he was accepted as a recruit in the Ninth Penn- sylvania Cavalry, which regiment during previ- ous service had been reduced to 600 men. Ordered to Kentucky, the young recruit there joined Kilpatrick's army, and later took part in a number of the most sanguinary engagements of the war, including the battle of Stone River, siece of Atlanta, the memorable contest under the clouds at Lookout Mountain, and the battles at HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1027 Chickamauga, Ga., and Charleston, S. C. While fighting at Stone River his horse was shot from under him, and he was thrown to the ground. At Lookout Mountain he was seriously injured, and from there was sent back to Nashville, Tenn. Later he was detailed to act as guard accompany- ing 250 men with artillery and about 120 wagons. The company reached Marietta July 29, and from there he drove a team to Atlanta, where he arrived after ten days. The wound which he had received rendered him unfit for active ser- vice and be was sent to the Jefferson Hospital at Louisville. Kentucky, where he was discharged on the 28th of June, 1865. Ever since then he has felt the effect of the impairment of his health during his service in the army, and for a time after the war was wholly unable to work. A period of study in Bedford Seminary was followed by two years of service as a teacher, during which time Mr. Stevens established do- mestic ties, being married March 21, 1866, to Ella Carr, a native of Fulton County, Pa., and reared on a farm twenty miles distant from his home. The young couple lived for a time on a farm near the father of Mr. Stevens, but in 1877 came to Illinois, arriving at Mount Morris on the 4th of March. His brother, David Stevens, had set- tled in this locality, as had also her three brothers, James, George Irving and William Carr. During the first summer Mr. Stevens worked for his brother-in-law, James Carr, and in October he returned east for his family. Af- terward his wife took charge of the three chil- dren of James Carr and kept house for her brother until his second marriage eighteen months later. For two years Mr. Stevens worked lor Daniel Smith north of Mount Morris, and for the two ensuing years he rented the Smith land, also for one year operated the Nye farm, and then for six years operated the Beeler farm near Leaf River. The years of labor as a renter bad been years of frugality and untiring labor, and meanwhile Mr. Stevens had increased his equipment, as well as saved a sum of money toward a place of his own. During 1890 he purchased 140 acres comprising the Bond estate, situated one mile north of Mount Morris. The property cost him $10,000, and he was obliged to incur an indebted- ness of $7,000. At the expiration of seventeen years since the purchase, he has paid off the debt on the farm and has purchased 160 acres adjoining, so that he now owns 300 acres, form- ing an estate one mile in length and one-half mile wide. The home place is under his per- sonal management, and his son Oren operates the other farm. Since becoming the owner of the property he has enlarged the residence and erected outbuildings as needed. It is his cus- tom to raise over 100 acres of corn, and much of this is fed to hogs, of which he fattens about 100 each year. In religious associations Mrs. Stevens is an earnest member of the Christian Church, while he is identified with the Methodist Episcopal denomination. The only fraternal organization with which he is connected is the Grand Army of the Republic, and for years he has been warmly interested in its work. Four children comprise his family. The oldest child and only surviving son, Oren, married Etta Newman; they have one daughter, Carrie, and lost a four- year-old boy, Charles. The older daughter, Virgie, married Cassius Crowell of Mount Mor- ris, and they have five children, Ralph, Earl, Velma, Howard and Lottie. The younger daugh- ter, Carrie, married Frederick Middlekauff, a mail carrier in Chicago, and they have one son. Harold. The youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Stevens was George Irving, who was a graduate from the Mt. Morris College in 1896. Married Cozetta Gibson in 1900 and died in 1902. STEVENS, Jefferson (deceased), whose estima- ble widow, Augusta (Smith) Stevens, is a highly respected resident of Mount Morris, III., as was also her mother, the wife of Andrew Newcomer, long a well known merchant of Mount Morris, was born in Lake County, 111., March' 16, 1844, a son of Eber and Emily (Barber) Stevens, na- tives of New York State, who moved from New York to Illinois at an early period. By occupa- tion Eber Stevens was a carpenter and ship- builder. The subject of this sketch attended the district schools of Lake County, 111., in boyhood, and at an early age started but to make his liv- ing by farm work. He was married in Stephen- son County, 111., March 16, 1868, to Augusta Smith, born in Rockford, III., May 28, 1847 a daughter of Lucius J. and Sarah (Rose) Smith. The former was born in Ohio a son of John and Maria (Ferris) Smith, natives of that State, and the latter was born in Luzerne County, Pa., February 6, 1824, a daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Easlac) Rose, natives of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, respectively. A short time after his marriage Mr. Smith lo- cated in Winnebago County, 111., where he fol- lowed farming two years, and then moved to Stephenson County, 111., buying a farm of 120 acres. There he departed this life October 4, 1867. His widow remained on the farm seven years longer, and then moved to Winnebago County, where she lived until her marriage to Andrew Newcomer, who came to Ogle County in 1840. Mr. Newcomer was born in Washington County, Md., November 25, 1810, a descendant of Wolfgang Newcomer, who came to the United States from Germany in the latter half of the eighteenth century. He learned the trade of a carpenter, which he followed fifteen years. In 1832 he located in Boonesboro, Md., where he .taught school during the winters of 1832-34, working at carpentering during the summer sea- son. On May 1, 1834, he married Eliza Hamil- ton, who died at Mount Morris, 111., April 2, 1875. In 1843-44 while living in Maryland, he was connected with a publication under the aus- pices of the Odd Fellows. In 1846 he settled in Mount Morris, soon afterwards opening a furni- ture store and undertaking establishment, which 1028 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. he conducted for twenty years, selling out in 1867. Then he kept a grocery store until his death, May 20, 1885. His widow, Mrs. Stevens' mother, passed away December 16, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens established their home in Fillmore County, Neb., not long after their nup- tials, and on his farm in that county, Mr. Stevens died in 1S80, Mrs. Stevens making her home in Mount Morris, together with her sister, Emily' L., and being held in high esteem by all who are familiar with the amiable traits of her character. Politically, Mr. Stevens was an adherent of the Republican party. He was reared in the faith of the Christian Church. His widow is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. STEVENSON, John D., was born in New York City, May 5, 1805, of Irish parentage. He moved to Philadelphia, then to Ohio, Kentucky, and to Louisiana and became a merchant at New Or- leans. He had married in 1832, Sarah T. Hack- ett. while living in Philadelphia. Her health failed while they were in New Orleans, and be- cause of it he came to Buffalo Grove, in 1835. She died in Buffalo Grove in 1856, leaving seven children. Eventually Mr. Stevenson became owner of a part of O. W. Kellogg's land, and the saw-mill Kellogg built in 1836. Mr. Steven- son introduced the .first stock of goods in Buf- falo Grovt- ; he served on the first petit jury held in Ogle County, and from April, 1839, to March, 184.0, lie was Postmaster at Buffalo Grove. His store and cabin were built for him in 1835, but. were rot occupied until New Year's Day, 1836. In .1850, he was Census Enumerator for both Carroll and Ogle Counties. In 1839 or 1840, he sold his store and engaged in farming and con- ducting his saw-mill. From 1851 to 1857, he was Clerk of Buffalo Township. His store was probably the first, not only in Ogle, but also in Lee, Whiteside and Winnebago Counties, and possibly ante-dated any in Carroll County, unless at Savannah and Stevenson. In politics he was a Whig, and later a Republican, and was very prominent. For many years he was a Methodist. His death occurred at Chicago, at the home of his daughter, Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson, very suddenly, October 31, 1890, when he was in his eighty-sixth year, but he was buried from the Methodist church of Polo. More than one hun- dred old settlers over fifty years old attended his funeral. STEWART, John (deceased), for many years an extensive farmer and stock-raiser in Taylor Township, Ogle County, 111., later a prominent citizen of Oregon, in the same county, and a man of the strictest probity of character, who en- joyed the respect and confidence of all who knew him, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, April 7, 1828, and died January 19, 1898. In June, 1847, he came to the United States with his par- ents John and Sarah (Vance) Stewart, his brothers, William, Thomas and Oliver, and four sisters, proceeding directly to Illinois, and set- tling in Ogle County. The sisters were Jane, Letitia, Rachel and Eliza. Of the entire number but one survives, Jane, who is the wife of John H. Marshall, of Chicago. Oliver Stewart first married Rachael Juvinal, and his second wife was Anna Metzler. His death occurred but eight days after that of his brother John, while he was living on the old farm. Thomas Stewart married Alexine Snyder, and remained on his farm until about 1890, afterwards living a few years in Oregon, III., then going to California, where he died in 1895, and where his widow still lives. Nine of his family are residents of Ogle County. John Stewart first married Prudence C. Juvinal, who died in 1874. On April 5, 1876, he was married to Phidelia M. Bishop, who came from Canada in 1858, with Calvin Throop (her foster father) and his wife, with whom she had lived since her childhood, Mrs. Throop being her aunt. They settled in Lafayette Township, Ogle County, on a farm, where Phidelia lived until her marriage. Mrs. Throop died on the farm shortly before this marriage took place, and Mr. Throop took up his residence in Rochelle, 111., which was his home for the eight remaining years of his life, and where he married Melissa French, who still lives there. The Stewart fam- ily settled in Taylor Township, Ogle County, where John's brother, Oliver, lived ; Thomas and John having adjoining farms. Their land was partly prairie, and each had made a com- fortable home, having a good start in life at the time of their marriage. John Stewart continued to operate his farm for eight years after his second marriage, and then moved to Oregon, 111., where he spent the remainder of his life in retirement, having pur- chased the Dr. Chappell home, which his widow now occupies. She still retains the old farm of 300 acres, however, which includes that of her husband's brother, Oliver, the latter being the old homestead. John Stewart was an exten- sive farmer, and raised and fed a great deal of stock. In politics, he was a Republican, but was not active. In religion, he was a zealous Metho- dist for forty years, and for a long time, was a member of Lighthouse Church, which was but four miles distant from his farm. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart had no children, but reared the former's niece, a daughter of Oliver Stewart, whom they took at the age of eight years, and educated until she became a teacher. She is the wife of James Spratt, who conducts Mrs. Stewart's farm, and is the only one of the family left in Taylor Town- ship. She is the mother of five children, namely : Lizzie and Bessie, twins ; Stewart, Harold, and Cora. Mrs. Stewart, who is an object of pro- found respect and cordial regard on the part of many friends, is a faithful member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. STINE, W. Lewis, favorably known as one of the most worthy and highly respected citizens of Mount Morris, and for many years a diligent and thorough farmer in Mount Morris Town- ship, was born in Franklin County, Pa., January 25, 1858, a son of Frederick and Mary Canode HISTOBY OP OGLE COUNTY. 1029 Stine, natives of Pennsylvania, where the father was a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Stine came to Ogle County in 3889, and until his wife's death they lived in Mt. Morris Township. After his wife's death Mr. Stine lived with his daugh- ter some three years. For about a year he has lived with his son W. Lewis. Mrs. Stine died in August, 1903. Mr. Stine is eighty-six years old. He has thirteen living children, besides three de- ceased, about thirty-five grandchildren and sev- eral great-grandchildren. The subject of this sketch was reared to farm life in his home county, and in 1875, at a time when many were taking the same course, came to Illinois, settling in his present locality. On December 16, 1879. he was married to Mary Jen- nette Zellers. a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Long) Zellers, natives of Washington County, Md., and early settlers of Ogle County, where they arrived in 1843. Mr. Zellers was born April 12. 181 S. and married Mary Long in 1843. He lived on the homestead farm four and a half miles northeast of Mount Morris, two miles south of Leaf River. He developed his farm from raw prairie and timber and there spent most of his life, dying June 22. 1906, at the age of eighty- eight years. His wife had passed away October 22, 1S96, when seventy-three years old. From 1891 until his wife's death he resided in Mt. Mor- ris, after which he made his home with his chil- dren. He farmed extensively for a long period, owning two other farms in Mt. Morris Township. He was also the owner of a half section of land in Kansas, located at Quinter, Gove County. For many years he served as School Director, and was one of the organizers of the German Baptist Brethren Church at Silver Creek, in which he officiated as a deacon. He was familiarly known to his acquaintances as "Uncle Dan," and his wife as "Aunt Mary." Their children who lived beyond infancy numbered eight, namely : Sarah J., who married Jacob Rowland, and died at the age of fifty -five years; Bleanora (Mrs. H. J. Row), of Tiffany, X. D. ; John F., who died when fifty-four years old ; David, a retired farmer liv- ing at Adel, Iowa ; Mary Jennette, Lavina, de- ceased in childhood ; Daniel B., a farmer and stock raiser at Byron, Ogle County ; and Martin H., who lives in Mount Morris Township. The homestead was sold by Mr. Zellers just before his death. Although a Republican, he was not active in politics, being mostly interested in re- ligious matters. He was buried in Silver Creek cemetery. For twenty years previous to the decease of his father-in-law. Mr. Stine had operated the Zell- ers farm, after which he moved to Mount Mor- ris. Since the death of his wife, Mr. Zellers had lived among his children, lastly with his son Martin, who was the administrator of the estate. In 1903, Mr. Stine bought a half-section of land In Garfield County, Okla., all of which is under cultivation. He was always a diligent farmer, devoting his whole time to work and never ming- ling to any extent in public matters. • The children of Mr. and Mrs. Stine are as fol- lows : W. Ward, a rancher and farmer in Wil- liams County, N. D. ; Fanny May, who has been a teacher in North Dakota, where she has a homestead in Williams County; Carrie Belle and Daniel Raymond, who are at home ; and Ralph Waldo, a student at Mount Morris High School. STOCKING, William (deceased), who did much during his busy and useful life to develop the town of Roehelle, 111., of which he was long an honored resident, was born in Ashfield, Franklin County. Mass., January 3, 1827. a son of Herod and Lydia (Ames) Stocking, natives of the same State and county as the subject of this sketch. Herod Stocking, who was a farmer by occupa- tion, moved to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1832, and in 1830, ro Ogle County, 111., where he set- tled on 120 acres of government land in Monroe Township. He died in 1888, at the home of his son. Lewis Stocking, in Lynnville, aged ninety- three years. His father and mother, Abraham and Abigail (Smith) Stocking, lived to be ninety and eighty-five years old, respectively. Herod Stocking was a soldier in the War of 1812. William Stocking had a clear recollection of the family's journey from Ohio to Illinois, which was made with teams. He remained on his father's farm until he was twenty-one years of age, and then entered up 160 acres of government Innd. The first wheat which he raised was hauled by him to Milford. 111., and was sold there at forty-five cents per bushel. Handling live-stock was a leading feature of his agricul- tural career, and in that line he met with much success. In 1872. he became a stockholder in the Roehelle National Bank, and continued thus un- til 1881, when lie bought a controlling interest in the First National Bank, changing it to the priv- ate banking house of William Stocking & Co. On June 27. 1S47. in Monroe Township, Ogle County. Mr. Stocking was united in marriage with Lvdia Crill, a native of Oneida County, N. T.. and a daughter of Henry Crill, a pioneer settler of Monroe Township. Four children re- sulted from this union, of whom two. Horace, a business man of Lynnville, 111., and George E., a banker of Roehelle, 111., survive. Dexter died in childhood, and Aurora died some years after becoming the wife of George Terry, a manufac- turer of Chicago. In polities, Mr. Stocking was identified with the Republican party, and long took a prominent part in matters pertaining to the city and countv interests. For three terms, he held the office of Supervisor in White Rock Township, and was Supervisor in Flagg Township five terms. While serving as Alderman, he was Chairman of the Committee on Water Works and was active in connection with installing the plant. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of Roeh- elle. and held that office three terms. Mr. Stocking departed this life September 5, 1902. He resided in the same house for thirty years, and towards the last, notwithstanding his graduallv declining health, he still preferred to attend to his own business interests. His vener- able and deeply respected widow, a woman of the 1030 HISTORY OP OGLE COUNTY. highest qualities of mind and heart, still occupies the family residence. After Mr. Stocking's death the bank estab- lished by him was reorganized as a State Bank, but is now known as the Stocking Trust and Savings Bank, and continues to be one of the solid financial institutions of Ogle County. The fellow townsmen of William Stocking will not soon forget his unselfish devotion to the wel- fare of the community, nor the invaluable ser- vice which he rendered during his extended par- ticipation in its civic affairs. STONER, Sherman David, an enterprising and prosperous farmer, of Rockvale Township, Ogle County, 111., and a man favorably known to all his fellow townsmen, was born on the old Stoner homestead in the same township, March 24, 1871, a son of Joshua and Mary Ellen (Thomas) Stoner. In early youth he was a student in Mount Morris College, remaining at home until he was twenty-one years old, and for about five years previous to the death of his father, having charge of the home place. The entire paternal estate comprised 651 acres, and of this, when the property was divided, the subject of this sketch received 291% acres by inheritance. On this share he has since conducted farming and stock- raising operations, devoting a good deal of atten- tion to breeding Hereford cattle, and also feed- ing stock to a considerable extent. In this oc- cupation he is associated with his brother Frank, and they ship many head of cattle by the car- load. Mr. Stoner was united in marriage with Isabel Camling, a daughter of William Camling, of Rockvale Township, Ogle County. Mrs. Stoner was born in Rochelle. in the same county, and was reared on her father's farm in that vicinity, attending the district schools of the neighborhood in girlhood. She was in her twenty-third year when wedded to Mr. Stoner. They are the par- ents of three children — Mabel, Ralph and Harold. In politics, Mr. Stoner, usually votes the Re- publican ticket, but on local issues, is inclined to take an independent course. He is regarded as a progressive agriculturist, and an intelligent and useful member of the community. STONER, William H.