M 'LI B HARY OF THE UN IVERSITY Of ILLINOIS 377.322 E>31h ILL. HIST. SURVEY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/historical2bate HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS EDITED BY Newton Bateman, LL. D. Paul Selby, A. M. INCLUDING GENEALOGY, FAMILY RECORDS AND BIOGRAPHY OF McHENRY COUNTY CITIZENS EDITED by A. L. WING COBURN ILL US 'PRATED VOL. II McHENRY COUNTY CITIZENS CHICAGO : MUNSELL publishing company, publishers 1903. 3Z PREFACE. Among the varied motives which operate upon the human mind, few exert a more far^ reaching influence than those drawn from history. If the intellectual, social and moral conditions of a nation, rich in historic memories and associations, be compared with that of another chiefly or wholly destitute of these characteristics, the difference will be found as striking as it is comprehensive. The individual characteristics which go to make up the true strength of a great nation like England or the United States, is continuously fed by the memories of Cressy and Agincourt, Bunker Hill and Saratoga, while long centuries of darkness and bondage have enfeebled the Chinese and many other nations. What is true of nations is also true of individuals and families. There is not an intel- ligent, public-spirited and trustworthy citizen of whom it can be denied that the motives prompting to a life of virtue and patriotism have not been inspired and strongly reinforced by the consciousness that his ancestors were brave and upright men. We believe with Webster, that "there is a moral and philanthropic respect for our ancestors, which elevates the character and improves the heart." Burke also truly says : "Those only deserve to be remembered by posterity who treasure up the history of their ancestors," while a distin- guished American clergyman observes : "There are riches of moral power in such an an- cestry as.ours." The history of nations is little else than the collective history of the families compos- ing each separate and individual nation ; therefore, it is easy to see that sufficient reasons exist why the history of families should be written. It is connected with the greatest trans- actions of the past as well as the present, and through it posterity is enabled to discover what its ancestors have had to do in shaping the successive stages of the nation's history. Beverence for one's ancestors is not pnly regarded as a natural instinct of the human ^ mind, but a distinctive feature of the most highly cultivated and virtuous character. The labors of the genealogist may be regarded with disdain by those intent mainly on the acqui- sion of wealth, the gratification of their appetites, or the pursuit of pleasure, but if General Washington, in the midst of his duties as President of the United States in 1792, found time to collect and write out the genealogy of the Washington family ; if Benjamin Frank- lin, while representing the embryo Republic as its agent in England, was prompted to undertake a journey for the express purpose of ascertaining the facts connected with his own lineage; if both the older and the younger Adams thought it worth while to trace out the history of their family, even to the minutest detail, the editor of the McHenry County Genealogical Record may deem himself justified in the task he has undertaken, and which he has reason to hope he has executed with a fair degree of success and to the satisfaction p~ of its patrons and subscribers. KJ D 797 There could be no more impressive lesson than that drawn from the contrast afforded by the record of a family which has gone on, from generation to generation, descending in the scale of ignorance, criminality and degeneracy, as against that of another which has maintained for centuries the reputation for intelligence, patriotism and high integrity estab- lished by its forefathers. It is, after all, to the average citizen that we are to look for those traits which tend to establish society on its most stable foundations. It is the descent from a family of solid worth that is to be coveted, and their can be no more honorable de- scent than that afforded by McHenry County's pioneers — those men and women of native ability, strong force of character, hardy constitutions and high integrity. It is from these well-springs of our middle classes that have come the forces which govern and control the destinies of the American people and produce the leaders of thought and of action. From this uncorrupted blood have sprung the greatest American citizens —such as our own Abraham Lincoln, who, in spite of generations of hardship and privation incident to pioneer life and environment, drew from remote New England ancestors that rich inheritance of intellect, of- lofty patriotism, sound judgment and incorruptible hon esty, which has made him the strongest and most abiding force in American history. Editor. BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. A. Adams, Dr. John Quincy 642-644 Adamek, Frank 654-655 Allen, Henry C 648-649 Ames, George W 653-654 Austin, Isaiah A 645-646 Austin, Pasco 646-648 Avery, Gilbert L 640-645 Avery, Col. William 640-642 Aylsworth, John 649-651 Axtell, Frank F 651-653 B. Bagley, Elmer Ellsworth 674-675 Bagley, Mrs. Margaret 672-674 Barber, Lester 686-690 Barnes, Charles P 663-664 Barrows, Dexter 682-683 Barrows, Lathrop H. S 669-672 Beach, Lebbeus H . 693-695 Beardsley, Henry W.... 1079-1080 Beckley, Gordon Lucius 677-678 Beckley, John Edmund 679-681 Bishop, Richard 690-691 Bower, Elijah A 664-666 Bower, James Thomas 666 Bright, Henry 691-693 Brown, Charles E 685-686 Brown, Henry T., M. D 675-676 Brown, Jonathan S 678-679 Brown, Rufus 683-685 Buck, Clara T. (Mrs. G. P. Bay) . . 696-697 Buck, Rasmus 695-696 Bunker, Amos K 660 Bunker Family, The 655-656 Bunker, Florence M 659-660 Bunker, Francis M 659 Bunker, George K 656-658 Bunker, Mrs. George K 658-659 Burbank, Gardner E . . . 667-669 Burger, Peter 697-698 Button, Joseph Clark 660-663 iii c. Carmack, Merville A 1082-1083 Carmack, William A 1080-1082 Carpenter, George W 733-735 Casey, James F 719-720 Chandler, William W 729-730 Chase, Eli T 711-713 Coffey, Thomas W 1098-1099 Colby, Albert H 705-706 Colby, Allen P 706-707 Colby Family History 698-701 Colby, Newell S 701-702 Colby, Ora C 703 Colby, Page 703-704 Cole Family, The 707-708 Cole, Franklin M 710 Cole, Miles H 708-709 Cole, Ransom B 710-711 Conn, George W 736-738 Conover, Jay L 724-725 Conover, John S 725-726 Cook, Dr. Charles E 717-719 Cooney, John J 720-721 Cooney, Roderick D 721-722 Corl, Albert S 722-724 Covell, Charles 735-736 Cowlin, William H 738-739 Crabtree Family, The 730-732 Crabtree, George 732 Crabtree, William 732-733 Cristy, Joseph W 740-741 Cross, Harry 739-740 Cummings, John S 726-729 Curtiss, Ira Rozel 714-717 D. Dacy, Timothy J 741-743 Dake, Gilbert B 890-891 Dalton, Victoria A 752-754 Dellenbach, Jacob 751-752 Dodd, George E 754-755 Doig, Andrew 755-756 Dolbeer, Hamlin T 758-759 Donnelly, Neill 743-744 Donovan, John D 749-751 Draper, Joseph 757-758 Dufield, James H 744-745 Dufield, John Aaron 745-746 Dufield, Oscar F 746-748 Dunham, Artimus E 748-749 Dwelly, John A 756-757 E. Eckert, George 1088-1089 Edwards, William 760-762 Emerson, Merton J ............ . 759-760 F. Fenner, Hamlin 765-767 Field, Albert F 1083-1084 Field, George W 1083 Fillmore, Charles L 770-772 Forman, Josiah E 768-770 Frame, Norman 767-768 Frary, Guy S 764-765 Fuller, Eussel 762-767 G. Gates, Mrs. Louisa C 778 Gerould, Henry M 788-790 Gilkerson, Lieut. Thomas 784-787 Gillian, Eichard 781-782 Gillmore Family, The 772-774 Gillmore, Orson Harris 774-778 Gorham, Henry 782-784 Gracy, John H 790-791 Griffiths, George J 787-788 Groesbeck, William H 778-781 Haldeman, Charles L 811-813 Hall, William Duane 821-824 Hallisy, John C 809-810 Hamer, Theodore 810-811 Hancock, Edward 831-833 Hanly Brothers, The 799-801 Harris, Joseph M 1086-1087 Harrison, Charles 837-838 Harrison, George H 835-837 Harrison, Phil. S 837 Harrison, William Henry 829-831 Harsh, Isaac 820-821 Hatch, Fred L, ,, , , 828-829 Hatch, Lewis 826-828 Hay, Eev. Samuel Cox 797-799 Helm, Nathan B 806-808 Hendricks, Calvin J 816-817 Hendricks, John 817 Herdklotz, Peter J 802-804 Herman, Henry 824-825 Herrington, Charles A 840-842 Hewitt, David W 1077-1079 Hickox, Mark 813-814 Hill, Noble 801-802 Hill, William 819-820 Holmes, Fred Elliot 839-840 Horr, Stephen H 825-826 Howard, Lewis F 804-806 Howe, Edson G 838-839 Hoy, John M 795 Hoy, M. D 791-795 Hubbard, Elihu 817-819 Huffman, Philip M 797 Huffman, Lieut. William H 795-797 Hunt Family, The. 833-835 Hunt, George A ' 835 Hurd Family, The 814-816 J. Jewett, Emilus C 851-852 Jewett, Walter P 850-851 Johonnott, Eobert 856-857 Johnson, Joel H 660 Jones, Lawrence H 854-856 Joslyn, David E 848-849 Joslyn Family Origin, The 842-843 Joslyn, Mrs. Mary E 846-848 Joslyn, Marcellus L 850 Joslyn, Hon. Merritt L 843-846 Judson, John 853-854 K. Kee, James 865-867 Kennedy, John 863-864 Kern, Edith (Kingman) 857-858 King, Alfred 861-862 King, Augustus C 862-863 Kingman, A. J 858-861 Knutson, Goodskalk 864-865 L. Lake, Beardsley 1089-1090 Lake, James 1090-1091 Lake, Levi 872-873 Lake, M. W 880-881 Lang, Joseph 1 1087-1088 Lawlor, Timothy 876-877 Leisner, Svend B 696 Lemmers, Charles A 879-881 Lewis, James Oliver 873-875 Lincoln, Samuel L 870-872 Lindsay, Thomas 878-879 Lockwood, Hiram J 877-878 Lowell, Lorenzo Dow, Jr 1095-1096 Lowell, Lorenzo Dow, M. D 1094-1095 Lumley, Vincent Silas 867-869 Lymburner, Arthur P 875-876 M. Magoon, Henry 918-919 Maha, Dr. Frank J 910 Manley, Andrew C 921-924 Marshall, John 1084-1086 Maxon, Dr. Joseph S 919-921 McAuliffe, Edward L., M. D 899-901 McCabe, Patrick 916-917 McCarthy, John C 914-915 McConnell, Abraham Alexander. 882 McConnell, Abraham Bodine. . . 882-883 McConnell Family, The 881-882 McConnell, George 884-885 McConnell, John 883-884 McMillan, Andrew T 917-918 McOmber, Henry M 901-902 Mead, Cyrus L 902-904 Mead, Edwin E 905-907 Mead, Henry Clay 904-905 Mead, Henry W 895-897 Medlar, Herbert B 890 Medlar, John S 889-890 Miller, Dr. Charles C 891-893 Minier, Henry B 898-899 Moreland, Lester A 910-911 Morgan, Annie M 912-913 Morris, Edwin R 887-889 Morton Family, The 908-910 Morton, George Everett 1097-1098 Moses Family, The 893-895 Mullen, John 907-908 Munroe, William H 913-914 Murphey, Anderson Reid 885-887 Murphy, Andrew Wilson 897-898 N. Nason, Dr. William A 925-926 Nish, Capt. James 924-925 O. Ormsby, William M 927-928 P. Parker, James Franklin 928-930 Parker, Joseph J 702-703 Parks, George E 946-947 Patrick, Ernest Durand 934-936 Patrick, Richard M 932-934 Peter, John 937-938 Pettibone, John T 938-939 Pfeiffer, Emil 947-948 Philip, Robert 1096-1097 Pierce, Lyman 930-932 Pingry, Charles C 940-943 Poyer-Kern, Edith (Kingman).. 857-858 Primm, Dr. John W 943-944 Pringle, Patterson 944-945 Purves, Andrew 936 Q. Quinlan, Daniel F. . .•. 950 Quinlan, Jeremiah 948-950 R. Randall, John F 957-958 Reading, Horace G 960-961 Redpath, David 958-960 Reed, William 961-962 Renich, Charles F 951-952 Richards, Thomas McDonough. . 954-956 Robinson, David Wilmarth 965-966 Robinson Family Genealogy.... 964-965 Robinson, Joseph E 1099-1101 Ross, William S 962-964 Rowley, Frederick 956-957 Rushton, Charles 953-954 Rushton, George F 952-953 S. Salisbury, William A 983-984 Sanborn, John W 988-991 Saunders, Eugene 995-996 Saunders, Philip Edward 994-995 Sayler, James R 968-972 Seaman, Erasmus W 984-985 Senger, Peter 966-968 Seward Family, The 1033-1034 Shaplev, Charles B 991-992 Shurtleff, Edward D 975-976 Simmons, Robert T., M. D 972-973 Smiley, David T 978-979 Smith, Maria W 979-981 Snyder, Jacob 993-994 Stafford, John J 996-997 Stafford, Martin A 973-975 St. Clair, Israel C 996 St. Clair, William Plunkett 976-978 Stewart, Capt. William H 985-987 Still, Abraham 992-993 Story, Jacob t 987-988 Sunderlin, Eev. Newton A 981-983 T. Terwilliger, Barney 1018-1020 Thomas, Adelbert A 1014-1015 Thomas, Andrew 1002-1004 Thomas, Dorr W 1098 Thomas, George Clarence 1004 Thomas, La Fayette 1091-1092 Thomas, Stanton M 1012-1014 Thomas, William H 1004-1005 Thompson, Ahira 1005-1008 Thompson, Asahel C 1010-1012 Thompson, Henry T 1008-1010 Thorne, Charles F 1017-1018 Toles, Job 1015-1016 Tripp, Melvin G 1016-1017 Truax, Mrs. Mary E 1000-1002 Tryon, Capt. Charles Hopkins.. 997-1000 U. Usborne, William 1020-1021 V. Vinton, George 1021-1022 Van Hoozen, John 1022-1023 W. Waite, Eollin 1058-1060 Wakeley, William 1052-1053 Walker, Samuel H 1046-1047 Walkup, William P 1056-1057 Wallace, Columbus 1043-1044 Walsh, Michael F 1047-1048 Walsh, Thomas J 1048-1049 Wandrack, Charles 1062 Waterman, Levi A 1044-1045 Watson, James 1040-1043 Webber, Ira 1069-1070 Wegg, Robert 1063-1064 Welbon, Peter J 1067-1068 Wells, John T 1029-1031 Wells, Walter C 1023-1029 Weltzien, John 1068-1069 Werden, Henry C 1070-1072 West, Morris S. M . .1092-1094 Wheeler, Eugene Strode 1045-1046 Wheeler, Rev. Joel 1074-1077 Whiston, George 1072-1074 Whiteside, John J 1049-1051 Whiting, Amos D 1037-1039 Whiting, Freeman 1060-1062 Whitworth, John 1065 Wilcox, Alfred 1062-1063 Wilcox, Chapin A 1053-1055 Wilson, John F 1055-1056 Windmueller, Emil, M. D 1065-1066 Wire, William E 1066-1067 Woodard, Belle Seward, M. D 1032-1033 Woodard, Loren 1031-1032 Wright, Adelbert S 1039-1040 Wright, Burton 1034-1037 Wright, Pearson Kellett 1057-1058 VI PORTRAIT INDEX. A. Adams, Mary <>■!? Adams, Melvin 642 Allen, H. C 648 Allen, Mrs. H. C 648 Avery, CI. L 644 Averv, Mrs. G. L 644 Avery, William 640 B. Baldwin, Wm. N. 1 > Barnes, C. P 662 Barnes, Mrs. C. P 662 Barnes Residence 662 Barrows, L. TT. S 668 Barrows, Mrs. Emily S 670 Bower, E. A 664 Bower, Elizabeth 664 Bower, J. T 666 Bower, Mrs. Mary E 666 Brown, Samuel W 678 Brown, Sophia C 678 Bunker Family. Four Generation?. . . . 654 Bunker, (}. K 656 Bunker, Mrs. G. K 656 Bunker, John 654 Bunker, Urania 654 Button, J. C •...'... 6G0 Button, Mrs. J. C 66.0 C. Casey, J. P 718 Chase, Eli T 710 Chase, Mrs. Eli T 712 Colby, Newell S 700 Colby, Mrs. Newell S 702 Cole! M. H 70S Cole, Mrs. C. E 708 Cooney, John J. 720 Cottle", Uriah 658 Cottle, Mrs. Uriah 658 Crabtr.ee. Wm 732 ( Irabtree, Mrs. Wm 732 Cummings, J. S 726 Cummings, Mrs. John S. 726 Curtiss, Ira E 714 D. Dellenbach, Jacob 750 Dellenbaeh, Mrs. Jacob 750 Dunham, A. R 748 Dunham. Maria G 748 F. Fenner, Hamlin 764 l'Ynner, Mrs. Hamlin and Daughter. 764 Fuller, Mrs. Mary S 762 Fuller. Russel 762 G (lillmnre. (). II 772 (iillmore, Mrs. 0. IF 774 (iorham. Henry 782 Gorham, Mrs. Henry 784 Groesheck, W. H. ' 778 (imesl.eek. Mrs. W. II 778 H. Hamer, Theo 810 Ilanley, Alexander H 798 llanley. Mrs. Alexander H 798 Hanly, Geo. H 800 Manly, S. B 800 Flay, Per. Sam'l Cox 796 I [elm, Mrs. Marilla 806 Helm. Nathan B 806 Hendricks, Calvin J 816 Herdklotz, Catharina 802 llerdklotz. Peter J 802 Herrington, Chas. A 842 Herrington, ]\Irs. Chas 842 Herrington, Mary T 840 Herrington. Wm. C 840 Hickox, Mark 812 Hickox, Mrs. Betsey A 814 Hoy, Catherine Maria 794 Hoy, Esther Atwater 792 Hoy, M. D 790 J. Joslyn, M. L .' 844 Joslyn, Mary Eobinson 846 Judson, John, Wife and Family 852 K. Kennedy, John 862 Kingman, A. J 80S L. Lake, James 1090 Lake, Mrs. James 1090 Lake, M. W 880 Lake, Mrs. M. W 880 Lewis, J. 872 Lewis, Sarah Jane 874 Lockwood, Hiram J 876 Lockwood, Mrs. Hiram J 878 Lnmley, Ann Eliza 866 Lumley, Neva B 868 Lnmley, Thomas 866 Lnmley, Vincent S 868 M. Manley, A. C 920 Man'ley, Mrs. A. C 922 Maxon, Annah Goodrich 918 Maxon, Joseph S., M. D 918 McAuliffe, E. L. 898 McAuliffe, Lillian Maddin 900 McConnel, A. B 882 McConnel, Mrs. A. B 882 McConnel, Elizabeth 882 McConnell, Geo 884 McConnell, Mrs. Geo 884 McConnell, John 884 McConnell, Mary A 884 McConnell, W. A 882 Mc Henry County Map (following title page.) Mead, C. L. . '. 902 Mead, Mrs. C. L 904 Morgan, Annie M 912 Morris, Edwin E 886 Morris, Mrs. Sarah A 886 Morton, Edward, Jr 908 Morton, Maria 908 Moses, Gad 894 Moses. Mrs. Gad 894 Mnrphy, A. W 896 vi:i Murphy, Caroline 896 P. Parker, A. H 928 Parker, Mrs. Alvin H 928 Parker, Hannah Jane 930 Parker, Jas. F 930 Patrick, E. D 934 Pfeiffer, Emil 946 Pfeiffer, Mrs. Emil 918 E. Eichards, Julia A 956 Eichards, Martha J 954 Eichards, Thos. Mel) 954 Eushton, G. F 952 S. Sayler, J. E 968 Sayler, Mrs. James E 968 Senger, Peter 966 Senger. Mrs. Peter 966 Shurtleff, Edward L> 974 Smiley, David T 978 Smiley, Elizabeth 978 T. Thomas, Andrew 1002 Thomas, Mrs. Andrew 1002 Thompson, Ahira 1004 Thompson, Mrs. Ahira 1004 Thompson, Julia A. B 1006 Tryon, Chas. II 996 Tryon. Mrs. C. H 998 Tryon, Miss L. B. ("Bonnie Boon") . . 1000 W. Walker, S. H 1046 Waterman, L. A 1044 Waterman, Mrs. L. A 1044 Watson, James 1010 Watson. Mrs. E. W 1040 Watson, Mrs. Louisa Button 1042 Webber, Ira 1068 Webber, Mrs. Ira . 1070 Wells, G. V 1022 Wells, Walter C 1024 Wells, Mrs. Walter C 1026 Whiteside, John J 1048 Whiteside, Mrs. John J 1050 Wilcox, Chapin A 1052 Wilcox, Mrs. S. A 1054 Woodard, Dr. Belle S 1030 Woodard, Mrs. Harriet Levey 1032 Woodard, Loren 1030 Wright, Burton, 1034 Wright, Huldah Coon 1036 Biography and Genealogy. The verdict of mankind has awarded to the Muse of History the highest place among the Classic Nine. The extent of her office, however, appears to he, by many minds, hut imperfectly understood. The task of the biographer is comprehensive and exacting. True, history reaches beyond the doings of court or camp, beyond the issues of battles or the effects of treaties, and records the trials and the triumphs, the failures and the successes of the men and women who make history. It is but an imperfect conception of the philosophy of events that fails to accord to protraiture and biography its rightful position as a most im- portant part of historical narrative. Behind and beneath the activities of outward life the motive power lies out of sight, just as the furnace fires that work the piston and keep the ponderous screw revolving are down in the darkness of the hold. So, the impulse power which shapes the course of communities may be found in the molding influences which form its citizens. It is no mere idle curiosity that prompts men to wish to learn the private as well as the pub- lic lives of their fellows. Rather is it true that such desires tend to prove universal brother- hood; and the interest in personality and bi- ography is not confined to mere individuals of any particular caste or avocation. The list of those to whose lot it falls to play a conspicuous part in the great drama of life is comparatively short; yet communities are made up ol individuals, and the aggregate of achievements — no less than the sum total of human happiness — is made up of the deeds of those« men and women whose primary aim through life is faithfully to perform the duty that comes nearest to hand. Individual influ- ence upon human affairs will be considered potent or insignificant according to the stand- point from which it is viewed. To him who, standing upon the seashore, notes the ebb and flow of the tides and listens to the sullen roar of the waves, as they break upon the beach in seething foam, seemingly chafing at their limit- ation, the ocean appears so vast as to need no tributaries. Yet, without the smallest rill that helps to swell the "Father of Waters," the mighty torrent of the Mississippi would be lessened, and the beneficent influence of the Gulf Stream diminished. Countless streams, currents and counter-currents — sometimes mingling, sometimes counteracting each other — collectively combine to give motion to the accumulated mass of waters. So is it in the ocean of human action, which is formed by the blending and repulsion of currents of thought, of influence and of life yet more numerous and more tortuous than those which form "the fountains of the deep." In the following pages are traced the lives and careers of citizens of McHenry County, and incidentally, in the experience of its early settlers, the history of its growth and develop- ment. The acts and characters of men and women, like the several faces that constitute a composite picture, are wrought together into a compact or heterogeneous whole. History is condensed biography; "biography is history teaching by example." It is both interesting and instructive to rise above the generalization of history and trace, in the personality and careers of those from whom it sprang, the principles and influences, the impulses and ambitions, the labors, strug- gles and triumphs that engrossed their lives. In the pages that follow are gathered up, with as much detail as the limits of the work allow, the personal record of many of the citi- 639 640 McHENRY COUNTY. zens who have made McHenry County what it is. In each record may be traced some feature which influenced, or has been stamped upon, the civic life. Here are pioneers, who "when the fullness of time had come," came from, widely scattered sources, some from beyond the sea, impelled by diverse motives, little conscious of the im- port of their acts, and but dimly anticipating the harvest which would spring from their sowing. They built their little cabins, toiling for a present subsistence while laying the foundations of private fortunes and future ad- vancement. Most have passed away, but not before they beheld a development of business and popula- tion surpassing the wildest dreams of fancy. A few yet remain, whose years have passed the allotted three score and ten, and who love to recount, among the cherished memories of their lives, their reminiscences of early days in McHenry County. 'Among these early, hardy settlers and those who followed them, may be found the names of many who imparted the first impulse to the county's growth and home-likeness; the many who, through their identification with agricul- tural pursuits, aided in her material progress; of skilled mechanics, who first laid the founda- tions of beautiful homes, and many productive industries; and of the members of the learned professions — clergymen, physicians, educators, lawyers, heads of families and leaders in social life — whose influence upon the intellectual life and development of a community it is difficult to over-estimate. Municipal institutions arise, commerce spreads her sails and prepares the way for the magic of science that drives the locomotive en- gine over iron rails. Trade is organized, stretching its arms across the prairie to gather in and distribute the products of the soil. Church spires rise to express, in architectural form, the faith and aspirations of the people, while schools, public and private, elevate the standards of education and of artistic taste. Here are many of the men and women through whose labors, faith and thought, these magnificent results have been achieved. To them and to their co-laborers, the McHenry County of today stands an enduring monu- ment, attesting their faith, their energy, their courage and their self-sacrifice. COL. WILLIAM AVERY. When the integrity of a country is at stake and the life of the nation is threatened, it is scarcely surprising to see its patriotic young men, without families, animated by a spirit of enthusiasm and love of adventure, rushing to its defense and showing their readiness to battle for public good. But when a man, with wife and children about him and enjoying a settled position in life, breaks those ties which bind him to home, family and friends, in order that he may risk his own life for that of the nation, it gives evidence of a lofty and unself- ish patriotism, than which nothing can be grander or more inspiring in human affairs. Such was the patriotism which inspired Lieut. Col. William Avery, of whose service during our Civil War the following sketch can give but a brief outline. Patriot soldier as he was, his life as a husband and father was not less devoted, and his value as a public- spirited citizen is well remembered. Colonel Avery was born at North East, Erie County, Penn., July 10, 1825, the son of Ira and Mary (Belknap) Avery. Both his father's and his mother's family were descended from English- Puritan ancestors. Ira Avery, who was born in Vermont, came from Colonial and Revolu- tionary ancestry. At an early day he was a Civil Engineer and a contractor on the Erie Canal. He was prominently identified with many public improvements in the State of Pennsylvania, and also wielded a strong po- litical influence. He settled at North East, Penn., where he remained a number of years, but finally moved to Meadville, Penn., for the purpose of securing educational advantages for his children. Later in life he removed to Af- ton, Wis., where he died, aged about seventy years. His children were: Alvah W., William, Catherine and Eunice. He was a Methodist in religion and widely known and highly es- teemed for his integrity of character. William Avery was educated at Allegheny College, Meadville, Penn., graduating in 1843, Prof. Matthew Simpson, afterwards a Bish- op of the Methodist Episcopal church, being one of his instructors. While still a young man Mr. Avery engaged in the railroad busi- ness as a clerk in the office of the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Railroad at Cleveland, 'Ohio, and here he was married on Jan. 16, 1856, to Mary (Palmer) Camp. In December, 1857 he . McHENRY COUNTY. 641 moved to Marengo, McHenry County, where he was station agent until the call of President Lincoln calling for 300,000 volunteers, issued Aug. 5, 1862. Mr. Avery promptly responded to this call, and leaving the service of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, enrolled his name as a member of the Ninety-fifth Regi- ment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was made up of enlistments from McHenry and Boone Counties. On the organization of Com- pany A, of this regiment, he was chosen Cap- tain and mustered in at Rockford, September 4th following; on Jan. 24, 1863, was promoted to the rank of Major and after the death of Col. Thomas W. Humphrey, at the battle of Guntown, Miss., on June 10, 1864, was advanced to the position of Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment. Among the more notable engage- ments in which Colonel Avery participated with his regiment, may be mentioned the battle of Champion Hills, the siege of Vicksburg, the Red River expedition, the campaign against Price in Arkansas and Missouri, the battle of Nashville, and the capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, which preceded the fall of Mobile. In the charge on Vicksburg, of May 22, 1863, he was severely wounded, was taken by a hospital boat to Memphis where he re- mained in hospital for sometime, and visited his home on furlough, but sometime after the surrender of Vicksburg rejoined his regiment at Natchez. After this he remained with his regiment until the close of the war. On the consolidation of his regiment with the Forty- seventh Illinois in August. 1865, he was mus- tered out and, returning to his home at Maren- go, resumed the position which he had left as Station Agent three years before. In 1882 Colonel Avery was elected County Clerk of McHenry County and removed to Woodstock, and, by successive re-elections, served three terms — a total of twelve years. Fraternally he was in early life an Odd Fellow and later a Mason, being a member of the Woodstock Comimandery Knights Templar. He was also identified with several patriotic or- ganizations, including the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he served as Junior Post Commander for the Department of Illinois, the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, the Union Veteran League and the Loyal Legion — the latter composed exclusively of officers of the Civil War. Colonel Avery was eminently social, genial and generous. Always popular in the army, he was at the same time dignified, soldierly, courageous and chivalrous towards all with whom he came in contact either in official or personal relations, commanding the confidence and respect alike of his superior officers and of the rank and file. He was a father to the "boys," always looking after their comfort and welfare — always their friend. His kindness of heart, often leading him to over- look minor irregularities in the camp or on the march, when they did not interfere with proper military discipline, won from, his subordinates the appellation of "Pap Avery," and the boys were ever ready to do cheerfully for him what they would have been reluctant to do for others. Brave, true-hearted, large-brained, soldierly, he was a comrade in arms, like Chevalier Bayard — "A knight without fear and without reproach". After his death his com- rades mourned him as a leader gone, a wise counsellor whose hand-clasp as a friend they would miss through all the future. Colonel and Mrs. Avery were the parents of two daughters, Ella and Kate, the latter of whom died at the age of nine years. He and his family were members of the Presbyterian church. His death occurred at Woodstock, Nov. 16, 1896, at the age of over seventy-one years. Mrs. Avery was born May 4, 1826, in Wayne, Ashtabula County, Ohio, the daughter of Cyrus Tallmage and Amauret (Cook) Camp. Amaur- et Cook, was a native of Williamsfield, Ashta- bula County, born Dec. 16, 1808, the daughter of John L. and Eunice (Morgan) Cook. Cyrus T. Camp was born at Norwalk, Conn., May 16, 1795, the son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Nash) Camp. Isaac Camp was the son of Isaac (1) and of Rhoda (Keeler) Camp, and the grand- son of Jonathan and Ann Camp. Isaac Camp (2), the grandfather of Mrs. Avery, was born in 1770, and belonged to a family of farmers at Norwalk, Conn., who, in later life, moved to New York State and settled near Poughkeep- sie. The children of Isaac Camp (2) and wife were: David, born in 1789; Susannah, born in 1791; Jacob, born in 1793; Cyrus T., born in 1795; Elizabeth, born in 1789; Mary Ann, born in 1800; William E., born in 1802; Charles and Rachael (twins), born in 1805; Seth Keeler, born in 1809 — all of 642 McHENRY COUNTY. whom lived to years of maturity. Cyrus T. Camp was a farmer and, when a young man, went to Williamsfield, Ashtabula County, Ohio, where, two years later, on March 8, 1825, ho married Amauret Cook. They settled on a farm in Wayne, Ashtabula County, which Mr. Camp bought from Ephraim T. Woodruff, a Presbyterian minister who was the original settler. Mr. and Mrs. Camp were members of the Presbyterian church, and he served as a soldier in the War of 1812, enlisting when about eighteen years of age. One of his sons was an Assistant Surgeon in the United States army during the Spanish-American War, serv- ing at Camp Wycoff, or Red Hook Landing, on the eastern end of Long Island, where his father had seen service during the war of 1812. Mrs. Amauret (Cook) Camp having died Feb. 25, 1837, on April 21, 1839, he mar- ried Delilah Forbes, who was born July 9. 1809. The children by the first marriage were: Mary Palmer, born May 4, 1826; Cyrus Tal- mage, born Sept. 16, 1828; Elizabeth Nash, born June 2, 1832; Isaac Watts, born Sept. 5, 1835, and those by the second marriage: Amauret F., born March 1, 1840; William E., born Aug. 24, 1843; Charles David, born Nov- 25, 1844; Rachel L., born Dec. 5, 1846; George R., born April 7, 1848; Sarah A., born, 1850; Laura A., born, 1852. Mr. Camp was a man of unsullied character and reared an excellent family. Resuming the personal sketch of Mrs. Avery, it should he noted that when her husband entered the army for the defense of the Union, he left behind him his faithful wife and two small children. Like other wives, she watched with bated breath the daily reports of the dead and wounded sent from the field of carnage, fearing that every succeeding list might con- tain the name of the one with whom her own life was so intimately associated. Such wo- men deserve the gratitude of the American people, for the courage and self-sacrifice with which they passed through this terrible ordeal. Colonel Avery had entered the army with her full consent, as she had patriotically declared, if she were a man, she would do the same. So when he was brought home wounded from the field of Vicksburg, with true courage and de- votion, she nursed him back to health and fit- ness for the return to duty. Thus it was that she, and thousands of other American women like her, gave evidence of the same self-denial and patriotic devotion to public duty, which inspired the soldier as he risked his life for Liberty and Union on the field of battle. DR. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. Dr. John Quincy Adams, Dental Surgeon, veteran of the Civil War and Postmaster, Mar- engo, III., is the oldest dentist, in point of practice, in McHenry County. The Doctor springs from Puritan New England ancestry, being descended from the Adams family of Massachusetts, so famous in Colonial and Revo- lutionary history, of which Samuel and John Adams were members. The founder of the family in America was Henry Adams, who came from England to Massachusetts Bay Col- ony about 1635. Daniel Adams, the great- grandfather of Dr. John Quincy Adams, was a farmer, and his son Timothy, who was born at Barre, Mass., Nov. 7, 1771, was a singing mas- ter in early life and also followed the occupa- tion of his father as a farmer. In 1793 he married Deidamia Hemmenway, who was born at Barre, Mass., and belonged to an old New England family of that name. He lived at Dublin, N. H., for a time, later resided at Barre, Mass., but finally moved to Athol, Mass., where he bought a farm and spent the re- mainder of his days, dying there Oct. 6. 1815. at the age of forty-four years. His wife died at Albany, N. Y., Nov. 7, 1849. The children of Timothy and Deidamia Adams, with dates of birth were: Dexter, Jan. 5, 1794; Martin, Oct. 9, 1795; Roland, July 12, 1797; Millie, July 2, 1799; Achsah, April 30, 1801; Melvin, Jan. 1, 1804; Polly, Oct. 19. 1805; Gilman, July 10, 1807; Gustin. Jan. 15, 1810" Sylvia, Feb. 10, 1812 — all born in Barre, Mass., except Melvin, who was born in Dublin, N. H. Melvin Adams, the son of Timothy Adams, and father of the subject of this sketch, born as stated above, near Dublin. N. H., received a common-school education and, at North Orange, Mass., married Mary Marble, who was born at that place June 8, 1805, the daughter of Abijah and Submit (Taylor) Marble. Her father, Abijah Marble, was of old New England stock, the son of Silas and Catherine (Newton) Mar- ble, both of whom were natives of Marlboro. Mass.. the former being the son of Jonathan and Rebecca Marble. Jonathan Marble was wijJtvn ^hi-md /V^^w CndcvrvKi BNWEftSJTY Of ILLINOIS. McHENRY COUNTY. 643 one of the first settlers at Orange, Mass., in 1736, and for three generations, the old home- stead remained in the hands of the family. He also built a mill at Petershami on the Swift River. Two of his sons were Silas and Robert, and the former spent his life on the ancestral homestead. The farm was a large one and, in common with most New England farmers, the family were in comfortable circumstances. Aibijah Marble was born on the old farm, where he spent all his days. His wife, Submit Tay- lor, was the daughter of Mary (Goddard) Tay- lor. Her father was a Revolutionary soldier, as attested by the following official record from the office of the Secretary of State for the State of Massachusetts: "COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS," "Office of the Secretary." "REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE : Rufus Taylor appears in a list of men mustered in Worcester County to serve in Capt. Blanchard's Company, Col. Wesson's Regiment, by a return made by Thomas Newhall, Mustermaster. Term of enlistment three years, mustered June 13, 1777.— Vol. 53, p. 195 C.) "Rufus Taylor, appears with rank of private in Continental Army Pay Accounts of Capt. Blanchard's Company, Col. Wesson's Regiment, for service from May 14, 1777, to May 1. 1778. Residence Athol: reported: furlough to May 1, 1778, and did not l'eturn on account of sick- ness. — (Vol. 9, Part II., p. 81.) "Rufus Taylor appears in a Return of. Men enlisted into Continental Army from Capt. John Oliver's Company, dated February 17, 1780. Residence Athol: Term of enlistment ending January 10, 1785, joined Capt. Blanchard's Com- pany, Col Wesson's Regiment. (Vol. 41, p. 221.)" The above record is certified to by the Secre- tary of the State of Massachusetts, as follows: "Boston, October 1, 1897. "I certify the foregoing to be true abstracts from the Record Index to the Revolutionary War Archives, deposited in this office. "Witness the seal of the Commonwealth. "WM. M. OLIN, "Secretary." Dr. Adams visited the old Taylor homestead at Athol, Mass., in 1900, and saw the old apple trees set out by Rufus Taylor, some of them being about forty feet in height. The old Wal- lingford farm adjoining the Taylor homestead, where Abijah Marble was born, is now a past- ure and has not been cultivated since a very early period. Tradition says that, at the time of an Indian attack at this place, a man named Ezekiel Wallingford, was killed by the Indians while hoeing corn in the field, and that, al- though the land has never been cultivated since, the marks of the cornhills still stand as perfect as they did when that early Yankee farmer was shot down 150 years ago. Melvin Adams moved from his home in Athol, Mass., in 1856, to Jackson, Mich., where he became a foreman of the shoe department of the Michigan State Prison at that place, but two years later came to Greenwood, McHenry County, where he arrived April 10. 1858. and there engaged in business as an insurance agent. The children of Melvin Adams and wife were: Mary, born July 14, 1826; Sylvia Levice, born Feb. 3, 1828, died Sept. 15, 1844; Melvin Alonzo, born Dec. 30, 1829; Lucy Melissa, born March 15, 1832; Melvina Deida- mia, born March 19, 1834; Rosette Alzina, born March 18, 1836; John Quincy, born June 17, 1839, died July 23, 1841; John Quincy (2), born Feb. 4. 1842; Gustin Edgar, born May 11, 1844; Sylvia Levice, born Jan. 9, 1847; Martin Jerome, born Oct. 9, 1848 — all born at Orange, Mass., except Rosette A., who was born in Royalston, Mass. Mr. Adams was a Republican in politics and, for a time, served as Justice of the Peace. He died in Greenwood, July 15, 1858, and his wife, Mary (Marble) Adams, Jan. 23, 1874. Dr. John Quincy Adams, born at Orange, Mass., Feb. 4, 1842, attended the common school in his native town and at Athol, Mass., where his parents resided. He was sixteen years of age when his parents removed to Greenwood, McHenry County, where he at- tended the district school, his first teacher be- ing the Rev. William Nickel. He was also a pupil for a time of Charles Herrington — as a rule, working upon the farm in the summer and attending school in the winter. On Aug. 9, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company H, Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served the full term of three years, being finally discharged at Springfield, 111., Aug. 17, 1865. Among the battles in which he took part in 1863, were those of Raymond and Champion Hills, Miss. During the siege of Vicksburg, on May 19, 1863, he was selected as a sharp- shooter and was shot through the left foot, which resulted in his being detained in hospital for the next three months — first in the general hospital at Vicksburg, then at Webster 644 McHENRY COUNTY. General Hospital, Memphis, when, receiving a home furlough, he spent some time in hospital at Chicago. On Dec. 6, 1863. he rejoined his regiment and later took part in the Red River expedition, the Guntown (Miss.) affair, the bat- tle of Nashville and the siege and capture of Spanish Fort. Fort Blakely and the city of Mo- bile — events which marked the close of the war. He received a silver mledal for gallantry during the memorable assault upon the rebel works at Vioksburg on May 19, 1863, when he received his wound already referred to. He was never a prisoner during his term of service. After his return from the war Dr. Adams be- gan the study of dentistry (1866) at Richmond, 111., in the office of Dr. C. N. Kendall, afterwards of Woodstock. In the fall of 1868 he established a dental office at Marengo, where he has con- ducted a successful business, and has acquired a reputation as one of the ablest practitioners in the branch of dental surgery in McHenry County. During the years 1874 and '75 he at- tended the Philadelphia Dental College, Penn., in the latter year receiving his diploma as Dental Surgeon. „ Dr. Adams was married, May 2, 1867, in Greenwood, 111., to Olive Permilla Watson, who was born in Greenwood, Oct. 3, 1847, the daughter of James and Louisa (Button) Wat- son. (See sketches elsewhere in this volume of Watson and Button families.) Dr. and Mrs. Adams have had the following named children: Olive Lione, born at Richmond, 111., July 26, 1868; married Sept. 27, 1893, Charles Bigelow Whittemore, who is an attorney-at-law in Marengo. Ada Elizabeth, born in Marengo, 111.. April 9, 1870; married June 14, 1893, Walter D. Joslyn. at present cashier of the N. P. Express Company, Chicago. They have two children — Walter Roland and Raymond Oliver. Nellie Winifred, born in Marengo, Aug. 25, 1873; died Aug. 27, 1877. Mary Louisa, born in Marengo, Feb. 2, 1876; married Aug. 8, 1897, Frederick Clement Lagen, who is an employe of the N. P. Express Company, Chicago, and they have two children — George Frederick and Olive Mildred. Luella Gertrude, born in Marengo, July 6, 1878; died Jan. 4, 1879. Mildred, born in Marengo, Jan. 4, 1881, is a teacher in the public school at Park Ridge, Cook County, and makes her home with her parents. John Melvin, born in Marengo, Oct. 23, 1885, is at present a pupil in the Marengo High School. Mrs. Adams is a member of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally Dr. Adams is a member of the American Order of United Workmen and one of the founders of the Harley Wayne Post, G. A. R., at Marengo. In politics he is a stanch Republican and is the present Post- master of Marengo, having held the office un- der various appointments for more than thir- teen years — first under President Arthur, later under President Harrison, and for his third term under Presidents McKinley and Roose- velt. Dr. Adams' official record has been a notable one, furnishing evidence of the high estimation in which he is held in the com- munity as a business man and popular leader. GILBERT L. AVERY. Gilbert LaFayette Avery, a resident of Mar- engo Township, McHenry County, is a pioneer settler of Marengo Township and a man well known to the people of his community for hon- esty, reliability and straightforward character. Born at Auburn, Susquehanna County, Penn., Feb. 11, 1827, he is a son of David and Diantha (Meacham) Avery. David Avery, the father of Gilbert L, is of Puritan English stock and descends from an old colonial family of Groton, Conn., who came from England as early as 1630. He was born near Norwich, Conn., in 1790, the son of Ezekiel and a grandson of Robert Avery. Ezekiel Avery was a patriot soldier in the Revolutionary War, enlisting in Washington's army when but sixteen years of age, serving one year and afterwards being drafted for one year longer. He married Miss Lucinda Rog- ers, and their children were named David, George, Lydia and Lucinda. He settled near Norwich, Conn., but in 1800, moved to Penn- sylvania and cleared up a farm from the wood- lands of Susquehanna County, where he lived to the venerable age of eighty-five years. When ten years of age David Avery came with his father to Susquehanna County, Penn., where he grew to manhood. He married in Bridgewater, Susquehanna County, Penn., ^ 9s aAzw/j^, * 7tu<. fy£ McHENRY COUNTY. 645 Diantha Meacham, born in Litchfield County, Conn.. 1792. daughter of Jeremiah and Mollie (Bartholomew) Meacham. Jeremiah moved to Susquehanna County, Penn., in 1800, when that country was a veritable wilderness, and there became a well-to-do farmer, and, for that time, was considered wealthy. He was for many years a deacon in the Baptist church and an earnest abolitionist. Mr. and Mrs. Meacham were the parents of the following children: Jeremiah, Sheldon, Diantha, Marilla and Rhoda (Mrs. Frink). After marriage Mr. and Mrs. David Avery settled on unimproved land adjoining that owned by his father in Susquehanna County, Penn. He made substantial improvements upon his farm and became a well-to-do citizen, owning about 400 acres of land improved with good buildings and was credited as being the highest tax payer in his township. Mr. Avery was a deacon in the Baptist church at Auburn for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Avery were the parents of Jeremiah, Polly, George. Gilbert L.. Ezekiel, Orrin and Marilla. Of their children, Orrin was a graduate of Yale College, and set- tled at Waverly, Iowa, where he. served as County Judge for several years. He was cap- tain of a company of infantry in the Civil War, taking part in the siege of Vicksburg and many other engagements; he was also Judge Advocate and presided at court martials in the State of Missouri. After the close of the war he returned to Waverly, Iowa, where he was elected County Judge, but later died at Colo- rado Springs, Colo., and his remains were brought to Waverly for burial. Gilbert L. Avery, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm and re- ceived the usual common-school education. He came to Marengo, 111., in 1844. being then seventeen years old, and on May 17, 1850, was married in Belvidere, 111., to Sally A. Sponable, who was born in Ohio in 1834, a daughter of John and Susan (Holmes) Sponable, natives of Ohio and Vermont, respectively. Mr. Spon- able came to Marengo Township about 1836 and became a well-to-do citizen. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Sponable were: William, who died in the Mexican War; Alva, a soldier of the Mexican War, and now a resident of Maiysville, Cal.; Adelia, who married John Woodruff and is living in Southern California; Caroline (Mrs. Jacob Hiner), and Sally Ann. Several other of their children died in child- hood. Mr. Sponable lived to be forty-five years of age, and died at his homestead about one mile west of Marengo. After marriage Mr. and. Mrs. Gilbert Avery settled on a farm in Garden Prairie, where they lived for about six years and then moved to Marengo Township and purchased 100 acres of their present farm, which was then but part- ly improved. By hard work, good manage- ment and economical methods, Mr. Avery made subsequent additions to his farm until he now owns 460 acres of excellent land in Mc- Henry County, besides considerable valuable property in Omaha, Neb. In politics he is one of the original Republicans, casting his vote for John C. Fremont, Abraham Lincoln and ■every Republican candidate for the Presidency since the organization of the party. He has never been an office seeker, his time being too fully occupied with his farming interests. Mr. and Mrs. Avery are the parents of the follow- ing children: Marilla, who married "Vernon D. Glass of Spokane, Wash.; Sadie E., married William C. Miller, of Marengo Township and they have one child, Floyd; Mary E., married Joseph Frank Carpenter, a stockholder in a large wholesale paper house of Omaha, Neb., and they have children named Gilbert C, Harry, Marion and Eleanor; Charles E., mar- ried Carrie Poyer, resides at Shell Rock, Iowa, and their children are Guy, George, Marion, Dee, Clark, Earnie, Earl and Glen; George mar- ried Louie Prey, and they have a daughter Hazel. Mr. Gilbert L. Avery is a member of the Bap- tist church in which he has held the office of deacon. A man of good moral character and temperate habits, he has never been addicted to the use of tobacco or intoxicating liquors, and at the advanced age of seventy-five years, enjoys perfect physical health and retains to a remarkable degree the rugged constitution of his earlier manhood. ISAIAH A. AUSTIN. Isaiah A. Austin, who was one of the prom- inent pioneer citizens and a skilled veterina- rian, of McHenry County, was born in Otsego County, N. Y., May 5, 1828, son of Pasco and Polly (Collins) Austin. In early life he was left an orphan and, when still a boy, came with 646 McHENRY COUNTY. his mother, his brother John and other mem- hers of the family to Waukegan, 111. Young Austin was brought up among the pioneers, and spent his youth with his brothers, Rufus and John, after they had settled on Highland Prairie, and came with them to Woodstock about 1848-49. Shortly afterwards he crossed the plains, with Alvin Judd's party, to Cali- fornia, where he engaged in gold mining and various other occupations, finally settling in Portland, Oregon, where he engaged in the livery business. In 1856 he married Sarah Burke, and their children were William H., Emorette, James A. and Edward L. Mrs. Austin died in Portland, Oregon, in 1865. Mr. Austin then returned to Woodstock where, in company with Eben E. Sherwood, he engaged in the live-stock and mercantile business, after- wards engaging in the livery business, at which he continued until his death. Feb. 9, 1866, he married Mary E. Judd, who was born near Woodstock, Feb. 10, 1840, daughter of Alvin and Eliza (White) Judd. Alvin Judd was born in Chester, Mass., March 29, 1799, son of Salathiel and Irene (Day) Judd. His father, Salathiel Judd, was a farmer and a native of England. His children were Harvey, Salalhiel, Alfred, Alvin, Quarnis, James, Theodosia, Elizabeth, Lucy and Irene. He died in North Chester, Mass. Alvin Judd received a common-school education and mar- ried Eliza White, born at South Hadley Falls, Mass., Oct. 10, 1801, daughter of Noadiah and Sarah White. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Judd settled at South Hadley Falls, and later at Hartford, Conn. In 1835 they removed to Massillon, Ohio, in 1836, to Blacknut Grove, 111., and in 1837, to McHenry County, Ill- settling two and one-half miles northwest of Woodstock, where Mr. Judd purchased and en- tered land of the United States Government. Mr. Judd was one of the early postmasters of McHenry County, and kept the office at his house. He moved to Woodstock in 1842, and, where John J. Murphy's business block now stands, he built the first frame house in the village. Mr. Judd owned part of the land comprised within the present limits of the village of Woodstock, and assisted in platting the town, which he did according to the plat of South Hadley Falls, Mass. He was one of the organizers of the town and named it "Centerville," which was afterwards changed by Joel H. Johnson, Esq., to "Woodstock." Mr. Judd used his fine dwelling house in Wood- stock as a place of entertainment for travelers, but afterwards kept the first hotel in the vil- lage, which was built by a Mr, Hutchings. Mr. Judd, with a party from Woodstock, con- sisting of Isaiah Austin, Luke Belcher, Lew Kelly, William Stowell, Bradford Burbank and Dr. King, went to California in the spring of 1849. Thirteen months later, Mr. Judd re- turned to Woodstock, and for several years operated a stage line from Woodstock to Elgin, Geneva Lake and Union, later engaging in the mercantile business. Politically he was a Democrat, and as a representative of his party served as Justice of the Peace, and after Woodstock was incorporated, was one of the Board of Aldermen. His children were Royal O.. Everett. Adelaide, Helen, two who died in infancy, Alvin, Dwight, Harriet, Whitney, Lucy and Mary. Mr. Judd lived to the age of eighty-two years and died Oct. 4, 1881. His wife died June 20, 1883. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Isaiah Austin resided in Woodstock. Their children were Alvin J., Jesse M., Estelle O, Aubert V., Em- ery B., Gertrude (who died an infant), Edythe M. and Ethel F. (twins). In political opinions Mr. Austin believed in the principles advocated by the Democratic party. He was always a very active man, upright and prosperous in business. His liv- ery business, the leading one in Woodstock, is now conducted by his son, Alvin J. Austin. PASCO AUSTIN. Prominent among the early settlers of Mc- Henry County is the name of Pasco Austin, a member of a pioneer French family that lived in the State of New York. Pasco Austin, Sr., father of the subject of this sketch, was probably born in the State of New York, where he resided and owned a farm in Broome County and followed the occu- pation of a farmer. He married Polly Collins, a native of New York State, but of Irish parent- age, and their children were John, Rufus, Priscilla, Samantha, Jerome L., Pasco, Isaiah. Sarah A., Polly and Elisha. There is a tra- dition in the Austin family that three brothers McHENRY COUNTY. 641 came from France in colonial times, and that the grandfather of Pasco Austin, Jr., and proo- ably two of his brothers, served in the Revolu- tionary army. Pasco Austin, Sr., was killed by accident about 1832. Pasco Austin, Jr., subject of this article, was born in Otsego County, N. Y., Oct. 27, 1826. When six years old his father died and he lived nine years with Nahum Smith, a farmer, where he immediately began to work on the farm, and thus his advantages for obtaining an education were limited. In 1840 he came with his mother and her family to Chicago, arriving there at ten o'clock in the morning on the tenth day of May. Their point of des- tination had been Kenosha, but a severe storm had driven them by this point, and therefore they landed in Chicago. After landing in Chi- cago, his brother, John Austin, bought two cows and a yoke of oxen. He and Pasco undertook to drive the cattle across the Chi- cago River at a point where the Lake Street bridge now stands, and after experiencing con- siderable trouble in getting them started, Pasco AusLin caught hold of the tail of one of the oxen and, by a free use of the lash, immediately forced him into the deep water. Mr. Austin could not swim and the only means he had to save himself from drowning was to hold firmly to the tail of the ox, which he did and generously applied the whip, until the ox landed safely in port on the opposite bank with Pasco clinging to his tail. He and his brother, J. L., drove the cattle to the Wisconsin State line, a distance of forty miles, and in crossing the Des Plaines River had a similar experience. They made the journey in about one day and arrived in Kenosha County, Wis., near where their brother Rufus had settled, and entered land. The family lived here about one year when the mother died. She was about forty- one years of age, and the mother of fourteen children, four of whom died when young. Pasco Austin lived one year with a farmer by the name of Samuel Ransom, and then made his home with a hotel keeper by the name of Payne. In the spring of 1843 he came to Hebron, McHenry County, 111., where his brother John had settled, and here worked on a farm for six months, but afterwards bought four yoke of oxen and then engaged in breaking prairie land, a business he followed four years, and then began buying stock, continuing along this line for ten years. He married in Wood- stock, Oct. 7, 1848, Harriet Judd, daughter of Alvin Judd. Mr. Judd, one of the earliest settlers in Woodstock, was from New England, and in the fall of 1843, hauled the first sawe i pine boards and shingles that were brought to Woodstock. Pasco Austin accompanied him and drove a team (two yoke of oxen). Mr. Judd and his brother, James, George Dean and Bradford Bur- bank owned the land that now includes the present site of Woodstock, and this lumber Mr. Judd used in building a hotel, wnich was the first frame residence built in that city. Alvin Judd, James Judd and George Dean platted the city of Woodstock. In 1850 Alvin . Judd went to California, returned in 1852 and lived to be about seventy-eight years of age. His children were Alvin, Dwight, Whitney, Mary, Lucy, Oscar, Harriet and Everett. Before his marriage (about 1845) Mr. Austin had worked in a hotel for a Mr. Martin Thrall, proprietor of the "American," which was the first hotel conducted in Woodstock and is now a part of the American House. It for- merly occupied the space where John C. Mur- phy's block is now located. Mr. Austin worked in Woodstock six months, then at- tended school in Hartland Township one win- ter and engaged in breaking prairie land the summer following. In 1847 he worked in a hotel kept by George Griffin. The hotel stood on the site of the present McHenry County Court House, and Alvin Judd became proprie- tor previous to his trip to California, when Mrs. Judd assumed the management during his ab- sence. Mr. Austin was married in this hotel, and afterwards lived with the Judd family for two years, conducting a livery stable, which was operated in connection with a stage line from Woodstock to Marengo, Elgin, Barring- ton and Beioit, the line being owned by Alvin Judd. Mr. Austin continued in the livery business for about five years and then engaged in buying and selling cattle and horses, at which he continued for ten years, afterwards purchasing 170 acres of land in Hartland Town- ship, and later, 180 acres four miles north- west of Woodstock. He invested in property in Irving Park, 111., more than thirty years ago, and also owns valuable property in Woodstock. 648 McHENRY COUNTY. His children by his first marriage were: Cere- thia and Adelbert L. Mrs. Austin died April 7, 1893, aged about fifty-six years. Mr. Austin was married a second time in Joliet, 111., Sept. 11, 1894, to Emily Wilson, a widow, nee Rich, bom at Malone, N. Y., Dec. 11, 1862, daughter of Sherman and Clarissa (Mitchell) Rich. Sherman Rich was a farmer, born at East Fairfield, Vt., son of Samuel and Lydia (Mitch- ell) Rich, of English ancestry. He moved to Ohio when about twenty-one years old, mar- ried in Kingsville, Ashtabula County, and set- tled on a farm which his father had given him. A few years later he moved to Moline, N. Y., lived there one year and then moved to Ver- mont, settling at Colchester, where he lived until his death, which occurred when he was about fifty-two years of age. His wife died at the age of thirty-five years. Mr. Rich was twice married, the second time to a widow, Josephine Groves, nee Dixon. The children by his first wife were, Bradley B. (deceased), Lydia J., and Thomas H. (deceased). There was but one child, a daughter, by his second wife, Almina A. Mr. Rich was a member of the Methodist church- and his second wife was a Baptist. After Mr. Austin retired from farming he kept a livery stable in Chicago (1871-73), but since that time has made his home in Wood- stock, where he has recently built an attractive residence in a modern style of architecture. Mr. and Mrs. Austin have one child, Pasco Rich Austin. They are both members of the Presby- terian church, and in politics Mr. Austin was originally an old line Whig, but afterwards became a Republican. He has served on the Board of Supervisors. He is entirely a self- made man and has accumulated a handsome property by his own unaided efforts and good management. HENRY C. ALLEN. Like many others of McHenry County's early settlers, this respected citizen of Ringwood traces his lineage back to the rugged colonists of Furitan faith, who have made their mental and moral influence felt across a continent. He came of the same stock as did Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga. His grandfather, Samuel, served under General Israel Putnam, and did gallant service in the battle of Ben- nington under General Stark. His son, Samuel, the father of Henry C. Allen, was a native of Connecticut, but removed to New Fane, Vt., where he led the life of a hard-working farmer] and where he died at the age of seventy-eight years. His industry and his integrity com- mended him to the esteem of his neighbors, and his death was deeply mourned. His wife was Betsy Hill, who was of early Rhode Island stock. They were the parents of eight chil- dren: William, Bethania, Henry C, Charles F., Martin, Leander, Jane and Mary. Mr. Henry C. Allen, the third of this large family in order of birth, was born at New Fane, Vt., April 24, 1820. Attendance at the common school in boyhood gave him the rudi- ments of a good English education, which he enlarged and extended in later years, through reading and observation. Life's battle began for him when, as a youth of twenty years, he commenced working as a laborer on the Bos- ton & Lowell Railroad, the first line to be con- structed in New England. He aided in the grading, laid ties and spiked rails; and, for several years thereafter, did similar work on roads in the Bay State. Industry, Intelligently directed, finally secured for him the position of "boss" of a gang of 125 newly landed Irish im- migrants. For so young a man the position was a trying one, but natural tact, joined to youth and a hardy constitution, enabled him to fill it admirably. For nearly fifteen years he followed this line of work, and on July 5, 1848, he married Miss Mary E. Holmes, who was born April 10, 1820, at Hopkinsville, N. H. She was the youngest daughter of John Holmes and Betsy Flanders, whose other children were named Harrison, Eliza, Ira, Hannah, Lydia, Still man and Julia. Mr. Holmes was the owner of a well-cultivated farm, and his personal char- acter caused him to be honored by all who knew his worth. Toward the close of his life he removed to Groton, Mass., where he died in his sixty-sixth year. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Allen li^ed at various points in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as his work upon the railroad called him here and there. In 1854 he re- solved to "go West," and with his wife and son, Pulaski K., set out for Illinois. The jour- ney from New York to Chicago was made by rail, and from Chicago to Ringwood, the point y&c cah^ %u.z6.e,Al£^. McHENRY COUNTY. 649 of destination, by stage. Ringwood was reached May 1, 1854. Mr. Allen's capital was small and his first purchase of land was con- fined to a single acre. On this he built a frame house, which is still standing opposite the Ringwood creamery. Necessity prompted him to labor at any honest task which offered. In 1855 he was appointed station agent on the newly constructed line, the first to run through the village. For seven years he held this posi- tion, and then he found himself able, through industry and thrift, to buy a farm of fifty acres, which constituted a part of his late holdings of 279 acres, in the town of McHenry. For ten years Mr. Allen, in partnership with S. H. Walker, a pioneer settler of Ringwood, was en- gaged in buying and shipping wheat from Ringwood. In his early struggle for a com- petence his devoted wife was his counsellor and aid. Together they labored, and, in later years — as they descended life's hill, hand in hand — they looked hack upon their early trials with a smile. Mutual confidence and mutual effort brought them a rich reward. On Tues- day, July 5, 1898, Mr. and Mrs. Allen celebrated their golden wedding at the residence of their son, Herbert W., in Ringwood, at which time they were the recipients of many beautiful presents. A.bout 125 persons were present, and dinner and supper were served on the lawn, the tables being spread under the stately trees. Mr. Allen died at Ringwood, Oct. 7, 1901; his wife dying on January 26th of the same year, both being deeply lamented by their family and a wide circle of friends. Mr. Allen was a Jacksonian Democrat of an uncompromising type. From 1855 until 1861 he held the office of postmaster, and for sev- eral years he was a member of the school board. In every relation of life — domestic, so- cial and public — he showed himself worthy of the confidence which came to him as though it were his birthright. Mrs. Allen was a de- vout member of the Baptist church. They were the parents of two sons, Pulaski K. and Herbert W. Herbert W„ son of Henry C. and Mary E. (Holmes) Allen, was born in Ringwood, Mc- Henry County, 111., Oct. 3, 1860. He received a good common-school education attending the school of the veteran instructor, William Nickel. He always resided on the home farm, and on Dec. 1, 1886, was married at Nunda, 111., to Libbie C. Parks, who was born in Nun- da Township, Dec. 8, 1857, the daughter of George E. and Charlotte (Kimball) Parks. (See sketch of George E. Parks in this vol- ume.) After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Allen set- tled on the old homestead, where they still re- side. Mr. Allen is a Democrat in political opinions, and during President Cleveland's sec- ond administration, served his fellow-citizens as postmaster of Ringwood and proved himself an efficient official. He has also held the office of Road Commissioner. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are members of the Universalist church. JOHN AYLSWORTH. John Aylsworth (deceased), at the time of his death, one of the most venerable and high- ly respected pioneers of McHenry County, was born in Providence, R. I., Feb. 1, 1800, the son of John and Hannah (Bacon) Aylsworth, on the paternal side being of English and old colonial ancestry. Anthony Alworth, as the name was originally spelled, settled at Provi- dence, R. I., in the latter part of the seven- teenth century, and here the progenitor of the American branch of the family was married to Mary Brown. The next in line of descent was their son John, and he was followed by a son named Anthony, who was a citizen of East Greenwich, R. I., and a soldier of the Revolu- tionary War. John Aylsworth, as the name had then come to be written, who was the son of Anthony, was born at East Greenwich, R. I., June 14, 1748, and pur- sued the vocation of a farmer, being the pro- prietor of a farm at Foster, R. I. He is re- puted to have adopted the change in the spell- ing of the family patronymic just given, which has since been changed by "gradual de- velopment" to the present form. His first wife was Bethenia Fry, and she bore him tour chil- dren, named Thomas, Martha, Mary and John. He became a Quaker and the "Friends" meet- ing house was located on his farm. He died at the ripe age of eighty-two years. John (.3), the youngest son of this family and father of the subject of this sketch, was horn in Rhode Island, June 4. 1771, and, like many youths of that period, having a passion for the sea, ran away from home and became a sailor. During his sea-faring life he was "impressed," and served for a time on the old "Constitution" 650 McHENRY COUNTY. (also known as "Old Ironsides") under Commo- dore Bainbridge, took part in an action which resulted in the capture of a British war-ship, and was detailed as one of the prize-crew to take the vessel to port. Before reaching their destination, the vessel and crew were captured by another British vessel, and Ayls worth was detained in a British prison until six months after peace was declared. His later years were spent at Providence, R. I., where he was married to Hannah Bacon, and they had six children: Thomas, John, Bethenia Fry, Eliza- beth, Hannah and Mary. His wife having died, he was married to Hulda Norton, who bore him one daughter, Abby, who died young. He was a member of "The Roger Williams" Bap- tist church at Providence, and died at the age of seventy- seven, years. John Aylsworth — the sixth of the name in America and the subject of this sketch — was born in Providence, R. I., Feb. 1, 1800. His father being poor and his mother having died when he was ten years of age, he was com- pelled while quite young to labor for his own support. Without educational advantages he still had an eager desire to gain an education, learned to read and write and, at the age of seventeen years, entered the office of the "Providence Journal" as "office boy" under the proprietorship of John Miller, to whom (being an orphan) he was "bound out" as an ap- prentice to learn the printer's trade. Here he remained several years, becoming a skillful compositor and an expert manipulator of the old-fashioned Franklin press. He thus acquired a practical education to which, by the reading of books and newspapers, he added a large fund of general information, making him a well-informed man. In 1836 he went by steam- boat to New York, and thence to Albany and Schenectady and by the Erie Canal .to Buffalo, and by lake to Detroit. The lake journey was made on the old steamer "United States," which was the last trip it ever made, as on the next voyage it was sunk. From Detroit he made the journey partly by stage and partly on foot, crossed Lake Michigan by schooner, and, on the first of May, reached Chicago, then so small a village that he was compelled to ask where he was. Fort Dearborn was occu- pied by United States soldiers, this being the year the fort was finally evacuated. There were several thousand Indians encamped in the vicinity, probably awaiting their payment I'rom the Government. Mr. Aylsworth visited their camp, but, as he was about to leave, was confronted by a big Indian who addressed him with something which sounded like "Schoon- law-good me-tass." This was interpreted as a demand for money to buy whisky with, but Mr. Aylsworth succeeded in getting away by run- ning. Early in June he attended the launch- ing of the steamboat "Chicago," and, on the 4th of July following, was present at the in- auguration of work on the Illinois and Michi- gan Canal, when Governor Duncan celebrated the event by throwing out the first spade-full of earth at Bridgeport. "Fire-water" was abundant and many of the Irish laborers were intoxicated. At this time Mr. Aylsworth bearded in a log-house with a Mr. Aikens, and went to 'the celebration in company with two fellow-boarders, the party paying one dollar fare each for their passage by boat both ways. On the return the Captain of the boat on which the party had taken passage, got into a fight with the Captain of another boat, and they also witnessed a fight among a number of Irish laborers. Thinking he had seen enough of the celebration, Mr. Aylsworth walked home. In June of this year Mr. Aylsworth obtained employment in the office of "The Chicago American," the second paper established in Chicago. Here he remained some two years as a journeyman printer, for a part of the time being head press-man. In his later years Mr. Aylsworth recalled meeting, in the office of "The American," "Long" John Went- worth about the time he became editor of "The Chicago Democrat," the first paper established in Chicago. Mr. Davis, the publisher of "The American," having become financially embarrassed, trans- ferred the paper to a number of printers, of whom Mr. Aylsworth was one, the new firm taking the name of William Stuart & Co.. with Mr. Stuart as editor. In the fall of 1836 Mr. Aylsworth united with the First Baptist church of Chicago, being immersed In the lake by Rev. J. T. Hinton. The assassination of Elijah P. Lovejoy by a pro-slavery mob at Alton, 111., occurred in the following year, and, as an enemy of human slavery, he stood ready to of- fer his services to establish a new paper there if this seemed advisable. Originally an old line McHENRY COUNTY. 651 Whig, he became a stanch Abolitionist, voting for James G. Birney in 1844, and, in after years, as a Republican, voted for John C. Fre- mont and Abraham Lincoln. He was a zealous champion of temperance and, in 1884, voted for the Prohibition candidate for President. In the fall of 1838 Mr. Aylsworth settled on a claim in what is now Cobb Township, Lake County, entered eighty acres of land to which he added forty acres more by purchase, which he cleared and improved, finally becoming owner of a farm of 130 acres on which he erected substantial farm buildings. Selling his farm in 1868, he located at Barrington, 111., in- vesting his money in real estate, but about 1875-6 removed to Nunda, McHenry County, where he invested his means in valuable town property, and where he continued to reside during the remainder of his life. His death occurred May 15, 1901, at the age of ninety- one years, three months and fifteen days. Mr. Aylsworth was married Oct. 28, 1838, to Anna Frances Foreman, born in Schoharie County, N. Y., Nov. 26, 1811, the daughter of N. V. and Lucretia (Babcock) Foreman — the latter a native of Oswego, N. Y. Two sons were born of this marriage: Nicholas J. and William Prince Aylsworth. The former graduated at the old Chicago University at twenty-five years of age, became a minister of the Christian church, and is now traveling in Europe. The younger is a graduate of the Bethany College, W. Va., also became a Chris- tian minister and resides at Bethany, Neb. Mrs. Aylsworth died Feb. 12, 1885. and Mr. Aylsworth afterwards married Martha E. Cone, of Lake County, 111., who still survives him. She is a member of the Christian church. FRANK F. AXTELL. According to well-established family tradi- tion, Mr. Frank F. Axtell, one of the leading bankers of Harvard, 111., is descended from sterling Scotch ancestry. The earliest ap- pearance of the name Axtell, which has come to the knowledge of those who have made the family genealogy a subject of study, dates back to the year 1535, when the "Bonhommes" (Good Men) order of monks in a monastery at Gaddesden, an old town in Hertfordshire, England, made over their property to King Henry VIII. The original "Bonhommes" were an order of hermits, or recluses, who are described as leading "gentle and simple lives," first appearing in France about the year 1217, and in England in 1283. Among the Hertfordshire order who joined in signing the deed transferring their property to the English King in 1535, appears the name of John Axstyle. A few years later (about 1538) began the registration of births in the parent churches of England, and in the records of St. Peter's church, at Berkhamp^tead, a town of Hertfordshire about twenty miles north of London— for the year 1539, appears the bap- tismal record of John Axtell, the son of John, and in 1541 that of William, also a son of John. The same church record, three-quarters of a century later, contains the name of Thomas Axtell, the son of William Axtell, as a sub- ject of the baptismal ceremony, Jan. 15, 1619. It is believed that this Thomas Axtell was the progenitor of the Axtell family in America. Daniel Axtell, also born at Berkhampstead in 1622, and who became one of the Judges — after- wards known as "The Regicides" — who con- demned Charles I. of England to death in 1449, was a brother of Thomas, and paid the penalty of his act by suffering execution after the ac- cession of Charles II. to the tnrone. Thomas Axtell had a wife named Mary and they had a daughter Mary, who was baptized in the old St. Peter's church, Berkhampstead, Sept. 23, 1639, while the name of their son Henry ap- pears on the record as baptized at the same place Oct. 15, 1641. The family left England in 1642, and finally settled in Sudbury, Mass. In 1643 this Thomas Axtell bought land in Sudbury and here, on June 1, 1644, his daughter Lydia was born. He died in Sudbury, Aug. 1, 1646, and was buried there. Henry Axtell, the son of Thomas, already mentioned as having been born in England in 1641, was five years old when his father died, and in 1660 — he being then nineteen years of age — a tract of land south-west of Sudbury was in- corporated as a town by the name of Marl- boro, of which he became one of the proprie- tors, receiving for his portion fifteen acres in the central portion of the town, as a home lot. Besides this he was probably the owner of a portion of meadow and other outlying lands. June 14, 1665, he was married to Hannah Mer- riam. During the raid upon the white settle- 652 McHENRY COUNTY. ments of Massachusetts led by King Philip, the famous Indian Chief, in the spring of 1676, in which many towns were almost entirely destroyed, Marlboro suffered severely and, among those who fell at the hands of the mur- derous savages, was Henry Axtell. An inven- tory of his property is dated April 1, 1676. The children of Henry and Hannah Axtell were: Samuel, born March 27, 1666, probably died in childhood; Hannah, born Nov. 18, 1667, life record not traced; Mary, born Aug. 8, 1670, married Zachariah Newton; Thomas, born April 16, 1672; Daniel, born Nov. 4, 1673; Sarah, born Sept. 18, 1675, untraced. Hannah, the widow of Henry Axtell, married Will Taylor, July 5, 1679. To this point there have been traced four generations of the Axtell family in regular lineal descent, whose respective heads were all natives of Berkhampstead, in Hertfordshire, England, viz.: John Axtell (1), John Axtell (2) born 1539, and William, son of John Axtell tell (1), born 1541; Thomas Axtell, born Jan. 15, 1619, and Henry, born Oct. 15, 1641, died at Marlboro, Mass. Of their descendants born after the migration of the family to America, were the following: Thomas, born at Marl- boro, Mass., in 1672, and moved to Grafton, Mass., in 1730; Joseph, born at Marlboro, 1705, and moved to Weston, Mass.; Daniel, born at Marlboro, 1734, moved to Weston, Mass. The sons of Daniel were: Moses, born 1755; Aaron, born 1757; Daniel (2), born 1759; Joseph, Alex- ander and Daughton. Of these Daniel (2), who was eighth in lineal descent, counting John Axtell (1) as the first, had children named Chauncey, Daniel and William by a first mar- raige, and Joseph D., Hodah and Sally. He lived in Unadilla, N. Y., was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and, according to family tradition, a member of Gen. Washington's body- guard. Joseph D. Axtell, the son of Daniel, was born in Massachusetts in 1802, became a merchant and settled near Geneseo, N. Y. He was married in his native State to Eliza Osman, who died in 1883. Their children were: Alonzo E., born Feb. 6, 1825; Laura E., born June 17, 1827; Mary F., born March 16, 1830; Peter W., born July 2, 1832; Hannah A., born Sept. 25, 1836, and Marion, born Nov. 6, 1842. Joseph D. Axtell was a Major of militia in New York and conducted a successful mercantile business at Geneseo. About 1852 he came to Genoa, 111., where he remained seven or eight years, when he moved to Juda, Wis., and was there engaged in the stock business. He died in his Wisconsin home in 1873. Alonzo E. Axtell, the son of John D., was born in Massachusetts, where he received a common-school education, and later attended an academy at Olean, N. Y. He was a carpenter by trade, and was employed for a time in this line at Friendship, Allegany County, N. Y., but afterwards engaged in merchandising. He resided here until 1851, when he removed to Russellville, Boone County, 111., where he again engaged in the mercantile business. Remov- ing to Harvard, McHenry County, in 1858, he continued in the same business until 1877, when he entered into the banking business, continuing until his death, March 31, 1889. Alonzo E. Axtell was married at Friendship, N. Y., to Mary M. Lambert, who was born on Dec. 12, 1826, the daughter of Frederick and Sally (Porter) Lambert. He and bis wife were the parents of one son, Frank F. Axtell, of Harvard, 111., whose name heads this sketch. Alonzo E. Axtell was a capable and successful business man, in addition to his banking in- terests being, at the time of his death, the owner of 600 acres of land in McHenry County, besides valuable real estate in Harvard. Orig- inally an old line Whig, he became one of the founders of the Republican party in McHenry County, supporting John C. Fremont for Pres- ident in 1856, and was a zealous Union man during the Civil War. Fraternally he was a charter member of the Harvard Lodge, A. F. & A. M. Frank F. Axtell, the immediate subject of this sketch, and son of Alonzo E. Axtell, was born in Friendship, Allegany County, N. Y., Oct. 29, 1847, and was four years of age when his parents removed to Illinois, as stated in the preceding paragraph. He received his educa- tion in the Russellville and Harvard public schools, and, at an early age, became a clerk in his father's store. Removing to Chicago in 1872, he there became a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and was successfully engaged in the grain trade for over fifteen years. Dur- ing a part of this time — 1882, 1883 and a part of 1884 — he was engaged in the grain and ele- vator business in Omaha, Neb., but during the McHENRY COUNTY. 653 latter year returned to Chicago. Early in 1889, owing to his father's failing health, he returned to Harvard to take charge of the banking business of the latter, to which he succeeded on his father's death, continuing to the present time. In politics Mr. Axtell, following the ex- ample of his father, is a stanch Republican; for six years was Supervisor of Chemung Township, for several years served as City Treasurer of Harvard, and in 1898 was elected Treasurer of McHenry County, filling the office four years. On May 24, 1871, Mr. Axtell was married at Woodstock, 111., to Cerethia A. Austin, the daughter of Pasco Austin. (See sketch of Pasco Austin in this volume). Mr. and Mrs. Axtell have two children; E. Lyle, born in Chicago, and Darlene D., born in Omaha. The latter is a student in Vassar College, N. Y., and E. Lyle is cashier of his father's bank, for which position he has been especially well qualified by his careful business training. By his successful business career and probity of character, Mr. Frank F. Axtell has won an en- viable reputation among the business men and the general public of McHenry County. GEORGE. W. AMES. George W. Ames, veteran of the Civil War and farmer, Terra Cotta, McHenry County, was born in Fremont, Lake County, 111., April 12, 1845, the son of Henry and Mary (Cooper) Ames. By the death of his father he was left an orphan in infancy and was brought up by strangers. Until 1857 he lived with Daniel Kingsley a farmer of Lake County, at an early age began working on the farm, meanwhile attending school during the winter season, thus gaining a common-school education. Dur- ing the year just named, having reached the age of about twelve years, he came to McHenry County and there found employment on the farm with Darius C. Reynolds, with whom he remained several years. During the first year of the Civil War (Sept. 11, 1861), in his seventeenth year, Mr. Ames enlisted at Geneva, Kane County, as a private in Company I (Captain Brown), Ninety-fifth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until April 22, 1865, when he was honor- ably discharged on a surgeon's certificate of physical disability. While in the service he took part in the battles of Black-Snake Gap and Resaca and the Atlanta campaign, besides numerous skirmishes. He performed his full duty as a soldier, but was never wounded and is not a pensioner. He suffered much from chronic diarrhoea in the field and, after the battle of Shiloh, spent some time in the hos- pital at Benton Barracks, near St. Louis, on his partial recovery being detailed on duty as a nurse, serving in this capacity one year, when he rejoined his regiment. Having been again taken sick after the battle of Resaca, he remained in the hospital for a time at Chattanooga and Rome, Ga., and still later at Indianapolis, Ind., and Mound City, 111. It was while in hospital at the latter place that he received his discharge in April, 1865, as al- ready stated. At that time he was in a seriously emaciated condition, his weight hav- ing been reduced to eighty-four pounds. After his discharge Mr. Ames returned to McHenry County, but was too feeble to undertake any employment for a period of about six months, when he resumed farm work, in which he con- tinued for some years. On Oct. 12, 1870, Mr. Ames was married in McHenry County, to Eliza McMillan, who was born on her father's farm in the neighborhood of her present home, Nov. 12, 1848, the daughter of Samuel and Jane (Wilson) McMillan. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Ames settled on a farm one mile north of their present residence, where they remained three years. In 1873 they removed to their present location settling on a farm originally consisting of sixty-three acres, to which he has made additions until he is now the owner of 145 acres. This land, when it first came into possession of Mr. Ames, was without improvements, but has since had erected upon it a good two-story frame dwell- ing, with large barn and other farm buildings. The children of Mr. Ames are: William H., born Aug. 14, 1871; Thomas W., born Dec. 17, 1872; Mary J., born Jan. 10, 1875; Lizzie, born May 3, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Ames are among the most respected citizens of McHenry County, have by their own unaided exertions accumulated a handsome property and estab- lished for themselves a pleasant home. In political opinions Mr. Ames is a stanch Re- publican, and, by his service during the Civil 654 McHENRY COUNTY. War, won for himself the reputation of a good soldier and a patriotic citizen. Henry Ames, toe father ofl George W., was a resident of the State of New York, where he married Mary Cooper, and they had children named: Charlotte L., Abbie A., Sophronia K., Amelius C, and George W. The father was a farmer and died in Lake County, 111., the year his son George W. was born. The two sons of this family became soldiers of the Civil War, Amelius C, the older, as a member of Company C, Ninety-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and George W.. in the Fifty-second Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, as already ex- plained in his military history. (For sketch of Samuel McMillan, the father of Mrs. Ames, see biography of his son, Andrew Thomas Mc- Millan, in this volume). FRANK ADAMEK. The Adamek family came from Bohemia, where John Adamek, the father of Frank, was born in 1808. John Adamek was a farmer and married in Bohemia, Anna Carmak, who was born in Bohemia, April 19, 1811. After marriage, Mr. Adamek lived in his native country for several years, and then came to America with his family. They sailed from Hamburg in May, 1856, in a large English sail- ing vessel, to Hull, England, and then pro- ceeded by railroad to Liverpool, where they boarded a sailing vessel for New York, landing at the latter place after a voyage of twenty- eight days. They immediately came by rail- road to Chicago, arriving July 7, 1856, where they resided for one year. Mr. Adamek worked in Peter Schuttler's wagon factory, where his son Joseph, who came to America in 1851, had previously engaged as a factory hand. July 8, 1857, he bought a farm consisting of 120 acres on the line of Cook and McHenry Counties, forty acres being in Cook and eighty acres in McHenry County. Mr. Adamek lived on this farm until his death in 1872, being then sixty- six years of age. He was a member of the Catholic church, and an industrious, hard-work- ing man, highly respected by all of his acquaint- ances. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Adamek were John, who died in Bohemia, aged fifty- five years, leaving a family of several children, two of whom, Francis and Frank, came to America; Joseph, who came to America in 1851; Anna, who came to America with her family, and Frank. Frank Adamek, subject of this article, was born in Bohemia, May 18, 1845. being about ten years of age when he came to America with his parents, and remembers all the inci- dents of the voyage across the ocean. He came to McHenry County, in July, 1857. Mr. Adamek has a good common-school education, which he gained partly in Bohemia, where he learned the rudiments of arithmetic and reading, and partly in the United States, having attended the public school in Chicago one year and af- terwards, when he came to Algonquin Town- ship, attended the district school for three winters. Mr. Adamek made a special study of United States History, and still preserves his school text-books on that subject. He be- gan to work on a farm at an early age, and when about twenty years old, engaged to work for his brother, who conducted a farm and feed store and was also interested in the ice busi- ness. Mr. Adamek afterwards remained on the home farm and cared for his aged parents until he was about twenty-seven years of age, when he bought eighty acres of land in Mc- Henry County adjoining the old homestead. He married in Chicago, Feb. 22, 1874, Annie Kvidera, born in Bohemia, July 29, 1855, daughter of Vaclav and Lydia Kvidera. Vaclav Kvidera was a Bohemian, who mar- ried in Bohemia and engaged in the manufac- ture of crockery. He came to America in 1860 and lived in Chicago one year, but in 1861, re- moved to Algonquin Township and bought a farm of ninety acres of unimproved land, which he converted into a high state of cultivation and erected good farm buildings. Seven years later, he went to Chicago and worked in a crockery factory, but in his old age returned to Algonquin Township, where he died in 1900, aged about eighty-four years. His wife died when about seventy-seven years of age. Their children were: Mary, Teresa, James, Lydia, Anna, Frances and Prokop. Mr. and Mrs. Kvidera were Catholics in religion. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Adamek settled on the homestead and by his industry and good management added to its original holding until they owned 132 acres of excellent farming land, which is still in Mr. Adamek's t^^t&?z&&^ &cc szs£e£> 11BRABY OuS. LIBRARY ■**¥BI$ITY OF iu miit McHENRY COUNTY. 655 possession. Mr. and Mrs. Adamek moved to Algonquin in 1890 and bought a pleasant home. In politics Mr. Adamek is a stanch Republican and has served as Constable four years, Vil- lage Clerk two years and Justice of the Peace four years, being at the present time (1903) an incumbent of the latter office. Fraternally he is a member of the I. O. O. F. of Cary Sta- tion, also a member of the Modern Woodmen of Amreica, in which organization he has held the office of clerk for three years. He was at one time a member of the Masonic Lodge , of Algonquin, but that organization is now dis- continued. He is a member of the Bohemia Society, C. S. P. S., which consists entirely of Bohemians. Mr. and Mrs. Adamek are the parents of Antoinette P., Amelia, Frank J., Anna, Elsie L., George E., and Isabel G. Mrs. Adamek is a member of the Royal Neighbors. Mr. Adamek is a well-known, straightforward citizen and his father's family were the first Bohemians to settle in Algonquin Township. In 1883 Mr. Adamek moved to Elgin, where he lived for three years as an agent for a land company. THE BUNKER FAMILY. George Bunker, of French Huguenot descent, came from France to Charlestown, Mass., in 1634, and was admitted into the church at Charlestown, Feb. 21, 1634-5. He married Judith, whose family name is not known. She was admitted into the church April 17, 1636, and died Oct. 10, 1646. His second marriage was in 1647 with Margaret Howe, who was ad- mitted to the church July 18, 1658, and died in 1660. George Bunker died at Maiden, Mass., in 1664. His children were: Mary; Martha, who married John Starr; Elizabeth, who mar- ried Edward Punt; John; Benjamin, and Jon- athan, who married Mary Howard. The follow- ing genealogy is given in lineal descent down to the Bunker family of Woodstock, 111. John, the son of George Bunker (the founder of the American branch of the family), married Hannah Millons at Maiden, Mass., April 7, 1655. Their children were: Hannah, born in October, 1656; Mary, born Dec. 9, 1658, married Jonathan Sprague; John, born Dec. 16, 1660, died in childhood; John, born in Cambridge, May, 1662; Joseph, born in Boston, February, 1665-6. and followed the trade of a felt-maker; Ed- ward, a mariner and served in the army in Canada. Benjamin, the son of John, graduated at "Herald College" in 1658, and was admitted to the church April 27, 1660. He preached as a colleague with the distinguished Wiggles- worth until 1663, and then became pastor of a church at Maiden. He died Feb. 3, 1668-70. The son Jonathan, who was the first owner of Bunker Hill, was baptized April 8, 1638, and married Mary Howard, Jan. 30, 1662-3. Their children were: twins, born and died Jan. 1, 1664-5; Jonathan, born Feb. 1, 1666-7; Mary, born Feb. 27, 1668-9; Benjamin, born Feb. 20, 1670-71, died in childhood; Benjamin, born March 30, 1672, aner- Elizabeth, who married J. W. Howard, Jr. Jonathan Bunker, Sr., died of smallpox June 2, 1678. Jonathan, son of Jonathan and Mary (Howard) Bunker, was baptized at the old South Church, Boston, June 20, 1686, being then twenty-one years of age. He was a mariner, having sailed with Capt Foster, and died while on a voyage. Captain Benjamin Bunker, son of Jonathan and Mary (Howard) Bunker, was an inn-keeper and married Abigail Fowler in 1698. Their children were: Benjamin, born July 8, 1702, and died in infancy; Benjamin, born April 12, 1708; Abigail, born Dec. 8, 1710, died in in- fancy; John, born Jan. 4, 1714; Jonathan, born March 14. 1716, died Nov. 25, 1721; George, born April 8, 1717, died Nov. 9, 1721. Benjamin, son of Capt. Benjamin and Abi- gail (Fowler) Bunker, was a tin-plate worker, married Martha Chamberlain, and their chil- dren were: Abigail, born July 29, 1730; Benja- min Chamberlain, born Jan. 5, 1732; Martha, born Sept. 23, 1733; Jonathan, born March 29, 1736. Benjamin Chamberlain Bunker, son of Ben- jamin and Martha (Chamberlain) Bunker, was the grandfather of George K. Bunker, of Wood- stock, and the last owner of Bunker Hill. He was by trade a japanner and married Aug. 11, 1766, Hannah Frothingham, a widow, nee Hannah Breed. Their children were: Martha, born Feb. 10, 1768, married Edward Hall; Hannah, born Aug. 10, 1769, married Micah Lawrence; John Frothingham, born Nov. 1, 1803, married Urania Tuttle; Mary, born Jan. 14, 1806, married Luth'er Morley; Susannah, born Nov. 21, 1809, married Orville B. Hitch- 656 McHENRY COUNTY. cock; Eliza, born Aug. 21, 1812, married 'T>r. F. Andros; David, born June 14, 1815, died in childhood; Hannah, born Sept. 11, 1818, died in childhood; Harriet, born April 30, 1821, married Dennis B. Gregory. John Frothingham, son of Benjamin Cham- berlain and Hannah (Frothingham) Bunker, was born at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1803, and married at Smyrna, Chenango County, N. Y„ Sept. 18, 1825, to Urania Tuttle, who was born at Norwich, Conn., Nov. 25, 1806, and died in Woodstock 111., June 20, 1884, aged seventy-seven years and seven months. The children of the family- — of whom the last three were born in Illinois — were: George K., born Nov. 1, 1826, married Martha Cottle, Oct. 25, 1849; Lucia L. and Lucy A. (twins), born Jan. 10, 1829; Lucia, married William Ormsby, and died June 17, 1885; Lucy married George Young; Ezekiel H., born March 10, 1831; Dwight, born Oct. 15, 1832; Jane, born Dec. 25. 1834, died Dec. 8, 1848; Melvin, born March 17, 1837, married Mary Honey; Clarissa, born July 5, 1839, married John D. Hamilton; Alvin S., born Feb. 22, 1842; Harriet M., born Dec. 29, 1843; Amos K., born March 1, 1846, married Adell Sherman; Susan, born April 30, 1848, married Dr. George Williamson; Mary, born Feb. 27, 1852, married Albert B. Bourne. All grew up to maturity except Jane, and all the rest reared families except Alvin, who was killed at the battle of Stone River, Tenn., Dec. 31, 1862, aged twenty-one years, ten months and nine days. GEORGE K. BUNKER. There is no more deservedly historic name in McIIenry County than that of George K. Bunker. He is descended from sterling colo- nial stock through the Massachusetts family, who, in colonial times, were the owners of Bunker Hill, in the (then) suburb of Boston, from which the famous battle fought in the first year of the War of the Revolution, took its name. John Bunker, the father of George K., was the son of Benjamin Bunker, and born at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1803. He re- ceived the ordinary common-school education of that day, but, at the age of eighteen, met with an accident, in consequence of a tree falling on him, which compelled the amputation of one of his legs. Having thus been lamed for life, he learned the tailor's trade and after- wards removed to Smyrna, N. Y., where, on Sept. 18, 1825, he married Eurania Tuttle, born in Norwich, Conn.,. Nov. 25, 1806. From Smyrna Mr. Bunker moved in 1836 to Erie County, Penn., and there engaged in mercan- tile business and the manufacture of potash at Beaver Dam. After remaining there seven years, in the early part of 1844, he came to Illinois, arriving on April 5th in what is now Dorr Township, three miles east of the pres- ent site of the town of Woodstock, making the journey with a two-horse team in five weeks, of which five days were spent between Chicago and McHenry County. Here he bought forty acres of Government land paying fifty dollars for it, later buying a claim of forty acres more upon which a log-cabin had been built. This cabin had an ordinary puncheon floor, stick chimney and "shake" roof, the whole constructed without the use of nails. Mr. Bunker brought with him his family, then consisting of his wife and nine children. Be- ing lame, he cound do little towards improving his land, consequently much of the work of de- veloping the new homestead fell upon the older son, George K., then a tall and vigorous youth of a little over seventeen years of age. Mr. Bunker was elected a Justice of the Peace in 1848, and there being much business for this officer, removed to Woodstock, where he en- gaged in the lumber trade to which, in the spring of 1854, he added the mercantile busi- ness in partnership with his son George K. The latter having retired the next year, the mercantile branch of the business was con- tinued in partnership with his son Amos. Be- sides acquiring a wide reputation as one of the early business men of Woodstock, Mr. Bunker held the office of Township Treasurer for some thirty years as well as that of Asses- sor for a considerable period. He was highly respected for his business integrity and as a public-spirited citizen. George K. Bunker, was born at Smyrna, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1826— his father being then just twenty-three years old. At ten years of age he accompanied his parents to Erie County, Penn., and, in 1844, to McHenry County, 111. He received a common-school ed- -^-c? y J€ U^z^lJc^^ yniv- McHENRY COUNTY. 657 ucation in his native State and in Pennsyl- vania, learned to rive and shave shingles in his boyhood, using the shavings and pitch-pine knots to make a light by which he studied at night. In this way he qualified himself to teach and, at the age of seventeen years, began teaching his first school at Beaver Dam, Penn. The school was taught in a house built of hem- lock logs with the ordinary old-fashioned fire- place and stick chimney, and was well at- tended, many pupils coming a distance of two or three miles. Some were grown men and women, a few reaching the age of twenty-two to twenty-four years. Although several years their junior, Mr. Bunker's mental acquirements and powerful physique — being over six feet in height — commanded the respect of his pu- pils, and enabled him to control the school with little difficulty in spite of his youth. The removal to Illinois was made early the next spring (1844), Mr. Bunker having a wagon and three horses, while Titus Brown, a neigh- bor who accompanied them, had one horse and a wagon. The women and small children usu- ally slept in the house of some friendly settler, while the men and older boys slept in the wagons — their food being prepared at the set- tler's fireside. The roads were bad — in many cases no roads at all — and on one of the flats north of Chicago Mr. Bunker repeatedly had to wade into the slough and hold up the horses' heads to keep them from drowning. In some places signs had been stuck up — "No Bottom." The first year Mr. Bunker helped his father upon the new farm in Illinois, and the year following hired out, receiving twelve dollars per month, thereby earning enough to buy eighty acres of land from their old neighbor, Titus Brown, who removed to Wisconsin. Mr. Bunker improved his land and built upon it a frame house, riving the shingles out of oak logs, thus putting to use the art which he had before acquired in Pennsylvania. The next winter (1844-5) he taught near the present site of the town of Ridgefield, receiving ten dollars per month — teaching twenty-four days for a month — and "boarding "round" among his pupils. He had forty-six pupils, many of tbem young men and women — some of whom are now well-known citizens of McHenry County. The directors were Uriah Cottle, Jesse Slavin and Henry Jewett. The next winter he taught on the edge of Queen Ann Prairie near Woodstock, receiving twelve dol- lars per month and board as before. The di- rectors of this school were John Dickerson, Andrew Scott and Clinton Murphy, only one of whom (Mr. Scott) now survives, a resident of Kansas. The control of these pioneer schools often depended upon the physical strength of the teacher, especially when there were large boys and grown men in the school. This was considered a hard school to manage, the "big boys" having previously "put out" two teachers, and the Directors, in engaging Mr. Bunker, proposed that one of their number should always be present to assist him to pre- serve order. This Mr. Bunker declined, de- claring that he would "teach the school or quit" — and this he did successfully. The next winter was also spent in teaching. Dur- ing the summer Mr. Bunker worked upon the farm, using the old-fashioned farm implements of the time — has cut grain with an old-fash- ioned cradle and turned the soil with a plow furnished with a wooden mould-board and its sheet-iron covering. On Oct. 25. 1849, Mr. Bunker was married at Marengo, 111., to Martha A. Cottle, the daughter of Uriah Cottle, a pioneer settler of McHenry County. After marriage he spent the next five years in improving his farm, which he traded at the end of this period for property in Woodstock, to which he removed and engaged in mercantile business with his father. Having sold out his interest in the store at Woodstock a year later, he went to Ridgefield and became the first station agent and express agent there on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, which had just been built to that point, becoming the first settler at Ridgefield, which is now a thriving village. He also served as Postmaster and Justice of the Peace, managed a general store and a farm of seventy acres, to which he added until it amounted to 136 acres, which he still owns. After residing at Ridgefield fifteen years, Mr. Bunker returned to Woodstock and again en- gaged in the mercantile business with his brother Amos, which has been continued to the present time. In politics he is an earnest Republican and one of the founders of the party in McHenry County — having cast his vote for Fremont and later for Lincoln. While 658 McHENRY COUNTY. he has often had the opportunity of securing office, he has evinced no desire to do so, though never evading the duties of a good citizen — having been elected Mayor of Woodstock (two terms in succession), has been Justice of the Peace three terms, several times member of the Board of Education and always an advocate of good schools and public improvements. He has prospered in business, besides his mercan- tile interest being a large holder of real estate, including six farms in McHenry County (over 1,000 acres), together with several valuable residences and other real estate in Woodstock. He was one of the early stockholders in the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and was one of the founders and is one of the Directors of the State Bank of Woodstock, besides being one of the founders and principal stockholders in the Bank at Nunda, of which he is at the present time President. He was one of the largest contributors to the stock of the Oliver Typewriter Company, in order to secure that valuable plant as an addition to the industries of Woodstock. Mr. Bunker is essentially what may be called a "self-made man," having gained his present position by industry, econ- omy, integrity and sound judgment, and in his long and successful career has ever received the efficient aid of his faithful wife. Although advanced in life, his erect, vigorous and well- preserved physique, united with a clear and alert intellect, which has been broadened by study and good reading, marks him as one of the best specimens of the early pioneers ot McHenry County, and, at his present advanced age, he daily attends to business with as much promptness and regularity as he did in his younger days. A man of friendly disposition, he has a great love of simple home life, and takes great pleasure in relating reminiscences of pioneer days. MRS. GEORGE K. BUNKER is the daughter of Uriah and Martha (McClure) Cottle, one of the earliest pioneers of McHenry County, be- ing the first settler in Dorr Township and the second in McHenry County. Mr. Cottle was born in Nicholas County, Va. (now West Vir- ginia), June 22, 1800 — the son of William and Martha Cottle. His father was of English and Scotch descent, was a frontier farmer in Virginia, and died on his farm in Nicholas County. Two of his sons serve 1 in the War of 1812, one of them being killed in battle. Uriah received the education common in his day, grew up on his father's farm and was married in his native county to Martha Mc- Clure, daughter of Charles and Martha McClure, born July 13, 1801. Charles McClure was of Scotch ancestry, came to McHenry County, 111., in 1835, and spent the remnant of his days there, dying at the home of his son John, in Dorr Township, in 1844. After their marriage Uriah Cottle and wife settled on a farm adjoining that of his father in Nicholas County, Va., but in 1832 he re- moved to LaPorte, Ind. In the fall of 1834 he came to McHenry County, 111., selected a claim on the edge of Pleasant Prairie in what is now Dorr Township, indicating his title by arrang- ing the trunks of four small trees in the form of the foundation of a house, as notice that the claim was taken. He was accompanied by Calvin Spencer, with whom he went twelve miles southwest where Mr. Spencer located a claim on what is now the site of the town of Marengo. The next spring Mr. Cottle brought out his family, arriving at his destination April 7, 1835. The location selected by Mr. Spencer took the name of Pleasant Grove, and Mr. Cottle's "The Virginia Settlement." The latter was the second white settler in McHenry County, James Gillian, who also came from West Virginia and settled in Algonquin Township, Nov. 18, 1834, being the first. (See sketch of James Gillian). Mr. Cottle left Vir- ginia with the Gillians but returned to LaPorte for his family. Mrs. Gillian, who was an aunt of Uriah Cottle, was the first white woman to reside permanently in McHenry County, while Mrs. Uriah Cottle was the second. The Cottle family spent the first summer in a log pen, without roof or door, and with dirt floor, but in the fall Mr. Cottle covered it with "oak shakes" and put in a puncheon floor. Indians were still numerous thereabout, and frequently came to the house to trade or beg food, but were peaceable and made no trouble. Mr. Cottle was one of the early Methodists in his section, and his house became the home of the early itinerants of that denomination, cne of whom, Rev. William Royal, in the summer of 1835, preached in the Cottle cabin the first sermon preached in McHenry County. The first relig- ious organization was formed here in 1836. Mr. "frla^e^'iTst clcuWvflAowia , &B u^tv^i. McHENRY COUNTY. 661 ers who came to America in the early settle- ment of the New England States. Gideon Button, who was a prominent pioneer and farmer, of Hebron, Washington County, N. Y., is believed to have emigrated from one of the New England States. He married and raised a family of thirteen children, all torn in Wash- ington County, N. Y., their names and dates of birth being as follows: David, born Aug. 19, 1792; Hannah, born April 17, 1794; Putnam, born July 10, 1796; Hadasah, born Nov. 27, 1797; Gideon S., born Jan. 29, 1800; Polly, born Nov 19, 1801; James, born June 27, 1803; Susannah, born Dec. 8, 1804; Delia, born Nov. IS, 1806; Jerusha, born March 4, 1809; Belinda, born Nov. 11, 1810; Charles, born May 27, 1813; Eunice, born Sept. 25, 1815. Belinda (born in 1810) is the only one (1903) still living. The senior Button was a member of the Presbyterian church, and, in his later years, a Whig in politics. David, the oldest son, received an ordinary common-school education, became a farmer, and on Jan. 20, 1814, was married at Brim- field, Mass., by the Rev. Vail, to Permilla Lumbard, born at that place, the daughter of Aaron and Lucy Lumbard. Mr. Lumbard was of Puritan New England stock aDd of English descent, and a farmer by profession. His children were: Ruth, born Feb. 20, 1776; Luce- ba, born March 27, 1781; Zelotis, born Feb. 15, 1783; Abiram, born May 10, 1784; Orpha, born Jan. 17 1787; Erastus, born Sept. 20, 1788; Darius, born May 12, 1791; Permilla, born Dec. 8, 1794 ; Elijah, born March 23, 1799 ; Eliza, born Sept. 7, 1801; Zelotis, born July 7, 1804. Aaron Lumbard, the father, who was a Revolutionary soldier, lived to an advanced age, and died on the family homestead at Brimfield, which he bequeathed to his children. His wife, Lucy Lumbard, survived him some years, during which she drew a pension as a soldier's widow. After his marriage to Miss Lumbard, David Button, settled first at Pawlet, Vt., where they lived four years, and then at Nunda, N. Y., where he located with his family and cleared up a farm in the wilderness. This farm he subsequently sold and opened a new one in Portage, in the same county. The children of this marriage were: Luceba, born at Pawlet, Vt., March 18, 1816; Lucretia, born at Pawlet, Vt., July 4, 1818; Joseph Clark, born in Nunda, N. Y., June 14, 1820; Louisa, born at Nunda, N. Y., April 19, 1823; Fannie, born at Portage, N. Y., Sept. 20, 1827; Permilla, born at Portage, N. Y., Feb. 17, 1829 ; Belva M., born at Portage, N. Y., April 2, 1832. David Button proved him- self a successful farmer for his day. Mr. and Mrs. Button were members of the Presbyterian church, and he assisted to organize the first Sunday School at Hunt's Hollow, N. Y., of which he was the first Superintendent, and was also one of the organizers of the Presby- terian church at the same place. In politics he was an old-line Whig. He died Sept. 7, 1833, a little over forty-one years of age. About 1836 Mrs. David Button married as her second husband Edward Doty, of Allegany County, N. Y., and they soon after settled on the old Button homestead, but in 18'62, removed to McHenry County, 111., settling near Ridge- field. Two children were born to them, viz.: Helen, born at Portage, N. Y., Nov. 25, 1838, now the widow of Gilbert Yule, of Elgin, 111.; and Kitty Alvira, born at Portage, N. Y., April 1, 1842, now the widow of the late Hon. H. L. Humphrey of Hudson, Wis. Joseph Clark Button, as previously stated, was a native of Nunda, N. Y., born June 14, 1820. Having lost his father by death at thirteen years of age, and being an only son in a family of seven shildren, he was early initiated into the hardships of farm life, and the care of the family having largely devolved upon him, his chances of acquiring an educa- tion were meager. When about seventeen years old he spent one winter's term in a dis- trict school, after which he got a few weeks' instruction in a select school taught by Dr. Z. Joslin, and, at the age of nineteen, on the advice of his tutor, began teaching a winter school in the town of Allen, Allegany County, N. Y. Having spent the next winter in an academy at Nunda, he thereafter combined teaching during the winter with farm- work dur- ing the summer, until he had reached the age of twenty-four years. April 4, 1844, he was married by the Rev. Hamilton, to Roxana Thompson, born at Colerain, near Springfield, Mass., Aug. 3, 1820, the daughter of Robert W. and Fannie (Bruffee) Thompson. Mr. Thomp- son (the father of Mrs. Button) was of Massa- chusetts Puritan stock, and the son of Wilson 662 McHENRY COUNTY. Thompson, a substantial farmer who died at the age of ninety-six years. The wife of the latter was a Miss Wilson, who was born in Scotland. Their children were Joseph Calvin, Jonathan, Margaret, Mary, Nancy, Electa, Luther and Robert W. Robert W. Thompson adopted his father's vocation as a farmer, and he and his wife, Fannie Bruffee (who was a member of a colonial Massachusetts family), after their marriage, settled in Nunda, Liv- ingston County, N. Y., where he opened up a farm in the woods. He is described as a very capable man, skillful with all kinds of tools, whether as a carpenter or a blacksmith, and capable of making all sorts of implements needed by the pioneers. He made Mrs. Joseph C. Button a set of cherry furniture, which she still uses and which is now in a fine state of preservation. He improved his farm, erected substantial buildings, and made a good pioneer home where he died aged seventy-seven years. He and his wife were members of the Presby- terian church, and, as a prominent and re- spected citizen, he held a number of town offices. In politics he was an earnest opponent of slavery. The children of this family were: Nancy, Roxana (who became Mrs. Button), Robert, William, Edwin, Eliza A. and Melissa. In May, 1844, a few weeks after his marriage, Mr. Joseph C. Button made a trip to Illinois to look up a new home for himself and wife, coming by way of the lakes from Buffalo, N. Y., to Kenosha, Wis., and thence across the country, looking at land as he went, until he reached Hebron Township, McHenry County. Here he decided to settle, and proceeded to the land office at Chicago to secure his patent for the land selected, but found it had already been entered by some one else. Returning to Mc- Henry County, he met with Christopher Walk- up, by whom he was most hospitably enter- tained at his home in what he called "the Vir- ginia Settlement," and was finally induced to locate in Dorr Township. Mr. Walkup sold him ninety acres of prairie and timber land, and allowed him to enter forty acres more upon which he (Mr. Walkup) had made a claim. Having returned to New York, in August fol- lowing Mr. Button brought out his wife, land- ing, as before, at Kenosha, and making the re- mainder of the journey by wagons in company with his uncle, Gideon Button. They settled in a log cabin, provided with the ordinary stick chimney and a large fireplace with a stone back. The space left by cutting out a section of a log answered the purpose of a window, and a wooden latch, lifted by a string passed to the outside of the door, served as a lock. The floor was of puncheons and the cabin had a shake roof. Here Mr. and Mrs. Button's first two children were born. During the next win- ter Mr. Button taught school in the first log school house erected in Dorr Township — a structure twenty feet square — near the Walkup farm. This house (which was in District No. 1) was a very primitive affair, although several winter schools had previously been taught there. It had the ordinary stick chimney and a fireplace of stone, but Mr. Button induced the directors to put up a cast-iron stove, and this was the first stove in a school house in Dorr Township. During the winter seventy pupils were enrolled, the average attendance being about sixty. Among his pupils were George K. Bunker, then fitting himself as a teacher, who attended a short time to "brush up a little," the Hartman family and Elisha Austin, now of Woodstock. Here Mr. Button taught two winters, and later In the new meet- ing house erected by the Presbyterians, alter- nating for several terms with Eleazer Smith. By industry and economy Mr. Button succeeded in improving his farm, built a frame house some six years after locating in McHenry County, and his present residence in 1859. In this he had the efficient aid of his wife, and has a fine farm property of about 380 acres, which is now divided into three dairy farms, giving homes to three tenant families. Their children were: Emma L., born June 23, 1845; David, born April 7, 1847, (died in infancy) ; Fannie Augusta, born Aug. 19, 1848; Edwin D., born March 3, 1851 (died in infancy) ; Charles Jason, born Nov. 2, 1852; Ida Eliza, born Nov. 17, 1856; Ruby Florence, born Oct. 9, 1864 — all born in the "Virginia Settlement," except Ruby Florence, who is the wife of Prof. Spencer R. Smith, of Austin, 111., and the only one now living. Mr. Button has been a member of the Presbyterian church over sixty years, having joined at Hunt's Hollow, N. Y., when he was seventeen years old and his wife at thirteen, he becoming an elder in this church when about twenty-one. Soon after their arrival in CAj&Sz^C^t7 % RESIDENCE OF MR. C. P. BARNES, WOODSTOCK, ILL. ^hej McHENRY COUNTY. 663 McHenry County they united with the church in the "Virginia Settlement," which is now the Presbyterian church of Ridgefield, 111., and he has been an elder there since 1845. The church at Ridgefield was the first Presbyterian church in this part of the State. It was organ- ized Feb. 6, 1839, and the first settled pastor was the Rev. James H. Baldwin, ordained and installed, Feb. 10, 1847. In politics Mr. Button was originally an old-time Whig, but became a Republican on the organization of that party and was a supporter of Fremont and Lincoln. His sterling traits of character are indicated by the high esteem in which he is held in the community in which he resides. CHARLES P. BARNES. Charles P. Barnes, a son of McHenry County, is now a prominent attorney practicing at the McHenry County bar. and widely known throughout Northern Illinois for his success in his profession, especially in connection with criminal cases. Mr. Barnes was born at Nunda, McHenry County, Feb. 14, 1862, the son of Charles C. and Lydia (Sayles) Barnes. The family is of English descent, but for genera- tions identified with New England history Charles C. Barnes, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a soldier of the Civil War who was killed at the siege of Vicksburg in 1863. bravely fighting for the Union cause, leaving a wife and three small children in humble cir- cumstances. Charles P. was but an infant when his father fell in his country's service, and was reared by his widowed mother in the face of many difficulties. He attended the dis- trict school in his boyhood and. at the early age of eleven years, found employment at such farm work as he was able to do, and from that time on provided for himself and assisted in the support of his widowed mother and his two sisters. This he continued for a number of years, in the meantime attending school at such times as he was able to do so. Among his teachers was the Rev. William Nickel, now a venerable man and one of the oldest teachers of McHenry County still living. In speaking of his former pupils, who have become suc- cessful in business or professional life, Rev. Nickel, alludes to "Charlie Barnes" as a "bright little scholar." In 1880, when about eighteen years of age, young Barnes became a station- ary engineer for the Clayson Drying Factory near Nunda, learning the business in ten days from a practical engineer from Chicago, when he took charge of a plant embracing several boilers and engines. He managed this busi- ness successfully for one year, not having a single accident during all that time. From boyhood Mr. Barnes had taken a deep interest in the trial of legal cases before the Justices of the Peace in his village, and thus gained some knowledge of the order and manner of procedure in a Justice's court. Be- fore reaching nineteen years of age, he had conducted five trials of cases before Justices of the Peace and had won four of them He thus, at the same time, gained an insight into the methods of court procedure and a strong incentive to the study of law. In March, 1891, at nineteen years of age, Mr. Barnes came to Woodstock and entered upon the study of law with Judge O. H. Gilmore. Without means and with no financial backing he worked for his board on a dairy farm near Woodstock for nearly two years, meanwhile prosecuting his law studies. He also found it necessary for a time, to supplement his legal studies with a more thorough training in acad- emic branches, especially in language, thus carrying on two branches of study at the same time. By industry and perseverance he won success. After remaining in Judge Gilmore's office about a year, he speut a year with Judge B. N. Smith and, in March, 1883, after a two- years' course, at the early age of twenty-one years, was formally admitted to the bar. He immediately began practice in Woodstock and at the succeeding term cf the McHenry County Circuit Court in May following, he had three cases, two of which he won. He soon estat* lished himself in a good practice and his prog- ress has since been steadily forward. At that period most of the lawyers at the McHenry County bar were old experienced attorneys and of high legal attainments. In July, 1885. he formed a partnership with Hon. Merritt L. Jos- lyn, who was Assistant Secretary of the In- terior during the administration of President Arthur and a lawyer of wide repute. This partnership was continued for more than two years under the firm name of "Joslyn & 664 McHENRY COUNTY. Barnes," when it was dissolved. Later Mr. Barnes was associated successively with D. T. Smiley, of Woodstock, and J. E. Barber, of Marengo. On Jan. 1, 1903, he entered into partnership with John J. Cooney, a graduate from his office, under the firm name of Barnes & Cooney. Beginning while young and gaining his knowledge of the law largely in the school of experience, Mr. Barnes has absorbed the legal usages, methods of procedure and a sound knowledge of the great body of the law, not only by the hard study of law books, but through the counsel and advice of his precep- tors and by his daily practice in the courts. He has thus gained the reputation of a wise coun- sellor and a skillful practitioner. The success he has achieved in his profession is attested by the numerous applications he has received for positions in his office from young men de- siring to engage in the study of law. Attorneys D. T. Smiley, F. K. Jackman, F. B. Bennett and John J. Cooney. now successfully practicing their profession in Woodstock, studied with Mr. Barnes and passed successful examina- tions before the Appellate Court for admission to practice. Attorneys Robert G. Eckert, of Freeport, Arthur J. Mullen, of Chicago, Frank Spitzer of Fond du Lac, Wis., and W. S. Mc- Connell of Woodstock, were also students in his office. Mr. Barnes has been connected with a num- ber of notable cases before the McHenry Circuit Court, of which the following are es- pecially well remembered: In the famous Templeton murder case, he appeared for the defense and, on the third trial, secured an ac- quittal. In the Delhanty case he was attorney for the State, but lost. In the Gainor murder case he was on the side of the defense. In this memorable case, the defense did not dare to rely upon the jury, but was content to secure a brief sentence in the penitentiary for man- slaughter. Eighteen months later Mr. Barnes, on a writ of habeas corpus, secured the release of the accused on the ground of a defect in the record, and, in a subsequent trial on the charge of murder, Gainor was acquitted. In a number of important civil cases, Mr. Barnes has been equally successful. In the famous Sullivan whisky case, in which Mr. Barnes appeared on the side of the defense, there were eleven defendants and three trials in the circuit court. These cases were taken to the Ap- pellate and the Supreme Courts, all the de- fendants except three being finally acquitted. In the case of Singer vs. the city of Harvard, Mr. Barnes was counsel for the plaintiff, for whom he recovered judgment in the circuit court for $1,800. His other successful cases bave been too numerous to mention. In the fall of 1892 Mr. Barnes was instru- mental in starting and organizing the McHenry County State Bank, of which he has ever since been First Vice-President and Attorney, as well as a member of the Board of Directors. Politically Mr. Barnes acted with the Repub- lican party previous to 1900, when he became a Democrat and took the stump for Samuel Alschuler and William Jennings Bryan. He made a number of able speeches and, although supporting a losing cause, proved himself a good campaigner. He has a reputation for legal skill and ability and has achieved a suc- cess in his profession to be envied by any at- torney in Northern Illinois. Possessing the natural ability, industry and energy to work his way from a small beginning to a prominent position iu life, Mr. Barnes has the desirable reputation of being unusually successful, even in those cases where the chances of winning are extremely doubtful. Persons having such cases before the courts are usually advised to "see Charley Barnes," as there seems to be an impression that any case he undertakes will be ably handled and won if within the bounds of reason. The real basis of every lawyer's reputation as a practitioner at the bar, is his own ability; and this fact furnishes the best evidence that Mr. Barnes is an unusually astute and sagacious legal counsellor and adviser. Mr. Barnes is fond of fishing, hunting and boating, and has a fine summer home at Pis- taqua Bay, where he spends the summer months, being the owner of a launch and sail- boat. ELIJAH A. BOWER. Elijah A. Bower (deceased), who was ^n early resident of Chicago, later settling at Richmond, McHenry County, was born at Little Elm, Derbyshire, England, Jan. 20, 1827, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Carlin) Bower. The Bower family had lived at Elkerson, ad- -^ & An+irv ot^o-ey/^. /5^^-e^ McHENRY COUNTY. 665 joining Little Elm, for generations. Peter Bower, the grandfather of Elijah A., was a farmer and stock-raiser, and lived on the place at Little Elm afterwards occupied by his de- scendants. His children were: Peter, Jr., Jarvis, Thomas, Elizabeth and one son whose name is not remembered. The family were members of the Church of England, and Peter Bower was proprietor of an estate valued at 55,000 pounds sterling. Thomas, Bower, the son of Peter and father of Elijah A. Bower, was born at Elkerson, the old seat of the Bower family, and received an ordinary education for the period in which he lived. Having married Elizabeth Carlin, he settled on the farm called Little Elm, which his father gave him. The children of Thomas and Elizabeth (Carlin) Bower were: Caroline, (who married a Mr. Morley), John, Walter, Wil- liam, Frank, Thomas, Elijah A. and Elizabeth. Mr. Bower passed the latter part of his life in this vicinity on a farm called Stanley, where he died in 1859. He was a member of the Church of England, a prosperous business man, and a member of the "Yeoman Cavalry" — an organization of mounted militia whose name has been much in use of late in connection with the war in South Africa. Elijah A. Bower, whose name heads this sketch, received his education in a subscription school, to which he walked a distance of three miles, and was brought up to his father's busi- ness as a farmer and stock-dealer. When be was about twelve years of age, his father re- moved to the farm known as Stanley, where he remained until 1846, when at nineteen years of age he embarked on an old-fashioned mer- chant vessel at Liverpool for America. The vessel was bound for New Orleans and the voy- age occupied nine weeks and three days. Ar- riving at New Orleans, he proceeded by steam- er up the Mississippi to St. Louis and thence up the Illinois to Peru, where he took the stage for the remaining distance of 100 miles to Chicago. During this part of the trip he had to carry a rail a large part of the way to pry the stage out of the mud. He reached Chicago, March 29, 1846, and soon after found employ- ment in driving a team. His first stopping place in Chicago was at the old "American House" at the corner of Canal and Randolph streets. During the first year he worked for $12 per month, but afterwards obtained em- ployment at an increase of wages in a grain- store with Mr. Robert Morley, with whom he remained two years. During his last year with Mr. Morley he received $30 per month. He en- gaged in buying grain and produce from the farmers on his own account, in which he did fairly well. His next venture was in renting a saloon on a lake steamer, which he ran two years, meanwhile being interested in other speculations. The steamer Lexington, on which he was employed, having been sunk in Lake Erie, off Conneaut, Ohio, he lost $1,500 in consequence of the disaster. He then re- sumed the teaming business in Chicago on his own account. On Feb. 5, 1850, Mr. Bower was married in the city of Chicago, to Elizabeth Reed, who was born in Leeds, England, Feb. 15, 1830, the daughter of James Reed. The father was a native of Leeds, England, who came to Ameri- ca, settling in McHemy County, in 1844, and dying there four years later. His children were: William, John, Mary, Sarah and Eliza- beth. After his marriage, Mr. Bower engaged in the grocery business for a year, after which he spent two years as a manufacturer of con- fectionery. He then took charge of the old "Mansion House" on Kinzie Street, which he managed from 1852 to 1857, when, on Novem- ber 5th of the latter year, he went to Rich- mond, McHenry County, and engaged in buy- ing hides. His next step was to enter into the stock business, which he continued for twenty- five years. In 1860 he bought a farm of forty acres in Richmond Township, to which he add- ed by purchase until he became the owner of 412 acres of fine farming land. Here he re- mained twenty years, and here his wife died, Aug. 27, 1885. She was a member of the Epis- copal church and a woman of many virtues. The children by this marriage were: James Thomas and Delia A. — the latter becoming the wife of James Grier. On Oct. 3, 1889, Mr. Bower married as his second wife, at Reinbeck, Iowa, Anna Broad- ley, who was born at White Pigeon, Mich., the daughter of Henry and Mary (Burnell) Broad- ley. Her father was a native of Yorkshire, England, and was a carpenter, contractor and farmer by occupation. Having emigrated to the United States, he settled at White Pigeon, 660 McHENRY COUNTY. Mich., where he married Mary Burnell. Here he bought a farm and kept a hotel for a time, but finally moved to Spring Grove, McHenry County, 111., where he bought 200 acres of land, later buying eighty-four acres in Lake County. This land he improved and became a pros- perous farmer and substantial citizen. The children of the Broadley family were: Mary J., Ruth, Anna, William H. and John B. Mr. Broadley was a prominent member of the Methodist church, and in early days the meet- ings of that denomination were held in his house. He was a soldier of the Black Hawk War, and died in Waukegan, aged eighty-one years. Mrs. Anna Bower received a good education in an academy at Genoa, Wis., and at the Rich- mond High School, and was a teacher in Bur- ton Township, McHenry County, some three years. She is a member of the Methodist church. In 1895 Mr. and Mrs. Bower removed to Richmond, where he built an attractive residence, residing there until his death, Jan. 25, 1901. In his political views he was an earn- est Democrat and served nine years as Road Commissioner of his township, in which he was regarded as one of the leading citizens and maintained a high reputation for usefulness and integrity of character. JAMES THOMAS BOWER, son of Elijah A. and Elizabeth (Reed) Bower, was born in Chi- cago, 111., Dec. 8, 1853, and, at three years of age, removed with his father to McHenry County, and received his education in the high school at Richmond, and also attended the State Normal School at Normal, 111. In 1868 his father moved on to a farm in Richmond Town- ship, and he was engaged in farm work until nineteen years of age, when he went to Fulton, 111., and was employed in a hotel there two years. Then returning to his home in McHenry County, he was associated with his father for some years in the cattle trade, and was also engaged some six years in buying and selling poultry. September 3, 1879, he was married in Richmond to Mary E. Potter, who was a native of that place, born Oct. 28, 1851, the daughter of Edwin M. and Mary E. (Gibbs) Potter. The father, Edwin M. Potter, was born at Fort Ann, N. Y., the son of Stephen Potter (See sketch of Bodine McConnell). Edwin M. re- ceived a common-school education in his native State, and, in 1853, came with his father to Richmond, McHenry County, where he was en- gaged in the mercantile business for many years. Here he married Mary E. Gibbs, born in Pike, Wyoming County, N. Y., the daughter of Heman Gibbs, who was an officer of the New York State militia. Col,. Gibbs was an early settler in Richmond, where he located as early as 1845, and erected there the first hotel, which he managed for many years. In his later years he became quite wealthy, and continued to re- side at Richmond until his death, which oc- curred at the age of sixty-eight years. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. James T. Bower settled in Richmond, where Mr. Bower served as Postmaster by appointment of Presi- dent Cleveland from Sept. 11, 1885, until 1890, and was again appointed to the same position during Cleveland's second administration — serving in all eight and a half years. He was also engaged in the saddlery and harness trade some twelve years. He is now engaged in the insurance business and looks after his farming interests. He has held a number of town of- fices, was a member of the Board of Village Trustees, for five years being President of the Board; was Town Clerk for three years and school director twelve years. He is now Police Magistrate, having held the office two years. In political affiliation he is a Democrat, and fraternally a member of the Masonic Order, belonging to Calvary Commandery, No. 25, K. T., Woodstock, and also a member of the Modern Woodmen at Richmond. Besides valu- able town property, he is the owner of 412 acres of land in Richmond Township and 220 acres in Alden Township; is also a stockholder and director in the McHenry County State Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Bower have one son, Earl E., born June 6, 1880, who is a graduate of the Richmond High School and attended the Mor- gan Park Preparatory School. He is now cash- ier of the McHenry County State Bank. Of other members of the Bower family, two brothers of Elijah A. — Walter and William — went to South Africa, married there and left numerous descendants. Two other brothers, John and Frank, remained in England and reared families there. Still another brother, Thomas, came to America and settled at Lake, Lake County, Indiana. McHENRY COUNTY. 667 GARDNER E. BURBANK. Gardner Elijah Burbank, a pioneer settler of McHenry County, now residing on his 150- aore farm within a mile of Woodstock, is de- scended' from a good New Hampshire family. Henry Burbank, the first of whom we have definite record, was a life-long resident of New Hampshire, where he followed farming throughout his active life. He married Polly Johnson, daughter of Col. Charles Johnson, who, during the Revolution, raised a regiment which he quartered for some time upon his own estate. Henry and Polly (Johnson) Bur- bank, had nine children, all of whom were born in New Hampshire on the following dates, viz. : Charles J., Jan. 28, 1788; Abijah, July 18, 1790; Johnson, Jan. 29, 1793; Henry, Jan. 17, 1795, (died young); Michael, Jan. 17, 1799; Henry, Dec. 8, 1801; Elijah, May 17, 1805, and Mary, October, 1807. Elijah Burbank, son of Henry, was reared on a New Hampshire farm, and educated in the public schools of his neighborhood, and in a fine old New England academy. During his early manhood he followed teaching for a num- ber of years, filling positions at different times in New Hampshire, Vermont aud New York. At Haverhill, Mass., Jan. 11, 1833, he married Sarah Hutchins, who was born in New Hamp- shire, Nov. 13, 1809, daughter of Joseph and Sarah Hutchins. Mrs. Burbank died April 14, 1886. Seven children were born of this union, viz.: Abigail, born Sept. 26, 1833, now deceased; Sarah E. (deceased), born April ,28, 1835; Emily (deceased), born Jan. 30, 1839; Gardner, born Aug. 19, 1842; George A., horn May 26,. 1844, and is now deceased; Emily L. (deceased), born Feb. 17, 1849, and died at the age of twen- ty years; Mary Lewella, born July 22, 1851. After his marriage Mr. Burbank settled in New Hampshire for a time, where he and his wife engaged in hotel keeping, and where he also looked after a farm which he owned there. Later he moved to Cambridgeport, and worked in a pork-packing establishment for some time, and prior to 1844 he also resided for a time in Walden, Vt. Reports of the rapid settle- ment of Illinois and of fine- farming land to be had there, induced him in 1843 to embark on a flat-boat and sail down the Ohio River to that State, where, in Perry County, he purchased a tract of prairie land, and began a home for himself. After four years, deciding to try his luck further north, in company with several others, he moved by ox-team over the poor muddy roads of Illinois, reaching, in the course of four weeks, Dorr Township, McHenry Coun- ty, June 8, 1847. Here, on an 80-acre claim — proved the preceding spring and purchased of William Ryder — he erected a comfortable log house, where he made his home for five years. In the course of time he had learned the trade of a stone-mason and plasterer, and now find- ing an excellent opening in that line in Wood- stock, he disposed of his farm and moved there, taking up his residence first on Jackson Street, and later in the brick house now occupied by Daniel Tripp, which he erected, and where he passed his remaining days. A good workman he carried on an extensive business in his line for many years. He also continued to specu- late in land, purchasing a 120-acre farm in Dorr Township, which he sold in 1863, realizing a good profit upon his investment. He lived to the advanced age of eighty years, dying in Woodstock, Feb. 2, 1885. Mr. Burbank pos- sessed courage and determination, which sus- tained him through many a rough pioneering experience. To procure his McHenry County claim he did not hesitate to ride horseback to Chicago and back to hire .the money for which he had to pay twenty-five per cent interest. Of a strong physique, not afraid of work, he was an important factor in the development of Mc- Henry County. With his own hands he assist- ed in the erection of the first Presbyterian church in Woodstock, of which he and his wife were devout members, he acting as trustee for many years. Politically he was at first a Whig, and later a Republican, voting for John C. Fre- mont and Abraham Lincoln. Gardner E. Burbank, a worthy son of a hardy pioneer, was born in Walden, Vt., Aug. 19, 1842, and at the age of one and a half years was taken by his parents to Southern Illinois, and when five years old to McHenry County. He received his early schooling in hastily con- structed buildings in Woodstock — one a small frame house, another an old granary — number- ing among his teachers, Sarah Weld, of Elgin, Warren Waterman, Charles Fitch and Philinda Freeman. Later for three winters and one summer, he attended the old frame school house known as Todd Seminary, and still used G68 McHENRY COUNTY. as a wing of the main structure of that institu- tion, procuring, in spite of many drawbacks, a thorough education. Accustomed from his earliest years to farm work, upon reaching manhood he naturally turned to that occupation and, at the age of twenty-two, in company with his father, carried on the pursuit in Cham- paign County, 111., where, in 1865, they pur- chased an 80-acre farm, which he worked for one year. Returning to Woodstock they bought the farm where he now resides. In Alden Township, Jan. 17, 1872, Mr. Bur- Bank married Mary Catherine McLaren, who was born in Alden Township, Aug. 20, 1853, daughter of James and Susannah (Quilhot) McLaren. Mrs. Burbank has always been a thrifty house-keeper, and has in her possession well-preserved table linen and towels, woven in Scotland, and brought to this country by her great-grandmother Mclntyre. Mr. and Mrs. Burbank have five children, viz.: Anna Eliza- beth, born April 20, 1875, is now attending the Waltham, Mass., Training School for nurses; John McLaren, born Nov. 6, 1877, is assistant buyer in the wholesale hardware house of Far- well, Ozman, Kirk & Co., St. Paul, Minn.; Harry Fay, born May 12, 1881, is now attend- ing the agricultural department of the Univers- ity of Illinois; James Frank, born April 6, 1884, is with his brother John in the whole- sale house in St Paul; Helen Jeannette, born Dec. 13, 1889, Is attending school in Wood- stock. Since 1868 Mr. Burbank has carried on his farm just outside of the town, where, in 1883, he erected a handsome two-story house, and the following year moved there with his family. Here he has since resided, engaged in general farming, dairying, and fruit grow- ing. He has greatly improved the property, which now embraces 160 acres and is one of the finest farms in the county. Mr. Burbank has conquered many pioneer drawbacks in ris- ing to his present prosperous position. He is fond of reminiscences, and tells how he and his father were the first to drive over the road running south of his present farm — then a muddy, corduroy highway, almost impassable; how his father, Mr. Baker, Mr. Gilbert and Thomas Lindsey hauled the old granary down to the Dodd farm — now the Lindsey place — and made it. into a school-house, and how his father and his wife went to housekeeping in a little, leaky, old log hut, while he was erecting a more commodious and comfortable log dwell- ing. He has long been active in public works, and in 1900 served very efficiently as United States Census Enumerator for Dorr Township. Politically Mr. Burbank affiliates with the Re- publicans. Mrs. Burbank is a member of the Presbyterian church. John McLaren Burbank, the oldest son of Gardner E. Burbank, was a soldier in the Spanish- American War and served in Porto Rico. He was promoted to be Sergeant. The McLaren family, of which Mrs. Burbank is a member, is of Scotch extraction, and its genealogy in Perthshire is traced back 300 years. They belonged to the ancient clan of McLaren, their family tartan being of a dark green and dark blue threaded with gold. The oldest branch of the family of which any record has been preserved consisted of three brothers and three sisters, who lived in Perthshire, viz.: Alexander, Duncan, James, Christy, Peggie (or Margaret) and Magie. Alexander, the oldest son, married, reared a family and re- mained in the old home in Scotland. It is be- lieved that all the other members of this fam- ily came to America before the American Revolution. Duncan married a lady of good family in Scotland and, after coming to Ameri- ca, settled at Johnstown, N. Y. His wife died in this country leaving no children, when he went to India, where many Scotch people were settling about that time. The daughter Christy became Mrs. Clark and also settled at Johns- town, N. Y. The name of only one of her children is remembered — viz.: James Clark, who removed to Galena, 111., and not long since was still living at the patriarchal age of over 100 years. Another daughter, Margaret, mar- ried in Scotland and had two children, but hav- ing separated from her husband, came w T ith her youngest child to America. The other daugh- ter, Magie, never married, but came to Amer- ica with her sister Margaret. Anabella, the child of Margaret, grew up to be a capable business woman, returned to Scotland and hav- ing found her older sister married, induced her to accompany her to America. James McLaren, the first American repre- sentative of this family, was born in Perth- shire, Scotland, and some time prior to the oC\ PUtOtS/Uh&iUA^ Mc HENRY COUNTY. 669 Re-volution came to America and settled at Fort Edward, N. Y., and later at Johnstown. His death occurred by an accident at Albany, where he had gone to market some wheat. He married Mary McMartin, who, when about six- teen years old, oame to America with her brother. After the death of Mr. McLaren, she married a Mr. Carmichael. She lived to the advanced age of ninety-six years, dying in the summer of 1854. Mr. and Mrs. McLaren had five sons: Daniel and Peter, who were born prior to the Revolution; John, born in 1783, and Duncan and Alexander, born after the Revolu- tion. John McLaren of this family, grandfather of Mrs. Burbank, was born in Johnstown, N. Y., Dec. 1, 1783, and married Nancy Mclntyre, who was born in Perthshire, Scotland, May 18, 1790. The children of John and Nancy (Mclntyre) McLaren were: James, born Dec. 27, 1808; Ann Matilda, born Feb. 2, 1811; James Alexander, born Jan. 21, 1813; John, born April 7, 1815. James McLaren, father of Mrs. Burbank, was born in Johnstown, Fulton County, N. Y., Jan. 21, 1813, and received a limited education. As a young man he engaged in cloth weaving for some time but later settled in Ephratah, N. Y. Hoping to better his prospects further west, in 1844, he moved to Michigan, and afterward resided for some time at Otsego, and later at Kalamazoo. Coming to Illinois in 1846, he took up a 160-acre claim of prairie land in the southeastern part of Alden Township, which he improved and added to its area until it finally embraced 280 acres. Here he engaged in general farming and sheep raising, and be- came one of the prosperous farmers of the county. In Johnstown, N. Y., July 22, 1840, Mr. McLaren married Susannah Quilhot, who was born in Ephratah, N. Y., Feb. 27, 1814, daugh- ter of John and Elizabeth (Yanney) Quilhot. Mr. and Mrs. McLaren had nine children: Eliz- abeth, born June 12, 1841; Joseph, Oct. 15, 1843, and is now deceased; John, Dec. 25, 1844; James, Sept. 26, 1846; Ann Mary, Dec. 27, 1848, and Catherine, Dec. 31, 1850 (all these except Elizabeth are now deceased) ; Mary C. (Mrs. Burbank) ; Martha, born Feb. 12, 1856, but now deceased; Jeannette, born Dec. 26, 1857, gradu- ated from the medical department of Ann Arbor, and is now a practicing physician in St. Paul, Minn. Mr. McLaren was a man of many sterling qualities, and a substantial member of the Linn and Hebron Presbyterian church, giv- ing freely for its support. To this church his wife also belonged. In politics he was a stanch Republican. Of the Quilhots, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Burbank was born in Bordeaux, France, became a surgeon and came to America during the French and Indian War, was taken prison- er by the British and released in New York City. Later he settled at Kinderhook, Colum- bia County, N. Y., where he practiced medicine for many years. He married in the Van Der Pool family. John Quilhot, grandfather of Mrs. Burbank, was born in the State of New York, and married Elizabeth Yanney. Of her family Christian Yanney was the first American rep- resentative. He came to New Jersey among the early colonists, selling his services to pay his passage, as was a custom in those days. He married Susannah Boshart, who was born in Milanberg, Canton Zurich, Switzerland. LATHROP H, S. BARROWS. Lathrop Huckens Storrs Barrows, early teacher of McHenry County, Union soldier and retired manufacturer, now of Woodstock, 111., is descended from early New England and Puritan ancestry, the founder of the family in America being John Barrows, who left Yar- mouth, England, for America in company with his wife Anne and a brother named Robert, the latter dying on the passage across the ocean on the ship Mary Ann. John Barrows and his wife settled in Massachusetts in 1637, and in 1665 removed to Salem, in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Their children were: Robert, Joshua, Benjamin and Ebenezer. Robert was married twice; first to Ruth Bowman, who left four sons — John, Eleazer, George and Samuel; and the second time, to Lydia Bowman, who died in 1707, leav- ing children named Elisha, Robert and Thomas. The son Robert of the second mar- riage was born in 1689, and married Bethea Ford. Later in life they located at Mansfield, Conn., where he died in 1779. Their children were: Jabez, Lemuel, Thomas, Daniel, and Elisha. The son Thomas of this family, born in 1716, was married three times. His first 670 McHENRY COUNTY. wife was Mehitabel Porter, who left one daugh- ter, Experience. The second wife, Abigail Crane, had six children: Thomas, Solomon, Experience, Philip, Eleazer and Lemuel. The third wife was Elizabeth Turner. Thomas, the oldest son by the second marriage, married Martha Hall, May 9, 1776, was a farmer and died at Lebanon, N. H., at the home of his son Storrs, March 14, 1844. He had children named Ruth, Abigail, Andrew, Samuel Storrs, Shepard, Silas, Martha, Thomas and Patty. Mrs. Thomas Barrows, the mother of this fam- ily, died Dec. 23, 1819. The record of the Bar- rows family during the Revolutionary period is very full. It is estimated that there were twenty-five to thirty men of the name in Con- necticut at that time, most of them members of the Mansfield family, of whom at least twelve were soldiers of the Revolutionary War, several of them holding 1 the office of Captain. Shepard Barrows, of the last named family, was bom Aug. 14, 1786, received a common- school education of that period and married in his native town Olive Storrs, who was born in that place. Shepard Barrows and wife moved soon after marriage to Columbus, Chenango County, N. Y,, where he cleared up a farm in that heavily timbered region, and became a substantial farmer, also conducting a dairy of about thirty-five cows. He passed the remain- der of his life there among relatives, dying there Oct. 17, 1868. His children were Sarah S., born June 2, 1818; Gardner Thomas, born Dec. 29, 1820; Austin, born Feb. 20, 1823; Lathrop H. S., born Oct. 8, 1826; Avery Tracy, born in December, 1830; Porter Storrs. born April 1, 1832; Cornelia, born Jan. 3, 1835. Cor- nelia was a missionary and died at Smyrna, Turkey. In religion Mr. and Mrs.. Sbepard Barrows were Congregationalists and! he was a deacon in his church and one of its liberal sup- porters. His son Austin is a deacon in the old church at Columbus, N. Y., of which his father was one of the founders. Lathrop H. S. Barrows, the subject of this sketch, was born in Columbus. Chenango County, N. Y., Oct. 8, 1826, received a good primary education in the public schools ana attended the Manlius Acdemy at Manlius, N. Y He learned the carpenter and joiner's trade and, in the meantime, began teaching at New Berlin, N. Y., in the winter of 1846-7, when about twenty years of age, also giving singing lessons at the same time in the popular man- ner of that period. In the following fall (1847) be came to McHenry County, 111., traveling by railroad to Buffalo and thence by way of tne lakes to Kenosha County, Wis., where he made the acquaintance of Alvin H. Parker, with whom he rode to McHenry County, arriving there Oct. 15, 1847. After his arrival he worked at his trade for a time, and, in the fol- lowing winter, taught school in the Tryon School House in Hebron Township. Among his pupils in this school were the six children of Deacon Jacob Gilbert — Cornelia, Thomas, Ann Eliza, Henry, William and Piatt; the chil- dren of Alvin H. Parker — James F., Clara E., Emily S., Louville M. and Ellen L. ; Harriet, Sidney, Frances C. and George Clark; Charles H. and George Tryon, Edward Douglass and Wellington Towne. The Gilbert family re- moved to California in 1853, making the journey across the plains in company with William Raymond and wife and their adopted son, Jos- eph Irving, now engaged in editorial work in Chicago. The text-books used in those days in- cluded Sanders' Readers, Daboll's and Adams' Arithmetics, Kirkham's Grammar and Com- stock's Natural Philosophy. Mr. Barrows also had classes in algebra, geometry and astronomy, some of his pupils being twenty-two to twenty-three years old. Webster's Elementary Speller was the standard for the primary classes, and spelling-matches were popular entertainments in which the more advanced pupils took part. The superiority of the old system of teaching orthography over that of the present day was strikingly illustrated in the greater accuracy in this branch of education among the pupils of our common schools in that day, as com- pared with some of the college and university- bred students of this latter period. After his experience in the Hebron district Mr. Barrows taught three winters in Greenwood and one, each, in the Queen Ann Prairie and the Stewart districts, proving his capability as a teacher, while working at his trade during the summer. Mr. Barrows was married Aug. 2, 1852, at the home of the bride's parents in Hebron Town- ship, to Emny Saran Parker, who was born in Bristol, N. Y„ Jan. 9, 1833, the daughter of Alvin H. and Mary (Hosford) Parker. (See ZJUJ f&Mll, tf SaM^iJi tJHWl .mois. McHENRY COUNTY. 671 sketch Alvin H. Parker.) In 1853 Mr. and Mrs. Barrows settled in Greenwood Township and, in the fall of 1858, they moved to Woodstock, where Mr. Barrows bought a half-interest with Willard Salisbury in a sash and door factory. A year later he bought out his partner, con- tinuing the business until 1860, when he sold out to other parties. April 27, 1861, Mr. Barrows enlisted for serv- ice in the Civil War as a private soldier of the Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry — the first Illinois regiment to be mustered in for the three years' service — the muster-in taking place May 24, 1861. During his first winter in the service, he was detailed for duty as a nurse in the hospital at Raleigh, Mo., and, after the hattie of Shiloh in April, 1862, in which he took part, was detailed for similar duty on the Hospital Steamer, City of Mem- phis, which carried 1,000 wounded soldiers to Mound City, III., where he continued on hos- pital duty one month. Later, he rejoined his regiment at Corinth, Miss., after which he was honorably discharged on account of disability incurred in the service. He was neither wounded nor a prisoner during his connection with the army, but contracted malaria which disqualified him for active duty in the field. Returning to Woodstock, Mr. Barrows pur- chased the sash, door and blind factory there in which he had been previously interested, and continued in this business for the next ten years. In 1875 he purchased the foundry at Woodstock, which he managed for some years, but, in 1883, on account of failing health, he went to Kingsbury County, S. D., where, hav- ing purchased a half-section of land, he en- gaged in farming. Here he occupied himself improving his land, returning to Woodstock each winter except one winter (1886) when he remained in Dakota for the purpose of teach- ing school. Having finally sold his farm in Kingsbury County, he bought other lands in Beadle and Hand Counties, but later, return- ing to Woodstock, engaged in the manufacture of artificial limbs. For the past six years he has been retired from active business. Mr. Barrows joined the Congregational church at. Columbus Center, N. Y., when about twenty-one years of age, but finding no church of this denomination near his new home on coming to McHenry County, united with the Presbyterian church at Greenwood, and be- came Superintendent of the Sabbath School. After removing to Woodstock, he became a member of the Methodist church in which he held the offices of steward, class-leader and Sabbath School Superintendent. In 1865 he became one of the founders of the Congrega- tional church at Woodstock, and was largely instrumental in erecting the church edifice there for which he was contractor; has also served continuously as deacon of his church since its organization and was made deacon for life in 1900. His brother, Gardner T., was a deacon of the same church for many years up to his death in 1884. Lathrop H. S. Bar- rows has long been the teacher of a Bible class in the Sunday-school of which he was the Superintendent, and also fills the office of church trustee. Mr. Barrows is a member of Woodstock Post, No. 108, Grand Army of the Republic, in which he holds the office of Chaplain. In polit- ical opinions he was originally an old-line Whig, but later became a Free-Soiler (or Abolitionist) and finally a Republican: but since President McKinley's first administra- tion, he has co-operated with the Prohibition parly. He has been School Trustee of Dorr Township for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Barrows are the parents of six children — the first three born at Grenwood, and the last three at Woodstock — viz.: Mary Olive, born June 30, 1853; Cornelia Alice, born Feb. 28, 1856; Charles Storrs, born April 27, 1858; Joseph Eugene, born Nov. 15. 1860; Etta Rose Adelle. born Aug. 18, 1863, and Sarah Elizabeth, born Feb. 9, 1868. Mary Olive married Capt. Frank Landers, now a banker of Webster City, Iowa, June 3, 1874, and they have four children born as fol- lows: Leonora, Sept. 13, 1875; Lou Cornelia, July 26, 1877; John Clement. Jan. 6, 1879. and Frank Lathrop, May 10, 1888. Cornelia Alice married Albert Smith, a farmer of Dakota, March 14, 1875, and she died June 4, 1886, leaving five children with dates of birth as follows : Lathrop Herbert, Nov. 28, 1876; Myrtle Adelle, Oct. 14, 1878, died Nov. 28, 1900; Charles Gardner, Jan. 29, 1881; Grace Etta, Feb. 22, 1883; Clifford, March 28, 1885. Charles Storrs (deceased) was a manu- facturer in Rochester, N. Y., married March 15, 1888, Evelyn Snow, and they had eight chil- dren whose names and dates of birth were: (572 McHENRY-COUNTY. Charles Storrs, Jan. 10, 1889; Ralph Gillett, Aug. 1. 1890; Emily Ruth, May 8, 1892; Cor- nelia Adelle, March 22, 1895; Helen Parker, Nov. 18, 1896, died November, 1897; Alice Evelyn, Sept. 26, 1898; Richard Harlan, May 19, 1900; Katharine Spier, Nov. 16, 1901. Charles S. was educated in the High School at Woodstock and at the State University at Champaign, having as class-mates the present Gov. Richard Yates and Prof. Loredo Taft, the distinguished sculptor, now of Chicago Art In- stitute. He became a designer and student of mechanical engineering, and spent some time traveling in Europe, after which he was, for some years, in the employ of the Standard Oil Company. In 1893 he purchased an interest in the Snow wire-works at Rochester, N. Y., and, two years later, bought out the entire plant, by means of his inventions adding largely to its business and improving the quality of its out- put. He was an artist in his ideals, and his works became the largest in the country, pro- ducing every species of metal office-fixtures and wire-work appliances, but his career was cut short by his death, April 28, 1901. The Rochester Chamber of Commerce, of which he was an honored member, adopted the follow- ing tribute to his memory: "In the death of Charles Storrs Barrows, the Chamber of Commerce loses an influential and enthusiastic member, and Rochester a citizen of the highest type. He was a kindly man in all his relations with others, a faithful friend, clean, straightforward and honorable in all his dealings." Of the other children of Deacon Barrows and wife, Joseph Eugene died in infancy. Etta Rose Adelle married Dr. Charles M. Fosdick, now of Chicago, and Sarah Elizabeth died Sept. 11, 1886. at the age of about eighteen years. Deacon Barrows, the principal subject of this sketch, is one of the most widely-known and highly respected of the early settlers of Mc- Henry County, of whom so few are still living. Of strict integrity in his personal character, his influence and example have always been on the side of justice and right. Always a friend of sound morality, temperance and a pure Christianity, he has devoted his life largely to these causes. Tender and sympathetic in char- snter, with the experience acquired as a nurse during his connection with the army, he has long been depended upon by his neighbors for miles around in cases of sickness, and it is in the part of the "Good Samaritan" that his character stands out in bright relief. The man who aids his neighbor makes a true success in life, and the friends of Deacon Barrows justly claim for him this high honor. MRS. MARGARET BAGLEY. This interesting and highly intelligent pio- neer lady was born at Pultney, N. Y., daughter of Samuel and Mary (McNally) Waddell. Her father, Samuel Waddell, was born in Pennsyl- vania, on the banks of the Susquehanna River, either in Northumberland or in Cumberland County. He was of thrifty -Scotch-Irish descent and the son of William and Margaret (McAf- fee) Waddell. James McAffee was born in County Antrim, Ireland, came to America when young and mar- ried and settled in Pennsylvania, near Milton, Cumberland County, where he was one of the early Sheriffs, and, in colonial times, made his official trips throughout that region on horse- hack. He served in a conflict against the In- dians, and his daughter Margaret, the grand- mother of Mrs. Bagley, remembered escaping from the Indians on several occasions. William Waddell was born in the North of Ireland and came to America with his brother Samuel. Samuel settled in the South, prob- ably in North Carolina, and was never after- ward heard from directly, but a family residing in North Carolina claimed their descent from him. Mr. Waddell settled on the Susquehanna and, after the birth of his first three children, moved to Seneca County, N. Y., where he bought a farm partly cleared of the timber, and, at that time, known as surveyor's land. Here he passed his remaining days and died about 1812, being then in middle life. His children were: Jane, Samuel, James, William, Martha, Mary, Fannie, Nancy, Isaac and Mar- garet. William Waddell was a Scotch Presby- terian in religious belief and a man of excellent character. Samuel Waddell received a common-school education, read extensively of general litera- ture and possessed an active mind well stored with general information. He took a deep in- terest in natural history, and, as a student of McHOENRY COUNTY. 