■ .vvv --..-■*-.-■;-.'• ' •-.- ■ \~ ■■--.■_- *'■'.. -—'--j---.-- v - * '-\>i »JO v ; V:^ (*- M * <■* » *^-*l ^^^4U-- i - rj .-■*■>'>.' '■■-•W--i.'" A IS 1=3 s ^v4iD n & MP& '/Q >^ ^r <>- %mi P tail J4 C ^ Ai* JPlIb <$$> "^->«fla2?®ig*to-g>-^--jg»— o^j^-s ).TOTO v y ■'!: «*?C -v-'" 1 ifc [ l:; !♦•§* iW ,^iTijriTTi^l:i^irriXTTiTiirTTiXTTiiiiJiixiiTTrix3iitirirxrTriiixTriTriiiiirriii_ ■tfjtr OF— mr Rock Island ty, Illinois, CONTAINING Fnll-page portrait aqd Biographical j^etcheg of p^an^inBqt and IJepi'e^qtatiVE Citizen^ of tje fiountj. if [IE DE] TOGETHER WITH PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL THE GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS, AND OF THE RESIDENTS OF TIIE ""UNITED STATES. ^ i N O j > ALSO CONTAINING A HISTORY OF THE COUNTT, FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME. m sc£f^~ CHICAGO: Biographical Publishing Co. 1885. atK T TT7V? m& 7TT •; :• v2 ;') •a. n ( V t -^^— ^a^oiisiiii^as — *€»*- -4*t^£<®, $ 6 hik®^ i / / -> v> — ?^ v * GV &llll®Pia» ) E3 W> ¥» Si (^ ^3^"">^5¥W-Q HAVE completed our labors in writing and compiling the Portrait and Bio- graphical Album of this county, and wish, in presenting it to our patrons, to speak briefly of the importance of local works of this nature. It is certainly the duty of the present to commemorate the past, to perpetuate the names of the pioneers, to furnish a record of their early settlement, and to relate the story of their progress. The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and this solemn duty which men of the present lime owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In local history is found a power to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a safe vessel in which the names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this region from its primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the noble men, who in their vigor and prime came early to the county and claimed the virgin soil as their heiitage, are passing to their graves. The number remaining who can relate the history of the first days of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of his- torical matter without delay, before the settlers of the wilderness are cut down by time. Not only is it of the greatest importance to render history of pioneer times full and accurate, but it is also essen- tial that the history of the county, from its settlement to the present day, should be treated through its various phases, so that a record, complete and impartial, may be handed down to the future. The present the age of progress, is reviewed, standing out in bold relief over the quiet, unostentatious olden times; itis abrilliant record, which is destined to live in the future; the good works of men, their magnificent enterprises, iheii lives, whether commercial or military, do not sink into oblivion, but, on the contrary, grow brighter with age, and contribute to build up a record which carries with it precedents and principles that will 1 e advanced and observed when the acts of soulless men will be forgotten and their very names hidden in obscurity. In the preparation of the personal sketches contained in this volume, unusual care and pains were taken to have them accurate, even in the smallest detail Indeed, nothing was passed lightly over or treated indifferently; and we flatter ourselves that it is one of the most accurate works of its nature ever published. As one of the most interesting features of this work, we present the portraits of numerous represent- ative citizens. It has been our aim to have the prominent men of to-day, as well as the pioneers, represented in this department ; and we congratulate ourselves on the uniformly high character of the gentlemen whose portraits we present. They are in the strictest sense representative men, and are selected from all the call- ings and professions worthy to be given. There are others, it is true, who claim equal prominence with those given; but of course it was impossible for us to give portraits of all the leading men and pioneers of the county. We are under great obligation to many of the noble and generous people of this county for kindly and material assistance in the preparation of this Album. Q « ® -^©^ — &<*n®w> fh "SO* 3- fitr§*§sft" ?&0K — sv4?pa®BH«^e — -*&* ^»^( H\$M*ft ^^^ S?K*IIIISIIII$Afi ^ ^>^= ■74?nn&fifl>» T % t^k^^^W^^A \ - V: ' <> 6 myp\ BIOGRAPHIES ■■■ - v -. ' - - OF THE >> ?-(■ -\ T f I U ; _LV_b/ I AND OF THE n^H »SP i r 1 n t °4A "- . - '■■' ^BP *-v^ : ^« ^ j_ / _. i OF THE ^iLJIM I T&D : -STATlllN •■--J*£^ii a^c — ^fl^npgnn^A© — ^g^. *m£%®M$§i HK^ I e»- -?&$K — - 6V4?DI1S D Df^rr? > € »#?@S9C- 6 9 -n. #■■ I •i ■ <3> plK®*^- ■e^nnsniK^A^ *§> 53<§®f§~- -6V£lKB0^>v^ -f*g X <§rv 1=3 1=3 o ^s ESS. mi • ; £ ( ) ! ;; .-Vj» g& f- _c- -K^nngnn^© — :3 *€^ --4^^ ■ !X1 - <->c — — ^§\ < 1=3 E=X <5 > (^ ■^€^ sr 2 ^ in $BII*>^- - 2 *€9^ v^'^-. ;M. m ■ j' ' *-$ f ^^^^^y^ 7 ^^. (5 33 OB BE WASllIPJBTD^, HE Father of our Country was ¥) born in Westmorland Co., Va., i Feb. 22, 1732. His parents were Augustine and Mary (Ball) Washington. The family to which he belonged has not been satisfactorily traced in England. His great-grand- father, John Washington, em- igrated to Virginia about 1657, and became a prosperous planter. He had two sons, Lawrence and John. The former married Mildred Warner and had three children, John, Augustine and Mildred. Augus- tine, the father of George, first married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, two of whom, Lawrence and Augustine, reached maturity. Of six children by his second marriage, George was the eldest, the others being Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles and Mildred. Augustine Washington, the father of George, died in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, and to George he left the parental residence. George received only such education as the neighborhood schools afforded, save for a short time after he left school, when he received private instruction in lathematics. r * ^ - * His spelling was rather defective. =^11 II Remarkable stories are told of his great physical strength and development at an early age. He was an acknowledged leader among his companions, and was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair- ness and veracity which characterized his whole life. When George was 14 years old he had a desire to go to sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, but through the opposition of his mother the idea was abandoned. Two years later he was appointed surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In this business he spent three years in a rough frontier life, gaining experience which afterwards proved \ . i\ essential to him. In 1 75 r, though only 19 years of age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for active service against the French and Indians. Soon after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother Lawrence, who went there to restore his health They soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter who did not long survive him. On her demise the estate of Mount Vernon was given to George. Upon the arrival of Robert Dinvviddie, as Lieuten- ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac- cepted, which others had refused. This was lo pro- ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand, and the journey was to be made without military escort, through a territory occupied bv Indians. The ^ t ? A O 20 GEORGE WASHINGTON. £) V trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com- mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was then begun against the French and Indians, in which Washington took a most important part. In the memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad- dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock were disabled early in the action, and Washington alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter to his brother he says: "I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped unhurt, though death was leveling my companions on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit him. After having been five years in the military service, and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, to resign his commission. Soon after he entered the Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an active and important part. January 17, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy widow of John Parke Custis. When the British Parliament had closed the port of Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- delphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Wash- ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the first acts of this Congress was the election of a com- mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and responsible office was conferred upon Washington, who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he receive no salary. He would keep an exact account of expenses and expect Congress lo pay them and nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the fortunes and liberties of the people of this country- were so long confided. The war was conducted by him under ever)' possible disadvantage, and while his forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 17S3, Washington, in a parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the army to to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all connection with public life. In February, 17S9, Washington was unanimously elected President. In his presidential career he was subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part of other governments; trials from want of harmony between the different sections of our own country; trials from the impoverished condition of the country, owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His clear judgment could discern the golden mean; and while perhaps this alone kept our government from sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and very annoying. At the expiration of his first term he was unani- mously re-elected. At the end of this term many were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely refused a third nomination. On the fourth of Man h, 1797, at the expiratbn of his second term as Presi- dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there his few remaining years free from the annoyances of public life. Later in the year, however, his repose seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France. At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to take command of the armies. He chose his sub- ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat- ters in the field, which he superintended from his home. In accepting the command he made the reservation that he was not to be in the field until it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations his life was suddenly cut off. December 1 2, he took a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- teenth his body was borne with military honors to its final resting place, and interred in the family vault at Mount Vernon. Of the character of Washington it is impossible to speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad- miration. The more we see of the operations of our government, and the more deeply we feel the difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- ent and character, which have been able to challenge the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will be as lasting as the existence of man. The person of Washington was unusally tall, erect and well proportioned. His muscular strength was great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry. He commanded respect without any appearance of haughtiness, and ever serious without being dull. \3 & 1 %£& n> A-c^- -^-_ *Tv ami — ««( pjniCr^*" @V4?llDSM>s rr ''•jiV TM SECOND PRESIDENT. 2 3 ,-^g.fl^iP.I &&&&&&$*& A.f«.t .t„ A.,t. .,t. A A g A. $| S^SSJe . OHN ADAMS, the second President and the first Vice- 'President of the United States, was born in Braintree ( now Quincy),Mass., and about ten w miles from Boston, Oct. 19, 1735. His great-grandfather, Henry Adams, emigrated from England about 1 640, with a family of eight sons, and settled at Braintree. The parents of John were John and Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His father was a farmer of limited means, to which he added the bus- iness of shoemaking. He gave his eldest son, John, a classical educa- tion at Harvard College. John graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a "school of affliction," from which he endeavored to gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the study of law. For this purpose he placed himself under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He had thought seriously of the clerical profession but seems to have been turned from this by what he termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- cils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature," of the operations of which he had been a witness in his native town. Pie was well fitted for the legal profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep- tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in 1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa- - tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial Y steps toward holding a town meeting, and the resolu- tions he offered on the subject became very popular throughout the Province, and were adopted word for word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos- ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous and prominent advocatesof the popular cause, and was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- lislature) in 1770. Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress, which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himself by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- vocated the movement for independence against the majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies should assume the duties of self-government. He was a prominent member of the committee of five appointed June n, to prepare a declaration of inde- pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but on Adams devolved the task of battling it through Congress in a three days debate. On the day after the Declaration of Independence was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife, which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the greatest question was decided that ever was debated in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or will be decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, ' that these United States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows. \§ <>) & Hi/ fel m c — @v^nn®nD^ 3 (Sf 4 ga & JOHN ADAMS. games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward for ever. You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend he»e States; yet, through all the gloom, I can seethe ra ^ of light and glory. I can see that the end is Wjtth more than all the means; and that posterity will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I hope we shall not." In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a delegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money from the French Government. This was a severe trial to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis- ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 1779. In September of the same year he was again chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet might be found willing to listen to such pioposels. He sailed for France in November, from there he went to Holland, where he negotiated important loans and formed important commercial treaties. Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement, toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con- tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he was advised to go to England to drink the waters of Bath. While in England, still drooping anddespond- ing, he received dispatches from his own government urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,hemade the trip. February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. Adams envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face to face the King of England, who had so long re- garded him as a traitor. As England did not condescend to appoint a minister to the United States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom- plishing but little, he sought permission to return to his own country, where he arrived in June, 1788. When Washington was first chosen President, John Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at home and abroad, was chosen Vice President. Again at the second election of Washington as President, Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was elected President,though not without much opposition. Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics. While Mr. Adams was Vice President the great French Revolution shook the continent of Europe, and it was upon this point which he was at issue with the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their power of self-government, and he utterly abhored the class of atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it. On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or- iginated the alienation between these distinguished men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ- ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies were with England and Jefferson led the other in sympathy with France. The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling had died away, and he had begun to receive that just appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till after death. No one could look upon his venerable form, and think of what he had done and suffered, and how he had given up all the prime and strength of his life to the public good, without the deepest emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar good fortune to witness the complete success of the institution which he had been so active in creating and supporting. In r824, his cup of happiness was filled to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest station in the gift of the people. The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde- pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the signers of that immortal instrument left upon the earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is well known, on that day two of these finished their earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In- dependence forever." When the day was ushered in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor- ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all." In the course of the day he said, "It is a great and glorious day." The last words he uttered were, " Tefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re- signed his spirit into the hands of his God. The personal appearance and manners of Mr. Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face, as his portrait manifests,was intellectual ard expres- sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous. He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked the manners and address of Jefferson. ( & ® V) <§> — A/: ^hh^bb^ Z-c^. 4*t^fl>fl m ■ »*»,..■ m &V A. c - h i ' THIRD PRESIDENT. (L (!) ~W 1 ^*fp^^^%^ r S^* 1 ^ • . 'I' f . HOMAS JEFFERSON was born April 2, 1743, at Shad- jSpwell, Albermarle county, Va. His parents were Peter and Jane ( Randolph) Jefferson, the former a native of Wales, and the latter born in Lon- don. To them were born six daughters and two sons, of whom Thomas was the elder. When 14 years of age his father died. He received a most liberal education, hav- ing been kept diligently at school from the time he was five years of age. In 1760 he entered William and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17 years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha- able in his morals. It is strange, however, under such influences, that he was not ruined. In the sec- ond year of his college course, moved by some un- explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen hours a day to hard' study, allowing himself for ex- ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out of the city and back again. He thus attained very high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso- phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls; and there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. Immediately upon leaving college he began the study of law. For the short time he continued in the practice of his profession lie rose rapidly and distin- guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a lawyer. But the times called for greater action; The policy of England had awakened the spirit of resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti- ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow. Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, there was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon, became the most distinguished resort in our land. In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, where, though a silent member, his abilities as a writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he was placed upon a number of important committees, and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw- ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con- gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 4, 1776. What must have been the feelings of that J < ( :; issg?, 'V@>C- ■@r ^iran^ — -«» m X28 *•- THOMAS JEFFERSON. s^V© v >> man — what the emotions that swelled his breast — who was charged with the preparation of that Dec- laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of •'America, ivas also to publish her to the world, free, [ soverign and independent. It is one of the most re- markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort »^of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be sufficient to stamp his name with immortality. In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef- .-' ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never ^ very good, was much injured by this excitement, and 'in the summer of 1782 she died. Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. Two yerrs later he was appointed Minister Plenipo- tentiary to France. Returning to the United States in September, ^89, he became Secretary of State in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned Jan. r, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- dent, and four years later was elected President over Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In IN. 1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, aand George Clinton, Vice President. The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra- ^ition was disturbed by an event which threatened the ^tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con- ' y spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election .to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a ) military expedition into the Spanish territories on our southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there a new republic. This has been generally supposed was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been generally known what his real plans were, there is no doubt that they were of a far more dangerous character. In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined to retire from political life. For a period of nearly forty years, he had been continually before the pub- lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de- voted the best part of his life to the service of his country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his declining years required, and upon the organization of the new administration, in March, 1809, he b'd fare- : 'well forever to public life, and retired to Monticelio. Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole A-j. families came in their coaches with their horses, — I fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and nurses, — and remained three and even six months. Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a fashionable watering-place. The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver sary of the Declaration of American Independence, great preparations were made in every part of the Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer, and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara- tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill- ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and had been continually increasing, compelled him to decline the invitation. On the second of July, the disease under which he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced state that his medical attendants, entertained no hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next day, which was Monday, he asked of those around him, the day of the month, and on being told it was the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish that he might be permitted to breathe the airof the fiftieth anniversary. His prayer was heard — that day, whose dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for- ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble life ! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- - the day which his own name and his own act had rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life. Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark and desper- ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and animated their desponding countrymen; for half a century they had labored together for tiie good of the country; and now hand in hand they depart. In their lives they had been united in the same great cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not divided. In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes were light, his hair originally red, in after life became white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore- head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as well as personal courage ; and his command of tem- per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends never recollected to have seen him in a passion. His manners, though dignified, were simple and un- affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver- sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic; and his language was remarkably pure and correct. He was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is discernable the care with which he formed his style upon the best models of antiquity. A < -^5^- ■HNB* w$ ' •*- /- ^^^J tstt^o^ilft^ ■ I — I i) 1 ra €§ m ^^^ m ss^fs*- ■^r««Hll>>r^ ^€^r FIFTH PRESIDENT. 35 > t 3? v; ;r.-/^/L/£v,\Kv^C^ . PEQES Il)OIffiOE. mw AMES MONROE, the fifth President of The United States, was born in Westmoreland Co., Va., April 28, 1758. His early life was passed at the place of nativity. His ancestors had for many years resided in the prov- ince in which he was born. When, at 17 years of age, in the process 4> of completing his education at William and Mary College, the Co- lonial Congress assembled at Phila- delphia to deliberate upon the un- just and manifold oppressions of Great Britian, declared the separa- tion of the Colonies, and promul- gated the Declaration of Indepen- dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly probable that he would have been one of the signers of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left school and enlisted among the patriots. He joined the army when everything looked hope- less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased from day to day. The invading armies came pouring in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con- tending with an enemy whom they had been taught to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through difficulty and danger, the United States owe their political emancipation. The young cadet joined the ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country, with a firm determination to live or die with her strife for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel- ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled before its foes through New Jersey. In four months after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg- ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left shoulder. As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro- moted a captain of infantry ; and, having recovered from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam- paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy- wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued aid-de-camp ; but becoming desirous to regain his position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; but on the invasions of the enemy, served, as a volun- teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits. In 1782, he was elected from King George county, a member of the Legislature of Virginia, and by that body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive Council. He was thus honored with the confidence of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having at this early period displayed some of that ability and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards employed with unremitting energy for the public good, V© %g&$ gt»- -^e ^ os mmw>*r§- :&m 36 ifr a (0 R JAMES MONROE. he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of the Congress of the United' States. Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of the old Confederacy, he was opposed to the new Constitution, thinking, with many others of the Republican party, that it gave too much power to the Central Government, and not enough to the individual States. Still he re- tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member of the United States Senate; which office he held for four years. Every month the line of distinction be- tween the two great parties which divided the nation, the Federal and the Republican, was growing more distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep- arated them were, that the Republican party was in sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a strict construction of the Constitution as to give the Central Government as little power, and the State Governments as much power, as the Constitution would warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England, and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- stitution, which would give as much power to the Central Government as that document could possibly authorize. The leading Federalists and Republicans were alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the good of the nation. Two more honest men or more pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and lames Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In building up this majestic nation, which is destined to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the com- bination of their antagonism was needed to create the light equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de- nounced as almost a demon. Washington was then President. England had es- poused the cause of the Bourbons against the princi- ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn into the conflict. We were feeble and far away. Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be- tween these contending powers. France had helped us in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms of Europe were now combined to prevent the French from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse than that which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres- ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in magnanimity. Washington, who could appreciate such a character, developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness, by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de- nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr. Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations. Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Mon- roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the office for three years. He was again sent to France to co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining the vast territory then known as the Province of Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob- tained from Spain. Their united efforts were suc- cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and district of Louisiana were added to the United States. This was probably the largest transfer of real estate which was ever made in all the history of the world. From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob- tain from that country some recognition of our rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng- land was unrelenting. He again returned to Eng- land on the same mission, but could receive no redress. He returned to his home and was again chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned to accept the position of Secretary of State under Madison. While in this office war with England was declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during these trying times, the duties of the War Department were also put upon him. He was truly the armor- bearer of President Madison, and the most efficient business man in his cabinet. Upon the return of peace he resigned the Department of War, but con- tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the ex- piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec- tion held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself had been chosen President with but little opposition, and upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four years later he was elected for a second term. Among the important measures of his Presidency were the cession of Florida to the United States; the Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.'' This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe doctrine," was enunciated by him in T823. At that time the United States had recognized the independ- ence of the South American states, and did not wish to have European powers longer attempting to sub- due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine is as follows: "That we should consider any attempt on the part of European powers to extend their sys- tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety," and "that we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing or controlling American governments or provinces in any other light than as a manifestation by European powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States." This doctrine immediately affected the course of foreign governments, and has become the approved sentiment of the United States. At the end of his second term Mr. Monroe retired to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830, when he went to New Vork to live with his son-in- law. In that city he died,on the 4th of July, 1831. m <$ n '."1 h V©K ^ — ©a^b n m Hfi>A^ — ^^ t # -r-' ". U, oL>. cHtAXLny^b -.:;- '.■■ ^■•-'■•^ yBII-§IIIIi>^ SIXTH PRESIDENT. fa % \ d^MJSK&T^ 1 20m QUI1)6Y P^EQS. 1 T W 'lllil ^ .vra-Ni/ . OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the m sixth President of the United fP States, was b y home of his born in the rural honored father, John Adams, in Quincy, Mass., k on the i ith cf July, 1767. His mother, a woman of exalted worth, watched over his childhood during the almost constant ab- sence of his father. When but eight years of age, he stood with his mother on an eminence, listen- ing to the booming of the great bat- tle on Bunker's Hill, and gazing on upon the smoke and flames billow- ing up from the conflagration of Charlestown. When but eleven years old he took a tearful adieu of his mother, to sail with his father for Europe, through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright, animated boy spent a year and a half in Paris, where his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted the notice of these distinguished men, and he received from them nattering marks of attention. Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again John Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he applied himself with great diligence, for six months, to study; then accompained his father to Holland, where he entered, first a school in Amsterdam, then the University at Leyden. About a year from this time, in 178T, when the manly boy was but fourteen years of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min- ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. In this school of incessant labor and of enobling culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the whiter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed his studies, under a private tutor, at Hague. Thence, in the spring of r7 82, he accompanied his father to Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance with the- most distinguished men on the Continent; examining architectural remains, galleries of paintings, and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again became associated with the most illustrious men of all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal themes which can engross the human mind. After a short visit to England lie returned to Paris, and 'consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, when he returned to America. To a brilliant young man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, and who was familiar with the etiquette of courts, a residence with his father in London, under such cir- cumstances, must have been extremely attractive; but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre- ferred to return to America to complete his education in an American college. He wished then to study law, that with an honorable profession, he might be able to obtain an independent support. Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty, he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be- ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap- pointed by Washington, resident minister at the Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached London in October, where he was immediately admit- ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney, assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with Great Britian. After thus spending a fortnight in London, he proceeded to the Hague. In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal, upon arriving in London, he met with despatches directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting him to remain in London until he should receive his instructions. While waiting he was married to an American lady to whom he had been previously en- gaged, — Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London; a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom- plishment which eminently fitted her to move in the elevated sphere for which she was destined. I ® V I I ? •^nngnns^ — ^^ ■h/^^ <«/ .v. ^ 40 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. -*4^^ He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ; where he remained until July, 1799, when, having ful- filled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his recall. Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then was elected Senator of the United States for six years, from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his ability and his experience, placed him immediately among the most prominent and influential members of that body. ' Especially did he sustain the Govern- ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach- ments of England, destroying our commerce and in- sulting our flag. There was no man in America more familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon these points, and no one more resolved to present a firm resistance. In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres- idential chair, and he immediately nominated John Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign- ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked at Boston, in August, 1809. While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- dent. He devoted his attention to the language and history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to the climate and astronomical observations ; while he kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. All through life the Bible constituted an important part of his studies. It was his rule to read five chapters every day. On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr. Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num- erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he sailed in June, 181 9, for the United States. On the 1 8th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon- roe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary of State. Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second term of office, new candidates began to be presented for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four; William H. Crawford, forty-one; Henry Clay, thirty- seven. As there was no choice by the people, the question went to the House of Representatives. Mr. Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and he was elected. The friends of all the disappointed candidates now combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in the past history of our country than the abuse which was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was an administration more pure in principles, more con- scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun- try, than that of John Quincy Adams ; and never, per- haps, was there an administration more unscrupu- lously and outrageously assailed. Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising early, and taking much exercise. When at his home in Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast, seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his own fire and applying himself to work in his library often long before dawn. On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- dent. The slavery question now began to assume portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un- abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re- main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was elected representative to Congress. For seventeen years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre- sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of " the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in the House, he announced that he should hold him- self bound to no party. Probably there never was a member more devoted to his duties. He was usually the first in his place in the morning, and the last to leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime in its moral daring and heroism. For persisting in presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, with expulsion from the House, with assassination ; but no threats could intimidate him, and his final triumph was complete. It has been said of President Adams, that when his body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little child, he was accustomed to repeat even' night, before he slept, the prayer which his mother taught him in his infant years. On the 2 1st of February, T848, he rose on the floor of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly- sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him. For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and said " This is the end of earth /'then after a moment's pause he added, " / am content. " These were the last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent." i ay ® 9 '^_ V ff SEVENTH PRESIDENT. j as ^S>>«@§^3 r Zrc^»'*3b (J) ITS <^ S3 (!) ^ 1 dK^ f NDREW JACKSON, the seventh President of the United States, was born in Waxhaw settlement, N. C, March 15, 1767, a few days after his father's death. His parents were poor emigrants from Ireland, and took up their abode in Waxhaw set- tlement, where they lived in deepest poverty. Andrew, or Andy, as he was universally called, grew up a very rough, rude, turbulent boy. His features were coarse, his form un- gainly; and there was but very little in his character, made visible, which was at- tractive. When only thirteen years old he joined the volun- teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of the dauntless boy. The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other upon the head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert with the same demand. He also refused, and re- ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite diiabled him, and which probably soon after caused his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their mother was successful in obtaining their exchange, S&&U 3*^ — ^^n n ' and took her sick boys home. After a long illness Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon left him entirely friendless. Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, gave more attention to the wild amusements of the times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of which Tennessee was then a part. This involved many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish with the Sharp Knife. In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who supposed herself divorced from her former husband. Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur- rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson into disfavor. During these years he worked hard at his profes- sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- ially disgraceful. In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates. The new State was entitled to but one member in the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack- son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its f jh m 44 ANDREW JACKSON. m <&> ) & sessions, — a distance of about eight hundred miles. Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- cratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose second term of office was then expiring, delivered his last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson did not approve of the address, and was one of the twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been " wise, firm and patriotic." Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court of his State, which position he held for six years. When the war of 1812 with Great Britian com- menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who would do credit to a commission if one were con- ferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson offeied his services and those of twenty-five hundred volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops were assembled at Nashville. As the British were hourly expected to make an at- tack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was ? in command, he was ordered to descend the river with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The 2 expedition reached Natchez ; and after a delay of sev- eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything, . the men were ordered back to their homes. But the energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire ) devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him golden opinions; and he became the most popular man in the State. It was in this expedition that his toughness gave him the nickname of " Old Hickory." Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De- cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis- tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 1 army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama. The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the cen- ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother. With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven ■J days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or , Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1S14. The bend of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow- neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast- work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, with an ample suplyof arms were assembled. The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des- perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en- deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war- rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam the river and escaped. This ended the war. The power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold plunge into the wilderness, with its terriffic slaughter, so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants of the bands/;aine to the camp, begging for peace. This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con- centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he was appointed major-general. Late in August, with an army of two thousand men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, and from both ship and shore commenced a furious assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his troops, which numbered about four thousand men, won a signal victory over the British army of about nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men- tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in TS24, he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however, successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he assumed the reins of the government, he met with the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of her death he never recovered. His administration was one of the most memorable in the annals of our country; applauded by one party, condemned by the other. No man had more bitter enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack- son's life were that of a devoted Christian man. O ( k k (&$« > g» ^ Q^ £llll'gl<>^g =*©*=- i # I . O 7- 7/LJ 7 ^ i^ f^Ut^t^ M;S^^©4K EIGHTH PRESIDENT. 47 i&%0£ a-A he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his studies for the seventh year. In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- lage. The great conflict between the Federal and Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had, perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the many discussions which had been carried on in his father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the cause of State Rights ; though at that time the Fed- eral party held the supremacy both in his town and State. His success and increasing ruputation led him, after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, the county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years, constantly gaining strength by contending in the courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned the bar of his State. Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr. Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump- tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record of those years is barren in items of public interest. In 181 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1S15, he was ap- pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved to Albany, the capital of the State. While he was acknowledged as one of the most prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had C5) I ■C5> f£> ^r^ *Sr ^■(-1 rA^ ^€3^ ■*- f*i^ §lIIK1> m » (!) NINTH PRESIDENT. 5 1 WILLI A AI 1. .. ■ c- m 11 If; pj r & *l i| ,t i c ■ eS> a ILLIAM HENRY HARRI- SON, the ninth President of the United States, was born at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. His father, Benjamin Harri- son, was in comparatively op- ulent circumstances, and was one of the most distinguished men of his day. He was an intimate friend of George Washington, was early elected a member of the Continental Congress, and was conspicuous among the patriots of Virginia in resisting the encroachments of the British crown. In the celebrated Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- rison and John Hancock were both candidates for the office of speaker. Mr Harrison was subsequently chosen Governor of Virginia, and was twice re-elected. His son, William Henry, of course enjoyed in childhood all the advantages which wealth and intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- ing received a thorough common-school education, he entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated with honor soon after the death of his father. He then repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, signers of the Declaration of Independence. Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi- H4E!! 4^ dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old. From that time he passed gradually upward in rank until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose death he resigned his commission. He was then ap- pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This Territory was then entitled to but one member in Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that position. In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory was divided by Congress into two portions. The eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil- liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was ap- pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now rapidly increasing white population. The ability and fidelity with which he discharged these responsible duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four times appointed to this office — first by John Adams, twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi- dent Madison. When he began his adminstration there were but three white settlements in that almost boundless region, now crowded with cities and resounding with all the tumult of wealth and traffic. Oneof these settlements was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French settlement. The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About ( © ■^ y Gs* ®mm*t9- ib > m 'W^ ■cr V^DD^DD^r rr -*#^f® (p > 5 2 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers, of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet." Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit- able perseverance in any enterprise in which he might engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, and had long regarded with dread and with hatred the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting- grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was an orator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which they dwelt. But the Prophet was not merely an orator : he was, in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent by the Great Spirit. Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. October 28, 1812, his army began its march. When near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harrison was approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with the Indian character to be deceived by such protes- tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en- campment, he took every precaution against surprise. His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept upon their arms. The troops threw themselves upon the ground for rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all the desperation which superstition and passion most highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the little army. The savages had been amply provided with guns and ammunition by the English. Their war-whoop was accompanied by a shower of bullets. The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- ous yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be- fore them, and completely routing the foe. (> / Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked to the utmost. The British descending from theCan- adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn- ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier was plunged into a state of consternation which even the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra- tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. Under these despairing circumstances, Gov. Harrison was appointed by President Madison commander-in- chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake Detroit, and to protect the frontiers. It would be difficult to place a man in a situation demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but General Harrison was found equal to the position, and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re- sponsibilities. He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while pursuing the foe up the Thames; was carried in a valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five Britisli officers, .' his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle. : The only fare he could give them was beef roasted "■ before the fire, without bread or salt. In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of the National House of Representatives, to represent the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested the attention of all the members. In 1 819, Harrison was elected to the Senate of Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The same year he was chosen to the United States Senate. In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him forward as a candidate for the Presidency against Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nominated by his party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency. The contest was very animated. Gen. Jackson gave all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but his triumph was signal. The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most brilliant with which any President had ever been surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin- istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country ■more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by a pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sick- ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after his inauguration as President of the United States, o) AA ««» ^^ r* ^ 7 A <© %&*&* ■e^flflsniK^A^ to) >^i*K •^a^m - e>- w % <0/£*^-e-t_£^ CKV eJ^C-^L i •ev^OMIlf^ -£Z£ VENTH PRESIDENT. 1=3 US slip? ^ f&» | AMES K. POLK, the eleventh ^President of the United States, was born in Mecklenburg Co., N. C, Nov. 2, 1795. His par- ents were Samuel and Jane (Knox) Polk, the former a son of Col. Thomas Polk, who located at the above place, as one of the first pioneers, in 1735. In the year 1S06, with his wife and children, and soon after fol- lowed by most of the members of the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi- grated some two or three hundred miles farther west, to the rich valley of the Duck River. Here in the midst of the wilderness, in a region which was subsequently called Mau- ry Co., they reared their log huts, and established their homes. In the hard toil of a new farm in the wil- derness, James K. Polk spent the early years of his childhood and youth. His father, adding the pur- suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, gradually increased in wealth until he became one of the leading men of the region. His mother was a superior woman, of strong common sense and earnest piety. Very early in life, James developed a taste for reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain a liberal education. His mother's training had made him methodical in his habits, had taught him punct- uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a fey yp sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits. This was to James a bitter disappointment. He had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With ' ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed : forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half ! years, in the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore ] class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel » Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of ■ scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious service. He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be- ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty- three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this time much impaired by the assiduity with which he had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few miles from Nashville. They had probably been slightly acquainted before. Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican, and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi- cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was constantly called upon to address the meetings of his party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump. He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and > iX.'-^ . ^ranf^? X6o : &\ T^T JAMES K. POLK. , courteous in his bearing, and with that sympathetic g nature in the jo) s and griefs of others which ever gave . him troops of friends In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his strong influence towards the election of his friend, U Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States. In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul- ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con- tinued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever he spoke it was always to the point, and without any ) ambitious rhetorical display. ;. During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was >> Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused, = and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per- jfe formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac- = ti«n, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of y March, 1839. In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was elected by a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo- ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841, his term of office expired, and he was again the can- didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated. On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur- ated President of the United States. The verdict of the country in favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, J 1 Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and left the country, declaring the act of the annexation * to be an act hostile to Mexico. In his first message, President Polk urged that Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- ceived into the Union on the same footing with the , other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent m ®) with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, where he erected batteries which commanded the Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on the western banks. The anticipated collision soon took place, and war was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first called one of ''observation," then of "occupation," then of " invasion," was sent forward to Monterey. The feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement alone can reveal the misery which this war caused. It was by the ingenuity of Ml. Polk's administration that the war was brought on. 'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands. We now consented to peace upon the condition that Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal- ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen majestic States to be added to the Union. There were some Americans who thought it all right : there were others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. On the 3d of March, 1S49, Mr. Polk retired from office, having served one term. The next day was Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in the same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even- ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, and his health was good. With an ample fortune, a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the cholera — that fearful scourge— was then sweeping up the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth $)5^i*§~- year of his age, greatly mourned by his countryme t ® <$> < • ! I ^v*^f" 24£k: @V^MOT&V^ >€ 6 4 ZACHARY TAYLOR. <& I 'o y (cj\ tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in employments so obscure, that his name was unknown beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, had promised they should do. The services rendered here secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- mand of the United States troops in Florida. After two years of sucli wearisome employment amidst the everglades of the peninsula, Gen. Taylor obtained, at his own request, a change of command, and was stationed over the Department of the South- west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were, from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty imposed upon him. In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over forces much larger than he commanded. His careless habits of dress and his unaffected simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, the sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.' The tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista spread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- ful popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un- lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an- nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de- claring that he was not at all qualified for such an office. So little interest had he taken in politics that, for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen who had been long years in the public service found their claims set aside in behalf of one whose name had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re- marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made." Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine writer His friends took possession of him, and pre- pared such few communications as it was needful should be presented to the public. The popularity of the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri- umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, — Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren. Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good old man found himself in a very uncongenial position, and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi- tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found the political conflicts in Washington to be far more trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or Indians. In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor, after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1850. His last words were, " I am not afraid to die. I am ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died universally respected and beloved. An honest, un- pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the affections of the people ; and the Nation bitterly la- mented his death. Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful description of his character: — " With a good store of common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en- larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse- quence. The frontiers and small military posts had been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim- plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju- dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out- side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse), whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase, ' touch with a pair of tongs.' "Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil- worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short, few men have ever had a more comfortable, labor- saving contempt for learning of every kind." i I E=2 4 (o) \mz ^f§» -^7 V 3HIII®»- -$§§*£ '£'~~i ~L ; J t^^^-t^^u) .? ^ — 6V4?nnsniii> •> V THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT. 6? If ^ g»^£: » 5^: » a'g » 3ig » si£ # ^ # g j £ » ^: »^ e»s:e » S ! g ^» 5ig » a£ # i 3ig <> -»MILLflRn FILLMUKE^ ji g » 3i£ » ^£ » 3 i £ » ag»3 ! g » ^ f £ ^ 3K % g i g ^ 5!£ » 3!£ » 3S » 3g: » 3 i £ » ag # A P ILLARD FILLMORE, thir- teenth President of the United States, was born at Summer Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on the 7th of January, 1800. His father was a farmer, and ow- ing to misfortune, in humble cir- cumstances. Of his mother, the daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been said that she possessed an intellect of very high order, united with much personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- position, graceful manners and ex- quisite sensibilities. She died in 1 83 1 ; having lived to see her son a ' young man of distinguished prom- ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high dignity which he finally attained. In consequence of the secluded home and limited means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad- vantages for education in his early years. The com- mon schools, which he occasionally attended were very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ; intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, and had laid the foundations of an upright character. When fourteen years of age, his father sent him some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. Near the mill there was a small villiage, where some — e^4j i I enterprising man had commenced the collection of a village library. This proved an inestimable blessing to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate ; and the selections which he made were continually more elevating and instructive. He read history, biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- kindled in his heart a desire to be something more than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be- coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, educated man. The young clothier had now attained the age of nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened that there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap- pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and attainments that he advised him to abandon his trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The young man replied, that he had no means of his own, r.o friends to help him and that his previous educa- tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to take him into his own office, and to loan him such money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous offer was accepted. There is in many minds a strange delusion about a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- lege. But many a boy loiters through university halls and then enters a law office, who is by no means as *N A T^JDD&IM^r TTC^/ I > V MILLARD FILLMORE. well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- tense mental culture. In 1S23, when twenty-three years of age, he was admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, his practice of course was limited, and there was no opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame. Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers. His elevation of character, his untiring industry, his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate, gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to enter into partnership under highly advantageous circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the State of New York, as a representative from Erie County. Though he had never taken a very active part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, and he found himself in a helpless minority in the Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parties, that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very unusual degree the respect of his associates. In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in the United States Congress. He entered that troubled arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our national history. The great conflict respecting the national bank and the removal of the deposits, was then raging. His term of two years closed ; and he returned to his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- utation and success. After a lapse of two years he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- elected, and took his seat in r837. His past expe- rience as a representative gave him strength and confidence. The first term of service in Congress to any man can be but little more than an introduction. He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- vere brought to bear upon the public good. Every measure received his impress. Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, he was elected Comptroller of the State. — ^^ — sA^nns Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con- •? siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- » a dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be proclaimed in trumpet-tones all over the land. But it was necessary to associate with him on the same ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. Under the influence of these considerations, the namesof Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but about one year and four months after his inaugura- J tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- _J stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- - dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. - Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to contends with, since the opposition had a majority in both Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate the South; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliation, j The population of the free States was so rapidly in- creasing over that of the slave States that it was in- evitable that the power of the Government should soon pass into the hands of the free States. The », famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr. Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill- more, having served one term, retired. In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres- idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that his sympathies were rather with those who were en- 1 deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President I Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any ;> Cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe - old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874. -] f% r ■*»# *Y vL/'Sv - FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT. "^rf% Vj.%?.3 71 KLIN PIE J .,,,. . ... f*~ c ','V.t.f.* ^f„.f,4,A ^^ if/. RANKLIN PIERCE, the fourteenth President of the I* United States, was born in Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 23, 1804. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, who, with his own strong arm, hewed out a home in the wilderness. He was a man of inflexible integrity; of strong, though uncultivated mind, and an uncompromis- ing Democrat. The mother of Franklin Pierce was all that a son could desire, — an intelligent, pru- dent, affectionate, Christian wom- an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the p love of old and young. The boys on the play ground | loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors looked upon him with pride and affection. He was by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact which taught him what was agreeable. Without de- veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural * devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body, in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy. When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me. He was £ one of the most popular young men in the college. The purity of his moral character, the unvarying ^ courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite. There was something very peculiarly winning in his address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- gree studied : it was the simple outgushing of his own magnanimous and loving nature. Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce commenced the study of law in the office of Judge Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of the State, and a man of great private worth. The eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant political career into which Judge Woodbury was en- tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci- nating yet perilous path of political life. With all the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here he served for four years. The last two years he was chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected a member of Congress. Without taking an active part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty, and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom he was associatad. In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, he was elected to the Senate of the United States; taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced his administration. He was the youngest member in the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every station with which her husband was honoied. Of the @ ^tf § 5 *- ^$^ — @?*<*!idm^a^ — ^*€^ C 7 * •^T^mw^^r -— <'-■'■ • FRAN-KLIN PIERCE. I three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with their parents in the grave. In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States ; but the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous professional engagements at home, and the precariuos state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the same time declined the nomination for governor by the Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847. He took an important part in this war, proving him- self a brave and true soldier. When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo- nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, very frequently taking an active part in political ques- tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic party. The compromise measures met cordially with his approval ; and he strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin- guished as a "Northern man with Southern principles.'' The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- quently regarded him as a man whom they could safely trust in office to carry out their plans. On the 1 2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the Presidency. For four days they continued in session, and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation brought forward his name. There were fourteen more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas- sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce was therefore inaugurated President of the United States on the 4th of March, 1853. K®5^Dff« ^^ 9t<>M yg J> His administration proved one of the most stormy our country had ever experienced. The controversy be- tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its culminating point. It became evident that there was an " irrepressible conflict " between them, and that this Nation could not long exist " half slave and half free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad- ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution of the Union were borne to the North on every South- ern breeze. Such was the condition of affairs when President Pierce approached the close of his four-years 1 term of office. The North had become thoroughly alien- ated from him. The anti-slaver)- sentiment, goaded by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all the intellectual ability and social worth of President Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad- ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also, unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo- cated those measures of Government which they ap- proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two had died, and his only surviving child had been killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left alone in the world, without wife or child. When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di- vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr. Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to that pro-slaver)' party with which he had ever been allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov- ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until the time of his death, which occurred in October, 1869. He was one of the most genial and social of men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen- erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al- - leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns- 0$ ( ,! t& people were often gladened by his material bounty Si .-■*-•" V'-'V.--- ~-h £$.-: -jf ^<':v- '&<7?ze :;> :■,<■:,<:,> .•,'..■-,>,;, i,-.~ ' ■' ■' : i 1 : i 1 : i 1 : i' : ,' : i' r,>.: i'.;y.: ,' : y : <' ..- ,: ;, •, ■, -,.■, :.'>•.,<,;,>> : >, •.■■, -, ', ■,.', ■, ■, •. ■, -.i, ■■ <,■•.,< y s»»- AMES BUCHANAN, the fif- ILteenth President of the United * States, was born in a small frontier town, at the foot of the . eastern ridge of the Allesha- nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on the 23d of April, 1791. The -lace where the humble cabin of his father stood was called Stony Batter. It was a wild and ro- mantic spot in a gorge of the moun- tains, with towering summits rising grandly all around. His father was a native of the north of Ireland ; a poor man, who had emigrated in 1783, with little property save his own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder- ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per- form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se- cluded home, where James was born, he remained for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual advantages. When James was eight years of age, his father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where his son was placed at school, and commenced a course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de- veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among the first scholars in the institution. His application to study was intense, and yet his native powers en- abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with facility. In the year 1S09, he graduated with the highest honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- cessfully defended before the State Senate one of the judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and there was no lawyer in' the State who had a more lu- crative practice. In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for ten years he remained a member of the Lower House. During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally tried some important case. In 1831, he retired altogether from the toils of his profession, having aO quired an ample fortune. Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency, appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The duties of his mission he performed with ability, which gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon his return, in 1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster, Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated the meas- ures proposed by President Jackson, of making repri- . I sin^A^ — s^n -3*€8*r — 6^M&lllIJ>r<=>- -IS JAMES BUCHANAN. sals against France, to enforce the payment of our claims against that country; and defended the course \) of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale removal from office of those who were not the sup- I porters of his administration. Upon this question he was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. r^He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United States mails. As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo- cated that they should be respectfully received; and that the reply should be returned, that Congress had no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," said he, " might as well undertake to interfere with slavery under a foreign government as in any of the States where it now exists." Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of Hhe Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing >the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed ' ^territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration ^of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the ^account of the course our Government pursued in that ^movement Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with ' ^the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind 1 to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1S50, which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. Buchanan with the mission to England. In the year r85 6, a national Democratic conven- tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The political conflict was one of the most severe in which our country has ever engaged. All the friends of slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re- striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre- mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re- ceived r 14 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 174, and was elected. The popular vote stood 1,340,618, for Fremont, r, 224,750 for Buchanan. On March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated. Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four ;• years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been allied in political principles and action for years, were seeking the destruction of the Government, that they might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be- wildered. He could not, with his long-avowed prin- ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in their assumptions. As President of the United States, bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws, he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind, unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub- lic. He therefore did nothing. The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery party declared, that if he were elected, and the con- trol of the Government were thus taken from their hands, they would secede from the Union, taking with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of the United States. Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery party was such, that he had been willing to offer them far more than they had ventured to claim. All the South had professed to ask of the North was non- intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu- chanan had been ready to offer them the active co- operation of the Government to defend and extend the institution. As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow- ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im- becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He declared that Congress had no power to enforce its laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed, "The Union must and shall be preserved!" South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly three months before the inauguration of President Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair. The rebel flag was raised in Charleston; Fort Sumpter was besieged ; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals were seized; our depots of military stores were plun- dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were appropriated by the rebels. The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, and close the administration, so terrible in its weak- ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver- ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the scepter. The administration of President Buchanan was certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame, that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion. He died at His Wheatland retreat, June 1, 1868, ft E=X US ^3^ — ^A^nn^ntif^A^ — ^^^ 4^(s4' -*« f*i^ 6 i (!) SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT. « 79 < ABRAHAM > A \/ IS ^ij^Li IS < LINCOLN, > |> **A"* \V; i>r S ? So ABRAHAM LINCOLX. «5T ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon his return they placed a store and mill under his care. In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew [ackson the appointment of Postmaster T>f New Salem, His only post-office was his hat. All the letters lie received he carried there ready to deliver to those he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon made this his business. In 1 S34 he again became a candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr. Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He waiked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and begin his legal studies. When the Legislature as- sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back one hundred miles to Vandaha, then the capital. In 1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1S39 he re- moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. His success with the jury was so great that he was soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, in 1S56, he took an active part, and at once became one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con- test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most notable part of his history. The issue was on the slavery question, and he took the broad ground of the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- test, but won a far higher prize. The great Republican Convention met at Chicago on the 16th of June, i860. The delegates and strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty- five thousand. An immense building called "The Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven- tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most orominent. It was generally supposed he would be the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him: and aslittle did he dream that he was to render services to his country, which would fix upon him the eyes of the whole civilized world, and which would give him a place in the affections of his countrymen, second only, if second, to that of Washington. Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 1S0 electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, constitutionally elected President of the United States. The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this good and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was greater than upon any' other man ever elected to this high position. In February, 1861, Mr. Lincoln started for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his way making speeches. The whole journey was frought with much danger. Many of the Southern States had already seceded, and several attempts at assassination were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti- more had arranged, upon his arrival to "get up a row," and in the confusion to make sure of his death with revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled the plot. A secret and special train was provided to take him from Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an unexpected hour of the night. The train started at half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi- cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con- federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people. In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave to Mr Seward the Department of State, and to other prominent opponents before the convention he gave important positions. During no other administration have the duties devolving upon the President been so manifold, and the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, lie learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his trials, both personal and national. Contrary to his own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the most courageous of men. He went directly into the rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he had left Springfield, in 1S61, however, plans had been made for his assassination, and he at last fell a victim to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant, was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It was announced that they would be present. Gen. Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- ing, witli his characteristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth entered the box where the President and family were seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the next morning at seven o'clock. Never before, in the history of the world was a nation plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler. Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a model. His name as the savior of his country will live with that of Washington's, its father; his country- men being unable to decide which is the greater. s A & V %m& ^yK^mm^y^- *mm§j^t; Ot/^ ^^%2?i^ SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT. kV\>f D:R fl^W MKCCM!:^ (1 t^7*BB®II(*^^ — srtfcr 83 ^ 3f NDREW JOHNSON, seven- teenth President of the United States. The early life of Andrew Johnson contains but the record of poverty, destitu- tion and friendlessness. He was born December 29, 180S, in Raleigh, N. C. His parents, belonging to the class of the "poor whites " of the South, were in such circumstances, that they could not confer even the slight- est advantages of education upon their child. When Andrew was five years of age, his father accidentally lost his life while herorically endeavoring to save a friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the labor of his mother, who obtained her living with her own hands. He then, having never attended a school one day, and being unable either to read or write, was ap- prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion- ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often read from the speeches of distinguished British states- men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more than ordinary native ability, became much interested in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen, learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner, Nttj, /«Xi\ jffl^ • — «. A. /'riH pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book, but assisted him in learning to combine the letters into words. Under such difficulties he pressed on- ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest and recreation to devote such time as he could to reading. He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos- sessed some education. Under her instructions he learned to write and cipher. He became prominent in the village debating society, and a favorite with the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- ganized a working man's party, which elected him alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which position he held three years. He now began to take a lively interest in political affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes, to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. He became a very active member of the legislature, gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to those of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased his reputation. In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he was elected a member of Congress, and by successive elections, held that important post for ten years. In 1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and was re-elected in 1855. In all these responsible posi- tions, lie discharged his duties with distinguished abil- 'N c^t: w * ■2^^ ^V^DHSDDi^ "3<€^ST i fa i! ) ® it > w» 84 ANDRE W JOHNSON. ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected United States Senator. Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, and become merged in a population congenial to themselves." In 1850, he also supported the com- promise measures, the two essential features of which were, that the white people of the Territories should be permitted to decide for themselves whether they would enslave the colored people or not, and that the free States of the North should return to the South persons who attempted to escape from slavery. Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly origin: on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir," said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav- ior was the son of a carpenter." In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of i860, he was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South- ern Democracy became apparent, he took a decided stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he established the most stringent military rule. His numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In 1 8 64, he was elected Vice-President of the United States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 1S65, became President. In a speech two days later he said, " The American people must be taught, if they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and must be punished ; that the Government will not always bear with its enemies; that it is strong not only to protect, but to punish. * * The people must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole administration, the history of which is so well known, was in utter inconsistency with, and the most violent opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech. In his loose policy of reconstruction and general amnesty, he was opposed by Congress; and he char- acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In the beginning of 1S68, on account of "high crimes and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten- ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre- ferred against him, and the trial began March 23. It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three months. A test article of the impeachment was at length submitted to the court for its action. It was certain that as the court voted upon that article so would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces- sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac- quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against him. The change of one vote from the not guilty side would have sustained the impeachment. The President, for the remainder of his term, was but little regarded. He continued, though impotently, his conflict with Congress. His own party did not think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi- dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar- alleled since the days of Washington, around the name of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was there presented to a man a better opportunity to im- mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten- nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con- gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-President made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach- ing the residence of his child the following day, was stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at 2 a.m., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun- eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August. % ® (!) HI'V^^I §»•_ -& with every demonstration of respect. »^§ ^^^ -1 : % - d^ty^ & LYSSES S. GRANT, the J| eighteenth President of the H* United States, was born on the 29th of April, 1822, of Christian parents, in a humble home, at Point Pleasant, on the banks of the Ohio. Shortly after his father moved to George- town, Brown Co., O. In this re- mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses received a common-school edu- cation. At the age of seven- teen, in the year 1839, he entered the Military Academy at West Point. Here he was regarded as a solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating Indians. The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at Resacade la Palma, his second battle. At the battle of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that he performed a signal service of daring and skillful horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one side of the animal, ran the gauntlet in entire safety. From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha- pultepec. At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re- turned with his regiment to New York, and was again sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The discovery of gold in California causing an immense tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. Grant resigned his commission and returned to the States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga- lena, 111. This was in the year i860. As the tidings of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, — "Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though I have served him through one war, I do not feel that I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword and see Uncle Sam through this war too. " He went into the streets, raised a company of vol- unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, the capital of the State, where their services were offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the volunteer organization that was being formed in the State in behalf of the Government. * On the 15th of S 6 < (?) %g&& ^g^pc e^DOTf^^ : *€» K - — f*t^ m ■2? ^j "7 > s^ s (® S8 ULYSSES S. GRANT. -%'\r^-'-^- June, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- General and was placed in command at Cairo. The rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap- peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and stripes were unfurled in its stead. He entered the service with great determination and immediately began active duty. This was the be- ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was immediately made a Major-General, and the military district of Tennessee was assigned to him. Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well how to secure the results of victory. He immediately pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered, and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he was laid up for months. He was the most prominent candidate before the Republican National Convention in 1880 for a re- nomination for President. He went to New York and embarked in the brokerage business under the firm nameof Grant &: Ward. The latter proved a villain, wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to the penitentiary. The General was attacked with cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-like manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as General of the Army and retired by Congress. The cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 1885, the nation went in mourning over the death of the illustrious General. Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de- stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as- sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains were burdened with closely packed thousands. His plans were comprehensive and involved a series of campaigns, which were executed with remarkable en- ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur- render of Lee, April 9, 1865. The war was ended. The Union was saved. The almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen. Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal- vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered the country brought him conspicuously forward as the Republican candidate for the Presidential chair. At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, May 21, 1868, he was unanimously nominated for the~ Presidency, and at the autumn election received a majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294 electoral votes. The National Convention of the Republican party whichmet at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872, placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati- cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292 electoral votes being cast for him. Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant started upon his famous trip around the world. He visited almost every country of the civilized world, and was everywhere received with such ovations and demonstrations of respect and honor, private as well as public and official, as were never before bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. It is not too much to say that his modest, courteous, and dignified demeanor in the presence of the most dis- tinguished men in the different nations in the world, reflected honor upon the Republic which he so long and so faithfully served. The country felt a great pride in his reception. Upon his arrival in San Fran- cisco, Sept. 20, 1S79, the city authorities gave him a fine reception. After lingering in the Golden State for a while, he began his tour through the States, which extended North and South, even- where mark- ed by great acclamation and splendid ovations. i 3u \ i ( ?bK?HD§ i^§> §»£@ Si \, ^^)> ->*€^ — ©^WlSllfl& NINETEENTH PRESIDENT. V» 6 /> (b RUTHERFORD B, HAYES. UTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteenth President of the United States, was born in Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al- most three months after the death of his father, Rutherford Hayes. His ancestry on both the paternal and maternal sides, was of the most honorable char- acter. It can be traced, it is said, as far back as 1280, when Hayes and Rutherford were two Scottish chief- tains, fighting side by side with Baliol, William Wallace and Robert Bruce. Both families belonged to the nobility, owned extensive estates, and had a large following. Misfor- tune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot- land in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son George was born in Windsor, and remained there during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar- lied Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar- riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel, son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac- turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was born in NewHaven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- erford Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was ;S % (e) i§K®>* born. He was married, in September, 18 13, to Sophia Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi- grated thither from Connecticut, they having been among the wealthiest and best famlies o'f Norwich. Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. The father of President Hayes was an industrious, frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me- chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock- ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to undertake. He was a member of the Church, active in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con- ducted his business on Christian principles. After the close of the war of i8r2, for reasons inexplicable to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio. The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways, was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter- mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial fever, less than three months before the birth of the son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- reavement, found the support she so much needed in her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the household from the day of its departure from Ver- mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted some time before as an act of charity. Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the „-.\ I % %■ ■^w^ — @-^iio&fln>> > ^ ^Cd RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. ' subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he was not expected to live beyond a month or two at most. As the months went by he grew weaker and weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of him, said in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't wonder if he would really come to something yet." " You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. "You wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him President of the United States yet." The boy lived, in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his mother. The boy was seven years old before he went to school. His education, however, was not neglected. He probably learned as much from his mother and sister as he would have done at school. His sports were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being his sister and her associates. These circumstances tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo- sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings of others, which are marked traits of his character. His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest in his education ; and as the boy's health had im- proved, and he was making good progress in his studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre- paration commenced with a tutor at home; bat he was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the ; Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en- tered Kenyon College in 1838,3! the age of sixteen, and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. Immediately after his graduation he began the study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq., in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- mained two years. In 1 S45, after graduating at the Law School, he was i admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro- fession. In 1849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his ambi- tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how- ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at this period, had a powerful influence upon his subse- quent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin- cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its members such men as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, the up In Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many- others hardly less distinguished in after life. The marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did more than she to reflect honor upon American woman- hood. The Literary Club brought Mr. Hayes into constant association with young men of high char- acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the qualities so long hidden by his bashfulness' and modesty. In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas ; but he declined to ac- cept the nomination. Two years later, the office of city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council elected him for the unexpired term. In 1S61, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the bar was among the the first. But the news of attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take arms for the defense of his country. His military record was bright and illustrious. October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle of South Mountain he received a wound, and while faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude that won admiration from all. Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed in command of the celebrated Kanawha division, and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted Major-General, "forgallant and distinguished fervices during the campaigns of 1864, in West Virginia." In the course of his arduous services, four horses were shot from under him, and he was wounded four times. In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem- ocratic. He was not present during the campaign, and after his election was importuned to resign his commission in the army; but he finally declared, " I shall never come to Washington until I can come by the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866. In 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio, over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular Democrat. In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton. He was elected Governor for the third term in 187^. In 1S76 he was the standard bearer of the Repub- lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a hard long contest was chosen President, and was in augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his full term, not, hewever, with satisfaction to his party, but his administration was an average one. 9 S & I ^y^ -^Ad m>^ — *^- ■— §j@§*@> f8^/'' 5?v Xc®«$~- TWENTIETH PRESIDENT. -mm\w $ o 1 * X AMES A. GARFIELD, twen- tieth President of the United States, was born Nov. 19, 1S31, in the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga Co., O His par- Jj\f^ / ents were Abram and Eliza AV^ y^C (Ballou) Garfield, both of New WrS England ancestry and from fami- lies well known in the early his- fe tory of that section of our coun- fflbSft try, but had moved to the Western < yLf Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- ment. The house in which James A. was born was not unlike the houses of poor Ohio farmers of that day. It was about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be- tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a hard working farmer, and he soon had his fields cleared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built. The household comprised the father and mother and their four children — Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and James. In May, 1S23, the father, from a cold con- tracted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At this time James was about eighteen months old, and Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can tell how much James was indebted to his brother's toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty years suc- ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- ters live in Solon, O., near their birthplace. The early educational advantages young Garfield enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of them. He labored at farm work for others, did car- penter work, chopped wood, or did anything that would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed mother in her struggles to keep the little family to- gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor, the humblest fiiend of his boyhood was as kindly greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the sweat of the brow. He was ever the simpie, plain, modest gentleman. The highest ambition of young Garfield until he was about sixteen years old was to be a captain of a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the understanding, however, that he should try to obtain some other kind of employment. He walked all the way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city. After making many applications for work, and trying to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re- mained at this work but a short time when he went home, and attended the seminary at Chester for about three years, when he entered Hiram and the Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in the meantime, and doing other work. This school was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of which church he was then a member. He became janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way. He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon " exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the fall of 1854, he entered Williams'College, from which he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon- ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram College as its President. As above stated, he early united with the Christian or Diciples Church at Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion : V© I x=i OJ fo » A-cz. I £ & k P V 96 +^ ^MIMf> TV >>' JAMES A. GARFIELD. " President Garfield was more than a man of strong moral and religious convictions. His whole history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In my judgment there is no more interesting feature of his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to the less stately and cultured Christian communions in which they have been reared. Too often it is true that as they step upward in social and political sig- nificance they step upward from one degree to another in some of the many types of fashionable Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the church of his mother, the church in which he was trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- tarian charity for all 'who love our Lord in sincerity.'" Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. 1 1, 1858, who proved herself worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and mourned. To them were born seven children, five of whom are still living, four boys and one girl. Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856, in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three years later he began to speak at county mass-meet- ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, and in 186 1 was admitted to the bar. The great Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year, and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re- ceived his commission as Lieut. -Colonel of the Forty- second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 14, i86r. He was immediately put into active ser- vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action, was placed in command of four regiments of infantry and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the work of driving out of his native State the officer (Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed- ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him Brigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years before, so now he was the youngest General in the army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, in its operations around Corinth and its march through Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose- crans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff." The military history of Gen, Garfield closed with his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won the stars of the Major-General. Without an effort on his part Gen. Garfield was elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio had been represented in Congress for sixty years mainly by two men— Elisha Whittlesey and Joshua R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he resigned his place in the army. At the time he en- tered Congress he was the youngest member in that body. There he remained by successive re- elections until he was elected President in 18S0. Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since the year 1864 you cannot think of a question which has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a tribunel of the American people, in regard to which you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu- ment on one side stated, in almost every instance better than by anybody else, in some speech made in the House of Representatives or on the hustings by Mr. Garfield." Upon Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the same year, was nominated as the candidate of his party for President at the great Chicago Convention. He was elected in the following November, and on March 4, rS8i, was inaugurated. Probably no ad- ministration ever opened its existence under brighter auspices than that of President Garfield, and every day it grew in favor with the people, and by the first of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre- liminary work of his administration and was prepar- ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams College. While on his way and at the depot, in com- pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the left coat sleeve of his victim, but inflicting no further injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was " the shot that was heard round the world " Never before in the history of the Nation had anything oc- curred which so nearly froze the blood of the people for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit- ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty days, all during the hot months of July and August, he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent bearing was teaching the country and the world the noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass- ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept. 19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J., on the very bank of the ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The world wept at his death, as it never had done on the death of any other man who had ever lived upon it. The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe- cuted, in one year after he committed the foul deed W i 4 I *&* — e?*<*fln$nii$A© — *^. #P ' D$£- ^V«^n[l>>r-r- §* <£M»ft> A-o- T srt^ IOO -*€£* 6V«»>sre *€3*r -4^5f & & 1=3 CHESTER A. ARTHUR. followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed him Engineer- in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas- ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered great service to the Government during the war. At the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney of New York, was added to the firm. The legal prac- tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if not indeed one of national extent. He always took a leading part in State and city politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc- ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous National Republican Convention held at Chicago in June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political convention that ever assembled on the continent. It was composed of the leading politicians of the Re- publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their respective candidates that were before the conven- tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re- ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur for Vice-President. The campaign which followed was one of the most animated known in the history of our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his party made a valiant fight for his election. Finally the election came and the country's choice was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President. A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of anxious suspense, when the hearts of all civilized na- £ tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re- covery of the noble, the good President. The remark- able patience that he manifested during those hours and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf- fering man has often been called upon to endure, was seemingly more than human. It was certainly God- like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr. Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his credit that his every action displayed only an earnest desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi- ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested in deed or look of this man, even though the most honored ]»sition in the world was at any moment likely to fall to him. At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar- field from further suffering, and the world, as never before in its history over the death of any other man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of the high office, and he took the oath in New York, Sept. 20, i88r. The position was an embarrassing one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all ^ eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, what policy he would pursue, and who he would se- 1 lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been * greatly neglected during the President's long illness, and many important measures were to be immediately decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him he did not fail to realize under what circumstances he became President, and knew the feelings of many on this point. Under these trying circumstances President Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own hands ; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of ^ affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so i wisely that but few criticised his administration. He served the nation well and faithfully, until the close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and was a popular candidate before his party for a second term. His name was ably presented before the con- vention at Chicago, and was received with great favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity (£• of one of the opposing candidates, he would have been selected as the standard-bearer of his party for another campaign. He retired to private life car- rying with him the best wishes of the American peo- ■ pie, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory to them and with credit to himself. ^ %\®%k J5& iih& vq ^ -:>v^^^p '■M't>. : Y/WtZsr (^i^ef 9 — — — 2>€$ter 6V^>DD@DDf>^ *€$*k- TWENTY-SECOND PRESIDENT. & 5 - "oSo" TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE- LAND, the twenty-second Pres- ident of the United States, was born in 1837, in the obscure town of Caldwell, Essex Co., N. J., and in a little two-and-a- half-story white house which is still standing, characteristically to mark the humble birth-place of one of America's great men in striking con- trast with the Old World, where all men high in office must be high in origin and born in the cradle of wealth. When the subject of this sketch was three years of age, his father, who was a Presbyterian min- ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most straggling of country villages, about five miles from Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born. At the last mentioned place young Grover com- menced going to school in the " good, old-fashioned way," and presumably distinguished himself after the manner of all village boys, in doing the things he ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the capacity of the village school and expressed a most I emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this his father decidedly objected. Academies in those days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to become self-supporting by the quickest possible means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed to be a position in a country store, where his father ; and the large family on his hands had considerable ' influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to receive $ioo the second year. Here the lad com- ' menced his career as salesman, and in two years he had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness that his employers desired to retain him for an in- definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex- hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. \ But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette- ville, he went with the family in their removal to Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a high school. Here he industriously pursued his studies until the family removed with him to a point on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching but three Sundays. This event broke up the family, and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a rt small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in an asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two ^ years, and although he obtained a good reputation in ( this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his &®& •^m3DHf>V^ 3? ^ V > i * * 104 5. GROVER CLEVELAND calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as there was some charm in that name for him; but before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to ask the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do, my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study law," was the reply. " Good gracious ! " remarked the old gentleman; "do you, indeed ? What ever put that into your head? How much money have you got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got n any. After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a year, while he could " look around." One day soon afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he wanted. A number of young men were already en- gaged in the office, but Graver's persistency won, and he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for his board and washing. The walk to and from his uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although the first winter was a memorably severe one, his shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. On the first day of his service here, his senior em- ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's where they all begin." A titter ran around the little circle of clerks and students, as they thought that was enough to scare young Graver out of his plans ; but in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume. Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for chasing principles through all their metaphysical possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do it," was practically his motto. The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two criminals. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es- pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms in the administration of the municipal affairs of that city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his performance of duty has generally been considered fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer- reted out and magnified during the last Presidential campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniqui- tous street-cleaning contract : " This is a time for plain speech, and my objection to your action shall be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of a mos'. bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme to betray the interests of the people and to worse than squander the people's money." The New York Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve- land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there- upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, and his administration of the affairs of State was generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if any, were made very public throughout the nation after he was nominated for President of the United States. For this high office he was nominated July ir, 18S4, by the National Democratic Convention at Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he was elected by the people, by a majority of about a thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub- lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve- land resigned his office as Governor of New York in January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as the Chief Executive of the United States, in which capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State, Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Yilas, of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of Arkansas. The silver question precipitated a controversy be- tween those who were in favor of the continuance of silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his inauguration. i Stf- -^v<- - jnQ^nn^>v^^ — ^^sr ^^c©v^ 4 ■—(a)- ^-*t_, — o I M &M m^o s & B\®5^^- ■ :a € ^ (^ ama^A^ — :s o^ 4fe§ 2 K®3*e -^k e-v£HKDilr> TT7- SfcSX*: ^ v$ s ) * , a, (it c^^- » & lie- fflte^^ p-SKo Si! '■■■ 'Ihrf.i. -^>^-L^, 'li/ — w» Q I •^v^ran^er GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. ^%S\ III ^&44!B>J>s><^ .O 1 (S^ V HADRACH BOND, the first Governor of Illinois after its organization as a State, serving from 1818 to 1822, was born in Frederick County, Maryland, in the year 1773, and was raised a farmer on his father's plantation, receiving only a plain English education. He emigrated to this State in 1794, when it was a part of the "Northwest Territory," continuing in the vocation in which he had been brought up in his native State, in the " New Design," near Eagle Creek, in what is now Monroe County. He served several terms as a member of the General Assembly of Indiana Territory, after it was organized as such, and in 1812-14 he was a Delegate to the Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3, 1812, and serving until Oct. 3, 1814. These were the times, the reader will recollect, when this Gov- ernment had its last struggle with Great Britain. The year 1812 is also noted in the history of this State as that in which the first Territorial Legislature was held. It convened at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, and adjourned Dec. 26, following. While serving as Delegate to Congress, Mr. Bond was instrumental in procuring the right of pre-emp- tion on the public domain. On the expiration of his term at Washington he was appointed Receiver of Public Moneys at Kaskaskia, then the capital of the Territory. In company with John G. Comyges Thomas H. Harris, Charles Slade, Michael Jones, Warren Brown, Edward Humphries and Charles W. Hunter, he became a proprietor of the site of the initial city of Cairo, which they hoped, from its favor- able location at the junction of the two great rivers near the center of the Great West, would rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter- prise, they obtained a special charter from the Legis- lature, incorporating both the City and the Bank of Cairo. In 1818 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6, that year, which was several weeks before Illinois was actually admitted. The facts are these: In January, 18 18, the Territorial Legislature sent a peti- tion to Congress for the admission of Illinois as a State, Nathaniel Pope being then Delegate. The petition was granted, fixing the northern line of the State on the latitude of the southern extremity of Lake Michigan; but the bill was afterward so amend- ed as to extend this line to its present latitude. In July a convention was called at Kaskaskia to draft a constitution, which, however, was not submitted to the people. By its provisions, supreme judges, pros- ecuting attorneys, county and circuit judges, record- ers and justices of the peace were all to be appointed by the Governor or elected by the Legislature. This constitution was accepted by Congress Dec. 30. At that time Illinois comprised but eleven counties, namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson, Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington and Franklin, the northern portion of the State be- ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears that Mr. Bond was honored by the naming of a A J -4^c<®>; > ^* 112 county before he was elected Governor. The present county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80 miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor the people chose Pierre Menard, a prominent and worthy Frenchman, after whom a county in this State is named. In this election there were no opposition candidates, as the popularity of these men had made their promotion to the chief offices of the S,.ate, even before the constitution was drafted, a foregone con- clusion. The principal points that excited the people in reference to political issues at this period were local or " internal improvements," as they were called, State banks, location of the capital, slavery and the personal characteristics of the proposed candidates. Mr. Bond represented the " Convention party," for introducing slavery into the State, supported by Elias Kent Kane, his Secretary of State, and John Mc- Lean, while Nathaniel Pope and John P. Cook led the anti-slavery element. The people, however, did not become very much excited over this issue until 1820, when the famous Missouri Compromise was adopted by Congress, limiting slavery to the south of the parallel of 36° 30' except in Missouri. While this measure settled the great slavery controversy, so far as the average public sentiment was tempor- arily concerned, until 1854, when it was repealed under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas, the issue as considered locally in this State was not decided until 1824, after a most furious campaign. (See sketch of Gov. Coles.) The ticket of 1818 was a compromise one, Bond representing (moderately) the pro-slavery sentiment and Menard the anti-slavery. An awkward element in the State government under Gov. Bond's administration, was the imperfec- tion of the State constitution. The Convention wished to have Elijah C. Berry for the first Auditor of Public Accounts, but, as it was believed that the new Governor would not appoint him to the office, the Convention declared in a schedule that " an auditor of public accounts, an attorney general and such other officers of the State as may be necessary, may be appointed by the General Assembly." The Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large appoint- ing power in the Governor; but for the purpose of getting one man into office, a total change was made, and the power vested in the Legislature. Of this provision the Legislature took advantage, and de- ■6 : V4?flD@0D&T^- -z&£— 3?S £6 — t$tS9£ SHADRACH BOND. \& -A. Agin® clared that State's attorneys, canal commissioners, bank directors, etc., were all " officers of the State " and must therefore be appointed by itself independ- ently of the Governor. During Gov. Bond's administration a general law was passed for the incorporation of academies and towns, and one authorizing lotteries. The session of 1822 authorized the Governor to appoint commis- sioners, to act in conjunction with like commissioners appointed by the State of Indiana, to report on the practicability and expediency of improving the navi- gation of the Wabash River; also inland navigation generally. Many improvements were recommended, some of which have been feebly worked at even till the present day, those along the Wabash being of no value. Also, during Gov. Bond's term of office, the capital of the State was removed from Kaskaskia to Vandalia. In 1820 a law was passed by Congress authorizing this State to open a canal through the public lands. The State appointed commissioners 10 explore the route and prepare the necessary sur- veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution ; but, being unable out of its own resources to defray the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned until some time after Congress made the grant of land for the purpose of its construction. On the whole, Gov. Bond's administration was fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from any party. In 1824, two years after the expiration of his term of office, he was brought out as a candi- date for Congress against the formidable John P. Cook, but received only 4,374 votes to 7,460 for the latter. Gov. Bond was no orator, but had made many fast friends by a judicious bestowment of his gubernatorial patronage, and these worked zealously for him in the campaign. In 1827 ex-Gov. Bond was appointed by the Leg- islalure, with Wm. P. McKee and Dr. Gershom Jayne, as Commissioners to locate a site for a peni- tentiary on the Mississippi at or near Alton. Mr. Bond was of a benevolent and convivial dis- position, a man of shrewd observation and clear ap- ' preciation of events. His person was erect, stand- ing six feet in height, and after middle life became portly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died April 11, 1830, in peace and contentment. bh^a^ — ^^ — r-i&ms^/l & sv irfurfisC? * £^t&ar& Coles, m Il 5 V© fcS I DWARD COLES, second Governor of Illinois, 1823- 6, was born Dec. 15, 1786, in Albemarle Co., Va., on the old family estate called "Enniscorthy," on the Green Mountain. His fath- er, John Coles, was a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. Having been fit- ted for college by private tutors, he was sent to Hampden Sidney, where he remained until the autumn of 1805, when he was removed to William and Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va. This college he left in the summer of iSo7,ashort time before the final and graduating examination. Among his classmates were Lieut. Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Win. S. Archer, United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice Baldwin, of the United States Supreme Court. The President of the latter college, Bishop Madison, was a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir- cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming personally acquainted with the President and re- ceiving a position as his private secretary, 1809-15. The family of Coles was a prominent one in Vir- ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old- fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by such notables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, the Randolphs, Tazewell, Wirt, etc. At the age of 23, young Coles found himself heir to a plant- ation and a considerable number of slaves. Ever since his earlier college days his attention had been drawn to the question of slavery. He read every- thing on the subject that came in his way, and listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more he reflected upon the subject, the more impossible was it for him to reconcile the immortal declaration "that all men are born free and equal " with the practice of slave-holding. He resolved, therefore, to free his slaves the first opportunity, and even remove his residence to a free State. One reason which de- termined him to accept the appointment as private secretary to Mr. Madison was because he believed that through the acquaintances he could make at Washington he could better determine in what part of the non-slaveholding portion of the Union he would prefer to settle. The relations between Mr. Coles and President Madison, as well as Jefferson and other distinguished men, were of a very friendly character, arising from the similarity of their views on the question of slavery and their sympathy for each other in holding doc- trines so much at variance with the prevailing senti- ment in their own State. In 1857, he resigned his secretaryship and spent a portion of the following autumn in exploring the Northwest Territory, for the purpose of finding a lo- cation and purchasing lands on which to settle his negroes. He traveled with a horse and buggy, with an extra man and horse for emergencies, through many parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, determining finally to settle in Illinois. At this time, however, a misunderstanding arose between our Government and Russia, and Mr. Coles was selected to repair to St. Petersburg on a special mission, bear- ing important papers concerning the matter at issue The result was a conviction of the Emperor (Alex- I $«3<®ft- £Ui 4*11 A® nn*^^ — *^- ^®> c 116 EDWARD COLES. <> \r ander) of the error committed by his minister at Washington, and the consequent withdrawal of the the latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles visited other parts of Europe, especially Paris, where he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette. In the spring of 1819, he removed with all his negroes from Virginia to Edwardsville, 111., with the intention of giving them their liberty. He did not make known to them his intention until one beautiful morning in April, as they were descending the Ohio River. He lashed all the boats together and called all the negroes on deck and made them a short ad- dress, concluding his remarks by so expressing him- self that by a turn of a sentence he proclaimed in the shortest and fullest manner that they were no longer slaves, but free as he was and were at liberty to proceed with him or go ashore at their pleas- ure. A description of the effect upon the negroes is best desciibed in his own language : "The effect upon them was electrical. They stared at me and then at each other, as if doubting the ac- curacy or reality of what they heard. In breathless silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word, but with countenances beaming with expression which no words could convey, and which no language can describe. As they began to see the truth of what they had heard, and realize their situation, there came on a kind of hysterical, giggling laugh. After a pause of intense and unutterable emotion, bathed in tears, and with tremulous voices, they gave vent to their gratitude and implored the blessing of God on me." Before landing he gave them a general certificate of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu- larly with the law of this State requiring that each individual should have a certificate. This act of Mr. Coles, all the more noble and heroic considering the overwhelming pro-slavery influences surrounding him, has challenged the admiration of every philan- thropist of modern times. March 5, 1819, President Monroe appointed Mr. Coles Registrar of the Land Office at Edwardsville, at that time one of the principal land offices in the State. While acting in this capacity and gaining many friends by his politeness and general intelli- gence, the greatest struggle that ever occurred in Illinois on the slavery quesiion culminated in the furious contest characterizing the campaigns and elections of 1822-4. In the summer of 1823, when a new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr. Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions, putting forward for the executive office Joseph Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C. Browne and Gen. James B. Moore, of the State Mil- itia. The anti-slavery element united upon Mr. Coles, and, after one of the most bitter campaigns, succeeded in electing him as Governor. His plural- ity over Judge Phillips was only 59 in a total vote of over 8,000. The Lieutenant Governor was elected by the slavery men. Mr. Coles' inauguration speech was marked by calmness, deliberation and such a wise expression of appropriate suggestions as to elicit the sanction of all judicious politicians. But he compromised not with evil. In his message to the Legislature, the seat of Government being then at Vandalia, he strongly urged the abrogation of the modified form of slavery which then existed in this State, contrary to the Ordinance of 1787. His posi- tion on this subject seems the more remarkable, when it is considered that he was a minority Governor, the population of Illinois being at that time almost ex- clusively from slave-holding States and by a large majority in favor of the perpetuation of that old relic of barbarism. The Legislature itself was, of course, a reflex of the popular sentiment, and a majority of them were led on by fiery men in denunciations of the conscientious Governor, and in curses loud and deep upon him and all his friends. Some of the public men, indeed, went so far as to head a sort of mob, or " shiveree " party, who visited the residence of the Governor and others at Vandalia and yelled and groaned and spat fire. The Constitution, not establishing or permitting slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be defective by the slavery politicians, and they desired a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub- mit a new Constitution ; and the dominant politics of the day was "Convention" and "anti-Conven- tion." Both parties issued addresses to the people, Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address published by the latter party. This address revealed the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly man- ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti- mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in which the Governor was placed at that time. Our hero maintained himself honorably and with supreme dignity throughout his administration, and in his honor a county in this State is named. He was truly a great man, and those who lived in this State during his sojourn here, like those who live at the base of the mountain, were too near to see and recognize the greatness that overshadowed them. Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter of Hugh Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestry, who cams to this country with Wm. Penn in 1682. After the expiration of his term of service, Gov. Coles continued his residence in Edwardsville, sup- erintending his farm in the vicinity. He was fond of agriculture, and was the founder of the first agri- cultural society in the State. On account of ill health, however, and having no family to tie him down, he spent much of his time in Eastern cities. About 1832 he changed his residence to Philadel- phia, where he died July 7, 1868, and is buried at Woodland, near that city. A V — 4>i^S , /<>,* (L y^Z^^^c^-i^ O^U/CL^J^ ^)feff~- — - — ^4^ — 6V4>BH&DIl&v i GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 119 "**4#§s*»- , INIAN EDWARDS, Governor from 1827 to 1830, was a sou of Benjamin Edwards, and was born in Montgomery j/o County, Maryland, in March, 1775. His domestic train- ing was well fitted to give his mind strength, firmness and honorable principles, and a good foundation was laid for the elevated character to which he afterwards attained. His parents were Bap- tists, and very strict in their moral principles. His education in early youth was in company with and partly under the tuition of Hon. Wm. Wirt, whom his father patronized, and who was more than two years older. An intimacy was thus formed between them which was lasting for life. He was further educated at Dickinson College, at Car- lisle, Pa. He next commenced the study of law, but before completing his course he moved to Nelson County, Ky., to open a farm for his father and to purcjiase homes and locate lands for his brothers and sisters. Here he fell in the company of dissolute companions, and for several years led the life of a spendthrift. He was, however, elected to the Legis- lature of Kentucky as the Representative of Nelson County before he was 2 1 years of age, and was re- elected by an almost unanimous vote. In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes- see. About this time he left Nelson County for Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and soon became an eminent lawyer, and inside of four years he filled in succession the offices of Presiding Judge of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourth Judge of the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of the State, — all before he was 32 years of age ! In addition, in r8o2, he received a commission as Major of a battal- ion of Kentucky militia, and in r8o4 was chosen a Presidential Elector, on the Jefferson and Clinton ticket. In 1806 he was a candidate for Congress, but withdrew on being promoted to the Court of Appeals. Illinois was organized as a separate Territory in the spring of 1809, when Mr. Edwards, then Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky, received from President Madison the appointment as Gover- nor of the new Territory, his commission bearing date April 24, 1809. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in June, and on the 1 ith of that month took the oath of office. At the same time he was appointed Superin- tendent of the United States Saline, this Government interest then developing into considerable proportions in Southern Illinois. Although during the first three years of his administration he had the power to make new counties and appoint all the officers, yet he always allowed the people of each county, by an informal c U2. A$|D$|||$4£ i5 «» r - 4^^®A= IIV^ss*' ^^ — 6v4>n n& n u^^- NINIAN EDWARDS. & b vote, to select their own officers, both civil and mili- tary. The noted John J. Crittenden, afterward United States Senator from Kentucky, was appointed by Gev. Edwards to the office of Attorney General of the Territory, which office was accepted for a short time only. The Indians in r8ro committing sundry depreda- tions in the Territory, crossing the Mississippi from the Territory of Louisiana, a long correspondence fol- lowed between the respective Governors concerning the remedies, which ended in a council with the sav- ages at Peoria in tSt2, and a fresh interpretation of the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de- predations, and was not re-settled for many years afterward. As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in i8t2, he was re-appointed for another term of three years, and again in T8T5 for a third term, serving until the organization of the State in the fall of 1818 and the inauguration of Gov. Bond. At this time ex-Gov. Edwards was sent to the United States Senate, his colleague being Jesse B. Thomas. As Senator, Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, and acquitted himself honorably in all the measures that came up in that body, being well posted, an able de- bater and a conscientious statesman. He thought seriously of resigning this situation in T821, but was persuaded by his old friend, Win. Wirt, and others to continue in office, which he did to the end of the term. He was then appointed Minister to Mexico by President Monroe. About this time, it appears that Mr. Edwards saw suspicious signs in the conduct of Wm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the United States Treasury, and an ambitious candidate for the Presi- dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in order fully to investigate the charges. The result was the exculpation of Mr. Edwards. Pro-slavery regulations, often termed "Black Laws," disgraced the statute books of both the Territory and the State of Illinois during the whole of his career in this commonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main- tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an important actor in the great struggle which ended in a victor}' for his par*y in 1824. In 1826-7 tne Winnebago and other Indians com- mitted soue depredations in the northern part of the State, and the white settlers, who desired the lands and wished to exasperate the savages into an evacu- ation of the country, magnified the misdemeanors of the aborigines and thereby produced a hostility be- tween the races so great as to precipitate a little war, known in history as the " Winnebago War." A few chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief, and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at least until the troubles commenced which ended in the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre- tation of treaties and execution of their provisions Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The Indians kept themselves generally within the juris- diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor, Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote that ready cor- respondence with him was difficult or impossible. Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to the protection of the Illinois frontier, seems to have been very efficient and satisfactory. For a considerable portion of his time after his re- moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his farm near Kaskaskia, which he had well stocked with horses, cattle and sheep from Kentucky, also with fruit-trees, grape-Vines and shrubbery. He estab- lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively in mercantile business, having no less than eight or ten stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding the arduous duties of his office, he nearly always pur- chased the goods himself with which to supply the stores. Although not a regular practitioner of medi- cine, he studied the healing art to a considerable ex- tent, and took great pleasure in prescribing for, and taking care of, the sick, generally without charge. He was also liberal to the poor, several widows and ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to him even for their homes. He married Miss Elvira Lane, of Maryland, in r8o3, and they became the affectionate parents of several children, one of whom, especially, is well known to the people of the " Prairie State," namely, Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Superintendent of Public Instruction and still a resident of Springfield. Gov. Edwards resided at and in the vicinity of Kas- kaskia from 1S09 to 1818; in Edwardsville (named after him) from that time to 1824; and from the lat- ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his death, July 20, 1833, of Asiatic cholera. Edwards County is also named in his honor. IN /& (i> ■\®*«« ■^©^ — ^a^om^a^ — ^^^ si * v\s^#*~ T^nnsno^ GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 123 »> 4 i & * f §|cpioI @>g%V<2)(s>€§^ ? ^ •>■» ! ♦ :^ : OHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831- 4, was born in Montgomery Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26, 1788. His father, Robert Reynolds and his mother, nee Margaret Moore, were both natives of Ireland, from which country they emigrated to the United States in 1785, land- ing at Philadelphia. The senior Reynolds entertained an undying hostility to the British Govern- ment. When the subject of this sketch was about six months old, his parents emigrated with him to Tennessee, where many of their relatives had already located, at the base of the Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of the present city of Knoxville. There they were ex- posed to Indian depredations, and were much molest- ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior of the State. They were poor, and brought up their children to habits of manual industry. In 1800 the family removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with eight horses and two wagons, encountering many hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed the most of his childhood, while his character began to develop, the most prominent traits of which were ambition and energy. He also adopted the principle and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal, this time to the " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of the Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest of Edwardsville. On arriving at his 20th year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing that he must look about for his own livelihood and not yet having determined what calling to pursue, concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly went to such an institution of learning, near Knox- ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himself into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of Knoxville ! He attended college nearly two years, goii\g through the principal Latin authors ; but it seems that he, like the rest of the world in modern times, had but very little use for his Latin in after life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good degree of literary discipline. He commenced the study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble came on and compelled him to change his mode of life. Accordingly he returned home and re- cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of 1812 he was admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About this time he also learned the French language, which he practiced with pleasure in conversation with his family for many years. He regarded this language as being superior to all others for social intercourse. Q & 4 \S% A^IM®1111$ \£ _ ■ >/» I sentially adopted, and remained the controlling prin- ciple for many years. The ex-Governor was scarcely absent from his seat a single day, during eight ses- sions of Congress, covering a period of seven years, and he never vacillated in a party vote; but he failed to get the Democratic party to foster his " National Road" scheme. He says, in "My Own Times" (a large autobiography he published), that it was only by rigid economy that he avoided insolvency while in Washington. During his sojourn in that city he was married, to a lady of the place. In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company with a few others, he built the first railroad in the Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long, leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to the bank of the river opposite St. Louis. Having not the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com- pany sold out, at great sacrifice. In 1839 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord' ngly, he repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth of what was wanted. The same year he and his wife made at our of Europe. This year, also, Mr. Reynolds had the rather awkward little responsibility of introducing to President Van Buren the noted Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, as a " Latter-Day Saint!" In 1846 Gov. Reynolds was elected a member of the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu- larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis, a distance of nearly 14 miles. This was immediately built, and was the first road of the kind in the State. He was again elected to the Legislature in 1852, when he was chosen Speaker of the House. In i860, aged and infirm, he attended the National Democratic Convention at Charleston, S. C, as an anti-Douglas Delegate, where he received more attention from the Southern Delegates than any other member. He supported Breckenridge for the Presidency. After the October elections foreshadowed the success of Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo- crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi- ately preceding and during the late war, his corre- spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern secession, and about the first of March, 1861, he urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsenal at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rather talkative man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch- words that ever gained currency, besides many cun- ning and odd ones of his own manufacture. He was married twice, but had no children. He died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close of the war. \®5f^f« -s^c e^UHgfllli^A^ — :s ^- fllk'^^h GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. ^% ^f>Y§ 3 m M* j ^a> T 4 v <|\ [LLIAM LEE D. EWING, Governor of Illinois Nov. 3 '■k$ to 17, 1834, was a native of Kentucky, and probably of Scotch ancestry. He had a fine education, was a gentle- man of polished manners and refined sentiment. In 1830 John Rey- nolds was elected Governor of the State, and Zadok Casey Lieutenant Governor, and for the principal events that followed, and the characteristics of the times, see sketch of Gov. Reynolds. The first we see in history concerning Mr. Ewing, in- forms us that he was a Receiver of Public Moneys at Vandalia soon after the organization of this State, and that the public moneys in his hands were deposited in various banks, as they are usually at the present day. In 1823 the State Bank was robbed, rjy which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand- dollar deposit. The subject of this sketch had a commission as Colonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies he acted also as Major. In the summer of 1832, when it was rumored among the whites that Black Hawk and his men had encamped somewhere on Rock River, Gen. Henry was sent on a tour of reconnoisance, and with orders to drive the Indians from the State. After some opposition from his subordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed up Rock River in search of the enemy. On the 19th of July, early in the morning, five baggage wagons, camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti- cles were piled up and left, so that the army might make speedy and forced marches. For some miles the travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swamps and the worst thickets; but the large, fresh trail gave life and animation to the Americans. Gen. Dodge and Col. Ewing were both acting as Majors, and composed the " spy corps " or vanguard of the army. It is supposed the army marched nearly 50 miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed became fresher, and was strewed with much property and trinkets of the red-skins that they had lost or thrown away to hasten their march. During the following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were thor- oughly drenched. On approaching nearer the Indians the next day. Gen. Dodge and Major Ewing, each commanding a battalion of men, were placed in front to bring on the battle, but the savages were not overtaken this day Forced marches were continued until they reached. Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued, resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's men. The next day they continued the chase, and as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians leading toward the Mississippi, Maj. Ewing formed his battalion in order of battle and awaited the order of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the ground and ordered a charge, which directly resulted in chasing the red warriors across the great river. Maj. Ewing and his command proved particularly efficient in war, as it seems they were the chief actors in driving the main body of the Sacs and Foxes, in- Si/ 4 A ^e: eA£« A£- 4*i^ Ijsm -3«€ O 1 V £.> tf :\§%m*. $*- — £r s ^ -MS §*t^£ > *3 2 JOSEPH DUNCAN. -*4* ^54i sss 4 1 s SB sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter had vetoed several important western measures which were dear to Mr. Duncan. In his inaugural message he threw off the mask and took a bold stand against the course of the President. The measures he recommended in his message, however, were so desirable that the Legislature, although by a large majority consisting of Jackson men, could not refrain from endorsing them. These measures related mainly to banks and internal improvements. It was while Mr. Duncan was Governor that the people of Illinois went whirling on with bank and in- ternal improvement schemes that well nigh bank- rupted the State. The hard times of 1837 came on, and the disasters that attended the inauguration of these plans and the operation of the banks were mu- tually charged upon the two political parties. Had any one man autocratic power to introduce and carry on any one of these measures, he would proba- bly have succeeded to the satisfaction of the public ; but as many jealous men had hold of the same plow handle, no success followed and each blamed the other for the failure. In this great vortex Gov. Duncan was carried along, suffering the like derogation of character with his fellow citizens. At the height of the excitement the Legislature " provided for " railroads from Galena to Cairo, Alton to Shawneetown, Alton to Mount Carmel, Alton to the eastern boundary of the State in the direction of Terre Haute, Quincy via Springfield to the Wabash, Bloomington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, — in all about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia, Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ; also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis- tributed to the various counties wherein no improve- ments were ordered to be made as above. The estimate for the expenses for all these projects was placed at a little over $10,000,000, which was not more than half enough ! That would now be equal to saddling upon the State a debt of $225,000,000 ! It was sufficient to bankrupt the State several times over, even counting all the possible benefits. One of the most exciting events that ever occurred in this fair State was the murder of Elijah P. Love- joy in the fall of 1837, at Alton, during Mr. Duncan's term as Governor. Lovejoy was an " Abolitionist," editing the Observer at that place, and the pro- slavery slums there formed themselves into a mob, and after destroying successively three presses be- longing to Mr. Lovejoy, surrounded the warehouse where the fourth press was stored away, endeavoring to destroy it, and where Lovejoy and his friends were entrenching themselves, and shot and killed the brave reformer! About this time, also, the question of removing the State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close. There was, of course, considerable excitement over the matter, the two main points competing for it be- ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat- ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully allayed. Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1838. In 1842 he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu- tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against Adam W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the Democrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi- date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died before the campaign had advanced very far, and his party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected, receiving 46,901 votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and 909 for Hunter. The cause of Democratic success at this time is mainly attributed to the temporary support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the want of any knowledge, on the part of the masses, that Mr. Ford was opposed to any given policy en- tertained in the respective localities. Gov. Duncan was a man of rather limited educa- tion, but with naturally fine abilities he profited greatly by his various public services, and gathered a store of knowledge regarding public affairs which served him a ready purpose. He possessed a clear judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral courage to carry out his convictions of right. In his deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira- tion of the people. His intercourse with them was both affable and dignified. His portrait at the Gov- ernor's mansion, from which the accompanying was made, represents him as having a swarthy complex- ion, high cheek bones, broad forehead, piercing black eyes and straight black hair. He was a liberal patron of the Illinois College at Jacksonville, a member of its Board of Trustees, and died, after a short illness, Jan. 15, 1844, a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church, leaving a wife but no children. Two children, born to them, had died in infancy. k ® (!) ¥*-■ — ©Avails **&■ V r @&> -&r4M&MWh 3J»c- 4*t§^ GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. pm tu^DK2>D 'll^^OiaElJiA > 35- ■ •* I ^s 1? ^pJ|pHOMAS CARLIN, the sixth Governor of the State of Illinois, serving from 1838 to 1842, was also a Ken- tuckian, being born near Frankfort, that State, July 18, 1789, of Irish paternity. The opportunities for an education being very meager in his native place, he, on approaching years of judgment and maturity, applied himself to those branches of learn- ing that seemed most important, and thus became a self-made man ; and his taste for reading and study remained with him through life. In 1803 his father removed to Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he died in 18 10. In 18 1 2 young Carlin came to Illinois and partici- pated in all the "ranging" service incident to the war of that period, proving himself a soldier of un- daunted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca Huitt, and lived for four years on the bank of the Mississippi River, opposite the mouth of the Mis- souri, where he followed farming, and then removed to Greene County. He located the town site of Car- rollton, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal donation of land for county building purposes. He was the first Sheriff of that county after its separate organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the Black Hawk War he commanded a spy battalion, a post of considerable danger. In 1834 he was ap- pointed by President Jackson to the position of Receiver of Public Moneys, and to fulfill the office more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy. While, in 1838, the unwieldy internal improvement system of the State was in full operation, with all its expensive machinery, amidst bank suspensions throughout the United States, a great stringency in the money market everywhere, and Illinois bonds forced to sale at a heavy discount, and the " hardest times " existing that the people of the Prairie State ever saw, the general election of State officers was approaching. Discreet men who had cherished the hope of a speedy subsidence of the public infatua- tion, met with disappointment. A Governor and Legislature were to be elected, and these were now looked forward to for a repeal of the ruinous State policy. But the grand scheme had not yet lost its dazzling influence upon the minds of the people. Time and experience had not yet fully demonstrated its utter absurdity. Hence the question of arresting its career of profligate expenditures did not become a leading one with the dominant party during the campaign, and most of the old members of the Leg- islature were returned at this election. Under these circumstances the Democrats, in State Convention assembled, nominated Mr. Carlin for the office of Governor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten- ant Governor, while the Whigs nominated Cyrus Ed- wards, brother of Ninian Edwards, formerly Governor, and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly for a continuance of the State policy, while Carlin remained non-committal. This was the first time that the two main political parties in this State were unembarrassed by any third party in the field. The result of the election was: Carlin, 35,573 ; Ander- son, 30,335; Edwards, 29,629; and Davidson, 28,- 7i.S- Upon the meeting of the subsequent Legislature (1839), the retiring Governor (Duncan) in his mes- 2s y < -3»£ &K*M$||U$4£ s^n : e-^OQ&IIIl^T THOMAS CARLIN. ■~^'^< V> L A v A. sage spoke in emphatic terms of the impolicy of the internal improvement system, presaging the evils threatened, and uiged that body to do their utmost to correct the great error ; yet, on the contrary, the Legislature not only decided to continue the policy but also added to its burden by voting more appro- priations and ordering more improvements. Although the money market was still stringent, a further loan of §4,000,000 was ordered for the Illinois & Mich- igan Canal alone. Chicago at that time began to loom up and promise to be an important city, even the great emporium of the West, as it has since in- deed came to be. Ex-Gov. Reynolds, an incompe- tent financier, was commissioned to effect the loan, and accordingly hastened to the East on this respons- ible errand, and negotiated the loans, at considera- ble sacrifice to the State. Besides this embarrassment to Carlin's administration, the Legislature also de- clared that he had no authority to appoint a Secretary of State until a vacancy existed, and A. P. Field, a Whig, who had already held the post by appointment through three administrations, was determined to keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car- lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in this regard, however, was finally sustained by the Supreme Court, in a quo warranto case brought up before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov- ernor had nominated for the office. Thereupon that dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!" endeavoring to establish the principle of life-tenure of office. A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici- ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B. Scates, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas — all Democrats. It was during Gov. Carlin's administration that the noisy campaign of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too " oc- curred, resulting in a Whig victory. This, however, did not affect Illinois politics very seriously. Another prominent event in the West during Gov. Carlin's term of office was the excitement caused by the Mormons and their removal from Independence, Mo., to Nauvoo, 111., in 1840. At the same time they began to figure somewhat in State politics. On account of their believing — as they thought, accord- ng to the New Testament — that they should have "all things common," and that consequently "all the earth " and all that is upon it were the" Lord's " and therefore the property of his " saints," they were suspected, and correctly, too, of committing many of the deeds of larceny, robbery, etc., that were so rife throughout this country in those days. Hence a feeling of violence grew up between the Mormons and "anti-Mormons." In the State of Missouri the Mormons always supported the Dem- ocracy until they were driven out by the Democratic government, when they turned their support to the Whigs. They were becoming numerous, and in the Legislature of 1840-1, therefore, it became a matter of great interest with both parties to conciliate these people. Through the agency of one John C. Ben- nett, a scamp, the Mormons succeeded in rushing through the Legislature (both parties not daring to oppose) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir- tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinate with the Fed- eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov. Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader, as a fugitive from justice. Gov. Carlin issued the writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved. It was again issued in 1842, and Smith was arrested, but was either rescued by his followers or discharged by the municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus. In December, T841, the Democratic Convention nominated Adam W. Snyder, of Belleville, for Gov- ernor. As he had been, as a member of the Legisla- ture, rather friendly to the Mormons, the latter naturally turned their support to the Democratic party. The next spring the Whigs nominated Ex- Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime the Mormons began to grow more odious to the masses of the people, and the comparative prospects of the respective parties for success became very problematical. Mr. Snyder died in May, and Thomas Ford, a Supreme Judge, was substituted as a candidate, and was elected. At the close of his gubernatorial term, Mr. Carlin removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where he spent the remainder of his life, as before his ele- vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 1849 he served out the unexpired term of J. D. Fry in the Illinois House of Representatives, and died Feb. 4, 1852, at his residence at Carrollton, leaving a wife and seven children. v c- 1 Vs^^f- ^€^ e^DDSDIfi^^© ^^^ 4^«^>N| < 'fS-uct^Z-sJ ". |jp^3$£a*fr» ^ &k S^IMD^^ ^&kr ) X ) j GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. Sp?^"**"' ©«a» Ford* -s o) L f£) o 'V 7 ) w»- -^<-«niis>^- 140 THOMAS FORD. TT 4>) ^ & $ w f % this gentleman, Mr. Ford turned his attention to the study of law; but Forquer, then merchandising, re- garding his education defective, sent him to Transyl- vania University, where, however, he remained but one term, owing to Forquer's failure in business. On his return he alternated his law reading with teach- ing school for support. In 1829 Gov. Edwards appointed him Prosecuting Attorney,^nd in 1831 he was re-appointed by Gov. Reynolds, and after that he was four times elected a Judge by the Legislature, without opposition, twice a Circuit Judge, once a Judge of Chicago, and as As- sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, when, in 1841, the latter tribunal was re-organized by the addition of five Judges, all Democrats. Ford was assigned to the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and while in this capacity he was holding Court in Ogle County he received a notice of his nomination by the Democratic Conven- tion for the office of Governor. He immediately re- signed his place and entered upon the canvass. In August, 1842, he was elected, and on the 8th of De- cember following he was inaugurated. All the offices which he had held were unsolicited by him. He received them upon the true Jefferson- ian principle, — Never to ask and never to refuse office. Both as a lawyer and as a Judge he stood deservedly high, but his cast of intellect fitted him rather for a writer upon law than a practicing advo- cate in the courts. In the latter capacity he was void of the moving Dower of eloquence, so necessary to success with juries. As a Judge his opinions were sound, lucid and able expositions of the law. In practice, he was a stranger to the tact, skill and in- sinuating address of the politician, but he saw through the arts of demagogues as well as any man. He was plain in his demeanor, so much so, indeed, that at one time after the expiration of his term of office, during a session of the Legislature, he was taken by a stranger to be a seeker for the position of door- keeper, and was waited upon at his hotel near mid- night by a knot of small office-seekers with the view of effecting a " combination ! " Mr. Ford had not the " brass " of the ordinary politician, nor that impetuosity which characterizes a political leader. He cared little for money, and hardly enough for a decent support. In person he was of small stature, slender, of dark complexion, with black hair, sharp features, deep-set eyes, a pointed, aquiline nose having a decided twist to one side, and a small mouth. The three most important events in Gov. Ford's administration were the establishment of the high financial credit of the State, the " Mormon War "and the Mexican War. In the first of these the Governor proved himself to be eminently wise. On coming into office he found the State badly paralyzed by the ruinous effects of the notorious "internal improvement" schemes of i i r k & &%&*&- -st^ @?*z^€?<^ -ev^DD&IID&V^ ^&sr E3 ■■fl" X (q\ GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 143 Augustus c. French. -«— s- jUGUSTUS C. FRENCH, Governor of Illinois from 1846 to 1852, was born in the town of Hill, in the State of New Hampshire, Aug. 2, 1808. He was a descendant in the fourth generation of Nathaniel French, who emigrated from England in 16S7 and settled in Saybury, Mass. In early life young French lost his father, but continued to receive in- struction from an exemplary and Christian mother until he was 19 years old, when she also died, confiding to his care and trust four younger broth- ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with parental devotion. His education in early life was such mainly as a common school afforded. For a brief period he attended Dartmouth College, but from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at Albion, Edwards County, where he established him- self in the practice of law. The following year he removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained eminence in his profession, and entered public life by representing that county in the Legislature. A strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste- phen A. Douglas. In 1839, Mr. French was appointed Receiver of the United States Land Office at Palestine, Craw- ford County, at which place he was a resident when elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1844 he was a Presidential Elector, and as such he voted for James K. Polk. The Democratic State Convention of 1846, meet- ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scates, Richard M. Young and A. W. Cavarly, — an array of very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per- haps defeated in the Convention by the rumor that he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi- dates were Lewis Ross, Win. McMurtry, Newton Cloud, J. B. Hamilton and W. W. Thompson. The resolutions declared strongly against the resuscita- tion of the old State Banks. The Whigs, who were in a hopeless minority, held their convention June 8, at Peoria, and selected Thomas M. Kilpatrick, of Scott County, for Governor, and Gen. Nathaniel G. Wilcox, of Schuyler, for Lieutenant Governor. In the campaign the latter exposed Mr. French's record and connection with the passage of the in- ternal improvement system, urging it against his election ; but in the meantime the war with Mexico broke out, regarding which the Whig record was un- popular in this State. The war was the absorbing and dominating question of the period, sweeping every other political issue in its course. The elec- tion in August gave Mr. French 58,700 votes, and Kilpatrick only 36,775. Richard Eells, Abolitionist candidate for the same office, received 5,152 votes. ■"AT * ? M^» •^ y g/^ ni 144 g&»- * 4 E3 E3 X AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH. By the new Constitution of 1848, a new election for State officers was ordered in November of that year, before Gov. French's term was half out, and he was re-elected for the term of four years. He was there- fore the incumbent for six consecutive years, the only Governor of this State who has ever served in that capacity so long at one time. As there was no organized opposition to his election, he received 67,- 453 votes, to 5,639 for Pierre Menard (son of the first Lieutenant Governor), 4,748 for Charles V. Dyer, 3,834 for W. L. D. Morrison, and 1,361 for James L. D. Morrison. But Wm. McMurtry, of Knox County, was elected Lieutenant Governor, in place of Joseph B. Wells, who was before elected and did not run again. Governor French was inaugurated into office dur- ing the progress of the Mexican War, which closed during the summer of 1847, although the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was not made until Feb. 2, 1S48. The policy of Gov. French's party was com- mitted to that war, but in connection with that affair he was, of course, only an administrative officer. During his term of office, Feb. 19, 1847, the Legisla- ture, by special permission of Congress, declared that all Government lands sold to settlers should be im- mediately subject to State taxation; before this they were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar- rangement the revenue was materially increased. About the same lime, the distribution of Government land warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty threw upon the market a great quantity of good lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State. The same Legislature authorized, with the recom- mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the first in the State and now a section of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific) It sold for $100,000 in bonds, although it had cost the State not less than a million. The salt wells and canal lands in the Saline reserve in Gallatin County, granted by the general Govern- ment to the State, were also authorized by the Governor to be sold, to apply on the State debt. In 1850, for the first time since 1S39, the accruing State revenue, exclusive of specific appropriations, was sufficient to meet the current demands upon the treasury. The aggregate taxable property of the State at this time was over $100,000,000, and the population 851,470. — =*©^ — ^-^raiif^ In 1S49 the Legislature adopted the township or- ganization law, which, however, proved defective, and was properly amended in 185 1. At its session in the latter year, the General Assembly also passed a law to exempt homesteads from sale on executions. This beneficent measure had been repeatedly urged upon that body by Gov. French. In 1850 some business men in St. Louis com- menced to build a dike opposite the lower part of their city on the Illinois side, to keep the Mississippi in its channel near St. Louis, instead of breaking away from them as it sometimes threatened to do. This they undertook without permission from the Legislature or Executive authority of this State ; and as many of the inhabitants there complained that the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re- sulting in favor of the St. Louis project ; and since then a good site has existed there for a city (East St. Louis), and now a score of railroads center there. It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, which constituted the most important epoch in the railroad — we might say internal improvement — his tory of the State. The road was rushed on to pletion, which accelerated the settlement of the in- terior of the State by a good class of industrious citi- zens, and by the charter a good income to the State Treasury is paid in from the earnings of the road. & $1 com- f In 1851 the Legislature passed a law authorizing free stock banks, which was the source of much leg- islative discussion for a number of years. But we have not space further to particularize concerning legislation. Gov. French's administra- tion was not marked by any feature to be criticised, while the country was settling up as never before. In stature, Gov. French was of medium height, squarely built, light complexioned, with ruddy face and pleasant countenance. In manners he was plain and agreeable. By nature he was somewhat diffident, but he was often very outspoken in his con- ; victions of duty. In public speech he was not an orator, but was chaste, earnest and persuasive. In business he was accurate and methodical, and in his administration he kept up the credit of the State. He died in 1865, at his home in Lebanon, St. Clair Co., 111. *%&*. $jhf t&yQ&W © GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 147 I — r ® 4 f r4S Y^rj^f JOEL A. MATTESON. ■^^mi greed for office, unwilling to represent his district under the circumstances, immediately resigned his unexpired term of two years. A bill was passed in a few hours ordering a new election, and in ten days' time Mr. Matteson was returned re-elected and took his seat as Senator. From his well-known capacity as a business man, he was made Chairman of the Committee on Finance, a position he held during this half and two full succeeding Senatorial terms, discharging its important duties with ability and faith- fulness. Besides his extensive woolen-mill interest, when work was resumed on the canal under the new loan of $r, 600,000 he again became a heavy con- tractor, and also subsequently operated largely in building railroads. Thus he showed himself a most energetic and thorough business man. He was nominated for Governor by the Demo- cratic State Convention which met at Springfield April 20, 1852. Other candidates before the Con- vention were D. L. Gregg and F. C. Sherman, of Cook; John Dement, of Lee ; Thomas L. Harris, of Menard; Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton ; and D. P. Bush, of Pike. Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair, was nom- inated for Lieutenant Governor. For the same offices the Whigs nominated Edwin B. Webb and Dexter A. Knowlton. Mr. Matteson received 80,645 votes at the election, while Mr. Webb received 64,408. Mat- teson's forte was not on the stump; he had not cul- tivated the art of oily flattery, or the faculty of being all things to all men. His intellectual qualities took rather the direction of efficient executive ability. His turn consisted not so much in the adroit manage- ment of party, or the powerful advocacy of great gov- ernmental principles, as in those more solid and enduring operations which cause the physical devel- opment and advancement of a State, — of commerce and business enterprise, into which he labored with success to lead the people. As a politician he was just and liberal in his views, and both in official and private life he then stood untainted and free from blemish. As a man, in active benevolence, social virtues and all the amiable qualities of neighbor or citizen, he had few superiors. His messages present a perspicuous array of facts as to the condition of the State, and are often couched in forcible and elegant diction. The greatest excitement during his term of office was the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, by Con- ■^^ ^ Q/^ nngnii&A^ — ^c^ gress, under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas in 1854, when the bill was passed organizing the Terri- tory of Kansas and Nebraska. A large portion of the Whig party of the North, through their bitter op- position to the Democratic party, naturally drifted into the doctrine of anti-slavery, and thus led to what was temporarily called the "Anti-Nebraska" party, while the followers of Douglas were known as " Ne- braska or Douglas Democrats." It was during this embryo stage of the Republican party that Abraham Lincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska" candidate for the United States Senatorship, while Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-nom- inated by the Democrats. But after a few ballotings in the Legislature (1855), these men were dropped, and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson, then Governor, by the latter. On the nth ballot Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac- cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson's term expired, the Republicans were fully organized as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a full national and State ticket, carrying the State, but not the nation. The Legislature of 1855 passed two very import- ant measures, — the present free-school system and a submission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the people. The latter was defeated by a small majority of the popular vote. During the four years of Gov. Matteson's admin- istration the taxable wealth of the State was about trebled, from $137,818,079 to $349,951,272; the pub- lic debt was reduced from $17,398,985 to $12,843,- 144; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the State resumed paying interest on its debt in New York as fast as it fell due; railroads were increased in their mileage from something less than 400 to about 3,000 ; and the population of Chicago was nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad- rupled. Before closing this account, we regret that we have to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an upright man and a good Governor, was implicated in a false re-issue of redeemed canal scrip, amount- ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon Cir- cuit Court the State recovered the principal and all the interest excepting $27,500. He died in tiye winter of 1872-3, at Chicago. ft y® k -6*»«?BII®lllfc^S-- GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. -§*©*©>■ _-=* i '■: i 1 : i 1 .: i' : i 1 .- .ry i- ; .'.a.'.v i'^)' .- <■ .'v."! 1 .■"■:■■ :■"..'. v.y\.vv.y-w.Tvv.v;,y;.y\,v^y-;,v^^.'H :< -«~s- ^ ILLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov- ernor 1857-60, was born 1 April 25, 181 r, in the State of New York, near Painted Post, Yates County. His parents were obscure, honest, God-fearing people, w ho reared their children under the daily example of industry and frugality, accord- ing to the custom of that class of Eastern society. Mr. Bissell received a respecta- le but not thorough academical education. By assiduous application he acquired a knowledge of medicine, and in his early manhood came West and located in Mon- roe County, this State, where he engaged in the practice of that profession. But he was not enam- ored of his calling: he was swayed by a broader ambition, to such an extent that the mysteries of the healing art and its arduous duties failed to yield him further any charms. In a few years he discovered his choice of a profession to be a mistake, and when he approached the age of 30 he sought to begin anew. Dr. Bissell, no doubt unexpectedly to him- self, discovered a singular facility and charm of speech, the exercise of which acquired for him a ready local notoriety. It soon came to be under- stood that he desired to abandon his profession and take up that of the law. During terms of Court he would spend his time at the county seat among the members of the Bar, who extended to him a ready welcome. It was not strange, therefore, that he should drift into public life. In 1840 he was elected as a Dem- ocrat to the Legislature from Monroe County, and was an efficient member of that body. On his re- turn home he qualified himself for admission to the Bar and speedily rose to the front rank as an advo- cate. His powers of oratory were captivating. With a pure diction, charming and inimitable gestures, clearness of statement, and a remarkable vein of sly humor, his efforts before a jury told with irresistible effect. He was chosen by the Legislature Prosecut- ing Attorney for the Circuit in which he lived, and in that position he fully discharged his duty to the State, gained the esteem of the Bar, and seldom failed to convict the offender of the law. In stature he was somewhat tall and slender, and with a straight, military bearing, he presented a dis- tinguished appearance. His complexion was dark, his head well poised, though not large, his address pleasant and manner winning. He was exemplary in his habits, a devoted husband and kind parent. He was twice married, the first time to Miss James, m ^f 98 - _^_v 4mmw>*<& — ^^^ A ® © ( -«a 'if, [52 "^rfojr^" "Cr v4>MMHr>r o- "^* : X',.-' ^c® WILLIAM H. BISSELL. b of Monroe County, by whom he had two children, both daughters. She died soon after the year 1S40, and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter of Elias K. Kane, previously a United States Senator from this State. She survived him but a short time, and died without issue. When the war with Mexico was declared in 1 846, Mr. Bissell enlisted and was elected Colonel of his regiment, over Hon. Don Morrison, by an almost unanimous vote,— 7807 to 6. Considering the limited opportunities he had had, he evinced a high order of military talent. On the bloody field of Buena Vista he acquitted himself with intrepid and distinguished ability, contributing with his regiment, the Second Illinois, in no small degree toward saving the waver- ing fortunes of our arms during that long and fiercely contested battle. After his return home, at the close of the war, he was elected to Congress, his opponents being the Hons. P. B. Fouke and Joseph Gillespie. He served two terms in Congress. He was an ardent politician. During the great contest of 1850 he voted in favor of the adjustment measures; but in 1854 he opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise act and therefore the Kansas-Nebraska bill of Douglas, and thus became identified with the nascent Republican party. During his first Congressional term, while the Southern members were following their old practice of intimidating the North by bullying language, and claiming most of the credit for victories in the Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern troops ; whereupon Davis challenged Bissell to a duel, which was accepted. This matter was brought up against Bissell when he was candidate for Governor and during his term of office, as the Constitution of this State forbade any duelist from holding a State office. In 1856, when the Republican party first put forth a candidate, John C. Fremont, for President of the United States, the same party nominated Mr. Bissell for Governor of Illinois, and John Wood, of Quincy, for Lieutenant Governor, while the Democrats nomi- nated Hon. W. A. Richardson, of Adams County, for Governor, and Col. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook County, for Lieutenant Governor. The result of the election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard- son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal- anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor. His message to the Legislature was short and rather ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup- posed obligations of the people to the incorporators of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re- opening the slavery question by allusions to the Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion- ment bill, based upon the State census of 1855, was passed, amid much partisan strife. The Governor at first signed the bill and then vetoed it. A furious debate followed, and the question whether the Gov- ernor had the authority to recall a signature was referred to the Courts, that of last resort deciding in favor of the Governor. Two years afterward another outrageous attempt was made for a re-apportionment and to gerrymander the State, but the Legislature failed to pass the bill over the veto of the Governor. It was during Gov. Bissell's administration that the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light, implicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent State officials. The principal and interest, aggregat- ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except- ing $27,500. (See sketch of Gov. Matteson.) In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu- lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a million dollars. The State Government was impli- cated in this affair, and to this day remains unex- plained or unatoned for. For the above, and other matters previously mentioned, Gov. Bissell has been severely criticised, and he has also been most shame- fully libelled and slandered. On account of exposure in the army, the remote cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance into his system and eventually developed paraplegia, affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco- motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste- rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18, i860, over nine months before the expiration of his gubernatorial term, at the early age of 48 years. He died in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, of which he had been a member since 1854. VI V t) (!) f - t %g&fc *€Z* @7^IKlltl3>A^- cX-^ *fa ^1*2^ GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. V % ; i ^fe'Mi fi OHN WOOD , Governor 1 860-1, and the first settler of Quincy, 111., was born in the town of Sempro- nius (now Moravia), Cayuga Co., N. Y., Dec. 20, 1798. He was the second child and only son of Dr. Daniel Wood. His mother, nee Catherine Crause, was of German parentage, and died while he was an infant. Dr. Wood was a learned and skillful physician, of classical attain- ments and proficient in several modern languages, who, after serving throughout the Revolu- tionary War as a Surgeon, settled on the land granted him by the Government, and resided there a re- spected and leading influence in his section until his death, at the ripe age of 92 years. The subject of this sketch, impelled by the spirit of Western adventure then pervading everywhere, left nis home, Nov. 2, 1818, and passed the succeed- ing winter in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following sum- mer he pushed on to Illinois, landing at Shawneetown. and spent the fall and following winter in Calhoun County. In 1820, in company with Willard Keyes, he settled in Pike County, about 30 miles southeast of Quincy, where for ^he next two years he pursued farming. In 1821 he visited "the Bluffs" (as the present site of Quincy was called, then uninhabited) and, pleased with its prospects, soon after purchased a quarter-section of land near by, and in the follow- ing fall (1822) erected near the river a small cabin, 18 x 20 feet, the first building in Quincy, of which he then became the first and for some months the only occupant. About this time he visited his old friends in Pike County, chief of whom was William Ross, the lead- ing man in building up the village of Atlas, of that county, which was thought then to be the possible commencement of a city. One day they and others were traveling together over the country between the two points named, making observations on the com- parative merits of the respective localities. On ap- proaching the Mississippi near Mr. Wood's place, the latter told his companions to follow him and he would show them where he was going to build a city. They went about a mile off the main trail, to a high point, from which the view in every direction was most magnificent, as it had been for ages and as yet untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept by the majestic Father of Waters, yet unburdened by navigation. After Mr. Wood had expatiated at length on the advantages of the situation, Mr. Ross replied, "But it's too near Atlas ever to amount to anything!" Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is a city of over 30,000 population. In 1824 Mr. Wood gave a newspaper notice, as the law then prescribed, of his intention to apply to the General Assembly for the formation of a new county. This was done the following winter, result- ing in the establishment of the present Adams County. During the next summer Quincy was se- lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then containing but four adult male residents and half As &* ■ '* A 0) t\&i -^^ ^T^Dfl&llfl&A^ — ^g^n. -;m f^ Vc) JOHN WOOD. m Co $ that number of females. Since that period Mr. Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un- til his death, and far more than any other man was he identified with every measure of its progress and history, and almost continuously kept in public posi- tions. He was one of the early town Trustees, and after the place became a city he was often a member of the City Council, many times elected Mayor, in the face of a constant large opposition political majority. In 1850 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1856, on the organization of the Republican party, he was chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the death of the latter, March 18, i860, he succeeded to the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until Gov. Yates was inaugurated nearly ten months after- ward. Nothing very marked characterized the adminis- tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam- paign of i860, resulting in the election of the honest Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the United States, occurred during the short period while Mr. Wood was Governor, and the excitement and issues of that struggle dominated over every other consideration, — indeed, supplanted them in a great measure. The people of Illinois, during all that time, were passing the comparatively petty strifes under Bissell's administration to the overwhelming issue of preserving the whole nauon from destruction. ( In 186 1 ex-Gov. Wood was one of the five Dele- gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at Washington, and in April of the same year, on the breaking out of the Rebellion, he was appointed Quartermaster-General of the State, which position he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com- mand as Colonel of the 137th m - Vol. Inf., with whom he served until the period of enlistment ex- pired. Politically, Gov. Wood was always actively identi- fied with the Whig and Republican parties. Few men have in personal experience comprehended so many surprising and advancing local changes as vested in the more than half century recollections of Gov. Wood. Sixty-four years ago a solitary settler on the "Bluffs," with no family, and no neighbor within a score of miles, the world of civilization away behind him, and the strolling red-man almost his only visitant, he lived to see growing around him, and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in beauty, prosperity and promise; whose people recog- nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and liberality that attach to the name and lengthened life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor." Gov. Wood was twice married,— first in January, 1826, to Ann M. Streeter, daughterof Joshua Streeter, formerly of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. They had eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in June, 1865, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4, 1880, at his residence in Quincy. Four of his eight children are now living, namely: Ann E., wife of Gen. John Tillson; Daniel C, who married Mary J. Abernethy; John, Jr., who married Josephine Skinner, and Joshua S., who married Annie Bradley. The last mentioned now resides at Atchison, Kansas, and all the rest are still at Quincy. i *V ; >k> -K# K@)^v| ^v^Msmii^v^ — ?mK GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 4- HCHARD YATES, the "War Governor," 1 86 1-4, was born Jan. 18, 1818, on the banks of the Ohio River, at Warsaw, Gallatin Co., Ky. His father ^ moved in 1831 to Illinois, and after stopping for a time in Springfield, settled at Island Grove, Sangamon County. Here, after attending school, Richard joined the family. Subsequently he entered t V^tt? Illinois College at Jacksonville, JlW?£1l* where, in 1837, he graduated with first honors. He chose for his pro- fession the law, the Hon. J. J. Har- din being his instructor. After ad- mission to the Bar he soon rose to distinction as an advocate. Gifted with a fluent and ready oratory, he soon appeared in the political hustings, and, being a passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the West, Henry Clay, he joined his political fortunes to the party of his idol. In 1 840 he engaged with great ardor in the exciting " hard cider " campaign for Harrison. Two years later he was elected to the Legislature from Morgan County, a Democratic stronghold. He served three or four terms in the Legislature, and such was the fascination of his ora- tory that by 1850 his large Congressional District, extending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties north to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him the Whig nomination for Congress. His Democratic opponent was Maj. Thomas L. Harris, a very pop- ular man who had won distinction at the battle of Cerro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had beaten Hon. Stephen T. Logan for the same position, h s^s — %^mw&*& — ^ two years before, by a large majority. Yates was elected. Two years later he was re-elected, over John Calhoun. It was during Yates' second term in Congress that the great question of the repeal of the Missouri Com- promise was agitated, and the bars laid down for re- opening the dreaded anti-slavery question. He took strong grounds against the repeal, and thus became identified with the rising Republican party. Conse- quently he fell into the minority in his district, which was pro-slavery. Even then, in a third contest, he fell behind Major Harris only 200 votes, after the district had two years before given Pierce 2,000 majority for President. The Republican State Convention of i860 met at Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov- ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B. Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming- ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were also candidates before the Convention. Francis A. Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated for Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr. Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re- membered as characterized by the great whirlpool which precipitated the bloody War of the Rebellion. The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen of Crawford County, for Governor, and Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear- ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr. Yates 172,196 votes, and Mr. Allen 159,253. Mr. Yates received over a thousand more votes than did Mr. Lincoln himself. Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the V© c=z w e»^f- g®»- I r '4 A 160 RICHARD YATES. most critical period of our country's history. In the fate of the nation was involved that of each State. The life struggle of the former derived its sustenance from the loyalty of the latter; and Gov. Yates seemed to realize the situation, and proved himself both loyal and wise in upholding the Government. He had a deep hold upon the affections of the people, won by his moving eloquence and genial manners. Erect and symmetrical in person, of pre- possessing appearance, with a winning address and a magnetic power, few men possessed more of the ele- ments of popularity. His oratory was scholarly and captivating, his hearers hardly knowing why they were transported. He was social and convivial. In the latter respect he was ultimately carried too far. The very creditable military efforts of this State during the War of the Rebellion, in putting into the field the enormous number of about 200,000 soldiers, were ever promptly and ably seconded by his excel- lency ; and the was ambitious to deserve the title of "the soldier's friend." Immediately after the battleof Shiloh he repaired to the field of carnage to look after the wounded, and his appeals for aid were promptly responded to by the people. His procla- mations calling for volunteers were impassionate appeals, urging upon the people the duties and re- quirements of patriotism ; and his special message in 1863 to the Democratic Legislature of this State pleading for material aid for the sick and wounded soldiers of Illinois regiments, breathes a deep fervor of noble sentiment and feeling rarely equaled in beauty or felicity of expression. Generally his mes- sages on political and civil affairs were able and com- prehensive. During his administration, however, there were no civil events of an engrossing character, although two years of his time were replete with partisan quarrels of great bitterness. Military ar- rests, Knights of the Golden Circle, riot in Fulton County, attempted suppression of the Chicago Times and the usurping State Constitutional Convention of 1862, were the chief local topics that were exciting during the Governor's term. This Convention assem- bled Jan. 7, and at once took the high position that the law calling it was no longer binding, and that it had supreme power; that it represented a virtual assemblage of the whole people of the State, and was sovereign in the exercise of all power necessary to effect a peaceable revolution of the State Government and to the re-establishment of one for the "happiness, prosperity and freedom of the citizens," limited only by the Federal Constitution. Notwithstanding the law calling the Convention required its members to take an oath to support the Constitution of the State as well as that of the general Government, they utterly refused to take such oath. They also as- sumed legislative powers and passed several import- ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present executive duties, Gov. Yates was provoked to tell them plainly that " he did not acknowledge the right of the Convention to instruct him in the performance of his duty." In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after a recess, met June 2, that year, and soon began to waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and, while the two houses were disagreeing upon the question of adjourning sine die, the Governor, having the authority in such cases, surprised them all by adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the first Monday in January, 1865 !" This led to great excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the Governor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive abuse for weeks and months afterward. During the autumn of 1864 a conspiracy was de- tected at Chicago which had for its object the liber- ation of the prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, the burning of the city and the inauguration of rebellion in the North. Gen. Sweet, who had charge of the camp at the time, first had his suspicions of danger aroused by a number of enigmatically worded letters which passed through the Camp postoffice. A de- tective afterward discovered that the rebel Gen. Marmaduke was in the city, under an assumed name, and he, with other rebel officers — Grenfell, Morgan, Cantrell, Buckner Morris, and Charles Walsh — was arrested, most of whom were convicted by a court-martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to imprisonment, — -Grenfell to be hung. The sentence of the latter was afterward commuted to imprison- ment for life, and all the others, after nine months' imprisonment, were pardoned. In March, 1873, Gov. Yates was appointed a Gov- ernment Director of the Union Pacific Railroad, in which office he continued until his decease, at St. Louis, Mo., on the 27th of November following. % $ A @ ® <•> f£) t ■^5^ ftj-Qa if f^$K ■m;^ ^^VfH (g) /N b (® 3 ^"/nUCHARD J. OGLESBY, Gov- ernor 1865-8, and re-elected in 1872 and 1884, was born July 25, 1824, in Oldham Co., Ky., — the State which might be considered the " mother of Illinois Governors." Bereft of his parents at the tender age of eight years, his early education was neglected. When 12 years of age, and after he had worked a year and a half at the carpenter's trade, he removed with an uncle, Willis t- ^>J[ Oglesby, into whose care he had been committed, to Decatur, this State, where he continued his ap- a mechanic, working six months for Hon. E. O. Smith. In 1844 he commenced studying law at Spring- field, with Judge Silas Robbins, and read with him one year. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845, and commenced the practice of his chosen profession at Sullivan, the county seat of Moultrie County. The next year the war with Mexico was com- menced, and in June, 1846, Mr. Oglesby volunteered, was elected First Lieutenant of Co. C, Fourth Illinois Regiment of Volunteers, and participated in the bat- tles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. On his return he sought to perfect his law studies by attending a course of lectures at Louisville, but on the breaking out of the California "gold fever " in 1849, lie crossed the plains and mountains to the new Eldorado, driving a six-mule team, with a com- prenticeship as pany of eight men, Henry Prather being the leader. In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticket of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe, Asia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his return home he resumed the practice of law, as a member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby. In 1858 he was the Republican nominee .for the Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the Hon. James C. Robinson, Democrat. In i860 he was elected to the Illinois State Senate; and on the evening the returns of this election were coming in, Mr. Oglesby had a fisticuff encounter with " Cerro Gordo Williams," in which he came out victorious, and which was regarded as " the first fight of the Rebellion." The following spring, when the war had commenced in earnest, his ardent nature quickly responded to the demands of patriotism and he enlisted. The extra session of the Legislature elected him Colonel of the Eighth Illinois Infantry, the second one in the State raised to suppress the great Rebellion. He was shortly entrusted with important com- mands. For a time he was stationed at Bird's Point and Cairo; in April he was promoted Brigadier Gen- eral ; at Fort Donelson his brigade was in the van, being stationed on the right of General Grant's army and the first brigade to be attacked. He lost 500 men before re-inforcements arrived. Many of these men were from Macon County. He was engaged in the battle of Corinth, and, in a brave charge at this place, was shot in the left lung with an ounce ball, and was carried from the field in expectation of im- / A cD @^llt»3>A^- |K/®)$^f"~ c T P /~s A WN I 164 RICHARD J. OGLESBY. -^ t ^y- r^ 1 mediate death. That rebel ball he carries to this day. On his partial recovery he was promoted as Major General, for gallantry, his commission to rank from November, 1862. In the spring of 1S63 he was assigned to the command of the 16th Army- Corps, but, owing to inability from the effects of his wound, he relinquished this command in July, that year. Gen. Grant, however, refused to accept his resignation, and he was detailed, in December follow- ing, to court-martial and try the Surgeort General of the Army at Washington, where he remained until May, 1864, when he returned home. The Republican, or Union, State Convention of 1864 was held at Springfield, May 25, when Mr. Oglesby was nominated for the office of Governor, while other candidates before the Convention were Allen C. Fuller, of Boone, Jesse K. Dubois, of Sanga- mon, and John M. Palmer, of Macoupin. Wm. Bross, of Chicago, was nominated for Lieutenant Governor. On the Democratic State ticket were James C. Robinson, of Clark, for Governor, and S. Corning Judd, of Fulton, for Lieutenant Governor. The general election gave Gen. Oglesby a majority of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a majority in both the Legislature and in the repre- sentation in Congress. Gov. Oglesby was duly inaugurated Jan. 17, T865. The day before the first time set for his installation death visited his home at Decatur, and took from it his only son, an intelligent and sprightly lad of six years, a great favorite of the bereaved parents. This caused the inauguration to be postponed a week. The political events of the Legislative session of 1865 were the election of ex-Gov. Yates to the United States Senate, and the ratification of the r3th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, abolishing slavery. This session also signalized itself by repealing the notorious " black laws," part of which, although a dead letter, had held their place upon the statute books since 181 9. Also, laws re- quiring the registration of voters, and establishing a State Board of Equalization, were passed by this Leg- islature. But the same body evinced that it was cor- ruptly influenced by a mercenary lobby, as it adopted some bad legislation, over the Governor's veto, nota- bly an amendment to a charter for a Chicago horse railway, granted in 1S59 for 25 years, and now sought to be extended 99 years. As this measure was promptly passed over his veto by both branches of the Legislature, he deemed it useless further to attempt to check their headlong career. At this session no law of a general useful character or public interest was perfected, unless we count such the turning over of the canal to Chicago to be deepened. The session of 1867 was still more productive of private and special acts. Many omnibus bills were proposed, and some passed. The contests over the location of the Industrial College, the Capital, the 5 Southern Penitentiary, and the canal enlargement and Illinois River improvement, dominated every- thing else. During the year 1872, it became evident that if the Republicans could re-elect Mr. Oglesby to the office of Governor, they could also elect him to the United States Senate, which they desired to do. Accordingly they re-nominated him for the Execu- tive chair, and placed upon the ticket with him for Lieutenant Governor, John L. Beveridge, of Cook County. On the other side the Democrats put into the field Gustavus Koerner for Governor and John C. Black for Lieutenant Governor. The election gave the Republican ticket majorities ranging from 35'334 t0 56,174, — the Democratic defection being caused mainly by their having an old-time Whig and Abolitionist, Horace Greeley, on the national ticket for President. According to the general understand- ing had beforehand, as soon as the Legislature met it elected Gov. Oglesby to the United States Senate, whereupon Mr. Beveridge became Governor. Sena- tor Oglesby 's term expired March 4, 1879, having served his party faithfully and exhibited an order of statesmanship beyond criticism. During the campaign of 1S84 Mr. Oglesby was nominated for a " third term " as Executive of the State of Illinois, against Carter H. Harrison, Mayor of Chicago, nominated by the Democrats. Both gentlemen '.'stumped " the State, and while the peo- ple elected a Legislature which was a tie on a joint ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of i5,or8 for Gov- ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on account of its equal division between the two main parties and the consequent desperate tactics of each party to checkmate the latter in the organization of the House. Gov. Oglesby is a fine-appearing, affable man, with regular, well defined features and rotund face. In stature he is a little above medium height, of a large frame and somewhat fleshy. His physical appear- ance is striking and prepossessing, while his straight- out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are well calculated favorably to impress the average masses. Ardent in feeling and strongly committed to the pol- icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism among Republicans, while at the same time his jovial and liberal manner prevents those of the opposite party from hating him. He is quite an effective stump orator. With vehe- ment, passionate and scornful tone and gestures, tremendous physical power, which in speaking he exercises to the utmost ; with frequent descents to the grotesque; and with abundant homely compari- sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest vernacular and enforced with stentorian emphasis, he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure. I. m x=z < (!) 4> _^vu £»l!IH^£ — #^f (LJ^t^ ■V ^>>v\. fc); £0 VER IVORS OF ILLINOIS. >WTa.. :^f^V< i6 7 = @) 4^ John M. Palmer II © 6 ^T> ->S— *— o<**H»!>-5g»»- *< » • jjOHN Mc AULEY PALMER, Gov- Ikv** ernor 1869-72, was bom on Eagle Creek, Scott Co., Ky., Sept. 13, 18 1 7. During his in- fancy, his father, who had been ', a soldier in the war of 181 2, re- moved to Christian Co., Ky., where lands were cheap. Here the future Governor of the great Prairie State spent his childhood i» and received such meager school- ing as the new and sparsely set- tled country afforded. To this he added materially by diligent reading, for which he evinced an eaily aptitude. His father, an ardent Jackson man, was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 1831 he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County. Here the labor of improving a farm was pursued for about two years, when the death of Mr. Palmer's mother broke up the family. About this time Alton College was opened, on the "manual labor " system, and in the spring of 1834 young Palmer, with his elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained 18 months. Next, for over three years, he tried variously coopering, peddling and school-teaching. During the summer of 1838 he formed the ac- quaintance of Stephen A. Douglas, then making his first canvass for Congress. Young, eloquent and in political accord with Mr. Palmer, he won his confi- dence, fired his ambition and fixed his purpose. The following winter, while teaching near Canton, he be- gan to devote his spare time to a desultory reading of law, and in the spring entered a law office at Car- linville, making his home with his elder brother, Elihu. (The latter was a learned clergyman, of con- siderable orginality of thought and doctrine.) On the next meeting of the Supreme Court he was ad- mitted to the Bar, Douglas being one of his examiners. He was not immediately successful in his profession, and would have located elsewhere than Carlinville had he the requisite means. Thus his early poverty was a blessing in disguise, for to it he now attributes the success of his life. From 1839 on, while he diligently pursued his profession, he participated more or less in local politics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. In 1847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con- vention, where he took a leading part. In 1852 he was elected to the State Senate, and at the special session of February, 1854, true to the anti-slavery sentiments bred in him, he took a firm stand in op- position to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise; and when the Nebraska question became a party issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for the Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuing a circular to that effect. A few weeks afterward, h ft *Sf < —^ 4^^./- * ! f 4 168 ^v^tm^no^^ rr ^%&y$$; JOHN MC AULEY PALMER. however, hesitating to break with his party, he par- ticipated in a Congressional Convention which nomi- T. L. Harris against Richard Yates, and which unqualifiedly approved the principles of the Kansas- Nebraska act. But later in the campaign he made the plunge, ran for the Senate as an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, and was elected. The following winter he put in nomination for the ^United States Senate Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their support and elected their man. In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in 1859, but was defeated. In i860 he was Republican Presidential Elector for the State at large. In 1861 he was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re- publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at Washington. When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the 14th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the engagements at Island No. 10; at Farmington, where he skillfully extricated his command from a dangerous position ; at Stone River, where his division for several hours, Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major General; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's divisions for two hours maintained their position when they were cut off by overpowering numbers. Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the 14th Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign. At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as- signed to the military administration of Kentucky, which was a delicate post. That State was about half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves. He, who had been bred to the rules of common law, trembled at the contemplation of his extraordinary power over the persons and property of his fellow men, with which he was vested in his capacity as military Governor; and he exhibited great caution in the execution of the duties of his post. Gen. Palmer was nominated for Governor of Illi- nois by the Republican State Convention which met at Peoria May 6, 1868, and his nomination would probably have been made by acclamation had he not persistently declared that he could not accept a can- didature for the office. The result of the ensuing election gave Mr. Palmer a majority of 44,707 over John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee. On the meeting of the Legislature in January, 1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was that portion of the Governor's message which took broad State's rights ground. This and some minor points, which were more in keeping with the Demo- cratic sentiment, constituted the entering wedge f jr the criticisms and reproofs he afterward received from the Republican party, and ultimately resulted in his entire aleniation from the latter element. The Legislature just referred to was noted for the intro- duction of numerous bills in the interest of private parties, which were embarrassing to the Governor. Among the public acts passed was that which limited railroad charges for passenger travel to a maximum of three cents per mile ; and it was passed over the Governor's veto. Also, they passed, over his veto, the " tax-grabbing law " to pay railroad subscriptions, the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The new State Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a peaceful " revolution" which took place during Gov. Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the great Chicago Fire of October, 187 t, was greatly alleviated by the prompt responses of his excellency. Since the expiration of Gov. Palmers 's term, he has been somewhat prominent in Illinois politics, and has been talked of by many, especially in the Dem- ocratic party, as the best man in the State for a United States Senator. His business during life has been that of the law. Few excel him in an accurate appreciation of the depth and scope of its principles. The great number of his able veto messages abun- dantly testify not only this but also a rare capacity to point them out. He is a logical and cogent reasoner and an interesting, forcible and convincing speaker, though not fluent or ornate. Without brilliancy, his dealings are rather with facts and ideas than with appeals to passions and prejudices. He is a patriot and a statesman of very high order. Physically he is above the medium height, of robust frame, ruddy complexion and sanguine-nervous temperament. He has a large cranial development, is vivacious, social in disposition, easy of approach, unostentatious in his habits of life, democratic in his habits and manners and is a true American in his fundamental principles of statesmanship. c 6 % s®)^^! 9 •*o* — £t^q n® hik^^ «SS&?' **"\ A ^0^, CTT^U^ oC^ /^t^^u^f §8ff/^?** »€^s: ^umm*^ GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. % 1 ."..v..'rvv.,'i - ..v.,v fel^ pif ¥if ■-• i'v 'i | .;-i'.. , :i'.. , :i'..-i' : ■i»wi'-"i'd'.. , 'i | ■■' ■' ■■' v ■■' •>>:■ '.■'. •.■■ '..'i •.■'!■ •., | r'..'i ,, .,'»"..'i'-..v. l v.iV.,v.,v.,' OHN LOWRiE BEVER- IDGE, Governor 187 3-6, was born in the town of Green- wich, Washington Co., N. Y., July 6, 1824. His parents were George and Ann Bever- idge. His father's parents, An- drew and Isabel Beveridge, be- fore their marriage emigrated from Scotland just before the Revolutionary War, settling in Washington County. His father was the eldest of eight brothers, the youngest of whom was 60 years of age when the first one of the num- ber died. His mother's parents, James and Agnes Hoy, emigrated from Scotland at the close of the Revolutionary War, settling also in jy Washington Co., N. Y., with their first-born, whose " native land " was the wild ocean. His parents and grandparents lived beyond the time allotted to man, their average age being over 80 years. They belonged to the " Asso- ciate Church," a seceding Presbyterian body of 4— America from the old Scotch school; and so rigid was the training of young Beveridge that he never heard a sermon from any other minister except that of his own denomination until he was in his 19th year. Later in life he became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still holds. Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed- ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood only by rigid economy and industry, could not send him away to college. He was raised upon a farm, and was in his 18th year when the family removed to De Kalb County, this State, when that section was very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000 inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a farm laborer, teaching school during the winter months to supply the means of an education. In the fall of 1842 he attended one term at the academy at Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris, Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At this time, the fall of 1845, his parents and brothers were anxious to have him go to college, even though he had not money sufficient; but, njt willing to bur- den the family, he packed his trunk and with only $40 in money started South to seek his fortune. •fv (i) (? r 1 3 ^<^Nli 172 - — , ^ : ~3^^ d fl^ n n > ^"t^t^- -ee* JOHN L. BEVERIDGE. >^®\ v^ Poor, alone, without friends and influence, he thus entered upon the battle of life. First, he taught school in Wilson, Overton and Jackson Cos., Tenn., in which experience he under- went considerable mental drill, both in book studies and in the ways of the world. He read law and was admitted to the Bar, in the South, but did not learn to love the institution of slavery, although he ad- mired many features of Southern character. In De- cember, T847, he returned North, and Jan. 20, 1848, he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in the old Clark- Street M. E. church in Chicago, her father at that time being Pastor of the society there. In the spring of 1848 he returned with his wife to Tennessee, where his two children, Alia May and Philo Judson, were born. In the fall of 1849, through the mismanagement of an associate, he lost what little he had accumu- lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro- fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself and family. He borrowed a little money, practiced law, worked in public offices, kept books for some of the business men of the town, and some railroad en- gineering, till the spring of 1854, when he removed to Evanston, 12 miles north of Chicago, a place then but recently laid out, under the supervision of the Northwestern University, a Methodist institution. Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial agent and business manager. Here Mr. Beveridge prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law office in Chicago, where he found the battle some- what hard; but he persevered with encouragement and increasing success. Aug. 12, 1861, his law partner, Gen. John F. Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment of cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais- ing the company, of course enlisting himself along with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles, 111., was mustered in Sept. 18, and on its organiza- tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at- tached, Oct. it, to the Eighth Cavalry and to the Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment until November, 1863, participating in some 40 bat- tles and skirmishes : was at Fair Oaks, the seven days' fight around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellors- ville and Gettysburg. He commanded the regiment the greater part of the summer of 1863, and it was while lying in camp this year that he originated the policy of encouraging recruits as well as the fighting capac- ity of the soldiery, by the wholesale furlough system. It worked so well that many other officers adopted it. In the fall of this year he recruited anothercom- pany, against heavy odds, in January, 1864, was commissioned Colonel of the 17 th 111. Cav., and skirmished around in Missouri, concluding with the reception of the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith's army in Arkansas. In 1865 he commanded various sub-districts in the Southwest. He was mustered out Feb. 6, 1866, safe from the casualties of war and a stouter man than when he first enlisted. His men idolized him. He then returned to Chicago, to practice law, with no library and no clientage, and no political experi- ence except to help others into office. In the fall of 1S66 he was elected Sheriff of Cook County, serving one term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced law and closed up the unfinished business of his office. He was then elected State Senator; in No- vember, 187 1, he was elected Congressman at large; in November, 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Gov- ernor on the ticket with Gov. Oglesby; the latter be- ing elected to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Beveridge became Governor, Jan. 2t, 1873. Thus, inside of a few weeks, he was Congressman at large, Lieutenant Governor and Governor. The principal events oc- curring during Gov. Beveridge's administration were : The completion of the revision of the statutes, begun in 1869; the partial success of the "farmers' move- ment;" "Haines" Legislature " and Illinois' exhibit at the Centennial. Since the close of his gubernatorial term ex-Gov. Beveridge has been a member of the firm of Bever- idge & Dewey, bankers and dealers in commercial paper at 7 1 Dearborn Street (McCormick Block), Chicago, and since November, 1881, he has also been Assistant United States Treasurer : office in the Government Building. His residence is still at Ev- anston. He has a brother and two sisters yet residing in De Kalb County — James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet Henry and Mrs. Isabel French. 4 ^y-. r !\Sii 4Nmw>*r§ — *€&^ :'0 ft! V HELBY M. CULLOM, Gover- nor 1S77— 83, is the sixth child of the late Richard N. Cullom, and was born Nov. 22, 1829, in Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa- ther then resided, and whence both the Illinois and Tennessee branches of the family originated. In the following year the family emi- grated to the vicinity of Washington, Tazewell Co., 111., when that section was very sparsely settled. They lo- cated on Deer Creek, in a grove at the time occupied by a party of In- dians, attracted there by the superior hunting and fishing afforded in that vicinity. The following winter was known as the " hard winter," the snow [being very deep and lasting and the weather severely cold; and the family had to subsist mainly on boiled corn or hominy, and some wild game, for several weeks. In the course of time Mr. R. N. Cullom became a prom- inent citizen and was several times elected to the Legislature, both before and after the removal of the capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He died about *8 7 3- Until about 19 years of age young Cullom grew up to agricultural pursuits, attending school as he had opportunity during the winter. Within this time, however, he spent several months teaching school, and in the following summer he "broke prairie "with an ox team for the neighbors. With the money ob- tained by these various ventures, he undertook a course of study at the Rock River Seminary, a Methodist institution at Mt. Morris, Ogle County; but the sudden change to the in-door life of a stu- dent told severely upon his health, and he was taken home, being considered in a hopeless condition. While at Mt. Morris lie heard Hon. E. B. Washburne make his first speech. On recovering health, Mr. Cullom concluded to study law, under the instruction of Abraham Lincoln, at Springfield, who had by this time attained some notoriety as an able lawyer; but the latter, being ab- sent from his office most of the time, advised Mr. Cullom to enter the office of Stuart & Edwards. After about a year of study there, however, his health failed again, and he was obliged to return once more to out-door life. Accordingly he bought hogs for packing, for A. G. Tyng, in Peoria, and while he re- gained his health he gained in purse, netting $400 in a few weeks. Having been admitted to the Bar, he went to Springfield, where he was soon elected City Attorney, on the Anti-Nebraska ticket. In 1S56 he ran on the Fillmore ticket as a Presi- dential Elector, and, although failing to be elected as such, he was at the same time elected a Representa- tive in the Legislature from Sangamon County, by a local coalition of the American and Republican par- ties. On the organization of the House, he received the vote of the Fillmore men for Speaker. Practicing X § i;i — : ^S 7<>IKHD3> SHELB Y M. \ > 'V ) y*-*. law until i S6o, he was again elected to the Legisla- ture, as a Republican, while the county went Demo- cratic on the Presidential ticket. In January follow- ing he was elected Speaker, probably the } oungest man who had ever presided over an Illinois Legis- lature. After the session of 1861, he was a candidate for the State Constitutional Convention called for that year, but was defeated, and thus escaped the disgrace of being connected with that abortive party scheme to revolutionize the State Government. In 1862 he was a candidate for the State Senate, but was defeated. The same year, however, he was ap- pointed by President Lincoln on a Government Commission, in company with Gov. Boutwell of Massachusetts and Charles A. Dana, since of the New York Sun, to investigate the affairs of the Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments at Cairo. He devoted several months to this duty. In 1S64 he entered upon a larger political field, being nominated as the Republican candidate for Congress from the Eighth (Springfield) District, in opposition to the incumbent, JohnT. Stuart, who had been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Chicago. The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem- ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler, by the magnificent majority of 4 103 ! In 1868 he was again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards, another of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes. During his first term in Congress he served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expenditures in the Treasury Department; in his second term, on the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Territories ■ and in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of Ohio, to the Chairmanship of the latter. He intro- duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of law in Utah, which caused more consternation among the Mormons than any measure had previously, but which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the Senate. The Republican Convention which met May 25. 