— The industrial success of William H. Stoner is centered around his finely appointed farm of 200 acres in Buffalo Township, where he is conducting general farm- ing, and stock-raising, and where he has insti- tuted the finest of modern improvements known in the Central West. Mr. Stoner is a product of Ogle County, his birth occurring in Brook- ville Township. January 12, 1856. He is a son of Samuel and Catherine (Layman) Stoner, na- tives of Pennsylvania, and whose forefathers were among the very early settlers of the Quaker State. Samuel Stoner came overland from Blair County. Pa., to Brookville Township, Ogle County in 1852, and in 1875 moved to Porreston. where he died August 11, 1906, at the age of eighty-two years, his wife passing away Febru- ary 3, 1905 in her seventy-ninth year. They were active and ambitious people, devout members of the Evangelical Association, and always kept an open and hospitable home. Their six living chil- dren are named, Solomon, living in Leonard ; Mary, deceased ; Nancy, living in Missouri ; Wil- liam H., subject of this sketch ; Clara, living at Rockford, 111. ; and Andrew, living in the town of Forreston. The early experience of William H. Stoner did not differ materially from that of other boys of his neighborhood, save that he had better educa- tional opportunities, and perhaps profited by them in larger degree than the average. From the district schools he went to the schools at Polo, later attending the Rock River Seminary, at Mount Morris, and later still engaging in teaching in Carroll County for about two years. He then turned his attention to farming on his father's farm, three years later purchasing his present tract of 200 acres in Buffalo Township. June 14, 1877, he was united In marriage to Susan Yeakel, a native of Berks County, Pa., and born March 14, 1855. The Yeakel family came to Ogle County in 1871, and there were nine chil- dren born to John and Lydia (Krebel) Yeakel, Mrs. Stoner being the third oldest. Mr. Yeakel died in Polo, February 3, 1901, at about the age of eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. Stoner are the parents of five children : Etta M., wife of William Miller, living in Lincoln Township; Lydia C, wife of William Fry, living in Carroll County ; Emma, wife of Leroy Slater, living in Iowa ; Arthur and Gertrude at home. Mr. and Mrs. Stoner are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and Mr. Stoner is an active tem- perance worker, being among the foremost in this branch of reform in Ogle County. He has be- longed to the Prohibition party for many years, and in his daily life is an exponent of sound principles, moderation in all things and con- sideration and fairness in dealing with his fellow men. He has worked hard for his success, and is deserving of the financial and general good for- tune which is rewarding his many years of hon- est toil. STRICKLER, William, merchant, Polo, 111. The early country store was, restrictedly, the proto- type of the department store of today. While this is true, it is true also that not many of the larger of the department stores in our cities represent an actual physical growth from country general stores. But many of the merchants who organ- ized the leading department stores of twenty- five years ago, had received their training in country stores, and some of the department stores of great cities were brought into being by a com- bination of several stores, that had outgrown the towns in which they had been originally estab- lished. The late Marshall Field was a notable example of the humble clerk in a village store grown to be a king of trade. As truly as the large concerns in large cities meet the demands upon which they have grown up, the well regu- lated stores of progressive merchants, like Wil- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1031 liam Strickler, meet the demands of communi- ties in which they have their being, and there is probably not another citizen of a good country town who, in all ways, is more helpful to his fel- low-townsmen than a shrewd but liberal mer- chant. Such a merchant, successful in his own affairs, often giving to his neighbors a friendly lift in theirs, is the subject of this sketch. William Strickler, head of the firm of William Strickler & Son, was born in Lancaster County, Pa., March 9, 1846. In July, 1862, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania militia, and went with his regiment to Maryland, where he participated in the battle of Antietam. At the time of the battle of Gettysburg, his regiment was again called into service, this time not for active duty on the field, but to guard his State against invasion. Be- fore the war he served an apprenticeship of five years to the upholsterers' and cabinet makers' trades. After working a year in Chicago in 1865-66, in the wholesale furniture department of H. Alexander & Son, in 1866 he went to Polo to open a furniture store for George Price, and by the time he had got Mr. Price well started in business, he was so well pleased with the town that he decided to remain there. For two years he gave his energies to carpenter work, then with L. A. Newcomer organized the firm of New- comer & Strickler, furniture dealers. In 1870 he bought not only the interest of his partner but the furniture business of Joseph Wbllhiser, who was doing business on the site of Mr. Strickler's present establishment. Ten years later he took in as a partner Burton D. Kridler, and they en- larged the business, converting Mr. Strickler's furniture store into a general store which, to- gether, they managed for a quarter of a century, until 1905. They bought the building in which their enterprise was boused, and enlarged it to a three-story and basement concern, covering a ground space of 140x52 feet. Carrying a stock which cost about $65,000, they employed about ten salesmen and did a business of about $75,- 000 annually. The business of that firm was finally wound up because of the failure of Mr. Kridler's health, and Mr. Strickler bought the building and their stock of furniture, carpets, etc. Soon after retiring from this enterprise, Mr. Kridler died and Mr. Strickler has since devoted himself to trade in furniture, carpets, curtains and allied goods, and to the undertak- ing business. All the space formerly occupied by the general store is now crowded with goods in Mr. Strickler's special line, and his trade grows more and more extensive with each pass- ing year. His son, George Strickler, who has become his partner, prepared himself for the business by taking special courses in undertaking and embalming. Mr. Strickler married Miss Mary A. Niman, also a native of Pennsylvania, and they have a family of children who are here mentioned in the order of their birth: Frances and Anna, twins, are the wives, respectively, of Dr. L. A. Beard and W. G. Unger — the latter a harness dealer, but both of Polo; Harry is living in the West; George is his father's business partner; Grace is the wife of Barton Unger, who is in the harness business at Rochelle; June is a mem- ber of her father's household ; Gertrude, the first born, died when about two years old. Mr. Strickler is a Past Grand Master of his lodge of Odd Fellows, and a Past Chief Patriarch of his division of the Patriarchs Militant. He is member of a camping club of about a dozen men, and annually spends ten days to two weeks at Camp Cotton, on Palmer Island, camping, fishing and resting. STUKENBERG, Henry G. ( retired farmer, For- reston, 111. Germany has furnished to America an element of population that, from the first, has made for enlightenment and for substantial pros- perity. Among the sturdy German settlers in Ogle County, the Stukenbergs have long been highly regarded by their fellow citizens of all nationalities and classes. Henry G. Stukenberg was born in Hanover, Germany, January 23, 1841. In the fall of 1853, when he was in his fourteenth year, he was brought to the United States by his parents, August and Louise Stuk- enberg, who came with Mr. and Mrs. Fred Garkey and their son Fred, from the same place in Hanover. Arrived in Chicago, the party was without sufficient money to cany all its members to their destination. Henry and his sister, and Garkey and the latter's son, Fred, managed to find conveyance to Freeport, and from that town they walked seventeen miles to Adeline, where some German families had already settled, among them Henry's uncles, Henry and Frederick Stuk- enberg, who were among the earliest German settlers in Ogle County. Garkey's mother and Mr. Lohoefer, her second husband, were also liv- ing there. With the assistance of some of these relatives, sufficient money was raised to send to Chicago for the immigrants who had remained there. Mr. Lohoefer's son Henry went to meet them and pilot them to Adeline. August and Dorothy Stukenberg, brother and sister of Henry, had come over from Germany with the others, but had stopped in New York. After remaining there three years, they came to Illinois. The elder Stukenberg bought ten acres of land at Adeline and built on it a house and other neces- sary buildings, and later bought twenty acres more. At the outset he was obliged to earn money to pay living expenses, and it soon ap- peared that he would have to provide some in- come aside from that of the farm, until he should have paid for his land. He and his son Henry cut cord-wood at fifty cents a cord, and did such other work as they were able to secure until all his indebtedness was paid. There he lived out the remainder of his days, dying in his sixty- eighth year from illness caused by exposure in- cident to the burning out of his chimney. His widow lived to be eighty-two years old and died at the home of her son August at Freeport. Henry G. Stukenberg passed all his earlier years as a member of his father's family, work- ing out to help pay for his father's land and at- 1032 HISTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. tending school when possible. When he was twen- ty-four years old, he married Kate Rambough of Oregon, 111., then in her eighteenth year, and buying thirty-eight acres of land adjoining his father's property, he farmed that in connection with the home farm and the farm of his brother- in-law, until, in the course of events, he traded with his father for the home place, to which he added by subsequent purchases until he was the owner of 160 acres of good land, one and a half miles south of Adeline. On that property he built a good barn and an up-to-date house. He lived there until 1904, when he gave up farm- ing and moved to Forreston, leaving the property in the hands of Henry Borchers, his son-in-law. During his career as a farmer, he gave much of his attention co breeding Poland^China hogs, and his stock always ranked with the very best in the county, one of his porkers tipping the scales at more than 1,000 pounds, many others, a year and a half old, weighing from 700 to 800 pounds. Busy with the affairs of the farm, he kept out of politics and considers himself fortunate in hav- ing done so. He and his parents were among the original members of the Evangelical Lutheran church of Adeline, in which he held office for twenty years. Of the ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. Stukenberg (seven daughters and three sons), Henry is a farmer in Lyon County, Iowa ; Lizzie married John Borchers, a merchant at Freeport, 111., in partnership with a nephew of Mr. Stuk- enberg; Emma is the wife of John Sudengay, of Lyon County, Iowa ; George is a farmer in Mary- land Township, Ogle County ; and Fred is farm- er in Iowa ; Kathryn married Henry Borchers and lives on her father's old homestead ; Amanda, Anna, Josie and Pearl are members of their fath- er's household, the two last mentioned being students in the high school. In a recent contest, in which the young lady who would get the greatest number of subscribers for the Forreston Herald, was offered a fine Schiller piano manu- factured by the F. G. Jones Piano Company of Oregon. 111., Josie received 107,200 votes, an ex- cess of 43,000 votes over the number required to win. The residence of Mr. Stukenberg at Forreston, one of the finest in the town, was built by Thomas Hewitt and sold by him to Mr. Doven- berger, a local banker, from whose estate it passed to its present owner. Mr. Stukenberg has remodeled the house and supplied the place with new stables at a considerable expense. August Stukenberg, brother of the subject of this sketch, after having been a salesman in a leading store at Forreston, served as a soldier of the Fifteenth Illinois Regiment through the Civil War, and was afterward a hotel-keeper at Freeport, where he died in lf)07. Augusta Stukenberg married William Vietmeier and later Julius Seegus, and is living, widowed, at Freeport. Dorothy Stuk- enberg married Ferdinand Hoffman, both she and her husband being now deceased. Henry G. and Augusta are the only survivors of their father's family. SULLIVAN, Daniel F., a leading farmer of Flagg Township, Ogle County, 111., and one of the most widely known, prominent and popular citizens in the southeastern part of the county, was born in Scott Township, Ogle County, De- cember 26, 1859, a son of James and Catherine (Sullivan) Sullivan, natives of Ireland, who emi- grated to the United States in their youth, and were married in New York. They came to Rock- ford, 111., in 1855, and settled in Ogle County in 1858, locating in Lynnville Township, where the father bought eighty acres of land. To this he added as opportunity presented itself, until he became the owner of 1,050 acres in that town- ship, divided into four farms. At the time of his first purchase he had but $700 to invest, and the price was $22 per acre. For subsequent pur- chases he paid as much as $85 per acre. He put up fine buildings and made many improvements, operating one of the farms until the time of his death, January 11, 1905, when he was eighty- four years old. His widow survives him. her residence being in Rochelle. Of their family of eleven children, ten are still living, James, one of the sons, occupying the old homestead. An- other son, William, met his death in a barn which was struck by lightning, killing him and two horses, and stunning one of the farm hands. Daniel Sullivan remained at home until he was twenty-one years old. and then followed fanning on rented land until he reached the age of twenty-five. On May 7, 1884, he was married to Mary Coleman, a daughter of Michael and Mary (Dolan) Coleman, both natives of Ireland. whose marriage took place in Pennsylvania. Tfie parents came to Illinois in 1866, settling in Mon- roe Township, Ogle County, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Mary Coleman grew to womanhood on the home farm, and was twenty-two years old when she was married. After this event the young couple lived for a while on James Sullivan's farm. In 1904 he bought his present place, the Henry Keck farm, containing 180 acres, a mile north of Rochelle, and in a location commanding a wide view of the surrounding country. The former owner had improved the property with good residence, barn, etc. Mr. Sullivan follows general farming, and besides has devoted his attention to buying and selling cattle, and feeding and shipping stock. He also owns a 200-acre farm in Lynnville Town- ship, which was part of his father's estate. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan consists of eight children as follows: Luella, Lillian, who graduated from the high school in 1906. and is teaching in the home district; John. Marie. Bessie. Wilbur, Margaret and Daniel. Politically, Mr. Sullivan is an active and prom- inent Democrat, and served as Road Commis- sioner twelve years. Although Lynnville Town- ship is strongly Republican, he was elected Super- visor, serving four years in that capacitv. In 1902 he was the Democratic nominee for Sheriff of Osrle County, but was defeated by the narrow margin of twenty-three votes — less than one vote for each township. In Flagg Township, HISTOBY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1033 which is normally Republican in the proportion of four to one, he received a handsome majority. Mr. nnd Mrs. Sullivan and their family are members of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Rochelle. SULLIVAN, John, who has been for a long period one of the representative farmers of Flagg Township, Ogle County, 111., a member of a fam- ily which manifested its patriotism conspicu- ously during' the War for the Union, and a man who is now enjoying in comfort and content, the rewards of an extended career of severe toil, was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in 1834. His parents were Owen and Honora Sullivan, who emigrated to the United States in 1848, settling :n Massachusetts, where they worked in the cot- ton mills at Three River, for five years. Then the family went to Glastonbury,. Conn., remain- ing there a short time. In the spring of 1854 they journeyed to Rochelle, 111., the railroad hav- ing just then reached that point. During the preceding fall, the father had come on and bought 160 acres of land about four miles west of Rochelle, tbe purchase price being $1,000. This land included several acres of the Jefferson Grove timber, consisting of fine walnut and oak trees, some of them being four feet in diameter. It required five years of the father's labor to pay for the farm, and after it was clear, he added to it eighty acres more. Ultimately, he left the farm and moved to Rochelle, where he bought lots and built houses to rent, dying there well toward eighty years of age, the mother having previously passed away. They had twelve children, all of whom came to this country. At the time of the Civil War, John Sullivan had begun to pay for eighty acres of land which he had purchased, the cost of which was $1,300, and having put in wheat, offered to enlist if he could induce any member of the family to care for his crops. Three of the Sullivan brothers enlisted, however. One of these, Alexander, was shot in the head at Fort Donelson. At the end of his three years' term he reenlisted, and after being mustered out, settled on a farm in Dement Township, which he lost, but finally got a piece of land in Iowa. Michael and Garrett Sullivan were the two other brothers who served in the war. The latter moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was subsequently killed while engaged in working on the railroad there. Michael Sullivan also located at Cedar Rapids, but was not very successful in his business efforts. John Sullivan worked hard for several years in order to pay for his first eighty acres. On June 6, 1865, the subject of this sketch was married to Betsy Maria Willey, a daughter of Henry L. and Mercy Ann (Abbott) Willey. Four children were born to this union, two of whom are living: Eugene who was a teacher, died in his twenty-fourth year; Horace is a teacher in the Wells School at Oregon, 111., having been a student under Mr. Wells, and being the possessor of a State life-certificate. Nellie lives in Mason, Mo., and is the wife of Eugene Lindsay, a farmer, and was also a teacher. , Mrs. Sullivan's father came from Pennsylvania in 1848, and entered a tract of government land in Jefferson Grove, adjoining the Sullivan farm, his family following him in 1852. Betsy Willey began to teach school in Pennsylvania, and con- tinued in the same occupation in her new home Her parents died, each at the age of seventy- eight years, on their place in Jefferson Grove and it is now a part of the Sullivan farm of 520 acres. One of the farms (148 acres) is half a mile distant from Flagg Station, and the 230- acro tract, in Lee County, is a mile and three- quarters from the same point. All of this land has been tiled, and its value has been greatly in- creased. Mr. Sullivan bought low land and se- cured expensive machines to make open ditches: Some of his land has cost $100 per acre, and of late years, all of it has been rented out. Its owner has been a very successful stock-raiser, especially in growing cattle. On political issues Mr. Sullivan is a Democrat in politics and a strong supporter of William Jennings Bryan. SWEET, James, for thirty years a well known and successful farmer in Eagle Point Township, Ogle County, 111., and now a highly respected resident of Polo, where he is passing his days aloof from the cares and responsibilities of farm- ing, was born in Andes, Delaware County, N. Y., January 18, 1841, the son of Nelson and Sarah (Patterson) Sweet, natives of New York State. The father came to Ogle County, 111., in the fall of 1845, with the purpose of locating land on which to establish a home, the family following him the ensuing May, and making the journey from Chicago in wagons. Nelson Sweet settled in Buffalo Township, where he passed the re- mainder of his life, dying at the age of seventy- four years. His wife departed this life in the same locality when about seventy-nine years old. They had ten children, the subject of this sketch being the third. With the exception of a single year spent in Iowa, James Sweet has always fol- lowed agricultural pursuits in this locality, from the time of his reaching maturity until his with- drawal from active labor. He purchased the farm which is now his property in 1877, It con- sists of 140 acres, is well improved with sub- stantial and convenient buildings, the result of its owner's industry and enterprise. In the fall of 1908 he rented out the farm and took up his residence in Polo, where he has since lived in retirement. On December 11, 1862, Mr. Sweet was married at Dixon, 111., to Mary A. Belcher, who was born in Iowa, January 11, 1844, a daughter of James and Priscilla (Doty) Belcher. Mrs. Sweet's mother was a native of Butler County, Ohio, where she was born November 12, 1819. She died at the residence of Mr. Sweet, April 21, 1907, in the eighty-eighth year of her age, her husband having passed away at Dodgeville, Wis., April 13, 1846. They had four children, of whom Mrs. Sweet is the third. Five children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Sweet, as 1034 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUNTY. follows: Nelson D., a farmer; Olive who Is the wife of William Moats, of Washington State; James William lives in Sterling, 111. ; and Lydia, who married Clayton Smith and lives in Eagle Point Township. Mr. Sweet has always mani- fested an earnest interest in township affairs. Politically, he is a supporter of the Democratic party, and has served the public in connection with the management of the school system. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren Church. TALBOTT, Oliver, retired farmer, Polo, 111. A story is simply a picture from history, and no story can be as convincing as the history from which it is drawn ; certainly, any story that fails to represent some part of history, some phase of life, some shade of human experience, must necessarily fail to be satisfying. Could the story suggested by the notes for this biographical sketch be told in full, it would have to deal with early events in Pennsylvania, with a journey along old roads and old waterways to a city old, ye* new, and at one time the metropolis of the West, with another long journey by land and water to a place of pioneers on the prairies of Illinois. James Talbott, father of Oliver Talbott, was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., in August. 1S01, and devoted his early life to learn- ing the carpenters' trade. He married Sarah Woods and almost immediately afterward, in 1824, to be exact, went with his bride to Cincin- nati. There he remained working at his trade until JS33. Then he started by boat for Peoria, 111., expecting to find comfort and prosperity among the settlers in the circle of country of which Peoria was the metropolis. But as many another man has done before his time and since, he had planned without taking the Ohio River into consideration. When he had proceeded on his way as far as Louisville, cold weather set in, and he had to remain there until the following spring. There his son Oliver was born, Decem- ber 18, 1833. In the following March he started again for Peoria, this time with increased respon- sibilities and arrived there in March, 1834. There he remained about a year, building mills on the Kickapoo River and turning his hand to such other carpenter work as he found to do. Early in 1835 he bought seven yoke of oxen, which he hitched to an old Pennsylvania wagon on which he had loaded all his earthly possessions, leav- ing room here and there for different members of his family. With this outfit he reached Buffalo Grove, now in Ogle County, in March. That was the year of the building of the old Kellogg tavern at Old Buffalo village, and before the close of that year he had built the Wilson log flouring mill, six miles from Polo. The utility of these mills to the country round about will be appre- ciated, when It is stated that, just previous to their erection, Mr. Talbott had had to go one hun- dred and ten miles to Peoria for flour, and to wait there while his grain was threshed and ground. He built for himself a log house, not far from the mill at Buffalo Grove, where he often kept travelers making their way slowly to and fro between Dixon and Galena. He soon broke some land about his cabin and, in a small and primitive way, began farming. As soon as the public land came into the market he entered a good acreage in the regular way, and eventu- ally owned a farm of five or six hundred acres, with improvements and good buildings. His log cabin soon gave way to a better habitation, and his third house was a comfortable structure, ample for all the needs of his family. There he lived for more than forty years, not only a wit- ness of, but a participant in, the development of that rich prairie region, until in 1878, he moved to Sterling, where he died in 1879, in his eightieth year. His wife survived him until 1882. She also was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., and her long and useful life dated from June 5, 1807. Of the children of James and Sarah (Woods) Talbott, eight lived to maturity and five were liv- ing in 1907. Samuel, the youngest of the familj is a farmer and lives on his father's old home- stead. Hannah A. married Aaron Doty of Kim- ball, Brule County, S. Dak., where she died April 21, 1908. Amelia H. and Annetta are living, un- married, at Sterling, 111. James, who was owner of a part of the old homestead, died aged forty- four years, leaving a widow. Martha, a teacher, was formerly at the old Mount Morris Seminary v John, Hannah and Annetta also taught at one time or another. Oliver remembers that, during the first eight or ten years after his parents and himself came to the county, they frequently greeted Indians at their cabin door and met them in the timber and on the prairie. He re- calls, too, how his father, a Democrat of the old school, was elected the first Supervisor of Jor- dan Township, and was three times reelected to the same office, besides serving his fellow citizens as Tax Collector and Assessor, Justice of the Peace and Highway Commissioner. The elder Talbott had been reared a Quaker, but joined the Methodists after he came to Illinois. He made a good home for his family, time and locality con- sidered, and Oliver remained in it until he be- came of age. Soon after reaching that interesting stage of life, the young man secured eighty acres of land near his father's homestead. Later he bought more land until he owns, altogether, about 500 acres, in four farms, each with good houses, out- buildings and improvements. Retaining his old home place for his own occupancy, he rents the others advantageously. Not only has he attained success as a farmer", but has won the wholesome respect of his fellow citizens to such an extent that at one time or another he has filled nearly every office within the gift of the voters of Jor- dan and Whiteside Townships. He did not marry until he was fifty-four years old ; then, September 9, 1888, he took as his wife Miss Mary C. Furry, daughter of John P. and Har- riet (Goodenough) Furry, of Jordan Township. Mrs. Talbott was born in Victor, Ontario County, N. Y„ in September, 1848, and was brought by her parents to Jordan Township, where she was HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1035 reared. When she was only seventeen years old, she began to teach school, and with her earnings as a teacher, she paid her way at the Illinois State Normal School at Normal, where she was graduated with the class of 1872. After her graduation she continued teaching until her mar- riage, finding employment four years in the pub- lic school at Normal, and teaching later at Mount Carroll and in Jordan Township. She held a State Superintendent's certificate as an institute teacher, and taught in institutes during several sessions, arousing the interest of her pupils and making exhibits at fairs, at which her pupils won first honors for displays of seeds, native woods, map delineation and other school work, varied in kind and excellent in quality. She labored to encourage a spirit of investiga- tion, believing that out of investigation grows true education. She induced parents to assist their children in their studies and, as a result, greatly promoted the advancement of the latter. As a teacher she was in charge of one school six years, and received higher wages than were ever paid any other public instructor in Whiteside County. Her motto was "not to keep a school, but to teach." Several of her pupils became teachers, and were so successful as to reflect great credit upon her. She has all her life been devoted to the Methodist Episcopal Church, and during that loug series of busy years, she was not only a Sunday-school teacher but a Sunday- school Superintendent. Living in the country, she was not a club woman in the sense in which the title is generally understood, but she has long been interested in the work of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and was for fifteen years President of the Whiteside County W. C. T. T.T., and is now President of the Ogle County W. C. T. U. By addresses delivered at Chatau- quas, and by articles written for local and other newspapers, she has ably promoted this cause. Mr. and Mrs. Talbott have a daughter named Alice, a student at the University of Illinois. Mr. Talbott has a liking for local history, espe- cially that part of it which deals with the pio- neer' days. There is no one who would write a better history of Ogle and Whiteside Counties than he, had he time and inclination for the work. At an Old Settlers' meeting in Whiteside County in 1907, at which six thousand persons were present, he was the only representative of the pioneers of 1S34 and 1835. He has a vivid recollection of the original survey of old Xo Daviess County into townships in 1839, and of the United States survey of the country round about him into townships and sections. THOLEN, Frederick F., farmer, Leaf River Township, Ogle County. 111. German industry and thrift have contributed not a little to the substantial prosperity of Illinois. The German succeeds principally for two reasons: he is will- ing to work, and he is willing to save. For one all-sufficient reason, no one begrudges him his prosperity, he wins it fairly. And there are some good bus'ness reasons besides those suggested why he gets along faster than some of his neigh- bors. One of them is that, wherever and how- ever he arrives, he usually brings with him enough ready money to give him, at least, an in- dependent start. Of the class of desirable citi- zens just briefly alluded to, Frederick J. Tholen was a shining example. He came from the Fatherland to America in 1845, in an old fash- ioned sailing vessel, which was seven weeks in crossing the Atlantic, and after an overland trip, reached Freeport, 111., June 10. He had one thousand dollars in cash, with some of which he bought, that same season, eighty acres of land in Ridott Township, Stephenson County. At the time of his death he owned 300 acres of land in that township and 400 acres in Grundy County, Iowa. He marired Miss Frankie Kuhlman, also a native of Germany, and they both died on their homestead in Stephenson County in the eighty-second year of their lives, she, March 24, and he. June 8, 1901. Of their eight children, four of whom were sons, Frederick F. Tholen, of Leaf River Township, who was born in Ridott Township, Stephenson County, April 17, 1859, was the fifth in order of nativity. He received a common-school education and thorough instruc- tion and experience in farming, and at the age of twenty-six years became a farmer on his own account. February 15, 1S85, Frederick F. Tholen mar- ried, in Ridott Township, Stephenson County, Miss Carrie Konstant, who was born in Germany, December 23. 1866, a daughter of Henry J. and Jaken (Klinger) Konstant. He settled in his native township, but removed a year later, to Grundy County, Iowa, where he lived two years. After that he lived six years in Lyon County, Iowa, then returned to Ridott Township, Ste- phenson County, and lived nine years on his father's old homestead. Thence he removed to Winnebago County, 111., and after a year's resi- dence there, he came to Leaf River Township, Ogle County, in March, 1904, and occupied his present farm of 200 acres. His land is well im- proved, and in respect to buildings, fencing, im- plements and other accessories, ranks with* the best in his vicinity. Mrs. Tholen's parents, Henry J. and Jaken (Klinger) Konstant, settled in Ridott Township, Stephenson County, in the '70s, and there Mr. Konstant died in March, 1903, in his seventy- fourth year. Of his two sons and four daughters, Mrs. Tholen was the first born. She has borne her husband seven children : Frederick H., born May 27. 1886 ; Jennie, born October 26, 1888, on Mav 6, 1908, married George F. Janvrin ; Henry, born December 10, 1890 ; John, born July 6, 1894 ; Frances and Herbert (twins) born August 20, 1897 — Herbert died September 6, 1898; Herbert (2nd) born April 17. 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Tholen are members of the German Reformed Church, in which Mr. Tholen is a deacon. He is a man of much enterprise and public spirit, who may always be safely relied upon to aid cheerfully and to the extent of his ability any cause which in his judgment, promises to benefit the com- munity in which he lives. 1036 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. THOMAS, Jacob 0., formerly one of the enter- prising and prosperous farmers of Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, 111., but more recently a leading citizen of Mount Morris, where he is greatly esteemed, was born in Mount Morris Township, February 28, 1846, a son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Rice) Thomas, natives of Washing- ton County, Mel., the father born in 1815 and the mother in 18] 8. The paternal grandparents, Henry and Catherine (Schechter) Thomas, and the maternal grandfather, Jacob Rice, were all Mary landers by birth. In 1837, Ezra Thomas, a farmer by occupation, traveled by wagon from his native State to Ogle County, and after work- ing a year, went back to Maryland, then return- ing to Mount Morris Township by the same means of conveyance, in company with his par- ents. Henry Thomas bought two sections of gov- ernment land in Mount Morris and Rockvale Townships, 160 acres of which he gave to his son, Ezra. In 1846 Henry Thomas built one of the first large stone houses in the county. It is still a very substantial building. Later Ezra Thomas moved to a farm of 110 acres near Mount Morris village, renting his former place to his son. He died in March, 1880, his wife moving to Mount Morris a few years later, where she passed away in 1888. They had six children, as follows: William R., of Mount Morris; Jacob O. ; Martha (Mrs. Emanuel Slifer), who died at Mount Morris in October, 1906; Mary Ellen (Mrs. Joshua Stoner), of Rockvale Township, Ogle County; Lydia (Mrs. William Stahlhut), of Yakima, Wash. ; and Benjamin P., of Leaf River Township, Ogle County. In youth Jacob O. Thomas attended the com- mon schools, and was a student two terms in Rock River Seminary, now Mount Morris Col- lege. He remained at home until he was twenty- eight years old, when he rented land and farmed for two years. In 1874 he bought a farm in Mount Morris Township, containing an old brick house and shed barn. He put up some buildings, and later, tore the old house down, building a modern residence, a large barn and corn-cribs, and putting the land under a high state of culti- vation. His farm comprises 320 acres, half of it lying in Section 14, and half in Section 24. This place he subsequently rented, buying four acres within the limits of Mount Morris, and building a modern house which has since been his home. On January 31, 1886, Mr. Thomas was married to Jennie Felker, born in Washington County, Md., August 12, 1848, a daughter of Abraham and Catherine (Wingert) Felker, natives of that State, and a granddaughter of Jacob and Susan Wingert. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are the parents of a daughter, Mary Catherine, born January 13, 1887. A son, Harrison, died when two and one-half years old. Politically, Mr. Thomas is a Prohibitionist, and was elected a member of the Town Board in 1905. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has officiated as Trustee sines 1893. THR00P, Charles F., one of the oldest and most favorably known residents of Grand De- tour, Ogle County, III., and a man possessed of superior business capabilities, was born in Grand Detour, 111., January 8, 1849, a son of Charles and Joanna (Bos worth) Throop, both natives of Vermont, the former born at Bethel in 1809, and the latter, at Montpelier, in 1826. Their mar- riage took place December 14, 1845, at Grand Detour, where the father had located in the fall of 1837, opening a general store in the spring of 1838. In this business he continued for fifty- two consecutive years. Joanna Bosworth was brought to Grand Detour by her parents, Amos and Susan (Wheelock) Bosworth, at a very early period. Charles Throop died at the resi- dence of his eldest daughter, Mrs. A. W. Emmett, in Dixon, 111., July 10, 1895, his wife having passed away September 13, 1893. Their children were as follows: Robert B., Charles F., Nellie C. and Martha E. Robert B., who was engaged in the mercantile business, died of typhoid fever, at Byron, 111., October 27, 1881; and Nellie C. is a resident of Pittsburg, Pa., being the wife of A. W. Emmett. before mentioned. Charles F. Throop was reared in Grand De- tour, where he received his primary education ; was afterward a pupil for eighteen months in a preparatory school at Lanesboro, Mass., and on reaching the age of eighteen years, entered his father's store in Grand Detour as a clerk, being thus employed for fifteen years. He then formed a partnership with his brother, Robert B., of Byron, 111., which continued until the latter's death. After that event he moved to Sterling, 111., where he conducted a store for three years. At the end of this period he sold out, and has since been occupied as a traveling salesman for H. B. Glover & Co., of Dubuque, Iowa. Mr. Throop was married in Grand Detour, November 12, 1882, to Flora Belle Cool, a daugh- ter of John and Sarah Lucy Ann (Drum) Cool, a history of whose family is contained in a sketch of the life of John Cool, appearing elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Throop, who was the third of a family of four children, was born February 5, 1859, in Grand Detour, where she received her education in the public schools. In politics, Mr. Throop is identified with the Republican party, and has always taken an earn- est interest in all matters pertaining to the wel- fare of the community. TICE, John H. — At a time when the demands of living tried the fiber of men, entailing contin- uous self-sacrifice and bringing meager financial returns, John C. and Maria (McLean) Tice cast their fortunes with the dawning history of Ogle County, and through their industry and practical success won enduring place in the affairs of a struggling community. Both John C. Tice and his wife were born in Maryland, and when the only available transportation facilities were rude boats and ruder ox-carts, he brought his small family overland to Ohio, and after living there four years, in 1838 drove a team of horses to Ogle County, accompanied by the family of Wil- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1037 liain Saddler. Eventually Mr. Tlce acquired possession of • 200 acres of land in Pine Creek Township, and he lived to achieve financial and general independence, winning the respect and good will of the entire community. Prom the little log house which was the scene of his early strug- gles and hardships, he moved into a pleasant frame structure, and there his life came to an end at tie age of eighty-four years. The effect of moderate and temperate living was apparent, also, in the history of his wife, for she was seventy years old when her death occurred at the home of a daughter in Iowa, whom she was visiting at the time. Of the four sons and four daughters in this family, Nelson died while on the way to the mines of California in 1850 ; Otho lives on the old homestead ; Elizabeth is the wife of David Fager, and lives in Kansas ; Eliza is the