673 nature, became a naturalist of no small ability and imparted to his children valuable instruc- tion in this particular branch of science. Mr. Waddell was a soldier in the War of 1812, and when eighteen years old served eighteen months with Col. Swick's riflemen. He was stationed at Fort Erie and Detroit, and was one of a party of volunteers in the attack on Fort Walden, Canada, where the Canadians were defeated and driven from the fort. Mr. Waddell was sick at Fort Erie for three months and his mother received no other news from him, except that he was sick. She was then a widow lady about forty years of age, with nine children, some of whom were very small. She determined to visit her son, but the journey would seem impossible when we consider that it was through a wilderness with- out roads or bridges with only narrow Indian trails, and tracks made by wild animals, as a guide. The only means of conveyance was on horseback, and the long journey of several hundred miles would take her through a coun- try then infested with bands of hostile Indians and marauders. While most of the hostile In- dians had been driven back, there were yet a great many small straggling bands, and be- sides these, many desperadoes scattered throughout the country. Nothing daunted, this brave woman mounted her horse with the determination of seeing her sick son. Having but passed through one of her own fields, at the very beginning of her journey, she heard some one call, and her son, who had partially recovered from his recent illness, had re- turned home on foot just in time to relieve his loving and heroic mother of the hardships and dangers of her perilous journey and fill her heart with gladness. Samuel Waddell, when twenty-five years of age, married at Ovid, N. Y., Mary McNally, who was horn in Phila- delphia, daughter of John and Isabel (Duncan) McNally. Isabel Duncan was born in Scotland, the daughter of William and Mary (Wilson) Dun- can, a sister of the eminent Ornilhologist, Alexander Wilson, and owing to objections made by her father to her intended marriage, she came to America in charge of Dr. Galla- gher, who became an eminent Philadelphia physician. John McNally was born' in the North of Ireland, served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and died of sickness at Fort Erie. His children were Mary, William, James, Catherine and Isabel. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Wad- dell settled on a farm at Crooked Lake, Steu- ben County, N. Y., and after a residence there of ten years, moved to Michigan and settled on an eighty-acre farm in Livingston County. Mr. Waddell made excellent progress toward improving his farm, but sixteen months later he died of malarial fever, at forty years of age. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and in politics a member oi the Whig party. He was a man of excellent moral character, very careful and clear in speech. His children were Matilda, Anna, Margaret, Mary, Andrew, William and Isa~belia. Mrs. Waddell lived to be nearly ninety-four years of age and died in Steuben County, N. Y. Mrs. Margaret (Waddell) Bagley, was about ten years old when she came with her mother and family to Michigan. The journey was made by canal and lake to Detroit, and thence by wagons to Livingston County. Mr. Wad- dell had removed to Michigan a few weeks in advance of his family and had built a log house for them to occupy when they arrived. The following year, after Mr. Waddell's death, the family returned to New York State, and Margaret lived with her grandmother Waddell until she married Mr. Bagley. She had re- ceived a good common-school education and inherited a love of literature, having been from youth accustomed to good books, and her father's instruction in zoology, ornithology and botany proved of great value to her. She well remembers the friendly Pottawatomie Indians who often visited her father's house, when the family first moved to Michigan, for the pur- pose of trading their trinkets for food. Mr. Bagley's farm was on the Indian trail to De- troit, where the Indians went for ammunition and supplies, and to receive their annuities from the Government. The Indians who visited their house were very courteous, the excellent conduct and good manners of the Indian chil- dren being especially noticeable and worthy of mention. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bagley settled on a farm in Chemung County, N. Y., remain- ing one year and then (1851) came to Illinois and settled at Marengo, where he engaged in business, buying grain and produce. The fam- ily lived at Marengo fourteen years and then removed to Walworth County, Wis., where Mr. Bagley purchased a farm, but one year later they returned to Marengo and shortly after- 674 McHENRY COUNTY. wards removed to Rockford, where. Mr. Bagley engaged in the nursery business. Eighteen months later (1874) Mr. Bagley and his family moved to Harvard, where he engaged in the lumber business, afterwards transferring his business to Woodstock. Mr. Bagley was a highly respected citizen and a very successful man in business transactions. Politically he was a Republican and held the office of Town Clerk in Marengo, and was also President of the Town Board. He was a member of the Baptist church and was a deacon in the church at Marengo. Mrs. Bagley is a member of the Presbyterian church. Their children in order of birth were as follows: Lue, lAinna, John Winslow, Elmer E,, Mary and Ethel. Those still living are Anna (Mrs. Robert Hall), Elmer E., Mary (Mrs. C. W. Nims), and Ethel (Mrs. Stuart Saunders). Mrs. Bagley is a lady of wonderful memory and has a rich store of knowledge and remin- iscence from which to draw upon. The his- tory of her life is a history of thousands of others of those remarkable pioneer women, who have had and still have such an influence over the affairs of the great Middle West. ELMER ELLSWORTH BAGLEY. Elmer E. Bagley, one of the prominent busi- ness men of Woodstock, was born at Marengo, 111., June 2, 1861, son of John Heman and Mar- garet (Waddell) Bagley. John Bagley, the grandfather, was a farmer residing near El- mira, N. Y.. and descended from a family of Puritan settlers of New England. In his old age he came to Marengo, 111., to visit his son, John Heman, and here died an aged man. John Heman Bagley, the father of Elmer E., was born in Elmira, N. Y., July 27. 1824. He re- ceived a limited common-school education, be- came a lumberman, and when a young man, was superintendent of a lumber-mill at Corn- ing, N. Y. He married at Paulding, Steuben County. N. Y., Margaret Waddell, who was born in Steuben County, N. Y., Oct. 25, 1826, daughter of Samuel and Mary (McNally) Wad- dell. Aifter marriage, in 1852, Mr. Bagley came to Illinois and bought land near Aurora, and in 1853, settled in Marengo, where he en- gaged in the grain and lumber business. In 1866 he bought a farm of 200 acres at Lake Geneva, Walworth County, Wis. In 1874 he engaged in the lumber business at Harvard, 111., and two years later opened a lumber yard in Woodstock, continuing in this business until 1883, when he retired from active business and resided at Harvard until 1894, the time of his death, being then sixty-nine years of age. In political opinion he was an old-line Whig and later become a Republican. He was an hon- ored citizen of McHenry County and served as President of the Village Board at Marengo. He was never an office seeker, but took a deep interest in national politics, and read exten- sively of standard historical works and the press of his day, and in this manner became a well-informed man. His children were Lue, who died in 1895, the wife of Joseph Swinney, of Walworth, Wis.; Anna, wife of Robert Hall, of Harvard. III.; John H, Jr., who died when twenty-eight years of age; Winifred, who died aged six years; Elmer Ellsworth; Mary, wife of c. W. Nims, of Chicago, and Ethel Maga*-et, wife of Stuart Saunders, of Harvard, 111. Mr. Bagley was a practical business man of n\uch integrity of character, a member of the Baptist church, and gave to all of his children the ad- vantages of a good education. Elmer E. Bagley, the principal subject of this article, was born at Marengo, 111.. June 2, 1861, and educated in the puollc schools of Marengo and the High School at Harvard. He came to Woodstock in 1881, and engaged in the lumber and feed business with his father, remaining in company with his father until the fall of 1883, when he and his brother John suc- ceeded to the firm of J. H. Bagley & Son. In 1884 Elmer E. bought out his brother's inter- est, and in 1886 sold the lumber business to W. D. Hall, afterwards gradually entering the wholesale feed and grain business, in which he has been prosperous and is still engaged. In 1893 Mr. Bagley disposed of the retail de- partment of his business, and gradually ex- tended his wholesale grain business through- out Northern Illinois, and Southern and Cen- tral Wisconsin, being today one of the repre- sentative business men of this section of country, having attained a marked degree of prosperity and success. Politically he is a Republican and has served as City Treasurer of Woodstock one term, a member of the Board of Education four years, President of the Board of Education in 1900, a member of the Board of Aldermen of Woodstock one term. McHENRY COUNTY. 675 and at the present time, is one of the members of the Public Library Board. Fraternally Mr. Bagiey is a member of the I. O. O. F., of Wood- stock, and has passed all the chairs and held the office of Noble Grand. In Woodstock, 111., Sept. 11, 1884, he was married to Augusta Furer, born in Woodstock, Jan. 31, 1862, daugh- ter of Edward B. and Sophia (Reimann) Furer. Their children were: John H., born Sept. 11, 1888, died at the age of four months; Elmer E., born March 25, 1900. In 1896 Mr. and Mrs. Bagiey adopted a little daughter, Doris Emma Mapes, born May 5, 1892, whom they are rais- ing as a member of their family. Mr. Bagiey is a public-spirited business man of the broad- minded and educated type. HENRY T. BROWN, M. D. For more than half a century, Dr. Brown has been one of the successful practitioners of Mc- Henry County, surpassing, in point of time, that of any other physician in the county. His family is of English origin, and was among the early settlers of Massachusetts. Both his grandfather and his father were born in the town of North Adams in that State, the former being a farmer and the latter a manufacturer of woolens. Benjamin B. Brown, father of the subject of this sketch, received for the times, a good English education, and, while yet a young man, removed from Massachusetts to New York, where he married Ann L. Way, the daughter of Joshua Way, a farmer and mill owner of Yates County, and a man of not a little local influence. For several years Ben- jamin B. Brown manufactured cloth at Penn Yan, Yates County, N. Y., and afterwards bought a farm near that place. He first came to McHenry County in the spring of 1837, rather on a tour of prospection than with a well-defined purpose of settlement, leaving his wife and six children (among them being Henry T.) at home. There he found his brother-in-law, William L. Way, who had al- ready found a home there, while among the other pioneer residents of the new country were Dr. Cristy G. Wheeler and family and Henry McLean, the last named having gone to Vandalia, 111., .to bring home a bride. Not. long after his arrival, Benjamin B. Brown built his famed "log-cabin tavern," which was destined to become one of the his- toric hostelries of the State. Mrs. Brown joined him in 1838, leaving their children tem- porarily in the care of the lessee of their farm, and they followed their parent in the autumn of 1839. The tavern conducted by Mr. Brown was regarded, in its day, as a paragon among early hostelries. It stood upon the site of the present Riverside Hotel in McHenry, and was a double log house with an "L" at- tached, part of the structure being two stories in height. The two houses were later con- nected by a frame structure, and a part of it is still standing, beyond doubt the oldest building in the county. It was rambling in plan, and its appointments were of that primitive sort to be expected in those times, yet it was im- mensely popular in its day. Game was abundant, and the bountifully spread table was laden with venison and wild fowl. The first school in the county was taught in one of its north rooms, and in its upper story was the first court room. Around its capacious old- time fireplace, with its huge logs and its mud- daubed chimney of sticks, were wont to gather not only the pioneers and land-seekers, but judges, lawyers and jurors in attendance upon the court, and the tall form of "Long John" Wentworth was a familiar figure at every term of court. Political discussion alternated with reminiscent stories, while wit and repartee, jokes and banter, jollity and good fellowship were always abundant. It was beneath its roof that Mrs. Brown, the mother of Dr. Henry T., passed away about 1842, and in time her widowed husband disposed of the celebrated tavern to lead a more quiet life in the village of McHenry. He wa.s a man of no little prominence, popu- lar, respected and influential; originally a Democrat of the most pronounced Jacksonian type, he was in 1860 a supporter of Stephen A. Douglas for the Presidency. He was one of the earliest County Commissioners, and for many years held the office of Justice of the Peace. He was one of the founders of the first Masonic Lodge in McHenry County, and a Knight Templar. In his old age he removed to Missouri to pass his declining years with a son-in-law, Oscar Griswold, at whose home he passed away in 1866. He was the father of six children; Reliance, Susan, Mary, Henry T., Homer and William W. Dr. Henry T. Brown, the venerable and ven- 676 McHENRY COUNTY. erated physician whose long and honored career forms the subject of this sketch, was born in Manchester, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1823. His early education was as good as was afforded by the country schools of his home and time, and while yet a boy he began life's battle as a clerk in a general store in Penn Yan. He came with his brothers and sisters to Mc- Henry in 1839, reaching his destination on his sixteenth birthday. The journey was a novel experience for the young travelers. They went by canal and lake to Chicago, but from that poiDt they were uncertain how to proceed. They learned of the existence of a place called Elgin on the Fox River, and as Henry hap- pened to know that McHenry was situated north of Elgin, they hired a team and driver to transport them thither and thence to their ultimate destination, which they reached in safety. His father at that time owned a ferry across the Fox River, and young Henry was given the post of ferryman, his duties consist- ing in paddling a flat-bottomed scow from one bank to the other. He had, however, a latent and unslaked thirst for knowledge and, as soon as circum- stances permitted, he entered Slater's Academy at Ringwood, where he remained as a pupil for six years. For a time he was a clerk for John W. Smith, the purchaser of the "Log-cabin Tavern" from his father, Benjamin B. Brown: yet his natural talent was toward the study of medicine, and in 1844 he began a course of reading with Dr. James McAllister, then a well-known practitioner of Ringwood, and, after three years so spent, matriculated at Rush Medical College, Chicago, from which in- stitution he graduated in 1850. The California gold fever was then epidemic, and in that year the Doctor made one of a party to cross the plains in quest of the precious metal. He was accompanied by Archelaus Sias (one of McHenry County's earliest pedagogues), Augustus Turner, Horace Dwelley and Dr. Theophilus Fravel. Besides an abundant supply of provisions, clothing, bedding, cooking utensils, etc., the equipment of the party consisted of two large wagons and one lighter vehicle, each drawn by two horses, an additional equine being taken along for a case of emergency. They were ferried across the Mississippi at Albany, and across the Mis- souri at the point where Plattsmouth now stands, but where at that time there was no settlement. Thence their route followed the old Mormon trail, along the southern bank of the Platte. Indians were numerous, but the party reached in safety the district of Placer- ville, then known by the suggestive, if not euphonious, name of "Hangtown." Here Dr. Brown alternately mined and practiced medi- cine, receiving from ten to eighteen dollars for an ordinary professional visit, from twenty to twenty-five dollars for a trip requiring more time, and from one hundred to three hundred dollars for an ordinary surgical operation. Wearying of the life in two years, however, he turned his face homeward, crossing the Isihmus by mules, proceeding from Aspinwall to New Orleans by steamer, by steamboat to St. Louis and thence by stage to McHenry. For five years he practiced there but in 1857 again crossed the plains overland, going as far west as Pike's Peak, and once more following the dual occupation of goldseeker and physi- cian. In 1858 he once more returned home, overland. Buffalo were abundant in those days and the doctor's party consumed three days in passing through one herd, which spread out as far as the eye could reach. The sight was wondrous, but the teams were driven very slowly and with the utmost caution to avoid the danger of starting a stampede, which would probably have proved fatal to the band of homeward bound adventurers. Since his return to McHenry in 1858, the doctor has re- mained there, quickly building up an extensive and lucrative practice, reaching over a large territory. His recognized skill as a physician has commended him to the unwavering con- fidence, not only of his patients but of the entire community in which his useful life has been passed. He was married on June 1, 1852, at McHenry, to Almira M. Smith, who was born April 30, 1831, in Johnson, Vt., a daughter of Abijah and Thankful (Griswold) Smith. Both Dr. and Mrs. Brown are members of the Universalist church, and have been liberal contributors towards its support and growth. Politically Dr. Brown is a Republican. Two children have blessed this union: Adell and Paul. The daughter is the wife of Mr. Clarence A. Knight, a distinguished member of the Chicago Bar, while Mr. Paul Brown is also a well-known member of the Chicago bar. Mc HENRY COUNTY. 677 GORDON LUCIUS BECKLEY. Gordon Lucius Beckley was born in Utica, Chenango County, N. Y., May 29, 1838, son of Gordon Lewis and Phoebe (Barnes) Beckley. When an infant about two months old he was brought to Illinois by his parents and raised among the pioneers of McHenry County. He attended school in a log building, the first school house in the Beckley district, and when the present one was erected, the log house was sold and put to other uses. It was about twenty feet square, built of round logs notched at the corners, an oak shingle roof, board floor, small glass windows, a stick chimney, daubed with mud, and a large fire-place. The first teacher whom Mr. Beckley remembers, was Amanda McOmber, and later one of his in- structors was a Mr. Randle. Mr. Beckley at- tended school in this primitive structure for several years, and later in a one-story brick schoolhouse in the same district, one-half mile farther east and in which a school is still taught. When nineteen years of age, he at- tended the graded school at Ringwood for one year, his teacher being William Nichols, who afterwards held the office of County Superin- tendent of Schools of McHenry County. Dur- ing Mr. Beckley's attendance at school, he worked on the farm through the intervening summer season. At the age of twenty-two years, he enlisted as a private in Company I, Fifty-second Illinois Infantry, and was mus- tered into the service Sept. 11, ~o61, at Geneva, 111., and served three years under the following company officers: J. T. Brown, Thomas Thomp- son, S. D. Davis and A. W. Wilborn. He was honorably discharged in January, 1863, at Pu- laski, Tenn., but re-enlisted as a veteran in the same organization and served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Louis- ville, Ky., in July, 1865. Mr. Beckley partici- pated in the following battles: Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Siege of Corinth, Iuka, Corinth, Hat- chie, Town Creek, Bear Creek, Resaca, Lay's Ferry, Rome Cross Roads, Dallas, Cal- houn Cross Roads, Mill's Creek, Kenesaw Moun- tain, Decatur, Atlanta, Lovejoy Station, Jones- boro, Altoona, Bentonville, and battles in Sher- man's famous march to the sea, and took part in the grand review at Washington. He was in twenty-two hard fought battles and many skirmishes. During the famous Atlanta cam- paign the Union troops were under fire nearly four months, day and night, and in Sherman's memorable march to the sea, there was a great deal of skirmish fighting and foraging, and on the return march to Washington, the Union soldiers made one of the longest and quickest marches in history. In January, 1863, Mr. Beck- ley was promoted for gallant and meritorious conduct, and when re-enlisted as a veteran, promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant in Company I, and served in this capacity un- til mustered out of service. Although in so many battles, Mr. Beckley was never wounded. He took part in all of the battles and skirmishes of his regiment, and was in all their campaigns and marches, except the one from Pittsburg Landing to Corinth, being at that time in the hospital sick with pneumonia and typhoid fever. He was taken sick at Pittsburg Landing and was in the field hos- pital two weeks, when he was removed to the hospital in St. Louis and, after one month's treatment, allowed to go home on a sick fur- lough for thirty days. Mr. Beckley describes the battle of Corinth as the hardest fought of any of the engagements in which he took part. His regiment lost heavily, and in the battle of Corinth, a ball passed between the visor of his cap and his forehead. In July, 1865, he returned to McHenry County and resumed his former occupation, that of a farmer. July 4, 1866, he married Emily Erwin Wilson, born in Johnson, Lamoille County, Vt., Feb. 11, 1836, daughter of Robert and Margaret (Erwin) Wilson. Robert Wilson was of English descent, born in New Hampshire and the son of Robert Wil- son. He was a carpenter by trade, and moved to Michigan, but afterwards returned to Ver- mont, where he died in 1838. The family moved to McHenry County in 1855. After marriage, Mr. Beckley purchased the Beckley homestead, where he and Mrs. Beck- ley lived until 1892, when they moved to Nunda and bought an attractive residence. In poli- tics Mr. Beckley is a Republican. He is a member of the G. A. R., Post Number 226, at Nunda, in which he has been Commander one term, and Quartermaster eight years, the lat- ter officer being Treasurer of the Order. Dur- ing his services in the Civil War, he won a re- markable battle record. He was one of those soldiers who bore the brunt of the fight, and it is to such men as he that this country owes 678 McHENRY COUNTY. a debt of gratitude for the preservation of the Union. JONATHAN S. BROWN. One of the substantial business men of Ring- wood, McHenry County, is Jonathan S. Brown, the son of Samuel W. and Sophia (Cogswell) Brown. The father, who was a pioneer of Hebron Township, McHenry County, was born at Raymond, N. H., April 22, 1811, the son of Levi S. and Betsy (Worthen) Brown. Levi S. was of English and New England Puritan an- cestry, his father, Levi Brown, being a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who participated in the battles of Bennington and Bunker Hill. The powder-horn which he carried in these famous engagements is still preserved as a precious heirloom by the family and, at the present time, is in possession of the subject of this sketch. The elder Levi Brown, who was the great- grandfather of Jonathan iS., was a pioneer set- tler at Raymond, N. H., and lived to the ex- traordinary age of one hundred years. His son, Levi S., was a farmer at Raymond, and married Belsy Worthen. Their children were: Samuel W. and Levi — both now deceased. Levi S.. the father, owned a good farm at Raymond, and was a member of the Presbyterian church. He died in the town of Raymond. Samuel W., the son of Levi S., received a good common- school education for his day, studied mathe- matics and became a practical surveyor. He was reared as a farmer, but in his youth learned the business of a machinist, beginning at Lowell, Mass., when fourteen years old. Here he was engaged for several years in the con- struction of railway engines, building the first engine for the Boston & Lowell Railroad Com- pany. He was married at Dover, N. H., Aug. 24, 1842, to Sophia C. Cogswell, who was born at Boscawen, N. H., June 9, 1822, the daughter of Francis and Elizabeth (Smith) Cogswell. Her father was a native of Dover, N.H., and was the son of Col. Amos and Mary (Bell) Cogswell — the former of English Puritan stock and an officer of the Revolutionary War, who received the surrender of an English vessel. He was a prominent citizen of Dover and died at the age of ninety years. His sword was brought West by his daughter, Mrs. Brown, and is yet in possession of the family. His children were: Francis; Lydia, who married Paul Went- worth, and they were the parents of John Went- worth, who was prominent in i^nicago history between 1836 and 1888; Sophia, who married a Mr. Currier, and two others whose names are not remembered. Francis Cogswell received a collegiate edu- cation, graduating at Portsmouth. N. H., studied law and finally settled at Boscawen, N. H., where he engaged in practice and also owned a farm. His children were: Amos, George, Lydia, Annette and Joseph. He was a sub- stantial and respected citizen and. in his old age, in company with his wife, visited Owa- tonna, Minn., where their children had settled, and where he died at the patriarchal age of ninety-six years. His wife died aged eighty- two years. They were both members of the Congregational church, and he served as a sol- dier in the War of 1812. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Samuel W. Brown settled in Raymond, N. H., where he owned a half interest in a saw, shingle and grist-mill, the remaining interest belonging to his uncles. His family then consisted of his wife and three children: Jonathan S., Francis and Jane, all born in New Hampshire. They came to Illinois in 1849, arriving in Hebron Township, May 3d of that year, making the journey by way of the lakes to Waukegan, and thence by teams to their destination. Here he bought 160 acres of partly improved land upon which he made further improve- ments, by additions increasing his holding to over 200 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were members of the Methodist church and in poli- tics he was originally a Jacksonian Democrat, becoming a Republican of the Lincoln school on the organization of that party. In 1850 he was appointed Postmaster at Hebron, serving eleven years ; was Supervisor for Hebron Town- ship ten years, served as Deputy Surveyor of McHenry County, and for more than a quarter of a century held the office of Justice of the Peace, besides being a member of the School Board and discharging the duties of Notary Public for maDy years. His death occurred in December, 1888, at the age of about seventy- seven years. Jonathan S. Brown, whose name heads this article, was born in Raymond, N. H., Jan. 11. 1841, and was only six years of age when brought by his parents to McHenry County. He ^P04i4A4£jf //$>, prtA/h .•■-•, INOI& McHENRY COUNTY. 679 received his education in the district schools and Genoa Junction High School, was well drilled in the higher mathematics, and having fitted himself as a surveyor, followed this occu- pation in conjunction with his father some fifteen years, serving during a part of this time as Deputy Surveyor under Surveyor John Brink. He always carried on the business of farm- ing, however, until some eight years ago, resid- ing on the Brown homestead. On September 4, 1861, he was married in Hebron Township to Maryette Stewart, who died four years later. On Dec. 19, 1875, he married as his second wife ; Emma Rugg, who was born at Linn, Wis., Oct. 9, 1855, the daughter of "William and Hannah Rugg. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Brown settled on his farm in Hebron Town- ship, remaining until 1893, when he removed to Ringwood to educate his children, building there an attractive residence. In 1900 he en- gaged in the drug business, erecting a com- modious building for this purpose. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church, and in politics he is a Republican. He has served fourteen years as Justice of the Peace, being first elected to fill a vacancy in Hebron Township. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are parents of two children: Florence and Samuel W. Mr. Brown well sustains the high reputation for sterling integrity and usefulness as a citizen established by his pioneer father. Sketches of the children of Samuel W. and Sophia (Cogswell) Brown: Francis C. Brown was born at Raymond, N. H., April 22, 1842; received a good common- school education, studied surveying and was engaged in the business of a surveyor with his father, whose surveying instruments he inher- ited. He married Mary Clarke, of Bixby, Steele County, Minn., and they have had three children, viz.: Charles, Harry and Edna. Mr. Brown is the owner of a large farm in Steele County, Minn. Jane B. Brown was born in New Hampshire, Oct. 28, 1840. She married Lewis Ellington, a bank cashier of Crookston, Minn., and they have one son, Elmer. George W. Brown was born on the old home- stead in McHenry County, April 11, 1851. He married Mary Widsteen, of Greenwood, Mc- Henry County, and they have four children: Robert, Evaline, Irvin and Floyd. George W. is a business man of Port Townsend, Washing- ton. Mrs. Samuel W. Brown, who still survives, has four grand-children who are married: Charles, son of Francis C, who lives in Steele County, Minn.; Harry, a farmer of the same county, who has two daughters and one son; and Florence (daughter of Jonathan iS.), who married Amos W. Smith, a substantial farmer of McHenry County, and they have one daughter, Mary. JOHN EDMUND BECKLEY. Captain John Edmund Beckley, an honored citizen of Nunda, McHenry. County, and a vet- eran of the war for the preservation of the Union, is of Puritan and New England ances- try, the progenitor of the American branch of the family having settled at an early day in Connecticut. The earliest representative of the family, of whom any record is now at tainable, was Richard Beckley, who died July 3, 1760, at the age of sixty-six years, leaving three sons named John, Benjamin and Nathaniel. Nathaniel, the last named of these children, had a son Daniel, who also had a son by the same name, and Daniel (2) had a son known as Daniel (3). Daniel (3) was the father of Dr. Daniel Beckley, a patriot soldier of the Revolutionary War and grandfather of the sub- ject of this sketch. Dr. Beckley's father died March 4, 1760, aged thirty-six years and his wife July 10, 1773, aged forty-six. Dr. Daniel Beckley was born at Wethersfield, Conn., June 11, 1758, and died Nov. 9, 1843, aged eighty- five, and his wife, Levia.. Feb. 16, 1797. He fought under Washington at Trenton, N. J., and also took part in the battle on Long Is- land. After the Revolutionary War he studied medicine and practiced his profession in Con- necticut ; was also a classical scholar and a superior penman. His family Bible — which be- longed to an edition published in Philadelphia in 1807, and purchased at a cost of $6.00, Dec. 7, 1808 — is now in possession of Captain Beck- ley, and contains not only the family record, but the constitution of the "Family Temper- ance Society," one of the earliest organizations of the kind in the United States, of which Dr. Beckley was a member. The volume bears evidence of having been much read and many 680 McHENRY COUNTY. passages upon which the original owner evi- dently loved to dwell, retain marks and anno- tations by his hand. Gordon Lewis Beckley, the son of Dr. Daniel Beckley, was born at Waterbury, Conn., and received a limited education. His mother hav- ing died when he was twelve years old, he was "bound out" to learn the cabinet-maker's trade. October 25, 1815, he married Phoebe Barnes, born at Granby, Conn., July 15, 1794, the daughter of Thomas Barnes. Gordon L. Beck- ley was a member of the Connecticut State militia, and was in the United States service during the War of 1812, being for a time stationed at Ft. Philip at the mouth of the Thames River, Conn., and participating in the engagement there. After marriage Mr. Beck- ley worked at liis trade several years at Granby, and later lived in the town of Greene, Chenango County, N. Y., until 1838, when he came to McHenry County and located on a claim of 160 acres, about two miles north of Nunda village in what is now Nunda Township. He improved his.-, farm, to which he made addi- tions until he owned 200 acres, and spent here the remainder of his days. In early life he was a Universalist and always liberal in his religious views. The first post-office estab- lished in his neighborhood was located in his house, and he had charge of it as deputy post- master. Originally a Whig, in 1856 he became a Republican. The children of George L. and Phoebe (Barnes) Beckley were: Sylvia M., born Feb. 24, 1819; Edgar L., born Dec. 7, 1823; John Edmund, born April 11, 1826; Levi P., born Feb. 22, 1833, and Gordon Lucius, born May 29, 1838, besides several who died in infancy. Two sons of Gordon L. Beckley served as soldiers in the Civil War. One of these, Gordon L., Jr., enlisted as a private in the Fifty-second Regi- ment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was later promoted to a lieutenancy, veteranized and served nearly four years, taking part in the "March to the Sea" under Sherman. The other was John Edmund, the suiiject of this sketch, whose record will be given more fully hereafter. Captain John Edmund Beckley was an in- fant when his parents removed from Connect- icut to New York, and twelve years old when they came to Illinois. He well remembers the latter journey, which was by way of the Chen- ango Canal to Utica and by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, thence by lake steamer to Chicago, the voyage occupying eleven days. The journey by hired team from Chicago to McHenry County, largely through an unsettled country, consumed five days. After coming to McHenry County Captain Beckley spent two winters in a school in the Button neighborhood, was a pupil for five winter terms at the Nunda school, then spent one winter in Fowler's Academy near Kenosha, Wis., and, later, was a student during one winter term in a select school kept by Hiram Clark, in Woodstock. He then be- came a teacher for six successive winters, hav- ing charge of schools at Nunda and Ridgefield. October 22, 1854, Capt. Beckley was married at Nunda, to Emma C. Mack, who was born at Sidney Center, N. Y., March 16, 1855, the daughter of Abner and Huldah (Watrous) Mack. Soon after marriage he settled on a tract of 160 acres of land, one-fourth of which was a part of his father's estate, the re- mainder having been purchased by him. In a business way he has been successful, and previous to his retirement from active business life in 1884, had accumulated a comfortable competence. In August, 1862, Mr. Beckley took an active part in the organization of the Ninety-fifth Reg- iment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in response to the call of President Lincoln for 600,000 men. Of the ten companies composing the regiment seven were credited to McHenry County and three to Boone. The regiment was organized with Hon. Lawrence S. Church, of WoodstocK, as Colonel, Thomas W. Humphrey, of De Kalb County, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Leander Blan- den of Harvard, McHenry County, Major, and formally mustered into the service at Camp Fuller, Rockford, Sept. 4, 1862. Aoout one-half of a company had been enlisted largely through the efforts of Mr. Beckley from Nunda Town- ship, and uniting this with a part of a company raised by E. J. Cook, the result was the forma- tion of Company D, which organized by the election of Mr. Cook as Captain and Mr. Beck- ley as First Lieutenant. The election of Mr Cook to the captaincy of the company was in accordance with the wishes and advice of Mr. Beckley, because of the previous military ex- perience of the former. Captain Cook having died as the result of wounds received in the McHENRY COUNTY. 6S1 assault on Vicksburg, on May 22, 1863, Lieu- tenant Beckley was promoted to succeed him, his commission bearing date June 11, 1863. The service of the Ninety-fifth Illinois was memorable for its activity and the large num- ber of important campaigns and engagements in which it participated, as well as the vast extent of country over which it traveled. Leaving Camp Fuller for the field early in No- vember, 1862, it soon after reported to General Hurlbut, at Grand Junction, Tenn., and was assigned to General McArthur's Division, Thir- teenth Army Corps. Movements in which it still later took part included Gen. Grant's ad- vance into Northern Mississippi in the fall of 1862, with the battle of Tallahatchie; the Vicksburg campaign of 1863, including the bat- tles of Grand Gulf, Raymond, and Champion Hills, with the assaults at Vicksburg of May 19th and 22d, and the operations about Natchez. Capt. Beckley was with that portion of the reg- iment that took part in the Red River expe- dition, and was at the capture of Fort De Russey, and also in the ill-fated Guntown, Miss., affair, where he was wounded. Later, he took part in the campaign in Arkansas and the pur- suit of Price through Missouri in the fall of 1864, and the operations against Hood about Nashville, Tenn., which culminated in the bat- tles of December 15th and 16th. In the spring of 1865, he saw active duty on the Gulf coast, participating in the capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely which resulted in the sur- render of Mobile in the last days of the war. After the war his regiment performed gar- rison duty at various points in Alabama and elsewhere in the Gulf States. Its numbers having by this time been seriously depleted by hard service, on Aug. 25, 1865, the recruited portion of the regiment was transferred to the Forty-seventh Illinois, the remainder being mustered out at Springfield, 111. The Forty- seventh was mustered out at Selma, Ala., Jan. 21, 1866, During its term of service the Ninety- fifth traveled 9,960 miles. In March, 1864, Captain Beckley. in command of a detachment from the Ninety-fifth, escorted some 300 Confederate prisoners, captured at Fort De Russey, to New Orleans, and a written testimonial from the Confederate officers of the party, to the kind treatment received at the hands of Captain Beckley and the troops under his command, constitutes one of the treasured mementoes of his war experience. Another experience of a more painful character was an injury received by Captain Beckley from a sliver of a shell which struck him on the forehead during the battle at Guntown, Miss., which has finally resulted in total deafness. During the siege of Vicksburg, Capt. Beck- ley had charge of a tunnel and mines under the Confederate works, and four of his men were killed by hand-grenades thrown by the enemy. Captain Beckley is a Republican and has ex- ercised much influence in local affairs. For a time previous to the Civil War he held the office of Justice of the Peace, and administered the oath to the recruits who enlisted in his company. Captain and Mrs. John E. Beckley have children named Frank, Phoebe, Fanny, Major H., Welcome, Gordon and Clara. Mrs. Beck- ley's father, Abner Mack, was a son of Joel and Susan (Andrus) Mack, of Harpersfield, N. Y. Joel Mack enlisted as a soldier of the Revolution before he was sixteen years old, and served to the end of the war, taking part in the battle of Monmouth and many other his- toric engagements. Returning to Harpersfield after the war, he had charge of a hotel there until his death at seventy years of age. His son Abner was born at Harpersfield, June 12, 1785, and married there Sept. 4, 1814, Huldah Watrous, who was a native of Ridgefield, Conn., born June 18, 1794, the daughter of James and Sarah (Boughton) Watrous. James Watrous, born in Connecticut, lived at Harpersfield, N. Y., as early as 1813, and died at Windsor, N. Y., at the age of eighty-four. Abner Mack, the father of Mrs. Beckley, kept ine hotel at Harpersfield until about 1832, when he moved to Sidney Center, N. Y., and from there, in 1848, to Nunda, McHenry County, 111., where he en- gaged in farming. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and took part in the "Anti-rent war" in New York. In politics he was a Democrat. He died on his farm in Nunda Township, McHenry County, in 1871, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Abner Mack were: James R., Susan, William, Joel, Frederick, Hannah, Rich- ard, Emilia, Emma, Francis and one who died in infancy. G82 McHENRY COUNTY. DEXTER BARROWS. This venerable and respected citizen of Har- vard is one of the oldest pioneers of Dunham Township now living. His date of settlement is 1839. Mr. Barrows descends from old Co- lonial Vermont stock, and fi-om English Puri- tan ancestors. Alfred Barrows, his grand- father, was a farmer of Orange County, Vt., who served his country in the war of the Revo- lution. He married and of his children, Ora, Alfred and Sally are remembered. He died in Vermont. Alfred Barrows, son of the above and father of Dexter Barrows, was born in Orange County, Vt., about 1789, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812, on the Onion River in Northern Vermont. His brother, Ora, was also in this war. Alfred Barrows married Esther Dexter in Vermont, in the town of Pomfret, where she was born. She was the daughter of a soldier of the Revolution who served seven years and was in many battles. He was taken prisoner and was confined on board of a British prison ship. After marriage he settled on a farm in Thetford, Vt., which he cleared up from the primeval forest. His children were Maria, Percy, Dexter, Isaac (who died young), Sarah (who died a young married woman), Aaron and Asa. Mr. Barrows moved to Illinois in 184G, after his son Dexter had settled in Dunham Township. Here he bought eighty acres of unimproved land and built a frame house. His wife died the same season and he sold out and returned to Vermont, but in his old age he returned and lived with his children. He reached the great age of ninety-four years and died at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Maria Moore. In political opinions Mr. Bar- rows was first a Democrat and later one of the original Republicans. He was a man who had worked hard all his active life and was re- spected by all as an upright citizen. Dexter Barrows, of whom we write, was born in Thetford, Orange County, Vt., Nov. 4, 1814. He received the usual district-school education and worked on the farm when he was young. At about twenty years of age he went to Rox- bury, Mass., and worked for a Dr. Robbins four years. He carefully saved his money, draw- ing but seven dollars during this time. He took a note at the end of each year and haa $750 saved up when the four years were com- pleted. In September, 1839, he came to Illi- nois and, besides his own money, brought $800 for Jonathan Moore, his brother-in-law, who had settled in Kane county, 111., two years previously. Mr. Barrows made the journey west by means of stage to Whitehall and a packet on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, thence by steamboat to Chicago, where he arrived Sept. 9, 1839. Ha then went by team to St. Charles. 111., and with his brother-in-law looked over the country for land, and finally selected land in Dunham Township, McHenry County. Mr. Bar- rows entered his land at the United States Government Land office at $1.25 per acre. It consisted of 320 acres of unimproved prairie and timber land on Section 9. Mr. Moore bought 400 acres adjoining Section 8. Mr. Barrows returned with Mr. Moore to St.. Charles, where they sawed a quantity of lumber for building purposes. Mr. Barrows hauled this lumber forty miles to his claim, driving a yoke of oxen with a span of horses in the lead. There was no track part of the way and he found his way through the timber by a blazed trail, and from Marengo they fol- lowed practically the same road that is now used. From Kishwaukee to Big Foot there was an Indian trail. That winter Mr. Barrows hauled enough lumber to his claim to make the floors, doors and roof of a log house. In March Mr. Moore moved to his claim and they both built log houses. In June following Mr. Barrows broke twelve acres of land. In Sep- tember he returned to Vermont and went to Stratham, N. H., for his wife, but they were married at his father's in Thetford, the two places being near the State line. He was mar- ried during the first days of October, 1840, to Olive E. Simpson, who was born at Stratham, N. H., in 1816, the daughter of David and La- vina Simpson, David Simpson was a farmer and well-to-do for his day. He lived to the venerable age of about eighty years. His children were David, Horatio, George. LaFay- ette, Nancy, Dollv, Lavina. Olive E.. Jane and Harriet. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Barrows came directly west in October. 1840. by way of the Erie Canal and the great lakes. Mr. Barrows settled on his land, worked hard and prospered by good management, erected substantial farm buildings and had a fine farm. He was one McHENRY COUNTY. 683 of the Commissioners of McHenry County a.s early as 1845, serving three years and proving an efficient officer. He was Supervisor of Dunham Township for ten years, serving throughout the Civil War times, and for twenty- seven years served as Highway Commissioner. He was prominent in keeping Dunham free from draft during the Civil War and was an efficient and public-spirited man. In political opinions he was in early life a strong Jackson- ian Democrat, and voted that ticket twenty -two years, but for the past forty-four years he has been a stanch Republican. He voted for John C, Fremont, the first Republican Presidential candidate, and for the immortal Lincoln. He has been a member of the Methodist church for sixty-one years, joining the first Methodist class in Dunham Township and was afterwards class-leader, and has always been a prominent member of his church. He assisted to build the first Methodist church in Dunham Town- ship and in Chemung Township, and has as- sisted in building two Methodist churches in Harvard. He has been very liberal in the support of his church. His children are as follows: Sarah Elizabeth, George D., who died a soldier in the Civil War; Dexter S. ; Darwin A.; Adelbert A.; Alvin H., Harvey H., and Lewis B. Mrs. Barrows died June 29, 1881. She was a devout member of the Methodist church and a pioneer woman of many virtues. Mr. Barrows married the second time, Aug. 15, 1883, Mrs. Catherine (Hill) Kellogg, a widow lady, nee Catharine Hill. She was born Sept. 6, 1834, daughter of Patrick and Mary (Hainer) Hill. Patrick Hill was of American ancestry of English descent. He was born in New York State. Mary Hainer, his wife, was of a Penn- sylvania Dutch family, born in Rensselaer County, N. Y. Patrick Hill was a carpenter by trade and also a farmer of Saratoga County, N. Y., where he reared his family. His children were Clarissa, Catherine, Isaiah, Elizabeth, William, Harvey and Simon. He moved to Illi- nois in 1839 and settled on Bonus Prairie, Boone County, 111., where he improved a farm of 160 acres. In his old age he moved to Harvard and retired, where he died July 4, 1867. He was born Dec. 6, 1802, was a member of the Methodist church and class-leader in New York State for many years. He had three sons in the Civil War — Isaiah, William and Simon. Mrs. Catherine (Hill) Barrows was first mar- ried in Boone County, 111., to Henry Kellogg, June 2, 1858. Mr. Kellogg was a farmer, born in New York State, son of Joseph Kellogg, and came west when a young man. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg settled on a farm in Boone County, and here he died Nov. 5, 1860. He was a member of the Methodist church and a man of upright character. Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg were the parents of ^~e daughter, Mary Olive. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Kellogg returned home and cared for her aged parents. They came to Harvard during the Civil War. Mrs. Barrows has been a mem- ber of the Methodist church for many years, joining at fifteen years of age. She -is a lady of high character and has many friends. Mr. and Mrs. Barrows have a pleasant resi- dence and are among the most respected citi- zens of Harvard. Mr. Barrows is one of the pioneers who were foremost in the early set- tlement of McHenry county. To such men as these, the country owes a debt of gratitude which it is unable to pay. A historical society should be founded in McHenry county to pre- serve the records and portraits of the pioneers before the matter now obtained is scattered and the opportunity lost. Mr. Barrows relates many reminiscences of pioneer days. He passed over the site of Wood- stock with teams during the winter of 1839-40, when there was no house within two miles of it, finding his way by a blazed trail. There was then no settlement at Harvard. During the winter of 1842 Mr. Burrows hauled pork to Chicago and sold it for one and one-half cents per pound. The trip occupied three and one-half days with horses and wagon. Mr. Barrows is an honored citizen of the county and has served on the grand jury many times. RUFUS BROWN. Rufus Brown, one of the few remaining pioneers of McHenry County, comes of ster- ling New England ancestry who came from England and settled in Connecticut in the early colonial period. David Brown, the father of Rufus, was born in Connecticut, 684 McHENRY COUNTY. where he was raised on his father's farm and received a good common-school education. He had two brothers — Rufus and Simeon — and one sister, Lucy, who married a Mr. Merriman. At the age of twenty-one years, David Brown went to New York State, where he engaged as a teamster for a tannery at Chenango Forks, on the Onondaga River, and hauled leather from that point into Canada, disposing of his commodity at the place last mentioned. He was married in Broome County, N. Y., to Eliza Sutherland, a native of New York State and a daughter of David Sutherland, who was of sturdy Holland-Dutch stock. After marriage David Brown settled at Barker, Broome County, N. Y., on 200 acres of unimproved land, which he cleared of heavy timber and con- verted it into a well-improved farm and com- fortable home, making subsequent additions until his estate consisted of 300 acres. Here he passed the remainder of his days, dying at the age of seventy-eight years. Mr. Brown's first wife died when forty-seven years of age, and he married as his second wife Mariam Kenyon. By his first marriage the following named children were born: John, Lott, George, Robert, Rufus and Franklin, who died in California. Of these children, Robert was captain in a regiment of New York Infantry during the Civil War, and was later promoted to Colonel; George served In the Civil War in a regiment of Iowa Infantry. By his second marriage Mr. Brown had children named Eliza, Lucy, Octavia, Almira, Simeon and Harley M. In political opinions he was an old line Whig and held the office of Town Collect- or for many years. By industrious habits and good management Mr. Brown became a well-to-do citizen, and was highly respected for his sterling qualities and straightforward principles. In religious belief he was a TJni- versalist. Rufus Brown, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Broome County. N. Y., June 22, 1824. He received the usual limited common-school education of his day, and re- mained on his father's farm until twenty-one years of age. In 1845 he came to McHenry County, 111., and the same year was married to a former school-mate, Harriet L. Brown, who was born in Broome County, N. Y., Oct. 11, 1825, the daughter of William and Betsy (Chamberlain) Brown. William Brown, who was of another stock than the subject of this sketch, was a native of Pennsylvania, but in early manhood located in Broome County, N. Y., where he became a lumberman and married Betsy Chamberlain, a daughter of Conrad Chamberlain, who was of Holland-Dutch ancestry and a native of . New York State. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown six children were born, viz.: Henry, John, Har- riet, Catherine, Morris and Frances. In 1844 William Brown removed to McHenry County, 111., and settled in Dorr Township, where he cleared an 80-acre farm from the heavily- timbered oak openings and made a comfortable home. In later years he moved to Howard County, Iowa, and a few years later to Clay County, S. D., settling on unimproved prairie land, which he converted into an excellent farm and lived there the remainder of his life, dying at tbe age of seventy-eight years. Mr. Brown was twice married, his second wife being Catherine Test of McHenry County, 111., and to this union one daughter, Antonetta, was born. In political opinions he was first an old line Whig and later a Republican; in relig- ious belief, a Universaiist. In earlier life Mr. Brown was possessed of an excellent voice, and was recognized as one of the leading pioneer singing masters. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Brown settled on an 80-acre farm in Dorr Township, McHenry County, upon which a small log house had been built and twenty acres of the land had been broken. Eight years later he sold this farm to Jacob Snyder — in whose posses- sion it still remains — and purchased his pres- ent homestead, then consisting of 160 acres. to which he has made subsequent additions until he now owns an estate of 242 acres, besides having divided 228 acres of land among his children. When Mr. Brown bought his present homestead, only twenty acres of the land had previously been tilled, and its present high state of cultivation, a? well as the in- crease in area, represents what has been ac- complished by his industrious habits, careful management and many years of hard labor, combined with the faithful assistance of his industrious and devoted wife. To Mr. and Mrs. McHENRY COUNTY. 685 Brown the following named children have been born: Luella, born May, 16, 1853; Ardell, born May 2, 1854;' Franklin, born July 9, 1856; Othello and Orlow (twins), born April 13, 1863; and Lulu, born Dec. 15, 1867. Originally an old line Whig, Mr. Brown later became a Re- publican, and is now Independent in political opinions. Both he and his wife are Universal- ists in religious belief. Mr. Brown was a member of the first Me- Henry County Republican Convention, which was held in 1856 in the old court house that stood in the center of the public square in Woodstock. This convention was called for the purpose of organizing a Republican party in McHenry County, which was then being or- ganized throughout the country. Those who were present at this memorable gathering were George Gates, Hamilton Nixon, Lawrence S. Church, Anthony Overocker, William Mead, two men from the Kishwaukee district by the name of Stewart, Jesse Miller, Samuel Ter- williger and Mr. Brown, who is the only sur- viving member. Mr. Brown is a man of liberal views and, as a public-spirited citizen, has always taken an active part in support of any movement for the benefit of his community. When it was first proposed under a new State law that McHenry County should have a poor-farm to be a home for those people who are dependent upon the public for support, the measure failed to re- ceive a sufficient number of votes to become a law, and Mr. Brown and Nelson Blakesley were the only men in Dorr Township who sup- ported it with their votes. Although fre- quently selected as a candidate for public office, Mr. Brown has always declined to accept the honor, except in one instance, when he served as Road Commissioner for one term. He has, however, often been chosen by his neighbors to act as a friendly arbitrator in the settle- ment of controversies arising from disagree- ment in business transactions, and in this connection is familiarly known as "Squire Brown." He has always been a firm advocate of the temperance cause, and is a man of strict moral character. He and his wife have spent; most of their mature years in McHenry County, where they are well known among the old set- tlers, and have raised an excellent family of children, who now rank amoEg our best citizens. CHARLES R. BROWN. Charles R. Brown, farmer and pioneer citizen of Harvard, McHenry County, was born in Sharon, Litchfield County, Conn., April 3, 1818, the only son of Charles and Marilla (Beard) Brown. His father having died when the son was three years old, the latter was brought up by his grandfather, Solomon Beard, who was an old resident of Sharon. The family having moved to Chenango County, N. Y., Charles grew up there receiving a com- mon-school education. His mother married as her second husband Amasa Cook, a farmer, and the children by this marriage were: Amasa, William and Jane. Mr. Cook settled near Elmira, Chenango County, N. Y., but later removed to Rochester, N. Y., and finally to Brie. Here Charles remained with Ms mother until he reached the age of eighteen years, when he began to shift for himself. After working some eight years for John Minier, a hotel keeper, on May 16, 1844, he married Esther Thompson, born in Erie County, N. Y., the daughter of James and Mehitabel (Coon) Thompson. In the following Septem- ber Mr. Brown came to McHenry County, 111., making the journey from Buffalo to Chicago on the old-time Lake steamer "Madison," com- manded by Capt. Blake, a well-known character of that day. The journey from Chicago to McHenry County was made in a two-horse wagon. Mr. Brown had savec! 5109 and with this he entered eighty acres of land at the government price of $1.25 an acre, about one and a half miles from the present site of the town of Harvard, but fifteen years before it was laid out. After living in a shanty for one year, he erected a frame house 16 by 20 feet, where he and his wife lived in true pioneer style. By industry, economy and good man- agement he added to his real estate until he became the owner of 560 acres adjoining the town of Harvard, besides dealing in other property on which he made large profits. He assisted in the organization of Chemung Town- ship, where he held the office of Justice of the Peace four years, was Supervisor three years 686 McHENRY COUNTY. and Road Commissioner a number of years; was also a leader in public improvements and assisted in the erection of school houses and churches. Mr. and Mrs. Brown became the parents of five daughters: Emma, who mar- ried Gilbert Brainerd; Ellen, married Fletcher Brainerd; Mollie, first married Charles Gris- wold, and afterwards, as her second husband, H. B. Cook; Frances, married Abel Upham, and Alice married as her first husband, H. H. Magraw, and, as her second husband, H. D. Cool. In political opinions Mr. Brown was originally an old line Whig, but afterwards became a Republican, supporting Fremont and Lincoln for the Presidency. While Supervisor of his township, he assisted to raise the money to complete the quota of the township without recourse to a draft during the Civil War, and, during the latter part of that period, saved the county thousands of dollars by his prudent and conservative policy. After Gen. Grant's first term as President, he became a Demo- crat, and has since remained identified with that party. Mrs. Brown died about 1883, and on May 25, 1886, Mr. Brown was married, in Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa, to Matilda Cransberry, a widow lady whose maiden name was Jackson. Mr. and Mrs. Brown now reside in Harvard, and are counted among its most worthy and respected citizens. Some ten years ago, in company with his son-in-law, Mr. Upham, Mr. Brown purchased 1,460 acres of land in Floyd County, Iowa, part of which now lies within the corporate limits of Charles City. His career affords an illustration of the results attainable by a self-made, self- educated man, through industry, economy and sound business methods. An incident related by Mr. Brown, in connection with his early life, is the following: When a boy about ten years old, he saw Sam Patch, the famous diver, make his memorable leap into the Genessee River below the falls. The first leap was made from a platform at the head of the fall, ninety feet above the surface of the water at the foot. This was performed skillfully and successfully, Patch parting the water cleanly and gracefully with his hands and head, scarce- ly leaving a break in the surface. He rose quickly and swam rapidly towards the shore, refusing the aid of the boat which was in waiting, amid the wild applause of the as- sembled multitude. He had a black bear with him, which he had trained to make the leap, and which he partly pushed from the platform. The bear came up safely, swam to the shore and returned to Patch on the platform, who then made his leap. Becoming reckless under the influence of his success, one week later while intoxicated, Patch made a second jump over the falls from a platfcm twenty-five feet higher than the one used on the previous oc- casion—the distance to the boiling water be- low requiring a sheer leap of 115 feet. This time Patch went down like a log, striking the water heavily and at full length. Sinking be- neath the surface he never came up alive, but the next spring after the ice had gone out, his swollen body was found. It is said that Patch had been crossed in love and thus rendered desperate. His first leap had been made over the Passaic Falls in New Jersey. His famous jumps were a great sensation of the time and won for him great notoriety, making the name of "Sam Patch" a synonym for reckless daring. LESTER BARBER. Lester Barber, ex-Mayor of Marengo, is a man of wide experience and marked versatility, who has grown into prominence with the de- velopment of McHenry County, where he has been a leading citizen for over forty years. As a successful and progressive farmer, as an educator in the capacity of teacher and County Superintendent of Schools, as Cashier and Di- rector of the Dairyman's Bank at Marengo, and for years as a local public office-holder, few men have had a more active business career in McHenry County. At the age of sixty-eight years, he is now giving his time and attention to looking after his interests as owner of a well-improved farm and of stock in local corporations. Mr. Barber is the son of Humphrey and Maria (Potter) Barber, and, on the paternal side, is descended from two old New England families — the Barbers and the Conants. An incident in connection with a branch of the Conant family was the finding of a powder- horn, accidentally left in their possession by a troop of soldiers who were quartered in M c HENRY COUNTY. 687 their house at the time of Shay's rebellion, in 1786, and which has been handed down through several generations. The relic was found be- hind a chest, by Joseph, the seven-year-old son of the family, who kept it during his life- time, and then gave it to his son Joseph. The latter, upon his death-bed, having no direct descendant, gave it to Amory Barber's infant son, naming him Joseph. From this Joseph Barber it has passed on to Joseph Barber (2), and is now owned by Joseph Barber (3), a resident of Marengo. The horn is large and clear, highly decorated, and will hold a pound of powder. It is believed to have been carried through the French and Indian War, as well as through the Revolution. Benjamin Conant, the maternal great-grand- father of Lester Barber, was born in 1765, and died in 1837. He married a Miss Gale, and, after her death, took a second wife. By his first marriage there were seven children: Benjamin, who married Philena Conant; Betsy, married Joseph Barber, grandfather of Lester; Polly, married Rufus Wheelock: Mercy, who died at the age of fourteen years; Jerusha, married Joel Greely; Luthera, married Milton Lord, and Myra, who died at the age of six- teen years. By the second marriage there were three children: Clark, who married Sa- mantha Grand; Charles, married Fanny Watts, and Amanda, married Harry Stearns. The Barber family came from England to Rhode Island about 250 years ago, and their descendants have spread over Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and other parts of the country. The Connecticut branch spelled the name "Barbour." In the branch with which we are especially concerned, the name Joseph has been prevalent as well as the trade of shoe- maker. Joseph Barber, great-grand-father of Lester, born in Rehoboth, R. I., June 5, 1744, moved to Warwick, Franklin County, Mass., about 1765, and there married Lydia Miller, who was born March 15, 1742. She died and he afterward married a woman named Churchman. By the first marriage there were eight children: Ben- jamin, died at the age of two weeks; Hulla, married Adam Streater; Mary, married Ben- jamin Watts, and died in 1839; Lydia, married Palmer Whitney; Joseph, who is mentioned below; Rebecca, who married John Whitmore, a rifleman under Gen. Morgan in the Revolu- tionary war, and Parley, who married George L. Row. No children came of the second mar- riage. Mr. Barber died at Java Village, N. Y., about 1824, in his eightieth year, and is buried in the old cemetery at Strykersville, N. Y. Joseph Barber, grandfather of Lester Barber, was born about 1788. In 1804, at Warwick, Mass., he married Betsy Conant, and they had ten children, all of whom were born in War- wick, viz.: Amory, born June 29, 1805, and died in 1890; married Alzina Potter, and had six children: Betsy; Maria deceased), Elliott, who was liv- ing in 1895; Emily, who died in infancy; Myron (deceased), and Joseph, who is still living in Marengo. Humphrey (father of Lester Barber), whose sketch is given later in this article. Asenath, born Oct 8, 1808, married Reokard Reed in 1829, and they had four children: Eliza, Lucena (the only surviving member of the family), Juliette and Charles. The mother of this family, Asenath (Barber) Reed, who was residing at Thompson, 111., in 1895, is now deceased. Diana, born Dec. 8, 1810, in 1831 married Alonzo Taylor, and they had ten children: Laura, Melissa, who was living in 1895; Kath- erine, Joseph, Susannah, Fred and Almon, who were living in 1895; a child who died in in- fancy, Alonzo, and Ida, who was living in 1895. Mrs. Taylor died in 1871. Benjamin, born Dec. 9, 1812, died Dec. 31, 1893. He married Eliza Carroll in 1834, and they had seven children, viz.: A child who died in infancy; James, who died in the Civil War; Elon, Edson. Ruth, Judson and Irene, all of whom were living in 1895. Tryphena, born Oct. 5, 1814, died in 1857. She married Alonzo Willey in 1836, and they had eight children: Edwin, Caroline, who was alive in 1895; Mary, Ellen, still living in 1895; Edgar, two children who died in infancy, and Jane, who was living in 1895. Philena, born Sept. 28, 1816, and died in 1882. In 1842 she married Thomas Burnham, and they had six children: Maria, who was living in 1895; Luthera, Emily, and Betsy, who were living in 1895; Dwight, and Charles. Joseph, born Feb. 18, 1819, died June 26, 1841. 688 McHENRY COUNTY. Jerusha, born March 28, 1841, died in April, 1895. She married and had seven children, all except, one of whom were living in 1895, viz.: George, Emorette (deceased), Lydia, Betsy, a child who died in infancy, Vesper, and Clara. Chandler, born April 17, 1823, died June 14, 1895. On Oct. 20, 1844, he married Alma Bal- com, and they had five children, all of whom were living in 1895, viz. : Mary, Alice, Wallard, Ellis, and Amy. After marriage Mr. Barber settled in War- wick, Mass., where he engaged in the tannery business, and also worked at shoemaking. In the hope of bettering his foitune and those of his children, on Sept. 17, 1823, Mr. Barber started with a wagon drawn by two yoke of oxen and carrying his family, together with 3,500 pounds of household goods and other belongings, for Java, Wyoming County, N. Y., a distance of 400 miles from Warwick. This wagon had a cover of sole leather costing $40, which he used after reaching his destination in making boots and shoes. Another wagon, drawn by a single horse, bore his aged father, then seventy-nine years old and totally blind. Three days later, he and his son Humphrey followed on foot, overtaking the family the first night, a distance of forty miles from their home. It was a curious journey; beds were hired at fifty cents a night, and five or six children packed into each, lengthwise, cross- wise, or any way. The descent of the Green Mountains was managed by various devices, as for instance the hitching of one yoke of oxen to the rear of the wagon to check its movement as it descended some s t eep declivity, or making a sort of plow of the wagon itself, by attaching to it the sharpened trunk of a pine tree. Crossing the Hudson at Albany, then quite a village, they finally, on Oct. 8, 1823, arrived at the home of Palmar Whitney, on the site of the present village of Java. With his usual business sagacity and fore- thought, Mr. Barber exchanged one yoke of oxen for forty acres of land — a portion of which is now owned by his grandson, Elon Barber — besides purchasing 120 acres more. He also secured a half interest in a grist-mill, where he set his son Benjamin at work, and pur- chased another half interest in a tannery for Humphrey, thus making his influence felt at once in the life of the little community. With his other sons he went to work and cleared up the farm, set out good orchards, and be- came a prosperous farmer. He died in 1839 at the age of fifty-nine years and four months. Mr. Barber was a sturdy, energetic man with marked business ability, and was the progen- itor of a vigorous and prolific race. Not less than 240 offspring have descended from him and his sister Judah Whitney, many of whom served in the Civil War, and every battlefield of the Civil War, it is said, was stained with Barber blood. Humphrey Barber, the father of Lester, a teacher, tanner, farmer, and a man influential in public affairs, was born in Warwick, Mass., Nov. 11, 1806, and there received a good com- mon-school education. After removing, at sev- enteen years of age, with his parents to Wy- oming County, N. Y., at different times he taught school, ran a tannery and followed the trade of a carpenter. In 1834 he married at Java Village, Maria Potter, who was born there, the daughter of Edmond Potter, a Java farmer and a descendant of an old New Eng- land family. He was a soldier of the War of 1812, and fought at Lundy's Lane. He married Betsy Eddy, and they had ten children: Alzina, who married Amory Barber; Maria, who is mentioned above; Nancy, married Jarvis Whitney; Lucinda, married Franklin Whitney; Alvira, married Washington Nichols; Elizabeth, married Lorenzo Persons, and Cornelia, mar- ried Charles Knowlton. Henry W. Potter, of Titusville, Pa., was at one time a noted oil magnate. Starting with a capital of $5, he first borrowed and invested small sums, then larger ones until he risked $2,500, when he began to make money rapidly, finally accumul- ating a large fortune. Later closing out the oil business, he went to the city of New York and engaged in the banking business, having as a partner Chauncey M. Depew. He married Minerva Nurse, but finally lost his money. Almon Potter, a Marengo farmer, who married Martha Fields, died in Marengo in 1900. Nor- man Potter married Nellie Marsh, and died in Austin, Texas, in 1901. Late in life the father of these, in 1851, moved to Riley Town- ship, McHenry County, where he lived with his son Almon, and there, at the age of seventy- five years, he died. He was a man of promi- nence in his day, and a consistent member of Mc HENRY COUNTY. 689 the Baptist church of Strykersville, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey Barber had nine children: Lester, who is mentioned below; Lucinda, who married William B. Mallory, a soldier of the Civil War; Lucius W., also a sol- dier, who, a few years after the war, died from the effects of privations endured while a prisoner at Andersonville; Amanda, who mar- ried W. A. Sheldon, died in Belvidere, July 3, 1898; Alzina, born Oct. 4, 1844, who never mar- ried, died Jan. 28, 1862; Morvilla, who, after the death of her sister Lucinda, married Wil- liam B. Mallory; Rosalie, who married Frank Stevens, and Amory, who never married but lives on the home farm, where he cared for his aged mother until her death. Of these children, only three are living in 1903, viz.: Lester, Rosalie, and Amory. After marriage Mr. Barber continued to re- side in Java, N. Y., where for fifteen years he conducted a tannery, carrying on a thriving business. A trip to Illinois, in 1850, in spite of a shipwreck and a week's delay on the way, in- duced him to bring his family to that State, and, in 1851, they arrived in Riley Township, McHenry County, where he purchased an 80- acre tract of improved land. Here he erected good buildings, improved and brought his land under cultivation, and, adding to it some twenty acres by purchase, finally became the owner of a 100-acre farm. Here he finally died at the age of sixty-eight years. Always an influential man, Mr. Barber, in Java, N'. Y., served as Jus- tice of the Peace for fifteen years, and after coming to Riley Township, filled the same office for some time with equal credit. In poli- tics he was a strong Douglas Democrat, and in religious sentiment a Universalist. Lester Barber has made his own way in life. Born in Java, N. Y., Nov. 8, 1835, he was but fifteen years old when his parents moved to Riley Township, McHenry County, 111., where he took a strong hand in improving his father's farm. At that early age, with a yoke of oxen, he hauled lumber from Elgin to build the new farm-house, and on these trips often added to his pocket money by using his oxen to drag the old stage-coach out of a slough in the muddy roads, always receiving a quarter from the driver for the job. In the well-regulated schools of his neighborhood, conducted in com- fortable buildings, under such teachers as George Dean, afterward County Superintend- ent in Iowa, Mr. Barber secured his early edu- cation, attending the winter school until he was twenty-one years old, and receiving prac- tical drill in Colburn's Mental Arithmetic — in his opinion the best authority in its line. So ambitious was he that, at the early age of eighteen, in Coral Township, he taught school for one term. A gift for imparting knowledge and preserving order induced him to follow the profession, and, for seventeen winters, he con- tinued his labors in the same vicinity, spending his summers in farm work. On Nov. 20, 1863, at the age of twenty-eight, Mr. Barber married in Coral Township, Mary M. Bartholomew, who was born in that place, April 19, 1845. Of this union there have been six children: Charles Norman; Catherine Lu- cinda, who married Prof. James Ingersol, a native of Marengo, and a graduate of Yale Col- lege who is now an instructor in the languages and Roman Law Department of that institu- tion; Charles N., who married Carrie A,xtell; Mary M., married William T. Dougherty, a druggist of Marengo; Harriet Ehle, who has been a teacher in Austin, 111., for the past eight years, and Ruth, a young lady now living at home. The spring following his marriage, Mr. Bar- ber purchased a 100-acre farm in Coral Town- ship, which had on it a log house and barn and during the first summer erected there a good frame house, where he settled. He improved his land and, while cultivating it, made addi- tions to it by the purchase of twenty acres more. In addition to farming, which he carried on successfully for fifteen years, he followed his profession as school-teacher, teaching for four years in the Union graded schools six miles away. An enthusiastic and able in- structor, he won a wide popularity, and, in 1884, was elected County Superin- tendent of Schools. Taking up his resi- dence at Marengo, he filled the office for six years, greatly improving the condition of the schools and adding to his already well- established reputation. Since 1890 he has given some attention to agriculture, and has recently invested in a fine homestead, which he has greatly improved. He still owns his Coral Township farm, from which he also de- rives a good income. He has prospered, and G90 McHENRY COUNTY. is now one of the substantial citizens of Maren- go, where he owns a pleasant residence, pur- chased some years ago. Mr. Barber was one of the founders of the Dairyman's Bank, and. as its first Cashier, was identified with its man- agement for four years, and is still one of the directors. He is Worshipful Master of Maren- go Lodge, No. 138, A. F. & A. M., and also a member of .Calvary Commandery, No. 25 Knights Templar. As an unwavering Republican, Mr. Barber has been a popular political leader, having served nine years as Supervisor, for the same length of time as Road Commissioner, and for four years as Assessor of Coral Township. For twenty-five years he has acted as Deputy Coun- ty Surveyor; has also served three years as a member of the Marengo City Council, turn- ing his practical business knowledge to good account in the interest of the general public. For one term with fearless independence and marked executive ability, he acted as Mayor of the city. A man of great strength physic- ally and intellectually, and with the interest of the general public at heart, he has been of invaluable service to the community. Mrs. Barber, who is a woman of much cultivation, has been a sympathetic co-worker, and is pro- minent in social functions. As a member of the Ladies of the Maccabees of Marengo, she has filled the office of Lady Commander. The Presbyterian church counts her among its lead- ing members. Benjamin Rush Bartholomew, son of Sher- man and Sally (Hackley) Bartholomew, and father of Mrs. Barber, was born in New York, and received a common-school education. In Cazenovia, Madison County, N. Y., he married Mary A. Knowlton, and they had four child- ren: Sherman K.; Almira H.; Mary M., and Esther E. The father of these for some years followed the trade of a hatter, but in 1844. moved with his parents to Coral Township, McHenry County, 111., where he secured a 200- acre tract of Government land, which he im- proved. In 1880 he settled in Marengo, where he was a substantial citizen. He died in 1888, at the age of eighty-three years, and his wife in 1893. HON. RICHARD BISHOP. Hon. Richard Bishop was born at Gaines- ville, Wyoming County, New York, Nov. 16, 1824, the son of Hezekiah and Charlotte Bish- op. Hezekiah Bishop was a farmer and his children were John, Hezekiah, Charlotte and Richard, all of whom are now deceased. When Richard Bishop was seven years old, his father was killed by a falling tree, and this sad event left to the boy an inheritance of poverty. He was early obliged to devote his labor to the support of the family, and his first earnings amounted to ten cents per day at such labor as threshing grain with a flail. When about twelve years of age he went to live with a phy- sician, and. during the three years he remained in this family, endured trials well calculated to break the heart and ruin the constitution of the average boy. Every spring he was com- pelled to attend to a sugar orchard of sixty- five trees, cutting wood, gathering sap and carrying the sugar home with a yoke upon his shoulders. When fifteen years old he hired to a blacksmith for three years, receiving thirty dollars for the first year, thirty-five for the second, and forty for the third. He worked faithfully and learned the trade rapidly, though laboring at some disadvantage, as he was obliged to stand on a stool in order to strike the anvil. After serving his time, he followed the trade for two years. When twenty years of age, he decided to go west, and, in the spring of 1844, bade a sorrowful farewell to his mother and the little cottage that sheltered her in Gainesville, N. Y. In the silence of night he shouldered his trunk and proceeded on foot and alone for a distance of two miles, where a carriage, which he had previously engaged, awaited him and conveyed him to the boat landing He sailed on the boat "Bunker Hill," and the day after his arrival in Chicago, took the stage for Waukegan. where his brother then resided. Later Mr. Bishop visited the old home in New York, and also had the pleas- ure of welcoming his mother to a more pre- tentious one in the West, secured by his cwn exertions. After arriving in Waukegan, ivir. Bishop worked at his trade several months, receiving a compensation of $17 per month. During the harvest season he was employed as a laborer in the field at $1.50 per day. After harvest was Mc HENRY COUNTY. 691 over, in company with a man named McAllis- ter, he started for McHenry on foot. They were not to be deterred by the sloughs and lakes that lay in their way, but waded through them with their clothes tied in a bundle upon their heads. In McHenry Mr. Bishop followed black- smithing until the following January, when he went to Waukegan and secured a job of cut- ting wood at fifty cents per cord. The follow- ing spring he was again pursuing his trade in McHenry, and the first year earned enough money to purchase eighty acres of land at $1.25 per acre. This proved a profitable venture, and, as fast as he was able, he made other pur- chases, buying and selling with good results. From this humble beginning, in spite of re- reverses, fires, etc., Mr. Bishop became the owner of a large portion of the business enter- prises in McHenry. His property consisted of a large grist-mill, wagon factory, agricultural implement store, pickle factory, besides a farm of nearly 1,000 acres. In 1874 he engaged in the banking business in Woodstock, which he followed two years and then purchased a choice law library at a cost of over $1,000. He acquainted himself thoroughly with the prin- ciples of the law and gained admission to the bar. In political opinion he was a straight- forward Democrat and served as Supervisor fifteen years, and in 1874 as a member of the Legislature. Mr. Bishop had also taken all the degrees in Masonry. October 19, 1849, he married Miss Mary Maurice, a native of New York. Only a few short years ago she preceded him to the land where no sorrow dwells, leaving a son, Ormus, who died in 1879, and a daughter Lola D. Lola D. is the wife of Thomas Walsh of McHenry, who, together with two children of Ormus Bishop, remain to mourn his death. The career of Mr. Bishop is an ex- cellent illlustration of what energy and will can accomplish. The following is taken from the remarks of Dr. H. T. Brown at the old settlers' meeting in August, 1895: "Knowing Mr. Bishop well, I say without hesitation that, had his lot been cast, in his >outh, where he could have received the edu- cation, the want of which he so often and so much deplored, he would have taken his place among the leading men of his day. First and foremost in his character was his wonderful, almost inexhaustible, energy. Coming to this town in its earliest days, poor in pocket, un- friended and unknown, having for his full and only stock in trade a limited knowledge of blacksmithing, we first find him in the employ of N. S. Hate (also one of our noble and early pioneers) swinging the hammer over the anvil from earliest dawn to late at night, day after day, month after month, with the grim deter- mination depicted in his face that said plainly to an on-looker, 'Here will I hammer my way to success. These flying sparks rhall light me on my path. I will yet build a forge of my own and be the arbiter of my fortune.' How well he succeeded you all know. He did build a forge of his own and long after it was built, through his whole life in fact, that same tire- less industry, that same determined energy was his guiding spirit. One of his strong char- acteristics was his wonderful faith in himself. — that great lever that somtimes may prove but a broken read, but without which a man is a mere puff-ball, blown hither and thither by every passing breeze with no fixed purpose, no settled conviction or aim in life." Mr. Bishop was naturally inclined to the study of law, and a reasonable success in our justice court led him more and more to a de- termination to succeed at the bar. With this end in view, he provided himself with the nu- cleus of a splendid library and made a fair success at the bar. Feeling the necessity of early educational advantages himself, he was a firm believer in the importance of our public schools and his voice and purse were never withheld when needed in any work he believed would place the youth of the country in a self- sustaining position. HENRY BRIGHT. Henry Bright, pioneer of Union, McHenry County, has passed most of his active career as a stone-mason in that vicinity, and, in the steady pursuit of his trade, has v/on for him- self a substantial prosperity. At sixty-four years of age he is still strong and active, and applies himself sedulously to his business. Mr. Bright is an Englishman by birth and ancestry, the early members of the family hav- ing been natives of Somersetshire and Glouces- tershire, England. His paternal grandfather, who was a life-long resident of England, was a truck-gardener by occupation, married in early manhood and had six children, all of whom came to America: Henry S., William, a carpenter by trade who died in the West Indies; Peter, Thomas, Elizabeth and Ann. Henry S. Bright, the father of Henry, was 692 McHENRY COUNTY. born in Axbridge, England, about 1818, and received his early education in the subscrip- tion schools of his vicinity. At an early age he learned the carriage-maker's trade in Bris- tol, England, which he afterwards carried on in that city for many years. He there married Sarah "Vernal, who bore him seven children: Henry, Sarah, Julia, Ann and Joseph, who were born in Bristol, and Thomas and William, born in America. In the spring of, 1853, in the hope of improving his impaired health, he de- cided to come to America, and, in May of that year, embarked in a sailing vessel for New York. After his arrival he proceeded directly to Union, McHenry County, 111., where his brother Thomas was then living. Here he settled and began working at his trade. As the outlook proved rather favorable, the follow- ing autumn he sent for his family, whom be had left in England. They made the trip from Bris- tol to Liverpool by steamer, and thence by the ship "Union" to New York, the voyage occupy- ing three months. During the trip, Henry, the oldest son, then about sixteen years of age, had charge of the affairs of the family. Arriving at Union Station on the Galena & Chicago Union Railway, during a severe snow storm at two o'clock in the morning, owing to a misunder- standing they found no one there to meet them. Then, being wrongly directed, they wandered about in the storm some three hours before they reached the cabin of Thomas Bright at five o'clock in the morning. The father, Henry S. Bright, subsequently followed bis employment as a carriage-maker at Ma- rengo, Rockford and Beloit. Mrs. Bright died at Rockford, Dec. 25, 1883, at the age of 64, and Mr. Bright at Beloit in 1892, at the age of seventy-four. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bright were members of the Methodist church, and in Eng- land Mr. Bright was a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He was an industrious and skilled workman, and he and his wife reared an excellent family. Henry Bright, son of Henry S. and subject of this sketch, was born in Bristol, England, May 23, 1839, and there, in the old-time subscription schools, received his early education. When about eleven years old he moved with his par- ents to Newport, Wales, where he was em- ployed for some time in a large nail factory conducted by a philanthropic old bachelor, em- ploying 3,000 hands — many of them boys — dur- ing this time attended a school supported by his employer, receiving two hours' instruction each clay. The boy-employes in this factory were accustomed to work, alternately, two weeks by day and two weeks by night. Later he worked on a boat on the Avon River, which often made trips across the channel from' Bristol, to Newport, Wales. . He also worked some two years with his father learning the carriage-making trade. After coming to Il- linois at sixteen years of age, Mr. Bright worked as a farm hand for his uncle for some years, assisting in breaking the wild prairie land, with a huge prairie-plow drawn by eight to ten yoke of oxen and turning a furrow thirty incbes wide. In 1857 he began learn- ing the trade of a stonemason, including brick- laying, plastering, etc., which has since been his life occupation. On Sept. 30, 1S59, Mr. Bright was married in Franklinville, 111., to Nancy M. Pike, who was born in the State of New York, May 16, 1840, the daughter of Ezra and Louisa (An- drews) Pike. Mr. Pike was a pioneer settler of Coral Township, McHenry County, and died in Seneca Township. After marriage Mr. Bright settled in Union Village, where he applied himself sedulously to his trade for some years. October 3, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company E, Ninety- fifth Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. Eddy and participated in the battles of Nashville, Dec. 15, 1864, Spanish Fort, in April, 1865, and othei important engagements, escaping without wounds or hospital treatment. He suffered an attack of fever and ague and contracted an- other disease, from which he has never entire- ly recovered. In September, 1865^ he was transferred to Company E. Forty-seventh Il- linois, and at Montgomery, Ala., Oct. 10, 1865, received an honorable discharge. After the war Mr. Bright resumed his trade of a stone- mason with renewed energy, and has since steadily continued the business, having just completed the first brick business block in the village. He has assisted in the erection of al- most every school-house in his vicinity for years, has also done work on the opera house in Marengo, Mr. Patrick's buildings and other important structures, and is now considered one of the most competent men in this line in McHENRY COUNTY. 693 his section. Aided by his three sons, who learned the trade with him, he has prospered exceptionally well in his business, and now owns two blocks in Union besides several resi- dences and other property. Mrs. Nancy M. (Pike) Bright was a faith- ful helpmate of her husband for many years. They had eight children, viz.: Lydia, who died at the age of eleven years; Ulysses; Ella, died aged eleven; Bert E. ; Carrie; Dora; Andrew and Sarah. Mrs. Bright was killed by an accident at the railroad crossing at Union, Oct. 16, 1890. On Oct. 24, 1894, Mr. Bright was married to Miss Adell Butts, who was born in Coral Township, the daughter of Bushrod and Urania (Howland) Butts, and they have had two children: Lee Ellis, born Aug. 11, 1895, and Lois Esther, born Aug, 14, 1899. Mr. Bright is a man of affable manners, kind- hearted, and generous, and wins friends at every step in life. Fraternally he is affiliated with the I. O. O. F. ; the A. F. & A. M. and the Harvey Wayne Post, G. A,. R., of Marengo; the Knights of the Globe, of Freeport, and the Modern Woodmen of America, at Union, hold- ing the position of banker in the latter. Both he and his wife are also members of the East- ern Star. Politically he is a stanch Republi- can, and at present a member of the Village Board. Bushrod Butts, father of Mrs. Bright, was born in Delaware County, N. Y., and both he and his wife were of Welsh extraction. About 1850 he came to McHenry County and settled upon a farm in Coral Township. He died at his home in Union, Dec. 25, 1888, at the age of eighty-two years. He married Urania How- land, and they had ten children: Ophelia, Jane, LaFayette, Cynthia, Albert. Esther, Mary and Adell. LaFayette served three years in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, taking part in many battles, and Albert, enlisting in the One Hun- dred and Fifty-third Illinois Infantry at seven- teen years of age, served seven months during the last year of the war. Their parents were highly respected citizens, and consistent mem- bers of the Baptist church. LEBBEUS H). BEACH. Lebbeus H. Beach, Wauconda, 111., early set- tler of Nunda Township, McHenry County, was born in Hartford, Trumbull County, Ohio, Aug. 1, 1834, the son of Seneca and Edna (Hart) Beach. His father, Seneca Beach, was born in Hartland, Conn., March 25, 1802, son of Leb- beus and Hope (Spencer) Beach, who were also natives of Connecticut. The mother, Edna (Hart) Beach, was born at Burlington, Hart- ford County, Conn. Lebbeus Beach (1) was a farmer by occupation, and, at an early day, moved with his family to Trumbull County, where he opened up a farm near the Pennsyl- vania State line. He and his wife had eleven children, only four of Whom lived to maturity: Seneca, father of the subject of this sketch; Julia, who married a Mr. Moore and had two children — Elmina and Jerusha; Harry, who had five children — Emily, Leonora, Frank, Allison and Kirtland; and Laura, who married a Mr. Hurlburt. and had children named Rufus, Cassius, Abby, Seneca, and a daughter whose name is not remembered. Lebbeus Beach was a Justice of the Peace some thirty years, and died aged about eighty years at Hartford, Trumbull County, Ohio, and his wife at Gus- tavus in the same county. Seneca Beach, at the age of fifteen years, en- listed for the War of 1812, but saw no active service; his old military coat is still preserved in the family. He had a common-school educa- tion, and was brought up on the farm. Being a natural mechanic, he could make almost any article from wood, including clocks (having been employed in a clock factory at Brookfield, Ohio, for some time) spinning-wheels, and various farm implements. At one time he made a wagon entirely of wood. Mr. Beach was twice married, first in Trumbull County, Ohio, to Anna Hart, and afterwards to her sis- ter Edna, both born in the State of Connecticut, daughters of Ira and Margaret (Hazzart) Hart, both families being of New England stock. Mr. and Mrs. Hart had eleven children, of whom nine grew up, viz.: Dennis, Amos, Gad, Thankful, who married William Walters; Anna, married Seneca Beach; Eliza, married Silas Washburn; Lucy, married Schuyler McMaster; Morgan and Edna, who became the second wife of Seneca Beach. Mr. Hart died at Vienna, Trumbull County, Ohio (>94 McHENRY COUNTY. After marriage Mr. Seneca Beach settled in Hartford, Ohio, and there his two oldest chil- dren — Lebbeus K. and Morgan H. — were born. In 1837 he moved with his family to Iowa, and settled on 200 acres of unimproved land near Brighton, Washington County, and here two children — Laura Ann and Lucy — were born. The journey to Iowa was made on a river steamer from Wheeling, W. Va., and during the passage, Mrs. Hart (the mother of Mrs. Seneca Beach) was accidentally killed by falling down the hatchway of the boat. She died on board the steamer and w,as buried at Ft. Madison, Iowa. When Mr. Beach settled at Brighton, there was but one white family within twenty- five miles of his house. The Black Hawk War had ended a few years before and a band of Sac and Fox Indians were camped within a distance of two miles. Lebbeus Beach used to play with the Indian children and became a favorite of the old chief, who taught him to speak the Indian language. The Indians were peaceable and frequently visited the home of Mr. Beach, where they were kindly treated. Mr. Beach improved his land, put up good buildings for his day and here passed the remainder of his life. He and his wife were members of the Congregational church, of which he was a deacon and one of the founders of the church in his neighborhood. In politics Mr. Beach was first an old-line Whig, but later adopted the principles of the Free*Soil party. He died aged about forty-eight years. For several years he served as Justice of the Peace. Lebbeus H. Beach, the immediate subject of this sketch, was but three years of age when he moved with his parents to Iowa. Here he received a common-school education in the pioneer schools which were conducted on the subscription plan and, when eighteen years ol age, began teaching in Washington County. When sixteen years of age, he became a clerk in a general store at Burlington, Iowa, and, af- ter his career as a teacher, he remained with one firm for seven years, when he opened a general store of his own in Hardin County, Iowa, continuing in the business for two years, for a part of this time being Postmaster at New Providence. On December 29, 1859, Mr. Beach was mar- ried at Brighton, Iowa, to Helen L. Hale, who was born at Underhill, Vt., the daughter of Or- rin and Melissa (Waite) Hale. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Beach removed to Ford County, 111., where they lived for eighteen months, when he bought eighty acres of land in McHenry County and later settled on a 120-acre tract in Nunda Township. In the spring of 1882 he pur- chased his present homestead, consisting of 120 acres, much of it being covered with a growth of young trees. Mr. Beach has made all the improvements on his farm besides adding to its area until he now owns 240 acres in Nunda Township. To Mr. and Mrs. Beacn the following named children have been born: Leola C, born March 3, 1861; Leon A., born July 18, 1862, and died when about four years of age. Leola C. married R. G. Smith, and they reside on the home farm., In political be- lief Mr. Beach is a stanch Democrat according to the principles taught by Thomas Jefferson. He is a man of upright character and has seen much of the development of the West. Helen L. (Hale) Beach is descended from old colonial Vermont stock. Her grandfather was a farmer in the State of Massachusetts and removed to Vermont and settled at Essex, where he died. His children were: Walter, Daniel, Orrin and Clarinda. Orrin L. Hale, the father of Mrs. Beach, was born at Essex. Vt., Feb. 16, 1809. He was a carpenter by trade, and on Nov. 12, 1837, mar- ried Melissa Waite, who was born March 17, 1816, the daughter of David and Fannie (Lilly) Waite. David Waite was a blacksmith by occupation and came of a Vermont family who were of English extraction. His children were: John. Fannie. Lewis, Mary, Melissa, Amity, Jason and Loraine. Mr. Waite was a soldier in one of the early wars, and a well-to-do citizen, and. at the time of his death, left a large estate tc his children. Orrin Hale settled in Essex, Vt.. where he worked at his trade. His children were: Helen and Osman, both born in Essex, Vt. In the fall of 1847 he came to Illinois, by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes to Chicago, and first settled at Wauconda. Lake County. In the spring of 1848 he moved to McHenry Coun- ty and settled in Nunda Township where he purchased a 120-acre claim of Thomas Sayles. This land was but slightly improved, but by industrious management he not only brought the land to a high state of cultivation, but erected upon it substantial buildings and added McHENRY COUNTY. 695 to its area until he owned 320 acres. In 1875 he retired from active life and passed the re- mainder of his days at the home of his daugh- ter Helen (Mrs. L. H. Beach), in Nunda Township, where he died in November. In political opinions Mr. Hale was a Democrat, and as a citizen, he was highly respected for honest principles and upright character. Osman M. Hale, son of Orrin Hale, born in Essex, V., Feb. 2.2, 1843, at four years of age came with his parents to McHenry County, 111., where he became a substantial citizen and a large land-owner, his estate consisting of about 600 acres. RASMUS BUCK. Rasmus Buck (deceased), pioneer citizen of Nunda Township. McHenry County, was born in Rudkjobing, Denmark, Oct. 30, 1801, the son of Capt. Hans and Anna Margaret ( ) Buck. Capt. Hans Buck was a sea-captain and ship-owner, commanding his own vessel. He was a resident of Rudkjobing, a sea-port of Denmark, and was well known in his native country, where he followed the life of a sea- man for many years. His career was a notable one for the fact that, although he lived to be 103 years old, he was never sick. He and his wife celebrated their diamond wedding anni- versary in the same church at their old home in Denmark, in which they were married seven- ty-five years before. The church was decorated with flags and brilliantly illuminated, while the flags of all nations were displayed by the ves- sels in the harbor. A unique feature of the ceebration was the presentation to Captain and Mrs. Buck, by the King, of a silver cup lined with gold. The church service was followed by a banquet and a ball in honor of Captain Buck and wife, in which they led the grand march. Both lived after this interesting event many years. Captain and Mrs. Buck had twelve children — ten sons and two daughters. Among those who are remembered are: Hans, a wealthy merchant tailor of Copenhagen; Martha, who married a sea-captain and ship-owner; Andrew, Peter, Eliza and one son who went to South America. Peter and Martha emigrated to Mc- Henry County, 111., where they remained for a time, but finally removed to Iowa, where they purchased a large farm in Blooming Prairie, Pocahontas County. Captain Hans Buck was a Lutheran in religious belief. Rasmus Buck, of this family and subject of this sketch, received a good education in his youth, being able to speak several languages. He also learned the cabinet-maker and carpen- ter's trade, which he carried on some eight years in Berlin, Germany. On May 2, 1826, he was married in his home town to Clara Maus- ness, who was born in Denmark of Spanish parents, in 1798. Her parents having died when she was about one year old, she was reared by wealthy relatives. After marriage Rasmus Buck and wife settled in his native town of Rudkjobing, where they lived until their removal to America in 1837. coming by a sailing vessel commanded by Capt. Carl Bay, from Copenhagen to Liverpool, and thence in the ship "Independence" to New York; the voy- age occupied three months. At that time Mr. and Mrs. Buck were the parents of five chil dren who lived to years of maturity. Their names were: Magnus, Charles, Clara T.. Martha and Peter. Those born to them in America were Laura A., who married Henry Bay, and Anna Margaret. Rasmus Buck was a cabinet-maker, and after his arrival in New York, found prompt employment with a piano manufacturer. He was the third Danish emi- grant to locate in New York City, being pre- ceded by E. Brandt, the first, and John Han- son, who was the second to arrive. In after years both these fellow-countrymen visited Mr. Buck at his home in McHenry County. After spending some years in New York, Mr. Buck removed to Ohio, locating in the town of Peninsula, Summit County, where he followed his trade as a cabinet-maker. In 1844 he took a new departure, this time coming to McHenry County. 111., where he settled on the farm on which his daughter Mrs. Leisner now resides. Here he pre-empted 160 acres of Government land which he improved, in the meantime carrying on his trade as a carpenter and house- builder. Among the buildings erected by him were the Universalist church at McHenry, the residences of C. W. Huff and Deacon Button at Ridgefield, and the old Terwilliger home at Terra Cotta. The latter is an especially well- finished residence. Mr. Buck is believed to have been the first Dane to settle in McHenry County, as, at the time he passed through Chi- cago, he found none of that nationality in that 69 G McHENRY COUNTY. place. Mr. Buck spent the remainder of his life in McHenry County, and in his residence of forty years, became well and favorably known, serving for some time as Clerk of his town. He and his wife were members of the Universalist church at McHenry, and he was a prominent member of Wauconda Lodge, A. P. & A. M. In politics he was originally a Demo- crat, voting for Stephen A. Douglas for Presi- dent in 1860, but later was a supporter of Abraham Lincoln. His death occurred at his home in McHenry County, Sept. 24, 1884. Anna Margaret Buck, daughter of Rasmus Buck, was born on her father's homestead in Nunda Township, McHenry County, Aug. 18, 1846, was educated in the public schools and at the Todd Seminary, Woodstock, and on Sept. 29, 1867, was married to Svend B. Leis- ner. Mr. Leisner was born in Tronekar, Den- mark, May 6, 1845, the son of Casper Adolphus and Athene Amelia (Haas) Leisner. His father was a landscape gardener and had' charge of the grounds and gardens connected with the old castle in his native town. The children of Casper Leisner and wife were: Theodore, William, Sophia, Jacob, Julius. Heinrich, Albrecht, Svend B. and Adolph. All of these remained in Denmark except Svend. Casper A. Leisner died in his native country in 1855. aged fifty-two years. Svend B. Leisner received a common-school education in Denmark and was trained up to the dry-goods business. In 1864 at the age of nineteen years he' came to America, sailing from Nyborg, Denmark, to Quebec, where he arrived after a voyage by sailing vessel of -seven weeks. Prom Quebec he came directly to Chicago, where at that time there were only twenty-seven of his countrymen. Arriving m Chicago he soon found employment in a store and remained in the mercantile business for a number of years. After their marriage in 1867, Mr. and Mrs. Leisner remained in Chi- cago until 1877, when Mrs. Leisner's father, Mr. Buck, having become advanced in years, they removed to the paternal homestead, where they have since resided. Mr. and Mrs. Leisner have four children, viz.: Alice Laura, born Dec. 22, 1870; Estelle Anna, born Jan. 1, 1872; Eugene R., born Nov. 9, 1874; Florence Sophia, born Aug. 22, 1877 — all born in Chi- cago, except the youngest, who was born on the farm in McHenry County. Mr. Leisner is a Republican in politics, and fraternally is a member of Nunda Lodge A. F. & A. M. He is a man of marked probity of character, of intelligence and business sagacity, and an honorable representative of his nationality. His son Eugene is a molder of terra cotta, and made the entrance to the main building at the Buffalo Exposition of 1901. He is now foreman of the Terra Cotta Works at Rocky Hill, N. Y. Estelle Anna Leisner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Svend B. Leisner, married Frederick W. Bergman of Chicago, who is now a farmer of Bancroft, Iowa. They have one child named Carl William. Magnus H. Buck, now the only surviving son of Rasmus Buck, received a thorough business education in Bell & Sloan's Commercial Col- lege, in Chicago, then read law, but preferring an agricultural life, is now a resident upon the home farm. Clara Tena Buck, daughter of Rasmus Buck and sister of Mrs. Leisner, married George P. Bay, a well-known citizen and now retired banker of Chicago, and his brother, Henry Bay, married Mrs. George P. Bay's sister, Laura A. CLARA T. BUCK (now Mrs. Bay), already mentioned as the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rasmus Buck, was born in Rutkoben, Den- mark, Dec. 6, 1836, and came with her parents to America when two years old. After spend- ing some time in New York they removed to Summit County, Ohio, where they remained several years. When about ten years of age Mrs. Bay came with her brothers and sisters to McHenry County, 111., the family settling on the farm now known as "Terra Cotta" where Mr. and Mrs. Svend B. Leisner reside. The journey from Ohio was made overland, and after their arrival in Illinois, the family had few of the comforts and conveniences enjoyed by the farmers of the present day. The small grain was cut by the farmers of that day with a cradle, the hay with a scythe and the corn by hand with a corn-knife, while the cultiva- tion of corn, potatoes and the like, was done by hand, chiefly with the hoe and the shovel- plough. There were no creameries and no sale for milk in those days; so the cream war. made into butter by hand using a dash churn. Corn, when taken to mill to be manufactured into meal, had to be shelled by hand. Lucifer McHENRY COUNTY. 697 matches were not made in this region nor any- where near at that time; so the pioneer set- tlers made their own matches, using the splinters split from a pine-log and dipping the ends in melted sulphur. A steel file and a piece of flint were used to produce a spark, which was communicated to some charred cot- ton cloth kept in a small box to protect it from moisture, and in this way the flame was communicated to the home-made match. Horses were scarce in those days, so most of the work in the fields, such as ploughing or harrowing the land, hauling hay or grain, was done with oxen. If the early settlers wished to attend a dance, a singing or a spelling- school, they had only to hitch a yoke of young oxen to a wagon or cart to take them there. To the older settlers the privations and hardships of pioneer life were more severe; yet this was the beginning of a new and more independent life to be followed by greater comforts and conveniences. The younger ele- ment seemed to have better times and get more enjoyment out of their surroundings than the young people of the present day. Their wants were fewer and, being taught to do all kinds of work, they were able to min- ister to their own comfort and enjoyment. The girls were taught to spin, to sew, milk the cows and even work in the fields, when neces- sary; so an occasional good time was all the more highly appreciated and heartily enjoyed. The first year after Mr. Buck came to Mc Henry County the crops proved an almost en- tire failure, and wheat for seed was cut by hand with a pair of shears. The daughter Clara T. lived on the farm in McHenry County until 1855 when, at the age of nineteen years, she was married to George Phillip Bay of Chicago. Mr. Bay was born at Viborg, Denmark, July 9, 1830, and when twen- ty-two years of age came to America. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bay settled in Chicago, where they still live and are among the oldest residents. Mr. Bay was in the grocery busi- ness for a number of years, but in 1873 engaged in the banking business in partnership with Andrew Peterson. In 1893 the bank was in- corporated and is now the Western Bank of Chicago. Mr. Bay retired from his connec- tion with the bank as President two years ago (1901). He is a Knight Templar Mason, be- longing to Englewood Commandery. Mr. and Mrs. Bay have eight children living: Clara H. Miller, the oldest, resides on a large ranch in Sprague, Washington; Alice (Bay) Blish is a resident of Englewood, now a part of Chicago; Charles Phillip Bay lives in Marshalltown, Iowa; Dr. Hiram H. Bay is a practicing physician at Nunda, McHenry County, 111.; Ef- fie (Bay) Anderson is a resident of San Pedro, Cal.; Henry M., Irene Jeannette and George Phillip Bay, Jr., live with their parents in the city of Chicago. PETER BURGER. A considerable part of the elements which have contributed to the development of Mc- Henry County is of German nationality, and the list of prominent men who, by their energy and enterprise have won a front rank in the estimation of their fellow-citizens, shows a large proportion of men whose cradles stood in the "Fatherland." The German-Americans are, as a rule, prosperous, industrious, edu- cated, progressive in their ideas, and, as law abiding citizens, stand second to none. One of their most highly respected pioneer represen- tatives is presented in this biographical sketch. Peter Burger was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, near Frankfort-on-the-Main, Sept. 28, 1827, son of John and Eliza (Henry) Burger. The father, John Burger, was a farmer and owned a small piece of land in Germany, where his forefathers had lived for generations. His children were: Fred and Peter. John Burger died in his native village in 1834, and .his widow married as her second husband, Ludwi? Hohinstein, a butcher. Their children were: Eliza, William, John and Adam. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hohinstein died in Germany, Mrs. Hohin- stein's death occurring in 1849. The family belonged to the Presbyterian church. Peter Burger attended the common school until fourteen years of age, which is the full requirement of the National law of Germany. He thus received a good elementary education and then learned the trade of a weaver In Hemboch, his native village. He came to America at twenty-four years of age, sailing from Antwerp, July 17, 1851, in the sailing ves- sel "Richard Alsop," being thirty-six days on the voyage. He arrived in New York City, August 19, where he worked two months for a 698 McHENRY COUNTY. butcher and on October 29, 1851, removed to Middleport, Lake County, 111. Making the trip from New York to Middleport, he came via Buffalo, crossing Lake Erie to Toledo, and thence by rail to Chicago. He walked from Middleport to Grant Township, Lake County, and there engaged in cutting wood for a farmer until the spring of 1852. The three years following were spent as .a farm-hand in McHenry County. Then, returning to Lake County, he bought a farm of 120 acres in Grant Township, on which there was a log house and other slight improvements. Mr. Burger im- proved this farm in many ways and made it his home until 1864, when he came to Hebron Township. McHenry County. March 1, and there purchased a farm of 180 acres. Here he made hi? home and by hard work and the assistance of his industrious wife, accumulated an estate of 405 acres of land on which he erected substantia] farm buildings. In Greenwood Township, he married Eliza Penkernagel, born in Hesse Darmstadt, June 27, 1831, the daughter of Henry and Gertrude (Sitinger) Fenkernagel. Her father was a tailor and his children were: Carl, Mary, Katie, Emma, Eliza, John and Henry. Mr. Fenkernagel died in Germany at the age of sixty-two years. He was a mem- ber of the Lutheran Church and a citizen of sterling worth. Mr. Burger and Eliza Fenkernagel, being residents of adjoining villages, became ac- quainted in Germany. Her sister Emma mar- ried George Hohinstein and came to America in 1852, settling in Greenwood Township. In 1853 Eliza Fenkernagel came to this country and soon afterwards married Mr. Burger. Mr. and Mrs. Burger are the parents of six chil- dren: John Henry, William H., George, Louis (died after marriage, aged thirty-four years), Janie and Edward C. Mr. Burger was long a respected citizens of Hebron Township, always an advocate of public improvements and good schools. He held the office of School Director for several years and afterwards that of Road Commissioner. Mr. and Mrs. Burger are mem- bers of the Methodist church of Woodstock. They moved to Woodstock in 1890, bought a pleasant residence property there and gave ail of their children a good education, assisting them to start in life. Prof. H. Burger, one of their sons, is a graduate of the State Normal School, and is now Principal of the graded school of North Aurora. The whole career of Mr. Burger furnishes a splendid example of the success which may be achieved by strict attention to duty, sterling integrity and perseverance. By his own efforts he has won success and is today one of the re- spected citizens of McHenry County, enjoying the fruits of his hard labor with the conscious- ness of having lived an upright, honorable and successful life. COLBY FAMILY HISTORY. The origin of the Colby family in America dates from the arrival of the Mayflower at Plym- outh, in 1620, though their remote progeni- tors were undoubtedly of Danish stock. The name in Danish, spelled "Koldby," means a cold town with a northeast exposure to the North Sea. Some of the early Koldbys came with the Danish invaders from their native Denmark to East Anglia, where there are sev- eral villages bearing the name. The first records of the family are found in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and the Norfolk shore is believed to have been overrun by the Danes even before the days of Julius Caesar, as well as at a later date. That the Norfolk English are largely descendants of the old Danish sea- kings, is evidenced by the type of their features, as well as the prevalence of Danish words in their speech. A township on the Danish peninsula named Koldby was, without doubt, the birthplace of the name. While these facts leave no doubt of the origin of the family, by intermarriage of its later generations with Britons, Saxons and Normans, and, at a still later period, with English emigrants and their descendants in New England, there has been a large infusion into their veins of Anglo-Saxon blood, which has now become predominant. Colby village, with five other parishes consti- tuting Ingworth Manor, some twenty miles north of Norwich, England, in ancient times was a homestead village belonging to the town of Cranston. It was held as royal property by Prince Harold in the eleventh century, and re- mained in possession of the crown until 1226, when, by grant of Henry III. through Herbert de Burgh, it was transferred to William do Burgh. In 1119 half of the town was held by Robert Colebi and two of his brothers, and McHENRY COUNTY. 699 their names are the first of the ancient Colby family now known to exist on the records. From this Robert Colby, through a long lin- eage, the American family is descended. The crusades against the Saracens in the Holy Land were at their height in the time of Rob- ert de Colebi, and the coat of arms and crest of the Colby family are believed to indicate the part which they took in those events. The following description is taken from the "Heralds' Book of England:" "Colby coat of arms, 1370 — A blue ground with roof between three shells of gold, within a border of gold, scalloped." On the crest above the shield was painted a crown or helmet to denote the bear- er's rank, and above this some additional family emhlem. The Colby crest is described as follows: "An arm in armor bent, in its proper color, trimmed with gold, holding in a gauntlet, sword hilted of the last." Without attempting to follow farther the fortunes of the Colby family in England, it suffices to say that they were of the landed gentry, some of them holding prominent positions in the State. Anthony Colby, the founder of the family in America, came from Beccles, in Suffolk, Eng- land, as a single man upon the Mayflower in 1620, bringing with him his armor "consisting of a corselet, breast-plate, gauntlet, gorget, two. tassels, head-piece, a skull-cap with brim varnished black, with close head-piece." He also had a long ponderous musket, which is supposed to have been of the flint-lock variety, which had but recently superseded the matchlock. The fare for crossing the ocean was four pounds each, and this is regarded as evidence that he belonged to the gentry. He married in America a woman named Susannah, whose family name is not recorded, although there is tra- dition that it was Nutting. He became a mem- ber of the First Church in Boston, and here his son John was baptized in 1633. He became a resident of Cambridge, where he had a farm and took the oath of a freeman in 1634 ; is also said to have lived in Rowley and Ipswich some years, but in 1640 went to Salisbury in Essex County, where he was appointed appraiser for the Government the same year. After remain- ing at Salisbury about seven years, he located in the wilderness of the Powwow, a tributary of the Merrimac, and was one of the founders of Amesbury, Mass. This is believed to have been about 1647, as that year he sold his house and lot at Salisbury, where he had lived seven years. Ait Amesbury he built a frame house, which is still standing and occupied by his descendants. This is described as a two-story structure about 20 by 25 feet square, the lower story consisting of one room with entry and huge fire-place, used as living-room, work-shon and sometimes as sleeping-room, and having benches at the side of the fire-place where, on winter evenings, the women and children worked and played, while the men used the room as a work-shop, receiving their light from a pine-knot stuck in the back of the fire- place. The attic was divided by board-parti- tions into sleeping rooms. Anthony Colby be- came one of the largest property holders in the town, planted large orchards, cultivated gardens and raised cattle. In 1651 he and Philip Challis' were chosen at town meeting to take charge of the affairs of the town. He died in Amesbury in 1661, aged between sixty- five and seventy years, and was buried in the old graveyard called "Golgotha," on the west bank of the Powwow River. The children of Anthony and Susannah Colby, constituting the second generation in America, were: John, born in Boston, lived at Amesbury, married Frances Hoyt, and was killed by Indians one-half mile from his home, in 1675; Samuel, born at Rowley, lived at Haverhill and Rowley, and married Elizabeth Sargent; Isaac, born at Salisbury, lived at Haverhill, and died at Rowley before 1691; Thomas, born at Salisbury and married Hannah Amos; Mary, married Willi Sargent, Jr.; Re- becca, married John Williams, and lived and died in Haverhill; Sarah, married Orland Bag- ley. From Samuel Colby, born at Rowley in 1639 and who married Elizabeth Sargent, the daughter of Willi Sargent. Sr., was descended the third generation of the American branch of this family He became a freeman (or townsman) on reaching his majority in 1660, was administrator of his mother's estate, set- tled in East Haverhill, but later returned to Amesbury; in 1689, was chosen Represent- ative in the General Court and assessor in 1696; was tithing-man several years, re- signing in 1707. In 1678 he was select- ed to keep the public house at Bartlett's Corners near his mother's home and probably 700 McHENRY COUNTY. remained there until his death in 1715. The reputation of his inn was well maintained by his widow and descendants long afterwards. He and his nephew, John Chase, were soldiers during the "King Philip's War" in 1676; were present at the famous Deerfield massacre and in what was known as the "Falls fight," when a party of troops returning to Hadley were ambushed by Indians in a ravine, and their commander, Capt. Turner, with forty of his party, shot down at a single volley. John Chase and Samuel Colby assisted in burying their leader. By order of the court a township of land near the scene of the battle was given to each of the participants. The children of Samuel and Elizabeth (Sar- gent) Colby were: Susannah, John, Philip. Dorothy and Eliza. Of this generation, the fourth in line of descent from Anthony Colby. Philip Colby, born in 1678, married Ann Web- ster, and they had children named as follows: Ichabod, horn at West Amesbury, Philip, Nicholas, Stephen and Samuel. Ichabod. of this family and of the fifth generation in Amer- ica, married Esther Nichols in 1754, and he. and later his widow, for a long time kept the inn at Bartlett's Corners, Amesbury. Their children were: Nicholas, Jane, Anna, Esther, Martha and Thomas. The last-named, next in line of descent, lived in Haverhill, and had the following named children: Ichabod, Thomas, William, Mary. Sarah and Hannah. Thomas of the last mentioned family, was born at New- buryport, Mass., in 1757, became a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and took part under Washington in the battle of Yorktown and was present at Cornwallis' surrender; also was present at the execution of Major Andre. He married Lydia Webster, a near relative of Daniel Webster, and removing to Danville, Vt, opened up a fine farm there and spent there the remainder of his life, dying at the age of about eighty-four years. He was one of the founders of the "North Star," the first news- paper published at Danville. The children of Thomas and Lydia (Webster) Colby were: Page, Susan, John,. Gideon, Mary, Mariab, Sarah, Ira and Sylvia. Ira Colby, of the last mentioned family, was born at Danville, Caledonia County, Vt., Dec. 27, 1803, and married in his native State Mary G. Stocker, who was born at Danville, and was of Scotch descent. In 1840 he removed with his family to McHenry County, 111., making the journey by railroad to Burlington, Vt., across Lake Champlain by steamer, from Whitehall to Buffalo by the Erie Canal and thence by the lakes to Chicago, where he was met by his brother Gideon and transported with his effects by two-horse-teams to McHenry where they arrived Sept. 25, the journey from Chicago to their final destination occupying two days. During the first winter Mr. Colby and his family lived in a log-house which had been formerly occupied by Chauncey Beckwith, but later settled one-half mile northwest of Mc- Henry, where he bought 240 acres, of which twenty acres had been broken by the plow. The following winter he built a frame house out of oak lumber which had been sawed in the mill at McHenry. This house was covered with shingles rived out of logs. Deer, wolves and other wild animals were abundant in the vicinity, as many as one hundred of the former being sometimes seen not far from the Colby home. During the first winter Mr. Colby and his sons caught seven wolves and five foxes in traps which they had brought with them from Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Colby and their children were members of the Methodist church, and the first Methodist prayer-meeting in McHenry was held in their home. Freeman Harvey was their class-leader. Politically Mr. Colby was originally an old-line Whig and later a Lincoln Republican; was elected Justice of the Peace soon after coming to Mc- Henry County, serving twenty-three years; also served sometime as collector and was a mem- ber of the School Board and treasurer of the same for several years. He was an industrious citizen and noted for his kindness of hear;: and integrity of character. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Colby were: Newell S., born Oct. 13, 1826; Mary M., who died in April, 1848; Abbie S., born July 15, 1831; Sarah M.. born in 1833; Franklin, born Jan. 5, 1835, died in Dec. 1867; Ora C. and Flora (twins), born Dec. 8, 1837; John B., born April 13, 1840; Gideon A., born Dec. 7, 1843, died in October, 1886; Henry C, born Sept. 6, 1846; William M., born Sept. 9. 1852, died Feb. 20, 1876. Mrs. Colby died on the home farm, Nov. 29. 1859, aged fifty-four years, and Mr. Colby at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Sherburn. July 11, 1886, at the venerable age of nearly eighty- three vears, leaving to his descendants the rich £, 4irlh McHENRY COUNTY. 701 memory which attaches to an upright ami honorable private life devoted to the welfare of his family and the public good. NEWELL S. COLBY. Newell S. Colby, farmer and stock-breeder, McHenry, 111., was born at Danville, Vt, Oct 13, 1826, and in 1840, when fourteen years of age, came with his father to McHenry. During the winter of 1841-2 he attended a school taught by Archelaus Sias in the north end of what was known as "Brown's Log-Cabin Tav- ern." This was the first public school ever taught in McHenry, although Elder Wheeler had taught a private boarding school at a previous date. Sias was the son of a Method- ist minister at Danville, Vt., and had come west with the family of Ira Colby for the pur- pose of selling the "Sias Improved Family Medicines" prepared by his father. The younger Sias sold these medicines to the pioneer set tiers for some time, after which he engaged in the mercantile business at McHenry, but finally went, in company with Dr. Brown of McHenry, to California, where he died. A number of pupils who attended his school are still living in McHenry County. Still later Newell S. Colby attended various schools until twenty-one years of age, including one taught by Enos W. Smith in the building where the Colby block now stands. Mr. Colby remained at the parental home until thirty years of age, when, on Oct. 9, 1856, he was united in mar- riage at Greenwood, McHenry County, to Laura Etta Parker, born at Lyons, Oakland County, Mich., the daughter of Joseph J. and Mary (Curlis) Parker. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Colby settled on, an 80-acre tract of unim- proved land, which he had bought from his father's estate, and which now constitutes a, part of his home farm. He added to this land by purchase and by thrifty management, until he owned a large property, but has since dis- posed of a considerable portion of his real estate, although now the owner of a handsome and well-improved farm of 168 acres. Mr. Colby early became interested in breed- ing fine stock, and, while a young man, became the owner of a blooded stallion bred in Cale- donia County, Vt., and known as "Colby's Young Morrill," for which he had paid $500 when the animal was three years old. Still later he was the first to introduce the Morgan breed of horses in Northern Illinois, devoting his time largely to this branch of business and. in the last forty-five years, many of this popu- lar breed of horses have been sent from his farm to all parts of the United States. In fact, the pedigree of many famous horses of the Morgan breed has been traced to this stock. In 1857 he added to his business that of breed- ing merino sheep, and has been one of the most successful breeders in this line, his stock com- ing from the best Vermont flocks. In political principles Mr. Colby has been an earnest Republican of the Abraham Lincoln school since the organization of the party, and both he and his wife are Methodists in re- ligious belief. They have had the following named children: Mary Laura, born Aug. 4, 1858, died when about one year of age; Emma May, born June 12, 1860, and married Edward Sayler; Belle C, born June 26, 1865, married W. A. Sayler; Newell Frank, born Aug. 9, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sayler have seven daugh- ters, viz.: Mabel, Laura M., Edna, Pearl, Eve- lyn, Florence, and Olive. Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Sayler have two children; James N., and Frank W. Newell F., the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Newell S. Colby's family, born on the home farm, Aug. 9, 1877, received a good common- school education, after which he attended the high school at McHenry. He has spent his life on the farm of which he has been the manager for a number of years. Sept. 4, 1900, he was married to Agnes Thomas of McHenry, who was born in Greenwood, March 28, 1882, the daughter of Julian and Lucy (Hobart) Thomas, and they have one daughter, Florence, and a son, Ora Newell. Julian Thomas, the father of Mrs. Newell F. Colby, was a soldier in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War, serving three years and participating in a num- ber of important battles. He was promoted for meritorious conduct. Mr. and Mrs. Newell S. Colby have liberally assisted their children in acquiring an educa- tion and in entering upon life for themselves. They also brought up from boyhood, Edwin Warner, to whom they have gave a good edu- cation and a home until he reached maturity, when they presented him with a Morgan horse (which he sold to the "Dundee Morgan Horse Company" for $500), besides other nronerty. 702 McHENRY COUNTY. The "Dundee Horse Company" was later of- fered $3,500 for this horse. Mrs. Newell S. Colby is a lady of much artist- ic taste, which she has cultivated with great industry and perseverance, turning out some rare specimens of fancy work of different varieties. These include imitation fruits in wax-work, which it is almost impossible to dis- tinguish from the real article from appearance, hair-work indicative of great ingenuity and skill, and many specimens of needle-work em- broidery of intricate patterns and of rare beauty and elegance. She still continues her work in this line in which she takes great pleasure. JOSEPH J. PARKER, the father of Mrs. Newell S. Colby, was born at East Bloomfield, Ontario County, N. Y., July 6, 1811, the son of James and Sarah (Barrett) Parker. His father was a native of Ontario County, N. Y., and he and two of his brothers, served as soldiers in the Revolutionary War, one of them losing his life in the struggle for Independence. Both the Parker and the Barrett families were of Eng- lish-Puritan ancestry, whose founders in Amer- ica became early settlers in the New England Colonies. James Parker was a pioneer settler in New York State, where he was the owner of a large farm which he divided among his children, and where he died aged about sixty-six years. His wife lived to the age of ninety-seven years and final- ly died at the old homestead without having suffered a day's serious illness during her long life. She had gained her "second sight" and, in her later years, was able to read without glasses. On the day of her death she appeared to be in her ordinary state of health and, after attending to some light household duties, re- tired to her room, where her life went out a? naturally as a candle expiring in the socket the fact that the crisis had come being un- known until sometime after. The children of James and Sarah (Barrett) Parker were: Elea- zer, Eveline, David, Clara, Alvin. Almira, Silas. Collins. Benjamin, James, Joseph J. and Sarah Ann. Joseph J. received a common-school edu- cation, became a farmer and, on Jan. 27. 1833, married at East Bloomfield, N. Y., Mary Curlis who was a native of Canandaigua County, N. Y., born May 18, 1811. The Curlis family were of Canadian origin, the mother, Mrs. Mary Cur- lis, before marriage being a Miss Acres. Her husband, Mr. Curlis, having died about 1815. she married a second time and had one son. Having learned that the Curlis branch of her family had a claim upon valuable property in Canada, she started for that country with a view to enforcing her family rights, taking her son with her, but was never seen or heard of after disappearing at a turn in the road, where she was last seen by some of her friends who were watching her as she departed on her journey. Soon after the marriage in May, 1833, Joseph J. Parker removed to Michigan, then a terri- tory, and settled in the town of Lyons, where he entered 160 acres, and, clearing it of the heavy timber with which it was encumbered, opened up a farm. He added to his land until he was the owner of 200 acres and became a well-to-do farmer. In 1854 he made another removal, this time to McHenry County, 111., where he settled on a farm consisting of 234 acres of partly improved land with good build- ings, one mile north of Greenwood. He lived here until his death, which occurred Oct. 15, 1884. His wife died Feb. 8, 1879. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Parker — all born at Lyons, Mich. — were: James Elliot, born Jan 27, 1834; Joseph Collins, born June 14, 1835; Ann Elizabeth, born May 11, 1837; Laura Etta (Mrs. Colby), born Nov. 22, 1838; Benjamin Allen, born May 5, 1840; Sarah Alice, born Sept. 1, 1843; David Hide, born Oct. 4, 1845; George Curlis, born June 21, 1848; Martha Alzqah, born Aug. 31, 1851. All are deceased except Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Wheeler, now of Minneapolis, Minn., and Mrs. Colby The son. Benjamin Allen Parker, served as a soldier for three years during the Civil War, participating in the Vicksburg campaign, and his life was shortened by exposure during his service in the field. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Parker were members of the Methodist church at the time of their marriage, but after their removal to Michigan, they united with the Baptist church. On com- ing to McHenry County they rejoined the Meth- odist church, becoming members of the church at Greenwood. In early manhood Mr. Parker studied for the ministry in his native State of New York, and for some time was a class- leader in the church. He was a Sunday School teacher many years, and, being a fine singer, often led the music in the congregations with c/Haj, cJ&u^ d,/&df information on these lines. On October 11, 1902, Mr. Dufield sold out his paper to the Mc- Henry County Republican Company, thus ter- minating a journalistic career which had been maintained uninterruptedly for twenty-five years. Early in 1903 he engaged in the sta- tionery and job^printing business, on the first of January opening an establishment in the Kellogg Block, in "Woodstock, which has proved quite successful. Mr. Dufield was married in Woodstock, by the Rev. R. K. Todd, Dec. 25, 1877, to Miss Ada M. Jewett, who was born in Dorr Town- ship, McHenry County, June 20, 1854, the daughter of Henry and Marie (Woodward) Jewett. Her parents came from Bennington, Vt., and were of old colonial families of Eng- lish descent. Henry Jewett, the father, who was a successful farmer and a pioneer of Mc- Henry County, was born near Bennington, Vt., Aug. 17, 1801, and married in 1827 Marie Woodward, who was a native of New Hamp- shire. After marriage they settled on a farm, where they remained until 1842, when they came to McHenry County. Here Mr. Jewett entered Government land and opened up a valuable farm upon which he lived until 186C. when he retired, residing in Woodstock until his death, which occurred in 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Jewett were the parents of children named Johnson W. (deceased), Joseph P., Susan (deceased), Walter P., Frank M., Lucy H., Ada M. and Harriet. John A. Dufield is one of the self-made men of McHenry County. Beginning while a mere lad to learn the "art preservative," he has won his way solely by his own persevering efforts and personal attention to business. While of a quiet, retiring disposition, he is possessed of a strong individuality and much reserve force and, being once fixed in his purpose, he keeps on to the end. Among his fellow-crafts- men in McHenry County, Mr. Dufield stands as representative of the liberal and whole- souled printer. While a champion of political principles, he has never been a mere seeker for office; he served one term as Postmaster by appointment of President Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs. Dufield are the parents of two chil- dren: Opal and Allan J. OSCAR F. DUFIELD. Oscar F. Dufield, descended from sterling Scotch-Irish and English ancestry, is the grandson of Isaac Dufield, who was a native of Virginia and became a pioneer farmer in Randolph County, now in West Virginia. Isaac Dufield married Isabel Given, who bore him children named Abraham, Robert, John, Ben- jamin and Isabel, the latter becoming the wife of Benjamin Green, a planter of that section who had a large number of slaves. This Mr. Dufield died in middle life, leaving a family of small children. Henry Dufield, the father of Oscar F., was born in Randolph County, W. Va., Jan. 14, 1803, became a farmer like his father before him, and was a noted marksman with the rifle and a successful hunter. He was married in Bath County, Va., to Anna Given, daughter of Robert and Margaret Elliot (Bott) Given. Robert Given's family consisted of three sons and six daughters: Samuel, who married Mary Gibson, of Bath County, Va. ; William, married Elizabeth Sands of Nicholas County, W. Va. ; Adam, married Diana Prian, of Nich- olas County; Nancy, now Mrs. McEvoy; Sally, the wife of Samuel Gibson; Jane, married David Dufield; Margaret, married James Earl; Polly, who married George Du- field, and Anna, whose marriage to Henry Dufield has already been mentioned. Ac- cording to the statement of Henry Dufield, his grandmother was of Scotch blood, while his grandfather was of English origin. In his youth Henry Dufield attended the district school and assisted in the support of the fami- ly by working on the farm. After his mar- riage he cleared up a new farm of about 100 acres in a heavily timbered region, and here all his children were born and here he con- tinued to reside until about 1846. His children were: Isaac B., who died in California; Thad- deus, who died in Henry County, Mo.; Oscar F., Margaret, who married H. % C. Murphy of Knox County, 111.; Sarah J., who married E. Dufield (now deceased), of Rock Island, 111., and Adelaide, who married John M. Elliot. In 1846, Henry Dufield and family, McHENRY COUNTY. 747 accompanied by John Frame and family, moved to McHenry County, 111., the party trav- eling on the same flat-boat to Charleston, W. Va., where they took steamer to La Salle, 111., thence making the journey by wagon to Mc- Henry County, where they .arrived April 17. Here he settled on the farm in Dorr Township where his son Oscar now lives. This land he entered at the Government Land Office, except forty acres of timber which he bought from a Mr. Safford. Mrs. Dufield died in West Vir- ginia, Feb. 3, 1843, before the removal of the family to Illinois. She was a devoted member of the Methodist church, with wnich she unit- ed in her youth. Mr. Dufield was a citizen of the true pioneer type and, by a life of untiring industry, improved his farm, erecting on it substantial buildings which still exist in good condition. He was a firm believer in law and order, and filled a number of important posi- tions in which he assisted to promote the best interests of the community. In political opinions he was a Jacksonian Democrat of pronounced and independent views. His deaih occurred Oct. 2, 1895, at the age of nearly nine- ty-three years. Oscar F. Dufield, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Braxton County, W. Va., Oct. 2, 1839, and was but seven years of age when brought by his father to McHenry County, 111. He attended school in Queen (Ann Prairie, his first teacher being Oliver Burr; was afterwards ,a pupil of Mr. George K. Bun- ker, and still later in the Todd Seminary, which he attended one term. He was reared to the life of a farmer which he has pursued ever since and, while remaining on the old homestead, cared for his father in an honored old age. On J.an. 1, 1863, Mr. Dufield was married, in Dorr Township, to Francena Frame, born in Braxton County, W. Va., Deo. 7, 1843, the daughter of John and Rachael (Knight) Frame. John Frame was a native of Nicholas County, W. Va., born Feb. 1, 1822, the son of David and Susan (Bail) Frame, grew up to be a farmer and, on Nov. 12, 1840, married Rachael Knight. Their children were: Leonard, who died in St. Louis, aged about fifty-nine years; Francena; Elizabeth Ann: Mary Susannah, who died after her marriage; Louisa Jane; Charles Robert, who died in in- fancy; Cynthia; Benjamin F., and John Ed- ward. Francena Frame — afterwards Mrs. Oscar F. Dufield — was only two years old when the Dufield and Frame families came from "West Virginia to McHenry County, 111., as pre- viously stated. Her father, Mr. Frame, set- tled in Grenwood Township, where he bought 120 acres of Government land and opened up the farm now occupied by Mr. Frank Austin. After living here some years he sold out and removed to Abingdon, Knox County, but final- ly returned to McHenry, where he died soon after — his death taking place Jan. 26, 1868. Mr. and Mrs. Frame were members of the Methodist church and, in politics, he was a Democrat. He was a typical pioneer, an ex- pert with the use of the broad-ax, and, after coming to McHenry county, hewed out the 'timbers which furnished frame-works for many buildings. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Dufield settled on his father's homestead, which he finally bought before the death of the latter. This farm is pleasantly located within a few minutes walk of the court house in Woodstock. It is a place of natural beauty, including eighty acres of woodland. The farm contains 240 acres in all, and has upon it two streams of flowing water fed by never-failing springs. There is a beautiful lake upon the premises, from which the farm takes the name of "Lake View." The lake has a depth of thirty-five to forty feet, is fed by living springs, and is filled by fine fish for game and table purposes, which appear to have found their way into the lake by an outlet into the Nippersink. Mr. Dufield is a practical farmer, keeps his farm upon which he has lived for the past fifty-six years, in a high state of cultivation, raising upon it large crops with fine herds of Jersey cattle and other varieties of stock, and the homestead, with its excellent buildings, is pervaded by a general atmosphere of thrift and comfort. Mr. and Mrs. Dufield have two daughters, Carrie Ann and Mary Gertrude, who have received a liberal education in the Woodstock High School and are ladies of in- telligence and refinement. The family attend the Methodist church. In politics Mr. Dufield is a Democrat, imbibing his principles both from early training and from careful and in- telligent study of the doctrines of the party as taught by such early patriots as Thomas Jef- ferson and Andrew Jackson. He has always been a friend of education and has been i 748 McHENRY COUNTY. School Director in his district for a quarter of a century. Of exemplary habits and pleasant manners, his life has been characterized by stanch honesty and fair-dealing, entitling him to the praise implied in the term, "a good American citizen." ARTIMUS R. DUNHAM. Artemus Dunham, one of the few remaining pioneers of McHenry County, was born at Springville, Erie County, N. Y., April 23, 1823, son of Elijah and Amy (Humphrey) Dunham. Elijah Dunham, the father, probably of Eng- lish Puritan ancestry, was born in New York State, June 20, 1784. Jan. 9, 1808, he married Amy Humphrey, who was born at Hartford, Conn., May 20, 1791, After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Dunham settled in Springville, N. Y., where they lived until all of their children ex- cept Harriet were born. After a short resi- dence at Town Line, N. Y., they removed to North East, Erie County, Penn., where they lived a few years. Their children were Ed- ward, born Sept. 21, 1810; Alvira, born March 6, 1813; Lurinda, born June 23, 1815; Sa- mantha, born Oct. 12, 1817; Almira, born Oct. 28, 1821; Alfred, born Aug. 28, 1826, and Harriet, born at Town Line, Erie County, Penn., April 27, 1829. Elijah Dunham died March 25, 1864; Amy, his wife, died May 29, 1866; Edward, died Sept. 8, 1857; Alvira, died Feb. 7; Harriet E., died May 30, 1897; Alfred, died Jan. 20, 1899. Edward, who was a farmer in Illinois and later in Wisconsin, married Mary Devore; Alvira, married Darius Carr, a farmer of Iowa; Lurinda, married Joseph H. Bulard, a jeweler of Marengo; Samuel, married Sa- mantha Bulard of Marengo; Alfred E., married Martha Parker, a widow (nee Truesdale). Artimus Dunham received a limited com- mon-school education, attending the district school in the winter and working at farm labor during the summer. He was ten years old in the spring of 1833, when his father moved to La Porte County, Ind. They made the journey with a yoke of oxen and a large four-wheeled wagon, and also drove with them two cows that supplied an abundance of milk and butter throughout the entire trip. Mr. Dunham's father settled on wild land in Door Prairie, La Porte County, Ind., and at first built a board shanty, but soon erected a good log house. He plowed a few acres of land and raised a good crop of sod-corn the first year. In 1836 Mr. Dunham found that another party had entered the land upon which he had settled and that his claim was void, but the owner gave him a yoke of small oxen for peaceable possession of the property, and Mr. Dunham again jour- neyed westward for a home. In the spring of 1836, accompanied by one of his sons, he came to McHenry County in search of a home- stead. He selected land on the site of the old Indian Village on Coral Hill, built a log cabin and moved his family there in the fall of the same year. Mr. Dunham found that a spot of about seven acres of this land had previously been cultivated by the Indians, which was probably a natural opening in the woods, as the Indians were not accustomed to clear away heavy timber. The old hills where corn had been grown were well marked, and Mr. Dunham found that one yoke or oxen could easily plow this piece of land, while on the wild prairie, it required from three to six. Mr. Dunham improved his farm and made a very comfortable home, where both he and his wife died. They were members of the Baptist church in which Mr. Dunham was a deacon and one of the founders of the church in his neighborhood. Politically he was a Jacksonian Democrat, but became a Republican when that party was organized. Artimus Dunham came with his parents to Coral Township, when thirteen years of age, and well remembers the journey and the ap- pearance of the deserted Indian land upon which his father settled. But little of the wig- wams that had previously stood there re- mained, but the poles for some of their prin- cipal structures, including the main wigwam or council-house, as it was called, were still there, although the strips of bark, with which it had been covered, had been removed by the early white settlers, to make floors for the lofts of their cabins. There was an old Indian dancing floor on his father's farm, smooth and level and trodden very hard. There was an Indian burying ground about twenty rods west of the house, and the graves were well round- ed and when opened, as they were by the first comers, the remains were found well protect- ed with puncheons. Many relics had been taken from the Indian graves, such as beads, silver breast-pins of large size, pipes, etc. In they moved to Woodstock. In 1897 he engaged in his present business as a dealer in newspapers and period- icals, books and stationery, which he has con- ducted successfully. In politics he is a Republi- can, and fraternally a member of the Modern Woodmen and of the Knights of the Globe — in the former having held the office of Worthy Vice in Woodstock Lodge two years. Mrs. Forman was a member of the Methodist church. By his last marriage Mr. Forman has one son — Percy Raymond. "Jim" Forman, as he is familiarly called by his friends, is a man of genial disposition and is noted for his kind- ness of heart and strict integrity. Mr. and Mrs. Josiah R. Forman celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage in February, 1902. Mrs. Forman died Oct. 30, 1902, lacking one day of eighty-five years of age. CHARLES L. FILLMORE. Charles L. Fillmore, Postmaster and Justice of the Peace, Union, 111., is one of the reliable citizens of McHenry County, and the son of a pioneer and soldier of the Civil War. His father, William J. Fillmore, was born in Middle- town, Vt, July 10, 1831, the son of Luther and Susan (Huggins) Fillmore. The Fillmores are descended from the colonial and Puritan an- cestry, which early became identified with Con- necticut Colony. John Fillmore, the great- grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and of the same stock as President Fillmore, was the son of Luther Fillmore who died in 1792. Another Luther Fillmore, the son of John and the grandfather of Charles L., who was born near Middletown, Vt., in 1804, was a black- smith by trade and married in the vicinity of his birthplace Susan Huggins, who was of Welsh descent. Their children were John (who died young), Ann Jeanette, Henry, Charles, William, Helen, Hulda, Charlotte, El- vira, Luther D., Millard and Sylvanus. Luther Fillmore came to McHenry County in 1854, with his son William J., who had already settled at Coral, McHenry County, and returned to Ver- mont for his father's family. On arrival ac Coral Luther Fillmore engaged with his sons William J. and Charles in the manufacture of wagons, and in their blacksmith shop were manufactured the first plows made in that part of McHenry County, and this business they carried on quite extensively for that early period. Here he remained until 1862 or 'ffS. when he removed to the village of Union, and there carried on the blacksmith business until his final retirement from active life. This Luther Fillmore was a member of the Con- gregational church in which he was a deacon, and he assisted to build the Congregational church at Union. He held the office of Justice McHENRY COUNTY. 771 of the Peace for many years, and his docket is still preserved. He died at the home of his son, Charles, in Marengo, at the age of eighty- two years. He enjoyed the reputation of a man of sound judgment and high integrity cf character. William J. Fillmore, the son of the preced- ing, was born, as stated in the beginning of this sketch, near Middletown, Vt, received the ordinary common-school education of that per- iod., which he supplemented by the reading of good books later in life, and became a well- informed man. He came to McHenry County, 111., in 1853, when about twenty-two years of age, and settled in the village of Coral. Here, in company with his brother Charles, he start- a wagon manufactory. A year later he return- ed to Vermont and brought out his father as related in the sketch of the latter. The Fill- mores continued the wagon manufacturing business until 1862, when "William J. enlisted as a private in the One Hundred and Twenty- seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, where he was soon assigned to the Quarter- master's Department as assistant to Quarter- master Frank Hale. Having returned to Mc- Henry County after the war, he settled in Union, whither his wife had removed during his absence in the service. Mr. Fillmore was married twice; first in Vermont, when but nineteen years of age, to Henrietta Hastings, who died soon after. On Jan. 10, 1855, he was married in Coral, McHenry County, to Mary Elizabeth Lyman, who was a native of Buffalo, N. Y., and daughter of Charles and Alma (Huntington) Lyman. Left an orphan at an early age, she came with her two brothers, Charles and Wil- liam, to McHenry County. William J. Fillmore and wife were the parents of the following named children: William Herbert, born Oct. 1856; Henrietta, born 'April, 1859; Charles L., born Aug. 20, 1861; Frank M., born June, 1864; Edith M., born June, 1869; and Earnest F., born Nov. 27, 1871. After his re- turn from the war, Mr. Fillmore entered into the employment of a hardware firm in Chicago as a traveling salesman, remaining with them until 1868, when, having been seriously injured in a railway accident at Elgin, he was confined to his bed seventeen weeks. Having recovered, he resumed his business as a commercial traveler for another Chicago firm, with which he remained until 1871, when the firm having failed, he engaged in the wagon-making busi- ness on his own account. This he continued until 1887, when he removed to Elgin, and be- came traveling agent for a wholesale paper house. Here Mrs. Fillmore died in 1891. Mr. Fillmore is still living, and, notwithstanding his advancing years and hard experience dur- ing a part of his life, enjoys a good degree of physical and mental vitality. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church at Ma- rengo and in politics he is a Republican; is also a member of the Union Lodge A. F. & A. M., and of Elgin Post Grand Army of the Re- public. Mr. Fillmore was Postmaster of the village of Coral before the Civil War, and has also occupied the position of Collector for Coral Township. CHARLES L. FILLMORE, son of the pre- ceding, was born in Coral Township, August 20, 1861, and received a common-school edu- cation in the village of Union, where he was taken in infancy by his mother during the Civil War, his father being then in the service of his country in the field. In 1880, at the age of about nineten years, young Fillmore went to Elgin, and there was engaged in the lightning rod business some years, but still later was connected with the Watch Factory at Elgin for seven years. On Nov. 27, 1884, he was married at Woodstock, McHenry County, to Anna Gubbins, who was born in Elgin, in 1863, the daughter of James and Mary Gubbins, of English ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Fillmore had one child, Walter L., who was born July 3, 1886, Mrs. Fillmore dying on the same date. On Nov. 1, 1889, Mr. Fillmore was married at Geneva, 111., to Eleanor E. Sanford, the widow of Carson Sanford. She was born at Ashford, England, Feb. 7, 1868, the daughter of John and Emma Jarrett, and came to the United States with her parents, who settled at Genoa, 111., but afterwards removed to Elgin, 111. Mrs. Jarrett, the mother of Mrs. Fillmore, is now deceased, but Mr. Jarrett still survives, mak- ing his home with his son in Elgin, 111. To Mr. and Mrs. Fillmore have been born seven children: William J., born June 5, 1891; Charles M., born April 1, 1894; Dora M., born March 9, 1896; Zillah A., born March 8, 1898; Barbara Ruth, born Dec. 10, 1899; Alice J., ■772 McHENRY COUNTY. born August 21, 1901; and Ethel A., born June 25, 1903. Mrs. Fillmore is a member of the Congregational church. In politics Mr. Fill- more is a Republican and fraternally a mem- ber of the order of Modern Woodmen, in which he holds the office of Consul. For the past- five years he has held the office of Justice of the Peace, and for two years has been Post- master of the village of Union, and during the present year (1903) was elected Village Clerk. He is recognized as a capable business man and a representative citizen of straight-forward life and character. THE GILLMORE FAMILY. This family is of Scotch blood and descends from the Gillmores of Renfrewshire, Scotland, who settled in Londonderry, Ireland, after the establishment of the plantation of 1612. The name Gillmore, under its various forms, is in- digenous to the lowlands of Scotland, where it has existed from remote times. During that period in Scotland when government was based on clanship, the Gillmore was one who carried the chief's broad-sword, and was prob- ably selected for his size and strength. Sir John Gillmore, who defended the Duke ot Argyle before the Scotch Parliament, belong- ed to this family. The Scotch have ever been a thriving and practical people, and although living in a poor and rugged country, were renowned for their progress and education. They early began to read and think for themselves, and John Knox first taught that schools should be maintained by the State for the education of all children. With him compulsory education for the pool was a leading principle, and the Scotch had the first free schools in the world. The Gillmore family entered Ireland from Argyleshire, as that was contiguous territory, but the ancient homes of the GillmoreS were in the western lowlands of Scotland, a few miles south of Glasgow. In religious matters the emigrants were similar to the Puritans of England, but different in church government. The Bible was their first school book, and from it the children were taught to read, besides being required to commit the catechism to memory. Robert Gillmore, the founder of this branch of the Gillmore family in America, was born near Coleraine, Ireland, about 1660, and emi- grated to America, probably reaching Boston with the Rev. James McGregor, Oct. 14, 1718. On arrival in America, so far as is known, his family consisted of his wife (formerly Marian Kennedy) and their four sons — William, James, John and Robert, Jr. The family were well educated and in good circumstances. They resided, for a time, at Billerica, Massachusetts Bay, and then between 1724 and 1726, settled at Londonderry, N. H. On March 25, 1724, David Cargill executed to Robert Gillmore a deed of conveyance of seventy acres of land in consideration of "Ye building a fulling mill," doubtless the first mill erected in the town of Londonderry. Robert Gillmore was thus not only a mechanic, but understood the appliances necessary for the manufacture of cloth. He lived to the age of eighty years, dying in 1742. The children of Robert and Marian Gillmore were William, born near Coleraine, Ireland, in 1685, and died at Londonderry, N. H., May 9, 1753; John, who never married and probably died at Lon- donderry, N. H.; James, born near Coleraine. Ireland, in 1695, and died at Londonderry, N. H., in 1745, and Robert, who is mentioned below. Marian Kennedy, wife of Robert Gillmore, Sr., born near Coleraine, Ireland, was des- cended from the Scotch Kennedys, who occu- pied the territory of Carrick from ancient times. They were one of the noted families of Scotland. The mother of Robert Bruce was a Kennedy of Carrick. Second Generation. — Robert, son of Robert and Marian (Kennedy) Gillmore, was born near Coleraine, Ireland, in 1700, and when about eighteen years old, came with his parents to Massachusetts. He remained at Billerica, Mass., until about 1726-8, when he joined the colony at Londonderry, N. H. He became a land-owner and was well-to-do. In 1758 he was chosen to collect the church tax. The name of his first wife was Ann — her full name not being known. By the first marriage there were two children: James, born Sept. 20, 1731, and Elizabeth, born May 1, 1733. By his second wife, Elizabeth, there were six children, all of whom were born at Londonderry, N. H.:' John, born May 3, 1737, and died April 8, 1813; -^z^i&^Z McHENRY COUNTY. 773 Roger, born July 31, 1739, and died Nov. 15, 1807; Miriam, born Sept. 27, 1742, and died sometime after 1815; Jemima, born Feb. 3, 1744, and died March 29, 1774; Robert, who is mentioned below; William, born Nov. 22, 1751, and died Feb. 18, 1831. The father of this family was prominent in both military and civil affairs in Londonderry, serving in Capt. Todd's company from 1758 to 1760. He died in Londonderry April 3, 1782, in his eighty-third year. His wife, Elizabeth Hunnewell, descend- ed from a prominent New England family, Robert Hunnewell having settled at Saco, in the present State of Maine, where he died in 1754. He was a noted Indian fighter, and in a personal encounter, killed an Indian with his scythe. He was afterward killed and mutilated by the Indians. Roger, the brother of Eliza- beth Hunnewell, fought at Louisburg, where he lost an arm. Four of the sons of Robert Gillmore (2) were officers In the War of the Revolution. They were Capt. James, John (who served' at Cambridge), Capt. Roger and Robert. Third Generation. — Robert Gillmore, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Hunnewell) Gillmore, was born in Londonderry, N. H., July 4, 1749. When twenty-four years of age he removed to Jaffrey, N. H., near the great Monadnock Mountain, where he settled on land received from his father. He married Elizabeth Andrus, who was horn Sept. 18, 1759, and removed about 1799 to Swansey, N. H., but returned to Jaffrey about 1800, and finally settled at Pots : dam, N. Y., where he died Nov. 15, 1816. By oc- cupation he was a farmer and carpenter, and the family were highly esteemed. His father disapproved of his marriage and cut him off with a small patrimony. His wife was a Universalist and a woman of marked ability, and in religious discussions quite able to con- tend vigorously with any of the clergy. Robert (3) spoke with a broad Scotch brogue. He was a man of strong mind and impressed on his family the necessity of intellectual improve- ment and an honorable course in life. He was a Revolutionary soldier, fought at Bunker Hill and Bennington, and at. the last named battle was a private in Captain Stone's company, Col. Nichols' regiment of Gen. Starke's brigade. He belonged to the old training hand at Jaffrey and served at Camp Cambridge. He also served in Capt. Parker's company, recruited out of Col. Enoch Hale's regiment in 1776, for service in the northern army at Ticonder- oga. His sons were large, powerful men and, with one exception, over six feet in heigh c, weighing from 220 to 250 pounds each. The children of Robert and Elizabeth (An- drus) Gillmore were: Jemima, born March 6, 1778; Jeremiah, October, 1779; Anna N., born July 16, 1781; Sarah, April 27, 1783; Elizabeth, April 4, 1785; Sallie, March 26, 1787; Andrew, March 22, 1789; Aaron, June 30, 1791; Asa, Dec. 26, 1793, and William, March 6, 1799. Fourth Generation. — Aaron Gillmore, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Andrus) Gillmore, was born in Jaffrey, N. H. He served in the War of 1812, as Corporal in Capt. Ripley's com- pany, Thirty-seventh United States i Infantry, from June 11, 1813, to June 11, 1814, at Ft. Griswold (New London). He was honorably discharged and went to Potsdam, N. Y., where, on March 15, 1818, he married Miss Betsy Dickerson, who was born May 9, 1799. Aaron Gillmore was a man of great physical strength. While he had no more than a com- mon-school education, he was a careful bibli- cal student and well informed on many sub- jects. A relative with whom he passed the last years of his life, said: 'Aaron Gillmore was the best man I ever knew." Most of his life was spent as a pioneer in a new country. He was a Whig in politics, but later a Republi- can. His wife was of Welsh descent. On her mother's side she was related to the Royce family of Potsdam. Aaron Gillmore died April 29. 1873. His wife died Aug. 10, 1870, both deaths occurring in Norfolk, N. Y. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Aa^on Gilmore are as follows: Harvey, born May 8, 1819, and whose record is given below; Alvira, born Feb. 4, 1821, and died Dec. 17, 1884; Andrew, born June 18, 1823, and died Nov. 12, 1825; Alfred, born Sept. 8, 1826, and died Feb. 25, 1895; Clarinda,- born Sept. 8, 1828, and died Feb. 14, 1834; Harriet, born Aug. 4, 1833, and died young; Charles, born Sept. 8, 1836; George, born- Dec. 21, 1837. Charles Gillmore of this family, served twenty years on an American' man-of-war and, for many years, was not heard from, but returned home between 1880 aad 1890. He later re-enlisted in the navy, serv- ing until 1891, when on going ashore in New 774 McHENRY COUNTY. York, he was attacked with pneumonia, and died at the Sailor's Home. He left on deposit in New York and Boston $3,000. Fifth Generation. — Harvey, son of Aaron and Betsy (Dickerson) Gillmore, was born at Potsdam, N. Y. His early life was spent in rural pursuits and he received a fair education in the common schools. On reaching hi** majority he entered the employ of Justice Webber, of Norfolk, N. Y., who carried on a large farm and operated a blast furnace. Having remained here four years, he then went to Wisconsin, where he worked in the pineries and rafted timber down the Wiscon- sin and Mississippi rivers. On February 15, 1847, Mr. Gillmore married Esther (Richardson) Sawyer, and in 1854, moved to Marengo, 111., where he engaged in farming. In the fall of 1864, he bought a farm two and one-half miles southwest of Marengo, settling on it the next winter. In 1867 he was attacked with a severe form of bronchial asthma, which incapacitated him for labor and caused him intense suffering. In the year 1875 he sold his farm and bought a small place near Woodstock, where he resided until his death. He was a member of the Scotch Presbyterian church. He was well informed, as it had been his practice to read every sub- stantial book he could obtain. He was well versed in European and American history and possessed an extensive biographical knowledge. When a young man, he had powers of great endurance, and has been known to walk sixty miles in a day without injury. He was a suc- cessful farmer and was accumulating property rapidly when stricken by disease. In early life Mr. Gillmore was a Whig, but became a Republican on the organization of that party. He never aspired to office, was broad-minded, liberal to a fault, absolutely honest and highly respected. He died at his residence, near Woodstock, 111., Jan. 13, 1877. Mrs. Harvey Gillmore was born at Stock- bridge, Vt, Aug. 15, 1824. Her father moved with his family to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., and settled on a farm in the town of Norfolk. The family was of Scotch descent but the date of their arrival in America is unknown. Their earliest known place of residence was West moreland, Cheshire County, N. H. Her grand- father, Jonathan Sawyer, enlisted from this place for service at the battle of Bennington. He was sixteen years of age at the time of the battle of Bunker Hill, and was one of the picked men for that engagement. He was also in the battles of Princeton, Stillwater, Trenton and Yorktown. Mrs. Gillmore was very skill- ful with her needle, and her work in this line display rare design as well as execution. She had a good education and before marriage was an excellent teacher. Her great-grandmother was Jemima Webster, also a native of New Hampshire. To Mrs. Gillmore's great energy and judgment the success of the family was largely due. During her whole life she was a most exemplary Christian and in later years, as long as her health would permit, a regular attendant of the Methodist church. After her husband's death she was an invalid and re- sided with her son, Judge Gillmore. She died July 11, 1897. Their children were Orson Harris, born June 17, 1848, at Norfolk, St. Lawrence County, N. Y.; Russell, born June 6, 1851, and died March 22, 1852, at Norfolk. N. Y,. the place of his birth. ORSON HARRIS GILLMORE. From the landing of the Pilgrims at Ply- mouth until the uprising of Charles I., about 20,000 emigrants came over from old England to New England. The English emigration was never renewed, and from these men, with those who came from Scotland and France, are des- cended the vast numbers who have New Eng- land blood in their veins. From two of these sources, the Scotch (or Scotch-Irish, as they are erroneously called) and the English Puri- tans, came the subject of this sketch, Judge Orson Harris Gillmore. On the paternal side, the line is of sterling Scotch, unmixed, the English Puritan strain coming through inter- marriages. It is good stock on both sides — none better, none abler in peace, none braver in war. There is in it an inheritance of cour- age, of manliness, of imperishable love of liber- ty, of undying adherence to principle. Judge Gillmore was born, June, 1848, in Norfolk, St. Lawrence County, N. Y., and in 1854, when but six years of age, came with his parents to McHenry County, 111. The journey was made by the lakes to Chicago, where the family arrived during the summer. fa- 0- *. £JL^ . Mc HENRY COUNTY. Young Gilmore worked on a farm during the summer season, and attended the district schools in the townships of Marengo and Riley during the winter months, until he was seven- teen years of age, and thus became inured, in his youth, to the quiet and healthful farm life in which have been reared many of our ablest Americans. The ill health of his father early threw the care of the farm upon him, and the discipline of facing the stern realities of life added its force to the development of his character. At the age of seventeen he began to attend a private school at Marengo, taught by Miss Hattie Carleton, a successful and ex- perienced teacher. Young Gillmore early evinced the natural powers of the debater and speaker, and endeavored, by honest, hard study, to improve his mind and to develop his oratorical powers. In the old-time school much attention was devoted to training the boys in the art of public-speaking, it being properly deemed a necessity to educate the young citizens of a republic to be able to ad- dress their fellow-citizens at a public meeting; and thus many of the foremost American statesmen received their early training, while some of the most eloquent orators who have adorned the halls of Congress had no other. Under the instruction of Miss Carleton, young Gillmore soon became skilled in declamation, showing so much ability that his teachpr was impressed with his unusual aptitude and ad- vised him to study law, which he resolved to do. He soon after applied to Hon. Ira R. Cur- tiss, of Marengo, a well-known lawyer and highly respected citizen of that town. Mr. Curtiss encouraged his young applicant, advis- ing him to begin with "Walker's American Law," loaning him the work. Young Gillmore took the book home to the farm and read it while in the field and at every interval of farm work, and by the fireside during the long eve- nings after his hard day's work. During the winter of 1869 he read law in Mr. Curtiss' of- fice and walked three miles each way between the office and farm. He attended to the chores, cared for thirty head of cattle and arose every morning between three and four o'clock, and frequently pursued his legal studies until eleven o'clock at night. He lived on simple food, keeping his brain clear and active, and in this severe school acquired a thorough knowl- edge of the fundamental principles of law that have remained in the powerful grasp of his memory to this day, and will be a part of his mentality until his death. Besides his studies with Mr. Curtiss, young Gillmore read law in the office of Hon. A. B. Coon, of Marengo, one of the legal giants of Northern Illinois, and who served as Provost Marshal during the Civil War. He was also Master in Chancery in McHenry County four years. Mr. Coon took a great interest in his hardworking young law student, and believing his abilities to be such that he would become a credit to the bar of Illinois, loaned him $400 with which to pursue his legal studies in the law department of the University of Ann Ar- bor, Mr. Coon requiring only of his young friend that he repay him when able, which trust was faithfully fulfilled. Mr. Gillmore entered the law department at Ann Arbor, from which he graduated in 1873 and began the practice of his profession in Woodstock in 1874. He soon succeeded in establishing a good legal business and became one of the leading lawyers at the McHenry County bar. In 1882 he was elected County Judge, serving continuously until 1890, when he resigned to accept a position on the Pen- sion Board of Appeals at Washington, where he remained five and one-half years, until the change of administration. He was then re- elected to the office of County Judge, a posi- tion which he still holds and in which he en- joys the respect and confidence of the people to a marked degree. Besides his duties on the bench of McHenry County, Judge Gillmore frequently holds court in Chicago for Judge Carter, by whom his knowledge of law is highly esteemed. (It is but just to mention here that Judge Gillmore's opinions have been generally affirmed by the higher courts at Springfield.) Judge Gillmore is noted as a wise legal counselor and his ad- vice has always been much sought after, es- pecially by people who wish to avoid legal en- tanglements. Politically, Judge Gillmore has, from his earliest manhood, been a stanch Republican. When a young man the vital questions growing out of the Civil War took firm hold upon him, and he made his first political speech when but twenty years of age, having been invited by some members of the Grant Club of Riley Township to .address them. The speech was made in the school house. It was a bad, rainy night and the meeting, which was attended by 776 McHENRY COUNTY. about one dozen persons, proved a dismal failure. One week later he was invited by the Grant Club of Marengo, to speak in Lansing's hall. This meeting was largely attended and the young orator made an impassioned appeal to the voters. This time he made a marked impression and the Republicans were delight- ed, but a dampness was thrown on their ardor when a Chicago drummer who was present re- marked: "Your man is a pretty shrewd fellow, but I heard the same speech delivered by John A. Logan a short time since." This shock fell like a bomb-shell and many people believed it; but later in the campaign Mr. Gillmore made another more powerful speech, which effect- ually dispelled all doubt as to his ability and originality. In the days of hard work and small begin- nings, his character was formed, his mind strengthened and his memory rendered retent- ive by exercise, until few men have a more tenacious hold on historical events. What a wonderful fount is memory! We probe its depths and there comes forth a wail of sorrow; again the voice of gladness; anything, every- thing is there, and ready at any moment, and who would have it changed even if there are some dark spots? The peculiar method by which young Gill- more strengthened his memory is of interest. While engaged in hard work on the farm, he was daily accustomed to compose some few lines, and unaided by writing, committed them to memory. This not pnly assisted him in com- position, but acted as a wonderful stimulus to his memory. In this way he soon began to compose his own declamations for school work, and afterwards thought out his early political speeches and committed them to memory, verbatim ct literatim, with all the finished periods exactly as he delivered them. Keeping on in this way, his memory became so firm that he has been known to deliver a long and fin- ished oration and, years after, repeat it word for word, which is a feat of memory unparal- leled as far as the experience of the writer goes. The Judge's method is to make an ex- haustive study of the subject on which he is to speak, thoroughly assimilate the matter, arrange the sentences in his mind with all the orna- ments of the practiced orator, and go upon the platform and deliver it without a break, in its full flow of polished eloquence. It may be said, however, that Judge Gillmore's memory is best on his productions that have never seen print, and that in recent years, as the result of exper- ience and thought, he has delivered many of his most forcible speeches extemporaneously, and that he is very frequently carried away by the enthusiasm of the subject and the occa- sion. Immediately after his first effort at speech- making, Judge Gillmore entered the political arena and has since been an active participant in every campaign with the exception of that of 1876. Among his co-laborers have been such men as the famous Solon Chase, of Maine (the great Greenbacker), Gen. John A. Logan and Hon. Shelby M. Cullom. Judge Gillmore made many speeches in the first campaign of Ben- jamin Harrison, being on the road most of the time, da3 r and night, until, when the end of the campaign was reached, he was utterly exhaust- ed and partially disabled for a long time. Judge Gillmore is not only an eloquent and powerful orator and a successful debater, but he has inherited from his Celtic ancestors a natural taste for poetry, and from some beau- tiful productions of his pen, we quote the fol- lowing: Mother's Love. "Search the continents vast and the isles of the sea, Break the seal of the past, lift the veil to be, There is nothing so lovely, there's naught so complete, As the love of a mother, pure, tender and sweet. "Night's host has a voice, impressive, though still, The heaving of ocean may move us to tears, Yet they stir not the soul with so holy a thrill As the thoughts of that love which is change- less for years. "Death in its course of destruction may sever All matter from form, all beauty from art, Yet it breaks not the stream that is flowing forever Through Maker to man, through the true moth- er's heart." Judge Gillmore has been twice married, first to Miss Cora Coon, daughter of Hon. A. B. Coon, who is now deceased. They had one daughter, Harriet Esther, now the wife of Dunk- lin E. Thames, who resides with her husband at Greenville, Ala. In 1881, the Judge mar- McHENRY COUNTY. 777 ried as his second wife, Miss Annie Granger, daughter of George S. and Susan (Crawford) Granger. Launcelot Granger, the founder of the Gran- ger family in America, was of old English stock, and came from England in 1632, settling first on Kent Island, Mass., whence he removed to Ipswich, Conn., where he died. George S. Granger, the father of Mrs. Gillmore, was born at Sodus, "Wayne County, N. Y., Jan 28, 1821, the son of Lyman and Achsah (Wells) Granger. His wife, Susan (Crawford) Granger, was born in West Bloomfield, Ontario County, N. Y., June 12, 1821. The Crawfords were of Scotch- Irish descent and, in 1837, moved from West Bloomfield to Troy, Oakland County, N. Y. In early manhood George S. Granger moved with his parents to Columbus, St. Clair County, Mich., where, besides helping to open up the home farm, he purchased land for himself be- coming the owner of a 240-acre farm. Mr. Granger was well educated, having spent two years in college and in addition read law with James Eldridge, in Mt. Clemens, Mich. He was a cousin of Gen. Gordon Granger, and during the War of the Rebellion, a strong Union man raising a volunter company of which he was elected captain, but was unable to serve on account of phys- ical disability, During the same period he served as Township Supervisor, be- ing Chairman of the County Board for more than 20 years, and rendered excellent service in caring for the soldiers' widows and children. It was largely due to his efforts that the full quota of soldiers was enlisted from his town- ship. In political opinions he was a firm be- liever in the Democratic principles taught by Jefferson and Jackson. Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger ded on the home farm in Columbus St. Clair County, Mich., his death occurring in March, 1892, at the age of seventy-two years and : that of his wife in November, 1877. They were the parents of three children, named as follows : Elizabeth Crawford, William Wallace and Annie (Mrs. O. H. Gillmore). Judge and Mrs. Gillmore have one son, Rob- ert Harvey, born June 7, 1888. They are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church of Woodstock. Mrs. Gillmore is a lady of education arid' cult- ure, being a graduate of the State University at Ann Arbor, Mich., of the Class of 1874, — the first in that institution to Which Wornen were admitted. After fitting for college she was, on this account, obliged to wait one year be- fore she could enter. She has had an exten- sive experience as a teacher, having taught in the high schools of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, and for some years has been a member of the Board of Education of Wood- stock. She and her husband are members of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally Judge Gillmore is associated with the Masonic Order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a member of the Hamilton Club of Chicago, and an ex-member of the Veteran Union League of the same city. Judge Gillmore is one of the best-known and most honored citizens of McHenry County. A popular orator, there are few hamlets in Mc- Henry County in which his voice has not been heard in some good cause as the earnest cham- pion of the common people. He has also deliv- ered many orations before large audiences in Chicago and other cities, which have received high praise from the press, and he is held in high esteem as an eloquent and brilliant pub- lic speaker. Possessing a vigorous and earnest personality, his manner upon the rostrum is very impressive. He is one of tnose men who, by determined effort, has hewn out his path from the farm to the bench, and has opened up for himself a career as an educated roan. He is an extensive reader of history and scientific works, especially such as pertain to the origin of the races, and his retentive memory rend- ers him a pleasing and instructive conversa- tionalist. There is no man in Illinois more earnest and honest in a firm adherence to right. Entertaining a deep interest in the genealogy and history of the Gillmore family, he has visited many early homes of the found- ers of the family in America, in search of in- formation on this subject. In this respect he has as predecessors such men as Benjamin Franklin, the greatest of American citizens, the martyred President Garfield, and Daniel Webster, the great statesman, who has written as follows: -.'.■.' "It did not happen to me to be born in a log cabin, but my older brothers and sisters were born in a log cabin, raised amid the snow drifts of New Hampshire at, a period so early that, when the smoke first rose from its rude chim- ney and curled over the frozen hills, there was no similar evidence' of a white man's habita- tion between it and the settlements on the rivers of Canada. Its remains still exist. I 778 McHENRY COUNTY. carry my children to it to teach them the hardships endured by the generations which have gone before them. I love to dwell on the tender recollections, the kindrea ties, the early affections and the touching narratives and incidents which mingle with all I know of this primitive abode." MRS. LOUISA C. GATES. Mrs. Louisa C. Gates is one of the pioneer women of McHenry County and belongs to a family of old New England ancestry. She was born in Massachusetts near the Connecticut line, daughter of Almon and Lamont (Robe) Holcomb. Almon Holcomb was a farmer and married in Southworth, Mass., Lamont Ro'be, a lady of Scotch descent. Their children were: Erne- line, Wilson, Caroline, Dwight, Eliza, Louisa C, Edward, Elijah, Cordelia and Lyman. Mr. Holcomb moved to Illinois in 1838 and settled on Ringwood Prairie. His wife died in 1843, and he returned to Southworth, Mass., where he died June 5, 1868, aged about eighty-four years. He was a prosperous and respected man, a member of the Methodist church, and a sol- dier in the War of 1812. His father was a Cap- tain in the War of the Revolution and descend- ed from good English stock, the family bearing a coat of arms. , Louisa C. Holcomb, now Mrs. Gates, came to McHenry County with her parents, and can well remember the pioneer scenes and inci- dents, which she relates with much pleasure. In early life she taught school in the family of George Boone, ,a well-known pioneer, who then lived on what is known as the old Petitt place. In Nov., 1841, she married Nathan S. Hait, who was a native of Madison County, N. Y., his parents being very old settlers of that region. Mr. Hait learned the blacksmith trade in his native county. After completing his studies he started on a tour of observation through the Southern States, but meeting an intimate friend, Henry Owen, a well-known resident of McHenry County, he visited his family and was induced to locate in McHenry, and here opened a blacksmith shop. When the town of McHenry was platted the few citizens drew lots, and Mr. Hait chose the spot where Rev. Joel Wheeler pitched his tent on his ar- rival in the county. To Mr. and Mrs. Nathan S. Hait were born two sons, one of whom died in infancy, and Wilson S., who is still living at the old home. When Mr. Hait arrived in McHeriry County, he had no capital but was a skillful mechanic and a successful farmer, and previous to his death owned a good farm of 320 acres well stocked. He died Sept. 29, 1845. Mrs. Hait was married a second time, to Avery A. Gates, Jan. 11, 1848, and they lived in McHenry County, Illinois. Their children were: Franklin W., born November 20, 1848, died June 3, 1876, and Adaline, born Jan. 21. 1852. Of their children, Franklin W. was a prominent and substantial citizen of McHenry County. Adaline became a sculptress having studied in Boston and Paris, and was a lady of much ability and executed some very fine pieces of work. Her talent attracted so much attention that she had an unknown benefactor who paid her expenses in Paris for three years. She established her art very successfully in Minneapolis, Minn., where she died. WILLIAM H. GROESBECK. William Herman Groesbeck, retired farmer, of Hebron, 111., is a substantial citizen of Hol- land-Dutch descent. His grandfather, Myndert Groesbeck, was born iD Albany, N. Y., June 27, 1767, became a farmer by occupation and mar- ried Margaret Van Vechten, whose family was of the same general stock, their ancestors having come from Holland and settled in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1667. After living on a farm twelve miles south of Albany for a number of years, he moved to Central New York, and settled near Manches- ter, where he bought a farm and where he died, aged about seventy years. The famous hole, where the Mormon bible was said to have been found, was on an adjoining farm. He and his wife were members of the Dutch Reformed church. The first Methodist church west of Albany, N. Y., was organized by an itinerant minister of that denomination in the Groes- beck home about 1790. Mr. and Mrs. Groes- beck had two children, Philip 2nd John Wes- ley. The latter, who became the father of William H. Groesbeck, was born on his fath- er's farm near Albany, July 1, 1802. On May 13, 1824, he married Rebecca Ann Knicker- bocker, who was born in 1800, the daughter of William and Derika (Van Vechten) Knicker- 8kS^ MmWKlk , ,: ■. ... . ■■■,.:•■ , . ■ .: . . ■■■.-. , ■ ., : :■ . :■ . ■ ■ : : : . ■ . ., :■ ■■:■ . ■ ■ . .■ ■■■ McHENRY COUNTY. 779 bocker, all of whom were of pure Holland- Dutch ancestry. Derick Van Vechten, the grandfather of Mrs. Groesbeck, was a Major in the War of the American Revolution, and was killed by Indians during the invasion of New York by Burgoyne in 1777, his remains being buried in the old Fort at Albany. Sev- eral chairs which belonged to Derick Van Vechten, and which were brought by his an- cestors from Holland, have been preserved by different members of the family in America. These are a part of some household goods taken to Fort Albany, for preservation during the Revolutionary War. Derick Van Vechten inscribed his initials — "D. V. V." — on each chair, and these are still plainly to be seen on a chair in the possession of Mr. William H. Groesbeck. The chairs were of what was called the "fiddle-back" pattern, and the one owned by Mr. Groesbeck is yet solid and in a well-preserved condition. He also has a num- ber of other interesting family relics, which have been handed down from his forefathers. One of these is a heavy bureau which be- longed to his grandfather Groesbeck, and which was sunk in a small vessel in Milwau- kee harbor for a time, but finally recovered. John W. Groesbeck and wife first settled on a farm near Albany, belonging to one of the old patroon families, but in 1832, they removed to Manchester, N. Y., later settling in Wayne County, in that State, where he bought a farm on which he lived until 1844. During the lat- ter year he removed to Walworth County, Wis., and settled on a farm of eighty acres immediately on the State line, one-half being in Wisconsin and the other half in McHenry County, 111. He improved his farm and made additions to it until he was the owner of 220 acres. Here he lived until his death, which occurred May 8, 1888, at the age of eighty-six years. In religious faith he was a Presby- terian and, politically, a Jacksonian Democrat, in later life becoming a Lincoln Republican. In his younger days he was a captain in the New York State militia. His children were: Eve Eliza, Benjamin F., William Herman (now of McHenry County), Philip Henry, Margaret Ann, John Wesley and Abraham Derick. The shortest of the five brothers was six feet tall. Mr. Groesbeck held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years. A pleasant event of .Ms later years was the sixtieth anniversary of * s wedding, which was celebrated at the home of his son William, May 13, 1884, in which a large number of descendants and old friends joined. His faithful wife died June 5, 1886. William H. Groesbeck was born at Schaghti- coke, Rensselaer County, N. Y., July 31, 1830, about twelve miles south of Albany, was only two years old when his parents removed to Manchester, and still a boy when he accom- panied them to Wayne County in the same State. Here he attended school during the winter months until fourteen years of age, when he removed with his parents to Wiscon- sin, the journey being made by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and thence by the lakes to Chicago and by team to Linn Township, Walworth County, Wis. After coming to Wisconsin he attended school for several winters in a frame school house, which he assisted to build. When ahout twenty-one years old, he took a brief course in Beloit College, after which he taught several winter schools in Walworth County. On Dec. 27, 1860, he was married in Alden McHenry County, 111., to Josephine L. Udell, who was born in Alden, Erie County. N. Y., Feb. 21, 1838, the daughter of Alby and Jane (Wilson) Udell. (By some branches of the family the name was spelled "Udall.") Alby Udell was a native of Woodstock, Vt., horn Feb. 14, J812, the son of Oliver and Lucretia (Grow) Udell. The founder of the family in America was Benoni Udell, who came to America in colonial times and settled in New Bedford, Mass. He had fled from England on account of some political offense not now clearly understood, but believed to have been in connection with the Cromwellian period. While on board ship, finding himself likely to be captured, he jumped into the sea and, by swimming, escaped to an island, where he took another vessel, finally reaching America as already stated. He afterwards sent to England for his wife and child, both of whom died on shipboard while crossing the ocean. Later he married his second wife in Massachusetts, Bay Colony. Oliver Udell, the grandfather of Mrs. Groes- beck, was the third in regular descent of that name. The name Oliver, which was in com- mon use in the American family for many gen- erations, frequently in connection with the name "Cromwell," w,as adopted in honor of the great English Reformer, and this is regarded as evidence that the coming of the founder of 780 McHENRY COUNTY. the family to America was due to the restoration of the Stuart dynasty to power, and the at- tempt to punish those connected with the dethronement and execution of Charles I. Oliver Udell was ,a farmer in Woodstock, Vt., where his grandfather had settled, and where he owned a farm. He married Lucretia Grow, and their children were: Sophia, Morris, Joseph, Otis, Alby, Elsie and Caroline. About 1815 he moved to New York and settled near Buffalo, making the journey overland with an ox-team. The family were in this region dur- ing the "starvation" period caused by the frosts which occurred in every month during the year 1816, destroying the crops of that year and causing great distress and, in some cases, actual starvation among the widely scattered settlements made up of pioneer families occupying little clearings in the heavily timbered portion of Western New York. The distress caused throughout the northern portions of the United States, during that memorable year, was universal, but of course most severe in the newly settled re- gions, many families being compelled to sub- sist on wild roots, herbs and nuts until the crops of the following year could be grown; and, even then, its effects were felt for a year or two following. Mr. Udell cleared up a farm in this region and finally became a prominent citizen of his county. He died in 1822 at the comparatively early age of forty-four years, from the effects of the privations he had en- dured during his pioneer life. He was a more than ordinarily well-educated man and served as Justice of the Peace in his community. Alby Udell, the father of Mrs. Groesbeck, was born Feb. 14, 1812, near Woodstock, Vt., and, when three years of age, was taken bj r his parents to Western New York. Here, be- ing left fatherless at ten years of age, he re- ceived a somewhat limited education, grew up to the life of a farmer and, on June 18, 1834, was married at Alden near Buffalo, to Jane Wilson, who was born in Colerain, Mass., Feb. 10, 1813, the daughter of John and Annie (Stewart) Wilson. John Wilson was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and his family were Presbyterians and among the early settlers of Massachusetts. Five years after marriage Alby Udell and wife moved to Canada and set- tled near Grimsby in that province, where they remained seven years, when in 1845, they came to McHenry County, 111., and bought 300 acres of land in Alden Township, which he improved, making for himself and family a fine home. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years and was an attendant of the Presbyterian church, of which his wife was a member from her girlhood. Politically he was originally a Democrat, but joined in the organization of the Republican party and was one of the ardent supporters of Mr. Lin- coln for the Presidency. While in New York, Mr. Udell was a member of the State militia. His children were: Oliver, Josephine, George and Asad. He died May 5, 1885, aged seventy- three years. Mrs. Alby Udell died Feb. 10, 1879, on her sixty-sixth birthday. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. William H. Groesbeck settled on a part of the paternal homestead in Alden Township, and to this he made additions until he was the owner cf valuable farming lands amounting to 470 acres. This he improved, erecting on it sub- stantial farm buildings, and by the exercise of industry and economy, aided by his faithful wife, was very successful. In 1893 they re- moved to Hebron, where they bought a pleasant residence in which is their present home. They have three daughters, Jennie R., Grace G. and Josephine Ida, all active members of the Presbyterian church. Grace G. married Ira E. Hyde, May 11, 1893, a business man of Hebron. Politically Mr. Groesbeck is an earnest Re- publican, and, in religious' views, a Presby- terian, and has been an elder and liberal giver in that church for the past twenty-five years. While a resident of Alden Township, he served for more than twenty years as Town- ship Supervisor, and has occupied a prominent position in the community. Three brothers of William H. Groesbeck served in the Civil War, Philip, John W. and Abraham D., the first named in a Wisconsin regiment and the others in Illinois regiments. Philip served four years, was in many battles and finally died after reaching home, in consequence of exposure in- curred during his army life. Abraham also died from the effects of his war service. Asad Udell, a brother of Mrs. Groesbeck, was also i soldier of the Civil War. Mr. William H. Groesbeck was nursed by an old ex-slave woman, . who had been in the employ of the family from the time that slavery existed m New York State. Mrs. Groesbeck's maternal grandfather: McHENRY COUNTY. 781 John Wilson, was a contractor on the Erie Canal while it was in process of construction, and his partner ran away with the funds be- longing to the firm, but Mr. Wilson, with ster- ling integrity and at great sacrifice, paid up all his debts, preserving his honor un- tarnished. A story of Mrs. Groesbeck's pa ternal great-gr.andfather, Oliver Udell, handed down to the present day, relates that, after settling in Vermont, he with his four sons cut down the timber on forty acres of land, leav- ing it to dry for one year, when he set fire to it. The reflection upon the sky produced by the flames from the mass of burning timber, was visible for many miles, causing much alarm among superstitious people who be- lieved that the world was coming to an end, and they suddenly betook themselves to pray- ing with great fervor. In 1901, in company with her daughter Ida, Mrs. Groesbeck visited the old Canadian home of the Udells, which she found almost un- changed from the condition in which she had left it at seven years of age. The old pear tree, which she remembered seeing when a child, was still standing, stanch and strong and bearing fruit. On this visit they saw the Duke and Duchess of Connaught. Mrs. Groesbeck received a good education while young, attend- ing a young ladies' seminary at Buffalo, N. Y., under the principalship of the famous educa- tor, Dr. Charles E. West, and, after coming to McHenry County, engaged in teaching for a time with successful results. RICHARD GILLIAN. The subject of this sketch is the son of one of the original pioneers of McHenry County, his father, Samuel Gillian, having been the first permanent white settler in the county, where he located in 1834. The Gillian family were of Scotch-Irish descent, the founders of the American branch having emigrated to Virginia in the colonial period, finally settling in Nicholas County, now in the central part of West Virginia. The grandfather of Mr. Gil- lian was a farmer and hunter in the county, where his son Samuel, the father of Richard, was born, adopting his father's occupation and opening a farm in the woods of his native county. He was married to Margaret Hill, a native of the same State, born Aug. 10, 1797, and had nine children: Armstrong (who died in Virginia), Chaney, Lydia, Gita, Nancy Rich- ard, Elipta, Tolitha and Martha— the ' latter born in Ohio. In 1833 Mr. Gillian moved with his family by wagon from West Virginia to Champaign County, Ohio, where he remained about a year, when he emigrated to Illinois arnving in what is now Algonquin Township' McHenry County, Nov. 18, 1834. Besides his family, he was accompanied by Edward Rut- ledge and two old bachelors named Alonzo and Morris Cutler, who came with him from In- diana. He located a claim, built a log-cabin and established his pioneer home on a tract of land now belonging to Edward Chappel of Elgin, and occupied as a farm by a Mr Ritt ' but died in 1837 at the age of forty-four years' before perfecting his title from the Govern- ment. His wife, however, finally secured a patent to 417 acres, embracing the home farm Later Mrs. Gillian was married to a Mr. Thomas Hooper, an Englishman, who after- wards returned to England. No children were born of the second marriage. Mrs. Gillian was the first white woman to reside permanently m McHenry County, where their daughter Gita died in 1835-this being the first death and burial of a white person in the county. Mrs. Gillian was a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, was highly respected, and died at the age of ninety-four years at the home ot- her daughter, Tolitha, in Knox County, Mo. Mr. Richard Gillian was born in Nicholas County, Va. (now W. Va.), Sept. 18, 1828, and had just passed the ,age of six years when the family arrived in McHenry County, as detailed above. The journey from Virginia was made in two canvas-covered wagons, one drawn by a team of two horses and the other by two yoke of oxen. They also brought with them several cows. There were but few houses in Chicago when they passed through the place, and, over much of the distance traveled, there were no roads. At LaPorte, Ind., they were joined by the Cutler brothers, who located a claim in McHenry County, but afterwards sold out and went away. At that time there was no house between Chicago and the Gillian home. The landscape was a beautiful one, m,ade up of alternate stretches of prairie and oak groves- the latter called "oak openings"— over which roamed all kinds of game then common to the country. In a single grove seventy deer were counted, and wolves and lynxes abounded along Fox River. The In- (82 McHENRY COUNTY. dians had a camp at Algonquin and another across the river opposite the Gillians. Before the town of Algonquin was settled it was known as Cornish's Ferry; then, when the town was started, it took 1 the name of Osceola, hut was finally named Algonquin by Mr. Sam- uel Edwards, after a boat which he owned and which had been named for the Algonquin tribe of Indians. The first school was taught in a log-cabin by Mrs. Elizabeth Cole, the wife of James Cole, and this Mr. Gillian attended one winter. He afterwards attended a school taught by William Burnham, in a log-house erected for that purpose; near where the town of Gary now stands. Later, Burnham Cole taught in a frame house belonging to Jesse Mil- ler, and William Hodges where the Lowe School now is. The first religious meetings attended by the family were held at the house of Isaac Denny, across the river from the Gil- lians, conducted by pioneer Methodist intiner- ants. Among those remembered were a Rev. Mr. White and Mr. Gaddis. Services were also held sometimes in the Gillian home, and the good old Methodist hymns were sung with deep feeling by preachers and pioneers, among whom the former were laboring with great zeal to establish the principles of their faith. The country was full of game, the streams swarmed with fish, there was abundance of mast for the hogs which ran wild in the woods, and large crops were raised with little effort on the fertile and newly broken soil. The pioneers worked hard, but found much com- fort in their mode of life; the "latch string" was always "out" and hospitality was gener- ous. The Indians, who always proved them- selves peaceful and friendly, often came to the house for food, and were seldom, if ever, turned away empty. Richard learned the ait of farming in his boyhood, and, as his father died while he was quite young, and his only brother (Chaney) at the age of fifteen, a large share of the responsibility for carrying on the farm and supporting the family soon fell upon his shoulders, and well did he acquit himself. Mr. Gillian is a memher of Algonquin Lodge A F. & A. M., and has established a reputa- tion for straightforward integrity, generosity, public-spirit and kind-hearted liberality to the poor, that is gratefully remembered in the community. HENRY GORHAM. Henry Gorham (deceased), of Ridgefield, Mc- Henry County, 111., was, during his life, one of the substantial and respected citizens of Dorr Township, McHenry County, and the head of an excellent family. The Gorham family is of English extraction, the father of the subject of this sketch having been born, as believed, in Quebec, Canada. He was married there to a lady of French descent, who was the owner of a farm, but they finally settled at San Barnato, some thirty miles from Montreal, where he lived to the age of ahout one hundred and seven years. He was a man in comfortable circumstances, the owner of a good home- stead, a church member, and a soldier in the War of 1812 on the British side, as was to be expected from him as a citizen of a British province. His children were: David, Eli, Frank, Robert, Julia, Peter, Mary, Henry and a daughter who died aged seventeen years. All of the sons except Frank became citizens of the United States. David, the oldest, lo- cated in Dundee, McHenry County, 111., and served as a soldier of the Civil War in the Fifty-second Regiment Illinois Volunteers. Eli settled at Utica, and also served in the Civil War. Henry Gorham, whose name heads this article, and the youngest son of this family, was born at St. Isaacs, on the St. Lawrence River, within thirty miles of Montreal, in the latter part of December, 1855. While young he received a limited education, but learned to read the French language. At fourteen year? of age, he went to Vermont and engaged in farm-work near Fairfield in that State, where he remained until 1855, when he came with his brother David and a cousin, George La Chance, to Illinois, making the journey to Chi- cago by railroad and thence to Gilbert Station, Kane County, where he again took up farm- work as an employe of George Sawyer of Dun- dee, in the meantime attending school three winters. In the spring of 1859 he joined a party for a trip across the plains. Besides himself, the party included Jules and Jacob Horbach and William and Gardner Southworth — the latter, for many years at a later period, editor of the "Woodstock Sentinel." Their outfit consisted of two yoke of oxen, a cow and a canvas-covered ox-wagon with supplies pur- chased at Nebraska City. They first contem- plated going to Pike's Peak to engage in the ^Kt^^y 4. ^c^w-i //On. McHENRY COUNTY. 783 search for gold, but meeting many adventur- ers returning from that region, they decided to extend their journey to California. Leaving Cary Station, in McHenry County, on March 9, 1859, they reached the Eureka mines in Sierra County, Cal., Aug. 20th following, after a journey of nearly five and a half months. Mr. Gorham walked the whole distance, averaging twenty-five to thirty miles per day, and meet- ing plenty of Indians, buffalo and antelope on the way. After working in the Eureka gold mines and .a quartz-mill two months, he went to Tulare County in company with two others — a Mr. John Coon and William Wilson — packing their food supply a distance of 200 miles on a burro. Finding no satisfactory prospect for profitable mining here, he returned to Turn- back Creek, remaining in that vicinity four or five years and obtaining fairly good returns for his labor. In lAipril, 1867, he started from San Francisco on his return, by way of the Isthmus of Panama, to his old home at Dundee, where, on Dec. ,26th of the same year, he was married to Judith Helen Sawyer. After mar- riage they settled on the old Sawyer home- stead in Dorr Township, McHenry County. Here they have made their home, except dur- ing the absence of Mr. Gorham in Cowley County, Kan., where he went in 1871 aud homesteaded 160 acres of land, spending a part of his time in freighting to Emporia, Humboldt and other places. After an absence of fourteen months, he sold his Kansas land and returned to his Illinois home. Mr. and Mrs. Gorham were the parents of the following named children: Bertha, Elmer S., William Henry and George F. — all well educated. Bertha, Elmer and George attended the Woodstock High School, and Elmer took a course in a business college at Elgin. Ber- tha married Richard Reed, a farmer living near Ridgefield, and they have had two chil- dren, Pearl Marie and Clarence Edward. In political belief Mr. Gorham was a Repub- lican. He was of industrious, frugal haJbits, and invested his savings in the Sawyer home- stead, which was heavily encumbered, finally paying off the indebtedness. He was a strict- ly honest and self-made man, and accumu- lated his property by his own individual efforts, aided by those of his faithful wife. He built a substantial frame residence on the homestead and, at his death, was the owner of two farms — the home farm consisting of 1SS acres, and another of 158 acres one mile from the Dorr butter and cheese factory. Begin- ning life at fourteen years of age with noth- ing, he accumulated a handsome competency. His wife, Judith Helen Sawyer, was born in Bradford, Vt., Jan. 9, 1842, the daughter ot William and Savilla (Hayes) Sawyer, who were of English-Puritan ancestry. Her mother was a native of Strafford, Vt., born Jan. 3, 1811, the daughter of Robert and Abi- gail (Merrill) Hayes — the former a soldier of the American Revolution. Their children were: David, John, Samuel, Sallie, Irene.. Lydia, Roxana, Elvira, Lucy (who died young) and Savilla. The Hayes family were of the same stock as the late Ex-President Ruther- ford B. Hayes. William Sawyer, the father of Mrs. Gorham, was born at Oxford, N. H., in November, 1807. the son of John and, Judith (Webster) Sawyer, the ancestors of the former being among the early settlers of New Hampshire. He was of the same stock as the late Senator Sawyer of Wisconsin. Judith Webster was a second cousin of Daniel Webster. John was killed al an early day in Canada. His son William was well educated for his day, an earnest student of history, adopted the life of a farmer and in 1839 was married to Savilla Hayes. For a time he was engaged in transporting produce by way of the Connecticut River to Bostoi', using, for the river part of the route, flat-boats made by himself. Atfter marriage he bougbt a farm near Bradford, Vt., which he improved and where he lived until 1840, when he re- moved to the village of Bradford. In August, 1851, he came to McHenry County, 111., settled on a tract of eighty acres which had no im- provements, except a small log-house without doors, windows or floors, and a few acres of broken land. This he improved, increasing his holding to 188 acres, and erecting on it a frame house and a fine barn — the former in 1853 and the latter in 1871. In 1891 the house was destroyed by fire. He managed this farm for many years until enfeebled by age, dying aged eighty-one years. His widow sur- vived many years, dying on her birthday, Jan. 3, 1902, aged ninety-one years. She was a Methodist in religious belief, a woman of ster- ling virtues and retained her faculties to the last. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer were the parents of the following named children: Judith Helen, who became Mrs. Gorham, and George, (84 McHEN'RY county. who was a soldier of the Civil War, serving as a private in Company, F, Ninety-fifth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The latter enlisted at the age of eighteen for three years or dur- ing the war, but a few months later died of pneumonia at Lake Providence, La. LIEUT. THOMAS GILKERSON. Lieut. Thomas Gilkerson, Marengo, 111., early settler and soldier of the Civil War, is of English ancestry, having been born in En- gland, the son of John Gilkerson. His father was born about 1780, grew up to be a farmer, but, for some time, was engaged in business as a cattle-trader and inn-keeper. He married Mary Twentiman in Cumberland County, En- gland, and lived for a time at Warwick Bridge. During the Napoleonic war he was a member of the "Yeoman Cavalry," and was also en- gaged some time in the cattle trade, in which he was finally a heavy loser in consequence of the "slump" in prices at the close of the war. Then having removed to Bemont, Cumberland County, he lived on rented land and conducted farming operations successfully for some years, still later living for nine years at Orton Hall in the same county. Other places in which he lived included Carlisle and New Town, in the borough of Carlisle, where he was engaged in business as an inn-keeper, and later at Trywood and Bellevue, where he fol- lowed farming. The following named chil- dren were born to him and his wife during his stay in England: George, John, Eleanor, Thomas, James and Margaret. In 1840 he emigrated to America, bringing with him his wife and four younger children, the other two, George and John, coming the following year. In coming to America the family embarked on a steamer at Annon Water-Foot, Cumberland County, for Liverpool, where, on April 1, 1840, they took passage on a sailing vessel for New York, where they arrived after a voyage of twenty-five days. Two days later they took steamer — the old "Swallow" — up the Hudson, thence by the Erie Canal and by teams to Truxton, Cortland County, N. Y., where the following spring he settled on a rented farm. Other places at which he lived in Cort- land County included East Homer and a point between Homer and Cortland. His wife having died at the latter place, he afterwards lived with his son James, who was a blacksmith and cattle-dealer in Homer, and here the father died in the fall of 1862. He and his wife were members of the Church of England and, in his early days, he was a prosperous citizen. Of the children of John Gilkerson and wife, George married in Eng- land, Sarah Reason, settled in Homer, N. Y., and was a farmer; both are deceased, leaving five children; John married in America Fran ces Williams, was a farmer owning a farm in DeKalb County, 111.; he and wife are deceased, leaving three children: Eleanor mar- ried Joseph Jackson, a farmer of Summit, Wis., and had two children; Mr. Jackson is deceased but his wife is still living; James married Abbie Pretchard, was a blacksmith and cattle- dealer at Homer, N. Y.; had one son, Arthur; is deceased but his wife is still living: Mar- garet died at Marengo, 111., in 1900, unmarried. Thomas Gilkerson, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born at Bemont, Cumber- land County, England, April 23, 1822, received a common English education, learned the farming business and, coming with his parents to America in 1840, afterwards lived at Trux- ton and at Homer, N. Y. In 1843 he came to Chicago by way of the lakes, and soon after bought 120 acres of Government land in Hamp- shire Township, Kane County, 111., built there- on a small log-house and, returning to his home in New York, remained there five years, in the meantime being employed in a sash factory at Seneca Falls. On October 1, 1851, he was married, at Seneca Falls, by Rev. Elisha Wood, a Methodist minister, to Jane Maria Van Alstyn, and, in May following, came to Kane County, 111., locating on his land in Hampshire Township in the log-cabin which he had built seven years before. This had been neatly constructed with white-ash board floor, shingle roof and glass windows. Here he and his wife remained thirteen years, worked hard in developing his farm and im- proved his cabin, covering the walls with sid- ing and making an addition to it, in the mean- time enjoying the comforts and pleasures of pioneer life. When Mr. Gilkerson came to tis Western home, his nearest neighbor was two miles distant, wild game was plentiful and home-grown food abundant. This condition of rural comfort was broken in upon by the Civil War, and Mr. Gilkerson, not to be outdone in patriotism by others, on August 13, 1862, en- listed for three years and, a few weeks later, McHENRY COUNTY. was mustered in, at Rockford, as Orderly Ser- geant in Company E, Ninety-fifth Regiment " Illinois Volunteers. Later he was promoted for meritorious service to the rank of Second Lieutenant and finally to First Lieutenant, serving until Dec. 12, 1864, when he was honor- ably discharged at Nashville, Tenn., by Gen. George H. Thomas, on account of disabilities incurred in the line of duty. Among the sieges, battles, etc., in which he took part were the siege of Vicksburg; was first to leap from the steamer on taking possession of Natchez; the Red River campaign; the battle of Guntown, Miss., (June 10, 1864), when his regiment lost half its officers and one-third of its men in killed and wounded; the White River expidition, besides many minor battles and skirmishes. During the unfortunate Gun- town affair, he was detailed to take command of the rear guard of the regiment, but later went to the front taking command of his com- pany and engaging in the thickest of the fight. He also performed important service in the White River expedition, there being detailed to take charge of the convalescent camp and camp ,and garrison equipage. Returning to Memphis, he was continued in charge of the camp, being entrusted with the drilling of a large number of recruits whom he took to Nashville to be assigned to their respective regiments. Early in 1863 he was in hospital at Lake Providence, La., for three weeks on account of sickness; spent a like period in hospital at Alexandria, La., during the Red River expedition, and was, for a short time, on a hospital boat. Except when in hospital or on detached service, he took an active part in the numerous campaigns, marches, battles and skirmishes in which his company was engaged. Returning home broken in health after his discharge from the army in December, 1864, he was unable for a year to engage in any regular employment, in the meantime, however, he was appointed guardian for the children of his deceased brother John. In April, 1865, he removed to Marengo, where he was engaged for some years in the grain and lumber busi- ness with McKenney & Ingersoll. In 1870 he bought his present homestead, consisting of twenty-five acres, besides a wood-lot of six acres. This he has improved, building upon it a substantial and tasteful frame residence, and for thirty years has here conducted a nursery business. Mr. Gilkerson has always been an important factor in the Methodist church, with which he united at iSeneca Falls, N. Y., in 1848, his wife becoming a member in 1847. After coming to Illinois, they took a prominent part in church organization in their section of the State. Mr. Gilkerson organized Sunday Schools at an early day in Hampshire and Pigeon Woods, utilizing local school houses for the purpose. As the result of interest awakened at Pigeon Woods, during the winter of 1854, there were eighteen conversions. Six months after unit- ing with the church he became a class-leader, and has since frequently served in this posi- tion; on May 22, 1858, he was licensed as a local preacher, often officiating in that capaci- ty and, even at the present day, is occasion- ally called upon to fill some local pulpit. Mr. and Mrs. Gilkerson assisted in the erection of the early Methodist church at Harmony, and later, the present Methodist church at Maren- go. Fraternally Mr. Gilkerson is a Royal Arch- Mason, and, in his political relations, a stanch Republican, having been a supporter of Abra- ham Lincoln in the early days of that party. He has served as School Director and Trustee for Coral Township. Mr. and Mrs. Gilkerson are the parents ot one son, Charles Thomas Gilkerson. In her infancy they adopted Ella Coles, the daughter of Dexter Coles, a comrade of Mr. Gilkerson in the Civil War, giving to her the same care and education they would have given their own child. She is now the wife of Chauncey A. Dunham. Mrs. Gilkerson, nee Jane M. Van A.lstyn, was born at Junius, Seneca County, N. Y., June 8, 1828, the daughter of Thomas and Sherezeda (Roosevelt) Van Alstyn, and died at her home, May 18, 1903. Her parents on both sides were descended from Holland-Dutch stock identified with early New York history. Thomas Van Alstyn was the son of Lambert and Eliza- beth (Lee) Van Alstyn — Lambert Van Alstyn being a hotel-keeper at Waterloo, Seneca Coun- ty, N. Y. His children were: Thomas, Maria, Harriet and George. Of these, Thomas, born at Seneca Falls, N. Y., July 18, 1794, was a carpenter and farmer, who married at Junius, N. Y., Sherezeda Roosevelt, born Oct. 29, 1804, the daughter of Thomas Wilton and Betsey (Cook) Roosevelt. Thomas Van Alstyn was a ship-carpenter, and was killed at the launch- 786 McHENRY COUNTY. ing of a canal boat at Seneca Falls, N. Y., June 10, 1847. The children or Mr. and Mrs. Van Alstyn were: Jane M. (Mrs. Gilkerson). Eg- bert, Elizabeth, Phillips, Helen, Raikes ,and George W. (twins), Cornelius R., Thomas VV. and Albert S; Mrs. Van Alstyn lived to the advanced age of ninety-three years, dying April 25, 1898, at the home of her daughter Mrs. Gilk- erson, where she spent the last seven years of her life. Three of her sons — George, Cornelius and Thomas — served as soldiers of the Civil War. The Roosevelts were of Holland-Dutch ancestry, who came to New Amsterdam — now New York City — at an early day, being of the same general stock as that from which Presi- dent Roosevelt is descended. Among the early colonists from Holland were Claes Martensbergen Van Roosevelt, and his wife, Jannetze, who came from Holland to New Amsterdam about 1649-50. Their son Nicholas was baptized in the Dutch church in New York, Oct. 2, 1658. From the old church records it appears that Samuel and Thomas Roosevelt, on Dec. 4, 1674, were admitted to the Dutch Reformed church in New York, which their decendants attended for 255 years. Nicholas Roosevelt was married Dec. 9, 1682, to Heytye, daughter of Jan Kunst, ,and and 1680 they moved to Esopus (now Kings- ton), N. Y., but returning to New York in 1690, he served as alderman there in 1698, 1701 and 1705. This Nicholas had a son Nicholas, who was baptized at Kingston, August 28, 1687; another Nicholas was born Feb. 6, 1715. Jo- hannes (John), son of Nicholas, was born at Kingston, Feb. ,27, 1679; Oliver, son of Johan- nes, Feb. 8, 1716; Cornelius, son of Oliver, March 24, 1749. Cornelius married a Miss Wil- ton, and his son, Thomas Wilton Roosevelt, born in New York City, April 26, 1781, and edu- cated there, became a civil engineer and sur- veyor, ,and went to Junius, N. Y., where he took up a tract of land and farmed for a time, finally moving to Welles; married Betsy Cook, who was born iSept. 30, 1785; was appointed Lieutenant of an infantry company by Gov. Tompkins, Fen. 4, 1812, was shot during the siege of Fort Erie, Sept. 5, 1814, and buried in the old cemetery at Buffalo. The following letter, addressed to his wife, Mrs. Betsy Roosevelt, Seneca, N. Y., informed her of his fate: "Mrs. Betsey Roosevelt, Madam: — I am sorry to inform you of the death of your hus- band and our officer, which we all very much lament. On the 5th of September, 1814, our picket guard was attacked by a considerable ■ force of British and Indians, and we volunteers were immediately ordered out by Col. Wilcox, who then took command, and, after a smart skirmish of half an hour, Lieut. Roosevelt was shot through the right breast and expired in a few minutes after I brought nim into the fort, and, on the 6th inst., he was taken over the river to Buffalo and buried in a decent and officer-like manner. Col. Wilcox fell in the same action and was carried in and took across to Buffalo and buried in the same manner. "I shall endeavor to take care of his effects here and see that they are sarely conveyed home to you. I am, Yours with respect, GEORGE ALFRED. "Fort Erie, Sept. 6, 1814." "P. S. We consider ourselves perfectly safe, as we are receiving reinforcements every hour." Cornelius Roosevelt, the father of Thomas Wilton Roosevelt, was the great-granufather of Mrs. Gilkerson, and his father, Oliver Roose- velt, was the ancestor of both the Van Alstyn and President Roosevelt branches of the family. Charles Thomas Gilkerson, the son of Lieut. Thomas Gilkerson, was born in Hampshire, Kane County, 111., June 12, 1864, received a superior education in the Marengo High School and attended the Northwestern University for a time, but was prevented from graduating by bad health. After leaving the University he engaged in the mercantile business with E. B. Van Alstyn. On June 24, 1885, he was married in Dunham Township, McHenry County, to Libbie Pauline White, who was 'born in Dun- ham Township, Sept. 30, 1866, the daughter of Nathaniel and Phoebe E. (Face) White. Na- thaniel White was born in County Cork, Ire- land, June 4, 1826, and in 1831 was brought by his parents to America, where he became a farmer. He married Elizabeth Cunningham, and they had two children: Royal George and John. His wife having died, he married at Gloversville, N. Y., Phoebe E. Face, who was born in that State, the daughter of John and Emeline (Williams) Face, who were of Hol- land-Dutch ancestry. Mr. White was an early settler of Dunham Township, McHenry County, where he improved a farm. In October, 1864, he enlisted as a recruit in Company E, Ninety- fifth Regiment Illinois Volunteers, being the same company of which Thomas Gilkerson was McHENRY COUNTY. 787 Lieutenant. He joined the company at Mem- phis, Tenn., at the time Mr. Gilkerson was drilling the recruits; later participated in the battle of Nashville, and the campaign against Mobile, including the capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. He was mustered out with his regiment at Springfield, 111., Aug. 16, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. White were the parents of one child — Libbie Pauline White — who became Mrs. Charles Thomas Gilkerson. Her mother, Mlrs. White, who was a member of the Method- ist church and a woman of high character, died Feb. 15, 1886. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Gilkerson settled on the old homestead, where they remained five years, when they moved to Chicago. Mr. Gilkerson was then employed as a mail-carrier, remaining nearly four years, when they returned to Marengo and Mr. Gilkerson has since managed the homo farm. Their children are: Bessie Phebe, born in Marengo, June 7, 1886; Harry Charles, born Oct. 30, 1887; Earl Jean, born in Chicago, Aug. 23, 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Gilkerson and their children are members of the Methodist church. In politics he is a Republican and is now serv- ing as School Trustee of Coral Township. GEORGE J. GRIFFITHS. George Jamesi Griffiths, foreman of what is known as the "assembling department" of the Oliver Typewriter Works, Woodstock, 111., was born in London, England, in 1864, the son of James and Charlotte (Dunn) Griffiths. His father, James Griffiths, a native of Birming- ham, England, was an expert gunsmith, who came to America with his family in 1868, sail- ing from Liverpool to Quebec. The son being at that time only four years old, received his primary education chiefly at Guelph, Ontario, where his father settled on coming to Amer- ica. When he was twelve years of age, the family returned to England, and, having com- pleted his education there, between fourteen and fifteen years of age, he began learning the machinist's trade at the Royal Small Arms Gun Factory, at Enfield, England, an estab- lishment conducted under the direction of the British government. Here he learned thi rudiments of the machinist's trade with thor- oughness, according to the custom in England, remaining in this establishment three years. The factory being managed through the agency of the government, insured for him the most thorough and systematic training on purely practical lines. When about nineteen years of age he returned to America, making his fifth trip across the Atlantic before reaching his majority, having meanwhile spent some time with the Witten Arms Company in Ger- many, one of the most famous arms manufac- turing concerns in the world. He also spent some time with the Marlin Arms Company at New Haven, Conn., with the Ames Manufactur- ing Company of Chicopee, Mass., and ten years with the National Sewing Machine Company at Belvidere, 111. In 1896 Mr. Griffiths came to Woodstock, 111., and soon afterwards assumed the foremanship of the department of the Ol- iver Typewriter Company, already referred to, and under his management this important de- partment has advanced to a high standard of excellence. While it is true this beautiful ma- chine is the product of many minds, it owes much, for the perfection which has been at- tained, to the ingenuity and skill of Mr. Grif- fiths in the introduction of practical improve- ments. The Oliver Typewriter Company has been fortunate in securing the services of so competent a foreman, as he brought to it the thorough an;d efficient training of the English machinists, who are universally recognized as among the most skillful in the profession. During his connection with the company for the past seven years, he has proved himself most invaluable in his department, and, by his honest and efficient administration, has won the good will of both employers and em- ployed. Mr. Griffiths resides with his family in Woodstock, and, by his strong personality and bluff English heartiness, has gained a de- served and wide popularity among his fellow citizens. Mr. Griffiths was married May 4, 1892, to Mary Niobe Cronk, daughter of Joel Enoch and Lottie (Boomer) Cronk, and they have three daughters: Niobe Charlotte, born Aug. 28, 1894; Gladys Araminta, born Aug. 12, 1895, and Mary Rubina, born Nov. 29, 1899. Joel E. Cronk, the father of Mrs. Griffiths, is the son of Enoch and Mary (Denny) Cronk. Three brothers of the Cronk family — Casper, James and Jacob — came from Holland some- time before the American Revolution. Of 788 McHENRY COUNTY. these Casper returned to his native country, but the others, remaining in America, tooii part in the war. They lived in Dutchess Coun- ty, N. Y., where they were farmers and where their descendants lived for generations. James Cronk, the son of Jacob — and also a soldier of the Revolution — had a son named Samuel, who married and had children named Enoch, Asa- hel, Abraham and perhaps others. Enoch Cronk of this family, born in Dutchess County, was the father of Joel E., and grandfather of Mrs. Griffiths. He was a farmer by occupa- tion, and at an early day came to Bonus Prai- rie, north of Belvidere, Boone County, where he entered eighty acres of Government land, to which he made additions by purchase, until, at the time of his death, he was the owner of 240 acres. His children were Abbie, Jane, Rich- ard and Joel E., the father of Mrs. Griffiths. Abbie J. married Loren Bills and settled in Siskiyou County, Cal. ; Richard married Laura Denny and died in Waverly, Iowa. Joel E., born at Tower Hill, Dutchess County, N. Y., Sept. 17, 1829, received a common-school edu- cation, and, at seventeen years of age, come west. In boyhood he was a farmer. In 1849 he crossed the plains to California, taking beef cattle with him, the trip occupying six months. He engaged in merchandising /or a time, and later was engaged in the fruit trade, shipping apples and other fruits from Oregon. Returning to the States in 1855, he again drove a lot of beef cattle across the plains to California. In all he made three trips to California, crossing the plains three times. His last trip was made by water, re- turning the same way, in all spending in the Pacific Coast State fifteen years. Returning to Illinois in 1866, he located in Bonus Prairie, Boone County, where he became the owner of 560 acres of land and remained fifteen years, when he removed to Belvidere and has lived there ever since. He has seventeen acres of land there, besides a like amount in lots (most- ly sold), also owns a farm. Mr. Cronk married May 19, 1866, Mary Boomer, daughter of Al- len and Niobe (Franklin) Boomer. Mrs. Boom- er is a relative of the family of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and is still living at the age of nine- ty-three years. Allen Boomer was born in Ellisburg, N. Y., in 1798, the son of Benjamin and Esther Boomer. The Boomers came from Wales and settled on Gardner Island in Long Island Sound, ten miles from the main land, in order that they might enjoy the privilege of worshipping God according to the dictates of their own conscience. Mr. and Mrs. Cronk have had ten children, of whom nine are still living — Florence I., Joel D'Aubigne, Wakeman H, Mary Niobe. Enoch Costello (deceased, August 23, 1894, aged twenty-one), Lottie E., Araminta, G., Ben- jamin F., Louis Agassiz and Rubina Y. — all ex- cept Rubina Y. born en the home farm in Bonus Prairie, Boone County, 111. HENRY M. GEROULD. Henry M. Gerould is one of the early settlers of Greenwood Township and descends from French Huguenot ancestry. The founder of the family in America was Jacques (or James) Gerauld, as the name was originally spelled, of the Province of Languedoc, France. Ac- cording to tradition the family were Huguenoto and successful silk manufacturers. Imme- diately following the revocation of the edict of Nantes (which occurred in 1685, when five hundred thousand Protestants left their homes for England, Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, South Carolina and other localities), Jacques Gerauld came to America. The date of his birth and arrival here are unknown, but well authenticated accounts state that he was about twenty years of age when he emigrated, and that he was one of a family of twenty-one children. His first place of settlement is be- lieved by some members of the family to have been Boston, but it is positively known that he and his family were early settlers of Med- field, Mass., as his name appears on the early records of that community as being a physi- cian. During his voyage to America, he became associated with a Huguenot family to whom a daughter, Martha Dupries or Dupee, was born, and whom, when she had arrived at a suit- able age, he married. It is supposed that this was when he was about thirty-six or thirty- eight years of age, and she was about sixteen. He practiced medicine in Medfield until the time of his death, Oct. 25, 1760. His wife died March 25, 1763. The home that he built, and where he last lived, is still standing and in a McHENRY COUNTY. 789 a good state of preservation. A grandson, bearing the same, name, studied medicine with him, succeeded to his practice and lived at the old homestead. There were, in 1885, some per- sons yet living who remembered the latter and having been treated by him. The will of the founder, James Gerauld, dated Sept. 15, 1759, shows him to have been possessed of consid- erable property. It also indicates that he was a slave-holder, as, after disposing of his real-estate and movable effects, he proceeds to enumerate his bequests to his wife, adding, "and also all my negroes to be at her disposal forever; only I will that my Negro Caesar be not sold or disposed of out of my family, that is to say, to be sold to any excepting to some of my chil- dren and their children during life." His chil- dren, all born at Medfield, excepting two whose birthplace is unknown, were named as fol- lows: James; Martha, died in Medfield, Mass. Sept. 23, 1733; Gamaliel, born Sept. 23, 1719; Stephen, born Nov. 29, 1720, and settled at Sturbridge, Mass., where he died Jan. 22, 1785; Dupee, born March 5, 1723, became a physi- cian and settled at East Greenwich, R. I.; Mary, born July 8, 1725, married Jacob Spauld- ing, May 2, 1758, and lived first in Medfield and then in Providence, R. I., where she died; Joanna, born Nov. 2, 1728; Susanna, born Nov. 6, 1730, died Sept. 16, 1770. Second Generation. — Gamaliel, son of James G'erauld, married Rebecca Lawrence for his first wife Dec. 25, 1741. She died Jan. 12, 1751, and he married as his second wife, Oct. 11, 1751, Jerusha Mann, who was bort Nov. 12, 1724, and died Nov. 6, 1762. His third marriage was celebrated August 10, 1763, with Mary Everett of Dedham, Mass., who died Oct. 18, 1795. For some unknown reason he changed the spelling of the family name from the original, as did his brother Stephen, and their descend- ants have followed their example. The other branches of the family have retained the orig- inal spelling. The children by Gamaliel Ger- auld's first marriage were: Gamaliel, born Dec. 25, 1742, died Jan. 12, 1750; Rebecca, born April 28, 1744, died May 22, 1744; Katie, born May 30, 1745, died March 14, 1749; Rebecca, born Feb. 9, 1747, died July 5, 1747; Jabez, born Nov. 1, 1748. The children by the second marriage were: Ebenezer, born July 13, 1752, died July 25, 1752; Elias, born Sept. 22, 1753, died Oct. 16, 1753; Samuel, born July 28, 1755, Benona, born Nov. 19, 1756, died Nov. 24, 1756; Jacob, born Dec. 12, 1759, died Nov. 3, 1837; Jerusha, born July 20, 1760; Theodore, born Sept. 11, 1761. Third Generation. — Jabez, son of Gamaliel and Rebecca (Lawrence) Gerould, married Damaris Bennett, of Newton, Conn., who died March 20, 1829. He served in the Revolution- ary War, first as an enlisted soldier at Bunker Hill, where he was wounded, which caused his discharge, and subsequently he was commis- sioned a captain and had charge of the ordnance of his division. After retiring from the army he settled in Newton, Conn., and engaged in blacksmithing. In 1798 he emigrated to Frank- lin County, N. Y., and in 1801, removed to East Smithfield, Penn., where he resided until his death, June 12, 1802. Mrs. Gerould was a de- voted and pious woman. At the time of their settlement in Pennsylvania, there were neither churches nor school houses in which to hold religious services, but their house was always open for this purpose. Prayer meetings were held there at frequent intervals, and a result of these meetings was the building of the first Congregational church in that village. Mr. and Mrs. Jabez Gerould were the parents of Jerusha, born March 15, 1783, died young; James, born May 5, 1784; Susanna, born Jan. ], 1786; Ephraim Bennett, born Jan. 14, 1788; George, born Nov. .25, 1789; Ziba, born Jan. 11, 1792; Jabez Lawrence, born Dec. 13, 1795; Abel Judson, born April 8, 1799; Theodore, born May 11, 1801. Fourth Generation. — Ziba, son of Jabez and Rebecca (Lawrence) Gerould, married Eliza A. Bird, Nov. 25, 1816, and their children were Sophia, born Nov. 16, 1817; Louisa, born July 24, 1820; Betsy, born Aug. 21, 1822, married Jesse Bullock Oct. 29, 1851; Lewis B., born March 31 1824; Phebe, born March 14, 1829; Henry M., born April 26, 1831; Clayton, born Oct. 28, 1835; Jane Eliza (wife of Dexter Phelps), born Oct. 15, 1841, died July 21, 1873. Ziba Gerould was a farmer at East Smithfield, Penn., where he owned a farm of 100 acres and where he died Feb. 7, 1871. He was a member of the Disciples Church. Fifth Generation. — Henry M.. Gerould, prin- cipal subject of this article and the fifth lineal 700 McHENRY COUNTY. descendant of Jacques or James Gerould, was born in East Smithfield, Penn., son of Ziba and Eliza A. (Bird) Gerould. He received a com- mon-school education and was reared a farmer, attending school during the winter and work- ing on the farm in the summer season. When about twenty years of age he began working for himself at lumbering in the pine forests of Bradford County, Penn., where he continued for three years, carefully saving his money. In that county on Jan. 21, 1855, he married Caroline Ayer Blackman, born ?n Madison County, N. Y., daughter of Parley and Eunice (Smith) Blackman. The same year of their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Gerould came to Mc- Henry County, 111., where he bought eighty acres of his present farm, which was then but slightly improved. By industrious habits and careful management Mr. Gerould, with the aid of his faithful wife, has not only brought his farm to a high state of cultivation, but has added to its area until he now owns 200 acres of excellent farming land, well improved with modern buildings. Mr. Gerould lived in Mc- Henry a number of years, and later in Elgin, being absent from his farm, in all, thirteen years, but after the death of his wife, returned to the farm where he has since resided. Poli- tically Mr. Gerould is a Democrat. He is a self-made man in the fullest sense of the term and has accumulated a handsome estate. Mr. and Mrs. Gerould have but one child, a daughter, Maude E., who was born Oct. 13, 1855. She married Jan. 27, 1875, John Wilson, a merchant and land-broker in Redfield, Dakota, and their children are Henry G., born Dec. 23, 1875; Raymond L., born Jan. 11, 1878, and Lewis Dale, born August 1, 1884. Mrs. Gerould was an estimable lady and greatly beloved by all her friends. She died in 1893. JOHIN H. GRACY. John Hammond Gracy, farmer, Terra Cotta, Nunda Township, McHenry County, 111., was born on his father's farm in the neighborhood where he now resides, Oct. 16, 1852, the son of James and Permelia (Broughton) Gracy, a pioneer family of McHenry County. The Gracy branch of the family are of Scotch-Irish ex- traction, and in religious belief were Scotch Presbyterians. The name may originally have been spelled "Gracey." Mr. Gracy has in his possession a copy of the Presbyterian "Con- fession of Faith" printed in 1764, in which the name of the original owner is written "Gracey." James Gracy, the father of John H., was born May 8, 1812, near Lisbon, North of Ireland, the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Groves) Gracy. Robert Gracy, who was the son of a farmer in Ireland, married in his native country and, about the year 1821, came to America with his family, settling at Crown Point, Essex County, N. Y. Here he was employed in farming and milling and he and his wife were parents of the following children: James, Jane, Lucia, Margaret, Robert, Jr. and a son whose name is not remembered. Robert Gracy died in Essex County, N. Y., May 8, 1862. James Gracy came from his native country to America with his father when about nine years of age, and received a common-school education in Essex County, N. Y. He was, for a time, a sailor on Lake Champlain, was employed on the Erie Canal and later sailed the Great Lakes for several years, some of the time a first-mate of the vessel on which he sailed. In 1842 he was united in marriage, in Essex County, N. Y., to Permelia Broughton, who was born in the Town of Wells, Rutland County, Vt., Sept. 25, 1810, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (McGraw) Broughton. Mrs. Gracy's father, John Broughton, was of an old New England family, while the Mc- Graws were of Scotch ancestry. After mar- riage James Gracy remained for a time in Essex County, N. Y., and in 1844, came to Mc- Henry County, 111., where he purchased a tract of 380 acres of unimproved land in Nun- da Township. Here he built a small house for his family, but continued to follow the lakes during the summer season for several years. Of his original land purchase he re- tained 320 acres at the time of his death. He improved his land and later bought two other farms in the same neighborhood — one of 117 acres and another of 105 acres. He was well known. in the community for his industry and uprightness of character. He and his wife had one daughter, Ellen E., and one son, John H., the subject of this sketch. Ellen E. was born in Essex County, N. Y., May 28, 1843, and on Feb. 12, 1893, married Thomas Huggins. She is now deceased. Politically James Gracy was a Democrat previous to the outbreak of the ^M^ McHENRY COUNTY. 791 War of the Rebellion, when he allied himself with the Republican party. His wife was a member of the Baptist church. Mr. James Gracy died May 2, 1886, aged nearly seventy- four years. John H. Gracy, the subject of this sketch, grew up among the pioneer families of Mc- Henry County, and there received the usual common-school education, meanwhile being trained to the life of a farmer. He has ex- tended the range of his information toy read- ing and home study, and has always been a liberal patron of the daily and periodical press, so that now he is one of the well-informed citizens of McHenry County on general topics. For three terms he taught district school, two of which were in his home district. April, 1888, he was elected Supervisor for the town of Nunda, which office he held for fourteen consecutive years, until April, 1902. During this time he was twice chosen Chairman of the McHenry County Board. On October 6, 1880, Mr. Gracy was married to Emma L. Earle, who was born in Rochester, Wis., Jan. 2, 1859, the daughter of Calvin and Hannah (Parker) Earle. Both the Earles and the Parkers are of old New England ancestry. The genealogy of the Earle family has been published in book form, tracing the family back to 1638 in Amer- ica and still back to 1154, when they were of Beckington, in the County of Somerset, Eng- land. Calvin Earle, the father of Mrs. John H. Gracy, was a native of Westford, Vt., born May 2, 1814, and on Nov. 12, 1842, he was married to Hannah Parker, daughter of Theron and Rachel (Reed) Parker. He came west, locat- ing in Wisconsin, where he engaged in farming and teaching school. Later he returned to New York where he married, but again returning to Wisconsin, settled in the vicinity of Roch- ester, Racine County, where he became a substantial farmer and well-to-do citizen. He was prominent in Congregational church work. Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Earle had the following named children, who lived to years of maturi- ty, viz.: Rachel, Moses, W. Watson and Emma L. — the latter is now the wife of the subject of this sketch. John H. Gracy and wife have two children: Royal W., born March 5, 1884, and Merton L., born Nov. 4, 1889. Mr. Gracy has continuous- ly resided in the township of his birth, and for many years has been extensively engaged in farming, now owning and operating more than 600 acres of land. M. D. HOY. The subject of this sketch, an early settler of McHenry County and for many years a leading business man of Woodstock, is of Scotch-Irish extraction, his grandfather, Marmaduke Hoy, having been born in the Par- ish of Comress, Ireland, afterwards lived at Burris-a-Nostis, Parish of Kyle, County Queens, and married a Miss Whitford, a relative of Sir George Whitford. The family had lived for more than a century in Antrim. This Mr. Hoy was a farmer and in religious faith a Presbyterian. His children were: John, Joseph, Richard and Marmaduke. The last two emigrated to America about 1805, and Marmaduke (2) enlisted at Albany, N. Y., for the War of 1812, as a private in the New York "Greens," but died while in service near Plattsburg, N. Y. John, the oldest brother, married in Ireland, and had a son named Mar- maduke, who came to Catskill, N. Y., and had two sons — Joseph and one other whose name is not remembered. Joseph siill lives at Cats- kill and has a son Marmaduke. Richard, the son of Marmaduke (1), was born in 1784 at Comress, in the Parish of Upperwood, Ireland, sixty miles from Dublin, became a small farmer and learned the shoemaker's trade, partly with his father and partly in Dublin, where he worked several years. Coming to America about 1805, he worked at his trade for a time in Schoharie County, N. Y., with a Mr. Stevens, whose sister-in-law, Sarah Fan- ning, he married, afterwards settling at Albany, where he engaged in the gro- cery trade. Six years later he went to Gilboa, N. Y., kept a tollgate and fol- lowed his trade as shoemaker. His later years were spent at Stamford, Delaware Coun- ty, N. Y., where he died July 27, 1831, aged forty-seven years. He was an industrious, law-abiding citizen, and, in his younger days, accumulated considerable property, but lost heavily by indorsing for his friends. He and his wife, Sarah Fanning Hoy, were the parents of six children: Mary A., Eliza, Nancy and Jane (twins), Marmaduke, Margaret (died when about eleven years of age) and John (died aged about two years). After Richard 792 McHENRY COUNTY. Hoy's death, his widow married a Mr. Reuben Atwater. Marmaduke Hoy (3), our subject, and son of Richard Hoy, was born near Gilboa, Scho- harie County, N. Y., March 3, 1821, and re- ceived such education as the common schools of that period afforded. During nis school days he began writing his name "M. D. Hoy," which he has since retained. After leaving the district school between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and spending one win- ter in a select school at Conesville, N. Y., he began teaching a district winter school at Huntersfield, in the town of Prattsville, Green County, N. Y., receiving a salary of $10 per month. He taught during the winters until twenty-three years old, working on the farm with his step-father during the summer. June 15, 1843, he was married at Lockport, N. Y., to Miss Catherine Maria Alberty, born in Green County, N. Y., Feb. 19, 1821. She was the daughter of John and Esther (Atwater) Al- berty, her father having been born in Green County, N. Y., the son of Bernard Alberty, a native of Germany, who married in New York. John Alberty became a substantial farmer in his native county, but afterwards removed to the vicinity of Lockport. The children of this family remembered were: Hannah, Esther, Bernard, John, Reuben, Catherine, Stephen, Thomas and Sarah. John Alberty was a devout Methodist and class-leader. He came to Illinois in his old ,age and died at the home of M. D. Hoy, aged about seventy-four years. Less than one year after Marmaduke (M. D.) Hoy's marriage, he and his wife came by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes to Illinois, arriving at Southport (now Kenosha), Wis. — their intended destination— May 23, 1844, but owing to rough weather were compelled to go on to Chicago and back to Southport, thence making their way to Alden Township, Mc- Henry County, where they began house-keep- ing. Mr. Hoy then made a foot journey of sixty miles into Wisconsin, but finding prices of land higher there, returned and purchased eighty acres in Alden Township for $180. Having been joined on his journey from New York State by his brother-in-lav/, Reuben Al- berty and wife, the two families lived together for a year in a log-cabin 14x24 feet, a story and a half high, with a loft reached by a lad- der. Mr. Hoy then finished a partly built log house, which already stood on the place pur- chased by him, and this became his home. This was a primitive affair with the ordinary stick-chimney. Here he liyed three years, when he put up a frame addition ,and, three years later, a frame residence. For the first five years he farmed in a small way with little profit, but an excellent wheat crop ,at the end of this period, which he was able to sell at a good price, brought him a return for his labor and he and his wife were enabled to make a visit to his mother, which he had promised when leaving New York five years before. His mother and step-father afterwards came to Illinois, and lived near Mr. Hoy until their death. By industry and economy Mr. Hoy added to his estate until he was the owner of 150 acres of well-improved land. In 1865, hav- ing been elected County Clerk of McHenry County, he removed to Woodstock, remaining in office to the satisfaction of the people eight years. At the end of this time he engaged in mercantile business with his second son, George H., as partner. The firm prospered and became well and favorably known. In 1888 a general banking business was added to the concern; the firm now consists, as formerly, of M. D. Hoy and George H. Hoy, and they have associated with them Fremont and John M. Hoy. Luman T., another son, is a promi- nent druggist in an adjoining store. Besides other branches of business, the firm are the owners of a butter factory, which they have operated for -nine years, and also conduct a Life and Fire Insurance business. There is no safer or more reliable business firm in Mc- Henry County. Mr. Hoy and his first wife, Catherine Maria (Alberty) Hoy, were the parents of five chil- dren: Sarah Delia, born Oct. 10, 1847; Luman Thomas, born Oct. 28, 1850; George H., born Feb. 21, 1853; Fremont, born June 1, 1856; Jennie, born June 26, 1859, died Sept. 21, 1861. Mrs. Hoy died July 23, 1863. She was a Meth- odist and a woman of many admirable traits of character. October 4, 1864, Mr. Hoy was married a second time, to Esther Eleanor At- water, born in Schoharie County, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1833. Their children are: Kittie A., born July 27, 1865, and John M., born April 5, 1872. Kittie Atwater Hoy, after living a sweet and loving life of seventeen years, passed over the dark river on Jan. 25, 1883, mourned and loved by all who knew her. <&^£^ &tz^cxJ££& McHENRY COUNTY. 793 Sarah Delia Hoy married, on Jan. 25, 1871, with Ethelbert W. Wilbur, and they formerly made their home at Rockford, Iowa, hut now (1902)) reside at Mesa, Arizona. Their chil- dren, Jennie E. and Gracie M., died after attain- ing mature age and fine mental attainments; George Herbert, Walter Hoy, Ethel May and Everet Ray are all living (1902.) Luman Thomas Hoy, on October 28, 1875. married Anna Amelia Vandebogert, born Oct. 13, 1853, and they are the parents of two sons, Clinton Luman, born Oct. 17, 1876, and Eugene Richard, born July 7, 1878. George Homer Hoy married April 4, 1877. Mary Lufannie Belcher, born Sept. 5, 1857, and their union has been blessed with two sons, William Pierson, born March 5, 1879, and Wal- ter George, born Jan. 1, 1882. Fremont Hoy married on Sept. 6, 1879, Har- riet Victorine Osborn, born May 11, 1858, and they became the parents of the rollowing named children: Clarence Fremont, born May 31, 1882; Marmaduke Ogden, born April 6, 1886, a fine, promising child until death claimed him, Aug. 28, 1892, (our love for him availed not to save); Arthur Dwight, born Sept. 7, 1889, and Kenneth Osborn, born Sept. 13, 1895. John Marmaduke Hoy married Nov. 11, 1886. Letah May Bunker, born Sept. 8, 1874. They have no children. All of the foregoing children and grandchil- dren of M. D. Hoy have their homes in Wood- stock, except the family of the son-in-law and daughter, who reside at Mesa, Maricopa Coun- ty, Arizona. Politically Mr. Hoy is a stanch Republican and one of the founders of that party in Mc- Henry County. He cast his first vote for Pres- ident for James G. Birney, the Abolition candi- date, in 1844. In 1856 his vote was cast for John C. Fremont and, in 1860 and 1864, for Ab- raham Lincoln. While in no sense an office seeker, he has not shrunk from his duties as a citizen. Besides serving as County Clerk for eight years, he has held the offices of Justice of the Peace, Township Treasurer for a number of years, and Highway Commissioner; he has also been a champion of good schools and the earnest friend of every good cause. During the Civil War he was a zealous supporter of the Union cause, and while physically disqualified from serving as a soldier, on local committees and otherwise was active in promoting enlist- ments and filling the quota of Alden Township. He had for associates on the local committee to promote enlistments Stephen Alberty, Wil- liam Barnes, William Wedgewood and others. Finding the raising of funds on township and county securities to pay the bounty of $600 per recruit impracticable, these gentlemen raised a considerable share of the needed amount on their personal notes, thereby saving the town- ship about $1,200 in discount. Mr. Hoy united with the Methodist Church in 1861, and his career in connection with that de- nomination has been as noteworthy as in sec- ular affairs. It was mainly through the efforts cf himself, Richard Cuter, N. B. Helm and others, his associates on the building commit- tee, that the $1,000 for the erection of the first church edifice in Alden Township was secured. The frame-work having been blown do-wn while in process of erection, leaving it a mass of broken lumber, the pastor, Rev. Mr. Reynolds, remarked: "If the Lord has blown his churcn down, He will blow it up again." Many of the men who had been employed upon the church having enlisted for the war, an excursion was planned to visit the soldiers in camp at Rock- ford. A train of cars was chartered on the Kenosha & Rockford Railroad, the company, in stead of passenger cars, sending cattle and flat cars for the purpose. These were decoratea and covered with branches of trees (It being summer time), and the excursion proved a great success, $900 profit from fares received from the people from the various towns enroute being realized. This was applied to rebuilding the demolished structure, and thus the church was "blown up" again as unexpectedly as it had been blown down. This sum proved suf- ficent to complete the building, and no more was needed except to buy carpets. Mr. Hoy served as steward of this church and superin- tendent of the Sunday School. In 1865 Mr. Hoy removed to Woodstock, ana he and his wife joined the first Methodist church there, Oi' which he became steward. Later he served on the building committee in the erection of a new church edifice. He and Mr. George K. Bunker were active members of this committee, and succeeded in securing subscriptions to the amount of $3,000. The architects submitted plans requiring an expenditure of twice this 794 McHENRY COUNTY. sum, which the church people voted to adopt. This structure was also badly damaged by a storm, but was strengthened by extra sheeting and the filling of spaces with grout, the total cost being $8,000, of which $1,000 was obtained by the sale of the old edifice. On the day of dedication $3,000 of this amount still remained to be raised. Charles Fowler, afterwards Bish- op Fowler, who delivered the dedication ser- mon, in his appeal to the congregation for this sum, said: "Now brethren, we want eight men to give $300 each." The whole sum was raised, the church relieved of debt and today it stands as one of the most substantial church edifices in Woodstock. Mr. Hoy and his family after- wards thought it their duty to withdraw from the Methodist church, as they thought the pas- tor an unworthy man. On the maternal side, Mr. Hoy is of Scotch- Irish ancestry, through a prominent colonial American family. The written record of the Fanning family extends back more than six hundred years, furnishing ample testimony of their antiquity. Their coat of arms is found in heraldry. Believed to have been originally from Wales, they emigrated several centuries ago to Scotland, and thence to Ireland. Beginning with the Irish branch of the family, Domican Fanning was a historical character, was Mayor of the City in Ireland and was beheaded by Cromwell during the civil war. His son, Ed- mond, having escaped the Irish massacre, came to Stonington, Conn., in 1641, and, according to some authorities, led a wandering life for eleven years, finally settling at New London, Conn. He married Catherine, daughter of Hugh Hays, Earl of Connaught, and had children; Edmond, John, Thomas, Mary (wife of Benjamin Hewitt), and William. From this family orig- inated the old Fanning families of Connecticut, Long Island and New York, whose posterity is now widely scattered throughout the United States. Capt. Walter Fanning, the maternal grandfather of Mr. Hoy, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and later a pensioner. He was a farmer in New York and married Grace Ben- jamin, Nov. 6, 1771, their children being: Cath- erine, born Aug. 12, 1772; Joshua, born Aug. 13, 1774; Benjamin, born Aug. 19, 1776; Thomas, born Sept. 6, 1778; Phoebe and Elizabeth (twins), born April 22, 1781; John, born Aug. 1, 1783; Sarah (the mother of Mrs. Hoy), born Oct. 15, 1785. Capt. Walter Fanning died near Gilboa, N. Y., and his widow at the home ot her son Benjamin, aged eighty years. There were many patriot soldiers of the name in the War of the Revolution, while others were prom- inent and influential royalists. One of those on the patriot side was Gilbert Fanning of Stonington, Conn. Charles Fanning was ap- pointed Ensign of the General Assembly. Lieut- enant John Fanning was in command of the frigate Trumbull in August, 1781, when he was captured by the British and taken to New York. His brother John was Lieutenant on the Ran- dolph, and was blown up with the frigate Yar- mouth of sixty-four guns. Another of the fam- ily, Capt. Nathaniel Fanning, was a midshipman with Paul Jones, in the fight with the "Serapis," and received a special commendation for his gallantry, and afterwards commanded various French vessels. A brother of his commanded a privateer which was captured tiy the British; still another (Capt. Edmond Fanning) made a voyage around the world, in command of a corvette sailing under letters of marque, dis- covering a number of islands which were named "Washington," "Fanning," "Brintnels," and "Williams ; " was also projector of an expedition to the South Polar Sea. Another prominent in the history of the Revolution was Thomas Fan- ning, who won distinction by his efficient dis- charge of his duties as a commissary in connec- tion with Connecticut troops. The most prom- inent royalist was a Col. Edmond Fanning, who raised a regiment under Gov. Tryon and, as a consequence, lost a large property by confisca- tion. Col. A. C. W. Fanning, late of the Uniteo. States Artillery, was a distinguished scholar as well as a soldier, serving with credit in the War of 1812 and in the Florida War. Dr. Nel- son Fanning served as surgeon in a regiment raised in Schohaiie County, N. Y., in the War of the Rebellion. Mrs. Esther Eleanor Hoy is descended, on the maternal side, from the Atwater family of col- onial and Puritan New England ancestry. Stephen Atwater, her grandfather, a farmer of Green (now Schoharie) County, N. Y., was married July 17, 1771, to Hannah Mead. Their children were: John, born May 30, 1772 (died Oct. 24, 1776; Levi, born April 13, 1774 (died Oct. 12, 1776); Stephen, born Nov. 12, 1775 (died July 11, 1777); Stephen (2), born Feb. ^aZ?^^ yka^lcv McHENRY COUNTY. 791 21 1778 (died Dec. 12, 1778); Reuben, born Nov. 27, 1779; Lydia, born Feb. 17, 1782 (died July 12, 1816) ; Hannah, born Jan. 13, 1784 (died Dec. 6, 1805); Esther, born Oct. 31, 1785; Sarah, born Jan. 23, 1788; Mead, born Jan. 24, 1790; Titus, born July 5, 1792; John (2L born Oct 15, 1795 (died Oct. 17, 1826). The father of Stephen Atwater died April 13, 1774, and his mother August 1, 1781. Titus Atwater, of the above named family, was born on his father'^ farm in Schoharie County, N. Y., became a farmer and married Jane Hay, the daughter of Daniel Hay, a native of Scotland — her mother being of German descent. The children of Titus and wife were: Catherine, Emily, James, Daniel, Reuben (died aged twelve years), Es- ther E., and Myra, who died after reaching ma- turity. Titus Atwater, the father of Mrs. Ho>, was a Free-Will Baptist, and m politics, an or- iginal Abolitionist and later a Republican. He made his home for a few years with his son, James Atwater, but later lived at the home of his son-in-law, Adolphus Craw, near Lockport, N. Y., where he died at the age of eighty-two years. JOHN M. HOY. John M. Hoy, banker, Woodstock, 111., and leading business man of McHenry County, was horn in Woodstock, April 5, 1875, the son of M. D. and, Esther E. (Atwater) Hoy. The son re- ceived his education in the public schools of his native county and the Woodstock High School, from which he graduated, besides re- ceiving supplementary training under the di- rection of a private tutor. Later he engaged in business as a clerk in his father's dry goods store in Woodstock, of which he finally became business manager. Mr. Hoy remained in mercantile business un- til 1901, when the firm of M. D. Hoy & Sons bought out the bank of Cook Brothers of Hunt- ley, McHenry County, of which John M. Hoy assumed the position of manager and cashier in September following. The bank is a private institution, conducted under the firm name of M. D. Hoy & Sons, with a capital of $25,000. It is one of the principal institutions of its kind in the southern part of McHenry County, and under the conservative and careful manage- ment of John M. Hoy is doing a safe and pros- perous business. In politics Mr. Hoy is a Republican and has served one term as City Treasurer of Wood- stock. In his native city and county he enjoys a high reputation as a capable and trustworthy business man. Mr. Hoy was married in Woodstock Nov. 11. 1896, to Letah May Bunker, the daughter of Amos K. and Adell (Sherman) Bunker, of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Hoy now reside in Wood- stock. LIEUT. WILLIAM H. HUFFMAN. Lieut. William H. Huffman pioneer, farmer and Civil War veteran, now residing at Nunda, McHenry County, was born in Nunda, Livings- ton County, N. Y., June 20, 1827, of Holland Dutch ancestry. Mathias Huffman, grandfather of William H., was a native of Holland, born March 20, 1773, and at fifteen years of age came to America, probably first settling in Pennsyl- vania. Some time between 1794 and 1799 he moved his family and household effects, by means of horse and wagon, to the vicinity of Auburn, Cayuga County, N. Y., where he cleared up a farm. He also established a hotel, which he managed for many years. He was long a substantial and influential citizen of Auburn and there he died, Oct. 30, 1833. May 20, 1793, Mr. Huffman married in Pennsylvania, Eve Simms, who was born Jan. 27, 1775, and died July 11, 1846. Of this union there were twelve children: William, born Jan. 4, 1794; Philip, born Oct. 30, 1795, and was a soldier in the War of 1812; Elsie, born Oct. 30, 1797; Catherine, born Nov. 11, 1799; Elizabeth, born March 4, 1802; Ann, born June 11, 1804; Phoebe, born March, 4, 1807; John born March 1, 1809, and died in 1812; Submit, born Feb. 23, 1811; Abi- gail, born April 10, 1813; Hiram, born Aug. 30, 1815; and Polly, born Nov. 3, 1816. Brig.-Gen. William Huffman, who was the ola- est of these children, became father of Lieut. Huffman, for many years a farmer and hotel keeper in New York State. He was born in Pennsylvania, and in childhood came with his parents to Auburn, N. Y. t and here was reared to both farming and hotel-keeping. August 25. 1814, he married in Camillus, N. Y., Lovilla Sears, who was born in Saratoga County, N. "Y, June 10, 1793, and died Oct. 25, 1875. Their children were: Hulda, Philip M., Catherine 79C McHENRY COUNTY. Julia, David, William H., Laura, John F., born June 14, 1831, and Charles, born Jan. 1, 1834. After his marriage Mr. Huffman settled upon new land near Auburn, N. Y., where he cleared a farm, but in 1824 moved to Nunda, N. Y., and there opened a hotel, which he con ducted until 1837. During that year he moved with his family to McHenry County, 111., tak- ing steamer at Buffalo for Detroit, and from there making the journey overland by horse ana wagon. At Detroit the family was joined by the Joslyn family, among whom was Judge Merritt L. Joslyn, now of Woodstock. The Huffmans purchased a claim from a Mr. Doug- las for $300, half a mile from Crystal Lake, and finishing up a half completed log cabin, there passed the winter. The Joslyn family lived a mile distant with a few other neighbors, among whom were a Mr. Crandall ana Abraham Beardsley. The Huffman claim proving low and wet, late in the fall of 1838, Mr. Huffman purchased of Daniel Brady a claim of 160 acres of prairie and timber land, on what is now known as the Huffman Prairie, which he after- wards entered at the Government Land Office. Mr. Huffman cleared up this tract and put it under cultivation, adding to its area until it embraced 300 acres. Here he passed his last days, dying Dec. 15, 1857, at the age of nearly sixty-four years. Mr. Huffman was a man of prominence and in New York, served for a number of years as Brigadier-General of the State militia. Dur- ing the War of 1812 he was drafted for service, but secured his release in order to care for his aged father. He took an active part in the building up of McHenry County and gave to the town of Nunda its name, from the place in which he had resided in New York. Lieut. William H. Huffman was reared to farm work, and was but eleven years old when the family moved to McHenry County. He well remembers the journey, and how the Huffman and Joslyn boys walked most of the way, and of the scraps they had with the village boys on the way. For a number of years after coming to Illinois, Mr. Huffman attended the schools of his neighborhood — known as the Huffman district — in winter, while working upon the farm in summer. Upon reaching manhood he pur- chased of his father a part of the family home- stead, where, after his marriage, he located, remaining until the opening of the Civil War. September 4, 1862, he enlisted at Nunda as a private in Company D, Ninety-fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and went to the front. He was soon after elected Second Lieut- enant, and later promoted to First Lieutenant, often serving as Captain when his superior officer was disabled. During his period of ser- vice he took part with his regiment in Gen. Grant's campaign in Northern Mississippi in the fall of 1862, and later in the Vicksburg cam- paign, the Red River expedition and many other important movements. The history of these ex- peditions is, in large part, a history of the sol. diers of the Ninety-fifth Illinois from McHenry County, who took part in some of the most memorable engagements of the war, including the capture of Vicksburg and the opening of the Mississippi to the sea, as well as the sad affair at Guntown, Miss., the destruction of Hood's army at Nashville and the final round-up at Mobile, following the capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. After the war Mr. Huffman returned to Mc- Henry County, where he took up farming on his section of the homestead. He improved his property and added to its area until he is now one of the largest land owners in his section of McHenry County. About thirty years ago he purchased a pleasant residence in Nunda, where he has since, for the most part, made his home. October 5, 1852, Mr. Huffman was united in marriage at Nunda, Livingston County, N. Y., to Mary Starkweather, a former schoolmate, who was born Dec. 22, 1828, in Cato, Cayuga County, N. Y. Mr. Huffman is a man of in- fluence, and for two years has served as Jus- tice of the Peace. Thomas Starkweather, son of Ezra Stark- weather, and father of Mrs. Huffman, is of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, the early members of the family having settled in that State in col- onial times. When a young man he came to Cayuga County, N. Y., and there married Elvira Butler, daughter of David Butler, a blacksmith by trade, who came of an old Vermont family, and who married Annice Wellington. Mr. Starkweather died at the age of forty-five years. To him and his wife were born three children: Ann, Mary and Lydia. After his marriage Mr. Starkweather settled upon a farm in Cayuga County, where he made an excellent home for McHENRY COUNTY. 797 himself. Mrs. Starkweather died when upwards of eighty years of age. PHILIP M. HUFFMAN, an older brother of Lieut. William H. Huffman, was born in Auburn, Cayuga County, N. Y., March 5, 1821, and was about three years old when his parents moved into their hotel in Nunda, N. Y. In the com- mon schools of the latter place he received a limited education, and at an early age turned his attention to farming. At the age of sev- enteen he accompanied his parents to McHenry County, where he first assisted his father in clearing up the new homestead. He was an ex- cellent shot and helped to red ace the great num- ber of wild beasts, killing in one winter six deer and as many wolves. During this period he made many trips by way of Elgin to Chicago, where at first all the marketing had to be done, allowing himself three days for the journey, and bringing home lumber, groceries and other supplies. Later he procured his goods at Wau- kegan, a nearer station. At twenty-three years of age Mr. Huffman ma'ried in Kishwaukeo Prairre, Dorr township, Althea Turner, who was born in Ypsilanti, Mich. Dec. 18, 1826, the daughter of Josiah Turner, a farmer of that place. Mr. Turner died at Yp- silanti, Mich., but had six children, who set tied in McHenry County, 111., viz.: Harrison, Orsamus, Ann, Betsy, Emma and Althea. Mr. and Mrs. Huffman had six children, three of whom died young. The others are William, Amelia and Charles. After marriage Mr. Huffman resided for two years on a rented farm upon Crystal Lake Prairie, and for the next three years upon a portion of Dewitt Brady's farm. Then purchas- ing 100 acres of prairie and timber land on Huffman Prairie, he there established a home for himself, finally becoming the owner of 260 acres. He has since sold eighty acres, making the present area of his farm 180 acres. Mr. Huffman has figured prominently in the affairs of his township, having served as school director for a long time and for fifteen years as constable'. Politically he is a stanch Re- publican. He is fond of reminiscence, and re- lates how he and his brothers and the Joslyn boys — among them the present Judge Joslyn, of Woodstock — walked across the State of Mich- igan from Detroit to McHenry County, keeping up with the horses most of the way. (For in- cidents of this trip see the preceding sketch of William Huffman.) He remembers well the old chinked and daubed log cabin on the Crystal Lake claim, and how he and his father and brothers had to provide for it a roof and floor, and build a brick fireplace before they could pass the winter there. The same energy shown in these early pioneering experiences Mr. Huff- man has manifested in every undertaking in life, and he has been a most powerful factor in the building up of McHenry County. REV. SAMUEL COX HAY. Rev. Samuel Cox Hay, Clergyman, Pastor First Presbyterian Church, Woodstock, 111., is descended from old colonial and Revolutionar> ancestry, though of Scotch-Irish descent. His grandfather, Col. Samuel Hay, born in County Armagh, Ireland, came to America sometime prior to the Revolution and first settled in New York, whence he removed to Carlisle, Penn.. and there engaged in the iron business. On Jan. 9, 1776, he joined the colonial army as Captain of the Sixth Pennsylvania Battalion, composed of employes connected with his blast furnaces at Carlisle. October 5, 1776, he was made a Captain in the Seventh Regiment, and on Feb. 21, 1778, was transferred to the Fourth Reg- iment, Second Pennsylvania Line, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and, in recognition of his bravery in leading the attack as acting Colonel at battle of Stony Point, on July 16, 1779, was presented by General Washington with a brace of pistols. He served under Gen. Anthony Wayne in the attack on Stony Point, and was severely wounded on that occasion in the hip, in consequence of which he was com- pelled to retire from the service Jan. 17, 1781. His services at Stony Point received spe- cial commendation. After the war he be- came a charter member of the "Society of the Cincinnati," composed of retired officers of the army, of which General Washing- ton was a member, and was Captain of the "Silver Grays," at Newark, N. J.; was Postmaster of Newark about 1789, and was one of the organizers and a member of the first Board of Trustees of the Newark Academy He was a prominent member of the Masonic Fraternity, and, after the war, corresponded extensively with his fellow officers, among 798 McHENRY COUNTY. whom he enjoyed a reputation for exalted pat- riotism. Many of his letters were carefully preserved by the recipients. Rev. Philip Courtland Hay, the son of Col. Samuel Hay, and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Newark, N. J., in 1783, graduated from Princeton College, and studied theology with Rev. James Richards, pastor of the First Presbyterian church at Newark, and afterwards Professor of Theology in the The- ological Seminary at Auburn, N. Y. His first pastorate was in connection with the Presby- terian church at Mendham, N. J., after which he accepted a call to the Second Presbyterian church at Newark, where he remained ten years. In 1836 he removed to Geneva, Ontario. County, N. Y., where he spent another decade in successful ministerial work, after which he took charge of the Presbyterian church at Owego, Tioga County, N. Y. After eight years of strenuous labor here, during which he lost the use of his voice, he removed to Orange, N. J., and there established a classical school for boys. After a few months rest, having recover- ed the use of his voice, he resumed preaching in connection with the Orange Valley congre- gation, continuing up to the day of his sudden death, which occurred in December, 1860. Rev. Dr. Hay was Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly of 1849, and received the de- gree of D. D. from Princeton College. His wife was a Miss Elizabeth Condit, born at Newark. N. J., in 1808, the daughter of Hon. Silas and Elizabeth (Smith) Condit. The former was a banker of Newark, a soldier of the War of 1812, and served as a member of Congress from New Jersey for many years, ±ilr. Condit was a close personal friend of the distinguished Theodore Frelinghuysen. His father, John Con- dit, was an early graduate of Princeton Col- lege and served as surgeon during the Revo- lutionary "War, and later represented New Jer- sey in the United States Senate. The historic Condit home at the foot of the Orange Moun- tains in New Jersey is still standing. Rev. Samuel Cox Hay, the son of Rev. Philip Courtland and Elizabeth (Condit) Hay, was born at Geneva, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1836, acquired his classical education ,at Owego Academy and Hamilton College, N. Y., and began his theo- logical course at Union Theological Seminary, New York City. In 1863 he was licensed to preach by the Rockaway Presbytery. On Jan. 1, 1864, he arrived in Illinois, established a Presbyterian church in Will County and, dur- ing the same year, entered the McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, from which he graduated in 1865. In October of that year he went to Woodstock and, for a time, supplied the pulpit of the First Presbyterian church of that city, which had been organized by the Rev. J. B. Plumstead, and of which Rev. R. K. Todd had been the first pastor. Declining an invitation to accept the pastorate of this church at that time, he went to Apalachin, N. Y., where he became pastor of a Presby- terian church and, in June, 1867, was married to Sarah Oakley, who was a native of Geneva, N. Y., born in December, 1836, the daughter of Dr. Lewis and Mary (Halsey) Oakley. Im- mediately after marriage Mr. Hay, accom- panied by his wife, came to Crystal Lake, Mc- Henry County, and accepted the pastorate of the Congregational church, at that place, one of the oldest and strongest churches in the county. Here he remained one year, when he removed to St. Louis and there accepted the pastorate of the Carondelet Presbyterian church, but a year later resigned on account of the ill effects of the climate upon his wife's health. Then (August, 1870), returning to Woodstock, he accepted the pastorate of the first Presbyterian church there, where he has since remained except four years spent as pas- tor of the First Presbyterian church at De Pere, Wis., and two years as pastor of the Crystal Lake Congregational church. During a pastorate covering a period of twenty-four years, he has had the satisfaction of seeing this church, by a steady growth, develop from a condition of comparative weakness to one of the most prosperous in Northern Illinois out- side of the city of Chicago. In the arduous labors necessary to the accomplishment of these results, he has always had the aid of his efficient and devoted wife. Rev. Mr. Hay's career has been one of unselfish devotion tc the higher interests of humanity, and he is noted for the spirit of benevolence which has ever characterized his life, and which has been illustrated by his readiness to contribute to the aid of those in distress. Of high culture and broad literary attainments, he has ac- cumulated a handsome library, and has been a frequent contributor to the religious press, and Jiaa*. JJLv^u*. *£. tl "-^bitj. McHENRY COUNTY. 799 is the author of a number of pamphlets upon subjects of interest to a large class of readers, including among the latter a pamphlet en- titled "Christianity versus Ingersoll." He has also been actively interested in the cause of general education and the public schools. He has put the mind of a scholar and the heart and strong personality of the devoted pastor into his lifework; and, with mental and physical powers unimpaired, it is hoped that he may long be spared to impart to others those kindly and benevolent attentions which have been so characteristic of his career, and to enjoy the confidence and esteem which are the reward of the consistent and conscientious Christian teacher. Rev. and Mrs. Hay are the parents of the following named children: Dr. Philip Condit Hay, who is a graduate of the medical depart- ment of the Northwestern University, and, at present, a successful practitioner in medicine in the city of Chicago; Miss Anna L. Hay, formerly a teacher in the schools of Michigan and Illinois, is now married to Mr. Edward Cort Thurnau and a resident of Chicago; Mary Oakley Hay, was educated at Knox College, Galesburg, 111., and became the private secre- tary of Dr. Finley, then President of that in- stitution. She was afterwards, for a time, a teacher in Chicago and is now teaching in Virginia. She is a lady of marked literary ability and attainments. THE HANLY BROTHERS. Captain Samuel Hanly was one of the pioneer settlers of Hector, Schuyler County, N. Y., where he owned a large tract of land. He served as a captain in the War of the Revolu- tion, and for his service being entitled to a bounty of 500 acres of land, selected Lot 39, Township 21, where, in the year 1802, the town of Hector was platted. Capt. Samuel Hanly's brother, Israel, was also a pioneer of Hector, and he and the father were both patriot soldiers in the Revolutionary War, the latter being killed in battle. Samuel Hanly was the father of twelve children, to each of whom he left a legacy of $1,500. His eldest son, Ebene- zer, who was grandfather of the Hanly broth- ers of McHenry County, became a farmer and married Hannah Reynolds, daughter of Rev. James Reynolds, a wealthy Baptist minister. They moved to Ohio where Mr. Hanly shortly afterwards died, leaving but one child, an in- fant son, Alexander Hamilton Hanly, born Aug. 23, 1816. Ebenezer's widow married as her second husband Henry Saler, but the son, Alexander H., was reared in the home of his grandfather, Capt. Samuel Hanly. Alexander H. Hanly was born at Ilion N. Y., and settled near McHenry, 111., in March, 1837, where he became a substantial farmer, miller and business man. His old homestead is occupied by his sons, George H. and B. S. Hanly, who manage the farm and mill. Alex- ander H. came to Illinois in his twenty-first year, arriving in February, 1837, and a month later came to McHenry County, where he and another young man from his native county bought a claim. This claim was "jumped" in their absence and fifty pioneers gathered and tore down the cabin of the man who had taken possession of it. Notwithstanding they were thus protected by their neighbors, they abandoned the claim and Mr. Hanly bought a half-interest in the farm now owned by his sons, paying $300 for a squatter's right. For several years he broke land in McHenry Coun- ty and Southern Wisconsin, sometimes using as many as seven yoke of oxen where the sod was very tough and filled with roots. After his marriage, which occurred in 1841, Mr. Hanly located on the present Hanly homestead, which he improved and added to until it consisted of 765 acres, mostly under cultivation. His sons, who were industrious, hard-working young men, assisted him materially, and the summer of 1885 saw the erection on the place of a fine two-story brick house which cost ten thousand dollars. An active, enterprising business man, Mr. Hanly from time to time engaged in important enter- prises. In 1869 he built a flouring mill, which he operated during his life, and which is still doing a good business. Assisted by his sons, he became the most extensive grower of fine stock in McHenry County, and bred and marketed large numbers of horses, cattle and sheep, besides operating a large dairy. He was one of the founders and was Master of the Grange at McHenry, and was purchasing agent for all bodies of the Patrons of Husbandry in McHenry County, and in that capacity handled large sums of money. He was for many years a School Director at McHenry and took a deep 800 McHENRY COUNTY. interest in public education. Politically he was an unswerving Republican. Susan Sherman, who on Oct. 3, 1841, became Mrs. Alexander H. Hanly, was born in Fulton County, N Y., Dec. 5, 1819, a daughter of Ben- son and Wealthy (Gates) Sherman. Benson Sherman, who was a native of New York, was among the pioneers of McHenry County as early as 1838. He settled on the Samuel Sher- man farm, two miles west of McHenry, re- deemed it from the wilderness and built upon it a large cabin with a big fire-place and a stick chimney. He became the owner of three or four hundred acres of land and was a prominent and respected citizen. Wealthy Gates became his wife when she was sixteen years old and they both died at the age of eighty years. They had children named Melissa, Susan, Elizabeth, Jeremiah, Samuel and Jane. Susan, who became Mrs. Hanly, had the advantage of an academic education and she taught school in her father's cabin in McHenry County before there was ,any school house in the neighborhood, and during life took in interest in literary and educational matters. lA. woman of high moral and chris- tian character, she was ,a friend of all good in- fluences; a devoted wife and mother, she had the love of husband and children to the fullest extent; charitable beyond most women, she rron the blessings of the poor; and her hos- pitality was such that her house was a favorite resort of all who knew her, and no stranger was ever turned from its door. Mr. Hanly was a man of broad mind and independent spirit, an Odd Fellow and one of the founders of the Universalist church at McHenry. in which Mrs. Hanly was a member and also help- fully interested. Mr. Hanly died Jan. 12, 1891, Mrs. Hanly, April 10, 1900. Their children were: Emma, born July 23, 1842, who died in infancy; Samuel Benson, born Aug. 29, 1843; George H., born May 9, 1846; John Edmund, born Jan. 16, 1849; Daniel Francis, born Nov. 22, 1863 — all born on the old family homestead in McHenry County. The Hanly brothers attended the district school near their home and later took a thorough business course in the Bryant & Stratton Busi- ness College, Chicago, giving special attention to mathematics and commercial law, and from which they graduated in 1868 and 1869. After graduation in 1868, Samuel B. Hanly took charge of the flouring mill, whch he operated for about fifteen years, carrying on an ex- tensive business in the manufacture of a fine grade of flour. He also assisted in conducting a large brick-yard, where the brick used in the construction of the family residence was manu- factured. In 1883 he removed to Chicago and there assumed control of the wholesale milk- trade of the Hanly Brothers, displaying excep- tional business ability in the management of their dairy interests for nearly twenty years. Their Chicago business has recently been transferred to other parties. George H. Hanly was early made useful as an assistant to his father and did his full share toward the erection of the residence and flour- ing mill. He took much interest in sheep and bought seven hundred head at a single pur- chase in Wisconsin and, at one time, the Han- lys had fifteen hundred sheep, mostly merinos, on their farm. He assisted also to establish the Hanly dairy and, in 1883, the Hanly Broth- ers established a wholesale milk trade in Chi- cago, to which point they shipped milk from one hundred cows on their farm and much milk bought from farmers en the Fox River Railroad. The Hanly Brothers own a fine farm of 760 acres, including the old Hanly homestead, handle many horses and cattle, operate the flour mill, besides giving atten- tion to other interests. George H. Hanly is a man of much men- tal independence who frames his own opinions from practical experiences in life. One of his predominant qualities is his fidelity to his friends. He was formerly a Republican, but is now an advocate of the principles advocated by William Jennings Bryan. He was received as an Entered Apprentice, passed the Fellow Craft Degree and was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in McHenry Lodge, No. 158, A. F. & A. M., of which he is Worship- ful Master, and took the degrees of Chivalric Masonry in the Woodstock Commandery of Knights Templar, and was constituted, dubbed and created a Knight Templar. He is a mem- ber of the Knights of Maccabees and is Com- mander of his body of the order at McHenry. His interest in public education impelled him to .accept election as a member of the Board of Education of McHenry, which his fellow-citi- zens have twice thrust upon him, but he is too busy to take an active interest in politics. /a? J\ %g^f McHENRY COUNTY. 801 John Edmund, third son of Alexander H. Hanly, was born on the family homestead in McHenry County, Jan. 16, 1849, received his education in the McHenry County public schools and in Todd Seminary at Woodstock, and during his youth was chiefly employed in his father's mill. He married at Woodstock Ella H. Shirts, who was born in Lyons, Wayne County, N. Y., daughter of John E. Shirts, wno was a skillful carpenter and became a pioneer settler of Lake County, 111., making the journey from New York to Illinois on foot. After being connected with the milling busi- ness in McHenry County, Mr. Hanly moved to Chicago, where he entered into the milk busi- ness, but in 1902 went to Elgin where he is engaged in the express business. John E. Hanly and wife are the parents of two sons — Dr. Harry Hamilton and George Alexander Hanly. Politically Mr. Hanly is a Republican, in religious belief a Universalist, and a mem- ber of the Order of Modern Woodmen of America. Dr. Harry Hamilton Hanly married Beatrice Perry of McHenry. David Francis Hanly, fourth son of this fam- ily, was born on the family homestead Nov. 22, 1863; was educated in the public schools of his native county, and in the Business College at Dixon, 111., after which his early life was de- voted to work on the farm and m his father's mill. March 11, 1890, he was married at Ross- burgh, N. Y., to Florence A. Bennett, who was born in Granger County, N. Y., Oct 13, 1867, the daughter of Jesse and Carrie (Snider) Bennett. Her father was a soldier of the Civil War, serving for three years in the One Hun- dred and Fourth New York Volunteer Infantry, and for twenty-five years was a merchant at Rossburgh, but is now retired. David Francis Hanly and wife are members of the Universal- ist church; in politics he is a Republican and fraternally a member of the Modern Wood- men of America. He has established a repu- tation as a successful business man and, be- sides other property interests, is the owner of the pleasant home where he now resides. NOBLE HILL. Noble Hill, Educator, Principal of Todd Seminary, Woodstock, 111., was born at Economy, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, June 1, 1859, the son of Charles Edward and Isabel Hill, and is descended from Scotch- Irish ancestors, who came to Nova Scotia at an early day. Charles Edward Hill was a ship-builder and constructed many ships and trading vessels. He had general charge of the business and, according to the custom of the time, supplied the men employed in the yard with the necessaries of life, including all kinds of merchandise. His children are: James, now a gold-miner at Gape Nome, Alaska; Noble, the subject of this sketch; Annie, now the wife of George W. Jeans, of San Francisco, and .Richard A., of Los Angeles, Cal. About 1884 Mr. Hill and wife went to California, where some of his children had previously lo- cated, dying there in 1889. Prof. Noble Hill received a good rudimentary education in the public schools of his native country, which, later, was supplemented by a thor- ough course in Berea College, Ky. In his youth, as happened to many of the boys living adjacent to the sea-coast, he was seized with a passion for the sea, and when only about fifteen years of age, shipped before the maot on a large vessel to cross the Atlantic to Bris- tol, Eng., and thence to St. Johns, N. B. After this voyage he saw service as a sailor on coasting vessels, visiting many cities on the Atlantic coast, including Portland, Me., Bos- ton, and other places, in this way acquiring the discipline not laid down in the books, but none the less necessary to the making of the true sailor. The well-trained sailor, from the moment he signs the articles which give him the right to tread the ship's deck, is taught to render respect and obedience to his superior officers, and the young sailor quickly learns to touch his cap and say, "Aye, aye, sir," in re- sponse to any command from the second mate. The life of the sailor-boy is a hard one, but he learns to do many useful things ; to live upon the simplest and, at times, the most meager diet, and bear a hand at anything that may be needed. It requires several voyages, however, to transform the green hand even into an ordinary sailor, and years for him to become the trained seaman qualified to "hand, reef or steer," as the phrase goes. Young Hill be- came a skillful sailor, but found that the life afforded few attractions for an ambitious boy, and little opportunity for improving his mind after his monotonous duties had been faith- fully performed. Impressed with these con- 802 McHENRY COUNTY. victions and desiring to engage in some em- ployment which would give him the opportunity to advance more rapidly, he sought duty on land, and, for a time, found employment on a farm between the old historic towns of Con- cord and Lexington, Mass. Here he carefully saved his wages, and finally entered Berea Col- lege in the mountainous district of East Ken- tucky, where he completed his course in 1887. An interim of two years from the beginning of 1885 to the beginning of 1887, he was com- pelled to spend in Colorado on account of fail- ing health. At the close of his college course he spent six months in California and then came to Woodstock, where in 1888, he became Assistant Principal of the Todd Seminary for boys, at that time still in charge of Rev. R. K. Todd, by whom it had been founded over fifty years ago. Professor Hill soon gave evidence of his knowledge as a scholar and his skill a.s a teacher, and a year later became one of the principal instructors in Hampton Institute, Va., being assigned to the Indian Department under cotrol of the United States Government. Here he was the only white teacher occupying quarters in the section set apart for Indian pupils and known as the "Indian Wigwam," thereby acquiring the title of the "Wigwam Father." After teaching there one year with excellent success, at the end of the school year he accompanied some of his Indian pupils to their homes, visiting several of the tribes and familiarizing himself with their modes of life, manners and customs — an experience which he thoroughly enjoyed. In 1889 he returned to Woodstock to resume his connection with the Todd Seminary, where he remained until 1892. Prof. Todd having then decided to re- tire, Prof. Hill purchased the institution, whicn he has since conducted with marked success. Since coming into possession of the institution he has introduced some important improve- ments, equipping the buildings with steam heat and electric lights, besides adding a large and well-conducted gymnasium. The number of pupils admitted to the school is restricted to forty, who are carefully selected, boys of unruly character or vicious habits being ex- cluded. As a consequence, the school has the reputation of being one of the most high-toned, both as to morals and scholarship, in the coun- try. Prof Hill employs five teachers, be- sides a matron and such other assistants as may be needed. Pupils are admitted at six ti seven years of age, and grow up in the institu- tion under the same careful moral and mental training which they would receive in a well conducted home, until fitted for college or prepared to enter professional or business life. The morals of the pupils are carefully looked after, and the result is shown in their gentle- manly deportment and general good conduct. The school is a place of comfort and recrea- tion, as well as of study and discipline, its ample and well-shaded grounds making it an ideal place for out-door sports, while the spacious parlors and well-filled library con- tribute to the social and intellectual develop- ment of the pupils in a most satisfactory man- mer. The institution is non-sectarian, though closely affiliated with the First Presbyterian church of Woodstock, under the pastorship of the Rev. Samuel Cox Hay, the pupils coming from a wide extent of country, including States as far distant as Colorado and Cali- fornia. Professor Rogers, the father of Mrs. Hill, pastor of the Apostolic church at Hart- ford, Conn., was one of the founders and the first President of Berea College. He is a gen- tleman of wide learning and experience, and married Elizabeth Lewis, who belonged to a family of the Society' of Friends in Philadel- phia. PETER J. HERDKLOTZ. The more recent settlers of the United States represent many different nationalities, but in earlier times the emigration to this part of the country was made by the English, French, and somewhat later by the Germans. The French emigration, from Canada, was not large enough to permanently affect the blood of the people, and therefore the English and the Germans are the two great races from which the pioneers of Illinois largely sprang, especially in the northern portion of the State. It is uncertain as yet who was the first German settler of McHenry County, but in- vestigations now in progress indicate that It was Samuel Gillian, a pioneer German who settled in Algonquin Township, Nov. 18, 1834. The first pioneer settler on Queen Anne Prai- rie was Peter J. Herdklotz, now a retired farmer of Woodstock. He was born in Alsace, Canton of Sultz, Village of Drachenbronn, Feb.