1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor, while the other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten- ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists, placed in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy ^ • •^~ JL farmer and manufacturer, and A. A. Glenn. The result of the election was rather close, Mr. Cullom obtaining only 6,800 majority. He was inaugurated Jan. 8, 1877. Great depression prevailed in financial circles at this time, as a consequence of the heavy failures of 1873 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed to gather force from that time to the end of Gov. Cullom's first administration. This unspeculative period was not calculated to call forth any new issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring men for a short time refused to work or allow others to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and the wheels of industry again set in motion. In May, 1880, Gov. Cullom was re-nominated by the Republicans, against Lyman Trumbull, by the Democrats; and although the former party was some- what handicapped in the campaign by a zealous faction opposed to Grant for President and to Grant men for office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected by about 314,565, to 277,532 for the Democratic State ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again became Republican, and no representative of the Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov. Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, 1S81. In his mes- sage he announced that the last dollar of the State debt had been provided for. March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul- lom was chosen to succeed him. This promoted Lieutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov- ernorship. Senator Cullom's term in the United States Senate will expire March 4, 1889. As a practitioner of law Mr. C. has been a member of the firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, at Spring- field ; and he has also been President of the State National Bank. He has been married twice, — the first time Dec. 12, 1S55, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had two daughters; and the second time May 5, 1863, to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is a member of the Method- ist Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mr. C. is also in sympathy. /S ® V v. y mmm^ rST PiK^^t- ztf&z SV^ODMfW GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. -*^%^4§m 179 % & (k\ gJ £ # aS » 3 ! S # 3K » 3 t g » 3 i S » ag » 3 ! g «» 3ig » 3ig' » a£»ae H» a£ » 3 i g»a£ » 3 i^# ^s& OHN MARSHALL HAMIL- TON, Governor 1883-5, was born May 28, 1847, in a log house upon a farm about two miles from Richwood, Union County, Ohio. His father was Samuel Hamilton, the eldest son of Rev. VVm. Hamilton, who, to- gether with his brother, the Rev. Samuel Hamilton, was among the early pioneer Methodist preachers in Ohio. The mother of the subject of this sketch was, before her marriage, Mrs. Nancy McMorris, who was born and raised in Fauquier or Lou- doun County, Va., and related to the two large families of Youngs and Marshalls, well known in that commonwealth; and from the latter family name was derived the middle name of Gov. Hamilton. In March, 1854, Mr. Hamilton's father sold out his little pioneer forest home in Union County, O., and, loading his few household effects and family (of six children) into two emigrant covered wagons, moved to Roberts Township, Marshall Co., 111., being 21 days on the route. Swamps, unbridged streams and innumerable hardships and privations met them on their way. Their new home had been previously selected by the father. Here, after many long years of toil, they succeeded in paying for the land and making a comfortable home. John was, of course, brought up to hard manual labor, with no schooling except three or four months in the year at a common country school. However, he evinced a capacity and taste for a high order of self-education, by studying or reading what books he could borrow, as the family had but very few in the house. Mu»h of his study he prosecuted by the light of a log fire in the old-fashioned chimney place. The financial panic of 1857 caused the family to come near losing their home, to pay debts ; but the father and two sons, William and John, "buckled to" and perse- vered in hard labor and economy until they redeemed their place from the mortgage. When the tremendous excitement of the political campaign of i860 reached the neighborhood of Rob- erts Township, young Hamilton, who had been brought up in the doctrine of anti-slavery, took a zeal- ous part in favor of Lincoln's election. Making special efforts to procure a little money to buy a uniform, he joined a company of Lincoln Wide-Awakes at Mag- nolia, a village not far away. Directly after the ensuing election it became evident that trouble would ensue with the South, and this Wide-Awake company, like many others throughout the country, kept up its organization and transformed itself into a military company. During the ensuing summer they met often for drill and became proficient ; but when they offered themselves for the war, young Hamilton was rejected on account of his youth, he being then but 14 years of age. During the winter of 1863-4 ne attended an academy at Henry, Marshall County, ft/ *>\ £ y V^X JS\^^_ 4d A^mm^i> L r9 — ^©^- i- 180 fe) ; @V<*IIII$III&* JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON. \ /\ V 5 cf> * and in the following May he again enlisted, for the fourth time, when he was placed in the 141st 111. Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111., for the 100-day service. He took with him 13 other lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the service. This regiment operated in Southwestern Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine. The following winter, 1864-5, Mr. Hamilton taught school, and during the two college years 1865-7, he went through three years of the curriculum of the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. The third year he graduated, the fourth in a class of 46, in the classical department. In due time he received the degree of M. A. For a few months he was the Principal of Marshall " College " at Henry, an acad- emy under the auspices of the M. E. Church. By this time he had commenced the study of law, and after earning some money as a temporary Professor of Latin at the Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, he entered the law office of Weldon, Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge. Admitted to the Bar in May, 1870, Mr. Hamilton was given an interest in the same firm, Tipton hav- ing been elected Judge. In October following he formed a partnership with J. H. Rowell, at that time Prosecuting Attorney. Their business was then small, but they increased it to very large proportions, practicing in all grades of courts, including even the U. S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued unbroken until Feb. 6, 18S3, when Mr. Hamilton was sworn in as Executive of Illinois. On the 4th oi~ March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con- gress. In July, 187 1. Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. Wm. G, Williams, Professor of Greek in the Ohio Wesleyan University. Mr. and Mrs. H. have two daughters and one son. In 1S76 Mr. Hamilton was nominated by the Re- publicans for the State Senate, over other and olde^ competitors. He took an active part " on the stump " in the campaign, for the success of his party, and was elected by a majority of 1,640 over his Democratic- Greenback opponent. In the Senate he served on the Committees on Judiciary, Revenue, State Insti- tutions, Appropriations, Education, and on Miscel- lany ; and during the contest for the election of a U. S. Senator, the Republicans endeavoring to re- V^«^f|« ^^ £r^ elect John A. Logan, he voted for the war chief on every ballot, even alone when all the other Republi- cans had gone over to the Hon. E. B. Lawrence and the Democrats and Independents elected Judge David Davis. At this session, also, was passed the first Board of Health and Medical Practice act, of which Mr. Hamilton was a champion, against so much opposition that the bill was several times "laid on the table." Also, this session authorized the location and establishment of a southern peni- tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President pro tern. of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who was this time elected without any trouble. In May, rSSo, Mr. Hamilton was nominated on the Republican ticket for Lieutenant Governor, his principal competitors before the Convention being Hon. Wm. A. James, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Judge Robert Bell, of Wabash County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. He engaged actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected by a majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor, he presided almost continuously over the Senate in the 32d General Assembly and during the early days of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship. When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the oath of office Feb. 6, r883. He bravely met all the annoyances and embarrassments incidental upon taking up another's administration. The principal events with which Gov. Hamilton was connected as the Chief Executive of the State were, the mine dis- aster at Braidwood, the riots in St. Clair and Madison Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the State militia, the adoption of the Harper high-license liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc. The Governor was a Delegate at large to the National Republican Convention at Chicago in June, 1884. where his first choice for President was John A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr. Blaine, true to his party. Mr. Hamilton's term as Governor expired Jan. 30, r885, when the great favorite " Dick " Oglesby was inaugurated. VS ^ f (>) / K A f X Wf^ ^7 1=2 ■AV>- ;as>x -s^ — ©tK^d nan h&a^ * & (!) 3^2 ilil Bll PBIC Ik n| i <5 (!) _s£^@_ ?f? &. -s^^ — £^n m M&*r$ — ^g^ ®m*f®&®fc~- -6v^nD@nD^v^ -^m^ & V I K®$^ -^T <«M!f>^P — :s *€^ -#i^S(®, 2^§*~— -: -j^s. SrT&nmntpTfS- (L taft INTRODUCTORY.! ^s^fflmi>^&.(^ W jJ,HE time has arrived when it becomes the duty of the people of this county to per- petuate the names of their pioneers, to furnish a record of their early settlement, and relate the story of their progress. The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age and the duty that men of the pres- ent time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In bio- graphical history is found a power to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a safe vessel in which the names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this country from its primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the great and aged men, who in their prime entered the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are passing lo their graves. The number re- maining who can relate the incidents of the first days of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preser- vation of events without delay, before all the early settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, in spite of their best works and the most earnest efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people to perpetuate the memory of their achievements. The erection of the great obelisks were for the same purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their great achievements and carry them down the ages. It is also evident that the Mound-budders, in piling up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea — to leave something to show that they had lived. All these works, though many ot them costly in the ex- treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac- ters of those whose memory they were intended to perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of the people that then lived. The great pyramids and some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- bling into dust. It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli- gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating a full history — immutable in that it is almost un- limited in extent and perpetual in its action; and this is through the art of printing. To the present generation, however, we are in- debted for the introduction of the admirable system of local biography. By this system every man, though he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, through the coming ages. The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the physical man is left. The monument which his chil- dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme- tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated by a record of this kind. To preserve the lineaments of our companions we engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col- lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to wait until they are dead, or until those who know them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to publish to the world the history of those whose lives are unworthy of public record. *2r ® \. .iV A$iwgiiii3A N^®>K 6V£IKtin£v TT 9 * A /S> '\g)3«$wy^ ■^k^ — ? 1 4>flU^llllff>A^ **®>^ ■-4^^®/^ ^€ ■--^^a»»/i.-.. , - lf --^ 'W-? ' r^ OLONEL GEORGE DAV- ENPORT was the first white man to make a permanent settlement in what is now Rock Island County, arriv- ..V- v/W v ing here in the spring of '. e « : 1 S 1 6. He was a native "I England, ■^ .'^ ® < : -J) ' born in Lincolnshire, in 1783. At the age of 17 he enlisted as a sailor on a ,\ ■.©:' '"'■ S ' merchant vessel, and, foi the next three t^I^iSl years, he visited France, Spain and j^ijf^. Portugal. In the fall of 1S03, his -£f ¥&?"*• vessel sailed from Liverpool to St. rj&i, 1, Petersburg, Russia, and shortly after its arrival there an embargo was laid upon all English vessels in that port, the vessels taken possession of and their crews thrown into prison by the Russian government. In the follow- ing spring they were released and returned iiome. The next voyage was to New York, in the summer of 1804, where they arrived in safety. After dis- charging their cargo and taking another on board for Liverpool, as the vessel was upon the point of sailing, one of the sailors was knocked overboard. Mr. Davenport quickly jumped into a small boat and rescued him. In jumping into the boat he fractured his leg very badly, and, there being no surgeon on board, the captain had him taken to the city and placed in a hospital, returning without him. After remaining in the hospital about two months, he was advised to go into the country to recruit his health. Acting upon this advice, he went to Rahway, N. J., and subsequently to Carlisle, Pa., where he after- ward enlisted in the regular army. In the spring of 1806, he went with his regiment to New Orleans, and in the fall received orders to march to Sabine River. While there, he was sent with dispatches to Fort Adams, and while on the way his canoe struck a snag and he was upset in the river. Clinging to some drift-wood, he managed to reach the shore, and was then obliged to strike across the country to the Mississippi, traveling over swamps, bayous and sloughs. He was several days in reaching the fort, living upon what berries and wild fruit he could find. For ten years he served his adopted country as a soldier, principally against the Indians. In the second war with Great Britain the most important battle he was engaged in was that of Lundy Lane. He secured a British musket at this battle, which is still kept in the family as a relic of the war. On receiving his discharge in 1815, he was em- ployed by Col. Win. Morrison, of Kentucky, Govern- ment contractor, to supply the troops with provisions. Going to St. Louis, he took charge of several keel- boats, loaded with provisions. A large drove of cat- tle were also purchased and driven through the country. They started up the river and arrived at the mouth of the Des Moines River late in the fall, and concluded to stop there for the winter. In the spring of 18 16, in company with Col. Lawrence, in command of the Eighth Regiment United States Infantry, they again embarked on boats and pro- ceeded up the river. Arriving at the mouth of Rock I T sk) I ivK U2k ^iraii^A^- m 190 s: — ©v^wnn^ v 5 ©- -«7/ t*@&$ I ?• 1 — I 8 b ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. River, they examined the country for a site for a fort, resulting in the selection of the lower end of Rock Island as the most suitable point. They landed on Rock Island May 10, 1816, and here Mr. Daven- port made his home until his death. His residence, a double log cabin, was near the foot of the island, where he subsequently erected a large two-story frame house, a fine sketch of which is shown in this work. The Indians at that time were not very friendly to the Americans, but soon took a fancy to Mr. Daven- port, giving him the name of Sag-a-nosh, meaning "an Englishman." During the second year, with what little money he had saved, he purchased a stock of goods and began trading with the Indians. As an Indian trader he was remarkably successful, securing and retaining their good will and confidence, although for a time he had more or less trouble with the Winnebagoes, at one time narrowly escaping be- ing massacred. In 1823, the first steamboat — the " Virginia "—ar- rived at the island, loaded with provisions for Prairie du Chien, and Mr. Davenport was called upon to pilot her over the rapids. In 1825 a postofhce was established upon the island, with Mr. Davenport as Postmaster. He held the office until its removal to the mam land, on the organization of the county. In 1827 he visited his native land, after an ab- sence of 23 years, returning in 1828. During this year the first settlements were made in this vicinity. As they were poor, Mr. Davenport furnished many of them with provisions and groceries until they could raise a crop. When the Indians returned in the spring of 1829, Mr. Davenport used all his influence to induce them to remove to the west side of the Mississippi, and partially succeeded. Waupello removed his village to Muscatine Slough, and Keokuk, with part of the Sacs, to the Iowa River; but Black Hawk and the remainder of the Sacs refused to go, claiming that they never had sold their land. During the Black Hawk War that fol- lowed, Mr. Davenport was appointed Quartermaster General, with the rank of Colonel. On the organization of the county, Col. Davenport was elected o.ie of the first County Commissioners, and served some two or three years. In the fall of 1835, in company with several others, he purchased a claim of Antoine Le Claire, across the river in Iowa, and proceeded to lay out a town. To this town was given the name of " Davenport," in his honor. In the fall of 1837 he visited Washington City, in company with a number of chiefs of the Sac and Fox nations, and aided the Government in the pur- chase of a large portion of Iowa. In 1842, Gov. Chambers made another treaty with the Sacs and Foxes. He told the chiefs to select any of their white friends they might choose to assist them in making a treaty. They selected Col. Davenport as one of four. By this treaty the Indians sold all of their lands within the State of Iowa. Shortly after this, Col. Davenport withdrew from the Indian trade and devoted the remainder of his life to the improve- ment of his property in Davenport and Rock Island. " Col. Davenport," said a well known writer, " was of a very free and generous disposition, very jovial and very fond of company. After retiring from the Indian trade, he spent the winters generally in St. Louis or Washington. Whether traveling on a steam- boat or stopping at a hotel, he would always have a crowd around him listening to his stories and anec- dotes. He never sued any one in his life, and could not bear to see anyone in distress without trying to relieve him. He enjoyed excellent health and spirits, and had the prospect of living many years to enjoy the comfort for which he had toiled so hard for many years, but he was struck down by one of a band of robbers, in his own house, on the fourth of July, 1S45. He died aged 62." A full account of this tragedy will be found in the article on the " Courts and the Bar," in this volume. The life of Col. Davenport was a long and active one. "Although of trans-Atlantic extraction," says the writer already quoted from, " he was a true type of the American, possessing indomitable resolution, a restless desire to progress, with an invincible de- termination to overcome obstacles and achieve suc- cess. Much as his cor severance, enterprise and ability demand admiration, there is still some- thing more than these commanding our respect and honor — something which is more lustrous than wealth, better than position or title : it was his hu- manity ! Had men of his bias dealt with Black Hawk and his ' British Band,' less gory scalp locks would have decked the belts of warring savages, less V& 5fc ■33^ £^ntl»>^9 — ^€^ 4>t§K ( antes Bailey, farmer, section 2, Rural .'J;.~ Township, was born in County Down, Ire- fj&>' ,> land, Jan. 6, 1829. He lived in his native %$Z land until 1849, when he emigrated to Amer- |L ica, coming directly to Rock Island. After i spending a short time in Rock Island and vi- cinity, he purchased 80 acres of land in Rural Township, settled upon it and has since resided there, an exemplary farmer and estimable citizen. He is now the proprietor of 240 acres of land, on which he has erected a fine residence. His place is put in good condition, and his home is a very desir- able one. He is a Republican in his political views, and both himself and Mrs. B. are members of the United Presbyterian Church. Dec. 5, 1861, is the date of his marriage in Rural Township, this county, to Miss Margaret, daughter of John and Mary (Campbell) VVarnock, who are al- so natives of County Down, Ireland. (See sketch of John Wamock.) Mrs. Bailey was born in that county July 7, 1 841. Mr. and Mrs. B. have seven children, namely: Mary E., Anna, William W. Jane, John, Hugh W. and Ella. -i — <-i-^ ames M. Davis, a general farmer and stock- grower, residing on section iS, Edgington Township, and also a dealer in agricultural implements at Edgington, is a son of Joseph S. and Hermanda (Johnson) Davis. Her parents were natives of Seneca Co., N. Y., and of Welsh and German extraction. They were farmers by oc- cupation, and were married in the Empire State. After the birth of their first child they came West, settling in Buffalo Prairie Township, this county, where they located on a farm of 120 acres. They were very early pioneers to this county, coming about the year 1834. The parents ever afterward remained in that township and on the old homestead, respected and honored by the people throughout that section of the county. The mother was first to be called to her eternal home, her death occurring Aug. 18, rS8r,- and the father died May 1, 18S3. Both were promi- nent in the early history of the county, and did much towards developing the country. Our subject was the youngest but four of a family of 13 children, and was born in Buffalo Prairie Township, March 2, 1S50. He was educated in the district schools, and lived on the old homestead un- til his marriage, which occurred April 15, 1S72. Miss A. Martha Spickler was the lady of his choice. She was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., Feb. 12, 1850, and came with her parents to Illinois when a small girl. She is the mother of two children : Delos I., born Aug. 29, 1872, and Mary G., born Oct. 17, 18S4. Within a year after his marriage Mr. Davis very wisely purchased a farm on section 18, Edging- ton Township. This farm consisted of 206 acres, all well improved. He has served his township as Col- lector and his school district as Director, and politi- cally is a stanch Democrat. •^&i f fiP\<; hilip J. Deal, a reliable citizen and pro- 7 Eft] gressive farmer, residing on section 14, ■ [i i-i> Rural Township, is a son of George and as J JS\ -^ r^nns ~j Margaret (Myers) Deal, natives of Germany. ^ The father was living in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War, and took part in that struggle on the side of the Colonists. The parents both died in Pennsylvania, the father in his 88th year and the mother when she was 74 years of age. Their children were seven in number, of whom Phil- ip was the youngest. Philip J. Deal was born in Bedford Co., Providence Township. Pa., Dec. 16, 1802. When nearly 16 years of age Mr. Deal was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade and served four years. After learning the trade he continued to follow the same until 1873, when, on account of age and failing health, he was compelled to abandon the trade. He -? — =»S8^ 4^ i$m& « ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. "^^& ^mm^M, came to Rock Island County in May, 1S43, and re- sided for two years in Rock Island, then live years in Moline In 1848 Mr. Deal purchased 80 acres of land in Rural Township, on which he located, and in 1850 he built a shop on his farm and worked at his trade in connection with agricultural pursuits. He erected a good residence and other necessary farm buildings on his place, and at present is the proprie- tor of 200 acres of land, all of which is under an ad- vanced state of cultivation. Mr. Deal was united in marriage, in Bedford Co., Pa., Dec. 6, 1829, with Miss Susan Bollman, daugh- ter of Isaac and Barbara (Sills) Bollman, of German ancestry. They settled in Pennsylvania, where they resided until their deaths. Mrs. Deal was the eldest of 14 children, and was born in Bedford Co., Pa.. Feb. 7, 1S04. Mr. and Mrs. Deal are the parents of three children: Rachel A., born June 3, 1832; Sarah, -born Oct. 3, 1S35 ; and Henry \V., born May 19, 1837; Rachel A. is the wife of Archibald Cook, a resident of Rock Island. Politically, Mr. Deal votes with the Republican party. He has held various minoroffices, and religiously he and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. *ife V $ (!) nson M. Hubbard, one of the old settlers of Moline, was born in Bergen, Genesee Co., N. Y., Oct. 10, 18 1 8, his parents being J'ito Rufus and Laura (Squires) Hubbard. Mr. j|£ Hubbard, our subject, attended school in his I native town, also assisting in the labors of the farm, until he attained the age of 18 years, when lie came to Adams County, III, with his father, where he remained one year, after which their family came to Geneseo, Henry Co., 111., where they settled in 1837. There he alter. lately farmed, studied and taught music until 1844, when he (having been mar- ried in 1843) with his family moved to Moline, this county. He taught the first singing-schools in the county, at Rock Island and Moline, and in the fall of 1844 organized and led the first brass band in the county, also at Moline, consisting of the following named persons, to-wit : Anson M. Hubbard, Jona- hs, than Huntoon, Joseph Huntoon, Wm. H. Edwards, — %H>W f %&&- Thomas Merryman, Joseph Merryman, Thos. Davis, Henry Keyes and Newman Benedict. The first four named are still residents of Soline. This band was playing at a celebration in Rock Island July 4, 1845, at the time Col. Davenport was murdered on the isl- and, and afterwards assisted in the search for the murderers, in connection with the band was a club of singers, and they furnished music and singing for conventions, festivals, celebrations, etc., for nearly all the towns in the vicinity. Mr. Hubbard also organized the first choir in the Congregational Church at Moline, and led it for ten years with most admirable success, and then return- ed to Geneseo and engaged in farming there until 1S62, when he went back tc Moline. where he has ever since resided. In 1862 he became landlord of the " Moline House," and kept it for three and a half years, and afterward the old " Central House " about the same length of time, or until 1869, meanwhile leading the Congregational choir until 1876, when he resigned. During his first residence in Moline he held the office of Constable for several years and was Trustee of the First Congregational Church for four years. After his return to Moline in 1S62, he held the office of Police Magistrate for seven years, being the successor of E. S. Waterman, Esq., in that of- fice, and was Clerk of the Congregational Church for 14 years, from 1865 to 1879. For years he has dealt in music and musical merchandise, and is a genuine and enthusiastic expert in that business. When he first came here Moline contained only about 200 peopie, and he has lived to see it a mar- vel of progress and industry. He was united in marriage March 31, 1843, at Ellisville, Fulton Co., 111., with Marietta M. Moore, who was born Jan. 7, 1825, in Auburn, N. Y., and they have had four children, namely : Charles E , born Jan. 19, 1844, and died June 22, 1878; Geor- giana M., born Oct. 29, 1846; William H., Feb. 7, 1848 ; and Horace S., Jan. 30, 1850. Rufus Hubbard, the father of Anson M., our sub- ject, was born in Glastonbury, Conn., June 19, 1789, and was by trade a tanner and currier. That busi- ' ness, together with farming, he carried on there for 26 years. He resided in Rome, Oneida Co., N. Y., for two \ ears, then for a time at Bergen, Genesee Co., same State. Next he removed to Adams Co., Ill, in 1866, and next to Henry County, this State, in 1837, where he followed farming, and finally came I 9 <$ ^ ■err v (p % ft 194 ^OCI ISLAND COUNTY. to Moline, this county, in 1845, where he worked at shoemaking and subsequently several years in the tub and pail factory of Dimock & Gould. He was a Deacon in the Congregational Church several years, participated in the War of 1812, and while at Bergen was Justice of the Peace and Supervisor for many years. He died in Moline in 1880, at 91 years of age. >elville C. Crandell, Postmaster, and also engaged in the drug business, at Rey- nolds, was born in Switzerland Co., Ind., Nov. 16. 1842. His father, O. B. Crandell, was a native of Xew York, a farmer by voca- tion, and was united in marriage to Elizabeth J. Kerr, in Indiana. She was the daughter of an Indiana farmer, and was born in Switzerland County, that State. Melville C. Crandell, whose name heads this sketch, was next to the youngest in order of birth of seven children. He resided at home, attending the common school and assisting in the labors of the farm until he attained his iSth year. In 1862 he responded to the second call for soldiers to de- fend the nation's honor, enlisting August 22d of that year in Co. C, 67th Ind. Vol. Inf., under Capt. Day, and his regiment was assigned to the 13th Army Corps — the Army of the Mississippi. He participated in 13 of the hardest-fought battles of the war, of which the following are the most promi- nent : Mumfordville, Ky., Chickasaw Mountain, Ark., Arkansas Post, Champion Hill, siege of Vicks- burg, sieges of Forts Morgan and Gaines, and the battle of Blakely, Miss., and many other skirmishes. He was imprisoned twice while in the army, the first time at Mumfordville, Ky., Aug. 16, 1862, but was afterward paroled. His second imprisonment was at Grand Coteau, La., Nov. 3, 1863. He was kept for three weeks at Alexandria, Ala., and after an at- tempt to escape was re-taken and placed in jail, though in more favorable quarters than he had pre- viously occupied. He was honorably discharged at Galveston, Tex., July 19, r865. On receiving his discharge he went to Madison. 1 — -^mm Ind., whence he came to Milan, this county, where he opened a restaurant and conducted the same for a year. He then went to Nebraska, and was there engaged in farming for five years, after which he re- turned to this State, and clerked in a mercantile establishment in Mercer County. In January, 1878, Mr. Crandell came to Reynolds, this county, opened a restaurant, and continued in the business for three years, meeting with financial success. Closing out his restaurant, he purchased a store building and lot and engaged in the drug trade, including notions, etc., which business he is at present conducting. He was appointed Postmaster at Reynolds in 1883. and holds that position at the present time. Mr. Crandell was united in marriage, while resid- ing in Nebraska, Feb. 14, 187 1. with Miss. Margaret Cathcart, wiio was born in Pennsylvania, Oct. 28, 1850, and came West with her parents when young, they settling in Rock Island, where she resided, re- ceiving the advantages of a common-school educa- tion until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Crandell are the parents of three children — Walter K., born Feb. 14, 1S73; Vina M., born Sept. 7, 1S77 ; and Elisha M., born Dec. 25, 1878. Politically, Mr. Crandell votes with the Repub- licans. — .:e-— »— ■$- < illiam S. Bailey, a farmer on section 2, Rural Township, is a son of Robert and Jane (Campbell) Bailey, who were natives of the north of Ireland, near Belfast. He is the seventh generation in the line of descent from the Duke of Argyle, and his mother, now living at the age of 78, is the last of the sixth gener- ation. In his father's family there were seven chil- dren, four of whom lived to become of adult age namely : William S., James, John C. and Anna. The subject of this sketch was born in County A Down, Ireland, Nov. 5, 1826. He lived in Ireland until the age of 2 r years, and in 184S he came to • America and settled in Rock Island, making the ^ journey in two months, coming through from Chi- cago in a spring wagon. From that time to the present time he has been a resident of this county. ~v He is now the proprietor of 400 acres of land in Ru- 176 . i^ \M> ■ - * m ~fc 2 I ■ TTTF >, tf.jf w .Job a- ?•&&?■ ^fe,. eSai *I6 *■£;* -1-, BLACK HAWK'S WATCH TOWER, FROM THE SOUTH *£*£ ■-6*s5i-\7~- RESIDENCE ON 17™ ST. R . K RESIDENCE AND OTHER PRO PERT Y 0!' HON 177 BLACK HAWKS WATCH TOWER. LOOKING EAST UP ROCK RIVER V ALLEY !&&*&**.■<",*■' & -Ss^'-Vl' U . &¥1 -• ■• ■■-". "'■ 5 -, -■ - „*:?% r"-.--^-*- : ■■•■■ 'm .' v. so t. i RES .OF THE LATE COL. GEORGE DAVENPORT ON THE ISLAND Of ROCK ISLAND. ILEY DAVENPORT, ROCK ISLAND, ILLS. V* i > I &\ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^%§\4 i 99 ral Township .and about 320 acres of his ground is in a well cultivated condition. He was married in Rural Township, March 25, 1858, to Miss Ann Bailey, daughter of Hugh and Mary (Aiken) Bailey, natives of Belfast, Ireland. Nine children were born of the union, six of whom survive, viz. : Mary J., Lizzie, Anna M., Robert J., Alice and Isaac J. William and two others died in infancy, the former at the age of seven years. Mr. Bailey has been Warden of the County Farm, located in Rural Township, 19 years and 7 months. He has also held the offices of Constable and Notary Public four years, Township Clerk, etc. He and his wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church, and in political matters he sympathizes with the Re- publicans. <* fTJ K- ames W. Berry, painter, Moline, was born in London, England, Feb. 6, 181 1, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Davis) Berry, also natives of London, England. As soon as he was old enough, James was placed at school in London, and kept there until he was 14 years of age, about which time he entered the Gov- ernment Custom-House, where he clerked for one year, at the end of which time he went out on a voy- age as cabin boy on a Government vessel, which was transporting troops to Malta and Gibraltar. He spent some time with his ship about the Mediter- ranean, and upon his return he shipped as seaman for a three-years cruise on a whaler, searching for sperm whales. During that time he suffered all the dangers, pri- vations and hardships of those who " go down to the sea in ships," narrowly escaping shipwreck, and loss of life and ship by fire, and on one occasion he came near being captured or killed by savages. His ship was lying near the Navigator Islands and the chief and some 30 of the natives came on board. The party was accompanied by a young Englishman, who had when a boy, sometime before, ran away from a whaler and remained on the islands, where he had so conducted himself as to become next to the chief in authority. It happened that sperm whale ap- peared some distance from the ship, and the boats were ordered out and manned for their capture, leav- ing only one of the boat's crew on the ship with the captain, Mr. Berry being one of those on board. The chief suggested to his followers that as the seamen had nearly all left the ship, it could easily be cap- tured, and that they had better do it. The idea was communicated to the Englishman for His opinion, who suggested that they better make a sure thing of it by sending one of their canoes back to the island for a large crew of natives on one of their doublr « at canoes, and to have them cover their arms and mu- nitions with fruit, so that if they should deride it would not be safe to attempt the attack they could claim they had only come out to barter fruit. The young Englishman's idea was adopted, and while orders were being sent for the war canoe he, not caring to see his countrymen butchered, sought the captain of the whaler and unfolded the plan to him, whereupon he instantly signaled to his boat's crews to cut away from the whaler and return with all speed to the ship, which they instantly did, and reached the vessel and got aboard when the native war canoe was within 80 yards of the ship. A breeze had sprung up meanwhile, and the whaler ran 30 miles offshore, and then compelled the chief and all the natives with him to jump into the sea. The young Englishman returned to England in the ship. The people of those islands can swim all day. After whaling for three years, Mr. Berry went to Australia in a merchant ship, which carried out 30 families of old soldiers who had been given farms there by the Government. On the return voyage the ship encountered a terrible storm while rounding Cape Horn, and he was washed out of the rigging when going up to reef the main topsail, and would have perished in the sea had he not been caught and held by the main storm topsails. When he reached England he concluded to emigrate to America ; and he accordingly landed in this country in rS_;4. Lo- cating at Albany, N. Y., he went to carriage-painting for a brother-in-law for one year and then went to Buffalo and worked a month for Mr. Mayburn, who may be said to have built Buffalo; thence he pro- ceeded to Toledo, Ohio, where he painted for four years; and next went to Tecumseh, Mich., and Waukegan, 111., and then settled in Racine, Wis., where he lived and labored from 1S4S to 1872, dur- ing a part of which time he carried on general paint- ing, with the exception of 12 years of the time that I (J /p) V_ /^V > w ' ^ ;V^v _ f ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -^^CW^ A V he was foreman in the immense and extensive works of |. I. Case. In 1872 Mr. Berry came to Moline and began painting wagons for the Moline Wagon Company, under his son, E. H. Berry, who has had the contract for several years, and where he still re- mains. He has been a full partner ten years. He possesses great natural talent for paintings, especi- ally of animals, and had he turned his attention to the study of painting instead of deciding to be a sailor he would have gained sure renown as a painter. May 16, 1839, Mr. Berry formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Susanna Spicer, and their chil- dren are: Welthy, who was born Sept. 26, 1841, and is the wife of Geo. A. Ludington ; their marriage occurred May 25, 1S5S; Mary Jane, born March 25, 1845, was united in marriage to Penrose Packerd, Nov. 12, 1867. Mr. Packerd is a prominent man in Racine, Wis., and was Mayor of the city twice; Ed- win H. was born Dec. 11, 1S47, and April 25, 1S70, was united in marriage with Roxey Lefler, who died in October, rS7o. Jan. 9, 1878, he formed a second marriage with Ida Hartwell ; William, born Aug. 27, 1851, has become the husband of Lizzie Kelso, the event occurring Oct. 24, 1872; James, born June 9, 1853, and Jan. r3, 1876, chose for his better half Miss Esther Gannon; John, born Sept. 13, 1856; Clara E., born Dec. 26, 1859, and formed a matri- monial alliance Feb. iS, 1S7 7 , with George Lee; and Frank, born June 30, 1863, was married Aug. 3T, 1S81, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary God- frey. Mr. and Mrs. Berry are members of the First Baptist Church, having joined at Racine, Wis., 16 years ago. Mr. B. is a Freemason, and in politics affiliates with the Republican party. . —sai- mil Heimbeck, druggist at Moline, was . born in Davenport, Iowa, May 7, 1858, and is the son of Fritz and Minna . Heimbeck. His father is a native of Prussia, and his mother of Alsace. They came to America about 1852. Mr. Heimbeck was educated at the Griswold College and Bryant and Stratton's Commercial College at Davenport. He learned the drug business in Rock Island, having spent five years with Mr. C. Speidel, druggist of that city, and two years with Mr. Koehler of the same town. He began business for himself Jan. r, 188 1, at Moline, and has carried it on successfully ever since. His long experience has fully qualified him to prepare prescriptions with great reliability and care. He has a fair-sized stock of pure drugs, med- icines, paints, oils, etc., and his place of business is at the corner of Sixth Street and Fourth Avenue. He was married, in Moline, Nov. 22. 1882, to Miss Catharine Klattenhoff, daughter of T. H. and Mar- garet (Nutzhom) Klattenhoff. Mrs. Heimbeck was born in Rock Island County, 111., May 24, 1862. The issue of their union is one son, Carl, born Aug. 15. 1SS4. Mr. Heimbeck is independent in political action, taking his choice among the candidates of all the parties. ohn Kennedy, fanner and blacksmith, re- siding on section 36, Drury Township, was ■"** born in Aimstrong County, Pa., Jan. 29, V 1825. His parents were Jacob and Sarah jL (Smith) Kennedy, and were natives of Penn- | sylvania. His father followed the vocation of a blacksmith, and Mr. Kennedy of this sketch learned the trade under his instructions, remaining under the parental roof-tree until he attained the age of 21 years. On becoming his own master he set out to fight the battles of life single-handed and alone. Re- alizing that the West, with its broad and unculti- vated prairies, offered better inducements for the ac- cumulation of a competency, he determined to cast his lot with the early pioneers of Rock Island County. He consequently came here and settled himself at Illinois City, where for two years he followed his trade. In 18=57 he located in Drury Township, where he rented land, which he cultivated until 1859. Dur- ing that year he purchased land, and by economy and energetic labor he has added to his original purchase until at the present he is the proprietor of 335 acres, all the accumulation of his own indomitable energy, pluck and perseverance. On his farm he has a good residence, with substantial outbuildings, and his y 9 s •r • ff y ■ - K^- ^nm®* -^ V ■& b w> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. acreage is under an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Kennedy formed a matrimonial alliance in Armstrong County, Pa., May 18, 184S, with Miss Mary A. Mechlin. She was born in the county in which she was married, Aug. 16, 1832. They are the parents of seven living children : Rose A., James F., Luther M., Margaret, William, RossM. and Les- lie. They have also buried six children : Mary E., Jacob M., Sarah M., John N., Nora B. and one who died in infancy. Mr. Kennedy has held the office of Highway Com- missioner two terms and also Overseer of Highways. In 1876 he was appointed Postmaster at Ferdinand. Politically, he is a believer in and supporter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. *tasstf&&r—$& >^&mnn- eorge D. Gould, Sr., Moline, was born in Hancver, Grafton Co., N. H., March *cPfi K 2 ^' '^35' an d ' s tne son °f Amos and iV\ Nancy (Bartlett) Gould. He received an ac- ademic education and engaged in mercantile business at Piermont, N. H. He was subse- quently engaged in the same business at Bradford, Vt., and came from the last named place to Moline in 1855. On coming to this city he was first em- ployed as merchant's clerk and subsequently as book-keeper. He was also Deputy Postmaster from 1856 to 1859, and then spent a year in travel on the Pacific coast. In i860 Mr. Gould returned to Moline and en- gaged in mercantile business until 1865, when he was appointed Postmaster at Moline by Abraham Lincoln. The signing of his commission was one of the latest of Mr. Lincoln's official acts, as he was as- sassinated on the following day. He served as Postmaster two years, and was removed by Presi- dent Johnson. In 1867 he began traveling as an adjusting agent, and for 18 years has been continu- ously on the road in that business. He adjusted the first loss in the great Chicago fire of October, 1871, for the New York Underwriters' Agency. In the fall of 1872 he was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court and served from January, 1873, to January, 1877, and under the amended constitution he was the first salaried officer. Mr. Gould was ad- juster for the New York Underwriters 17 years. Since January, 1S84, he his been doing an independ- ent adjusting business. Mr. Gould has the reputa- tion of being one of the best informed men in the State on the subject of laws and rulings relating to insurance. He is constantly being retained in disputed and complicated cases. The subject of insurance with him has been a life study, and he is widely and favorably known as a man of ripe experience and sound judgment. Mr. Gould was united in marriage in Henry County January 27, 1861, to Miss Emma F. Seeley, daughter of Orin Seeley, of Niagara County, N. Y. The issue of their union was five children, three of whom survived, namely : George D., born April 2, 1883; Clyde A., bom Aug. 2, 1865, died aged 17 years; May, born Nov. 2, 1869, died aged 13 years; Ruth, born May 7, 1877 ; John, Feb. 5, 1S79. Mrs. Gould is a member of the Baptist Church, but Mr- Gould is not a professor of religion. He is a Re- publican and has been since the organization of that party in 1856. Mr. G. is prominent in the various branches of Masonry and has been elevated to the 32d degree. He is connected with Doric Lodge, No. 319, Moline; Barrett Chapter, No. 20, Rock Island; Evert 's Commandery, No. 18, Rock Island; and Oriental Consistory, Chicago. ^■HHNI 3 -*" & © V. R J g|j B. Denlinger, senior member of the firm of Denlinger & Casteel, at Port Byron, - '" was born in that place Feb. 3, 1856. He 5 \ is the only son of M. S. Denlinger. His ■'1" father was born in Frankstown, Blair Co., Pa., Nov. 25, 1830. In 1S50 he left his native State for Illinois,, and located at Albany, Whiteside Co. He obtained a position there as a clerk, and later embarked in mercantile business with Henry Pease, of that place. He was married Dec. 27, 1853, to Emily Durfee. In the summer of 1854 he was obliged to retire from business on account of failing health, and he removed to Port Byron and took charge of the hotel property known as the Port Byron House. He formed a partnership with Judge (Z) V®»^: •*&* — gj^nnsniK^^g — :3 W- *m^%&/^$ : S^IKSIK* V> (V> 202 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^k ) § € Holmes, and their relationship continued until the death of the father, which took place November 20th of the same year. The son was five years of age when he entered the family of Judge Holmes, his grandfather, and he was reared in the home of his grandparents. In 1847 he commenced his business career as a grocery and provision merchant, in which he was occupied four years. In 1879 he began to travel as a com- mercial salesman in the wholesale notion trade, and transacted business in that capacity until 1S84. Within that year the present business of Denlinger & Casteel was organized. The firm have built up a prosperous trade and exhibit a valuable assortment of goods. r? I Charles S. Hepburn, foreman of Deere & $'/ Co.'s paint shops, Moline, 111., is a son of George F. and Anne (Berry) Hepburn, { 9 and was born in London, England, Dec. 26 yf 1849. His father was of Scotch and his 1 mother of English descent. Charles, the subject of this writing, was married at Moline, III., Dec. 25, 1874, to Mary Ella Mitchell, born in Adams County, Feb. 19, 1855, and they have four children, viz. : Grace E., born in Moline Dec. 30, 1S75 ; Leon- ard P., born in Moline Aug. 27, 1S78; Daisy M., born in Moline July 2, 1S81 ; Zeta, born in Moline Jan. 23, 1S84. Mr. Hepburn attended school to some extent in London in the acquisition of an education, and worked in a woolen warehouse there for one year. In June, 1S65, he came to New York, and from there went at once to Racine, Wis., and engaged in the shops of Miner & Co., at which place he wished to learn the trade of making sash, doors and blinds. Remaining there for two and one-half years, he turned his attention to painting, and at length se- cured a position in the paint shop of Mitchell, Lewis & Co., wagon manufacturers, for some one and a half years. In 1870 he came to Moline and obtained employment in the paint shop of the Moline Wagon Company, where he remained for about three years. Being fortunate in obtaining the entire charge of the paint department of the Union Manufacturing Com- pany, of Rock Falls, 111. (farm wagons), he accepted the position, which he filled for two and one-half years. He again returned to Moline and worked in the paint shop of Deere & Co., thence to Racine again, and engaged for four months for Fish Bros.' Wagon Company; then returned to Moline and en- gaged as painter for the Moline Pump Company for about a year and a half, after which he worked again for the Union Manufacturing Company, at Rock Falls, for a short time. He then returned to the Moline Wagon Company and worked at his trade there for about two years, when he accepted the re- sponsible position of foreman of the paint shop of Deere & Co.'s Plow Works. Mr. Hepburn has been Secretary of his Lodge of I. O. O. F., and is a " Modern Woodman." Has been President of the Deere Band, has also been quite prominent locally as a Greenbacker, being Sec- retary of their various meetings, working on commit- tees and their candidate for Alderman from the Second Ward. He was elected a Director of the Moline Co- operative Association in January, 1884, and elected Secretary of the Board of Directors the same month, which position he now holds. -IpSfp/ndrew Kittelsen, one of the early settlers i;p(! of Rock Island County (1848), is a native |I|j5>s5-bS of Norway, and was born at Skjan, Dec. 8, ^'wk 1817. He emigrated to America in 1843, and located at Milwaukee, Wis., where he worked at farming two years, then going to Galena, 111., where he spent the succeeding three years, and in October, 1848, came to Moline, which he has made his home ever since. Mr. Kittelsen was united in marriage in Moline, in 1853, to Miss Frederika Johnson. She was born at Ulrisham, Westerjutland, Sweden, Oct. 27, 1825, and came to America in July, 1852, coming direct to Moline. They are the parents of two children (sons) : Edward, born July 19, 1S54, married Miss Rillia Stewart, and is the present City Marshal of Moline. The younger son, John A., was born March 7, 1 860, and is book-keeper for the Moline Stove Company. & s»- -*^ — e^o m nn<^s — 5^*1 -#t^ AoJ^l %££V~^ ■Z^^K ^V£>H II S H h>T^r m ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 205 =|f^j&oii. John Deere, one of the pioneer settlers Js' of Moline, 111., ex-king plow-manufacturer OTpr** of the world, and third son of Wm. Rinold and Sarah (Yates) Deere, was born at Rutland, Vt., Feb. 7, 1804. His father was a native of England and his mother of Connecticut. His grandfather Yates came to this country as a Captain in the British Army during the Revolutionary War, and served his king right royally until the independ- ence of the colonies was no longer a question, when he forswore allegiance to all foreign powers, par- ticularly to that of King George, and lived thereafter in strict loyalty to the stars and stripes. In 1805 the father of the subject of this sketch removed to Middlebury, Vt., and there carried on merchant tailoring for about seven years. He died in 181 2, at the age of 55 years, while in England for the pur- pose of purchasing goods. His widow conducted the business left by her husband until her death, which occurred in 1826, at the age of about 46 years. John Deere attended the common schools of Ver- mont while a boy, and acquired a good ordinary ed- ucation. Without the knowledge of his mother, he worked for a tanner at grinding bark, and earned a pair of shoes and a suit of clothes before he was 16 years of age. When 17 years of age, he apprenticed himself to Capt. Benj. Lawrence, of Middlebury, to learn the blacksmith's trade, which he fully mastered in four years, receiving in the meantime for his ser- vices, each year respectively, the sum of $30, $35, $40 and $45. After a year or two at "jour." work, he removed to Burlington, Vt., where he hammered out by hand the iron work for a saw and oil mill, erected at the neighboring town of Colchester, and acquired thereby quite a local reputation as a me- chanic and iron-worker. After carrying on his trade for several years at various places in his native State. His shops and other property had been twice burned in quick succession. He was a married man, with a small family to support, and profits were small; so he accumulated slowly; but by perseverance and economy, the year 1837 found him ready and determined to try his fortune in the great West. Via canal and the lakes, he landed at the sickly little village of Chicago, a place opulent in chills and fever but frugal indeed in essential re- source, — at least, so it appeared to Mr. Deere, and he at once transferred all his effects to wagons, nor lingered he until he planted himself at the vil- lage of Grand de Tour, Ogle Co., 111., An inven- tory of his material wealth at that that time showed him the possessor of $7 3. 7 3 in cash, a good set of blacksmith's tools and a limited complement of household goods; but he had the muscles of a giant, brains enough to successfully command an army, and a heart that never shrank within him. A good mechanic is always an important acces- sion to a new country, and his arrival was particu- larly opportune for this little settlement, and his mechanical ability was immediately brought into requisition to put into repair a saw-mill which was standing idle from the breaking of a pitman shaft. There was no forge in readiness, but he at once set to work, and with stone from a neighboring hill con- structed a rude forge and chimney, by digging a hole in clay soil and making the mortar of the clay; and within two days after his arrival the mill was run- ning, thus saving to the owners and customers many days that otherwise would have been occupied in procuring the work from far distant shops. Mr. Deere was an excellent mechanic, and the few people residing in his vicinity at that time soon found it out; and they piled upon the floor of his shop their broken trace chains and clevises, their worn-out " bull tongues " and worse worn shares ; and while the young blacksmith hammered out lap rings for their chains, welded their clevises, " drew out " their "bull tongues " and " laid " their " shares, 1 ' his mind dwelt upon the improvement of the plow, the implement of the greatest importance to the pio- neer. Mr. Deere soon added the building of plows to his general work. He soon began to see, how- ever, that the iron plow with wooden mold-board could not be made to do good service in the prairie soil. They entered the ground with difficulty, clog- ged up and failed to scour. Then began the series of experiments and improvements, which, not successful at first, to be sure, yet finally resulted in the present perfect steel plow; and John Deere has lived to know that his name is familiarly spoken in every civilized tongue on the globe. With characteristic energy and will, the battle was fs m 2^*K ■^€3^ — eA^nn®Dii^A^ vi* 206 ACCA' ISLAND COUNTY. pushed until success came. There was a demand for a good plow, and the good plow must be made. The first one that did satisfactory work was made in this way: Wrought-iron land-side and standard, steel share and mold-board cut from a saw-mill saw, and bent over a log shaped for the purpose, and beam and handles of white oak rails. In 1838 two of these plows were made, with which the farmers were well pleased, doing unusually good work for those days. And after these first plows he had a great deal of trouble experimenting, in getting a plow to scour satisfactorily in ground that had been plowed four or five times, especially on the bottom, black, sticky soil. He went to different farms to try his plows, in Ogle, Lee, Whiteside and other coun- ties where farmers had never been able to make plows scour. During this year Mr. Deere built a dwelling-house iS x 24 feet, and brought his wife and five children from the East. It was not then a few hours' ride in a moving parlor, as now, but a weary journey of six weeks by stage-coach and lumber-wagon. Settled in his little home, often shaking with the ague, the work was pushed, and in 1839 ten plows were built, and the entire iron works of a new saw and flouring mill made, with no help except that of an inexperienced man as blower and striker. In 1840 a second anvil was placed in the shop, a workman employed and 40 plows made. His fame as a plow-maker was now rapidly ex- tending, and in 1841 he built 75 steel mold-board plows, and a brick shop, 30 X45, was erected, and the year following 100 new plows were added. The tide which was then set clearly in his favor, after- waid bore him steadily on to fortune. In 1843 ne took a Maj. Andrus into partnership, enlarging his buildings by electing a brick shop two stories high, added, horse-power for the grind- stone, established a small foundry, and turned out 400 improved plows. In 1846 the annual product had increased to 1,000, and as time advanced improvements were made; but the difficulty of obtaining steel of proper dimensions and quality was found to be a great ob- stacle to the complete success of the business. Mr. Deere accordingly wrote to Nailor & Co., importers, ot New York, explaining the demand of the growing agricultural States of the West for a good cast-steel plow, and stated the size, thickness and quality of s^Dff- J*. <-M§mi^ the steel plates he wanted. The reply was that no such steel could be had in America, but they would send to England and have rollers made for the pur- pose of producing the special sizes of steel. An or- der was sent and the steel made and shipped to Illinois. In this connection it may be proper to say that it was in the shaping of the mold-board that Mr. Deere's ingenuity more particularly manifested itself. He was undoubtedly the first man to conceive and put in operation the idea that the successful self- scouring of a steel mold-board depended pre-emi- nently upon its shape. This idea was his, and he worked upon it until the correctness of it was fully demonstrated. Mr. Deere's practical foresight enabled him to see that his location was not advantageous for a growing business. Coal, iron and steel must be hauled by team from La Salle, a distance of 40 miles, and his plows taken a long distance to market in the same slow and expensive manner. He therefore sold his interest in the business at Grand de Tour to his partner, Mr. Andrus, and removed to Moline, 111., in 1847. Here was good water-power, coal near in abundance, and cheap river transportation. A part- nership was formed between Mr. Deere, R. N. Tate and John M. Gould, shops built and work com- menced, resulting the first year in the production of 700 plows. About this time the English steel arrived, and 50 plows were made from it and sent to different parts of the country, where the soil was known to be most dif- ficult of plowing. The test proved the success of the implement and the manufacture sprang at once to the enormous number of r,6oo plows a year, which number were made in rSso. In 1853, Messrs. Tate and Gould retired from the firm, Mr. Deere buying their interest. In 1852 the shops were enlarged, new machinery added and the sales continued to increase. Mr. Deere continued alone until 1S57, which year he made 10,000 plows. In 1858 he took his son, Charles H., and Stephen H. Velie, one of his sons-in-law, into the business as partners, and the business was continued un- der the name of Deere & Co. until 1S68, when it had assumed such proportions that a company was incorporated under the general laws of the State, with John Deere as President, a position he has since held; Charles H. Deere, Vice-President and % 7S 9 > Co ind Stephen H. Velie, Secretary. During all the subsequent years the business has had a steady and marvelous growth, requiring the annual addition of shop room, men and machinery. The history of Deere & Co., from its earliest inception down to July 1, 1885, the current year, will be found in another part of this Album, and therefore will not be noticed further in this sketch. We can truthfully say that John Deere has been the architect of his own fortune. His great wealth has been acquired by his individual effort and industry. Since Moline was a struggling and unimportant little village, Mr. Deere has been identified with its inter- ests. The silent and unwritten history of her streets, her railroads and her public institutions is replete with his spirit and untiring energy. It is conceded that John Deere, of this sketch, is the originator of the steel plow. When he manufactured his first steel plows, there were not only no steel plows in America, but no steel manufactured of which to make them. The influence of this im- provement in the manufacture of plows cannot be estimated. The name of John Deere is a familiar one throughout the West, and his plows are sent to South America, the West Indies, New Zealand, the Sandwich Islands, South Africa, Australia, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Russia and the British possessions in America. They have been awarded medals at almost numberless county, State and na- tional exhibitions in this country, and were awarded the same way at the Paris Exposition in 1878 in a field trial, in which over 50 plows from all nations competed. Mr. Deere has been twice married: In 1827, at Granville, Vt., to Miss Damaris Lamb, who died at Moline, Feb. 17, 1865. Of the eight children she bore, five only survive (July, 1885): Charles H., Mrs. Jennette D. Chapman, Mrs. Ellen S. Webber, Mrs. Emma C. Velie, and Mrs. Alice M. Cady. His second marriage occurred in 1867, also at Granville, and to a younger sister of his first wife. Mr. Deere was elected Mayor of the city of Moline and served two years. He was also President of the First National Bank of Moline, and a director to the present day. He was also a large contributor toward the founding of the public library, and was a director of the same for many years. In personal appearance, Mr. Deere is large, well proportioned and strongly built, and has been blessed with strength capable of almost unlimited endurance. In his better days he would stand at his anvil from five o'clock in the morning until nine at night, build- ing plows, shoeing horses and constructing ma- chinery for saw-mills. His features are strong, indicating great power and decision of character. His face is frank and open, and his address generally bespeaks him what he is, a man of tender social na- ture and noble character. His feelings lie near the surface, and he is singularly sensitive to pathos, whether of sorrow or of joy. His sympathy and help quickly respond to the call of trouble or of mis- fortune, and he rejoices in the prosperity of all about him. Absorbed in business, he has not had the de- sire nor time for public office, which has at times sought his services. He has, however, always been in sympathy with public interests, and has given liberally of his means to advance them. He has been a Republican in politics since the organization of that party. He is an active member of the Con- gregational Church, and a generous contributor to local and foreign objects of benevolence. The re- ligious, moral and educational interests of society have had in him a friend and patron. A generous hospitality is shown at his comfortable home, and few men are more entertaining in the social circle, or have a more happy faculty of making every one feel at ease. Mr. Deere is still active and strong, and many years may he live to enjoy his success and the friend- ships he has made, and to do good, and then may he possess the immortality in a higher than material sense that comes to those who have done well. It is a pleasure to the publishers of this Album to pre- sent in its pages a portrait of a man like Mr. Deere, and we know it will be gladly received by the patrons of the work. The portrait of Mr. Deere which appears in connection with this sketch, is en- graved from a photograph taken in 1885. ^OOO^ — ~n ■* j;isOri obert H. Munro, senior partner of Munro alii: Bros., carriage manufacturers, was born at Davenport, Iowa, March 16, 1857, and is WV tlle son oi Rol;)ert anc * I sabel (Ewing) Munro. His parents were from Scotland, his father a native of Edinburgh, and his mother of Glas- gow. They emigrated to America in 1850. His father V" 4> t £rXHn n § n ns^ — ^^- 208 • 7*v^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY 4 ?@>>( months in the mountains, and in the fall of the same year returned to Moline, and in 1865 formed a part- ^nu^mi^^s — 5 » e - 4^^ mm §ti| f v i«a View fp?om north! Residence of HON. JOHN SOUTHWEST PROSPECT. DEERE , MOLI NE, ILLS ■evcamsiw^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY 2 J 3 nership with Henry VV. Candee and R. K. Swan, under the firm name of Candee, Swan & Co., for the manufacture of agricultural implements, Mr. Friberg acting as mechanical manager of the works. Soon afterwards Mr. George Stevens bought an interest in the works and subsequently Mr. S. W. Wheelock be- came a partner. In 1S70, the company was incor- porated under the State laws, with a capital stock of $400,000, under the name of the Moline Plow Com- pany. (See history of this important manufacturing establishment elsewhere in this work.) Mr. Friberg was elected one of the directors of the company, and superintendent of the shops, and served as such until 1876, when he retired on account of impaired health. Three years later, he resumed active relations with the company, since which lime he has been inspector of agricultural implements and general superin- tendent. Mr. Friberg was united in marriage, in Rock Island, Nov. 20, 1854, to Miss Louisa Peterson, who was born in Sweden. She has borne her husband eight children, five of whom are living: Albert B., born at Moline, Nov. 15, 1855, died Sept. 20, 1862; Cassius D., born Aug. 19, 1858; Edward F, born March 24, 1861, died Nov. 12, 1862; George H., born Oct. 25, r86 3 ; Ina J., born June 9, 1866; Kornelia L., born July 10, 1S69; Minnie N., born April 17, 1872, died April 7, 1875; and Oliver P, born Aug. 9, 1876. The wife and mother died March 5, 1883, at Moline, mourned by many rela- tives and a host of friends. Mr. Friberg, as is shown by the above sketch, was one of the founders of one of the most important es- tablishments in the Northwest, and is the only re- maining partner of the original firm now connected with that institution. He has, with the exception of two or three years (during which time he was in- capacitated by impaired health), been one of the leading spirits of the business. His thorough me- chanical knowledge and faithful supervision of the work has done much to insure the perfection of the work turned out, and to aid in bringing the quality of the plows and other farm machinery made by this company up to the high standard which it has at- tained. As a business man and citizen, he is held in high esteem by a large circle of acquaintances, his broad and cosmopolitan views of life having led him easily into the ways and habits of the people of the New World, with whom he fraternizes so naturally. 'Vf He is liberal in his religious views, while a friend to Churches in general. He has never been ambi- jjp tious of the honors of office, and it is said was never known to accept any offers but that of Village Trus- ^ tee of Moline in the early days of the history of that town. Politically, he is identified with the Republi- can party. "S~ 3 %"is^-S"~ I I gnatz Huber, one of the representative business men of Rock Island city, engaged in the brewing business, came to this place in 185 1, from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, Feb. 1, 1826, and emi- grated to the United States in 1849. His younger days, until the age of 18 years, were spent in school in his native country. It was in that coun- try also that he first learned the trade of brewer, be- sides working on a farm. His father followed the same vocation in life (that of a brewer), and it was in his brewery that Mr. Huber, subject of this notice, j first learned the secrets of that business. Coming to the United Slates in the year named, ; Mr. Huber, having expended what little money he *i had, and being of that disposition which would not , } allow him to pass his days in idleness, even had lie the competency of a " Vanderbilt," he engaged to work on a farm for the " magnificent " wages of 62^ cents per day for the first month. Leaving the farm, he engaged to work in a brewery in Columbus, Ohio, and followed that vocation for ten months; then worked at the same business in Cincinnati one year. At this point of Mr. Huber's history, he came to Rock Island city, and engaged in the brewing busi- ness for one month, when he formed a partnership with August Lettig, which partnership existed until April 1, 1854, when Mr. Huber purchased the inter- est of his partner and has since continued in the business alone, covering a period of 3T years. Since that time he has spent over $100,000 in improvements. He employs some 16 men and four teams on the road. He also owns the beer-bottling establishment on Third Avenue, and also his large brewery on Elm Street, besides property in Milan and Moline. He is a director in the People's Bank, and has been such since its organization. Coming to Rock Island city K-MSSHIB^A;©- m* ^/\ <«HIH>r 214 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^ A r V ^> when that village was in its infancy, and locating there with a firm belief in the future development, not only of the city, but also of the surrounding coun- try, and remaining as he did, and meeting with the success that he has, the latter can be but attributed to his good judgment, energetic determination and active co-operation of his good helpmeet. Mr. Huber was united in marriage to Miss Cath- erine Koehler, a native of Germany. Their children are Amelia, Lillie and Otto, all of whom are living at home. Politically, Mr. Huber is a Democrat. He is one of those men of whom it can be said he takes an interest in any movement calculated to benefit the city and community in which he resides, and that, although he has met with success in his accumula- tions, none can attribute to him any degree of selfish- ness. He has a beautiful residence on Third Avenue between 23d and 24th Streets, where he owns a half block of land. >; f^W ddison N. Philleo, deceased, formerly a r^MM{ res 'dent of Coe Township, was born in ii W@f Connecticut, Dec. 25, 1805. When he was ~^j!tai young his mother died, and at the tender age !^ of 15 he struck out into the world to take care ) of himself, first peddling Yankee notions for a time, in Connecticut, and next in selling goods by- wholesale in Herkimer Co., N. Y. In 1836 he emi- grated \Vest, coming by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and the lakes to Chicago. He first made a claim on section 18, of township 21, range 2 east, now known as Coe Township. After the land was surveyed by the Government and placed in market, he entered his claim. He had just erected a log cabin in the timber, which he afterwards moved to the prairie in the southeastern part of section 18, and occupied it as a residence for a number of years, when he built another near by and moved into it. In 1850 he erected a good frame residence, and since put up several good farm structures and other wise improved the farm until he made it a valuable one; it comprised 320 acres. The death of Mr. Philleo occurred June n, 1880. He was first married March 5, 1835, to Lovina Cum- mings, a native of the State of New York, who died T Sept. 26, 1845, leaving four children, viz.: Russell C, who enlisted in the late war and was killed in the battle of Shiloh; William W., who lives in Ad- ams Co., Neb. ; Thomas, who resides in Washington Territory ; and Edward A., a resident of Adams Co., Neb. Mr. Philleo was married a second time, July 15, 1846, to Mary M. Willman, who was born in Williamsburg, Canada, Dec. 24, 1821. By this mar- riage there are nine children, five of whom are now living, namely: Emily, Livonia C, Jane Kate, Bradford N. and Eveline L. * -^- §]Jj|[ ev. Allen B. Hitchcock, deceased, was ■SeHf: born in Great Barrington, Mass., March 20, 1815, and was the son of Harvey and '*v\ Caroline Hitchcock. He was one of a family of five ministers, having had four brothers and one brother-in-law in that holy calling. He united with the Congregational Church when 15 years of age, was a graduate of Illinois College and the Theological Department of Yale College, also attended Harvard for a short time, and was or- dained a minister of the gospel in early manhood. He came West in 1S40 in search of a field of labor where he might be useful, and located at Davenport, Iowa, where he organized the Congregational Church of that city, of which he was the Pastor until trie autumn of 1844. In October of that year he re- moved to Moline, and was chosen Pastor of the Congregational Church of that place. He was the second Pastor in succession, and continued to hold that position for 20 years, during which time he la- bored with great ardor to build up a Christian com- munity at Moline. In the pulpit, Sunday-school, lecture room, or in private discourse, his influence was always exerted for the benefit of his fellow-man, and his teachings were always calculated to make people better and happier. Mr. Hitchcock was a man of superior attainments, gifted with a good command of language, logical in argument, quick to sound the depth of his subject and clear in the presentation of his views. His zeal and earnestness sometimes led him to forget the lapse of time, a fault his congregation was ever ready to excuse, in view of the interesting nature of his discourse. It is said that on one occasion his ser- •if* m ■ (J) s m (i) a^HIIS '■■) @ V S (^ X ■e-7 «&nn<>^ .fftfrrx ISLAND COUNTY. 215 mon lasted two and a half hours, during which time he held his audience in earnest attention by his eloquence and fervor. His great desire was to pro- mote the welfare and happiness of his fellow crea- tures and to cultivate peace and good will, as well as to instruct in things spiritual. He was thorough in his investigation of the subject under consider- ation, then positive and independent in his conclu- sions. He loved argument, and was always interesting and instructive in conversation. Possessed of a fine sense of honor, he admired honesty and truth, and his teachings were always calculated to develop those great principles. He was noted for his habit of industry and desire to be always doing something useful. But where he was known at his best, was in his home and in the social circle. No one had more friends among both young and old. His home was a favorite resort, and all were glad to partake of his genial hospitality. So thoroughly was he beloved and respected regardless of creed or social position, that it is said that the saloon-keepers of Moline closed their doors and suspended business during his funeral, out of respect to his memory. While he had spoken fearlessly against their traffic while liv- ing, he had done so in so fair a manner that he com- manded their respect and esteem. In his political views, he was a pronounced anti- slavery man from early manhood and later an earn- est Republican. On the breaking out of the late war he was an enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Lincoln and a warm friend of the soldiers. His earnest ef- forts in the cause of the Union and his able support of sanitary measures identified him so closely with the soldiers that his grave is as regularly decorated on the 30th of every May as that of any soldier. His name is also on the soldiers' monument. His death occurred Dec. 15, 1873. Mr. Hitchcock was united in marriage, in New Haven, Conn., July 4, 1840, to Miss Frances Hotch- kiss, daughter of Elias Hotchkiss. She was born in New Haven, Conn. The issue of their union was five children, namely: Frances E., born in Daven- port, May 4, 1842, now wife of Dr. R. M. Lackey, of Oak Park, 111.; Maria \Y., born Oct. 27, 1844, wife of John M. Holt, of Moline, 111. ; Frederick E., born Feb. 27, 1847, and died aged two years ; Al- mira W., born May 7, 1850, and died aged eight years; Elizabeth A., born May 23, 1853, now wife of Charles B. Head, of Meriden, Iowa. Mr. Hitch- cock's wife, an estimable lady, survived him a little more than two years, her death occurring Feb. 23, r8 7 6. tb-hristopher C. Webber, deceased, was bom ■ in Genesee Co., N. Y., March 1, r8io,and died at his home in Rock Island city, March 5, 1865. His parents, William and Betsey (Kemp) Webber, natives of New Eng- land, and of Holland-Dutch extraction, re- moved from New York State to Michigan while the subject of this sketch was very young, and there sp-nt the rest of their lives. Young Mr. Webber received a common-school education, and at the age of 17 years made his way to Geneseo, 111., where, in company with an older brother, he was several years engaged in the dry- goods business. From Geneseo he came to Rock Island in the year 1849, and here carried on a gen- eral store for a few years. In 1850, at the head of the firm of C. C. Webber & Co., he organized and put into operation the " Union Foundry," in a frame structure, and the first foundry put up in this city. The building was destroyed by fire, probably the same year it was started, and the company pro- ceeded at once to erect a brick edifice, with much larger capacity than the first. At about the same time, foundries were planted at Davenport and Mo- line, and while there was abundance of business for all the concerns, a great rivalry was engendered, and the competition was carried possibly to an unprofit- able degree. However, the " Union Works" held their own, and ran along with varying success until the great financial depression of 1857. Either in that year or soon afterwards, Mr. Webber withdrew from the company and in 1862 became a partner with Deere & Co., Moline, adding to that already extensive manufactory of agricultural implements the making of improved cultivators. The history of the Deere & Company Plow Works will be handed down to posterity, and will show it to be one of the greatest enterprises of its character in the United States; and Mr. Webber, who remained with it till his death, will be remembered as more than an ordi- nary factor in its greatest achievements. He began V> & 9 S & »*y ff **^ — ©^hii&ni^ 4^^ m^^^- i ~>Si -j . v£hii»>t & 1 216 T7 i?(9CA' ISLAND COUNTY. life as a farmer's boy, and worked his way to success, depending always upon his individual resources, and proving himself capable at all times of meeting suc- cessfully the exigencies of the occasion. He was rather retiring in his disposition, sought no publicity, and preferred only the excitement of active business. At the time of his death he was repre- senting his Ward as Alderman in the Rock Island City Council, and this was the only public office he had ever consented to fill. Dec. 17, 185 1, Mr. Webber was united in marriage, at Moline, to Ellen S., daughter of the Hon. John Deere, and had born to him six children : Ada L., wife of William G. Mixter, Professor of Chemistry at Yale College ; Grace E., wife of B. G. Keator, of Mo- line ; Alice F., Charles C. and Mary E. ; Frank died in infancy. Mr. Webber was identified prominently with the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities, and was lib- eral in both his political and religious views. He left his family a handsome competency, and h s mag- nificent mansion on the Elm Street bluffs, overlook- ing the Mississippi River and the city of Davenport, is yet occupied by Mrs. Webber, who in the success- ful management and direction of the large estates left her, shows that she inherited much of the busi- ness sagacity of her father, and that Mr. Webber was wise in the selection of a wife. lbert F. Hollister, eldest son of Edmund r and Emma L. (Hall) Hollister, is a resi- lil 9 ^* dent of Coe Township, and was born in Greenville, Washington Co., N. Y., Jan. 1, 1836. He was but a year old when his par- ents emigrated with him to this county, set- tling in what is now Rural Township. There lie grew up to manhood, attending the common schools and assisting his father in the mill. When in his 21st year, he went to Wabaunsee Co., Kan., where he worked in a steam saw-mill two years ; next he prospected and mined for eight months in Colorado; then, returning to this county, he rented land in Coe Township, upon which he began farming. In 1866 he purchased 80 acres of land, being the east half of the southeast quarter of section 18, that township. ^- This place he has finely improved and furnished with a good complement of farm buildings. His son owns 60 acres adjoining, on section 19. Mr. Hol- lister raises grain and also raises and ships live stock, as cattle and hogs. He is a Republican in his political views, and he has served as Supervisor of his township four years and as Township Treas- urer. He was united in marriage, Oct. 12, i860, to Rebecca Reed, daughter of David and Anna (Nay- lor) Reed, both her parents being natives of Penn- sylvania. Mr. and Mrs. H. have five children, namely: Eva G., Emma L., Gracie A., Frederick A. and Edmund J. '£{ JSa^Pt- Luke E - Hemenway, one of the most systematic and efficient Postmasters in %'(£/* ^ the United States, was born at Shoreham, $fo Addison Co., Vt., Aug. 7, 1816. His par- W ents, Francis S. and Clara (Turrill) Hemen- 5gg^ -Cu-i, ^KMf> way, natives of Massachusetts and of English descent, reared to men and women three sons and two daughters. The elder Mr. Hemenway was a farmer by occupation. He came with such of his family as were yet home in 1853 to Ogle Co., 111., where he spent the remainder of his years, — dying in 1856, at the age of 78 years. The subject of our sketch spent the earlier years of his youth in his native town, and there, at the common schools, acquired a fair English education. Prior to leaving Vermont, which occurred in the fall of 1 838, he spent several years clerking in various mercantile establishments in the small Green Moun- tain towns. From Bethel, Vt., he shipped direct to Grand de Tour, Ogle Co., 111., in the year above stated, and in partnership with his brother-in-law, Solon Cumins, engaged at once in mercantile busi- ness. He remained at Grand de Tour and vicinity 17 years, the last four of which were devoted to farming, an occupation resorted to for the purpose of recuperating his health, which by the many years of in-door life had been sadly impaired. In 1855 he removed to Moline and was employed by Mr. John Deere as book-keeper for about four years. The succeeding five years, in partnership with H. A. Barnard, he tried his hand at the manufacture of chairs, furniture, etc., and then after an army expe- < ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. V > I! est rience, he returned to book-keeping, a position he held with the Moline Plow Company for about eight years. It was in May, 1864, he entered the army, and at the organization of the i32d 111. Vol. Inf., was elected Captain of Co. H, a rank he held to the ex- piration of his term of service. Capt. Hemenway was appointed Postmaster of Moline by President Hayes in 1877, and re-appointed by President Ar- thur in 1 881 . He has served the city of Moline as Alderman, Clerk and Trustee; was one of the char- ter members, and is Past Master of Doric Lodge, F. & A. M., and is a prominent member of the G. A. R. Mrs. Hemenway, nee Miss Jane E. Marsh, to whom Mr. H. was united in marriage at Grand de Tour in June, 1842, died Dec. 26, 1883. Of the four children born to them, three are living: Fred C. Hemenway is manager of J. M. Christy's Cracker Manufactory at Rock Island; Charles F. is cashier of the Moline National Bank; and Ellen M. is the wife of J. M. Christy. artin Schoonmaker, dealer in grain at Reynolds, this county, is a native of Green County, in the State of New York, where he was horn Oct. 21, 1835. His "X father, Christian Schoonmaker, was a farmer by occupation, and a native of the same State, of German descent. He was reared in Green County, and married Silvia Maraquot, a native of the same county, of New England parentage and of German descent. During his life he became a prominent man, and he died in the same county in the year 1877, over 60 years of age. The widow is yet living with her younger son, Walter, in that county, now being about 70 years of age. The subject of this sketch was a member of the parental household until he was about 20 years of age, being brought up in the noble and independent vocation of agriculture, and educated in the public schools At the age of 2T he emigrated West, set- tling in this county, in Edgington Township, where he continued in his calling In 1870 he engaged in the sale of agricultural implements at Edgington, and afterward at Milan, being at the latter place in partnership with G. M. Dixson two years. Return- ing to the village of Edgington, he established a gen- eral store, where he successfully followed mercantile business for six years, and also dealt in live stock. At the end of the six years mentioned he sold his store, and has since been employed exclusively in the grain business at Reynolds. He is also agent for the Hartford, Phcenix, Queen, of Liverpool, and German, of Freeport, Insurance Companies. Since 1 88 1 he has also held the office of Notary Public. He has also been Justice of the Peace and Township Supervisor, and is now a School Director. Adjoin- ing the village he owns r 6 acres of land, on which he has a beautiful two-story residence. He owns the elevator at the depot, and also a small grist-mill, which is excellent for small grists and plain work. He is also the proprietor of a plat 150 x 170 feet in dimensions near the depot. Mr. S. was first married, in Edgington Township, to. Elizabeth Boltinghouse, who was born and brought up in this State, and died in July, 1870. His second marriage occurred in Bowling Township, this county, when the bride was Miss Jennie Smith. She was born in the State of New York, in January, 185 1 ; was but a small child when her parents emi- grated West with her to this county, settling upon a farm. Mr. and Mrs. Schoonmaker have had four children, two of whom are deceased, viz: an infant and Walter, who died at the age of rg months. The two living are : Elizabeth, who was born April 21', 1878, and Lura, Jan. 8, 1883. Mr. S. is a stanch and reliable Democrat, and his wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church. r:p3I;,on. Stillman W. Wheelock, President of 7 : |l?l': the .Moline Plow Company, of the Moline ' .'.'. ''>*"* Paper Mill Company, and of the Moline A National Bank. (See history of Moline indus- j tries, in this volume.) The Wheelocks were 1 among the earliest settlers, dating their ancestry in this country back to the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers. Their history, first to last, were it possible to chronicle it within any allotted space, would be, in a large number of individual instances, an un- broken recital of simple life, exemplary morals, in- dustry, energy, and good citizenship. Chapin and Miss Luc) Wheelock) both having the same inherited name) were married at their 11a- & n E3 vie*' fjS (i ^€^ ©A^DDSIIII^A©— ^©^> «3 ^s T^iitisiiii^e-- — T7 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. m\m$ f da tive town, Worcester, Mass., in 1808, and of their six sons, brought up to manhood, the one whose name heads this article was third in order of birth. His parents moved from Massachusetts to Erie Co., N. Y., in 1812, and there, on June 18, 1816, Stillman W. Wheelock was born. The elder Mr. Wheelock was a farmer, and brought his sons up to know some- thing of that industry, though it does not appear any one of them ever followed it for any length of time, except one brother, Hon. D. L. Wheelock, who moved to Moline from his farm in Cook Co., 111., in 1865, which he sold. After remaining in the city ten years he was elected at first Mayor, and re-elected two terms. On his removal from this place he settled in Washington Co., Iowa, where he now owns a large farm. Chapin Wheelock, Sr., died Jan. 10, 1835, at the old home in Massachusetts, to which place he had temporarily returned. In September of the same year S. W. left his home at Holland, N. Y., and spent two years in Massa- chusetts, making his home with his grandparents, but working out in Worcester and Brookfield, at a low rate of wages. In the fall of 1837 he took his accumulated earnings (some $250), returned to the family home in New York, and spent the amount in schooling, at the Aurora Academy. The following winter he taught a public school in his native village, at $15 per month and board (" boarding round " was then the custom in that section), and in the spring of 1839, with just $60 in his pocket, he left Buffalo, on the old steamer " Anthony Wayne," landing at Chicago May 10, 1839. At that time there was no railroad into Chicago. The city had but one brick building, — -the old " Lake House," on the North Side. The streets were a sea of mud, and the side- walks were few and exceedingly rickety and irreg- ular. Mr. Wheelock took out of his trunk sufficient clothing for immediate use, tied it in a yellow ban- dana, slung the bundle over his shoulder on the end of a hickory stick, and took foot passage to Naper- ville, 15 miles distant, where he spent the first night. Next day he walked to St. Charles, then a promising Western town on Fox River. Determined to take employment at something which would make him a living, without caring much what the work might be, he took a job in a hard-wood saw-mill at $1 per day, of 12 hours each. The board he received was mostly mush and milk, fat pork and corn bread. Here he worked one year, in company with S. B. Flint (now dead), whose sister Mr. Wheelock after- ward married. The Flint family had come to St. Charles a year before. In 1840 the two men named, under the firm name of Flint & Wheelock, rented the saw-mill, and ran it on their own account. It had two upright saws and one lath saw. The business partnership naturally developed an intimacy which resulted in the marriage of S. W. Wheelock and Lydia Flint, at St. Charles, in March, 1842. Abandoning the saw-mill, Mr. Wheelock went into the hotel business, in the same town, which he con- tinued for two years. He then exchanged the hotel for a farm, lying some seven miles from St. Charles, and in the meantime built a brick dwelling in town, which he occupied for several years, giving his atten- tion to his farm. During the period covered by these memoranda, O. M. Butler and B. T. Hunt built a paper-mill at St. Charles, of which C. N. Smedley, of Vermont, was superintendent. Convinced that paper-making would be a thrifty business in the West, and learn- ing that there was a splendid water-power at Moline, Mr. Wheelock and Mr. Smedley, having but small capital between them, came down to Moline in the spring of 1851, and bought out the old foundry of N. B. Buford, for $5,000. It stood on the site of the present Moline Paper Mill. The purchase, outside of the real estate, was a shaky frame building, about 40 x 60 feet. Smedley at once went to Brattleboro, Vt., and made a contract for machinery for the new mill. Mr. Butler, of St. Charles, evidently fearing that this mill might interfere with his business, promptly represented to the manufacturers that Wheelock & Smedley, with whom the contract had been made, were not a sound firm. On this repre- sentation, the firm declined to make the machines, although they had twice agreed to do so. Mr. Wheelock then went to Goddard, Rice & Co., of Worcester, Mass., ordered his machinery, and it was promptly made. This machinery came from Boston to New Orleans by ocean ; thence by boat up the Mississippi River, and was landed near the foot of Lynde Street. Its arrival excited a great deal of curiosity, and its landing was witnessed by many in- terested spectators. Since then Mr. W. has bought all his machinery from Goddard, Rice & Company, because they had the good sense to trust him when he was struggling for a business footing. In the fall of 185 1 Mr. W. brought his wife and A ETC 1 — T Xi.* ® *x^§ i+i»- -^ v<«im>> V p •* 2 f > (!) ^CC^ ISLAND COUNTY. 221 (® furniture down from St. Charles in a wagon. Here Mr. and Mrs. W. went to housekeeping, mutually aiding each other in life's duties, faithfully toiling to- gether, and together reaping the fruit of their united industry. In r853 Mr. Smedley sold his interest in the paper mill to James Fergus. Prior to 1S54. the year in which the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was completed to this point, all chemicals used in the mill had to be hauled by teams from Peru, 111., to which point they were brought by canal from Chi- cago. The paper manufactured was delivered by teams to Galena, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Ottumwa, Galesburg, Peoria, Knoxville, and other towns in Illinois and Iowa. They usually returned with a cargo of rags. Mr. Weelock himself started with a four-horse load of print paper for Galena on a cold day in the winter of 1856. At Hampton he was compelled to buy a warm cap. He delivered the paper to the purchaser, reloaded with a cargo of rags, and reached home all right. In i860 he built the stone portion of the mill now standing, and put in a 68-inch Fourdrinier paper machine. The original machine was removed to the basement, where it is still doing service in the manufacture of wrapping paper. The Paper Mill Company is at present a char- tered incorporation, with a capital stock of $140,000. _The officers are S. W. Wheelock, President ; Everett Wheelock, Secretary and Treasurer. During the past few years Mr. Wheelock has paid considerable attention to the raising of thoroughbred horses and cattle, and numbers among his posses- sions in that line some of the finest bloods in the State. In 1872 Canbee, Swan & Company, plow manu- facturers, having been somewhat pressed to the wall by moneyed and ambitious rivals, Mr. Wheelock, first through sympathy, and second as a business scheme, came to their rescue, and at once laid down $75,000, reorganized the concern, converted it into a stock company, and became its President. In 1884 a statement of the Moline Plow Company showed that the capital stock was $400,000, and its cash sur- plus amounted to $800,000. July 1, 1885, the capi- tal stock was increased to $800,000, one-half of which is controlled by Mr. Wheelock, leaving a net surplus of $400,000. The Moline Paper Mill, out of which l£K®>K Mr. W. claims to have made his greatest money, has invested in it a capital stock of $140,000, about $80,- 000 of which is held by the President, Mr. W. Mr. Wheelock was also one of the organizers of and stockholders in the Malleable Iron Works, under its organization of June, 1884, with a capital stock of $75,000, of which he is by far the largest stock- holder. In this year also was organized the Moline Central Street Railway, with Mr. Wheelock as Presi- dent, and in June, 1885, the road was thrown open to the public. Of the three sisters and five brothers of Mr. Wheelock, only one of the former and two of the latter are living. To these Mr. Wheelock, from the great abundance of his wealth, has liberally given from time to time. The Churches ot every denomi- nation in the city have been the recipients of his bounty, and the poor and needy ever find in him a friend that causes them to remember him with their blessing. The three story building occupied 12 years by the Moline postoffice was built by Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock, and its second and third stories presented to the Free Library Association. Nor was this all: the first large moneyed donation to this great public institution was by Mr. Wheelock, and opposite his name was placed the sum of $500. The magnitude of Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock's gift in this instance, and the exalted degree of pleasure thereat experienced by many of the truly charitably disposed, numbering among them the best people of America, may be imagined from the many congratulatory letters re- ceived by them, a few only of which are at this time at our command, and which are given here: " Moline, March 21, 1877. " To S. W. Wheelock, Esq., " Dear Sir: — At a regular meeting of the Con- cordia Germania Society of Moline, held at their school building on Rodman Avenue, on Thursday evening, March 15, 1877, the undersigned were ap- pointed a committee to draft resolutions of the thanks of the society to yourself and wife for your generous donation to the Public Library of Moline. After due deliberation we reported the following, which on mo- tion was adopted unanimously : " Whereas, Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock have donated to our Public Library the building on Rodman Ave- nue, known as the Postoffice Building; and " Whereas, through the gift the Library will soon be able to compete with the best in the State; and " Whereas, all people will be benefited by it ; therefore, be it "Resolved, That we, as members of the Turners' ^ 82s A §& f® -p. A^ran^A CL. ^ 222 — - <«MB^ ~ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ~^.r± f (0 1=3 R * * Society, tender our heartfelt thanks to Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Wheelock for their magnificent and generous donation. " Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock, and that the same be published in the Tri-City newspapers. " With our best wishes for the future welfare of yourself and family, we remain with great respect, " Yours, etc., "August Timm, "Conrad E. Grantz, " D. V. Witter, " Committee." "Gilbert, March 14, 1877. " S. W. Wheelock, Esq., " Dear Sir : — As one of the great family on whom you and your wife have conferred so great a gift, let me congratulate you, and ask to share the good feel- ing which I know must follow the exercise and gra- cious use of means you have accumulated beyond your need. I regard it as not only benevolence, but also practical wisdom, where I see a noble institu- tion of any kind started or strengthened during the life of the giver. It is little indeed to direct the use of money which the' giver can no longer grasp. May you live long enough to see the fruits you have pro- vided for those simply willing to pluck. " Yours truly, "W. H. Holmes." "Rock Island, March 13, 1876. " Mr. Wheelock, " Dear Sir : — I see by the newspapers to-day that you have done a very liberal thing for your city. In no other way could such good be done, and the benefit will continue to increase forever. To your- self and your good wife this act will be a blessing all the days of your life. I congratulate you with all my heart. Truly yours, " Cornelius Lynde. " To S. W. Wheelock, Esq., Moline." "Winona, Minn., March 19, 1877. "Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Wheelock, "Dear Friends : — Through a Gazette sent me by a Davenport lady, I notice what you have thought best to do for the Moline Public Library, and the fact gave me so much pleasure that I cannot help exclaiming with my pen ' God help you ' for the deed and the thought which prompted you to make it. Although circumstances have for the present placed me in Minnesota, my interest in the Moline Library is not one ' whit ' abated, nor my confidence in its excellent management. Feeling, as I do, most em- phatically, that the public school and free library should go hand-in-hand, educating and elevating together the parents and children, I can in all sin- cerity express my pleasure, with a hope that you may live long to enjoy the great good your benefaction has bestowed upon the citizens of Moline. As she stands at the head in her manufacturing interests, so may she be a leader in intelligence and goodness, which is the outgrowth; for, as the mind opens to receive, it also becomes broader and more liberal, and your thoughtful generosity will do much toward helping on in that direction. As you have made yourselves the pioneers, I trust others will be willing to follow, and that right speedily. " Yours in neighborly remembrance, " Mrs. Horatio G. Nourse." "Moline, III., March 5, 1877. " Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Wheelock, Moline, 111., " My Dear Friends : — I learned this morning of the munificent gift which you have made to the Mo- line Public Library, and at the moment I decided to meet you and tender you my heartfelt thanks for the great favor which you have conferred upon our peo- ple and city, but afterward concluded to write you instead of saying orally what I wanted to commu- nicate to you. "Your grand donation is one that will bless you and bless Moline for all time. This is true, and will remain so upon the pure and undying principle that every such glorious deed is doubly blest. I fail to find language to express to you my gratitude for this great favor, and will leave you to infer the extent of it by telling you that this has been a happy day with me — made so by the fact that very special and val- ued friends have graciously conceived and executed a scheme which is more momentous and enduring in its character, magnificent in its proportions and con- sequences, far-reaching in its beneficial effects upon our people in the future, and more generous in its conception, than any gift that has fallen upon us since I have lived in Moline. My wife eagerly joins me in :hese expressions, and in tne hope that you may live long in the enjoyment of health and happi- ness. " Very truly and faithfully your friend, " Wm. Kerns." "Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Wheelock, " Friends : — Please accept this basket of flowers as a slight token of our appreciation of your recent gift of the Library Building to the people of Moline. " Sincerely, "Mrs. W. A. Nourse, " Mary F. Nourse. "Moline, III., March 16, 1877." Notwithstanding his gigantic business interests, covering over a million of dollars, and involving the welfare of hundreds of people, he has found time to render the public in an official way much service. In 1877 he was elected Mayor of the city; re-elected in 1879, and again in 1881. Public-spirited at all times, his moral and substantial support may always 5:X1 »* 2 24 «-*" " l - * 111' ' ' - - " i-,.:.,- : ( , : '-" : '-' ■2» i. .'. -jc*'*- .- .4 SEC Vistas fwh the Hilltops. T-i Residence of Hon. S. W.Wh eeloc gw ^4^ 6V4itKDIK>^ ^&^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. r % <3> V (!) &\ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. following children: Miles L., Silas, Stewart R., William. Achilles, Minerva, Eli, Melissa, Charlotte T. and Helen M. Charlotte (Mrs. LeQuatte) was born in Morgan Co., Ind., July 2, 1823. She has borne her husband seven children. Hiram B., born Aug. 10, 1844, was a soldier during the late rebel- lion; Nancy P., born Sept. 9, 1S46; Mary, born April 10, 1848: William A., born July 8, 1850; Sarah H , born July 10, 1S52; Frank, born Dec. 4. 1854; and Ed, born Dec. 2S, 1856. Isaiah and Priscilla Drury came to Rock Island County in 1836 and settled in Drury Township, where they died — he Nov. ti, 1854, and she Jan. 18, 1851. Mrs. LeQuatte is a member of the Methodist Church, as are also two of her daughters; one daughter is a member of the Presbyterian Church. In politics Mr. LeQuatte was identified with the Republican party, and during the war was a strong Union man ; but at present he votes for men and measures who come nearest to his ideas of right. 1P#3 ndrew J. Anderson, head shipper of the ^%®8f Moline Plow Co. since 1869. The subject. '.ti_sria f our sketch was born in Sweden, Nov. 10, s yjter 1847 ; emigrated from Sweden to America in 1866, and came direct to Moline. He spent the first two years in the service of the Gov- ernment, on the island. In r868 he engaged with the Moline Plow Co., was appointed head shipper in 1869, and has held that position continuously since, excepting the years 1882-3. During this interval he was engaged in the grocery business at Moline, and in 1884 resumed his old place with the Moline Plow Co. Mr. Anderson was married in Moline Dec. 23, 1871, to Miss Hannah, daughter of Abraham Larson. Mrs. Anderson was born in Sweden. The issue of their union was seven children, five of whom sur- vived; Clark G. was born Jan. 5, 1873; Edith G, born Sept. 28, 1874, died in infancy; Edith, born Aug. 5, 1876; Philip R., born Aug. 20, ^78; Ans- fred L , born Feb. 2, 1881 ; Seth J., born June 1, 1883, died in infancy; Naomi, born April 7, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are members of the Swedish Trustee. In his political views he is a Republican. ^.:TjE| Calvin Goodrich, a citizen of Canoe Creek T^Sslr Township, became a resident of Rock palP"' Island County in 1840. He was born in Huntsvtlle, Otsego Co., N. Y., April 8, 181 1. His father, Philo Goodrich, was a native ol Connecticut and a pioneer of the county where his son was born. The mother, whose maiden name was Lucretia Williams, was also born in that State, and she became the wife of the senior Good- rich there. Their family of children numbered 15, and Mr. Goodrich is the youngest of 13 children. His mother died when he was but three years of age. His father married a second wife, and two danghters were born by that marriage, and when he was ten the loss of his father left him wholly orphaned. His parents died while living in Otsego Co., N. Y., and the son was taken in charge by a Presbyterian min- ister, with whom he lived until he was 14. He then entered into an apprenticeship with a cabinet-maker to acquire a knowledge of that vocation, and served five years. He operated in different parts of the State of his nativity and in Ohio until 1836. In that year he made his first acquaintance with the State of Illinois, whither he came to locate a soldier's claim of which he had become the possessor. It was laid in Effingham County, and after he had taken the necessary steps he returned to h\s native State. He was there married, in 1838, to Emily Fisher. She was born in March, 1813, in Oneida County, and is the daughter of Ichabod and Lucy Fisher. Her parents were born respectively in Massachu- setts and Vermont, and they settled after their mar- riage in Oneida County, where they were among the earliest settlers. In the autumn of 1813 they re- moved their family and interests to Chautauqua County, and there too they were pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich lived in Chautauqua County until rS40. In that year they fulfilled an intention long cherished of making a home in the West, and they moved their family and effects to Warren, Pa., with teams. At that place they se- P & £ •■r ■ < ( ^mm %&*&- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ">i\' cured means of transportation on a river raft and floated on the Allegheny to the Ohio, and then on that river to Louisville, whence they took passage on a steamer to Port Byron. Mr. Goodrich obtained employment at his trade at that place, and operated as a cabinet-maker there until 1853. He then pur- chased a farm situated on sections 7 and 8, in what was then township 19, range 4, and is now called Canoe Creek. He has since given his undivided attention to the pursuit of agriculture. Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich have three children — Arthur, Alice and Lucy. The latter lives with her parents; the son is married and occupies a part of the homestead; Alice G. is the wife of William A. Craig, of Sedgwick Co., Kan. -<&>- -<95— ohn Schafer is among the prominent busi- ness men of Port Byron. He is a native, having first seen the light of day on the 25th of April, 185 1, in Zuma Township, Rock Island Co., 111. His parents, John and Chris- tina Schafer, are natives of Germany, and em- igrated to America in 1849, settling in Zuma Town- ship, in this county. Here they engaged in farming and stock-raising, and have continued to live here up to the present. John, the subject of this sketch, was reared upon the farm, and received his education in the district schools of his neighborhood. At the age of 19 he went to Port Byron and clerked for VV. H. Devore, and continued in his employment until he reached the age of 24. He then formed a partnership with James W. Simonson in the business of general mer- chandise, under the firm name of Simonson & Scha- fer, which still continues. On the 7th of April, 1878, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Melissa, daughter of W. J. and Ann Shepherd. Her father, Mr. S., was one of the prom- inent and leading men of Port Byron in trie early history of the town. There is one child, a daughter, by the union of Mr. and Mrs. Schafer, named Mar- garet Ann. Mr. Schafer is a respected member of the Ancient Order of Freemasonry, and belongs to Philo Lodge, No. 436. He is also a member of Port Byron Lodge, 624, I. O. O. F., and is the presiding officer in that body. Politically, he is an ardent and active Dem- ocrat and a member of the Democratic Central Com- mittee. Mr. Schafer represented his township on the Board of Supervisors for two terms. — ^-^Sf-i^S-v^—:— - "nFpljK eorge Stephens, former Vice-President of •ji yifilS ( l le Moline Plow Company, now retired, "Cw3~" K and one of the pioneer manufacturers of <|* Moline, was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., Feb. 22, 18 19, and is the son of Randall and Martha Stephens. He learned the mill- wright's trade and built many mills in the States of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. He came to Moline in the summer of 1843, remained a few months and returned to his native State. In the spring of 1S44 he returned to Moline and took up his residence at that place. He was employed at his trade at first, but soon engaged in the manufacture of lumber and furniture on the island opposite Moline, in company with Messrs. Spears, Wood and Jonathan Huntoon, Subsequently Mr. Huntoon was his only partner. They did an extensive business in the manufac- ture of lumber and furniture until the United States Government took possession of their property in 1864, when the island was converted into a military reservation. Mr. Stephens then became a stock- holder in the Moline Plow Company, and was elected its first Vice-President, which position he held with- out interruption until "January, 1885, when he re- signed with the intention of retiring from active business and of making a trip to Mexico, which he did soon after. Mr. S. was actively identified with the Moline Plow Company from its inception to the height of its prosperity, covering a period of 20 years, and during which time he was Vice-President of the company and ably contributed to its successful man- agement. He was Trustee of Moline Township in an early day, and held other local offices. Mr. Stephens formed a matrimonial alliance at Moline, Nov. 5, 1846, with Miss Mary A. Gardner. Mrs. Stephens was born in the State of New York. They have become the parents of eight children, six V© I % ^e ^ o/ 3wigiiE» ^y£_^ iH^/ >> v &.' TT ^IIIIS!lll>>r • ®&4 % & 1 1=3 (i) 230 .tftfCX ISLAND COUNTY. of whom survive : George A. is in Arkansas, en- gaged in the lumber business ; Mary L. is the wife of George H. Huntoon, pump manufacturer of Mo- line ; Minnie F. is the wife of Frank G. Allen, cashier of the Moline Plow Company. Moline ; Charles R., in business with his brother in Arkansas; Ada E. and Nellie M. resides with their parents. Mr. Stephens is a man of broad and liberal views both as to the general affairs of this world and as to those of the possible hereafter. In politics he is a consistent Republican. 1— ~^^0> apt. W. C. Bennett, Secretary and Treas- _Jt urer of the Barnard & Leas Manufactur- Ws?^ ing Company, at Moline, is a native of Fayette Co., Pa., and was born Aug. 10, 836. His parents, Elisha and Elizabeth Bennett, were of the good old Quaker per- suasion. His father's family for generations had been residents of Pennsylvania. The mother was born in that State, but of English parentage. William C. came to this State in 1856, and made his home in La Salle until the year 1861, when he removed to Chicago. Early in 1862, he enlisted at St. Louis in the gunboat service, and in what was known as the Mississippi flotilla. He was on con- struction duty at St. Louis one year ; was Master Mate, then promoted as Ensign and subsequently to the position of executive officer of the iron-clad war vessel "Choctaw." He participated in the siege of Vicksburg, the opening of the Mississippi, and the Red River expedition. In the spring of 1864, soon after the Red River expedition, he resigned to return home on account of the death of his father. In the spring of 1865, Capt. Bennett entered the employ of the Northern Line Packet Company, plying between St. Louis and St. Paul. He served first as clerk and was then promoted as Captain of the steamer, and continued with that company until 1868. Duri.ng the year last named, Capt. Bennett sev- ered his connection with that company, and engaged with Deere & Co., of Moline, as book-keeper. He remained with that company until Jan. 1, 1872, when he became a stockholder in the Barnard & Leas Manufacturing Company and was elected sec- retary and treasurer of the same, a position he has held continuously since. Capt. Bennett has served in the above mentioned capacity for 13 years, and has proved a most energetic, capable and efficient officer. Possessed of good executive ability and thorough business habits, combined with a disposi- tion to "get there " when he undertakes a thing, he has by a judicious management of his department aided materially in developing the important manu- facturing institution with which he is connected. Mr. Bennett has been thrice married. His first matrimonial alliance was formed in La Salle in 1858, with Miss Emily Demerrilt, whose death occurred within eight months from the day of her wedding. His second wife was Miss Florence Demerritt, a sis- ter of his former wife, and their wedding occurred at La Salle in 1862. By this union he had four sons and one daughter: Frank E., born Jan. 20, 1865; Edwin M., born Oct. 23, 1868, died Dec. 3, 1879; William D., born Nov. 26, 1875 ; Henry S., born Feb. 20, 1877; and Margaret, born Dec. 10, 1879. The wife and mother died in February, i88r, and Capt. Bennett was again married, to Miss Sara Reed, of Geneseo, 111., the date of their wedding being Feb. 15, 1883. They have one child born of their union, a daughter, Florence Winnifred, the date of whose birth is Aug. to, 1884. Mrs. Bennett is a member of the Congregational Church. In his youth, Mr. Bennett imbibed extreme views on the subject of African slavery and became a pro- nounced Abolitionist. His first vote for a Presidential candidate was cast for Abraham Lincoln. Believing that the Republican party was the best exponent of his principles, he has continued to work with that organization. While not ambitious of official dis- tinction, yet he takes a warm interest in political contests, and can always be relied on as an influen- tial worker in the cause of his party. He has always been a potent factor in the cause of education, and for 12 years has been a member of the Board of Education, and for half that period President of the Board. ■.0^0-- V<" f ft tSx ( I "ohn MeCandless, farmer, section 25, Rural HH S?' Township, is a son of Alexander and Mar- ^* garet (Rickard) MeCandless, who were natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and passed their whole lives in their native State. They had eight children. John, the seventh in the above family, was born in Alle- gheny Co., Pa., March 22, 1819. He attended the common schools, enjoying the advantages afforded in that day, alternating with his labors on his father's farm, until about 22 years of age ; then for four years he traveled through the States of Ohio, Indiana, and New York, being engaged in different occupations, when, on account of poor health, he returned to his own home, where he remained until the spring of ^/S -5-' 2 34 -r4«[W> K > i?fCA' ISLAND COUNTY. 1849. He then went by land to California, with a party of 300 others, occupying about five months in making the journey. Remaining there about four years, he accumulated sufficient means to give him a good start in life. Soon after his return from the Golden State, he came to this county, and in 1854 purchased 320 acres of land in Rural Township, set- tling upon it in 1S55. Here he has since resided, and prospered by his industry and economy. He has very good buildings upon his farm, besides a fine grove of forest trees, which he planted with his own hands, from seed gathered in the county. He now owns 400 acres of land, all of which is tillable. Mr. McCandless was married in Allegheny Co., Pa., March 7, 1855, to Miss Margaret M., daughter of Robert and Jane (Marshal) Burns, 'natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch ancestry. She also was born in that count}', April 10, 1837, being the fourth in order of birth of a family of ten children. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless were the parents of four chil- dren, one of whom died in infancy; the surviving are George R., Henry \V. and Laura V. George R. at- tended the public schools of his native county and afterwards the Washington Academy at Washington, Iowa; Henry W. is a graduate of the Commercial College in Davenport. Mr. McCandless has held the office of Township Supervisor for three terms, and has also been in- trusted with other public positions. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which ecclesiastical body he is a Ruling Elder. In politics he is a well posted Democrat. The portrait of Mr. McCandless, appearing in con- nection herewith, is a necessary and appropriate ad- dition to the illustrations in this Album. ■ -•- -'— : tenry L. Bullen, Secretary and Treasurer of pf^ the Moline Screw Company, was born at East Medway, Mass., Aug. T7, 1820. His parents, Lewis and Esther (Grout) Bullen, were of New England birth. The subject of our sketch graduated at Dartmouth College ; studied theology at Andover and came West in T849, where he was ordained a minister of the Congregational Church at Port Byron, 111., in 1850. Mr. Bullen was the first Pastor of the Port Byron Congregational Church, and filled that pulpit one year. He then accepted the chair of Professor of Mathematics at the Iowa College of Davenport (now the Griswold College) and filled that position eight years. At the expiration of that time, he received a call to serve as Pastor of the Congregational Church at Durand, Iowa, which he accepted. His pastorate of that Church continued for a term of eight years, and in 187 1 he retired from the ministry and removed to Moline, 111. Since his residence here he has de- voted his attention to business pursuits. In July, T884, on the organization of the Moline Screw Company, Mr. Bullen became a stockholder in that concern and was chosen secretary and treas- urer, which position he still fills. Mr. Bullen has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Mary Farrington, daughter of Na- thaniel Farrington, of Walden, Vt., to whom he was married in Georgia, Nov. 28, 1844. Four children were born of this marriage, of whom two are living, namely: Mary E. and John S. Mrs. Bullen died in 1866, and Mr. B. was married again Oct. 9, 1867, in Denmark, Iowa, to Kiss Laura Day, daughter of Kellogg Day. Mr. Bullen was born in Denmark, Iowa, and they have become the parents of two chil- dren, — Laura D. and Henry W. Mr. Bullen has always taken a warm interest in educational matters and for five years has served as a member of the Moline Board of Education. In politics he has usually voted with the Republican party, but always with Prohibition sympathies. He is now fully identified with the Prohibition party. ■5- *~# i. J ,r. Patrick P. Gregg, Acting Post Surgeon of Rock Island Arsenal, commenced the JJra^T' , ' s practice of medicine in Rock Island in jf*jk 1836, and was the first practicing physician ■fc in this place. He emigrated to the United 5 States from Ireland, his native country, in i832 ) and remained in Western New York and Phila- delphia for three years, when he came to Rock Island and followed the practice of his profession at this place until the breaking out of the late Civil War. In i86r, soon after the Rebel guns had thundered forth against the walls of Sumter, Dr. Gregg raised a company, and, in the capacity of Captain, engaged ■^C^s: oV^DD § D D>">r jfOff ISLAND COUNTY. 2 3S in the defense of his adopted country. The com- pany was known as Co. K, 58th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the battles of Fort Donelson and Shi- loh, at which latter place the Doctor was made pris- , oner. He remained a prisoner for six months. The first prison he was placed in was that of Selma, where he remained for one month, when he was transferred to the prison at Talladega. While in the prison at Selma, Gen. Beauregard sent a delegation to Wash- ington to confer with the Government in regard to its exchange of prisoners, together with an exchange of officers taken at the battle of Shiloh. His fellow prisoners chose three, and among that number was Dr. Gregg, the other two being the ex-Governor of Iowa, Major Stone, and Col. Miller, of the 23d Mis- souri. They went to Washington together, and the Doctor was afterward appointed by Gov. Yates of this State, the old war Governor, as Surgeon, with two assistants, for the Col. Mulligan Brigade. They (^ ; went to Virginia and joined their brigade, and re- V mained with the same two years, and continued in ^ the service of the United States Government until = the fall of 1864. After the war was over, and the cause for which r Doctor Gregg had so nobly risked his life on the field >£> of battle was ended by a victory for the Union, Dr. ■ Gregg came home, and was appointed as Surgeon to ) assist in the care of the rebel prisoners on Rock Island, and after the release of the prisoners was ap- pointed Acting Surgeon of the Post for 24 years. Dr. Gregg was born Feb. 12, 1S10. He entered Trinity College, at Dublin, when 18 years of age, and followed the curriculum of that institution for three years. He then joined the Royal College of Surgeons, and remained there for two years, when he was admitted in Jefferson Medical College at Phila- delphia, and received a diploma from that well- known institution. He was also the second Treas- urer of Rock Island County. Dr. Gregg was united in marriage to Miss Sarah L. Wheelock, in 1841, who was a native of New T Hampshire, and they have seven living children- John W., Joseph K., Spencer, Mary, Sarah, Carrie and Fannie. Mary married Albert Dart, and they have six children; John W. married Maggie Mc- Carthy; Joseph K. married Alice Wilson and they have three children. Dr. Gregg has been elected to the office of Mayor of Rock Island, and politically is independent. He is a man respected for his medical experience and learning, for his honest and straightforward dealings with his fellow man, and for the interest he takes in the welfare and advancement of the city which has been his home for so many years. His experience as a physician places him second to none in the State. -@^. = \l:jTf ; :-ohn M. Holt, general grocer and commis- iipf^ sion merchant, Moline, established his busi- lajT" ness a t the corner of 12th Street and Fifth |Sf Avenue, in 1872. He was born in Cobden, JJT Erie Co., N. Y., Feb. 21, 1844, and is the son of Arnold and Hannah (Millington) Holt, both natives of Vermont. He came to Illinois with his parents when n years of age (in 1855), and made his home in Moline. He was educated in the city till 17 years of age, when he enlisted in the late war (Dec, 1861), as a private of Co. H, 8th Kansas Inf. He served in the Army of the Cumberland, and re- ceived an honorable discharge at the end of the term of his enlistment, in December, 1864. During his service he participated in the battles of Perryville, Chickamatiga, Mission Ridge, Orchard Knob and through the campaign from Kenesaw Mountain to Atlanta, Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station, being 45 days under continuous fire. On his return from the war he engaged as merchant's clerk at Moline, which he continued till 1872, when he entered upon his present business. Beginning in a moderate way, in a locality remote from the business center, at first it was not altogether certain that the enterprise would prove a success. Time, however, has demonstrated that Mr. Holt not only selected a favorable location for his business, but that he has by strict attention to the wants of his customers, in selecting his large and varied stock of family and fancy groceries and provisions, together with energetic business habits, seasoned with a little genial good nature, succeeded in building up a magnificent trade. He has a large trade in flour, of which he keeps the most popular brands, while in order to support this trade properly he furnishes his customers with Cady's Jersey butter. As a dealer in fruits and produce he does an im- mense business; in fact, the opening of the berry 1 season is a time of special delight to this gentleman <§}$<§« T farmer. He was married in his native State, and afterwards came to Greene Co., Ohio, where he became a prominent farmer. In 1.835, however, he left Ohio and went to Berrien Co., Mich., where he lived for 15 years. Selling out his interests there, with his family he came to Illinois and settled on an excellent tract of 160 acres on sec- tion 36, Edgington Township, Rock Island County. On this the elder couple lived until their death, the father dying in October, 1876, at the age of 77 years, and the mother in 1864, at the age of 70 years. Our subject was the fourth child of a family of eight children. He was reared on the farms in Michigan and Illinois, under his father's care. Sept. 10, 1857, he was married, in Davenport. Iowa, to Miss Theda E. Gray. ( See sketch of William Wait.) Mrs. Moore was born in Switzerland Co., Ind., Aug. s, 1833. She was reared and educated there, living at home with her parents, and also came West with them when at the age of 21 years. She is the mother of six children, two of whom are deceased. Landon C. resides at home, and is at- tending Rush Medical College, Chicago, contemplat- ing the practice of medicine as a life profession ; Cassie also resides at home, and she was educated in the public schools and at Washington, Iowa; Mamie G. completed her education at Dixon, 111. ; Olive E. is attending the public schools of the county. After his marriage, Mr. Moore settled on his farm of 240 acres, which he had purchased on section 35 of Edgington Township. Upon this he has since lived, erecting an elegant home and making other splendid improvements, until he now has one of the finest farms, with the best equipments, in the county. He also has a lot with an elegant residence upon it in Reynolds, which he soon expects to occupy after his retirement from active farming. The family at- tend the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mrs. Moore and her three daughters are active members. In politics he is identified with the Republican party. ^3=4=4= £3- tion A. Barnard, President of the Barnard & Leas Manufacturing Company, and the in- ventor of popular milling machinery, is a native of Vermont, and was born in La Moille County, Jafl. 15, 1826. He received a common- school education, and having a natural inclina- for mechanical pursuits, he learned the mill- wright's trade. When of age (1847) he went to Canada (Province of Quebec), where he worked at mill machinery'. He was married in the town of Dunton, Canada, Sept. 13, 1849, to Miss Delia Boright, daughter of George Boright. In 1851 Mr. Barnard removed to Worcester, Mass., where he worked at his trade till 1S54. The promising prospects of Moline, 111., as a manufacturing center attracted his attention at this time, and he came to the above-named place. The rapidly- growing importance of Moline as a manufac- turing town, afforded him a good field for the em- ployment of his skill and the development of his talent for invention. One of the results of his early efforts as an inventor was a wood-bending machine, which is now in general use in all the plow factories in the country. In i860 he formed a partnership with Mr. L. E. Hemenway and J. B. Wyckoff, under the firm name of Hemenway, Wyckoff & Company. They began business as manufacturers of chairs and other furniture, and two years later they engaged in C>) 6 si/ \ ®^ *§• ■e^trao^^ — ^€^ _ - ! '^?- « — ^V4M» \ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. V ^i^ 239 ■ <§/ 4 <7S f the manufacture of mill, warehouse and elevator machinery, and of grain-cleaning machines. The enterprise was begun on a small scale and with lim- ited capital. In 1S64 Mr. Hemenway withdrew from the business, and the firm name was changed to Wyckoff & Barnard. When Mr. Wyckoff with- drew J. Silas Leas came in, together with Capt. Bennett, and the concern was organized as a stock company, with Mr. Barnard at its head, as the Bar- nard & Leas Manufacturing Company, which turned its attention to the making of mill machinery exclu- sively. The business began to grow and flourish with wonderful rapidity. Large, convenient and model buildings arose, filled with the best machinery, and the wonderful inventive genius of H. A. Barnard brought into being practical improvements and pa-t ents in mill machinery which created an extraor- dinary demand for their goods, causing them to be called for and shipped not only all over this, but into foreign countries, thus carrying the results of Bar- nard's creative faculty around the world. A view of Mr. Barnard's residence is given in this work. ■Of— ^f^Wir' L. Swisher, resident on section 30, Coe IP"" Township, came to the county of Rock ri> I ES^tt Island in 1855, and in 1873 he settled in 5 Coe Township. He was born in Carroll Co., Md., Oct. 16, 1824, and is the youngest son of Jacob and Eve Elizabeth (Bender) Swisher. His father was born in Richmond Co., Va., and his mother in the county of York in Pennsyl- vania They settled in Maryland at the time of their marriage, and went thence some time later to Adams County, in the same State. Mr. Swisher is of French extraction in the paternal line of descent, the family name being originally spelled Swisseaur; but soon after the first representatives came to the United States it was converted into its present form. As it was difficult for unaccustomed tongues to pronounce it correctly, it was changed accordingly. The mother of Mr. Swisher was of German lineage. The parents went to Adams County when the son was a child of three years. They are both deceased, the demise of the mother occurring at Carlisle, Cumberland County, and the father at Gettysburg. Their children were nine in number, five daughters and four sons. Six only survive : Jacob lives at Gettysburg, Pa. ; Mr. Swisher of this sketch is the second ; Nancy is the widow of Isaac Halm, and lives in Carlisle. Pa., and is 90 years old; Polly is the widow of David Miller, and resides at Cham- bersburg, Pa. ; Elizabeth, wife of Andrew Bushman, lives in Pittsburg ; Sarah married David Zeigler, of Port Byron. At the age of 12 years Mr. Swisher found himself with the privilege of earning his own livelihood, and he spent four years subsequent among his acquaint- ances engaged in farming. He was then 16, and he entered into an apprenticeship to learn the busi- ness of a blacksmith, going for that purpose to Fayetteville, Franklin County. He served three years, and then he set up business independently, operating at various places, including Maryland, Virginia and New Hampshire, until his removal to Illinois, as stated. On his arrival in the county of which he has since been a citizen, he began the pur- suit of his trade at Port Byron, and worked as a journeyman until 1859, when he opened a shop at that place, and continued its management until he bought and took possession of his farm, on which he has since resided and prosecuted his agricultural in- terest. He first bought 62 acres, and it was supplied with a house, which became the home of the family for the time being. Improvements had been made on 40 acres, and a part of the place was known as the Barrett field, and on that the first plowing had been done in 1835. ^ n '884 the same land yielded 80 bushels of corn to the acre,— 49 years after its first cultivation! In 1S76 Mr. Swisher bought 30 acres of land on section 19, which lay adjoining his first purchase, and he is the owner of 90 acres, with 60 acres improved and 30 acres in timber. In addi- tion to general farming, lie is also engaged in stock- raising. He was married June 2r, 1859, to Julia S. Loring. They have three children — Mary H., Charles C. and | Frank L. Mrs. Swisher is the daughter of John H. and Julia (Chamberlain) Loring. Her father was born in Massachusetts, and her mother was a native of Maine. Her family was originally from France, whence they came to England at the time of the Norman conquest. The first Loring in America was r > o» •■/- ■ (9 ^®X^ ItM ; 6V£HH:«^: 240 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. "^ii-'^ *f*t£»C©\ named Thomas, and he settled in Dorchester, Mass., where he arrived Dec. 22, 1634. He became promi- nent in Church affairs, and is recorded as " Deacon Thomas Loring." He afterward went to Hingham, England, and later to Hull, same country, where he died in 1661. The Chamberlains were English, and were also early settlers in the Old Bay State. The parents of Mrs. Swisher settled in the township of Annawan, in this county, in 1855. Her father died there, Dec. 15, 1861. Her mother has married again, and lives at Geneseo, in this county. Two of her brothers and a sister are still living: Joseph F. is a resident of Xew Mexico ; Carrie O. is the wife of the Hon. Charles Dunham, of Geneseo; Edward B. lives in California. f fS^; eter Colseth, President and manager of 1 the Moline Cabinet-Organ Company, was E*^ born in Sweden, March 28, 1S35, the son of Brinild Colseth. He removed to Norway in childhood, where he learned the profes- sion of architect and builder and the cabinet- maker's trade. In 1S64 he emigrated to the United States and located at Chicago, where he was em- ployed at first in Burdett's organ factory, and subse- quently in building and contracting. On the occur- rence of the great fire of October, 1 S7 1, he sustained a heavy loss by failing to realize on his insurance on several buildings burned. He pushed on, however, to retrieve his fortunes, and in 1873 came to Moline to build the Swedish College at this place. He formed the plans and constructed the building, as he like- wise did of the Swedish church at this place. He was engaged as contractor and builder till 1877, when he, in company with Mr. Charles C. Seaberg, engaged in the manufacture of cabinet organs in a small way, their total capital not exceeding $t,ooo- They had the many discouraging difficulties to en- counter and overcome that are incident to the start- ing of a new business of that character ; but by persevering industry and judicious management they succeeded in placing their business on a sound foot- ing. Three years later, they purchased the property they now occupy, and erected commodious and sub- stantial buildings. On the r 9th of December, 1881, they procured the incorporation of the Moline Cab- inet-Organ Company. Mr. Colseth was elected President and Treasurer, and was authorized to act as general manager of the company. He has served as President and general manager continuously since. (See history of the company elsewhere in this work.) Mr. Colseth formed a matrimonial alliance in Nor- way, Feb. 7, r862, with Miss Helen, daughter of Hendricks Hanson. Mrs. Colseth was born in Nor- way, and she and her husband were the parents of two children, Charles and Caroline. Charles died, aged t4 years, and the daughter, Caroline, at the age of r 2. Mr. and Mrs. Colseth are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church, of which Mr. Colseth has been Deacon 19 years. He has always taken an active in- terest in educational matters, and has been promin- ently identified with the establishment and manage- ment of the Swedish college of this city. He has served for eight years as a member of the Board of Directors of that institution, and for three years as a member of the City Board of Education. Mr. Col- seth is a Republican in political sentiment. ,(ames Venable, general farmer and stock- raiser, residing on section 3r, Edgington Township, was born in the county of Ty- rone, Ireland, May 15, r838. He was r6 years of age when his mother, with the family (the father having previously died), emigrated to America. They first located near Keithsburg, Mer- cer Co., 111., where the family lived for two years ; then they moved to the northern part of the county, where our subject lived with his mother until Aug. rr, rS62, when he determined to go to the front in defense of the flag of his adopted country. He enlisted in Co. B, r26th 111. Vol. Inf., under Capt. Cline, of Rock Island. He was in the Army of the Southwest, and participated in all the battles and skirmishes that his regiment took part in, and fortu- nately escaped all injury. He was honorably dis- charged at Springfield, 111., Aug. 11, 1865. Returning home from the war, laying aside his musket, doffing his blue uniform, he entered upon the life of a civilian. Before many years had rolled around, March 24, 1869, he was married, in Edging- 9 & ■r ■ % 2 *€§^ ss V 4M s m>*?§ — *^ — & ton Township, to Miss Christina Titterington, who was born in the same township, April 23, 1844. She is the daughter of Moses Titterington, a well-known and respected pioneer of this county. She was reared at home and educated in the common school, and is the mother of seven children, one of whom is deceased. The living are George DeWitt, Elsie M., Ira L., Frederick J., Frank S. and James P. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Venable located upon his present farm, which consists of 160 acres of land, all very highly improved. "Politically, Mr. V. is a Democrat, and both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church at Edgingtou. $& illiam Kerns, an eaily'settler of Moline, and one of her most prominent and re- spected citizens, is a native of Pennsyl- vania, and was bom in East Marlborough, Chester County, July 4, 1820. His parents were Simon and Elizabeth (Ocheltree) Kerns, of Irish and Scotch descent respectively. His father was born in East Marlborough, Pa., and his mother in New Castle Co., Del. Thomas Kerns, the great-grandfather of the sub- ject of this sketch, came from Ireland and settled in Chester Co., Pa., in an early day. The family were Quakers, and consequently did not figure in the War of the Revolution. Mr. Kerns' father was in the War of 1812. On his mother's side Mr. Kerns' fam- ily ..as represented in the War of Independence. Dr. Robert Bines, the maternal grandfather of Eliza- beth Ocheltree, was a surgeon in the Continental Army. When William was 14 years of age (1834) his parents removed from Pennsylvania to Salem, Columbiana Co., Ohio, where he was reared on a farm, receiving a common-school education. Mr. William Kerns formed a matrimonial alliance in Columbiana Co., Ohio, May 17, 1842, with Miss Beulah Shinn, daughter of Wiliam B. and Elizabeth (5 (Jones) Shinn. Mrs. Kerns was born in Salem, that county. Mr. Kerns was engaged in farming in Ohio until 1853, when, in hopes of finding a climate and country that promised a better opportunity for good health and prosperity than did the country in which he lived, he started by team for the "West," then so called. He was pleased with the natural features of the Iowa country, and made his first stand in Cedar County, of that State. That locality did not prove entirely satisfactory and he therefore came to Moline, on a prospecting expedition one day, and, being greatly pleased with the natural advantages of this place, he concluded to make an experimental sojourn here. Mr. Kerns has extended it into a residence of 32 years, and it begins to look as though he would finally determine to make this his perma- nent home. Mr. Kerns came to this city with a lim- ited supply of this world's goods, and no fixed trade or profession. He was a farmer, to be sure, and he had a smattering of the carpenter's trade. Having a team on his hands, and being willing to turn his hand to anything at which he could earn an honest living, he engaged in teaming, and among the jobs he worked at was that of hauling ties for the con- struction of the west end of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. With others, he delivered ties on seven miles of the road. He also worked at car- penter work until April, 186 1, when he was appointed Postmaster at Moline by President Lincoln, a posi- tion which he held until August, 1869, with the ex- ception of 20 months during the first part of Johnson's administration. In 1S65 he was instrumental in getting Mr. R. K. Swan, now deceased, interested in organizing a company for the manufacture of plows at Moline. Messrs. Swan and Henry W. Candee, who were en- gaged in manufacturing pumps, fanning-mills, culti- vators, and other farm necessities, determined to go into the plow business, and associated with them Andrew Friberg, under the firm name of Candee, Swan & Company, which was the origin of the great Moline Plow Company. Mr. Kerns was employed by this company from 1867 to 187 1 in the manage- ment of the great trademark suit, that grew out of their use of the word " Moline " on their plows. The suit was ably managed, and was decided in favor of the Moline Plow Company. He was also promi- nently identified with the defense of various patent- right suits that were brought against several manu- facturers in this locality, which resulted favorably to the association, which he represented. Also, Mr. Swan selected Mr. Kerns to act as his executor. He then became interested in the Moline Plow Com- pany, and was chosen one of the directors. Mr. and Mrs. Kerns have had four children. The eldest, George, was a private of Co. H, 19th 111. Inf. I 9 1= E3 242 ^pn^in^^ 1 TTT ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. \ He went into the fight at Stone River with his regi- ment, and after the battle he was reported among the missing. He was undoubtedly killed and buried unrecognized, as he has never been heard of since. Simon, the second son, married Miss Clara M. Mar- Itin in 1868, and resides in Moline; Anson died aged three and a half years; Charles 3., the youngest, re- sides at home. Mr. Kerns, being of Quaker origin, was an original Abolitionist. He endorsed the Buffalo platform of 1848, voted for Van Buren and Adams that year, and for John P. Hale in 1852. In 1856 he supported Fremont, and has voted with the Republican party continuously except in 1872. He is an earnest ad- vocate of temperance principles and an ardent sup- porter of all public policies calculated to develop and improve mankind. The circumstances of his youth admitted only of limited educational advantages, but he has continued in self-culture throughout his life; has attained to a far better intellectual development than many whose opportunities were more ample. He was blessed with quick perceptive faculties and a mind adapted to logical reasoning and sound con- clusions. The many important legal transactions in which he has been employed, and their successful issue, will substantiate the foregoing. He is a man of great natural force and energy, of strict integrity and unquestioned veracity, endowed with strong im- pulses and an inherent love of truth and justice. He is a warm friend to all who prove themselves honest and true, and an unrelenting foe to all that is treacherous, mean and dishonest. Mr. Kerns was elected and served as Clerk of the Board of Trustees of Moline, from 1858 to 1861, and a member of the State Board of Equalization for the Sixth Congressional District, appointed by Gov. Cullom to fill a vacancy, and served two years — 1883-4. /TS I i^\ u ^ ■ I — TT- — I ,t 7(0%'^r. Fredrik Westerberg, Professor of Hy- ^iiSsasll. giene and Gymnastics in the Augustana jF^r ^ College, of Rock Island, and practicing fyn physician at Moline, was born in Sweden, June 14, 1854, and is the son of J. E. and J. C. (Hedmark) Westerberg. He was a stu- dent nine years at the State schools and graduated at Stockholm with the degree of A. B. Dr. Wester- ft K§&& -C--A <•' berg was also a student of the University of Upsala from 1872 to 1874, and graduated in the latter year with the degree of M. S. He then entered the Royal Carolinian Medical and Surgical Institute at Stock- holm, and pursued his studies from 1874 to 1880, during which time he was Assistant Surgeon in the Royal Military Hospital of Stockholm in 1875 and 1876, and Assistant Surgeon of the Swedish Army from 1878 to 1882. He also held the appointment of Vice County Physician on the National Board of Health. He emigrated to America in 1S82, spending a short time in Brooklyn, N. Y., and then going to Hartford, Conn. A few months later he entered the State University at Burlington and graduated in the class of 1883, with the degree of M. D., being one of the very few in highest standing. In 1883 he came to Illinois and established him- self in practice at Princeton, which he continued till May 1, 1884, when he came to Moline and was ap- pointed Professor of Hygiene and Gymnastics in the Augustana College, and also established himself in practice at Moline, with his office over the Moline National Bank. Dr. Westerberg, as his record shows, is a thoroughly educated physician and surgeon, who has already enjoyed an extended practice in Govern- ment service in his native country. The thousands of his fellow countrymen who are residents of Rock Island County, will appreciate the force of his home endorsements, and his professional success is but a question of time. illiam G. Montgomery, general farmer and stock-raiser, in Edgington Township, was born in Columbia Co., Pa., Feb. 13, Y 1827. He was the elder son of Daniel Montgomery, and the only son of Chris- tiana, nee Griffin, his first wife. After the the death of his mother, Mr. Montgomery lived with his aunt and father in his native State until he was nine years old, when his father remarried. The latter, in 1836, came West and settled on a farm of 480 acres, in the township of Edgington, and in the best part of the county. Here he finally died, and his widow (second wife) now resides i'n Milan, with her sister, and is 78 years old. Mr. William G. Montgomery, the subject of this * 1 V) t&) Ji. fa/Ufa* ■^& k . e, r &nn&mi&v ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 245 fe) I r j I biographical notice, was educated in the city of Rock Island, and a* Princeton, 111., and since he has started in life for himself he fint engaged in mer- cantile business in Edgington, in partnership with George Parmeter ; next, he followed the same busi- ness at Kewanee, Henry Co., 111., for some time, and in 1855 he returned to Edgington, continuing in the same line of trade. He is now engaged in the busi- ness mentioned in the first paragraph, on a farm of 80 acres, in Edgington Township. In a public ca- pacity he has served as Township Collector. Mr. M. was married in Edgington, May 4, 1858, to Miss Sarah, daughter of John and Anna (Mc- Gaughey) Linn. Her parents were natives of Penn- sylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent, farmers, first in Mercer Co., Pa., and then in Trumbull Co., Ohio, where Mrs. M. was born, May 4, 1839, the sixth in a family of nine children. She was only six months old when the family moved West to Mercer Co., 111., in the fall of 1839, and she was 12 years of age when her father died, in that county, and she afterward resided with a sister, Mrs. Rebecca Candor, who is now living in Aledo, that county. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery are the parents of four children, as fol- lows : Crissie, who. was born March 18, 1859, edu- cated in Milan, and is now a teacher in the public schools of the county ; Elmer, who was born April 23, 1864, and now manages the affairs of the home- stead; Maggie, born Sept. 10, 1869; and William Lee, Sept. 10, 1876. s-fy-3 — e= arvel H. White, President of the Will- iams, White & Co. Iron Works, Moline, T* was born in the town of Springfield W\ Windsor Co., Vt., March 14, 1821, and is *r* the son of Nathan and Olive (Putnam) White. He served a regular apprenticeship to the molder's trade in his native town, and when 21 years of age removed to Barre, Mass., where he worked at his trade three years. He then went to Chelsea, Mass., and subsequently returned to Barre. He was united in marriage at Chelsea, June 2, 1850, with Miss Almina Simon, daughter of Samuel Simon. Mrs. White was born in Maine. She became the mother of one child, which died in infancy. Her death occurred Aug. 22, 1852. Mr. White came to Moline in February, 1855, and joined his partners, Williams, Heald & Co., in the foundry and machine business. He assumed charge of the foundry de- partment, and has superintended the same for more than 30 years. Mr. White was married the second time, at Mo- line, Nov. 9. 1865, to Mrs. Margaret Curtis, widow of Win. Curtis and daughter of John Patterson. Mrs. White was born in Meadville, Pa. She has five children by her former marriage, namely : Cor- inth P., Jennie, John, Charles H. and Nellie L. Mr. and Mrs. White have one child, a son, Kirk N., now attending the Port Byron (111.) Academy. Mrs. White is a member of the Congregational Church. Mr. W. has served as Alderman from the Second Ward of Moline for six years. In politics, he was a Whig and is now a stanch Republican, he having voted with that party since its organization. Mr. White is a thorough master of his trade, and has well performed his share in building up the magnif- icent business of which he is at the head. On account of the high business standing of Mr. White, his social qualities, moral integrity, etc., the publishers of this Album take particular pleasure in presenting his portrait, on the preceding page. f wikt S. Metzgar, of Port Byron, has been iden- tyi^tl', tilled Willi the development ol the business l(j»y ^ interests of this section of Rock Island *Js« County since 1859. He was born May 22, 1817, in Sewickley Township, Westmoreland Co., Pa., of pure German descent, his father, Frederick, and his mother, Mary (Swartz) Metzgar, both belonging to that nationality. They were born in Pennsylvania. The son was seven years old when the father died, and after she became a widow the mother, with five children, went to Unity Township. At 15, he was apprenticed to a tailor in Mt. Pleasant, in Mt. Pleaeant Township, with whom he served five and a half years. After one year's operation as a "jour," he established his business in his own inter- est at Mt. Pleasant and conducted its relations 12 consecutive years. He then exchanged his village property for a farm in the vicinity and spent a year in experimental farming. At the end of that time he sold his real estate and embarked in mercantile transactions at Pleasant Unity. Mr. M. first came West in 1853, on a tour of ob- Vf/* A ^^f 59 - ■^c y o/^ wiCTifr **r& ^>VV>' r .4 (^J I 3=3 3=3 EI a; <0 246 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. G£^ sv* servation, and again in 1855, with a view oflooking up a location for a permanent abode. On making his first trip he shipped a horse and buggy by river transportation on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. On arriving at Quincy he left the boat and drove from that city to Port Byron, where he had friends. Not long after, he sold his team and went to Iowa. After a brief stay in that State he returned to Penn- sylvania. Three years after going into business at Pleasant Unity, he set out for the West, removing his trading stock with him for the purpose of con- tinuing the same line of traffic at the point he had fixed upon as a desirable location. He proceeded with his property to Pittsburg, Pa., where he char- tered a car for Chicago. On his arrival at that city he re-shipped his merchandise for Rock Island, and on arriving there he proceeded to Port Byron. On settling in Port Byron he rented a store and engaged in mercantile transactions for a few months, when he packed his goods, and with an associate bought at sheriff's sale a steamboat, — the " Golden State," — belonging to the river transportation service. The boat did not prove a profitable investment, and on account of the constantly recurring appearance of claims against the vessel, she was sold, at a loss, which left Mr. M. with limited means to re-engage in the mercantile business. He, however, communi- cated with parties at the East, with whom he had formerly transacted business, stating his circum- stances, and immediately received notice to come on and select an outfit of such goods as he required, and pay for the same when he could. He responded in person and returned with $7,000 worth of goods. This was during the first years of the war, and soon after he purchased an additional stock of like value. The inflation of values soon took place, and the worth of the possessions of Mr. Metzgar became four times greater than the figures of purchase. He bought a lot on the main business street of Port Byron, where he built a store, and a warehouse in its rear, on the river. He prosecuted the departments of his trade, and at the same time enlarged his busi- ness interests by the addition of traffic in grain, live stock and dressed hogs, pursuing his transactions in those lines until 1872, when he sold out to his son, whom he had associated with himself some years be- fore. Since that date he has been engaged in the manu- facture of lime at Port Byron, where he, in connection ^ with his son, owns two kilns in active operation. V With his other sons he is interested in similar busi- ' ness at Cordova, where they own four kilns. Mr. Metzgar is the proprietor of a fine and valuable farm near the city of Port Byron. He takes earnest inter- est in raising fine stock, giving preference to thor- oughbred Jerseys. He built a residence on his farm, expending thereon $7,000 in its construction. Its location is most desirable, as it is placed in a posi- tion commanding an extended view of the river as far as the city of Davenport on the south and over a large extent of the Iowa prairies across the " Father of Waters." This was the family residence until 1884, when Mr. Metzgar built the residence now oc- cupied by the family, which was constructed in 18S4, for the purpose of being nearer business. His marriage to Mary A. Crumbaugh took place in 1838. She was born in Mt. Pleasant, Pa., and became the mother of six children: Harriet, Mar- cellus, George A., Charles L., Homer C, Emma \ Belle and Ida M. The first-born died in infancy. * Belle died at 1 1 years of age. Marcellus enlisted in 4 1861 in the 51st 111. Inf. and served three years. Mr. and Mrs. Metzgar are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. M. belongs to the Old Settlers' Association and has been a Demo- crat since 1840. ^ *-# -J— (!) alter J. Entrikin, State's Attorney of Rock Island Co., 111., and junior partner of the law firm of Browning & Entrikin, was X> born at Salem, Columbiana Co., Ohio, Feb. 4on 8, 1846, and is the son of Brinton and Eliza \ \ V. J. (McCracken) Entrikin. His father was a na- tive of Chester Co., Pa., and his mother of Colum- biana Co., Ohio. The subject of our sketch was educated at Oberlin College and graduated Aug. 4, 1870. In 1 86 1 he came to Illinois with his parents, and made his home in Geneseo, where he pursued the f study of law under the tutorship of Messrs. Wait & Moderwell, of that place, till the spring of 1871, when he removed to Moline. On coming to this city, he resumed his law studies with the Hon. J. T. Browning, and was admitted to the Bar Oct. 12, 1871. Mr. Entrikin practiced with Mr. Browning two years, after which time he went into business for C«Illfc>B (J) f > fa> y?(9CA' ISLAND COUNTY. himself till Jan. i, 1S75, when he formed a law part- nership with Mr. Wm. R. Moore, under the firm name of Entrikin & Moore. This connection con- tinued till July 1, 1876, when he formed the existing partnership with Mr. J. T. Browning. Mr. Entrikin was elected and served as City Attorney in 1873 and 1874, and again in 1881 and 1882. He has been Secretary and Treasurer of the Riverside Cemetery Association since Sept. 13, 1875. In November, 1S84, he was elected State's Attorney for Rock Island County for the term from 1885 to 1889. He is a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 16, A. O. U. W. Mr. Entrikin was married at Moline, Aug. 18, 1870, to Miss Julia A. Chamberlin, daughter of Wil- liam and Lydia P. Chamberlin. She was born in Lyndon, Caledonia Co., Vt. The issue of their union has been five children, all born at Moline, namely: Eva M., born Nov. 25, 1872; William B., April 24, 1874; Fred C, July 17, 1875; Roy J., Nov. 1, 1876; and Ada L., Feb. 21, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Entrikin are members of the First Congregational Church of Moline. In political views Mr. Entrikin is a staunch Republican, and usually takes an active part as a public speaker in campaign times. In the late Presidential election he was an earnest supporter of Blaine and Logan. As a lawyer he ranks high in the profession, Methodical and thorough in preparing a cause, well versed in authorities, and ready in argument, his client's interests are always advanced and guarded with ability and care. obert E. Pearsall is a resident of Coe ,*|lalij^ Township, being located on section 23. He pWfF*' is the oldest son of W. C. and Jane (Eling- f *n nam ) Pearsall, and was born at Brockville, Canada, Nov. 5, T837. He was not quite 1 1 years old when his parents removed to Rock Island County, where he passed the days of his youth in attendance at school and in assisting on the home farm. He is a mechanic by natural gift and has an aptitude for the use of tools, and, as his father had extensive business operations and employed a num- ber of carpenters, he worked with them sufficiently to learn the trade in a practical manner. In 1878 he rented his farm and removed to Erie, where he worked as a carpenter three years, after which he re- turned to his farm. His farm is in good agricultural condition, with frame buildings and a number of shade and fruit trees. In addition to the home farm, he owns the north half of the east half of the south- east quarter of section 22. He lived at home with his parents until the time of his marriage, and he then settled on his farm. He was married in i860 to Elizabeth, daughter of N. S. Stout. She was born in New Jersey. She has borne three children, named Levi C, William N. and Na- thaniel B. Mr. and Mrs. Pearsall are members of Bethel Bap- tist Church in Coe. Mr. Pearsall is a Republican in political faith. «- & a.^harles H. Deere, one of the chief business %t men of Moline, was born March 28, 1837, ffrv s at Hancock, Addison Co., Vt. When ) a year old, his father, John Deere, brought him with his family to Grand de Tour, 111., the whole journey from Vermont being made in the common farm wagon of the day, the family camping out along the route, Gipsey style. He at- tended school, at Grand de Tour until 12 years of age, when the family moved to, and permanently lo- cated at, Moline, 111., where the John Deere Plow Works have made the town famous. Here Charles attended the public school, and for two years was at the Davenport Academy, then known as the " Iowa College;" then attended Knox College at Gales- burg, 111., for one year, after which he went to Chicago, where, in 1853, he graduated at Bell's Com- mercial College. Immediately upon graduating he returned to Mo- line and entered his father's office as assistant book- keeper, and soon took charge of the books. He continued to act as book-keeper and traveling man for the concern until 1868, when the corporation of Deere & Co. was formed, and he became and has re- mained ever since its Vice-President and general manager. Under his management and executive ability, the Deere & Co. Plow Works have become the largest institution of the kind in the world, and have given the name of Moline proud prominence in the world of industry. Charles H. Deere possesses pleasant social quali- f£l i. 4? ^_ ^® @^x "3^ 248 ties and is attractive company when he drifts away from his heavy business cares and responsibilities; but it is as the real head of his towering industry that he shows his marvelous executive ability and business genius and brains. Shrewd, quick and clear-headed, with a memory which almost reaches inspiration, perfect master of all the details of his vast business, he stands at the helm, and, as princi- pal stockholder, controls the works, and has for years ; and success, such as is vouchsafed to few, has at- tended his efforts. He is also at the head of the Deere & Mansur Corn-Planter Works, a large stock- holder in the vast tub and pail factory and saw-mills of Dimock, Gould & Co., and, as an individual, and as a member of the firm of Deere & Co., has ex- tensive business interests at Council Bluffs, Kansas City, St. Louis and elsewhere, and may be termed a financial king, so made by business success. In politics, he is Republican, but has never held any elective office. Governor Cullom appointed him President of the Board of Labor Statistics of the State, a position which he still holds. His business is so perfectly systematized now and he has such trusty and able heads of departments, that he feels safe in seeking considerable relaxation from business cares, and frequents American watering places somewhat, and has visited Europe twice with his family. On Sept. 16, 1862, at Chicago, 111., he was married to Miss Mary L. Dickinson, and they have two chil- dren : Anna C, born Aug. 20, 1864 ; and Katherine M., in October, 1866. His wife is a member of the Congregational Church, and lie says he is a member of the Congregation. I'tNLaniel Edgington, one of the pioneer set- :j ^JVi, th-rs ol KiK k Inland County, and in honor hSf^ of whom Edgington Township was named, jms< came here at an early day, and has experi- ■fc enced all the trials incident to the early settle- 5 merit of a new country. He was born in Jefferson Co., Ohio, in March, 1807. The father of Mr. Edgington was a native of one of the Eastern States, and removed with his father's family to Virginia, at a time when that State was in- habited by the Indians. During one of the Indian wars in which the grandfather of the subject of this notice participated, he was twice captured by the Indians, but effected his escape, and located at Holladay's Grove, Va., where he resided until the time of his death. The father of Mr. Edgington of this notice, after the death of his father at Holladay's Grove, moved to Jefferson Co., Ohio, and was there united in marriage to Miss Casa Vears. He followed the vocation of farming and was a pioneer of that county. In fact, the Edgington family have been somewhat noted for their pioneer disposition. The family consisted of four sons, of whom three are liv- ing. The parents remained in Jefferson County, and the three sons, inheriting the disposition of their father to procure a home in some new country, came West. The parents died in Jefferson County some years ago, when Daniel Edgington was about 20 years old. Daniel Edgington, subject of this biographical notice, was reared on a farm in Jefferson Co., Ohio, alternating his labors thereon with attendance at the common schools, thereby receiving a good English education. After the death of his father, he went to Brownsville, Pa., where he learned the trade of a gunsmith. He then returned to Steubenville, Jeffer- son Co., Ohio, his native county, where he followed his trade some years. In r834 Mr. Edgington came with his brother and father-in-law, Mr. Dunlap, to this State, and direct to this county, and selected land in what is now known as Edgington Township, consisting of about 2,000 acres of land altogether. At that time the country was unsettled ; but, having faith in the future develop- ment of the same, he determined to make this his future home. The following year, in 1835, their families were brought from the East to this county, and located with them. Mr. Edgington located upon his land and entered upon the task of its improve- ment. He broke some of his land and put in a crop and disposed of the first grain that he raised to emi- grants passing through in search of a home, and re ceived therefor a good price. Soon, however, he was compelled to haul his grain to Chicago, where he disposed of it, returning with provisions, and which was his market for the produce raised on his farm for a number of years. He has owned in Edgington Township, during the time he has resided here, 1,080 acres, but at the present writing is the proprietor of (^ & m a — r c >! — ^A^>[ £A^> r^r »c<$>H tgr":--- \NS& .>'*- -&®k — 6v^hiot>> ^®Ml ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 2 5i only 270 acres, which is under a good state of culti- vation. He built the first brick house in the town- -. ship, on his present homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Edgington are both members of the jt Presbyterian Church. He has been Supervisor and ' Road Commissioner, and also held other minor offices within the gift of the people of the township. Politi- cally, he is identified with the Greenback, party. Mr. Edgington was united in marriage in his na- tive county in 1832 to Miss Mary H. Dunlap (for a biography of whose parents, see sketch of Adolphus . Dunlap). She was born" in Steubenville, Jefferson P Co., Ohio, where she resided with her parents until 1 her marriage. The issue of their union has been ten children, three of whom are deceased. The record is as follows : Eliza Guffy Asal is married and re- sides in Nebraska, as likewise is Joseph, who resides in the same State; Casia is married and a resident of Rock Island city; John, also married, resides at Fullerton, Neb.; Daniel, married, and lives' in Mills > Co., Iowa; Cora is a resident of Des Moines, same * State; Sophia (Keyser) is deceased; Mary (Cleve- t land), likewise deceased; Alice died while quite £ young. The wife and mother died at her home in \ Edgington Township, in June, 1869. She was an act- ., ive worker for the growth and upbuilding of the s community in which she lived, a Christian mother, a loving wife and kind neighbor, and her demise was mourned by a host of relatives and friends. March 26, 1874, Mr. Edgington was again united in marriage, in Muscatine, Iowa, to Mrs. Amanda Casner, nee Riggs, a daughter of Philip D. and Hannah (Dickinson) Riggs, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively, and of Welsh and German de- scent. Her father was a carpenter, was married in Ohio and afterwards moved to Ripley Co., Ind., where Mrs. Edgington was born March 14, 1826. She was reared in Cincinnati, Ohio, remaining there until her marriage to Mr. Jacob Casner, a native of New Jersey, a carpenter by vocation, and who died in Iowa, leaving three children, two of whom have subsequently died. Their record is as follows: Almeda, wife of S. H. Thomas, a Methodist minister; Kate, wife of August Klatt, a mechanic, living in Blue Grass, Iowa; and Henry, a resident of Iowa City, Iowa. After Mrs. Edgington 's first marriage, she lived in Carthage, Ohio, until they came West in l8 SS, where her husband died, as stated, in 1870. Coming here in 1834, as he did, to a country unde- veloped as it was, for the ostensible purpose of estab- lishing a home for himself and family, and having entered vigorously upon the task of carrying out the dictates of his judgment, and meeting with success, he not only deserves to remembered by the citizens of Rock Island County, and especially those of Edging- ton Township, as one of the pioneers, but as a man who has accomplished his undertaking. Respected for his kindness to his fellow man, and his honest dealings with all those with whom he has had busi- ness transactions, as well as his generous, frank and manly attributes as a citizen and neighbor, we take pleasure in presenting the citizens of Rock Island County with this short sketch of his life. Mr. Edgington's home place is represented by a lithographic view in this work. -*"<-HHHN->- -4 JThomas S. Hines, agent of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, and of the Chicago, T* Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroads, and of the United States Express Company, stationed at Moline since the fall of 1874. The subject of this sketch was born in Naperville, Du Page 111., April 16, 1 84 1, and is the son of Michael and Lucetta (Stevens) Hines. He received an aca- demic education, and enlisted in April, i86r, at the first call for troops in the late war. His regiment was the 13th 111. Vol. Inf. (three-months men). Be- fore going to the front he decided to enlist for three years, and was discharged from the 13th and en- listed for three years in the 8th 111. Cav. (Co. E), was promoted to Orderly Sergeant, and served until Oct. 1, 1864, when he received an honorable dis- charge. He served in the Army of the Potomac, participating in the seven days' battle of the Penin- sula, capture of Yorktown, battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Gaines' Mill, Gaines' Hill, and the open- ing of the road to Harrison's Landing. Was also in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, and at the opening of the battle of Gettysburg. He helped form the first skirmish line, and his vidette opened the first fire in that battle; on the second day his regiment was ordered to attack Lee's rear at Falling Water. His regiment, being cavalry, did much skir- mish duty. Toward the last of his service he was with Gen. Hooker in the battles of the Wilderness. V* V 9 J V f <©\ 252 >sr 4»hh^ i?OCX ISLAND COUNTY. On his return from the war he entered the service of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad as telegraph operator at Peoria, 111. Was agent at Grinnell Station, Iowa, two years, and ticket agent at Council Bluffs nine years. In the fall of 1874 he was assigned to Moline Station, and was also made agent of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Rail- road, and of the United States Express Company. He has held those positions for 1 1 years. Mr. Hines was united in marriage at Grinnell, Iowa, in 186S, to Miss Jennie Clifford. Mrs. Hines died in 1872, leaving an infant daughter, Cora, who died soon after the death of her mother. Mr. Hines was married again Nov. 5, 1874, at Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Miss Fannie Snow, daughter of R. P. Snow, of Council Bluffs. Mrs. Hines was born in that city. They are the parents of three children, two boys and a girl: Walter P., born Feb. 3, 1876; Thomas H., Nov. 3, 1878; and Medora Lucetta, Sept. 5, 1881. Mr. Hines is a Democrat. =$#-£-*« ohn Warnock, a farmer, residing on sec- tion 11, Rural Township, is the fifth child in order of birth of a family of ten children, the parents of whom were William and Jane ^T (Byers) Warnock, natives of County Down, Ireland. John Warnock was born in County Down, March 23, 1820. He lived in his native county, where he w-as engaged in farming, until the fall of 1848. At that time, hoping to better his con- dition in the New World, he emigrated to this coun- try, where he arrived in the spring of 1S49, and came direct to this county. For the first five years after coming here he was employed in a saw-mill at Rock Island. In the spring of 1854 he purchased 160 acres of land, located on section 13, Rural Township, on which he settled and entered vigor- ously and energetically upon the task of its improve- ment and cultivation. He resided on that place for five years, when he moved on section 1 1 of the same township, where he has since resided. He is at present the proprietor of 200 acres of land in that township, the major portion of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. He has a good resi- dence on his farm, and substantial outbuildings, and is meeting with success in his chosen vocation. — ^^f^ — ^A4>nn@ Mr. Warnock was first united in marriage in County Down, Ireland, Dec. 6, 1839, to Miss Mary Campbell, a native of that county, where she was born Aug. 15, 1815. She has borne him eight chil- dren,— Margaret, born July 7, 1841 ; William, July 4, 1843; Alexander, April 20, 1845 ; David, Aug. 7, 1847 ; James C, Dec. 4, 1850; John, Feb. 23, 1853; Hugh, Aug. 7, 1855; and Janet, April — , 1858. Margaret is the wife of James Bailey, a resident of Rural Township and by occupation a farmer. Will- iam settled in Iowa, where he lived several years, and on account of ill health returned to Rural Town- ship, where he died. Alexander is living in Keokuk, Iowa, where he is engaged in farming. David re- sides in Rural Township, and follows the vocation of a farmer. James C. is a United Presbyterian cler- gyman and resides in Scott Co., Iowa. John died in Rural Township, in 1878; and Hugh is also a resident of the same township and a farmer ; Jenet is the wife of John Campbell, a resident of New York city. Mrs. Warnock died in Rural Township, Nov. 12, 1875, and Mr. Warnock was again married, Nov. 23, 1882, to Miss Eliza Ralston, who likewise was born in County Down, March 13, 1835. Mr. W. has held the office of Supervisor in his township one term, Assessor seven years, and also other minor offices. Mr. and Mrs. W. are members of the United Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. War- nock is a believer in and supporter of the principles of the Republican party. €^ ' X@ f fr * illiam J. Gamble, Superintendent of the Moline & Rock Island Horse Railroad, son of one of the pioneers of Rock Island County, was born at Moline, 111., April 4, 1S46. parents, Josiah and Elizabeth (Heck) Gamble, were natives of Westmoreland Co., Pa., and came to Rock Island in 1837. Mr. Gamble died in 1S74, at the age of 66 years. He was a farmer, and the subject of this notice followed that vocation until about 29 years of age. In 1S74 he accepted employment with his present company as a barn hand and afterward as a dri- ver. In 18S3 — a year before the retirement of John Warner from the superintendency — Mr. Gamble's ■ * Q > ^ r (J f> - wx < v4Ktm>^r <§, i > A -°- Jb,apt. George Dodge, a prominent citizen jjs of Port Byron, was born in Guildhall, Es- _|P" ^ sex Co., Vt., Oct. 13, r8i4. His father, &fe John Dodge, was a native of Salem, Essex 3P r„ m * 1 Co., Mass., a direct descendant of a family of that name who came from England about 1670 and settled in Salem. He was a hatter by trade, and George learned the same from him, and worked at it until 1839, when he went to New York city for a short time, and then to Port Lee, N. J. After teaching school there one year, he went to sea as a " sailor before the mast " on a whaler, and within the ensuing two years he made two voy- ages. Returning to New York, he enlisted in the first United States Dragoons and served five years in the West, during which time he visited that sec- tion of the country now included in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. After his discharge in 1846, he came to Port By- ron, and two months afterward he went to|the Galena lead mines for a year. Returning to Port Byron, he engaged as a clerk for Holmes & Moore two years, and then in trade on his own account until 185 S. In 1861 he raised a company of volunteers, which was attached to the Fourth 111. Vol. Cav., and was mustered into the service of the Government in Sep- tember, 1861, Mr. Dodge as Captain. After a ser- vice in the army one year, he resigned, on account of ill health, and returned to Port Byron. Subse- quently, from 1870 to 1875, he was in the Govern- ment service as Gauger, being stationed in different places in this State. Jan. 17, 1850, is the date of Capt. Dodge's mar- riage to Miss Ellen, daughter of George E. and Mary (Moore) Holmes, and their two children are, Clara, now the wife of J. C. Fleming, and living in Port Byron; and Mary, the wife of J. S. Knowles, and residing in Kingsley, Iowa. Capt. Dodge and his wife are members of the Congregational Church. e?* Joseph, his mother's Polly (Savage) Pingree, , J j\ the former being of French, the latter of Eng- I lish extraction. They had a family of n chil- dren, of whom George was the youngest, and the only one of the family now living. When he was about three years old the family moved to the village of Littleton. N. H., where his father soon died. In 1846 the subject of this sketch went to Louis- ville, Ky., where he lived for two years with his old- est brother, Rev. E. M. Pingree, pastor of the first Universalist Church in that city. Returning to Littleton, N. H., in 1848,116 went to woik 011 the farm of Solomon Rowell, at North Littleton, and for two years worked at farming between Littleton and Bethlehem, N. H.; worked at Hollister's Hotel at Lisbon, N. H., for one year, and then lived about a year with his uncle and guardian, J. W. Savage, then worked for a Mr. Temple one year on his farm near Lisbon. In 1851 he went to Methuen, Mass., and worked about a year on the farm of his cousin, Wash- ington Merrill; then went to Reading, Mass., and for four years worked in the dry -goods and grocery store of Thomas Pratt & Son ; worked one year for Samuel 9 * & 0) ^>/^?^v —-£n Ustinov ^ "/ < -«e ^ V ( &> 254 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Pierce, church organ-pipe manufacturer, and then sent himself to school at Paper Mill Village, N. H., for a few months, when he was called to the death- bed of his sister, Mrs. Rebecca Atwood. After her death he attended school for a short time at Lisbon, and then went to New York city and peddled ice for one season. He then worked a few months for Manning & Co., cabinet manufacturers, Boston, Mass., then returned to Lisbon, N. H.,and went into the general store of Parker & Young, remaining there until the spring of 1861. As soon as the Rebels fired on Fort Sumter, he enlisted for three months' service as a private in the Second N. H. Inf., re -enlisting as a private soon after, for three years or during the war, in Co. G, Capt. Weston, Second N. H. Was in and about Washing- ton on guard duty until July, when he participated in the first Bull Run battle and retreat. After that fight his regiment formed a part of Gen. Hooker's First Brigade, and the regiment did guard, garrison and skirmish duty along the Potomac and at Cock- pit Point batteries, where the rebels had blockaded the Potomac, until ordered into the siege of York- town, Va. At the battle of Williamsburg, Va., he was wounded in the right arm between wrist and elbow, a bullet from the r4th La. Inf. passing through, and he was taken to the hospitals at Fort- ress Monroe and Hampton Roads, and later dis- charged on account of wounds and sent home. Sept. 4, 1S62, he was commissioned Captain of Co. G, 1 ith N. H. Inf., and, with his arm in a sling, he commanded his company at Fredericksburg, under Burnside, through Kentucky after Morgan, Basil Duke, Marmaduke and Wheeler, then out to Vicks- burg and Jackson, Mis*. At Fredericksburg he was knocked over by a piece of shell and wounded in his right arm, right leg and left foot, and in the following campaigns was compelled to have a horse. The regiment returned to Kentucky, after the Vicks- burg campaign; and as Capt. Pingree's arm grew worse and he was liable to lose it by the arduous duties of army life and camping on the ground, he was ordered to Cincinnati, Ohio, on duty as member of a court martial, and soon after was commissioned as Captain of Co. I, Fifth Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps, and ordered to take charge of the rendesvouz camp, Camp Carrington Indianapolis, and was soon after placed on duty with his company, at the prison camp of Camp Morton, Indianapolis. His commission as Captain in the V. R. C. was signed by President Lincoln and Secretary of War E. M. Stanton, a document he is proud of. In the fall of 1865 the regiment was disbanded and Capt. Pingree was ordered home to Littleton, N. H., to await orders. In April, 1866, he was ordered to South Carolina for duty in the Freedmen's Bureau, — having charge of the counties of Darlington, Marion, Ches- terfield, Marlboro and Horry, continuing on duty in command of those counties, with headquarters at Darlington, until Jan. 1, 186S, when he was honor- ably mustered out (as were all other officers of the Bureau), but was at once appointed civilian agent in charge of the same territory, with same pay, emolu- ments and authority as before, until Jan. 1, 1869, when he was honorably discharged. In the spring of that year he bought out a large agricultural implement store, in Charleston, S. C, but failed in that business in the fall of 1S69. In the spring of 1870 he came to Rock Island, 111., and for a few months was night editor on the Rock Island Union, severing his connection with that paper to enter the office of the Moline Wagon Com- pany, which he left in 1873, and for three and a half years traveled as salesman for the Moline Pump Company. Thereafter worked a short time as ship- ping clerk for J. S. Keator &: Sons, lumber manufac- turers; then became local reporter in Moline for the Rock Island Union, and Moline Dispatch, and editor of the Moline Review, remaining in the newspaper business for about three years, altogether, when he entered the employ of the Moline Malleable Iron Works as book-keeper and traveling salesman, re- maining there until the firm failed, in 1863, when he traveled awhile for the firm of Parlin & Orendorff, plow manufacturers, at Canton, 111., the St. Louis Wrought Iron Range Company, and St. Louis Malle- able Iron Company. On July 20, 1885, he entered the employ of Chapman Bros , Chicago, publishers, as canvasser and writer of biographical sketches. He is a Freemason. Was elected City Collector for 1863, and served three years as Captain and Ad- jutant of the 14th Bat., I. N. G , under Col. Builer. Captain Pingree was married March 8, 1S77, at Pittsfield, 111., to Miss Mar)' A. Keys. Her father's name was Francis, her mother's Jane (Jago) Keys, both being of Scotch-Irish extraction. They have vg; s St/ fa) 1 ■■■' ss \ A ■ $& -&7&mm>r T > 1 $ i V ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 257 had three children: Frank K., born May 4, 1878, died Dec. 13, 1883; baby, born Dec. 26, 1879, died Jan. 3, 1880; and Earl L., born Aug. 8, 1881. In religion Capt. Pingree is what is termed " Lib- eral," believing that Our Father takes care of us here, and will continue to do so hereafter. Hence he is willing to trust himself in his hands at all times, living or dead, and death in itself has no ter- rors for him, the grave being only the entrance to a higher and better life ; and believes himself to be only a pupil at school here, learning daily lessons. His creed is portrayed in the admirable words of George Eliot : — "Let all your converse be sincere, Your conscience as the noon-day clear; For God's all-seeing eye surveys Your thoughts, your secret works and ways." In politics he is a Republican, and cannot believe that that great party has either performed all its work, or yet fully accomplished its mission; and as an American he takes positive pride in all that glorious record which the Republican party made between the times which Lincoln rose and Garfield fell. ames Keleher, farmer and stock-raiser, re- siding on section 25, Edgington Township, was born in county Latram, Ireland, in March, 1819. He came with his parents from Langford County to America in 1849. They first located at Brooklyn, N. Y, where they remained for two years. They went from there to New Orleans, where, in T851, our subject was married to Miss Eliza Biglan, who was born in 1826, a native of Langford County, Ireland. She came to America at the same time Mr. K. did, and some years later were married, in a distant city from where they arrived in this country. To them have been born six children, two of whom are deceased. Those living are Michael, a practicing physician of Chicago ; Thomas, who is working tlie home farm ; Eliza and James. Those deceased are Mary, who married John Mack, and was living in Mercer Co., 111., where she was accidentally killed by a large dinner bell, while ringing it. The fastenings of the bell gave way, letting the heavy bell fall squarely upon her head; she lived but 37 hours afterward; she left three children, Jane, John and Thomas ; Catherine, the other member of the family, died when three years of age. Mr. K. came to Illinois in 1855, and located in Edgington Township, and in 1865 purchased a farm upon which he now resides. It contains 280 acres, is all well improved, and has upon it an elegant residence. His farm will compare well with the best in the township. Both himself and wife are members of the Catholic Church. Politically, he is a Democrat. l : 5p%| elson Chester, a prominent business man : klaJI? ot Moline, and Director and Secretary of ^^3? ^ Augustana College, Rock Island city, was born in Sweden, May 10, 1838. In 1857, his parents, Olof and Elizabeth (Hanson) Chester, brought their seven children to America. They came at once to Knox Co., 111., and located on a farm where the elder Mr. Chester died two weeks later. The subject of this sketch entered college in Sweden with a view to preparing himself for the ministry, but left after a short course of study. After a residence of a year and a half in Illinois he de- parted for the gold fields of California. Mining not proving so profitable as anticipated, he shipped as a " sailor before the mast " from San Francisco in the "Star King," in i86r. The vessel struck a sunken rock and had to be abandoned as lost, at the en- trance, 30 miles from Singapore, in the spring of 1862, and Mr. Chester shipped immediately in an American schooner, for the Chinese coast. After making the sea-coast cities of China, he left the schooner at Shanghai and shipped in a British ves- sel, the " Finzel," for London, where he arrived Aug. 6, 1863. From London he sailed to Sydney, Mel- bourne, Calcutta and back to Dundee, Scotland, in the " Gala," thence went by land to London again. He next made a round trip between London and and Montreal in the "City of Hamilton," and then via the Balmacarra to Algona Bay and back to London. He came to New York in 1865 and shipped to the West Indies, returning to Knox County, where he followed farming a year or so. » ©J^v^f 89 - a^mm^a^ — **^- — $ ? @aX »nn$ v 258 trrT^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. «xT «Y§lfe The following year he tried lake sailing, first as mate, and later as part proprietor of a small schooner, and traded in fruit a few months, finally bidding farewell to seafaring life in the fall of 1867, when he engaged in the grocery business, at Wataga, 111. In this he remained until the fall of 187 r, when he came to Moline. Here, from 1873 to 1875, he was carrying on two grocery houses, but in the latter year he con- centrated his interests in what has since been the only wholesale and retail grocery in the city. In 1873 he was made a director of Augustana College, and in 1875 became Secretary of that institution, a position he is filling at present, and has filled regu- larly since 1875, excepting two years. He is also Treasurer of the new school building fund, and alto- gether is regarded as one of the pillars of that mag- nificent educational institution. In 1869, he was united in marriage at Wataga, III., to Christine Berglund, and their children are named respectively: William Theron, Agatha Elizabeth, Alvina Christine, Anna Adelia and Alice Cornelia. As it is evident that a man having the history and present standing of Mr. Chester should be repre- sented by a portrait in this Album, it is given in connection with the above brief sketch. -£3- -K- , L ugh MeCall, a resident of the township of M ^oe, came to Rock Island County in 1849. (•*S£^ He was born Aug. 26, 1832, in Butler Co., Pa. He is the son of John and Susan (Riddle) MeCall, and his parents were both natives of the State of Pennsylvania. His father was of Scotch descent. The family removed to Westmore- land Co., Pa., in 1835, where Mr. MeCall lived until the date of his removal to the place where he has since resided. The journey from his native State was made in the manner common in the days when there was no method of public transportation, and the arrangements were all at the discretion of the interested parties. They went to Freeport, Pa., where they took passage on a canal-boat for Pitts- burg, and from there they came on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Port Byron. The father and mother were accompanied by all their family with the exception of a son, who remained in the State where he was born and reared. Four sons and a daugh- ter came to Illinois. The cash capital of the entire number on landing was $7. They rented land in Zuma Township, on which they operated two years, and in r85i the father bought a farm on section 27, in Coe Township. This was the fam'ly homestead as long as the parents lived. The place has been managed since by the son who is the subject of this sketch. He has bought additional land, and has 240 acres in one body, with excellent buildings, and an abundance of shade, fruit and ornamental trees. He is engaged in general farming and in raising stock. Mr. MeCall is prominent in the local affairs of his township, and has held several official positions of importance. He has been Assessor 22 years, and has acted as Justice of the Peace 16 years. He is Secretary of the Coe & Zuma Fire and Lightning Insurance Company. He was married Feb. 3, 1865, to Amanda Cook. She was born in Wayne Co., Ohio, and has borne one child, Tom Eby. Mr. MeCall is a Republican. jfffjtC onas H. Wistrand, dealer in groceries and '- provisions, 530 Fifth Avenue, Moline, es- tablished his business in 1875. He was born in Sweden, March 29, 1830, and is a son of Peter and Catharine Wistrand. He came to the United States in September, 1852, and made his home in Porter Co., Ind., from 1852 to 1864. He then came to Illinois and engaged in mercantile business at Paxton, which he continued until 1875, when he removed to Moline, this county. On coming to this city he formed a partnership with Mr. C. G. Thulin in the grocery and book business. The partnership existed until 1880, when Mr. Wis- trand began in the grocery business. He has a well stocked store, the average value of which is about $3,500. While a resident of Paxton, Mr. Wistrand was elected Treasurer of the Augustana College and Theological Seminary, since removed to Rock Island. At the expiration of his term of office he was re- elected, and has held that position continuously since his first election at Paxton in 1865, covering a period of 20 years. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the College during the ^ G (!) v7^$ A4mmw>*G — **^- -m® f*^c v£U"»» T ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 259 same time, and Treasurer of the Augustana Synod many years, and in addition is also one of the Trus- ^ tees of the Moline Congregation of the Swedish Lu- theran Church. Mr. Wistrand was united in marriage in the city of Chicago, May 21, 1864, to Miss Louisa C. Lind- strom, daughter of David and~ Maria Lindstrom. Mrs. Wistrand was born in Sweden, Jan. 29, 1838. The issue of their union was nine children, of whom seven are living, namely: P. Herman, who was born j April 6, 1865 ; Wilhelmina C, born Jan. 22, 1867 ; Clara L., Dec. 15, 1868, and died Feb. 16, 1872; Otilia M., born Sept. 12, 1870; Anna Sophia, June iS, 1872, and died Dec. 7, 1876; Eva Amelia was born Sept. 4, 1874; Anna Elizabeth, Feb. 18, 1877 ; Esther Octavia, May 3, 1879; and Lydia Aurora, Oct. 3, 1881. Mr. Wistrand is a gentleman possessed of many estimable qualities, and is held in high esteem by the community in which he resides. His long term * of office as Treasurer of the Augustana College speaks plainer than words as to his business stand- ing and reputation for honesty and integrity. Polit- ically, he is identified with the Republican party. P p cupation, and died June 10, 1S61. He was w united in marriage with Anna M. C. Schut- * ter, in St. Louis, in 1847, and they were the parents of three children : Henry F. G., Augusta and Ernest, all grown to maturity and married. Mrs. Baumbach was again married, to Jacob Guck- ert, who was born Sept. 21, 1839, and died Aug. 6, 1 88 1. Of this union four children were born : Lona, Paul, Otto and Bessie. Mr. Baumbach came to Hampton April 15, 1850, and engaged in the fur- niture business, which he conducted until the date of his death Jacob Guckert came to Hampton ten years later, in i860, and carried on the wagon and blacksmith business until the time of his death. jj Mrs. Guckert was a native of Germany, and came to ^ the United States in 1843, and settled in St. Louis, ^ where she was engaged in domestic labor until her >' marriage. She is the owner of 20 acres of land, which she rents, and also two lots in Hampton, and (cS 'ip Chester C 'A Waters, pattern-maker, manu- l|jf| r facturer of house signs, wood and metal ||fV®^ patterns, models, etc., at Moline, was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., July 30, 1825, and is the son of Abner and Adeline (Law) Waters. I His mother was a daughter of Captain Law, of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Waters served his time as an apprentice to the pattern-making trade, at which he worked 12 years in New Jersey. In 1869 he came to Moline, 111., and engaged in the hard- ware business with James Velie as partner. Mr. Velie died in the second year of their co-partnership, and Mr. Waters continued the business alone some three years later. He then sold out and engaged with the Union Malleable Iron Company as pattern- maker, and continued with that company eight years. Mr. Waters has been chosen to fill various official positions. He was elected Township Assessor sev- eral years ago, again in 1884 to the same office, and also in the election of 1885, and in the discharge of his duties he had given such universal satisfaction that he was elected the last time without opposition. He has served two years as Alderman from the Fourth Ward, and took an active part in the estab- lishment of water-works at Moline. He was married in Oneida Co., N. Y., Jan. 1, 1849, to Miss Maria Mansfield. They were the parents of five children, three sons and two daugh- ters, namely: Charles N., who married Dell Altimus and resides at Denver, Col. ; George N., who is married and lives in Moline ; Annett is married ; Gertrude is a teacher in the city schools; Joseph married Belle Hill and resides at Clinton, Iowa. Mrs. Waters died in October, 186S. Mr. Waters was married again, in January, 1869, in Marengo, McHenry Co., 111., to Mrs. Ann S. Bax- ton, widow of Daniel Baxton, and daughter of Peter Kane. Mrs. Waters was born in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., and had one daughter by her former marriage, who is now the wife of Win. H. Muse, City Attorney a residence on Water Street, and is also the proprie- tor of a wagon and blacksmith shop, besides a res- taurant. Carl Baumbach and his wife lived in Hampton two years before any other German fami- lies came here. 9 260 7^1 -7<:m>*r-r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. of Moline. Mr. and Mrs. Waters are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. Waters has been a Republican in political sentiment for years past. He cast his first vote for the first national Republican nominee, J. C. Fremont, in 1856, and has voted with that party ever since. Residence, 1,925 Third Ave- nue. ~w/v~v*2j2j^»@§-S/OTjrjwvv~* jilliam D. Crabs, a reliable citizen and a L prosperous and energetic farmer and stock-raiser, residing on section 35, Edg- ,' ington Township, was born in Jefferson Co., Ohio, March 6, 1831. His father, Philip ' Crabs, was a native of Washington Co., a car- penter by trade, and of German descent. The pat- ronymic of the family was originally " Kraps." The father came to Ohio when five years of age, with his parents, and was married in Jefferson County, that State, to Miss Sarah Duffield. She was born in Pennsylvania, was of Scotch descent and of Ameri- can parentage. Mr. Crabs, subject of our notice, was only five years of age at the date of the death of his mother, which occurred in Jefferson Co., Ohio. He after- ward lived with his father and step-mother, whose maiden name was Mary Parr, until he attained the age of majority, having learned the trade of a carpen- ter under the instructions of his father prior to that time. His step-mother died in Ohio, and his father subsequently came to Illinois and settled in Edging- ton Township, this county, where he resided until the date of his death, the same being July 22, 1868, during his 75th year. After Mr. Crabs had left his parental homestead, he engaged in following the trade which he had learned prior to his attaining his majority, and followed the same for a period of two years, operating in different parts of the country. In the fall of 1852, he came to this State and located in Edgington Township, where he has since made his home most of the time. He was married here, at the residence of the bride's parents, Feb. 23, 187 1, to Miss Sarah E. Laflin, daughter of Charles and Mar- garet (Hazlitt) Laflin. Mrs. Crabs was born in Edg- ington Township, this county, Sept. 10, 1849. She was reared here and educated in the public schools of the county, and resided at home until her mar- riage. Mr. and Mrs. Crabs are the parents of five chil- dren, one of whom is deceased. Nellie was born March 10, 1874; Charles L., born May 16, 1876; Philip, March 12, 1879; Clifford, Aug. 29, 1881; and Grace, born Dec. 23, 187 1, died May 30, 1876. After marriage, Mr. Crabs settled on a farm of 160 acres of land in Edgington Township, on which he has since resided, and has the major portion in an advanced state of cultivation. He is also inter- ested in stock-raising and devotes considerable of his time to that business, in connection with his agri- cultural pursuits. His accumulations are attributable to his own energy and good judgment, combined with the hearty co-operation of his good helpmeet- Politically, he is identified with the interests of the Democratic party, and socially is held in high esti- mation as a reliable and trustworthy gentleman. |HJ[ eorge Wagner, proprietor of the Atlantic Brewery, Rock Island, was born in Ger- many, January 13, 1832. His younger days were spent at school, and at the age of 14 he engaged himself to learn the bakery and brewing trades, at which he worked until 2 1 years of age. After he came to America, which he did in 1853, landing at New York, he immediately went to work in a bakery in that city. He remained there, continuing at that work, for two years, when, as many others who land on our Eastern seaboard, he looked to the West for a better place in which to locate. He accordingly came to Rock Island, and shortly afterwards embarked in the bakery business for him- self. He continued in this industry there with more or less success until 1857, when he removed to Mo- line and opened in the same line. Three years later he started the first steam bakery ever opened at Moline, which he continued to run until 1865, when he sold out and bought the Atlantic Brewery in Rock Island. This he has since enlarged by building an extensive addition, so that at the present time it has a capacity of 60,000 barrels per year. He gives em- ployment to 50 men, and keeps 18 teams here and at the branch houses, five of which are located in Nebraska, as follows : One at Omaha, another at S& 9 s & */ ci <£) M%m% J^l. wmw>* o- -Jli^< A 1 :$:-£, ->i* ..'M ■&M -mm litr illllku. ,L fe. w Tfflm ft 4H ^ FORT ARMSTRONG , AS IT APPEARED IN 1840 . Atlantic Brewert & Malt House , Moline Ave. Rock Island Ills . GeorgeWAGNER,Propr .£> 4M-§miv» T «- V I j?<9CX ISLAND COUNTY. 263 Columbus, one at Norfolk, and one each at Hast- ings and Wymore ; he also has one at Sterling and others at different places in Illinois. Besides man- aging his large interest in his brewing business, he is a stockholder and one of the directors in the People's Bank of Rock Island, and owns, besides, stores and business houses at Moline ; he also owns an opera house in that city. His beautiful residence is lo- cated near his brewery. Besides these interests in Moline, he owns several dwellings at Rock Island. He has three refrigerator cars, with the latest and best improvements, which he uses for his own ship- ments. In the summer of 1885, he built an ice re- frigerator for cooling the beer, at a cost of $30,000. Mr. Wagner's large brewing establishment is repre- sented by a lithographic view which is given in this Album. The dwelling shown in this view as being located at the right of the brewery is where Mr. Wag- ner resides. Mr. Wagner was united in marriage in 1854, at New York, with Miss Frederika Ippinger. She was a native of Germany, and came to America in 1853. They have three children living, as follows : Robert, Ernest and George. Politically, Mr. Wagner is a Democrat. He is a live, public-spirited citizen, and does much to advance the interests of his city. «»42£i27©^8""— ^1 •^Srtmn- ,enry B. Carpenter, general farmer and stock-grower, residing on section 19, Edg- ington Township, was born in Lycoming Co., Pa., April 17, 185 1. For parental history, see sketch of J. A. Carpenter. Our subject emigrated to Illinois with his parents, who lo- cated at Edgington, and resided with his father until the latter's death, which occurred Oct. 24, 1866. Afterward he resided with his brother-in-law, Charles Titterington, on the old homestead, which they purchased^ consisting of 324 acres. Mr. C, of this sketch, subsequently purchased his brother-in-law's interest, and is now the possessor of the entire acre- age with the exception of 20 acres of timber land. He has entered energetically and vigorously upon its im- provement and cultivation, and has erected a sub- stantial residence, barn and out buildings. Mr. Carpenter is interested in the breeding of a cross of Norman and Clydesdale horses, and also raises some Durham cattle. Mr. Carpenter formed a matrimonial alliance Sept. 18, 1879, in Edgington village, with Miss Sarah E. Deboard. She was born in Stanford, Ky., Sept. 25, 1854, and is the daughter of a farmer who now re- sides in Mercer County, where the family came about 1875. Mrs. C, the wife of the subject of this sketch, was well educated and taught school for a short time. She is the mother of two children : Caleb R. and Freddie. She is an active member of the Pres- byterian Church at Edgington. Mr. C. has served as School Director for nine years. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party. —46ir mM« verett Wheeloek, Secretary and Treasurer ft ai? of the Moline Paper Company, was born Iff^ ' '" Elie C ° ■' N ' Y '' ApriI I3 ' l838 ' and is Jjftp- the son of William and Catharine (Morey) Wheeloek. He received a common-school education, and when 18 years of age (in 1856) he came to Moline and engaged with his uncle, S. W. Wheeloek, as teamster. In the early part of the paper business at Moline, paper was delivered by teams through the surrounding country and bales of rags brought back to the mill. Mr. Wheeloek was employed in this branch of the business till June, 1 86 1, when he enlisted for the late war as a private of Co. H, 19th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., and served in the Western Army. He was promoted as Orderly Ser- geant of his company, and was in three years' active service except six weeks, during which time he was employed on recruiting service. He was with his regiment in the various battles and engagements in which they participated, namely : the battles of Chick- amauga, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Ga., and others. He started with Sherman in his celebrated march to the sea, but was mustered out in July, 1864. He then returned to Moline, and having taken a course at Pratt's Commercial College of Davenport, he was employed in office work with S. W. Wheeloek. In 1875 he became a stockholder in the Moline Paper Company, and in January, 1879, was elected Secre- tary and Treasurer of the company, which position he has held continuously since. He has served in the Common Council of Moline, and Alderman from K£J 9' %: c«nii*> -•»& /& m- i. e) ■6v^mi^im*>r ^n^ TT °mmvm 264 ACCA' ISLAND COUNTY. the Fourth Ward one term. He belongs to the A. 0. U. W. and also the G. A. R. He was married at Mt. Sterling, Brown Co., 111., in October, 1866, to Miss Mary O. Nye, daughter of Stephen Nye. Mrs. Wheelock was born in Muscatine ' Co., Iowa. Mr. \V. is a Republican in political is > & JL I X^f « ■3 ^ c^ £ng»>^ im>rm5*^ ">i'(w/- <^nnsBn^v * (L > 1=1 Y ') $ ? TT-r ^CCjT ISLAND COUNTY. tire family to Illinois. They located on 160 acres of land on section 17, Edgington township, this county. This land was partly improved at that time, and all hands industriously set to work to make further improvements. Wmthrop the same year purchased 80 acres of wild land on section 17, adjoining his father's farm. He subsequently ex- changed this for 80 acres on section 21, where he lived and labored for some time ; then he moved to his present location, where he has 160 acres, well improved, with fine, large farm buildings. His other possessions in the township consist of 130 acres of land, all under cultivation. He is recognized as one of the leading, substantial farmers in the community in which he resides. Politically, he is a straight-out Republican, and has held some of the minor offices of his township. Mrs. Robinson is a member of the Presbyterian Church. They have had born to them four children, two of whom are deceased. Those living are, — Sarah, the wife of Marks D. McLaughlin; and Ber- tha is the wife of W. H. Wenks; they both reside in Edgington Township. Jl'C eorge W. Walker, general insurance agent ;it Moline, represents 25 companies, two i. : j~' r " K life and one accident ; successor to Gould, Walker & Hemenway. This office was es- tablished about i860, by Mr. Dan AV. Gould, ! and is the pioneer agency in the city. Mr. Walker was born in Boston, Mass., March 16, 1845, and is the son of Stephen F. Walker. He came to Moline with his parents in 1855, when 1 1 years of age, and was educated in the city schools. He be- gan his business career as clerk in his father's store in Moline, and was subsequently promoted tu the position of principal in the business. Their trade was that of general grocers, and Mr. Walker con- tinued in the business until the fall of 1879, when he retired to join Messrs. Gould and Hemenway in the insurance business. That connection remained so until the spring of 1885, when he became sole proprietor of the business. Mr. Walker was married at Cambridge, Henry Co., 111., Jan. i, 1869, to Miss Myra Swartzcnburg. Mrs. Walker was born in Ohio. Mr. Walker has the most extensive business in his line in the city, as he controls many of the soundest and most pop- ular companies. In political sentiment Mr. Walker is a Democrat. ohn Metzgar, one of the oldest settlers of Coe Township, was born in Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland Co., Pa., Aug. 2, 18 [3, and is the second son of Frederick and Mary (Swart/.) Metzgar. His father was of Holland descent and his mother of German. He grew to man- hood in his native county. When 15 years of age he began to learn the shoemaker's trade, and worked at the same until 1835, when he emigrated West, ling the first winter in Pike Co., Mo. In the spring of 1836, he came to Rock Island, then called " Stephenson," where he landed on the first day of April. He was the first shoemaker at this point building a shop and prosecuting his trade here until 1853. He then purchased 80 acres of land or section 22, and 40 acres of tember on section 31, township 19 north, range 2 east, now known as Coe Township. On this land there was a log cabin, which he occupied with his family until 1859. He then burned a quantity of brick, and built a sub- stantial brick residence, which he now occupies. Jan. 9, 1843, Mr. Metzgar formed a matrimonial alliance with Elizabeth German, who was born in Meigs Co., Ohio, May 10, ;82i ; her parents, William and Margaret German, were of Scotch descent. Mr. and Mrs. M. had eight children, six of whom are now living — Mary, David C, Martha I, , Emma B., Lucy A. and William Fred. Mrs. M. died May 15, 1884. *&*. orris Eosenfleld, President and General Manager of the Moline Wagon Company, and a member of the Board of bite, tors of the First National Bank of Moline. Resi- '1 J dence, Rock Island. The subject of this sketch is a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, a son of Jacob and Ellen (Ullmann) Rosenfield,and was born \® 9 i* T — r f© »;•'.» i®>/^X TTV <&n&Ui> t • V- I 1=3 »■• -;-■ , ^ V y ■J 3 -^1 m • ? -^ , Mm ii'- 1 I' : I : i i 3J ^!i ysf Residence of Alanson Sin net, Cor. 5 t - h Ave. and Sinnlt St. Rock Island ^€^ — 6v^»nn>>^rc- ) <^ <§* jWCX ISLAND COUNTY. 271 Oct. 28, 187 1, Mr. Winter was united in marriage, at Davenport, Iowa, to Miss Lizzie Bartemier, who died ten years later, leaving four little children: Agnes, Louis, Robert and Mamie, the latter of whom died in October, 1S84, aged about three years. His second wife, Johanna, a younger sister of his first wife, he married in the fall of 18S2, and their only child is named Cornelia. Mr. Winter is a Democrat, but not an active politician, though he has been before the people for office. \3 ^harles Stewart Eells, jf 3 Union Malleable Iron Company, of Mo- line, is the son of George W. and Eliza born at Granville, „ President of the t J 0p (Pease) Eells, and was ttj* Ohio, Tune 23, 1832. He removed with his 1| parents to Dayton, Ohio, in 1S4S, and, after having received a classical education at the Gran- ville Academy, he went to Louisiana, where he was engaged as teacher at Bayou Boeuf, till near the close of 1850, when he returned to Dayton. Shortly after his return North, Mr. Eells entered the Cincinnati Law School, at which he was gradu- ated in the class of 1853. He then began the prac- tice of law at Wabash, Ind., where he lived and practiced his profession until 1856, when, owing to defective hearing (an affliction hereditary in his family for generations), he was obliged to abandon his chosen profession and seek some other line of business. At this time he joined his father at Dav- enport, Iowa, and was engaged in conducting the first book-store in that city. He conducted that business until i860, when he purchased a farm near the western boundary of the city, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1861 he was appointed Assistant United States Revenue Collector for the Second District of Iowa, a position which he held four years. He was next cashier of the Citizens' Bank of Davenport, from 1868 to 1870, and the President of the bank from 1870 until Nov. 26, 1872. Mr. Eells was initiated into Masonry at Wabash, Ind., May 29, 1S55. He has since advanced through all the promotions of the mystic brotherhood to the Thirty-second Degree, and has been the recipient of the highest official honors known to the order. He was married at Piqua, Ohio, May 11, 1853, to Miss Margaret Crosby, daughter of Elijah and Dolly Crosby. Kirs. Eells was born in Fayette Co., Ohio, Dec. 13, 1838. In politics Mr. E is a staunch Republican, having voted with that party since its organization. ^O00€ \2 uther S. Pearsall, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Rock Island County in 1S85, and a resident of the township of Coe, is the third son of Deacon William C. and Jane (Elingham) Pearsall, and he was born in the city of Chicago, March 17, 1848. He was still in extreme infancy when his parents re- moved to Rock Island County. He was brought up in Coe Township, and educated primarily in the district schools. He studied two years at Knox College. Later, he entered the Freshman class in the university at Grinnell, Iowa. When he was 16 he taught a term of school in the district where he resided, and after leaving college he again engaged in the same vocation, teaching in all, six terms. In the fall of 187 1 he went to Nebraska, and spent one year in Antelope County, where he pre-empted land on which he started a nursery ; but his hopes and plans came to grief in common with those of others whose prospects were ruined by the grass- hopper plague. He abandoned his purposes in that direction, and returned home. He was married in September, 1873, to Charlotte Wake, the daughter of Thomas and Maria Wake, and soon after that event he bought a tract of land on section 14 in Coe Township, containing 80 acres, and has become the owner, by later purchase, of an additional 80 acres, and owns 80 acres on section 23, adjoining, having in all 240 acres, which is in excellent tillage. His residence, which is represented by a full-page view in this Album, is located on section 14, and the farm is fitted with good and suitable buildings for farm purposes. The wife of Mr. Pearsall died in March, 1878, aged 29 years. She left two children — Charles R. and Percy. Mr. Pearsall was again married Jan. 5, 1881, to Ella, daughter of Mark and Mary Ashdown, and of the second union two children have been born, — Phebe and Rose. fizx I Mr. Pearsall was first elected Supervisor in 1881, -v7 ^H!l&!lPf> ^ V< % >c V^7 ^€^" -K^UDSIIIIi^A© — *>€^ §»«§> ■ry v£nn«>7- TT S^s^aJL i^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. m 273 1 f > Mrs. Allen is the daughter of Richard and Jane (Crowley) Torpin, and was born in Montgomery Co.^ Pa. Her parents removed to Illinois in 1856, and settled in Coe, where Mrs. Allen was a resident at the time of her marriage. In 1S58 Mr. Allen removed to Port Byron, where he bought an interest in the mercantile establishment of W. W. Wiltshire. At the expiration of one year he sold out and became by purchase the proprietor of an interest in coal lands in Henry County. He went to the village of Cleve- land, in Henry Co., 111., where he was a resident seven years, and conducted his coal interests from that point. He came back once more to his farm in Coe Township and interested himself in farming until 1882, when he bought his present residence at Port Byron. In 1875, accompanied by his wife and youngest daughter, Mr. Allen went again to the Pa- cific coast, where they spent six months visiting the important points of interest. The children of the family are named Charles H., Fannie A., Hattie L. and Carrie E. Fannie is the wife of Wilson G. Fleming, of Port Byron. Mrs. Allen is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics Mr. Allen has been a Republi- can since the formation of the party. He cast his first vote for John C. Fremont for President in 1856, and since that time he has regularly voted the Re- publican ticket. In local politics he has been Su- pervisor of his township. Mr. Allen is one of the successful business men and farmers of Rock Island County, having laid the foundation of his fortune through the practice of economy and industrious habits. fhomas Dunn, deceased. On the morning of March 29, 18S5, a local newspaper, in a well-written obituary, began as follows: " It will be sad news to the many friends of Thomas Dunn to learn that he has departed this life. Last evening, at 7 o'clock, just as the day was closing and night her sable robes was casting over the sun, all that was immortal of Thomas Dunn took flight from this terrestrial globe unto the great unknown. Come Death, as it will, its office is a sad one; and though man , has lived his three-score years and ten, the loss to his friends and family is even greater than had it come in early life. The ties that have taken years to form, when broken are more heavily felt than those of lighter growth." Mr. Dunn was born at Sheffield, Eng., May 6, 1822, and in 1852, with a colony of his countrymen, brought his little family, consisting of a wife and two children, to America. The colony planted itself at Welton, Iowa, where Mr. Dunn followed farming for something over one year, and then removed to Dav- enport, Iowa, where he took charge of a hardware establishment, for a Mr. Hildreth. In this position he continued until 1854, when he removed to Mo- line, and opened the first hardware store established at that place. At the end of one year or such a matter, he took into partnership a Mr. Mansur, who retired from the firm soon afterward, and from that time up to March, 1881, exclusive of a few months succeeding a conflagration which occurred in 1868 consuming his entire establishment, Mr. Dunn pros- ecuted the business successfully and alone. He began with little and ended with much. The recip- ient of no gratuities, legacies or bounties, what he possessed of this world's goods was acquired by his individual effort and industry. Characteristic alike for his modesty, unostentation and honesty, his name will go down to those who succeeded him symbolic of a life worthy of emulation. March 3, 1831, he took both his sons into partnership, but the eldest, William, discovering what he considered a better chance, withdrew from the firm in April, 1884. Though often differing with those around him upon questions of public interest, none were ever found to doubt or failed to respect Thomas Dunn's sincerity. He sought no publicity, and in the later years of his life made but few acquaintances. His only ambition was to build a business upon princi- ples of honesty and integrity, and in this he was eminently successful. His name alone was a suffi- cient guarantee of the merit of his merchandise — a fact within itself enough, in these latter days, to con- stitute an epigram worthy to emblazon a monument. Mr. Dunn was a firm believer in the traditions of the Democratic party, and while he took no active part in politics, he enjoyed the fullest confidence of those who did, and in questions of policy his counsel was always sought, and when given, received a full measure of consideration. Mr. Dunn was first married at Hull, England, to a I l|i V * & ci) 4> ?rV®))£ .0 -^utlSu!lf> A V 274 -&*^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. I Miss Mary Howard, who died at Moline in 1856, leaving two children — Blanche, now Mrs. Hayes, of Des Moines, Iowa ; and Alfred, who was accident- ally killed in the Wisconsin pineries in 1876. At Rock Island, 111., Mr. Dunn was married Aug. 3, 1857, to Miss Maria McBurney, who bore him eight children, viz. : Thomas W., a resident of Coldwater, Mich. ; George D., who is in partnership with his mother, succeeding to the management of the busi- ness of the deceased ; Jennie, Lillie, Charles J., Richard A., Harry S., and a little girl, Anna, born Sept. 5, 1866, and died Dec. 29, 1870. The precept and example of a good man are always apparent in his family, and the survivors of Thomas Dunn con- stitute no exception to this rule. For many years before his death Mr. Dunn was a consistent member of the Episcopal Church, to which from the abund- ance of his wealth he gave liberally, as he did also to all worthy objects of charity. ^ohn L. Long, farmer, residing on section Ijjfe- 26, Rural Township, is a son of John and Susan (Shirley) Long, who were natives of Pennsylvania and of German ancestry. They emigrated to Richland Grove, Mercer Co., 111., and, in i860, settled in Rural Township, this county, where they have since lived. They have had a family of ten children, namely : Robert M., Jacob L., John L., Susan, Margaret, William J., Joseph and Rachel A., besides two who died in infancy. Mr. Long, whose name heads this sketch, was born in Armstrong Co., Pa., Sept. 23, 1833; he lived at his paternal home until 1853, when, in the fall of that year, he came to Henry Co., 111., where he lived for about six months. He was employed in different places until 1856, when he located in Rock Island County. He was engaged in farming until 1859, when he went overland to California, and was there something over three years, meeting with partial success in a pecuniary point of view. Returning to this county, he bought 120 acres of land in Rural Township, where he settled and has since resided. He is now the owner of 132 acres of land, most of which is cultivated and in good agricultural condition. Mr. Long has held the offices of Collector and Constable, etc. In his political views he is a Democrat, and both himself and Mrs. L. are members of the United Brethren Church. Mr. Long formed a matrimonial alliance, in Rural Township, April 19, 1854, with Miss Carrie, daugh- ter of Alanson and Mary Sayre. (See sketch of A. L. Sayre.) Mrs. Long was born in that town- ship, April 23, 1847. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Long are nine in number, and named Orin S., Mary I., Wilson W., Eva M., Emma C, Minnie, Wallace E., Lester and Effie. V) C!) ^W H^feenry W. Candee, retired manufacturer, was born in Wolcott, Wayne Co., N. Y., Nov. |^~" 11,1820. His parents, Merritt and Phebe (Abernathy) Candee, were born in Litchfield Co., Conn., and the subject of this sketch, when seven years of age, removed with his mother j y*>i who was then a widow, to their native place, Har- = winton, Conn., where he passed his boyhood. When 17 years of age, he came to Hancock Co,, c= 111., Oct. 1, 1837, and engaged in farming until about •,< 1S44, at which time he removed to Peoria and was > employed in various ways, until 1845; in the lat- ter year he came to Rock Island, and witnessed the hanging of the Davenport murderers. He remained but a short time in this county, and re- turned again to Peoria. In 1850 he started to Mo- line and established a permanent residence there. Mr. Candee had had some experience in mechanical pursuits, and soon after locating at Moline he en- gaged with Mr. W. A. Nourse, in the manufacture of fanning-mills. In this business he continued until 1854, when he joined Mr. R. K. Swan in the manu- facture of chain pumps, horse rakes, etc.; and they continued in this business until the fall of 1865, when they organized the firm of Candee, Swan & Co., for the manufacture of agricultural implements, with Mr. Andrew Friberg constituting the remaining member of the "Company." The following year they began the manufacture of plows, and admitted Mr. George Stevens as partner. About 1867 S. W. Wheel- ock became interested in the firm without change of firm name, but in 1868 it was incorporated as the Moline Plow Company. Mr. Candee being §>/C — A^nn&iiii^A© — ^g^ (h A A 2 c <) r*i ,./^ ■ev^iiiiM^ — ^; Vt' — f& jWCX ISLAND COUNTY. 277 el. < ted Secretary of the company, held that position until 1870. He was one of the active partners in the concern, and retained his connection with the company until i88t, when he sold out and retired from active business. Mr. Candee was united in marriage in Moline, Nov. 20, 1849, to Miss Susan Swander, who died without issue in December, 1850. Mr. Candee was again married in 1855, in Geneseo, to Miss Flora M, Chapin, daughter of Jason Chapin. Mrs. Candee was born in West Bloomfield, N. Y. They became parents of a son and daughter (twins), the daughter dying in infancy; and the son, Fred J., married Miss Carrie E. Hill and resides in Moline. Mr. Candee is a Republican and has voted with that party since its organization. ev. T. R. Johnson, a minister of the Pres- byterian Church, at Edgington, this county, was born in Strattonville, Clarion Co., Pa., Feb. 12, 1S37. His father, Job, was a mer- chant tailor by vocation, and a native of Armstrong Co., Pa., and of Scotch ancestry. The grandfather of our subject was a farmer and settled in East Pennsylvania, where he was married, and then removed to West Pennsylvania, and there- lived until his death, which occurred in Armstrong County about 1850. The father of the subject of this notice was married in Armstrong County, to Miss Margaret Ray, who was born in the same county and was also of Scotch and Welsh d< and of American parentage. The parents reared a family in Clarion County, of four children, two of whom are deceased. Sarah married W. L. Johnson, and resided in Clarion County on a farm until the date of her death ; Edward G. died of small-pox while in the army, at Philadelphia: he was a mem- ber of Co. K, Second Pa. Cav., Capt. Steele, and died in March, 1862, having served about five months, and at the date of his death was a Corporal ; William J. enlisted in the 156th Pa. Vol. Inf., and after serving for some time was mortally wounded, in the battle of the Wilderness, and died in the hos- pital at Washington, D. C, having served one year and ten months Rev. Johnson, subject of this notice, was educated at Washington College, Washington Co., Pa., at which institution he graduated in the class of 1 He entered the Western Theological Seminary, at Allegheny City, Pa., in the fall of./ 862, and gradu- ated at that institution in 1865. He was then licensed to preach the gospel, and came immediately to Illi- nois and took charge of a Church at Edgington vil- lage in 1865, over which he has p ver since. He has also conducted services al Plea ml I'-idge, and temporarily has preached at other localities. Rev. Mr. Johnson formed a matrimonial alliance Oct. r2, 1865, at Clarion, Pa„ with Miss Mar A. Sloan, a native of Pennsylvania, being born in Clarion County, Feb. 28, 1838. She is the accom- plished daughter of Samuel and Eliza (Sloan) Sloan. She was reared at home and educated at Glade Run Seminary, and began teaching when 16 years of age, which she followed and attended school until her marriage. They became the parents of six children, one of whom is deceased : William W. is a te. and resides at home ; Samuel S., Sarah E., Merle M. ;md Lewis A. are the surviving children, and one died in infancy. Mrs. J. is a member of the same Church of which her husband is a minister. He occupies the parsonage at Edgington, and has been connected with the school interest of the town- ship since he came here, and at present is School Treasurer of the same. Politically, he is a Repub- lican. frfec. * C Ci) lfred Williams, of the Williams, White & f & Co. Iron Works, and one of the pioneer business men of Moline, was born in Hub- bardstown, Worcester Co., Mass., May 2;, 15* 1824, and is the son of Henry and Keziah (Newton) Williams. He lost his parents in early youth and was left in limited circumstances, with younger brothers and sisters to care for. He succeeded in securing an academic education, and at the age of 20 years went to Boston, where he was employed as clerk in a dry-goods establishment. He was subsequently engaged as assistant cashier of the Boston & Worcester Railway Co., in the freight department, and was soon promoted cashier of the same. He continued in the service of the railway company about six years. He was married in Boston, May 25, 1852, to Miss \A&m*k*- ■ ,•> A^mi@nii^4 a. -^,- c 9 f ^ ^278 t««I1H>:>t ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. V ® 3=3 a V Sarah J. Taft, daughter of Timothy S. Taft. Mrs. Williams was born in Heath, Mass. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Williams formed a partnership with his father-in-law . in the commission and produce business, which connection continued two years. He then came to Moline, 111., in the summer of 1854, in accordance with an agreement made at Barre, Mass., with Messrs. White and Heald. He was chosen the business manager for the firm of Williams, Heald & Co., of which he was the senior partner. (See history of the company in the industries of Moline.) Mr. Williams was possessed of correct ideas of business and good executive ability, the ex- ercise of which, aided ably by his industrious and capable partners, soon placed the business on a prosperous footing; and as years have rolled by he has had the satisfaction of seeing, as a result of their joint efforts, a mass of towering brick structures on the site where he first built the little wooden shop 31 years ago, where five men were employed, and now from 75 to 100 men aie required to do the work. Starting with a capital of $2,500, they now have a capital stock of $50,000, with a surplus of as much more. Mr. Williams retired from business in 1883, and went to Florida with his family, where he spent the winter. He purchased property in that State, and has made that his winter ho.ne, while he spends his summers at Moline. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have had nine children, four of whom died in infancy. The five surviving sons are, Frank H., the Vice- President of the Williams, White & Co. Iron Works ; he married Lillian A. Strode and resides at Moline ; the second son, Alfred H., is in Florida ; the third. John J., is book-keeper in the office of Williams, White & Co. ; the younger ones, Harry T. and Par- ker M., are students. Mr. Williams was a warm anti-slavery man, when that subject was of general public interest. He supported Martin Van Buren on the Free-Soil ticket and has subsequently voted with the Republican party. Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams have been professors of religion since early youth. They became mem- bers of the Congregational Church and have been identified with that society continuously since. Mr. Williams has been a Deacon of the Church for the past ten years. He has been identified with the growth and development of Moline, of which the business he aided in establishing and so successfully conducting has been an important factor. While he has always given a generous support to all worthy public enterprises, Mr. Williams has devoted his at- tention strictly to his business, and has never allowed his name to be used in connection with public office. — ^##^- ^§m ^A harles Laflin > a general farmer of Edging- iJiJ^gJy ton Township, and one of the prominent, Ijp," ^ enterprising men of his section of the #9 county, as well as an early settler, was born (K Jan. 16, 1820. His father, Parley Laflin, I was a native of Dutchess Co., N. Y., and by occupation a farmer. After his marriage he moved to Cherry Valley, Otsego Co., N. Y., where our sub- ject was born. The origin of the Laflin family in America was the coming of Charles and Winthrop Laflin to this continent. The former was the grand- father of our subject, and both were born in Dublin, Ireland. All the Laflins in this country who spell the name as this family do, are said to be the de- scendants of these two brothers. The father of our subject was married to Esther Benedict, a native of Connecticut and of New Eng- land ancestry and parentage, and connected directly with a Puritan family. After the birth of Charles, their eldest child, they removed to the Western Re- serve in Ohio, where they located upon a farm. Afterwards they removed to New York, Chautauqua County, where they resided until Charles arrived at the age of 14; from there his parents moved to War- ren Co., Pa, from there back to Chautauqua County, to the town of Carroll. When he came of age, in April, 1840, they came West, settling in Rock Island County. Having lost his first wife, who died at Carroll, N. Y., the elder Laflin was married again at that place. On coming to this county, he purchased a farm in Edgington Township, where he lived until his death, which occurred May 13, r85o, at the age of 52 years. Our subject lived at home, working on the farm and attending the district schools and a school at Mayville, the county seat of Chautauqua County, until he came West. He was married to Miss Mar- garet Hazlitt, daughter of Alexander and Sarah (Mackay) Hazlitt, May 23, 1844, at her home. Her parents were formerly farmers of New Jersey, and ^ & < -i. «£» Z-£± — £^- 4^! %m& -rr v£iin»i> V CT ZM k V£ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 279 were of Scotch-Irish descent though born in the State of New Jersey. Mrs. Laflin was born in War- ren Co., N. J., May 6, 1819, and was 18 years of age when the family came West. They stopped for one year in La Salle Co., 111., and then came on to Rock Island County, where they arrived in 1S39. They located in Edgington Township, on a farm of 160 acres. Three years later, Aug. 24, 1842, the mother died, at the age of 37 years. The father died Dec. 2, 1849, in Edgington Township. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Laflin settled on a farm, and have since devoted their energies to the quiet and pleasant occupation of farming. He has an excellent farm of 160 acres on section 31, all well improved, and also 40 acres of timber land. Mrs. Laflin is a member of the Presbyterian Church at Edgington, and Mr. L. has served as Justice of the Peace for six years, and also as Assessor and School Director. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M. at Edgington, and has been Master of his lodge (Keeney Lodge, No. 223,) for several years. Politi- cally, he is a Democrat. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. L., five children, as follows : Alexander, deceased ; Mary E., wife of I. H. Hazlitt; Sarah E., wife of Wm. D. Crabs; Edgar, who married a daughter of Joseph Lloyd; and Edith, residing at home. ■-fcs>»- ^Fjffia|SEb,harles F. Hernenway, cashier of the Mo- line National Bank, also of the Moline Mfa ^ Savings Bank, son of Luke E. and Jane E. (Marsh) Hernenway, was born at Grand de Tour, Ogle Co., 111., Nov. 1,1846. The family removed to Moline in 1855, where they have since resided, and where the subject of this sketch acquired such education as was possible be- fore he was 15 years of age. Leaving home in 186 1 , he landed directly at Lansing, Iowa, where he was employed as a clerk in the postoffice until the fall of 1862. When in the 15th year of his age, he en- rolled as a private soldier in Co. B, 27th Iowa Vol. Inf., and served to the close of the war, being mus- tered out as Corporal in May, 1865. At enlistment he was the youngest soldier in the corps to which he was attached, and it is doubtful whether there were in the whole United States Army a younger soldier in the ranks and bearing a musket. He spent the first year with his regiment doing duty and under- going the hardships incident to the life of an ordin- ary soldier. The second year he did detail duty as a clerk for Gen. Hurlbut, at the headquarters of the 1 6th Army Corps, and the last year filled a similar position at the headquarters of the Department of the Mississippi. Returning from the army, he at once entered the First National Bank of Moline as book-keeper and remained until the organization of the Manufactur- ers' Bank of Moline in May, 1869. With this insti- tution he accepted the position of assistant cashier, from which he was promoted to the position of cash- ier in January, 1876. In addition to his banking in- terests, he is Vice-President of the Moline Malleable Iron Company, member of the firm of Gould, Walker & Hernenway, general insurance agency, and treas- urer of the Moline Central Street Railway Company. He has held the office of Notary Public for 16 years, is a member of the Board of Commissioners, River- side Cemetery, has served the city three years as Alderman, and for four terms as Treasurer, of which office he is the present incumbent. Whatever the office — either public or private — the administration of Mr. Hernenway has been uniformly of the highest character. A man of exemplary habits, a cool head and strong executive ability, he is ranked as one among the best business men and financiers in a city noted for its commercial and financial genius. Mr. Hernenway was united in marriage at Moline, Nov. 4, 1869, to Miss Mary E. Harrold, and they are the parents of five children, namely : Martha J., Clara, deceased, Frances B., Harrold and Joe M. ( ) jLon. Joseph W. Lloyd, general farmer and stock-raiser, residing on section 16, Edg- ington Township, is a native of Penn- sylvania, having been born in Erie County, that State, May 10, 1S1S. His father, Aaron Lloyd, was the son of Benijah Lloyd, who, with his two brothers, settled in the United States at an early day, and from whom the origin of the Lloyd family in this country is traced. They came from Wales, and the three settled in three different States, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, the grandfather, Benijah, locating in the latter State. »f^^ *®* — -.7 w ry-7 mmw& I f 280 % § ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. They were farmers by vocation, and the grandfather of our subject was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The father of Joseph W. was born in March, 1775. He had been taught the trade of a tailor in Newark, N. J., and was there united in marriage to Miss Margaret Lindsey. She was born in that State, and was the daughter of an Englishman, who was a farmer by occupation. Her mother was a German lady. After marriage the parents of Mr. Lloyd of this sketch lived for a while in " York " State, and then removed to Pennsylvania, where the subject of this notice was born, as stated. He was the youngest in order of birth of a family of ten sons and two daughters, only one of whom besides himself survive, Horace, a farmer, residing in Erie Co., Pa. Mr. Lloyd, subject of this biographical notice, was reared and educated in his native county, living on the parental homestead until he attained the age of 20 years. The following year he came West, to this State, locating in Millersburg, Mercer County, where he followed his trade, that of tailor, from (838 to 1849. He was united in marriage at Millersburg, May 15, 1844, with Miss Eunice Beardsley, daugh- ter of Rev. Elisha and Caroline (Marvin) Beardsley, natives of Genesee Co., N. Y. The father was a minister in the Unitarian Church, and he and his wife were both of English descent, and were united in marriage in Genesee County, the birthplace of Mrs. Lloyd, where she was born Feb. 9, 1824. She lived in her native State with her parents, being educated in Chautauqua County, until she attained the age of 18 years, when the family moved to Millersburg, where they resided for some time, and then came to Rock Island city, where they both died, the death of the mother occurring in 1869, and that of the father in 1882, aged 86 years. Mrs. L. began teaching in the public schools of her native State, when she was a young lady, and when she came West ceased to follow her profession, and was soon afterward married. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd, seven of whom are living, namely : Emma C, born April 17, 1845, resides at home; Jasper, born Oct. 15, 1849, deceased; Lovina J., born July 23, 185 1 ; she married Addison Rush; Milo, born Dec. 3, 1853, was united in marriage with Miss Lettie L. Bopes; Asenath, born May 21, 1856; she married Cornelius D.Baker; Eunice, born Aug. 14, 1859, married Edgar Laflin; Luella, born Aug. n, 1S61, married James W. Titterington ; Walter J., born May 5, 1864, works the homestead, and is unmarried. Lovina, Asenath and Eunice M. were all teachers in the public schools of this county prior to their marriage. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd came to Rock Island County, and purchased So acres of raw prai- rie land, on which they located, and at once entered vigorously and energetically upon its improvement and cultivation. They are now the owners of 224 acres of land in the township, all of which is in an advanced state of cultivation, and on which they have a magnificent residence, good barn and sub- stantial outbuildings. Mr. Lloyd also owns 160 acres of land in Gage Co., Neb., and also 40 acres of timber land in Andalusia Township. Politically, Mr. Lloyd is a believer in and a supporter of the principles of the Republican party. In 1865 he was elected Representative from this county to the State Legislature, serving one term. Previous to that he was Supervisor three terms, and has served one term since, likewise serving in other minor offices. -hpn- "■ J ; £>3 \\harles C. Seaberg, of the Moline Cabinet "t! IfcSJij, Organ Company, is the son of John and years. m % If Org Louisa Seaberg, and was born in Sweden, March 8, ^38. He learned the cabinet- making trade in the city of Guttenberg, and subsequently worked at pipe-organ making 11 He came to America in 1865, arriving in this country on the 24th of July, of that year, com- ing direct to Princeton, 111., where he was employed at cabinet-making till Christmas time, when he went to Chicago. Arriving in the latter place, he engaged with Pilch Bros. & Co., organ-builders, and remained with them two years. Returning then to Princeton, he engaged in the furniture business with G. Larson, and that connection lasted two years, when he sold out. Mr. Seaberg then worked at sash and blind making three years, after which he returned to his former trade, pipe-organ building, and engaged with the Western Cottage Organ Company, at Mendota, where he continued for six years. In the spring of 1876 he returned to his native country for his health, spending one summer there, \& 9S St cD ims®^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ) s?S vis t <*> 283 when he returned to the States, in September. Mr. Seaberg spent the winter at Mendota, and in the spring made a trip to the Indian Territory, but was gone only a few months when he returned to Illinois, and formed a partnership with Mr. Peter Colseth, of Moline, in the manufacture of cabinet organs at that place. They began in a small way, and succeeded in building up an important business, operating now as an incorporated company, known as the Moline Cabinet Organ Company, of which an extended sketch is given under the head of industries of Mo- line, elsewhere in this work. Mr. Seaberg was united in marriage at Princeton, 111., Sept. 8, 1869, with Miss Louisa Johnson, daugh- ter of John and Annie (Hakanson) Johnson. Mrs. Seaberg was born in Sweden, and came to America when two years of age. They are the parents of six children, namely: Olive U. E., born June 27, 1870; Amelia E. P., born Sept. 16, 1871; Lydia L. \\\, born Sept. 9, 1875 ; Theodora P. C, born May 22, 1878; Gothfried S. E., June 14, 1880; Esther V. C, March 31, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Seaberg are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church, and Mr. Seaberg is a Republican in his political views. f ewis Wilson, a prosperous farmer and reli- _t able citizen of this county, residing on jaWr section 8, Rural Township, is a son of vjj~ William and Rachel (Mills) Wilson, natives (IS of Kentucky. The father,, as born March 8, { 1791, a.nd the mother Aug. 13, 1792. They were married, and settled in Champaign Co., Ohio, and about three years later removed to Greene County, that State, where they resided until the fall of 1828, when they removed to Montgomery Co., Ind. The parents continued to reside in the latter State until the fall of 1853, when they came to this county, and located in what is now Rural Township, where they resided until their deaths, that of the father occurring in October, 1856, and that of the mother in June, 1S73. Their family comprised 12 children, namely : Lewis, Jacob M., Mary, Susan, Lydia, George, Hannah, Adam, John, Owen, Moses, and one who died in infancy. Lewis Wilson, subject of this biographical notice, was born in Champaign Co., Ohio, Feb. 23, 181 1. His education was received at an old log school- house in his native county, and his early life was spent on the parental homestead, performing such labor as is common to farmers' sons. He continued to reside at home until he was 24 years of age, when he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Thomp- son, a native of Indiana and of Irish ancestry. That event occurred April 2, 1835, and she became the mother of four children, by Mr. Wilson, namely: Mary, Rachel, George, and Lydia Lovia. Rachel is the only surviving child, and is the wife of Charles Simmons, a resident of Rural Township. Mrs. Wilson died June 2r, 1842. Mr. Wilson formed a second matrimonial alliance June 30, 1844, with Miss Minerva Tipton, a native of Tennessee, of French ancestry, in which State she was born Nov. 1, 1823. Of the latter union four children have been born: John W., Sarah, Jacob and Owen D. Jacob is deceased ; John W. resides in Oregon ; and Owen D. and Sarah reside in Nebraska, the latter being the wife of Joseph M. Piersol. Mrs. Wilson died June 29, 1852, and Mr. Wilson was married a third time Sept. 25, 1856, the lady of his choice being Catherine Simmons, a native of Germany. She came to America with her parents when five years old, and lived in Pennsylvania and Ohio many years. Peter and Catherine E. Simmons, her parents, came to this county in 1850, and two years later located in Rural Township, where they died, the father Aug. 10, 1875, and the mother Aug. 23, 1874, — the former at the age of 82 years, and the latter at 79 years. Mrs. \V. was born July 30, 1828. Their home has been blessed with eight children, who bear the following names: Henry P., Catherine L., James R., Maria L., Lewis E., Charles C, Jacob S. and Charlotte H. Catherine is the wife of George Stewart, a farmer of Rural Township ; Maria L., the wife of Charles Carlson, a resident of Dakota. Mr. Wilson is the owner of 240 acres of land in Rural Township, 150 of which is in a tillable condi- tion. He also owns 320 acres in Nebraska. Mr. Wilson has served as Justice of the Peace for nine years, and represented his township on the Board of Supervisors for five years. His political sentiments are Democratic. Religiously he is a member of the Baptist Church, while Mrs. W. is connected with ^ ¥&h S^- ^^ — <^M?wm& L ?§ — ^€^ y«cv 284 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. t the Presbyterian Church. As a highly respected representative of the agricultural element of the county, and a pioneer well and favorably known, the portrait of Mr. Wilson is presented in this work. He is a worthy representative of a worthy class. ev. Henry Oliver Lindeblad, Pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church of Moline ' since 1879, was born in Tanuras Socken, Bohus Lan, Sweden, March 7, 1S45. He aid the foundation of his education at the Gymnasium of Gottenburg, and emigrated to America in 1866. He came at once to Paxton, 111., where he entered the Augustana College and Theo- logical Seminary as a student, took a three-years course and graduated in the class of 1S69. He was then sent as a home missionary to Campello and Boston, Mass., where he spent two years and or- ganized the now existing Swedish Congregation in the latter city. He was next Pastor at Chandler's Valley, Warren Co., Pa., where he labored nine years, or until 1879, when he accepted a call from the Swedish Lutheran Church of Moline, since which time he has served as Pastor of this Church, with marked ability and satisfaction to the congregation. Mr. Lindeblad was chosen a member of the Board of- Directors of the Augustana College and Theolog- ical Seminary of Rock Island, and has served as such since 1880. He is also a member of the Library Board, and is a member of the Central Board of Missions of the Augustana Synod. While a resident of Pennsylvania, he served as a member of the Board of Education. Mr. Lindeblad was united in marriage, at Prince- ton, 111., Jan. 30, 1868, to Miss Christina Pierson, daughter of Martin and Elsa Pierson. Mrs. Linde- blad was born in Skane, Sweden, Nov. 30, 1839. They have six children, four boys and two girls : Alma E. E. C, born July 18, 1870, at Campello, Mass.; A. Gothold E., born at Chandler's Valley, Pa., April 6, 1872, died May 1, 1881 ; I. Luther E., born March 8, 1874; Esther E. Th., born Aug. 17, 1876; Alvin S. N., born March 15, 1879; and Carl G. T., born Sept. 27, 1881. The youngest was born at Moline, 111., but the others, with the excep- tion of the eldest, were born at Chandler's Valley, Pa. The Rev. Mr. Lindeblad is Pastor of one of the most important Churches in the West. The church edifice is the largest of all in Rock Island County, and the largest of all of the denomination in the State. The membership numbers 1,100 communi- cants. Mr. Lindeblad is a gentleman of thorough culture, fluent and entertaining in his discourse, modest and unassuming in his manner, and genial and affable in social intercourse, while his natural kindness of heart makes him easily accessible to those in trouble or distress. It is no flattery to tell the truth, and it is only truth to say that Mr. Linde- blad is held in the highest esteem and warm, friendly regard, not only by his own people, but by his fellow citizens in general. He has always voted with the Republican party. VV Vcu "*2a27©i@» K+— >«§&®finmn» SQeciASf 1 Y(' it I \ illiam Henry Devore, banker at Port By ^ BsBgj C ron, was a born and bred pioneer, and ha; < \§&& -^ *^p occupied that relation to the business de- velopment of Rock Island County, as well as in the more common acceptance of the term. He was born Aug. 20, 1818, at Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pa., and is the eldest son of John L. and Phebe (Parrottj Devore. He is of unmixed French ex'raction, both parents having descended from that nationality. David Devore, his paternal grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania, and was, a soldier of the Revolution, which he survived many years, and he passed the close of his life in the full enjoyment of the privileges of a beneficiary of his country that recognized the value of his efforts in her behalf. John L. Devore was an artisan in his native State, and in 1822 he removed his family to Licking Co., Ohio, where he bought a tract of timber land. He put his estate under excellent improvements, and it was his home and field of operation until about ten years before his death. His wife also died in Lick- ing Co., Ohio. Mr. Devore was a child of four years when his parents emigrated to the Ohio forest, and he had only the prescribed privileges of the son of a pioneer, including little familiarity with books, and affording corresponding necessity and opportunity $flg@Hli$4£ — ^^ -ft* has $; 1 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 285 for the acquisition of mental culture by observation, from which conditions, it may be remarked in pass- ing, has arisen the best element of humanity on which Western institutions have been founded. At 15 he obtained the consent of his parents to endeavor to make his way in the world unaided. He obtained employment in the vicinity of his home, and during the first year of his independent exist- ence he earned $3 a month, together with his board. Until he was 22 he worked on a farm summers and attended school winters. In 1839 he accepted a proffered situation in a grocery at Akron, Summit Co., Ohio, and officiated in that capacity for two years. He then went South, and obtained employ- ment in the service of the Lower Mississippi, filling the position of an assistant clerk on a steamboat. He passed two years in that capacity, coming thence in 1844 to Illinois. He bought 80 acres of wild land, composed in part of timber and prairie, in Sharon, Henry County, of which he was the owner and proprietor for two years. His next remove was to Rock Island County in 1846, where he became '■ by purchase the owner of a farm on section 7 > of township 18 north, range 3 east, of Government land, now designated as Brewster & Hill's farm. Until 1849 he was occupied in the prosecution of his agricultural interests. In that year he became interested in the glowing rumors concerning the possibilities afforded by the resources of the Pacific coast, and in company with a party of adventurous spirits, numbering about 70, he set out for Oregon. The company, with 24 wagons and 72 yoke of oxen, left Illinois May 1, and journeyed across the conti- nent, and arrived at Fort Vancouver, Oregon, Oct. 18, 1849. Mr. Devore obtained employment as a umberman, at Milwaukee, Oregon, and was engaged until the first of March, 1850, in cross-cutting saw- logs, hauling and drawing them to mill, receiving a compensation of $5 per day for his labor. At the date above named he went to San Francisco, whence he proceeded to Sacramento, shortly afterward going there by steamer. From there he went by land route to Bird's Valley, El Dorado County, where he operated some time as a miner, but without satis- factory results. He then embarked in mercantile operations, establishing a store at Bird's Valley, and ^) dealing in the general supplies required by the min- ^» ing community. After a few months he associated ) ^ s ll with himself in his business a man named Jonas Barber, a former resident of Port Byron, 111. After a joint management, covering a period of ten months, they sold their business interests and rela- tions, with the intention of returning toward the East. They took passage from San Francisco, and pro- ceeded on the Pacific Ocean to Realjo, in Central America, whence they went by land to the city of Leon, in the State of the same name. They pro- ceeded to Granada, crossed Lake Nicaragua to Fort San Carlos, whence they traveled on the San Juan River to San Juan de Nicaragua. They sailed thence on the English war steamer " Tay," to Chagres, on the Isthmus of Panama. At that port they embarked on the United States steamer " Philadelphia " for New Orleans. They came up to the city of St. Louis on the same steamer, whence they journeyed by stage to Sharon in Henry County. This was in 185 1. Mr. Devore came thence to Port Byron, and, Jan- uary 2r, in partnership with A. J. Brown, he estab- lished a mercantile enterprise under the firm style of Brown & Devore. In 1863 the impaired health of Mr. Brown necessitated a change in their busi- ness relations, and the senior partner withdrew. Mr. Devore pushed the enterprise singly, and in the same year founded his banking business. He admitted W. J. Shepherd to an interest in 1866, and their associations continued until the death of Mr. Shepherd, in 187 1. Mr. Devore severed his con- nection with commercial affairs in 1877, since which time he has devoted his time to his banking inter- ests exclusively. His abilities as a financier are of a superior character, and his entire business career at Port Byron is such as to result in permanent benefit to the general public. At the outset he was the possessor of a cash capital of $800, from which he has built his present substantial fortune. Mr. Devore was united in marriage in October, 1844, with Eliza Beardslee. She was born in Jer- sey, Licking Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of Charles and Rebecca (Ayres) Beardslee. Her parents were born in Sussex County, State of New Jersey, and were pioneers of the township of Jersey. Later, they removed to Henry Co., 111., the father buying a farm in the township of Sharon, which was the homestead until the death of the father, after ®Hj)H^ ^trans>4 ■ S&7^ ") !> 2 86 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. which the mother moved to Rock Island. She died in Geneseo, this State. Rose E., wife of Hon. J. W. Simonson, of Port Byron, is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Devore. m^ s A. Nourse, proprietor of Grand View Ulk Green-houses and Nursery, established Jf^S?r> ' : ' s business ra ,86 5- The subject of our "S> sketch was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., Feb. 9, 1820. He came to Illinois in the spring ' of 1838 and located at Peoria, where he re- sided until the spring of 1S46, when he removed to Moline. On coming to this place, he engaged in the manufacture of fanning-mills, in company with his brother Alonzo, under the firm name of Wm. A. & Alonzo Nourse. They were among the first man- ufacturers in Moline, shipping their goods at one time throughout the greater portion of the Missis- sippi Valley. Mr. Nourse also engaged in merchan- dising. He sold out his fanning-mill business in* 1852, but continued in mercantile business until the commercial crisis of 1857, when he closed out. In 1859 he commenced improving his home on the bluffs where he now resides, and began by planting trees, and gradually developed an extensive nursery business. In 1865 he began erecting "green houses, and combined the business of florist with that of nurseryman. He has devoted special pains to his green-houses, and extended their capacity until they now embrace an area of 5,000 feet of glass, well stocked with a fine variety of plants and shrubs. The houses are said to excel anything in this line either in Rock Island Co., 111., or in Scott Co., Iowa. He is selling out his nursery stock, and will in the future give the green-houses his undivided atten- tion. Mr. Nourse was married at Peoria, 111., in Septem- ber, 1844, to Miss Sarah F. Pettengill, a niece of Moses Pettengill, of Peoria. Mrs. Nourse was born in Salisbury, N. H., and is a lineal descendant of the family of Daniel Webster, her grandfather being a cousin of the great statesman. They have one child living, a daughter, Mary F., wife of John H. Porter, the job printer of Moline. Mrs. Nourse died in August, 1881, being killed in the great wind-storm of that season. Mr. Nourse was a positive anti-slavery man in slavery times, and since then has been a Republican. In addition to his being a true patriot, he has been a consistent temperance man since 1836, never having from that day to the pres- ent time used ardent spirits, tea, coffee or tobacco. His health, in consequence of his temperate habits, is excellent, and now, at the age of 65, he is vigor- ous as a man of 40. Mr. Nourse attributes his mental and physical condition to his belief and prac- tice in hygiene, which includes regular habits. He is also a pronounced spiritualist. SOOO^ 8, 181 1, the % IE,. enry F. Thomas. On Jan. I' subject of this sketch was born at South Weymouth, Mas?. During his boyhood he attended school in his native town, and then settled down to learn the trade of shoemakmg, at which he worked for several years, but finally, ( as his health was by no means good, he was accus- ^ ' tomed for several seasons to go out mackerel-fishing, / K attending to that almost wholly summers and mak- ing shoes winters. His parents were John and Mai\' (Stetson) Thomas. Our subject was united in marriage Sept 10, 1835, J; with Miss Alice Hayward, who still survives and re- sides at Hampton. In 1837 Mr. Thomas came West and settled in Tazewell Co., 111., working at his trade there until 1848, when he removed and permanently located at Hampton, 111., and in that town, and at Valley City on the opposite side of the Mississippi, he engaged in the dry-goods business until 1865, when he was elected County Treasurer of Rock Island County, serving as such through the term of two years, when he was re-elected to that responsible office, thus holding the same from 1863 to 1869, when he opened a shoe store in Moline, 111., in com- pany with his son-in-law, Theo. D. Wheelock, con- tinuing in that business until 1878. He then re- moved his store to Hampton, and continued in that line up to the time of his death. Henry F. died at Hampton on Tuesday, 10:30 a. m., April, 12, 1 88 1, lung trouble being the cause of his death. He was one of the most pleasant and popu- lar men, and his death caused wide-spread sorrow among his large circle of friends. His family con- sisted of Alice A., who was born July 14. 1836, and died in 1847 ; Mary L., born Nov. 30, 1838, and was §>V^^t~- ^mn&^B- -*%m Residence of Hon. J. W. Simonsom, Cor. High ^WalnutSt. Port Byron. f (0 ® I=X / f ^ ^?OCJ ISLAND COUNTY. 487 "N united in wedlock Nov. 30, 1857, with Dr. George Vincent; Joseph H., born Oct. 14, 1841, died Oct. 27, 1881; Camilla C, born March 20, 1845, and Nov. 29, 1866, was married to Theo. D. Wheelock ; Sylvia J., born Sept. 20. 1847, the date of her mar- riage being Dec. 31, 1868, to Fred. C. Hemenway; Alice H., born July 30, 1850, forming a matrimonial alliance with Samuel S. Crompton Feb. 24, 1869: Clara L.,born Dec. 21, 1852, and united in marriage with James T. Francis, May 1, 1878; she died Oct. 29, 1884; Herbert E.,born July 19, 1858, and March 23, 2881, was married to Miss Ruth A. Sadler; two children have been born of their union, viz., Henry F., born Dec. 14, 1881 ; and Herbert G., who was born Aug. 20, 1883. Herbert E., the youngest of the family, attended school at Hampton, 111., until he was 14 years of age. Leaving the latter place, he began at Moline, where he attended for two years, then going to Rock Island for one year. At intervals during that time he worked in his father's shoe store, and for four years after leaving school he remained as clerk in the store. In 1878 he accepted a position as clerk in the office of what is now the Moline Scale Com- pany, where he still remains; and by faithful service and strict attention to his duties, together with prac- tical aptitude for business, he has gained a place as member of the company and a director in the con- cern, where he now acts as deputy in charge of the business during the absence of Major Grout, the president, who is away most of the time at his farm in Vermont. * -€<^ * J heodore M. Jones, photographer, corner 15th Street and Fourth Avenue, Moline, established business here in 1878. He is a native of T5utler Co., Ohio, and was born T Aug. 23, 1849. His parents were Paul B. and I Martha A. (Brant) Jones. He came with his parents to Illinois when seven years of age and re- sided in Knox County until 1864, when they re- moved to Davenport, Iowa. His father was a photographer and he learned the art in his father's gallery. In 1870 he began business for himself at Daven- port, Iowa, where his establishment was totally con- sumed by fire Aug. 31, 1871. He immediately rebuilt and resumed business, and remained in Dav- enport until 1875, when he removed to Marion, Iowa, and conducted a gallery at that place from 1875 to 1878. In June of that year he established his present business at Moline and has carried it on continuously since. Mr. Jones has a well equipped gallery and has won the reputation of being an artist skilled in his profession. His work has given very general satisfaction, and is spoken of with great praise by a community well qualified to judge of its merits. A large number of the portraits in this work are from photographs taken by Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones formed a matrimonial alliance in Dav- enport, Iowa, Sept. 25, 187 1, with Miss Mary E. Rice, daughter of Dr. J. E. Rice. Mrs. Jones was born in Knox Co., 111. They have become the par- ents of four children, namely : Archie H., born March 3, 1873; Harry B., born May 19, 1875; Bessie M., born Aug. 19, 1879; and Theo B., born Sept. 8, 1884. Mr. Jones is a Republican. jenry Ashdown, a farmer of Coe Township, has been a resident of the county since August, 1856. In 1857 he bought a farm US in company with his brother Mark, in Canoe \ Creek Township, upon section 8. It was un- cultivated, and they were not in circumstances to await the work of improvement ; and they rented a farm in the vicinity, which they conducted three years, and at the same time placed their own prop- erty in condition for farming. In i860 Mr. Ashdown bought the interest of his brother and took posses- sion of the place, where he prosecuted his agricul- tural interests until 1878, when he leased that place and removed to Coe Township and bought the west- ern half of the northeast quarter of section 17. On this he has since resided and has improved it by the addition of valuable buildings. Mr. Ashdown was born Aug. 24, 1829, in the county of Kent, England. He is the sixth son of Edward and Annie (Bakurst) Ashdown, and his parents were natives of the same part of England. The senior Ashdown and the two sons who have been named already, came in 184 1 to the United States, and at first settled in the State of New York, B v£ V (?) /£) mm V > •S •ry ^mmm>7 ^C^Vf! w* ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. where they remained 14 months. At the end of that time they went back to England and remained in their native country until 1850, in which year the two sons returned to America. They located in the State of New York, and were residents there for three years. Henry started in January, 1854, for California, going to the Pacific coast by the isthmus and arriving there in February following. Mr. Ash- down mined for gold in Tullama two years and four months. In June, 1856, he returned to the Empire State, and in August of the same year he came to Illinois, where he has since lived. Mr. Ashdown was married in i860, to Nancy Day. She was born in Hunterdon Co., N. J., Dec. 10, 1837, and came to Illinois in 1850, settling in Canoe Creek Township. She had one child by a former marriage, named Lucinda, who is now the wife of James McRoberts. Four children were born of her marriage to Mr. Ashdown, of whom there are three living— Edward, May and Stella. The mother died in 1870. Mr. Ashdown was a second time married in 1872, to Hannah Cain, daughter of John and Anna Cain and widow of Rodney McMurphy. Mr. and Mrs. Ashdown have one child, Annie. Mrs. A. is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The farm of Mr. Ashdown is considered one of the best in the township of Coe, and he is regarded as one of the most successful farmers in the county, and credited with having the best buildings. M. Sinner,, son of Alanson and T*jjE Julia (Webster) Sinnet (see biography of & s 1 fofflC ran cis Alanson Sinnet), was born in Granville, Ohio, May 22, 1834, and at the age of 22 years came to Rock Island. The college estab- lished at his native town afforded ample op- portunity for his education, and the duties of farm life developed his muscles, so that when he came to a new country he was not lacking in the essential prerequisites to success. Soon after arriving at Rock Island, he embarked in the ice business and fol- lowed it about 25 years. In company with his father in 1857 he bought a 55-acre tract of land ad- jacent to the town of Rock Island, and later on laid it out in town lots, and platted it as " Sinnet's Addi- tion to Rock Island." The natural appreciation in the value of this property, the product of the stone quarries discovered thereon, and the immense profits derived from the ice business, has enabled him to acquire a comfortable competency. Mr. Sinnet was one of the prime movers in push- ing to completion the Moline & Rock Island Horse Railway, large interests in which he held until the year 1S82. In addition to valuable real estate in Rock Island, consisting of- vacant city lots and tene- ment buildings, he owns 10,000 acres of fertile prairie land in one body in Nebraska. He was chosen Alderman from his Ward in 1S83, and re-elected in 1885. He has been a member of the School Board ever since 1880., and at this writing (June, 1885) is the presiding officer of that body. Mr. Sinnet formed a matrimonial alliance in Peoria, 111., in the fall of 1861, with Miss Jennie Mc- Laughlin, a native of Pennsylvania, and has had born to him three children, namely: Jesse K., Julia May and Mary F., the latter of whom died in February, 1873, at the age of about four years. Mr. Sinnet is a member of the Baptist Church, with mem- bership at Moline, and Mrs. Sinnet is a member of the Central Presbyterian Church, Rock Island. In poli- tics he has been a Republican since the organization of the party. =5 r^r* — enry H. Parks, a resident on section 15, Edgington Township, was born in Worth- ington, Franklin Co., Ohio, July 25, 1818. His father, Jonathan Parks, was born in the Green Mountain State, of New England an- cestry and largely of English descent, and he spelled his name without the final s, Henry H. Parks, subject of this notice, being the individual to add the sibilant letter to his name, thereby making it " Parks " instead of " Park." Mr. Parks, of this notice, came West in 183S, set- tling in Edgington Township. He had no money, and was in a land of strangers, with nothing but a firm determination and an energetic disposition to aid him in making his way in a new and undevel- oped country. After three years of hard labor, he concluded that to procure a competency it was bet- ter that he should have a partner to share his joys and sorrows, his successes and reverses, and conse- quently chose Martha Gingles, with whom he was united in marriage. She was born in Washington I m I (!) V@5«§s§«f- js^ — e^nnsnifc^A^ — s^ $^§® ~^^K 6V4>HH&Hllr>T rr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 289 CO & ® I Co., Pa., Aug. 28, 1821. Her parents came West and first settled in Mercer County, then in Rock Island County. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Parks rented land, which he cultivated for himself. It was not long before they had accumulated sufficient, by economy and energetic effort, to purchase 40 acres of land in Edgington Township, and on which they- located, and threw their united effort into the task of its cul- tivation and improvement. The same disposition and effort which enabled them to purchase their first 40 acres of land had enabled them in a short time to purchase 160 acres more, which at that time cost the insignificant sum of $110, but which- to-day is worth $60 per acre. Mr. Parks has 100 acres of land at the present writing in his own name, having deeded nearly all his possessions to his children. The wife and mother, who had labored so earn- estly with her husband to secure a competency, and had shared with him the trials and toils of a pioneer life in a new and undeveloped country, died in Rock Island city, while temporarily at that place being treated for a cancer on the breast, Dec. 28, 1876. She had borne to Mr. Parks four children : Martha A., born Feb. 1, 1 841, married David Montgomery; John H., born July iS, 1843; William S., May 20, 1845; and James J., Jan. 10, 1S52. All are mar- ried and are respected and enterprising citizens of the county. The youngest son is a lawyer; the others are engaged in farming. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Parks were for some time membeis of the Methodist Episcopal Church Politically, he is identified with the Republican party. He has held the offices of Commissioner of Highways and Overseer of the Poor in his town- ship. Joseph L. Allen, farmer, residing on sec- tion 32, Rural Township, is a son of Es- :S3'" t " '* bond and Rebecca (Jones) Allen, who ^■S^ were natives of the States of New York and ~^C Virginia respectively. His father came to i Mercer County, this State, about 1846, and a year later to this county, settling in Rural Township, where he married and reared his children. His mar- riage took place Dec. 31, 1848, and he had a family of eight children, namely: Joseph L.,. James E., -\©5^d« ^^ ^A<*>flll Eliza E., Emet S., Lillie E., Mollie A., Minnie E. and Leota M. The subject of this sketch was born in Rural Township, this county, Nov. 7, 1849; was reared to manhood here, and has always lived in this town- ship, engaged in fanning. He is a member of the Catholic Church, and in his political principles is a Democrat. He was married in Rock Island, Feb. 20, 1871, to Ellen Kelly, who was born in Pennsylvania, Feb. 22, 1850. They have seven children, viz. : May R. C, Katie T., Edward J., Bernard A., Anna G., Clara C. and Raymond J. \\\ illiam fWjl? illiam S. Mack, Superintendent of the Moline Public Schools, eldest son of Will- iam W. and Sarah J. (Stuart) Mack, was born at St. Johnsbury, Vt., April 23, 1854. His father, who died in 1879, at the age of 50 years, was for 24 successive years superin- tendent of the car department of the Connecticut & Passumpsic Railway, and was for the last two years of his life superintendent of the packing department of the Howe Scale Works, at Rutland, Vt. The subject of this sketch improved the advan- tages offered by the public-school system of his na- tive place, until about 16 years of age, at which time he came West, stopping at Aurora, 111., until the fall of 187S. From 1870 to 1874 inclusive he attended the High and Normal Schools of Aurora, and, having graduated thereat, was at once tendered the Principalship of the Brady School, a position he accepted and filled with the highest credit to him- self for four years. The gentlemen at the head of the educational interests of Moline, being anxious to place their many excellent schools under the supervision of some one not only possessing the necessary qualifi- cations in points of learning, but also some one with known executive ability, were led to correspond with Mr. Mack. The proposition made to Mr. Mack be- ing acceptable, he came to Moline in the fall of 1878, and was at once installed in the position he has since so successfully filled. With the exception of his duty as Secretary of the Public Library of Moline, a position he has been filling since July, ^ * & •fv m- yt>^ _. -znr — -*& i 290 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ® (i) ® ^^ 18S2, the schools receive his entire attention. The progress of education in the Moline schools for the past seven years reflects much credit upon the good judgment of the gentlemen of the educational bureau, and attests fully the eminent fitness of their super- intendent. Mr. Mack was united in matrimony at Aurora, Tuly 3, 1877, with Miss S. Lottie Allen, a daughter of E. R. Allen, Esq., one of the pioneers of that place, and she has borne him one child, named Marion A. IjlBi eorge Pearsall, a prominent citizen of Coe : 1Mijlif Township, has been a resident of Rock •Asp 1 Island County since 1S54. He was born ^*^ in Leeds County, District of Tohnstown, Ont., fan. 16, 1825, and he is the son of Jeremiah S. and Ann (Chatterton) Pearsall. His father was a native of the State of New York, and his mother was born in Canada. He was 13 years of age when his parents removed to the Empire State and settled in St. Lawrence County. The family remained there two years and then made another transfer, to Monroe County, in the same State, where the son resided until he had attained to the age and privileges of manhood. He was 12 years old when he became self-sustaining, by accepting a position in a cloth-mill, where he worked through the seasons of spring and fall and attended school during the re- mainder of the year. He passed his time alternately in those ways until he attained his majority. He then obtained a situation as a clerk in a dry-goods store in the city of Rochester, N. Y., and continued in the same employment until he was 27. In November, 185 1, he started for California, trav- eling to the land of gold by way of the isthmus. He went to Johnstown and engaged in mining in the region known as the Central Mines, and later he went to Coloma, where he was similarly interested. He went to other portions of the State, and altogether he spent three years on the Pacific coast. He re- turned to New York, reaching that city at a date which made the time complete. He remained in the metropolis three weeks and then made his way to Rock Island County and bought 320 acres of land, which is situated on the southwest of section 24 and the northwest of section 25, on which no improvements had been made. He built a house on section 24 and gave his undivided attention to agricultural pursuits. In May, 1S77, while he was prospecting for coal on his farm, when the shaft had reached a depth of 66 feet from the surface, a vein of mineral water was struck and a stream six inches in diameter ascended with great force, rising 22 feet in the air. The spring is located on the southeast part of his land, which lies on sec- tion 25. The flow continuing, the proprietor, in 1879, built a large frame house on his farm near a beautiful grove situated on the eastern slope of a hill, and his place has become a popular resort for people who wish to drink and bathe in the water and enjoy a quiet country retreat. The place is known as "The Fountain." Mr. Pearsall was married in March, 1855, to Sarah J. Pearsall, and they have sevjn children, — George B. and Jerry D. (twins), Minerva, William R., Fred, Luther and Jane. Mrs. Pearsall is the daughter of William C. and Jane (Elingham) Pearsall. She and her husband are members of the Congregational Church at Port Byron. The latter is a Republican in political views. Jeremiah S. Pearsall came to Rock Island County in 1856 and bought a piece of land of his son, on which he was for some time resident before the death of his wife. After that event he went to Port Byron, where he lived two years, and went thence to Ottumwa, Iowa, and is resident at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Edward McDermott. -~& ■Q~- ohn W. Warr, publisher of the Western '- Plowman, and manager of the advertising m w department of the Moline Plow Company, also Secretary of the Moline Building, Savings and Loan Association. The subject of our \ sketch was born in Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 17, 1844, and is the son ->f William and Mary (Earl) Warr. He was educated at Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio, and began business at Painesville, Ohio, in 1S63, where he conducted a business college about five years; he then removed to Kentucky, where he devoted ten years to the same business. In 1878 he came to Moline and was employed as cashier of the Moline Plow Company until 1S81, K> I 0) ms , G, crt^f2^ v^'BB^nn^ I V X \ /■*v ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, when he established the Western Plowman, a monthly home and farm paper, 20 pages quarto, which has a circulation of 20,000 copies. Mr. Warr has also had charge of the extensive advertising business of the Moline Plow Company. He is a Republican and has served two terms as Alderman from the Fifth Ward. Mr. Warr was united in marriage at Cleveland, Ohio, Jan. 17, 1866, to Miss Harriet M. Smith, daughter of John G. Smith. Mrs. Warr was born at Orange, Ohio, and they have become the parents of five children, namely : Bertha M., Percy B., Wil- bur E., Archie J. and Eli M. Mr. Warr was a soldier of the late war; he en- listed in the spring of 1863, as a member of Co. G, 87th Ohio Inf. Four months after entering the ser- vice he was captured with his entire regiment at Harper's Ferry. He accepted a parole with his comrades and was released under promise not to serve again until exchanged. As he was not ex- changed during his term of enlistment, he did not re-enter the service. 1.'° feaniel Bopes, a farmer of Edgington Town- :#,§ j-lP'&sr, ship, and, although not born in the county r,j, ji v* ;r)~~i*^*(j * •'HlijV- ^ was brought here when quite young, and yjt* reared, when there were very few pioneers J {> scattered over Northern Illinois. He was born in Columbia Co., Pa., April 2, 1S32. His father, George Bopes, was a native of Kentucky, where his parents were also born. He went to Penn- sylvania, where he was married to Miss Sarah Bocher, a native of the Keystone State and of German an- cestry. She was the mother of six children, our sub- ject being the youngest. His father came West as early as 1836, and located an unimproved farm in Edgington Township. He was not spared to see the wonderful transformation that has taken place in this country. He died in 1838, and was the second person interested in the Dunlap Grove burying- ground. The facilities for marking the resting place of the departed of that early day were very limited, and the changes of time are such that, as with Moses, it can be said of the elder Bopes, " his sepul- cher is not known to this day." About three years after the death of his father, his mother was again married, to Jesse Willets, formerly of Mercer Co., 111., where he was one of the old residents, and who is a member of a very prominent family in that county. His mother did not survive the hardships and privations of a pioneer life very long, for when our subject was about 1 1 years old she died. Daniel afterwards lived in this county, working as a general laborer for some time. In 1854, Jan. 26, he was married, in Edgington, to Miss Lydia A. Lewis. She was born in Ohio, March 20, 1830, and was a daughter of Nathan and Catherine Weaver, formerly from Pennsylvania. Her father was a molder in the Pennsylvania iron furnaces. Mrs. B. was 14 years of age when her father came West, and located on a farm in Edgington Township. To Mr. and Mrs. Bopes have been born eight children, two of whom are deceased. The following is the record of their family : Ketter L. is married and resides on a farm in Edington Tp. ; Jessie V. married Charles Laflin and resides in the Indian Territory; Thomas was married to Miss Laura Neff, and they reside in An- dalusia Township, this county; Clella is the wife of Frank Laflin ; Isaac N. resides at home ; Sallie is de- ceased; and Nellie resides at home. After marriage Mr. B. settled on a farm in Buffalo Prairie Township, this county, and in 1861 he pur- chased 250 acres of land on section 6, of Edgington Township, where he now lives. This was almost all wild land at that time, being but slightly improved. He yet owns the whole estate, and has it under ex- cellent improvement. He has a good, large residence, and fine farm buildings. On religious subjects he is a free-thinker. Take him all in all, he is a man of large parts and deep penetration. orenzo E. Fish has been a member of the Board of Education of Moline, 111., since the year 1883, and since the commence- ment of the year 1885 has been serving his second term as its Secretary. His first iden- tity with the educational institutions of this place was as Janitor of the Public Schools, a position he held for six years. That his progress, step by step, from the humblest walks of life into positions of trust and honor has been the result of individual merit upon his own part, will be seen by a perusal of this brief history of his life. *f\- i ® 4 to' ,3V( < V®^§ '#=*- ■3^ r Qy^ DH'&'Dtlf^^H ^^- 294 -3?IW®llllr> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. >C^ 1> Mr. Fish, eldest son in a family of seven chil- dren of Rev. Erasmus D. and Cynthia (Russell) Fish, of Massachusetts, was born in Franklin Coun- ty, that State, Jan. 21, 1837. His paternal grand- father was in the Revolutionary War; and a brother, Rev. R. D. Fish, was a soldier in the war for the Union and was taken prisoner at Vicksburg. His father would have been a soldier, as he was a very patriotic and public-spirited man, but his health would not permit. At the schools of his native place, Lorenzo acquired the rudiments of an English edu- cation, which was supplemented by a course at a commercial college. At the age of 22, he accepted employment in a minor official capacity in a refor- matory school in New York city, a position he held at the outbreak of the American Rebellion. Dec. 6> 1861, he enrolled in the First N. Y. Vol. Eng'rs and went immediately to the front. His first furlough was dated in 1863, and indorsed in red ink, "Com- plimentary on account of good conduct in the field." In February, 1S64, he veteranized, and soon after- ward took his second furlough home. It was a long distance from Jacksonville, Fla., to Rowe, Mass., but as the records disclose that Lorenzo E. Fish was married at the latter place, April 6, 1864, to Miss Lucy A. Starr, it may be reasonably presumed that a very good line of communication had been estab- lished between the two points, and also that the " Veteran " had not allowed much grass to grow under his feet. In June, 1864, he was appointed a Hospital Stew- ard of the United States Army and afterwards was assigned to the 32d United States (colored) Infantry. A year later he was commissioned Second Lieuten- ant, with which rank he was mustered out at Phila- delphia, Aug. 29, 1865. He brought his family to Moline in November, 1867, and here he has since re- sided. He has served the city eight years as Con- stable, and four years as Marshal. Was President of the Board of Associated Charities of Moline, in 1884, and in 18S5 is their Secretary and manager. He is a Deacon and Treasurer of the Baptist Church (to which his wife and two daughters also belong), and is Superintendent of the Sunday-school, mem- ber of the Baptist State Board of Missions, and State Sabbath-school Executive Committee. He is a mem- ber of the A. O. U. W. ; the Modern Woodmen of America, of which he is a member of the head finance committee; and he is also Adjutant of Gra- ham Post, No. 312, G. A. R. Mr. Fish is at present engaged in the fire, life and accident insurance business in Rock Island County; office in Moline. Eudora, his daughter, now 18 years old, assists him in his office. The names of his children are, Eudora, Darwin S., Christina, Richard E., Herbert C, Lorenzo E., and Cynthia L., who died in infancy. As Mr. Fish has exerted a good influence and a liberal beneficence through so many and varied chan- nels, and has thus done far more good by his " right hand " than his " left hand " knows anything of, it is no more than fit and proper that a portrait of his facial features should accompany the foregoing brief biographical outline. ||p(|'(|! lexander Ashdown, of Canoe ( 'reek Tom 11- ship, is a citizen of this country by adop- 83 tion. He is one of the substantial and reliable men of the county, and he has the double satisfaction of knowing that whatever of success he has won has been the result of his own efforts, aided only by his hands that were willing to labor, showing that the firm health which most of humanity live to realize is the best possible capital on which to found a career of usefulness. He was born in the County of Kent, England, April 21, 1824, and is the son of Edward and Nancy Ashdown. He was reared to manhood in his native land, on the farm on which his ancestors had labored for years before him, and in which their children could only claim the right to labor as fruitlessly as their sires. He also worked for a time as a brick- layer, and he continued his residence there until 1857. He left the city of London June 20, taking passage on a sailing vessel, the " James R. Keeler," and he landed at the port of New York after a pass- age of 45 days. Mr. Ashdown came at once to Rock Island County and located in Canoe Creek Township. He rented various tracts of land for a period of seven years, and he then bought a farm on section 8. A small frame house had been built on it and about 70 acres broken. The place presents a greatly improved ap- pearance, as the proprietor has erected a good set of buildings and planted a considerable number of ft <£> ^SKS" SDHSIW^ ^/■<=^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 2 9s fruit-trees. In addition to his moneyless condition on his arrival in the township, he was $75 in debt, and he often contrasts his situation then with that of the present. He was married in 1850 to Charlotte Martin. She is a native of Kentshire hills, in old England, where she was born May 22, 1831. They have eight chil- dren living: George lives in Wyoming Territory, lo- cated in Sun Dance, Crook Co., Wyoming; Eliza is the wife of Joseph Robinson, and they live in the township of Coe; Henry is a resident of Hillsdale; Alfred is a resident of the same place; Fannie mar- ried William G. McConnell, and they live in the same township as the parents ; Clara, Katie and Emma are names of the other children. Politically, Mr. A. is a Democrat. JjLol. William Clendenin, dealer m drugs ||/ and stationery, at Moline, Colonel of the l/?"*"^ Sixth 111. Nat. Guards, and Commander of Graham Post, No. 312, Grand Army of the Republic, was born in Lyndon, Whiteside Co., 111., April 12, 1845. His parents, Robert i> G. and Hannah (Clark) Clendenin, natives of Penn- f| sylvania and New York, and probably of Scotch-Irish and German extraction respectively, reared at that place three sons, the subject of this biographical no- itice being second in the order of their birth. In 1859 the family removed to Morrison, 111., where Mr. Clendenin made his home until 1873. At the public \i schools of his native State, he received a fair Eng- | lish education, which formed but the nucleus of the wide range of his learning and information at the time of which we write. In April, 1864, he enrolled in the service of the United States as First Sergeant of Co. B, 140th 111. Inf., and served to the expiration of his term, some- thing over five months, "and was mustered out with the rank of Sergeant-Major. Returning from the army, he entered the banking house of Smith & Co., afterwards the First National Bank of Morrison, 111., as clerk, which position he abandoned in February, 1865, to accept the Second Lieutenancy of Co. A, 108th United States (Colored) Infantry. This regi- ment was mustered out of the service at Vicksburg, in March, 1866, by order of the Secretary of War, ft Mr. Clendenin having been advanced to the rank of First Lieutenant. Returning again to Morrison, he clerked in S. T. Harding's drug-store for one year, when, in company with A. H. Martin, he bought Mr. Harding out, and conducted the business about seven years. In 1873 he came to Moline, where he has since been engaged in the drug trade. Col. Clendenin has been twice married ; first at Morrison, 111., in 1867, to Miss Rachel E. Gridley, who died Oct. 15, 1 877, leaving three children : Rob- ert G., Frank J. and Mabel H.; and second, in May, 1879, also at Morrison, to Mrs. Laura E. Mayo. The only child born to this union, Ward O., died at the early age of one year. The subject of this sketch is deservedly one of the most popular men of Moline. He was first called to the Illinois National Guards in 1877 as Second Lieu- tenant, and between that time and May 17, 1S82, when he was commissioned Colonel of the Sixth Regiment, he held every intermediate commission in the line. He was elected Commander of Graham Post, G. A. R., Jan. 1, 1885. He votes the Repub- lican ticket from principle, and, in company with his wife, attends the Congregational Church as a relig- ious duty. c=n ^yf that township. H'V®»C _^_ 2J 296 ■^^k: ©V^WH&llll&V^ :a4- H@£JS®\ > 3=3 3=3 f ^OCVT ISLAND COUNTY. County, and was employed on his father's farm until the date of his marriage. That event occurred in Coe Township, this county, April 4, 1861, and the lady of his choice was Miss Lucy Schriver, who was born in Pennsylvania Feb. 10, 1834, and was young when her parents came to this county. Her father was a cabinet-maker, and she was educated in the public schools of her native State, residing at home until her marriage with Mr. Edgington. She is the mother of two children by Mr. Edgington, one of whom is deceased. The surviving child, Lewis N., was bom April 26, 1867, reared at home and educated in the schools here and at Hopkinton, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Edgington, after marriage, settled on a farm of 200 acres, which Mr. E. had previously purchased, and on which they have constantly re- sided until the present time. They have a good residence on their farm, together with substantial outbuildings, and the land is in an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Edgington is one of the ener- getic and progressive farmers of this township, and his prosperity is due to his own individual effort, pluck and perseverance, combined with the help of his wife. She is an active member of the Presby- terian Church. Politically, Mr. Edgington is a sup- porter of the tenets of the Democratic party. He has held the position of School Director in his town- ship for some 15 years. -«3- -e~>- 1876. eorge B. Hull, senior partner of Hull Bros., 1,630 Third Avenue, Moline, merchants, dealers in general merchandise and car- pets. This house was established in 1868 by H. J. Hull. The present partnership, existing under the name of Hull Bros., was formed in This is one of the leading mercantile houses of Moline, and carries an average stock of $30,000 value. George B. Hull, the subject of this biographical notice, was born in Fairfield County, Conn., in June, 1837, and is the son of John and E. T. (Jennings) Hull. He removed to Orleans Co., N. Y., in child- hood, and in 1850 to La Grange Co., Ind. He was engaged in mercantile business at Lima, Ind., 14 years, and came from Lima to Moline in 1876, when he formed the existing partnership with his brother, H.J. Mr. G. B. Hull formed his matrimonial union at Lima, Ind., in January, 1863, with Miss Lucy Ross- man, and they have had two children, namely: Jennie R. and Mattie J. Mr. and Mrs. Hull and family are members of the Episcopal Church, and in political sentiment Mr. Hull is a Republican. -5 ^^gf lathaniel Dorrance, a substantial citizen of Port Byron, was born July 15, 1817, in "* Plainfield, Windham Co., Conn. The family on the paternal side are of Irish ances- try, and first settled in Rhode Island prior to the Revolutionary War. Alexander Dorrance, father of our subject, was a native of Rhode Island, and married Nancy Cole, a native of Connecticut. They settled on a farm, where the father died when the son was ten years of age, and the latter lived on the farm with his mother two years after that event. His mother then rented the farm, on which was a mortgage, and went to Willimantic, where the chil- dren were employed in the cotton mills, and they earned sufficient money to liquidate the indebtedness on the homestead property. At the age of 17, Mr. Dorrance went to work for a farmer near Willimantic, earning the means to go to Chautauqua County, N. Y. On his arrival there he obtained employment on a farm by the month, and subsequently engaged in lumbering, in which voca- tion he received a monthly remuneration of $io, which was afterwards raised to $13, through his un- remitting efforts in the interests of his employer. He remained in Chautauqua County 20 months, and in the early spring of 1837 turned his face Westward to secure for himself the benefits of the boundless re- sources foreshadowed in the. glowing reports from that region. He made the journey to the West by the Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, pro- ceeding up the Illinois to the mouth of Spoon River, whence he journeyed on foot to Port Byron, a dis- tance of more than a hundred miles. His first job was with a farmer, planting corn. He then began to operate as a contractor, and his first engagement in that capacity was the building of a cellar under the r & V) \§fr^l&- ^A^> .£; ^€S^ — £V«Mfa> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ' Port Byron Hotel. He continued his operations in '; that line of business until 1848, when, in company . with T. C. Temple, he built a steam saw-mill, and embarked in the lumber trade. They continued their interests as lumbermen until the fall of 1850, when they extended the capacity of their es- tablishment and attached the apparatus of a grist- mill. These were the first saw and grist mills at Port Byron. Mr. Dorrance sold his interests in the spring of 1852, preparatory to a change of base. On the 29th of March, of that year, with a company of eight and an equipment of five yoke of oxen, four horses and three wagons, he started for Oregon, landing there Aug. 20, at a point 30 miles from Salem. From there he went south 150 miles, to Jacksonville, where they devoted themselves vigorously to milling. The snows and severities of winter set in at an earlier •. date than was anticipated, and the depleted condi- tion of their stores necessitated their retreat from the mines, where 50 pounds of flour commanded $75 and salt sold for $5 per pound. Mr. Dorrance in- tended to proceed homeward, but no steamer was ready to leave, and he obtained employment for about two weeks, chopping wood at a dollar a day. The profits of this enterprise did not add material to his surplus capital, as he paid one dollar for his board. At the end of two weeks he obtained a situ- ation in which he received a compensation of $t a day and his board, and he discharged the duties of that place for a month. He was then employed to nurse a sick man and passed a month in that posi- tion, earning $5 daily. He was engaged in the same capacity two weeks subsequently, receiving a daily remuneration of $10. His next enterprise was in the vocation of a contractor, to build a highway through a piece of timber, and he so managed his re- lations that he earned an average of nearly $20 per day. In 1854 he set out on his return to Port Byron, coming by way of the water route via the isthmus to the port of New York. He arrived at Port Byron in December of that year, where he established a per- : manent citizenship. He has since devoted his abili- ties to the management of his private business. He JA? is the most extensive owner of real estate at Port Byron, and has built and owns a number of business ■ blocks and dwellings at that place, some of which 6 % b have come into his possession by purchase. He is also the owner of 400 acres of land, which comprises tracts of farming, timber and pasture land, the larger part being in Coe Township. In 1855, Mr. Dorrance married Harriet, widow of George S. Morse and daughter of John Dodge. Hattie, their only child, born Oct. 29, 1857, married H. C. Stevens and removed to Colorado. She died Nov. 19, 1883, after giving birth to two children, one of whom is now deceased. The name of the one living is Clarence Stevens, an inmate of his grand- father's home. Mrs. Dorrance had five children by her former marriage, all living but one. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dorrance are members of the Congregational Church. He is Republican in politics, having cast his first vote for Wm. H. Harrison, in i86t. He joined the Republican party in 1856, and since that time has continued steadfast in his early political principles. Mr. Dorrance is among the pioneers of Rock Island County. He has lived here continuously since May, 1837, except the short time he was ab- sent on the Pai ific coast. His father-in-law, John Dodge, was a native of Massachusetts, and Mrs. Dorrance was born in Ver- mont in 1815. She came West with her uncle, Silas Marshall, in the spring of 1837, and settled in Rock Island County, in Port Byron, where she has since resided. Her uncle was the first landlord of the "Port Byron Hotel." -<~3- -G— ouis P. Youngren, of the Moline Cabinet- Organ Company, and a resident of that city, was born in Sweden, Aug. 10, 1832, and is a son of Peter and Carrie Youngren. Mr. Youngren served a regular apprenticeship to the painter and grainer's trade in his native country, where he continued to follow that occupa- tion until 1864. At this period in his life's history he realized that better inducements were offered in the United States for the procuring of a competency than in his native land, and concluded to emigrate, which he did, landing at Quebec, Canada. Soon afterwards he came to Chicago, via the Great Lakes and railway. Going from the latter place to Indiana, he worked at his trade for a time, then returned to ^hij^a^ — s^£ V a r *m Whf&K' > a ■ • • Is 300 7?OCZ ISLAND COUNTY. this State, and spent some time at Galesburg and Geneseo. In 1865, Mr. Youngren came to Moline and Rock Island. He engaged with the Buford & Co. Plow Manufactory of Rock Island. A few months later he became an employe of Deere & Co.'s manufactory at Moline, in the painting department, and continued with that company from 1866 to 1881, during which time, except a few years, he was foreman of the paint department. In i88r Mr. Youngren purchased an interest in the Moline Cab- inet-Organ Company, and assumed charge of the finishing department of those works, which position he has filled continuously since. Mr. Youngren is a thorough master of his business, as the fine finish of the large number of organs which have passed through his hands testify. Mr. Youngren was united in marriage Nov. 1, 1868, at Moline, this county, with Miss Sophia Peter- son, the accomplished daughter of Andrew Peterson. Mrs. Youngren was born in Sweden, and emigrated to the land of possibilities with her parents when she was three years of age. Seven children have been born of their union, three boys and four girls, six of whom survive. The record is as follows : Berdena C, born Feb. 24, 1870; Franz O., Nov. 6, 1872; Alben O., Nov. 16, 1874; Hilda J., May 13, 1877; Hannah S., Nov. 26, 1879; Anna L., Jan. 22, 1882, and died in childhood ; Reuben L., born Oct. 24, r884. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Youngren are both members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. Youngren has always voted with the Republican since obtaining citizenship in 1869. ^-harles L. Gould, residing on section 32, Edgington Township, and engaged in i \fef' v general farming and stock-raising, was born Jan. 14, 1854, in Indiana. He was but r /tf a small child when his parents emigrated to ( Iowa, settling at Muscatine, where he was reared and educated. His father died when he was eight years of age, and necessarily many hardships fell to his lot. Shortly after this sad event he was taken to rear by Jacob Caster, of Muscatine, who kept him until he was 14 years of age. From that time on he has earned his own living; and, though ISK@*3®*- enjoying but limited advantages, has proven his ability as a man of business by the success which has attended his efforts. Our subject was married Feb. 19, 1879, in Edging- ton Township, to Miss Sophia Titterington. Mrs. G. was born and reared in this township, and her parents, who are well-known pioneers here, are still living, in this township. Mr. and Mrs. Gould have been blest with three children — Moses R., Charles L. and Emma M After Mr. Gould's marriage he lived for a year on a farm in Iowa ; he then came to Edgington Township, and purchased a farm of 220 acres on section 32, all of which is improved and under excellent cultivation. Mrs. Gould is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church, and politically Mr. Gould is a sound Republican. -(&• — ffi^m^. uther H. Barker, manufacturer of Bean's Celebrated Double-Acting Stone Force Pump, No. 387, Eleventh Street, Moline, established his present business in 1874. He was born in Mori ah, Essex Co., N. Y., Aug. 29, 1822, and is the son of Gardner and Harriet L. (Lyon) Barker. He was brought up on a farm until he attained the age of 20, when he went to Pittsfield, Mass., and engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods, with an older brother. He formed a matrimonial alliance in Essex Co., N. Y., Sept. 19, 1844, with Miss Martha Cook. She was born in Essex Co., N. Y. Mr. Barker and his brother were burned out at Pittsfield, but rebuilt and continued the business ; but shortly after the fire the subject of this sketch sold out and returned to his old home in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Barker were the parents of two children : Maria was the wife of C. P. Curtis, of Moline, and died in October, 1883. Charles was for many years a forwarding freight agent at Omaha, but mysteriously disappeared from the Harper House, of Rock Island, in July, 1875; and, although earnest efforts have been made by his friends to find him, his fate is still a mystery. The closest scrutiny of the circumstances reveal no cause for his disappearance. Mrs. Barker died in New York, Dec. 26, 1849. Mr. Barker went to California during the gold ex- via New York and the Isthmus. citement of r85o (>) & Y -yz. ^mmm^^ — ^«^ -fJt!^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^^Mii 301 <& 1 — r n V> where he spent one year and a half, and returned to the States overland, via the city of Mexico and New Orleans. He came to Illinois and made his home in Peoria one year. He then returned to Pittsfield, Mass., and engaged ir buying wool, which business he pursued in Massachusetts, Vermont and New York. He was again married in Essex Co., N. Y.,Nov. 9, iS54, to Miss Sarah A. Allen, daughter of C. C. Allen. She was born at Whitehall, N. Y., and she and her husband were the parents of two children: Luther D., now an employe of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway; and the daughter, Sarah L., is a teacher in the city schools. Immediately after his last marriage (December, 1854) Mr. Barker removed to Peoria, II!., where he was engaged in the grain trade till May 20, 1855, when he came to Mo- line, and was appointed agent at this place for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, and of all lines interested over that route. He was also ap- pointed express agent for all express companies doing business here. He held his position as station and express agent for 20 years, or until 1875, "'hen he resigned it to engage in the pump business, which lie has carried on successfully to this date. Mr. Barker is not pushing the pump trade, as his time is partially occupied in the care of his tenement houses and business blocks, which he has leased. He owns the State right for the Bean patent force pump, and has agencies which he supplies in various counties. Mr. Barker was one of the city "fathers" in an early day, and in religious views is liberal. In political sentiment he is a staunch Democrat. ' I f-Si ;. harles Tittering ton is a ge ,; iJ^fh' and stock-raiser, section 5, f'ii'J/^ Township. Although Mr. T: is a native neral farmer 7„ Edgington pfe of England, he was brought to this country ,-^ by his father when quite young, and was \ reared and educated here. His father, Thomas Titterington, was a native of Yorkshire, England, and by occupation a weaver. He was there married to Mary Greenwood, who died when* Charles was but one year old, he being the youngest of a family of seven children. After the death of his mother, his father, with the children, six of whom were liv- ing, came to America and settled in Ross Co., Ohio, on a farm, where he remained for many years, and where Charles lived until he was 19 years of age. Our subject was born in Yorkshire, Eng., Jan. 2, i8r4, and, as above stated, was brought to this country by his father, and was reared and educated in Ohio. In 1835, he came to what is now Will Co., 111., where he engaged in farming on shares for two years. Soon after his removal to that county, his brother Moses joined him there and remained a few months. The two brothers came to Rock Island County and bought 240 acres of land in Edgington Township, the purchase being completed in March, 1835. The country at that time was undeveloped, and Mr. T. began early the following spring to break the sod. He afterwards secured considerable property in this county, amounting to 830 acres altogether, part of which was in Buffalo Prairie Township. He after- wards sold part of his estate and now owns 354 acres, most of which is improved and all under fence, except 54 acres of timber. In 1870 he built one of the most commodious and desirable houses in the township. He raises, buys and feeds, and sells large herds of stock; indeed, he is one of the large and prominent stock-dealers in the county. In the city of Rock Island, on Dec. 20, 1838, Mr. Titterington was united in marriage with Miss Sophie Eberhardt, daughter of Charles and Nancy (Kerwood) Eberhardt. Her parents were natives of Maryland and New Jersey respectively, and were of New England parentage, and the father of German descent. By occupation he was a glass-blower; both parents died in this township, the father at the home of his daughter, Mrs. T., in December, 1878, and the mother on the old homestead, in 1861. Mrs. Titterington was bom in Greene Co., Pa., June 28, 1820. She came West with her parents in 1835, af- ter having spent some years in New York, near Geneva. Her parents settled in Edgington Town- ship, becoming pioneers of this section of the State. She is the mother of eight children, who are widely separated, being in five different States. They are all married, and three, Charles, Maria and Frederick, live in Illinois; David and Thomas reside in Iowa; Milton lives in Douglas Co., Kan,; Emma resides in Gage Co., Neb.; Anna lives in Minnesota, being Ul / <(t) mm "7 :>>r .^/Y3K v> > ROCK ISLAXD COUXTY. the wife of J. E. Benjamin; Emma is the wife of Ernest O. Kretsinger, Judge of Gage Co., Neb., and an attorney- by profession. Mr. Ti::erington is a member of the Methodist E - ropal Church, and has served as Steward. Mrs. T. is an active member of the Pres .n Church. In politics, Mr. T. is an earnest Republican, has been Supervisor of his township, and has held sev- eral minor offices. -~s«- -*s~- enry C. Trent, a merchant at Per: F - orn Sep; :: $30, in Lewis Co.. Ky. His father, German X. Trent, was also a native of the samr State as was his mother, E : . (Doyal) Trent. His ancestral stock on both sides was from Virginia, and settled in Kentucky at an early day. When he was rz - old his mother died, and at 1 6 he was wholly orphaned by the death of his father. Soon after the latter event, he went to Mason County, in the State of his nativity, and obtained employment on a farm, in which variety of occupa- tion he was engaged until 1S50. He then came to Illinois, traveling on the Mississippi River to Cordova, re he landed April 5. He followed farming for two vears at that point, and in 1852 came to Port Byron, for the purpose of learning the trade of a wagon-maker. After an apprenticeship of two years he opened a shop for the manufacture of custom or- ders for wagons, and also conducted a repair shop. Dec. 9. i86r, he enlisted in Co. H, 5 1st Regt. 111. Inf., as a private. He went to the front with his command, in the capacity of Orderly Sergeant, June 15. 1863, was made Second Lieutenant and held that rank until the battle of Chickamauga. He was wounded in the latter battle, and after he fell he lay between the contending lines and the battle was fought over him, and, with other wounded sol- diers, he fell into the hands of the rebels. He, with others, were kept in hospitals, and in ten days were exchanged for an equal number of wounded Con- federates, and reached the camp Oct. 1st, and went into the hospital at Chattanooga, and then to Nash- ville, and then made application for leave of absence, which after considerable delay was granted. He returned home, and after the expiration of his leave of absence, it was renewed, and he then reported to parole, Camp Chase, Ohio, and was finally and honorably discharged June 15. 1S64. Retaining to Port Byron, he engaged in the g eery business, in which he has continued to the present. He is, at the present writing, associated with his son. Cassius C, and their stock includes groceries, hardware, etc. He was married Nov. 9, 1S54, to Flora A. Van Order. She was born in Essex Co., X. Y. They have eight children living: Ella, wife of W. W. Pearsall, resides in Coe Township : Cassius C. is the oldest son; Lincoln and Lucy are twins: Philip Sheridan, Flora. Mary and Henry G. are the names of the younger children, who are yet beneath the parental roof-tree. Mr. Trent and his wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. oses Titterington. retired farmer, resi- ding on section 7, Edgington Township, 1 was born in Yorkshire, England, Sept. 24. 1S10. His parents were Thomas and Mary (Greenwood) Titterington, natives of Eng- land. (For further mention of his parents see sketch of Charles Titterington.) Our subject was seven years of age when his father came to Amer- ica. They landed at Philadelphia, July 4, iSt;, then coming to Ross Co., Ohio, where Moses was reared, and enjoyed very limited advantages for an education. In 1835 they came to Illinois, and be- came pioneers in Will County, and again removed to Rock Island County, where they selected about 240 acres of wild land in one of the best portions of the county, being in the west line of Edgington Township. Upon this our subject has since lived, having during the meantime acquired more than 700 acres of good land. He has been very generous to his children, providing almost all of them with a start in life. Our subject was married March 25, 1841, to Miss Anna Dunlap, daughter of Joseph Dunlap. (See sketch.) She was born in Steuben ville, Jefferson Co., Ohio, Nov. 17, 1822, and it was in that State where she attended school. Her parents came to Illinois in 1835, where they were early pioneers, and V ^ c ft 4 &± 7®m T? ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 3°5 T u § here she was reared. She is the mother of nine children, two of whom are deceased. The following is their record : Mary resides at home ; Christina is the wife of James Venable (see sketch) ; Marshal P. is married and resides on the homestead ; George resides at home; Sophie is the wife of C. M. Gould (see sketch) ; Joseph is deceased ; John is living at home ; Margaret is deceased, and Moses resides at home. Mr. and Mrs. Titterington are members of the Presbyterian Church, and the former is a Repub- lican in his political views. He is one of the lead- ing, active and enterprising men of his township, and has the respect and esteem of the entire com- munij t. , qfea- \t SalLdwin B. Knox, city undertaker and dealer HP . . . i^SCI iL' 111 pictures and picture frames, established /jgf himself in business at Moline in 1874, Jnjv. at 413 Fifteenth Street. The subject of our sketch was born at Rock Island, Oct. 15, 1842, and is the son of Charles and Mary (Gorham) Knox. He received an academic education. His father was the pioneer undertaker of Rock Island, having established his business in 1841 and con- tinued until this day, covering a period of 44 years. Edwin B. received a thorough and early training in this line of business under the tutorship of his father, which laid the foundation of his success in later years, when he adopted the vocation as a busi- ness. From i860 to 1863 he enlisted in the late war, as a member of Co. G, 140th 111. Vol. Inf. (100- day service). He served the term of enlistment and returned to Rock Island, where he engaged in the manufacture of brooms, which business he continued until the spring of 1.864, when he re-enlisted, and was appointed Orderly Sergeant of Co. G, 47th 111. Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war. On his return from the army he resumed the broom business. A year and a half later he began house- painting, a calling which he pursued some years. He was also engaged in farming four years near Rock River, but sold his farm and moved to Moline in 1874, where he engaged in the undertaking busi- ness, since which time he has led all competitors in his line. His establishment is filled with all mod- ern appliances known to the art, using two fine hearses, one of which is of the finest style in use. His instruments and appliances for embalming are complete. In fact his establishment is most com- plete in all its appointments, and his business has developed to very satisfactory proportions. Mr. Knox formed a matrimonial alliance at Rock Island, Sept. 15, 1867, with Miss Lizzie Van Harren. She was born in East St. Louis, 111., March 15, 1852. The issue of their union is two children, a son and a daughter, namely, Amy and Luther C. Mr. Knox has served five years in the City Council as Alderman from the Third Ward, and was chosen Mayor in the spring of 1883, for the years 1883 and 1884. During the two years of his administration the affairs of the city were managed economically and judiciously. He is a Republican in political opinion. Mrs. Knox is a member of the Congrega- tional Church. Not only do the publishers of this work, but also will the public of Rock Island County generally, take great pleasure in having Mr. Knox's portrait in this Album. fUl^on. Albert S. Coe, deceased, in whose I honor the township of Coe is named, was a pioneer of Rock Island County, of 1840. He was born Oct. 1,1817, m Monroe Co., N. Y., and was the third son of Simeon Maltby ' I and Mary (Miles) Coe. His parents were both natives of the State of Kentucky, and were also pioneers of Monroe Co., N. Y., where they lived until 1838, when they removed to the county of Whiteside, in Illinois, and settled near Sterling. There the par- ents both died. Mr. Coe lived at home with his parents until the time of his first marriage, and about the date of that event he bought a farm near Sterling, of which he was the owner and occupant until his removal to the county of Rock Island at the time already referred to. He sold his property in Whiteside County and bought a tract of wild land in township 21 north, range 2 east : the same now bears his name. The improvements consisted of a few acres broken. He at once entered into the preparations necessary to the business of a nurseryman and commenced plant- ing trees, establishing the " Bluffs Nursery." He $«^«f— ,/SV^ <£«» T- y^\m (C^ 306 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. set out an area of 100 acres in trees and shrubs and other plants necessary to an extensive business of that character, in which he continued to operate until the time of his death, which took place Oct. 17, 1869. Meanwhile he had erected all the buildings common to a well equipped homestead, which he had fitted with the comforts of an Eastern home. He was one of the leading horticulturists of the county, particularly in the northern part. He was first married to Arethusa Barnett, the date of whose death is not known. Mr. Coe was a sec- ond time united in marriage, with Lucy C. Hollister, Feb. 26, 1856. She is the daughter of Edmund and Emma L. (Hall) Hollister, of whom an extended sketch is given elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Coe had six children, of whom three are now (18S5) living. The survivors are named Edmund H., Emma L. and Simeon F. By the first marriage there are two children : George is a resident of Da- kota and Florence lives at Sterling. Mrs. Coe is a member of the Congregational Church, to which Mr. Coe also belonged. He was an active and energetic man, and always prominent in the promotion of the public interests. He held various offices of trust and officiated as Supervisor several terms. In 1867 he was elected to represent his District in the Legisla- ture of Illinois on the Republican ticket. He is a Republican in his politics, and an active man in pub- lic affairs. In politics he was a representative man and was recognized by his party, particularly in local politics, which is shown by the number of local offices he has held. -=~5- -e~- &s He has edited the most prominent religious papers published in the Swedish Lutheran Church for the past 30 years. At present he edits the weekly " Angus tana och Missionaren." avid Ziegler, a retired merchant, residing * Port Byron, was born in West Penns- |; ev. T. N. Hasselquist, D. D., of Moline, President of the Augustana College and Theological Seminary, and Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology in the same institution, was born in Sweden, March 2, 1816, and is a graduate of the University of Lund. The subject of our sketch was a Pastor in Sweden from 1839 to 1852, when he emigrated to America. In the new country he was also Pastor, in Galesburg, 111., from 1852 until 1863, when he became President of the Augustana College and Theological Seminary at Paxton.Ill., until 1875, and, after its removal to Rock Island, President to date. __ Mfor vi 'Cif^pk, at -'jlGijV- borough Township, Cumberland Co, Pa., vy»i Nov. 7, 18 1 4, and is the second son in order X of birth, of Frederick and Elizabeth (Bear) Zieg- S ler, both natives of Pennsylvania and of Ger- man descent. The grandfather of Mr. Ziegler on the father's side was born in York Co., Pa., and his grandfather on his mother's side, Mr. Bear, was born in Berks Co., Pa. Mr. Ziegler, whose sketch we write, grew to manhood in his native town. His father was a farmer by occupation, owning a farm in that county, and David alternated his labors on the farm by at- tendance at the common schools until he attained the age of 15 years, when he engaged to learn the tailor's trade. He served three years with one man in West Pennsborough Township, when he went to Carlisle, and served a year and a half with another gentleman at his trade. He then visited Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, where he remained working at his trade for two years, when he returned to Carl- isle, and again worked at his trade there for some time. He then opened a shop in.Centerville, Cum- berland County, where he carried on his business one year and then went to Franklin County, that State, where he carried on the same business in Fayetteville, that county, one year. He next re- turned to Cumberland County, and was engaged at his trade in his native town for three years ; then, in 1851, he went to Blairsville, Indiana Co., Pa., and followed the same business there until 1855. During the year last named, Mr. Ziegler came to this county and located at Port Byron, where he opened a tailor shop, and continued in that business until 1869. During the time he was in business at the latter place, in i86r, he added a small stock of merchandise, and in 1 865 he added ready-made clothing to his business, and took in a partner. In 1S69, in company with his son, Thomas J., Mr. Ziegler erected a building and put in a good stock of Mi> L r^ ^^^ ft T — ' (!) •S5> tv: N ,'\\ 4 T ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 3°7 dry goods and clothing. They continued at the trade until 1879, when Mr. Ziegler sold his interest to his son, and retired from the active business la- bors of life. In August, 1839, Mr. Ziegler was united in mar- riege with Sarah A. Swisher, the accomplished daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Bender) Swisher. She was born in York Co., Pa., Feb. 8, 18(5. Their living children are four in number, namely : Eliza- beth, who is the wife of R. W. Justin, and resides in Chicago; Thomas J. is a merchant residing in Janes- ville, Wis. ; William W. is a resident of Port Byron, and is a traveling salesman by occupation; Mary I. is the wife of Howard Meyer. Mr. Ziegler was appointed Postmaster at Port By- ron in 1858 and again in 1866. He has served as a member of the Village School Board, and is at pres- ent one of the Trustees. In his political views he is a Democrat. -*»>•- illiam Edwards, deceased, was a pioneer of Rock Island County of 1835 ; was born jM&.%°' m Guilford, Windham Co., Vt., July 18, \S!> 1795. His father, Benajah. was a native of New England and of Welsh descent. The subject of our sketch was a farmer by occupa- tion. He was united in marriage to Miss Huldah Bangs, Jan. 28, 1823. His wife was born in Mon- tague, Mass., Dec. 1, 1798. Their family consisted of five sons: William H. was born Oct. 17, 1823, and married Caroline Fleming, residing at Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Herbert R., born Dec. 3, 1826, mar- ried Harriet M. Gordon, and he died Nov. 21, 1874; his widow resides at Geneseo, 111.; George H. was born June 13, 1829, married Maria Waterman and resides at Moline (see his sketch on another page) ; Charles T., born Aug. 23, 1834, married Eunice V. Spencer and resides at Moline; Sanford N., born May 14, 1841, died Aug. 5, 1842. Mr. Edwards first came to 'Illinois in 1830, ex- amined the country and returned East. He was so favorably impressed by the great natural advantages of this region that he put his affairs in shape and emigrated to Green County, this State, in the fall of 1834. He wintered in that county and in the spring of 1835 came to what is now Moline, and built a — ^§^ — ^OM cabin at a point situated at the present junction of Twenty-second Street and Fourth Avenue. The house stood about where the railroad tracks cross Twenty-second Street. He entered a tract of Gov- ernment land on section 33, at this point, and en- gaged in farming. At the time of Mr. Edwards' settlement at Moline, there were not more than a half dozen families located within the present city boundaries. Mr. Edwards continued to make this place his home until the time of his death, which occurred July 3, 1848. He was an honorable, up- right man, of liberal views and good principles. His political preferences led him to join the Whig party, while in his religious views he was a Univer- salist. Mrs. Edwards was a Congregationalist ; she survived her husband many years, and died Feb. 21, 1885. Mr. Edwards' parents, Benajah and Mary Ed- wards, worthy people of New England birth, came to Rock Island Co., 111., in 1838. They located in the town of Hampton, but neither long survived the re- moval to the West ; they both died at Moline, — the mother in 1839, and the father in 1840. ■e>-°- 1 rV^C erry M. Cheney, who is a farmer on sec- tion 22, Rural Township, is a son of John E*^ and Hannah (Valentine) Cheney. His 5 father was a native of Maryland, and his J- mother of New Jersey, and supposed to be of Irish and French ancestry. His father served in the War of 181 2, in a Kentucky regiment. They married and settled in Champaign Co., Ohio, and removed thence to Logan Co., same State, where he died Feb. 29, 1836. The widow afterward came with her family of six children to this county. She died in Rural Township, Feb. 24, 1876. All her children numbered n, and were named Mary A., William C, Edward J., Joanna, Nelson W., Lafay- ette, Perry M., Francis M., Jane, Sarah A. and John M. Mr. Cheney, the subject of this notice, was born in Clarke Co., Ohio, Aug. 25, 1826. He received his education in the public school, and has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He came to Rock Island County in October, 1848, with his I mother and her other children, settling in Rural c>) s* 9 ^M^/ s 3 o8 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Township, where he has since resided. He is now the owner of 281 acres of land in that township, and most of his ground is in a good state of cultivation, furnished with good buildings, etc. Mr. Cheney has held the offices of Township As- sessor four years, Highway Commissioner three years, and School Director. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party. Mr. Cheney was united in marriage, in Rural Township, Jan. 12, 1871, with Miss Elizabeth C, daughter of Peter and Catherine E. Simmon. She was born in Pennsylvania, April 24, 1834. Mr. and Mrs. C. have become the parents of one child, De- witt C, who was born May 12, 1872. . ; ^VV% , . illiam Wait, deceased, formerly a resident on section 35, Edgington Township, was born in Washington County, Ohio, May 4, 1 82 1. He was the son of a farmer, Henry Wait, who was a native of the Green Moun- tain State, and came to Ohio, where he was married to Sophia Wells, a native of New England and who is yet living, having attained the venerable age of 84 years. She is residing with her daughter, Mrs. Kendall. Mr. Wait was only four years of age when he came to Switzerland Co., Ind., from Ohio, and he re- mained upon the parental homestead assisting in the maintenance of the family by labor on the farm, and in attendance at the common schools, until he attained the age of 20 years. At this age in his life's history, he engaged in running flat-boats down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for his own individual profit, and continued in that vocation for 12 years, meeting with financial success. He formed a matri- monial alliance March 23, 1854, in Switzerland Co., Ind., with Miss Lucinda, the accomplished daugh- ter of Truman and Lavina (Bradford) Gray ; the mother was a direct relative of Gov. Bradford, of Connecticut. The father and mother of Mrs. Wait were both natives of the Green Mountain State, and descendants of a long line of connection, identified with the early settlement of the New England States. They were married in Lawrence Co., N. Y., and came immediately after to Switzerland Co., Ind., when that territoiy was only partially settled, and located on a farm ; and were connected with the early history of the county. Their family comprised seven children, — Joel, Robert, Freeman (deceased), Lucinda (Mrs. Wait), Theda and Parker, and Mr. Gray had one child by his second marriage, Adela. Mrs. Wait was born near Patriot, Switzerland Co., Ind., Dec. 20, 1828. She lived with her parents, as- sisting in the household duties and attending the common schools, in which she received a good edu- cation, and at the age of 19 years engaged in the profession of teaching, which she followed for six years, and until her marriage to Mr. Wait. Her parents, who were prominent farmers, lived in Switz- erland Co., Ind., until their deaths, that of the father occurring Feb. n, 1880, aged 84 years, and that of the mother in 1839, aged 41 years. Mrs. Wait is the mother of five daughters by Mr. Wait, viz.: Helen, born Jan. 5, 1855, who married Geo. T. Galloway, and they reside in Wa Keeney, Trego Co., Kan., where Mr. Galloway is engaged in farming and cattle-raising: they are the parents of two children, Milton B. and Lewis H.; Nettie, born June 1, 1858, married Wm. G. Haefele, and they re- side in Reynolds, this county, where Mr. H. is en- gaged in the butcher business, and they have two children, Charles W. and Wilfred A. ; Grace, born Oct. 1, i860, married Wm. Davis, whose sketch may be found in this work; Lou M., born May 29, 1865 ; and Cora B., born Aug. 10, 186S, both reside with their mother. Immediately after marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wait came to this Stale and located on 160 acres of land, which Mr. Wait had purchased one year prior, and on which they had made some improvement. They have made the same their home until the present time, the husband having died, and Mrs. W. still survives and conducts the homestead. Prior to his death, Mr. Wait also purchased 80 acres of addi- tional land, which consisted of timber, and also 160 acres well improved in Mercer County. He was one of the most prominent farmers in his township, and erected a beautiful residence on his farm, and by energetic effort had placed his land under an ad- vanced state of cultivation. He was accidentally killed by falling from a timber in his barn, striking on the floor and dislocating his spinal column, from which accident he died in 36 hours, the date of his death being June 14, 1882. He was Supervisor of his township several years, and also held the posi- ft x=i \ ■ s — ^^mrnw^^- k ■v -4*t^>f|| A > MTV i — r U 1 ^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 3" tion of Road Commissioner and other minor offices. Religiously, he was an active member of the Presby- terian Church. As a farmer and stock-grower he ranked among the first in the county and township. Mrs. Wait is also a member of the Presbyterian Church in full standing, and three of her daughters, Nettie, Lou and Cora, are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Reynolds. Politically, Mr. Wait was identified with the Dem- ocratic party. He was a gentleman respected by those who knew him, and whose word was consid- ered as good as his bond. His accumulation of this world's goods was attributable to his indomitable energy, perseverance and pluck, coupled with his good judgment and the active co-operation of his good helpmeet. illlam Runge, proprietor of Runge's Sum- mer Garden, Moline, and dealer in gen- eral merchandise, established business, herein 1869, at No. 1,601, 15th Street. The subject of this sketch is a native of Ger- many, and the son of Claus and Margaret (Zor- nig) Runge, and was born May 15, 1844. He served a regular apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade in his native country, and followed that vocation until 1865, when he emigrated to America. He landed in New York on the 8th day of May of that year, but came directly to Moline and about a year thereafter engaged as blacksmith in the plow works of Deere & Co. He worked for that company about three years, and in 1869 engaged in mercantile business. Having a taste for landscape gardening, he began at an early day to ornament his grounds with fine trees and shrubbery, flowers and summer houses. In 1878 he opened his place as a summer garden, fitted with many devices for innocent amusement and conveniences for pleasure. His place is cool and well shaded, very tastefully arranged, and, taken on the whole, is a very welcome resort for the tired, warm and thirsty populace. To sit in the cool shade in an atmosphere laden with the perfume of a thou- sand flowers, listening to the singing birds or the rippling laughter of some bright-eyed and rosy- cheeked maiden, while one quaffs the cool lager or sparkling wine, and watches the smoke curl from a fragrant Havana, is, or ought to be, pretty nearly perfect bliss to a broad-gauge man of good physique and of sound mind. Such a condition of things is possible at Runge's, and the writer takes pleasure in saying a good word for the man who contributes to the innocent enjoyment of the people in this world of hard work and many cares. Mr. Runge was united in marriage at Moline, May 7, 1866, to Miss Josephine C. D. Petersen, daugh- ter of Henry and Anna (Dierks) Petersen. Mrs. Runge was born in Holstein, Germany, April 25, 1845, and came to America in 1866. They are the parents of nine children, six girls and three boys all born in Moline. Sophia, born March 15, 1867; Anna, born Sept. 13, 1868, wife of John Wither- spoon, of Moline; Mary, born Aug. 20, 1870; Her- mann, born Feb. 13, 1872; Mina, born June 17,1874; William, Oct. 3, 1877; Louisa, July 3, 1879; Gusta> June 6, 1 88 1 ; Henry, May 27, 1883. Mr. Runge is liberal in his religious views and independent in political opinion. He has served as Alderman from the Fifth Ward .two years; is a member of the So- ciety of Druids, and of the Concordia Germania Turnverein. * illiam Nelson Johnson, a farmer of Coe Township, resident on section 24, was born March 29, 1807, in Baltimore Co., Md. He is the third son of William and Annie (Hope) Johnson, and by descent is of Irish origin, his paternal grandfather having been born in that country, and came to the United States when he was a young man, settling in Balti- more Co, Md. On the maternal side he is of Scotch extraction. When he was n years of age his parents moved to the then far West, settling in Ohio. They arrived in Guernsey County Oct. 10, 18 18, where they took possession of a farm which the father purchased, and and on which the subject of this sketch was reared to manhood. June 30, 1830, he was married to Rebecca Doug- lass, who was born Jan. 15, 1804, in Montgomery Co., Md., and removed with her parents to Guernsey County in 1826. The young couple located in the same county where they were married and the hus- &A ¥ ^nason^ > 312 >> ^> .ffCCX ISLAND COUNTY. ST XlTVf V s rSN ^> band engaged in agricultural pursuits. He after- wards removed to Belmont with his family. In 185 1 they started for Illinois and drove from Guernsey County with a pair of horses and a wagon. The party was compelled to stop in Franklin County on account of the illness of several members of the family, as the additional expenses soon exhausted their little fortune. They remained there one year, and meanwhile Mr. Johnson was variously engaged as he could obtain employment. At the expiration of the time named the family once more set out for their original destination, in the same manner in which they had first started, with a team. They came directly to Illinois and to the county of Rock Island. They sought a home in the township of Coe. The head of the family had but $7.10 in his pocket, but found employment without delay in the construction of the saw-mill on Canoe Creek, and after it was finished he was for some time an assist- ant in it. In 1853 he entered the northeast quarter of section 24 in the township where he has since pursued his agricultural interests. He built a small log house on the southern part of the place, which was for a time his home. He then erected the house in which the family has since lived and which is situated on the northeast part of the section. The entire tract is now enclosed, and the land is all in a good state of cultivation, with the exception of the pastures. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had n children, and five of them only are now living: Annie H. is the wife of James Hewitt; John A. lives with his par- ents; Samuel is a farmer in Smith Co., Kan.; Re- becca is the widow of Grier Stanley; and Ellen is the wife of James Benjamin, and lives in Meade, Neb. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson both joined the Methodist Church in their younger days. The wife and mother died Dec. 25, 1880. John A. is the only son who is a resident of the county of Rock Island. He was born in Belmont Co., Ohio, March 31, 1836, and he was 16 years old when his parents came to Illinois. He was married July 1, 1866, to Hannah E. Osier. She was also born in Belmont Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of Henry and Jane (Bates) Osier. Her father was a native of Maryland and her mother was born in Vir- ginia. Emma J., Ora N., Robert H. and Kittie A. are the names of the children of the household. Both father and son are Democrats. - ■-■-■:■ illiam F. Cram, drruggist, Keator House Block, established business in Moline in May, 1880, and carries an average stock of $5,000 value. Mr. Cram is a native of Boston, Mass., is the son of George C. and Agnes (Jackson) Cram, and was born Jan. 25, 1856. He came to Chicago in 1867, was educated in the city schools and took a regular course at the College of Pharmacy of Chicago, and graduated in 1874. He then entered the drug-store of J. F. Brabook, of Chicago, where he was employed as prescription clerk three years. He also spent one and a half years with Dr. Quirk (druggist), of the same city, but left for Oregon, 111., where he ran a drug-store for three years. He came to Moline and clerked for Mr. W. G. Morris, druggist, until May, 1880, when he estab- lished his present business. Mr. Cram is a thor- oughly educated and experienced pharmacist ; has a large and well stocked establishment, and is prompt and careful in the preparation of medicines. Mr. Cram formed a matrimonial alliance in Ore- gon, Ogle Co., 111., June 13, 1S77, with Miss Annie E. Strop, daughter of L. M. and M. E. Strop. Mrs. Cram was born in Oregon, Ogle Co., 111. The issue of their union is three children, — Bert H, born June 13, r879; Agnes A., born Sept. 10, 1881 ; and Ethel, born Feb. 9, 1S84. Mr. Cram is a member of the Masonic fraternity. In political sentiment he is a Republican. -fc =*- r ohn Buffum, grain dealer, farmer and stock- g,- grower, residing on section 26, Andalusia ^ Township, was born in Ashtabula Co., Ohio, Feb. 5, 1825. His father, Jonathan Buffum, was a native of Vermont, and of English ancestry, and by occupation a farmer. The family was started in this country by two broth- ers, who were Quakers, and who, owing to the per- secution of the Friends in England, came with a number of others to free America, and located in Connecticut. The family all remained members of the Quakers' organization in New England until the generation ot the grandfather of our subject. His \£> $ X i name was Stephen Buffum, who moved outside of the pales of the Church and was also married out- side of the Church, and really was not identified with any Church in particular. He came to Illinois, and died in Fulton County. The father of our subject came when a boy to Ashtabula Co., Ohio. At that time there were but few settlements even in Ohio, and the date of his coming to that State was as early as 18T4. He was married in Ashtabula County to Sarah Rockwell, who was a daughter of a farmer. After his marriage, in 1826, he came to Canton, Fulton Co., 111. This was a very early day in the history of the State, and prior to any settlement being made in Northern Illi- nois. He was among the first to start a settlement in that part of the State. In i83r he settled seven miles northwest of Monmouth, in Warren County; there he built a grist and saw-mill, which was the first in that section of the State. In 1832, in com- pany with his uncle, L. P. Rockwell, he furnished the lumber with which the barricade for the protec- tion of the people against the Indians during the Blackhawk War was constructed. The Governor sent a squad of soldiers to this stockade, and Mr. Buffum was made Corporal of the company. In 1836, he came to Rock Island city, and became pro- prietor of the " American Hotel," the first hotel in the town. In 1841 he made a settlement in Anda- lusia Township, where his son, the subject of this sketch, now resides. This was among the first farms that were broken in the township. Here the elder Buffum lived until his death, which occurred in 1848, at the age of 53 years and nine months. His wife, who had shared so many hardships of pioneer life with him, died in 1873, at the age of 73 years. John Buffum was the fourth son and fifth child of a family of ten children, nine of whom are yet liv- ing, the youngest being over 45 years of age, while the eldest is nearly 70. In his early life, John shared the privations of his father's family, during their sojourn and travels in a new country. After their arrival in Edgington Township, he spent his time on his father's farm until Dec. 12, 1850, when he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah M. Ray- mer, who was born in New York State in 1830, and came West with her parents in 1843. They Jwere respected farmers of Edgington Township, where they died some years ago. Mrs. Buffum is] the ^^ — %pgm mother of seven sons, one of whom is deceased, El- mer. Those living are : Rinah W., who is married and lives in the far West; John M. resides in Ne- braska; Ira H. married Miss Anna Hayes and re- sides in the village of Andalusia; Samson R. lives with his parents, as do also Frank and Grant. After marriage, Mr. Buffum settled on the home- stead where he now resides. At present he is the owner of 320 acres of land, nearly all improved. In 1858, he began to deal in grain and produce, which he has since continued to follow, and is now doing quite an extensive business. In 1884 he sold over 30,000 bushels of potatoes, besides 25,000 bush- els of grain. He is an active, enterprising citizen, and has represented his township in the Board of Supervisors for nine years, and for three years was Chairman of the Board. He has been School Treas- urer for 29 years, and has also held other offices. In politics he was formerly a stanch Republican, but since the organization of the Greenback party he has been an active worker in it, and was a Delegate to the National Convention of that party held in Indianapolis in June, 1884, and has also served as Delegate to the State Convention. VT -«<4#'§ a **- *- (jWjerton Yale Cady, architect and proprietor |Qt of the " Alderney Hill Farm," is a native of Herkimer Co., N. Y. He was born . ^\ May 20, 1840, and is the son of Ira and Clotilda (Yale) Cady. His maternal grand- father, Linus Yale, was the original inventor of the celebrated so-called " Yale Lock." Merton received an early training in the laws of mechanics under the tutorship of his gifted grand- father, which has been of great practical use to him in the course of his life, devoted as it has been largely to mechanical pursuits. He removed with his parents in 1857 to the city of New York, where he was employed in the manufacture of the Yale lock and burglar-proof mechanism. Having a na- tural turn for such pursuits, he devoted himself with ardor to the business, at which he ultimately became an expert. He spent three years in New York city under the best masters in the study of architecture. He was subsequently employed with his father in erecting iron fronts for city buildings. Among those tp I < 3i4 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. SS t built under their supervision was that of the New York Equitable Life Insurance Company. He was also employed as superintendent of the manufacture of burglar -proof apparatus. In the spring of 1872 he came to Chicago with the expectation of introducing burglar-proof locks and other mechanisms in that line, and continued a resident of that city till 1878, when he removed to Moline and became proprietor of the well known " Alderney Hill Farm," formerly Mr. John Deere 's blooded-stock farm. He remodeled the residence and farm buildings, making various improvements, till he now has one of the most tasteful and beauti- ful homes in the Mississippi Valley. The farm is situated one mile east of the city of Moline and con- sists of 250 acres of valley and upland; fronting on the river is a beautiful natural grove, the favorite resort of picnic and pleasure parties. Between the grove and house stretches a broad belt of fertile val- ley dotted with trees, while the residence rests on a small plateau commanding a fine view of the river, with wooded bluffs and green sloping hills in the background. A copious spring of pure water supplies house and barns through a well arranged system of mains. One of the most interesting features of this attractive place is the fine herd of thoroughbred Jer- sey cows. Their very color is suggestive of rich milk, yellow cream and golden-hued butter. Mr. Cady has devoted considerable care to per- fecting his stock, and now has a fine herd of 20 pure bloods of this the most popular breed of butter- making cows. Many citizens of Moline and sur- rounding country are glad to avail themselves of the opportunity afforded them by the advantages of " Alderney Hill Farm " to secure choice Jersey stock. In addition to the care of his stock farm, Mr. Cady has been busily employed in his profession as architect. He designed and superintended the con- struction of the lodge at Riverside Cemetery, the John Deere building at the corner of 17 th Street and Third Avenue, and the tasteful tenement now ad- jacent on 17th Street. He also planned and super- intended the construction of the water works, and is now engaged in charge of the erection of the new postoffice block for Charles H. Deere at the corner of 1 6th Street and Third Avenue, which will be com- pleted in the near future. He is also preparing plans for a chapel for the Congregational Church, and for S. S. Davis & Co.'s new building, to be built near the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot. Mr. Cady was married at Moline, Jan. 2, 1865, to Miss Alice, youngest daughter of John and Dimis (Lamb) Deere. Mrs. Cady was born at Grand de Tour, III, July 31, 1844. Her father is the well known plow-manufacturer, and Moline's most prom- inent and respected citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Cady have two children, a son and a daughter, namely : John Deere, who was born Jan. 26, 1866; and Alice Mabel, born June 19, 1872. Mr. and Mrs. Cady are members of the Congrega- tional Church. In politics, Mr. Cady is a Repub- lican. ■ , Jf ;- aeob A. Carpenter, general farmer and • USfifiT stock-raiser, residing on section 30, Edg- ' j ington Township, is a native of Pennsyl- Hk vania, having been born in Lycoming County, |t that State, March 17, 1842. His father, Caleb \ Carpenter, was a native of Dutchess Co., N. Y., and was a farmer. He was a descendant of one of the old families that had settled in New England in the 17th century. He came to Pennsyl- vania and settled in Lycoming County, where he was united in marriage with Hester M. Bastian, a native of that county. Mr. Carpenter, subject of this notice, was the eld- est but one in order of birth of a family of nine chil- dren. He was but ten years old when his father's family came West and settled in Edgington Town- ship, and at that time the settlement there was new and undeveloped. The mother of Jacob Carpenter is yet living on the old homestead, with her younger son, Henry, and has attained the venerable age of 74 years. The father died on the homestead Oct. 24, 1866. Jacob A. Carpenter was educated in the public school of the county, residing under the par- ental roof-tree until 1862. Aug. n, of that year, he enlisted in Co. B, 126th III. Vol. Inf., Capt. Henry D. Cline (at present a resident of Rock Island). He participated in but few active engagements, the most important being that of the capture of Little Rock, Ark. ; and he was honorably discharged at Spring- field, this State, Aug. 1, 1865. He at once returned to this county, and Feb. 22, 1870, was united in marriage, at Keithsburg, Mercer m I ^ & Si/ i ft/ m // Lieu-Col. of Ord. U. S.A >SmS ) § 1 Co., 111., to Miss Letitia, daughter of James and Ellen (Ewing) Venable, natives of Tyrone Co., Ire- land, Mrs. Carpenter was born in the last named county, Dec. 2, 185 1. Her father died before her birth, and she was raised by her mother and came to America with her, when she was about six years of age, locating soon afterwards in Mercer County. In the spring of 1866 they moved to Edgington, and Mrs. Carpenter's mother died at that place, in June, 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are the parents of four children, one of whom died in infancy. The surviv- ing are: Paul L., born Oct. 28, 1870; Eugenia, born April 14, 1876; and Nellie C, Oct. 13, 1880. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter lived in Edgington village about eight years. In 1878 Mr. Carpenter purchased 80 acres of land located on section 30, Edgington Township, on which he at once located and entered vigorously and energeti- cally upon the task of its improvement. By economy and energetic effort, combined with the active assist- ance of his good helpmeet, he has subsequently added to his original purchase until he is at present the proprietor of 200 acres of land, the major portion of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. Politically, Mr. Carpenter is a believer in and sup- porter of the principles of the Republican party, and and is at present Road Commissioner and School Director. Religiously, Mrs. Carpenter is a member of the Presbyterian Church. -■'-> aniel W. Flagler, the Commandant at Rock Island Arsenal, whose portrait ap- j'jlr^^ 3 pears on the opposite page, was born in M'<* Niagara Co., N. Y., June 20, 1835, a son of Sylvester and Abby (Remington) Flagler. On the Fagler side of the house he descended from Holland Dutch, who emigrated to Dutchess Co., N. Y., about the year 1700. On the maternal side he is English. He married the daughter of Brig. -Gen. C. A. Finley, Surgeon-General U. S. A., in Phila- delphia, Pa., and has two children, viz. : Elizabeth Moore, who was born in r866, at Augusta, Ga., and Clement A., born at the same place, in 1867. The latter is now a cadet at West Point. Col. Flagler's military record is creditable, and he, — :s ^ — e?K^» )«§^K seeing what Gen. Rodman saw, has been a strong advocate for the location of a military establishment, or rather a place, where, in time of emergency, the Government, without appealing to foreign powers, could equip an army in a short time. While advo- cating this Col. Flagler says he is opposed to war, but that our institutions ought to be maintained ; and that in the nature of things we cannot have a large standing army in this country; and furthermore says he is glad of it, but that this Government may at some time become involved among its various sec- tions, or with some other peoples, and the result might prove disastrous to civil liberty. The Ameri- cans, as a rule, are a level-headed people, and seek no wars; they never have been a people for con- quest ; their progenitors came here at a time when they had nothing to hope for but liberty. The lib- erty they sought, and have maintained. Shortly 25 years ago the country became involved in a con- troversy that cost thousands of lives, and — but the money consideration is not a thought. Col. Flagler says that he has no desire for a large standing army ; that he is in true and hearty sympathy with the ideas of the men who make the nations of the earth, and who have borne the burdens. " But, " says he (and to see him when he said it would impress every one that he had nothing but the good of his country at heart), " the building of an arsenal at an accessible point in the Mississippi Valley, while costing but a tithe of the amount required for supporting a stand- ing army, would at any time be of more service, for the reason that the arsenal would be constantly em- ployed in the improvement of articles of warfare; " and,'' said he, " the American people can always fight." There is reason in this; and it shows that American soldiers possess what none other on earth do. This man Flagler has with a steady determi- nation carried out his views. He is familiar with all the detail work connected with the arsenal at Rock Island, and, like most soldiers, is a gentleman. These comments are gathered from people who have lived in the vicinity of Col. Flagler's work for many years. He is a man of powerful physique ; and more than that, the development of his head shows that he is a man of great strength of mind, and a genial gentle- man. The country ought to understand how he has labored for its best interests, and realize how great such men are. They are not the men that sought W&*B — =Vy= ■^v^misnn^ j» (0 & r^ /S ^CCA' ISLAND COUNTY. the conquest of everybody and every nation. It has remained for America to develop a class of soldiers that will stand far ahead of the Spartans ; and the old guard, after doing their duty, returned to their homes. Conquest, malice never entered into their ideas ; they fought from principle. His record as a military man is second to^none, only the great cap- tains of the country. A graduate of West Point, he was an ardent and faithful advocate of the war dur- ing the late civil strife. He served through the war with distinction in many positions, — among others, as Chief of Ordnance of the Army of the Potomac, on the staff of Gens. McDowell, McClellan, Burn- side, Hooker and Meade ; was also with Burnside's expedition to North Carolina, and obtained three brevets during the war. He served in command at Augusta, Ga., until May, 187 t, when he assumed command of the Rock Island Arsenal. Subsequently, he assisted in the trial of experimental powders and heavy gun-carriages, at Fortress Monroe, in 1873. His record appears in a published register of West Point men. ~§N^€5H^# — LC ilpin Moore, Moline. Prominent among those who have became noted, — by inven- ^g— K tion, — is the gentleman whose name stands * at the head of this sketch. He was born in Chester Co., Pa., Oct. 27, 1831, his father's name being Hibbard and his mother's Jane (Gawthrop) Moorg. His father was of English and his mother of Scotch descent. Gilpin Moore remained in Pennsylvania at school until he was 14 years of age, and then came to Rock Island, 111., to which town his father had come seven years before. His father was a blacksmith, and after his arrival in Rock Island he alternately attended school and worked in his father's shop, until he was 18 years of age. At that age, it had become evident that Mr. Moore naturally possessed more than or- dinary mechanical and inventive ability and taste - and, believing it would be desirable to learn thor- oughly the machinist's business, he apprenticed himself for three years, in a machine shop in Rock Island, where he faithfully served his time, and after that took entire charge of the shops, as superintend- ent, until 1864, becoming noted in Rock Island and vicinity as a workman and inventor of rare ability. VH 5*-£-*~ During the year above mentioned his services were * engaged by Deere & Co., Moline, 111., manufacturers , of agricultural implements; and when the now im- t!}- mense concern was organized as a stock company, in 1868, he became a partner therein and took the posi- tion of superintendent of the iron department, which he still holds, wherein his inventive genius has large- ly developed, and he has taken out numerous es- sential and important patents for improvements in agricultural implements, not the least of which has resulted in the production of the splendid " Gilpin," a sulky plow which has carried the name not only all over America, but also into foreign countries. His work in his father's shop, his chances at the practical working of machinery, his schooling in mechanism, drafting and designing, tended to develop extraordinary inventive faculty and genius, not only in plows and cultivators, but also in engines, of all descriptions; in fact, in him, invention rises almost to inspiration, and he has been and is of marked and practical value to the colossal concern of which he is an active and energetic member. Mr. Gilpin Moore was married March 3, 1853, to Miss Ludica Crisswell, and they have four children, namely: Truesdale L., born July n, 1856; Charles E., born Feb. 13, 1865; Adah, born July 17, 1S68, and Anna, born July 22, 1874. Though so closely identified with one of the tower- ( ing industries of Moline, Mr. Moore has always been a resident of Rock Island, since coming here in 1845. Politically he has been a Republican ever since the organization of that great party. < ]:;- onathan H. Parks, who resides on section 26, Edgington Township, and is engaged in general farming, together with raising stock, is one of the prominent and large land- owners of the township in which he resides, July 18, 1843. His father, H. H. Parks (see sketch), was a prominent pioneer of the township. Our subject was reared on the home farm and edu- cated in the district schools of Edgington. He re- mained under the parental roof until 25 years of age, when he was married, at Davenport, Iowa, June 20, 187S, to Miss Mary A., daughter of J. M. Davis, of this county. His wife was born and edu- x§- ^^ SA^IIIISIIfifr^ ^^ m ft^r ■cr V^ & fcN ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. £%§ 3 r 9 N cated in Edgington Township, and on May 28, 1880, she died. Mr. Parks subsequently, Sept. 29, 1881, was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca C. Davis, a sister of his former wife. She was born in Anda- lusia, March 23, 1864, and was reared and educated in this county. Her parents, J. M. and Jane (Pep- pers) Davis, are well known and early settlers of the county. The former was born in Ohio and the lat- ter in Indiana, but both came West previous to their marriage. The former is deceased and the mother resides in Andalusia. During the late Rebellion he enlisted in Co. F, 144th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., mustered in at Alton, 111., with the rank of Corporal, Sept. 24, 1864. He served until peace was declared and received an honorable discharge at the end of the war. Mr. Parks made his first purchase of land in com- pany with his brother William, and they now own in partnership 640 acres, most of which is well im- proved. Both himself and brother are active and enterprising farmers, largely engaged in stock-raising, and quite a benefit to the community in which they live. Our subject, politically, is a reliable Republi- can. { sear Peal, proprietor of " Peal's Hotel," cor- ner Third Avenue and 13th Street, and junior partner of the firm of Wixon & Peal, proprietors of a livery, feed and sale stable. The subject of this sketch was born in Sweden Feb. ro, 1849, and in the year 1852 emigrated to America with his parents, locating at Fulton, 111., until i860. They then came to Moline and spent one year in this city, when they removed to Geneseo, where he resided until 1868, then returned to Moline, which he has made his home continuously since. Mr. Peal engaged in the hotel business in 1881, and in the livery business with Mr. John Wixon in 1883. He was elected Alderman from the Second Ward in the fall of r88r, to fill a vacancy; was re-elected the following spring and at each succeeding election, and holds the position until the spring of 1886. Mr. Peal was united in marriage at Moline, July 18, 1872, to Miss Carrie A. Van Strand, daughter of N. P. Van Strand. Mrs. Peal was born in Sweden and they have become the parents of three children, namely: Freddie, born Aug. 24, 1873; Edwin, born May 17, 1875; and Rolla, born July 12, 1876. Mr. P. has recently refitted and improved his hotel, and is ready to cater to the traveling public in good style. He is a genial, accommodating landlord, and understands the business of caring for the com- fort of traveling public. Mr. Peal is a Republican in political sentiment. * -«- * ewis E. Hesseman, who follows the occu- pation of a farmer on section 36, Drury ^ Township, and who is one of the progress- ive and energetic farmers of his township, is a son of Christian and Margaret (Lyman) Hesse- man, natives of Germany and Virginia re- spectively. The children of the parents were four in number, namely : William F., Lewis E., Mar- garet and Nancy. The father came to Rock Island County in an early day and settled in Drury Town- ship, where he resided and reared his family, and remained until the date of his death, Aug. 4, 1880. The mother still survives her husband, and resides in Drury Township, making her home with her chil- dren. Lewis E. Hesseman, subject of our notice, was born in Drury Township, Nov. 18, 1846. He re- ceived the advantages afforded by the public schools, alternating his studies therein by labor on the farm, and in fact has resided on the old homestead all his life. At the death of his father, Lewis E. came in possession of the old homestead farm, comprising 174^2 acres, and has resided on the same until the present time. The marriage of Mr. Hesseman to Sarah B., daughter of David and Ellen (Corbin) Clarkson, oc- curred Oct. 31, 1867, in Drury Township. Her perents were natives of Pennsylvania, in which State her mother died. Her father is still living. The children of Mrs. Hesseman 's parents were seven in number, and named : John C, Samantha, Benjamin F., William M., Sarah B., Susan I., Nancy E. Sarah E. (Mrs. Hesseman) was born in Huntington Co., Pa., Dec. 19, 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Hesseman are the parents of eight children: Margaret E., born May 15, 1869; David C, Nov. 15, 1870; Eliza L., Aug. 12, 1872; William F., Nov. 1, 1873; Elmo F., K£f V * & 0) f>A 4*^% 320 v£Hll»>r rr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Aug. 15, 1875; I y y G., Nov. 15, 1877; Lewis C, Sept. 25, 1879; Percy C, Sept. 16, 1881. Eliza L. died Aug. 13, 1872. Politically, Mr. Hesseman is identified with the Republican party. He has held the office of School Director in his township for 12 years. Starlow E. Barber, proprietor of the Keator il| House, Moline, was born at Bridgewater, N. Y., June 3, 1827, and was the eldest son of Champlin and Malancy (Greene) Bar- ber, natives of the same State. The elder Barber was a farmer and brought his seven sons up to that vocation. Harlow E. acquired whatever of an education he possesses at the district school-house, which was built of logs ; and he taught one term, when about 20 years of age. He left home a short time before arriving at his majority and took a tramp to New York city behind a drove of cattle. A short experi- ence away from home was enough for the first trip, and the hearts of the old people were soon gladdened by his return. When 22 years old he penetrated the wilds of Illinois, and for a sustenance cut cord- wood a few weeks at or near the town of Marengo, 111., leaving then on a tour of discovery through the forests of Wisconsin. In this State, however, he is recorded as a farmer, and later on as a peddler of Yankee notions, and before the end of the year 1850 he had even peddled brass clocks, and got back to Illinois. His genius now took another turn, and we find him at St. Paul and St. Anthony, selling needles, pins, beads, ribbons and jack-knives to the " red man," and taking in exchange anything " Lo " had, except, perhaps, his squaw and his papooses. It is no easy task for the historian to trace the many interesting meandering* of this now most pop- ular caterer of one of the best kept hostelries in the State; but as his nomadic life has long since been abandoned, we feel it but a duty to perpetuate at least a part of it in history. From Indian trader in Minnesota he turned stage-driver in Terre Haute, and before the savages had used up their jack-knives or beads he was on his road to Rockford, 111., where he invested largely in a patent churn. We can only surmise the financial result of this last venture; but as we find him for the next two years working in the lumber districts around Grand Haven and other lake points, we conclude it must have struck him pretty hard! It was about this time he footed it from Green Bay through the forests, following routes marked only by the blazed trees a distance of r5o miles to Little Bay de Noquet. He was soon back, however, to Chicago, from which point he radiated several years, taking in Green Bay, Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, New York city, etc., trafficking in lumber, running saw-mills, getting wrecked at sea, shipping cattle, and finally peddling cigars, and started the first street omnibus on Lake Street, Chi- cago. All this, and much more that will forever re- main unrecorded, he did in a half dozen years, for we find him in Moline in 1856, in the employ of Candee & Swan. In ^58 he crossed the plains, which required five months, searching for gold be- yond the " Rockies," and did not find any to speak of. In the spring of 1859 he was back at Moline, having returned via Panama, Island of Cuba and New Orleans. In T862 he enlisted in the army as First Ser- geant of Co. K, 129th 111. Vol. Inf., and served three years, being mustered out as First Sergeant. The 129th regiment was organized in Livingston County, and ordered to Somerville, Ky., to join Gen. Granger's command, who were chasing Bragg and his army. They drove the Confederate forces through Frankfort, Crab Orchard and Prairieville to Bowling Green, at which place Sergeant Barber did duty, guarding the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. From there his regiment was ordered to Nashville, and thence to Chattanooga, where they were assigned to the 20th Corps, under command of " Fighting Joe " Hooker. The r2gth participated in all the engage- ments before reaching Atlanta and on through to Savannah. They were part of the victorious army that marched through the Carolinas and Richmond to their final destination, Washington, having taken part in 13 battles, among them those of Snake Creek Gap, Big Shanty, New Hope Church, Peach-Tree Creek, Bentonsville, Averysborough, etc. Returning to Moline, he manufactured well pumps awhile, in company with N. Harper, and then re- turned to Candee, Swan & Co., now the Moline Plow Company ; and later to Deere & Co. About his last important failure was as merchant in the far VS 4 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. erected good buildings and otherwise improved his place, and has added to his original purchase until he is at present the proprietor of 200 acres, under a good state of cultivation. Mr. Seiver was first united in marriage in Wayne Co., Ind., July 22, 1840, to Miss Clarissa Reynolds, daughter of W. G. and Sarah (Denny) Reynolds. She was born June 22, 1822, and has borne him three children, namely: Senora, born Dec. 17, 1842; Viola, Jan. 22, 1847; and Almira, June 21, 1849. Mrs. S. died in Drury Township, July 25, 1852, and Mr. S. was again married, in the same township, March 26, 1858, to Sarah D. Wray, a twin sister of John E. Wray (see sketch). She was born at Gallipolis, Ohio, July 20, rS33. They are the parents by this marriage of five children : Albert, born Nov. 1, 1858; Ida, Aug. 20, 1861 ; John W., Oct. 13, 1864; James M., June 1, 1867; and Nellie M., April 18, 1872. Mr. S. has held the office of Road 'Commissioner, School Trustee and School Director, and in politics is identified with the adherents of the [Republican party. -5 #-# 5- 1 ilbert K. Sloan, M. D., is a son of John Montier and Nancy Ann (Fast) Sloan, na- tives respectively of Maryland and Penn- sylvania, of Scotch and German extraction, and was born in Ashland Co., Ohio, Oct. 19, 1846. His father, who died March 4, 1849, at his home in Ohio, aged 44 years, was by occupa- tion a farmer, but devoted much of his time to the ministry. He was a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church ; but, not fully indorsing their system of itinerancy, he never accepted any regular appoint- ment at the hands of the conference, preferring to do what good he could in his own way, and without reward other than the consciousness of having done his duty and the enjoyment of the love and con- fidence of those with whom he labored. The subject of our sketch was brought up to farm life, and followed the vocation until 1866. His pri- mary education was acquired at the public schools, supplemented by a short term at Oberlin College. In 1868 he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Crane, of Ashland, Ohio, and the next year went to Oregon with a view to locating. Taking sick on the way, he stopped in Southern Illinois, and while convalescing decided to go no further. He here taught school and read medicine until 1870, when he removed to Knoxville, Iowa, where he pursued a similar course up to 1873. In this year he entered college, and two years later graduated as M. D. After practicing his profession about two years in Iowa, he came to Moline in 1880, and formed a partnership with Dr. P. L. McKinnie, which lasted two years, where his abilities were at once recog- nized, and he stepped without difficulty or delay into a lucrative and eminently respectable practice. Dr. Sloan is a prominent member of both Rock Island County and Moline Medical Societies; is now, and has been since 1882, a member of the School Board, and at the head* of one of the most important committees; also a member of the Library Board, and Chairman of its Executive Committee. While at Knoxville, Iowa, the Doctor became ac- quainted with Miss Emma J., the accomplished daughter of Mr. A. W. Collins, President of the First National Bank of that place, and, April 26, 1S76, made her his wife. Miss Collins (now Mrs. Sloan) was one of the brightest of the class in which she graduated, at Western University, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa ; and the happy grace with which she presides over her domestic affairs and discharges the pleasant duty of wife and motherhood — the latter including the care and training of three pretty children, Ches- ter C, Clara Olive, and " Carl " — is but another evidence of the fact that it is to the education of women that men must look for the purest and surest elevation of their race. s-*nji-*e; Vfe) / S> (!) ^l^sa'l-* Warman follows the vocation of a farmer t-;[ ^0|q on section 18, Drury Township, where he 3=/* is the proprietor of 120 acres of good till- able land. He is a son of Enoch and Mary (Brockway) Warman, natives of Virginia. They settled in Wayne Co., Ind., where they both died. Their family comprised nine children, of which Enoch was the seventh in order of birth. Mr. Warman was born in Wayne Co., Ind., Nov. 6, 1825. He resided on the parental homestead, alternating his labors thereon by attendance at the ff m m?y®%&*&*- mi ■^©^ — £A^nn»^ A^a- ~^^ _«s sf^f t4?UII®DD&^ — =«©«: »C«^SvM I <& I ^(?a ISLAND COUNTY. 325 common schools, in which he received a good educa- tion. He continued to follow the vocation of a farmer in Wayne County until 185 3, when he moved to Louisa Co., Iowa, where he purchased a farm, and was engaged in its cultivation for about eight years. In the fall of 1861 Mr. Warman came to Rock Island County and purchase 120 acres of land, located in Drury Township, and at once entered upon its culti- vation and improvement, erecting good buildings and otherwise improving his land, and on which he has resided to the present time (1885). The marriage of Mr. Warman occurred in Wayne Co., Ind., Sept. 17, 1852, and the lady of his choice was Miss Elmira Reynolds, the accomplished daughter of Milton and Orpha Reynolds. She was the second child of a family of eight children, and was born in Wayne County, Nov. 12, 1834. Mr. and Mrs. Warman are the parents of ten children, eight of whom survive. The living are : Vie Emma, wife of Albert Bowser; Mary J., Mrs. Albert T. Brown; Sarah R., wife of Wilson Bowser; James L., Sherman, Willard and Orson O. Grant and Medora are the deceased. Mr. Warman enlisted in March, 1864, in the 28th 111. Vol. Inf., and served six months, when he was discharged at Brownsville, Tenn., on account of disability. Politically, he is a believer in and a sup- porter of the Republican party, and has held the office of School Director in his township. \ rof. K. Erixon, Pastor of the Gust. Adolph (Swedish Lutheran) Church of Moline since the spring of 1882, is a native of Sweden, where he was born June 2, 1827. He was educated at the university at Stockholm, that country ; served as preacher and teacher in his native land ; had the government of the children's home of the city mission of Stockholm ; was founder and publisher of the politico-religious paper entitled the New Posteti, at Stockholm, yet continued, but under the name of Hemlandsvannen (Homeland's Friend), one of the most widely circulated papers in Sweden. In 1878, Prof. Erixon moved to the United States, locating at Knoxville, this State, where he was de- nominated Professor in Ansgari College, a Swedish- American institution, and subsequently President of the college. This connection continued eight years, when he went to Lindsborg, Kan., where he was employed as Pastor of the mission Church from 18S0 to 1882. In the spring of the latter year he came to Moline to accept his present position. While at Knoxville he was also chosen President of the Synod, and served as such until his removal to Kansas in 1880. •Prof. Erixon was married in Sweden, March 2, 1849, to Miss Helena Elizabeth Olsen, and they have three children, namely : Hildegard, Bertha and Charles. The last named died in 1857, and Bertha became the wife of Christ. Krause, and died Dec 3, 1884. ^avid Mardock, who follows the vocation of . a fanner on section 32, Drury Township, hjjS-" ' s a son °f James and Catherine (Bowers) [n, Mardock, natives of North Carolina and Ten nessee respectively, and of Irish and German ancestry. They were united in marriage and settled in Tennessee, from where they removed to Butler Co., Ohio, and afterward to Union Co., Ind., where they resided until their deaths. David Mardock was the fourth child in order of birth of a family of 15 children. He was born in Butler Co., Ohio, Sept. 28, 1815. He was quite young when his parents moved from the latter State to Indiana, and lived at home, assisting in the main- tenance of the family by working on the farm until he attained the age of 29 years. His education was received in the common schools of his native county. In the spring of 1844 Mr. Mardock came to this county, but, after a few months' sojourn here, re- turned to Indiana, where he remained engaged in the vocation of farming until 185 1. During the latter part of that year he again returned to this county, and in 1852 permanently located in Drury Township, on section 32, where he has since resided. He is the proprietor of 160 acres of land in that township, on which he has erected a good residence, together with substantial outbuildings, and placed his acreage under an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Mardock was united in marriage in Muscatine, Iowa, Sept. 11, 1853, with Mary E. Irwin, the ac- I complished daughter of John C. and Sophia (Bear) 5M^e — »<©»=- 326 m* ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -mh <2> V I () Irwin, natives of Pennsylvania and Kentucky re- spectively. Her father lived several years in Ken- Lucky and Indiana, and in 1841 he emigrated to Muscatine, Iowa. He enlisted in the 114th Ohio Vol. Inf. and was killed on the Yazoo River. Her mother died in Madison, Ind. Mrs. Mardock was born in Jefferson Co., Ind., July 9. 1S33. The chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Mardock are four in number, namely: Effie, born Sept. 3, 1854; Bertha, born Aug. 28, 1S58; Carrie A., born March 9, 1S61; and one who died in infancy. Effie is also deceased. Mr. Mardock has been Supervisor, School Director and School Trustee in his township. Politically, he he is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Democratic party. - ; -,_ lbert Hanson, of the firm of Anderson & =gkHanson, dealers in stoves, tinware, gas-pipes, etc, Moline, was born in Rock Island, Sept. 9, 1855, and is the son of Jonas P. Hanson. He came to Moline in boyhood and worked three years with the Moline Paper Mills, and 13 years with James Shaw, merchant, as salesman. In 187S he went to Sweden to make a visit, and re- mained there nine months. On the 1st day of Sep- tember, 1884, he entered into the existing partner- ship with A. Q. Anderson. Politically, Mr. Hanson is a Republican. tenry Ziegler, a resident of Buffalo Prairie Township, was born on the Rhine, in the the Province of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger- many, Aug. 19, 1829. His parents were John and Antoinette (Weisbach) Ziegler. As soon as Mr. Ziegler was large enough to attend school in accordance with the laws of his native country, he was placed in school and continued there until his 18th year. In the spring of 1847, when iS years of age, he emigrated to America. At that time he did not come with the intention of making this his home. He landed in New Orleans, and from that city went to Cincinnati, where he worked in a hotel for a time, going thence to Louisville, where he resided until the winter of 1S49-50, when he unexpectedly received a letter from his mother and brother in Rock Island County, and started immediately to meet them here. On his arrival in this county he engaged with a cabi- net-maker, and worked at that trade for two years. He then purchased land on section 14, Buffalo Prai- rie Township, on which he located and for two years was engaged in agricultural pursuits. Leaving the farm, he went to Rock Island city and engaged in the mercantile trade, which he followed for two years, when he engaged in farming again. His farm consists of 350 acres, the major portion of which is fenced and under an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Ziegler was united in marriage Feb. 19, 1853, with Miss Barbara Fuhr, daughter of Valentine and Barbara Fuhr. She was born May 27, 1830. Mr. and Mrs. Ziegler are the parents of seven children, namely: Elizabeth, born April 12, 1S54, and is now the wife of Gotlieb Lehmann ; Henry, born June 16, 1857; Julius, June 29, 1S59; Otto, Oct. 25, 1865; Caroline, Dec. 6, 1S67 ; Herman, Dec. 25, 1869, and Emil, April 20, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Ziegler are both members of the Evangelical Church. In politics he is a staunch supporter of the Repub- lican party, and has been since its organization. -J ^OOO^ antes Hanna, deceased, formerly a farmer ~ residing on section 12, Rural Township, <« was born in County Down, Ireland, July 21, 1823. He was engaged in farming in his native county until 1S52, when he emigrated to the " land of great possibilities " and came direct to this county, settling on section 12, Rural Township, where he continued to reside until the date of his death, March 14, 1872. On locating on his land in Rural Township, he entered at once vig- orously and energetically on the task of its improve- ment and cultivation, and at the date of his death was the owner of 1 60 acres of good tillable land, on which he had erected a fine residence, together with barn and good substantial outbuildings. The marriage of Mr. Hanna was celebrated Sept. 2, 1852, in Pittsburg, Pa., and the lady selected to share his joys and sorrows, reverses and successes through life was Miss Mary McWhinney. She was born in the County Down, Ireland, June 27, 1832, and emigrated to the United States in 1S49, and re- t ■> v o O. 0) (loyiAJyVi^jL ^O. C/Ayyu'rij )^#^ -2*€^ &tt<&% H& W>r trr ) <§* si* ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. sided in Pittsburg until her marriage. They were the parents of eight children : Eliza J., John, Sarah H., Mary, Robert M., James, Charles M. and Maggie. Mrs. Hanna is a member of the United Presby- terian Church. She is an active business woman, and is at present, with the assistance of her children, carry on the farm left her by her husband, in which vocation she has become somewhat proficient. ^ llpjlml lanson Sinnet, one of the most prominent '^■MJSt- c i'' zens °f tne county and a resident of W~™ Rock Island, was born at Blandford, Mass., ; Aug. 15, 1S01. His father, James Sinnet, was a native of Ireland, and his mother, Mary (Isham) Sinnet, was ^probably of English de- scent, though her family was among the earliest New England settlers. James Sinnet came to Amer- ica while very young, and settled at Blandford, where he grew up, married and established a home, the old homestead being at this writing (1885) oc- cupied by some of his descendants. He emigrated to Ohio in 1806, and died at Granville, that State, two years afterward. He was a farmer by occupa- tion, and in this his sons followed, somewhat, his footsteps. The subject of this sketch received a fair English education at the common schools of Ohio, and in after life became one of the foremost patrons of an academy of learning established in the village where he spent his boyhood and his youth. He was one of the earliest founders of Granville College, Ohio, and at different times subscribed the sum of $1,000. He was a Trustee of that institution 22 years, and also a member of the Executive Committee for the same time. Mr. A. Sinnet was iS years of age when he began business for himself, on a capital alone of energy, physical strength, a well balanced mind and a fixed determination. Licking County, Ohio, was the scene of his earliest struggles and his ultimate success. He began as a farmer and cattle-raiser, but in a few years abandoned the latter and adopted sheep rais- ing instead, and soon became one of the three largest sheep dealers in that part of the country. In 1S56 he sold out his property, realizing therefrom about $8, 000 in cash and came at once to Rock Island County. This sum of money at his command at that early day gave him a great advantage, and it was not many years before he was recognized as a wealthy man. In partnership with his son, who had preceded him to Illinois by about one year, he bought a tract of land containing 55 acres, now known as " Sinnet's Addition to the City of Rock Island." To the improvement of this property he has devoted much of his time, though not to the exclusion of vari- ous other business interests. He has been a money lender, ice dealer, and was the prime mover in the construction of the street railway running through his addition between Rock Island and Moline. His was the first name upon the subscription list in that enterprise, and he set opposite his signature " $4,000." This act gave other moneyed men courage, and the result was, the " Moline & Rock Island Horse Railroad " was pressed to completion many years earlier than it would have been but for the foresight and business sagacity of Mr. Sinnet. From the abundance of wealth accumulated, not at the expense of his neighbors, not by speculations in " margins," nor by the wrecking of railroads for the purpose of gobbling in their stocks, but by purely legitimate means, he has been one of the most liberal givers to worthy objects of charity. The churches, schools, and eleemosynary institutions in various places have been the recipient of his bounties. In 1883, he had erected at his own expense, a chapel in Northern India, where the gospel of Christ is preached every Sabbath by a native minister, sup- ported entirely by Mr. Sinnet. The following letter, from a resident missionary in India to a minister identified with the foreign missionary cause, is deemed in place here, as it throws full light upon a subject somewhat difficult of explanation : " Baptist Mission, Nt^rsa- ) RAVAPETT, Dec. 27, 1884. j " Rev. C. Tolman, " Dear Brother : — An explanation is due, I think, in reference to my long silence in regard to the ' Sin- net Station.' In the firsi place, I have been away to Ongole for medical treatment; besides this, the opening up of this new station has been attended with difficulties, and I was not anxious to write un- til I could report that the ' Sinnet Station' was fully established. I am glad to say now that this is the case, and I would therefore like to tell Father Sinnet, through you, something about it. ^ « & (D I %&&> ^^ £?A rs I " l!ro. Sinnet's station is about six miles south of the Krishna River, and about 25 miles north of Nur- saravapett. I think it is the most northern mission station of our Teloogoo Mission. We have Chris- tians north of it, but I do not think we have any preachers established. It is therefore a ' frontier point,' — a light in a dark place. " In my former letter I said something about Sol- omon and his wife. I am glad to report that they have proved all that I anticipated. It would do you good to hear Solomon pray. He is a man in real earnest, and lays hold of the people. But we are scarcely at the beginning of the work at that dark corner of my field. I feel confident that Solomon in the ' Sinnet Station' will be the means of leading many to the Savior. " I have appointed one, named Abraham, to labor with Solomon. Unlike the majority of our Teloogoo Christians, this old man can read and sing well. He was, in former days, an enthusiastic, noted idol- ator, but now a devoted preacher of the gospel, spending all his time traveling from village to vil- lage, singing and preaching. His influence with the people is great, and scarcely a quarterly meeting passes without his bringing some converts for bap- tism. Thus you will see that the ' Sinnet Station ' is manned by worthy incumbents. " Our chief success, I think, has been the planting of this new station in the midst of this vast unevan- gelized population, and the beginning of what I am sure will prove a great work. I cannot tell you how glad I am that Father Sinnet has enabled me to be- gin this good work. Please thank him for me. Tell him I will write him full accounts of the work as it goes on. His money is being expended upon worthy men, and has already, I believe, been] the means of leading some into the truth. " Believe me yours faithfully, R. Maplesden." Mr. Sinnet was made a life member of the Amer- ican Baptist Home Mission Society in 1855, and of the American Baptist Missionary Union in 1881. He has been a consistent member of the Baptist Church since 1827, and an active Sunday-school worker for more than 50 years. He is also an hon- orary member of the [Old 'Settlers' t Society of this county. Mr. Sinnett was first married, at Granville, Ohio, to Miss Julia A. Webster, a cousin of the famous Massachusetts statesman of that name. Mrs. Sinnet died Feb. rr, 1868, at the age of 68 years, leaving seven children, as follows : James W., now a law- yer, resident in the State of Missouri; Georgeana, wife of Geo. Heck, Esq., of Moline; Eugene A., born April 10, 1S30, died Nov. 7, 1884; Francis M., of Rock Island (see biography of F. M. Sinnet, Esq.) ; Laura E., wife of I. P. Wilson, of Chamber- lain, D. T. ; Ellen J., born March 10, 1839, died April 5, r 875, wife of H. Bowman, of Rock Island; and Henry H., born Nov. 10, 1841, died July 19, 1882. Mr. Sinnet's present wife was Miss Pauline E. Williams, relative of United States Senator Raw- lings and a native of Vermont. They were married at Rock Island, Nov. n, 187 1. Being much younger than her husband, she takes charge of his corre- spondence and book-keeping, in addition to the many other duties incident to a supervision of household affairs. Mr. Sinnet was originally a Whig, but since the organization of the Republican party has regularly been identified therewith. At no time in life has he sought political preference, but on the contrary has refused any and all official distinction. Mr. Sinnet's portrait, on a preceding page, is naturally to be expected in this connection by the public in this part of the State of Illinois, and even by Christians throughout the world who are inter- ested in the gpspel work in Northern India. The publishers of this work also take pleasure in present- ing the portraits of his former, as well as his present, wife. s r. Jacob Stewart, homeopathic physician, proprietor of " Stewart's Addition to Mo- line " and dealer in real estate, was born in Westmoreland Co., Pa., Feb. 28, 1824, and is the son of John and Mary (Covode) Stewart. His mother was a sister of Hon. John Covode, M. C, from Pennsylvania. Mr. Stewart lost his father in childhood, and, his mother marrying again, he accompanied her and his stepfather to Ohio in 1839. He studied medicine and took a regular course at the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, and graduated in 1849. He then entered upon the practice of medicine at Sharpsburg, Pa., the same year, and pursued the practice of his profession in that city and adjacent country till 1S71, when he re- moved to Moline and has been in practice here con- tinuously since, except while devoting his attention to his extensive real-estate interests south of the city. On coming to Moline, Dr. Stewart purchased a f i r*-*-" ^ \§&& ^ „\ ^nngDDi^A^ — ^€^- -«e§ s^» " Julia A. Sinnet Deceased :aC, ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. - D V\j 333 ts v i8~ |-x"g§^WZT 334 ^OCZ ISLAND COUNTY. ^<^vM school land on section 16, Buffalo Prairie Township, and entered vigorously and energetically upon the task of its improvement and cultivation. He at first erected a log house on his land, in which he resided for six years, when he replaced the old log structure by a neat and commodious residence. In 1859 he sold his land, and moved to Missouri and located in Harrison County, where he purchased a farm, on which he resided until after the close of the war. He was a Union man during the war; and, living in a neighborhood intensely identified with the cause of the South, he was compelled to defend his home and family from incendiarism and attack. From Mis- souri he moved to Kansas, in 1878, and took a claim in Osborne County. He lived there three years, and raised a crop, but it was a failure, and he returned to Rockport, Mo., where he resided with his son, John W. In June, 1882, his wife died, and he then went to Atlanta, where he resided with his daughter, Mrs. Jacob Templeman, nine months, when he re- turned to Buffalo Prairie Township, and has since lived with his son, William A., subject of this notice. William A. France, of whom we write, was in his 14th year when, in'company with his parents, he came to Illinois, and here grew to manhood. In 1S56 he went to Missouri, and pre-empted land in Harrison County. He lived there long enough to prove up on his land, and the next season was engaged in break- ing prairie. He was there a little more than a year, and then returned to this State, and for a time rented land, which he cultivated. In 1S63 he bought 80 acres, on which there was a log house 18 x 12 feet in dimensions. He has since added to his original purchase until he at present is the pro- prietor of 462 acres of land, all located in Buffalo Prairie Township, and all of which is enclosed ex- cept 20 acres. He has erected a good frame resi- dence, barn and substantial outbuildings, and has planted fruit, shade and ornamental trees on his place, until it not only presents a fine appearance, but is also under an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. France formed a matrimonial alliance Dec. 9, 1859, with Miss Emma Bruner, daughter of John M. and Ann (Bockins) Bruner. Their children have been five in number — John H., born Aug. 21, 1859 ; Issie, born June 21, 1861 ; Wyndham H., born Feb. 16, 1863; Charles Samuel, born July 22, 1867 ; Wil- liam Aimer, born June 5, 1S72. The eldest son, John H, went to Kansas in 1884, and located at Sharon, Barbour County, where he purchased 160 acres of Government land, on which he is engaged in the vocation of a farmer. Politically, Mr. France upholds the principles of the Republican party. #*#* ' ] i )}h avid °" Reid ' resident at Moline, is a na- ilij> l ' ve of Harrisburg, Pa., and the eldest son ^ifgp 3 of Robert Findlay and Sarah (Ogle) Reid, of Irish and Pennsylvania nativity respective- ly, and was born June r, 1S34. The family re- moved to Indianapolis in 183S, where, with the exception of his father, who died there in 1843, tne y resided about ten years. Mrs. Reid returned with her children to Harris- burg, and the subject of this sketch was placed under the instruction of M. A. Swiler, who taught him the tinsmith's trade. Alternating his labors of his apprenticeship with attendance at the common schools, he acquired the rudiments of an English education. He came to Rock Island city in 1856, and engaged at once in the tin business, which he followed until i86r. In February, of that year, he was united in marriage to Miss Amanda L. Webster, of Rock Island. In the summer following he enlisted as a private soldier in Co. H, 45th 111. Vol. Inf. He served three years, veteranized at Vicksburg in 1863 and re- mained in the army until the close of the war. He was mustered out of the service in July, 1865, with the rank of Captain of the company in which he first enrolled. His first promotion was to the office of Second Sergeant of his company, and from that he rose through every subordinate position in their order to the Captaincy. He was wounded at Ray- mond, Miss., in May, 1863, and captured probably about the same time. In September following he was exchanged at St. Louis, Mo., and was at once ap- pointed, by Col. Bonneville, Adjutant of the post of Benton Barracks, a position he held till relieved, and then returned to his command, in January, 1864 He participated in all the battles where his regiment was engaged up to the time of his capture, and after- wards, with the 60,000 others, accompanied Sherman , I f\&^ ■^r- ■=** a «M«f>^ 2s S3*s- Residences Store of Henry P. Stoddard, Ed gimgton. »/@)^«§a -z^k — 6V&D n ® d n>>c ^ cr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. V & (!) (hi i i on his triumphal march from Atlanta to the sea. He was at the head of his company in the Grand Re- view at Washington in 1865, and at Louisville in July of that year bade farwell to his few surviving comrades of old Co. H, and in a short time there- after joined his young wife, who had so patiently awaited his coming through the long, dreary years of war. Returning to Rock Island, he again engaged in tin- smith business, which he abandoned in April, 1S68, to accept the City Clerk's office, a position he held one year. In April, 1869, he removed to Moline, and in partnership with a Mr. Spencer engaged in the business he has since followed, that of dealer in stoves, tin and hardware. Mr. Spencer retired from the firm in 1870, and was succeeded by a Mr. Stone, who sold out to Capt. Reid in 1873. Since coming to Moline, Capt. Reid has served the city about five years as Supervisor and Rock Island County two terms as Treasurer. Mr. Reid is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, Past Post Commander of the G. A. R., and affiliates with the A. O. U. VV. He held the commission of Colonel and Aide-de-Camp on the staffs of both Governors Cullom and Hamilton, in all eight years. Capt. and Mrs. Reid have become the parents of n children, the following being their names: John, deceased, Caroline, Sarah, Robert, David, deceased, Catharine, deceased, Henrietta, Frances, William, Arthur W. and Elizabeth. ames F. Palmer, farmer, section 24, Coe m& Township, was born April 7, 1848, and i v the third son of David and Clarissa (Smith (Smith) Palmer. His father was born June 28, 181 1, in Onondaga Co., N. Y., and in early life was left to the sole care of his mother by the death of his father, which was caused by an accident. The mother came with her family to Michigan and they were among the earliest settlers of Wayne County. David Palmer bought a tract of timber, cleared a small place for a house and erected the house of the pioneer — the regulation log-cabin. He went vigor- ously to work to improve his land and cleared a fine farm, on which he was a resident with his family un- til 185 1. In that year lie exchanged his Michigan farm for unimproved prairie in what is now Coe Township. He, with his wife and nine children, drove to their new home with a pair of horses and a wagon, carrying with them the supplies they need- ed for sustenance on the route, which they were four weeks in traversing. The head of the family had never seen the land on which he purposed to estab- lish a new home until he took the final step of re- moval to it. The family spent the winter with the Allen household, who, with the true pioneer spirit, kept open house and hearts for all new comers. In the spring Mr. Palmer built a small house sufficient- ly large for the simple needs of his little flock, which soon gave place to one suited to their improving cir- cumstances. All the prairie farm was put under im- provements and remained the home of the owner as long as he lived. His death transpired Feb. 13, 1871. He was twice married. His first wife, to whom he was married June 20, 1833, was named Bathsheba Tyler before her union with him. She died June 20, 1834, and left one child, Ezra D., who is at present a resident of Adeline, Ogle Co., 111., and is in the ministry of the United Brethren Church. Nov. 8, 1835, Mr. Palmer was married to Clarissa Smith. She was born in Coshocton, N. Y., June 24, 181 8. From the second marriage there were 12 children. Five only survive. Sarah is the wife of Thomas Johnson and they reside 111 Black Hawk Co., Iowa. Burtsha married D. C. Stout. They live at Cordova. James F. and David are citizens of Whiteside Co., III. Charles remains on the homestead. The mother is a member of the household of her son James. Mr. Palmer, of this sketch, was between three and four years old when his parents came to Rock Island County to live. His childhood and youth were spent on the homestead and in the common schools of the township. He was brought up to follow the voca- tion of his father and ancestors and was thoroughly instructed in farming. He was married in 1872 to Edith Amelia Price, who was born in Wayne Co., Pa., and is the daughter of Stephen and Anna (Benja- min) Price. They have two children — Alice and Ray. The family are settled on a part of the old homestead of the father of Mr. Palmer. In 1882 he erected a large frame barn, and in 1883 he built a «*f*^£ ^ O. ® V 1 338 .ffCCX ISLAND COUNTY. §sf§Y < commodious frame house, which the family are at present occupying, and a correct view of which is pictorially represented in this Album. Mr. Palmer is a member of the Church of the United Brethren, to which his father and mother both belonged. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church. Poltically, he is a Republican. artin Schillinger, Mayor of Moline, 111., and senior partner of the firm of Schil- N linger & Trumble, boiler manufacturers, was born in Baden, Germany, June 3, 1834, and is the son of Jacob and Rosa (Kienly) Schillinger. He emigrated with his parents to America in 1846, and made his home in the State of New York until 1853, when he came to Rock Island, there learning the boiler-making trade. In 1857 he went to New Orleans and engaged in railroading for the New Orleans & Jackson Railway Company, and continued in that service until the breaking out of the late war, when. May 2, 1861, lie made his way North in the very height of the war ex- citement, and with considerable difficulty. He en- listed for three years, and mustered into the service Aug. 2, i86r, as a privjfte of Co. I, Third 111. Cav. He participated in the various skirmishes and battles in which his regiment was engaged, among which may be mentioned the battle of Pea Ridge, Chick- asaw Bayou, in the attack on Vicksburg, Arkansas Post, etc. He served three years and received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant. On his return from the war, he formed a partnership with Mr. Thomas Trumble in the manufacture of boilers at Rock Island. They continued business at that city till 1868, when they returned to Moline and erected extensive shops at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Ninth Street, where they have been in business continuously since. These shops, when working a full force, employ 15 men and have a ca- pacity to construct four large boilers at once. Mr. Schillinger was married at Rock Island, July 26, 1866, to Miss Caroline M. Watrous, daughter of Mr. Jerome T. Watrous. Mrs. Schillinger was born at Zanesville, Ohio. They have six children, one boy and five girls, namely : Luella, Albert J., An- netta, Josephine, Anna and Mary R. Mr. Schillinger has served one term as Alderman from the Second Ward, and was elected Mayor in the spring of 1S85. He makes an efficient executive officer and looks carefully to the best interests of the city. He is a member of the following named orders, in which he has held the important offices : Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Schillinger has always voted with the Repub- lican party and cast his first vote for John C. Fre- mont, but is disposed to be independent in his views. ^«^ -«== — »- lvin T. Womaeks, a resident of Buffalo ' Prairie Township, and the second son in Iff® 5 order of birth of W - H ' and Enzabeth %W (Doty) Womaeks, was born near Moscow, Muscatine Co., Iowa, Jan. 8, 1842. His par- ents were pioneers of Rock Island County. Mr. Womaeks grew to manhood in this county, de- voting the intervals between his labors on the farm to attendance at the public schools, and at commer- cial schools at Davenport, thereby receiving a good English education. In August, 1862, soon after the news had flashed across the continent that rebel guns were pouring shot and shell on Sumter, Mr. Womaeks enlisted in Co. A, 93d 111. Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war. He participated in many important battles, of which the following are among the most prominent : Jackson, Miss., Cham- pion Hills, in which engagement he was wounded with buck-shot above the knee, and was confined at Milliken's Bend 30 days in the hospital, after which he again rejoined his regiment, took part in the siege and capture of Vicksburg, Mission Ridge, Term., and Altcona, Ga. He was with Sherman in his memor- able march from Atlanta to the sea, and then on through the Carolinas to Washington, where he participated in the General Review. After his discharge, and the cause for which he fought became victorious, he returned home to this county, broken down in health. As soon as he had sufficiently recuperated, he again resumed the occu- pation of farming. He remained at home with his im\§&&& -*€^ — ^^IMll&A^ — *^ •r ■ > « i?6>CA' ISLAND COUNTY. father four years after the close of the war, and his father then gave him 80 acres of land, adjoining the old homestead farm in Drury Township. He lived on that place, and was engaged in its cultivation until 1 88 1, when he exchanged it for the farm he now owns, being 255 acres, a part of section 7, Buf- falo Prairie Township, on which he moved and en- tered vigorously and energetically upon its cultivation and improvement, and on which he has since re- sided. Mr. Womacks formed a matrimonial alliance in September, 1869, with Miss Josephine Berkshire. She was born in Muscatine, Iowa. Their children are ten in number, namely : William H., born May 30, 1870; Elizabeth Z.,born March 12, 1872; Mont- gomery M., born Sept. 23, 1873, died Aug. 30, 1881; Amanda J., born April 18, 1875; Albert M., Dec. 16, 1S76; John B., Sept. 2, 1878, died Sept. 6, 1881; Thomas O., Oct. 26, 1880; Elmer E., Aug. 15, rS82; and Mary E. and Cora E. (twins), May 31, 1885- Mr. and Mrs. W. religiously are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Womacks has erected a good residence on his farm, together with a barn and other substantial out-buildings, and has his land under a good state of cultivation. He is a gentleman whose word is considered as good as his bond, and whose accumulation of this world's goods is attributable to his own indomitable energy, perse- verance and good judgment, combined with the act- ive co-operation of his good helpmeet. In politics he is a staunch Republican. J ussell Farnam, for whom Farnamsburg was named, had quite a history. In the spring of 1810, John Jacob Astor, desirous ( of founding a trading post at Astoria, Washing- ton Territory, sent three ships around by ("ape Horn to the mouth of the Columbia River, and at the same time started a company of 100 men overland, in charge of Mr. Farnam, for the same destination. This company followed up the Mis- souri River to its head waters, taking the same route traveled by Lewis and Clark a few years previous while exploring the country. They started from St. Louis in small keel-boats, m loaded with goods for the Indian trade. After tak- ing their merchandise as far as they could, on ac- count of low water they exchanged their boats for smaller ones. Ascending the river thus until it had lessened to a stream so small that a man could jump across, they packed their goods on ponies obtained from the Indians and crossed over to the mouth of the Columbia River, where the ships were already anchored. They remained there some time, traffick- ing with the Indians and establishing trading posts in the interior. On returning from one of these ex- peditions after an absence of two weeks, Mr. Farnam and two other men who accompanied him found the ships surrounded by a large number of Indians in their canoes, ready for an attack. Not daring to go on board while the ships were thus besieged, they concealed themselves in the bushes near by and watched the proceedings. In a short time the In- dians were seen to go on board one of the vessels and the next minute there came a stunning sound which shook the earth, and the vessel was blown to fragments. The magazine had been fired by the crew to prevent their falling into the hands of the savages and suffering a cruel death. The other two vessels immediately hoisted sail and stood out to sea, leaving Mr. Farnam and his two companions to their fate. They immediately left their place of conceal- ment and cautiously started for the interior, but were soon discovered by the savages and taken prisoners. Their lives were spared them to suffer a captivity of nearly seven years. Mr. Farnam was then taken northward and passed from one tribe to another, until at last he was found and ransomed by a trader in Russian America, who, at the first opportunity, sent word to St. Petersburg of the fact. Through the English minister, informa- tion concerning him was sent to our Government, which immediately took steps to secure his return home. All communication to that far-off, wild coun- try, had to be sent through Russia by way of Siberia, and communicated from one trading post to another, requiring nearly two years' time to accomplish it. Over this frozen and desolate country, Mr. Farnam traveled on his journey home. He crossed Behring's Straits on the ice, and through Siberia his steed was a reindeer. He is the only man, probably, who ever traveled from New York to London overland. In 1826 Mr. Farnam formed a partnership with Col. Davenport in the fur trade, and with him built 1 8' ( V ®^^f^ -^^ ^^Ufl&fllly^A^- ®K" -rutins nn>>7 ry ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. <& St the first house ever erected on the main land in Rock Island County. It was at this house, then occupied by John Barrel, the County Commissioners held their sessions until the removal of the county seat to a lower point down the river, of which mention is made in the history following. Mr. Farnam, while on a visit to St. Louis, in 1832, died of cholera. 5=— »- ilr eremiah LeQuatte, engaged in the grocery gji;- business at Illinois City, this county, was ^T born in Dairy Township, Rock Island Co., Jan. s, 1843. His father, Matthew LeQuatte, jt was a native of Indiana, in which State he was also reared, within three miles of the city of Indianapolis, where his parents were among the early settlers, and where he grew to manhood, and was united to the lady of his choice, Miss Sarah M. Morrow. She was born near Cynthiana, Harrison Co., Ky. Tliey lived in Marion Co., Ky., until 1S36, when they started with a team of horses and a wagon overland to Indiana, her parents accompany- ing her. Her grandfather, the subject of this notice, was Shadrach LeQuatte. He purchased land on section 17, township 16, range 5, now Drury. He had brought apple-tree5 with him and planted an orchard, a portion of which are living and bearing fruit at the present time. He at once located upon his land, entered vigorously and energetically upon its cultivation and improvement, and resided on the same until his death, and was interred on the farm that he originally purchased. Matthew LeQuatte, father of the subject of this sketch, purchased land on section 28, Drury Township, which he improved, and on which he resided for a time, and then moved to Belle Plaine, Benton Co., Iowa. There were four children in the parental family : James died June 27, 1S57 ; William enlisted in Co. I, 28th 111. Vol. Inf., and died in the service, at Mobile, Ala., in July, 1865; Jeremiah is the subject of this notice, and Sarah J. is the wife of David L. Ripley, a resident of Drury Township. Jeremiah LeQuatte grew to manhood on his fa- ther's farm, alternating his labors there with attend- ance at the common schools. He enlisted March 27, 1863, in Co. A, 7th Iowa Vol. Inf., went South, and served until the close of the war. He was with Gen. Logan, and also with Gen. Sherman, the latter of whom he accompanied in his famous march from Atlanta to the sea, and through the Carolinas, and participated in the battles of that campaign. He also witnessed the grand review at Washington, and returned home in July, 1865. In 1868 he moved to Missouri, where he engaged in farming until 1876, when he sold out and rented a coal mine, and was engaged in that occupation five years. In 1883 he opened a grocery store at Rayville, 111., in which occupation he was engaged until the fall of 1884- He then came to Illinois City and engaged in the same business, and has continued until the present time. While at Rayville, 111., Mr. LeQuatte held the position of Postmaster. Mr. LeQuatte formed a matrimonial alliance Aug. 12, 1 86 c, with Miss Roxie R. Ripley. She was born in Gallia Co., Ohio, The issue of their union was six children: James H., born Sept. 23, 1862; Jerre William, born Dec. 13, 1864; Sadie M., born Aug. 27, 1867; Phoebe J., born Jan. 28, 1873; Frank S., born May 13; 1878, and Mary Mabel, born March 19. 1883. Mr. LeQuatte, by honest and straightforward deal- ings and fair prices, has built up a good trade in Illinois City. He is a gentleman whose word is considered as good as his bond, and he is one of the energetic and respected citizens of that village. He is identified wilh the Republican party, and has held the position of Constable for the term of eight years. Mrs. LeQuatte is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church. 3>oooe^ ames W. Smith, of the firm of Smith Bros., proprietors of the Illinois Pottery, located at Illinois City, was born at Akron, Ohio, July 28, 1853. His father, William E. Smith, was born in Winchester, Va., while his mother, Hannah P. Smith, was a native of Springfield, Summit Co., Ohio. James W. grew up at Akron, where he was edu- cated in the public schools, and at the age of 17 years M^rB — ^€^ "*»<*»* Kg) I < V) 4) 'X^l^/I^, CdtL^L/t >>r "~ t7W.MH«Kt ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 343 $ s * he engaged as an apprentice to learn the potter's trade, and served for three years, after which time he worked for a while at Akron. He then left his na- tive place, and started out to seek employment wherever he could secure it. He worked at his trade in various places — in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. In 1876, however, he came to Illinois City, and, in company with his brother, bought the pottery there of A. C. Butman. Since that time they have conducted it, manufacturing stoneware and tile of the high grade. The pottery is one of the permanent and important institutions of Illinois City, and turns out some very fine work. Mr. Smith was married in 1S78 to Nellie M. Thompson, a native of Vermont. She, however, lived but a brief period after her marriage, as she died March 17, 1882, at the age of 22 years. She left one child, Park C, with her husband to mourn her loss. ^S«-£- rrF^p] on Bailey Davenport, President of the r'"£,P/p People's National Bank, and President and •' '."" oi Superintendent of the Rock Island & Milan A Street Railway Company, is the only living son T of Col. George Davenport, deceased (see biog- raphy of Col. George Davenport), and was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 15, 1823, and was brought the same year to Rock Island County, where he has since made his home. He is therefore "a first set- tler " in fact. As a boy he attended school in the first building erected for educational purposes in what is now Rock Island County. It was a one-story log cabin without windows, the only openings being a door and a fire-place ; but that humble little school was presided over by one of the most talented men of his day. He was a graduate of West Point, at which institution he was for many years afterward Professor of Mathematics, and later in life he was Assistant Postmaster-General of the United States. He was known here as "Capt. Stubbs." During the latter years of his life he became a recluse, and lived and died in a cave in what is now East Davenport. From the brilliant Prof. Stubbs, of West Point, the talented Assistant Postmaster-General of the United States, he became the "Hermit of Iowa," and the only history of his life is what is known by tradition. ±&, In 1837 Mr. Davenport was sent by his father to the St. Louis (Mo.) University, and afterwards to pri- vate schools in the town of Davenport, so that by the time he was out of his youth his education was quite thorough for that day. His first business enterprise was that of gardener on his father's island farm, and was undertaken when but 12 years of age. This, however, was probably a mere incident, as most of his time about that age and for a few years after- wards was devoted to study. During the Back Hawk war, a Sergeant Haskins, of the United States Army, inspired him to become a horse-trader, and, like his primitive horticultural effort, it appears to have met his fancy and fastened itself upon him; for during all the subsequent years of his life he has been iden- tified with farming, gardening and horse-breeding and trading. In 1841 his father deeded him 59 quarter sections of land in Adams, Hancock, Mc- Donough, Fulton and Henderson Counties, 111., and from that time he became a prominent dealer in real estate. He sold those lands for whatever they would bring, and that was not much. He took in ex- change for them anything the people had to give, and a sample is found in one transaction: he exchanged one quarter for a horse even, and sold the horse for His father owned large tracts of land in Iowa, Illi- nois and Missouri, and Bailey became his agent, his principal duty being the payment of taxes. In pay- ing taxes in Hancock County he found two quarters assessed as " improved land," and upon inquiry found that the prophet, Joe Smith, had fenced them into his Nauvoo domain. Mr. Davenport called upon the " Prophet " for an explanation, and heard from that worthy that "the Lord had commanded him in a revelation to build a temple at that point and to oc- cupy and possess the lands round about!" Mr. Davenport knew of no remedy in the State of Illi- nois whereby he might sue the Lord's prophet in ejectment, nor did he feel disposed to question such a title, as the prophet was a dangerous man, and the Danites had a way of quieting titles by quieting claimant; he therefore left Joseph alone in his pos- session ! In 1842 Mr. Davenport was in the Prophet's city, and was given a pretty close call for his life. Old man Redden and his sons occupied the stone build- ing at the boat landing. Upon inquiring for a couple of friends who had accompanied him, he was in- i> ft 0) mmm&±& 'D5«§§«# gw- 344 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. formed that they were in the boat-house. It was near dark, and upon entering, the door was instantly closed behind him, and he heard the grating of heavy iron bolts. The situation flashed across his mind, and he made a bound for the rear door. Tiger-like, from the dark corner in which they had been crouch- ing, the assassins sprang to intercept him. He saw the gleam of their daggers, he heard their heavy but suppressed breathing and felt it as they clutched for him. Their negligence saved him. The door was ajar ; he sprang through it, across the porch, leaped to the ground and sped away to liberty. After the departure of the Mormons it was estimated that fully 150 men had been murdered in the old stone boat- house, long since torn down, but remembered by many persons now living, and by none more vividly than by Bailey Davenport. In r&45 old Redden and his sons were tried and found guilty as access- ories to the fact in the murder of Col. George Dav- enport. Mr. Davenport's only brother, George L., was the first white settler in what is now the State of Io.va, and upon his claim Mr. Bailey Davenport held the plow, Sept. 17, 1832, to open the first furrow ever turned to the sun in that now vast agricultural em- pire. Mr. Davenport inherited a great number of acres of land from his father, and afterwards pur- chased from the estate many more. He now owns 2,200 acres in and around Rock Island. His mag- nificent residence in 17th Avenue stands upon a 500- acre tract, a part of which only was deeded him by his father. He farms and has farmed about 1,000 acres annually, and grazes hundreds of fine cattle. His stud of horses comprises some of the finest Logans, McGregors, Wheelocks, etc., in the State of Illinois. He was one of the organizers of the Mer- chants' State Bank of Davenport, in 1858, afterwards merged into the Davenport National Bank, in which he is still a large stockholder. At the organization of the People's National Bank, of Rock Island, in 1876, he became its President, a position he has since continuously held. He was the projector of the Rock Island & Milan Street Railway, and now owns i3-2oths of its capital stock. He owns the Black Hawk Watch-Tower, the most popular resort in the county. He has laid out four additions to Rock Island City, and three to the city of Moline. He owns and works large stone quarries and sand-banks, and to all this multiplicity of gigantic financial inter- ests he gives his personal attention, and yet has plenty of time to be a gentleman, to meet people, to invite them to his house, to talk to them of the past and the present, to impress them with admiration for one of the most whole-souled, congenial men in the world, and cause them to regret that in all Rock Island there is but one Bailey Davenport. Mr. Davenport has served the city one term as Mayor. He was Mayor through all the trying times of the war, and though a stanch Democrat in poli- tics there was no division in sentiment among the best people when the best man was wanted for the chief officer of the city. It was due to his instru- mentality more than to that of any other man, that the United States Arsenal was located at Rick Island; and it is probably due to him and Judge Grant that what is now the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad touched this city at all on its line west from Chicago. From the abundance of his wealth he gives liberally, but without ostentation or display, to all worthy objects of charity. The poor and the needy are never turned from him with empty hands, and his home, though a castle, is always open, and the humblest may enter and be welcome. No liveried outsider attends his carriage; no fawning lackey holds the door of his library and informs call- ers that strangers are not to be seen, or that the great man sleepeth upon his downy couch, and to disturb him is forbidden, or that this not his day for talking. No; Bailey Davenport is always accessible; he is al- ways democratic. The publishers of this volume, therefore, take the utmost pleasure in placing a lithographic likeness of Mr. Davenport in connection with the foregoing biographical outline. 8 3000«s '. 'i.'fj ndrew Donaldson, a reliable citizen and 1[ progressive farmer, residing on section 14, Rural Township, is one of seven children, m ■ .jjito born to Richard and Catherine (Ritchie) Don- kr aldson, natives of Pennsylvania and of I Scotch-Irish ancestry. The names of their children are Anna E., James, Jane, Andrew, Rich- ard, Mary and Catherine H. Andrew was born in Washington Co., Pa., March g§Aj£C * — §bA4>MI®flB& AjB- I* 4^^a>N| ^^i.:- (r sy 4 HOCK ISLAND COUNTY. *f*t^ 2, 1S31. He remained on the parental homestead until 22 years of age, receiving a good common- school education, and in the spring of 1853 came to this county, when, in company with his brother James, engaged in the occupation of farming, in Rural Township, which vocation he continued, in the partnership mentioned, for about seven years. He then settled on 480 acres of land in Rural Township, which had been purchased by his father several years previous, and he entered vigorously and energetically upon the task of its improve- ment and cultivation. He is at present the owner of 510 acres of land, 480 of which is in an ad- vanced state of cultivation. He has erected fine buildings on his farm, consisting of a residence and all necessary out-buildings, and is meeting with suc- cess in his chosen vocation. He is a gentleman, whose word is as good as his bond, and whose pros- perity, in a financial point of view, is attributable to his own indomitable energy, perseverance and pluck. Mr. Donaldson was united in marriage, in Rock Isl- and, July 4, 1865, to Ellen M. Titterington, who was born in this State. They have become the parents of seven children : Mary E., Clara B., Anna E., Richard, Susan, An- drew and P. Maud. Mr. Donaldson has held the office of Supervisor of his township for five years, Assessor three years and also Road Commissioner and other minor offices. Politically, he is identified with the interests of the Democratic party. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church. ^ '.v%-wf% Q. Anderson, of the firm of Anderson & Hanson, successors to Eklund & An- s^sou Person, dealers in stoves, tinware, gas pipes and steam fitting, in Moline. They estab- lished their business in May, 1882, and carry an average stock of $2,500. Mr. Anderson was born in Sweden, April 26, 1850, and came to the United States with his father, Nels Anderson, in 1S54. They came directly to Moline, this county, where Mr. Anderson learned the paper-making bus- iness with Mr. S. W. Wheelock. He was an em- ployee of the Moline Paper Company for 21 years, and continued in the same until the time of com- mencing his present business. In 1882 he entered into a partnership with O. F. Eklund iin the hard- ware business, the firm name being Eklund & An- derson. This connection continued until Sept. i, 1S84, when Mr. Eklund sold out to Albert Hanson, and the firm name became Anderson & Hanson, which partnership exists until- the present time. They are conducting a good and constantly increas- ing business, and are regarded by the citizens of the county as strictly honest and straightforward in all their dealings, which accounts for the increase in their trade. Mr. Anderson formed a matrimonial alliance in Mercer County, 111., on the 8th day of October, 187 1, with Miss Matilda Rostett, daughter of Peter Ros- tett. Mrs. Anderson was born in Sweden and came to the United States in 1857. Four children have been born to them, all boys : Frank M. W., Almund G., Joseph E. and Robert N. P. Politically, Mr. Anderson is a believer in and an advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and socially is a member of the A. O. U. W. /: . Tfel '),urtis M. Rice, one of the pioneers of e '\ljM\ Whiteside and Rock Island Counties, re- 4iP^ I T siding in Cordova Township, was born in K) Oneida Co., N. Y., July 17, 18 17. His father, ^ Jeremiah, Rice, was born in the same county m 1788, and was a farmer by occupation. The mother of the subject of this notice, whose maiden name was Abigail Mitchell, was also a na- tive of York State. After marriage, the parents re- sided in Oneida County until 1835. In the spring of that year they started West, with a team of horses and a covered wagon, containing the family and household goods. They drove through to Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, where they remained through the summer, and in the fall of the same year started on an over- land journey for this State, arriving at Ottawa, La Salle County, where they spent the winter of that year. In the spring of 1836, they again started out and came to this county and located on the present site of Albany, where the father was one of the very (t) *& eA4*nn®iiii&A^ — ^€^ -4*a^ 88*1 $m& ^fln&nflf^ -x^-^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^J 9 * i earliest pioneers. He assisted in platting the village, built a frame house there from hewn timbers, and made all the boards, laths and shingles from oak timber. In 1837 he rented his property in Albany, and removed to Rock Island County, where he made a claim on section 33, Cordova Township, and when the land came into market, entered it. Immedi- ately after making his claim, he located upon it and entered vigorously and energetically upon its im- provement and cultivation, and on it he resided until the date of his death in 1842, his wife following him to the land of the hereafter ten years later. The issue of their union was seven children, five of whom survive: Curtis M., subject of this biographi- cal notice, resides in Cordova Township; Amelia is the wife of Captain A. M. George, residing in Garden Plain; De Witt, lives in Clinton Co., Iowa; Warren and Consider reside in Audubon Co., Iowa. Curtis M. Rice, subject of this biographical notice, was in his 18th year, when he came to this county, in company with his parents, and the events of in- terests that happened in an early day in the history of the county are fresh in his memory. On attain- ing the age of 22 years, he went to Galena, where he remained for a period, and for three years following he was engaged in the lead mines in that vicinity, with the exception of the winter seasons, which he spent at home. He earned his money in the mines, with which he entered land in company with his father, and, retiring from the labors of the mines, en- tered upon the task of cultivating and improving his land. He formed a matrimonial alliance in March, 1844, in Scott Co., Iowa, with Eliza Earl, a native of Penn- sylvania, in which State she was born Nov. 15, 1822. They commenced housekeeping in the log-cabin which he had previously built. In 1848 he sold the land he had entered to J. B. Crosby, and moved to the village of Cordova, where he followed the occu- pation of "mine host" for three years. He then bought land on section 34, township 21, range 2. In 1856 he moved to Port Byron, where he resided for three years, and then returned to his farm. In 1877 he sold his farm, and purchased the farm which he otcupies, located on section 4, Cordova Township, and on which he located. The farm is well improved and furnished with a good substantial residence, barn and outbuildings, and is pleasantly located on the banks of the Mississippi River. ^V^-^v ^BBSBIl^ Mrs. Rice died Jan. 4, 1861. The issue of their union was five children, three of whom survive. Martha was born Nov. 6, 1845, and is the wife of Charles George : Mary J., born May 19, 1851; wife of King George, residing in Cordova; Maud, born Jan. 2, 1854; wife of Charles Kitchen, resident of Chicago. Mr. Rice was again married in 1862, to Victoria T. Brown, daughter of Charles T. and Sarah (Axe) Brown. Of the latter union, five children have been born, two of whom survive, namely: Verna, born Sept. 27, 1866, and Ruby, March 24, 1872. " ■■'■■'■"&*>. - ;, % fj mos Altimus, a mechanic, .working in the 'tjUt^r. employ of Deere & Co., in their Plow '■' ' Works, at Moline, was born in Indiana Co., ~«jtak Pa., Feb. 15, 1828, and is the son of John and Margaret (Gets) Altimus. He learned the carpenter and wagon-maker's trade, at which he was employed in his native State until 1856, when he removed to Moline, this county, arriving at that place on the nth day of March, that year. On the 4th day of December, 1856, he began working with Deere & Co., and continued in their employ until Feb. 20, 1865, when he enlisted in the War for the Union, joining Co. G, 47th 111. Vol. Inf., as Ser- geant, and served until January, 1866, at which time he received an honorable discharge. Mr. Altimus enlisted soon after the breaking out of the war, in June, 1861, but was rejected at Chicago for physical disability. He nevertheless could not rest content without participating in the fracas, and did not propose to have his record go down to pos- terity as one who had not lifted his hand in defense of the Union in the most trying hour of her extremi- ty. He consequently made another effort to enlist in February, 1865, and was successful. He was in the 16th Army Corps, and participated in the battle of Mobile, being under fire ten days continuously. On his return from the war Mr. Altimus resumed work with Deere & Co., and remained with them until 1870, when he went to Rock Island, as foreman of the wood department of the B. D. Buford & Co. Plow Works, and held that position seven years. He then returned to Deere & Co.'s and continued with them until June, 1882. v3 ( 5 ■S f ll I T^r ■*-.. / ;.*p. ,.£ I ^t& 4 ;C«^^' • W»P :$?.•?*■ . *-■.; '% M ■■ **>;>• '*#/« 2 #jjp : ,1 "*#* UJ [ M iVSi-t itiM '%, S!S@gkM «-e«*llll3£llll^©- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^^ & i f During the Centennial year Mr. Altimus made the wood work for Deere & Co.'s exhibit at the Centen- nial Exposition at Philadelphia. In July, 1882, he took charge of the wood department of the Moline Plow Co.'s works, and held that position one year, after which he again returned to Deere & Co., where he has since been continuously employed. Mr. Altimus formed a matrimonial alliance in In- diana Co., Pa., Nov. 28, 1850, with Miss Hannah M., daughter of Samuel Curts. She was born in Eastern Pennsylvania, near Danville, April S, 1829. They are the parents of four children, namely : Delia, the eldest, was born Jan. 14, 1852, and is the wife of C. M. Waters, of Denver, Col. ; Sanford Y. was born Oct. 27, 1853, and died in infancy; Lizzie, born April 21, 1855, died in infancy; Ada, the youngest, was born. at Moline, June 2, 1857, and is the wife of E. D. Siekmnn, and now resides in Chicago, 111. In his political views he is an earnest Republican. Socially, he is identified with various societies ; is Past Vice-Commander of Graham Post, No. 312, G. A. R., a member of the Order of A. O. U. W., of the Improved Order of Red Men, and Degree of Honor. ■0—0- -''•■ Hf t' ; < "ames Shaw, merchant, one of the pioneers and successful business men of this county, ■ - came to Moline with his parents in 1848; he was born at Bristol, England, Dec. 15, 1830, and is a son of Thomas S. and Sarah 'j"" (Milnes) Shaw. James Shaw received a good education in his native country, attending an acad- emy. After leaving school he entered a wholesale dry-goods establishment, where he remained a year and a half, after which he went into his father's counting-room, Mr. Shaw, the elder, at that time be- ing extensively engaged in commercial pursuits. In 1848, Thomas S. Shaw, with his family, em- barked for America, landing at New Orleans and expecting to locate in Texas. Before his departure from London, he had purchased scrip for land in that State. The unsettled condition of the country and the advice of an acquaintance determined him to locate elsewhere. He accordingly came up the river and stopped at Rock Island, where the family remained two months, moving from there to Gen- eseo, and subsequently, in T849, to Andover, and to Moline in 1850. He continued to reside in Illinois for four years, when he removed to Wisconsin, where he lived for 18 years, removing thence to Coburg, Ontario, Canada, where he spent the last six months of his life, and where he died, in July, 1870. James Shaw's first employment in Moline was that of clerk in a store, where he continued until 1S53, when he engaged in business for himself as a general merchant. He began with limited means, but by close application, good management and fair and honest dealing, he was soon enabled to extend his business until at present he has one of the largest general stores in the city. Mr. Shaw formed a matrimonial alliance at Mo- line, Dec. 20, 1 85 4, with Miss Eliza Fairclough, a daughter of William Fairclough, an English mer- chant. Her mother's maiden name was Catharine Boothroyd. Mrs. Shaw was born in Liverpool, Eng- land, and emigrated with her parents to the United States, coming directly to Moline in the winter ot 1850. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Shaw has been blessed with six children, three of whom are living, namely : Ida Howard, Alfred Fairclough and Charles Edward. Alfred F. married Miss Elizabeth Dresser, an American lady, and is associated with his father in business at Moline. Mr. Shaw is one of those who believe in making such use of money that, while not prodigal, they and their families may obtain the greatest amount of enjoyment, and have the best possible advantages for improvement and culture. With this end in view, his wife and children have spent several years in Europe, where his children have pursued their studies under the best instructors of the Old World. While Mr. Shaw has a pleasant and commodious residence at Moline, a view of which is shown op- posite the portrait of Mr. Shaw, given in connection with this work, he keeps another home in Canada, on the shores of Lake Huron, where his family spend a portion of each year. The firm of James Shaw & Son, of 1,529 Second Avenue, carry an average stock of general merchan- dise ; and, being one of the oldest established houses in the city and widely known for a careful selection of goods and fair prices, together with honest deal- ing, they have secured an extensive trade among the better class of customers of Rock Island County. V3? ^ * & 4 I c- ; --,^- *mw$> gs»- t n A > 350 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. __ ^^v^ Religiously, Mr. Shaw and family are members of the Episcopal Church, and politically, Mr. Shaw has been identified with the Democratic party all his life. As the subject of the foregoing sketch is a repre- sentative man and a prominent and exemplary citi- zen of this county, a good lithographic likeness of him is inserted herewith. of the firm of Hess & ]ffj||illiam B. Hess, 5:iyy!p '^ Owen, editors and proprietors of the Port Ci ~" Byron Globe, was born at Comanche, Clinton Co., Iowa, Sept. 10. 1S5S, and is the second son of Isaac and Hannah (Burchard) Hess. His father was born in Pennsylvania, and his mother was a native of Dela- ware. Both were of German nationality. They went to Princeton, Iowa, when the son was a lad of seven years. His father died there in 1872. His mother was a resident there until 1881. She makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. M. E. Culbertson, at St. Louis, Mo. With the exception of a space of 18 months, Mr. Hess lived with his mother until he was 19 years of age. The interim he passed in the vicinity of Dav- enport. He was a pupil in the schools at Princeton, where he obtained his education. At the age men- tioned he went to Carroll Co., Iowa, and the winter after his arrival there he taught a term of school. He spent the ensuing summer at the Iowa Agricul- tural College at Ames. He returned to Carroll County, where he again engaged in teaching one winter. In the spring he went to Valparaiso, Ind., and attended the Normal School of Northern Indi- ana, and while there he completed a course of busi- ness study, being graduated in the fall of 1879. He then engaged in teaching at Cordova Township, 111., following that vocation two winters successively in in the same place. The intervening summers he was a clerk on the river steamer Menominee, which plied between St. Louis and Stillwater. In the winter of 1881 and 1882 he attended an institute at Delaware, Ohio, called the " Pen Art Hall," where he was graduated in the spring of 18S2. In the same year he taught penmanship in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. He spent the winter in teaching at Cordova. In the spring of 1883, he entered the employ of G. A. Metzgar, and passed a season in the capacity of Sec- retary of the Port Byron Lime Association. The next winter he taught school in the township of Coe, at a point one mile from Port Byron. In February, 1884, he bought a two-thirds inter- est in the Port Byron Globe, and was connected with that journal until July, 1SS5. In August following he purchased a general stock of goods in the village of Port Byron, and is now engaged in the mercantile business. He is a member of Port Byron Lodge, No. 624, 1. O. O. F., and Sycamore Camp, No. 33, M. VV. A. Mr. Hess was married Oct. 6, 1884, to Elizabeth C. Strickland, who was born in Chicago, Feb. 23, rS66. Mr. and Mrs. Hess are now the parents of one child, a son, born July rS, 1S85. ^ -o-S- -3— rthur S. Wright was born at St. Johnsbury, Vt., Oct. 17, 1832, of genuine New England ; .<" '" Yankee stock, his father being Calvin, his , mother being Hannah (Moore) Wright. A. S. Wright attended school most of the time until he was 17 years old. Up to this age he learned the carpenter and joiner trade, and worked at it for some four years, and then was in that line of business for himself for about two years. He first came to Moline, Iil., May 17, 1856. Here he re- mained for about one year, and the first work he ever did in the West was one-half hour's labor in the shop of John Deere; but, nearly every one of the workmen being a Swede, whose language he could not under- stand, he left, and soon went to the bench, and made 100 plain hard-wood bureaus, by piece-work, which he turned out in the upper part of the old building which he afterward owned, and which is now one of the warehouses of the Moline Pump Company, of which he is President. Having completed the bu- reaus, he turned again to his trade, and assisted in erecting the first high-school building, and the resi- dence of Judge Gould, in Moline. He then went West, and arrived in Omaha, Neb., ■^€^ ^4 ; !ltlS0^>^ i ^^- *@ s&^si^E? •*T i'-iSj 0J 9 I i?(9CX ISLAND COUNTY. April 17, 1857, after having been 14 days going'up the river from St. Louis. At Omaha he worked for a while at his trade, as a carpenter, and also labored as such for a few months at Florence, Neb., when he drifted back to Omaha, and soon after went to Dennison, Iowa, at work with Ezra Smith, for the Providence Western Land Company, assisting in building the first houses in that town, putting up the Court-House, and constructing bridges about the country for the company. After three years' labor there he returned to Moline, and went into partner- ship with Ezra Smith for the making of fanning- mills, dissolving partnership in January, 1864, he himself continuing to make fanning-mills and horse- rakes until March 1, 1866, when he bought out H. E. Barber's interest in the pump factory. The old partnership consisted of A. S. Wright, W. Hillhouse and Ezra Smith, under the firm name of Wright, Hillhouse & Co. It was organized as a stock con- cern, and named the Moline Pump Company, March 1- 1873- On Feb. 9, 1864, he married Miss Harriet A. Brett, at Rockville, Conn., and they have had two children, namely, Eluvia E., born Feb. 4, 1865 ; Edith W., Jan. 17, 1872, and the latter died eight months later. Mrs. Wright is a member of the Bap- tist Church, but he is disposed to be rather " liberal ' in his religious views. In politics he is most em- phatically a Democrat. He held the office of Trus- tee, in the early days of Moline, was Supervisor for one year, and for several years has been one of the Directors of the Moline Public Library; is a Free- mason, but connected with none of the other secret societies. The pump company, in which he is the principal and leading character, is one of the most flourishing institutions in Moline. *— ^- ^ '-■ :!\: "? ^ifi. avid Warnock, farmer on section 13, Ru- ral Township, is a son of John and Mary (Campbell) Warnock. (See sketch of John Warnock.) Mr. W., of this sketch, was born in County Down, Ireland, Aug. 6, ' 1847, and was only a year old when his parents emigrated to America. He remained a member of the household until 25 years of age, receiving his education in the common schools. He has until the present been engaged in agricultural pursuits, now- being the owner of i6oacresof land in Rural Town- ship, and T47 acres in Henry County, most of which is under cultivation. He was married in Henry County, 111., March 19, 1873, to Miss Jennie, daughter of Thomas and Jane (Grant) Ferguson, her parents being natives respect- ively of Ireland and Scotland, and have a family of eight children, — James, Annie, Jennie, William, Ella, Sarah, Hattie and Carrie. Mrs. Warnock was born near Pittsburg, Pa., April 12, 1855, and she has had six children, viz. : Mary N., Eva L., Annie B., Sadie, Zella J., and one who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Warnock are members of the United Presbyterian Church, and he is a believer in and sup- porter of the principles advocated by the Repub- lican party. « < r p|l :£ ester D. Mudge, senior member of the firm : of Mudge Bros., general merchants at Tay lor Ridge, was born in Chenango Co., N. Y., April 28, 1S45. His father, Edson Mudge, was a prominent farmer of that State, and was married in his native county, to Miss Angelina Burroughs, a native of the same State. He died in New York, in the fall of 1874, and she afterwards came West, and died at the residence of her son in Edgington, this county, Nov. 14, 1875, at the age of ' 66 years. She was the mother of three children, 3 namely: Emeline, who married Dr. Ardo Walker, and now resides in Morris Co., Kan.; Lester D.; and Clarke E., who married Miss Asenath Gibson, and now has one child, Vera by name ; he is the junior member of the firm of Mudge Bros. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was 1 1 years old when his parents came West and settled in Edgington Township, this county. Here he com- pleted his education, in the public schools. At the age of 15 he left home and began in life as a clerk in a mercantile establishment. After his marriage he made his residence in the village of Edgington, fol- lowed farming for a time, then was a clerk again, at fih e^ona^ A-d HH $k crv^DD^HH<>r ■^Hs*©^ n ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Reynolds, the same township. In July, 1S68, he purchased the store belonging to a Mr. Walker, and has since been with his brother, as above mentioned. To their stock of general merchandise they have also added a department of agricultural implements. Mr. M. is also station agent at Taylor Ridge. In his political views he is a strong Democrat, and he has held a number of the offices of Edgington Town- ship. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church. Sept. 17, 1868, is the date of his marriage to Elite Johnson, daughter of Storer Johnson. She was born in Edgington Township, Jan. 29, 1829, and educated principally at Rock Island. Mr. and Mrs. Mudge have one child, named John, who was born Feb. 28, 1885. «-£-*^ "(jTgfj nthony Ricketts, farmer, residing on sec tion ro, Drury Township, was born in rea Montgomery Co., Va , Feb. 3, 1S14. His parents, John B. and Sarah Ricketts, were natives of that State, where the mother died- the father died of cholera in Paducah, Mc- Cracken Co., Ky. Anthony Ricketts, mentioned at the beginning of this sketch, spent his early years at home, assisting on the farm and attending the public schools, until he attained the age of 14, at which time he was employed by farmers in the neighbor- hood of his nativity by the month. He resided with his grandfather in Virginia from the time he was about six years old, the date of the death of his mother, until 14 years of age. When iS years of age he left Shenandoah Co., Va., and went to Wheel- ing, W. Va. Not finding employment at that place, he went on a steamboat to Cincinnati, Ohio. At the latter city he remained but a short time, when he went to Lawrence Co., Ohio, where he resided about two years, and then went to Greene Co., Ohio, and remained for about one year. At this date, in com- pany with another gentleman, he purchased a Hat- boat and went to New Orleans. He was engaged in trading on the river for a short time, and then re- turned to Ohio. He made three trips down the Mississippi to New Orleans on a flat-boat, meeting with success in that line of business. In 1844 Mr. Ricketts came to this county and settled in Drury Township, where he has since re- sided. He is at present the proprietor of 280 acres of land in that township, and has the same under a good state of cultivation, with good residence, barn and outbuildings. The marriage of Mr. Ricketts to Miss Diana Simp- son occurred in Lawrence Co., Ohio, Nov. 13, 1839. She was a native of that county, where she was born April 5, 1825. Five children have been born of their union, namely: John B., March 7, 1841; Ari- anna C, Dec. 1, 1842; Solomon S., Sept. 14, 1844; Susan E., May 22, 1847, and Diana C, April 3, 1849. The wife and mother died in Drury Township, Aug. 17, 1849, and Mr. Ricketts was again married, in the same township, May 8, 1853, to Amanda Doty, a native of Ohio, in which State she was born March 27, 1834. By the latter union eight children have been born: Anthony G., Feb. 18, 1S55 ; Newton B., March 9, 1857 ; Gordon W., Feb. 6, i860 ; Mary E., Aug. 12, 1862; Sarah E., Dec. 23, 1864; Charles A., June 6, 1861, died Dec. 25, 1872; Rufus E., Nov. 10, 1869, and Fred O., Sept 6, 1872. Mr. Ricketts has held the office of School Trustee, Justice of the Peace, Township Assessor, Township Collector and Overseer of Highways. Politically he is identified with the Democratic party, and re- ligiously he and his wife are members of the Meth- odist Church. -*3 Sh- ames Tew, for nearly a quarter of a cen- tury engaged in the market business at Cordova, this county, was born in Buck- inghamshire, England, July 29, 1829. He is the son of George and Ann Tew, both natives k" of the same shire ; he was reared upon the farm in his native land; and in 1850 came to Ameri- ca, and located in Brantfort, Canada, where he ap- prenticed himself to a baker and confectioner, with whom he served four years and 15 days, when he en- gaged, as a traveling salesman to a brewer, and trav- eled three and a half years; and in 1858 came to Cordova, and for a time engaged in making pop beer, during the proper season of the year, and during the remainder of the time in farming. This kind of life 9 ? D^^v^ff® ■^y 2 — e^oratif^A^ — ^^ --.>;-- ^'-:-- # r~r-v>- >2t /ifyQ Saw ;:. ■ :•■ ^zyi^L sT4> <9 CL-i^v^y ^2>. •afifcz 6V^DD^D^>r^r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. (|/ A ) A 1=3 i (e> 357 he followed until 1861, when he embarked in the butchering business, and the following year opened a market, which he has untiringly conducted since that time. In 1856, January 31, Mr. Tew was united in mar- riage with Deborah Foulds, who was born in Lanca- shire, England, Oct. 23, 1838; and came to America in 1841 with her parents. She is the mother of five children, — William F., George W., Anna E., Jennie G. and James Norman. Since 1873, in addition to conducting his market, Mr. Tew has been engaged in buying and shipping stock to Chicago. His wife and family are connected with the Baptist Church. evi McCain, a prominent citizen of Moline, was born in Henderson Co., Ky., Oct. n, 1812, and was the youngest, and is now the ^JJ only one living, of six sons of James and '■*) Eleanor (Boyd) McCain. The other sons were [ John, Alexander, Hance, James and Eli W. The parents were of Scotch descent, and were na- tives of Pennsylvania and North Carolina respect- ively. Levi McCain managed to pick up a little learning by a few weeks' irregular attendance at the subscription schools of his neighborhood; but his education, consisting not in a knowledge of men and the ways of the world, was acquired of such experi- ence as a friendless, penniless man has when thrown out upon the rude waves of the great ocean of life without craft or compass, and is forced to struggle for an invisible shore. In his youth Mr. McCain worked some at gun- smithing and more at farming, but his principal em- ployment from early manhood until about 32 years of age was that cf following the rivers. From 16 to 18 years of age, he was in the employ of the United States Government in its first efforts to improve the Ohio River. Later on, he navigated the Ohio, from Pittsburg to its mouth, the Mississippi from Rock Island to New Orleans, and the Missouri from St. Louis to Independence, as Mate of the steamer " Otto." He was in 1834 Mate on the steamer "Wis- consin," which plied between St. Louis and Dubuque. It was on one of his " up-river " trips that he learned somethingof Moline, and decided to make it his future home. Acting upon this decision, he accordingly landed at Moline, on the 15th day of April, 1845, and here he has since lived, and since 1866 has led a life of comparative ease and comfort. He no longer asks favors from the world, but his well-timed efforts and ceaseless industry have long since brought their re- ward, and Mr. McCain is rounding up an honorable and virtuous life in the peaceful enjoyment of the ac- cumulation of many years of toil. He left Kentucky on account of his Free-Soil prin- ciples, and on the organization of the Republican party he became identified with it; and during the war he was a staunch Union man. After coming to Moline he engaged in boat- building and millwrighting, and was successful in accumulating a competency; and investment in real estate added to his other acquired wealth. He has been thrice married, first, in 1832, in Henderson Co., Ky., to Elizabeth Johnson, who died in Southern Indiana in 1844. Of the six chil- dren she bore, four lived to survive for a time, but at this writing (June, 1885) they have all joined her in the spirit land. Secondly, in Posey Co., Ir.d., in 1844, to Elizabeth Williams, who died in Moline in 1866; and thirdly, at the last named place, Dec. 10, 1869, to Mrs. Harriet Foster, a lady who had been twice a widow. Her maiden name was Stroud, and her first husband's name was John Duncan. To him she bore four children : Joseph A., of Hender- son, Ky.; Mary J., wife of Robert Shaw, of Daven- port, Iowa, and Sarah E. and Amanda E., deceased. Mrs. McCain has six grandchildren, namely, Hattie and John, who are the children of Joseph A. Duncan and reside with their parents in Henderson, Ky., and four children of Mrs. Mary Shaw,— Eva, Joseph, Robert and Mary J. Mrs. McC. in her young days was a pioneer teacher in Southern Illinois. In her religion she is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. IVfr. McCain's only daughter, Mary Elizabeth, be- came the wife of George W. Heck, of Moline, and died March 28, 1865. They had three children, all of whom are living, namely : Sarah, who married Reu- ben Norton, and has had three sons, — Fra k, George W. and Levi; the family reside in Moline; Erne t &*& — ^^ 1 358 ^HU»> ° |^X - ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 1 s3 v who married Elmer Agnew and has a daughter named Harriet; and John, a resident of Moline. The last child and son of Mr. McCain, John, be- came a soldier in the late war, joining Co. H, 37th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., under the three-months call, and participated in many hard-fought battles. On the expiration of his first term of service he re-enlisted for three years, then veteranized and served to the close of the war. During the last part of his service he was a member of the Eighth Mo. Battery. In 1866 he married, in Franklin Co., Kan., Miss Mary Eliza- beth Little, and they had six children, four of whom are living, viz., Matilda, Jennetta, James and Ella May, in Ottawa, that county. The deceased were named Levi and John. A correct lithographic likeness of Mr. McCain is given on a preceding page; and it is one that will not only be admired by all his friends, but also be a source of satisfaction to all who may look into this work or read the outline of his life's career. The portrait of his wife is also given. »@§^OT?»v. -wv*. ■~/v\, -\«j2£i2/! ^€^ 6V4»IMr>r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 359 > The issue of their union was 12 children, namely Charles, Nancy C, Jane, Ursula, Elizabeth, William, James D., Anna, Eli, John, Eliza and Milton. Mrs. R. died in Drury Township, May 6, 1864, and Mr. Reynolds was again married, in that township, in July, 1866, to Jane Harper Getchell, widow of Lor- enzo Getchell, who was killed in the battle of Cor- inth, Miss. She died in Drury Township, in June, 1879. Mr. R., although a gentleman never seeking an office, has held some of the minor offices of the township. Politically, he is identified with the Re- publican party. His parents, William and Nancy (Griffith) Rey- nolds, were born in the vicinity of Chesapeake Bay. They afterwards married and settled in Maryland, from whence they removed to Pennsylvania, then to Ohio, and finally to Indiana, where they died. Their family consisted of eight children, Larkin, William, Priseilla, Caleb, Anna, Eli, Charles and James. The father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and is reported to have been well acquainted with George Washington. ^jmnaX&^^—^M •^gf^rerzra* ^J|jji ; illiam Josephson, of the Moline Cabinet Organ Company, was born in Sweden, Sept. 3, 1843, and is the son of Joseph > and Mary (Handberg) Molander. His father was a native of Sweden, and was born Aug. 10, 17 97, and his mother Dec. 3, 1803. Wil- liam learned the organ-making trade in his native country, and emigrated to America in 1864. He came directly to Princeton, 111., where he worked at cabinet-making as a journeyman seven years. He then went to Mendota, 111., where he was employed in the shops of the Western Cottage Organ Company for nine years. He then came to Moline and bought an interest in the Moline Cabinet Organ Company of this place, and was elected the first Secretary of the company. He was united in marriage at Princeton, 111., June 27, JS69, to Miss Matilda, daughter of Jonas Samuel- son, of Princeton. Mrs. Josephson was born in Sweden, and came to America with her parents in 1852. They are the parents of five children, name- ly: Jennie, born at Mendota, Oct. 22, 1872; Con- rad, bom at Mendota, Feb. 4, 1874; Telma, born at Mendota, July 25, 1878; Effie, at Moline, July 25, 1881, and Leonard, at Moline, Aug. 2r, 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Josephson are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. J. is a Republican in poli- tics. ^# s H. Womacks, one of the progressive farm- S$f. ers of Drury Township, was born in Frank- vsjfc. * lin Township, Brown Co., Ohio, July 20, 18T7. His parents, Terry and Roxanna (Reynolds) Womacks, were natives of Vir- ginia and New York respectively, and settled in Brown Co., Ohio, where they died. William H. Lomacks was the third in order of birth of a family of 1 1 children, and his early years were spent in attending the common schools and in assisting in the labors of the farm until he attained the age of 20 years. At this age in life he emigrated to Muscatine, Iowa, and located in Muscatine County, that State, where he resided for six years, when he came to Rock Island County, in r845, pur-, chased 120 acres of land located in Drury Township, on which he settled and entered vigorously and en- ergetically upon the task of its improvement, and on which he has constantly resided until the present time. Mr. Womacks owned at one time 600 acres of land, but at the present time he is only the pro- prietor of t8o acres. Mr. Womacks was united in marriage, in Brown Co., Ohio, March T5, ^38, to Miss Elizabeth Doty, the accomplished daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Washburne)Doty, natives of Pennsylvania and Ken- tucky respectively. She was the eldest of a family of nine children, and was born in Brown Co., Ohio, Oct. 12, 1817. Mr. and Mrs. Womacks are the parents of one child, Alvin T., born Jan. 8, r842, and resides in Buffalo Prairie Township. They have buried ten children, all of whom died in in- fancy but two. Albert M. enlisted in the 93d 111. Vol. Inf., and it is supposed that he died in the prison at Andersonville, Ga., as he has never been heard from. He was taken prisoner at the battle of A V *f -s*^ e^Ml®!!!!^ JL I 3 ^ c» 360 ■©■ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Mission Ridge, and after being confined in different prisons, he was sent to that worst of all rebel prisons, Andersonville. Thomas P. was a member of the same company and regiment, and was mortally wounded at the battle of Champion Hill, in the rear of Vicksburg, and died on the fourth day after re- ceiving his wound. Mr. W. has held the office of Supervisor three years, and of School Treasurer, 21 years. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which denomination he is a prominent member, having held a license to exhort and been Recording Steward 20 years. Politically, he is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Republian party. lit 6 " % jsj rederick Osborn, a farmer residing on sec- fllip. tion 28, Zunia Township, and the son of George and Sarah E. (Morehouse) Osborn, natives of Connecticut, was born in the State last named March 2, 1826. His parents moved from the State of their nativity to Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1831. His father was a coasting Captain, and followed that occupation from 181 2 to 1831. He then sold his vessel and bought a small farm in Oneida County and lived there until the year 1861. During that year he came to Zuma Township, this county, where he is yet living, with his son John, aged 87 years. Mrs. Osborn died in Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1859. Frederick Osborn, subject of this biographical no- tice, remained on the old homestead, assisting in the maintenance of the family and attending the common schools, in which he received a good English educa- tion until he attained the age of 23 years. He then left home, and realizing that better inducements were offered' in the West for an accumulation of a com- petency, came to Zuma Township, this county, in 1849, and purchased 40 acres of land. He at once entered vigorously and energetically upon its im- provement and cultivation and erected thereon a house 8x12 feet wide and 20 feet in length, costing him just $50, dohig the entire work of constructing the same himself. He lived in this house for a period *& ©3 of ten years, and added to his original purchase 440 acres, making his landed interests in the county 480 acres. The old house has been torn away and in its place a beautiful and commodious residence, to- gether with fine barns and good outbuildings, erected. These, with the pleasant surroundings, are repre- sented by a full-page view in connection with this sketch. Mr. Osborn formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Keziah S. Joslyn, a native of New London, Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1847. She was born Feb. 28, 1828. The issue of their union was six children. The record is as follows : George H., born April 4, 185 r ; Benjamin B., born Oct. 9, i860 ; Ulysses G., born June 24, 1864; Minnie M., born Feb. 28, 1866; Robert R. H., born June 9, 1S68; and Sarah E., born Nov. 24, 1871. George was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Brown, and they are the parents of two children, — Fred and Harry. Ulysses G. mar- ried Rose Erwin, and they have a daughter, Jessie ( K. The wife and mother died Nov. 19, 1874, mourned s by a host of relatives and friends, as a kind mother, Q a loving wife and a generous neighbor. George Osborn, father of the subject of this notice, ^ having been a sea Captain and followed the sea * more or less all his life up to the time he sold his vessel (in 1831) and moved to Oneida Co., N. Y. never saw a cow milked, a horse harnessed, or seed planted in the ground until he had attained the age of 33 years. An anecdote is told of him, which is too good to leave out of this biography: " At the age of 33 years he purchased a team al- ready harnessed, and on going home succeeded in taking off the harness ; but the next morning he was nonplused, not knowing how to put them on again, and was really compelled to go to a neighbor's to pro- cure assistance to harness the team. On another occasion he went into the garden and there discov- ered some beans hanging to a stalk. He supposed the chickens had scratched them up, and pulled one out of the ground and took it in and showed it to his wife, saying that he supposed the chickens had been spoiling their garden. He was of the impression that the bean should be at the other end of the stalk, like the peanut or potato." He is nevertheless a great reader at this time, and although an old man and well-nigh the " borders of the river" he reads without glasses. George H. Osborn lives in Bethany, (j Harrison Co., Mo., where he is engaged in the culti- V m A€HM$nl&A5 ^^ 1 : Wfa^ ?I i ■If u K3 %J ! s £ JR 13 #&'■* KfflJjj :x: •^ S'S T:i Wj»«^ &* J /*C < Q &%mr§^ *> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 363 % vation of a 140-acre farm. Ulysses G. is also a resident of Bethany, and is engaged in the agricul- tural implement business, having a half interest in an establishment at that place carrying a capital stock of $ r 0,000. Politically, he is a Republican. He was formerly an old-line Whig. If ifsgk^dmond Cropper, until recently a general |it) farmer and raiser of live stock, on section 1, Bowling Township, was born in Worcester j^Sjji- Co., Md., June 23, i8rr. His father, a New England farmer of English descent, married Miss Amelia Bowen, also of Worcester County and of New England parentage, and settled on a farm in that county. She died about 1816, and he afterward again married. Being engaged in running ocean vessels to some extent, he finally lost his ves- sel off the New England coast, and then returned to his farm, where he resided until his death, July 26, r834, when he was 66 years old to a day. Edmond, the subject of this sketch, was the fifth in order of birth in a family of t6 children, his father having a total of 2r, by both his wives. He and a sister are the only members of the family now sur- viving. He resided at home during most of his younger days, attending to his father's farm and go- ing to the district school. The first two years after his father's death he passed as a sailor on the Atlan- tic Ocean, being first mate, and a short time with his Captain as ship-mate. Subsequently he came West and settled on a farm in Bowling Township, this county. Nov. 4, 1846, in the above township, he married Miss Mary Peckenpaugh, who was born in Ohio, and finally died, at her home in this county, Oct. 13, 1859. She was the daughter of an Ohio farmer, located in Southern Illinois in 1834, and afterward in Swedona, Mercer County. She became the mother of nine children, three of whom died in infancy. The living are: Martha E., who is now residing at home with her father; Julia married Stephen Bowen, and is liv- ing in Waterbury, Conn. ; Emily married Thomas Laflin, resides on a farm in Black Hawk Township, this county; Hettie A. married David Hoover, re- siding in Nebraska; William married Anna Cook, ul Rock Island, and resides on the old homestead; George married Julia Zahn, and is a resident of Edg- ington Township. Since his marriage Mr. Cropper has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits. His first purchase of land was 40 acres from the Government ; and since then he has bought a considerable area; he now has 213 acres, most of which is cultivated, and is rendered highly valuable by its superior condition; his farm buildings are first-class. In his political views he is a strong Republican; has held the office of School Director 17 years, Road Commissioner, etc., and he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as was also his wife. He has recently moved to Milan, where, at this writing, he resides. -s6>- •rt*- ■Mfcenry J. Hull, a merchant of Moline, was J^ born July 23, 1843, at Kendall, Orleans Co., N. Y. His parents, John and Eunice (Jennings) Hull, had four children, Henry be- ing the third in order of birth. When he was seven years of age the family removed to North- ern Indiana, where he remained until rS64. He at- tended school until he was about iy years of age, and then began life as a clerk in a general store. In the fall of r864 he entered the service of the Gov- ernment on the island of Rock Island, then a prison for rebels, as clerk in the Quartermaster's Depart- ment, remaining there until July, T865, when he re- turned to Lima, Ind., and entered into partnership with his brother, George B., in the mercantile busi- ness until the summer of r867_ He then came again to Moline, and opened a dry-goods store, his brother, just mentioned, coming here and joining him in the business in rS76; and at this date, r885, are still to- gether, enjoying a fair degree of prosperity. On the 15th of February, r87 2, at Montrose, Pa., Mr. Hull was married to Ella Kress, who was born in Troy, that State, in 1848, her parents being Ben- jamin and Margaret (Wilcox) Kress. Mr. and Mrs. Hull have two children : George H., born June T7, 1873; and John K., born March 9, 1875. Mrs. H. Sir A 5 9 o. X=J. Si/ ( f&i nm>^ — s^n t>t§*f(®> x. m I •€3K V (!) A 3 6 4 j?OCZ ISLAND * Ty- co U NT Y. ■3* *m£% is a member of the Baptist Church, but Mr. Hull is connected with no congregation. He is Republi- can as to political issues, and locally he has been a member of the Board of Education three years. alvin R. Ellsworth, residing at Illinois City, was born in Portage Co., Ohio, Jan. Mh "*" 22, 1839, and is a son of Calvin L. and Jfe) Ann Maria (Stanley) Ellsworth. His father yp? was born in Ohio in 1S09, and his mother in < New Jersey in 181 1. The mother settled in Ohio with her parents while young, and they were married in that State. They located near Rootstown, Portage County, where the father followed the voca- tion of a farmer until 1840. In the fall of that year he started with a team overland for Illinois, and came to this county, where he made a claim on sec- tion 31, Buffalo Prairie Township. He erected a good frame house, the lumber being all oak. He entered vigorously and energetically upon the culti- vation and improvement of his land and succeeded in placing 120 acres under good tillable condition, on which he resided until 1858, when he sold the same and bought land in Drury Township, on which he has resided until the present time. There were six children born of their union, only three of whom survive, namely : Margaret, at present the wife of George E. French, residing in Drury Township ; Calvin R., the subject of this notice; and Dolly A., wife of John Shutes, a resident of Mercer County, this State. Calvin R. Ellsworth, subject of this biographical notice was not a year old when he came to this State, and consequently knew no other than Illinois as a home. He was reared on the farm and educated in the common schools of his native county. He made his home under the parental roof-tree until 1859, when he went to Missouri and engaged to learn the blacksmith trade near Sedalia. He worked at his trade at that place for three years, then returned to Rock Island County and engaged at his trade in Drury Township, where he remained for one year, when he went to Illinois City and followed his trade there for one year. He then went to Muscatine, Iowa, and carried on the same business for one and a half years, when he again returned to Illinois City and prosecuted his business continuously until 1881. During this year he rented his shop and engaged in the mercantile trade. He had previously formed a partnership with his brother, Bartley Ellsworth, and opened a store, where they carried on a grocery business, which partnership continued until 1876, when he purchased his brother's interest and con- tinued in the business alone for about two years. Mr. Ellsworth formed a matrimonial alliance, June 13, i86i,with Miss Mary J. McMullen. She was born in Licking Co., Ohio. The issue of their union was five children, of whom two survive. Laura A. was born Oct. 9, 1863, and is the wife of Gideon Reed, a resident of Drury Township; Dora Belle, born April 17, 1873, and resides at home ; the first child, a son, named Joseph L., died when 9 months and 14 days old ; the third child, May, died in her nth year; Maggie Lee, the fourth child, died at 1 6 years of age. Mr. Ellsworth was appointed Postmaster at Illi- nois City, April 1, 1874, and has held the office con- tinuously up to this time. Religiously, he and his wife are both members of the United Brethren Church. Politically, he is a believer in and sup- porter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. Mr. Ellsworth is also senior member of the firm of Ellsworth & Crabtree, general merchants, at Illinois City. V© (Jl « (!) harles C. Crabtree, of the firm of Ells- f" worth & Crabtree, general merchants of l-ET^ Buffalo Prairie, is a native of Union Co., $;§ Ind., where he was born March 2, 1842. W William and Elizabeth (Swingle)Crabtree, his parents, were natives of Western Virginia. When Charles was about ten years of age they moved to Illinois, the journey being made with a wagon, ' carriage and three horses, the family cooking and camping on the way. His father rented land in different places in Mercer and Rock Island Counties until iS6i,when he bought two blocks in Illinois City, upon which he built a log house, where and his wife lived until the date of their deaths. ^©*= — ^A4«nii3>^ — *&*- « § * ©s% -> ©, > A :) A (^ i® ^OC^ ISLAND COUNTY. Our subject was the second son of the family, and he made his home with his parents until the time of his enlistment in defense of his country's honor, which occurred Aug. 5, 1862. He enlisted in Co. E, 1 8th Iowa Vol. Inf., and served with valor and devotion to his country until the close of the war, serving mostly in Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian Territory. He participated in the battles of Spring- field, Prairie De Ann, Poison Springs, Ark., Saline River, besides numerous skirmishes. He was dis- < harged in August, 1865, with his regiment, when he immediately returned to Illinois City. He then en- gaged in farming and interested himself in agricul- tural pursuits until 1878, when he embarked in the mercantile business, and is now with his partner carrying on a general store. The postoffice is also located at his store. Our subject was married July 16, 1866, to Susan E. Peppers, who was born in Rock Island County, and is the daughter of John and Rebecca (Dungan) Peppers. Both himself and wife are members of the United Brethren Church. In politics he is a staunch Republican, but has never been an aspirant for po- litical honors. -K3- -&- :-'i >'"?--' % '' w~ |ii| K>U ; .-,an McNeal, a farmer, residing on sections y' b.Wl j, 19 and 30, Hampton Township, was born 3 (jk " in Rock Island Co., Dec. 5, 1839, his par- TJ* ents being Henry and Louisa E. (Wells) Mc- ■fc Neal, natives of New York and Illinois \ respectively. They came to Rock Island in 182S, and the father erected the first frame barn built in the county; also raised the first fruit in the county. Mr. McNeal, subject of this notice, remained at home, assisting his father in the maintenance of the family, and attending the common schools (at which he received a good English education), until he at- tained the age of 15 years. He then went forth to fight the battles of life alone, and engaged to learn the tinner's trade, and after completing his appren- ticeship at the same he worked at it nine years. In 1864 he commenced farming in Hampton Township on 160 acres of land, located on sections 19 and 30, which he had purchased, and where he at present resides. He entered vigorously and energetically upon the improvement of his place, and at the pres- ent writing has an excellent farm, consisting of 160 acres, with good residence, barn and outbuildings. Mr. McNeal was united in marriage to Miss Anna Crawford, Sept. 2, 1863. She was a native of New York, where she was born April 24, 1S44. The issue of their union has been four children : Nelly, born May 5, 1865 ; Hattre, born Sept. 27, 1867; Gussie, born Jan. 25, 1872, and Henry, born Dec. 28, 1875. Politically, Mr. McNeal is a believer in and sup- porter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. He has held the position of Postmaster at Watertown for a period of 30 years, and is the owner of two-thirds of the village plat. I V& amuel Bryan, a retired farmer, residing on section 8, Zuma Township, was born in Chester Co., Pa., March 22, 1805. His parents were Thomas and Nancy (McCoy) Bryan, the former a native of the Keystone State and the latter of Ireland. They both died in Pennsylvania. Samuel Bryan remained at home with his parents until he was 21 years of age. During his boyhood and youth he attended the common schools and worked on the farm. After he quitted the parental home he worked for some time on a farm by the month, and in 1837 came to Ohio, where he remained until 1841. During that year he came to Rock Island County and stopped for two years at Moline, when, in 1843, he purchased 140 acres of land where he now resides and began active operations as a farmer. It will be seen by the date of his arrival here that he was one of the earliest settlers who lo- cated and improved land in this section of the county. Long since he has arisen to that honorable position of being one of the leading and most re- spected farmers in this township. Mr. Bryan was united in marriage, in 1831, to Miss Mary Garner, a native of England. They reared a large family of children, who have taken promi- nent and respected positions in society. Mis. Bryan 9 C <© ^^ — e^wremi ^vC) ^ 3^ 3 66 ■^v^an^DD^v-^- •/ *< BOCK ISLAND COUNTY. ■i, 1=3 (a\ died in 1876. The following is the record of their eight children : Alice, the eldest, is the wife of Simon Michaels, and they have one child,— William ; Isabella married James Dark, and Ambrose and John are the names of their two children ; Thomas married Jane Sturtevant, and to them have been born eight children, — John, Mary, David, Hannah, Sam- uel, Allie, Sarah and Lula ; Sarah is the wife of John Moore, and is the mother of two children, — Nettie and Sarah ; Hannah married William Moore : Edna is their adopted daughter ; Jane is the wife of George Wainwnght, and the mother of two children, — Mar- cellus and Isabella ; Alvina is now Mrs. Edward Housapel, and the mother of the following five chil- dren, — Piudence, Lula, Samuel, Edith and Marcel- lus; Samuel married Luella Bowles, and they are the parents of one child, — Samuel M. ueius P. Wheelock, a superintendent in the works of the Moline Plow Company^ fourth son of a family of five sons and one daughter, was born in Holland, Erie Co., N. Y., June 10, 1844. His father's name was William, his mother's Catharine (Morey) Wheelock, Yankee people from Massachusetts. He attended the district school during boyhood and one term at the Aurora Academy, and then taught school five terms, three of which were in his old home district. The intervals he devoted to agricultural labors on the farm of his father. He re- mained in and about Holland until 1869, in May of which year his father died, at 60 years of age. Lu- cius was appointed administrator, and after settling the affairs of the estate sold the farm, and, with his mother and sister, came to Moline, 111. Remain- ing here a month or two only, he went to Madison, Wis., on a visit to his uncle, Daniel Larkin. In Feb., 1870, he and his younger brother, Jerome B. Wheelock, went to Springfield, Mo., and rented and carried on a farm of 40 acres for two years. He then returned to Madison, Wis., on a visit to his mother, who had bought a farm near that city. Going back to Holland, he was a clerk for a year thtre in a general store ; then he worked for ®A£ *-_- />>> awhile as a hand in a blacksmith-shop, in which he subsequently became a partner. After toiling at that laborious work for about two years he returned to Madison, and managed the farm for his mother for something over a year, during which time he com- pleted a thorough course of commercial studies at the Northwestern Business College in the city, grad- uating thereat in Dec, 1876. He came to Moline again about May 1, 1877, at which time we find him with the Victor Scale Com- pany (now the Moline Scale Company), as traveling builder, which occupation he followed, also working in the shops some, until July 1, 1881, when he took charge of the shops of the Moline Scale Company as superintendent, which position he held until Jan. 1, 1885. He then entered the shops of the Moline Plow Company, where he is now superintendent of the department for turning out the famous sulky plow, " Flying Dutchman." In his political principles, Mr. Wheelock has al- ways been a Republican, and in his religious senti- ment is most emphatically a staunch Spiritualist. He is unmarried, but makes a comfortable home for his invalid mother, now 71 years of age, with whom he resides at 1,307 Fifteenth Street. To her wants he devotes kind and helpful attention. f-Hef-^i^-i .#»» eorge MeNeal was born in Hampton :ii||||J Township, this county, Nov. 27, 1833, his " : '.'fi" " parents being Henry and Eliza (Wells) ' MeNeal, natives of New York and Illinois re- spectively. The parents came to Rock Island i in 1828, and were truly representative pioneers of this county. They experienced all the trials inci- dent to a new and undeveloped country, and the father built the first barn and raised the first fruit in the county. Mr. MeNeal, subject of this biographical notice, remained on the parental homestead, receiving the advantages afforded by the common school, and per- forming such labor as was common to farmer's sons of the time and locality'in which he resided, until he attained the age of iq years. On arriving at this age in life he engaged to learn the blacksmith's trade ^P < 0) ft ■§*«§iiii;> r?- M ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 369 mm* w ~ 4 with C. B. Marshall, of Port Byron. He served an ? apprenticeship of two years, then engaged in bnsi- 6 ness himself at Port Byron, and followed his trade almost constantly for a period of 24 years. Soon after the wires had flashed across the country the news ■f that Rebel guns were thundering forth their shot and shell on Sumter, and our martyred President had called for brave hearts and strong arms to suppress the rebellion, Mr. McNeal concluded to respond. Consequently, in August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. G, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., and for three years served in bat- tling for the cause of right, and at the expiration of that time he was honorably discharged. Return- ing home, he again engaged in the blncksmith busi- ness, together with that of the livery business, which he followed until 1S77. He then purchased 40 acres of land located on section 30, Hampton Township, upon which he moved and on which he has since re- 1 sided and followed the vocation of a farmer. Mr. McNeal formed a matrimonial alliance, May - 1, 1856, with Miss Caroline Addison, a native of \ Pennsylvania, in which State she was born Aug. 3, i 1836. Politically, Mr. McNeal is a believer in the ' tenets of the Republican party. He has held the offices of Road Commissioner, Collector and Con- jj stable, and socially is a member of the I. O. O. F. ■ and A. O. U. W., and is one of the representative , -\ and energetic citizens of Hampton Township. 4 '"■' £i4 : ' as P er Maurer, a cooper by s LJiil;, siding at Rapids City, 4 4t vocation, re- picts City, Rock Island ? V^ County, was born in Switzerland, Ger- $K> many. His younger days were spent at M school in acquiring an education, but when ' he attained the age of 14 years he engaged to learn the cooper's trade and served three years. He afterward worked at his trade for five years in his native land, when he emigrated to the United Slates and located in Hampton Township, where he en- gaged in work at coopering until the year 186 1 . In that year he enlisted in Co. G, 47th Reg. 111. State Volunteers, where he served until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. Returning to his home, he worked as a teamster for a number of years, and by his careful management and good judgment he is now the possessor of 11 lots and five houses. In 1855 Mr. Maurer formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Ustenia Smidt, a native of Germany, and they have had six children, namely : Bertha, Fid ward, William, John, Martin and Mary. Politic- ally Mr. Maurer affiliates with the Democratic party, and has held various local positions, such as Town Trustee and School Trustee. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Maurer belong to the Catholic Church, and the former is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Odd Fellows and Woodmen, besides belonging to the Grand Army of the Republic. ••<-HHHN->" w 1 I .harles W. Heald, Vice-President of the ■- mf Union Malleable Iron Company, at Mo- *» line, and one of the pioneer manufac- turers of that city, where he resides, was born at Barre, Worcester Co., Mass., March 12, 1829, and is the son of Stephen and Mary (Newton) Heald. Mr. Heald received a good common -school edu- cation in his native county, and served a regular ap- prenticeship to the trade of machinist in his father's shop at Barre, in which he subsequently became foreman and which position he held for a number of years. In the spring of 1854, Mr. Heald came to Moline, this county, in accordance with the pre-arranged plan to establish a foundry or machine shop in company with Messrs. Williams and White. The partnership was formed, building erected and a business estab- lished, under the firm name of Williams, Heald & Co., of which the present extensive house of Wil- liams, White & Co. is the successor. Mr. Heald had charge of the mechanical department of the works, and continued his connection with the firm until 1869, when he sold his interest to Messrs. Williams & White. After selling out, as stated, Mr. Heald and others established the Moline Malleable Iron Works, which he conducted until 1S72, when lie sold the same and was joined by Messrs. Eells & Mitchel in organizing the Union Malleable Iron Company, of which he was elected Vice-President, and which • «; © ■^A^IIIISIIIK^A© — is ^ Kl — t*@J§)$@/ (g&^f— ■ry >r®mm> s* 370 I" v2; i) SS $ ^ ) ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. » f * @>X < office he has held continuously since. Mr. Heald has had the general management of the mechanical department of the works since their construction. He is skilled and experienced in his business, indefatig- able in the discharge of his duties, and has contrib- uted largely to the success of the company. Mr. Heald formed a matrimonial alliance Aug. 2, 1859, at Moline, this county, with Miss Daphne Levia Churchill, the accomplished daughter of Cullen Dyer Churchill. She was born at Ellington, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Feb. 23, 1838, and came to Moline in her 20th year (July, 185S). The issue of their union was two children : Mary Lizzie, born at Moline, July 20, 1864, and Charles C, born in the same city, June 6, 1867. Mrs. Heald is a member of the Con- gregational Church. Politically, Mr. Heald is a believer in and supporter of the principles of the Republican party. As a representative business man of this county, a pioneer manufacturer, and a gentleman well known and highly esteemed, not only by the people through- out Rock Island County, but even Northern Illinois, it is quite fitting that a portrait of Mr. Heald should appear in the Album of this county. p Edmund Hollister, of Port Byron, is a pio- neer of Rock Island County of 1837. He was born Dec. 28, 1807, in Glastonbury, Conn., and is the youngest son of Isaac and Abigail (Savage) Hollister. Hi's parents set- tled at Granville, Washington Co., N. Y., where his father purchased a farm. After residing thereon several years, he bought a residence at North Gran- ville, where he died, in his 90th year. His wife died a few years before, aged 75. Mr. Hollister was reared on his father's farm and was educated in the public schools. He was mar- ried Jan. 11, 1832, to Emma Louisa, daughter of Nathaniel Hall, an eminent lawyer of Whitehall, N. Y., who was born in Lebanon Co., N. H., and com- pleted his education at Dartmouth College, in Han- over, N. H. He began his practice as an attorney at Whitehall, where he was the first representative of his profession, and in which he attained a leading \$ v®»^ position, becoming one of the Associate Judges of the District to which he belonged. He died in his 45th year, in October, 1825. Esther (Parker) Hall, his wife, was born in Granville, N. Y. Edmund Hollister and wife settled, after their marriage, on a farm in Granville, which he bought in company with his brother Jehiel, and on which he lived until 1S37, when he set out for Illinois with his family. They traveled by the Erie Canal and the lakes to Chicago, where Mr. Hollister left his family and started on foot for Rock Island. He walked the entire distance with the exception of one half day, when he obtained a ride with Bishop Chase. With his brother's team, which consisted of three yokes of oxen, he returned to Chicago for his family, then in- cluding his wife and three children, and conveyed them to Rock Island County. He bought a claim of land in what is now Coe Township, on which was a log cabin, and in this the family lived six months. Then Mr. H. sold out and bought a half interest in the saw-mill situated in the locality then designated town 18, range 1 west. He there built a house for the accommodation of his household. He transacted business there 16 years, manufacturing and selling lumber. In 1854 he again sold out and removed to Port Byron Township. He there bought 212 acres y of land. The township was then recorded as num- «: ber 19, range 1 east, and his purchase of land was r ) situated on section 13. It contained a small farm- house, which served as the family abode for some years. Eventually, Mr. Hollister built a more com- modious frame-house and a barn, suited to the de- mands of the place, and it has since constituted the homestead. In his political affiliations, Mr. Hollister was in early life what is termed an old-line Whig, and he gradually became imbued with strong opinions on the slavery question, which resulted in his becoming an inflexible adherent of the Republican party on its organization. True to the influences under which he grew to manhood, he has always been deeply in- terested in educational matters and has served a number of terms as School Director. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hollister, four are still living: Albert F. is a citizen of Coe Township; Edmund N. lives at Port Byron; Lucy C. is the widow of Albert S. Coe ; Emma lives at home. The youngest sou, Frederick I., was born in Rock Island County Oct. 30, 1842. In 1861 he en- jL^utjgin^^ s^n % 1 -z^z 6V4>DtlSDIl^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. *m 371 ■h tered the military service of the United States, en- listing in Co. E, 1 2th 111. Vol. Inf. He was wounded at the battle of Shiloh in the light arm, which unfitted him for further military duty, and he received honor- able discharge in consequence and returned to his home. The following year he became a student at the Chicago Business College. He obtained a posi- tion as a clerk at Port Byron, and while fulfilling its duties he was seized by fatal illness and died Feb. 4, 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Hollister are members of the Con- gregational Church at Port Byron. a* ■ iehael Hartzell, a prominent citizen of Moline, was born in Westmoreland Co., ''^ Pa., Aug. 21, 1 810, his parents being ^\ Adam and Catharine (Bush) Hartzell. He was brought up on a farm and at mechanical work ; came to Illinois in 1S35, landing at Rock Island April 30. The place was not yet named, there being only five or six cabins on the bottom land. He erected a hewed-log house, two stories high — the first two-story structure in the place. In the spring of 1836 he returned to the East, where he was married May 5, that year, to Miss Nancy W., daughter of John and Margaret (Wor- man) Stopher, who was a native of Westmoreland Co., Pa. He soon afterward returned to Illinois, and for the first five years resided in Rock Island ; then moved upon a claim in Iowa, where he passed four years; then was one year in this county on a farm, and came in the spring of 1S43 to Moline. That village was laid out the year following. Mr. and Mrs. Hartzell became the parents of 13 children, namely: Margaret S., who was born in Rock Island, then called "Stephenson," May 22, 1837 ; Tohn W., who is married and lives in Wichita, Kan.; Rev. Joseph C, who married Jennie Culver, and is now residing in Cincinnati, Ohio; Mary, now Mrs. John Rapp; Asenath, now the wife of William W. Wallace, and residing at Little Rock, Ark. ; Eva, the wife of T. J. Hayes, of Louisville, Kan.; Alice, now Mrs. L. L. McCoy, of Moline; Lizzie P., who became the wife of T. A. Wallace, of Davenport, and died June 28, 1881; Lillie I)., her twin sister; Esther, the wife of John F. Jaques, and resides at Clinton, Iowa; and Frank H., who married Jennie Cooper, and resides at Wichita, Kan. Mr. Hartzell was formerly in the undertaker's business, being the first in that line in Rock Island. In his political views he is a Republican, with Prohi- bition sympathies. He united with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1S32, and his wife united with that denomination a short time previously. Rev. Joseph C. Hartzell, D. D., attended the Northwestern University at Evanston, 111., and grad- uated in i860, at the Garrett Biblical Institute there. Thence he visited Bloomington, 111, and graduated at the Illinois Wesleyan University there, spending seven years in those two institutions of learning; then joined the Central Illinois Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His first appointment was at Pekin, 111., but was thence transferred to New Orleans, to take charge of Ames Chapel, when its pastor, Rev. J. P. Newman, was appointed Chaplain under Gen. Grant. During six years he edited the Southwestern Christian Advocate, after which the paper was turned over to the Methodist Book Con- cern, and Mr. Hartzell was appointed Presiding Elder for that district, which position he held until elected Assistant Secretary of the Freedmen's Aid Society, with headquarters at Cincinnati, where he still remains, an able, eloquent and energetic worker in the cause. Mr. J. Wesley Hartzell was born Oct. 6, 1839, in Iowa, but was brought up, attended school and grad- uated at Moline, 111. He was engaged in farming, teaching school and in the livery business until 1877, when he emigrated to Kansas, settling at Topeka, where he remained until 1883, during which time he became proprietor of the Tefft House in that city, which was the political headquarters of the State. Selling out to the veteran landlord of Davenport ) Iowa-Mr. Burtis — Mr. Hartzell then became owner and manager of the Topeka Freight, Omnibus and Baggage Lines, working 40 horses, having charge of the consignment of all freight of the Atchison, To- peka & Santa Fe Railroad at that point, and sale of the dead freight of that railroad between Colorado, New Mexico and the Missouri River. He then or- ganized a company, and projected and built the street horse railroad in Topeka, his associates in that enterprise being S. W. Wheelock, of Moline, 111. ; W. •fv ( d '■t*- -3$%^ — ^A^n a® nn^A^ — *^- £*§§*§—■ "T? — 7 ffi» 2 $ (!) ^ «/ AOCA' ISLAND COUNTY. -fJt^)\ B. Strong, President; George 0. Manchester, Assis- tant General Manager; and E. Wilder, Treasurer of the Santa Fe Railroad. In 1SS2 Mr. Hartzell ob- tained the franchise, organized a company and built the water works in Topeka, meantime laying off and establishing a beautiful park (bearing his name) in that city. Within the space of r8 months he obtained fran- chises, organized companies, built and had in suc- cessful operation roads in Wichita, Emporia, Kan., and Carthage, Mo. He is now President of Wichita, McPherson & Denver Railroad, for which road bonds to the amount of $4,000 per mile is voted for 100 miles, from Wichita to Elmore. Just at present Mr. Hartzell is in Moline, 111., energetically engaged in organizing a new street rail- road to and between Moline and Rock Island, with excellent chances of success. H. Frank Hartzell is a graduate of the Moline High School, learned the telegraph business, but when 16 years old migrated to Topeka, Kan., and clerked in the Tefft House until his brother sold out the hotel, whereupon he became Secretary of the Topeka Freight and Omnibus Lines, then Secretary of the Wichita Horse Railroad Co. until 1883, when he obtained the mail contract for delivery of mail in Topeka, which position he held until March 1, 18S4, when he returned to Wichita and organized the Kan- sas Furniture Company, of which he is now Secre- tary. The firm are wholesale and retail dealers in furniture, and are doing a prosperous business. « S, m \ illiam G. Marshall is one of the pioneers of Rock Island County, and one of the w^P P rolrnnent citizens of the township of Cordo- va. He was the possessor of little but health, strength and ambition to get along in the world when he arrived in the county, and he is now in circumstances which afford ample proof of the quality of his good senses and labors. He was born in the township of Hopewell, which was then in Huntington Co., X. J., but which by la- ter municipal division is now included in Mercer County. His birth occurred Aug. 4, 1S20, and he is -_ : ®) the second son of John and Charity (Golden) Mar- shall. His parents were both natives of New Jersey, ' respectivelv, and their ancestors were Germans and Hollanders. John Marshall died when his son was 12 years old, and the latter, with his brothers, re- mained on the homestead, which they carried on until 1839. In that year he and an older brother, a sister and her husband, A. S. Ege, set out to come to Illnois. They left May 16, 1839, and traveled in the manner common in those days when '.here were no means of public conveyance, and time was less a consideration than money, coming all the way with horses and wagons, doing their cooking and camp- ing on the route. They arrived in Cordova at the end of six weeks of travel, landing in July, 1S39. Mr. Marshall passed the first summer as a farm assistant, working by the day. In the fall of 1839 the land on the river came into market, and Mr. Marshall entered land on section 3 of township r9, and which is now Coe Township. In the spring of C 1840 he erected a log cabin and broke a piece of*; prairie, on which he raised a crop of sod corn. At the same time he worked a tract of land on shares ^ on which he raised wheat and oats. The grain was § stacked on the land where the home was placed, ^ and late in the same fall, before the threshing could 3, be done, the prairie fires came on, and the grain and *> ■4«BDf» £ \ C>\ 1 (a) ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. >cI10^llIlr> j?C>CX ISLAND COUNTY. ■^ 1 ^ ) ifc :*^§~- ^£3^- fiEs/^v«@? •zrf&s: ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 1 > & (!) native Stale. Mr. and Mrs. Forster have had four children, two of whom are living: Thomas, who married Miss Cordelia Sherman, a native of Massa- chusetts, and now lives on a farm in Jasper Co., Iowa; and Mary J., who married William Joyce and now resides in Polk Co., Iowa, on a farm. The de- ceased were Emery and an unnamed infant. Immediately after marriage Mr. Forster left Penn- sylvania and settled in Allen Co., Ind , where he re- mained a resident 13 years; then, in 1854, he came to this county, settling where Reynolds now is, en- tering the land in 1851 and residing there until 1871, when he moved to Black Hawk Township. He is now the owner of 188 acres of good land, most of it under creditable improvement. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren Church ; he has been Supervisor of Bowl- ing Township, Justice of the Peace, etc., and in his views of political affairs he is a zealous National Greenbacker. -.«*- ^fi vui^StS j ev. Charles Lincoln Morgan has been Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Moline since Nov. 1, 1881. He was y\%r born in East Boston, Mass., Jan. 31,1849, the youngest of the three children of David and Marianne L. (Peirce) Morgan. The eld- est, Mrs. Lucy M. Godley, died in Minneapolis Minn., in 1880. The second, David L. Morgan, is a prominent business man of Rutland, Vt. His father was a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1835, and was admitted to the Bar in Boston, where he practiced law till 1856. For two years, 1854-6, the family resided at Waltham, Mass. In May, 1856, when Charles L. was seven years of age, his father removed with his family to Minnesota and settled in Minneapolis, then a town of about 400 inhabitants. Here he practiced his profession and was prominent in all the political and educational interests of the place until his death in 1871. Charles L. left the High School at the age of 14 nearly prepared for college. In 1864 he united on profession with the Plymouth Congregational Church. The same year he entered the postoffice, of which his father was Postmaster during Lincoln's Administration, where he remained till the fall of 1865, when he became a clerk in the just opening dry-goods house of Wake- field & Plant. During the spring of 1867 a decision was reached to devote his life to the ministry, in ac- cordance with which he left the dry-goods store and, having completed his preparations for college, en- tered Beloit College in Sept., 1867. Graduating from Beloit in 187 r, he received the appointment as Princi- pal of the public schools at Cheyenne, Wyo. Ter.,for one year. He entered the Theological Department of Yale University in September, 1872, graduating from the same in May, 1875. Invited by the South Church of Springfield, Mass., to take charge of their mission work in connection with Hope Chapel for one year, he accepted and be- gan his ministry there in June, 1875. During the fall and winter there ensued a growing spiritual in- terest, which resulted in the organization of Hope Congregational Church, with a membership of Sr, on March 15, 1876. Mr. Morgan was ordained to the ministry and to the pastorate of Hope Church on the same day and by the same Council. In November of 1880, a call to the pastorate of the First Presbyte- rian Church of Green Bay, Wis., was accepted. A year later a call was accepted to the First Congre- gational Church of Moline, 111., and removing thither the pastorate was begun which still continues. Dur- ing the four years of this pastorate 113 have been received into the membership of the Church, 68 on confession of faith and 45 by letter. Repairs on the Church property have been made to the amount of $3,500. Two branch Sunday-schools have been conducted on the Bluff, for which a tasteful chapel is just completed at a cost of $3,000. Aside from his Church work in Moline Mr. Morgan has been a leader in the organization of the Society of Associ- ated Charities, the Citizens' League for the Promo- motion of Law and Order and the Young Men's Christian Association. In politics Mr. Morgan is first of all a Prohibition- ist, believing that the destruction of the liquor traffic is the pre-eminent duty of this generation ; and sec- ond, a Republican in the belief that through the constituency of that party the end of prohibition can soonest be attained. On Sept. 14, 1876, Mr. Morgan was united in marriage with Miss Belle W. Merrill, born in Hins- dale, N. H., Oct. 31, 1849, the daughter of John B. 1 s£ 9 yr* s 0) r l^vs^fK _>s^i£ £-^ngaH>^9 ^^n -4*§£^ 373 m^ -?-7r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. and Caroline (Walker) Merrill, of Beloit, Wis. Two children have been born to them, — Carl Merrill, who died April 11, 1883, at the age of three years, and Gertrude Lincoln, born Feb. 19, 1S44. <2> X ^ :> ufus Walker, dealer in all kinds of heavy lumber at Reynolds, Edgington Town- ship, is a native of the Green Mountain State, and was born in Orange County, Dec. 10, 1839. His father, Rufus, was also a native of Vermont, of New England ancestry, and a shoemaker by occupation. Rufus, Sr., was mar- ried in his native State, to Miss Susanna Smith, a native of New England. They were both of Eng- lish extraction, and after marriage the elder Rufus followed his trade, until the date of his death. Rufus Walker, Jr., the subject of this notice, was the youngest in order of birth of a family of 1 1 chil- dren, — seven sons and four daughters,— and vvasbut 12 days old when his father died. He continued to reside with his mother, receiving the advantages af- forded by the common schools until her death, which event occurred when he was in his 16th year. Prior to that event, Mr. Walker had engaged to learn the trade of shoemaker, and after the death of his mother he worked at the same, in his native State, until he was 20 years old. At this age in life, he con- cluded to better his condition financially by coming West, and came to Edgington village, this county He afterwards engaged to act as clerk in the mer- cantile establishment of C. R. Ainsworth at Moline, and remained with that gentleman three and a half years. He then became the successor in the busi- ness, and conducted the store at that place for eight and a half years, meeting with moderate success. Selling out his store there, he went to Rock Island city, and, in company with C. E. Dodge, opened a merchant-tailoring and gents' furnishing establish- ment, under the firm name of Walker & Dodge, which copartnership existed for three years. On dis- solution, Mr. Dodge became sole proprietor, and Mr. Walker, in company with a Mr. M. Wait, engaged in the construction of a portion of the Rock Island & for the road while in process of construction, which was for some six months. During the time he and Mr. Wait were operating for the road, they pur- chased 160 acres of land on section 36, Edgington Township, and 80 acres adjoining the same, located in Mercer County. On the 160-acre purchase they platted the present village of Reynolds, the original plat and subsequent additions comprising the entire original purchase, and established a grain and hay market at that place. Mr. Walker started the first store at Reynolds, which he kept in the depot. He and Mr. Wait continued to purchase grain at that point for two years. It was about this time that Mr. Walker became connected with Weyerhaeuser & Denkmann, in the lumber business at Reynolds. After about three years Mr. W. bought out the other two parties and became the sole proprietor of the business, which he has conducted with no small de- gree of success until the present time. Besides his various operations at Reynolds, Mr. Walker was for a time engaged with Mr. Wait in the live-stock busi- ness at Edgington, and has done considerable work in a commercial way, in different parts of the county. In 1879 Mr. Walker went to Iowa and Nebraska, and was engaged in furnishing supplies of food on a branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the Burlington & Missouri River Railroads, and lately for the railroad located in the central and southern part of the State of Nebraska. The business lasted for nine mo iths, during which time he had a store located on the railroad, which was burned, entailing a small loss. Mr. Walker has ten acres of village lots at Reynolds, on one of which stands his resi- dence, a .two-story frame building. He and Mr. Wait started the Reynolds Cemetery, which is located in proximity to the village, on a gentle elevation overlooking the same, and is one among the beauti- ful burying-grounds in Rock Island County. Mr. Walker was united in marriage Aug. 19, 1862, to Miss Jane Edgington, the accomplished daughter of John and Susannah (Crabs) Edgington, natives of Steubenville, Ohio. Her parents were married and came West about 1834, locating in Buffalo Prairie Township, this county, where they yet reside, and are classed as among the early settlers of the county. Mis. Walker was born in that township, Sept. 8, 1842, and she was reared on the parental homestead, educated in the common schools, residing with her parents until her marriage. Mercer Co. Railroad. Mr. W. acted as supply agent i C) & t I JL -#*t§»«®/ Cs CUjLtJwJllJO^/^JLh Qjs-o-w-^uJ ^4 ^ G^ BM&illl& '/c) ^ w ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. & ? f Mr. and Mrs. Walker are the parents of four chil- dren : John E., bom June 15, 1863, was educated at the schools of Rock Island city and at Morgan Park, near Chicago ; he is at present the railroad agent at Reynolds, which position he has held since August, 1883. Frank B., born Nov. 26, 1865, re- ceived his education at Rock Island and Racine, and resides at home; Rufus, Jr., born Feb. 27, 1875, and Susan E., April 13, 1S80, likewise resided at home. Mr. and Mrs. Walker are both active members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. W. having been Church Trustee and a liberal contributor to that de- nomination at Reynolds. He takes great interest in educational matters, and politically is identified with the Republican party. e3*-£-*«e adison Bowles, a retired farmer, residing on section 17, Zuma Township, was born l' M> in Rockbridge Co., Va., March 28, 1814, \ " \ his parents being Isaac and Mary (Bagford) Vt Bowles. They were married April 16, 1798, and were the parents of 10 children — William A., Harriet, Constance C, James H., Thomas C, Matil- da, Samuel, John W., Madison and Caroline, all born before 1817, and four of whom are still living — Sam- uel, John W., Madison and Caroline. The father, Isaac Bowles, moved from Virginia, in 1 81 6, to Eaton, Ohio, and there he worked as the trade of a blacksmith for one year. He then, in 1818, moved to Indiana, bought a farm, and followed that vocation until 1831 on that place, and continued to farm in that county until 1837. He died in Louisiana, where he was stopping with his son in 1847. The mother died in Hampton Township, Rockland Co., at the residence of her son Samuel, in 1842. The •subject of this biographical notice, Madison Bowles remained on the parental homestead until he had attained the age of 20 years. The school facil- ities in his county at that date were very limited, and together, with the labor that he was required to perform on the farm to assist in the maintenance of the family, kept him from receiving an education until after his 20th year, and in fact he never at- tended school but four days prior to that age. On arriving at the age named, he had saved sufficient means to pay for 20 days schooling, which he did and improved each shining moment of that precious time. This, together with the practical knowledge that he had obtained by his reading, constitute the education that he possesses. Soon after leaving home he engaged on the Mississippi and Ohio Riv- ers as a fireman on a steamboat, and followed that occupation for one year. In 1836 he went South, and took charge of a sugar plantation, and had fifty slaves under his authority to run the place. He afterward came North to Washington Co., Ind., and was there mar- ried to Miss Rebecca Bates, a native of Baltimore, Md., Nov. 16, 1837. In 1839 he engaged there in mercantile trade, and followed the same until 1853. He then sold out and came to Zuma Township, this county, and purchased 160 acres of land, on which he has resided until the present time. He has sub- sequently added to his original purchase, until he is now the proprietor of 370 acres of land. We give a full view of Mr. Bowles' farm, showing his son's resi- dence, as well as much of the charming scenery as beheld from his home. In 1S60 Mr. B. engaged in steamboating, and ran on the river for nine months, but it proving unprofit- able he sold out at New Albany, and abandoned the river. Mr. and Mrs. Bowles are the parents of six chil- dren. Their record is as follows : Donaldson C, born Nov. 12, 1838; Emmer E., Nov. 23, 1S40; Samuel M., Sept. 8, 1841 ; George W., July 4, 1845 ; Luella F„ Feb. 8, 1854 ; and William H., born April 1, 1858. George Bowles was united in marriage to Miss Julia A. Warren, and the issue of their union is three children— Nellie, Albert and Hattie R. ; Luella F. married Samuel R. Bryan, of Zuma Township, and they have one child living, Frank M. S. The family of sons are fine specimens of men phys- ically, all being over six feet in height. Mr. Bowles is six feet, four inches in height. He has been very successful through life, and his accumulation of this world's goods is undoubtedly due to his own good judgment and indomitable energy and perseverance. Starting in the world without anything, and being compelled to labor for $3 per month, he has suc- ceeded by hard work and economy in procuring a •fV i ■Oft 1 f ^ ^ Q^ NlgOlKfr^ e^HHSIlflr>^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ' competency. He has held the office of Supervisor two years, in 1872-3. Politically, he is identified with the Democratic party. Mr. Bowles is one of the pioneers of Rock Island County, and as such, as well as a highly respectable and honorable citizen, we give his portrait in this Album. As a fitting companion picture we also give that of his estimable wife. esse Maxwell, proprietor of the Maxwell House, at Port Byron, is a pioneer of Rock Island County, and has been iden- tified with its business interests in various ways since 1844. He was born Aug. 8, 18 17, in Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Pa. His father, David Maxwell, was of Irish origin, and fa probably descended from progenitors who were born in Scotland and located in Ireland, as the name is essentially Scotch. Mr. Maxwell was brought up on his father's farm to the age of 13, when he was placed under indentures to learn the trade of making boots and shoes. He served an apprenticeship of six years, and passed four years subsequent as a journeyman, according to the custom in those days, operating at various places. In 1840 he returned to his father's homestead, and established a line of business there, in which he was employed one and a half years. He went next to the seat of Westmoreland County, and worked at his trade there until his removal to Illinois. In 1844 he located at Rock Island, and established a shoe fac- tory, which he conducted three years, his business in that line gradually increasing, until he employed an average of ten assistants. He closed his manufac- turing in 1847, and bought 200 acres of land in Zuma Township, built a house of logs, of which he took possession, and entered upon the career of a pioneer agriculturist. His family were the occupants of the log cabin until 1857, when Mr. Maxwell built a com- modious brick house. He continued the manage- ment of his farm until 1862, when he engaged in » buying grain and stock at Port Byron for shipment to Chicago. In 1866 he bought a stock of general v», merchandise, and passed five years in trade. In 187 1 he bought the hotel property known as the Port Byron House, which he managed personally until 1 88 1. In that year he rented the hotel, and on the 2d day of September, 1882, it was destroyed by fire. He then made an addition to the house, which he opened for a hotel, calling the establishment by his name. He has since conducted its affairs with- out intermission. Mr. Maxwell was married Feb. 1, 1842, to Miss A. M. McCall. She was born Jan. 4, 1820, in West- moreland Co., Pa. Their surviving children are named as follows : Mary J., Joseph A., Agnes B., Lizzie A., Thomas, Jesse Newton and Ida. John C. was born Nov. 4, 1842, in Greensburg, Pa., and he grew to manhood in Rock Island County. He en- listed in 1 86 1 in Co. E, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., and was in the military service of the United States three years and two months. After his return to his home he became interested with his father in mercantile business. He was married Sept. 19, 1870, to Emily Littlefield, and they have had one child, named Orissa. His death occurred March 9, 1872. Mr. Maxwell is a Democrat. He and his wife con- nected themselves with the Congregational Church in Rock Island in 1844. ^000€ illiam Adams, a prominent farmer of English birth, residing on section 26, Coal Valley Township, is a son of William and Eliza (Tonkin) Adams, who were natives of England. They came to America in 1S54, located in Tennessee, where they lived until 1862, when they came to Galena, 111. They lived at that place only one year, when they came to Rock Island County, locating in Coal Valley Town- ship. In 1866 they returned to Joe Daviess County, where both parents died — the mother Oct. 14, 1867, and the father in September, 1869. They had a family of six children, bearing the following names: John, William, James, Henry, Joseph and Eliza. William, the second member of the family, was born in Cornwall, England, Feb. 2, 1838. His school privileges were very limited, never being able to attend any public or private school ; but on the other hand, when most children were ready and priv- * v3 (i .■ « & \ k (tyi "^i. •x^raii^A^ — ^g»^ ^^/Xv^ li (0, s ) I 1=1 3 s O ^> * T2s€»s: 6V&Q USD II j>p^ >4^ Jc-tfCTT ISLAND COUNTY. w. 38 = m ra€^ — 3V4HW® M D&^& 3 86 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. i and George H. A. ; the latter died when 17 months old. Mr. Corns has held the offices of Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, Assessor, School Trustee and Director. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being a Knight Templar. In his political views he is identified with the Democracy. Mr. and Mrs. C. are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Corn's house and everything it contained was burned sicen writing this sketch. ^ -~D- -e~- »l illiam S. Parks, Jr., a member of the firm of Parks Bros., extensive farmers and stock-raisers, of Edgington Township, and who resides on section 15, was born in Edgington, May 20, 1S44. His father, Henry H. Parks, a fanner, formerly of Franklin Co., Ohio, came to Illinois in the fall of 1838, and located on a farm in the township of Edgington. Sketches of both Henry H., the father of the subject of this sketch, and John Parks, his brother and part- ner, are given elsewhere in this work. Our subject was reared and educated in his native township, and lived with his parents until his mar- riage. This important event in his life look place Oct. 7, 1S75, in Worthington, Franklin Co., Ohio. Miss Ella Fairchild, a daughter of an Ohio farmer, was the lad}' who joined her fortunes with his to make the voyage of life together. She was born near Dayton, Ohio, Aug. 8, rS40. Her parents died when she was but a mere child, and shortly afterwards she was taken by her foster parents, O. C. and Lucy A. (Clarke) Fairchild, natives of New York, with whom she made her home until her marriage. Their home was brightened for a short time by a son, Harry, who died at the early age of three years. Desiring to locate permanently after his marriage, Mr. Parks joined with his brother, John H., and pur- chased a farm of 640 acres on sections 15 and 27. William S. has 320 acres on section 15, where he has a palatial residence and a large and elegant barn. These are shown in the view on the opposite page. They are accompanied by a view of his brother Tohn H.'s residence and surroundings, making a fine page view. He and his brother are among the most ex- tensive stock-raisers of the county, and are well known in this respect throughout this part cf the State. Both Mr. and Mrs. Parks are members of the Presbyterian Church at Edgington. Politically, Mr. Parks is a Republican. ^ooo« V) }. fW^r. Farquhar Stuart, a practicing physi- j- gyl l cian and surgeon, and also engaged in the c ' ' v Castleton of Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scot- land, May 5, 1845. His father, Charles Stuart; was a native of the same shire, of a long line of Scotch ancestry, and was probably a direct descend- ant of the Stuart family of Scottish note. He was married in his native country, to Miss Jane Mcintosh, a native of the same country. He was a carpenter for the Earl of Fife while a resident of that country. The family emigrated to America about 1863, settling in Huron County, Province of J Ontario. At that date the family comprised nine 1 children. After the family settled in Ontario, the • father engaged in the occupation of farming, and afterward came to Reynolds, this county, about 1880, \ and lived with his son, subject of this notice, until his death, which occurred in 1883, he then being in his Soth year. The mother of Dr. F. is yet living, and resides with him, aged 75 years. Dr. Stuart lived with his parents in Ontario two years after they had settled there, having received a good education in the old city of Aberdeen, Scotland. On attaining his 20th year he engaged in the study of medicine, under the instruction of Dr. Elliott, of Orilla, Simcoe Co., Ontario, with whom he remained one year. He then entered the medical department of the university of Toronto, Canada, and graduated at the same in 1874. He afterward went to Chicago and "took a special course of study in surgery and physical diagnosis. Previous to this, however, he '§/ had entered the medical department of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor in 1876, and com- pleted his medical studies at Rush Medical College at Chicago in the fall of 1877. Heat once located at Reynolds, and engaged in the practice of his pro- fession, and has since made that place his home and {f^V5*Gft|> .: ^ ^^HH^flH^g — *&*- -«§ f*t§*£ 4>Kwi3> * vO I > ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 389 H\ '% !# ^ continued his practice until the present time. By strict attention to business he has built up a splendid practice, the same extending over the southern part of Rock Island County and the northern part of Mercer. He has been a very successful practitioner, and has won the respect of the citizens by his treat- ment of intricate cases without regard to remunera- tion. In 1882 he purchased the drug-store of I. H. Hazlett, at Reynolds, and has since conducted the same. Dr. Stuart is the proprietor of seven lots in the village, on one of which he has erected a beauti- ful residence. Dr. Stuart was united in marriage, Aug. 9, 187 1, in Mercer County, this State, with Miss Elizabeth Guthrie, born in Hamilton, Canada, Jan. 3, 1851. She was reared and educated in her native city, and came with her parents, Andrew and Susan (Thomp- son) Guthrie, to Aledo, Mercer County, this State, where her parents at present reside. They are the parents of four children, one of whom, Charles, born July 22, 1872, died Dec. 26, 1S75. Those living are Mary E., born Sept. 3, 1874; S. Anna, born Feb. 24, 1878, and Jean A., born Nov. 4, 1882. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Reynolds. So- cially, the Doctor is a member of the Order of A. F. & A. M., and in politics he is identified with the Re- publican 1 arty. ...•,,..,. „ ., Jfeon J. Webb, Station Agent at Rapids City, fegMgl ^, to which place he came in 1876, was born '(jjy " in Rock Co., Wis., Dec. 29, 1852, his pa- j/Mi-~$ — » has since made this his permanent home. He is now the proprietor of 260 acres of land, most of A* which is well improved, and the place is well sup- plied with good farm buildings. Mr. A. is a pro- ( gressive farmer and a prominent citizen. He has acceptably filled a number of local offices in his township, among them that of Justice of the Peace. In his political sympathies he is a zealous Republi- can. Both himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. van B. Beers, President of the Moline Stove Company, was born in Lancaster, Pa., July 18, 1842, and is the son of Jo- !§!£. seph and Priscilla (Bricker) Beers. When 14 years of age (December, 18 — -), he went to Cal- ifornia, where he was engaged in mining and other business. He was in the habit of spending the dry seasons (when mining work was suspended in California) in Virginia City, Nev., in which place he learned the molder's trade. He continued in California and Nevada, working a part of the time in one State and again in the other. In November, 18 — ■, he was prevailed upon by a party of some 14 of his friends to join them in an expedition to the southeastern limits of the United States, and with them he went down to Nicaragua, and on their arrival they joined and formed a part of the filibustering forces under Gen. Walker, for the capture of that country He remained there until March of the following year, the forces moving about to San George, New Granada, Virgin Bay, etc.; and he took part in various irregular conflicts, during which time over 4,000 of Walker's men were killed or died. The mob (for it was little else) lived al- most entirely by raids upon the surrounding country subsisting upon bananas and other fruits, often be- ing entirely out of food ; and as they had no camp equipage of any kind, they were compelled to camp out under the stars, and in all kinds of weather. The men were armed with all kinds of weapons, the best they could capture or pick up, and no special discipline was maintained. It was a sort of free-for-all affair. Finally, the men began to melt away, and "Gen." Walker was left without a com- mand. He left that section, always a turbulent spirit, and was finally captured and shot, while fili- bustering in Honduras. When Walker's forces disbanded, Mr. Beers went down on a steamer with 13 others to Panama and lay around there for some six weeks, out of funds VA * U 6 ® (£ %&*& ^ v <^Dtl^DD^v -^|? ©jK ^) (9* & v •£s | ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. and out of employment, and finally they all stole on board the steamer " Golden Gate," and, hiding them- selves as " stow-aways," they quietly remained out of sight on board until the vessel reached its destina- tion, and they landed in California. In November, 1863, he enlisted in the United States volunteer service for the late war, as a private of Co. C, 7th Cal. Vol. Inf., and served in the De- partment of the Pacific till April, 1866. On receiv- ing his discharge, Mr. Beers went to Philadelphia, and from there came to Moline, 111., in the fall of 1867, and engaged as molder in the shops of Will- iams, White & Co., of this city, until 1874, when he formed a partnership with Mr. Joshua Norrish in the manufacture of stoves, under the firm name of E. B. Beers & Co. They continued in this business under the above name until July, tSSi, when it was regularly incorporated under the title of the " Moline Stove Company." Mr. Beers was elected President of the company on its organization, and has contin- ued to fill that position to this date. (See history of this enterprise elsewhere in this work.) Mr. Beers was united in marriage at Le Claire, Iowa, in 1869, to Miss Josephine Bates. Mrs. Beers died in November, 1S70, leaving an infant daughter, Emma. Mr. Beers was married the second time, in December, 1873, at Cambridge, 111., to Miss Sarah Sims, who was bom in Cazenovia, N. Y. Mr. Beers entertains liberal views in matters of religion and in political sentiment, and he is a stanch Republican. a .r ohn W. Stark, D. D. S., is a graduate of the Iowa City University, and stands deservedly high in the profession he orna- ments. He began the practice of dental sur- jT gery at Woodstock, 111., in 1864, and has since \ devoted his time to it. He was born at Flan- ders, New Jersey, Feb. 24, 183S, and was brought by his parents, Aaron D. and Nancy (Case) Stark, to Alden, McHenry Co., 111., when about eleven years of age. At the common schools and Woodstock Academy, lie acquired a pretty thorough education, and from the age of 20 to 25 years was employed as teacher in the public schools. From Illinois he went to Waterloo, Iowa, where he practiced dentistry several years, coming to Rock Island in 1870. He is a prominent member of the I. O. O. F. and the A. O. U. W., having filled suc- cessively the official chairs in both organizations, and is at present Commander of the Uniform degree in the Camp of the first named order, and of the Select Knights of the " Workmen." He is also a member of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows and Represent- ative to the Grand Lodge of the A. O. U. W. His wife, Melcena A., to whom he was married at Marengo, 111., Sept. 4, 1861, was the accomplished daughter of the Rev. Leander S. Walker (deceased), of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was born at Rockford, 111. Their only two children were buried in infancy. The Doctor's parents died — his father in 185S, aged about 45 years, and his mother in 1880, aged about 65 years. Both Dr. and Mrs. Stark are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, Dr. Stark is a Democrat. fe-V>-~ 5- 9 S & j ffijikharles F. Schafer, a farmer residing on L_3f section 5, Zuma Township, was born in p?* 5 Wurtemberg, Germany, March 4, i82r. : ' He emigrated to the United States in 1847, *-"<' and for three years was engaged in the voca- ■* tion of a farmer in Huntingdon Co., Pa. In 1850 he came to Zuma Township and bought 40 acres of land, on which he located and where he has continued to reside until the present time. He sub- sequently added to his original purchase 46 acres in Coe Township, and by still later purchases added 335 acres more in the same township. On coming to the county in 1850, he located on his land and entered vigorously and energetically upon its im- provement and cultivation, and by economy and good judgment has secured a competency. He has a line residence, good barns and outbuildings, and his farm is under a good state of cultivation. Po- litically, he is identified with the Democratic party, and religiously, he and his wife are both members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Schafer is a man who never has sought office at the hands of his fellow citizens, but has accepted that of Path Master. Mr. Schafer formed a matrimonial alliance, in his <§)5^f- * W ■ Q;* &mW>*r9 *&*■ ^LcdaAMd (Zk^j^fc. 6V4«Htl^: TT 1 I \3- "t $ 5 <) c* I j?OCf ISLAND COUNTY. mtry, with Miss Barbara Shock, a native of Germany, and they are the parents of nine children, — Margaret, born Nov. 14, 1 S45 ; Christina, Dec, 25, 1S46; Luther, Dec. 4, 184S; Louisa, Sept. 29, 1850; Man, Feb. 3,1853; Joseph, ^M ay, 26, 1861; Catherine, April 22, 1863 ; Charles, Oct. 18, 1865: and John, Oct. 12, 1867. Louisa married George Behlmeier, and they have five children, — George, Charles, Joseph, Frank and Clara. Mary married John Sehwegler, and they are the parents of three children, — Anna, Louisa and Frederick. Catherine married Charles Hafer, and one child has been bom of their marriage, — Bertha. Christina married Ar- thur Mead, and they have two children,— Katie and Alfred. Luther married Nanny Hinderer. lP3U aellarias Einfeldt, a farmer of South Mo- 'i|| " line Township, where he owns a farm of •jifS} 1 ' T 7° acres, is a son of Christian and Maria 'ity<^ (Schlotfclt) Einfeldt, who were natives of J V Germany. They had a family of ten children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the third. He was born in Germany, Nov. 8, 1845, and 20 years later came to America, soon finding his way to Mo- line. Here he engaged in farming, and before long had purchased the present farm, on section 25, most of which is under excellent cultivation. We take pleasure in presenting a view* of his residence, barns and other surroundings in connection with this sketch. Our subject was united in marriage in South Mo- line Township, April 14, 1SS1, with Miss Nannie Henry, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Lee) Henry, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Vir- ginia respectively. They had a family of eight chil- dren, of whom Mrs. Einfeldt is the second. She was born in Ross Co., Ohio, April 7, 1846, and is the mother of two children, — Zacharias H. and Eliza- beth G. Politically, Mr. E. is a believer in the principles of the Republican party, and, though, nevei seeking any public station, he has served his district as Road Commissioner four terms. Mr. Einfeldt is an excellent type of that thrifty class of German people we find scattered over the Northwest. Coming to America when a young man, without means, social influence or other assistance, he has, almost before he reaches the prime of his life, become a well-to-do and influential farmer. This speaks well for both the country and the man; for the country in that it affords such splendid oppor- tunities, and for Mr. Einfeldt that he possessed the energy, ability and will to improve them. As a rep- resentative of this commendable class of people we place the portrait of Mr. Einfeldt in this Album, on the page facing this sketch. « : 11 ames Van Horn, residing in Cordova, was jlllkr born in Beaver County, Pa., June 29, r S17, " and is a son of Samuel and Mary A. (Swagegear) Van Horn, natives of Pennsylva- nia, and of Holland and German extraction. When Mr. Van Horn was eight years of age, his father moved to Columbia County, Ohio. He was a millwright by trade, and worked at that occu- pation, building mills in that section of the county. He bought an old mill there, that was entirely out of gear and refitted it, and the subject of this sketch operated the same for a time, before he had attained his majority. When Mr. Van Horn had arrived at the age of majority, he commenced the study of medicine with Dr- Fisher, of East Fairfield, Ohio. He attended the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati and followed the curriculum of that institution, at which he graduated. He first commenced the prac- tice of his profes'sion at North Liberty, Mercer Co., Pa., in partnership with Dr. Kirkpatrick, with whom he remained one and a half years. The partnership was then dissolved and Dr. Van Horn went to Cen- tervdle, Butler County, and hung out a shingle, where he remained several years, and by strict attention to his business built up a good and well paying patron- age. From the latter place he went to Tarentum, Allegheny Co., Pa., and followed the practice of his profession there, until failing health compelled him to retire. In the spring of 1S52, he emigrated to Iowa, and settled in LeClaire, Scott County, but did not resume his practice. He bought property there 9=3 4 s*€^ — ^ {VJ, k > 0» ft o & ■J 1 396 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4*i^ and erected a house, where he resided until 1876. During that year he came to this county and located on sections 29 and 30, Cordova Township, where he purchased 147 acres of land, and entered vigorously and energetically on the task of its improvement and cultivation. He has erected on his farm a brick house, together with a frame barn and other neces- sary buildings, and has his land under an advanced state of cultivation. He also has an apple orchard, together with other small fruit, and his residence may truly be said to be one of the pleasant homes so nu- merous in Rock Island County. Dr. Van Horn formed a matrimonial alliance in Centreville, Pa., March r6, 1842, with Miss Ger- trude A. Freeman. She was born in Fayette County, Pa., Dec. 11, 1825, and died Oct. 12, 1880, and was the daughter of Elias and Deborah (Crane) Free- man. •*>*aaQM%3r , ~ m§: *-3^2>.OTwv "*&■■ a J'Ffjl'C eorge Hillier, farmer, residing on section ^tliyfl 2 4> Coal Valley Township, is the second •^te*-" child of a family of ten children, born to ' y^ > George and Sarah (Stevens) Hillier. His par- natives of England, but jl ents were natives ot England, but came to America and located at Rock Island in 1851, where they passed the remainder of their days. Our subject was born in Gloucestershire, England, Jan. 20, 1822. He came to America with his par- ents in 1827. At that time they located in Nova Scotia. In r852 he came to Rock Island County and located in Coal Valley Township. Here he was employed in mining, which business he was largely engaged in up to about 1882. He has made exten- sive shipments of coal to Davenport, la. At present he is the owner of 89 acres of land in Rock Island County, besides other tracts. Also owner of store, corner of Orleans and Eagle Streets, Rock Island. Mr. Hillier formed a matrimonial alliance in Nova Scotia, on the 3d day of December, 1845; Miss Flora McDonald, daughter of Coll and Sarah (McClennon) McDonald, was the bride. She is of Scotch birth, and the mother of eight children, whom they have given the following names in the order of their birth : George, Henry, Charles W., Sarah, Alexander, Tan- jore, Matilda and Amelia. Alexander and Tanjore are deceased. Mr. Hillier has served his township as School Di- rector, Supervisor and Road Commissioner. He is an active, enterprising farmer, and a respected citi- zen. He finds his political home with the Demo- cratic party. Socially, he is a member of Everts Commandery, No. 18, Knights Templars. A ; I'p^cnry Dovman, of Moline, was born in Hol- stein, Germany, Jan. 12, 1833, and attend- f§r "'* ec * sc ' 100 ' there until about 1 6 years of age ; labored on a farm for a time, then in a grocery at Hamburg, then for a carpenter there, and finally left for the " land of golden opportunity," arriving at Davenport, Iowa, June 6, 1S55, where he worked about the city and on farms in the vicinity until May, t86i, when he came to Moline; at this point he first was employed in a saw-mill gDj for a year, for J. S. Keator, then took a job as sec- = tion hand on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific ^ Railroad and worked in that capacity four years ; during the succeeding four years he had charge of a gang of men in the employ of the Government on Rock Island. In 1870 he entered the employment of the Moline Wagon Company, having charge of the shipping, "warehouse and lumber-yard, the latter for eight years, and the former position he has held continuously for 15 years, which is proof of his faith- ful ability. Mr. Dorman was married in Holstein, Germany, Dec. 22, 1854, to Anna Struve, and they have had 12 children, eight of whom are still living. The record stands as follows : Emma, born in Daven- port, Iowa, Sept. 26, 1855, died in that city Jan. 29, 1856; Annie, born in the same city, Sept. 9, 1856, and died at Moline Jan. 18, 1880; P. G. Dorman, born i Davenport, Sept. 16, 1858, and died at Mo- line, Oct. 27, 1S62; Dorris, born in Davenport, Jan. t 1, i86r,diedin Moline, April 9, 187 1; Fred L., born 7^ =v$nn&Rii;> Q -3^k? — ^-t^u xm u u*yv ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. D « (§/ ». Fritz Dorman, father of Henry, was born at Hol- stein, Jan. 2S, 1811, and died April 23, 1876; and Catharina Dorman (Henry's mother) was born also in Holstein, Sept. 15, 181 1, and died in Moline, May 1870. Mrs. Dorman's father, Engert Struve, died when she was six months old, and her mother, Elizabeth Struve, died when she was three years old ; her maiden name was Roehl. Mrs. Dorman was born at Holstein, Nov. 3, 1833. The daughter, Annie, became the wife of Theodore Hasse, and died leaving three daughters. Mr. Dorman is a Republican in politics, is active as a Druid and a Turner. Both he and Mrs. D. are liberal in their religious views. He is greatly desir- ous that his children receive a good education and spares no necessary expense in promoting that end, making it a point that they should attend both the English and German schools. He considers the ■) school-house to be of far greater value to the country than the church. A -*3- -E3- red A. Burgston, of the firm of F. A. Burgston & Co., dealers in dry goods and carpets, corner of Third Avenue and 17th Street, Moline. This firm is composed of F. A. Burgston and Charles H. Deere, and estab- lished business in January, 1883, and carries an average stock of $20,000. The subject of our sketch is a son of Joseph Burg- ston, and was born in Sweden, March 28, 1856. In 1865 he emigrated to the United States with his pa- rents, and located at Geneseo, 111., until 1870, when he came to Moline. His education was acquired in the city schools and in 1875 he engaged as clerk with Hull Bros., general merchants. Mr. Burgston continued with Hull Bros, eight years (1883), when he formed the existing partnership with Charles H. Deere. Mr. Burgston was married at Moline, May 29, 1 88 1, to Miss Addie L. Jackson, daughter of Thomas i and Margaret S. Jackson. Mrs. Burgston was born ^ in Moline, and her mother, who is a daughter of Mr. M. Hartzell, it is said was the first white girl born in Rock Island County, the date of her birth being May 22, 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Burgston have one child, a son, Glenn J , born Oct. 8, 1883. Mrs. Burgston is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. B. is a Republican, having voted with that party since attaining majority. W¥\ (f \ B illiam Sears, of the firm of Sears' Sons, I'P^TTu ml " ers an( ^ proprietors of the Island j1S*£n * Mills, located on the north side of Rock •Jftfcgy River, near the village of Milan. He is the "Ml" second son and fourth child of David B. and \ f Delilah (Caldwell) Sears, natives of New York State and New Jersey respectively. The father was of New England parentage. His ancestry in this country dates back to Richard Sears, who settled at Yarmouth, Mass., about 1636. The family is large and is scattered throughout the United States. An effort is now being made to trace the genealogy back to their forefathers, which shows that the family is connected with some of the best people of New En- gland. The father of our subject, David Sears, was separated from the main branch of the family during the Indian troubles in Ohio, where he had gone with his father, Joseph Sears, when eight years of age. David was brought up on a farm, and came to Galla- tin Co., 111., previous to his marriage to Miss Melinda Stokes, who died in that county after she had become the mother of six children, only one of whom sur- vived, Mrs. Sarah C. Eastman, now a resident of Chicago. The parents of our subject were married in the same county, and two children, Margaret and Mary, both deceased, were born before they came to Moline, 111. This removal occurred in 1835. He purchased a large tract of land and became one of the prominent citizens of the county. A more ex- tended notice of David B. Sears is given elsewhere in this volume. The family of Mr. Sears consisted of eight chil- dren, three daughters, deceased, two already men- tioned, and Jane, who died at Moline. Those living are David, who was born in Moline, March 21, 1838, where he was reared and educated; the principal part of his time was spent in his father's mills. He was married at Minneapolis, Minn., March 19, 1858, to Miss Mary Stinson, a lady who was born in Huron y6) (?) it 0) ff K $^# ■^e ^ q^ uct^ 39» & (!) ^OCtf" island county. Co., Ohio, March 7, 1838, and was brought West with her father when a young lady. She is now the mother of five children, — Lila M., Hugh R., Harriet D., John D. and Vester. The two former are well educated. The first named is a teacher of art draw- ing ; David is now the senior member of the firm of Sears' Sons, and resides in Rock Island Township. William Sears, our subject, was born at Moline, Nov. 18, 1840, and was educated there, and in i860 began to learn the miller's trade. On the 1st of January, 1S64, he wis married, at Moline. After this event he, with his father and brothers, formed a co-partnership to carry on the milling business. Our subject succeeded Mr. Norris as Postmaster at Sears' postoffice in 1878, and has since held the position. Mr. and Mrs. Sears are the parents of four chil- dren, one of whom is deceased, Ernst. Those living are William, C. Barton and Benjamin L. The family attend the Presbyterian Church, and politically, all are Republicans. George W., the sixth child of the family, was born at Moline, Nov. 23, 1842. He was reared under the influences of the home and educated at Moline, where he went to school until 18 years of age, when he enlisted in the first call for troops early in April, 1861, in Co. C, Second Iowa Inf., firmed at Daven- port. He was afterward transferred to the 27th 111. and made Commissary Sergeant. Just before his discharge he was transferred to the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry. He was honorably discharged in May, 1865, having served a little more than four years. He was fortunate in being neither wounded nor imprisoned, although in some of the hardest- fought battles of the war, such as Murfreesboro, Stone River, siege of Nashville, and all through the Atlanta campaign. Afier his return home, he be- came connected with his brothers in the milling business. April 7, 1S73. he was married, at Milan, to Miss Lizzie Huyett, who was born in Williams- burg, Pa., Nov. 23, 1850. She was brought to Milan when a small child. She is the dauglrer of Dr. Jos. Huyett, a well-known physician of this county, where she was educated. Joseph H., Clara and George L. are the names of their'three children. The family attend the Presbyterian Church, with which Mr. S. is connected. He is serving as School Director at present. Nettie Sears was born at Moline, March 10, 1848. She was educated in North Granville, N. Y., and now resides in the town of Sears. Henry H., the young- est member of the family, was born Oct. 18, 1850; was educated in the schools of Moline, at the busi- ness college at Davenport, and worked with his father in the erection of mills and water-powers. Sept. 16, 1875, he was married, at the city of Rock Island, to Miss Kate M., daughter of William and Agenora (Holt) Gilmore. Her parents were natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Maine; by occupa- tion her father was a carpenter and contractor. Her parents were married in this State and located in Rock Island city, where Mrs. S., of this sketch, was born June 21, 1S54. She completed her education at the Platteville (Wis.) Seminary. She has become the mother of two children, — Agenora H. and Charles E. Since his marriage Mr. Sears has been principally engaged in fanning and in keeping the books for his brothers at the mill. This mill, now bearing the name of " Island Mill," is a solid limestone struc- ture, with basement and four stories, 51x61 feet, with full patent-roller attachments. The power is shed by the river, and the mill has a capacity of 300 barrels per day. Mr. Sears has held various local offices and is at present the Township Assessor. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church. v- '■z ra Weatherhead, deceased, formerly a farm er residing on section 27, Hampton Town- ship, was born in Guilford, Windham Co., Vt., July 27, 1809, and came to this county July 1, 1839, when within a few days of his 30th year. His parents were Abel and Ruth (Davis) Weatherhead. Mr. Weatherhead, subject of this biographical no- tice, was an inmate of the parental household, receiv- ing the advantages of the common school of his native county, and performing such labor as is com- mon to farmers' sons, until he attained the age of majority. On becoming his " own man " he engaged to labor in a knife manufactory in his native State, and labored at that occupation for six years. At this (J) 0) ^ \$$es^f §■•- -^~ HM\ ^W£ ^ f »25#»#vpfinMi lit/' ^a ft aS n ■ i ■— ---,-ir <-.as*i<« ^- fy P**!-.' V^-etfV '^^1'; SsPjs^iKsS * -y Residence or Zacharias Einfeiot 5ec.£j. South i'/Ioli neTownsmi p. I ;''f^^>;*.^. asp ■•/ ; ■•-"'- J J^- !?T\ ^ N 18^5 H Residence of JacobA.Seiv/es. Sec. 32. Drury To wn,shi p. f^ii-iiiii ^Ipsl -"ssep -'-, : ^it^t''^*^^^^*"'''^*'**'*' '-•«*'■— '.a/^ .•»'.;■■ "",'*.*****"•"'■ Ja____£Eisi pence of Mrs. Jane M.Weatherhead.Sec.27. Hampton Townshi p. t^S:^i:;L;iS: ^&k 6=V^HlIISRDr->v ~ry 4?t§^ S; i \ I ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. age in life, realizing that better inducements were of- fered in the West for acquiring a competency, he came to this county and purchased land. Coming at an early date in the history of this county, he is undoubtedly classed as one of the pioneers; and re- maining here until his death, he aided in no small degree by his labor and his means in the develop- ment of the county. At the date of his death he owned 1,000 acres of land. Politically, he was a Democrat. His accumulations were acquired by honest, straightforward, energetic effort, and he left his wife and children well provided with a fine home and good surroundings. Mr. Weatherhead formed a matrimonial alliance with Mrs. Jane M. Wells, Oct. 26, 1849. She was the daughter of Daniel McNeil, and was born in De- troit, Mich., Nov. 3, 1821. Four children have been born of their union, namely : Drury A., born July 23, 1849; Ellen O., born Aug. 23, 185 1; Kate L., March 14, 1857, and Ona E., March 4, iS6r. Drury married Adaline DeWoolf, and they have three chil- dren, — -Greta, Ira and Louisa. Ellen married Al- phonzo Gates, and they have one daughter, — Ona J. Kate L. married Leander Gates, and they have one daughter, — -Edna G. Ona married Albert Smith, and resides in California. Mrs. Weatherhead now resides on the old homestead and manages the farm, being a lady of rare business qualifications, as well as possessing commendable literary attainments. She is well preserved and good for many years of active life yet. A view of her house appears on another page. iofc ■set I .'form H. Loding, a farmer residing on sec- tion 11, South Moline Township, is a son of Hans and Elseby Loding, who were na- • , tives of Germany, in which country they both died. John H. was born in the native country of his parents Oct. 2, 1843. He re- mained in Germany until about 22 years of age, when, as thousands of others have done, he came to the shores of America, where he might enjoy greater opportunities and better advantages for making a living and accumulating something for his family. He was employed for a time on a railroad in Iowa as a section hand. He lived in that State for a few months, when he came to Rock Island County and was employed in the mines of this and Henry Coun- ties for 11 years. He then bought 80 acres of land in South Moline Township, section 11, where he has since resided. Mr. Loding was married in Moline, Sept. 12, 1872, to Miss Luella Smith, daughter of Joseph and Cath- erine Smith, and who was born in the same town- ship, March 14, 1856. Their home has been blessed with a family of six children, one of whom died in in- fancy. Those living are : Charles A., born Nov. 10, 1873: Elmer F., Dei;. 11, 1875; Stanwood YY\, Nov. 23, 1877 ; Clyde O., born Oct. 8, 1880; Emory M., born Feb. 10, 1884. Mr. L. is politically identi- fied with the Republican party. •iillts—^i Kte> f 1® Iffeenjamin Goble, one of the oldest native I yjljp born lesidents of the great Prairie State, f§$P^ is now a retired farmer, living at Milan, ^j ga >f ft -j^k- -i. r __ Tfa^. ^C^vf@; I . \ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 407 Leaving his unexpired term of office to be filled out by a deputy, he came to Rock Island, and for two years made a business of physical recuperation. In 1870 he was elected Assessor of Rock Island City and Township, and re-elected to the same position in [871. In 1872-3 he held the City Clerk's office by election, and from 1S74 to 1877 kept books for the Rock Island Gas Co. At this writing (July, 1885) he is filling the office of Assessor for the fifth time, the last three terms having been given him in imme- diate succession. 'The record of Mr. Barge's life needs no elabora- tion at the hands of the writer of this sketch. His popularity as a citizen is proven by his almost un- precedented official preferment. His life as an educator of youth is without spot or blemish; and when, in the fulness of time, he shall be gathered unto his fathers, those alone who live after him will be the losers, for unto such as he are all the promises of One who taught the lessons of faith, hope and charity, and laid down the Golden Rule. Mr. Barge has been a consistent member of tlte Presbyterian Church ever since he was 19 years of age. He was married Feb. 14, 1847, at Kittanning, Pa., to Miss Euphemia Kelly, daughter of the Hon. Meek Kelly, deceased, and a native of Indiana Co., Pa. They have one child, Effie, living, and have buried two, James C. and John M. erman S. Keator, President of the J. S. '- Keator Lumber Company, President of the Mississippi Valley Insurance Company, and Director of the Moline National Bank, was born in Delaware County, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1822, and is the son of Samuel S. and Jane A. (New- kirk) Keator. His ancestors were of the old New York Knickerbocker origin. J. S. passed his boyhood in his native county, and when 13 years of age removed with his parents to Honesdale, Pa , and two years later began his busi- ness career as a merchant's clerk. On reaching manhood he engaged in mercantile business and lumbering. Twenty-two years of prosperous busi- ness in the East placed Mr. Keator in possession of a goodly capital, with which, in 1856, he set out for the West, seeking a field of investment in which he hoped to build a fortune. By the advice of friends he steered clear of an old acquaintance in Chicago, the late Hon. William B. Ogden, who was then an enthusiastic "boomer" of the infant city, but since of such marvelous growth. He was advised not to listen to Ogden's eloquent word pictures of Chicago's probable brilliant future, for fear he would be per- suaded to sink his money in that "slough of de- spond " and lose it. The appearance of Chicago at first sight, at that time, was such as to justify the un- favorable opinion his friends had of the place, for it was little better than a frog-pond. So he passed by that place, and came on West to the Mississippi, and located at Moline. He engaged in the lumber busi- ness at that place, Nov. r, 1856, purchasing large tracts of pine' lands on the Black and Chippewa Rivers of Wisconsin, at a very low figure. His am- ple means enabled him to safely weather the great financial storm of 1857. He manufactured lumber at Moline successfully, and during the flush times of the war, and the rapidity with which the West built up during the few succeeding years, he made money • "hand over fist." In 1869 he built a saw -mill at < Rock Island, known as Keator & Company's Mill. He consolidated with the Annawalt & Denkman Company and formed the Rock Island Manufac- turing Company, of which he was a Director. His son, Samuel, was Secretary and Treasurer of the company. Mr. Keator was the first President of the First National Bank of Moline ; was elected and served as a member of the City Council of Moline for eight years; assisted in buiiding the Moline & Rock Island Street Railway, of which company he was President and general manager for two years. In 1877 he built the Keator House at Moline, which is the only first-class hotel in the city. He is the pres- ent owner of the building. His Moline saw-mill and yards were destroyed by fire in 1870, by which he lost $75,000. He immedi- ately set to work to rebuild, and within four months from the date of the fire had the mill again in opera- tion. He pushed his lumber business, as he did everything with which he was connected, until in August, 1883, he had a stock of eight million feet of seasoned lumber in his yards. At that time the second great disaster of his business career occurred, when fire again swept the premises clean, including 9 ■r ■ ( 1] * fa saw-mills, planing-mills, and his immense stock of lumber. His loss at this time aggregated $250,000, on which there was only an insurance of $90,000. He certainly was well provided with resources, or he must have gone down under such a terrible blow. He owned at the time, besides his mills, 30,000 acres of pine land, on the Black and Chippewa Rivers, an interest in a cattle ranch in Texas of 82,000 acres, the company of which he is President, besides own- ing an individual tract of 20,000 acres in that State. He still owns $20,000 acres of pine land on the wa- ters of the Black and Chippewa Rivers, and is also extensively interested in farming land in Illinois. He has one farm of 800 acres in Henry County, and one ot 160 acres, and still another of 120 acres, all well improved. He also has a half interest in a 10,000-acre tract in the Sioux Valley, near Water- town, Dak., which is crossed by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, and is the site of a station. His City property in Moline and Rock Island is also widely extensive. Mr. Keator has rebuilt the saw-mill at Moline, on the most improved and modern plan, and now has one of the most important and extensive mills on the Mississippi River. He is also interested in an extensive saw-mill and lumber business at Daven- port, having the celebrated Simon Paige Mill under lease. Mr. Keator was married in Durham, Green Co., N. Y., in 1846, to Miss Mary Baldwin, daughter of Dennis Baldwin. Four children were born to them, as follows : Samuel J., the eldest, was born at Hones- dale, Pa., and is Vice-President of the J. S. Keator Lumber Company, and resides at Rock Island; Ben- jamin C. is Secretary of the J. S. Keator Lumber Company, and lives at Moline; Frederick W. is an attorney at Chicago; he is a graduate of Yale Col- lege and of Yale Law School; Edward B. is em- ployed in his father's Moline business. Mrs. Keator died in May, 1857, in Pennsylvania. Mr. Keator was married again in February, i860, at Fayette- ville, N. Y., to Miss Sarah Yelverton. She was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., and is the mother of two children, Mary F. and Frank Y. Mrs. Keator is a member cf the Congregational Church. Mr. Keator was formerly a member of the old Whig party, and voted for Henry Clay. He was one of the organizers of the Republican party, and in 1856 voted for Fremont, and has since continued an earnest supporter of that party at each succeeding national election. He is one of the most energetic and enterprising business men of Western Illinois, and his operations, as the above record shows, ex- tend over many years, and over a wide scope of territory, and are an honorable, worthy record, and one his posterity may well be proud of. His portrait is given on a preceding page in close proximity. ill icit. " • lip 2^^ V6& ijj \ illiam Clarke, engaged in farming and iy |||fl] |f stock-raising, and residing on section 33, ^r$~\ Bowling Township, was born in County Js£3> Fermanagh, Ireland, in the spring of 1831, s in which county he was also married, in November, 1S53, to Miss Eliza Gauley, who was born there about 1S33. After his marriage Mr. Clarke emigrated to Amer- ica, locating first in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada East ; and two years subsequently he came on to this State and rented land in Mercer County. In 1866 he purchased 55 acres of land in Bowling Township, this county, where he has since resided and where he now owns a quarter-section, most of which is in a fine state of improvement. The children of Mr. and Mrs. C. are : Robert and Sarah E., married, David B., in Iowa, William A., Eliza A., Jane H. and Maggie J. The family attend the Episcopal and Methodist Episcopal Churches. Mr. C. has been a School Director for eight years, and in his political views he is a stanch Republican. 'i^k&^xra r iaigHp .. George G. Craig commenced the prac- tice of medicine in Rock Island city April W^' 14, 1869, ffif Co., Pa., Oct. 26, 1845. He was born in Westmoreland His parents, Alex- - ander and Sybilla (Kern) Craig were natives of Pennsylvania, where they resided and reared the subject of this notice until he attained the age of 15 years. Dr. Craig remained under the parental roof-tree, S$ & * »\$«s§ff~ ■y* — 9-a^h n % n d^a^- -*&&4&H it T? %m>r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4i3 /O* (oN ; M In his political faith and connections Mr. Shall is a Democrat. He is a member of the Catholic Church. (§/ ^ spoilt ndrew Jackson Little, a resident of Buffalo W~l1I Prairie Township, was horn in Newark, Lii k- a' " ing Co., Ohio, May 16, 181 7, and is a son !Mte of Jacob and Catherine (Pegg) Little, both \\T natives of Pennsylvania. The maternal grand - I father of the subject of this biographical no- tice, Elias Pegg, settled in the Territory of Ohio in 180 1, and was among the first families to locate in Newark, Licking County. The father of the subject ' of this notice located in the same county in 1804. He was born in Gettysburg, Pa. Andrew Jackson Little, subject of this sketch, grew to manhood in Newark, Licking Co., Ohio. His father was a stone-cutter by trade, and on at- taining a suitable age the son learned the same trade under his instruction, together with that of an en- graver on stone, and followed that trade with the exception of three years, during which he was en- gaged in the cabinet business, until 1854. In the spring of that year, realizing that to better his finan- cial condition, the West, with its broad and unculti- vated land, offered better inducements for the accumulation of a competency than the crowded East, he concluded to emigrate thither. Conse- quently, during that year, he came to this State, in company with his brother-in-law. They visited the southern part of the State, but did not like it and came to this county, where they procured Govern- ment land, located on sections 27 and 34 of Buffalo Prairie Township. After procuring his land, he re- turned to Newark, Ohio, and in the fall moved the family here and located on his land, where he en- tered vigorously and energetically upon the task of its improvement and cultivation. He has all the land enclosed, and has also erected thereon good frame buildings, including a residence, barn and other out-buildings. Mr. Little was united in marriage, May 16, 1844, with Keziah A. Sutton. She was born in Licking Co., Ohio. Their children have been seven in num- ber, five of whom survive; Joseph E. was born in Newark, Ohio, and resides in Callahan Co., Texas; Sarah C, born in Newark, Ohio, is the wife of L. C. Lloyd, and resides in Rock Island ; Andrew J., born in Newark, Ohio, resides in Callahan Co, Texas; D. D. lives in Nebraska, where Albert M. also re- sides; Nellie E., born in Illinois, is the wife of T. O. Gunnell, and resides in Nebraska. Mrs. Little died Aug. 3, 1S64. Mr. Little has been more or less prominent in the affairs of his township since living here, and has held various offices of trust and responsibility. He has served as Commissioner of Highways and Supervisor for two terms. He was formerlv a member of the Whig party, but later adhered to the principles of the Democratic parly. m I ^~^v~^eaa2/®^ /K | f^^QfiRrtr*** *w>~ .'■■I; f I ■'. V. Bailey, .1 prominent resident of Cor- r \r dova, was born in Port Byron, this county, ^^ May 10, 1846, the youngest son of Moses and Lucretia (Van Valkenburg) Bailey. Both his parents were natives of the Empire State, and settled in this county in 1S35. His father was a gunsmith by tnide, but when he settled in Port Byron he opened a blacksmith shop. His death occurred in 1853, when J. V. was seven years old. The latter, with his mother, then went to live with his sister, Mrs. C. B. Marshall, in Port Byron. He attended the public schools for seven years, and then four terms at Knox College, at Galesburg, this Slate. In 1 861, he taught school in Canoe Creek Township, and afterward continued in the profession during the winter seasons for a few years. In 1864 he became traveling salesman for the Halliday Windmill Co., and was in their service eight years, having seven different counties in this State for his territory. He has since acted as general agent of the Wilson Sew- ing Machine Company, Fairbanks Scale Company, Osborn Harvester Company and the Rock Island Plow Company. At intervals he engaged in farming in Coe Township, this county, where he owned a farm. Finally he located in Cordova, where he at present resides. Mr. Bailey was united in marriage in 1870 with I k & O 1 j^jc — @yKMn n § n h^a^ — ^c^^ is 1 & 414 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^!*t§^ Miss May, daughter of J. L. and Margaret (Smith) Cool, and they have one child, named Carrie T. Mr. Bailey's only brother, Schuyler M., was born in New York State in 1829, and served in the Mexi- can War; and in consideration of his services he received from the Government a land warrant, which he placed on a piece of land. In 1849 he went to California, where he died in 1851. The subject of this sketch had two sisters, one of whom is now liv- ing on the estate of C. B. Marshall, in Dallas, Tex., where her husband has been engaged in stock-raising and farming. Mr. Bailey is a member of Philo Lodge, No. 436, A. F. & A. M., at Port Byron ; of Barrett Chapter, No. 18, at Rock Island; of Everts Commandety, No. 18, also of Rock Island ; of the A. O. U. W. ; of Burr Oak Lodge, M. W. A. ; and has also taken two de- grees in the Order of Knights of Pythias. =J®HJH&£===- I V m foamuel L. Carothers, residing on section I 11, Edgington Township, where he is en- » .-- ^e P"\fK attheas M. Paulsen, junior member of gy|, the firm of Paulsen Bros., brick manufac- sgjpT'^' turers, contractors and builders, residing ?*\ in South Rock Island, was born in Holstein, Germany, May 10, 1853. His father, Andras Paulsen, was a native of Holstein, Germany, born in the town of Tundern, and by occupation a farmer. In that place he married Anna Paulsen. After their union they continued to reside in their native land, where Mrs. Paulsen died, Feb. 19, 1881, at the age of 64 years. The father is now 70 years of age, and still resides in Holstein. During his act- ive business career he was a prominent farmer and stock dealer. Our subject was the youngest of six sons born to his parents in a family of nine children. He learned the butcher's trade in his native country, and, after he left home, followed it for four years. Seeking to better his condition in life and secure a wider and more profitable field to work in, he came to America, arriving on our shores in July, 1873. He soon came to Rock Island city, where he followed his trade for about 18 months, when he and his older brother, Hans Paulsen, embarked in their present business. Since then they have carried on a very large busi- ness, manufacturing from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 of brick annually. They have also erected some of the most extensive buildings in the city of Rock Island, among which are Buford & Co.'s plow shops. They own six acres of land, where their brick-yards are located. They also own two good brick resi- dences adjoining. Mr. Paulsen is a young man of considerable enterprise, and is certain to lead an act- ive and prominent life, and to develop the capacity for managing extensive business affairs. ®> mi* <>0D®nn^A^ — ^^^ (^ ■•vV^vg^ ■^rv^Qfl^IlD^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Our subject was united in marriage, at the Lu- theran church in Rock Island, Feb. 10, 1878, with Miss Maria Willetson. She is also a native of Hol- stein, Germany, and was born May 1, 1862. She was reared in her native country until she was seven years of age, when she came with her parents to America, and they located at Rock Island, where she completed her education at the English school. She is the mother of four children, — Henry, Loretta C, Harry and Walter. Mr. Paulsen is a member of the A. O. U. W., and politically is a Democrat. > .; t r. Warren Hunter, a resident of Hampton, jj,L came to that place in 1879, from Strong, ^IfiS?"^ Franklin Co., Me. He attended the com- CTV mon schools of his native county until 19 it ye ars of a g e > when his father gave him his time, and he went forth to labor for the accumulation of property and to carve a future for himself. He taught school winters and attended an academy dur- ing the spring and fall, and continued alternating his time by keeping school and attending the acad- emy until he was 22 years of age. He then clerked in a mercantile establishment for 18 months, after which he followed the same vocation in a wholesale store for six months. At this point in his life's his- tory, he engaged to study medicine with a brother, and continued under his instruction for four years. Dr. Warren Hunter was born in 1833. During the time of his study he attended the Maine Medical College, at which institution he matriculated and followed the entire curriculum, finally receiving his diploma in i860. He then engaged in the practice of his profession in Steuben, and afterwards in Cherry- field and then in Phillips, Franklin County, his native State, and finally in Strong, his birthplace. In 1865 ^\ Dr. Hunter was appointed Assistant Surgeon for the 1 6th Maine Volunteers. He held the position for Jf. some time and was then discharged on account of physical disability. In 1879 he came to Hampton, ■ this county, and entered upon the practice of his profession. In 1882 he lost his office, library, sur- gical instruments and drugs by fire, but not being discouraged he again started, and succeeded in par- tially replacing his library and instruments. He has been the Township Physician for six years. Dr. Hunter was married, April 9, 1861, to Harriet M. Toothaker, a resident of Strong, Franklin Co., Maine. She was a native of Phillips, Maine, in which State she was born in 1847. The issue of their union was two children, — Charles W., born Oct. 29, 1869; and Nettie E.,born Sept. 16, 1877. They adopted a girl, Ella Upton Leighton. She was an orphan, three years of age at the time of adoption, and was born Jan. 13, 1862, in Steuben, Maine. The wife and mother died May 31, 1883, mourned as a loving wife, kind mother and a generous friend. Religiously, Dr. Hunter belongs to the Congrega- tional Church. Socially, he is a member of the Masonic Order, Blue Mountain Lodge, Phillips, Maine; the A. O. U. W., and the Order of Modern Woodmen of America. He is also a member of the Maine, Illinois, Iowa and Illinois Central and the American Medical Associations. Politically, he is a believer in the tenets of the Republican party, and as a voter is just as old as the party itself. He has a fine practice, built up by his competency and attention to business, and has held many of the minor county and township offices. \ ^*M" ustavus A. N. Segur, a resident of Rapids ;■; Cjjfi City, this county, to which place he came - K in 1872, was born in Whiteside County, this State, June 16, 1855, his parents being Amos and Hannah L. (Noyce) Segur, natives ? of Maine. Mr. Segur, the father of the sub- ject of this sketch, came to Illinois and settled at Erie, Whiteside County, where he followed painting until 1861. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. I, 75th 111. Vol. Inf., and served three years. He was promoted to 2d Lieutenant, then to First Lieutenant, and then to Captain, which latter position he held until the close of the war, participating in all the engagements in which his company were actively interested. After the war was over, and the cause for which he had fought was victorious, he came to Hampton Township, this county, and purchased 40 acres of land, upon which he located, and entered vigorously S^ fa 3/ ffr JL cUv, 1 ) ( g® ( § " ^€ ^ Q/ SMg A-Q- rsr -s*$gs£- -••§ m £ i i&j, <$ * > t 420 JPtfC^" ISLAND COUNTY. Rebecca Graham lives in Rock Island Township ; Mary lives on the parental homestead ; Benjamin is married and lives with his family on the homestead, and Adolphus is living at home. In 185 1, Mr. Dunlap, subject of this notice, went to Rock Island city and started a gunsmith shop, and was there engaged in his trade until 1856, when he moved upon a piece of land, consisting of 25 acres, a half-mile from the city, in South Rock Is- land Township, and on which he has since resided. He is the owner of about 300 acres of partly im- proved land, in Edgington Township. In 1840, he was elected one of the County Commissioners, and held the office for three years, representing the south- ern part of the county. He has since held all the offices of the township, having been Supervisor and Collector. Politically, Mr. Dunlap is identified with the Re- publican party. Mr. Dunlap came to the county when a young man, even before reaching his majority, and has, for half a century, been actively and prominently iden- tified with the history of Rock Island County. He is a man eminently worthy to be classed among her best and most prominent citizens. We therefore take pleasure in presenting his portrait in this volume. SrJRHJH** ohn B. Griffith, a farmer residing on sec- tion 10, South Moline Township, is a son of John and Margaret Griffith. (See sketch of John Griffith, in another part of this work.) Mr. Griffith, subject of this biographical no- \ tice, was born in Moline Township, Sept. 17, He received a good common-school educa- tion in the schools of his native county, and assisted on the farm, which occupation he has followed all his life in Rock Island County. Mr. Griffith was united in marriage, in South Mo- line Township, June 26, 1864, with Miss Maria Dewrose, the accomplished daughter of Charles and Margaret (Lewis) Dewrose, natives of England and •g) Wales respectively. ^ Her parents had eight children, namely: William, George, Annie, Elizabeth, Margaret, John W., Maria, and Mary J. Maria was born in Allegheny Co., Pa., Oct. 30, 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are the parents of four children: Margaret E., born June 12, 1867 ; George E., born Sept. 3, "1868; John D., born Apiil 20, 1872, and one who died in infancy. Religiously, Mrs. Griffith is a member of the United Brethren Church, and politically Mr. Griffith is a believer in and supporter of the principles of the Republican party. =E3- i 1 I , rs. Peter Glanz, a resident of Hampton ;| T&feaJaf; Township, is a native of France, in which " ; "•'_' 1 country she was born Feb. 27, 1833. Her /l«? >. parents were Wendel and Margaret (Beal) Alieff, natives of Prussia and France respect- ively, and emigrated to Baltimore, Md., in 1833. Mrs. Glanz, the subject of this notice, left her pa- rents' home at the age of 21 years, at which date she married Peter Glanz, the event occurring Nov. 8, 1844. By their union nine children were born, six of whom survive, namely: Mary A., George, Elenora, Morris, John and Martina. Peter Glanz, the hus- band of the subject of this sketch, moved to Hamp- ton Township, April 18, 1845. He was a cooper by trade, and followed that vocation for a year, then bought a farm on section 9, consisting of 40 acres, which he cultivated until the date of his death in 1871. Previous to his death, he purchased an addi- tional 40 acres adjoining his original purchase, so that at the date of his demise he was the proprietor of 80 acres. Since that time his wife has managed the farm with the assistance of her son. Politically, Mr. Glanz was identified with the Democratic party. He was a soldier in the late war, having enlisted in the Ninth 111. Caw, served eight months and received and honorable discharge. Mrs. Glanz has two daughters married. Mary A. married William Moore, and has two children, — Elenora and George, and they reside in Hampton Township; Elenora married John Moore and lives in the same township. Religiously, Mrs. Glanz and her family are members of the Catholic Church at Hampton. i s$ •■fv (!) Y i- y®%m jsh^c—^A^; i^W^>^ ^€^- §K<§Y§H ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 421 . OCO .ohn Griffith, a farmer, residing on section 14, South Moline Township, is the son of Alexander and Elizabeth (Edwards) Grif- fith, natives of Pennsylvania and South Caro- lina respectively. They were united in marriage and settled in Kentucky,! where the mother The father died in Clark Co., Ind. Their family comprised three children, — Simeon, James and John. John Griffith, whose name heads this sketch, was born in Woodford Co., Ky., Oct. 25, 1805, where he resided until t2 years of age, when he accompanied • his parents to Indiana. In the latter State he re- sided on the parental homestead, receiving a good education in the common schools. He remained in that State until 1836, when, realizing that he should 1=1 better his financial condition in life, and that the 1111- , developed West offered advantages superior to the 1^ State in which he resided, he emigrated to this coun- | ty, and has since been engaged in agricultural pur- ? A o r^ suits. On his arrival here, he purchased 120 acres of land in what is now Moline Township, on which he settled and entered energetically upon the task of its improvement, and on which he has resided until the present time. He is at present the owner of 135 acres, 100 of which is in an advanced state of culti- vation. He has a good residence on his farm, to- gether with substantial outbuildings, and is meeting with success in his chosen vocation. Mr. Griffith formed a matrimonial alliance in Old- ham Co., Ky., April 17, 1828, with Miss Margaret Mattheus, the accomplished daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Mattheus, natives of Virginia. Their family comprised eight children, of whom Margaret was the fifth in order of birlh. She was born in Ken- tucky, Nov. 14, tSo6 Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are the parents of eight children, namely: Nancy E , born April 17, 1829; Mary W., born Sept. 12, 1831; Mar- tha J., born Aug. 24, 1833; James A., born Dec. 15, 1835 ; John R. and Simeon D. are twins, born Sept. 17, 1838 ; Benjamin F., born Sept. 20, 184 1, and Ann M., born July 8, 1844. Martha J. is the wife of Norman Cowel, a resident of Kansas; Ann M. mar- ried Frank Newton, and resides in Hampton Town- ship, this county. Nancy, Mary and Benjamin are deceased. James A. resides in Moline Township, as likewise do John R. and Simeon. The wife and mother died in South Moline Town- ship, March 7, 1873. Mr. G. is a member of the United Brethren Church, as was also his wife. In politics he is a Republican, and was formerly an Abolitionist. — sGi- D. Edwards, one of the energetic and pros- perous farmers of Hampton Township, re- siding on sections 23 and 24, was born in • Windham Co., Vt., Feb. r7, 182S. His parents, Luther and Mary (Wilcox) Edwards, natives of *- Vermont, came to Hampton Township in 1839, and located on section 15, but after one year's resi- dence there removed on section 24, where they re- sided until their deaths, which occurred in 1850 and and 1863, respectively. The subject of this biographical notice remained with his parents until he attained the age of 21 years, in the meantime attending school, acquiring an En- glish education. When he reached the age men- tioned he had 60 acres of land given him, in consid- eration of his providing for his parents while they lived. In r868 he spent one year as a merchant in Rock Island, but has resumed his former occupation — that ofa farmer, and is engaged quite extensively in stock-raising. He has 227 acres of land at pres- ent, all well improved and in good farming con- dition. Mr. Edwards formed a matrimonial alliance in 1849 with Miss Asenath Cook, who died in 185 1, without issue. He then married again, in 1854, Margaret G. Blanchard being the lady of his choice. She is a native of Vermont. Mr. Edwards has never raised any family of his own, but has taken orphan children, one Louise Hopkins lived with him 10 years, and then married. About two years ago he adopted a boy, Adolph Schaublin, who is now 15 years of age, and will make his home with Mr. Edwards until he attains the age of 2 1 years. V£ Ci) & < J! }&*% gM- •^ ^ Q^ nn m 422 f & V * ® & (9 -?0Q^ rrv ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Mr. E. is a Prohibitionist, and, religiously, is a member of the Baptist Church. He has held vari- ous offices, such as School Director and Road Com- missioner. Mr. Edwards is one of the oldest set- tlers living in Hampton Township, and also one of the leading representative citizens of the county. He is also one of the leading Sunday-school workers in Rock Island County, having, for more than a quarter of a century, given much of his time and attention to that laudable work. I: jfpll*, enry P. Oakley, of the Moline Ice Compa- I' ny,is a native of Sweden, and was born in that country Feb. 23, 1833. His life was passed on a farm, but on approaching man- hood he took to the sea. He sailed in the merchant service, and made one trip around the world ; was promoted to mate of a vessel (top- sail schooner), and in 1857 had a terrible experience on the American coast. His vessel lay at New Or- leans during the yellow fever season, and one of the crew contracted the disease, which was not discov- ered until they were weighing anchor to start on their return voyage to New York. The first death occurred before they reached the Gulf, then one aft- er another fell sick, including himself and the cap- tain. They were not far on their return voyage before they had lost five of their crew of eight, and the remaining three members were the captain, a boy and himself, all sick and feeble. They were not strong enough to handle the larger sails, and were obliged to leave them set as they were, although threatened with a storm. They secured the smaller sails, and rode the storm out with the main sails set, expecting every minute to see them carried away. They " spoke a bark " soon afterwards and asked for some hands, but were refused. Either the bark was short-handed, as her officer claimed, or else her men were not disposed to take any chances on the fever- stricken vessel. Under these trying circumstances they made their way, marvelously as it may seem, to New York in safety. Mr. Oakley had intended this for his last voyage, and it came very near being one too many. He quit the sea at New York, and came West in 1858, locating near Morrison, 111., where he engaged in farming. In 1865 he removed to Henry County, where he carried on a farm from 1865 to 1872. He then came to Moline and engaged in the grocery business, remaining in the same for five years, when he sold out and engaged with Deere & Mansur, corn-planter manufacturers, as foreman of the lum- ber department. While continuing with this compa- ny he formed a partnership with Swan Trop and Andrew Shellberg in the ice business, underlthe title of the Moline Ice Company ; but does not give his personal attention to the business. Mr. Oakley formed a matrimonial alliance, at Ge- neseo, Henry Co., III., in 1863, with Miss Hannah, daughter of Nels Hall. Mrs. Oakley was born in Sweden. The issue of their union was four chil- dren, namely : Nellie, born in 1864; Minnie, born in 1867 ; Katie, born in 1873; and Robert, born in i3 7 S- Mr. Oakley is liberal in his religious views, and in political opinion is a Republican. .on. Henry A. Ainsworth, State Senator, representing the Twenty-first District of Illinois, also Secretary and Treasurer of the m Williams, White & Co.'s Iron Works. Mr. Ains- \ worth is a native of Williamstown, Orange Co., Vt.; is a son of Calvin and Laura (Lynde) Ainsworth, and was born Sept. 28, 1833. His par- ents were both natives of Vermont. Henry A. received an academic education, and in the fall of 1853, when twenty years of age, he came to Illinois, and made his home in Geneseo, Henry Co., where he was engaged in the mercantile business, and served as one of the first Trustees of that town. He continued his residence at Geneseo until July, 1870, when he came to Moline, and purchased an interest in the Williams & Co.'s Iron Works. On the incorporation of the company in the following year, he was chosen its first secretary and treasurer. He has been re-elected, and has held that position continuously since. Under his efficient management the business has prospered, and has been largely in- creased in importance. During the year 1880 the large buildings on the west of Eighth Street were Ci & (v \^mk Mmmm^ €*■ 3>^ t*a i l /0> ^ v/^^f* >W'in£t-'4«^" £^ ^ / ^hd^iid^ Whk ^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 425 erected, thus greatly increasing the capacity of the works. (See history of the company elsewhere in this work.) Mr. Ainsworth formed a matrimonial alliance, at Ashland, Ohio, July 27, 1858, with Miss Sarah R. Andrews, daughter of Alanson and Sarah (Gates) Andrews, and a sister of Lorin Andrews, President of Kenyon College, Ohio. Mrs. Ainsworth was born at Ashland, Ohio. They have three children, one son and two daughters: Harry, Mary A. and Laura L. Mr. and Mrs. Ainsworth are members of the Congregational Church. In politics, Mr. A. is a staunch Republican. He has served as a member of the Moline Common Council, and in r882 was elected to the State Senate from the Twenty-first Senatorial District. He participated in the memor- able contest for the United States Senatorship in 1885, wtiich resulted in the return of John A. Logan, and has served on various important committees. As a business man and citizen, Mr. Ainsworth is held in high esteem. 5 m I'ames W. Morgan, M. D , practicing physi- cian and surgeon at Port Byron, was born "? at Thornton, Boone Co , Ind., Dec. 4, 1837. His father, Isaac Morgan, was born in New Jersey, and was of Welsh descent. The latter married Cynthia Westfall, who was born in Kentucky, and who is of mixed German and Irish origin. The family emigrated to Iowa in 1846, whither they drove across the intervening country with horse teams, and located in Scott County, where his father bought a farm three miles from Davenport. When he was 17, Dr. Morgan began the study of medicine with his brother, Dr. Asa Morgan, at De- witt, Iowa; and, later, he matriculated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, whence he was graduated. He commenced his career as a practitioner at Ly- tle City, Iowa, in 1859. During the war he went to the scenes of conflict in the capacity of surgeon of the 14th Regt. Iowa Vol. Inf., and acted in that ca- pacity nine months. In May, T864, he was commis- sioned Assistant Surgeon of the 40th Iowa Vols., by Governor Stone. He remained with the command * f r TS until 1865. On leaving the army Dr. Morgan lo- cated at Cordova, where he practiced until 1876. Within that year he removed to Port Byron and es- tablished his business as a physician. Here he has since practiced with satisfactory success. He takes high rank as a skilled physician and suigeon, and is regarded as one of the ablest in the county. He was united in marriage June 10, i860, to Ma- ria E. Norcutt, a native of Hardwick, WorcesterCo., Mass. Clara J. W. is their only surviving child. Politically, Dr. Morgan is a Republican. He be- longs to Philo Lodge No. 436, A. F. & A. M., at Port Byron, Lodge No. 624, I. O. O. F., Alpha Lodge No. 85, A. O. U. W., and to Sycamore Camp of Modern Woodmen. Dr. Morgan is a man of versatile talent, and of broad and catholic views on the many important metaphysical, scientific and other subjects which have elicited the attention of the world within the last two or three decades. He finds time, when not attending to the onerous duties of his profession, to investigate the theories and philosophical conclusions of the brightest scholars of the day. As a compan- ion he is genial and social, as a friend true and stead- fast. The Doctor is also a pleasing and logical speaker, and possessed of much magnetic force, which wins conviction in the minds of his auditors. Dr. Morgan is certainly deserving the high esteem in which he is held by the people of Rock Island County, both as a professional gentleman and a citi- zen. He earnestly endeavors to do the most good professionally to the community in which he lives, and in a social way is a prominent worker and mem- ber of the highest circles. He is a gentleman worthy to be classed among the leading men of the county, and as such we place his likeness in the gal- axy of portraits of the representative men of Rock Island County. ■ — ->-5— 4 — txa aOB B* — -3*-i-*" — ■ \ innah Wells, deceased, was one of the pio- neer settlers of Rock Island County, as 5 well as one of her most respected and m . honored citizens. He came to this county from Wayne Co., 111., in 1827. The date of his birth runs back to May 14, 1821, and the ( i V place of his nativity was near Fairfield, Wayne Co \3 ACJORsani^A^ — s «* K ■*t§*@/-f|| 426 -j&®z — 6v^iiii&iiii>^=> — 5 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ) E3 3 111. He lived at the latter place with his parents until six years old, when they moved to Rock Island city, where his mother died in 1843, and his father in 185 1. Mr. Wells of this sketch remained with his par- ents, attending the common schools and procuring a good English education therefrom, until he attained the age of 26 years. On arriving at that age in life, he purchased a farm on Rock River, containing 400 acres, on which he moved and entered vigorously and energetically upon the task of its cultivation, and where he continued to operate for a period of 18 years. Selling the same, he purchased another farm, of 220 acres, and was engaged in its cultiva- tion for T2 years. He lived on his farm near Anda- lusia and carried on the hardware business in town four years: In 1870, Mr. Wells sold his interest in the hard- ware business at Andalusia, and up to the date of his death, which occurred April 15, 1877, he carried on his farm near Andalusia, in which vocation he met with success. Mr. Wells formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Hannah Buffum, a native of this State. The marriage took place Feb. 25, 1846. Eight children were born of their union : John B., deceased ; Mary L., wife of James S. Robertson ; Clara E., wife of J. T. Kenworthy ; Ella M., wife of Dr. Francis S. Smith; and Edward and Harry, deceased; Lucy and Amanda, young ladies, residing at home. Mary L. married Edward Athwood, and they had two children, John and Alberta. Mr. Athwood died in 187 1, and Mrs. Athwood was again married, to James Robertson, and two children were born of her latter union, Jessie M. and Mary F. Robertson. Clara E. married J. T. Kenworthy, and they have three children, — Lotta F., Samuel R. and Clara E. Ella M. married Frank S. Smith, a physician, and they have one boy and a girl. Mr. Wells was one of the first Supervisors of Rock Island County, and held the same office for several terms. Politically, he was identified with the inter- ests of the Republican party; was a public-spirited man, and always ready to assist in any good cause that was made known to him. He died April T5, 1877, respected and beloved by a host of relatives and friends. Mrs. Wells has erected a beautiful house on the old Sixth Avenue, which is surrounded by one and a half acres of land. She lives enjoying the comforts of a home left her through the ener- getic labors of her husband, coupled with that of her own assistance, a respected member of society and a worthy citizen of Rock Island County. -K3- -£$- % P%'janiel Zimmerman, wagon-manufacturer at &JbMl iL Cordova, was born in Pennsylvania, three JMG^y- miles south of Greensburgh, Hempfield ■y^x Township, Westmoreland County, April 22, J c \ 1826. He .is the eldest son of Jonathan and Magdalene (Bartz) Zimmerman, both his par- ents being natives also of the Keystone State and of German descent. He remained at home on his father's farm until 14 years of age, when he went toGreensburg to make his home with Asmus Rumbaugh, assisting him in his store and attending school. After serving a mercantile apprenticeship of three years he went to Pittsburg, where he engaged as clerk in a dry-goods store six months. Returning to Greensburg, he be- came a partner of his former employer, remaining in that relation two years, when he became a salesman in another house in the same town. He remained there until r846, and then went to Youngstown, Pa., where he had purchased a stock of general merchan- dise of Col. Coulter, and continued in mercantile business until 1 85 3, when he sold out. Having se- cured an agency from C. H. McCormick for the sale of his farm machinery, he from this time on devoted his whole attention to that line of business. For the first six years his headquarters were in Youngstown, and after 1859 in Cordova, this county. While en- gaged in tin's line of trade he traveled in the States of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Iowa. On retiring from this line of business, he engaged in the manufacture of wagons, in which he is still employed, in company with Thomas Carr. Mr. Zimmerman has served as Notary Public since Dec. 27, 1S67, the date of his commission, and was appointed Justice of the Peace June 2r, 1883. He has also served as Supervisor of his township four terms; was President of the first Board of Trustees I f$& m -^c^ — @tK>o d® niif^A© — ^€^- HP^^i^W*^-: '^&ST ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. of the village of Cordova, and has since served as Village Clerk. He is a member of the Cordova Lodge, No. 543, A. F. & A. M. He was married, in 1846, to Hettie Steck, who was born in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland Co., Pa., and they have had five children, viz.: Will- iam C, who is now in business in Chicago; Louisa, now the wife of H. W. Rathbun, and living in Plank- inton, Dak.; Clara E., wife of Walter J. Pepper, and residing near Aledo, Mercer Co., 111.; Anna, now Mrs. W. J. Johnson, and residing at Prophetstown, Whiteside Co., III. Mrs. Z. died May 10, 1880, and Mr. Z., for his second wife, married, in 1882, Eliza- beth S. Davidson, who is a native of Johnson Co., Iowa. |i J nomas Simpson, a former agriculturist of Coe Township, was born in Hempfield ^ Township, Westmoreland Co., Pa., Nov. 3, 181 1, and was the oldest son of John and Hannah (Staymates) Simpson, both of whom were natives of the Keystone State. He is of mixed Scotch and German descent, his mother hav- ing been of the former and father of the latter na- tionality by extraction. Mr. Simpson was reared to the vocation of a farmer in his native county, and was married there Nov. 5, 1835, to Eliza Fisher, who was born in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland Co., Pa., Jan. 28, 18 18, and is the daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Golden) Fisher. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson located in Hemphill after their marriage, and lived on a rented farm for six years, when they removed to Mt. Pleasant Township, and were there resident until 1853. In that year they removed to Illinois, settling in the same county in which the family is now living. Mr. -Simpson at first rented a farm on sections 7 and 8 of Coe Township, which he contin- ued to manage five years. In i860 hs became the owner of the same place by purchase, and it was his home thenceforward until the date of his demise, which occurred Feb. 24, 1873. His widow is still living on the homestead property, and has, since his death, devoted her time and energies to the fulfil- ment of the plans and purposes of the husband of her youth. The farm contains 200 acres, and is under advanced improvement and in valuable agri- cultural condition. The buildings are of creditable character. She is the mother of seven surviving children : Sarah A. is the wife of Joseph Reynolds, a resident of Coe Township; James is a resident of Cordova: Eliza J. married William Fleming; John F. is a citizen of Cordova; Jesse is the mana- ger of the homestead property; Wesley lives with his mother; Erastus is a resident of the State of Iowa. They are members of the Presbyterian Church. ustaf Swensson, Justice of the Peace, in- surance, real -estate and steamship ticket * agent, at Moline, is a son of Olaf Swens- j?> son, and was born in Sweden, Aug. 3, 1842. He received a liberal education in his native country. In June, 1S60, Mr. Swensson was appointed Clerk of the Court. In the summer of the following year he resigned that position to accept that of Deputy Sheriff. This he held until 1864, when he accepted the position of head book-keeper for S. F. Swalander, wholesale dealer at Gotheborg. Shortly after this, we find him engaged in the com- mission business, which he abandoned in 1869 and entered the employment of the American Emigrant Company, as book-keeper and cashier, which posi- tion he resigned in 187 r, coming to America. He arrived at Moline in April, 1872, and engaged in the life-insurance business, but a year later he engaged in the sale of sewing-machines, which he continued until 1877, when he established the Skan- dia, a Swedish newspaper, and published it 16 months. Mr. Swensson was then appointed land agent for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road, and engaged in general real-estate business, which he has since carried on. In 1877 he was elected Justice of the Peace and re-elected in i88r and 1885. He was appointed Notary Public in October, 1876, and has been Notary ever since. Mr. Swensson has filled several other local offices, such as United States Census taker, in 1880 and as Deputy Tax Collector three years. He now repre- sents nine different steamship lines and three insur- ance companies. Mr. Swensson formed a matrimonial alliance in ? vg; d Ci) r£ 3 s !0'VT*v -^c^ — ^^nn^im^ a. i$8M®&&Qr- -r^m-m^ i«) & § > ) (^ 428 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Sweden, Nov. 27, 1869, with Miss Alida Josephine Stromberg, daughter of L. Stromberg. Mrs. Svvens- son was born in the city of Gotheborg, Sweden, and they are the parents of three children, two sons and a daughter : John Gustaf, born in Gotheborg, Swe- den, Oct. 5, 187 1 : Adolph Frederick, born in Mo- line, 111., Jan. 27, 1874; Tora Catharine, born in Moline, July 24, 1878. Mr. Swensson and family, in religious sentiment, are Lutherans. Mr. S. is a Republican in his political views. -°-3- -S=~- "l* ft »H illiam H. Munger, lessee of the Rock :..!»S=-tVV Island House, Rock Island, is a well ! ^> i (~ ) ' known and popular hotel man. The Mun- ■' ger family is of French and German ancestry. William H. Munger's father was born in the State of Pennsylvania, in 1803. He learned the blacksmith trade and prosecuted that business in the city of Syracuse, N. Y. In 1830 he embarked in the hotel business at Sullivan, Madison Co., N. Y., continuing with good success until 1S39. He then purchased the Lafayette Hall hotel at Verona, Oneida Co., N. Y„ where he remained until his death, of cholera, in 1853, leaving a competent estate to his family. His mother was a native of Connec- ticut, born in the village of Saybrook in 1808. Her maiden name, Bushnell, is an old and prominent Puritan family. Their marriage occurred at Sulli- van, N. Y., in the year 1825. They reared a family of seven children, viz. : James F., William H, Don A., George B., Edward M., Hamilton G. and Doctor E. The mother is still living, at the advanced age of 77, passing her declining years in visiting among her children. William H. Munger was born at Sullivan, Madison Co., N. Y., on the 10th day of April, 1833. He re- mained at home with his parents until 21 years of age, when he begun life's labors for himself. He rented a farm of 60 acres near Verona, in his native State, and pursued the occupation of a farmer; re- maining there two years. He then emigrated to the West, purchased a farm of 160 acres in Grundy Co., 111., where he remained, engaged in farming, for four or five years, meeting with fair success. He then leased a hotel in Sandwich, De Kalb Co., 111., for one year, and entered into the business of hotel- keeping, for which occupation subsequent years proved him pre eminently fitted. His next venture was at Leland, La Salle County, this State, where he continued in the same business for two years ; then to YVyanet, 111., from whence, after a short time, he returned to Sandwich, resuming the charge of his first hotel venture. His next removal was to Oregon, Ogle County, where he became the lessee of the Sinnissippi Hotel, which acquired a noted promi- nence under his five years' successful management. From Oregon he moved to Sterling, where he kept tlie Gault House for one year. In all these ventures he was successful, not only in a financial sense but in that of adding popularity to his name and house and giving dignity and tone to his profession. On leaving Sterling, Mr. Munger purchased the lease of the Rock Island House, in the city of Rock Island, which, under his present management, is rated as one of the best and most successfully conducted hostelries in the West. Mr. Munger was married Jan. 27, r852, to the daughter of Ellery Shaw. Her father was a native of New York; and her mother, whose maiden name was Mary Anthony, was a sister of the Anthony of the firm of Anthony & Davis, of Troy, N. Y., cele- brated stove manufacturers. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Munger, — James F. and Guy E., the latter having died in infancy. Mr. James F. married Celestie Crowell, daughter of Put- ney Crowell, of Oregon, III, and resides with his father, being interested in the management of the hotel. A few years ago he adopted a little girl at the age of six years, whom he intends to educate and give the same advantages as a daughter of his own. George B. and Edward M., brothers of William H. Munger, of whom we write, are engaged in the hotel business in the city of Chicago. For three years they kept the Burdick House, and afterwards took charge of the Clifton for five years. In 1882 they leased the Matteson House, which they re- modeled and refurnished, and under their control is at present regarded as one of the best hotels in Chi- cago. Don A. and Doctor E. are also pursuing the same occupation ; the former being proprietor of the j vS & i t I V@H^ -^ ©. "^^>i^y^~ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. to Brackett House at Rochelle, 111., and the latter keep- ing the American House at Princeton. The Munger brothers are well known and popular hostlers and their name is rapidly approaching the enviable reputation enjoyed by tne Lelands. on. John T. Browning, attorney at law, senior partner of the law firm of Browning & Entiikin, and a resident of Rock Island County since December, 1858, was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., June n, 1830, and is the son of John L. and Lucy (Tillotson) Browning. He received an academic education and engaged in the study of law at Rochester, N. Y., where he was admitted to the Bar in the fall of 1858. He pro- ceeded at once to Illinois and arrived at Moline in December of that year. He then engaged in the practice of his profession, and has pursued it con- tinuously since. The existing partnership with Mr. Entrikin was formed July 1, 1876. Mr. Browning was Attorney for Moline while a village, and was the first City Attorney, and great credit is due him for arranging and planning many of the early ordinances of the city. His impress is seen in many important legal affairs of the city. He has served two terms as representative in the Illinois Legislature from this district. In the fall of 1874, he was first elected, and re-elected in the fall of 1876. He served on several important com- mittees, was careful of the interests of his constitu- ents, with all due regard to fairness and the general welfare of the public. Being a man of broad views and earnest conviction, his support of or opposition to a pending measure always carried weight. Mr. Browning entertained strong anti-slavery views in early manhood, and on the formation of the Re- publican party as a national organization in 1856, he identified himself with it at once, and was an earn- supporter of Fremont and Dayton. Since that time he has been a warm advocate of Republican prin- ciples, and has been gratified by seeing his views pre- vail as a national policy for nearly a quarter of a century. While zealous in support of his party and its policy, he has always been conservative, con- sidering the welfare of the country and good govern- ment more important than mere party success; hence he has always urged the nomination of pure men for official positions, preferring a clean record and high order of talent to availability and a reputation for successful political intrigue. In his profession, Mr. Browning ranks among the foremost in Western Illinois. During the 27 years he has practiced in the Courts, he has won an enviable reputation for fidelity to his clients, fairness to op- posing counsel, and respect to the Court. Possessed of studious habits and quick, perceptive faculties, his opinions are usually well founded and command the favorable consideration of Court and jury. A portrait of Mr. Browning could not appropriately be omitted from this Album when a representative member of the Bar is desired to be placed in the galaxy of Rock Island portraits. His portrait is therefore given in connection with this sketch. B. E. Adams, proprietor of the Rapids < itv Mills, Rapids City, was born at Law- renceburg, Dearborn Co., Ind., Feb. 20, 1842. His parents, Alfred A. and Louisna (Green) Adams, were natives of Vermont and Ohio respectively. After his marriage the el- der Adams worked at farming and also ran a steam- boat on the Ohio River. He soon, however, sold all his interests there and came to Rock Island County and purchased 250 acres of land in Cordova Town- ship. Here for two years he engaged in farming, and in 1855, the love for water having revived, he bought another steamboat and ran it between St. Louis and St. Paul until i860. In 1861 he bought an interest in the Rapids City Mills and subequently bought the whole property, but later selling the quarter interest to A. D. Keely. He, however, con- tinued to manage the mills until 1872, when he sold his interest to his two sons, A. B. E., the subject of this sketch, and Alfreda. Shortly afterwards the for- mer sold his interest and later bought his brother's interest, in 1876 bought out all other interests and has since had the whole control of the mill. The subject of this sketch was married in 1866 to 9 ■r $ >^^K -*€^ £^ ra n<^9. ~ ■nV 3*T #t§5f £ i ^ 432 ^Off ISLAND COUNTY. I * ,0 9 > 1 '4 Miss Sarah P. E. Rowe, a native of Iowa, and who has become the mother of eight children, as follows : Wilfred T., Alfred A., Harold D., Inez E. Mable M., Nellie P., Estella M. and Albert M. Besides owning the mill at Rapids City, Mr. Ad- ams has a fine farm of 160 acres in Cordova Town- ship and owns an interest in the Port Byron Lum- bering Co., which run a saw-mill. Altogether, he is one of the substantial, enterprising and solid men of Rapids City. Politically, he is a member of the Greenback party, and belongs to the Masonic Order, Odd Fellows and also to the A. O. U. W. Mr. Adams enlisted in Co. G, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., and served three years and a half. While in the service he was in the Army of the Cumberland and was at the siege of Vicksburg. He was mus- tered out at Springfield and received an honorable discharged. ^NS§3N^ oseph B. Cox, one of the pioneer settlers fe- of Hampton Township, coming here at a i^'s' d a te when the hand of civilization was hardly visible in the township in which he lo- ]£ cated (in 1836) and having resided here con- stantly ever since, has witnessed the develop- ment of the county and experienced all the trials incident to the settlement of a new country. He came here in 1836 and located on section 15, Hamp- ton Township, where he took up 160 acres of Gov- ernment land and on which he has resided for a period of 48 years. He was born Dec. 2, i8r3, in Wayne County, Ind. His parents, Joseph and Mary (Rue) Cox, came to Hampton Township in 1836, and his father took up Government land on section 3 of the same township on which he resided until his death. Joseph B. Cox, subject of this sketch, remained at home until he attained the age of 22 years. His years prior to the age of majority were spent on the farm and in the acquisition of a good common-school education. Mr. Cox was united in marriage March 20, 1836, to Ann Williamson, a native of Ken- tucky, and of their nine children, eight survived. The surviving are, — Mary E., born Jan. 8, 1837 ; Williamson M., born May 14,1839; Augustus D., born April iS, 1842 ; Osborn M., born June 16, 1847 ; Hill K.,born April 14, 1849; Emma E., born April 15, 1852; Cassius C, born June 19, 1854; and Ja- son J., born June 15, 1857. Washington R. was a soldier belonging to the 89th 111. Vol. Inf., Company F. He was a prisoner four months in the rebel prisons and died at St. John's College Hospital, March 6, 1S63. All the surviving children except Mary E. are married. Politically, Mr. Cox is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. He has held the offices of Road Commissioner and School Director, and also other minor township of- fices. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. At the present time Mr. Cox is the proprietor of 560 acres of land. His word is as good as his bond, and his accumula- tion of this world's goods is attributed not only to his early coming to the county, but to his good judg- ment and determination in " sticking to it " and overcoming all obstacles. He is one of the reliable men of Hampton Township, and is respected for his honest, straightforward, manly dealings with his fellow-man. Williamson M. Cox, the eldest son of our subject, was married April r^, i860, to Mabel Cook, of Hampton Township. They are the parents of two children, living, — William L. and Raymond, and re- side in Coe Township, this county. Augustus D. Cox married Anna Scott, a native of Pennsylvania, Oct. 24, 1867, and they had three living children, namely: Walter S., Fred E. and Ralph C, and at present reside on section 22, Hampton Township. Mrs. Augustus D. Cox died July 20, i88r, and Mr. Cox was again married Feb. 3, 18S5, to Miss Dora Willson, of Iowa. Osborn M. Cox married Emma Pardey, of Geneseo, 111., Aug. 18, 1881, and they are the parents of two children, — Nina D. and Frank L. and reside in Hampton Township. Hill K. married Sarah Jackson, a native of Pennsylvania, July 1, 1875, and of their union four children have been born, — Nellie, Maude, Edgar and Annie, and they also reside in Hampton Township. Emma E. mar- ried Alexander Mortin, a native of Scotland, March 20, 1872, and their union has been blessed with five children, — Cora, Claudie M., Morris, Arthur, Annie M., — and they reside at South Hart, Dak. Cassius C. married Margaret Arcularius, a native of Rock Island \M (v, * 'V®>)C .&JL ' s a son 0I Elmer and Elizabeth -|S»- (Duvoll) Drury, natives of Vermont and Ohio. The parental family comprised 12 children, of whom Elmer A. was the eldest. Mr. Drury was born in Washington County, Ohio, May 14, 1820. His early life was passed in his native county, where he alternated his labors on the farm by attendance at the common-schools. He remained in his native 9 a^« — s^>hom<£a« — s*©**- 434 r^flfl&llll&T^ — ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. z*&s: v > /> county until he attended the age of 30 years, when he came to this county and settled in South Moline Township. He has since resided in that county, and is at present the proprietor of 80 acres of land, the major portion of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Drury formed a matrimonial alliance March 29, 1837, in Ohio, with Miss Margaret Bailey. She was born in Delaware, Dec. 18, 181 3. Her parents were William and Mary (Riley) Bailey. Mr. and Mrs. Drury are the parents of seven children, namely : Mary E., born April 9, 1839 ; Caroline, Dec. 6, 1840; Daniel B., June 25, 1843 ; Charles A., Feb. 5, 1846 ; Jane A., Oct. 26, 1848; Sarah M., Oct. 19, 1850; Ellen, June 18, 1855. Chris. A. died in Aujust, 1878; Daniel B. died Oct. 7, 1885. Politically, Mr. Drury is identified with the adher- ents of the Democratic party. He has held the po- sition of School Director in his township, and is a respected citizen and an energetic farmer. ames R. Underwood, a farmer residing on section 17, Drury Township, is a son of Larkin and Mary (Murphres) Underwood, natives of Indiana and Virginia respectively. They were married in Morgan County, Ind., and emigrated to Rock Island, this State, settling in Drury Township, where the father died, in February, 1846. The mother still survives, and resides in that township with her son. Their family comprises six children, namely: James R., David B., Jesse, William H., Henry C. and Sally A. ; James R. and Henry C. are the only surviving children. James R. Underwood, subject of this biographical notice, was born in Morgan Co., Ind., Sept. 18, 1S33. He came to Rock Island County in the fall of 1840, and this has been his home ever since that time, where he has followed the vocation of a farmer, meeting with success. In April, iS6r, after shot and shell had thundered from Rebel guns on Fort Sumter, and when the call was first made for troops jj^ to serve three months (it being expected that the rebellion would be put down inside of that time), he enlisted in the 1st Iowa Inf. After the expiration of 9B\$*Gi4 his term of enlistment, he re-enlisted Aug. 12, 1862, in the 126th 111. Vol. Inf., and served for three years. He was seriously wounded in the battle of Wilson's Creek, Mo*., Aug. 10, 1S61. and was confined in a hospital something over two months. After receiving his discharge, Mr. Underwood re- turned to the peaceful pursuits of farm life in this county, and also has been engaged in the occupation of a blacksmith, which trade he learned in early life, and at which he served an apprenticeship of four years. He is the proprietor of 80 acres of land in Drury Township, under a good state of cultivation. The marriage of Mr. Underwood to Miss Eliza J. Crabtree, the accomplished daughter of Wm. and Elizabeth (Swingil) Crabtree, natives of Virginia, oc- curred in Drury Township, Sept. 10, 1855. Her parents family comprised nine children — Mary A., John, Amelia, Susan, Eliza J., Emeline, Charles, El- len and Jerusha. Eliza J., wife of the subject of this sketch, was born in Marion Co., Ind., Jan. 2, 1837, and has borne to her husband four children — Byron, born Sept. 21, 1858; Elzada, wife of Shadrach YVil- ford, born August, i860; James M., born October, 186 1 ; and Lavada E., born May 18, 1866. Byron is deceased. Mr. Underwood has held the office of Supervisor, Constable, Justice of the Peace, and other minor offices. Religiously, his wife is a member of the Baptist Church, and politically, Mr. Underwood is identified with the National party. ( < ( _^_ R Freek, M. D., is a native of Albany, „ Whiteside Countv, this State, where he E was born, on the iothof September, iS^a. his parents being Nicholas and Mary (Routledge) Freek. The former was a native of Yorkshire, England, and emigrated to Canada while yet a young man, and there married Miss Mary Routledge, also a native of Yorkshire, England. He followed the tile and brick making business in Can- ada, and in 1S54 came to Illinois and settled in Al- bany, Whiteside County, where he still resides. W. R. Freek, of whom we write, was the youngest of his parents' family, and received a good education -z^?z «4*t§£@ . ^nnsflii?^^ - Ail »*3f^9.q nivt iwiT p> j r ^/< tfJ WWfo.' jSEapT * Residenceof Jere Pearsall,Sec.23. CoeTp. ; Rock Island Co. Ill M^K [V,

States with his brother-in-law when quite young, his father and mother having pre- viously died. On coming to this country, and on attaining an age equal to the emergency, he began work as a farm laborer, and continued in that voca- cation until 1862 ; during that year he enlisted in Co. I, 2d Iowa Regt., for three months, and at the expi- ration of his term of enlistment he re-enlisted in the 10th Iowa Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war, receiving an honorable discharge. He par- ticipated in many battles and skirmishes, in fact, in all in which his company engaged, and received no serious wound. After the war was over and the cause for which he fought was victorious, he went to California and engaged in gold-mining and prospect- ing, and at the same time fighting the Indians. He remained in that State for eight years, then went to China, on board the good ship " Golden City," and rrmained there three months, then returned to San Francisco. From the latter place he came toHarnp- ton, where he remained a short time, and then took a trip to Germany, his native land, and was absent about four months; then returned to Hampton. Since going to that place he has purchased 157 acres of land. Mr. Oltmanns was united in marriage to Miss Emma Beierlein, May r3, 1875. She is a native of Rock Island. Their union has been blessed with two children, William and Clara. Mr. Oltmanns, politically, is identified with the Republican party, and religiously he and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church. «J2Cfirtg|g<* 5K 31M®Pll<> fl *3 a ^^- 4^^, m ■cr ^on&ni]^ 438 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. "5#Sb« 4*t§^ (3, ') $ ^ 4 y . azarus Lowry. Among the representative and prominent business men of Port Byron is Lazarus Lowry. He is an old pioneer of Rock Island County and has been connected with the business history of Port Byron for nearly 30 years. He was born June 19, 1830, near Hallidaysburg, Pa., in that part of Huntingdon County which is now included in Blair County. His pattrnal great-grandfather was of Scotch-Irish origin and he was the first member of his family to settle in America. He came from the north of Ireland and settled on the Juniata River, where he was engaged in traffic with the Indians. Lazarus Lowry, the grandfather of Mr. Lowry of this sketch and for whom the latter was named, was one of the first set- tlers in Huntingdon Co., Pa. He had received several slaves from his father and a tract of wild land em- bracing 1,200 acres. His estate was traversed by the Juniata River, upon which he built a flouring-mill, near the head-waters of that stream, the first manu- factory of its kind on that river. On the day on which the mill was put in practical operation the owner freed his slaves. He named his son Lazarus, who was the second of the name and who married Sidney Holliday, also a resident and native of Hun- tingdon County. They were the parents of Mr. Lowry, of this sketch. The mother was the daughter of John Holliday, a Major in the Revolutionary Army, and a sister of John Holliday, who was a sol- dier in the War of 18 12, and held the same rank as his father. The family was of Scotch descent and were pioneers of Huntingdon County, Pa. When he was 20 years of age Mr. Lowry accom- panied his parents to Iowa, emigrating thither in 1850. They journeyed on the railroad to Johns- town, Pa., thence on'the canal to Pittsburg, where they took passage on the Ohio and Mississippi Riv- ers to Muscatine. His father bought a farm, situ- ated n miles northwest of Davenport, of which the family took possession in the spring of 1851. Mr. Lowry attended the Davenport College in 1852, and in the spring of 1853 he began business, operating as a contractor in furnishing the United States garri- sons at Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien and Fort Snelling with provisions. He was occupied in that capacity until 1857, and was meanwhile also occu- pied in the variety of business known as the " river trade, " and had been for a few years subsequent. For some time while the conflicts between the Sioux and Chippewa Indians were in progress, the braves of the former being on the war-path, he supplied their families with provisions. In August, 1857, he came to Rock Island County and assumed control of the De Soto House, at Port Byron, and continued its management until 1S63. In February, of that year, he entered the service of the United States and was assigned to duty in the transportation of munitions of war uuder General Palmer, of the Army of the Tennessee. He discharged the duties of the office of Master of Transportation one year. During the raid of Morgan's Cavalry the supplies gave out and the troops subsisted on reduced rations for several days, each man receiving two crackers daily. About the commencement of 1864 he was attached to the corps of L. B. Boomer, bridge-contractor, late of Chi- cago. In 1864 he entered into a contract with the United States Government to provide material for the Nashville & Decatur Railroad, including wood and ties. In the summer of the same year he raised a crop of cotton on a plantation which he leased, which was located 65 miles south from Nashville. While marketing his crop he made 16 trips from the plantation to Nashville, taking each time an average value of from six to twelve thousand dollars worth of cotton. Good fortune decreed that no rebel raid occurred while he was thus engaged. He had estab- lished a supply store on the plantation and on the occasion of Hood's raid he removed his stock of merchandise to Reynold's Station, where his family were. Mrs. Lowry with her two children was inside the rebel lines six weeks and during the time secreted about $2,000 in cash on her person. Mr. Lowry with his family returned to Port Byron in 1865 and embarked in trade in stock and grain and also in coal, in which lines of traffic he was interested until 1880. He then entered the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, and en- gaged in buying coal lands in Iowa and Illinois, his purchases aggregating several millions of dollars. He also conducted a mercantile enterprise at Brace- ville, 111., and another at Angus, Iowa, transacting an aggregate value of $90,000 worth of business yearly. 3n^ y (0/< ->[i D^OIlf^A^ s^ik- 4^^ >§■• CO t a f J fro) mfrfG&fr* -^&s — o-T<^nii^nii>>r ^S) ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 439 f > 1=3 8 In April, 1885, lie embarked in mercantile traffic at Port Byron, and, associated with his son, initiated the business in which he has since been engaged. On his farm, situated near the village, he exhibits a herd of thoroughbred Holstein cattle, in which he takes just pride. He is also the owner of a consid- erable number of fine Jersey hogs. He has a palatial and imposing residence, built of the best Milwau- kee brick, which gives it a beautiful cream color. The roof is of the French pattern and the interior is finely finished in hard wood. It is heated by steam and lighted by gas manufactured on the premises. The interior throughout harmonizes with the exterior. On the 2d of August, 1859, he was united in mar- riage to Mrs. Emily N. Denlinger, nee Durfee, a na- tive of Erie Co., Pa , and daughter of Addison G. and Loraine Addison Durfee. Her mother subse- quently came West, in 1839, and settled in Henry County, 111., and later removed to Port Byron, at which place Mrs. Lowry was resident at the time of her marriage. She was born Dec. 26, 1829. Mrs. Lowry, by her former marriage with Mr. Denlinger, had only one child, M. B. Denlinger, now a resident of Port Byron. Earl B. and Emma S. are the two chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Lowry. The latter is the wife of H. E. Casteel, a merchant of Port Byron. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lowry are members of the Congrega- tional Church. Politically, he is a Republican, for- merly being an old-line Whig. !$Tk2£%f I dgar Humphrey, of Cordova, was born in Pf Hopeville, Mercer Co., N. J., Oct. 12, ^M^""" 1843, and is the only son of Elizabeth j?S- Humphrey. When Edgar was but two years i of age he was brought to Rock Island County \ by his mother, who located at Cordova. Here our subject grew to manhood, receiving a good edu- ■^\ cation at the public schools at that place. His com- ing to this place was in 1845, and he has since lived here, an honored and respected citizen. In 1865 he engaged in the lumber trade with R. K. McCormick ' and George Ege. In 1866 the firm bought a stock * of general merchandise, and J. L. Perkins became a ^ member of the firm, which did business under the ■H firm name of J. L. Perkins & Company. The firm transacted a more or less successful business until 1869, when our subject bought the interest of his partner and continued the business until 1873, when he sold out. He has since been assisting his step- father, William G. Marshall, in the care of his busi- ness. Mr. Humphrey was united in marriage Sept. 12, rS68, to Mary, daughter of Thomas and Charity Karr, and a native of New Jersey. The following children have been born to them : Jennie, Lura, Lizzie, William, Ira T. and Olive M. Mrs. Humphrey is a member of the Baptist Church. Politically, he is a Republican. Mi I <£■ -S3 4—L &- Dunbar, a farmer residing on section 13, Zunia Township, and the son of Mathew " and Susan (Campbell) Dunbar, natives of Jjiki Ireland, was born Dec. 17, 1827, in Pennsyl- !i£ vania. When three and one-half years of age ) Mr. Dunbar was adopted by an aunt, with whom he resided until the age of majority. Under her guidance he received a good English education, and was brought up to the labor common to farmers' sons in the time and locality in which he resided. In 1855, Mr. Dunbar, realizing the advantages of- fered by the West for procuring a competency, came to this county, and at first purchased 12 acres of land upon which he located, and to which he has added by subsequent purchases 185 acres. He lo- cated upon his land and entered vigorously and ener- getically upon the improvement of the same, erecting in time a good and substantial residence, barn and outbuildings. Politically, he is identified with the adherents of the Republican party. He is at present School Director, which position he has held for 25 years, and is an active business man, respected for his sterling worth and honest, straightforward deal- ings with his fellow-man. In 1865 he enlisted in Co. A, 156th 111. Vol. Inf., served nine months, and was honorably discharged, and was mustered out of service at Springfield, 111. Mr. Dunbar formed a matrimonial alliance with Elizabeth Miller, May 27, 1849. She was a native U m r=x l .Q-k ;~^4^- ft •r-S tt <^D>;DDr>r ^S 440 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. \ % i-ii 'I of Ohio, in which State she was born Aug. 26, 1848. They have 12 children living, namely: Alonzo, born May 27, 1S50; Emeline, Feb. 27, 1S52; Marilla, March 31, 1854; Jane, March 24, 1S56; Samantha, Feb. 21, 1858; Joseph, Sept. 20, 1S60; Mary, April 2r, 1862; Olive, March 26, 1864; Eliza, Oct. 18, 1866; Louis, Oct. t2, 1868; Elizabeth, Sept. 27, 1872; and Florence, Nov. 2, 1875. Alonzo married Bessie Whiteside, and they have five children : Eme- line married Isaac Struble, and they are the parents of two children. Jane married Marion Walker, and they are the parents of two children. Samantha married Jacob Graham, and they are likewise the parents of two children. Marilla married Joseph Parkes, and their union has been blessed with three children. •r »- ^ ' k^nT te P n en E. Goodlow, farmer, residing on W^ section 29, Rural Township, and Super- visor of the same, is a son of Thomas and Margaret (Gilmore) Goodlow, who are natives of Ireland. They came to Rock Island County at an early day, and settled in Rural Township, where he, in connection with his brother David, built the first cabin erected in that township. He was married there, and reared a family, residing in the township until his death. He and his wife were the parents of six children, namely : Stephen E., Mary A., John, Sarah, Frances and Thomas. Stephen E. Goodlow, the subject of this biographi- cal notice, was born in Rural Township, June 15, 1842. He received a common-school education in the schools of his native county, and resided on a farm, performing such work as is common to farmers; sons. On attaining the age of 17 years, he went to Missouri, where he was employed in different occu- pations, and was also in the State militia six months. He then returned to Rock Island, and about one year later he crossed the plains with an ox team to Idaho, the trip lasting about three months. He went out for the purpose of mining, but, not finding it sat- isfactory, he engaged in teaming. He remained in that country for three years, and then returned to his native State, and a few months later went to Mis- souri, where he remained for about nine months. From the latter place he came to Rock Island County, where lie settled and has since resided. He is one of the leading agriculturists of the county, owning a farm of 230 acres, the major portion of which is an advanced state of cultivation. He has a good residence, substantial outbuildings, and one of the finest farms in the county, and is regarded as one of the leading farmers of Rural Township. Mr. Goodlow formed a matrimonial alliance in Rural Township, in April, 1868, with Miss Barbara, the accomplished daughter of James and Susan Campbell, natives of Canada. Mrs. Goodlow was born in Canada, in 1843. They have one child, — Nettie. Mr. Goodlow was elected Supervisor of Rural Township in 1884, and was re-elected in the spring of 1885. He has alspserved the township in minor offices, such as School Director, Overseer of High- ways, etc. Politically, he is identified with the Democratic party. Mrs. Goodlow is a member of the Episcopal Church. - » ■ . -& Sh{hE$= . ohn E. Babeock. an enterprising and pro- __M" gressive farmer, whose accumulations are W& attributable to his own indomitable energy, pluch and good judgment, residing on sec- tion 28, of Hampton Township, came to this county in the year 1837. He was born in State of Massachusetts, Dec. 18, r82r, his parents being Timothy and Martha (Bugby) Babeock, natives of the State of Connecticut. Mr. Babeock, whose name heads this notice, re- ceived the advantages afforded by the common schools of his native county, and remained under the parental roof-tree until he attained the age of 14 years, when, realizing that the West offered better in- ducements for the accumulation of a competency, and being given the privilege by his parents to go forth and fight out his own destiny, he went to St. Louis, where he remained one year. He next came to this county, where he engaged as a clerk in a mercantile establishment, which vocation he followed for a number of years. At the age of 21 years, Mr. Babeock purchased ^ & 4. -^-i. ^unsnn^ a. _«§ t)t§9£ I i I m tes 15^ % trt /£^y ■6v4?nnsBD^ T^^ -?$$hz "I^K©V^P ^ ft ) ^ JWCVT ISLAND COUNTY. 06-; acres located on sections 21 and 28, Hamp- ton Township, and entered vigorously and energeti- cally upon iis cultivation and improvement. He subsequently added to his original purchase 320 acres, and at the present time is the proprietor of 426 acres of good tillable land, with good residence, barn and outbuildings. He was united in marriage, Dec. 8, 1857, to Miss Eliza A. Wells, a native of Rock Island County, in which State she was born, Dec. 24, 1838. Their union has been blessed by the birth of six children, namely: Ralph M., born July 29, i860; John E., March 15, 1862; George M., April 13, 1864; Louisa, Oct. 27, 1866; Martha M., Oct. 3, 1S69, and Drury A., Aug. 18,1871. Ralph M. married Louisa Silvis, daughter of Thomas S. Silvis. Politically, Mr. Babcock is identified with the prin- ciples advocated by the Democratic party. In addi- tion to the cultivation of his land, he is devoting a great part of his time to stock, and has some 90 head of cattle. He is one of the substantial men of Hampton Township, and although never seeking office has held the position of Road Commissioner and School Director. He is a man whose work is as good as his bond, and his success is attributable to his honest, straightforward dealings with his fellow- man, coupled with his good judgment and persever- ance. hM3|5 illiain Killing, engaged in agriculture on Ihjjyia ; section 22, Coal Valley Township, is a son §§p?^ of Benjamin and Eleanor (Grosscamp) jR23> Killing, who were natives of Germany, and had five children, — Mary, Frank, Amanda, William and Benjamin. Mr. Killing was born in Germany March 1, 1830, came to America with his parents when he was six years old, and about one year later they settled in Comanche, Iowa. His father died soon afterward, and he was "bound out" until 21 years of age, but he remained with his guar- dian but five years. He then came to Rock Island, where his people had settled, since which time he has been a resident of this county. He is now the proprietor of 620 acres of good land in this county. He is a prominent and well-to-do farmer and a cit- izen in high standing. The early days of Mr. Killing in this county were passed quite differently from what they are now. brief mention of what he was called to pass through/i. after his arrival in Rock Island County will give some' v« idea of the struggles expeiienced in conquering pov- erty, adversity and many seemingly insurmountable S obstacles. When he arrived in Coal Valley Town-T ship he walked up the Bluff road without money or I funds and his wardrobe tied up in a red bandana i handkerchief. He was looking for work, which he I finally secured from Joseph Knox, cutting cornstalks at $4 per month. After leaving Mr. Knox, he went 1 to work for James Glenn, with whom he remained for about four years. After leaving Mr. Glenn, hav- ing saved something of the very small wages he re- ceived, he bought 40 acres of land in Rural Township and went to work for himself. He worked hard and diligently here for about three years, when he sold out his farm and bought 1 20 acres of land near the village of Coal Valley, where he remained for about six or seven years, meeting with moderate success. Getting tired of the hilly country, he sold his farm for $1,700. In less than six months, however, coal was discovered on the place and the man who pur-<^= chased it from Mr. Killing sold 80 acres of it for 1 ''"' $10,000. It would really seem, considering the hard struggles through which Mr. Killing passed, and he*C living so long over the rich mine, that this fortune rightly belonged to him. He finally settled on his present homestead, however, where prosperity at- tended him, which place he has improved to such an extent that he now has one of the best farms in the township; and we take pleasure in presenting a full- page view of his residence with the pleasant sur- roundings. As a gentleman worthy to be classed among the representative citizens of Rock Island County, we also place a portrait of Mr. Killing in this Album, accompanying this sketch. Mr. Killing was first married in Edgington, this county, Nov. 23, 1869, to Carrie Sherwood, who was a native of the State of New York, and died March 31, 1876. Fannie, their only daughter, was born ! Nov. 5, 1872. He was again married, in Rock Isl- and, July 2i, 1877, to Jane (Renfrow) Davis, widow of John C. Davis, who died in Rock Island, Oct. i, 1876. She had by her first marriage six children, viz.: Josephine B., born July 4,1852; Alvira A., Oct. 14, 1855; Mary E., Dec. 13, 1857; Sadie W./g Oct. 7, 1859; Fannie E., Oct. 9, 1861 ; and Willie E., Oct. 23, 1863. He died Aug. 1, 1864. Joseph-""' ^ r os >®imw>*<& — ^'^ (j& xgaxfr * [Of I ) & v > i) T 1 jTOCX ISLAND COUNTY. n ine married Frank W. Dorman, and by this mar- riage had five children, — Birdie, Louie A., Rhea, Johnny and Carrie. Alvira married Wm. Green, April 26, 1876, and they have had one child, — Fred- die B. She was again married, to Albert Zeigler, Aug. 4, 1881. Josie, their only child, died Jan. 21, 1884. Mary E. married W. F. Johnson, Dec. 13, 1879, and became the mother of two children, — Jennie F. and Lelia B. Sadie married John Johns- ton Sept. 14, 1883. One child has been born to them, James Killing, named after his grandfather. Fannie became the wife of T. Winfield Scott. Sadie is their only child. Mr. K. is not a politician, although he has served as School Director; in his views of national affairs he is a Democrat. Mrs. K. is a member of the Bap- tist Church. -<-HH&*§3»- lisha P. Reynolds, Sr., an extensive rail- road and bridge contractor, and one of the pioneers of Rock Island, came to this place from Vermont in November, 1839. In that early day travelers in this section of country did not have the excellent railroad facilities we now have ; indeed, the stage coach was seen only at few places and at rare intervals. Mr. Reynolds was hardy and determined, and on reaching Chicago set out for Rock Island on foot, walking the entire dis- tance — 150 miles — through the unsettled country. Mr. Reynolds was born in Washington Co., Vt., Feb. 13, 1817. His parents were Elisha and Betsey (Stuart) Reynolds. The former was born in New York, of English descent, and the latter was a native of Massachusetts, of Scotch descent. The subject of this sketch remained with his parents until he was 2i years old, receiving a good common-school edu- cation. After leaving home he worked for three years for %\o per month, but being dissatisfied with the outlook in the East, and the narrow field it afforded for a young man of enterprise, he determined to come to the new and growing West. After his ar- rival here he found, as all pioneers to a new country do, that much hard muscular work is required to de- velop a country. For about two years he worked at cutting wood and splitting rails, after which he en- gaged in burning and selling lime for another two years. Seeing a vast field of fertile land all about him, he determined to try his haud at farming, and accord- ingly, in 1844, he rented a farm of 640 acres across Rock River. This venture did not prove so suc- cessful as he anticipated, and after three years lie left the farm and engaged in the brick business and contracting, erecting buildings, etc. This line of work he successfully followed for seven years, when, in T853, he enlarged his field of operation, taking in the construction of public works. He took at this time the contract for grading five miles of the Rock Island Railroad. In this he employed as many as 50 men at a time. He was especially fitted for this line of work, and which he has since successfully followed, doing some very heavy work. The largest contract he ever took to complete in one year, and in fact one that ranks among the heavy contracts of the country, was the construction of 250 miles of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, furnishing everything except the iron, ties and spikes. The amount he received for this work was $1,500,000. During this time he worked 3,000 men and r,5oo teams. At the present time, however, he employs only 300 men. In 1884 he built 250 miles of rail- road for the following companies : The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Cedar Rapids & Northern, and Winona, Alma & Northern Railroads. Among his extensive bridge building operations is the building of the railroad bridge over the Missis- sippi at Minneapolis, and the one in Dubuque, and also the one in Louisiana across the Mississippi, and the one over the Ohio at Cincinnati, the one at Glas- gow over the Missouri, and also the one at Platts- mouth over the same river. He has had the contract for and direct charge of building 1,500 miles of railroad, and besides the bridges mentioned above, numerous others over small streams. In i860 Mr. Reynolds purchased 350 acres of land in Hampton Township, this county, which he still owns and upon which he keeps his tenants. Mr. Reynolds wa sunited in marriage with Eliza Young, a native of Vermont, April 17, 1847. To them were born five children, four of whom are still living, — John H., Betsey, Lucy and Benjamin. Mrs. Reynolds died in 1858 and Mr. Reynolds contracted a subsequent marriage with Amanda Ogden Oct. 20, 5. © J r 1 |\J^ -^ 00^9 *&*. 1 '0^ ^v <^«HDf> tt ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 447 i ■ ■*■ n E=X I 5 i860. Mrs. Reynolds is a native of Illinois and the mother of one child, — Elisha P. Of his children, John, Benjamin and Lucy are married. The two former are in company with him under the firm name of E. P. Reynolds & Co., who are engaged in contracting and building railroads in different States and Territories of the Union. Although not a politician, though being a strong Republican in his political views, he has been chosen Mayor of Rock Island for two terms, conducting the affairs of the city in that straightforward, business- like way so characteristic of the man. K harles B. Fisk was born in Chemnitz, Po- land, Feb. 28, 1854, his parents having been Ferdinand and Maria (Mosch) Fisk, the former a native of Prussia and the latter W of Poland. They resided in Leipsic, Saxony, where both died. Charles B. was educated in the excellent schools and gymnasiums of Germany and at the age of 1 4 years was apprenticed to the business of clerk and book-keeping. In 187 1, he emigrated to the United States, landing in New York, in which city and vicinity he remained for two years. He came West to Illinois in about 1873, ar >d located in Rock Island County, and engaged to work upon a farm, continuing the same for about two years. At the expiration of this period he came to Cordova and clerked for a Mr. A. J. Sible, who was Postmaster and also engaged in general merchandis- ing. With him he remained for three years, when he made a trip back to his native land, visited Russia, Fiance and England, and upon his return entered the service of Mr. Lowry, as book- keeper, and a year later entered the services of J. J. Johnson in the same capacity. Remaining in the latter place until the spring of 1885, he then engaged in the grocery and hardware trade, in which he still continues. In September, 1878, Mr. Fisk was united in mar- riage with Miss Anna, daughter of A. J. and Sarah Sible, and who was born in Cambridge, this State. One child, a son named Ferdinand Clyde, is the only offspring of this union. Mr. Fisk is a member of the honorable and ancient Order of F. & A. M., and belongs to Cordova Lodge, No. 543. He is also a member of Barrett Chapter, No. 18, R. A. M., and belongs to the beneficiary Order of Modern Wood- men. Politically, he is a staunch Democrat. He has represented his township twice in the Board of Super- visors, and is a member at the present writing. f i V© -43- -E3- J. Johnson, merchant at Rapids City, was born in Middlesex County, Conn., Aug. 2, 18 18. His younger days were spent chief- ly in school, acquiring an English education, until he attained the age of 21. He followed boat-building until 1S72, when he engaged in the mercantile business. In 1855 he came from Binghamton Township, Broome Co., N. Y., to Rock Island County, where he remained one year, then going to LeClaire, Iowa. He engaged in mercantile business in 1872 at the latter place, and followed the same until he removed to Rapids City in 1878, and opened a store, where he at present resides. Mr. Johnson formed a matrimonial alliance in 1847 with Miss Amanda A. Galloway, a native of Binghamton, N. Y. The issue of their union is three children, namely: Pamelia, Flora and Arthur. Mr. Johnson, subject of this sketch, is the possessor of one block and a lot, with store, dwelling and barn on it, in LeClaire, Iowa, and two dwelling-houses and a store and stock in Rapids City. illiam Rinck, grocer, at Rock Island, was born in Germany, March n, 1839, and r attended the common schools of his na- tive country, until he emigrated to America. On coming to the United States he came direct to Davenport, Iowa, in 1857, and engaged to learn the boot and shoe trade. In 1858 he removed to St. Louis and worked at his trade in that city un- til May, 1 86 1. Soon after the news had flashed across the coun- C5) s A 0) ^^^ e^IMM^^ ^g^^ -«e§ ®& -t^§*(© 44 3 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ftry that Sumter had been fired upon, and the Presi- dent made his call for brave hearts and strong arms to defend the Nation's honor, Mr. Rinck enlisted I in the Second Mo. Vol. Inf. for a period of three months. At the expiration of his enlistment he re- ** enlisted in the 12th Mo. Vol. Inf. and served three years in the Union Army. He was mustered out Sept. 19, 1864, and received an honorable discharge, having participated in all the engagements in which his company were interested. On receiving his dis- charge, he returned to Rock Island, and worked at the boot and shoe business until 1S74. He then en- gaged in the grocery business, which he is still con- ducting, and by honest dealings and fair representa- tions, has established a good and increasing trade. His store is located on Seventh Avenue and 14^ Street, and is 50x54 feet in dimensions, and his stock is ample to meet the wants of his customers. Mr. Rinck formed a matrimonial alliance, March ) 7, 1866, with Miss Katarina Cordes, and they are ;* the parents of n children, namely : Frederick W., m born Dec. 3, r866; Catharine S., born Dec. 3, 1866; ^ they were twins; Mary, born Jan. 28, 1868; Willie F., ft born Oct. 8, 1869; Benjamin and John (twins), born EJ Feb. 22, 1871; Henry, born Nov. 23, 1873; Anna, X born Feb. 15, 1875; Dora, bo:n March 24, 1877; ^ Tillie, born Oct. 10, 1878, and Louise, born March ^!) 29, 1884. Politically, Mr. Rinck is a believer in the tenets of the Republican party, and has served as Alderman of the Second Ward one year. He is a stockholder in the Builders' Association, and owns two lots ad- joining his store, besides his residence. Socially, lie is member of the Order of United Workmen, I. O. O. F. and the G. A. R. He is a man always in favor of any improvement calculated to benefit the public or community in which he resides. years in Pennsylvania. He then worked at the Rock Island House for two years, when he changed his oc- cupation to farming, at which he was engaged until 1841. His first purchase was 20 acres of land in Hampton Township, but ere long sold this and made another purchase, of 40 acres on section 16, but finally sold this also; and atone time was the possessor of 192 acres, under cultivation. The subject of this sketch remained with his pa- rents until 23 years of age, in the meantime receiving the advantages of the common schools in the way of an education. After leaving the parental roof-tree, he engaged in farming on section 2, and followed that occupation until 1884, at the same time running a saloon which he had opened in 1879 at Rapids City, and in which he is engaged at the present time. Mr. V. is the owner of 55 acres of land. Mr. Vogel formed a matrimonial alliance, May 24, 187 1, with Miss Mary A. King, and of their union six children have been born, — Mary Margaret, born Aug. 24, 1872; Annie V., May 16, 1875; Clara A., Aug 9, 1 S 7 7 ; Francis, Jan. 17, 1880; Julia E., June 26, 1882, and Rosa A., July 25, 1884. Mr. Vogel is identified with the Democratic party, and, with his wife, belongs to the German Catholic Church. ohn C. Vogel, proprietor of the Vogel imC House and Saloon in Rapids City, Rock Island County, in which city he was born, Feb. 27, 1848. His parents, John A. and Margaret (Scherschel) Vogel, were natives of Germany, from which place they emigrated to United States in 1836, and located for three 3-OO06 J ohn E. Crouch, general farmer and stock- Wmfc raiser, section n, Bowling Township, was born in Adams Co., 111., Nov. 24, 1847. jh His father, Atlas A., a farmer, was born in the '11 State of New York, and settled in the above county, where three of his children were born, namely: Sarah V., who married Charles Kyte and now resides upon a farm near Milan in this county > John E., our subject, and Lorenzo F., who died in this township, when about nine years of age. The senior Crouch moved with his family to Bowling Township, this county, upon a quarter section of land which he had purchased, and resided there until his death, which occurred Feb. T3, i86r. He was an active citizen in his community, a prominent man in local politics, and a pushing, progressive farmer. Both himself and wife were members of the Dunkard Church. She died at the residence of John E., her ^ - c A & c f £?*<« ^~ 1 m 3b. fi.^JiospJ ?)VH>$(§®ff"- ■cr *7Gmmifoj hs- C- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 45' ^./■son, in Bowling Township, Jan. 5, 1880; she was born Nov. 16, 1827. Mr. John E. Crouch was about two years old when his father came to this county, and was 14 when the latter died, and he continued to reside with his mother, or his mother with him, until her death. He was educated in the public schools. I He married Miss Amelia Clippinger, Dec. 19, 1876. She was the daughter of George and Jane (Brown) Clippinger, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and . Indiana, of mixed ancestry, — German, English and x" Irish. Mrs. Crouch was born in Marengo, Iowa, y Dec. 2, 1856, the eldest of a family of four children. ^The others were Mary E., Anna B., and Lena, — all living. When she was 12 years of age, the family removed to this county, settling in Milan. Her father died April 19, 1880, on account of fatal in- juries which he received from the falling of a bridge across Rock River. He was standing upon it during )a freshet. Mrs. C.'s mother died Dec. 28, 1876. Mrs. • Crouch was educated in the district schools, and when 17 years of age began teaching, and followed it Ir for four years. The three children of Mr. and 'Mrs. Crouch are Clyde C, born Nov. 31, 1877; = Winnifred, Jan. 2, 1881; and Nina B., March 26, ; 1885. Mr. Crouch has resided in Bowling Town- jk ship ever since his marriage, and now has 220 acres of valuable land, all fenced and in good condition for farm crops. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in political views he is a Republican. .W Prk avid B Sears, deceased. Prominent among f.jEMII, the early settlers of Rock Island County, 'Ect" 3 as we 'l as ranking high with the prosper- x5*> ous, enterprising and thorough-going business W men of late years, was the subject of this per- S sonal narrative. There have been some splen- did business men, men of exceptional capacity and , : ;, A enterprise, who came here in an early day and made % this the most prominent field' of their life-work. I Scarcely any of these, however, rank higher than did Mr. Sears. He was born in Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y., in" April, 1804. His father moved with his family to the Scioto Valley, in Ohio, when David was in his seventh year. Here they lived during the trying times of the War of 181 2. During this period they endured great hardships and their lives were frequently imperiled by the attacks of marauding In- dians. They were finally compelled to leave their homes and flee for safety to Fort Erie. Their flight took them across the Scioto River, and in making the passage their rude boat was upset, and two of David's sisters and a brother were drowned. Reach- ing the fort, they availed themselves of its protection until after Perry's famous victory, they being within sound of the guns during the engagement. They then removed to Cincinnati. In 1814 the family ventured further west, settling in Switzerland Co., Ind. In 1818 they again pulled up stakes and struck out for the Wabash Valley, where they finally lo- cated permanently. Two years after, David, who was then in his 17th year, yearning for an education, resolved to return to his native State. Accordingly, wrapping all his spare clothing in a cotton handker- chief, he started for New Orleans on a flat-boat, where he arrived safely, and went around to New York by sailing vessel, from whence he proceeded on foot to his mother's people, living near Syracuse. Something seems to have occurred which interfered with his plans for obtaining an education, for in the course of a year we find him on his way back to Illi- nois. The reason for this sudden move may, per- haps, be read in the record of his first marriage, which occurred in 1822, the woman of his choice being Miss Melinda Stokes, of Shawneetown, 111. The young couple commenced life on a farm of 80 acres near that place. For a period of 14 years thereafter Mr. Sears made farming his vocation, taking annual trips to New Orleans to dispose of his produce, which he shipped by flat-boat. On these trips lucrative in- ducements were frequently held out to him by Southern traders to enter the slave traffic, but to accept such a proposition was contrary to the cardi- nal principles of his life, and he never attempted to better his fortunes in that way. As early as 1836, Mr. Sears left his home in Southern Illinois and started for the then much- talked of country known as the Upper Mississippi Valley. Not a building of any kind then stood upon the site of the present city of Moline. The lovely island remained as nature had made it. The swift waters of the mighty river flowed 5 f I ( 1 :fV^§i#- — <>DDStin;>^ — w §|P/ ^>7^tt*' ) A 3$ V ;' ') | ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. £§%§ wastefully past it on either side. Five miles below, old Black Hawk's " watch-tower " raised its head in primitive grandeur above the broad valley of the Rock River, whose enchained water-power now turns the wheels of numerous industries. The scene un- folded to the gaze of Mr. Sears was not only one of surpassing natural loveliness, but it also revealed, as his quick eye discovered, superior advantages for the location and development of large manufacturing in- terests. The purpose of making this his permanent abiding place was immediately formed. The build- ing of a habitation and removal of his family and chattels was soon accomplished, and then began the work which has made the name of Sears and the his- tory of Moline's industrial progress inseparable. In 1837, Mr. Sears, in company with J. W. Spen- cer, Calvin Ainsworth and Spencer H. White, com- . menced building the first dam across the river between the island of Rock Island and the Illinois shore. In the fall of 1841 they erected a two-story saw-mill, and placed on the upper floor a run of buhrs for the accommodation of the neighboring farmers, the near- est flour-mill at that time being over 100 miles distant. Thomas Patterson was the millwright who supervised the work, and Mr. Jonathan Hun toon (to whom we are indebted for much of the information herein con- tained) the miller who dressed and fitted the stones. The saw-mill was operated successfully, and in 1S43, the country having rapidly filled with settlers, Mr. Sears suggested, and the company put into practical effect, plans for the building of what was for a long time known as " the big mill," at this place. It was a four-run mill, and was fitted up at what was con- sidered great expense, the entire cost, we believe, being some $30,000. Every article of machinery about the mill was the very best that could be ob- tained at that age of old-style milling. Mr. Sears was noted for his readiness to adopt improved appli- ances for the simplification and lightening of labor. He brought to Moline the first rotary saw used in the Mississippi Valley above St. Louis, thereby incurring the transient displeasure of his employes, who until enlightened could see in the innovation only an en- croachment upon their rights. By an arrangement with his partners he completed the new structure with his own private funds, his right to the water- power being made free for a term of years. He controlled the mill and its business until 1848, ship- ping its products to St. Louis and Lower Mississippi River points. It is related that one cargo of his flour, having been refused at St. Louis, was forwarded to New Orleans, where it also failed to find a pur- chaser. Determined to dispose of it, Mr. Sears ordered it shipped to New York, where it was imme- diately purchased,and an order given for 100 barrels more. About the time the large mill was commenced, Mr. Sears, in company with Mr. Chas. Atkinson, laid out and platted the town of Moline and its " Island City subdivision," which consisted of a tract of 37 acres on the upper end of Rock Island, which was then held as a military reserve. This tract he secured the right from Congress (after three visits to Wash- ington and much laborious effort) to enter at $1.25 per acre, the privilege being granted him in consid- eration of the benefits to navigation which had ac- crued from the building of the dam on the Illinois side of the island. The entire volume of water being turned into the main channel, the passage of the rapids, long a source of trouble and danger to steamboats, was rendered easy and safe. In 1S43, Mr. Sears established a foundry and erected a store and other buildings in Moline, and thereafter for years had a hand in the advancement of every project which had the material improvement of the town for its aim. His word was as good as his bond, and his endorsement was recog- nized as the best of security. In 1845 he built a three-run flour-mill on Benham's Island, a narrow strip of land lying contiguous to Rock Island on the north, thereby developing a water-power between the two Islands. He constructed a steamboat landing below the mill, erected a house and other buildings on the main island; and when, in 1865, the Govern- ment took possession of the island for the purpose of establishing a national arsenal and armory, the com- mission awarded him $145,175 for his property and improvements. In 1855, Mr. Sears, seeking new fields for the profitable investment of his capital, went to Minne- sota and purchased one-fourth, as we understand, of the present milling site of Minneapolis, which he afterwards sold to the late Governor C. C. Washburn, of Wisconsin, for $4,000. In doing so he made a great mistake, as he himself frequently remarked, and as the subsequent rise in the value of the prop- erty has proved. Pushing westward on his tour of observation, he \k (i 4 1 i. 5 ^* €^ ° f * g$K W&WW •)* a» (O > ca » 454 J?6>CX ISLAND COUNTY. The marriage of Mr. McNabney occurred in 1877, and the lady of his choice, was Miss Ida M. Willis, a native of Hampton Village, where she was born Jan. i, 186c The issue of their union has been three children, namely: Louis M., born Aug. 11, 1878; William E., born July 9, 1881, and Goldie, born June 28, 1885. Mr. McNabney, although a young man, is always interested in any improvement that will benefit the community in which he resides, and takes an active part in its promotion. -5 ~\-^Sl>#^S"w~ i illiam H. Lundy, one of the most promi- nent young men of Rock Island County, jfc^fS enjoys the distinction of having served the wSy city a greater number of years successively as Alderman than any other man, is a na- tive of Naperville, 111, where he was born May 17, 1848. His parents, John G. aud Elizabeth (Dy- ment) Lundy, were boan in the north of Ireland and England respectively. They were married in Can- ada and came to Illinois, settling in DuPage County in 1836, where their six children were born and where Mrs. Lundy yet lives, the senior Mr. Lundy having died in 1881. The subject of this sketch was brought up to farm- ing, the duties whereof he alternated with attend- ance at the Naperville schools, acquiring thereby a good English education. He left home when about 20 years of age and went to Chicago, where he was employed as a clerk in a jewelry store about a year. From there he came to Rock Island and engaged in the business he has since followed, viz. : dealer in house-furnishing goods of every description. Mr. Lundy was first elected Alderman in 1875 from the Second Ward, and continued in that office up to the spring of 1883, when lie headed the Dem- ocratic ticket as candidate for Mayor. In this he was defeated by only two votes, after one of the hot- test contests ever witnessed in Rock Island. In this election the Republican and Greenback Labor par- ties were united ; and, remembering that either party had always held largely the balance of power in the city, the closeness of the vote was a surprise to ev- erybody and an exalted compliment to Mr. Lundy. From the time of his advent into politics Mr. Lundy v . has played a leading part. The morning following his first appearance in the City Council as an Alder- man, a prominent city paper editorially predicted : that the young Democratic member from the Second I Ward would prove the leading spirit of thatbody v - : during his incumbency, and the history of his eight years' continuous service fully verifies the prophecy. Mr. Lundy is an ardent, uncompromising Democrat, and that he enjoys the fullest confidence of his party is attested by the record. He has represented the party three or four times as delegate to State Con-%, ventions, and the Congressional Conventions as often- as they have occurred since he became a citizen off Rock Island. In 1882 he represented Rock Island at large as a Delegate in the Hennepin Canal Convention, at Dav- enport, and again in the same cause and capacity at Washington, D. C, 1884. He is a close student, an eloquent speaker and a graceful writer. Mr. Lundy 1 is prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity,^ ' also with the I. O. O. F., K. of P. and the " Red/": Men. " Mr. Lundy formed a matrimonial alliance Oct. 9, 1881, at Rock Island city, with Miss Ida W. Phillips,c= a native of Davenport, Iowa, and their only child bears the euphonious name of Edna Josephine. -<~ 3- -g~- lbert Jjindstrom, weighmaster for Taylor 1 Williams, at the Rapids City Coal Mines, ' Hampton Township, is a native of Sweden, in which country he was born Aug. 30, 1846. His parents were Charles and Christina (Peter- son) Lindstrom, and came to the United States in 1852, coming direct to Rock Island, and remaining there until 1856, when they removed to Rapids City, at which place the father worked at carriage and wagon making, and carried on thatjf^ vocation until 1877. Albert Lindstrom, subject of this notice remained^, with his parents until 1869, receiving a good com-'® mon-school education. At the age of 16 he com-xje menced to learn the carriage business, under the instruction of his father, and followed the same un-^ ^ r . Q^ ®mwfo*r& — ^€^- fUde^ys /i/a0iXx^ 7-'< l "S®% t&ysF® -^^ — ©v£>nnso[is> J ) > 4 w s f ^ I \ j^CCX ISLAND COUNTY. til 1877, excepting the time he was fighting in the Union army. He enlisted in September, 1864, in Co. I, 14th Regt. 111. Vol. Cav., and was in the ser- vice 1 1 months, receiving an honorable discharge. He then returned home and followed his trade until 1877. Since that date he has been engaged two years in farming in Henry County, on 80 acres of land he had purchased. He subsequently sold the same and returned to Rapids City, since which time he has been employed as weighmaster for Taylor Williams. Mr. Lindstrom was united in marriage to Miss Emeline Shurtleff, May 12, 1869, and they are the parents of three children, — Anna R., born March 15, 1873; Minnie, born Feb. 8, 1876; and William A., Aug. 15, 1879. Politically, Mr. Lindstrom is identified with the Republican party. He is Village Clerk and School Director, was the first Treasurer of Rapids City, and is one of the energetic business men of that village. HI! eorge S. Moore, deceased, was born in Lunenburg, Essex Co., Vt., March 4, 1809, Ipp K and was one of the earliest settlers here, ™ » coming in 1837. He was reared on a farm, re- ceiving the advantages afforded by the com- mon schools of that early day, and, when a young man, engaged in the dry-goods business at Guildhall, Vt.; later, conducting a hotel in the same place. In 1837, as before stated, he started, in com- pany with Silas Marshall, for Illinois. They traveled with sleighs until they reached Michigan, when they exchanged them for wagons, and proceeded on their way overland to Rock Island city. At this latter place, Mr. Moore engaged in the jewelry business, later adding a stock of dry goods, and continued in this line of business for a few years, and then sold out. He then erected a hotel, which he managed until the date of his demise. There were five children in the family of Mr. Moore, viz : George, Albert, Emma, Frank and Mary. George is now in business in Port Byron; Albert is in Nebraska, and engaged in farming; Emma is the wife of F. S. Gates and resides in Port Byron; Frank died at the age of nine years, and Mary is the wife of John Zollinger, Postmaster at Port Byron. v£ -<~D- -S~- ^elen Whipple Reed. This book of bio- graphical sketches would be sadly incom- plete if issued without notice of the subject m of this article, for she was admired greatly by i all with whom she came in contact; and her name will be seen on a loyal monument as long as the granite lasts, and in the hearts of hun- dreds whom she met and to whom she came with help and hopeful words, her name is so deeply en- graven as to never be effaced so long as life lasts. Helen Davenport was born in Cazenovia, N. Y., May 19, 1813, and was married May 8, 1843, to Mr. Ralph Whipple, of Rochester, N. Y., by whom she had one child, Henry O. Whipple, whose sketch is given elsewhere. July n, 1847, ner fi rst husband, the father of Henry, died, and in 1858 the widow married Peter R. Reed, at Richfield Springs, N. Y., and they located at Moline, 111., in May, 1859, where Mr. Reed died, and where she remained up to the time of her death, which occurred April 24, 1882. Mrs. Reed's maiden name was Davenport, she be- ing a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Olin) Davenport, both parents being of Revolutionary stock. She was kept at school by her parents and acquired a splendid education, and held such a po- sition by birth, education and talent as carried her into the highest society in New York State and else- where, and she gained and retained the acquaintance of many noted people. She possessed specially pleasant social qualities, a warm heart and a natur- ally practical mind cultured by education, eminent association and positive refinement, and was a lady of kindly impulses of head and heart, reaching out in tireless acts of charity and benevolence. She had her portion of sorrows to meet and face and knew before she passed away what toil and trouble meant and when death came to call her home she simply said, "I am going on the long vacation," and died. She was a high graduate of Miss Willard's famous Ci) s 1=3 < k ^^k <^®$ 0® M^r9 5 »€^ %&*& -zj&K 6V<4I»|JD>1> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. % S3 (J) seminary at Cazenovia, N. Y., and has two brothers still living in New York, both prominent lawyers. Two of her uncles were Members of Congress, and one, Abrana Olin, was Judge of the District Court of Columbia at Washington, D. C, which position he filled until death. When the War of the Rebellion broke out, Mrs. Reed came forward with helpful hands and tireless loyalty to help the Union cause; and when the rebel prison camp was established upon the island of Rock Island she labored with heartfelt energy to cheer the despondent and help the sick of both ar- mies, at the same time raising supplies for the loyal sick and wounded in the field. She was President of the local Aid Society and a most potent and valu- able aid to the Sanitary Commission. She not only toiled nobly for the cause herself, but by precept and example, and with an energetic ardor which nothing could cool, she prevailed upon others also to sustain and labor and give. In grateful memory of our noble and tireless ef- forts for the boys in battle, bivouac, march and hos- pital, the soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic caused her name to be carved upon the granite monument which they have erected in Riverside Cemetery, Moline, to perpetuate the names of those who fell in battle or have since died. Mrs. Reed's portrait appears on another page. m £-0 » . 1^-amuel Devinney, farmer, residing on sec- tspSb. tion 22, Hampton Township, was born in Indiana Co., Pa., March 8, 1835, and came ji\\, with his parents in a very early day to Hamp- j|{ ton Township. They located on section 12, and were prominent pioneers of Rock Island County. His parents, Andrew and Edith (Wain- wright) Devinney, were natives of Pennsylvania and England, respectively. They reared a family of five children, the subject of this sketch being the third in order of birth. He remained under the parental roof until 22 years of age, receiving a good common- school education, and devoting much of his time to assisting his father on the farm, and at lumbering on Hampton Bluff. After leaving home, and going out into the world to mould his own fortune, he followed the occupation of engineer, miller and farmer. He worked at engineering for 25 years, but since 1878 he has devoted his time to farming. He now has a well-equipped and improved' farm of 240 acres, and is one of the substantial and leading men of Hamp- ton Township. He breeds a high grade of stock, and at present has a splendid herd of Durham cat- tle. At present he rents out his farm to a son-in-law, George Turner. In 1856 Mr. Devinney formed a matrimonial alli- ance with Miss Sarah Wixel, a native of Sweden. Two children have blessed this union, Edith and Inez ; the former is the wife of Lewis Colgrove ; they were married Sept. 5, 1S78, and have two chil- dren: Samuel C, born Oct. 21, 1879; and Olive E., born April 19, 1884. On the 5th of September, 1S83, Inez was united in marriage with George Turner. Lucy Elizabeth, their only child, was born Dec. 5, 1884. Mr. Devinney is a strong supporter of the princi- ples of the Republican party, and has held the office of Supervisor of his township and that of School Di- rector. He belongs to the Masonic Order, and is a member in good standing of the Port Byron Lodge. *w« ; « » r ^mm W3 I $ ■yzL. QJ^Q ikharles Hansgen, a grocer residing in Rock ^F Island, is a son of Jacob and Dorothea , \ flfrf' "" (Kirchner) Hansgen, who were natives of ■|£) Saxony, Germany, where they were married, and where their five sons and four daughters were born and reared. Their third son now forms the subject of this sketch. He was born in Saxony, May 18, 1834, and came to America in 1852. After a season of two years in the city of Buffalo, N. Y., he pushed on to St. Louis, and from there in a short time to Rock Island. Here he procured em- ployment from the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway as freight-house man, from which position he was gradually advanced to a first-class conductor- ship. He was with the railway company 12 years; then kept the Union Hotel at Rock Island two years, and in 1868 embarked in the retail grocery business. To this he has since devoted his time, and at this writing (June, 1885) he has the satisfaction of know- ing that his manner of doing business has been ap- preciated by those with whom he has dealt. In all his transactions he has faithfully adhered to the tra- ditions of a Christian parentage, and the conclusion £^i#»- 3 ^ -^^k 6V<^D US 11 n^ v^) ' > ^g- jTOCAT island county. #^f of his life will be but a verification of the poetic line, " Honest employment brings pleasure and gain." Mr. Hansgen has had no ambition for office-hold- ing, though in response to the importunities of his friends he has twice allowed the use of his name at the polls, once as Alderman and again as Supervi- sor. April 26, 1858, he was married at Rock Island to Miss Sophia Baumgaertel, a native of Germany, and of the nine children born to them six are living, — August, Freddie, Harman, Amelia, Matilda and Willie. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hansgen are consistent members of the Lutheran Church, and Mr. H. has been the Church's Treasurer since the year 1863. .. Jg hilemon L. Mitchell, son of Isaac and Mar- tha (Libby) Mitchell, natives of the State of Maine, and of North Ireland ancestry, j ^ He was brought up almost from infancy in a country store — in fact he began at the age of 13 years to earn his own livelihood. His opportuni- ties for education were limited to a few weeks' atten- dance at the common schools of his native State. His parents reared four sons and three daughters, but at this writing the subject of this sketch and a sister living in Maine are the only survivors. The elder Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell spent their lives in their native State. The father dying at Lhnington Jan. 26, 1853, aged 82 years, and Mrs. Mitchell Jan. 3, 1877, aged 94 years. At the age of 25 years P. L. Mitchell removed to Georgetown, Ky., and was there engaged in mercan- tile business up to 1850. In that year he was made cashier of the Farmers' Bank of Kentucky, an insti- tution familiar in those days to every business man south of Mason and Dixon's Line. In fact, for years an old " Farmers' Bank " note was equivalent to gold in any State in the Union. Mr. Mitchell re- mained cashier up to 1856, the spring of which year he came to Rock Island, in company with Mr. P. L. Cable, and engaged in the banking business. They bought out Cook, Sargent & Parker, now the banking house of Mitchell and Lynde, and were in partner- ship up to r86o. In that year Mr. Cable was suc- ceeded by Judge Lynde, and the house has since been designated by the names of the two principal owners. In 1858 Mr. Mitchell and his partner purchased the building and other assets of the first banking house established ( the old Rock Island Bank ) at this place, and closed up its business affairs, thus placing themselves for a few years almost without competition in the field of banking in Rock Island. At the outbreak of the war Mr. Mitchell was the best known and probably the most successful banker and financier in this city, and this fact gained him the agency for Jay Cooke & Co., for which concern he placed $1,000,000 worth of United States bonds in Rock Island County. Mr. Mitchell has truly been the architect of his own fortune. He began life in the business world without a penny, but from the be- ginning of the struggle down to the time of which we write, the mercury in his financial thermometer has steadily risen. Slowly, surely, when, as a country merchant's clerk his monthly stipend was but little in excess of the demands of a most economical life, he managed to save something, but more rapidly he accumulated as a merchant and still faster as a banker, until finally in the zenith of a ripe age the indicator points to him as one of the most solid and successful capitalists in a community distinguished for men of financial genius. Mr. Mitchell organized the Frst National Bank of Rock Island in 1862, and has since been its Presi- dent. Until recently he was President of the Rock Island Plow Company. He is Secretary of the Chip- piannock Cemetery Association, and a large stock- holder in the Moline & Rock Island Street Railway. He is the head of the banking house of Mitchell & Lynde, and largely interested in the Rock Island Glass Works and Rock Island Stove Company. The two last named establishments are controlled by his son Phil. Mitchell, but were organized by Mr. Mitch- ell himself. A record of his donations and losses, and debts, etc., show the two sums to be about equal, viz.: $100,000 each. For the past ten years he has past his summers at the sea-shore and his winters in Florida. Naturally possessed of a robust constitution, in the enjoyment of perfect health, fully conversant with the laws of hygiene, Mr. Mitchell bids fair to live yet many years of usefulness in a community that owes much of its prosperity to the S& (J %&*%> ^©^ — @?*4HIII®IIII*>A©- 460 1(3 z— -*€&**: 6V4>HD®llDf^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. fact of his having been so many years one of its best citizens. Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage at Exeter, N. H., Oct. 11, 1837, to Miss Catharine Hall, who died Oct. 4, 1868, leaving five children : Annie M. (Mrs. Wadsworth), Mary H. (also a Mrs. Wadsworth), Phil, a banker and glass and stove manufacture, Lau- ra M. (Mrs. Schaler, deceased) and Kate M. (Mrs. Watson). In politics, Mr. M. is a Republican, and, religious- ly, is a member of the Christian Church. > H. Reeves, a retired farmer of Cordova Township and a resident of the village of the same name, was born June 21, 1822, in Trumbull Co., Ohio. Lewis and Hannah (Miller) Reeves, his parents, were both natives of New Jersey, and went thence to Trumbull * Co., Ohio, in the earliest days of the settlement of ' that part of the Buckeye State. His father bought a considerable tract of timber and remained there un- til he improved a fine farm. He was a man of more than ordinary abilities, which were soon discovered in a new country where they were needed; and, af- ter a residence of a few years, he was elected High Sheriff of Trumbull County. He served in the office a number of years, and in 1S44 he removed to Dart Co., Ind., where he died. Mr. Reeves has been the controller of his own affairs since he was nine years of age. He went first to Hartford Township, Trumbull County, and there became a member of the household of a Meth- odist minister named John Burnett, who was also a farmer, and by whom he was employed on the farm two years. He then went to Warren, and was there engaged in learning the details of the business of a wagon-maker, with Messrs. Bruner & Kendall. He went thence to Newton Falls, and passed one year in working at his trade. His next place of operation was at Liberty, where he remained one year, and subsequent to that time he was nine months at Hub- bard. He then went to Sharon, in Mercer County, and worked there at his trade until 1844. In that year he made his first purchase of land, which he bought in Sharon, and he passed the years until 1856 in agricultural pursuits. In the year last named he came to Illinois and located in the township of Cordova. He spent a year in working as a wagon-maker, and at the end of that time he bought a farm on sections 29 and 30, securing a claim of 100 acres. He took possession of the place in i860 and it was his home until 1876, when he rented his farm and removed to Cordova, into a residence which he had purchased. Mr. Reeves formed a matrimonial alliance with Phebe Hogland, Sept. 21, 1842, in Mercer Co. Pa., and they are the parents of three children. They have lost four by death. Melvina married Martin Vanderburg and they are living in Madison Co., Iowa. Frank and Fred live at Cordova. The mother died in 187 1. The second marriage of Mr. Reeves was to Julia Johnson, a native of Morgan Co., Ohio. -*~**##§s*»--5 (■- '■! ^on. James Z. Mott, ex-Mayor of the city of Rock Island, and now the head of the firm of Mott, Winter & Co., was born at Tru- mansburg, N. Y., May 9, 1826. He was the youngest of seven children of Burgur and Mary (Carman) Mott, the former being of an old New England family, and the latter a native of Holland. They removed from York State to Huron Co., Ohio, in 1835, where the two old people spent the rest of their lives. Burgur Mott was a farmer and brought his boys up to that healthful vocation. They were sent to school when the weather was too bad to work on the farm, as was the custom, and James Z. thereby picked up quite a fair education. When about 25 years of age, he abandoned farm- ing and opened a hotel in Ashland Co., Ohio. From there he came to Illinois in 1855, and was employed by a lumber merchant at Geneseo a few months, going thence to Muscatine, Iowa, in the livery busi- ness. He returned to Ohio in 1856, farmed a few years and retreated again upon Geneseo, and played the part of " mine host " for several years. His next move was to Rock Island, where he accepted em- ployment from C. Tegeler, as traveling man, and he carried a " grip " with sample bottles — mostly empty — for eight years. He then bought an interest with I 1$ - 1 V 4 «©) &7K - — ^A^MMI^ -mi. f*^£ Mr. Tegeler, and they were in partnership five years. In March, 1880, he drew out of the Tegeler firm, and, in company with J. Epstein, engaged in the wholesale liquor traffic. Jane following, Epstein sold out to Mr. Winter, and the firm of Mott & Winter forms an important part of the industrial his- tory of the city of Rock Island. In 1882 Mr. Mott was prevailed upon to make the race for Alderman of the Third Ward, and al- though a Democrat in a Republican ward he was elected by a handsome majority. In 1883 he led the Democratic party to victory as their candidate for Mayor, and at this writing (June, 1885) it is safe to predict that his party will have much further use for him. Mr. Mott formed a matrimonial alliance at Fair- field, Ohio, in October, 1848, with Miss Lillis I. Bur- dick, a native of Huron County, and their only child is now a man grown, Mr. Sanford Mott, engaged in railroad business. — «*« ohn Atkinson, Alderman from the Sixth - Ward, Rock Island, was for many years an ardent Republican, and was regarded by the members of that party as utterly immova- ble in the faith as a Logan man ; but in the ,* campaign of 1880, as between the two great men and their party's platforms, he independently chose the hero of Gettysburg as his ideal man for 1 the Presidency, and the Democratic platform as the ; satisfactory exponent of his political convictions. | Since that time he has been as faithful a Democrat as he ever was a Republican, and in the spring of 1885 led his party successfully as their candidate for Councilman of the Sixth Ward. Mr. Atkinson was born in Toronto, Canada, Oct. 28, 1839, and came to Rock Island in 1864. He is (£\ a brick-maker by trade, and to this he has devoted his life so far. At the common schools in his native country he received a fair education, which formed a nucleus for the learning and information subse- ' quently acquired through studious observation and J diligent reading. Mrs. Atkinson, nee Miss Mary O'Brien, was also a native of Toronto, where they were married Dec. 5, 1863. They have no children of their own, but an adopted daughter, who receives through them the love and affection of a father and mother. j ichard Battersby, merchant at Coal Val- ley, whose portrait is presented on the %M^' opposite page, is a native of England. His ' '^r parents, Robert and Mary (Hope) Battersby, ■) are also natives of that country. His mother still resides there. She was born Nov. 29, 1803. His father is deceased. He was born in 1798, and died in 1873. In their family were Thomas, Richard, Edmond, James, Elizabeth, Har- graves and John. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was born Dec. 14, 1835, in Lancashire, England; re- ceived a common-school education, and lived at his parental home until he was 24 years of age, when he emigrated to the United States, settling in Rock Island County, 111. He was then engaged three years in mining at Carbon Cliff, this county; then, after a short residence in Henry County, where he was engaged in the same business, he settled in Coal Valley, in 1862, and assisted his father-in-law, Peter Seville, in his brewery until about 1870. He then engaged in the mining and sale of coal, being a member of the Black Diamond Coal Company, which relation he still sustains. In September, 1882, in company with Benjamin Seville, he bought out the stock of merchandise belonging to Lewis B. Thomas. His partnership in that line continued until Decem- ber, 1884, when he bought out the interest of Mr. Seville and admitted into partnership his son, Robert W. The firm is now " Richard Battersby & Son." Under their judicious management their business prospers, and is based upon a substantial and lasting foundation. Mr. B. is also a member of the coal company known as " Mansill, Battersby & Seville," and is also one of the proprietors of the narrow-gauge railroad running from Coal Valley to Moline. In his political views Mr. Battersby is a Demo- crat. Socially, he is identified with the Order of Odd I M\?%&^ \ £ v/ ft r ^-fi^ 4-C5- 4*iss£@> % 464 O ' v C-UU.-.u^yV ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. H(@Y I > a I Fellows, and officially he has served as Township Collector. March 6, 1862, Mr. Battersby was married to Miss Bettie Seville, daughter of Peter and Peggy (Mills) Seville, her parents natives of England, who came to America in 1847, settling first in Pennsylvania, and in 1849 in Coe Township, this county, then at Car- bon Cliff, and finally in Coal Valley, in 1856. Mr. Seville died March 10, 1865, aged 47, and Mrs. S., Feb. 21, 1883, aged 77. They had two children, — Betty and Benjamin B. Mrs. Battersby was born in Lancashire, England, May 27, 1842, and she has be- come the mother of five children, namely: Robert W., born Feb. 6, 1863 ; Peter Seville, Nov. 14, 1865 ; Benjamin Franklin, July 16, 1871; Harry Edmund, Oct. 13, 1879, and Myra C. E., Sept. 7, 1S82. -S3 h h 1 T &- illiam A. P. Ruge, dealer in choice wines, liquors, cigars, sour eel, etc., at Milan, was born at Oldenburg, Holstein, Germa- ny, Aug. i, 1840. His father, John A., was a native of Holstein and a tanner and boot and shoe maker by occupation. He died after he had made all preparations for emigrating to Amer- ica and just before leaving the German port. The mother and her five sons came on to this country, locating first in Davenport, Iowa, Oct. 28, 1857. William, whose name heads this sketch, received a thorough education in German colleges and Luther- an universities. By the advice of an older brother, who had come to America three years previously, he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade and partly completed it before leaving his native land. On ar- rival in this country in 1857, he began in earnest to earn a livelihood for himself by labor on farms in the vicinity of Davenport. In the fall of that year he went to St. Louis, Mo., and proceeded to make himself proficient in carpentry, but not long after- wards he engaged as clerk in a grocery store in St. Louis, where he remained until the first call for three months men for the war, April 16, i86r, then enlisting in Co.jE, Fourth Mo. Vol. Inf. At the expi- ration of his term of service he re-enlisted in Co. E, Second Iowa Cav., at Davenport, in September. He had been promoted Corporal, and now, when Gen. Hatch was made Colonel, Mr. Ruge was promoted Sergeant and Chief of Escort. In this capacity he participated in all the battles in which his regiment was engaged, it being attached to the Army of the Tennessee. The principal engagements were at Farmington, Tenn., May 9, 1862 ; the expedition passing Island No. 10 under Gen. Pope; the battles cf Black Land and Booneville, Miss. ; Rienzi, Iuka and Eastport, Miss ; Corinth three days, etc. His cavalry crossed the Tallahatchie River under com- mand of Generals Logan and Hatch (the latter hav- ing been promoted General). They also engaged in the capture of Holly Springs, Oxford and Grenada, Miss. Falling back to Memphis, Tenn., they re- cruited and Mr. Ruge re-enlisted March 24, 1864, his former term of three years having expired. Serv- ing until the close of the war, he was honorably dis- charged Sept. 19, 1865, at Selma, Ala., by special order No. ^^, dated " Headquarters of the Depart- ment of Alabama, Aug. 23, 1865. " While leading a charge at Egypt's Station, on the Mississippi Central Railroad, his horse was shot from under him and he, being wounded by the fall of the horse, was compelled to be removed by two Order- lies, specially-appointed by Adjutant W. Woodward, of General Grierson's Staff. He is yet a sufferer from the injuries then received. After his release from the horse he saw the banner, which had been shot down by the rebels' grape, but had saved the horse by its protective capacity. He returned it to headquarters and received the compliments of Gen. Hatch. Returning to Davenport, he entered the employ of May & Rosenfeld, in Rock Island city, as their clerk. In 1866 he purchased property near Davenport and engaged in keeping a country " tav- ern. " After conducting this for a period of three years, he re -crossed the river to the city of Rock Isl- and, where he became clerk in the shoe store of A. J. Swanson. Fifteen months afterward they removed to Milan and established the business in which Mr. R. is at present engaged and in which he is having pre-eminent success. His saloon is arranged in the most artistic style and is conducted on the strictest business principles. Mr. Ruge is a member of the I. O. O. F., the A. O. U. W., the I. O. R. M. and the G. A. R., and of the Order of Druids. In his polit- ical views he is a staunch Republican. Both him- self and wife are members of the Lutheran Church. Si' 1 ybj J? I \§&&fa- a<^h n s dh$ *^> ^ e^ ■cr <«llflf>r i •£■♦ schools of this county, and his younger days, until he attained the age of 17 years, were passed on the farm. On attaining the age named, he left the pa- rental home and went forth on the road of difficulty to fight the battles of life single-handed and alone. He first engaged to learn the carpenter trade, which after he mastered he followed for some six years. On coming to this county, he located in Hampton Township, where he purchased 100 acres of land on sections 14, 15 and 23, and on which he located and entered vigorously and energetically upon the task of its improvement, and where he has since resided. He has a good farm under a fine state of cultiva- tion, with good substantial residence, barn and out- buildings. He is a Democrat in political belief, and religious- ly he and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Oltmann has held the office of School Trustee, and is a respected and prosperous citizen of Hampton Township. Mr. Oltmann formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Mary Danhardt, in January, 1861, a native of Prussia, Germany, where she was born Jan 2, 1839, and they are the parents of eight children : Freder- ick, born Oct. 15, 1861 ; Edward, born Sept. 4, 1S63; Carl, born March 12, 1865; William, born Dec. 25, 1869; Mena, born Dec. 9, 1871; Emma, born April 1, 1874 ; Lewis, born Jan. 31, 1877, and Louisa, born April 5, 1882. Frederick married Catherine Rail- ing, a native of Hampton Township, April 9, 1885, and they reside in Green County, Iowa. ( & V * ( $«§i*t- •3^y : q^ ^ y simile E. Ziegler, resident of Rock Island, g||| B is the youngest son of Jacob and Caroline (Heinzel) Ziegler, natives of Germany, and -vj- was born at Rock Island city, May 12, i860, y His schooling was limited to the winter months « and antedated his youth, as at the age of 13 he became a printer's " devil " in the office of the Rock Island Union, and there remained about seven years. From the Union office he started as a "jour " printer, but a few months at type-" sticking " in Dubuque, Iowa, caused him to ch angehis plans and he branched out in Milwaukee, Wis., as a manufacturer of pic- t I $ to ^■^v ^ t4>DI1&DI1>>t- r?- ^■a 466 j?<9CX ISLAND COUNTY. ture frames. From Milwaukee he returned to Rock Island, where, in the fall of 1844, he embarked in his present business, viz. : dealer in flour, feed, etc. Jan. 17, 1882, he formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Ada, the accomplished daughter of J. B. Ellis, Esq., coal merchant at Rock Island. Mr. Zie- gler is a member of the Knights of Labor, an ener- getic business man, exemplary in his habits, and is destined to make a success of life. *aw&®£sr t§3— «^5Wraw>» (Lenry Mardoek, a farmer, residing on sec- 1 tion 7, Drury Township, was born in Union Co., Ind., March 30, 181 7. He received a good common school education in the schools !of his native county, and assisted in the main- tenance of the family, by labor on the farm, until he attained the age of 23. On attaining this age in life, Mr. Mardoek came to Mercer Co., this State, where he resided from 1840 until r867, when he traded for a farm in Drury Township, this county, located on section 7, on which he moved and has constantly resided until the present time, with the exception of three years, during which time he lived in Muscatine, for the benefit of educational advan- tages for his children. He is the owner of 181 acres of land, of which 100 acres is under a good state of cultivation, and on which he has good, substantial farm buildings. Mr. Mardoek formed a matrimonial alliance in Muscatine, Iowa, Aug. 20, 1861, with Mrs. Rhoda E. Hollingsworth, daughter of William and Eliza (Brandenburg) McGreer, and widow of Christopher Hollingsworth, who died in Mercer Co., 111. Mrs. Mardoek had by her first marriage one child, named Willie. He died in infancy. Mrs. M. was born in Union Co., Ind., and by her marriage with Mr. Mar- dock has become the mother of three children : Eliza, born Aug. 17, 1862; Stella, born Aug. 20, 1865; and Gertie, born Nov. 18,1871. While living in Mercer County, Mr. Mardoek held various township offices. Mrs. M. is a member of the Methodist Church. Politically, Mr. Mardoek is a believer in and a supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and is very decided in his temper- ance views, being a strict Prohibitionist. ^ v -- % .Si it ■& & ^P^iidward Burrall, deceased, was born in o^M^ji Canaan, Conn., April 13, 1815, and died ;r.V" at Rock Island City, April 26, 1876. His parents, Edward and Lucy (Hunt) Burrall, were also natives of Connecticut, and were of 1 English descent. It was in 1853 that they removed from Massacusetts to Beloit, Wis., where they spent the remainder of their lives, the mother dying in the spring of i86r, at the age of about 60 years, and the father on Oct. 15, 1872, aged 86 years. He was many years a merchant, and afterward, in ' Massachusetts, a banker ; but in Beloit he took life easy and lived on his income. Edward Burrall, the subject of this biographical notice, attended the common schools of New Eng- land, when not clerking in a store, and before he was 21 years of age he acquired a fair English education. In 1836 his father deeded him a farm in Mercer Co., . 111., and upon this, in that year, he began farming, and followed it 13 years. In 1S49 he went to Cali- fornia in search of gold, and mined, with more or less success, about nineteen months. In the spring of 1851 he removed from Henry Co., III., to Edgington, Rock Island Co., and was there for eight years en- gaged in mercantile business. In November, 1859, he removed to Rock Island city, where he continued the mercantile business until 1865. Mr. Burrall was an active business man and hon- orably connected with many public enterprises dur- ing his life of a quarter of a century in Rock Island County. At the time of his death he was Vice- President of the Rock Island National Bank, Presi- dent of the Public Library Board, and a member of the Board of Education, besides being officially con- nected with various other enterprises. June 13, 1843, he was married to Miss Ann C. Jack, daughter of Capt. Charles Jack, who was widely known to the early settlers of Knox, Henry and other counties in Illinois, and was of the first families of Virginia. Mrs. Burrall was born in Wood r\®»^ ■3^^ — ^K>nn®DDy>^ — *&*■ 6v^an & n %>j% — 3*<®^ JPtfCVT ISLAND COUNTY. 469 Co., Va , Sept. 17, r?2i, and resides in Rock Island, at this writing (July, 1885) a widow, at the elegant home left her by her honored husband. Her chil- dren are Charles E., engaged in livery business in Davenport, Iowa; Arthur is in real-estate business at Rock Island; Mary L., now wife of J. M. Mont- gomery, hardware merchant of Rock Island; Grace C, now Mrs. G. P. Frysinger, of Rockford, 111.; and Alice, a young lady, at home. P > V (9 "IS. on. John Maxwell Gould, whose portrait J$ is given on the opposite page, is a native of Is** piermont > Grafton Co., N. H., was bora Feb. 24, 1822, and is the eldest son of Amos and Nancy Harris (Bartlett) Gould, natives of Massachusetts and New Hampshire respect- ively, and of English extraction. The elder Mr. 1 Gould was a tanner, shoe and harness maker, and \ taught his sons something of his various trades. During his youth, John M. attended the common schools through the winter months, and at the age of 18 his father sent him to Canaan (N. H.) Academy, and afterwards to an academy at Lyme, the same State. From 1840 to 1843, he taught school at Canaan and Lyme, and in 1844 struck out for the West. His first halt was at Chicago, from which place he departed in disgust, after having idled about the muddy streets for nearly four weeks. We say " idled about the streets;" but when it is known that those four weeks constitute the sum of John M. Gould's freedom from active business during the whole of his life, it need not be added that those weeks of idleness were not such from choice. From Chicago he went to Grand de Tour, Ogle Co., 111., where he landed with but a small sum of money about his person. Just how small a sum may be approximated when it is known that he left New England with $65 in money, and out of this sum had to pay his transportation and hotel fare through to the point of destination. He had clerked some in a store before leaving Lyme, and when he secured a position in Dana & Troop's mercantile establishment at Grand de Tour, ■^ y q/^ hh it was not altogether as an inexperienced man. At the end of a three-years' clerkship, he bought an in- terest in the concern by which he was employed, and the firm became J. M. Gould & Co. This partnership lasted a year, and Mr. Gould sold out. Mr. John Deere desired Mr. Gould to accompany him to Moline, insisting that he should take charge of his business here, and offering him a salary of $800 a year, in place of only $250 which he had been receiving. He accordingly, in 1848, came to Moline, and as a member of the firm of Deere, Tate & Gould, manufactured plows about four years. Retiring from the firm, he soon afterward formed a partnership with D. C. Dimock, in the manufacture of wooden-ware and furniture, the first wooden-ware ever manufactured west of Detroit, Mich. In 1856 their factory was burned out, after which they made no more furniture, but continued the wooden-ware, and in 1868 incorporated their concern as Dimock, Gould & Co., and added saw-milling and lumber business and the manufacture of paper pails. The capital stock of this company when incorporated was $150,000, but in 1884 it was increased to $300,000. Mr. Gould has been its president and managing di- rector and vice-president since 1882. In 1857 the firm of Gould, Dimock & Co. engaged in the banking business at Moline, and the concern had an existence until it was merged into the First National. In December, 1863, the First National Bank of Moline was organized with Mr. Gould as cashier, a position lie filled until January, 1867, at which time he was made the bank's president. Un- der his administration, first as cashier, and later as president, — an office he yet fills, — the progress of the bank has been in the highest degree creditable to himself and correspondingly satisfactory to the stockholders. Mr. Gould was one of the organizers of the St. Louis, Rock Island & Chicago Railway Company, and became its treasurer in 1876, a position he filled, in addition to his many other important offices, until the road passed into the hands of the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railway Company. Away back in 1853 he was elected on the Demo- cratic ticket to the Judgeship of Rock Island County, and held the office four years. In 186 1 he left the Democratic party and has since been an ardent Re- publican. Upon the question of the liquor traffic, he announces himself as a temperance man, but op- & & ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. "a^ST s C^(- v 36 posed to prohibition. President Buchanan appointed him Postmaster at Moline in 1857, and Mr. Lincoln appointed his successor in 1861. Since 1870 he has been continuously the president of the Lumbermen's Board of Trade for the four cities, Davenport, Mo- line, Rock Island and Muscatine, and president of the Moline Board of Trade since May, 1882. Before the organization of the city he was many years Town Trustee, twee Treasurer of the village, and has been Treasurer of the township funds continuously since 1S64. He is president of the Citizens' League of Moline, and a member of the Board of Public Char- ities and a director in the St. Luke College Hospital, being appointed to the latter position by Gov. Cul- lom in 1877. Such is but a brief outline of the business and official l.fe of Judge Gould. Not a tithe of his history will ever be written; the trials and struggles of his early manhood are but glanced at, and the reader sees only the bright epochs of his successes. But we must not forget that like many another, — in fact like very nearly every other man of our time that amounts to much, — he began life as a poor boy. Before him was the world, not so hard to combat as the world at present, perhaps, but nevertheless there were struggles before him, and defeats in store for him. But with a brave heart and strong arm, he pressed steadily forward, and the brief review here printed tells the results. Judge Gould is a well preserved man for his age, and does daily as much work as any man in Moline, young or old. Instinct- ively a gentleman, he places every one around him at his ease ; and his comfortable residence, presided over by his estimable wife, is a bright oasis where hundreds annually partake of his good cheer. Aug. t3, 1848, Mr. Gould was united in marriage, at Grand de Tour, 111., to Miss Alice Chase Moulton, grand-niece of the late Hon. Salmon P. Chase, and a native of Vermont. Mrs. Gould lived but a short time following her marriage, dying of consumption. Nov. r3, 1850, Judge Gould and Miss Hannah Marcy Dimock were married at Moline, and of their children, we make the following brief mention : Al- ice May, born May 20, 185 1, and died Aug 29, iS5r; Frank Wayland, an educated young gentle- man, in the employ of Dimock. Gould & Co. as salesman ; Frederick George, shipping clerk for the same firm; Grace Eliza (Mrs. Sullivan M. Hill); and John, born Aug. r8, T858, and died Feb. 1859. Of no more worthy or representative business man of Rock Island County could the publishers of this work give a portrait than of Mr. Gould, as the fore- going sketch justifies us in such a statement. *»- IK ■^MU^MI^ ohn M. Albrecht, one of the early settlers £ of Rock Island County, coming here from ^*$" from Pekin, this State, Aug. 14, 1854, and at present a retired farmer, residing in Rock Island city, was born in Wurtemberg, Ger- many, April 16, 1S32. In conformity to the laws of his native country, he attended school until 14 years of age, at which time, in company with his parents, he emigrated to the United States, arriving here in 1846, and landing in the city of New York. From that place his parents moved to Buffalo, same State, and becoming imbued with the Western fever, they came to Chicago. At the latter place, they hired two teams, and went overland to La Salle, from whence they went by steamer to St. Louis. From the latter place they went to Looking-glass Prairie, Madison Co., 111., where they remained two years. At the latter place, Mr. Albrecht, of this notice, worked two years learning the blacksmith's trade. After leaving that place he went to Monroe County, 111., and remained one year, working or. a farm. He then moved to Belleville, St. Clair Co., this State, where he completed his trade of a blacksmith. His next move was to the city of St. Louis, where he worked as a "jour" at his trade one year, and then moved to Pekin, this Stale. He erected a shop at the latter place, and carried on the business of black- smithing for two years, when he sold out and in 1854 came to Rock Island, and went to work for Failing Bros, as a blacksmith, and continued in the same vo- cation for about four months. His next move was to engage in the saloon business, which he followed for some three years, then sold and purchased a farm in Richland Grove Township, Mercer County, consist- ing of 80 acres. He grubbed and cleared 70 acres of the tract and continued to cultivate the same un- ( V a C! 1 i -=^c*- ^/^><=V -^£$^r i t ^ A ^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 471 -s til 1862, when he moved back to Rock Island, and engaged in the hotel business, keeping the Union House for one year. During the year he traded his farm in Mercer County for one in Western Township, Henry County, consisting of 100 acres, which he cultivated until 1868. During that year his father died, and his mother being left alone, wished her son to come and settle up the business, which he did. The mother died Dec. 30, 1876. He retired from the active business of life in 1876, and is now living in Rock Island, enjoying the fruits of laborious toil, coupled with that of good judgment arid energetic determination. Mr. Albrecht was united in marriage to Miss Ame- lia Spillmann in 1854. She was a native of Ohio, and died Feb. 25, 1883, leaving six children : Emma, married J. F. Ohlweiler, Nov. 2, T876, and they have two children, Willie and Mabel ; Laura married Adam Kopp, Aug. 2, 1874, and they have two daugh- ters, Emma and Louisa, and reside at present in Min- neapolis ; John married Mary Jensen, Nov. 9, 1 88 1. and they have one child, Edna ; Louisa married Henry Nawman, May 24, 1882, and has one child, Clara; Amelia D., born Oct. 12, 1861, and Minnie K., born Jan. 17, 1877, are unmarried. Politically, Mr. Albrecht is a Democrat. He is the proprietor of four stores and one dwelling in Rock Island, and owns 122 acres of land. He belongs to the Ancient Order of Druids, and to the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Albrecht takes great interest in the welfare of the city. His naturaliza- tion papers, which made him a citizen of the United States, were handed him by Abraham Lincoln, who said he "hoped Mr. Albrecht would make a good citizen, and thought he would," and congratulated him by a hearty shake of the hand. ~wv_~\«j2j2j27©"i€r* < f v§%QsZr&?rfr~ *v\/v~. dam Ellis, resident at Port Byron, 111., was born May 1, 1842, in the province of On- tario, Canada. He is the son of David and Maria (Spencer) Ellis, who are respectively of French and English descent The family con- sisted of parents and nine children. In 1845 they came to Illinois and located in Winnebago County, on a farm which the father bought from the Government, and on which he began improvements. His labors were interrupted by his death. Two years later the mother died, in 1852. Adam Ellis became an inmate of the home of his brother-in-law, J. B. Conklin, in Winnebago County, under whose care he remained until be became of age. He enlisted, Aug. 6, 1862, in the 74th 111. Vol. Inf., enrolling in Company A. He was mustered into the service of the United States Sept. 4 follow- ing. The command was first assigned to the Eighth Brigade, and later to the Tenth, under General Post. Mr. Ellis was under fire at Perryville, Ky., and at Stone River and Murfreesboro. At the latter place he was taken ill, and was in the hospital until August, 1863, when he rejoined his regiment at Bridgeport, Ala., in time to take part in the battles of Chicka- mauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge, in 1863. At the latter place he was wounded in the leg. When he rejoined his regiment, at London, Tenn., in the spring of 1864, his command was as- signed to General Sherman. He was in the actions *■ of the Atlanta campaign until the battle of Kenesaw * Mountain, lasting from the 27th of June until the : night of the 2d of July, 1864, when the rebels began 1 to evacuate. Two days later, on the skirmish line, being the 4th of July, he received a wound in his left '?. arm, which was amputated the same day. He was s sent to the hospital at Marietta, Iowa, and went < thence successively to the hospitals at Chattanooga, Nashville, Evansville and Mound City. He left the latter place March 4, 1865, at which date he was discharged, and returned to Winnebago Co., 111. He was in 15 regular engagements while in the service. In 1866 he engaged in the grocery business at Harrison, in that county, where he operated 18 months. In 1868 he engaged in a similar trade in Port Byron, in which he was interested until 1S82, when he sold out and went to Dakota. He pre- empted 160 acres of land, and also secured a tree claim. A year later he returned to Port Byron. In the spring of 1883 he entered the employ of J. M. Christy, of Rock Island, in whose interests he has / - since operated as a traveling salesman. Mr. Ellis was married in the spring of 1866 to Mrs. Mary Leffingwell, and they have two children — Jessie E. and Charles R. Mrs. Ellis is a native of h Hancock Co., 111., and she is the daughter of Rich- * ard and Mary (Woolfolk) Smith. Her father was born in Pennsylvania and her mother in Bowling )^# ■^g^ — %M?wm$>*r& — *^*- 1 I 4& -M§ §*t^ WWfiffi YXX -*&*r -7< >T ~^> zr - £ *& 1 A, ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 5\| 477 > & > ma, George W, Cora S. and Madge T. Elizabeth married Herman Wettenberg, and they have one child, Benhard. Emma married Benhard Harts, and they have one child, Bessie Harts. Politically, Mr. Aster is a Democrat. He is one of the Supervisors of Rock Island, and socially be- longs to the I. O. O. F„ the A. O. U. W, and the U. A. O. D. T .lamuel Bowles, long one of the leading W farmers of Hampton Township, but now * retired from the active labors of farm life, was born Feb. 6, iSio, at Rock Bridge, Ya.. and is a son of Isaac and Mary (Bagford) Bowles, natives of Maryland. His parents came to Indiana as early as r8i8, where they made a purchase of r6o acres of land in Washington County, and remained there until 1840, when Sam- uel, subject of this sketch, went after them and suc- ceeded in bringing them to Hampton Township; but the father, on a visit to a son in New Orleans, took sick there and died. The mother died at her son Samuel's. Samuel remained with his parents until he was 20 years old, and, as might be expected, he enjoyed very limited advantages for an education, for educational institutions and methods were in a very crude condi- tion in Indiana from 60 to 70 years ago. Young Samuel grew up to a sturdy manhood amid" these rudest of pioneer surroundings, taking advantage of every opportunity to gain knowledge and prepare himself for future usefulness. He naturally pos- sessed a large share of that most valuable gift, com- mon sense nor was this dwarfed or stunted by such influences and surroundings as are now too common. Some of the greatest men of our age have grown up amid just such influences as those surrounding Mr. Bowles' early life. Our subject possesses many traits of both mind and heart which rank with those of men who have attained a national reputation. He takes a large and liberal view of every subject, is generous, just, and possesses excellent judgment, and was a most valu- able acquisition to any pioneer settlement. Shortly < after leaving home he was united in marriage with Mirgaret Porter, a native of Virginia. Telitha is the name of their only child. She became the wife of John Kay, and is the mother of one child. After his marriage Mr. Bowles operated a farm in Indiana. He then sold out his interest in that State and came to Hampton Township, this county, where he has since continued to reside, and has from the very first been one of the leading spirits in the com- munity. His farm contains 420 acres, a great part of which is rich coal land. Mr. Bowles was not only one of the pioneers in the settlement of the cc but he is the pioneer in the development of the now extensive and valuable coal interests of Rock Island County, being the first to make the discovery of coal. As early as 1836, in his investigations, he discovered coal on his land, and in 1842 opened a coal bank, which was the second opened in the county. Since that time he has been interested in the coal busi- ness, employing from 20 to 25 hands. This exten- sive interest in this county has been largely developed through the influence and instrumentality of Mr. ' Bowles. Our subject has been an active, enterprising citi- i zen of the county for fully half a century, and ^ has been ever ready to interest himself and take an /, active part in even" project looking to the develop ment of the county or welfare of the commun:' One of the most commendable enterprises of his life, and one which illustrates his generous disposition and his earnest desire to assist the only real source through which true reform in society and"the greatest good to mankind comas, was the erection of the beautiful church edifice on his farm. This structure ^ was erected in 1879, at a cost of $^000, and is lo- | 5 cated in the midst of a beautifully kept cemetery, jj His old friend and fellow pioneer, Mr. Alanson Sin- net, presented the Church with a handsome Bible for the pulpit. The church building is shown in the full- page view- of Mr. Bowles' residence and" surroundings which is presented in this Album As an enduring monument to the memory of this generous pioneer and citizen, we present his portrait in this volume in connection with this sketch. In the view which is also given of his present commodious /j residence, his home of 50 years ago is also shown. ^ It will no doubt be a source of gTeat satisfaction to (3 the man in his old age to look back over the scenes J^/^. -^nnsu[ir> I yz>v$~ ~^0%^fssr ■ry T&wmm> > a E3 478 '"V '^ ^CC.S' ISLAND COUNTY. "^^t-^~ of his early struggles and preserve a picture of his rude cabin home. Besides his fanning and mining interests, he is largely interested in other enteiprises. He is a stock- holder in the First National Bank of Moline, and is also one of the Directors of that institution. He is also a stockholder in the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. Although a Democrat politically, he has been Postmaster during the past five years of the office of Bowlesburg. He has also held various township offices. eter Farrell, Alderman of the Second Ward, Rock Island, and one of the most exten- ^S'i$. sive and successful brick contractors and builders in Western Illinois, was born in County Maid, Ireland, and came with his parents, Peter and Jane (Purden) Farrell, to America when he was about seven years of age. The family stopped in Pittsburg, Pa., where the parents spent the rest of their lives, and where the subject of this sketch learned the trade of a brick- layer, and lived until he was about 19 years of age. At the outbreak of the Civil War he came to Rock Island and took service on a Government transport, and followed steamboating upwards of five years. Immediately upon abandoning the river he em- barked in the business of his life — that of contractor and builder. Since that he lias constructed the massive buildings of the Rock Island Plow Works, the Rock Island Hotel, Dart's grocery house, Strack- fas Block, Saurman's Market Square buildings, the German Lutheran Church, Harper's Opera House, the Armory block, Fulwiler's saloon building, Weir- heauser & Co.'s immense smoke-stack, nearly 150 feet in height ; two paper-mills at Milan, Dimock & Gould's factory at Moline, and dwelling-houses too numerous to mention. In the fall of 1884 he was urged by his friends to make the race for Alderman, and much against his will acquiesced; and, though a stanch Democrat, he represented a Republican ward, and thai to the en- tire satisfaction of the better class of the community. Mr. Farrell was married at Urban a, 111., when about 22 years of age, to Miss Sarah Ann Matthess, a native of North Carolina, and the following names designate respectively their four children : Sarah J., James T., in the tinning and stove business at Carson, Iowa; Richard L., a brick mason at Rock Island, and Mina Belle, an accomplished little miss in her teens. Sarah married William V. Stafford, Feb. 20, 1883, foreman of the shipping department of the Rock Island Plow Works. Mr. Farrell is identi- fied with the Masonic fraternity, and also with the A. O. (J. W. -H##«- ■ 3 ^^ — ^<>n p@hd^a^ — *^ ( j|»dgar Wells, a prominent young farmer of Hampton Township, and a native of the same, residing on section 21, was born on ■ff- the same section Dec. 3, 1861. His parents, John and Mary (McMurphy) Wells, were na- tives of Vermont and New York, respectively, but in an early day, in 1835, became pioneers of this township, locating on section 21, where the mother now lives with her son, and where the father resided until his death, which occurred Jan. 28, 1880. They were the parents of n children, as follows : Eliza- beth I., the eldest, who died at the age of 35 years ; Maria L., Francis H., Clarence S., John L., Rinnah A., Anthony S., Arthur S., Eunice M., Charlotte A. and Edgar L. The elder Wells, the father of our subject, was a prominent pioneer of the county, and during the Black Hawk War enlisted in defense of the settlers and served all through that war. He was driven in- to the lead mines by the Indians at Galena, being without coat or hat, the Indians having stolen them. As a pioneer to a new country, he was compelled to undergo many inconveniences and privations, which he did with great fortitude. He was long a prom- inent citizen of the township, and a devoted member of the Congregational Church. John Wells was born near Brattleboro, Vt., July 18, 1807. He removed from there to Manchester, Ohio, in 18 14. They remained there but four years, when they pushed further West and found a location in Wayne Co., 111. He left home when he was about 21 years of age, and came North to Gale- na, and worked in the lead mines for several years ca r .tfCCtf- ISLAND COUNTY. 1 He was living there at the time of the Black Hawk War, in which he played a prominent part. After that war he engaged a short time in buying cattle in the southern part of the State, and driving into Ga- lena and selling them. We soon find him in Rock Island County, where, in Hampton Township, in 1835, he was married to Miss Mary McMurphy. This lady now lives with her son Edgar on the old homestead. Edgar L. Wells has charge of the old homestead farm of 240 acres, and, although a young man, is one of the leading men of the township. He was married April 16, 1884, to Miss Hattie Walker, a native of Hampton Township. b +##-?- ^ohn Marshall, one of the pioneers of Rock Island County, coming here in 1839, and residing in the county constantly since that time, is at present a resident of Cordova Township, and a prominent farmer and stock. raiser. He is a son of John and Charity (Golden) Marshall, being the second eldest of their children. Mr. Marshall was born in Hopewell Township, Huntington Co. (now Mercer Co.), New Jersey, April 1, 18 19. Mr. Marshall was 13 years of age when his father died, and two years later he went to learn the trade of a wagon-maker, at which he served an apprenticeship of two years. He then went to Philadelphia, and worked at carpentering three years. In 1839, realizing that to better his condition in life, in a financial point of view, the West offered better inducements than the crowded East, he came to Cordova, Rock Island Co., 111., in company with three others. They arrived at Cordova in July of that year, and he and his brother, William G. Mar- shall, made a claim on section 3 of that township, and as soon as the land came into market, entered tthe same. In July, 1840, they raised the first crop in that township. In 1842 the mother, in company with the remainder of the family, joined them, and he located on the homestead with his mother until 1845. During the year he entered the north half of the I southeast quarter of section 34, township 20, range 2, now known as Cordova Township, and in 1844 built a frame house on this place and located there- on. He has from time to time added to his original purchase until he at present is the owner of 360 acres, all in a body, besides 150 acres adjoining in Coe Township, located on section 3 and in Whiteside County. In 1863 he erected a stone building on the southeast quarter of section 34, Cordova Township. There is a fine natural grove near by his house. Mr. Marshall was united in marriage with Mary E. Cool in September, 1840. She was born in Prince- ton, N. J., July 9, 1819. They have nine children. Elizabeth is the wife of J. F. Cranston, and resides in Benton County, Minn. ; Charity is the wife of Paul D. Ege, and lives in Guthrie County, Iowa ; Harmon married Jennie Hoff, and resides on section 15 southwest quarter; Jerome married Maria With- row, of Albany, and lives in Whiteside County; Edward married Sally Bailey, and lives in Guthrie County, Iowa; Samuel married Emma Seeley, of Clinton, Iowa, and resides in Benton Co., Minn.; Robert married Marietta Burlingame, of Albany, and resides on the homestead ; Minnie is the wife of Charles Wells, and they reside in Guthrie County, Iowa ; Horace married Sarah A. Crawford, widow of Jonathan Marshall, and resides on the homestead ; Clara died in her twentieth year, and Jonathan in his twenty-fourth year. Politically, Mr. M. is a Republican. udge George E. Holmes, deceased, who '- was formerly a resident of Port Byron, was born in Stoddard, Cheshire Co., N. H., Feb. 17, 1802. While approaching the age of adult manhood he learned the trade of boot and shoe maker, at which he worked in his native village. He the.) moved to Lunenburg, Vt., where he lived, following his trade until 1830, when he went to Guildhall, the county seat of Essex Co., Vt. He there engaged in mercantile business, be- came prominent in county affairs, and was elected Sheriff of the county. In 1833 lie went to St. Johns- bury, that State, where, for a number of years, he kept a hotel. In the spring of 1846 he came West and settled in Port Byron, this county, where he en- V£, ? © CI) X I ^^ — ^A^n A® 480 - — * X' • u u « >un.y \ JfOCX ISLAND COUNTY. & V Si (!) I gaged in trade with G. S. Moore, and at the same time kept the Port Byron House. Being a man of fine attainments, a Jeffersonian Democrat, and also a zealous Abolitionist, he became very popular, and was finally elected County Judge, in which capacity he served the people acceptably. He was also As- sociate Justice, and Justice of the Peace the greater part of the time that lie was a resident there, until his death, which took place Jan. 3, 1872. Judge Holmes was married twice, first to Mary Moore, Dec. 7, 1826, who died July 21, 1850, leaving five children, namely : Cynthia, now the widow of N. Belcher ; Annette, widow of S. S. Guyer; Ellen, no., the wife of Capt. George Dodge; Mary, who is now Mrs. Ed. Murphy ; and Jennie, now the wife of Dr. Wm. Lyford. The Judge's second marriage oc- curred March 24, 185 1, when he chose for his life partner Mrs. Lorane, widow of Addison G. Durfee. She was born in Hopkinton, Hillsboro Co., N. H., Aug. 15, 1805. Her first husband. Mr. Durfee, was born in Rhode Island, Nov. 1, 1799. They were married in Greenfield, Erie Co., Pi., Feb. 28, 1827. By that marriage there were two children, viz.: Wil- ber, who was born in North East, Erie Co., Pa., Jan 17, 1828, and Harriet Pratt, Aug. 31, 1853; the latter •has two children, Clarence and Grace C, who now live in Oskaloosa, Iowa ; Emily N. is now the wife of L. Lowry, and lives in Port Byron. :3*-£-*«e===- apt. Thomas J. Eobinson, President of & the Rock Island National Bank, also of Ip** the Black Diamond Coal Company, was $fo born at Appleton, Maine, July 28, 1818, and y^ was the son of John and Mary (Dilleway) Robinson, natives of the same State, and of English and German extraction, respectively. He worked some at farming, but devoted most of his time to the acquirement of an education. Kent's Hill Academy (Maine) offered him the greatest op- portunity in that direction, and before he was twenty- years of age he had fitted himself as an educator and was teaching in the public schools. In 1838, he came West, stopping in Greene Co., 111., where he taught school three years. In 1841 he procured a clerkship on a Lower Mississippi steamer, and followed the river about two years. Abandon- ing this position, he paid a short visit to his native place, and returned to Greene County, and for the succeeding three or four years was employed as clerk in the County Treasurer's office. In 1847 he came into Rock Island County, and for the two years fol- lowing, tried his hand at farming. From here he removed to Port Byron, 111., and embarked in mer- cantile, lumber and flouring-mill business, which he followed four years. The spring of 1853 he came to Rock Island city and bought an interest in the Dav- enport ferry. There was no bridge across the Mis- sissippi at that time, nor for many years afterward, and the ferry-boat at this point proved a veritable bonanza. It made everybody rich connected with it, and to this day, though the railroads and bridges have taken away much of its business, the revenues derived from it are immense, and as a paying prop- erty it is held in high esteem by the Captain, who retains the management of the company. Captain Robinson has led a busy life, and in noth- ing that he has ever undertaken has he failed. On the contrary, the enterprises to which he has given his attention have succeeded, and specially so when un- der his direct supervision. The Rock Island National Bank was organized in 1S71, and Mr. Robinson was made its President. Speaking of this concern after it had been fourteen years in successful operation, a local authority very truthfully says : " Since the date of its organization the Rock Island National Bank has been under the management of Capt. T. J. Rob- inson, and to his praiseworthy attention to its affairs, sound judgment and liberal, yet accommodating con- duct when consistent with security, the unusual suc- cess and high standing of the bank is mainly due. Caution, liberality and security has been the watch- word of Capt. Robinson's management." His title of Captain was probably derived from his steamboat or ferry experience. Any way, the title was given to him several years ago and adheres to him. From 1849 to 1854 he was one of the Asso- ciate Judges of Rock Island County, and the marvel is that he was not called " Judge " instead of " Cap- tain." He is not much addicted to politics though away back in the fifties he held the office of County Supervisor, and was Chairman of the Board a term or two. He has also represented the Republican party, a few times as their delegate to the State Con- gnn ^o ^ 3^ <& 9 &. 1 ra> ©) - x . mm 1 ;V*; V WW^^^ : is I ^43 ■ i'. ?j* 1; %?m r-' .. ^'■''^■'rfe ■'.':-■,$*" '" "'•V'-,' ££ -:C ~S5^ "«f ^'~jf$fh MM Mr £«*?? Imm^ 2 o 00 < ui > < Q it CO cr o o o o 2 o (J z UJ Q UJ or ■ -■'-'..- 'A'Itjh — *(/•&. •&.U* wmmmmm gEsa^wweg^JA^V" lH Vjl! ! i s& SE»*& ; JT ^, li "\ V: II j_j_ ® : ;■•■• ^ 6VCMSI1II>> & ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ventions. In later years, however, he devotes his entire time to business. The Captain is a Knight Templar, a good Republican, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was married in 1846, in Greene Co., 111., to Miss Amy Ann Henderson, a daughter of one of the pioneers of that county. Their only son, James F., is Cashier of the Rock Island National Bank. -<-H*#*§^>-- ohn Sexton Phillips, one of the early pi- Hfll tf oneers of this county, was born in Hopewell, b' Hunterdon (now Mercer) Co., N. J., June > 10, 1821, and was the oldest son of John L. "It and Nancy (Sexton) Phillips, both natives of I New Jersey. On the paternal side he is of the seventh generation from Rev. George Phillips, who , came from England in company with George VVin- throp in 1630, and settled in Watertown, Mass. His grandfather Phillips married Catherine Phil- lips, a descendant from Joseph Phillips, who came from Wales and settled in New Jersey, near Prince- ton, prior to 1700. The Sextons were also early set- tlers in New Jersey. Mrs. Phillips, mother of our subject, died when he was about 1 2 years of age, and his father never formed a second matrimonial alliance. In 1838 John S. Phillips, whose name heads this notice, came to Rock Island city in company with the Marshall, Cool and Sexton families, with the in- tention of selecting a suitable location for his father. The journey was made overland. For the first three years he worked for his uncle, Joseph R. Sexton, but in the spring of 1841 he returned to New Jersey. Starting in June, he went on foot to Chicago, where he took the steamer for Buffalo, from there on the ca- nal to Little Falls, N. Y., by railroad to Albany the steamer to New York City, the railroad to New Brunswick, and from that place on foot, walking 23 miles. He remained in New Jersey until 1845, when, in company with his father and family, they started on their return to Rock Island city, and again came with teams over bnd, arriving here after a journey of 52 days. He located in the village of Cordova, where his father died, in October, 1862. May 12, 1840, the subject of this sketch went to Galena, and entered 80 acres of land, being the east half of the southwest quarter of section 29, township 20 north, range 2 east, and on his return, in 1845, commenced to improve the land. Sept. 10, 1862, Mr. Phillips was united in mar- riage with Anna Maria Hoff, who was born Dec. 4, 1829, in Pennington, N. J., and was a daughter of Charles and Julia Hoff. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have become the parents of three children, namely: Ruth A., May F. and Catherine. At the time of marriage they settled on the farm and resided there three years, when he rented the farm and removed to Cordova, where he has since lived. Mr. Phillips is a member of the Baptist Church of Cordova. <«2£<2/&l€r* i^e Witt Clinton Dimoek, treasurer of the J. firm of Dimoek, Gould & Co., manufatc- •> \Ufy-"" 2 urers f lumber and wooden-ware at Mo- 'v\n line, was born in Willington, Conn., Oct. 1, fa 1820. He came to Geneseo in 1840, and to 5 Moline in the summer of 1843. In 1852 he formed a partnership with John M. Gould in the manufacture of furniture and wooden-ware, on the northeast end of Rock Island. They removed to the main land at Moline in 1868, and engaged in the manufacture of lumber and wooden-ware. (See his- tory of this important manufacturing establishment elsewhere in this work.) Mr. Dimoek has been in business in Moline con- tinuously for 32 years. On the incorporation of the firm of Dimoek, Gould & Co., in 1869, he was elected its first president ; was re-elected, and held that posi- tion until 1884, with the exception of two years, when he resigned on account of failing health. He was then elected treasurer, which position he holds at the present writing. Mr. Dimoek formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Maria H. Hubbard, the accomplished daughter of Rufus Hubbard, June 17, 1843. Mrs. Dimoek was born in Bergen, Genesee Co., N. Y. The issue of their union is two daughters. The eldest, Nellie E. died when about two years of age ; and Florence, who A. ■^^^ ©A^B H § M&A^ &H -A;^#. 2^c ©V4>IW@ 11 1$ ^486^ v O 1 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. fc® A r) $ was born in Moline, completed her education at the excellent seminary at Highland Park, and in May, 1880, married Edward H. Sleight, a stockholder in the business of Dimock, Gould & Co., and a resident of Moline. Mr. Dimock was one of the original stock- holders of the First National Bank of Moline, and has long served as a member of its Board of Direct- ors. His life has been one of business, and his word is as good as his bond. His accumulation of this world's goods is due to his indomitable energy, good judgment and active co-operation of his good helpmate. He has been at the head of an important manufacturing institution for over 30 years, to the success of which he has devoted his best energy. He has neither time nor inclination to participate officially in public affairs, but is widely known as a man of broad and liberal views, kind-hearted and benevolent, upright and just, and possessing to a gratifying degree the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens. Religiously, Mr. Dimock and his wife are members of the Congregational Church of Moline, of which denomination Mr. Dimock was one of the founders at that place, and has been a liberal contrib- utor in support of the same. Politically, he is a be- liever in the tenets of the Republican party, and during the war was a staunch Union man. Prominent among that enterprising class of busi- ness men who have made Moline the thriving city it is to-day, stands Mr. D. C. Dimock. That this city has made rapid strides of late years can not be denied. One need but go through its business thor- oughfares and seethe splendid buildings and the dis- play of the enterprise of its merchants and business men, to be impressed with the just claims it makes to being a city of prominence and importance. Its towering smoke-stacks from the numerous and ex- tensive manufactories, which are seen on every hand, afford additional evidence of its prosperity and the enterprise of its citizens. Nor are these the only manifestations of city life that may be seen at Mo- line. The magnificent and palatial residences in many quarters of the city tell the visitor that its citi- zens not only aspire to founding large manufacturing establishments and extensive mercantile concerns, but have exhibited a most commendable enterprise in erecting and furnishing many splendid dwellings. Prominent among these and one of the most pleas- antly located is the residence of Mr. Dimock. This, with its delightful surroundings, is shown in a full-page view, in company with the portrait of its owner. -*k*s*«- 5 l|,on J. "Webb, Station Agent at Rapids City, ' to which place he came in 1876, was born M " % in Rock County, Wis., Dec. 29, 1852. His jfev parents were William J., who was born at Perry sburg, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., on July 7, 181 1, and Eunice Watson, who was born at New Salem, Franklin Co., Mass., Jan. 2, 1814. The parents moved to Wisconsin in 1840, where her father purchased a farm containing 40 acres and afterwards increased his landed interests until he was the proprietor of 320 acres in that State, and on which he resided until shortly before his death, which occurred April 7, 1876, at Evansville, Rock County, Wis., he having moved there to obtain a needed rest from the cares of his farm. Don J., subject of this sketch, remained under parental care and in- struction until he attained the age of majority. His earlier years were passed on the farm and in the ac- quisition of a good education, having had the advan- tages afforded by the Evansville Seminary, which institution he attended four years. He then attended Bryant & Stratton's Business College at Janesville, Wis., for two years, where he completed a thorough business course of study. Leaving commercial col- lege, he came home and again entered upon the duties of farm life. In the winter of 1873 he came to Savanna, Car- roll County, 111., where for two years he was engaged in learning telegraphy and railroading. He then ac- cepted a position as station agent at Rapids City, in 1876, where he has since continued in the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Com- pany. Mr. Webb was united in marriage to Miss Clara E. Mitchell, a native of Rapids City, Aug. 30, 1876. She was born May 1, i860. Her parents were old and highly respected citizens of that place, moving there in 1840. Two children have been born to them,— Willie M., born Aug. 29, 1877, and Dwight J., Oct. 2, 1879. Politically, Mr. Webb is a believer in the principles advocated by the Demo- cratic party. Religiously, he attends the Episcopal \mm lys. _i- Cj (> t m rp*" *r* I ry V4>HQStl[l>>r rr ,«? ■ s Y a 1 ^OCI ISLAND COUNTY. 487 Church, and socially he is a member of Philo Lodge, 436, A. F. & A. M., of Port Byron ; Barrett Chap- ter, No. 18; Everts Commandery, K. T , No. 18, of Rock Island, 111. ; Rapids City Lodge, 656, I. O. O. F. ; and Social Lodge, 134, A. O. U. W., of Rapids City. •- — ->5-$ >€^0a $— f4» — ■ ":•?'' ; '> #|£ohn Lancashire, President of the Moline Pipe-Organ Company, was born near Man- chester, England, in 1844, and is the son of Robert Lancashire. He served seven years if at the trade of pipe-organ builder, and after- wards worked several years in the leading or- gan factories of Liverpool and London. In 1870 he came to America and the following year to Moline, 111., where he organized the Moline Pipe-Organ Company, of which he was elected President and Manager. Mr. Lancashire is a thorough master of his business in every detail, and he has had the sat- isfaction of seeing the enterprise which he was in- strumental in establishing in a small way 14 years ago now developed into one of the prominent indus- tries of Moline. (See sketch of the factory else- where in this work.) Mr. Lancashire formed a matrimonial alliance at Moline, June 9, 18S4, with Miss Letitia A. Brett. She was born in New England. Mr. and Mrs. Lan- cashire are members of the Episcopal Church. In political views Mr. Lancashire is an independent. £3 &b, B. Kinyon, M. D., residing at Rock Is- \f land, came to this city in 1878. He is a son of James N. and Mary A. (Benedict) ®& Kinyon, and was born in Walworth County, , J ^ Wis., Jan. 6, 1851. Thefather of Dr. Kinyon s was a farmer by occupation, and the son was reared in Wisconsin upon the farm, alternating his labors thereon by attendance at the common schools of his n.itive county. He remained at home assisting in the maintenance of the family until he was about 21 years of age, when he attended and graduated at the State University of Illinois. He studied medi- cine at Ann Arbor, Mich., then went to the New Homeopathic College at Chicago, where he matricu- lated and followed the curriculum of that institution, and from which he graduated in 1878. He then came to Rock Island city, and at once entered upon the practice of his profession, and by constant atten- tion to business, and honest, straightforward dealings with his fellow-man, he has built up a very good practice. Dr. Kinyon formed a matrimonial alliance with Maria Walden, April 25, 1878, The issue of their unionhas been one child, Howard B. Kinyon, born April 19, 1880. Dr. Kinyon in his political views affiliates with the Republican party. Socially, he is a member of the I. O. O. F. and of the Knights of Pythias. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Dr. Kinyon is the oldest practitioner of his school in the city of Rock Island, and the large practice which lie has built up since a resident of that place is due to his competency as a practitioner and an honest recognition of his ability. He is a man who is always interested in every project calculated to advance the interests of the community in which he resides, and is noted for his genial and manly spirit, and for his success in restoring his patients to their former strength and vigor. >-^Sf~i^B"< >J '''■ 'I ~%\ ]''■■ acoD C. Bailey, carpenter and joiner, cor- - 'QZM'C ner of Old Avenue and 17th Street, South Rock Island, was born in Trumbull Co., O., June 25, 1835. His father, Isaac Bailey, was a merchant in the earlier years of his life and afterward a farmer; lie was a native of Penn- sylvania, of German descent. Jacob's mother, nee Rebecca Weaver, is of the same nativity and de- scent, and is still living, at the age of 72 years, in Trumbull Co., Ohio. Her husband, who was born Oct. 12, 1806, died Dec. 8, 1S77. In his political views he was before the war a Democrat and after- ward a Republican. Both the parents were con- nected with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The subject of this sketch was the fourth in a & *e) %&*& -X^Ou&OOn^ — -3^^c 488 f > =3 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -z^Q^r 4^^C^ family of 15 children. He lived at his parental home until he was of age, being brought up in agricultural pursuits and at the public schools. At the age of 20 he began to learn the carpenter's trade in his native county, under the instructions of Henry Earnest. At the conclusion of a three-years apprenticeship he was married, and after a residence in his native county until 1865 he came West, locating, Sept. 25, in this county, at once devoting his energies to the prosecution of his chosen trade. In 1871, he re- moved to South Rock Island, purchasing an acre of ground, to which his son afterward added two acres, and on this lot he built a good and nicely finished residence. He is still devoting his whole time to his trade. In his political principles he is a Republican, and both himself and wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. The marriage of Mr Bailey, to Miss Catharine Durst, took place May 18, 1855. She was born in his native county (Trumbull), March 15, 1832. Her father, Wm. Durst, was a farmer, and died in that county, in 1867 ; and her mother, nee Catharine Roope, died in the spring of 187 1. Mrs. B. is the youngest of 15 children, and she is now the mother of three children, namely : Frank L., who was born Nov. 27, 1856; William E., born April 15, 1859, and May L., Aug. 20, i860. Besides, she has had the care and rearing of an orphan child. h ,r. E. E. Eogers, residing at Port Byron, is one of the prominent and substantial bus- iness men of that place. He is a native j*jiv of Plainfield, Ohio, where he was born Nov. 14, 1829. The parents of Dr. Rogers were John and Margaret (Williams) Rogers, na- tives of Mifflin County, Pa. They were among the early pioneers of Ohio, where they resided until their deaths. Dr. Rogers was educated in the schools of Zanes- ville and Athens, his native State, and completed his education by a thorough and complete academical course. At an early age he determined to adopt the profession of medicine as the business of his life, and with that end in view he read the standard text i books of medicine while yet in his minority. When he attained his majority he came to Davenport, la., arriving there in April, 1850. He remained there until the May following, when he came to Illinois and settled at Port Byron, hung out his shingle and commenced the practice of his profession. The county at that time was thinly settled, entailing upon the Doctor long and fatiguing rides to visit patients living in remote settlements ; but he was possessed of a stout and vigorous brain that has never known an hour of sickness during the last 35 years. In 1855, realizing the importance of having pure drugs in his practice, he opened a drug store in connection with the practice of his profession, in which business he is still connected with his son. In 187 1, Dr. Rogers began the banking business and established the bank known as the Bank of Port Byron, under the firm name of E. E. Rogers & Sons. The bank is well and favorably known throughout financial circles. It is regarded as one of the solid institu- tions of the county. The volume of business trans- acted by the bank has aggregated $1,500,000. Prior to engaging in the banking business Dr. Rogers com- \ menced dealing in grain, shipping, etc., and the firm \ as it now exists was organized in 1871. As seen by the foregoing, the life of Dr. Rogers ^ has been one of business activity. He belongs to < that class of Western men who are noted for their push and enterprise, good judgment and energy. It is needless to say that the energy, tact and good judgment of Dr. Rogers has brought its reward in wealth that ranks him among the substantial citizens of Rock Island County. His accumulation of this world's goods is attributable to none other than his own indomitable energy, keen judgment and ener- getic endeavor. In December, 1853, Dr. Rogers was united in mar- riage with Miss Susan Moore, a native of Vermont, at Port Byron. The issue of their union has been two sons, — Frank E. and Edward M. Both the sons are partners in the firm of E. E. Rogers & Sons, bankers, grain dealers and druggists at Port A Byron. Frank E. Rogers, eldest son of the Doctor, married | Miss E. A. Maxwell, and they have two children,— Walter Harry and Hazel. Edward M. Rogers, sec- \, ond child of the Doctor, married Miss Eliza Mc- ^ Call, and they have one child, Bertha by name. Mis. Rogers, wife of the subject of this notice, is ( ^ ^b^n 11 g 11 D.f^9 — 3 *g^ !@ ■B 'Ai i?y Vis ' M: t^tf/yyiJ^O 9/rt;'- 7 i>vv« ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 493 rs ^ a member of the Congregational Church. Socially, Doctor Rogers belongs to Port Byron Lodge, No. 624, I. O. 0. F. Politically, he comes from good old Democratic stock, his first Presidential vote hav- ing been cast for Franklin Pierce in 1852, and since that time he has not failed to cast his vote in sup- port of the principles of that party. Thus, in short, is the brief biographical sketch of Dr. Rogers, and thus we have an exemplification of what push and energy may accomplish, 2 He started out in life with nothing but a strong determination to succeed and a healthy constitution, and by his energy and perse- verance has procured a competency and a name and reputation second to none in the community in which he resides for fair and honest dealings with his fellow-man. ^-4- £= ^E^f;' 1 annuel Sloan, one of the pioneers of Rock V.^toai^ Island County, was born in Westmoreland j[fc* "' Co., Pa., July 25, 1803. His father, Henry 'j \\j Sloan, was a native of that State. His grand- parents were from Ireland, and emigrated to this country in the 17th century. His grand- father, Samuel Sloan, was a member of the first Legislature of the State of Pennsylvania, and he had the township in which he lived named in honor of his native county in Ireland. He built the first grist-mill in the township of Derry, which was the first grist-mill west of the mountains; and subse- quently, while erecting a saw-mill, he received a fall, from the injuries of which he died. The father of the subject of this biographical notice was young at the time of his father's death, and after that event went to live with an uncle in Franklin County! where he was raised. The maiden name of the mother of Samuel Sloan was Elizabeth Morrison, also a native of Pennsylvania and of Irish descent. Samuel Sloan, subject of this biographical notice, was reared on his father's farm in Westmoreland Co., Pa., receiving the training afforded by the com- mon school. He was united in marriage, in 1830, to Mary Slemmons who was born in Washington Co., Pa., in 181 r. After marriage he made his home with his parents for about three years, then managed his sister's farm until 1839. At this date, realizing that there were better inducements for procuring a competency in the West than in his native State, he started to seek a home on the wild prairies of Illi- nois. His start was made in company with two others on horseback in the fall of 1838, and they rode all the way to this State, visiting McDonough County and other points, but made no claim. He was well satisfied with the country, and on his re- turn home made a favorable report to his brothers ; and in the spring of 1839, in company with others, started again for Illinois, accompanied by his family. They came by way of the Ohio. Mississippi and Illi- nois Rivers to Beardstown, and drove from there to McDonough County. He there rented a small farm, put in a crop, after which he came to Buffalo Prairie Township and entered land on section 33. He rented a house in Illinois City, and lived there until the spring of 1841, when he erected a frame house on his land, and at once entered vigorously and energetically upon the task of its cultivation and im- provement, and upon which he has been a constant resident ever since. He has improved his place by the erection of buildings, barns, etc., and the plant- ing of shade and ornamental trees, until at present he has a fine productive farm under a good method of cultivation. Mrs. Sloan died Feb. 9, 18S0. Their union was blessed with nine children — Eliza J., born Dec. n, 1831, died May 1 1, 1867 ; Caroline M., born May 7, 1834, is the wife of Matthew Robison, and resides in Andalusia Township; Sarah W., born Oct. 14, 1836, died Feb. 13,1851; Henry F., born May 23, 1S39, died July 21, 1870; Martha was born April 23, 1842, and married Edward Castle, a resident of Mercer County; Rebecca S. was born Nov. 22, 1844, and is at present the wife of Thomas Vernon, resid- ing in Mercer County ; Thomas S., born March 12, 1848, also resides in Mercer County; William S., born July 13, 185 presides on the parental home- stead; Agnes A., born Aug. 14, 1854, became the wife of Mr. Van Reeves, and resides in Edgington. Mr. Sloan is the proprietor of 160 acres of land, 80 of which is located in Mercer County. Since the death of his wife Mr. Sloan has spent the summer seasons traveling, and has visited his old home in Pennsylvania, also Washington, D. C, Kansas, Ne- braska, Missouri and Iowa. His son William, who manages the homestead, has always resided at home. i V m -ii- r 1x1*1 /P0CX ISLAND A^i.L COUNTY. W%® V He was united in marriage Feb. 6, 1879, with Miss Martha Kirkman, the accomplished daughter of Robert and Sophronia (Eby) Kirkman ; she was born in Rock Island County. Mr. Sloan has been a member of .the Presbyterian Church for over fifty years. His wife was also a member of the same Church. They held their membership with the Buf- falo Prairie Church. Mr. Sloan has served as Assessor of his township, and also Commissioner three years. His first vote for President was cast for Andrew Jackson, during his first candidacy. He afterwards joined the Whig party, and voted with that party until the formation of the Republican party, when he joined it. Mr Sloan is a very intelligent man and a great reader. Coming to this county at an early period, and realiz- ing the future of this county, and entering upon the task of establishing a home in the then wild and un- developed prairie land of Rock Island County, and having indomitable energy, perseverance and pluck sufficient to stick to it, he has seen his best judg- ment realized, and accumulated a competency. It may be said that his accumulation of this world's goods is due to his good judgment, pluck, and fair and honest dealing with his fellow man. The por- traits of Mr. Sloan and wife are shown elsewhere in this work. — s«- -fce>»- acob H. Marshall, of Coe Township, was born in the township of Hopewell, Mercer Co., N. J., Nov. 28, 1828, and is the fourth son of John and Charity (Golden) Marshall. JL The parents were also natives of that county, and were of German descent. They were the posterity of ancestors who came to America in the 1 8th century. Mr. Marshall lost his father by death when he was three years old, and the mother kept the family together. In 1842 they came to the county of Rock Island, the family, including seven children, travel- ing over land with teams, cooking and camping on the way through the entire course of the journey, which occupied six weeks. Two brothers and a sis- ter with her husband had come previously and made claims and built a home. The township was then designated as 19, and the farm was located on sec- tion 3 : the mother died there in 1878. Mr. Marshall was manied when he was 24 years of age to Sarah Cain. She was a native of N. J. and a daughter of John and Ann Cain. After marriage Mr. Marshall bought 40 acres of land on section 2, and through his industry and good management he pros- pered and made further purchases of real estate until he is now the owner of 570 acres of land, which is all in advanced cultivation except 120 acres of timber and [pasture. His residence is located on section 3, where the other farm buildings are chiefly placed, and Mr. Marshall, besides his general farming inter- ests, is also doing a considerable business in raising good stock. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall have two children, Mary and Ruth. The oldest daughter married C. C. Op- dycke, a farmer of Coe Township, and Ruth is the wife of John H. Buckley, farmer, and they reside in the same place. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall belong to the Baptist Church in Cordova. ^0006 fesfe-rfc. . tephen J. Collins, Alderman from the Fourth Ward, Rock Island, was born in |jfc*m Bowling Township, Rock Island County, Sept. 13, 1850. His father came from Eng- land, and his mother from Ireland, and they were the parents of four sons. The family re- moved to Iowa, when the subject of this biographical notice was about seven years of age, and during the seven years Stephen was kept in that State he ac- quired the rudiments of an English education. He was about 16 years of age when he began with Gray, Cropper & Co., of Rock Island to learn the carpen- ter's trade, and with this firm he served an appren- ticeship of three years. Feeling himself master of the practical part of his trade, the drift of his mind is shown in the fact that for the next two years he devoted himself entirely to the study of architecture. When 2 r years of age he went to Chicago, and at the end of one year returned to Rock Island, and was foreman for Hugh Ralston up to the spring of r88o. He then began contract- ^>)«^ a — <-oa>:flON> CI) s ® C>) I Si I ^ % ^v ■i»^r •7^# 8 ^c^- -^ Ac?misiin^ A-Q. V© ft -fy^Q/* £ ^ V $''H «lf ra Crawford, an energetic and progressive "^ ILpfc farmer, who has retired from the active la- Ms*[P borsof life and resides on section 9, Hamp- ^jJ ton Township, came to this county in October, /"> 1855. He was born in Putnam Co., N. Y., 1 June 11, 181 1. Mr. Crawford received a good common-school education in the schools of his native county and worked on the parental homestead until he attained the age of 16 years. He then engaged to learn the trade of a cooper, and followed that vo- cation until 1855. At that period in his life's history, rCMSDIl^ 496 — — r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. realizing that the prairie land of Illinois offered better inducements for the replenishing of an exchequer and the accumulation of a competency, he deter- mined to come to this county and procure a home. He accordingly came to Hampton village, where he lived until 1870. He then purchased a farm in Coe Township, consisting of 120 acres. This he rented for three years and subsequently sold and purchased i 15 acres on section 29, Hampton Township, on which he has since resided. He has a good farm under excellent cultivation, with fine residence, good barn and substantial outbuildings. Mr. Crawford formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Sallie A. Newbury in 1833. She was a native of Dutchess Co., N. Y., where she was born April 5, 1813. They have four children living, — Mary, born Sept. 24, 1836; George, Oct. 21, 1843; James W., Nov. 21, 1845; and Georgiana, Dec. 18, 1850. The wife and mother died in 1861, mourned as a loving wife, a kind mother and a generous and respected neighbor. Mr. Crawford was again united in mar- riage in 1863 with Hannah Fuller, a native of Orange Co., N. Y., in which State she was born Aug. 8, 1 83 1. Politically, Mr. Crawford is a believer in the tenets of the Democratic party. He has held the office of Supervisor, Justice of the Peace, Com- missioner of Highways, Constable and Collector, and was the first man who served under the organization as Constable and Collector. He collected every cent on real and personal property in the township, which was the first and last time that it was ever done. He is one of the respected and esteemed citizens of the county and is noted for his frank, honest and straightforward manner of dealing with his fellow-man. ^OOOS H. Dibbern, dealer in hardware, tinware, stoves, agricultural implements, ,; [ t-"<1\ hiirlrs |)fP^ etc., at Milan, was born in Kiel, Holstein, |ife Germany, Oct. 15, 1840. His father, Claus y|? Dibbern, was also a native of Holstein, Ger- \ many, a wagon-maker by calling, and came to America in 1847, when Charles was seven years of age, locating in Davenport, Iowa, where he became a farmer, and four years afterward removed to Ma- L T line, 111., and established a hotel, which he conducted for about r2 years. He is now living in Moline, re- tired from business, at the advanced age of 8 r years, having been born June 4, 1804. The mother of Charles H., whose maiden name was Christine Paul- sen, died in Davenport in 1849, aged about 47 years. The subject of this sketch, Mr. Charles H. Dib- bern, attended the German schools at Davenport for one year, then the public schools at Moline until i860, when he 'set out into the world for himself. Sept. r, i86i,Mr. Dibbern enlisted in Co. C, 66th Reg. 111. Vol. Inf., a regiment of sharpshooters. The company was commanded by Captain Conkling, of the Army of the Tennessee. He fought with his regiment at Corinth, Atlanta, Fort Donelson, Shiloh and in many skirmishes. He was honorably dis- charged at Chattanooga, Term., Sept. n, 1864, hav- ing served three years. After returning from the army he took a course of study at the commercial school at Davenport, where he graduated. He after- ward became book-keeper for Sears & Sons, millers at Moline, who have since removed to Milan. Mr. D. was with this firm for six years. He then en- gaged in the bakery business for about six months. In September, 187 1, he established a hardware store in Milan, at the same time adding a department of agricultural implements, etc. He also established branch stores at Reynolds and Joslin, this county. He had various partners from time to time, until January, 188 1, when he began independently, and since then has enjoyed brilliant success. The total amount of his stock in the three different places is valued at about $20,000. He also owns the store building and lot in Reynolds and two lots with the building in Milan. In his political views, Mr. D. sympathizes with the Republican party. At Moline, Feb. 2, 1865, Mr. Dibbern was married to Miss Maggie, daughter of William and Mary Da- vis. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, of German ancestry, and farmers, who moved from their native State to St. Clairsville, Ohio, where Mrs, D. was born, Feb. 3, 1842. She came West when a little girl with her parents, who settled in Moline, where she was brought up and educated, and where, : from the age of 16 until her marriage, she taught school. Her father enlisted in the Civil War, was *. captured in a skirmish in Kentucky, confined in the & 3> %/ ^ S. /K {®%^ -2. A3IW®IIII*> — i- -«§ C t4jMI&HI&>^ 7f&zr ^f*i^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Andersonville prison and died there. Her mother is still residing in Moline. Mr. and Mrs. Davis liave one child,— Henry S., who was born Aug. 7, 1865. on. Holmes O. born at Jamaica, Sleight, deceased, was L.I., Aug. 7, r8 2 8. When 17 years of age he came to the West and located at Geneseo, 111., where he was engaged in business with his brother, J. D. K. Sleight. He was married Dec. 5, 1855, to Miss Emma Ray, daughter of Guy Ray, Esq., at Portland, White- side Co., 111. During his residence in Geneseo he was an active member of the Congregational Church and an earn- est worker in the Sunday-school. He was elected County Treasurer of Henry County in i860, and was' re elected and served until 187 1, when he resigned, after having served the county ten years, during which time he resided at Cambridge, the county seat, where he was soon recognized as a leading spirit in everything relating to advancement of religious sen- timent. By the impulse given the cause by his earn- est and vigorous efforts, the society, which had been badly in debt and consequently depressed, was re- lieved of its burden and made self-sustaining. Mr. Sleight was elected Superintendent of the Sabbath- school, which prospered under his management to a remarkable degree. During the late war his patriotic zeal encouraged enlistments, aided in organizing sani- tary or soldiers' aid societies, which contributed liberally to the sanitary commission. Mr. Sleight removed from Cambridge to Moline in 187 1, where he resided until the time of his death, which occurred Jan. 31, 1884. He purchased an in- terest in the Dimock, Gould & Co. manufacturing es- tablishment, with which he was connected four years. He was then elected Secretary and Treasurer of the Union Malleable Iron Company, which position he held until he retired from active business in 1881. He was appointed and served as a member of the State Board of Equalization for six years, and was also a member of the Old Settlers' Association of Henry and Rock Island Counties. He had a wide circle of acquaintances throughout the State, among M ■& I mm the leading men, and was influential in Republican ^ circles. Though not a college graduate, yet he was well educated, — largely by self-instruction. He was well read in general literature, science and political econ- vf^ omy. Socially, he was a great favorite ; his great fund of general information and facility of expres- sion added a charm to his conversation. He was a warm friend to every enterprise or undertaking that was for the general welfare. While a resident of Moline he was prominently identified with Church and Sunday-school work, and for seven years served as an officer of the Church, besides being Superin- tendent of the Sunday-school for several years. When he was called away he left a wife, an estimable lady, and one child, named Edward H. The son is a stockholder in the Dimock, Gould & Co. manufac- turing business and is actively engaged in the enter- prise. He married Florence E., the only child of D. C. Dimock. The character of Mr. Sleight as a pioneer, promin- ent citizen and public man is such as to demand a facial likeness of the honored gentleman in this Al- bum; and accordingly it is here given, as a most ap- propriate accompaniment to the foregoing sketch. C3 S3 W. Spencer, a life-long resident of Rock Island, having been born here Sept. 20, vaVzT i8 3S> a "d having resided here constantly !§£ ever since, except about four years spent at the Rock River Seminary and two years at the Northwestern University at Evanston, this State. He has witnessed the growth of Rock Island from a hamlet to the thriving, prosperous city of to- day, and also witnessed the development of the coun- try from its natural condition to the broad and beautiful fields that are presented on every hand as the traveler passes through the county. Mr. Spencer opened business in Rock Island in 1865, engaging in the stove and hardware trade on the north side of Second Avenue. Soon thereafter he removed to the south side of Second Avenue, and his business has increased to such an extent that to- s day he may be truly designated as the heaviest 11^ T2f€»K ©V4«DDf>^ £ r ) 1 I V 500 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. dealer in his line inside the corporate limits of Rock Island. He is a gentleman not only respected for his business ability, but for the interest he has taken in the city that witnessed his birth, and which in- terest has been appreciated by the citizens to the ex- tent of electing Mr. Spencer their Alderman from the Third Ward. Politically, he is a Republican, and religiously a member of the Meth. Epis. Church. His business is a constantly increasing one, made so by his honest, straightforward and gentlemanly ways of dealing with his fellow man ; and the accumula- tion which he may possess of this world's goods is attributable to his good judgment and energetic effort, combined with the attributes aforesaid. Mr. Spencer formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Lura J. Cantine, a native of New York, in 1863, and they have five surviving children, — John W., Eliza, George W., Julia H. and Lura. John W. Spencer, Sr., father of the subject of this biographical notice, was a farmer by occupation. He passed through this county in 1828. He carried the news of General Jackson's election, by mail, to the lead mines at Galena two months after the election of "Old Hickory." He originally -came from Ver- mont to this State, in 1820, and resided in Greene County, when he came to this county and entered 160 acres of land. He resided on the latter until Feb. 20, 1S78, the date of his death. (See sketch of Judge J. W. Spencer.) ewis D. Dunn, M. D., one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Moline, was born in Putnam Co., 111., Sept. 18, 1834, and is the son of Ferrel and Lydia (Fleming) Dunn. His parents were among the early pi- oneers of this State. He began the study of medicine at Tiskilwa, 111., in 1849, and subsequently took a regular course at the University of Vermont at Burlington, which was followed by a course at Rush Medical College of Chicago, where he graduated in the class of 1857. He began the practice of his pro- fession at Tiskilwa, 111., and continued his profession there until 1875, when he removed to Moline, since which time he has practiced here continu- uously. Mr. Dunn was united in marriage at Ottawa, 111., May 14, 1857, to Miss Julia N. Mills, daughter of Harry Mills. Mrs. Dunn was born in Pennsylva- nia. They have had three children, two of whom are living, Clara M. and Mariam D. Their only son, Lewis, died aged two years. Dr. Dunn has served in the City Council from the Fourth Ward, and is a Republican. He has held the position of As- sistant Surgeon of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa- cific Railway for the past eleven years, and bears the reputation of being one of the most skillful surgeons as well as one of the most successful physicians in the three cities. He is President of the Moline Pub- lic Library Board, and a member of the Board since 1878. He was Examining Surgeon for Pensions at Tiskilwa for two years, until he resigned. _K) ^| -E3- oseph Starkey, engaged in the small-fruit [J- business and in general farming on section 9, Bowling Township, was born in Cam- bridgeshire, England, in the Isle of Ely, May yC 1,1839. His father, Thomas Starkey, was a native of the same shire, and a farmer. He married Fanney Gotobed, and died in 1854, at the age of 44 years. His widow afterward married Wil- liam Bradley, and is still living on her native island, Ely, now being 78 years of age. Mr. Joseph Starkey is the youngest but one of a family of four children. He remained an inmate of his parental home until he was 17 years of age, when he emigrated alone to the United States, stopping at Cleveland, Ohio, where he was employed for seven years as a car-repairer. During this period, May 6, i860, he married Miss Matilda Kirk, who was also born in Cambridgeshire, England, about 1840, and came to America with her parents when 15 years old. They settled upon a farm in Elyria, Lorain Co., Ohio, where the father, Charles, died, and where her mother is still living, over 82 years of age ; her maiden name was Lane. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Starkey are four in number, viz. : Thomas J., who married Florence E. Ball and resides in Bowl- 1 \$ 'VDtC 7 _ y G^ troDn^g — s«^ 4^<< ^x ^OCA' ISLAND COUNTY, I ) ?■ & ? s $> ing Township, on his father's homestead ; Fanny M., who married Henry Daniels, and resides on a farm in this township, and has one child, — Minnie G.; Brutus F., who has been educated at Davenport, and still resides at home; and Charles K., yet a member of the paternal home. The two first mentioned chil- dren were educated at Mt. Vernon, Iowa. In 1864 Mr. Starkey left Cleveland and came to this county, purchasing a farm of 80 acres in Bowl- ing Township, and beginning at once to cultivate small fruits and raise a nursery. He is now the pro- prietor of 600 acres of land, all in this county, and it is divided into seven farms. He has a vineyard of ten acres, which produces annually 25,000 pounds of fruit, and which is sold in the markets of the Northwest. Most of his land is fenced and under an advanced method of cultivation. He has lately turned his attention to stock-raising. In his views of national policy Mr. Starkey stands upon the Democratic platform. He has served sev- eral years as School Director in his district. He has never been an aspirant for any political position, but has preferred to make his mark as a model farmer and fruit-grower, and his old home, as well as his present residence, shows many evidences of refine- ment ; and it is safe to say that the adornment of the lawns at his home surpasses anything in the town- ship, and equaled by but few places in the county. -43= i orter Skinner, a retired citizen of Rock Is- =J& land County, residing in Rock Island city, jra^ came to this county in 1S56, from Hones- jjfi^ dale, Wayne Co., Pa. He was born in New Jlf* Berlin, Chenango Co., N. Y., Oct. 10, 1810. His early education was acquired in the common schools, and he remained with his parents, Joseph and Honor (Kinney) Skinner, until he attained the age of 14 years. His parents were natives of Mas- sachusetts, and his father died in 1824. After attaining the age of r4 years, Porter Skin- ner, subject of this biographical notice, went forth to fight the battles of life alone, and the first labor that he did for his own individual benefit was that of working on a farm, for which he received the valua- ble remuneration of $5 per month for seven months. The next year he went to Bridgewater, where his wages were doubled ($10) for another space of seven months. He then went to Sangersfield, Oneida Co., in his native State, and worked in a distillery for about five months, after which he worked at differ- ent jobs and engaged in different business, until the winter of 1832-3, at which time he drove stage from Montrose to Carbondale, Pa. It was known at that time that through that region there was not another stage driver except Mr. Skinner, that did not use intoxicating drinks, and he not only received the en- comiums of the passengers but also the praises of his employer. He continued in the vocation for about five months, and during that time was never known to taste a drop of intoxicating liquor. Relinquishing the position he held as stage-driver, he went to Honesdale and hired out to D. P. Mapes in the lum- ber business, with whom he remained for nearly a year. In 1835, Mr. Skinner engaged in boating and lumbering on the Delaware & Hudson Canal. He bought the horses and hired the men, six in number, to man two boats, and was engaged in that business for five years. In 1840, Mr. Skinner engaged in the lumber busi- ness, and ran his lumber in the different Eastern markets, and followed that business for 15 years, in which he met with fair financial success. In 1856, having sold out his interest in the East, and realizing that better advantages were offered in the West for accumulating a competency, he came to Moline, this county, and engaged with J. S. Keator in the manufacture of sash, doors, etc. The co- partnership existed for seven years, when Mr. Skin- ner sold his interest to his partner and moved to Rock Island, in r864. On arriving at the latter place he bought a lumber and saw mill, and engaged in run- ning it. Taking into partnership his son, the firm firm name became P. Skinner & Son, which partner- ship lasted for five years, at the expiration of which time Mr. Skinner sold out, and has since resided in Rock Island, retired from the active labors and bus- iness cares of life. He is at present one of the Di- rectors and Vice-President of the Moline National Bank, and also a Director of the First National Bank. Mr. Skinner bought the first Government bonds that were ever brought to Rock Island County, m I jg-\©*g*^ — ©A$?nfl®nn<3>A^ ^T^ -2&v?^ 4*t^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^ purchasing $7,000 from the First National Bank of Davenport in 1863. Politically, he is a believer in the tenets of the Democratic party, and cast his first vote for " old Hickory." Religiously, he is a member of the Epis- copal Church. Mr. Skinner formed a matrimonial alliance in 1836 with Martha Cook. Of their union two children were born. One died in infancy. Charles W., the surviving son, was born in May, 1839. The wife and mother died Oct. 23, 1839, and Mr. Skinner was married the second time to Emily Morse, Aug. 26, 1840. She died Nov. 22, 1884. Charles W., son of the former union, married Julia Murfield, and they have five sons: James, Charles P., Albert, Stanley and Albert Skinner. He resides in Geneseo, 111., and has likewise retired from the active business cares of life. % uther S. Pearsall, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Rock Island County in 1885, and a resident of the township of Coe, is the third son of Deacon William C. and Jane (Elingham) Pearsall, and he was born in the city of Chicago, March 17, 1848. He was still in extreme infancy when his parents re- moved to Rock Island County. He was brought up in Coe Township, and educated primarily in the district schools. He studied two years at Knox Col- lege. Later, he entered the Freshman class in the University at Grinnell, Iowa. When he was 16 he taught a term of school in the district where he re- sided, and after leaving college he again engaged in the same vocation, teaching in all, six terms. In the fall of 187 1 he went to Nebraska, and spent one year in Antelope County, where he pre-empted land on which he started a nursery; but his hopes and plans came to grief in common with those of ohers whose prospects were ruined by the grass- hopper plague. He abandoned his purposes in that direction, and returned home. He was married in September, 1873, to Charlotte Wake, the daughter of Thomas and Maria Wake, and soon after that event he bought a tract of land on section 14 in Coe Town- ship, containing 80 acres, and has become the owner, by later purchase, of an additional 80 acres, and owns 80 acres on section 23, adjoining, having in all 240 acres, which is in excellent tillage. His resi- dence, which is represented by a full-page view in this Album, is located on section 14, and the farm is fitted with good and suitable buildings for farm purposes. The wife of Mr. Pearsall died in March, 1878, aged 29 years. She left two children — Charles R. and Percy. Mr. Pearsall was again married Jan. 5, 1881, to Ella, daughter of Mark and Mary Ashdown, and of the second union two children have been born — Phebe and Rose. Mr. Pearsall was first elected Supervisor in 1881, and he has since been his own successor. He be- longs to Philo Lodge, No. 436, Order of A. F. & A. M., Barrett Chapter, No. 18, R. A. M.,at Port Byron, and also to Everts Commandery, at Rock Island. He is an adherent of the Republican party in politi- cal connection. Mr. Pearsall is interested in raising fine stock. One of his magnificent horses, De Lesspe, is shown in the view. It is engraved from a photograph and is a good likeness of the animal. The handsome school-house on his farm is also shown in the view. Much credit for the excellence of the home school is due to Mr. Pearsall. He is a thoroughly enter- prising nan, and is always foremost in every enter- prise looking to the welfare of the community. ^ ohn Park. Among the numerous and re- 'a7 spected citizens of Coal Valley Township, lllp 5 ^ who are of foreign birth, is Mr. John Park, ' V a farmer on section 23. He is the son of An- j£ drew and Agnes (Irvin) Park, natives of Scot- | land. Karly in life they came across the Atlan- tic and located in Nova Scotia, where the mother died 1850, aged 51 years. The elder Park came to Rock Island in 1852, where, on the 30th day of January, 1859, he died. Hewasbornin 1797. John, the subject of this biography, was ihe sec- ond child of a family of ten children born to his parents. His native place is also Scotland, where he was born April 13, 1820. When 17 years of age **V V c Q _Sv^~' ^;— __ AA© :s » e - *%@£%&M >^\! TJ *7<>M&Mi>r -«# §*t^ A 3 (!) V 506 ^?OCI ISLAND COUNTY. carpenter and contractor, who also came from Maine and settled in Moline 30 years ago. Of their union have been born four children, viz.: Mary E., born Dec. 25, 1863 ; Robert, born Nov. 7, 1867 ; Willfried, born Jan. 1, 187 1, and Carl M., born March 8, 1874. Mr. Nye, his wife and daughter Mary, are all mem- bers of the Congregational Church. David D., son of Timothy, was married Aug. 29, 1844, to Phcebe Hibbard, by whom he had two children — Freeman, who still survives, and a baby, who died soon after its birth. Mrs. Phcebe Merriman died, and in 1850 or 185 1 Mr. David D. again entered the matrimo- nial relation, with Mary Love, and she became the mother of seven children, namely : Florence, Nelson, Perry, Charles, George, Frank and Fannie. Perry resides in Moline. He attended school and finally entered the plow shops of Deere & Co., where he labored for some years as plow-fitter, but has recently started out for himself with a wagon as wholesale dealer in notions — a sort of " Yankee notion " outfit — where he is meeting with fine success. He was married Aug. 12, 1879, to Miss Jennette Kerns, and they have two children — Fred. S., born Dec. 28, 1880, and Richard P.„ Jan 6, 1883. ames L. Small, D. D. S., with dental rooms m$t 1,518, 3d Avenue, was born in Bangor, Me., Nov. 30, 1839, and is the son of James G. and Harriet (Mitchell) Small. He was educated at the State University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and graduated as Doctor of Dental Surgery at the State University of Iowa. He enlisted in the late war in Company H, nth Iowa Inf., and served three years. After his return from the war he located at Chicago, where he was en- gaged in the practice of dentistry until 1877. He then went to Iowa, and was engaged in the same business until May, 1885, when he came to Moline, and in June of this year opened his present dental parlors. Dr. Small formed a matrimonial alliance in Sche- nectady, N. Y., Nov. 30, 1869, with Miss Mary D., daughter of the Hon. John W. Veeder. Mrs. Small was born in that city, and they have become the parents of two children : Louis D., born Oct. 16, 187 1 ; and Ida L., born Jan. 19, 1876. Mrs. Mary Small died in December, 1879, and the Doctor was again married, in August, 1882, at Cleve- land, Ohio, to Miss Kittie Leverette. Mrs. Small was born in Boston, Mass. They^tave one child, a son, bom in July, 1885, named Horatio Leverett. The Doctor is a Republican in politics. ■HftftH oseph Albrecht, a farmer, residing on sec- tion 20, Hampton Township, was born in Baden, Germany, Dec. 4, 1820. His par- ents, Joseph and Christina (Hege) Albrecht, gave him an education, such as the common schools afforded, attending the same until he attained the age of 14 years, when he went to learn the baker's trade and served two years. He after- wards worked at the same for four years before com- ing to the United States. At the age of 20 years he emigrated to America, and locating in New York engaged at the trade of a baker for five years, then started for Hampton Township, where he is at present residing. Mr. Albrecht formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Rosenia Arculareus in New York city,"March 9, 1844, and they have become the parents of three children, namely: Elizabeth, born March 9, 1846; Henry R., Aug. 27, 1848; and Franklin, Aug. 16, 1853. Elizabeth married George Bothell, and has four children: Joseph, Franklin, Susie and Robert. Henry married Miss Sarah Wolf, and one child has blessed that union : Harry W. Henry's wife died Dec. 22, 1876, and he married Louella Palmer in 1877. They have two children : Maud and Stephen. Franklin married Bessie Gould in 1878. Their four children are Rosanna I., Nellie May, Joseph and Frank Leroy. Mrs. Albrecht died in T855, and Mr. Albrecht was again united in marriage on the 22d of May, 1838, to Miss Sarah M. Hall, a native of New York city, at Rock Island. Their home circle has been blessed with six children: Sarah J., born Feb. 18, 1859; Samuel, Aug. 11, 1861 ; Adeline A., Jan. 4, 1863; i 'b u < 4> ■*&* ^<>0 D $M$A£ *>€»*- IBy^<>c^#* >^ w O v <^llH&lllH>r^ >> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Joseph, April 19, 1865 ; John H., April r8, 1867 ; and Caroline, Sept. 17, 1S75. Mr. Albrecht is a Democrat in his political views, and, with his wife, belongs to the Methodist Episco- pal Church. Mr. A. has held various positions; * was Supervisor and School Trustee for 15 years, and also School Director. He is considered one of the substantial, leading, representative citizens of Hamp- ton Township. -K3- -E3- V I m I illiam F. Schroeder, who was elected Alderman in Rock Island by the Seventh jifijSf* Ward Republicans in the spring of 1884, ASP is a native of Holstein, Germany, where he was born June ra, 1839, and from whence he came to America with an older brother in the year 1856. Going immediately to Minnesota in search of wealth, he halted first at Stillwater, where his impression of the romance of accumulating riches in America received such a shock by being driven to the necessity of going to labor on a farm for $4 a month, that if he had purchased a round-trip ticket before leaving the old country he would probably never have seen Rock Island. As is customary in Germany, he was kept pretty steadily at school until about 16 years of age, so that when he left home he was possessed of a very fair education. His father was a musician, and from him William gathered quite a proficiency in instrumental music, an accomplishment that proved very benefi- cial to him in after years. A few months of corn- husking midst the frosts of Minnesota satisfied his ambition in that direction, and he moved with his valise into Stillwater proper, and while he learned to make cigars he added to his exchequer by playing the fiddle in the band. He had been in the United States about five years when the shrill notes of the fife and the rat-a-tat-tat of the drum suggested to him that if he enjoyed liberty any length of time, even in America, he must fight for it. So, April, 1861, saw him rigged out in a blue uniform with very bright buttons, and a knap- sack with blankets and clothing enough to load a pack-mule, and a heavy S^ingfield rifle on his i^A^s Sit j£ CtJL shoulder, as a private in Co. B, 1st Minn. Inf., heading for the goriest battle-fields that ever figured in history, and all for a country that so far as he had seen had nothing to offer but eight months winter out of every 12 ; $4 per month for husking corn ; 30 cents per thousand for making cigars and $2 a night for rasping " cat-gut " in the Stillwater band! His first enlistment was for three months ; but he was soon mustered in for three years, and when we know that he participated in the one-sided affair at Bull Run, and the bloodier Balls Bluff, and the doubtful West Point and Fairfax Court-House, and McClellan's seven-days battle in front of Richmond, it would not be surprising if he thought he was earning all the liberty he should ever live to enjoy. He was 'aken sick in front of Richmond and in February, 1863, was discharged from the service an invalid. He re- turned to Minnesota, and from that time up to 1868 worked at cigar-making at Stillwater, Davenport and Rock Island. After firing an engine two years on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway he manufactured ci- gars rr years in Rock Island and in 1879 engaged in the grocery business, which he has since followed. Sept. r5, 1 S67 , he was married at Rock Island city to Miss Margaret Miller, and has had born to him five children: William, Mary, Emma, Walter and William F. Mr. Schroeder devotes his time to busi- ness and the returns therefrom have been highly satisfactory to himself. ■Conn H. Wilson, member of the Moline Bug- ^^jfe" gy Company, Vice President of the Rock r ^* Island National Bank, Superintendent of the Banner Coal Company, and President of the Black Hawk Paper Company, of Milan, was born in Mercer Co., Pa., Oct. 22, 1 8 r 7 . Mr. Wilson, subject of this biographical notice, was brought up on a farm, and engaged in the coal busi- ness and merchandising at Clarksville, Pa., which he continued until the spring of 1865, when he came to Rock Island, 111., and purchased the coal lands of the Banner Coal Company of that city, of which he is now superintendent and principal owner. The vg; i S^ t ;-yA ^y^v : crvC: ..- : )vrr ■ n & ■ v. <& 508 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. company lands embrace about 1 ,800 acres in Rock Island County. Mr. Wilson has also an interest in the Black Hawk Paper Company of Milan, of which he is President. He is a large stockholder in the Rock Island National Bank, of which he is Vice- President. Mr. Wilson was united in marriage in Erie Co., Pa., in 1850, to Miss Susanna A. Hoxie, and three children have been born of this union : Clara J. is the wife of George W. Krelzinger, an attorney of Chicago; Mary E., wife of F. A. Head, a banker of Clay Center, Iowa ; and Nettie, wife of W. A. Poss, formerly of the Moline Buggy Company, and a resi- dent of Rock Island. Mrs. Wilson died in 1882, and Mr. W. married again in the fall of 1884 Mrs. Ella Case, daughter of Marvin Loomis and widow of Dr. Case, of Chicago. Mr. Wilson is a man of con- servative business habits, and has been quite suc- cessful in acquiring property. In political opinion, he is an earnest Republican. 4 — si \ nomas S. Silvis, farmer and coal operator in Hampton Township, and Deputy Sheriff * of Rock Island County, was born in Jeffer- son Co., Pa., March 17, 1841. His parents, John and Elizabeth Silvis, natives of Pennsyl- vania, came to Illinois in 1854, and settled in Hampton Township, where they lived up to 1880, going thence to Vernon Co., Missouri. Thomas was brought up on a farm, and when the weather was unfit for outdoor labor, was sent to the common schools. However, he was not of that class of men that have to have learning pounded into them with a club ; he knew he was destined to work for a living, and that if he acquired any education it would be by improving such opportunities as he had. This was philosophy, and there has been a good deal of that valuable commodity displaying itself in him from time to time through life. In 1859, in company with others, he started for Pike's Peak; but, before petting half way from their starting point, Mr. Silvis found that with his com- rades the "gold fever" was waning, so he accepted employment with some parties bound for the Pacific slope, and accompanied them into Utah Territory. Returning home through Nebraska, he bought a large tract of land in that Territory, and held it until its natural appreciation in value made it desirable. In 1862 he was at Coaltown in the grocery business, which he abandoned a year or two later and pur- chased a farm in his old township, and for the suc- ceeding ten years was engaged in the cultivation of the soil. In 1874 the Democrats surprised them- selves by electing their man for Sheriff, and Mr. Silvis was immediately brought down from the coun- try and installed in the office as First Deputy. In 1876, in convention assembled, the Democratic party by acclamation tendered him the nomination for Sheriff. For satisfactory reasons, probably the greater interests of his farm, he declined. Such unanimity of sentiment in his party, and coming right upon the latter end of his two years deputyship, was, to say the least, flattering; but he sought no office and re- turned to his agricultural pursuits. In 1883 his party was again successful, and the first thing that Sheriff Reticker did after being in- ducted into office, was to impress Mr. Silvis into his service as Chief Deputy. This brief recital of simple facts requires no comment at the hands of his bi- ographer. Conclusions are left to the readers. Mr. Silvis has served his neighbors six years as their Commissioner of Highways, one term as Town- ship Collector, three terms as Supervisor, and as School Director for years. He is a member of Doric Lodge, No. 319, A. F. & A. M. Feb. 27, 1862, he was united in marriage, at Mo- line, to Miss Margaret Greer, and their children are named respectively : Henrietta, Sarah, Louisa (Mrs. Ralph Babcock), Richard S., John C. and James M. w. ames E. Johnston, President of the Rock aSV Island County Brush Electric Light Com- pany, came to Rock Island in 1854 and entered the employ of Biddeson, Gilmore & Biddeson, lumber dealers, as book-keeper, a f position he filled for four years. His father died in 1835, leaving a wife and five small children somewhat to the mercy of the world, and James be- ing next to the eldest of the children, was thrown upon his own resources at a very early age. He was I f S 1 f I f V lwV@$3 §«~ k^i^ :s ^ r Qs* 4m'$n®*<& — ^^ ,f ",*-?■ ' ; g ^--7 /■ i^ &~s*fe< ^ <*- *: 6V4jDD^DII>> "T-TT" ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 513 born in Allegheny Co., Pa., Oct. 9, 1824; thus when his father died he was only 1 1 years of age. His schooling was meager, but he improved every oppor- tunity for learning, and by the time he had attained his majority the college graduate had but little ad- vantage of him. At the age of T4 he left the parental roof and went to Steubenville, Ohio, and clerked in a mercantile establishment two years. Returning to Pennsylva- nia, he worked his mother's farm two seasons and then again tried his hand at mercantile business. Stopping two years at Wilkensburg, Pa., he made his way to Hanging Rock, Ohio, where he was em- ployed by an Iron Furnace Company as shipping and receiving clerk, acting in the meantime as Depu- ty Postmaster. He remained here about a year, and taking a stock of goods for an uncle from Steubenville to New Brighton, Pa., he spent two years in closing them out, and then once more entered the Allegheny County farm and tilled the same up to 1854. Since coming to Illinois he has served the people of Rock Island two terms as Assessor and four years as City- Clerk. Beginning in 1868, he carried on a success- ful mercantile business in the Negus Block, Market Square, for 13 years. He is a Director in the Rock Island & Milan Street Railway Company; a member of the Public Library Board, and has been a Notary Public continuously since 1865. Mr. Johnston's first wife, Mary McGahey, to whom he was married, at New Brighton, Pa., in 1849, died at Rock Island in 1869, leaving two children, — Re- becca (Mrs. E. D. F. Fisher) and James W., now a citizen of California. June 3, 1872, Mr. Johnston was united in marriage at Bethel, Conn., to Miss Mary L. Taylor, the accomplished lady now (June, 1885) presiding over his domestic affairs. In politics, Mr. J. has been for 40 years an ar- dent, uncompromising Democrat. In religion he is more liberal. r. James S. Matthews, physician and sur- geon, Milan, was born in Washington Co., Pa., Jan. 1, 1826. His parents, Robert and Prudence (Downer) Matthews, were also natives of the Keystone State, he of Irish and she of German parentage. The Doctor's grand- ather, also named Robert Matthews, was a farmer and died in the Western Reserve, in Ohio. Both the parents of our subject are now deceased. The subject of this notice was but six years old when his father died, and but 1 2 years old when his mother followed to the other world. Both her grand- parents were German, their names being Downer and Saltzman. They settled in Westmoreland Co., Pa. in what was then known as the Forks of " Yough," when that section of the country was new, and "took up " a " tomahawk claim," which was done by blaz- ing trees around the land, that was still further west in what is now Washington County. They were farmers and died in the State of Pennsylvania. Our subject was the fourth son and fourth child of a family of five children. After the death of his pa- rents, he lived on the old homestead with his brothers and sisters, three of whom were older than he. After receiving a liberal education in the higher branches by private teachers, and able to earn his own liveli- hood, he entered, in 1S45, the office of Dr. J. Mar- tin, at Candor, Washington Co., Pa., where he was a medical student two years. He then went to Beverly, Washington Co., Ohio, where he placed himself under the instruction of an old practitioner, with whom he practiced about a year, then, returning to his former preceptor, remained under his instruc- tion about a year. He next pursued his studies at the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, during one session, and at the same time attended the com- mercial hospital, and then practiced under the super- vision of his first preceptor, until his removal to Pittsburg. Dr. Matthews continued to practice at Candor until about 1853, when he came to Mercer County, this State, locating at Pre-emption, where he practiced five years. Next he was engaged in his profession at Lecompton, Kan., two and a half years, whe he returned to Pre-emption, 111. In 1864, he re- moved to Black Hawk Township, this county, where he purchased a 200-acre farm, on which he lived and made improvements, still continuing the practice of his profession, until 1885. In the spring of this year, he moved into the village of Milan, where he now lives and has a successful practice and an increas- ing patronage. Both himself and Mrs. M. are mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, in which society he has been Trustee at two different times. He also served as Township Trustee of Schools. In his political views he is a Republican. Dr. Matthews was united in marriage, Sept. 14, < ® ix-0- -^»£ — w&n us n n& •r^r- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 5 iS < 5 1=3 9 ley) Torpin, of whom an account is given below. After the event of their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright located in Hampton Township, but their residence there continued but one year. At the end of that time they removed to the township where they established their permanent home and where Mr. Wainwright died, Sept. 29, 1882. In 1870 he bought the farm which has since been the family homestead. It is situated on section 16. Mrs. Wainwright still resides on the place, which is in good agricultural condition and is supplied with all necessary farm fixtures. She and her husband were both members of the Fairfield Methodist Episcopal Church. Richard Torpin was born in Yorkshire, England, Dec. ri, 1805. He was the son of Joseph and Ann Torpin, and his parents were both natives of the same shire in which their son was born. The latter was reared to the pursuit of agriculture in his native land, and in 1829 he came to the United States. He located in Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in farming 27 years. He came to Rock Island County in 18156 and purchased a farm on section 16 in Coe Township. There was a small house on the place, in which his family resided until their pros- perity enabled them to construct a more commodious and larger house. This was burned April 19, 1884, and the father has since resided with his daughter, Mrs. Wainwright. Mr. Torpin was married Feb. 1, 1835, to Jane A., daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Wilson) Crowley. She was born in Bradford Co., Pa., and became the mother often children, — Richard, who lives in Phil- adelphia; Lizzie, wife of George Allen; Susan (Mrs. Jacob Flickinger) ; Joseph, a resident of Kansas ; Henry, a contractor on a railroad; Jane Ann, widow of Mr. Wainwright; J Lambert, of Biggsville, 111.; and Louisa, who married William Allen, of Polk Co., Iowa. ohn Pears, plow-fitter at the Moline Plow Company shops, was born in Sweden, Dec. 10, 1844. Emigrated to America in 1S60, H %h coming direct to Mohne, 111., where he en- it gaged to work at once for Deere & Co., at the age of 17 years. He enlisted in March, 1S65, as a private of Co. I, 28th Regt. 111. Inf., and served ■»- V^ one year. On his return from the army he began » work for the Moline Plow Company (1866) and has I continued in their service continually since. Mr. Pears formed a matrimonial alliance at Prince- ton, 111., June 7, 186S, to Miss Hilda Anderson. Mrs. Pears was born in Sweden, and came to America in 1866. They have had five children, three of whom are living. The eldest, Alma, was born Aug. 19, 1869, and died aged 14 months. The second, Robert J. A., was born Jan. 22, 1871 ; Arthur F., born June 19, 1873; Hilda R. W., born Oct. 2, 1876, died aged four weeks; Hilda E., born Aug. 23, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Pears are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. Pears is a Republican, and his residence is 732 Thirteenth Street. l^lihu Turner, dealer in boots and shoes, No. i,7r2, 2d Avenue, came to Rock Isl- and in the spring of 1838, and has conse- jgSp. quently witnessed 47 years of growth of that city. He was born in West Chester Co., N. J Y., April 1, 1815, and previous to the age of 16 years attended the common schools of his native coun- ty, and worked on the farm. On attaining the age mentioned, he engaged to learn the trade of a shoe- maker, to accomplish which he served an appren- ticeship of five years. After learning his trade, Mr. Turner engaged in business for himself, in which he remained one year, when he went to the city of New York and worked at his trade for another year. At this date in his life's history, concluding that there were better openings in the West, and hoping to add to his ex- chequer by a removal from the busy East to a new country, he came to Rock Island. On arrival in that city he started the boot and shoe business, in which he has continued to the present time. He has a large store, well stocked, on 2d Avenue, and does an extensive and constantly increasing busi- ness. By his straightforward and honest manner of doing business, making no false representations to his customers, and turning out good work, he has built up a trade second to none in Rock Island city, S x=x o $«§§*§* -a^^ r Q/^ DO. A *& §^^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. W&¥*r -mS %mg% and has added, at the same time, to his finances. Since coming to Rock Island he has erected a good, substantial store building on Second Avenue in Pal- ace Row, and has built also a fine residence on Second Avenue. Mr. Turner formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Anna Tracy in Rock Island Oct. 24, 1838. She is a native of Count)' Limerick, Ireland, where she was born May 23, 1821. The family household has been increased by the addition of six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Turner. Their record is as follows: Ellen C, born Oct. 30, 1841 ; George, born Nov. 6, 1845 ; Ida Mabel, born June 27, 1855 ; Mary, born June T5, 1849 ! ar >d Charles E., born Jan. 25, 1862 ; Joseph H., Aug. 1, 1847. Ellen C. is the wife of John Bromley, a resident of Rock Island; George married Julia Sullivan, and resides at Colum- burg, Nev.; Ida married Thomas A. Neil, who re- sides at Moberly, Mo. Politically, Mr. Turner belongs to the Democratic party, and socially, is a member of the Order of Ma- sonry, belonging to a lodge located in this city. He is a worthy gentleman, and an energetic business man of Reck Island city. -1= gnatz Huber, one of the representative business men of Rock Island city, engaged in the brewing business, came to this place in 1851, from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, Feb. 1, 1826, and emi- grated to the United States in 1849. His younger days, until the age of 18 years, were spent in school in his native country. It was in that coun- try also that he first learned the trade of brewer, be- sides working on a farm. His father followed the same vocation in life (that of a brewer), and it was in his brewery that Mr. Huber, subject ofthis notice, first learned the secrets of that business. Coming to the United States in the year named, Mr. Huber, having expended what little money he had, and being of that disposition which would not allow him to pass his days in idleness, even had he the competency of a " Vanderbilt," he engaged to work on a farm for the " magnificent " wages of 62% cents per day for the first month! Leaving the farm, he engaged to work in a brewery in Columbus, Ohio, and followed that vocation for ten months ; then worked at the same business in Cincinnati one year. At this point of Mr. Huber's history, he came to Rock Island city, and engaged in the brewing busi- ness for one month, when he formed a partnership with August Lettig, which partnership existed until April 1, 1S54, when Mr. Huber purchased the inter- est of his partner and has since continued in the business alone, coveiing a period of 31 years. Since that time he has spent over <§roo,ooo in improvements. He employs some 16 men and four teams on the road. He also owns the beer-bottling establishment on Third Avenue, and also his large brewery on Elm Street, besides property in Milan and Moline. He is a director in the People's Bank, and has been such since its organization. Coming to Rock Island city when that village was in its infancy, and locating there with a firm belief in the future development not only of the city, but also of the surrounding coun- try, and remaining as he did, and meeting with the success he has, the latter can be but attributed to his good judgment, energetic determination and active co-operation of his good helpmeet. The extensive brewing establishment and malt-house of Mr. Hu- ber is shown in the view accompanying this sketch. Mr. Huber was united in marriage to Miss Cather- ine Koehler, a native of Germany. Their children are Amelia, Lillie and Otto, all of whom are living at home. Politically, Mr. Huber is a Democrat. He is one of those men of whom it can be said he takes an in- terest in any movement calculated to benefit the city and community in which he resides, and that, although he has met with success in his accumula- tions, none can attribute to him any degree of self- ishness. He has a beautiful residence on Third Avenue between 23d and 24th Streets, where he owns a half block of land. *►» illiam C. Thede, dealer in boots and ^s shoes, 1508 Third Aveline, Moline, estab- »JVv

9 : Q I fB\$dis*fi N - ^ £^IWM&A^ *t®*- '■ ^&X-;K V -H5L f^fWHUnj r«R-- nSJcKIStANDBCTUlHG 3fe".y J*» SOLE prfBOTTURS I.HU BERS UPORT BEEg. [J II RESI DENCE, AND MALT HO'OS^ '■-• irr-m flPnilll ^f V -Jfc~ W^' ' ' «L 1 .y I &=*•: b ,W : i ^'. &# 111 ,•—■ £*■«''. •'. -'-' , - •-.--■.-.--'■-: CITY BREVVCRt , ilEVV BUILDiNda ^.ji^-^ -'.lV^ y^-^ V.- t. ■■'.y Residence, Brewery andMaltHouse of I. Hu ber, Rock Island, III. ^rm$ 7\ : /T I .J ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 5 r 9 I Moline with his parents while an infant, and was reared and educated in the city schools. He left Moline in r86o. and made his home in New Boston, 111. ; from there he went to Aledo and from Aledo re- turned to Mount Clemens, Mich, (his native city). He was engaged as salesman in a boot and shoe store at Jackson, Mich., and subsequently in the same line in other cities in Michigan. In i88r he returned to Moline and was employed' as salesman for George Herbst, boot and shoe dealer, until he began his present business in November, 1882. Mr. Thede formed a matrimonial alliance in this city, May 14, 1883, with Miss Eva Smith. Mrs. Thede was born at Rock Island, 111. They have become the parents of one child, a son, named Hen- ry, born Feb. 28, 1884. Mrs. Thede is a member of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Thede is liberal in his religious views, and in political sentiment is an inde- pendent. oel B. Hampton, who follows the vocation of a farmer on section 28, Drury Town- ship, where he resides, was born in Buffalo Prairie Township, Rock Island Co., Aug;. 13, 1S38. He received a good common- school education in the schools of his native county, and has always followed the occupation of agriculturist, and has resided in Rock Island County all his life. He is one of the progressive, as well as energetic farmers of Rock Island County, and is the owner of 610 acres of land in Drury Township. He has a good residence on his farm, together with a substantial barn and outbuildings, and the major portion of his acreage is under an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Hampton formed a matrimonial alliance March 12, 1S58, with Emeline Irwin, in Mercer County. She was born in Pennsylvania, July 12, 1840. The issue of their union has been five chil- dren, three of whom survived: Parmelia, born Feb. 4, 1865 ; Henry, born Sept. 15, 1866, and Mary, born Dec. 6, 1867 (she is the wife of Frank- lin Blanchard). Ella was the wife of Charles Frisel ; at her death she left one son, now three years of age, who lives with grandparents; and Evart is also deceased. Mr. Hampton has been School Director of his district, and politically he is a believer in and sup- porter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. Two of his brothers, William and James T., were in the army during the late war. The former was •killed, and the latter died from exposure. The parents of Mr. Hampton were Henry and Parmelia (Brown) Hampton, natives of Kentucky and Indiana respectively. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom Joel, subject of this no- tice, was third in order of birth. Mr. Hampton is a gentleman who has accumulated largely of this world's goods, and to which accumulation he can at- tribute his own indomitable energy, perseverance and good judgment, and fair and honest dealings with his fellow man. h5>*h$h*<£ feenry O. Whipple, manager of the Moline § Co-operative Association, was born at Rochester, N. Y., March 9, 1844, and was the son of Ralph and Helen (Davenport) Whip- ple. His father was the leading partner in the stove foundry of Whipple & French, noted in those days as a prosperous and energetic concern. Mr. Whipple died in 1847. A sketch of his wife is given elsewhere in this volume. Henry Whipple, our subject, left Rochester, N. Y., in 1857 (where he had regularly attended boarding- school), and went to Richfield Springs, N. Y., where he lived for one year with his uncle, James Daven- port. Leaving the latter place, he went to Aurora, N. Y., to attend school for a year, after which lie went to Manlius, same State, stopping there but a few months. Thence he drifted to Moline, 111., in 1859, and went to school at that place for a winter. In the winters of 1862 and 1863, he was engaged in the pork- packing business, but on March 9, 1864, he entered the employment of J. W. Battis, who carried on a grocery business on Wells Street, Moline, oppo- site James Shaw's, having charge of the store. In 1S65 the grocery partnership of Worden & Whipple was formed, which was in existence for one year, when Mr. Worden sold out to Chas. Margraf, and the firm became Whipple & Margraf, continuing as such until December, 1866, when the concern sold ^ 1 V u f — ^7 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. >T^ 7*£&Z -t^^SV^ f A I out to Vesey & Francis. In September, T867, the partnership of Whipple & Velie was organized and continued in prosperous operation until March 1, 1868, when Mr. Whipple bought out Mr. James Velie, on account of the illness of the latter, thus embarking in business on his own account. He continued in the grocery business with varying suc- cess for ten years, and then gave up that line of trade and for 18 months traveled as salesman for a tea house. In 1S80 he opened a grocery in the building at the corner of Nineteenth Street and Sixth Avenue, Moline, remaining there until 1S82, when he sold out. During the years of 1875-6 he repre- sented the Fourth Ward in the City Council. In January, r884, he assumed charge of the gro- cery of the Moline Co-operative Association, located in McKinnie's Block, on Fifteenth Street, where he still remains to attend to the wants of his patrons, an able, popular and energetic business man. On the 4th of March, 1875, ne was united in mar- riage with Miss Ella M. Carey, and they have one child, Helen C. Whipple, born May 20, 1876. Mr. W. is a Mason, and in political sentiment is and al- ways was a Republican. f?>jnfi3j Charles E. Ainsworth, of the firm of Dim- 4_yGli ock, Gould & Co., manufacturers of tubs, l-HScrf* 1 pails, washboards and lumber, at Moline, E -3 was born in Williamstown, Orange Co., Vt., $ Feb. 11, 1829, his father's name being Cal- ( vin. his mother's Laura (Lynde) Ainsworth. He attended the ordinary country school of the day a little, in his native town, until 19 years of age, when he came to Rock Island, 111., and engaged in the mercantile business here, until September, 1856, remaining here, however, until i860, when he re- moved to Edgington, 111., and kept a general store there until 1S64. Next, he emigrated to Des Moines, Iowa, and engaged in the business of making plows until 1869, when he came to Moline, 111., and be- came a member of the firm of Dimock, Gould & Co., manuufacturers of tubs, pails, washboards and lumber. Since February, 1885, he has been Vice- President of that extensive concern, previous to which he held the office of Treasurer. In politics he is Republican, serving one term as Alderman. Dec. 22, 1853, at Rock Island, 111., he was mar- ried to Mary E. Cook. His children are Lucy, born in November, 1854; Calvin, born in May, 1856; Charles, born in November, 1858; and Emma, in March, 1S62. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church. -S3- -£?- V©^ ■?m^ 2 ,* >q ichael G. Field, a general stock -raiser, but devoting his atlention more exclusively to breeding Norman horses, resides in South Rock Island Township. He was ",? born in Middlesex Co., Conn., June 29, 1834. His father, Danforth C. Field, was a native of the same county, and the oldest son of Edmond Field, who was also born in Middlesex County, of Irish ancestry, and a genuine type of the old New England farmer. He died some years ago at the same place he was born. The father of our subject was born Sept. 22, 1805, and also followed farming. He moved to New Haven, Conn., April 4, 1836, where he has since resided, and is at the present time 80 years of age. His mother, Lucretia Gris- wold. was also born in Middlesex County, of New England parentage. She died at the home of her son, J. R. C. Field (see sketch), in South Rock Island Township, Jan. 18, 18717. Our subject was the third child of a family of 13 children, nine sons and four daughters. He resided under the parental roof until he attained his major- ity, when he started out in life to obtain an inde- pendent livelihood. On the 6th of June, 1868, he left the home of his nativity and came to Rock Island, two of his brothers having previously come to that city. He became at once connected with the sale of Yankee notions, and he drove their wagon from 1868 to 1879, and afterward worked for Mr. Hull, successors to Field Brothers, for three years. Jn 1875 he purchased property in South Rock Island, consisting of a little more than two acres, upon which was a good residence and bam. He has been engaged in breeding Norman horses for some time, from the sire named "Prince." Mr. Field was married Dec. 21, 1864, at Guilford, V© — ^€^ 6 ® c Mi'^v^: ztf& * ' o s .n&m>7- r I t ;<§ f s ) J ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 5*' Conn., to Miss Augusta E. Rossiter, a native of New- Haven Co., Conn., where she was born April 17, 1838. She is the daughter of a New England farmer, was reared and educated in her native county, and taught school until her marriage. She is the mother of four children, only one of whom is living: Eddie, born Sept. 7, 1874. Those deceased are Frank C, born April 10, 1867, died March 26, 18S2 ; Elmer W., born Aug. 20, 1868, died April 1, 1883; Hattie, born March 3r, 1849, died July 21, 1880. Mrs. Field is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and politically Mr. Field is a Democrat. He is now serving as Road Commissioner. -~w g2SS tew >- I ffe^onrad F. Grantz, proprietor of the "City ^|JFg? r Meat Market." This market was estab- §&? lished in 1854 by Henry Schumaker, sub- $ta" sequently the step-father of the subject of pS* our sketch. He was succeeded by A. & C. Grantz (brothers), who conducted the busi- ness until the spring of 186S, when Mr. Conrad F. Grantz, the present proprietor, bought out his brother and has since carried on the business alone. Mr. Grantz has the leading market in the city, and keeps a general assortment of fresh, salt and smoked meats of the best to be had ; and as he has had a life-long experience in the business, he understands it fully and can always satisfy any reasonable cus- tomer. Mr. C. F. Grantz was born in Eutin, Germany, July 23, 1846, and is the ?on of August and Helen (Heyer) Grantz. He came to America with his par- ents in 1852, the family coming directly to Daven- port, Iowa, where they remained, however, but a few months, when they returned to Le Claire, Iowa, and in the spring of 1853 removed to Moline and made this city their permanent residence. His father died here in 1854, and his mother mar- ried Henry Schumaker, the proprietor of the " City Market." Conrad began assisting his step-father in his business in 1861. Mr. C. F. Grantz was united in marriage Sept. 13, 1868, at Moline, to Miss Margaretta C. Schlotfieldt, daughter of Henry H. and Margaretta Schlotfieldt. Mrs. Grantz was born near Keil, Germany, and came to America in the spring of 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Grantz came to the United States via New Orleans, and came up the Mississippi River in the same boat, unknown to each other. He was a child of six years, and she an infant in arms. The issue of their union was nine children, eight sons and one daughter : Conrad F., born July 13, 1869; Henry W., born Oct. 22, 1870 ; August C, Dec. 7, 1872 ; Albert R., Nov. 16, 1874; Robert O., born May 5, 1877, and died Jan. 24, r879; Bertram J., Oct. 17, 1881 ; Minnie H , March 13, 1879; Ralph G. and Marcus, twins, born Dec. 1 1, 1884. Mr. Grantz has held various local offices of honor and trust. He was elected and served as City Treasurer in 1880 and 1881. Was elected Alderman to fill vacancy one year, and afterwards elected for one full term in the Third Ward. Mr. Grantz is a charter member of the Concordia Germania Turn- verein, Moline Grove, No. 26, U. A. O. D. He is President and Director of the Moline Building, Sav- ings and Loan Association, also President and Di- rector of the Moline Associated Charities. He is liberal in his religious views, and believes in " doing right and fearing nobody." In political opinion he is out and out a Republican. I ^FSli eorge Vincent, M. D., the oldest physician • (*MSl[ of Hamilton, and one of the old and lead- "wJSp K ing physicians of the county, like many ?y$ > of the citizens of this county, is a native of Vermont. He was born in Montpelier in 1823, and until he attained his 16th year he attended school. At that time he began to teach school during the winter season, and worked on a farm during the summer. During the spring and autumn he attended an academy until 1845, when he commenced the study of medicine, and at- tended Castleton Medical College, from which he graduated in 1S47. He hung out his shingle, and began the practice of his profession at Lunenburg, Essex Co., Vt. He remained there for a period of five years, when he sold out his practice, and in 1852 came to Port Byron, this county, where, how- f Ci 'TS &. •»"» (!) 'V^^t^ -a-JL Joseph Huntoon, a pioneer of Rock Island County, of 1840, who has experienced the trials and difficulties incident to the settle- ment of a new country, was born in the town <2- of Hanover, Grafton Co., N. H., April 17, 181 2, and is the son of Rebecca (Califf) Huntoon. The subject of our sketch was reared on a farm, re- ceiving the advantages afforded by the common schools of that day, and when 22 years of age re- , moved to Massachusetts. From the latter place he ^ K®%m> -^jjk ^A^HJIlgi jlKpi^ <> ■> TT i i?OCX ISLAND COUNTY. II 5 2 S '.* 1, came to Illinois, and located at Andover, Henry Co., remaining only until the fall of that year. Then moving to Mercer County, he bought a farm in Rich- land Grove, and continued at that place until 1840, when he came to Moline and engaged in brick- making. He and his sons manufactured brick ex- tensively near Moline until 1877, covering a period of 29 years, during which time they made a large portion of the brick that has been used in the build- ing of the city of Moline. Mr. Huntoon formed a matrimonial alliance, at Sugar Grove, Mercer Co., 111., with Miss Sylvia Ten- ney, daughter of Sampson Tenney. Mrs. Huntoon was born in Ipswich, N. H., in the autumn of 1822. The issue of their union was six children, namely : Edgar N. ; Joseph C, who married Maria Sarmist; George H., who married Mary Stephens ; Mary L.'; Delia, died aged three years, and Frances E. Mr. Huntoon's children are all residents of Moline. His sons are proprietors of the well-known Moline Pump Works. Mr. Huntoon and family are members of the Congregational Church, of which Mr. Huntoon has been Deacon for 30 years. Father and sons are Republicans. V ohn S. Gillmore, Cashier of the First Na- f tional Bank of Moline, 111., was born at Athens, in the State of Ohio, April 12, 1832. His parents, John and Ann (Culver) Gillmore, were natives of Vermont, and prob- ably of Scotch-Irish extraction. They reared a family of five children, three sons and two daugh- ters, the subject of this sketch being the youngest of the family. The Gi'lmores, wherever they are found, date their ancestry back to the early New Englanders. The immediate branch of that family from which our subject descends settled first at Lon- donderry, N. H. In 1822 John Gillmore emigrated with his family from Vermont to Ohio, and settled at Athens, where he remained until 1836, coming then to Knox County, where he followed agricultural pursuits for about six years. In 1842 he removed to Geneseo, in Henry County, the same State, and that he was one of the pioneers of that county is proven by the fact that his was one of the eight families comprising the town of Geneseo. Here he farmed until 1846, with such success as, added to his previously good husbandry, enables him to retire from active business with a competency. In 1849 he removed to Rock Island city, where he spent the rest of his life, dying in 1858, at the age of 73 years. At the Geneseo Academy John S. Gillmore re- cieved a fair English education, which formed a good base upon which his intuitive mind could build with the experiences incident to a business life. After a few years' clerical service in a general store at Rock Island, he embarked in the wholesale and re- tail grocery business, which he followed successfully until 1856. Succeeding this, he had three years' ex- perience at "merchant milling." We then hear no more of him until the spring of 1861, when we find him in California recuperating his health — a thing altogether necessary, as he was naturally not of very robust constitution. He spent a year and a half on the Pacific coast, and later on, a season in the moun- tain's of Colorado. In 1866 Mr. Gillmore accepted a position in the First National Bank of Moline, and in January, 1867, became cashier of that institution, a position he has since filled. Before coming to Moline he was Clerk of the City of Rock Island one term, and since his residence in Moline he has served the city three terms as its Treasurer. Before the war he was identified with the Democratic party, and in i860 he was that party's candidate for Clerk of the Circuit Court of Rock Island County, and though defeated, he ran 1,400 ahead of his ticket. Since the outbreak of the Rebellion he has stood firmly by the Republican party. Mr. Gillmore was united in marriage at Geneseo, Oct. 13, 1866, to Miss Jennie K. Sleight, a native of New York State, and a sister of the late Hon. H. O. Sleight. (See sketch.) Both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Gill- more is Treasurer of the Doric Lodge, No. 319, A. F. & A. M., a position he has held for several years. Mr. Gillmore is an excellent type of a thorough- going American business man, as this brief outline of his life portrays. He possesses good judgment, keen foresight, clear and sensible business ideas, is enter- prising, and, above all, has that unfaltering integrity of character which is so essential in a man occupy- f -s* ^ o/ ^nngiiiBfr^ — :s ^ L ■^^f®^ ^ £? V 526 y^-^ ifOCX ISLAND COUNTY. Z*&r -§*§§*© ing the responsible positions he holds and has held for years. The confidence of the community, as well as the officers and stockholders of his bank, may be safely reposed in him. As a representative and es- teemed citizen of this county, we present Mr. Gill- more 's portrait in connection with this sketch. eymour L. Stafford, merchant of Coal Valley, is a son of William and Abigail Ij^ 1 (Sergeant) Stafford, who settled in Boone l^V, Co., 111., in the early day. He was born in Rutland, Vt., Dec. 25, 1843, received a com- mon-school education, and in 1S64 came to Coal Valley, where he has since continued to reside. He has been engaged in the coal business for 16 years, and in 1S78 opened a general store, where he is enjoying a successful trade. He is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens, as they have elected him to the office of Village Trustee, School Director, etc. His political views are Republican. He is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraterni- ties, and also of the G. A. R. In 1861 Mr. S. en- listed in the 13th 111. Vol. Inf., and served over three years. He formed a matrimonial alliance in Rock Island in the spring of 1864, with Margaret J. Jones, a na- tive of Wales. They have had seven children, two of whom survived — George and Lewis J. ("ames W. Atkinson, of Moline, was born ~ at Union Grove, Whiteside Co., 111., Aug. 26, 1S39, and is a son of Joshua T. and Emeline (Little) Atkinson, the former a na- if tive of Newburyport, Mass., and the latter of i Suncook, N. H., both being of English de- scent. They were pioneers here, coming West as early as 1835. James W., whose name heads this sketch, at- tended school at TJnion Grove, at Galesburg, 111., fc m _L mm and at Denmark, Iowa, until he was about 16 years' of age, when he began to assist in the maintenance' of the family by working on his father's farm, which, he continued to do for three years. In 1868 he came to Moline, and from that time until 1S74 he.g: was with his uncle, Mr. Charles Atkinson, as clerk in his real-estate business, and in the office of the Water-Power Company, of which his uncle is Presi- dent. After that he was traveling salesman for two years for the Moline Wagon Company, and during the year r876 was in the insurance business. In 1877 he became manager and secretary of the Deere & Mansur Company's Corn-Planter Works, a position which he still holds. He has seen the business grow during his connection with it until the company lias become one of the largest corporations and occupies and owns one of the finest corn-planter works in the country. Mr. Atkinson formed a matrimonial alliance June 3, r874. at Morrison, 111., to Miss Sarah M. Savage, - and they have one child, George L., born July 7, 1877. In politics, Mr. Atkinson is a Republican, butt=a his mind runs entirely in business, not in political, 1 ^ channels. o •t ■ _ < ( 3 athan Swain came to Rock Island city from Minnesota in 1S73. He was born in Fleming County, Ky., Nov. 23, 1819, and lived there until the year 1842. His parent! were Nathan and Nancy (Nolan) Swain, native of Maryland. Nathan Swain, subject of thi notice, remained on the parental homestead until h attained the age of 22 years, receiving a good com- mon school education and assisting his father on the farm. After leaving home he rented a farm in Ken- I tucky and cultivated the same for one year, when he went to Indiana and was occupied in the same vo- cation for two years. He then engaged in teaming v and was occupied in that business for four years, in* the same State, after which he rented a farm and-J..' followed farming for another two years. Leaving therf^ farm he went to Cartersburg, same State, and en gaged in the hotel business, which he conducted fo one year at that place, and then ran a hotel a mi^a^ — ^^ 4^mj^ -:- -5- 0|Y£^ -6V&I1 H 8 DDf^^e ^4;. ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. r-;;, i^i ooresville for one year. He then moved back to /-Cartersburg and remained for two months, when he ^ame West to Danville, Ind., and opened a feed •; stable, which business lie conducted for one year. ^Abandoning it, he began the butchering business and ^followed that business for seven years. Soon after the news was flashed across the wires of the firing on Sumter, Mr. Swain enlisted in Co. H, Seventh Ind. Vol. Inf., and was wounded in the first day's fight of the battle of the Wilderness, which proved of such a damaging character that he has never been able to do manual labor since. He was in the service three "years, when he was discharged and returned home. In 1865 he engaged in butchering for a short time, and then embarked in the hotel business at Carters- burg and remained a year. He then removed to Ladoga, Montgomery Co., Ind., and kept a hotel at that place for one year. He then went on a farm in that vicinity and remained two years, after which he removed to Chatfield, Fillmore Co., Minn., and >workedout for a living until he moved to Rock Isl- '\nd. Since his coming here he has been variously ;. -Jsccupied, and at this time has retired from the active '/{labors of life. Mr. Swain was united in marriage to Huldah Cay- \ Iwood in 1841, a native of Kentucky. They have be- come the parents of nine living children, namely : Thomas N., born Dec. 21, 1842 ; Sarah E., born Aug. 4, 1846; George W., Aug. 1, 1844; Julia, Dec. 4, 1852; Lawrence S., Nov. 9, 1848; Marion, May 27, 1858; Nancy, Feb. 2, 1856; Eva, Feb. 7, i860; Even B., July 1, 1862; Carrie M., June 1, 1867. Two of the|children are married, — Sarah E. and Law- rence S. Politicallv, Mr. Swain is a Democrat. He :j .resides at 816 Second Avenue. ^oooe |E rank A. Johnson, of the firm of Samuel- jij|'~'| son & Johnson, upholsterers, manufact- ure' urers of and dealers in furniture. Sales- ^ rooms, corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifteenth ' Street; workshops on Fifth Avenue. This firm was established in September, 1880. They have the leading house in their line in Moline, i) and carry an average stock of $6,000 value. ^ Mr. Johnson, the junior partner, was born in Swe- 5 2 7 a young man ready to embark in life, and with many others looked to the great and growing West for a place to locate. Accordingly, he set out for Illinois, and May 6, 1843, he arrived in Hampton Township and in company with a cousin, Ira Weatherhead, he purchased 67 acres of land. He subsequently made other purchases, and at the present time has 320 acres and has become one of the substantial men of the township. He is a Republican in politics and at present is one of the Directors of his school district. In 1850, February 28, Mr. Colgrove and Miss Nancy Drake were united in marriage. His wife is a native of Oxford County, Maine, and the mother of n children, all of whom are living except three de- ceased, — Elmina, Elizabeth and Albert. Those liv- ing are William, Lewis, Izora, Harriet, Birton, Nor- man, Merit and Milton. Of these four are married, as follows : William, to Amanda Beals, who has borne him two children, — John and Hattie ; Lewis was married to Edith Devinney. Carroll and Olive are the names of their children. Izora is the wife of Leonard Brown and the mother of one child, Elmer; and Harriet is the wife of William Switzer. Mrs. Colgrove is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. A A £*- jtenry Vierieoh, general grocer, established J\ his present business in 1875. He is a na- tive of Holstein, Germany, and was born March 1, 1845. He came to America with his parents in 1857, and reached Davenport, Iowa, July 1 2th of that year. They spent only a month in that city, and then came to Moline, where he has since continued to reside. Mr. Vieriech served his time at the tinner's trade, but did not pur- sue that occupation on account of his health. He worked with Dimock, Gould & Co. in their tub and pail factory for some years. He also spent several months in Chicago and St. Louis, but made Moline his home. He was also employed in Rock Island some time just prior to beginning his present busi- ness. Mr. Vieriech was married in Rock Island, Sept. 20, 1868, to Miss Elizabeth Wagner, daughter of Christ and Barbara Wagner. Mrs. Vieriech was born on shipboard Feb. 12, 1848,011 the English coast, after the vessel on which her parents were passen- gers was wrecked. Mr. and Mrs. Vieriech are the parents of five children, three boys and two girls, namely: Freddie, born June 10, 1869; Albert, Jan. J 7> '873; Philip, March 29, 1876; Lilla, April 23, 1879; Rosa, Jan. 17, 1882. Mr. Vieriech is the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, County of Rock Island. He was elected Assistant Supervisor and served during 1882 and 1883, and as Chairman for the years 1884 and 1885. He makes an efficient and popular officer. He is a member of the Orders of Masons and Odd Fellows, and in politics is a Re- publican. He has a well-stocked store in his line, at 1524 Third Avenue. ^>*HJH*^ •J* K X ( /. J (Q.^feaniel Hains, a gentleman who is respected ?- ; Es!SMji for his integrity and fair and honest deal- 1 °i k - > i® -, "o ... . . *f-*• mmn^^- m s ^ 32 i r^ cr-7>r^ ?& — foig&C ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. S) where he remained for about six years and then went to Mexico and resided there for one year, when he once more returned to Indiana. Remaining in the latter State for a few months, he came again to this county on horseback and located on his land in Moline Township, on which he has resided until the present time. He subsequently added to his origi- nal purchase until he at present is the proprietor of 163 acres of land in Moline Township, which is in an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Hains was united in marriage in Jay County, Ind., June 6, 1S57, with Miss Hannah Johnson, the accomplished daughter of Enoch M. and Hannah (Perry) Johnson, natives of Maryland and Virginia respectively. Mrs. Hains was born in Ohio, May 31, 1822. Mr. H. is one of the progressive and en- ergetic farmers of his county. He has held the office of Commissioner of Highways and others of minor import. Politically, he is a believer in and a sup- porter of the principles advocated by the Democratic party, and religiously is a member of the Baptist Church; He was a soldier in the Mexican War, holding the position of Orderly Sergeant, Second Ind. Vol. Inf., and served one year, participating in the memorable battle at Buena Vista. Mr. Hains' uncle, Isaac Kirby, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and at the battle of Trenton he secured a regulation British coat from the battle- field, which coat Mr. Hains now possesses and which is a valuable souvenir of that memorable time. As a man who enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fellows and one who may be justly termed a representative citizen, the publishers take pleasure in presenting with this sketch a portrait of Mr. Hains. \ ■nmm^ S#— ,*g&SWZrs»>» si illiam Payne, farmer, stock-buyer and yi;!h shipper, residing on sections 22 and 23, «yy^v* Zuma Township, was born in Scott Co., jt&P Iowa, March 8, 1841. His parents were Jeremiah and Leticia (Orr) Payne, and were natives of New York and Ohio respectively. In 1837 they moved to Iowa and located on Spencer Creek, Pleasant Valley Township, Scott County. In 1 85 1 they removed to Hampton Township, in Rock Island County. William Payne, subject of this biographical notice, remained under parental instruction and resided on the old homestead, alternating his labors thereon by attendance at the common schools, until he attained the age of 18 years. Arriving at that age in life, he left the parental home and was engaged in breaking prairie, which was the first labor he did for his own individual benefit. In 1859 he attended school at Quincy College, Quincy, 111., and added to his accu- mulation of knowledge obtained at the common schools of his native county, and in i860 taught school in Posey Co., Ind., during the summer of that year. In the winter of the year last named he again attended the Quincy College, and in the spring of the year following (1 861) he again taught school, this time in Adams Co., 111. At this period in the history of the life of the sub- ject of this notice, the rebel guns thundered forth their shot and shell against Sumter and the wires flashed the news throughout the country, calling on brave hearts and strong arms to enlist in the defense of the cause of justice and Union, and Mr. Payne concluded to respond. He consequently enlisted in Co. D, 13th 111. Vol. Inf., Colonel Wyman, command- ing, and served for three years and two months in the war. He participated in all the battles in which his company engaged, prominent among them being Vicksburg (two battles), Jackson, Miss., Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Ringgold and Madison Station, and many others of less importance, and re- ceived an honorable discharge. After receiving his discharge he spent a year in Texas and the Gulf States, then returned to Hampton Township, Rock Island County, where he worked on a farm and clerked in stores, after which he attended Commer- cial College at Chicago and clerked in the County Treasurer's office in Rock Island, then filled the same position in a mercantile establishment in that city until 1866. During this year he was Deputy Sheriff of this county, which position he held for four years. In 1870 he was elected Sheriff and re-elected in 1872, holding the office for four years. In 1872, Mr. Payne purchased 250 acres of land, located on sections 22 and 23, Zuma Township, to which he added by subsequent purchase 320 acres more, and is at present the proprietor of 570 acres, all located in Zuma Township, this county. Politi- ■>&^ _i. ^OQXGI]^- ^O 8 *- *%&&&/* ^vW^^ 9 *" ^Hii&aflf^v^ — Tt&K- V7 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4^&SY§|; cally, he is a believer the tenets of the Repub- lican party, and socially he is a member of the Order of Masonry. His accumulations are attributable to his indomitable energy, pluck and perseverance, coupled with good judgment and the hearty co- operation of his good helpmeet. He is devoting a portion of his time to the stock business and has his acreage so arranged as to make it profitable. Mr. Payne formed a matrimonial alliance, Oct. 26, 1870, with Miss Jennie Wilson, daughter of Maj. F. and Asenath Wilson, of Rock Island. The issue of their union has been four children: Frank, born July 1, 1874; Benjamin, born Sept. 20, 1876; Lucy, born Sept. 30, 1879; and Mabel, born Nov. 12, 1883. *--**e§4Ha*-i ioung Ewing McClendon, eldest son of John and Sarah (Pratt) McClendon, natives respectively of the States of North Carolina and Kentucky, and of Scotch and English ex- traction, was born in Henderson Co., Ky., July 14, 1 8 15. The McClendon was an agricultural family, and the subject of this sketch devoted proba- bly 30 years of his life to that vocation. Reared in an age and country unknown to public schools, young McClendon had little opportunity for obtain- ing an education. His father was one of the pio- neers of " Jackson's Purchase," and whilst the sons of other men, more favorably environed, were at- tending institutions of learning, he was performing manual labor or roaming through the unbroken for- ests in search of game. It is not surprising, therefore, that, when the sub- ject of this sketch had attained his majority and was thrown out upon the world to battle for existence, he possessed no knowledge of letters. Notwithstanding this fact, we find him in his ripe old age a man filled with useful information, and possessing a knowledge of the current and past history of the country superior to a large majority of men whose early opportunities were much greater. At the age of 22 years he re- moved to Vanderburg Co., Ind., and began life for himself as a farmer. In this his efforts were re- warded with more or less success, and in 1856 he accepted employment from W. H. Crawford, of Louis- ville, as agent to buy grain in Vanderburg County and vicinity, a position he filled with credit to him- self and profit to his employers about nine years. In 1865, he closed out his business arrangements in Indiana, and removed to Moline, where he has had the good judgment since to live a life of retirement and in the peaceful enjoyment of a competency so well earned in his younger days. Jan. 18, 1848, he was united in marriage in Van derburg Co., Ind., to Miss Louisa Daman, a na tive of New York, an estimable lady, whose good sense and womanly instincts are at once recognized in and about the elegant cottage home over which she presides. Mr. McClendon has been the recip- ient of no legacy or gifts. What he has of this world's goods has been acquired by his individual effort and industry. His religion, like that of Abou Ben Adhem, may be written as of " one who loved his fellow man." It is not tallest spires, nor cushioned pews, nor writ- ten tenets, nor mitered priests that change the hearts of men. Religion is a personal matter between man and his God. Do right in this world ; be honest and just with your fellow man, especially so with yourself, and the God of all nature, that leaves not with you voice or choice as to your coming into this world, will take you to himself in the next. This is the religion of Y. E. McClendon. fw^avid W. Thompson, manager for Taylor I Williams in his store at Rapids City, 'Wr^* Hampton Township, was born in that township and in that village, July 12, 1846. ■ His parents were William and Maria (Keyport) Thompson, natives of Pennsylvania, and came to Hampton Township in 1842. David W. Thompson remained at home until he attained the age of 16 years, when he succeeded in enlisting in Co. H, 19th 111. Vol. Inf., and served for three years fighting in the Union army. He was en- gaged in the following battles: Stone River, Buzzard Roost, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Dalton and Resaca; and during his entire engagement in the army, although he participated in all the battles and skirmishes in which his company was engaged, he X \S%&*&»- r Ki -IT 534 -flOC^" ISLAND COUNTY. 1* ■ ^ V > 4 never received even a flesh wound or was take prisoner, and was honorably discharged at the expi- ration of the term of his enlistment. Returning home he remained for a time, when he went to Johnsonville, Tenn., and was there engaged as mili- tary storekeeper for the Government for six months. He then accepted the position of Superintendent of Quartermaster's department at Eastport, Miss., and was thus engaged for six months, when he went with another Quartermaster for six months. He then came to Moline and engaged with the Government on the river improvement, where he was occupied two and a half years. He afterwards became en- gaged in the construction department of the Chica- go, Burlington & Quincy Railway and was with that company for two years. Leaving the latter company, he went to Rapids City and engaged his services with Case & Co. on the river improvements and re- mained with them for two years and a half. He then entered the services of Taylor Williams, with whom he has been connected for 15 years, and for the last five years has had charge of Mr. Williams' store at Rapids City, which position he is filling at this writ- ing (1885). Mr. Thompson formed a matrimonial alliance with Harriet M. Blish in 187 1 at Port Byron. Politically, Mr. Thompson is a believer in and supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He is at present School Directorj is a member of the I. O. O. F., the Order of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Good Templars. He owns his residence at Rap- ids City and is one of the leading representative citi- zens of that place. ^JpfjR ohn Samuelson, senior partner of the firm • : tMJ^ of Samuelson & Johnson, manufacturers of and dealers in furniture, 428 Fifth Ave- nue, was born in Sweden, Dec. 13, 1S29. He served a regular apprenticeship at the cab- inet-making trade in his native country and fol- lowed that vocation until 1869, when he emigrated to America. Mr. Samuelson came direct to Rock Island, where he remained a year, and in 1870 came to Moline, en- gaged at his trade, and in 1880 formed the existing partnership with Mr. F. A. Johnson. Mr. Samuelson formed a matrimonial alliance in Sweden, Aug. 14, 1867, with Miss Charlotte M. John- son. They have become the parents of two chil- dren, a son and daughter. Ida Mary was born Dec. r, 1870; Alvin E., born April 8, 1883 : both born in Moline. Mr. and Mrs. Samuelson are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. S. is a Repub- lican in political opinion. eorge D. Toothaker, President of the Northern Mining and Railway Com- pany, residing at Moline, was born in Maine, March 23, 1842, and is a son of George and Eliza (Staples) Toothaker, natives of Maine, and farmers by occupation. George is the second child of a family of six children, all of whom are living but two. The subject of this sketch remained at home until he attained the age of 26 years, enjoying the advan- tages afforded by the common schools of that day. After leaving home he went to Troy, N. Y., and en- gaged in the hat and bonnet bleachery business, which he continued three years, then sold out and proceeded to Fredericksburg, Va. At the latter place he made a purchase of 325 acres of land and engaged in the occupation of a farmer, which he continued to follow for two years, when he sold the farm and returned to the State of his nativity. Lo- cating at Auburn, Maine, for the period of four years, he determined to start for Bangor, where he thought possibly he could better himself, and at the last named city he engaged in the insurance busi- ness, remaining but one year. Mr. Toothaker then traveled two years, and in 18S1 went to Oakland, la., where he engaged in the drug trade, also carrying on the stock business at the same time, buying, sell- ing and shipping, and followed this until September; 1884. He then came to Hampton and purchased a one-third interest in the Hampton Coal Mines, called the Northern Mining and Railway Company, of which he is at the present time the President. It was incorporated in October, 1884, making Mr. V© 9 s ^ I e^i m m&*r§ — ^Hg^ '1 eist^K^, Jr.^aioLo^a //my &-oJUu^uji ©V^HMflf^c ■zt^zr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 539 Toothaker President, S. Heagy Secretary and Treas- urer and A. R. Stoddard Superintendent. The company provide houses for its miners, as these coal mines are five miles from Hampton. There are dry-goods, grocery and clothing stores in Hampton, from which they supply their 200 miners with goods. Mr. G. D. Toothaker formed a matrimonial alli- ance in 1882 with Miss Susan Upham. She is a native of Fonda, N. Y. Mr. Toothaker affiliates with the Democratic party and belongs to the Ma- sonic Order. He is also a member of the A. O. U. W. He is one of the leading men of Rock Island County, and for the time of his residence one of the best known in the county. -K3- -S3- Ifichard Torpin, a settler of Rock Island ^m! County of 1856, is a native of Yorkshire, England, where he was bom Dec. it, 1805, his parents being Joseph and Ann Tor- pin, both also natives of the same shire. He was reared to agricultural pursuits in his na- tive land until 1829, when he emigrated to America, landing at Philadelphia, where he found employment on a farm in the vicinity until 1856. He then came to this count}', which he had visited in 1853, when he bought a tract of land and built a small house upon it. Into this he removed with his family and was engaged in farming until 1S73, when he rented the place and moved into another residence which he had erected. In April, 1884, his dwelling was burned, and since that time he has lived with his daughter, Mrs. Wainwright. Mr. Torpin was married Feb. 1, 1835, to Miss Jane A. Crowley, who was born in Bradford Co., Pa., the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Wilson) Crowley. Mr. and Mrs. T. have lived together now more than 50 years, and at their advanced age they still enjoy good health. They have eight children, as follows: Richard, who lives in Philadelphia; Elizabeth, wife of George Allen, of Port Byron; Susan, wife of Jacob Fleckinger, of Coe Township; Joseph resides in Kansas; Henry is a railroad con- tractor and is a resident of Coe ; Jane A. is the widow of Isaac Wainwright, and is a resident also of Coe; J. Lambert resides in Briggsville, 111.; and Louisa is the wife of William Allen and resides in Polk Co., Iowa. -^*##M- illiam Caldwell, a most reliable citizen, self-made man and one of the progressive and energetic farmers of Rural Township, residing on section 16, is a son of Robert and Mary (Ball) Caldwell, who were natives of New Jersey. After marriage they settled in Ohio, where they lived together, sharing each other's joys and sorrows, successes and reverses, for about 28 years, when they moved to the State of Indiana and there resided until their death. They had a family of T3 children. William Caldwell, whose name heads this sketch, was the tenth child in order of birth of his parents' family. He was born in Butler Co., Ohio, Dec. 4, 1813. He assisted in the maintenance of the family, attending the common schools of his native county, and resided at home until he attained the age of 15 years, when he accompanied his parents to Indiana. In the latter State he engaged to learn the cooper's trade, which he followed for some 15 years, and which, in connection with farming, occupied, his time in Indiana until 185 1. In the spring of that year, hoping to better his financial condition in life, he came to this county and purchased a farm in what is now Rural Township, located on section 31, on which he settled and entered vigorously and ener- getically upon the task cf its cultivation and improve- ment. He lived on this farm 12 years, and then purchased more land, in Mercer County, where he removed and resided for 20 years, in the meantime improving and cultivating his land. In the spring of 1883, Mr. Caldwell purchased the place known as the James Doneldson farm, in Rural Township, con- sisting of 445 acres, on which he settled and is at present residing. He has come to be ranked among the large land-owners of the county, being the pro- prietor of 665 acres in Rock Island County, and 240 in Mercer County. He is a gentleman who started in life with nothing but his own indomitable energy, and his accumulation of this world's goods is i f k i>5 ■^©^ — ©A^nnsnn^A© — ^^^ •fJ@§)((^A- ^ 54° -2!^C- ~Z7~7 4^00 ^'DDr> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^msxi) n ^> ) f > (!) attributable to his good judgment in predicting the future development of the country, and consequently the enhanced price of real estate, combined with the active co-operation of his wife. His word in busi- ness transactions is considered as good as his bond, and he is justly recognized as one of the energetic and representative farmers of Rock Island County. Mr. Caldwell was united in marriage in Rural Township, June 3, i860, with Mrs. Lydia (Wilson) Halley, the accomplished daughter of William and Rachel Mills Wilson, and widow of Henry Halley. Mrs. Caldwell had five children by her first marriage, — Mary C, Robert C, Hannah M., Isaac N., Will- iam H. ; and of her union with Mr. Caldwell two children have been born, namely: Jerome W., Jan. 25, 1861; and Frank H., born Aug. 5, 1862. Mrs. Caldwell died in Rural Township, Aug. 16, 1884. Mr. Caldwell has held several of the minor offices of the township. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party. As a citizen of the community in which Mr. Cald- well has so long lived and been so active, he is highly respected and enjoys the confidence of his neighbors, and is regarded as a man of excellent business judgment. He is an excellent representa- tive man of Rural Township, and as such we place his portrait in this Album in company with the lead- ing and representative men in various parts of the county. Accompaning his portrait we give that of Mrs. Caldwell. ^ heodore D. Wheelock. foreman in the Iron Department of the Moline Plow Company's Works, Moline, 111., was born in Holland, Erie Co., N. Y., April 3, 1840, and is the son of William and Catharine (Morey) Wheelock. He lived on a farm until the spring of 1858, when he came to Moline, 111., and engaged as a teamster, which he followed during that summer and fall, going to school during the winter of 1859-60. He engaged with Williams, Heald & Co., founders and machinists, April 2, i860, and continued with that company until the summer of 1861, when he left to enter the army, and enlisted, June 10, i86i,as a private in Co. H, 19th Regt. 111. Inf., and served until the 9th of July, 1864, when he was mustered out as Corporal, afterward following the occupation of machinist for four years, when (1868) he entered the employ of the Moline Plow Company, as engi- neer, which position he filled two years, and then (1870) he engaged in the boot and shoe business, under the firm name of Thomas & Wheelock. After following that for three years he engaged with the Moline Scale Company, April, 1SS3, filling the posi- tion of Superintendent for six years, and was then (1881) employed as foreman in the iron department of the Moline Plow Company. Mr. Wheelock was united in marriage in Hamp- ton, Rock Island Co., Nov. 29, 1866, to Miss Camilla C. Thomas, daughter of H. F. and Alice H. Thomas. Mrs. Wheelock was born in Tremont, Tazewell Co., 111., March 20, 1845. They have five children — three boys and two girls, viz. : Lucy G., born Sept. 9, 1867; Stillman W., Aug. 16, 1S69; Alice H., Aug. 23, 1873; Theodore Morris, Oct. 28, 1876; Henry T., June 16, 1 88 1. Mr. Wheelock is a Republican in political senti- ment, and a member of the G. A. R. and A. O. U. W. N. Beal, a farmer residing on section 18, |^g«L Zuma Township, and one of the early pio- neers of Rock Island County, coming here in 1834, was born in Peacham, Caledonia fc Co., Vt., Feb. 5, 1815. His parents were Sam- uel and Rachel (Wells) Beal, natives of Mas- sachusetts. D. N. Beal, subject of this sketch, was left an orphan when but five years old and found a home among strangers. He was reared on a farm, alternating his labors thereon by attendance at the common schools. At the age of 1 9 years he left his home to fight the battles of life single-handed and alone. He started for the wild West and for a time was engaged in driving horses on the Erie Canal to Buffalo. He then took a steamboat to Detroit, and from there walked to this county in about two weeks. On arriving in this county, Mr. Beal for two years worked " around, " at the expiration of which time he purchased 160 acres of land on section 18, Zuma Township, on which he located and entered vig- I A d — Mmm n^s — ^^~ -4^^^ JfA/§X3 -^^^ ■o iV<^on^nnv> (§/ ?■ V v. J ^OCVT ISLAND COUNTY. -2S&ST '•m\& orously and energetically upon its improvement and cultivation. He has subsequently added to bis original purchase until he at the present time is the possessor of 268 acres of land, on which he has erected a good, substantial residence, bam, outbuildings, etc. He is also the owner of a house and two lots in South Moline, and is one of the substantial, progressive farmers of Rock Island County. Politically, Mr. B. is a believer in the principles advocated by the Republican party. Although not a man seeking office, he has held the office of Asses- sor 12 years, Supervisor four years, School Trustee 20 years and Road Commissioner three years, which offices have been given him by the people without any effort on the part of Mr. Beal to procure them. Mr. Beal was married Sept. 18, 1836, to Miss Bet- sey Spencer, a native of Vermont, in which State she was born, Jan. 1, 1S17. Their union has been blessed with four children. Lucius W. was born Jan. 20, 1838; Samuel S. was born Jan. 2, 1843; Albert M. was born Oct. 31, 1853; and Eunice C. was born Nov. 5, 1858. Lucius VV. married Miss Lizzie S. Drum, and they are the parents of four children, — Albert R., Lucy W., Edna G. and Maud M. S. Mrs. Lucius Beal died Dec. 9, 1883. Sam- uel S. was united in marriage to Sarah Wainwright, and they are the parents of six children, namely : Gertrude, Nettie, Bessie, Allie, Sadie and Spencer. Milton married Henrietta Thompson, and their home circle was blessed with one child, Mamie. Mrs. Mil- ton Beal died Nov. 13, 1880, and Mr. Beal was again married to Carrie Middlekoff, and of the latter un- ion one child, Etta Grace, was born. Eunice mar- ried Frederick L. Cooper, and the issue of their un- ion was two children, — Sadie and Betsey. -S f R. Zeigler, blacksmith, Moline, was born at Mechanicsburg, Pa., June 27, 1848. His father's name was Adam, his mother's Lydia (Reed) Zeigler. N. R. is of German- Scotch descent. He came to Port Byron with (P his parents in 1850, and became a farmer; then turned his attention to learning the blacksmith trade. The result shows that he selected a right In 1864 he enlisted as a private in Co. I, 2d Iowa Cav. (Capt. B. K. Watson), and took part in the famous battle of Franklin, the hot fight at Nash- ville, and was in the midst of various skirmishes, where his troops did excellent and valuable service. In 1866 he returned to farming for a while, and then invested his savings in one year's term of schooling, where he attended strictly to his trade. He worked in Moline four years at blacksmithing. In 1870 he opened a shop, and has since been very successful, exemplifying Franklin's doctrine, "Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee.'' He is a Mason, a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and of the G. A. R. In what is called the Blue Lodge in Masonry he has occupied every position except that of secretary and treasurer. For one year he was Assistant Foreman of the Fire Department. In his political views he is a Repub- lican. On April 18, 187 r, he was married to Miss Josephine Anderson, at Moline, Rev. H. E. Barnes officiating, the union resulting in the birth of two children: Horace A., born Aprih, 1872; and Jesse A., Sept. 9, 1878. ♦^Nsfs^- ikj~5< jfrrin Skinner, retired farmer, residing on sections 30 and 31, Hampton Township, is one of the best known and most highly re- spected men in the community in which he resides. He is also classed among the pio- neers of Rock Island County, having come tQ the county with his parents in 1835, when a lad of 15 years, and has made this county his home since that time. He was born in Orleans Co., Vt., March 5, 1820, and is the son of John and Phebe (Bears) Skinner, the former a native of New Hampshire and the latter of Connecticut. They were among the early pioneers of Northern Illinois, coming to this county in 1835. They settled on the same land their son occupies at present, were prominent and respected pioneers, and resided here until their deaths, the former dying in 1843, and the latter in 1845- Mr. Skinner received a good common-school edu- cation, devoting much of his attention to farm work, branch of business, as he is an expert in that line I I T > & 542 V^jDD^DD^t -cr jPOCX ISLAND COUNTY. which he has made his life occupation. In 1842 he was united in marriage to Miss Betsey Benson, a na- tive of New York. They now have seven children living, and three are deceased : Mary A., born Sept. 4, 1843; Julia B., born Aug. 12, 1844, died Dec. 4, 1846; William O., born Dec. r, 1S46; Selina J., July 15, 1848, died Nov. 26, 1869; George M., born March 28, 1850; Julius C, Jan. 4, 1852 ; Nancy J ' Feb. 26, 1S54; Carlos A., Jan 8, 1S56; Horace G., April 19, 1858, died May 24, 1858; and Flora A., born Dec. 28, 1859. Five of these have taken upon themselves the re- sponsibility of rearing families. Mary is the wife of Ezra Wilshire, and the mother of three children — Mary A., Philip and Morris H. William, the eldest son, married Catherine Humberstone, and to them have been born three children — Clayton, Maude and Roy. George married Clara A. Bennett, and they are the parents of four children — Flora A., Eugene M., Edith M. and Cora ; Flora and Cora are de- ceased. Julias selected for his wife Miss Ellen Stephens, who has borne him four children — -Walter O., Marvin J., Robert N. and Frank. Nancy is the wife of Henry K. Bissell, and the mother of five chil- dren — Luella, Alva, Frank, Henry and Sarah. Mr. Skinner is a Republican in political views, and with his wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church. While not seeking office, he has been called upon to serve in several local positions. '(L rederiek Appelquist was born in Sweden, Aug. 16, 1842, and came to America in August, 1869. From Castle Garden he 3 came West, and being a glass-blower by trade 3/R he naturally inquired for glass manufacturing flPcan towns. This led him to New Albany, Ind., where he found employment for about one year. In June, 1870, he came to Rock Island, where he was employed by the glass company for the next succeed- ing five years. In 1876 he engaged in the liquor business, which he has since made very profitable. Mr. Appelquist is an active, enterprising citizen, with great prospects of reaping bountiful wealth in the near future. He is the owner of a one-half in- terest in the Hanson & Appelquist Gang Plow and the Street-Car Coupler bearing their names, and of the William Teller Patent Anti-Horse-Motion Road Cart. Besides some valuable city property, he owns a large stock farm in Nebraska; and a fact worth mentioning in this connection is that Mr. Appelquist landed in this country without a dollar, nor has he ever had a cent given to him. He is a prominent member of the Improved Order of Red Men, also of the U. A. O. D., and is a Sir Knight in the A. O. U. W. Mr. Appelquist was married in Rock Island city, April 9, 1872, to Miss Pauline B. Kleyla, and his six children are named respectively Oscar U., Charles F., Gustave Jerome, Mary Emma, Maude Lou and Eddie A. -43- — K- ienry W. Hyde, Agent of the American Ex- -J\ press Company and Overseer of the Poor ^^ of Mohne City. With the exception of two and a half years he has been agent of the i American Express Company since March, 1857. The subject of this sketch was born in Catta- raugus Co., N. Y., Jan. 10, 1827, and is the son of Almeron and Sarah (McBride) Hyde. He removed to Rochester in early youth, and from there to Lockport. He learned the printer's trade in the latter city, and followed that vocation until he was 26 years of age. In r854 he came West and spent the summer of that year in Chicago, and in the fall engaged as brakeman on the Chicago & Galena Union Railroad. He was promoted as Conductor and continued with that company until it was con- solidated with the Northwestern. He was assigned to Nachusa Station and a year and a half later he was transferred to DeKalb. He was station agent at DeKalb from the fall of 1859 to 1866, and was appointed agent of the American Express Company while at Nachusa and held the same position at De- Kalb. In 1866 Mr. Hyde went to Chicago and engaged in the commission business. He continued in that line only two and a half years, when he closed out to accept the Cleveland Station on the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad, where he was again is Sp < A 9 6 Pl'V^r _i. <&!1I!»S>A ex. ■>'"- "^fH ^0-f? e#z&e?<- i&/lki&&fc v> -cr 74«DD>>r TT (0 =3 U ,■£» 1 ^<9CX ISLAND COUNTY. 545 agent of the American Express Company. In De- cember, 187 i, he was transferred to Moline, and was station agent on the old Rockford (later the Chica- go, Burlington & Quincy) road until 1879, when he resigned; but continued as agent of the Express Company, as he had been during all his service, as station agent. Mr. Hyde has now been an agent of this company upward of 26 years, and is one of their most popular and trusted agents. Mr. Hyde was married in Lockport, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1855, to Miss Mary J., daughter of A. B. Van Nortwick. Mrs. Hyde was born near Cayuga Lake, N. Y. They have two children, — Frank H., born Dec. 6, 1855, in DeKalb, 111., married J. Ella Jack- son, resides in Moline, and is a locomotive engineer by occupation; Mary E., born in Chicago Aug. 19, 186S. Mr. Hyde is serving his fourth term as Over- seer of the Poor. He is an earnest Republican, and says " he has no use for a Democratic administra- tion ; cyclones, floods and earthquakes are not to be wondered at under the present condition of things !" On the subject of religion his family are in perfect accord with himself, and they all belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. -se;- + -t9s- .yP^f Judge John W. Spencer, deceased, one of ^HUpf the pioneers of Rock Island County, was ^^^ born at Vergennes, Vt., July 25, i8or. His parents, Calvin and Ruth (Hopkins) Spen- cer, were natives of the New England Colonies. i The father of Judge Spencer was born in Ben- nington, Vt., and his mother near Great Barrington, Mass., and were descended from the Puritan En- glish. They reared four sons and a daughter, John W. being the eldest. At this writing, the first and second generations here mentioned are long since gathered unto the fathers, and only the grandchil- dren and great -great-grandchildren remain to per- petuate names made honorable in the earliest history of our county. From the two families united by the marriage of Calvin Spencer and Ruth Hopkins, in the very beginning of the present century, many no- ble men have sprung — men who have adorned alike the pulpit and the State ; and if it were possible in H'VD^ the space at our command to trace the genealogy of the Spencers and the Hopkinses from the days when some of their ancestors were enforcing in a judicial capacity the quaint old laws that forbade travel upon the Sabbath except in a pious going to and from the Church of God, — laws that allowed no whistling or other boisterous conduct on that sacred day; laws, indeed, that forbade " ye good man ye kissing of his wife on ye Sabbath day" — if it were possible, we say, to follow the history of those families from their peri- wigged " squire-archy" down to the death-bed scene at Rock Island, Feb. 20, iSjjl*. from whence the spirit of John W. Spencer took its flight, the roster would contain many names that good people have revered. But the province of the present biographer is limited to a bare recital of the more important events occurring in the life of the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this sketch. The lives of Spencer, Davenport, Wells, Case and Vandruff are all indelibly stamped upon the history of a great , State. Unlike a majority of men of whom we write, they made history; without such men there would /S, have been no history to write. What we know of the hills, the forests and the streams, unpeopled by the hardy pioneer and those who followed them, would be a chapter easily written. A famous writer has said that the history of a country is but a story of the lives of the men who make it. The history of Rock Island County from the Indian occupation down to the time when a knowledge of events shall cease to be per- petuated in print, will reflect the life of Spencer, — and that, loo, whether his biography, as such, were ever written. John W. Spencer spent his youth in his native State and at the common schools acquired the rudi- ments of an education. In 1820, driving a two-horse 3 team for Mr. Brush, he crossed the Alleghany Moun- ■ tains, traversed the broad States of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and at the end of 5 1 days from the time of his leaving home landed in the city of St. Louis. The State of Missouri was just then being admitted into the Union, and as negro slavery was by the Constitution made legal, Mr. Spencer preferred to cast his lot east of the " Father of the Waters.'' So, in December following his departure from New En- gland, in company with an uncle who had been a resident of Missouri, he recrossed the Mississippi j and took up a residence in Greene Co., 111. Here he stopped about seven years and worked at farming 1 ( i m n t\/U $ i> L r^ &®. rrv0. II fl&Ml&T^ 3^ ^f?^\# ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. /S "*» V > In the spring of 1826, in search of a location for a water-mill, he ascended the Illinois River as far as Ottawa. Failing to discover any site to his fancy, he retraced his steps and the following spring ascend- ed the Mississippi to the Lead Mines. On this trip his attention was attracted by the natural beauty of Rock Island and the adjacent country on either side of the river ; and when in the following year he learned that the Indians had abandoned the Rock River territory he decided to go at once to Rock Isl- and. He was accompanied here by Mr. Louden Case, Sr., whose daughter he afterward married. At that period Galena, 100 miles distant, was the nearest postoffice. The Presidential election had just taken place, but nothing was known at Rock Island of the result. For a consideration young Spencer undertook on foot to carry the mail-bags to and bring the election returns from Galena. The river being frozen, he donned his skates and set out. His route was through the not altogether friendly Winnebago country, but he encountered no difficulty from that source, and on Christmas Day, 1827, he started on the return trip, landing three days later at Rock Island ; and the people learned that " Old Hickory " was president elect of the United States. It must almost have taken his breath away when the sum of $5 was placed in his hands in payment for a 200-mile run on foot through a hostile Indian country in the dead of winter! In the spring of 1829 he brought his family from Morgan County (whither they had removed the year before from Greene) to Rock Island and took pos- session of a vacant Ir.dian wigwam. From that day to the hour of his death J. W. Spencer was a citizen of Rock Island. He witnessed the return of Black Hawk from his hunting expedition, to find his lodges occupied by the "pale-faces;" he heard the angry and reasonable protests of that great chief, against the encroachments upon his natural rights ; he heard his sorrowful argument "Saukie-wigeop- saukie-aukie" repeated many times to no purpose, and he saw the great chief stride away toward the setting sun, where he told his people that the story of the occupancy of their lands by the white men was too true. He saw the chief with his people come again, and in common with other settlers, knew the purpose of their coming; he knew the possibilities of their discontent, and feared that the Indian was bent upon revenge. He noted the first outbreak of their savage insubordination ; saw the culmination of their ferocity as it rose in lurid lights from burning cabins, and disturbed the elements with the screams of butch- ered women and children. He saw the swift-footed pioneers as they pursued the savage destroyers, and saw the strong arm of the Government as it de- scended upon the wily Sac and his warriors at Bad Axe, — and he saw peace reign supreme in the Valley of the Mississippi. He saw Rock Island grow from a struggling little cluster of log cabins to a city of thou- sands of industrious people; and he saw himself start forth in the world a penniless boy, to round up a ripe old age in the possession of a handsome competency, surrounded yet by few that had struggled with him, and by thousands that had known him from their infancy. In all the struggles of the Rock Island pioneers, Mr. Spencer participated. During the Black Hawk- War, he was one of the organizers of the "Rock River Rangers," in which company he held the rank of First Lieutenant. He was a member of the first Board of Rock Island County Commissioners, and held the office 12 years. He was the first Judge of the Rock Island County Court, and as such perform- ed the first marriage ceremony in the county. He was a delegate to the Illinois State Constitutional Convention in 1847, and in this body he was a con- spicuous factor. Though public-spirited, he had no ambition for office-holding, his only experience in that line being confined to a time when his country act- uallv needed and demanded his services. In 1841 he, with David B. Sears, Spencer H. White, and Ainsworth & Lynde, merchants at Rock Island, built the first dam erected at Moline, and developed the great water power at that place. At the death of Capt. J. Wilson, the father of his second wife, in 1852, he succeeded to a controlling interest in the Rock Island and Davenport ferry, a most valuable proper- ty, a large revenue from which still goes to the fam- ilv. Mr. Spencer died as he lived, a conscientious Christian. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and brought his children up to a strict observance of that faith. One of his sons, the Rev. William Anson Spencer, is Presiding Elder of Dixon District, Rock River Conference, Illinois. The first Mrs. Spencer, nee Miss Louisa Case, died in 1833, leaving one son, John C. Spencer, who died Ian. r6, 1871. In 1834, Judge Spencer married Miss Eliza Wilson, of New Haven, Vt. She was the ac- Ul s' i K®»^*f^— •■ -SK"*"^- -1. :do>>^ ■*3mtjmC* <$ & &*, <&/' r^ IpK 7 ^ Zd&l ■as^ •&-7&M $ fl v>v^ 3^ ^?^^C?) ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. complished daughter of Capt. John Wilson, deceased, and in her pleasant home at the head of Nineteenth Street, Rock Island, she resides at this writing (Oc- tober, 1885) dispensing a liberal hospitality at once the joint pleasure of herself and husband, in a way that impresses all who meet her with the fact that she indeed was the worthy companion of a worthy man. Of the six children three only are living: Edward W., Julia S. (Mrs. D. T. Robinson) and the Rev. Wm. Anson Spencer, of the Dixon District. John C. is deceased. Their son Charles H. was acci- dentally drowned when eighteen years of age in Rock River, and their youngest born, Roswell G., died when about three years of age. Mrs. Spencer is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. A portrait of Judge Spencer appears on page 544. A view of his late residence is shown on page 269. (f illiam G. Davis, manager of Charles H. Dibbern's branch hardware and agricul- tural store at Reynolds, was born in Mo- $ line, this county, Jan. 11, 1854. His father, named also William, was a native of Penn- sylvania, and came West in an early day, set- '^ tling in Moline ; but before his emigration he married, in his native State, Miss Mary Elrick, who was also a native of Pennsylvania When the Na- tion made her first call for troops to defend her flag, Mr. Davis, the senior, enlisted in the 37 th 111. Vol. Inf., General Black commanding, and he served in the army for three years ; then re-enlisted in the 16th 111. Cav., and was soon afterward taken prisoner and was confined for a time in Libby Prison and also in the horrible den at Andersonville, Ga., for five months, where he died. He was in all the engage- ments in which his regiment participated up to the time ot his capture. The mother of the subject of this sketch is still living, in Moline, at present with one of her sons, Perry H., and is now about 63 years of age. William G., our subject, was the fourtli in order of birth in a family of six children. He was educated at the Illinois Soldiers' College, at that time located at Fulton, and since July, 1870, he has been con- nected with Mr. Dibbern, and for some time he has been manager of his branch store. In his political views, Mr. Davis is a Democrat. March 24, 18S0, in Edgington Township, this county, Mr. D. was married to Miss Grace Wait, who was born in that township Oct. 6, i860, the daughter of William and Lucinda (Gray) Wait. There are two children in Mr. Davis' family, viz. : Mary, who was born Dec. 15, 18S0; and Perry, Feb. 20, 1881. -*--wv.^gp--i{g^'w~- I ;'■§ f\ lbort Wells, deceased, formed) a prominent f, farmer and stock-raiser residing on section 30, Zuma Township, and the owner of nearly 1,000 acres of land, was an early pio- neer of this county. He came here in 1830 and participated in the Black Hawk War. His brother, Samuel, was killed by the Indians dur- ing an engagement. He finally settled in Zuma Township, locating there as early as 1836. He was a native of the Green Mountain State, having been born there June 15, 18 10. Mr. Wells remained under the parental roof-tree, receiving the advantages afforded by the common schools of his native country, and assisting in the maintenance of the family until he arrived at the age of majority. On becoming his own man he left home, and was engaged in buying and selling cattle. He afterwards kept a trading-post at Portage, Colum- bia Co., Wis. In 1838 he settled down to an active business life, and was chiefly occupied in buying cattle and farms, and speculating on them. He was a stirring, active business man all his life long, and died July 16, 1847, leaving a wife, four daughters and a very large circle of friends to mourn his loss. Mr. Wells formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Jane M. McNeal June 14, 1S3S. She was a native of Detroit, Mich., where she was born Nov. 3, 1821. The issue of their union were four children, all girls: Eliza was born Dec. 24, 1839; Eunice L. Aug. 8, 1841; Antonett M., Nov. 16, 1843; and Louise Dec. 31, 1847. Eliza A. married John E. Babcock, and they have six children, namely : Ralph, John, George, Louise L., Maud and Drury. Eunice married Frank Merrill, and they had one son, — George S. Mr. Merrill died in the army, holding the office of Orderly Sergeant at the date of his V£ y -^©^ ©A^DBSIIDf^^ — ^^^ $% *fc % ?*Sl s»- <- 548 O ' V ^OCAT ISLAND COUNTY. % -%> A V death. Mrs. Merrill was again married, her second husband being James Mills, and they have one daughter, — Jennie. Antonett M. married George W. Henry, and the issue of their union was four children, — three sons and one daughter, namely: George W., Edward, Willie J. and Albert W. Louise J. married Nelson Perry, who died March 24, 1879, and she was again married to John Bryan. #^>€P-<^# saac Hollister. The late Isaac Hollister was a pioneer of Rock Island County of 1836. He was born Feb. 2, 1796, in Glas- tonbury, Conn. His parents removed from that place to Granville, Washington Co, N. Y., and he there attained to manhood and learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner. He was married Nov. 13, 1828, to Martha De- Wolf. She was born June 20, 1801, in Dearfield, Mass. They were residents of Washington County about five years and started for Illinois in 1833. They traveled by the Erie Canal to Buffalo and from there by the lake route to Chicago. A large extent of territory lying south of Chicago was then included in Cook County for municipal purposes, and Mr. Hollister settled on a part now comprised within the limits of Will County. He bought 160 acres of un- broken land of the Government, and built a log house, which his family occupied three years. In 1836 he sold his property and embarked in a prairie schooner for the countv of Rock Island. He made a claim in the timber, on section 17 of town 19, range 2, which is now known as Coe Township. His knowledge of the craft of a carpenter proved avail- able in the projected construction of a rather more aristocratic type of house than common, as he hewed a frame from logs which he cut himself, and the house was enclosed with riven boards. Before his dwelling was finished he met with an accident which deprived him of the use of his right arm for a long time, and he submitted to the necessity and pressure of circumstances, and built a log house. His afflic- tion precluded his laboring, and the demands of necessity forced him to consume the money which he had purposed to apply to the purchase of his V land when it came into market, and, on the occur- rence of the Government sales, he had only sufficient means to secure 40 acres without aid. He made an arrangement with B. F. Barrett to enter 80 acres of timber and 160 acres of prairie, one-half of which was to be deeded to Mr. Hollister in lieu of his claim. This arrangement secured 160 acres of land to the latter and he continued to live between two and three years in the timber. He then removed his cabin to his prairie claim, and after occupying it a few years he built a good frame house. He after- wards bought 80 acres of land adjoining and was the resident manager of the property until 1854, when he sold the farm for $4,000. He purchased 320 acres of land, which included the west half of section 18 in the same township. A few acres broken and a log house and stable comprised the improvements. He took possession of the property and built a good set of frame buildings, planted an orchard and lived on the place until 1865, when he placed his sons in charge and removed to Port By- ron, where he resided until his death. To him and his wife were born four children: William resides in Grundy Co., Iowa; Reuben G. and Edwin H. live on the homestead ; Martha is the wife of James Bell, of Port Byron. Mrs. Hollister is 84 years of age and gives every evidence of sufficient vitality for prolonging life some years. Both Mr. and Mrs. H. were among the 12 persons who composed the Congregational Church at its organization and of which Mr. H. continued an interested and helpful member until his death, which occurred Oct. 14, r885. He was a highly respected and esteemed citizen, and was followed to his last resting place by many sorrowing friends. acob Ziegler, deceased, was born in Hohen- f sachen, Germany, Jan. 21, 1818, came to America in 1840 and to Rock Island in 1848, where he died June 28, 1884. After coming to the country he made it his first duty to send money to " Faderland " to bring his parents to " glorious America," but they were des- tined to never see the new country. The ship in } & I •■r ' ■^€ ^ Q^ HMglllBfr 6 ^ ** mmm '*^ -£^6> 1 X&cIaaTixM^ m I *§» ■6V&D n S D B>>r^ — ?€^ i 1=3 ) & JPtfCA' ISLAND COUNTY. which they sailed caught fire at sea, and all on board were lost ! Mr. Ziegler learned the cooper's trade in Rock Isl- and and followed it the rest of his active life. For seven or eight years before his death he manufactured cooperage upon a pretty large scale on his own hook ; prior to that he had been employed by Mr. Zeese as foreman of his extensive cooperage establishment. Mr. Ziegler was an honest, hard-working man, dis- tinguished for his unerring integrity. He began life without a dollar, lived well, reared and educated a large family of children and left his widow a hand- some competency. He was united in marriage at Edgington, 111., April 29, 1847, to Miss Caroline Heinzel, and of the six children born to them four are dead, — George A., Rosa, Sadie and Jacob. The living are Mrs. Caro- line Mellinger and Emile, a brief sketch of whose life may be found upon another page of this book. Mr. Ziegler was independent in politics, liberal in religious views and an honored member of the A. O. U. W. eorge H. Edwards, a prominent citizen of , JgaK Moline, is a son of William and Huldah % t9,^P"" K (Bangs) Edwards, was born in Windham ' vf' Co., Vt, June 13, 1829, and came to Illinois with his father in 1S34 and to this county in the spring of r835 (see sketch of William Edwards), and is consequently one of the pioneers of Rock Island County. He received his education in the common schools of this county, and his boyhood days were spent on the farm assisting his father. After he attained the age of manhood, he went to Galena to learn the painter's trade, and while he resided there his father died. He then re- turned home, and, with his brother Herbert, carried op. the farm, though he had previously clerked a year in the store of Charles Atkinson, at Moline. After the death of his father and the estate was set- tled, in partnership with his brother Herbert, he rented the farm, which they carried on until 1855. The years 1855 and 1856 he spent east and north of Minneapolis. However, a portion of 1856 he was engaged in a bakery at Moline. On the 4th of March, 1857, he was married to Miss A Maria M. Waterman, the daughter of John and Em- eline (Shepard) Waterman. They were residents of this county. Mr. Waterman was a native of New York, his wife of Connecticut, and they came here in 1846. Mrs. Edwards was born in Nunda, Allegany Co., N. Y., June 14, 1836. As the fruits of their union, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards had born to them one son, Milton F., now residing on his farm in Andover Township, Henry Co., 111. He married Mary Har- per, of Western Township, Henry County. They also have one son, — Milton F., Jr. Milton F. was educated in the schools of Rock Island and Henry Counties and completed his education at Davenport. After his marriage, George H. carried on the old farm about seven or eight years, then purchased a farm in Western Township, Henry County, resided there seven years and returned to Moline. The four brothers laid out what is known as " Edwards' First and Second Additions " to the city of Moline. His brothers and mother also laid out an addition. Since about 1875 Mr. Edwards has had no active business except that his time has been employed in attending to his estate. In his political views, he was first identified with the Whig party, and on the formation of the Repub- lican party he became a stanch supporter of its principles, and during the war he was a strong Union man. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are both members of the Congregational Church. Mr. E. has been suc- cessful in the business enterprises of life, and has accumulated a handsome competency. He is liberal and public-spirited, and enterprises having in view the welfare of his city or county always find in him an active supporter. As an honored and respected pioneer and success- ful business man of Rock Island County, the pub- lishers take pleasure in presenting the portrait of Mr. Edwards in connection with this sketch. ^<0OO€ '■ " ;-.' "- mf f James Cozad, physician and surgeon at |M|l iL Reynolds, Edgington Township and Su- (SfV- pervisor of the same, was born in Mercer, j* Mercer Co., Pa., July 9, 1836. His father, Jacob, was also a native of that county, where he was born in 181 1, and his father, Elihu, was born in New Jersey, Dec. 20, 1771. Job Cozad, father of Elihu, was a native of Scotland, from which it i E=3 X=3 %/e:>3«f- ■am § I ? _ <>II1KDB'> * A $ > fo^ SS 2 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ~^^T -§»t^ I country he emigrated to the United States and set- tled in New Jersey just prior to the Revolutionary War. He was a farmer by occupation, and located in a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian settlement that had come to the United States early in its history. The father of Job was the originator of the Cozad family in America and died in New Jersey. Some of the family made settlements in Mercer County, Pa., in the year 1800, and their family have since resided in that county, extensively engaged in agricultural pur- suits and trading, and were manufacturers of iron. The father of the subject of this notice, Jacob Co- zad, was married in his native county, to Catherine Shafer (formerly spelled " Shaver "). She was born and reared in that county, her father being a "boot and shoe manufacturer. Her mother died there Aug. 10, 1 84 1, when Mrs. Cozad was but five years of age, being the oldest in order of birth of a family of three children, one of whom, Louis, dying in in- fancy, and her remaining sister is now the wife of J. E. Thompson, who is now residing in Cowlitz Coun- ty, Washington Territory. After the death of his mother, James' father was again married, and he (James) resided with friends in his native county, as- sisting on the farm and attending school at New Wilmington, Mercer Co., Pa. Dr. James Cozad, subject of this notice, resided with friends as stated until he attained the age of ten years, when he returned to his father's home and soon afterward went with him to Lee County, Iowa, in 1846, settling near Fort Madison on a farm. He continued to reside with his father until the death of the latter, which occurred at that place Aug. 25, 1850. After his father's death Dr. Cozad came to Whiteside County, this State, where he resided for a short time with an uncle. He then went to Garden Plain Township, that county, and while there thor- oughly prepared himself for the occupation of a teacher, which he followed in that county for about four years. During the meantime he studied medi- cine under the instruction of Dr. B. Cottle, of Al- bany, and Dr. Benton, of Fulton. At the breaking out of the late Civil War Dr. Cozad enlisted, at Ful- ton, in Co. F, 93d 111. Vol. Inf., and was most of the time during his term of service in the 17th Army Corps under Gen. Logan. Soon after enlisting he was appointed Hospital Steward of the regiment and was Acting Assistant Surgeon for some time, and during the summer of 1864 he was Acting Surgeon. While in the service he participated in the battles of Jackson, Miss., May 14, 1S63; Champion Hills, Miss., May 16, 1863 ; siege of Vicksburg, 1863 ; Mis- sionary Ridge, Nov. 1, 1863 ; and also the memora- ble battle of Altoona Pass, Oct. 5, 1864. He was also with Gen. Sherman in his famous march from Atlanta to the sea, participating in the siege of Sa- vannah, Ga. He then accompanied Gen. Sherman in his march through the Carolinas and took part in the battle of Bentonville, and then continued with Gen. Sherman in his march to Washington and wit- nessed the grand review. Dr. Cozad was mustered out of service at Louisville, Ky., and received his final discharge July 5, 1865, at Chicago. On receiving his discharge Dr. Cozad came to An- dalusia, where he erected a $6,000 residence, which he sold in the summer of 1885, and now has con- constructed another, which has cost $4,000. A view of this handsome residence appears on another page. He is the proprietor of 330 acres of land in Edging- ton Township, which is all in an advanced state of cultivation. Upon going to Andalusia he began his his practice and continued at that place until De- cember, 1883, when he came to Reynolds. Dr. Cozad was' united in marriage Dec. 11, 1867, at Fulton, 111., with Miss Martha, daughter of David Mitchell, the first Treasurer of Whiteside County. He was born Oct. 7, 1804, in Scioto County, Ohio. He is a son of the Hon David Mitchell, who repre- sented Scioto County in the State Legislature for a number of years. Mrs. Cozad was born in Garden Plain, Whiteside County, this State, Oct. 21, 1844, and was reared at home and educated in the com- mon schools at Fulton. Her father died Dec. 27, 1850, and her mother Jan. 28, 1861. She has borne to Dr. Cozad five children; Clara I., born Dec. 15, 1868; James M., Jan. 24, 187 1; Lettitia G., Nov. 25, 1872; Louis E., Nov. 8, 1876; and Ruth, born May 26, 1882. Mrs. Cozad is an active member of of the Presbyterian Church, her father having been an Elder in that denomination at Albany for some years. Politically, Dr. Cozad votes with the Republican party. He was Supervisor of Andalusia Township for two years, and is at present the Supervisor of Edgington Township. He is a member of the Illi- nois and Iowa District Medical Association, of which he has been Vice-President, and also of the Illinois State Medical Society and of the American Medica \$ () I 1 4- ^^JL «U$N$ .^Ui- ^g^ 4^£K< ^ff i-m- -&&* 6V4>tm^DD>> Vrr ^.'' born in Lambertsville, Mercer Co., N. J., Feb. 28, 1 841. When he was 12 years old he found himself in possession of the privilege of self-maintenance, and he set out to test his ability to do so creditably and well. He went first to Decorah, Iowa, and while there he was variously engaged until he obtained a position in a drug-store. He remained there until 1858, when he came to Cordova and entered into an apprenticeship to ac- quire a knowledge of the trade of a brick and plaster mason. He served three years, but that was his last intimacy with the business, as he never worked at it afterward. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in the military ser- vice of his country, enrolling in Co. A, gth 111. Regt. Cav. The regiment was assigned to the Western Army, and was involved in the campaigns in Mis- souri and Arkansas two years. At the end of that time Mr. Johnson was discharged on account of disa- bility, and he returned to Cordova. He engaged in clerking in the general merchandising store of J. Q. Wynkoop, and remained in his employ until 1864. In the fall of that year he again enlisted, but was not attached to any command, serving all the time on detached duty. He was sent at first to Chatta- nooga, and later to Annapolis, Md. In the winter following his company was attached to the 15th Conn. Regt. Vol., at Newbern, N. C. On the 8th day of March, 1865, he was taken prisoner near Goldsboro, N. C, and was sent to Libby Prison at Richmond, arriving there a few days before the fall of that city. He was released on parole, and re- turned to his home. He was discharged at Spring- field after the close of the war. On returning to Cordova, he became interested in the livery business, in which he was engaged one year. On leaving it — ^ii,»;^SEg<'*: S^Si.-^^-i •'■-■.' fe>'v.l : :-.y'' = a$ group of holstciu . '*•■; • -?: . m*h "«3!5 Mfe*% ^v v irs iR r m mm - Oh Valk . 25ll.S?/-*^£ I RESIDENCE OF W», W, PEA RS ALL, S E C. S3 . C OE_T0 NWSJHJLfL i ' I: , , arte :,- V^.' r '. a. Spa ■U : 4 rrtil tnftrffti in ; P ; -iiiiii^^ ^S£&SS&^ ^Kj&iili- '^>~J1 Residence of James Taylor, Taylor Ridge. IjTJI / I ^ <&7 ■v s (3/ TPCC.S' ISLAND COUNTY. I ft better his condition in a financial point of view the West with all its facilities was a better field for operation than the crowded East, he came to Rock Island city, this county, arriving here on the nation- al holiday, July 4, 1842. His journey was made all the way by team and wagon, in company with his his younger brother, William, who died here in the fall of the year in which they arrived. Two years after his arrival at Rock Island city, in 1844, he went to Edgington Township, and procured 160 acres of new land, which was in its original con- dition, and which is to-day his present homestead. He at once entered energetically and vigorously upon the clearing of his land, determined to make it an abiding place for himself and family for all time to come. At the time that he located upon his home- stead there were no settlements for miles around, and the coyotes, wolves and Indians were his only neigh- bors. Having a firm faith in the future development of the country, he stuck to it, and his accumula- tions are the evidences of the reliability of his good judgment. He has by energetic effort and economy, coupled with the active co-operation of his helpmate, increased his acreage to nearly 1,300 acres of val- able land, and has given a goodly portion of it to his children, and has now 640 acres, all but 80 of which is located on section r2, Edgington Township. He has a splendid residence, with good barn and sub- stantial outbuildings, of which we present a view on Page 555- Mr. Taylor was first united in marriage in the land of his nativity, May 7, 1S36, to Miss Elsie Mal- colm. She was a native of Scotland, and was born in that country June 19, 1816. The issue of their union was two children, one of whom is yet living in Hardin Co., Iowa, is married and named Ann Fry. The wife and mother died in Hamilton Co , Ohio, Sept. 23, 1839, and Mr. Taylor was again united in marriage Sept. 20, 1840, in Hamilton Co., Ohio, to Miss Rachel Van Camp. She was the accomplished daughter of Tunis Van Camp, and was born in Somerset Co., N. J., March 13, 18 1 7. She was reared and educated in that State, and came to Ohio when about ten years of age. The issue of their union is ten children, all of whom were married. Their names are as follows : James, Samuel, John, Louisa, Nettie (deceased), William, Flora, Mattie and Catherine. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are both members of the Presbyterian Church at Edgington. He has been a prominent citizen of this county, and is classed among the pioneer settlers of the same, coming here as he did in 1842. He has held the office of As- sessor for 17 years, 15 of the same being consecu- tively; Supervisor six years, and Chairman of the Board four years, and was the first Postmaster, ap- pointed by President James K. Polk in 1847, hold- ing his position until 1862, at what was then called Pleasant Ridge, the same being his residence. Mr. Taylor has also been President of the Old Settlers' Association, and has held many of the minor offices of his township. Politically, he is identified with the Democratic party. Keene Crockett, who is a prominent ja ll^y^W e, farmer of section 28, Coal Valley Town- |^p ship, residing on Longview stock farm, is |^ a son of AVilliam and Eliza (Ware) Crockett. His parents were natives of Kentucky, where his mother died in the year 1858. His father came to this county in 1868, settling in the city of Rock Island. In 18S2 he removed to Waukegan, 111 , where he now resides. In his family were four children, — Tee, Fanny, Phil and W. Keene. The latter was born in Bourbon Co., Ky., Feb. 10, 1855, but his education was received in the common and high schools of Rock Island, and in the business college at Davenport, Iowa. He afterward entered the employment of Field & Bros., in Rock Island, as clerk in their wholesale notion house, which position he sustained two years, and then went to Coal Val- ley, where he remained with his father on the farm one year. He then rented a farm in Rural Town- ship with his brother two years. In 1874 he went to Missouri, where he was engaged in training horses and in farming for five years. He finally returned to Coal Valley Township, which has since been his home. He was united in marriage in Missouri, Oct. 11, 1881, with Emma Glenn, daughter of George W. and Susan Glenn. She was born in Springfield, 111., April 11, 1864. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Crockett are Clara W. and Phil T. k I ( A^nii$nii$A£ — ^^^ #»- -558 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. I f Mr. Crockett is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Democratic party. Mrs. Crockett is a member of the Methodist Episco- pal Church. Mr. Crockett is extensively engaged in the raising of fine stock. He has the finest herd of Short-horn cattle in the countv, and is also a breeder of trotting and road horses. Mr. Crockett's father is the pro- prietor of the "Blue Grass " Stud Stables of Wauke- gan. Among the fine horses that might be mentioned are " Crockett's McGregor," " Star Hambletonian," " Richmont," "Rockmont" and "Hambletonian Chief." saac Cool, a farmer of Cordova Township, and a pioneer of Rock Island County of 1838, was born Feb. 15, 1822, near Prince- ton, Huntingdon Co., N. J., and he is the youngest son of Wm. and Elizabeth (Larison) Cool. His parents were both natives of the same State and were of German extraction. The father died when the son was but little more than an infant and left the mother with five children — four boys and a girl. She kept her little flock to- gether in New Jersey until 1837, when her second son, Jonathan, came to Rock Island County, 111., and located a claim in what is now Cordova Township. The land was situated on section 31. He built a small house and in the summer of the next year the family joined him there. Mrs. Cool, the mother, started with her four children in April, 1838, for the far West as it was then known, and he traveled the entire distance from New Jersey to the western border of Illinois in wagons drawn by horses, bringing with them their household goods and maintaining the routine of their domestic estab- lishment on the way. They spent eight weeks on the journey, landing here about July 16. The little house built by the brother for their accommodation was a very welcome retreat after the tedious journey, and it was occupied in content by the reunited fam- ily. The brothers bought a claim on section 23 in the same town where Jonathan had settled, and as soon as the land was placed in the market they bought it with money they borrowed through an *««#- --"■■" — ^00 agent, to whom they paid 5 per cent, for his services, and they also paid 50 per cent, for the use of the money for one year. While they were improving their land they resided in the village of Cordova, and they remained there until 1843. They then built a hewed-log house on the farm which they occupied until 1853. In that year they bought the northwest quarter of section 32 and took possession of it im- mediately. The whole family lived there until i86r. Isaac was then married and moved to Cordova, where he lived 18 months. In the meantime the brothers bought the south half of section 32, and in 1863 Isaac took possession of the soutliwestern quarter, on which a small house had been built, into which they moved, and it was their home until 18S2. Mr. Cool then built the commodious frame house now occupied by his family. Mr. Cool was joined in marriage Aug. 15, 1861, to Nancy J., daughter of George and Amanda (Burns) Hatcher. They have three children — Amanda E., Eleanor L. and Anna G. Mrs. Cool was born in Prestonburg, Floyd Co., Ky., June 19, 1832. In rSs7 she went with her parents to Winona, Minn., and after a stay of a few weeks they came thence to Cordova where the father and mother both died. They had 11 children, seven sons and four daugh- ters. All are deceased except two sons and two daughters. Mr. Cool is a member of Cordova Lodge, No. 543, A. F. & A. M., and is also a Knight Templar, and has officiated as Worshipful Master of the former body for eight years. He has been earnestly interested in educational matters and has served in the various school offices. He has acted as one of the Trustees of the public library at Cordova. He is a Democrat, and cast his first vote for James K. Polk. g3GGsSK"»EEB C— V© v t \s ( P. Tindall, conducting a livery and feed S>S§ 9 stable on Third Avenue, Rock Island, tJB^ti was born in Rock Island County in 1848. t'f^\ He remained under the parental roof-tree until he attained the age of 31 years, in the meantime assisting his father in the mainte- nance of his family, alternating his labors on the farm with attendance at the schools in the acqui- ^v;-v®t#**- -& v^au&nflf^ i«^^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 559 m sition of an English education. In 1879 he emi- grated to Colorado, and there engaged in the mining business, which he followed for six months, then re- turning to his native county. On his return home, he began in the livery business, in which he is at present interested, and is doing a good and constant- ly increasing business. He deals quite largely in the buying and selling of horses. Politically, Mr. Tindall is identified with the prin- ciples advocated by the Republican party, and so- cially belongs to the Knighls of Pythias. He is one of the leading men, as well as honest, energetic, rep- resentative citizens of the county. > e5*-£-*£= «/ * "iJi ev. Henry D. Cline, deceased, formerly a , resident of Buffalo Prairie Township, this ''Afc&) county, was born in Westmoreland County, ftf\ Pa., Jan. 21, 1824, and was a son of Henry and Sarah Cline. When he was quite young his father died and his mother married again, and he lived with his step- father's brother, where he learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed in Westmoreland and in Hollidaysburg, Blair Co., his native State. When Rev. Cline was 23 years of age he went to Granville, Ohio, and entered the college at that place and followed the curriculum of that institution for two years. Previous to this, when in his 19th year, he had joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was Class-Leader in that denomination for a time, but he changed his views and became an ad- herent of the faith of the Baptist Church, and preach- ed in that denomination before going to Ohio. After leaving college Rev. Cline taught school in Licking County, Ohio, and in 1850 came to Illinois and lo- cated in Buffal oPrairie Township, this county, where he resided on John Edgington's place four years. He then purchased land on section 36, on which he set- tled and entered vigorously and energetically on its cultivation and improvement. He was ordained Pastor of Sugar Grove Church in 185 2, and was Pas- tor of the same until, on account of disease in his throat, he was obliged to resign. Subsequently, he has preached at intervals in various places. In 1862, soon afier the breaking out of the late Civil War, and the President had called for brave hearts and strong arms to defend the Union, Rev. Cline raised a company of 101 men, which was des- ignated Co. B and attached to the 126th 111. Vol. Inf., and of which he was elected Captain. Rev. Cline was united in marriage Aug. 25, 1S49, with Emily C. Coffman. She was born in Fairfield, Ohio, April 15, 1827, and is the daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Caldwell) Coffman. Her father was a native of Virginia and her mother of Pennsylvania. They settled in Ohio, and were among the first set- tlers in Fairfield and Licking Counties, that State. Rev. Cline died near Haines Bluff, Miss., June 21, 1863, leaving a wife and seven children. Albert E. was born June 5, 1850, and lives in Gage County, Neb. ; Edmund T. was born Aug. 30, 1853, and died on the old homestead June 7, 1S85; Orlando C, born Oct. 13,1858, manages the homestead; Daniel E., born June 3, 1857, resides in Denver, Colo.; Silas B., born May 10, 1859, is a resident of Boone, Boone Co., Iowa; William H., born May 7, 1861, is a resident of Mercer County, III. ; and Rose, born April 23, 1863, is a teacher in the public schools of Jewell City, Kansas. Mrs. Cline was again married July 5, 1868, to Thomas C. Lewis, a native of Pittsburg, Pa. He is at present a leading salesman of the Diebold Safe & Lock Co., of Chicago. Two children have been born of their union, namely : Cora M., born June 5, 1 869 ; and Bertha S., born July 29, 1872. ' j. fjifohn Wixon, of the firm of Wixon & Peal, ;' j'f^l'i ■ - proprietors ol the oldes! established livery ■1 ' "' and feed stable in Moline. This stable %A n, ^mm; m €': •?r '\i A> I A i !* t 560 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. *\ years of age John accompanied his parents to Oak- land Co., Mich. They subsequently moved to Wayne County, and came to Illinois in 1852; spent a short time in Fulton, and then removed to DeKalb County. John was engaged in farming in the latter county, and in 1S57 drove a team across the plains. He returned to Fulton, and was employed on the Mississippi River as pilot till 1863; he then came to Moline, and has since made this city his home. In 1S65 he bought into the liver)' business, which he has carried on continually since. The existing part- nership with Mr. Oscar Peal was formed in 1S83. Mr. Wixon was united in marriage, at Galena, 111., June 22, 1859, to Miss Eliza Palmer. They have had seven children, four girls and three boys, three of whom only survive: Ida, the eldest, died, aged three and a half years; Ada died aged a year and a half; William was born June 27, 1865 ; Emma, Sept. 5, 1867; John died in infancy; Birdie also died in infancy, and John was born Aug. 12, 1875. Mr. Wixon is a Republican of the most pronounced type, while on the subject of religion he entertains liberal views. ^oooe \ illiarn M. Twigg, physician, residing at Illinois City, is a native of Ohio, where, in • Delaware County, he was born, Nov. 10, 1835. He passed the early part of his life, until he attained the age of 14 years, in Granville, Licking Co., Ohio. He then went on his father's farm, where he remained two years, and in 1S51 removed to Louisa Co., Iowa, and de- voted his attention to the cultivation of the soil, until he attained the age of 21 years. On attaining the age of majority Dr. Twigg entered the office of J. B. Latta, at Grand View, Louisa County, and studied medicine under his instruction for two years. He then attended medical lectures in Keokuk, Iowa, and soon thereafter began the practice of his profession at Oakland, Louisa Co., Iowa, but shortly afterward the war for the union broke out, and Dr. Twigg enlisted as a private in Co. C, isl Iowa Vol. Inf., and served in the Hospital Department for three months, at which time his term of enlistment expired. He was afterward commis- sioned, at the organization of the nth Iowa Inf., as 2d Lieutenant. He took part in the battle of Wil- son's Creek, and first and second battles of Corinth, besides many skirmishes, and served until January, 1863, then resigned on account of ill health, and re- turned to Fairport, Muscatine Co., Iowa, and resumed the practice of his profession. He followed his prac- tice at the latter place for three years, and in July, 1866, came to Illinois City, this county, where he has continued the practice of his profession ever since. By strict attention to business, carefully diagnosing his diseases, and treating them to the very best of his ability, without regard to remunera- tion, he has built up a fine practice throughout this section of the county. Dr. Twigg formed a matrimonial alliance in Jeffer- son City, Mo., Jan. 27, 1863, with Miss Anna I. Eckler. She was the accomplished daughter of Charles F. and Kate Eckler. Mrs. Twigg was born in St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 23, 1842. She was the eldest of a family of seven children, four girls and three boys. Mr. and Mrs. Twigg have had born of their union three children, only one of whom survives — Louie, born April n, 1868. The deceased are Georgia and Charles. Politically, Dr. Twigg is a believer in the tenets of the Republican party. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and socially, the Doctor is a member of the I. O. O. F., and of the G. A. R., belonging to the W. J. Wiley Post, No. 377, of which he is Commander. A view of Dr. Twiggs residence is presented on page 297. r'y - i©?!; erbert E. Casteel, of the mercantile firm of - ^|>V|; Denlinger & Casteel at Port Byron, was born Spp*"* March 15, i860, at Davenport, Iowa, and is the only son of Appleton anu Elizabeth 9 (Gardner) Casteel. He came to Port Byron when he was 1 3 years of age, and two years later, in 1875, he entered the employ of the Port Byron Lumber Company as book-keeper. He dis- charged the duties of that position two and a half years, and in 1878 engaged in the same capacity with Taylor Williams at Rapids City, where he was employed the same length of time. On the termin- & iy ) s I -s ^ Q^ 3W1%I11E> -ft. -=«^- i?if fa/riiz'r/i. csicJ-h, Jf,u -%^fa\ the company for 20 years — 1 9 years a fore- man and superintendent. The subject of this sketch was born in England, in Chester County, March 24, 1838, and is the son of William and Mary Evans. He served a regular apprentice- ship at the machinist and boilermaker's trade in his native country. He emigrated to America in 1855, spent a few weeks in Philadelphia, working at his trade, and then came to Moline. He began work with Deere & Co., plow manufacturers, and continued with them till r865, when he left home to engage with the Moline Plow Company. In 1866 he was made foreman in his department, which position he ^ >7\'»' T ^c^aS ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4^^®V^ % theld till 1875, when he was promoted to the position he now holds, that of superintendent of the iron de- partment. Mr. Evans' long service in the responsi- ble relations he has held with this company in their extensive works, bears indisputable testimony to his perfect knowledge of his business, his entire capa- bility and fidelity to the duties devolving upon him. Mr. Evans was married June 1, 1858, to Mrs. Jane Venis, daughter of Robert Cowley. Mrs. Evans was born on the Isle of Man, and died at the birth of her first child, a son ; the child died also. Mr. I Evans was married again, Jan. 25, i860, to Miss (j Anna C, daughter of John Anderson. Mrs. Evans ^ was born in Sweden, Jan. 30, 1845. They have had eight children, six of whom are living, namely : George E., born Nov. 17, 1861 ; Clara J., March 2, 1865 ; Lillian M., Feb. 29, 1868; Bessie A., July 10, 1870; Willard F., Dec. 30, 1874; Mamie C, Aug. 8, 1878, and Bernice R., born Now. 12, 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Evans are members of the Baptist Church. In politics Mr. E. is a Republican. Mr. /\ Evans is the patentee of some valuable inventions, n one an improvement on the Western Cultivator, and another is the popular Evans Sulky Plow. > Co m t^harles Fiebig, safe-lock expert of Rock jjj Island, was born and brought up in the (flU/' v c ^y of Neustadt, province of Holstein Ger- $fe many. He was a locksmith by trade, and it W ■ was this fact that led him to the study of safe l| and burglar-proof locks as a specialty, after arriving in America. Mr. Fiebig is the eldest son of P. F. and Anna Fiebig, and was born July 18, 1847. His father, whom he has visited since coming to this country, is a wealthy lime and cement manufacturer in Germa- ny, and has frequently tried to induce Charles to re- . ( turn to Neustadt and make his home ; but he says, having been acquainted with the ways of America, he could never endure to live again in Europe. He came over in 1865, and for the four years following t worked in a machine-shop in Davenport, Iowa, go- 11 ing thence to Cincinnati, where he worked two years C^ -or Hall's Safe and Lock Company. In 1872 he came to Rock Island, and after clerking about three years in the hardware house of A. Steele began his present business. His shop, where he manufac- tures and repairs locks, burglar alarms, electric bells, etc., is located on Third Avenue near 17th Street. But this department is but an incident to his chief business, which is that of safe and burglar-proof lock expert, in which he is employed by the largest safe and lock companies in the United States. Since his residence in this city, he has been en- gaged in no less than 500 different safe openings, and has yet to meet with a combination that would not yield to his efforts to secure his successful solu- tion. His work consists largely in opening safes when the combination has been lost and the owners are unable to gain an entrance. In some cases criminal work has been performed such as the ab- sconding of the clerk in charge, and the parties have telegraphed for an expert to open the safe for inspec- tion. The most notable cases in which he has fig- ured are given below. The safe of the Burlington mills refused to open after the drowning of the cash- ier, and the Rock Island expert was sent for and soon discovered the correct combination. The clerk of the steamer Helen Mara few years since absconded, and the officers remaining failed to know the combination. Fiebig was called on and solved the combination. Another peculiar incident is that related of a safe in the office of J. N. Lowry, at Carbon Cliff. The safe remained in that office 13 years, and nobody seemed to be aware of its owner, as the office had several times changed hands, but no history of the safe was ever transmitted. Finally the safe expert was called on, and the safe was opened and the own- er discovered. The latter, it was proved, had died suddenly, which accounted for the mystery surround- ing it. The safe of Thompson & Riley, of Davenport, Io- wa, remained unopened for three years, as the form- er partner had died without giving the combination, and the new proprietors were unable to master it. August Tilmain, of Milan, had a safe which came in possesion of the sheriff, and he refused to open it. Fiebig was equal to the emergency, and soon had the contents exposed to view. N. Dimock, of Lone Tree, Iowa, on recovery from a disease failed to remember the combination. He was obliged to employ an expert to have it opened. The clerk of I V JU=i 4*@£Kf@ v 1 -^I k erv &nn&iw> f& , lifton Stanley, proprietor of the Commer- W cial House, and owner and manager of »iy» ■> the livery barn at Reynolds, was born in dfe) Fulton County, this State, Sept. 8, 1851. He W was only a year old when the family moved to J Drury Township, this county. His mother having died when he was about eight years of age, he lived with his uncle, Simon Mills, of Buffalo Prairie, four years, and then, his father marrying again, he lived with him until of age, receiving a good public-school education. When a young boy, Mr. Stanley received an injury on his left leg, which resulted in the terrible malady termed "white swelling," and finallv in the necessity of amputation ; but, notwithstanding this severe af- fliction, he managed by industry and economy to secure a team and wagon, with which he engaged in the huckstering business from Muscatine, for four years, in this and Mercer counties. Then for a year he herded cattle in Southwestern Iowa. He afterward came to Aledo, Mercer Co., 111., and, with Perry Moore, engaged in the livery business. This partnership continued for two years, and in 1878 Mr. Stanley came to Reynolds and engaged in the livery business (afterward purchasing a good barn and lot, 150 x 160 feet), which he has since success- fully conducted. In April, 1884, he purchased a half interest in the Commercial Hotel, since which date & A (!) *§> « l&DDy^--^ 3 ^©^- 4^^f £ 563 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -t*t£*cd fN i 62 ? he has been its manager, enjoying a large and satis- factory patronage. He was married March 20, 1884, in Duncan Township, Mercer Co., 111., to Mary J. Bonney, daughter of John S. and Melissa (Kistler) Bonney. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and of German ancestry, and reside in that township, where Mr. Bonney is a prominent citizen. Mrs. Stanley was born in Buffalo Prairie Township, this county, Sept. n, 1862, and was reared and educated there. Mr. Stanley is now holding the office of Consta- ble, which he has held for the last four years. He has also been Collector two terms. Mr. Stanley's father, Richard H, was probably a native of Ohio ; he was a farmer by vocation, and came to Illinois in pioneer days. He married Miss Sarah Mills, who was born in Pennsylvania, of Ger- man descent, and died when her son Clifton was eight years of age. The bereaved husband then found it necessary to break up housekeeping until he was re-married, about four years afterward, to Jo- hanna Fowler. He died in the year 1873. -O & — (!) -^l^ric Okerberg, the pioneer jeweler and watchmaker of Rock Island County, came here in 1 85 1 , was born in Sweden, July 2 1 , ££. 1821. He served a regular apprenticeship to the watchmaker and jeweler trade in his native country, and afterwards carried on the business until 1850, when he emigrated to America. He came to Rock Island and opened the first watchmaker and jeweler shop in this place, then only a small vil- lage. He continued business at this point until the spring of 1855, when he removed to Moline and es- tablished his present business. Mr. Okerberg has the oldest and most important house in his line in the city, and by good work and fair dealing has built up an honorable reputation. He owns the substan- tial brick structure in which he does business, besides other valuable city property. He is noted for his in- dustrious habits and close application to business, which insures prompt and skillful attention to all work placed in his hands, which is one of the secrets £\9d*wi- *&*■ — %^m n : of his successful career as a business man. He is a thorough master of his business, as he ought to be, having had 43 years' experience in the same. Mr. Okerberg was united in marriage in Rock Isl- and, Jan. 13, 1853, to Miss Johanna Peterson, also a native of Sweden. They have become the parents of seven children, two sons and five daughters: Emma, born March 31, 1854, wife of August Alm- gren, of Moline; Matilda, born June 30, 1856, wife of John Buford, of Moline; Eric Axel, born May 18, 1859; Jennie, born March 3, 1862; France Oscar, born June 7, 1S67 ; Rose, born Feb. 9, 1872; Nel- lie, born May 31, 1876. -««- *5V; "-.'-■ Wfefti rnbrose Searl, a retired resident at Port sJjJj '. Byron, is a pioneer of the county of Rock Island of 1838. He was born Nov. 27, 1808, in Fairfield Co., Ohio, and is the son of John and Polly (Ephrenmon) Searl. His parents were born respectively in Vermont and Ohio, and they belonged to the pioneer element in the Buckeye State, as they located in the county of Fairfield in its earliest period. His father was extensively engaged for many years as a drover, buying large herds of cattle, sheep and hogs in Tennessee, which he sold in Ohio. In 1809 he set out for the former State, taking with him a large sum of money. He was never again heard from, and it was supposed that he was murdered for his money, as his business relations were well known. At 20 years of age Mr. Searl entered into a volun- tary apprenticeship with a cabinet-maker, with whom he served two years. He then established himself in the same line of business at Royalton in Fairfield County, where he operated until 1831, when he started for Michigan, accompanied by his wife and child. The journey of 300 miles was made with an ox team. Mr. Searl made a claim of Government land, which was, situated 12 miles from the city of Kalamazoo, in a southerly direction, on which he built a pioneer's dwelling and began making im- provements. When the Government sales com- menced he went to White Pigeon, and entered 160 acres of land. He began to improve his property, and work as a carpenter. In 1S38 he sold out and 4 V /? OTf^A^- 1® p o @ 1\ f came to Illinois. He drove through with horses to Rock Island County. He bought 240 acres of land, situated 17 miles from the city of Rock Island, on on which was a log house and a stable, and a few acres had been broken. He devoted his time to the pursuit of agriculture there seven years, when he sold out and went to Hampton Township, where he be- came by purchase the proprietor of another farm. This he sold also in 1881, and moved to Port Byron, where he bought his present residence. Mrs. Hannah Searl was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1806. She is the mother of five children : Albina is the wife of D. S. Allen, and they reside at Port Byron. Mary married Alexis Fishback, of Kalamazoo, Mich. James A. is a resident of Hamp- ton Township. Hattie married Mr. Lawyer, of Ohio. John lives in Hampton Township. Mr. Searl has passed his life in active, energetic effort. He is a capable mechanic, a skillful fanner, and a judicious manager in all vocations in whch he has operated. **££&&%&' vtg&gflmm. Rohn W. Bartlett, foreman of the wood de- partment of the Moline Plow Co. since November, 188 1, was born in Washington County, Ohio, Aug. 10, 1828. Here he was jt reared and served an apprenticeship to the \ carriage-making trade in all its brandies. Af- ter having served his full time at this business, he decided not to pursue it, at least just then, so he en- gaged in the bucket and tub manufacture at Harmar, Ohio, and learned that business there. In 1S70 he went to Nashville, Tenn., where he erected a saw- mill, which he operated in connection with a bucket factory. He spent two years and a half in Tennessee, and in 1873 came to Moline to take charge of Dim- ock, Gould & Co.'s tub and pail factory as foreman. He operated in that capacity seven years, proving an efficient and valuable acquisition to the company's force. He then went to St. Joe, Mich., where he erected a paper pail factory for A. H. Morrison, who had a large tub and pail factory at that place and op- erated it until it was destroyed by fire, when he re- moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., and took charge of C. C. Comstock's tub and pail factory. After having remained about 15 months in the last named factory, he returned to Moline, where he en- gaged with the Moline Plow Co., in November, 1881. Having had about 17 years' experience in tub and pail making, he quit the business and engaged as foreman of the pattern and wood department of the extensive agricultural implement works of this com- pany. Mr. Bartlett is a thorough mechanic and has made patterns for all sorts of farm machinery. He is the patentee of upwards of 25 different inventions, many of which have proved very valuable. Among the most important of his inventions may be men- tioned a machine for the manufacture of tubs and pails and a wheeled riding plow, on which he draws a handsome royalty from the manufacturers in Can- ada. He also invented a machine for potato digging and sacking. Another very important invention of his is the tire-setting machine, now in use in the Moline Plow Co.'s shops, which sets tires cold and shrinks them to the required size with great speed and uniformity. The superintendent of the J. I. Case threshing machine shops, of Racine, Wis., recently came to Moline to investigate the working of this noted ma- chine, and was so pleased with it that he ordered one for the Case shops, at a cost of $800. These ma- chines are manufactured in Clinton, Iowa. Informa- tion regarding the sale of them will be furnished by Mr. Bartlett, of Moline. He is also the inventor of some popular lubricating oils. In fact, he possesses a most active and inventive mind, and may be justly classed among the leading inventors of the country. He seems able to solve any mechanical problem to which he gives thought. His many inventions are practical in their nature, and are in daily use in some of the leading and most advanced manufactories in the country. He is certainly a most valuable ad- junct even to the extensive factory which employs so many skilled and efficient men. Mr. Bartlett is also a fine business man and a highly respected citizen of Moline, and as a splendid representative of the re- spected and valued class of Rock Island's business men, inventors and mechanics, we place his portrait in this Album. Mr. Bartlett formed a matrimonial alliance at Red Bank, New Jersey, Nov, n, 1851, with Miss Sarah R., daughter of Thomas Cook and Fannie (Hawkins) & * v' w I E3 t ^^ ^ o/^ nn&niBfr^ — ^c^ •f*@^Sd>, -cr v^nHSM)^ T5" 57 2 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Dailey. Mrs. Bartlett was born in Monmouth Co., New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. B. is a Republican in political opinion and a member of the A. O. U. W., Moline Lodge, No. 115. Hawes, Postmaster at Rock Island, was born in that city March 7, " 1841. His parents, David and Julia M. (Babcock) Hawes, were natives of Massa- chusetts, but early pioneers in Illinois, coming to the State as early as 1835, and two years thereafter located in Rock Island, since which time they have resided there, except the mother, who died in 1872, witnessing the wonderful transforma- tion from the little trading post of that day to the thriving, bustling city of to-day. The subject of this sketch remained at home, at- tending the common schools, until 1861, when Presi- dent Lincoln issued his proclamation to the loyal people of the North for volunteers to put down the Rebellion that had recently broken out in the South. Mr. Hawes immediately signified his willingness to respond to the call by enlisting in Co. A, 37 th 111. Vol. Inf., which soon went into camp at Chicago, where it remained for a month. Upon the organiza- tion of the company Mr. H. was elected First Ser- geant. From Chicago he went with the regiment to St. Louis, and in March, 1862, took part in the cam- paign in Southwestern Missouri. He was devoted to his country, attentive and punctual in obeying all orders, soldierly in his bearing, and, possessing those traits especially required in a leader, he soon won the confidence of his superiors and the esteem of his fellow soldiers in arms. This was demonstrated by his promotion through all the different positions to Captain, which position he held until Sept. 2r, 1863, when he was transferred to the 22d Regiment of the United States Colored Troops with commission of Major, which position he held until the close of the war, and was mustered out Dec. 31, 1865, at New Orleans, La. The 2 2d Regiment was attached to the 13th Army Corps of the Army of the Southwest. In October, 1864, he was appointed Inspector Gen- eral of the Freedmen's Bureau of the State of Louisi During the Major's service in the war he was en- gaged in many battles and skirmishes. During all these perilous times, and amid constant danger, he received only a slight wound. After his discharge from the service he returned home, and embarked in the grocery business in company with his father, under the firm name of D. Hawes & Son. He con- tinued in this line of business until 1872, when he was appointed Chief of Police of Rock Island, which his long service as a soldier had especially qualified him for. This position he held until 1880, when he was given a position in the Postoffice as clerk, where he remained for two years. At the end of this time he again retired from public service, and engaged with Yale & Towne, manufacturers, as traveling salesman. This occupation he continued to follow until his appointment as Postmaster of Rock Island, his commission dating July 4, 18S4. Politically, the Major is a Republican, but divorces politics from his public duties, serving all alike, and laboring for the best interests of the whole community. Major Hawes was married Dec. 10, 1866, to Miss Josephine B. Saulpaugh, a native of New York. To them have been born three children : Catherine, born Dec. 6, 1868; Josephine, March 27, 1876, and C. W., June 24, 1880. He is a member of the K. of P., A. O. U. W., and Modern Woodmen, the latter two being beneficiary orders. He has been inti- mately coneected with the Illinois National Guard, and for a time was Captain of Co. A, of the Sixth Regiment, Second Brigade, and was promoted to the Majorship, and again was elected Captain. He is a member of General John Buford Post, G. A. R., No. 243- ^%iL red Freytag. dealer in furniture, wall-paper, ^ '\ carpets, etc., and undertaker, at Reynolds, ;,Vi r ^ was born in the city of Rendsburg, Hol- %|p stein, Germany, July 23, 1847. His father, ifes Hering, is still a resident in Germany, where i he is following his occupation of harnessmaker. The mother of the subject of this sketch, Anna (Kuehl) Freytag, died when Mr. F. was about six years old, he being the only son. After the death 1 $ y ^X ^tf * — -K-od: s - -UtSN^^A ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 573 of his mother he lived with his father, who afterward married again, until November, 1868, when he came to America, locating with his cousin, George Herbst, Iin Moline for a time. He came to this county and followed his trade as furniture manufacturer, which he had learned in his native country. For some time he worked for differ- ent companies, and then, forming a partnership with John Kroger, established a furniture store in the city of Rock Island. This partnership was dissolved at the end of about r8 months. He afterward moved to Reynolds in May, 1877, and started a small store, where he has since been successfully engaged in his chosen calling. He has purchased the store build- ing and lot, and has also a good residence. He is a straightforward and reliable dealer, and is esteemed as a worthy citizen of the community. July 10, 1870, in Rock Island City, Mr. Freytag was married to Miss Mary Schmidt, daughter of Philip and Mary Schmidt, both the latter of whom are deceased. Mrs. F. was born in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 25, 1850, and was a very young child when her parents moved with their family to Rock Island, where she was reared and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Freytag have become the parents of six children, one of whom is deceased, namely: Henry P., who died in infancy. The living are Philip, who was born Feb. 21, 1872; Emil, July 28, 1874; Mary, May 24, 1S80; Charles, March 17, 1882; and Hen- ry, Aug. 18, 1884. The family attend the Lutheran Church. Mr. F. is a member of Lodge No. 6, A. O. U. W., at Rock Island, of which organization he was Recorder for some time. He was formerly a Republican in his political views, but is now a Democrat. r -K3- -£*- (7\ illlam H. Turner, Secretary of the Moline Pipe Organ Company, was born in Wor- cestershire, England. He learned the trade of organ builder in his native country, at which he was employed until 1869, when he was engaged to come to America in the in- terest of Marshall Bros., of Milwaukee, Wis. Mr. Turner made his home at Milwaukee, Wis., till 1871, when he came to Moline, 111., forming a partnership with Mr. John Lancashire and Edward Harris, fel- low countrymen, for the purpose of manufacturing pipe organs. They began in a small way, and gradu- ally increased their facilities till they had secured the well-appointed and commodious establishment now known as the Moline Pipe Organ Works, which was incorporated March 26,1879. Mr. Turner was elected Secretary at the first election of officers, and is the present incumbent. lanson L. Sayre, farmer on section 27, Rural Township, is a son of John and Jane (Valentine) Sayre, who were natives of New Jersey. The father died in Ohio, in 1836, and the mother in Rock Island County in the early part of the year 1848. They had born to them a large family of children, bearing the following names : Cynthia, Albert N., Milton V., Emily, Alma, Alanson L., Alonzo C, Calvin M., Wilmont C, Sal- mon B. and Clarissa, the latter of whom lost her life when about three years of age by falling into a tub of hot suds. Our subject's grandmother, Johanna Crane, was of old Puritan stock, and her husband, William Valentine, was of French extraction. His great-grandfather on the maternal side served in the War for American Independence. The subject of this sketch was born in Champaign Co , Ohio, Oct. 24, 1818, but was reared to manhood in the county of Logan, in that State. He came to Mercer County, this State, in 1838, and after a year's residence there he returned to Ohio. A year after that he came to this county, settling in Rural Town- ship, where he has since resided, and now owns 520 acres of land in this county. He is a successful farmer and an exemplary citizen. He has held the offices of Supervisor, Assessor, Collector, etc., and in his political views he is classed with the Democrats. The marriage of Mr. Sayre to Mary Harold, daugh- ter of John and Catherine (Baum) Harold, took place Aug. 13, 1840, in Logan Co., Ohio. Mrs. Sayre was born in Pennsylvania, April 17,1817. Her parents were born in Westmoreland County, that State. Her mother's father, Christopher Baum, was also a native ®) f I ft >& -^€3^ — @t^MI@I1D<^A^ — ss*^n »c@/ii I 3> 574 ' ^DO^DQ^ -£SL .tfOCX ISLAND COUNTY. 4 ) A V > a '1 of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Sayre's parents had a family consisting of ten children, viz. : Elizabeth, who mar- ried Simon Heater, a native of Ohio; Mary, now Mrs. A. L. Sayre ; David, John, Lewis, Martha, the wife of Wilson Newell, also of Ohio; Jacob, George \V, Catherine and Francis Marion. Mr. and Mrs. Sayre are the parents of seven children now living : Marietta, wife of Branson C. Metzler; Caroline mar- ried John L. Long; Perry W. married Fanny C. Couch; Martha, J., wife of B. F. Couch; Joseph A., husband of Catherine Tracy; Charles E. was united in marriage with Laura A. Shearrard, and Cyrilda the wife of H. H. Worthington. Two are deceased, John and Oliver. JOOO^ -- ' • V illiam D. Webster, the leading merchant at Cordova, is a native citizen of Rock Island County. He was born March 3, 1S49, in Hampton Township, and is the son 11 of Richard and Man (Palmer) Webster. His parents were natives of Maine, and were pioneers of the county. When he was 16 years old he went to the city of Rock Island and entered the employ of C. M. Aiken, dry-goods merchant, and continued in the position two yeais. He then engaged in the same capacity with C. Tegeler, with whom he remained one year. He then came to Cordova and became an accountant in the employ of D. Zimmerman and J. Q. Wynkoop. He remained in their business until he was 21 years of age. In the same year in which he attained his majority he began to operate as a buyer and shipper of grain, in which he was engaged r8 months, mar- keting at Chicago. In 1871 he formed a partnership with his former employer, J. Q. Wynkoop, at Cor- dova, in general merchandising, and they continued their joint management about one and a half years, when Mr. Webster bought the interest of his partner and has since managed his affairs alone. He is making a success of his business, and is prosecuting a trade in general merchandise. He is also engaged in shipping stock, grain, coal, etc. Mr. Webster was joined in marriage, July 3, 1870, with Miss Libbie Johnston, and they are the parents &\gdfgdd- ^^^- ■n v£ of three children, — Ralph, Charles and Hattie. Mrs. Webster is the daughter of William and Rebecca (Ketchum) Johnston, and was born in New Jersey. Politically, he is a Democrat. He is a member of the ancient and honorable Order of F. & A. M., and holds membership in the Cordova Lodge, No. 543, and Barrett Chapter R. A. M., No. 18, of Rock Island. He is also a member of the Lodge of A. O. U. W., and Order of Woodmen. — h§^ aniel P. Williams, residing in Cordova Township, was born in Center Co., Pa., Sept. 30, 1S33. He is the third son of f'^'jiC William and Mary (Poorman) Williams. When Mr. Williams was but an infant his par- ents moved to Mercer Co., Pa., where he re- mained until he attained the age of 12 years, and , then moved to Ohio and located in Trumbull County. ^ In the latter county he grew to manhood, alternating \ his labors on the farm by attendance at the common J schools. In 1855 J. B. Williams, a brother, came to 5 Rock Isiand County, and lives here yet. In 1856 he emigrated to this county, locating on a farm in Cordova Township. In 1859 Mr. Williams went to California, overland via Salt Lake. He went to the later place with ox teams, and from there to Sacra- mento with mules. After arriving in that State he was engaged in prospecting and mining for about six months, when he returned via Nicarauga, and re- sumed farming, which occupation he continued until 1864. During that year he again went West, and visited Montana and Idaho, where he remained for about seven months. In 1S65 Mr. Williams purchased land located on section 3, Cordova Township, on which he settled and at once engaged in its improvement and cultiva- tion. There were no improvements here when he purchased the land. At the present time he has a fa nice residence, with good and substantial outbuild- ings on his farm, together with shade, ornamental ,&, and fruit trees, and the total amount of his landed ,<§ interests is 330 acres, located on sections 3 and 9. 3 He is also devoting his attention to stock. Mr. Williams was united in marriage with Miss <^IU$1» r o^uCm^^^^f^^^^ ||§K@>^ — ©V^HH^tHl^^ rr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Martha T. Ryerse, daughter of Arthur and Anna (Parks) Ryerse, in 1872, a native of Canada. They are the parents of two children : Ora B., born May 18, 1877, and Mollie, Jan. 25, 1882. Mr. Williams is a gentleman whose word is as good as his bond, and whose accumulations of this world's goods is attributable to his own indomitable energy, pluck and perseverance. His handsome residence, together with its surroundings, are evi- dences of the attributes named, and his esteem among the citizens of his township is that of a wor- thy, upright and honest gentleman. > o ^ -*-*§#« onathan Huntoon, President and general manager of the Moline & Rock Island Street Railway, is the oldest resident set- tler in the city. Mr. Huntoon was born at Hanover, Grafton Co., N. H., Nov. 18, 1S15, and is the son of John and Rebecca (Calef) Huntoon. He was brought up on a farm, and pur- sued that calling until 1837, when he emigrated to Illinois, and came to Andover, Henry County, where he joined his brother, Nathaniel, who was running a flouring-mill for the " Andover Colony." He was in- duced to engage in the mill and thus learned the miller's trade. This was the first mill in Northern Illinois, and people came from a great distance to have their grain ground, sometimes a hundred miles or more. In this way Mr. Huntoon became ac- quainted with people throughout the northern part of the State and even beyond the Mississippi, and learned many important facts regarding the country. He thus made the acquaintance of Messrs. Spencer & Sears, of Moline, who induced him to come to this place and take charge of a mill they were about to start, situated on the ground now occupied by the Moline Plow Company. He came to this place in February, 1842, for that purpose. He set up and operated the first grist-mill in this vicinity. This mill was soon succeeded by one erected by the same parties, and which contained four run of stones. Mr. Huntoon had charge of the new mill also, and was employed in the two some eight years, and three years in the manufacture of what was called the "Grape- Vine Grain Cradler." In 1853 he became associated with Messrs. D. E. Sears, Timothy Wood and George Stevens in the manufacture of lumber and furniture on the north side of the island. They continued the business un- til the island was appropriated by the Government as a military reservation. About 1877 he became in- terested in the Moline & Rock Island Street Railway, was chosen a member of the Board of Directors, and in July, 1884, was elected President. Mr. Huntoon formed a matrimonial alliance in Henry Co., 111., Nov. 3, 1841, with Miss Mary Pad- delford, daughter of Wm. Paddelford. She was born at Enfield, Grafton Co., N. H., April 9, 1820. The issue of their union has been five children — three of whom are living, namely : Hannah C, widow of Charles F. Samuels ; Sarah E., wife of R. W. Hodg- son, of Newton, Kansas; and James F., the son, mar- ried Elizabeth Jamison and resides in Henry Co., 111. Mr. Huntoon, as his record shows, was among the early pioneers of Illinois. He built the first frame house in Hanna Township, Henry County. He is the oldest settler of the city of Moline proper now living and resident here. He built the third house in this town, which was situated on the present site of the Moline House, and was a frame structure. Mr. Huntoon has been a Republican since the or- ganization of that party, and while not an aspirant for the honors of public office, he has served in the responsible positions of Supervisor and Assessor for Moline Township several years. He and his wife are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. Huntoon, being one of the fathers of the county, a prominent business man and a worthy citi- zen, is most appropriately represented in this work by a faithful likeness of his facial features. =3k®MS|BW®>£ s? >ga*fr I I pv/ S eter H. Peterson, a dealer in groceries, • Lsa • provisions, tinware, etc., corner of Fourth J fe. Ave. and Third Street, Moline, was born in yt^ Sweden, March 11, 1844, and is the son of /i\ Peter and Pemilia Johnson. He was reared on a farm, and emigrated to America from Sweden in 1869, landing in New York ; from there he went to \8) (>) 0) f (£/ I!) ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -*%f^%® Chicago, where he remained but a few months, and came to Moline in 1870. Mr. Peterson was em- ployed in a steam bakery until 1874, at which time he established his present business. By fair dealing, good judgment in selection of goods, together with a courteous and accommodating way, he has succeeded in building up a very substantial trade. Jan. i, 1878, he was united in marriage in Moline, to Mrs. Christina Erickson, widow of John Erickson, and daughter of Nels Johnson. Mrs. Peterson was born in Sweden, and is the mother of one child by her former marriage, named Annie Erickson, born Dec. 29, 1870. Two children were born of the pres- ent marriage: Nels Albert, born Nov. 24, 1879, and Bette, born Aug. 5, 1882. Mr.' Peterson has represented the First Ward in the Common Council for eight years in succession, and is the present Alderman from that ward. In political views he is a Republican. $-=- i 1 ' -->? — 5 ; obert D. McCreery, a farmer residing on section 13, Rural Township, is a son of %$£*'" Samuel and Margaret (Dunlap) McCreery, " r natives of Pennsylvania. His father died in Indiana Co , Pa., about 1840. The mother emigrated to Kansas during the year 1884. She was married after the death of Mr. McCreery to Hugh Speedy, of Indiana Co., Pa. Samuel and Margaret McCreery were the parents of three chil- dren, — Robert D., subject of this notice ; Andrew and Samuel. Robert McCreery, whose sketch we write, was born in Indiana Co., Pa., Nov. 29, 1833. He received a good common-school education and also attended about six months an academy in his native county. He lived at home, alternating his labors on the farm by attendance at school until he attained his major- ity. On becoming his own man he left the family hearth-stone and came to Rock Island County, and shortly after arriving here purchased 80 acres of land located on section 13, Rural Township, where he erected a house and entered upon the active labors of clearing and improving his land. He has a fine residence on his place, together with good barn and outbuildings, and by economy and energetic effort he has been enabled to increase his landed interests until he at present is the proprietor of 280 acres, the major portion of which is in a good state of culti- vation. Mr. McCreery was first united in marriage in Ru- ral Township, in March, 1857, with Marion, the ac- complished daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Wilson) Gordon, natives of Venango Co., Pa. Her parents came to Rock Island County in an early day, and settled in what is now Rural Township, where her father died about the year 1870. The mother resides in Kansas with her daughter. Mrs. Mc- Creery was born in Venango Co., Pa. She was the mother of seven children by Mr. McCreery, namely : John C, Elizabeth J., Isabella, Zilpah M., Porter G., Robert D. and William H. The wife and mother died Aug. 28, 1S81, and Mr. McCreery formed a second matrimonial alliance in Washington, Iowa, Nov. 23, 1883, with Margaret Wilson. She was born Feb. 6, 1843, and has become the mother of one child. Mr. McCreery has held the office of Supervisor for one term, Justice of the Peace, Collector three terms, Township Clerk for several years, and other minor offices. He and his wife are attendants at the United Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. McCreery is an adherent of the principles advocated by the Democratic party. -H«i4H & **-*- V© a & illiam T. Ball, Secretary and Treasurer of Ijs the Union Malleable Iron Company, of 'p Moline, is a native of Vermont, and was born at Granville, Addison County, Dec. 20, 1S39. His parents, Joseph and Mellona (Lamb) Ball, were natives of that State. He received an academic education at Montpelier (Vt.) '<$) Academy, and engaged in teaching. He pursued that vocation some six winters continuously. In the winter of the years 1863-4 he came to Illinois and was employed at the military post of Rock Island till the fall of 1864, when he returned to Vermont. Mr. W. T. Ball formed a matrimonial alliance at §■»- ~^i - a^UIOTj^a^ ^^- (&\ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -4*^£<®Yi 579 ' Rochester, Vt., Dec. 25, 1864, with Miss Ellen Mar- tin, daughter of Loman and Amanda Martin. Mrs. Ball was born at Rochester, Vt. Mr. Ball continued to reside in his native State till the spring of 1870, when he came to Moline, 111., and engaged as clerk in the office of Deere & Co., plow manufacturers. He remained in the employment of that company nearly 12 years, where by a faithful and capable dis- charge of his duties; he won the confidence and respect of his employers and associates. In Septem- ber, 1SS1, he resigned his position with Deere & Co., and purchased a third interest in the Union Malleable Iron Company, of which he was elected Secretary and Treasurer Oct. 1 of that year, and has held that position continuously since. Mrs. Ball died Nov. 30, r8So, leaving three children, named respectively Grace, William J. and Nellie. Mr. Ball was married again March 8, 1883, at Des Moines, Iowa, to Mrs. Esther L. Baker, widow of Joseph Baker, of Pekin, 111., and daughter of John Ingalls, now of Indianola, Iowa. Mrs. Ball was born in Tremont, Tazewell Co., Ill Mr. Ball is a stanch Republican. He cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and has voted with and given a cordial support to that ' party continuously since. (!) rury A. Weatherhead, a farmer residing on section 34, Hampton Township, was born on section 27 of the township in MST which he at present resides, July 23, 1848. c k His parents, Ira and Jane (McNeil) Weather- head, were natives of Vermont and New York respectively. Mr. Weatherhead, subject of this no- tice, received a fine education in the common schools of his native county and at the Griswell College at Davenport, Iowa. He was connected with his father in farming until the death of the latter, which occurred in 1879. Since that event Mr. Weather- head has purchased 230 acres of land, and continues to follow the vocation of a farmer. In 1876 he went to California, where he remained 18 months, then took a trip across the "briny deep" to England, where he remained for three months, then returned home. He has a fine farm, good residence, barn Ifl and outbuildings, and also has a fine herd of graded Durham cattle. Politically, he is identified with the principles ad- vocated by the Democratic party, and has held the position of Supervisor for two years. He is one of the progressive farmers of Hampton Township, and an energetic, representative citizen of Rock Island County. Mr. Weatherhead formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Adaline DeWoolf, a native of Ohio, in 1878. She was horn April 24, 1853, and has borne Mr. Weatherhead four children, — Gretta, born May 6, 1879; Ira, Nov. 6, 1880; Louisa, Nov. 16, 1882 and an infant, born June 27, 1885 (not named). «*A#j— *^ i^dwin H. Berry, superintending painter in the manufactory of the Moline Wagon ^W^"^° Company, was born Dec. 11, 1847, at Ra- cine, Wis. (A sketch of his father appears elsewhere in this work.) He attended school until he was about 16 years of age, meanwhile working also at painting with his father, and in this occupation he afterwards continued until he thor- oughly learned it in all its details, working with his father for a long time at Racine for the J. I. Case Thresher Company. In June, r863, he enlisted as a private in Co. F, 39th Wis. Vol. Inf., Capt. Lawrence. He was with his company in Memphis, Term., during the raids of the rebel General Forest in and around that city, being constantly on picket and guard duty there during his term of service. He was mustered out at Milwaukee in September, 1863. After leaving the army he entered the employment of Fish Bros.' Wagon Company, at Racine, as foreman in their department, remaining there until the fall of 1865, when his services were engaged by Mitchell, Lewis & Co., of Racine, and they sent him to take charge of the paint shop of their large branch manu- factory at Levenworth, Kan. After remaining there for some time, he returned to the main house at Ra- cine. In 1869, he removed to Davenport, Iowa, where he attended to general job painting about that city until April 1, 1870. He then entered the large I shops of the Moline Wagon Company, having the 9 r=x v) $«^# £•»- ■^€3^ — ©A^nnsDn^A^ — ^^^ ■ 5 So -zf&K e*V4>lKll lli^ro ^&sz ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. f ^> K contract for the painting of all their work. The fact that he still holds that position and has for 15 years continuously had charge of the painting for that con- cern is the solid evidence of his ability, taste and faithfulness in the discharge of his duty. Roxana M. Lefler became the wife of Mr. Berry April 2i, 1 868, and they have one child, who was born Nov. 24, 1S69. Mrs. Berry died Oct 23, 1871, and Jan. 9, 1877, Mr. Berry married Miss Ida J. Hartwell, at Oconomowoc, Wis. By this marriage there are three children, viz. : Naomi J., born Nov. 25, 1877; Claude M., Dec. 24, t88o; Alice M., Dec. 12, 2881. Mrs. B. is a member of the Methodist Church. Mr. Berry is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Republican party ; and he is a member of the societies of Odd Fellows, Druids and Red Men. « «ll^ illiam MeEniry (deceased), formerly a Ac, farmer, residing on section 28, Zuma Jj&fo Township, was born in Ireland, County Cork, in 1817. He emigrated to Amer- ica in 1S40, and settled in Moline Town- ship, Rock Island County, in 1853, locating on section 20, where he made a purchase of 250 acres of land. He afterward purchased 250 more, and on section 1 bought 216 acres, making him the proprietor of 7 16 acres, and one of the large land -owners of the county. There are many magnificently improved farms in Rock Island County. Prominent among them is the farm left by Mr. MeEniry. We are glad to be able to give a full-page view of this place, showing the varied and splendid outbuildings, its fine residence, with beautiful surroundings. The view is given in connection with this sketch. In 1847 Mr. MeEniry was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Coughlin, a native of County Cork, Ireland, and their home circle was blessed with six children, all of whom are living, namely : Elizabeth, Michael, John, Mathew, William and Mary. Eliza- beth married Timothy Dwyer, resident of Missouri, and the issue of their union has been two children — Bessie and Mabel. Michael married Catherine Fitz- harris, and they are the parents of three sons — t William, Frank and Gregory. John and Mathew are graduates of Notre Dame University, graduating in 1878 and 1881 respectively. William has graduated in the Law Department of the Michigan University at Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1885, and has commenced the practice of law in Rock Island. Mr. MeEniry was identified with the Democratic party, and belonged with his wife to the Roman Catholic Church. He held the office of School Director for several years. MeEniry was one of the influential and prominent citizens of Zuma Town- ship, and his death, which occurred Feb. 18, 1874, was mourned by his friends and relations as a kind father, loving husband and a highly respected citizen. ——J-}—* — °<=«Mi!iH!®>o— 3^-5-3- oseph M. Christy, cracker manufacturer, Rock Island and Des Moines, Iowa, was born at Youngstown, Ohio, Sept. 19, 1842, he remained in Ohio until 1 2 years of age, at which time he came to Moline. He attended school at the latter place for a year, which fin- ished his education, then commenced to earn his own livelihood, working first in a paper-mill and then clerking for three years in a Moline drug store. Af- ter faithful service during those four years, he left Moline and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where for nearly ten years he was engaged as salesman in the wholesale dry-goods line. Mr. Christy then left Cin- cinnati and returned to Moline, where he bought out the cracker factory of Hemenway& Wheelock, and branched out into a line of business which has grown steadily in magnitude and prosperity until "Christy's Crackers" have became well and favorably known in all the houses, hotels and restaurants in this part of the West. After devoting considerable time in Moline to that business, he removed to Dav- enport for one year, when he sold out and established a steam cracker backery in the city of Rock Island, where he has done a thriving business for ten years; and three years ago his push and enterprise led him to visit Des Moines, Iowa, where he established a branch bakery, which has steadily grown in magni- tude and importance until it fairly overshadows the parent house. A short time since, he sold out his fine residence in Moline (where he has since resided i S$ V I ~K :; K!ltKt>A ^J fSI/^ i ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ) since leaving Cincinnati, Ohio,) and has removed with his family to Des Moines, to make his home there, where his business has grown to such propor- tions as to demand much of his personal super- vision. On thefirstday of January, 1867, Mr. Christy was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Ellen M. Hemenway, and their family consists of Fred H , born Oct. 2, 1867; Jennie M., born Feb. 15, 1870; Joseph M., Jr., born Aug. 12, 1872; Maggie E., born Dec. 3, 1875 ; Charles F., born April 26, 1SS0; and Clara, born Feb. 24, 1882, and died July 18, 1883. In political opinion, Mr. C. is an active, aggressive and working Republican, always an important worker in local and State elections, but never seeking office, always working hard for his party candidates during elections, but at other times attending strictly to bus- iness. The only office he has held was that of As- sistant Supervisor in 1872, and that he was fairly forced to accept. He is a practical business man, but possesses pleasant social qualities. -i — ^^y><;a^-^ — *- s N. Y. V ev. James Sheldon, deceased, formerly a resident of Milan, and Pastor of most of w 3 . . . . . the Methodist Episcopal societies of the two counties, was born near Montreal, Cana- da, Oct. 15, 1810, and came with his parents into the United States, settling in Syracuse, His father was a farmer, and both his par- ents were natives of the Dominion of Canada, of English ancestry, and died in New York. Rev. Mr. Sheldon was educated in the public schools of New York State, and was first married in 1831, to Miss Caroline Green. He subsequently re- moved to Winchester, Ohio, and thence, in 1839, to the city of Rock Island. He afterwards settled on a farm in this county. His estimable wife died in 1863, while accompanying him on one of his preach- ing tours. He first joined the Church in 1833, was licensed as an exhorter in 1840,(0 preach in 1S43, was ordained Deacon in r849, joined the Rock River Conference in 1855, at its session in Rockford, 111., and three years afterward was received into full con- nection in that ministerial body. By a geographical division of the Church work, he was placed in the Central Illinois Conference. The last few years of his life he sustained a "local" relation. His circuits were often so large that it required a month to visit all the Churches contained in them. He served as Pastor of societies at the following places : Mercer Mission, one year; Camden Mills, two years; Illi- nois City, one year; Ohio Grove, two years ; Viola, two years ; Burns, two years ; Rock River, four years; Eliza Creek, two years, — making 15 years in the pastorate. He was noted for his laborious hab- its in ministerial work, for his whole-souled devotion to his calling, and his success in extending the cause of his mother Church. His death occurred June 13, 1884, when his loss was mourned by thousands ot friends and admirers throughout the northwestern part of this Stale. For over half a century he had served the Church, not relaxing his efforts on ac- count of storms, bad roads, political excitement, or anything else. The later years of his life were spent in Milan, where he was highly respected and beloved by a large circle of friends and neighbors. In the hour of his death, the sunshine of his mind was immaculately bright. He served a term as Vil- lage Councilman, and in politics sympathized with Republicanism. By his first marriage there were eight children, three of whom are deceased, two dying in infancy. The living are Sarah, Robert P., Moses G., George N. and Eliza J., — all of whom are married. The de- ceased were Olive, Mary E. and Louisa. Mr. Sheldon's second marriage took place Oct. 26, 1863, at Pre-emption, Mercer Co., 111., when he was wedded to Mrs. Manda Asay, nee Haskell, daughter of Gideon and Mary (Beckwith) Haskell. Her father was a native' of Maine, and her mother of Con- necticut, and both were of New England parentage, of Scotch descent. Mr. Haskell was a carpenter by trade, and was married in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y. Mrs. Sheldon was born Jan. 2t, 1830, in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., and when eight years old her parents moved with their family to Pennsylvania, in 1855 to Rock Island County, 111., and settled on a farm. She married John Asay Jan. 1, 1857, who was a farmer, born in Ohio, came to this State, and afterward re- turned to Ohio, and died there, May 10, 1859, leav- ing one child, Edwin, who died at the age of 21 years, July 26, 1879, in Milan. By her marriage to VS (> & & r 1) V <[x $&AJ^ ^i-A <-*fln$nii^ z > 584 /s^i ^OCA" ISLAND COUNTY. f 5* -k Mr. Sheldon, three children were born, all of whom are living, namely: Carrie, Oct. 13, 1864; Watt, June 14, 1866, and James H., May 12, 1872. They all live at home and have been well educated. After his last marriage, Mr. Sheldon settled on a farm in Mercer County, and afterward on a farm in this county, in Black Hawk Township, consisting of 120 acres. After occupying it for about eight years, he moved to Milan, purchasing 80 acres of land adjoin- ing the village, and three acres within the corpora- tion, on which stands a good residence. The estate is now in good condition and cultivation, and com- pares well with the best small farms in the township and county. Mr. S. has been active and influential member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for 35 years. -¥^r* -■- Samuel M. Zeigler, a general farmer, resid- ing on section 8, of South Moline Town- ship, and a gentleman well respected in the community, is the son of Charles and Sarah (Minich) Zeigler, who were natives of the Key- stone State, and the parents of two children, the subject of this sketch, the elder, and Charles F. Samuel M. Zeigler was born in Cumberland Co., Pa., July 25, 1822. He was reared under the cars of his parents, attending the common schools until about 14 years of age, when he started out in life for himself. He then worked out on a farm until he be- came of age. The quiet, peaceful life of a farmer has always possessed a charm for him, and since the day he left home he has ever engaged in agricultural pursuits. He came to Rock Island in the spring of 1S49, and the following spring he located in Moline Township, where he has since lived, and where he owned a farm of ro6 acres, most of which is in a till- able condition. His pleasant home with its sur- roundings are illustrated in this volume on page 275. The subject of this biographical notice was married in Cumberland Co., Pa., May 23, 1844, to Miss Cathe- rine, daughter of Joseph and Susanna (Goode) Ben- der, who were also natives of Pennsylvania, and the parents of [ 1 children, as follows : Martha M., Diana Samuel, Elias, Catherine, Susanna, Louisa, John, Anna, Rachel E. and Wallace. Mrs. Zeigler was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., Nov. 22, 1822, and has borne her husband six children: Charles J., born May 4, 1S45; William H., Nov. 12, 1847; Martha M., July 25, 1849; Kate E., March 12, 185 1 ; Clara J . May 22, 1853 ; Albert S., Nov. 22, 1856. William H. died Jan. 17, 1848; Charles J., March 15, 1882. Albeit S., Jan. 21, 1884. Mr. Zeigler has held many of the prominent local official positions of his township, among which are those of Highway Commissioner, Overseer of High- ways and Supervisor. Politically, his sympathies are with the Republicans. |£ W. Zimmerman, a fanner of Coe Town- Sm i' ship, was born in Cumberland Co., Penn., ? Feb. 16, 1829, and is the oldest son of George and Esther (Naylor) Zimmerman. His if parents were of German descent, and were \ both born in Pennsylvania. The father died when the son was a child of about eight years of age, and he then became the charge of strangers. He found himself at liberty to make his own way in the world when he was 14, and he entered into an arrangement to acquire a knowledge of the trade of a millwright, in which he served an apprenticeship of four years. After he had fulfilled his indentures he never spent much time in following it as a voca- tion. He continued to reside in his native State until 1851, when he came to this county, where he has since resided and where he arrived March 15 of the year named. He soon obtained employ on the farm of Samuel Allen in Coe Township, for whom he worked one year, and then went to work for John Marshall as a farm assistant, remaining in his serv- ice nine years. In i86r he located on a piece of land which he had bought previously and which is situated on sec- tion 2 in the same township. He built at first a small frame frame house and a board stable for tem- porary purposes, which soon gave way to good and suitable buildings including a frame house and a barn of the same type. He is engaged in general farming, and in rearing of stock. His farm now com- l. 1 S & 4 s^c t^ddsdii^a 4»t§^ $ i ■Mi ;M\ 26 At 4fflB#llll$ /c) JPtfCX ISLAND COUNTY. rf^ n j* prises 234 acres, which is all improved but 34 acres, and fenced. Mr. Zimmerman was married in 1859 to Michel . W., daughter of Samuel and Sarah Williamson, and they have had three children. Of these but one is now living — Frank, who married Mahala J. Smith. He is the manager of the homestead estate. The parents are members of the Baptist Church at Cordova. ylo Lee is one of the prominent business men of Rock Island. Tohn Lee came . March 9, 1885. Mr. Lind and family are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. L. is a Republican in politics. Their tasty residence is situated on an elevation overlooking the central part of the city, No. r2ro Seventh Avenue. ^*-£-*«= ohn Devinney, a farmer, residing at Rapids City, was born Sept. 13, 1837, on section o, Hampton Township, this county. His parents, Andrew and Edith (Wainwright) De- vinney, were natives of England and Pennsyl- vania respectively. They came to Hampton Township in 1835, and Andrew Devinney entered 160 acres of land on section 10. John Devinney remained on the old homestead, assisting in the labors on the farm and attending the common schools until he attained the age of majority. On becoming his own man, he purchased r6o acres of land, located on section 14, same township, on which he resided one year. He then rented his farm and went back to the old homestead, took charge of his father's farm and cultivated the same until his death, when he became the owner of the property, and still continued to reside upon it until April of the present year ([885), when he moved to Rapids City, purchased a residence and lot, and hires a man to run his home farm. He is the pro- prietor altogether of 740 acres of land, and resides in Rapids City, retired from the active manual labors of life. Mr. Devinney was united in marriage to Miss Fannie F. Cook, April 28, 1858. She was born in this county March 23, 1840. Eight children were born of their union, namely : Hattie, born Jan. 15, 1859; Mary, Feb. 12, rS63; Samuel A., Dec. 1, 1866; George T., April 12, 1870; John W., Nov. 21, 1872; Ella, May 6, 1875 ; Albert L., July 19, 1877 ; c 1) ? eA^O U@fltlf>^9 ^*€^ Wn^^ -@V4HWSRfc>rS ^€^r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 591 and Andrew H., born April 27, 1879. Hattie mar- ' ried John Searles in 1883 and resides in Zuma Township. Mary was united in marriage to Calvin Segur, in 1880, and they are the parents of two chil- dren, Roy and Howard, and reside in Ida Co. Iowa, ^J where Mr. Segur is the proprietor of 1 60 acres of good farming land. Mr. Devinney, politically, endorses the principles advocated by the Republican party. Socially, he is member of the Masonic Order and of the A. O. U. W., and for the past 15 years has devoted his at- ' tention to the sale of farming implements of all de- fscriptions. He is a man whose word is as good as his bond, and a respected and esteemed citizen of Rock Island County. Jrt- l^eaeon William C. Pearsall, a pioneer of bJ|, Rock Island County of 1848, and one of ijsy " the leading citizens of Coe Township, was W^ born in Cayuga- County, N. Y., June 16, 1812. q$ His father, Nathaniel Pearsall, was a native of the city of New York, and his mother, Sarah (Grover) Pearsall, was born in Connecticut. They ' were among the earliest settlers of Cayuga County. Henry Pearsall, his grandfather, was a.Revolutionary soldier and was a participant in some of the most im- portant battles of that conflict. When Mr. Pearsall of this sketch was seven years of age his parents went to Steuben County, where he grew to the estate of manhood. While still in his minority he learned the trade of a cooper, of which he obtained a prac- tical and available knowledge as his instructor in its details was his father. When he was 19 years of age he went to Canada and settled near Brockville P. O., where he readily found employ at his trade. He was a resident in the Dominion until 1837, when he came to Illinois and located in that part of Cook \ County which is now included in Du Page County. This was at a period before land was surveyed. He made a claim of Government land, and built thereon a small frame house. His time was passed after that in working on his farm in the summers and in the winter at his trade. In 1848 he sold that place and \. came to this county, where he bought 1,000 acres of (9 Government land in Coe Township, on which he laid Mexican War land warrants. He built a small plank and cement house on the southeast quarter of sec- tion 23, which his family, occupied two years when he built the brick house in which they have since lived. The bricks were molded and pressed by his own hands, and, as may be supposed, has on that account a peculiar value to his household. As soon as he could prepare the land he engaged in planting a nursery and an orchard. The acreage which he de- voted to the nursery business included 25 acres, and he continued that line of trade until 1883, when he closed it out, and has since given his attention to general farming. He also had 100 acres of orchard. During the above period he also carried on his farm. He was united in marriage March 7, 1833, to Jane Elingham. She was born in London, England, and came to the United States when she was eight years old. Of their marriage nine children have been born : Robert E., a prominent farmer of Coe Township, is the eldest : Sarah J. is the wife of George Pear- sall, of Coe; Elizabeth married Andrew Tabor, of Nance Co., Neb. ; Jeremiah lives in Coe Township ; Mary A. and Martha C. are twins ; the former is the wife of Oscar Rathbun, of Coe Township ; Martha married J. W. Miller, and they are residents of tire same place; Luther S. and William are citizens of the same township; I'hebe is the wife of Lewis Rathgeiber, a resident of Petersburg. During the late war he was an enrolling officer for Coe Township, and took an active and prominent part in home military affairs during that trying pe- riod. While a resident of Canada, during the rebel- lion of McKenzie, he took up arms in defense of the Queen, saying that it was the duty of every man to light for the country whose protection he invoked. That rebellion was, however, soon crushed, and Mr. Pearsall's views were sustained. Few men in Rock Island County have exerted a greater moral influence over the community in which he lives than Deacon Win. C. Pearsall. Prominent in every undertaking which has a tendency to ele- vate the moral tone of society or educate the people, he has necessarily been one of the leading spirits in his part of the county. He has reared a large fam- ily, all of whom have taken prominent places in so- ciety, and become honored and respected men and women. Personal sketi lies of several of them may \£) 9 < £) •! 'a %&*k> ^ f Q/^ HIffilllEfrA^ — ^^^ flfehr^*****-- iSL & 3v4>nn@iiDj^^ S9 2 ■.> © (b ROCK ISLAND COUNTY l be found in this volume. No man in the county is more worthy a place in the galaxy of portraits of the leading and representative men of Rock Island County than the subject of this personal narrative. His life has been one of usefulness and has won the highest esteem of all who know him. His compan- ion in life's journey has shared his labors, partaken of his joys and sorrows, and with him equally de- serves and has the highest esteem and regard of all who know her. Therefore as a fitting companion picture to the portrait of Mr. Pearsall we place by its side one of his wife. In political affinity Mr. Pearsall is a Republican, and he has filled the offices of Trustee and Super- visor. He has been a Deacon in the Congregational Church at Port Byron since its organization, and his wife has been a member of it for a similar period. \ fHfl»d. Kittilsen, City Marshal of Moline, ■ ■ S%A -: was born in Moline, July 19, 1854, and is g*r -v- " the son of Andrew and Fredrika (John- son) Kittilsen. His father is a native of Nor- way and his mother of Sweden, and were pioneers of Moline. When about 16 years of age, Ed. began as an apprentice molder in the shops of the Moline Malleable Iron Co., and subsequently worked with the Union Malleable Iron Co. and the Moline Plow Co., — in all about five years. In the fall of 1874 Mr. Kittilsen engaged in the ice business with Herman Kaack, built ice-houses and retailed ice in Moline, but in the fall of 1875 he changed his line of business by going in partnership with John A. Fish in the dry-goods and grocery busi- ness. This venture proved disastrous, and he sold out in the spring of 1876. He had retained his re- tail ice business, which he continued until the fall of 1879, and then filled his ice-houses to hold for wholesale trade; but the high water of 1881 swept them away, entailing a heavy loss. Sept. i8, 1880, he was appointed on the police force and served as policeman until May, 1882, when he was made Dep- uty City Marshal. He was elected Marshal in the spring of 1883 for the years 18S3 to 1S66. The city- police force consists of six regular men. Mr. Kittilsen was married at Moline, Sept, 17, 1844, to Miss Rilla Stewart, a daughter of James and Mary (Graham) Stewart. Mrs. K. was born in Hamilton, Canada, March 4, 1859. Mr. Kittilsen has proved a very efficient officer and is deservedly 'popular with the force and the people. In fact, Moline has reason to be proud of her entire police force, which is composed of a body of men conspicuous for their gentlemanly bearing and fidelity to duty. Marshal Kittilsen has always cast his vote with the Republi- can party. tans Paulsen, senior member of the firm of Paulsen Bros., contractors and builders and brick manufacturers, of South Rock Island, in a native of Germany, having been born at Holstein, Feb. 19, 1849. His parents were also A ■a* ( W Hfe'V A^nn^Bn^^ of German nativity and his father yet lives at Holstein. His mother is deceased. Our subject was well educated in his native tongue and lived under the parental charge until he was 19 years of age, when, being ambitious, he set sail for America, landing June 9, 1869. He did not tarry- long on the Atlantic coast, but was soon located at Burlington, Iowa, where he remained but a short time, when he came to Rock Island city. Here he was engaged working by the day for 18 months, when he embarked in the brick business in compary with B. H. Redecker. This partnership existed for three years, when he was engaged by Mr. R. Rich- mond for one year. He subsequently purchased the brick-yards of Mr. Richmond, his younger brother, Matthaes, joining him at this period. Since that time they have conducted a larsie and rather profitable business, giving employment to many men and de- veloping a very profitable business to the commu. nitv To-day both are well known and have an ex- cellent business education; but in 1869, when our subject came into the State, he had but 25 cents in (q his pocket and not a relative in the United State>, and without friends. Neither of them has blood re- latives in this country, but by their own strict atten- tion to business and honesty of purpose they have won many friends. Aug. 1, 1875, our subject was married, in South J v 1 - §*t^®/"f m 1 V J 5 (^ Tr V* ^OCZ ISLAND COUNTY. 