deceased wife of James Crouch ; Hettie is the wife of Hiram Winders and lives in Iowa ; John H., subject of this sketch ; Samuel lives at Preeport, 111. ; and Margaret Lucretia is the wife of John E. Perrine, of Oregon. At the age of twenty-one years John H. Tice took charge of the old homestead in Pine Creek Township, where he was born in a log cabin April 5, 1839. He was trained in the duties of a land owner, as then understood and practiced, and at the present time he owns 160 acres of the old place, and to it added until his farm con- tained 300 acres, a large part of which was un- der cultivation. He was engaged in general farming and cattle raising, taking particular pride in his splendid stock, which captured many prizes and brought high prices at the Chicago markets. Generally speaking, his property had the finest of modern improvements, and was con- ducted along scientific and practical lines. He continued to live in the vicinity of his birth place until February, 1905, when he came to Oregon, erected a comfortable home, and now is living retired, although on a small scale he keeps up his interest in farming. In political affiliation Mr. Tice is an Independ- ent, and like his father before him, has never had political aspirations. His married life be- gan at the age of twenty-two years, when he was united to Elizabeth Householder, daughter of Elias Householder, who came to Ogle County from Maryland when Elizabeth was a child. Mr. and Mrs. Tice are the parents of six children: Emma, who married Thomas Burke, and died at the age of forty years ; Bert, who was killed at the age of twenty-seven years at the railroad crossing on the home farm while driving cattle ; Fred, who is a mechanic of Oregon ; Hattie. liv- ing at home ; and Grace, who is the wife of El- mer Hinkle, of Oregon. Mr. Tice has been a hard worker and a thorough man of business. He has made a practical success of life, and not only finds himself the possessor of a competence, but has maintained his family in comfort, and has given his children the best advantages within his power. He is respected for his many strong and trustworthy traits of character, and for his years of effort to advance the agricultural inter- ests of the county. TICE, Otho, both in point of longevity and du- ration of residence, one of the oldest farmers of Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, 111., and an honored veteran of the Civil War, now living comfortably in retirement on the farm where nearly three-score and ten years of his life have been passed, was born in Washington County, Md., August 29, 1829. His parents were John C. and Maria (McLean) Tice who moved from that county to Dayton, Ohio, and thence to Illinois, in September, 1838, overland in a covered wagon drawn by one horse, and settling in Ogle County, the father bought 160 acres, which was all cov- ered with timber with the exception of five acres. There was a log cabin on the place, in which the family made their home. This land was bought from the Government for $1.25 per acre. Wild game was very plentiful, including deer, wolves, geese, wild turkeys and an occasional bear. In 1842 the father built the house in which he died and which is now occupied by Otho Tice, which was the first frame structure of its kind in the neighborhood. Mr. Otho Tice has added to it, but the main part of the house is the same. The father died in the month of November of his eighty-fourth year, his wife having passed away when seventy-two while on a visit to her daugh- ter in Iowa. They reared a family of eight chil- dren, of whom Otho was the second child. When he was about eight years old the family migration took place, and he has since lived in Pine Creek Township, devoting his attention to farming from early manhood up to the time of his withdrawal from active pursuits. On Sep- tember 7, 1861, Mr. Tice enlisted in Company H, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Regiment, serv- ing three years. He participated in the battles of Shiloh and Stone River, receiving a severe wound in the former and a slight one in the lat- ter. After Shiloh. he was sent home on account of his wound, and remained three months, re- joining his regiment in time to take part in the Stone River engagement, where he was again wounded. He was then sent to Cumberland Hos- pital at Nashville, Tenn., and after recovering was detailed for nurse duty at the hospital where he remained until his enlistment expired. He is now a member of the G. A. R., Oregon Post No. 116. On December 27, 1864, Mr. Tice was married in Greene County, Ohio, to Lucretia Hanes, who was born in that county, December 14, 1830, a daughter of Adam and Sarah Hanes. Mrs. Tice died at her home in Pine Creek Township, on April 3. 1905. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Tice, of whom four died in infancy. The two surviving are : Albertus, who married Emma Newcomer, and they have one child — Blanche Marie — and live on a part of Mr. Tice's farm ; and Jennie, who married John Linney, and they have two children — Mabel Ruth and Arvilla Albertus. In politics Mr. Tice has al- ways acted with the Republican party, and dur- ing his active life he held some of the Township offices. His long and useful life has not been spent in vain, and his example is one that may well be held up to the younger generation. 1038 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. TILTON, William W.— The family of which William W. Tilton, of Roehelle, 111., is a worthy representative, has been identified with the mak- ing of American history since long before the Revolutionary War, excelling for the greater part in agriculture, but invading also the fields of merchandising and the professions. The original immigrants were three brothers who came from England and settled in New Hampshire, one of these, Spencer, eventually moving to New Jersey, where was born the great-grandfather of William W. The grandfather was born in Pennsylvania, of which his father was an early settler, and he in turn moved to Ohio, opposite Wheeling, where Elijah Tilton, the father of William W., was born and spent the formative period of his life. The latter became a farmer in Knox County, Ohio, married Eliza Claw, and reared a family of thirteen children, of whom William W. was next to the youngest. Of the other children, De- borah, now eighty-seven years old, is the wife of Joseph Frost, of Emporia, Kan. ; Nathaniel, for a long time a resident of Pine Rock, but who died in Iowa at the age of seventy-six years ; Fannie who died past seventy years, the wife of Silas Wells ; Philena, widow of W. D. Walls, of Pine Rock ; Mary Jane, wife of MalleTy Dailey, of Ames, Iowa ; Thomas, a farmer in Pine Rock Township, who died at the age of seventy years ; Elizabeth, widow of Merritt Dailey, of Pine Rock ; Louise, widow of Jonathan Stratford, of Ro- ehelle ; Lavina, twin sister of Louise, and widow of Edmund Cross, of Pine Rock ; Lorena, who died at the age of sixty-three years, the wife of Wilson Dailey ; Martha, wife of Willie Gossard, of Oregon : and James, a resident of Roehelle. In OctobeT, 1849, Elijah Tilton brought his family from Knox County, Ohio, to Ogle County, settling on land in Pine Rock Township, which he improved from almost the primeval wilder- ness, and converted into a valuable and produc- tive property. In 1859 he came to Roehelle that his sons might have better educational advan- tages, but a few years later returned to the farm, a part of which now is owned by his son, William W., and died there about 1874, at the age of seventy-three years. His wife survived him for about a year, attaining the same age as her husband. He was a man of strong character and decided views, and held several minor local offices, elected thereto on the Democratic ticket. William W. Triton was educated in the coun- try and town schools, enlisted during the Civil War (1864) and served in the Quartermaster's Department, and one year after returning to his father's farm abandoned that occupation to op- erate a produce and commission busiuess in Ash- ton for a year. He then purchased half of the old homestead from his lather, to which he added eighty acres in Lafayette Township, belonging to his cousin, Elijah Tilton, the latter of whom died in the army during the Civil War. Subse- quently Mr. Tilton bought more land until he owned 208 acres and all of it under a high state of cultivation. He gained an enviable reputation as a painstaking and scientific landsman, was an obliging and considerate neighbor, and held sev- eral local offices as a stanch and uncompro- mising Democrat. Having been appointed Post- master of Chana by President Cleveland, in 1895, he moved to that town, and in the meantime erected in Roehelle a feed and sale stable, which from the expiration of his term as Postmaster, until 1907, he continued with gratifying finan- cial and general success. Since then he has con- tinued to occupy his pleasant home in the center of the town, and to take a keen interest in its social and church, but not its business life. He is a member of the Antioch Church of God, in his old neighborhood in Pine Rock Township. At the age of thirty-one years Mr. Tilton was united in marriage to Alice Canavan, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, who early settled in Pine Rock Township. For two years before her marriage, Mrs. Tilton was a teacher in Ogle County, hav- ing graduated from the high school in Mount Vernon. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Tilton : Floyd J. ; Mattie E., wife of Clarence Eyster, of Roehelle ; and Clarence M. Floyd J. is a graduate of the high school of Ro- ehelle and the law department of the Northwest- ern University, Evanston, 111. Subsequently Mr. Tilton practiced law at Kewanee, under the firm name of Cummins & Tilton, and in November, 1907, opened an office in Roehelle. TIMMER, Elias, farmer, Maryland Township, Ogle County, HI. The career of this well-known citizen demonstrates the efficacy of perseverance under difficulties. At the very time when pres- sure to give up seems strongest, calmness and determination will win the day. These qualities are certainly necessary to the men who would make good in a protracted struggle. Mr. Tim- mer was born on the Addison Coffman farm, in Maryland Township, Ogle County, March 21, 1848. His father, who had come to this county from Maryland in 1846, removed, in 1860. to the farm now occupied by Mrs. Frank Timmer, where he lived until he removed to Forreston, dying at the latter place in November, 1897. He had children named as follows : John, who is represented in this biographical sketch ; Elias, the second in order of birth ; Margaret, who married William Diffenbaugh and died aged about fifty-five years ; Mary Ellen, who became the wife of Upton Petrie, and died in her twenty- ninth year ; Ann, Mrs. Jonathan Rebman of West Grove, Ogle County ; Henry, who lives at Forreston ; Helen, the wife of Christ A. Zum- dahl, living three miles west of Mount Morris; Frank, who lived on the old family homestead until his death at the age of thirty-two years; Charles, who owns a farm adjoining the Timmer homestead ; Emma, who died unmarried, aged thirty years. Elias Timmer lived with his father until his marriage, managing the farm and otherwise as- sisting his father in his business affairs, which were quite extensive, as he came in time to own 640 acres of land, to which he gave attention in one way or another. When he began life for him- self independently, he rented land of his father HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1039 which, after the death of the latter, became his property in the settlement of the estate. It con- sists of 120 acres besides some timber land about two miles distant. May 18, 1898, when he had just settled for the property, a loss of $4,000 was brought upon him by a cyclone, he and his family barely escaping with their lives by finding shel- ter in a cellar. All his original buildings were carried away, his house in a northwesterly di- rection, his barn and granary to the southeast, all being utterly demolished. A school house a quarter of a mile distant was lifted skyward and disappeared never to be seen again, and a resi- dence which stood near it was whirled away in another direction. Besides his buildings and many implements, etc., Mr. Timmer lost sixty or seventy hogs, some cattle and a fine team. He had recently erected a large cattle barn, and that and the other property had to be replaced, together with orchards, wind-breaks, fences, etc. Only by good management and constant applica- tion to his business which, under the circum- stances, has entailed upon him two days' work, where otherwise he would have had but one, has he been able, in all the years since, to rehabili- tate his farm and put himself again in a position to operate it successfully. He gives attention to general farming and makes a specialty of hogs and other live stock. His public spirit has in- spired in him an interest in township affairs, and he has been Road Commissioner twelve years, School Director twenty-one years and School Trustee more than thirty years, and has been frequently a delegate to conventions of his party. He is identified with the Knights of the Globe and the Mystic Workers. He married Miss Ida V. Slifer, of Mount Carroll, Carroll County, 111., February 20, 1873, and they have had four children. One of their sons, Elmer Elias, died in childhood. Charles is a carpenter at Free- port, 111. Luella married Herman Abels, dealer in agricultural implements, Forreston, 111. . Oliver Fred is a member of his parents' household. Mrs. Timmer was born in Frederick County, Md., June 26, 1853. Her parents were Samuel and Eve (Ahalt) Slifer. They were married in Maryland, from there moved to Missouri, where they" remained until 1865, when they moved to Carroll County, 111., and a year -later to Forres- ton, Ogle County. In 1884 they moved to Kan- sas where Mr. Slifer died one year later. His widow, who is eighty-four years old, lives on her farm in Kansas. TIMMER, John F.— Born at North Grove, Ogle County. 111., October 14, 1846, John F. Timmer is a son of Frederick and Margaret Jane Timmer, the former of whom was born and reared in Germany, and came to the United States at the age of twenty-one years. The elder Timmer lo- cated in Hagerstown, Maryland, soon after his vessel docked in New York, and thereafter found employment on the canal and at farming for about ten years. Sometime after his marriage to Margaret Jane Fry, a native of Maryland, he came about 1844 to Ogle County, and until he could build a log house on the claim he had taken up, made his home with Samuel Kauffman. In 1860 he sold out and moved to Maryland Town- ship and improved a 480 acre farm, making his home thereon for about thirty years. His wife died in 1874, and he himself died in 1897, having for some time made his home in the village of Forreston. His son Frank now owns the old homestead, and he had besides this son, nine other children, four sons and two daughters of whom are living. Mr. TimmeT was of a pro- foundly religious turn of mind, and in . 1860 helped to build the stone church at Adeline, later performing the same service for a church at Forreston. He was an excellent business man and a scientific farmer, and his life gave out many lessons of encouragement to the oncoming generation. After his marriage, at the age of twenty-five, to Elizabeth Dovenbarger, John F. Timmer farmed part of his father's land, then moved to the Hiteman farm near the old homestead, wheTe he lived five years, engaged principally in raising fruit. In 1885 he moved to a 220 acre tract a mile north of Forreeton, in 1889 erected thereon a fine large rural home, and since has continued to devote the property to general farming and stock-raising. In the meantime he has purchased the Dovenbarger farm in Maryland Township, one of the^historic landmarks of that section, and upon which John DovenbargeT had settled in the very early days of Ogle County. This fron- tiersman is one of the last survivors of the early white invaders of the wilderness still living, and at the age of eighty-seven years, he is able to enjoy the society of his friends and life in gen- eral, and to reap the benefits of moderation, economy and industry in his comfortable home in Forreston. In the early days he used to haul his grain to the market in Chicago, then a rough and comparatively small town, and his memory is rich in anecdote and reminiscence concerning the days which tried the fiber of men, and either made or unmade them, with insatiable demands upon their resource and courage. Of late Mr. Timmer himself has not been ac- tive in the affairs of his farm, but still makes it his home. He has acquired a splendid reputa- tion as a stock-raiser, a department of agricul- ture in which he has taken great pride and de- light for many years, and his farm has produced many fine sam'ples of Polled-Angus cattle and thoroughbred horses and hogs. He is a progres- sive and enlightened man, believes in education, churches and social institutions, and is inclined to promote with his money and influence those agencies which tend to the greatest advance- ment and prosperity of the community. Politi- cally, he is a Democrat, but never has been at- tracted by the desire for office. His family con- sists of a son, Albertus, born September 14, 1873, and who, May 1, 1906, was united in marriage to Mary Rambaugh, who is the mother of one daughter, Verna May. TOBIAS, Daniel H.— From the time of estab- lishing himself in Ogle County until the present time, a period of more than forty years, Mr. To- 1040 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. bias has devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits, and has risen from the position of a hired laborer to that of a land owner. Energy and persistence have been important factors in his success. Aiming to acquire a thorough knowl- edge of agriculture, he has been a constant stu- dent of the soil and its proper treatment ; like- wise, has carefully studied the proper care of stock. In every branch of farming his opinion has weight, because founded on years of expe- rience and thoughtful study. Since 1898 he has owned and occupied a farm of 280 acres in Lin- coln Township, and here he is extensively en- gaged in raising stock as well as the general farm products to which the soil is adapted. Referring to the history of the Tobias family, It is learned that they were early established in Pennsylvania. John and Nancy (Row) Tobias, were natives of Schuylkill County, that State, and Dauphin County, the same State, respectively, and they were the parents of five sons, of whom Daniel H. was the eldest. When he was nine years of age he was bereaved by the death of his mother, and soon afterward was taken into the home of an uncle, George Row, in Dauphin County, where he attended school. At the age of nineteen years he began to earn his own live- lihood, working as a farm hand and at such other labor as could be found. September 19, 1864, he enlisted in Company H, Two Hundred and Tenth Pennsylvania Infantry, and went to the front with his regiment, remaining until the close of the war. Upon receiving an honorable discharge from the army, he returned to Dau- phin County, whence in March of 1866 he came to Illinois and settled in Ogle County, working out by the month in Lincoln and Maryland Town- ships. The marriage of Mr. Tobias was solemnized in Lincoln Township December 26, 1867, uniting him with Miss Margaret Myers, who was bom in what is now Lincoln Township September 16, 1841, being a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Gloss) Myers, natives respectively of Pennsyl- vania and Washington County, Md. As early as 1S37 the Myers family removed from the East to Illinois, and settled in what is now Lincoln Township, Ogle County, taking up a raw tract of land and, by long-continued labor, transforming the same into a valuable farm. On that home- stead the father died at the age of seventy-nine and the mother when seventy-seven. Eleven children had been born of their union, and six of these lived to years of maturity, Mrs. Tobias being among the youngest members of the family circle. As a girl she attended the country schools near the homestead and received fair educational advantages. The care which had been given to her training at home she in turn bestowed upon her three daughters, who, under her guidance, became well qualified to preside over homes of their own. They are: Emma L.. wife of Samuel W. Hamilton; Ella V., Mrs. Daniel Bit, and Edna A., who married Charles B. Fager. For some years Mr. Tobias rented the farm owned by his father-in-law, and in 1879 pur- chased 320 acres of the estate, remaining on the property until his removal in 1898 to his present homestead. The many tasks incident to agri- cultural work have not prevented him from fa- miliarizing himself with the problems affecting our national welfare and we find him stanchly Republican in his sympathies. As School Direc- tor he aided the progress of the school in his dis- trict, while through the office of Road Commis- sioner he was enabled to benefit the movement looking to good roads. The Reformed Church, with which he is identified, receives his generous support in its maintenance and missionary move- ments. Fraternally, he holds membership with White Oak Lodge, No. 667, I. O. O. F., and Ore- gon Post, No. 116, G. A. R., the latter organiza- tion affording him an opportunity to meet occa- sionally those who, like himself, served under the Stars and Stripes during one of the most mo- mentous wars in which our country ever en- gaged. TRACY, Benjamin F., a skillful and successful contractor and builder of Mount Morris, 111., where he has borne an excellent reputation for forty years, of high character and bearing the scars of gallant service in the Civil War, was born in Franklin County, Pa., December 23, 1845. When he was less than a year old, his father died and his mother marrying again, he was reared by his aunt in Maryland, where, in boy- hood his education was obtained in the common schools of Washington County. On February 26, 1864, he enlisted in Company H, First Regiment, Maryland P. H. B. Volunteer Cavalry, attached to the Army of the Cumberland, his principal duty being scouting and pursuing guerrillas. He served until July, 1865, receiving gunshot wounds in the chin and shoulder. After the war he re- turned to his aunt's home and, in 1869, journeyed west of Illinois, locating at Mount Morris. In the East he had learned the trade of a wagon and carriage-maker, but on arriving in Ogle County, devoted his attention to carpenter work, and has since that time been engaged in con- tracting and building, meeting with unifom* suc- cess. On May 30, 1876, Mr. Tracy was married to Mary Potter, born in Mount Morris, a daughter of Calvin and Mary (Householder) Potter, na- tives of Washington County, Md.. who were among the earliest settlers of Ogle County, whither they moved after a few years' residence in Ohio, traveling to their new home in wagons. Calvin Householder was a farmer by occupation, and owned a fine farming property. Both of Mrs. Tracy's parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Tracy have had six children, as follows: Mary E. (Mrs. John Rudy), of Oregon, 111.; D. C, of Rochelle. 