fr H~*Mt£6rk L 6ASppC6 i McHENRY COUNTY. S03 27, 1820, son of Michael and Sarah (Smith) Herdklotz. The Alsatian founder of the family came from Switzerland at an early period. The Herdklotz family had been farmers for generations, and for many years had owned' and lived on the same farm. In the days of Michael, the grandfather of Peter J., the farm was of considerable size, but in the days of Michael (2), the father, it had been reduced by divisions until it numbered but twenty acres, although it was very productive and fur- nished abundant supplies for the family. Michael, the grandfather of Peter J., served in the old French army and participated in many battles, and received a prize for meritorious conduct. Michael Herdklotz, the father of Peter J., was born in January, 1791. He remained on the homestead where his forefathers had lived for generations, and he and his wife were the par- ents of Michael, Jr., Peter J., Christina, Bai- bara, George and Henry. In May, 1839, he and Mrs. Herdklotz, with their four younger children, came to America, the two older sons, Michael and Peter J., having come over two years before. The family landed in New York and went thence to Chicago, where they ar- rived Aug. 5, and immediately came to Green- wood, McHenry County, where Michael, Sr., soon afterwards bought 200 acres of unim- proved land of the United States Government, which had previously been selected by nis sons, Michael and Peter J. This land came into market, Sept. 1, 1839, and was sold at $1.25 per acre. Mr. Herdklotz built a com- fortable log house, and at first used a fire- place, but several years later he purchased a cook-stove in Chicago with which the following interesting incident is connected: Alter ar- riving at home with his purchase, Mr. Herd- klotz found that he lacked two joints of stove- piping of having enough to set up his stove. Shortly afterwards he sent to Chicago by Jacob Eckert, an early Alsatian emigrant, for the desired quantity of piping, giving him $1.50 for its purchase. In Chicago Mr. Eckert met with an agent for a Buffalo German news- paper, and being unable to resist the induce- ments, subscribed for the paper and paid out the $1.50, for which he obtained a sample copj' of the paper and one year's subscription. Re- turning to the Herdklotz home, after his long trip, he had a sample copy of the newspaper but no stove-pipe, which was a bitter disap- pointment to the family, who had to await an- other opportunity of sending to Chicago before their cook-stove could be made to serve the purpose for which is was designed. Michael Herdklotz was about fort,y-eight years old when he settled on Queen Anne Prairie, and, with the help of his industrious and hard-working sons, cleared up and improved the farm, eighty acres of it being originally timber and the remainder prairie land. Mr. and Mrs. Herdklotz were both members of the German Presbyterian church. Mr. Herdklotz died July 5, 1854, being killed by lightning. Peter J. Herdklotz was reared on the farm and received a common-school education in Alsace, where he attended school seven years. He came to America with his older brother, Michael, in 1837, two years in advance of his father and the family. The brothers sailed from Havre, France, in a sailing vessel, the "Charles Carroll," and made the voyage to New' York in thirty days, arriving May 2d. The brothers had divided their money on arriv- ing in New York, and Michael went to Rome, N. Y., by way of the Erie Canal, and secured farm-work at $6 per month and his board. Peter J. secured work with a milkman at $3 per month and board. He carefully saved his money with true German economy and, at the end of the year, had saved his full earnings, $36. The brothers then came to Chicago, where they arrived July 11, 1838. The closing of the Black Hawk War at this time had thrown a large amount of lands in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa open to settlement, which was attracting many emigrants. Chicago, then a small frontier village, had no buildings on the north side, and old Fort Dearborn was occupied by United States troops. Prairie schooners, which were large wagons, many of them drawn by eight yoke of oxen, were fre- quently mired down to the axles in the streets of the now famous western metropolis. The brothers together bought a yoke of oxen ami a wagon for $60 and started for McHenry County. They were four and one-half days making the trip from Chicago to Queen Anne Prairie. They camped out at night and on the way found a few pioneer settlers from Virginia who were hospitable and ready to render them any assistance in their power. It was char- acteristic of the pioneer Americans to assist 804 McHENRY COUNTY. the early German emigrant settlers in every possible way. No one was turned away from the door of the American pioneer. He was always ready to share his humble home with any one, stranger or friend, and his cheery "set up, stranger, and help yourself," has brought cheer to many a hungry and wayworn traveler, whether he was an American or for- eigner, it mattered not. The brothers took up land on the edge of Queen Anne Prairie, Greenwood Township, and set to work immediately to prepare a home for the family, who were yet in distant Al- sace. They were the first Germans to settle in that locality, but soon found friends among the settlers from Virginia. They worked for the neighbors for a while, and finally hired two yoke of oxen and broke twenty-five acres of prairie sod and sowed seven acres of whea*. They also planted and raised a quantity of corn and potatoes; so that, when the family ar- rived, they had something to live upon, and after this there was no lack of provisions. Wages were only fifty cents per day, but Peter J. and his brother worked faithfully and felt encouraged, as they were getting along well and making a home in a free country. They worked faithfully, and previous to the father's death in 1854, the Herdklotz family owned 400 acres of land. On January 29, 1848, Peter J. Herdklotz married, in Greenwood township, Catherine Sondericker, daughter of Henry and Charlotte (Senger) Sondericker. For two years after their marriage they lived with his father's family. Mr. Herdklotz built a log house on a part of the farm, and when the estate was divided, received as his share 1S3 acres, to which he made additions until he owned 200 acres. Later he sold part of the farm and now owns 180, which is one of the best farms in Greenwood township. Mr. Herdklotz has worked very hard and endured all the hard- ships of pioneer life. He has prospered by his own efforts and become a well-to-do citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Herdklotz were the parents of the following children: Catherine, Margaret, Christina, Eliza, Peter H., Sarah C. (who died when about thirty years of age, a married woman, leaving two children), and Emma Sophia. Mr. Herdklotz is a member of the German Presbyterian church, where he was and elder for many years. Mrs. Herd- klotz was also a member of the same church. They assisted in establishing the church in Greenwood Township, and Mr. Herd- klotz' mother gave one-half acre of land from the old homestead for a church lot. Mr. Herdklotz voted for William Henry Harrison and Abraham Lincoln, and kept within the ranks of the Republican party until Cleve- land's first election, when he voted the Demo- cratic ticket. He served the public as Road Commissioner for fifteen years. Mrs. Herd- klotz died May 24, 1893, and Mr. Herdklotz now resides with his children in Woodstock, where he has recently recovered from a severe spell of sickness. He also had cataracts form over both eyes, rendering him blind, but fortunately he has recently had them removed, so that his sight has been fully restored. Mr. Herd- klotz is a fine example of the German pioneer, straight-forward, honest, persevering, and in all respects a man of sterling worth. From the early German settlers have descended many of our best people, whose descendants are now rapidly blending with the American people and adding to their blood the strength of an original and sterling race. LEWIS F. HOWARD. Lewis F. Howard, farmer of Greenwood, McHenry County, and early settler of Queen Ann Prairie, was born Feb. 14, 1821, at Wal- pole, Cheshire county, N. H., the son of Will- iam and Betsy Ann (Fay) Howard. William Howard was of Puritan-English stock, whose ancestors came to Massachusetts about th? time of the founding of that colony. He was born in Massachusetts, the son of Pitt Howard, who was a soldier of the Revolution. He was twice married, the children by the flrsc marriage being Rebecca, Fannie, Betsy, John, William, and one ether whose name is not re- membered. Pitt Howard was a carpenter Dy trade, and a manufacturer of wooden ware, and also farmed in a small way. During the Revolutionary War he served under General Washington and General Israel Putnam. He lived to be eighty years old, dying at his home in Massachusetts. His son William was mar- ried at Walpole, N. H., to Betsy Ann Fay. wbo was born at Walpole, the daughter of Joseph and Fannie (Graves) Fay. Joseph Fay was a son of an officer of the Revolution, whom he accompanied to the field, McHENRY COUNTY. 805 first as a waiter, and whom he saw shot from his horse in battle. Later, he enlisted when only about fourteen years of age, and bore a musket in the cause of his country under Gen. Anthony Wayne. After the war he be- came a captain in the State militia, and dur- ing his life was known as Captain Fay. He was a prominent citizen and served, for a time, as Selectman of his town. William Howard was a soldier in the War of 1812, but being disqualified for carrying arms by a deformed finger, served as a team- ster. He was present at the battle of Platts- burg. After marriage he settled at Walpole, N. H., which, except for a few years spent at Putney, Vt., continued to be his home until 1856, when he came to Greenwood, McHenry County, 111. Here he remained until the death of his wife, which occurred in 1860. He then spent some time with his son, Lewis F., when he went to Keene, N. H, where, 10 years later, he died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Dr. Hill, who was a physician, at the age of eighty years. The children of William Howard and wife were: Harriet, Lewis F., Sarah, Rebecca and William. The father was an industrious and thrifty citizen, but suffered some serious losses from endorsing paper for other people. Originally a Democrat, he became a Republi- can on the introduction of the slavery issue into politics. He lived in the village of Green- wood a number of years, where he owned a pleasant home. Lewis F. Howard, the immediate subject of this sketch, received while young, a limited common-school education in the meantime being brought up to the life of a farmer. On April 10, 1845, he was married at his native place of Walpole, N. H., to Alzina A. Ash, who was born at Walpole, June 22, 1827, the daughter of John and Lucinda (Fuller) Ash. John Ash, the father, was of Scotch descent, and belonged to an old family of Putney, Vt., where he was born in 1799. During the colon- ial period the family had lived in Massachus- sets. He was a shoemaker by trade, and was married at Athens, Vt., to Lucinda Fuller, who was born there in 1800. The founder of the family came over to Plymouth in the May- flower in 1620. The father of Mrs. Ash was a justice of the peace at Athens, Vt., for forty years, and lived to be ninety-five years old. He was a resident of Athens at the time of Indian troubles in that region. He married for his second wife a widow lady named Pitts, and they had the following named children: Damaris, Daniel and Henry. John Ash settled at Putney, Vt., but in his later years remove 1 to Walpole, N. H , where he passed the re- mainder of his days, dying at the age of about fifty years. His children were: Lucinda, Laura, Mary, Alzina A. (Mrs. Lewis F. How- ard), Damaris, Emily and Henry. After his death, his widow removed to Fort Wayne. Ind., where she died aged about seventy-five years. After his marriage to Alzina Ash, Lewis F. Howard settled near Walpole, N. H, on a farm in the woods, remaining five years, when he moved to Putney, Vt. In 1855 he came to McHenry county, 111., and settled on the farm in Greenwood Township, consisting of 137 acres, which he improved and now occupies. The children born to himself and wife were: Sarah, Lucinda, Henry, Ada and Allen, all of whom received good educations. The daughters Sarah and Lucinda were educated at Todd Seminary, Woodstock, and. each engaged in teaching. Sarah married Henry Freeman, who served three years in the Civil War, and they reside in Greenwood Township, where they are well-to-do farmers. They have five children. Lucinda married Charles Ercan- brick, of Alden Township, and they are now residents of California. They have two child- ren. Henry married Harriet Pierce; they re- side at Spokane, Wash., where they have two children. Ada married Myron Gocfflard, a farm- er and stock dealer, and resides in Greenwood Township, having a family of two children. Allen married Mary Dygert; they have one child and reside at Moscow, Idaho, where he is a grain dealer. Mr. Howard (Lewis F.) was originally a Democrat, but on the formation of the Repub- lican party, identified himself with that party. Both he and Mrs. Howard are members of the Presbyterian church at Greenwood. Mr. Howard is a man of remarkably abstemious habits, never having been accustomed to in- dulge in the use of liquors or tobacco in any form. Indeed, it is said that a glass of beer or of spirituous liquor has never passed his lips. High-minded and scrupulously honest in character, he enjoys, in a high degree, the confidence and respect of the community in which he has resided for nearly half a cen- 806 McHENRY COUNTY. tury. By industry and economy he has added to his real estate, and has been eminently suc- cessful in his career as a farmer. NATHAN B. HELM. The gentleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch is rightly entitled to rank as one of the most notable residents of McHenry county, not only by virtue of his residence here of over half a century, but on account of his long and prominent identification with its business and manufacturing interests. Spring- ing from mixed German and Holland-Dutch an- cestry, there is a well-founded tradition that there is also a vein of French-Huguenot blood in the family, as we have the authority of the records of the old Holland-Dutch church of Kingston, N. Y., to the effect that the French- Huguenots intermarried with the early Hol- land-Dutch families of that locality. The rec- ords of this church are of great historic value, in view of the fact that, during the colonial period, this was the only church between New York City and (Albany, in which a record of marriages, births and baptisms was kept; and for a considerable extent of country the early settlers made it the despository of rec- ords relating to events of this character. A few points compiled from these quaint records with a flavor of the ancient days, when Rip Van Winkle rolled ten-pins with the shades of Hendrik Hudson's sailors in the Catskill Mountains, are worthy of reproduction here. The first entry regarding the Helm family in these records, is of the date of June 4, 1721, recording the baptism of Katrine, daughter of Zyman and Anna (Scheever) Helm, followed on Nov. 1, 172,4, by a record of the birth of a daughter, Elizabeth, to Symen Helm and Anna- tien Schever, his wife: Witnesses, Machil Helm and Elizabeth Sheyer. It is assumed that the parents of these two children were the same, although the names were spelled differently, as the editor of the records sug- gests that the old Holland-Dutch Dominies spelled names phonetically and often arbi- trarily. The first marriage in the Helm family on record is that of Peiter Helm, a young man, and Elizabeth Schinkel, a young woman, on Nov. 5, 1725, both born in Germany and resi- dents of Kingston, N. Y. From that time on there are a number of similar records in this old church record. Peter Helm, the grandfather of Nathan B., was a native of Orange County, N. Y., the next south of Kingston, and is believed to have been of the same stock as those mentioned in the Kingston church lecords. He was a farmei in his native county, and married a Miss Fe- rine, who was of French-Huguenot ancestry. Both were members of the Dutch Presbyterian church, of which he was an elder. Their children were: James, Peter S., Perine, Abra- ham, James, Katharine, Sophia and Sally. Peter died at the home of his son, James, in Tompkins County, N'. Y., aged about seventy- years.. His wife died at the age of seventy- five. There were other lines of the Helm family, at an early day, with which the King- ston branch had no connection. One of these was of Swedish origin, the head of which, Capt. Israel Helm, belonged to the old Swede Colony which settled on the Delaware River, ■"/here he lived in 1659, before the landing of William Penn. Ho was a prominent trader among the Indians, an Indian interpreter, and a Justice of the Upland court. There was also a Virginia family of this name, from which sprang the Kentucky branch. Of the latter branch were John Larue Helm, who was a prominent politician of Kentucky and elected Governor in 1867, and Ben Hardin Helm, a Con- federate General during the Civil War. These were descendants of Major Benjamin and Capt Leonard Helm, of Fauquier county, Va., who was a noted Indian fighter. The branch of the family with which we have to deal was founded deep in the old Holland- Dutch Colony in New York, and its members were prominent in the history of that State, furnishing many patriot soldiers during the War of the Revolution. One of these, Brewster Helm, was a corporal in Capt. Scott Marvin's Company, in 1776, in which Obadiah Helm was a private, while Abraham Helm was a private in Captain Duprie's Company. Charles W. Helm was a private in the Second Regiment Line Artillery, while others of the name from New York were Daniel, Jane, Peter and Peter, Sr. — the last two being privates of the English Regiment. James Helm, the oldest son of Peter Helm, and father of. the principal subject of this sketch, was a native of Orange County, N. Y., born Feb. 26, 1796, became a farmer and served as a soldier in the War of 1812. He married. /^^C^ ** ^c^JL n+A^. McHENRY COUNTY. 807 March 5, 1823, Catherine Van Auken, who was born in Orange County, N. Y., Aug. 25, 1799, the daughter of Jacob Van Auken, who was of Holland-Dutch stock. James settled on a farm in Cayuga County, N'. Y., but, a year later, moved to Tompkins County, N. Y., where he cleared up ,a farm of eighty acres, and re- mained about twenty years. In the spring of 1846 he moved to McHenry County, 111., by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo and thence by the lakes to Kenosha, Wis., where he arrived with his family May 10, 1846. Arriving in McHenry County, he settled in Alden Township on a 40- acre tract of timber land, on which a small clearing had been made. Assisted by his sons he finished clearing up his land, improved aud added to it until he owned a farm of 115 acres, where he died aged about seventy-five years. His wife died on the same farm, aged eighty- four. This homestead is still in possession of the Helm family. Mr. Helm was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church in Alden Township, of which he was an elder for many years. His wife was a member of the sams church. They were parents of the following children: Eliza J., Nathan B., James H., Louisa, Sarah A., Nelson, Benjamin and Amanda. The son Nelson enlisted in Com- pany C, Ninety-fifth Regiment, Illinois Volun- teer Infantry during the Civil War, but died a year later at Lake Providence, La. Another son, Benjamin, died in infancy. Nathan B. Helm, whose name heads this sketch, was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., FeD. 9, 1825, and received a common-school educa- tion while attending the district school during the winter months and working on the farm in the summer until he was fifteen years old. He then engaged in farm work at nine dollars per month until he was twenty-one years old. He then came west with his father's family-- in fact, was largely instrumental in bringing about their removal, as he had already decided to try his fortunes in the West. He remained with his father, wliom he assisted to clear up and pay fer his farm, until he was in his twenty-fifth year, when, on Oct. 10, 1849, he was married in Winnebago County, Wis., to Marila Hinman, who was born in Berkshire County, Mass., 1832, the daughter of Seymour and Diademia (King) Hinman. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Helm settled on an 80-acre tract of unimproved land in Alden Township with the typical log house on it, for which he paid $325. He improved his land and, aided by his industrious wife,, added to it until he had a farm of 133 acres, upon which he erected a good frame house and barn, making a comfort- able home. In February, 1872, Mr. Helm re- moved to Harvard, where, in company with his son-in-law Charles E. Hunt, he engaged in the hardware business. In this he continued until 1895, when he embarked in the agricul- tural implement trade, which he subsequently exchanged for the manufacture of hardware specialties. The present title of the firm is Hunt, Helm, Ferris & Co.. and they have es- tablished a large and lucrative business, em- ploying seventy-five to one hundred men. Mr. Helm is a self-made man, and owes his suc- cess chiefly to his own efforts, aided by his devoted and faithful wife. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church in Alden Township, with which they united at an early age, and in which he was the first class-leader, aTid Sunday School Superinten- dent for ten years. He assisted to build the first church edifice here, but before this period there was a Methodist class, of which Benja- min Easton was the leader. Originally a Free-Soiler or Abolitionist, Mr. Helm co-operated in the oganizaton of the Re- publian party and was a zealous supporter of the Union cause during the Civil War. He is an uncompromising advocate of the cause of temperance, and of late years has co-operated with the Prohibition party, voting for the first candidate of that party for President. As evidence of his consistency of character, it is said that he has never tasted spirituous liquor of any sort or used tobacco in any form. He is public-spirited and assisted in the erec- tion of the first school house in his district in Alden Township; has served as School Di- rector, was Justice of the Peace for his town- ship for eight years, and has been Mayor of Harvard for two years. He was also a mem- ber of the building committee which had charge of the erection of the Methodist churcn at Harvard, and was one of the most liberal contributors to its cost, amounting in the ag- gregate to $18,000. Mr. and Mrs. Helm have one daughter, Lu- celia I., who was married Oct. 11, 1871, to Charles E. Hunt, present head of the firm of Hunt, Helm & Ferris, manufacturers of hard- S08 McHENRY COUNTY. ware specialties, Harvard, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have two children, Lora B. and Elzo H. The former married Blake B. Bell, a resident of Harvard, and they have one child, Gladys M. Elzo B. married Hollie Bee. James Harvey Helm, a brother of Nathan B., crossed the plains to California with an ox- team in 1850, and engaged in gold mining for several years. He then embarked in the bank- ing business, but died in the city of San Fran- cisco, a few years since, aged about seventy- three years, leaving a family. The Hinman family, to which Mrs. Nathan B. Helm belongs, is of New England Puritan stock, descended from Edward Hinman, who settled in Stratford, Conn., in 1650. There is a tradition that Sugart Hinman, who is des- cribed as over six feet high and a man of powerful frame, was Sergeant-at-Arms of the body guard of King Charles I., and escaped to America during the Cromwell revolution. There were thirteen of the name of Hinman from the town of Woodbury, Conn., who held commissions in the army during the Revolu- tion, and rendered efficient service for their country. Sergeant Edward Hinman, who was the first owner of the old tide-water mill be- tween Stratford and Bridgeport, Conn., offered bis services to Governor Stuyvesant, of New York, to fight the Indians. He was the father of eight children, from whom all the Hinmans of old American stock are descended.' The family was prominent in colonial times, and its members served in all the colonial wars, as well as in the War of the Revolution and those of a later period. Capt. Elisha Hinman was commander of the patriot ship Alfred, which sailed out of New London harbor against the British. He was also Lieutenant in the first naval expedition fitted out at New London, Conn., by authority of Congress, in January, 1776, in that expedition having com- mand of a sloop which brought back to New London many pieces of ordnance and a large amount of naval stores captured from the Brit- ish. He afterwards had command of the Cabot, a continental brig, and succeeded John Paul Jones in command of the sloop Alfred; was captured and taken to England, whence, es- caping to France, he returned home and en- gaged in private enterprises. He had a repu- tation as one of the most successful naval officers of the Revolution. Enoch and Sarah (Crane) Hinman, the grand- parents of Mrs. Helm, lived in Berkshire county ; Mass., where Seymour Hinman, her father, was born Jan. 18, 1797. He became an active business man, owning a marble quarry at West Stockbridge. Mass., which he operated fur a number of years. He married Nov-. 30, 1819, Diademia King, who was born in Con- necticut, Sept. 28, 1801, the daughter of Joseph and Almira (Wood) King, members of old colonial families. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour had the following named children, all boi i in Stockbridge, Mass.: Mary Ann, born Sept. 9, 1820; Lorenzo, born Jan. 4, 1823; Selden, born April 18, 1827; Marilla (Mrs. N. B. Helmi, born Jan. 3, 1832: Lanson, born April 3, 183-'; Albert, born June 3, 1840. About 1842 Seymou:- Hinman moved to Utica, N. Y., where he en- gaged in mercantile business, but later moved to Victor, Ontario, remaining only a short time, when, in 1846, he came west, settling in Linn Township, Walworth County, Wis. Here he bought eighty acres of land, built a log cabin, but soon after sold out and removing to Winnebago County, Wis., bought 350 acres of government land, which he improved into a fine farm, upon which he spent the remainder of his days, dying there Nov, 22, 1864. In his later years he was a stanch Republican and a zealous friend of the Union during the Civil War. JOHN C. HALLISY. John C. Hallisy is a prominent citizen and practical farmer of Hartland Township, Mc- Henry County, and son of a pioneer of the same name, whose sketch is given farther on in this article. John C, Jr. was born on the Hallisy homestead, in Hartland Township, March 8, 1848, received a common-school edu- cation, and was trained as a farmer. He was married May 22, 1879, to Bridget Wallace, born in McHenry County, March 6, 1859, the daugh- ter of Thomas and Margaret (Hogan) Wallace. Thomas Hogan was a native of County Kil- kenny, Ireland, who came to America in early manhood and married Margaret Hogan, tbe daughter of Frank and Mary Hogan. also a native of Ireland, who had come to America with friends. Mr. Wallace settled on a farm where he spent the remainder of his life. Thfir children were: Kate, Mary, Bridget. Margaret, Annie and James. The latter died while a young man. McHENRY COUNTY. 809 Mr. Hallisy settled on what is known as the old Hallisy homestead — a fine farm of 3 L2 acres, which had been improved by his father — where he erected a good frame house and other farm buildings. He is a Democrat in politics, has held the office of Road Commis- sioner and School Director, and is prominent in local affairs and a factor in public improve- ments. In religious belief the family are Roman Catholics and have been among the stanch supporters of the Hartland church, the oldest organization of that denomination west of Chicago. The children of John C. and Bridget Hallisy are: John F., Thomas J., Mary Ellen, Marga- ret At., Florence D., Edward R., and two others who died young. The surviving children are receiving an excellent education, and the en- tire family rank among the best citizens of McHenry County, A fourth son, George Vin cent, was born to Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Hallisy March 29, 1903. John Hallisy, Sr., was born about 1806, in County Cork, Ireland, the son of John and Hannah (Corcoran) Hallisy, and was brought up to the life of a farmer in his native country. He had three brothers: Timothy, Cornelius, and Daniel. About 1833 he came to America, first settling at Newark, N. J., where, in 1838, he married Mary Welch, who was born at Water- grass Hill, County Cork, Irleand, Nov. 1, 1801, the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Bowen) Welch. In 1841 they removed to McHenry County, 111., where they settled on timber-land which Mr. Hallisy purchased from the Govern- ment, built a log-cabin and improved a farm, finally becoming the owner of 400' acres. Mr. Hallisy is described by his contemporaries as a man of much force of character. He was one of the founders and a liberal supporter of the old Catholic church at Hartland, assisting to build both the original church edifice and the fine structure which has succeeded it. Mr. and Mrs. Hallisy were the parents of five children: Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, Annie and John C, whose name heads this article. Han- nah married William Deneen; Elizabeth, Nicholas Grady; Mary, Timothy Deneen, and Annie, Roderick Cooney, and belong to the re- spected families of McHenry County. Mr. Hallisy, the father, died Oct. 6, 1874, and his wife, Mary (Welch) Hallisy, August 20, 1899, in her ninety-eighth year — herJife having covered nearly the whole of the nineteenth century. The following graceful tribute to the memory of this remarkable woman, published soon after her death, appeared in the columns of "The New World," of Chicago: "MRS. JOHN HALLISY.— A connecting link between two centuries — born when the present century was not a year old and dying when it was just within a year of its close — the late Mrs. Mary Hallisy, a pioneer of McHenry County, was a remarkable woman, whose long life teemed with experiences such as fall to the lot of very few. A splendid type of the Irish nation of the old school — a type, by the way, which is well nigh extinct — a devoted wife, a loving mother, a devoted friend; true to her God, her country and her kind, she was an honor to the race whose virtues she inherited in full measure, exemplifying, as she did, by precept and example, the grand, ennobling qualities of heart and head which, in the centuries gone by, made the Irish women pre- eminent above all others. "Mrs. Hallisy was born in 1801 at Water- grasshill, in County Cork, Ireland, a place made famous in literature by the Rev. Francis Mahoney (Father Prout), the immortal author of 'The Bells of Shandon.' The scenes of her childhood are among the most beautiful and historic in Ireland. She spent her girlhood where Spenser wrote his 'Faerie Queen,' grow- ing familiar with and loving rare and match- less snatches of landscape that have furnished inspiration for a long line of poets. Among her immediate friends in her young days were John Francis McGuire and Denny Land, poet and patriot. The scenes of her childhood, as well as her early education, moulded her char- acter. In her girlhood the language of the English invader had not yet driven out the grand old Celtic tongue. Irishmen still spoke in the accents that were heard at Tara, and still further back around the Druidical altars in the almost legendary days of their country's glory. Mrs. Hallisy spoke and read the Celtic language fluently. She was a veritable store- house of Irish folk-lore, and was familiar with the most stirring and dramatic events in Irish story, and loved to speak of them. Mrs. Hallisy was also a great lover of an- cient Irish music. She remembered many fragments of ministrelsy that have never been published, and often entertained her friends with old bardic melodies. Her memory was remarkable. From her par- ents she had learned of the terrible persecu- tions in Ireland during 1798 and was most vivid in describing the English atrocities during that period. She told many stories about the Union and the patriots of that day — Grattan, Floyd, Charlemont and the leaders of the United Irishmen who succeeded the Parliamentarians. Her memory included the stirring times of Napoleon, when Ireland's hopes were high in expectation of deliverance by France; ranged 810 McHENRY COUNTY. over the O'Connell, Father Matthew and '48 movements, and included — and these were not the least interesting of her reminiscences — the sacrifices and struggles of the early pioneers on the prairies of Illinois. With all her ex- periences and interesting memories, however, her life was as calm and placid as 'the pleasant waters of the 'River Lee,' near which she played in childhood. Every succeeding day was like that which went before. She per- formed her duties to her religion, her family and her friends, and her length of days, if they could be explained at all, might be attributed to the fact that she never permitted an obliga- tion to remain unfulfilled. She was generous to the church and the poor, and was always liberal to every Irish movement that appealed to her purse. Indeed, her patriotic devotion to the land of her birth was one of the distin- guishing characteristics. Exile only intensified it. As the chosen people of old wept by the waters of Babylon, she, too, mourned the fate of her kindred by the Lee and Blackwater. In the dark days of famine in the old land, she gave without stint to the relief of the suffer- ers." THEODORE HAMER. The career of him whose name heads this biography illustrates most forcibly the possi- bilities that are open in this country to earnest, persevering young men, who have the courage of their convictions, and the determination to be the architects of their own fortunes. It proves that neither wealth, social position nor influential friends, are indispensable to the at- tainment of success. Coming to America a poor German boy, unable to speak the English language, Theodore Hamer was obliged to be- gin at the lowest round of farm labor and en- dure the hard grind of toil in order to gain, as best he could, an education to fit himself for a better position in life. F'rank and honest, with a friendly disposition, always performing his work in a cheerful manner, he won many firm friends while employed among strangers. A native of Germany, he was born Feb. 9, 1869, in the village of Elmshorn, in Schleswig-Holstein, near Hamburg, the son of Claus H. and Anna (Giese) Hamer. Claus H. Hamer was a shoemaker and later engaged in the dairy business. He came to America in 1885 and now resides at ParR Ridge, Cook County, 111. Mrs. Hamer died in Germany and he married a second time in that country to Kathrina Schluetter, who died at Park Ridge, 111., May 22, 1902. The children by the first marriage were Theodore and a daugh- ter Mary, who married Charles Woodhams. Of the second marriage there are Henry F., Annie and Helene. Theodore Hamer received a good common- school education in the fatherland and came to America when fourteen years of age, sailing from Hamburg, in May, 1883, and after a short voyage, arrived in New York. He came direct- ly to Chicago, and immediately engaged to work for a German truck gardener in Jefferson Township, Cook County, remaining with him for six months and attending school at Park Ridge during the winter. In the spring of 1885 his father came to America, and they together rented land for one year. During this time Mr. Hamer had attended school at Park Ridge two winters. The farming operations with his father proved to be unprofitable and young Hamer determined to work independently for himself, and in July, 1886, .walked from Park Ridge to Ridgefield in search of work. When walking through Dorr Township, he met with Judge M. L. Joslyn and applied to him for work. The Judge took him to the farm of his son, David R. Joslyn, who received him very kindly and entertained him in a hospitable manner. It was in the month of July and he readily obtained work with Mr. Joslyn, remain- ing with him six months, after which he en- gaged with George Shearer, a prominent farmer of Dorr Township, and worked for him and his family until 1889, Mr. Shearer having died in March, 1888. By strict economy young Hamer saved some money and, navlng a keen desire to better his education, attended the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, Ind., for three terms, receiving his diploma in November, 1889. The next spring his health being somewhat impaired from severe applica- tion to study, he resumed farm work in Dorr Township, with Deacon Button, remaining with him four months. He next found employment with Colonel Avery, then Clerk of McHenry County, who soon saw Mr. Hamer's abilities and, at the suggestion of Mrs. Avery, tendered him a position in the County Clerk's office. By diligence, ability and close application to busi- ness, Mr. Hamer soon proved an able assistant and was shortly afterwards made Deputy Coun- ty Clerk, a position he has since filled in an efficient and satisfactory manner. He contin- ued to live in Colonel Avery's family until June 22, 1892. when he married at Ridgefield, 111., * * = ^44^%^^-— McHENRY COUNTY. 811 Emma Shearer, born in Dorr Township, April 20, 1869, daughter of George and Mary (Hun- ter)- Shearer. Mr. and Mrs. Hamer settled in Woodstock, where he bought a pleasant residence on Tryon Street. In political opinion Mr. Hamer is a stanch Republican. Fraternally he is a Mason, a member of the Woodstock Com- mandery, K. T., and also a member of the I. O. O. F, having passed all the chairs including Noble Grand, and has been Deputy of his Lodge several years and a representative to the Grand Lodge of the State. He is also a member of the Woodmen and Foresters. Mrs. Hamer is a member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. and Mrs. Hamer have been the parents of three children named in the order of their birth as follows: Mary, born March 17, 1893, died October, 1898; Raymond S., born June 8, 1894, and Clarence E., born Aug. 13, 1899. Mr. Hamer has proved himself a man of" sterling worth. His education has been largely self-acquired and he is a self-made man in the fullest sense of the term. He has passed some of his best years in the service - of McHenry County, and has been faithful to all duties. In his career there is much worthy of emulation. What he has accomplished has been by steady application in the line of a persistent purpose. He has surmounted many obstacles, and today, while still in the prime of vigorous manhood, holds a place among the representative men of his county. CHARLES L. HALDEMAN. Charles L. Haldeman, retired farmer and re- spected citizen of Richmond Township, Mc- Henry County, was born on a farm in Fayette County, Penn., March 27, 1844, the son of John and Catherine (Lichty) Haldeman. The Halde- man family are of German descent, their an- cestors having settled in Pennsylvania in colonial times, and the grandfather of Charles L. was a farmer in Fayette County. His son John, who became the father of Charles L., was born in 1808, received a common-school educa- tion and most of his life was passed in Fayette County. He grew up to be a farmer, to which he later added the trade of a blacksmith, pur- suing his dual occupation in his native county near the Virginia (now West Virginia) State line, where he owned a farm. Here Mr. Halde- man married Catherine Lichty, and they reared a family of fifteen sturdy Dutch children — -nine boys and six girls, viz.: Alexander, Dennis, John, Elijah, Joseph, Charles, Jeremiah, Mar- shall and Melton — the sons — and the daugh- ters, Julia, Nancy, Sarah, Mary, Belle and Catherine. Of the sons, three served as soldiers of the Union during the Civil War: John, who enlisted in the Thirty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry for three years, then re-enlisted, was taken prisoner in November, 1864, and confined at Cahaba, Ala., until exchanged in March, 1865; Joseph, enlisted in the Fifty-second Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, and died in the serv- ice after having served fifteen months; and Jeremiah, served in the Ninety-fifth Illinois from 1863 to the close of the war — each of them seeing much hard service and participat- ing in many important battles. In 1855, Mr. Haldeman came to McHenry County, 111., first locating in Spring Grove, where he worked at his trade as a blacksmith and, in the mean- time about 1857, bought a small farm in Rich- mond Township, upon which he located with his family and engaged in farming. This he sold and then bought eighty acres, which he improved, and here spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of seventy-two years. Mr. Haldeman was a hard worker, and realized good returns from his labor. In public affairs he manifested a keen interest, and in politics affiliated with the Republican party. He was a consistent Christian, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Charles L. Haldeman, the immediate subject of this sketch, born on his father's farm in Fayette County, Penn., March 27, 1844, was about ten years of age when his parents moved to McHenry County. Here he received a com- mon-school education in the public schools of his neighborhood, and early began work on the farm, assisting his father until he had passed his thirtieth year. On 'Sept. 10, 1874, he was married at Lake Geneva, 111., to Jane Walker, who was born in Oneida County, N. Y., Jan. 6, 1848. Miss Walker had received a good educa- tion in the public schools of her locality and in the graded school at Forest Port, N. Y., and, at the age of fifteen, began teaching in a private school. She later taught in the district schools of Oneida County, N. Y., and then, coming to McHenry County, 111., in October, 1869, where her sister Mrs. Sanborn resided, she engaged in teaching for two years in Richmond Town- 812 McHENRY COUNTY. ship, and afterwards for the same period in Hebron Township. Soon after his marriage Mr. Haldeman purchased a 70-acre farm, in Richmond Township, which he improved. Later, having sold this he bought 160 acres two miles north of his present location. In 1883 he purchased the farm which he now occupies, originally consisting of eighty acres, to which he has since made additions, until he is now the owner of 115 acres of well-improved land upon which he has erected substantial farm buildings. Recently he has retired from active farm work, and is now (1903) erecting for him- self a handsome residence in Solon, which he will soon occupy. Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman have two children: Floy E. and Nellie. The former graduated from the Richmond High School in 1896, and has been engaged in teach- ing for the past five years, now being employed in the Keystone School, McHenry County; Nellie B., also a graduate of the same school in 1896, is married to Reuben R. Turner. Mr. Haldeman takes a lively interest in farm- ing, keeping himself well posted upon progres- sive movements in his line. In all his enter- prises he has the sympathy and co-operation of his wife. They are well known throughout the county, and have many warm friends. As a Republican he is influential in local politics. He is a man of solid worth and irreproachable character. The Walker family, of which Mrs. Haldeman is a member, is of good old American stock, the men being of a military bent. Her grand- father, Horace Walker, was a soldier of the War of 1812, and the son of a Revolutionary soldier. He followed the shoemaker's trade in Oneida County, N. Y. He was twice married, first to Olive Smilage, the daughter of ,a soldier who deserted from the British army during the war of the Revolution — being the only one of a party of ten deserters who succeeded in mak- ing his escape. After her death Mr. Walker married in Massachusetts, Mrs. Phoebe Smith, widow of William Smith. By his first mar- riage he had four children: Austin, Susan, Mary and Henry. By the second union there was but one child, James, who was a soldier in the Civil War. The second Mrs. Walker, how- ever, had one child by her former marriage, Persis D. Smith, who is mentioned below. Re- turning to Oneida County, N. Y., after his sec- ond marriage Mr. Walker there spent the rest of his life, dying there aged about seventy years. Henry Walker, the father of Mrs. Charles L. Haldeman and Mrs. Sanborn, was born in Oneida County, N. Y., in September, 1826, and received only a limited educa- tion. In his boyhood he worked at teaming and farming. At the early age of seventeen he married Persis D. Smith, his step- mother's daughter, who was at that time but fifteen years of age. After marriage Henry Walker settled in his native county of Oneida, but in middle life engaged in the lumber busi- ness at Forest Port, which was interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War. As a loyal Northerner, in 1862, he enlisted for three years in the Ninety-sixth New York Volunteer In- fantry and, for a time, was stationed at Folly Island off South Carolina. After serving his country valiantly for two years, through an ac- cident caused by a careless comrade, a ball passed through his right arm and side, from the effects of which he died in a hospital soon afterward, at the age of thirty-seven. He was a thorough Christian gentleman, and a man of abstemious habits. Asked by his captain one day on a march to carry some whisky for the men he replied: "No, sir, I never carried the stuff for myself, and I will not do it for others." Mrs. Henry Walker was born in Connecticut in 1828, the daughter of William and Phoebe (Perrin) Smith. The latter has just been men- tioned as the second wife of Horace Walker, the father of Henry Walker. Mrs. Henry Wal- ker's father (William Smith), who belonged to a well-to-do New England family, was born in that section and died there. Losing her hus- band in middle life, Mrs. Walker supported and educated her children upon a small pension and what she could earn by needle-work. She was a woman of strong character and an active member of the Episcopal church. To Mr. and Mrs. Walker were born ten children. Of these Albert enlisted at eighteen years of age in the Fourteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry in answer to the first call for volunteers at the be- ginning of the Civil War in April, 1861, and at the termination of his service of three months, re-enlisted and died in the service from typhoid fever. He is buried at Arlington Heights. The other children were: Laura, Sarah, Annie, Olive, Phoebe, Henry (died in infancy), Nellie, Jane (now Mrs. Charles L. Haldeman) and McHENRY COUNTY. 811 Mary- Olive and Phoebe began teaching at an early age. Mrs. Henry Walker, their mother, died at Boonville, Oneida County, N. Y., aged about sixty-five years. MARK HICKOX. Mark Hickox (deceased), formerly of Wood- stock, McHenry County, belonged to a class of pioneers now rapidly passing away. They were the hardy, energetic men who developed the county from a state of nature and made possi- ble its pleasant and prosperous homes of to- day. To them their descendants and success- ors owe more than a debt of gratitude, as they spent their lives in the endeavor to improve the soil and develop its resources in order that those who came after them may enjoy better homes and better conditions of life. The mem- ories of these pioneers should ever be kept green, and the records of their lives and their portraits, presenting evidence of their sturdy characters which enabled them to accomplish so much, should be preserved as a precious heirloom for their descendants and future gen- erations — that others may know more of the men and women whose strenuous labors have brought to McHenry County so much of the prosperity of to-day. Mr. Hickox was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., Dec. .25, 1819, the fourth of seven chil- dren of Isaac and Serena (Dwelly) Hickox. Isaac Hickox, the father of this family, was a native of Massachusetts and his wife of Rhode Island. They were married in 1806, when they settled in Onondaga County, N. Y., and were the parents of the following named children: Dwelly, Cornelia, Celia, Mark, Elsie, Alfred and Lois. In 1836 Mr. Hickox removed to Liberty- ville, then a part of McHenry County but now in Lake. Nine years later (1845) he located on a farm near the village of McHenry, in Mc- Henry County, where he spent the remainder of his life. He improved his farm, which orig- inally consisted of 160 acres, and he became one of the most extensive stock-raisers of that period. He was widely known and universally respected for his business enterprise and in- tegrity of character. His wife died in 1859, and he in 1860, about eighteen months later. Mark Hickox, the son of Isaac Hickox and subject of this sketch, was about seventeen years of ,age when his parents removed to Illi- nois. He received an ordinary common-school education, and on reaching manhood engaged in business for himself as a farmer, to which he finally added that of a stock-raiser and dealer. On March 17, 1848, he was married at her father's home to Betsy A. Abbott, and af- terwards settled on a tract of eighty acres of new land in Greenwood Township. This was in the "oak openings," and by industry and enterprise he transformed it into a good farm, by additions increasing his holding to 320 acres. In 1849, soon after the discovery of gold in California, he crossed the plains to the Pacific Coast, returning a year or so later in company with Dr. Brown of McHenry County. During the year 1851 he engaged quite exten- sively in the cattle trade, to which he finally added a large dairy business, in this branch taking rank as one of the most enterprising and progressive farmers of Greenwood Town- ship. In his various enterprises Mr. Hickox was always greatly aided by his faithful and industrious wife. Mr. and Mrs. Hickox were members of the Universalist Church and gen- erous supporters of the church of that denomi- nation at Woodstock. In politics he was a Re- publican and a zealous supporter of the Union cause during the War of the Rebellion, con- tributing freely of his means to promote enlist- ments and to support the widows and orphan children of deceased soldiers. Mr. and Mrs. Hickox were the parents of one daughter, Exa D., who was married Feb. 15, 1883, to Eddy W. Allen, of Hartland Town- ship, who was born at Plato Center, Kane County, 111., April 23, 1859, the son of William and Mary (Marble) Allen. Mr. Allen, the fa- ther, was a farmer of Plato Center, was a na- tive of Vermont and of the same stock as Ethan Allen of Revolutionary fame. Eddy W. Allen received the usual common-school edu cation of his period and locality, and after mar riage settled on his father's farm of 240 acres In 1890 he removed to Chicago, where he was engaged in the milk business with success for some time, but in 1896 returned to McHenry County, locating in Woodstock, where he now resides with his family. He and his wife are parents of the following named children: Bella, born Aug. 3, 1885; Clara B., born Nov 14, 1890 — both born in Hartland Township. Mr. Allen is a Republican in politics and served as Township Clerk of Hartland Township for sev- eral years; is also a member of the Masonic 814 McHENRY COUNTY. fraternity and much respected in his commu- nity. Mrs. Mark Hickox (nee Betsy A. Abbott, now deceased) was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, March 24, 1826, the daughter of Bbenezer and Nice (Pomeroy) Abbott. Her father was a native of Delaware County, Ohio, and her grandparents of Massachusetts. In 1823 Eb- enezer Abbott settled in Mayfield Township, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and, in 1845, removed to Illinois, settling on a new farm in Green- wood Township, McHenry County. This land he improved, and died here at the age of about seventy years. He was a Methodist in religious belief, was an active church worker and officiated as class-leader. In politics he was an old line Whig. Mrs. Abbott lived to he about seventy-three years old. The chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Abbott were: Triphenia, Juliet, Sophronia, George, Harriet, Homer, Betsy A. and Nancy. The Abbott family were of sterling New England blood and many dis- tinguished men have originated from this stock. When eighteen years of age Mrs. Hickox came to Illinois in company with her older sis- ter, Sophronia, and the husband of the latter, Norman Jacobs. This was in 1844, the year before the arrival of her parents. She was twenty-one years old at the time of her mar- riage to Mr. Hickox, and bore her full share of life upon the farm, proving herself a faithful helpmate to her husband and an affectionate and devoted mother to their children. She retained her mental faculties and physical en- ergy up to the latter years of her life, but died Jan. 10, 1902, aged almost seventy-six years, deeply mourned by the surviving mem- bers of her family and all who knew her. THE HURD FAMILY. The records of the Newberry Library, ir» Chicago, show the following facts in regard to this family: The name is spelled variously in ancient times: Thus — Hord; Heard; Hurde, Hoard; Hurd, and was often written Herd. A branch of the family was of royal descent. John Herd, as the name was then spelled, was the first of the name in America. His grandson, Benjamin, was in Kittery (Me.) be- fore 1643. Samuel was the oldest son of John. His widow was scalped by Indians in an at- tack on Dover, N. H. One of the Hurds was in charge of the garrison at Dover at the time of the attack in which Major Walden was killed. Phineas Hurd, a soldier in the War of the American Revolution, was taken prisoner by the British in 1777, and was never released. Asahel Hurd, of Connecticut, was an Ensign; Isaac Hurd, of Massachusetts, was a Surgeon, and John Hurd, Jr., of Massachusetts, was an Ensign. Jacob Hurd served in Captain Richard Bean's company in the King Philip's War, and Benjamin Hurd served in Captain Pool's com- pany in the same war. Nathan Hurd was the first engraver on cop- per in America and engraved the seal of Har- vard College. Five of the Hords were graduates of Har- vard College before 1811. The family is noted for its longevity. Re- becca Hurd died at Hillsboro, N. H., aged nine- ty-two years. Reuben Hurd (deceased), of Woodstock, 111., during his life an honored citizen and esteemed pioneer of McHenry County, was born in Che- nango County, N. Y., April 17, 1819, the son of Rev. Reuben and Sarah (Hill) Hurd — the for- mer born in Bennington, Vt., Feb. 14, 1782, and the latter in Geneseo, N. Y., in 1783. Reuben Hurd was a son of Simeon and Ruth Hurd, the former born July 22, 1725; the latter Nov. 15, 1733. They were married in 1750, and the wife died Sept. 29, 1777. In 1781 he was mar- ried to a second wife, named Roxana. The children of the first wife were born as follows: Richard, May 11, 1751; Rebecca, Dec. 30, 1752; Elizabeth, April 10, 1755; Stephen, Jan. 23, 1757; Simeon, March 27, 1759; Ruth, March 6, 1761; Elizabeth, March 6, 1763; Dorcas, May 27, 1765; Susannah, June 28, 1767; Jonathan, Dec. 25, 1770; Zachariah, March 12, 1772; Rebecca (2), Sept. 16, 1775. The children of the second wife were Reuben, born FeD. 14, 1782, and Roxana, born in 1784. Simeon Hurd, the father, was a wealthy farmer and of Eng- lish descent. The son Reuben left home when a young man, educated himself and became a teacher, afterwards studied theology and en- tered the ministry of the Presbyterian church. October 4, 1808, he was married at Geneseo, N. f^(^ McHENRY COUNTY. 817 the present time (1903), having been again re- elected. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. Mr. Hendricks is a man of courteous man- ners and an entertaining and agreeable com- panion. His knowledge of general literature, his observation of men and events, and his con- stant endeavor to keep himself in touch with the trend of current thought, combined with his gentlemanly bearing, have won for him uni- versal respect, and make him especially popu- lar in his wide circle of friends. JOHN HENDRICKS. John Hendricks, one of the old settlers of Richmond Township and now a resident of Woodstock, is a highly respected and substan- tial citizen of McHenry County, who has reared an excellent family. He was born in the vil- lage of Oberstatfeld, Germany, Rhenish Prus- sia, Province of Kreis Daun, Nov. 13, 1833, a son of Joseph and Barbara (Claus) Heindrich, as the name was written in Germany, but, like many other German names, the orthography has been changed in America. Joseph Heindrich was a German merchant and died in his native country in middle life. He was the father of but one child — John, the subject of this sketch — that grew to maturity. After Joseph Heindrich's death, Mrs. Hein- drich married again, to Mathias Renn, and they were the parents of one child, a daughter named Elizabeth, who is now a resident of Chi- cago. Mr. and Mrs. Renn were Catholics in religion and both died in the "Fatherland." John Hendricks received a common-school education in his native country and was reared on the farm. When twenty-five years old he came to America, sailing in the early days of September, 1857, from Antwerp, Belgium, in an American vessel, the "Roger A. Hern," and, after a voyage of about two months, arrived in New York, Nov. 2. He "came direct to Kenosha, Wis., where he was engaged at farm labor un- til 1859, when he went to McHenry County and followed the same occupation in McHenry Township. On September 28, 1861, he mar- ried, in the village of McHenry, Johannah Lar- kin, born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, a daugh- ter of Patrick and Catherine (Wall) Larkin. Her father, Patrick Larkin, was a farmer in Ireland and came to America about 1850. He purchased eighty acres of unimproved land in Lake County, 111., where he passed the remain- der of his days, and died when about eighty years old; his wife dying at the age of ninety- three years. Their children were: Catherine, Ellen, Mary, Bridget, Johanna and James. The family were all members of the Catholic Church. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. John Hendricks lived for a time on rented land and then moved to Lake County, 111., where they resided for one year, and then located in Richmond Town- ship, McHenry County, near Spring Grove. Here Mr. Hendricks purchased a small tract of land and also engaged in the fire-insurance and sewing-machine business, at the same time giving attention to his farm property, which he improved with good buildings and made a com- fortable and pleasant home. Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks are the parents of Elizabeth K., now Mrs. D. T. Smiley; Sibyl M., a teacher in the public schools of McHenry County; Calvin J., a prominent attorney in Harvard, 111., and Frank J., who is at present engaged as a clerk and resides at home. Mr. Hendricks moved to Woodstock in 1897, where he purchased a pleasant residence and is still engaged in the fire-insurance business. He was Postmaster at Spring Grove during President Cleveland's administration and has also served as a mem- ber of the School Board for fifteen years, dis- charging the duties of each office in a manner creditable to himself and to the satisfaction of the community. Politically he is a Democrat. Mr. Hendricks has always been a friend of edu- cation and has given his children excellent ed' ucational advantages, all of them having filled positions as teachers in the public schools of McHenry County. ELIHU HUBBARD. The home of the American ancestors of this pioneer in Lake County and present citizen ot Nunda, McHenry County, 111., was at Amherst, Mass. Spencer Hubbard, his grandfather, married, lived and died there, after having given many years to farming. His children were born at the dates here given: Submit, Nov. 30. 1779; Polly, July 17, 1781; Pattie, March 15, 1783; Spencer, March 31, 1785; Eli- hu, July 13, 1787; Daniel, August 29, 1791; Elisha, Sept. 8, 1793. Lucy and Lucinda, twins, 818 McHENRY COUNTY. were born date unknown. Daniel Hubbard, son of Spencer Hubbard and father of Elihu Hub- bard, was reared a farmer at Amherst, Mass., but learned the cooper's trade and went to Bennington County, Vt. January 14, 1813, he married, at Stamford, Vt., Sophronia Bangs, born at Montague, Mass., June 17, 1797, daugh- ter of Mark and Lydia (Whitney) Bangs. Mark Bangs was descended from ancestors who came over in the good ship Ann, not long after the arrival of the Mayflower. According to tradi- tion, three brothers Bangs came over aboard the Ann, and one of them is thought to have been named Edward. They were of a good English family. Mark Bangs was born Sept. 10, 1771, and afterwards lived at Stamford, Vt. He married Lydia "Whitney, born in Mas- sachusetts, Feb. 13, 1772, and had children born as follows: Sophia, Jan. 17, 1797; David, Sept. 28, 1801 ; Ruby D., Sept. 13, 1803; Justin, March 10, 1806; Bethia, April 30, 1808; MarK, Feb. 3, 1812; Lydia A., March 20, 1814; Ann, July 10, 1818. In 1839 Mark Bangs came from Stamford, Vt., to Lake County, 111., overland and by lake, and settled on 160 acres of land at the site of Wauconda, which he later bought from the Government at $1.25 an acre. He built a log house on the bank of Wauconda Lake, and there he died Nov. 5, 1844, and his wife April 13, 1846. They were members of the Baptist church, in which he was a deacon, and he also filled the office of Sunday-school Superintendent. He was twice a pioneer, first in Vermont, where he settled in the woods, and again in Illinois. Daniel Hubbard, father of Elihu Hubbard, began life at Stamford, Vt., as a cooper and farmer, and later made nails from bar-iron by hand until he moved to Madi- son County, N. Y., and took up a farm in the woods, forty acres of which was cleared almost entirely by his son Elihu, who early in 1836 came to Lake County, 111., and there built a log cabin to which his father brought the family in the fall, arriving at Bloomingdale, Cook County, Oct. 28, and at the log house in Lake County five days later. He sent his goods by way of the lakes and brought his family in a two-horse wagon, by way of the Miami Swamp Country in Ohio, and was a month on the way. He pre-empted 160 acres of land, which cost him $1.25 an acre, and, with his son's help, de- veloped it into a good farm, which is owned by his heirs. He was a man of high moral prin- ciple and a zealous advocate of temperance, and has passed into history as the first man in his vicinity in New York State to have a house-raising without whisky. His neighbors were informed that the usual refreshment would be omitted, but they all came to the rais- ing, which was a success, and there were many such raisings afterward, and a temperance sentiment sprang up in the neighborhood so strong that it is said some men up-rooted their orchards lest their apple-trees might indirectly produce hard cider. Originally an abolitionist, Mr. Hubbard naturally became a Republican. He was, as was his wife, a member of the Bap- tist church, and he and his grandfather Bangs assisted to organize the first Baptist society at Wauconda. He died Nov. 1, 1864. His chil dren were born as follows: Elihu, Friday Feb. 11, 1814; Polly, Wednesday, August ? 1816; Elijah. Saturday, Oct. 10 1818; Nathan Thursday, Sept. 14, 1820; Edward F., Sunday Jan. 9, 1831; Edgar B., Sunday, Jan. ,2„, 1833 Elihu Hubbard passed his boyhood at Stam- ford, Vt., two years of the time being on his father's farm, and attended the common schools there until he was ten years eld, when in 1824 his father removed ta Madison County. N. Y. He worked faithfully for his father and, at the age of twenty, having been "given his time," went by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes, to Michigan, and then walked from De- troit to Kalamazoo County, where he found work with farmers on Big Prairie Round and assisted to harvest a "volunteer" crop of wheat which measured up twenty bushels to the acre. Having contracted the ague, he returned that fall to New York State, and during the succeed- ing winter he and a friend chopped 200 cords of wood for market. Late in May, 1836, In company with his uncle, Justus Bangs, he went to Toledo, Ohio, thence afoot over the State of Michigan, and crossed the lake from St. Joseph to Chicago, where he met his uncle David Bangs and went with him to his place at Bloomingdale, Cook County, 111., and from there to Wauconda, Lake County, 111., where he ar- rived June 10. He made a claim to 500 acres of land for relatives in Wauconda Township, afterward locating a claim of 240 acres in Ela Township for himself. He erected a log cabin on his claim, with the help of neighboring set- tlers putting up the building in two days, and during the remainder of the same week he M cH EN R Y -. vt i i .. helped to build four other log houses. His cabin was constructed of round logs, had a stick-chimney plastered with mud, and was roofed with white oak "shakes" secured by roof-poles. By industry and close attention to business details, he prospered and eventually came to own 335 acres, on which he erected substantial modern buildings. He was two years Supervisor of Ela Township and filled the office of Trustee of the Township School Fund for many years. He did good service also as a member of the School Board. He helped to build the Methodist cnurch in his neighborhood and was long one of its class- leaders. Having sold his farm in Ela Town- ship in 1881, he engaged in mercantile traae at Aurora, 111., (1881-2), until he removed to Nunda. He owns considerable property at Nunda, Crystal Lake and (Aurora, and has given his children and others $30,000 to start them in life. He is a Republican and a mem- ber of the Methodist church of Nunda. May 30, 1843, Mr. Hubbard married Lydia Sutherland, a native of Rutland, Vt., born Dec. 26, 1842, and died at Wauconda, 111., April 15, 1866. Her father, who was a pioneer in Lake County, died soon after his settlement there, leaving children named: Aldrich, Marinda, Mary, Cordelia, Mason, Sidney, Lydia, Temper- ance and Innocent. Mr. Hubbard's present wife was Mila P. (Hatch) Berry, born Dec. 28, 1835, whom he married at Libertyville, 111., Oct. 15, 1867. Mrs. Hubbard is a native of Chautauqua County, N. Y., and a daughter of Nathan and Chloe (Eaton) Hatch. Nathan Hatch, her grandfather, of Puritan stock, fought for American independence in the Revo- lutionary War. His son, Nathan Hatch, Mrs. Hubbard's father, was born in Massachustets, became a carpenter and mill-wright and, when a young man, settled in Vermont, where he married Chloe Eaton, of good Yankee parent- age. He became a pioneer in Chautauqua County, N. Y., whence he came about 1843 to Brookfield, Wis., where he began to clear up a farm which he disposed of in 1852. He then bought another farm at Libertyville, Lake County, 111., where he died at the age of about ninety years. He was prominent in the Christian church, of which his wife was also a member, and his family are justly proud of the fact that, as a soldier in the War of 1812, he took part in the battle of Plattsburg. His COUNTY. 819 children were named Harriet, Russell, Hiram, Sylvanus E., Almira and Mila P., who became Mrs. Hubbard. Mila P. Hatch first married Walter Hutchinson, by whom she had two sons, William and Frederick. After his death she married Judson A. Berry, who died about ten months after their marriage. She then mar- ried Mr. Hubbard and has borne him two sons, named Walter B. and Russell C. Mr. Hubbard was one of the earliest pioneers in this region and is one of only a few pioneers who are left. Since his settlement, nearly sixty-four years ago, a prosperous and progressive country has been developed from wild prairie and woodland, and populous towns and cities have sprung up so magically that there are almost as many of them as there were settlers' cabins when he came. WILLIAM HILL. Among the leading citizens of Nunda, as well as one of the older merchants of McHenry County, 111., stands the name of William Hill, born at Sherburne, Chenango County, N. Y., April 5, 1830, the son of William and Sally (Connor) Hill. His family was of Puritan stock in the Colony of Connecticut, his grand- father, Ehenezer Hill, being a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and serving under Gene- rals Washington and Putnam. He settled at an early day in Chenango County, N. Y., where he opened up a farm and became a substantial citizen. He died at an advanced age about 1837, leaving several children, two of whom were named William and Eli. The former (William) was born in Windsor, Conn., in 1804. He received a common school education, learned the trade of a shoemaker and was married in Chenango County to Sally Connor (or Connors), who was born at Albany in 1806. Garret Reed, the father of the latter, was a soldier of the Revolution and a pioneer settler in Chenango County, where he cleared up a large farm and was a prominent citizen. The son-in-law, William Hill, settled in OS- ford, Chenango County, but subsequently re- moved to Sherburne, where he followed his trade as a shoemaker, dying there in 1866, aged about sixty-two years. His children were Wil- liam, Newell E., Smith, Edward, Ordelia, Elsa, Caroline, Eliza and Nettie. In politics Mr. Hill was a Democrat, while in religious faith his 820 McHENRY COUNTY. wife was a lite-long Methodist. The family were well known and honored residents of their county. William Hill (2), the subject of this sketch, received his education in the common schools of that region, and while young followed the occupation of a farmer, also learning his fa- ther's trade of shoemaker, which he pursued some fifteen years. In May, 1851, having reached his majority, he came to Illinois, mak- ing the journey by steamboat and stage, by way of Buffalo and Chicago, and arriving at Elgin on the 20th of the month. He went to Crystal Lake, in McHenry County, where he established himself in his trade, which he con- tinued twelve years. Here he was married. May 22, 1852, to Ellen Champlin, also a native of Sherburne, N. Y., born April 12, 1833, the daughter of William and Abby (Porter) Cham- plin. The Champlin family were also of colo- nial stock from Connecticut, while the Porters on the maternal side were from the same State. William Champlin, just mentioned, was a farm- er and stock-dealer, who settled with his family in Algonquin Township, McHenry County, 111., in 1850, and built a distillery there, which he managed for a number of years. He was a prominent business man in his day and went to Iowa in his old age, where he died at the home of his son, William Champlin, at the age of over ninety years. His other children were Abby A. (who became Mrs. E. D. Williams), Lucia, Francis, Althea and Ellen L. In 1870 William Hill engaged in the mercan- tile business at Crystal Lake, but moved to Nunda in October, 1895, and there entered into the market and grocery business in com- pany with his son Frederick J. Mrs. Hill, who was a woman of many virtues and a Univer- salist in religious belief, died in December, 1877, leaving three children: Clarence A., Nel- lie A. and Frederick J. August 11, 1878, Mr. Hill was married at Crystal Lake to Mrs. Elsie (or Elsa) V. Border- She was born at Nunda, April 15, 1843, the daughter of James and Clarissa (Stannard) Hastings. Mr. Hastings emigrated from Ohio to Illinois at an early day and established him- self as a substantial farmer in Lake County. In 1841 he removed to Crystal Lake Township, locating on a farm one and a half miles from Nunda, dying there in 1843. Elsa V. was the only child. She was first married to Gilbert Borden, and had two children — Nettie and La- ban. The result of her second marriage witn Mr. Hill has been one child — Dora L. In politics Mr. Hill was originally a Demo- crat, but on the introduction of the slavery is- sue by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, he became one of the original Republicans of McHenry County, voting for John C. Fremont in 1856 and for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and has continued to vote the Republican ticket ever since. Fraternally he is a Mason, being a member of Nunda Lodge No. 169, in which he has held the offices of Senior Warden and Treasurer. He was a patriotic supporter of the war for the preservation of the Union, and, in 1861, assisted in raising a company of volun- teers, of which he was elected Second Lieuten- ant, but was rejected on account of the loss of an eye. This loss had occurred when he was twenty years of age, in consequence of a com- rade throwing a tobacco pipe at him in sport. The estimation in which he is held in the com- munity is indicated by the fact that he held the office of Justice of the Peace for several years — being first elected to fill a vacancy and then for a full term — besides serving as Con- stable four years and Collector one term. He was Postmaster at Crystal Lake fourteen years, being first appointed by President Grant. He has also been prominent in educational mat- ters, having been a member of the School Board at Crystal Lake for nine years and at Nunda for three years. ISAAC HARSH. The founders of the Harsh family in America were among the early colonial settlers of New Jersey and came from Scotch ancestry. Wil- liam Harsh, the grandfather of Isaac, was an early settler of New Jersey and his children were William, Cornelius, Andrew and Mer- riam. Andrew Harsh, the third of his sons, was born in New Jersey, August 2, 1806, and was raised on a farm. He married in Tioga County, Pa., Mary Traphagan, who was born Dec. 15, 1812, of German ancestry and Penn- sylvania stock. Her father was a blacksmith and his children were: Alexander, Charles, James, Catherine, Harriet, Jane and Hannah. Andrew Harsh was a farmer and settled on the border of New York State, near the Pennsyl- vania line, where he lived for three or four McHENRY COUNTY. 821 years, and in the fall of 1839 moved to Illinois. He came through with two teams and a wagon and camped on the way. The trip from Chi- cago to McHenry County was a difficult under- taking, but after it was completed, the family settled about two miles south of where Isaac Harsh now lives. Andrew Harsh lived here until the spring of 1840, when he bought and cleared 320 acres of land adjoining Isaac's present farm, upon which he built a log house with stick chimney and shake roof. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Harsh were members of the Methodist church. Their children were Belin- da A., Isaac, Sarah and Esther. In political opinion Mr. Harsh was .an old line Whig and later became a Republican on the organization of that party. He died Sept. 19, 1854, at the age of forty-eight years, while his wife lived to be eighty-two years of age, dying in 1895. Mr. Harsh was a substantial farmer, a leading citi- zen in his township and county, and widely re- spected by his fellow-citizens. Isaac Harsh was born at Waverly, N. Y., August 15, 1835, and was about four years of age when his parents came to McHenry County. He was raised on the farm and received a com- mon-school education. His father having died when the son was eighteen years old, the latter remained on the home farm, of which he took charge after his father's death. On Feb. 5, 1862, he married in McHenry Township L.o- dusky Parker, daughter of Samuel and Sybil (Howard) Parker, born at Rutland, Vt., Oct. 4, 1839. The Parkers and Howards were of Puritan New England stock and of English de- scent. Samuel Parker, Sr., was a native of Clarendon, Vt., and died on his farm in Rut- land Township of that State. His children were: John, Samuel, Daniel, Emory, Thad- deus, Ellen, Eliza, Almira, Hannah and Sallie. Samuel Parker, Jr., was born Feb. 14, 1811, at Clarendon, Vt., and received a good common- school education and owned a good farm in his native State. His children were: Samuel, Elizabeth, Walter, Lodusky, Sally and Ellen. Mr. Parker was an industrious and upright citizen, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and universally respected. He died on his farm Jan. 3, 1892, aged eighty-one years. Mrs. Harsh received a good education and taught school in Rutland County, Vt., for two terms, and then came to Illinois to visit her sister, Elizabeth, who had married Charles Si- mons and moved with him to McHenry County in the fall of 1860. In 1862 she married Mr. Harsh and they, lived on a part of the Harsh homestead until they moved to their present farm in 1887. They rebuilt the residence and improved the farm, which was also part of the original Harsh homestead, as the father had previously sold a part of his estate. Mr. Harsh now owns a farm of 320 acres. In politics he is a Republican, has been Highway Commis- sioner for several terms, is a member of the Board of Education and was a member of the Executive Committee of the McHenry County Agricultural Society for a great many years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and as a citizen has always been prom- inent and public-spirited. In the development of McHenry County, and especially that of his own township, he has been closely identified , and ready to assist in every project for the advancement of the material interests of his community. Flora May, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harsh, married Joseph E. Cristy, who is a merchant in Ringwood. WILLIAM DUANE HALL. William Duane Hall, a leading lumber dealer and business man of Harvard, UK, is descended from two fine old colonial families, the Halls and the Clarks. The Hall family, in point of numbers, ranks in Great Britain next to the Smiths, Browns, Joneses and Robinsons. The late Albert Hall, of New York, had at one time in his possession no less than a hundred and six different specimens of the Hall coat-of- arms. Indexes of the genealogical depart- ment of the Newberry Library, of Chicago, have two large volumes referring to Hall families. The name has been handed down from three different sources. English families received it from the chief of the principal appointment of the manor house, who often took the surname Del Hall, and transmitted it to his eldest son. Norwegians named their families from the word Hollr — the final letter of which is silent — standing for flint and hero; hence the Scotch word Hollr. In Welsh the word signifies salt, and has also been used as a surname. The men of Halle, who poured into England during successive invasions, helped to flood the language with this name. Nearly all Halls have good blood in their veins. Old English 822 McHENRY COUNTY. Hall families trace their descent from royal an- cestors. Among lineal ancestors of different Hall families of the present day are: The Right Rev. John Hall, Bishop of Bath and Wells, author of the first original English comedy; Richard Mather, who with Rev. John Eliot and Thomas Welde, compiled the first book printed in America, known as the "Bay Psalm Book"; John Eliot, who also brought out the first Indian version of the Scriptures, and the first poetical critique of the "Common Wealth" — the last named book being published in 1654; Rev. Peter Bolkeley, author of the "Gospel Commands," printed in England in 1648, and in whose church, at Concord, Mass., was held the first Provincial Congress; the uncle of Rev. Cotton Mather, whose son, Rev. Israel Mather, was the first person in Boston to receive the Doctor of Divinity degree; a brother of Elihu Hall, who was the first Notary Public of Connecticut, appointed by the Arch- bishop of Canterbury; one of the eight Presi- dents of Harvard College, and three brothers of Presidents of the same institution; and eight of the barons, out of twenty-five chosen by Eng- lish nobles to enforce the observance of the Magna Charta, wrested from King John in 1215. The Halls, predominating among the Anglo-Saxons, were naturally largely repre- sented among early settlers of New England and other sections of our country. Eighty- three distinct Hall families, mostly from Eng- land, settled in New England prior to 1650, and many more in Virginia. There were eight John Halls recorded in the early New England records, and twenty-five Halls, as Continental Army records show, who served in the Revolu- tion from the Lexington alarm to the close of the war. Other Halls prominent in colonial military records are: Ralph Hall, clerk of Capt. Henchman's Campaign against King Philip; Daniel Hall, a soldier in Major Appleton's Company, in the Narragansett campaign; Thomas Hall, who was in the same war under Capt. Davenport; Henry Hall, among the slam and wounded in Capt. Olvin's Company; and Richard Hall, who served under Thomas Brat- tle. Many New England Halls came from County Kent, England, and are probably mostly of the same original Saxon blood. All Hall families tracing their descent to Connecticut branches came from one of the following ancestors: John Hall, the original Connecticut Hall, born in England, in 1605, son of Gilbert Hall, of Rolvendue, County Kent, came to America and settled at Wallingford, Conn., prior to 1833, and died at Middletown in the same State, May 26, 1673, in his eighty-first year. His brother Francis came also and settled at Fairfield, Conn. William Hall, probably a relative of John and Francis, came from Rolvendue, and became one of the select company of young men, who founded the town of Guilford, Conn. ; and in that county he died, March 8, 1669. William D. Hall is of ihe Connecticut stock. His great-grandfather, Hall, had several chil- dren: a daughter, who began life as a school- teacher, and eventually became a wealthy citi- zen of New York. John Fayette drove across the country to one of the Southern States, and there settled. He had a son who served in the Confederate army, and a son-in-law who was Major in the same force. Elihu Hall, grand- father of William D. Hall, was born in Con- necticut, Feb. 19, 1776. When a young man he shouldered his ax and traveled across the country to Bridgewater, Oneida County, N. Y., and later cleared up a splendid farm for him- self within a half a mile of the town. He lived to be seventy years old and died on his farm. He married Nancy Maxon and their children were: Eunice; Chester, who succeeded to his father's farm; Elihu; Lee, and Henry. Mr. Hall possessed energy, marked ability and thrift. As a farmer he was thoroughly pros- perous. Politically he was an old-line Whig. Active in religious works, he was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church, of Bridge- water, and served as deacon for many years. Hon. Henry Hall, father of William D. Hall, possessed the kind of hardihood and ability that win success for a man at every step in life. Born in Bridgewater, Oneida County, N. Y., Oct. 26, 1813, he received in the common schools of his vicinity a good education, and on his father's farm practical training for his life- work. The opening up of the Middle West in- duced him, in 1846, to cast his lot with the pioneers of that section, and, journeying by way of the canal through Buffalo and across the great lakes to Chicago, he drove over to Big Foot Prairie, Wis., where he purchased of a discouraged pioneer, James Maxwell, 320 acres of excellent farming land, a portion of which had been broken. Encouraged by his McHENRY prospects, he soon afterward returned to New York State, and there, in Brookfield, Madison County, Sept, 8, 1846, married Lucy Clark, who was born in that place, Aug. 28, 1821, daughter of Abel and Lucinda (York) Clark. Mrs. Hall, though far advanced in years, is still living, and is well preserved, retaining her memory and her mental faculties remarkably well. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hall: Mary Elnors, born July 8, 1847, lived to maturity and married, but is now deceased; William D., mentioned below; Robert W., born July 21, 1853; and Anna E., born June 23, 185G — both on Big Foot Prairie homestead. Shortly after his marriage, in November, 1846, Mr. Hall and his wife proceeded by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes to Milwaukee. Taking up the hardships of pioneer life, they passed the winter in a small house with two other families, in Walworth County, Wis., about three miles from this prairie farm, the next summer in a shanty somewhat nearer their land, and finally, late in the fall, moved to a rude house on the farm itself. Here he began work in earnest, and the following spring erected a very comfortable frame house. Skillful management, hard work, and de- termination wrought wonderful changes in the place in a short time. He cleared up large tracts, erected another house in 1859, and in time became very prosperous, having a valu- able estate to divide among his children, In- cluding sixteen acres of excellent land along the Geneva Lake shore. In 1880 he moved to Harvard, 111., where he passed his last days. He died at the residence of his daughter, Anna E. Church of that place, July 26, 1885, at the age of seventy-two years. As a pioneer settler Mr. Hall won for himself a wide popularity, and though not an office- seeker, represented his district very acceptably in the Wisconsin State Legislature for 1869-70. In his own County he served as Road Commis- sioner, Supervisor, and member of the Board of Education. Politically he was at first a Whig, and later a Republican, voting for both John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln. He was a man of the highest integrity, and both he and his wife belonged to the Baptist church, he being one of the founders of that church at Big Foot. Interested in the ad- vancement of education, he was one of the founders of the Walworth Academy, the others COUNTY. 823 being Elder O. P. Hull, Cyrus Church, Benja- min Clarke, Elijah Easton, S. H; Van Schaick, and Amos and Joseph Bailey. The institution was opened in the winter of 1859. William Duane Hall started in life under favorable circumstances. Born on the well-regu- lated Wisconsin homestead, Sept. 3, 1850, he there received careful rearing, and in the per- formance of farm duties plenty of healthful ex- ercise. In the public schools of his neighbor- hood he acquired his early education, later at- tending the Academies at Walworth and Sharon, and finally finishing at the old Chicago University, after two and a half years' at- tendance. Well equipped, in 1873, at the age of twenty-three, he embarked upon life as a lumber-dealer, in Harvard, 111. A ready power of pushing his enterprise, skill in handling his men, and wise financial management soon placed his business upon a solid foundation. He has enlarged it from year to year and is now carrying on an extensive and highly pros- perous trade. He has won the entire confi- dence of the community, and is considered one of the most successful business men in Harv- ard. November 29, 1889, Mr. Hall married Euretta Young, who was born in Canada, near the Ver- mont State line, daughter of William H. and Nancy (Cochrane) Young. By this union there has been one child, William Henry. William D. Hall is a man of brilliant attain- ments, well-fitted for almost any position in life. In Harvard, where he has made his career, he has served in the City Council for two terms — turning his shrewd business judg- ment and his skill at financiering to thoroughly good account in the interest of the general pub- lic. Efficiency has recently won him the mayoralty of the city, a position which he is filling with marked dignity and ability. Fraternally he stands high, and affiliates with Harvard Blue Lodge No. 309, A. F. & A. M.; Harvard Chapter, No. 91, Cavalry Commandery, No. 25, Woodstock; the Knights of Pythias of Harvard, and Medinah Temple A. A. O. N. M. S., of Chicago, has filled the subordinate offices of the Blue Lodge, and the principal ones of the chapter. Politically he is an unwavering Republican. The Clark family, maternal ancestors of Mayor Hall, are of Massachusetts colonial stock. Jonathan Clark, great-grandfather of 824 McHENRY COUNTY. the Mayor, originally of Massachusetts, became a pioneer of Madison County, N. Y., and there he died. He married a woman named Keziah, and their children were: Alvin, Samuel and Abel P. Abel P. Clark, grandfather of Mayor Hall, was born in Massachusetts, and there received a common-school education, and also learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed for some years. Coming to Madison County, N. Y., at an early manhood, he became a pioneer of that section. There he married Lucinda York, who was born in Stonington, Conn., daughter of John and Ketura (Brown) York. Abel P. 'Clark and wife had four children: Wil- liam, Mary, Lucy and Alvin — the daughter, Lucy becoming the mother of Mayor Hall. The Yorks and Browns were of colonial Puritan stock. John York, maternal grand- father of the Mayor, moved from Stonington, Conn., to Madison County, N. Y., where he cleared up a large farm for himself and became a well-to-do citizen. He married Ketura Brown and they had eight children: John, Thomas, Ichabod, Ketura, Lucinda, Nancy, Sally and Lucy. The sons settled near the family home- stead, which is now in possession of descend- ants. Mr. York lived to a good old age and left a valuable estate to his children. He was a highly respected citizen and a member of the Baptist church. William Henry Young, father of the Mayor's wife, was of Scotch extraction, was born in St. Thomas District, Montreal, April 19, 1815, and received a common-school education. He mar- ried in Canada, Lany Rowe, and after her death, Nancy Cochrane, who was born in Coun- ty Down, Ireland, Jan. 3, 1823, daughter of Frank and Mary ( — ) Cochrane, died Aug. 26, 1885, at St. Thomas Canada. By the first marriage there were six children: Cor- nelia, Lydia, George, Eliza, Margaret and Nar- cissa. By the second marriage there were six children: Mary, Wolfred, Euretta, Melvin, Melissa, and Frank. After his marriage Mr. Young settled upon a farm in St. Thomas, Pro- vince of Quebec, Canada, where he carried on a successful industry, becoming a highly pros- perous agriculturalist. Mr. Young was a man of broad views, was influential in local affairs, widely known and highly respected. He was a man of strong religious convictions, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Churcn. He died March 9, 1882. His wife died Aug. 26. 1885. HENRY HERMAN. Among the people from abroad who have sought homes in America, those from Alsace rank with the practical, progressive and pros- perous, and became rapidly Americanized. They were among the early pioneers in Mc- Henry County and their descendants are ex- emplary citizens of a strong robust physique and of excellent personal appearance. The Hermans were among the representative pioneer families from Alsace, where Henry Herman, an enterprising business man of Woodstock, was born Aug. 2, 1831, son of Henry G. and Eva (Jacobs) Herman. Henry G. Herman was born in Preuszdorf, Alsace, where the family had lived for genera- tions. Mr. Herman owned a good farm and was a well-to-do citizen. He was in the French army seven years, serving in a war against Spain and three years in Martinique. He was the father of one child, Henry. Mr. Herman came to America in 1845, sailing from Havre, France, in the spring of that year in the sail- ing vessel, "Leonida," and was twenty-nine days on the voyage to America, which was an unusually quick passage for that time. He came directly to McHenry County, via the Erie Canal, the great lakes and Chicago. He set- tled on Kishwaukee Prairie, where he bought 160 acres of land on which there was a log cabin and eighty acres had been broken. He was a man of energy and perseverance, and soon made a good farm upon which he built sub- stantial buildings. As he prospered he added to his acres, and, selling his first farm, he bought another of 500 acres near by. Here his wife died aged about fifty-six years. In 1868 Mr. Herman came to Woodstock and after- wards lived with his son Henry, who had set- tled there. His death occurred at seventy- eight years of age. Like all of our pioneers from Alsace, he gained his property by hard work. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and a plain man, strictly honest in his ways and dealings. Henry Herman, the subject of this article, at- tended school in Preuszdorf, Alsace, until he was fourteen years of age. When sixteen years old, he came with his parents to McHENRY COUNTY. 825 America. There was much hard work to be done on a new farm, and young Henry, in his early days, had but little relaxation from toil, but this early discipline proved to be an excel- lent training school through life, as he was inured to labor and learned the habits of in- dustry. When but twenty years of age, he married Margaret Sondericker, born in Alsace, France, daughter of Henry Sondericker, a pioneer settler of Queen Ann Prairie. Mr. and Mrs. Herman settled on the Herman homestead and lived there until they moved to Woodstock in August, 1868. Here he entered into company with Arnold and Zimmer in the brewing busi- ness, the plant then being located on the same site as the present brewery. This partnership continued until 1897, but since that time Mr. Herman has owned the larger part of the prop- erty and business. The old firm built a large malt house in 1885, which was destroyed by fire the following year, but a new one was erected the same year and at the same time the old brewery re-built. The firm did a suc- cessful business and stood well in the mercan- tile world, shipping beer to Chicago, Crystal Lake, Dundee, Nunda, Harvard and many other points throughout the surrounding coun- try. The new building was burned May b, 1902, and the business discontinued. Mr. Her- man now owns a farm of 176 acres which ad- joins the corporation of Woodstock on the west, Mr. and Mrs. Herman were the parents of Henry G., Peter, Dr. George K., and Charlotte. Dr. George K. was educated in Chicago, and Henry G. received his education in South Bend, Ind., and Chicago. Mrs. Herman died in 1875. She was a member of the Presbyterian church and a woman noted for her industry and excel- lent qualities. March 13, 1877, Mr. Herman married as his second wife Lena Eppel, born at Kleeburg, Alsace, June 24, 1840, daughter of Jacob and Marguerite (Frey) Eppel. Mr. and Mrs. Herman have one child, Irene E., who is a graduate of the Woodstock High School, Class of 1900, and is now attending Berea College, Kentucky. Jacob Eppel was born in Kleeburg, Alsace, where his family had lived for a long period and owned land. In 1826 he married in Alsace, Marguerite, daughter of Henry Frey, and they were the parents of Marguerite, Catherine, Lena, Fred, Henry and Christopher. Jacob Eppel and family came to America in Novem- ber, 1885, sailing from Havre, France, in a sailing vessel, the voyage occupying twenty- eight days. His son, Jacob Eppel, had come to America two years previously. Mr. Eppel settled in Hartland Township on 160 acres of land which he converted into a good farm. He and his wife were members of the German Presbyterian church, and were well-known pioneer citizens of sterling qualities. Mr. Ep- pel died when about seventy-six years of ago. Henry Herman is a representative and pub- lic-spirited citizen. He has been a member of the Board of Education for about twenty-one years, and has always been in favor of any enterprise that would be a benefit to the town. He is a member of the Presbyterian church in which he has been an elder for several years, and, is also , treasurer. Fraternally he is a Mason, a member of Lodge 63, Woodstock. Throughout the most of his life he has been a strong supporter of Democratic principles as enunciated by Jefferson and Jackson, but has voted the Republican ticket since 1896. Mr. Herman is largely interested in supplying Woodstock with ice, his company owning four ice-houses. Mr. Herman is a plain, substantial man who devotes his whole attention to his business, although he has now reached an age when many men retire. As a business man he is upright, reliable, and honorable. In all places ,and under all circumstances, he is loyal to truth, honor and right, justly regarding his self-respect and the deserved esteem of his fel- low men as more valuable than fame or posi- tion. STEPHEN H. HORR. Stephen Henry Horr, practical machinist and foreman of the mechanical department of the Oliver Typewriter Company, Woodstock, III., is a native of Illinois, born at Hamilton, Han- cock County, July 4, 1860, the son of John and Louise (Parsons) Horr. Mr. Horr's father, John Horr, was a native of Germany who came to America about 1830, and settled at Warsaw, Hancock County, 111., where he engaged in gardening and truck-farming. His wife, Louise Parsons, was a native of England, came to America, and was married to Mr. Horr at War- saw in 1858. The father ran a vineyard and fruit farm near Warsaw for some years, but in 326 McHENRY COUNTY. 1865 removed across the river to Montrose, Iowa, where he died March 22, 1899, aged seventy-seven years, and Mrs. Horr, Feb. 12, of the same year, aged sixty. Their children were: Stephen Henry, Kate, wife of Edwin Butler; Jennie, wife of Walter Smith; Amelia, wife of Edward Smith; Minnie, wife of Joseph Spring. All these children except Stephen were horn at Montrose, Iowa. After receiving the usual common-school education in his boyhood, Stephen H. Horr, at the age of about fifteen years, began learning the machinist's trade in the Novelty Iron Works at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. He re- mained with this concern four years, after which, for the next two years, he was in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- road. He then spent four years in the service of the Eagle Iron Works at Des Moines, when he engaged with the Marshall Brothers of the same place, at that time manufacturers and wholesale dealers in dental supplies. This con- cern having undertaken the manufacture of the Oliver Typewriter soon after the perfection of that invention, Mr. Horr became interested in this branch of the work, and assisted Mr. Oliver, the inventor, in the construction and perfection of his machine. In fact, it is said that the second machine constructed for Mr. Oliver was made with the aid of Mr. Horr iD the establishment of Marshall Brothers in 1891. While giving evidence of his skill as a ma- chinist, he brought to the aid of Mr. Oliver, who was not a mechanic, the advantages of a trained mind and faculties quickened by a long and successful career as a practical machinist. In June, 1892, he entered into the employment of the Oliver Typewriter Company at Epworth, Iowa, and has remained with the company ever since, establishing for himself a reputation as one of its most thoroughly skilled machinists and an experienced foreman. In 1895 he came to Woodstock as foreman of the mechanical de- partment — the most delicate and important branch of this industry — and has made many valuable suggestions looking to the perfection of the machine. Fraternally, he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd-Fellows of Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Horr's unbroken con- nection with the Oliver Typewriter Company, almost from the inception of this industry, proves the high estimate placed by his employ- ers upon his services, both as a skilled machin- ist and in an administrative capacity as the head of the mechanical department. Mr. Horr was married, March 22, 1883, at Des Moines, Iowa, to Mary E. Howard, and they have one daughter, Charlotte L., who was horn Nov. 3, 1884. She was married Feb. 11, 1903, to Charles Huntzinger, who is proprietor of the Main Street Restaurant, Woodstock. He is a native of Ohio. Mrs. Stephen H. Horr was born in Polk County, Iowa, Oct. 13, 1865, the daughter of Francis A. and Minerva (McCor- mick) Howard. Her father, Francis Howard, was a native of Illinois, and followed the life of a farmer, renting land until his children were partly grown. He and his wife have had seven children: William H., Mary E., Richard. Albert, Sarah Ellen (who died in infancy), Frankie and Harry. The family live in Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Howard's father, Hamilton Howard, died at Rising Sun, Iowa, where he was carrying on a hotel at the time of his death. His wife before her marriage was Sarah Stewart. Minerva McCormick. who he- came the wife of Francis A. Howard, was the daughter of Robert and Martha McCormick, who lived in Missouri and were Southern born. Robert McCormick was a farmer and he and his two sons, Enoch and Tillman, became soldiers in the Union Army during the War of the Rebellion, and were never afterwards heard of. LEWIS HATCH. Lewis Hatch, pioneer, retired farmer and extensive land-owner, Spring Grove, McHenry County, is of English ancestry, the founders of the American branch of the family having set- tled at an early period in colonial history on Martha's Vineyard, off the southern coast of Massachusetts. Lewis Hatch, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and of the same name, was of the Martha's Vineyard family, and settled at an early day at Granville, Wash- ington County, N. Y., where he cleared up a large farm from the forest and become a prominent citizen. He was twice married, his children by his first marriage whose names are remembered being: Wait, Davis, Annie and Phoebe. His second wife had three chil- dren: Asa, Rebecca and Delight. The maiden names of his two wives are not recalled in this McHENRY COUNTY. 82r connection. He was a member of the Presby- terian church and died on his farm in New York. Wait Hatch, the older son belonging to this family, was born in Granville, N. Y., and having received the usual common-school edu- cation of the time, became a farmer. He mar- ried in his native town Martha Spencer, who was born at Granville, N. Y., the daughter of Jeremiah Spencer, of an old American family of that name. Wait Hatch settled in the town of Hebron, Washington County, N. Y., where he owned a farm, and he and his wife had the following named children: Hannah, Almina, Levi, Lydia, Lewis, Jeremiah, Eli, Mary, Sarah A., Phoebe and John. Hannah, the oldest child, died while young. Mr. and Mrs. Wait Hatch were members of the Presbyterian church, of which the former was a deacon. Wait Hatch was an industrious and represen- tative citizen, and died on his farm aged about sixty years. Lewis Hatch, of this family, was born in Hebron Township, Washington County, N. Y . April 20, 1814, and, while an infant, was taken in his mother's arms to see the sloop of war which had been captured by the Americans from the British in the battle on Lake Cham- plain, the decks of which were still covered with the blood of the killed and wounded in that battle. The youthful Lewis received a common-school education by attending the dis- trict school during the winter months while performing farm-work in the summer. In this way he acquired a sufficient education to en- gage in teaching a district school during tne winter of 1836-37. While still a small boy he had learned to do farm work, and, when eigh- teen years old, his father having "given him his time," he began learning the carpenter's trade. Although always small in stature, he performed the labor assigned to him with en- ergy and determination, in constructing the frame work of a large barn proving himself a capable mechanic. In the spring of 1837, after his experience as a teacher during the preced- ing winter, he left the State of New York for the West, making the journey by railroad from Albany to Schenectady and thence by the Erie Canal to Buffalo. He then walked along the Lake Shore until he was able to board a steam- boat, which carried him to Detroit, and from there made the journey on foot across the peninsula, to Niles, Mich., where he took steamer to St. Joseph, and thence by schooner to Milwaukee, Wis. From Milwaukee he went on foot across the country with a party of sur- veyors to Janesville, Wis., prospecting for land. On this trip he followed an old Indian trail upon which there were no white settle- ments. Continuing his foot-journey, he visited Rockford and Chicago. After remaining at the latter place a few days, he took the Galena trail to Pleasant Grove in McHenry County, and after visiting Geneva Lake, proceeded to Racine and Kenosha, Wis. He ended his tour by entering land at Wilmot, Kenosha County, upon which he built a log-house, besides mak- ing other improvements. He also purchased five lots, at the land sale at Milwaukee, which he afterwards traded for land in Michigan. In the spring of 1839 he came to English Prairie, in Burton Township, McHenry County, where he entered 160 acres of larfd at Nippersink and bought a saw mill, which he ran for a number of years. By industry and good management he prospered and, adding to his land, became an extensive farmer. On April 20, 1844, he was married in Burton Township to Mandana Cole, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Mr. Plumbstead, a Presbyterian minister. Mrs. Hatch was born July 22, 1825, at Newchester— now called Hill— N. H., the daughter of Miles and Sally (Bixby) Cole. (For history of this family, see sketch of Miles H. Cole.) After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hatch settled in a little log house which had been erected by Jonathan Kimball, the original claimant of the land. This cabin was of the most primitive sort and here they lived one year, until they could build a frame house. Later they erected other substantial farm buildings which were destroyed by fire in 1854, but afterwards re- built in more modern style. In 1850 Mr. Hatch crossed the plains to California with an outfit of five horses and accompanied by a man named Adams and a sixteen-year-old boy by the name of Post. They left Burton Township April 8, 1850,, and crossing the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, arrived at Georgetown, Cal., September 1, following. The plains were th?n in a state of nature, grand in their vast extent and the richness of their vegetation, with herds of buffalo and antelope almost con- tinually in sight. Mr. Hatch engaged in min- 828 McHENRY COUNTY. ing on the American River with fairly satis- factory results until the winter of 1853, when he came home, after an absence of nearly four years, returning by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York City. In April, 1875, he moved to his present homestead, which ho had purchased some years previous, and which then consisted of 5 acres. To this he has since made additions, until he now owns, in the immediate vicinity, over 1,300 acres. His buildings here were destroyed by fire in 1873, but have since been replaced by others of a more substantial character. Mr. and Mrs. Hatch are the parents of the following named children: Lewis Fayette (who died aged two years), Miles Fayette, Frederick, Lewis, Martha, Loretta and Franklin Wait — all born in Burton Township. Originally an old-line Whig, Mr. Hatch became a Republican on the organiza- tion of that party, voting for John C. Fremont in 1856 and for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and 1864. An honored citizen of his township, he has taken an active interest in its affairs, in- cluding good roads, public schools, etc., and has held the offices of Supervisor and School Director for a number of years. He is one of the largest land-holders in McHenry County, besides his home farm and other lands in the vicinity, amounting to 1,300 acres, being the owner of 800 acres in Beadle County, and 400 acres in Brooking County, S. D., and probably over 1,000 acres in the State of Washington. His children are all well educated, his sons be- ing graduates of the State University at Cham- paign, while Frank W., after spending a year at Yale College, graduated at the Union Col- lege of Law, Chicago. All the sons are active business men. The daughter, Loretta, gradu- ated from the Illinois State Normal School, was a teacher for a number of years, and mar- ried A. H. Hubbard, of Elgin, but is now de- ceased. Mr. Hatch is the last original pioneer farmer now remaining upon his farm in Mc- Henry County, and is one of the few still sur- viving who represent the olden days when the American pioneers were an active force in the settlement and development of the Great West. His life has been one of great business ac- tivity, and at an age of nearly eighty-nine years, he retains his mental and physical vigor in a remarkable degree. FRED L. HATCH. Fred L. Hatch, Spring Grove, McHenry County, a representative citizen and extensive breeder of fine stock, was born in Spring Grove, 111., Nov. 1, 1848, the son of Lewis and Mandana (Cole) Hatch. He received a lib- eral education, first graduating from Elgin Academy, and, in 1873, from the State Univer- sity of Illinois at Champaign, still later re- ceiving the degree of A. M. in due course from his Alma Mater. His father being an exten- sive land owner, Mr. Hatch early turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, to which he added that of stock-breeding. He first engaged in breeding pure-blood Short-horn Durham cat- tle, of which he has a large herd, and he has become one of the most widely known men in this line in Northern Illinois. He has added to his business in other lines that of breeder of Shropshire sheep and Berkshire swine, in which he is extensively engaged, and has also bred some very fine horses. One of the most noted horses bred by him was "Lofer," which had a record of 2:14, but has paced a mile in 2:08, being undoubtedly the fastest horse ever bred in McHenry County. Mr. Hatch has, for the past twenty-five years, been prominently identified with the McHenry County Fair Association, of which, for six years, he was President. He is also Presi- dent of the Farmers' Picnic Institute and a leading member of the McHenry County Farm- ers' Institute, which he has frequently been called upon to address on agricultural and other topics. In politics Mr. Hatch is a stanch Repub- lican, having cast his first vote for General Grant for President. Fraternally he is a member of Spring Grove Lodge Order of Mod- ern Woodmen of America, in which he has held the office of Venerable Councillor. He has also been an extensive traveler in his na- tive country, and has visited most of the States of the American Union, including Cali- fornia and Florida, as well as the Klondike region of Alaska and the new republic of Cuba. He is a gentleman of fine literary tastes and culture, and withal an extensive reader of the better class of British and American poets, being especially interested in those who touch deftly and tenderly upon themes dealing with the laws and secrets of Nature. McHENRY COUNTY. 829 Mr. Hatch was married at Belvidere, 111., Jan. 3, 1876, to Annie M. Reynolds, the daughter of Edwin H. Reynolds. Mrs. Hatch was a student of the State University of Illinois, and was a woman of rare culture and a genial com- panion of her husband in his literary work. Her death occurred March 26, 1896, at the age of forty-four years. Mr. Hatch is one of those American citizens of broad views of life who, while liberally educated, prefer the duties and enjoyments of the agriculturist and stock- grower in the country to a professional life in the city. Hence his choice of a career which has been attended with such marked success and enjoyment. A public-spirited citizen, he is interested in questions of local improve- ment, and for ten years served as Supervisor of his township, and was also a School Trustee for several years. He is also a Trustee of the State University, and is now President of the Board. He was one of the founders of the Spring Grove Creamery Association, and is now the President of this successful business enter- prise. In his younger days he engaged in teaching for a time, being employed in this capacity at Champaign, and still later in Mc- Henry and Kane Counties. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. William Henry Harrison is a veteran of the Civil War, a substantial farmer and one of the early settlers of Ringwood Prairie. This branch of the Harrisons is of sterling English stock. His grandfather, Robert Harrison, born in Yorkshire, England, was a stock-dealer and accustomed to attend the fairs of England with fine stock. He married in England and his children were Richard, John, Thomas, Robert, Charles, Mary, Elizabeth and Ann. Robert Harrison and wife came to America in 1844, their children having settled in Illi- nois. Robert was then an old man and died at the residence of his son Richard, in Green- wood Township, aged about sixty-nine years. The family were members of the church of England. In later life Mr. Harrison was in moderate circumstances, but in England, when engaged in the stock business, he was well off. His wife died aged eighty-two years. Robert, the son of the above, was born in Yorkshire, England, received a limited common-school ed- ucation in his native country, and married in Kirk Burton, Yorkshire, Feb. 25, 1837, Ann Earnshaw, born of a wealthy family in HudJers- field, England.. Robert Harrison came to Chi- cago in 1835, the voyage from liverpool to New York in a sailing vessel occupying about eight weeks. The journey to Chicago was made by way of the lakes. He first worked for a time at daily labor, but later engaged with the firm of Gage & Haynes in a flouring mill on Van Buren Street, Chicago, remaining with them as head engineer for eighteen years. In 1855 he moved to McHenry County and bought of his brother John, the property where Mr. William H. Harrison now lives. John Har- rison was a pioneer and had entered the land in 1839. John came from England to Canada in 1833 and to Ottawa, 111., in 1838. When Robert bought the farm it consisted of 210 acres and had on it the frame house and barn which his brother John had built. Robert, after settling on the farm, still further im- proved it, and here passed the remainder of his days. In political opinion he was an old line Whig and early Republican, and voted for Abraham Lincoln. He was a hard-working, industrious man of broad mind and liberal views, and a good citizen well known for his integrity of character. In England he was a member of the church of England but in later life became a Universalist. Mr. Harrison died in 1873. He and his wife were the parents of the following named children: Eliza, born in Chicago, June 9, 1838, died at Ringwood, aged about seventeen years; Jane, born July 15, 1840; William Henry, born Aug. 5, 1842; Sarah Ann, born March 4, 1856, died when quite young; George, born May 31, 1847, died in infancy; Frank, born Jan. 17, 1S30. and died an infant; Charles, born March 20, 1852, and died while still an infant. William Henry Harrison, the subject of this sketch, was born in Chicago, and was about thirteen years old when his father moved to Ringwood Prairie in 1855. A few years pre- viously he had visited his uncle John, and was thus familiar with the log houses and early scenes and incidents of the pioneers. The country then was full of small game and there were but three houses in the village of Ring- 830 McHENRY COUNTY. wood. William H. attended school in Chicago under the regime of the old-time pedagogue, who believed in the vigorous application of the "birch" for the most trivial offense. This did not suit young Harrison's disposition and he acquired, under these drastic measures, but little education. After coming to Ringwood he attended school during the winter months, the last winter's term being taught by the veteran teacher, Wm. Nickle. He early began to work on the farm, grew up among the pioneers, and in September, 1866, was married at Ringwood, to Susannah Dean, born in New York State. March 17, 1844, daughter of Richard and Ann (Babbett) Dean, who were of English descent and settlers of Otsego County, N. Y. Richard Dean was from Kent County, Eng- land, came a single man to New York State and married there. His wife came from the same part of England. He landed at Kenosha, Wis., in 1846, and came on foot to Coral Town- ship, where he bought 160 acres of government land. Having brought his family and house- hold goods west, he built a log house on his land and was one of the pioneers of that sec- tion. Richard Dean and his first wife were the parents of Sarah A., born Nov. 6, 1833; Rich- ard, born March 19, 1835; Thomas, born Dec. 3, 1836; John James, born July 26, 1838; Mary A., born August 29, 1840, and Susan, born March 17, 1844. ' Mrs. Dean died in 1844, aged about forty- seven years, and Mr. Dean afterwards married Mary Brooks and they had children named Henry, born Sept. 3, 1845; Edward L., born Nov. 30, 1847; Rachael B., born April 27, 1861; Maria E., born August 3, 1852; Charles B., born May 16, 1854; Emma F., born May 10, 1858, besides two others who died in infancy. All children of both wives are yet living except as stated above, and Sarah, the oldest child of the first family, who died Oct. 21, 1900. Mr. Dean was a member of the Methodist church, and in political opinion was a stanch Democrat. He was the owner of a large farm and was well known for his straight-forward walk in life. He moved to Sac County, Iowa, about 1878, where he bought an improved farm of 160 acres, and there died. The deaths in the Dean family are as follows: Ann Dean (first wife) died Sept. 3, 1844; Ed- ward L., died July 8, 1848, aged about seven months; Mary D., (second wife) died Dec 6, 1876, aged sixty years, seven months and twenty days. Richard Dean died May 15, 1880. aged sixty-seven years, six months and nine- teen days. Henry Dean was a soldier in the Civil War. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Harrison set- tled on the present farm which now consists of 210 acres of fine farming land, very pleas- antly located on Ringwood Prairie within a short distance of the village of that name. In political opinion he is a stanch Republican and was a supporter of Lincoln. He is an honored citizen of the township and was a School Trustee three terms. Mr. Harrison enlisted at Ringwood, May 9, 1864, in the one-hundred-day service under Captain Philip H. Carr as a private of Com- pany A, One Hundred and Forty-first Regi- ment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. His regi- ment, however, was held on account of the need of their services until Oct. 10, 1864, sta- tioned much of the time at Columbus, Ky. The Hundred-Day men received the thanks of Abraham Lincoln in a printed testimonial. On February 6, 1865, Mr. Harrison re-enlisted at Ringwood, for service in Company I, One Hun- dred and Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, Captain John A. Pratt, and was appointed Corporal. The regiment left for the front, Feb. 21, 1865, and arrived at Dalton, Ga., on March 1. This was the extreme outpost of the Federal army and the regiment was engaged in scout- ing in Northern Georgia until the surrender of the rebel army. They were in several severe skirmishes. Their marches were as follows: On May 17, they marched from Dalton, Ga., to Resaca; thence to Calhoun, where they re- mained until July 7, when they went by rail to Albany, Ga., where they remained until November 1. They then marched to Hawkins- ville, Ga., where they remained until Nov. 28, 1865, when they were transferred to Savannah, remaining until Jan. 20, 1866. They were hon- orably discharged at Springfield, 111., Feb. 8, 1866, Mr. Harrison was not a prisoner or sick in hospital during his term of service and was in all the campaigns, marches and skirmishes in which his regiment took part. The children of William H. Harrison and McHENRY COUNTY. 831 wife are: Charles W., Hubert A., John B., Clay- ton C, Edward E., Ora D., Roy C, and Susan Eva, born May 27, died March 8, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison are both Universalists in religious belief. Mr. Harrison is a man of high moral character, of sturdy habits and he has never used tobacco. The children all re- ceived good common-school educations, and Clayton has been a teacher in the public schools. William H. Harrison has passed nearly all his days on the farm. He and his faithful wife have worked with great zeal and industry to accumulate their property and to bring up their large family. He served his country patriotically as a soldier when needed during the Civil War, and he has always been known as a straight-forward, upright citizen. The seven sons of the Harrison family have never used either intoxicating liquor or to- bacco. EDWARD HANCOCK. Edward Hancock (deceased), a soldier of the Civil War and for many years a respected citizen of Harvard, McHenry County, was born at Scales Mound, Joe Daviess County, 111., Dec. 3, 1840, the son of Richard and Eliza (Lichtenberger) Hancock. Richard Hancock was a native of Cornwall, England, and a miner by occupation who came, while still a young man, with his parents to Joe Daviess County and worked in the lead mines in the vicinity of Galena. Later in life he became a farmer and, in 1858, bought land in Thompson Township, Joe Daviess County, where he opened up a farm. After the discovery of gold in Australia he made a trip to that country to engage in mining there, suffering shipwreck on the way, but finally returning to his home in Illinois, where he died. His children were: Edward, Julia, Stephen, Louisa, Mary, George and Cora. The parents were members of the Methodist church. Edward Hancock received, while young, a limited education which he afterwards extended in the school of exper- ience. Being the oldest child of the family and about sixteen years of age when his father went to Australia, the support of the" family largely devolved upon him. He en- gaged in lead-mining and also managed the farm, but the Civil War having broken out, in August, 1861, he enlisted at Galena as a private in Company F, Ninety-sixth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving until June 10, 1865, when he was honorably discharged at Camp Harker, Tenn. He was detailed on duty as a teamster and served as such for some time. He participated with his regiment in many of the most important battles in the South east of the Mississippi, including those of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Resaca, Rocky Face Ridge, Dallas, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville, besides numerous skirmishes. During the Atlanta campaign he was under fire much of the time, both day and night, for four months. He was shot in the heel at Ken- esaw Mountain, and in consequence disabled for four weeks. An "ambulance corps" having been organized about the beginning of the At- lanta campaign, he was detailed as one of its members. His company having been drawn up in line, the officer having charge of the organization of the corps selected six of their members for this service, of whom Mr. Han- cock was one — the standard of qualification for the service being intelligence, physical strength, personal courage and evidence of a humane temperament. Provided with canvas stretchers, the corps went through a course of training and proved most useful trom the start. Their first experience was at Rocky Face Ridge, where, at great personal risk, they carried many dead and wounded from the field. At Kenesaw Mountain, Mr. Hancock and his comrade, George E. Smith, were wounded by the same bullet from rebel sharp-shooters fired at them in violation of the laws of war. Dur- ing this battle they carried sixteen men from the field to the hospital, a distance of one and a' half miles, traveling in twenty hours not less than fifty miles. The reckless and un- military conduct of the rebels at Kenesaw Mountain, when members of the corps were ex- posed to hundreds of rebel bullets while in the discharge of their duty, led later to a better understanding, yet they incurred great risks at the subsequent battles of Lovejoy Sta- tion, Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville, and else- where, though always ready to discharge their duty by carrying the wounded from the field. 832 McHENRY COUNTY. At Lookout Mountain Mr. Hancock was one of the first seventeen men to ascend the moun- tain during the battle, and was wounded in the hand and had his face grazed by a bullet. He was never in a hospital except for a few days in a field hospital after the affair at Kenesaw Mountain, and was never a prisoner. The Ninety-sixth Illinois was a fighting regiment. Its loss in killed and wounded during the war was 116 and by disease 125 — a total of 241. It saw service in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia. Alabama and North Carolina. After the war Mr. Hancock located in Chicago where, for two years, he was in the grocery business with Joseph Nourse; later, was engaged in the cat- tle-trade at the Stock Yards, and for a time superintended track-laying on the Milwaukee Avenue Division of the Chicago Street Rail- road Company. Then removing to Gardner, 111., he superintended a hotel and a brick-yard there and, in 1871, was superintendent of a brick-yard at Thornton. On August 25, 1872, he was married at Warren, 111., to Hattie C. Going, born at Scales Mound, 111., the daughter of Adoniram Judson and Mary C. (Clendening) Going. After marriage they remained at Thornton, 111., until 1873, when he moved to Big Foot Prairie, McHenry County, where he began improving 320 acres of land for which he had exchanged Chicago property some years previous. This land he improved erecting on it substantial farm buildings and bringing it into a high state of cultivation. In March, 1881, he removed to Harvard, purchased de- sirable town property and, in 1893, erected a pleasant residence in the modern style of architecture — later erecting another residence on an adjoining lot. He was a member of Harvard Post of the Grand Army of the Re- public, in which he held the office of Chap- lain; held to the principles of the Republican party on national affairs, but. on local matters voted the Prohibition ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Hancock were members of the Methodist church, with which he united in 1873, and of which he was a liberal supporter, serving many years as steward and trustee. Their children were: Zenas Freeman, born Dec. 31, 1871, died at the age of five years; George Raymond, born April 7, 1879; Mary Jessie, born Jan. 3, 1881, died in infancy; Judson Edwin, born Sept. 30, 1883; Harry Lavern, born Nov. 21, 1885, died aged seven years. Mr. Hancock was a self-made man, from boyhood being dependent upon his own resources. At his death he was the owner of 360 acres of land in McHenry County, besides valuable property in Harvard. He died August 4, 1901. The son Raymond G. attended the State University at Lincoln, Neb., graduated from the Nebraska College of Ora- tory and, for a time, was before the public as dramatic reader and impersonator. Having a natural talent for oratory, he won many flat- tering encomiums. He married Miss Antoin- ette Zimmer, of Nebraska City, and was en- gaged in the clothing business at Rockford, 111., until July, 1902, when on account of failing health, he settled on a part of his father's homestead farm. Judson Edwin is a graduate of the agricultural department of the Wis- consin State University and is engaged in farming on the paternal homestead. Adoniram Judson Going, the father of Mrs. Edward Hancock, was born at Rushford, Alle- gany County, N. Y., Nov. 17, 1819, the son of Eliab and Sarah (Freeman) Going. Jonathan Going, the father of Eliab, was a Baptist min- ister in Vermont and a soldier of the Revolu- tion. The son Eliab, born in Vermont, re- moved to New York at an early day, settling in Allegany County; became a Baptist preacher as his father wasi before him. and preached in various counties in Western New York — being the first preacher of his denomination in Alle- gany County as early as 1813. In 1857 he re- moved to Newport, Ky., but four years later, the war having broken out, he came to McHenry County and began preaching at Richmond. In 1864 he went to Warren, 111., to live with his oldest son, Adoniram J., and on March 5, 1868, he and his wife celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. At that time he had not lost a single descendant by death, but a few weeks later his son Adoniram J. died, fol- lowed in September by the death of another son, John, and on Feb. 21, 1869, by that of his wife. Two days later occurred the death of Mr. Going himself, and he and his wife were buried in the same grave. The children of the family were: Adoniram J., Joshua Bradley, Harriet, Catherine, John and Jedediah Freeman. Adoniram J. Going, who was the father of Mrs. Hancock, attended an academy in Alle- gany County, N. Y., and engaged in farming. McHENRY COUN T Y. 833 In the winter of 1841 he came west and began farming and teaching, but finally located at Scales Mound, where he entered 320 acres of land. In 1863 he moved to Warren, Jo Daviess County, becoming the owner of 320 acres of land there, and dying there in 1868. He was a Free-will Baptist and church deacon several years. His children were Zenas H., Harriet O, Jonathan E., Judson F. and Mary C. In politics he was a Republican. Dr. Zenas H. Going, the eldest son of Adoniram J., is a well- known physician of Chicago, while Judson F. is a lawyer in the same city. Rev. Freeman Going, an uncle of Adoniram, was a Baptist minister and Rev. Zenas Freeman was Presi- dent of Hamilton College, N. Y. Dr. Jonathan Going was an early President of Granville Col- lege, Ohio. Mrs. Adoniram J. Going was Mary Ann Clen- dening, born July 19, 1827, in Franklin County, Ohio, the daughter of Jonathan and Caroline (Torrence) Clendening. Her father was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the son of Jonathan Clendening who came from the vicinity of Har- risburg, Pa., and settled at an early day near Columbus, Ohio, where he opened up a farm. His wife was Sarah Inks, daughter of Jack Inks, and their children, John, Jonathan, James, Wil- liam, Eva (who died young) and Sarah. Jona- than Clendening was a Presbyterian, and died in Franklin County, Ohio. Jonathan (2), the father of Mrs. Going, was born in Franklin County, Ohio, received a good education and was a local preacher and teacher. His serv- ices were much in demand for settling up es- tates. He married Caroline Torrence, born in Franklin County, Ohio, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Manley) Torrence, both belonging to Vermont families. Jonathan Clendening was a stone-engraver and afterwards a mer- chant in Ohio, where he lived until 1840, when he removed with his family in a covered wagon to Jo Daviess County, 111., the journey occu- pying four weeks. He first settled near Ga- lena, where he remained five years, after which he moved to Scales Mound, entered 160 acres of land there, but ten years later moved to Warren, Jo Daviess County, where he spent the remainder of his life. His children were: Mary, Thomas, Angeline, James, Manley, John and Harmon. Three of the brothers — Thomas, Manley and Harmon — were Methodist minis ters belonging to the Rock River Conference at the same time. Manley enlisted as a pri- vate soldier in 1861, but was immediately ap- pointed Chaplain of his regiment; later, be- ing honorably discharged, re-enlisted in the Fifteenth Illinois, was commissioned Second Lieutenant, and then promoted over the head of the First Lieutenant to the captaincy of the company. All the sons were engaged in some capacity in the Civil War except Har- mon, who was too young. Mrs. Mary A. Going, the mother of Mrs. Ed- ward Hancock, died at the home of her daugh- ter, in Harvard, McHenry County, Feb. 28, 1903. THE HUNT FAMILY. The Hunt family, who have from pioneer days been reckoned among the prominent and substantial farmers of McHenry County, ac- cording to tradition are of mixed English and Welsh descent. Capt. Ziba Hunt, the first mem- ber of the family in America of whom there is any satisfactory record, was born in Con- necticut, Jan. 4, 1746, and according to the best evidence obtainable, his father came from Eng- land, first settling in Massachusetts, but latei' removed to Groton, Conn., where he lost his life by drowning in consequence of the upset- ting of a boat in Long Island Sound. His widow afterwards married John Partridge, of Connecticut. His son Ziba in early life mar- ried Joanna Blount, the daughter of Ambrose and Jonathan (Clark) Blount, and in 1770 moved with his family to Lebanon, Columbia County, N. Y. He was a tanner and shoemaker by trade, and also served several campaigns in the Revolutionary War, but later became a resi- dent of Northampton, in Fulton County, N. Y., where he died, Sept. 10, 18.20, in the seventy- fifth year of his age. His wife, who was born Sept. 25, 1848, died at Edinburg, N. Y., March 12, 1825, in her seventy-seventh year. They had a family of eight sons and five daughters, viz.: Asa, Tryphena, William, Asa (2), Lem- uel, Sarah, Elijah, Walter, Joanna, Ziba, Jr., Mehitabel and George. All except the oldest lived to years of maturity, and all reared large families, except Ziba, Jr., who was married twice but had no children. Omitting reference to the lateral branches with which this sketch has nothing to do, the next in descent of the 834 McHENRY COUNTY. line to which the immediate subjects of this sketch belong, was George, the youngest of this family, who was born at New Lebanon, N. Y., in 1791, and married Elizabeth Deming, Oct. 15, 1809. In 1836 he moved to Albany. He was a farmer and during the War of 1812 served as captain of a military company; was also a Justice of the Peace of the town of Day., N. Y., for fourteen years, besides filling other offices of trust and responsibility. He was ,an active member and a deacon in the Baptist church, and having a natural aptitude for music, was leader of the church choir and also active in Sunday-school work, establish- ing a number of schools in his own and adjoin- ing districts. He died at Albany, N. Y., Oct. 7, 1876, in his eighty-fifth year. His wife's sister, Susanna, became the wife of George Hunt's brother Walter. Mrs. George Hunt died at Albany, May 9, 1875, in her eighty-third year. Charles Hunt the son of George Hunt, and next in line of descent, was born at Northamp- ton, N. Y., May 26, 1812, and after teaching sev- eral terms, at the age of twenty-one engaged in mercantile business at Day, N. Y. A year later he moved to Orangeville, N. Y., where, Oct. 10, 1834, he married Minerva Middfck, who was born March 22, 1815. In 1837 he moved to Albany, N. Y., and in the summer of 1839 came to Alden, McHenry County, 111., where he en- gaged in farming. Twelve years later (1851), having removed to Big Foot, on the border of Wisconsin, he there resumed the mercantile business. His wife having died here Feb. 13, 1854, on October 9, 1855, he was married to Sarah Porter as his second wife, and soon after moved to Chemung, McHenry County. About eight years later he removed with his family to Berlin, Wis., where he engaged in the boot and shoe trade, finally dying there June 9, 1872. Mr. Hunt's second wife, Sarah Porter, was born Oct. 4, 1819, and died Sept. 10, 1871. Nine children were born of the first marriage, viz.: George W., born at Orangeville, N. Y., July 16, 1835; James M., born at Albany, N. Y., Nov. 21, 1837, died Sept. 9, 1839; Byron E., born at Big Foot, 111., Dec. 24, 1839; Julia E., born at Alden, 111., Dec. 17, 1842, died Jan. 4, 1848; John M., born at Alden, July 17, 1844; Charles E., born at Alden, April 29, 1846; Mat- tie M., born at Alden, September, 1848; Mary D., born at Alden, March 7, 1850, died April 3, 1876; Oliver P., born at Alden, Nov. 18, 1851, died at Big Foot, March 8, 1854; Candace C, born at Big Foot, 111., Jan. 27, 1854, died Sept. 22, 1854. There was one son by the second marriage, Franklin P., who was born at Che- mung, 111., April 24, 1858. George W. Hunt, the eldest son of Charles Hunt, born at Orangeville, Genesee County, N. Y., July 16, 1835, at four years of age came with his parents to McHenry County, 111., was educated at Milton College, and was engaged with his father in the mercantile business at Big Foot, 111., On March 31, 1859, he married Miss Louille M. Parker, of Hebron Township, McHenry County, and soon after began farm- ing on a part of the Parker estate. As a farmer and stock-raiser he proved quite suc- cessful and finally established a business that placed him in the front rank of the stock-rais- ers and farmers of McHenry County. Social, generous and sympathetic in temperament, he was strictly just and upright in all his dealings. As a citizen he was public-spirited and was one of the active promoters of the organization of the McHenry County Agricultural Society and one of the principal exhibitors of fine stock at its annual fairs. He also filled a number of public positions and, at the time of his death, was Justice of the Peace for his town. His death occurred Sept. 9, 1882. Mr. George W. Hunt's children were: Carlton C, born on Oak Grove farm, near Hebron, McHenry Coun- ty, April 23, 1860; George A., born same place, Jan. 4, 1863; Mary D., born same place, Nov. 10, 1865, died near Woodstock, Nov. 21, 1880; Byron E., born on the homestead, Nov. 18, 1867; Libbie E., born same place, Oct. 23, 1870, married Frank M. Barber of Greenwood, and they have two children — George H. and an in- fant unnamed. Carlton C. Hunt, the oldest member of this family, now one of the managers of the "Oak Grove Farm" in Hebron Township, McHenry County, received a good common-school edu- cation, attending the district school during the winter months while assisting his father and receiving his training on the farm in the sum- mer. After his father's death in the fall of 1882, he entered into partnership with his brother George for the continuance of their father's business under the firm name of "Hunt Brothers," and they are now widely known among the leading stock-breeders of McHenry McHENRY COUNTY. 83: County. Carlton C. Hunt was married, March 9, 1895, in McHenry County, to Blanche E. Mer- chant, who was born in Harrison, Winnebago County, 111., May 14, 1878, the. daughter of Alva and Mina (Cunningham) Merchant. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt are the parents of the following named children: Leslie Raymond, born June 9, 1895; Mina Grace, born June 6, 1897; Blanche B., born May 26, 1899; Edith May, born Feb. 14, 1901; George W., born Feb. 18, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt are members of the Methodist church, and in political belief Mr. Hunt is a stanch Republican. He is also a member of Woodstock Lodge, Royal Arch Ma- sons, and of Hebron Lodge, Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows. Practical and energetic in his habits, his success has demonstrated that he has been guided by intelligent meth- ods and up-to-date ideas in his business career. GEORGE A. HUNT, brother of the preceding and member of the firm of Hunt Brothers, was reared on the farm and educated in the public schools. As his father and brother have done before him, he has always taken an active in- terest in matters relating to agriculture, hor- ticulture and stock-raising. For three years (1898-1901) he served as President of the Mc- Henry County Farmers' Institute. In 1890 he was elected a Director of the State Farmers' Institute for the Eighth Congressional Dis- trict, and has twice represented McHenry County with a comprehensive exhibit of the agricultural, horticultural and dairy products of the county, at the Illinois State Fair at Springfield, winning first prize on both occa- sions. He was also the originator of the Farm- ers' Institute educational excursions, combin- ing recreation with instruction, and these have not only proved popular but instructive as well, being attended by the most progressive farmers in McHenry County. The first of these excursions was made to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, in 1901, and the sec- ond to the University of Illinois at Champaign, in 1902. On these occasions the experimental stations, with their different departments, were explained to the visitors -by specialists in charge. Mr. Hunt has written a pamphlet on the resources of McHenry County, which is of value to all seeking information on this sub- ject. At the annual meeting of the McHenry County Agricultural Board, held Dec. 1, 1902, he was elected Secretary of the Society, a po- sition which he now holds. GEORGE H. HARRISON. George H. Harrison, farmer, Ringwood Town- ship, McHenry County, is descended from Eng- lish ancestry for many generations identified with Yorkshire. Robert Harrison, the grand- father of George H., was born in the village of Lorkfleet, Yorkshire, in 1788, in the house which had been the home of his father and his grandfather. He was the oldest son of the family and, according to tradition, was left in comfortable circumstances at his father's death. About 1807 he was married in a church, either at Blackcroft or at Howden, Yorkshire, to Jane Crissey, who was a native of Yorkshire, and they had eleven children, of whom eight lived to years of maturity and came to Amer- ica, where they were prominent and substan- tial citizens. Robert Harrison engaged in the stock business in his native country and was accustomed to exhibit fine stock at the public fairs. In 1844 he came with his wife to Amer- ica, where his three sons had previously set- tled, and about 1857 died at the home of his son Richard, in Greenwood Township, McHenry County, at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife died at the home of her oldest daughter, Mrs. Mary Thompson, aged about eighty-two. In their native country they were both mem- bers of the Church of England. Richard Harrison, the oldest son of Robert, was born April 22, 1808, in the old home at Yorkshire, England, where at least four gen- erations of the family had lived before him. He received a limited education in his native country and followed the life of a farmer. In 1830, at the age of twenty-two years, in com- pany with five other young men as shipmates — two of these being brothers, Nicholas ana James Hewson, besides William Woodall and two others — he came to Canada and settled at By town (now Prescott) on the St. Lawrence River. He was thus the first of his father's family to cross the ocean to the New World. He remained at Bytown about twelve years, being employed in farm-work and, for a time, in the lumber business. In the latter he was greatly trusted by his employers on account of his honesty and good judgment. During a part of this time he was entrusted with the buying of wheat and had charge of an outfit of teams engaged in hauling provisions and other supplies for the use of employes in the lumber camps 170 miles north of Prescott, the 836 McHENRY COUNTY. greater part of this distance being through a wilderness of pine forests. The sleigh-trains traveled from one lake to another until they reached the camp located in a forest of Nor- way pine, which was cut for ship-timber and rafted down the Pistawanee River to Prescott, where it was manufactured into lumber. Mr. Harrison was also employed for a time in the construction of the Welland Canal, and during the Canadian rebellion of 1837 was drafted as a soldier for the defense of the Government. Richard and his brother John were both em- ployed in the construction of steamboats for the British Government, whip-sawing lumber used in building the "Sir Robert Peel," which was captured by the rebels and burned in re- taliation for the destruction of the American steamer "Caroline," which was set on fire and sent over the falls. Richard was in the battle which occurred at the mill where he had been employed, and in which the Government forces were at first repulsed, although they finally succeeded in dispersing the insurgents. In 1842 Richard Harrison came to McHenry County, 111., bringing with him a capital of $500, and soon after purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he erected a log-cabin and put up several stacks of hay cured from the natural prairie grass. He then sent for his wife, Hannah, to whom he had been married in Canada, and she came to McHenry County, bringing with her their two children, Robert and Jane. His wife having died a few years afterwards, in January, 1851, he was married in Greenwood Township to Catherine Dodge, who was born in New York State, May 31, 1819, the daughter of Jonathan and Hannah (Brown) Dodge. Hannah Brown, the mother of Mrs. Harrison, was of Holland-Dutch stock, born in New York in 1778, and died at the Richard Harrison home, April 4, 1869, aged about ninety-three years. Jonathan Dodge, the father, belonged to an old New York State family. The childhood of Catherine Dodge was spent in Sullivan County, N. Y., her home, for a time, being at White Lake. In 1845, in company with her mother, her brother, John Dodge, and her half-brother, L. B. Pratt, late of Greenwood, she came to Illinois, making the journey by way of the lakes to Kenosha, Wis., and arriving at Richmond, McHenry County, on July 3. After her marriage to Mr. Harrison they settled on what is now known as the Har- rison homestead. Their children were- George H., the subject of this sketch, born Oct. 3, 1851, and Hannah L., who became the wife of E. G. Howe. Richard Harrison was a man of sturdy character, and he and his wife in their time were among the substantial citi- zens of McHenry County. He was a Repub- lican in politics and held various local offices, including those of Commissioner of Highways and School Director, filling the former position for nearly twenty years. He lived to the age of seventy-six years, dying Sept. 5, 1884, in the village of Ringwood, where he had resided after retiring from the farm. His wife, who was familiarly known as "Aunt Katie," died at the home of her son, George H., Dec. 7, 1896. She was a member of the Presbyterian church, and one of the most widely known pioneer women of her section. George H. Harrison received his education in the common schools of his locality, and in boyhood began working on the farm. On Jan. 20, 1880, he was married in Mercer County, Mo., to Mary Ellen Brush, who was a native of that county, born March 26, 1862, the daughter of Louis and Harriet L. (Wood) Brush. Mrs. Brush was the daughter of Amos and Millie (Hill) Wood. The Hill, Wood and Brush fam- ilies all came from New York to McHenry County in pioneer days, but later became resi- dents of Missouri. Louis Brush first settled in Hebron Township, where he worked for Robert Stewart seven years; married Harriet L. Wood, the daughter of Amos and Millie Wood, after which he spent some time in Wis- consin and in Fayette County, Iowa, removing thence to Mercer County, Mo., where he bought 200 acres of land, and where he lived until his death. His children were: Millie, Charles F., Milo E., Miary E., Wilbur and Walter. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. George H. Har- rison settled on land belonging to his father, where they lived one year, when they removed to the farm where he now resides, consisting of 240 acres, which his father had bought in 1879. He has made extensive improvements here, building a large barn in 1899, with his substantial frame residence making one of the most pleasant homes in McHenry County. He has also added to his land until he is now the owner of 376 acres. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, namely: Lena H., born Nov. 29, 1881; Raymond R., McHENRY COUNTY. 837 born July 19, 1885; Walter Brush, born Feb. 19, 1887; Grace B., born Dec. 19, 1889; Ed- ward G., born Sept. 28, 1894; Florence C, born July 3, 1897, died May 3, 1899; Lora M., born Nov. 19, 1900. Politically Mr. Harrison is a stanch Republican and, by his successful carer as a practical farmer, has established a reputation as a capable business man of high integrity. CHARLES HARRISON. Charles Harrison (deceased), pioneer settler and respected citizen of McHenry County, was born at Yorkfleet, Yorkshire, England, June 16, 1830, the son of Robert and Jane (Crissey) Harrison. In the summer of 1845, at the age of fifteen years, he came with his father to America, and soon after reaching Chicago, the latter settled with his family in Ringwood Prai- rie, McHenry Township. Here the son at- tended the district school, meanwhile working on the farm, and, while still a young man bought land of his brother John, upon which he built a house and made other Improvements, becoming the owner of a farm of 200 acres. July 1, 1856, he married Mary E. Rockwood, who was born Jan. 19, 1837, in Pittsford, Rutland County, Vt„ the daughter of John and Lucinda (Kimball) Rockwood. After marriage he and his wife lived on his farm for five years, when, in the spring of 1861, he moved to the village of Ringwood, where he engaged in the business of buying and selling stock. A few months later he enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War, in Company H, Eighth Regiment, Illinois Cav- alry, and was mustered in at St. Charles, Kane County, Sept. 18, 1861, soon after receiving his commission as First Lieutenant of his com- pany, dating from time of organization and muster-in of the regiment. The Eighth took part in the Peninsular campaign in the first ad- vance of the Army of the Potomac, under Gen- eral McClellan, against Richmond. Lieuten- ant Harrison was honorably discharged from the service on May 22, 1862, when he returned to his home in McHenry County. He then be- came Station Agent at Ringwood for the Ga- lena & Chicago Union Railroad, now a part of the Chicago & North-Western system, to which was added the position of agent for the Mer- chants' Union Express Company, continuing in this business until his death, which occurred April 25, 1891 — a period of over twenty-five years. Mr. Harrison was a stanch Republican in politics, but in no sense of the term a seeker for office. He was a member of Lodge No. 158, A. F. & A. M., and by his probity of character and sterling habits enjoyed in a high degree the respect of the community. His children were: Clyde R., born April 18, 1858; Lucy Helen, born Oct. 29, 1859, died July 11, 1864; Frank Porter, born Sept. 3, 1861; Phil Sheri- dan, born May 8, 1863; Elon Farnsworth, born Dec. 13, 1870, and Scott Hayes, born Nov. 11, 1874. John Rockwood, the father of Mrs. Harrison, was born at Fitzwilliam, N. H., the son of Sam- uel Rockwood. The family was of New Eng- land and Puritan ancestry, and the son, hav- ing received a common-school education, be- came a wheelwright by trade. He married at Rutland, Vt, Lucinda Kimball, who was a native of that place and of colonial stock. John Rockwood worked at his trade in Pitts- ford for some years, but in 1844 removed to McHenry County, 111., making the journey by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes to Chi- cago, and thence, by the old Wheeling road, to MIcHenry. The roads of those days were ex- ceedingly rough, and travel with vehicles, through sloughs and over corduroy bridges, often difficult. After his arrival in McHenry County, Mr. Rockwood settled one-half mile south of Ringwood, where he bought 400 acres of unimproved land from parties who had en- tered it from the Government. Here he built one of the first houses in that part of the coun- ty, and finally opened up a large farm, becom- ing a well-to-do citizen. He was an old-line Whig and served as the first Overseer of the Poor for his township. He was a member of the Congregational church at Ringwood, of which he was one of the founders, and assisted to build the church edifice of that denomina- tion there. He was twice married; his first wife having died at Pittsford, Vt., left chil- dren named as follows: Clarissa C, Lucretia, Bernard B., John F. and Mary E., besides two who died in infancy. He married as his sec- ond wife Delia Cummings, who bore him chil- dren named Lucy Helen and Emma F. Mr. Rockwood was a reputable citizen. He died Dec. 20', 1874. Phil Sheridan Harrison, son of Charles Har- rison, whose sketch appears above, was born 838 McHENRY COUNTY. in Ringwood, McHenry County, and attended the public school there, after which he took a course in the Commercial College at Aurora, 111., where he graduated in 1883. He then attended the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, Ind., and in 1892 began teaching in the Cole District in Burton Township, Mc- Henry County, remaining two years. His subsequent experience as a teacher has em- braced two years in the Bassett School, Mc- Henry Township, three years at Solon Mills, and, at the present time (1903), he is passing his fifth year in the Greenwood Graded School, where he has one assistant. Mr. Harrison was married at Woodstock, July 5, 1898, to Matie Clark, who was born Oct. 16, 1877, the daugh- ter of Philander W. and Rebecca J. (Mathews) Clark. Mr. Clark (who is now deceased) was a farmer near Woodstock. Mr. and Mrs. Phil S. Harrison have two children: Lucy Helen, born Jan. 15, 1900, and Henry Simpson, born August 11, 1902. Mr. Harrison is a Republican in politics and has won a reputation as a prac- tical educator of decided ability and high char- acter. Clyde R. Harrison, the oldest son of Charles Harrison, married Nellie Durkee, of Lake Ge- neva, Wis., and they have five children: Har- ris D., Charles I., Rose E., Dhu Anna O. and Eleanor L. Frank Porter, another son of Charles Har- rison, married Edith E. Walker, of Davenport. Neb., and they reside in that State. Elon F. married Mae McDonald, and they re- side in Ringwood, McHenry County. They have three children: James Dewey, born April 5, 1898, died March 21, 1899; Leon Kirk, born Dec. 7, 1899, and a daughter, Arlene, born July 26, 1903. Scott Hayes, the younger son, lives at the family home. EDSON G. HOWE. Edson G. Howe, farmer and respected citi- zen, Greenwood Township, McHenry County, is descended from English and colonial New Eng- land ancestry. His father, Warren D. Howe, was born at Danville, Vt., August 9, 1826, re- ceived a common-school education and, dur- ing his life, followed the occupation of a farm- er. He married at Danville, Vt., Amanda Es- tabrook, who was born in 1824. After mar- riage he settled on a farm near Danville, whence some years after he removed to Low- ell, Mass., but remained there only one year, when he returned to his native place. Here he remained until about 1860, when m the fall of that year he removed to McHenry County, 111., and settled in McHenry village. A year later he moved onto a rented farm in Nunda Township, where he spent seven years, then spent one year in Burton Township, finally lo- cating in Greenwood Township, where he lived up to the time of his death, which occurred April 27, 1899. Mrs. Howe died Nov. 28, 1893. In political opinion Mr. Howe was an early Democrat, but later in life co-operated with th-j Republican party. He was also, for a time, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. Mr. and Mrs. Howe were the parents of the following named children: Elmore W., born July 25, 1849; Edson G., born Jan. 18, 1851; Elizabeth S., born Dec. 12, 1853; Ora H., born Dec. 3, 1858; Herbert J., born July 6, 1860; Eugene W., born Jan. 23, 1863; Clara B., born Oct. 17, 1865; Leslie F, born Jan. 17, 1868. Edson G. Howe, the subject of this sketch, was born at his father's Vermont home, near Danville, in that State, which was the birth- place of the five older children. When he was about ten years of age his father removed to McHenry County, as already stated, and here he grew up, receiving a common-school education, and becoming a farmer, as his fa- ther was before him. For some eight years he was employed at farm work by the month. On Jan. 15, 1879, he was married in Greenwood Township, to Hannah L. Harrison, who was- born on the Harrison homestead, Jan. 19, 1853. the daughter of Richard and Catherine (Dodge) Harrison. After marriage Mr. Howe settled on a rented farm in Dorr Township, remaining one year, when he returned to Greenwood Township, and a year later located on the Harrison homestead, consisting of 280 acres handsomely situated in Greenwood Township. This farm he managed as a tenant until the death of Mr. Harrison, when it descended by inheritance to the daughter of the latter, Mrs. Howe. Mr. and Mrs. Howe are the parents of three children: Edson Leroy, born August 5, 1882; John Ora, born March 19, 1885, and Floy Elan, born May 16, 1889, all of whom have re- ceived good common-school educations, and McHENRY COUNTY. 839 still reside with their parents. Mrs. Howe died Jan. 23, 1894, aged forty years and four days. She was a woman of many virtues. (For sketches of Mrs. Howe's parents, Richard and Catherine (Dodge) Harrison, see sketch of their son, George Harrison, elsewhere in this volume.) In political opinions Mr. Howe is a Repub- lican, and has always taken a deep interest in questions of local and public importance. For ten years past he has been a School Director in his district. A man of industrious habits and high character, he enjoys an excellent reputa- tion in the community in which he resides. FRED ELLIOT HOLMES. Fred Elliot Holmes, newspaper editor and proprietor, Richmond, McHenry County, is a descendant of New England Puritan stock. His father, Charles Henry Holmes, was born on the Island of Nantucket, July 18, 1827, re- ceived a common-school education and, while still young, began working in a cotton-mill, an occupation which he pursued through life. He was twice married, by the first union hav- ing one daughter, named Ellen M. He mar- ried as his second wife, in Boston, Mass., June 5, 1860, Emma Twitchell, who was born in Dublin, N. H., Jan. 11, 1834, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Greenwood) Twitchell. Her fa- ther was a son of Joshua Twitchell, who was born in Sherborn, Mass., March 4, 1753, and married Sarah Cozzens, born August 12, 1757 They settled at Dublin, N. H., where Joshua Twitchell died in 1829. Their children were: Abijah, Sallie, Joshua, Ebenezer, Joseph and Timothy. Joseph Twitchell, of this family, was born in Dublin, N. H., Sept. 16, 1786, be- came a farmer, and married, Dec. 22, 1814, Hannah Greenwood, born July 1, 1791, the daughter of Joshua Greenwood. Their chil- dren were: Rufus (died in infancy), Horace, Julia, Elliot, Rufus (2), Lewis, Sarah, Sidney and Emma. After marriage Charles H. Holmes, the father of Fred Elliot, went to Canton, Mass., where he worked in a cotton-mill for a time, but soon after removed to Milford, N. H., where he became overseer of a department in a mill there. While absent from home he was overtaken by death, May 29, 1874, at the age of forty-seven years. He was a Democrat po- litically, of industrious habits and of straight- forward character. Charles H. Holmes left one son, Fred Elliot, the subject of this sketch, who was born in Milford, N. H., Feb. 18, 1863, and graduated from the Milford High School at the age of sixteen years. He then went to Plymouth, Mass., where he was employed as bookkeeper in a large shoe factory belonging to a Boston firm. Here he remained until 1881, when he came to McHenry County, 111., and rented a farm near Ringwood, which he operated for three years. He then rented a farm in the east part of Richmond Township, upon which he remained five years. In 1889 he bought of Frank Carr a half-interest in the "Richmond Gazette," the remaining half-interest, belong- ing to Mr. Carr, being purchased a year later by Mr. P. K. Wright— the firm now being Holmes & Wright. Mr. Holmes is an able writer and capable editor, and the "Gazette" under his management is one of the most suc- cessfully managed newspapers in McHenry County. Nov. 2, 1893, Mr. Holmes was mar- ried to Alvena Mary Alfs, born in Richmond, McHenry County, Jan. 17, 1868, the daughter of George W. and Gertrude (Lehrmann) Alfs. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes have two children: Ella May and Emma G. Mr. Holmes is held in high esteem in the community, has filled the office of Town Clerk for the past five years, has served as President of the Village Board of Trustees and, in 1901, was a member of the McHenry County Board of Review. He also served one year as Vice-President of the Illi- nois State Press Association. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order and a Past Master of Richmond Lodge, is a member of the Eastern Star and of the Modern Wood- men of America. He is a gentleman of un- doubted integrity, of genial manners and of much personal popularity. George W. Alfs, the father of Mrs. Holmes, was born Dec. 11, 1839, at Westphalia, Ger- many, in 1845, came with his parents to the United States and settled at Wheatland, Ke- nosha County, Wis. November 21, 1865, he mar- ried at Rockford, 111., Gertrude Lehrmann, came to Richmond, McHenry County, in 1867, and, in May, 1869, started in the shoe business at the location and in the same building which he has occupied for thirty-three years. His father died in 1856, and his mother in 1891. In poli- 840 McHENRY COUNTY. tics he is a Republican, and a reliable business man. Mrs. George W. Alfs was born in West- phalia, Germany, Feb. 4, 1845, and came to the United States in 1852 with her parents, who settled at Kenosha, Wis. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Lehrmann, are both living at New Munster, Wis. Mr. and Mrs. George W. Alfs have had two children: Alvena Mary, now Mrs. Fred E. Holmes, and Annie G., who is deceased. CHARLES A. HERRINGTON. The Herringtons — or Harringtons, as the name was originally and is still spelled by the most numerous branch of the family — are of regular English descent. The christian name of the founder of the American branch of the family is unknown at the present time, but according to tradition, he left Exeter, England, with his wife and one son, named Job, some time dur- ing the reign of Charles I. on account of the religious persecution prevailing at that period. Sir James Harrington, who was an officer of the King and a brother of the original emi- grant of that name, assisted the latter, in com- pany with a party of Puritans, to escape to America, by aiding them to fit out a vessel and seeing that it got safely to sea. Their point of embarkation is now unknown, but is believed to have been other than a regular port, in order that the Puritan passengers might avoid being detained by the royal authorities. The story is that the voyage was a stormy one, head- winds preventing the vessel from entering Bos- ton harbor for some time, during which the original emigrant of this branch of the Har- rington family lost his life by drowning in the harbor. The son Job, already mentioned, then be- came the first male member of the family to land on American soil and the head of the family from which the subject of this sketch traces his line of descent. Being but a boy when he landed at Boston, he was taken in charge by an uncle, of whose history nothing is known except some facts connected with the treatment of his youthful relative, which had an important influence upon the future of the latter. It was when young Harrington was about sixteen years old that the excitement growing out of the opposition of Roger Wil- liams to the system of New England theocracy and his final banishment, which resulted in the establishment of the independent colony of Rhode Island, was at its height. Being a diligent reader of the Bible and of an inde- pendent temperament, he came into full sym- pathy with the more liberal views of Williams and his associates. The uncle, who was a stern Puritan, finding his nephew one day read- ing the Bible in the field when he thought he should have been at work, reprimanded him severely, remarking, "You should not waste your time reading the Bible; the minister will read it for you and explain it as well," adding, "you cannot understand it yourself." Then, having forbidden him to read it any more, he added a warning not to go to hear those Bap- tist preachers any more, declaring he would whip him if he did. The youthful Puritan, feel- ing that he had come to America for the privi- lege of worshiping God according to the dic- tates of his own conscience, thought it unjust to be denied the right which other Puritans claimed for themselves. So he continued to attend the meetings in spite of the threatened punishment, which he finally received on his bared back. Then, having gathered together his best personal effects in a handkerchief, he started alone, without fire-arms or provis- ions, to make the journey through a savage and trackless wilderness to the infant settle- ment of Roger Williams at Providence, R. I., then called the "Providence Plantations." For a part of the way he followed blazed trails, living on berries and such other products of the forest as he could find, until finally, foot- sore, weary and almost famished, having found himself in a road, he was overtaken by a Quaker named Wheeden who, with his family in a covered cart drawn by oxen, was traveling in the same direction and with the same pur- pose — the enjoyment of religious freedom. The kind-hearted Quaker resigned his place in the cart to the exhausted boy, who, when suffi- ciently recovered, told his story. The jour- ney to Providence was completed by the little party, where they met a hearty welcome and ever after made their homes. After living with the Wheedens for some years, the exiled boy in due time married the oldest daughter of his benefactor, whom he had met for the first time in the ox-cart when rescued from ■starvation and death in the wilderness. This is the romance of the story. The practical Ol/u^**p4£+%>t_ eJ6y ^ s-^ McHENRY COUNTY. 841 part is, that Job Harrington was twice mar- ried. By his first wife (Miss Wheeden) he had fourteen children, and by his second (who was a Miss Anna Spenser) five more — making a total of nineteen children. Some of the chil- dren of the first wife whose names are remem- bered were: Benjamin, Job, Ebenezer, "Wil- liam and John, and some of those by the sec- ond, Anna, Eilzabeth, Henry and Christopher. William Harrington, a descendant of this family, born about the middle of the eighteenth century, was married at Richmond, R. I.;, Oct. 10, 1771, to Sarah Baker, and they had children born as follows: William, March 15, 1772; Benjamin, Oct. 4, 1773; John H., August 19, 1775; Ezekiel, July 23, 1777; Stephen, May 18, 1779; Mary, March 12, 1781; Ann, Feb. 27, 1783. There seems to have been another son belonging to this family, as in the record of a real-estate transaction the name of Charles Harrington appears on the quit-claim deed of a tract of land which belonged to the estate of his father, William Harrington. William Har- rington, Sr., was a soldier of the Revolution and a militiaman of Newport, his residence being at Exeter, R. I. John H. Harrington, next in line in this branch of the family, was born August 19, 1775, and died Feb. 28, 1864, aged nearly eighty-nine years. He was the first to write the family name "Herrington," as it is now written by his descendants. In his early youth he moved from South Kingston, R. I., with his older brother, Benjamin, who settled in the town of Hoosick, Washington County, N. Y. At eigh- teen years of age John settled in Union Vil- lage (now Greenwich), N. Y., where he worked at his trade as a tailor for more than forty years. Finally purchasing a farm a mile from the village, he engaged in farming. He mar- ried Hannah Bentley, born in the State of New York, May 3, 1783, and their children were Lytle, born Nov. 20, 1804, died Dec. 13, 1834 John, born Jan. 21, 1807, died July 4, 1882 Eliza, born Oct. 3, 1808, died Sept. 15, 1858 Sarah, born Dec. 2, 1810, died Dec. 31, 1837 Bentley, born August 15, 1813, died 1882; Mary, born Oct. 27, 1816, died 1883; Ezekiel, born June 27, 1819; William Cole, born Feb. 26, 1822, died May 4, 1888. Mrs. Hannah (Bent- ley) Herrington, the mother of this family, died March 24, 1844. Her father, Elisha Bent- ley, died Feb. 26, 1795, in the sixty-eighth year of his age, and her mother — who, after the death of Mr. Bentley, became the consort of Daniel Rose — died Oct. 30, 1828, in her eighti- eth year. William C. Herrington, the youngest son of John H. Herrington and father of Charles A. Herrington of McHenry County, was born on the date already mentioned, at Greenwich, Washington County, N. Y., and received a good education in the public schools and academies of that locality, the late President Chester A. Arthur being one of his school- mates. On August 31, 1852, he was married to Mary H. Tanner, who was born in the town of Greenwich, N. Y., July 11, 1830. After mar- riage he and his wife lived for several years on the premises which had been occupied by his father's family, but later removed to the Tan- ner homestead, where, for two years, he man- aged the farm which had belonged to his wife's father, Mr. Tanner. In May, 1858, he removed to Greenwood, McHenry County, 111., where he bought a farm of 100 acres. For the first win- ter after coming to McHenry County he taught a select school, after which he engaged in farming, finally increasing the size of his farm to 175 acres located west of Greenwood. In politics Mr. Herrington was originally an old line Whig, but later became a "Republican and was an ardent supporter of Abraham Lin- coln in his opposition to the extension of slav- ery and his war policy during the Rebellion. In religious belief he and his wife were Bap- tists, and at the time of his death members of the Baptist church at Richmond, McHenry County. He was an extensive reader of good literature, especially works of a historical and religious character, in which he was well versed. Intelligent and possessing a reputa- tion for high moral character, he enjoyed the confidence and respect of the community in which he resided. Mr. and Mrs. Herrington were the parents ot six children: Urlaville, born May 23, 1853, died in infancy; Charles A., born August 15, 1855; Dexter E., born June 9, 1859; Sarah E., born June 6, 1864; Emily M., born March 16, 1870, and Mary T. — the two older born at Easton, N. Y., and the others at Greenwood, 111. Mr. Herrington died May 4, 1888, but Mrs. Her- rington still survives in the enjoyment of a rare degree of physical and mental energy. After the death of her husband she spent six 842 McHENRY COUNTY. years on the home farm, but has since resided with her children. An affectionate wife and useful helpmate of her late husband, she has ever proved herself a loving and devoted mother to her children. Miss Mary T. Her- rington, the youngest daughter of Mrs. Her- riugton, has had considerable- experience as a teacher, but at present is a student in the Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, N. Y. Mrs. Herrington's father was William Stew- art Tanner, son of John and Lydia (Stewart) Tanner, who was born at Greenwich, N. Y., Oct. 27, 1802, and died at Andover, Mass., April 25, 1875. He was twice married; first, at Lake, Washington County, N. Y., to Harriet Carter of Washington County, N. Y., and the second time on March 27, 1836, at the same place to Julia Ann (Green) Wilbur, daughter of Joseph and Eliza (Clark) Green. Mrs. Julia Ann Tanner was born at Providence, R. I., Feb. 2, 1812, and died at Jersey City Heights, Nov. 3, 1880. Harriet (Carter) Tanner, mother of Mrs. William C. Herrington, died August 9, 1830, aged twenty-one years and three months, a year after her marriage. The children of William Stewart Tanner and his second wife were: John Francis, born at Lake, Washing- ton County, N. Y., March 27, 1837; Emily Mar- tin, born March 23, 1839, and William Green, born Feb. 23, 1842. CHARLES A. HERRINGTON, the son of Wil- liam Cole Herrington and patron of this work, was born at Easton, Washington County, N. Y., August 15, 1855, and at three years of age was brought by his parents to McHenry County, 111.. as described in the preceding pages. After coming to Illinois he was reared on a farm, receiving his education in the public schools of Greenwood. His life-work has been that of a farmer, in which he has been eminently suc- cessful. On Dec. 31, 1892, Mr. Herrington was married to Julia May Parker, the only daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. James F. Parker. Mrs. Herrington received her education in the Woodstock High School, from which she grad- uated in June, 1883. Since his marriage Mr. Herrington has re- sided on the Parker homestead and has been the manager of the extensive farm of his father-in-law, consisting of several hundred acres. While thus employed he has given evi- dence at once of his skill as a practical farmer as well as his ability as a business man. Mr. Herrington is, withal, a man of much kindliness of character and manages his employes with- out friction and in such a way as to secure the most satisfactory results for both employer and employed. He has held the office of Tax Collector of Greenwood Township, and is held in high esteem as an exemplary citizen, as well as a public-spirited and useful member of the community. THE JOSLYN FAMILY ORIGIN. The Josyln family is a very old one. Its history reaches back, even beyond the time of the Emperor Charlemagne, whose daughter married Count Joceline. One of the descend- ants of this union was Sir Gilbert Jocelyne. who accompanied William, Duke of Normandy, in his expedition for the conquest of England in 1066, and became the founder of the Joslin family in England. He received from William I. extensive territorial grants in the county of Lincoln, among which were the lordships of Sempringham and Tyrington. His son Gilbert devoted himself to a religious life and founded the order called Gilbertines, and was canonized a Saint by Pope Innocent III. in 1202. The younger son, Thomas, married Maude, daughter and coheiress of John Hyde, of Hyde Hall, and granddaughter of Baron Sudeley, by which marriage the family obtained that estate which has ever since remained in its possess- ion. One of his descendants married Anne, the heiress of the Percys, and became Duke of Northumberland. Another was a signer of the "Magna Charta." Another is the present Earl of Roden; others have been Bishops and Lord Mayors, etc. Another of his descendants was Thomas Josseline, who was the founder of the family in America. He came over in the ship "In- crease" in 1635, and landed in Hingham, Mass., with his wife, Rebecca, a son Nathaniel, and four daughters, Rebecca, Dorothy, Eliza and Mary. Later an older son, Abraham, who had been left at school, joined the family ana they removed to Lancaster, of which they were among the original proprietors and inhabitants. These sons, Abraham and Nathaniel, are doubtless the two brothers mentioned in all traditions, which claim that "two brothers came from England," and that all Joslins are descended from them. -$4U*,(2;M -? '%*>■ &***&. C$. MLz^cy^iZZ/. McHENRY COUNTY. 