593 Rock Island, to Miss Dora Willetson, who was born Nov. 16,1857, at Holstein, Germany. She came to America when about 17 years of age, following her parents, who preceded her two years. To Mr. and Mrs. P. have been born four children, namely: An- drew, Johrmes, William and Ludwig. Mr. P., socially, belongs to the A. O. U. W. and the Fredrich Munch Lodge, D. O. H. - ^.'"l a S ? FW jSSj' enry C. Connelly. Major Connelly was ^■ImJb born "- )ec - 22 ' l8 3 r > at Petersburg (a vil- '> i '* A lage on the great National Road, 33 miles fwest of Cumberland, Md.), in Somerset Co., Pa. He attended what was then known as a subscription or pay school in his younger years, afterwards the Somerset Academy, and after quitting this received instruction from a private tutor. When 18 years old he entered the Somerset Visitor print- ing-office, then printed and published by General A. H. Coffroth, from whom he received personal instruc- tions in the art of printing. [A. H. Coffroth has been in Congress; was one of the pall-bearers at Lincoln's obsequies, in Washington, D. C. ; was a candidate for Governor in the late Democratic (Pennsylvania) Convention which nominated Judge Pershing. He and Judge Pershing read law together with Judge Jere S. Black. Coffroth is now a leading lawyer in his region.] When 20 years old Major Connelly be- came one of the editors and proprietors of the Beaver (Pa.) Star. After filling this position between two and three years, he caiiR- West, arriving in Rock Island, Feb. 18,1855. From this date until Septem- ber, 1859, he was connected with the Rock Islander and Argus. He commenced reading law with Tudge J. W. Drury, in this city, in 1856, and was admitted to practice in January, i860; was elected Justice of the Peace (defeating M. D. Merrill and J. C. Starr) in the spring of 1 86 1 . To aid in securing the loca- tion of the Arsenal in Rock Island, in 1861, he was appointed on the committee from Rock Island by the City Council to act with the Davenport and Moline committees. In this interest he visited all the chief points in the Northwest, as well as Washington, de- voting several months' time to the project. 4g| On September 12, 1862, he enrolled himself as a volunteer for three years or during the war, and was commissioned by Governor Yates, January 17, 1863, to rank as Second Lieutenant of Co. L, 14th 111. Vol. Cav., from Jan. 7, 1863. Jan. 31, 1864, he was com- missioned as Captain (over the First Lieutenant) by Governor Yates, to rank from Nov. 14, 1863. In the spring of 1865, there being a Major's vacancy in the 14th, the officers of the regiment held a meeting to designate one of their number to fill the same. Over six superior Captains in rank Captain Connelly was selected, and on the 22d day of June, 1865, Governor Oglesby commissioned him a Major to take rank from that date. He was one of the fast riders who helped run John Morgan out of Ohio. In the spring of 1867 the people elected him Police Magistrate. By the Citv Council, in the spring of 1869, he was elected City Attorney ; and again elected by the Council in the spring of 1870. In the spring of 187 1 he was selected to fill a vacancy in the Board of Education of Rock Island, and in 1872 was elected by the people for a full term. The election was one of great excitement, as to the other candidates, but not a vote was polled against Major Connelly. Dur- ing the time he was a member of the Board of Edu- cation he was President of the same. He declined a re-election. \k (> si/ |! illiam Uhlmann, of Moline, was born in i\(y|,(fh Saxony, June 2, 1845, 01 " which country f &!>^ his parents, Carl and Fredericka (Bartel) ^> Uhlmann, were also natives. They had three sons and one daughter, William being the second child. The latter was married Nov. 22, 1878, to Miss Mary Klahn, and they now have four children, born and named as follows : Amelia \\\, Feb. 6, 1S80; Louisa E.. June 22, 1881; Ernst H, June 28, r883, and Fredericka P., Dec. 9, r884. Mrs. U. was born May 26, 1852, in Holstein, Ger- many, and came here with her parents when five years of age. Her father, Henry Klahn, was born also in Holstein, in 1829, and died in Moline, this county, April 2, 1883, after having been a resident in this country for 24 years. He was by trade a car- penter and builder, and a most excellent workman. v. A^- "^S^^" •t*i^ I <£>5(g§d— » & !) i ^OCVT ISLAND COUNTY. -jjg&sz In politics Mr. Klahn was an ardent Republican, and in religion a positive "free-thinker." His wife's name was Anna. Mr. William Uhlmann attended school in Ger- many until he was 14 years of age. He woiked three years learning the trade of manufacturing the woodwork for fine carriages and buggies. At 17 years of age he re-entered school to learn drafting; then for six years he worked faithfully at his trade where he had learned it, at Dresden, Germany, and in 1868 he came to America. For the first three months he was employed at Cincinnati, Ohio, and then for nearly two years at South Bend, Ind., and finally he came to Moline, entering the employment of the Moline Wagon Company on Aug. 19, 1870. For eight years he labored at the bench, turning out splendid specimens of wood-work, being a careful, correct and diligent workman and an expert in the use of tools. His merit was by no means unappre- ciated by his employers; and as their business grew, Mr. Uhlmann was taken from the bench and, in 1S78, put in charge of the wood-shop, as foreman, a position he still holds with credit to himself and bene- fit to the firm. He is a Freemason, and a member of the Order of Druids. In politics he is an earnest Re- publican, and as to religious matters both himself and his wife are liberal. ohn Weaver, residing on section 3. and proprietor of Fairview Farm, South Moline Township, is a son of George and Cissley (Schooley) Weaver, natives of Germany and |C Ohio respectively. Their family comprised 1 2 children, of whom John was the second in or- der of birth. Mr. Weaver was born in Rock Island County, Feb. 24, 1846. He received a good common- school education and assisted in the labors of the farm until the date of his marriage, which event oc- curred in December, 1872. He is at present the proprietor of 1 12 acres of land, 80 of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. The lady to whom Mr. Weaver was joined in marriage, Dec. 24, 1872, was Miss Martha, the accomplished daughter of Robert and Comfort Griffin, natives of North Carolina ^^- — SA«M and Indiana respectively. Mrs. Weaver was born in Hamptown Township, Rock Island County, April 19, 1845, and has borne to her husband two children, namely: John A., born June n, 1880; and Cissley \Y., born Nov. 5, 1872. Mr. Weaver has held the office of School Director and Overseer of Highways. Politically, he is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Democratic party. E ilpin Moore, Moline. Prominent among those who have became noted, — by inven- tion, — is the gentleman whose name stands ^ at the head of this sketch. He was born in Chester Co., Pa, Oct. 27, 1S31, his father's name being Hibbard and his mother's Jane (Gawthrop) Moore. His father was of English and his mother of Scotch descent. Gilpin Moore remained in Pennsylvania at school until he was 14 years of age, and then came to Rock Island, 111., to which town his father had come seven years before. His father was a blacksmith, and after his arrival in Rock Island he alternately attended school and worked in his father's shop, until he was 18 years of age. At that age it became evident that Mr Moore naturally possessed more than ordinary mechanical and inventive ability and taste; and, be- lieving it would be desirable to learn thoroughly the machinist's business, he apprenticed himself for three years in a machine shop in Rock Island, where he faithfully served his time, and after that took entire charge of the shops as superintendent, until 1864, becoming noted in Rock Island and vicinity as a workman and inventor of rare ability. During the year above mentioned his services were engaged by Deere & Co., Moline, 111., manufacturers of agricultural implements; and when the now im- mense concern was organized as a stock company, in 1868, he became a partner therein and took the posi- tion of superintendent of the iron department, which he still holds, wherein his inventive genius has large- ly developed, and he has taken out numerous essen- tial and important patents for improvements in agricultural implements, not the least of which has resulted in the production of the splendid "Gilpin," & * r. ■\<§>$«§t«f Hlll^A^ ^§^ 4=^%@Ji$& il ^ «w%- t 3m -~ fFT 1 — Hi—^U ■■■■. i KS^SM, wf fflfriaj €3 w Ov CHllUglllH^^ ?€&sr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^ > $ a sulky plow which has carried the name not only all over America, but also into foreign countries. His work in his father's shop, his chances at the practical working of machinery, his schooling in mechanism, drafting and designing, tended to de- velop extraordinary inventive faculty and genius, not only in plows and cultivators, but also in engines of all descriptions ; in fact, in him, invention rises al- most to inspiration, and he has been and is of marked and practical value to the colossal concern of which he is an active and energetic member. Mr. Gilpin Moore was married March 3, 1853, to Miss Ludica Crisswell, and they have four children, namely: Truesdale L.,born July ir, 1856; Charles E., Feb. 13, 1865 ; Adah, July 17, 1868, and Anna, July 22, 1874. Though so closely identified with one of the tower- ing industries of Moline, Mr. Moore has always been a resident of Rock Island, since coming here in 1845. Politically, he has been a Republican ever since the organization of that great party. Among the many palatial residences of Rock Isl- and, and they are numerous, that of Mr. Moore's is one of the finest. We present a full-page view of it accompanying this sketch ; also showing some of the beautiful scenery which may be viewed from the tower. hapin A. Wheeloek, of the Moline Paper t Company, is a native of Berkshire Co., Mass., and was born March 24, 1814. $ft> His parents were Chapin and Lucy Wheeloek, y^ his mother's maiden being Wheeloek. In * r8i5 the family removed to Erie Co., N. Y. His father was a farmer, and Chapin A. passed his boyhood days on his father's farm. He learned the tailor's trade and was engaged in that business in Holland, N. Y. In 1838 he went South, where he spent two years in the cities of Vicksburg, Louisville and St. Louis. In 1840 he came to Illinois and located at St. Charles, Kane County, where he was engaged in the clothing business. He continued at St. Charles un- til 1853, when he came to Moline, and engaged in the paper-mill at that place. He soon afterward Sciences at the Augustana College and J ! ll^u^ Theological Seminary, Rock Island, was Clji J born in Sweden, Jan. r, 1844. He graduated •7 \* ^ at the University of Lund, May, 1863, with the degree of A. B., and the degree of Ph. D. was conferred by the same university June 5, 1874. He visited London, and in April, 1S70, joined the scientists, Gwyn Jeffreys and W. B. Carpenter, in H. M. S. " Porcupine "on a deep-sea dredging expedi- tion in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas. He was Assistant Zoologist. After an interesting and successful exploration he returned to Sweden in 187 1, and there joined a scientific expedition bound for the coast of Greenland, mainly for the purpose of bringing home some ponderous meteorites that had been located by Prof. A. E. Nordenskiold. The stones were found and 22 of them secured, one of which weighed over 50,000 pounds. The loading of these stones on an open coast where a tempestuous sea usually prevails, was a difficult undertaking, but was successfully accomplished. On this expedition Dr. Lindahl was Zoologist in charge. On his return from Greenland he spent four years at the Royal Academy of Science in Stockholm in scientific studies and in" classifying and describing the collections which he had made. In 1875 he was appointed one >A n s^ar: r ^ •J! > b & * 593 JP0CX /SLA ATI) COUNTY. \ \ of the Commissioners from Sweden to the Geographi- cal Congress of Paris. On his return from Paris he was appointed Secretary of the Centennial Commis- sion of Sweden to Philadelphia, United States of America, 1S76. He maintained his connection with the Centennial Exhibition until February, 1877, when he returned to Sweden to make proper report. There he accepted the position of Superintendent of the Swedish department at the hands of the Interna- tional Exhibition Company. Dr. Lindahl was united in marriage on his return to Sweden. March iS, 1S77. to Miss Sophia, daughter of Carl Pohlman.a Major in the Royal Army. Mrs. Lindahl was born in Sweden, July 5, 184S, and the issue of their union was four children, namely : Sven Carl, born Jan. 1, 1878, in Philadelphia, and died March 13, 1881 ; Eva Hedwig Sophia, born May 15, 18S0; Seth Harald, born March 13, 1S82; and Signe Elizabeth Ida Sophia, born April 6, 18S4. On the opening of 1877 he accepted the position of Professor of Natural Sciences at the Augustana Col- lege and Theological Seminary of Rock Island, III., a position he has since filled with honor to himself and credit to the institution. — H ; esse L. Cox, an energetic and progressive \j£ farmer, residing on section 9, Zuma Town- ship, was born in Wayne Co., Ind., Dec. 5, 1815, his parents being Joseph and Mary (Rue) 1 ., natives of Virginia and Pennsylvania re- spectively. They came to Kentucky in an early day, and removed from that State to Indiana in 1804, coming to Rock Island in 1836, and settling on section 3, Hampton Township, where the father purchased 300 acres of land. He at once entered vigorously and energetically upon the improvement his land, and also erected a saw and grist mill on the Mississippi River, and ran the same for some eight or ten years. He died June 12, 1848, and the mother of our subject died Dec. 28, 1858. Jesse L. Cox, subject of this biographical notice, remained under parental instructions until he at- tained the age of majority. He then left home and went back to Indiana and worked in the Recorder's office one year, his education having been acquired at the common schools prior to his leaving home. After leaving the Recorder's office he came to Mer- cer Co., 111., where he remained for some nine years, four years of which time he was engaged in breaking prairie, and then purchased 160 acres of land, on which he resided for five years. In 1849 he traded his land (160 acres) for a part of the farm on which he at present resides. Mr. Cox formed a matrimonial alliance April 2, 1840, with Miss Sarah Jennings, a native of Ohio, in which State she was born Dec. 18, 1822. She is the mother of seven children by Mr. Cox, namely: Mary E.. born April 29, 1841 ; Albin J., Nov. 12, 1S42 ; Alice A., Oct. 23, 1844; James L., June 12, 1S47, and William E., Nov. 23, 1S50. Joseph E. died Aug. 3, 1877, in his 21st year, from accident; Clara died April 12, 1868, in her tenth year; Mary E married J. B. Walker, and they have four chil- dren, — Louvina, Elmer E., Jesse H., and an infant unnamed. Albin J. married Anna Borard, July 4, 1870; she died in 1871 ; Alice A. married Hiram S. Cox, and they have six living children — Lewis, George, Fred, Eddie, Kenneth and Mary L. ; James L. married Malinda Cook, and they are the parents of four children — Clara, Sadie, Sidney and Bert; William E. married Emma Smith, and the issue of their union was two children, namely: Jesse F. and Edna G. Mrs. Jesse L. Cox, the wife of the sub- ject of this notice, died April 9, 1875, and Mr. Cox formed a second matrimonial alliance in 1880 with Miss Mary J. Jack, a native of Pennsylvania. Politically, Mr. Cox is a believer in the principles advocated by the Republican party. At the present writing he holds the office of Assessor and has held the office of Justice of the Peace for 12 years and also other minor offices. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the United Brethren Church. The family of Coxes are of pioneer stock, of both Kentucky and Indiana. Richard Cox, Jesse's brother, was the first white child born in Wayne Co.," Ind. His birth took place in 1805. The family also have a splendid military record. Albin J. was a soldier in the late war; James L. was also a soldier in the cavalry service during the late war. His grandfather was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, as also his great-gradfather, and his father was in the War of 1812 and in the Indian war I / m t -^^ — e^nnsniii^^ — ^^ v/^)^^! 9 — 6V4«iin^ *y u > (f) ^ 1 1 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 599 under Harrison. His maternal grandfather, Rue, was also a great Indian fighter and captured by his In- dian foe and was to be burned at the stake, but was purchased by a Frenchman and afterwards obtained his liberty. -S3- ~^fife~ -E3- filliam Reynolds, a citizen of Coe Town- ship, has been a resident of the county since 1848. He was born Sept. 14, 1S23, ^% in Fayette Co., Pa., and is the son of Win. p; and Mary (Wares) Reynolds. The parents were also natives of the Keystone State and re- moved to Guernsey Co., Ohio, and the family were there resident until the son was 18 years of age. In 1841 they went to Lawrence Co., 111., driving there with teams, and they were resident there until their removal to Illinois in the year named at the be- ginning of this narration. On coming hither they settled at Cleveland Ferry, and lived there two years. In 1850 Mr. Reynolds assumed charge of the ferry near the mouth of Green River, and his father managed a farm there, which he rented and on which the family lived until the year following (1S5 1), when they made another trans- fer of home interests and family to Cordova. The homestead was maintained there as long as the father lived. His death occurred in 1875. The mother's demise took place in 1 88 1. Mr. Reynolds was an inmate of the paternal home until he was married. In 1857 Sarah S. Drennen became his wife. She is a native of the State of Ohio; born July 12, 1839. On becoming the head of a family Mr. Reynolds bought building lots in Cordova and erected a house in which his family lived three years. He then purchased 40 acres of land on section 6, in Coe Township. The proprietor built a house on the farm- and was its owner and oc- cupant seven years. He then sold the place, and returned to Cordova, where he left his family and spent the winter in Iowa, engaged in prospecting for a suitable place for a permanent location. In the ensuing spring he went to Missouri, where he remained four months, visiting various parts of the State. He did not find that either Iowa or Missouri had superior attractions to the State of Illinois for an agriculturist, and he returned to Rock Island County. He soon after bought the farm on whicli he has since lived and operated. It is located on sec- tions 4 and 9 and contains 160 acres, of which one- half is situated on each. At the lime of purchase there was a biick house on it and a small barn. The farm is at the present writing in fine agricultural condition, and the owner has built a fine set of frame buildings. Its value is materially increased by the addition of shade and fruit trees and the place has- a fine display of hedges. The family includes seven children, named as fol- lows: Mary O, born Oct. 13, 1857; George, May 3, 1859; Charles, Xov. 5, i860; Esther, May 21, 1863; John, March 28, 1865; William, April 29, 1869; and Lewis, Aug. 25, 1871. Minnie, born Sept. 12, 1867, sixth child in order of birth, died when she was nearly three years old. The oldest daughter is the wife of Henry Smith, a resident of Coe Township. George married Belle Martin. Charles married Lena Wentd. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church at Cordova. ■ t »«^ i ^}'0Ph eorge E. Cropper, general farmer, residing i'ilMJfj on section 16, Edgington Township, was Xh')~ "^ born in Bowling Township, Rock Island •J? County, Nov. 20, 1846, and is the son of Ed- t mond Cropper, a biography of whom is given f elsewhere in this volume. Our subject was reared on the home farm in Bowling Township, and educated at the district schools. He was married, Dec. 30, 1865, to Miss Julia A. Zahn, daughter of Philip and Harriet (Ort) Zahn, natives of Germany, both of whom came to America prior to their marriage, and were living in the city of Rock Island, where they were married. Mrs. Cropper was born in that city Nov. 20, 1840. She was reared and educated there, and resided at the same place until she attained the age of 15 years, when her parents re- moved to the farm in Black Hawk Township. She resided on the farm until her marriage, and her mother still resides on the old homestead with her younger children. The father died in 1865, aged 60 -s^e — r^KNn g n n&A^ — ^s^_ ■^^na^nn^r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. years. Mrs. C. was the eldest of a family of eight children, and is the mother of five children, namely : Charlie E., Arthur L., William H., Philip and Hat- tie M. After marriage, Mr. Cropper settled on a farm on Big Island, where he resided for four years. In the autumn of 1869 they moved to Edgington Township and purchased 120 acres of land on section n, where he has since resided and made large and valuable improvements. He takes a special interest in Dur- ham cattle. Politically, Mr. C. is a Republican, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. •teo27&f©"r-& 32h-< ■g§-@/zrzrerav» jiiram L. Ogden, pattern-maker for Deere & Co., of Moline, 111., is a son of Abraham and Esther (Kline) Ogden, and was born in Clearfield Co., Pa., Oct. 27, 1830. He went three miles during the winter months in the ac- quisition of an education, until he attained the age of 14 years, when he assisted in the maintenance of the family by laboring on his father's farm. At 19 years of age he served an apprenticeship of two years, learning the carpenter's trade, and then went West. He located at Peoria, III., where he worked at his trade for about two years, when he came to Galva, 111. Here he made his home for five years, and decided to try farming again, which he did, working on the farm of his father-in-law, near At- kinson, 111., for some four years. He next moved to Geneseo, where he worked one summer as a car- penter and one winter as wagon-maker, after which he removed to Atkinson and continued to carry on the wagon-making business for four years at that place. In 1870 he left the latter place and settled in Moline, 111., and commenced wooding plows for Deere & Co., in which occupation he continued about two years. He next turned his attention to mill- wrighting and pattern-making for the same company, which he continued up to 1880. For the first half of the last five years he attended almost exclusively to millwrighting, and the last half to pattern-making, at which business he is still engaged, having now faithfully served Deere & Co. for 15 years continu- ously. Mr. Ogden was married Sept. 2, ^56, at Galva, 111., to Miss Mary M. Wolever, daughter of John E. and Margaret (Hulsizer) Wolever. Of their union have been born two children, — Charles E., born May 9, 1859; and Fannie E., Sept. 27, 1865. In political opinion, Mr. Ogden affiliates with the Republican party. He has been connected with the Odd Fellows, Good Templars and Union League; has been a member of the Galva Brass Band, and has genuine talent for music, which has descended to his son, Charles E. Ogden, who was born in Galva. Charles went to school at Geneseo, Atkinson and Moline until he was about 17 years of age, when he engaged to work for Deere & Co., wooding plows, continuing the same until 1879. He then joined the dramatic company of J. G. Stutzz, with whom he traveled for six months as leader of the band, also traveled and played with other companies for about a year altogether. At the end of that time he took charge of and taught a brass band at Wapello, Iowa. Returning to Moline, he organized and took charge as leader of the Moline Light Guard Band, April 1, 1882, which he leads and teaches with faithful and signal ability, and which he has made one of the best bands in this section, conducting it as band and orchestra; and its services are in constant demand in Moline and vicinity. Charles was married Oct. 25, 1880, to Miss Amelia Hannecke, and they have one child, Flora A., born Tan. 1, 1882. Mr. Charles Ogden is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. f fijlVharles Sundin, manager and cashier of 1 ('■ '■- ■ ■ t i l_j*J]j' the Svea Commercial Union, was born in gjfp^ Sweden, April 22, 1846, and is the son of $fo Erick Sundin. He was brought up to com- ?^ mercial pursuits, and emigrated to America in I 1869, arriving in the United States in June of that year. He came to Illinois direct and located in Woodhull, Henry County, where he spent two <) 4 c & ? ©> ■3$ y Q/^ NlffiUlEfrA^ s^K- *§ 8 »- T2«€l^ — 6V4>I1 BSD H>>^ :*€• ^?(9CA' ISLAND COUNTY. 603 years in farming. He then removed to Ontario, Knox County, where he resided until the spring of 1S73, when he came to Moline. On coming to this city he engaged with the Union Malleable Iron Company. He began with the Svea Commercial Union May 16, 1878, as salesman, and was elected manager and treasurer Jan. 1, 1884. His manage- ment of the business has given very general satisfac- tion to all concerned. Mr. Sundin was married in Moline, June 4, 1S75, to Miss Johanna Augusta Skoglund. Mrs. Sundin was born in Sweden, July 16, 1854. They have four children, two boys and two girls, — John, born July 20, 1876; Sophia, born July 30, 1880; August, born Feb. 11, 1882; Christina, born Aug. 10, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Sundin are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. S. is a Republican. ) & J. Denison, carpenter and joiner at Hamp- ton, was born in Westmoreland Count}', Pa., Oct. 10, 1832, and is the eldest son of William and Margaret (Johnson) Denison. His parents were both natives of Pennsylvania and were of Scotch descent on the father's side and of Irish in the maternal line. They came to the county of Rock Island when their son was a lad of eight years, and they located in Hampton Town- ship, where he grew to manhood. When he was 16 he began to learn his trade under the su- | pervision of his brother-in-law. Milton Ward, and he worked for him until he was 21. After reaching the estate of manhood they formed a partnership and conducted their business together for some time. He has continued to follow the same calling until the present time. Mr. Denison was married in 1862 to Rebecca I Crawford, and they have three children, as follows : William C, Archie E. and Eva. At the time of his marriage he settled in the village of Hampton, and , after one year removed to Fulton, in Whiteside Co., /j^\ where he was a resident 15 years. In 1881 he bought V,^ the place where he now lives in Hampton village. ~ oc5o~ ;. G. Franklin, a retired farmer, residing on section 26, Hampton Township, and whose portrait is given on the opposite page, was - . tk born in the Green Mountain State, Oct. 25, 1810. Coining here in 1838, and having spent fr the major portion of his life in the county, wit- nessing its development to the high standard that it occupies to-day in the agricultural counties of the State, and having contributed his mite to aid in the development, he may truly be said not only to be one of the pioneers of the county, but a man whose good judgment led him to remain and profit by the prosperity which almost universally comes to those who came at an early day, and had grit enough to "stick to it." Mr. Franklin is the son of Joel and Fanny (Grout) Franklin, natives of Vermont. He remained under the parental roof-tree, and care of father and mother until 17 years of age. in the meantime receiving a good common-school education. After arriving at the age named, we went forth to fight the battles of life single-handed and alone. He first worked out by the month, — in fact continued to work for others until he had attained the age of 28 years. On at- taining this age in life, he realized that the rapidly growing West, with her broad and beautiful prairies lying idle, offered greater inducements for the pro- curing of a competency than the stony hills of his native State, and concluded to come West. He con- sequently came to this county, and settled on section 26, Hampton Township, where he has lived and labored ever since. He is the proprietor of 242 acres of land with a good substantial residence, barn and outbuildings, and whatever he may possess of this world's goods, judging from his biography, is attri- butable to his own indomitable energy, good judg- ment and active co-operation of his good wife. Mr. Franklin formed a matrimonial alliance in January, 1840, with Miss Betsey F. Edwards, a na- tive of Vermont. Of their union six children have been born: Mary A., Jan. 13, 1841; Adeline F., March 3, 1843; Sanford E., Dec. 14, 1844; Rosa A., Oct. 24, 1848; Leslie E., Oct. 17, 1851 and Albert D., March 23, 1853 (deceased). Mary A. married 9 * &■ S|^%|K- ^ ^diisdb^a^ — *^- ■ 604 (S) — — I ■^€^r aV^Oll & n D&r - (S, ; ^ rr J?0CX ISLAND COUNTY. 4»t^®\ William Golden, and they have three children, — Clara F., Frank and Alice ; Adeline F. married Benjamin Golden, and they have seven children, — Netta, May, Luther, Arthur, Flora, Freddie (de- ceased) and Nellie ; Sanford married Matilda Bodel- son, by whom he had two children, — Winnifred, and one deceased. His wife died in 1870, and he was married again to Alida M. Northrup, and they had one child, — Charles; Rosa A. married I. M. Spencer, and they have four children, — Ralph, Dana, Ray- mond and one deceased; Leslie martied Louisa Brandt, and they have four children, — Alida, Philip, Fanny and Leslie, Jr. Politically, Mr. Franklin is a believer in the tenets of the Republican party. He is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Moline, and is regard- ed as one of the prominent men of the county. The station at Barstow was located on the north part of the southwest quarter of section 26, which property belongs to Mr. Franklin, and the village is indebted to Mr. F., as much as to any other man, for its pros- perity and growth. €»« sttephen H. Velie,oneof theleadingbusiness men of Moline, was born April 21, 1830, in Dutchess Co., N. Y., his father's name being Henry, and his mother's Susan (Her- rick) Velie. Both his father and mother were born in Dutchess County, the former in 1798, and the latter in rSoo. They had ten children, Ste- phen H. being the third. His father was of Dutch and his mother of English extraction. The subject of this sketch was a farmer boy until 15 years of age, meanwhile attending school during the winters, and teaching school one term. The two years follow- ing were employed in a general grocery store at Pough- keepsie, N. Y., with an uncle. He removed to St. Louis in 1847, and clerked in the well-known grocery store of E. J. Gay & Co., until 1850, spending the winterof 1849-50 in Louisiana on business for the firm. He returned East in the summer of 1850, re- maining there until the fall of 1853, when he return- ed to the West and settled in Rock Island, 111, and for five years had charge of the office of the foundry of C. C. Webber & Co. in that city. On May 10, 1S60, he was married at Moline, 111., to Emma, daughter of John Deere. His children are Charles D., born March 20, 1861 ; Stephen H., Jr., Oct. 20, 1862; Willard L., May 10, 1865; Grace, Feb. 4, 1872. Stephen H, Jr., was married July 10, 1884, to Miss Emma Ainsworth. Mr. Velie spent two years in the grocery business at Princeton, 111., and in iS63he became actively en- gaged as a partner in the John Deere Plow Works, and when the company was incorporated in 1868 he was chosen secretary of the corporation of Deere & Co., a position he has filled with marked ability ever since, attending to the buying and the manufacturing department principally. He is also manager of the Moline Lumber Company's saw-mill at Helena, Ark., and is interested with Mr. C. O. Mason in a stone-quarry enterprise in Iowa. He is a director in the Mississippi Valley Mutual Insurance Company, Moline Central Horse Railroad, and Moline Public Library. He is a Freemason and an Odd Fellow. Politically, Mr. Velie was a Whig up to the abro- gation of the Missouri Compromise line, when oppo- sition to the extension of slavery led him into the Republican ranks, and he has been of that faith ever since, believing that independent thinkers and reformers can bring about improvements in the character of public servants and civil service reform sooner as active, voting, caucus-attending members of the Republican party than as Independents or auxiliary Democrats. Mr. Velie is strongly domestic in his tastes, and literary in his impulses and talents, never so happy as when reading in the family circle during the eve- nings, and gaining and distributing knowledge among his children. fefea^asf i'TKrUl^avid Kichardson, >■ fe >s^l •' ington village, wa: 5 Cg or* w ' Ind., Oct dealer in horses at Edg- r as born in Monroe Co., r, 1843. His father, Jonathan "^)ST Richardson, was a farmer by occupation, a v> native of Tennessee and of German ances- I \ try. The parents lived in Monroe County Ind., where the son was reared and educated, and v£) V i & & V :&£* m >^§ $m- — i-1* ^renn^ & ®%< $k 6V£0HS^>r rr ^&pz ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 605 i & V > *S where the mother died in 1874. The father still re- sides there, with a daughter, Elizabeth. Mr. Richardson, subject of this biographical no- tice, was one of nine children of his father's family. He was educated at the common- schools of his na- tive county and followed the vocation of a farmer until the date of his marriage, June 12, 1863, in Monroe County. The lady whom he chose to share his sorrows and joys through life was Miss Lucinda Boultinghouse, the accomplished daughter of Isaac and Zilphe (Williams) Boultinghouse, natives of In- diana and Tennessee respectively. Her father was a farmer and always lived in Monroe County, where he died Oct. 9, i l 873. Her mother still resides in Monroe County with her younger son, James B. Mrs. Richardson was born in Monroe County, Ind., Oct. 1, 1842, and, what is something of a coincidence, it was the same day and month as that of her hus- band and just one year later. They are the parents of 12 children, four of whom are deceased. Mary married Anthony Tarpey, and resides in Buffalo Prairie Township, this county, and they are the par- ents of four children. John married Reath Neffand resides in Edgington village ; Isaac, Martin, Wil- liam, Francis and Sadie and Seana (twins) are the remaining surviving children. After his marriage Mr. Richardson resided on a farm in Monroe County, Ind., for a time and then came to this county and located in Edgington Township. He now owns 80 acres in Buffalo Prai- rie Township. In 187 1 he began to deal in horses, and now makes that business a specialty. Politic- ally, he is identified with the Democratic party, and is the owner of five and three-quarters acres of land inside the corporate limits of Edgington. ■jlohn H. Porter, job printer, 1 603-1 607 WiC Third Avenue, Moline, has one of the most * complete establishments in the Northwest, and enjoys a large and increasing patronage. His office makes a specialty of the nicer grades of work, for the production of which it has been especially fitted. In all departments 15 employees are engaged. Mr. Porter was born in Jamesport, Suffolk Co $€§^f» ^s^S. N. Y., July 11, 1848, and is a son of John and Isabella Porter. He was educated in Southold Institute, Southold, N. V. After graduating he was solicited by one of his former tutors, who had purchased a newspaper and printing office in a neighboring town, to enter the office, which he readily agreed to do. A little over three years was spent in this apprentice- ship, when another was served in New York. In 1868 he came West, to Southern Wisconsin, and a few months later located at Lacon, 111., from whence, in 1872, he removed to Moline. In December, 1879, Mr. Porter was united in marriage to Mary F. Nourse, and two children have been born to them, — Burt N. and Gail. In August, 1S80, Mr. Porter purchased the business which he is now conducting successfully. In April of the same year he was made Captain and Adjutant of the 14th Bittallion Illinois National Guards, which was afterwards merged into the Sixth Regt Inf. I. N. G, and Capt. Porter was re-appointed to the same position and rank. -♦*4#^«*- ^PjRS'.V.harles H. Larkin ^y0T fr ° m the Fifth Ward iW* "^ tne ^ est re P resentat ' ve 0I " trie Greenback Labor party in the spring of 1881. Though was elected Alderman in Rock Island as % f a young man, his term in office was so mark- ed with prudence and efficiency that the Democrats of the ward refused to run a man against him in the spring of 1883, and his name was printed on the tickets of both parties. The spring of 1885 developed the peculiarity in his case of seeing him dropped by the Democrats, nominated by his old party, endorsed by the Republicans, and overwhelm- ingly elected by the fusion. Just how these changes were brought about would require pages to explain; and as it properly belongs to political history it is malapropos in this sketch. Mr. Larkin was born at Schenectady, N. Y., Sept. 13, 1S52, and at the age of five years was brought by his parents, Michael and Mary (Smith) Larkin, to Rock Island County. His father was a blacksmith and carried on that trade in this county about 25 years. Charles was fairly educated at the public schools and at the age of 16 began the carpenter's 9 & 606 T? *74?DH8'IID>>r§ ^€^ -es§> §*§§*$ s 1 ^> ) % 4 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. trade. Less than one year at this trade satisfied him that it was not to his taste, and he at once ap- prenticed himself to stone masonry. In 1876 he branched out as a contractor, undertaking to do all kinds of plain and fancy stone masonry necessary to the construction of a building. Since that time he has completed some of the finest jobs in the county. The whole of the stone work of that magnificent structure in Davenport, Iowa, known as the " Acad- emy of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception," is the product of his handiwork, and at this writing (June, 1885) he is finishing the stone work of St. Ambrose College, in the same city. He employs from 15 to 25'men the year around ; and as his work- manship, like his private and public acts, will always bear favorably the strictest scrutiny, he is never re- quired to be idle. Mr. Larkin was married October 20, 1874, at the city of Rock Island, to Miss Annie Ford, a native of Indiana, and their five children are named respect- ively, May, Kate, Leo, Harry and Annie. Though not devoted to politics by any means, Mr. Larkin stands firmly by the principles of the Greenback Labor party. As he is a devout Catholic, it is not necessary to inquire whether he belongs to any se- cret order. eorge H. Huntoon, one of the firm of Hun toon Bros., proprietors of Moline Pump Works, is a native of Moline, 111., and was born July 4, 1846. His parents, Jo- seph and Sylvia (Tenney) Huntoon, were pi- oneers of Illinois in 1836. His father was troni New Hampshire, and his mother a native of Massachusetts. George, the subject of this bio- graphical notice, was educated in the ciiy schools of Moline, and learned the brick-maker's trade, and was engaged in that business till 1872, when he engaged in the windmill business, remaining in the same un- til 1875, at which time he entered upon his present undertaking. He was united in marriage at Moline, Oct. 28, 1875, to Miss Mary L. Stephens, daughter of George Stephens. Mrs. Huntoon was born in Moline, and she and her husband became the parents of two children, Grace A. and George E. During the late war, Mr. Huntoon served in the 100-day service as a member of Co. H, 133d 111. Vol. Inf. He had been previously employed in Government service for several months. Mr. Huntoon is liberal in his re- ligious views, and a Republican in political senti- ment. +** - % KM! •v 'i< hornas Armstrong, general farmer and A stock-raiser on section 34, Bowling Town- ship, was born in County Fermanagh, Ire- land, April 4, 1835. His father, Christopher Armstrong, also a native of the same county, married there Miss Mary A. Foster. For sev- eral generations back the ancestry have been mem- bers of the farming community. Three of Christopher Armstrong's sons — Robert, Archibald and Christo- pher, Jr., served in the United States Army during the late Rebellion, and Robert died from the hard- ship incident to camp life. They all belonged to Co. A, 37th 111. Vol. Inf. They took part in some of the leading battles of the war. Archibald is now liv- ing near Grinnell, Iowa, where he is a large farmer; Christopher is a merchant in Sutton, Neb. The gentleman whose name heads this biographi- cal outline is the eldest in a family of nine children, and was 15 years of age when he emigrated, alone, to this country, locating for a short time in the Prov- ince of Ontario, Can., whence he afterward came, as well as the rest of the family from the old country, to the United States, settling upon a farm of 125 acres in Bowling Township, this county. They are still living here, both very aged. Thomas was educated in his native country, and in this county he resided with his father, laboring upon the farm, which com- prised 455 acres. Feb. 2r, 1862, is the date of Mr. Armstrong's mar- riage, in the township of Bowling, this county, to Miss Sarah, daughter of James and Jane (Lester) Clark, natives of Ireland and of Irish ancestry. She was born in Ireland in 1834, and when she was four years old her mother died, and at the age of seven years she came to America with her father, who lo- cated in Bowling Township, where he spent the re- & S & £ X-«MI^^ — ^^ r/ 7 • yCL4.>LL^^ I I=X (!) J mainder of his days, acquiring a large amount of property. After marriage, Mr. Armstrong settled upon an 8o-acre farm deeded to him by his father some time before, and on this he has since resided, and pros- pered as a farmer. He is now the proprietor of 440 acres in this county and five acres in Mercer Coun- ty. The whole is fenced, and most of it cultivated. His buildings and other improvements are first- class. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong are : Mary A., who was born July 9, 1863; Margaret J., March 19, 1865; Sarah A., June 1, 1869, and Eliza- beth F., Jan. 30, 1874. The deceased are: Robert N., who was born March 26, 1867, and died July 29, 1877, and Christopher C, born July 1, 1872, and died Feb. 10, 1873. The parents and three of the children are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which religious body Mr. A. is now Steward, Trustee and Sunday-school Superintendent. In the latter capa- city he has been an efficient worker for two years. He has been School Director for 25 years, Assessor for three years, and has held most of the minor offices of the township. In his principles concern- ing the nation's welfare he is a reliable Republican. €^ t 1 m t^asper Vitzthum, physician and surgeon, Moline, was born in Bavaria, Jan. 1, 1823. He received his education at the ife best institutions of learning in the Old World, and is a graduate of the University of Jena, Germany. The Doctor in his early life was quite a traveler. For several years he practiced his profession on a large sugar plantation in Matto Grasso, Imperio Brazil, and from 1S48 to 1853 he was surgeon on a German vessel, and made a trip around the world, visiting many foreign coun- tries and acquiring a fund of knowledge and an ex- perience both profitable and pleasant. In October, 1855, he was married to Miss Anna Iversen, who was born in Haversleben, Schleswig Holstein, on October 26, 1836. They have three children living: Nora, born April 3, 1862; John, born Oct. 22, 1865, and Mamie, born June 12, 1867. They have lost five children. The Doctor came to this country in 1855, and is the oldest practitioner in the city of Moline. He has never entered public life, always preferring the practice of his profession, in which he has been ex- traordinarily successiul, and has acquired a compe- tency. Doctor Vitzthum is and has been for some years a director in the Moline National Bank, a member of the Turner Society, and a P. G. of the Order of Druids, Moline Grove, No. 26. wsf- js^e: Q^M benjamin F. Ramsey, Superintendent of the I Black Hawk Paper Mills, at Milan, and whose portrait is given on the opposite page, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dec. 31, 1837. His father, Simon Ramsey, was a native of Pennsylvania, of Scotch ancestry, and by occupation a merchant. He was a very act- ive worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, noted for his remarkable ability in prayer, and the substan- tial and lasting character of his spiritual influence upon religious inquirers. His mother's maiden name was Hannah West. Both his parents died at Mil- ford, Ohio, when he was about nine years old. After the death of his parents our subject went to live with his brother-in-law, J. H. Rust, of Moscow, Ohio, who was a dealer in shoes, etc., and a teacher of music. Mr. Ramsey (who was the youngest but one of a family of seven children, and being deprived of the comfort and influence of his parents at so early an age, his lot was not only a sad one, but must have been a hard one!) attended school at Moscow, and when only 14 years of age he began to learn the trade of paper manufacturer, at Madison, Ind., in a mill belonging to his brother-in-law. He was em- ployed there for a period of seven years, and thus became thoroughly drilled in the art he has given so much earnest thought and made his life-work. In 1866 he came to the city of Rock Island, and for one year took charge of the paper mill at that place. He then went to Burlington, Iowa, and superintended the construction of a paper-mill at that place. We next find him at Quincy, where he is engaged in the gnn^z^ — s^ V£ si/ (p i 610 -K :i nn^nnv>T- ~'\ -• v & A i=x Y 1 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. same business four years. From thence he goes to Beardstown, on the Illinois River, in Cass County. Owing to the burning of the mill, he left that place, and went to Kansas City, and after following his business there a short time he went to Springfield, 111. From then we went to Saratoga Springs, and Palmer Falls, on the Hudson River, N. Y., where he was engaged until 1S75. when he came to Milan, and erected the mill which lie now operates as superin- tendent. The mill, which is a first-class one, has a capacity of eight tons per day, and makes a specialty of wrapping paper. During the years Mr. Ramsey has lived here he has risen to be a man of consider- able worth and eminence in the community, and his success in business is signally prominent. He has won the esteem and confidence of not only the busi- ness men of the county, but has a reputation extend- ing far beyond its borders. He has been a member of the Village Council three years, serving with sat- isfaction to his constituents. In politics he is a strong Democrat. In 1S66 Mr. Ramsay was united in marriage, in Quincy, 111., with Miss Sarah A. Barnes, who was born near Pittsburg, in 1849. She was reared and educated there, and lived with her parents until her marriage, who came West with her when she was a young lady. Her father was a merchant. Botli her parents are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey have five children, namely : Arthur G., Edward P., Eva J.. Roswell and Sadie. Mr. Ramsey is a thoroughgoing business man, and both a credit and a value to the town. He is enter- prising, and has builded an industry here that is an important feature of the place. "ohannes Peterson, Secretary of the Moline Cabinet-Organ Company, was born in Wermland, Sweden, Jan. 8, 1849, and is the son of Peter and Christine (Olson) Peter- son He came to America in 1868, spent one year at Hastings, Minn., and then removed to Linds'uorg, McPherson Co , Kan., where he was en- gaged in farming till 1878. He then came to Moline and entered Augustana College, taking a three-year course, completing it i. 1SS1, when he purchased an equal share with the other stockholders in the Mo- line Cabinet-Organ Company. He subsequently bought out one of the partners, giving him one-fifth of the stock. In January, 1885, he was elected sec- retary of the company, and exchanged his Kansas farm for a grocery store at Rock Island, of which he afterward sold a half interest. He is a member of the Swedish Lutheran Church, and a Republican. W\ lpik% apt - residing on section 25, is a son of Robert and Hannah (Keating) Jordan, natives of Maine, and of Scotch-Irish and English an- cestry. He is a grandson of Israel and Susanna Jordan, the former being the second son of Col. Na- thaniel and Hannah (Woodbury) Jordan. Nathaniel Jordan was the son of Maj. Dominicus and Joanna (Bray) Jordan. The former was a son of Domini- cus and Hannah (Tristam) Jordan. He was the third son of Rev. Robert and Sarah (Winter) Jordan. Rev. Robert Jordan was a clergyman of the Church of England, and the founder of the family in Amer- ica. He was stationed at Richmond's Island, near Portland, Me., in 1641. He is supposed to have come to this country in 1639. The family of which Eben D. Jordan, of the celebrated firm of Jordan, Marsh & Co., of Boston, is a member, trace their genealogy back to the Norman conquest, in which one of them was the companion of Martine De Tours. For a further record, see the Jordan Memo- rial, compiled by Hon. Tristram Frost Jordan. The parents of the subject were married in 1800, and settled in Rockland, Maine, and in 1832 they emigrated to Seneca County, Ohio, where, four days after their arrival, the father died. The mother lived there until 1845, when she went to live with a son in Wisconsin, and finally came to reside with her son, Capt. John A. Jordan, subject of this notice, and died at his residence Feb. 9, 1854. Their family comprised 14 children. John A. was the tenth child in order of birth of VS John A. Jordan, one of the pro- P~~M& gressive farmers of Rural Township and x reliable citizens of Rock Island County, 8 4 i A < &^$mw& * ^ -m& m V c ■■^ft^k — @*g4HW®llll&r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 6n @J K. ^ ^ his parents' family, and was born in Camden, Maine, Jan. ii, 1819, and received his education, which, on account of the newness of the country in which he resided, was somewhat limited, in his native county; he worked on the farm until he was 14 years of age. On arriving at this age, his parents moved to Ohio, where he resided with his widowed mother for five years, and during the last year had charge of her farm. Capt. John A. came from Ohio to Mercer County, this State, and settled in Richland Grove, where he "took up" and purchased 100 acres oi land. He lived on the latter place until the spring of 1855, when he sold out and moved to Rural Township, this county, where he purchased 320 acres of land, located on sections 25 and 36. He settled on section 25, where he is at present residing, and on which he erected a good residence, together with sub- stantial outbuildings, and placed his land under an advanced state of cultivation. At present he is the owner of 160 acres, the major portion of which is well improved. In the spring of 1861, Capt. Jordan raised a company known as the " Ellsworth Guards," and drilled them four months. At the expiration of that time, he took a part of his company and also a part of the Rock Island Rifles, which were consoli- dated, and Capt. Jordan was elected and commis- sioned Captain of the company, which was known as Co. A, 37th 111. Vol. Inf. It was a rifle company, and Aug. 14, 1861, they went into camp at Chicago, from which place they were soon afterward ordered for Missouri. Capt. Jordan was with the regiment for about five months, when he received a stroke of paralysis, and after examination by Dr. L. F. Humeston, Surgeon of his regiment, he was pro- nounced in a critical condition, and was compelled to resign, which he did. and returned to his home in Rock Island. He has been unable to regain his health since the close of the war. After returning home, he was sent to Kentucky and Tennessee on "matters connected with the army." Capt. Jordan formed a matrimonial alliance March 18, 1841, in Richland Grove, Mercer Co., this State, with Miss Rachel Melzler, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Horcom) Metzler, natives of Pennsylva- nia. Mrs. Jordan was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, May 4, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. J. are the par- ents of four children : Byroy, born June n, 1842; Edwin T., bom Dec. 17, 1843 ; Olive M., born Aug. 5, 1848, and died in Rural Township, May 14, 1 1865 ; and William H., born Dec. 28, 1850. Byron married Mary Anna Blackfan, Nov. 17, 1867. They have four children, — Roland B., born May 2c, r87o ; Elmer H., July 22, 1872; Samuel L., born July 26, 1875 ; and Erwin B., May 26, 18S4. Capt. Jordan has held the office of Supervisor of Rural Township, Justice of the Peace eight years, and other minor offices in the township. Politically, he is a believer in and a supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and religiously he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Captain Jordan is Elder. ^s|NN^~^~- ' ; -ft\ ■■. oseph Conway, one of the principal /' .;,■- characters in the early history of Rock < '- Island County, was born in Mason Co., Ky., in 1790. In early life he moved to Mad- ison Co., 111., and there studied law, was Cir- cuit and County Clerk on the organization of that county in 1819, was State Senator in 1825-6 and in 1830. On the organization of Rock Island County, he came bearing the commission from the Governor for the office of Judge of Probate, Public Administrator, Notary Public and Recorder. He was also appointed Clerk of the Circuit and of the County Commissioners' Courts. On account of fail- ing health he resigned in 1843, went south and died near Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 25, T843. ^<0OO« f , ohn G. Corbin, farmer on section 32, iSfe" Hampton Township, is a pioneer of 1111- ^/^£* . , . 1 • o 1 V nois, having come to this State as early as 1S36, before the days of railroads or even a jC convenient line of stages. He was born in Ohio, Jan. 4, r Si S, and was the son of Luther C. and Mary (Sharp) Corbin, both natives of New York. The subject of this sketch left home while a mere lad, at the age of 14 years, and since that lime, has won a respectable place in society. After leaving i§\®^ ■^€^ @tXHD D M H& \9 > ^_ i»- 12 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ?£% 1 i S .0 .■■>. # home he learned the miller's trade, which he only followed for a short time. He then came to Illinois and located in Albany, Whiteside County, where he lived for three years, working out where he could get employment. In 1S38 he went to Indiana, where he remained one year, then came back to Illinois, stop- ping in Hancock County for three months, when, in 1S40, he came to Rock Island. His introduction into the county was as a wood-chopper, working four months at that labor, together with farming. In 1841, he assisted in building a dam at Moline, and in 1852 he purchased his farm, where he now lives. He ad- heres to the principles of the Greenback party, and in his religious connections is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his wife is also a member. In 1843 he was united in marriage to Miss Pollie Brooks, who became the mother of 15 children, five of whom are living, — Eli, James, Clark, Martha and William. Mrs. Corbin died in 1883, and Mr. Cor- bin for his second wife married Mrs. Margaret West, Nov. 12, 1884. She was a native of Pennsylvania, and by her former husband became the mother of nine children, the following eight of whom are living: Harriet, Mary, Clara, Ella, Emma, Lillian, Clyde and Clarence. -5 »/V^2P"|3g^A/V/»~- Sji ndrew C. Shaffer, dealer in peddlers' sup- §\W plies at Rock Island, came to this city in ^ 1857. He was born in Andes, Delaware Co., N. Y., in December, T839. His father and mother, Philip and Malvina Schafer, were natives of that State, and there resided until their deaths. Andrew C. Shaffer, the gentleman of whom we write, at the age of fourteen years, engaged with his older brother, C. B. Shaffer, in his native village of Andes, in the hardware business, and they jointly conducted the same for three years. On at- attaining his seventeenth year, Mr. Shaffer came West and located at Rock Island, and soon after- ward purchased and improved a farm in Mercer County. He lived on his farm in Mercer County, occupied in its cultivation, for three years, when he returned to Delaware Co. N. Y., and again engaged in business with his brother, as before. They con- ducted their business jointly until the breaking out of the late Civil War, when Mr. Shaffer of this no- tice enlisted in the 8th New York Battery, Capt. Butler Fitch. He remained in the army four years, veteranizing and engaging in all the battles in which his regiment participated. After leaving the army he came to Rock Island, and at once engaged in the business which he is at present following. He has five wagons on the road, and in supplying the ped- dling trade is meeting with financial success. Mr. Shaffer was united in marriage, in 1866, to Miss Angie Collier, a native of Steuben Co., N. Y., where she was born in 1844. The issue of their union was two children — Lee L., born in 1867, and now in the employ of the Rock Island & Pacific Sur- vey Company; and VedaM., who was born in 187 1. In politics, Mr. Shaffer belongs to no party, but as with his religion, is liberal in his views. Socially, he is a member of the Order of Modern Woodmen of America — an order of the Golden Rule. His residence is 1504 Second Avenue, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth Streets, Rock Island. ~{®>.- aeob M. Weaver, a successful farmer, re t siding on section n, Moline Township, was born May r2, 1847, in Moline Town- ship, within one- 1. alf mile of where he at pres- et ent resides. He ; a son of George Weaver, a native of Germany, who was married to Miss Schooley, also a native of that country. They emigrated to the United States in 1829, and the issue of their union was eight children — John D., Jacob M., subject of this notice, Amos, George, William, Christina A., Charlotte, Mary E. and Sisley M. Mr. Weaver, of this notice, was united in marriage with Miss Ann Clarkson, Nov. 23, 1872. She was born June t r, 1853, in Johnstown, Pa., and is of English parentage. Her parents' names were Timo- thy and Elizabeth (Teasel) Clarkson, both born in England, the former dying in 1867, and the latter in r875. Mr. Weaver has a fine farm of 180 acres, 100 of which is under an advanced state of cultiva- tion and the remainder in pasture. On his place he CI s $|R®>*^|«- - 3 ^ r Q A <£0[1®PI1>1> / VC) > *$$P- 4^^^ w ■6V4jDn^niij>!^ — >^kt ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. f f ) ? I!) f has a fine dwelling, 30x35 feet in dimensions, and one and a half stories in height, together with a good bain, 1 orn-crib, and other necessary outbuildings, and his place presents to the passer-by the appear- ance' indicative of the push and energy of which the proprietor is possessed. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Weaver are Jacob F., born March 21, 1874; Eliza M., Dec. 20, 1875; George, Feb. 24, 1877 ; Lewis, July 26, 1880; John E., Dec. 29, 1882; and Albert M., Feb. 14, 1885. s£t}\ ■_ Welch & Bio., general retail grocers, Rock i : ~"* Island, 111., was born at Honesdale, Pa., Feb. 10, 1837, and was the eldest of six sons and one daughter born to John and Mary (Hambley) Welch, natives of England. Mr. Welch, subject of this sketch, received a fair educa- tion at the public schools of his native State, and emigrated to Illinois before he was 20 years of age, landing in Rock Island in May, 1S57. His first employment here was as a clerk in the grocery house of Henry Dart, where he remained about two years. In 1859 Mr. Dart opened a branch house in Daven- port, Iowa, with which he took Mr. Welch as a part- ner. At the end of two years, Mr. W. severed his connection with this concern, and having contracted a mild attack of the " gold fever " spent the succeed- ing three and a half years in the mining regions of the Western Territories. His search for the precious metals not being rewarded with any marvelous de- gree of success he returned to Rock Island in the fall of 1865, and after a short visit in the Eastern States, resumed work with his old employer, the firm being known at that time as Henry Dart's Sons. At the end of a few months he, in partnership with J. K. Gregg, bought out the retail department of Dart's \«. Sons' Grocery House, to which business he has since devoted his entire attention. Mr. Gregg retired from the firm in 1S7 1, and in 1S75 Mr. W. took his broth- er, Franklin P Welch, into partnership. Flic firm of W. C. Welch & Bro are deservedly doing a flourishing business, and though the senior member of the firm has other outside interests, the grocery house of which he is the head receives uninterruptedly his personal attention. Mr. Welch was united in marriage in Chicago, March 1, 1S66, to Miss Mary Jane Armstrong, a na- tive of New York State. -» A A t~t h f , T~ T &- manufacturer of and dealer in boots and shoes, Milan, was born in Holsfein, Germany, Feb. 9, 1832, and was educated in the public schools. He came to America in 1S57, locating first in \ the city of New York, where he followed his trade as a shoemaker, which he had completed un- der a German workman before leaving his native country. After working at his trade in that metrop- olis for four months, in July, 1857, he came West, settling at Milan. Here he worked as a journeyman until 1S62, when he enlisted in the War for the Union, in Co. A, 03d 111. Vol. Inf. He was wounded at the battle of Altona, Ga., by a gunshot through the right shoulder. Returning home after the close of his service in the army, he started, in 1865, his present business, in which he enjoys a high degree of prosperity. He owns seven lots in the village, five dwelling houses and a good store building. His residence, of brick, is the best in the town, costing $5,000. Jan. 21, 1861, is the date of Mr. Goldsmith's mar- riage, at Davenport, Iowa, to Miss Catherina Keeler, who also was born in Holstein, Germany, and came to America in 1857, settling in Davenport, where she lived until her marriage. Of the three children born to Mr. and Mrs. G., two are deceased. Frank is living, and the deceased are William and Emma. Mr. Goldsmith's father, Jacob, now deceased, was a laborer at the public Custom-House. The maiden name of our subject's mother was Christine Klink; c (!) V®^' -— ^v- *t 3tf€^*KT ■<5V£>i]D»>r^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 6. 7 • she was also a native of Schlevi*, and is now de- ceased. In his political principles, Mr. Goldsmith is a Democrat. He has been a member of the Village Council for several different terms, and both himself and wife are members of the German Lutheran Church. ) & Iff jfefj'- 011 - James W. Simonson, senior member of 5 the mercantile firm of Simonson & Schafer, at Port Byron, was born in the town of Lamington, Somerset Co., N. J., Nov. 8, 1842. In the paternal line he is a descendant of John Simonson, who was a native of Holland. His father, Dennis Simonson, was bom in Somerset County, where he married Ellen Nevius, who was also born in New Jersey. The ancestors of Mr. Simonson were farmers, and he was brought up to a knowledge of the same busi- ness, meanwhile obtaining a common-school educa- tion. In September, 1S61, he enlisted in Co. E, 30th N. T- Regt. Vol. Inf. The 30th was a part of the 1 1 th Corps of the Army of the Potomac. His servii e was during the Peninsular campaign, under Gen. Geo. B. McClellan. He received honorable dis- charge before the end of the first year, on account of disability, and returned to his home. Some time passed before he was sufficiently' recovered to en- gage in business, and when he did it was in fanning. In 1865 he came West to Port Byron, and embarked in the grocery and provision trade. A year later he began to real law in the office of S. R. Allen, of Port Byron. He attended the Law Si hool at Chicago during the terms of 1S67 and 1S68, from which he was graduate! in the 5 e ir list named. Previous to his graduation he had been admitted to the Bar of Illinois, and he afterwards opened an office in Rock Island, where he practiced as an attorney until 1872. He then went to Mt. Carroll, in Carroll Co., 111., and there engaged in mercantile trade. A year later he returned to Port Byron and lias since been eng in general merchandising. Politically, Mr. Simonson is an adherent of the Republican party. In 187S, his zeal and activity in support of that political organization, and his worth as a citizen, received honorable recognition by his being nominated and elected to represent the 21st District in the 31st General Assembly of Illinois. He filled the position so acceptably that he was re- elected in rSSo. While a member, he was Chairman of the Committee on Fees and Salaries and was a member of the Committees on Education, Revenue, Canal and Rivers, and was placed on a special com- mittee to investigate insane asylums and ascertain their capacity and recommend what, in its judgment, would be suitable and sufficient buildings, etc. He has served three years as President of the Board of Village Trustees, and as a member of the Board of School Directors. Mr. Simonson was married Sept. 9, 1S74, to Rose C, only daughter of William H. and Eliza (Beards- lee) Devore, and they have two children, — Blanche E. and Devore Nevius. An extended sketch of the parents u\ Mrs Simonson may be found on other pages of this work. Mr. Simonson is a member of Alpha Lodge, No. 85, A. O. U. W. Rock Island County can justly boast of many splendid and palatial residences. Prominent among these, and one of the very finest in the north- ern part of the county, is the dwelling of Mr. Simonson, and we are pleased to represent it in the pictorial department of this Album. A view of it appears on page 286. ^ Ss-^sj £= (-) T ' ca H: >l ; enjaniin R. Towndrow, Sr., of Mohne, L_0„- was bom in Sheffield, England, April 13, lijp? '" 1831. His parents are Joseph and Marcia (Smith) Towndrow, his father of French and his mother of Scotch ancestry. Mr. T., the second of his parents, three children, attended school in his native country, until he was about 15 years of age, at which, time he paid a flying visit to Quebec, Canada, for two months. In 1848 he came again to America, landing at New Orleans; and in February, 1849, went to New York city for a short time; was next at Burlington, Iowa, for three months, then in Appanoose Co., Iowa, for about a year; then in Burlington again three years; then three months at Rock Lland, and finally, in 1852, he came to Mo- line, III., which has ever since been his home. In $«^f gm- ■*&* — Q_A^nu@(j|i^ l%fi~ I 1^. ■c? -rA 4 'K\ r^KflDf^ rr — :: u^c 618 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 1853 he started a grocery store in Moline, which he conducted for six years, then changed his occupation to that of buying pork for Archer Shaw. After buy- ing all that his employer desired, Mr. Towndrow opened a dry-goods and grocery store, which he managed until 1S62; selling out, he made a journey to California for his health, remaining there six months. Returning to this county, he opened a grocery store in Rock Island ; but a year afterward he sold out and spent a year in his native land ; re- turning to Moline in 1865, he was proprietor of the Moline House until 1874, when he leased the prop- erty, but finally disposed of it through J. S. Keator, in 1880. At Fort Madison, Iowa, June 30, 185 1, Mr. Town- drow was married to Miss Louisa Emery. Her father, William Emery, was an Englishman by birth, a farmer by trade, and died in his native country, in 1846. Mrs. P. died in Moline, July 7, 1881, after having been a most excellent and faithful wife for 30 years. She had two children, namely: Marcia L., who was born July 21, 1859, and Benjamin R., Jr., Feb. 9, 1862. Marcia married Frank Gould, Feb. 20, 1878, and they have one child, — Florence L., who was born March 13, 1879. The son was married Feb. 4, 1885, to Miss Stella Barnard. -S3- -SS- ichard A. Donaldson was born in Rural jfc Township, Rock Island Co., 111., June 8, 1854. His parents, James and Catharine Hy\ (Cook) Donaldson, natives of the Slate of Pennsylvania and of Scotch extraction, re- moved from the Keystone State to Rock Isl- and County and located upon a farm in Rural Township in 1853. Here the family resided for about 30 years. His father lias been extensively interested in the farming and banking business. Richard A., the eldest of the four sons and three daughters born to his parents, spent the years of his youth upon his father's farm, alternating the duties incident to farm life with attendance at the common schools of his neighborhood. When about 20 years of age, he accepted a deputy- ship in the office of John V. Cook, Clerk of Rock Island County, and held thot position until the death of his superior officer, which occurred in January, 1S80, when he was appointed at once to the Clerk- ship pro tern. At a special election, held in Feb- ruary, 18S0, he was duly elected to fill out the unexpired term of Mr. Cook, deceased, and at the regular election, in November, 1882, so acceptably had he discharged the duties of the office as Deputy, Clerk pro tern, and as Clerk, he was chosen al- most without opposition to succeed himself for the four years ending in 1886. Mr. Donaldson was united in marriage at Rock Island, in December, 18S2, to Miss Laura Conway, an accomplished daughter of Joseph Conway, de- ceased. ( : ji Wsjl enry Meyer, a farmer, residing on section . '; 22, Drury Township, is a native of Ger- .- I -o"* . , . , , , T , ■ **• many, in which country he was born July M 30, 1827. He lived in his native country until he attained the age of 27 years (1852), where = he was engaged in farming, and received the "" advantages afforded by the common schools. During . that year, he determined to emigrate to the " land of possibilities," realizing that greater inducements were offered to this country for the accumulation of a competency than in the "Faderland." Accordingly, he set sail for the United States and landed in New York, whence in a short time he removed to Louis- ville, Kentucky, where, and in Hardin County, that Slate, he resided for a time, in both of which places 5 he remained one year. He then came to Southern Illinois, where he resided for about two years, com- ing then to this country. On arrival here he worked out by the month in Drury Township,- for a little over two years. He then purchased 60 acres of land, located on section 22, on which he settled and at once entered energetically and vigorously upon the task of its improvement and cultivation, and on which he has resided until the present time. Mr. Meyer commenced life with nothing but a firm de- termination, to " get on " in the world, and that de- termination coupled with his indomitable energy, together with his perseverance and pluck, has aided him very materially in the accumulation of a compe- ar ye ^^uuMf^o ^€^ wm m x M^ft&fa- —^ 7 & TT^- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ' m )S i i i tency. He is at present the owner of 480 acres of land, located in Dairy Downship, about 250 of the same being in an advanced state of cultivation. He has a good residence, barn and outbuildings on his farm . Our subject was married at Muscatine, Iowa, Jan., 1865, to Caroline Krantz, a native of Prussia ; to them have been born ten children, as follows: William, Emma, Mary, Anna, Sarah, Lena, Mena, Albert, Henry and. Nellie. All are living but Henry. Mr. Meyer has ever taken an active interest in the welfare of the community in which he resides, and, though not prominent in politics, has held some local offices. He is at present a School Director. Politi- cally, he is a Republican, and both himself and wife are members of the Methodist Church. ^ enry S. Shurtleflf, a retired farmer and Justice of the Peace, residing at Rapids City, and one of the well-known pioneers of Rock Island County, came, to Hampton Town- ship in 1840. He was among the first to set a stake here and begin the development of the county, and is, therefore, one of the pioneer settlers of that portion of the county. He was born in N. H., Feb. 27, iSi6. His parents were Barzillai and Dorothy (Locke) Shurtleflf, natives of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, respectively. The father came to Illinois in 1835, and settled in Knox County, where he entered 200 acres of land, on which he and his wife resided until the day of their deaths. The Shurtleflf family is well-known in Illinois, as some members of it have taken an active and prominent part in its educational affairs. The famous Shurt- leflf College, at Alton, 111, was named in honor of one of these, an uncle of the subject of this sketch. Henry S. Shurtleflf, subject of this biographical no- tice, was a resident of New Hampshire and Massa- chusetts, until he attained the age of 19 years. He received an academical education, and remained on the parental homestead until 25 years of age, with the exception of about six months spent in the city of Boston when about the age of 15 years as a clerk §K — in a mercantile establishment. In 1855, realizing that the West afforded better inducements for the accumulalion of property than the crowded East, he came to La Salle Co., 111., where he remained for six months, and then went to Tazewell County, re- maining there through the winter of 1836. In 1837 ' he went to Knox County, this State, and was there engaged in farming on 140 acres of land, which he " took up " from the Government. He then sold out and came to Hampton Township, this county, and and purchased 40 acres of timber land, and engaged in lumbering. Soon afterward he bought 40 acres on Rock River bottom, which he cultivated for three years, then sold and purchased 103' j acres of land, on which he moved his family and entered vigorous- ly and energetically upon its cultivation and improve- ment, and upon which he has continuously resided up to the present time. Prior to moving on his farm he was in the mercantile business at Rapids City, and while residing at that village was Postmaster for 10 years. Mr. Shurtleflf has held the office of As- sessor for a number of years, and in 1856 was elected ,. Justice of the Peace, which office he has held con- tinuously until'the present time with the exception of one year. In the spring of 1885 he was appointed S Notary Public. He is a man of considerable promi- ^ nence in his township, and respected for his honest and straightforward dealings with his fellow man. Politically, he is an advocate of the principles of the Greenback party. Mr. Shurtleflf was married to Miss Emeline Will- iamson in 1840; she was a native of Kentucky, in which State she was born Jan. 29, 1818. Of their union four children were born, namely: BarzilLi M., bornSjpt. 13, 1S41 ; Job A., Feb. 18, 1843; Benton A., July 5, [846; Delilah H., Nov. 15, 1844. The { wife and mother died April 14, 1848, and Mr. Shurt- f leff was the second time married, the lady of his choice being Miss Elizabeth Williamson, who was born Dec. 6, 1829, and the date of their marriage oc- curring June 14, 1849. Their union has been blessed with four children : Emeline, born March 4, 1850; Charles H., May 19, 1855 ; Rosalie, Dec. 8, ■' 1856; and William, May 23, 1S60. Six of the chil- I drenofthe two unions are married, namely : Bar-^ zillai, Job. Delilah, Emeline, Charles H. and Rosalie. (f Two of the sons of Mr. S., Barzillai and Job, were 9 soldiers in the late war. Barzillai was commissioned y as Second Lieutenant and Job as Sergeant. They **" m \ hillip Simnion, of Rock Island, was born in 1 Mcii.nheini, Germany, Oct. 10, 1818, and ' i -.*\ is a son of Peter and Eva (Grafusch) Simmon. He attended the district school of IP ■\ \. his native town, at intervals engaging in the occupation of farming, until he attained the age of 14 years, when he came to Bedford Co., Pa., and settled down to labor. Here he remained until 1 84 r , when he rented his farm and ran a saw-mill in Tusearora, Pa., for over three years; but again moved, coming this time farther West, locating in Rock Island, 111, in the spring of 1S45. In 1S46, he commenced draying at the latter place, an occupa- tion he has since followed, and at which he has quietly prospered, winning for himself the solid repu- tation of being an honorable, industrious and reliable man; and he is one of the best known and most re- spectable of the old settlers there. Mr. Simmon was elected and served as Alderman during 1846-7. He was married in Pennsylvania, March 19, 1S43, the lady chosen to share his successes and reverses, sorrows and joys, being Miss Katherine Miller; but in the fall of that year (1850), she passed away to the land of the hereafter, and of their union there were born two children, namely : George H., born Dec. 29, 1843: Eliza C, Jan. 6, 1S46. On Sept. 10, 1853, Mr. S. was again married, at Rock Island, to Miss Cornelia Hitchcock. Of this second union there were born four children : Peter C, born Feb. 14, 1S55; Harrison. May 29, 1864; Maria E., March 6, 1866, and Matilda C, Oct. 30, 1868. The mother of Mr. Philip Simmon died in 1876, and the father in 1877. Mr. S. is a member of the Lutheran Church, and his wife of the Methodist. In politics he is a Democrat, and believes it to be a party which will always work for the benefit and glory of the George H., Eliza menti. rried Anna D. Richards, nL country married. The last Sept. 10, 1883; she is the daughter of W. H. and Xtttie (Dixon) Richards, of Moline. Her mother's father was John Dixon, a pioneer of Lee Co., 111., after whom the city of Dixon was named. Peter C. atended school in his native town, Rock Island, until he was about 1 S years of age, when he was appointed clerk in the postoffice, under Haverstick in 1872, remaing there for six months, and then went to the Davenport Business College, which he had previously attended for six months. For three years thereafter he kept books for R. Crampton, of Rock Island. In 1876 he came into the office of Deere & Co., at Mo- line, where he soon became cashier, a position he still holds. Like his father, he is a Democrat in political be- lief, and in religion is a Methodist, as is also his wife. Mr. P. C. Simmon belongs to the Odd Fellows, and is also Second Lieutenant of Co. F, I. N. G. TMf: evi IT. Cralle, liveryman at Moline, born July 16, 1850. in Richland Co., was 111., his parents being Edward M. and Sarah (Terry) Cralle. He attended school in his native /\ district but a short time, and remembers that on the first day of his attendance he had to plod along through two miles of woods, and his father went along to show him the way, carrying a hatchet with him to '"bla/e" the trees, so that his son might be able to find his way back to the paternal cabin. He came to Moline in 1S64, and on May 13, that year, he enlisted in Capt. James St. Clair's Company, Co. G, 136th Regt. 111. Inf., though he was less than 14 \ ears of age. He was tall and strong, however, very patriotic, >us to enlist; and it is sad to know that he wickedly and with malice aforethought " pulled the wool over the eyes " of the recruiting officer and made him believe he was a raw recruit 18 years of age! He was out on duty six months, was stationed at the fort at Columbus. Ky., for a while, and went thence to Chicago, and finally to Spring- field, 111., where he was mustered out, Oct. 2S, 1S64. 9 S3 I <*0DgHD$ \5 * Qt- •f*@£*@ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4*^ 623 > I > He returned to Moline in the fall of that year, and for two years worked for George Stephens in his bed- stead factory, on the island of Rock Island; then was engaged several months on a lath machine for Dimock & Gould, then for a while for T. M. Christy, in his cracker b tkery ; next he peddled ice for George Heck, and afterward followed the occupation of a farmer one summer; next, was employed in the United States Express business for L. H. Barker, thus learning most of what he now knows of busi- ness. On July 16, 1873, he owed $ioo, to pay a balance due on some furniture; and he also borrowed $500 of Samuel Bowles, with which he bought out Joe Bonham's express outfit, consisting of one team. Mr. Bowles charged him no interest for the use of the money, and thus Mr. Cralle was enabled to embark independently in business. In 1882 he owned and ran four express teams, which he afterward sold, and Feb. 1, that year, he became a partner in the livery business with Henry Herwood, who died May 23, 1883; and Mr. C. bought out the widow's inter- est, Dec. 1, following, and he now owns five carri- ages, nine buggies and 18 head of good horses. Jan. 30, 1873, is the date of Mr. dalle's marriage to Miss Mary Witherspoon, and they have two chil- dren, namely: Maud M., who was born Jan. 28, 1874, and Arthur B., Aug. 1, 1880. Mr. C. is a Republican in his political views, and a member of the Masonic Order. ohn E. Fleming, County Treasurer of Rock Island, was born in Steubenville, Jefferson '^ Co., Ohio, May 10, 1846, and was married at Davenport, Iowa, Oct. 4, 1S80, to Miss Minnie R. Graham. During his boyhood he attended school and early turned his attention to the mysteries of telegraphing, which business he gp\ learned in the most thorough manner. He removed to Rockford, 111., with his parents iu April, 1852, where he attended school, and in leisure hours learned telegraphy, which he put in practical use for the first time in the spring of rS56. His tele- graph experience ended in 1873. During the time engaged in telegraphing he was employed by the m\i^c % company in various cities in this State, viz.,G;'' Di.xon, Fulton and Peoria. His residence in this city dates from Dec. 12, 1S61. In 1868 he was appointed Superintendent of Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis Railway lines, which were completed and put in operation under his superintendency. He resigned this position in 1870, to accept that of chief operator in St. Souis, which place he resigned in 1873, to engage in reportorial duties, etc. .__,pv -*s*» Kharles O. Nason, architect and superin- tendent of the wood department of Deere Co. Plow Works, was born in the town of && Hartford, Windsor Co., Vt, Sept. 20, 1828, and is the sun of Horace and Mary Nason. f He removed to Claremont, N. H., when quite young, where he received the training afforded by the common schools in the way of an education, and in early manhood became a practical cot'on-weaver. Mr. Nason was engaged in that business until 1857, when he emigrated to Illinois, and located at Moline. He at once found employment in the plow works of his uncle, John Deere, the celebrated plow manufac- turer. A few months later lie was assigned to the management of the wood department, of which he has beeen the superintendent continuously since. For 28 years he has held this responsible position, and, by his thorough knowledge of the details of the business and prompt attention to its management, has contributed largely to its successful develop- ment Mr. Nason has had the satisfaction of wit- nessing the growth oft he great " Deere &: Co. Plow Manufactory," from a modest concern of small pro- portions to that of one of the largest institutions of the kind in the world, and of knowing" that his name is deserving of honorable mention in connection with this result. Mr. Nason formed a matrimonial alliance at Orford, N. H., in August, 1840, with Miss Charlotte A. John- ston, daughter of Thomas Johnston, of Plainfield, N. H. Mrs. Nason was born in Meriden, of that State. The issue of their marriage is two children, namely : Clarence E., who married Miss Ella Estelle, and re- sides at Moline, and Ella F., residing with her pa- rents. Mr. Nason votes with the Republican party. Vg, ( v) JUO, ^\ 62 = 1 624 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. "N ¥ .'.) I f I ohn Cain, a fanner of Canoe Creek Town- i^^llf ship, came to Rock Island County when he * v 18 years ol age. accompanying his father's family hither. He was born in Hun- jT tingdon Co., X. J., Nov. 8, 1S32, and is the youngest son of John B. and Annie (Myers) Cain, and his parents were also natives of the same State where the son was horn. The father was born in Huntingdon Co.. X. J., April 7, 1804. He married Anna, daughter' of Albert Meyers. She died in April, 1882. John B. was a member of the Dunkard Church, but while a young man severed his connec- tion with it and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1855, or shortly after he came here. He was a Democrat in politics. The latter was reared on a farm, and obtained a thorough knowledge of an agriculturist while he was still a resident of Ills native State. The family set forth for Illinois in 1850, traveling overland to Pittsburg, where they embarked with their teams on a steamboat, and journeyed the rest ■ i the distance on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, landing at Cordova, in the county of their destination, in the month of November of the same year. The father rented a farm in Canoe Creek Township, on which they lived one year. In 1S52 the senior Cain entered 200 acres of land on section 20 of the same township, and also bought 40 acres on the same. On the latter tract 15 acres had been broken. Xo other improvements had been made, and the new owner proceeded to build a log house, and to other- wise improve the condition of his estate. His sons, John and Hiram, were old enough to aid materially in the work of placing the home farm in profitable condition, and assisted in so doing until 1859, when the latter went to California. The former lias since occupied the homestead, in company with his father, who died Aug. 22, 1885. In 1S67 he built the pres- ent large farm house, and in 1880 he built a barn. The son has bought additional land, and the place now contains 325 acres. The brothers are engaged :i ie cattle, and show some good specimens irt-horn breed. Mr. Cain was married May 25, 1S61, to Julia A. Beal. She was born in Allegheny County, Pa., and to her and her husband two children were born — Ella R. and Anna E. The parents of Mrs. Cain, Tames and Elizabeth (Williams) Beal, were both natives of Pennsylvania, and came to the county of Rock Island in October, 1S54, and settled on section 25, Coe Township. The mother died in June, 18S0. After her demise the father lived with hw son George until his death, which transpired in December, 18S2. Their family comprised six children, and of that number four are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Cain have had six children, and lost one by death : Wesley lives in Coe Township ; Sarah is the wife of Jacob Marshall, a fanner in the same township ; Hiram is a resident there also ; Hannah, widow of George R McMurphy, married Henry Ashdown. ite&WSi®"'*— §. t^S/ZJOTIv £ sraelCassel is a dealer in stoves and house- furnishing goods at Moline. He makes general job work a specialty. He was born in Bucks ( !o., Pa, Oct. 12, 1832, and is the son of John and Susanna (Bergey) Cassel. He re- moved in boyhood to Medina Co., Ohio, where he began learning the trade of a tinner. In the fall of 1S54 he went to Davenport, Iowa, where he com- pleted his trade and worked as a journeyman for 10 years, when, in 1864, he came to Moline. He worked as a " jour " in the latter place until 1S78, when he entered into a co-partnership with Mr. E. Smith and subsequently with E. B. McKeevever. In March, 1S84, Mr Cassel started alone in the business in which he is at the present engaged, and in which he is meeting with success. He was unit- ed in marriage, in Moline on the 5th day of July, 1858, to Miss Eliza A. Hutt, a daughter of Hiram and Nancy Hutt. She was born in Schoharie Co., N. V., and came to Moline with her parents in child- hood. Their union was blessed by the birth of five children, four sons and one daughter, but the hand of death has taken three to the land of the hereafter. Mary, the only daughter, died, aged 24 years. Will- iam died when about two years of age. Hiram is at present employed in the store by his father. Frank- \P) 9 * & 4 I V5D5^ - a <©* : £r^nil»>^ ^€3^ >^' ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ~z£ : ^5 s & > & V > Walter died in lin is at present attending school, iii fancy. Mr. and Mrs. Cassel are both members of the First Baptist Church of Moline. Politically, Mr. Cassel is identified with the Republican party. His place of business is at the corner of 17th Street and Third Avenue. SOOC-fe orenzo C. Elliott, Supervisor of Buffalo Prairie Township, was born in the town of Lyle, Broome Co., N. Y., March 31, 1S19. His father, Ittai Elliott, was a native of New Hampshire, but located in New York State when a young man. He was married there to Lusina Page, a native of the Empire State. When our subject was six years of age, his parents moved to Allegany and became early pioneers of that county. His father bought a piece of timber land, and improved a farm and lived there until his death. Lorenzo assisted his father in clearing the land, and made his home with his parents until his marriage, which occurred Nov. 29, 1S40. He selected as a life companion Mary A. Davis, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Barmore) Davis. Her father was a na- tive of Connecticut and her mother of New York State, and, like the parents of Mr. Elliott, they were early settlers in Allegany County. Her birth oc- curred in that county .Aug. 21, 1823. Her father had bought 120 acres of land before his marriage, but never located upon it. They resided in Alle- gany County until the fall of 1845, when they set out with a pair of horses and a wagon for the West, where they expected to find a desirable place to lo- cate. After 3r days of wearisome travel, they ar- rived in Rock Island County, and Mr. Elliott erected a log cabin in Buffalo Prairie Township. The first winter after Mr. Elliott's arrival in this county was chiefly spent in splitting rails; the fol- lowing year he rented a farm, which he cultivated for two years, when he made'a claim on section 25 of Buffalo Prairie Township; upon this he erected a log house, into which he immediately moved, and began the improvement of the land. Two years later he entered 80 acres, and again in two more years he entered another 80 on section 36; he now owns 222 acres, all nicely improved. He has planted upon his place a large number of fruit and shade trees, and has erected for his family a comfortable frame house, and provided for his stock and grain a substantial frame barn. A view of his home place is presented in this Album. Mr. Elliott was elected Supervisor in i860, and served five years, and again in 1867 was re-elected and served two years. In 1885 he was again elected, and is serving at the present time (18S5). He has ever been prominent in the affairs of the community since living here. At a very early day he was elected Supervisor of Highways, and was called to act as Judge of Election when the county was divided into precincts. He has always taken a great interest in educational matters, and has been a member of the district School Board a greater part of the time since living here. He was elected Justice of the Peace in i88r, and has served continuously since that time. In politics, he is and has been identified with the Democratic party all his life, and is influential in its ranks in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have had n children, as follows : Adelia, wife of Marvin Freeman, resident of Oregon; Nelson lives in Buffalo Prairie Town- ship ; Hattie is the wife of Seth Parmenter, of Jewell Co., Kan.; Calista, wife of William Jennings, of Edgington Township, this county; Lunaette, the wife of Thomas Campbell, of Carroll Co., Iowa ; Esther, wife of Thomas Banghart, Jasper Co., Iowa ; Willard D. lives in O'Brien Co., Iowa; Diana, wife of John Caster, resident of Mercer County; Erastus V., Nelson and Austin are in the mercantile trade in Buffalo Prairie Township. ;"i'^; lished at his native town afforded ample op- portunity for his education, and the duties of farm life developed his muscles, so that when he came to a new country he was not lacking in the essential *<& ROCK ISLAND COUNTS ^J P ® '9 > pre-requisites to success. Soon after arriving at Rock Island, he embarked in the ice business, and followed it about 25 years. In company with his father in 1857 he bought a 55-acre tract of land adjacent to the town of Rock Island, and later on laid it out in town lots, and platted it as " Sinnet's Addition to Rock Island." The natural appreciation in the value of this property, the product of the stone quar- ries discovered thereon, and the profits derived from the ice business, has enabled him to acquire a com- fortable competency. Mr. Sinnet was one of the prime movers in push- ing to completion the Moline & Rock Island Horse Railway, large interests in which he held until the year 1882. In addition to valuable real estate in Rock Island, consisting of vacant city lots and tene- ment buildings, he owns 10,000 acres of fertile prairie land in one body in Nebraska. He was chosen Al- derman from his Ward in 18S3, and re-elected in 1885. He has been a member of the School Board ever since 1880, and at this writing (June, 1885) is the presiding officer of that body. Mr. Sinnet formed a matrimonial alliance in Peoria, 111., in the fall of 1S61, with Miss Jennie McLaugh- lin, a native of Pennsylvania, and has had born to him three children, namely : Jesse K, Julia May and Mary F., the latter of whom died in February, 1873, at the age of about four years. Mr. Sinnet is a member of the Baptist Church, with membership at Moline, and Mrs. Sinnet is a member of the Cen- tral Presbyterian Church, Rock Island. In politics he has been a Republican since the organization of the party. A lithographic view of Mr. Sinnet's residence is given in this Album, on page 297. |II}ilton McKinley, foreman of the foundry ' department of the Moline Plow Company ^\-\ since February, 1884, was born in White- water, Wis., June 2, 1854, and is the son of T James and Mary McKinley. He came to Mo- I line in i86t, where he went into the shops of the Barnard & Leas Manufacturing Company and [® learned the moulder's trade, remaining with that T company four and a half years. He then went to Chicago, where he worked at his trade until Febru- ary, 18S2, when he returned to Moline and engaged with Deere & Co., working continuously for two years with that firm; but in February, 1884, accepted the foremanship of the foundry department of the Mo- line Plow Company, where he is over about 25 men. Mr. McKinley is a thorough master of his business, and is held in high esteem by the company and their employes. Mr. McKinley was united in marriage, in Rock Island, Nov. 28, 1882, to Miss Emma Gore, daughter of Matthew Gore. She was born in Kalamazoo, Mich. Mr. McKinley is a Democrat in politics. ~+~*=±3ig8=± illiam Cook, an extensive farmer of Rock Island County, residing on section 22 of Hampton Township, is one of the earliest pioneers of the county. He was born June 18, 1813, in Connecticut. His parents were \j John Y. and Hannah Cook, both natives of Con- necticut, where they followed the occupation of farming. Early in the history of the West they came to Illinois, locating in Wayne County as early as 1824, shortly after the State was organized. They remained in Wayne County for ten years, when they pushed further West, coining to Hampton Township, this county, where they purchased 160 acres of land on section 22. Here they remained enduring :.ll the privations and hardships of frontier life, and becom- ing honored and respected citizens until their death. William Cook, the subject of this biographical no- tice, remained with his parents until 20 years of age, enjoying the limited advantages for an education that a new country afford. During the summers, while at home, he worked out by the month most of the lime. After leaving the parental roof he came to Hampton Township, this county, and located 160 acres of land on section 22, where he has since con- tinued to reside. He has not only become one of the prominent and respected men of the township, but also one of the large land owners of the county, having at the present time 663 acres of land. In 1833 Mr. Cook was united in marriage with Miss Livy Turner, a native of Illinois. To them ^ JL V®>*^K ^mrn n<^9 — ^^^- %f*- -z^k 6V4>H II M Df^p^ ?^hr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 627 ) > 4 38 S (f> «! * 1 have been born the following four children, all of wheal are living: Mabel, the wife of William Cox, and the mother of two children, William L. and Ray- mond; James married Amanda Stewart, and to them have been born four children, as follows : William, Lillie, Robert and James ; Lucinda is the wife of James Swisher, and the mother of one child — Fannie M.; Laura was united in marriage to William Zigler, and is the mother of six children, namely : George, Maude, James, Ralph W., Morris and Hattie. Mrs. Cook died in 1871, Mr. Cook was re-married to Mrs. Mary A. Fast, she being the oldest daughter of William and Margaret (Krebs) Baughman, natives of Pennsylvania. She came to this county at an early age, and was married to the subject of this sketch in June, 1876. Mr. Cook is recognized as one of the stanch sup- porters of the Democratic party. Mrs. Cook is a member of the Baptist Church. A view of the residence of Mr. Cook appears on another page. /4)€>%->an W. Gould, a distinguished citizen and .ill (I'll /|<* . business man of Mohne, was born at Han- 4m & ' over, N. H., Oct. 23, 1832. His parents, 'j$K Amos and Nancy H. (Bartlett) Gould, reared ^ six sons, Dan being the fifth in the order of i birth. He was inured while young, to the toil incident to farm life, and his mind received proper training at the Bradford (Vt.) Academy. From 18 to 22 years of age he taught school in New Hamp- shire, and came West in 1854. He was employed two years by the Moline Paper Company, and the three succeeding winter seasons he taught in the public schools. After a brief experience as Deputy Postmaster at Moline, he engaged in the insurance business and followed it up to 1875, when he em- barked in the clothing trade. To this he has since given his attention. From 1862 to 1865 Mr. Gould was Tax Collector for Moline Township, and later he served the town of Moline one term as Trustee. In 1882 he was the Democratic candidate for Treasurer of Rock Island County, and, with an average majority of over 1,100 against him, he was defeated by only 240. Mr. Gould is an active, hard-working Democrat, and at one time was almost wholly alone in the advocacy of the prin- ciples of that party in Moline. He has lived to wit- ness the triumph of those principles for which he so long fought. Mr. Gould was married at Viola, 111., in 1864, to Abbie A. Walker, a native of Bangor, Me., and she has borne to him six children : Lora A., Ross J., Charles V., Daisy M. and Dan F. Mr. Gould is Secretary of Doric Lodge, No. 319, F. &. A. M., and a prominent member of the Order of Modern Wood- men of America. «VM&2'©"§@'"— i§jp§ «@$@<3OT». "■' I (i^lf enry C Bo Sgess, a well-to-do farmer resid- l:\V0(%, ing on section 15, South Moline Township, )$& and a gentleman who is quite well known in W Rock Island County, and who was born in the J county, is a son of Harrison and Hannah I (Parks) Boggess, natives of Kentucky and Penn- sylvania respectively. They were early pioneers of this county, having located here in 1S36. Harrison Boggess, the father, took part in the Black Hawk War, was married to Hannah Sparks at Moline, and immediately settled in Rock Island, where he lived until his death, which occurred March 31, 1880. He was a carpenter and builder by occupation, and was well known in that city. His widow survives him, and resides at Rock Island. They were the parents of live children, — Henry C, the subject of this sketch, Mary E., Patrick G., Julian S. and Wil- liam S. Henry C. Boggess was born in Rock Island, Sept. 24, 1844. He received his education in the schools Of that city, which he finished by two terms' attend- ance at the High School. He lived at home until he was 27 years of age, when he was married. Prior to this important event in his life, he was engaged at painting in Rock Island for several years, and also followed other occupations. In 1871 he removed to South Moline Township. In 1882 he purchased 80 acres of land, upon which 9 I <5 ^^|«- ^§j(K o-A4>||fl@|]|]f>A^ s«€^ :*>>■: ?st &* — 6*t4«0O^ 628 ry ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. &® A he erected good buildings, and there he has since resided. He is also the owner of valuable property in Rock Island. A view of his residence is shown on page 249. Mr. Boggess was united in marriage at Patch Grove, Grant Co., Wis., Dec. 28, 187 1, with Mary I.. daughter of E. M. and Susan (Shelenberger) - who were of German and Swiss ancestry. Mrs. Boggess was born in Grant County, March ir, 1850. and is the mother of five children, four of whom are living, — Vinnie H., Robert, Harrison and Lillie. John M. died when one year of age. Mr. B. has served as Assessor and School Director for nine years, and in politics he is a believer in the princi- ples advocated by the Democratic party. ^~vv-\t££01s^^-^^^>*^S''Zra7»^-vvv>- nuel Whiteside, a resident of Port Byron, came to Rock Island Countv in 1S4.;. He was born Feb. 14, 1822, in Jefferson Co., Ind.. and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Blanke) Whiteside. His parents were both natives of Kentucky. When their son was four years old they removed to Clark Co., Ind., and where they resided six years. At the end of that time they made another transfer of their interests to Jefferson Co., Ky. Two years later they returned to Indiana. The father bought a farm in Clark County and the son was a resident there until his marriage to Calista Allen. She was born in Clark County and there married in 1840. The young couple lived there two years, and after the event of then marriage, and in the year already named, came to Illinois. They traveled by the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and were about four weeks on the way. They lo- cated at Port Byron, and Mr. Whiteside operated a coopers' shop, in which business he continued ten years. He then began to operate as a plaster-mason, and after following that business three years, he en- gaged in the manufacture of brick. He managed that business three years. In T846 he was elected Constable, and served in that capacity several years. In 1861 he was appointed Postmaster at Port Byron and held the office until 1864. In that year he obtained an appointment as route agent on the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, and discharged the duties of the position three years. At the end of that time he resigned and opened a grocery at Port Byron. In the spring following he was burned out and having no insura-nce suffered total loss. He re- sumed his business and continued it until fall, when he sold out. His next business enterprise was that of a butcher, in which he was interested until 187 1. The following year he devoted to the manufacture of brick. In "1872 he went to Nebraska and entered a homestead claim of land in Hamilton County, on which he operated personally five years. At the end of that time, in 1877, he rented the place which he had put in excellent agricultural condition, with all necessary frame buildings. He returned to Port Byron with the intention of making it his permanent abode, and in 1S82 bought a lot, where he erected his residence. Following is the record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Whiteside, six in number: Elizabeth married Abraham Bruner; John, Emmons, James, Joseph and Charles, are the names of those who are un- married. While Mr. Whiteside was Postmaster the Civil War broke out, and in July, 1862, he enlisted in Co. G, 126th Regt. 111. Inf. He was in the military ser- vice one year when he received an honorable dis- charge on account of disability and resumed the duties of his office at Port Byron. SBKs*® ^•■: : -a \ SS 3=1 & ^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 6 3i "^v some plastering for J. D. Long, and so pulled through the year, finally landing in the grinding-room of the Moline Plow Company, where he remained for a year and a half, at the end of which time he went down into Mississippi and became a planter for one season, raising cotton. He then returned to Moline, and from that time up to 18S2 he worked during the win- ters with the Moline Plow Company in the shipping and wheel departments. He was then foreman of the grinding-room, stocked plows and made road- scrapers. After this he had the contract for two years for making cultivator wheels, when he again engaged in stocking plows. During his summers at this time, he was contractor and builder for the erec- tion of dwellings about the city. In February, 1S82, he was engaged by the Eagle Manufacturing Coirf- pany, of Davenport, as plow-stocker. In 1876 he helped organize the Gustaf Adolph Congregation, was President of the Board of Trustees, and planned and built the church. Mr. Shallene was united in marriage Oct. 26, 1867, with Anna C. Larson, and of their union have been born a family of six children, viz.: Hilma J., born Nov. 30, 1S68; Ida E., born Jan. 18, 1872; Alvin W., born Feb. 18, 1S74; Vivian N., born Dec. 10, 1875; Fred W., born June 6, 1878, and died Dec. 18, r883; Anna Christina, born Sept. 7, 1880, and died July 18, 1 881. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Swedish Lutheran Church. He was a charter member of the North Star Lodge of United Workmen. In 1876-7 he was Alderman of the First Ward, and in 1883 was one of the Assistant Super- visors. He was one of the organizers of the Svea Commercial Union of Moline. P. Barber, farmer, residing on sections 4 and 9, Hampton Township, was born in Port Byron, Jan. 14, 1843, his parents being Parce and Helen E. (Sweet) Barber, natives of Pennsylvania. They removed from Michigan to Iowa in 1836, then, in 1S42, moved to Port Byron, this county/where the father owned a grist and saw mill, and held the office of Justice of the Peace. Mr. Barber, subject of this notice, remained with his parents until 1S71, receiving at their hands a good common-school education. In 1862 he en- gaged in business for himself. He commenced to learn the printing business at ten years of age, and during the year 1873 established a paper at Port Byron, known as the Agent M. . and conduct- ed the same under different names nine years. Since that time he has purchased 55 acres of land on sec- tion 4 and 9, Hampton Township, and has turned his attention to the improvement and cultivation of the same. In 1866, he went to Colorado and was looking over the country with an eye to business as well as pleasure, but made no discovery that he thought would prove a financial success. In 1879, he made a trip to Florida for his health. Mr. Barber was united in marriage to Miss Eliza- beth Davis, a native of Pennsylvania, Oct. 25, 1870. Their union has been blessed with six healthy chil- dren, namely: Eliza A., born Sept. 22, 1 S 7 3 ; Emory, Aug. 24, 1S75; Essie A., July 23, 1878; Jennie, Sept. 23, rS8o; Philip R., Jan. 8, 1883, and Evie. April 29, 1S85. Politically, Mr. Barker is a sup- porter of the principles of the Democratic party. =S%& ajli saac Wainwright, a retired fanner, resid- ing at Rapids City, was born in England, V July 9, 1805. He attended the common ,>'" schools of his native country and at the age of rT^ 13 years went to work in a coal mine, which \ occupation he followed for a period of two years. He then emigrated with his parents, Samuel and Sarah (Gardner) Wainwright, natives of Eng- land, to the United States, the dale of their arrival being 1819. His parents located in Pennsylvania, and Isaac worked in the salt works at Blairsville, Pa., for a time. In 1826 his father bought a farm near Blairsville, Indiana Co , Pa., consisting of 150 acres, where the parents resided until their deaths. The subject of this biographical notice lived on the parental homestead, assisting in the mainten- ance of the family until he attained the age of 23 years. He then left home and engrged in farming on 60 acres of land, and followed that vocation until 185 1. During that year he sold his land in Penn- I S £ V ( m -s^ ^r^nOMf^s! ^W ■5£_ *M % 632 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -teg si? I! /% K9 a 4. sylvania, and came to Illinois, and settled in Hamp- ton Township, this county, where he purchased 190 acres located on section 12. He continued to cul- tivate and improve this land until 1884, when he moved into Rapids City to live. He made a suc- cess of his business financially, and was also a lead- ing factor in all neighborhood enterprises. He knows what it is to labor and struggle to gain a competency. His early experience was one of hard toil and econ- omy, but he overcame, and he is now enabled to spend the declining years of his life in the ease of re- tirement, enjoying the fruits of a life of earnest labor. He is a man highly esteemed for the many excellent qualities of both heart and mind he possesses. His life has proven that he is worthy tJie regard in which he is held, and we feel confident his many friends will look upon his portrait, which accompanies this sketch, with no little pleasure. Mr. Wainwright was united in marriage with Miss Rachel Devinney, May 6, 182 8. She was a native of Indiana Co., Pa., and was born in 1803. Nine children were born of their union, seven of whom survived. The record is as follows : John, born in 1829; Sarah A., born in 1831; Samuel and Rachel were twins, born in 1833; Isaac in 1835 ; Elizabeth in 1837; Rebecca in 1840; Georye in 1844 and Mary in 1846. Mrs. Wainwright died May 18, 1867, mourned as a loving wife, a kind mother and a generous neigh- bor. Religiously, Mr. Wainwright is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically is a believer in the principles advocated by the Demo- cratic party. athan Shepard, deceased, a former resi- J£ dent of Coe Township, was born in Balti- "^ more, Md., Feb. 7, 1S01. He was reared to manhood in Belmont Co., Ohio, where he Jjfe bought a farm and was a citizen until 1854. In '[ that year he sold the place and came to Rock Island County. He bought 710 acres of land in the townships of Coe and Canoe Creek, but fixed his residence on section 36 of the former. He died there in August, 1856. He was married in Belmont Co., Ohio, in Decem- ber, 1825, to Eliza Clark. She was born in Mary- land, May 6, 1805, and is the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Green) Clark, who were both natives of that State. They went, when she was two years old, to Belmont Co., Ohio. To her husband and herself 14 children were born, of whom nine are now living: Hannah J. is the wife of Robert Donahue; Elizabeth married John Dona- hue; James F., John H., William C, Amos C, Josiah, Mary I. and Jemima M. (the wife of James T. Arnold) are named in order of birth. Samuel Nelson died in the army. Josiah and Amos C. were soldiers in the Civil War. Mrs. Shepard and her daughter live on the homestead. ohn S. Smith, who is engaged in the iSi? occupation of a farmer on section 16, South Moline Township, was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in 1825, and resided in his native county until 1836, when he emi- grated to the United States with his mother and sister, locating in New York city. Previous to the emigration of Mr. Smith to this country, his brother, Jerry Smith, who had preceded him to the land of possibilities, sent money back to the Emerald Isle to his mother, sister and brother, subject of this sketch, and they were thereby enabled to pay their passage across the water. Upon arrival in New York, after attaining a sufficient age, Mr. Smith of this notice served an apprenticeship of six years at the tailor's trade, and worked at the same for six years. He then moved to Ohio and resided in Chillicothe, that State, for four years, when he came to this county. On coming here, Mr. Smith located at Port Byron, where he worked at his trade for a while, until 1849, when he moved to Rock Island; and after spending a little more than a year at that place, in 185 1, he moved to Moline, and was there occupied in working with the "goose" until 1859. During the year last named he purchased the farm on which he at present resides, the same consisting of 212 acres. At the present day he is the proprietor of 1 63 acres of as good farm land as can be found in this county, all of which is under an \k & % <&) K ■*^ — ©ADD®niii> a r© — a «€S ,c - p ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. —8 & \ V advanced state of cultivation. He has a fine two- story residence upon his farm, an A i barn and good substantial outbuildings, and in his latter voca- tion in life is meeting with that success which energy and perseverance are sure to bring. Mr. Smith was united in marriage in Chillicothe, Ohio, with Miss Sarali A. Sullivan, a native of the Emerald Isle, born in 1820, and they have become the parents of seven children, — Julia A., Noble, William, Louisa and Kate. Sarah died in her 30th year, and one child died in infancy. Mr. Smith has held the office of Highway Com- missioner, and religiously he and his wife are con- sistent members of the Roman Catholic Church. •wu&a'iS-Sg-' t& — «~5f52/OT?rJv. > -tm & (o l|rf"|iTohn A. Hofsteter, retired farmer, residing SSm[c on section ii and 1 2, Hampton Township, 4 was born in France, Aug. 9, 1841. He emigrated to the United States in 1850, loca- te ting in Hampton Township, where his younger days were spent acquiring an education until he attained the age of t6 years. He then com- menced to work on his father's farm, assisting in the maintenance of the family, until he became 18 years of age. He then went to Kansas, and worked on a farm for the period of a year. Mr. Hofsteter returned in 1861, and was united in marriage to Miss Dorothy Smith, a native of France, born May 28, 1845. The issue of their union is one son — George W., born Feb. 9, 1883. Mr. H. pur- chased 20 acres on section 1 1 at the time of his marriage, and has added to his acreage by subse- quent purchases until he is now the owner of 220 acres; 38 acres of his land is within the corporate limits of Rapids City. His landed estate is valued at $25,000, and he is also somewhat interested in coal-mining. Politically, Mr. Hofsteter is identified with the Democratic party, and has held various offices. He is a member of the Odd Fellows Order. Mr. H. enlisted in a Moline company in 186 1, but owing to the quota being filled his company was not accepted. His brother George enlisted in the Ninth III. Cav., and remained in the service until the close of the war. While in the service his health was im- paired and he died soon after returning home. 5 /VV^jP- 5'Ww-j- K®>)(^ enry P. Stoddard, retired farmer, now en ^vfSsi gaged in stock -buying and shipping, residing #A*f at Edgington village, was born in Greene County, N. Y., March 4, 1834. His father, Har- vey Stoddard, was a native of New York, of New England ancestry and parentage, and a farmer by occupation. He was married in Greene County, N. Y., to Emily Hunt, a native of York State. They settled on a farm near Greene County, where the subject of this biographical notice was born, and on which he resided with his father, as- sisting in its cultivation and attending the public schools until he was 22 years of age. Arriving at this age in his life's history, he came West, and Oct. 16, 1858, was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E., the accomplished daughter of John and Mary (Myer) Boultinghouse. Her parents were farmers, and were married in Washington Co., Ind., and afterwards came to Knox Co., this State, where Mrs. S., wife of the subject of this notice, was born June 13, 1840. The parents then came to this county, and located in Edgington Township, when Mrs. S. was only six years of age, she being the youngest but one of a family of six children. Her father died in the vil- lage of Edgington, March 13, 1839, having been born March 4, 1806. The mother still survives, and re- sides with her daughter, Mrs. Stoddard, and is 82 years of age. Mrs. Stoddard was reared at home, where she remained until her marriage. She is the mother of one child, who died in infancy. Mr. Stoddard, subject of this notice, rented a farm, which he cultivated for a time, and afterwards, in 1866, purchased one of his own, on which he settled in 1869, and which has since been his place of abode. The farm consists of roo acres, and his residence is one of the finest furnished in the county, and is pal- atial in its construction. He also owns the largest storehouse with a splendid hall in the village of Edg- ton. As a splendid illustration of the finest resi- dences of Rock Island County, we are pleased to (J) / & i f ^ mm 634 — 6V^QQ&(i!i>>r TT Mi^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. <> > ' #p present a view of Mr. Stoddard's dwelling in this vol- ume, page 336. In company with the view of the residence is shown his store building. Besides carrying on his mercantile business, he has been very extensively engaged in the buying and shipping of stock. Politically, he is a member of the Democratic party. He is a man whose word is as good as his bond, and whose accumulation of this world's goods is attributable to his manly, frank and honest dealings with his fellow-man. ^ € nent citizen of e Township, is a representalive of a 1 class who form a conspicuous element in the composite nationality of the United States. Their traits and habits, which are more the result of the necessities forced upon them by their circumstances than of inclination or temperament, are the best possible foundation for successful careers under the peculiar privileges of a republican form of government. Mr. Hauberg was born in Holstein, Germany, Sept. 29, 1S37, and he is the second son of John D. and Margaret (Griese) Hauberg. His parents were both natives of Holstein. The son was sent to school as soon as he was of sufficient age to answer the re- quirements of the law, and as soon as he was free from that obligation he aided as he could to support the family by selling nuts to the passengers on the steamships in the harbors of Holstein. He drove a double business by buying fish with the money, which he peddled on his return home. In 184S his father entered into a contract with a man from the United States to come to Tennessee and work a plantation. The senior Hauberg was to receive §4 a month, the mother ten cents a day, and the son, wlio is the subject of this sketch, was to be paid at the rate of seven cents daily. He had a younger brother, who was hired at the rate of five cents for a sinnler period of labor. After ten months the con- tractor turned them off and bought negroes ! The Hauberg family then went to Decatur, Ala., and when they arrived there they were not only out of money, but were in debt for their passage. The father accepted the first employ that offered and took contracts to dig cellars, in which he was assisted by his two sons. They remained at Decatur one month and went thence to Paducah, Ky. There the father obtained work in a foundry and the eldest son be- came an assistant in a hotel, where he received $4 a month for his services. They went to Davenport, Iowa, at the end of a month, and not being success- ful in finding something to do they went thence to Moline. As in a previous instance, they were en- tirely out of money. They found a small, unoccu- pied cabin, into which they moved, and as the whole space was required for living room, the cook-stove was set up out of doors. In pleasant weather the cooking was done without, but in case of storms the family lived on cold food. The father had no diffi- culty in obtaining work in Moline, and at the end of a year a house and lot was bought in that city. The entire property cost but $75, the house being, in an unfinished state; but the proprietor soon put it in a condition for a home and shelter for the family, and they lived in it until 1 854, the year in which they removed to the township of Coe. A farm of 80 acres of unimproved land had been bought on section 12. One acre adjoining suitable for a building site was also purchased, on which a log house was soon built, which the family occupied five years; and at the end of that time the father built a frame house. He also bought a considerable acreage in addition to his first purchase, and improved 200 acres. He is still liv- ing and is 77; his wife is 74 years old. They are passing their declining years in an ease which forms a striking contrast to the circumstances of their ear- lier lives. Mr. Hauberg was but ten years of age when his parents came to this country. While in Tennessee he was an attendant at an English school for a short time, and before he was 1 2 years old he taught a two-months term of school, and he spent six months after that as a mail-carrier from Kingston, Tenn., to Pen Rocks' Ferry, in the same State. When the fam- ily came to Moline he was first employed as a team- ster, in Scott County, Iowa, where he drove a breaking team, at $4 a month. He was accustomed to spend nine months in the country, and during the remainder of the year lived at Moline, where he at- tended school a part of the time and at others worked in a saw-mill and at chopping wood. In 1854 he came to Coe Township with his parents and he there ^ VOj 9 g B « sy * 2 -*€^ eA^IIIISnB?^^ *^f ^ 6V^HIlSfl[U>r ! V V w» T7- jPOCAT /SLA ATI) COUNTY. W® 637 fa spent the first year in assisting his father. At the end of that time he entered the employ of William G. Marshall for two years, then remained at home until 21 years of age. When that period arrived he found himself his own man with a cash capital of 45 cents. He and his brother rented the farm of • his father, for the use of which they paid $600 a year. '1 hey were both unmarried and conducted their domestic affairs themselves after the pattern called "baching it." They had the misfortune to lose a pair of horses the first year, and also a yoke of oxen, the amount of the loss being in round num- bers $400. At the end of three years they divided and each had three horses, three cows and a colt. Each also had a good supply of farm implements, grain and vegetables. Mr. Haubergin 1862 made a contract with his fa- ther for 120 acres of land and entered into the busi- ness of farming in his exclusive interest, and has since operated in that line. At a later date he bought 40 acres additional on section 12, and after a time another similar acreage on section 1 1, another of 40 on the same as his first, and also 80 acres on section 1, all in Coe Township. Later he bought 85 acres more in Erie Township, in Whiteside County, 20 acres on section 1, in Coe Township, 15 acres in the township of Canoe. He is also the owner of 160 acres in Plymouth County, Iowa. His residence is located on section 12. It is a large structure and is built of stone. His barn and other farm buildings are of wood. In addition to general farming he is largely interested in the raising of stock. Mr. Hauberghas been quite prominent in political matters. He was formerly a Democrat and cast his first Presidential vote for Stephen A. Douglas, but in lo- cal affairs he votes for the best man for the position. He was interested in the Greenback movement from its incipiency and was one of the leaders in Rock Island County. At the tune when the party was in the ascendency he was twice a candidate for Sheriff and came near being elected in both instances. Mr. Hauberg was married in 1862 to Annie M., daughter of Henry and Catherine (Mandler) Frels. The parents were born in Germany and emigrated to this country in iS — . The birth of their daughter occurred in Hampton, of which township her father was a pioneer. Mrs. Hauberg and her husband have nine children, — Amelia, Emma, Annie, John Henry, Rosina, Lewis, Elnora, Ada and Walter, died Aug. 20, 1885. Walter ¥fcy i- \ B Danforth, editor and proprietor of The £ Pock Islander ; was born in Barnard, Wind- ^ ( sor Co., Vt., Aug. 31, iSr 9. He received a common-school education, with a few terms at a higher school called the Washington County Grammar School, at Montpelier, Vt. ; was clerk in his father's store at Barnard for a while; then in Titus Hutchinson, Jr.'s store, in Woodstock, in 1840. It was there that he cast his first vote, and it was for Martin Van Buren for President, Wood- stock giving from 600 to 800 votes for Harrison against 75 to 80 for Van Buren. In (84r he went to Boston and found employment in Davis, Bates & Turner's wholesale dry-goods house. The next year ,, he returned to his native town and opened business ' for himself, where he was afterwards appointed Post- master by President Polk, and also held the office of School Director in his native village. On the rst of January, 1846, he became joint pro- prietor and publisher of the Vermont Patriot and State Gazette, at Montpelier, the State organ of the Democracy, at the capital of the State, with his cousin, the late Maj. Charles G. Eastman, one of Vermont's most noted poets and editors, the author of "The Farmer Sat in his Easy Chair," etc., etc., a song that has had a wonderful run and been read and sung by millions of people. A handsome vol- ume of Eastman's poems was printed at the Patriot office, by Eastman & Danforth, which had a large sale. While publishing the Patriot, Danforth, by the aid of personal friends among the Whigs, was elected Clerk and Recorder of Deeds in Montpelier, in 1850, but declined a re-election in the spring of r 85 1, as he contemplated removing West. He also held the office of Notary Public in Montpelier, and had passed through all the offices in the subordinate lodge of Odd Fellows and to Deputy Grand Master of the l State Lodge, and Grand Secretary of the Grand En- : campment, which offices he held when he left the State. Soon after coming to Rock Island he became •^^wim^s — ^"C^ 1 i 4, ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. i ;^ v,y., a Roman Catholic and therefore did not renew his connection with the order. He has honorable cards of clearance. In the summer of that year lie sold out to Major Eastman, and came to Rock Island, arriving here in October, 1851. He was in business with William L. Lee for about a year, when the partnership was dis- solved, and, at the solicitation of many prominent Democrats, in the fall of 1852, he connected him- self with the Rock Island Republican (afterwards changed to Argus). He was elected Alderman from the Second Ward in 1852— the first Democrat ever elected in the ward. He has been often Chairman of the Democratic County Committee, and several times a member of the State Committee for this Con- gressional District. In the winter of 1852-3 he was appointed to the military staff of the Governor of the State, with the commission and rank of Colonel. In 1853 he was appointed, by President Pierce, United States Custodian for the Island of Rock Island— a military reservation of a thousand acres in the Mis- sissippi, and the site of old Fort Armstrong, opposite this city. In 1854 he started the first daily news- paper ever published in Rock Island or near there. There was then no daily in this city or in Davenport. He also brought here the first steam-power press ever seen in this region. In 1856 he was a delegate from this Congressional District (then in the Chicago District) to the Demo- cratic National Convention at Cincinnati, that nom- inated Buchanan and Breckenridge. He was offered the same position to the National Convention of 1868, but declined it. August 21, 1857, he was ap- pointed, by President Buchanan, a Purser in the United States Navy, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He was oudered to the west coast of Africa upon a cruise in search of slavers. Resign- ing his position as Custodian of the Military Re- serve and selling his interest in the Argus to Messrs. Pershing & Connelly, he sailed from New York in the war ship " Vincennes," on the duties of his position. His diary of that cruise among the Islands and along the West Coast would furnish material for a pretty good insight into the abominable traffic 111 human beings. He resigned his position the following year, as will be seen by the letter below, the original of which is in his possession : s&g^f~ ^^ 9tK>i Navy Department, Washington, October, 14, 1858. f Sir : Your resignation as Purser in the Navy of the United States, tendered in your letter of this date, is hereby accepted. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, Isaac Toucey, Secretary of the Navy. To Mr. J. B. Danforth, Jr., late Purser U. S. Navy, Washington, D. C. Settling his accounts with the Navy Department, and finding about $1,000 his due, he received his pay, and in the spring of 1859 returned to Rock Isl- and and re-purchased a two-thirds interest in the Argus, and again became its editor. In 1862, in connection with Major Connelly, he commenced to raise a military company for the war. He was sworn in and nearly one-half the men necessary for a com- pany were enlisted in two days; and, while engaged in an adjoining county making speeches in aid of General Henderson's Henry County regiment, he met the order of the Governor to stop all enlist- ^ ments, as more men were offering than the State /fe could employ. This ended his aspirations for g " goah," and he resumed the weapon which Bulwer § makes Richelieu say, "In hands of men entirely great = is mightier than the sword." The Argus was, how- ^ ever, a war paper, and while under his management 4 it flourished. At one time during the war it was the ^ only paper printed in the city. In 1869 he sold his interest in the Argus, and went to New York city and engaged in business. While there he was a frequent contributor to Demo- cratic newspapers, and a correspondent of the Argus. Not succeeding in business as he expected, he re- turned to Rock Island in May, 1872, and re-pur-,-5 chased an interest in the Argus. The Argus was owned by a stock company, and Col. Danforth having been financially crippled by his New York venture to such an extent as precluded his controlling sufficient of the stock to enable him to direct fully the policy of the paper in political matters, led to his withdrawal from its editorship. In December, 1877, he revived The Rock Islander, a paper first- started in 1854. Under his management and direction the paper is an abie and fearless ad-« vocate of the interests of the working men, and de- j| serves, as it is receiving, a generous and hearty . support from this source;— not alone, however, from v this source, but from all classes of citizens ; for its ^ subscription price, being merely nominal compared \% - U Ajz t±t -§^-<®- $&N^%^ T2*€$^ @V4?BP^Illlv>r rr £§< ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ) with the value given in the many and various interest- ing subjects discussed and information given, secures for it a varied and wide circulation. In advocating the various improvements of this vicinity, including the Hennepin Canal, the United States Arsenal and Armory, the Mississippi and other Western rivers. The Rock Islander has been very zealous and done excellent service. Col. J. B. Danforth was for several years a director in the Public Library of Rock Island. He has been a member of the State Committee of the Greenback Labor party, and is at present the able and efficient Chairman of the Congressional District Committee of that party. He is the oldest editor of this lo- cality, and one of the very oldest in the State, and is probably the widest and most favorably known edit- orial writer in Western Illinois. He has always been a friend of the laboring classes, and has devoted much of his time to the advancement of their inter- est. In fact the Greenback Labor party of Rock Isl- > and and vicinity owes the strength of its organiza- ifS tion to his efforts. In no place in the West was the encroachment of consolidated wealth and monopo- ; listic power more perceptibly felt than at Rock Isl- 3 and at the birtli of the Greenback Labor party. : Here a handful of railroad, coal, manufacturing and . money kings, taking advantage of the extraordinary opportunities offered by a comparatively new coun- try, where ninety per cent, of the people were poor and dependent upon their labor for support of them- selves and families, co-operating with Eastern and other capitalists, had so systematically laid and worked their plans for absolute capitalistic suprem- acy that, at the time of which we write, the commu- nity was but a remove from a moneyed dictatorship. It was this stale of affairs all over the country that gave rise to the " Labor" party, which at Rock Isl- and and vicinity arose at once to positive command of the balance of power. And thus we now find it with Col Danforth and The Rock Islander at its head. g lsworth Mapes, Justice of the Peace at Moline, was born Sept. n, 1805, in Mon- roe, Orange Co., N. Y. He remained with his parents until he attained his majority, at- tending the common schools until he was 16 years old, and assisted in the labors on the The marriage of Mr. Mapes took place in Y 1826, at which time Miss Permelia Pettibone became his wife. She was born March 4, 1809, in Otsego Co., N. Y., and has borne her husband six children, four boys and two girls, namely: Charles W., born March 31, 1827; L. B., born May 2, 1834; H. E., Feb. 2, 1836; E. A., in 1839; Lucy E., Dec. 18, 1841; Anna L., April 16, 1847. In 1854 Mr. Mapes came to this county, and in July of that year located at Moline. The first year after his arrival at that place, he kept a hotel, known as the Buffalo House, which was located on Wells Street, now Second Avenue. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for the last 38 years, and is at present Police Justice of the city of Moline. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Mapes in his religion is very liberal. As a pol- itician, he labors with the Republican party, and has always voted with that party since the nomination and election of Abraham Lincoln. From 1821 to 1853, Mr. Mapes was engaged in the mercantile business in Wayne Co., Pa., but since his removal to this county has been occupied the major portion of his time as stated. He is of Eng- lish, Holland and French extraction, and comes of a family noted for longevity. -■Jjjjj^fc onn L Noan > a farmer residing on section BBiMfc T ^ ) Zuma Township, was born in Washing- WsT^ ton Co., Pa., Aug. 1, 1844, his parents be- %& ing James and Cassia A. (Madden) Noah, Y natives of Vermont and Ohio. Mr. Noah was \ an inmate of the parental household until he was 16 years of age, during which time lie attended the common schools of his native county. Soon after attaining the age of 17, he enlisted in the War for the Union, joining Co. D, 13th 111. Vol. Inf. for three months' service. After the expiration of his term of enlistment, he re-enlisted in Co. I, Eighth Kan. Vol. Inf. for three years; served out time of enlistment and again re-enlisted for three years more as a vet- eran in the United States Army and served until the close of the war, the entire time in which he was engaged in fighting for his country being four years, six months and 19 days. He was first en- 0= Ci) & (&) •X^xft- - 3 *€^ c ^<>ll II &Mlf^9 3$^c- 4»@^£ — eV^OIl&Il D^ v'o ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ■*fy^%£\ & iX /> Y gaged in the Buel Campaign, then under General Rosencrans, afterwards Gen. Grant, and finally, un- der the command of General Sherman, in his famous march from Atlanta to the sea. He was also under command of Gen. Thomas through the entire Hood raid, and then went to Texas, where, at San Antonio, he was mustered out of service, receiving his final discharge at Leavenworth, Kan. After the war was over, and Mr. Noah had received his discharge, he came home and engaged in, farming on section 17, Zuma Township, where he has since resided. Mr. Noah was united in marriage to Miss Almeda Sturtevant, March 30, 1864, during the time he was engaged as a soldier for the Union, having returned home on a furlough. She was a native of Illinois, in which State she was born May 14, 1S44. The issue of their union was two children, — Daniel B., born May 4, 1869, and Eddie W., born March 25, 1S73. The wife and mother died July 28, r873, and Mr. Noah was again married, the lady of his choice be- ing Miss Cynthia R. Pardee, a native of Rock Island County, where she was born July 12, 1857. Of their union two children were born, — Effa A., born April 5, 1S79, and Cassia M., Sept. 14, 1881. Politically, Mr. Noah is identified with the princi- ples advocated by the Republican party. He is a Supervisor and Road Overseer, and likewise Treas- urer of Drainage District. Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R. and is one of the progressive farmers of Rock Island County. 3* In 1862, Mr. j^ifSl H. Wheeloek, residing at Moline, is a son jf J. Adams and Sophronia Wheeloek, na- rm> tives of Erie Co., N. Y., who moved to Wisconsin when it was a Territoiy, settling near Fox Lake, Dodge County, where the sub- ject of this sketch was born, Sept. 21, 1S46. Wheeloek of this notice mo\ ed to L Brighton, Iowa, where, March 29, 1868, he was r ' ; united in marriage with Miss Eliza Moore. Soon J afterward he engaged in business with his father, I ad upon the death of the latter, which occurred in ! 368, he assumed the management of the estate, I hich consisted of a flouring-mill, and was thus oc- I ,A& 2 — ^MM cupied until June, 1880, when he came to Moline and took a position with the Moline Paper Company as book-keeper. After remaining in this capacity for three years, he was made Superintendent of the company's mill, which position he at present holds. Mrs. Wheeloek, daughter of Anson and Lucia Moore, was born in Iowa, Aug. 27, .1S46, and is a descendant of the Adams family of Revolutionary fame. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wheeloek are Adams N, Bertha K., Anson M. and Vera C. ^ Mnjlkaniel Mosher, one of the well known farm- ^ y ' ; . ers of H impton Township, residing on sec- ■' 'xr ' tion 24, was born in Oppenheim Township, rjfii Montgomery Co., N. Y., Sept. 9, 1802. His f* parents, Israel and Ester (Ingerson) Mosher. * natives of New York and North Carolina re- tively, died in Montgomery County. The subject of this biographical notice remained at home until he attained the age of 18 years, when he bought his time of his father for $50, and engaged to work out by the month until 23 years of age. Mr. Mosher then mairied, and resided on a purchase of of 40 acres of land, which he had obtained in 1826, for five years, when he sold it and rented a small piece of land. Realizing that the West had better inducements for procuring a competency, he packed his household goods and started, locating at Rock Island, where he engaged as carpenter and boat- builder for ten years. He bailt a house on a lot he purchased, and resided there several years, finally selling out to the railroad company. Preferring the occupation of a farmer, he made a purchase of 130 acres of land on sections 13 and 24, where he moved in 1853 and has since resided ; and by subsequent purchases of 227 acres he is at present the possessor of 257 acres, all in excellent farming condition. Dec. 31, 1826, Mr. Mosher formed a matrimonial alliance with Phebe Churchill, a native of Mont- gomery Co.. \ V.. and their union wis blessed with three children, — Samuel, Louisa and Nelson. Sam- uel died in 18S0. His wife dying, Mr. Mosher was again united in marriage to Jane Benson, in 1843, she being a native of New York. Mr. and Mrs V^ V &M& -C- ^\i & I m eV^KBIlfW^- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 641 Mosher became the parents of seven children, all living, namely: Elenora, Janette, Mary, John, Mc- Clellan, Emily and Douglass. Mrs. Mosher died July 20, 1883. Mr. Mosher affiliates with the Dem- ocratic party, and has held various offices here, — Commissioner of Highways and School Director. Before coming West he served two years as Con- stable. Mr. Mosher is one of the earliest settlers here, and belongs to the Old Settlers' Society, and is a respected, representative citizen of Rock Island Co., 111. j:(dolph Weekel, a reliable citizen and an JjL enterprising and progressive farmer, located a on section 7, South Moline Township, was S, born in Germany, Dec. 18, 1822. In con- formity with the laws of his country lie at- tended the common schools and also a high school until 18 years old, and received a good edu- cation. He remained in the " Faderland " until 19 years of age, when, expecting to better his financial condition in life, he emigrated to the United States, and soon after his arrival came to Springfield, this State, where he remained two years, from 1842 to 1844. During the latter year Mr. Weckal came to this county, and has resided here ever since. He is the the proprietor of 170 acres of land in South Moline Township, 120 of which is under a good state of cul- tivation. On his place he has a good, substantial residence, besides suitable barn and outbuildings. Mr. Weekel was united in marriage in Illinois City, this county, April 29, 1S47, w ' tn Miss Catherine Heincel, also a native of Germany, in which country she was born March 12, 1826. They have been the parents of eight children, only four of whom sur- vived. The living are: John, born April 8, 1848; • Louis, July 2, 1854; Rosa A., Oct. 3, 1855, and Eva C, March 26, 1869. Those deceased are: Jacob, George, Edward and Otto. Mr. Weekel has held the offices of School Director, Highway Commissioner and Overseer of Highways. i He and his wife are attendants of the German Lu- ... theran Church, and politically he is identified with the Democratic party, and for about five years was the only Democrat' who cast a vote in South Moline Township. E .jiiSSftaeiiry S. Case, general farmer, residing in SSft South Rock Island Township, was born in Rock Island, Nov. 11, 1833, and is there- fore one of the oldest born residents now living in the county. His father, J H. Case, was a native of Vermont, of New England parentage, by occupation a farmer, and came West in the early part of 1829, previous to his marriage, settling tin a lot which is now a part of Rock Island City. After his marriage he "took up" land in company with Judge Spencer, now deceased, and laid out a 40-acre tract, now occupied by the city. It lies between the river, Eighth Avenue and 17th and 23d Streets. For a time Mr. Case lived in Black Hawk's wigwam. He always maintained that the great Sac Chief was really friendly to the whites, and that it was not his fault, but that of the whites, that the troubles in this part of the State occurred. He was also connected in some way with the troops sent out by our Govern- ment to suppress the Indian insurrection. Mr. Case also owned property outside of the city, now in South Rock Island Township. It was a tract of land com- prising a half-section, 50 acres of which is now owned by his son, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Case's wife, Julia, was a sister of the late Judge Spencer, who published a book entitled " Pioneer Life of Rock Island County." Both the parents of Henry S. died on the old homestead in South Rock Island Town- ship — his father in August, 1864, and his mother in May, 1868. Our subject was the third in a family of six chil- dren, two of whom are yet living, — Henry S. Case and Sarah J. Aiken; the latter is now residing in Colorado, where her husband is the owner of large herds of sheep and cattle. For him Aiken Street in Rock Island is named. Mrs. Eliza H. Richmond, now deceased, was the wife of Mr. Roswell, who now lives in South Rock Island. At the age of 18 years Mr. Case went to Cali- fornia, during the gold excitement of 1852, and re- mained most of the time in different parts of Nevada f A k « ^B;A3tK ^ronii&A®- ■— f>^5^/ 642 ■^V^DO^I]ft>>r TT _•»* t*t^ ^OCJ ISLAND COUNTY. i • >» i — r 3=3 ( > -) County, that State, for four years. Somewhat dis- appointed in his expectations, he returned home and began farming. About 18 months later he was mar- ried, in South Rock Island, to Miss Anna Elizabeth Frost, who was born in Iowa City, Iowa, Oct. 22, 1843. She came with her parents when young to Rock Island County, where her mother yet resides with her children. Her father, now deceased, was a carpenter by vocation. Mrs Case died at her home in South Rock Island, in June, 18 — , after having be- come the mother of two children, one of whom, Anson, is deceased, and the other, Mary, is residing at home with her father. Mr. Case was afterward again married, at Chicago, to Miss Jane E. Hanna, who was born in the State of New York, Nov. 17, 1855, and was reared and educated in her native State. She went to Iowa, in April, 1857, where she taught school some years, and went to Chicago a short time before her marriage. By the present mar- riage they have three children, — Charles S. and Edith, living, and Harry, deceased. Mr. Case has been interested in the manufacture of brick for a number of years, in connection with his farming operations. He has been Supervisor of his township, and Assistant Supervisor for a number of years. He is a reliable Republican. Mrs. Case is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. '-'fccS' S. Beat, a firmer, residing on section 10, IQ^ Zuma Township, was born Jan. 2, 1843, "• his parents being Daniel and Betsey (Spencer) Beal. The subject of this bio- graphical notice remained on the parental homestead, receiving such advantages as w,as obtainable at the common schools, until he attained the age of 25 years. At the age of 18 years he attended Lombard University at Galesburg, Knox Co., this State, for two winters. He enlisted in the war for the Union, joining Co. A, 156th 111. Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war, when he received an honorable discharge and returned home. In 1867 he purchased 160 acres of land on section 10, Zuma Township, to which he added by subsequent purchase 47 acres, and is now the proprietor of 207 acres, with a good residence, barn and outbuildings, and has the place under a good state of cultivation. Mr. Beal formed a matrimonial alliance, Sept. 20, 1866, with Miss Sarah Wainwright, a native of this county. Their union has been blessed with eight children, and their record is as follows : Charley Milton, born Nov. 7, 1867, died April 29, 1879; Gertie, born May 15, 1869; Nettie, Nov. 23, 1870 ; Bessie, April 12, 1873; Allie, April 14, 1875; Sadie, Oct. 22, 1876; Samuel S., July 30, r88o, and an in- fant born Dec. 5, 1884, and died Feb. 13, 1885. Politically, Mr. Beal is a believer in and supporter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. Religiously, he and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Although a man never seeking office, he has held that of Road Commis- sioner, and is one of the respected and esteemed citizens of Rock Island County. His wcrd is his bond, and his accumulation of this world's goods is attributable to his honest, straightforward dealings witli his fellow man. #~* ^Vfrfeei C. Adams, deceased, was one of the pio- w was the f jfr German '. his nati\ f neers of Rock Island County. He was *" born in, Columbia Co., Pa., in 1799, and was the son of Anthony Adams, who was of ancestry. He grew to manhood in lve country, attended the common schools of the neighborhood, and was well educated in both the German and English languages ; and as soon as he was large enough to be of assistance he was employed as a clerk in a store at Berwick, Co- lumbia Co. He followed this occupation for a num- ber of years, but in order to better his condition, and get into a field where there was some opportunity for developing his abilify and accumulating some- thing for himself and family, he came West, which he did in 1838. At that time his family consisted of his wife and two children. They came in a wagon drawn by a pair of horses, camping out on their way. After a journey of six weeks, the little emigrant train arrived in Rock Island. Here he left the family in comfortable quarters, and started out to hunt up a ^«®|]|]3>A£ 2 ^^ -f" & I if|) k 7 ■iu^s- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. «T -i*@i§9£ A 6 43 I i I | <* I V location. He bought a claim on sections 7 and 8, of township 20, range 2, since known as Cordova. There was a log cabin thereon, in which the family moved, and where they resided, suffering many priva- tions. As soon as the land was put on the market by the Government, Mr. Adams entered his farm and erected a good frame house, which was destroyed in 1844 by a tornado. He then erected another good, substantial residence, where he lived until the date of his death, which occurred Feb. 22, 1876. Our subject was twice married, his first wife be- ing Amanda Goble, a native of Pennsylvania ; she became the mother of five children, three of whom survive: Bethuel; Rachel, who is the wife of John M. Boies, and lives in Carroll, Co., Iowa, and Sam- uel. His second wife, Sarah Brown, was also a na- tive of Pennsylvania, having been born in Lancaster County, that State. She became the mother of three children, two of whom are now living, namely : An- gelina is the wife of John F. Elsbury, who is living in Calhoun Co., Iowa; Victoria is the wife of C. M. Riel, a resident of Cordova Township. Bethuel and Samuel now own and manage the old home- stead, the residence of which was burned Jan. 6, 1885. They have, however, since erected another. -*~~VbSi»- 5'Ww-j- Skharles Edward Piper, M. D., a practicing J|**" physician of Moline since 1865, was born kIUs?* 1 in Norway, May 22, 1842, and is the son $|ii> of Niels and Sophia Piper. He received his ytj medical education at the University of Chris- j tiana. In 1863 he went to Germany, and from there to England, where he shipped as surgeon of the blockade runner " Pevensey," bound for Wilmington, North Carolina. The steamer touched at Funchal, Madeira, and at the Bermuda Islands, where she was transferred to the Confederate States' authorities, and ran the blockade at Wilmington, under a hot fire from the blookading squadron. He received the appointment as Assistant Surgeon at Richmond, Va., and was stationed at Charlestown, S. C, in the field, and at the Winder Hospital, Rich- mond, where he served till the close of the war. 1 >r. Piper then came North, spent a few months in Chi- cago, practicing his profession, and in the winter of 1865 came to Moline, where he has continued his practice to this date. In 1873 he engaged in the drug business at Moline, and continued the same till 1 88 1, when he sold out to Mr. Henry Sandstrom. During the last six years he has devoted consider- able time to the study of electricity, and has invented several electrical devices, batteries, etc., and a motor. I>r. Piper was united in marriage at Moline, May 6, 1869, to Miss Anna S. Jackson, daughter of Major S. P. and Mary J. (Evans) Jackson. Major Jackson is a nephew of the late D. B. Sears. Mrs. Piper was born at Rock Island, Aug. 26, 1848, and she and her husband are the parents of two children — Charles E., born Aug. 8, 1870; and Ralph Samuel, born Aug. 1, 1877. Dr. Piper has been President of the Moline Board of Health three years. He entertains liberal views on the subject of religion, and in politics is a Demo- crat. His office is at 1514 Third Avenue, and he resides at No. 708 19th Street. E3*H$H*eE 'S: 1 f k£k~->~ gOHfohn William Potter, editor and proprietor \§isM,[ ~ of the Rock Island daily and weekly Argus, fj£/ was born in Skibbereen, county of Cork, Ire- and,Aug. 17, 1861. His parents were married in Buffalo, N. Y.,Sept. 16, 1856, his father being of Irish and his mother of American extraction. They lived in the Emerald Isle for several years, returning to this country in 1865. Mr. Potter is a practical printer, having set his first type when only 11 years of age, on the Bolivar (Mo.) Herald, owned by his father. In 1872 he removed to Freeport, where his father had published the Bulletin, and was connected with that paper until August, 1882, when the Rock Island Argus was published, and he was sent there to conduct that paper, which had been struggling against fate for several years, and which was finally compelled to suspend publication. To rescue the Argus from its extreme debility would seem to require the experience of an older and wiser head than Mr. Potter's; but having un- doubtedly inherited the energy and business tact of his father, he assumed the responsibility with a determination to succeed. A glance at the Argus Ann»> V m^-m \J> 644 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. m* of to-day is convincing proof that his efforts have not been misdirected, and that he has accomplished his aim — to place the paper once more in a com- manding position among the leading journals of the Northwest. He commenced the republication of the daily Argus as a six-column folio, and it is now an eight-column folio, while the weekly has been enlarged from an eight-column folio to a seven-column quarto. With its growing circulation and patronage, it commands great influence, and is consequently a strong champion of the Democratic faith. The future of the Argus looks bright and promising, and it certainly deserves the favorable recognition it is receiving. Mr. Potter has a brother and sister — Osier F. Potter and Marion E. Potter — living in Freeport. The former is editor and proprietor of the Freeport daily and weekly Bulletin, Democratic in politics, and the leading paper in that city and county. Mr. Potter's mother died in Freeport, Feb. 21, 1880, and his father May 23, 1885. illliam W. Pearsall, who ranks among the leading and prominent agriculturists of Rock Island County r lives on section 33, Coe Township. He is a native of this county and was born Aug. 19, 1S52, and is a son of William C. and Jane (Ellingham) Pear- sall, well-known pioneers of the county and of whom an extended sketch is given in this volume. Our subject is largely engaged in breeding Hol- stein cattle and has also bought and shipped stock to the Eastern markets. He has r6o acres of excellent land, upon which he has erected a good dwelling and a substantial barn. A view of his dwelling and surroundings is shown on page 555. A group of his Holsteir. stock is also represented. In 1877, May 20th, Mr. Pearsall was married to Miss Ella Trent, also a native of Rock Island County, the date of her birth being May 19, 1857. She is the daughter of Henry C. and Flora (Van Order) Trent. The former was born in Kentucky in 1830, and the latter in New York in 1836. They were married in Whiteside Co., 111., in 1854, and have eight children v r^ living, namely : Ella, Cassius C, Lincoln, Lucy, fk Philip, Flora, Mary and Henry. Mr. Trent lives at ^ Port Byron, where he is engaged in the mercantile business. Mr. and Mrs. Pearsall have four children, all of whom are living: Flora C. was born March 20, ^ 18795 s. Ross, Feb. 5, 1881; Jane E., April 20, 1883, and Robert L., April 18, 1885. Politically, Mr. Pearsall is a Republican. He is a member of the Order of A. F. & A. M. and con- nected with the Lodge at Port Byron, and also a member of the Congregational Church at that place. wan J. Johnson, deceased, was a promin \ fa3s4 X* ent farmer and stock-raiser, residing on A Big Island, section 15, Black Hawk Town ship. He was born Dec. 2, 1825, in Neff stadt, Sweden, where he was reared and edu cated. His father, John Swanson, was a z Swedish fanner. Our subject married at the place J of his birth, April 22, 1S49, to Miss Hannah S., - daughter of George and Christiana Pearson, natives of Sweden, where they were farmers by occupation, and where they died. Mrs. Johnson was educated in the common schools. Immediately after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson prepared to set out for America, where they duly arrived and located in the city of Rock Isl- and. Here Mr. Johnson was engaged by Capt. Wilson to act as pilot for the ferry-boat crossing the river between Rock Island and Davenport. He was thus engaged for 15 years. He then went to Big Island and purchased 210 acres of land, on sections 22 and 15. It was partly improved at the time, but he subsequently made considerable improvement, and built upon it a splendid residence and good farm buildings. He served the community as Commis- sioner of Highways and School Director. Politically, f. he is a stanch and reliable Republican. He died at his home, Jan. 29, 1876, and was interred in the J Chippiannock Cemetery. Mrs. Johnson, who survives her husband, is the ; mother of eight children, all of whom are living save two. Albert was married to Tillie Muse, and re- Z/ p* — ^A<^iiD@nii^A^ — ^Hg^ 4>t^ s§fe$ -:-i QH^CtiA €Pl^L ^ — 6v^>nn®mif>T rr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. % % 64s s = & sides at Washington, Kan. They have one child, Stella. Mary C. is the wife of John P. Soderstrom, and resides at Moline, and they are the parents of two children, Llewella and James W. : Emma is the wife of Lawrence Martin and resides on the home- stead, and he is a grocery dealer at Milan ; Edward S. resides at home and is completing a course of civil engineering at Champaign, 111. ; Charlie S. and Fred. W. reside at home. Mrs. Johnson is a^nember of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, of which Mr. J. was also a member and Trustee. He was a prominent and well esteemed citizen of the community, known for his honesty and integrity of purpose, and was a kind and generous father and noble husband. ••<«4*#4^>" on. Charles Atkinson, prominent as a founder of the original town of Moline, has «p^"°* continued ever since a conspicuous pro- moter, not only of prosperity built upon that foundation, but of the whole region of which it is a center. His career has been one peculiarly characteristic of those strong qualities of character which have given to the Mississippi Valley its >olid growth and sterling culture. He was born in New- buryport, Mass., May 18, 1808. His parents, Will- iam and Nancy (Little) Atkinson, were of pure English ancestry, who settled in Old Newbury prior to 1635. He was the second of eight children, seven sons and one daughter. The sister became the wife of Mr. G. D. Dickinson and mother of Mrs. Charles H. Deere, of Moline. The six brothers all achieved unusual success ; William as an officer of the Atlantic Mutual Marine Insurance Company, of New York city; Joshua as a farmer and prominent citizen of Whiteside Co., 111. ; Joseph as a farmer and promi- nent citizen of Newbury, Vt. ; Moses as a leading physician at Lawrence, Mass. ; George as the Super- intendent of the American Home Missionary Society for Oregon and Washington Territory ; and Josiah as a real-estate dealer in Portland, Ore. When Charles was but three years of age all his father's property was destroyed by the great New- buryport fire of iSn. As a result he received only the common-school education of the winter months, his summers being spent in work on the farm. Al- ready in boyhood there were evidences of the cour- age, tenacity and dauntless confidence in the winning qualities of hard, honest work which have since distinguished his life. At the age of 16 he began life for himself as a clerk in a general store at Nashua, N. H. In 1829, with his brother William, he opened a dry-goods and hatter's store in Nashua, but in the same year sold out, and removing to Lowell, Mass., engaged in the business of real estate and hat-manufacturing. On Ian. 4, 1830, at Suncook, N. H., he married Miss Ann Eliza Bates, born at Nashua, N. H., May 20, 1809, the daughter of Stephen and Nancy (Thurs- ton) Bates. To the rare qualities which were thus brought to his side and which have brightened dur- ing all the years of their childless home, is largely indebted not only the success of his own life but also the happiness of many others. The real-estate venture at Lowell resulted, after two years, in the loss of all, so that in 1832, turning over the business to his brother William, he went to Newbury, Vt., and there assumed the management of a hotel. Two years here showed a saving of $t, 000, which being invested in a patent right was sunk. In 1834 Mr. Atkinson began once more at the foot of the ladder as a clerk in the office of the Commercial Marine Insurance Company, of New York city. Here, his health becoming impaired, he set out in the spring of 1835 in company with his brother Joshua, by way of Pittsburg and the Ohio River for St. Louis. Thence they journeyed by stage, horse and on foot northward through Illinois, carefully prospecting the sparsely settled country as far as Grundy County, near where the city of Morris is located. Here these brothers separated — Joshua remaining to further reconnoitre and Charles jour- neying on alone to Chicago and thence to Detroit on horseback. In the fall of the same year he brought Mrs. Atkinson and his brother's wife west to Detroit and thence by wagon to Prophetstown, on the Rock River, where they arrived Oct. 8, 1835. A week's survey of the new country and the difficulties they must encounter in a region still freely traversed by the Indians, decided them to make their new begin- ning in the then incipient city of Chicago. To secure supplies of food for their immediate wants, Mr. At- kinson went with his brother to the little settlement V© ^ & •4y ■»\'4 s^ — e^nn»>^ — :s ^ gL -^r^. -e v4:HHSIUr> @/ V ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. •§*i^C at Rock Island. Returning, they were overtaken by one of the fierce prairie fires incident to that early day. In the effort to secure a retreat by setting a "back-fire," a powder-flask burst and so terribly burned and mutilated Mr. Atkinson's right hand as to deform it for life. It was two months and more before the wound was healed, and then there re- mained of his money but $[2.50. Thus the Chicago plan was vetoed by necessity, and although such re- peated misfortune, together with physical injury, would have disheartened most men, he braced up with determined purpose to succeed, and entered a claim of farm land in Henry County, upon which he soon constructed a log cabin. Early in 1836 another small tract was purchased on credit, which was in part platted as the town of Cleveland. Upon this site he began in 1836 and finished in 1837 the first frame house in Henry County, the siding of which was split out of logs shaved down and pressed straight; all the studdings, braces and rafters were also split and hewn. In this house and on his farm Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson lived seven years with varied experiences of abundance and scarcity. Going 16 miles to Rock Island for a pair of boots, but finding his credit insufficient and having no money, he re- turned home, worked till the amount was earned, and again made the expedition, this time successfully. It was thus, by indomitable perseverance in a hard struggle with reverses and hard times, there was gained in these years the victory, and here was de- veloped the necessary economy, on which hinged all his future success. As a citizen of Henry County he was most energetic in the pushing of every good interest, botli secular, moral and religious. As early as July 4, 1837, the best people of the county fortified themselves against the arch enemy of homes, by a temperance celebration at his house. He was the county's first Probate Judge in 1837-8, and was for five years Justice of the Peace. His property and life were openly threatened by the lawless band of horse-thieves and counterfeiters then infesting the borders, but who found in him a fearless opponent. In 1843, the distant market for his produce, to- gether with the low prices it afforded, induced him to find a new home on the ground now occupied by the city of Moline, but where was then only a mill and a half-dozen houses, constituting the settlement of " Rock Island Mills." In company with D. B. Sears and others, Mr. Atkinson purchased a portion of the — :s >€3^ — eating K§&® farm of Huntington Wells, and laid out the town plat of Moline. To this he later added a first, and subsequently a second, addition. From that date to the present he has been a commanding figure and potent factor in all Mobile's business, educational and religious welfare. In 1844 he joined with his wife and sixteen others in organizing the First Con- gregational Church of Moline, of which he has ever since been a leading member and supporter. To the erection of each of the successive church edifices, as well as to those of other denominations, he has been a large contributor. In 1877 he erected and presented to his Church a commodious parsonage, at a cost of $2,500. This is but one item of the many benevolences for religious and educational work at home and elsewhere, which have mounted up in the aggregate to many thousands of dollars. From the first, Mr. Atkinson has been largely in- terested in real estate, both at home and in Henry County, where in 1S57 he purchased a third interest in 44,000 acres of land. In 1846 he built the second saw-mill in Moline, and afterwards set in motion the first planing-machine above St. Louis. During several years of the War Mr. Atkinson was the Town Supervisor. He was one of the organiz- ers of the First National Bank of Moline, of which, for eight or ten years past, he has been the Vice- President ; of the Deere & Mansur Corn-Planter Works, now one of the largest and most popular con- cerns of the city, as well as of the world-famous Deere Plow Works, he was formerly a part propri- etor. But that for which the community stands chiefly indebted to Mr. Atkinson, is the remarkable execu- tive ability, combined with an accurate, far-sighted knowledge of men and affairs, which constituted him a natural and eminent leader in great enterprises. From his first arrival he recognized the strategic characteristics of Moline as the natural and certain center of vast future industries. As one of the first trustees of the town he then and ever after bent himself with tireless energy to the encouragement, and personal assistance, of whatever could aid sub- stantial growth. Hardly a business, of large pro- portions, exists in the city to-day, which, either in its conception or at some critical point of its progress, has not been strengthened, or tided over financial shallows, by his timely aid. Few, save those who are cognizant of the business history of a growing \$ S ( )} i 4*t^£ r:-:^ iMK^K ■^^ — 6v^qii»>^ — ^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 647 ' V '' city, can estimate the value to every business in- v terest of strong, resolute conservative men upon whom others may lean. Such a man, in many re- ; ? spects a general, wise to counsel and strong to lead, Mr. Atkinson has been. Up to about 185 t, the only passenger transit from Chicago to Rock Island was by stage to Albany, 111 , and down the river road to Rock Island, or otherwise by canal to La Salle, and steamboat to St. Louis, and thence up the Mississippi to Rock Island. Mr. Atkinson, discerning the imperative need of a direct 4 stage route between Rock Island and La Salle, ap- ; plied for the establishment of such a route to ^ Messrs. Frink & Walker, of Chicago, the great stage proprietors of the Northwest. Upon their refusal, he went direct to Columbus, Ohio, and made a similar proposition to the Ohio Stage Company, who at once assented and entered upon the preliminary arrange- ments. Messrs. Frink & Walker, learning of the de- cision, anticipated its execution by themselves put- , ting on a daily stage from La Salle to Rock Island, f?S which was continued until the completion of the Chi- a cago & Rock Island Railroad. Prior to the organiza- ;, tion of the last named company, Mr. Atkinson, with s others, had been actively engaged in the project of a railroad from La Salle to Rock Island, and for such a road a charter had been secured. Consultation as to this enterprise with Messrs. Sheffield & Farnham, of New Haven, Conn., who were then building the Michigan Southern road into Chicago, developed the thought of a railroad from Chicago to Rock Island, instead of from La Salle to Rock Island, which cul- minated in an examination of the route by these gentlemen. The result was so satisfactory that they made a definite proposition, to build and equip the entire road from Chicago to Rock Island, provided the proper amendment could be obtained to the ex- isting charter, and a local subscription of $600,000 be secured to the stock on the through line. Mr. Atkinson was an indefatigable worker in securing the fulfillment of these conditions, and so in the acqui- sition to this region of one of these grandest of mod- 1 ern civilizing and developing agencies, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. And here may be * noted one of these items of history on which hung the whole future of Moline, elected at the outset a Director of the road, it was by his sagacious and timely action at the very nick of opportunity, that a policy was averted, whose aim was to bring the road V o *jS into Rock Island by way of the Rock River valley, thus leaving Moline completely out in the cold. But they who plotted so deliberate a thrust at Moline's prosperity did not count on the keen alacrity with which the man, to whom Moline's prosperity was dear, would signally foil the attempt. So, again, when in 1861 the Committee of the Tri- Cities, of which he was an active and enthusiastic member, visited Washington to urge the locating of a general arsenal on Rock Island, they were met with spirited opposition, not only from the regions already equipped and coveting enlargement, but from able statesmen like Zachariah Chandler, Timothy Howe, OH. Browning, and others, who persistently urged the claims of other points. When some of the Com- mittee were discouraged and seemed ready to give up the effort, the difficulties only served to strengthen Mr. Atkinson's faith and persistence. He proposed the immediate and careful preparation of a map, which should show at a glance and prove beyond dispute to every Congressman the immensely supe- rior advantages of Rock Island over every other locality suggested for a national arsenal. Nerved by his courage, the plan was adopted, the map was com- pleted, and with a memorial laid on the desk of each Member of Congress. The result was a final decision for Rock Island, and the appropriation of $100,000 on July 1 r, 1S62. From the organization of the Moline Water-Power Company Mr. Atkinson has been its President and manager. He was chiefly instrumental in perfecting the contract by which, in 1867, the Government agreed, by virtue of the company's cession of its water-power interest, to develop and maintain the power at its own cost, and give the company the use in perpetuity of one-fourth of the whole, free from rent, repairs and expense of every kind. As is well known, the agreement between the Water-Power Company and the United States was made at the earnest solicitation of high Government officials and sanctioned by Congress. Yet the Government has utterly failed to carry out its agreement, and, in con- sequence, the value of the water power to the manu- facturing interests of Moline has not been realized. It is difficult to believe that the Government of this great country will continue to ignore its solemn obligations and withhold the justice so clearly due to its loyal citizens. When such justice is done and the work is completed, Moline will possess, as a Ik v© C w -',!>- ^g^c — ^^ramif^A^ — 3 *^ t sv^r ■^V4»HD<^ 6 4 8 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. > monument to the sagacity and unremitting toil of Mr. Atkinson, one of the first water powers in the world. It is thus seen that, measured by length of service and magnitude of advantages secured to the city of his founding, the subject of our sketch stands pre- eminent. The best thought and effort of his life are wrought into Moline's prosperity. He stands to-day, in his old age, when clothed with the honor of wealth and hosts of friends his life-work has won, just where he stood fifty years ago, when a poor young man beset with difficulties, for the best ele- ments of Christian progress, for education, for tem- perance, for absolute justice, for the dignity of manual labor, for the Bible, the Church, and the widest spread of the Gospel. Such lives are well worth a study. Though his early education was meagre, yet he has achieved for himself, by conflict with obstacles and continuous interest in every great question of the age an education which the profoundest student might covet, and which the thoughtful lines of his face, and the simple dignity of his bearing at once reveal. As one of the first Trustees of Iowa College, and by assistance at many points, he has shown his deep appreciation for the best educational facilities. The strong qualities which have made him so useful in one locality would have ensured his eminence anywhere. Though never a seeker for political honors, he has exerted, by his wide acquaintance with the leaders of political and business life, an influence exceeding that of many whose names are familiar in public affairs. Thoroughly in sympathy with the sentiments which gave the Republican party being, he has been its devoted supporter since. Mr. Atkinson's early vigor of mind and body are remarkably preserved, so that, at the age of 77, there is no harder worker in the community. Keen and clear-headed, always busy, always careful and conservative in financial matters, moving slowly but surely in every transaction, lie has few superiors in the steady progress which invariably reaches the objective point. On Jan. 4, 1880, the golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson was celebrated, at which two were present — Mrs. S. B. Head, sister to Mrs. Atkinson, and Miss Mary Bergin, of Concord, N. H. — who con- gratulated them on their marriage fifty years before. Mr. Atkinson will leave no children to inherit his success ; but the story of his achievements, through many reverses and great obstacles, must inspire all young men who read it with a truer estimate of the value and sure rewards of character. Perhaps the portrait of no man in Rock Island County will be looked upon with greater interest than that of Mr. Atkinson. From its earliest his- tory he has been so intimately identified with it as to be justly looked upon as one of the fathers of the county. We also present a full-page view of his splendid residence. 2i A. Searl, one of the energetic and prosper- Jlj? ous farmers of Zuma Township, this coun- 1 ty. residing on sections 9 and 16, was born in Kalamazoo Co., Mich., March 3, 1834. His parents were Ambrose and Hannah (Searles) Searl, natives of Ohio, who moved to Illi- nois, from Michigan, and settled on Rock River, Zuma Township, in 1838, and who are still living in this county. Mr. Searl, subject of this notice, remained with his parents, assisting in the labor on the farm and at- tending the common schools of his native county, until he attained the age of 21 years. He then worked his father's farm, and has continued to culti- vate the same until the present time, with the ex- ception of about five years. In 1866 he purchased a farm of 224 acres, and afterward sold 100 acres of the same, and has since purchased 80 acres. In 1883, he purchased the old homestead of 100 acres, and is at present the proprietor of 358 acres of land, also a good residence, barn and outbuildings, and has his farm under a good state of cultivation. Politi- cally, he is identified with the Greenback party. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace four years, Constable ten years, and is one of the prominent and trustworthy citizens of Zuma Township. Mr. Searl was united in marriage, Feb. 1, 1854, to Miss Isabelle Bryan. She is a native of Moline, 111., where she was born in 1836. Their union has been blessed with two children, — Ambrose, Jr., born Jan. 20, 1858, and John, born Feb. 3, i860. Am- 1 c V ® ?'V -^_^ ««uii$>^ ■:^- ^*@M V r ■ ■^€^k ^V^Ml&BDf^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. V' brose married Estella Wake, and they have one child, — Alvia. John married Harriet E. Deviney. Mr. Searl is a member of the Order of F. & A. M. He was made a Mason in 1868, and is connected with Philo Lodge, No 436, at Port Byron, 111. ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ' a steamboat, but in 1884 sold half of the latter. Mr. Gilchrist is the owner of a brick store, occupied by Taylor Williams, and the house next to it. He has a farm in Mercer County, this State, consisting of 250 acres, all underlaid with coal, and is constructing J a railroad two and a half miles in length, extending to the track of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, for the purpose of getting out his coal, and has also sunk a shaft 100 feet deep on his land. Mr. Gilchrist gives employment to some 300 men, and in addition to his possessions named, he has some 400 acres of 5 coal land in Jasper Co., Iowa, which he is working, I and also a railroad track of three miles in length, connecting with the Rock Island Road. He is also interested in coal mines in Watcher (Crescent Mines) and a one-third interest in a saw-mill in Camden, Ark. Mr. Gilchrist was united in marriage to Miss Mary Weir in 1856, a native of Scotland, and they have two children, — John, born Sept. 28, 1857, and Jane, born June 10, 1859. John married an accomplished young lady, Miss Caroline Shuler, and they have three children, — Hugh M., Mary and John. Jane married Charles Shuler, and they have three chil- dren, — Hugh, Anna and Elspeth. Mrs. Gilchrist died in 1866, mourned by a host of relatives and friends, as a kind mother, loving wife and respected citizen. Politically, Mr. Gilchrist is a Republican, and so- cially, is a member of the Order of Masonry and the United Workmen. He is one of the substantial business men of Rock Island County, and his accu- mulations are due to his good judgment, energetic ef- fort and straightforward, manly dealings with his fellow-man. *"# N*. eorge W. Weaver, an energetic farmer, residing on section 2, South Moline " K Township, is a son of George and Cissley (Schooley) Weaver. Mr. Weaver was born in South Moline Township, July 5, 1854. He received a good common-school education in the schools of his native county and has resided there all his life, engaged almost exclusively in agri- cultural pursuits. He is the proprietor of 120 acres of land, on which he resides, and is actively engaged in its improvement and cultivation. Mr. Weaver formed a matrimonial alliance Oct. 25, 1877, in South Moline Township, with Miss Mary C, daugh- ter of Hans and Hannah Nave, natives of the " Fa- derland. " Mrs. Weaver was born in Moline Town- ship, Nov. 3, 1858. They are the parents of four children, — Maggie E., born June 29,1879; Harry W., born April 21, 1881 ; Frank F., born March 2, 1883; and Vida A., born March 22, 1885. Politically, Mr. Weaver is identified with the in- terests of the Democratic party. ■«£(2rf&f€r* K4— » •M&S3ttlx» ohn E. Wray, Supervisor of Drury Town- ship and a resident on section 2 1 of the same township, where he follows the vocation of a farmer, is a son of Elliott and Elizabeth (Amos) Wray, who were natives of Virginia. They were united in marriage and settled in Ohio, where they both died. Their family comprised eight children, namely: Susan, Jemima, Amos, Harvey, Martin, Martha, John and Sarah. John E. Wray, whose name heads this sketch, was born in Gallia County, Ohio, July 20, 1833. His school privileges were limited on account of the thin settlement of the county and the requirements that made it necessary to labor on the farm, in conse- quence of the early demise of his parents. They died when he was quite young and he lived with dif- ferent people, and when ten years old he went to Iowa and hired out to work on a farm for $4 per month and board. He continued to work in Iowa until 1849, when he came to Rock Island Coun- ty and worked out by the month for eight years. At this time he had economized sufficient to enable him to purchase 40 acres of land, upon which he is to-day residing. His habits of economy, persever- ance and pluck, together with his good judgment, never forsook him and he was enabled subsequently to add to his original purchase until he is at present the proprietor of 460 acres of land in Drury Town- ship, the accumulation of which is due to his own in- a t / I §t»- •^ ^ Q/ gDO-gllllifr^ *€^- 4^£ m (ar ^■y. ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. m j $ A 1=3 > <*p 651 f trJS domitable energy, together with the assistance of his good help -meet. Mr. Wray formed a matrimonial alliance first in Muscatine, Iowa, April 7, 1859, with Frances Mc- Laughlin, a native of England. She died May 29, 1880, in Drury Township, and he was again married in the city of Rock Island, Dec. 12, 1883, to Helen Blackman, daughter of Darius and Charlotte (Smith) Blackman, natives of Vermont. Their family com- prised six children, namely: Frederick E., Burt, Gertrude E., Emma, Holen and Katie. Mrs. Wray was born in Michigan, Nov. 6, 1852, and has borne to her husband one child, John, born in Drury Town- ship, May 25, 1884. Mr. W. has held the office of Supervisor for five years, Highway Commissioner for six years, Collector 14 years and other minor offices. Religiously, Mrs. \V. is a member of the Presbyte- rian Church. Politically, Mr. Wray is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Republican party. Mrs. Wray held a commission as Postmistress for one year. ImIPsIj: ames B. McDonald, farmer, section 29, Rural Township, is a son of Jesse and Mary (Butler) McDonald, who were na- tives of Kentucky. In his father's family were four children, as follows : John, David, James B. and Jesse. Mr. McDonald was born March 5, 1822, in Kentucky, and when very young his parents moved with him to Brown County, Ohio, and 12 years afterward to Tippecanoe, Ind. He re- mained with his parents until he arrived at the age of 26 years, engaged in agricultural pursuits and receiving a common-school education. At the age mentioned he married, and came to Mercer Co., 111., where he rented land for two years, and then came to this county, and purchased 137 acres. He is now the owner of 525 acres in this county, besides 160 in Henry County. He is a judicious and prosperous farmer and an estimable citizen. Feb. 15, 1848, in Tippecanoe, Ind., he married Jane Spivey, who was a native of that State. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald have five children, named Jas- per, N.", Francis M., Lawrence M., Ettie and Sher- man. Mr. McDonald has held the offices of School Trustee, Road Commissioner and School Director. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party. _i3 ^g|5~ a- ; "vpf $£" acob M. Wilson, farmer, residing on section Tlr §al£ 8, Rural Township, is a son ot William and '" 1 Rachel (Mills) Wilson, natives of Penn- J» sylvania. They lived in Pennsylvania, Ken- it tucky, Ohio and Indiana, and in 1852 emigrated I to Rock Island County, and settled in Rural Township, where they resided until their deaths. The family comprised 12 children, of whom Jacob M. was second in order of birth. He was born in Champaign Co., Ohio, Feb. 4, i8t3, and resided there until six months old, when his parents moved to Green Co., Ind., where he lived until 1850. His early years were spent mostly on the farm, and in obtaining an education at the common schools; but for a time he was engaged in learning the trade of carpenter. Mr. Wilson first formed a matrimonial alliance in Montgomery Co., Ind., Sept. 27, 1838, with Miss Mary Thompson, a native of Ohio. She bore him seven children, viz.: William T., born Oct. 8, 1839; John L., born April 2, 1S41 ; Enoch, born July 28, 1842; Franklin W., born July 2, 1844; Vincent C, born Feb. 12, 1846 ; Harmon S., born May 15, 1848 ; Mary L., born Dec. 8, 1849; and Rachel M., born Nov. 19, 1855. In the fall of 1850 Mr. Wilson came with his wife and five children to this county, and settled in Rural Township. His first purchase of land consisted of 180 acres, on which he located, and entered vigor- ously and energetically upon its improvement and cultivation; and, by economy and energetic effort, he has been enabled to make additional purchases, and is now the proprietor of about 575 acres, all being in Rural Township. Mrs. Wilson died in Montgomery Co., Ind., Dec. 31, 1849, and Mr. Wilson was united in marriage a second time in that county, Sept. 17, 1850, to Miss Margaret Evans. She was born in Virginia, Feb. \k (?) & (!) ^VVD)^ -C^JL $M$N$4 V s^ A •/ N 4 * * 652 ^CX ISLAND COUNTY. ->c... 14, 1815, and of their union two children have been horn, Rachel M., and an infant, both of whom died in childhood. Mr. Wilson has held the positions of Road Commissioner, School Director and Overseer of Highways. Politically, he votes with the Demo- cratic party. He is regarded as one of the progress- ive farmers of Rural Township, and is a gentleman whose word is accepted on all occasions. He has a fine farm, in advanced state of cultivation, with good residence and substantial outbuildings, and is meet- ing with success in his chosen vocation. His wile is a member of the Presbyterian Church. fohn Tindall, general fanner and stock- |f raiser, section 11, Bowling Township, was born in Worcester Co., Md., July 21, 1815. His father, a New England miller, married Margaret Wiley, a Virginia lady, of Scotch descent, who died in Bowling Township, a number of years ago; her husband died in 1826 Mr. Tindall, the subject of this sketch, was 11 years of age at the death of his father, and the re- sponsibilities of conducting the farm for his mother and the rest of the family devolved upon him until he was of age. He then sold his interests there, came West, resided in Rock Island city two years, and then purchased 200 acres of Government land in Bowling Township, upon which he moved, and commenced the improvement of the place. He has since made his home here — a magnificent one — and he is now the proprietor of nearly 1,300 acres of land in this county, mostly in the townships of Black Hawk, Coal Valley, Rural and Bowling. Nearly all his land is fenced in and is in good condition for the raising of all farm -crops common to this country. He is the most extensive land-owner in Bowling Township. In addition to general farming he also raises a large number of domestic animals. Mr. Tindall was united in marriage March 31, 1836, in Worcester Co., Md., to Miss Elizabeth Cropper, who was born in that county in 1816. She was a daughter of a sea captain, and was brought up and educated in her native State. Of the nine children bom to Mr, and Mrs. Tindall, six are living, namely: Harriet Brasier, residing in Bowling Town- ship; Edward, Frank, Samuel, Joseph and Wynn. Mrs. Tindall died at her home Dec. 4, 1876. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which body Mr. Tindall was once connected. He has never sought any public office, but has always been regarded as a worthy and intelligent citizen. In his political views, he sympathizes with the Republican party. .}«'- * /■I'fffmr. Calvin Truesdale, a resident of Rock mIMt ishi m and City, to which place he came in 1854, is a native of northern Ohio, in jr)«* which country he was born Oct. 2, 1822. He ■fe spent his younger days under the parental roof- f tree and attending the common schools of his native country, and when 17 years of age finished an academical course of study. At the age of 18 years he commenced the study of medicine, attending the the Western Reserve Medical College three terms, and pursuing the entire curriculum of that institution and graduating with honors. After graduating, Dr. Truesdale went to Poland, Mahoning Co., his native State, where he first en- tered upon the practice of his profession. In 1854, concluding that there was a wider field for operation in the West, and also a better chance to replenish an exchequer that had been considerably diminished by the prosecution of his studies, and the limited prac- tice of a young physician in the East, he came to Rock Island, and has since been in active practice in this place, covering a period of some 31 years. He is the local surgeon of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and is highly respected and es- teemed by all those who know him, not only for his ability as a medical practitioner and surgeon, but al- so for the interest he takes in the upbuilding of the community in which he lives, and in which he has been such an important factor. He has built up quite an extensive practice, and is regarded as a physician who leaves nothing undone to allay the sufferings of his patients and restore them to original strength and vigor. 9 A w \y y & Politically, Dr. Truesdale is a believer in the ten- £^f«- T^* 4«I10S>A^ *^F- m J^yo.J^^^ f^yUQ f^' &%&&»■ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. HK^ 653 ets of the Republican party, and socially, a member of the Masonic Order. Dr. Truesdale formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Charlotte M. Haynes, a native of the Green I Mountain Stale, June i, 1851. She was born in May, 1826. Four children have been born to them, name- ly : William H., November, 1851 ; Charles C, June, 1858; Henry C, Feb., i860; and Mary S., Sept., 1853. William H. married Anna Topping in 1878, and they have one child, Marie Truesdale. Mary S. married Jos. Gaskill- in 1883. Religiously, Dr. Truesdale is a member of the Presbyterian Church, wnich denomination Mrs. Truesdale also attends. Mr. T. is a member of the Rock Island Medical Society, the Illinois State Med- ical Society, and the American Medical Association. -S3- -E3- j ev. T. N. Hasselquist, D. D., Professor of |." Theology and President of Augustana Col- JT^RK 5, lege and Theological Seminary, Rock Isl- and, was born in the parish of Ousby, in the southern part of Sweden, March 2, 181 6. He graduated at the University of Lund in 1835, and was ordained to the holy ministry by the Bishop of the Diocese of Lund in June, 1839. He labored as minister in" the established Church of Sweden (the Lutheran) for 13 years. In 1852 Dr. Hassel- quist accepted the call extended to him from the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Galesburg, Knox Co., 111., and arrived in October of the same year. With great zeal and self-denial he entered upon his new field of labor. While serving the con- gregation of Galesburg he also organized congrega- tions at Knoxville, Wataga, Altona and at many other places in Knox, Henry and Bureau Counties. When the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Au- gustana Synod was organized in i860, Dr. Hassel- quist was chosen its first President, which position he held for ten years, until 1S70, when he made a visit to his native country, and was succeeded by Rev. Jonas Swensson, of Andover, 111. In 1863 Dr. Hasselquist was called to fill the im- portant position of Professor at Augustana Theologi- cal Seminary, of Paxton, Ford Co., 111. He was the only professor of the institution, and the enrollment of students the first year was only 12. Under his wise management and by his incessant labors the institution has witnessed an extraordinary growth, and now ranks among the best institutions of learn- ing in the West. (See history of Augustana College and Theological Seminary, page 760.) The venerable Doctor still holds his position as Theological Professor and President of the institu- tion. Besides his many and important duties as Pastor, Professor and President, he has also, since 1855, been constantly engaged in editorial work. In that year he started the Gamla och Nya Hemlandet (Old and New Homeland), the first Swedish political pa- per in the West, which is now published in Chi- cago and is still prosperous. In 1856 he began publishing the Retta Hemlandet (True Homeland), a Swedish religious paper. The name of this has since been changed to Augustana och Missionaren, of which he is still editor-in-chief. Dr. Hasselquist has at all times taken a deep in- terest in educating and elevating his countrymen in America and will be gratefully remembered by com- ing generations of Swedes and Americans. As the most distinguished gentleman of his na- tionality in America, the publishers of this Album take great pleasure in presenting the portrait of Mr. Hasselquist in connection with this very brief outline of his life. oseph F. Tindall, a farmer residing on section 28, Rural Township, where he is engaged in agricultural pursuits, is a son of John and Elizabeth (Cropper) Tindall, na- tives of Maryland. The parents came to Rock Island County in an early day and settled in the township of Bowling, where the mother died. The father still survives. (See sketch of John Tin- dall.) Joseph F. Tindall was born in Bowling Township, this county, Feb. 2r, 1845. With the exception of one year spent in Kansas he has lived in this county until the present time. He is the proprietor of 280 r.-;;.-i 4 v> i vt A ® ^€3^ e^HDSDIK^^ 1 J i^V^MHOf^er -2^^- -*4*t§^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. V I I % acres of land in Rural Township, one-half of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. His mar- riage took place in Milan, March 31, 1S73, at which time Miss Rebecca Bridgford, daughter of John Bridgford, became his wife, and of their union rive children have been born. In politics, Mr. Tindall votes with the Republican party. He has held the office of Overseer of Highways and is one of the representative citizens of his vocation in Rural Town- ship. ^ ~i^HfB-<^# 'rt|i ill Gray, editor of the Record, published at OS™,\!r Milan, was born at La Salle, this State, in 1863. In 1870 he moved to Rock Island with his parents and at the age of 15 years •A\1S' entered the newspaper fraternity by publish- ing an amateur paper, which was called the Friend. This paper was published successfully for a year and a half and was then merged into a professional paper, which was called the People's Friend. The People's Friend w as published until June, 1885, when it was merged into the Record, now being published at Milan. The paper is a spicy one, and its editor, having had a life experience in the newspaper business, will undoubtedly make it the peer of any in Rock Island County. Its subscrip- tion price is only $1 per year and advertising rates reasonable, and we speak for the Record a good word and for its smiling and genial editor many. =$<^ , ■)""(?; fl J.' rederick Wendel, engaged in the furni- -■" yJs'H ture and undertakers, business at Hamp- r !C "n ton, came to that village from St. Louis, in 1850. He was born in Hanover, Germany, June 19, 1824, and emigrated from that coun- try to the United States in 1848. Mr. Wendel attended school in his native country until 15 years of age ; then learned the cabinet trade, at which he served three years; then traveled over Germany and France and worked at his trade. On coming to this country he landed at New Oileans, where he re- mained for six months working at his trade, receiving therefor $3 per day. He then came to Galena, this State, and worked during the summer at the furniture business, receiving the same amount per diem. After this he went to St. Louis, where he remained through the winter, and in the spring of 1850 came to Hamp- ton, this county, and engaged in the furniture busi- ness for himself. He has followed the same since that time and keeps a full line of all kinds of furni- ture and coffins on hand. Mr. Wendel is the oldest living German settler at that place. He was married in 1853 to Miss Louisa Weaver, a native of Rock Island. In politics, Mr. Wendel votes with the Democratic party. He and his wife belong to the Lutheran Church, and their residence is on Water Street. The business house of Mr. Wendel is located on Oak Street. For nine years Mr. W. was School Trustee and for one year acted in the capacity of Alderman. He is one of the rep- resentative business men of Hampton Village, and his success is due to his fair and honest dealings with his fellow-man. ■4H&+ ■11 I I t ' 1 — ; V ( ^FfiEi eorge Weaver, a farmer residing on sec- H yflJfc tion 2, South Moline Township, is a son K of Jacob and Margaret Weaver, natives of Germain', whose family comprised six chil- dren ; of these George was the second in order of birth. Mr. Weaver was born in Ger- many, Dec. 16, i S 1 7 . He was n years old when he emigrated to the United States with his father. They lived in Warren Co., Pa., until 1836, when they came to Rock Island County, this State, where the father died. The mother died in Germany. Geoige Weaver has lived in this country almost continually since his father came here, and has de- voted his time to agricultural pursuits. He is the owner of 136 acres of land in South Moline Town- ship. His marriage took place in Rock Island, June 15, rS43, at which time Miss Scisley Schooley became his wife. She was born in Ohio, Feb. 12, 1S23, and has borne her husband 12 children, eight of whom v) ^OCI ISLAND COUNTY. survive, namely : John, Jacob, Amos, Anna, George W , Lotta, Lizzie and Maria. The deceased are : Catherine, Ellen, Louis F. and Francis Mr. W. has been School Director, and in politics is a believer in the principles advocated by the Democratic party. f@ -~0- -e~- eneral Thomas J. Rodman was born in Salem, Ind., July 30, 1815. He was the son of James Rodman, a farmer, who was born in Pennsylvania, moved to Kentucky, there married, and afterward removed to Indi- ana. His brother John remained in Kentucky, and his descendants are now prominent in that State. General Rodman graduated at West Point in 1841, and was assigned to the Ordnance Depart- ment, in which he served continuously until his death, June 7, 187 1, being promoted successively from Brevet Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colo- nel and Brevet Brigadier General. He served in the Mexican War as Ordnance Officer at Camargo and Point Isabel. During the Rebellion he was Con- structor of Ordnance and in command at Watertown Arsenal. He was in command at Rock Island Arsenal from 1866 till his death. During his entire military career of 30 years he devoted his earnest attention to the development and improvement of the manufacture of metals, gun- powder and heavy ordnance, and every advance made in this direction by the United States was the direct result of his elaborate experiments and re- searches and his wise deductions from them. He is chiefly known to the scientific world by the inventions in his favorite field, and to the world at large by the famous "Rodman Gun." He began this work at the very bottom, by the selection of the iron ore. He improved and adapted the furnaces for their proper reduction, invented an elaborate machine for testing the metal, and for years, with wonderful patience and skill, made those long series of tests and experiments of which even the record seems almost interminable. He then, with mathematical skill, constructed the equation for the proper form of a gun. He invented the method of casting the gun and the machinery for finishing it, even to the smallest details. In the same laborious manner he designed the projectiles, chose his metals, tested and combined them, and produced what was best for his purposes. Powder was also subjected to his stern and patient analysis. The theory of its power had not been thoroughly understood, and it was not adapted for use in heavy guns. General Rodman changed its form and size and density, and molded the unruly agent to his will. He made his gun and powder and projectile. No fort then built, no armor then afloat could withstand them. His country used them in stilling the turbulence of rebellion; all na- tions modeled their ordnance on his ideas ; but, with the philosophic modesty of true knowledge, he said, " I have but contracted the limits of uncertainty." The last years of his life he devoted mainly to the plan and development of the Arsenal of Rock Island. To him it was a vast factory, comprehensive, almost boundless in its scope, on which the Government should some day depend in time of need. His strong individuality and earnest ability commanded the respect of the National Legislature; and to this fact we largely owe the liberal appropriations neces- ': sary to place the great arsenal on its proper footing. ' It has been extremely fortunate that General Rod- ' man was succeeded in command by so able an officer as Col. D. W. Flagler, who has done so much to ex- tend and develop the plans of the arsenal. General Rodman married the daughter of Rev. John Black, who preached for fifty years in the same church in Pittsburg. Mrs. Rodman is still living, and also her three sons and two daughters. ja amuel W. Heath, who is engaged in gener- p£ al farming and the raising of live stock, *^ and residing on section 17, Bowling Town- ship, was born near Pittsburg, Pa., March 12, 1S36. His father, Joseph Heath, was a native of Allegheny County, that State; was married in Pittsburg, Pa., and after a residence there of 25 years came West, settling in Scott Co., Iowa, where he died May 22, 1863, aged 64 years. His $<§@f§* ^g^ — ©A^nn^nn^^A^ — ^w^ fc; dJ AT «> 6 S 6 ^ ^-7 • PAS-TORE SCCM-E- ... RES. OF DANIEL MONTGOMERY. SEC. 26, EDG I N GTON TP. y wmmmmmmmmmwBmmM^mAm^ ..„-■>-- ,- — - *V*i - - Res. of R. S.MONTGOMERY, Sec. 26, Edging TON Tp. 3 ^-X -j&®z &r 7 <£n % &M : i>r& r'^T —% ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 6 S 7 lives. His comfortable and pleasant home, a view of which is shown on another page, is on section 26 (near the Prairie Union School-house), where he dispenses a generous hospitality. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, In politics, he is a stanch supporter of the principles as promulgated by the Republican party. V (m> 1 J^aniel Montgomery, a substantial and en- pllJe^k' terprising farmer of Edgingto'n Township, jj^y'^ was born at the old Montgomery Home- ^W stead, Jan. S, 1840, and is the third son of Daniel and Margaret (Simmington) Mont- it gomery. The father, Daniel, was born in Danville, Montour Co., Pa., July 1, 1794, and he and his wife were among the early colonial settlers of Danviile, Pa. They were influential citizens and prominent manufacturers of that section of the coun- try. The older Daniel Montgomery was liberally edu- cated in the private schools of his native town. After attaining the age of manhood, he turned his at- tention to the milling business and the manufacture of cloth. Two of his brothers were ministers of the Presbyterian Church, one of them, John, being an early settler of Mercer County, this State. He was one of the first ministers to preach the Presbyterian faith in Edgington Township. Mr. Montgomery was married Aug. 10, 1825, to Miss Christiana Griffin, and the issue of that union was one son, William Montgomery, who resides in this township. Mrs. Montgomery survived their marriage only a few years. Mr. Montgomery sub- sequently married Miss Margaret Simmington, their wedding being celebrated on the 17th of February, 1835, and the following autumn, 1836, they removed to Edgington Township, where Mr. Montgomery en- tered 1,000 acres of land and engaged in farming on quite an extensive scale. He was possessed of con- siderable means, and was able to enter upon the im- provement of his estate in a much better condition than most of the early residents. The fall of 1842, he had a large flock of sheep driven from Ohio to his place, which were the first brought to the m. township. He was one of the largest stock- raisers and wheat-growers in the county. By the latter union Mr. Montgomery has had four children, their names given in order ot birth, as follows : Robert, born March 30, 1836; John, April 10, 1S38, now .1 resident of Mercer County; Daniel, the subject of this sketch, Jan. 8, 1840, and James, Jan. 3, 1842, and residing in Rock Island, where he is engaged in the hardware business. The elder Montgomery and his wife are were both members of the Presbyterian Church at Edgington. He was for many years an Elder in the Church. In politics lie was a Whig, and his death occurred May 17, 1849; his widow still survives him, and now at the age of 76 years, is in fair health. Her home is at Milan, though she spends a portion of each year with her children. She was born Aug. 11, 1809. 1 taniel Montgomery received his rudimentary edu- cation in the district schools, and supplemented the same by attendance at Knox College, at Galesburg, this State, and on leaving school he returned home, and formed a partnership in business with his brother Robert, which still continues. They are the largest farmers in the township, and rank among the largest in the county. They are extensively engaged in stock-raising and feeding, and besides their home place they are in the cattle business in Montana. They are also engaged in the grain business at Rey- nolds, where they have an elevator. The brothers also own two elevators in Iowa, where they are dealers and shippers of grain. They are part owners in the paper-mill at Milan. The home estate of the brothers comprises a beau- tiful tract of very fertile prairie land of 880 acres, which is well improved and under a good state of cultivation. They each have a commodious resi- dence and outbuildings, elegant views of which may be seen on another page, and both home places are on section 26, near the Prairie Union School-house. They are men of experience and ample capital and have enlarged their operations into several fields of business enterprise. As indicated in the above sketch, their cattle-feeding in past years has been extensive, feeding sometimes upwards of 5C0 head. They are also engaged in raising thoroughbred Norman horses. In the spring of 1864, Daniel Montgomery became, like many others, interested in the gold excitement in Idaho Territory, whither he went and remained a short time. He was only fairly successful from a •i ,/*> A-Ci- ^ A * (0J I ^ ir.3 J) 6 S 8 -a^K ©V4:B DS D II 'i>r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. business point of view, though his experience was both interesting and varied. On the 3d of January, 1871, he was married to Miss Martha A. Parks, daughter of H. H. Parks, an old resident of Edging- ton (see sketch of Mr. Parks). Mrs. Montgomery was born Feb. 1, 1842, and has become the mother of eight children: Walter L., born July 7, 1872; Mary \\\, Aug. 20, 1873; Ella P., Dec. 4, 1874; Sadie S., Dec. 22, 1875; John P., Aug. 27, 1877, de- ceased; Harriet, Sept. 18, 1S78, her death being caused by an accidental shot; Charles (deceased), Jan. 4, 1880; Martha A., Feb. 3, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery are both members of the Presbyterian Church at Edgington,of which he is a ruling Elder. He has been a member of the Church for a quarter of a century. In the life and career of Mr. Mongomery we have an example of a successful farmer and business man, one who has carved out succes by the exertion of energy, tact and good judgment. In politics he is identified with the Republican party. homas Bowes, a general farmer on section 19, Bowling Township, was born in Pre- emption, Mercer Co., 111., Nov. 5, 1847. His father, Robert, Sr., was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, married there Miss Jane Adams, a native of the same country, and had eight children, two of whom died in Ireland before the emigration of the family to this country in 1846. On coming to the New World they first located in Gale- na, 111., and afterward removed to Pre-emption, and three years subsequently into Edgington Township, this county, and finally, in 1849, into Bowling Town- ship, where Mr. B. purchased a quarter-section of land on sections 19 and 30 and settled upon the same. He is now 77 years old and is residing with his son Thomas, his wife having died in June, 1875. Our subject, Mr. Thomas Bowes, was the only member of the family who was born in America, and i^ therefore the youngest. He remained at home until his marriage, being educated in Bowling Town- ship and at Rock Island. He was married in the latter city Feb. 11, 1869, to Miss CossaA, Ball, who was born in Green Co., Ohio, Nov. 10, 1845. Her parents resided in that State until their deaths, and she afterward came to Illinois, locating near Taylor Ridge, this county; a short time afterward she re- moved to Rock Island, where she learned the art of dress-making. The only living child of Mr. and Mrs. Bowes is Thomas E., who was born Feb. 9 1870. Two are deceased, namely : Lenna W., born June 5, 1S73, died March 1, 1874, before he was a year old; and Dottie A., who was born Dec. 12, 1876, and died March 13, i88r. After his marriage, Mr. Bowes located on the homestead, where he now owns 80 acres of land. He has erected a fine residence for himself, has also a good barn and other farm buildings. The family are connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Bowes held the offices of Township Collector, etc., and in his political views sympathizes with the Republican party. C. Rasmussen, who stands pre-eminently at the head of professional photography in Rock Island, is a native of Heide in the province of Holstein, Germany, and was born Aug. 9, 1856. His parents came to America in 1857, and lived in New York city up to the death of the senior Mr. Rasmussen, which occurred in 1865. Mrs. Rasmussen then removed to Davenport, Io- wa, where the subject of this sketch began, in 1S67, to learn the art of photography in the gallery of Polmsted. In the spring of 1872 he came to Rock Island to take a position in Gayford's gallery, and remained there until December, 1881, when he es- tablished a splendidly equipped gallery, corner Sec- ond Avenue and Eighteenth Street, and at once put into effect the advanced ideas of artistic effects through the liberal use of rich accessories and back- grounds. Heretofore the photographic business in this vicinity had been conducted with an eye solely to financial results. Mr. Rasmussen on the contrary aimed first for artistic results, believing that financial success was sure to follow of its own accord. This feeling came of a conviction that as a community it had reached maturity, and as such could, in matters f i ^«€^ — e?*66o o v ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^ V 'O > house in which he is doing business, together with the lot and a residence and four lots in the village. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, of which denomination Mr. Ash is Steward. In politics, he is an active, working Re- publican. -<*«- ^ohn Forgy, general farmer and stock-raiser, L ;ilSJi|f" section 8, Bowling Township, was born in ' Morrow Co., Ohio, Nov. 28, 1835. His father, also named John, was brought up as a farmer in the Slate of Pennsylvania, and was married in Washington County, that State, and moved to Ohioafterthe first child was born: five others 1 were born in the family after his location in Ohio. His wife dying in Morrow Co., Ohio, in 1843, at the age of 47, he married again and came to Illinois, settling ^ in South Rock Island Township, this county, where ; he died in 1872. He was Justice of the Peace in this ~ township and was holding that office at the time of ■' his death. In his political principles he sympathized with the Democratic Party, and in religious matters he took a zealous part, being a Presbylerian in his earlier life, but at the date of his death was a mem- ber of the Christian Union. Mr. Forgy, whose name heads this sketch, was educated in his native county, and resided at home until his marriage, working upon his father's farm. He was married in Canaan Township, Morrow Co., Ohio, Jan, 8, 1861, to Miss Mary J. Brown, a native of that township; she was born in August, 1836. Her parents, Dr. Ira and Sarah (Brown) Brown, were settlers in that section of Ohio (in Knox County), locating there previous to the War of t8r2, in which contest her grandfather was a soldier. The male members of the family are all noted for their great skill in performing on the drum. Her people were prominent lights in the Presbyterian Church. She became the mither of six children, two of whom are now deceased. The living are Frederick M., born May 31, 1S64; William O., born July 15, 1S65; Isaac P., Dec. 12, 186S; andMary J., Jan. 25, 1871. The deceased were Martin D., who died at the age of ten years, and an unnamed infant. f I) Mrs. Forgy died in Milan April 29, 1SS5 , her loss being greatly mourned by the family and the com- munity, as she had been an excellent woman in all respects. She united with the Presbyterian Church when 15 years of age, but three years before her death she united with the Baptist Church at Taylor Ridge. During the late war Mr. Forgy served a year for the Union m Co. B, 43d Ohio Vol. Inf., under Cols. Swan and Smith, and was mostly on guard duty, and was honorably discharged about the last of Septem- ber, [863. In 1866 he emigrated to this State and located permanently in Bowling Township, this county, where he purchased a quarter-section of land ; to that he has since added 80 acres by pur- chase, and most of the land is improved, and in good condition for the raising of grain and stock. Mr. Forgy is an active and influential member of the Baptist Church, having now been a Deacon in that body for about six years. In his political principles, he is a reliable Democrat. Jj\§*ee* ^ ^ ' Q^ <^TOdf>^9 toward McCulloch, senior member of the firm of McCulloch & Heath, general deal- ers in groceries, etc., at Milan, was born in Holmes Co., Ohio, Feb. 14, 1841. His par- ents, J. G. and Maria (Langhead) McCulloch, were natives of Lancaster Co., Pa., who came West in 185 1, settling in Scott Co., Iowa. His fath- er was a pioneer farmer in that county, but before coming West he demonstrated his patriotism by rais- ing a company of soldiers, of which he was commis- sioned Captain, and which he commanded in the Mexican War, proving a valuable factor in that struggle. He died in the fall of 1851, the year in which he located in Scott County. The mother of Mr. McCulloch, subject of this sketch, died in the same county near Davenport, in May, 1873. Mr. Howard McCulloch is the third in order of birth of a family of eight children — five sons and three daughters — and was seven years old when his parents came West. After the death of his father he remained with his mother until her death, having, at the age of 15 years, begun to carry on the farm under her direction. In 1874 he came to Milan, 9 %!p 1 /yWy 3.£^^^^^u ^ &&$ i^- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 'jkt ^ •-. .-» / this county, and established a grocery store, but after a year's time he closed there and returned to Daven- port, where for a time he was engaged in business. He sold out there in 1878, and came again to Milan, continuing in the same enterpise, with Mr. Heath as the junior member of the firm. He is a member of A. 0. U. W. and of the A. F. & A. M., of both which bodies he is Treasurer. He is also President of the Village Council. In his political views he sym- pathizes with the Republican party. In 1880 he was married in Milan to Miss Mary E. Work, who was born in Ohio and came West with her parents, settling in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. McCulloch are the parents of two children : Pearl and Bella. Pearl died Oct. 9, 1885. §^-»5£# \ion. Henry Clay Cleaveland, residing at Rock Island, was born at Woodstock, Vt., Oct. 25, 1843. His parents, Alonzo W. and Betsey (Pratt) Cleaveland, were also na- tives of the Green Mountain State; there grew to man and womanhood, were married and 1 reared a family consisting of two sons and two daughters, the subject of this sketch being second in order of their birth. In his youth Mr. Cleveland learned the machinist's trade and at the common schools of Ludlow, Vt., acquired a good English ed- ucation. May 9, i86r, Mr. Cleaveland was mustered into the service of the United States as a private in Co. B, First Vt. Vol. Inf., and served until Aug. 16 fol- lowing. In October of the same year, he again enrolled and was mustered into Co. E, Sixth 111. Vol. Inf., for a three years' term, and veteranized in the same command at Brandy Station, Va., Dec. 15, 1863, and served until the close of the war, receiving his discharge, which bears date March 21,1866. He was promoted May 29, 1862, to the rank of Color Sergeant, and it was while in discharge of the duty of this position, in the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, he received a serious gunshot wound in his right forearm, which sent him for about a four months term to the hospital. He was afterward transferred to theioSth U. S. Vol. Inf. (Colored), and was com- missioned First Lieutenant and A. Q. M., a position he held up to the time of leaving the service. While stationed at Rock Island, in 1864-5, he be- came acquainted with Miss Olivia S. Hayes, to whom he was married Sept. 17, 1866. Their children are named Harry H., Louis K., and Bessie C. Since coming to Rock Island, in [866, Mr. Cleaveland has been almost continually in public service, but, unfor- tunately for him, in such capacity as gave him much labor and small remuneration. Therefore, he has been compelled to carry on various private enter- prises to the end that he might lay by something for a season wherein he may be too old for anything but the public service. However, Mr. Cleaveland has small reason to complain ; nor does he complain at all, in fact, for his efforts have been crowned with much success. He has a well-balanced head, set upon a herculean body ; enjoys a good dinner, with all its concomitants; entertaining in private conver- sation and fluent and ready in debate, whether upon the stump or in the Legislative hall. He enjoys his various lodges in an eminent degree ; and that his fellow craftsmen appreciate him is attested by the fact that he has filled all the official chairs in the local Masonic Order up to presiding officer of the commandery, which position he has held for the past 13 years, and in the Grand Lodge of the Slate up to Senior Grand Warden. He is Past Master of the Blue Lodge and was 12 years presiding officer. Mr. Cleaveland is also in full affiliation with the I. O. O. F., the Red Men and A. O. U. W. He was Secretary of the Rock Island County Agricultural Society from 1869 to 1876; City Collector in 1872-3; six years in the School Board ; one term County Supervisor; and is now upon his second term as Representative of Rock Island County in the State Legislature. In pol- itics he is a John A. Logan Republican. s harles G. Thulin, dealer in boots and sta- "3!fc!S|' tionery and Treasurer of the Moline Cab- inet Organ Company, was born in Sweden, July 26, 1835, and is the son of Lars and Sophia Thulin. He received a liberal edu- cation in his native country and went to Ger- many in 1862. He resided in Berlin, Prussia, eight years, during which time he was employed as a clerk in the mercantile business. He returned to Sweden in June, 1870, and the fall following, in October, em- igrated to the United States. On arriving in this \k 9 * & ® ( ■! <§, Z country he came to Illinois and located at Paxton, where he spent one year as a clerk in a mercantile house. From Paxton he removed to Chicago, where he was manager of a book and stationery store for Messrs. Engberg & Holmberg, book publishers and dealers. He then came to Moline and established a branch house for that firm, of which he is manager. In 1882 he bought stock in the Moline Cabinet Or- gan Company, and was elected treasurer the same year. He was married July 9, 1876, at Moline, III, to Miss Josephine A. Johnson, daughter of Rev. John Johnson. Mrs. Thulin was born in Knoxville, 111. They have three children, — Ernst'C, born May 25, 1877 ; Luther C, born Nov. 6, 1879 ; and Milton S., born May 30, 1882. Mr. and Mrs Thulin are mem- bers of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. Thulin is a Republican in his politics. illiam Jordan, farmer, section 36, Rural Township, was born in Thomaston, Me., Sept. 15, 181 1. For a sketch of his par- ents see the biography of Capt. J. A. Jordan, his brother, in this work. William's school privileges in his youth were limited, and his life up to about 22 years of age was spent in Thomaston and vicinity, most of the time in agricultural pursuits. In 1S33 or 1834, he made a journey through the West as far as Michigan City, Ind., and was em- ployed in La Porte, Ind., one year. In the fall of 1833 he left Maine and came to Seneca Co., Ohio, where he cleared two farms, which cost him his health. Remaining in Ohio until November, 1865, he came to Rock Island County and purchased 120 acres of land in Rural Township, on section 36, where he has since made his home. He has a fine farm, well equipped with good buildings, etc. He also owns at present 120 acres of land in Ne- braska. Mr. Jordan was united in marriage in Clinton, Seneca Co., Ohio, March 23, 1837, with Sarah I)., daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Keating) Bart- lett; her parents were natives of Maine, who emi- grated to Ohio, finally settling in Seneca County, that State, where they died. Mrs. J. was born in Colum- bia, Hamilton Co., Ohio, Jan. 24, 18 17. Mr. and Mrs. J. are the parents of eight children, three of whom are now living, namely : Amelia J., William B. and Sarah E. The deceased were Adeline, Le- land, Thomas, and two who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan are members of the Baptist Church, and he was a Deacon for some 30 years. In political sentiment he is a Republican. -13- -E2- 1853- 5-arl August Sehrnid, of Rock Island, was born at Wittenburg, Kirchheim-on-the- Tick, in Germany, Sept. 4, 1S36, and after attending school the regulation period, and working a while at cabinet-building, came to America, landing at Castle Garden, in June, In New York city he worked about three years at his trade, and in 1856 came to Rock Island, where he has since followed carpentering, contract- ing and building. Up to 1869 or '70, he was a sala- ried man ; since that he has been the " boss " of his own affairs, and as such has erected some of the finest and largest buildings in the city. In 1880 he was elected Alderman from the old Third (now Fifth) Ward and was the first Republican ever returned from that precinct. In 1884 he aban- doned the Republican party and voted for Cleve- land ; and now, while he is honestly independent in politics, there are persons who call him a " Mug- wump." However, as all political economists know, it is the independent voter, more than all else, that compels dominant partisan politicians to maintain a degree of decency in public affairs. Mr. Schmid, and the thousands of other independents, may laugh at the title of " Mugwump." Mr. Schmid's parents, John Christoph and Anna Maria (Schwarzman) Schmid, died in Germany, the father in 1878, aged about 75 years, and the mother in 1874, at the same age. The old people were members of the Lutheran Church, and brought their children up in that faith. Jan. 20, 1856, the subject of this sketch was mar- ried in New York city, to Charlotte Caroline Rind, a native of Bavaria, and has had born to him 12 chil- dren : Charles F., deceased: Anna Maria (Mrs. John Peters) : Sarah (Mrs. William Bundenbach); Caro- line, deceased ; Louisa, deceased ; August F., Emma, George L., Charlotte, Louis Frederick, Robert and 0; 4) <*'• ^ — e^retin^^ — : *€^ 4^^ ■^€Sk — ^V^BDSDB^^^- ) X=I s (i) / I ___ Amelia L. In the acquirement of a handsome com- petency, Mr. Schmid has been wholly dependent upon his own industry. He has always been a hard worker, though by no means forgetting the virtue of i interspersing labor with fun. He probably enjoys life as well as any man in Rock Island. He belongs to the Order of Woodmen, is Treasurer of the Society of Druids, and Trustee and Inner Guard of the Red Men. ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. •;- amson Kennedy, one of the leading news- iipbl paper men of Western Illinois, residing at Vvr Moline, was born of Scotch-Irish Presbyte- * rian parents, on the banks of the Tombigbee River, in Green County, Ala., Feb. 22, 1839. Though located in the heart of the South, his parents were strongly opposed to slavery, and soon after determined to remove to the North, where they 1 might raise their children away from the corrupting influences of the " peculiar institution." In 1847, therefore, the family moved to Chicago, then a city of 12,000 to 14,000 people. In 1853 Mr. Kennedy entered the office of the Democratic Press, published by John L. Scripps and William Bross, as an appren- tice. In 1857 lie went to Red Winy, Minn., with young L. F. Hubbard (now Gov. Hubbard), and as- sisted him in getting his newspaper started. In the following year he went South, and spent two years in Memphis, where he cast his first vote in i860, for Stephen A. Douglas. A week after the election he went to West Point, and Searcy, Ark., where the outbreak of the Rebellion found him. For six weeks he remained in that hot-bed, utterly unable to devise any way of getting home without, perhaps, getting into worse trouble. Finally a vigilance committee solved the difficulty, and sent him to Memphis, where another vigilance committee advised him to leave for home, which he was glad to do. He says, though, that from first to last he was treated courteously and kindly. On reaching Cairo he was surprised to learn that he had been hung by a mob ten days before, and a day or so later had the rare privilege of read- ing his own obituary in the Times and Tribune of Chicago. Six weeks later he enlisted in Bat. A, 1st 111. Art., and served three years, participating in 11 engagements, including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, ^€^ — &^' amuel C. Taylor, prominent among the I fy&ii enterprising and progressive agriculturists of Rock Island County, is Mr. S. C. Tay- lor. He resides in Edgington Township, where he has a well equipped and culti- vated farm, and where he is extensively engaged in the breeding of Short-horn cattle and Poland China hogs. He has some magnificent specimens of these breeds, some of which are to be seen in the view of his farm and its surroundings, on page 665. Mr. Taylor is a son of Deacon W. C. Taylor, one of the old and respected pioneers of Rock Island County, of whom an extensive sketch is given in this volume. J Y C I -5 4 > 4 » *- 1 bUtr! eter Schlueter, proprietor of the Five Points - P,|»i Meat-Market, wholesale and retail dealer in iS£*>i£ meats and ice, corner 15th Street and j^J Seventh Avenue, Moline, was born in Flens- ^ berg, Germany, Oct. 20, 1840, and is the son of Peter and Mary Schlueter. He learned the butcher's trade, at which he served a regular appren- ticeship, under the strict rules of his native country. Mi. Schlueter formed a matrimonial alliance Aug. 10, 1S61, with Miss Catharine Peterson, daughter of Peter Peterson. Mrs. Schlueter was born in Flens- berg, Germany, Aug. 31, 1839, and the issue of their f§§'\®)*^*§- ^k>hom<^v^ Residence of Mr. ROB'T. E.PEAHSALL,Sec . 23, Coe Tp. Bjc. r-T.---l- :_r 1. Roval Breastolu.fe.oU ibmio-i '675-72 ' \v WMWt**WBi '&&$£■ ■- Residence: of SAMUEL C .TAYLOR, breeder a^SHQRT^nRii ^hhtt le Sec14 Edginotom TP ., r c I 5V4? ■cr f^Vr: v /* ^ V?C>CX ISLAND COUNTY. m union is four children, — Peter, bnrn at Flensberg, Germany, Jan. 23, 1863, now assisting his father in his extensive business at Moline; Tina M., born March 31, 1865, and Mary and Christian (twins), born March 12, 1869. Mr. Schlueter emigrated to America in July, 1S67, and located at Davenport, Iowa, where he engaged extensively in butchering. He carried on the whole- sale sheep-butchering business, by which he supplied the markets of Davenport, Rock Island, Moline, Galesburg and other towns. In 1872 he removed to Moline and established his present market known as the Five Points. Being a thorough master of his business and plenty of capital, he has been enabled to carry on his business on a large scale and with marked success. His market always contains a full assortment of fresh, salted and smoked meats. In the latter he has quite a large wholesale trade. In 1878, without interruption to his regular business, he engaged extensively in the wholesale ice trade. Mr. Schlueter erected large ice-houses of great capacity and in favorable seasons shipped as high as 1,000 car-loads of ice to most Southern markets. His trade in this line extends into Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, In- diana, Kansas, Ohio and Kentucky. The Five Points market does the largest business in the city in that line, and well deserves its great popularity. In all his undertakings, Mr. Schlueter is ably as- sisted by his industrious and capable children. Mr. Schlueter and his wife made a visit to their old home in Europe during the past summer. #^>€B-<^# % W;W' rank H. Harris, general farmer and stock- j3|j raiser, residing on section 27, Black Hawk S> m\ Township, was born in Fort Edward Township, Washington Co., N. Y., Dec. 22, 1839. His father, Charles Harris, was a general merchant, grain dealer, contractor, etc. He was also a native of the above county, of Ger- man-English ancestry. He had held all the prom- inent offices of his township, and been closely iden- tified with the local politics of his section, being a stanch Democrat. He came West in the fall of 1865, purchasing a quarter-section of land on sec- tion 27, Black Hawk Township, and has since been engaged as a farmer, until he retired ; he now lives ts t £> with his son, the subject of this sketch, and is 79 years old. His wife, the mother of Frank H, was, before her marriage, Polly B. Deuel, a native of Warren Co., N. Y., also of German-English descent. She died at her home in this township, July 19, 1880, at the age of 69 years. The children of the fore- going were two in number, our subject and Julia. The latter married G. J. Davis, lately a resident of this township, and Deputy Sheriff of this county; he is now a resident of Hickory Co., Mo., where he is a farmer by occupation. George C, Harry N., Herbert and Mary N. are now living. Those dead are Noma, died March 9, 1878, and one died in in fancy. The parents are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which society Mr. H. was Steward and Trustee. Mr. Frank H. Harris, whose name heads this sketch, was educated in the district schools and at Fort Edward College. After leaving school, he first engaged in the book and stationery trade, and when about 26 years of age he caught the fever for com- ing West, sold out his business, and brought his par- ents and one sister to Illinois, in the tall of 1865-. ] They located upon an unimproved tract of land, { which is now all under cultivation, with a splendid : _ house, on a high elevation, handsomely surround- ed, etc. The family is regarded as one of the high- est standing in the community, in their moral bear- ing, social relations, etc. Mr. Harris is a National Greenbacker in his political principles, and as such he has been sent as a delegate to the County and Congressional Conventions. Feb. 15, 1866, is the dateof Mr. Harris' marriage, in Rock Island Township, to Miss Sarah H., daugh- ter of George W. and Rebecca (Hagey) Chaney. Her parents were natives respectively of Bedford and Harrisburg, Pa., and were married in Wisconsin when it was a Territory, and came soon afterward to Rock Island city, where he had been living since he was 17 years of age. Some years later they came to Milan, when Mrs. H. was about three years old. She was born Nov. 2, 1847, in Rock Island. When she was seven years of age, the family removed on a farm in Rock Island Township. Her father died in Milan, Feb. 2, 1870, aged nearly 48 years. During his life he was an active local politician, was Deputy United States Marshal, and during the war was Deputy Sheriff, etc. Mrs. Chaney was the oldest child in a family of seven children. Mrs. H. was 0) s V (■•■ V®»^i*f» -A. ««im^3 — **m- f®%^ •^T^M^Ui^f^r 666 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. *> educated in the Rock Island city schools, and the Sisters' Academy of Davenport. She is the mother of two children, namely': Julia E., who was born March 27, 1867, and Charles H., who was born July 14, 1S77. The youngest child of Mr. Harris, Nellie Benetta, was born Sept. 7, 1885. 5£ o -» &- ^1^3 Robert McMann, residing at Moline, was I fe^pl; born Feb. 15, 1838, at Tempo, County ft, l&^P Fermanagh, Ireland, his father's name 1 \%\ being William and his mother's Mary (Mor- y row) McMann. His parents were both of Scotch birth. Robert McMann attended school in and about his native town until 1856, when he came to America, and for one year attended school at Cincinnati, Ohio, after which he went into the Niles Marine Shop, to learn the machinist's trade, as he possessed natural talent in that direc- tion. He remained in the latter place for four years, and then for a time ran a locomotive on the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad. On the day after the firing on Fort Sumter, Mr. McMann engaged in the cause of the Union by enlisting in Co. G, 22d Regt. Ohio Vol. Inf., Capt. Gilmore. The regiment was at once ordered to Parkersburg, Va., and took an active part in the skirmishes at Rich Mountain, Laurel Hill, etc. The regiment was. then assigned to duty, guarding the railroad between Parkersburg and Clarksville, until its three months had expired, when it was mustered out at Athens, Ohio. Mr. McMann immediately re- enlisted for the war in Co. M, 1st Ohio Cav., Capt. Scott, and was made Corporal, being soon afterward promoted Sergeant. He was in the Army of the Cumberland, in all its noted skirmishes and engage- ments. Was assigned to duty under Grant, and took part in the various conflicts at Shiloh, Chicka- rnauga, Mission Ridge, Perryville, Stone River, luka, Nashville, Franklin, and other points ; served under Kilpatrick, and was in the raid under Col. Long, which cut the railroad track between Longstreet and Bragg. The Veteran Cavalry was mustered out in 1865, at Atlanta, Ga. The conflict over, Mr. McMann came West again, and for three months worked in Muscatine, Iowa, when he came to Moline, and for two years worked in the machine shop of Williams & White. In 1875 he became a partner in the mill-machinery firm of Barnard & Leas, and since that date has been fore- man in the iron department of that firm. Some time ago Mr. McMann sold his stock in the firm named to J. S. Leas, and bought a fine farm of 67 ]4 acres, near Davenport, Iowa, opposite Moline. Every morning and evening Mr. McMann crosses the Mississippi in his row-boat to his farm, where he resides, but he still holds his responsible position in the Barnard & Leas Manufacturing Company. Aug. 19, 1870, Mr. McMann was married to Miss Agnes Hillhouse, and they have a family of six children — three boys and three girls : Walter, born in 1871; Robert M., 1873; Edith, 1875; Mabel, 1877; Richard, 1879; and Agnes, 1882. Mrs. Mc- Cann is a consistent and respected member of the Baptist Church. Mr. McCann is a Freemason and a charter member of the G. A. R. Mr. McCann comes of a hardy and long-lived race. His father is still living, at the age 104, and is active, hale and hearty, and works continually, doing as much each day as any farm hand. He is really a marvel of strength and health in his old age. rancis C. Killing, one of the energetic and progressive farmers of Rock Island Coun- ty, residing on section n, Rural Town- ship, is a native of Westminster, Prussia, jj}!^, where he was born Nov. 23, 1824. He lived there until 12 years of age, when he emigrated to the " land of possibilities " with his parents, and for one year resided at St. Louis, Mo., from whence he removed to Comanche, Iowa. Later the family removed to Lyons, Iowa, where they lived about two years, and in 1841 came to this county. On coming to this county Mr. Killing was em- ployed at different occupations, mostly at teaming. He was an employe of E. P. Reynolds & Co. for three years, and then purchased 40 acres of land lo- cated on section n, Rural Township, on which he settled and at once entered vigorously and energeti- cally upon its cultivation and improvement, and on which he has resided until the present time. He has erected a good resdence, barn, outbuildings, and -3*$&z -4*^K v. Hmmwi>^ — *m^ w 1 <& 668 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^smvi§?i > w> m exception, elected by majorities ranging from 600 to goo. The one exception was that of the office of Sheriff. John M. Reticker had defeated his oppo- nent by the good round majority of 248 votes, and was the first Democrat elected to any office in Rock Island County for 28 years. The bare recital of this fact renders eulogy at the hands of Mr. Reticker's biographer unnecessary. Such testimonials to the worth and merit of a man, and coming from a people among whom he has spent nearly all the years of his life, requires no further comment. Mr. Reticker is a 32d-Degree Mason, a charter member of the Rock Island Lodge of the A. O. U. W., an Odd Fellow, and a Knight of Pythias. He was married at Rock Island in 1 867, to Miss Annie C. Knnell, and is the happy father of three children — Flora B , Katie and John K. K. Groom, manager of the Moline Review- Dispatch, was born at Freeport, Allegheny Co., Pa., May 6, 1855. His parents moved in October of the same year to Davenport, Iowa, and from there to Rock Island, 111., in September, r862. Here young Groom at- tended the district schools until he was 15 years old, and quit the same to engage in work at the very time he was prepared to attend the High School, and what education he has was acquired by hard study and in his business relations with his fellow man. From the time that Mr. Groom left the school he engaged in newspapering. He engaged in every- thing or anything he could get a job at. Oct. 1, 1882, he secured a position on the Davenport, Iowa, Gazette as collector in its Rock Island and Moline department. On April 1, 1S83, he was engaged by the Union Printing Company, of Rock Island, as its Collector and City Circulator. April 1, 1884, he was promoted as business manager of the paper (the Daily and Weekly Union). In June, 1885, the Un- ion Printing Company made a deal with the Dean Printing Company, of Moline, by the terms of which the Union was to get the Daily Evening Dispatch and Weekly Revieiv-Dispatch, of Moline, and on July 1, current year, Mr. Groom formed a co-partner- ship with P, S. McGlynn, then editor of the Moline department of the Union. McGlynn & Groom was to be the firm name and they assumed control of the Dispatch with the understanding that they were to purchase it when the Union had closed up its deal with the Dean Printing Company. July 2t, 1S85, the Union Printing Company, in the person of its Secretary, signed the bill of sale transferring the Dispatch, with all its belongings, to McGlynn & Groom. Mr. McGlynn is the editor and Mr. Groom the manager of the paper. From a losing paper they have in four months time brought it to one of the leading, if not the best paying paper in Rock Isl- and County, and considering that in this county there are 16 newspapers, they certainly have accomplished a great work in their hue, and much of the credit for this unparalleled success is due to Mr. Groom's able business management. Mr. Groom was married May 1, 1879, to Miss Emma C. Simpson. He has, as stated, devoted al- most the entire period of his life since his school- days, which ended at the age of 15 years, in the newspaper business, and, having received a thorough and complete knowledge of the details of that voca- tion, is just the man calculated to make a success of it, which, as will be seen from the history of the paper with which he is at present connected, he has made and is making. (9 >5SX=!2-r e) - ? -3 -s-jgf fR ared Sexton, residing in Cordova Town- ;j^Jj-: ship, was bom in Hopewell Township, ^* Mercer Co., N. J., Nov. 28, 1828, and is the son of William P. and Sarah (Hagerman) 'l|C Sexton, both natives of New Jersey, of Scotch I and German descent respectively. Mr. Sex- ton grew to manhood in his native township. He was reared on a farm and received the advantages of the common schools. His father and grandfather were both blacksmiths by trade, and they had a shop on the farm where Mr. Sexton learned that trade in his younger days, and worked at it together with farming. His father frequently took contracts, and built bridges, and Mr. Sexton worked with him, and thus learned the stone-mason's trade. He remained a resident of Hopewell Township until 1859, when he came to this county and located in Cordova Township, and there engaged in agricultural pur- to) •*! V2J i <*y O) 1 ■^©^ e^M&Dll&A^ 2^^. -tJ@§*£ «&mit> ££* ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 66 9 suits, renting land which he cultivated, until 1880, since which time lie has been in the employ of Wil- liam G. Marshall, doing blacksmith and mason work, together with that of a carpenter and farming. Mr. Sexton formed a matrimonial alliance Nov. 1, 1850, with Miss Achsah Werts. She was born in Hopewell Township, Nov. 12, 1831. The issue of their union has been six children : John W., born Oct. 10, 185 1, is an express messenger on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad for the American Express Company; Mary, born Aug. 6," 1853, is the widow of Charles Mills, and resides in Cordova Village; Sarah E., Feb. 9, 1859; Lucy C, July 22, 1862, is the wife of O. C. Marshall, and re- sides in Cordova; Joseph R., July 25, 1867, and Anna M., Oct. 5, 1873. =3*HJh*€E ohn Munro, junior partner of Munro Bros., I,- carriage manufacturers at Moline, was born at Davenport, Iowa, Sept. 24, 1858, and is the son of Robert and Isabelle (Ewing) Munro. Mr. Munro learned the carriage- making trade in his father's shop at Davenport, where he was employed until he formed the existing partnership with his brother, Robert H., and estab- lished the Moline Carriage Works, in February, 1881. In politics, Mr. Munro is a stanch and active Republican, and one of the leading representative business men of Moline. , H3- -E3- rof. Olaf Olsson, Professor of Church His- sH'i tory, Catechetics and Symbolics at the J t?5^ Augustana College and Theological Semi- te J nary, was born in Sweden, March 31, 1841, A\ was a student of Leipsic and a graduate of the University at Upsala. Mr. Olsson was a Pastor in Sweden from 1863 to 1S69, when he emi- grated to America, and was Pastor at Lindsborg, Kan., from 1869 to 1875. He then became con- nected with Augustana College as Professor of Church History from 1875 to 1882, when he was elected Professor of Church History, Catechetics and Sym- bolics, which position he now holds. Mr. Olsson has written a large number of tracts, which have had an extended circulation, and has also edited various religious papers. ohn Clarke, farmer and stock-raiser, sec- tion 36, Bowling Township, is a native of County Fermanagh, Ireland, where he was born June 22, 1833. His father, James, was the oldest son of David Clarke, who was also a native of Ireland. Both were farmers, and the latter a prominent citizen, who died before John's birth. The subject of this sketch was only six years old when his mother died. His father and all the children, excepting the eldest, emigrated to this country in" 1841. Jane, the eldest born, after her marriage in that country, and a few years after the emigration of her people to America, came also to the New World, and in less than a year subsequent to her arrival in this county she died. Mr. James Clarke located in Bowling Township, this county, purchasing from the Government 80 acres of land, and on this he lived until his death, which occurred Sept. 9, 1866, when he was 68 years of age. He was an examplary citizen in his community and prominent in its welfare. His sympathies were with Republican principles. Mr. John Clarke is now the owner and occupant of the homestead. He was educated in the district schools of his township, and was married March 20, 1861, in Pre- empton Township, Mercer County, to Miss Eliza J. Lipton, daughter of William and Mary (Wadsworth) Lipton, natives of Ireland. She too was born in that country in County Fermanagh, June 2, 1839, being the youngest but one of a family of seven children. Her parents emigrated to this country with their family in 1847, but her father died at St. Louis, Mo., while they were on their way to their new home — a farm in Mercer Co., 111. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Clarke have been six in number, two of whom are now deceased. The living are Ella, who was born Nov. 1, 1864; Clarence, May 2, 1867 ; William H., April 16, 1871; John L., Oct. 2, 1881 ; and the de- ceased are William and one unnamed, both of whom died in infancy. After his marriage Mr. Clarke settled on the old VS) ( 1 ( ■^g^s — @th>d n&n n*^© — s^k. t Y^X ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^<®vl§ homestead and resided with his father until his death, when he came into possession of the estate, which then comprised 80 acres. He has since, however, purchased a considerable amount of land, and he now owns 240^ acres in this township, all improved, and 170 acres in Pre-emption Township, Mercer County, most of which is in a high state of cultiva- tion. He is one of the most extensive farmers and progressive stock-raisers in the county, having a herd of thoroughbred Short-horns or Durhams, a large number of Poland-China swine and Norman and Clydesdale horses. In his political opinions he is a fervid and influen- tial Republican, being a zealous worker in the inter- ests of the party. He has been Township Supervisor for about eight years, and has also held most of the minor offices. He and his family are active mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which society he is a Class-Leader, and has been Steward and Trustee for many years. r 3)J 2=3 ■*&* — ^A^nusnii^A^ — *&*- 4^^/« mH^m^ $k 6V4>I1DSIII1>>^ 8)6^^ $£: \k () ) ®» % r t #% — /-• ^ Y "<^4 w (!) & %} »V®)>^^ * w ^ ^nnsntif^^- $ 1 -2*€$fc: eV^DIl^D Df>^ zt&ts- ■*4i^$i <$l :0 1 s > -V^^v ^.. -ft -x^rain^^- n ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^®v§i fp 5=rr4>llfl&fl!H»r^ -eel f I (S, 674 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. \ V A >5 s3 s in this county. One, the largest, where the village of Milan now stands, near the mouth of Rock River. Of this village, Hon. T. A. Armstrong, in his history of the Black Hawk War, says : Saukenuk, or Saukietown, nestled at the foot of the promontory on the peninsula, upon the north bank of Rock River, some three miles south of the present city of Rock Island. This city, for it was such in every sense of the word, stood at the foot of the rapids of the lovely Rock River, which comes from the northeast, winding its course down through one of the most fertile countries in the world, like a silver thread in a groundwork cf embossed green, be- neath the shady boughs of great forest trees. Its banks were carpeted with wild roses, lilies, and a multitude of other wild flowers, whose sweet fra- grance perfumed each passing breeze and zephyr. Chiefly fed by springs, the waters of this river are pure and sparkling, and come jumping, tumbling and bounding over the well-worn rocks of the rapids, rushing on with a musical laugh to join the " Father of Waters," some two and a half miles below. Here in this valley stood this ancient city of the Sauks, which at one time contained by actual enum- eration 11,000 active, energetic, industrious and in- telligent people. It was regularly laid off into lots, blocks, streets and alleys, with two public squares or esplanades, and fortified by a brush palisade, with gates for entrance. It was right angle in shape, with its point to the southeast, the east line being the longer, extending north and south along the base of the promontory — the point of the angle resting on the bank of Rock River, with the shortest line running down that river, and the longer one toward the Miss- issippi. At the point of the angle, or southeast corner of the city, stood the lodge or hodenasate of the old chief, Black Hawk. Saukenuk was not a mere aggregation of wigwams and tepees, but a per- manent Indian abode, composed of the large, bark- covered long houses, known as hodenasates, ranging from 30 to 100 feet in length, and 16 to 40 feet in width. Many of them were the homes of an entire gens, comprising the families of the grandparents, children and grandchildren, their husbands, wives and children. They were built and constructed of poles for framework, and bark for covering. In shape they resembled our arbors. The Sauks belonged to that class known as village Indians, the most advanced towards civilization found in North America, and always lived in or near the village. The hodenasate is the distinguishing characteristic of their principal village, and means settlement or permanence, while the wigwam or tepee was equally characteristic of a hunting or migrating party, and therefore a mere temporary abode. As a general rule their hodenasates were built so as to face or front on their public square or other street, and ranged in straight lines at the front and equal distances from each other. The east line of the vil- lage, extending from Rock River north towards Rock Island, at the base of the promontory, about double the length of the south line, which ran west along the north bank of Rock River. The chief or larger and longer public square was the one running north and south, leading from Rock River towards the Missis- sippi, through or near which now runs the horse rail- way from Rock Island to Moline. Upon the southeast angle of the intersection of these two public squares stood their synedrium or council house, which was an immensely large hodenasate without partitions or subvisions, and was used by their head men and chiefs for the secret consideration and decision of matters pertaining to the welfare of their nation. When not so used it was thrown open to their young people as a gymnasium, music or dancing hall. The public square, however, was the arena for the assem- bly of the people on all great events of a public na- ture, and there their mass-meetings and national feasts were held. The natural scenery surrounding the ancient city was of that wild, weird beauty as to captivate the senses and hold us spell-bound in admiration ; scene- ry of that ravishing kind which drives the poet mad in search of apt terms of description ; a second Eden, prepared by God himself for a special and perpetu- ated admiration of his children. As Rock River approaches the site of ancient Saukenuk from the east it divides into three branches and forms two small islands. The northern one is the somewhat celebrated Vandruff's Island, notorious as being the place where Joshua Vandruff located his whisky shop in 1829, while the middle branch di- vides Vandruff's from Big Island. Big Island is larger and more irregular in surface than Vandruff's. On the 3d day of November, 1804, at St. Louis, a treaty was made between the general Government, 9 S & c i m ^ €T Qj* &imW>* ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. #i^ ^ ,' represented by William Henry Harrison, afterwards i President of the United States, and the Sacs and Foxes, represented by some of their braves. For the 1 consideration of the sum of $2,234.50 and an annuity of $1,000 per year, the Sacs and Foxes ceded some 50,000,000 acres of land on the east side of the Mis- sissippi River, extending from opposite the mouth of the Jefferson River, in Missouri, to the mouth of the Wisconsin and back to the Fox River, in Illinois. This tract included all the Rock River country, em- bracing in part what is now Rock Island County, to- gether with what is now a large portion of the States of Illinois and Wisconsin. At this time the Ameri- cans were but little known to the Indian tribes in- habiting this section of country. They had been familiar with the French, English and Spanish peo- ple, and knew of the Americans only what had been told them by representatives of the foregoing nations. The country west of the Mississippi had been claimed by France and Spain, the French disposing of their ' > claim to the United States in the spring of 1803 and rS^ the Spanish in the spring of 1804. The Spanish =i claim lay above St. Louis and therefore the Sac and Fox Indians were under allegiance to them. They had high regard for their " Spanish father." St. y Louis was their trading point, where they made an- C mial trips to dispose of their furs and obtain supplies. Black Hawk, in his autobiography, speaks of one of these visits to St. Louis in the spring of 1804, and how he and the citizens there were affected by the transfer of the country to the Americans. He says : " That spring we went down to St. Louis to see our ' Spanish father. ' I found many sad and gloomy faces, because the United States were about to take possession of the town and country. Soon after the Americans came, I took my band and went to take leave of our 'Spanish father. ' The Americans came to see him also. Seeing them approach, we passed out of one door as they entered another and imme- diately started in our canoes for our village on Rock River, not liking the change any more than our friends appeared to at St. Louis. On arriving at our ■ village we gave the news that a strange' people had arrived at St. Louis, and that we should never never see our ' Spanish father ' again. The informa- tion made all our people sorry. " If the Indians here had ever met the Americans previous to this time, it must have been in 1781, \T when it is said an officer with 300 men destroyed the S: ) A Sac village at the mouth of Rock River. The Indians on that occasion numbered about 700 warriors, but were unable to save their village. Lieutenant Pike made a visit to this place in 1805, and for the first time the American flag was hoisted. In speaking of this visit, Black Hawk said: "A boat came up the river with a young American chief and a small party of soldiers. We heard of them soon after they passed Salt River. Some of our young braves watched him to see what kind of a people he had on board. The boat at length arrived at Rock River and the young chief came on shore with his interpreter, made a speech and gave us some presents. We in return presented him with meat and such provisions as we had to spare. We were well pleased with the speech of the young chief. He gave us good advice ; said our ' American father ' would treat us well. He pre- sented us an American flag, which was hoisted. He then requested us to pull down our British flags and give him our British medals, promising to send us others on his return to St. Louis. This was declined, as we wished to have two fathers. " The expedition under Pike was for the purpose of exploring the newly acquired territory, securing the good will of the Indians, to establish the authority of the United States on the upper Mississippi among the British traders who had established themselves south of our boundary line and to acquire from the Indians certain tracts of land for military purposes. In April, 1S06, he returned to St. Louis, having ac- complished his object. In his journal he states that when he approached Rock Island (then not named), a barge appeared in view bearing the American flag, and landed on the island. It proved to be Captain May, with a small force of men, in search of some Osage prisoners among the Sacs and Foxes. The Captain reported that when he and his party ap- proached the Indian villages they were saluted with the appellation, " bloody Americans," who had killed such a person's mother or brother. The women car- ried off their guns and concealed them, and when May crossed to the opposite side of the river he was followed by Indians with pistols concealed under their blankets. They would have no conference with him in relation to the surrender of the prisoners. The Indians regarded the plume worn by Captain May as a signal of war, and at once decked them- selves in their raven's feathers. Captain May said: " We regretted that our orders would not permit of \k G, & o) fe; #} V V5>^*§— 2%& 6V«®» P^r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. y ) *> A rat ca ::>V- J ! l r , C>Cyr ISLAND COUNTY. TT ^0\W. & f Louis. From this circumstance, the island lias since had the name of " Campbell's Island." Another expedition was soon fitted out, and under command of Major Zachary Taylor, proceeded up the river to relieve the fort at Prairie du Chien. With the expedition there were eight barges and 450 men, well supplied with everything save artillery. Major Taylor left St. Louis Aug. 12, 1814. When he ar- rived opposite the mouth of Rock River, he found a large force of Indians with a few British troops, as- sembled to give him battle. Some of the artillery the British captured at Fort Crawford, were shipped to this point and planted on the shore, commanding the river. Opening the fire upon him, Taylor was forced to retreat, as he could not return the fire. He halted at Credit Island, but the Indians hasten- ing down the river with their cannon, again brought it to bear upon them, and he continued on to St. Louis. This practically ended the war in the West. On the conclusion of peace with Great Britain, the Sacs and Foxes again professed allegiance to the United States Government. The treaty of 1804 was ratified by another treaty in 18 16. The lead discoveries at Galena hastened the set- tlement of this section. Men going and coming from the lead mines were well pleased with the country and desired to locate here. According to the terms of the treaty, made in i8r6, the Indians were per- permitted to remain in the Rock River country until such a time as the land should be desired for settle- ment by the whites. In the spring of 1828 they were notified by the agent at Fort Armstrong that they must go upon their reservation across the river. Keokuk and his followers willingly went, but Black Hawk under protest. In the spring of 1829 they all returned, but no trouble of any consequence ensued. The white men living here engaged with them in raising corn and other vegetables, there being a tacit understanding that one would not interfere with the other. In the spring of 1830 they again returned, and also in 1831. At this time quite a settlement had been formed in this vicinity. Every effort had been made to have the Indians peaceably retire to their reservation. Colonel George Davenport made a trip to Washing- ton to secure the co-operation of the Government in a peaceable settlement of the difficulties by again purchasing the land. President Jackson, after hear- ing a statement of the various treaties, and how the Indians had treacherously acted with reference to them, said: "They must go, Mr. Davenport; and, by the Eternal, they shall go ! I will not pay them a cent." With reference to their return in 1831, Judge Spencer thus writes : "In 1 831 came a new era in our history. The Indians returned in large numbers, perhaps as many as in 1829, and with quite a different spirit towards the whites. Black Hawk gave the settlers to under- stand that after this season they must go south of Rock River or above Pleasant Valley. He said this district between the rivers should be occupied exclu- sively by the Indians, giving several reasons why they could not afford to give up these pleasant hunt- ing grounds. One reason was that this side of the Mississippi they were comparatively safe from their enemies; and another, that the country abounded in game and fish, and was suited to their mode of liv- ing, and they would not give it up. Black Hawk said that we could all stay this season except Joshua Vandruff and Rinnah Wells, who lived in the midst of this village, and had a large stock of cattle which troubled the Indians very much. Mr. Vandruff showed Black Hawk that it would be very hard for him to leave on so short a notice, as he was a poor man and had twelve children. Black Hawk finally consented that he might stay another season, but Mr. Wells must go, and he would give him till the next day to make up his mind whether he would go willingly or be put off. Mr. Wells consulted with his friends, and finally consented to leave in 30 days. This move among the Indians made it necessary for the settlers to look about and see what they could do for their protection." A petition was at once sent to Governor Reynolds asking protection to the settlers at Rock River. The Governor responded by calling for 700 mounted militia, and also requesting General Gaines, of the Regular Army, to repair at once to Fort Armstrong with the Sixth Regiment. The call of the Governor was at once responded to by more than double the men. They rendezvoused at Beardstown, where they were organized under command of Joseph Dun- can, as Brigadier General, and marched immediately for Rock Island. A company was organized at Rock River, known as Rock River Rangers, which probably embraced \k Si/ 1 3 ^^ — %m% a s nn^A© ■z^: — ^T^nn^DDf^? ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. about all the able-bodied men in the Rock River country. The following named composed the com- pany : Benjamin F. Pik, Captain ; John W. Spencer, First Lieutenant ; Griffith Aubrey, Second Lieutenant ; James Haskill, Leonard Bryant and Edward Cor- vin, Sergeants ; Charles French, Charles Case, Ben- jamin Goble and Henry Benson, Corporals ; Archibald Allen, William T. Brasher, John Bane, Michael Bart- lett, Joseph Bean, Jonah H. Case, Joseph Danforth, )/£ Thomas Davis, Russell Dance, Isaiah Frith, Thomas £ Gardner, George W. Harlan, Uriah S. Hultz, Thomas Hubbard, Goodrich Hubbard, Cyrus Henderson, Moses Johnson, John W. Kinney, Samuel Kinney, Conrad Leek, Thomas Leavitt, Henry McNeal, George Miller, Gentry McGee, Amos C. Noble, Thomas Syms, Robert Syms, William F. Sams, Mar- tin W. Smith, Sevier Stringfield, Joel Thompson, Joshua Vandruff, Henry Vandruff, Samuel Vandruff, Benjamin Vanatta, Gorham Vanatta, Edward Vai- ner, Levi Wells, George Wells, Joel Wells, Sr., Joel Wells, Jr., Huntington Wells, John Wells, Samuel Wells, Rinnah Wells, Asaph Wells, Erie Wells and Ira Wells. On the 7th of June. 1831, a council was held on the island, composed of General Gaines, the officers of the Sixth Regiment, the officers of the garrison, 1 the citizens, and Keokuk and the friendly Indians. General Gaines ordered all the Indians to withdraw to the west side of the Mississippi River. Several conferences were held, Keokuk and his party agree- ing to go, while Black Hawk did not positively re- fuse, but it was thought by General Gaines that he intended to fight. General Duncan and Governor Reynolds, with 1,600 mounted troops, arrived at Rock River on the 25th of June. On the following day General Gaines, with the Sixth Regiment, with two pieces of artillery, and the Rock River Rangers, proceeded to the In- dian village on Rock River, where the village of Milan is now located, for the purpose of driving off the Indians. General Duncan marched up from Andalusia, where there had been a block-house erected, - by order of General Gaines. They found the village evacuated, the Indians having crossed the river the night previous. The retreating Indians were peremptorily sum- moned to Fort Armstrong to make a treaty of peace- .0 > > T % ful surrender of the Rock River country. They came somewhat reluctantly, but a treaty was agreed upon, signed by General Gaines and Governor Reynolds upon the part of the United States, and by Black Hawk, Pashapaho and others upon the part of the Indians known as the British Band. The treaty stipulated that the Indians should immediately re- tire west of the Mississippi River, and never to re- turn without the express permission of the United States Government or that of the State of Illinois. In all Black Hawk's actions he was influenced by White Cloud, Prophet of the Winnebagoes, who re- sided at a village in Whiteside County, where Proph- etstown is now located, — so named because it had once been the home of the Prophet. In 1831 he visited the Prophet, as he says, believing that he was a man of great knowledge. "When we met," says Black Hawk in his autobiography, " I explained to him everything as it was. He at once agreed that I was light and advised me never to give up our vil- lage, for the whites to plow up the bones of our peo- ple. He said that if we remained at our village the whites would not trouble us, and advised me to get Keokuk and the party that consented to go with him to Iowa in the spring to return and remain at our village. I again called upon the Prophet, who requested a little time to see into the matter. Early next morning he came to me and said he had been dreaming that he saw nothing bad in this great war chief, General Gaines, who was now near Rock River; that his object was merely to frighten us from our village that the whites might get our land for noth- ing. He assured us that this great war chief dare not and would not hurt any of us ; that the Ameri- cans were at peace with the British, and when they made peace the British required and the Americans agreed to it that they should never interrupt any na- tion of Indians that was at peace, and that all we had to do to retain our village was to refuse any and ev- ery offer that might be made by this war chief. " Wa-bo-kies-shiek, or White Cloud, the Prophet of the Winnebagoes, and commonly called " The Proph- et, " was born about 1790, and made Prophetstown his home. He was a stout, shrewd-looking Indian ; sagacity and cunning were prominent traits of his character and essential to the prophetic preten- sions by which he imposed upon the credulity of his ignorant follows. It is claimed that he was one of v|/ *? * Mrv®^ *3-^ •^T \§— ^W^ . .-. - . The Prophet it $. — ; — ^^ — @^ Mn $^_ ^OCZ ISLAND COUNTY. ^Ml 68 1 <§/ 4 5) the chief instigators in bringing on the Black Hawk War. He was a son of a chief of the Sac and Fox tribes, but was connected with the Winnebagoes by marriage, having two of their women for his wives. He is roported to have been a splendid specimen of the Indian race. He was tall and dignified in his movements, possessing an intelligence far beyond his race. His face had something of the Grecian cast, and his mind and character was more that of a student than that of an uncivilized Indian warrior. He became one of the most distinguishing chiefs of the Winnebagoes and was the right arm of Black Hawk during the Black Hawk War of 1832, being constantly with him until its close, which ended at the battle of Bad Axe. We present a portrait of the Prophet on page 680. When the Indians were driven off, in 1831, the season was too far advanced to raise a crop of corn and vegetables in their new location. The Govern- ment agreed to provide them with food until another year. Whether through carelessness of the Indian agents or from some other reasons, they were not properly provided, and great suffering was experi- enced by the women and children. During the winter Black Hawk was in communi- cation with the Prophet and with British traders. He was urged by each to hold on to the land on Rock River. The Prophet said that the Winneba- goes, Pottawatomies and other tribes would fight with him in maintaining his rights, and that the British would also assist. Black Hawk was there- fore prepared for the events which followed, known as the Black Hawk War, though its termination was not such as he had anticipated. Early in the spring of 1832 Black Hawk and his band again re -crossed the river, thus violating the treaty made the previous year. The united Sac and Fox nations were divided into two parties. Black Hawk commanded the warlike band and Keokuk, another chief, headed the band which was in favor of peace. Keokuk was a bold, sagacious leader of his people. He was gifted with a wide and stirring eloquence rare to be found, even among Indians, by means of which he retained a great part of his nation in amity with the white people. Bat neatly all the bold, turbulent spirits, who de- lighted in mischief, arranged themselves under the banner of his rival. Black Hawk had with him the chivalry of his nation, with which he re-crossed the Mississippi in the spring of 1832. He directed his march to the Rock River country, and this timeaimed, by marching up the river into the country of the Potta- watomies and Winnebagoes, to make them his allies. Gov. Reynolds, upon being informed of the facts, made another call for volunteers. In a few days 1,800 men rallied under his banner at Beardslown. The force was organized into four regiments and a spy battalion, the whole being placed under com- mand of Brigadier General Whiteside. On the evening of May 14, 1832, the first engage- ment occurred between the military and Black Hawk's band, in which the former were defeated. This attack and its results aroused the whites. A large force of men was raised, and Gen. Scott hast- ened from the seaboard, by way of the lakes, with United States troops and artillery to aid in the sub- jugation of the Indians. On the 24th of June, Black Hawk, with 200 wairiors, was repulsed by Major De- mont between Rock River and Galena. The Amer- ican army continued to move up Rock River toward the main body of the Indians, and on the 21st of July came upon Black Hawk and his band, and defeated them near the Blue Mounds. Black Hawk, with his twenty braves, retreated up the Wisconsin River. The Winnebagoes, desirous of securing the friendship of the whites, went in pursuit, and captured and delivered them to Gen. Street, the United States Indian Agent. Among the prisoners were the son of Black Hawk and the prophet of the tiibe. These, with Black Hawk, were taken to Washington, D. C, and soon consigned as prisoners to Fortress Monroe. At the interview Black Hawk had with the Presi- dent, he closed his speech, delivered on the occasion, in the following words : " We did not expect to con- quer the whites. They have too many houses, too many men. I took up the hatchet, for my part, to revenge injuries which my people could no longer endure. Had I borne them longer without striking, my people would have said, ' Black Hawk is a woman; he is too old to be a chief; he is no Sac' These reflections caused me to raise the war-whoop. I say no more. It is known to you. Keokuk once was here; you took him by the hand, and when he wished to return to his home, you were willing. Black Hawk expects, like Keokuk, he shall be per- mitted to return too." 9 s % ^y 2 — ©a^im ^k/^m^ -a*€$fc: <9V4?DII®III1&^ Trf&KT 4tegi 5a 682 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. f ^ (u p E3 d r£> After their release from prison they were conducted, in charge of Major Garland, through some of the principal cities, that they might witness the power of the United States, and learn of their own inability to cope with them in war. Great multitudes flocked to see them wherever they were taken, and the atten- tion paid them rendered their progress through the country a triumphal procession instead of the trans- portation of prisoners by an officer. At Rock Island the prisoners were given their liberty, amid great and impressive ceremony. In 1838 Black Hawk built him a dwelling near Des Moines, Iowa, and furnished it after the manner of the whites, and engaged in agricultural pursuits and hunting and fishing. Here, with his wife, to whom he was greatly attached, he passed the few remaining days of his life. To his credit, be it said, that Black Hawk remained true to his wife, and served her with a devotion uncommon among Indians, living with her upward of forty years. In September, 1838, on his way to Rock Island to receive his annuity from the Government, he con- tracted a severe cold, which resulted in a fatal attack of bilous fever, and terminated his life October 3. After his death he was dressed in the uniform pre- sented to him by the President while in Washington. He was buried in a grave six feet deep, situated upon a beautiful eminence. The body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a seat constructed for that purpose. On his left side the cane given him by Henry Clay was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it. Thus, after a long, adventurous and shifting life, Black Hawk was gathered to his fathers. Black Hawk, or Ma-ka-tia-me-she-kia-kiah, was born "at the Sac village, on Rock River, in what is now South Rock Island, in 1767. The village was on the flat ground, just below Sears' mill, and at one time is said to have numbered ir,ooo persons. His father's name was Py-e-sa or Pahaes ; his grandfather's, Na- na-ma-kee, or the Thunderer. Black Hawk early distinguished himself as a war- rior, and at the age of fifteen was permitted to paint and was ranked among the braves. About the year 1783, he went on an expedition against the enemies of his nation, the Osages, one of whom he killed and scalped, and for this deed of Indian bravery he was permitted to join in the scalp dance. Three or four years after, he, at the head of 200 braves, went on another expedition against the Osages, to avenge the murder of some women and children belonging to his own tribe. Meeting an equal number of Osage warriors, a fierce battle ensued, in which the latter tribe lost one-half their number. The Sacs lost only about 19 warriors. He next attacked the Cherokees for a similar cause. In a severe battle with them, near the present city of St. Louis, his father was slain, and Black Hawk, taking possession of the " Medicine Bag," at once announced himself chief of the Sac nation. He had now 7 conquered the Cherokees; and about the year 1800, at the head of 500 Sacs and Foxes, and 100 Iowas, he waged war against the Osage nation and subdued it. For two years he battled successfully with other Indian tribes, all of whom he conquered. The following extract about the burial place of Black Hawk and the final disposition of his bones, from Patterson's Life of Black Hawk, tells the story : Capt. James H. Jordan, a trader among the Sacs and Foxes before Black Hawk's death, was present at his barial, and is now residing on the very spot where he died. In reply to a letter of inquiry he writes as follows : " Eldon, Iowa, July 15, 1881. " Black Hawk was buried on the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 2, township 70, range 12, Davis County, Iowa, near the northeast corner of the county, on the Des Moines River bot- tom, about ninety rods from where he lived when he died, on the north side of the river. I have the ground on which he lived for a door yard, it being between my house and the river. The only mound over the grave was some puncheons split out and set over his grave and then sodded over with blue grass, making a ridge about four feet high. A flag staff, some twenty feet high, was planted at the head, on which was a silk flag, which hung there until the wind wore it out. My house and his were only about four rods apart when he died. He was sick only about fourteen days. He was buried right where he sat the year before when in council with Iowa Indians, and was buried in a suit of military clothes made to order and given to him when in Washington city by Gen. Jackson, with hat, sword, gold epaulets, etc., etc. "His body remained here until July, 1S39, when it was carried off by a certain Dr. Turner, then living V& s' A s w *. I ib*^H Q § II H-n-A 4 ^ s^f WBlgiM *9^ BLACK HAWK: f ? & ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 685 at Lexington, Van Buren Co., Iowa. Capt. Horn says the bones were carried to Alton, 111., to be mounted with wire. Mr. Barrows says they were taken to Warsaw, Ills. Black Hawk's sons, when they heard of this desecration of their father's grave, were very indignant, and complained of it to Gov. Lucas, of Iowa Territory, and his excellency caused the bones to be brought back to Burlington in the fall of 1839, or the spring of 1840. When the sons came to take possession of them, finding them safely stored 'in a good, dry place ' they left them there. The bones were subsequently placed in the collection of the Burlington Geological and Historical Society, and it is certain that they perished in the fire which destroyed the building and all the society's collec- tions in 1855. " In closing this narrative of the life of this noble old chief, it may be just to speak briefly of his per- sonal traits. He was an Indian, and from that stand- point we must judge him. The make-up of his character comprised those elements in a marked de- gree which constitute a noble nature. In all the social relations of life he was kind and affable. In his house he was the affectionate husband and fath- er. He was free from the many vices that others of his race had contracted from their associations with the white people, never using intoxicating beverages to excess. As a warrior he knew no fear, and on the field of battle his feats of personal prowess stamped him as the 'bravest of the brave.' " But it was rather as a speaker and counselor that he was distinguished. His patriotism, his love of his country, his home, his lands and the rights of his people to their wide domain, moved his great soul to take up arms to protect the rights of his people. Revenge and conquest formed no part of his purpose. Right was all that he demanded, and for that he waged the unequal contests with the whites. With his tribe he had great personal influence, and his young men received his counsel and advice, and yielded ready acquiescence in his admonitions. With other tribes he was held in high esteem, as well as by English and American soldiers, who had wit- nessed his prowess on the field of battle." I ( %&$ ■ S ^ r Q^ ^HD&PIl^ VD ^ C^- -f*^®^ ^>/^lX &7®n®w>&> — » ) A 38 I) * "i W a'NE could not expect that this beautiful country would long remain the home of the red men and be used as a vast hunting ground. People vis- iting the old Fort Armstrong on the island, would return to their homes describing the enchanted spot. Still it was many years after the erec- tion of the fort that permanent settle- ments were made. The first white man to locate here was Col. Geo. Davenport, who came with the garri- son in 1816 and erected a house near the lower end of the island. It was a double log cabin, designed for a dwelling and store- house. In 1817 he brought on a stock of goods and commenced his career as an Indian trader, in oppo- sition to the American Fur Company. Russell Farnam, who founded the town of Warsaw, in Hancock County, came to the island and formed a partnership with Mr. Davenport in the fur trade in 1824. In 1826, Colonel Davenport and Mr. Farnam built the first house on the main land, about where the residence of P. L. Cable now stands, on the cor- ner of Fifth Avenue and Cable street. In this house the first courts of the county were subsequent- ly held. The Indians remaining here in large numbers pre- vented the very early settlement of the county. Judge Spencer, in his " Reminiscences of Pioneer Life," says that "in the fall of 1828 he was residing in Morgan County, about 12 miles from Jacksonville, on the Beardstown road. At that time but few set- tlements were here made." Says Judge Spencer: " Rinnah Wells, in passing from the mines (at Galena) to the southern part of the State, in the fall of 1828, stopped with me over" night. In the course of the evening he told me that the Indians had left their old village at Rock Island. Having seen the country along the Rock Island Rapids, in passing to and from the mines, and being much pleased with it, in less than a week, accompanied by Loudon Case, Sr., I was on my way back to ascertain if the Indians had left. When about ten miles from Rock River we met a Mr. Prince, who had brought a load of corn from his farm, near Peoria, to feed Judge Pence's team, who was just then moving to the old Indian village, at Rock River. We reached Rock River on the 9th of December. Getting on the track of Judge Pence's wagons, we crossed the Big Island. Here we found him looking for a place to feed, which we found about sundown, between the upper bridge and the milldam, on the main stream. Here we found several wigwams and took shelter in them for the night. Early in the morning Judge Pence started out, and returned about breakfast time, saying that he would not unload here, as he found a better wig- wam, which proved to be Black Hawk's. On our arrival here we found no Indians, it being a season of the year when they were absent on their winter's hunt. The settlers, as well as the officers of the garrison, thought they would not return. We found here two white families, near where the Farnam house stood, one of them Capt. B. W. Clark, father of Capt. Louis Clark, of Buffalo, Scott Co., Iowa; the other a discharged soldier by the name of Haney ; Judge Pence at Rock River; and at the rapids, where Rapids City now stands, were John and Thomas Kinney, George Harlan, Conrad Leak and I ®%m^ -^ r Q^ ^OO^DIH^h s^e- 4*@§H@ f^hf^Svv ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. V & 1 Archibald Allen. This constituted all the white set- tlements on the main land." Among other early settlers at the rapids, or whi< h is now Hampton Township, were Henry McNeal, Joel Thompson, Michael Bartlett, Asaph Wells and Joel Wells, Jr. On the Rock River, Rinnah Wells made the first settlement here in 1828. Joshua Vandruff came the year following. George Goble and family came in the spring of this year, and located above Moline. Jo- seph Danforth settled near the same place about the same time. Joel Wells, Sr., with his two sons, Levi and Huntington, came a little later and built cabins where the city of Moline now stands. Two men named Sanies and Leavitt built cabins about two and a half miles above Moline. It was only the venturesome ones that dared make their homes in this region at that time. Although Black Hawk had, in 1816, ratified the treaty of 1804, yet it was well known that he was loth to leave the country. It was, therefore, not until after the Black Hawk War, in ^32, that settlements were rapidly made. When it was fully realized that the power of the Indians was broken, that they would never again molest the whites, settlers began to flock into the country, and soon they asked to be recognized as one of the counties forming the great State of Illinois. * v 1 n^sLRim^^^^^M^^^^ ' : -■ litlMg*, s. jw^S/mnv. mats mmm eoYEHUMEKm ■ si^^Tj^^-stii/grzrav* ; W 3: UST previous to its organization, the territory comprising Rock Island County was attached to Jo Da- viess County, for judicial purposes. The latter county had jurisdic- tion over almost the entire north- ern part of the State. As there were but few inhabitants in the county until after the Black Hawk War, it is not likely that the offi- cers in Jo Daviess County gave much heed to its government. The taxes received from those residing here would not pay the expenses of a collector in coming and going to the county seat of that county. The wonder has often been expressed why such an irregularly shaped county as Rock Island was ever created. Stretching, as it does, along the Missis- sippi for a distance of over 60 miles, with an average width of not over ten miles, it attracts the attention of every one and excites wonder in reference to its peculiar shape. In the early history of this State all the territory lying north and west of the Illinois River formed one county, under the name of Pike. As settlements were formed in various parts of this vast region, the General Assembly, on petition of interested parties, began the creation of new counties. In fixing the boundaries of new counties regard was paid to the wishes and desires of those who contemplated the laying-out of villages with the hope of securing the location of the county seat. In this way all neigh- boring counties were created — taking a little territory here and a little there, until the strip now forming Rock Island was left as it is, and the wise men in the General Assembly, by an act passed and ap- proved in 1833, fixed the boundaries of Rock Ilsand County, as follows: Beginning in the channel of the Mississippi River, on the north line of township 15 north, and west of the fourth principal meridian ; thence running eastwardly on said line to the fourth (> - / m I r I *3DII®nil<£A© ^€3^ in ■@v««iini» — "S - ^ 688 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 9 I I §*©Y & principal meridian; thence north to the middle of the channel of Rock River; thence up the middle of fsaid channel to the Marais d'Osier slough ; thence along the middle of said slough to the middle of the channel of the Mississippi River ; thence down along the middle of said channel to the place of beginning. The act fixing the boundaries of the county provided for its organization. In pursuance of the provisions of the act, notice was given that the legal voters of the county meet at the house of John Barrel, in Far- nanisburg, on Monday, July 5, 1833, for the purpose of electing three County Commissioners, one Sheriff and one Coroner, three Justices of the Peace and three Constables. The election was accordingly held, Joseph Danforth, Joel Wells, Sr., and Wm. H. Simms acting as Judges of the Election, and Joseph Conway and W. Thompson as Clerks. There were 65 votes cast, resulting in the election of George W. Harlaivjohn W. Spencer and George Davenport, County Commissioners; Benjamin F. Pike, Sheriff; Levi Wells, Coroner ; George W. Harlan, J. B. Pat- ' terson and Joel Wells, Jr., Justices of the Peace; : George V. Miller, Huntington Wells and Edward Corbin, Constables. At this election there were two tickets — one repre- senting the settlement at the Island, and the other ■ the Hampton settlement. An incident occurred on this occasion which might have resulted disastrously. An arrangement was made by which Mr. Davenport, representing the Island party, was to signal certain persons upon the Island should their votes be needed. Believing it necessary that they should vote, Mr. Davenport took his handkerchief and made the required signal. He was discovered by the Hampton party, who misapprehended it, thinking it to be a signal to the officers and soldiers of the fort to come to their aid. They determined at once to frustrate such an attempt by forcibly seizing the poll-books. The Clerks of the Election, apprised of their intention, substituted some other blanks for the record which they had made. The substitute was seized by the Hampton party, who mounted their horses and rode hastily away, followed by some of the Island party, anxious to overtake them. When out of sight the regular poll-book was produced by the clerks, and the election continued, the Island party arriving and depositing their vote, thus electing their candidates ! The Commissioners met on the 8th day of July, 1833, at the house of John Barrel, at Farnamsburg, and, after taking the oath of office, appointed Joseph Conway Clerk of the County Commissioners' Court, as it was then called. The bonds of the various officers elect were approved, and Joseph Wells, Sr., was appointed Treasurer and Assessor. The county was now fully organized and ready for business. #3M Acts of the County Commissioners. 'HE first meeting of the County Commis- sioners was held at the house of John Bar- rel, in what is now the city of Rock Island, * July 8, 1833. George Davenport, John W. Spencer and George W. Harlan, Commission- ers elect, were present and took the oath of office, after which they appointed Joseph Conway Clerk of the Court. Mr. Conway entered into bonds, with John Barrel as security, and at once entered upon the duties of the office. The County Commissioners passed an order mak- ing Farnamsburg the temporary county seat, and ordered all terms of the Circuit and County Commis- sioners' Courts held at the house of John Barrel. Elections were also ordered held at the same place. Joel Wells, Sr., was appointed Treasurer of the County, and his bonds fixed at $500. A levy was made as follows: "It is ordered that one-half per cent, be levied on the following descrip- tion of property, to wit : On town lots, if such lots be not taxed by the trustees of such town ; on slaves and indentured or registered negroes; on mulatto servants, on pleasure carriages, on distilleries, on all horses, mares, mules, asses and neat cattle above three years of age, and on watches with their ap- pendages, on household furniture, on clocks, on all wagons and carts, and also on all sheep." Edward Corbin, George N. Miller and Huntington Wells presented their bonds as Constables, which were approved by the Court. Jonah H. Case was granted a license to keep tavern at his house upon the payment of $5, and " entering into bond, with good security, according to S* % i J & sy 4) ^^ @?*<$flll$IIIB» fl ^ ^^- r£ mt/W^ ■i^™ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4 a 1=3 E=X V!) law." The Court then fixed the rates which he was permitted to charge, as follows : For each gallon of corn or oats $0.12^ For each meal of victuals 37 1^ For lodging - 25 Each half-pint of brandy or gin 50 Whisky, per half pint 12% Each quart of cider, porter and ale 25 For horse feed, day and night 75 It will will be seen that the prices allowed were very liberal. At the September, 1833, term, 23 grand jurors were selected and the Sheriff ordered to serve summons. The names of those serving will be found in the legal history of the county. At this term Eleazer Parkhurst was granted license to " vend, sell or retail, at public auction or private sale, any goods, wares or merchandise, upon paying into the county treasury $5, the tax to be payed the Court." Commissioners having been appointed to select school lands for fractional townships made their re- port at this term. Thomas F. Reid was granted a license for similar purposes to the one granted Eleazer Parkhurst. On petition, it was ordered that Joel Wells, Jr., Benj. W. Clark and Wm. Case be appointed viewers of a road to be opened between Farnamsburg, com- mencing at the house of John Barrel, and Monmouth, Warren Co., 111. This was the first appointment for such a purpose. At a term held Dec. 2, 1833, the Sheriff made a settlement for taxes due and collected. The whole amount was $53.7234. His commission on that amount was $3,973^. The Treasurer also reported receiving for licenses $[5, and for fines $19; a total of $34. After settlement with the Sheriff, the Com- missioners paid into the hands of the Treasurer the amount due, which, after deducting a portion in orders, left a balance in the hands of the Treasurer of $43.61, — a very good showing for the first settle- ment, going to prove that the affairs of the county were economically administered the first half year of its existencei The first ferry license was granted to George Dav- enport and Joshua Vandruff, at the March, 1834, term, to establish a ferry across Rock River, opposite the residence of Vandruff. The license fee was fixed at $8 per year. The following rates of ferriage were fixed by the Commissioners : & For each footman $0.12}^ Man and horse 25 For each led or loose horse or cattle 1 2 % Each yoke of oxen 37 1^ For each loaded wagon and two horses 1.00 For each loaded wagon and yoke of oxen. . . 1.00 For each additional horse or oxen I2 J^ ' For each two-wheel carriage or cart, or oxen. .75 For each one-horse wagon 715 For each head of neat cattle o6j^ For each head of hogs or sheep 04 Rinnato Wells was also granted license for a ferry across Rock River, opposite his residence on section 15, and George Davenport was granted one across the slough to the island opposite Farnamsburg. At this term of Court the following order was spread upon the records : " On petition of many of the citizens of Rock Isl- and County, praying that a postoffice be established at Rock Island Court-House. The petition sets forth that there is but one postoffice in the county, and that is on Rock Island ; and a majority of the citizens have to pay ferriage in crossing the slough, in order to take out letters or papers. It is not only attended with some trouble in crossing, but it is an unnecessary expense in paying ferriage to cross, as the slough is not fordable at any season of the year. : The Court do therefore recommend to Wm. T. Barry, **/ Postmaster-General of the United States, to estab- lish a postoffice at Rock Island Court-House, and do recommend Joseph Conway as a fit person to discharge the duties of Postmaster of said office. It is ordered that two copies of this order be made out by the Clerk and enclosed to the Member of Con- gress from the State of Illinois, and one copy to Wm. T. Barry, Postmaster-General of the United States." In June, 1834, the Commissioners divided the county into two election precincts. The Upper Pre- cinct was to commence at the mouth of the Mere- dosia and to continue as low down as the house of Henry McNeal, the election to be held at the house of Walter Phillips." Asaph Wells, James Haskill and Thomas L. Galpin were appointed to act as judges of the election. The Lower Precinct was to commence at the house of Henry McNeal and extended to the county line on the south. The elec- tion was ordered held at a house erected by Daven- port and Farnam, the one occupied for Court purposes. Joel Wells, Sr., Wm'. T. Brazer and Wm. Carr were appointed judges of election. ^ r [ Qs mmm^ >s & 9 5. 4 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. In March, 1835, a license was granted to Joseph H. Case to operate a ferry across the Mississippi Riv- er just below Fort Armstrong. Wm. T. Brasher and Antoine LeClaire were also granted a license to ope- rate a ferry about three-fourths of a mile below Fort Armstrong. In June, 1835, at a term of the Commissioners' Court, the following report was made to the Board : I'o the Honorable County Commissioners' Court of Rock Island County, in the State of Illinois : We, the undersigned. Wm. Bennett, of Jo Daviess County; Peter Butler, of Warren County, and John G. Sanburn, of Knox County, appointed by an act of the Legislature of the State of Illinois, entitled " An Act to establish the seat of justice of Rock Isl- and County," Commissioners to locate the permanent seat of justice of Rock Island County, respectfully report that the said Commissioners did meet in the town of Farnamsburg, in the said county of Rock Island, on the 5th day of June, 1835, and after be- ing duly sworn, agreeably to the provisions of the act above referred to, did proceed to take into con- sideration the convenience of the people, the situa- tion of the settlements, the situation of settlements that may hereafter be made, and the eligibility of the situation for said town of Stephenson, and that we have selected the northwest fractional quarter of section No. 35, in township No. 18 north, of range 2 west of the fourth principal meridian, and do fix the same as the permanent seat of justice of Rock Isl- and aforesaid. Given under our hands at Farnamsburg, in said county, this 8th day of June, A. D. 1S35. Wm. Bexxett, P. Butler, John G. Saxburn. After receiving the report and allowing the amount due each of the Commissioners for his services in locating the county seat, the County Commissioners appointed Charles R. Bennett to survey the new town of Stephenson and make a plat of the same as soon as practicable. They also ordered that one-third of the town lots for the town of Stephenson be offered for sale on the nth day of July, 1835, and that ad- vertisements to that effect be inserted three times each in the St. Louis Republican, Alton Spectator and Northwestern Gazette and Galena Advertiser. The county was divided into three election pre- cincts, known as the Upper, Rock River and West precincts. Elections were ordered held the first Monday in August in each of these precincts for the purpose of electing Justices of the Peace and Con- stables in each, and also a Recorder and a Surveyor for the county. At the July term the Commissioners donated Wm. T. Brasher two lots, and Loudon L. Case and Chas. H. Case one lot each in the town of Stephenson. Charles R. Bennett was allowed $67.56 for survey- ing the town of Stephenson ; his report was accepted, and the plat as made by him was ordered re- corded. The first record in relation to the building of bridges is found in the August, 1835, term. Bids and plans were asked for bridges in several parts of the county. At this term the Commissioners authorized the loan of some§r,ooo of county funds, presumably realized from the sale of lots in the town of Stephen- son. The following order was entered at the September, 1835, term: " Ordered, That Joseph Conway be authorized to get two seals, one for the Circuit Court of Rock Isl- and County, and one for the County Commissioners' Court of Rock Island County ; the device is a sheaf of wheat and a plough." It would appear from another record that the Judge and Jury of the Circuit Court were not to be compelled to sit on the floor, for the sum of four dol- lars was allowed Michael Bartlett " for procuring plank and fixing the seat of the Judge and Jury at the April and August term, TS35." The contract for building the first jail in the county was ordered let on the 20th of October, 1S35. At this same term it was ordered that all terms of the Circuit and of the County Commissioners' Court be afterwards held at Stephenson instead of Farnamsburg. The first order in relation to paupers was made also at this term, as follows: "Ordered, that Michael Bartlett be authorized to contract with some person to take care of Wm. Brewster, a pauper, by attend- ing upon and victualing him until the next term ot Court." The November term of the Court was held at Stephenson. Michael Bartlett was allowed $12.32 for taking the census of the county. The first order in relation to a court-house was entered in 1836, at the March term. It was "ordered *s va > & * ^V^T^x sy*v TSiNSij/^v ■^V^MMf^ ~Z*H.- A V j*a*@v|ji y?OCX ISLAND COUNTY. that notice be given in the Northwestern Gazette and Galena Advertiser for three weeks that the County Commissioners will contract for 150,000 good brick to build a court-house in the town of Stephenson, on the 9th day of April next, which brick are to be delivered on the public square, one-third to be de- livered on the first day of July, one-third by the first of August, and one-third on the last day of August next. Also for a foundation of stone-work 50 feet square, seven feet high and two feet thick, four feet of this to be range work; and also the necessary timbers for the court-house. The County Treasurer made the following re- port: To balance due on settlement, March, 1835 $ 133 37 1 /* To cash received on town lots 3,891 08^-3 To cash received from — Levi Wells 2 1 o 00 Adrian Van Winkle 105 00 Joel Wells 300 00 B. Goble 103 st% C. & L. L. Case 225 00 Sheriff for taxes, etc 10 1 24 For tavern, ferry and merchandise license 99 00 Of W. Phillips for fine 5 00 Total $5,173 07^ Cr. By amount orders paid. . . .$4,045 27 By commission 80 53 Balance due the county... 1,047 2 T l A $5- '73 °7^ The orders paid by the Treasurer amounting to $4,045.27 were ordered burned. At the April term, 1836, the bond of the County Treasurer was increased from $500 to $5,000. A contract was entered into at this term of Court between the Commissioners and Jonah H. Case, the latter agreeing to furnish 200,000 brick at $8 per thousand, for the court-house designed to be built, the brick to be delivered between the first and last of August, 1836. An advertisement was ordered inserted in the Northwestern Gazette and Galena Advertiser, Mis- souri Republican and Carrollton Times for three weeks for bids for the construction of a court-house in Stephenson, the building to be " 50 feet square, two-story high, and piasure (piazza) in front 32 feet long, 10 feet wide, hip roof cupeloe (cupalo) in the center; the outside to be finished in the Grecian- Doric order." The 17th of May, T836, was set for opening the bids. The lots remaining unsold in the town of Stephen- son were ordered disposed of at public auction on the same day the proposals were to be opened. On the r8th of May the Court assembled and opened the only bid made for the erection of the court-house. John H. Ferguson proposed to erect the building for the sum of $8,500. His bid was ac- cepted, conditioned on his giving bond for its com- pletion according to plans and specifications, with good and sufficient security. Mr. Ferguson failed to comply with the terms pro- posed by the Commissioners, and at the June term the bid of Samuel Smith was accepted to build the court-house and furnish all the material except the brick for the sum of $10,500. The building was to be completed by Dec. 1, 1837. The jail built by John W. Spencer, according to contract with the Commissioners, was reported com- pleted, and was accepted by the Commissioners, June to, 1836. On the 5th day of July, Samuel Smith entered into bond with the Commissioners for the erection of the court-house, giving as sureties Jeremiah Smith, Al- fred Hinton, Charles Gregory and Moses O. Bledsoe. At a special term held July 20, r836, a plat or map of Rock Island city was presented to the Court, and was certified to by that body. At the March term, 1837, Joel Wells, Treasurer of the county, made the following report : Balance due on settlement March, 1836. $1,047. 2 l l A Cash received on town lots 6,017.085^ Interest on lots 7.34 Cash for tavern, ferry and mdse. licenses 157.00 Cash from Bartlett Cash from M. W. Conway on fines. . . Cash for notes on hand March, 1836.. Interest on same Cash from Bartlett for taxes Cash from C. Ernes for taxes 691 <. = @) h 100.00 20.00 901.70 62.25 1 12.30 162.68 $f§^| *.;*- J3t££fopZ~ y^S', -crv ««:> *r > Y t!\ <> J?CCX ISLAND COUNTY. 693 public interest was an order authorizing the construc- tion of a bridge across the south branch of Rock River at Camden Mills, now Milan. The order was passed in September, 1849. This was their last term, the law of the State transferring the business of this body to the County Court. ««£&e'©iS~ K — m «g§^3ZFWv Acts of the County Court. 'P-lg Y an act of the Legislature, passed and approved in the year 1849, the powers vested in the Court of County Commis- sioners were transferred to the County Court to be composed of a County Judge and two Associate Justices. At the November elec- tion, i849/"John W. Spencer was elected County Judge, and Thomas J. Robinson and James Weav- erling Associate Justices. The first meeting of this Court for the transaction of county business was held Dec. 3, 1849. The officers were sworn by Morgan Ferguson, a Justice of the Peace. The first act of the Court was the approval of the bond of Joseph Conet, County Clerk, and also those of all other county officers. No acts of public interest were performed by this Court. It continued to transact its regular business to the satisfaction of the people until the adoption of the township organization law. In September, 1856, a petition was presented to the County Court praying that an order be passed submitting the question of township organization. The prayer of the petitioners was granted, and the question ordered submitted at the November elec- tion. The question being submitted, a majority of the votes cast was in favor of such organization. There were 2,461 votes cast, of which number 2,314 were in favor, and 147 against. At the December term the Court appointed Lem- uel Adams, Nathaniel Belcher and F. J. Whitney a committee to divide the county into civil townships. They subsequently reported townships as follows: Cor- dova, Port Byron, Canoe Creek, Fremont, Hampton, Walker, Moline, Coal Valley, Camden, Rock Isl- and, Edgington, Bowling, Buffalo and Drury. -~3- -a>-=- Acts of the Board of Supervisors. HE first meeting of the Board of Supervis- * ors was held June 29, 1857. The fol- lowing named responded to their names, and presented credentials as members of the Board : R. M. Marshall Rock Island Z. Cook Rock Island J. H. Marshall Canoe Creek Lucius Wells Hampton Peter Demoss Drury James Baker Edgington T. W. Vincent Bowling David S. Hobart Port Byron H. J. Brunot Camden O. H. P. Moore Buffalo Lewis Wilson Coal Valley R. M. Marshall was elected temporary Chair- man. On the second day of the meeting the following named appeared : A. S. Coe Fremont Rinnah Wells Walker J. Chamberlin Moline From that time the affairs of the county have been administered by the County Board. As a general thing they have acted wisely and satisfactorily to the people, everything being done that it was supposed would best advance the interests of the great ma- jority. During the war its record is indeed com- mendable. The families of the soldiers were prop- erly cared for, and the government cordially supported in every measure. That mistakes should be made in some things is not to be wondered at. When one considers the length of the county, the peculiar situ- ation of some of the townships, the wonder is that in the main they should be so satisfactory. In the the various township histories are given the names of all who have served on the Board. f fc •5 ® %> mi ~— i. «Hn$M?> a t^$>;g w ^£$K O & 3£ 1=3 1=3 'h sooofe T the time of the organization of Rock Island County the §> State was divided into five circuits, in four of which the Supreme Judges were required to-perform circuit duties, but n the fifth a circuit judge was elided by the General Assem- bly. Richard M. Young was the first elected in this circuit and was serving his first term when this county was organized. There were also a Probate and a County Commissioners' Court, of which we give a sketch further on. The Court and Bar have always been of an exceptionally high order, generally worthy of the intelligent people whom they served. Circuit Court. i^4i h N the organization of the county it was made a part of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, com- prising the counties of Rock Island, Cook, La Salle, Putnam, Fulton, Schuyler, Adams, Hancock, McDonough, Knox, Warren, Jo Davies, Mercer and Henry. The first term of the Court was held at the house of John Barrel, in Farnamsburg, April 28, 1834. There were pres- ent Richard M.Young, Judge of the Circuit ; Thomas Ford, State's Attorney; Joseph Conway, Clerk; B. F. Pike, Sheriff. The order of Judge Young regulating the time for holding the terms of Court was ordered spread upon the records. The order specified the 27th day of April and the 14th day of September, 1834, as the time. After affiixing his signature and seal to the order the Judge added a postcript, directing that if either day appointed should fall upon Sunday the terms should begin the next day. After approving the bonds of the Clerk and Sher- iff the Court proceeded to its regular business. The following are the names of those comprising the first grand jury of the county : Joel Wells, Jr., foreman ; Robert Simms, Wm. Carr, Wm. T. Brashar, Calvin Spencer, Henry McNeal, James L. Burtis, Sr., James H. Coleman, John D. Ritchey, Martin W. Smith, Chas. H. Simpson, Henry Watchler, Nathan Smith, Roswell H. Spencer. William Thompson and Elipha- let T. Cook. There was no petit jury summoned at the first term of the Court. The first case was that of Wm. Sparks against Wm. H. Simms, an appeal from a Justice of the Peace. The suit was dismissed by agreement, at the plaintiff's cost. In a suit of Sarah Butler against John Wells, on a bond, on motion the bond was quashed. There were two criminal and ten chancery cases at this term, none of which was of any importance. The second term of the Court was held on the 15th day of September. The same officers were present, 9 & e*«Hio@mK>^ — S, €^ K - 4&@§*@ §«/^&B«* iTOCX ISLAND COUNTY. / (!) (^ except the Sheriff, Michael Bartlett having succeeded to that office. Two indictments were found at this term of Court. Moses Johnson was indicted for larceny and Wm. Thompson for setting fire to the prairie. Both cases were made returnable to the next term of Court. By an act of the General Assembly, approved Jan. 7, 1835, the law requiring the Supreme Judges to perform circuit duties was repealed, and five addi- tional Circuit Judges were provided for, and the Sixth Circuit was created, Rock Island forming a part of the latter. Thomas Ford was elected and commissioned Judge of the Sixth Circuit Jan. 19, 1835, but did not preside in the Circuit Court of this county during the year. By agreement Judge Sid- ney Breese presided at the April term. The case of the people against Wm. Thompson was called and trial entered upon. James Grant prosecuted the case and Edward A. Philleo defended. Mr. Thomp- son was acquitted. At the April, 1836, term Judge Ford presided for the first time. No business of any importance was transacted at this term. In March, 1S37, Judge Ford resigned and Dan Stone (plain Dan, not an ab. of Daniel) was commis- sioned, March 4, to fill the vacancy. Judge Stone presided at the April term, in T837, an d served until 1841. At the September, r84o, term of the Court the grand jury found a true bill against Joseph Gerard for the killing of Zaccheus A. May hew on the 2 2d day of May, 1840. It appears that Gerard struck May- hew with a carpenter's chisel under the left arm, in- flicting a wound, from the effects of which Mayhew died within five days. A trial was had at the same term in which the indictment was found, and Gerard was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to one year in the penitentiary. An arrest of judgment was granted, for the reason that the jury did not as- sess the fine, and the defendant was discharged. A motion for a new trial was overruled. At the May, 1841, term, an indictment was found against Gerard for manslaughter. He was tried at the October term, in 1841, found guilty and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary and to pay a fine of $1 and costs. A motion for a new trial was over- ruled and the Court passed sentence, 20 days of the three years being spent in solitary confinement. Hon. Thomas C. Browne was now Judge of the Circuit. At the October, 1843, term an indictment was found by the grand jury against Wm. McKinney, Geo. Blalock and Isaac McKinney for the murder of Edward A. Philleo. It appears that on the 29th day of -May, 1843, Philleo was shot with a rifle in the left hip. He lingered until June 1, when he died. Win. McKinney was tried at the May term, in 1845, found guilty and sentenced to be hung July 14, 1845, between the hours of 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. A reprieve and subsequently a pardon was granted. McKinney lived and died in the county. Blalock and Isaac McKinney were never tried. On the 4th day of July, 1845, occurred one of the most brutal murders that has ever been recorded. On that day a large concourse of people had assem- bled at the village of Rock Island to do honor to In- dependence Day. Among those assembled were the family of Colonel George Davenport, who resided upon the island, about half a mile above where the Rock Island Railroad bridge spans the river. The old man remained at home alone, much against the wishes of the family, who greatly feared that at some favorable time the banditti of the prairie would make a raid upon the house. But Colonel Davenport knew no fear, and disdained the idea of there being any cause for alarm. This feeling of security fre- quently accompanies men who have passed through many perils, and it is no uncommon event for such men to perish from carelessness and inattention, which other men would have avoided. After the departure of the family, the Colonel seated himself in his parlor reading his newspaper. While thus engaged he heard a faint noise in the direction of his well, but gave it no attention, think- ing some persons who were enjoying a picnic upon the island were engaged in drawing water. Presently, hearing another noise, he arose from his chair to as- certain the cause of it, when the door was suddenly thrust open and three men stood before him. Not a word was said, but almost instantly the foremost of the assassins discharged a pistol at the old man. The ball passed through his left thigh, and as the Colonel turned to grasp his cane, which stood near him, the three men rushed upon him, blindfolded him, pinioned his arms and legs with hickory bark, and dragged him by his long hair and cravat and V^ & I © 7 WBHgfr&fr- •&*r& i D5^§» ^V<4DBSBIlf^5 & 8 V '■■) r^\ ^i? 6 9 6 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. shirt collar into the hall and up a flight of stairs to a closet containing an iron safe. This they compelled him to open, being unable from the peculiar structure of the lock to open it themselves. When he had unfastened the private bolt, they took out the con- tents, and then dragged him into another room, placed him upon a bed, and with terrible threats de- manded more money. The old man pointed them with a feeble hand to a drawer in a dressing table near by. The murderers in their hurry missed the drawer containing the money, opening one in which they found nothing of value. Enraged at their fail- ure, and believing that their defenseless vie im in- tended to deceive them, they fell upon him with violence, beating and choking him until he passed into a state of insensibility. They then proceeded to recall his senses by dashing water in his face, and when he was restored again demanded money of him; and following the motions of his hand, for he was unable to speak, they again missed the proper drawer. Still more angry, if possible, than at first, they repeated their fiendish brutality upon his per- son, strangling him until he again fainted. Reviving him by throwing water into his face, and by pouring it down his mouth, they then threatened to fry him upon coals of fire, if he did not disclose the place where the money had been left, and they would then burn his body in the flames of his own house. The old man fell back insensible, totally unable to an- swer them. The murderers having found between $600 and $700 in money, a gold watch and chain, a double-barreled shot-gun and pistol, fled precipi- tately, leaving the house sprinkled with blood from parlor to chamber, and the venerable old pioneer apparently dead upon the bed! A more cowardly, cold-blooded murder was never committed. The first discovery of the murder was made by Mr. Cole, of Moline, who with two other men was passing down the river in a skiff. When nearly op- posite the mansion of Colonel Davenport they heard the cry of murder. Rowing to the shore, they has- tened to the house, and on entering the door, which stood ajar, they found blood in every direction, and again heard the fearful cry for help issuing from the chamber. Mr. Cole hurried up stairs, where he be- held the terrible spectacle of Colonel Davenport weltering in blood- Leaving his companions to ren- der what assistance they could, Mr. Cole ran for Dr. Brown, who was with a picnic party on the island, at i- no great distance from the house. Other medical aid was procured as quickly as possible. Colonel Davenport, becoming somewhat restored by the assistance rendered him, was able to relate the circumstances of his murder and to describe the three assassins who attacked him. He was also able to greet his family on their return, but being in ex treme agony from the tortaire inflicted, he continued to fail, and finally expired between 9 and 10 o'clock on the evening of the same day. A reward of $r,5oo was offered by the family of Colonel Davenport for the arrest of the murderers, to which Governor Ford added $200 for each of the persons concerned in it. Edward Bonney, in a book entitled " Banditti of the Prairies," gives a detailed account of the search for and final capture of the murderers. Those captured were John Long, Wil- liam Fox, Aaron Long, Robert H. Birch, Granville Young, John Baxter, Grant Redden and William H. Redden. At the October term, 1845, each of these men were indicted as principals and accessories in the murder of Colonel Davenport. The regular session of the Circuit Court com- menced Oct. 6, 1845, Judge Thomas J. Brown pre- siding. T. J. Turner was the State's Attorney. Baxter was remanded to jail, while the two Longs and Granville Young were put upon trial. Dr. Patrick Gregg was the first witness called. He testi- fied to being summoned to the house, and finding the Colonel in a dying condition from the effects of the wound in his thigh and from the brutal treatment received. Benjamin Cole, Robert Birch, George L. Davenport, Bailey Davenport, Frederick Renen- burgh, William Kale, Daniel Stephens, William Ful- ler, Frazier Wilson, Grant Redden, Joseph Johnson, ' Jssse Maxwell, N. Belcher, David Kirkpatrick, Eston C. Cropper, Dr. H. Brown and T. A. Walker also testified. Mr. Turner, the State's Attorney, was as- sisted by Mr. Mitchell and Joseph Knox. S. S. Yager and Mr. Cornwall defended. On the conclu- sion of the trial the jury retired and were absent an hour, bringing in a verdict of guilty. The three prisoners were then sentenced by Judge Brown to be hung Oct. 19, 1845. Young and Aaron Long pro- tested their innocence of the crime, but John Long admitted that he was guilty and exulted in the act. After the trial and conviction of the Longs and Young, and while the execution was yet pending, a special term of the Circuit Court was held in Rock fQ M$A^ z>nr-ir rerjArn mTTMTV ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. <§/ Island for the trial of Baxter and the two Reddens. Baxter made a confession in which he acknowledged his guilt, but that he did not desire that Davenport should be killed. He hoped by thus confessing to escape punishment. After trial he was found guilty and sentenced to be hung Nov. 18, 1845. On a writ of error to the Supreme Court the judgment was re- versed and the case remanded back for new trial. The two Reddens were arraigned on an indictment as accessory to the murder before the fact. The jury failed to agree, and the prisoners were remanded to jail to await another trial at a subsequent term of Court. In February, 1846, a special term of Court was held for the trial of Baxter, Birch and the two Red- dens. Birch obtained a change of venue to Knox, and Baxter to Warren County. The case against the Reddens was dismissed; Grant Redden was dis- charged, while William H. Redden pleaded guilty as accessory after the act and was sentenced to one year in the penitentiary. At the November term, 1846, of the Warren County Circuit Court, Baxter was tried, found guilty, and sentenced by Judge Purple to be hung on the 9th day of December, 1846. Through the exertions of his counsel Baxter obtained a writ of error to the Supreme Court, which, after hearing the arguments, ) confirmed the judgment of the Court below. The Legislature of the State granted a commutation of the sentence to imprisonment for life in the State Peni- tentiary, where he served some years, and was par doned Dy the Governor. Birch broke jail at Knoxville, March 22, 1847, and was never re-captured. Fox also escaped before reaching Rock Island. In the fall of 1848 Benj. R. Sheldon was elected Judge of the Circuit Court, receiving a commission bearing date Dec. 4, of the same year. He served until May 14, 185 r, when Ira O.Wilkinson was commissioned. During Judge Wilkinson's term sev- eral cases of importance were tried. David Stoddard was indicted for the murder of Eliza Stoddard at the November, r854, term. He was tried at the June, 1855, term, convicted and sen- tenced to be hung on Friday, July 13, 1855. f. Wilson Drury was elected and commissioned June 5, 1S55. He served until March, rS6o, when he resigned. John H- Howe was appointed to fill * £ 1 the vacancy, and filled out Judge Drury 's unexpired term. Among the cases tried by Judge Drury were those of the People against Hugh McCartney, Isaac Ball, John Hughes and Samuel Ingram. Hugh McCartney was indicted in November, 1855, for murder. He was brought before the Court, plead- ed guilty of manslaughter, and was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. Isaac Ball was charged with the murder of James Congdon, Sept. 1, 1856. At the November term of the Circuit Court an indictment was found against him, and in September he was tried for the commis- sion of the crime, the jury returning a verdict of not guilty. Samuel Ingram was indicted at the March term of the Circuit Court, in 1857, for the murder of his wife, Hannah Ingram, Dec. 17, 1S56. After due trial, he was sentenced to be hung, the execution taking place. At the March term of the Circuit Court, 1857, John Hughes was indicted for the murder of Charles H. Lewis, by striking him on the head with a-poker, on the 17th day of February, 1857. After continu- ing the case from time to time, it was finally stricken from the docket. On the 9th day of July, 1859, Charles L. Bean was shot with a rifle and died the next day. Jasper Hampton, Turner Hampton and Joseph Langley were arrested for the commission of the crime, in- dicted by the grand jury at the September term fol- lowing, tried and acquitted. The grand jury at the September term, 1859, also indicted John Farrell for the killing of Jesse W. Bol- lard, by striking him with a club. After continuing the case on the- docket for six years, it was stricken off on motion of the Prosecuting Attorney, with leave to re-instate. Farrell was never arrested. In June, 1861, Judge Wilkinson was again elected and served the full term of six years, his term cov- ering the full period of the war. There were several cases of interest tried during this time. On the 24th day of June, i860, Patrick McGurtry was killed by being struck with a stone. Alexander Abbott was charged with the commission of the crime, and indicted by the grand jury at the Sep- tember term following of the Circuit Court. After being continued from time totim the case was finally tried at the January term, 1865, the jury rendering a verdict of not guilty. 0) /& %&*& -^g^ — ^a^hhsuh^a^- i T r 698 ^»^ jTOCX ISLAND COUNTY. -2^£sr i George Sinnett was shot with a pistol on the 17th day of August, 1863, and instantly killed. Daniel Thrailkeld was indicted by the grand jury at the Sep- tember term of the Circuit Court following, was tried, found guilty of manslaughter, the jury fixing the verdict at three years in the penitentiary. A new trial was granted, and on the rg.th day of January, 1864, the jury rendered a verdict of not guilty and he was set at liberty. On Saturday, May 23, T863, the remains of a child were found in the upper story of a wagon shop in the city of Rock Island, lately occupied by A. G. John- son. The remains proved to be that of Lorena Roe. A coroner's jury was empanneled, evidence heard and a verdict rendered that the child came to her death by violence, and implicated A. G. Johnson as the murderer. The grand jury found a true bill against Johnson, and at the January term, 1864, he was tried and a verdict of guilty rendered by the jury. A new trial was granted and a change of venue taken to Henry County. At the March term, 1864, in Henry County, he was tried and a verdict ren- dered of not guilty. In June, 1867, Geo. W. Pleasants was elected to the Bench. He was commissioned June 27, 1S67. He has three times been re-elected and is now serv- ing his fourth term. On the 21st day of August, 1867, Hiram Reynolds was shot and instantly killed. David Edgington was indicted by the grand jury for the commission of the crime, tried, found guilty and sentenced to the State prison for life. On the iSth day of July, r867, Myron D. Hill was killed by being stabbed with a large knife. Homer Marion was arrested and indicted for the commission of the crime. Geo. W. Jones was indicted at the May term, T867, of the Circuit Court for the killing of Robert McClus- key by shooting him with a gun, the shooting taking place Feb. 27, 1867. He was tried at the Septem- ber term, found guilty and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary. Indictments found against Wm. Dolan, Nicholas Schlitz, Wm. Blair, John Toomey, Lynch, Tim- othy Butler, Halsey Hammond, John Galagher, John Campbell, Oliver Clandanis and James Cro- nan, at the January term, 1870, for causing the death of Moses Davis and Wm. Armstead or Arm- strong, on the 9th day of July, 1869. Change of venue taken by all except Lynch. Af- ter trying to have the indictment quashed, he was tried at the September term, 1870, and sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. At the June term in the following year, the de- fendants, except Butler, were tried, and each found guilty save Hammond and Galagher ; were sen- tenced to the penitentiary, their terms ranging from one to three years. The case against Butler was dis- missed. This case created much excitement at the time. The men indicted, in a row caused Davis and Armstrong to jump from a steamer into the Missis- sippi River, hoping to swim ashore. They were drowned in the attempt. The General Assembly, by an act approved March 28, 1873, divided the State into 26 Judicial Districts, in each of which one Judge was to be elected on the 2d of June. Rock Island County became a part of the Fifth Circuit, and Judge Pleasants was elected Judge of the Circuit. George Brace, on the nth day of April, 1875, was shot, dying the next day. The grand jury found a bill of indictment against John Masters for the com- mission of the crime, at the May, 1875, term of the Circuit Court. He was tried at the September term, 1875, found guilty and sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. In 1877 the General Assembly passed an act by which the State was divided into 13 circuits, with three Tudges in each. Rock Island, Knox, Warren, Henderson, Mercer and Henry comprised the Tenth Circuit. The following named have served the cir- cuit: Geo. W. Pleasants, Arthur A. Smith and John J. Glenn. All were re-elected in June, 1885, for a term of six years. Joseph Rosenfield was killed on the 12th day of March, 1879. John Kavanaugh, Bernard Heeney and Patrick Heeney were indicted for the murder. Kavanaugh and Patrick Heeney were tried at the May term, 1879, the former being found guilty and sentenced to the penitentiary for life, while the latter was also found guilty and sentenced to 14 years in the penitentiary. Bernard Heeney took a change of venue to Henry County, was there tried in June, 1879, and sentenced to the penitentiary for life. On the 5th day of September, 1SS1, Dorothea Heilwagon was murdered near her residence in •r-r V •4 fe m V®^§i*§* — i. A^^n^nn^A __ §J@£*$ I x. m ^«f g»- -a^ 6V<4lia§DDv> T^r «» @; / ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 699 Hampton, her body not being found until the 9th. Win. Heihvagon, the father-in-law of the murdered woman, and J. Otto Heilwagon, her husband, were arrested for the crime. On the preliminary exam- ination the latter was discharged, but the former was held to the Circuit Court to answer to the charge. At the January term of the Circuit Court, he was tried, found guilty and sentenced to be hung March 24, 1882. It is supposed that Heilwagon made im- proper proposals to his daughter-in-law, which being resented, for fear of exposure, he murdered her. He was duly executed. s->oooe The Bar. fetevp-c^ I HE Rock Island County Bar has always ranked high, and has numbered among its r— •* members some of the brightest intellects in the State. Among the first, if not the first, t& resident members, was Joseph Knox, who stood in the front rank, not only of the Bar of the county but of the entire State. Joseph Knox was born in Blandford, Hampden Co., Mass., in 1805. He was reared on a farm, educated in the common schools, supplemented by a few months' study under a private teacher. Reading law with his brother, Gen. Alanson Knox, he was admitted to the Bar in Worcester Co., Mass., in 1828. For nine years he practiced his profession in Hardwick, in his native State, and then removed to Rock Isl- and County. Here he engaged in farming for a year or two, then resumed the active practice of his pro- fession. He was a splendid speaker, having a direct stvle, great humor and sound argument. As an ad- vocate he had few equals. Mr. Knox was married in 1833 to Susan Mixter, of Hardwick, Mass. Eight children were born unto them, of whom four are now living. Like all other attorneys of his day, Mr. Knox took an active part in politics. Until the or- ganization of the Republican party he was a Demo- crat, from which time until his death he supported the principles of the Republican party. He died in -KJ=H= Chicago, in August, r88i, to which place he had previously removed. His remains were brought to Rock Island and interred in Chippiannock Cemetery. J. Wilson Drury was another eminent lawyer that resided here. He came soon after Knox, and was for some time his law partner. Mr. Drury was sub- sequently elected Judge of this circuit, and served with credit to himself and the satisfaction of the Bar. He now resides in Chicago. H. G. Reynolds also located here at an early day. He was for a time an editor of one of the newspapers in Rock Island. Mr. Reynolds was for many years Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Masons of this State, and as such was known far and wide. James Grant, now of Davenport, was- here during the first decade, and was for a time State's Attorney. While here he gave evidence that there was a bright future before him. In Iowa he ranks among the ablest men. He has probably received a larger single fee for his professional services than any at- torney in the State. Among others that were here during the first and second decades were Curtiss, Harvey, Henderson, El- bridge R. Bean, Jerome J. Beardsley, Robt. W. Smith, John A. Blodgett, John E. Brackett, Win. Brackett, Rufus M. Grenell, John B. Hawley, Robt. Wilkinson, Robert M. Marshall, Edward W. Murphy, Wells & Kimball. These were all residents of Rock Island. In Moline were Robert H. Graham, Alfred Webster, Henry L. Smith, James Chapman, Wm. Jackson, Henry Fairclough, Milton Beal, J. J. Judd, Gill and others. These are all dead, have quit practice or moved away. The present Bar is composed of the following named : Rock Island — J. M. Beardsley, H. C. Connelly, M. M. Corbett, Henry Curtis, Guyer & Sweeney, Joseph L. Haas, Elmore W. Hurst, Saville Johnston, Oliver Olsen, Patrick O'Mara, Parks & Pleasants, E. E. Parmenter, M. M. Sturgeon, Sweeney & Walker, Ira O. Wilkinson. In Moline — ■ Browning & Entrikin, Eugene Lewis, Meese & Hol- land, William R. Moore. Biographical sketches of a number of these gentle- men will be found in this work. &r- ft C3 4 ■^ y g/^ hh^me^^ — ^^ -— $@J§8$ ^}$^i W vm&m^r u v ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4*i^f <$/ ■<^ \^YTT*H'''l i * 1 ' sg ''t''y^"^'T*^"^"^°*'^'* a,l: '^" ¥ ' ■ '■ '■ ' '"'" ' ' ?P*^P¥^PP** '*>• ? $ Y Y Y Y '-i' £ '^V'j'vap'-* ^ ■-';>■ > 4 I ; II FTER the formation of the county for some years, party lines were not sharply drawn, the early settlers having some- thing else to do than to fight > **® the battles of party ; still there goj was always a strong party senti- ment, which only required time and opportunity to develop. As illustrating the political sentiments of the people of the county the re- sult of the various Presidential elec- tions are given. In 1836 party lines were strongly drawn for the first time in the history of the country. Martin Van Buren was the nominee for the Presidency of the Democracy, and William Henry Harrison of the Whigs for the same office. In this county the vote stood as follows : W. H. Harrison 104 Martin Van Buren 35 The first convention held in this county by either political party was held by the Whigs in 1840. Dur- ing the campaign which followed politics were red hot. The Rock Island Banner, which 'had been started as a neutral paper, espoused the Democratic cause, and its Whig patrons ceased to give it support, commencing the publication of the Upper Mississip- pian, which advocated the election of Harrison. There were then seven election precincts in the r ^ &A4?MK county. The majorities given by precincts were as- follows : Stephenson . Hampton. . .' Port Byron.. Cordova. . . . Edgington . . Illinois City Drury Harrison's Maj. 67 4 3 ... 20 Van Buken*s Maj. 1 1 46 27 209 1 In 1844 the parties were more evenly divided. Moline Precinct had been formed, and the name of Stephenson changed to Rock Island. The following is the vote by precincts : Prkcincts. (lay. Polk. Cordova 21 24 Port Byron 39 35 Hampton 65 44 Moline 59 3° Rock Island 169 158 Edgington 34 3 2 Illinois City 38 35 Drury 41 39 466 397 Clay's majority in the county, 69 ; six votes in Moline for Birney, making 869 votes in the county. In 1848 Zachary Taylor, the hero of Buena Vista, was nominated for President by the Whigs, Lewis Cass by the Democrats, and Martin Van Buren by ®nn&^ — ^^^ — ^ A < -«sg i ^VvVSt^ SIN5»>r 4* i •zr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -*#§^« with its motto, " Americans must rule America," was * also in the field. John- C. Fremont was nominated by the Republicans, Millard Fillmore by the Ameri- cans, and James Buchannan by the Democrats. Rock Island county cast the following vote : John C. Fremont 1 ,439 James Buchanan 1,114 Millard Fillmore 265 The campaign of i860 was a most exciting one. Abraham Lincoln, the " rail-splitter," of Illinois, had been nominated by the Republicans, Stephen A. Douglas, the " Little Giant," of the same State, by one wing of the Democracy, John C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, by another wing of the same party, and John Bell, of Tennessee, by the Union party, made up principally of the members of the American party, which had ceased to exist. As in other parts of the country, the election in Rock Island County was one of great excitement, resulting as follows : Abraham Lincoln 2,088 Stephen A. Douglas 1,478 John Bell 34 John C. Breckenridge 13 When the Presidential campaign of 1864 was fought, the war of the rebellion had been in prog- ress over three years. Abraham Lincoln was re- nominated for President, and in opposition to him was Gen. George B. McClellan as the Democratic candidate. The vote in this county was as fol- lows : Abraham Lincoln 2,091 George B. McClellan 1 ,542 In 1868 Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was nominated by the Republicans for President, while the Democrats placed in nomination Horatio Seymour, of New York. A heavy vote was polled in this county, re- sulting as follows : Ulysses S. Grant 2 ,835 Horatio Seymour r ,g 1 3 In 1872 what was known as the Liberal Repub- lican movement sprung up, having a large influence in shaping the policies of the two great parties. Gen. Grant was re-nominated by the Republicans, Horace Greeley by the Liberal Republicans, and en- dorsed by the Democrats. A few ultra Democrats would not accept Greeley, and nominated Charles O'Conor, of New York. In this county the vote stood ; Ulysses S. Grant . . 2,905 Horace Greeley 1,827 The campaign of 1876 was somewhat different from any that had preceded it for years. The Dem- ocratic party, under the cry of "Tilden and Re- form," placed the Republicans on the defensive. The hard times that had affected the country for some years caused the organization of a third party — that of the National Greenback party. Samuel J. Tilden was the nominee of the Democrats, Rutherford B. Hayes of the Republicans, and Peter Cooper of the Greenbackers. Tbe vote of Rock Island County was as follows : Rutherford B. Hayes 3*912 Samuel J. Tilden 2,838 Peter Cooper 8 In 1 880 James A. Garfield was nominated by the Republicans, Winfield S. Hancock by the Democrats, and James B. Weaver by the Nationalists. The cam- paign was a very exciting one. The Nationalists, or Greenbackers, as more commonly known, exhibited remarkable strength in Rock Island County. The following is the vote : James A. Garfield 4,025 Winfield S. Hancock 2,565 James B. Weaver 1,001 T ^mmw> * — ■^&^ j^M, m v^DtlSIlIl^ v 8 <5> 702 — cr J?0CX ISLAND COUNTY. The campaign of 1884 was a most hotly contested one. James G. Blaine was nominated by the Republi- cans, Grover Cleveland by the Democrats, Benjamin F. Butler by the A«iti-Monopolists, and John P. St. John by the Prohibitionists. The latter was quite a ' factor in the campaign, making the result very ques- tionable. In Rock Island County a heavy vote was cast, resulting as follows : James G. Blaine 3,819 Grover Cleveland 2,785 Benjamin F. Butler 9-57 John P. St. John 81 It will thus be seen that Rock Island County has from its organization cast its vote first with the Whigs and then with the Republicans. Only on local issues have the nominees of the party in opposition been enabled to elect a candidate even for a county office. Since the organization of the county it has been represented in the various State and National offices as follows : LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. Rock Island County has furnished one Lieutenant- Governor in the person of Joseph B. Wells, in 1846-9. SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. John P. Brooks, of Rock Island, was elected to this office in 1863 and served two years. Mr. Brooks was an eminent Methodist preacher, stationed here at the time of receiving his nomination. STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. D, B. Walsh was appointed to this office by Gov. Oglesby, June n, 1S67, and died in office in 1S70. CONGRESSIONAL. On its organization, Rock Island County formed a part of the Third Congressional District, in which it remained until 1843, and was represented in the 23d, 24th and 25th Congress, by Wm. L. May, of Springfield. In the 26th and 27th, John T. Stuart, of Springfield, represented the district. By the apportionment made under the act of March 1, 1843, Rock Island County became a part of the Sixth Congressional District. Joseph P. Hoge, of Galena, was the Representative in the 28th and 29th Congress; Thos. J. Turner, of Freeport, in the 30th; Edward D. Baker, of Galena, in the 31st, and Thompson Campbell in the 32d. By an act of the General Assembly passed Aug. 22, 1852, the Stale was divided into nine districts, and under the apportionment, Rock Island formed a part of the Second District. John Wentworth, of Chicago, represented the district in the 33d; James H. Woodworth, of Chicago, in the 34th; John F. Famsworth, of Chicago, in the 35th, 36th and 37th Congresses. By the apportionment under the act of April 24, i86t, Rock Island County was placed in the Fourth Congressional District. In the 38th Congress it w;.s represented by Chas. M. Harris, of Oquawka, in the 39th, and 40th by A. C. Harding, Monmouth; in the 41st and 42d, by John B. Hawley, of Rock Island. In 1872, under the act of July 1, of that year, the State was divided into 19 districts, Rock Island forming a part of the Sixth. John B. Hawley, of Rock Island, represented it in the 43d Congress; Thos. J. Henderson, of Princeton, in the 44th, 45th and 46th Congresses. By an apportionment made in 1881, it was made a part of the 1 ith Congressional District. In the 46th and 47 th Congresses it was represented by Wm. H. Neece, of Macomb. GENERAL ASSEMBLY. On its organization, Rock Island, together with the counties of Jo Daviess, Cook, La Salle, Putnam and Peoria formed a Senatorial and Representative dis- trict, and were entitled to one Senator and one Rep- resentative. James W. Stephenson was Senator, but subsequently resigned, and James M. Strode was elected to fill the vacancy. Mr. Strode served until 1836. John Hamlin represented the district in the house. The Ninth General Assembly convened at Vandalia, Dec. 1, 1834, and adjourned Feb. 13, 1835. A second session was held from Dec. 7, 1835, till Jan. 18, 1836. Under a new apportionment made at the called session, Rock Island, Jo Daviess and Mercer formed one Senatorial and one Representative District, with A. G. S. Wight representing it in the Senate and Elijah Charles in the House in the Tenth General Assembly. Mr. Charles resigned; S. M. Bartlett was elected to fill the vacancy. The 1 ith General Assembly convened at Vandalia, Dec. 3, 1838, and was in session until March 4, 1839. A second session convened at Springfield, Dec. 9, 1839, and adjourned Feb. 3, 1840. Rock Island, together with the counties of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Ogle, Mercer and Boone, t I \k ® 4 2? ^fz @?*«?Dfl§» ;> -2«€^ 6V^JDDS II D 'i>T ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 7°3 Y *S I formed one district, and was represented in the Sen- ate by Geo. W. Harrison and in the House by James Craig and Gerraanicus Kent. The 1 2th General Assembly convened at Spring- field, Nov. 23, 1840, and adjourned in 12 days. A second session was held Dec. 7, 1840, and ad- journed March 1, 1841. Rock Island, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Ogle, Mercer, Whiteside, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll and Lee were one district, with Geo. W. Harrison in the Senate and Thomas Drummond and Hiram W. Thornton in the House. In the 14th General Assembly, John Buford repre- sented the district comprising the counties of Rock Island, Henry, Whiteside and Lee. Joshua Harper was in the House, the district being composed of Rock Island and Henry. In the 15th General Assembly the same counties composed the Senatorial District, with Silas Noble, Senator. The Representative District was the same as two years previously. Wm. S. Bailey was the Representative. Under the Constitution of 1848 the State was di- vided into 25 Senatorial and 54 Representative Dis- tricts. Rock Island, Henry, Mercer, Warren, Knox and Stark formed the 19th Senatorial District, and the counties of Rock Island, Henry and Stark, the 43d Representative District. In the 1 6th General Assembly, John Denny, of Knox County, represented the Senatorial District and John W. Henderson, of Stark, the Representative Distiict. In the 17th General Assembly, John Denny was the Senator, but resigned before the expiration of the term and Samuel Webster, of Rock Island, was elected lo fill the vacancy. James M. Allen, of Henry, was the Representative. In the 1 8th General Assembly, Benjamin Graham, of Henry, was Senator, and Wm. Marshall, of Rock Island, Representative. By an act approved Feb. 27, 1854, the State was divided into 25 Senatorial and 58 Representative Districts. Rock Island, together with the counties of Warren, Mercer, Henry and Stark, formed the Ninth Senatorial, while Rock Island, Henry and Mercer formed the 48th Representative District. In the 19th General Assembly, Benjamin Graham, of Henry, served the district as Senator and Wm. L. Lee, of Rock Island, Representative. In the 20th General Assembly, Thomas J. Hen- derson, of Stark, was Senator, and H. G. Little, of Henry, Representative. In the 21st General Assembly, Thomas J. Hen- derson was still Senator, Ephraim Gilmore, Jr., of Rock Island, was in the House. In the 22d General Assembly Thomas J. Pickett, of Rock Island, was Senator, and Robert W. Smith, of Rock Island, Representative. In 1 86 1 another apportionment bill was passed, which received the Governor's signature Jan. 31, di- viding the State into 25 Senatorial and 61 Represent- ative districts. Rock Island, Bureau and Henry Counties were made the 21st Senatorial, while Rock Island alone formed the 47th Representative District. In the 23d General Assembly Thomas J. Pickett served as Senator, while John Kistler was in the House. In the 24th General Assembly Alfred Webster, of Rock Island, was the Senator and Joseph W. Lloyd was Representative. In the 25th General Assembly Mr. Webster still served as Senator, with Albert S. Coe in the House. In the 26th General Assembly Andrew Craw- ford, of Henry County, was Senator, and Hiram F. Sickles, Representative. In 1870 a new constitution was adopted. One section of that constitution provided that the Gov- ernor and Secretary of State should immediately pro- ceed to fix the apportionment for the members of the House of Representatives, the apportionment to be based upon the United States census for 1870, if the same should be ascertained in time. The ratio of Representation in the House was to be ascertained by dividing the population of the State by 153, the quotient to be the ratio ; every county or district, when its population amounted to three-fifths of the ratio, to be entitled to one Representative; each county or district, having a population equal to a ratio and three-fifths, to be entitled to two Represent- atives, and for each additional number of inhabitants equal to the ratio, one Representative. Under this apportionment Rock Island County was entitled to two Representatives. Together with Bureau and Henry, it formed the 21st Senatorial District. It was made the 7 2d Representative District. Each Senatorial District was entitled to two Senators. f i & V ($§}r\®)%^ -^©^ — sA^ffl o § 1 n^A^ — *$%&- %£^r — erv£>iiii&nnr>r^ — #^^ 704 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. !! of Henry County, and Lorenzo D. Whit ting, of Bu- reau County, were in the Senate, and John Mor- ris, of Rock Island County, and Edwin H. Johnson, of Port Byron, in the House. By an act of the Legislature passed and^ approved March 1, 1872, the State was divided into 51 Sena- torial districts, each district being entitled to one Senator and three Representatives. Rock Island and Henry counstituted the 21st District. In the 2Sth General Assembly Wm. H. Shepard, of Cambridge, represented the district in the Senate, and Wilder W. Warner, of Orion, Edwin H. Johnson, of Port Byron, and Chas. Dunham, of Geneseo, in the House. In the 29th General Assembly E. C. Moderwell, of Geneseo, was in the Senate, and Rufus M. Grin- nell, of Cordova, John T. Browning, of Moline, and John P. Fox, of Henry County, in the House. In the 30th General Assembly E. C. Moderwell, ^ was again is the Senate, while the House had John * T. Browning, of Moline, John P. Fox, of Geneseo, * and Rufus M. Grinnell, of Cordova. The 31st General Assembly had Milton M. Ford, 3 of Galva, in the Senate, and Anthony R. Mock, of Cambridge, John \V. 'Foy, of Atkinson, and James v W. Simonson, of Port Byron, in the House, repre- senting this district. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. At the first election held in Rock Island County, on its organization in 1833, George Davenport, /John W. Spencer and George W. Harlan were elected. In 1834 George Davenport, 'John W. Spencer and . John Vanatta. In May, 1836, John S. Miller was elected in place of John Vanatta, who resigned. At the regular August election in 1S36, John W. Spencer, John S. Miller and Lucius Wells were elected. On thi first Monday in August, 1S38, Nathaniel Belcher, Jacob Coleman and Lemuel Andrews were elected. On the first Monday in August, 1840, Adolphus Dunlap was elected in place of Jacob Coleman. On the first Monday in August, 1841, John R. Taylor was elected in place of Nathaniel Belcher. On the first Monday in August, 1842, George S. Moore was elected in place of Lemuel Andrews. (o In August, 1843, John Kistler was elected in place of Adolphus Dunlap. In August, 1S44, Wm. L. Lee was elected in place of John R. Taylor. In August, 1845, Medad W. Wright was elected in place of Geo. S. Moore. In August, 1846, Samuel Sloan was elected in place of John Kistler. In August, 1847, Jacob Starr was elected in place of Wm. L. Lee. In August, 1848, T. C. Temple was elected in place of M. W. Wright. COUNTY JUDGES AND ASSOCIATES. By the Constitution of 1S4S it was provided that in counties not adopting the township organization law, the county business should be transacted by a board consisting of the County Judge and two associ- ate justices. These three officers had equal voice in county matters, but the associates had nothing to do with the probate business, which was attended to by the County Judge alone, the office of Probate Justice being abolished, the duties of the office de- volving upon the County Judges. The first election for County Judge and two Associate Justices was held Nov. 6, 1849, at which time the following named were elected: John W. Spencer, County ludge; T. J. Robinson and James Weaverling, As- sociate Justices. After serving three years Judge Spencer resigned, and Wm. Bailey was elected to fill the vacancy. At the November election in r853, John M. Gould was elected County Judge, with George E. Holmes and John Kistler, Associate Justices. COUNTY TREASURERS. This important office has been filled by the follow- ing named : .1 oel Wells 1S33-36 Patrick Gregg. 1836-43 Nathaniel Belcher* 1843-45 Nathaniel Belcher 1845-47 Wm. Bell 1847-49 Wm. Hollowav 1849-51 A. K. Philleo 1S51-53 Robert T. Shaw i s 53-57 Mr. Belcher resigned in the spring of 1845, and P. .T. Lloyd was appointed and served out the unexpired term. COUNTY CLERKS. On the organization of the county, this officer was better known as Clerk of the County Commissioners' Court. In addition to other duties he is now Clerk Z. Cook 1857-59 A. L. Wait 1859-65 H. F. Thomas 1865-69 David O. Reid 1S69-73 Samuel R. Porter 1873-79 Robert F. Reed . 1879-S2 John E. Fleming 1882-85 4 v ■ A, & ( t«£w- ■*€$* ^tK^D m tt03>A^ *€^ !! ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 7°5 of the Board of Supervisors, been the following named : Those serving have Joseph Conway 1833-43 Samuel Brown 1^43-44 Wm. Yandever 1844-47 Jeremiah Chamberlain . . ■ 1847-49 Joseph Couet 1849-53 A. M. Loop* 1853-54 Joseph B. Hawley T854-65 James M. Beardsley 1865-73 John V.Cookt 1873-79 R. A. Donaldson 1879-85 ♦Died in December, 1879. R. A. Donaldson was ap- pointed pro tern., and elected to till the vacancy in Feb- ruary, 1880. Re-elected in 1882. t Resigned, and Joseph B. Hawley elected to till the vacancy. SHERIFFS. Benjamin F.Pike "833-35 M ichael Bartlett 1835-37 Charles Eames 1837-39 Lucius Wells 1839-41 Lemuel Andrews 1S41-47 Samuel S. Guyer 1 847-5 " T. B. Gorton 1851-53 A. F. Swander 1853-55 T. B. Gorton "855-57 E. M. Beardsley "857-59 M. D. Merrill 1859-6! 4k David Hawes 1S61-63 C. A. McLaughlin 1863-65 M.D.Merrill 1865-67 John Peetz .".1867-69 Wm. Drury 1869-71 Wm Payne ...1871-74 August Hussing 1874-76 Josiah L. Perkins 1876-79 J. F. Akrum 1881 J . M . Reticker 1882-86 STATES ATTORNEYS. Among those who have served under the various titles of State's Attorneys, Prosecuting Attorney or County Attorney, have been Thomas Ford, James Grant, Edward Southwick, Shelton S. Hall, William Kellogg, Joseph B. Wells, William Turner, Harmon G. Reynolds, Henry B. Stillman, William F. Miller, George W. Pleasants, Ira O. Wilkinson, John B. Hawley, Charles C. Wilson, O. R. Mock, E. E. Par- menter, W. J. Entriken. COUNTY SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS. Eliphalet Cook 1837 Joel Thompson 1840 Miles W. Conway 1841 S. L. Br— 1846 A. F. Cutler .-"847 M . B . Osborne 1859 I <£ £ £-*%. (> \@$<§®>^i*§® js^g: — ^A^n n m ns> z re — ^^~ -mm ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 7°9 ■ A®)®®A^€^ ^ke ]$&&33 ojt isks Qoun-btf, ■• ' \) Y\$$ r & ® h s>oooe ?)$3*w ^ ■.'* HE printing-press is surely the Archimedean lever that $& moves the world. Until its » invention the world moved o but slowly, the events daily fjt-0 transpiring in one country or ;f|]@ community requiring days and months, and even years, to be made known in other countries or communities. To-day all is changed. Every event of impor- tance transpiring in any part of the world, is, with the aid of the tele- jy graph, made known to all other parts, and by the printing-press given to the people almost as soon as they transpire. The press thus disseminates knowledge and exerts an influence that cannot be measured. The press of Rock Island County is the equal of that of any like community in the country, and is doing much to mold public opinion. The pub- lishers of this Album would here render to the newspaper men of this county a world of thanks as a mild expression of their obligations for many and valued favors received at their hands. They showed a willingness to encourage and aid every enterprise with its aim to educate the people or preserve the historical record of the county. The editor of this volume is indebted to Col. Danforth, of the Rock Islander, the oldest newspaper man in the county, for the greater part of the facts given in this article. ( Rock Island Banner and Stephenson Gazette. HE first attempt at starting a printing-office and publishing a newspaper in Rock Island was by Henry C. McGrew, in 1839. The office was in the second story of a two-story wooden building, on what is now Sixteenth Street, formerly Buffalo. The Rock Island Banner and Stephenson Gazette was the name of the V paper. It was a five-column folio, " devoted to news, < arts, sciences, literature, agriculture," etc., and neu- tral in politics. The Banner suspended publication in the fall of 1841. Mr. McGrew deserved well of the community, and ought to have succeeded ; but the limes were unfavorable for a neutral or even an independent paper. The remarkable political ex- citement during the Presidential campaign of 1840 aroused bitter prejudices on both sides, and he joined with the Democratic party. The Illinois Cultivator. |N the spring of 1840 was commenced the publication of the above-named paper, de. voted to agriculture and education. The Upper Mississippian, in its issue for Nov. 5, 1840, thus speaks of it: "This valuable agri- cultural paper is published monthly in this place by Messrs. Gould and Jenks, the former taking (« charge of the agricultural, and the latter the educa- ^mmfo*& ft 1 708 35 (!) w» ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4*t^Cd) nature to give aid and comfort to the rebels, and dis- courage and dishearten our brave army, meet with our deepest detestation and abhorrence ; and we be- lieve for such traitorous acts the civilized world will, in all coming time, assign them a place in public es- teem compared to which the Tories in the Revolu- tion bear no comparison. At the June term the Board set forth its views in still stronger terms, and strongly denounced any and all so-called peace congresses. It also denounced the attitude of the Legislature in its policy toward the Administration. In September, 1864, the Board re-affirmed their previous resolutions, and resolved that it " considered the claims of our country paramount to all other claims," and pledged itself " not to make any new appropriations of county money or means that will conflict with this high duty or lessen our ability in this direction." That the Board did its duty none can doubt. The resources of the county was strained to the utmost to meet all demands for help from the needy families of the soldiers and to promote enlist- ments. As already stated, every call was quickly responded to and the credit of Rock Island for loyal- ty to the Government was sustained. When the last call was met, when the brave boys that were left re- turned to their homes and families, even then the Board did not consider its duty done. There were many children in the county who had been made orphans by the war who must receive its kind atten- tions. A Soldiers' Orphans' Home had been estab- lished at Normal for the care and education of all such, and to this institution $1,000 was appropriated. A large number of children were sent to the school from this county and appropriations were made for their welfare. The school at Fulton also received accessions from this county of soldiers' orphans, and appropriations were made for their maintenance. Maj. Quincy McNeil, by order of the Board, com- piled a list of the soldiers from this county, which is on file in the office of the County Clerk. It shows a total of 2,299 men, as follows: 1 2th Illinois Inf. 13th " 68 103 62 140th " 148th " Various " 4th Illinois Cav. 9th 72 6 7° 5 2 95 49 1 51st 58th 65 th 66th 69th 7 1st Sgth 93 d I02d 126th 133d 49 135 44 36 64 r 9 101 9 1 12 462 70 17th " _ " Pennsylvania reg. Iowa Missouri Colorado Maryland Wisconsin Indiana Kansas Minnesota " Gunboat service 2 5 1 118 10 2 1 7 1 29 2 1 -S®"$= The \ 95 V Soldiers' Monument. VEN before the close of the war, measures were taken for the erection of a monument to commemorate those who lost their lives in the service of their country, and the sum of $2,000 was appropriated for that purpose. A committee was appointed to procure plans and make all necessary arrangements for its erection in a /^ suitable place ; but after fully considering the matter it was thought best to defer action for a time money was drawn, however, and lloaned out, thus accumulating interest. In March, 1867, the commit- tee having the matter in charge reported that they thought the time had come when action should be taken. They were instructed to proceed with the work. Accordingly, plans were secured and the work commenced, resulting in the handsome monu- ment now standing in the Court-House Square. On the 9th day of April, 1869, on the fourth anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox the monument was unveiled. One of the largest crowds that ever assembled in the city of Rock Island was present on the occasion. In the procession were the Masonic, Odd Fellow and Good Templar societies, lodges of the city, the firemen and civic societies, the Mayor and City Council of Davenport, the Mayor and City Council of Rock Island, the Presi- dent and Board of Trustees each of Moline and Milan, the Board of Supervisors of the county, and citizens. The late Emery A. Storrs, of Chicago, de- livered a masterly oration. Everything passed off in a pleasant manner, and while tears were shed for the brave boys who perished, all rejoiced that their memory would be perpetuated and that generations yet unborn would know of their heroic deeds. I I a4m®hii^ z_ — HN^$>f li ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 709 - H§ ^^c @_A<3U[|gu|];'^A^ 3^n \ N the spring of 1840 was commenced the 1 publication of the above-named paper, de. voted to agriculture and education. The Upper Mississippian, in its issue for Nov. 5, A 1840, thus speaks of it: "This valuable agri- p cultural paper is published monthly in this j£ place by Messrs. Gould and Jenks, the former taking (4 charge of the agricultural, and the latter the educa- ^y m v> (o> T2f€^ er^BO&flfli'^'r^ — —^m 710 'A V* 1=3 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. A ational department. It was commenced in March last, and has already received about 1,000 subscribers. Both editors are natives of Maine, whose energetic sons are always indefatigable in all their under- takings, and rarely ever fail in gaining the end desired. We wish every farmer who reads this notice would send to Stephenson for the Illinois Cultivator. He will never regret the $1.50 for the subscription." The first number of the paper was issued in March, 1840, " P. Gould, editor and proprietor; H. McGrew, printer." It was an eight-page paper, three columns to a page, and size of pages 8% by 13 inches. Gould & Jenks were the proprietors — P. Gould and J. W. Jenks. But notwithstanding its boast of r,ooo subscribers, it proved to be a losing concern, and died in a few months. Gould left before the publi- cation was abandoned, and Jenks returned to Massa- chusetts. Previous to his coming to Rock Island to live, Jenks had been a Chaplain on board a United States war vessel. The Upper Mississippian. rf. O |^ HE Banner having become a Democratic paper, the Whigs felt the necessity of start- W^ ing a paper at Stephenson. Accordingly, 't>S on October 5, 184.0, appeared the first number of the Upper Mississippian, under the man- agement of Daniel Crist. It was a six-column folio, published at $2.50 per year. Daniel Crist was born Nov. 30, 1806, near Lewisburg, Union Co., Pa. His father was a farmer. At t4 years of age he was clerk in the store of a man named Boyd, in Danville, Pa.; at 19 he became an apprentice to George Sweeney, in Danville, to learn the printer's trade ; at 2r he was a "jour." printer in Harrisburg; at 25 he returned to Danville and married a daughter of George Sweeney, and went to Angelica, Allegany Co., N. Y., and published the Allegany Republican, a Whig paper. In 1834 he came to this State, working sometimes as a surveyor, and sometimes as a printer, in Springfield. He went back to Angelica, where he had left his family, then to Danville, Pa., and came again to this State in 1836, stopping in Ellisville, in Fulton County. In 1840 he came to Rock Island. He had quite a limited education, but was persevering, experiencing many " ups and downs" — sometimes printing a newspaper, sometimes keeping a tavern, and sometimes making brick out at Case's Yards, He left Rock Island in 1852, for Sharon, Whiteside County, where he carried on a store on commission. He was then a farmer in Henry County ; then a clerk in a store at Annawan, that county, and about r86o left for California, and was Postmaster in Lodi, San Joaquin County, and assisted his son, Daniel L., in his store. He died there Nov. r4, 1874, aged about 68 years. His first wife died in March, 1848, and in October, 1849, he married Mrs. Elizabeth William, a widow, of this place. He had a large family. Dr. Silas Reed assisted in the preparation of edi- torial matter for some months, though never con- nected with the paper in a business capacity. The Upper Mississippian had a remarkable career, the greater part of its editorial space being taken up in personal quarrels. It had a hard time financially, being compelled occasionally to suspend a week or two at a time for want of means to procure paper. In the issue for June 16, 1842, appeared the follow- ing: There was no paper issued from this office last week. Reason, no paper. No paper! Cause, no money. However, we have the gratification to ac- knowledge the receipt of the following sums since then, which will procure paper for two weeks, viz. ; Thos. McCabe, $5, and S. W. Bowman, $1.50, of Lee County; and R. L. Wilson, of Whiteside Coun- ty, $3- Again, July 2t, 1842, the following: This week makes up the 26th number or the half year of the second volume of the Upper Mississip- pian; and there will be no paper issued until we can get a supply of paper, as we are out of — sorts. The expense, delay and want of cash to buy paper, caused Maj. Frazer Wilson to propose that a quantity of white muslin be procured and cut into pieces the size of the forms, and print the paper on these and send them out to the " numerous " subscribers, and after they had read them then return them and have them washed out for the next issue! The suggestion was not adopted, but Crist's supplication for money seems to have had the desired effect, for the paper continued to appear, and was running over with the quarrel between Crist and D. G. Garnsey, Receiver of Public Moneys at Dixon, and C. A Garnsey, Post- master at Rock Island. ^ t -*$$*■ — £^q n® mi&A£ — :s ^- c ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Sept. 24, 1842, is an announcement that the Jj Garnsey clique, by J. E. Brackett, their attorney, re- ; plevined the press and type in the name of John G. I Powers, and that the paper for that week was printed at the Gazette office over the river. It is a red-hot number. On the 24th of November,- 1842, Crist gave notice that he had purchased a new press and was again under way. In March, 1844, Thomas Gregg, now of Hamilton, 111., became associate editor, remaining until Oct. 5, 1844. In November, 1844, Crist sold the office to Harmon G. Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds' life was an eventful one. He was one of the. most prominent, able and influential of the early settlers here. He was bom Dec. 21, 18 10, at Moreau, Saratoga Co., N. Y., and raised principally in Berlin, Washington Co., Vt. He was only able to read and write, with a small knowledge of arith- metic, grammar and geography at 21; worked and 'studied antil 27, and was then admitted to the Bar -at Montpelier. Vt. He was a Jackson Democrat in ■* 1825, and ever after. He emigrated to Rock Island E^Co., 111., in June, 1837, and practiced law in this jfecounty until 1S50; taught school in Rock Island ^and Hampton over two years ; elected Magistrate in Hampton, December, 183-8; elected Probate Justice, ^ August, 1839 and 1843; State's Attorney, January, 1850. He removed to Cambridge; thence in March, 185 1, to Knoxville, and was elected County Judge of Knox County, November, 1853; appointed Post- master at Rock Island in 1847, and in Knoxville in 1854. He was a very prominent member of the Masonic Order. In July, 1858, Mr. Reynolds removed to Spring- field, and in 1862 commenced the publication of the Masonic Trozvel. From 1838 to 1850, he was often in peril of his life, as, from the settlement of this county up to that time, the whip, bludgeon, fist, knife and pistol were of frequent use — and occasionally since. Mr. Rey- nolds, when last heard from, was a resident of Blue Rapids, Marshall Co., Kan, engaged in the practice of his profession, the law. Mr. Reynolds changed the name of the paper to the Upper Mississippian and Rock Island Republi- £ can. The name of '' H. G. Reynolds, editor and ^ publisher," was followed by " H. C. Randall, printer." Randall subsequently became a partner of Reynolds. / \& The paper finally passed into the hands of Jonas H. Case, who retained Mr. Reynolds as editor. It is supposed to have died in the spring of 1847. The first year of Reynolds' administration, while he pub- lished a neutral paper, he made it a success, but when it espoused the cause of Democracy, the Whigs withdrew their support. The Northwestern Advertiser. i N 1845 the Whigs were again without a newspaper. Dr. Horatio P. Gatchell and Miles VV. Conway, in the fall of that year, issued a prospectus for a new paper, to be f,S known as the Independent Republican. A suc- cessful effort was made to have them change their plans, and instead of issuing a neutral or inde- pendent sheet, print a Whig paper. Accordingly, the Northwestern Advertiser made its appearance as an exponent of Whig principles. Mr. Conway died within three or four weeks after the paper made its first appearance. His death greatly discouraged Dr. Gatchell, who relied much on his aid and busi- ness management. The paper did not prove a suc- cess, it being too scholarly to suit the times, and gave too little attention to local and political affairs. He is thus spoken qi by one who knew him well: Dr. Gratchell will be remembered by old resi- dents of Rock Island and Davenport as an eloquent and talented minister of the sect known as Disciples. As a pulpit orator he was one of the most eloquent and effective speakers of that day, and was in pri- vate life a man of irreproachable character. But whatever induced him to become a journalist was a puzzle to every one. If it was to print as well as preach his sermons it was not necessary, for he could preach them extempore quite as well as he wrote them, and people in those days appeared to prefer to take their gospel orally. Dr. Gatchell soon disposed of the office, Wm. Van- dever becoming the purchaser. He settled in Rock Island in the spring of 1839, and the first year was a clerk in a store. Afterwards he spent some time in the law office of Knox & Drury, and subsequently did some Government surveying. In 1844 he was elected County Cleik, and served two years. On the -s^^ — ^a^h n@tifli^A© — ^€^- « g#»- TT-7 4:BII§IIDi> ^ ! 1-^V>/, 712 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. <§, i I election of Gen. Taylor he was appointed to a clerk- ship in Washington and afterwards to a clerkship in the office of the Survejor-General of Iowa, at Du- buque, opening a law office. In 1S58 lie was elected to Congress on the Republican ticket in the Dubuque district, and was re-elected in i860. On the break- ing out of the war he entered the military service of the United States as Colonel of the Ninth Iowa Vol. Infantry. He was born at Baltimore, Md., on the 3rstdayof March, 1817. Mr. Vandever continued as editor and publisher of the paper for about a year, when the office was sold to Messrs. Sanders & Da- vis, of the Gazette, in Davenport, whe published it a few months, when it became the property of F. R. Bennett, though Mr. Vandever was connected with the editorial management until after the election of Gen. Taylor, in 1848. Mr. Bennett changed the name of the paper to the Rock Island Advertiser. ~~ ' : : O .' : ■^~~ Rock Island Advertiser. R. BENNETT continued alone in the publication of the paper till 1851, when * r ? s A. G. Brackett became an associate, the t \ partnership continuing until October, 1853. Mr. Brackett has had an exciting career, serv- ing for many years in the regular army in vari- ous grades, from Lieutenant to Colonel. In 1855 he was appointed by Franklin Pierce, President of the United States, a Captain of cavalry in the United States Army. After raising, by recruits from Rock Island, a company of regulars for the Second Regt. U. S. Cav., he proceeded to Texas to guard the country from the hostile incursions of Indians and Mexicans, where he remained four years, until the breaking out of the war between the States, with much difficulty escaping from Texas. Making his way to Florida, thence to Cuba and New York, he proceeded to Washington. After recruiting his company at Carlisle Barracks, Penn., he marched to Washington and was with the first troops that crossed the Potomac into Virginia. In the fall of i86r he raised the Ninth 111. Vol. Cav. Regt., of which he was Colonel through the war. The Advertiser of Sept. 14, 1853, contains the valedictory of Mr. Bennett, who, since the retirement of Col. Brackett, about a year previously, had been the sole editor and proprietor. The same issue also contains the introduction of the new proprietors, Thomas R. Raymond and Oliver P. Wharton. The partnership continued till Sept. 13, 1854, when it was dissolved by mutual consent, Mr. Wharton con- tinuing the publication of the paper and Mr. Ray- mond opening a job office. In December, 1853, they started the Tri- Weekly Advertiser. In the fall of r855 Mr. Wharton started the Daily Advertiser, and he writes that he " stood under and over the enter- prise till the spring of 1858, or about that time, when it became too heavy for me and I suspended the paper. " In the publication of the weekly a partnership was formed in January, 1S56, by Mr. Wharton, with I. S. Hyatt. This did not long continue. The paper was continued by Wharton until August, 1S56, when T. R. Raymond became sole proprietor. In December following Dr. S. A. Paddock became associated with Raymond in its publication. The partnership con- tinued about one year, when Dr. Paddock retired. In the spring of 1S58 the paper died. The Liberty Banner. '■|>7~lf HE fifth effort to establish a newspaper in [Vgaj ii Rock Island was by C. B. Waite, who has , -i^since been Chief Justice of Utah. The Liberty Banner was started in the spring of <$ 1846, — a small, unpretentious sheet, advocat- ing the abolition of slavery in the United States. This was not a popular side to take at that time, both the great parties, the Democrats and the Whigs, violently opposing the doctrines of the Abo- litionists ; and as the party had no offices or spoils to dispense, its followers were few and generally were poor. He had no printing office and procured his work done in the office of Reynold's Upper Missis- sippian and Rock Island Republican. Mr. Waite was born at Red Creek, Wayne Co., N. Y., Jan. 29, 1824. His father removed to Illinois with his family in 1840, and settled on the prairie west of Chicago. He was educated at various com- mon schools and finally entered Knox College and went through the Freshmen's year. He learned the •>v- t : \ t£7 ^nnsDD^^ **xT ISfe ||W^)^ ^ @V<>t] D S H U<^3 ^ .ffOCX ISLAND COUNTY. A (!) !-#■ — °H!!§iH®>° — *~W- — ■ The Hock Island Argus. ROM the discontinuance of the Upper WL Mississippian and Rock Island Republican. c ''^' in 1S47, to tne fall of 1851, the Democrats f3 were without a newspaper to advocate their ^ principles, the Advertiser, a Whig paper, being the only newspaper published here. In the fall of 1851 Fred S. Nichols and John W. Dunham purchased of George K. Budd, of the St. Louis In- telligencer, second-hand materials for a small weekly paper, and on the 18th of October of that year they issued the first number of a Democratic paper called the Rock Island Republican, the name of which was changed to Argus in December, 1855, because a po- litical party had assumed the name Republican, and to continue the paper under that name would de- ceive many as to its political character. The paper was started in the back room of the sec- ond story of Whitaker & Everts' store, opposite the Rock Island House. In the summer of r854 Mr. Charles Buford built his four-story brick block, north- east corner of Seventeenth Street and Second Ave- nue — the first four-story building in Rock Island — and the Argus printing establishment was moved into that building in November, 1854, and it remained there for 17 years. In the summer of iS7t the Argus Block was erected and the office moved to its present location in October of that year. Mr. Nichols, one of the founders of the paper, was a native of Macomb Co., Mich., and born in 1828, removing with his parents to Davenport, Iowa, in 1838. He learned the printer's trade in the offices of the Advertiser, Rock Island, and Republican, St. Louis. Dunham was born in East Tennessee and learned the printer's trade in Nashville. He was a genial, whole-souled man — a born gentleman in the truest sense of the word. He remained but six weeks at Rock Island, when he returned to St. Louis, and afterward removed to New Orleans, where he died of yellow fever during the epidemic in that city in Nichols continued the paper alone until 1852, when he sold a one-half interest to J. B. Danforth, Jr., and March 16, following, he sold his remaining interest to Danforth, and soon afterwards left for the gold fields of Australia and lived in the mining dis- trict of Beechworth and engaged in mining, chiefly, during his stay in that country. From the time Dan- forth became interested in the 'paper, Nichols gave himself no further concern about the office. He " made up the forms " and " pulled off" the weekly edition occasionally, but that was about all. Mr. Danforth continued alone until January, 1, 1856, when he associated with himself Robert V. Shurly in the publication of the paper, selling him a one- third interest. On the 16th of September, 1857, Pershing & Connelly purchased the remaining inter- ests of Danforth. These gentlemen had been pub- lishing the Rock Islander for some time previ- ously, and on purchasing the Argus office they I it m m &»- ■^©^ — @?A4HIIISnil*> TsT T? V^OD^IlDr> -*°&^%3 I % to (0 > ^ 714 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. united the two papers under the name of the Islander and Argus. On the 23d cf September Mr. Shurly severed his connection with the paper, Milton Jones becoming the purchaser. Mr. Danforth, Sept. 16, 1859, re-purchased his two-thirds interest of Persh- ing & Connelly, and with Mr. Jones continued the publication of the paper. In 1869 Robert T. Mc- Neal purchased of Mr. Danforth one-half interest in the office and Mr. Jones the remaining one-sixth, Jones & McNeal thus becoming equal and sole pro- prietors. On the 1st of January, 1870, J. S. Drake purchased the interest of McNeal, and in 1873 a stock company was organized under the general in- corporatin law of the State. In 1881 the office was purchased by Richardson & Powers, who ran the paper about one year and then sold it to John W. Potter, of Freeport. Mr. Potter placed the office in charge of his son, John W. Potter, Jr., a born newspaper man, who has since had control. In May, 1S85, Mr. Potter died, and the son, John \V. Potter, Jr., became sole proprietor. The Argus is a neat and well-printed paper, ably edited, and reflects credit upon its editor and man- ager and ably represents the Democratic party. For a personal sketch of its editor and proprietor see page 643. ^3- -^h- % The Daily Argus. ^IgSpJTHE first issue of the daily made its appear- E nJsU i ance J 11 ')' '3' '854, as an evening paper. r^* It was the first daily published in Rock Island, or within 100 miles of the place. It was published as an evening paper till Dec. 17, 1S55, when it was changed to a morning paper and continued as such until Nov. 18, 1861 when it was changed back to an evening paper and has continued as such ever since. During the owner- ship of Pershing & Connelly, on the 18th of July, 1859, the daily was suspended and a tri-weekly is- sued. This was continued until Sept. 1, i86i,when the publication of the daily was resumed. The pub- lication of the daily was again re-commenced by its present enterprising editor, J. W. Potter, who has made it one of the most newsy and interesting dailies published in the State, outside of Chicago. . , The Rock Islander. £ N the summer of 185 1 there came to Rock Island a young man named Emanuel J. Pershing, seekinr in a change of climate to reinvigorate a weak constitution. He had been connected with the Mountain Echo, a news- paper published at Johnstown, Pa , and his tastes naturally ran in the direction of newspaper life. It was at a time when the people were greatly excited about " the Nebraska bill," as it was called — a bill reported by Senator Douglas, as chairman of the committee on territories, for the organization of the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska, repealing " the Missouri Compromise " and establishing " squat- ter sovereignty," leaving the people who should lo- cate in those territories to settle the slavery question for themselves. The Democracy of Rock Island were divided on the question of the propriety of the bill, as, indeed, they were nearly everywhere. Joseph Knox, George Mixter, and a few others, anti-Ne- braska, anti-Douglas Democrats, encouraged young Pershing to start an anti-Nebraska Democratic paper. Mr. Pershing procured material and started a weekly paper, issuing the first number on the rgth of September, 1854, calling it the Rock Islander. The office was in the basement of Lemuel Andrews' building. Though generally regarded at that time as an anti-Nebraska paper, the Rock Islander sup- ported the regular Democracy at all times and was always a warm friend to Judge Douglas. The office remained in Andrews' building until Bailey & Boyle's block (now Mitchell & Lynde's block) was erected, when it was moved to the third story- of that building and there remained until it was united with the Argus on the 16th of September, 1 S 5 7 . The Daily Rock Islander was started in May, 1855, and published until its union with the Argus. Mr. Pershing was bom in Johnstown, Cambria Co., Pa., in the year 1831. From boyhood he was a close reader and diligent student. For a short time he attended the academy at Elder's Ridge, Indiana Co., Pa., under the charge of Rev. Alex. Donaldson, D. D. Subsequently he entered as a student Jeffer- son College, at Canonsburg, Pa. In 1857 or 1858 he \$ & ® i ^ " ' Q/^ mh^^ — ^^ *%^§jWI T7 v<^nB^PDj:> T - £^C .ffCCtf" ISLAND COUNTY. 715 f : was admitted to the Bar, in Rock Island > From his earliest years he was compelled to battle with ill health, and he came West, in the hope of improving his physical condition. Books were his delight and •j. newspaper office had great charms for him ; but it was too exhausting and he was reluctantly com- pelled to seek a more active life. He was a consist- ent member of the Presbyterian Church and was most amiable in all his ways. In the early part of July, i860, he left Rock Isl- and to visit friends in Pennsylvania, where he died suddenly, at the Continential Hotel, Philadelphia, July 22, i860. The Rock Islander under his management was an able, dignified, well conducted newspaper, and its editors and proprietors men of high character, always held in great respect by all the people. Mr. Persh- ing's early death was much lamented. His surviving partner, Maj. Connelly, is yet one of the leading citi- zens of Rock Island, honored and respected by all. In the fall of 1877 the County Central Committee of the Working-Men's party of Rock Island County g issued a prospectus for the publication of a paper =t devoted to the interests of that party. The prospec- 7 tus set forth very distinctly the principles which would be advocated, among which were the taxation » of Government bonds, taxation of incomes above $800 per year, the percentage of taxation being in- creased in the ratio of increase of income, the revis- ion of the tariff laws in the interest of the working men, greenbacks to be the only national currency, change in the system of taxation that the rich might pay the same proportion as men of small means, re- vision of the patent laws that monopolies might not be fostered, reduction of army and navy expenses, opposition to Government subsidies, reduction of the number of civil officers, the remonetization of silver, payment of the Government debt in greenbacks, the better remuneration of labor and its protection. Col. J. B. Danforth, Jr., agreed with the committee to purchase an office and publish the paper, provid- ed sufficient encouragement should be given for its support. In a very short time a large subscription was secured, and on the 5th day of January, 1878, the first number of the paper made its appearance, a large, handsome nine-column folio. Mr. Danforth having retired from the Argus, thought best to re- vive the Rock Islander, which was formerly well known to the citizens of the county, rather than to start a paper under a new name. In his salutatory, Mr. Danforth says of the Rock Islander: " Its mis- sion will be to watch for and oppose all legislation which gives advantages to the rich over the poor, to warn the people that constant vigilance is the price of freedom. Its discussions will be conducted in candor and with a view to truth and justice. It will treat everybody fairly and justly, and strive to incul- cate good morals, and to benefit the mass of the peo- ple. It will be a working-men's paper, a greenback paper, a silver paper, a grange paper, a business newspaper, a good family paper, a paper through which the men and women who work in factories, shops, mills, or for railroads or other corporations, and in which laborers, farmers and business men can all find a friend, and be heard in any matter of pub- lic interest — a paper which should be in every house." Every one who knows Col. Danforth knows that the principles set forth in the prospectus would find in him a steadfast friend, and that his blows in defense of that which he considered right would fall thick and fast. He is one among the few men born to the editorial profession, and in his writings could not be dull if he tried. The Rock Islander has been a suc- cess from the start. It is well-printed, ably edited, and worthy of the cause which it espouses. See personal sketch of Mr. Danforth on 'page 637. 1 I vg) ■v&&®%& |-^4— >*@£a 1=3 ^ ^) ^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. >v^ 717 tor, and in 1841 moved to Chicago. At the break- ing oat of the Mexican War he enlisted as a member of Co. E, Second Regt. 111. Vol., and participated in several battles, the chiefest of which was that of Buena Vista. At this battle he stood a few feet from Colonels Hardin, McKee and Clay, who fell in the desperate charge about 4 o'clock on the 23d of February, 1847. He was especially complimented by General Wood during the engagement. At the close of the war he returned to newspaper work, and was connected with several papers before coining to Moline, in 1858, where he published, in connection with Robert H. Graham, the Moline In- dependent for one year. He removed to Rock Island the next year and became one of the editors of the Register, issued three times a week, and supported Abraham Lincoln for President. In the summer of 1861 he aided in raising a com- pany here for the war, and was chosen Captain. The company went into camp at Chicago, and on the 18th of September was organized as a part of the 37 th 111. Vols., with Captain Barnes as Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment. He was, after Colonel Julius White's promotion, made Colonel. Coming home from the army, he bought the Union, as already stated, in May, 1863, and continued its publication till August, 1864, when he sold the es- tablishment to William Caffrey, who retained the office but three months, and being unable to pay for it, it again passed into the hands of Colonel Barnes, who continued its publication till the fall of 1 866, when he sold to Captain Haverstick. Colonel Barnes in 1872 went to Galesburg, 111., where for several years he had charge of the Free Press. Shortly after Captain Haverstick purchased the Union establishment-he bought the Moline Republi- can and merged it into the Union. While engaged in compiling his history of the press, Colonel Dan- forth wrote Captain Haverstick for some points in his life, and received the following : " I entered the world in the usual way ; I was baptized in infancy, studied the Heidelberg Cate- chism and was confirmed in the German Reformed Church, by a preacher who used to trade horses and steal pumpkins from my father. I grew up to the age of 17 between a pair of plow-handles on one of the rockiest and stumpiest farms in the Cumberland Valley, in the meantime gathering what knowledge I could in an old log school- house, whose distinguish- ing feature was a pair of wooden pegs behind the teacher's desk, on which lay two or three birchen hoop-poles for disciplinary purposes in the school. I taught school myself awhile, and finally struggled into college — the college that graduated James Bu- chanan, Judge Greer, of the Supreme Court, John A. J. Cresswell and other eminent men. About four months before I graduated, the faculty gave me unanimous permission to leave for a time, which I did, but returned, passed my examination and re- ceived my degree of A. B., standing second in my class, and delivering the Latin Salutatory on Com- mencement Day. Three years later the same faculty selected me to deliver the Master's Oration, and be- stowed upon me the degree of A. M., for which I paid them $5. I worked at a paper-mill one sum- mer — that is to say, I drove a mule team by day and studied Andrews' Latin Grammar by night. There are many (to me) interesting occurrences in my his- tory which modesty and a due regard for your patience forbid me enumerating. I will only add that I am married six years, have a wife and three children, probably the healthiest and noisiest young- sters of their age in the State. Built my own house and barn, and built the present Union office. Am poor as country newspaper men usually are, and as Divine Providence seems to indicate they shall ever remain. Am now in the pottery business, making good ware and allowing the usual discount to the trade. The P. P.'s which I am now manufacturing are highly commended, and the business promises to be a blessing alike to the Western public and to yours, etc., L. M. Haverstick." Captain Haverstick remained editor of the Union until Sept. 23, 1874, when he was succeeded by Wal- ter Johnson. In 1876 he was again editor of the paper for a few months, but sold out in October of that year. In March, 1874, the office passed into the hands of a joint-stock company, which was organized with a capital stock of $20,000. Several changes have been made in the ownership of the stock, but Walter Johnson has continued since its organization, and W. H. Burdett since 1876. These two gentlemen own the greater part of the stock at the present time. W. H. Burdett is president, and Walter Johnson, secretary, while each assists in the editorial work. The Union is considered a good investment, and is m 1 4, i V r K^^ -^- i fit ^hd$oii&a^ — ^^- Q 718 is; &7<$M&W&&> : ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. one of the reliable Republican papers of the State. The Daily Union was commenced in 1S62, though but a few numbers were issued. In June, 1863, its publication was resumed as an evening paper, and was so continued until 1866, when it was changed to a morning paper, and as such continues to be pub- lished. The Union is the only paper publishing the Associated Press dispatches. ~^>€1 The American Law Reporter. (SJ&ttwjL ft /> *N the fall of 1872 a young lawyer, named L. G. Johnson, attempted to establish a newspaper in this locality, for the purpose of reporting decisions of courts, especially Iowa and Illinois courts, and furnishing such other legal information as should be of use to lawyers, justices of the peace, sheriffs, constables and other officers. Two other persons were interested with him in the enterprise, but their names did not appear in the paper. The paper was called The American Law Reporter. It was a quarto, of good size and appearance, the mechanical execution being fine. The first number was issued in November, 1872, in Davenport, though Mr. Johnson made his headquarters in this city. After awhile he purchased printing material and opened an office in Union Block, Washington Street (now 18th Street) in this city. The paper was issued weekly for 18 weeks, and ceased for want of support. •*gfl )... The Liberty League. OBERT TOMPKINS and Isaac N. Kirkpat- - rick either leased or purchased the print- imm ' ing-office in Union Block, and The Ameri- fiy\ can Law Reporter, in its last days, was printed there, — also a paper called The Lib- erty League, the first number of which is dated April 3, 1873. It was a handsome eight-column paper. Says Danforth in his history of the press of Rock Island : " Typographically it was a very neat paper. In- tellectually it was very weak. The name of no man was connected with it, and who composed "The Lib- erty League Publishing Comoany" was not known ; in fact no such organization existed. The paper was started as an organ and mouth-piece of the liquor dealers of this city and adjoining towns, but it hadn't brains enough to be "a sheet-anchor," as they claimed for it, for an empty whisky barrel. It lived two or three weeks only, and Johnson says somebody stole the material of the office, run it off in the night, shipped it to Burlington, Iowa, and sold it. And that was the end of The Liberty League and of the Union Block printing-office. The Beobaehter am Mississipian AS the first newspaper in Rock Island printed in the German language, and was started in 1857. It was a small, weekly paper. It was started by Magnus Mueller, in Charles Buford's block. It was neutral in politics, and was edited by Dr. Fr. Ciolina. The paper was not well supported and survived only about one year. Dr. Ciolina was a physician who resided here and practiced his profession some years. He was born at Nierstadt, southwestern Bavaria, in 1S17; was educated at the University of Berne, Switzerland, as a doctor of medicine. He came to America in 1838, and to Rock Island some time pre- vious to 1856. His name appears in the city direc- tory of 1 856 as residing at the corner of Jefferson and Rock River Streets. He was a man of ability, and was a forcible writer and public speaker. He left here many years ago for Chicago. -K3- -£*- Chronik des Westens. \®>*v • '■' ( ;Y; t ECEMBER, i8<;o, was the date when the ;■ &2|g£J., material of the Bcobachtci office was pur- ■"'i'vY " c l lase d by Adam and George Lieber- ti** knecht, who, on the first day of January, i860 started a weekly newspaper, printed in the German language, called the Chronik des Wes- tens. The name was afterwards changed to Monitor ^xmm^s & «> im? *^@^- ry T<^Da^iinf^ ry ^2»%£^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 1 719 ties Western. This paper, like its predecessor, was neutral in politics. Though a better paper than the Beobachter and living longer, it failed to command a paying support, and ceased to exist sometime in 1863. Some months after it was started Adam Lieber- knecht disposed of his interest to his brother George and removed to Geneseo. During the latter part of the existence of the pa- per Mr. Adam Schaaf was connected with George Lieberknecht in the publication of the Monitor. He did not remain long and Mr. Lieberknecht was the sole owner and conductor for the balance of its ex- istence. The office remained idle on the hands of its owner for some time, and was finally sold and re- moved from town. George Lieberknecht removed to Geneseo and engaged in business. -S3- -«- The Neue Volks-Zeitung. N the spring of 1875 Mr. Charles C. Winter, one of the editors of the Westliche Post, of St. Louis, having been informed that there was a general desire in Rock Island and vicin- ity for a newspaper printed in the German language, came here in April of that year for the purpose of considering the project. After con- sulting with the German-born citizens of the town and county he became satisfied that there was a promising field for an enterprising and well-conducted German paper here. He accordingly returned to St. Louis and made arrangements for material, and re- turned about the middle of August of that year pre- pared for the enterprise. On the 30th of August the first number of a hand- some semi-weekly paper, entitled " Neue Volks-Zei- tuug,"wa.s issued from Zeiss building on the north- east corner of 18th Street and Second Avenue. On the 15th of September the office was removed to the Union office, on 1 8th Street. The paper was a success from the start. In politics it is thoroughly independent. Mr. Winter, its editor and proprietor, in his salutatory, said : The Neue Volks-Zeitung will freely discuss all political questions of the day in an independent manner, commending what it thinks good in both parties and condemning in each what it thinks is wrong. And this position it has admirably maintained, discussing every phase of national and local politics with vigor, fairnesss, impartiality and perfect inde- pendence. It is also an enterprising paper for local, town and county news. Mr. Winter was born on April 21, 1842, at Heidel- berg, Germany, where he was educated and attended a course of philology and history at the celebrated university there. He then entered the publishing house of his father. In 1866 he arrived in this country to set up in business for himself. He filled editorial positions on several prominent German- American papers. Ever since his arrival in this country Mr. Winter has been a contributor to the American press. He wrote a series of essays and reviews on European literature for the Nation. In May, 1882, George L. Lechner became pro- prietor and continued its publication two months, when F. Protar purchased the office. The paper is still continued as a semi-weekly and under Mr. Protar's management is independent in politics. The German-Americans in Rock Island County are ably represented by the Volks-Zeitung, the prefix " New " having been dropped. The Moline Workman. ^ v£ HE first newspaper in Moline was started by Amos Smith, Aug. 21, 1854, and was ^ called the Moline Workman. It was po- '■"K&^ litically anti-slavery. Smith rented his office 11 of James Chapman, then a lawyer and banker in Moline — son-in law of Mr. John Deere. Mr. Chapman always had a warm side for newspa- pers, and has written a good deal for them — espe- cially for the Work/nan, and later for the Citizen, as well as other papers. Amos Smith had a clear head, was genial, kind-hearted, and very generally esteemed by all who knew him. Poor health and failing eye- sight compelled him to relinquish an occupation he was much attached to, and in 1857 he sold out to Graham & Webster and returned to his kinsmen and home in New Jersey. He was never married. He ^«T J2-&. 3$ \\ 720 as, 4jnn-snDf>r JPtfCX ISLAND COUNTY. nearly or quite lost his eye-sight, and a few years afterwards died, much regretted by many warm friends. The Moline Independent. ii>3 OBERT H. GRAHAM and Alfred Webster, in February, r 857, purchased the office of the Moline Workman and changed the name of the paper to Moline Independent, is- suing their first number on the 25th of that month. In May, 1858, Webster sold his in- terest to Graham and retired. In April, 1859,0. H. Brennan became a partner with Graham, and re- mained such until the 28th of December following, when he sold out to Col. M. S. Barnes. In i860, Graham was again sole proprietor. He went to the war in August, 1861, and J. A. Kuck, his brother-in- law, managed the paper until October, 1S62, when it was discontinued. Robert H. Graham was a na- tive of New York, locating in Moline about the time he became connected with the Independent. He aided in raising a cavalry company in Moline in August, 1861, was made Captain and took his com- pany to Leavenworth, Kan. He was subsequently made Lieutenant-Colonel of the 14th Missouri Reg- iment, and again promoted to the Colonelcy of the Eighth Kansas Regiment. Ill health compelled his resignation, and he died Nov. n, 1862. -weafirSfS'*''— !;. ' %t—&$®rttt*> The Moline Citizen. M. LINNEHAN started a job-printing office in Moline in May, 1856, in connec- tion with Wallace & Sickles, known as the " Franklin Book and Job Printing House.'' ^K, In July, 1S58, the Citizen was started by F. M. Linnehan, as a semi-weekly Democratic paper of small size. In September, Linnehan ad- mitted James Bowie as a partner. In January, 1859, they enlarged the paper to nine columns to the page and published it as a weekly. In February, Linnehan sold out to Bowie, on time, taking a mort- gage. The paper was not a success, and as Bowie could not pay, the paper ceased to exist some time during the summer of 1859, and Linnehan took pos- session of the property, and in 1863 moved the ma- terial to Marengo, Iowa, where he started the Iowa Valley Gazette, continuing its publication until No- vember, 1864, when he sold the establishment and went to Dubuque. The Moline Eepubliean. & T!^ rWv]5 O newspaper was printed in Moline from rj (yj ' 1 '..-. ■ :. I :i..- /v : '■';..' -v.' 1 e isri.l to e\M, ~l/ "• unt i' 1S65 ; but late in that year William- 2$r H. Jenkins started a six-column paper there, , 6 called the Moline Republican. It was Republi- ' can in politics, and the town being in need of such a paper, it prospered. In 1867 it war enlarged to an eight-column paper, and in June of that year Mr. Jenkins sold the establishment to Capt. Haver- stick, who closed the office, and Moline was again without a newspaper. Mr. Jenkins is supposed to have been a native of Kentucky, but learned the printer's trade in Galena. He then worked some time as a journeyman, and then entered Knox College. He was poor, and taught school occasionally to earn money to complete his studies ; but not being able to go on with the course, he left and obtained work at his trade in Springfield. He there studied law in Mr. Lincoln's office, and was admitted to the Bar and opened an office. Not succeeding, he returned to his first trade. He was well educated and was a good writer. In 1856, he went to Davenport, and during the Presidential campaign of i860 he aided in editing the Daily Re- view, a Democratic paper in Muscatine, Iowa. In 1 86 1, he came to Rock Island and worked in the Argus office. In 1865 he started the Moline Re- publican, selling it in 1867 and going to Des Moines, ./.. Iowa, where, in connection with Clint Parkhurst, he purchased the Statesman. The enterprise was not a success, and he returned to his home in Moline much broken in health. Hi 3gj, *^ — J?^r 4*t^ ffCCX ISLAND COUNTY. Daily Republican. HEN Sam. Kennedy was forced out of the Dispatch he said he thought he had bid J|^p farewell forever to newspaper life in Moline. Believing that an injustice had been done him by those lie had considered his friends, he resolved once more to embark in the busi- ness. A stock companv was incorporated under the name of Kennedy & Co., with a capital stock of $20,- 000, only a portion of which was paid in, the remain- der being subject to call. The company purchased an office, and on the 30th of April, 1883, the first number of the Daily Republican made its appear- ance. The good will and subscription list of the Citizen was purchased, which formed the basis of the circulation of the weekly. In his saluta'ory, Mr. Kennedy related his difficulties in connection with the Dispatch, and his attempts to re-purchase the office. It was not until all attempts had failed that he concluded to establish the Republican. He gave notice that the new paper had such backing as would make it a succes. The Daily Republican is a neat seven-column folio and is conducted with ability and care. Sam. Kennedy is a practical printer of many years' experience and ranks among the best in the State. Whatever he prints must be well done. The weekly edition is printed in two parts and thus sup- plied to its readers, making virtually a semi-weekly. This course, began as an experiment, has proven very satisfactory to the patrons of the paper. In August, 1885, the company purchased a building on the cor- ner of 1 6th Street and Fourth Avenue, from which the paper is now published. Port Byron Messenger. 'OME time in 1857, John H. Shipman, a civil engineer of the Warsaw & Rockford I'yVJ," ™ Railroad project, undertook to establish a newspaper at Port Byron. Fleming & Impey, across the river in LeClaire, were publishing a small weekly sheet, and Shipman furnished lo- cal matter for this side of the river, and, with a change of name to Port Byron Messenger and dating it at Port Byron, produced a paper which was printed at LeClaire and was mainly the same as the LeClaire paper. It had no political opinions. Shipman closed his business and left Port Byron ?ome time in 1858. He was born at Andover, Mass., in 1826, went to New York city with his father's family in 1832 and was educated in the public schools there. He be- came a civil engineer, and at 21 years of age, after he left Port Byron, he returned to New York, and at the close of i860 obtained a position on the Sun, where he served as night editor until the winter of 1868. In 18C9 he was appointed on the editorial staff of the New York World. JOOO« Port Byron Times. [FTER Shipman left, E. H. Johnston and I ITER .'y Nathaniel Belcher purchased a press and ? °" type and started a printing-office in Port IM& Byron. Not long afterwards there came along ll^ a man named Lyman E. Knapp, who repre- j sented himself to be just the man to run the concern, and Belcher and Johnston installed him in the position of business manager, etc. The new paper was named the Port Byron Times. Its first issue bore date March 24, 1859. The change of name of the Port Byron paper from Messenger to limes and the establishment of a printing-office on this side of the river, gave a little impetus to the af- fair, but it was a hopeless task from the beginning to attempt the establishment of a paper there. The price was only $1 a year and it was neutral in poli- tics. It was a six-column paper. Belcher and Johnston finally got rid of Knapp and took in his place one Chambers P. Ober. The paper continued in existence about a year and a half. (ft 9 ^> r8 75< tlie Port B yron Weekly - WJSt t made its first appearance. It was a neat rv eight-column folio; H. L. and A. J. Barter, publishers. The paper was independent in politics, but in the fall election in 1875 sup- putted the Republican county ticket. In 1S76 the)' commenced the support of the Republican fc * SA^DBSIIII.^ %m& -&r®mnz>& m ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. @> ticket, but in September changed the name of the paper to "Our County," dropped the Republican county ticket and came out for Tilden and Hen- dricks. Up to this time A. J. Barter, a freight con- ductor on the Western Union Railroad, had fur- nished the money to run the concern and his name was used as one of the partners, though never leav- ing his business on the road. By this time " Jack" had got enough of newspaper glory, and he " pulled out, " and H. L. Barter was announced as editor and Thomas Barber manager. The new firm soon drop- ped Tilden and Hendricks and came out for Cooper and Gary; and, having thus boxed the compass the concern died, and H. L. Barter appeared on the oth- er side of the river with a sheet 20 x 26 inches, four pages, five columns to a page, and three pages of it patent, called the LeClaire Pilot. -=~3- -fj~>- Port Byron Globe. 'HE first issue of a paper bearing the above, name made its appearance Oct. 16, 18S0. j£T^ J. W. Simpson being editor and proprietor. rfeLn It is an eight-column folio, neutral in politics In his salutatory the editor said : " Loca schemes for personal ends at the sacrifice of municipal rights and matters of personal spite, con- troversy or revenge shall find no place or encourage- ment in the Globe. We have brought our family — not a small one either — together with a large share of our earthly possessions, and propose to make our home at this place, and we already have received assurances of substantial support and encourage- ment from nearly all the community, and feel as- sured that the Globe will move forward, giving light and doing good. " The Globe is a well printed sheet, bearing evidence that it is in the hands of thorough masters of this trade. Its columns are well filled with local and miscellaneous matter, while merchants of the place attest their liberality by giving it a good advertising patronage. Mr. Simpson did a good business, but Feb. 22, 1885, sold out to Hess & Owen and moved to Elgin. The firm of Hess & Owen continued till July 1, 1885, when G. A. Metzgar purchased the in- terest of Mr. Hess, the firm now being known as Metzgar & Owen. The paper continues to be well printed, well edited, and is a model country paper. The People's Friend. N the spring of 1884 Will Gray commenced the publication in Rock Island of an inde- pendent, eight-page paper, under the above name. It was continued under that name until May 16, 1885, when it was merged into the Advertiser, of Rock Island. The Ad- vertiser continued to be published until June 20, 1885, when the subscription list and good will of the paper was transferred to the Milan Record. -$3- -£*- Milan Record. f > m <) HE Record is an independent, quarto sheet, the first paper ever published in Milan. It \ also is published by Will Gray, and is is- ted every Saturday at $i per annum. Its columns are well filled with advertisements of the business men of the place, together with a large amount of interesting local matter. The Record was established in June, 1885, and during the fol- lowing month the increased demands for space were such that the editor was obliged to enlarge it, and at the present writing the publisher is again contem- plating a second enlargement. When taken into consideration that the paper has been published but six months, the success of the Record is something most remarkable. >>4— «-9fSWW2r»v» ^^K «*OSlQM^~~- l>5f^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. % ^ !&,© -_(>slci'±id of j§^tflf ^^Ici/ucl, -fj 'IS-' •tip? ■s >• vS I 1 4* P" *OCK ISLAND is situated in the Mississippi River, about midway between St. Louis and St. Paul, and opposite the up- per end of the city of Rock Island. The base of the isl- and is a mass of limestone of of the Hamilton group, which underlies this section of country. It is about three miles in length and from one-fourth to three-fourths of a mile wide. " The island was a favor- ite resort for the Indians long before it had ever been visited by the white man," said a well known writer. " Here they loved to assemble for their summer pastimes and to indulge in the simple amusements of their race. Along these rocky shores was their favorite fishing ground ; the swift current which here pours down over successive chains of rapids, was the scene of many a dash and frolic in their light canoes; and here dwelt the kindly spirit whose protecting power preserved the red men, and over whose subterranean abode none dared to walk but with the silent step of supreme reverence and awe." Black Hawk, in his autobiography, thus speaks of the island : " This was the best island in the Mississippi and had long been the resort of our young people in the summer. It was our garden which furnished us with strawberries, blackberries, plums, apples and nuts of various kinds, and its waters supplied us with pure fish, being situated in Q the rapids of the river. In my early life I spent many happy days on this island. A good spirit had care of it, who lived in a cave in the rocks immedi- ately under the place where the fort (old Fort Arm- strong) now stands, and has often been seen by our people. He was white, with large wings like a swan's, but ten times larger. We were particular not to make a noise in that part of the island for fear of disturbing him. But the noise of the fort has since driven him away, and no doubt a bad spirit has taken his place." That the island in its natural state was a delightful place none can doubt. Im- proved by man, it is none the less delightful. The following is the key to the numbers on the view of the island of Rock Island, as shown on the opposite page: i. Building of 1865. 2. Bridge to Davenport. 3. Bridge to Rock Island. 4. Railroad bridge to Rock Island. 5. Bridge to Moline. 6. Post Cemetery. 7. Confederate Cemetery. 8. Proposed woolen mills and tannery. 9. Barracks. 10. Com- manding officers' quarters, n. Subaltern officers' quarters. r2. Tank. 13. Lake. 14. Arsenal and armory. 15. Office. 16. Cuard-house. 17. Gun-yard. 18. Laboratories. rc>. Magazines. 20. Government dam. 21. Contemplated shops. 1 luring the last war with Great Britain the Indians in this region of country united with the British, who supplied them plentifully with munitions of war, and at the close of the conflict left them with feelings of strong and bitter hostility to the general Government. The Government at this time had practically no mil- itary posts between Jefferson Barracks, a little below t V«V§*f*~ ■^C ^v - (yv CHlB&BBi^^ z^^sr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 727 St. Louis, to the mouth of the Wisconsin River, with which to protect its citizens. It therefore became a matter of necessity that something should be done. Being somewhat centrally located and in the midst of that band of Indians from whom most was to be feared, it was determined to build a fort upon the island. Col. Wm. Lawrence, with a force of regu- lars, was detailed for this purpose. On the 10th of May, 1816, they landed upon the island and at once commenced the erection of the fort and suitable store-houses for their provisions. The fort was a substantial structure of hewed logs, built in the form of a square, the sides being 400 feet. At each of the four angles a block-house was erected, embras- ures for cannon and loop-holes for musketry being provided. There were also erected within the en- closure a magazine, store-house, barracks - and offi- cers' quarters, and sections of heavy stone work for protection against fire. The fort was named in honor of the Secretary of War, Fort Armstrong. Col. Geo. Davenport came with the troops as con- tractor for the commissary department. On the 10th of August, 1816, Mrs. Davenport and Mrs. Lewis arrived at the fort, being the first ladies who had ever ascended the Mississippi River to this point. The Indians were very much dissatisfied upon the first arrival of troops on the island, but the officers took great pains to gain their friendship by making them presents and they soon became apparently satis- fied. During the first summer they would frequently take over supplies of sweet corn, beans, pumpkins, and such other vegetables as they raised, presenting them to Mr. Davenport and the officers, with the remark that they had none, while they themselves had plenty, invariably refusing to take any pay. With a view of persuading the Indians to retire peaceably to the west side of the Mississippi and there remain, a council was held by Gen. Gaines with about 30 chiefs of the Sac and Fox tribes, in 1 83 1. Among the chiefs present were Black Hawk and Keokuk. The council held by Gen. Scott with the chiefs in 1832 would have been held upon the island had it not been for the prevalence of cholera. As it was, the council was held on the Iowa side, about where the depot of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad now stands, in Davenport. A garrison was continued at Fort Armstrong until 1836, when it was withdrawn, although the island was still held as a Government reservation, agents being appointed to take charge of it. General Street, who at the time of the withdrawal of the troops was Indian Agent at Prairie du Chien, was ordered to this point and the agency here established. In 1838 the agency was removed to Iowa, on the Des Moines River, and Gen. Street was succeeded by Col. Geo. Davenport, who had charge of the island until 1840, when Capt. Bell was ordered here from Jefferson Barracks, Mo., and Fort Armstrong was made a de- pot for arms. He was subsequently succeeded by Capt. Shoemaker, who remained until 1845, when the arms, being required for the Mexican War, they were shipped to New Orleans, Capt. Shoemaker go ing with the army to Mexico. He was succeeded by Thomas Drum, who died in 1853, when Sergt. Cum- mings, from Fort Crawford, at Prairie du Chien, was appointed. On his declination, Col. J. B. Danforth, Sr., was appointed, Jan. 20, 1854. Col. Danforth resigned in 1857 to accept a position in the United States Navy, and H. Y. Slaymaker,of Davenport, re- ceived the appointment. In May, iS6r,T. J. Pickett was appointed to succeed Mr. Slaymaker, and was in charge of the island until it was again occupied for arsenal purposes. In September, 1840, Capt. Wm. H. Bell, of the Ordnance Department of the United States Army, was directed to examine Rock Island with a view to its occupancy for ordnance purposes and report to the department. He reported having examined the island carefully and that it belonged exclusively to the United States. At that time there were but two occupants on it, one occupying the upper end, whose name is not given; the other the lower end, Col. George Davenport. Capt. Bell recommended the occupancy of the island for the purposes mentioned. In September, 1841, Congress passed an act for a thorough examination of the whole western country, " for the purpose of selecting a suitable site on the western waters for the establishment of a national armory." Brig. -Gen. W. K. Armistead, Surg.-Gen. Thomas Lawson and Lieut-Col. S. H. Long were appointed commissioners for this purpose. They made a very exhaustive report. In reference to Km k Island, they said : "This beautiful and interesting island derives its name from the circumstances of its resting upon a bed of Rocks, consisting of limestone in horizontal @) 4 I f|^V^ & '728 <«HHf^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. rJ^sr 4^( -ate §B A 13 ' ) I ft strata, well adapted to the purposes of building. It stands in the Mississippi at the foot of Rock Island Rapids. Its length is about two and seven-eighths miles, and its greatest width four-fifths of a mile. It contains about 8,ooo acres of excellent land, still the property of the United States. The surface of the isl- and is generally waving, and is pervaded by a broad valley passing centrally and logitudinally two-thirds the length of the island. With the exception of a few acres cleared at the head of the island (the site form- erly occupied by Fort Armstrong, now used, in part, by the United States as a depot for arms for the wes! - ern country, and a large garden, with other improve- ments, occupied by Geo. Davenport, Esq.), the island is covered with a dense timber growth. The island is bounded for the most part, by precipitous cliffs or abrupt and rocky hill slopes, its surface rising io to 20 feet above the highest freshets." A committee, consisting of John Buford, Joseph Knox, Joseph B. Wells, John Morse and George Mixter, acting in behalf of the citizens of the county, addressed a communication to President Tyler at this time, in which was set forth the claims of the island in strong terms. Notwithstanding the favorable reports made as to the beauty and eligibility of Rock Island, nothing was done for many years after, though the debates in Congress, when bills were introduced for the sale of the island, show that the subject was not forgot- ten, while Government officers in their reports recommended that the island should under no cir- cumstances be relinquished by the War Department, for the reason that it would eventually be required by the Government as a site for an armory and arsenal for the Mississippi Valley. Gen. Jessup, writing to the Secretary of War, in 1852, says: "The site of Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, is one of the most valuable in our western country for an armory and arsenal." Jefferson Davis, while Secretary of War, in a report to the United States Senate Committee on Public Lands, said : "The water power available at Rock Island, and the communication by water and by railroads projected or in course of construction, concur with other circum- stances in rendering Rock Island one of the most advantageous sites in the whole western country for an armory or arsenal of construction for the manu- facture of wagons, clothing or other military sup- (^ plies." Many other eminent men expressed the same views. As time passed and nothing was done for the establishment of an arsenal, attempts were again made by private parties to obtain possession of the island. After the construction of the water power ' at Moline, a number of improvements were made upon the island, and those making them were anxious to obtain a title to the land. In 1857, a party, mostly from the city of Rock Island, moved upon the island and at once filed the necessary pre-emp- tion papers with the Register of the Land Office at Springfield. Before settling upon the island, the settlers, or " squatters," as they were called, had consulted Reverdy Johnson and Montgomery Blair, >if Washington, respecting the status of the lands, and had obtained opinions favorable to the success of their plans. They afterwards retained both these eminent lawyers, and also Abraham Lincoln, as counsel. In April, 1858, they went to Springfield to prove title and pay for the lands. While in Spring- field, a telegram from the Commissioner of the Gen- eral Land Office, in Washington, was received by the Register, prohibiting further action in the matter, and stating that the island would be sold by the War Department at public auction as a military reservation. Just prior to the settlement made by the party from Rock Island, Thales Lindsley, said to have been a clerk in one of the departments at Washing- ton, came out, claimed much of the land, and pro- pi Psed the establishment of a great military school and national university. The course of study pro- posed for the university was wonderful and unique. It embraced 100 different courses of study, and re- quired for its faculty 100 professors, besides tutors and teachers. To complete the whole course of study in this university required 16 years of "labori- ous study." The Legislative course alone included over 80 separate subjects of study, divided into seven parts or sub-courses. As novel to universities, the projector proposed each of the following: School of domesticity, ceremony, militia, manufactures, arts, arms, editors, authors and politics. In a note ap- pended, the author said: "Of five of these, viz.: domesticity, ceremony, manufactures (wherein the business only of manufacturing is considered), editing and authorship, have never existed in any form as schools." i I ^^jk — ^^^im^jji]^^ — s^g^. **>*&* ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. The War of the Rebellion occurring, the subject of establishing here a national armory and arsenal was again agitated. On the lirst day of July, 1861, a peti- tion addressed to the Senators and Representatives in Congress was drawn up by N. B. Buford, J. Wil- son Drury, Ira O. Wilkinson, Ben Harper, Reuben Hatch, Geo. Mixter, J. B. Danforth, Jr., and P. L. Cable, a committee representing the citizens of Rock Island, asking Congress to establish a national armory and arsenal on Rock Island, and setting forth the special advantages of the location. By the request of this committee, another committee, repre- senting the three cities of Rock Island, Moline and Davenport, was appointed, consisting of the follow- ing named : Ira O. Wilkinson, N. B. Buford, H. C. Connelly, J. Wilson Drury and Bailey Davenport, of Rock Island; Chas. Atkinson and P. R. Reed, of Moline; W. H. F. Gurley, Geo. L. Davenport and G. M. French, of Davenport. Congress was memo- rialized by these gentlemen in an ably prepared pamphlet, with a map of the locality, and setting forth the claims and advantages of the island as the site of the proposed Western arsenal and armory. The memorial set forth the fact that a new armory and arsenal for the manufacture and safe -keeping and distribution of arms and munitions of war, are of pressing national necessity, demanded alike by the present wants and future requirements of the Government, and that the preponderating growth of the Northwest, as well as the absence of any such es- tablishment within its limits, indicate that such an armory should be located on the Upper Mississippi. Even before this action was taken by the three cities, the Iowa General Assembly passed a series of joint resolutions urging the claims of the island upon the general Government. These resolutions were passed and approved March 24, 1861, three weeks before the overt act was committed by the rebels in tiling upon Fort Sumter. They were incorporated in the memorial. The Illinois Legislature, not being in session, could take no action, but Gov. Yates and the other State officers, both civil and military, ad- dressed a letter to the Secretary of War, urging the location of the armory upjn Rock Island. The first act taken by Congress for the construc- tion of the Rock Island Arsenal was in the passage of an act approved July 11, 1862, appropriating $100,- 000 for the purpose; and soon after this a board of officers, consisting of Majors F. D. Callender and C. 1'. Kingsbury and Capt. T. J. Treadwell, was ap- pointed to select sites on the island for the arsenal buildings and to determine upon materials to be used in their construction. The committee made their report and recommend- ations, and Major C. P. Kingsbury was assigned to the duty of constructing and the command of the arsenal. Ground for the fust building was broken on the 1st day of September, 1863. This is what is known as shop A, and stands nearly on the site of old Fort Armstrong. The act of Congress approved July 11, 1862, was only for the establishment of a small arsenal of stor- age and repair. It had, however, been a plan and cherished wish of the War and Ordnance Depart- ment, and of army officers of high rank, for many years, to have constructed somewhere in the Missis- sippi Valley a great arsenal of construction, consist- ent in character and capacity with the probable future growth, magnitude and necessity of this part of the country. This plan was not lost sight of, but was prominent in view when the Rock Island arsenal was located, and it was hoped and expected that at some time in the future the Rock Island Arsenal would become the great arsenal needed for the Miss- issippi Valley. Major Kingsbury kept this thought in view in all his actions and recommendations. An act was passed and approved April 19, 1864, authorizing the Secretary of War to take and hold all the land upon the island, and on the 15th of June, Chief of Ordnance wrote Major Kingsbury to notify all parties upon the island to vacate within six months. It must be remembered that special acts of Congress had been passed granting certain tracts of land to Geo. Davenport and David B. Sears. The latter had disposed of a jjortion of his tract to other parties, who were engaged in manufacturing. At the time the order was given to Major Kingsbury this land was owned by Geo. L. and Bailey Davenport, D. B. Sears, Dimoek & Gould, Stephens, Huntoon & Wood, Robert Welsh, James Robinson, S. H. White, Daniel Jones, Peter Peterson and David Sears. In September, 1864, Dimoek & Gould made application for permission to remain on the island and continue their business until the Government should require them to move, by the payment of a fair rent. Their request was granted, and in due time granted to Atel iirv®^ 3^ £^dh»>i-9 — ^€»^ .y\> 2B'fear--x — . >r rr J(^VM 730 ®» /*» 3 (o * * JPCCX ISLAND COUNTY. all others occupying the island who were in busi- ness. At his own request Major Kingsbury was relieved from the command of the arsenal in June, 1865, and Major T. J. Rodman appointed to the command. (See biography, page 655.) He remained here until his death, in June, 187 1. " During this time, " says Col. Flagler in his history of the island, " storehouse A was completed, the water reservoir was built and the greater part of the water power was constructed. A great deal of work was also done in clearing up the undergrowth on the island, laying out and build- ing roads and protecting the shores of the island from washing by rip-rap. But Gen. Rodman's more important works were his plans for the armory and arsenal, his procuring the removal of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad from its position across the island, its re-establishment at the west end of the island, with the construction of the great bridge connecting the island with the Iowa shore and the settling of the many claims growing out of the removal from the island of parties who had estab- lished themselves thereon. On the 15th day of June, 187 1, Major D. \V. Flag- ler (see page 317) was assigned to the command of the arsenal. That he is a worthy successor of Gen. Rodman, the work that he has performed since the command was given him attests. Col. Flagler at once comprehended the vast im- portance of the work he had in charge, and to it he bent his energies and profound study. The plans as he received them were crude and imperfect, and they have developed under his hand into an elabor- ate work. Inventions of practical value, resulting in conceded economy, have been applied. The prog- ress of construction has been supplemented by the manufacture of army stores to the amount of $125, 000 annually. By this means has Col. Flagler proved that these stores could be manufactured here and distributed to the army cheaper than they could be manufactured East and brought West. Eight shops have been completed, and the last two are under procoss of construction. The officers' quarters, the barracks and the commanding officers' houses are completed. The post buildings, a complete system of sewers, the Moline bridge, — a fine iron structure. — the many roads and drives around the island, the powder magazine, the pump-house and water-works, beautifying the grounds, the levee wall and numer- ous other creations all attest the admirable selection of Col. Flagler to the command of the island. A thoroughly practical man, Col. Flagler has stead- ily worked on until Rock Island Arsenal is acknowl- edged by military officers and others to be one of the grandest institutions in the United States. In 1876 he prepared an exhaustive history of the island and arsenal, from which the facts contained in this sketch are gleaned. At this time there had been completed shops A, B, C, D and E, with shops F and G begun ; commanding officers' quarters completed ; three other stone buildings for subaltern officers' quarters completed; the soldiers' barracks, one post building for main guard- house, fire-engine house, Commissary and Quartermaster store-houses and offices and one powder magazine built ; pump-house for water- works, entrance gates and guard-house and the post ice-house built ; also a complete system of sewers, an eight-inch water main, supplied with fire plugs and branches to the buildings, were laid from the reser- voir around the site of the shops. Since 1876 four shops, from F to I, have been completed and one begun, which is now in course of erection ; one set officers' quarters ; one large store- house, south of shop A ; and several miles of mac- adamized streets, avenues and stone walls built. On the streets a very important work was the blasting of the rock in an elevated plateau, leveling it, and the filling up of a swamp. A large amount of work that has been done has been putting into the shops the castings, shafting, shop fixtures and machinery, fit- ling them up for practical use. The wall of the lower dam of the water power has been completed, water- wheels and mill machinery put in and a temporary experimental line of wire-rope transmission erected, of about 200-horse- power capacity, from the water- power to shops E and C, a distance of about half a mile. This line has been running and furnishing a steady, perfect power to the shops since June, 1878. At the request of the Moline Water-Power Com- pany, a portion of the large stone dam was removed and a new cut stone made for masonry walls, with six water ways and iron gates constructed for use of that company. A tail-race canal has also been deepened three feet in a tough, hard rock for benefit of that company. The wing dam has been extended about one-half a mile up the river and the old wing & v£ (i) m Hj)^ ■3g r G/ 'gmOgDOJfr^ ^€^ ■ « 4 >@£% _ ,. ^K«»>r$- <2| X fe> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 731 1 dam greatly widened and raised about ten feet. A channel 150 feet wide, with an average depth of about three feet, has been cut through the rock from the head of the wing dam down to the Moline bridge, a distance of about three-fourths of a mile, for the better inlet of water into the pool. A dam, with water ways and 15 iron gales, has been con- structed between Rock Island and Benham's Island, for use in washing sediment out of the pool. In 1S79 the manufacture was begun, in a small way, of infantry, artillery and cavalry equipments and accoutrements, horse equipments and harness and materials for target practice. After demonstra- ting to the Government that these articles could be made here cheaper than at any other arsenal, the manufacture was increased until now the greater part of all these things in use by the army are manufac- tured here. The shops, when completed and fur- nished, will accommodate 16,000 workmen. " In time of peace prepare for war, " is an old say- ing. While not manufacturing large supplies, the building and furnishing of the shops and all the ar- rangements that have been made upon the island have been with the view of being well prepared for instant use. At the upper end of the island is located .the Na- tional Cemetery, where lie the remains of about 400 Union soldiers. The grounds are scrupuously cared for, and with each Decoration Day the graves are strewn with flowers. One of the curiosities shown on the island is the home of Col. Geo. Davenport, after whom the city opposite was named. He was the first white settler and was made Indian Agent, receiving a grant of* land on the island. On the 4th of July, rS45,Col. Davenport was cruelly murdered in his own house, the family being absent at a picnic. The murderers escaped unrecognized, but were afterward detected;^ and executed. The house is preserved and the blood marks are still shown by the custodian. Another interesting object is the arsenal gun-yard, on the main avenue. Here are displayed all manner of heavy ordnance, from the Rodman to the howit- zer, several hundred in all, and among them are several trophies captured from British and Mexican foes, with the inscriptions, one bearing date 1777 at New Orleans. The most formidable gun, however, was the rifled Parrott piece, with its black front and great length. Many of these guns have been in- inscribed with the names of the thousands of visit- ors, and on some of them it was impossible to find a spot large enough to write one's name. As the vis- itor comes up to the gates he is confronted with two heavy brass cannon, and over the brow of the island * pointing directly down the river, are three Parrott guns frowning. Ftom 1876 to 1S87, inclusive, Congress has made the following appropriations : For buildings $1,758,500 For transmission of power to the shops 23i7°° For improvement of water power 238,500 For elevated iron water tank. . . 5,°°o For macadamizing Fort Ann- strong Avenue 6,000 For Rock Island bridge 90,200 (J) 4 Total $2,121,900 \§)5e§®A//:nV Railroads. ^^ar^ ^S' o ^"W^j. tr ■ ,-'^%" HI LE the people of Rock Island County in early days had great faith in the Mississippi River as a means of transportation, the thoughtful ones realized that there was a great inland coun- try to be developed, and that its products, to be valuable, should be quickly transported. Several railroads were projected, among others the Warsaw & Rockford Railroad, running from War- saw, 111., to Rockford in the same State, taking in the city of Rock Island op, its way, and traversing a considerable portion ot the county. The county was appealed to for aid and individual subscriptions called for. The people responded as liberally as their means would allow. At the September, 1853, session of the County Court, an order was passed submitting to a vote the question of subscribing $100,000 to the capital stock of the Warsaw & Rockford Railroad Company, the subscription to be payable in bonds of the county running a period of 20 years. A majority of the votes cast being in favor of the measure, at the De- f cember term an order was passed instructing the » County Judge and County Clerk to issue the bonds \~^ and subscribe to the stock in the name of the county. This was accordingly done, and the amount placed in the hands of the company to be used in the con- struction of the road. Like a great many other Uto- pian schemes, this came to naught. The road never was built, and the county left about $200,000 poorer, including the interest on the bonds. The citizens lost individually probably as much more. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. "Iff T the present time the Chicago, Burlington • . p h: \ !hi;M U . ii1im.h1 Company can control f "' and operate about 4,^00 miles of railroad, 'SW an d is considered one of the strongest and !i£ best managed roads in the Union ! The I St. Louis Division of this road is operated in this county. The Sterling Branch of the C, B. & Q. extends from Sterling to Rock Island. This branch dates back to about 1854, at which time the Sterling & Rock Island Railroad Company was organized and chartered. Its officers lived principally in Sterling. In 1857 the company procured from this county a grant of 20 acres of swamp land, through which the load was to be built. This, it is believed, was all the aid received. The panic of 1857 delayed its build- ing, and during the war that followed it was almost •^ — ^fi^ujj^iiii^A^ ^5^ s$ s & - (! FWTB-iifyra >:>V & A I i?5^i*K — i. ^nn«i> ^^ (k- % W) *f— •J5" Si ~ ^UH&Gil^re 5*€ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 735 in Wisconsin in 1854, and subsequently consolidated with the Northern Illinois Railroad Company. The . consolidations were made under the act approved Feb. 21, 1863, in the State of Illinois, and a similar act approved in the State of Wisconsin, April 1, 1863. In this county it uses the track of the C, B. & Q. from Port Byron Junction to Rock Island, making its main track in the county but about ten miles. Its stations here are Cordova, Port Byron, Rapids City, Hampton, Watertown, Port Byron Junction, Moline and Rock Island. In 1884 its property within this county was assessed at $T5o,6o3. =->-s>H!!IH®>€se AVING treated under separ- ate and general headings many of the important top- W ics of the county's history, there yet remain other items of no little interest and value. These, al- ■3s* though valuable and interesting, are >& not of sufficient significance to justify a general or ornamental heading for each. The reader will neverthe- less find them of an interesting na- ture and well worth the reading. There are historical sketches <>f roads and bridges, the poor farm, the topography of the county. Black Hawk's Watch-Tower, etc., given in this article. Bridges. OR several years after the first settlement C of the county, the people depended upon ' '» rope ferries for crossing the streams that could not be forded. The first order made by the County Commissioners for bridges was in August, 1835. On petition of a number of citizens of the county, proposals were asked for the construction of two bridges, one " at the head of the rapids, commonly called the mill seat," the other " across a creek or slough that empties into the Miss- issippi opposite Campbell's Island near Mr. Burtis's.'' Both were to be of wood. At the same term of court a petition of a number of the citizens of Rock Island County was received "to build a bridge over the slough that passes through the seat of justice, or our county seat." On this petition the following record was made: "The Court are of the opinion that proposals may be handed into the Clerk to build the said bridge. The bridge is to be of frame, and the upper part to be of good and substantial plank, and the Court to reserve the right to accept of the plan or not. If the plan is approved of and cosidered low enough it will be received ; if not it will be offered to the lowest bidder." At the September, 1 S35, term the Court agreed " to let out a contract for building the bridge across the swamp back of the town of Stephenson." The bridge to be constructed was to be 160 feet in length and 20 feet wide. After giving the plans, proposals for build- ing were asked for, the contract to be let on the 19th of September. Propesals for building the bridges across the mill seat and also the one opposite Camp- bell's Island were also advertised to be let on the same day. The construction of the bridge across V m 1=3 tx 1 - a *S< c ©7 i A^ »jg^- 736 - — e-^MUSIUff^r^ i 1 — 1 v fOCJ ISLAND COUNTY. h the swamp at Stephenson was let to Michael Bartlett for $760. The one opposite Campbell's Island was let to John W. Spencer for $185. Martin W. Smith secured the contract for the third bridge. Other small bridges were built from time to time by the county, and in 1843 the General Assembly passed an act authorizing the Commissioners to con- struct a bridge across Rock River. Previous to this time, and in fact for some years after, Rock River was supposed to be a navigable stream, and bridges were therefore forbidden as they would obstruct navigation. Pursuant to the provisions of the act authorizing the construction of free bridges across the river, the Commissioners' Court appropriated $1,500 for a bridge from the north shore to Vandruff's Isl- and, provided enough money could be secured from other sources to complete it within 18 months. John \V. Spencer. N. B. Buford and Lemuel Andrews were appointed agents to receive proposals for the build- ing of the bridge. Patrick Gregg and Joseph Knox were appointed agents to receive notes payable to County Commissioners from those subscribing in aid of its construction. The contract for building the bridge was subsequently let to C. H. Case. It ap- pears that he did not fulfill his contract for some reason, and the agents appointed to contract were in- structed to bring suit for non-fulfillment. They were also instructed to make a contract for the completion of the bridge. Mr. Case settled the damage done the county by the payment of $448.49. J. Knox and Geo. Mixter gave notice that they would not pay their subscription for the building of the bridge, doubtless for the reason the county had failed to com- ply with the terms of the subscription. The contract for completing the bridge was award- ed to J. and R. L. Reselrough, but that firm were delayed in completing it, so that the county gave no- tice that suit would be brought against them for damages. The bridge was finally completed ; but in consequence of the great expense necessary to keep it in repair, as well as the others crossing Rock River at this point, it was in September, 1852, trans- ferred to the Rock Island & Camden Plank Road Company, an association organized for the purpose of constructing and operating a plank road between the two places. The Plank Road Company agreed to keep the bridge in good order, but soon found it was not a paying investment and gladly transferred their interests to the city of Rock Island, for the sum of $25,000. An act of the Legislature was passed and approved Feb. 23, 1859, legalizing the transfer. There are now four bridges across the various branches of the river, owned and controlled by the city, which requires a small toll on crossing. Mercantile Licenses. [LOR several years after the organization of the county a license was required of all merchants. The first granted by the County Commissioners' Court was in Septem- ^^-v ber, 1833, to Eleazer Parkhurst. The license t permitted him to " vend, sell or retail, at pub- lic auction or private sale, any goods, wares or mer- chandise." Thos. F. Reid was also granted a license for the same purpose at the same term, upon pay- ment of $5. At the June term, in 1834, George Davenport was granted a license as a merchant upon payment of $10. It is presumed that Mr. Davenport did a much heavier business, or carried a much larger stock than his competitors, as he was charged double the license fee. Jonah H. Case secured a license for the sale of merchandise in July, 1834, upon payment of $5. " • ^=m ^ X Q (=3 1 The County Poor. j£\a~cjtg 3? HE poor ye have with you always," was was spoken by the Savior of the world f^ more than 1800 years ago. It is as true ^feV to-day as then, and doubtless will be till the end of time. The first order in relation to this class was made in October, 1835. It appears that Wm. Brewster was thrown upon the county for support, and Michael Bartlett was author- ized to contract with some person to take care of him. Mr. Brewster survived but a few months and was buried by the county, — "only a pauper that nobody owns." gt»- 3^C — A^DflM^A^ *&*- -S»^§*$ 7<^HR&llllJ>r*r- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. m 737 In 1839, the County Commissioners thought it ad- visable to appoint an overseer of the poor for the entire county, the number of persons requiring assistance from the county being on the increase. Joseph R. Taylor was appointed by the Board at its December term. In September, 1841, Miles W. Conway was ap- pointed to succeed Mr. Taylor. He served until December, 1844, when he resigned and Thomas Bidderson was appointed his successor. Mr. Bid- derson was empowered to enforce the vagrant act i against all those who were liable to become a county I charge. In September, 1850, Marcus B. Osbom was appointed to succeed Mr. Bidderson. Mr. Os- bom was succeeded by C. B. Knox, who in turn gave place to S. S. Guyer, in December, 1852. In January, 1853, the County Court purchased of the heirs of Rinnah Wells a house and tract of land in and near the city of Rock Island, to be used for f paupers, paying therefor the sum of $1,200. Jon- athan Whitman was appointed agent to keep the /% poor-house, at a salary of $150 per year, with $1.25 i=i per week for each pauper. In June, 1854, B. I. Cobb was appointed Overseer 1 of the Poor. In March, 1855, Drs. Brackett and Bulkley made a proposition to give medical attend- ance to all paupers within eight miles of the city of Rock Island for $roo per year, which proposition was accepted. Heretofore any physician who might be called attended to the wants of the poor. Wm, Sanderson was appointed in March, 1S56, at a salary of $150 per year for services in keeping the poor-house, and allowed $1.50 per week for boarding paupers. Dr. Samuel K. Sharp was appointed County Physician. In January, 1838, a resolution was adopted, set- ting forth that the county had been wronged by per- sons presenting bills for the care of paupers ; and as a county poor-house had been purchased and was sustained at considerable cost, and which was large enough to hold all the paupers of the county, there- fore no bills of like character would herealter be paid, unless accompanied by an affidavit that the poor relieved could not be sent to the poor-house at the time such assistance was rendered. To prevent non-resident paupers from becoming a permanent charge on the county, it was unanimously resolved at the June term of the Board of Supervis- ¥ & ors in 1858, to authorize their being sent to their friends, wherever they might reside. The sum of $100 was appropriated for that purpose. This action has generally been continued year by year. In June, i860, T. J. Robinson, J. A. Boyer and John M. Wilson were appointed a committee to make inquiries and report upon the pauper question. They reported that the expense of keeping the paupers of the county was constantly on the increase ; that in 1839 they had cost upwards of $6,000; that the county poor-house was too limited; and recommended the sale of the house and the purchase of a farm of not less than 120 acres, to be known as the poor farm, where the paupers of the county could be kept and where they could assist in their own support. John M. Wilson, M. A. Swiler, Wesley Hanna and Peter Demoss were appointed a committee to exam- ine different localities for a farm and to ascertain on what terms the properly then owned could be sold. The committee, at the September session of the Board, reported that they had arranged to purchase a farm in Coal Valley [now Rural], consisting of 180 acres, for $3,000. The old poor-house they recommended to be sold at public auction. The re- port was adopted and recommendation concurred in. At the March term, in 1861, the Board authorized the construction of a house at a cost not exceeding $3,000. Wm. Sanderson served as Superintendent of the ■ County Poor-House until September, 1864, when Wm. S. Bailey was appointed, at a salary of $800 per year. In September, 1 869, the Board passed a very complimentary resolution with reference to Mr. Bailey for his kind treatment of the poor placed under his care, and for his excellent management of the farm. At the August, 1873, term of the Board, the com- mittee on poor-farm were instructed to erect a build- ing adjoining the one in use, for the use of the war- den, the cost of the building not to exceed $3500. The building authorized was constructed, but still there was not room. On the 5th of May, 1880, a committee was appointed to ascertain what more should be done. At the July term, in 1880, the committee reported, recommending the erection of a two-story and basement brick building, together with a boiler house. These were completed in 1881. At this meeting, a memorial was adopted, praying I V£ mr « & 1 -? ^_i<^ & _- —.. >C1 ^ 738 «--nHKHDr>r i: V > 4 'O / ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. *<®Yfp the State to make provisions for the incurable insane at the expense of the county. The co-operation of other counties was asked for to procure the passage of an act of the General Assembly to this end. Asa Batman succeeded Mr. Bailey as Superintend- ent of the farm. In April, 1883, James Robertson was appointed and vet controls the farm. The average number of inmates has been about 100 for some years past. +a Railroad and Wagon Bridge. HE General "Assembly of the State of Illi- nois, in January, 1S53, granted a charter for the construction of a bridge across the «P Mississippi River between Rock Island City and Davenport, granting the right of way across the island, then supposed to be public domain. The bridge was built, though efforts were made to prevent it on the ground that the island was not public domain.* It was constructed across the island about one-half mile from the lower end. As this interfered greatly with the plans of the Govern- ment for the construction of a great arsenal at this point, a Board of Commissioners was appointed to whom should be referred the respective claims of the Government and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa- cific Railroad Company. A plan was finally fixed upon which would satisfy the requirements of the railroad company and the United States. This plan was drawn up and approved by Gen. Rodman and the officers of the railroad company. The main features of the plan were that the railroad company should give up their old right of way across the isl- and and remove their track and bridges ; that a new bridge should be built at the extreme w-est end of the island, the cost of which should be borne jointly by the railroad company and the United States ; and that the railroad company should have a right of way over that bridge and across the west end of the island. The bridge and track across the island were to be so constructed as to fulfill the re- quirements of the railroad company and be out of *See History of Rock Island Arsenal, by Major Flagler. the way of improvements proposed by the Govern- ment, and, at the same time, admit of connecting :T an arsenal railroad with the railroad company's track,^' and fulfill the requirements of the arsenal in this respect. The recommendations were approved by the Chief of Ordnance and the Secretary of War, and Congress asked to pass the necessary legisla- tion. An act for the purpose was passed and ap- proved June 27, 1866, and several amendatory acts were passed, and the present magnificent bridge in due time constructed by the general Government, the , railroad company paying one-half the expenses. It was completed in 1872, and is 1,550 feet and 6 inches long, divided into five spans and one draw. The superstructure of the main bridge is a double system Whipple truss with vertical main posts, and has two dei ks. The wagon road is on the lower and the rail- road on the upper deck. The clear height between the wagon road and the upper deck is 12 feet, 6 inches, and the clear height between the rails of '. the railroad and the top bracing is 17 feet. The foot walks are on the outside of the side chords. i Public Buildings. V—;" y. ™\| N a square reserved for that purpose when at the village of Stephenson (now Rock Isl- and) was platted, stands the Court-House, Circuit and County Clerk's offices and jail. The block is bounded by Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets, and Second and Third Ave- The Court-House stands on Third Avenue, in the center. It is a two-story brick structure, with a central tower or cupola, while nearer Third Avenue it fronts toward the north on Second Avenue. In April, 1836, a contract was entered into with Jonah H. Case to furnish 200,000 brick for the purpose, and in June following the contract for building was let to Samuel Smith for $ro,5oo. The building was com- pleted in due time and yet serves the purpose for which it is built, though a few improvements have been made. The jail is on the southwest corner of the square, facing Third Avenue. It is a substantial structure of brick and stone, and was erected in 1857, at v Q \§&^& js^c @-A<£H||«^A^ — **^- V3i^V s ^¥"'— - ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -^s%^mr -"■ f ysSkf/V ^ 739 »%»■' s^a cost of $60,000. For a number of years the offices of the Circuit and County Clerk were in this build- ing, but at present it is only occupied by the Sheriff. In addition to the jail proper it has the jailor's resi- dence. But this was not the first one erected. The first jail in Rock Island County is spoken of in the following order made at the October, 1835, term of the County Commissioners' Court : " Will be let to the lowest bidder, the 20th of Oc- tober, a jail to be two-story high, 22 feet square from the outside to the outside. The foundation to be laid the whole size of the building with good, sound white-oak timber, hewed T2 inches square, laid close together, then a good white-oak floor laid trans- versely on said timber, planked with two-inch-plank, spiked down with spikes iy£ inches square and six inches long, and five spikes to every square foot. The lowest story is to be 16 feet square in the clear, to be built with solid white-oak timber, one foot thick, leaving a space between the two walls of one foot, and that to befilled in with hewn timber stand- s ing upright, the cornices to be dove-tailed, the first * story to be eight feet high. Four lights, one at each J side, barred with inch-square bar-iron substantially c fastened in the walls with not more than one inch space between each bar, two sets of bars, one on the inside and one on the outside, in the middle of the logs, and the said bars to be fastened into a bar of iron and pass through into the logs four inches. The floor of the upper story is to be laid the whole size of the building; the floor to be the same as the lower floor, with a trap-door in themiddle ; the width of the door to be two and a half feet wide and three feet long ; the door to be made double, of good oak plank one-half inch thick, spiked together with one- half-inch square spikes, five inches long and five to the square foot, well clinched on both sides, to be covered on both sides with sheet-iron one-eighth of an inch thick, spiked on with three spikes above de- scribed to the square foot ; to be hung with substan- tial strap hinges and a strong double-bolted iron stock-lock fastened to the same. The upper story to be seven feet high, with hewed logs one foot thick ; the floor to be of timber a foot thick, with an outside door in the upper story, two and a half feet wide and five and a half feet high, made same as the trap- door, with platform and steps and hand-railing; the whole to be covered with a shingle roof; three win- dows the same as the windows to the lower story, (J) except one set of bars only ; all of the logs to be fitted close. The whole of the work to be done in a workmanlike manner; the jail to be completed by the [oth of April next. A contract was entered into between the County Commissioners and John W. Spencer, by which the latter agreed to build the jail according to the plans and specifications for the sum of $745, one-third payable in advance, and the remainder on comple- tion and acceptance of the work. Geographical and Topographical. I OCK ISLAND County is of a peculiar shape. Extending along the Mississippi for 60 miles, it has that river for its west- ern boundary. On the north and east it is bounded by Whiteside and Henry, and on the south by Mercer County. In width the county is from 5 to 17 miles, though it gradually tapers to a point on the northeast. The peculiar topography of the county renders it strikingly beau- tiful, and it is no wonder that the red men, who have an eye for beauty in nature, should have chosen it for their home. In reference to the beauty of the scenery, Gov. Reynolds, in his " Life and Times," says : "The scenery about Rock Island is not surpassed by any in the whole length of the Mississippi. It seems as though nature had made an effort in form- ing this beautiful and picturesque country. Rock Island itself presents a grand and imposing appear- ance, rising out of the waters of the Mississippi a solid rock with many feet elevation. It is several miles long and three-fourths of a mile wide. The rocks are covered with a fertile soil. The river washes around its base with a rapid current of pure and limpid water; and Rock River, a few miles south, is seen in the distance, forcing its way with great rapidity over the rocky rapids into the Father of the Waters. The country around is interspersed with beautiful groves of timber, which give to the scene a sweetness and a beauty rarely equaled. The blue hills in the distance, directing the course of the river, are seen on the north and south to rise with gentle V*) 9 ( ;> ? 2%$^ @?*»-fr-*< : : »- ^X(?>\t„jy The Pioneer Association. N the 10th day of January, 1866, an Old Settlers' Society was formed at Rock Island, composed of the pioneers of the county. L&' Annual meetings are held on the 1st Monday if . . J 6 in February for the election of officers, and on the evening of Feb. 22, an annual supper is served. Annual picnics are also held in summer. f v|) .-.y t gi»- yz ^A^jjl H m Bf^r ^^^~ 4*t^£ (b v Walter Phillips, Justice of the l'eace. John Wells and Mary McMurphy, July 28, 1835, by Jonah H. Case, Justice of the Peace. George Griffin and Susan Vandruff, May 7, 1835, by William Poiter, Justice of the Peace. Up to Aug. 20, 1885, there had been issued 13,263 marriage licenses in the county, an average of 255 each year. ^ g^fec ^ - OOP - Statistical. ROM the abstract of assessments for 1885, on file in the office of the County Clerk, jp?^ the following items are gleaned : There j^2 are in the county 212,519 acres of improved ' land, and of unimproved 52,578 acres, valued at$3,o45,5o8. Improved town lots, 5,893 ; un- improved, 2,500 ; total value, $2,875,675. Of horses there were 7,956 ; cattle, 21,716; mules and asses, 387; sheep, 2,494; hogs, 25,401 ; steam engines, 76; fire and burglar-proof safes,. 157 ; billiard tables, 65; carriages and wagons, 3,354; watches and clocks, 1,839; sewing and knitting machines, 2,946 ; pianos, 504; melodeons and organs, 648. Total value of personal property, $1,867,842. -« ~4t$~ «- Black Hawk's Watch-Tower. I rac ® I— 3 HE most noted place in the vicinity of Rock ; Island, as well as the most beautiful and n£i« picturesque, is that known as Black Hawk's ?Wjh Watch-Tower, lying south of the city. The t& Watch-Tower is shown in the view of Hon. I Bailey Davenport's property on pages 196-7. The following sketch is abridged from an interesting description of the Watch- Tower by Hon. T. A. Arm- strong. It stands immediately on the north branch of Rock River, and about half a mile up that river from the upper end of ancient Saukenuk. At the lower end of the promontory, near the north bank of Rock River, and close to the upper end of Saukenuk the Chippiannock, or Silent City of the Dead, of the Sauks was located. Unlike the great number of Indian nations of their time, they buried their dead in the ground. The spot where their burial ground was located is on the lower point of the promontory, and some 80 feet above the level where Saukenuk stood. Then de- nuded of timber, it is now thickly studded with trees, many of whose varieties are never found elsewhere, except in bottom land. Thousands upon thousands of their dead repose here without stake or stone to o) \®%&t&»- * w. q/ >3h n®nfl& \Q * &e- -«s mmjiggi ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 13/ V 0$ point out the spot where their lives ended and their eternity began. Among the many wonders of this truly wonder-land, this grand old tower is among the most wonderful. With the exception of the rock under this tower, and extending up some 400 yards above, there are no sandstone within many miles. Add to this the fact that it is located on a peninsula, whose soil was largely formed from the driftings and deposits of vegetable matter of these two rivers, and the pro- montory of which this tower is a part was formed and created in the same way, whose soil is rich as can be, the great query is, how came these sandstone and mineral deposits there? by what freak of mother nature was this hoary old rock deposited on this pen- insula! It is one of nature's secrets, to be guessed at, but never satisfactorily solved, unless that we ad- mit that this land, with its rich mineral and rock de- posits, was there before the birth of the mighty Mississippi, whose waters played antics with its sur- face, and left it in its present form and shape. It is at least a subject of wonder and speculation. The apex of this Watch-Tower is but a higher ele- vation of the promontory, and accessible by horse railroad, and embraces an area of about a quarter of an acre. The fine trees which formerly grew here could not withstand the incessant tramping of the feet of the multitude of visitors hither, and gradually died and fell into decay, and have finally been removed, leav- ing not even a stump or root to show where they stood. Though used by the Sauks as the r signal and lookout station for over a century prior to their expulsion from Illinois, their soft-moccasined feet did not affect these trees; and when the Indians left, in i83t, this tower was well studded with these 111011- archs of the forest, in whose tops the Indians had constructed platforms for the accommodation of their sentinels, one or more of whom was ever on duty here. These platforms were made of poles, laid from one large, nearly horizontal limb to another, closely beside each other, so as to form a substan- tial platform. Perched up among the high branches of these oak trees, about 200 feet above the river's surface at their feet, their faithful lynx-eyed sentinels held their stations from early dawn to dewy eve, and from dewy eve to early morn, with eagle eyes ever on the alert to note everything that transpired within the scope of their vision. To the east he could trace Rock River for 12 miles. To the south his vision extended over the bluff, away over the prairies. West of the lookout stood Saukenuk, which extended north nearly to the Mississippi. Up and down Rock River, away over the tree tops, hill and bluff, far over the widespread prairies and valley, their vision took in every moving object, ready to signal the city everything of danger or interest, as well as the return of their hunting or war parties, and the approach of friends. They had a regular system of telegraphy. The Watch-Tower was their battery and machine; signal lights their electric wires. This is no fiction, but an absolute reality. By the use of fires and smoke upon this elevated spot, which could be seen, especially at night, for a hundred miles on either side, these In- dians communicated news with the rapidity of elec- tricity. Black Hawk's description of this singular rock and locality is as follows ; " Our village was situated on the north side of Rock River, at the foot of the rap- ids, on a point of land between Rock River and the Mississippi. In front a prairie extended to the Miss- issippi, and rear a continued bluff gently ascended from the prairie. On its highest peak our Watch- Tower was situated, from which we had a fine view for many miles up and down the Rock River, in every direction. * * * This tower, to which my name has been applied, was a favorite resort, and was frequently visited by me, where I could sit and smoke my pipe and look with wonder and pleasure at the grand scenes that were presented by the sun's rays, even across the mighty water. On one occa- sion a Frenchman, who had been making his home in our village, brought his violin with him to the tower to play and dance for the amusement of a number of our people who had assembled there, and while dancing with his back to the cliff accidentally fell over it, and was killed by the fall. The Indians say that always at the same time of the year soft strains of the violin can be heard near that spot. On either side of the bluff we had our corn-field, ex- tending about two miles up, parallel with the larger river, where they joined those of the Foxes, whose village was on the same stream, opposite the lower end of Rock Island, and three miles distant from ours. The land around our village, which remained unbroken, was covered with blue-grass, which fur- nished excellent pasture for our horses. Several Si va & & (!. ®5«* ' ^^»Dll^A^ *&*- ^%@. m ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ~totatf(SY{H 743 (3r 4 springs poured out of the bluff near by, from which we were well supplied with good water. The rapids of Rock River furnished us with an abundance of ex- cellent fish, and the land being fertile, never failed to produce good crops of corn, beans, pumpkins and squashes; we always had plenty. Our children never cried from hunger; neither were our people in want. Here our village stood more than a hundred years, during all of which time we were the undis- puted possessors of the Mississippi Valley from Wis- consin to the Portage des Sioux, near the mouth of the Missouri, being about 700 miles in length." Hon. Bailey Davenport, of the city of Rock Island, is the owner of the greater portion of the land whereon Saukenuk stood, including Black Hawk's Watch Tower, and has constructed a horse railway leading from the city of Rock Island to the Watch Tower, on which he has erected a neat building on the Swiss cottage plan, with wide porches on the north and south sides for the accommodation of the large number of visitors to this historic place, where he who would for a short time withdraw from the dust, smoke and noise of the crowded, busy streets of the city may seek rest and repose beneath the green shades of God's umbrellas — the trees — and snuff the fresh, pure air of heaven, laden with the perfumes of the meadows and glades. He has named the build- ing Black Hawk's Watch Tower Pavilion. Sur- rounding it are long tables and rustic seats, spread over the lawns to accommodate picnic parties and serve them with ice cream and other refreshments except ardent spirits. The latter is strictly prohibited on the tower. The pavilion with its large rooms is well kept ; and it can be made a very agreeable home, and that, too, at reasonable prices — a quiet retreat, away from the busy haunts, where you can enjoy the pure air and beautiful scenery to your heart's con- tent. It is, indeed, one of the most lovely summer resorts in the State. See views on pages 196-7. I (9* X i \& 1 i I v^c ——X <>mm tv@)$«§^f"~ 744 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. £%§\4$& (g; h® Sfiiy of jt^cif 1 ^jI ®~^jf s ~ •&_- i'. e .- . ; -.'i W * I 4 (^ TUATED upon the Missis- sippi midway between St. Paul and St. Louis, and opposite the historic island from which it derives its name, is the well known and beautiful city of Rock Island. Its location has already been described in a previous part of this work, and its beauty has been praised by every one that has visited the spot since Mar- quette and Joliet descended the river in 1673. On the organization of the county, almost opposite the lower end of the island stood the log house of John Barrel, which had been erect- ed a few years previous by Russell Farnam and George Davenport. The County Com- missioners agreed upon this point as the proper loca- tion of the county seat and called it Farnamsburg, thus honoring one of the original proprietors of the place. Farnamsburg continued to be the county seat until 1835, when the commissioners who had been appointed by the Legislature met and selected a point a little further down as the county seat and named it Stephenson. Chas. R. Bennett, at that time County Surveyor, was ordered by the County Commissioners to survey and plat the new town, which he accordingly did, the plat being recorded July 10, 1835. The plat is certified to by Joseph Conway, Clerk of the County Commissioners' Court. The plat comprised 20 blocks in addition to the public square in which the court-house now stands. The lots were laid out 80 feet front by 150 feet deep. The northwest frac- tional quarter of section 35, on which the town was laid out, was entered by the County Commissioners for the purpose of a county seat May n, 1836, at the land office in Galena. In March, 1841, the General Assembly of the State passed an act incorporating and changing the name of the town to that of Rock Island. By this act the boundaries of the town were made to include " all that portion of land contained within the limits of the plat of the town of Stephenson, and all the additions thereto, as of record in the Recorder's office in the county of Rock Island." The following addi- tions had then been made: Thompson & Wells' Addition, April 5, 1836; Spencer & Case's Addition, May 17, 1836; Jones, Guernsey & Beardsley's Ad- dition, Oct. 22, 1836. About 70 additions have since been made to the city, extending its limits to about four square miles, or a mile and a quarter in in average width by about three and a half miles in length. Its eastern boundary coincides with the western corporate limits of the city of Moline. In the first issue of the Rock Island Banner, in an article describing Stephenson (Rock Island), the editor said : " Four years ago there was but one house in the place. It now contains about 175 neatly built houses, and 600 inhabitants, 7 stores, 3 taverns, 3 groceries, 2 saddle and harness shops, 2 cabinet shops, r cooper shop, 1 tinning shop, 1 watch- maker, 1 pottery, 3 physicians and 4 lawyers, and a 9 / 4) % — £?*- i. 4>ntlSuK> j^_— -^•o^ £ )2*>^tf 9e ~ -Zt&^K- oV >» v ^ ^OCX ISLAND COUNTY. 745 rt) ^ (i) beautiful court-house two stories high and about 50 feet square." An advertisement in the first issue gives notice that " Messrs. A. and B. J. Vancourt, formerly of Pennsylvania," kept the Rock Island House, " lately occupied by David Hawes, Esq." The Trustees for the municipal corporation were Lemuel Andrews, William Moore, George W. Lynde, Harrison Boggess and William Frizzel. L. Andrews was President; H. G. Reynolds, Clerk; Jonathan Buffum, Treasurer ; John A. Boyer, Constable; and Zachariah Cook, Street Commissioner. Advertise- ments appear from H. G. Reynolds, attorney -at-law ; Lee & Chamberlain, stoves, tin, etc. ; T. F. Cauffman, house and lot for sale ; Haviland & Gregory, drug- gists; John S. Miller, groceries, dry goods, argicul- tural implements, etc. ; H. Naylor & Company, dry goods; J. M. & E. Moore, groceries, provisions, etc.; Andrews & McMaster," general store ; Silas Reed, physicia.i ; and from James Copp, offering a house and lot for sale. In looking over the files of the Banner, many in- teresting items are noticed in relation to the village of Stephenson. In the issue of Sept. 19, 1839,1s a call for a Whig meeting, at the court-house, to choose delegates to a State Convention. It is signed by D. G. Garnsey, R. H Kinney, G. Powers, J. Conway, John S. Miller, B. F. Barrett, H. H. Beardsley, T. F. Cauffman, Silas Reed, C. A. Garnsey, George Myres Wm. T. Brasher, John Wilson, M. W. Conway, Win. E. Franklin, George Davenport, Thomas Bentley and J. A. Boyer. Joseph Conway, Samuel Smith and John G. Powars were chosen delegates to Springfield. This is said to have been the first party convention held in the county. Oct. 10, 1839, was published a local directory, as follows : Town Officers. — William P. Cropper, William Moore, Justices ; William Frizzell, J. A. Boyer, T. J. Spencer, Constables. Hotels. — Thomas Bently, Sr., Eagle Hotel, Buffalo Street, near ferry landing; Rock Island House, A, & B. J. Vancourt, corner Eagle and Illinois Streets ; Rock Island Hotel, Jonathan Buffum, near court- house; Orleans, between Buffalo and Elk. Postmaster. — M. W. Conway. Physicians and Druggists. — Haviland and Greg- ory, P. Gregg, J. R. Hadsell, botanic, Silas Reed, H. Beardsley. Lawyers. — J. Wilson Drury, " office in shop of Dr. Gregg;" J. B. Wells and H. G. Reynolds, both in the court-house. Merchants. — Naylor & Company, J. M. & E. Moore, Andrews & McMaster, T. F. Cauffman, John S. Miller, Lewis F. Sanders. Grocers. — John Buford, T. Bentley, Jr. Carpenters and Cabinet-makers. — Rugh & Horreil, and Moore & Company, Zadock Kalbaugh, Thomas Blish, Z. Cook. Plows. — D. D. Lockwood & Company. Painters. — John Bulley. Saddlers and Harness-makers. — Jacob Sailor, John M. Frizzell. Tinners. — Lee & Chamberlin. Tailors. — Dan Stephens, J. Lesler, Samuel Shaw. Watchmaker. — R. H. Kinney. Blacksmiths. — J. Shoude, Hibbard Moore. Shoemakers. — E. Turner, John Metzgar. Bricklayers and Plasterers. — William H. Sage, J. M. Bellows. Coopers. — John Thompson, J. Millman. Wheelwrights. — John H. & C. F. Swart wout, after- ward J. H" Swartwout and N. Hoffman. Drayman. — John Thompson. Butchers. — James Copp, Robert Dunlap & Com- pany. In the issue of Oct. 24, 1840, is a double-column notice, in large, full-faced type, surmounted by an eagle, and signed by Lemuel Andrews, George Mix- ter and Robert McGrew, Democratic Central Com- mittee of Rock Island County, calling a great mass- meeting of the people of Rock Island, Henry and Mercer Counties at Rock Island — the last grand rally of the campaign — October 30, a twhich J. Knox, J. B. Wells and H. G. Reynolds were advertised to speak. A report of the meeting is- published in the succeeding issue, signed John Buford, President, H. Waggoner, Secretary. In the issue of Oct. 17, 1839, among the new advertisements is a call for a meeting of the members of the Rock Island Mutual Fire Insurance Company, signed by Lemuel Andrews, Joseph Knox and P. Gregg: November 7, of L. F. Sanders, general store; of Bowen & Gray, cabinet-makers wanted ; Swartwout & Hoffman, carriage, wagon and plow factory ; No- vember 28, an advertisement of L. Andrews and J. W. Drury, Assignees of David Hawes; of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gerrard, school ; of M. L. Atkinson, 5 1 j ^V@7^9 — ^€3^ m %&*& ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. (3S school; of George T. Bond, new store and new- goods; of the Stephenson Lyceum, signed by W. E. Franklin, for the election of officers; and also the marriage notice of George L. Davenport, Nov. 20, 1839, by Rev Father Michelli, in St. Anthony's Chapel, Davenport, to Miss Sarah G. Clark, of Cin- cinnati. On the issue of Jan. 9, 1840, is a notice of a discussion before the Stephenson Lyceum, of the following question: " Under the existing circum- stances, ought the present system of internal im- provement in this State to be entirely abandoned ?' Affirmative — P. Gregg, William A. Boyer, Robert McGrew, Sr. Negative — J. W. Drury, J. H. Wag- goner and William Frizzell. It was decided in the negative. In the issue of January r6, tS4o, two columns of proceedings of a meeting, held on the 8th, at the Rock Island House, for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the battle of New Orleans. It seems to have been participated in by the people from all parts of the county. George Mixter was the orator. In the same number is another Lyceum question: " Is legislation calculated to promote the cause of temperance in our country?" Affirmative — M. L. Atkinson, J. B. Wells, J. Knox. Negative — L. An- drews, G. Mixter, H. G. Reynolds. This Lyceum seems to have been a live institution, holding large meetings and having spirited discussions every week. In the same issue is an account of a meeting held at the Eagle Hotel, to make arrangements to celebrate Harrison's birthday. D. G. Garnsey was chairman, and C. C. Washburne (late Governor of Wisconsin) Secretary. He was then a clerk in some business house here. The officers of the day appointed were Henrv Powars, President; Charles Eames, Silas Marshall, Lucius Wells, Larkin Reynolds, Charles A. Spring and B. F. Barren, Vice-Presidents ; D. G. Garnsey, C. C. Washburne, J. G. Powars, M. Atkinson, R. H. Kinney, Committee to prepare toasts ; David Hawes, Geo. Myres, W. E. Franklin, A. Everest, S. D. Car- penter, H. Boggess, J. G. Haviland, J. A. Boyer, John Frizzell, Committee of Arrangements. In the issue of February 4, rS4o, is an account of a meeting held at the school-house, at which Joseph Knox, J. Wilson Drury, George Mixter, R. Mc- Grew, J. S. Miller, J. B. Wells, Wm. Frizzell, P. Gregg and Wm. P. Cropper were appointed a com- 2^*1 %»- ^®*- @7*<>I]I1»1> mittee to petition Congress for an appropriation for the improvement of navigation in Rock River. The early settlers could not divest themselves of the idea that the Rock River was navigable, and numerous attempts were made to prove the correct- ness of their views. In i84t, Capt. King took a small steamer up as far as Sterling, but had much difficulty in returning. The Upper Mississippian in an editorial July 20, r844, said : "The steamer Lighter, Capt. Hight, has just re- turned to this place from a voyage up the Rock River, during which he ascended to Madison, the Territorial seat of government, a distance of near three hundred miles! This is the first voyage made by -team, as we have been informed, to so great a distance, and it has fully proven what has been be- fore believed, — that there are but slight obstructions to the navigation of the river above Sterling, and that the two rapids below that point furnish the oniy se- rious impediment. Were these removed, it is the opinion of gentlemen well informed on the subject that the stream may be navigated by boats of alight draught, for one-quarter or one-third of the year." In 1841 Rock Island was incorporated as a town, and continued under that form of government until 1849, when a city charter was adopted by a vote of the people. Those who have served the city in the office of Mayor are as follows: Benjamin F. Barrett 1849 Joshua H. Hatch 1850 P. A. Whitaker 185 r William Frizzell 1852-53 Ben Harper 1854 Benjamin F. Barrett 1855 Wm. Bailey 1856 . Patrick Gregg 185; Thomas J. Buford 1858-59 Calvin Truesdale i860 Bailey Davenport 1861-65 Calvin Truesdale 1866 Wm. Eggleston 1867 — resigned B. H. Kimball 1867 Thomas Murdock 1868 James M. Buford 1869 Porter Skinner 1870 Elijah Carter 1S7 1 Thomas Murdock 1872 Bailey Davenport 1S73 Thomas Gait 1874 Bailey Davenport 1875 Wm. P. Butler 1S76-77 Elisha P. Reynolds 1878-79 (9 1 Q. & A fc ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ST 747 <& > & Henry Carse 1880-82 James Z. Mott 1883-84 Thomas Murdock 1885 . * POSTOFFICE. On the 23d day of April, 1825, John McLean, Postmaster-General of the United States, wrote a letter to Col. Geo. Davenport tendering him the com- mission as Postmaster on the island, the office to be known as Rock Island. In the fall the Colonel re- ceived his commission, but it was several years be- fore he took the oath of office, for the reason that there was no one qualified to administer it. The office was continued upon the island until Nov. 5, 1834. Joseph Conway having received the appoint- ment of Postmaster of Farnamsburg, the county seat of Rock Island County, it was useless longer to con- tinue upon the island. Mr. Conway's appointment bore date April 4, 1834. The village of Stephenson j being laid out the following year, the name of the office was changed. In 1841 it was again changed, to Rock Island. The location of the first office was opposite the present residence of P. L. Cable. It was a large log cabin, and served as a court-house, as well as postoffice and residence of the postmaster. Occasionally a severe storm would require the post- master to put his valuables between beds to keep them dry. Miles YV. Conway succeeded his brother as Post- master Nov. 11, 1836, serving until June 10, 1840, when Joseph B. Wells, afterwards Lieutenant-Gover- nor, was appointed. He served only till April 13, 1S41, when Chas. A. Garnsey was appointed. Col. John Buford was successor to Mr. Garnsey, ap- pointed March 21, 1S43. His office was on First Avenue, between 1 6th and 17th Streets. Harmon G. Reynolds succeeded Col. Buford, his commission dating Aug. 3r, 1847. Elbridge R. Bean came next, his commission bearing date May n, 1849. The office was then on Second Avenue, between 17th and 1 8th Streets. He served until May 26, 1853, when James Kelley was appointed. Mr. Kelley moved the office to Bailey & Baylis', now Mitchell & Lynde's Block. Wm. Frizzell succeeded Kelley, May 15, 1855, and served until April 2, 1856, when Lewis N. Webber was appointed. The office was now on the south side of Second Avenue, between 17th and 18th Streels. Herman Field was next commissioned, ♦Facts furnished by D. P. MeKown. serving from Sept. 2, 1858, till April 6, 1861, when Dr. Calvin Truesdale was appointed, the office being kept in Bailey & Baylis' Block. John B. Hawley was commissioned March 3, 1865, and served until Sept. 21, t866, when Capt. James F. Copp was ap- pointed. Marcus B. Osborne succeeded Capt. Copp April 3,1867, serving until March 1, 1871, when Capt. L. M. Haverstick was appointed. D. P. Me- Kown was his assistant. Wm. Jackson came next, his commission bearing date March 20, 1873. He served until March 6, 1S76, when Thomas Murdock was appointed. Maj. James M. Beardsley was next appointed, his commission bearing date Feb. 18, 1880. He did not take possession until April i, 1880. Maj. Beardsly was succeeded by Maj. Chas. W. Hawes, Aug. 1. 