111. : Willis, who died when six years old: Leah, who died at the age of four years; and Chester and Madge, who are at home. In politics, Mr. Tracy has long been identified with the Republican party. For four years he acted in tbe capacity of Constable of Mount Mor- ris, and has served one term as a member of the Village Board. In religion, he adheres to the HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1041 faith of the Christian Church. He is an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and both he and his most estimable wife are held in cordial esteem by a wide circle of friends. THINE, Ralph Waldo.— The first paragraph of this sketch is taken from "Who's Who in Amer- ica :" "Ralph Waldo Trine, author. Born Mount Morris, Illinois, September 9, 1866. Began work at sixteen as wood-chopper and farm laborer; then student, bank cashier, teacher, lecturer and author. Graduated Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois,- 1891 (A. M.), Graduate student in His- tory, Political and Social Science, Johns Hop- kins University, Baltimore, Md. Interested in Social and Economic problems. Director Massa- chusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and of the American Humane Education Society. Author of 'The Life Books,' (3) in- cluding What All the World's A-Seeking, In Tune with the Infinite, In the Fire of the Heart ; also 'The Life Booklets,' (3) including, Character- Building, Thought Power, The Greatest Thing Ever Known, and Every Living Creature; also On the Open Road, bearing the sub-title — Being Some Thoughts and a Little Creed of Wholesome Living." One book, probably the most widely known, "In Tune with the Infinite," has been translated and published in nine languages in addition to the American and British editions. American and British editions of Mr. Trine's books have had a continued sale to this time of writing, of considerably over 350,000 copies, and their sale continues steadily. These writings fall chiefly along two lines, — what may be termed the prac- tical, or applied philosophical ; and along social, economic, political lines. The work of Darwin, Tyndall, Huxley, Spen- cer, Haeckel, and all the scientific investigation and spirit that came towards the close of the nineteeth century, weakened the religious faith of many people, and set many a troubled soul adrift in the frail bark of doubt on the stormy sea of "the unknowable." But the tide always returns. Action is equal to reaction, and in con- trary direction, in the spiritual world as well as in the physical world. And these books of Ralph Waldo Trine's, and such as these, with their beacon light of truth, shine on the way to a re- newal of spiritual faith and human endeavor, and to a quickening of trust in the goodness and beauty of the eternal verities. In 1902, Mr. Trine purchased the farm, which is his present home, at Croton-on-the-Hudson, New York, thirty-four miles north of New York City, on the main line of the New York Central Railroad — a location with extensive views among the Westchester Hills, as well as up and down the Hudson. This tract is conducted by its own- er as a high grade fruit and hay farm. This place is in the neighborhood of the home of that stanch lover of the outdoor world. Mr. John Burroughs. Some time before purchasing this farm Mr. Trine was married to Miss Grace Hyde, of New York. Here, among these river and hill scenes, Mr. Trine, his wife and their beautiful little son, carry out in their lives the principles of righteous living set forth in his writings. Mr. Trine is a lover of outdoor pur- suits, and of nature, and in these delightful sur- roundings he can combine his literary work with the gratification of these tastes, and still be in touch with the life of a great city. The mother of Mr. Trine, (a sister of the late Major Charles Newcomer), and whom he very much resembles in his traits, is still living at Mount Morris, 111. TRUMP, Irvin M., a most creditable represen- tative of the younger element in the agricultural population of Ogle County, 111., was born on the farm where he now lives, in Pine Creek Town- ship, on May 7, 1872. He is a son of Isaac and Susan (Bowers) Trump, the latter deceased in 1.877. They reared a family of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the youngest. His boyhood was passed in Pine Creek Township until he was about eleven years old, when his father removed to Buffalo Township, in the same county, where he lived nine years. Just before attaining his majority, Irvin M. Trump worked out as a farm hand for nearly a year, and then returned to Pine Creek Township, which has since beeD his place of residence. On November 23, 1894, Mr. Trump was united in marriage with Rose J. Leach, born in Woo- sung, 111., February 16, 1880, and a daughter of Joseph and Susan C. (Lockridge-Lampkin) Leach, of Pine Creek Township. Mrs. Trump is the younger of the two children resulting from the union of her parents. Immediately after his wedding, Mr. Trump located on his present farm, where his labors have been rewarded with profitable results. In politics, Mr. Trump is a stanch supporter of the Republican party. He has held the office of Highway Commissioner two terms, during one of which he acted in the capacity of treasurer of the board, and has also served as School Trustee. He has always taken that degree of interest in township affairs which becomes a public-spirited citizen. Mr. Trump has been engaged quite ex- tensively in raising clover seed for the past ten years, and probably more of this product is threshed on his farm than any other in Ogle County. TURKINGTON, Capt. George E.— The life which this narrative delineates began at Danbury. Conn.. June 4, 1826. and closed at Rochelle, 111., May 25. 1904. Between the two dates there was an era of business activity, largely associated with Rochelle, of which the Captain became a resident in 1856, and to the prosperity of which he was ever afterward devoted with keen interest. When a mere bov he began to be self-supporting and at the age of thirteen was employed as clerk in a hotel in the East. Removing to the Central States at the age of twenty-one. he secured em- ployment as clerk in a St. Louis hotel, but short- ly afterward began to be interested in railroad construction and took charge of this class of work in the interests of the contractors. His 1042 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. first tour of inspection was made through the Northern Illinois district, when he came to Rock- ford as overseer in the building of the first dam there, and later was employed in the building of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad west of Galena. For a time, after coming to Rochelle Mr. Tur- kington was employed as clerk in a general store, but in 1859 embarked in business for himself, opening a hardware store in partnership with Thomas Padgett, in which he continued for sev- eral years. During the Civil War he gave his support to the cause of the Union and, in 1864, organized Company H. One Hundred and For- tieth Illinois Infantry, of which he was chosen Captain. The company was dispatched to Ten- nessee and engaged in railroad grading and other work of a similar character until honorably dis- charged at Camp Fry, Chicago, October 29, 1864. On his return to Rochelle, the Captain resumed his former business pursuits and buying out the Interest of his partner, and afterward continuing the same line of business alone until finally dis- posing of it to other parties. Through the erection of two business houses on Washington Street and four on Cherry Street, in Rochelle, Captain TUrkington not only im- proved the appearance of the business district of the city, but also made a profitable investment. Five of the buildings' are still owned by his heirs. In addition he erected a number of dwelling houses and remodeled his residence, so that it was transformed into one of the most beautiful in the city. Through his persuasions his father, John Turkington, and his brothers, John, Jr., and Oliver, as well as a sister, Lois, came to Ogle County, and shortly afterward the family acquired 160 acres of land in Lynnville Township. On that homestead the father died at seventy-five years of age the brother John at seventy-three and Oliver at the age of sixty-eight. The brothers were old bachelors and had a reputation of being exceedingly eccentric. The sister married Charles Pickett and removed to McPherson, Kan., where she died. On the organization of the Grand Army of the Republic at Rochelle, Captain Turkington be- came one of its charter members, and afterward officiated as Commander, always taking an en- thusiastic interest in State and National En- campments. July 9, 1859, he was initiated into the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and dur- ing his connection with the order, passed all the chairs in the local lodge, being at the time of his death one of the very oldest lodge members, as well as one of the most highly honored. In poli- tics he voted with the Republican party. For years he held the office of Township Clerk. On Septemher 24, 1861, at Rochelle, III., occur- red the marriage of George Edward Turkington and Mrs. Isabel Marshal, a widow, who was the daughter of Anthony and Sarah Ann Barrett, and a granddaughter of Jacob Barrett. The last named acted as a substitute for his father during the Revolutionary War, and was a pensioner. In his old age. he lived with bis son Anthony, at Fenner, Madison County, N. Y. The Captain's only son, George E., graduated from the Rochelle high school and later took a course in the Iowa University, from which he was graduated with high standing. Opening an office at Omaha, Nebraska, he has built up a large practice in that city and ranks among its leading attorneys. The Captain's only daughter, Anna Belle, resides with her mother, and both are prominent socially, and active members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Miss Turkington being at present Regent, as well as the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, while in addition Miss Anna is a member of the Woman's Club of Rochelle. VAILE, Edward Gallatin. — Widely separated were the two farms upon which began and ended the tlrree-score-and-ten pilgrimage of Edward Gallatin Vaile, the former farm, where he was born March 2, 1827, being in Washington County. Pa., and the latter, where he died, after a year and a half of suffering from paralysis, May 30. 1897, in Dement Township, Ogle County, 111. Mr. Vaile had the advantages of good birth and ex- cellent early influences, his people being of the New England type, and his grandparents and father coming from Vermont to pursue the oc- cupation of farming and milling in Pennsylvania. The latter also was an educator, and the son. Edward Gallatin, early conceived an apprecia- tion of knowledge, and early became expert as a miller and farmer. One of his duties while as- sisting his father around the mill was to haul flour to Cumberland, a distance of one hundred and ten miles, with a big wagon drawn by six horses. When barely twenty-one years old, May 23, 1848, he was united in marriage to Caroline Cooper., who was born in Washington County. Pa.. June 27, 1828. on a farm developed from land that her grandfather had secured from the Government. The Coopers were English, ind lived mostly in New Jersey, their number having among them many men of brilliant attainments, not the least of whom was Peter Cooper, the American inventor, manufacturer and philanthro- pist. On the maternal side Mrs. Vaile was no less favored, as the Bryants claimed such dis- tinguished connections as William Cullen Bryant, the poet. Eventually Mr. Vaile succeeded to the manage- ment of his father's mill in Washington County, and in 1853 sold the same, and with $500 dollars above his traveling expenses, came to Ogle Coun- ty with Dr. Lane, of Rockford, and bought 165 acres of land in Dement and Flagg Townshins, one and a half miles south of Rochelle. The property cost twelve dollars an acre, about tbirtv acres were broken, and it contained a house and stable. He at once began the breeding of high-grade horses and sheep, in which he achieved marked success, and in time he became the owner of an 160 acres farm in Lee Countv, 111., and another farm in Nebraska. His activi- ties were cut short by the stroke of paralysis, which rendered him helpless during the last months of his life, but his career had been an exceptionally active and helpful one, and his HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1043 tasks invariably had commanded his supreme allegiance and faithfulness. His intellect was of the inquiring and progressive kind that de- manded books and periodicals for its daily food L n l he .,^ S a T?I aDt and appreciative reader of the 'Chicago Tribune." In politics he favored the Republican party, but was no partisan, and the charms of office-holding never gained a foot- hold in his ambitions. He was a quiet unas- suming man, fond of .his home and friends, and Church™ W ° and trUStee in the Presb yterian Five years after the death or her husband Mrs \aile came to Rochelle to live, which she Iris since made her home. Of her six children— five daughters and one son-Mary Elizabeth is at home ; Clara V. is the widow of Miles J Brai- der,; Maria is the widow of Charles Edwin Cort and lives in Huron, S. D. ; Anna V. is the wife of Bryan Hall, a miner of Los Angeles Cal • Emma V. is the wife of Eugene Cole, of the ru- ral mail delivery service, of Rochelle; and Ed- ward Leonard, a dental surgeon of Rochelle who was educated at Knox College, 111., and there- after took a course in dentistry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. VIETMEIER, Henry.— The forest covered prin- cipality of Lippe-Detmold, Germany, has furn- ished the pioneer representatives of several fam- ilies of Ogle County, all of whom have illustrated the conservatism and dependability usually as- sociated with the industrious people of the Fatherland, and have laid up a competence for themselves and children. One of the best known native sons of this remote German kingdom was Fred Vietmeier. who came to the United States in 1S49. and, without friends or influence on this side of the water, became one of the large land- owners and influential men of northwestern Ogle County. At Mount Morris, which he reached in almost a penniless condition soon after landing in New York, Mr. Vietmeier worked as a farm hand and a brick-yard employe, and at the age of thirty-one years was united in marriage to Sophia Eichman, who was seventeen years old, and a daughter of a farmer of Swalenburg, Ger- many. The young people settled on a farm near North Grove, Ogle County, improved the same, and in 1858 came to the farm now owned and formerly occupied by Henry Vietmeier, second son of the pioneer. At first this farm was extremely wild and unimproved, but the continuous efforts of the owner soon converted it into a profitable property, and he added to it until he owned 480 acres in one tract. During his residence on this place he erected two sets of buildings, one for himself and one for his son Fred, and finally Henry, Fred and Samuel, his three sons, each received a quarter of his farm, the homestead proper falling to Henry. Until about three years ago Henry Vietmeier lived on the farm given him by his father, and whereon he made many fine improvements. He now makes his home in Forreston and rents the farm, deriving therefrom a comfortable income. With him are his wife, formerly Sophia Tilke- h?/ 1 „^ Ck °I W ' e ' Ste P»enson County, and h s two children, Laura aged fifteen years and Clarence, an infant. As are the majority of the early Lippe-Detmold settlers, Mr. Vietmeier is « Democrat. lie has a pleasant town home and a beautiful, productive farm, and may be ac- counted one of the wealthy and successful men of the community. His father's family is nu- oTthe ^.ffPrfented in this well favored part ot the State, for there were five daughters as well as three sons, all of whom reached a useful maturity. WAGNER, Frank, farmer, Maryland Township. Ogle County, 111. Among the numerous descend- ants of old Maryland families living in this part of Ogle County, none are more highly esteemed than Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wagner. Mr Wagner is a thoroughgoing farmer, to the manor bom and exceptionally well-informed in everything pertaining to agriculture. He was born May 2(? -1867, in Maryland Township, a son of Jonathan and Eliza (Coffman) Wagner, natives of Mary- land, who settled here soon after their marriage. Mr. Wagner died in Maryland Town- ship, aged sixty-seven years, and Mrs. Wagner at Freeport, 111., aged about seventy vears. Of their eight children, Frank was the seventh born, and has passed his whole life thus far in Mary- land Township, giving bis attention entirely to fanning. His homestead contains 240 acres of well improved land, and he has built on it one of the largest and most comfortable residences in his vicinity. He takes an intelligent interest in national politics, and is especially solicitous for the welfare and prosperity of his county and township. He has filled the office of School Di- rector to the benefit of the local educational in- terests. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner are members of the United Brethren church and are generous contributors toward the support of the same. Mr. Wagner married January 1, 1889, Miss Etta Wilson, who was born in Leaf River Town- ship, November 22, 3807, a daughter of Walter and Amelia (Palmer) Wilson, natives of Wash- ington County. Md. Mr. Wilson died in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wagner, August 7, 1906, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. Of his eight chil- dren, Mrs. Wagner was the fourth in order of birth. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner have a son, Orville Guy, who was born October 17, 18S9. WAGNER, William Perry. — The banking inter- ests of any community are such as to command the attention and executive ability of its best men, for in this line there is more opportunity for men to demonstrate their fitness for handling large financial affairs, and their knowledge of all their intricate workings. For this reason the most conservative and substantial citizens on business lines are connected with the banking enterprises and through their actions conserve the best in- terests of those who do business with them. The Citizens National Bank of Green Bay. Wis., is to be congratulated upon it having such repre- sentative men upon its official Board, and one 1044 HLSTOEY OP OGLE COUNTY. who has been actively engaged in formulating its policy, is William Perry Wagner, its Vice- President. Mr. Wagner was born at Mt. Morris, Ogle County, 111., March 5, 1859, a son of Reuben and Leah (Brubaker) Wagner. Reuben Wagner was born in Hagerstown, Md., April 8, 1830, while his wife was born in Huntingdon, Pa., Jan- uary 25, 1835. He was a grain and lumber dealer, and banker. After a public school course in the schools of Polo, 111., W. P. Wagner took a business college course at Chicago, and began his business career selling organs and pianos. Although only eight- een years old when he engaged in this line, he proved his natural ability, and in 1880, was em- ployed in a bank at Forreston and five years later entered the bank of S. A. Kean & Co., Chi- cago. After a yeaT spent in the metropolis, he came to Green Bay, Wis., and has been one of its successful bankers ever since. The Citizens National Bank organized by him in 1888, has a capital stock of $200,000 with surplus and pro- fits amounting to $100,000. The officers are H. S. Eldred, President ; Mitchell Joannes, Vice- President ; W. P. Wagner, Vice-President ; H. P. Klaus, Cashier, and W. J. Parkes, Assistant Cashier. The Board of Directors is composed of the following : H. S. Eldred, Mitchell Joannes, G. Kuestermann, E. K. Ansorge, H. A. Straubel, George D. Nau, A. M. Murphy, Charles E. Vro- man and W. P.. Wagner. The very satisfactory statement issued by the bank issued February 6, 1909, Is as follows: Resources: Loans and dis- counts. $1,124,560.39 ; overdrafts, $357.62 ; United States and other bonds, $342,887.96 ; Premium on United States bonds, $500.00; Banking House, $30,000:00; ICash Means, $361,789.'95— totaling $1,864,595.92. Liabilities: Capital Stock, $200,- 000.00; Surplus, $50,000.00; Undivided Profits. $50,294.80 ; Circulation, $195,700.00 ; United States Deposits, $40,000.00; Other Deposits, $1,328,- 601.12— totaling $1,864,595.92. Mr. Wagner has always been a Republican, and he was a member of the School Board for six years in the nineties. In religious faith he is a Congregationalist. His first marriage oc- curred at Forreston, 111., to Emma Whitcomb, in January, 1881. She was born in Canada in 1859. His second marriage took place at Polo, when he was united with Anna Shumway, who was born in Milledgeville, 111., June 24, 1864, a daughter of R. G. Shumway of Polo. By his first marriage Mr. Wagner had one son Paul Whitcomb, born September 30, 1881 ; and by his second marriage he has two children, namely: Perry Shumway Wagner, born April 5. 1890 ; and Eugenia Wag- ner, born August 9, 1896. Mr. Wagner is a man of unassuming manner, quiet in his tastes and a most excellent business man. He is in the prime of life, with many years of useful activity stretching before him, and it is safe to say Hint he has not finished his work. Men of his caliber do not stand still, but steadily advance, and this has been the case of Mr. Wag- ner in everything in which he has engaged. He is extremely fond of music, and patronizes this art whenever given an occasion. WAITE, Judson A., Supervisor of Rockvale Township, Ogle County, 111., and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the county, than whom no other man of his locality is more prominent as a farmer, stock-raiser and member of the com- munity, was born on his present farm, and in a part of the house which he still occupies, Jan- nary 6, 1862. He is a son of Adoniram J. and Amelia A. (Agard) Waite, natives of New York State, where the birth of the former occurred in Washington County, and that of the latter in Erie County, their marriage taking place in the latter. The paternal grandfather was Clark G. Waite who was a son of Peleg Waite, a native of Rhode Island, born in 1787. Clark G. Waite settled in Granville, N. Y., and died at Lock- port, N. Y., in 1838, while returning from a visit to his two sons, Clark G. and Hamilton Lee Waite, who had settled in Ogle County in 1837, coming from New York when young men. Ben- jamin Boyce, a friend of the sons, also a New Yorker, then lived on Rock River, and it was through his influence that they came to Ogle County. Peleg Waite settled in the woods, near Petersburg, Rensselaer County, N. Y., before the Revolutionary War. His three brothers were among the eighteen followers of Ann Hutchin- son, who were banished from Massachusetts to Rhode Island at an early day. Peleg's wife, whose maiden name was Mary Green, was a cousin of the Revolutionary hero, Gen. Nathaniel Greene. Clark G. Waite, Peleg's son, married Abigail Phillips, and settled in Washington . County, N. Y., about the year 1810. Adoniram Judson Waite, deceased, father of Judson A., was born in Granville, N. Y., July 5, 1821, came to Illinois in 1854, and engaged in farming in Ogle County. AVhen he was seventeen years old his father died, leaving the care of his mother to him. In 1S42 he married Caroline Bull, remaining at the old Waite home until 1850, and in Erie County until 1854. In 1855, he bought 280 acres on the west bank of Rock River, four miles north of the village of Oregon. His wife died in 1860, and on February 29, 1861, he married Mrs. Amelia (Agard) Landon, widow of Horace Landon. His first wife was the mother of Missouri A., wife of William Steffa ; Alton P., and Alsina, wife of John Allen of Oregon, Ogle County. The farm of Adoniram Judson Waite com- prised 427 acres. He built a part of his house in 1854, and rebuilt the residence several times. He was one of the first Short-Horn cattle breed- ers in Ogle County, and continued in this line during his active life, also breeding Morgan horses. He remained on the home farm until the time of his death, January 22. 1S97, his widow surviving him three years. Judson A. Waite, the only child of his parents, has lived on the homestead property all his life, having had charge of it since he became of age. He was executor of the paternal estate, and bought out the interests of the other heirs, thus acquiring the tract originally purchased by his father. He follows general farming with profit- HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1045 able results, and is a successful breeder, of Short- Horn cattle. In politics, Mr. Waite is a pronounced Repub- lican and wields a strong influence in the local affairs of his party. He was elected Township Clerk in 1884 (as early as he was eligible), and continued to discharge the duties of that office for eight years. In 1S92 he was elected Super- visor of Rockvale Township and still serves in this capacity, having been chosen Chairman of the Board in 1907. WALKER, Gavin A., farmer, Buffalo Town- ship, Ogle County, 111. All intelligent and thoughtful citizens of Illinois are proud of the strain of Scotch blood that has been so influen- tial a factor in the development and progress of their locality. In whatever community a Scotch- man has appeared, he has been found always on the side of temperance, economy and education. Sometimes he has advocated other things, but has never been known to fail to advocate these. Everywhere he has taken his place, shoulder to shoulder with the best of his neighbors, as worker, voter and fighter for all that constitutes American liberty and the development of Ameri- can character and American resources. Such a citizen is the man whose name is the title of this brief article. Gavin A. Walker comes of an old Lanarkshire family and was born in that division of Scotland, August 28, 1854. His father was Gavin Walker, his mother Jessie Andrews, and they were born married and buried in their beloved "Land of the Thistle." Of their four children, Gavin A., was the youngest. He crossed the ocean to America when he was fourteen years old and, coming to Ogle County, found a welcome and a home in the family of Robert Anderson in Woo- sung Township. Later he was employed by sev- eral farmers as man-of-all-work on their farms, and as soon as he had saved enough money, he rented land for two years. At the expiration of his lease he went to Pilmore County, Neb., and there purchased a farm on which he lived eight- een years. Then selling his Nebraska land ad- vantageously, he returned to Ogle County and bought the old William Mosen farm of 147 acres, which he has since operated. While raising mis- cellaneous crops he has given special attention to Short-Horn cattle and Poland-China hogs. His farm, with its good house, barn and other buildings, has that clean, substantial appearance which shows that it is well kept-up. Mr. Walker married in Whiteside County, 111., Miss Isabelle Pollock, who died in Nebraska in 1883, after having borne him six children, named, respectively: David, Jessie, Ida, Jennie, Nellie and Isabelle. His present wife was Miss Susan Jackson a native of Wisconsin, whom he married at Fairmont. Neb. During the eighteen years of his residence in that State, he filled the office of School Director and was influential in estab- lishing and improving schools in his neighbor- hood. Since his return to Ogle County, while not a school official, he has taken a deep and helpful interest in all local educational matters. He is a Modern Woodman of America and a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and Mrs. Walker are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and he is a member of its official Board. It may be truly said of him, that there is no movment for the benefit of any considerable number of his fellow-citizens in which he does not take a generous interest. WALKUP, Charles.— The Board of Supervisors of Ogle County has as its representatives from Pine Creek Township the gentleman whose name introduces this article, and who has long been numbered among the intelligent farmers of his locality. Both through paternal and maternal ancestry he belongs to the pioneer element, whose resourcefulness, energy and determination of character made an indelible impress for good upon the early history of the county. Especially prominent in the early history of Ogle County was his maternal grandfather, Judge Spooner Ruggles, who came to this State in 1836 from Richland County, Ohio, and identified himself with the early efforts to develop a prosperous community from the primeval wilderness. As early as 1850 he represented Pine Creek Town- ship as a member of the County Board of Super- visors, and his name appears in the records of that period, always in association with measures for the development of the township and county. Recognizing his qualifications for office, his fel- low-citizens placed him in nomination for the office of County Judge and he was elected by a fair majority, filling the office with credit to him- self and satisfaction to all. After a useful exist- ence devoted to others, he passed away at an ad- vanced age and was mourned as a progressive pioneer and leading citizen. Among the children of Judge Ruggles was a daughter, Sophia, who was born in Ohio, and be- came the wife of Samuel Walkup, who was born in Ohio about 1805, and died at an advanced age. For many years they made their home on a farm in Pine Creek Township, and at their death it was felt that the township had sustained a heavy loss, for they were of the type of early settlers so important to the best permanent development of any locality. Of their nine children the fol- lowing attained mature years : Mary, the widow of Martin Case; Sarah, who is the widow of Al- fred Frantz ; Liberty, of Rockford, this State ; John, who died in Whiteside County, 111. ; Sam- uel G., residing in Colorado ; Carleton, who makes his home in Kansas ; Charles, who is Supervisor of Pine Creek Township ; and James, whose home is in Virginia. On the farm where he now re- sides, Charles Walkup was born February 22, 185S, and here he gained his early knowledge of agriculture in all of its details. The induce- ments offered by distant regions did not allure him from home, and when he had completed his ftudies in the common schools and Rock River Seminary, he turned his attention to the tilling of the soil at the old homestead, of which he now owns eighty acres of finely improved land. The marriage of Charles Walkup took place in Oregon Township, Ogle County, on Christmas 1046 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. eve of 1879 and united him with Miss Sarah C. Little, who was born in Pine Creek Township, April 17, 1875, being a daughter of Jesse and Maria (Fields) Little, both natives of Ohio and among the earliest settlers of Ogle County. After having engaged in farming pursuits in Pine Creek Township for many years, Mr. Little retired from business cares and removed into Oregon, Ogle County, where he died March 15, 1907, at the age of about seventy-seven years. In his family were four children : John d there he resided until his death in May, 1868. at the age of forty-five years, nine months and five days. For several years before his death, he was afflicted with tuberculosis, and it was because of his ill-health that he tried so many kinds of employment hoping for relief. Mr. Wolf was a man of sterling character, who made friends everywhere, and he is sincerely mourned by his faithful widow, although he has been dead so many years. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf were consistent members of the United Evangelical Church. After her husband's death Mrs. Wolf continued to reside on and conduct the home farm until 1876, when she moved to Polo, where she still resides, living in her own pleasant home. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf had children as follows : Samuel who died at Polo in 1878, aged twenty- three years ; Mary who married Lester A. Brand of Polo, where she resides ; and Ellen S.. wife of Rev. E. K. Xeakel, an Evangelical minister of Chicago. Both the Herb and the Wolf families are 1060 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. among the early settlers of Ogle County, and these names represent solid, substantial worth and steadfast integrity of purpose. WOOD, Elisha S., one of the oldest and worthi- est farmers of Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, 111., an upright and honorable man of the kind- liest disposition, faithful in the discharge of his duties as a citizen and bearing the scars of wounds received while gallantly serving his coun- try during the Civil War, was born in Will County, 111., November 19, 1835. His parents, Hiram and Esta (Taylor) Wood, were natives of New York State, where the birth of the former occurred in 1811, and that of the latter, in 1808. In early life, Hiram Wood was a sailor on the great lakes, plying between Buffalo and Chicago, an occupation in which he continued until the time of his marriage in 1834. At that period, to- gether with his wife, he drove from New York State to Will County, 111., traveling with an ox- team and covered wagon. There he purchased 160 acres of government land, on which he built a log house and made some other necessary im- provements. This tract he sold in 1842, and using the same means of conveyance which brought him west, he and his family made the trip to Pine Rock Township, Ogle County, where he bought another piece of government land consisting of eighty acres, half of which was covered with timber. The few neighbors scattered about the locality helped him to put up a log cabin, with shakers for a roof and a puncheon floor, and the Wood family moved into this rude dwelling the evening of the day on which it was commenced. Subsequently, Hiram Wood built a frame house, in which he lived until 1868, when he sold the place, taking up his residence in the village of Creston, Ogle County. There he bought a house and two lots, spending the remainder of his days in retirement. He de- parted this life in 1001, at the age of ninety years, his wife having passed away in 1899, aged ninety-two years. Their family was com- posed of six children, of whom Elisha was the first. The others were as follows : Martin V., a Civil War veteran, who served in the same company as the subject of this sketch ; John W., who was a member of the Fifty-seventh Regi- ment Illinois Volunteer Infantrv ; Norman T., a soldier in the Ninety-second IllivoK who died in a military hospital at Danville, Ky. ; James K., and Adelia. Elisha Wood saw an abundance of wild game when he was a boy, deer being especially plenti- ful in the vicinity of his home. At one time, 800 Indians camped in the grove near his father's humble dwelling. He received his education in the district schools, after which he rented land and operated a threshing machine until the out- break of the Civil War. On September 18, 1861, he was mustered into Company M, Eighth Regi- ment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, which was at once sent to Washington, and after remaining there a short time, to Alexandria, Va., being at- tached to the Army of the Potomac. Mr. Wood took part in many skirmishes, and participated in the following battles : Williamsburg, Han- over Court House, Yorktown, Fair Oaks, and The Seven Days' Fight. After the last men- tioned engagement, his regiment was in camp for some time at Harrison's Landing. It cov- ered the retreat at the second Battle of Bull Run, and was in the Battle of South Mountain. At Middletown, Mr. Wood was shot in the left shoulder, receiving also a saber wound in the left arm. He was sent to a military hospital in New York, where ho remained nearly a year. He then rejoined his regiment, but on account of disability, was soon afterward transferred to the Quartermaster's Department, where he served during the remainder of his term of enlistment. Being physically incapacitated for re-enlisting, he returned to Pine Rock Township, renting land until 1869. In that year he bought a farm of forty acres north of Creston, where he lived until 1872, when he sold the place, purchasing the 137 acres which have since constituted his home. At the time he bought it the farm con- tained a small house, but no other improvements, the land being covered with timber. He has since built a cozy dwelling, put up other build- ings, and improved all but sixteen acres of the property. His son Clarence, who lives with him, has purchased forty acres of the place. Mr. Wood has been twice married, his first wife, to whom he was wedded in October, 18G5, having been Sara Clark, who died January 24, 1867, leaving the son just named. On- March 20, 1869, Mr. Wood took a second wife in the person of Hannah Johnston, of Glenns Falls, N. Y., two of whose brothers served in the Civil War, namely : Henry, who enlisted, at the age of nineteen years, in the Twenty-second New York Regiment, and was among the missing at the Second Battle of Bull Run ; and David, who enlisted when fourteen years and nine months old. in the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth New York Regiment. The latter was taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry, being paroled and sent to Chicago, where he died in the military hospital. Cntil the War for the Union, Mr. Wood was a supporter of the Democratic party, but at the time of that great conflict, he cast his political fortunes with the Republican organization, and has voted its ticket ever since. He has. rendered good service to his township in the office of Road- master. Together with his excellent wife ^and his son Clarence, he is zealous in the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Grand Army of the Republic numbers him among its honored members and his wife is a member of the Women's Relief Corps auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic. W00LSEY, Richard Dickson (deceased), a former business man of Polo, 111., and Civil War veteran, was born in Andes, "Delaware County, N. Y.. September 9. 