843 Thomas Joslin died in Lancaster in 1660. Abraham was a mariner, and was lost at sea in 1670. Nathaniel died in Marlboro in 1694. Lindsey Joslyn, — or Josselyn, as he spelled the name — is the first of whom we have any account in this direct branch of the family. He undoubtedly descended from Thomas Josselin, the founder of the family in America, who came over in the ship "Increase" in 1635. Lindsey Joslyn was born August 12, 1749 in the eastern part of Massachusetts. When he was five years of age, his parents, with their children, Samuel, Jabez, Lindsey, Sarah and Joseph, moved to Sheffield, Mass. The Joslyns were mostly iron-mongers. Samuel and Lindsey were iron-bloomers, and soon after the close of the War of the Revolution, went to Poultney, Vt. Lindsey Joslyn married for his first wife Susan Welch in the year 1773, by whom he had six children: Jabez, Abi, Sarah, Lindsey, Alvin and Susan The first three were born in Sheffield, Mass., and the last three at Poultney. Lindsey Joslyn was a soldier in the Revolutionary W T ar, being frequently called out, and he assisted in the capture of Burgoyne at Saratoga, N. Y., in 1777. His first wife, Susan, died in 1795, leaving besides her other children, an infant daughter named Susan. He married in 1797 the widow of Daniel Rich- ards, by whom he had two children, Joseph and Lucy. Lindsey Josyln, Jr., son of the above, was born Feb. 26, 1786, in Poultney. He married Polly Wait, of Granville, N. Y., and, about the year 1814, went to Cayuga County, N. Y., then a very thinly settled region where he engaged very extensively in business. He accumulated a handsome property, but by becoming surety for other parties, lost a large amount. He then removed with his family to McHenry County, 111. Philip M. Huffman, an aged and respected citizen of Nunda, 111., and who, as a strong, hardy boy of seventeen, was with the party, thus tells the story of the almost forgotten journey: The Joslyn and Huffman families were in the same party. They left Nunda, Allegany County, N. Y., in Nov. 1837, and went by wagon to Buffalo, N. Y. Here they shipped their horses, wagons and a few household goods, and went by steamer to Detroit, Mich. Thence they traveled to McHenry County with their horses and wagons.. The country through which they traveled was almost an entire wilderness, the settlements being few and far between. The boys walked and greatly enjoyed the journey, as they could easily keep up with the teams. They were hardy, vigorous pioneer boys, expert in all out-of-door sports. Philip Huffman, as well as others of the party, was an expert wrestler, and as they passed through the pioneer villages, they had many skirmishes and fights with the boys, and usu- ally came off victorious. There were four Joslyn boys along with their parents. They were Merritt, Edward, Daniel and Adoniram^ Judge M. L. Joslyn, now of Woodstock, al- ways took an active hand in these encounters. The Joslyns settled about one and a half miles southeast of Crystal Lake and about half a mile east of the Huffmans, on new land. The Joslyns were well known, friendly and hospit- able, the pioneer families frequently visiting back and forth. Lindsey Joslyn was a leading man in the community and died in Elgin, 111., Oct. 10, 1863, aged over seventy-seven years. His sons were men of ability and made their mark as professional and business men. There was one clergyman, three lawyers and one physician. One of them, Col. Edward Swaine Joslyn, was one of the most prominent and eloquent lawyers in Northern Illinois. His gift of language, his magnificent voice and magnetic manner gave him almost a magical power over a jury. He was Lieutenant-Colonel of the Thirty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, and participated in the battle of Pea Ridge and other important engagements. He possessed many traits necessary to a soldier and was a great favorite with the rank and file. In early times, he was an active supporter of the proposition to pay all expenses connect- ed with the public schools by general taxation, and encountered bitter opposition. Col. Joslyn always referred to this struggle as the greatest in which he ever took part. The old Joslyn family was remarkable in many ways. HON. MERRITT L. JOSLYN. A pioneer, and for many years one of the foremost lawyers and public men of Northern Illinois, the gentleman whose name heads this article, is renowned throughout the county for 844 McHENRY COUNTY. his rugged independence of character, his stanch integrity and his natural eloquence. He is a native of Livingston County, N. Y., where he was born Sept. 10, 1825. When a boy of ten years of age, he walked beside his father's wagon with his brothers, who came as pioneers to the then new settlement near Crystal Lake, 111. Like many of the younger pioneers of the State, he assisted his father to improve the farm, and gained that practical education in farm-work and in the early schools which many of the most distinguished states- men of that day acquired. He early began the study of law, and soon the practice of his pro- fession at Woodstock, the county-seat, and when the Civil War broke out, had acquired a reputation for ability and eloquence at the bar, had been elected Mayor of his town and gain- ed a marked influence as a politician, and was chosen a Presidential Elector on the Buchanaa ticket in 1856. While Mayor of the town he took a leading part in the organization of the Woodstock Rifles, and was unanimously elect- ed captain. The old muster-roll, now before the writer, shows that William H. Stewart was First Lieutenant and O. S. Johnson, Second Lieutenant, and among the privates were Ira Slocum, Alvin Bunker, J. S. Medler and many other well-known citizens. The Woodstock Rifles, which was the second company to leave town for the Civil War, was enrolled as Company H, Thirty-sixth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry. In the war Captain Joslyn did faithful and gallant service. He was in the hard fought battle of Pea Ridge, in which he commanded his company in a gallant charge. The report of Col. N. Greusel, who acted as Brigadier General during the battle, spea'ks of "the brilliant charge made by companies H and K, under the commands of Merritt L. Joslyn and J. Q. Adams, which "drove a large force of the enemy like chaff before the wind." An- other writer says: "On the top of the hill were posted several regiments of rebels, and our guns were now all engaged in shelling the bluff. Companies H and K were sent for- ward to dislodge the rebels. Here was the hottest of the fight. Company B and part of Company K fell back, while Company H and the rest of K stormed the bluff, and the battle was over." In this short but terrible fight, five men fell. Orrin Pickett, since dead; C. M. Kimplin, shot in the neck; Alvin Bunker, shot in the leg; Charles Owles, shot in the foot, and Jackson Conner, shot in the shoulder by a shell. "It was at the battle of Pea Ridge Capt. Joslyn was ordered to march with the companies under his command, scale a certain point and attack the- rebel sharp-shooters, who were picking off our men as fast as they appeared. They charged as ordered, but on arrival at the base of the hill, found it a perpendicular rock and the ascent, as ordered, absolutely impossible. For a moment their commander was baffled, but noting the dense woods on either side, he ordered his men to run from tree to tree and endeavor to surround the enemy. In the mean- time the order came from headquarters to re- treat, but this young captain knew no such word as fail. At the risk of disobeying orders, he pushed on. The rebels, becoming alarmed at this flank movement, fled m confusion; and, to the astonishment of everybody, the stars and stripes were unfurled from the spot that had but just now hurled death and dismay. Captain Joslyn was publicly complimented by General Sigel; a resolution recommending his promo- tion was forwarded to Governor Yates, and he who went into the war a Democrat came out a Republican." Entering the service almost among the first to respond to the call for troops in 1861, he served in that gallant regiment, the Thirty- sixth Illinois, and was popular as an officer, serving until his health was broken and he could remain no longer. Then he received an honorable discharge. Returning from the war he was elected to the Twenty-fourth General Assembly from McHenry County. Later he served as Senator during the sessions of the Thirtieth and Thirty-first General Assemblies (1876-80.) Senator Joslyn was in more than one respect one of the most influential and conspicuous members of the Senate during his term of service. He was aggressive, irrepress- ible—the facetious, ironical, vigilant "watch dog of the Senate" on the Republican side. Nothing of a dangerous or doubtful character in the way of legislation escaped his unfail- ing vigilance, or his brilliant humor and wither- ing sarcasm by way of condemnation. The following extracts are from contemporaneous newspapers : ^-^^ HNIVI McHENRY COUNTY. 8U "His affection, eloquence and wit are wonder- ful and inspiring. No matter how drowsy or apathetic the grave Senators may have been over monotonous legislation, or after sumptu- ous dinners, when Senator Joslyn takes the floor, in support or in denunciation of any measure whatever, immediately the body be- comes all animation, and the most rapt at- tention was bestowed upon him. In addition to these brilliant faculties, he is one of the most industrious Senators in pushing needful legislation, both in committee and on the floor of the Senate. He is a very active and useful member of the following committees : Judiciary, Municipalities, Federal Relations and Elec- tions; and has already offered the following bills for enactment: 'To regulate the practice of medicine and surgery;' 'To amend the law relating to Railroad Commissioners,' and 'To abolish the Board of State House Commis- sioners, and transfer their duties to the Sec- retary of State.' His speeches thus far, on the more important acts of pending legislation, were remarkable for their logic, force and ef- fectiveness. He represents his constituents and the State well and ably, and need have no fear of his record thus far before the people. "When he introduced the bill providing for the doing away of the pernicious legislative pass, it was supposed that the Senator lacked earnestness and simplicity, and had a purpose in view. This annoyed Joslyn, and he de- nounced the insinuation as wicked. Said he, 'My purpose is to provide for short legislative sessions.' 'Free passes,' he said, 'prolong them.' His bill provided that members of tbe General Assembly, be fined $500 and their seats be vacated, should they be found guilty of accepting any such favors. "Senator Joslyn proposes to place the mat- ter of railroad supervision in the hands of State officers, who are the elected and necessary servants of the people, as well as men of character and standing. This course, If adopted, will save $10,000 per annum to the people of the State, and insure a more efficient and honest discharge of the trusts confided to the care of our Railroad and Warehouse Com- missioners. "Another matter which we have observed Mr. Joslyn has taken hold of in earnest, is the rascality practiced by the Union Stock Yards Company, of Chicago." The above represents but a tithe of the re- form measures introduced and strenuously advocated by Senator Joslyn. He was untiring while a member of the Senate, in his fearless advocacy of any measure that he believed to be right. He is described at this period of his life as follows: "In appearance Senator Joslyn is a little above the medium height, portly and commanding, with dark hair and complexion and full, dark whiskers." Judge Joslyn served his party with so much effectiveness and distinction that he became a recognized leader. He was a strong personal friend and partisan of John A. Logan, and supported him with great force for the United States Senate. In 1882 he was appointed by President Chester A. Arthur as Assistant- Secretary of the Interior. His course in this important office is best illustrated from the Washington and other leading newspapers of the country: "Assistant Secretary Mr. Joslyn has the rep- utation of having mastered the details of a great department quicker than any other man on record. Very soon after he came Into the department he had the responsibility of the whole thing thrust upon him by Secretary Teller's absence from the city, and he was able to manage things without depending entirely for his judgment, as well as his information, upon the clerks and bureau chiefs." One of his most conspicuous services, while acting as Assistant-Secretary of the Interior, was his course in regard to the pensions of old soldiers. He was known as the soldier's friend. "To acting Secretary Joslyn belongs the honor of having broken through tne shallow crust of artifice, and brought to the surface the vital elements of equity and justice in the pension law, as it stands today; and our ex- soldiers, we are sure, will not be lacking in the respect and gratitude which should be meted out to him." The following cases are in point: "Captain Hargrave, while on his way in an ambulance to a reception given to Gen. Stone- man on July 4, 1865, was thrown out of the vehicle and down an embankment and severely injured. Mr. Joslyn decided that he was in the line of duty at the time of the accident, and that, being a staff officer, he was always on duty. The Assistant Secretary rules that every soldier, whether officer or private, who engages in recreation, joins social gatherings religious meetings, or any innocent amusement, and is going to or from them with the assent of his superior officer, does not thereby place himself outside of the line of duty. "A case has just come before Mr. Joslyn in which a soldier had been wounded at Fair Oaks and sent to a field hospital. The records show nothing further. The man's death was not proven, and, under the rules of the depart- ment which had been in force twenty-one years, his widow could get no pension. When Mr. Joslyn's attention was called to the mat- ter, he said promptly, that the existing rules were all wrong. When a man had ceased to be heard from for seven years, the common 84 G McHENRY COUNTY. law presumed him to be dead. It proceeded to administer on his estate as though he were dead, and, if it could do that, it ought to grant a pension to his family; therefore, the old rule was reversed and a pension was ordered issued, from the date, seventeen years ago, when he was last heard of as a patient in the hospital. "The old ruling had, until this time, worked incalculable wrong. It withheld pensions from the widows and orphans of nearly all Union soldiers who died in rebel prisons; for, in most cases, these unfortunates were buried without any record. That the widows and children ot deceased Union soldiers who had died in prison could be deprived of pensions, because the Winders and the Wirtzes did not keep a com- plete record of their own atrocities, was too glaring an injustice to be maintained." Here is an important case of apparent deser- tion: "In this case, says Assistant Secretary Jos- lyn, it appears that the soldier was granted permission by his superior officer, to go to his home for the purpose of seeing his wife who was very ill. After his arrival at home his wife died and immediately after her death, and before her burial, the soldier started on his way back, was captured by the enemy and taken to Andersonville prison wrere he died ax the expiration of his furlough he was en- tered upon the government records as a de- serter. The evidence shows that he was not a deserter, and therefore was in a line of duty, and his family is entitled to a pension." These are a few of the many instances in which Assistant Secretary Joslyn showed hard common sense and good judgment, tempered by the natural kindliness of his hear". On the Indian question he pursued a like broad and liberal course. "You can't," says he, "defeat the progress of nature. There are certain laws of civilization which have held good in all time, and chief among these is, that work is the only great influence that changes men from the savage to the citizen. As long as the Indian has a Winchester rifle, and is allowed to roam at his will over vast tracts of land, he will shoot an Indian of another tribe or a white man on the least provocation. The tribal relation must be abolished. Let each man have a por- tion of land, a stock of sheep and cattle, and tell him he must make enough out of them to live, and he will attend to them and grow better, year by year. In those cases where we have given the Indians stock they have made good breeders and have acquired large amounts. The Indians in the Indian Territory hold lands in severalty, and have many brignt and intelligent men among them. The Indians of Wisconsin are of a like nature and are fitted to become citizens. This system of giv- ing them a theological education, and then putting guns in their hands, is all wrong. It has been a failure throughout, and millions of money has been wasted in putting up build- ings and sending out teacher and scientific libraries. It is all wrong. First teach them to work; give them a short practical educa- tion if they want it, but let them learn in the fields. There are millions of acres of good land lying idle over which they roam and on which there is little game. Give them stock and teach them to put their land to some use. Pay them for the rest of it that they can not use, and let good white men cultivate it." Perhaps the most important decision of Act- ing-Secretary Joslyn, and of the most far-reach- ing benefit to the soldier, is tne following: "SOLDIERS' OATHS IN PENSION CASES. — Acting Secretary of the Interior Joslyn has rendered a decision of great interest to pen- sioners namely: That the evidence of the ap- plicant may be received in certain contingen- cies as complete proof. For the case in which the decision was made, Secretary Joslyn ruled that, as the Government had accepted the soldier, it could not afterwards raise the pre- sumption that he was disabled previous to en- listment, and that his own evidence must he received as to his being injured while in the service." Returning to his home at Woodstock after his term of service in the Interior Department, Judge Joslyn resumed the practice of his pro- fession, also discharging the duties of Master in Chancery for a time. He is now retired from active practice, however, and in his advanced years enjoys the respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens. Judge M. L. Joslyn and his wife, Mary R. Joslyn. are the parents of the following named children: David Robinson, born Sept. 1, 1866; Julia Catherine, born Jan. 28, 1868, died March 4, 1868; Katie Maria, born May 20, 1870, died Sept. 8, 1872; Marcellus L., born Feb. 6, 1873. MRS. MARY R. JOSLYN.— This cultured lady was born in Pawlet, Vt., and received her excellent education in Mrs. Emma Hart Will- ard's celebrated school for young women. Mrs. Willard was then in her old age, but the school was still conducted under her able supervision. She was a famous educator and established the pioneer school of the world for the higher and exclusive education of women in 1818. She also wrote many text-books which were translated into foreign languages. Many young I'VU/wi KirUw>(mC^jLvv UH1V1 ittOlS. McHENRY COUNTY. 847 women of the best American families were edu- cated by this able teacher. Mrs. Willard was a master of the English language, of classical elegance, and her pupils acquired an accuracy and finish in their native tongue which has ra.rely been attained in our later collegiate institutions. Here Mrs. Joslyn laid the founda- tion of her excellence in literature and her love of letters, which has been a prominent feature in her life and a powerful stimulant to her natural attainments. After completing her education, she returned to her home at Pawlet, where she was married to M. L. Joslyn, of Woodstock, 111., in 1862, and immediately came to Woodstock, where they have since lived. Mrs. Joslyn, from the beginning of her residence here, took an active interest in literary matters in the higher culture. She was one of the founders and lead- ing members of the Woodstock Literary Soci- ety, which, in its zenith, had neariy one hundred members of the best people of tne town. Many of those who had the advantage of this local Symposium are still living in Woodstock — among them Mr. E. E. Richards, J. C. Choat, James Casey, Esq., and others whose faces yet light up with pleasure as they recall the liter- ary feasts of this society. The musical, as well as the literary abilities of the people, were stimulated and developed by this society, and nothing in more recent years has arisen to take its place. Mrs. Joslyn is a pen-woman of easy and graceful style, with a delicacy of sentiment and daintiness of fancy that finds its best objects in Nature's handiworks. She was one of the organizers of the Chautauqua Circle of Woodstock, still taking an active interest in its work, and is always happiest when work- ing along literary lines. She has made Wood- stock her home for many years, and scores of the best people know and love her for her graceful attentions and kindly acts. In recent years she has passed much of her time in Southern California, the land of flowers and sunshine. From the "Santa Monica Outlook," we clip an extract from a little poem which she wrote to please her friends of the "Ladies" Afternoon Club." Violets. Dear little violet, lift your head And your sweet eyes of blue; If I had only two loaves of bread, I would give one to you. I kneel at your lowly feet and read This lesson, most complete; To be a friend, like violets, We must be true and sweet. Oh, human friend, you will not learn The soul must needs be fed, And more are starving for a flower Than for a loaf of bread? From out my store of two, I said, I'd give one loaf for you; O violet! I'd give them both For one so sweet and true. The following selection is from a poem read at the W. C. T. U. meeting in Woodstock Methodist church, in 1889: So, like a friend, have come again Summer and fragrant flowers, With roses for our waiting hands, And for our hearts the showers. And like a story, sweet and old, Told o'er and o'er again, The shining days repeat themselves O'er meadow, hill and plain. But in this changing world of ours, The seasons come and go; The blossom and the scarlet leaf, And then the frost and snow. One round of seasons, and this life Is ended here below; A bud, a flower, a withered leaf — And then the drifted snow. Some only catch a glimpse of May, And others stay till June; But few there be who linger on To see the harvest moon. These stanzas are from a dainty little poem entitled: — The Robin That Sang in the Rain. I've often known a faded flower Or little tender tune, To bring back some delightful hour — Some long-forgotten June. 848 McHENRY COUNTY. I see the old-time meadow And shadows as they pass, And bobolinks a-swinging On tall and slender grass. And just beyond the long, cool lane, With trees on either side — Oh, if I could walk there again, I should be satisfied. O little bird! you fill my thoughts And thrill me with your song, And make me quite forget the now And all these days so long. Sing on, brave bird, with scarlet breast; You've sung my heart from pain ; Sing into my soul the tender trust That helps you sing in the rain. And here I give you a secret, To hide in your scarlet vest; Of all the birds that sing or fly, I love you, Robin, the best. Not for the sweet, unconscious way You rob my heart of pain; Not for the scarlet vest you wear, But because you sing in the rain. Mrs. Joslyn has the true artistic instinct and has had the advantages of instruction by the best artists. Her attractive residence is filled with examples of her art, and they are at once the pride and delight of her friends. Socially Mrs. Joslyn has been one of the lead- ers in Woodstock since her residence here, and her beautiful home, with its generous hospitality, has always been open alike to her friends and to visitors to Woodstock, whose characters and reputations required more than perfunctory entertainment. Many notables have been entertained by her, among them Theodore Tilton, Gen. and Mrs. John A. Logan, Robert Collier, Richard J. Oglseby and Gen. Kilpatrick. It was, however, when in Washington during President Arthur's administration, and when Judge Joslyn occupied the office of Assistant Secretary of the Interior and they were mem- bers of the exclusive social set, that Mrs. Joslyn's 'graces and abilities as a society leader were shown to their fullest extent. She entered the highest society in the land with an ease and graciousne:;s that won her recogni- tion in the social world of Washington. Per- haps there never were in this country more brilliant social functions than those which ocurred during President Arthur's administra- tion, which is still remembered for its gayeties. One of the Washington papers thus announc- es the departure of Judge and Mrs. Joslyn from that city: "We are all heartily sorry to lose the Jos- lyns from among us. He has done more kind and generous things during his Assistant-Sec- retaryship than any other one official of the last administration, and Mrs. Joslyn is a great social favorite, famous alike for her exquisite toilets, her ready wit and artistic taste and ability." DAVID R. JOSLYN. David R. Joslyn is a representative citizen of Woodstock and one of the leading attorneys of McHenry County bar. He was born in Woodstock, Sept. 1, 1866, the son of Merritt L. and Mary (Robinson) Joslyn. He received his education in the public schools of Wood- stock, including the high school and a fitting school for college at Madison, Wis. Young Joslyn had the great advantages and the early training which a home of culture and refine- ment alone can give, and which was filled with books and choice literature of which he was a wide reader. When he was fourteen years of age he left school and went to live with his uncle, Dr. M. Baldwin, in Kansas, where he worked on a farm for four years. He then re- turned to McHenry County and engaged in farming for himself near Nunda on a farm owned by his grandfather, David W. Robinson. Although but eighteen years of age, he suc- cessfully managed the farm, keeping a dairy of sixty milch cows, besides horses and other stock. He remained on this farm for four years and then attended school in Madison. He then became a student at the Northwestern University Law School, from which he gradu- ated in 1892, meanwhile reading law in the office of Judge C. C. Kohlsaat, now of the United States District Court. He was then admitted to the bar. Mr. Joslyn married July 14, 1892, in Chicago, Mary Brownell, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, daughter of James and Amelia (Root) Brown- ell. After marriage Mr. Joslyn settled with his wife in Hebron Township, McHenry County, McHENRY COUNTY. 849 where he bought a farm of 180 acres on which he lived for four years. Mr. Joslyn then prac- ticed law in 1897-98 in Chicago in company with his brother Marcellus, then a recent graduate of Harvard Law School. The firm did a large probate business, but the partner- ship was dissolved in the fall of 1898, and Mr. Joslyn returned to Woodstock, where he soon established a successful law business and is now one of the well-known attorneys. David R. Joslyn has won a reputation as an able and fearless advocate, with the further advantage which the winning of the majority of the cases entrusted to him gives to an at- torney. He is becoming a factor in the politics of McHenry County, and successfully managed the late campaign of Judge O. H. Gillmore for the office of County Judge. Born and reared a Republican, he has, for the past ten years, been independent in politics and is now an earnest champion of the rights of the laboring man. Although bred in a home of wealth and refine- ment, at an early age he donned the work- man's clothing to become a common farmer. He was thus in early life inured to a life of toil and learned to endure the fatigue of fol- lowing the plow in the heat of the summer sun. Here he learned to ; know what labor really is; his long hours of toll, his patient endurance, his narrow and uninviting environ- ments, firmly fixed by a pitiful pittance called wages. That such an experience has its effect on a thinking man's life is undoubted, and its broadening influence results in an abundant sympathy with the toilers, such as Tolstoi felt. To these early experiences must be attribut- ed Mr. Joslyn's course of action and his sympa- thies with the late locked-out members of a labor union in Woodstock. He became attor- ney and adviser for these men and managed their business in an able manner. He was opposed by the prejudices of many of the prominent men of Woodstock, and was shown, in many ways, that his course was unpopular. In taking this position against the advice of many of his friends, Mr. Joslyn has no hope of gaining either money or popularity; yet he was almost their only defender, influenced solely by motives of principle and by his close sympathies with oppressed labor. Mr. Joslyn represented these men in their negotiations with their former employers and, in several important conferences with prominent labor men representing their organizations, and afterwards assisted in securing employment for many of the locked-out employes. The fol- lowing extract from the "Elgin Daily News" clearly shows his position in the labor move- ment: "WHO ARE FREE MEN?— Men who toil with their hands and possess little property are the only free men. Their courage is not sapped by the constant fear of losing money tbat assails men of large wealth. "The birth place of freedom and manliness is in the hearts of toilers. Its cradle and home is in their arms, and never in the history of the world has it thrived in any other place. "Organization is the spirit of the age. Capi- tal in organization finds an opportunity for maximum profit with the minimum risk, anl eagerly avails itself of the opportunity. "Labor must also organize, for, as above quoted, the time is passed when the individual workman is called upon to put his feeble strength against the might of organized cap- ital "Times and methods change and the man who, clinging to the past, sets his face against the world's progress, will surely 'wither away and perish.' " That David R. Joslyn is a man of natural eloquence is clearly shown by his address at the memorial services held in Woodstock on the occasion of the death of William McKinley. The following is a brief extract: "The man who, as a ruler of a modern na- tion, would be accounted great, must possess an intellect of the first rank and that intellect must be softened by modesty; it must be rip- ened by the sunshine of sympathy; must be touched as readily by the heart-beats and hopes of the humblest citizen, as by the thun- dering throbs of the mighty engines that turn the wheels of our greatest industry. The wrong that robs the poor man of a dollar must stir in his breast as quick an indigna- tion as the blow that would destroy the piled- up thousands of the millionaire. His victories must be won by winning his opponents, not by destroying them." David R. Joslyn and his wife are the parents of two children: David Robinson, born Sept. 12, 1893, and James Brownell, born Jan. 22, 1895. 850 McHENRY COUNTY. MARCELLUS L. JOSLYN. Marcellus L. Joslyn, son of Judge Merritt L. Joslyn, a lawyer and prominent business man of McHenry County, was bom in Woodstock, 111., and received his early education in the public schoolsi of his native town and at Madi- son University, Wis. He next attended Notre Dame University, Ind., from which he gradu- ated, when he entered the Law Department of Harvard University, completing his course in law in that institution. Then, returning to Illnois, he was engaged for a time in the prac- tice of his profession in partnership with his brother, David R. Joslyn, in the city of Chicago; but later became connected with the telephone business at Woodstock. This was soon after extended to the furnishing of tele- phone supplies, including the manufacture of cross-arms for telephone poles, which finally led to the buying of lumber mills and timber tracts for the supply of material, besides con- tracting for the output of other mills, thus establishing a large and lucrative business. On Oct. 22, 1899, Mr. Joslyn was married at Faribault, Minn., to Alice Cecilia Newell, daughter of George W. and Cecilia Newell. The present residence (1903) of Mr. and Mrs. Joslyn is in the city of Chicago, where his business headquarters are located. Mr. Joslyn has proved himself a sagacious and successful business man of the educated type. He and his wife have two children, named Marcellus Newell, born Feb. 28, 1901, and George Robin- son, born Nov. 19, 1902. WALTER P. JEWETT. Walter P. Jewett (deceased), a pioneer and prominent citizen in his day, of Dorr Township, McHenry County, was of English extraction, the founders of the American branch of the family becoming settlers, at an early day, at Pownal, Vt., where Walter P. was born July 26, ISOfi. the son of Nathan and Lucy (Perry) Jewett. The children of Nathan Jewett and wife were: Perry, Alden, Walter P., Harry, Nathan, Har- riet, Edna, Sarah, Mary, Celinda and Susan. The father, Nathan Jewett, died at his old home in Pownal, Vt. Of his children, all but two — Perry and Harriet — came to McHenry County, 111. The son NathaD became a Metho- dist minister, traveled quite extensively and was well known in McHenry County and throughout Northern Illinois. Walter P. received a common-school educa- tion in his native place, became a farmer and, in 1836, removed to Illinois with Samuel Greg- ory and family, after reaching Illinois making the journey to Rockford with ox-teams. Soon after Mr. Jewett located a claim on Govern- ment land on Rock River, but two years later (1838) removed to Dorr Township, McHenry County, where he settled on land now oc- cupied by the Truax family. Here he subse- quently entered 400 acres of Government land, then wholly unimproved, and erected upon it the first frame house in thf».t section of the county. In March, 1847, he was married at Woodstock, 111., to Harriet Caroline Horton, who was born at Hanover Center, Chautauqua County, N. Y., March 26, 1821, the daughter of Jessie and Nancy Caroline (Clark) Horton. Her father, Jesse Horton, was a native of Cheshire, Mass., born Sept. 17, 1796, the son of Isaac and Louisa Horton. The children of this family were Benjamin, Isaac, Jesse, Asel, Achsah, Polly, Louisa and Amanda. The father, Isaac Horton, Sr., died in Massachu- setts. Jesse Horton received a good education for his time, and having adopted the vocation of a farmer, in 1821 removed to Hanover Center, Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he cleared up a farm from the woods. Having sold his farm in middle life, he removed to Brant, Chautauqua County, where he bought another farm and erected upon it a good residence, spent here the remainder of his days, dying March 12, 1874, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. He was a man of considerable property, a Democrat in politics and prominent in the community. At an early day he held the offices of Road Com- missioner and Constable, and was entrusted with the settlement of many estates, often being called upon to act as guardian of orphan children. He was a member or the New York State militia. His wife died at their home in Brant, N. Y., aged seventy-three years. Their children were: Isaac R., Harriet 'Caroline (Mrs. Walter P. Jewett), Elon L., Louvisa, Amanda, Julia A., Emeline, Jessie, Emilus, John (who died aged six years), John (2) and Franklin (who died aged seven months.) McHENRY COUNTY. 851 Mrs. Walter P. Jewett remained at her home in Chautauqua County, N. Y., until 1843, when she came west with her friends, Trestham Vincent and family, coming by lake vessel to Milwaukee and thence by team to Cook County, 111., but in 1846 went to Half Day.. Lake County. In March, 1847, she was married to Walter P. Jewett, after which she and her husband settled on his farm in Dorr Township, McHenry County, where they continued to reside until 1857, when they removed to Woodstock. Here they bought prop- erty but having sold this out, later bought property on Tryon Street. After settling in Woodstock, Mr. Jewett lived a re- tired life. He was a man of independent views, a zealous Democrat in politics, and held vari- ous town offices, besides being connected with the settlement of many estates, serving as guardian of orphan children, etc. He left a substantial property, including over 400 acres of fine farming land. Mr. and Mrs. Walter P. Jewett had five children, only two of whom lived to years of maturity, viz. : Edna, who was born April 1, 1851, and Emilus C, born Jan. 29, 1854. (See sketch of Emilus C. Jewett). Edna Jewett married William C. Allen, who is a lawyer and real estate agent, at Minneapolis, Minn., and they have two children: Walter Jewett Allen and Harry Horton Allen. Walter P. Jewett bore a high reputation for personal integrity and force of character. EMILUS C. JEWETT. Emilus C. Jewett, banker and Mayor of the city of Woodstock and Treasurer of McHenry County, is a native of Dorr Township, where he was born Jan. 29, 1854. When about three years of age, his parents moved to Woodstock, where he received his education, and which has since been his home. At the age of seven- teen years he entered the First National Bank of Woodstock, where he was employed for eight years as clerk. He then engaged in the boot and shoe business in Woodstock, which he conducted successfully for about seven years, when he retired on account of ill health. He then embarked in the stock business for a time, being engaged in shipping horses to South Dakota, but retiring from this, in 1887 became a partner of Mr. E. E. Richards in the abstract business in Woodstock, in whicn he became the owner of a half-interest. Two years later (1889) he became one of the organizers of the State Bank of Woodstock, of which he was elected cashier — a position wbich he has con- tinued to fill to the present time. In 1895 Mr. Jewett, in conjunction with George K. Bunker, E. E. Richards, Burton Wright and C. B. Wright, organized a private bank at Nunda, McHenry County, which was soon after changed to the Citizens' State Bank of Nunda, and has since been successfully conducted. Origin- ally a Democrat in political opinion, in 1896 Mr. Jewett supported Mr. McKinley for the Presidency, as he did again in 1900, and has since been an earnest supporter of the policies of which President McKinley was the repre- sentative. His standing in the community is indicated by the fact that he has frequently been called upon by his fellow-citizens to fill various positions of trust and responsibility. In 1876, shortly, after attaining his majority, he was elected to the office of tax-collector, which he filled for one term and also served one term as City Treasurer. In 1888 he was chosen a member of the Board of Aldermen for the city of Woodstock, and from 1890 to 1894 served on the Board of Education, filling the office of clerk of the Board. In 1897 he was elected Mayor of Woodstock, and has discharged the duties of that office to the satisfaction of the community for the past six years, as indicated by his successive re-elections. Again in 1902 he was elected to the position of County Treasurer of McHenry County by a large majority, running ahead of his ticket. Fraternally Mr. Jewett is a member of the Blue Lodge, A. F. & A. M., in which he has held the office of Master. He is also a member of the Chapter and of the Commandery of Knights Templar, in the latter organization being a Past Eminent Commander. On Sept. 25, 1879, Mr. Jewett was united in marriage to Miss Alice C, Eckert, daughter of Jacob and Eliza (Freeman) Eckert, of Wood- stock, 111. Mrs. Jewett grew up in the city of Woodstock, attending the public schools there, including the high school as well as the well- known Todd Seminary, after which she took a course in the Cook County Normal School from which she graduated. She then taught 852 McHENRY COUNTY. for two years at Harvard and Woodstock, prov- ing herself a capable and efficient instructor. Mr. and Mrs. Jewett have two daughters — Jessie E. and Helen A. — both of whom received their early education in the Woodstock pub- lic schools, also attending the high school, from which Jessie E. graduated. They are now attending the Downer College, a high-class collegiate institute at Milwaukee, Wis., from which they will soon receive their diplomas. Mr. Jewett enjoys an enviable reputation for business probity and integrity of character, as did his father before him, and has been frequently called upon to serve as administra- tor, as conservator or guardian in settling up or caring for estates, or looking after the in- terests of minors. He is popular among his fellow-citizens of McHenry County, not only on account of his well-known integrity and re- liability of character, but for his kindly and courteous treatment of all with whom he comes in contact in either a business or official capa- city. Born and reared in McHenry County, and having spent nearly all his life in the city of Woodstock, he has established a local repu- tation as an efficient and conservative business man that is universally recognized in the com- munity with which he has been so long and so intimately identified. Mr. Jacob Eckert, the father of Mrs. Jewett, was born in Alsace — then a department of France, but now a part of the Empire of Germany — the son of Jacob Eckert, Sr., March 17, 1818, and in 1836, at the age of nearly nineteen years, emigrated to America, two years later coming to McHenry County, 111., where he took up land in Greenwood Township, becoming one of the early pioneers of that section. His parents and a brother, Henry, came to McHenry County at a later period. Mr. Eckert first purchased a tract of 160 acres of land, but prospered by his industry and prudent management until he became the owner of 303 acres. On March 18, 1851, he was married in Greenwood Township to Eliza Freeman, who was born at Potsdam, St. Law- rence County, N. Y., April 2, 1831, the daughter of Ashley and Sarah (Dewey) Freeman. Mr. and Mrs. Eckert became the parents of the following named children: Flora, Dora (who died at the age of six years), Alice C. (Mrs. Jewett), Jesse and Elizabeth. Mr. Eckert be- came a prosperous farmer, improved his lands, erecting thereon a substantial frame dwelling house, which is still standing, making his holding one of the best farms in his township. In 1866 he moved with his family to Wood- stock, where he purchased residence property and a warehouse, and there engaged in the grain-commission business, which he conducted until a few years before his death, which oc- curred March 3, 1896. He and his wife were communicants of the Congregational church, and in politics he was a Republican. He was a man of stanch character and sterling worth, and he and his faithful wife reared an excellent family. Ashley Freeman, the father of Mrs. Jacob Eckert, of old colonial and English stock, was born in Vermont, the son of Hezekiah Free- man. He settled at an early day in the vicinity of Potsdam, N. Y., where he opened up a farm in a heavily timbered region. He was married twice — first, to Eliza Bates, who bore him children named Oliver, Martha and Wil- liam. His first wife having died, he married as his second wife, Sarah Dewey, the daughter of Harry and Sarah Dewey. The children by this second marriage were: Eliza, Samantha, Sabra, Henry, Horace, Hattie and a daughter who died in infancy. In 1850, Mr. Freeman's second wife having died, he moved to Illinois with his children, and having bought land in Queen Ann Prairie, Greenwood Township, lived there some years, but later located on another farm in the same township, where he spent the remainder of his days, dying in November, 1855. In politics Mr. Freeman was an old line Whig and an opponent of slavery-extension — would have been Republican had he survived until the organization of that party. He had a good common-school education, and was a reliable and trustworthy citizen. Mayor Jewett and family reside on Jackson Street, in the city of Woodstock, where he erected a pleasant and attractive home in 1895. o w 2i >— i G d w O 55 a > o > McHENRY COUNTY. 853 JOHN JUDSON. John Judson, a prosperous farmer of Hebron Township, has won his own place in life by sheer pluck and energy, and now, in his eighty- first year, is living upon a comfortable income derived from the accumulated earnings of former years. Mr. Judson is an Englishman by birth and parentage. His father, Henry Judson, was a Yorkshire farmer, as also was his grandfather Judson. Henry Judson was born and reared in Yorkshire, and there, upon reaching manhood, married Eleanor Smith. To Mr. and Mrs. Judson were born three children: William, John, and Mary. In 1830, some years after marriage, Mr. Judson decid- ed to emigrate to America, and, after eight weeks and three days on a sailing-vessel, land- ed with his family in the city of New York. For a number of years he worked as a day- laborer at Utica, N. Y., then, renting land about seven miles from Utica, he began life as a farmer. Here he spent his last days, dying in 1844. He was a man of industrious and frugal habits and gave his children the best rearing his purse could afford. He and his wife were members of the Episcopal church. John Judson inherited his father's taste for agriculture, and the large capacity for work necessary to success in that line. Born in Foxhall, Yorkshire, England, Dec. 22, 1823, he was about seven years old when the family emigrated to America, and remembers well scenes in England and the long ocean voyage. He received only a meager education, and at an early age began working on the farm near Utica, N. Y. At Whitesboro, Oneida County, N. Y., Jan. 24, 1844, Mr. Judson married Mary M. Bartlett, who was born at Albany, N. Y., Jan. 27, 1824, the daughter of Crandall and Patience (Wheater) Bartlett. The Wheaters were of Holland-Dutch stock, and the Bartletts, French Huguenots, who settled in Massachu- setts in colonial times and intermarried with members of some of the prominent Puritan families. Mrs. Judson's mother, Patience (Wheater) Bartlett, was born in the Green Mountains, the daughter of Richard Wheater. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett had three children: John, Sarah, and Mary M. (Mrs. Judson). Mr. Bartlett having died when his daughter Mary M. was about six weeks old, her mother subsequently married Riley Button, and they had four children: Harvey Alexander, Joanna, Mathew and Ezra. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Judson settled near Oriskany, Oneida County, N. Y., where he worked as a day laborer, receiving a month- ly salary. In the hope of bettering his fortune he decided in 1845 to move to Wisconsin, and on May 1st of that year arrived at Linn in that State, where he obtained employment as a farm hand. Shortly after this he pre-empted a 40-acre tract of Government land in Alden Township, McHenry County, which be cleared and put under cultivation. Two years later, having sold his land in McHenry County, he bought an unimproved 80-acre tract in Linn Township, Walworth County, Wis., which he improved and still owns. This he continued to occupy until 1885, when he bought 120 acres in Hebron Township, McHenry County, upon which he erected substantial buildings and made other valuable improvements. Manag- ing both farms, he carried on an agricultural industry quite extensively for many years, and amassed considerable property. His heavy responsibilities, however, began to tax his energies, and in 1893, having sold his McHenry County farm to his son, he settled upon a 43- acre tract in Hebron Township, where he now resides. Through life he has been a careful financial manager, and, in addition to his two farms, now has considerable money at interest. Mr. and Mrs. Judson have eight children — four sons and four daughters- -all of whom are married and have families of their own, viz.: Henry, Sarah, George, Ellen, John, Annie, Mary and Fred. The sons are all farmers and the daughters are married to farmers. Henry married Emma Burris, and they now reside in Minnesota, and have six children. Sarah married John Niver, a farmer, who is now deceased, leaving two children. George married Ellen Burris, and they have one child. He is a farmer and fraternally a Mason. Ellen married George Markham and they have four children. John married Martha Tibbetts, is a retired farmer of Hebron Township, and they have six sons. Annie married Ira Nourse, a farmer of 854 Mc HENRY COUNTY. Hebron Township, who is now deceased. She has two children. Mary married George Wheater, a farmer, and they have five children. They live in Linn Township, Walworth County, "Wis. Fred married Ada Darrow, is a farmer in Geneva, and they have three children. In all Mr. and Mrs. Judson have twenty-nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, with their eight children, making a total of forty-seven descendants. In politics Mr. Judson has been a life-long Republican of the Abraham Lincoln stamp, and his conspicuously successful career gives evi- dence of his sturdy character. LAWRENCE K. JONES. Lawrence H. Jones, veteran of the Civil War and present Police Magistrate of Wood- stock, 111., was born in Carroll — now Kiantone —Chautauqua County, N. Y., Oct. 18, 1837. The Jones family is of Welsh extraction, John Jones, the founder of the American branch of the family, having emigrated, according to tradition, from Wales to America in the latter part of the seventeenth century. His sons were all natural musicians, one of them, Abraham, being especially clever with stringed instruments. Another son named John was a "Minute Man" during the War of the Revolu- tion, taking part in several battles, also serving as a musician in the Continental Army. After the conclusion of the war he settled in Wards- boro, Windham County, Vt., where he raised a family of sons, who were also singers and noted musicians, playing both wind and string- ed instruments. The father and sons made up an orchestra of twelve members, of which Benjamin, who was an expert player on the violin, was the leader. They collected together from different parts of the country for this service. John Jones, who has just been men- tioned as a Revolutionary soldier, had sixty- seven grandchildren. Elliott Jones, who was the compiler of the first church hymn-book adopted by all the churches, was organist and chorister in the Broadway Tabernacle, New York, and his daughter Kate sang with the celebrated Jenny Lind in her Castle Garden concerts during her visit to this country. A number of the members of the family were professors and teachers of music, among whom Chandler and David Jones will long be rem- embered. Joseph Jones, grandfather of Lawrence H. Jones, of Woodstock, was born May 21, 1782. He was a farmer and married Betsy Richard- son, who was born in 1784. Their children were Sarah R., Electa, Eliza, David, Simon G., Sarah G., and Lydia J. The father was a resi- dent of Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he was known as an industrious and highly re- spected citizens. In old age Mr. Jones came to Illinois with his son Simon G., and died at Franklinville, McHenry County. His wife died in Chautauqua County, July 5, 184fi. Simon G. Jones was born in Chautauqua County, N. Y., received an ordinary common- school education, became a farmer by occupa- tion and, on Nov. 27, 1836, was married at Carroll, Chautauqua County, to July A. Hoyt, who was born at Wilton, Conn., Oct. 3, 1809, the daughter of Daniel and Abigail (Ray- mond) Hoyt. Daniel Hoyt, the father, was born in Norfolk, Conn., July 15, 1782, and his wife Abigail, June 6, 1778. Both the Hoyts and the Raymonds were of New England and Revolu- tionary stock. Simon G. JoDes first settled in Chautauqua County, where he cleared up a farm in the woodlands. He inherited the musical taste of the family, and was a singer in the choir of the old Presbyterian church at Kiantone, Chautauqua County. The pew in this church formerly occupied by his own and his father's family, is still held by some mem- bers of the family. Simon G. Jones was a man of remarkable physical strength and very skillful in handling the scythe. It is related of him that no man in Chautauqua County was his equal in this respect. He was a member and deacon in the Presbyterian church. In 1854 he moved to Illinois, arriving in Mc- Henry County, March 10, first settling in Hartland Township, where he lived three years. In 1857 he bought land in Seneca Township, but later moved to Linn County, Iowa, where he spent the remainder of his life with his children, dying there Sept. 24, 1885. While a resident of Seneca Township, McHenry County, he held the office of Assessor and Collector of Taxes. Originally a stanch McHENRY COUNTY. 85; Democrat, he became a Lincoln Republican in the days of the Civil War. His children, all born before he came to McHenry County, were: Lawrence, born Oct. 18, 1837; Agnes L., born Sept. 3, 1839; Clinton M., born Aug. 4, 1841; Mary E., born Aug. 4, 1844. Lawrence H. Jones, the subject of this sketch, received his education in the district schools of his native county, to which he walked a distance of about three miles. He grew up to be a farmer and, when about seven- teen years of age, came with his father to McHenry County, 111. He remained with his father working on the farm until after the be- ginning of the Civil War, in ante-bellum days being a member of Company A, Woodstock Light Guard, under the State militia organiza- tion. On May 24, 1861, he enlisted at Wood- stock, as a private in Company A, Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry (Capt. L. D. Kelly), one of the first regiments to ; be mustered in under the call for three years' volunteers. While in the service he became Orderly Ser- geant of his company, but later was promoted to First Lieutenant, and for about three months during the absence of Captain Kelly, was in command of the company; also spent some time at home in the recruiting service. On February 15, 1862, he was honorably discharged at Pittsburg Landing on account of disa- bility incurred in the service, His disability was due to chronic diarrhoea, and he was so greatly emaciated at the time of his discharge that he had entirely lost his voice and weighed only 100 pounds. Returning home, he was in a critical condition for some time and for eigbt months was unable to speak aloud. After his recovery Mr. Jones was married at Sycamore, 111., on July 3, 1865, to Mary A. Weaver, who was born at Woodstock, May 3, 1847, the daughter of Peter and Mary A. (Carr) Weaver. Peter Weaver was one of the early settlers of Woodstock, and he and his wife were parents of the following named children : James, Thomas, Joseph, Crawford and Mary A. All the sons were soldiers during the Civil War — with one exception all being members of Illinois regiments, Thomas serving fhree years in a Michigan regiment. Crawford, the youngest, enlisted before he had reached the age when he would be subject to military duty, serving one year and three months, while James and Joseph each served about one year. Mrs. Jones became an orphan while still an infant, her mother dying when the daughter was six days old, while her father died about two years later. She was then brought up in the family of Mr. John Ackerson, who was a relative of her mother's and an old settler of Seneca Township. She remained a member of the Ackerson family up to the time of her marriage. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Jones settled upon a farm in Seneca Township, but, in 1874, removed to Woodstock, where he en- tered into the employment of Timothy J. Dacy, in the agricultural machinery business. Later he had charge of the pickle factory of Haines & Noble until 1883, when he was appointed by President Harrison Collector of Internal Revenue for the First District, including Lake, McHenry, Boone and Winnebago Counties. Mr. Jones served some twelve years as Deputy Sheriff under Sheriffs Steadman, Church, Bck- ert and Udell, and, in 1892, was elected Police Magistrate for Woodstock, a position which he has held ever since, proving himself an effi- cient and impartial judicial officer. During his service as Deputy Sheriff lie nad charge of tlie enrance to the portion of the county jail in which Dacy — the only person ever executed in McHenry County — suffered the penalty of his crime in the murder of a Chicago Al- derman. 'Squire Jones, as he is familiarly called by his intimate acquaintances, is a charter mem- ber of Woodstock Post, No. 108, Grand Army of the Republic, and has held all the offices of the organization, including that of Post Com- mander. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and has held all the offices of the order, besides being delegate to the State Lodge for the past six years. In politics he is a stanch Republican and, as dem- onstrated by his record as a soldier, a man of patriotic impulses. He has taken an active interest in the preservation of the records of deceased soldiers who have been buried in the cemetery at Woodstock, and it was through his application to the authorities in Washing- ton that head-stones for the soldier dead were obtained, and these he personally saw placed at the graves of those for whom they were intended. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have had children named 856 McHENRY COUNTY. as follows: John S., George L., Charles C. and Neva L. Of his three sons, two — George L. and Charles C. — are members of the Hospi- tal Corps, Third Regiment, I. N. G. Mrs. Jones was only a little over thirteen years of age when the Civil War broke out and, as all the young men in the vicinity where she lived had entered the army, she often drove the team which propelled the reaper that cut the grain for her own people and their neighbors in Seneca Township. Jones Genealogy. — There is a tradition hand- ed down in the Jones family to the effect that their ancestors of many generations ago moved about 1590 from England to Wales, and after remaining there about one hundred years, their descendants emigrated to America, set- tling in Massachusetts. John Jones, who was the son of Abraham Jones, was born in Men- don, Mass., March 23, 1744, and in 1780 moved to Waldsboro, Vt., and there Benjamin Jones was born, May 21, 1788. Joseph Jones, the son of John, was born May 21, 1782, and in the fall of 1815 moved to Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he became the progenitor of the family whose record has been given in the preceding sketch. ROBERT JOHONNOTT. Among the names of the early settlers of Richmond Township, and prominent among the citizens who assisted in developing this section of country from a wilderness to its present state of civilization and cultivation, is the name of Robert Johonnott, a descendant of one of the noted French soldiers who came to this country with the famous La Fayette to as- sist in the struggle for freedom. The great- grandfather married and settled in Massachu- setts and had one child, Peter Johonnott, who lived and became the grandfather of our sub- ject. He was born in Massachusetts and lived in Barre, Vt., about six miles from Montpelier. He married Ruth Sheldon and their children were Peter, Asa, Ruth and Edwin S. This wife died and he married Sallie Wheaton, and their children were Leonard, Louisa, Sarah and Mary Ann. Peter Johonnott, at the age of ninety-four years, came to Illinois and died at the residence of Ira R. Crosby, of Solon. He was a Universalist in religious belief, a soldier in the War of 1812, and lived to the venerable old age of ninety-sis years. He was a man of powerful physique, six feet two inches tall, and weighed two hundred pounds. Edwin S. Johonnott, father of Robert, was born in Barre, Vt., about 1811, received the usual common-school education of his day and was a tanner by trade. He married in Hart- ford, Conn., Mariette Crosby, who was born in the same place, daughter of Ebenezer and Bridget (Steele) Crosby, natives of Connecti- cut, of English descent; Bridget Steele being the daughter of Ebenezer Steele, a lineal de- scendant of a daughter of Governor Bradford, Edwin S. Johonnott settled in Burlington, Vt., where he worked at his trade; afterwards moved to Troy, N. Y., thence to Michigan in 1835, where he bought land, and in 1837 moved to Volo, 111., taking up land, which he partly improved previous to moving to Chicago In 1839. He engaged in the leather business in Chicago, his place of business being on Kin- zie Street, the last building but one near the State Street Bridge. In 1843 Mr. Johonnott moved to McHenry County and settled in Spring Grove, where he bought 6C0 acres of partly improved land of the United States Government. He had made considerable prog- ress towards improving this land when he died, in 1847, at the age of forty-two years. His children were Robert, Gertrude and Edwin S. Mr. Johonnott was a hard-working, industrious pioneer citizen, respected by all his acquaint- ances, and a member of the Universalist church. Robert Johonnott, born in Burlington, Vt., Sept. 2, 1833, was brought by his parents to Michigan in 1835, thence to Volo, 111., in 1837, and was raised on the frontier settlement of that State. He attended a very good school in Chicago for about three years, his teacher be- ing A. P. Wilder, one of the early teachers of that city. Later he attended the Waukegan Academy for one year, and afterwards, in 1850, began to learn the blacksmith's trade in Rich- mond, 111., with Sampson & Mason, who were early blacksmiths with whom Mr. Johonnott served an apprenticeship of four years. Mr. Johonnott thoroughly mastered his trade and in 1858 opened a blacksmith shop in Spring Grove, 111., where he lived for thirteen years. March 15, 1859, he married at Spring Grove Frances A. Rice, born at Fall River, Mass., McHENRY COUNTY. 857 June 15, 1840, daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Bliven) Rice. Joseph Bliven was a soldier in the War of 1812 and served at the Fort on Long Island, when it was bombarded by the British. He was descended from an old New England fam- ily, and moved to Illinois in 1841, settling in Spring Grove, where he built a grist-mill (the first mill in that place), and there lived up to the time of his death in 1845, at the age of sixty years. Joseph Rice came to Illinois with Mr. Bliven and kept a hotel at Spring Grove, where he lived the remainder of his life dying at the age of sixty-eight years. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Johonnett set- tled at Spring Grove and then moved to Rich- mond in 1870, where he opened his present blacksmith shop. Their children are Marietta, Louisa, Gertrude, Henry, Louis, Catherine and Nellie. Fraternally, Mr. Johonnott is a mem- ber of the I. O. O. F. and of the Masonic Order. He has always been a man of very industrious habits, owns a pleasant residence, and is still in active business, a well-known and highly respected pioneer settler. When Mr. Johonnott's father settled in Chi- cago there were no buildings between Clybourn Place and the city. The prairies about the city were continuous and Mr. Johonnott has often driven cattle through what is now one of Chi- cago's populous residence districts. EDITH (KINGMAN) POYER-KERN. Edith (Kingman) Poyer-Kern, educator and business woman of Woodstock, 111., was born at Harvard, McHenry County, Jan. 14, 1866, the daughter of A. J. and Sarah M. (Cronkhite) Kingman, and grew up in the quiet and beau- tiful little city of Woodstock, where her par- ents located while she was still a child. Her parents, having both been students and suc- cessful teachers, she inherited from them those qualities of mind which made her especially successful in the same field. She received her education in the public schools of Woodstock, including the high school, where she took a high rank as a student. At the age of seven- teen she began teaching in a near-by district school, but soon after was appointed to a posi- tion in the public schools of Woodstock, where she remained five years, during which time she won a reputation as an expert and successful educator. Then, having taught two years in the public schools at Dundee, 111., and one year at Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, she became widely known as one of the leading teachers of Northern Illinois, the Oak Park schools having a standard second to none m the country. In June, 1894, she married Dr. Ulysses Grant Poyer, a prominent dentist of Chicago, where she resided for the next six months, when her husband's promising career was cut short by death from heart-disease. Afterward she resumed teaching in Oak Park, where she was an efficient and valued instruc- tor for several years, until she was called to accept a superior position as teacher in Evanston, 111., a city well known for its culture and progress in education. As the seat of the Northwestern University, the public schools of Evanston in which Mrs. Poyer taught, bear a national reputation. In 1896 Mrs. Poyer be- came interested in the breeding of Belgian hares, becoming one of the pioneers in this branch of business and the first to engage in it on an extensive scale. Her brother, Carroll F. Kingman, was her business manager in this line, and to his pains-taking care is due much of the success which has been attained in this enterprise. Mrs. Poyer became widely known as an importer of Belgian hares and "Flemish giants" from England, receiving some of the largest consignments of these animals brougtit to this country, and has also been a successful exhibitor in the fair of the National Fanciers and the Belgian Hare Associations, in which she has won many prizes. By good judgment in the investment of her capital, Mrs. Poyer achieved a remarkable success in this line of business and owned the largest and best equipped rabbitry in the world. The building occupied was erected expressly for this pur- pose, for which it was especially well adapted. During Mrs. Poyer's career as a teacher and business woman, she has found time to gain a reputation in journalism. Many of her articles have appeared in the great dailies of Chicago, and numerous complimentary notices of her work have appeared in the general press throughout the country. Mrs. Poyer has trav- eled extensively in this and foreign countries, and is the author of several books of travel for children. She is a member of the Chicago Press League and of the Independent Pen- 858 McHENRY COUNTY. women of Chicago, and is always active la promoting advanced thought. In the spring of 1903, Mrs. Poyer married Josiah Quincy Kern, of Washington, D. C. a graduate of Mount Union College and the Na- tional Law School. Mr. Kern is a man of let- ters, having received five collegiate degrees. He is the author of several legal reference books, used in the Government offices, and has had an extensive experience as a correspondent for the Washington press. For many years he has been engaged in a judicial capacity in the Treasury Department at Washington, and is regarded as one of the safest advisers in legal matters among the officials at the National capital. He is recognized among leading statesmen and jurists as one of the best equipped men in the public service. Although a resident of Washington, D. C, for thirty-eight years, Mr. Kern was born and reared on a farm near Alliance, Stark County, Ohio. His father, Jacob Kern, was one of the prominent citizens of Stark County, where he was widely known for his intelligence and for his unfailing integrity. A. J. KINGMAN. Mr. Kingman, long a leading teacher of Harvard and former Superintendent of Schools for McHenry County, was born June 5, 1835, in Chester, G-eauga County, Ohio, of English Puri- tan ancestry, the founders of the family in America having settled in Boston as early as 1634. The great-grandfather of A. J. King- man was a native of Massachusetts and a sol- dier of the Revolution. His son, Isaac King- man, was long a citizen of Cummington, Mass., which was his, birthplace and, after his marriage to Nancy Bigelow, he emigrated to Geauga County, Ohio, where he opened up a farm and was a prominent citizen. His son, Edmund Kingman, (who was father of A. J.), was mar- ried at Chester, Ohio, to Hannah Hawes, and they had a family of ten children: Newton H., Cornelia M., Isaac W., Thomas B., Edmund, Arthur L., Philo W., Harriet and A. J. Five sons enlisted in the Civil War, one of these being Edmund, who', at the time, was fifteen years old, but was prevented from being mus- tered in by the protest of his father on ac- count of his extreme youth. Newton H., Cap- tain of Company I, Thirteenth Wisconsin Vol- unteer Infantry, "veteranized" at the expira- tion of his three years' service and took part in many battles. Isaac W. served as a First Lieutenant in the Twenty-second Wisconsin, and was a prisoner in Libby Prison. Thomas R. was Orderly Sergeant in Company I, Thir- teenth Wisconsin, and died in hospital. Arthur L. ran away from home at seventeen and en- listed, serving a little more than one year. In 1849 Edmund Kingman removed to Wal- worth County, Wis., where he purchased an improved farm. At this time the son A. J. was thirteen years of age, and he received his education in the district schools of Walworth County and at the Walworth and Albion acad- emies. At seventeen years of age he began teaching in the district schools of Walworth County, which he continued during the winters of 1856 to 1859, meanwhile pursuing a course in the academy and keeping up with his class. On August 26, 1858, he was married hi Wal- worth County to Sarah M. Cronkhite, both he and his wife continuing their attendance at the academy after marriage. In 1860 they re- moved to Harvard, McHenry County, 111., where Mr. Kingman was Principal of the public schools for five years, while his wife was a teacher in the same. Later he was elected to the office of Superintendent of Schools for McHenry County, serving from 1865 to 1870. Failing health, however, compelled him to re- tire from educational work, for which he was so well fitted not only by his educational training, but by experience and executive ability as well. The enviable record which he made while engaged in office, is indicated by the following testimonial presented to him by the teachers of McHenry County on oc- casion of his bidding them farewell at the meeting of the Teachers' Institute, held at Richmond, McHenry County, Oct. 9, 1869: "Resolved, that we, as appreciative teachers, tender to A. J. Kingman a vote of thanks for his very efficient services as Superintendent of our Common Schools, for the past four years. We recognize in him, not only a judicious counselor and sympathetic friend, but an earnest co-laborer, whose untiring zeal and ability have contributed much to raise the character and elevate the standard of our schools, and we deeply regret that the educa- tional interests of our county are to be de- prived of his valuable services at a time when the benefit of his administration had become McHENRY COUNTY. 859 more than ordinarily apparent. To our thanks we add our sincere wishes that his future, in whatever sphere of life his lot may be cast, may be as successful and honorable as have been his labors in the past. "JOHN B. LYON, Secretary. "WM. NICKLE, Chairman Protem." A. J. Kingman was one of tne founders of the McHenry County Teachers' Institute as it exists today, which, in its earlier history, was a feeble organization, but sparsely attended, but to which, by his earnest labors in its behalf he imparted a strong impetus, contributing largely to the noteworthy success which it finally achieved. After leaving the educational field, Prof. Kingman engaged, at a liberal salary, with Col. L. H. Everts, an extensive publisher of atlases, with whom he remained, filling an important position from 1874 to 1878, after which he was, for two years, associated with his brothers as manager of the atlas publish- ing firm of Kingman Brothers. In 1867 Mr. Kingman moved to Woodstock, where he after- wards resided. In political opinions he has always been independent and a strong sup- porter of the rights of the common people as advocated by those great leaders, Thomas Jef- ferson, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. In his later years, by appointment of the Dem- ocratic National Committee, he served as pre- cinct representative of that party for Wood- stock. Mrs. Sarah M. (Cronkhite) Kingman, wife of A. J. Kingman, was born Jan. 8, 1837, in Chautauqua County, N. Y., the daughter of Henry and Sarah (Gott) Cronkhite. The Gotts are of mixed Scotch and English blood and the Cronkhites of Holland-Dutch stock, who came to New York State at an early day. Henry Cronkhite settled in Chautauqua County, N. Y., but, in 1842, came by horse-teams and wagons to Wisconsin, the journey occupying three weeks. He first bought land in Walworth County, where he opened up and improved a farm, but afterwards retired from active life, settling in Janesville, where he died in 1898, aged eighty-nine years. His children were: Mary, Sarah M. (who became Mrs. Kingman), and Permelia. Mrs. Kingman received a good education in the public schools of East Troy, Wis., and at the age of eighteen years began teaching near her home, continuing in this line until her marriage to Mr. Kingman at twenty- two years of age. After marriage, she was em- ployed with her husband in the schools at Harvard, 111., establishing for herself a repu- tation as an efficient teacher. She has been a life-long member of the Baptist Church, and, by her kindness of heart and elevated charac- ter, has won the confidence and respect of all who know her. Mr. and Mrs. Kingman were the parents of three children: Carroll F., born at Harvard, 111., June 28, 1861 ; Edith, born at Harvard, Jan. 14, 1866; and Judson Irving, born in Wood- stock, 111., Oct. 6, 1873. Carroll F. married, May 28, 1902, in Milwaukee, Wis., Emily A. Stein; (the record of Edith Kingman, now Mrs. Kern, is given in her personal sketch else- where in this volume) ; Judson Irving, mar- ried in Sharon, Wis., August 18, 1894, Anna Lindall, and they have had four children; Edith, born Nov. 9, 1895; Florence, born Sept. 30, 1897; Adelbert Judson, born April 15, 1899; Howard, born May 24, 1901 — all born in Chi- cago, except Florence, who was born in Wood- stock. Carroll F., the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Kingman was, for nine years, an engineer on the North-Western Railway and later man- ager of the Northwestern rabbitry, in Wood- stock, for his sister, Mrs. Edith (Kingman) Poyer, now Mrs. Kern, during which time he visited England in the interest of the business. He is now engaged with the South Side City Railway Company in Chicago. Judson now holds a responsible position with the Western Electric Railway Company; is also a student at the Lewis Institute, Chicago, industriously fitting himself for a higher position. Both of the Kingman brothers are men of exemplary habits and possess the excellent traits of char- acter for which their father was noted. * * * Since the above sketch and family record were written Mr. A. J. Kingman has passed away, his death occuring at his home in Wood- stock, 111., June 19, 1903. By special request of his family and friends we publish below copious extracts from an ar- ticle on his life and labors which appeared 860 McHENRY COUNTY. in the "McHenry County Republican," from the pen of A. L. Wing Coburn, the editor of the McHenry County department of this work. This tribute was read with much satisfaction by Mr. Kingman's friends, and is considered an able and just portrayal of his character and work: (From the McHenry County Republican.) A. J. Kingman. (By our special contributor, A. L. Wing Co- burn, Editor McHenry County Record.) "ABOU BEN ADHEM." "Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!) Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, And saw within the moonlight in his room, Making it rich and like a lily in bloom, An angel writing in a book of gold; Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold. And to the presence in the room ne said: 'What writest thou?' The vision raised its head And, with a look made of all .sweet accord, Answered, 'The names of those who love the Lord.' And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay, not so,' Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, But cheerily still; and said, 'I pray thee, then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men.' " "The angel wrote and vanished. The next night It came again, and with a great awakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!" When the end comes and a friend and fellow, citizen rests in peace, our thoughts naturally revert to those events in his life with which we are most familiar. As in a panorama, the varied events of bygone years pass in review before us. Then we ask, "What of his work? Has he done well with the precious gift of life? Can we write against his name, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant?' " Success in life is not to be measured by the accumulation of large holdings in money or in lands. The miser by his greed and avarice can do this, and in this age the skilled finan- cier can hardly estimate his almost untold wealth, which has undoubtedly, in many cases, been unjustly wrung from the masses of his fellow men, the common people. Think ye that the day of reckoning cometh not? What place will such a man hold when the great history of this generation shall be written? The scheming and unscrupulous politician fre- quently obtains high official position, but the name his honored father bore must always reek with sickening odors of the taint of po- litical corruption. Success in life is not of these; nor of many other examples in kind that could be given. It is not to him who stands in the full blaze of apparent prosperity and popularity; and yet, like the Pharisee by the wayside, heed- eth not. Real success is to him who, with few opportunities — the tools of effort — by his patient and tireless energy, the broadening of his natural abilities and the cultivation of kind- ness in his words and acts, achieves an honor- able position among his fellow-men and wins their respect for his character, his works and his virtues. It is to him who keeps the love and respect of his wife, the filial devotion of his children, and a warm spot in the hearts of his friends. It is surely to him who is a good citizen, the head of an affectionate house- hold — a home — for it is here that the great strength of our mighty American nation rests — on the home — when there is honor and truth and virtue and love. As with the reminiscent pen we turn to the life of our friend, A. J. Kingman, for our lesson, which is so plain that any one can learn it — a strong will and a noble purpose untiringly pursued, a good life, a loving and faithful hus- band, an affectionate and indulgent father, an able and earnest teacher, and that broadest and grandest title, a good citizen of our great commonwealth. Mr. Kingman was an excellent mathemati- cian, and, in his later life, delighted in the so- lution of difficult problems in algebra and the higher mathematics. He was a wide reader and delved deeply into the history of American politics and the works of the fathers of the American government. He believed in knowing that he was right in the advocacy of any political principle, and it is not too much to say of him that he was one of the best read men in political matters in McHenry County. He was a clear thinker and entirely independ- ent in his modes of thought. In other words, he did his own thinking. In argument he was forceful, direct, logical and effective in his reasoning and in his conclusions. Mr. King- man was a fearless advocate of what he be- lieved to be right, and was always honest in his convictions. In his death his political friends (and he had many) have lost a thinker and a lender who will be greatly missed. Men differ in political opinions. If they dir< not, there would be no politics, and by the liberties our fathers gained, they have the right to differ. All honest opinions should be re- spected and all men should remember that, in this country, every man has the undoubted right to think for himself — pven the right to think wrongly, if he so lists. Time passes, measures and methods change, and who shall say what principle or policy shall prevail in the coming years? Differences are forgotten and all unite in a respectful tribute to a good citizen. We sum up the life of our McHENRY COUNTY. 861 friend and fellow-citizen and say that a man's success in life is in proportion to the benefit that he is to himself, his family and his fellow- men. The man who, by his efforts, makes the world wiser and better, has lived a successful life; and for whom can we claim this honor with more truth than for the teacher and edu- cator and fearless champion of the rights of the common people? Throughout the country there are many men and women, the heads of respected families, who owe the inspiration to a better education to our friend Kingman, and the value of his labors shall thus extend to other generations: therefore, we write against his name, "Well done, thou good and faithfal servant." To the bereaved wife and mother the heart- felt sympathy of her old-time friends and neigh- bors is extended. To those who know her best, no words of praise are needed for the patient and loving life she has lived, or for the strong soul that is as well sustained in her afflic- tion as the quiet waters of an inland sea. She has been a quiet and peaceful force for good in her home (which has been ennobled by her self-sacrifice) and in the community in which she has lived so long. ALFRED KING. Alfred King (deceased), pioneer settler, and during his life one of the most prominent and widely known residents of Marengo Township, McHenry County, was born at Suffield, Conn., in 1807, the son of Jonathan and Dorcas (Gil- lette) King, and died as the result of an acci- dent while working on his farm in 1846. The Marengo branch of the King family is cf strictly English origin, the first in this line, of which an authentic record has been preserved, being James King, who was the" son of William King, a resident about the middle of the seven- teenth century, of Ugborough, Devonshire, England. Besides his son James, William King had another son named William, and the two brothers came to America together, and William is believed to have settled in one of the Southern Colonies. This was in the latter half of the seventeenth century, and James King, who first located at Ipswich, Conn., as early as 1671, is said later to have become one of the original proprietors of Suffield, Conn., which continued to be the home of his descend- ants for several generations. He is thought to have been born in Devonshire, about 1652, and to have been about eighteen years old when he came to America. On March 23, 1674, he was married at Ipswich, Conn., to Elizabeth Fuller, and they had children named: James, Jr., born March 14, 1675, died July 15, 1757; Wil- liam, born Jan. 4, 1679, died Sept. 30, 1680: Agnes (Austin), born July 15, 1681, died Jan. 7, 1733; Benonia, born Dec. 5, 1685, died June 27, 1686; Joseph, born June 5, 1677, died Jan. 23, 1688; Joseph (2) born May 10, 1689, died March 6, 1756; Benjamin, born Nov. 21, 1690, died April 24, 1712; Mary, born April 20, 1692, died May 8, 1769; William (2), born date un- known, died Jan. 8, 1774. James King settled at Suffield, Conn., in 1678, and died there May 15, 1722. The next in line of descent in the branch of the family to which Alfred King of Marengo belonged, was Joseph (2), who was born at Suffield, Conn., in 1689, and died in 1712. He was twice married; first to Mary Jesse, May 2, 1717, and second to Hannah Devotion, June 2, 1740. His children were: Abigail (Bliss), born Jan. 9, 1719, died Aug. 5, 1797; Joseph, born Oct. 1, 1722, died Jan. 27, 1724; Joseph (2), born April 15, 1741, died 1814; Eliphalet, born Feb. 6, 1743, died Aug. 29, 1821; Hannah (Granger), born Aug. 23, 1744, died Oct. 28, 1821; Epaphros, born May 11, 1746, died Feb. 17, 1767; Ashbel, born Jan. 26, 1748, died May 21, 1806; Thaddeus, born June 25, 1749, died Jan. 20, 1792; Theodore, born Dec. 21, 1750, died Sept. 8, 1822; Mary (Granger), born July 22, 1752, died June 30, 1836; Ichabod, born May 14, 1756, died December, 1830. Joseph (2), died in 1756. Eliphalet King of this family, born in Con- necticut, in 1743, became the head of the next generation (the third in lineal descent) from William King of England. He became an offi- cer of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution, his commission as Lieuten- ant of a company in the Twenty-second Regi- ment of Foot, under command of Col. Samuel Wylie, bearing date Jan. 1, 1776, with the sig- nature of John Hancock as President of the Continental Congress, being still preserved by his descendants. Lieut. Eliphalet King was married twice; first, to Mary Remington, Nov. 3, 1768; and next to Silence Rumrill, Oct. 2, 1798. Sixteen children were the issue of these two marriages — of which all but two were by the first — viz.: Epaphros, born Sept. 4, 1769, died Oct. 15, 1769; Roger, born Jan. 16, 1771, died Aug. 15, 1855; Jonathan, born Nov. 11, 1772, died July 11, 1862; Seth, born Oct. 15. 862 McHENRY COUNTY. 1775, died Sept. 24, 1776; Seth (2), born Sept. 27, 1777, died July 12, 1851; Eliphalet, born Sept. 3, 1779, died March 26, 1866; Henry, born Aug. 8, 1781; Augustine, born Sept. 19, 1783, died 1856; Mary, born Dec. 4, 1786; Elijah, born Oct. 14, 1789, died Aug. 21, 1847; Lucy, born Nov. 12, 1791; Aurelia, born Sept. 8, 1793; Sherlock, born Aug. 2, 1796; Harriet, born in 1798, died Aug. 29, 1802; Matilda, born Feb. 6, 1799, died March 15, 1865; Harriet Devotion, born Sept. 2, 1803, died June 3, 1869. Lieut. Eliphalet King's residence was at Suffield, Conn., where he died in 1821. Jonathan King, of the fourth generation, aril son of Lieut. Eliphalet King of the Revolution, was born in Connecticut in 1772, and removed from his native State in 1820 to Hammond, St Lawrence County, N. Y., where he spent the remainder of his life, and where most of his descendants have continued to reside. Hii original homestead is now occupied by his great-great-grandson, Myron Wallace King. Jonathan was a Captain in the New York State militia and, for many years, kept a hotel in which he was succeeded by his son. Returning to the principal subject of this sketch, Alfred King, who was born in 1807, the son of Jonathan and Dorcas (Gillette) King, and fourth in line of descent from William King of Devonshire, England: Mr. King was about thirteen years of age when, in 1820, he accompanied his parents to Hammond, St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where he received a common-school education and, in early man- hood for a time, was engaged in teaching. Here he married Emeline Buss, who was born in New Hampshire in 1810, the daughter of Elisha and Polly (Mann) Buss. After his mar- riage, Mr. King settled on a farm in St. Law- rence County, where he remained the next seven years, in the meantime being engaged t.i some extent in the cattle trade, purchasing his stock in Canada. In June, 1840, he removed to Illinois, settling in Marengo Township, Mc- Henry County, upon land still occupied by his children. Here he bought several hun- dred acres, which he improved, building on it. the second frame house on the State road be- tween Elgin and Belvidere. This house was built of pine lumber hauled by Mr. King from Chicago, and was painted and plastered — an unusual thing for the pioneer homes of those days. Mr. King brought with him from the East a considerable stock of merchandise, which he sold out to his neighbors. He con- ducted his business in an energetic and enter- prising manner, and became a successful farmer, owning a well-stocked farm. He was the first Postmaster at Marengo, the postoffict; being located in his home. He was killed by accident on Feb. 28, 1846, while working on his woodland in McHenry County. Mr. King was one of the early members of the Methodist church in his locality, and his house was always open to the itinerant min- isters who had occasion to visit that section. His children were: Lucy J., Mary A., Augus- tus C, Alfred H, and two others who died in infancy. The daughters, Lucy J. and Mary A., are both members of the Methodist church and have always liberally assisted it. Alfred H. is now a resident of Shreveport, La., where he is engaged in business. While a student in the high school at Marengo during • the Civil War, at the age of sixteen years he enlisted as a soldier in an Illinois regiment, the company to which he belonged being composed largely of pupils of the same school. He was married Aug. 1, 1882, to Susie Dickerson, who died Aug. 24, 1895, leaving no children. They had an adopted daughter, Mabel, who was born March 22, 1882. Mr. King's second wife, to whom he was married in 1898, was Dora Rowe, and they have an adopted daughter named Nellie Amanda Marguerite. AUGUSTUS C. KING, son of Alfred King. Sr., born in 1837, in Hammond Township, St Lawrence County, N. Y., is a practical farmer and stock-dealer, and manages the home farm upon which his father settled over sixty years ago. In 1876, in company with his mother, he built a substantial stone residence, which i3 calculated to stand a hundred years without showing signs of decay. Mr. King is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and in poli- tics an unswerving Republican. His father having died when the son was about nine years of age, the latter attended the Pres- byterian Academy at Marengo for a number of years, receiving a good education. Since reaching manhood, he has had charge of the home farm and has made a success of it — no man in the community maintaining a higher reputation for integrity and business sagacity. The Buss family, to which Mrs. Alfred King Mc HENRY COUNTY. 863 belonged, were of English descent, and quite a number of them were residents of Leomin- ster, Mass., about forty miles from Boston, where Elisha Buss, the father of M'rs. King, fol- lowed the occupation of a farmer. He moved at an early day to St. Lawrence County, N. Y.. where he bought wild timber-land and cleared up a farm, and where he died in middle life His children were: John, Mary, Lucy, Betsy, Alfred and Emeline — the last of whom became Mrs. Alfred King. Mr. Buss was a member of the Congregational church. Elisha Mann, who was the grandfather of Mrs. King on the maternal side, was a promi- nent and public-spirited citizen of New Hamp- shire, where he was a soldier of the Revolu- tion. During the struggle for independence he gave evidence of his patriotism by raising a company for the field, which he clothed and shod at his own expense. He was still living at the laying of the corner-stone of the Bunker Hill monument, in 1825, and, although ad- vanced in years and in feeble health, traveled by private conveyance a distance of 200 miles to attend the ceremony. Several members ol his regiment were present, and although then over ninety years of age, he was one of the most vigorous and erect of their number. JOHN KENNEDY. John Kennedy, of Marengo, McHenry Coun- ty, is a Civil War veteran, and a substantial business man as well, having for years been engaged at the shoemaker's trade. Born in Prescott, Ontario, Nov. 4, 1837, he is the son of John and Elizabeth Kennedy. His grandfather, Alexander Kennedy, who was a resident of North of Ireland, was a man of remarkable vitality, and he lived to the advanced age of one hundred and eight years. John Kennedy, Sr., father of the subject ol this sketch, was born in Ireland, and there passed his early life. While a young man he enlisted in the British army, serving un- der the Duke of Wellington, and participating in some of the fiercest battles of the Na- poleonic campaigns, including those of Sala- manca, Badajoz, Victoria, and Waterloo. Later he was stationed as one of the guards at St. Helena, serving altogether a number of years in the army. He married in Scotland and of this union there were nine children: Alex- ander, Robert, Jane, William, John, Thomas (who died in infancy), George, Thomas and David. After marriage Mr. Kennedy came to Ontario and settled in Prescott, where he re- mained for some time, and then moved to Lon- don, Ont., making a part of the journey on the Thames river by raft. Later he settled upon a 100-acre tract of land heavily wooded with beach, oak and maple, near Chatham, Ont., where he made his home for the remainder of his active life. He cleared land and brought it under cultivation and in time had a valuable farm. Having retired from active work, late in life, he lived with his daughter, Jane Somer- ville, in Chatham, where, at the advanced age of one hundred and eight years, he died. Like his ancestors for generations Mr. Kennedy was an adherent of the doctrines of the Presby- terian church, and fraternally affiliated with the order of A. F. & A. M. John Kennedy, Jr., was the product of good wholesome farm life with some business train- ing. On his father's farm near Chatham, he spent a portion of his early years, and there, in the district schools, received his education. At the age of fourteen years he began learning the shoemaker's trade in Chatham, and in 1857 removed to Detroit, and there followed his trade for some time. Later he engaged in the same business in Grand Rapids, Mich., and subse- quently in Chicago. His next field of labor was Iroquois County, 111., where he remained for some time, but in the fall of 1861 opened a shop in Marengo, where he has since resided. August 5, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Com- pany A, Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and went to the front, during the period of his service taking part in the siege of Vicksburg, in the Red River campaign, battles of Cham- pion Hills, Nashville, and many other im- portant engagements. He also participated in the campaign against Price in Missouri and Arkansas. He served with a short intermis- sion to the close of the war, receiving an hon- orable discharge in 1865. During his service his merits as a soldier were recognized by his promotion from the rank of Corporal to that oi* Sergeant. At the battle of Nashville a cannon- ball struck his knee, compelling the amputa- tion of his leg and six weeks' treatment in Cumberland Hospital, after which he received a thirty-days furlough. After the war Mr. Kennedy returned to Marengo, and resumed 864 McHENRY COUNTY. his trade as a shoemaker, which he has since made the main business of his life. A skilled workman he has won for himself a comfortable livelihood. At Marengo, July 4, 1867, Mr. Kennedy mar- ried Elizabeth Green, who was born in Seneca Township, daughter of John and Hannah (Hetybe) Green, who came from the State of New York, and became pioneer settlers of Seneca Township. Their children were: Dr. De Witt C, Frederick, Bmeline and Elizabeth (Mrs. Kennedy). The latter died in Marengo, Sept. 28, 1899. To Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy were horn five children: John, who served in the Spanish War, and for three years in the Philip- pines; Frederick and Anna, (twins); William, who also served in the Spanish War and for three years in the Philippines, and Arthur. Mr. Kennedy is a typical Civil War veteran, battle-scarred, patriotic and fond of the reminiscences of that period. As a member of the Harley Wayne Post G. A. R., of Marengo he has acted as Vice-Commander, Chaplain, and ac present is Commander. He is a man of sou ad moral principles, temperate in his habits, and a highly respected citizen. As tax-collector he has served Marengo faithfully and efficiently for two years. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party, but is an independent thinker. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy are members of the Baptist church. GOODSKALK KNUTSON. Goodskalk Knutson, a resident of Woodstock, McHenry County, and soldier of the Civil War. was born at Waterford, Racine County, Wis.. March 8, 1841, the son of Knute Knutson, who was born in Voss, Norway, the son of Good- skalk Knutson, for whom the subject of this sketch was named. About 1838 or 1839, Knute Knutson came to America, landing at Quebec and coming thence by way of the lakes to Milwaukee, Wis., and finally bought sixty acres of unimproved land twenty-five miles south- west of Milwaukee. Here he married Anna Rognaldson, who was a native of Norway, and crossed the ocean on the same vessel with him when he came to America. Mr. Knut- son was an industrious man and one of the pioneers in his locality, where he spent the re- mainder of his life engaged in improving his land, and where he died in 1858 at the age of about forty-five years. His children were: Goodskalk, the subject of this sketch; Knute. who died aged two and a half years; Mar- jorie, died aged sixteen; Betsy, died at eight- teen; Annie, died after marriage, and Knute (2). Mr. Knutson and his family were mem- bers of the Lutheran church. His wife lived to be seventy-four years old, dying in 1888. Goodskalk Knutson, the oldest son of this family, grew up on his father's farm, receiv- ing but little schooling. His father having died when the son was about seventeen years old, the responsibility of caring for the family and improving the farm devolved largely upon the latter. When a little over twenty years of age, on Sept. 5, 1861, at Racine, Wis., he en- listed as a private in Company K, Eighth Reg- iment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. On June 4, 1864, the Eighth Regiment "veteranized," Mr. Knutson re-enlisting in his old company, in which he was promoted to the rank of corporal, and being honorably discharged Sept. 5, 1865. During his service of over three years, Mr. Knutson took part with his regiment in thirty-six battles besides many skirmishes, in- cluding: Frederickstown, Mo., Oct. 21, 1861; Siege of New Madrid and Island No. 10, March and April, 1862 ; Point Pleasant, Mo., March 20, 1862; Farmington, Miss., May 9, 1862; before Corinth, May 28, 1862; Iuka, Sept. 14-18, 1862; Burnsville, Miss., Sept. 16-18, 1862; Corinth, Oct. 3-4, 1862; Tallahatchie, Dec. 2, 1862; Mis- sissippi Springs, Miss., May 13, 1863; Jackson, Miss., May 14, 1863; assault on Vicksburg, June 4, 1863; Richmond, La., June 15, 1863; Vicks- burg, June 24, 1863; surrender of Vicksburg, July 3, 1863; Brownsville, Miss., Oct. 14, 1863; Fort Surry, La., March 13, 1864; Fort de Rus- sey, March 15, 1864; Henderson Hill, La., March 15, 1864; Grand Ecore, La., April 2, 1864; Pleasant Hill, La., April 8-9, 1864; Hurricane Creek, La., April 13, 1864; Natchitoches, April 20, 1864; Cane River, La., April 22, 1864; Cloutierville and Crane Hill, La., April 23, 1864; Rapides, La., May 2, 1864; Bayou La Mourie, La, May 16, 1864; Maysville, La., May 17, 1864; Calhoun's Plantation, La., May 18, 1864; Bayou de Glaize. La., May 18. 1864; Lake Chicot, La., June 6, 1864; Battle of Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 15-16, 1864. The Eighth Wisconsin carried the fa- mous war eagle "Old Abe," as a "mascot," at McHENRY COUNTY. 86t the head of its columns during the principal part of its service. The following extract in reference to this famous bird, taken from the "Military History of Wisconsin," will be of interest in this connection: "OLD ABE, WISCONSIN WAR EAGLE — The Eighth was known as the 'Eagle Regi- ment,' from the fact that a live eagle was carried in every battle up to the return of the Union veterans in 1864. This noble bird was taken from the parent nest in Chippewa County in Wisconsin, by an Indian who dis- posed of it to a gentleman of Eau Claire County, from whom it was purchased by the members of Capt. Perkin's company while organizing in 1861. It is needless to say that it was instantly adopted as the regimental pet, and was christened 'Old Abe.' A perch was prepared, and the royal bird was borne with the regiment on all its marches, and into every battle in which the gallant Eighth was engaged up to the muster-out of the Union veterans. "Perched on its stand and above the heads of the men. the bird was more than once the mark for rebel bullets, but luckily escaped unharmed with the exception of the loss of a few feathers shot away. He returned with the Union veterans in 1864, and was presented to the State and placed in charge of the Quar- termaster's Department, and every care was bestowed upon him. At the great Chicago Fair in 1865, 'Old Abe' was exhibited, and his photo- graph disposed of, realizing the amount of $16,000. He was also exhibited at the Mil- waukee Fair with profitable results. The sum netted for charitable objects was about $20,000. He occasionally breaks his fetters, but he has become so far domesticated that he is easily recovered. Occasionally tlie music of a band, or the noise of a drum, will reach his ears, when he will intently listen, and will respond with his characteristic scream, prob- ably recognizing the strain as one with which the battle field has made his ear familiar. 'Old Abe' has become celebrated in our mili- tary annals, and his history inextricably inter- woven with that of the brave and gallant reg- iment who bore him triumphantly. "At the battle of Corinth, Gen. Price, know- ing that the capture of the eagle would electrify the South, ordered his men to take him at all hazards; and, if they could not do so, to kill him — adding, he would rather get that bird than the whole brigade." During his whole career as a soldier Mr. Knutson was never wounded or taken prisoner, and was in hospital only one week on account of sickness. He was always active as a soldier and performed his full duty, taking part in all the battles, skirmishes, campaigns and marches in which his regiment was engaged; and, as a consequence, he enjoys the well-earned repu- tation of a true patriot who endured priva- tion and risked his life in the service of his country. After his return to civil life he went to South Dakota, where he purchased 160 acres of land in Hand County. On May 28, 1887, he was married to Mary Howe, who was born near Christiania, Norway, Oct. 2, 1855, the daughter of John and Elsie (Bergen) Howe. Her father was a native of the same locality in Norway just named, being born in 1809. Mr. Howe was a farmer, and his resi- dence was in a village on the banks of the beautiful Lake Otte, where he kept a ferry and lived in comfortable circumstances. His child- ren were: Rachel, Julia, Martha, Andrew, Ole John and Mary. Mr. Howe came to America and settled in Woodstock, McHenry County, in 1872, making his home there with his daughter, Mrs. Rachel Anderson, and dying there at the age of eighty-one years. His wife died in Norway aged about forty years. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Knutson settled on his farm in South Dakota, but being dis- satisfied with the country, they came to Wood- stock, where Mr. Knutson became night watch- man for the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- road, but for the past two years has held a similar position with the Oliver Typewriter Company. In political belief Mr. Knutson is a Republican and is a member of Woodstock Post, No. 108, G. A. R., in which he has held office and is recognized as an honored com- rade. Mr. and Mrs. Knutson have one daughter, Olive, to whom they are giving a good education. With a record as a brave and faithful soldier and a high reputation for personal integrity, Mr. Knutson is spending a useful and industrious life in the home owned by him in Woodstock JAMES KEE. James Kee, one of the most venerable and respected residents of McHenry County, who is a descendant of a family of Scotch-Irish extraction, emigrated to Illinois more than half a century ago, and has ever since made his home in Algonquin Township. His grand- father, William Kee, was a native of County Tyrone, Ireland, where his ancestors had set- 866 McHENRY COUNTY. tied when they moved from Scotland at an early period. William Kee was a farmer by occupation, a Presbyterian in religious faith, and died in his native country at an ad- vanced age. His children were John, James and William. James Kee, father of the subject of ibis sketch, was born in County Tyrone, and adopted his father's vocation as a farmer, to which he added that of ,i surveyor, and was also inspector of linens, with offices in London- derry and Strabane. He married Elizabeth Mahafey, and their children were: William, Rebecca, Elizabeth, John, Letitia, James. Joseph, Mary, Jane, Matilda and Robert Of these only Robert and James are now (1902) living, the latter being the principal subject cf this article. James Kee (1) and wife were members of the Methodist Church, though born members of the Church of England. James Mahafey, the father of Mrs. Kee, died on his farm in Ireland, at the age of about sixty years. James Kee (2) was born on the home farm in County Tyrone, Ireland, Oct. 24, 1814, where he received a good elementary education and attended high school for some time. He learned to farm with his father and, at the age of seventeen years, came to America, sailing from Londonderry in May, 1831, on the good ship, "The Bows," the voyage to Quebec, by sailing-vessel, requiring about Ave weeks. After his arrival at Quebec, Mr. Kee obtained employment as clerk in a dry-goods house, and v»as afterwards employed at farm work, re- maining in Canada about two and a half years. In 1833 he went to New York State and worked in a stone quarry at Yonkers, and there mar- ried Sept. 22, 1836, Rachael Morton, born in the city of New York, Oct. 18. 1819, daughter of Robert and Margaret (Fee) Morton. David Morton, the father of Robert Morton and the grandfather of Mrs. Kee, was a farmer and a well-to-do citizen of Scotch-Irish ex- traction, who lived in County Cavan, Ireland, where he held land under a long lease and carried on the business of a linen-weaver, employing a number of men and women in his? business. His children were: Robert, Charles, Charlotte, Ann, John, Elizabeth (who died young), William and Elizabeth (2) who died in infancy. David Morton, the father of this family, died on his farm between sixty and seventy years of age. Robert Morton, the father of Mrs. Kee, was born in County Cavan, Ireland, Nov. 14, 1791, son of David 'and Margaret (Wilson) Morton. He received a common school education, be- came an excellent mathematician, and, like his father, was a weaver by trade. He was married in Ireland to Margaret Fee, daughter of George Fee, who came to America in 1815 and engaged in the stone-quarry business at Yonkers, N. Y., his wife remaining in Ireland two years longer awaiting the distribution of the paternal estate. In 1847 (thirty-two years after his arrival in the United States) Mr. Fee removed to Illinois coming via the Erie Canal and the lakes to Chicago, thence going directly to Algonquin Township, McHenry County, where he entered 500 acres of Government land which he improved and left, at his death, for dis- tribution among his children. He died in 1881 aged eighty-eight years and six months. His children were Rachael, Edward, Charles, David, Margaret, Ann, Mary J., Elizabeth, Ellen, Robert, John and William. Mr. Morton was originally a member of the Church of Eng- land, but became a Methodist and was a man of excellent character. After his marriage to Miss Morton in 183G, Mr. James Kee remained in the stone-quarry business with Edward Morton at Yonkers, N. Y., until 1849, when he removed to Illinois, leaving New York May 15, by railroad to Buf- falo and thence by the lakes to Chicago, where he hired a conveyance to complete the journey to Algonquin. Here they found Mrs. Kee's father, Mr. Robert Morton, who resided in a two-story house with the only brick chimney in the neighborhood, which was the means suggested to them for learning when they had reached their destination. Mr. Kee set- tled on the farm where he now resides, en- tered eighty acres of Government land and purchased eighty acres more, to which he made additions, until he became the owner of two hundred and fourteen acres of land, two hun- dred acres of which he still retains. He soon erected substantial buildings to take the place of the log structures he first found on the farm. Mr. and Mrs. Kee are members of the Episcopal church and have done much to as- £%^r> ^Wg, McHENRY COUNTY. 86 : r sist in the material and moral development of the community in which they still reside, and, at an advanced age, enjoy the respect and esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. They are the parents of Elizabeth, Robert, James, William, Margaret Jane, Joseph, John, Morton, Mary Ellen, Charlotte L. and Edward J. The son James served as a soldier in the Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. VINCENT SILAS LUMLEY. Vincent Silas Lumley, a leading lawyer and ex-Prosecuting 'Attorney of MeHenry County, was born in Ringwood, MeHenry County, Dec. 26, 1867, the son of Thomas R. and Eliza (Mit- chell) Lumley. The Lumley family are oi English descent, their history being identified with Yorkshire, England, from a remote period. They were the founders of a fraternal organi- zation known as "The Foresters," originally composed solely of members of that family, but into which, at a later period, members of other English families were admitted. Thomas R. Lumley, the father pf Vincent S., was born in Yorkshire, Eng., July 3, 1827, the son of Thomas Emanuel and Mary Ann Lum- ley, and was reared a farmer in his native country. His father, Thomas Emanuel Lumley, also a native of Yorkshire, was a farmer, and had three brothers, all of whom, like himself, were men of prominence and considerable property. Of these, John, now deceased, was a well-to-do citizen of Scriven, Eng.; Mathew was a piano manufacturer of Hull, and Edwin (deceased) was formerly an extensive farmer in Yorkshire. Thomas Emanuel served as a soldier during the French-English War under Lord Wellington and took part in the battle ot Waterloo. A former Lord Lumley, connected with this family, was friendly to the Puritan .-:, and assisted some of them in reaching Ameri- ca during the days of their persecution. Thomas E. Lumley married Mary Ann Wright, and they had a good home in Yorkshire, where the following named children were born to them: John, Helen E., James, William, Thomas Robert (father of Vincent S.) and Mary Ann. Thomas E. Lumley died in England in 1863, and his wife in 1848. Thomas R. Lumley and his brother William sailed from Liverpool for America in 1851, the voyage to New York consuming six weeks, whence they came direct to Huntley, MeHenry County, where they obtained employment for a time on what is now a division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. Later they joined the John S. Cummings Company in an expedi- tion across the plains to California, an account of which is given elsewhere in this volume (See sketch of John S. Cummings). While in California Thomas R. engaged in mercantile business for two years, but in 1854 returned to MeHenry County. He then bought 355 acres of land in Ringwood Prairie, a part of it improved and known as the Holcomb farm, while the re- mainder was unimproved. Here he erected one of the finest farm-houses of the time in Me- Henry County. May 3, 1858, he married Ann Eliza Mitchell, born in Kingsville, Ashtabula County, Ohio, Feb. 22, 1836, the daughter of Silas Robert and Mary S. (Hopkins) Mitchell. After marriage, Mr. Lumley settled on his land in MeHenry County, where he acquired a large estate, finally becoming the owner of 1,000 acres of land. Among his later acquisitions were the Tryon farm of 275 acres in Hebron Township and the Peterson farm of 218 acres in Greenwood. Mr. Lumley and wife remained on their farm until 1888, when they removed to Woodstock and later to Chicago. He was a member of the Methodist church, in which ho filled the office of Steward for many years. Politically he was a Republican, but not in any sense an office-seeker, preferring to give his at- tention to his large farming and other business interests. He was public-spirited and took a deep interest in educational matters and other enterprises affecting his township and locality. Commencing without capital, but possessing sagacity and an indomitable will, he attained a high degree of business success. He was very abstemious in habits, using neither liquors nor tobacco in any form. Mr .and Mrs. Lum- ley were the parents of the following named children: Frank B., Clinton G., Genevieve L.. Vincent S., Edwin T., Wallace J., and Stanley M., who died Aug. 24, 1890, aged eighteen years. Mr. Lumley died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Tryon, in Chicago, Nov. 14, 1896, aged sixty-nine. Of their children, Clin- ton G. graduated from the University of Illi- nois and the Chicago Medical College, and is now a practicing physician in Chicago., He married Miss Nellie McLean, of Urbana, 111., McHENRY COUNTY. who is a graduate of the University of Illinois, and they have four children: Harold M., Les- lie, Arlene and Dorothy. Edwin T. took courses in the Dixon Business College and the Illinois School of Pharmacy, and is a druggist in Chicago. Wallace J. graduated in both the institutions just named, and is now a resident of Elgin. Frank B. married Fred Tryon of Mc- Henry County, and they had three children: Glendara H., who married W. V. Hoff, of Blue Island; Floyd C. and Verna E. Mr. Tryon died in 1894, and his widow now resides in Woodstock. Genevieve L. married George T. Goodnow, now connected with the firm of Ben- jamin Moore & Co., Chicago, and they have one child — Pauline. Wallace J. married Margaret Weast, and Edwin T. married Cecil Erickson. The last named couple have two children — Gerald and Bernice. Mrs. Thomas R. Lumley still survives and is a resident of Chicago. A woman of strong character and vigorous con- stitution, in early days, she bore her full part in maintaining the family home and' in assist- ing her husband in the accumulation of his handsome property. Like her husband, she was a member of the Methodist church and re tains her physical and mental vigor, with an especially retentive memory. In 1874 Mr. Lumley visited his old Yorkshire home in com- pany with his daughter Frank B., to whose recollection are due some of the reminiscences of that interesting region comprised in this sketch. Vincent S. Lumley was reared among the peaceful scenes of rural life in Ringwood Prai- rie, one of the most beautiful of the smaller prairies which dot the rich landscape of North- ern Illinois. Here he passed his youthful days, and here attended the public schools, acquiring the foundation of a good education under the instruction of Rev. William Nickle, the veteran teacher of McHenry County, who speaks of Mr. Lumley as one of his brightest pupils. He next attended the Normal School at Normal, 111., and later graduated from the Northern Busi- ness College at Dixon, where he was valedic- torian of his class. After being engaged in teaching for a year at McHenry, 111., he entered the Law Department of the Michigan Univer- sity at Ann Arbor, from which he graduated in 1888 at twenty years of age, being selected to deliver the class oration. The year previous, at nineteen years of age, he was admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, and at Ann Arbor, with a single exception, was the youngest student in a class of one hundred and forty-two, the others not only being older, but many of them able lawyers in active practice. In 1888, the year of Mr. Lumley's graduation, he engaged in practice in Woodstock, McHenry County, in partnership with the late Judge T D. Murphy, which was continued until the death of the latter. Since then he has prac ticed alone, and has been uniformly successful establishing a large and lucrative practice Politically he is a stanch advocate of the prin ciples of the Republican party, and, in 1896, was elected to the office of State's Attorney for McHenry County, receiving a plurality of fifty-nine votes over that cast for President McKinley, and securing the largest majority ever given to any candidate for office in the county. During the past twelve years he has been connected with some of the most im- portant cases tried before the courts of Me Henry County. He was retained for the de fense in the celebrated Delhanty murder case and, in 1900, recovered from the city of Chi cago $11,000 as attorney in a suit for damages in behalf of Frank Gilbert. While Prosecuting Attorney he discharged his duty with fearless energy and efficiency, during his first term se- curing the conviction under sentences to the penitentiary of eight criminals who richly de- served their fate, and, during both terms, send- ing more guilty persons to Joliet than any Prosecuting Attorney before him, during this time losing but one case. Shrewd, incisive and aggressive, Mr. Lumley is a true type of the weil-read and successful lawyer. Fearless and independent, he expresses his views in clear, concise and vigorous language, always talking to the point. He is one of the best read and most successful lawyers at the McHenry Coun- ty bar, and his law library, purchased at a cost of $3,500 is one of the largest private libraries in Northern Illinois. In 1892 Mr. Lumley was united in marriage, at Woodstock, 111., to Neva D. Bunker, who was born at Woodstock, the daughter of Amos and Dell (Sherman) Bunker. They have one daughter, Marjorie Dell. Fraternally Mr. Lum- ley is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of several benevolent asso- ciations. Reverting to the family of Mrs. Thomas R. McHENRY COUNTY. 869 Lumley, her father, Silas R. Mitchell, was born at Fairfield, Vt, March 25, 1752, the son of John Robert Mitchell. The latter was a soldier of the Revolution, who served under the com- mand of Aaron Burr — then a captain — in the memorable expedition led by Benedict Arnold through the wilds of Northern Maine against Quebec in 1775. This expedition, which marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War, en- dured great suffering and privation. Later Mr. Mitchell served as Aid-de-camp on the staff of Gen. Washington. At a reception given by Gen. and Mrs. Washington, that lady dropped her handkerchief, when the young Aid-de-camp picked it up, and, returning it to her, gallantly kissed her hand. Gen. Washington, observing the act, jocularly remarked: "Take care, Robert, I will excuse you this time, but don't take such liberties again." In 1787 Mr. Mit- chell, in company with Joseph Wheeler and "John Sunderland, went to "Vermont, where they became the first settlers at Fairfield in that State, and, it is said, lived for a time on bass- wood buds until they could raise a crop of corn. Mr. Mitchell married Jemima Suther- land who was born Nov. 25, 1750. She appears to have been a woman of rare physical and mental vigor; was the first white woman at Fairfield, Vt., and it is told of her that she could cut down a tree, two feet in diameter, as quickly as her husband. She was a famous spinner and weaver, and expert with the needle, and is said to have made the clothes for her family of ten children, whom she cared for while her husband was serving as a soldier in the War of 1812. When one hundred and four years old, it is said she could knit one pair of socks and "set up" another in a single day. She died July 7, 1862, nearly one hun- dred and twelve years old. Her husband died Sept. 8, 1842. Their children were: Thomas, Roswell, Hubbell, Silas Robert, Susan, Joan, Polly, Hepsy, Lydia and Delia. Silas Robert Mitchell, of this family, was born in Vermont, Feb. 4, 1793, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812. His occupation was that of a miller. He married in Fairfield, Vt., Mary S. Hopkins, who was born at Bur- lington, Vt., the daughter of Noah and Clarissa (Castle) Hopkins. Her father was a native of Massachusetts and a brother of Stephen Hopkins, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The Castle fam- ily were from Connecticut. After the death of her husband, Noah Hopkins, his wife mar- ried John Castle, who was a soldier of the War of 1812, and took part in the battle of Platts- burg, on that occasion being shot through the hand. Uriah, the son of John Castle, was an officer in the same war, and also served in the Civil War with his brother Horace, who was fatally wounded and died at Bowling Green, Ky. Noah Hopkins and wife had but one child, Mary S. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. John Castle moved to Vermont, where he cleared up a farm in the woods. Their chil- dren were: Joel, Squire, Uriah, Stanley, Hor- ace, John, Clarissa, Minerva and Emeline. John Castle died in Ashtabula County, Ohio, aged ninety years, and Mrs. Castle at eighty- five. After his marriage to Mary S. Hopkins, in 1824, Silas Robert Mitchell moved to Warsaw, N. Y., and, in 1829, to Ashtabula County, Ohio, where he bought 200 acres of land; was also the owner of a large "sugar bush," where he manufactured much maple sugar. He and his wife were Methodists and they raised a fam- ily of twelve children: Emily Jeannette, born at Fairfield, Vt., April 18, 1822, died at Kings- ville, Ohio, Nov. 30, 1843; Emeline Cecilia, born in Vermont, Dec. 23, 1823, died May 14, 1901; Adelia Caroline, born in Vermont, Nov. 8, 1825, died Oct. 27, 1895; Lucy Ann, born June 1, 1827, died April 13, 1886; Amasa Castle, born at Warsaw, N. Y., Sept. 18, 1829; Chester Potter, born at Kingsville, Ohio, May 8, 1834, died Dec. 13, 1871; Ann Eliza, born Feb. 22, 1836; Helen Maria, born Oct. 15, 1838, died July 28, 1856; Frances Adelaide, born April 20, 1840; Alice Jeannette, born Oct. 2, 1844. died Jan. 2, 1878; Mary Isadore, born at Kings- ville, Ohio, July 26, 1847, died in 1850. Mr. Mitchell was a man of strictly moral and tem- perate habits, and conscientiously refrained from profane language and the use of liquor or tobacco. The Mitchells were of colonial Puritan ancestry, and of the same stock as Gen. O. M. Mitchell, the astronomer and sol- dier of the Civil War. Silas Robert Mitchell died Jan. 9, 1876, and his wife at Kingsville, Ohio, in 1873. 870 McHENRY COUNTY. SAMUEL L. LINCOLN. Samuel L. Lincoln, of Harvard, 111., is one of the old settlers of McHenry County, where he was, for many years, a teacher in the public schools. The Lincolns are of English Puritan stock and came to America in the old colonial days, being among the founders of Massachu- setts. General Lincoln, of Revolutionary fame, w,as of the same line, and it is now well established that President Abraham Lincoln's ancestors came from Massachusetts to Vir- ginia. Purvis Lincoln was the great-grandfather of Samuel L., and Daniel Lincoln, the grandfather, was born in Vermont, and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, being one of the famous "Green Mountain Boys." He also served in the War of 1812. In the former he was present at the capture of Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen, and in the latter belonged to the land forces in the battle of Lake Erie. He was promoted to be an officer, but his rank is not remembered. He was a farmer by occupation, and when he was but nineteen years of age married, for his first wife, Eunice Bragg, in New York State. The Braggs were of the same original stock as the famous rebel Gen. Bragg. After marriage Daniel Lincoln settled on new land and opened up a farm in the Genesee Flats, near Batavia, N. Y. He then moved to Alexander Township, in the Genesee Flats, where he cleared a large farm erf 300 to 400 acres, which he divided among his sons before his marriage to his second wife. The children by his first marriage were: Daniel, Emory, Calvin, Eunice, Arathusia. Rial, Apollos and Lucius. His first wife died when about sixty years of age, after which he married a second time and lived with his sec- ond wife for more than thirty-three years. He died on his farm in Alexander Township, in January, 1862, aged ninety-seven years and seven months. For his day he was a man of considerable property and his advice was much sought after. He was Colonel of a militia regi- ment, was a natural athlete, at sixty years of age being able to jump further than most young men, and at the old-fashioned musters could shoulder the heaviest load of stone. In religion he was an Old School Baptist. The farm in Genesee County, N. Y., is still held in the family name. Apollos Lincoln, son of Daniel Lincoln and father of Samuel L., was born in Brattleboro, Vt, June 2, 1802, and when a child in arms went with the family to New York. He gained a common-school education and was reared a farmer and expert woodman. He married in May, 1828, in Genesee County, N. Y., Melissa Waite, born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., April 2, 1802, daughter of William Waite. Mr. Waite was of an old colonial family of Massa- chusetts of English descent, was a soldier of the Revolution at the capture* of Fort Ticon- deroga and, in 1812, with the land forces at, the battle of Lake Erie. He was a farmer of Genesee County, N. Y., where he was a pioneer. He finally settled on a farm at West Valley, Cattaraugus County., where he built a saw and flouring-mill and a tannery. He died in Octo- ber, 1864, aged ninety-seven years and six months. He was a remarkably well preserved man and, at the age of ninety-seven years, could read the "New York Tribune" without glasses — in fact, had never worn glasses, and had no gray hairs on his head. The children of William Waite and wife were: Weston, Lorin, AJvira, Eesic, Melissa, Henry and Fan- nie. In religious belief Mr. Waite was a Bap- tist. He was married three times — the last time being when he was over sixty years of age — and he lived with his wife over thirty years. He died at West Valley, N. Y. Apollos Lincoln settled after marriage at Alexander, N. Y., on land of his own. The winter he was twenty-four years of age he as- sisted in cutting the ship timber from Grand Island, in the Niagara River below Buffalo, in this work having the direction of the best com- pany of men. This island was heavily wooded and it required two years to cut off the timber, which was shipped to England. The island belonged to an old New York "Patroon" fam- ily, and the clearing of it was one of the great events of the day in that region. Mr. Lincoln, having sold his land in Genesee County, moved to Cattaraugus County, N. Y., where he cleared up another farm. In June, 1845, he removed to McHenry County, 111., making the journey with his family on a steamboat from Buffalo to Chicago, and hauling his goods from Crystal Lake by teams. After living on rented land for four years, he bought 120 acres of timber- land in Nunda Township, on which a little tim- ber had been cut and a log-cabin had been built. He cleared up this land and finally made McHENRY COUNTY. 871 a good home. Having sold this farm, he bought another, in Marengo Township, consisting of seventy-eight acres of cleared land, and here passed the rest of his life, dying Feb. 23, 1880, aged seventy-eight years. Mr. Lincoln was a member of the Baptist church, and in politics originally a Democrat, but became an early Re- publican, supporting John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency. His death was caused by injuries which he had received from an accident many years pre- vious, the ribs on his left side having been crushed. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Apollos Lincoln were: Gooding W., Henry M., Eliza- beth A., Eunice A., Mary S., Samuel L. and Omar H. Samuel L. Lincoln was born in Alexander Township, Genesee County, N. Y., June 7, 1840, and was an infant when his father moved to Cattaraugus County, and was not quite five years old when he moved to Illinois. He can well remember the old double log house in which they lived in New York and some of the scenes and incidents of the voyage on Lake Erie. He received his education chiefly in Illinois, but had attended school in New York. He attended one of the early schools in Crystal Lake, in a small frame school house, and later different schools in Nunda Township, in the Huffman District and then on Fox River in the first school house in what is now the Lincoln District. He helped draw the lumber and stone and assisted to build the school house. He was sixteen years old when he attended Wauconda Academy two terms, working at farm work during the summer. He began teaching at seventeen years of age while at- tending the academy in the winter of 1857-8 in Cuba Township, Lake County, and taught every winter for a period of thirty-four years. All his teaching was in Boone, Lake and Mc- Henry Counties, and his is probably the longest record as a teacher in these counties. His brother, Omar, has taught longer and is still employed in the same line, but in other locali- ties. Many persons who are now grown men and women and the heads of families, and scat- tered over the West in various pursuits of life, were among his pupils. Mr. Lincoln was mar- ried April 15, 1868, in Ridgefield, McHenry County, to Julia E. Francisco, who was born in McHenry County, Feb. 26, 1847, daughter of Peter and Sarah (Ingalls) Francisco. The Francisco family is descended from French an- cestors who were early settlers of Western New York, and there is a tradition that there is a large amount of property in France whicn properly belongs to the family. They were Protestants, probably of Huguenot stock. Like many of the French Huguenots, the family in- termarried freely with the Holland Dutch. John Francisco, the grandfather of Mrs. Lin- coln, was a farmer of Genesee County, N. Y., and his wife, Elizabeth Near, was of Holland Dutch stock. He moved to Ohio at an early day, and there all his children were born and there he died. Their children were: Charity, Abraham, Sallie, Hester, Charles, Peter, Mar- tha (Patty) and Margaret — the last three being triplets. Martha (or Patty) became Mrs. Fos- dick, now a well-known resident of Woodstock, and Margaret married William D. Hoege, but died several years ago. Mrs. John Francisco came to McHenry County, 111., with her chil- dren, and died at the home of her daughter Charity, aged over ninety years. Peter Francisco, born near Mentor, Ohio, June 16, 1819, about 1844 came to McHen- ry County, driving a yoke of oxen for his brother-in-law, Hubbard Whitlock. who had married his sister Hester Francisco, and had entered land in that locality. Here Peter Francisco entered 180 acres of Government land and, on Jan. 1, 1846, near Ringwood, McHenry County, married Sarah Ann Ingalls, who was born in Jefferson County, N. Y., April 9, 1828, the daughter of Warren and Matilda (Brown) Ingalls, and at the time of her marriage, eigh- teen years of age. Oliver Ingalls was a pioneer of Jefferson County, N. Y., and died of cholera while on a land-hunting expedition. The chil- dren were: Alpheus O., Sarah A. and Char- lotte O. The Ingalls family were of old New England ancestry. After marriage Peter Fran- cisco settled on his land and cleared his farm from the oak timber which encumbered it. He added to his farm until he owned 100 acres, erected upon it good buildings and became a prosperous farmer. The children were: Ju- lia E., born Feb. 26, 1847; Delia Ann, born Nov. 29, 1849; Albert, born Oct. 15, 1852; Warren I., born April 7, 1855; Myron, born Nov. 18, 1857, and Annie M., born June 21, 1861 — all born on the old homestead in McHenry County, and all still living. Politically Mr. Francisco was a Lincoln Republican, and an honored citi- 872 McHENRY COUNTY. zen of his township. He served as a member of the School Board many years. Mr. Fran- cisco died on his farm, Dec. 13, 1872, as the re- sult of an accident, and his wife June 6, 189G. The Francisco homestead is now owned by My- ron and Annie M. Francisco. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln settled at Marengo and lived there about twelve years and was engaged in teaching and renting land. In 1881 he moved to his present home farm in Hartland Township, which consists of 163 acres. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel L. Lincoln are: Earl G., born June 22, 1869; Charity M., born April 12, 1872; Herbert W.„ born June 30, 1875; Clara B., born June 14, 1878; Albert W., born Feb. 22, 1881; George M., born May 29, 1884, and Samuel Leon, born Sept. 20, 1889. Of these children. Earl G. mar- ried, May 15, 1899, Mary Sophia Straudt, of Amherst, Neb., and they have one child, War ren M. Their daughter, Charity M. married, Jan. 1, 1891, Ellsworth C. Hammond, who is a contractor residing in Harvard, and has been Road Commissioner of Chemung Township for the past five years. He and his wife have five children: Dorris J., Bernice A., Gladys E., Vernon and one child unnamed. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln suffered a sad calamity on April 22, 1897, in the death of their two promising sons, — Herbert W. and Albert W. — both dying of diphtheria on the same day. Mr. Lincoln is a member of the Methodist church. In politics he first voted for Abraham Lincoln at his first election, and afterwards became a Democrat and voted for William J. Bryan.. He has held the office of Justice or the Peace, and has been a member of the School Board many years. Mr. Lincoln was one of the organizers of the McHenry County Teachers' Institute, about 1860-1, and a mem- ber of the committee appointed to draft the by- laws for the organization, having as associates on this committee A. W. Cummings, of Che- mung, and Edward Hayden, of Nunda Town- ship. LEVI LAKE. Levi Lake came of that old sturdy New Eng- land stock which has given to this country so much of its honor, intelligence and industry. He was born in Otsego County, N. Y., August 24, 1816, son of Phipps Waldo and Rebecca (Beardsley) Lake. His great-grandfather was one of the old "Patroons," and owned a large tract of land on the border of New York an.! Vermont, but by adhering to the British cause as a Tory, was obliged to flee to Canada and his estate was confiscated. Henry Lake, the grandfather, was born on his father's estate and served as a patriot sol- dier in the War of the American Revolution. He married Jemima Waldo, a descendant of the famous Governor Phipps, who was re- warded by George III. of England by being made Governor of colonial Massachusetts for raising a rich Spanish galleon, or treasure- ship. Soon after marriage, Henry Lake set- tled in Otsego County, N. Y., and cleared up a farm from the heavily timbered wilderness. His children were: Daniel, Nicholas, Phipps W., Jedediah. David, Henry, Jr., Valorous, Jar- vis M., Calvin, Rosanna and Lucretia, the last two being twins who died in infancy. Mr. Lake spent all his active days on his farm, but in his old age moved to Montgomery County, N. Y., and passed the remainder of his life in the village of Ames. He was a member of the Free-Will Baptist church, in which he was a deacon for many years, during the latter years of his life being called "Father Lake." Phipps Waldo Lake, the father of Levi, was born at Plainfield, Otsego County, N. Y., re- ceived a common-school education and studied law, but finally prepared for the ministry and became a Free-Will Baptist minister. He was one of the pioneers of this denomination in New York State and one of its leading ministers for many years; also served as a soldier at Sackett's Harbor during the War of 1812. He married, in Richfield, Otsego County, N. Y., Re- becca Beardsley, whose parents were of Eng- lish ancestry and early colonial settlers. Mr. Lake preached in Cortland and Montgomery Counties, N. Y., and then settled in Ames, Cana- joharie Township, Montgomery County, where he preached for fourteen years, and having purchased 250 acres of land, became a suc- cessful farmer. In the spring of 1839 he be- came a pioneer settler in Big Foot Prairie, Walworth County, Wis., where he bought 640 acres of land, 100 acres of which had pre- viously been broken, and a crop of corn, wheat and oats planted. Mr. Lake made extensive improvements on his land, built a frame house, which is strll standing, and here passed the re- , t*< <\jZsUs^- f *1 McHENRY COUNTY. 87; mainder of his life, dying in 1860, about seven- ty-two years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Lake were the parents of Polly (who died when about fifty-six years of age), Beardsley, Levi, Lucre- tia (who died a married woman), Rebecca, Waldo, Sarah and Mary, the last two twins. Six of their children are still living, the youngest being over seventy years of age. Mr. Lake was a speaker of much ability and preached to the early settlers of Walworth County, besides having charge of a church at Lake Geneva for several years. Politically he was in early days an old line Whig, but later became a Republican and represented his party in the Wisconsin Legislature for two years. Levi Lake, the immediate subject of this ar- ticle, received a common-school education, and later attended the academy at. Ames, N. Y.. for several terms. When twenty-one years of age he engaged with the Saratoga Mutual In- surance Company, and remained in this busi- ness until he came west in 1839. On the trip west Mr. Lake made the journey by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo, the lakes to Chicago, and then by wagon to Big Foot Prairie, where he arrived July 22. He managed his father'* farm until the fall of 1839, when he engaged at farm labor for himself, renting part of his fath- er's land on shares for a time. In 1840 he re- turned to New York and married at Root, Mont- gomery County, January 17, Lydia Maria Win- nie, who was born in that place Oct. 6, 1819, daughter of Lucas Winnie. The Winnies were of Holland-Dutch stock, descended from an olu colonial family of that name in New Jersey. Lucas Winnie was a wealthy farmer of Mont- gomery County, where his father had cleared up a farm as a pioneer. His children were: Lydia M., Rachael, Eliza, Susan Ann and Har- riet. After marriage Mr. Lake returned to Big Foot Prairie, and in 1843 bought 100 acres of unimproved land from the Government for $1.25 per acre, upon which he made extensive improvements, built a frame house and had a good home and farm. Three years later he returned to New York, and there managed one of his father-in-law's farms, which he after- wards bought. He remained there for twenty years, and then (in 1867), returning, settled at Harvard, McHenry County, engaging in the lumber business. Four years later he retired from this business, investing his capital in Michigan pine land, with profitable results. Mr. and Mrs. Lake were the parents of children named: Ann Eliza, Monroe, Jane, Kittie, Mary, Hattie, besides three others who died in infancy. They were both members of the Free- Will Baptist church, in which Mr. Lake was clerk and chorister, at Ames, N. Y., for many years. Originally an old line Whig, he became a Republican on the organization of that party and voted for Abraham Lincoln. In his young- er days Mr. Lake was a very active and indub- trious man and noted for his upright charac- ter. Mrs. Lake, a woman of many virtues and greatly beloved by all her acquaintances, died in December, 1892. Coming west at an early day, Mr. Lake has spent many years of his life in Southern Wis- consin and Northern Illinois, and has witnessed the development of this region almost from its infancy to the present time. He was clerk of the first town-meeting in Walworth County, Wis., and is the only man now living who ac- tended that gathering. He built the first frame barn on Big Foot Prairie, and helped to gather the first corn-crop on that prairie, his father having bought the crop standing in the field. Mr. Lake had a severe spell of sickness when eighty-five years of age, but previous to that time had scarcely felt the approach of .age. Retaining the energy of a man in the prime of life, he could mount a horse witn ease, enjoying the exercise as much as in his younger days. JAMES OLIVER LEWIS. James Oliver Lewis, pioneer settler of Big Foot Prairie, Walworth County, Wis., now a resident of Harvard, McHenry County, 111., is descended from Eastern New York ancestry. His grandfather, Moses Lewis, born in New York State east of the Hudson River, enlisted as a soldier during the latter part of the Revo- lutionary War, but saw no active service. He was of English and French descent. Having married Martha Fisk, Moses Lewis first settled in Saratoga, but in 1799 removed to Cherry Val- ley, in Otsego County, where he bought a con- siderable tract of land and cleared up a farm in the forest on Bowman's Creek, upon which he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of eighty-six years. He had a family of thirteen children — four sons, Moses, Ezra, Mor- gan and Theodore, and nine daughters, Cyn- 874 McHENRY COUNTY. thia, who married a Mr. Brush; Martha, mar- ried a Mr. Terhune; Annie, married a Mr. Briggs; Lydia, married a Mr. Flint; Marian, married a Mr. Van Dusen, and Betsy, who mar- ried a Mr. Gamble and removed to the State of Ohio. Huldah, Dercha and Lavanchia died in childhood. Mr. Lewis was a Methodist in religious belief and in politics a Jacksonian Democrat. He accumulated a goodly property for his clay and the old Lewis homestead, which he established in Otsego County, still belongs to the family. Morgan Lewis of this family, and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Cherry Valley, Otsego County, N. Y., received a com- mon-school education and became a farmer, also being engaged in the mercantile and mill- ing business. He married Catherine Seebe , who was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Mover) Seeber, who were of Holland stock and earlv "Mohawk Dutch" settlers. Jacob Seeber and wife were the parents of children named : Solomon, Deloss, Mary, Eliza, Lena, Margaret. Ann and Catherine. Mr. Seeber was a sub- stantial farmer, and his home, like that of the Lewises, is still retained in the hands of the members of the family. After his marriage, Morgan Lewis settled on a part of the paternal homestead, and there built a grist and saw- mill. He was also the owner of a clover mill and a mill for grinding plaster used as fertiliz- ing material by the farmers of that region. As his business extended, he also built a store and a hotel at Salt Springville, both of which were conducted under his personal supervision. As may be readily inferred, he was a prominent citizen as well as an energetic and successful business man. He was twice married, his chil dren by his first marriage being Elizabeth (who married George Hawver, died in Janu- ary, 1851, leaving one son, Lewis Hawver) ; James Oliver (the subject of this sketch). Jay Seeber, Martha, Washington, Catherine, Hul- dah, Cynthia, Albert and Maggie. His second wife was a Miss Eveline Willis, who bore him children named Lydia, Elizabeth and Ida. Mor- gan Lewis was liberal in his religious views and in politics a Democrat. He maintained a reputation for high integrity and enjoyed the respect of the community. James Oliver Lewis was born on his father' 1 ' farm in Cherry Valley, N. Y., received a good common-school education and, during his youth, worked in his father's mill and on the farm. In 1850, having reached his twenty-first year, he came to Big Foot, Walworth County, Wis., where he arrived with less than fifty cents in his pocket. Here he engaged in farming "on shares" and later taught school one term at Burr Oak, Boone County, 111. ; also, was employed in farm work by Mark Pierce, of Big Foot Prairie. Returning to New York in May, 1852, he assumed the management of his father's farm, but again coming to Illinois, on December 25, 1853, he was married in Che- mung Township, McHenry County, to Sarah Jane Bentley, who was born at Berlin, Rens- selaer County, N. Y., the daughter of Rudolph and Christina (Price) Bentley. Mrs. Lewis' father was the son of Caleb Bentley, a native of Rensselaer County, N. Y., and of Scotch- Irish extraction. Caleb Bentley was a farmer at Berlin, N. Y., and was twice married, having a son named Uriah by his first marriage. The children by his second marriage were: Da- rius, Alexander, Cyrus, Rudolphus and Melanc- thon; besides two daughters: Polly Ana who married Nathaniel Smith and died in Cali- fornia, at the home of her son, Judge B. N Smith, at the age of one hundred and four years, and Betsy, who married a Mr. Thomas Harvey. Caleb Bentley died on his farm in New York at an advanced age. His son, Ru- dolphus Bentley, born on his father's farm in Rensselaer County, N. Y., became a farmer and married Christina Price, who was born in New York State. Having settled on a farm in his native State, he remained there until 184G. when the family removed to Illinois, settling in Chemung Township, McHenry County. Here he bought 400 acres of land and became one of the substantial farmers of that section, dying there at the age of fifty-nine years. In politics he was a Republican. His children were: John, Caleb, Jane, James, Harriet, Da- vid and Josephine. He accumulated a hand- some property and was widely respected. After marriage in Chemung Township, Mc- Henry County, in 1853, James Oliver Lewis and wife settled on the old Lewis homestead in New York, which Mr. Lewis had purchased, remaining there until 1870, when they again came to Illinois. Here Mr. Lewis purchased 300 acres of improved land in Chemung Town- ship, four miles north of Harvard, upon which V-wC^* ^^ McHENRY COUNTY. 871 he established a good home. Later he erect- ed upon this land substantial barns and other farm buildings, besides adding to it ninety acres on the State line, which he has since sold. He still retains the original home farm of 300 acres, which he has greatly improved, and also owns excellent residence property in Harvard, where he located in 1887. Mr. Lewis has one daughter who lived to years of matur- ity, named Harriet Lucille. She married Dr. Charles Treat, and they have one daughter, Margaret Jane, who is now a pupil in the Harvard High School. Mr. Lewis is a member of the Methodist church, in politics is a Demo- crat, and has served one term as a member oi the Board of Aldermen of the city of Harvard. He has taken great interest in advancing farm ers' mutual insurance, being Secretary for sev- eral years of the Dunham and Chemung Town- ship Mutual Fire Insurance Company, now composed of nine Townships; was also Sec- retary of the Harvard Mutual County Cyclone Insurance Company, until its corporation with the Rockford Farmers' District Mutual Tor- nado Insurance Company. Possessing su- perior business qualifications, by his sagacity and thrifty business methods, he has accumu- lated a handsome competence. By a life of strict morality and consistent integrity, he has won the confidence and respect of all who know him. ARTHUR P. LYMBURNER. It would have been remarkable for a great enterprise, like the Oliver Typewriter manufac- tory, to have had its inception, growth and de- velopment without the great city of the Middle West taking a hand in furnishing not only the men of capital to back it, but some of the most able foremen and important agents connected with its practical management. Thus, Arthur P. Lymburner, the capable and proficient fore- man of the electro-plating and polishing de- partment of the "Oliver," is a native of the city of Chicago, where he was born June 29, 1872, the son of Ferdinand J. Lymburner, an expert electro-plater, who, for many years, conducted an electro-plating establishment in that city. Arthur P., the subject of this sketch, received his education in the King Grammar School, Chicago, from which he graduated. He then learned the electro-plating business in his fa- ther's establishment, entering upon his appren- ticeship at sixteen years of age. He has been in the employment of some of the best firms in the country, and has established a reputa- tion as a capable workman. Among these firms is that of Schriber & Conchar, of Du- buque, Iowa, with which he was connected in 1891. He was afterwards foreman, for a time, of the Excelsior Brass Works, at Dubuque, and still later for two years connected with the Chantloup Brass Works of Montreal, Can- ada. In 1894 he became connected with the "Oliver Typewriter Works," then located at Epworth, Iowa, and has been in the employ of the company ever since. He is thus one of the original workmen on the "Oliver," and closely identified with the enterprise through- out its history. He put in the first electro- plating and polishing plant for the company at Epworth, beginning this branch of the work in a small way with but one assistant. On the removal of the plant to Woodstock in 1896, he came with it as foreman of his aepartment, and has proved himself master of the situation. Probably no branch of the business has in- creased more rapidly in effectiveness and power of production than that under the charge of Mr. Lymburner. He now has seventeen men under his direction, and here all the elec- tro-plating and polishing work in finishing the machines is done, making them the embodi- ment of perfection in this branch of work. The machine is first plated with copper and then with nickel, with a view not only to beautify- ing its appearance but to prevent rust. Mr. Lymburner was married in Woodstock, Feb. 22, 1898, to Matilda Kappler, daughter of Louis and Magdalene (Retterer) Kappler, and a na- tive of that city. Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Lymbur- ner have one child, Eleanor Cecilia. Frater- nally Mr. Lymburner is a member of the Iowa Lodge, No. 324, I. O. O. F. Ferdinand J. Lymburner, the father of Ar- thur P. Lymburner.was born in St. Stanislaus, County of Champlain, Province of Quebec, Can- ada. His grandfather, the first of the family to emigrate to America, was a native of Scot land, who settled in the Province of Quebec at an early day. He had a son named Ferdi- nand, who was a farmer and had a family of fourteen children, of whom the oldest was named Ferdinand J. The latter was an elec- tro-plater, and worked at his trade in different parts of Canada and the United States— includ- 876 McHENRY COUNTY. ing, among other places, Philadelphia, New York City and Chicago — in the latter city con- ducting a shop. At present he is a resident of North Yakima, Yakima County, Wash., where he is engaged in fruit culture. Ferdi- nand J. Lymburner married Angeline Lyard, the daughter of Joseph and Angeline Lyard, and a native of L'Assomption, Province of Quebec. He and his wife are the parents of nine children, namely: Lydia, Ferdinand, Ce- cilia, Joseph, Ida, Ferreol, Arthur P. (subject of this sketch), Hilda and one who died in in- fancy. Lydia is the wife of Thomas Rutter, and lives in North Yakima, Wash.; Ferdinand (deceased) died in Chicago; Cecilia, now Mrs. Burt Storr, has three children — Minnie, Ar- thur and Myrtle; Joseph married Anna Ox- ford, lives in Chicago, and they have two chil- dren — Ruth and Joseph; Ida, wife of Charles F. Jaeger, a wholesale liquor-dealer of Du- buque, Iowa — they have had nine children, of whom six are living, viz.: Carl, Victor, Mer- cedes, Arthur, Lester and Elden; Ferreol, mar- ried Viola Dockstader, lives in Dubuque, Iowa, and they have four children — Ferreol, Ovid, Viola and Lucille; Hilda, wife of James P. Brink, lives in Woodstock and they have one son named Millard. TIMOTHY LAWLOR. Timothy Lawlor is a representative citizen of Hartland Township and son of one of the re- spected Irish settlers who was a true descend- ant of the Celtic race. The father, John Law- lor, was born in County Kerry, Ireland, Oct. 8, 1801, the son of Timothy and Bridget (Bol- ton) Lawlor. Bridget Bolton was of English ancestry, the daughter of Captain Lucius Bol- ton, a sailor. John Lawlor was a ship carpen- ter by trade, and married Margaret, daughter of Michael and Mary (Dillon) Lawlor, who was of the same original ancestry, but not a near relative. Mr. Lawlor came to America in 1852 and settled in Hartland Township, where he bought forty acres of woodland, upon' which he built a log cabin and, in 1854, sent for his fam- ily. His children were all born in Ireland and were named Bridget (who died a married wom- an), Timothy, Michael and Bessie. Mr. Law- lor and his family sailed from Sanpin, County Kerry, Ireland, in the good ship "Jennie John- son," which was an old-fashioned sailing ves- sel, and they were eight weeks and three days on the voyage to Quebec, where they arrived in the fall of the year, reaching Hartland Township in November of the same year, by way of the lakes to Chicago. Mr. Lawlor was an industrious man and had a good share of the thriftiness of the best class of Irish Celts. He cleared up his farm, to which he made sub- sequent additions until he owned 180 acres. It is quite natural for an Irishman to be a Democrat, as their forefathers have suffered for generations from the oppressions of the aristocratic ruling classes of England, and Mr. Lawlor had in his heart an intense hatred for any form of government not founded on the principles of freedom and rights of the indi- vidual, and was therefore a firm believer in de- mocracy as taught by the great founders. He taught his sons the doctrine of the greatest good to the greatest number. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lawlor were members of the Catholic church, of which they were devout and loyal supporters, and their church in Hartland Town- ship was the first erected in this section of the country. In Ireland Mr. Lawlor owned an old "freehold" on which he paid but a nominal rent. His independence of character cost him the property, as he insisted upon voting for the great Daniel O'Connell, the Irish agitator, in opposition to the wishes of the landed proprie- tors, and, when the next heir to the old estate came into power, he was dispossessed. Dur- ing our Civil War Mr. Lawlor was a strong Union man and had one son, Michael Lawlor, who served two years as Second Lieutenant in the Second Illinois Engineer Corps and was a good soldier. He was killed in Hartland Township in 1862. John Lawlor died Oct. 8, 1880. Timothy Lawlor, the immediate subject of this article, was born in County Kerry, Ire- land, near Tralee, April 4, 1847. There is a tradition in the family that, in remote times, the family came from Queens County. Timothy Lawlor was about seven years old when he crossed the ocean with his mother and her fam- ily, and, after his family reached McHenry County, attended the district school in Hart- land Township, where he gained a fair com- mon-school education. He was reared to habits of industry on the farm, and. when a young man, went to Montana, where he en- gaged in railroad work. Later he became a ^ tsiO,U( / (LcrtJOusiwii^ McHENRY COUNTY. 877 contractor and spent several years at contract work in Montana and Dakota. In 1883 he re- turned to Hartland Township and settled on the old homestead, consisting of 180 acres, which he inherited, and later bought more land until now he owns over 400 acres. From his Celtic ancestors Mr. Lawlor inherited a san- guine temperament and an active mind, and had he been born amid other environments and reared under more favorable circum- stances, his retentive memory and natural love of literature would have enabled him to fill a more prominent position. He is a great lover of history, and is well read in this important branch of study, as well as a wide reader of the general press, thus keeping himself weil informed on all important subjects. He is a lover of liberty and the rights of man, and is a stanch defender of Democratic principles. Like his parents he is a member of the Catholic church. HIRAM J. LOCKWOOD. Hiram J. Lockwood (deceased), pioneer set- tler of Grafton Township, McHenry County, was born in Yates County, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1818, the son of Joshua and Polly (Pierce) Lockwood — the Pierce branch of the family being of the same general stock as President Pierce, of New Hampshire. The father, Joshua Lock- wood, was a native of Vermont and of New England Puritan ancestry, and while a young man served as a soldier in the War of 1812. In early life he settled in Yates County, N. Y., where he followed the occupation of a millwright, and was also a farmer and owner of a small farm. He was twice married, his first wife bearing him one son named Willam. His second wife, who was Miss Polly Pierce, already mentioned, was the mother of children named Jesse, Sarah, Mary, Calvin, Hiram J., Betsy and Melida. Joshua Lockwood was a Baptist in religious belief and died in New York State between sixty and seventy years of age. The son, Hiram J. Lockwood, received an ordinary common-school education in his native county and, while a young man, was employed in the lumber business, afterwards removed to Michigan, where he worked in the lumber mills near Grand Rapids. He also bought 200 acres of Government land in that vicinity, but on account of the prevalence of fever and ague in that region did not long re- main. In the fall of 1840, he came to Mc- Henry county, 111., and there bought 160 acres of land in Dorr Township, now owned by George K. Bunker. This land he partly im- proved, but two years later removed to Graf- ton Township, where he entered 160 acres on Section 8. In March, 1846, he married in Mc- Henry County, Mary Barber, the widow of Ichabod Barber (nee Haffey), born in New York State in 1822, the daughter of John and Ann Haffey. His wife having died six months after marriage, on June 14, 1849, he married, as his second wife, Louisa Fox, of Grafton Township, McHenry County, born in Bllicotts- ville, Cattaraugus County, N. Y., Sept. 25, 1828, the daughter of Pliny and Polly (Fellows) Fox. Pliny L. Fox was a native of Tolland County, Conn., born May 8, 1799, the son of Thomas and Chloe (Bradley) Fox. Thomas Fox was a clothier in Tolland County, nearly all his life, but moved to Kingston, N. Y., where he settled on new land and where, some eighteen months later, he died a comparatively young man. He and his wife, Chloe (Bradley) Fox, were the parents of the following named children: W. B., Chauncy D., Pliny L., Mary, Eliza and Harriet. The family were Presbyterians. Pliny L. Fox received the usual common-school education of his time in Tolland County, Conn., and, at seventeen years of age, in company with his brother Chauncy D, then nineteen years old, went on foot to Cattaraugus County, N. Y., where they were the earliest settlers and founders of the town of Ellicottsville. Here they engaged in the lumber business working in the woods and rafting logs down the Alle- gheny River. Later the two brothers read law and became well-known and prominent lawyers of Ellicottsville. About 1827 Pliny L. Fox married Polly Fellows, daughter of John and Eunice (Hurd) Fellows. The Hurds and the Fellows both came from Connecticut to Onondaga County, N. Y., where they were pioneers. His first wife having died, in October, 1840, Mr. Fox married at New Albion, N. Y., where he had sometime previously located, Laura Hungerford. The children by his first wife were: Louisa, born Sept. 25, 878 McHENRY COUNTY. 1828; Mary, born Dec. 9, 1831; Bronson, born March 24, 1834; and by his second wife: Ann C, born July 2, 1842; Ellen A., born May 14, 1844; Charles J., born June 24, 1846; Laura U., born February, 1853; and William J., born February, 1855. In 1852 Pliny L. Fox came to McHenry County, 111., but soon after removed to DeKalb County, 111., where he practiced his profession up to the time of the Civil War. He was a Democrat in politics and took an active interest in political and national affairs, being a frequent speaker on the stump. A strong Union man, after the outbreak of the Civil War, he assisted in raising several com- panies of volunteers, and although over sixty years of age. served for six months as Captain of a company, but was compelled to resign on account of failing health. He was a Universal- ist in religious belief and a man of liberal views and patriotic impulses, as shown by his service during the war. He died in DeKalb, 111., about 1885, aged about eighty-six years. After marriage Hiram J. Lockwood settled on his farm in Grafton Township, McHenry County, which he had already somewhat im- proved. Here he lived about fourteen years, still further improving his farm, which he then sold and bought 240 acres on Section 1, Coral Township, also buying forty acres addi- tional in Dorr Township. Mr. Lockwood was a Democrat in politics, a Universalist in re- ligion and a Union man during the war. He held the office of Road Commissioner and, at various times, other township offices. His children — all borne by his second wife — were: Pliny F., born May 19, 1850; and Mary M., born Dec. 18, 1851. Three others — William, Charles F., and Ellen J. — all died in infancy. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Lock- wood has resided in Union, McHenry County. In her youth she received a good common- school education and, at the age of seventeen years, began teaching at Leon, Cattaraugus County, N. Y. She came to McHenry County, 111., in March, 1847, with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Huntley — the latter being a sister of her father. After coming to McHenry County, she taught school the following summer in Grafton Township, and during the summer and winter of 1848 at Crystal Lake, in June, 1849, being married to Mr. Lockwood. Mrs. Lockwood is one of the few pioneer teachers of McHenry County still surviving, and, endowed with a well-stored mind and a retentive memory, possesses a rare fund of reminiscence. She and her husband were active participants in founding the Universalist church at Union. Pliny F., son of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram J. Lockwood, married in Oregon, Belle McLean, who died in that State in 1887. He then re- turned with his two children — Claude M. and Hattie B. — to Union, McHenry County, where he died April 6, 1897. Mary M. Lockwood, the only surviving child of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram J. Lockwood, married in Coral Township, Feb. 22, 1872, Joseph E. Goodrick, a farmer, and they have had two children: Minnie E., born May 18, 1875, and Mary L., born Oct. 31, 1877. Minnie E. mar- ried Charles B. Rogers, and they are residents of Knoxville, Tenn.. and have two chil- dren — Howard A. and Helen. Mary L. mar- ried John W. Clark, a resident of Chicago, and they have three children — Frances G., Marguer- ite and Norma R. Both Hiram J. Lockwood and his father-in- law, Pliny L. Fox, were members of the Mason- ic fraternity, and Mrs. Lockwood and her daughter, Mary M. Goodrick, are members of the Star Chapter branch of the same order, and of the Laurel Rebecca Lodge affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. THOMAS LINDSAY. Thomas Lindsay (deceased), is of Scotch ancestry, being third in line of descent of the same name, all being natives of Scotland, and both he and his father among the pioneers of McHenry County. His grandfather, Thomas Lindsay (1), was a brewer at Strathaven, Scotland, and a member of the Scotch Presby- terian Church, who died at Strathaven aged about sixty years. His wife's name was Isabel, and they left a number of children, those remembered being Alexander, Thomas and Isabel. The second of these, Thomas (2), was born in 1808, received an ordinary education and, in his youth, learned the trade of a stone- cutter and builder. In the early '30s he was married at Strathaven to Marion Marshall of the same place, born March 20, 1807, the daughter of Archibald Marshall, who was a weaver by trade and died in his native Scot- ^- ^^f.tdUu^L. 1 McHENRY COUNTY. 