1884. At the present time the postoffice is very centrally located, as for many years past it may be found in Michell & Lynde's Block, and has entrances on East and West 17th Streets, between First and Second Avenues. Many improvements have been made by the owners of the building, from whom the United States rents the office. It now ranks with the largest and most perfectly arranged postoffices in the coun- try, and also managed with marked system, punctu- ality and fidelity by Major Chas. W. Hawes and well-chosen assistants. The office contains 1,500 Yale boxes. The gross receipts aggregate $19,000 per annum. Major Hawes has proven since his appointment as Postmaster in August, 1884, very effi- cient and painstaking, and has gained great popu- larity. See personal sketch on page 572. PUBLIC LIBRARY. The Rock Island Library was the first free public library opened in the State of Illinois, under the gen- eral law in force March 7, 1872, it having been or- ganized under that law and thrown open to the public November 25, of that year. But the people of the city, recognizing the fact of the great value and importance of a public library as an educational institution, opened an institution of this kind in Sep- tember, 1855, which flourished until the present ent library was opened, when, by consent of those interested, it was donated to the library as or- ganized under the law mentioned above. It formed a very valuable nucleus, around which books have accumulated until the library at present numbers 8,000 volumes, which embrace the choicest literature \S> ft © ('■ I ^A£(l!j«1>^ ^T^tB^U^f <$> CO ® I ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. & in history, biographies, science, fiction, etc. ; and there will ever exist with the people of Rock Island a grateful remembrance of the generosity of the old library organization, which donated their 2,000 vol- umes at its commencement. Three large rooms in the postoffice building are in use. One is a general reading-room, where may be found numerous daily, weekly and monthly newspapers, magazines'and pe- riodicals. The second is the general library room, and the third is also used a book and reading-room. Here are found the large number of general refer- ence books, which form a part of the library. The Board arrange for the keeping of the rooms in exem- plary order, while the business of the library is at- tended to in an excellent manner by the obliging librarian, Miss E. Gale. The lively interest in and high appreciation of the public library by the citizens of Rock Island, is shown by the fact that the yearly attendance is about 40,000. The following are the names of the directors : Maj. H. C. Connelly, Pres- ident; J. H. Southwell, Secretary; W. H. Gest, Dr. C. Truesdale, Alexander Steel, Dr. C. Bernhardi, Henry Curtis, Elmore W. Hurst and J. R. Johnston. EDUCATIONAL. The citizens of Rock Island, even at an early day, took much interest in the cause of education. Free schools were not yet instituted and private schools abounded during the first and second decades. In the Rock Island Banner, under date March 11, 1841, appears an advertisement of a '' Female School, by Miss Adelia M. Lowell," also of the " Rock Isl- and Academical High School, J. Alden Woodruff, Principal, " and the " Rock Island Academy,!). J. Loyd, Principal. " In the issue for March 31, 1842, is an advertisement of the re-opening of P. H. Ogil- vie's school in Bu ford's building. Some of the leading citizens of Rock Island and Moline were educated in these schools. A law was enacted and a charter obtained for the establishment of the present school system Feb. 18, 1857. The charter provides that a board of educa- tion, consisting of five members, shall be elected by the people, and that they shall Lave ample power to establish and foster free schools. It gives them general supervision of all the school, and power to employ a superintendent, who, under the rules adopted by the Board of Education, shall be Clerk of the Board and ex officio member; to direct what branches shall be taught, to grade the schools, em- ploy teachers and enact suitable rules and regulations for their government. It gives them ample power to levy taxes for school purposes and to issue bonds for buildingschool-houses and purchasing school grounds. Few cities in Illinois provided at so early a day such am[_le provisions for the education of their youth. The present prosperity of the schools of Rock Island demonstrates the foresight and wisdom of her citi- zens in obtaining the enactment of this charter. At present the city is supplied with seven school build- ings. The High School building is located on the block bounded by Sixth and Seventh Avenues and 21st and 22d Streets. It is a large, three-story brick, accommodating 600 pupils when seated to its full capacity. The First Ward School building is on the south side of Third Avenue, between Seventh and Eighth Streets. It is also a large, three-story brick, with accommodations for 650 pupils. The Second Ward School building, on the south side of Third Avenue, on 13th Street, is a two-story brick and accommodates 140 pupils. The Third Ward building, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 1 9th Street, is a large, two-story brick, and accommodates 250 pupils. The Fourth Ward building, located on Seventh Avenue, is a two-story brick, and accommodates 220 pupils. In October, 1877, on the ground purchased of Bailey Davenport, corner of Ninth Avenue and 12th Street, the Board of Education completed a fine, three- story, brick building, capable of seating 550 pupils, in which they then opened four rooms, accommodat- ing 230 pupils. The plan of heating and ventilating this building is the most economical and perfect of all in the city and perhaps in the State. The grounds are adorned with sliade-trees and in front with a beautiful grass plat, in which the teachers in- terspersed shrubbery and flower beds. The seventh school building was erected in 1880, on Seventh Avenue, east of Augustana College. The gradation of the schools is thorough, there being nine distinct grades below the High School, and each grade containing an A and a B class. In these grades are taught tire various branches per- taining to a common-school education, including T (>■ c5 m. mAm^^ ■3^ — @7^hji»^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. '(M 749 A ■ >. I ®> ft history of the United States, music, drawing, the ele- ments of science, and geometry, — the last two branches taught orally. At the close of each year classes are promoted from grade to grade, as they are able to pass the required examinations. Monthly examinations are held, and any pupil able to pass to a higher grade receives a special promotion. By this means a bright pupil, by close application, can finish the prescribed studies in much less time than pro- vided in the course of study. Diplomas have been issued to graduates since 1874, when the first-class was graduated. In addition to its public schools, Rock Island has a number of parochial schools, a German-English school, and the Augustana College. RELIGIOUS. The first sermon preached in this locality, so far as at present known, was on the island, in 1826. The second was in 1829, Rev. John Kinney, a local Methodist Episcopal preacher delivering the dis- course. To-day almost all the leading denominations are represented. The First Methodist Episcopal Church of this city has had an organized existence since 1833. The first meetings of those holding to this faith were held in the house of John W. Spencer, during that year, the Rev. Asa McMurtry conducting the services, and or- ganizing a class composed of the following named members: Calvin Spencer and wife, Zerah Spencer, Sally Case, Wm. Brasher, James M. Brasher, James Thompson and Caroline Thompson. Meetings were held at private houses until 1836, when, a school- house having been erected, they were held therein until their first house of worship was built in 1844. This house stood on Union Square. The present Church edifice was erected in 1855, at a cost of $20,- 000. The Church has prospered in numbers, mate- terial wealth and spirituality. The German Methodist Episcopal Church of Rock Island was organized in 1855. In 1856 they erected their first house of worship, which, in 1874, was su- perseded by the present building, on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Fourteenth Street, which cost about $4,000. Among the original members were H. Brock- mann, J. Rawser, Ph. Sherer and C. Wagner. Rev. J. B. Schwietert is the present Pastor. The First Baptist Church was organized June 4, 1837, at the house of •Lemuel Ludden, with Titus Gilbert, Z. Cook, Barbara Cook, Lemuel and Silah Ludden, Phoebe Skinner and Nancy Taylor as char- ter members. They met first in private houses, then in the court-house, and in 1844 purchased the old brick school-house on Union Square, at a cost of $45.36, which they fitted up and used until 1848, when they built a house of worship, at a cost of $3,500. This house was used until 1870, when they erected their present Church edifice on the corner of Third Avenue and Fifteenth Street, at a cost of $t8,ooo. In the 48 years of its existence it has given three of its members to the ministry of the Word — W. W. Phares, N. Elton and John L. Jackson. The present membership of the Church is 190. Its Sunday-school has an average attendance of 150, with an enrollment of over 200. J. W. Welch is Superintendent. A mission school is held in the eastern part of the city, with Geo. P. Lyman as Su- perintendent. Rev. I. W. Read is the present Pastor. The Second Baptist Church is composed of colored members exclusively. Its first meetings were held in the Mission Chapel of the First Baptist Church, and an organization effected April 19, 1875. Soon after its organization, a lot was purchased on the cor- ner of Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, on which they erected a small house of worship, at a cost of $670. Rev. Edward Wilson, of Davenport, is the present Pastor. The Swedish Baptist Church is located on Fifth Avenue, between 20th and 21st Streets. The first services were held in the old brick school-house, on Union Square, and the Church was organized Aug. 13, 1852, with only three members, — A. T. Mankee, P. Soderstrom and Frederika Bolberg. Their house of worship was erected in 1855, at a cost of $1,500. Notwithstanding it has never been strong in numbers or material wealth, the Church has sent out four successful missionaries, who have succeeded in or- ganizing several Churches. The Central Presbyterian Church dates back to 1837. The first steps taken towards the organization of a Presbyterian Church in Rock Island was at a meeting held in the dining-room of the old Rock Isl- and House Nov. 27, 1S37. Rev. John Montgomery and Rev. I. Pillsbury were present as a committee of the Presbytery. After a sermon by Mr. Pillsbury, ten persons united in forming a Church, — Wm. Dick- 9 & ci) ■^g^ r £/^ |l fl^HH^A^ — s^^jc ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. (58 (Oj & <> 1 son, A. C. Donaldson, M. Conway, May Donaldson, Miriam C. Dickson, A. F. Russell, David M. Dick- son, Benjamin McKay, Sarah McKay. The name adopted was that of the " First Presbyterian Church of Stephenson, Illinois." In 1848 the Church be- came divided on the slavery question, seven persons withdrawing from this Church and effecting another organization, under the auspices of the New School Presbyterians. In the organization of the new Church Rev. A. Kent, of Galena, and Rev. S. W. Blanchard, of Galesburg, officiated. The Church was thus divided, and remained so until the general union of the Old and New School Presbyterian Churches was brought about, when the cause for di- vision was taken away. In May, 1870, the two Churches were united, taking the name of "The Presbyterian Church of R/)ck Island," and so re- mained until May 28, 1875, when some of its mem- bers were dismissed, that they might form the Church known as the Broadway Presbyterian Church, when the Church took the name by which it is now known — the Central Presbyterian Church. The first meet- ings of this body were held in the old school-house. The first house of worship was erected in 1845, on lot 1, block n. The Second Church, or New School, erected a house, 25 x 40, on the site of the present Central Presbyterian Church. In 1855 another building was erected, which was demolished Dy a tornado Sept. 15, 1874, and was immediately rebuilt in its present form, and re-occupied July 4, 1875. During the separate existence of the First Church the building now occupied by St. Joseph's Catholic Church was built, which involved the Church heavily in debt. After the union of the two bodies, it was sold to the Catholics. The Central Church building is quite a handsome structure. The membership of the Church is quite large, with a flourishing Sunday- school. Rev. S. S. Cryer is the present Pastor. Broadway Presbyterian Church was organized May 28, 1885, in the lecture-room of the Presbyterian Church, by a committee of the Rock River Presby- tery, consisting of Rev. Josiah Milligan, Rev. J. H. Moore and Elder Snyder. Some 45 persons received letters of dismission to form this Church. A beauti- ful and costly house of worship was erected on the corner of 23d Street and Seventh Avenue in 1877. German Presbyterian Church was organized May 16, 187 1, with 33 members. The house of worship was purchased from the United Presbyterians. The congregation is small, and at present it is without a pastor. Catholic. — -The first Catholic congregation was formed in Rock Island at an early day, under the charge and with the occasional work of Father Alle- man, a German Dominican Friar, who died in St. Louis shortly after the war. The congregation was composed chiefly of Irish, French and German emi- grants. Services were at first held in a cooper-shop. After this period Father Alleman built a small Cath- lic church where St. Mary's church now stands. All the cut stone used in this building was taken from the ruins of the Mormon Temple at Nauvoo. When a new building became necessary, in 1866, the same stone was used for the residence of the priest. In 1874 it was thought best to divide the congrega- tion, forming one for the English-speaking people and an- ther for the Germans. St. Joseph's Catholic Church was formed and the old Presbyterian Church, on Second Avenue, was purchased and re-fitted for the use of the congrega- tion. There are at present more than 2,000 souls connected with the congregation. Rev. T. Mackin is the priest in charge of the parish at the present time. St. Mary's Catholic Church is composed of the German speaking members of that body. When the congregation was divided it retained the old church property on Fourth Avenue and 2 2d Street. Rev. H. Liermann is the Priest in charge at the present time. Trinity Episcopal Church was organized in 1853. Some time prior to this, Rev. Mr. Louderback held Episcopal services in Rock Island in a hall in Lee's Block. The first recorded vestry meeting of Trinity parish was held Nov. 12, 1853, and it was about that time that an organization was effected. Among the original number comprised in its organization were Bailey Davenport, Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Harris, Mrs. Langley, Mrs. Joseph Brackett and Mrs. Goldsmith. The parish is now one of the best in the diocese. The first church edifice was completed June 11, 1857, and cost $2,000 The present church build- ing, costing $16,000, was completed Jan. 30, 1870. Rev. L. Goodale was the first Rector. The present Kector is Rev. R. F. Sweet. The United Presbyterian Church of Rock Island was organized July 1, 1854; under the auspices of C! ¥ >\V5SV> ? -—. A^UD§11Ilf^9 :3 «» !E - -#*@£K: Rg tj»c — £-tc*ii n&n n^>r rr £ J?<9C^" ISLAND COUNTY. i ^ & & 1=3 I 1 the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Rev. Matthew Bigger, together with Ruling Elders John Collins and Wm. Haverfield, by appointment of the Second Associate Reformed Presbytery of Illinois, met at Rock Island in the old seminary building on Third Avenue and effected an organization with 20 members. Erskine McClellan, James Tod and Hugh VVarnock were elected Elders. For six months the congregation was without a house of worship. A small building was then erected, at a cost of $1,200. Before its completion services were held therein, the ministers occupying a nail keg for a seat. Rev. J. R. McCallister was acting pastor, serving from July, 1854, to July, i860. There were 5 1 additions during this time. He was succeeded by Rev. VV. H. Jef- fers from July, i860, to September, 1861. He was a line preacher. Rev. Henry Wallace came in April, 1 S63, and remained eight years. He was a man of more than ordinary ability. During his pastorate 72 were added to the Church. Rev. VV. J. Gillespie came in July, 187 1, and remained one year. He was succeeded by the present Pastor, Rev. J. A. Reynolds, who came in July, 1872. Under his pas- torate 164 have been added to the Church, and a neat and attractive house of worship erected, at a cost of $10,000, on Third Avenue, in 1872. The Church now numbers 92, with Rev. J. A. Reynolds, D. D., Pastor; Hugh Warnock, S. F. Cooke, J. McKee, Elders. The Sabbath-school has an average attend- ance of 95. Hugh Warnock and wife are the only ones remaining of the original number forming the Church. The Christian Church of Rock Island was organ- ized on the 23d day of March, 1868. During the winter previous C. W. Sherwood, under the direction of the Christian Missionary Society of the State of Illinois, held a series of meetings here, having in view an organization. Those forming the organization were P. L. Mitchell, W. F. Gilmore, Agenoria H. Gilmore, Kate M. Gilmore, Almira Holt, Amelia Fiscus, Adam Blackball, Jessie E. Blackball, John Bulley, Isaac McGrew, Parthena Vermillion, Eliza- beth H. McNeal, Christina Swiningar, Sarah Ann Ranberger, Abraham Rinker. The congregation commenced occupying, as a place of worship, a hall in Mitchell & Lynde's block on West 17th Street north of Second Avenue, in which they continued till Oc- tober, 1S70, at which time P. L. Mitchell, having purchased of the First Baptist Church the house va- cated by them on the northeast corner of 3d Avenue and 15th Street, erecting a tower and otherwise beau- tifying it, presented it to the Christian congregation as a place of worship, in which they have continued to the present time. The Church has been fairly prosperous, now numbering 75 worthy members. J. H. Wright is the present Pastor. The Evangelical Lutheran Tmmanuel Church was organized in 1856. Its house of worship is situated on 20th Street near 5th Avenue. Services are held in the German language. This Church holds to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of Faith. Rev. C. A. Meunick is the present Pastor, and has served the Church for many years. The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church is the result of a movement on the part of the pastor of the Church at Moline, holding services in private houses. In 1870 an organization was effected, consisting of members formerly belonging to the Swedish Luther- an Church in Moline. Rev. S. Benson, from Moline, served as Pastor till 1873, then Rev. V. Setterdahl till 1874. Rev. T. N. Hasselquist, D. D., Presi- dent of Augustana College, has been in charge of the Church since September, 1875. SOCIETIES. The secret and benevolent societies are well repre- sented here and have a very large membership. Among those represented are the Masons, Odd Fel- lows, United Workmen, Modern Woodmen, Knights of Pythias, Druids, G. A. R. Posts and Knights of Honor. The Masonic Order in Rock Island has about 400 members which help to make up the half million in the United States. The hall in which they meet is over the Rock Island National Bank, and is one of the best arranged and most elaborately finished and furnished of all in the State. The order is in a prosperous and harmonious condition, having two blue lodges, one chapter and one coinmandery. The board of control of the order in Rock Island, whose duty it is to look after and take charge of its various interests, hall property, etc., is composed of the fol- lowing members : H. C. Cleaveland, Henry Burgow- er, A. F. Fleming, John Evans, Dr. W. T. Magill, Alex. Steel, J. M. Montgomery, Henry Carse. Dur- ing the early days of the order in this city meetings were held in a small room opposite the Rock Island House on Second Avenue. From this location they Sr & (V VJ r> r\A GU m&*& n> V > ^€^ 6V£>I1I1&I1 Q^>7^ ^^K- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. Q<*J I m 753 May 9, 18S3, with 21 charter members. Its present membership is 26, and all supplied with handsome uniforms. The camp is in good working order, meet- ing on the 2d and 4th Saturday in each month. T. \V. Stack is the present Commander ; J F. Van Horn. Vice Commander; B. F. Knox, Secretary; C. B. Knox, Treasurer. Rebecca Degree Lodge, No. 73, I. O. O. F., is in flourishing condition, having about 40 members. Its officers in the spring of 1885 were : B. F. Knox, N. G. ; Mrs. J. F. Van Horn, V. G.; Mrs. W. T. Sug- den, Secretary; C. B. Knox, Treasurer. The Ancient Order of United Workmen in this State had its beginning in Rock Island, and in the city it has, from the organization of its first lodge, been very successful, and has a large aggregate membership. The different lodges have always occupied the same hall. They first met in a hall below the Rock Island House, and remained there three years, moving from thence to a hall on the corner of Second Avenue and Seventeenth Street, where they also remained three years, since which time they have been meeting in their fine hall, on the corner of Third Avenue and Sixteenth Street. The upper rooms were specially arranged for the use of the order, having parlor, kitchen, dining and ante rooms, in addition to the regular lodge rooms. The rooms were fitted up at a cost of over $r,ooo. Noble Lodge, No. 1, A. O. U. W., was instituted Nov. 18, 1874, with 27 charter members. T. W. Russell was the first Master. The lodge has had a prosperous existence, and now numbers 98 members in good standing. Its officers for the last half of 1885 were: Chris Danielson, P. M. W. ; Ira C. Peck, M. W. ; George L. Gorman, Foreman ; E. H. Barker, Overseer; Chris Oswald, Recorder; John Russell, Financial Secretary ; F. T. Hill, Receiver. Six deaths have occurred among its members: Frank 1). John- son, O. S. Grinereed, Edwin Sutcliff, George Zeigler, Axel A. Bodinson and T. A. Frey. Island City Lodge, No. 4, was instituted April 23, 1875, with 9 charter members. For a time the lodge worked slowly, as the people had to be educated to a knowledge of the order and its principles ; but it has had a gradual increase in membership. Two of its members have held office in the Grand Lodge — E. W. Boynton, G. M. W., and E. G. A. Solander, Grand Recorder. Germania Lodge, No. 6, was instituted Sept. 18, 1875, iis members being confined to those speaking the German tongue. It has a present membership of 76, and is in a highly prosperous condition. E. Krell, a member of the lodge, has been Grand Re- ceiver of the Grand Lodge. The lodge has lost seven of its members by death. The principal offi- cers at present are Victor Beck, M. W. ; Charles Kolls, G. F. ; Rudolph Schwecke,0.; Robert Koeh- ler, Recorder ; F. Rudolph, Receiver. Black Hawk Lodge, No. 81, was instituted May 31, 1877. Like the other lodges in this city, it is in good working condition, with a membership of 46. Eureka Legion, No. 2j, Select Knights, was insti- tuted Oct. 6, 1883, with 15 charter members. St. Paul's, No. 117, Knights of Pythias, was organ- ized in July, 18S2. lis meetings are held every Friday evening, in the A. O. U. I). Hall, Star Block. The order is in a flourishing condition in this place. Gen. John Buford Post, G. A. R., was organized May 30, 1883. It has a large and rapidly increasing membership, the old soldiers of the city taking great interest in the work of the order. Imperial Lodge, No. 1,237, Knights of Honor, was organized Oct. 30, 1878. This lodge is doing well, and numbers among its members some of the best citizens of Rock Island. The O-Sau-Kee Tribe, No. I J, Improved Order of Red Men, was organized in April, 1879, and holds regular meetings in their hall every Wednesday eve- ning. Knights of Labor. — Freedom Assembly, No. 1,957, Knights of Labor, was organized in 1882, and meets in hall on corner of 17th Street and Third Avenue. Rock Island Lodge, No. i6g, I. O. B. B., was organized Jan. 11, 1872, and holds its regular meet- ings the first and third Sunday in each month. In the spring of 1885 the following named were its officers: Louis May, Pres. ; J. E. Goldsmith, Vice- Pres. ; H. Regensburger, Rec. Sec; I. Bamberger, Treas. Rock Island Grove, No. 28, U. O. A. D., was instituted April, 1872. It has now 108 members, and holds its meetings every Thursday in their hall in Star Block. Its officers in the spring of 1885 were: Jacob F. Ohlweiler, N. A.; Jacob Schillinger, V. A.; Chas. Otto, Sec:.; August Schneid, Treas This Grove has a msennerchor in connection. f V * f\§%&*& ■w — ^a^jh n@n n^A^ — ^$^ Wshf§ 754 (g/ Q The Rock Island Mutual Building, Loan and Sav- ings Association was incorporated July 10, 1880, and since then has proven of great benefit to the men of small means and enabled many to secure lots and homes who would not have done so but for its in- ducements. It has a capital of $500,000 and 600 members, many of- the leading and substantial citi- zens of the place being included in this list. Officers : Alex. Steel, Pres. ; Lothar Harms, Vice-Pres. ; E. H. Guyer, Sec. ; J.Frank Robinson, Treas. ; M. E. Sweeney, Attorney or Solicitor. Frederick Mucnch Lodge, No. 4g6, D. O. If., was organized June, 1884, and is composed entirely of those speaking the German language. It has 35 members, its object being benevolence in its widest sense. Its meetings are held the first and third Fri- day in each month at 1609 Second Avenue. Its present officers are : Henry Kruse, O. B. ; Christ. Limburg, U. B. ; August Herkert, D. D. G. B. The Rock Island County Medical Society was or- ganized in the spring of 1884, and meets the first Tuesday of each month in the Board of Education rooms, Post office Block. The following physicians are its officers in 1885 : James Cozad, Pres. ; War- ren Hunter, Treas. ; Geo. L. Eyster, Sec. The Iowa and Illinois Central District Medical Association was organized in 1868, and has 60 mem- bers. It meets quarterly, alternately in Rock Island and Davenport, January, April, July and October. Its present officers are : M. B. Cochrane, Pres.; G. G Craig, Vice-Pres. ; A. W. Cantwell, Treas.; Geo. L. Eyster, Sec, having held this position since 1876. The Avion Singing Society was organized Novem- ber, 1 881, and has at the present time 34 members, [ although at one time it had 85. Its object is voice culture and mutual entertainment, and it is in a finely organized and flourishing condition. Meetings are held every Wednesday night, corner First Ave- nue and 1 8th Street. Its officers in the spring of 1885 were: Gottlieb Beck, Pres. ; Henry Peetz, Vice- Pres. ; Joseph Huber, Treas. ; John Westphal, Sec. ; Emil Jacobsen, Librarian. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Ttoin City Lodge, No. 2Q, was organized in rS8o, and has now 83 members. Its officers in the spring of 1885 were: t James B. Lidders, Master ; Wm. Clark, Vice-Master ; j. M. Colburn, Financial Secretary ; Samuel Nichols, (® Chaplain. Division No. 106, O. R. Conductors, was organized ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. & TTJ n Feb. 3, 1884. Its meetings are held the first Mon- day and third Sunday in each month, in Star Block. A. S. Craig, C. C. Brotherhood of Brakemen. — Island City Lodge, No. 1 1, Brotherhood of Brakemen, was organized June 24, 1884. Its meetings are held the second Monday and fourth Sunday in each month. In the spring of 1885, J. W. Quinn was Master, and T. J. Flanigan, Secretary. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. — Rock Isl- and Division, No. 60, was organized Dec. 6, 1864, and has a large membership. Its meetings are held the first Sunday and third Saturday of each month. In 1885 James Ewing was C. E., and P. H. Wells, Secretary and Treasurer. Deborah B Society meets on call at 16 10 Second Avenue, its officers being Mrs. J. Rosenfield, Presi- dent; Mrs. J. Levy, Vice-President ; Mrs. B. Cohn, Secretary; Mrs. J. Bear, Treasurer. Ancient Order of Hibernians was organized in 1881 and has 40 members, its object being " Friend- ship, Unity and True Christian Charity." Meetings are held first Sunday of each month over 1806 Sec- ond Avenue. Its officers are at present: David Fitzgerald, President; John Mulcahy, Vice-President; John Mulligan, Recording Secretary ; Pierce Kane, Financial Secretary; John O'Neil, Treasurer; Morris Mulcahy, County Delegate. St. Patrick's Benevolent Society is another flourish- ing organization and holds meetings the second Sun- day in each month at the Catholic Church school- house. The officers in the spring of 1885 were: Patrick Kinney, President ; Thomas Shea, Treasurer ; Martin F. O'Reilly, Secretary. The Western Catholic Union has two branches, St. Joseph's and a German, the former meeting the second Tuesday of each month, its officers being: J. W. Cavanaugh, President; G. L. Wynes, Recording Secretary; Chas. J. Larkin, Financial Secretary; John Brennan, Treasurer. St. Luke's Cottage Hospital is a new and one of the beneficial institutions of the city, its object being to care for the indigent sick and maimed people irre- spective of sex, nationality, color or religious creed. The movement was started by the ladies of Trinity Episcopal Church, aided by other benevolent per- sons of the city, and the entire building has been fur- nished by donations from the citizens. It is located at * n 1 !k@>$«f— - — ^ ^ oy^ im®on&A^ — :s >^- ip m *:■■■:■ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^K<®V^& 755 J 6) ' : xV 915 Second Avenue, and following are the officers of the medical staff: D.\ Thomas Gait, President ; Dr. if: C. Truesdale, Vice-President ; Dr. Geo. L. Eyster, Secretary. The Rock Islam! County Bible Society was estab- lished May 31, 1844, and although it has no president at this writing yet it is doing a commendable work under those exemplary Christian gentlemen — E. W. Spencer and J. W. Stark, Secretary and Depositary respectively. The y oung Men's Christian Association has its rooms over 17 19 Second Avenue, where general meetings are held the first Tuesday in each month at 7:30 p. m., and directors' meetings the last Tuesday in each month. Officers: Frank Nadler, President ; - A. M. Bruner and F. H. Kaupke, Vice-Presidents; Geo. P. Lyman, Secretary ; J. D. Warnock, Treas- urer. Woman's Christian Temperance Union meets at the above rooms the first Tuesday in each month at k 3:30 P. M. Mrs. H. Kingsbury, President; Miss Ella j. Taylor, Secretary ; Miss Belle Fleming, Treasurer. The Rock Island Business Mens Association is an organization instituted by a number of the leading citizens, its object being the promotion of the inter- ests of the city in every possible way. I. W. Stewart is President, and J. Frank Robinson, Secretary. The Rock Island Turn-Gemcinde was founded in April, 1857, and became an incorporated society in 1869. The society has erected in the rear of the hall a fine brick building, 50 by 30 feet, at a cost of $2,- 000, and used as a gymnasium, Theodore Bessing, an accomplished gymnast, being the paid instructor. The society numbers about 7 5, among whom are a large portion of the best educated and liberal German citi- zens. The hall is located at 1518 and 1520 Third Avenue, and rented by him for public entertainments when not used by the turners. Officers: Julius G. Junge, President; C. J. W. Schreiner, Vice-Presi- dent; Albert D. Huesing, Secretary; G. Otto Hiick- staedt, Treasurer. MILITARY. Co. A, Sixth 111. Inf., better known as the Rodman Rifles, was mustered into the State service in August 1877. It numbers 75 men and is one of the finest in the State, having distinguished itself for precision in military tactics and for soldierly conduct gener- ) i=z z=x ally. The Rifle Team has made the best record of all in the Second Brigade, and won the prize for marksmanship offered by that brigade in 1880, and also prizes in contests in other States. In 1879 a corporation was formed by the members of this company and purchased a lot, on which they erected their present handsome and imposing brick armory, 60 x 150 feet, at an expense of $15,000. It is lo- cated at the corner of Third Avenue and 16th Street, and besides its own headquarters, the City Council, police station and A. O. U. W. lodges are located therein. The officers are Henry M. Abell, Captain; C. C. Carter, First Lieutenant; W. H. Steel, Second Lieutenant. ARTIFICIAL LIGHT. The Rock Island Brush Electric Light Company was organized under its present name Aug. 25, 1882, but had been in existence since December, 1881. On November 1, 1882, a contract was made with the city for the tower system of lighting, to run five years. The company has 11 towers, each 132 feet in height, with two lights and ten miles of wire in the tower circuit. They have also some 30 private consumers. The capital stock of the company is $24,000. It has one dynamo of 60-light capacity, located on the corner of First Avenue and 16th Street, J. R. Johnston is President; F. M. Whea- ton, Secretary ; J. Frank Robinson, Treasurer ; James Blaisdell, electrician. The Merchants' Electric Light Company originated in Moline in November, 1882, and but recently com- menced operations in Rock Island. It has a fine, substantial brick building on 19th Street near First Avenue, 38x48 feet, in which is a fine engine and boiler and two dynamos of 20-light capacity each. Thos. B. Davis is President; Samuel S. Davis, Sei retary; C. Lynde, Treasurer. The Rock Island Gas Works are located on the corner of 17th Street and First Avenue, and are among the best equipped and most complete works^ in the country. The present company took posses- sion in 1877. MEDICAL. Until 1S36, the village and surrounding country were dependent upon the island for medical aid. In that year came Dr. Patrick Gregg (see page 234), who commenced an active practice which has ex- tended over a period of 49 years. To-day, while vs k I r& ? ^^_^a^h d § hd^a^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 4>^£ ca ^ his hair is whitened by the frosts of many winters, his step is as active as many who have scarcely reached the prime of life. For many years he has been the Government physician on the island. Like most young physicians, Dr. Gregg commenced his professional career a poor man, but his energy was unbounded. In the early spring after his arrival here, he had an experience which endeared him to the place and increased his confidence in humanity to a great extent. At that time he received a sum- mons to go over to the island to attend George L., a son of George Davenport, who was threatened with fever. The Doctor carefully attended him through a short spell, at the end of which time the Colonel came over to his office and placed a $roo bill in his hand. The Doctor, when he saw the amount of the bill, said, "Why, Colonel, I am a poor man ; I cannot change that." " I don't want you to change it," re- sponded the Colonel. " If you are satisfied with the amount, I am." It was several times what the Doc- tor would have charged : still it was acceptable. Among the regulars in practice since 1836 to the present time are the following named : Bardwell & Gregory came in 1836. Present whereabouts unknown. E. H. Bowman came in 1844; still here. W. S. Pierce came in the forties ; now residing in Indianapolis. Dr. Sharpe, from Kentucky. D. B. Rice came in the forties ; now in Oregon. J. W. Brackett, now of Rochester, Ind. A. G. Brackett, now Colonel of cavalry in United States Army. J. W. Buckley, a brother-in-law of Judge Pleas- ants ; now in Washington, D. C. Wm. A. Knox, now in Chicago. Dr. Powers; date of arrival and departure not re- membered. S. C. Plummer came in 1848. W. F. Cady came in the fifties ; became Surgeon in United States Volunteers. Thought to be dead. Calvin Truesdale came in 1854. Blygh & Blaine; arrival and departure not remem- bered. O. P. S. Plummer, now in Oregon. Dr. Morey, died in California. Dr. Hayes; arrival and departure not remembered. Thos. Gait, Geo. G. Craig (see page 408), G. L. Eyster, C. Barnhard, G. E. Barth (see page 385) and C. C. Carter all came in the past quarter of a cen- tury and are still here Dr. Stiles was probably the first homeopathist in Rock Island. He was here before the war. During the Rebellion, he served his country, and at its close j or shortly after, returned to Vermont, his native State. Among the other homeopathists were Dr. Lawrence, now of Colorado Springs; Dr. Minier, Dr. Jenks, and Dr. Dart, a lady physician. The present representatives of this branch of the medical profession are Drs. Kinyon (see page 487), Reiter and Paul. BANKS. The banking business in Rock Island was com- menced in 1852 by the establishment of two banks, — the Rock Island Bank and the private bank of Cook, Sargent & Parker. The Rock Island Bank was a bank of issue, and incorporated with a capital of $500,000, but how much was paid up is not known. M. B. Osborn was President and S. H. Mann, Cashier. The bank failed during the panic of 1857. Cook, Sargent & Parker continued until 1856, when P. L. Mitchell and P. L. Cable purchased it and continued the business under the firm name of Mitchell & Cable. Mr. Cable, at the end of four years, retired, and Cornelius Lynde became a part- ner, the business being coniinued under the firm name of Mitchell and Lynde. This firm has now been in existence 25 years and is considered one of the strongest banking firms in the State. The busi- ness is managed by Judge Lynde, Mr. Mitchell giv- ing his attention to the interests of the First National Bank, of which he is President. In 1855 Goodale & Lee commenced the banking and insurance business. They continued for three years, but the panic of 1857-8 was too much for them and they failed. N. B. Buford & Co., in 1856, organized a private banking institution, which was merged into the Bank of Federal Union in 1858, and which subsequently failed. The First National Bank was organized in Novem- ber, 1863, with a capital of $100,000, P. L. Mitchell, President; J. M. Buford, Cashier. The bank com- menced business on the corner of Second Avenue and 16th Street, where it continued until September, <5 ■s f that time they had about nine miles of mains, 64 hy- drants, a capacity of 2,000,000 gallons per day, at a cost of $1 10,000. Since then the mains have been in- m creased to 16 miles, the city owning 98 hydrants and the manufacturers 30 extra. At the present time there are 1,000 patrons of the works and the revenue derived therefrom amounts to $15,000 per annum. Since their first establishment the works have been moved from the lower end of the city to their pres- ent location, at the foot of 24th Street, where the solid, convenient and ornate brick and stone build- ings stand as enduring monuments to the enterprise and usefulness of the city and her citizens. Water is drawn from the main channel of the Mississippi River, through a cast-iron inflow pipe, 20 inches in diameter and 2,126 feet in length, thus insuring an abundance of pure water at all times. The pumps are of the Holly construction and have a daily ca- pacity of 5,000,000 gallons. For this $200,000 have been expended. J. H. Kerr is Superintendent, W. H. Pierce and I. N. Cox the engineers. The Fire Department is an institution of which the people of Rock Island may justly feel proud. It consists of no firemen, with an abundance of the best and most approved apparatus at their command, the city officers having been liberally discreet in making this abundant provision. The water- works give the department an immense volume and press- ure of water when required, which materially assists the firemen, under whose skill it is well directed, so that Rock Island suffers but little from the fire fiend. The organization is under the control of Jacob F. Ohhveiler as Chief, who has been connected there- with the past 1 r years, having taken every step from the ranks, including Assistant Foreman, Foreman and Assistant Chief. He has held his position since February, 1884, and has done nobly, as has his assistant, D. E. Butler, the various foremen and the whole department. The department is composed of one steamer for an emergency and five companies, as follows : Phoenix Hose Co., No. 1, was organized in 1S72, has 20 men, with George Schmidt, Foreman; James Albery, Assistant Foreman; and J. M. Beardsley, Treasurer. Wide-Awake Hose, Hook and Ladder Co., No. 2, was organized in 1873, has 30 men, with Philip M. Betts, Foreman ; Win. Ecker- mann, Assistant Foreman ; George Haymaker, Sec- retary; and B. Winter, Treasurer. Rescue Hose Co.. No. 3, was organized in 1876, has 20 men, with B. F. Knox, Foreman ; Thomas Moore, Assistant Foreman; and Chris. Trefz, Treasurer. Cable Hose Co., No. 4 (formerly the Fourth Ward Hose Co.), f & V o i ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. was organized in 1876, has 20 men, with Christ. Baker Foreman. Holly Hose Co., No. 5, was or- ganized in 1874, has 20 men, with Horace J. M< - Gregor and J. D. Beecher, Treasurer and Secretary, respectively. CEMETERIES. The Chippiannock Cemetery Association was or- ganized in 1855 and owns 60 acres of ground in one of the most lovely spots in this vicinity. The cemetery is very appropriately located for the pur- poses designed, while the name it bears, Chippian- nock, which is of Indian origin, signifies " city of the dead." Over $30,000 have been expended in pur- chase and improvements. Up to December r, 1884, 752 lots had been sold, while to the same date 3,479 interments had been registered. P. L. Mitchell is the Secretary and Treasurer of the Association, whose office is at the First National Bank. The Hebrew Burying-Ground Association was organized in 1869, and owns one acre in the above cemetery that is very beautifully laid out and enclosed with a living hedge. The officers are Henry Burgo- wer, Pres. ; M. Rosenfield, Vice-Pres.; L. Simon, Sec, and Joseph May, Treas. MANUFACTORIES. Rock Island city has within its limits some very- extensive manufactories, the existence of which has done much to promote the growth of the place. Among the number are the following extensive con- cerns : Buford Plow Works, which have been here for many years, furnishing employment to hundreds of men, is one of the leading establishments. The glass works is also a notable institution, which has had quite a prosperous career. The sash and door factories, planing-mills, soap works, stove works, carriage factories, bone-meal factory, breweries, baby-carriage factory, iron works and machine shops, iron-fence factory, cracker factory, pork-packing establishment and saw works have each contributed to the general prosperity of the place. Few cities present greater opportunities for the development of manufacturing enterprises than Rock Island. With a fortunate geographical position, the leading Western railways entering the place, the Mississippi also affording an outlet for its productions, there is no reason why it should not rank among the best manufacturing points in the country. The lumber manufacture is a leading industry in Rock Island. There are two companies doing an immense business : The Rock Island Lumber and Manufacturing Co. was incorporated in 1878 and was the outgrowth of several concerns which were started nearly twenty years before that time. Since incorporation it has met with wonderful success, its progress from an ordinary to an extraordinary institution being very rapid. The company owns two saw-mills and a large sash and blind factory, and occupies about 20 acres of ground. While the company does a large business in this vicinity yet most of its product finds its way into the Western and Southern States, which consumes 4,000 car-loads a year. The two saw-mills have a capacity of producing 45,000,000 feet of lumber, 7,000,000 shingles, 10,000,000 lath, and 50,000 pickets per annum. Their sash manu- factory is a fine brick structure 80 by 130 feet, three stories, and has an annual capacity of 75,000 doors, including those of all sizes, 150,000 sash, 30,000 blinds, and moldings measuring 4,000,000 lineal feet. In the production and care of this immense out-put some 500 hands find employment and receive annu- ally in wages nearly $200,000. Last year nearly 4,000 cars of materials were shipped from this estab- lishment, the lumber principally finding a market in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, and the sash, doors, blinds and moldings in the States of Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. Weyerhauser & Renkman do a very large business. This mill was established in 1859, on a small capital, and is now one of the largest concerns in the Missis- sippi valley. STATISTICAL. According to Holland's City Directory, published in the spring of 1885, there were 2 abstract offices, 17 law firms, 6 bakeries, 4 banks, 12 barber shops, 2 beer bottlers, 6 billiard halls, 2 blank-book manu- facturers, 5 blacksmiths, 6 boarding-houses, 1 board- ing stable, 1 boat builder, 3 bookbinders, 3 book- sellers, 8 boot and shoe dealers, 2 bowling alleys, 1 box factory, 1 brass founder, 3 breweries, 4 brick yards, 13 butcher shops, 7 carpenter shops, 1 carpet dealer, 2 carriage manufacturers, 2 cement and lime, * vf/ & w .« ^y ^n d® d Hf>*^ — ^g^^ 4*t^> SSeK^^i* m I vi) & AS.) yPCCA' ISLAND COUNTY. 759 i children's carriage manufactory, 8 cigars and tobac- co, 8 clothing, 6 coal merchants, 3 commission mer- chants, 2 coopers, 1 cracker manufacturer, 7 crockery, 1 dairyman, 4 dentists, 12 druggists, 7 dry goods, 1 dyer, 2 express companies, 2 feed stables, 3 iron- fence manufacturers, 13 flour and feed, 2 foundries, 13 fruits and confectionery, 3 furniture, 3 gas and steam fitters, 1 glass w >rks, 1 granite works, 48 gro- cers, 2 gunsmiths, 1 hair goods, 3 hardware, 4 har- ness, 2 hats and caps, 4 horse-shoers, 8 hotels, 4 house furnishers, 2 ice dealers, 7 insurance agents, 1 insurance company, 2';iron works, 5 jewelers, 2 jus- tices of the peace, 1 leather, 2 lime and cement, 6 livery stables, 2 lumber manufacturers, 3 ma- chine shops, 2 marble works, 6 merchant tailors, 3 milliners, 1 music house, 1 news depot, 6 newspapers, 6 painters, 3 photographers, 17 physicians, 4 picture-frame dealers, 1 planing-mill, 1 plow manufacturer, 3 plumbers, 1 pork-packer, 1 poultry-breeder, 10 produce dealers, 2 pump dealers, 4 real-estate dealers, 1 1 restaurants, 42 saloons, 1 saw-maker, 5 second-hand stores, 1 seed merchant, 16 shoemakers, 1 soap manufacturer, 2 -soda-water manufacturers, 2 steamboat lines, 5 stoves and tin- ware, 1 stove works, 3 tailors, 1 tea and coffee store, 1 telegraph company, 1 undertaker, 4 wagon-makers, 2 wall-paper~dealers, 1 wood dealer. According to the abstract of assessments in the office of the County Clerk, there were in r885 of improved land, 241 acres; unimproved land, 808 acres ; total value, $98,632. Town lots, 1,706 im- proved, and 763 unimproved, valued at $1,653,220. Of horses there were 692; cattle, 271; mules and asses, 69; hogs, 27; steam engines, 31; fire and burglar proof safes, 63 ; billiard tables, 23; carriages and wagons, 540; watches and clocks, 492 ; sewing and knitting machines, 727 ; pianos, 270 ; melodeons and organs, 68. The total value of personal prop- erty was $634,235. THE COUNTY BOARD. When the township organization law was adopted, Rock Island, which then included all of the township of South Rock Island, was entitled to two representa- tives upon the County Board of Supervisors. In 1875 the number was increased to three, and in 1881 to five. The following named have served upon the Board : 1857— R. M. Marshal, Z. Cook. 1858— A. S. Wait, Frazer Wilson. 1859 — Harrison Boggess, C. M. Knox. i860 — T. J. Robinson, M. A. Swiler. 1861— T. J. Robinson, M. A. Swiler. 1862 — B. H. Kimball, Jacob Frysinger. 1863— B. H. Kimball, L. D. Dimick. 1864— S. B. Stoddard, B. H. Kimball. 1865— B. H. Kimball, S. B. Stoddard. 1866— B. H. Kimball, S. B. Stoddard. 1867— B. H. Kimball, S. B. Stoddard. ' 1868— S. B. Stoddard, Jacob Ohbveiler. 1869^-Chas. B. Knox, t. D. Barnes. 1870 — Chas B. Knox, Win. A. Johnston. 187 1 — H. H. Mayo, Wm. A. Johnston. 1872— H. H. Mayo, Ernst Krell. 1873— W. N. Jarvis, Ernst Krell. 1874 — Henry Dart, Ernst Krell. 1875— Henry Dart, Ernst Krell, Henry S. Case. 1876 — Henry Case, John Aster, W. L. Sweeney. rS77 — Henry Case, John Aster, W. L. Sweeney. 1878 — John Aster, Julius Strohle, Adam Mancker. 1879— M. Koch, Wm. Atkinson, H. C. Cleveland. 1880 — Wm. Atkinson, C. H. Ritter, Julius Masen- felder. 1881— Wm. Atkinson, C. H. Ritter, Geo. Schnei- der, Arthur Burrall, Chas. J. Blomberg. 1882— C. H. Ritter, F. M. Sinner, C. H. Stoddard, Geo. Schneider, Sr., C J. Blomberg. 18S3 — John Aster, Chas. J. Blomberg, James I). Warnock, Wm. E. Brooks, Geo. Schneider, Sr. 1884 — John Aster, Geo. Schneider, C. P. Swanson, Arthur Burrall, David Fitzgerald. 1885— John Aster, Arthur Burrall, C. P. Swanson, David Fitzgerald, Thomas Smart. 4 5 v£ c 5 i * !—. r^_ ^u^m i 760 4:DDSnDr>r ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. A .s> > ) &^£/s^\> ,-3& •^:S-«rS;S-'»^!S>»^i:? L, 4»^iS^S;S+ ^^\^/^'^ Vto a Augustana College and Theological Seminary, at Rock Island, Illinois. ? F this institution and of the self-denying efforts of those devoted Christian men who J^r founded and fostered it, the history is of the qgJT greatest interest. Already at the organization of the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, which took place at Clinton, Rock Island County, Wis., in June, r86o, a resolution was passed to establish and maintain an institution of learning. This was done at a time when the Swedish Lutherans of the United States numbered only seventeen (17) ministers, thirty -six (36) congre- gations and three thousand, seven hundred and fifty (3,750) communicants, all of whom were poor emi- grants. But God has abundantly blessed their ef- forts, so that from a very small beginning this insti- tution has had an unusuil and wonderful growth and development. This school to which was given the name of Augustana Seminary* was temporarily lo- cated at Chicago. Rev. L. P. Esbjorn, who had for nearly two years been the Scandinavian Professor at the Illinois State University, Springfield, was chosen its first Professor. This position he occupied until the summer of 1863, when he returned to Sweden. *Augnstana i> taken from the Latin name of the principal confession of the Lutheran Church, the Augs- burg Coufessiou. It was called (in Latin; Confessio Augustana, because it was delivered bythe Lutherans to the Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augshurein 1530. The institution remained at Chicago for three years. During this time Rev. Esbjorn, who was the only Professor, received a yearly salary of $600, being assisted in the work by two of the more ad- ed students. The attendance numbered from 12 to 20 students, almost equally divided between Swedes and Norwegians. The year 1S63 marks a new era in the history of this institution. The school was now removed from Chicago to Paxton, Ford Co., 111., and the handsome gift of $10,190, which was collected from all the Churches in Sweden, and granted by the King, Karl XV, gave the school fresh impulse in its new quar- ters. Rev. T. N. Hasselquist had been elected Professor in the place of Rev. Esbjorn, and later, in 1864, Rev. W. Kopp was chosen as Professor of the English Language and Literature. In the first few years the number of students was small, but later it began gradually to increase until at the Commence- ment, in June, 1875, the institution numbered five Professors and eighty-six students. In the year 1875 another important step in the history of '\ugustana College and Theological Semi- nary* was taken, by transferring the institution — professors, students, library and museums — from Paxton to Rock Island, as a much more central loca- tion. The grounds, consisting of over iS acres of picturesque bluff land, in the eastern part of the city, were purchased by H. P. Hull, in 1873, for $10,000. The college building was erected in 1874 and 1S7:;, * In I860 the institution received a charter, under the name ol Augustana College and Theological Seminary. 1=1 g I® ^&.nm^ A •*&*- » :S ) ®5j ffc^ msM t§ p -2$£fr mn<> ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 763 ® V al a cost of $40,267.63 ; the professors' houses subse- quently, at .1 cost of $11,913-53; total for buildings in Rock Island, $52,182.16. School was opened in this beautiful and commodious edifice Sept. 22, 1875, an d 't was solemnly dedicated to God and his Church Oct. 14, the same year. Near the center of population of the United States, Rock Island is the most central and convenient point for the Swedish- American, and the above changes have yielded rich results. Situated high upon the side of the bluff, the location is free from miasma and very healthful. The view from the ground is unsurpassed in pictur- esque beauty, including the three cities, the Missis- sippi River and Rock Island, which here divides the river, and is the site of the Government Arsenal, situated just opposite the college. The scene is en- livened by the constant movement of trains on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and Chicago, Milwaukee & extent. Among those who settled here after that St. Paul Railways, all of which run between the river and the institution. Since the removal here the institution has enjoyed a healthy and rapid growth, the number of students increasing from 86 the last year in Paxton, to 2 1 1 the school year of 1884-5. ^ nas a fa ^ cor P s °f well educated and efficient professors, a valuable library of 7,3to bound volumes and 5,100 pamphlets, a fine museum of natural history, including ethno- logical and numismatic collections, a chemical and physical laboratory, and a gymnasium in which in- struction is given by the Ling method. In the Theological Seminary young men are pre- pared for the gospel ministry in the Lutheran Church. The instruction is given by three professors, two Swedes and one American. In the college with its two courses, classical and scientific, a broad and solid foundation is laid for professional studies and for usefulness in life. There is also a musical conservatory for instruction in vocal and instrumental music. Except in the Swedish lan- guage and literature, and in a part of the religious instruction, the English language is used as the medium of instruction. Seven of the professors were born in Sweden and six in the United States. It should not be forgotten that while this is not a sectarian institution, it is based on sound Christian principles. Its aim is to educate not only the head but also the heart ; not only to give a thorough classi- cal and scientific education, but also to build up a good, reliable and steadfast moral character, resting on, and upheld by, thorough Christian principles. Its discipline is good and the behavior and habits of the students highly commendable. When, in 1875, the Board of Directors reported to the Synod concerning the building, some of the del- egates proposed to censure them for extravagance in erecting a building unnecessarily large. One of the delegates proposed, however, to wait five years, and before the expiration of that time the attendance had so increased that it was already inconveniently small. The necessity for larger accommodations constantly increasing, the Synod at Red Wing, in 1883, authorized the Board to procure drawings and solicit subscriptions for a new building, which, how- ever, should not be begun before $30,000 had been subscribed and $10,000 paid. These conditions being complied with, the Synod, at Andover, in 1884, au- thorized the Board to proceed with the erection of the building. It is 168 feet long, the central part 76 feet wide and the wings 64 feet, four stories high, in- cluding the basement. A full page view of the col- lege with its surrounding buildings and beautiful scenery is given in connection with this historical skelch. The corner-stone was laid Nov. 6, 18S4. There are, however, few men of large means among the Swedes, and as the hard times checked contributions, it seemed necessary to suspend work, when on the 9th of June, 1885, the Board were rejoiced by the munificent gift of $25,000 from the Hon. P. L. Cable This timely and liberal aid has enabled them to push the work as vigorously as consistent with thorough- ness of construction. The structure will be alike an honor to the Swedish-Americans and their generous benefactor, Hon. P. L. Cable, and an ornament to the city and county of Rock Island, and will be ready for use at the fall term, 1886. Besides this munifi- cent gift, the Swedes have collected $25,000 among themselves and at least $25,000 more will be needed to complete the building. Having no endowment, the institution is dependent on the Synod and its congregations for its support, the annual expenses being from $25,000 to $30,000. But the Lord of Hosts, the Father of Light, who has sustained them hitherto can help them hereafter, and *' A $$\®K ^^ — ^a^hh®h ^>^ — ^g^ % 764 && i?CC^T ISLAND COUNTY. V/ f there is a living endowment in the enthusiasm of the people for their educational institutions. May Augustana College and Theological Seminary, from Zion Hill, its elevated position on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, shine as a light-house for generations to come! Tne Board of Directors for the year 1885 consisted of the following members: Rev. Erland Carlsson, President ; Mr. Nelson Chester, Secretary ; Mr. J. H. Westrand, Treasurer; Rev. H. O. Lindeblad, Mr. d^ -X~V r :< \ Gustaf Johnson, Rev. S. P. A. Lindahl, Mr. Peter Colseth and Rev. T. N. Hasselquist, D. D. The members of the theological faculty are Rev. T. N. Hasselquist, D. D., Rev. Prof. O. Olsson and Rev. Prof. R. F. Weidner. The college faculty consists of Rev. Prof. C. O. Granere, Rev. Prof. C. P. Ryd- holm, Prof. Josua Lindahl, Ph. D., Prof. A. O. Ber- sell, Prof. A. W Williamson, Prof. C. M. Esbjorn, Prof. C. W. Foss and Rev. Prof. G. W. Sandt, Prof. C. L. E. Esbjorn and Prof. Gustav Stolpe. o ^oooe OLINE, the City of Mills, is one of the most widely ^o known of the smaller cities of the Union. Its large and excellent manu- factories have given it a world - wide reputation, and its manufactured products have taken the first premium at every world's fair or exhibition in which they have been exhibited. The im- mense water-power attracted atten- tion at a very early date, and it was only a question of time when it should be utilized. In 1838, in a letter to Judge Spencer, Hon. John Buford discussed the practicability of improving the natural power and predicting that in time Rock Isl- and would be the center of 50,000 population. He recommended the formation of a joint- stock com- pany, which should purchase and hold the land at this point, and which also should develop the power. Mr. Buford outlined a plan for a canal and mills, which should be erected. " In the first place," he says, "four feet clear fall must be obtained. I would recommend to you to have a line of level run from the mouth of the branch below the rocks and near the house occupied by one of your partners, upon the most favorable low grounds, and as high up the rap- ids as experience and utility will authorize. I think the ground is most favorably adapted for such an improvement. The average depth of the canal will not exceed nine feet.'' The cost of this canal Mr. Buford reckoned at $2 r, 870, which, together with a good mill for grinding grain and sawing lumber, would cost $30,000. "This establishment," he said, " would build up Stephenson (Rock Island), and as the tefwn and country demand, other additions will be added." In 1841, John W. Spencer, David B. Sears and Spencer H. White built the first dam at this point, made of brush and stone. They also built a saw and flouring mill on the Moline side, just north of where the Moline Plow Company's woiks now stand. This dam was erected under the superintendency of David B. Sears. About this time these gentlemen, together with Gov. W. Lynde, laid out a town, to which they gave the name of Rock Island Mills. The plat of this village was never recorded. Nothing further was done towards the location T 9 s & 3 11 ;; ¥$& «§« ^r o/ mmw^rB — ^c^- 4>^*«t f -2^^ ©V^HHUBMlf^ ry IS jTOCTT ISLAND COUNTY. 7 6 5 <§, /7S "CSX I rfS hereof a village until 1843, when the original owners of Rock Island Mills, together with the owners of the land adjoining (Huntington Wells, Chas. Atkinson, Joel Wells and D. B. Sears) had surveyed and platted what is recorded as the original town of Moline. At this time the only buildings upon the town plat were those of Chas. Atkinson, Huntington Wells, David B. Sears, Benedict, Patterson, Hoskins, Hun toon, White, Weir, Kinzie, Bell, Reynolds and Benham — in all 13. When the survey was made two copies of the plat were prepared by the surveyor, in one of which lie wrote in pencil in the space left for the name of the place the word Hesperia, and in the other Moline. A name had not then been agreed upon, and the surveyor was asked the meaning of the two words. Hesperia, he said, meant " Star of the West," while Moline signified " Milltown." Chas. Atkinson re- sponded, " Moline let it be called ;" and thus it was named. The mill erected by Spencer, Sears & White was in running order in 1842, Jonathan Huntoon being placed in charge as miller. Mr. Huntoon is yet an honored citizen of the place, and is President of the Rock Island & Moline Horse Railway. David B. Sears opened a small store in his own residence, which stood near the mill, in 1843. This was the first in the place. Joseph Huntoon was the first shoemaker, com- mencing in T842. Geo. W. Bell commenced work at the tailor trade in 1844. Chas. Atkinson in the fall of 1S45 began merchan- dising on Wells Street, now Second Avenue. He carried a line of general merchandise. Cyrus Kinzie started the first blacksmith shop in 1843, his shop being located where Deere's Plow Factory now stands. Spencer H. White commenced the manufacture of brick in 1843. The first hotel was kept by Huntington Wells, who opened his rouse for that purpose in the (all of 1843. The first drug store was kept by Addison Chamber- lain in 1847. There was no exclusive grocery store here for some years after the town was commenced. INCORPORATION. Moline was organized as a town in 1843 and so remained until 1872, when it was incorporated as a city, under the general laws of the State, which came in force July 1, 1872. On the third of that month a petition was presented to the Board of Trustees of the town of Moline, asking that the question of the adoption of a city government be submitted to the legal voters of the town. The petition was granted, and an election was held Tuesday, August 6, 1872. There were cast 261 votes for incorporation and 22 against; for minority representation in the City Council, 21 ; against minority representation, 247. On Tuesday, Aug. 29, 1872, an election for city officers was held and the following named elected : Mayor, Daniel L. Wheelock ; City Clerk, Orrin K. Ferguson ; City Attorney, John T. Browning ; Al- dermen, George W. Vinton, Luke E. Hemenway, J. S. Keator, Marvel H. White, Henry Klahn, Chas. W. Lobdell, Swan Hanson, Daniel W. Dimock,Chas. F. Hemenway. The following named have served as Mayors since 1873: John Deere, 1873-74; D. L. Wheelock, 1875-76; S. W. Wheelock, 1877-82; E. B. Knox, 1883-84; Martin Schillinger, 1885. POSTOFFICE. The post office was established in 1844, with David B. Sears as postmaster. The office at this time was not a sinecure, but yet there were others willing to serve. Between 1844 and 1853 Dr. Wells, Geo. W. Jackman and Joseph J. Jackman served, it is be- lieved, in the order named: Absalom B. Williams was appointed in 1853, at which time the office was on what is now the comer of Second Avenue and 1 6th Street. Here it remained some time and then was removed a few doors west on the same avenue. In 1873 it was removed to the Library Building on 15th Street. J. M. Gould succeeded Mr. Williams as postmaster and served until April 17, 1861, when Win. iCerns was appointed, serving until June, 1865. Geo. D. Gould was his successor, serving some 22 months, when Mr. Kerns was appointed. On the nth of August, 1869, he was succeeded by Henry E. Wells, who served until April 1, 1877, when Luke E. Hemenway was appointed. Mr. Hemen- way, it is but just to say, is regarded as a model postmaster, and gives personal supervision to every department of the office. By six o'clock in the A © •G^wm&^gr wS^^Lm -D^C-^. -Z0&K 6V4?fln®BDf>^ 1 9 *9 -3 l ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. morning he is found at his post, and, with the excep- tion of the time required for his meals, he is there till the closing hour at night. He is methodical in every- thing, and can, in a few moments' time, show the record of every transaction in his office since his ap- pointment. The office contains 2,409 Yale boxes, producing a rental of $Soo per quarter. The gross revenue of the office for the year ending June 30, 1883, was $20,500, entitling it to a free delivery, but in consequence of the reduction in postage and the general stagnation in business, it has fallen to a lit- tle less than $20,000. With the return of better times it will be increased to more than the required amount. While this work is in preparation the office is occu- pying temporary quarters on 3d Avenue between 1 6th and 17th Streets, while a building is being erected expressly for its accommodation on the cor- ner of 3d Avenue and 16th Streets, which will be the finest postoffice building in the State. EDUCATIONAL. The first school-house in Moline was erected in 1843, shortly after the platting of the village, on the site of the present city engine-house on ground do- nated by the proprietors of the place. The building was of brick and was used for religious as well as school purposes. It was erected by the people, each donating as he was able or willing. Joseph Jackman was the first teacher. Mr. Jackman is remembered by all the early settlers. S. P. Hodges was the next teacher. He was subsequently county clerk for many years. As a matter of course the first schools were of a primitive character. As the scholars were few in number, ranging from the child sent by its mother " to get rid of it " to the young man who should have graduated years before, and all confined in one room, the teacher had to teach all grades from the a-b, abs to the higher branches in mathematics. All this has since been changed. The schools are now thoroughly graded, the present system dating from April, 1873, when the first Board of Education was elected under the city charter and in accordance with the revised school laws, consisting of the following named: C. A. Wheelock, President; H. H. Grover, Secretary; Wm. H. Edwards. Ezra Smith, C. O. Nathan an Jonathan Huntoon. The first annual report of the Board showed two school buildings that were known was the Central and the West Ward. In the Central building, in addition to the Superin- tendent, W. H. Russell, there were 11 teachers em- ployed and four in the West Ward. The salaries of of teachers and superintendent amounted to $8,014- .77. There was a total enrollment of 750 and an average of 624. After serving some two and a half months in the fall of 1874, Mr. Russell resigned the superintend- ency and L. Gregory was elected to fill the vacancy. He served until the fall of 1878, when W. S. Mack (see page 289) was appointed. During his adminis- tration great improvement was made in the schools, which had increased in numbers very largely. During his last year there was an enrollment of 1,104. Twenty teachers were employed, the salaries of whom, together with the superintendent, amounted to $10,386.59. There were three school-houses at this time. 1 Kiting Prof. Mack's first year there were employed 20 teachers regularly, the salaries of whom, together with that of the superintendent, amounted to $10,436.02. There were then in the district 1,819 persons, between six and 20 years of age, with an enrollment in the schools 1,285. New rules and regulations were adopted, and the time in the High School was increased to four years, the number of studies being reduced each year. A new school- house has since been built, and in the summer of 1885 the district in South Moline, adjoining the city on the south, voted to unite the city district. There were in that district two good school-houses. Added to the number in the city, it gives six school-build- ings, valued at about $134,500. The first class was graduated in 1876, since which time one class has graduated each year as follows : 1 87 6 . 1877. 1878. 1879- 1880. 6 1881 6 1882 14 1883 14 1884 8 1885 Total 94 The present Board of Education is composed of the following gentlemen : W. C. Bennett, President (see page 233): L. E. Fish (see page 293), Secretary ; W. K. Sloan (see page 234), W. W. Wells, F. W. Gould and P. Colseth (see page 240). The following is the corps of teachers for 1885-6, \§j& -^y- o/^ rewi^A^ — ^jr- T -6V ln> t^w- M ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. bers, who were at the front fighting the battles of their country, under a rule adopted by the Grand Lodge its meetings were suspended until brighter days should come. It was re-organized in 1866. For a time the lodge met in Chamberlain's, now Dunn's Hall, removing from thence to Dahm's Hall, on the corner of Third Avenue and 17th Streel, and from thence to the hall over Moline National Bank. After remaining here for some years they removed to the hall in the library building, where they remained until their removal to their present elegant quarters, on the corner of Third Avenue and 17th Street, July 1, 1885. The building in which is situated their hall was erected by John Deere and is one of the handsomest structures in the city. Doric Lodge occupies the entire third floor and was ar- ranged especially for its use. The main lodge room is 36x60 feet, with 20-foot ceiling. There is a double parlor on the east (Masonically speaking), 43 x 18 feet, 14 feet high. A long hall is upon one side, 7^x66 feet. The dining-room, south of the main lodge room, is 21x60 feet. There are three ante-rooms, each 12 x 14 feet; kitchen and vestibule, each 18x21 feet, with water closets and toilet room. The lodge room and the parlors are furnished with body Brussels carpet, solas, etc. The rooms are said to be the most convenient of all lodges in the State, and have been furnished at a cost of $2,000. The lodge is in a flourishing condition, having 101 members in July, 1885, and constantly increasing. Fifteen persons were initiated the first six months of this year. D. O. Reid is the present Master; A. C. Grout, S. W. ; F. H. Davis, J. W. ; J. S. Gillmore, Treas. ; D. W. Gould, Sec. A colored lodge of Masons exists, known as King Solomon Lodge, No. 20, organized in 1875. This order is not recognized by the whites. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows have three subordinate lodges and an encampment in this city, with a large membership, composed of some of the best citizens of the place. Moline Lodge, No. 133, was instituted Jan. 4, 1854, and is in a very flourishing condition, its membership embracing many of the oldest and best ' known citizens of the city. It numbers 90 members in good standing. Fred. Volkman is the present Noble Grand and O. E. Tyler, Vice-Grand. Swedish Olive Lodge, No. 583, I. O. O. F., was VS I x==i f ( ^UHSW^^r s^jei '& •n ® @ instituted Oct. 13, 1875, with 15 charter members, Andrew Anderson, N. G. ; B. P. Oakley, V. G. ; A. P. Ahngren, Sec. ; J. P. Soderstrom, P. S. ; Peter Nelson, Treas. The lodge has been quite prosperous and is now in a most healthy condition, with a mem- bership of 84. Its present officers are P. B. Anderson, N. G. ; J. A. Swanson, V. G. ; N. J. Pierson, Sec. ; A. O. Lindstrom, P. S. ; August Lindgren, Treas. ; Andrew Anderson, Representative to the Grand Lodge. Moline Encampment, No. 153, I. O. O. F., was chartered Oct. 13, 1874, with eight charter members. On the 1 6th of July 1885, Cleveland Encampment, No. 84, of Cleveland, 111., was consolidated with this camp. Lieut. -Gov. J. C. Smith, Grand Scribe, conducted the ceremonies, assisted by W. S. Sweeney, Grand Representative. The camp is in a flourishing condition, with 60 members. Meetings are held in hall in Moline National Bank Building. The officers for the last half of 1885 are : C. W. Phillips, C. P.; Andrew Anderson, H. P.; L. E. Woodruff, S. W.; J. P. Amberg, J. W. ; N. J. Pierson. Scribe; A. O. Lindstrom, Treas. Manufacturers' Lodge, No. 485, I. O. O. F., was instituted April 16, 1872, with 12 charter members. Its first officers were: H. H. Grover, N. G, ; C. A. Wheelock, V. G. ; J. V. Van Horn, R. S. ; J. P. Morey, P. S. ; W. M. Dunham, Treas. Meetings were first held in lodge room over Moline National Bank. The present membership of the lodge is 64, and its general condition is good. The present officers are : G. F. Downs, N. G. ; F. B. Simian, V. G. ; W. A. McBeth, R. S. ; S. Kennedy, P. S. ; G. G. Gifford, Treas. Meetings are now held in Deere's Hall. Ancient Order of United Workmen. — Four lodges and one legion represent this order in this city, each being in a very gratifying financial and harmonious condition. Harmony Lodge, No. 2, A. O. U. W., was organized Dec. 3, 1874, with 23 charter members. This was the second lodge instituted in the State, Noble Lodge, No. 1, of Rock Island, being the first. The lodge now numbers 54, and is in good condition in every respect. D. R. Ziegler is the Master Workman; Benton Davis, Recorder; C. F. Ziegler, Financier. There has been but one death in the lodge since its organiza- tion. Schiller Lodge, No. 1 1, A. O. U. W., was organized April 19, 1876. Meetings were held in the Library building, until July, 1885, when the lodge was removed to the corner of Third Avenue and 17th Street. Franklin Lodge, No. 16, A. O. CJ. W., was organized Sept. 25, 1876. Meetings were held in the Library building, and continued there until July, 1885, when a removal was made to the corner of Third Avenue and 1 7th Street. For some years the lodge has only been holding its own in regard to membership, having 69 in good standing. Death has visited three times since its organization — L. Pinkham, John A. Steele and Frank Gunnell. Its principal officers in July, 18S5, were: Alex. E. Montgomery, M. W. ; Robert Young, F.; G. W. Parker, O. ; S. Kennedy, Sec. North Star Lodge, No. 48, A. O. U. W., was organized March 16, 1877, with 35 charter members, with Chas. E. Piper, M. \V. The lodge has a present membership of 5 1. Death has visited the lodge four times since its organization, removing Aleck Vener- luns, John Erickson, Arel Blombergson, Andrew Wickstrom. This lodge is composed of Swedish members exclusively, though it works in English, only using the Swedish language when some one is initiated. Its principal officers in July, 1885, were : N. H. Caderberg, M. W. ; C. E. E. Engmark, F. ; James B. Nelson, O. ; C. G. Carlson, Sec. McLean Legion, No. 26, Select Knights, A. O. U. \V., was organized in March, 1884, with 18 charter members. Its membership at present is about the same, and all are supplied with handsome uni- forms. A. E. Montgomery is the present Comman- der. The Modem Woodmen of America have one camp in this place, Moline Camp, No. 38, which was or- ganized May 7, 1SS4, with 32 charter members. It lias been exceedingly prosperous, and has a present membership of 137. No deaths have as yet occurred in this camp. Its officers are : W. A. Mase, Consul ; Geo. Lee, Adviser; W. C. Thede, Clerk; F. A. Burgsten, Banker. Grand Army of the Republic. — The old soldiers are represented by one Post. R. H. Graham Post, No. 312, G. A. R., was mustered Aug. 12, 1883, with 20 charter members. The principal officers were : A. C. Grout, Com. ; Amos Altimus, S. V. C. ; F. M. Andrews, Adj. Meetings were held in the hall of Library building until July, 1885, when they moved to hall corner Third Avenue and 17th Street. The f I < ( ^^ — ^a<&h D^n n>>^9 — ^^^- ge«- s: — @^?nn^fln>>B^ — ; ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ,,t. Post has been very prosperous, its present member- ship being 79. The principal officers in July, 1885, were : Wm. Clendennin, Com. ; H. E. Barber, S. V. C. ; T. D. Wheelock, J. V. C. ; E. B. Knox, Q. ; P. L. McKinnie, Surg. ; L. E. Fish, Adj. The Iron-Molders' Union, A r o. 2jj, was organ- ized June 12, 1875, and has about 65 members. Its meetings are held every Tuesday night in hall over the Moline National Bank. In April, 1885, Chas. French was President, and Isaac Dawson, Secretary. Moline Grove, No. 26, Druids, was organized Jan- 1 uary, 1872, and holds its meetings on the second and last Wednesday evening in each month. Wm. Runge, N. A , J. Mueller, V. A.; Claus H. Reimers, Treas ; Geo. Oldefest, Sec, — were among its officers in the spring of 1SS5. iWississippi Valley Grove, No. jj, Druids, was organized February, 18S3. Nels Peterson, ,N. A.; Nels Nelson, V. A. ; Joseph Perry, Sec, — were among the officers in 18S5. Meetings were held over Moline National Bank. The Concordia Germania Turnverein was organ- ized in 1876 by the consolidation of the Concordia, Germania and the Turners. It has about 100 mem- bers. In the past few years the society has spent several thousands of dollars in improvements, in- cluded in which is a fine and imposing building used as a gymnasium, in which, besides themselves, a Scandinavian society meets and enjoys its benefits. The Concordia Germania Turnverein has now three buildings, two being frame and one brick, all located at the corner of 15 th Street and Sixth Avenue, and used as school-room, assembly-room and gymnasium respectively. The Moline Building, Savings and Loan Associa- tion was incorporated May 25, 1880, its special object being to provide a safe and profitable investment for small savings and furnish money to its members for the purpose of securing, improving or purchasing homes. Since its organization it has accumulated $33,000, and the association is in a flourishing con- dition, having nearly 200 members. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at W. R. Moore's law office, 314, 1 6th Street. Its officers in 1885 were C. F. Grantz, President; C. F. Hem- enway, Vice-President; J. W. Warr, Secretary ; P. C. Simmon, Treasurer; W. R. Moore, Attorney. BOARD OF ASSOCIATED CHARITIES. The Board of Associated Charities is one of the noble and benevolent institutions in this city. From its first annual report the following is taken : "The association may be called an outgrowth of our Thanksgiving distribution of 1883, when, in ac- cordance with a recent custom among us, the Churches and various charitable societies contrib- uted clothing, provisions and money, to be distributed among the worthy poor of the city, under the direc- tion of a committee appointed by the different Churches. After the distribution of the Thanksgiv- ing offerings of 1883, it was found that the fund had been unwisely distributed; that the committee de- pending on hearsay as to the need of the different families, and without time to properly investigate the cases reported, had in some instances given as- sistance where it had been better withheld, and that with the best intention on the part of the committee, others, more deserving, had been passed by. The committee were convinced that a more thorough in- vestigation should accompany relief, and that the truest and best charity is to help people to become self-supporting, and that every exertion must be used to this end before bestowing gifts of clothing, provisions or money. A public meeting was called, and with these ideas as a basis, the Associated Charities was organized, with a plan of work similar to or identical with that found to be most efficient in the larger cities where it had been tried, and is, we believe, the first charitable society in our State organ- ized on this plan of relief. At this meeting the fol- lowing Board of Directors was chosen, and at a subsequent meeting of the directors the following officers were elected : L. E. Fish, President ; H. W. Hyde, Secretary; Mrs. C. W. Heald, Treasurer; Mrs. Julia M. Dunn, Corresponding Secretary ; Mrs. H. B. McKeever, Conrad F. Grantz, Charles H. Boman, H. Kohler. Immediately after organization, a soliciting committee was appointed to collect funds and solicit membership, and the society was soon in working order. At the outset the association had many difficulties to encounter; they were without practical knowledge, inexperienced as to methods, with themselves to educate, and, in short, everything to learn that pertained to the work itself. The Associated Charities is non-sectarian and non-par- tisan ; it has no creed, save to do good ; its field is as broad as humanity itself, and Jew, Christian or atheist is alike welcome to dispense or receive its (R> Si/ 4 4 •¥ :*€£* — e^nratH^©- (4 •z*&B — e-T^nnsMi;^ rr A >: ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 771 •$• aid. Its chief aim is to establish friendly intercourse with the poor." During its first year, 42 families received aid, and employment was found for 170 persons. Persons who had been dependent on the county for years were placed in a position to be self-supporting, and much good was otherwise done. The receipts were $709.35, with expenditures of $360.24. At the annual election, held Dec. 21, 1884, the following named officers were elected: Conrad F. Grantz, President; L. E. Fish, Secretary and Man- ager; John N. Mason, Treasurer; Mrs. Julia M. Dunn, Corresponding Secretary; Peter Lind, Mrs. C. W. Heald, Mrs. H. B. McKeever. MILITARY. Upon the re-organization of the Illinois National Guard, in the spring of 1S82, the Sixth Regiment of Infantry was formed from portions of the Fourth and Seventh Regiments and the whole of the Fourteenth Battalion. From the Fourth, Companies A, B, C and D; from the Seventh, Company H; and from the Fourteenth, Companies B, C, D and E were assigned to form the new organization with Company F, at Moline. Lieut. Col. William Clendennin, of Moline, was elected Colonel (see page 295). Immediately upon receipt of his commission, Colonel Clendennin established his headquarters at Moline and an- nounced the following appointments on the staff and non-commissioned staff: John H. Porter, Capt. and Adjt, Moline; William B. Young, Capt. and I. R. P., Monmouth; W. S. Bryan, Asst. Surgeon, Cam- bridge; A. R. Morgan, Chaplain, Orion ; J. M. Holt, Quartermaster, Moline; E. Kittilsen, Sergt. Major, Moline; B. R. McClary, Q. M. Sergt., Lacon ; W. O. Chapman, Com. Sergt., Cambridge; Chas. Deven- dorf, Hospital Steward, Galesburg. The regiment is armed with breech-loading rifles and is thoroughly organized and well equipped, and has so conducted itself as to merit and receive much praise and many commendations for readiness, efficiency and soldierly bearing. STREET RAILWAYS. The Moline Central Street Railway Company was incorporated September, 1884, for the purpose of operating a street railway from Fourth Avenue and 15th Street, south one and a half miles to what is known as Stewartville, a populous district lying just outside the city limits, but whose residents are chiefly engaged in the various factories of the city. The capital is placed at $12,000, and at the head are solid and earnest men, while the stockholders are numer- ous. Its officers are Hon. S. W. Wheelock, Prest. ; M. Y. Cady, Vice-Prest. ; W. R. Moore, Secy ; C. F. Hemenway, Treas. SYLVAN BOAT CLUB. This club was organized in February, 1874, and was incorporated July 19, 1876. It has a boat house , located at the foot of 161I1 Street, containing boats and other appliances valued at $6,000. The active membership is composed of representative young men of the city, about 35 in number, while the hon- orary roll bears the names of some 20 of the older and solid business men. W. R. Moore is President; Austin May, Secretary. BANKS. The First National Bank of Moline was organized in 1863. with a capital stock of $50,000. Jerman S. Keator* was its first President and John M. Gould * cashier. Mr. Keator served as President until Jan. 12, 1866, when John Deere* was elected. Mr. Deere served but one year and was succeeded by John M. Gould, who still continues to fill the duties of the office. Mr. Gould served as cashier till January, 1867, at the time of his election to the presidency, when John S. Gillmore* was elected and yet serves in that capactiy. The capital stock of the bank has been increased from $50,000 to $150,000 and a sur- plus of $30,000 is reserved. The First National Bank of Moline is regarded a safe depository, its affairs being managed in a conservative manner, though it is liberal with its patrons, as much so as business prudence will justify. The names of its officers and directors will substantiate this assertion. John M. Gould is President ; Chas. Atkinson, Vice-President; John S. Gilmore, Cashier ; J. M. Gould* Chas. At- kinson* D. C. Dimock* John Deere* Chas. H. Deere* James Shaw* H. A. Barnard,* John S.Gill- more* Jonathan Huntoon* Samuel Bowles* J. T. Browning* Porter Skinner* Morris Rosenfield* directors. A savings department was organized April 26, 1868, under the management of the same officers. This department is well patronized and has been a blessing to many. See personal sketch. i 3=3 m 77 2 T4HM&H D^>^ k — n ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, (P) > :<$ v > 1) ^s Moline National Bank. — One of the leading banks of the country is the Moline National. This bank is the outgrowth of the Manufacturers' Bank, of Moline, organized under a special State charter in 1869, with a capital of $100,000. At this time the organization could not secure a national bank charter, the limit of the United States circulation allowed by law having been already readied. In 1872, however, Congress changed this law, compelling the Eastern States to retire a portion of their circulation, in order to dis- tribute 1 he same in the West, which up to that time had an unequal share. It was in April, this year, that the change was made to its present name, with the same amount of capital, and was the 1,941st na- tional bank organized. It has a large surplus added to its capital, and has during its prosperous career accomplished much good and made many friends, and this because it has always been liberal, yet cau- tious in its dealings. The bank is located at the corner of Third Avenue and 15th Street, in its own fine and rather imposing building, which ranks among the solid structures of the city. Its officers at present are S. W. Wheelock,* President ; Porter Skinner* Vice-President ; and C. F. Hemenway* Cashier; each having held his respective, responsible position most of the time since organization. The directors are : H. Darling, N. Chester,* E. Smith* L. E. Hemenway* Dr. C. Vitzthum,*C. F. Hemen- way* Porter Skinner* J. Silas Leas, A. S. Wright,* J. M. Christy* H. A. Barnard,* J. S. Keator* and S. W. Wheelock* The Moline Savings Bank transacts business under a special State charter, and was organized in 1869. It is the only chartered savings bank in Rock Island County, and has been of much benefit to the me- chanic and man of small means. It has about 1,000 depositors, whose total deposits foot nearly $250,000, on which a liberal interest is allowed. Its office is in the above bank's building, and the same respons- ible and efficient officers and directors govern its affairs. CITY WATER-WORKS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT. Until recently there was no very well organized system of water-works in Moline ; but as the city has made rapid strides in manufactures and consequently population, everything in the way of advantage and convenience has been added to her welfare, and * See personal sketch, /V@5«§§1> v^) > ^sr 4^^ ■■'vr>-. i?C<7A- ISLAND COUNTY. 773 v'S (•> :<5 of men in the discharge of duty, and manage the affairs of their department with skill, and receive public commendation. The calaboose is located at 413 Sixteenth Street, where the cells and everything pertaining to an institution of this kind are kept in excellent order, and the whole healthily heated and ventilated. A patrol wagon is kept for the depart- ment's use; and the Marshal's office, located at 1508^ Third Avenue, is centrally located, neatly kept, and well arranged, the whole affairs of the force reflecting much credit upon the Chief and those under his immediate charge. Officers — Ed- ward Kittilsen, Marshal (see page 592) ; J. G. Wells, Deputy; John M. Geisberger, John Nelson, John Messer and Joseph Enderle, policemen, with George C. Lee, merchants' police. ARTIFICIAL LIGHT. Moline is lighted by gas and electricity. The gas is furnished by the Gas Company, superintended by . C. W. Lobdell. The Merchants' Electric Light Com- ■, pany was organized in 1883, taking the place of another company that had been in operation for about one year. Thomas B. Davis is President, and S. S. Davis Secretary. £=1 CEMETERY. The Riverside Cemetery is owned by the city of ' Moline, contains 100 acres, and is located one mile east from the postoffice. There are r,4oo lots of all sizes and shapes, which are sold at one uniform price of 15 cents per square foot, the revenue derived therefrom being expended upon improvements and preserving the grounds. The cemetery is one of the finest and most beautiful spots that could be selected fcr a burying-ground, being of easy occess to the city and yet far enough distant to be secluded from the turmoil of its business affairs. It is managed by a Board of six Directors, Walter J. Entrikin being Secretary and Treasurer. MOLINE WATER POWER COMPANY When the United States Government determined to take entire possession of Rock Island for arsenal purposes, the Moline Water-Power Company were joint owners with the Government of the water pow- er, which they were using to a consicerable extent for manufacturing purposes. A board of comrriis- ) sioners was appointed by the Government to settle and adjust all questions appertaining to entire pos- ds session, it being then the purpose of the Government to utilize the water power as a motor for driving its machinery. By these commissioners it was represented that the developments necessary to this end should be of a more substantial and extensive character than a private company could either afford or would be likely to undertake. An arrangement was sought by the commissioners and ordnance officers, whereby the work of development and maintenance should be done solely by the United States. This proposition was considered by the Water-Power Company, and afterwards exhaustively discussed by it, by the com- missioners, and by other accredited representatives of the Government. As a result, an agreement was entered into by which, in consideration of the trans- fer of the company's interest in the water power to the Government, the latter would develop and main- tain it, and the company should have free use in per- petuity of one-fourth part of the entire power developed. The large manufacturing interests already using water power, encouraged by the prospect of such de- velopment and maintenance of the power by Gov- ernment, added, at great expense, extensive improve- ments for utilizing this power, and continued to prosper in its use until the power, for reason of the Government's failure to keep its agreement, began to diminish. By neglecting to remove the deposit from the pool, but permitting it to increase, the power was not only not maintained, but damaged to an extent which made it imperative for the manufacturers to substitute steam power. The result of such failure to maintain and develop the power was its practical abandonment by manufacturers, involving a positive damage to themselves, and a damage of very great extent to the Water-Power Company. The original purpose of the Government was to use the power to compress air for the purpose of op- erating its machinery. Finding that plan objection- able, they sought a modification of it, and requested the Water-Power Company to make a new contract, in 1869, whereby the water power could be brought nearer the Government shops, which was according- ly done, the Government agreeing to develop and maintain the power as in the original contract. In- asmuch as this new contract has never been carried out in acccordance with its terms, the company has %>° & ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. \ A 3=3 3=3 r=s E=Z I 775 8 5 (S\ - of steel from England, and with it 50 plows were made and sent to different parts of the country where the soil was not difficult to work. They proved successful, the trade increased, and in 1850, 1,600 plows were built. Mr. Deere then bought out the company and continued alone until 1857,111 which' year he made 10,000 plows. In 1858 he took his son Charles H. into the business as a partner, and the business was conducted under the name of Deere & Co. until 1S6S, when the business had assumed such proportions that a company was incorporated under the general laws of the State, with John Deere as President, Charles H. Deere, Vice-Presinent and Manager, and Stephen H. Velie, Secretary. During all the subsequent years the business hadasteady and marvelous growth, requiring the annual addition of shop room, men and machin- ery, until the shops occupy three sides of a space 300 x 400 feet. Besides this there is a foundry and pattern building and core shop 150 x 1 15 feet, making in all a floor area of ten acres, and lumber sheds covering an area of 300 x 400 feet. The product for this immense establishment for r884 was 120,000 plows, amounting to more than one and one-half million dollars. In 1866 the company started with a paid-up capital of $250,000 ; since then, year after year, it has increased until it now amounts to $1,000,000 paid- up capital. The tremendous business of Deere & Co. is the result not only of the ability of its founder, but of the great executive ability, the indomitable will and push of Charles H. Deere* who has been manager for the past quarter of a century, assisted by S. H. Velie* the Secretary; C. O. Nelson and Gilpin Moore, Superintendents. DIMOCK, GOULD & CO. are manufacturers of wooden-ware and dealers in lumber. The busines was commenced in 1852 by D. C. Dimock and J. M. Gould* under the firm name of Dimock & Gould, who leased some land on the island and began the manufacture of wooden- ware and furniture, employing from 40 to 45 men. They continued on tlie island until the winter of 1867-8, when they purchased ground on the main land, dropped the furniture business and added that of lumber. They now manufacture wooden-ware and ' See personal sketch. paper pails, the manufacture of the latter having be- gun in 1S79. About 200 men are employed, and the firm's sales of lumber amount to 20,000,000 feet annually, their sales extending through Northwestern Illinois, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. It requires 12 acres of ground for their lumber and mills. MOLINE WAGON COMPANY. The Moline Wagon Company had its origin in a humble and unpretentious way. In 1854 James First opened a shop in the upper part of the city and engaged in the manufacture and repair of wagons. For 15 years he continued alone, when a partnership was formed with Morris Rosenfield and Chas. A. Benser, under the firm name of First, Rosenfield & Co., and the new firm moved to the present location, on Third Avenue, where they erected a building two stories in height, with basement. Fifty hands were at first employed, and the business steadily in- creased. In 1871 a stock company was formed and incorporated under the general laws of the State, under the name of the Moline Wagon Company, with Morris Rosenfield (see page 265), president, and Chas. A. Benser, secretary. Since then it has had an unparalleled growth, and has been under the presidency and general management of Morris Rosen- field, who has proven by his laborious career, enter- prise, shrewdness and determination to produce the best in the market, a valuable executive chief officer, and erected an establishment of which he may justly be proud. During the past 13 years, although de- pression in business has afflicted the country more than half that time, the institution has continued to thrive and extend its trade in the midst of this draw- back and the keenest competition until 1 885 finds it one of the very largest farm and spring wagon facto- ries of the country. Its capital stock is $600,000, and its business approaches $1,000,000 a year. In shops, which are of brick and mostly four stories high, store-rooms, lumber sheds, etc., over r,ooo feet frontage on the main avenue of the city is employed, with a depth of 450 feet to the river. The whole establishment presents a mammoth and magnificent appearance, by which all persons coming to Moline on the cars or otherwise cannot avoid being attract- ed. Between 300 and 400 here find employment, and the number of vehicles produced daily, when in full running order, number too. These consist of i c I z»$%fz — @?k>d B SM^A^ *$&z- -^&k — §V4>DD@flll&^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^} 9 Co farm, truck and sptjng wagons, which find ready sale amidst keen competition in the territory between Ohio on the east, to the Pacific coast on the west, and from Manitoba on the north to Texas on the south. The company has branch and distributing houses in different parts of the country, including Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Fort Worth, Salt Lake City and Winnepeg. Mr. Rosenfield is President and General Manager; R. H. Wilson, Secretary. WILLIAMS, WHITE & CO. are manufacturers of steam hoisting engines and all sorts of mining machinery, steam engines, rotary and gang saw-mills, power hammers, gang boring-ma- chines, drop presses, tools for plow shops and cast- ings of all kinds. The company was incorporated in 187 i with a paid up capital of $50,000. Alfred Williams was elected President, M. H. White Vice- President and H. A. Ainsworth Secretary and Treasurer. The present officers are M. H. White, President (see page 245); F. H. Williams, Vice- President ; H. A. Ainsworth, Secretary and Treasurer. These works were established in 1854, by Alfred Williams* C. W. Heald * M. H. White* and Parley Williams, under the firm name of Williams, Heald & Co. The partnership agreement was entered into at Barre, Mass., in the spring of 1854, between the above-named parties. Alfred Williams and Mr. Heald came out to Moline at once. They purchased the present site of the works and erected a wooden building 32x70 feet, which was completed and opened for business in October of that year ( 1 S 5 4) the firm beginning business with the modest capital of $2,500. Parley Williams came later, and Mr. White in February following. Alfred Williams was Business Manager. Mr. White superintended the foundry department and Mr. Heald the machine shops. At the beginning the firm employed only five men. In the spring of 1855 they began erecting addi- tional buildings to accommodate their increasing business. Wooden buildings of various dimensions were added till 1866, when they began to supplant them with solid brick. In 18S0 they erected the ex- tensive brick building on the west side of Eighth Street en Third Avenue, which is their latest im- portant improvement. *See personal sketch. ■^ ^jA^HIIIOT&A^ s^g^ Their buildings now cover an area of two and a half acres, and are complete in all appointments. Parley Williams sold his interest to his partners in 1856, and about the same time Daniel P. Beery bought in, but the firm name remained unchanged. Mr. Beery continued in the business till 1859, when he sold to his partners. In 1866 Mr. Heald sold his interest to Williams & White, who became sole pro- prietors, under the firm name of " Williams & White." In 1870 Mr. H. A. Ainsworth purchased an interest in the business, and the following year the present company was incorporated, as before stated. In the fall of 1883 Mr. Williams retired from the presidency on account of failing health, and Mr. White was elected to that position. F. H. Williams (son of Al- fred Williams) became a stockholder in the company and was elected vice-president. Mr. Ainsworth has served continuously since the incorporation of the company as secretary and treas- urer, and is the general business manager. The company employs from 50 to 100 men and does an annual business of $100,000. The history of these works show a healthy and steady development in business and wealth from the time of their establishment, 31 years ago, to the present date. They have always ranked among the important industries of Moline, and their founders and managers are practical business men of high standing. THE BARNARD & LEAS MANUFACTURING COMPANY dates its existence since i860. H. A. Barnard,* a millwright by trade, came to Moline in 1856. For about four years he worked at his trade, combined with that of chair-making, when his attention was called to the model of a smut machine, the invention of John A. Woodward. Consulting his partner in the chair business, L. E. Hemenway,* the present Post- master of Moline, a partnership was formed under the firm name of Woodward, Hemenway & Barnard, for the manufacture of smut machines. The firm prospered, and in 1863, Mr. Barnard having im- proved the old Woodward mill almost beyond recog- ( nition, and obtained the patents on his improvements, Mr. Woodward retired from the firm and Joseph t B. Wyckhoff took his place. In 1864 Mr. Hemen- £ way retired and the firm of Wyckhoff & Barnard was jffs, formed. In 1865 they began the manufacture of ' Barnard's dustless wheat separator. Soon after J. . ml © -^f I T - (p i ■C)\ •% }$£. ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 777 8 Silas Leas was admitted to the firm. In 1869 a new wood shop and foundry were erected, each of the pro- prietors contributing $2,000 for this purpose. In 1870 Mr. WyckhofF retired, the firm then being known as Barnard & Leas. In 1872 Capt. W. C. Bennett* was admitted and the Barnard & Leas Manufacturing Company was incorporated. From 1872, with Mr. Barnard in constant super- vision of the mechanical department, Mr. Leas act- ing as general traveling salesman, and Capt. Bennett as business manager, the company made rapid strides forward. Every new year witnessed either the in- vention of some new machine, or valuable improve- ments in those already in use. First appeared the Victor Smutter and Separator, which at once took high rank among machines of that class; then came the renowned Victor Double Brush, with its unex- celled principle of scouring by brush on brush. In 1877 the manufacturers found themselves so cramped for room that a third enlargement of their works was an absolute necessity, and a substantial four-story brick building, 50 x 52 feet, was erected, the first floor being occupied as an extension to their machine shop, with one end partitioned off for the office, the second for the wood department, the third for var- nishing and finishing the pattern-making, and the fourth for storage. During the year 1878 Mr. Leas visited Europe and established an agency with Wm. R. Dell & Son, of 26 Mark Lane, London, E. C, for the sale of their machines abroad. This wise move was the means of widely extending their foreign trade. Every year large numbers of mill separators, brush machines, flour packers, etc., are sent through Dell & Son to millers in Great Britain and on the Continent. In 1879 the company brought out and patented the Advanced Combined Adjustable Brush and Smut Machine, the Victor Corn-Sheller, Barnard's Dust- less Corn-Cleaner, and Victor Combined Corn Sheller and Cleaner, which, with subsequent improvements devised by Mr. Barnard, Mr. Leas and Mr. John B. Cornwall, foreman of the construction depart- ment, have won great favor with millers. A fourth addition to the works, in the shape of a three-story brick wood shop, in 1882, gave their pres- ent shops the extensive dimensions they now have. The establishment as it now stands consists of the *See personal sketch. !«•— — main building, dimensions given above; a wood shop three stories high, 52 x 40 feet, with the new extension, 60 x 90 feet; a machine shop, general construction and storage building, three stories, 54 x 80 ; foundry, 60 x 80 ; warehouse, two stories, 60 x 60 ; sand and storage shed, 48 x 15 ; oil and varnish house, 15 x 15 ; brush factory, 16 x 20; cleaning house, lumber sheds and stables. Including the foun- dry, and exclusive of the smaller outbuildings, the entire floor space afforded is something over 67,000 square feet. The establishment is splendidly equip- ped throughout with first-class machinery and tools — the machine shop probably the most complete in its appointments of all similar institutions west of Chicago. The recent addition of the new Daverio three-high roller-mills to the company's line of man- ufactures, made it necessary to expend several thou- sands of dollars in the purchase of heavy machinery, such as gear cutters, shapers, grinders, tool lathes and planers. These include a Brown & Sharpe's Universal Milling Machine, one of Pratt & Whitney's celebrated tool lathes, and a Gleason double-headed '} iron planer of six tons weight. No less than 150 r men are now employed in tnese works, and the pay £ roll averages $2,000 weekly. c THE MOLINE PUMP COMPANY. Is the outgrowth of a small business established by Harper Bros, in 1863, on the corner of 2d Avenue and 19th Street, the firm purchasing stock at Erie, Pa., and Jinishing it by hand. In 1865 A. S. Wright purchased the interest of one of the brothers, and under the firm name of Harper & Wright the manu- facture of pumps was added. They put the machin- ery in White's mill, on the island, for the purpose. In 1866 they purchased a portion of their present location and erected shops. In 1868 Walter Hill- house was admitted as a partner, the business being conducted under the firm name of Harper, Wright & Cc. In 1869 Harper sold his interest to Daniel Wheelock, and the firm name was changed to Wright, Hillhouse & Co., continuing as such until May r, 1872, when a joint-stock company was formed under the name of the Moline Pump Company, with a capital stock of $75,000. A. S. Wright was President and Walter Hillhouse, Secretary. In 1874 Chas. G. Moore became interested, purchasing a large share of the stock. Chas. A. Rose subsequently purchased a number of shares of stock, and at the present time < ( ^^ — ^A^n wa h^>a^ — ^^^ mi- '778 ^V4>nn^iiny> -cr ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^f*^£ in (3>l fb the stock is about all held by A. S. Wright*, C. G. Moore and C. A. Rose. The business has gradually increased until now the average products amount to $125,000 annually: employment is given to about 50 men. Wooden pumps were manufactured ex- S{) clusively for many years, but in 1878 the company began preparations for the manufacture of iron pumps of every kind. To the improvement of existing pat- terns much time and labor was given, and a number of entirely new styles were designed. In 1880 their foundry was built, their machine shop fitted up, and the manufacture of iron pumps begun in earnest. New styles are introduced from time to time and old ones improved. THE MOLINE PIPE ORGAN COMPANY Was established in 1871 by the present proprietors, and incorporated March 26, 1879, with a capital stock of $15,000. This company manufacture pipe organs exclusively, and employ from 2c to 25 men, and do an annual business of $40,000. Their organs are of the finest workmanship, and are rapidly grow- ing in favor throughout the States and Territories, where their market extends. The company have received very gratifying commendations from Quincy, 111., Omaha, Neb., Muscatine, Iowa, and other places where they have built organs. THE UNION MALLEABLE IRON COMPANY Was incorporated in April, 1872, with a paid up capital of $30,000, which has since been increased to $90,000. Its first officers were C. S. Eells,* Pres- ident; C. W. Heald * Vice-President; C. O. Mitchell, Secretary and Treasurer. Mr. Mitchell was suc- ceeded in 1875 by H. O. Sleight,* who held the office up to Oct. 1, 1881, when Wm. T. Ball* bought a third interest in the business and was elected to the office. The company has extended its business and enlarged the capacity of its works from time to time till now their works, consisting of solid brick buildings, cover and area of two and a half acres of land, and constitute the largest establishment of its kind west of Chicago. The dimensions of the var- tious buildings and rooms are as follows : Foundry, 65x200 feet; store and annealing room, 50x125 feet; sand, coke and tumbling room, 52 x 117 feet, with an addition of 20 x 50 ; finishing room, 50 x 60; shipping room, 30 x 40 ; pattern room, 30 x 40; office, 20 x 40, with capacious fire and burglar-proof vault. ) sy t -HH@&$ f ^^ E3 jWCj^ ISLAND COUNTY. - i^- ^ w 779 DEERE MANUFACTURING COMPANY. The Deere & Mansur Company was incorporated in 1877, and commenced in a two-story brick build- ing, since used by the Union Malleable Iron Com- pany, and which was supposed would be large enough to answer their purposes for many years. After the first year's introduction of their implements, orders came in so fast that they were compelled to seek more commodious quarters, which they did in the purchase of their present extensive buildings, formerly used by the Rock Island and Moline Man- ufacturing Company. Since the purchase, the main building has been improved and additional buildings erected. Most noticeable of the new, is the ware- house, 50 x*i 12, the foundry, 40 x 100, and black- smith shop, 38 x 80 feet. These, with the main building 60 x 180, three stories, give them consider- able room. The company was organized with Chas. H. Deere, President, and James W. Atkinson, Secre- tary. They still retain these offices, and under their management the works have secured a trade second to none in their line. Among the implements made are the Deere & Mansur Rotary Drop Corn-Planter, Deere 's Wire Check Rower, Single and Double Row Cornstalk-cutter, One and Two Horse Drills, Broad- cast Seeders, and Deere Hay-Rake, all of which have an enviable reputation. The company employ an average of 220 men, requiring over$S,ooo monthly to meet the pay roll, the annual product being be- tween $300,000 and $400,000. THE MOLINE CABINET ORGAN COMPANY Was incorporated Dec. 19, 1S81. Peter Colseth* was elected president and treasurer ; Wm. Joseph- son* secretary. President Colseth was chosen su- perintendent and general manager. The company's works consist of the following described buildings, which are fitted with necessary machinery and stock : Main building, 30 x 60 feet, three stories high, which constitutes the principal workshops and finishing rooms. A second building, 24x50 feet, two stories high, contains the store room, packing room and of- fice. A suitable engine room, of one story, is in the rear. The company employ an average of 20 men, and have an invested capital of between $45,000 and $50,000. This company was founded by Peter Colseth and Charles C. Leaberg, in 1S77. These gentlemen were both practical mechanics, thoroughly *See personal sketch. <£} skilled in their business under the rigid rules of the trade in their native country (Sweden), which was supplemented by several years' experience in some of the most extensive organ works in America. They began with the limited capital of $1,000, their work- shops being in the upper story of an old building on Railroad Avenue. The first three years were spent in the old shop, working to great disadvantage and against many obstacles. At the expiration of that time they had demonstrated their ability to carry on the business successfully. They then purchased suitable grounds, on the corner of Seventh Street and Fourth Avenue, and erected their present com- modious buildings. On December 19, iS8i,as be- fore stated, the company was incorporated as a stock company. Wm. Josephson, Lewis P. Youngren, C. G. Timlin and John Peterson became stockholders. The present officers are Peter Colseth,* President ; C- G. Thuliri* Treasurer ; John Peterson, Secretary. This company is doing a safe and profitable busi- ness. The principal managers are practical mechanics and give their shops a personal supervision that in- : sures perfection in their work. Their organs are elegantly and substantially finished and perfect in every detail. The rapid growth of their trade and very general satisfaction of their customers speak *t/ s volumes for the merit of their instruments. THE MOLINE CARRIAGE WORKS Are located at Nos. 316 to 320 18th Street. Robert H.* and John Munro* are the proprietors. The firm manufacture carriages and spring wagons and do general repairing, blacksmithing, horseshoeing and jobbing. The business was commenced in February, 1 88 1. From six to eight men are employed. THE MOLINE ROAD CART COMPANY Was started in T8S2, with a paid up capital of $15,000. It was subsequently enlarged, with capital stock of $50,000 and name changed to Moline Buggy Company. In 1884 the com pan) sold their manu- factures to the amount of $100,000. Beginning in a small way, their works were increased until they gave employment 1052 men. In 1885 J. H. Wilson* succeeded to the business, and is now engaged in the manufacture of wagons, carts and buggies. About 40 men are employed, but the works will permit the employment of 70 men. *See personal sketch. (!) T 3 ^v r -)c js^ — j^A^iitfsiin?^^ — *&*- flu >"•»- -ry rtmMM>& 780 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. >5 V & THE M0L1NE MALLEABLE IRON COMPANY Was incorporated June 1, 1884, with a capital stock of $75,000; A. L. Carson, President; C. F. Hemen- way,* Vice-President; Wm. B. Ullman, Secretary and Treasurer. The works, which are of brick and cover an acre of land, are located on the corner of Railroad Avenue and Eighth Street. The company employ an average force of 125 men, turning out all sorts of malleable castings, making a specialty of the detachable chain, and do a business of $200,000 annually. This company succeeded, by purchase, the Moline Malleable Iron Works, which were es- tablished in 1869 by Jonathan Huntoon, C. W. Heald and others. In the spring of 1884 the works were purchased by the present company and are being successfully managed by the well known gen- tlemen who constitute its proprietors and officers. THE MOLINE SCREW COMPANY Was incorporated in the fall of 1 884, with a capital stock of $20,000. C. H. Deere* was elected Presi- dent; T. B. Carson* Vice-President; H. L. Bullen* Secretary. The works were erected during that fall, the company commencing business on Jan. 1, 1885. The main building is 64 feet square, three stories high, of brick, thoroughly and substantially built, with a boiler house and engine room, 16x32 feet. The company employ 15 men and manufacture iron wood screws of various patterns and sizes. While in operation but a few months, and that during a period of depression in manufacturing industries, the com- pany have developed a fair business and have made a good showing as to product and quality of work. This is the only establishment of the kind in the Mississippi Valley north of St. Louis. Its founders are men of well known enterprise and responsibility, and it is only a question of time when it will rank as one of the important industries of Moline. THE PRINTING HOUSE Of John H. Porter ,* located opposite the Keator House on Third Avenue, is one to be eminently proud of. It contains three cylinder and two job presses, and a very fine assortment of book, pamphlet, commercial and job type. Not only this, its system- atic arrangement and general management is also of a superior order, insomuch that but few offices in cities the size of Moline can compare with it. The I *See personal sketch, proprietor is a practical and master printer and believes and succeeds in turning out some of the best specimens of the art we have ever seen. This printing house is a credit to Moline and to its popu- lar and reliable proprietor. Mr. Porter became proprietor of the office in r88i. THE AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN Was incorporated as a stock company under the above title in July/1884, S. P. A. Lindahl, Pies.; James Moody, Sec. ; C. P. Rydholm, Treas., with a capital stock of $15,000, Jonas Westling, Manager. Does a general book publishing and importing business; sales amually amount to about $25,000. This company publishes principally religious books, papers, tracts and periodicals. They publish a weekly paper called the Augustana och Missionaren, which has a circulation of 8,000 ; a monthly Sunday-school paper called the Olive Leaf, circulation 9,000 ; and a semi-monthly Swedish magazine called the Ung- domsvanncn, or Youth's Friend. These papers are edited by the faculty of the college. ASSESSMENTS. In 1885 the Assessor reported the following items : Improved land, 132 acres; unimproved land, 563 acres; total value, $i 17,765. Improved lots, 1,150; unimproved, 281 ; total value, $g3 L >37°- 0f horses there were 426; cattle, 197; mules and asses, 11; hogs, 5 ; steam engines, 28 ; fire and burglar proof safes, 54; billiard tables, 31 ; carriages and wagons, 419; watches and clocks, 321; sewing and knitting machines, 748; pianos, 117 ; melodeons and organs, 136; total value of personal property, $469,130. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. The following named have been members of the Board of Supervisors from 1857 to 1885 : 1857-8 — J. Chamberlin. 1859-60 — H. F. Sickles. 1 86 1-3— S. W. Wheelock. 1864-6— Chas. Atkinson. 1867— John M. Gould. 1868— H.F. Sickles. 1869-70 — Wm. A. Harrold. l87I _D. W. Dimock, Geo. W. Flickinger. l872 _j. M. Christy, Geo. W. Flickinger. 1873— Chas. W. Lobdell, A. S. Wright. 1874— Jonathan Huntoon, Mr. Morey. 1875— Ezra Smith, Henry Klahn, '&# KS) &*@I!K&H3*$- -5^- %P V) & -*^%& («yi « usssi * JPCCA' ISLAND COUNTY. 4*t^£ 1876 — D. O. Reid, Angus Timm. 1877 — D. O. Reid, Simon Hirsch. 1878 — -James D. Long, Wm. Breitbach. 1879 — I). O. Reid, Henry Coffen. 1880 — D. O. Reid, Simon Hirsch. 1881— D. O. Reid, Simon Hirsch, H. P. Oakley. 1882 — Josiah Grant, Henry Vierich, Peter Colseth. 1883— Dr. P. L. McKinnie, Henry Vierich, John A. Shallene. tfij, 1884 — Henry Vierich, Thomas Trumbull, N. H. Cedarburg. 1885 — Henry Vierich, Frank Harwood, Thomas Trumbull. -g fertfia*.^. £>~. t^&3StM%^, ^w*>^r¥V?«r?V;-'-' ........... .,.,..... , . ....... ......... ....... yrT"TY-+-YV-'-r^fisr is =^ To wn ships ^^^j)) y ,t. .t *, aaaaa :-. .;..•..'. ... '. '. :.:.:. ;.;.:t.t,.*,*Ajy,«.?...,. . .'. :. * .t. ..;-. .-;•. .■;•„.-!•. | .- 5pF*C*^*" • >• 1=3 I ANDALUSIA TOWNSHIP. NDALUSIA is a fractional township, com- prising all of township 17 north, range 3 in^eff* west, lying south of the Mississippi River, which is its northern boundary line. It is bounded on the east by Black Hawk, on the west by Buffalo Prairie, and on the south by Edgington Township. On the adoption of the township organization law in 1857, Andalusia formed a part of Edgington Township, but was set off by the Board of Supervisors in 1859. The first settlement was made in 1833. Capt. B. W. Clark, who commanded a company of rangers in the Black Hawk War, came here from White Oak Springs, near Galena, with a flat-boat and established a ferry, and on his claim of 1 60 acres built a hewed- log residence near the mouth of the creek. This was the first house built not only in Andalusia, but in Rock Island County, south of Rock River. Capt. Clarke was a man of great energy and indomitable will, and his ferry became one of the most important ones above St. Louis. The second cabin was built by H. Sams at Sul- phur Springs, and the third by John Vannatta, on section 26. The farms of these gentlemen were the first under cultivation in this county below Rock River. Fro 11 that time the township gradually set- tled up. Capt. Clark sold his claim in a few years to S. Whiteside and others, who had surveyed and platted a magnificent city, to which was given the name Rockport. This was wholly a paper city, represent- ing a tract of land with a mile and a half river front and a width of one mile It was a great speculative enterprise, in which United States Senators as well as others were involved. Being all sold to various parties, and remaining unimproved after the specu- lative fever had subsided, owners allowed their lots to be sold for taxes, and Rockport became a thing of the past. The first school-house was erected in 1843 and built by volunteer work in the eastern part of the township. In this house the first school was taught the following summer by Miss Hannah Buffum. The first school-house built at public expense was in the fall of 1854 on the farm of Lorenzo Parmenter, $«§®d- in the southern part of the township. s ^ & ® (>> ? f ®^^t«- -z^K 6V4>BH^D Dit*^ ?*&*£- » 7 8 2 \t* ^OCI ISLAND COUNTY. I A local writer thus speaks of Andalusia: "In 1827 this was a favorite hunting-ground of the Black Hawk Indians. From the village of Andalusia and the Sulphur Springs, down the valley to Sunfish Lake (a fishing resort to this day), seemed to have been a preferred fishing and camping ground, while that east of the^ village they seem to have associated with the whisperings of the Great Spirit and futurity, by interring their dead in that locality, where a great number of the remains have since been exhumed. In 1867 a tomb was unearthed on the farm of John Buffum containing 15 remains. It was made with five large slabs of stone placed in box form, barely of sufficient dimensions to answer the purpose. Why these were thus honored in death is probably ex- plained by that principle of human nature upon which monuments are built for the illustrious of our own race — they were probably once distinguished chieftains." In speaking of the topography of the country, the same writer says : "Andalusia is a frac- tional township on the Mississippi River, containing about one-third part of a full township. The prin- cipal part of it lies in the river bluffs, which abound in coal, building stone and potter's clay. There is a remarkably pure bed of magnesian limestone at the mouth of Coal Creek, which might be easily and profitably developed. Limestone of the Silurian and Hamilton formation abounds in the middle and produces a most excellent body of strong lime. In the upper end there is exposed a fine ledge of sand- stone, which, in geologic order, seems almost to belong to the drift period, furnishing excellent build- ing stone. In the southwest is found excellent sand for the manufacture of glass. The creeks, which cut through the bluffs, abound in fossils and furnish an instructive field for the amateur and scientific geol- ogist. Its surface resembles that of the north part of Edgington Township, being divided by ravines which drain the surplus water to the Mississippi, be- tween which on the ridges there is considerable level land and some well-improved farms. In the east part, in which there is a greater proportion of level land, the soil is mostly of black alluvium in various proportions, excepting a tract of land of about one- half mile wide at Andalusia, to a less width below, lying between the bluff lands and the river, which has a greater mixture of sand in the black alluvium. During early times the land was mostly covered with groves of large oak trees, free from underbrush; but ■^€^- — &MM now about half the area is covered with thickets of underbrush and young timber. This growth is one of the legitimate results since fires ceased to run through the woods and destroy all the tender tree plants. Among the hills are numerous never-failing springs of good water. ' Among the strata which compose the coal measures, overlying the Devonian limestones, which extend under the formation from out-croppings to a d-epth not exceeding 300 feet, there is a valuable one of fire clay from two to four feet in thickness. The less pure clays, which are in abundance, burn into a good common brick. The Mississippi River at this place (Andalusia village) runs over a solid rock bed of Hamilton limestone (a group of the Devonian series)- the upper stratum of which is a superior quality of magnesian limestone, and is quarried out near the hills. It crops out at Coal Creek, 20 feet in thickness. This stone, by Government test at Rock Island, compares favorably with other superior building stone throughout the State." In 1 84 1, Jonathan Buffum built a log grist-mill 16 x 20 feet, on Fancy Creek; it stood about 40 rods north of the Andalusia road, leading from the east to that village. This was the first mill built in this neighborhood, and had the buhrs used by Jo- seph Dunlap in Edgington Township. As stated, Andalusia was set off from Edgington Township in 1859. Its first election was held April 5 of that year, the following named being elected . John Buffum, Supervisor; James S. Ferguson, Town Clerk; B. F. Eby, Collector; Samuel Kenworthy, Assessor; Isaac Richards, Jonathan Mosher, A. H. Mosher, Commissioners of Highways; James W. Ballard, James Roberts, Justices of the Peace ; James Hill, Joseph C. Buffum, Constables ; Lorenzo Par- menter, Overseer of the Poor. According to the report of the Superintendent of Public Schools for the year ending June 30, 1885, there were three school districts in the township, each having a good frame house, the total value of which was $4,960. There were 173 persons of school age, of whom 134 were enrolled in the public schools. Eight teachers were employed, receiving from $18 to $55 each per month. In 1885 the assessor reported the following items: Improved land, 5,945 acres; unimproved land, 1864 acres; total, $58,335. Town lots, ^19 improved and \k / V fa) i Or (CJI lV§££ Q[H>^ jTOCA' ISLAND COUNTY. ^&\ IS 783 ^ •N 1=3 ETC t ^S I 140 unimproved, valued at $16,914. Of horses there were 155 ; cattle, 325 ; mules and asses, 4 ; sheep, 60; hogs, 492; steam engines, 1 ; fire and burglar proof safes, 3 ; billiard tables, 1 ; carriages and wagons, 5 2 ; watches and clocks, 15 ; sewing and knitting ma- chines, 58; melodeons and organs. 10. Total value of personal property, $17,265. The following named have served the township as members of the Board of Supervisors : John Buffum 1859-62 Samuel Kenworthy 1863 Lorenzo Parmenter 1864 John tJuffum 186s Rinnah Wells 1866-7 S. R. Buffum 1868 James W. Ballard 1869-70 John Buffum 1871 John T. Kenworthy 1872-3 Wm. Smith 1875 John Buffum 1876-7 }. W. Ballard '...1879-82 James Cozad 1882 James S. Robertson 1883 E. H. Bowman 1884-5 Village of Andalusia. HE village of Andalusia is situated on the : northwest quarter of section 27 of Anda- 1 lusia Township. Capt. B. VV. Clark was the original owner of the village plat, which was a portion of the site of the paper city of Rock- ford. In 1843, Samuel Kenworthy opened a store in his cabin, which stood near the river, a little east of the ferry landing. Soon after, Col. N. B. Bu- ford bough tat a tax sale the lots of Rockport and built a store and warehouse, and in 1845 named the village Andalusia. In 1866, S. M. Boney had the place re-surveyed into 50 blocks, having a total of 47 1 lots. The streets running east and west were named Water, Main, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams and Jackson. Those running north and south were Aspen, Apple, Perry, Magnolia, Walnut, Park and Maple. The village is finely lo:ated amidst beau- tiful and picturesque scenery. While the river trade was large a bright future for Andalusia seemed assured; but when railroads were built, which monopolized passenger and freight traffic, its trade began to decline. The village is pleasantly situated, easy of access, and with the aid of manu- factories, might yet realize the bright anticipations of its founders. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Andalusia dates its existence from 1858. The earliest meetings were held in 1849, at the residence of Mrs. Sarah Buffum, a short distance east of the village, at which time it is said that there were but seven members of all denominations in the township. Subsequently their meetings were held at various places, until the organization of the class at the residence of Joseph Garnett, at the Sulphur Springs, in the fall of 1858. Those composing that class were Mrs. Sarah Buffum, Elizabeth Eby, F. A. Cobb, Joseph Garnett, Mrs. Clara W. Ferguson and Mrs. Susan Garnett. In 1859 meetings were held in the school-house, located east of the village, and continued to be held there until 1867, when their house of worship was erected in the village, and duly dedicated in March of that year. On the day of dedication $900 was subscribed toward the building expenses. The Church is not strong at the present time. The first class of United Brethren in Christ was organized in 1864. Meetings had occasionally been held for about one year previously, the first sermon being preached by Rev. John Wenger. There were only four members of the first class — H. S. Thomp- son and wife, M. M. Thompson and Cynthia Smith. Meetings were held in the school-house until 1869, when a house of worship was erected, at a cost of $1,900. It was dedicated Jan. 15, 1869. The Sabbath-school maintained by this Church had its origin in a Union Sabbath-school, organized May r, 1859. As the various churches grew strong enough, denominational Sabbath-schools were organized, and the Union School closed in the Baptist Church, Jan. 19, 1868, and opened Feb. 14, 1869, in the Union Baptist church. The first Baptist Church of Andalusia dates its existence from 1867. Previous to this time meetings were held in the village in the school-house, which was subsequently purchased and fitted for the use of the Church. This Church is an outgrowth of the Edgington Baptist Church, 25 members being dis- missed from that body to organize this one. BLACK HAWK TOWNSHIP. ^EW townships present a more romantic in- terest than that of Black Hawk, named in Jk i A v/ K honor of the famous Sac chief, who here made his home for so many years, and was so JMl loth to leave it. In a state of nature the coun- try round about was wondrously beautiful. It is no wonder the white men who visited this region I ^^|^ ■^g y q^ $hh®iiii?»a^ m I 3 J $<@»f»- ■ -zrf^K 6V4>[iraOii>v-e? d M. S3 784 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. at an early day were attracted by its lovel.ness, and dreamed of future great possibilities in its develop- ment and settlement by the "superior race." It is no wonder, either, that the red men, who have an eye for the beautiful, and who believe that all things were made by the Great Spirit for their good, did not care to go away to some unkno.n country when all around them was everything needful to supply their daily wants. But one day, while the Indians were away upon their annual hunt, the white man came. The winds must have carried the news to Black Hawk, for in a few days afterward, with one or two of his trusted followers, he made his appearance at his ancient village, and found the news too true: the white man was there, his own wigwam being occupied by Judge Pence. He began talking in a loud voice, but in the Indian language. Pointing to his wigwam, he ?aid: " Saukie wigeop ;" and then, pointing his finger to the ground, he raid, " Saukie aukie," repeating this many times. The Judge soon understood that he meant that the wigwam and land belonged to the Indians. But the time had come for the Indians to move on toward the setting sun. In the preceding pages an account is given of the settlement by the whites, and what followed. Joshua Vandruff, for whom the large island is named, was doubtless the first to make a permanent location in what is now Black Hawk Township, though Rinnah Wells and his four sons settled here about the same time. It is possible they may have preceded Vandruff a few days. Suffice it to say that when John W. Spencer, who was afterward County Judge of Rock Island County, arrived, in March, 1829, both families were here. Joshua Vandruff became well known to all the early settlers of the county. For many years he ran a ferry across Rock River, near his residence. He died many years ago. Rinnah Wells was a typical backwoodsman, one who feared neither man nor the Evil One. If neces- sary he would have unflinchingly faced a whole tribe of Indians. Many incidents are related of him in this particular. There was no love lost between him and the red men, at any time ; and it often seemed as if his life was endangered by his conduct toward the savages. Rinnah Wells has long been "gathered to his fathers," but his descendants in the Rock River country, even at the present time, are very numerous. It was not until after the Black Hawk War of 1832 that the country began to be settled to any great extent. Among those who settled here after that event, none are better known than William Dickson, who made his first visit to this section in 1834, re- turning in 1836 for a permanent settlement. Mr. Dickson was a native of New York, and reared in Pennsylvania. In the State of his adoption he be- came quite an influential man, being at one time a member of the Board of Canal Commissioners — a very responsible position in that day. He resided on the site of the old Sac village till 1807, when he moved to Milan, where he died, Nov. 25, 1869. Among other early settlers were John Dickson, James Johnston, James Dickson, William Heflin, Ira L. Whitehead. N. D. Bradley, William Young, F. M. Young and Daniel Pinkley. Black Hawk Township was organized at the time the township organization law was adopted. Its dimensions were enlarged some years ago by the addition of several sections of land from Coal Valley. From the report of the County Superintendent of Public Schools, for the year ending June 30, 1885, it is learned that in connection with South Rock Isl- land it has 1,007 persons under 21, of whom 698 are of school age. The enrollment for the year was 439. The highest wages paid any teacher was $80 per month, while the lowest received $25. The school property was valued at $12,575. In 1885, according to report of assessors, there were of improved land, 13,594 acres; unimproved, 4,128 acres; total value, $214,685. Of town lots there were 201 improved and no unimproved, valued at $50,- 110. Of horses there were 395; cattle, 1,277; mules and asses, 14; sheep, 21; hogs, 1,028; fire and burglar proof safes, 8; billiard table, 1; carriages and wagons, 192; watches and clocks, 55; sewing and knitting machines, 10 r ; pianos, 8; melodeons and organs, 24. Total value of personal property, $.58,- 031. SUPERVISORS. 0) H. J. Burnett 1857-8 Joseph Huyett 1859 John A. Boyer 1860-3 Hibbart Moore 1863-4 G. W. Heflin 1865 Samuel T. Kerr 1866 Alexander Owens 1867-8 H. M. Coon 1869 James Dickson 1870 A. Dun lap ..1871 LotJ. Anderson 1872 James Dickson 1873 Thomas Kerr 1S74-8 John H. Gil more 1S79-80 Win. L. Heath 1881-5 ||H®£^i*i' —i. ^nnm*^ fiOCK ISLAND COUNTY. 78S ( () > 1=1 § > Co (^ f "oar Village of Milan. |5 ILLIAM DICKSON, who has been men- 9 tioned among the pioneers of the town- 1843, laid out a village on the f^p ship, in south branch of Rock River, to which was given the name of Camden. There being a postoffice in Schuyler County, in this State, bear ing the name, and not caring to have the village and postoffice bearing different names, it was changed to Camden Mills. In 1870 it was again changed, tak- ing the name of Milan. The name was adopted by a vote of the people. The first business enterprise was that of a mill erected by Messrs. James Dickson and Felix Brunot the year in which the village was laid out. A dam was thrown across Rock River and a mill built, having four run of buhrs. This was a very popular institution and attracted custom for many miles around, the farmers in the neighborhood of Monmouth, in Warren County, making frequent trips to this mill. Dickson & Brunot continued as pro- prietors until 1852, when they sold out to Thomas and James Johnston. In 1853 Dickson & Bradley erected another mill, having three run of buhrs. This also passed into the hands of the Johnstons in 1854 Both mills continue to be owned in the family, the sons of James Johnston being proprietors. Dichson & Brunot, while erecting their mill, opened a general store, being the first in the village. Philleo & Parker soon afterwards opened a store, and other lines of business rapidly followed until very soon a thriving town had sprung up, and a bright future was anticipated by the proprietor and the citizens who had already established, themselves in the place. As soon as the village had been determined on, a petition was sent in to the Postoffice Department, praying for the establishment here of a postoffice. The prayer of the petitioners was granted and James Dickson was appointed the first postmaster. After serving a few years, he was succeeded by A. K. Philleo, who, in turn, was succeeded by Dr. Joseph Hayett, Thomas Kerr, Wm. Clarke, Lot Anderson, i f 4) G. H. Honens, Warren Sterns, G. H. Hon ens the second time, and R. B. Olmstead, the incumbent. A money order department was instituted in 1874. As soon as it was apparent that a sufficient num- ber of children were in their midst, steps were taken for opening a school. In 1844 a small frame school- house was erected and occupied. This house was used until 1867, when it became too small to accom- modate the large number of pupils desiring admis- sion, so, in that year a larger and more commodious, as well as convenient, building was erected, at a cost of $6,000. Additions have since been made to this building Four teachers are now regularly employed. The first settlers in Milan were a God-fearing peo- ple, and at once made arrangements to hold divine services. The first services were held in the mill soon after its erection. There are now three Church organizations, each having houses of worship. The Presbyterian Church is an outgrowth of the First Presbyterian Church of Rock Island. It was organized in 1845, with 27 members, by Rev. Ithmar Pillsbury, though previous to this time services were occasionally held, Rev. Cyrus Dickson, D. D., ^ preaching the first sermon. Among those who formed & the original organization were Wm. Dickson, Marian ^ C. Dickson, James Dickson, Ruth Ann Dickson, Ed- ^ ward Hollister, Emma Hollister, Eliza Ann Dickson, «: Elizabeth Dickson, Wm. Clarke, Amelia Clarke, John , Gilmore and David M. Dickson. The first Elders were Wm. Dickson, Edward Hollister and John Gil- more. In 1846 Wm. Dickson erected at his own ex- pense a house of worship, deeding the same to the Church. This house was used until 1868, when an- other building was erected by the congregation, at a , cost of $3,400, with a seating capacity of 300. Rev. -. Ithmar Pillsbury preached for the Church for several '. years. The present Pastor is Rev. G. C. Carson. The Church has had in the main a prosperous career, but has been decimated materially by removals. It now numbers 85, with James Dickson, G. H. Honens and Wm. McConnell as Elders. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1848. Among the original members were David Kelso, Thomas Shires, John Thompson, James Thompson, Susan Brown, George W. Chaney, Mary Thompson, C. Routzong and M. Shinstrum. Ser- vices were held in the school-house until the erection of the church in 1854. Rev. F. Haney was the first oj ■ :s ^ r o/ , &roiiii& i \c) ^ y^ 786 -&7&M&M&& :*& — ■!.',. ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 1 <& ? to preach here as one of the stations on the Camden circuit. The German Reformed Church was organized in 1872. During the same year a house of worship was erected by the congregation. The following named secret and benevolent soci- eties are represented in the village: Masons, United Workmen, Modern Woodmen and the G. A. R. Eureka Lodge, No. 69, A. F. & A. M.,was organ- ized in 1849, its charter members being numbered among the best men in the village. The lodge has had a prosperous career, with a present membership of 51. Meetings are held on Friday evening on or before full moon, in Masonic Hall, over Young's store. The officers for 1885 are: C. E. Smith, W. M. ; T. J. Medill.S. W. ; I. R. Palmer, J. W. ; Wm. Francis, S. D. , C. H. Brandenburg, J. D. ; Howard McCulloth, Treas. ; H. L. Franing, Sec. Milan Camp, No. 67, M. W. A., was instituted Dec. 6, 1884, with 12 charter members. Its growth has been quite rapid, numbering at present 54. Meetings are held second and fourth Tuesday eve- ning in each month. The present officers are: R. B. Olmstead, Consul; F. H. Harris, Adviser; C. E. Smith, Clerk; Thomas Johnston, Banker. Rock River Lodge, No. 105, A. O. U. W., was in- stituted in 1879, with 30 charter members. The first meetings were held in Young's Hall. On the completion of the Town Hall a change was made to that place, where meetings are yet held. It has had a prosperous career, numbering now 70 members. It has lost one by death — George Lewis. The officers in July, 1885, were: F. H. Hairis, M. W.; Frank Corson, G. F. ; J. C. Johnston, Recorder and Finan- Icier. J. W. Muse Post, No. 369, G. A. R., was mustered in 1883, with 20 charter members. Geo. E. Brown was the first Commander ; W. A. F. Ruge, S. V. C. ; G. A. Cooper, Adj. The Post has been very success- ful from its start, and now numbers 36 members. Meetings are held monthly. The present officers are: George E. Brown, Com. ; George Whitehead, S. V. C. ; J. D. Lafferty, Adj. J. W. Muse, in whose honor the Post was named, was a Sergeant in the 93d 111. Vol. Inf., and enlisted at this point. At the battle of Champion Hills he was wounded, and died ^ from the effects. % 9 Milan, or Camden Mills, as it was then called, was incorporated as a town in 1865. It has a population of about 1,000. & F* BUFFALO PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. UFFALO PRAIRIE Township lies in • the western portion of the county, and comprises all of town 16 north, range 4 west, and a few sections lying south of the Mississippi River in township 17 north, range 4 west. It is bounded on the north by the Mississippi River, on the south by Mercer County, and on the east by Edgington and Andalusia Town- ships, and on the west by Drury. The first settle- ment was made in 1834, by John Edgington, who located on section n, where he yet remains. Mr. Edgington is a native of Jefferson County, Ohio, born July 4, 1809. In February, 1834, he was united in marriage with Susan Crabs, born in the same county. Together they came West, a'nd in July located in this township, where they have spent 5 1 years. John Kistler was the next to locate in the town- ship. He became quite prominent in local affairs, serving some two or three terms as County Commis- sioner, and also as Associate Justice, when the coun- ty was governed by a County Judge and two Associate Justices. He died some years ago. Samuel Sloan was the next to locate here. He came in 1839 from Pennsylvania, and yet resides on the old homestead. Others came in shortly after, but the township did not have a rapid settlement. Jarne-5, son of John and Susan Edgington, was born March 20, 1835, being the firstborn in the town- ship. He was raised on his father's farm, was united in marriage with Lucy A. Schriver, of Coe Township, and now resides on a farm in Edgington Town- ship. Among the first deaths was that of Martin Fuhr, who died during the first decade. The first school was taught near the residence of John Edgington, about 1840. The teacher was a Scotchman about 70 years of age, and a gentleman of the olden time. m '# -^g^ — e^nn@DHfv>-^9- ® & ¥ V The Presbyterians were the pioneers in this town- ship. Rev. John Montgomery was probably the first, and Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury the second to pro- claim "Christ and Him crucified." Services were held at private houses,, that of John Edgington being more generally used. There are three church edifices in the township. One, erected by the Methodist Episcopal brethren and used in common, is situated on the prairie. The other two are German churches. The Germans are very numerous in the township, effecting their settlement at a very early day. They are a thrifty class. The township is about equally divided between timber and prairie. The first growth of timber has mostly been cut off, the second growth now being very heavy. On the prairie are some fine and well- improved farms. Buffalo Prairie derives its name from the fact that in the early settlement of the township a portion of the prairie had been well trodden by some animals, supposed to be buffaloes : hence the name. It was 3 organized in 1857. There is one village lying partly in this and partly 1 in Drury Township, — -Illinois City, — which was laid • out at a very early day, and in grand style, its owner fondly dreaming that at no distant day it would be the metropolis of the West. For some years a good trade was had by the merchants, but the completion of the railroad, and the trade being diverted from the river, ruined the prospects of Illinois City. At present there are two general stores, one pottery and one blacksmith shop to represent the business of the place. C. R. Ellsworth is the Postmaster. The United Brethren and Methodist Episcopal Churches have each houses of worship in this place. There is also a fine two-story frame school-house, which is an honor to Illinois, City, and which would be creditable in a much larger and more pretentious town. From the report of the Superintendent of Public Schools of the county the following interesting items are obtained: There were 501 persons under 21 years of age, of whom 320 were of school age. There ■ were nine school districts, each having a good frame school-house, the total value being $9,000. The highest wages paid were $50 and the lowest $20 per /@) month. In 1885 the assessor reported the following items : o Improved land, 14,483 acres; unimproved land, 15,059 acres; total value, $223,762. Town lots, 176, valued at $1,088. Of horses there were 560 ; cattle, 1,576; mules and asses, 26; sheep, 192 ; hogs, 3,400 ; carriages and wagons, 146; watches and clocks, 40; sewing and knitting machines, 67 ; pianos, 2; melo- deons and organs, 18. The total value of personal property was reported at $49,135. Buffalo Prairie was organized as a township in 1857. The following-named have served it as mem- bers of the Board of Supervisors : SUPERVISORS. F O. H. P. Moore 1857-59 Lorenzo C . Elliott 1860-64 John H Ely 1865-66 Lorenzo C . Elliott 1867-68 0. H. P. Moore . .1869 John Edgington 1870-71 A.J. Little "S72-73 G.A. Marston 1874-75 ■vuxtff&r J . Whitney 1876 Kistler 1877 Wm. Drury 1878-80 J. E. Little 1881 Wm. Drury 1882 Wm. H. Kistler 1883 Chas. Titteringlon, Jr. . . 1884 L. C. Elliott 1885 v : ,';?— >-Sf^>'zraww CANOE CRIJEK TOWNSHIP. Jjl^ANOE CREEK is a factional township, Si KEJk comprising about 12 sections in township ft) I 19, range 3 east, and a little less than $fe three sections in township 18, range 3 east. /^ It is bounded on the east and north by White- side County and on the west by Coe and Zuma Townships. On the southwest it narrows to a point on section 18, township iS, rang-; 3 east, the Rock River separating it from Whiteside County. John Walker came in 1835 and made claim to a large tract of land on section 31, but built his house just over the line on section 36, Coe Township. Jonah Carter came about the same time, locating in the neighborhood of Walker, but in this township. Mr. Carter was a native of South Carolina, but came here from Tennessee. Many years ago he moved to Jo Daviess County, where he has since died. Joseph Martin came in 1837 and located on sec- tion 18, where he remained till death. David M. Martin, his son, yet resides on the old homstead. Thomas Spencer made a claim on the Meredosia in 1S35, lived there one winter, sold out and re- moved to Rock Island, where he died some years ago. Wm. and Daniel Leek, from New York, came in 1837, and located near Rock River. They remained & H m&ys^K ■^o^ — ©a^h mm : f> L ?& Wm®&&& "3^*^^ T7 v4>tm»>^ rr '■^^ 788 f V > ) t ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. "M here some years, then moved to Jo Daviess County, where they have since died. '"Squire" Sargent, from Ohio, was probably the next to locate in the township. He made his claim near Rock River, and tried farming. Not being a practical farmer, he found that he could not make a living at the business ; so he sold his farm and re- turned to his native State. William and Beverly Beardsley came from New York about the same time. William remained a few years and then moved to Rock Island. Beverly died here some years ago. The first school was taught by Mrs. Britton about 1837, in a log house, near Canoe Creek, erected for the purpose by the few persons then living in the neighborhood. A sufficient number of comfortable school-houses are now in the township to meet the demands and accommodate all who wish to attend school. The first religious services were held about 1837 at the cabins of the pioneers, the house of John Walker, across the line in Coe Township, being more generally used. Among the pioneer preachers may be named Revs. Kiikpatrick, Hanna, McMurtry and Worthington. The first religious society that was formed in the township was in 1848, by Rev. Scott, a minister of the United Brethren Church, who or- ganized a class, composed principally of citizens of Canoe Creek, in a school-house on Walker's farm. The school-house was used until 1852, when a small frame church was erected and used until 1868, when the present church edifice was built. This is a good, comfortable building and cost, including labor, about $2,500. Services are regularly held in this church. A Methodist Episcopal class was organized about 1849, and a house of worship for the use of the so- ciety was erected in i860. It is situated on section 3°- The first birth now remembered was that of Louisa, daughter of Joseph Carter, born in 1836. The first death was that of a child of Samuel Sar- gent in 1838. There are two cemeteries located in the township. The first marriage was doubtless that of Absalom Ennis and Mary Jane Walker, who were united in 1841. The first postoffice in the township was established in 1842 or 1843, with Moses Hubbard as Postmaster. The office was kept at his house. It was discon- tinued in a short time. The second postoffice was that of Hill's Crossing, with James Hiss as Postmaster. At this crossing a station was established by the Sterling & Rock Isl- and, now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Rail- road Company, and around this James Hill laid out a village in 1868, known as Hillsdale. It is the shipping point for a portion of Canoe Creek and Zuma Townships, as well as some of the citizens of Whiteside and Henry Counties. The village is small and unincorporated, but has at present two general stores, one grocery store, one blacksmith shop, one grain house and two hotels. Henry Wig- gins is the present Postmaster of Hillsdale, the name of the office being changed to that of the village. From the report of the County Superintendent of Schools for the year ending June 30, 1885, it is learned that in this township there are three school districts, with four frame school-houses, valued at $3,700. There were 181 persons under 21, of whom 118 were of school age, with an enrollment of 104. The highest wages paid teachers were $40 and the lowest $25 a month. The assessor in 1885 reported the following items: Impioved land, 7,651 acres; unimproved land, 1,383 acres: total value, $81,002. Town lots, 27 ; total value, $3,495. Of horses there were 183; cattle, 671 ; mules and asses, 6; sheep, 137 ; hogs, 686; carriages and wagons, 49 ; watches and clocks, 17 ; sewing and knitting machines, 25 ; pianos, 1 ; melo- deons and organs, 1 1. Tot.il value of personal prop- erty, $15,650. Canoe Creek was organized in 1857. SUPERVISORS. I. H. Marshall 1857 Geo. Kendall 1858-9 H. H. Hill 1860-62 Chas. B.Marshall 1863 James Hill 1864-66 Stephen Odell 1867 James Hill 1868 Daniel Nicewanger 1869 COAL VALLEY TOWNSHIP. OAL VALLEY Township is bounded on 7 the north by South Moline Township, on W?^ the south by Rural, on the west by Black ®J VS (?) •fv Wm. A. Marshall 1870 James Hill.... 1871-72 E. P. Yeaster 1873-75 Geo. W. McMurphy 1876-77 D. M. Martin 187S-79 John A. Liphardt 1880-81 David M. Martin 1882-S5 Hawk, and on the east by Henry County. It comprises a little less than 12 sections of land, though when organized it comprised one and one-half townships. Rural Township was I ■^^ — £^n ii^niif^^ — s »€^ m ?N^®>K ) fc ® =3 Si i?6>CX ISLAND COUNTY. setoff in 187 1, and subsequently nearly six sections were set off to Black Hawk. The land is very rough and broken, though there are some good farms here. The coal-fields have been the great attraction here and have been the chief source of revenue to the inhabitants. William and Charles Bailey are said to have been the first settlers within the present limits of the township, while George E. Washburn is thought to be the next to have made a permanent settlement. The latter was the first to take to himself a wife, which he did shortly after his settlement. The first birth was the son of Charles Bailey. The first school was in 1854, and was held in a small house owned by Thos. Lees. Mr. Doyle was the teacher. The patrons of this school were Thos. Lees, Wm. Bailey, Chas. Bailey, Geo. E. Washburn, Frederick Fittell and A. Edwards. The first district school was taught by A. M. Nichols. This township, with South Moline, are in one Congressional town- ship. For report, see history of South Moline. In 1 885 the assessor reported the following items : Improved land, 6,551 acres; unimproved land, 774 acres; total value, $73,816. Town lots, 232 improved and 61 unimproved; valued at $7,673. Of horses, there were 227 ; cattle, 726; mules and asses, 17; sheep, 104; hogs, 613; steam engines, 2 ; billiard tables, 3 ; carriages and wagons, 70; watches and clocks, 2; sewing and knitting machines, 64; pianos, 2 ; melodeons and organs, 16. Total value of per- sonal property, $22,302. Coal Valley was organized as a township in 1857. SUPERVISORS. Lewis Wilson 1857-S John M.Wilson 1859-61 Andrew Donaldson 1862-3 A . L. Sayre 1864 John McCandless 1865-7 A. I. Sayre 1868 Lewis Wilson 1869-71 Thomas Lees 1872 Thomas Martin 1873-4 Theodore Jacobs 1875 Thomas Phillips 1876 George Hillier, Jr 1877 Wm. J. Rawson 1878-80 Thomas Lees 1881 John Barton 1882-5 Village of Coal Valley. N 1856 the Coal Valley Mining Company which had commenced operations in this vicinity, laid out a village to which was given the name of Coal Valley. During that same year Wm. Bailey and Wm. Boyle opened the first store in the place. M. F. Herrick shortly after opened another store. The village rapidly grew in numbers, and by 1859 almost all lines of trade were represented here, and it was en- joying a veritable boom. In 1S57 the postoffice was established, with Thos. T. Jones as Postmaster. Mr. Jones held the office but a short time, and was succeeded by George E. Washburne, who, in due time, gave way to Fred Wayerhauser. In 1866 Dr. Thomas Martin was ap- pointed and has served continuously to the present time. In 1875 a money order department was at- tached to the office. Orders to the amount of $10,000 are annually issued. About one-half that amount is annually paid on orders on this office. In 1857 the first school-house was erected in the village. It was a frame building. Additions have since been made as the population of the village has increased. Three teachers are constantly employed, and at times four. The school is thoroughly graded and is doing a good work. Dr. Williams is believed to have been the first teacher. Wm. A. Kramer was employed as principal for many years. When the village was first laid out it was quickly settled by Welsh people, who came here to work in the coal mines. At one time fully four-fifths of the population were of that nationality. At present there are but few here. Dr. Williams was probably the first physician in the place. He located here in 1857, and, as already stated, taught a term of school, for the pur- pose of eking out a subsistence. Dr. Williams remained but three years. Dr. Thomas Martin came next. Dr. Martin is a native of Ohio, and is at present one of the Elders of the Presbyterian Church, and is serving his fifth term as Postmaster. He came here from Milan, and has resided here continuously since 1858. He is now the sole representative of the medical fraternity in the place. Among those who have engaged in practice here have been Drs. Crawford, Bonax, Gib- son, Roseberry, Jacobs, DeWitt and Wallace. There have generally been two, and at times four in practice here at one time. The religious element has generally been well represented. At present there are six denominations represented, though none are in as flourishing a con- dition as they should be. The Welsh Congregational Church was the first organized. It came into being in 1857, Rev. John •35 \k (!) x 1 %g&% §*•- •^g^ — ©A^nn^niH^^ — :s ^^- —f?@&K< $<^ff~- -e^rau^ 4 rzr -2&ZZ- -*#t§^ f (9 79° ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. L. Richards officiating in its organization. There were 15 persons to sign the covenant. Meetings were first held at the house of Mrs. Sarah Williams. In 1862 a house of worship was erected, at a cost of $1,000. On account of removals especially, the membership of this Church has decreased until at present its membership is small indeed. The Baptist Church was the next organized, its organization dating Jan. 11, 1866. Rev. T. M. Matthews officiated. Among its first members were R. Benjamin and wife, D. Prosser and.wife, H. Hill, D. Powell and wife, and Mary Davis. Rev. T. M. Matthews received an unanimous call to the pastor- ate and served the Church about four years. While he was laboring for the Church a small house of worship was erected. Like the Congregational Church, its membership has been lessened by re- movals, until to-day regular services cannot be maintained. The Presbyterian Church was organized in May, 1867, with 29 members. John Barton, Albert Owens, F. Freeburg, Hugh Caughy and Robert Lee were elected Trustees, and Dr. Thos. Martin and L. Ev- ans, Elders. In the following year, Wm. A. Kramer was added to the'Eldership. A church edifice was erected at this time, at a cost of $3,500. Rev. J. S. McClung assisted in the organization of the Church, and was the first stated supply. For a time the Church prospered, but latterly has not been doing so well ; though, as this work is being prepared, there is reason to believe it will revive, as several additions to the membership have been made. No regular services are held at the present time. Dr. Thos. Martin and John Barton are the Ruling Elders. The membership of the Church is about 25. The Primitive Methodists were organized in 186S. Giles Hudson, Joseph Warmouth, Robert Wilson, George Wilsun and John Ranson, Sr., were among its first members. A church was erected in 1869, at a cost of $2,000. The first preacher was Rev. Charles Dawson, who came from Kewanee once a month. For several years the Church prospered. Its membership is very small at present. Rev. \V. Todd, of this Church, is the only resident preacher in Coal Valley. He preaches on each Sunday evening. The Methodist Episcopal church was erected in 1869. The society was organized shortly after the viliage was laid out, and for a number of years was very prosperous. There has been no regular preach- ing for several years, and it may be said of it, like the Church in Sardis, it has a name to live, but is dead. The Roman Catholic residents of Coal Valley previous to 1875 were connected with the Rock Isl- and Mission. In 1870 they had completed a church at a cost of $2,000, which was formally opened for worship by Rev. Father Roles, under whose super- vision the church was erected. The congregation is now served by the priest residing at Moline. The Swedes residing here have regular services in the Presbyterian church, the Swedish language being used. The secret and benevolent societies of the place are represented by the Masons, Odd Fellows, United Workmen and the G. A. R. Enterprise Lodge, No. 47, A. O. U. W., was insti- tuted Feb. 21, 1877, with 22 charter members It has prospered fairly well since its organization, though numbering now but 19 members. Two of its number have died, — John Degore and Wm. D. Crawford. The present officers are Hugh Martin, P. M. W.; James Clegg, M. W. ; John J. Ryce, G. F. ; Charles Clappenbach, O.; Wm. Myers, Recorder; John T. Hass, Receiver; Frederick Freeberg, Fin. ; Gustave Kropp, Guide; Louis Stafford, I. W. ; John J. Jur- gens, O. W. William L. Walker Post, No. 385, G A. R., was mustered Dec. n, 1883, with 20 charter members. J. \V. Gordon was the first Commander; Geo. Wil- son, S. V. C. ; and T. J. Murphy, Acting Adjutant. The Post has been fairly prosperous, with 22 mem- bers at present, comprising the greater number of old soldiers living in the vicinity. Wm. L. Walker, in whose honor the Post was named, was a sergeant in Co. H, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., who died in the service. He was a true man, a good soldier and held in 'es- teem by all who knew him. A number of the mem- bers of this Post were in the same regiment with Sergeant Walker. The Post meets on the first and third Thursday evening in each month in the Knights of Labor Hall. Union Assembly, No. 3,120, K. of L., was insti- tuted March 20, 1884, with 20 charter members. It has prospered well and now numbers 52 members, meeting weekly in their hall. The present officers are T. J. Murphy, M. W. ; Joseph Bardslv, W. F. ; W. B. Martin, R. S. f Ci & ( « s» ®>^^K - _^_ <«nii^ -Cw ^f^ m 1 I ^«H1I1»> ^ jTOCX island county. ® c The village can hardly be said to be as prosperous as in former years, though considerable trade is done here. At present there are three general stores, one grocery store, one drug store, one harness shop, one shoe shop, two wagon shops, two blacksmith shops, one hardware store, one tin shop, one lumber yard, one flouring mill, one agricultural implement dealer, four saloons and one physician. ■H) COE TOWNSHIP. C. A, Y h,OE is regarded as one of the best agricul- J MljEpljr tural townships in the county. It com- prises all of township 19, range 2 east, and is one of the few full townships in the county. It is bounded on the east by Canoe Creek Township, on the west by Port Byron, on the south by Zuma, and on the north by Cordova Town- ship and Whiteside County. The first settlement was made in 1835, John Walker locating on section 36, where he lived and died. John Butcher also came in 1835, shortly after Walker, locating on section 5. Mr. Butcher was from Virginia and unmarried. He lived on his homestead until 1851, when he started overland for California, but died while on the way. Burrall Butcher, a brother of John, came in 1836 and located on the same section. He had a family. Mr. Butcher died on his homestead about I en years after his settlement. Samuel Allen, who had been residing on the place where the village of Port Byron was laid out, sold that place and moved to a farm near the center of the township in February, 1837. He lived but a few months after making the settlement. His death was doubtless the first in the township. Samuel Ennison came to the township about six weeks after Allen and located in the same neighbor- hood. He was a native of Ohio, but came here from Indiana. He died on his farm about i860. Henry Smith located about two and a half miles ^ east of Port Byron in 1837. He died on the home- stead many years ago. Henry M. Stockton was also a settler of 1837, lo- He subsequently moved to eating on section 9 Iowa, where he died. Isaac Hollister was another settler of 1837, com- ing from Indiana and locating on section 20. He is still living, about a mile from Port Byron. Addison Philleo located on section 18 in 1838. He died on the homestead. Mrs. Charity Marshall, a widow, with a family of nine, came from New Jersey in 1838, and located on section 3. She died on the homestead some years after. The children all located in the neighborhood and all became quite wealthy. One died in the army. Seven of the number are yet living. The first birth was probably that of a child of Burrall Butcher. Among the first to wed in the township were Hiram Walker and Mary Ennis, and David Allen and Miss Remson. The first religious services "are unknown. While many in the township worship in villages near |by, there are yet two flourishing societies in the town- ship—the Baptists and United Presbyterians. The Christians had a' congregation and a good house of worship, but no services are now held by them. It is not remembered who held the first school. There are now eight school districts in the township, each having a good frame school-house. There are 349 persons under 21, of whom 321 are of school age. For the year ending June 30, 1885, there were enrolled in the schools 227. Fourteen teachers were employed during the year, the highest wages received by any being $60 per month, while the lowest re- ceived is $23. The school property is valued at $3-55°- There were reported to the assessor in 1885 the following items: Improved land, 19,065 acres; un- improved land, 3,807 acres; with a total value of $263,884. There were also 39 town lots, valued at $985. Of horses there were 639; neat cattle, 2,081 ; mules and asses, 14; sheep, 163; hogs, 2,172; steam engines, 2 ; carriages and wagons, 166; watches and clocks, 3 ; sewing and knitting machines, 64 ; melo- deons and organs, 34. The total value of personal property was $60,290. Coe Township was organized in 1857. It was first named Fremont, but in 1858 was changed to Coe, in honor of one of its leading citizens, an early settler, though not a pioneer. The following named have (!) 4 K^^i* *&* — e^ungiHi^fl^ -o^£ r Mr^— 4^^ i i i served the township on the County Board of Super- visors : SUPERVISORS. A. S. Coe 1857-60 Henry Saddoris 1861 Thomas Simpson 1862 losiah Wilcher 1863 Wrn. C. Pearsall.. 1S64-65 Jacob H. Marshall 1666-67 George Allen 1S68-70 A. F. Hollisler 1871 George Allen 1872 Jesse S. Dailev 1873-78 A. F. Hollister 1879-81 L. S. Pearsall 1882-85 -t^ ^ CORDOVA TOWNSHIP. : |,ORDOVA lies in the extreme northeast of of the county. It is a fractional township. The first settlement was made in 1836 by Herdman East, who located on the site of the present village. Among those living here in 1838, as remembered by J. S. Phillips, one of the pioneers of that year, are the following named : Nelson Tripp, Chauncy M. Tripp, ffm Kelley, Du- dy Buck, Peter Beardsley, Albram G. Adams, Wm. Armstrong, Jeremiah Rice, Robert Jenks, Wm. Jenks, John Marshall, Dr. Thomas Baker, Benoni Haskins, A. Whiting, Amazi Rathburn, Guy W. Rathburn. Each of these had families. The Tripps were from New York. After remaining here some 15 years they moved to Iowa. Wm. Kelley moved to Rock Island and there died. Dudy Buck moved to Albany and was among the killed in the tornado of June, i860. The whereabouts of Peter Beardsley is not known. A. G. Adams died here a few years ago. Wm. Armstrong moved south of the village of Port Byron, and has since died. Jeremiah Rice died during the first decade. In 183S Wm. Marshall, Sr.,and family, Mrs. Eliza- beth Cool and family, Jerry L. Cool and family, Jo- seph R. Sexton and family, and J. S. Phillips — in all, 20 persons — moved into the township, and located near the village of Cordova. Of the 20 persons 12 are still living. A child of Benoni Haskins is supposed to have been the first death, dying in 1838. It was buried on the hill back of the village. Hugh Daily, who died about 1839, is supposed to have been the sec- ond. Nathaniel Belcher and Miss Jenks and Joseph Mills and Miss Jenks were among the first married. The first school was probably taught by D. Baker in his own house. Fidelia Rathburn was also among the early teachers. The township is quite rough and broken, though there are some fine farms. One on the principal in- dustries is that of the manufacture of lime, which is carried on quite extensively, there being several large kilns owned by the Pon Byron Lime Company. For the year ending June 30, 1885, the County Superintendent of Schools reported 342 persons un- der 2i, of whom 284 were of school age, 250 being enrolled in the public schools. There were five school districts, with one brick and four frame school- houses, valued at $1,050. The highest wages paid were §So per month, while the lowest were $20. From the abstract of assessments for 1885, the following facts are obtained: There were 9,616 acres of improved and 5,481 acres of unimproved land, with a total valuation of $119,177 ; town lots, $31,219. Of houses there are 362; neat cattle, 877; mules and asses, to; sheep, 60; hogs, 589; steam engines, 2; billiard tables, 1; carriages and wagons, 157 ; watches and clocks, 150; sewing and knitting machines, 112; pianos, 14; melodeons and organs, 29. Total value of all personal property, $45,812. The township was organized in 1857, since which the following named have served as members of the Board of Supervisors : SUPERVISORS. George Marshall 1857 Jacob Hoke 1858-9 James M . Cowles i860 Jacob Hoke 1861 I Q. Wvnkoop 1862-4 Jacob Hoke i^s I. L. Perkins 1806-9 James E Abbott 1869 R. M. Grinnell 1870-6 Jonathan Cool, Jr 1877 Daniel Zimmerman 1878-81 J. Hoke- 1882 Simon Trent 1883 Chas. B. Fisk 1884 Village of Cordova. HE village of Cordova was laid out in 1837 by John Marshall and Dr. Thomas Baker. These gentlemen each erected a house, be- ing the first on the village plat. Dr. Baker suggested the name given the vilage. The postoffice was not established here until 1839, Marshall receiving the appointment. S. J. Whitford is the present Postmaster. Wm. Marshall was probably the first merchant here, commencing business shortly after the laying out of the village. John Marshall kept the first hotel in the first house erected by himself. The first ferry was run by Israel Atherton. The first steam ferry was run by John Walker. John v& < k — ^<«flfl&A^- -^^^ "^^z^j^ r Jb *VC TTT <^[l«v>v ■3^". jPCCX ISLAND COUNTY. I 1 (J 5 A vO ■ (?» 793 In 1853 Brigham & Marshall erected the first grist-mill in the place. Cordova was most prosperous the five years pre- ceding the war, at which time quite an extensive besiness was done here. Like all river towns that have not become manufacturing points, the railroad has been no advantage to it. At the present time its business is limited, though almost all branches are well represented. There are four general stores, one grocery store, two drug stores, one restaurant, two blacksmith shops, two shoe shops, two wagon shops, one meat market, two grain-buyers, two stock buyers, with occasionally others, two physicians and one lawyer. The first school in the village is said to have been taught by Dr. Thomas Baker in his own house. At present there is a good school-house, a thoroughly graded school with three departments. Prof. Van- dusen is Principal, with Miss Phillips in the inter- mediate and Miss Grinnell in the primary depart- ment. The school-house was built in 1S63, at which time the schools were conducted under the common- school laws of the State. They were so conducted until Feb. 16, 1865, when a special charter was ob- tained, placing the control of the schools in the hands of a board of education, composed of six members, two of whom were elected each year to serve three years. The school has been conducted under this charter till the present time. The Baptist Church of Cordova was organized Dec. 28, 1843, under the supervision of Rev. J. N. Seeley, with a membership of r6, among whom were J. R. Sexton, Mahala Sexton, J. L and Margaret Cool, A. S. and Mary A. Ege. A small church building was erected in 1844, which served its pur- pose until 1858, when a more pretentious building was erected, at a cost of $8,000. The Church has been quite prosperous, is the parent of two other or- ganizations, and has given several persons to the ministry. Cordova Lodge, No. 543, A. F. & A. M., was char- tered Oct. 1, 1867, with 17 members — D. H. Mattice, W. M. ; John K. Glasscock, S. W. ; Orville N. Whit- ford, J. W. The lodge has been fairly prosperous, and is in good working condition. The present membership is 30, with the following-named officers : W. R. Freek, W. M. ; W. D. Webster, S. W. ; J. M. Heany, J. \V. ; R. C. Cool, Treasurer ; William Cool, Secretary; C. B. Marshall, S. D. ; W. E. Heany, J. D. ; C. A. Phillips, Tyler. There has been but one death among its membership. Cordova Lodge, No. 79, A. O. U. W., was organ- ized May n, 1877, with 28 charter members: Jere Bryan, P. M. W. ; Robert Johnson, M. W. ; F. A. Hall, G. F. ; Henry W. Rathbun, O.; William D. Webster, Recorder; Howard Myers, Financial Sec- retary ; A. Bolinger, Receiver; Daniel T. Pinneo, G. ; Charles E. Bell, I. W. ; Samuel Slocum, O. W. The present membership is ^^. One has died, William G. Wendt. The present officers are : C. B. Mar- shall, M. W. ; John F. Simpson, G. F. ; D. J. Durbin, O.; R. C. Cobb, Receiver; \V. D. Webster, Financial Secretary ; D. T. Pinneo, Recorder. Burr Oak Camp, No. 33, was organized in the spring of 1884. with 62 charter members. Its first officers were W. R. Freek, Consul; C. A. Phillips, Adviser; S. J. Whitford, Banker; George B. Spoor, Clerk. Meetings are held fortnightly. The camp now numbers 65. with the following-named officers: W. R. Freek, Consul; L. H. Gardner, Adviser; S. J. Whitford, Banker; George B. Spoor, Clerk. The The camp have about $300 in the treasury, and a nicely furnished hall. A petition for incorporation was filed March 16, 1867, and an election was held to vote upon the question. It was voted down; but in 1877 the ques- tion was again subaiitted and adopted. The first Board of Trustees were elected in April, and on the 23d day of the same month it was duly organized. The following named composed the first Board; Daniel Zimmerman, President; Thomas Karr, J. B. Vandeburgh, W. D. Webster, A. Bolinger, F. A. Hall, Trustees; Theodore Abbott, Clerk. The following named have served as President of the Board : Wil- liam Johnson, 1878; William Shew, 1879-81; John B. Vandenburg, 1882-84; Edgar Humphrey, 1883. BOWLING TOWNSHIP. IgOWLING comprises all of Congressional Township, 16 north, range 2, west, and is bounded on the east by Rural, on the west by Edgington, on the north by Andalusia Township, and on the south by Mercer County. The township is about equally divided between timber and prairie, is quite rolling, W X v© k < $ ■''Y C!> n f$£K-*rrf* ^^f>z- -ft ■A^nii^nii^A^ y^%&& 794 ■^C^c ^V&tKIIHv'V %*fes ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. '& ^ ) has in it some splendid farms and an intelligent class of citizens. Tlie first settlement was made in 1838, Mr. Bow- ling, John Tyndall and Edmond Cropper being num- bered among the pioneers. Of Mr. Bowling but * little is known. Sketches of the other gentlemen are found in the biographical portion of this work. The next settlement was made in 1841, in the southeastern part of the township, by James, David and John Clarke, and John Johnston and Christopher Armstrong, all from Ireland, though the Clarkes were of English descent, being related to the cele- brated Dr. Adam Clarke. The Clarkes located on section 36, Johnson on section 26, and Armstrong on section 25. The latter is still living on the old homestead, at an advanced age. Curtiss McKnight settled soon after. The first school was held in a small frame house on section 26, some three or four years after the Clarke settlement was made. Mr. Phillips was one of the first teachers here. There are now six school s districts in the township, each having good frame school-houses, the total value of which is returned at $1,435. Of persons under 21, there are 359, of whom 269 are of school age. From the year ending June 30, 1885, there were 163 enrolled in the public schools. The highest wages paid any teacher was per month, and the lowest $30. The first religious services were held soon after the building of the school-house. Rev. Mr. Taylor, a Methodist Episcopal minister, it is believed, con- ducted the first exercises in this house. At the pres- ent time the township is represented by the Presby- terian Church, whose house of worship is in the north part of the township, the McConnell Metho- dist Episcopal Chapel in the west part, and the Episcopal in the southeast part. The Episcopal was organized in 1854, and house of worship erected in 1855- The Rock Island District of the Methodist Epis- copal Church have fine camp grounds on section 12, consisting of five acres of nice timber, where annual meetings have been held since 1876. In 1885 the Assessor reported the following items: Improved land, 23,107 acres; unimproved land, 430; total value, $275,340. There were 15 town lots, valued at $1,315. Of horses there were 587; \~_ cattle, 2,276; mules and asses, 33; sheep, 265 ; hogs, (M\®%&*& ^^ — e^n 11 > 3 1 2,6r3; carriages and wagons, 189; watches and clocks, 69; sewing and knitting machines, 93 ; pianos, 5 ; melodeons and orga is, 41. Total value of per- sonal property, $57,076. Bowling Township was organized in 1857, since which time it has been represented on the County Board of Supervisors by the following-named supervisors : T. W. Vincent 1857 JohnC. Kelley 1858 Elihu Rath bun 1859-60 John Morris 1861-2 Samuel L Foster 1863-4 John Clark 1S65-6 Samuel S. Foster 1867-S John Morris 1869-70 John Clark 1871 lames B. Walker 1872 James Todd 1873-74 William Miller 1875-6 ] . P. Johnston 1877-78 William Miller 1879 James B. McConnell 1880-81 John Clark 1882-4 Hugh Walker 1885 — **«3§=#=§s4'»— 5- DEURY TOWNSHIP. stf \ HIS township is situated in the extreme I western part of the county, having for its ■a ^* northern and western boundary the Missis- ?ty3^ sippi River, its southern the county of Mercer and eastern the township of Buffalo Prairie. The township comprises a little more than a Congressional township, having 30,225 acres of land. It was named in honor of the Drury family, the pioneers of the township. About one-half of the township is unimproved land, much of it being very rough and broken, with some bottom land. Not- withstanding this, much of the land is of the finest quality, and it can boast of some as fine farms as are to be found in the county. Among the pioneers of this township were: Isaiah Drury, Miles Drury, Reynolds Drury, Eli Drury, James Reynolds, Wm. Reynolds, Drury Reynolds, J. A. Stiver, Wm. Huff, Ithamar Reynolds, Anthony Rickett, Wm. Womacks, Solomon Simpson, Jeremiah Lequatte, Matthew Lequatte, I. B. Essex, Elijah Es- sex, James Essex, Benj. Essex, I. V. Reed, Valentine Reed, John Ballard, John Harbaugh, James McPher- son, S. Prentiss, Henry Hampton, Chas. Bean, Wm. Peeney, Mr. Fox, Wm. Hays, M. H. Johnson, John Boruff, Joseph Blair, Antoine Blair. All were heads of families save one of the Blairs, who was a bache- lor. The Drurys located above the present city of Mus- catine, and " Drury 's Landing," which is four miles I £Z3 J if? I ms> /"* I 3§ > u) ' J?<9CX ISLAND COUNTY. m 795 from that city, was at one time a most noted place. They had a large general store, bought grain and pork, and did a flourishing business. A postoffice was established here at an early day. Since. the ad- vent of the railroads, which have monopolized the greater part of the river trade, business has been sus- pended, and the steamers that now ply the river pass by without stopping. The principal market place for the citizens of the township at present is Muscatine, in Iowa, a ferry plying between that city and the Illi- nois shore. The township was originally settled by Americans, but since the war a large number of Germans have come in and now comprise a large part of the popula- tion. In the spring of 1SS5 there were three postoffices in the township. Drury was the first established. Eli Drury is the present Postmaster. Ferdinand postoffice is in the southwest corner of the township, with John Kennedy as Postmaster. Wrayville is a new postoffice, established in 1883, with Helen Wray, wife of the Supervisor, as Postmistress. In the neigh- borhood of this office the German Methodists have a society, with a neat frame house of worship, erected in 1875, at a cost of about $1,000. Services are held regularly every Sunday. Rev. J. B. Wagner is the present Pastor. The society has a membership of about 60. The pastor resides herein the Church par- sonage. Win. Milton has a small general store at this point, which enjoys a fair patronage. The store was established in 1882 by Mr. Lequatte, in a room owned by Mr. Wray, and was purchased by Mr. Milton in January, 1884. There are three other church edifices in the town- ship. On section 17 the Baptists, on section 9 the Methodist Episcopal, and on section 12, the United Brethren, each have houses of worship, and assemble regularly for divine services. The educational advantages are equal to those of any other agricultural community, there being good, substantial school-houses at convenient distances in every part. Dr. Reynolds was the first physician in the west tpart of the county, as well as in Drury Township. The County Superintendent in his report for the year ending June 30, 1885, says there were in the township 545 persons under 21, of whom 392 were A I of school age, and of the same number 311 were en- rolled in the public schools. There were nine school districts, each having a good frame school-house, the total value of which were $7,500. The highest wages paid teachers were $45 and the lowest $22.50 per month. In 18S5 the assessor reported the following items: Improved land, 1 ,542 acres; unimproved land, 14,- 799 acres; total value, $129,138. Town lots, 76, val- ued at $[,410. Of horses there were 607; cattle, 1,495; mules and asses, 37; sheep, 460; hogs, 2,- 095 ; carriages, 129; watches and clocks, 65 ; sewing and knitting machines, 70 ; melodeons and organs, 2. Total value of personal property, $44,614. Drury Township was organized in 1857, since which time the following named have served as members of the Board of Supervisors for the time mentioned : SUPERVISORS. Peter Demoss 1857-61 David Manlu, k 1862 W. H. Womacks 1863-64 I lavid Mardocli 1865 C. Thornton 1866-68 James R. Underwood... 1869 Silas Drury .1870 M. F. Felix 1871-73 John E. Wray -1874 Daniel Mardock 1875-76 W. II. Womacks 1877 Matthias Kramer 1878-79 David M trdock 1880 John E. Wray 1881-83 R. H. Hawthorn 1884 John E. Wray r88 5 EDGINGTON TOWNSHIP. NE of the finest bodies of land in Rock Isl- and County is acknowledged to be that of Edgington Township, comprising township 3 west. It is mostly a beautifully ig, level prairie, well drained to the west, north and east. The prairie soil is a black alluvium, of remarkable fertility, varying in depth from eight inches to three feet. In the north- ern part the land is more rolling, where it is drained by ravines leading to the Mississippi River. The low hills were formerly covered with a heavy growth of large trees, but now only about half the area is cov- ered, and that mostly of a thick growth of young timber. The soil is a yellowish clay, mixed with the black alluvium, in which the former predominates in most localities. The southwest and east is also roll- ing, the former being drained by Copperas Creek into the Mississippi, and the latter by Mill Creek into Rock River, at Milan. Among these hills are f A ® 6®fV®^ •rs? Bfl&llPr>^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. I numerous springs and never-failing supply of good water. A good supply of stone for building purposes £§L is obtained, mostly in the northern part of the town- ship. In this locality there is an extensive deposit of sand, of a superior quality for the manufacture of glass, being remarkably pure and one of the deepest in the State, extending in a southwestern and north- eastern direction through sections 4 and 5. On the adoption of the township organization law, in 1857, the commissioners appointed to divide the county into civil townships gave this one the name of Edgington, in honor of a pioneer family of that name. In the spring of 1834 John Edgington, Daniel Edgington, James Robison and Joseph Dunlap came West to seek a location. John Edgington selected a claim in what is now Buffalo Prairie, where he yet lives, a much respected pioneer. Daniel Edgington selected and entered land upon section 6, and then returned to Steubenville, Ohio, for his family, re- turning the following spring. Early in the summer of 1834 James Robison built a log house and broke the first prairie in the settlement. He then returned to Warren County and moved his family here in the fall. During the summer Joseph Dunlap built a double log house on section 5. After entering land for himself and other parties and completing his I house, Mr. Dunlap returned to Steubenville, Ohio, and moved his family here in the spring of 1835. When Mr. Dunlap returned he was accompanied by Geo. W. Kell and Henry Eberhart and family, who settled in the same vicinity. Chas. Eberhart and family came the following fall. The Eberharts were from New Jersey. John Titterington and family, to- gether with Moses and Charles Titterington, also came in the fall of 1835, from Ohio. In the spring of 1S36 B. McNutt and family, from Ohio, joined the settlement, and in the fall of the same year Win. Snell and family, from Mississippi, came in and also located in the same neighborhood. In the fall of 1S36 Daniel Montgomery, a brother of Rev. John Montgomery, located on the prairie, mak- ing a claim on section 26. He was soon followed by Alexander Hazlett and family, W. D. Hatton, and shortly afterwards by Parley Laflin and family, Jo- seph Asquith and family, who formed the first set- tlement on the prairie. In 1838 the settlements were increased by George ) A (,■ G>. Parmenter, Allen Parmenter, Lorenzo Parmenter, Seth Parmenter, H. H. Parks, A. J. Webster and Timothy Dutton. A few others came in from time to time, James Taylor locating on section 12. He had no neighbors for two or three years, but in time others came in, and every part of the township was settled and improved. Like those of other sections, the pioneers of Edg- ington suffered many privations on account of the great distance to market, cost of transportation, and low prices, which generally prevailed for all kinds of agricultural products. When the settlement was first formed, the settlers had to go to Hendersonville, Knox County, to mill, a distance of 45 miles. It re- quired from one to three weeks to make the trip, as each man had to wait his turn, there always being many ahead. All this time the people manufactured much of their bread stuffs by pulverizing grain in iron kettles and hominy blocks. The first mill erected here was by Joseph Dunlap. The buhrs of this mill were made from a granite boulder. The lower one, to which was attached an iron shaft and pulley, was driven by horse-power, consisting of a heavy, upright timber, about 20 inches in diameter and about eight feet long, held in posi- tion at the top by a large cross-beam, resting upon crotches between two oak trees, and the lower end by a log on the ground, in which it revolved. Arms projected from this shaft like the spokes of a wheel, and within their circle a horse, hitched to one of them, drove the mill by means of a very long raw- hide band, passing around the mill pulley and the arms near their outer ends. This mill was in a cabin, 16 feet square, near the horse-power. Its ca- pacity was about 50 bushels of corn or other grain per day. The bolting was done by hand, with a hair sieve, when an extra quality was desired, but usually it was used without bolting. No toll was taken, the patrons of the mill hitching on their own horses and doing their own grinding. In the winter people brought grists to this mill from the Iowa side of the river, crossing on the ice. After milling at Hender- sonville for awhile, they changed to Wethersfield Colony, then to Drury's Mill, on Copperas Creek, sub- sequently to Miller's Mill, on Edwards River, and then to Milan. The first marriage was that of John P. Cooper and Mina Pace, in 1836, by Daniel Edgington, a Jus- tice of the Peace. A G) i T I %&*& ■3©* — e^nnsDiK^A© — *^- 0. | ■ ■ {OJ t2j€^ — ferv^nn&nii^ ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 797 @ The first religious services were held al a very early date in the cabins of the pioneers. Rev. John Montgomery was doubtless the first to preach the gospel in this region. The Presbyterian Church of Edgington was the first Church organized in the township, and is the oldest Presbyterian Church in the county. It was organized in the fall of 1837 by Rev. John Mont- gomery. The first sermon was preached by him in the fall of 1836, in the log house of Joseph Dunlap, where he held services occasionally during that year, and subsequently in the house during the winter and in the barn during the summer until 1842 or 1843, when a house of worship was erected, at a cost of about $2,000. The lot upon which the church was built consists of three acres adjoining the village of Edgington, donated by Daniel Edgington. In 1870 a parsonage was built at a cost of $1,400. The Baptist Church of Edgington was organized Aug. 10, 1846, and has had a remarkable career, be- ing the parent of several Churches within a radius of six or eight miles. Rett's History of Rock Island County thus speaks of this Church: "This Church has enjoyed an extensive religious influence, sustain- ing at one time ministerial services at no less than six stations and acquired a membership of 555 in the aggregate, of whom 330 were received by baptism, 150 by letter and 75 by experience. From this central Church three others, — the Baptist Church at Antioch, in Mercer County, in 1866; the Hamlet Baptist Church in Perryton Township, and the An- dalusia Baptist Church in Andalusia, in 1867 — assumed separate organizations. The meeting at which the Church was organized was held in Geo. Parmenter's barn, where the village of Edgington is now located. The congregation, when organized, consisted of seven members. The success of the Church is in marked contrast with its organization. Subsequently their meetings were held in a log school-house and later in a frame school-house, both of which stood where the present school building of District No. 3, known as the Center School-house ; now stands. Rev. Mr. Brabrooks, of Davenport, preached the sermon at the organization of the Church, and Rev. Mr. Clark, of Mercer County, was the first regular minister, and preached about every month until 1848. Rev. Mr. Clark was suc- ceeded by Rev. Chas. E. Tinker, from 1848 to 1850, Rev. A. G. Eberhart took charge in 1 85 1 . This year a meeting was held to devise means by which to provide a suitable meeting-house, and Joseph Seavir, Henry Cline and Elder Eberhart were ap- pointed a building committee, and they erected the present church building, at a cost of $2,000, includ- ing labor, most of which was provided within the means of the Church. Rev. A. G. Eberhart's pas- torate continued into 1853. He was succeeded by Revs. P. Watts in 1854-5, W. Whitehead in 1856, John Cummings, 1857-8, O. T. Conger, 1859-67, J. C. Post, r868, J. M. Titterington in 1869, Samuel D. Ross, 1871-2, Mr. Wylie in 1873. Rev. Ansel Post, 1874, son of Rev. J. C. Post, preached a few months in 1875. The present Pastor, Rev. T. A. Williams, was born in Gibralter, April 21, r823, where his father was a soldier in a corps of sappers and miners in the British service until he was soon afterwards killed, the family then removing to Eng- land. Mr. Williams was early brought to a knowl- edge of the truth, and commenced his ministerial services at the age of 17 years, in South Devon. He was educated for the ministry at Houghton, Hunt- ingtonshire. He was ordained as Pastor over his first charge at Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, in 1859, remaining six years. He was then called to the Baptist Church at Smaffham, in Norfolk, in 1865, for seven years. His two last years in England were spent as Pastor of the Baptist Church at Uxbridge, near London. He came to this country in r874, and settled as Pastor of the Baptist Church at La Salle, and in 1875 came to his present charge, hav- ing preached the gospel continuously for 27 years. Wm. Cline was the first Deacon. The present mem- bership is 54. A comfortable parsonage was built in 1863, at a cost of about $500. The parsonage and church building are located near the Center School- house." In September, r839, the first Scoool Trustees were appointed in this township. They were Daniel Edgington, Charles Eberhart and James Robison. On the 29th day of February, 1840, a petition was made for the sale of the school section, which was sold April 30, 1S40, for $1,200. The township was made a school district and the first school was taught by Mrs. Amanda Cushman, sister of Lorenzo Parmenter, one of the earliest settlers. This school was taught in the cabin of Mr. Cushman, which stood one and a half miles north of the village of Edgington. There are now seven districts in the S & < 0) te -3WkTa^" -%£- (j) I ^OCA' ISLAND COUNTY. township, each with good school-houses, there being one brick and six frame, the total value being $9,000. For the year ending June 30, 1885, there were 446 persons of school age, of whom the greater number were enrolled in the public schools. The highest wages paid were $60 and the lowest $30 per month. In 1S85 the Assessor reported the following items : Improved land, 22,472 acres; unimproved land, 437 acres; total value, $317,392. Town lots, 81 im- proved and 74 unimproved, valued at $21,155. Of horses there were 732; cattle. 2,239; mules and asses, 15 ; sheep, 18S ; hogs, 4,692 ; steam engines, 1 ; fire and burglar proof safes, 9 ; carriages and wagons, 220; watches and clocks, 83; sewing and knitting machines, 112; pianos, 9; melodeons and organs, 47. Total value of personal property, $77,- 547- Edgington was organized as a township in 1857, since which time the following named have served as members of the Board of supervisors: James Baker 1857-60 J. W. Lloyd 1861-3 Wm Wait 1864-5 John G Parmenter 1866 Wm. Wait 1867 Daniel Edgington 1868 Wm. B. Bruner 1869 James Baker. 1870 Abraham Crabbs 1871 Cyrus Conkling 1872 John G. Parmenter 1873-4 Chas. Titterington 1875 John G. Parmenter 1876 James Taylor 1877-81 J. W. Loyd 1882 James Taylor 1883 M. Schoonmaker 1884 James Cozad 1885 3^ Village of Edgington. HIS village is located on the corners of sections 7, 8, 17 and 18, and is surrounded by as fine an agricultural region as can be found in the State. On account of the building of a railroad a few miles distant on the east, its growth was stopped, and to-day the village can scarcely be said to exist more than in name. At one time it was quite a flourishing place, consid- erable business being done by its enterprising mer- chants. Being somewhat remote from market or a base of supplies, and much of the surrounding country hav- ing been taken up by a thrifty class of citizens, George D. Parmenter, about 1843, opened a stock of general merchandise, his place of business being the log house in which he lived. He soon afterwards built a somewhat larger house, in which he lived and still sold goods, and still later built the old red store, as it was called. After continuing in this place for some years, he sold out to Isaac Negus and E. Bur- rell. The firm of Negus & Burrell subsequently erected a larger and better building on the corner. They were succeeded by Charles R. Ainsworth, who in turn sold to Rufus Walker, one of the proprietors of the village of Reynolds. About 1853 Fish & Lee commenced doing busi- ness here, erecting a store building for that purpose. Other business houses were erected and others en- gaged in the mercantile trade at different times, as the county increased in population and wealth. E. D. Cushman was the first Postmaster, the office being kept at his residence. SOOO^ Taylor Ridge. (v & ^^f ■^ — ^^niratif^A^ — ^^ N the line of the Rock Island & Mercer ; County Railroad, and laid out on section 12, Edgington Township, ^nd section 7 of Bowling, is the village of Taylor Ridge, named in honor of James Taylor, who gave the right of way and $r,ooo towards the building of the railroad. It is very pleasantly situated and presents a neat and attractive appearance. The railroad was completed to this point in September, 1876, and on the day of its completion there were 23 car loads of stock, and on the next day 17 car-loads, shipped to Chicago. The village was platted by J. L. Frankeberger, a civil engineer employed on the railroad, on land owned by Mr. Taylor. Village of Reynolds. "^; HORTLY before the completion of the ~\' railroad to this point, Wait & Walker had . surveyed and platted a portion of section li\C 3^1 f° r a village, which was given the name of Reynolds, in honor of E. P. Reynolds, the railroad contractor of Rock Island. The village is situated in the midst of a good ( agricultural country, and in proximity to the coal ( fields of Mercer County. £%& W: &^U&M ; &¥5--yfi$*r —f^® V (!) ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 799 f I i v The first plat contained three blocks and 40 lots. Several additions have since been made, until at present the village plat includes 160 acres in all, divided into blocks and out-lots. The railroad was completed to this place, Oct. 6, 1876. On the morning of that day the rails had been laid within one-half mile of this point, which half-mile was completed and a switch track laid by 3 o'clock p. M., and before 6 o'clock there were ^ cars loaded with stock for the Chicago markets ! The first building erected on the village plat was the depot, in which Rufus Walker sold the first goods in the place. This was before the completion of the road. Mr. Walker soon after sold the stock to R. B. Olmstead, who continued the business about two years, and then sold to Montgomery Bros., who re- tained it but a few months, when Rufus Walker again purchased the stock. Mr. Walker some three months after sold to Mr. Schoonmaker, who continued rS months. Wait & Walker then became proprietors of the store, but soon sold to McLaughlin & Miller, who continued in partnership about two years, when M. M. Miller became sole proprietor, and yet continues the business. A. Crandall, also before the railroad was completed, erected a one-story frame building, the only one- story building ever erected in the place for business purposes, and opened a store, the principal stock of which was drugs. He subsequently sold the stock to Wilford Pitman, who carried a general stock. Hartley Smith started the next drug store in the place, during the first year. C. H. Dibbern was the first to engage in the hard- ware trade, also carrying a line of agricultural im- plements. The first dwelling-house erected in the place was put up by Sterling Honeycutt. W. D. Goodner erected the first hotel,— the Com- mercial House,— in the fall of 1876. He ran the house for some time and sold to John Boney, who was succeeded by G. F. Brayton, who continued till 1883, when Clifton Stanley purchased the house, and is yet running the same. The building is a good one, and Mr. Stanley keeps a good hotel. The first " village blacksmith" was H. Webster, who commenced work here in the winter of 1876-7. The first harnessmaker was Emil Helpenstel, who commenced business in the spring of 1877 and still continues. A building was erected by S. Honeycutt in which M. Freydag commenced the furniture business. He still continues in the trade. Joseph Flora was the first wagon-maker, coming in the spring of 1S77. The first physician was Dr. F. Stuart, who came in 1877, and yet continues in the practice of his pro- fession. Dr. Ashbaugh was the second physician. He remained but a short time. Dr. James Cozad was the third. He came in the fall of 1882 and is still here. Wait & Walker were the first grain-buyers, loading grain directly into the car. In 1877 a warehouse was erected by Montgomery Bros. It has since been enlarged and is now an elevator with a capacity of 30,000 bushels of grain. In 1878 Wait & Walker put up a building for baling hay. This has since been converted into an elevator, having a storage capacity of $60,000 bushels. The grain trade of the place has always been good, the shipments being very large. Wait & Walker commenced buying and baling hay in 1878. They continued but a short time, as the business was not a paying one. M. Wait was the first stock-buyer and made the shipment spoken of. He still continues in the busi- ness and ships annually about 300 cars of stock. Rufus Walker started a lumber-yard in the fall of 1876. He still continues the business. The postoffice was established in the fall of 1876, with R. B. Olmstead as Postmaster. Mr. Olmstead retained the office about two years, when Wm. Mc- Laughlin received the appointed. He retained the office until M. C. Crandall was appointed. A money order department was established July 1, 1883. The first birth was that of Reynolds, son of Emil Helpenstel, born in the spring of 1877. District No. 7 was formed in 1877, comprising the village of Reynolds, together with some out-lying territory. The first school was taught that year, in the house of Weaver Kuhns, by Miss Jenny Kuhns. A brick two-story school -house was soon afterwards erected, which is still in use and is an honor and credit to the place. It has two school-rooms and two recitation-rooms. Two teachers are constantly employed. M. McPhail is the Principal for the year 1885-6. The school is a graded one. There are two church edifices in the village and s^z — &*§§ — ^- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -4»^£ V 6 en I s 1=3 \®%m& -^€ »^ G/ '&HO M B^A^ 2^jz- -«=* 804 >£\< (bj ) /& «i!» ■ shafts in the neighborhood, and a large quantity of coal is annually mined. The mines here have brought in many foreigners, that element being at present largely in the ascendency. In the summer of 18S5 there were in the village 3 general stores, 1 grocery store, r restaurant, 1 hotel, 2 shoe shops, 1 blacksmith shop, 1 agricultural im- plement dealer and 1 millinery store. There is neither lawyer or physician in the place; so the good citizen boasts of its peacefulness and its healthful- ness. The population is about 500. Barstow. HEN the Sterling branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was com- pleted through Hampton Township in ? 1869, a station was established upon section 26, on land owned by Joel G. Franklin. A postoffice was soon afterward established here, to which was given the name of Franklin Crossing. When the main line of the railroad was run to this place, the name was changed to Barstow by the company, and subsequently the name of the post- office was changed to that of the station. J. G. Franklin was appointed Postmaster when the office was established, and continued to dis- charge its duties until June, 1884, when he resigned in favor of William J. Swisher, who was duly appointed. With the exception of a boarding-house, estab- lished in 1877, by William Golden, and the station- house, no improvements were made here, or any attempt really made to secure a village until June, 1884, when William J. Swisher opened out in the mercantile business, and soon after erected a black- smith shop, which he rented to other parties. Dr. McLouth located here in the fall of 1884, in the practice of his profession. A large transfer business is done at this point from the Sterling branch to the main line for St. Louis and intermediate points, as well as from the main line to the Sterling branch. The village now comprises some eight or ten dwelling-houses, a general store, blacksmith shop, a school house and depot. Carbon Cliff. ARBON CLIFF lies in the south part of Hampton Township, on section 4, town-' " * ship 17, range 1 east. It was established here at a time when coal-digging was the chief industry. Now but little is done here, with no shipments from the station at this place. The place is now noted for its tile works and pottery. The Argillo Works manufacture tile and fire-brick quite extensively, their shipments by rail averaging two car-loads per day. The works are managed by a stock company, with Mylo Lee as President and manager, and Cornelius Lynde, of Rock Island, Sec- retary. The capital stock is §100,000. About 60 men find employment in these works. In addition to these works, there are three potteries, each of which do a good business. There is but one store in the place, owned by C. Corbin, the store building being used as a depot and postoffice. Mr. Corbin is also Postmaster. In educational matters, the village has a good frame school-house, in which school is regularly held. There is an enrollment at present of 55. There is no church edifice here, though the Meth- odist Episcopal people hold services regularly in the school-house, and have a regularly organized society. Watertown. r- • ATERTOWN village was platted in 1857, by Henry McNeil, Alfred Sanders K&L ' and Alonzo Nourse. It is located on ~|yS' section — , Hampton Township. The village taF N has never attained any distinction, being in proximity to several other villages and cities, which deprive it of its trade. The first store was started in 1857, shortly after the platting of the vil- lage, by Lucius Curtis. A postoffice was established about the same time, with Mr. Custis as Postmaster. He held the office until i860, when Dan. McNeil was appointed. Mr. McNeil about a year previous commenced the mercantile business in the place. s • «Kf» ^€^ — £7^m»ii^A^ 1 JL I w & ^£S^ 6V4>Ml&litli>^ -$®a ® (!) 4. ^Cif ISLAND COUNTY. 8o S He still occupies the position of Postmaster, but has retired from the mercantile trade. Wm. E.Crawford is the only representative of the general trade at the present time, though A. C. Sible carries a small stock, principally of peddler's goods. A new school district was formed in 1857, of which the village became a part, and a school-house was erected at this point. There are now about 60 pupils in the district, school being regularly maintained. The Baptists have here a house of worship, erected in 1879, which is used jointly by that body and the Methodists, each of which have organiza- tions, and which have been in existence for many years. "'IM- PORT BYRON TOWNSHIP. _T an annual town meeting held in 1867, |[ J. H. Lyford, N. Belcher and Archie Allen were appointed a committee to write a history of Port Byron Towinship In 1869 |^* they made a report, from which the principal facts in this sketch are taken. The gentlemen were each of them early settlers and active men, and all have since passed away. In the spring of 1828, two brothers, Robert and Thomas Syms, made the first permanent settlement in what is now the township of Port Byron. They were bachelors, and came from Sangamon County, 111., engaging in the keeping of a wood-yard, supply- ing such steamboats as occasionally passed up and down the Mississippi River. The Syms soon had competition in the wood trade, which led to a serious difficulty and to a lawsuit, being the first appeal to the law in this vicinity. A man by the name of Kinney located about three miles below on the rap- ids and went into the same business. As there was no landing there, or an available place for one, he hauled his wood to the head of the rapids, and of- fered it for sale near the Syms' wood-yard. The wood offered by Kinney was superior to that of Syms, so that he soon monopolized the trade. This led to unpleasant feelings. It so happened that one night Kinney's wood pile was burned up, and shortly after Sym's cabin was destroyed by fire. The next ttme Kinney and one of the Syms' met after this occur rence, a quarrel ensued, and in the fight Kinney was stabbed with a knife. Syms was arrested and taken before Joel Wells, a Justice of the Peace, who resided just below what is now the village of Hampton, Jo- seph Danforth, who lived just aDove the present city of Moline, being the Constable who executed the warrant. Syms was required to give bail for his appearance at court, and not being able or willing to do it, was order- ed committed to jail. The nearest jail on the north was at Galena, and on the south at Alton, and Con- stable Danforth started with him for Alton on foot. After going some miles, the Constable happened to fall behind the prisoner, who, on getting out of sight of the officer, struck for the timber and beat him back home. This was the end of the proceedings. In the same year, 1828, Archibald Allen, Conrad Leek and Geo. W. Harlan, with their families, made a settlement in the township. Geo. W. Harlan was afterwards elected Justice of the Peace, the first re- siding within the limits of the township. A. Allen (more familiarly known as Uncle Archie) was a na- tive of New York. He removed to St. Clair Co., 111., in 1813, and in 1823 to Fort Clark, now Peoria, and from thence to this place. Mr. Allen built his cabin on what is now the southwest fractional quar- ter of section 24, and commenced trading with the Indians, trafficking for their furs and skins. Shortly after his coming he was appointed Supervisor of Roads. He was elected Constable for Jo Daviess County, Rock Island County forming a part of that county, which extended almost over the north- ern part of the State. In 1833 and 1834, he was mail-carrier from Rock Island to Galena. Once a week this hardy backwoodsman would make his way on foot to and from his appointed destination. He traveled on foot for the reason that the travel was often attended with great difficulty, the sloughs and streams at times being impassable for a horse. At that time he was appointed postmaster, the office be- ing known as Canaan postoffice, and kept at his house. The postoffices which he supplied on his route were Rock Island, Canaan, Savanna and Ga- lena. From Canaan to Savanna, a distance of 45 miles, there was no house, and from Savanna to Ga- lena, about 40 miles, there was but one house, and that was at Apple River. Mr. Allen built the first frame house that was erected between Quincy and Galena. This house was destroyed by fire some years afterward. *> (!) c ;» 8o6 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. -,. i , *l In 1830, Mr. Harvey, Thomas Hubbard, H. East and Mr. Britton settled in the precinct. In this year a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Leek, the first birth in the township. In 1 831 a son of Geo. W. Harlan died, being the first death in the township. Mrs. A. Allen was the first adult to die in the township. In 1832 Edmund A. Philleo came from Galena and located here. He was a bachelor, gentlemanly, well educated, and a lawyer by profession. While at work in his garden he was shot and killed, in 1843, by Wm. McKinney. In 1834 Walter Phillips, Geo. R. Allen and Har- vey W. Smith, with their families, located in the township. In 1835 Samuel Allen, Wm. McKinney and Mr. Hathaway, with their families, made a set- tlement. Samuel Allen lived in a double log house " and kept tavern," and as Mrs. Allen (Aunt Can- dace as she was known) was a good cook, those who patronized the house had plenty to eat, and though the variety was not large it was good. As for lodg- ings, not only were the beds brought into use each night, but " shakedowns "on the floor had frequent- ly to be resorted to in order to accommodate all their patrons. Mr. Allen also started a grocery store, which was patronized a great distance. The year 1836 witnessed the coming of Moses Bailey and family, B. B. Chase, Nathaniel Belcher, J. H. Lyford and wife, A. N. Philleo and wife and Miss Lucretia Philleo. Mr. Bailey came from In- diana and was a blacksmith by trade. He built the first blacksmith shop in town, and worked at his trade some years. B. B. Chase was from Maine, and was the first stone-mason and plasterer to locate here. He was afterwards extensively engaged in the man- ufacture and sale of the celebrated Port Byron white lime. Nathaniel Belcher was from Vermont. He built a frame building for a store, and for a number of years was engaged in the mercantile business. He built the Port Byron House, which for many years was the only hotel in the village of Port Byron. He also erected a number of other substantial build- ings, among them being a large brick block. He was an energetic man, and held many local offices. Dr. J. H. Lyford, a native of New Hampshire, and a graduate of the Medical Institute at Dartmouth Col- lege, was the first physician to locate here. At that time the nearest physician on the north was at Ga- @) i» \$ * lena, and on the south at Rock Island. Dr. Lyford's rides were extensive, his practice extending to the northern part of Rock Island County, Whiteside and Henry Counties, and in the northern part of Scott County, Iowa, with occasional calls still further north in Iowa Territory. At that time there were few roads and few bridges. The sloughs and streams were crossed where they could best be forded. In- termittent and bilious fevers, and occasionally cases of a more complicated nature and of surgery called the doctor frequently on long journeys of a week's duration. The conveniences for the sick were quite limited, as the houses or cabins generally consisted of but one room ; but, in consequence of the early set- tlers being possessed of good consitutions or of good nursing, good doctoring, or of all combined, there were but few deaths. In the spring of 1836 John D. Allen married Su- san Remson, this being the first marriage in the township. On Aug. r, 1836, the first election was held in the precinct, at the house of S. Allen. It was a general election for Congress, the Legislature and county officers. There were 52 votes cast. For Congress- man, Jonn T. Stuart, Whig, received 35, and Wm. L. May, Democrat, 14. The Port Byron election pre- cint included all the northern part of the county from a short distance above Moline to the Meredosia. Previous to this election all the voters had to go to Rock Island in order to cast their ballots. The sec- ond election in the precinct was in November, 1836. There were 42 votes cast, of which n were for Mar- tin Van Buren, Democrat, for President, and the re- mainder for Wm. H. Harrison, Whig. In 1837 came Warren Wilcox and family, Nathan- iel Dorrance, G. S. Moore, Silas Marshall and fam- ily and Miss Harriet Dodge. Mr. Wilcox was the first carpenter and joiner that settled in the township. He built most of the best houses erected in the vil- lage and vicinity at that lime. Nathaniel Dorrance, by industry and economy, amassed considerable money and made valuable improvements in the vil- lage and country, afterward engaging in the lumber trade and running a saw-mill. Silas Marshall for a number of years kept the Port Byron House, and was also engaged in farming. G. S. Moore engaged in the mercantile business, and was the leading mer- chant in Port Byron for many years. He built a 1=3 V < V) n — ^A4>|I|J@|1|1<^A^ s^r- «4*^£' : ^. SB £§» <§/ ®> Kf 8 *- ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. 807 ) 1 — r 5 number of good houses, among which were a large brick store, a handsome dwelling house and a large public house known as the De Soto Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 7869. Port Byron is a small township, but boasts of good schools. In addition to the academy mentioned else- where, it has two good public schools, one of which is graded. There were in 1885, according to the County Superintendent, 423 persons in the township under the age of 21, of which number 304 persons were of school age, 231 of whom were enrolled in the public schools. In the two districts are two good school-houses, one frame and one brick, valued at $10,000. Five teachers were employed during the year. The highest salary paid was $75 per month and the lowest $35. The Assessor, for 1885, reported the following items: Improved land, 1,965 acres; unimproved land, 108 acres; total value, $44,239. Of town lots there were 425 improved, and 202 unimproved, hav- ing a total valuation of $36,655. Of horses there were 131; cattle, 215; mules and asses, 9; hogs, 220; steam engines, 3; safes, n; carriages and wagons, 118; watches and clocks, [65; sewing and knitting machines, 1 10 : pianos, 22; melodeons and organs, 51. The total value of personal property was assessed at $51,719. Port Byron Township was organized in 1857. The following named have served as Supervisors : SUPERVISORS. David S. Holiart 1857-9 Nathaniel Belcher i860 F. C. Temple 1861 E. H. Johnston 1862 Nathaniel Belcher 1863 Wm. J. Shehard 1864-5 1 >jv id N. Simonson 1866 F. C. Temple 1867 J. H. Lyford 1868 E. H. Johnston 1869-70 Samuel R. Allen 1871 F. G . Gates 1872.3 Henry C. Trent 1874-6 RogerJ Bell 1877-8 B. Wightman 1879 F. S. Cone 1880 E. N. Hollister 1881 John Schafer, Jr 1882-3 E. N. Hollister 18S4-5 Village of Port Byron. HIS beautiful village was laid out in 1836, by Samuel Allen Dr. P. Gregg, N. Belcher ^ and Moses Bailey, on land owned by Samual Allen, but purchased and held in common by the four gentlemen mentioned. The original village was laid out on the northwest quarter of section 25, but now embraces in addition the southwest fraction and the east half of section the northwest fraction of section 36, and a portion of section 24. It was incorporated under the general laws of the State in 1876. At the time the village was laid out there was but one log house and a small log store on the land, the property of Samuel Allen. The store was started by Walter Phillips, and with the land was sold by him to Mr. Allen. Robert and Thomas Syms lived on the spot where the depot now stands, in a log house, and kept a wood yard for the passing boats. Shortly after the village was laid out Nathaniel Belcher built a frame store and put in a stock of gen- eral merchandise. This was the first general stock. Mr. Belcher continued in business for many years, and was a most enterprising citizen. In his first mercantile effort Mr. Belcher was associated with Mr. Hambaugh, under the firm name of Belcher & Hambaugh. As already stated, a postoffice had been established about one mile from the village, known as Canaan, with Archibald Allen as Postmaster. In March, 1837, the office was removed to the village, its name changed to Port Byron, and N. Belcher was appoint- ed Postmaster. For a period of thirty years, though not successively, Mr. Belcher retained the office. The office has been held by Geo. S. Moore, David Zeigler and John Zollinger, the incumbent. George S. Moore started a grocery store in May, 1837, subsequently adding dry-goods, and for years was a leading merchant. About this time N. Belcher erected a hotel known as the Port Byron House, opposite Devore's bank. As stated, the house burned some years after. Dr. J. H. Lyford started the first drug store. The panic of 1837 retarded the growth of Port Byron, and it took many years to recover, but it was first settled by an -enterprising people, who were de- termined to make of it a neat and attractive if not a populous town. Their efforts were crowned with success. The first grist-mill in the village was erected in the spring of 1849, by T. G. Temple and N. Dor- rance, between the hotel and river. It was run by steam and had one set of buhrs for wheat and one for corn. The first school was held in the old log store build- ing that had been owned by Samuel Allen, in the summer of 1838, Harriet Dodge being the teacher. In the winter following Wm. Kelley "wielded the birch." VP K ■I V) f® $ 7^1 gw- ■3^ ^ O/* ^ \§ ^K- -••i %%&& &g&$ gM- &V4?nBgDDs^c ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. t ® The first school-house was of brick, and erected in front of the present Congregational church". This house becoming too small to meet the wants of the district, the present building was erected in 1863-4, at a cost of $12,000. Four teachers are constantly employed. In addition to the public schools an academy was started in 18S1, with E. T. Harper as principal, who held the position for three years, and was succeeded by Isaac P. Tracy, who served one year. W. H. Williams is the Principal for the year 1885-6. The institution was started under the auspices of the Congregational Church of Port Byron, but is unde- nominational. For two years a room was rented for school purposes, but in 1883, a building was erected especially for its use. The school has had an ever- age attendance of 50, and apparently has a bright future before it. The religious societies of the place are represented by the Congregationalists, Baptists and Method- ists. The Congregational Church of Port Byron was or- ganized Sept. 1, 1849, a few persons meeting at the school-house for that purpose. The folowing named comprise the original membership : Win. C. Pearsall, Jesse Maxwell, Isaac Hollister, Martha Hollister, Mrs. W. C. Pearsall, Mrs. A. N. Maxwell, Mrs. C. Mulhollen, Mrs. Robert Hilton and Martha Jen- nings. The meetings continued to be held in the old school-house until the completion of their church building in 1856. The church is situated on High Street, commanding a full view of the Mississippi River, and was built at a cost of $2,100. Additions and improvements have since been made, the prop- erty now being valued at $4,000. Rev. A. L. Bullen was the first to serve the Church. He was succeeded, in turn, by Revs. Wm. Porter, Mr. Miles and Aimer Harper. The latter gentleman began his pastorate in September, i86i,and yet serves the Church. His pastorate has now extended nearly a quarter of a century, and the good he has been enabled to do in this community will be known only in eternity. Rev. Wm. Thompson was drowned in endeavoring to cross the Meredosia in the spring of 1852. The Church has flourished with varying success since its organization, and now has a membership of 100 faith- ful persons. W. C. Pearsall W. H. Devore and E. N. Hollister are the Deacons ; W. S. Grove, Clerk. 1 A flourishing Sunday-school has always been main- tained. The Methodist Episcopal Church in this place dates its existence since 1836, almost one-half cen- tury. A few faithful persons, among whom were Archibald Allen, Candace Allen, J. H. Lyford and wife, John Mitchell and wife, composed the first class. The earliest meetings were held in the log cabins of the settlers, subsequently in the school-house, and finally in their own house of worship, which was erected in 1855 at a cost of $3,000. The Church has been fairly prosperous. The Baptists have no house of worship, their meet- ings for divine service being held in a public hall. The secret and benevolent societies are repre- sented by the Masons, Odd Fellows, United Work- men and Modern Woodmen. Philo Lodge, No. 436, A. F. & A. M., received its charter from the Grand Lodge in October, 1865. There were 13 charter members. Meetings were first held in a hall in Dorrance's Block. One year after, they removed to the third story of the building now owned by Rogers & Son, where they met for some years. For the past ten or twelve years meetings have been held in a hall specially arranged for that purpose, over the drug store of Dr. Wilson Fleming. The lodge takes its name from a word meaning a friend. The first W. M. of the lodge was E. M. Hickox, with Wilson Fleming, S. W. ; and Geo. P. Yates, J. W. The lodge has always flourished, and was never in better condition than at present. The officers for r885 were Dr. Wilson Fleming, W. M. ; Ambrose Searl, S. W. ; Thos. Jennings, J. W. ; W. H. Devore, Treas. ; E. B. Stone, Sec. ; James Searl, S. D. ; W. H. Malarkey, J. D. ; D. A. Malarkey, Tyler, Port Byron Lodge, No. 624, I. O. O. F., was insti- tuted in the Centennial year, its charter bearing date Oct. 25, 1876. Few lodges have been more prosper- ous. It is the parent of Rapids City Lodge, a num- ber of its members being dismissed for the purpose of organizing in that village. The membership is 60, and the lodge has in available means about $2,500. The officers in July, 1885, were John Shaf- fer, Jr., N. G. ; S. Allen, V. G ; D. Zeigler, Sec. and P. S. ; F. E. Rogers, Treas. Meetings are held each Monday evening, in hall over Rogers' bank. Alpha Lodge, No. S5, A. O. U. W., was organized June 16, 1877, with 28 charter members. Meetings v|) k V c V (' r> I &- -a-ii e«nns>A^ — s^- 5FTser'»i< ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. S09 are held in the Masonic Hall every Friday evening. The membership is now 31, and the lodge is in good condition in every way. No deaths have occurred. The officers in July, 1885, were John C. Wainwright, M. W. ; Thomas McCall, G. F. ; E. B. Stone, Re- ceiver; E. M. Rogers, Rec. ; C. P. Albrecht, Fin.; James W. Simonson, Representative. Sycamore Camp, No. 34, M. W. A., was instituted in April, 18S4, with 28 charter members. It has now 36, and is in a healthy condition. The camp meets once in two weeks for the transaction of busi- ness and for the development of the social features of the order. The officers in the summer of 1885 were F. H. Longfellow, Consul; S. J. Maxwell, Ad- viser; W. S. Grover, Clerk; J. J. Tubbs, Banker. An election was held Feb. 23, 1856, to vote on the question of incorporation as a town. There were 55 votes cast, 52 of which were for incorporation and 3 against. The first election for town officers was held March 1, 1S56, the following named being elected Trustees: Nathaniel Dorrance, D. S. Hobart, T. C. Temple, G. H. Ambrose and Win. J. Shepherd. On the 7th of November, 1876, an election was held on the question of incorporating as a village under the general act. There were 101 votes cast for the measure and 95 against. Two days after, an election was held for village officers. J. W. Simon- son, G. D. Moore, T. J. Zeigler, F. S. Gates, George McNeal and Jesse Maxwell were elected Trustees. The following named comprise the Trustees for 1885 : E. M. Rogers, A. E. Lyford, S. J. Maxwell, D. A. Malarkey, G. A. Metzgar, J. YV. Simonson. C. C. Trent is Village Clerk. The issue in the village elections for many years has been that of licensing the sale of intoxicating liquor. The anti-license men carry the day. Port Byron has, therefore, no licensed saloon, and its business men are generally satisfied that their trade is not lessened thereby. RURAL TOWNSHIP. URAL Township, when the county was di- vided into civil townships in 1857, was included in Coal Valley, and so continued V vby until 1871, when it was duly organized by the Board of Supervisors. As now organized it comprises township 16, range r west, and is considered a valuable township of land. It is bounded on the east by Henry County, on the south by Mercer County, on the north by Coal Valley and Black Hawk Townships, and on the west by Bowling Township. The first settlement was made in this township in 1838 or 1839, by Thomas and David Goodlow, who built the first house on section 29. John Farlow built the second house on that section. Mr. Farlow moved here from Pre-emption Township, in Mercer County, of which township he was the first settler. Previous to 1840, the following named made claims and became citizens of the township : A. L. and A. N. Sayre, J. M. Wilson, Capt. J. A. Jordan and Dan- iel Valentine. Others soon after came in, among whom was a man known as " Wild-cat Moore, " who received his name in the following manner : In 1842, in this township, he pursued a catamount on horse- back, overtook him in the brash, and, without a weapon of any kind, leaped from his horse, taking his buffalo robe before him, sprang upon the cata- mount, which was a very large one, crushed him to the earth and succeeded in killing him, without re- ceiving a scratch! After this he was always called " Wild-cat Moore. " Some time after this feat he caught a wolf in his hands and choked him to death, though he received many wounds in the encounter. The first birth was that of a son of John Farlow, born in 1839. The first marriage was that of David Goodlow and Nancy Farlow, who subsequently removed to Oregon. The first school was taught by Seth Trego in a private house. The first school-house was built in 1846, the following named uniting in its erection: Capt. J. A. Jordan, Albert N. Sayre, Alonzo S. Sayre, M. Sayre, J. M. Wilson, Daniel Valentine and Will- iam Crist. The first teacher employed holding a school in this house was Mr. Shedd. The educa- tional advantages of Rural is now equal to that of any agricultural township in the county. The first sermon was preached by Rev. Joseph Jones, in 1839. The first religous organization was effected in 1852, at which time what is known as the Homestead United Presbyterian Church was organ- ized with the following named members: David Campbell and wife, Francis Bailey and wife, Miss Jane Patterson, James Donon, Sr., and wife, James Donon, Jr., and wife, John Donon, Robert Bailey and wife and John McLain. Rev. Win. Oburn was the m t (■/ & c Mir\§&£ -s^c ^A^H Q m ^i> L r9 — ^«^ 810 r*^K — ^v^>nD^iiHf^^ — ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. ^^%@\^9 — *&*. ^vi^sfi 3 ■agg w - O v ^HH^Dllf>^e 5^€^s- -m& 1^^ J? - — i giffr 812 <&, V 1=3 1=3 c=z 5) ROCK ISLAND COUNTY. '%• j Peace; Wesley Hannah, Collector; D. N. Beal, As- sessor; Nelson Wells, Gregory Brown, Road Com- missioners. The officers for 1885 were John L. Noah, Supervisor ; Frederick Whiteside, Clerk; Jes- se L. Cox, Assessor; Anthony Wells, Collector; John Swank, John Osborne, John C. Cowley, Jus- tices of the Peace ; Milton Moore, George Cromp- ton, Constables. According to the report of the Superintendent of Public Schools for the year ending June 30, 1885, there were 312 persons under 2 1 in the township, of which number 208 were of school age, 160 of whom were enrolled in the public schools. Tnere were seven school districts, each having a good frame school- house. The highest wages paid was $40 per month and the lowest $20. The school property was valued at $3,700. There are two small villages in the township : Joslyn and Osborne, each of which are located on the Sterling Branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Each of these villages were laid out shortly after the completion of the railroad. N. B. Joslyn started the first store and was the first Postmaster in the village bearing his name. The business was commenced in 1870. Mr. Joslyn sold out to Golden Brewster, and was succeded as Postmaster by Alexander Dunbar, who, in turn, gave way to Golden Brewster, the incumbent. The vil- lage has made no great headway, and in 1885 has but two general stores, one by Golden Brewster, the other by Chas. Dipper, the latter commencing in 1883 ; one blacksmith shop, a warehouse, depot, school-house and five dwelling-houses. The ware- house was erected by Rufus Smith in 1880. Mr. Smith purchased grain here for two or three years. Chas. Dipper is the present buyer. The blacksmith shop was rented first by Nathan Dow, and subse- quently sold to Louis Bender, who is now running it. The village is school district No. 3. Osborne is located near the Rock River and near the Cleveland Crossing. Like many other villages, it illustrates " what might have been." About half a dozen dwelling-houses and the depot building com- prise the village. In 1885 the assessor reported the following items : Improved land, 14,884 acres; unimproved land, 227 acres; total value, $153,^22. Of horses there were 369; cattle, 2,226; mules and asses, 19; sheep, 399; hogs, 1,431; carriages and wagons, 144; watches and clocks, 72 ; sewing and knitting machines, 61 ; pianos, 8; melodeons and organs, 13. The total value of personal property was $34, 370. When organized in 1857 the township was called Walker, but its name was changed the following year. The following named have served the town- ship as supervisors the time mentioned : SUPERVISORS. Rinnah Wells 1857-8 Ambrose Searle 1859 Wesley Hanna 1860-1 Daniel Beal 1862-3 A. F. Russell 1864 Daniel N. Beal 1865-6 B. B. Joslin 1867-8 Samuel Wainwright 1860-70 L. W. Beal 1871 Madison Bowles 1872-3 Wesley Hanna 1874-5 George C. Wake 1876-7 Wesley Hanna 1878-9 Fred. Osborne 1880-1 John G. Osborne 1882 I. S. Knowles 1883 J. McEniry 1884 John L. Noah 1885 9 •ito I ml 6~- **&* ©A^IIIISIIIK^A^ 4*i^ i^rmm^- ■&7TT^ ■Ha (§, ) e§ v ft 1 2=1 < (!) ^®& •*& L —&*r9 — ^^c^- ^§^ 6V4«D0r>^ (P I ^>. Adams, Capt. A 667 Adams, A. B. E 431 Adams, A. C 642 Adams, John 23 Adams, John Quincy 39 Adams, Lucian 553 Adams, Wm 384 Ainsworth, Charles R 520 Ainsworth, H. A 422 Albrecht, John M 4?o Albrecht, Joseph 506 Allen, George 272 Allen, Joseph L 285 Altimus, Amos 34° Anderson, A. J 228 Anderson, A. Q 345 Appelquist, Fred 542 Armstrong, Foster 301 Armstrong, Thomas 606 Arthur, Chester A 99 Ash, Simeon P 659 Ashdown, Alex 294 Ashdown, Henry 287 Aster, John 47= Atkinson, Charles 645 Atkinson, John 463 Atkinson, J. W 5=6 B Babcock, John E 440 Bailey, Jacob C 487 Bailey, James 192 Bailey, J. V 413 Bailey, Wm. S 194 Ball.Wm. T 578 Barber, Harlow E 320 Barber, T. P ° 3 t Barge, J oh n 404 Barker, L. H 300 Barnard, II. A 236 Barns, Martin A 375 Barth, George E., M.D 3S5 Bartlett, John W 57 J Battersby, Richard 463 BIOGI^TOl?I BeaUS. S 642 Beers, Evan B 391 Bennett, Robert 52; Bennett, W. C 233 Berg, John A. P 649 Berry, Edwin H 579 Berry, James W 199 Beveridge, John L 171 Bissell, William H 151 Black Hawk 682 Boggess, H. C 627 Bond, Shadrach in Bopes, Daniel Bowes, Thomes 658 Bowles, Madison Bowles, Samuel 477 Brackett, A. G 7 12 Brooks, Wm. E 264 Brown, Gregory 663 Browning, Hon. John T 431 Bryan, Samuel 365 Buchanan, James 75 Buffum, John 312 Bullen, Henry L. 234 Burgston, Fred A 397 Burrall , Edward 466 Cady, M. Yale 3*3 Cain, John 624 Caldwell, Wm 539 Candee, H.W 274 Carlin, Thomas 13s Carlsson, Rev. Erl 615 Carothers, Samuel L... .414 Carpenter, Henry B 263 Carpenter, Jacob A 314 Carson, T B 419 Case, Henry S 641 Cassel, Israel 624 Casteel. Herbert E 560 Cheney, Perry M 307 Chester, Nelson Christy, Joseph M 580 Clarke, John 669 Clarke, Win 408 Cleaveland, Hon. Henry C .. .661 Clendenin, Wm 295 Cleveland, S- G rover 103 CHne, Rev. Henry D 559 Coe, Albert S 305 Coles, Edward .115 Colgrove, Willard 528 Collins, Stephen J -494 Colseth , Peter 240 Connelly, Henry C 503 Conway, Joseph 6it Cook, William 626 Cool, Isaac 558 Cool, Jared L 402 Corbin, John G 611 Corns, Thomas 385 Cox, Joseph B 432 Cox, Jesse L 598 Cozad, James, M. D 551 Crabs, Wm. D 260 Crabtree, Charles C 364 . M. D acS Cralle, Levi F 622 Cram, Wm. F 312 Crandell, M. C 194 rd, Ira 495 Crist, Daniel 7 10 Crockett, W. K 557 Cropper, Edmond 363 Cropper, George E 559 Crouch, John E 448 Cullom, Shelby M 175 D Danforth, J. B 637 Davenport, Bailey 343 Davenport, Col. George 189 Davis, James M 192 Davis, Wm. G 547 Davison, John B , M. D 409 Deal, Philip J 192 Deere, Charles H 247 Deere, John 205 Denison, J. J 603 Den linger, M. B 201 Devinney, John. ... 586 Devinney, Samuel 458 Devore, Wm. H 284 Dibbern, Charles H 496 Dimock, D. C 4*5 Dodge, Capt. George 25 Donaldson, Andrew 344 Donaldson, Richard A.. 618 Dorman, Henry 396 Dorrance, Nathaniel. ... 296 Drury, Elmer A 433 Dunbar, A 439 Duncan, Joseph 131 Dunlap, Adolphus 419 f \ Dunn, Lewis D., M. D 500 Dunn. Thomas 273 S & - ^^~ Edgington, Daniel 24S Edgington, James... ..... 295 Edwards, George H 551 Edwards, L. D 421 Edwards, Ninian "9 Edwards, Wm 307 Eells, Charles S 271 Einfeldt, Zacharias 395 Elliott, L. C... 625 Ellis, Adam 47 1 Ellsworth, Calvin R 364 Entrikin, Walter J 246 Erixon, Rev. K. 325 Evans, Wm 565 Evener, George 375 Ewing, W. L. D 127 Farnham, Russell 339 Farrell, Peter 478 Fiebig, Charles 566 Field, Michael G 520 Fillmore, Millard 67 Fish, Lorenzo E 293 Fisk, C. B 447 Flagler, Col. Daniel W 317 Fleming, J. E 623 Ford, Thomas 139 Forgy, John 660 Forster, Samuel S 376 Foster, J . Herbert 333 France, Wm 333 ® (.'.' t ■z^z 6=V<$B H &H fl*>v^ vf&hr INDEX. ■~&®% -■■■■* Franklin, J. G 603 Freek, W. R., M. D 434 French, Augustus C 143 Freytag, Fred 572 Friberg, Andrew 208 G Gamble, Win. J 252 Garfield, James A Q5 Gatchell, H. P 711 Gibson, George 403 Gilchrist, Hugh 649 Gillmore, John S 525 Glanz, Mrs. Peter 420 Goble, Benj 401 Goldsmith, Wm 616 Goodlow, Stephen E 440 Goodrich, Calvin 228 Gould, Charles L 300 Gould, I>an W 627 Gould, George D., Sr 201 Gould, John M 469 Graham, J. W 522 Grant, Ulysses S 87 Grantz, Conrad F 521 Gray, Will 654 Gregg, Dr- Patrick P .234 Griffith, John 421 Griffith, John R 420 G room, J . K 668 H Hains, Daniel 531 Hamilton, John M 179 Hampton, Joel L) 5ig ' Hanna, James 326 Har.sgen, Charles 45S Hanson, Albert 326 Harris, Frank H 665 Harrison, Wm. H 51 Hartzell, Michael 371 Hasselquist, Rev. T. N 653 Hauberg, Marx D 634 Hawes, C- W 572 Hayes, Rutherford B 91 Hayes, William 323 Heald, Charles W 369 Heath, S. W 655 Heimbeck, EmiJ 200 Hemenway, Charles F 279 Hemenway, Luke E 216 Hepburn, Charles S 202 Hess, William B 350 Hesseman, Lewis E ^19 Hillier, George 396 Hines, Thomas S. . .t 251 Hitchcock, Rev. A. B 214 Hofsteter, John A . 633 Hollister, Albert F 216 Hollister, Edmund 370 Hollister, Isaac 548 Holmes, George E 479 Holt, John M 235 Hubbard, Anson M 193 Huber, Ignatz 516 Hull, George E 296 Hull, Henry J 363 Humphrey, Edgar 430 Huntoon, George H 606 Huntoon, Jonathan 577 Huntoon, Joseph 522 Hunter, Dr. Warren 415 Huyett, Dr. Joseph 416 Hyde, H. W 542 Jackson, Andrew 43 Jefferson, Thomas 27 Johnson, A. J 447 Johnson, Andrew S3 Johnson, F. A 527 Johnson, Joseph J 553 Johnson, Swan J 644 Johnson, Rev . T. R 277 Johnson, Wm. N 311 Johnston, Edwin H 433 Johnston, James R 508 Jones, T. M 287 Jordan, Capt. John A 6to Jordan, Wm 662 Josephson, Win 359 K Keator, J. S 407 Keleher, James 257 Kennedy, John 200 Kennedy, Samson 663 Kerns, Wm 241 Ketcham, Wm 505 Killing, F. C 666 Killing, Wm 445 King, Peter 376 Kinyon,C. E , M D 487 Kittelsen, Andrew 202 Kittilson, Ed 592 Knox, Edwin B 305 Laflin, Charles 278 Lancashire, John 487 Larkin, Charles H 605 Lee, Mylo 585 Le Quatte, Jeremiah 340 Le Quatte, Jeremiah 227 Lincoln, Abraham 79 Lind, Peter E 586 Lindahl, Prof. Josua 597 Lindeblad, Rev. Henry O....284 Lindstrom, Albert 454 Little, Andrew J 413 Lloyd, Joseph W 279 Loding, John H 401 Long, John L 274 Lowry, Lazarus 43S Lundy, W. H 454 M Mack, William S 289 Madison, James 31 Mapes, Ellsworth 639 Mardock, David 325 Mardock, Henry .466 Marshall, Jacob H 494 Marshall, Jared 390 Marshall, John 479 Marshall, Wm 208 Marshall, Wm. ^9 — :s ^ L 816 -*€£*: &7 INDEX. (L P & Samuelson, John 534 Sayre, A. L s73 Schafer, Charles F 392 Schafer, John 229 Schillinger, Martin.. 338 Schlueter, Peter 664 Schmid, Carl August - ..662 Schoon maker, M 219 Schroeder, William F 507 Seaberg, Charles C 280 Sear], Ambrose 56S Searl, J. A 648 Sears, David B 451 Sears. George W 398 Sears, William 397 Segur, Gustavus N. 415 Seiver, Jacob A 322 Sexton, Jared 66S Shaffer, Andrew C 612 Shall, John 410 Shallene, John A 628 Shaw, Fred 554 Shaw, James 349 Sheldon, Rev. James -583 Shepard, Nathan ....632 Shurtleff, H. S 621 Silvis, Richard S 389 Silvis, Thomas S 508 Simmon, Phillip. 622 Simonson, J. W 617 Simpson, Thomas 427 Sinnet, Alanson 331 Sinnet. Francis M 625 Skidmore, Dr . Luther W. . . . 472 Skinner, Orrin 541 Skinner, Porter 501 Sleight, H. O 499 Sloan, Samuel 493 Sloan, W. K., M. D 324 Small, Dr. James L 506 Smith, Ezra.. 528 Smith, James W 340 Ashdown, Henry 286 Atkinson, Charles 645 Augustana College 761 Barnard, H. A 237 Boggess, Henry C 249 Bowles, Madison 309 Bowles, Samuel ... .475 Cook, William 249 Cozad, Dr- James.. 297 Davenport, Bailey 196-7 Deere, John 210-n Dimock, D. C 483 Edgington, Daniel --349 Smith, John S 632 Spencer, E . W 499 Spencer, J. W 545 Stafford, S.L 526 Stanley, Clifton 567 Stark, Dr. J. W 392 Starkey, Joseph 500 Stephens, George-... 229 Stewart, Jacob, M. D 332 Stoddard, H P 633 Stuart, Dr. F 386 Sundin, Charles 600 Swain, Nathan 526 Swensson, Gustaf 427 Swisher, S. L 239 Taylor, James 554 Taylor, S. C 664 Taylor, Zachary 03 Tew, James 352 Thede, William C 516 Thomas, Henry F 286 Thompson, D. \V 533 Thulin, Charles G 661 Tindall, John 652 Tindall, Joseph F 653 Tindall, W. P 55 8 Titterington, Charles 301 Titterington, Moses 302 Toothaker, George D 534 Torpin, Richard 539 Towndrow, B. R. , Sr 617 Trent, Henry C 302 Truesdale, Dr. C 652 Tubbs, Parker N 565 Turner, Elihu 515 Turner, Wm. H 573 Twigg, Wm- M., M. D 5 6o Tyler, John 55 Tyrrell, Nathan C 495 Elliott, L. C 275 Einfeldt, Z 399 Fort Armstrong 261 Foster, J. H 297 Hines, T. S 27s H uber, Ignatz 517 Killing, Wm 443 Marshall, W. G 373 McEniry, Wm 5&1 Montgomery, Daniel 657 Montgomery, R. S 657 Moore, Gilpin 505 Osborn, Fred - -3 01 u t* hi man, Wm 593 Underwood, James R 434 v Van Buren, Martin 47 Van Horn, James 395 Velie, Stephen H 604 Venable, James 240 Vieriech, Henry 531 Vincent, George, M. D 521 Vitzthum, Casper 609 Vogel, John C 448 w Wajner, ( reorge 260 Wain wright, Isaac 631 Wain wright, Isaac 514 Wait, William 308 Waite, C B ..712 Walker, George W 265 Walker, Rufus 378 Warman, E 324 Warnock, David 351 Warnock, John 252 Warr. J. W 290 Washington, George 19 Waters, Chester C 259 Weatherhead, D. A 579 W eaiherhead, Ira 398 Weaver, George 654 Weaver, George W 650 Weaver, Jacob M 612 Weaver, John 594 Webb, I). J 486 Webber, Christopher C. .. 215 Webster, Wm. D 574 Weckel, Adolph 641 Weidner, Prof. R. F 465 Welch, Wm. C 616 Wells, Albert 547 Wells, Edgar 478 Wells, Rinnah 425 Wendel, Frederick 654 Westerberg, Dr. Fredrik 242 Wheelock, A. H 640 Wheelock, Chapin A 597 Wheelock, Everett 263 Wheelock, Lucius P 366 Wheelock, Stillman W 219 Wheelock, Theodore D 540 Whipple, Henry 519 White, Marvel H 245 White Cloud, Indian Prophet.678 Whiteside, Samuel 628 Williams, Alfred 277 Williams, Daniel P 574 Wilson, Jacob M 651 Wilson, John H 507 Wilson, Lewis 283 Winter, Basilius.. 266 Wistrand, Jonas H 258 Wixon, John 559 Womacks, Alvin T... 338 Womacks, W. H 359 Wood, John 155 Wray, John E . 650 Wright, ArthurS.... 350 Y Vates, Richard 159 Youngren, Louis P 299 z Zeigler, N. R 541 Zeigler, Samuel M 584 Ziegler, David 306 Ziegler, Emile E 465 Ziegler, Henry 326 Ziegler, Jacob 548 Zimmerman, Daniel 426 Zimmerman, J. W r 584 Zollinger, John 390 Palmer, J. F Parks, J. H Parks, W. H. Jr. Pearsall, L. S.... Peaisall, Jere 336 387 387 503 43 6 Pearsall, Robert E 665 Pearsall, W. W 555 Peterson, John A 275 Rock Island 725 Sevier, Jacob A 399 Shall, John 411 Shaw, James 349 Simonson, J. W 286 — — A^reiiD?^^ — Sinnet, Alanson 267 Sinnet, F. M 297 Spencer, J. W 267 Stoddard, H. P 336 Taylor, James 555 Taylor, Samuel C 665 Twigg, Dr- Wm. M 297 Wagner, George 261 Warman, E 349 Weatherhead, Mrs. Jane M..399 Wheelock, 5. W 224-5 Zeigler, Samuel M 275 INDEX. 'l liihrmtm* ;<*?&, 1 ^ -?y ? ( ) > I J 818 INDEX. m'&? ^ ■#@§K@Yfffi§ Moline Independent 720 Mercantile Licenses 736 Hampton 800 Moline Citizen 720 County Poor 736 Port Byron 805 809 810 Moline Republican 720 Geographical and Tope >- Rural Moline Review 721 graphical 739 South Moline Moline Review-Dispatcl 721 Agricultural Societies 740 South Rock Island 810 Swedish Citizen 721 Pioneer Association 740 Zuma 811 Daily Republican 722 Marriages 74i Port Byron Messenger 722 Statistical 74 1 CITIES AJMD VILLAGES : Port Byron Times 722 Black Hawk's Watch Andalusia 783 804 Port Byron Weekly 722 Tower 74i Barstow Port Byron Globe 7 2 3 CITY OF ROCK ISLAND 749 Carbon Cliff 804 People's Friend Milan Record ISLAND OF ROCK ISL 7^3 723 AUGTSTANA COLLEGE CITY OF MOLINE 760 764 Coal Valley Cordova Edgington 789 792 798 802 ANli 724 TOWNSHIPS. Hampton National Arsenal 724 Andalusia 781 Illinois City 787 RAILROADS 732 Black Hawk 783 Milan 785 C, B. &Q. 732 733 734 734 7 ?4 Bowling 793 Moline 764 C.,R. I. & P. Buffalo Prairie 786 Port Byron 807 P. & R. I. Canoe Creek 787 Rapids City- 801? R. I. & Mer. Co. Coal Valley 789 Reynolds 798 C, M. & St. P. Coe 791 Rock Island 744 Cordova 792 Sears 811 MISCELLANEOUS 735 Drury 794 Taylor Ridge 798 Bridges 73S Edgington 795 Watertown 804 ^ 9 ft rn ® 3> V) *&^—& -£u ~i*S§9f®A|!| X* 'X J » ■ *x *' x^ . xy x. 'x • #x " «» , W . V* x.v • " ' .> " « x/ „ X* s " *x • **. *X II *•* • :: *»' n • 4* • \/ * X • • X • x/ _ x/ x> - x/ , -'> • #x • • • X • X • • x • x • • X • x«> _ X* • S • / X • > * xy • X • X • • X • X • « X . «•'* . *<» . /> - / . ' /x "• • 5' • »' « » »•' . x/- , . » X • s % " , X • X * X »;:»x« . ^ #\ • #x • /» • X • ,' f • x • x • r : - x » •gjp?*****? ]j£p-'- ■ •',■■ ■'■ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URSANA 977 339P838 C001 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM OF ROCK i :: in hi I in inn 30112 025390524