1834. His ancestors were for several generations, with the exception of his maternal grandfather, born in this country, but were of English, Holland or Dutch and Scotch extraction. His father. Richard Woolsey, was born at Colchester, N. Y.. May 22, 1804, and his paternal grandfather (a Baptist preacher), also HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1061 named Richard, and his grandmother were both born in New York. His mother, Catherine B. Dickson, was born in Middletown, Delaware County, N. Y., February 4, 1807, and his grand- mother Dickson in Schohnrie County, N. Y. The maiden name of the latter was Barnhart. John Dickson, his maternal grandfather, was born in Scotland and came to this country when about twenty years of age. His parents were married February 24, 1829, and they had six children, born in the following order; Caroline M., Wil- liam D., Philip H., Richard Dickson, John Day and Catherine. The mother of this family died June 14, 1839. but a few years after her death, the father married his first wife's sister, Jennet Dickson, from which union one child, Elizabeth, was born. The stepmother died in 1878 and the , father. Richard Woolsey, in 1883. The childhood of R. Dickson Woolsey was passed in almost all kinds of work common in the country in which he was born. His father was a merchant, a farmer, a lumberman and in fact, engaged in any occupation at which he could earn a livelihood. Likewise the son worked on the farm in the backwoods, in the saw-mill, and in the store. He helped to clear the land, fell trees, peel the bark, cut and haul the logs to the mill, saw the lumber and haul it to the Delaware River, raft it to Philadelphia and there sell it. The life of a lumberman was riot an easy one, nor, as a rule, a very profitable one. The work was hard and the exposure, risk and expense great. It would often happen that af- ter a year of hard labor and bad luck, the lum- berman would return from market either in debt or with bearely enough to keep out of it, while he was seldom able to boast of a reasonable pro- fit. The educational opportunities of the subject of this' sketch were limited, only the common "dis- trict school" being available during his boyhood, and after he was eight or nine years of age, he could onlv attend during the winter term of three • or four months. He acquired the rudiments of an education, however, in this way, was fond of books and read such as he could get whenever opportunity offered. His life was spent thus until he was seventeen years of age. when an accident befell him which somewhat changed its course. He was attempting to repair the water-wheel in a saw-mill when a large piece of ice fell off the bulk head over the wheel at the place where he was working, and broke his right leg midway between the hip and the knee. About seven weeks afterwards he fell and again broke the bone apart where it had begun to heal. This iniury proved to be worse than the first one, and he was laid up in all nearly a year It also resulted in a slight difference in length of his two limbs, which caused a noticeable irregular- ity in his walk for the balance of his life As soon as he could get around again, he began work in a country store as clerk at Six dollars a month and board for the first six months and eight dollars a month for the balance of the vear This was considered good wages at that time and he saved forty-eight dollars during the first year. He remained in the store another year and until the following spring, saving quite a share of his wages, but still being in his mi- nority, it was turned over to his father. About this time he began to think of an educa- tion. He accordingly entered the academy at Andes, and completed one term, this being in the spring of 1855. At the close of the term, he went to work on a farm for the summer months, but in the fall entered the Academy for another term. The winter following he taught a district school, boarding around through the district. In the spring, with his younger brother, he took a contract to run four rafts of lumber to Phila- delphia, completing the contract in time to re- turn to Andes and continue his studies at the Academy through the spring term of 1856. After another summer at work, he entered the Dela- ware Literary Institute, at Franklin, N. Y., with the fall term of 1851 i. He had now made up his mind to continue his studies at Franklin until he could enter the Jun- ior year at Yale College, at which time a friend had' promised to loan him the money to complete his course in that institution. He remained at Franklin through the term, taught another term of school through the winter, and went back to Franklin in time for the spring term of 1857. His studies now continued at Franklin until the close of the spring term of 1859, and his prepar- ation for "Yale" was completed. He was, how- ever in debt, the times were hard, and a period of business depression had set in. The friend who had promised to assist him had failed in business and was unable to furnish him the aid promised. He was therefore, obliged to abandon temporarily at least, his plan for continuing his studies. He took another contract for rafting lun.bev. being occupied with this and other work through the fall of 1859 and, after teaching an- other winter term of school, he concluded to try his fori tines in the West, still hoping to return and finish a course in College. In the spring of 1860 he arrived at Polo, 111., at which he was destined to spend the greater part of his life. Here, his first employment was to teach a term in a select school. He then worked on a farm thTough harvest, taught another term of select school, and in the winter taught a district school. In the spring of 1861 he went to work for Ly- man Preston in a grain elevator, as general clerk and bookkeeper. In the spring of 1861, following the firing on Fort Sumter and the call of President Lincoln for 75 000 volunteers, a company of volunteer soldiers was raised in the vicinity of Polo, and R Dickson Woolsey was one of the first to place his name upon the list. This was the first com- pany raised in Polo. He was strongly opposed to war, and also saw in it the downfall of his ambition to complete his education; but as war seemed to be inevitable, he could not conscienti- ously remain at home. Politically, he had taken the 'side of the Whigs then of the Republicans and his first vote was cast in 1856 for John C. Fremont. On that occasion he had walked from 1062 HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. the Institute at Franklin to his home, nearly forty miles in order to vote. Mr. Woolsey signed the enrollment list of Vol- unteers on Monday, the 22nd day of April, 1861. The Company was organized with M. D. Swift as Captain, T. J. Hewitt as First Lieutenant, and William H. Gibbs as Second Lieutenant. From Polo the company went to Freeport, where a regiment was organized. The State quota under the call, which was six regiments, having been filled before the organization of this regi- ment, it was rejected and some of the men re- turned to their homes. The greater number of them, however, remained and were mustered into State service for thirty days, under what was known as the "Ten Regiment Bill." The President soon called for more men, and on the 24th clay of May, the regiment was mustered in the U. S. Service as the Fifteenth Illinois Vol- unteer Regiment, for three years, unless sooner discharged. The company was designated as "Company H." It was while serving with this regiment that Mr. Woolsey first saw and was in the army under Col. U. S. Grant. It was on the 22d day of July, 1861, at the Town of Mex- ico, Mo., and the day after the first battle of Bull Run, that the regiment joined the Twenty- first Illinois, with Col. Grant, who was also the ranking officer of the Post and in command. From the town of Mexico, about one-half of the regiment undertook their first long march, a distance of about sixty miles to' Hannibal. A great many of the men gave out and it was partly from the effect of this march, as well as owing to the intense heat and the change of water and climate, that, during the month of August, at Rolla, Mo., he became severely ill with rheumatism, bilious fever and ague. He battled with the disease for some time but was finally informed by the surgeon that he would probably have to die or go home, so he was discharged from the service the 11th day of October, 1861. He returned to Polo to the home of Samuel Waterbury, where he received good nursing and careful treatment until he was able to go to work again. He then spent the winter teaching. His health was not good, so in the spring he hired out to work on a farm in order to get needed out-door exercise. In August there was another call for troops and two more companies were raised in Polo. Mr. Woolsey had never fully recovered from his illness, but on August 21, 1862, he again enlisted and went to Rockford, where several regiments were being organized. The Examining Surgeon at first refused to pass him, but finally, after con- siderable persuasion, consented. Ho was then thrown out by the mustering officer, but it was discovered that the company was reduced below the minimum in number, and that it could not muster without additional men, so he was finally accepted. The company was mustered in Sep- tember 4, 1802, as Company D, Ninety-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Smith D. Atkins became Colonel of the regiment, B. F. Sheets Lieutenant-Colonel and John B. Bobn Major. Lyman Preston was Captain of the Company,. G. R. Skinner, First Lieutenant and O. F. Sammis Second Lieutenant. From that day until the 16th day of January, 1866, he remained in army service and never missed duty. Shortly after his re-enlistment he was appointed Second Ser- geant of his company and after a year's service- was commissioned First Lieutenant. On the 10th day of October, 1862, the Regi- ment left Rockford for the field, arriving in Cin- cinnati on the 12th of October and marching from there to Licking Valley, Ky., on the same day (Sunday), where for the first time they beard the sound of Southern artillery, as a rebel column under Kirby Smith was advancing northward a few miles away. The following, Monday the regiment drew their tents, wagons and / mules, and started in regular army life.. From the time of their arrival in Cincinnati to the first of November, when they reached Mount Sterling, Ky., they marched in all between five and six hundred miles. In February of 1863 they arrived at Nashville, in and around which region they remained until near the close of the war, when the Ninety-second accompanied Sher- man in his march to the sea. About Nashville they saw some very exacting and arduous, as well as dangerous service. The regiment had been mounted and armed with Spencer repeating rifles and they were assigned to the duty of protecting the country from raids by the rebel cavalry. There was a good deal of marching foraging, skirmishing, capturing of rebel forces and positions, guarding of trains and supplies, and fighting, also plenty of hardship and priva- tion. During an engagement at Triune, on the 7th of June, they were sent to the front and were in line of battle all day, as was also the case on the 11th at the same place, when a rebel attack was made on the Post. On the last mentioned day Mr. Woolsey had a narrow es- cape from death, when a shell struck a small tree beside which he was standing, went through the tree near his head, and exploded a short dist- in.ee away. In July, 1863, Mr. Woolsey went for examination before an Examining Board, which was examining soldiers of the volun- teer service for the selection of officers of colored troops. A friend of his, Orderly Norton, from Polo, 111., also took the ex- amination, ' and there was an understanding between them, that Norton was to ask for a captaincy and Woolsey for a first lieutenancy, with a request that they be assigned to the same company. On September 2nd, he received an appointment as First Lieutenant, and was or- dered to report in person to Col. Charles R. Thompson, at Elk River, Tenn., for assignment to duty. He reported on the 4th and was must- ered into service as First Lieutenant of Company B. Twelfth Regiment IT. S. Colored Infantry. In the summer of 1864 a general court martial was convened and he was detailed as Judge Ad- vocate of the court. The court sat at Kingston Springs. It was his duty to prepare and arrange HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1063 cases for trial, see that they were faithfully aud fairly tried, keep the minutes, record the plead- ings and findings, and send them for approval and review to the authorities. Some offenses could be finally passed upon by the commanding officers; others were reterred to the Secretary of War, and even to the President. It was a matter of great pride with him that, at no time during his term of office in this capacity, was the court ever criticised on account of irregular- ity in its proceedings. Perhups the most notable engagement of the war in which Mr. Woolsey took part, was the Battle of Nashville. On December 13, 180-1, the first skirmishing of the battle began and his regiment was on the skirmish line all day. On the 15th at 2 A. M., the artillery opened fire and the battle was begun in earnest. The battle lasted for two days. During the second day the Major of the regiment was struck by a shell and fell and his Captain, being next in rank, took command of the regiment, and Mr. Woolsey of the company. During the battle the brigade lost about 500 men, the regiment about 150 and the company seventeen, this being about one man out of four. A ball passed through the crown oi Mr. Woolsey's hat during the fight, but the incident was not discovered until alter the bat- tle. The morning following the battle the regi- ment tollowed the retreating rebels and went into camp for two successive nights without their wagon train and without tents, blankets or over- coats. The first day it rained and, as night came on, grew very cold. To add to their dis- comfort, just before halting, they forded a creek the water of which came up to their waist lines. They could not go to sleep on account of their condition, and had to spend the night trying to keep the fires going so they could get dry and warm. The next night .they camped at Mur- treesboro. It had grown very cold and wood was very scarce. Woolsey lay down on the bare ground between two rails and went to sleep. He was always of the opinion, afterward, that it was only his waking up about midnight, that saved him from freezing to death. On the first day of April, 1865, after two and a half years of continuous service without missing a day, he obtained a thirty days' leave of absence, the war in the West being then practically over, visited at Polo and then in New York, returning and re- porting for duty again on the last day of leave. The war was over, but the Government was in no particular hurry to let the men go. He re- mained through the summer serving on special details and helping to settle up affairs growing out of the service. For a time he acted as A. A. I. General. In December he received a commis- sion as Captain, and was assigned to Company G of his regiment, but on the 16th day of Jan- uary 1866, before the company was mustered in the regiment was mustered out. He had been in the service of the United States in all three years, eleven months and fourteen days. After the war he spent two years at his former home in New York in the lumber business. In the winter of 1867 and 1868 he went to Polo and purchased a stock of hardware, to take posses- sion June 1st. He then returned East and closed up the lumber business. While doing so, he took as a partner George C. Gibbs and on June 8, 1868, they commenced business in Polo under the firm name of Gjbbs and Woolsey. Before re- turning to Polo he was married on the 27th of May, 1868, to Mary A. Holmes at Downs ville, Delaware County, N. Y. He remained in the hardware business until the fall of 1878 when the firm sold out to H. M. Funk. The summer of 1879 was spent in the East with his family, and in 1880 Mr. Woolsey engaged for a time in soliciting life insurance. On the 5th day of January, 1881, he purchased the grocery store of William T. Smith, at Polo, and remained in the same until January, 1894, when he sold out to Nicodemus & Newcomer.. There were five children born of Mr. Wool- sey's marriage, namely, John R., Ola Caroline, Theodore D., Lulu Catherine, and Arthur H. The first named died in infancy. Olga Catherine grew to womanhood and, after graduating at the Polo High School at the age of fifteen, being one of the youngest to finish up to that time — en- tered the University of Illinois and completed a course there. She maintained the highest stand- ing in her class at the University, tied with one other member for the honor of being valedictor- ian and was chosen salutatorian by lot. She then received a Latin fellowship at the same in- stitution, and took a post-graduate course of one year, gaining a Master's degree. She married Professor William David Gibbs, of Winchester, 111., who was then Assistant Professor of Agri- culture and Soil Physics at the University of Ohio, and later continued to pursue her studies as a member of a faculty class at the latter school until her death. She died in the summer of 1898 of child-birth. The last three men- tioned children are now living. On the 1st day of September, 1880, the Polo Post G. A. R., No. 84. Department of Illinois, was organized and Woolsey was elected its first Commander, was re-elected in 1881 and again in 1882, but at the latter time declined to serve. He served in the capacity of Adjutant of the Post in 1S83-84 and was again elected Com- mander in the years 1891-92. He served for two years as Aide-de-Camp on the staff of the Department Commander, and attended several Department Encampments. In the year 1902, he was elected President of the Ogle County Soldiers' and Sailors' Association. He always took an active part in public affairs, and de- livered many addresses in the vicinity of his home on various public occasions, particularly at the camp fires, reunions of the G. A. R., and of his former regimental comrades. He never tired of rendering assistance to those of his former comrades who needed it. He was proba- bly much better posted on pension laws and prac- tices than the average lawyer, and he procured scores of pensions for his friends and comrades, never accepting any remuneration for his service, 1064 HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. except such as was voluntarily tendered. He was always ready to watch by the bedside of a sick comrade in his turn, even when his own health was really too frail to permit it. In his later years he was a member of the Loyal Legion, and took pleasure in attending a num- ber of its annual banquets in Chicago. Politically Mr. Woolsey was a Republican and always active in his support of its principles. He rarely sought or worked for office himself, but delighted to assist and work for such of his friends as he thought worthy. He was, how- ever, during his life, elected to various minor public offices. He at one time held the office of Town Clerk, was one of the Trustees of the Polo Library Association for about fourteen years, Treasurer of Buffalo Township for about twenty years and Supervisor of Buffalo Township for two years ; also for many years held the office of Treasurer of the Fairmont Cemetery Associa- tion. A Republican of the old school Mr. Woolsey was unflinching in his support and unwavering in his faith. To his family he was always kind and generous to a fault. Always regretful of the fact that his own education had been unfin- ished, and his dreams of entering a professional career unrealized, his greatest ambition seemed to be that his children should have the oppor- tunities which he had lacked, and although in poor health and of slender means, he succeeded by hard work and sacrifice, in affording to each of his children who would avail themselves of it, a University education. In religion, although not a church member, he attended the Presbyterian church, having inher- ited, seemingly, some of the Calvinistic instincts of the Scotch or Dickson side of his ancestry. He led a clean life, was a man of scrupulous honesty and honor, devoted to his ideals, tem- perate and exemplary in his habits and left to his children the precious inheritance of an un- sullied name. He died at his home in Polo, 111., December 17, 1902, after a painful illness of about two weeks, during which time he realized that the termination of his mortal career was ap- proaching, and bravely and without fear awaited the end, hoping only that his sufferings might be brief. WATERBURY, David Stephen, was of English ancestry. He was the seventh son of Daniel and Ann (Stephens) Waterbury, born at Bouton, Saratoga County, N. Y„ March 23, 1S00. He came to Ogle County in 1847, and built a home on section 2, Buffalo Township. His farm was located in the "grazing grounds of the buffalo," from which fact originated the name of the village and township. He brought with him to this prairie home his family, consisting of a wife, Bmeline Waterbury, three sons, George, Edwin Stephen and Henry Martin, and one daughter. Harriet. In 1850, another son, Abram Daniel, was born in Buffalo Township. Of this family. Edwin S. and Abram D. still survive, and live in Buffalo Township. Altrnm D. is the present Mayor of the city of Polo. David S. Waterbury, together with five broth- ers and one sister, who located in this part of Illinois, was a strong temperance advocate, radi- cally opposed to slavery, and by word and action left impressions that have always been felt in Buffalo Township. He was one of the founders of the Independent Presbyterian Church, now lo- cated in Polo, and, at his death, the funeral services were held there August 31, 1861. Daniel, the father of David S., was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and held a commission as ensign. Edwin S. Waterbury was a member of Company H, Fifteenth Illinois Infantry in the late Hvil War. Thus, through father and son, David S. Waterbury assisted in establishing a free and permanent government for America. In 1S46 he was elected a member of the As- sembly, convened at Albany, for the purpose of i oyivjEg the constitution of the State of Xew York. WATERBURY, Emeline (Huntley), was born in Colchester, Delaware County, N. Y., Novem- I er 28. 3807. She was the seventh of eleven children (four sons and seven daughters) of the family of Abraham and Sylvina (Hunter) Hunt- ley. Little is known of Abraham Huntley's early history, except that he was orphaned by the Revolutionary War. He removed with his young wife from Westchester County, N. Y., to the new West, Delaware County, N. Y. Mrs. Huntley was a native of Canaan, Connecticut, the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier who sur- vived the war. Her father was a descendant, on his mother's side, of the Chamberlain Fam- ily of Connecticut. One of her brothers, Colonel William Hunter, was killed in the Battle of Lundy's Lane, in the War of 1812. Five of Abraham and Sylvina Huntley's family became teachers, three of whom. Mrs. Samuel Water- bury, Mrs. Marietta Huntley Maltby and Mrs. Emeline Waterbury, were early settlers of Buf- falo Grove. Mrs. Emeline Waterbury taught in Delaware and Saratoga Counties, N. Y.. before her mar- riage. Her early training had fitted her in every way for the life of a pioneer. She was ener- getic, resourceful, a tower of strength to her husband, the friend of the poor, a ready helper in time of trouble and sickness, and a devoted mother ; such was Emeline Huntley Waterbury, w'in riipd May 25. 1895. and was laid to rest beside her husband in Fairmount Cemetery. YOUNG, Samuel W., one of the most extensive land-owners In Ogle County, 111., is a resident of Grand Detour Township, where his reputation as a farmer and citizen is of the highest order, reaching throughout the northern portion of the State. He was born in' Pine Creek Township. Ogle County, September 8, 1849. His parents were Samuel and Maria (Sheets) Young, also Pennsylvanians by birth, the father having been born In Dauphin County in November, 1822. Peter Young, the paternal grandfather, lived in the Keystone State all of his life. The father and mother came to Ogle County in 1849, settling HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1065 m Pine Creek Township, where they lived nineteen years, and then moved to Grand Detour Town- ship, still, however, retaining their first farm. The remainder of their lives was spent in the latter township, the father dying November 12, 1903, and the mother passing away when up- wards of seventy years old. Their union resulted in four children, namely : Sarah E., Samuel W William M. and John J. Samuel Young was a man who took an active interest in public affairs and served several years as Supervisor of Grand Detour Township. Politically, he always acted with the Democratic party. Samuel W., the eldest son of the family, was reared in Pine Creek Township, and stayed with his parents until the time of their death, He has followed farming and is the owner of about 630 acres of land in Pine Creek and Grand Detour Town- ships, the greater part of which is improved. He is regarded as one of the leading agricultur- ists in Ogle County. ZICK, Fred, Ph. D., of Polo, 111., is a native son of Illinois, bom in Thompson Township, Jo Daviess County, October 20, 1858. Frederick Zick, Sr., carried on agricultural operations until a short time before his death, which occurred -in 1879, being then in his sixty-seventh year, having sur- vived his wife twelve years. Fred Zick, Sr., and wife were the parents of two children: John, a farmer of Jo Daviess County, and Fred. Fred worked on the farm until he was twenty-one years old, attended the German-English College, then located at Galena, 111., where he taught school two years, and in 1884, graduated from the Northern Illinois College at Fulton, 111. He read law with Judge McCoy, of Fulton, and sub- sequently with John J. Cole, Esq., of La Crosse, Wis., and was admitted to the bar in the Terri- tory of Dakota in 1886. He then practiced law in Cavalier County, where he was elected State's Attorney, but subsequently went to Seattle, Wash., where he remained two and one-half years, and gained for himself a reputation as a successful criminal lawyer. Personally, Mr. Zick is a little over medium height, well proportioned, with gray eyes and strong features that indicate force and determi- nation. His voice is clear and melodious. He is unassuming, has large perceptive faculties and reads human nature and the character of those with whom he comes in contact intuitively. In August, 1893, Mr. Zick came to Polo, where he has since carried on a very successful law prac- tice. Locally he has been active in politics, has been City Attorney of Polo, also served as Mayor and is now a member of the Board of Educa- tion. On April 29, 1890 Mr. Zick was married at Polo, 111., to Miss Mary G. Sanborn, a native of Ogle County, a graduate of the Northern Illi- nois College, and until her marriage a very suc- cessful teacher, and now one of Polo's most highly esteemed and popular ladies. She is the daughter of Ambrose and Elizabeth (Good) San- born. Mr. and Mrs. Zick have three children : Fred S., Leon A., and Helen E. Zick. ZUMDAHL, August H., who owns and operates 660 acres of the choicest farm land in Northern Illinois, 160 acres of which lies three miles north of the village of Mt. Morris, and 500 acres one mile west, lying in a compact body, and whose residence is one of the finest country homes in Ogle County, was born in Lincoln Township, in the same county, August 7, 1876. a son of Christian H. and Dorothy (Smithmier) Zumdahl. Mr. Zumdahl is widely known as a successful stock breeder, keeping the finest grades of ani- mals for this purpose, and in addition to his general farming operations, being engaged in feeding cattle and hogs on an extensive scale. The Zumdahl brothers are the wealthiest and most successful farmers in Mount Morris Town- ship. On December 16, 1896, August H. Zumdahl was united in marriage with Anna M. Drake, a daughter of Christian Drake of Baileyville, Ogle County. Three children have been born to their union: Clara, William and Irvin, Mr. Zumdahl is a man of strict integrity, a very enterprising and progressive agriculturist and is respected by all. ZUMDAHL, Christian A., one of the most ex- tensive and prosperous farmers of Northern Illi- nois, whose home is in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, was born in the same Township, November 1. 1850. He is a son of Christian H. and Dorothy (Schmittmeier) Zumdahl, the former of whom was born in Lippe-Detmold, Germany, May 16, 1820, and died November 28, 1884, while his wife was born in the same place, October 9, 1821, and died September 23, 1894. They came from their native place to the United States, in August, 1850, soon after their mar- riage, and proceeding directly to Illinois, set- tled in Ogle County, where Christian H. Zum- dahl had relatives and friends. Christian H. Zumdahl first worked for Samuel Hitt, being employed in building a log cabin and cradling wheat on the latter's farm. After be- ing thus occupied for two years, he started out for himself, buying a piece of land and getting an ox-team from Mr. Hitt, for which he traded -a piece of broadcloth brought by him from Ger- many, but not suited to his means or condition of life at that time. The land which he first purchased lay in what is now the northeast part of Lin- coln Township, and on this he lived until 1874, when he bought the Samuel Hitt farm, on which he had worked when he first came to the country, and there passed the remainder of his life, dy- ing in 1884, at the age of sixty-four years. His widow survived him several years dying when seventy-one. Their children were as follows : Dorothy who married August F. Korf of For- reston, 111. ; Christian A. ; Minnie who married Lewis Kaney of Baileyville, 111. ; Lizzie who married August Kaney of Forreston, 111. ; Fred. Caroline who married Louis Moring of Forreston Township ; August, Mary and Frederick who died in infancy. Christian A. Zumdahl remained with his 1066 HISTOKY OF OGLE COUXTY. father until the latter's death, and when the es- tate was settled, his share was the old Hitt homestead. The entire property divided among the three sons consisted of 960 acres. The old stone house on the estate, erected by Samuel Hitt in 1858, was long one of the most imposing residences of Ogle County, and in it Abraham Lincoln was entertained by Mr. Hitt. Besides this place, on which he carries on general farm- ing, Mr. Zuaidahl owns 210 acres adjoining Mount Morris, which farm was the old Samuel Domer property ; formerly belonging to Mayor Charles Newcomer. Christian A. Zumdahl was married October 16, 1882, to Helen E. Timmer, a sister of John Timmer of Forreston, who was born in Mary- and Township, Ogle County. She is a daughter of John Frederick and Margaret Jane (Frye) Timmer, the former being born in Germany, but came to the United States in young manhood, first settling in. Maryland, where he married. His wife was a native of Virginia. Soon after marriage the young couple came overland to Maryland Township, Ogle County, and for a time John F. Timmer worked for others, but later bought a farm in Maryland Township. Af- ter residing upon this farm for some time, he sold it and purchased another farm in the same Township, later moving to Forreston, where he died in November, 1897, aged eighty-three years. His wife died in January, 1874, aged forty-nine. A further account of the Timmer family is given in the sketch of Elias Timmer elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Zumdahl became the parents of five children, still living : Susan Dorothy, a graduate of the Chicago College of Music and a music teacher in Chicago ; Sadie May, educated in Mount Morris College ; Charles William ; Al- fred Frederck, and Gladys Victoria, living. Three others — George Edwin, Floyd Ernest and Earl Franklin — died in infancy. Politically, Mr. Zumdahl is a Republican, but confines his atten- tion wholly to his farming interests. ZUMDAHL, Fred, the second of the three Zumdahl brothers, who are the most extensive farmers in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, 111., if not in the entire county, was born in Lincoln Township, September 21, 1859. For twelve years he carried on farming operations in partnership with his brothers, Christian A. and August H., until the paternal estate was set- tled by probate of the father's will, the subject of this sketch receiving a bequest of 280 acres of the Old Hitt farm. A record of his parentage, together with details of the family history, may be found in a narrative relating to his brother, Christian A. Zumdahl, appearing in this connec- tion. Since bei-oming possessed of his share, Mr. Zumdahl has increased his real estate hold- ings to 360 acres, besides acquiring 210 acres of what was formerly the Smith farm, a mile and a half north of the village of Mount Morris. At an earlier period, this was the old Daniel Sprecher homestead. Mr. Zumdahl is a very successful breeder of Short-Horns, and also feeds cattle, besides many hogs, buying his cattle on the western markets. Both of his farms are operated by tenants, the owner receiving one- half of the returns and owning his own stock. The improvements on his land are excellent, in- cluding fine residences. On March 16, 1887, Fred Zumdahl was mar- ried to Elizabeth Drake, a daughter of Christian C. Drake, of Baileyville, 111., and a sister of August H. Zumdahl's wife. Six children have blessed this union, namely : Anna, Edward, Laura, Emma and Ivan, all of whom are at home. William, born July 27, 1890, died Feb- ruary 26, 1894. In politics, Mr. Zumdahl is a Republican, but takes no active interest in party contests. Mrs. Zumdahl is a member of the Presbyterian Church. ZUMDAHL, Henry. — The Evergreen stock farm, located on Section 13, Maryland Town- ship, ranks among the many finely improved es- tates which give beauty and fertility to the agri- cultural regions of Ogle County. The land has been occupied by the Zumdahl family ever since about 1862, when the late Frederick Zumdahl brought his family back here after a brief so- journ in California. Settling upon this farm he continued here until his death, which occurred October 14, 1870, at the age of forty-five years. A native of Lippe-Detmold, Germany, he had -come to the United States in early life and first settled in Ogle County, HI., where he married Elizabeth Schuere, a native of Washington County. Md. Accompanied by his wife he had tried his fortunes in the far-distant West, but- after a residence of several years in California, he returned to the old location. While in Shasta County, Cal.. a son Henry, was born to them. September 27. 1860, and he was upwards of two years of age when the parents returned to Ogle County and settled in Maryland Township. The other children were as follows : Elizabeth, who married Henry Brockmeier and resides in Steph- enson County, 111. ; Frederick, a manufacturer residing in Rockford, 111. ; August, of Forreston Township ; and William J., who owns a farm in Maryland Township and is represented else- where in this volume. After accompanying his parents to Ogle County, Henry Zumdahl lived with them on the home farm and attended neighboring schools. When he was ten years of age he lost his father by death, and later his mother became the wife of Henry Ratmeyer, a native of Lippe-Detmold, Germany ; they are now making their home in Forreston. With the exception of eighteen months spent In Freeport, Henry Zumdahl has remained continuously on the home farm and has made agriculture his occupation in life. As a farmer he is progressive, energetic and indus- trious, ambitious to maintain a substantial set of improvements on the estate and solicitous to follow such methods as will best maintain fer- tility of the soil, while at the same time securing profitable crops. The farm comprises 252 acres HISTORY OF OGLE COUNTY. 1067 of improved tend and contains neat buildings well adapted to their varied purposes. Adequate provision lias been made for the storage of grain and the shelter of stock. Mr. Zumdahl makes a specialty of stock-raising, devoting his attention chiefly to graded Hereford cattled, but also deals to some extent in other grades, buying and feed- ing for the general market, and of which he ships two or more carloads yearly. Fences have been built to subdivide the land into fields of convenient size ; water in abundance is provided for all needed uses. Sir. Zumdahl has a com- plete water-works system on his farm, the water being pumped by a big wind-mill into a 300-bar- rel concrete tank located on a knoll near the house, with an elevation which furnishes suf- ficient pressure to force it to any point where it is needed. All in all, the land furnishes si- lent testimony of capable management and intelli- gent oversight. Mr. Zumdahl's maternal grandfather, Henry Schuere, came from Germany in the '30s,' and for six years remained in Maryland, where he was employed on a canal. He was married in Ger- many to Mary Brocknieier, and in the later '40s came Ogle County, 111., and there bought from one of the Hitts eighty acres of unimproved land on which his grandson resides. On this the elder Schuere built a log-house and improved the land, adding thereto eighty acres more. In 1862, Mr. Schuere sold this place to his son-in- law, Frederick Zumdahl and bought forty acres two miles west, where he lived until 1870, when Mr. Zumdahl having died, he returned to his original purchase and lived with his daughter, Mrs. Zumdahl. In 1875, Mrs. Schuere having died, Mr. Schuere made his home at Freeport with his youngest daughter, remaining there until his death in 1887 or 1888. The pleasant Zumdahl country home is pre- sided over by Mrs. Zumdahl, who in maidenhood was Miss Anna Biesemeier, and born at Eleroy, Stephenson County, 111., January 1, 1863. She received her education in the public schools of Eleroy, and in that town was united in marriage with Mr. Zumdahl, October 9, 1884. Her par- entage is German as far back as the lineage can be traced, her father and mother, Frederick and Minnie (Bearman) Biesemeier, being natives of Lippe-Detmold. Of her marriage, four children were born, the third of whom, Walter, died in 1895 at the age of six month. Those now living are : Clara, Edward and Esther. The family at- tend the Zion Evangelical Church in Maryland Township, with which Mrs. Zumdahl Is actively identified, and toward which her husband has been generous in his contributions. Throughout all of his life he has been interested in move- ments affecting the welfare of the township. His cooperation is given to enterprises of public in- terest. Especially has his interest been deep and long-continued in educational work, and for sev- eral years he has held the office of School Di- rector, in which he has been keenly alive to the needs of the pupils of the district school and de- sirous of promoting their mental development. ZUMDAHL, William J.— Travelers journeying through Ogle County and passing along the high- ways of Maryland Township, will notice with an admiring interest the homestead of William J. Zumdahl. Under the intelligent supervision of the proprietor the land has been brought to a high state of cultivation; substantial fences have been built and buildings have been erected as needed, so that the place is one of the most desirable properties in the entire township. The farm comprises 210 acres. The owner is a na- tive of the township and is a leader among the ranks of younger agriculturists. Born Decem- ber 4, 1870. lie is a son of the late Frederick Zumdahl, who was born in Germany, emigrated to the United States in early life, settled in Illi- nois, and died in Ogle County after having long labored there as a general farmer. The mother bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Schuere, and was a native of Maryland. Five children were born of that marriage, namely: Henry, in whose sketch will be found further mention of the family ; Elizabeth, who married Henry Brockmeier ; Frederick C, a manufacture living in Eockford ; August, a farmer in Forreston Township, Ogle County; and William J., whose name introduces this article and whose educa- tion was obtained in the schools of Maryland Township. As a boy he was trained in a knowl- edge of agriculture and early learned the many details connected with the occup ation. The marriage of William J. Zumdahl was sol emnized December 23, 1897, and united him with Miss Sarah Gerwig, who was born in Maryland Township, a daughter of Charles and Fredericka Gerwig. Three children bless their union : Celia U., Ervin W. and Frederick K. Upon starting out to make his own way Mr. Zumdahl engaged in farming for about five years in partnership with his brother, Frederick, and later for a year was employed in a wire-fence manufacturing business at Roekford, from which city he re- turned to farming in Maryland Township, and is now industriously and successfully cultivating the valuable property which he owns and oc- cupies. Movements for the benefit of the com- munity receive his stanch support, particularly all enterprises affecting the welfare of the public schools, and for several years be has given valu- able service to the district as a School Director. With his wife he enjoys the esteem of a large circle of acquaintances, numbering among his friends many whom he has known from the days of childhood. Both are identified with the Evangelical Church at Forreston, in which he has officiated as Sunday-School Superintendent for several years, and to which he has been a generous contributor, ever ready to assist in the enlarging of its activities and the extension of its missionary field.