879 land at an advanced age. Among his children who are remembered were Andrew, John and Marion. Mr. Lindsay emigrated to America in 1838, making the voyage of eight weeks from Glasgow in a sailing vessel, and arriving in New York in July of that year. He found employment on the Erie Canal, cutting stone for the locks, and living for about two years at Syracuse and Little Brails. In 1840 he re- moved to Illinois, settling in Dorr Township, McHenry County, where he purchased eighty acres of Government land to which he after- wards added eighty acres more. He built a log-cabin on the tract first entered, in which he lived some fifteen years, when he erected a small frame house, meanwhile improving his land and building up a comfortable pioneer home. He and his wife were parents of seven children — the two oldest born in Scotland and the others in America, viz.: Jeannette, born March, 1834; Thomas, born July 23, 1836; Christina M., born Oct. 1, 1838; Archibald, born Nov. 3d, 1840; Isabel, born November, 1842; Mary A., born Oct. 15, 1844; and Maggie, born Feb. 12, 1847. Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay were Presbyterians, were among the founders of the Presbyterian church at Woodstock — also assisted in erecting the first church edifice there. His sons, Archibald and Thomas, were soldiers during the Civil War, the former being a private in Company B, Seventy-first Illinois, a 100-day regiment mustered in in October, 1862. Thomas (2) was accidentally killed while blasting a log April 1, 1856. Thomas Lindsay (3), the second son of the family just mentioned, was one and one-half years old at the time of the emigration of the family to New York, and about four years old at the date of their arrival in McHenry County. Reared among the pioneer settlers of that region, he received the education afforded by the common schools of that locality, meanwhile being inducted into the industrial life of a farmer on the home farm. In 1864 he enlisted as a private in Company F, Ninety-fifth Regi- ment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, served out his time and was honorably discharged at Mobile in November, 1865. He was constantly in active service during the period of his enlistment, but never in hospital either on account of wounds or sickness. After the war he returned to the home farm where he con- tinued to reside. Here his mother (Mrs Marion Lindsay, who was a devout Presbyter- ian) died March 9, 1881. On Feb. 19, 1884, Mr. Lindsay was married to Margaret Pope, born at Oak Park, Cook County, in 1858, the daughter of Frederick and Agnes (Limberger) Pope. Mr. Pope was born at Mintz, Germany, in January, 1831, the son of Frederick Pope, a German farmer, who died in his native country. His children were William, Joseph, Louisa, and Frederick, Jr. The latter was a farmer who was married in his native city, in 1851, to Agnes Limberger, coming immediately to the United States and to Oak Park, where he engaged in farm work and finally established for himself and family a substantial home. His children were Eve. Margaret, Anna, Fredrick, Gertrude, and Charles. Mrs. Pope died Dec. 25, 1888. Both she and her husband were members of the German Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Pope was a Republican in politics, and an industrious and thrifty citizen. Having purchased the interest of the other heirs to his father's estate, Mr. Lindsay con- tinued to reside upon the home place after his marriage to Miss Pope, by his thrift and industry adding to his holdings until he was the proprietor of 200 acres, upon which he erect- ed a substantial two-story frame dwelling In March, 1893, he removed to Woodstock, where he purchased a pleasant residence in which he continued to reside up to the date of his death, Oct. 21, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay were members of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a liberal supporter and an elder for many years. He was also one of the builders of the present Presbyter- ian church edifice at Woodstock. His public spirit was manifested in behalf of good roads and good schools, and was recognized by his election to the School Board in his Township, while his high personal integrity won for him general confidence in the community. Mrs. Lindsay still survives. CHARLES A. LEMMERS. Mr. Charles A. Lemmers, editor of "The Woodstock Sentinel," is a native of McHenry County and the son of one of the pioneer set- tlers. The Lemmers family is of Holland-Dutch 880 McHENRY COUNTY. ancestry, Cornelius F. Lemmers, the father of Charles A., having been born near The Hague in 1812. His father, Francis Lemmers, was a ship-builder and died in Holland. Cornelius F. received an excellent education, learned the ship-carpenter's trade and, in 1847, emigrated to New York on board a sailing vessel, the voyage occupying between three and four months. From New York he came direct to Milwaukee, Wis., by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes, arriving at the Wisconsin city with only fifty cents in his pocket. Here he found employment in carpenter work until 1848, when he removed to Woodstock, McHenry County, 111., where he continued to work at his trade and finally engaged in contracting and house-building. In 1850 he was married, in McHenry County, by the Rev. Joel Wheler, to Lois Delina Wheeler, born in Cortland County, N. Y., the daughter of Merrick and Catherine (Jones) Wheeler. Merrick Wheeler was a member of an old colonial family and a native of New York, who married in that State and adopted the life of a farmer. His children were: Almina, Lois D., Sarah, Mary, Adolphus and Francis. In 1845 Mr. Wheeler moved with his family to McHenry County, 111., and, having purchased 100 acres of land in what is now Dorr Township, became a sub- stantial farmer and citizen, but died in middle life. In politics he was an old line Whig. His son Francis served through the Civil War in an Illinois regiment, and took part in a number of important battles. After marriage Cornelius F. Lemmers settled in Woodstock and erected a house with his own hands on Tryon Street, where he reared his excellent family and spent the remainder of his life. Mrs. Lemmers is a member of the Baptist church while her husband was reared a Catholic, but did not adhere to that faith after coming to America. Their children were Elizabeth L., Genevieve H., Almina M., Francis M., Charles A., Catherine M., Sadie L., George W. and Guy C. Mr. Lemmers was a skillful mechanic and acquired considerable reputa- tion as the builder of fine stair-cases. A monu- ment to his skill as a designer and builder is the spring-house in the public park at Wood- stock, all of which was worked out by his hand. He had a natural aptitude for mathe- matics, had been educated in the Latin classics. and was able to speak in French, German and English, besides his native tongue. Charles A. Lemmers, whose name heads this article, was born at Woodstock, Illinois, May 21, 1864, received his education in the public schools and, at the age of fifteen years, entered the office of "The New Era" at Wood- stock, to learn the printer's trade. Here he remained fifteen months, when (in 1880) he went to Lake Geneva and was employed in the office of "The Herald" in that place for two years. In 1882 he became connected with "The Wisconsin Times," the organ of the Wisconsin Institution for the Deaf and Dumb at Delavan, Wis., of which he was the editor and foreman, and had nine deaf mutes under his instruction in the art of printing. This compelled him to learn the sign-language in order to communicate with the pupils. In July, 1883, he returned to Woodstock and assumed the local editorship of "The McHenry County Democrat," remaining there until Dec. 30, 1890, when he became editor and fore- man of "The Woodstock Sentinel." On Oct. 13, 1902, the plant and subscription list of the "McHenry County Democrat" having been purchased by the Republican Company, the two papers were united, Mr. Lemmers becoming part owner, editor and manager of the con- solidated concern under the name of the "Mc- Henry County Republican." In politics he is a stanch Republican. From 1889 to 1893 he filled the office of City Clerk of Woodstock, and also served for a time as one of the Di- rectors of the Public Library of that city, assisting in its reorganization. October 6, 1886, he was married, at Lake Geneva, to Alice M. Marlott, a native of that place, born July 4, 1861, the daughter of John D. and Mary Ann (Johnson) Marlott. Mr. Marlott was a native of New York State ana of French de- scent; received a common-scliool education in his native State, married there and came to Wisconsin, along in the '50s, locating at Lake Geneva. The children of the Marlott family were: George D., Evaline, Emma, Cora A., Alice M., Harvey and Ida M., all now de- ceased except George D. and Alice M. Mr. Marlott was an industrious and reliable citi- zen, and died in 1896 aged sixty-six years. Mr. Charles A. Lemmers is a member of the Modern Woodmen, of Progress Camp, No. 229, X *\ fl«* ***** M c HENRY COUNTY. 881 Woodstock, of which he has been Clerk six- teen years; also of Guardian Lodge, No. 60, I. O. O. F., having passed all the chairs of the Order, including that of Noble Grand, and having represented his local lodge in the Grand Lodge four years. He is also a member of Sherman Encampment N. 56, I. O. O. F., and of Woodstock Rebekah Lodge, No. 205, of the same order. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and was Superintendent of the Sunday School for a number of years. By his ability as an editor and business man, he has not only secured the success of "The Sentinel" under his management, by extend- ing its subscription list and increasing its influence among the intelligent citizens of McHenry County, but has won a deservedly high position for himself in the community. Mr. and Mrs. Lemmers are the parents of three children — Vinita Lois, George Charles, and Luella Budora; the son, George, having died in 1893. M. W. LAKE. M. W. Lake, prominent politician, former Mayor of Harvard, and the present Sheriff of McHenry County, was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., Dec. 14, 1843, the son of Levi and Lydia (Winney) Lake. Mr. Lake received his primary education in the common schools, and later attended an academy at Ames, N. Y. In April, 1867, when about twenty-four years o£ age, he came to Illinois with his parents, and for two years was engaged in the lumber busi- ness with his father at Harvard. In Novem- ber, 1868, he was married to Maggie Lewis, daughter of Morgan and Catherine (Seeber) Lewis, who was born in the State of New York, June 15, 1847, and to them one daughter has been born — Genevieve — who is a successful teacher in the public schools at Harvard. After marriage Mr. Lake was engaged in the livery business at Harvard, where for twenty years he was much of the time the only livery- man in the village. In political belief he has always been a stanch Republican, and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln when elected to the Presidency for the second term. Mr. Lake is a public-spirited man, and has always taken an active interest in politics, and has favorably supported every public measure de- signed to benefit his community. During the '80s he was elected member of the village Board of Trustees, Harvard, 111., and at the ex- piration of a four-year term was re-elected, be- ing President of the Board during his second term of service. At the end of eight years of efficient service on the Village Board he was elected Mayor of Harvard, and during his ad- ministration of two years, made several im- portant improvements in the streets, built a fire engine house and installed a system or water-works, and his administration was es- pecially noted for good order and an able management of public affairs. All through Mr. Lake's official career he continued to conduct his livery business. In 1892 he was appointed Deputy Sheriff under George Eckert and, in 1898, under Henry Keys,and in the staine year was elected to the office of Sheriff by a large majority, and is the present in- cumbent, having served continuously as Deputy Sheriff and Sheriff since 1892. Mr. Lake is a member of the Masonic Order, and stands deservedly high in Harvard and Mc- Henry County for his straight-forward prin- ciples and honest character. .■,,■,; THE McCONNELL FAMILY. ^iiThe founders of the American branch of ;the McConnell family were of Scotch ancestry and settled at an early day in Pennsylvania, where they were among the first settlers of Lancaster County. John McConnell married Agnes Scott, a resident and native of Lancas- ter County, Penn., and they moved to Lycom- ing County, settling at Williamsport in the early days of the settlement of that town. Their children were: John, who settled near Jackson, Mich.; Thomas, who lived and died in Lycoming County, Penn., (the old stone res- idence in which he lived is still standing, and is over one hundred years old) ; James, who settled in Toledo, Ohio, where he died, leaving no living descendants; and William Alexander, who was born at Williamsport, Penn., March 20, 1810. William Alexander was a farmer and married in Pennsylvania, Jan. 18, 1838, Eliz- abeth Bodine, who was born in Muncie, Ly- coming County, Penn., Nov. 30, 1811, daughter of Abraham and Mercy Bodine. Abraham Bodine was of French Huguenot ancestry and was born at Readington, N. J., Sept. 19, 1779, the name formerly being writ- 882 McHENRY COUNTY. ten BoDine. They fled from France on account of religious persecution and settled at an early date in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Abraham Bodine (Mary Paxon) belonged to a Quaker family, and was expelled from the church because she married an outsider. WILLIAM ALEXANDER McCONNELL re- ceived a good common-school education, and by individual study, added to his fund of knowl- edge until he became a well-read and well-in- formed man. He left Hughesville, Penn., in September, 1836, passed the winter in Jackson, Mich., and on May 10, 1837, arrived at Rich- mond, 111., and, the first night after his arrival, slept under an oak tree which now stands a little east of the present McConnell residence. Here he made his claim and returned to Penn- sylvania, where he married in 1838, and with his young wife left Pennsylvania, Feb. 6, 1838, for Richmond, 111., where he arrived March 6, 1838. They made the first part of the jour- ney with a sleigh, but the snow having melted away before they completed the trip, the re- mainder was made with a wagon. Mr. McCon- nell built a log house, a very comfortable struc- ture of its kind, and improved his homestead in various other ways. The family lived in the log house for many years, and then he built the present residence, which is a. substantal struc- ture. Mr. McConnell prospered, accumulated a handsome property, and was a much respect- ed pioneer citizen. He was one of the first As- sociate Judges of the county, a member of the Board of Equalization, and the first Postmaster and School Director of Richmond, keeping the postoffice in the old log house before the vil- lage of Richmond was founded. He was a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, where he was a class leader, Sunday School Superin- tendent and assisted to organize the church in Richmond. In politics he was originally a Democrat, but in the days of Lincoln became a Republican. Mr. McConnell died at his res idence Oct. 9, 1887, and his wife died at the same place April 17, 1888. Mr. McConnell was one of the founders of the town of Richmond, was active in every good enterprise, and was among the most prominent and highly respect- ed pioneers of McHenry County. He and his wife were the parents of children named Abraham Bodine, John and George. ABRAHAM BODINE McCONNELL, son of William Alexander McConnell, was born in the old log house in Richmond, 111., Feb. 3, 1839. He received the education afforded in the pioneer schools and was raised a farmer. At Rich- mond, Feb. 28, 1861, he married Harriet Susan Potter, born at Ft. Ann, Washington County, N. Y., July 12, 1837, daughter of Stephen Por- ter and Charity (Barker) Potter. Stephen P. Potter was of New England an- cestry, and the early members of the family were among the English Puritan immigrants who came to New England as early as 1630-40. David Allen Potter, grandfather of Mrs. A. B. McConnell, was born in New York State and married Polly Barker, daughter of a Revolu- tionary soldier. He was a deacon in the Bap- tist church and a pioneer farmer at Ft. Ann, N. Y., and lived on his farm until his death at the age of over eighty years. His children were: James, Elizabeth, Stephen P., Mary, Benjamin, Asenath (who died young), David A. and Fannie A. Stephen Porter Potter was born at Ft. Ann, in October, 1803. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade and married at Ft. Ann, to Charity Barker, born at Ft. Ann, Washington County, N. Y., March 12, 1809, daughter of James and Susan (Scripture) Barker. James Barker was a farmer and a well educated man for his time, following the profession of a school teacher for some time. He was the son of a Revolutionary soldier and passed all his days at Ft. Ann. His children were Sallie, Charity, Porter and Harriet. He lived to be over eighty years of age and died at Ft. Ann. Stephen P. Potter lived at Ft. Ann for many years and in 1855 came to Richmond, 111., where he followed his trade. He lived to be seventy-three years of age and died at Rich- mond, May 7, 1876. Politically he was a Republican and served as Assessor and Col- lector for several years. His children were: Edwin M., David A., Harriet S. and Periam S. (who died at the age of eight years.) Abraham B. McConnell, after marriage, set- tled one and a half miles southeast of Wood- stock on 350 acres of land belonging to his father, and which was afterwards given to him. At the time he first settled here there were very good improvements, but Mr. McConnell greatly improved this land and converted it into a fine farm, which is still in the possession of the McConnell family. Politically Mr. Mc- Connell was a Republican and held several dp/^U^ft tJ/'Ytn^t/ UH1VERS11 McHENRY COUNTY. 883 township offices. In religious belief he was a Methodist. In 1894 he removed with his fam- ily to Woodstock, where he built a large and attractive residence in modern style of arch- itecture, and here he died Feb. 15, 1895. His children were: Elizabeth (deceased), Lena H. (deceased), Ida L., William Stephen, Fred Bo- dine and Roy George (deceased). Of these children William Stephen was born Aug. 1, 1870, and received a collegiate education, hav- ing graduated from the Law Department of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1894. He married in Woodstock June 15, 1897, Susan Mabel St. Clair, born Sept. 12, 1874, daughter of Israel C. St. Clair, a pioneer of McHenry County. They are the parents of Harold, born July 21, 1898, and Margaret, born July 13, 1900. Fred Bodine was born on the old home- stead Aug. 9, 1874, received a liberal education and settled on the McConnell homestead iu Dorr Township. He was married Jan. 20, 1897, to Rosemond Barden, daughter of John and Bessie Barden, and they are the parents of Bessie, born Feb. 5, 1898, and Abraham Bo- dine, born March 24, 1901. Ida Lillian was Dorn Dec. 25„ 1868, and received a good edu- cation and married Sept. 13, 1893, Arthur E. Southworth, who was born in Algonquin Town- ship, Feb. 11, 1867, son of Gardner S. and Sarah (Miller) Southworth. He is a member of the firm of Monroe & Southworth, printers, of Chi- cago. Mr. and Mrs. Southworth have one child, Arthur Bodine, born March 4, 1896. Mrs. McConnell resides on the homestead in Woodstock and is a lady of high social stand- ing and greatly beloved by her family and friends. She received an excellent education, having been a student at Ft. Ann, N. Y., and at Mt. Morris Seminary, Ogle County, 111., and was engaged as a teacher for several years in Richmond, 111. She possesses a natural talent for and love of history, and to her investiga- tions we are indebted chiefly for the genealogy and facts of the McConnell family history. JOHN McCONNELL. John McConnell (deceased) was a native of Richmond, and a son of one of the honored pioneers of McHenry County, a man of exem- plary character and prominently identified with the establishment of the private bank of Mc- Connell Brothers & Haythorn, of Richmond. He was born in the old log house on the Mc- Connell homestead, July 8, 1842. After receiv- ing a good education for his day in the public school and at Mt. Morris Collegiate Institute, he engaged in farming on the home farm and became one of the leading and most progres- sive farmers of McHenry County. November 5, 1868, he married Mary Frothingham, who was born in Lebanon, N. H., June 2, 1842, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Gale) Frothing- ham. Samuel Frothingham, the father, was born in Haverhill, Mass., Dec. 9, 1807, received the usual common school education of the New England States, and married in New Hamp- shire Mary Gale, daughter of John and Abigail (Smith) Gale, the latter a direct descendant of Major Jacob Gale, who was at the surrender of Burgoyne. Samuel Frothingham settled in New Hampshire while engaged as a stage- driver on the old line of stage-coaches be- tween Lebanon and Boston, in the early days when traveling by the stage-coach was the only means of public conveyance. Later he moved to Franklin, N. H., where he lived for nine years and then removed to McHenry County, 111., in 1856, settling on a farm of 200 acres two and a half miles west of Richmond. He improved his farm and there passed the remainder of his days. Mr. and Mrs. Frothing- ham were the parents of three children, Martha and Mary (twins), and Charles. Mr. Frothingham died May 10, 1881, and Mrs. Frothingham, Dec. 14, 1891. Mr. Frothingham was an old line Whig in politics, but later adopted the principles of the Republican party. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. John McConnell settled on the old McConnell homestead, where Mr. McConnell engaged in farming and also conducted a creamery. Mr. McConnell's father was one of the first to establish a creamery in Richmond Township, and John bought the factory of his father and conducted it for about fifteen years. It was largely through Mr. Mc- Connell's influence that, in September, 1890, the Bank of Richmond was organized, and of this institution he served as Vice-President and was also a Director of the State Bank at Woodstock, besides being prominently con- nected with several other business enterprises. April 24, 1864, Mtr. McConnell started on an overland trip to California, arriving at Sacra- 884 McHENRY COUNTY. mento City on the 20th of the following Sep- tember. He engaged in the lumber business at Chico for a considerable time, and was also with Colonel Biddle, a famous ranch owner, who later became a candidate for President of the United States on the Prohibition ticket. Mr. McConnell remained in Central California .about four years, and then returned home by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York. Mr. and Mrs. McConnell were the parents of the following named children: Bertha L., who married Charles A. Mather of LaGrange, 111., and they have one son, Lyman McConnell; Charles DeWitt, who graduated from Beloit College in 1898 and, for some time, represented his father's interests in the McConnell Bank. He was married Nov. 15, 1901, to Caroline Fisher Ward, and "they resided on the old Mc- Connell homestead at Richmond. With the prospects of a most promising business career before him, he died Sept. 3, 1903. January 14, 1871, Mr. McConnell united wUh Richmond Lodge, No. 143, A. F. & A. M., and for several years he was honored as Junior Warden. His parents were members of the first class of the Richmond Methodist Episco- pal church organized in 1838, and on Oct. 7, 1877, Mr. McConnell and wife, and his brother George and wife were admitted to full member- ship in the same church. His name appears on the church records in the list of officers in 1885, and he was either trustee or steward for fifteen years, at times holding both offices, and was always recognized as a man for of- ficial position. At the time of his death he was Treasurer of the church and as such proved to be a faithful officer. He was always anxious for the progress of his church, and gave liberally and cheerfully for its advance- ment. Mr. McConnell died Jan. 1, 1900. Mr. McConnell was always a public-spirited man and prominently identified with all pub- lic enterprises that would prove to be a bene- fit to the people of Richmond or McHenry County, and his best epitaph is the reputation he left in the minds and hearts of his fellow- citizens as a man of honest methods and firm fidelity to his friends. Mrs. McConnell still resides on the old home- stead. She is an estimable lady, a member of the Methodist church of Richmond, and ready at all times to assist the church with her means. GEORGE M'CONNELL. A representative citizen and leading banker and business man of McHenry County is Mr. George McConnell, whose name heads this sketch. Mr. McConnell, the son of William A. McConnell, a pioneer of Richmond Township. McHenry County, was born in his father's old log-house west of the village of Richmond, March 3, 1845, and after receiving the usual education afforded by the public schools of that locality and period, attended the Mount Morris College for one year. Then, having taught school in Burton Township for a time, he engaged in farming on the old homesteal farm. November 15, 1865, he was married in Richmond Township to Susan Cushman, who was a native of "Vermont, born May 26, 1847, the daughter of Darius and Mary Cushman. Having received from his father a farm of 220 acres, Mr. McConnell cultivated and improved this industriously, adding to it until he became the owner of 520 acres, upon which he erected good farm buildings and made other improve- ments, making of it one of the most valuable farms in his section of the county. A business enterprise with which the Mc- Connell family has been prominently identi- fied was the McConnell Cheese Factory, which was erected by William A. McConnell, in the spring of 1866, George McConnell hauling the lumber used in the construction of the build- ing from Hebron and Genoa. This was the first cheese factory established in the northern part of McHenry County, the Stewart Factor;' of Hebron being erected a few weeks later. It consisted of a two-story building, 30 x 112 feet, with an addition. The factory was under the management of Dr. R. R. Stone, and here the first cheese was manufactured, May 18, 1866. In 1867 the McConnell Factory maae 19,000 pounds more cheese than any other factory in the county. During six months of that year it used 1,830,424 pounds of milk, and manufac- tured, wihin the same time, a total of 184,471 pounds of cheese. On September 1, 1890, Mr. George McCon- nell, in partnership with his brother John, or- ganized the private bank at Richmond now known as the "McConnell Brothers & Haythorn Bank," of which George McConnell is Presi- dent; J. W. Haythorn, Vice-President; Frank B. McConnell, Cashier, and Charles D. McConnell (now deceased), was Assistant Cashier. Mr. ^ yii-tuL^j crf,/%t£>*^ McHENRY COUNTY. 90c whom married a Mr. Merritt, and the other a Mr. Wright. Late in life he went to Galen, Wayne County, N. Y., where his three sons, David, James and Levi, were already living. Three other sons had settled in Ohio, Daniel settling near Dayton, and Stephen and Jesse settling in Huron County. The father died be- tween sixty and seventy years of age. The son Jeremiah, of this family, was born in Salisbury, Mass., Sept. 14, 1790, received a common-school education, became a farmer and was married near his birthplace on Feb. 13, 1814, to Anna Cline. His wife, born in Massachusetts, July 29, 1796, was an orphan, who had been brought up by relatives. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Mead removed to New York State and settled on Sandy Creek, in Oswego County. Here he cleared up a large farm in a heavily timbered region, where he made for his family a good home, becoming the owner of 150 acres of land on which he erected good farm buildings. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Mead were: Diadamia, born June 21, 1816; Emily, born Jan. 19, 1818; Frederick J., born Aug. 7, 1819; Daniel P., born May 23, 1821; Henry W., born May 10, 1823; Jesse H., born April 4, 1825; Cyrus L., born Aug. 13, 1827; Jeremiah C, born June 16, 1829; Stephen P., born Aug. 28, 1831; George, born Aug. 25, 1836. Jeremiah Mead, the father of this family, was an industrious citizen of high moral character and genial disposition, who believed in paying his honest debts, had no enemies and was never engaged in a law- suit in his life. Cyrus L. Mead, the subject of this sketch, was born at Sandy Creek, Oswego County, N. Y., and received his education in the district schools, in common with the boys of that period in the rural districts, attending school in winter while working on the farm during the summer months. This he continued until he was nineteen years of age. Having been reared to farm-work, when grown up he naturally adopted that vocation. In October, 1844, his brother Henry W., came to Rich- mond, McHenry County, 111., taught school for a time and bought land in Wisconsin. In April, 1850, he started across the plains to California, to engage in gold-mining, returning to Richmond in the fall of 1852. March 17, 1853, he was joined at Richmond by his brother Cyrus L., and, soon after, the brothers bought the land on which the village of Heb- ron now stands. The tract embraced over 400 acres, on which the only building then standing was a small frame house. Their sis- ter, Emily (Mead) Conkling, came west in the fall of 1853, and kept house for them for the next two years. The virgin prairie extended without a habitation for miles, the houses of the early pioneers being widely scattered over the township. Cyrus L. Mead was married Jan. 27, 1855, at Galen, Wayne County, N. ■ Y., to Finette A. Carman, who was born at Blue Mound, Wis., the daughter of Sidney and Mary (Harring- ton) Carman. Her father, Sidney Carman, was born in Tompkins County, N. Y., the son of Adam and Hannah (Dean) Carman. Adam Carman was a member of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, and a pioneer farmer in Seneca and Tompkins Counties, N. Y. His children were: Israel, Anna, Sidney, Mahala, Solomon, David, Stephen and Finette. Adam Carman, the father of this family, died in Seneca County, N. Y., at the age of about sixty-three years. Sidney Carman, his son, and the father of Mrs. Cyrus L. Mead, received a common-school education for that time, was reared as a farmer, but coming west in 1832 or 1833, became a lead-miner in the vicinity of Galena. Later he became associated with John Brink, a Government Surveyor of that time, whom he assisted in surveys in Southern Wisconsin. Mr. Brink made the Government Survey of what had previously been known as "Big Foot Lake," but to which he gave the name of Lake Geneva, by which it has since become widely known. The party had many exciting adventures during the time they were employed in the wilds of Wisconsin. Sidney Carman married in Sauk County, Wis., about 1835, Mary Harrington, who was born in that region, the daughter of Zenas and Susannah (Ball) Harrington, and they settled in the same locality, where Mr. Carman en- gaged in lead-mining. In 1845 he returned to the State of New York, but in 1849, crossed the plains to California, where he was engaged in mining for gold for three years, when he again returned to New York. After having made two trips to California, he bought a farm in Seneca County, N. Y., but later removed to Sheboygan County, Wis., and bought a farm there. He finally went to Kansas, where he 904 McHENRY COUNTY. improved a farm, and where he died. His wife, Susannah, having died leaving two daughters — Finette and Martha — he married her sister, Julia Harrington, who bore him four children — Francis, Gertrude, Hattie and Orrin. Mr. Carman, as shown by his record, was a man of many sturdy traits of character; adventurous, energetic and a great traveler. He died at the age of sixty-nine years. After his marriage to Miss Carman, Cyrus L. Mead settled on the land in Hebron Town- ship, which he owned in partnership with his brother. The latter having married, they di- vided their land, Cyrus L. settling in a little box of a house which stood upon the site of his present residence, since erected, and which furnishes a pleasant home. Mr. and Mrs. Mead's children were: Anna C; Harry J.; Darwin G., who died at the age of eleven years, and Luella A., who died in infancy. In politics Mr. Mead is an original Republi- can, casting his votes for John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln in the early days of that party. He is an independent thinker and has established a reputation as an upright and public-spirited citizen. He is an earnest friend of education, having served as a member of the School Board for twenty-two years; has also served as Road Commissioner five years and the same length of time as Thistle Com- missioner. He is a non-affiliated Mason, and possesses a high character coupled with a large fund of information acquired by careful observation and extensive reading. Anna C, the daughter and oldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus L. Mead, was married in Hebron, April 10, 1879, to George P. Goddard, who was born in Massachusetts, March 24, 1851, the son of Lewis W. and Eunice (Wil- lard) Goddard. When seventeen years of age Mr. Goddard came to Hebron and, after ac- quiring a common-school education, learned the carpenter's trade and became a contractor. He and his family reside in Hebron. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Goddard, Henry Al- bert is a graduate of the Hebron High School and of the Milwaukee School of Pharmacy, and is now a member of the firm of Rowe & Goddard, druggists of Hebron. Henry J. Mead, the son of Cyrus L. Mead and wife, mar- ried in Nebraska, Mary McCawley, and they have one child, Luella A. HENRY CLAY MEAD. Mr. Henry Clay Mead, one of McHenry Coun- ty's pioneer settlers and prominent citizen of the town of McHenry, descends from a Puritan family that emigrated from England and were among the early settlers of Vermont. His great-grandfather, Samuel Mead, served in the patriot army throughout the "War of the Rev- olution, and was present at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. His grandfather was born in Pittsford, Rutland County, Vt., and was engaged in felling, hewing and sawing lumber and lost his life through an accident in a log pit, about 1830. He married Roxana Bigelow, and they were the parents of children named Lucinda, Sabrina, Harriet, William, George and Charles. William Mead, the father of Henry C, was born April 30, 1809. In his early days the country schools afforded very limited advantages, and William was largely self-educated, although he early manifested decided business ability. At the age of sev- enteen he "bought his time" of his father and began business as a butcher on his own ac- count, but after his father's death, returned liome and for several years devoted himself to the care and management of the farm until his mother married a second time to a Mr. Mossman. Of this union there were no chil- dren. Mr. William Mead emigrated from Ver- mont to Illinois in 1844, bringing with him his wife and three children, Harriet S., Henry G. and Frank W. Another daughter, Ada C, was born in McHenry, but died in infancy. The family journeyed to Chicago by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes, and then by wagon to McHenry County, where Mr. Mead pre-empted 240 acres of land lying three miles west of what is now McHenry village. This land he improved and increased his holdings by the purchase of 204 acres of farm and forty acres of wood-land. Mr. Mead was a relentless foe of intemperance and was the first man in McHenry County who refused to furnish liquor at a barn-raising, substituting therefor a boun- tifully ordered supper. He was an old line Whig until the formation of the Republican party, when he espoused the principles of that organization. Mr. Mead was widely known and highly esteemed, and for many years held the office of Road Commissioner. He was a | V ■■/ ■-*'. )^^ S&C& Tifz.^^ McHENRY COUNTY. 90; Deacon in the Congregational Church, contrib- uted two-thirds of the funds needed for the erection of a church edifice in Ringwood, where both he and his wife were worshippers, and was also active in Sunday School work in both Ringwood and McHenry. In his younger days he was Captain in the militia, and was at one time called into active service. He died on his farm April 17, 1876, aged sixty-seven years. Henry Clay Mead was born in Pittsford, Vt„ July 31, 1839, and came to Wisconsin with his parents at four or five years of age, yet many incidents of the journey are indelibly impressed upon his memory. His primary education was received in a log school house, the dimensions of which were ten by twelve feet, his preceptor being Asahel C. Thompson, now a venerable resident of Greenwood, and among his fellow pupils were the Thompsons, Richardsons, Sul- livans and others of the early pioneer families who have helped to make McHenry County what it is today. Later he attended the Mc- Henry High School and Todd's Seminary at Woodstock. On May 24, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company A, of the Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, first known as the Wood- stock Light Guards. His service was an ardu- ous one, and his record for gallantry is un- surpassed. Besides taking part in many forced marches and skirmishes, he fought with his regiment at Wilson's Creek, Haines' Bluff. Fort Henry, Shiloh, Corinth, Holly Springs, Natchez, Vicksburg and Champion Hills, as well as in many less important engagements. The ma- laria rising in the marshes of the southwest, impregnated his system with the deadly typhus and he became a victim of typhoid fever. A Southern matron, whose womanly instincts were stronger than her Confederate loyalty, cared for him for one month, when his father arrived at the front and carried him to his Northern home. Upon recovery, he rejoined his regiment, and on Jan. 1, 1864, his knee was crushed while unloading supplies at Camp Cowen, near Vicksburg, but he remained in the service until mustered out at Springfield, 111., the following July, this accident, how- ever, preventing his re-enlistment as a veteran. After quitting the service, he returned to Mc- Henry County and began farming on a tract of 204 acres of land which he purchased from his father. This property he has improved ex- tensively and converted into one of the best dairy farms in the county. An artesian well of three-inch bore affords a constant supply of pure water, and an excellent system of tile drainage renders the soil dry and arable. In 1892 he took up his residence in McHenry, where he has since lived, and having at one time read law, practices considerably in the Justices' and Probate courts. Mr. Mead is a man of enlightened public spirit, politically an ardent Republican, and has filled the offices of Secretary of the County Committee of his party continuously since 1892; is also Justice of the Peace. At Omro Junction, Wis., Sept. 27, 1864, he married Amy Loyett Kennedy, daugh- ter of Andrew J. and Laura (Bostwick) Ken- nedy, who first settled on a farm of 160 acres near Richmond, and then removed north of Genoa Junction, and later to Clay County, Neb. They are both still living, aged respectively eighty-six and eighty-five years, and reside with their children in McHenry County. Mr. Ken- nedy was born in Batavia, N. Y., and came to McHenry County, 111., in 1833, settling in Rich- mond Township. Mrs. Kennedy was born in Wyoming County, N. Y., and came to McHenry County when twenty-one years of age. Mr and Mrs. Kennedy were married on Nov. 24, 1841, and are the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living, nineteen grand- children and six great-grandchildren. Mrs. Mead was born Sept. 23, 1842. She is a lady of education, refinement and cultivated taste, a graduate of the Seminary at Genoa Junction, Wis., and of the McHenry High School. To her and her husband have been born seven children: William H., Earl L., Hat- tie L., Lillian and Leon (twins who died in infancy), Carl E. and Iva A. Mr. and Mrs. Mead were formerly Congregationalists, but are now members of the Universalist Church. EDWIN E. MEAD. Edwin E. Mead, foreman of the enameling de- partment, Oliver Typewriter Company, Wood- stock, 11!., fills a highly responsible position in connection with this important industry. While many of the arts and sciences are called into use to render the Oliver Typewriter not only of the highest utility, but a "thing of 906 McHENRY COUNTY. beauty and a joy forever," among them none is more essential to perfection in these re- spects than the enameling. This art is con- ceded to have originated with the Japanese, and there is nothing produced in any country to be compared in perfection of finish with some of their ancient lacquer work. The "01- liver," however, is one of the most perfectly enameled and beautifully ornamented machines of any kind produced in any country. The management of this department, as already indicated, is in charge of Edwin E. Mead, who possesses much artistic talent. Mr. Mead was born in Woodstock, 111., Feb. 9, 1868, the son of Charles and 1 Rosina P. (Woodard) Mead. Charles Mead, the father of Edwin E. Mead, was born in Oswego County, N. Y., Jan. 25, 1837. His father, also named Charles, was a farmer who settled in New York at an early day. Charles (1) married Phoebe Rogers and they had seven children — four sons and three daughters — who came west with their parents when Charles (2) was about ten years old, the family settling on a farm in Kishwau- kee Prairie, four miles southwest of Wood- stock. The names of the children of this fam- ily were: Roxana, Elias, Elizabeth Orson, Os- car, Charles (father of Edwin E.) and Dian- tha. At twenty Charles (2) went to work on a farm, but five years later began learning the carpenter's trade with Lewis M. Woodard of Woodstock. On January 1, 1857, he married Rosina Woodard, daughter of Lewis and Se- viah (Bisbee) Woodard — the Woodard family then being residents of Dover, Bureau County, 111. Charles Mead and wife remained in Bu reau County one year, when they removed to Woodstock, and, in February, 1864, he enlist- ed as an artillery-man in the Elgin Battery for the Civil War, serving until July, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. While in the service he was in hospital for some time at Nashville, Tenn., and later, being disqualified for active service in the field, was on duty as a nurse. During his period of service he was stationed at Corinth and Vicksburg, Miss., and at New Albany, Ind. Returning to Woodstock after his discharge, Mr. Mead worked at his trade until 1887, when he removed to Clay County, Neb., carrying on his trade there, but again coming to Illinois, spent two 1 years at Elgin and also worked at his trade in Wood- stock, where he died Nov. 8, 1893. His chil- dren were: Frank E., now living in Elroy, Wis.; Owen G. and Edwin E., of Woodstock; Bertha A., wife of Frank Hewitt, Cuyler, 111., and Sarah E., wife of Charles Williams, Ken- osha, Wis. Lewis M. Woodard, father of Mrs. Charles Mead, and grandfather on the maternal side of Edwin E. Mead, was a native of Steuben County, N. Y., born Sept. 15, 1813. In 1843 he settled at Crystal Lake, McHenry County, 111., where he remained two years, when he re- moved to Seneca Township, and there en- tered Government land. In 1861 he removed to Woodstock, where he spent the remainder of his life, prosecuting his business as a car- penter and contractor, erecting many buildings in various parts of McHenry County. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church, and he filled a number of local offices, includ- ing those of Assessor and Collector and School Director. He had received only three months schooling in his early life, but his innate abil- ity enabled him to keep well abreast of others who had enjoyed superior educational advant- ages. His death occurred at Woodstock, March 16, 1891. Mrs. Lewis M. Woodard (nee Seviah Bisbee), daughter of Ezra and Abigail (Hibbard) Bisbee. was born in Middlebury, Vt, May 19, 1815, and died July 18, 1898. Her father was a farmer and had one other daughter named Sarah, who married Edwin Powell and lived mostly in Mc- Henry and Peoria Counties. In 1832 Miss Bis- bee came to Chautauqua, N. Y., where, on Sept. 14, 1837, she married Lewis M. Woodard, and, in 1843, they came west, locating at Crystal Lake, 111., as already explained. Their chil- dren were: Rosina (became Mrs. Charles Mead); Martha, who married Josiah Hill; Philander, and Dora, wife of William Borden. Edwin E. Mead received his education in the public schools of Woodstock, and, beginning at the age of seventeen years, learned the trade of a painter and decorator in that city. He then located in Elgin, where he remained three years, and in the meantime learned the art of enameling. Returning to Woodstock in 1893. he there resumed his business as decorator, but in 1896 became associated with the Oliver Typewriter works as foreman of the enameling department. Great care is taken in this de- McHENRY COUNTY. 907 partment, not only to see that the ornamenta- tion shall be in good taste, but to have the enameling artistic and perfect, and to secure these results, neat and tasteful workmen are absolutely essential. Mr. Mead has under his direction a number of experienced workmen, all of whom have been specially educated for this branch of work. As a rule all the employes of the Oliver Company have been carefully se- lected and well trained in their branches of occupation, and frequently remain in the same line for years. Thus, each part of the work is completed under the eye of experienced spe- cialists. Mr. Mead was married at Elgin, 111., April 27, 1893, to Lydia M. Clifford, daughter of George W. and Mary Moore (Hibbard) Clifford. The father was born in Plattsburg, N. Y., April 6, 1838, and the mother near Plattsburg, Feb. 5, 1833. They were married Jan. 1, 1863, and had five children: John C, Prudie Almena, George W., Charles M. and Lydia M. George W. Clifford came west about 1861, and his wife about the same time; he settled at Serena, 111., and has spent most of his life as an arte- sian well borer. His present, home is at Leland, LaSalle County. Mrs. Clifford died 'Sept. 18, 1880. Mr. Clifford's father was John Clifford, a native of New York or Vermont, and his wife was Almena Wheelock. They came west with their son, George W. John Clifford lived to a very old age, and his wife also died at an ad- vanced age. Mrs. George W. Clifford's parents were Timothy and Lydia (Moore) Hibbard, who came west from New York in the '60's and settled on a farm near Harding, 111., where they spent the remainder of their lives. He died about forty-five years ago, but his wife, who was born May 6, 1810, lived to be ninety- one years old, dying in 1901. Mr. and Mrs. Edwin E. Mead now reside in their own home at Woodstock. They have three children, viz.: Harold Clifford, born July 16, 1895; Bernice Evelyn, born Feb. 17, 1897, and Irma Minnie, born Feb. 11, 1900. Fraternally Mr. Mead is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He takes a great interest in music and has been connect- ed with different Woodstock bands since 1885; is now a member of the Oliver Typewriter Band, of Woodstock. JOHN MULLEN. John Mullen, one of the venerable pioneers of Hartland Township, McHenry County, is a man possessing the best characteristics of the Celtic race and has retained, to his present advanced age, a remarkably active mind. Born at Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland, in June, 1815, he is the only child of Bartholomew and Johanna (Buckley) Mullen. In early childhood he was left an orphan, his father dying when he was two and a half years old and his mother some years later. At an early age he learned the tailor's trade in the city of Cork, and there he worked at his trade until twenty-one years of age, when ' he came to America. Sailing from Cork, Ireland, at nine o'clock in the morning, April 13, 1836, in the good ship "Tally-ho," he landed at Castle Garden, New York, at noon, June 20. After working at his trade in New York City for two years, he came west, locating in Cleveland, Ohio, where he still followed the tailor's trade. In 1884 Mr. Mullen moved to Chicago, and the same year visited Hartland Township, where he purchased 200 acres of heavily timbered land from the United States Government. He worked at his trade in Chicago until 1847, and then settled on his land in Hartland Township. Being entirely unaccustomed to the use of an ax and farming utensils, Mr. Mullen had a hard experience in becoming inured to farm life, but by perseverance and an indomitable will, he built a log cabin, cleared up his land, and finally had a good farm and a comfortable home. He afterwards bought 240 acres of land on Kishwaukee Prairie, where his son Edward now lives. In 1902 the sons added eighty acres to the homestead, which now con- tains 280 acres. In 1839 Mr. Mullen was married in New York City to Mary Murphy, who was born in County Cork, Ireland, about 1815, and they became the parents of the following named children: Bartholomew, born in New York; John M. and Edward F., born in Cleveland, Ohio; Mary, born in Chicago; Dennis J., Michael W., Johanna and Julia, born in Hart- land Township. Of their children John M. is one of the leading merchants of Woodstock; Edward owns and carries on a large stock- farm in Hartland Township; Dennis and Michael conduct the home farm; Bartholomew 908 McHENRY COUNTY. is a resident of Elgin, 111.; Johanna married William H. Burns, of Sioux City, Iowa; Julia married George Howard, of Hartland Town- ship. One of the excellent characteristics of the Irish Celt is his extreme loyality to his parents. The aged sire is always well and kindly cared for and maintains his influence and authority as long as he lives. From a small beginning Mr. Mullen became one of the substantial men of Tiis township. While a resident of Chicago, he lived on the corner of Dearborn and North Water Streets, owning the house in which he resided, but not the lot on which it stood. Mr. Mullen was well acquainted with many of the Chicago pioneers, and attended several meetings which were held for the purpose of raising recruits for the Mexican War. During a time of in- tense excitement, when an attempt was made to burn the city of Chicago, Mr. Mullen and several other tax-payers were called upon to serve as night watchmen. While a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, he was a member of the first fire department organized in that city, and, in 1844, in the same city, he had the honor of seeing that great representative Democrat, Andrew Jackson, and also Martin Van Buren and General Cass. The great crowd passed on by General Jackson's car- riage, and were greeted by him with a hand shake, which Mr. Mullen remembers with great pleasure. The General invited the Irish to have dinner at his cost, but though his loyal supporters, they declined to do this. Another thing Mr. Mullen remembers of this meeting was the scar exhibited by the General where he was shot in the hand in the war of 1812. When Mr. Mullen came to Hartland Township there were a few settlers there living in log cabins, and all kinds of native game abounded. He brought with him from Chicago an iron stove, which was the first one ever brought into the township. While Mr. Mullen has reached the venerable age of eighty- eight years, he has had but very little sick- ness and is a remarkably well-preserved man. both physically and mentally, being able to read and write without the aid of glasses. Tn religious belief he a devout member of the Catholic Church, which he has always liberally supported, and in political views is a stanch Democrat. Mrs. Mullen died in 1885, aged seventy years and nine months. THE MORTON FAMILY. Robert Morton, the father of Edward Mor- ton, Sr., was born in County Cavan, Ireland, Nov. 14, 1791, the son of a farmer who, ac- cording to the custom of the country, held a life-lease on the farm which he occupied. The family were of Scotch-Irish descent, although they had lived for many generations in the part of Ireland just named. The father of this Robert Morton was one of the first to espouse the Methodist faith in Ireland, and was a class- leader of that denomination soon after the separation of its founders from the Church of England. The children of the latter, whose names are remembered, were Robert and Charles S. Robert Morton received a good education for that period and country, and was an expert accountant. He became a quarry- man and married in his native county Margaret Fee, who was born Dec. 9, 1798, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. Robert Morton came to America soon after the War of 1812, arriving at New York after a voyage of four weeks. He engaged in the grocery business near Yonkers, N. Y., and a year later sent for his wife, who had remained in Ireland to look after some property inherited from her fath- er's estate. Having finally settled in West- chester County, N. Y., he resumed his occupa- tion as a quarryman, and assisted in quarrying the stone at Sing Sing and Watertown used in constructing locks on the Erie Canal. He was an expert in this line and quarried the four large columns for the custom house in New York City. He pursued this business for many years and prospered in it. His children, all born in Westchester County, were: Rachel, born Oct. 18, 1819; Edward, born Aug. 18, 1821; Charles, born Dec. 3, 1823; David, born March 27, 1825; Margaret, born Dec. 15, 1826; Mary J., born Oct. 14, 1829; Elizabeth, born Feb. 21, 1833; Eleanor, born Aug. 14, 1835; Robert, born Sept. 17, 1837; John, born June 2. 1839; William, born July 28, 1843. In 1847 Mr. Morton came to Illinois by steamer to Albany, by railway to Buffalo and lake steamer to Chi- cago; going thence to Dundee, 111., where he remained six months, when he moved to Al- gonquin Township, McHenry County. Here he bought 560 acres of land at the Government price of $1.25 per acre, besides forty acres of timber-land on Fox River. He built on his land one of the earliest frame houses in the Ox £ V -iibrary McHENRY COUNTY. 909 township, besides making other improvements, providing for himself and family an excellent home. His children, as they began life for themselves, settled around him. Here he died at the venerable age of ninety years. In poli- tics Mr. Morton was a Lincoln Republican and a zealous Unionist during the Civil War. Two of his sons, John and Robert, became Union soldiers, serving three years in Illinois infantry regiments. Although they participated hi many severe battles, both returned to their homes in safety. Mr. Morton was an in- dustrious and highly respected citizen. Edward Morton, the son of Robert, was born at Sing Sing, N. Y., on the spot where the New York State prison now stands. He received a common-school education, and, in 1849, came west arriving at Chicago on June 1st. He had previously been married at Yonkers, N. Y., to Charlotte A. Brewer, who was born at Tarry- town, N. Y., in 1821, the daughter of James ami Mary (Purdy) Brewer. The father was a farm- er, and the families of both parents were of Revolutionary stock. Their children were. William, Purdy, Mary, Charles, Charlotte A., Moses, Elizabeth J. and one whose name is not remembered. The Purdy family held a land warrant for services rendered by their father in the Revolutionary War. This war- rant was laid upon land now constituting a part, of the site of the city of Peoria, but its value not being understood, it was finally sold for an insignificant price to a speculative law- yer. Coming to McHenry County, Mr. Morton settled on a tract of eighty acres of land given to him by his father. This he improved, building upon it a fine house, and adding to his real estate until he was the owner of 30 acres. In 1884, having sold his farm, he moved to Algonquin, where he still lives, retired from active business life. Like his father he is a stanch Republican in political belief, and has held the office of Highway Commissioner for his township for the past twelve years. As a citizen he is held in high repute in the com- munity in which he resides. Mr. and Mrs. Morton have been the parents of seven chil- dren, viz.: Mary Elizabeth, Charlotte J. (died at the age of two years), Edward, Charlotte J. (2), Charles W., Seraphina and George. Mrs. Morton died Sept. 22, 1886. Edward Morton, Jr., son of the preceding. was born at Yonkers, N. Y., April 15, 1848, and, at one year of age, was brought by his parents to McHenry County, where he grew up among the pioneer surroundings of that locality. Here he received a common-school education, the first school attended by him being taught in a little log school house by Miss Sarah Wasson. Among his schoolmates who still survive are Albert Corl and Sheriff Keys. December 12, 1867, he was married in Algonquin to Miss Maria Everett, who was born at Bristol, 111., April 12, 1849, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Brace) Everett. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Morton lived on a farm for two years, when he removed to Algonquin, where he en- gaged in carpenter work for the next seven years, which he then exchanged for the paint- ing business. In 1889 he bought the Pingry Hotel at Algonquin, and having removed the old structure, erected on its site a new build- ing of improved architecture with modern con- veniences. This is one of the best hotels in McHenry County, is fitted as a summer re- sort and is well patronized. Mr. Morton has a valuable collection of curiosities, including archaeological specimens belonging to the Stone Age, besides relics of Indian tribes and other matters of historic interest. He is also noted for his skill as a hunter and a fisherman, and, in former years, made many trips to the Lake Superior region, where he has been a successful hunter of deer and other wild game. He is one of the best informed authorities in reference to the favorite resorts of game and fish, and has hunted and fished with success along Fox River and its chain of lakes, which abound in the finest varieties of black bass and pike. In political views Mr. Morton is an earnest Republican and was a supporter of Gen. Grant for his second term. Fraternally he is a member of the Algonquin Lodge, Mod- ern Woodmen of America, and of the Cary Sta- tion Lodge I. O. O. F. Of genial temperament, he is a popular host and respected citizen. Joseph Everett (deceased), the father of Mrs. Morton, was a farmer of Bristol, Kendall County and was an early settler of that lo- cality,. He married Sarah Ann Brace, who was born in Bristol, and their children were: Mary E., Maria E. and Annie E. Mr. Everett died in 1852 and his wife in 1854. The latter was the daughter of Edward and Jerusha 910 McHENRY COUNTY, Brace. Mr. Brace was a pioneer and farmer of Kendall County, having come from New YorK State. He died at the age of ninety years. His children were: Debora, Stephen, John, Comfort, Nancy, Thomas, Amelia and Eliza. DR. FRANK J. MAHA. Dr. Frank J. Maha, Algonquin, 111., one of the leading physicians of McHenry County, was born in Chicago in December, 1872, son of Frank and Mary Maha, both of his parents be- ing Datives of Bohemia. He received his pre- liminary education in the public schools of Chicago and under private teachers, after- wards taking a four-year course in the Bennett Medical College, Chicago, from which he gradu- ated in 1900. In 1898, two years before his graduation, he received ,a license from the Illi- nois State Board of Health to practice medi- cine in the State of Illinois. He successfully passed a rigid examination, and immediately began to practice medicine. Coming to Algon- quin in May, 1899, he soon established a lucra- tive and extensive practice, and has met with remarkable success. His office is equipped with all the modern medical appliances, and he possesses an excellent medical library of valu- able works, and is well read in the most ad- vanced publications of medical science. He is one of the attending surgeons at St. Antbony's Hospital, Chicago. Dr. Maha is entirely a self-made man, his success being wholly the result of his own per- sonal efforts and ability. His father died when he was about nineteen years old and he he- came the main support of the family. He first engaged as a clerk in a mercantile establish- ment, and continued in this business for thir- teen years. LESTER A. MORELAND. If a piece of mechanical work is to be well done, good tools are a prime necessity. If the mechanical product is of delicate construe tion, as that of the "Oliver Typewriter," for ex- ample, the tools to be used must be similar in point of fineness and delicacy, and specially adapted to the work to be performed. One of the first requisites in the production of the Oliver Typewriter was the furnishing of the tools with which to construct the machine. This important department in connection wtih the Typewriter Company is in charge of Mr. Lester A. Moreland, who was born on a farm in Cayuga County, N. Y., Dec. 11, 1873, the son of Lewis Moreland, a carpenter and skilled mechanic. The son, Lester A., received a fair education by attendance on the public schools and an academy for some time, and, when about sixteen years of age, began to learn the machinist trade in the works of the Straight Line Engine Company, of Syracuse, N. Y, where he remained two years. He then en tered into the employment of the E. C. Stearns Bicycle Company of Syracuse, and still later was in the employ, for one and a half years, of the American Humber Bicycle Company, at Westboro, Mass., for a part of the time being foreman of one of the departments. In 1897 he went to Toronto, Canada, where he was as- sistant superintendent of the Stearns Bicycle Company, but a year later (1898) came to Woodstock and engaged as tool-maker for the Oliver Typewriter Company. His skill as a workman was recognized three months later by his selection as foreman for this important department, as here the peculiar tools neces- sary to the construction of the "Oliver" are made. Here is a large field for the exercise of mechanical ingenuity and skill, in which Mr. Moreland has proved himself an important factor by his success in the improvement of tools already in use, or the invention of others required for the more successful prosecution of this branch of manufacture. Desiring to fit himself for business on a larger scale, he has of late been taking a course of instruction in a correspondence school of mechanical engineer- ing. Mr. Moreland was married at Franklin- ville, 111., in 1899, to Miss Emma J. Chappel, who was born in Alden Township, McHenry County, the daughter of Harvey and Maria (Stewart) Chappel. Her father was a soldier of the Civil War, during which he was wounded. Mr. Moreland resides with his family in Wood- stock, where he is well known and has a large circle of friends. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic Order. Lewis Moreland, the father of Lester A., married at Sennett, N. Y., Harriet Daniels, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Armon Daniels, her father being a carpenter and farmer. Lewis McHENRY COUNTY. 911 Moreland and wife are the parents of three children — two sons and one daughter. Moses Moreland, grandfather of Lester A., was born Nov. 13, 1800, the son of Stephen and Sally (March) Moreland, who were natives of New Jersey, born respectively in 1766 and 1771. About 1795 they emigrated from New Jersey to Ballston, Saratoga County, N. Y., where they remained until 1806, when they moved to Brutus (now Sennett) Cayuga County, locating on Lot 49. Here they followed farming ten years (1809 to 1818) ; in 1820 moved to Scipio, and there kept a public house some ten years where "Bait's Corners" now is, when they again moved to Auburn, N. Y. The mother having died here March 18, 1833, the father afterward made his home with his son Moses then living on Lot 22, in the town of Sennett, where he died Aug. 22, 1848, aged eighty-two years. Stephen Moreland and wife had seven children who grew up to maturity: Polly, Betsy, Moses, Caleb, Stephen, William and Har- riet. Moses remained with his parents until he was thirty years of age. Being of a truant disposition he failed to avail himself of such euducational advantages as were afforded at that time, and at eighteen began learning the carpenter and joiner's trade, afterwards being employed at various places until he reached the age of twenty-four years, when he entered into the employment of Clark Camp of Auburn, who was largely engaged in the business of building and repairing mills. After being thus employed some four years, he engaged in busi- ness for himself, the reputation he had ac- quired as a mill-wright securing for him many contracts in different parts of the State — a line of business in which he continued to be more or less extensively employed during his active life. He built and operated a saw-mill of his own, besides being interested in a number of other enterprises, some of which proved suc- cessful while others did not. While thus em- ployed he carried on farming operations most carefully, feeling that, in case of disaster in his outside business relations, he would here find something upon which he could rely with en- tire safety. Few men can look back upon a life in which economy, industry and perse- verance played a more conspicuous part in the achievement of final success than could Mr. Moreland. On Feb. 25, 1830, Mr. Moreland was married, at Brutus, Cayuga County, N. Y., to Nancy (Wilson) Putnam, and they had eight children: Melissa J., born Dec. 1, 1830, mar- ried Robert Matteson, of Sennett, March 18, 1851 ; Lewis P., born July 9, 1832, married Har- riet Daniels of Skeneateles, N. Y., Sept. 25, 1856; Ann E., born Nov. 21, 1834, married Wil- lard Daniels of Skeneateles, November, 1856: Parley W., born Oct. 14, 1836, married Aurelia Clapp of Skeneateles, Nov. 29, 1860; Nancy A., born April 26, 1841, died March 24, 1842; Theodore M., born March 10, 1844; Alfred J.. born May 13, 1846, and Lester E., born Oct. 22, 1848, died Jan. 6, 1852. In politics Mr. More- land was a Whig until 1840, when he became a Democrat, though making it a rule to vote for the best men for office, as he understood it, without regard to partisan associations. Though never a member of any church, he was, for many years, a regular attendant on the services of the Presbyterian church at Sen- nett. Lewis Putnam, the father of Mrs. Moses Moreland, was a native of Vermont, born Aug. 22, 1769, and her mother at Salem, in the town of Hebron, Washington County, N. Y., Feb. 15, 1773. Her parents were married Jan. 11, 1794, and in 1804 settled in Brutus. Before this time the father had pursued the occupation of a wool-carder and cloth-dresser, but after his removal carried on the milling business, own- ing and operating one grist and two saw-mills, besides being engaged quite extensively in farming — at one time owning 640 acres. He was a Justice of the Peace for some twenty years, and was one of the representative men of his town. His death occurred Jan. 10, 1832, and that of his wife, March 18, 1845. The now numerous family of Putnams at Brutus, N. Y.. are descended from this couple. Their chil- dren were: Anna, born Aug. 10, 1776, died Oct. 12, 1851; Asa, born Dec. 2, 1797, died Aug. 3, 1872; Robert, born Sept. 12, 1799; Jane, born Aug. 12, 1801 ; Lewis, born July 6, 1803 ; Parley, born Feb. 7, 1806, died at Niles, Mich., March 18, 1875; Nancy, born Aug. 6, 1809; Melissa, born July 23, 1818. 912 McHENRY COUNTY, ANNIE M. MORGAN. Mrs. Annie M. Morgan, of Woodstock, 111., is an active and enterprising business woman. Her mother, who is an estimable lady of Heb- ron, 111., was born near Smith's Falls, Montague Township, Ontario, Canada, June 16, 1838, the daughter of Edward and Elizabeth (Walker) Wynn. Edward Wynn was of Welsh ancestry, but lived at Wexford, and later in Dublin, Ireland. He was twice married, each time in his native country. Of his first marriage eight sons were born, three of whom, John, William and Ed- ward, came to America. Edward Wynn, Sr., was a farmer by occupation and, when a young man, served in the French and English war against Napoleon, and was in the famous march across the Alps. Mr. Wynn's first wife died and he married either in Kildare, Ireland, or in London. England, Elizabeth Walker, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Graham) Walker. Two children, Samuel and Amelia, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wynn while living in England, and the following named were born in Ontario, Canada: Rebecca, Isabel, Margaret, Isaac and Angelo. Edward Wynn tame with his family to America about 1834, crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel and landing in Quebec. He settled on land which he cleared from the forest near Smith's Falls, Ontario, where several of his older sons were located. Mr. Wynn converted his land into a good farm, from which he obtained a comfortable living, and upon which he built a log-cabin with a big fire-place, and here lived in pioneer style until his children grew to ma- turity. In earlier manhood he was possessed of considerable wealth, but later gave a great deal of his property to his older sons. When he became advanced in years, he sold his farm and moved to Brockville, Ontario, where he died at the age of ninety-four years; his wife died in Almont, Ontario, when eighty-three years of age. They were members of the Church of England. According to tradition Mrs. Wynn's ancestors — the Walkers and Gra- hams — were very wealthy and, at the present time, there is a large fortune in the mother country belonging to their heirs. Efforts hare been made in recent years to recover this wealth, but so far without success. Rebecca Wynn, the mother of Mrs. Morgan, married at Ogdensburg, N. Y., May 19, 1862, Joseph Sylvester, who was born in Brockville, Ontario, June 16, 1836, of English and German ancestry. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Syl- vester lived in Brockville for several years, where he followed the occupation of a farmer. In 1867 they came to Harvard, 111., but shortly afterwards moved to Lynn County, Wis., and in 1872 removed to Hebron, 111., where he en- gaged in farming and followed that occupation until his death, which occurred Jan. 12, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester were the parents of two children: Annie M. (Mrs. Morgan) and Lizzie. Mr. Sylvester was a man well known and highly respected for his reliability and strength of character. Both he and his wife were members of the Church of England. Mrs. Sylvester united with the church in Ontario when about fourteen years of age, but on com- ing to Hebron, 111., she and her husband united with the Methodist church, there being no church here of her former creed. She is a lady of many excellent characteristics and sin- cerely devoted to her church and family. Her daughter Lizzie married Charles Householder, an estimable citizen of Hebron, 111., who died Dec. 24, 1902. Mrs. Annie M. Morgan, the subject of this sketch, was born in Brockville, Ontario, and came with her parents to Hebron when a little child. She received her education in the high school at Hebron and Richmond and, after graduating from the last-named institution, taught school for two years in Lynn Town- ship, Walworth County, Wis. She then taught for two years in Alden, two years in Hebron and afterwards instructed private classes in the science of algebra in Ringwood. She mar- ried Mr. Fred Morgan of Hebron, 111., and in 1889, they removed to Ringwood, where they resided for many years. While a resident of Ringwood, Mrs. Morgan was active in affairs connected with the Methodist Episcopal church. She was for several years a teacher in the Sunday School at Hebron and Ringwood, Vice-President of the Epworth League at Ring, wood, Superintendent of the Junior League, and being a lady of excellent literary talents, has always been prominent in literary and other entertainments, and for some time a con- tributor to the "McHenry Plain-Dealer." In 1900 Mrs. Morgan established in Woodstock a Lia4^l>u^ yft. y^< dCpCLoU. T McHENRY COUNTY. 913 ladies' specialty store, in the conduct of which she has shown great skill and marked busi- ness ability. Mrs. Morgan has two daughters, Ellen M., who received a good education in the Ring- wood and McHenry High Schools, and mar- ried Frank G. Beacking of Woodstock, and Vel- ma J., a little miss attending the public school in Woodstock. WILLIAM H. MUNROE. William H. Munroe, Postmaster, Ridgefield, 111., is a veteran soldier of the Civil War who has a record of three years of faithful service to his country in assisting to suppress the rebellion. He was born in Danbury, Conn., May 22, 1838, the son of Henry H. and Eliza (Sanford) Munroe. His father, Henry H. Mun- roe, was a native of New York State, born Dec. 18, 1817, and came of Scotch ancestry. He received a good education and, in early life ; became a carpenter and joiner, but later set- tled in Danbury, Conn., where he followed the undertaking business for many years. While a resident of Danbury, he was married to Eliza Sanford, who bore him three children: Mary E, born Feb. 10, 1840; William H., born May 22, 1843, and Edward H., born Dec. 26 1850. About 1853 Henry H. Munroe moved to McHenry County, 111., and settled on a farm in Dorr Township, but several years later re- moved to Chicago, where he engaged in the lumber trade and in the manufacture of wood- en boxes. During the Civil War he received a Government contract to manufacture cracker boxes at Louisville, Ky., where his factory was twice burned by Confederate troops. After the close of the rebellion he returned to Chi- cago and resumed his former occupation, which he followed for several years, but being a man of education and religious convictions, he studied for the ministry and became pastor of the Congregational church at Malta and at Bartlett, 111. October 22, 1895, Mr. Munroe died at Dundee, 111., aged about seventy-eight years. Mrs. Munroe is still living at the ven- erable age of ninety years. William H. Munroe received his primary education in his native State and, when ten years of age, came with his parents to Mc- Henry County, 111., where he attended the district school in Dorr Township. Later he moved with his father's family to Chicago, where he worked in his father's box factory and assisted in the lumber business. In August, 1862, he enlisted as a private in the Chicago Mercantile Battery for three years' service in the Union Army, and, at the end of the first year, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Mr. Munroe was in all the cam- paigns, battles, marches and skirmishes in which his battery participated, including the entire Siege of Vicksburg, the battle of Ar- kansas Post, and the Red River campaign. Mr. Munroe was never wounded in battle or taken prisoner, but was sick for one month in hospital in Memphis, and one month in St. Louis. He was honorably discharged and mustered out of the service in Chicago, in July, 1865. After his discharge he returned to Chicago and resumed work in his father's lumber yard, but shortly afterwards received an appointment from the Government as night watchman at the United States Depository in Louisville, Ky., where he continued for ten years, when he was promoted to be Deputy Inspector and Surveyor of Customs. December 26, 1865, he was married in Chi- cago to Agnes W. Goodwillie, who was born in Montreal, Canada, May 23, 1847, daughter of Robert and Jean (Monro) Goodwillie, natives of Scotland. Of this union three children were born: Jean H., who married M. B. Hubbard; Mary E. (Mrs. Frank R. Jackman of Wood- stock), Cecil E., who married J. J. Jayne. Mr. and Mrs. Munroe lived the first ten years of their married life in Louisville, Ky., where all of their children were born, and then moved to McHenry County, settling in Dorr Township. Twelve years ago (1891) Mr. Munroe was appointed Postmaster at Ridge- field, 111., and has held that office continuously ever since with the exception of one year. Po- litically he is a Republican and held the of- fice of Tax Collector of Dorr Township for one term. As a citizen Mr. Munroe is well known and highly respected for his honest principles and straightforward character. Robert Goodwillie, father of Mrs. William H. Munroe, was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He received a common-school education, learned the carpenter's trade, and became a contractor and bridge- builder. In early man- hood he came to Montreal, Canada, and there 914 McHENRY COUNTY. married Jean Monro, daughter of James and Jennie (Douglass) Monro. James Monro was a native of Scotland and came to Canada, where he was an officer in the custom-house at Quebec. He owned property in Quebec where the officers of the Allen line of ocean steamers are now located. Robert Goodwillie became the contractor for the Victoria bridge across the St. Lawrence River, near Montreal, and also built McGill College in the same city. He was twice married, and the children of his first wife (whose name is not remembered) were: David, Robert, John, Mary and Chris- tina. In 1835 he married for his second wife Jean Monro, who came from Scotland to Amer- ica in 1833, and of this union there were children named James, Thomas, Walter, Wil- liam, Douglass, Agnes, and Joseph. Robert Goodwillie died in Montreal in 1855, being then fifty years of age. Two years later (1857) his widow came with her family to Chicago, where she died in 1875. In religious belief Mr. Good- willie was a Scotch Presbyterian, was also an earnest advocate of the temperance cause and a prominent member of the Masonic Order. john c. McCarthy. John Calaghan McCarthy, an old settler of Hartland Township and one of the self-made men of McHenry County, was born in County Kerry, Ireland, June 24, 1834. son of Calaghan and Ann (Moore) McCarthy. Calaghan Mc- Carthy was a farmer of moderate circum- stances and a descendant of the old Irish Gaels. His children were: Florence, who came to America with her famttly about 1843, and died in Chicago at the advanced age of ninety years; Dennis, who came to America about 1842; John, who died when a child in Ireland; John C, who came to America in 1844; Elizabeth, who married in Ireland Ed- ward Goggin and came to America in 1843 with her family; Bridget, and Mary, who came to America with their mother in 1844. Calaghan McCarthy, father of the family, died in Ireland in 1836, when about sixty years of age. He was a member of the Catholic church and a hard working man. His sons soon began to emigrate to America, and, in 1844, Mrs. McCarthy joined them with the remainder of the family, John C, Mary and Bridget. They made the voyage in a sailing vessel and were six weeks on the passage to Quebec. John C. was then a boy between nine and ten years of age. They went di- rectly to Rochester, where the older children had settled and the sons had secured employ- ment with a railroad company. Here the family lived about one and a half years and then moved to Buffalo where John C. at- tended school for a while. About 1846, Mrs. McCarthy came to Illinois with her son-in-law, Edward Goggin and family, who settled in Hartland Township. Here John C. lived with Edward Groggin's family until he was about twenty years of age, working at farm-work during the summer and in the winter attend- ing the district school. One winter Mr. Mc- Carthy's teacher was M. D. Hoy, who is now a prominent citizen of Woodstock. This was in one of the Alden Township districts, and John C. walked one and a half miles to and from school and did farm chores to pay for his board. At another time he attended a school in Alden Township taught by Sidney Disbrow, and thus gained an elementary education. In 1854, when young McCarthy was twenty years of age, he had about $200, which he had saved from his earnings, as he had been employed on the farm at three to seven dollars per month for several years. This was in the days of the California gold excitement, and in company with George Burchey and Thomas Quigley, he went to California. They made the journey from New York by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and from San Francisco to the placer gold mines near Weaverville, Trinity County John J. Murphy was in the same camp. Mr. McCarthy remained there about eight years when, in 1862, he went to the Blue Mountains in Northeastern Oregon, where he mined for gold on the John Day's River. There were thirty-six men in this expedition and they were three months on the trip from the start- ing place, Waurica, Cal., through a wild,, moun- tainous and unsettled country. This was in the land of the Modoc Indians and to them they were obliged to pay tribute for crossing the country on their trails. The Captain of Mr. McCarthy's company, W. W. Martin, under- stood the Indian language and engaged an In- dian chief and his squaw to pilot them through the wilderness. They passed through the McHENRY COUNTY. 915 country afterwards made famous by Captain Jack, the Modoc chieftain, in his attack on the United States Peace Commissioners, which is one of the most desolate regions known to man. Further north they passed into a region owned by another tribe of Indians to whom they were obliged to pay tribute, and where they had a variety of experiences. This coun- try was not only inhabited by savage men, but by savage beasts; both black and brown bear were numerous, the mountain goat was fre- quently seen on the steep ledges of the moun- tains, while deer, antelope and other game were plentiful. The party lived on provisions which they packed with them on the backs of horses and mules, consisting principally of flour and bacon, of which they carried a quan- tity sufficient to last about four months. They began mining gold on John Day's River, but not meeting with success, they moved their camp to the head of the river, where they carried on mining four years. Provisions were very high and Mr. McCarthy often paid as high as $2.50 for a pound of flour. In 1866 he went to Umatilla on the Columbia River, which was a very arduous journey. From here he went to Portland, Oregon, where he took a steamer for San Francisco, and sailed to New York from the latter place. He had been absent from home between twelve and thirteen years, during which time he en- countered many hardships. On his outward journey to the gold-fields his money was exhausted when he reached San Francis- co, and he was obliged to work his way up the Sacramento River on a steamer to the mines. At one time he was at Lewiston, the head of navigation on the Columbia River, above Walla Walla. This was the extreme frontier limit. Traveling by land in that country was made by pack-mule trains, from fifty to sixty mules in a train, and each mule would be loaded with about 350 pounds of baggage, for which the charges were fifty cents per pound. At Walla Walla every mercantile house kept a rope with a noose in it in readiness for horse-thieves, who were very numerous. After his return to Hartland Township in 1868, Mr. McCarthy bought the Edward Gog- gin farm consisting of 240 acres. He married July 18, 1872, Mary Harter, born in Alsace, France, August 13, 1845, the daughter of Fran- cis and Louisa (Detterer) Harter. After mar- riage Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy settled on the farm, which then had a log house and rude farm buildings on it. Mr. McCarthy has cleared at least one-third of the farm, and has erected a good frame residence and a sub- stantial barn. The farm is well stocked and is one of the finest estates in Hartland Town- ship. Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy are the parents of Francis Dennis, Mary Louisa, Elizabeth Ann and Charles Edward. The family are mem- bers of the Catholic church. Mr. McCarthy, like most true sons of the Gael, has a strong love of liberty and is a firm believer in the rights of the common people. He is a stancn Democrat, believing in the principles advo- cated by Jefferson and Jackson. He is a friend of progress and education, and has been School Director eight years. When Mr. Mc- Carthy first came to Hartland Township it was almost a wilderness, and he has been one of the main factors in its improvement. He has prospered well, having been a thrifty and industrious man. He has the liberal, whole- souled disposition of the Irish Celt, and being careful and conscientious in the discharge of every duty, he is possessed of a high degree of honor and integrity. One of Mr. McCarthy's sons, Charles Edward, served as a soldier in the Spanish-American War in Company G, Woodstock Guards, and was stationed in Porto Rico. Francis Anthony Harter, father of Mrs. Mc- Carthy, was born in Alsace about 1815. He was a baker by trade, and married in Alsace, where all of his children, Engene, Augusta, Antoinette and Mary Ann, were born. Mr. Harter came to America and served as a soldier in the Mexican War. He sent for his family in 1850 and settled on a farm in Sen- eca Township. He was also a soldier in the Civil War, serving as a private in the Fif- teenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and re- enlisted as a veteran. He was in An'Jerson- ville prison several months. After the war, in 1865, he returned to McHenry County, and settled in Harvard. He afterwards moved to Albany, N. Y., and from there started for California, and was never afterwards heard from. His son Eugene was a soldier in the Civil War and was killed at the battle of Fair Oaks. 916 McHENRY COUNTY. PATRICK McCABE. This pioneer of the Celtic race is the oldest man now living in Hartland Township, and, perhaps, in McHenry County. He is one of the original Irish pioneers who settled in Hart- land Township on Government land. Those remaining who patented land from the Gov- ernment can be counted on the fingers of one hand. He was born in March, 1808, in the town of Dunraven, Parish of Lurgan, County Cavan, Ireland, son of Terrence and Mary (Tierney) McCabe. Terrence McCabe was the son of Patrick McCabe, who once owned the land where the town of Dunraven now stands. He was a farmer and rented his farm on the long lease, or three lives, system, the lease extending over ninety-one years, except in the case of the death of one of the proprietors, when it was good for thirty-one years. This plan made a family permanent, and, when the rent was moderate, was a very good system. The children of Terrence' and Mary McCabe were: John, Patrick, Michael, Kate, Bridget and Mary. Mr. McCabe and his wife died in Ireland, both having reached an advanced age. They were members of the Catholic church. One of the sons, Michael McCabe, came to America and settled in Hartland Township, but later moved to Iowa, where he reared a family of five children. Patrick McCabe, subject of this sketch, re- ceived a better education than most sons of Erin, as he had the advantage of attending school in a near-by town. He remained on his father's farm until twenty-one years of age, when he came to America, sailing from Dublin, May 2, 1832, in the good ship "Heb- ron" of Liverpool, and was four weeks and three days on the voyage to Quebec, where he arrived in June. He came directly to New York State, by way of Lake Cnamplain, and worked for five years in the United States foundry at West Point, on the Hudson, where he frequently saw General Scott. He came to Chicago in 1836 or '37 and lived there about five years. He was steward at the Tremont House, having been promoted to that position from that of hostler. These were in the gool old days of pioneer Chicago, when he Tremont House was the headquarters of the Democratic party and the leading hotel in Chicago. Stephen A. Douglas and his wife occupied rooms in this hotel, and Mr. McCabe was personally acquainted with the "Little Giant" and heard him make many speeches. John Wentworth, known as "Long John," the noted and able editor of the "Chicago Dem- ocrat." was a frequent visitor at the hotel and was a vigorous politician of the rough and ready type. Mr. McCabe was also acquainted with Kinzie, the pioneer; Mark Beaubien and his wife, the old French inn-keepers, and Cap- tain Naper, for whom Naperville was named. Tradition says that, in early times in some Indian campaign, Captain Naper crossed Mc- Henry County with his men, and during the march one of the commissary wagons mired in a creek. Among the goods was a ten- gallon keg of whisky and one of the soldiers attempted to get a drink, saying: "I will have a nip or sink." Thereafter the creek was known as "Nippersink." Mr. McCabe came to Hartland Township about 1840 and selected land, consisting of 240 acres, which he entered in 1841. He after- wards bought eighty acres more of the Gen- eral Government. His brother Michael had set- tled in the township a short time before, as also had Andrew and Neill Donnelly. Mr. McCabe's land was partly prairie and partly timber, and he settled on it in 1842. He was then a single man and hauled lumber from Chicago for a small frame house, which is still standing. Mr. McCabe improved his land and bought 120 acres of Andrew Hood, and ninety-five acres of a Mr. Creighead and together, with other purchases, he accumulated a fine farm- ing property. He has given his sons Terrence and Michael 120 acres each, but still retains 250 acres, which is one of the best farming properties in Hartland Township. These broad acres extend one mile from the old Marengo and Geneva road to the Woodstock and Har- vard road. In Hartland Township, May 1, 1856, Mr. Mc- Cabe mjarried Ann McConnell, born in the town of Macken, County Fermanagh, Ireland, July, 1825, daughter of Michael and Bridget (McGee) McConnell. Mr. and Mrs. McCabe have the following children: Mary Anne, Ter- rence, Katie, Michael, Bridget, Maggie, Susan and Patrick H. All this family are members of the Catholic church of which Mr. and Mrs. McHENRY COUNTY. 917 McCabe have always been liberal supporters. There were few families in Hartland Town- ship when Mr. McCabe first settled there, the farms were new and unimproved and the people lived in log houses. There were no buildings in Woodstock and be went to market at Geneva and afterwards to Richmond. When he first settled on his farm there were sev- eral Indian graves on the place, which were covered with large stones of excellent quality as wide and long as the graves. Mr. and Mrs. McCabe both worked hard, and built up one of the best farming properties in the county. Mr. McCabe rode on the second railroad built in the United States, which was between Albany and Buffalo. In his younger days he well remembers seeing the great hero of New Orleans, General Jackson. He has always voted the straight Democratic ticket, except on one occasion, when he voted for General Scott, a Whig candidate, on account of his acquaintance with him at West Point. He was a prominent man in his township in early times, but never sought office, having at all times, all he could do to attend to the duties on his farm. He is a man of integrity and strong common sense, and at the great age of ninety-five, retains his memory and faculties to a wonderful degree. He is a great reader of the newspapers and can read fine print without glasses. He re- cently read an article in the "McHenry County Democrat" on the origin of the "Irish Celt," and pronounced it correct so far as his knowledge of the subject extended. Mr. and Mrs. McCabe's children are well tducateu, the sons are all engaged in farm- ing una have settled arouDd the old home- stead and their houses are connected with each other by telephone. Michael McConnell, the father of Mrs. Mc- Cabe, was a farmer living on long-leased lan'j in Ireland. He died in, Ireland a middle-aged man. His children were Clarence, Patrick, James, Susan and Mary. All of this family came to America. In 1851, when Mrs. Mc- Cabe was seventeen years of age, she came to America with her brother James, sailing from Dundalk, Ireland, for New York, and they were seven weeks on the passage. She came to Chicago where she lived four years and then came to Hartland Township, where her brother, Terrence, was settled. Mr. McCabe was in Chicago when the Gov- ernment pier was built and recalls the early issues of the old "Chicago Democrat." The paper was printed only on one side, being blank on the other. ANDREW T. MCMILLAN. Andrew Thomas McMillan, farmer and prominent citizen of Nunda Township, Mc- Henry County, 111., was born on the old Mc- Millan homestead in Nunda Township, Feb. 5, 1845, the son of Samuel and Jane Ann (Wil- son) McMillan, who were pioneer settlers of Northern Illinois. Samuel McMillan, the father, was of Scotch ancestry, the son of Thomas and Sarah (Humphrey) McMillan, who had children named John, Benjamin, James, An- drew, Ebenezer, Samuel, Elizabeth, Margaret and Mary. Samuel McMillan, of this family, was born at Princeton, N. Y., Nov. 7, 1815. About 1837, at the age of twenty-two years, he -came to Plainfield, Will County, 111., but two years later located in McHenry County. Here, on Nov. 28, 1843, in Nunda Township, he was married to Jane Ann Wilson, who was born in Princeton, N. Y., July 19, 1823, the daughter of Andrew and Ann Jane (Fall) Wilson. After his marriage in the spring of 1844, he settled on a tract of eighty acres of Government land, which he entered and to which he made additions until he was the owner of 200 acres, becoming a successful and well-to-do farmer. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and in politics a Republi- can. His children were: Eliza Ann, born Nov. 12, 1848; John Henry, born May 28, 1851; Sarah Jane, born Oct. 9, 1853. Mr. McMillan died in 1885, at the age of about seventy years, but his wife is still living on the old home- stead near Terra Cotta, in Nunda Township. Andrew Thomas McMillan received the usu- al common-school education while working on the farm during the summer months. De- cember 24, 1867, he was married at Crystal Lake, McHenry County, to Marion A. Wicker, who was born in Vermont on the border of Lake Champlain, near Whitehall, N. Y., March 27, 1850, the daughter of Benijah and Angeline (Wilson) Wicker. Mrs. Wicker was the daughter of Nathaniel Willson, of Sharon, Vt, was a graduate of Castleton Seminary, and 918 McHENRY COUNTY. for a number of years a successful teacher. Both parents belonged to old American fami- lies, Benijah Wicker being the son of Dr. Nathaniel Wicker, who served in the War of the American Revolution and was afterwards a prominent physician in Vermont. Benijah Wicker was a soldier of the War of 1812 ami, about 1853, removed with his family to Illi- nois, settling six miles south of Belvidere, in Boone County. Nine years later (1862) he removed to Nunda Township, McHenry County, where he bought an improved farm of 225 acres, and where in January, 1863 — less than a year after his removal — he died. In religious belief he was a Universalist and in politics a Democrat, but voted for Abraham Lincoln for President in 1860 on the ground of oppo- sition to the further extension of slavery. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Benijah Wicker were: Helen, Cora, Addie, and Benijah, Jr. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew T. McMillan settled on the McMillan homestead in Nunda Township, where they remained twenty-four years when, in 1891, they removed to their present location in the same town- ship. He here bought a farm consisting of sixty- nine acres, upon which he erected all the farm buildings. He also retains his interest in the old homestead. The children of Andrew T. McMillan and wife are: Emma W., born Oct. 1, 1869; Bennie, born Dec. 26, 1873, died Jan 7, 1878, aged four years: Charles, born Dec. 26, 1876, died aged about eleven years; Henry born March 21, 1882; Frank, born May 27, 1885; Ray, born May 18, 1888; Earl, born April 6, 1891. Emma W. McMillan married Henry Shales, of Terra Cotta, and they have one son named Arthur. In political opinions Mr. McMillan is a Republican, and has served one year as Col- lector of Taxes for Nunda Township. He and his wife are held in high esteem in the com- munity where they maintain an attractive home and have given their children good com- mon-school educations. Andrew Wilson, the maternal grandfather of Andrew T. McMillan, was a native of Ire- land, but is believed to have been of mixed Scotch and Irish blood. He was a Presbyterian in religious belief. Three of his sons were born in Ireland, viz.: Thomas, John and Andrew; the others — James, Alexander, David, William, Mariah, Matilda and Jane Ann — being born after the removal to America. On his removal to the United States, Andrew Wilson first set- tled at Schenectady, N. Y., where he carried on his trade as a carpenter and joiner, but, in 1836 coming west, located at Deer Grove, Cook County, 111., and there spent the remain- der of his life. He was thus one of the pioneers of Cook County, where he was a substantial farmer. HENRY MAGOON. Henry Magoon, Terra Cotta, 111., a substan- tial and respected citizen of Nunda Township, McHenry County, is of sterling Scotch descent. His father, Simeon Magoon, was born in Canada, near Niagara Falls, July 24, 1813, and on April 4, 1835, married at Chagrin Falls, near Cleveland, Ohio, Tryphena Abbott, who was born Nov. 19, 1812, the daughter of Ebenezer and Nicy Abbott. In 1844 Simeon Magoon came to McHenry County, 111., and bought a small farm in Greenwood Township. Some years afterward he removed to Wisconsin, but two years later returned to McHenry County, where he resided until his death, which oc- curred at the venerable age of eighty-two years. Simeon Magoon was a very religious man, devoting much of his life to inculcating the principles of Methodism, and was an exhorter and class-leader in that denomination. He also assisted in building several Methodist churches. Tlis children, who were born on following dates, were: Permelia, Feb. 24, 1838; Henry, Feb. 13, 1839; David, May 4 1842; Betsy, Oct. 14, 1847; Aurilla, August 20, 1849 ; Julia Ann, June 13, 1852. (For sketch of the Abbott family, see biography of Mark Hickox in this volume.) Henry Magoon, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 13, 1838, and was six years old when he came with his father to McHenry County. He received the limited common-school education afforded by the district schools of his day, and at six- teen years of age began to work out at farm- labor. On Sept. 21, 1861, he married in Green- wood, 111., Louisa Salisbury, who was born at Green, Chenango County, N. Y., Nov. 23, 1840, the 'daughter of Charles and Elsie (Marvin) Salisbury. QJXAY^ McHENRY COUNTY. 919 After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Magoon settled in Greenwood, but several years later (about 1868) bought 100 acres of land in Greenwood Township, where they lived for nearly ten years and then removed to Nunda Township, [n 1879 they purchased their present home- stead then consisting of 100 acres of slightly improved land., to which, by industrious habits and careful management, they have made sub- sequent additions until they now own 132% acres of excellent farming land. They have greatly improved their dwelling house and farm buildings, and their home now presents every appearance of thrift, comfort and happi- ness. Mr. and Mrs. Magoon are the parents of two children, who were born in Greenwood Township: Ella Marvin, born Feb. 1, 1864, and Elmer, born May 14, 1865. In political belief Mr. Magoon is a Republican, and has served his fellow-townsmen as Road Commis- sioner for four years. The Salisbury family is of colonial New England stock. Hale Salisbury, the grand- father of Mrs. Magoon, was born in Brattle- boro, Vt., and followed the occupation of a farmer. His children were named Hannah, Betsy, Rachael, Melinda, Roswell, Hale, Alva, Emri and Charles. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and in pioneer days removed to Chenango County, N. Y., where he cleared up a farm from the wilderness and became a substantial citizen. He lived to be more than eighty years of age and died on his home- stead in New York State; his wife dying at about the same age. Charles Salisbury, father of M)rs. Henry Magoon, was born in Brattleboro, Vt., Feb. 13, 1805, and in boyhood came with his parents to New York State. When about twenty-four years of age, he removed with his married sister, Betsy, and her family to Richland County, Ohio, where, on May 29, 1830 : he mar- ried Elsie Marvin. They resided in Richland County, Ohio, the first ten years of their mar- ried life, and then moved to New York State, where Mr. Salisbury purchased a 140-acre farm in Green Township, Green County, and resided there for fifteen years. In 1845, dur- ing their residence in Green County, a notable religious revival accurred, in which many con- verts were secured and united with the Baptist church. In 1855 Mr. Salisbury moved with his family to Greenwood, Ill v and for the remain- der of his life resided most of the time in Mc- Henry County. His death occurred Feb. 4, 1890, in Nunda, where he had resided the last ten years of his life. Had he lived until May 9, following, he would have celebrated his six- tieth wedding anniversary. Mr. Salisbury was a man of industrious habits and owned a good 160-acre farm in Greenwood Township. In 1887 he went to Buchanan County, Iowa, where he purchased a house and lot and intended to make his home there, but returned to McHenry County. The children of Charles and Elsie (Marvin) Salisbury were born on the following dates: William C, June 12, 1832; Roswell, March 6, 1834; Adelia A, June 18, 1836; Charlotte A., May 6, 1838; Louisa M., Nov. 12, 1840; Hale I., Dec. 21, 1842; Maranda M., June 21, 1847; Helen M., July 13, 1849; Emma A., March 22, 1852. Mrs. Charles Salisbury (nee Elsie Marvin) was born in Connecticut, Sept. 13, 1810, the daughter of Isaac and Hannah (Hoit) Marvin. Both the Marvins and the Hoits were of Con- necticut Puritan stock. Isaac Marvin moved to Richland County, Ohio, in the pioneer days of that State and became a successful farmer. Both he and his wife died on their farm in Richland County, Ohio, at a venerable age. DR. JOSEPH S. MAXON. Dr. Joseph S. Maxon, leading physician of Harvard, McHenry County, 111., was born at Adams, Jefferson County, N. Y., Nov. 23, 1838, the son of Asa L. and Julia A. (Read) Maxon, his father being of English and his mother of Scotch descent. The name was originally spelled Maxson, the present spelling being adopted by Dr. Maxon's father. Richard Maxson, the first and common ancestor of the American branch of the family, was a black- smith by trade, a member of the Baptist church in Boston in 1634, and was employed in a shop belonging to James Everill. In 1639 he went to Portsmouth, R. I., near Newport, and there shared in the distribution of lands to the colonists of that region. There is a legend in the family that he was killed in an Indian raid about 1640, but this is doubtful, as there is evidence that he was alive in 1641. In 1644 920 McHENRY COUNTY. his wife, Good wife Maxson, deeded the land to another party, indicating at this time he was deceased. His son, John Maxson, born in 1639, was next in lineal descent, and he and his wife were buried at Westerly, R. I. Several of the family of the third and fourth generations took part in the Revolutionary War — Benjamin and Stephen Maxson being of the former, and Col. Jesse Maxson (son of David) who was, for a time an Aid on the staff of General Washington and was killed in the battle of Guilford Court House, March 15, 1781, being of the fourth generation. John Maxson, already mentioned, born in 1639, and died in 1720, married Mary Moshier, and they had children: John, born 1666, died in 1747; Dorothy, married Elder Joseph Clark; Joseph, born 1672, died 1750; Mary, married Daniel Lewis; Jonathan, born 1680, died 1732; Hannah, married Hubbard Burdick. John Max- son of this family married Judith Clark, and they had children: Judith, born Sept. 23, 1689, married Samuel Burdick; Mary, born Oct. 26, 1691, died March 16, 1692; Bethiah, born July 31, 1693, married Joseph Maxson; Elizabeth, born Nov. 7, 1695, married John Maxson; John, born April 21, 1701, married Thankful Randall; Dorothy, born Oct. 20, 1703; Susan, born Oct. 19, 1706, married Zaccheus Reynolds; Joseph, born December, 1709, died July, 1710; Avis, born Dec. 27, 1712, married a Miss Burdick. John and his wife, Thankful Randall, latter born Nov. 26, 1724, had children: John, born August 27, 1725 ; Matthew, born April 27, 1727, died Feb. 28, 1791; David, born July 24, 1729; Joseph, born March 23, 1731; Benjamin, born Feb. 21, 1733; Stephen, born May 3, 1735: Thankful, born July 16, 1737; David, born July 24, 1729; Joseph, born March 23, 1731; Benjamin, born Feb. 21, 1733; Stephen, born May 3, 1735; Thankful, born July 16, 1737, David, born Sept. 25, 1739; Joel, born May 28, 1742; Ellinor, born Jan. 24, 1749. David of this family married Abigail Greenman and they had children: Silas, born Dec. 29, 1750; Asa born March 6, 1752, married Lois Stillman; Elizabeth, born July 14, 1754; Paul, born August 2, 1757; Chloe, born Oct. 15, 1759; Wealthy, born March, 1762, married Wait Stillman; Sarah, born Dec. 23, 1763, married George Stillman; David, born August 29, 1766, married Sarah Greenman; Ellen and Abby. Asa of this family was twice married, first to Lois Stillman and second to Mary Potter, widow of George Potter, but had no children by his second marriage. His children by his first wife, Lois Stillman, were: Asa, born July 1, 1776, married Polly Lewis and, as his second wife, Sarah Read; Lois, born August 25, 1778; Mary (Polly), born July 14, 1781, married Edwin Whitford; David, born Sept. 27, 1788, married Esther Peckham and Susan (Peck- ham) Saunders; Wealthy, born August 18, 1790, married Dr. Ebenezer Robinson; Joseph Stillman, born August 3, 1797, married Eliza- beth Vars; Rebecca; Amelia, married Dr. Robert Collins; Thankful, married Dr. Robin- son, husband of her deceased sister Wealthy. Asa of this family married his first wife, Polly Lewis, May 29, 1797, and his second wife, Sarah Read (a widow), Jan. 15, 1818. His children by his first wife were: Polly, married Joshua Lamb; Lois, married a Mr. Wait; Asa L., born May 22, 1802; Sophie, mar- ried Dennis Baxter; Harvey, married Emeline Lewis; and by his second: Lewis P., married Julia Burdick; Darwin D., married Emeline L. Read. Asa L., of the first group of children married Julia Ann Read, July 9, 1822, and they had children: Edgar R, born Oct. 17, 1823, married Emily Rogers; Henry J., born Feb. 10, 1826, married Phebe Howland; Charlotte, born Sept. 8, 1829, married John Wilson; Nathan, born Nov. 23, 1831, died Sept. 5, 1850; Adalia, born March 4, 1834, died Sept. 26, 1854; Francis L., born March 23, 1836, married Mary Colburn; Joseph Stillman, born Nov. 23, 1838, married Mary Guernsey and, as his second wife, Anna Goodrich; Dwight, bbrn May 21, 1840, died Sept. 4, 1854; Charlie, born June, 1843, died Nov. 27, 1854. Asa Maxson, the great-grandfather of Dr. Joseph S., was a pioneer settler in Jefferson County, N. Y., where he lived to the age of ninety-seven years. According to tradition he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and served on board a vessel on Long Island Sound. Asa Maxson (2), grand-father of Dr. Joseph S., was a lumberman at Petersburgh, N. Y., a village in Rensselaer County, about eighteen miles from Troy. His marriage, first to Polly Lewis, and second to Mrs. Sarah Read (nee Dudley), has been given in the preceeding McHENRY COUNTY. 921 genealogical record. Mr. Maxson died in Rensselaer County, N. Y., at a venerable age. Asa L. Maxon, father of Dr. Joseph S. Maxon, was born in Rensselaer County, N. Y., and was a farmer by occupation. As already stated he was the first to adopt the present spelling of the name. About 1853-4 Mr. Maxon removed to Big. Foot Prairie, Walworth County, Wis., where he settled on 150 acres of land upon which he made good improvements and erected substantial farm buildings. He was a prominent man in his community, and while a resident of New York filled the office of United States Revenue Collector, receiving his appointment under President Taylor's ad- ministration. Dr. Joseph S. Maxon, the immediate subject of this sketch, was about thirteen years of age when he came with his parents to Wisconsin. In his boyhood he received a common-school education and later attended Walworth Academy and also an academy in Dane County, Wis., after which he attended a course of lectures at the Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital, Chicago, where he graduated in 1874. In early manhood he engaged in teaching, his first experience being one year at the old Walworth Academy in 1860, and for five years thereafter he taught in the district schools of Walworth County, Wis., and in McHenry County, 111. His first preceptor on beginning the study of medicine was Dr. Edwin Burdick and, later, he studied with Dr. John A. Donald of Walworth. He re- mained at the latter place until 1891, when he removed to Morgan Park, 111., and two years later came to Harvard, McHenry County, where he has since resided and followed his profession, in the meantime establishing the reputation of being a skillful physician as well as building up a lucrative and successful practice. June 21, 1875, Dr. Maxon was married at Walworth, Wis., to Annah Goodrich, who was born in Rock County, Wis., Feb. 24, 1856, the daughter of William Anson and Rebecca (Crandall) Goodrich. The Goodrich family is of Colonial Puritan and New England stock. Uriah Goodrich, the father of William A., was a native of Berkshire County, Mass., where he married Mary Carpenter, and there his son William A. was born in 1815. He received a common-school education, was a farmer By occupation and married in Allegany County, N. Y, April 11, 1819, Rebecca A. Crandall, daughter of Henry and Lucinda Crandall Her father, Henry Crandall, moved from Con- necticut to Allegany County, N. Y., and later became a pioneer settler at Milton, Wis., where he located on new land which he im- proved, and on which he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of ninety-seven years. He was a member of the Baptist church, in which he held the office of deacon His children were: Silas, Amos, Horace Clark, John, Rebecca, Harriet, Lucinda. Wil- liam A Goodrich settled in Michigan after his marriage to Miss Crandall, but soon after moved to Milton, Wis., where he bought a farm. In 1861 he removed to Fayette County, 111., and there bought a large farm on which he died in 1867, and his wife in 1871. He was a Republican in politics, and he and his wife were members of the Methodist church. Their children were: Mary, Sarah, Emogene, Hattie, Annah G., Lillon and Jana. Mrs. Maxon was only about ten years old at the time of her father's death and fifteen when her mother died. She received her education chiefly in the high school at Farina, 111. Dr. and Mrs. Maxon have one son, Reginald G. The Doctor is a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy, the Masonic Order and Knights Templar. In political opinions he is a stanch Republican, was elected a member of the Wisconsin Legislature in 1891-2, and in 1901 was elcted Coroner of McHenry County. ALBERT C. MANLEY. Captain John Manley, father of Thomas Man- ley, born at Torbay, England, in 1734, was bred a sailor in the maritime service, but early be- came a resident of Marblehead, Mass. At the opening of the Revolutionary War he was placed by Washington in command of the schooner Lee, in which he did good service, seizing several vessels, one of which was of great value, and in 1776 he received a regu- lar commission from Congress. His first cap- ture on board the Hancock, his new command, was the man-of-war Fox, but owing to the cow- ardly conduct on the part of Captain McNeil, commander of his consort, the Hector, Cap- 922 McHENRY COUNTY. tain Manley's vessel was taken by the British man-of-war, Rainbow, on July 8, 1777. He was tried for his conduct in this affair and honor- ably acquitted. The last naval combat of the war was between the Hague, Captain Manley, and four British men-of-war, the former hav- ing been driven on a sand-bank at Guadeloupe. Here for three days Manley defended himself against the tremendous odds and finally effected his escape. After the war his home was at Boston, Mass., where he died. Captain John Manley was the father of three sons and one daughter. The sons were John, Thomas and William. The daughter's name is forgot- ten. Captain Thomas Manley, of the Massachu- setts militia, was a renowned story-teller. He was born in Mai'blehead, Mass., and, with his mother and brother William, when quite young, emigrated to Vermont, then almost a wilder- ness, taking up Government land of several hundred acres in Rutland County in the towns of Pittsford and Chittenden. His first wife was a Miss Leonard. She lived but a few years after marriage, leaving him a daughter. He soon married again to Mary Jackson, daughter of Jonathan Jackson of Boston, Mass., who died, leaving him four sons and four daughters : Arthusa, Mary, Eliza and Nancy (daughters*, and Joel, Benjamin, Thomas and Milton F. (sons). His third wife was Sarah Bond of Thetford, Vt, and they had four children, one son and three daughters: William B., Esther, Olive and Ellen. His third wife survived him many years. For a long time his nearest mar, ket was Boston, Mass. All agricultural pro- ducts were carried to market on wagons, while fat sheep, cattle and horses were driven on foot. Captain Thomas Manley was a member of the State Legislature and a substantial citizen. Milton Farwell Manley, born in Chittenden, Rutland County, Vt., Oct. 6, 1819, was the youngest child of Thomas and Mary (Jackson) Manley. When but a small boy one Sunday morning, while watching the cattle feed and keeping them out of the corn, he was sur- prised by the appearance of an old bear and her two cubs, and it is needless to say his short legs made quick time. The alarm being given a bear-hunt was the result and all three killed. He received a common-school educa- tion, later bought the old Manley homestead in Vermont and, on Jan. 28, 1856, married Mary Jane Rice of Waterbury, Vt. He was a man of much prominence, served two terms as Representative in the State Legislature at Montpelier; was also for years a Justice of the Peace and leader of the Congregationalist church choir. He made sheep and horses lead- ers in his stock-breeding, and paid for the old homestead which he sold nine years later, when in June, 1865, he emigrated to Hebron, Mc- Henry County, 111., where he purchased 230 acres of land which he improved and made a good farm. Mrs. Mary Jane (Rice) Man'ey was born Feb. 10, 1833, in Waterbury, Mass. Mr. Manley was a man of good habits, good judgment and a good citizen. He died Nov. 12, 1880. To himself and wife were born seven children: Albert Carlton Manley, subject of this sketch, born at Chittenden, Rutland County, Vt., Sept. U, 1858. Abby Lillian Manley, born Nov. 5, 1859, mar- ried C. A. Stone, Oct. 19, 1880. Milton Rice Manley, born Oct. 21, 1862, died March 30, 1897. Ella Gertrude Manley, born Dec. 12, 1863, married William Buchanan, Nov. 24, 1892. Thomas Montgomery Manley, born at Heb- ron, 111., Aug. 5, 1865, married Sept. 12, 1894, to Helen Damon. Mary Jackson Manley, born at Hebron, 111.. May 26, 1868, married C. H. Prouty, Sept. 12. ?894. Edward Blanchard Manley, born at Hebron, 111., Nov. 16, 1874, married May Bell Tanner, Dec. 4, 1891. Albert C. Manley, Harvard, 111., senior mem- ber of the firm of 3 Manley Brothers, is one of the practical and enterprising business men of McHenry County. Mr. Manley is descended from sterling English stock, representatives of the American branch of the family being among the early settlers of Vermont and Massachu- setts. Albert C. Manley was born in Chittenden, Rutland County, Vt, Sept. 6, 1858, and was about six years of age in 1865 when brought by his parents to McHenry County, 111. Here, while growing up on the farm, he received the usual common-school education of that locality, remaining at home until twenty-five years of cio/. 6cMc McHENRY COUNTY. 923 age, in the meantime having charge of the farm for two years. Coming to Harvard in ?884 he entered into the employment of Hunt & Helm, hardware merchants, remaining five years when, in 1888, he bought a half-interest in the concern, the firm taking the name of Hunt, Helm & Manley. The interest of Mr. Helm was next bought out and Thomas M. Manley was admitted to the firm, changing the name to Manley Bros. & Co., Mr. Hunt being the silent member, followed two years later by the retirement of Mr. Hunt, when C. A. Stone entered into the partnership, the firm name becoming Manley Bros. & Stone. Four years later Mr. Stone withdrew from the part- nership, his place being taken by Edward B., the younger brother of the Manley family, when the firm took on its present name of "3 Manley Brothers." The firm has done a constantly increasing business for years, besides hardware, dealing in a large variety of machinery, hot-water and hot-air heating apparatus, plumbing of all kinds, and also making a specialty of gasoline engines and plants for farmers for the pur- pose of driving corn huskers, grinding feed for stock, pumping water, etc. They have re- cently added to the large variety of machin- ery already sold by them, automobiles, pur- chasing the first gasoline automobile in Mc- Henry County. Within a period of thirty days their sales of these machines amounted to nine, a large number for a rural district of the State. To their other branches of business they have also added a furniture and un- dertaking department. Taking into account all their departments, they carry on one of the most extensive lines of business in McHenry County. Mr. Albert C. Manley, was united in mar- riage, in Hebron, McHenry County, August 2C, 1885, to Josephine A. Rowe, daughter of Aaron and Olive (Carney) Rowe, and they are par- ents of the following named children: Edward Aaron, born April 28, 1887; Olive Mary, born April 8, 1891; and Otis Rowe, born Oct. 26, 1893. In political faith Mr. Manley is a Repub- lican, and fraternally he is a Knight of Pyth- ias, a member of the Knights of the Globe and of the Order of Modern Woodmen. He is also a member of the Methodist church, in which he holds the offices of trustee and stew- ard. By business energy and enterprise he has won a position in the front rank of Mc- Henry County business men. Besides his other business interests, he is the proprietor of much valuable real estate in Harvard. In company with his father-in-law, Mr. Aaron •Rowe of Hebron, he is at present (1903) en- gaged in erecting a double-front business block in Harvard, three stories in height above the basement, with pressed-brick front. The build- ing will be steam-heated with modern con- veniences and, in every respect, up-to-date. The Harvard Postoffice will occupy a part of the first floor and will be equipped with modern fixtures, and will be one of the most complete offices of its kind in Northern Illinois outside of the cities furnished with Government build- ings. The remainder of the building will be occupied by the 3 Manley Brothers in carrying on their large business. Joel G. Rice, the father of Mrs. Milton F. Manley, was born in Waterbury, Washington County, Vt. He was a farmer. His father, George Gardner Rice, -was a pioneer of Water- bury, and cleared his farm from the woods. He was accidentally killed. His father was a pioneer of New Hampshire and was acci- dentally killed while burning a log-heap in the early settlement of the country. The family were of English Puritan stock and among the early colonial settlers of New England. George Gardner Rice married Phebe Atkins, also of English Puritan descent. Joel C. Rice mar- ried Amantha Palmer Montgomery, born in Waterbury, Vt. They were the parents of Fannie L., Mary J., Hanna M., Phebe G., Sa- rah A., Amantha M., and a son who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Rice were members of the Methodist church and respected citizens. Amantha P. Montgomery, the mother of Mrs. Milton F. Manley, was the daughter of Thomas and Lucy (Blanchard) Montgomery. The Montgomerys were of Scotch ancestry and the Blanchards of English stock. James Montgo- mery, father of Thomas, married Molly Knox, daughter of John Knox, the great Scottish re- former, who was born in Haddington (called Gifford Gate), Scotland, where a small field goes by the name of Knox's Croft. Thomas Montgomery was a physician; his son John was a Captain of the home militia; his brother John was a Captain in the Revolution, 924 McHENRY COUNTY. and his cousin Gen. Richard Montgomery — both of New York. Richard Montgomery- was born in 1736, was at the siege of Louis- burg, in the expedition against Havana and Martinique, and, in the invasion of Canada, captured Chambly, St. John's and Montreal, but fell in the first volley before Quebec, with two of his aids, Dec. 31, 1775. There is a shaft in New York City to his memory, and the place where he fell also bears a mark of distinction. Josephine Rowe Manley. wife of A. C. Manley, was born in Hebron, 111., Oct. 29, 1862; her father with his parents came to Hebron in May, 1850, and resides there at present. Aaron Rowe and Olive Carney, her parents, were married Nov. 14, 1860. Aaron Rowe was born in DeWitt, N. Y., April 18, 1841; Olive (Car- ney) Rowo was born at Hickory Creek, 111., May 8, 1841. Mrs. A. C. Manley is their only child. Hiram Rowe, grandfather of Mrs. A. C. Manley, was born at Bethlehem, N. Y., Feb. 11, 1811; Susan Furbeck, her grandmother, was born at New Scotland, N. Y., Sept. 4, 1817, and were married at Collamer, N. Y., Sept. 3, 1835. They have been faithful to the Metho- dist Episcopal church for many years. Hiram Rowe joined the church on March 18, 1831— at this date (Sept. 10, 1903) they are alive and keeping house, and have just passed their sixty-eighth wedding anniversary. Olive Rowe's parents were married on Dec. 20, 1838 ; Reuel Carney was born in Pennsylvania, Nov. 15, 1813, and died at Hebron, 111., April 21, 1868. His wife, Martha (Phillips) Carney, was born in Plymouth, N. Y., Oct. 25, 1819, and died at Hebron, 111., May 9, 1886. She came to Will County, 111., in 1835. Hiram and Susan Rowe are the parents of thirteen children; four sons and five daughters are now living. Reuel and Martha Carney were the parents of nine chil- dren, two daughters and one son are still liv- ing. CAPTAIN JAMES NISH. Captain Nish is one of McHenry County's oldest and most highly esteemed citizens, and a distinguished veteran of the Civil War. The original orthography of the surname was McNish, and the family is Scotch. Nathaniel McNish, the father of Captain James, was a farmer of Wigtonshire, Scotland, and died near Newton Stuart, in that country, at the age of seventy-six. He married Jean McGeoch, and their eight children were named Margaret, William, Alexander, Nathaniel, Isabella, James, David and John. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and a man who was con- sidered well-to-do. His son James has changed the spelling of the patronymic by abbreviating it to Nish. He (James) was born three miles west of Newton Stuart, Scotland, on May 5, 1824. He attended the public school, but the greater part of his earlier education was obtained at home, his studies being pursued by the clear, bright light of a cannel-coal fire. At the age of six- teen, he opened a grocery, with capital ad- vanced by his father, but his youth and lack of business experience militated against his suc- cess, and, three years later he abandoned the enterprise and resumed work upon his father's farm. On reaching his majority he became a traveling salesman for a tea merchant of Gloucester, England. This life he followed *for three years, when a severe sprain of an ankle compelled his return home, where he was confined for eighteen months. On recover- ing, he went to Glasgow, where for a time, he was employed in the commission business. In 1851 he embarked on a sailing vessel at Liverpool for New York, where he landed in May after a passage of nine weeks. His first three months in America were spent in Auburn, N. Y., whence he went to Peoria. 111., where he served in a clerical position in a lumber yard. In 1853 he removed to Chicago, where he took charge of two lumber yards until the spring of 1856, when he changed his residence to Cary Station, McHenry County, and there he opened a general store in a building which he had purchased the year previous. This busi- ness he still carries on, his son being associ- ated with him in its management. Through his efforts a postoffice was established at Cary Station during the administration of President Pierce, and for thirty years Mr. Nish was connected with its management, either as postmaster or deputy, and holds the first named office at the present time. On August 9, 1862, Mr. Nish was commis- sioned to raise a company for the volunteer service in Algonquin Township, and on Sept. McHENRY COUNTY. 925 4, following, he received his commission as Captain of Company I, Ninety-fifth Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry. He took part in the sieges of iVicksburg and Natchez, and on Nov. 8, 1863, was detailed for recruiting service at Wood- stock. In April, 1864, he started to rejoin his regiment, but on reaching Cairo, 111., received orders to take command of the canvalescent camp at that point. In May he was directed to moved this body of 750 men, representing twen- ty-eight different commands, to Huntsville, Ala. There the able bodied rejoined their respective regiments, the remander being left at Chat- tanooga. On June 2, 1864, he was individually assigned to service with the Seventeenth Army Corps, being attached to Major Worden's battalion of the Third Brigade, Third Division. The Seventeenth Corps was attached to the left wing of Sherman's army at Big Shanty., and participated in the fighting around Atlanta, as well as at Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station. He rejoined his own company Dec. 2, 1864, at Nashville, and aided in the annihilation of Hood's army on Dec. 15 and 16. From Tennes- see his regiment moved into Alabama, and was engaged in the investment and reduction of the Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, at Mobile, April 8 and 9, 1865. For a time he served as commissary of Col. Moon's brigade, with head- quarters at Tuskegee, Ala., and on August 17, 1865, received his honorable discharge from the service, his command being mustered-out at Springfield, 111. The high moral character and enlightened public spirit of Captain Nish, no less than his keen, native intelligence, have won for him the respect of his fellow citizens, while his gallantry has challenged their admiration and his kindly, generous disposition has awakened their affection. He has held various township and county offices ; serving as Village Treasurer in 1863-64, and as President of the Village Board in 1865-66; as Supervisor for ten years, in various terms; and as County Treasurer from 1876 to 1887. While holding the office last named it was necessary for him to pass most of his time at Woodstock, the county seat, and for some two or three years he and He has been twice married: first in 1854, at the School Board for eight years. He has been twice married. First In 1854, at LaPorte, Ind v to Carrie Donington, who was killed by lightning, at Cary in 1857. She left two children, John D. and Elizabeth. The son died at Geneva Lake, Wis., September, 1899, at the age of forty-two; the daughter passed away in her seventeenth year. His second marriage was solemnized on Nov. 12, 1865, his bride be- ing Sarah Ruth Smith, who was born in Algonquin Township, August 23, 1846. Her father was Levi A. C. Smith, and her mother's name before marriage was Rachel Ann Miller. Mrs. Nish is of English lineage, her ancestors being among the early Puritan settlers in the Massachusetts Colony. Her grandfather, Sam- uel, was the son of a Revolutionary soldier, who was captured by the king's troops, and died on a British prison ship. Samuel Smith was by trade a cooper, as well as a powder maker. He removed from Massachusetts to Cattaraugus County, N. Y., but died in middle life, before he had fully cleared his farm. His children were George, Levi, Heman, Cynthia, Julia and Samuel. Levi was born Oct 12, 1818, and as a boy was noted for his proficiency in mathematics. He was a farmer, and settled in Algonquin Township, in 1841. He was a typi- cal pioneer and a man of substance, owning 6ne hundred and twenty acres, which were well improved, for the times. In 1867 he re- moved to Kansas, where he died, at the age of sixty-five. He was a deacon in the Baptist church, and long held the office of School Director. Beside his daughter Sarah (Mrs. Nish), he had two sons, George S. and Alex- ander. Captain Nish is a prominent member of the Masonic Order, into which he was first initiated at Woodstock, in 1878. He is affili- ated with Woodstock Chapter, No. 36, R. A. M., and with Calvary Commandery, No. 25, K. T. DR. WILLIAM A. NASON. Dr. William A. Nason is one of the promi- nent physicians of McHenry County, and for twenty-five years was the only physician in Algonquin. He was born at Hallowell, Me., June 21, 1841, son of William and Mary (Abbot) Wingate Nason. Bartholomew E. Nason, the great grand- father, was born in Berwick, Me., in 1756, and descended from an English Puritan family of Massachusetts Colony. His son, Bartholomew 926 McHENRY COUNTY. Nason, was born in Boston, Mass., July 13, 1784. He was a merchant and ship-owner at Hallowell, Me., and also owned a large estate. He was married three times: first to Hanna Craig, daughter of Blias Craig of Augusta, Me., and their children were: Thomas H., Nathan- iel, Elizabeth, Bartholomew, John, Benjamin, Samuel R., Noah, Daniel (deceased), and Daniel (2). Miss Craig had several brothers who served as patriot soldiers in the Revolu- tionary War. Mr. Nason died at Berwick, Me., aged seventy-four years. William Nason, father of Dr. William A., was born at Hallowell, Me., May 30, 1814, and received an education including several of the higher branches of sciences and languages, which was considered excellent for his day. He became a merchant and for several years was engaged in the dry goods and grocery business in Hallowell. He moved to Boston in 1845 and engaged in a general business, deal- ing in lumber, wheat, salt and flour. He re- moved to Buffalo, N. Y., in 1857, and conducted a general commission business, dealing mostly in grain and flour, and was one of the founders and directors of the first Board of Trade in Chicago and Buffalo. In 1868 he moved to Bloomfield, N. Y., where he was engaged in the lumber business. In his old age he lived with one of his daughters in Alpena, Mich., where he died in 1900, aged eighty-five years. He married in Hallowell, Me., Mary Abbot Wingate, of Newburyport, Mass., of a prominent colonial family connected with the Stephens and Newmans. He and Mrs. Nason were the parents of William A., Edward W., Elizabeth C, Carrie, Theobald and Mary Goodall. Tn political opinion he was an old line Whig and an original Republican, having voted for John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Nason attended school taught by the martyred Abolitionist, E. P. Lovejoy, and her grandfather was the owner of a vessel which was captured and confiscated by Algerian pirates, and was never afterwards heard of. Dr. W. A. Nason was first educated in the Boston public schools, and then fitted for col- lege at Buffalo, and later, in 1864, graduated from the famous old college of Williams, Mass. From there he went to Chicago and studied medicine in the Chicago Medical College (now the medical department of Northwestern University), graduating in 1866. In 1867 he began the practice of medicine in Chicago, but immediately afterwards received an appoint- ment from the Government, as Assistant Surgeon, being stationed in Virginia one year. Later he returned to Chicago, and came to Algonquin in 1868, where he soon established a successful medical practice and has continued ever since. He has built up an enviable repu- tation as a skillful physician, a good citizen and a kind-hearted, scientific man. In politi- cal opinon the doctor is a stanch Republican, and cast his first vote for the immortal Lincoln when elected for the second term and for this act he feels justly proud. The Dr. is a friend of education and has been Presi- dent of the School Board of Algonquin for over twenty years. He was President of the Fox River Medical Society one year and was one of the charter members, and one of the founders of that organization. He owned and conducted a drug store in Algonquin for eight years, and enjoyed a prosperous busi- ness. He assisted in the organization of the McHenry County Druggists' Association, and is President of the McHenry County Medical Society. He is one of the original members of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, and a member of the American t Entomological So- ciety of Philadelphia, also a member of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. He was a member of the first Board of Aldermen of Algonquin, and served as Police Magistrate for twelve years. Fraternally he is a Mason and was formally Master of the lodge in Algonquin, which has been discontinued; he is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and of the Knights of the Maccabees, of which he is Medical Examiner, and is Ex- aming Physician for several Insurance Com- panies. He married in Algonquin, June 29, 1874, to Ann Goodson, born June 24, 1853. daughter of William and Elizabeth Goodson. William Goodson was born in England and moved to America and settled in Algonquin Township, where he engaged in farming. Dr. and Mrs. Nason are the parents of Mary E., William E., and Charles C. McHENRY COUNTY. 927 WILLIAM M. ORMSBY. Among the pioneers of McHenry County there are few whose history covers a longer period than that of William M. Ormsby of Ridgefleld, 111.. Mr. Ormsby comes of sterling English ancestry through a colonial family of New England. There is a tradition (how well founded is unknown) that the American branch of the family was transplanted through the immigration of three brothers, who came from England and settled in Connecticut Colony at an early day. Luther (the father of our subject) was born at Lebanon, Conn., and married Sarah Chappel, a native of the same place — there being a difference of only three months in the ages of the two. Early in 1800 Mr. Ormsby removed to New York and settled in Otsego County on the headwaters of the Susquehanna. Later he removed to Broome County, in the same State, and opened up a farm of 100 acres near Harpersville. In his old age he went to Steuben County, N. Y., and spent the last years of his life with his son Elihu, dying at the advanced age of ninety- three years. His wife preceded him some fi/ve years, dying at the age of eighty-eight. Mr. and Mrs. Ormsby were members of the Baptist church, and maintained the reputation of up- right and conscientious citizens — Mr. Ormsby being for many years a deacon in the church. Their children were: Oliver, Elihu, Eunice, Luther and William M. , The last of these, whose name heads this article, was born in Otsego County, N. Y., July 26, 1814, and, receiving a limited common school education, was reared to the life of a farmer. In 1837, having reached the age of twenty-three years, he emigrated to Illinois in company with his brother Luther, wife and child. The journey was made to Buffalo by means of a two-horse wagon, then shipping their team and effects on board of a steamboat, by lake to Toledo, Ohio, thence by their own conveyance to Dorr Township, McHenry Coun- ty, III., by way of Chicago. Here Mr. Ormsby located a claim on a tract of 240 acres in Sec- tion 13, consisting of "oak openings," and for four or five years, made his home with his bro- ther Luther, who located a claim near by. On Nov. 28, 1844, William Ormsby was married in Dorr Township to Lucia L. Bunker, daughter of John and Eurania (Tuttle) Bunker, born in 1829. Mr. and Mrs. Ormsby then settled on his claim, on which he had already erected a small frame house. After spending two years in the work of improving his land, he removed to his present location, where by industry and judi- cious management, he has succeeded in opening a well-improved farm of 240 acres. In 1861 he erected on this tract a fine frame house, which was then regarded as one of the most com- plete farm houses in Dorr Township. Mr. and Mrs. Ormsby have two children — Charles H.. born July 30, 1846, and Mattie E., born June 1, 1861. Mr. Ormsby was originally a member of the Baptist church, but afterwards joined the Methodist church, of which his wife was a member. Mrs. Ormsby died June 17, 1886. She was a woman of amiable character and highly esteemed. In early days Mr. Ormsby was call- ed upon to serve on the Grand Jury and has repeatedly served on the Petit Jury of McHen- ry County, also has served once on the Grand Jury since the location of the county seat at Woodstock. By fair-dealing and upright con- duct, he has won the respect and esteem of his neighbors and the citizens of McHenry County generally. Charles H. Ormsby, the son of the preceding, was brought up to the life of a farmer on the old homestead, was educated in the common schools and at an academy in Beloit, Wis., at- tending the latter several terms. On April 4, 1872, he was married in Dorr Township to Anna iScott, born in that township May 30, 1849, the daughter of Andrew and Sarah (Spooner) Scott, the former a pioneer of Sen- eca Township. Mr. Scott was born in Glas- gow, Scotland, about 1818, and came with two elder brothers (William and James — both now deceased) to Seneca Township, McHenry Coun- ty, 111., in 1837. Here the brothers bought Gov- ernment land, and when Andrew had reached the age of about twenty-one years, he was mar- ried to Sarah A. Spooner, a native of Vermont .^fter spending a few years on the land which he had originally entered in Seneca Township, Mr. and Mrs. Scott removed to Dorr Township, where he bought and improved 160 acres, erecting on it good buildings. In 1878 Mr. Scott moved to Phillips County, Kans., where he engaged In stock raising; later removed to and engaged successfully in the same business in Nebraska, but is now a well-to-do citizen of 988 McHENRY COUNTY. Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Scott are the parents of six children: Alice G., Anna K., Mary S„ Me- talla K., Maria S and John B. Both are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church, and are living hale and prosperous lives in Kansas. After his marriage, referred to in the pre- ceding paragraph, Mr. Charles H. Ormsby set- tled on the Ormsby homestead, where he has since continued to reside. In 1882 he built a feed mill on the farm, which he still owns. He is an intelligent and practical farmer, and, like his father, a stanch Republican. Mrs. Ormsby is a member of the Presbyterian church. Their children are: Erie S., William M., Sadie S. and Charles H., Jr. JAMES FRANKLIN PARKER. James Franklin Parker, early settler and substantial citizen of McHenry County, traces his ancestry through colonial and New England stock, to emigrants from England, who came to Massachusetts at an early day. James Parker, the grandfather of James F., was born in Mass- achusetts in 1768, the son of a Revolutionary soldier, and became a farmer by occupation. Soon after his marriage to Miss Sarah Barrett, he moved to Ontario County, N. Y., and settled at East Bloomfield, where his father had lo- cated before him. This region was almost an unbroken wilderness at the time, and wild an- imals were plentiful in their native forests. Bears were especially numerous, not unfre- quently approaching settlers' cabins and carry- ing off hogs and other domestic animals. On one occasion a bruin which had been prowling about the Parker home, attacked a hog in a pen near by, and Mr. Parker, hearing the dis- turbance, seized a handspike, with which he attacked the intruder and succeeded in killing it. Mr. Parker cleared up a farm and built on it a frame dwelling house, which is still stand- ing in a good state of preservation and occupied by some of his descendants. He died here June 24, 1844, at the age of over seventy-six years, and was buried in the family cemetery, which he had laid out on his farm. His wife, Sarah (Barrett) Parker, was born Dec. 29, 1771, and lived to be nearly ninety-four years old, dying Oct. 10, 1865. They were the parents of the following named children: Eleazer, born May 11, 1796; Averlina, born Jan. 17, 1798; Almira. born Jan. 16, 1800; David, born March 17, 1801; Clarissa, born April 10, 1803; Alvin Hyde, born April 11, 1804; Aaron Collins, born Oct. 2, 1805; James J., born Feb. 16, 1807; Silas, born in 1809; Joseph J., born July 6, 1811; Benjamin, born May 10, 1813; Edwin, born Jan. 21, 1815; Sarah A., born Aug. 3, 1817. Alvin Hyde Parker, of this family, born at East Bloomfield, Ontario County, N. Y., re- ceived the usual common school education of that time, became a farmer and was married in Portage, Livingston County, N. Y., June 15, 1826, to Mary Hosford, born in Victor, N. Y., June 17, 1802, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Williams) Hosford. Joseph Hosford was of Colonial Connecticut and English ancestry and born Dec. 7, 1761. His father, of the same name, was born in Ireland, though of English descent, came to America at the age of seven- teen years and settled in Connecticut. Joseph, Jr., was married in Stockbridge, Mass., in 1793, and his wife, Mary (Williams) Hosford, was born in 1768. Joseph Hosford became a soldier at sixteen years of age and served until the end of the Revolutionary war. His children who lived to years of maturity, were: Charles born in 1796, died August, 1825; Eunice, born Sept. 11, 1799; Mary, born July 28, 1802; Abi- gail born Aug. 20, 1804. Joseph Hosford, the father of this family, lived for a time after his marriage in Livingston County, N. Y., where a colony had been established, but in 1808 he re- moved, to Victor, Ontario County, N. Y., and still later to Nunda, Livingston County, in the same State. Here his wife died, July 9, 1841, his own death occurring Jan. 5, 1847, at the age of over eighty-five years. The daughter Mary of this family, afterwards Mrs. Alvin H. Parker, was a teacher who taught schools in Bloomfield, Victor and Hunt's Hollow — in all nine terms. One of her pupils was the ven- erable Deacon J. C. Button, of McHenry Coun- ty, 111., and another, Washington Hunt, after- wards Governor of New York. After his marriage Alvin H. Parker settled in Niagara County, N. Y., where he began open- ing up a farm on heavily timbered land, but a few years later returned to Ontario County, set- tling in South Bristol, where he began malting another home. He also lived for a time in Bloomfield and in Portage, but in 1838 came to Michigan, where two of his brothers, Joseph and Silas, had already located in Oakland Coun- Ati^uc.fC?. c^y*-^. McHENRY COUNTY. 929 ty. This journey was made on foot, except the portion between Buffalo and Detroit, which was made by boat. Having walked across the State of Michigan to Grand Haven, he then took a sailing vessel (called a brig) to Milwaukee, then continued his journey on foot to Madison, Wis., and thence to Chicago, much of the counv try over which he passed being at that time practically a wilderness, with settlers located, if at all, many miles apart. One day he was compelled to make a journey of forty-five miles before he could find a stopping place for the night. Having returned home after this trip, in 1840 he made a second journey westward when he visited McHenry County, 111., and se- lected the land upon which he afterwards lo- cated, now known as the Parker homestead, and occupied by the Hunt brothers. This tract at that time consisted of eighty acres of tim Der and prairie land, of which only ten acres ,had been broken and a small log house had been erected upon it. Returning home again, in June, 1841, he brought out his family, con- sisting of his wife and five children, making the journey by the steamer "Great Western" around the lakes to Kenosha, Wis., and thence across the country by wagon to McHenry Coun- ty. He gradually improved his land, adding to it by purchase until he was the owner of 1160 acres, lying in Hebron, McHenry and Green- wood Townships. Of this land 880 acres were comprised within the home farm. He built on the homestead a substantial frame residence, which is still standing. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin H. Parker were: James Frank- lin, born Sept. 2, 1828; Clarissa Elizabeth, born Aug. 22, 1830; Emily Sarah, born Jan. 9, 1833; Mary Louville, born April 17, 1835; Ellen Laura, born June 10, 1837 — all born at South Bristol. N. Y., except James P. and Ellen Laura, the latter being born at East Bloomfield the same State. Clarissa Elizabeth died in 1892, and Ellen Laura, May 31, 1887. Mr. Parker was an industrious and capable business man, as his business record shows. He held the offices of Road Commissioner and School Director, in which he gave evidence of his public spirit by his efforts to secure good roads and promote the cause of education. He was a member of of the first School Board in Hebron Township, having for his colleagues Bela Tryon and Jacob Gilbert. They raised the money by subscrip- tion to build the first school house in the town- ship, located on land owned by Mr. Parker one- half mile west of Tryon's Corners. This build- ing (a frame) still stands one mile east of the corners. The first teacher to occupy it was Sabina Parsons, who taught a summer school in it in 1842. Mr. Alvin H. Parker was one of the original members of the first Methodist church in He- bron Township, and his wife of the first Pres- byterian church in the same township. He as- sisted to build the Presbyterian church at Greenwood, now owned by the Methodists. He was one of the early class leaders in his church and also held the office of church steward, al- ways taking an active part in church affairs. In politics he was an old line Whig, voting for Henry Clay for President, an avowed opponent of slavery, and an early Republican. Of ster- ling integrity and unblemished character, his memory is justly held in reverence by his de- scendants and all who knew him. He died in Woodstock, McHenry County, April 4, 1879, and was buried in the family cemetery on his farm. James Franklin Parker, the immediate sub- ject of this sketch, was born Sept. 2, 1828, in "Lewiston, Niagara County, N. Y., within six miles of Niagara Falls. Here his father lived three years, when he removed to Bristol, and eight years later to East Bloomfield. Then, af- ter a few years spent at Portage, N. Y., when James was twelve years old, his father removed to McHenry County, 111., arriving there in June, 1841. Here the son attended the first school taught in Hebron Township, and thereafter at- tended school during the winter months, while working upon the farm in the summer until he was twenty-one. He then went to New York State, and for six months attended an academy at East Bloomfield, afterwards spending one term in the academy at Greenwood, McHenry County, under the instruction of the Principal, Elder Hart. In the meantime he had received the training of a practical farmer, and, on May 10, 1854, was married at Chemung, McHenry County, to Hannah Jane Seaward, who was born at Chemung, N. Y., Oct. 10, 1832, the daughter of William and Julia A. (Wynkoop) Seaward. The WynkOops were patriots of the Revolutionary period, the male members of the family serving in the army. William Seaward, who was born July 29, 1799, was of English 930 McHENRY COUNTY. stock, and belonged to the same family as the late Secretary William H. Seward, an earlier member of the family having changed the spelling of the name to "Seaward." This Wil- liam Seaward was a farmer and came to Illi- nois in the early '30s, thereafter removing suc- cessively to Dixon, Poplar Grove and Chemung, 111., finally settling at the latter place, where he built a saw and grist mill. He was a prominent citizen here, served for a time as Justice of the Peace and was always active in public af- fairs. During the gold excitement of 1850 he went to California, where he remained five years. Then having returned to Illinois, after a short period he went back to California, spending another five years there. He was married three times; first on Dec. 25, 1822, and his first wife having died Feb. 3, 1826, on April 29, 1827, he was married to Julia A. Wynkoop, who was born April 18, 1799, and died Sept. 23, 1855. This was during the second absence of Mr. Seaward in California, the death of his wife taking place at the home of his son Benja- min in Iowa. There were two children by the first marriage, viz.: Myrtilla and Susan; and four by the second: Benjamin W., born Jan. 29, 1830; Hannah J. (Mrs. James F. Parker), born Oct. 10, 1832; Ophelia C, born Nov. 3, 1835; William Tell, born June 9, 1838. The third marriage took place in Pennsylvania, re- sulting in the birth of one child, named Rosa. After this marriage Mr. Seaward lived three years in Chemung, McHenry County, and some time in Dakota, and then returned to Pennsyl- vania, dying at Fairmount in that State, Nov. 9, 1875. Mr. Seaward was a member and class- leader in the Methodist church, and in politics a Democrat. He crossed the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers when about seventeen years of age, carrying a considerable sum of money for a company in whose employ he was, returning to Chicago by pack-train, when that was the only mode of conveyance. In the fall of 1852 James F. Parker taught a school at Chemung, McHenry County, In which his wife, then a young lady of twenty- one years, was a pupil. After this marriage, as previously stated, on May 10, 1854, they first settled on the old Parker homestead, where they remained five years, when they located on his present farm. This farm consists of 400 acres, being a part of his father's estate. He lived for some time in an old log house on this farm, but in 1875 built a frame dwelling in which the family now reside. He has also erected good frame buildings, besides a farm residence on the eastern side of this tract for the use of a tenant. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have one duaghter, named Julia May, born Sept. 30, 1863. They are members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics Mr. Parker is a Republican. The fam- ily lived in Woodstock from 1874 to 1887. Mr. Parker grew up among the pioneers of McHenry County, was acquainted with their families, sharing their generous hospitality, and has a vivid recollection of conditions existing in Hebron Township when it was possible to see twenty deer grazing in a single herd. In those days the latch-string was always out, and much pleasure was taken in social and neigh- borly intercourse. When a boy of sixteen years Mr. Parker assisted in breaking prairie land with a team of six yoke of oxen, using a big prairie plow made of steel, capable of cutting through the tough prairie sod or grubbed land, and turning a furrow twenty-six inches in width. In order to keep down the growth of timber and underbrush, the Indians had long been accustomed to burn over these prairie lands every year, thus enabling them to see the game the more easily during the fall and winter hunting season. LYMAN PIERCE. Lyman Pierce, a pioneer citizen of Hebron Township, McHenry County, belongs to a fam- ily of colonial and Puritan stock whose an- cestors settled at an early day in Massachus- etts. His grandfather, William Pierce, was a citizen of Massachusetts, who married a Miss Benson and had children named: Eben, Wil- liam and Zenas. Zenas, the father of the sub- ject of this sketch, was born in Massachusetts about 1797, received a common-school educa- tion, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812, part of the time doing duty on a vessel on Lake Erie in guarding prisoners. While a young man he went to Steuben County, New York, and in Pultney Township of that county, married Harriet Stewart, a native of New York and a daughter of Joseph and Lydia Stewart. Her parents were natives of the North of Ire- JJ>Jk#U< Lov~ rift* McHENRY COUNTY. 931 land, both born in 1759 and, coming to Steuben County, at an early day, Mr. Stewart opened up a farm in Pultney Township, the locality be- coming known as "Stewart's Corners." They were the parents of fifteen children, viz.: Sel- den, Mary, Rhoda, Statira, Spencer, Lydia, William, Joseph, Betsy, John, Harriet, Lyman, Hannah, Ann Eliza and Arnold. Mr. Stewart died on his farm at an advanced age. He was a Free- Will Baptist, and reared an excellent family. After marriage, Zenas Pierce first settled on a farm belonging to his father-in-law, but finally moved some forty miles distant, where he set- tled on a tract of 100 acres of heavily timbered land, where he cleared up a farm. His child- ren were: Annis, Betsy, Lovina, Benson, Zenas, Lydia, John and Lyman. In 1845 he came west making the journey by way of the lakes from Buffalo to Racine, Wis., and thence by teams to Hebron Township, McHenry County, where he arrived in the month of June and bought a tract of 160 acres of land from a widow, Mrs. Mary Coleson, to which he after- wards added eighty acres. On this land he erected a good home which is still standing, dying here August, 1882, at the age of eighty- four years. This is the home still occupied by his son Lyman. The father was a prominent member and a liberal supporter of the Method- ist church, donating the land for a church edi- fice which he assisted to build. Early Meth- odist meetings were held at his house. In po- litical opinion he was a Jacksonian Democrat. Lyman Pierce, the son, was born in Steuben County, New York, Nov. 27, 1835, and at ten years of age, accompanied his father to Mc- Henry County. Here he attended school in a log school-house in Hebron Township, which stood where the Sawyer School House now stands. One of his teachers was Miss Helen Ehle. He grew up a farmer and was married on Dec. 1, 1862, at Genoa Junction, Wis., to Miss Maria A. Read, of Coral Township, Mc- Henry County, who was born in Steuben County, New York, March 25, 1837, the daughter of Charles and Harriet (Hebard) Read. (For sketch of the Read family, see latter part of this article). After their marriage Lyman Pierce and wife settled in Lynn Township, Walworth County, Wis., where he bought eighty acres of land, to which he has kept adding until he now owns, in one body, 370 acres. Having remained in Wisconsin two years, in 1864 he moved onto that part of his farm lying in Illinois, where he lived until 1888, and then moved upon a part of the old family homestead in Hebron village. He has lived an industrious and frugal life, and with the aid of his faithful and capable wife, has been eminently successful. In politics he is a Democrat and maintains a reputation for high integrity. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce's children are: Harriet A., who married John P. Wick- ham, and John L., who died July 14, 1901, at Mariposa, Cal. Mrs. Pierce received a good education under the instruction of her mother who was a well-educated woman, supplemented by courses in the public schools, the Collegiate Institute at Marengo and at Rockford Female Seminary. From the latter her sister Harriet A. M. graduated and became a teacher. After fifty years spent in educational work, she is now living in Hebron. The parents of Mrs. Lyman Pierce were des- cended from Puritan ancestors, who were among the first settlers in the vicinity of Bos- ton, and they were both of the sixth genera- tion in this country. Her father, Charles Read, was a son of Joseph Read, of Belchertown, Mass. He married, in 1822, Miss Harriet M. Hebard, a daughter of Rev. Asa Hebard of Leyden, Mass, After their marriage, they lived in Green- wich, four years, and then removed to Athol, where he bought a farm on 'Athol Street." In 1830 they removed to Steuben County, N. Y., and in 1844, to McHenry County, 111. They settled in the northeastern part of the town of Coral. He bought land from the Govern- ment, and built a frame house, for which he hauled the lumber from Chicago, with ox- teams. At that time the nearest house on the road to Chicago was about seven mires from his land, near where Huntley now stands. Mr. Read attended the first term of court held at Woodstock, and the first McHenry County fair; and he was present at Elgin, when the first train of cars arrived from Chi- cago. He lived to see his home half hidden by trees of his own planting; to see the land- scape dotted with farm buildings, churches, and school-houses, and four railroads built across the county. He was a member of the 932 McHENRY COUNTY. Presbyterian church and in politics a Repub- lican. He died at the home- of his son, J. A. Read, in Union, 111., Oct. 20, 1875. Mrs. Read died Feb. 21, 1869. They had five children — three sons and two daughters. The sons were: Charles B., a phy- sician, who died at Platte, Mich., Jan. 2, 1884; George A., a manufacturer of woolen goods, died at Los Angeles, Cal., Jan. 10, 1889; and Joseph Alonzo, a merchant, died at Marengo* 111, Nov. 1, 1891. The daughters were Mrs. Lyman Pierce and Miss Harriet A. M. Read, mentioned above. William Read, a brother of Charles Read, is still living (1903) at Crystal Lake, 111., at the age of ninety-nine years. The grandfather of Mrs. Pierce were both soldiers in the Revolution. Joseph Read was one of the company on the way to join Gen. Stark's army when the battle of Bennington was in progress. Asa Hebard was present at Bunker Hill, and at Cambridge, when Gen. Washington first took command of the army. He served under Washington five years; served in the Jersey campaigns, was at Valle> Forge, and was a standard-bearer in the bat- tle of Monmouth. RICHARD M. PATRICK. Richard M. Patrick, a pioneer and prominent business man of Marengo, 111., descends from sterling Scotch ancestry. The name, which was originally spelled "Kirkpatrick," dates back to the ninth century, when the title Baron or Knight of Closeburn was conferred upon the head of the house. Well authenticated tradition states that St. Patrick was born on the Closeburn estate, and previously the head of the estate had been McGill Patrick. Sir Roger Kirkpatrick, a scion of Closeburn, fought with Sir William Wallace and later with Bruce. Sir Walter Scott, in "The Lord of the Isles," has made him famous in his encounter with "Red Conyn" in Gray Friars' Church, Dum- fries, in which Sir Roger dealt the decisive blow with the exclamation, "I make Sikkar" (I make sure). This was the origin of the family crest, a dagger dropping blood with the motto, "I make Sikkar." In modern times we find that the mother of the Ex-Empress Eugenie of France was a Kirkpatrick of Close- burn, the old estate of Closeburn being in Dumfries on the Nith, where the old castle is still standing and is in a fair state of pres- ervation. The castle was held by the family until 1785, when it was sold. The Kirkpat- ricks were all Covenanters, and Claverhouse and his rough-riders made it so warm for them, that they emigrated to the North of Ireland, where they intermarried with people of their own race and faith and became prom- inent in wars, taking an active part in the siege of Derry. During the wars of James II., two brothers, Ebenezer and William, emi- grated from the North of Ireland and settled in New England. Ebenezer, one of William's descendants, married Rebecca Campbell, and. in 1763, they removed from Litchfield, Conn., to Stillwater, Saratoga County, N. Y. He served In the Revolutionary War in a regiment of New York militia under command of Col. Van Veghten. His son Robert W., born in 1760, also served as a soldier in the War of the Revolution and took part in the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga. In 1780, Robert W. married Pamelia Ives, and their son, Nathaniel, born in Saratoga County, N. Y., Feb. 10, 1785, received a good common-school education and adopted the occupation of a farmer. He was married in Cuyler, Cortland County, N. Y., Nov. 29, 1810, to Penelope Potter, born in Sar- atoga County, N. Y., in 1793, the 'daughter of Nathaniel Potter, who was a First Lieutenant in Levi Paulding's regiment of New York mi- litia. In 1793 Nathaniel Potter removed from Saratoga to Cortland County, N. Y.. and was the first settler in the town of Cuyler. Mrs. Potter died in 1795, her death being the first in that town. Mr. Potter was accidentally killed by a falling tree in 1799. Nathaniel Patrick cleared up his farm in Cuyler, N. Y., from the wilderness, and his homestead has been in the Patrick family for over one hundred years, it now being in the possession of John Wesley Patrick, the old- est son of Stephen Patrick. Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Patrick reared a family of fourteen children — all born at Cuyler, N. Y. — their names and dates of birth being as follows: Stephen, Sept. 17, 1811, died May 9, 1890; Elias, August 19, 1813, died Oct. 27, 1885; Julia Ann, Feb. 5, 1815, died March 10, 1819; Fanny E., Oct. 13, 1816, died Feb. 27, 1901; Hiram B., McHENRY COUNTY. 933 Dec. 31, 1818, died May 5, 1902; Albert, Nov. 2, 1820, died May 24, 1838; Charles, August 24, 1822, died Fed. 28, 1898; William Kirk, Feb. 16, 1824, died May 8, 1882; Lydia M., March 31, 1826; Mary, Sept. 21, 1827, died Sept. 16, 1881; Emily S., April 25, 1829, died August 23, 1830; Richard M. (subject of this sketch), May 5, 1831; Alfred, Sept. 29, 1832; Elizabeth I., June 22, 1841, died Oct. 4, 1899. Mrs. Pat- rick lived to be seventy-seven years old, dying Oct. 4, 1870. Nathaniel Patrick was a prom- inent man in his town and held several town offices. In political opinion he was an old line Whig. His estate consisted of 450 acres of land, part of which (250 acres) he bought from the United States Government and cleared of the heavy timber with which it was covered. Four of his sons came west and be- came prosperous farmers; two settled in Du- Page County, 111., where each owned 1,000 acres of land. Richard M. Patrick, the immediate subject of this sketch, remained on his father's farm until sixteen years of age, in the meantime receiving a good common-school education. He then engaged as a clerk in a store owned by his brother Elias, in Broome County, N. Y., where he remained for two years £nd afterwards attended school for two years at an academy in Cortland, N. Y. Completing his course at the academy, he taught school two winter sessions, working on the home farm during the intervening sum- mer months. In June, 1851, he came via the lakes to Chicago, where he visited his brothers Hiram B. and William K., and his sister Mrs. Fannie E. Hull. One year later he made a trip down the Mississippi River to New Or- lenas, and thence up the Arkansas. Returning to Illinois, he came to Marengo, where he en- gaged in the mercantile business with Charles W. Angle. In 1853 Mr. Patrick bought the property where his present bank now stands, there then being a small frame building on the lot, which was the second building erected on Main Street and was built by Henry Park- hurst. Mr. Patrick conducted his business with great energy, and by 1864 had established a trade of over $100,000 per year. In 1864 he disposed of a one-half interest to his brother Elias and his sons Frank W. and Henry E. In 1867 he started a private bank, and in 1871 organized a National Bank with a capital of $50,000, which has been a successful insti- tution with Mr. Patrick as its President. Be- sides his banking business, Mr. Patrick owns a large amount of farm property and has, at the present time, three farms consisting of 190, 210 and 480 acres, respectively, all of which he personally conducts. He was one of the founders and proprietors of the Collins & Burgie Co., Stove Manufacturers, manag- ing this business for several years, and has also been interested in several other enter- prises. He has taken an active interest in hav- ing a good city government and good schools, has served several terms as Mayor, and at in- tervals, since 1855, has been a member of the School Board, frequently holding the office of President of the Board. Mr. Patrick built and owns the Opera House block, the block occupied by Dr. Richardson's drug-store and other valuable real estate. His present resi- dence, built in 1858, was almost entirely re- built about eight years ago. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, of which he has long been a trustee and has contributed liber- ally toward the building of the new church. In political opinion he is a stanch Republican, being one of the founders of the party in McHenry County and cast his vote for Abra ham Lincoln. Mr. Patrick is entirely a self- made man. Having inherited a strong con- stitution, untiring energy and indomitable will, he has won his way to success and is now a prominent, influential and wealthy man. At Rockford, 111., Dec. 29, 1856, Mr. Patrick was united in marriage with Emma Page, who was born at Pulaski, Mich., Nov. 29, 1839, the daughter of Rev. William and Frances (Du- rand) Page, and they are the parents of the following named children: Fred Albert, Annie P., Ernest Durand, Frances C. and Winifred. Of their children, Fred A. married Louise C. Cook of Marcellus, N. Y., and they are the parents of three children. He owns a large wholesale dry goods establishment in Duluth, Minn., in which ths annual sales aggregate about $1,000,000. Annie P. is a graduate of Lake Forest Col- lege and married Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis, the eminent Divine of Brooklyn, N. Y., and they have three children. 934 McHENRY COUNTY. Ernest Durand — (see sketch in another part of this volume.) Frances C. married Dr. Charles W. Moyer of Rockford, 111., and they have one child. Winifred, after completing a course of study at the Young Ladies' Seminary, Lake Forest, 111., attended a college in Washington, D. C. She resides at home. Concerning Mrs. R. M. Patrick's ancestors, the following facts are of interest. The Pages were a prominent colonial fam- ily, and David Page (grandfather of Mrs. Pat- rick), of Bedford, Mass., was a descendant, in the fourth generation, of Christopher Page, who, in 1690, emigrated with his family to New Bedford, Mass., having previously served as an officer in the British army, and is believed to have left the service at the time of his de- parture for America. The line of descent is through his second son, Nathaniel; from him to his son Nathaniel, and thence to Mrs. Pat- rick's great-grandfather, David Page, who had two children, David and Hannah. David Page, grandfather of Mrs. Patrick, was, in early days, a man of affairs and owned large manufacturing interests in Middleburg, Vt., in later life investing his money in land and other valuable property. He was prom- inent in political affairs, at one time serving as Treasurer of Michigan Territory. He was born in 1767, and, in 1791, married Elizabeth Minot, daughter of Capt. Jonas Minot, of Wil- mot, N. H. David Page lived to a venerable age, and both he and Mrs. Page died in Ann Arbor, Mich., the year of Mrs. Page's death being 1836. The Minots are a distinguished colonial family and among the few families of this coun- try entitled to armorial bearings. They are descendants of Sir Thomas Minot, who held val- uable possessions in Essex, England. His son, George Minot, born in Saffron Walden, Essex, England, in 1594, was one of the first settlers of New England, his home being in Dorchester, Mass. In the fifth generation, Charles Minot, who was the President of the New York Cen- tral Railroad, was born. He was a son of Capt. James Minot, who had valuable possessions in Wilmot, N. H. Rev. William Page, the father of Mrs. R. M. Patrick, was born in Concord, Mass., Sept. 16, 1798, a son of David and Catharine (Minot) Page. He was one of the early ministers of the Presbyterian church in the West and prom- inent in its councils. His ministerial appoint- ments were: New York City, Pulaski, Mon- roe, Hillsdale and Three Rivers, Mich. He did much towards the establishment of new churches, and was one of the builders of the First Presbyterian church at Ann Arbor, Mich., Rev. Page married Frances (Shelden) Durand. a daughter of William and Sarah (Amber) Du- rand, and they were the parents of Fannie, Mary, Abbie, Sarah, Emma, William and Charles. Mrs. Page was born in Bethlehem. Conn., July 30, 1807, and died in Chicago, April 3, 1890. Rev. William Page did in Rock- ford, 111., May 23, 1856, and both he and his wife are buried in the Rockford cemetery. ERNEST DURAND PATRICK. Hon. Ernest Durand Patrick, Mayor of the City of Marengo, is a practical and progressive business man, whose fitness for the position which he occupies is demonstrated by the thrifty and well-ordered condition in which the city has been maintained under his administra- tion. Mr. Patrick was born in Marengo, Jan. 31, 1869, the son of Richard M. and Emma (Page) Patrick, and after receiving his primary education in the public schools and graduating from the high school of his native town, spent a year in Lake Forest University, after which he took a final two-years' course in the old Phillips Exeter Academy, at Exeter, N. H. The last named institution, with a history extend- ing over a period of more than one hundred and twenty years, has always maintained a high record for thorough work, which has en- abled it to send out from its halls some of the most noteworthy men in the various branches of literature, science and business that this country has produced. After leaving Phillips Exeter Academy, he spent a year traveling in Europe, after which, in the fall of 1890, he en- tered into the employment of the First Na- tional Bank of Marengo as clerk and book- keeper. In course of time he was promoted to the position of Assistant Cashier, and finally to that of Cashier, which he now holds. Mr. Patrick is also a stockholder in the bank and, for the past ten years, has been one of its directors, and has won a high reputation as a successful and trustworthy business man. Mc HENRY COUNTY. 935 In his political relations Mr. Patrick is an earnest Republican who takes an active inter- est in local and general politics. In 1900 he was elected Supervisor of Marengo Township, filling the office one term. A year later he was elected Mayor of the City of Marengo. That he has given the people a practical and progressive administration is indicated by the changes which have been wrought in munic- ipal affairs since his election. Previous to his election to this important office, a bitter con- test had been waged between the various po- litical factions in the city, public improvements had been neglected and the money collected from the tax-payers had been expended with- out bringing to the people the benefits to which they were entitled. The streets in the resi- dence portion of the city were badly in need of graveling, while the sidewalks on the prin- cipal streets were in a condition reflecting discredit upon a city of the importance of Marengo. Street crossings were in bad repair and not properly constructed, and there was an urgent demand for a new and more thorough system of improvements. On his election to the mayoralty, Mr. Pat- rick was determined that these faults should be remedied, and that municipal affairs should be placed on a thorough business basis. His first step was to appoint capable and efficient men to all subordinate positions, regardless of politics, and see to it that their duties were discharged with absolute fidelity and efficiency. Among the improvements so far made has been the construction of modern cement sidewalks on both sides of Main Street, while a large amount of work has been done in the residence portions of the town. These side-walks are constructed of the best material, and, while adding greatly to the attractiveness of these portions of the city, have contributed to the comfort, convenience and health of the people. During his first year's administration the width of Main Street was increased by fourteen feet from Prairie Street to the railroad tracks, mak- ing it a broad and handsome avenue. It hav- ing been discovered that, in the matter of se- curing material for graveling the roads a heavy expense would have to be incurred, through Mayor Patrick's influence a gravel-pit was pur- chased by the city, providing an ample supply of gravel of an excellent quality at a moderate price, and many of the streets have now been graveled and the number will be increased as rapidly as the work can be done. The electric light and water-works plants had been a heavy expense to the city from the time of their establishment, but both of these have now been made self-supporting. This result has been accomplished, in part at least, by adopt- ing the policy of purchasing fuel and other supplies at the most favorable market rates, and making close collections for service. For the latter special credit should be awarded to the Superintendent, P. T. Parkhurst. The water mains have been extended during his administration, about one mile has been added, and through these the water is efficiently served. The system of elec- tric lighting has also been materially ex- tended. Many new and excellent brick-cross- ings have been put in place in different parts of the city, in a thorough and workmanlike manner, and this work is being continued in the residence portions. While the utilities which pertain to the every-day wants and health of the city have been carefully looked after and improved, a beginning has been made in the proper care of the public park, which before had been neglected and allowed to yield a bountiful crop of hay annually. During Mayor Patrick's incumbency this has been kept regularly mowed and in as smooth a condition as any well-kept lawn in the city. These are valuable and useful improvements which tend to make Marengo a more attractive and de- sirable place of residence, and every citizen more self-respecting as he sees around him the evidences of a condition of municipal thrift and prosperity resulting from the proper and economical use of the money of the tax-payer in securing practical improvements. A gen- eral sewerage system is now under contempla- tion, and surveys for this purpose will soon be made with a view to beginning the work on a systematic basis as soon as practicable. Mr. Patrick was married Sept. 7, 1892, in his native city of Marengo, to Leone Vail, who was born in Marengo, Nov. 24, 1871, the daugh- ter of Elisha J. and Delphi E. (Sponable) Vail. To Mr. and Mrs. Patrick have been born two daughters: Martha L., born June 8, 1894, and Frances Durand, born Dec. 28, 1897. In religious belief Mr. Patrick is a Presbyterian. He is a member of the gentlemen's clothing and furnishing firm in Marengo, known as 936 McHENRY COUNTY. "The Cub," which is doing a successful busi- ness; is also the treasurer and credit man of the Collins & Burgie Stove-Works, and has been manager of the Marengo opera-house for four seasons. Born and reared in Marengo, Mayor Patrick is widely and favorably known to the residents of that city as a genial and kind-hearted gentle- man, with a record for personal and business integrity that will bear the most thorough in- vestigation in the light of the noon-day sun. ANDREW PURVES. Andrew Purves (deceased), early settler of McHenry County, was born in Scotland about the year 1810, and being left an orphan when about eight years of age, was brought up by an aunt. As far as known he had two brothers, named Thomas and Richard, and a sister, named Mary. The latter married a Mr. An- derson. The brothers married and reared fam- ilies and their descendants are still living in Scotland. Andrew Purves received a fair com- mon school education in his native country, and on Feb. 22, 1842, was married at Biggar, a small town a few miles distant from Edin- burgh, to Eliza Smith, who was born March 17, 1818, the daughter of John and Mary Smith. John Smith was a farmer and dairyman in com- fortable circumstances. He and his wife were parents of children named: John, Isabella, Dav- id, Mary, George, Robert and James. About one week after his marriage, Mr. Purves, ac- companied by his wife and her three brothers, George, Robert and James, sailed from Liver- pool for America, the voyage to New York oc- cupying one month. All came directly to Mc- Henry County and Mr. and Mrs. Purves stop- ped, for the first week after their arrival, at Marengo with Alexander Hutchinson, an old neighbor from Scotland. Mr. Purves soon after bought what is known as the Purves farm, con- sisting of 240 acres. The improvements upon the farm consisted of a log house and a few acres of broken land. Mr. Purves lived here with his family for some years, when he erected a frame house and barn and made other im- provements. At the time he settled in Mc- Henry County there were few settlers between Marengo and Belvidere. He hauled his grain and other produce to the Chicago market, tak- ing back with him housekeeping necessities. Religious meetings were held in houses and barns, as at that time there were no church ed- ifices in the vicinity. The children of this fam- ily were: Mary Lawrie, Jane Wilson, Janet and Agnes. Mr. Purves died on his farm Nov. 6, 1850, while his wife survived him many years, dying March 7, 1889, at the age of nearly seventy-two years. She was a devout member of the Presbyterian church and a woman of strong character. The two daughters, Mary Lawrie and Agnes, were both well educated, having been pupils in the Marengo High School and the former was a teacher in the home dis- trict for five terms. She is a woman of much business ability, and for many years has been a member of the School Board in her district. This school has a large attendance and has been managed in a manner highly satisfactory io the people of the district. Both the sisters are members of the Presbyterian church at Marengo, of which they are liberal supporters, taking an active interest in church affairs. They are ladies of education and culture, and their pleasant home is filled with books and other evidences of taste and refinement. In 1895 they erected an attractive and substantial two-story residence, which is an important ad- dition to this pleasant old homestead. In 1845 George Smith, a brother of Mrs. Purves, built upon the Purves property what was known as the old "Smith Mill," which, in the early days was the only saw and grist mill in that part of the county, and was patronized by settlers throughout a large extent of the country. Be- fore his final removal to America and perma- nent settlement in McHenry County, Andrew Purves came to Canada and, after work- ing on a farm there for some time, went to Bath County, Ky., where he worked on a turnpike for Robert Pringle and Alexander Redpath. He then came to Jo Da- viess County, 111., where he worked in the lead mines for several years, after which he re- turned to his native country for his bride. He was a man of strong character, and, for more than fifty years after his death, his surviving friends still speak of him in terms of high ap- preciation. McHENRY COUNTY. 937 JOHN PETER. John Peter, one of the leading business men of Algonquin and a resident of that place for over thirty years, was born in Harlem, N. Y., of sterling Scotch descent. His grandfather, David Peter, who was a soldier for many years in the British Army and served in India, was born in Scotland and married and settled in Dundee, in his native country. John O. Peter, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1808, and received a common-school education. He married in his native place Margaret Turnbull, who was born there* in 1808, and their children were named: David, George, John, James and Margaret. In July, 1842, Mr. Peter came to New York where he remained for a few months, when he came to Chicago and settled on the Calumet River at a point where South Chicago is now located. Here he kept a hotel, and after running a stage line for two years, bought an unimproved farm of 160 acres in Bloom Township, Cook County, 111., where he lived until 1853, when he removed to Elk Grove, 111., and there purchased a farm. In 1863, having retired from active life, he moved to Arlington Heights, 111., where he spent the remainder of his days, dying in 1876, aged sixty-eight years. In religious belief he was a Presbyterian and was a liberal supporter of his church in which he also served as deacon for many years. In political opinions he was originally a Democrat, but later became a Re- publican. John Peter, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Harlem, N. Y., Aug. 21, 1842, the same year that his parents removed to Chicago. He received a good common- school education, and, when young, engaged in agricultural pursuits on his father's farm. On July 28, 1862, when nearly twenty years of age, he enlisted in Chicago as a private for three years in Company K, Eighty-Eighth Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, and was honorably discharged at Springfield, 111., July 7, 1865. Mr. Peter participated in the battles of Stone River, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Kenesaw Moun- tain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro, and the two battles at Franklin, the sceond of these two bat- tles being one of the the hardest-fought engage- ments in the Civil War. It was here that Up- dike's brigade advanced on the rebels and re- covered from them the Federal works which had been captured during the day, and, holding this position until after dark, it thus gave the Union troops an opportunity to retreat. Im- mediately after the charge, Mr. Peter and a party of fifty others who had volunteered to haul some cannon from the field, were return- ing in the night to their regiment, but, moving too far to the front, marched directly into the rebel ranks when they were taken prisoners. They were marched to Corinth, Miss., and from there taken by train to Meridian, where they were held one month in the stockade prison, and then removed to Andersonville. When captured Mr. Peter was robbed of his blanket and hat, but had $100 secreted in the linings of his vest and trousers, which he still had when he entered Andersonville prison. The famous stockade prison at Andersonville con- tained twenty acres of land surrounded by pine logs piled from sixteen to eighteen feet high. There was no protection from the rain and sun, but Mr. Peter and four other Union soldiers made a shelter with a few scraps of rubber blankets by digging into the side of a bank. The food ration for each prisoner was a pint of corn meal, ground with the cob of the corn included, issued daily with occasionally a piece of pork or beef. This food was cooked in a frying pan, and every twenty days some of the prisoners were taken out to bring in a supply of fuel, which was carried over a mile on their backs. There were about 35,000 prisoners in the stockade, and the death rate, although enormous, was much less than it would have been had not a famous spring, which was lo- cated near the "dead line" of the stockade, broken out after a heavy rain during the pre- ceding summer, and the rebels arranged it so that the prisoners could use the water, other- wise many more would have perished. The suffering in the prison was terrible, many be- came both mentally and physicially wrecked as a result of their hardships and privations, but Mr. Peter and all of his party came through their imprisonment in good condition. The fact that their imprisonment was in the win- ter season, assisted greatly in lessening the fatalities from disease, and the money Mr. Peter had managed to secrete in his clothing saved many of their lives, as otherwise they might have starved to death had they been compelled to live on only prison rations. Mr. Peter was finally paroled and sent to Vicks- 938 McHENRY COUNTY. burg, where he arrived just after the surrender of General Lee. After returning home from the army he engaged in farming on the home farm which his brother David had bought. Two years later he engaged in the hardware business at Caledonia, Boone County, 111., and the following year (1869) moved his stock of goods to Algonquin, where he nas since con- ducted a prosperous business. In Chicago, Dec. 31, 1871, he married Lida M. Helm, born in Wheeling, Cook County, 111., Jan. 15, 1848, daughter of John and Sarah (Tuthill) Helm. They are the parents of three children: Ed- ward C, Willis T. and Grace H. In politics Mr. Peter is a Republican, has held the office of President of the Village Board, and has served as School Treasurer for sixteen years. Fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Masonic Order at Dundee, and of the Nunda Post G. A. R. He is one of the substantial citizens of Algonquin, well known for his upright character and sterling qualities. He was a brave and active soldier and participated in many battles, but escaped without receiving a wound, and with all of the hardships he endured, returned from the army as sound as when he entered the service. JOHN T. PETTI BONE. John T. Pettibone, an early citizen and re- tired farmer of Hebron Township, McHenry County, is of English Puritan ancestry, who came to Connecticut in colonial days. His great-grandfather, Jonathan Pettibone, was born and reared in Connecticut and, in 1768. moved to Berkshire County, Mass., where he cleared up a farm from the forest. Of his children, Amos, Philo and three daughters are remembered. Jonathan Pettibone died at the age of ninety-two years. His son Amos was born about 1761, in Goshen, Litchfield County, Conn., and went with his parents to Massachu- setts when seven years old, served as a soldier in the War of the Revolution, enlisting at seventeen years of age, and besides a number of skirmishes, participated in the battle of Saratoga, N. Y., which resulted in the defeat of the British General Bur- goyne. He served under Colonel Brown, who was killed in the battle just re- ferred to. After returning home, he engaged in farming and married Sar.ah Barker, who was born in Providence, R. I. They settled on a farm in Berkshire County adjoining that of his father, living there until his death at the age of eighty-seven years. The children of this family were: Mary, Sallie, Lucretia, Minerva, Daniel and John. Mr. Pettibone, the father, was an industrious and much respected citizen, was a member of the Baptist Church and a corporal in the old Massachusetts State militia. Daniel Pettibone, son of the preceding, and father of John T., was born in Berkshire County, Mass., Oct. 3, 1797, and was reared as a fa'rmer, meanwhile receiving a common- school education. February 29, 1822, he was married in Berkshire County, to Lydia Lincoln, who was born Sept. 29, 1799, the daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Northrop) Lincoln. Jonathan Lincoln was a carpenter of Berkshire County, and of old New England Colony stock. After marriage Daniel Pettibone and wife set- tled on the old home farm, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Their children, with the dates of their birth, were as follows: John T., Dec. 3, 1822; Lewis A., Dec. 16, 1823; Amos A., March 31, 1825; Sarah H., June 20, 1826; Franklin J., Jan. 14, 1828; Harvey J., Aug. 3, 1829; Francis A., April 11, 1831; Charles T., April 8,- 1834; Bishop B., Feb. 8, 1836; Sarah D., April 16, 1838; Cecil C, Nov. 6, 1839. Daniel Pettibone was one of the Select- men of his town, and a member of the Baptist church in which he was a deacon for many years up to the time of his death, which occurred on his farm, Dec. 26, 1848. John T. Pettibone, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born at the Pettibone home- stead in Berkshire County, Mass., received a common-school education, and was brought up a farmer. At twenty-five years of age he was married in Lanesboro Township, of his native county, on. Feb. 29, 1848, to Elvira E. Spar- hawk, an orphan, the names of whose parents are unknown. She was born in Lebanon, N. Y., Oct. 25, 1826. Their children were: Sarah F, born in Lanesboro Township, Berkshire Coun- ty, Mass., Aug. 9, 1849; George F., born June 11, 1851, and Ida E., born May 21, 1855. Im- mediately after his marriage Mr. Pettibone emigrated to Lewis County, N. Y., where he engaged in farming for a year, then returned to the old homestead in Berkshire County, Mass., where he remained until 1865. During McHENRY COUNTY. 939 the latter year he moved to Fox Lake, Dodge County, Wis., settling on an improved farm of eighty acres, where he remained two years, when (in 1867) he removed to Algonquin Township, McHenry County, 111. Here he bought 120 acres of improved land upon which he lived until 1877. Mrs. Pettibone died March 30, 1874, aged forty-seven years. December 1, 1875, Mr. Pettibone was married in Aurora, 111., to Mrs. Minerva L. Fish, who was born in Lanesboro Township, Berkshire County, Mass., Jan. 27, 1821. A year after their mar- riage Mr. and Mrs. Pettibone removed to Rock- ford, 111., where they spent one year, when, in the spring of 1878, they returned to McHenry County, locating in Hebron Township, where Mrs. Pettibone had 100 acres of improved land, upon which they settled. After remaining there ten years, deciding to retire from farm life, they removed to the village of Hebron, where they bought a pleasant home and where they now reside. They have since erected there the building in which the postoffice and a drug-store are now located. Mrs. Pettibone is a member of the Baptist church, with which she united at eighteen years of age in her na- tive county of Berkshire, Mass., and of which, during her long life, she has been a liberal supporter, assisting to build up the church at Hebron. In politics Mr. Pettibone is a Jack- sonian Democrat. In his native county in Massachusetts he held the office of Assessor seven years, and was a member of the Board of Selectmen three years. He has maintained a high reputation in the community for integ- rity and good judgment, has been prosperous in business and has liberally assisted his chil-. dren. Mrs. Pettibone is a daughter of William Cole, who was a native of New Ashford, Berk- shire County, Mass., born Aug. 30, 1793, the son of James and Alsa (Haskins) Cole. The Cole family were old English and Rhode Island stock. James Cole moved from Rehoboth, R. I., to Berkshire County, Mass., where, like the Pettibones, he cleared up a farm in the forest. He first settled in the Berkshire Hills, but later removed to Cheshire Township, where he opened up a farm in the valley on which he passed the remainder of his days. While a young man he served as a soldier in the Revo- lutionary War, and during a battle in which he was engaged narrowly escaped death from a bullet which passed through his hat. He was with Washington at Valley Forge. In re- ligion he was a Baptist, and was a substantial farmer for his day. He died Dec. 21, 1829, aged seventy-four years, and his wife, Dec. 22, 1831, aged seventy-three years and nine months. The children of James and Alsa Cole, with dates of birth, were: James, Feb. 8, 1783; Cyrel, July 1, 1784; Lepha, June 20, 1786; Nancy, Oct. 7, 1788; Huldah, June 5, 1791; Wil- liam,' Aug. 30, 1793; Alsa, May 6, 1796, and Olive, Sept. 27, 1798. William Cole of this family, who was the father of Mrs. Pettibone, was reared a farmer and married Lucy M. Green, born at Lanesboro, Mass., Feb. 8, 1799, the daughter of James and Olive (Slade) Green. The Green family were of old Rhode Island stock, like Gen. Nathaniel Greene of Revolutionary fame. James Green's father, Jeremiah, was from Rehoboth, R. I., and settled at an early day in Berkshire County, Mass. The children of James Green were: Lucy, Betsy, Amey and Fannie. James Green died at Lanesboro, Mass., aged seventy years. Mr. Cole removed to McHenry County, 111., in May, 1862, and settled on the farm in Hebron Township, now owned by George W. Conn, it consisted of 280 acres with five acres of wood- land. This land he bought in partnership with his daughter, then Mrs. Fish but now Mrs. Pettibone, who had come to McHenry County with her parents. William Cole died in Aurora, 111., Sept. 13, 1872, and his wife Lucy, on Jan. 1, 1879. In politics Mr. Cole was a Jacksonian Democrat and in religious belief a Baptist — in character an upright and respectable citizen. Their children were: William Edwin, Lucy M., James M., Ellen A. and Frances E. Mrs. Pettibone was reared in Cheshire, Berk- shire County, Mass., and was married Dec. 20, 1840, at New Lebanon, N. Y., to George Fish, born in Cheshire, Mass., Nov. 20, 1819. He was ,a farmer and owned a farm which he had inherited from his father, Allen Fish, and upon which he settled after marriage. George Fish, who was a Baptist, died in Cheshire, Mass., Oct. 15, 1844. His children were: Nelson L., George Edwin, William Henry and Herbert A. Mrs. Fish, now Mrs. Pettibone, moved to Rock- ford, 111., in 1870, and lived there until she moved to Hebron village in 1877. 9-10 McHENRY COUNTY. CHARLES C. PINGRY. As one decade succeeds another, the pioneers of the Great Central West are, one by one, passing beyond the realm of speculation into the land which, while called "unknown," might more aptly be termed the land of cer- tainties, since the veil that covers the spiritual sight is first lifted at the door of the tomb. It is, therefore, most desirable that the record of their trials and their joys, their triumphs and their defeats, should be preserved alike for the instruction and the benefit of posterity. Among the early settlers of Algonquin Town- ship was the distinguished citizen of Nunda, whose career forms the subject of this neces- sarily imperfect biographical sketch. Charles C. Pingry belongs to the seventh generation in direct lineal descent, from the first American progenitors of that branch of the family to which he belongs. There were two brothers of excellent family and sterling worth, who came from "Old England" more than a century before the inception of the struggle of the colonies against the Crown. Originally the name was spelled Pengry, and not until within the last three generations was the orthography changed to its present form. Descendants of these brothers were among the earliest settlers of New Hampshire and, com- ing down in the family history to the middle of the eighteenth century, the historian finds Aquila Pengry, the grandfather of Charles C. a prosperous owner of a cloth mill — whose mo- tive power was a water-wheel — in the town of Danbury, in that State. Being commissioned a Captain in the State Militia, he was com- monly accosted by the title to which his mili- tary rank entitled him. He was the father of True Pingry, and he in turn, was the father of Charles C. True Pingry was born Dec. 9, 1798, on the paternal farm in Danbury, and there grew to manhood. He was a man of considerable mechanical skill and was both carpenter and cooper, as well as an intelligent and in- dustrious farmer. He married Hannah, a daughter of Jacob Favor, of the same town, born June 3, 1797, and was the father of four sons and a daughter: Charles, William, John F., George and Hannah. He was in politics an old-line Whig, and both he and his w^fe were members of the Free-Will Baptist church. He was a well-educated man, for his time, and for several years was a successful teacher. About 1832 he removed to Western New York, where he pre-empted and cleared a farm on an Indian reservation in Erie County, sixteen miles from Buffalo, whence, in the fall of 1837, he came to McHenry County, 111. On reaching that then thinly settled region, he located a claim on a tract of 160 acres of Government land two miles east of the present village of Nunda, the title to which he subsequently perfected. On this trip he was accompanied by his son Wil- liam, with whose aid he built a typical log cabin with "chinked" walls and huge open fire-place. After spending the winter here, he returned east in the following spring, to bring out hie family. The journey was begun in May, 1838, consuming six weeks. A wagon and two horses were the method of conveyance, the travelers halting at night by the wayside, when the wagon was surrendered to the female members of the party, the men and boys camp- ing on the prairie grass. Mr. Pingry proved a successful and prosperous farmer, and died honored and beloved by those living around him, who shared with him the privations and the pleasures of life in the West in those early days. Charles C. Pingry, his eldest son, with whose life history this narrative has more par- ticularly to do, was born at Danbury, N. H., Sept. 7, 1818. He was but a boy when his father removed from New Hampshire to Erie County, N. Y., yet, at the age of eighty-four, he is able to recall the ride by wagon to White- hall, N. Y., and the trip through the Erie Canal, with its perpetual recurring wonders. The journey from New York to Illinois was even more full of adventure and interest, the route crossing Ohio and Northern Indiana, passing through Chicago — then little more than a straggling hamlet — and thence following the old stage-road to Algonquin. His first teacher was his father, in whose New Hampshire school he was a pupil, and for a time he attended the district schools of Erie County, N. Y. He was early inured to toil and, with resolute spirit, aided his father in bringing the unbroken soil of the prairies into subjection. In his twenty- eighth year — on Thursday, April 28, 1845 — he was married to Eunice Johnson, who was born at Concord, Erie County, N. Y., June 3, 1825, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Thurston) Johnson. McHENRY COUNTY. 941 Thomas Johnson was of English descent, and born in Herkimer County, N. Y. He was a man of substantial character owning a small woolen mill in addition to ,a large well im- proved farm. Mrs. Johnson was born in Rhode Island, and both she and her husband were Free-Will Baptists. Mr. Johnson came to Illi- nois in "the forties," and, after making a pur- chase of land, returned to New York. He was twice married, the children of the first union being six sons and seven daughters: Ambrose, Martha, Mary, Sylvia, Calvin, Eunice, Adeline, Jane, Christopher, Alfred, Addison, Josephine and Hiram. His first wife died in 1840 and his second wife bore him three children. Mrs. Charles C. Pingry (nee Eunice John- son) was for many years a school teacher, her first experience being acquired as a girl of fif- teen years, at Ellicottville, N. Y. About 1841 she came west with her sister Mary and the latter's husband, Sumner Pratt. The Pratts first settled in Lapeer County, Mich., and Miss Johnson filled for three terms the post of pedagogue in the school at Lapeer Village. In 1842 she accompanied her brother-in-law and his family to McHenry County, 111., where she still pursued her chosen vocation. For a year she was a teacher in a school four miles south of McHenry, and afterwards taught in both McHenry and Nunda Townships. She was famed throughout the country side for her knowledge of orthography, and in the spelling contests with which the farmer-folk of forty years ago were wont to beguile the long tedious winter evenings, she was usually to the fore as "head of the class.' After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Pingry settled upon a farm of 160 acres of Govern- ment land, the deed to the same bearing the signature of President James K. Polk. Their first home was of the rude sort common to the West in those days. The husband with his own hands hewed tbe rough logs of which it was constructed. The fire-place was of the capacious old-fashioned pattern, and the chim ney of sticks and clay-mortar, instead of stone or brick. Above the living rooms was a loft, reached by a ladder in lieu of stairs. The fire- place took the place of range and heater, and the fire was usually built with a "back-log," large and heavy enough to call for the united energies of two men to put it in place. This was a typical Western home of the period. Neither bride nor groom supposed for a moment that any self-sacrifice was needed to be content therein; and from these log cabins of the Mississippi Valley have come many of the men who have written their name across the page of the Nation's history and left a lasting impress upon the world. Toil and in- dustry on the part of the husband, no less than care and frugality on that of the wife, were the rule rather than the exception, while mutual love and confidence rendered self-de- nial easy. Little by little Mr. Pingry has added to his holdings. At one time his farm embraced 430 acres, but sales have reduced its area to 380 acres. To Mr. and Mrs. Pingry, seven children have been born, two of whom died in infancy. Those who grew to maturity, were: Ellen, Mary, Sumner, Frank and John who died Feb. 16, 1902. Mr. Pingry is a Universalist and his wife a Methodist, yet differences in religious faith have never militated against marital af- fection. Mr. Pingry is tolerant of all faiths, just as his broad and enlightened charity renders him liberal toward the faults and frailties of all his fellow-men. The love of human liberty — alike of action and thought — has been one of the controlling impulses of his life. An opponent of human slavery, he supported Fremont in 1856 and Lincoln in 1860. A foe to man's servitude to alcohol and realizing the desolation wrought in millions of American homes by the liquor habit, he allied himself with the Prohibition Party in the early days of its organization, but In 1896, be- lieving that the Chicago platform promised the greatest good for the country at large, he sup- ported Bryan for the Presidency. Reference has been made to Mr. Pingry's success as a farmer. One or two important business ventures of his, however, should not be overlooked. During the Civil War he bought the Algonquin Hotel, which he con- ducted chiefly in person for twenty-two years. In 1889, when taking up his residence in Nunda, he opened the "Pingry Hotel" and this he operated until 1900, when he retired. A condensed genealogical summary of the Pingry family may be of interest in this con- nection. Moses and Aaron Pingry came as Puritan emigrants from London to Ipswich, Mass., in 1640 or 1641. From the will of Aaron, probated in 1696, it would appear that he died 942 McHENRY COUNTY. without issue. Moses Pengry (as the family surname was then spelled) married Abigail, a daughter of Robert Clement, who, according to Savage, came from London to Haverhill, Mass., as early as 1642, accompanied by a large family. The town records of Ipswich show that in 1647 Moses Pingry was a commoner, and that three years later he received a grant of forty acres of land. That he was a man of sub- stance and of influence is evidenced by the fact that, in 1652 he established salt-works and, in 1854, was chosen ,a Selectman. He also sat as a Deputy in the General Court in 1665. He was a man of devoted piety, and a deacon in the First Congregational church of Ipswich. His children were: Sarah, Lydia, Moses, Aaron, John, Thomas, Mehitabel ,and Abigail. He died Jan. 2, 1696, his wife having died Jan. 16, 1676. Tracing down the line of descent to Charles Clinton, we follow that of Aaron, the son of Moses, who was born in 1652. He was the husband of Anna Richard, of Rowley, Mass., and died in that town on Sept. 14, 1714. His widow survived him until Feb. 3, 1740, when she too passed away at the ripe old age of four score years. His children were: Aaron, born in 1683; Ann, born Feb. 8, 1685; Joseph, born Oct. 17, 1688, and Jane, born Jan. 24, 1691. Aaron removed to Rowley from Ipswich with his parents in 1696, and there on Dec. 17, 1707, he married Elizabeth Pearson, who first saw the light on Aug. 5, 1685. She was a grand-daughter of John and a daughter of Stephen Pearson, and her grandfather's name is remembered through New England as being that of the first mechanic in America to estab- lish a mill for the weaving of cloth, as early as 1643. Her mother's maiden name was Mary French. An uncle of Mrs. Aaron Pingry — John Pearson — served under Captain Lothrop, against the Indians, and died in battle, Aug. 25, 1725. She died May 10, 1746, and Aaron sub- sequently married Martha Clement, of Middle- ton, but with the issue of that union this nar- rative is not concerned. To Aaron Pingry and his first wife, Elizabeth Pearson, were born Lydia, Oct. 5, 1709; Stephen, Jan. 22, 1712 Rebecca, April 22, 1714; Mary, March 19, 1717 Ann, March 7, 1719; Sarah, April 1, 1721, and Martha. Stephen Pingry, the second child and eldest son, married Jane, a daughter of Nathaniel Jewett of Rowley. After her death, which oc- curred May 7, 1752, he married Anna Jewett, their nuptials being solemnized Feb. 7, 1758. Her parents were William and Hannah Jewett. In 1784 Stephen Pingry removed to Fitchburg, where he died ten years later. The children of his first marriage were: Jane, born April 16, 1757; Stephen, born June 3, 1759; Aquilla, born July 30, 1761; Nathaniel, born April 15, 1763; Jonathan, born April 17, 1765; Joseph, born July 2, 1767, and William, born March 15, 1771. The men of the family were famed for their great strength and most of them were long lived. Stephen (2), the eldest son of this family, was a man of tall stature and deep chest. He served in the War of the Revolution, and in his later years received a pension on account of injuries sustained during that struggle. He was the father of one daughter and two sons — Mary, Aaron and Thomas — both of the latter were soldiers of the Revolution. The father uied at Groton, Mass., May 8, 1844. Aquilla was a cloth-maker and was celebrated for his skill as an athlete. He was a man of kindly disposition and social nature, and widely popu- lar. He was a Captain in the State militia and Selectman in the town of Salisbury (now Franklin), N. H., where he located after his first marriage. He died in 1845, at the age of eighty-four. His first wife was Hannah Mor- rill, whose father served in the army of the Revolution, from 1776 to 1783. His wife died July 7, 1792, in her thirty-first year, having borne her husband three daughters — Hannah, born Jan. 28, 1786; Sarah, born March 28, 1788, and Lydia, born Dec. 12, 1790. On Dec. 10, 1797, he married for the third time, his bride being Dolly Page of Andover, N. H. They removed to Danbury, N. H., where both died; she in 1844 and he the following year. Aquilla Pingry was the grandfather of Charles C. Pin- gry, whose father was of the issue of the third marriage, mention of whom will be made In a succeeding paragraph. Nathaniel, the son of Stephen, and brother of Stephen and Aquilla, enlisted in the Army of the Revolution when a lad of sixteen years. He died in his eighty- eighth year. Jonathan was born in Massachu- setts, but removed to Vermont, where he led the life of a farmer and accumulated a large property. Joseph and William were both born at Rowley, Mass. The latter was noted for his strength and skill in athletic games. Both he McHENRY COUNTY. 943 and his brother Aquilla could jump six feet from the ground. The issue of the third marriage of Aquilla Pingry (to Dorothy Page), was two sons and a daughter. The eldest, True, was born Dec. 8, 1798, and was the father of Charles C. Olgood, the second son, was born Oct. 20, 1800, and Mary, the only daughter, Aug. 28, 1802. She was the mother of twelve children and the grandmother of twenty-five children. DR. JOHN W. PRIMM. Dr. Primm belongs to one of the oldest fam- ilies in Illinois. Fifteen years before the first settler in McHenry County had reared his rude cabin, and at a time when all of Central and Northern Illinois was a primeval wilderness, interspersed with virgin prairies, the Primms had settled north of the Sangamon River. The family descends from sterling Huguenot stock, and the name, which was originally written "De-La-Prime," was changed in spelling during the troublesome times of the persecution of the French Huguenots, when the founder of the American branch of the family, a French officer who had renounced the Catholic relig- ion and became a Huguenot, escaped from France into England. Two of his sons, Thomas and Peter Primm, settled in Virginia in the early days of that colony. , Thomas Primm (2), the great-grandfather of Dr. J. W., was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and settled in Richmond, Va., where he became a man of substantial property and the owner of slaves. He moved with his family to St. Clair County, 111., and in 1801, settled in what is now East St. Louis, which was then a French village. His son, Thomas Primm (3), was born in Stafford County, Va.., May 11, 1782, and in 1801 moved with his parents to Illinois. He was married at Whiteside Station, March 22, 1807, to Elizabeth Stalling's, born in Wheel- ing, Va., Aug. 19, 1792, being less than fifteen years of age at the time of her marriage. Her parents moved to St. Clair County, settling at Whiteside Station May 13, 1796. Thomas Primm (3) and wife, during their residence in St. Clair County, became the parents of six living children. In 1820 they removed to San- gamon County, 111., where they arrived Oct. 8, and here three more children were born. Mr. Primm settled four miles north of the Sanga- mon River and fourteen miles northwest of the site of Springfield. The country was then entirely uninhabited, and stretching to the west and north was a vast wilderness, much of which had been but little explored. Mr. Primm lo- cated a claim on a large tract of land and af- terwards bought 1400 acres of the United States Government. He first built a small log cabin and a few years later a good hewed-log house, which in later years was weather-boarded, and is still in a good state of preservation, the house frame still being in the hands of his de- scendants. A Mr. Cline and his family moved to Sangamon County with the Primms, and these were the only white families in that re- gion for several years, Mrs. Primm and Mrs. Cline being the first white women to settle north of the Sangamon River. They were sur- rounded by Indians, and one winter Thomas Primm and Mr. Cline saved several of the tribe from starvation by giving them a supply of pork and corn. At the time of an Indian up- rising several of the older members of the tribe took the two families to a place of safety, where they kept them completely isolated and provided with food until peace was restored. Thomas Primm was an excellent type of the pioneer, having been born and reared on the extreme western frontier, thus becoming one of the founders of the high state of civilization which we at the present day enjoy. He passed the whole of his life in a new country, and, at the age of seventy-three years, was accident- ally killed by a run-away horse. William Primm, son of Thomas (3) and the father of Dr. J. W., was born at East St. Louis, 1808. He received but little school- ing, but having an active mind, became a well- informed man. In 1829 he was married in San- gamon County to Maria Canterberry, born in Bourbon County, Ky., in 1812, the daughter of Asa and Margaret (Hornback) Canterberry. Asa Canterberry came from English ancestry, but was born in Kentucky, where his father was a pioneer and belonged to a slave-holding family. Asa Canterberry and the family inher- ited one hundred slaves, to whom they volun- tarily gave their freedom. About 1828 Mr. Can- terberry removed to Sangamon County, 111., where he bought 1000 acres of land from the United States Government, which he convert- 944 McHENRY COUNTY. ed into one of the best farms in the county, and upon which he lived until the time of his death at seventy-three years of age. William Primm inherited 150 acres of land from his father, to which he made subsequent additions until he owned 430 acres. In polit- ical opinion he was an old-line Whig and an early advocate of Republicanism. He was well acquainted with President Lincoln, when, as a practicing lawyer, he was accustomed to visit at Petersburg, the county-seat of Menard Coun- ty, and frequently visited the Primm home- stead. Mr. Primm supported Lincoln political- ly from his first attempts to secure a public of- fice until he gained the Presidential chair; and during the Civil War, especially in the days when the "Knights of the Golden Circle" were a threatening evil in many localities, it was upon men like Mr. Primm that President Lin- coln relied to keep loyal sentiment alive. Mr. Primm was a member of the Christian church, in which he was an elder for about "thirty years. To him and his wife eight children were born: Asa C, Elizabeth, Margaret, William H., Thomas M., Isaac H., John W. and Car- lisle P. Mr. Primm died at the age of sev- enty-six years. Dr. John W. Primm was born Oct. 23, 1850, received a common school education and at- tended the North Sangamon Academy. In 1873 he began the study of medicine, having for his preceptor an uncle, Dr. Thomas Primm, of Menard County, who for fifty years was a lead- ing physician in his county and was also Presi- dent of one of the early medical colleges of St. Louis, Mo. Dr. Primm studied with his uncle for five years, meanwhile acting as assistant in the doctor's practice and also conducting his drug store. He then attended the Hahne- mann Medical College, of Chicago, graduating after a three years' course. His first profes- sional work was in Pittsfield, Pike County, where he remained for three years, afterwards locating at Hannibal, Mo. After completing a course in the Homeopathic Ophthalmic Hos- pital and College, New York City, he located at Huron, S. D., where he practiced medicine for six years, and then, in 1889, removed to Wood- stock, 111., where he has been uniformly suc- cessful in his practice and has maintained a 'high standard, both as a physician and as a citizen. The doctor has accumulated a val- uable medical library and is an occasional con- tributor to medical periodicals. He is a mem- be of the American Institute of Homeopathy, the Missouri State Medical Society and of the Dakota and Illnois State Societies. The Primms have always been patriotic, hav- ing served in every American conflict from the Colonial and Revolutionary wars to those of the present generation. William Primm had three sons who served in the Civil War— Asa, William and Thomas — and a foster son, Kit An- derson, who was Colonel of the Tenth Illinois Infantry. William enlisted in the One Hun- dred and Fourteenth Illinois Infantry, serving three and one-half years, part of the time as scout, and participating in many battles. Thomas was only seventeen years of age when tie enlisted in the Twenty-Eighth Illinois In- fantry, and was in all the hard fought engage- ments of his regiment. PATTERSON PRINGLE. Patterson Pringle, farmer and early settler of Marengo Township, McHenry County, was born in the village of Dunze, Berwickshire, Scotland, the son of John and Sidney (Patter- son) Pringle. John Pringle, the father, was born in the village of Jedburgh, Scotland, Dec. 22, 1780, and was forester on the extensive es- tate of General Maitland, having charge of the hedges. He and his wife were the parents of eleven children: Elizabeth, John, James, Rob- ert, George, Ann, Margaret, Jessie and two others who died while young. Mr. Pringle came to America from Glasgow, Scotland, by the good ship "William Tell," a sailing vessel, bringing with him his wife and four children — Ann, Margaret, Jessie and Patterson — the voy- age to New York occupying seven weeks. The older daughter, who had married William Hew- ett, had already come over and settled in Ken- tucky, as had also the sons, Robert, George and John, the first two sons finally coming to Illinois. After reaching New York, John Prin- gle and family went on immediately to Pitts- burg by way of the canal and railroad. The sons Robert and Patterson here bought a flat- boat, upon which they loaded the family effects and proceeded down the Ohio River. This was in the fall of the year, and although the river was low and the young men were McHENRY COUNTY. without boating experience, and were often stranded on sand-bars, they finally reached their destination at the old pioneer town of Maysville, Ky., the journey of 450 miles oc- cupying three weeks. Going into the country thirty miles from Maysville, they rented a farm upon which they remained three years. In the fall of 1842 they came to Illinois by steamer by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, settling in the vicinity of Galena. Here the sons worked for some time in the lead mines, but in 1848 the family removed to McHenry County, locating in Marengo Township, where the sons George and Patterson had bought 350 acres of land. The land purchased by George was well improved and is still occupied by his descendants. That selected by Patterson had little improvement except an old log house. He settled here in 1849 and, by industry and frugal management, transformed his wild land into a well cultivated farm and good home, meanwhile adding to his holding until he is now the owner of 272 acres. October 24, 1849, he was married in Ogle County, 111., to Isabella Donaldson, who was born within eight miles of Toronto, Province of Ontario, Canada, March 28, 1829, the daughter of William and Is- abella (McDonald) Donaldson. Both her par. ents were natives of Scotland, but had English blood in their veins, the father being a native of Mindrum, Scotland, while the mother belong- ed to the famous Highland Clan of McDonalds. They were married in Scotland, but after liv- ing in England for a time, in 1822 removed to Canada, settling in the woods, where Mr. Don- aldson cleared up a farm. Their children were: Walter, James, John, Margaret, William, Isa- bella, Elizabeth, Jane and Flora — all born in America, except Walter, the oldest, who was a native of Scotland. May 7, 1839, William Don- aldson and family left their Canadian home for Illinois, arriving at Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, May 24 following. Mr. Donaldson bought a claim here, finally entering a half scetion of prairie and timber land at the Gov- ernment Land Office. This land he improved, becoming a prosperous and well-to-do farmer. This land is still occupied by his descendants. Mr. Donaldson was a Scotch Presbyterian in religious belief, a man of strong character and high integrity. He died on his farm at the age of seventy-five years. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Patterson Pringle settled on his farm in Marengo Town- ship, which he proceeded to improve, erecting upon it substantial buildings. Here their chil- dren were born as follows: Isabella Jane, Aug. 20, 1850: Flora Smith, Jan. 22, 1853; John Don- aldson, Feb. 3, 1855; William Patterson, Nov. 17, 1856, died April 15, 1893, aged thirty-six years; Mary Ann, Nov. 7, 1858; Sarah Stevens, June 30, 1860, died July 12, 1895; Rachel Eliz- abeth, Aug. 22, 1863, died a married woman, April 4, 1900, at the age of thirty-seven years; Ethel McDonald, Sept. 19, 1871. Of the living members of Mr. and Mrs. Prin- gle's family, Isabella Jane was married Nov. 9, 1891, to Frank M. Elliott, who is an express messenger. Flora Smith married Dec. 22, 1875, Clinton H. Pease, who is a farmer in Marengo, and they have two children — Bessie and Jessie. John D. is a farmer living near the home farm; married Nellie O. Watson, May 31, 1881, and they have had children named Madge, two sons named Hall and Patterson (who died in infancy), Gretchen, Dorothy and Jeanette. His wife having died Nov. 17, 1897, on Jan. 18, 1899, he was married to Mrs. Margaret Liv- ingstone, a widow (nee Swanson), and they have one daughter, Margaret. Mary Ann married Dec. 21, 1881, Henry W. Sears, a farmer now living near Belvidere, 111., and they have had children named Bertha (de- ceased), Louie and George. Sarah Stevens married Oct. 10, 1883, Dr. George L. Boyington, a dentist of Marengo; she is now deceased, leaving no children. Rachael E. married Dec. 22, 1886, Dr. W. J. Casely; she is deceased, leaving no children. Ethel McDonald married Nov. 29, 1897, Daniel Echtermach, who is a rural free-delivery mail- carrier, and they have one son, Malcom Gerald. Mr. and Mrs. Pringle are devout members of the Presbyterian church, of which he has been an elder for nearly fifty years. He is one of the small group of pioneer settlers of McHen- ry County still surviving, and during his resi- dence of over fifty years, has maintained a rep- utation for straight-forward integrity and high moral character. The beautiful old home occu- pied by Mr. and Mrs. Pringle is appropriately called "Woodlawn." 946 McHENRY COUNTY. GEORGE E. PARKS. George E. Parks, of Nunda, 111., belongs to a pioneer family of McHenry County, who were of English and Massachusetts colonial descent. His grandfather, Abija Parks, was born on a farm in Middlesex County, Mass., and married Mary Ferguson, who bore him the following named children: Jonathan Hapgood, Charles H., Samuel, Nancy, Sarah, Ann and Hannah. Mr. Parks spent his life upon his farm, about twenty-five miles from Boston, where he died, aged about fifty-five years. He was a Univer- salist in religious belief, well-informed and prominent in public affairs, being in early life a member of the State Legislature. His son Jonathan Hapgood, was born at Ashburnham, Worcester County, July 6, 1802, received a su- perior education for that day, and, having adop- ted the life of a farmer, on Feb. 12, 1829, was married in Stowe Township, Middlesex County, to Almira Elliott, who was born Nov. 13, 1806, the daughter of Stephen Elliott. Her father was of English descent, through an old colonial family of Vermont, while his daughter was a grand-niece of Gen. Israel Putnam of Revolu- tionary fame. Two cousins of Stephen Elliott took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, one on the Patriot and the other on the British side. They met on the day of the battle after it oc- curred and one said to the other: "We gave it to you rather hot this forenoon;" to which the other responded: "No better than you had to' take." Mr. Elliott conducted a farm in Stowe Township, Middlesex County, where he died at the age of eighty-two years. His children were: George Alexander, Almira, Mary, So- phia, Louisa, and another daughter, prob- ably named Anna, who married a Mr. Rice. Mr. Elliott was a member of the Universalist church. Jonathan H. Parks lived on a farm in Stowe Township, Middlesex County, Mass., until 1845, when he removed with his family to McHenry County, 111., where he arrived Oct. 20, 1845, coming by the Erie Canal, and the lakes to Chi- cago, the journey from Lake Champlain occupy- ing twenty days. He settled in McHenry Township, three mile's west of the Village of McHenry, where he bought eighty acres of prairie land. Here he improved a farm, built an excellent frame house and increased his real estate holdings to 100 acres. He spent the remainder of his life on his farm, dying there July 26, 1857. He was an industrious and rep- utable citizen, in politics a Democrat and in re- ligious views a Universalist. His children were: George E., Martha, Mary, Sarah. Charles and Hannah. George E. Parks, the oldest cnild of this fam- ily, was born in Stowe Township, Middlesex County, Mass., June 25, 1830, received a good education in the New England schools, and, at fifteen years of age (1845), came with his par- ents to McHenry County. Here he attended the district school taught by Robert Tuttle, some of his schoolmates being John and Ber- nard Rockwood, George Harrison and Richard Thomas Carr. Mr. Parks was reared as a farm- er, and, on May 1, 1855, was married in Nunda Township to Charlotte Kimball, who was the first white child born in Elgin. Her parents were Sidney A. and Martha M. (Kimball) Kim- ball. The Kimball family were of New England colonial stock, this branch of the family com- ing from New Hampshire. Samuel Kimball, who was the grandfather of Mrs. Parks, was also a native of New Hampshire. His children were: Jefferson, Nancy, Laura, Polly, Nathan- iel, Sidney, Frank, John, Fayette, George and Jonathan, all born in New Hampshire. Samuel Kimball came to Illinois with his family in 1833, making the journey from New Hampshire overland with horses and wagons. Another family of the same name came about the same time, built a log house on the bank of Fox Riv- er about the site of the present Waverly House in Elgin, and opened there the first tavern in that place. Samuel Kimball and family set- tled three miles west of Elgin, on what was called Tyler Creek, and they were the first set- tlers in that locality. He died on his farm there at an advanced age. He was quite a prominent citizen, held the office of Justice of the Peace for a number of years, and had been a Justice of the Peace and member of the State Legisla- ture in New Hampshire before coming west. Sidney A. Kimball, the father of Mrs. Parks, received a good common school education, came west with his father's family while still a sin- gle man, and became a teacher in Elgin. Here he married Martha M. Kimball, who was a na- tive of New Hampshire, and the daughter of Jonathan and Betsy (Flanders) Kimball. The children of Jonathan Kimball and wife were: McHENRY COUNTY. 947 Martha, Charles, Judith, Lydia, Russell and Lu- ther. Although coming to McHenry County from the same State and about the same time, the respective families of Jonathan and his wife, Martha Kimball, were not closely relat- ed. Jonathan Kimball died in Elgin at the age of about sixty years. After marriage Sidney A. Kimball settled on a farm, but about 1846 moved to what was known as the Philip Hoffman farm, a few years later removing to another farm in McHenry Township, where he lived until his death, at the age of about fifty-two years. He and his wife were Universalists in religious belief. Their children were: Charlotte (now Mrs, Parks), born May 22, 1836; Alonzo, born Nov. 17, 1837; John W., born Aug. 1, 1840; Julia, born Sept. 19, 1842; Jane, born Oct. 6, 1844; Ellen, born April 9, 1847; David, born Sept. 3, 1848; Frank, born Aug. 30, 1849; Edward, born Nov. 10, 1851, and Walter Scott, who died in infancy. Mrs. Kimball died Nov. 14, 1850, and Mr. Kimball, Dec. 17, 1874. When Mrs. Parks was a child, Elgin was a frontier settlement, and, it is said that about the time of her birth,, her father waded Fox River twice to secure the services of Dr. Tifft, who lived on the opposite side of the river. At that time the woods along the road were in- fested by large grey timber wolves, and it was dangerous to be exposed to their attack at night. Mrs. Parks was about ten years of age when her father removed to McHenry County, and was seventeen at the time of her marriage to Mr. Parks. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Parksi set- tled three miles west of the old Parks home- stead, where they continued to reside until 1898. Here he prospered and added to his property until he was the owner of 150 acres, on which he had erected substantial farm build- ings. Mr. and Mrs. Parks have had the follow- ing named children: Libbie C, born Dec. 28, 1857; Emma: J-, born March 14, 1860; Jonathan H., born Oct. 26, 1862; Etta M., born Feb. 26, 1868, and Miner M., born June 3, 1871. Mr. and Mrs. Parks' children are all well educated and are residents of McHenry. In politics Mr. Parks is a Republican, and cast his early votes for President in support of John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln. Both he and his wife are members and liberal sup- porters of the Universalist church at McHenry. In 1899 Mr. Parks removed to Nunda, where he bought residence property and has since resided, enjoying in his retirement the respect of a large circle of friends. EMIL PFEIFFER. One of the well-known citizens of Wood- stock, McHenry County, and the head of a rep- utable family, is Emil Pfeiffer, whose name stands at the head of this sketch. Mr. Pfeiffer is a native, of Cook County, 111., where his father settled in the early '50s, and his life has been spent in his native State. Lawrence Pfeiffer, the father of Emil, was born in 1817, in Sundhausen (or Sundhofen), in the Province of Alsace, then in France, but as the result of the Franco-German war of 1870, now a part of the German Empire. His parents were farmers, and he received a good educa- tion in his native country in both French and German. He was married in his native village to Mary Stahl, who was then only six- teen years of age, and who was born in the same place. Having inherited property from their respective families, they settled there. Mrs. Pfeiffer's parents were the owners of considerable property. In 1851 Lawrence Pfeiffer emigrated with his family to Amer- ica, arriving in New York whence they came directly to Cook County, 111., where he bought 160 acres of improved land in the vicinity of the village of Wheeling. After remaining there three years, they removed to Kankakee County, where Mr. Pfeiffer bought an im- proved farm of 160 acres, and where he died, aged about sixty-one years. Mrs. Pfeiffer also died in Kankakee County. They were the parents of seven children: Mary, Elizabeth, Lena, Caroline, Emil, August, Minnie and Em- ma. The first three of these were born in Alsace, and the others in Illinois — the birth of Emil occurring soon after the arrival of his parents in Cook County. Of the other child- ren, August died in infancy; Minnie died a married woman, and Emma while still young. Mr. and Mrs. Pfeiffer were Presbyterians in religion, and politically Mr. Pfeiffer was a Dem- ocrat. They were frugal and industrious and reared a respectable family. Emil Pfeiffer was born during the August 948 McHENRY COUNTY. following the arrival of his parents in Cook County, in 1851. When he was one month old, the family had an almost tragic experience in consequence of a cyclone which struck the house in which they were living, while the family were seated at the supper-table and the infant Emil lying in his cradle. The house was lifted from its foundation and twisted around by the force of the storm. The older members of the family escaped uninjured, but Emil received a few scratches. Emil received a commpn-school education, and, at sixteen years of age, began to learn the blacksmith trade, working at Morris, Grundy County, three years. He then went to Peoria, where he worked for some time in one of the plow-shops. In 1870 he came to Chicago, and was there employed for some months in a carriage factory. In the spring of 1871 he removed to Woodstock, where he engaged for a time at his trade as a black- smith, but soon took up farm work. On June 1, 1872, he was married, in Queen Ann Prairie, McHenry County, to Christina Herdklotz, who was born Jan. 18, 1852, the daughter of P. J. Herdklotz. Mr. and Mrs. Pfeiffer remained on the Herdklotz homestead and for eighteen years he worked on the farm, when he re- moved to Woodstock and there engaged in dealing in horses for a time. In 1894 he en- tered into the saloon business in Woodstock in company with Henry Shay, which he has since continued, his partner at the present time being Peter Nester. They now have the largest saloon in Woodstock, which is con- ducted in an orderly manner and in compliance with the provisions of law in every respect. Mr. and Mrs. Pfeiffer are members of the German Presbyterian church. In politics he was formerly a Republican, but during the last two Presidential campaigns, he has acted in co- operation with the Democratic party on nation- al issues. While upon the farm he filled the offices of School Director and Road Commis- sioner for a time, and was regarded as a prominent and public-spirited citizen. In 1873 Mr. Pfeiffer bought residence prop- erty in Woodstock removing to that place in 1887. In 1891 he erected there a residence in the modern style of architecture and with modern conveniences, where he now enjoys the comforts of a pleasant and attractive home. Mr. and Mrs. Pfeiffer are the parents of the following named children: Henry Alvin, born June 1, 1873; Emma Katherine, born Nov. 30, 1887; Raymond Peter, bom Jan. 19, 1893. Mr. Pfeiffer is a man of straight-forward character, and has always maintained the rep- utation in the community of a good citizen. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Pfeiffer are being well educated. JEREMIAH QUINLAN. Jeremiah Quinlan (deceased), Woodstock, 111., belonged to one of the most widely known pioneer families of McHenry County, having come to this vicinity with his widowed mother, four brothers and two sisters in 1837. Mr. Quinlan was born at Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland, Aug. 20, 1821, the son of John and Ellen (Crowley) Quinlan, and lived to be one of the most venerable citizens of Woodstock, his death occurring Feb. 1. 1902. His father. John Quinlan, was a native of County Cork, grew up a farmer and married Ellen Crowley, and they had children named Catherine, Humphrey, Cornelius, John, Dennis, Jeremiah and Ellen — the last two twins. The family were communicants of the Catholic church. The father died in Ireland about 1823, and in 1827 his widow came to America bringing with her her three oldest children. The voyage to Quebec was made in a sailing-vessel, occupying nine weeks and three days. From Quebec the family went to Ottawa, Canada West, where they lived several years. In the meantime, having with the aid of her children earned money to enable her to do so, Mrs. Quinlan returned to Ireland in 1829, to bring over the rest of her family — being unwilling to trust that duty to any one else — the return voyage being made in three weeks less time than her first voyage of two years earlier. Thus this indomitable woman made three trips across the Atlantic in a slow, cramped sailing- vessel without the comforts and conveniences to be found on the great ocean-liners of the present day, each voyage occupying four or five times as long as that now considered necessary. After her return from Ireland, the family remained in Canada until the fall of 1833, when they removed to Oswego, N. Y., and, during the next year, the sons found em- ployment on the canal, then in course of con rt LslJ £ ^c*^ U. QY^f^^ McHENRY COUNTY. 949 struction. In 1837 they removed to Chicago, and have ever since been identified with Illi- nois history. Mrs. Quinlan was a woman of strong Celtic character, and was one of the first to join in the great exodus of the Irish people which began about 1825. She lived to the extraordinary age of one hundred and three years. Jeremiah Quinlan was between eight and nine years of age when, on his mother's second voyage to America, he was brought over with the younger members of the family. After the removal of the family to New York he at- tended school at Oswego and Port Crane on the Chenango Canal, receiving a limited com- mon-school education. Having determined to come west, the family made the journey in a covered wagon from Binghamton, N. Y., to Buffalo, where they took passage on a lake vessel, the "Commodore Perry," to Toledo. They had contemplated settling in Ohio, but having changed their plans, continued their journey from Toledo by land to Chicago, and, the following winter (1837-8), proceeded to Dundee with a view to establishing a perma- nent home. Here they began the erection of a log-house about two miles from Dundee, on land claimed by an earlier squatter, but a party of settlers, making common cause with the original claimant, under what was known as the "club-right law," tore 'down the partly- built cabin and summarily dispossessed them. This was during a period when some extrava- gant claims were being set up on the basis of "squatters' rights," in which the claimants were supported by combinations of the early settlers without regard to any existing laws, either State or National. One object of this combination was to exact from new-comers payment for the privilege of settling on Gov- ernment land, to which the claimant had no title except that established by plowing a fur- row around as large a tract as an ox-team could be driven around in a single day. About this time John Quinlan, the third son, went with John Farrell, to Hartland Township, where he bought from Alexander Smith a claim for a half-section on which a log-cabin had been built and seven acres of land broken, paying therefor $200. Here the family — all being single at that time — settled, and, as they married and established homes for themselves, finally became the owners of about 1300 acres, constituting a compact community which bore no small part of the development of McHenry County. Jeremiah Quinlan, still in his "teens" at this time, assisted in improving the new homestead and became personally acquainted with many of the early pioneers of that region — the men who established the first claims, plowed the first furrows and built the first cabins, laying the foundation for the wealth and prosperity which exists here today. In this manner Mr. Quinlan acquired, in this true school of nature, a practical training which has since served him so valuable a purpose in dealing with the realities of life. During this period he spent some time in the old Catholic academy, "St. Mary's of the Lake," in Chicago, and in 1850 made the journey across the plains to California, going by way of Salt Lake City, where he visited the orig- inal Mormon temple, and heard the Mormon creed expounded by one of the followers of Joseph Smith. After spending three and a half years mining in California, Mr. Quinlan en- gaged in buying and selling horses, traveling extensively through Missouri and the West. He finally bought 240 acres of improved land, and his brothers and sisters having married, his mother made her home with him. At first he built a log-house, which he afterwards re- placed with a frame dwelling. On July 16, 1862, Mr. Quinlan was married to Mary Agnes Scully, who was born in New York City, Oct. 29, 1841, the daughter of John and Mary (Duggan) Scully. Her father, who was born in County Cork, Ireland; in 1796, was well educated for his day, and while still a young man, came to America, his family re- maining in London, England, their place of residence at that time. After coming to New York, he was employed as clerk for a time by the firm of Ferris & Smith. Having mar- ried Miss Mary Duggan, in New York City, in 1843 they came to Illinois by way of the lakes, arriving in Hartland Township, August 3. Her© he bought forty acres of land upon which there was a log-house, making subsequent additions until he was the owner of 280 acres of un- improved lands, which he bought at the Gov- ernment price or a small advance. Here he erected a good farm house and became one of the substantial citizens of his township. Mr. 950 McHENRY COUNTY. Scully's children were: Margaret, Daniel, Mary and John, all of whom were well edu- cated. Daniel received a liberal education in the Academy of St. Mary's of the Lake and in the Chicago Law School, finally becoming one of the best known Justices of that city. He is now deceased. John M., another son, became a prosperous farmer of Hartland Township, where he reared a large family, and in 1891 removed to Chicago, where he still lives. John Scully, Sr., and wife were prominent members of the Catholic church in Hartland, of which he was one of the founders. He died Oct. 2, 1875, aged about eighty-four years, and his wife May 1, 1887, having reached about the same age as her husband. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Quin- lan settled on his home farm, where they re- mained until May 22, 1895, when they removed to Woodstock, which has since been their residence. By industry and good business man- agement, Mr. Quinlan became one of the suc- cessful citizens of Greenwood Township, where he now owns 544 acres of land. Originally a Democrat in political opinions, he has of late years been a supporter of the principles of the Republican party. Mr. and Mrs. Quinlan had children named: Nellie, John (deceased), Mary, Daniel, Catherine, Jeremiah, Cecilia, Lucy and Alphonso. In religious belief his family follow the faith of their forefathers, and are mem- bers of the Catholic church. Mr. Quinlan was an excellent example of the Celtic American pioneer. He retained his faculties in an emi- nent degree to the last, and to his retentive memory the seeker after facts of local history of the present day is indebted for many inter- esting incidents and reminiscences of pioneer life in McHenry County. Since the above was written, Mr. Quinlan died, Feb. 1, 1902. DANIEL F. QUINLAN. Daniel F. Quinlan, real-estate dealer, Wood- stock, 111., is one of the most prominent among the younger business men of his home city, and a leading real-estate operator of Northern Illinois. Mr. Quinlan was born in Greenwood Township, McHenry County, 111., Oct. 14, 1870, the son of Jeremiah and Mary A. Quinlan, and grew up among the healthful environments of the home farm, where he was trained to a life of industry, beginning work upon the farm when old enough to hold the plow. He re- ceived his primary education in the district school, and later attended the graded and high school at Woodstock. He then read law for a time in the office of Judge Donnelly, prepar- atory to engaging in the real-estate business, opening the first office in this line in Wood- stock or McHenry County. In order to equip himself more fully for his new pursuit in life, he also took a two years' course in the Chi- cago College of Law. He found strenuous ef- fort necessary in the first year or two after engaging in business, but by close application and combining perseverance with determined energy, he has succeeded in building up a large and prosperous trade. He has thus become an extensive trader in farming lands, as well as city property of various kinds, and now carries on a large business in this line throughout the West. During the past year his sales have amounted in the aggregate to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Careful and conserva- tive in his methods and in his investigations in reference to real-estate matters, he has proved himself a shrewd and quick trader, his natural sagacity enabling him to see clearly through a complicated business transaction. Having been born and reared in McHenry County, he is intimately acquainted with local conditions. His life has been an open record and, while known to all, he has always main- tained a reputation for fair dealing. In po- litical opinions Mr. Quinlan is a strong Repub- lican, and socially is a member of the Hamilton Club of Chicago. Personally he inherits from Celtic ancestry that resistless energy and force of character which has placed his race in the front rank of the most progressive people of the earth. Possessing strong independence of character, he deservedly ranks among the progressive and rising young business men of Northern Illinois. Mr. Quinlan married April 23, 1902, at Mont- pelier, Ohio, Mary Grayce Roberts, who was born April 27, 1880, the daughter of James and Abbie (Parkhurst) Roberts. McHENRY COUNTY. 951 CHARLES F. RENICH. Charles F. Renich is the popular and effi- cient Postmaster of Woodstock and one of the editors and proprietors of "The Volksblatt" of that city. His parents were Frederick and Catherine (Stein) Renich, the former being a native of the Alpine republic, Switzerland, in Europe. Frederick Renich's parents were also natives of Switzerland, his father being a piano-maker by trade and a resident of Berne for many years. Their children were Emil, Frederick and Edward. The senior Mr. Ren- ich, the father of this family, came to America after his sons had settled here, and reached Pittsburg, Penn., but was never heard of after. His wife died in Switzerland. Emil Renich, the oldest son, received a uni- versity education in his native country, came to New York, and in 1861 enlisted for the Civil War in one of the New York Volunteer Regi- ments, served through the war and was mus- tered out in 1865. He was wounded, taken prisoner and confined in the celebrated Libby prison at Richmond. After the war he re- moved to Chicago, married and reared a fam- ily. During some eighteen or nineteen years previous to his death he was in Uncle Sam's employ, in the capacity of a letter-carrier at- tached to the Chicago postoffice. He died in 1896. Frederick Renich, the second son, was born in Berne, Switzerland, March 19, 1842. Dur- ing his boyhood he attended the Industrial School in Berne. He learned the trade of confectioner and was employed as such in dif- ferent, cities of Switzerland, Germany and Den- mark, until 1864 when he embarked for this country and came to Chicago, where he en- listed in the Ninth Regiment Illinois Cavalry. In April, 1865, he was mustered out and re- turned to Chicago, where he engaged in the manufacture of cigars. August 26, 1866, he was married to Elizabeth Stein, of Chicago. In 1867 he removed to Woodstock, where he continued the manufacture of cigars. After fourteen months of wedded life, his wife Eliza- beth died, Oct. 24, 1867, in Woodstock. Sept. 22, 1870, he married Katherine Stein, a sister of his former wife, and a daughter of Charles and Magdelene Stein. Mr. iStein, the father of Mrs. Renich, was a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, who came to Chicago in 1835 and was one of the early settlers and a pioneer tavern-keeper in that city. Mr. Stein held the office of Street Com- missioner in Chicago at an early date, and was one of the eight founders of the St. Paul's Evangelical Society, the oldest German church society in Chicago. This society now occupies the southwest corner of Ohio and LaSalle Streets with a splendid church edifice. In poli- tics he was a Democrat and contemporaneous with "Long" John Wentworth. He died in Blue Island, Cook County, in 1882, aged sixty- six years. His daughter Catherine, who be- came Mrs. Renich, was born and brought up in Chicago, and has a vivid recollection of scenes and incidents connected with her girlhood life in that city. Among these is the hearing of both Lincoln and Douglas speak from the bal- cony of the old Tremont House. After a career of some twenty years as a wholesale tobacconist and manufacturer of ci- gars — during which time he employed as high as twenty men at one time, the product of his factory enjoying an enviable reputation — Fred. Renich discontinued the manufacture of cigars. In October, 1885, he became the editor and proprietor of the "McHenry County Volks- blatt," since changed to the name "Das Volks- blatt." Uuder his management the paper pros- pered and secured a wide circulation among the Germans of McHenry and adjoining coun- ties. Mr. Renich was a member of the German Presbyterian church, honest and upright, and highly respected. Politically he was a stanch Democrat, and fraternally a Mason, being a member of Calvary Comxaandery, No. 25, Knights Templar. During his residence in Woodstock he was a member of the City Coun- cil two or three terms, and also a member of the Board of Education. He died of a sun- stroke at Rockford, 111., June 28, 1890, aged forty-eight years, leaving a wife and seven children: Charles F. ; Charlotte, now Mrs. P. Benjamin Anderson; Frederick L., now bus- iness manager of the newspaper interests; Mary E., at present in her third year as a student at the State Normal Institute at Nor- mal, 111.; Edward A., a student at the Uni- versity of Illinois, at Champaign, 111.; Amanda B. and Katherine, both attending the Wood- stock High School. 952 McHENRY COUNTY. Charles F. Renich, the oldest of this family, whose name heads this article, was born at Woodstock, 111., Dec. 19, 1871, and received his education in the public schools of that city When about 16 years of age he was taken into his father's office to learn the newspaper busi- ness, beginning at the bottom. His father hav- ing died when he was a little over eighteen years of age, he succeeded to the management of "Das Volksblatt," which he continued until the accession of his brother Frederick to the concern. In May, 1895, he formed a co-part- nership with Mr. Benedict Stupfel, of Wood- stock, and they established themselves, under the firm name of Stupfel & Renich, in the grocery business. After a few years Mr. Stup- fel retired from the business, Mir. Renich continuing it alone. A year later he associ- ated himself in the same establishment with Mr. Stark L. Hart, which firm still continues in business. In December, 1899, Mr. Renich was appointed Postmaster for the City of Woodstock, receiv- ing his commission from President William 7>IcKinley. November 14, 1894, he was married at Barrington, 111., to Miss Lucy H. Hennings, a daughter of Charles C. and Caroline (Mund- henk) Hennings. Mrs. Renich was born at Palatine, 111., Sept. 30, 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Renich have one child, Florence, born March 14, 1896. Mr. Renich is a member of the Masonic order, affiliated with St. Mark's Lodge at Wood- stock, and also identified with several other orders. In politics he is a zealous Repub- lican and has always taken an active interest in matters political, especially in association with the younger men of his section of the State. His active business career, upon which he entered while many young men of his age were still in school, coupled with his straight- forward character, has won for him the con- fidence of the community and a high degree of popularity, especially among his German fellow-citizens. GEORGE F. RUSHTON. George F. Rushton is one of McHenry Coun- ty's respected and representative citizens; his private character is one to be emulated; his public record is without a blemish. Through- out his life he has been actuated by pure mo- tives and manly principles, and by following a fixed purpose to make the most and best of himself, he has overcome many difficulties and risen step by step to a place of influence and honor among public-spirited men. A na- tive of the "Badger State," he was born in Walworth County, Wis., Sept. 27, 1855, the son of Charles and Susan (Mabbott) Rushton. He was reared on the farm and, from early boy- hood, trained to habits of industry. He re- ceived his education in the district school, Sharon Academy and the Northern Indiana Normal College at Valparaiso, Ind. For sev- eral winters he taught in the district schools of McHenry County, and worked at farm labor during the intervening summer months. He taught the village school at Alden two winter terms, one term in the vil- lage school at Chemung, also one term in Dunham, and the remainder of the time in Al- den Township. In 1881 he engaged in the "United States railway mail service, his route being from Chi- cago to Minneapolis over the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad. He continued on this route three years, and was then pro- moted to a higher grade in the service, and transferred to the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, making the run between Chicago and Green Bay. In 1888 he contracted a se- vere case of typhoid fever, and for three years did not regain his health sufficiently to resume work, and has never since recovered the de- gree of health he formerly enjoyed. In 1893 Mr. Rushton was elected Supervisor of Alden Township and served until 1894. In November, 1894, he was elected County Clerk of McHenry County, on the Republican ticket, by a majority of 1,600 votes, filling this im- portant office so much to the satisfaction of the people that he was re-elected in 1898 by a majority of 2,000, and in March, 1902, re- ceived the nomination for a third term. That Mr. Rushton has proved himself to be an ef- ficient officer is best shown by the confidence reposed in him by the electors of McHenry County. In this connection it may be said of him that, in all of his public life, he has studied and endeavored to advance the best interests of his county, and displayed a com- mendable trustworthiness and fidelity in his official position. Mr. Rushton has been a Re- McHENRY COUNTY. 95: publican since first taking any part in politics, having cast his first vote for President Hayes. Always a consistent and earnest supporter of his party, his opinions carry weight with them, and he is regarded as an influential adherent of Republicanism. Fraternally he is a mem- mer of the Blue Lodge, Woodstock Command- ery, the Modern Woodmen of American, Inde- pendent Order of Foresters and Court of Hon- or — all of Woodstock — and also of Bay Tree Camp at Alden. He has held several import- ant offices in his lodges, and, at the present time, is Chief Ranger in the Independent Order of Foresters of Woodstock. Mr. Rush- ton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Woodstock, in which he is one of the trustees. He is also a member of a Layman Committee of five, representing Rockford Dis- trict on publications, and is President of the Grant County Land & Live Stock Company, a company composed of Woodstock capitalists who own a large tract of land in Grant County, South Dakota, and are engaged in raising live stock and grain, and is one of the Di- rectors of the American National Bank of Woodstock, 111. Like many other successful men of McHenry County, Mr. Rushton learned, in his youth, to depend upon himself. He spent his boyhood and youth in the usual manner of most farm lads, and when quite young, engaged at farm labor for a small compensation. Personally he is a courteous gentleman and genial towards all who call at his office for business informa- tion or a personal interview. He stands de- servedly high in the estimation of his fellow- citizens and has done his share in promoting the best interests of McHenry County. CHARLES RUSHTON. Charles Rushton, one of the highly respected pioneer settlers in Chemung and Alden Town- ships, McHenry County, is of English birth. He was born at Newark, Nottinghamshire, Eng- land, Sept. 8, 1825, the son of John and Ann (Stuffings) Rushton. His parents spent their entire lives in Newark, England, which had been the home of the family for generations. John Rushton, the father of Charles Rush- ton, was a wool merchant in early life, and at one time was a well-to-do man, but later lost his property. September 20, 1821, he married Miss Ann Stuffings, and lived in Newark, but in later life moved to Nottinghamshire, where they passed the remainder of their lives. He died in Nottinghamshire when about fifty years of age, and his wife died at the age of about forty-five. They were the parents of William, born Oct. 20, 1823; Charles, born Sept. 8, 1825, and Sophia, born Feb. 4, 1830. Charles Rushton received a limited educa- tion in the common schools of his native town, and when about eleven years of age, engaged to tend sheep on a farm for sixpence per day. He soon began to work at farm labor and, when a large, strong boy, received about $15 per year, and later, when a full-grown man, received but $75 per year for hard farm labor. He continued at this kind of work until he came to America, in the meantime being employed by several different farmers in Lincolnshire. On May 19, 1851, when twenty-six years of age, he married, at Kirby Green, in Lincolnshire, England, Susan Mab- bott, born at Kirby Green, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Kennedy) Mabbott. Thomas Mabbott was born at Kirby Green, and his children were: Ann, Mary and Susan. He lived to be about sixty-five years of age, and both he and his wife died at the same time and were buried together. The family were all members of the Church of England. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Rushton came directly to America, sailing from Liverpool, England, in a sailing vessel, the "Waterloo Red Star," and were five weeks on the passage. They arrived in New York, July 3, 1851, and came directly to Albany by steamboat, thence by rail to Buffalo, and by lake steamer to Milwaukee, completing the journey with a farm wagon to Walworth County, Wis., where, at Douglass Corners, Mr. and Mrs. Rushton had acquaintances among the early settlers. Mr. Rushton engaged there at farm work for two years and then rented land. He had made two settlements in McHenry County, return- ing each time to Walworth County, Wis., but in 1866 he made his permanent settlement in Illinois. He rented land in Alden Town- ship two years, then purchased a farm of seventy-three and a half acres, upon which he made good improvements and which he still owns. Mr. Rushton lived on his farm 954 McHENRY COUNTY. until 1894, when he retired from active life and then removed to Woodstock. Mr. and Mrs. Rushton were the parents of the fol- lowing named children, all of whom were born in Walworth County, Wis.: Thomas H., born April 2, 1852; George F., born Sept. 27, 1855; Mary A.; Sarah E., died Oct. 30, 1859, and Carrie M. The parents were both members of the Methodist church in which Mr. Rushton had been a trustee for several years. Politically Mr. Rushton believes in the principles ad- vocated by the Republican party. He has al- ways been an industrious and hard-working man, upright and honest in character. By all his acquaintances he is held in high esteem as a man of honor, and one whose ex- cellent qualities have won for him the confi- dence and respect of all who know him. Concerning Mr. Rushton's children, the fol- lowing is of interest: Mary A. received her educational training at the Sharon Academy and Harvard High School, and later attended the Chicago University. She taught school in Alden Township about five years, in De Kalb eight years, and in Harvey, Cook County, four years. She is now (1903) engaged as a teacher in Woodstock, where she is held in high esteem for her abilities as an educator and her excellent traits of character. Thomas J. Rushton received his education at the Shar- on Academy, and at the University of Law of Iowa, and also read law with Judge Smith of Woodstock. He is now a successful lawyer of Elgin, 111., and has been Judge of the Po- lice Court for several years. Carrie May re- ceived a good education at the Elgin Academy, and afterwards remained at home and cared for her mother, who had been an invalid for several years. George F. Rushton is County Clerk of McHenry County. OSee sketch in this volume.) The Rushton family came from the middle class of England, from which many of our best colonial families descended. They were members of the Church of England, and their ancestral records are preserved in the Parish church in England. Mrs. Rushton died Sept. 12, 1902. thomas Mcdonough richards. Thomas McDonough Richards, who was an early settler in McHenry County, 111., and is at this time a prominent citizen of Woodstock, is descended from colonial ancestors in Massa- chusetts, who traced their lineage to Welsh and English stock. Ezra Richards, father of Thomas McDonough Richards, was born in Bridgewater, Mass. He located at Plainfield, Hampshire County, Mass., married Martha Nash, and there farmed and worked at his trade as wheel-wright, making many spinning wheels, both large and small. He removed to Ham- ilton Township, Madison County, N. Y., on a comparatively new farm which he improved, and on which he lived over a half century, until his death in 1884. Besides Thomas Mc- Donough Richards, Ezra and Martha (Nash) Richards had other children named: Rhoda, Noble F., Thomas J., Solomon N, Lawrence C, Jeanette, John B. and Martha A. — all of whom, except Martha A. and the subject of this sketch, were born in Massachusetts. Ezra Richards was a hard-working, strictly honor- able man who was highly respected by all who knew him. He was an old line Whig, and always voted the Whig ticket. Thomas McDonough Richards was born in the town of Hamilton, Madison County, N. Y., April 18, 1819. He received his primary ed- ucation in the public schools and attended a select school at Earlville three winter terms, and later was a student, during two winter terms of fifteen weeks each, at Clinton Lib- eral Institute, working on his father's farm between terms. One of his teachers at the institute was Prof. George R. Perkins, author of several books on higher mathematics and a leading mathematician of his day, under whose instruction young Richards made good ad- vancement in his mathematical studies. In the winter of 1840 Mr. Richards began teaching school at Hamilton, N. Y. In the summer of 1841 he took charge of a school in Brown County, Ohio, where he taught suc- cessfully for four years and a half. Several of his Ohio pupils became prominent in after life, among them being Judge Clinton Loudon, a veteran of the Mexican War who served with the rank of Colonel in the Civil War. and was afterwards distinguished as a jurist, and who maintained a correspondence witb Mr Richards during his life. In 1845 Mr. Richards returned to New York State and farmed the J^u O^Jk^&J^^^o McHENRY COUNTY. 955 family homestead that year. In the spring of 1846 he came to Illinois, journeying as far as Buffalo on the Erie Canal and thence by steamer by way of the lakes to Chicago, arriv- ing at Marengo, McHenry County, in May. He bought 160 acres of land in Seneca Town- ship, one-third of which was quite heavily timbered and the remainder prairie, forty acres cf which had been put under the plow. He repaired a log house and made some improve- ments and, in the fall, went back to Brown County, Ohio, and taught his old school there during the succeeding "winter. In the spring of 1847 he came back to McHenry County and was there married on June 14, following, to Julia Antoinette Webb, who was born in Co- lumbia County, N. Y., in 1824. Mrs. Richards' father, S. P. Webb, came of an old New Eng- land family and located in New York State early in life. His first wife died in Columbia County, N. Y., and by a second marriage he had children named: Julia A. (Mrs. Richards), George W., Pollie M., Albert and Elias H. The only issue by his first marriage was a son named Sylvester T. During the pioneer days in Wisconsin, Mr. Webb located at Lowville, where he died at the age of eighty years. He was a respected citizen and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Richards brought his bride from her old home in Wisconsin to the home he had pre- pared for her in Illinois, in a lumber-wagon drawn by two horses, and they were three days on the way. He had journeyed to and fro on horse-back during the days of his court, ship, through country so sparsely settled that, >at one point, a space of seventeen miles inter- vened between settlers' houses. They kept house in Mr. Richards' log cabin from 1847 to 1856, when they moved into a new frame house which was then completed. This farm he carried on for 33 years. They prospered so well that in time Mr. Richards came to own about 300 acres of land. Mr. and Mrs. Rich- ards had children named: Ada R., George B., Louis H., Charles L. and Hattie — of whom the last mentioned died in infancy. Mrs. Julia Antoinette (Webb) Richards was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, a woman of rare gifts and a natural leader. An early and prominent member of the "Seneca Ladies' Lit- erary Society," she served for many years either as its Secretary or President. This society (in 1903 nearly a half century old) is still nourishing, and owns a large and valu- able library. Its members, in honor of their former associate and leader, strew flowers upon her grave annually. She was a model teacher for a number of years in the Infant Class in the Franklinville Methodist Episcopal Sunday School. During the war of the Re- bellion two of her brothers rendered valuable service in the field to the cause of the Union. To know her always led to respect and admir- ation of her character. Her hand and brain were employed for the public good and, under her leadership, the Ladies' Literary Society and citizens of Seneca, during the Civil War, sent many a parcel to comfort and cheer the "Boys in Blue." Mr. Richards' second marriage was in 1883 to Martha J. (Williamson) Streets, widow of John W. Streets, who died in 1876, at Crete, 111., where his wife had been reared. Previous to her last marriage she was a resident of Seneca and a near neighbor of Mr. Richards. She took a prominent part in social affairs and became a leading member of the Ladies' Liter- ary Society, as the first Mrs. Richards had been before her. She was also an active mem- ber of the Chautauqua Assembly of Monona Lake, Wis., for a number of years. Her death occurred August 17, 1897. Mr. Richards retains his mental faculties to a wonderful degree and has lost none of his old enthusiasm for mathematics. His interest in the public schools of Seneca Township was active and beneficial, and he assisted in form- ing a large district, where he was School Director for twenty years. In 1854 he was elected County Surveyor of McHenry County and filled that office two years. By request of the Supervisors he purchased and kept the first Surveyor's Record of McHenry County. He has been several times appointed Deputy County Surveyor, and is serving in that po- sition at this time under County Surveyor C. H. Tryon, and from time to time does active work in the office. He has several times been Supervisor of his township and has, in all ways at his command, encouraged its development and -prosperity. 95(5 McHENRY COUNTY. George B. Richards, son of Thomas McDon- ough Richards, was born in McHenry County, Jan. 2, 1850, and was educated in the dis- trict schools, the high school at Sycamore, 111., and the State University at Champaign, 111. At twenty years of age he began teach- ing in the district schools of Seneca Township. He did farm work during the summer months until he completed his education. He married in Seneca Township, April 8, 1874, Miss Ida Chase, who was born in the State of New York, a daughter of Isaiah G. and Amanda (Hoyt) Chase. For a time after his marriage he was a merchant at Rowley, Iowa. Returning to Illinois he bought the interest of his brother Charles in the Richards homestead, on which he lived until 1896, when he was elected Cir- cuit Clerk and Recorder of McHenry County. He is a Republican, influential in county poli- tics, having served as Township Clerk, and for twelve years Supervisor of Seneca Township, and several terms as tax collector. He is a Knight Templar Mason, of Calvary Command- ery, No. 25, Woodstock, and has held all offices in Saint Mark's Lodge, No. 63, A. F. & A. M., including those of Junior and Senior Warden and Master; has passed the chair of Noble Grand in Coral Lodge, I. O. O. F., Woodstock; and is a member of the orders of Foresters, Modern Americans, Court of Honor and Knights of the Globe. George B. and Ida (Chase) Richards have children named Charles A., Edith, Don, Effie, Lynn W., Waite W., Ada and J. Glenn. FREDERICK ROWLEY. Frederick Rowley, an early settler of Mc- Henry County, is a son of Amos Rowley, one of the pioneer settlers of Du Page County, 111. The Rowley family were among the early set- tlers of New York, and the grandfather, Amos Rowley, was a farmer in Chenango County of that State. His children were: Joseph, Jacob, Solomon, Joel, Judah, William and Amos. The father, Amos Rowley, was born in Chemung County, N. Y., raised on a farm, re- ceived a common-school education and married Lucy Ann Vaughn, who was born in Chemung County. Her parents were of Holland-Dutch and Scotch ancestry and were early settlers of New York. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Amos Rowley settled on the old Rowley homestead in the town of Big Flats, Chemung County, N. Y., which is still in the possession of their descendants. They were the parents of Dyer, Frederick, Elizabeth, Vincent, Amanda, John, Charles and Mary Ann. Mr. Rowley moved to Illinois about 1840, making the journey with horses and wagon to Buffalo, where he shipped his team by way of the lakes to Chicago, the family coming by the same route as far as Milwaukee. The children be- ing taken sick at Milwaukee, the ramily were obliged to stop there and finish the journey by wagon to Du Page County, where Mr. Row- ley settled on land two miles west of Naper- ville. After making this his home for two years, he moved to Algonquin Township (now Crystal Lake), McHenry County, afterward3 purchasing land in Nunda Township, which is the farm now owned by his son Charles. Mr. Rowley made extensive improvements upon his land and enjoyed the comforts of a pleasant home during the remainder of his life, dying at the age of sixty years. Mr. Rowley was an industrious and reputable citizen and was a member of the Baptist church for more than fifty years. Frederick Rowley, born in Chemung County, N. Y., was reared on a farm and was about sixteen years of age when his parents came to Illinois. He was fond of hunting, and on his journey to Illinois traded a watch for a gun, from which he derived a great deal of pleasure killing prairie chickens and other game. He attended the public school at Crystal Lake, Dr. Ballou of Nunda being his teacher, and in Nunda Township, Feb. 10, 1853, he married Charlotte A. Palmer, born at Portage, Living- ston County, N. Y., July 3, 1863, the daughter of Gustavus A. and Henrietta (Gerheart) Pal- mer, a family of Puritan ancestry and among the early settlers of Connecticut. Gustavus Palmer was a farmer in Livingston County, N. Y., and a native of the same State. He and Mrs. Palmer were the parents of John H. and Charlotte A. In the fall of 1841 they moved from New York to Crystal Lake, 111., making the journey in three weeks with a team of horses and a covered wagon, shipping their goods by way of the lakes. Mr. Palmer first entered eighty acres of land, upon which he built a small frame house and through industry, economy and good management, added to his original purchase until he owned over 300 acres. He lived on the old home- J/L^ A te^t**^. 1H01*« McHENRY COUNTY. 957 stead the remainder of his life, dying in De- cember, 1884, aged eighty years. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Rowley moved to Iowa, starting from Nunda Township, June 16, 1853, with a team of horses and covered wagon ,and taking with them all the provisions they could carry besides several necessary household utensils, including a cook-stove, which they bought in Elgin, 111. Mr. Rowley had eighty dollars in cash and Mrs. Rowley about twenty dollars, which had been given her by her father. They crossed the Mississippi River at Dubuque, Iowa, arriv- ing at their destination July 2, 1853, after a journey of three weeks from Nunda Township. On the way they enjoyed the hospitality of friendly settlers with whom they spent their nights. Here Mr. Rowley bought a claim (sec- ond-hand) consisting of 300 acres at $1.25 per acre, after making the first payment having but five dollars left, built a log cabin, and he and his helpful wife went cheerfully to work to build up a home. Game was plentiful; seldom a day passed without deer being in sight, and Mr. Rowley being an expert marks- man, venison constituted their meat for a long time. The first meat for domestic use they had was half of a pig's head, which Mr. Rowley obtained by walking seven miles. Fortunately they carried their seed potatoes with them and during the first season raised a good crop. Postage in those days was very high, and owing to the scarcity of money, news from home was not frequent. Mr. Rowley hauled the first load of lumber from Yellow River to Waukon, Alamakee County, Iowa, which was used in building the first store at Waukon. Wages were very low, and Mr. Rowley worked with a good team through the first winter at $1.50 per day. They were among the first set- tlers and enjoyed pioneer life immensely. They found the people friendly and hospitable, and the remembrance of their struggles in Iowa is a source of great pleasure. They were there during the Indian troubles and during the Civil War, when many of the settlers sought shelter in the neighboring towns and forts, the women and children being taken to places of safety while the men guarded their homes and other property. Mr. Rowley and his wife spent six- teen years here, during which he improved his farm, but in 1858 sold out and returned to Illi- nois, where he purchased 140 acres of land in Nunda Township, and 130 acres in Dorr Town- ship. He and Mrs. Rowley lived here until 1899, when they moved to Nunda and retired from active life. They are the parents of three children: Henry, Lucy and Emma. In politics Mr. Rowley is a Republican. JOHN F. RANDALL. John F. Randall is a son of one of the pioneer settlers of Rutland, Kane County, 111., and a descendant of the old Randall family of New York. The father, Dr. Joseph Randall, was born in Orange County, N. Y., about 1795, and there he married Eleanor Fowler, born in the same county in 1799, and whose ancestors had long been settled in that State. Dr. Randall first settled in Orange County, and about 1825 moved to Canada, where he lived about fifteen years on a farm near Toronto, when he re- moved to Michigan and settled on land near Detroit. In June, 1840 ; he moved to Kane County, 111., and bought 100 acres of land from the United States Government. He improved this land, erected on it good buildings and added to the original purchase until he owned 146 acres. Dr. Randall was one of the pioneer physicians of Kane County, and, in the pioneer days, practiced over an extensive territory. He was famous for his skill in the treatment of children's diseases, and was well known throughout his section. He died on the farm aged about sixty-nine years. The Doctor was a member of the Methodist church when young, but later united wtih the Congrega- tional church. Politically he was a Republi- can, but previous to the organization of that party, an old-line Whig. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and served on Staten Island in the defense of New York City. His broth- ers and sister were named: James, John, William, David and Katie. Dr. and Mrs. Ran- dall were the parents of ten children, who, in the order of their birth, were named as fol- lows: Mary, Matilda, Jane, James, Eleanor, Felix, Joseph, Catherine, William, John and Jacob. John F. Randall was born near Toronto, Canada, May 27, 1836, and came to Michigan with his parents when about two years old. The journey was made with a wagon and a yoke of oxen, the parents being accompanied by all of their children, except Mary, who was 958 McHENRY COUNTY. then a married woman, William who died in infancy, and Jacob who was born in Illinois. The family camped out of nights during the journey. Dr. Randall had built a log house on his land in the early spring before the family moved, but it had no roof, floor or door, and the mother and children slept in the ox-wagon for some time after their arrival. John Ran- dall remembers the pioneer school, taught by Alexander Adams, which he attended when only eight years old. Among his schoolmates were Felix and Joseph Randall. Mr. Randall attended the district school during the winter season, until he was about twenty years of age, and then spent one term at the Marengo Academy. He then taught school in his home district one winter term. Mr. Randall was brought up on a farm and married at Elgin, 111., Oct. 6, 1862, Esther A. Huntington, born June 3, 1844, at Harmony, McHenry County, 111 the daughter of Calvin and Ann Lida (Braught) Huntington. Calvin Huntington was born in Oneida Coun- ty, N. Y., July 29, 1806, the son of Calvin, Sr., and Elizabeth (Campbell) Huntington. The Huntingtons were of old colonial Puritan stock, and emigrated from England. Calvin Huntington, iSr., moved as a pioneer from Vermont to Oneida County, N. Y., and cleared up a farm. In his old age he came to Illinois with his son Calvin, and died in Mc- Henry County, when about seventy years old. His children were: William, Luther, Levi, Alma, Phoebe and Ruth. Mrs. Huntington died at the advanced age of eighty-five years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Huntington were members of the Methodist church. Calvin Huntington, the father of Mrs. Ran- dall, received a common-school education and learned the carpenter's trade. He married in Oneida County, N. Y., Ann Lida Braught, born in New York State, of Holland-Dutch parent- age. Their children were: Harriet, Alfred, who died at about two years of age; Almira, Hannah, George, Emily, Esther, and three others (Eunice, Amanda and John Calvin), who died when young. Mr. Huntington settled in Oneida County, N. Y., and later, in 1837, moved to Illinois, making the journey by the lakes to Chicago, and thence by team to Har- mony, Coral Township, McHenry County, where he made a claim of 120 acres of land, partly timber and partly prairie, which bo afterwards bought of the United States Gov- ernment. At first he built a log shanty and later a log house, in which he lived for several years, and then built a frame house. Mr. and Mrs. Huntington were both members of the Methodist church. The pioneer school houso was built on Mr. Huntington's land, and in it the early Methodist meetings were held. Previous to this, however, the earliest Methodist circuit-rider preached in the Huntington log cabin. Mr. Huntington was an early class-leader, otherwise taking an active interest in the church and liberally assisting in building the first Methodist church edifice in Harmony. He lived to the venerable age of ninety-one years, and died Dec. 31, 1897. When Mr. Huntington first settled in Coral Township he had no neighbors nearer than three miles. One son, George Huntington, served in the Civil War, being mustered into the Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and serving to the end of the war. He participated in many bat- tles and veteranized after the expiration of his first term of enlistment. Felix Randall, a brother of John F., also served during the war in a Missouri regiment. Mr. and Mrs. Randall settled after marriage in Rutland and lived there until 1871. They added to their farm until they owned 186 acres. In 1871 they moved to Huntley where they built a pleasant residence, in which they still reside. Both Mr. and Mrs. Randall have been members of the Methodist church for more than thirty years, and have always contributed liberally towards its support. Their children are: Lida E. and Helen G., besides three who died in infancy. Politically Mr. Randall is a Republican and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. He is a well-known citizen and held the office of Police Magistrate for two years. DAVID REDPATH. David Redpath, Civil War veteran and prom- inent farmer, Marengo, McHenry County, is a substantial citizen of the place, owning several large, well-improved farms, from which he is deriving a good income. He was born Feb. 15, 1845, the son of Alexander and Ann (Pringle) Redpath. David Redpath (1), grandfather of David (2), whose name heads this sketch, was a Scotch- man by birth, who, in his native country, fol- lowed farming. He married and had four McHENRY COUNTY. 959 children, all of whom settled in America: Robert, near Brantford, Canada, where he died, leaving one child Emma; David, in California, where he drove with an ox-team, and where he died, leaving, it is believed, two children; and Sarah, who married a Mr. Hudson, and settled in Michigan. Alexander is mentioned below. The parents of these died in Scotland. Alexander Redpath, father of David (2), a mine owner and farmer, was a man of good ability and great energy. Born in Scotland in 1811, he there received a good common-school education, evincing a taste for good literature and mathematics. In 1838, at the age of twen- ty-seven, he came to Canada, where he met Robert Pringle, with whom for many years he was associated as a laborer. After a short stay in Canada, they went to New Orleans, and from there to Bath County, Ky., where they re- mained several years, filling during this time a contract on a turnpike. Severing the con- nection with Mr. Pringle, Mr. Redpath later went to Ohio, where he assisted in the con- struction of another turnpike; but soon after- ward, urged by Patterson Pringle, he returned to Kentucky, and entered into negotiations for some lead mines in Illinois, eighteen miles from Galena. Making a success of the venture, they engaged in lead-mining for about eight years. Coming to McHenry County in 1845, Mr. Redpath purchased a partly improved 120- acre tract of land (one-half of the Enos Pease farm) two and a half miles northeast of Mar- engo, where he settled in 1847, and engaged in farming. He greatly improved his property, erecting on it good buildings, and here re- mained for the rest of his active life. He died on his farm in 1877 at the age of sixty-six years. About 1842 Mr. Redpath married Ann Prin- gle, daughter of John and Lydia Pringle. Mrs. Redpath, who was a devout member of the Presbyterian church, died in August, 1898. Of this union there were six children: Sidney, born in Elizabeth, 111., died there at the age of two years; David, mentioned below; John P., born on the Marengo farm, in 1848; Sarah, born in 1850 ; Robert, born in 1853, and George W., in 1860. John P. and Sarah both died in 1856. Mr. Redpath's successes were due to his courage, untiring energy, and happy faculty of readily grasping the opportunities life offered. He was a man of strong religious convictions, and one of the original first thirteen members of the First Presbyterian Church of Marengo. He carried his religion into the every day affairs of life, was a good citizen, and a man of absolutely abstemious habits. David Redpath (2) was taken to the Marengo farm when about two and a half years old, and in the common schools of that neighborhood received his early education, which he later supplemented by a year's course in a high school, the same period at Dr. Miller's select school, and one year in' Clark's Seminary — now Jennings Seminary, Aurora. Reared to farm work, upon reaching manhood he made that occupation the main business of his life. At. Marengo, May 1, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company F., One Hundred and Forty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, for one hundred days' service. Much of the time of service of the regiment was spent on guard duty, about Columbus, Ky., finally receiving its discharge at Chicago, after serving five months. In Marengo Township, March 26, 1872, Mr. Redpath married Jeannette Purves, who is mentioned more fully under the sketch of An- drew and Eliza (Swift) Purves. Mrs. Redpath died about three and a half years after mar- riage, and in Woodstock, Sept. 13, 1879, he was married to Mary A. Lindsay, who was born in Dorr Township, Oct. 15, 1845, the daughter of Thomas and Marian Lindsay. (See sketch of Thomas and Marian Lindsay elsewhere in this volume.) By the first marriage there were three children, all of whom have now reached maturity: Lizzie Ann, who was reared by her grandmother Redpath; Grace, by her mother's sisters, the Misses Purves; and William P., who was but three days old when his mother died, and was reared by his grandmother Red- path. By the second marriage there were also three children: Charles L., Maggie M. and Fannie. About 1870 Mr. Redpath purchased of the Government 160 acres of wild land in Polk County, Neb., where he erected a comfortable frame house, and here, after his first marriage, he settled, and began making improvements. Another 160 acres joining the first tract he homesteaded, making another valuable farm. After the death of his first wife, he returned to Marengo, and there engaged in selling wood for some time with good results. Then in 960 McHENRY COUNTY. 1883 he purchased the family homestead, where he settled and followed farming successfully for about fifteen years. In 1899 he returned to Marengo, buying a pleasant home there, where he still lives. He has since purchased the old home farm two ,and a half miles north of Mar- engo, which he has improved, and which, em- bracing 144 acres, is now" considered one of the most valuable pieces of property in the vi- cinity. As a farmer he has been a prudent manager, and has kept steadily on the up-hill road. Besides his property in McHenry Coun ty, 111., he still owns his two farms in Nebras- ka, from which he derives a good income. Mr. Redpath has evinced practical common- sense in his business methods. He was a good soldier, and has won deserved respect as a citizen. While in Nebraska he served as Post- master of Redville, an office now discontinued. The Presbyterian church of Marengo counts him among its most esteemed and substantial members. Politically he affiliates with the Re- publican party. HORACE G. READING. Horace G. Reading, of Solon Mills, McHenry County, is descended from one of the early set- tlers of McHenry County, with which the fam- ily has been identified for the last half century. His father, William A. Reading, born at Hackettstown, N. J., Sept. 17, 1822, was of German descent and a wagon-maker by trade. Having lost his father by death in childhood, he went at an early age to the State of New York, in the meanwhile receiving only a moderate education. In January, 1850, he married at Spencer, Tioga County, N. Y., Sarah E. Giles, who was born at that place Dec. 12, 1827, the daughter of Horace and Esther Giles. Mr. Giles was an officer in the State militia and known as Colonel Giles. After marriage William A. Reading settled near his wife's parents in Tioga County, where he engaged in business as a wagon-maker. In 1853 he moved to McHenry County, 111., by way of Chicago, going directly to Woodstock, where he soon after bought a farm two and a half miles south of Woodstock. This he afterwards sold and, in the spring of 1858, bought the farm on which his son Horace G. now resides. Mrs. Reading died Sept. 7, 1862, and in October, 1863, Mr. Reading married, in Woodstock, Emma C. Orvis, the daughter of Simeon Orvis. The children by the first marriage were: Horace G., Montgomery D., William F. and Sarah E., and those by the second marriage, Simeon A. and Angeline A. Politically Mr. Reading was a Democrat. Horace G. Reading was born on the Giles homestead, in Tioga County, N. Y., Oct. 4, 1850, and was three years of age when his parents moved to McHenry County. Here he grew up among the pioneer residents of the locality, receiving a common-school education, and was early initiated into the liie of a farmer. When he had reached eighteen years of age, he began to work out for wages, and when about twenty-one he worked at La- Grange, 111., for some eight months; then, re- turning to Solon, McHenry County, he began farming on rented land. He was married Oct. 4, 1876, at Woodstock, to Alice Effie Gardner, who was born near Solon Mills, Sept. 21, 1858, the daughter of Alexander and Sallie (Miller) Gardner. Alexander Gardner was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, Jan. 31, 1812. When about four years of age he came with his par- ents to Dundee, Canada, and entered the United States in 1835. He married Sally Mil- ler at Miller's Grove, in 1839, and settled in McHenry County. Mrs. Gardner was born in New York State, on the banks of the Susque- hanna River, April 18, 1819, and spent the early years of her life in Southern Indiana. She came with her brother to Miller's Grove, Cook County, 111., in 1833. This was two years be- fore the expiration of the Indian Rights in this region, and for more than a year she saw no white woman except her mother and her sister. She died at Woodstock, Jan. 30, 1873. Mr. Gardner was one of the gold-seekers in 1849, spending three years on the Pacific Coast. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were: Mary, Jesse, Mercy Ann, Alexander, Alice Effie and Levi Addison. Mr. Gardner died at his home in Woodstock, 111., June 5, 1875. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Reading settled on a farm northwest of and near Solon Mills, where they continued to live nearly two years. On Feb. 14, 1879, he bought forty acres of the "Weller farm," and later sixty acres of the "Andrew Bowen farm," increasing his real estate in 1898 by the purchase of eighty acres of the old Reading homestead, upon which he now resides. He has won a reputation in McHENRY COUNTY. 961 the community for industry and business energy, which has been rewarded by success. Mr. and Mrs. Reading have had two chil- dren: Walter F., born Sept. 12, 1877, and Alice E., born Dec. 19, 1879. Walter F. is a graduate of the Hebron High School and is a practical farmer. He married Sadie Jones of Dodgeville, Wis., Dec. 31, 1898, and they have two children, Gladys and Erne. The daughter Alice E. is a graduate of the Richmond High School, class of 1898. In politics Mr. Reading is a Republican and is a representative citizen of his township. WILLIAM REED William Reed, retired farmer, Harvard, Mc- Henry County, 111., was born Feb. 22, 1825, at Leeds, England, the son of James and Ann (Hall) Reed, who became early settlers of Mc- Henry County, 111. James Reed, the father, was a cloth-dresser in a woolen mill at Leeds, and belonged to an old Yorkshire family. His children, all born in Yorkshire, were: William; John; Elizabeth, who married Elijah Bower; Mary, became the wife of John Sills; Sarah, married George Turner, and Martha, married John Jones and died in Jersey City, N. J. James Reed, the father, came to America in 1840, bringing his family with him and making the journey from Liverpool to New York in a sailing vessel, the voyage across the Atlantic, on account of stormy weather, occupying a per- iod of three months. After his arrival in Amer- ica, Mr. Reed first located at Northampton, Mass., where he was employed for a short time in a woolen mill, but later removed to South- bridge, where he worked two years. In 1843 he came west by way of the lakes to Southport — now Kenosha — Wis., thence going to Rich- mond Township, McHenry County, 111., where he settled on a tract of 160 acres of land. This land was entirely unimproved, and was Anally entered by him at the Government Land Office at $1.25 per acre, besides forty acres, which he entered for his son William. Mr. Reed im- proved his land, erected on it good buildings and had begun to acquire more property, when, in 1846, he died at the age of about sixty-five years. He was a member ot the Church of England, an industrious citizen and reared a respectable family. William Reed, the subject of this sketch, re- ceived a common school education in England and, at the age of twelve years, began work- ing in a woolen mill in his native city of Leeds. He was about fourteen years of age when his parents removed to America, and he has a lively recollection of the voyage across the At- lantic. Soon after coming to America he began working in a woolen mill at Southbridge, Mass.. where his father was employed, later accom- panying his parents to Illinois, where, as al- ready stated, his father entered forty acres of land for him. He then worked with his father in improving the farm, and, on the death of the latter some three years after coming to Illinois, being the oldest male member of the family, assumed charge of the farm and family affairs. When about twenty-seven years of age Mr. Reed was married at Tryon's Corners, McHen- ry County, to Sarah Sargent, who was born in, Cornwall, England, the daughter of Stacy and Sarah Sargent. The father, Stacy Sargent, who was a sailor in his native country, died there, leaving some property, after which his widow came to America with her two daughters, Sa- rah and Mary. Mrs. Sargent married Jacob Val- kenburg in New York State, and they later came to McHenry County, 111., where they set- tled on a tract of eighty acres of land near Tryon's Corners. Still later they removed to the State of Missouri, where she died. William Reed and wife, after their marriage, bought sixty acres of land in Wisconsin on the state line just north of McHenry County, and, after living there three years, returned to Mc- Henry County, locating near Tryon's Grove. Here he bought eighty acres of land, and, on the removal of Mrs. Reed's mother to Missouri, bought her farm, then amounting to 140 acres. By persevering industry and good management during the next few years, he made several other additions to his landed estate until he was the owner of about 400 acres located in Richmond Township. Besides this he is the owner of a block of two acres in the village of Richmond, a house and lot in Ringwood and a 100-acre farm northeast of Woodstock, making a total of over 500 acres in McHenry County. Mr. Reed has prospered as the result of his strenuous industry, business sagacity and fru- gal habits. He and his wife are the parents of the following named children: Samuel; 962 McHENRY COUNTY. James, who died a married man at the age of thirty-two years; William H.; Elsie, who mar- ried Chester Valentine, and Frank. All the children still living are settled on land given them by their father. In politics Mr. Reed is a Republican and in religious belief and association a Methodist. Of frugal and industrious habits, he has spent his life quietly following his occupation as a tarmer, and has never aspired to or held office. Mrs. Reed died in July, 1897, and, on Oct. 16, 1902, he was married to Octavia Alvira Otis, who was the widow of Ebenezer Widger Otis, and the daughter of Charles Joseph and Bet- sy E. (Phorf) Williams. Her father, Charles J. Williams, was born Oct. 23, 1788, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812 under Gen. Wil- liam Henry Harrison, during which he partici- pated in the recapture of Detroit from the British and their Indian allies. He also took part in the naval engagement with the British on Lake Erie. He was a carpenter by trade, and a class leader and local preacher in the Methodist church. He lived in Richmond Township, McHenry County, a number of years, later he became a resident of Antioch, Lake County, 111., but finally removed to Berrien County, Mich., where, after a residence of four- teen years, he died, aged eighty-three years. His children were: Elizabeth, John, Susan, Sarah, Caroline, Ellen, Benjamin, Frances. Mariah, Charles, Octavia, Guy and Melissa — all of whom grew up to be respected citizens. Benjamin served as a soldier during the Mexi- can War, and died on his way home at Cov- ington, Ky. Octavia A. Williams, now Mrs. Reed, was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., July 28, 1836, and was nearly thirteen years old when her father came to Lake County, Mich. She married Ebenezer Widger Otis three months before she had reached her thirteenth year, and they settled on a farm of forty acres in Antioch Township, Lake County, and here the following named children were born: Benja- min C, Mary J., Betsy E., Sarah Amanda, Charles W., Wiliam R., Emma J. and Eben- ezer W., and here Mr. Otis died, aged seventy- one years. Soon after the Civil War, Mrs. Reed (then Mrs. Otis) went to Texas, where she was for fifteen years a trained nurse, during that time traveling extensively over the State and having many remarkable experiences. In the meantime she saved considerable money. Mr. and Mrs. Reed now reside in Harvard, McHenry County, where they have a good property. WILLIAM S. ROSS. William Swain Ross, a pioneer farmer of Coral Township, has proved himself a man of business capacity and energy, and has figured prominently in the public affairs of his locality. His intelligence, industry and thrift — traits which have thus brought him to the front — he has undoubtedly inherited from his well-bred and sturdy Scotch ancestors. The family was a noted one in Scotland and had a coat of arms, inscribed with the motto, "I abide my time." Representatives of the family in this country have been numerous, and have intermarried extensively, but have always been a healthy, vigorous race. The particular branch with which we have to deal is descended from one of four children, the sons being George, William and John, who came from Scotland to America at an early date. Mar- garet, a daughter, who remained in Douglas Balniel, Scotland, married James Dalrymple, Lord Viscount Stair, and she numbered among her grandchildren the famous leader of the Commonwealth, Oliver Cromwell. Her daugh- ter, Janet, who was at one time engaged to Lord Edgar Rutherford, the third, of Ravens- wood, eventually married David Dunbar, a bar- onet, of Baldoon. William Ross, a descendant of one of the three brothers mentioned above, and great- grandfather of both Mr. and Mrs. William S. Ross, was a pioneer settler of Monroe County, N. Y. Shortly after the American Revolution he moved by ox-team to Penfield, N. Y., where he settled upon a tract of wild land and began to make improvements. This place he event- ually converted into one of the most productive farms in that vicinity, where he became one of the substantial citizens. He died in Penfield and is buried in the cemetery there, where, during the past century, nearly two hundred of his kinsmen have been interred. In early man- hood Mr. Ross married Sarah Coon, and they had eight children: Samuel, the maternal grandfather of both Mr. and Mrs. William S. Ross; William, the paternal grandfather of McHENRY COUNTY. 963 Mrs. William S. Ross; Nathan, Thomas, Charles, Benjamin, Sallie, who married Samuel Primer; Abigail, who married a Mr. Worthing- ton, and Libbeus, who is mentioned below. Libbeus Ross, grandfather of William S. Ross, and a farmer by occupation, was prob- ably born in Rhode Island. While a young man he married and became the father of eleven children: William C, born in Preston, R. I., July 1, 1785; Peleg, born in New Marlborough, Mass., Sept. 25, 1787; Deborah, born Jan. 1, 1788; Abigail, born in Sheffield, Mass., Aug. 4, 1789; Libbeus, born Jan. 22, 1782; Rhoda, born Aug. 11, 1793; Thaddeus, born March 10, 1796; Justus, born Oct. 22, 1797; Hannah, born Aug. 18, 1801. Some years after marriage Mr. Ross moved by ox-team to Penfield, Monroe County, N. Y., where he settled upon a tract of timber land and began making improvements. Energy and good management enabled him in time to convert the wild tract into well-tilled fields, and he in time became one of the prosperous farmers of that locality. He died at Penfield aged about seventy-five years. Thaddeus Ross, the father of William S. Ross, was born at Sheffield, Mass., March 10, 1796, and in early boyhood moved with his par- ents to Monroe County, N. Y. Reared to farm work, upon reaching manhood, he naturally chose that occupation, and for the most part he followed it with marked success throughout his active career. When a young man he married Catherine Ross, daughter of Samuel and Abi- gail (Rock) Ross, but died at the early age of thirty-three years. After his death his widow married George Maulson, an Englishman ana carpenter by trade, and they moved to Penn- sylvania, locating near Girard. Later, having returned to New York, they settled upon a farm in Chautauqua County, and from there, in 1843, moved to Coral Township, McHenry County, 111. To Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Ross were born four children, all of whom grew to maturity: Alice, George, Hannah and William. By her marriage to Mr. Maulson the mother of these had three more children, who also grew to maturity: John, Polly and Nancy. Mrs. Maulson finally died at Marengo aged seventy- five years. Mr. Ross was a man of ability and marked force of character. He was popular and his word carried weight in local affairs. William Swain Ross was born in Penfield, N. Y., July 21, 1828, and was only about eight months old when his father died. From the age of three to six he resided with his parents near Girard, Penn., and from six to fourteen in Chautauqua County, N. Y., where, in the schools of his neighborhood, he obtained his early education. At the end of this period, in 1843, he moved with his parents to a farm in Coral Township, McHenry County, 111., where he grew to manhood. By assisting his step- father he early learned the carpenter's trade, which as a youth he followed with success for some time. At the age of twenty-two years he engaged in farming and after marriage he purchased an 80-acre tract of land in Coral Township, where he settled and followed this occupation. Here he remained for about eleven years, during which time he put the farm under good cultivation, adding to its area until it em- braced 120 acres, erecting good buildings. At the end of this period he moved to Coral and resumed the trade of a carpenter. Filling many large contracts, he remained in this sec- tion for about eleven years, and, then, in 1873, moved to his present 84-acre farm in Coral Township, where he has since resided. This farm he has improved by erecting good build- ings, and now has one of the pleasantest rural homes in his locality. In Belvidere, 111., July 22, 1850, Mr. Ross mar- ried Harriet Adelia Ross, a cousin, who was born at Penfield, N. Y, Dec. 22, 1827, the daughter of John M. and Paulina (Ross) Ross. To Mr. and Mrs. William S. Ross have been born five children: Emily Jane, born June 24, 1851; William Alonzo, born Feb. 9, 1853; George Alfonzo, born Jan. 15, 1856; Lee D., born Oct. 15, 1858; and one son who died in in- fancy. Emily Jane married George B. Hovey, and they reside on the home farm, having two chil- dren: Edmund L., who married Essie Harvey of Capron, 111., and has two children — Nellie and George — and May A., who married Prof. F. C. Prowdley, Superintendent of Schools at Nashville, Washington County, 111., and they have one child, George H. William Alonzo married Retta Drake, and they live on the Ross farm, which they have purchased. George Alfonzo is a resident of Coral, mar. ried Emma Hughes, and, after her death, Nellie Morse. 964 McHENRY COUNTY. Lee D. married Hattie Parker, and they have three children, Cora, Flora and Leora. Mr. Ross is a man of marked force of char- acter, not afraid to speak his mind, and his word carries weight in his 1 community. For four years he served as Postmaster, and has also" been a member of the School Board. He is a man of high moral principle, true to his convictions and an earnest advocate of tem- perance. Politically he is a strong Democrat. Mrs. Ross is a member of the Baptist church For large-hearted, old-time hospitality the fam- ily are widely known, and have many warm friends throughout the country. William Ross, son of the first William Ross who represented this family in America, was the great-grandfather of Mrs. William iS. Ross. He married Sarah Manchester of English par- entage, and they had seven children: Sallie, Nancy, William, Naphthalia, Patience, Laura, Rebecca and Hannah. Their father settled in Penfield, N. Y., where he was a farmer by oc- cupation for the greater part of his life. He died in Penfield. John M. Ross, the father of Mrs. William S. Ross, was born in Cherry Valley, Chenango County, N. Y., April 3, 1797. He was reared to life as a farmer, and in early manhood mar- ried Paulina Ross, and they had two children: Jane and Harriet. After marriage Mr. Ross settled in Penfield, where he resided for some time, but in 1835 removed to Chautauqua County, where he located upon a new farm which he managed for fourteen years. In Oct- ober, 1851, he came to Coral Township, McHen- ry County, 111., where he afterward made his home, and where he died in 1876. His wife, who was a faithful member of the Baptist church, died in March, 1880. Samuel Ross, the maternal grandfather of both Mr. and Mrs. William S. Ross, and oldest son of the first American William Ross, was born in Massachusetts, but resided at different times in Washington County, N. Y., and at Ber- gen in the same State. He later moved to Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he cleared up a farm. He passed his last days with his son Samuel, a farmer, near Mammoth Cave, Ky.. where he died at the age of eighty-four years. He married his cousin, Abigail Rock, daughter of Captain John Rock, an Irish sea captain and a man of considerable wealth, who married Annie Ross, a sister of the original William. To Samuel and Abigail (Rock) Ross were born five children: Samuel, whose wife died at the h6me of Wiliam S. Ross in her seventy-fourth year; Sallie, Catherine, Nancy, Paulina, John and William. ROBINSON FAMILY GENEALOGY. William Robinson came from England and settled at Dorchester, Mass., in 1636. The line of descent to David W. Robinson is as follows: 1. William, the founder of this branch of the Robinson family in America 2. His son, Increase, Sr. 3. Increase, Jr. 4. His son, George, who married Elizabeth Cobb, daughter of Capt. Thomas Cobb, who at one time lived at Attleborough, Mass , and was largely interested in the manufacture of iron. Capt. Cobb, in his will, left his deceased daughter's children six hundred pounds. His son, Gen. David Cobb, was an aid to Gen. Washington. Sarah, eldest daughter of the captain, married Robert Treat Paine, signer of the Declaration of Independence. George and Elizabeth (Cobb) Robinson were the parents of George, Sylvia and Mary. Captain Nathaniel, son of George and Eliza- beth Robinson, was born May 12, 1752, in Taun- ton, Bristol County, Mass. He married at At- tleborough, Mass., April 13, 1775, Hannah, daughter of Jonathan Woodcock of Attle- borough. Their children, all born in Attle- borough, were: (1) Jonathan, born April 28, 1776; (2) Polly, born April 1, 1778: (3) David, born Nov. 4, 1780; (4) Nathaniel, Jr., born Jan. 13, 1783; C5) George, born May 4. 1784; (6) Hannah, born Jan. 27, 1786; (7) William, born Nov. 24, 1787. Their deaths occurred as follows: Nathan- iel, Sept. 29, 1841; Hannah (his wife), March 31, 1845; Jonathan (son), March 12, 1862; Polly (daughter), January, 1849; David, February, 1828; Nathaniel, Jr., Jan. 6, 1864; George, Jan. 24, 1786; Hannah, Aug. 16, 1862; William, March 10, 1863. Captain Nathaniel Robinson was a Revolu- tionary soldier and took an early and efficient part in the struggle for American inde- pendence. Throughout his long life he mani- fested a great interest in all political affairs. McHENRY COUNTY. 96? He attended the Freeman's meetings during the last month of his life. He died at Pawlet, Vt., Sept. 29, 1841, in the ninetieth year of his age, leaving a widow a few years older than him- self, with whom he had lived more than sixty- six years. His living descendants at the time of his death were five children, twenty-nine grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. He was the grandfather of David W. Robinson, whose sketch is given below. DAVID WILMARTH ROBINSON. The Robinson family is of old colonial stock of English Puritan descent. David Robinson, the father of David W. Robinson, was the son of Capt. Nathaniel Robinson, a Revolutionary patriot who fought under Washington, and was at Valley Forge during the fearful suffering of the winter of 1777-78. He was born April, 1752, and died in September, 1841. David Rob- inson was the father of the following named children: Abbott, Benjamin, Hollis, Thomas, Mary Ann, Jane, Julia, Henry, David W., Den- gil and Bradford. David W. Robinson, son of David, and grand- son of Nathaniel, was born June 23, 1807, at Attleboro, Mass. He received a good common school education, and, when a young man, trav- eled for a woolen cloth manufactory. He mar- ried Sept. 14, 1834, in Albany, N. Y., Maria N. Clapp, and they settled in Pawlet, Vt., where Mr. Robinson was engaged in various business enterprises. Three of his brothers, Dengil, Benjamin and Hollis, came to McHenry Coun- ty and settled near Crystal Lake, where they became substantial farmers. Thus David W. Robinson became interested in McHenry Coun- ty farming land and purchased considerable property. In 1865 Mr. Robinson moved with his family to Woodstock, where his daughter Mary had previously settled with her husband, Judge M. L. Joslyn. Mr. Robinson then directed his attention to his farming interests and invested extensively in Woodstock real estate, becoming the owner of much property on the east side of the public square and of Main Street. He was one of the prominent citizens of Woodstock and while he was a prompt business man, he often performed acts of kindness to those in need, which never came to public notice. In bis family he was lavish with his love and affection and idolized his grandsons as his own children, liberally bestowing upon them the blessings of his wealth. Mr. Robinson was a lover of truth and jus- tice, and not only practiced those virtues him- self, but instilled into the minds of his descend- ants these fundamental doctrines and taught them to love honesty and virtue. Throughout his long life he was simple and frugal in his babits and self-sacrificing to an unusual de- gree. He prospered by his industry, enter- prise and sagacity as a business man, and ac- cumulated his large property by honest meth- ods. At his death he had the satisfaction of leaving his family an assured income, and the precious heritage of an untarnished name. He was singularly independent in his character and accustonjed to depend upon himself on all occasions. He was broad and liberal in his re- ligious views and political opinions, and, in later life, was a stanch supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the Union cause. He died in Woodstock Nov. 7, 1890. He and his devoted ■wife were the parents of three daughters: Mrs. M. L. Joslyn, Mrs. George W. Newell of Fari- bault, Minn., and Mrs. B. W. Dike. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson had two grandsons, David R. and Marcellus Joslyn. The following tribute to his memory is from the pen of his grandson Marcellus: Seventh of November. The old man is dead — He has breathed out his last, And the bounds of that Mystical country are passed. And many a time, As I sit in my chair, I dream of the things That are happening there. I see the dear man, With his cane in his hand, Walk down with firm step To the edge of life's strand. And then I tear down With my faith-strengthened hands, The veil that ne'er mind Without pity commands. And there, in the light Of Eternity's sun, He stands by the side Of the Crucified One. 966 McHENRY COUNTY. His soul has been dipped In that wonderful spring. Which maketh a man To be more than a king. He had little faith, But the right path he trod, And thus, unaware, Did he worship his God. M. His wife, Maria (Clapp) Robinson, was born in Malta, N. Y., Dec. 8, 1817. Many years of her life were spent in Woodstock, where those who knew her esteemed it a privilege to be called her friend. On account of feeble health in later life, her sphere was confined to the home circle, where she fulfilled the mission of a true woman to make life beautiful for her dear ones, but many others treasure a thought of her kindness and sweetness. It might have been said of her: "She doeth little kindnesses Which most leave undone or despise; For naught that sets one heart at ease, And gives it happiness or peace, Is low-esteemed in her eyes." A lonely heart invited her ready sympathy, and to all the dim spots in other lives, she would fain have sent a ray of sunshine. In Memoriam. "A pure soul beamed On a stormy world, Nor knew of the depths Where passion whirled; A! soul that was simple, And brave and true; A soul that was clear As a drop of dew." M. PETER SENGER. Peter Senger, of Woodstock, is the surviv- ing member of an Alsatian family who came to Greenwood Township, McHenry County, at an early day and settled in Queen Anne Prairie. Mr. Senger was born at the village of Drachen- brunn, Canton of Sultz, Providence of Alsace, then of France (now of Germany), Dec. 28, 1834, the son of Jacob and Magdalena (Neih- ard) Senger. His father, Jacob, was the son of Henry Senger, a farmer of Alsace, where the family had lived for many generations. In- deed they are believed to have been natives of that region for several centuries. The child- ren of Henry Senger were: Jacob; Charlotte, who married a man named Sondericker; Eva S., who married Lawrence Williamson; Mar- garet, who married a Mr. Schank, and a son named Henry, who was a soldier in the Na- poleonic wars, and is believed to have perished in the retreat from Moscow during the winter in which thousands of soldiers lost their lives. There is a tradition, however, that he es- caped to Norway, and thenoe to America, where he became the head of another branch of the family, who also trace their lineage to Alsace. Jacob Senger, the father of Peter, was born on the family homestead in Alsace, about 1807. The family records having been destroyed by fire, dates cannot be given with absolute cer- tainty. Jacob received an ordinary education in the German language. His mother was a woman of business ability, who engaged in trading from village to village. Jacob, how- ever, became a well-to-do citizen and owned his own home in Drachenbrunn, besides sev- eral small parcels of land in different localities — probably the result of divisions of estates from one generation to another. He married in his native village Magdalena Neihard, who was born in that locality, and they settled down to farming. He also manufactured large basket-hampers, two of which would form a body for a wagon, and were often used for that purpose. He was also a woodman and dealt in bark and other products of the forests. His chil- dren were: Catherine, now Mrs. Henry Eckert; Jacob J., Peter, Henry, Michael, and Magda- lena, who married Milan Fosdick, but is now deceased. Jacob Senger brought his family to America, embarking at Havre, France, on a sailing vessel and arriving at New York, June, 1845, coming thence to Chicago by way of the lakes. The journey from Alsace occupied ninety-six days, of which seventeen were spent in reaching Havre by wagon, thirty-five upon the ocean and the remainder in reaching McHenry County, the latter part of the journey between- Chicago and their final destination being made by ox-teams. They were accom- panied by several other Alsatian families, including those of Peter Fry; Henry Sonderick- er, Sr. ; Peter Herdklotz, an uncle of Peter J. Herdklotz, whose name appears elsewhere in this volume; besides a sister of Mrs. Eva Eckert, wife of Michael Eckert, and Michael and George Schaaf, who were unmarried — all /^JcZ^. /u £ 7*"*- .... fl/2As4, ^-<^&c+ Ay^L+&^<^ McHENRY COUNTY. 9C7 of whom settled in Queen Anne Prairie, Mc- Henry County. Several other families from the same village in Alsace were members of the party, including Henry Schmidt, who set- tled in Kishwaukee Prairie. Peter J. Herd- klotz and Jacob Eckert went from Queen Anne Prairie to Chicago with teams and brought the party to their destination. Jacob Senger bought fifty acres of land here at $10 per acre, besides forty acres of timber land at the Government price of $1.25 per acre. His home was on the corner opposite where 'Squire Thompson lived many years. Two years later he bought 160 acres a short distance west, upon which he erected a hewed log-house and opened a farm. This house was afterwards covered with siding and made a good home. Later he added to his holdings, sixty acres in Dorr Township, and in 1868 erected good frame buildings on his land. Mr. and Mrs. Senger were members of the German Presbyterian church, and he was one of the founders of the church of that denomination in Queen Anne Township, serving for many years as ruling elder. In early days services were held in barns and private residences. Soon after his arrival in McHenry County Mr, Senger suffered a dangerous attack of typhoid fever which lasted eighteen weeks. He was frugal and industrious, and, at an early day, threshed his grain by tramping it out with horses on a threshing floor, and carried it to market at Chicago, and later at Waukegan, in wagons. He died on his farm, April 7, 1875, aged sixty- eight years, while Mrs. Senger died at the ago of eighty-four. Peter Senger, subject of this sketch, attended school in Alsace before coming to America, and well remembers his native village with a high mountain that stood back of his childhood home covered with vineyards and fine fruit gardens. The scenery was pic- turesque, the mountain and village with a clear mountain-stream flowing through the latter, making a bright picture. The location was four and one-half miles from Weisenburg. He was nine years old when his parents start- ed for America, and he has a vivid recollection of the voyage across the Atlantic, as well as the journey with ox-teams from Chicago to McHenry. On the ocean he was the only mem- ber of the family that escaped sea-sickness. Arriving in McHenry County he soon began to do such work as he was able, attending school but little as he had to work on the farm. Mr. George K. Bunker, who still lives, was his teacher. Nov. 17, 1S54, he was married by Justice Strode in Woodstock to Elsie Dorothea Niewerth, with Henry Senger and Caroline Niewerth as witnesses. She was born Feb. 10, 1836, at Dunkelbeck, Hanover, the daughter of Henry and Dorothea (Vogas) Niewerth. Her father was a native of the same village, born about 1809, and her mother born Aug. 14, 1811, at Oberg, Hanover. Henry Niewerth was the son of a tailor, who also carried on a farm and was well-to-do. He was well educated and gained some knowl- edge of medicine in his native country, but his father opposed his wish to become a physi- cian and brought him up a farmer and tailor. He and his wife were parents of children named : Sophia, Dorothea, Caroline, Wilhelmina, Henry, Hannah, Doretta and Charles — all born in their parents' native village in Germany. All came to America with their parents and all are still living except Wilhelmina and Caroline. Henry Niewerth came to America with his family in the fall of 1852, leaving Bremen on a sailing-vessel and arriving in New York after a voyage of thirty days, and going thence to Buffalo. The following year (1853) he and his family came to McHenry County, where he bought and improved a farm of 120 acres on Cold Spring Prairie, four miles south of Harvard. Here he continued to reside until 1869, when he removed to Harvard where he built a brewery, which, after running several years, he sold out. While on the farm he had begun the practice of medicine, manu- facturing his own remedies from recipes obtained in Germany. He succeeded well, making a specialty in the treatment of rheu- matism, in which he acquired considerable reputation. Mr. and Mrs. Niewerth were members of the Presbyterian church. In politics he was a Republican. A brother of his served as a soldier of the Civil War. He died in 1881 at the age of seventy-two years, leaving behind him a respected family and a reputation for study integrity of character. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Peter Senger settled on his farm which he had acquired by hard work, to which he has made additions until he now owns 320 acres of fine farming land besides sixty acres of woodland. Upon 968 McHENRY COUNTY. his estate he has erected substantial buildings. Their children are: Peter H., Josephine H., Charles M., and Otto H. J. Mr. and Mrs. Senger are members of the German Presbyter- ian church, and assisted in establishing the church on Queen Anne Prairie. In politics h wife, Rebecca (Doty) Irish, whom he married April 2, 1780, was born at Nine Partners, N. Y., in 1756, daughter of Jacob and Lucretia (Van Scoik) Doty, and a grand- daughter of Hicha Van Scoik, who came from Holland and married a French army officer named DeLong. Rebecca Doty married in 1770 John Irish, a Quaker, who, during the Revo- lutionary War, was shot at his own door by a band of marauders for not taking up arms in defense of the colonies. By this union there 974 McHENRY COUNTY. were three children. Mr. and Mrs. Stutley Stafford were the parents of eight children, viz.: Martin, Nancy, Palmer, Holden, Ormand, John, who is mentioned below; Mercy and Mar- burg. Mr. Stafford was a consistent member of the Society of Friends, and a man of the highest integrity. John Stafford, father of Jonas J., was born in Wallingford, Vt, Sept. 4, 1798, where he pro- cured the ordinary common-school education afforded for boys of his day. February 23, 1823, he married at Wallingford, Conn., Re- becca Wood, who was born at Newton, Mass., May 3, 1802, daughter of Jonas Wood, a well- known cotton manufacturer, who started life in a log cabin, in Wallingford, Vt., in 1800, later built one of the finest cotton mills on Long Island, and finally died in Massachusetts, when about seventy-seven years of age. His chil- dren were: Henry, Lewis and Rebecca (twins) and Mary. Mrs, Stafford died Aug. 21, 1870, at the age of sixty-eight years. To Mr. and Mrs. John Stafford seven children were born, viz.: M'ercy, Susan, Albert, Lewis, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, and Jonas J. After marriage Mr. Stafford settled on the family homestead at Wallingford, Vt., which he greatly improved, and carried on farming there throughout his active life. The place is still in the hands of his descendants. He was an honest hard-work- ing man and realized good returns from his labor, and, being possessed of the highest in- tegrity, he won the respect of all who knew him. He died Aug. 3, 1846, at the age of forty- eight years. Jonas J. Stafford was born in Wallingford, Vt., Nov. 20, 1833, and in the common schools of his neighborhood acquired a good rudimen- tary education. Preparatory to his life work, at the early age of fifteen, he entered a car- penter's shop, and there by strict attention to business, soon mastered a practical trade. This he afterwards followed for several years in Wallingford, meeting with profitable results. In September, 1857, when about twenty-four years old, he married Helen J. Finn, who was born in Wallingford, Vt., in 1840, daughter of Peter and Sophia (Earl) Finn. Her grand- father, John Earl, was a pioneer of Walling- ford, and owned one of the best farms in the State. Mr. Earl's first wife died, and he mar- ried his second wife, Hannah Doty, of Walling- ford, Vt. His children by the first marriage were: George, Phoebe, and Mercy Sophia. By his second marriage there was one daughter, Laura. Helen J. Finn was brought up by her grand-parents, John Earl and wife, and was thus called by the name of Earl. Mr. and Mrs. Jonas J. Stafford had four children, viz.: Lewis, a contractor, who is engaged in the real estate business in Chicago; John J., a promi- nent business man of Woodstock, 111.; Martin A., whose biography is given further on in this sketch, and Harry, who was born in Walling- ford, Vt., Feb. ?., 1868, received a common- school education at Harvard, 111., and there learned the carpenter's and machinist's trade, and is now one of the most skillful pattern- makers in Harvard, being engaged in the ma- chine-shop with his brother, Martin A. In poli- tics he affiliates with the Democratic party. He married Mate Christian, of Linn, Wis., and they have two children named Edwin and Lewis. Jonas J. Stafford resided in Wallingford, Vt., for many years after his marriage, and there in addition to the carpenter business, opened a sash and door factory, which he operated for many years. In 1869 he closed out his business and moved to Harvard, 111., where he has since made his home, and as a skilled carpenter has worked at his trade for many years. He has been for some time a stockholder in the Staf- ford Furniture Manufacturing Company, and his various enterprises have prospered until he is now a well-to-do citizen. Politically Mr. Stafford was first a Whig, but later became a Republican, voting for both John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln. Martin A. Stafford was born at Wallingford, Vt., Feb. 20, 1866, and reared to the life of a mechanic. He was only three years of age when he came with his parents to Harvard, 111., where, in the graded schools of that city, he received a thorough education, developing habits of industry and accuracy that became of much value to him in later life. At having learned the trade of a mechanic, he secured a position as foreman in the Stafford Furniture establishment in Harvard, and was soon en- abled to purchase stock in the company, becom- ing an influential member of the firm. Later in company with H. E. Stafford, he opened a machine-shop and wood-working establishment in Harvard, in which he has made a specialty McHENRY COUNTY. 975 of stair-building, and, being an expert drafts- man as well as architect, his services have been greatly in demand, not only in Harvard, but also in Woodstock, Lake Geneva and Chicago. His work is of a superior order, and in each of these places he has built stair-cases in some of the finest dweling houses, displaying much artistic ability. The residence of Frank. F. Axtell and the mill works are specimens of his handicraft. He drafted the plans for the fac- tory of Hunt, Helm & Farris, and constructed the buildings. In his machineshop he has also carried on an extensive business, and is now considered one of the most successful manu- facturers in Harvard. Several years ago Mr. Stafford was married in Walworth County, Wis., to Etta J. Allen, daughter of Charles and Eliza (Bucklin) Allen, and they have one child, Catherine Earl. Mr. Stafford is a conscientious man, as well as a skillful and well-trained workman, and he is also gifted in directing affairs. His many sterling traits of character have won him the confidence of the community, where he has many friends. He stands high fraternally, and affiliates with the Knights of Pythias. Po- litically he is a stanch Democrat. EDWARD D. SHURTLEFF. Hon. Edward D. Shurtleff, prominent lawyer and Mayor of the City of Marengo, and present Representative from the Eighth District in the State Legislature, is of English descent through a line of colonial ancestors who became early settlers of Connecticut. His grandfather, David Shurtleff, was a farmer of old Croydon, Conn., who came to DeKalb County on a land hunting expedition, making the journey to Chi- cago by the lakes and the rest of the way on foot. Returning east for his family, he brought them to Allegan, Mich., where they spent the following winter. His family con- sisted of his wife (who was a Miss Ruth Knapp) and eight children; David, Alfred J., Giles, Ephraim, Mary, Jerusha, Laura and Orilla. Mr. Shurtleff soon after settled on Government land in Genoa Township, DeKalb County, which he afterwards entered and upon which he opened up a fine farm of 300 acres. He was one of the substantial pioneers of DeKalb County and spent the remainder of his life on this farm, dying at the age of about seventy- five years. In his later life he was a Republi- can in politics. Alfred J. Shurtleff, the second son of this family, was born Oct. 14, 1827, at Stanstead, Canada, where his parents lived for a time. He received the customary common-school educa- tion of that period, and finally became a farmer. He married in DeKalb County, Miss Lydia Miller, who bore him one child named: Mary E. Mrs. Shurtleff having died, Mr. Shurt- leff contracted a second marriage, this time with Miss Mary F. Higby, who was born in Es- sex County, N. Y., July 29, 1833, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elihu Higby. Mr. Higby was a native of Eastern New York, where he fol- lowed the occupation of an iron forger and lumberman, his home for a time being at Willsboro on Lake Champlain. His father, Levi Higby, was a native of Connecticut, of English Puritan ancestry, who soon after the Revolutionary War removed to the vicinity of Lake Champlain, where he engaged in the manufacture of iron and the lumber trade. For that locality and period he was a well-to- do citizen. He died in 1850 over eighty years of age. His son, Elihu Higby, in his later years was a farmer in Essex County. The children of the latter were: Edward, Charles B., Melvin, Mary F., Juliette, Kate and Laura. The son, Melvin, died while serving as a soldier during the Civil War. Mary F. Higby, who became the wife of Alfred J. Shurtleff, received a good education for that day in the common schools of Essex County, N. Y., and at the Essex Academy, and at eighteen years of age began teaching in her native county. In 1853 she came to DeKalb County, where she was engaged in teaching for two years, when she was married to Mr. Shurtleff, as already stated. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. iShurtleff continued to reside on his farm in DeKalb County until 1870, when they removed to Marengo, McHenry County, where he purchased residence property and engaged in the stock, wool and lumber busi- ness. Here he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1895. Mr. Shurtleff was a Republican in politics and a highly re- spected citizen, as indicated by the official positions which he held — being Supervisor of Marengo Township and President of the Board of Trustees of Marengo Village. Fraternally he was a member of the Masonic Order. Mr. 976 McHENRY COUNTY. and Mrs. Shurtleff were the parents of two children: Edward D., the subject of this sketch, and a daughter, Kate. Edward D. Shurtleff was born at Genoa, De- Kalb County, 111., Sept. 19, 1863,* and was seven years of age when his father removed to Marengo, McHenry County, which has since been his home. Here he received his educa- tion in the public schools, including a course in the high school, after which he became a student at Oberlin College, Ohio. He then en- tered upon the study of law in the office of Hon. A. B. Coon, at Marengo, and, in 1885, was admitted to the bar and began practice at Watertown, iS. D., where he remained until 1888. He then returned to Marengo and was engaged in the lumber business there until 1893, when he resumed the practice of law. During the latter year he was elected the first Mayor of the newly incorporated City of Maren- go, and, during his administration of two years, installed the new water-works and municipal electric lighting plant. In 1896, and again in 1898, he was elected Supervisor for Marengo Township, serving until May, 1899. In 1900 Mr. Shurtleff was nominated on the Republican ticket and elected Representative in the Forty- second General Assembly for the McHenry District, was re-elected in 1902, and, during his two terms in that body, has taken an influential rank in connection with legislative affairs. Among the important measures with which his name has been connected was the act intro- duced by him in the Forty-second General As- sembly, providing for the reimbursement of owners of cattle slaughtered by order of the State Veterenarian to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. This act has proved a boon to many stock-owners who had previously been subjected to heavy loss for the public good. In 1892, Mr. Shurtleff was married at Maren- go to Elizabeth H. Sisson, who was born in Riley Township, McHenry County, March 17, 1866, the daughter of Allen and Julia (Babcock) Sisson, and they have had two children: Maurice Edward, born Sept. 16, 1892, and Helen Elizabeth, born Aiug. 11, 1899. Mr. Sis- son, the father of Mrs. Shurtleff, was a pioneer resident of Riley Township and a prominent and influential citizen. Fraternally Mr. Shurtleff is a member of the Woodstock Commandery Knights Templar and of the Order of Modern Woodmen of America. By his personal ability, high integrity and in- dependence of character, he has taken a de- servedly high position, not only in his own county, but as one of the rising men of North- ern Illinois. WILLIAM PLUNKETT ST. CLAIR. The subject of this sketch was a soldier in the Civil War, and the son of a pioneer settler who was a soldier in the Black Hawk War. The American St. Clairs were of Scotch-Irish ancestry and settled in Delaware during the colonial period, William H. St. Clair, the father of our subject, having been born In Maryland in August, 1788. Being left an orphan at an early age, he was brought up by an uncle who was a farmer and horse-breeder and something of a 'patron of the turf." In this way the younger St. Clair acquired a fondness for fast stock and took an interest in a horse-race, al- though never a racing-man in the proper sense of that term. He gained a good education for his day, became a good penman and skillful ac- countant, and was engaged for a time as clerk in a store in Pennsylvania. At twenty-eight years of age, he married Elizabeth Simmons, born in Lycoming County, Penn., in July, 1802, and whose ancestors settled in Pennsylvania in colonial times. Soon after his marriage, Mr. St. Clair engaged in the mercantile business in one of the frontier towns of Ohio, a few years later removing to Detroit, where he kept a "tavern." He became a soldier in the Black Hawk War and, after its close, removed in 1833 to Chicago, where he opened a hotel near the corner of Dearborn and South Water Streets. This was probably in his private house. A year later he removed to Peoria County, but soon returned north and, in June, 1837, went to McHenry County, built a log house in Don- Township near the present site of Woodstock, and settled there the following fall. Here he bought a claim upon which Uriah Cottle had settled in 1835. This was part of a tract to which Mr. Cottle set up a claim on the ground that he had driven a team of horses around it in one day, which was the custom of the pioneers. Mr. St. Clair entered 240 acres of land, paying the Government price of $1.25 per acre, improved it and established upon it a good home. His children were: Margaret P., McHENRY COUNTY. 977 born in Ohio, 1822; Susan S., born in Ohio, 1826; Israel O, born in Detroit, June .15, 1829; Thomas S., born in Detroit, April, 1832; Wil- liam P., born in Chicago, Oct. 23, 1836; Anna E., born in McHenry County, April, 1839; Robert C, born 1842. Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair were members of the Methodist church, and at- tended the early meetings held at the Cottle home, but later united with the church in the "Virginia Settlement." Mr. St. Clair was an old-time Whig, and died on his farm in 1849, a much respected citizen. Mrs. St. Clair died at their home — now the Pingry Hotel — Sept. 12, 1886, aged eighty-four years. Two sons became soldiers of the Civil War — William P. and Robert C. The latter served three years in the Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, afterwards "veteranized" and wns finally ap- pointed Lieutenant in a colored regiment, dur- ing his period of service participating in many battles. William Plunkett St. Clair, born in Chicago, Oct. 23, 1836, when about six weeks old was taken by his parents to McHenry County, with which his earliest recollections of frontier life are associated. At four years of age he be- came an inmate of the home of his sister, Mrs. Margaret P. Walkup, who had no children, and with whom he grew up in what is now the northwest part of Nunda. Between six and seven years old he began attending a school at Crystal Lake taught by Miss Emily Shephard, afterwards the wife of Rev. Mr. Joslyn, a Baptist minister — both now deceased. Some of his school-mates here were George Thomp- son, Matthias Butler and David Salisbury. His next school at Crystal Lake was taught by a Miss Grimes, when he had for fellow-pupils Daniel Ellsworth, John and Charlotte Palmer, Louisa Andrus and Joseph Harris. The text- books included "Colburn's Mental Arithmetic," "Thompson's Written Arithmetic" and "San- ders' Readers." After attending school in the winter and working on the farm in the summer until seventeen or eighteen years of age, he spent two terms in the Crystal Lake Academy, obtaining a fair education which he has en- larged by judicious reading and by experience in practical business. On January 1, 1857, before reaching the age of twenty-one, Mr. iSt. Clair was married at Al- gonquin, 111., to Martha Thompson, born in Portage, Allegany County, N. Y., June 30, 1836, the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Gear- hart) Thompson. Mr. Thompson was of old colonial stock and born at Wardsborough, Vt., Jan. 27, 1794. He was a farmer, and while still a young man, in 1816, settled in Allegany Coun- ty, N. Y., and in 1818 was married in that county to Elizabeth Gearhart, who was born in Scipio, N. Y., Nov. 5, 1799, the daughter of George Gearhart, of Pennsylvania Dutch an- cestry. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Thompson settled at Nunda, N. Y., but in 1840 removed to Crawford County, Penn., and thence, in 1841, to McHenry County, 111., mak- ing the journey overland with two two-horse teams and wagons, and reaching Algonquin Township in November. Here he bought 140 acres of partly improved land with a frame house upon it, which he still further improved, dying there, July 27, 1876, at the age of nearly eighty-three years. Mrs. Thompson lived to the age of eighty-eight years, dying April 26, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were members of the Baptist church in New York, and as- sisted in the organization of the first Baptist church at Crystal Lake, of which he was a liberal supporter and a deacon for many years. Politically he was a Whig, and later a Repub- lican and a supporter of John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln. He was a soldier of the War of 1812 in New York, and a sterling, up- right citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson's chil- dren were: Lodema, Anson, Edwin, George, William, Martha, Mary, Adoniram J. and Frederick G., besides five others who died in infancy or while quite young. Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair, after their marriage, settled on the Walkup farm, where he had grown up, remaining there four years. August 15, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company D, Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in at Rookford, serving until April 9, 1864, when he was honorably dis- charged at the Marine Hospital, Chicago, on account of disability incurred in the service. He took part in the siege of Vicksburg from May 19, to the surrender on July 3, 1863, being constantly under fire. Having been taken sick just after the siege, he spent some time in the field hospital, was afterwards In camp at Natchez, but finally, through the instrumentality of Captain Beckley, was granted a thirty-days' furlough. Being unable to rejoin his regiment 978 McHENRY COUNTY. in three months, he was placed in the Marine Hospital at Chicago, where he was Anally dis- charged. As a soldier he performed his duty cheerfully and faithfully. After his discharge he rejoined his family who had experienced all the suffering and anxiety incident to that perilous period, when the news columns and bulletins were scanned with apprehension, after every battle, lest the name of a husband or brother should be found in the list of the killed or wounded. Having sufficiently recov- ered, Mr. St. Clair engaged in the produce busi- ness in company with Joseph Walkup, remain- ing eight years. Mr. Walkup was Station Agent of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad at Crystal Lake for twenty-one years, and Mr. St. Clair served as clerk and baggage-master from 1864 to 1876, and, on the death of his partner, succeeded to the position of station agent, which he continued to fill until 1880. In July of the latter year he took charge of a large pickle and preserving works at Nunda, remain- ing two years. He then purchased the Walkup farm (consisting of 160 acres) upon which he was reared, but sold it in 1894, and engaged in the insurance and collection business. In 1893 he was elected a Justice of the Peace — an office which he has continued to hold ever since; has also been a member of the Board of Village Trustees and of the School Board. In politics he is ,a stanch Republican, casting his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln; and fraternally an unaffiliated Odd Fellow (the Nunda Lodge I. O. O. F. having been discon- tinued), and a charter member of Nunda Post G. A. R., in which he has held the positions of Quartermaster, Adjutant, Chaplain, Senior Vice Commander and Commander. Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair have had four children — Edwin P. (deceased), Kate B. (wife of United States Commissioner M. A. Foote, of Chicago) ; Mary (the wife of C. W. Seeley) ; and Georgiana (the youngest), now a successful teacher in the public schools of Dundee. Mr. St. Clair is the oldest surviving resident of Nunda, which has been his home almost the entire sixty-four years of his life. DAVID T. SMILEY. Success in any honorable calling is an indi- cation of close application, industry and faith- fulness. There are few professions more hon- orable, and few which offer better opportuni- ties, than does that of the law, for the display of character, sterling worth and ability. To the lawyer are necessarily entrusted matters of confidence, involving property, reputation and, at times, even life itself and, upon his skill, loyalty and ability, the rich and tne poor, the strong and the helpless often depend. There is, perhaps, no lawyer in Northern Illinois to whom the title "self-made" applies with more justice than to the skillful attorney whose name heads this article. Having devoted him- self exclusively to his profession, and posses- sing mental qualifications which enabled him to rise rapidly in the practice of the law, Mr. Smiley has, within a few years, won for him- self a foremost place at the McHenry County bar. He was born near the town of Larne, In County, Antrim, Ireland, Feb. 7, 1860, the son of Captain Robert and Mary (Templeton) Smiley, and is of sterling Scotch-Irish ancestry. The family was originally Scotch, but, at a re- mote period, had settled in Ireland. On the maternal side one of the ancestors was a High- land Chief. Captain Robert Smiley was the son of a sea- captain, and members of the Smiley family fol- lowed a sea-faring life for generations. Cap- tain Robert Smiley went to sea when quite young and followed this life for many years as a master of merchant vessels, making voyages to different ports of the world. He married in County Antrim, Mary Templeton, and, in 1873, came to America bringing his family with him and expecting to make his home in this coun- try. After spending a short time in Chicago, he came to McHenry County, settling in Burton Township, where he remained for two years, when he returned to Ireland. He died in Ire- land aged about sixty-nine years. The family were members of the Scotch Presbyterian church. David T. Smiley, of whom we write, was thirteen years of age when he came with his parents to the United States, arriving at Port- land, Me., on the steamer "Polynesian" in the latter part of April, 1873. He had attended school in Ireland and after coming to McHenry County continued his educational training in the district school in Burton Township, attend- ing school during the winter months and work- ing at farm work in the summer season until he was nineteen years of age. He was about fifteen years of age when his parents returned McHENRY COUNTY. 979 to Ireland, but, on his urgent request, he was allowed to remain in America. When old enough, he became a regular farm-hand and proved to be an efficient workman, receiving during the latter years of his work, $22 per month wages. In 1879 he went to Fairfield, Neb., where he secured employment as clerk in his brother-in-law's store for one year. He then went to Frisco, Colo., where he spent a year working in a saw-mill and in silver mines, but returning to McHenry County in 1881, he resumed farm work in Burton Township, at which he continued until 1887. While at work on the farm he began the study of law, paying $22 for four law-books, which was considered a large sum of money in those days. On March 16, 1887, he married in Burton Township, Libbie C. Hendricks, who was born in that township, the daughter of John and Johannah (Larkins) Hendricks. John Hendricks, who was a native of Germany, married in Lake County, 111., and settled at Spring Grove, in Burton Township, McHenry County. All of his children were well educated and became teachers. Mrs. Smiley began teaching when fifteen years of age, and became one of the capable and experienced teachers of the county. Immediately after marriage Mr. and Mrs. Smiley entered the Northern Indiana College at Valparaiso, Ind., as pupils, Mr. Smiley be- coming a student in the law department. In 1887 he returned to farm work in Burton Town- ship, and in October of the same year removed to Woodstock, where he entered the law office of Charles P. Barnes, with whom he studied law for one year. In October, 1888, he was admitted to practice, and immediately entered into partnership with Mr. Barnes, their part- nership continuing for eighteen months. In 1889 he opened his present law office. Mr. Smiley has attended strictly to his profession, and, maintaining a high standard, has built up an excellent practice. It can truthfully be said of him that no man stands higher at the McHenry County bar than he. At present he is the attorney for the Chicago & Northwestern and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- roads for McHenry County, and has been uni- formly successful in his practice. It is not too much to say that Mr. Smiley has of late years been engaged in every important case before the Appellate and Supreme Courts from McHenry County, and that in his case the advance from the farm to lawyer's desk has been made with remarkable success. Mr. Smiley is one of those men in whose integrity and fair-mindedness the general public repose great confidence, and this confidence has been won by an undeviating policy not only as a lawyer, but as a citizen, marked by a firm ad- herence to the principles of right and justice. Mr. Smiley is a member of the Masonic fra- ternity, belonging to Calvary Commandery, and in 1900 was Eminent Commander. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F. His is a marked example of the self-educated and self-made man. During all his life he has been a zealous reader of standard books, and, while a young man working on the farm, read all the val- uable books that came to his notice. He has accumulated a valuable law library and an ex- cellent private library of high literary merit. Both Mr. and Mrs. Smiley are members of the Presbyterian church. They have one son, Lionel David, born in 1894. MARIA W. SMITH. Maria W. Smith, for nearly fifty years a res- ident of McHenry County, and a lady of marked individuality and strong character inherited from a long line of Puritan ancestors, was born in Sterling, Vt, March 31, 1825, the daughter of Thomas and Hulda (Mc- Kinstry) Wilson. Thomas Wilson was born in the old Scotch-Irish settlement at Lon- donderry, N. H., Sept. 11, 1783. He was of Scotch-Irish stock, the son of Robert and Margaret (Wilson) Wilson, both of the same name, but not known to be related. Robert Wilson was born at Londonderry, June 26, 1759, the son of James and Sarah Wilson, whose parents were probably from Scotland. James and Sarah Wilson had a family of six sons and six daughters, namely: Margaret, Sarah, Eleanor, Agatha, Mary, Agnes, William, Samuel, James, Robert, John and Boyd. James Wilson was a substantial citizen and died on his farm at Londonderry. His son James con- structed at Bradford, Vt., the first geograph- ical globe ever made in America. Robert Wil- son, the grandfather of Mrs. Smith, was a farmer who lived near the old Londonderry homestead, served as a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War and was with Washington at the famous crossing of the Delaware. In his old age he was accustomed to relate many inter- 980 McHENRY COUNTY. esting anecdotes connected with Revolutionary times and the numerous battles in which he was engaged. He planted the first fruit tree nursery in New Hampshire, and his homestead remained in the hands of the family until the death of his youngest son. November 15, 1784, he married Margaret, the daughter of Thomas Wilson of Londonderry, born at Londonderry, N. H., Jan. 22, 1761. His wife died, and on May 17, 1813, he married as his second wife Ann Wallace, of Londonderry. The children of the first wife, with dates of birth, were: Thomas, Sept. 11, 1785; Eleanor, Miay 23, 1787; James and Robert (twins), Feb. 9, 1789; David, Feb. 13, 1791; Sarah, July 21, 1793; Ebenezer, Dec. 18, 1795; John, Feb. 6, 1799; Boyd, Jan. 22, 1801; Samuel, Sept. 3, 1802, and Margaret, May 19, 1805. Robert Wilson and wife were of Scotch Presbyterians, following the faith of their ancestors. He died at Derry, N. H., Nov. 22, 1850, aged ninety-two years. Thomas Wil- son, son of the preceding and father of Mrs. Smith, was born Sept. 11, 1785, was a carpen- ter and joiner by trade, and in 1811 went to Johnson, Vt. February 18, 1815, he was mar- ried at Hyde Park, Vt., to Hulda McKinstry, born at Castleton, Vt., May 10, 1782, the daugh- ter of Amos and Sarah (Pike) McKinstry. Amos McKinstry was born in Stockbridge, Mass., March 24, 1759, was a soldier of the Revolution, and married Sarah Pike, born at Castleton, Vt., Nov. 20, 1758. He was a pio- neer farmer. After marriage Thomas Wilson and wife settled on a farm at Johnson, Vt., which is now in the hands of one of his grand- sons. While working at his trade as a car- penter, he carried on his farm with hired help. He moved from Johnson to a farm in Sterling. Vt., but later cae to Michigan, and worked at his trade at Monroe, in that Stare, where he died Sept. 13, 1834, aged forty-nine years. He was an old line Whig in politics, and served several terms as Town Clerk and as Selectman during his residence at Sterling, Vt. His chil- dren were: Samuel, born Aug. 5, 1818; Maria, born March 31, 1825; Amos, born Nov. 6, 1829, and Thomas, born Feb. 6, 1834, besides four children who died in infancy or in early youth. Mr. Wilson was a man of sterling integrity, of industrious habits and reared a highly respect- able family. Mrs. Maria W. Smith grew up in her native town of Sterling, Vt., and early learned the value of industrious and frugal habits. As a girl she learned and practiced the art of spin- ning and weaving, making butter and cheese, which were important domestic duties of that time. At twenty-one years of age she was married to William L. Smith, born at Johnson, Vt., Oct. 13, 1821, the son of Lemuel Hawley and Abbie (Langdell) Smith. Lemuel Hawley Smith, born May 5, 1799, was the son of Aaron and Hettie (Hawley) Smith. Aaron was a farmer and pioneer set- tler in Vermont, emigrating from Massachu- setts, where he was born of English-Puritan an- cestry. He opened up a farm in the woods of Vermont and became a prominent citizen. His son, Samuel Johnson Smith, born Feb. 12, 1789, was the first white child born in John- son, Vt., but died in childhood. His other children, with dates of birth, were: Abijah, Feb. 7, 1791; Abia, Oct. 16, 1793; Samuel John- son (2), Aug. 27, 1795; Abia (2), July 16, 1797, (also died young) ; Lemuel H., May 8, 1799 ; Abel Chapin, April 25, 1801; John Wise, Sept 1, 1803; John Wise (2), July 12, 1805; Kitty, Nov. 1, 1807; Harriet, Jan. 26, 1810; Betsy, Jan. 9, 1812. Aaron Smith and wife were Methodists. He died March 8, 1830. Lemuel Hawley Smith grew up a farmer, but after reaching maturity erected and managed a saw mill. He married, in Johnson, Vt., Abigail Langdell, born in New Boston, the daughter of William and Sarah (Langdell) Langdell, and they had children born as follows: William L., Oct. 13, 1821; Joseph, Jan. 13, 1822, (died in early chidhood) ; Thankful, March 27, 1824 Aaron, March 3, 1826; Charles, Feb. 18, 1828 Sallie, Aug. 14, 1830; George, March 27, 1832 Zaccueus April 12, 1836; Jane, June 6, 1837 Fannie, Feb. 8, 1838; Frank, April 8, 1842 Ellen, Sept. 8, 1845. In 1855 Lemuel H. Smith came to Illinois, accompanied by John W. Smith, who had been on a visit to his former home in Vermont, and William Smith, wife and children, the party arriving in McHenry Coun- ty, Oct. 12. The next year Lemuel H. Smith returned to Vermont for his family, his wife then being a sister of his first wife named Love, born April 17, 1818. Her children were: Bradford, born Nov. 12, 1855; Louisa, born April ]3, 1857; and Lemuel, born June 2, 1858. After coming to McHenry County Lemuel H. Smith bought two farms near RiDgwood, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying Aug. McHENRY COUNTY. 981 27, 1868, aged sixty-eight years. In politics he was a Republican, and a straight-forward and respected citizen. William L. Smith, the husband of the prin- cipal subject of this sketch and son of Lemuel H. Smith, was reared on his father's farm, re- ceiving a common-school education, and after marriage to Maria Wilson, as already related, settled on the homestead of his grandfather, Aaron (Smith, where he lived until 1855, when he came with his family to McHenry County. Here he bought 320 acres of land on Ringwood Prairie, and improved a fine farm which is still" owned by the family. In 1885 he moved to Mc- Henry, bought a family residence there, where he died Jan. 4, 1902; his wife dying June 16, 1902. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with dates of birth, were: Hulda W., July 16, 1847; Thomas W., May 5, 1849; Aaron S., Dec. 7, 1850; Louisa M., July 29, 1852; Amos W., March 30, 1855; Hawley L., March 21, 1857; Jennie, Dec. 22, 1858; Samuel William, Oct. 19, 1860; David Nelson, Oct. 21, 1862; Cora B., Jan 9, 1866; Flora, March 30, 1867; Amos W.. Aug. 30, 1869. By industry, frugality and business judgment, aided by his faithful wife, Mr. Smith accumulated a handsome property, which has passed into the hands of his excellent family. Mrs. Smith was widely known in the commu- nity in which she resided for her retentive memory and deep interest in family history, and her neighbors depended upon her for many dates of births, marriages and deaths, not only in her own family but in the entire county. The following is a record of marriages and births among Mrs. Smith's descendants: Hulda W. married July 3, 1866, Benjamin Parker, a farmer, who died Nov. 6, 1870, leav- ing no living children. Oct. 4, 1875, she mar- ried as her second husband, Simeon H. Covell, a farmer of McHenry Township, and they have one child, Jennie R., born April 12, 1879. Mr. Covell owns a farm of 480 acres. Aaron S., married Dec. 29, 1872, Ella Barney and they have eight children: Benjamin J., Barney, William Arthur, Elsie A., Harold, Mary, Jessie and Winfield. Aaron S. Smith has a farm of 480 acres in Smith County, Kan. Jennie E. married Ellis Hewes, a merchant of Hebron, 111. She is now deceased. Samuel W. married Jessie Inman, and is a farmer on the home farm. Their children are: Alonzo, Mattie, Ralph and Bernice. Amos married Florence Brown, and they re- side on part of the old homestead. They have one child, Mary E. REV. NEWTON A. SUNDERLIN. Rev. Newton A. Sunderlin, Pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church, Woodstock, Mc- Henry County, is descended from English-Puri- tan and Massachusetts colonial ancestry. His grandfather, Samuel Sunderlin, was a farmer by occupation and a patriot soldier of the Revo- lution, who carried his musket for the achieve- ment of American independence. At an early day he moved to Pennsylvania, locating in Union County on the Upper Susquehanna River, but being determined to avoid the con- taminating influence upon his family of a whisky distillery which had been established in his vicinity, he soon after loaded up his household goods and removed to Ohio. When some one there had offered to employ one of his sons as a teamster to haul whisky, he de- cided on another removal, this time going to Clearfield County in the mountainous region of Pennsylvania. This was in 1822, that heavily timbered region being at that time occupied by a few hardy hunters, besides wild beasts and some remnants of Indian tribes. After proceeding as far as was then possible by wagon, when the roads gave out, he contin- ued his journey following the Indian trails un- til he found a deserted hunter's hut, where, having decided to settle down, he selected a tract of 320 acres in the virgin forest. He had not been here long when two ill-favored land- hunters appeared upon the scene and an- nounced that the land upon which he had lo- cated was claimed by themselves. He could retreat from rum and the danger of exposing his children to evil habits, but had no fear of the British invader or the unscrupulous land- speculator; so, patting his old revolutionary musket on the breach, and shaking the powder in the old flint-lock, he responded, "this is my friend," and the adventurers seeing the flash of his resolute eye, speedily withdrew tc trouble him no more. In time the sturdy frontiersman found himself surrounded with the primitive comforts of a backwoods home, while his sons were reared to the simple and industrious habits of frontier life among the hills of Central Pennsylvania. When old enough they followed lumbering and the 982 McHENRY COUNTY. rafting of logs down the Susquehanna. Mr. Sunderlin and his family were devout members of the Methodist church, and he was one of the most active and efficient laborers in. intro- ducing Methodism, in that part of Pennsyl- vania. When new settlers located in the neigh- borhood, he visited them, Bible and hymnbook in hand and, in the spirit of the true mission- ary, at their firesides sought to impress upon them the duty of a Christian life. He was a man of naturally strong religious feelings and stern morals, and the tradition of his devotion to the spiritual welfare of his neighbors is still preserved in the community in which he lived nearly a century ago, while many features of his strong character have been inherited by his descendants. Withal, he was a "mighty hunter" and many deer, bear and other species of game fell before the unerring aim of his old flint-lock musket. His wife was a Miss Eliza- beth Minegar, who was of Holland-Dutch descent. Their children were: David, Michael, John D., James and two daughters whose names are not remembered. The son James is still living on the old Pennsylvania home- stead at the age of ninety years. Samuel Sun- derlin died on his farm at seventy-five years of age, and his wife at seventy-three. The latter was a Methodist, as well as her husband. John D. Sunderlin, of this family, was born in Union County, Penn., Feb. 5, 1811, and re- ceived but a meager education, as the oppor- tunities of that period and locality were limited. By personal effort, however, he be- came self-educated and a well-informed man. In early life he followed the occupation of a lumberman and raftsman on the Susque- hanna, and acquired a vigorous constitution. December 24, 1835, he was married in Clear- field County, Penn., to Lydia D. Steer, who was born in Clearfield, Penn., July 6, 1815. Her family were farmers and pioneers of Clearfield County. Other children of this family were: James, Joseph, Dorcas, Rebecca, and Elizabeth. The last named graduated at the Female Seminary at Mt. Morris, 111., ami became a teacher. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. John D. Sunderlin settled on a part of the paternal homestead in Pennsylvania, where they remained until 1855, when they removed to Illinois, locating in Stephenson County on a tract of 160 acres of unimproved land, for which he paid $4 per acre. This land he improved, making it a valuable farm The children of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Sunder- lin were: Mary E., born June 16, 1837; Har- riet, born Dec. 16, 1838; Asall, born May 5, 1840; Dorcas E., born June 24, 1841; Rebecca, born April 23, 1844; Lydia A., born March 22, 1845; Martha C, born Sept. 2, 1846; Joseph M., born March 23, 1848; Newton A., born Sept. 5, 1849; John H. R., born Jan. 7, 1851; Hiram, born June 26, 1852; Mary, born Sept. 22, 1853. The four first named all died during the year 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Sunderlin were both devout members of the Methodist church, in which he was an active worker, class-leader and teacher in the first Sunday School in his locality. In political views Mr. Sunderlin 'was a Democrat. He lived to the age of seventy- seven years, dying May 10, 1888, and his wife August 6, 1890, at seventy-five years. Rev. Newton A. iSunderlin, born in Clear- field County, Penn., Sept. 5, 1849, was reared on the home farm, and was six years old when his parents removed to Illinois. After acquir- ing a primary education in the district school, he later attended the academy at Cedarville, Stephenson County, and the old Mt. Morris Seminary, completing his course at the State University at Madison, Wis. He then engaged in teaching for eight years, during which he had charge of schools in Stephenson County, at Red Oak, Iowa, and, for a time as Princi- pal of the schools at Dakota, 111. April 2, 1874, he was united in marriage at Monroe, Wis., to Mary E. McKahan, who was born in Knox County, Ohio, Sept. 2, 1849, the daughter of Lewis and Sopora McKahan. The McKahans are of Scotch ancestry, Daniel McKahan being born near the great tunnel at Washington, Penn., the son of Daniel McKahan, who was a farmer of that county. The children of Daniel McKahan were: Lewis, Daniel, Eliza Jane, Robert, Esther, Margaret and Mary. During the William Henry Harrison campaign (1840), Daniel McKahan, Sr., accompanied by his two sons, Lewis and Daniel, made a horse- back trip to Ohio, looking for land, and having bought 100 acres for $1,500, he returned to his home in Pennsylvania, where he died some years later. His sons, Lewis and Daniel, and their sister Eliza Jane, settled on the Ohio land, and opened up a farm erecting on it McHENRY COUNTY. 983 good buildings. Daniel later settled on adjoining land, but finally removed to Wiscon- sin and still later to Iowa. Lewis pros- pered on the Ohio farm, was married in that State to Sopora Ely, the daughter of Peter Ely, and having bought land in Green County, Wis., removed thither in 1861, bringing with him a herd of 500 fine-wooled sheep. He became a prosperous farmer, dying Dec. 5, 1902, aged about eight-one years. He was a member of the Christian church and a Republican in politics. Mr. and Mrs. McKahan were parents of two children: George and Mary. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Newton A. Sunderlin moved to the vicinity of Red Oak, Iowa, making the journey with a canvas- covered wagon and a two-horse team, camp- ing out on the way and, with an assistant, driving a herd of seventy head of cattle. Here he had bought a tract of 160 acres of wild land, upon which he built a frame house and made improvements, teaching school during the winter. Two years later he sold his land at a clear profit of $1,000, and coming to Illinois spent the next three years (1877-80) at Garrett Biblical Institute, Evanston, study- ing for the ministry. While a student he held a license as a "local preacher," but having graduated in 1880, he at once joined the Rock River Conference, and was appointed pastor of the church at Garden Prairie, where he remained the full limit of three years. His next appointment was at Rockton, and during his incumbency there, an extensive revival occurred resulting in more than doubling the membership of his church. His next charge was at Capron, 111., where he remained five years; in 1890, he was assigned to Harvard, 111., remaining a like period. In 1895, Rev. Mr. Sunderlin was appointed to his present charge at Woodstock, where he has remained con- tinuously ever since. The time limit having been removed, in view of his popularity as a pulpit orator and the marked success which has attended his ministerial labors, his numer- our friends hope that his ministration at his present location may be continued for many years longer. His services are much sought after on occasion of weddings and funerals. Still in the prime of a matured manhood, there are many years of usefulness before him. Rev. and Mrs. Sunderlin are the parents of the following children: Lulu Blanche, born at Red Oak, Iowa, Feb. 13, 1875, married W. E. Chilcote, now in the railway mail service, and they have two children, Donald and Margaret: Floyd M., born in Garden Prairie, 111., Oct. 10, 1881, and resides at home; Eva Gertrude, born at Capron, 111., April 29, 1886, and is now attending the Woodstock high school; Hiram Harold, born at Harvard, 111., Feb. 2, 1891. In political opinions Mr. Sunder- lin is an earnest Republican, and an enthus- iastic worker for the cause of temperance While a resident of Capron he was a member of the Board of Village Trustees. Fraternally he is a member of the Capron Lodge I. O. O. F., and one of the charter members of the Woodstock Encampment, of which he is Chief Patriarch. Besides his ministerial labors he has been called upon to devote much atten- tion to private interests, in which he has given evidence of marked business ability. WILLIAM SALISBURY. Among the pioneers of McHenry County, there are few whose career has been more noteworthy than that of the venerable and re- spected subject of this sketch. The Salisburys are of English descent, the founders of the American branch of the family being the early settlers in the Colony of Rhode Island William Salisbury, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Rhode Island. His father having died when the son was quite small, and his mother having married a Mr. Petti- place, the family moved to Berkshire County, Mass. Here William was brought up to the life of a farmer, and married Huldah Thomas, the daughter of William and- Huldah (Cook) Thomas — both branches of the family being of early New England origin. After his mar- riage, Mr. Salisbury settled at Pownal, Vt., but subsequently removed to Chenango County, N. Y., where he bought a farm about 1816-20, and spent the remainder of his life there. His children were: William, Arthur, Ambrose, Per- ry and Harriet. William Salisbury (2), whose name heads this article, was born near Bennington, Vt., Oct. 3, 1815, and, while still an infant, was taken by his parents to Chenango County, N. Y., as described in the preceding paragraph. Here he was brought up a farmer, meanwhile receiv- 984 McHENRY COUNTY. ing a common-school education, later engag- ing for a time in teaching. In October, 1841, he came west, making the journey by the Erie Canal and the lakes to Milwaukee. He then crossed the State of Wisconsin to Galena, 111., and from there he proceeded down the Miss- issippi to Burlington, Iowa. His next move was to Cameron, Warren County, 111., where he spent the following winter (1841-42) teaching. In the following spring he made the journey on foot to Chicago, and thence to McHenry County, locating in Nunda Township. Here he worked on a farm for a time, and also engaged in his old vocation as a teacher. In June. 1842, he purchased 120 acres of land, consist- ing of prairie and oak openings, which he improved, building thereon a frame house in 1844. On October 1, 1844, he was married to Miss Eliza Jane Terwilliger, born in Broome County, N. Y., Jan. 7, 1823, the daughter of SamUel and Laura L. (Chamber- lain) Terwilliger. Mr. Terwilliger, the father of Mrs. Salisbury, was of Holland-Dutch stock, born on the Mohawk River, in New York. He had married in the State of New York, and, in 1836, came to McHenry County, settling on the line between Nunda and Dorr Townships, where he entered land and improved a farm. He had six children — William, Eliza, Lorenzo, Jerome, Louisa and Elizabeth — and died in Nunda Township, aged over eighty years, leaving a reputation as a respected and useful citizen. After his marriage in 1844, as detailed above, William Salisbury and wife lived on the home farm for many years until his final retirement from active business life. He still owns the homestead, however, which is a fine farm of 250 acres and which was improved largely by his own hands. In his old age he is still regarded as one of McHenry County's most honored citizens, as he is now one of the most venerable of the few remaining pioneers of the county. His official life has been comprised in three terms of service as Supervisor of Nunda Township, while his standard of intelli- gence is indicated by his experience as a teacher during the first two yeairs of his residence in the county. Mrs. Salisbury, who was also a member of a pioneer family, died June 3, 1877, leaving four children — Laura A., Charles A., Emma J., and Bertha V. An old line Whig in politics, Mr. Salisbury became a Republican on the organization of that party, and was one of the supporters of John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln for the Presi- dency. His career has been essentially that of the self-made man, and he is passing the evening of a well-spent life in the enjoyment of the well-deserved respect and confidence of his fellow citizens. ERASMUS W. SEAMAN. Erasmus W. Seaman (deceased), Hebron, 111., was a veteran soldier of the Civil War and a son of one of the pioneer settlers of Hebron Township. The Seamans are an old colonial family of Vermont, and of Puritan English extraction. Erasmus W. Seaman was born in Paris, Oswego County, N. Y., Oct. 26, 1837, a son of Lorenzo D. and Lucinda (Whipple) Sea- man. Lorenzo D. Seaman was a native of Rutland County, Vt. The Whipples were an old colonial Vermont family, and one of the earlier generation was a signer of the Declar- ation of Independence. In 1844, when Erasmus W. Seaman was but seven years old, the family came to Illinois, making the journey by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes to Chicago, and thence by team to Hebron Township. He was reared on the farm and received the usual common-school ed- ucation under the regime of the district schools of that period, and among his teachers were a Miss Hopkins, a Mr. Knight and a Miss Turner who became the wife of Squire Henry W. Mead. On March 13, 1860, Mr. Seaman was married in Hebron, 111., to Fannie Gates, who was born in Rome, Oneida County, N. Y., a daughter of Henry and Jane (Hawley) Gates. Henry Gates was a native of Vermont, and came from an old colonial family. He was a farmer by occupation, and in early manhood went to Rome, N. Y., where he was married to Jane Hawley, whose ancestors were of an old New England family. Mr. and Mrs. Gates lived in Rome, N. Y., for about five years and then in 1843 or '44, moved to Illinois, making the journey to Southport (now Kenosha), Wis., via the lakes. They settled three miles south- west of Hebron on a 40-acre tract of land pur- chased of the Uuited States Government, and upon which there were no improvements ex- cept that a log shanty had been built. Mr. McHENRY COUNTY. 985 Gates improved his land, to which he made subsequent additions until he finally owned 120 acres. Here he made a comfortable home and passed the remainder of his days, both he and his wife dying on the old homestead; Mr. Gates being about sixty-six years of age at the time of his death. Originally a Democrat in politics, he became a stanch Republican and a strong Union man in the days of Fremont and Lincoln. He had one son, Ellis W., who served in the Civil War, enlisting for three years as a private in Company H, Eighth Illi- nois Cavalry. He was in the battle of Fort Stevens, besides many skirmishes, and died iu Hebron, 111., 1864, from the effects of army life. The children of Henry and Jane (Hawley) Gates were: Fannie, Ellis W., Mary, Elizabeth and William H. After marriage Erasmus W. Seaman settled in Hebron Township and engaged in farming. On February 10, 1863, he enlisted as a private in Company H, Eighth Illinois Volunteer Cav- alry, under the command of Capt. O. DeWitt Dowd, and, after fourteen months service, was honorably discharged March 30, 1865, on account of wounds received during the battle of Fairfax Court House. Mr. Seaman took part in the battle of Fort Stevens, Md., near Washington, when Early made his famous raid on the National Capital, and also in the battle of Upperville, Va., besides many skirm- ishes in which his company was engaged. The Eighth Illinois Cavalry saw very active service and had several fights with Mosby's guerrillas, in one of which Company H cap- tured Mosby's wife, who was taken as a spy to Washington. Mr. Seaman and his company were with Gen. Sheridan on his famous raid in the Shenandoah "Valley, and witnessed the devastation of that country, which made it so famous in national history. Mr. Seaman was twice wounded, receiving his first wound during the three days battle at Fort Stevens, when a minnie-ball passed under his left knee cap, but after two weeks' treatment in the Reginould Hospital, he again resumed active service with his company. On February 5, 1865, during the skirmish with Mosby's guerril- las, his left hand was struck with a minnie- ball and so badly shattered that amputation was necessary. After partially recovering from the effects of his wounds, Mr. Seaman settled on a 40-acre tract of land near He- bron, 111., but in 1867, removed to Hebron vil- lage, where he followed his occupation as a carpenter and general mechanic, until his death, July 24, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Seaman were parents of the following named children: Jennie D. (deceased), William W. and Cla- rissa. William W. continues the business for- merly carried on by his father. Mr. and Mrs. Seaman were members and liberal supporters of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Seaman was one of the stewards and also Vice-President of the Epworth League. Mr. Seaman was a member of the G. A. R. at Harvard, and of the G. B. Menger Post, and in political opinions was a stanch Republican ac- cording to the principles advocated by Abra- ham Lincoln. CAPT. WILLIAM H. STEWART. Capt. William H. Stewart is a retired lawyer, farmer, soldier and ex-County officer, Wood- stock, McHenry County. During the visit of the Prince of Wales (now Edward VII., King of England), to the United States in 1860, he had an interesting interview with Ralph Farn- ham, then the last surviving soldier of the Battle of Bunker Hill, which had been fought between British and Colonial troops June 17, 1775 — eighty-five years previously. It may be that some soldiers of our great Civil War, who enlisted at fourteen to fifteen years of age, and fought for the integrity of the Nation, will still survive when an equal period shall have elapsed after that crisis in our national life, although the procession of war veterans, now annually passing into the mysterious Beyond, gives warning that, in a comparatively short period, the vast majority will be counted among the silent hosts whose graves are an- nually covered with garlands in token of the respect in which their memories are held by a united and appreciative people. The last survivors of the Civil War will be as much objects of interest and honor to the American people as was Ralph Farnham, the Revolu- tionary patriot, to those of a generation ago. There are yet many survivors of the great struggle between the North and the South, who fought as bravely and with as true a sense of patriotism for. the preservation of the Union as did any Revolutionary soldier for our nation- al independence; and it is fitting that both 986 McHENRY COUNTY. should be held in equal respect and veneration by the American people through future gen- erations. Capt. William H. Stewart, who belongs to the class of patriots of the latter period, was born at Fayetteville, N. Y., Oct., 8, 1818, and received a superior education in the public schools and in Union College at Schenectady, in his native State. His family is of Scotch ancestry, his great-grandfather, Alexander Stewart, being a farmer whose home was in the edge of the Highlands in Perthshire, Scot- land. Robert Stewart, the son of the latter, and a native of Perthshire, was the founder of this branch of the family in America. Af- ter his marriage in Scotland, he came to America sometime subsequent to the Revolu- tionary War, and settled at Johnstown, Mont- gomery County, N. Y., where he bought land, on which he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the venerable age of ninety years. One of his sons, John, served as a soldier in the War of 1812, dying of camp fever, while another, James, became the father of our subject. James Stewart was born in Perth- shire, and in infancy was brought by his par- ents to America, where he became a wagon- maker by trade. He was married at Johns- town, N. Y., to Sarah Wright, who was of Scotch-Irish parentage, and then settled on the Oneida Indian Reservation, near Utica. He lived here about two years, when he removed to Fayetteville, where he bought land and pur- sued his trade. In 1841 he came to McHenry County, 111., and, having bought 600 acres of land in Hebron Township, opened up a large farm. As were his forefathers he was an ad- herent of the Presbyterian faith, and assisted in founding the Presbyterian church in He- bron, in which he was a deacon. His children were: Robert W., William H., John, Jane, and James M. He was a prominent and high- ly esteemed citizen in his community and died on his farm at the age of seventy-six years. After receiving a primary education in the public schools and attending Union College for a time, William H. Stewart entered the office of Judge Watson, of Fayetteville, as a student of law. Having been admitted to prac- tice in New York State in 1843, he came di- rectly west, making the journey by way of the lakes to Milwaukee and Southport, and thence to Hebron Township, McHenry County, whither his father had preceded him two years earlier. Here he purchased 300 acres of wild land, which he improved and engaged in farming. In November, 1856, he was married in Hebron to Marietta Ehle- who was born in Canajo- harie, N. Y., the daughter of John A. Ehle, who came to McHenry County in 1843. Mr. Ehle was the son of Anthony and Angelina (Stear) Ehle, and was also a native of Cana- joharie, as was his father before him. The father of the latter was a native of Germany. Capt. Martin G. Van Alstine, who was the grandfather of Mrs. Stewart on the maternal side, was of Holland-Dutch ancestry and a sol- dier of the Revolutionary War. The Ehles and Van Alstines were both prominent families of Cauajoharie, the village having been built on the farm of the latter. After marriage Captain Stewart resided on his farm until 1857, when, having been elected County Clerk of McHenry County on the Whig ticket, he removed to Woodstock. He served in this office for four years, and was one of the founders of the Re- publican party in McHenry County, taking a prominent part in the Fremont campaign of 1856, as he did in the election of Abraham Lin- coln four years afterward. On September 4, 1862, Mr. Stewart enlisted as a soldier in the Ninety-fifth Regiment, Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served as Captain until August, 1865, completing the full period of his enlistment several months after the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. Among the battles and campaigns in which he partic- ipated were the siege of Vicksburg, the Red River expedition, the battles of Champion Hills, of Guntown, Spanish Fort, Fort Blakely, the capture of Mobile, the second battle of Nash- ville and many skirmishes. At the battle of Guntown he was severely wounded by being shot through both legs, and, after spending three months on furlough, during which he re- sided at his home, he rejoined his regiment, serving until honorably discharged. He was an active participant in all campaigns and battles in which his regiment was engaged except while disabled by wounds. After the close of the war Captain Stewart returned to his home at Woodstock, and in company with his brother Robert built the first cheese factory at Hebron, where he was exten- sively engaged in the manufacture of cheese for a Dumber of years. He also served as Dep- McHENRY COUNTY. 98 1 ; uty County Clerk for several years and County Treasurer for four years. Fraternally he is a member of the Woodstock Commandery A. F. & A. M., of which he was Treasurer for ten years. At the venerable age of over eighty-four years, Captain Stewart enjoys in an eminent degree the respect which should be the reward of an honorable life as a patriotic soldier, an honest and capable public official and a high-minded and useful private citizen. JACOB STORY. The American family of Story, which pro- duced Joseph Story, the jurist, William Wet- more Story, the sculptor, and Wilbur F. Story, the founder of the Chicago Times, and of which Jacob Story, of McHenry County, 111., is a representative, is of English origin, and three brothers of the name are said to have come over the sea and settled in Southern Vermont in the days before the Revolution. One of these brothers was the ancestor of Jacob Story. Mr. Story's grandfather, in whose honor he was named, was Jacob Story, a native of Southern Vermont, who had children named John, Hiram, Harriet, another daughter whose name is not recalled, Joseph (who was a soldier in the War of 1812), Elijah and another son who was a school-teacher. When his son John was in his fifth year, Jacob Story removed with his family to the Green Mountain region, locating in Fairfax County, Vt., where he cleared woodland and made a good farm on which he lived out his days and died at an advanced age. The wilderness round about his place of settlement abounded in bear, wolves, wild-cats and all kinds of wild beasts and birds native to the country. Mr. Story was a noted bear-hunter, and he had a famous bear dog, which he had trained to chase and attack the bear and hold it at bay until it fell before the pioneer's unerring aim. The dog's confidence in Mr. Story's ability to kill a bear before the bear could harm it, led at length to a premature attack on the bear which killed the dog before the hunter could bring his trusty rifle into action. This pion- eer's wife also lived to be very old. Their son John was born in Southern Vermont and, after the family removed to Fairfax County, was educated there in the common schools and early developed much ability as a mathemati- cian, which he cultivated through life. He and his brother Hiram cleared and improved a large farm adjoining their father's and gave much attention to stock-raising. In 1818, John Story bought an improved farm of 150 acres on the Lamoille River a mile and a half above Cambridge, Vt. Later he bought another farm two and a half miles down the river and, after living there a few years, removed to New York State, where he farmed until his death, which occurred at the venerable age of ninety- one years. His wife was a Miss Whitcomb, a native of Fairfax County, Vt. Mr. and Mrs. Story were Baptists and exerted a good influ- ence upon the communities in which they lived. They had children named: Jacob, Rhoda, Charlotte, Susan, Maria — all born in Fairfax County, Vt. — Rosetta, Andrew, and Harriet — who were born at Cambridge, Vt. Jaoob Story was born Dec. 25, 1814, was brought up to farming and was given such education as was obtainable in the district schools near his home. In the spring of 1837, he went to Massachusetts, and was employed on a farm near Boston for six months until he came to Illinois. He journeyed by rail and steamer to New York City and by steamer up the Hudson River to Albany, from Albany to Buffalo by a canal-packet and from Buffalo to Detroit by steamer. From Detroit he and two other young men walked to Lake Michigan, and they came to Chicago by the last steamer of the season, arriving about Dec. 1, 1837. Chi- cago was then nothing but a big village claim- ing 5,000 inhabitants, and its business centered on South Water Street. From Chicago to Mc- Henry, where he arrived December 10, Mr. Story walked by way of Elgin and the Fox River road to Dundee, stopping at nearly every log cabin he saw and inspecting the country close- ly. That winter he lived at Brown's Log-cabin Tavern, then kept by Gideon Colby. He found employment at farm work and made a claim on forty acres of timber land, across the river, two miles south of McHenry. This he bought at a land sale, improved it and put it under cultivation and, later, he bought eighty acres one mile south of it. On November 22, 1844, he married Mary Ann Colby, who was born Nov. 15, 1828, and died March 28, 1847. He set up housekeeping in a log house with a shingle roof, on his eighty acre tract, ten acres 988 McHENRY COUNTY. of which had by that time been fenced and plowed. For eight years after the death of his wife Mr. Story and his children lived with Ira Colby, his father-in-law. In 1853 he enter- ed upon a mercantile career at McHenry, in the front part of the store now occupied by his daughter as a drug store, which was built by Robert Matthews. He gradually dropped other lines of trade and was, for many years, one of the leading hardware merchants in this part of the country. He has speculated to some extent in western lands, having bought a half section of Iowa prairie land at Government price, which he sold to advantage and after- wards purchased a section in Brooks County, Kan., which he still holds. His judgment in busi- ness affairs is excellent, and he is especially well-informed concerning real estate values, and was, for that reason, during his two years' incumbency of the office, one of the best as- sessors his township ever had. Early in life he was a Whig and he voted the Republican ticket in Lincoln's time; later, he became in- dependent in politics and voted for Cleveland and afterwards became a Prohibitionist. His fellow-citizens accord to him the respect due to an honest man and the peculiar regard which attaches to the pioneer, for his residence in the county dates back sixty-three years, to within three years of the location of the first settler, Samuel Gillian, in Algonquin Township, Nov. 18, 1834. Mr. Story has two children, Julia A., born July 15, 1845, and John I., born May 19, 1847, nine days before his mother's death. Miss Julia A. Story was graduated at Rockford College in 1866, and taught school two years and a half in Missouri. She was later graduated from the Illinois School of Pharmacy, Chicago, and is winning success as a druggist at McHenry. JOHN W. SANBORN. John Sanborn, the father of the subject of this sketch, was the first actual settler on English Prairie, McHenry County, where he located in the spring of 1837. The family is of strictly English ancestry, the name being originally spelled Sanbourne. Three brothers — respectively named John, William and Stephen Sanborn — who were the sons of Ann Sanborn, came to America with their maternal grand- father, Rev. Stephen Bachiler, in 1632. The Christian name of their father is unknown, but it is believed that Hampton, England, was their original home, as many of the name were there at an earlier day. The earliest known mention of the name was in 1194, although the name is found in the records connected with the history of Normandy, France, from which Eng- land received a large accession to the dominant element of its population in the days of William the Conqueror, and for a century or two later. From John Sanborn, one of the three brothers just mentioned, is descended the branch of the family now represented in McHenry County. He was born in Hampton, England, and, after coming to America in 1639 with his two broth- ers, was living at Hampton, Mass. He was one of the Selectmen of his town and often employ- ed to execute grants and the survey of high- ways. He was a man of prominence, as shown by the fact that he was a member of the com- mittee to lay out a new partition, served as foreman of jury trials at Salisbury, Mass., and was chosen Ensign at Hampton Military Court. In 1669 he was chosen agent of Hampton to settle a disputed boundary question. In 1676 he was foreman of the Grand Jury; in 1679 was commissioned Lieutenant of the Hampton forces for protection against the Indians, and he was recommended to Charles II., of Eng- land, as one of four persons qualified to serve on a commission in regard to making New Hampshire a Royal Province. In 1685 he and his grandfather, Rev. Bachiler, were among those chosen to serve in the General Assembly. He was married twice: first, to Mary, daughter of Robert Fuch, of Gorleston, Suffolk, and Hampton, N. H., and the second time to Margaret (Page) Moulton, a widowed daughter of Robert Page. He was the father of eighteen children — a part of whom were: John, Mary, Abigail, Richard, Mary (2), Joseph, Stephen, Ann, Dinah, Nathaniel, Benjamin and Capt. Jonathan. Lieut. John Sanborn died Oct. 20, 1692, leaving a goodly estate for that period. Second Generation. — John, the older son of this family, was born about 1649, and married Nov. 19, 1674, Judith, the daughter of Tristram Coffin, of Newbury. He died Sept. 23, 1727. His children were: Judith, Mary, Sarah, Debora, John, Tristram, Enrah, Lydia, Peter and Abner. Third Generation. — Tristram Sanborn, born McHENRY COUNTY. 980 in 1684, lived in Kingston; was Selectman there in 1725, and Representative from that place in 1734, 1736 and 1737; was a church deacon for thirty years; D. H. S., says was an Ensign and a granter of Steventown. His house having been burned by the Indians, he built a garrison house on the site. He was married April 25, 1711, to Margaret, daughter of William Taylor; died, Jan. 7, 1771. His children were: Peter, Jethro, Abraham, Tris- tram, Jethro (2), and William. Fourth Generation. — Abraham Sanborn, born in Kingston, March 2, 1717, signed "the Test" there; married Jan. 6, 1737, Abigail Clifford, daughter of Samuel Clifford, of Hamp- ton. He died Feb. 21, 1780, and his wife, Feb. 19, 1797. Children: Joseph, Sarah — died 1743— John, Debota, Sarah (2)— died 1746 — Sarah (3), Judith, Shuah, Isaac and Abraham. Fifth Generation. John Sanborn, born in Kingston, Feb. 19, 1741; settled in Sandown, N. H., signed "the Test" there; married Elizabeth Sargent, said to be of Scotch de- scent; lived in Chester, N. H.; died April 10, 1797; was a soldier in the War of the Revo- lution. Children: Abijah, Abraham, Winthrop, Sarah, Moses, Elizabeth and Jethro. Fifth Generation. — John Sanborn, born in at Sandown, N. H., January 11, 1761; moved to Salisbury, N. H., where he was an early set- tler; was a farmer; married March 6, 1797, Betsy Fitz, who was born Jan. 26, 1766, and died in Salisbury, N. H. Winthrop Sanborn came to Illinois with his son John (see sketch of latter) his wife being then deceased, and died Feb. 24, 1843. Children: Elizabeth (died in infancy), Elizabeth (2), John, Ira, Sarah, Daniel (deceased), Daniel (2) and Winthrop S. Seventh Generation. — John Sanborn of the family last mentioned and father of John W. Sanborn of McHenry County, was born in Sal- isbury, N. H., July 22, 1797, became a farmer and served at a soldier of the War of 1812 while still in his boyhood, being stationed at Portsmonth, N. H., and taking part in the cap- ture of a prize. He came to Michigan some time before the Black Hawk War, and was with his brother Daniel at White Pigeon when he enlisted for service in that contest. He was married July 5, 1840, at Salisbury, N. H., to Mehitabel Sanborn, who was born there in 1812, the daughter of Capt. Abraham Sanborn. He inherited his father's farm in New Hamp- shire, and, in the spring of 1837, came to Ben- ton — now Burton Township — McHenry County, with $2,000, having meantime spent some years at White Pigeon, Mich. What were known as the "English settlers" from White Pigeon had already been on the ground in McHenry County, which afterwards took the name of "English Prairie," and had staked off claims six months previously, but had not made any actual settlement. A Mr. Huffman was then living on the south side of the Nippersink, but no one having yet settled on the north side where Mr. Sanborn located, he thus be- came the first permanent white settler there. He staked out his claim, began to break his land, and built a cabin partly in a hill-side near the site of what is now the Sanborn home. Some six months later the "English settlers" came to establish their settlement, and put in their claim to the land on which Mr. iSan- born had located. He was mowing grass at the time when one of the new settlers ap- peared and made an offer to him of $100 to in- duce him to leave. This he refused to do, when his visitor remarked. "What can you do? There are twenty of us." Mr. Sanborn replied, "I can make the prairie stink worse with dead British than ever hell did with brimstone." His visitor departed and, although Mr. San- born afterwards had several encounters with the intruders, he held his ground. For some time he carried with him the musket which he had borne in the Black Hawk War. His weapon had a hole bored through the stock, by which he hung it to his plow ready for prompt use in case of emergency. He carried upon his face the mark of a blow received from his assailants. He was a man of stub- born character, kept his land and, at the Gov- ernment land sale, bought 320 acres, and as- sisted many new-comers to settle on the east side of the prairie. There were many en- counters between land-claimants in those days, and it frequently happened that cabins were de- stroyed and "claim-jumpers," as they were called, were driven away by force. Mr. San- born kept the musket he carried in the Black Hawk War until 1862. Besides his farm of 320 acres, he owned 160 acres in Richmond Township, which he had bought at a Govern, ment land sale. This was on a disputed claim. 990 McHENRY COUNTY. Several settlers had been driven from this land, their cabins torn down and themselves beaten, when Mr. Sanborn announced: "As two men have been driven from this claim I guess I will take it." And this he did in spite of all opposition. Mr. and Mrs. John Sanborn had children named: Levina, John, Clarinda (who died aged eighteen years), Ben- jamin and Minerva (who died aged twelve years). Mr. Sanborn was a Democrat in poli- tics and served as Supervisor of Burton Town- ship several terms; was also School Director for some time. He died Feb. 26, 1866, aged seventy-two years, and Mrs. Sanborn August 16, 1883, aged seventy-one. While a resident of Michigan Mr. Sanborn made a visit to his old home in New Hamp- shire, and, on his return, made the journey in a canvas-covered wagon drawn by four yoke of oxen. Mrs. Sanborn's parents were Captain Abraham and Lois (Taylor) Sanborn, her father, who was a Captain of militia, belong- ing to the same stock as her husband's family. There is preserved in the Sanborn family a British military coat, which had — in some man- ner not now known — come into possession of some older members of the family, and which has been handed down for several generations. John W. Sanborn, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born on his father's farm — now the Sanborn homestead — in Burton Town- ship, McHenry County, Dec. 28, 1843. Here he received the usual common-school education of his day in the "old red school house," one of his first teachers being Malinda Peebles. In his boyhood he was brought up to the life of a farmer, but, at the age of nineteen years, enlisted as a soldier in the War for the Union, being mustered in Sept. 4, 1862, as a private in Company H, Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. Charles Tryon. He served for nearly three years and until after the close of the war, being mustered out at Springfield, Aug. 17, 1865. Some of the prin- cipal battles in which he was engaged included those of Champion Hills and Black River, fol- lowed by the siege of Vicksburg and the as- saults of May 19 and May 22, 1863; the cap- ture of Fort De Russey; the Red River expe- dition with the battles of Blair's Landing. Old River, Cloutierville, Marksville and Yellow Bayou; the battle of Guntown, Miss., and the battles of Nashville, Tenn., in December, 1864. During the Red River expedition he was a sharpshooter. Although sick in his quarters for one week and in convalescent camp for three months, he was never in hospital on ac- count of sickness during his entire term of service, but took part in all the campaigns, marches, battles and skirmishes in which his regiment was engaged, except the pursuit of Price through Missouri in the fall of 1864. At that time he came home on furlough to vote for Abraham Lincoln. After the war Mr. Sanborn returned to his home in McHenry County, and, on May 22, 1868, was married to Olive Walker, who was born in Otsego County, N. Y., July 13, 1846, the daughter of Henry and Diana (Smith) Walker. The Walkers are of colonial Puritan stock, and the grandfather of Mrs. Sanborn settled at an 'early day in Otsego County, N. Y. Her father, Henry Walker, was born in Connecticut and, in childhood, removed with his parents to New York. He served as a sol- dier of the Civil War in a New York regiment for two years, but died in hospital in conse- quence of a wound received in a skirmish, the ball passing through his arm and entering his side. His children were: Albert, Olive. Jane, Laura, Phoebe, Mary, Sarah, Henry (died in infancy), Annie and Nellie. Albert was a soldier of the Civil War and died in hospital. After marriage Mr. Sanborn settled on the paternal homestead where he has continued to reside ever since. He purchased the interests of the other heirs in his farm, and now owns 269 acres of fine farming land with excellent improvements. He is a Democrat politically and has served as School Director twenty-five years; has been Road Commissioner eleven years and Tax Collector four years. His children are: Clyde W., Harry W., Flora M., Guy C, Edith L. and Wade H. Mrs. Sanborn came to McHenry County in the spring of 1866 in company with acquaintances from her native State, and taught school in English Prairie, Solon Mills, Ringwood and Huntley for four years before her marriage. She is a woman of much mental force and high charac- ter. Mr. Sanborn is a strong temperance man, of lofty integrity and exerts a strong moral influence in the community. Since the above sketch was written Mrs. McHENRY COUNTY. 991 Sanborn died at her home on English Prairie, McHenry County, Dec. 20, 1902, aged 56 years. Her death has removed a beloved friend whose genial presence will long be missed by her family and a large circle of friends. CHARLES B. SHIAPLEY. Charles B. Shapley, one of the old settlers of Grafton Township, McHenry County, descends from a Colonial Masachusetts family of that name, his great-grandfather, David Shapley, being a farmer in that State, who removed with his son David and family to Madison County, N. Y., where he settled on a farm. David Shapley, the grandfather, settled on land in Madison County, N. Y., which he con- verted from a wilderness to a well-improved farm. His children were: Calvin A., an early pioneer of Coral Township, McHenry County; David, Louis, who lived on the old homestead in Madison County; Rebecca, and Nelson. Mr. Shapley was a substantial farmer and, after settling in Madison County, resided there all of his remaining days and died at the age of about fifty years. Nelson Shapley, the father of Charles B., was born on his father's farm in Madison Coun- ty, N. Y., May 26, 1810. He received a good common school education and married in that county Agnes Payne, born in May, 1811, daugh- ter of William and Hannah Payne. William Payne, well-known as 'Squire Payne, was a pioneer of Georgetown, N. Y., and a well- to-do citizen, serving as Justice of the Peace for many years, and was the first Supervisor of Georgetown, Madison County, N. Y. He was born in Connecticut, descending from an old Puritan English family, was a deacon in the Congregational church and died in 1854, aged seventy-nine years. His son, Weston, was the first white child born in Georgetown. After the birth of his son, Charles B., In 1837, Nelson Shapley entered a Congregational Theological Institute at Quincy, 111., to fit him- self for the ministry. He remained there nearly three years when, on account of his father's sickness, he returned home. He nevertheless secured his diploma, and began the ministerial profession at Stockbridge, Madison County, N. Y., where he remained about one year. He con- tinued to preach in New York State and North- ern Pennsylvania for several years, and after- wards came to Illinois and preached in Bloom- ingdale, Algonquin, Carpenterville, Dundee and one year at Huntley. He lived at Dundee and in that vicinity for three years (1852-1855). He then preached in Michigan and Ohio, look- ing after and preaching in the new churches under the auspices of the Home Missionary Society. He lived in Michigan four years, and then, on account of poor health, returned to Illinois just before the outbreak of the Civil War — perhaps in 1859. He then retired from the ministry, bought a farm and settled in Hamp- shire Township, Kane County, where he re- mained twelve years, but on account of ad- vanced age, he and his wife went to Iowa to live with their daughter Julia. Here he died in 1885, aged about seventy-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Shapley were the parents of Charles B., Newell F. and Julia T. Newell F. was a soldier in the Civil War and served as a private in the Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry for a term of three years. He was wounded in the battle of Pittsburg Landing and was discharged on account of dis- ability, but upon partial recovery, was trans- ferred to the Seventeenth "Volunteer Cavalry, and served until the close of the war. Charles B. Shapley was born on his grand- father Shapley's farm July 14, 1835, and was brought by his parents to Illinois in 1836, re- turning with them to New York State two years later. His father returned to Illinois with the family in 1859, and settled on a farm near Harmony in Hampshire Township, Kane County. Charles B. received a common school education and had learned the carpenter's trade in Toledo, Ohio, at which he had worked for some time. He married Dec. 31, 1861, Mary Jane Williams of Harmony, who was born March 14, 1840, at Eaton, Madison County, N. Y., daughter of James and Catherine (Jenkins) Williams. James Williams was born in Cardiganshire, Wales, Feb. 15, 1819, son of David and Mary (Morgan) Williams. Their children were: James, David, Thomas, Ann, Elizabeth and William, all born in Wales. Mr. Williams was raised on a farm and received a limited com- mon school education. His father died when he was fourteen years of age and after that time he took care of himself and assisted his mother to support the younger children. He married in Wales, May 7, 1838, Catherine Jen- kins, born in Wales April 12, 1815, daughter of John A. and Mary Jenkins. 992 McHENRY COUNTY. John A Jenkins was born in Wales and he and wife were the parents of Jane, Cath- erine, Eleanor, Mary and John. In 1839 Mr. Jenkins and his family came to America in a sailing-vessel, and were seven weeks on the ocean from Liverpool to New York. They were accompanied by James Williams and wife and David Edwards, who had married Eleanor Jen- kins. John A. Jenkins settled in Madison County, N. Y., where he had bought a farm. In 1847 he removed to Illinois and settled on a farm consisting of 260 acres in Coral Township, McHenry County. He was a substantial cit- izen and lived here until 1850, when he re- moved to Jefferson County, Wis., where he set- tled on land and passed the remainder of his days. Mr. Jenkins lived to be about ninety- four years old, and died Aug. 5, 1884. He was a member of the Welsh Congregational church. After marriage, Charles B. Shapley and wife settled on a farm of twenty acres which he had bought in Grafton Town- ship, and to which he added until he owned eighty acres of excellent farming land. He continued to work at his trade until he moved to Huntley in 1900, where he built his present residence. Politically Mr. Shapley is a Republican and voted for John C. Fremont and Abraham Lincoln. He has always taken an active interest in matters pertaining to good schools and has served in an able manner as a member of the School Board and as a School Trustee. Mr. Shapley has always been an industrious man, well known for his integ- rity of character, skillful in farming and a prac- tical mechanic, having built many of the best buildings in this part of McHenry County. Mr. and Mrs. Shapley adopted a son, Claude E. Williams, when he was four weeks old. He was the son of Walter W. Williams, a brother of Mrs. Shapley. His mother, Evelyn G. (Ax- tell) Williams, a daughter of Edwin and Lucy Aixtell, died when Claude E. was four weeks old, and his father died ten years later at Lead- ville, Col. Mr. and Mrs. Shapley brought up the child as their own and gave him a good education. He married Nettie A. Welcome and settled on the old homestead, and they have one child, Walter W. ABRAHAM STILL. Abraham Still, who resides on his well- tilled farm adjacent to the city of Wood- stock, is the son of William and Hannah (Bridges) Still. Both the Still and Bridges families were of English nativity. William Still was born in Lancashire, England, June 19, 1819, and was a farmer by occupation, which had also been his father's vocation. The lat- ter owned a good farm and comfortable home, and had children, named : Joseph, Hannah,Mary and William. He was a Methodist in religious belief, and died on his farm at a venerable age. William Still married in Lancashire, Eng- land, Hannah Bridges, born in the same vicinity, and they settled in Lancashire where all their children were born, viz.: Ann, Fan- nie, Bridges, William and Joseph. In the autumn of 1852 Mr. Still brought his family to America, sailing from Hull, England, the voyage to Quebec occupying six weeks. From Quebec they came direct to Chicago, where they were met by Robert and Richard Har- rison, who brought with them a team from Ringwood, McHenry County, and conveyed the family and their household goods to Ring- wood Prairie. On arriving at the latter place, Mr. Still worked at farm-labor for a few years, after which he purchased an improved farm of 100 acres in Nunda Township. Several years later (in 1867) he bought the farm where Bridges Still now resides, which was a 200-acre tract of well-improved land supplied with good farm buildings. Here he lived the rest of his life and died in May, 1900, aged about eighty years; his wife dying in January of the same year, in the seventy-seventh year of her age. They were both members of the Methodist church and took an active part in its general welfare. In politics Mr. Still was a stanch Republican, and cast his vote for John C. Fre- mont and Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Still, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Lancashire, England, Feb. 17, 1844, and when eight years of age came with his parents to America. He well remembers the voyage, and was the only member of the family who did not suffer from sea-sickness. Young Still acquired a common-school educa- tion in the district schools of Nunda Town- ship, and was reared to a life on the farm, a pursuit he has always followed. In February, 1864, Mr. Still enlisted at Wood- stock as a private in Company G, Seventeenth Illinois Cavalry, Capt. L. D. Kelly, and after seeing service at various points in Missouri, McHENRY COUNTY. 993 was mustered out and discharged at Spring- field, 111., in January, 1866, after having served nearly two years. The Seventeenth Illinois Cav- alry was under command of Col. John L. Bev- eridge, previously a Captain and Major of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, and after the war Gov- ernor of the State. During its period of en- listment the regiment took part in the pursuit of the rebel General Price in his raid through Missouri, during which it marched some 1200 miles and saw much active service fighting Missouri bush-whackers and guerrillas. Among the points at which the regiment was stationed or took part in skirmishes or regular battles during this campaign, were Boonville, Inde- pendence, Lexington, Jefferson City, Springfield, Raleigh, Cape Girardeau and Fort Scott, Kans. One of its most active experiences was in the repulse of Price's attack on Jefferson City. It was also at Lawrence, Kans., shortly after the blood-thirsty and brutal raid on that place by the famous Quantrell. At this period a large portion of the State of Missouri was almost entirely depopulated and the soldiers endured much hardship and privation in consequence, at times, of the difficulty in securing rations. Mr. Still served as saddler of his company, being entrusted with the care of saddles and harness- es, and thus picked up much knowledge of this branch of business. The last few months of the regiment's service was spent at Fort Leav- enworth, Kans., where it was mustered out in December, 1865, and discharged in January fol- lowing at Springfield. After the close of the war, Mr. Still returned to his farm in McHenry County. On October 3, 1869, he was married in Woodstock, 111., to Adelina Hickox, who was born in McHenry Township, March 28, 1850, the daughter of Mark and Betsy (Abbott) Hickox. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Still settled on the old Still home- stead in Nunda Township, where they resided for fifteen years and then removed to his pres- ent farm near the city of Woodstock, which was formerly the Mark Hickox estate, comprising an area of 120 acres. They were the parents of five children: Edgar B., Guy E., Maude E. Emilia May and Carrie D. Mr. Still is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church in which he has been a class-leader for many years, and has always taken an active interest in the affairs of his church. In politics he is a Republican and is a School Trustee of Dorr Township. Concerning Mr. Still's children, the following is of interest: Edgar is engaged in the drug business at Fairdale, 111. He married Amanda Taylor, and they have two children, Perrie and Floyd. Guy married Carrie Baird, and they reside in Woodstock, 111., where he holds a position as clerk in the County Treasurer's office. The remainder of Mr. Still's children reside at home. His daughter, Maude, is a clerk in Cheat's mercantile establishment, a position she has ably filled for several years. Mrs. Still died April 20, 1901. JACOB SNYDER. Mr. Jacob Snyder is one of the early settlera of Dorr Township, emigrating to Illinois from Pennsylvania, where he was born on a farm at Lime Stone Ridge, Northumberland County, and being the descendant of Pennsylvania-Dutch an- cestry. He was raised on the farm by his mother, his father having died when he was an infant, leaving his mother with a family of the following children: Simon, Jacob, Ann, Lydia. Mrs. Snyder had previously been married Lo Thomas Van Kirk, and from this marriage there were: Thomas, Peter, Hannah and Hester. Af- ter Mr. Snyder's death, Mrs Snyder married John Hoosel, and from this marriage there were David and Margaret. Jacob Snyder was brought up among stran- gers, as a result of his father's death, but. after his mother's marriage to John Hoosel, he had a home until Mr. Hoosel died, which occurred while he was yet a boy. After Mr. Hoosel's death, his mother removed to Bradford County ; Pennsylvania, where Jacob engaged to work for a farmer. When twenty years of age he went to Chemung County, New York, and worked at farm work and lumbering in Steuben County. New York, until he moved west when he was twenty-five years of age. He had no chance of gaining an education and is entirely self-edu- cated. In 1850 he came to Illinois, where he arrived on the 13th day of May. Here he hired out by the day, but the same fall bought eighty acres of land in company with David Hoosel, his half-brother. Two years later they divided the eighty, each retaining forty acres. This land had been but little improved, the only 994 McHENRY COUNTY. building being an old log house. Mr. Snydei worked hard, improved his farm and was mar- ried in McHenry County, January 1, 1853, to Sarah S. Parks, born in Massachusetts, within fourteen miles of Boston, April 26, 1837, daugh- ter of Jonathan and Almira (Wesson) Parks. The Parks family were of old New England Puritan ancestry, and Jonathan H. owned a farm in the State of Massachusetts. In 1843 he settled in Stockbridge, and there bought a farm, where he lived until 1855, when he came to Illinois with his family, mak- ing the journey via the great lakes to Chicago. He settled in McHenry Township and bought eighty acres of land, part of which had been broken, but no buildings had been previously erected. Mr. Parks improved his farm, erected substantial buildings and made a good home and lived here until his death, July 28, 1856. Be- sides being a farmer he was a brickmaker and burned charcoal and lime, a pursuit he also followed in Massachussets, during the two years he resided in that State. He was a nat- ural mechanic and could do almost anything with tools. He laid the foundation of the Rock- bottom factory in Massachusetts. In religious belief he was a Universalist. He was an in- dustrious and hard working man, highly re- spected by all, and reared an excellent family. The names of his children in order of their birth are: George, Martha, Mary, Sarah, Charles and Hannah. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Snyder settled on his farm consisting of one hundred and twenty acres of land in the eastern part of Dorr Township, where they first lived in an old log-cabin. Mr. Snyder went to Waukegau and bought a common iron-cookstove for which he paid $30.00. This was before his marriage and when his mother was keeping house for him. Mr. Snyder's mother lived with him and Mrs. Snyder until her death, which occurred eighteen years after their marriage. She was eighty-eight years, Bight months and eight days old. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder lived on the farm until they moved to their present home, Nov. 14, 1883. They worked hard on the old farm and converted it into excellent shape, besides adding to its area until they owned two hundred and forty acres of excellent farm- ing land in Dorr and twenty-eight and one-half acres in Greenwood Township. In 1883 they bought nine and one-half acres within the cor- poration of Woodstock, which now, after sever- al years of their care, presents a very attract- ive appearance. Before leaving the old farm, Mr. Snyder had built a substantial frame house and barn besides several frame buildings. On account of being disabled for manual labor he nas, for the past six years, devoted his attention to the selling of medicines. His attention was called to a remedy which has proven of great value. His wife was the victim of a serious nervous trouble which affected her memory, and was entirely cured after taking a course of treatment with this remedy called the "Oxien Nerve Food." Mr. Snyder began introducing it to the people in connection with other medi- cines of the same nature, and many remarkable cures have been effected by means of the mer- its of the various remedies he handles. One year he sold over $230 worth of this one rem- edy, and so successful have been the cures of nervous diseases with these remedies that they have become a standard article. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are members of the Methodist Church. He served sixteen years as Road Commissioner in Dorr Township and two terms as School Di- rector. They are the parents of one son, Charles H., who married Rosetta Sherman daughter of Jose and Mary Ann (Roan) Sher- man. Charles H. is a farmer and resides on the homestead near Woodstock. He and wife have two children: Alta H., who died at the age of ten vears, and Nina May, now attending the public schools. Mr. Jacob Snyder is a stanch Republican. With the assistance of his faithful and indus- trious wife he has earned, by honest, hard labor and economy, a valuable property. PHILIP EDWARD SAUNDERS. Thilip Edward Saunders, insurance man and prominent citizen of Harvard, McHenry County, was born in New Haven, Conn., May 6, 1838 : of colonial Puritan and English stock, his an- cestry dating back to the early settlement of that portion of New England. Philip Saunders., his great-grandfather, was a resident of Tolland County, Conn., where he was a farmer and served as a soldier of the Revolution.. His musket is still preserved in the family. A member of this family was with Col. Ethan Allen at the capture of Ticonderoga, in 1775. McHENRY COUNTY. 995 Philip (2), the son of the preceding and grand- father of the subject of this sketch, was origi- nally a farmer, but later engaged in merchan- dising. He married, and his children were: Asahel, Stephen, Christopher and a daughter, Maria, who married a Mr. Wilber. Philip (3). son of the preceding, was born in New Haven about 17S5; was a merchant and did a large business, dealing in West India products. He married Nancy Smith, who was born at West Haven, Conn., the daughter of Capt. Ichabod and Martha (Richards) Smith. Her father was a sea-faring man, and, as Captain of the good ship Pacific, made many voyages to Mogadore on the coast of Africa. The children of Captain Smith were: Ichabod, Seaman, Simeon, Edgar, Nancy, Minerva, Angeline, Francis and Emily. The Smith family resi- dence, which was erected by the father of Capt. Ichabod Smith more than 150 years ago, is still standing, and is occupied by descendants of the family. During the Revolutionary War, this house was visited by a party of raiding Hessians, who committed some depredations wounding Captain Smith's father, then an old man. After marriage, Philip Saunders (3) en- gaged in mercantile business in New Haven, residing there for the remainder of his life, dy- ing in 1862, at the age of seventy-seven years. He was a member of the Episcopal church, and in politics an old line Whig. His childreD were: Martha, Eliza, Mariette, Jane, Adela, Lovisa, Virginia, Josephine, Charles and Philip Edward. The last named, born as already stated, in New Haven, May 6, 1838, was reared in his na- tive place and educated in the public schools of that city and at the Russell Institute. At an early age he went to New York City, where he was engaged for a time in a broker's office, but in 1859, went to Wisconsin and entered the employment of the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad at Prairie du Chien, having charge of the freight department. He remained there about three years when, in 1864, he came to Mc- Henry County, 111., and engaged in farming in Chemung Township. In 1870 he removed to Ft. Wayne, Ind., and was there connected with the freight department of the Grand Rapids & Indi- ana Railroad until 1872, when he returned tc McHenry County and engaged in the hardware business at Harvard. After being engaged in this line for a number of years Mr. Saunders entered into the insurance business in Harvard, and is now the oldest representative, in point of service, of that business in Harvard. He rep- resents a number of the largest Eastern, as well as several wealthy English companies, and has conducted a large and successful business for many years. He is recognized as one of the leading men in his line in Northern Illinois On October 11, 1862, Mr. Saunders was married at Prairie du Chien, Wis., to Josephine Mary Bowen, who was born at Prairie du Chien, Feb. 29, 1844, the daughter of Elias S. and Minerva D. Bowen. Her father was a pioneer farmer of Crawford County, Wis., who was personally acquainted with Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis at old Fort Crawford, and was accus- tomed to relate many interesting reminiscences of that early period. His children were: Jose- phine M., who married Mr. Saunders, George and Harvey. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders are mem- bers of the Episcopal church, and are parents of the following named children: Philip, born July 18, 1864; Charles, born Jan. 30, 1866; Stuart, born May 19, 1868; Eugene, born Feb. f., 1870; Harvey B., born Jan. 16, 1873; Foster B., born March 23, 1875, and Walter D., born April 8, 1877. Mr. Saunders is widely known as a representative citizen of Harvard, served as City Clerk for ten years, and has been Superintendent of the Water Works and the electric light plant, of which he was one of the principal promoters. This position he has re- cently resigned. He also held the office of Treasurer of Chemung Township for some twenty years. Fraternally he is a Mason and member of the Woodstock Commandery Knights Templar. EUGENE SAUNDERS. Eugene Saunders, one of the proprietors and manager of the mechanical department of the "Harvard Independent," was born in Chemung Township, McHenry County, Feb. 5, 1870, the son of Philip Edward and Josephine (Bowen) Saunders, and received his education in the public schools and the High School of Harvard. In 1887 he began to learn the printer's trade in the office of "The Harvard Independent," under editor O. S. Eastman, remaining until 1890. Then, after spending three years in various oc- cupations, in 1893, he established a job-printing office in Harvard, which he conducted success- fully for two years. In 1895 he bought an inter- 996 McHENRY COUNTY. est in "The Harvard Independent," with Merton J. Emerson as partner, immediately assuming control of the mechanical department, which he has continued ever since, and which has re- sulted in a large improvement in the business of the concern. Mr. Saunders brought with him to his new position a large trade, but it has required much hard work and good man- agement to bring the business up to its present state of prosperity. New presses, machinery and other appliances have been added to the establishment, and it now boasts the largest, most modern and best equipped newspaper press in McHenry County, while the business occupies the largest floor-space of any similar establishment in the county. For this result, as well as the skillful and workmanlike manner in which the affairs of the office are conducted, and the attractive appearance of the paper, much credit is due to Mr. Saunders. Mr. Saun- ders and Mr. F. R. Phelps, in copartnership, became proprietors of the Harvard Opera House in 1890. ISRAEL C. ST. CLAIR. Israel Chamberlain St. Clair, one of the pio- neers of McHenry County, now deceased, was born at Detroit, Mich., June 15, 1829, the son of William and Elizabeth (Simmons) St. Clair, and came with his parents to Chicago in 1835 : and to McHenry County in 1837. His father settled on wild land and the family were true pioneers in a new country, where they endured all the hardships connected with pioneer life, shared its simple pleasures and took part in all the affairs of their locality. His parents were early members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in those pioneer days, the log houses of the early settlers serving as the homes of the Methodist itinerant preachers, and there re- ligious services were frequently held. Israel C. St. Clair was reared amid the scenes and inci- dents of pioneer life, and here his early experi- ences assisted in forming those many traits of character which remained with him through life. He received the limited education afforded in the pioneer log-cabin schoolhouse, but pos- sessing an intelligent mind, he read every good book to which he could gain access, and thus became well-informed, especially in history, of which he read extensively. He was a devout student of the Bible and passed many hours in reading its sacred pages, thus acquiring an ex- tensive knowledge of tne Book of Books. He was a successful farmer and stock-raiser and an expert in the manufacture of dairy products, taking several first premiums in this line at the county fairs. He married in Coral Township, June 15, 1852. Mary E., daughter of Samuel R. and Sallie (Bowley) Morris, and they became the parents of children named: Ellen, Morris, George, Leila and Susie. Mr. St. Clair moved on the old St. Clair homestead, on which he made improve- ments and established one of the pleasantest homes in McHenry County. Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. St. Clair, at different times, was steward and trustee. He joined the pioneer Methodist Episcopal church at Ridgefield when a boy. In politics he was an old line Whig, and later became a Republican on the organization of that party. Mrs. St. Clair was born Oct. 6, 1830, in Madison County, N. Y., the daughter of Samuel and Sallie (Bowley) Morris. Samuel Morris was descended from an old New York family, the town of Morrisville, N. Y., being named after them. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Morris moved to McHenry County, 111., in 1840, and settled in Coral Township, and were among the pioneers of that vicinity. They were the parents of eight children, named as follows: Charlotte M.. Sarah E., Mary E., Edwin R., Martha E. Wilbur F., Samuel J. and Charles W. Two sons — Edwin R. and Wilbur F. — served in the Civil War. Charles W. was drowned after enlist- ment, while in camp at Freeport, 111. JOHN J. STAFFORD. John J. Stafford, leading furniture-dealer of Woodstock, also engaged in marble working and other enterprises, has for over twenty years been prominently identified with the business Interests of his city. Mr. Stafford comes of good English ancestry, many of the early members of the family having settled in New England in colonial days. He was born in Rutland, Vt., August 17, 1863, the son of Jonas J. and Helen (Finn) Stafford. In 1868, when about five years old, he came with his parents to Harvard, McHenry County, 111., where for a number of years he attended the public schools, cultivating his literary tastes, and developing habits of industry and atten McHENRY COUNTY. 997 tion, which have characterized him through life. Turning his attention to business at an early age he entered the wood -working estab- lishment of his brother, L. H. Stafford, and there passed two years of profitable apprentice- ship. Having mastered the details of the business, in 1S80 he came to Woodstock and opened a furniture shop of his own, to which he added the undertaking business. High grade articles, prompt service, and square dealings won him patronage from the start; and wise financial management soon placed the business on a solid foundation. Trade has steadily increased, and he has from year to year enlarged his stock of goods, and made other improvements in the store. The business is now extensive and profitable. En- couraged by his success, in 1889, in company with A. J. Zoia, he opened a marble-works establishment under the firm name, "Stafford & Zoia." Here he has, if anything, been more successful than in the furniture business. Making a specialty of monuments, the firm has turned out some very artistic work, and orders come in from far and near. During the year 1901 the business yielded twenty thousand dollars. In 1886 Mr. Stafford married in Woodstock, Marcella C. Donnelly, who was born in Wood- stock, daughter of John Donnelly. Of this union there have been two children: Gordon and Marcellus. Mr. Stafford started life with little but his own brains and muscle to depend upon, and has risen to a foremost place among the bus- iness men of his city. He has also found time to cultivate the literary and social sides of his nature. From year to year he has laid in a stock of good books, and his private library, where he passes his leisure hours, now con- tains some of the choicest literature of an- cient and modern times. Fraternally he is af- filiated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of the Globe, and the Modern Woodmen of America, all of Wood- stock. In politics he is a strong Democrat. He is outspoken, liberal in his views and pos- sesses a high sense of honor. CAPT, CHARLES HOPKINS TRYON. Gapt. Charles Hopkins Tryon, present County Surveyor of McHenry CouDty, was a soldier and officer of the Civil War, and ranks among the pioneers and most honored and substantial citizens of this section of the State. He is of English ancestry through a colonial Puritan family, which settled in Massachusetts at an early day. * His grandfather, William Tryon, was born at Deerfield, Mass., where the family were settlers before the date of the Deerfield massacre by the Indians. This Mr. Tryon married a Miss Hopkins, and was a soldier of the Revolution. Of his children, the names of Samuel, Ann and Bela are remembered. About 1827 he moved to Manlius, Onondaga County, N. Y., where he settled on a farm and spent the remainder of his days, dying at an advanced age. In religious faith he was a Presbyterian. Bela Hopkins Tryon, his son, was born at Deerfield in 1797, received a good common-school education, became a farmer and was married in 1825 to Miss Harriet Bil- lings, daughter of Jesse Billings, also of Deer- field. About 1827 he accompanied his father to Onondaga County, N. Y., but in 1836 came to Milwaukee, Wis., to look up a home in the West. Having brought out his family the following fall, he first settled near Milwaukee, but in December of the following winter re- moved to McHenry County, 111., settling in what is now Hebron Township. Having bought 200 acres of Government land, he built upon it a log-cabin, which he continued to occupy until he was able to build a commodious frame dwelling, bringing material for this purpose from Chicago. This house is still standing. He was the first Postmaster of Hebron, being appointed Dec. 23, 1839, and receiving his com- mission from Postmaster-General Amos Ken- dall. This is still retained in a good state of preservation in the family. He was also one of the first County Commisioners of McHenry County and the first Justice of the Pe'ace in Hebron Township, holding the latter position until his death. Mr. Tryon was a man of wide intelligence, of undoubted integrity of character and a recognized leader in the community. Although brought up a Presbyterian, in his later years he became a Universalist. By in- dustry, enterprise and economy he prospered until he became the owner of 1200 acres of land in McHenry County, besides lands in Wiscon- sin, which he left to his children. On the maternal side Mr. Tryon was descended from 998 McHENRY COUNTY. Edward Hopkins, who emigrated from Shrews- bury, England, to Boston in 1637, afterwards removed to Hartford, Conn., and served as Governor of Connecticut Colony, from 1640 to 1654. Returning to England, he became Warden of the English fleet and a Member of Parliament, but died in 1657, leaving large bequests for the support of schools in New England. Among his descendants were some of the most distinguished men of New England and Pennsylvania, including Stephen Hop- kins, for fourteen years Governor of Rhode Island in pre-Revolutionary times, and one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence; Samuel Hopkins, D. D., of Yale College and founder of the "Hopkinsian Theology," and the celebrated theologian, Jonathan Edwards. It is said that Bela Hopkins Tryon, both phys- ically and mentally, strongly resembled the two last named in his love for investigation of the occult and mysterious in divine truth and revelation. In politics Mr. Tryon was an old line Whig. He died at his home in Hebron Township, Jan. 4, 1848, leaving two sons — Charles H. (the subject of this sketch), born at Deerfleld, Mass., June 2, 1826, and George F., born in Onondaga County, N. Y., in 1828. Mrs. Harriet (Billings) Tryon, the wife of Bela H. Tryon, was the first white woman who ever resided in Hebron Township. Their home consequently became a favorite visiting place for the young men and others who had come west in search of new homes for them- selves and families, and who here found some one to take a motherly interest in them and furnish them the rarity of a well-cooked meal Meetings for singing were a favorite enter- tainment during the long winter evenings. On one of these occasions the company having enjoyed themselves in singing a number of popular airs and melodies of the time, finished with the grand old tune, "Hebron," when Mrs. Tryon remarked, "This is my choice of all tunes, and I think 'Hebron' would make a good- name for our township." The idea was re- ceived with favor; an early meeting was held at her house for the purpose of fixing upon a name and, at this impromptu christening, it is said that Mrs. Tryon fried more than a bushel of crullers, which were devoured, smok- ing hot, by her guests. She was a woman of marked ability and her home the center of hospitality and good cheer at that early day. Charles Hopkins Tryon, born (as already stated) at Deerfleld, Mass., June 2, 1826, was still an infant when his parents took him to Onondaga County, N. Y., in 1827, and about ten years of age on their removal to Illinois in 1836. Before leaving New York, he spent some time at an academy at Manlius; but after coming to Illinois, attended the first school in Hebron Township, taught by a Mr. Filkins in a frame house erected in District No. 1, about 1838. Among the scholars remembered were Edwin and Elvira Douglass; Thomas, Henry Eliza and Cornelia Gilbert; James and Clar- risa Parker; Jeremiah Tuck, Milton Stewart, George F. Tryon and Emily Parker, now Mrs. Deacon Barrows of Woodstock. The school- house stood in the edge of the prairie, and herds of deer could often be seen from its windows. Other game was abundant, includ - ing wild geese, ducks, swans, pelicans and prairie chickens, while wolves could be heard howling at night. Charles and his brother George often carried their rifles with them to school, and killed many deer in their time. The Winnebago and Pottawatomie Indians had formerly had a village in a grove near the Tryon home, but it was deserted after the Black Hawk War. Some members of these tribes were accustomed to return here to hunt in the fall and winter, and camped on the site of the old village. They were peaceful, and often visited the Tryon home and received food from the hand of Mrs. Tryon. Attending this school in winter and working on the farm in summer until eighteen years of age, Mr. Tryon obtained the rudiments of an English education, studied geography, English grammar ,and, later, algebra, natural philosophy and astronomy — a rather extensive curriculum for a country school — but Mr. Tryon insists that the common branches were well taught. Among his teachers were Gardner and Lathrop Barrows — the latter, Deacon Barrows of Wood- stock. "Webster's Elementary Speller" was in use, and spelling-matches in vogue. The young people would come together from miles distant on ox-sleds, and spend a winter evening in what was, to them, a delightful and improv- Jlu €ft% l-^Zt-z^l. McHENRY COUNTY. 999 ing diversion, with the result that many be- came accurate spellers. "The Columbian Orator," "English Reader" and "Kirkham's Grammar" were other school-books of the time, and it is doubtful if any others of the present day have produced more thorough and accurate scholars in the particular branches to which the attention of pupils were directed by the books and teachers of that period. When about nineteen, Mr. Tryon spent a term in the Ringwood Academy studying surveying, at twenty-one was elected a Justice of the Peace in place of his father (then deceased), holding the office four years. In January, 1848, he was married to Laura A. Hodge, daughter of Robert W. and Sallie Hodge, born in Onondaga County, N. Y., about 1828. Mr. Hodge came to Hebron Township somewhat later than the Tryons, and improved a farm of 160 acres, where he died at. an advanced age. His children were: Laura A. and Sarah. After marriage Mr. Tryon re- mained on the paternal homestead, settled up the estate — of which he was administrator — he and his brother dividing about 1,000 acres of land between them. For many years he managed a farm of some 500 acres, but long after the death of his son, Bela H., sold all but 120 acres, which he still retains. August 13, 1862, Mr. Tryon enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War, was elected Captain of Company H, Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, which he had been instrumental in or- ganizing, and was mustered in at Rockford. He served in Kentucky, Tennessee and Missis- sippi, but, at the expiration of about a year, was honorably discharged on account of dis- ability from wounds accidentally received. In 1882 he was elected Representative in the Thirty-third General Assembly, and was as- signed to the Committees on Agriculture, Horti- culture, Dairying and State Institutions. Of his record in the Legislature, "The Illinois State Journal" of June, 1883, said: "Among the quiet and unobtrusive members of the General Assembly during the recent ses- sion, there has been none who looked more faithfully or conscientiously after the interests of his constituents and the people of the State generally, than Hon. Charles H. Tryon, Repre- sentative from the Eighth District. Though an infrequent speaker, and seldom calling at- tention to himself on the floor, his industry and close attention to business secured for him a degree of influence exerted by few members on either side of the House. He was particularly influential in securing the passage through the House of two measures — one a bill providing for the more certain conviction and effective punishment of persons guilty of burglary, for- gery, etc., the other a bill authorizing the erec- tion of private telegraph and telephone lines of much importance to suburban and farming communities. It is doubtful if any man leaves the General Assembly with more earnest friends on both sides of the House, while the respect and confidence won by his high char- acter for honesty and fair-dealing, have placed him in a position to serve his constituents even more efficiently in the future than in the past." In politics Captain Tryon was originally an old-line Whig, later a Republican, and, frater- nally, a Mason. He served as a member of the McHenry County Board of Supervisors for Hebron Township, 1852-54; in 1888 was elected County Surveyor, has been re-elected every four years since and renominated and re- elected in 1900 — his constant re-election prov- ing his satisfactory administration of the office. In 1891 Captain Tryon came to Woodstock to reside, as the location afforded better con- veniences for discharging the duties of his of- fice as County Surveyor. Captain Tryon's household consists of his wife, himself and "Bonnie Doon" (Loula Blanche Tryon), eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ira (Billings) Tryon. She is the second of four children, the others being Charles Leon Russell, George Leslie Bil- lings and Ruth Marguerite. The grandfather of these children, George Frederick Handel Try- on, was Captain Tryon's only brother. Loula Blanche is attending the public school in Wood- stock, where she is an industrious student and . an excellent musician for her age. The death of Captain Tryon's brother, which occurred many years ago, left a shadow over his life that time fails to remove, and still living amid the scenes of their boyhood and maturer man- hood, their happy days together are freshly kept in his memory. But, while cherishing the recollections of his lost ones, he has been con- stant in weaving a chaplet of tenderness for the living. Captain Tryon's first wife died in 1876 leav- ing two children — Jessie M., who married Mr. George Trow, a farmer of Hebron Township, and Bela A., a young man of high promise, who died at the age of twenty-six years. On July 4, 1877, Captain Tryon was married to Mrs. Marion E. Sherman, the daughter of Daniel and Clarinda (Watson) Downs, born in Oswego 1000 McHENRY COUNTY. County, N. Y., Nov. 18, 1841. Mr. Downs was a native of Ireland, was brought by his parents to America at seven years of age, came to Wis- consin in 1844 and settled in Walworth County near Lake Geneva, where he had a farm of 160 acres. Previous to coming to Wisconsin he was married at iSackett's Harbor, N. Y., to Clarissa Watson, a native of that place and daughter of Major and Mary (Robinson) Wat- son. Major Watson, while young, was a pris- oner for a time among the Indians and com- pelled to run the gauntlet; was later adopted by an Indian chief, but assisted by a fur-trader to escape. He became a soldier in the War of the Revolution, serving under Washington and LaFayette, and taking part in the battle of Monmouth; also served in the War of 1812, was an active participant in the battle of Sackett's Harbor, was captured by the British and placed on board a prison-ship, from which he was finally released through the intervention of the President. He came to Wisconsin with his daughter, Mrs. Downs, dying there at the age of one hundred years, three months and twenty- one days, and is buried in Hebron Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Downs had eight children: James. Daniel, William, John, Jane A., Ann M., Clara E. and Marion B. James served in the Seven- teenth Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War, but returned broken in health, dying a few years after. Daniel Downs (the father) was an Old School Presbyterian and a Democrat in politics. He died in 1878, aged seventy-six years. Mrs. Marion E. Tryon acquired a superior education in the common schools, the Wal- worth County Institute and the Liberal Insti- tute at Jefferson, Wis., taught for a time in Walworth County and the graded school at Lake Geneva, establishing a reputation as a successful educator. She is also a versatile writer and has been a contributor to the local press. The following tender little poem from her pen is a loving tribute to the winsome little lassie of her hearthstone: "BONNIE DOONE." Today, within my workbox's depths, Wound 'round with skeins of rainbow hue, And nestled in their silken folds, I found a little worn out shoe. The precious wearer rightly guessed It would an added treasure be, And memory's chords would deeper thrill To know she placed it there for me. Dear little shoe! Remembrance holds A childlike form with spirit meek, The sunset glory on her hair, The wild rose blooms on lip and cheek; A winsome face upraised to mine With tender, pleading, glorious eyes, That must have caught, to light their depth, Some wandering beam from Paradise. Two little hands that have a way Of slipping into mine, with just A semblance of that broader faith O'er-leaping time and scorning dust: A little couch, a quiet room, Where evening shadows noiseless creep, Two clinging arms, a good-night kiss, A soft, "I lay me down to sleep." And holding oft a dimpled hand, While lids drop down in slumbrous ease, More clearly than I understand — "My Kingdom is of such as these." I may not part the mystic veil That lies my darling's path before, Know if these little, untried feet Will reach the bounds of childhood's shore; Or who will guide her tender youth With loving care in home's dear fold; So oft across love's fairest bower The winds of Fate blow strangely cold; But O! my darling, when my heart Breathes oft to heaven life's fondest care, My rosary is thy sweet young face, And tenderest thoughts for thee my prayer. MRS. MARY E. TRUAX. Genealogy of the Gregory Family. — John Gregory was the name of the founder of the Gregory family in America. Judah, who was the son of a John Gregroy, and who came from Norwalk, Conn., in January, 1685, was one of the eight original settlers of the town of Danbury, Conn. Judge Savage, the eminent authority on genealogy, expresses the opinion that he was probably the son of John, the first of the name in America. Judah married Oct. 20, 1664, Han- nah, the daughter of Walter Haite, and their children were: Hannah, born Sept. 24, 1666; John, born March 17, 1669; Percie, born Feb. 11, 1672; Joseph, born July 16, 1674; Lydia, born Jan. 9, 1677; Josiah, born July 13, 1679; Benjamin, born March 26, 1682. It is believed that Judah may have been one of the proprietors of New Haven, in 1672, before his settlement at Danbury. John, the son of Judah, was one of the early Justices of the Peace at Danbury. 03/OTVYUJj l9(VrrvU* McHENRY COUNTY. 1001 In "Bailey's History of Danbury" his name is mentioned many times, and always in honor- able terms. ' ' One of the earliest of the Gregory family to settle in New England was Henry, who was born in Nottinghamshire, England, and settled at Springfield, Mass., in 1636. He brought with him his family, consisting of his wife and grown-up sons and daughters, and died at Stratford, Conn., in 1655, aged eighty-five years. His oldest son, John, born in Notting- hamshire, between 1600 and 1610, was probably married in his native country; after coming to America lived for some years at New Haven, Conn., but in 1655 became one of the original settlers at Norwalk. His son Judah was one of eight men who, in 1685, made the first settle- ment of Danbury, Conn., and from him the Dan- bury Gregorys were descended, including most of those who settled in Northern Illinois. The line of descent of Mrs. Truax' family, as near as can be traced, is as follows: First, Henry Gregory, of Nottinghamshire, England, and later of Springfield, Mass., and Hartford, Conn.; Second, John Gregory, a native of Not- tinghamshire, England, and one of the first set- tlers of Norwalk, Conn., in 1655; Third, Judah Gregory, of Norwalk, Conn., one of the original settlers of Danbury, 1685; Fourth, John Greg- ory; Fifth, Samuel Gregory; Sixth, Ephraim Gregory; Seventh, Samuel Gregory; Eighth, Miles Gregory; Ninth, Stephen Olmstead — all after the third generation, natives of Danbury, Conn. Following the later record of the family, it appears that Stephen O. Gregory (deceased), late of McHenry County, was descended from Ephraim Gregory, Sr., and his wife Esther (Stephens) Gregory, the latter the daughter of Stephen and Hannah (Olmstead) Benedict. Their children were: Samuel, Eliphalet, Anna and Elijah. Ephraim Gregory died in October, 1775. The next in line was Samuel, who was born Nov. 5, 1764, and married Lorena Olm- stead, born March 16, 1768, and died Sept. 21, 1848, aged eighty years. Their children were: Miles, Ezra, Stephen Olmstead, Ephraim, Harry, Esther, Cordelia, Eliphalet, Hannah and Samuel. Samuel, Sr., died May 19, 1830, aged sixty-six years. Of the next generation, Miles, born Nov. 26, 1784, married Annis Bronson and they had children as follows: William Augus- tus, Bailey, Stephen Olmstead, Dennis (1), Lorena, Mary, Sarah, Dennis (2) and Jane. Miles died Nov. 7, 1828, aged forty-four years. The next in genealogical descent was Stephen Olmstead, married for bis first wife Mary Perry and his second, Ruth Ann Olmstead. Stephen Olmstead Gregory was born in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 9, 1811. The family were of Scotch an- cestry, the founders of the American branch coming with the early Puritan emigrants to Massachusetts, and finally settling in Connecti- cut. Ephraim Gregory, who has already been mentioned as dying in October, 1775, and from whom there is no break in the genealogical record, was a respected resident of Danbury previous to the Revolution, but died too early to take part in the war, while his son Samuel was too young to become a soldier. The latter became a blacksmith by occupation. Miles, the son of Samuel, was born in Danbury, where he spent his whole life, dying at the age of forty-four years. He was a blacksmith by trade, as his father was before him, and was a member of the Methodist church. His wife, Annis Bronson, was the daughter of Ezra and Anna (Knapp) Bronson, the former having en- listed as a soldier in the Revolutionary War at sixteen years of age. Stephen O. Gregory, who has been mentioned in the earlier part of this record, was a farmer, and was also engaged in mercantile business. About 1849, he moved to Carbondale, Penn., where he again adopted the life of a farmer, but in the spring of 1852 came to McHenry County, 111., and settled on a tract of eighty acres of land, on which a log house had been built, and a few acres brought under cultiva- tion. This land he still further improved, and made additions to it until he was the owner of 200 acres with good buildings. Having sold this farm he bought another of 335 acres, upon which he erected a pleasant residence and sub- stantial farm buildings. This is now the home- stead of his daughter, Mrs. Mary E. Truax. In politics Mr. Gregory was an independent, hav- ing taken an oath that he would support the best men for office without fear or favor of any party. In their religious belief Mr. and Mrs. Gregory were Methodists. Their children were: Mary E., William H., and Cordelia J. Mr. Gregory died in 1892 at the age of eighty- one years, and his wife one year later (1893) about the same age. 1002 McHENRY COUNTY. Mrs. Mary E. (Gregory) Truax, the daughter of Stephen O. Gregory, received a common- school education in her Eastern home, and coming west with her parents in 1852, at the age of fourteen years, attended school in what was then called the McConnell district in Dorr Township, McHenry County. She married Dayton B. Truax, who was born in Cortland County, N. Y., the son of Isaac and Sophia (Short) Truax. Mr. Truax came to McHenry County when about twenty-two years of age, and has always been a farmer. For many years he and his wife have resided on the old Gregory homestead, where they cared for Mrs. Truax's venerable parents during the latter years of their lives. Mr. Truax is an inde- pendent in politics and an industrious and pub- lic-spirited citizen of straightforward character, who enjoys the confidence and respect of the community. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Truax are: George R.; Mattie, who died at the age of thirty-four years, and Stephen Earl. The latter is a traveling salesman for a whole- sale shoe-house, with which he has been con- nected for the past twelve years. George R. married Kittie Tower, and they have one son, Donald. The Truax family is one of the best known in McHenry County and Mrs. Truax is a fine example of a class of citizens descended from the early settlers who assisted in the development of McHenry County, and whose enterprise and public spirit have con- tributed to make it what it has become during the last generation— one of the most prosper- ous sections of the State, peopled by an intelli- gent and enterprising community. A lady of intelligence and high standing in the com- munity, she has taken deep interest in the genealogical record of the family which has played so important a part in the history of the country. Her parents were widely known among the early settlers of McHenry County as people of high moral principle and upright course of life. Gregory Revolutionary History.— The record of the Gregory family in connection wtih the War of the American Revolution may properly be inserted here: In 1772 a cavalry company was organized at Danbury, Conn., under the name of the Fourth Company, Third Regiment, Third Brigade, which served in the Revolution- ary War under command of General Israel Put- nam, with Benjamin Hickox as Lieutenant, who was afterwards promoted to the rank of Major. At the battle of White Plains, Lieuten- ant Hickox was in command. Eight of those connected with the ancestral stock of Col. Samuel Gregory — who was a soldier of the Civil War — were soldiers in the War of the Revolution, and two were soldiers in the War of 1812. Col. Ira Gregory was Marshal of the Day on occasion of the celebration of the Fourth of July, 1838, at Danbury, Conn., and in the procession were sixty soldiers of the Revolution, and one hundred who had served in the War of 1812. Twenty-five of the Greg- ory name from different Connecticut towns, who were all of the original Gregory stock, served in the Revolution, two of these being Samuel Gregorys, who were distant relatives from Danbury. The Gregorys were blood rela- tives of many other Danbury families. The grandfather of Reverend Bronson was Amos Bronson, a Baptist minister who hailed from Tolland, Conn., but later became a resi- dent of Fairfield. He was the father of severa? sons, one of whom was Ezra Bronson, men- tioned in the earlier part of the history of the Gregory family. Ezra Bronson married in Danbury, Conn., Anna Knapp, and to them were born twelve children. Ezra Bronson be- came a soldier of the Revolutionary War at sixteen years of age. An incident of the war was the attack of the British on Danbury. Having landed at Horse Neck, the British troops started on foot for Danbury, intending to burn the provision stores there. Warned of their approach from Norwalk, the people of Danbury fled from their homes. Anna Knapp, then about thirteen years of age, accompanied by two of her sisters, fled on horseback to the adjoining towns of New Fairfield, while a man in the employ of the family followed with a cart drawn by a yoke of oxen and a horse (a Yankee team), carrying the household furniture and provisions. The Congregational church, located in the center of the village of Danbury was stored with pork. The provision houses in the town were burned and, on her return to her home two days later, Anna Knapp rode through grease over fetlock deep to the horse. ANDREW THOMAS. Andrew Thomas (deceased), former honored pioneer and prominent citizen of McHenry C£yi-&Z7^g**<^<^&?s>?l, extracted from his temple by an army surgeon. He was then transferred to the hospital at Louisville, where he remained under treatment above a month. Not yet having sufficiently recovered for active service in the field, he was detailed to duty as a clerk. Here his efficiency as a book-keeper and accountant, together with his facility in penmanship, soon made it evident that his services were of most value in the Provost Marshal General's Office, Department Headquarters, a position of responsibility re- quiring unusual skill and ability. He was then transferred to Company F, Fifteenth Reg- iment, Veteran Relief Corps, Department of Kentucky, Gen. John M. Palmer, commanding. The Emancipation Proclamation opened the year of 1863 with arduous and rapidly increas- ing duties, in enlisting the eager contrabands and properly assigning and providing for the wants of these new recruits. All the days were crowded, and many of the nights, with work for the large body of clerks employed in the different offices. The prisoners sent up from the front, destined for Camp Douglas and John- son's Island, passing through, had to have accu- rate lists made; all had to be fed and nearly all provided with some article of clothing, blankets, shoes and caps. His term of service amounted to three years and one month, when he was honorably discharged. Although an accomplished pen- man, Mr. Wells' compensation, while detailed for service as a clerk, amounted to only $13 per month — the pay of a private soldier — while clerks employed from private life for the same duties received $100 per month. After promo- tion to be Hospital Steward he received $25 per month for a few months. Some specimens of Mr. Wells' penmanship, preserved in the army records, present the appearance of hav- ing been engraved, instead of being executed with the pen. He received many testimonials from his superiors to his faithful and efficient service, of which the following deserves to be placed on record as a specimen: "Headquarters Department of Kentucky, "Medical Director's Office, "Louisville, Ky., Sept. 1, 1865. "To Whom It May Concren: "This is to certify that Private W. C. Wells, Co. F, 15th Regt. 2nd Bat. V. R. C, has been a clerk in my office for some time past, and has performed some of its most responsible duties as such, and I recommend him as a person of regular habits, industrious and trustworthy. "He bears with him, as he leaves the service by the expiration of his term of enlistment, my best wishes. "A J. Phelps, Surg. U. S. A. Brevt. Col. & Med. Director, Dpt. of Kentucky. After his discharge Mr. Wells returned to Painesville, Ohio, but soon after removed to Jo Daviess County, 111., where he bought a farm of 120 acres. He soon after opened stu- dios at Warren and Apple River, adjoining towns, where he prosecuted his profession as an artist for some time, but a few years later returned to Marengo. Here he built a photo- graph gallery and did a large business in his line — this being for many years the leading gallery in McHenry County. Here, with a rec- ord in Ohio and in Illinois of nearly fifty years In the business, he has taken many thousands of pictures of citizens of McHenry and adjoin- 1026 McHENRY COUNTY. ing counties. Mr. Wells has not restricted his work to the camera alone, however, for he is also an artist with the brush, and has painted many portraits and other pictures in oil, and now has some fine specimens of his work in this line. June 3, 1852, Mr. Wells was married, at Ash- tabula, Ohio, to Miss Orlinda Sinclair Barrows, born at Hudson, Ohio, the daughter of William and Sallie (Sinclair) Burrows, and they have had one daughter, Estella J., born at Madison, Ohio, April 23, 1853, and now the wife of Dr. Albert Green, of Rockford, 111. Dr. and Mrs. Green have four children: John A., Walter C, Harry L. and Frances W. Mrs. Green, before her marriage, received a collegiate education. Originally an old line Whig, Mr. Wells be- came a Republican on the organization of that party, was a zealous supporter of Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency, and has been a stanch supporter of Republican principles ever since. He is a respected and influential citizen of Marengo, and has served as a member of the City Council four terms. Since 1894 — the year of the death of his father — he has been Vice-President of the First National Bank of Marengo, and is one of the five directors of the Collins & Burgie Company, stove manufac- turers of Marengo. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and one of the founders of the Harley Wayne Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. Although stricken by a dangerous illness early in his term of enlistment, and thus pre- vented from discharging his duty as a soldier in the manner he had contemplated at the time of his enlistment, his record shows that he not only did not hesitate to risk his life in his country's cause, but that he performed his duty as faithfully and patriotically in every posi- tion assigned him, as if he had borne arms in the field through his whole period of service. In conclusion, it is but just to say that his career in civil life, as a man and a citizen, has been of the same high order as that which characterized his service as a soldier. Mr. Wells is a studious reader of standard literature and has accumulated the largest private library in Marengo, including many val- uable works of reference. Both he and his accomplished wife are great lovers of flowers, and, for years, they have cultivated a beauti- ful flower garden containing many rare speci mens, and his photographic gallery was always ornamented with a profusion of nature's richest and most beautiful productions, which proved a rare attraction. It should be said in closing that, when Mr. Wells enlisted to serve his country as a sol- dier in the Civil War, he left at home a de- voted wife and a little daughter; that courage and patriotism are not attributes of man alone, but that the brave-hearted wife and mother who faced the fearful anxiety and loneliness of patient waiting, who read the lists of killed and wounded with bated breath and throbbing heart, fearing that every name would be that of the husband and father, was as true a patriot and gave as much to her country, as the soldier who faced death on the Southern battlefield. Mrs. Wells has always been a true helpmate and faithful assistant to her husband in his business. She is one of the few women of the Civil War whose hair is yet unsilvered, and who retains the vivacity of younger days, al- though she has passed more than half a cen- tury of wedded life. SKETCH OF THE 105th O. V. I. From its Muster to its Retreat to Louisville, Ky. — From the Pen of Judge Albion W. Tour- gee, a Private of the Regiment. On the 16th day of August, 1862, the Secre- tary of War telegraphed the Governors of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, begging them to send toops at once to Cincinnati and Louis- ville, in order to hold Kentucky for the Union; on the next day Governor Tod of Ohio prom- ised four regiments in five days. The 105th O. V. I. was the first installment of this pledge. On the 19th the Department of Ohio was formed, and Gen. Horatio G. Wright was assigned with orders first to relieve Gen. Morgan and then to see that Gen. Buell's com- munications were secure. The regiment was mustered into the United States service on August 21, 1862, at Camp Taylor, now Univer- sity Heights, Cleveland, Ohio. When the or- ganization was completed, an order was re- ceived that sent a thrill of wondering surprise through every one who heard it. It was a tel- egram from the Governor of the State as fol- lows: "Col. Albert S. Hall, 105th O. V. I.: "The enemy have invaded Kentucky. You will report with your regiment to Maj. Gen. H G. Wright, commanding Department at Cincin- nati, without an instant's delay. Camp and garrison equippage will be forwarded to meet you there. "DAVID TOD, Governor." AA McHENRY COUNTY. 1027 It was high noon when the ranks were brok- en. Sixty minutes afterwards the regiment was on the march to the depot, and two hours lat- er were being whirled away to the theater of war. The men who took the oath of service on that August day of 1862 were fresh from their shops and harvest fields. Only a few of them enjoyed the proud distinction of having seen service. For the rest, field, staff and line, the whole rank and file were products of the life of the Western Reserve. Two-thirds of them were farmers' sons, who, up to that time, had been at school, at work upon their fathers' farms, or employed by the month by some neighbor, preparatory to set- ting up for themselves. There was one lawyer and five law students among them, one minis- ter, some dozens of clerks, two medical stu- dents, and a hundred or more teachers. Eigh- ty-five per cent, of them were of native par- entage. One-fifth of those of foreign birth, who had missed the advantage of free schools, signed the muster roll with a cross. Only one who was native born made his mark. There were no rich men in the regiment, probably but one worth more than ten thousand dollars, and, perhaps not half a dozen who could claim more than half that valuation. At the same time there were no poor men among them. Every one was self-supporting or belonged to a fam- ily of substantial means, or engaged in profit- able industry. Of those who worked for wages, the average monthly stipend was at least double the pay the soldier received. Of farm-laborers the low- est rate reported by nearly two hundred sur- vivors was fourteen dollars a month and board the recipient being a boy of seventeen. From that amount the wages of a farm-laborer ranged up to twenty-five and thirty dollars per month. Clerks received from thirty to forty dollars and board; teachers from twenty-five to one hundred dollars a month. There were half a dozen college students, and more than a hundred students of the various academies, in the region from which the regiment was drawn, enrolled in the different companies. This region comprised the five easterly counties of the Western Reserve, the north- easterly counties of Ohio — Ashtabula, Trum- bull, Lake, Geauga and Mahoning. This is the famous Nineteenth Ohio Congressional Dis- trict. One of these counties was the home of Benjamin F. Wade and Joshua R. Giddings, pre-eminent among the champions of liberty and justice in that day — "Benighted Ashta- bula," as it is termed in mockery and as it proclaimed itself in pride, having, as was claim- ed, the lowest rate of illiteracy of any county in the Union. The Western Reserve also gave us Gen. James A. Garfield and (Ossawattomie) John Brown and his right-hand man, who was killed in the ill-advised Harper's Ferry under- taking. The battle of liberty had already been fought out in its homes and schools. A few slavery men still lived, and scowled and snarled among them; but "free-speech, free-soil, free- men," had been the watch word of the great mass of its people long before it became the slogan of the party. When the regiment left for the front, it was but eight days since the first of them had left their homes; but forty-six of them had ever seen an hour's service; hardly half the com- panies had had more than three or four hours' drill, and one of them, at least, only one hour; but nothing was strange in those days of self- forgetfulness. The men had been neighbors, schoolmates, friends. No wall of exclusion separated them from their officers; rank made little difference in their relations. Obedience, indeed, became habitual, but it was the will- ing obedience of the intelligent man, not the slavish submission of an inferior based on fear of punishment. Because of this, the 105th be- came noted for the parental character of its discipline. It had an enviable reputation for good order and prompt obedience, but it was especially distinguished for the mildness and infrequency of its punishments. From the point of view of the regular officer, all this was horribly bad form; but the theory of discipline which prevails in our regular army is purely monarchical and aristocratic. De- spite the many gallant and noble officers it contains, it is in theory and in practice a dis- grace to the republic. When the ranks shall be made the only door to West Point and every soldier shall have an open field for preferment, it will become the most efficient army in the world; then de- sertions will cease and the expense of recruit- ing be avoided, since the best young men of the nation will seek the army as a desirable career. It is a change that is sure to come, since it is dictated by every patriotic consid- eration. The country cannot afford either to rear aristocrats or to deprive men in the ranks of the soldier's just reward, the right to wear a sword when he has fitted himself for the duties of command. On the day after the 105th was mustered in, Kirby Smith, the Confederate General, having turned the Federal position at Cumberland Gap, arrived with fifteen thousand men at Bar- boursville, Ky., and seven days later General Buell began his retreat. It was at this junc- utre of national affairs that the 105th, the day after it had been mustered in, reported to Maj. Gen. H. G. Wright, commanding the Depart- ment of Ohio at Cincinnati, and was ordered to cross the river and wait for arms and equip- ment. This occupied three days, during which 1028 McHENRY COUNTY. time the regiment was drilled as well as pos- sible for raw recruits, by inexperienced drill masters. Hardly was the last belt-plate issued, and the voucher for it signed when the 105th was or- dered to the front. It was a hot, dusty ride to southward. Then there were four days of Lexington, in freight cars, eighty miles to the quiet camp life — the very poetry of war. The tents were pitched in a magnificent grove; a hundred acres of brown pasture, baked with drouth until it echoed like a tiled floor beneath the tread, served as the drill-ground. On the 30th day of August, the ninth day after muster-in, the regiment was engaged, between drills, in drawing the last of their equipments, blankets, overcoats and shoes. The heavy, double blankets and winter cloth- ing were too burdensome for the sultry August weather. Then the order came — "The regiment will move in an hour in light marching order, with two days' rations and forty rounds of ammu- nition;" the rations were unobtainable, but the ammunition was distributed and the Quarter- master ordered to follow with the rations. There were rumors of a fight in progress. Just as the sun went down the 105th marched out of its first camp on its way to a field of battle when the fight had already been lost. The road was the rough stone pike so common in Kentucky and Tennessee. It was past midnight when we halted, a dozen miles from Lexington, and throwing out pickets in front and on the flanks, lay down in a cornfield in line of battle and slept until dawn. Then we moved forward nearly to the Kentucky River, where we halted to allow the shattered fragments of a defeated army to pass us to the rear. This was Gen. Manson's brigade, which had been defeated at Richmond by the con- federates under Gen. Kirby Smith. With this tide of defeat the 105th returned to Lexington, where they arrived at nine o'clock at night in the midst of a drenching shower, only to meet an order to go on picket. They had marched with hardly half a clay's rations, instead of the amount ordered, that being all the Quarter- master could supply, and few had eaten since morning. These facts being reported, the order to go on picket was revoked and they were directed to bivouac in the market-house, where coffee and an abundant supply of bread and meat were served to them. It was mid- night when they sank to rest after our first march — a march of twenty-eight miles — on the rough pavement of a market place, a foot-sore and weary multitude. On the morrow the evacuation of Lexington began. At eight o'clock in the morning we were ordered out on the Nicholasville pike, but the sun was setting when the 105th marched through the streets of Lexington — the last regiment of the Army of Kentucky on its re- treat to Louisville, ninety-five miles away, as the crow flies. That night the mounted rear- guard missed its way and followed the first division of the wagon train, which had taken another road, leaving us on the eleventh day of our service in the most trying of all military positions, that of rear-guard of an army fleeing from a victorious foe. "THE HELL MARCH." It had not rained here for many weeks — since the shower of the night before had hard- ly reached a mile from Lexington. The dust lay ankle deep upon the hard, hot, limestone pike. The forces that preceded us with their numerous wagons, had raised a cloud which hung over the road, shutting out even the walls and fences on either side. The setting sun shone red and dim through the yellow mass. Each man was weighted down with knapsack and accoutrements. We knew nothing of our destination, or the length of our march before us. Had the knapsacks been burned at the outset, many more would have reached the goal. Men were invisible a few steps away; near at hand, they could only be distinguished by their voices. There were frequent halts but no rests. When the column ahead got jammed upon itself we waited until it straight- ened out. Sometimes it was a minute, some- times ten or twenty minutes. The yellow acrid dust settled on beard and hair, got into the eyes and mouth and burned the parched throats, while the perspiration made many channels down every face. The night fell hot and murky. The dust- cloud shut out the stars. By and by the moon rose; the night grew chill, but still the dust rose in choking clouds. The orders forbade de- tails to leave the road in search of water. Men were sent on in advance, in hope that they might fill the canteens before the wells were drained. Long before midnight not a drop remained. In spite of orders, a few men were sent out to search for water. It was a strange country. The pools and streams were dry. The wells had been exhausted by those in front. Many of the people were compelled to haul water from a distance for domestic use. These details returned empty-handed as the others had done. About this time colored men came one by one, and offered to bring water, to carry guns or knapsacks, — anything, if they could only follow us. They were loaded down with canteens and accompanied by a few men started for water. An hour after they re- turned, staggering under their loads of drip- ping canteens. Was ever water half so sweet? Yet we had scarcely begun to know what thirst was. The march would have been a severe one to seasoned, unincumbered veter- ans; to these men, yet foot-sore, galled and weary from their first long march, and weighted down with knapsacks, overcoats and blankets, in addition to ammunition and ac- coutrements, it was terrible. After a time, men ceased to scatter to the roadside when they came to a halt. They had no strength to spare, and the roadside was almost as dusty as the pike. So they merely knelt down in McHENRY COUNTY. 1029 their places, bowed themselves forward to re- lieve the strain on the straps that galled and cut into the shoulders, and slept. In the moon- light they looked like heaps of dust, or pil- grims fallen asleep at prayer. At the word, they stumbled to their feet, sometimes awake, sometimes asleep, and staggered on. The am- bulances were soon full. It was said there were wagons somewhere in front in which those who were unable to go farther, might be transported. When a man can go no farther, such provision is of little good. We were the rear of the column; back of us was only our rear-guard and the enemy. There were several alarms during the night; firing off at the left, then at the right, then in our rear. It was probably marauding bands of guerillas, who set upon our men in search of water. The morning was already hot and lurid as the dusty column crept through Versailles, and after an hour's halt for breakfast, pressed on towards Frankfort. The enemy had followed the cavalry by way of Big Spring, so that our rear was undisturbed until we were in sight of Frankfort. The sun was going down when we reached the capital of Kentucky. It is but twenty-nine miles from Lexington by the most direct route. The one by which we had come was half a dozen more. It could hardly be termed a march; it was a flight. It was ten o'clock when the weary detail brought with dragging feet the rations they had been out seeking. Coffee was quickly made; a half-cooked meal was eaten and we sunk again to slumber. At two o'clock we were aroused by whispered orders. The city was quiet, save for the careful tread of moving columns and the steady rumble of wagons crossing the bridge and on the pike beyond. Our destination was now clear. Frankfort, ly- ing on both sides of the Kentucky River, of- fered a fairly good defensive position against an enemy upon the right bank of the river, to which the Confederates had evidently crossed. A very small force, by destroying the bridges, could here delay a pursuing army for several days. If the retreat was necessary, as it no doubt was, to leave the bridges standing after we had crossed, would be the gravest of mili- tary crimes. But the authorities of Kentucky protested against the bridges being burned. So they were left standing, until the enemy in turn found it necessary to retreat. Then they were burned. The foot-sore and exhausted soldiers were with difficulty roused from sleep. It is little wonder. Within four days they had marched seventy miles; laid in line of battle one night and marched all of another. Every foot was blistered; every muscle was sore. Heavy with sleep they staggered to their places in the line, the stronger aiding the weaker ones. There were moans and curses. Some of the stoutest of yesterday were now the faintest. Slowly we dragged our way to our position in the re- treating column and stumbled painfully along in the darkness. With the dawn came the sound of firing In our rear. The enemy's cavalry had crossed the bridge we kindly left standing for their accommodation. A line of battle was formed upon a range of hills that, lay across the pike. The men cheered as they filed out of the clouds of dust at the prospect of being allowed to fight. As we flung our- selves upon the ground in line of battle, it was with the feeling that we would rather die than retreat farther. But the enemy did not attack. As a matter of fact, his force was insignificant; but having once underestimated his strength our officers had gone to the other extreme and overrated it. Several times during the day, this maneuver was repeated. The march grew more and more difficult with each hot and dusty mile. Men dropped unconscious from heat and thirst. Water was still scarce. Every well and spring was drained. Men crowded about them, push- ing, scrambling, often fighting for a few muddy drops. Tormented by heat and thirst and al- most smothered by dust, we dragged ourselves through the long hours of that day, bivouacking at night by the roadside with no water save what was found after a long search, in some stagnant pools two miles away. At one o'clock the order came to move, and we again plodded on, halting every few minutes, the men drop- ping on their faces in the dust, would be asleep almost before the command was given. When the word came to march, many of them would rise and stagger on, still asleep. That day we marched until eight o'clock at night and then bivouacked, for the first time since leaving Lexington, in a green field with plenty of good water. The next day, Septem- ber 5th, a little after noon, we reached the suburbs of Louisville where we remained and camped for a month. The 105th had been un- der arms continuously, on the march on picket or line of battle, ever since the sunset of August 30th, six days less three hours. In that time, they had marched about 140 miles — an average of twenty-three miles for each twenty- four hours. During this time they had slept in line of battle on the night of the thirteenth three hours; five hours in Lexington, the night of the thirty-first; marched all night of Sep- tember first; halted six hours in Frankfort, the night of the second; halted five hours on the night of the third; slept eight Hours on the night of the fourth — making in the whole six days only twenty-seven hours of sleep. After three years' of service, more than two hundred of the survivors have testified that this march was the severest work required of them. At its close, hardly one-third of the regiment was fit for duty; scores were permanently disabled. The ultimate loss was greater than that sus- tained in any action in which the regiment afterwards participated. It is fitly designated the "Hell-March." It was a terrible experience for men who had hardly marched a mile before, and whose service only numbered fifteen days when it was ended. JOHN T. WELLS. John T. Wells (deceased), early settler of McHenry County, was born in the State of New 1030 McHENRY COUNTY. York, Nov. 2, 1810, the son of Tunis and Ruth (Rogers) Wells. The paternal branch of this family was what was known in Eastern New York as "Mohawk-Dutch stock." His father, Tunis Wells, was a farmer by occupation and in 1837, moved with his family to Wayne County, Ohio, and settled in Lodi, retired from active business life, dying there Sept. 6, 1846. He was in comfortable circumstances pecuniar- ily, and a devout member of the Methodist church, in which he was a class-leader. His children were: John F., Harriet, Lydia, Han- nah, Jacob, Joseph and Daniel. John T. Wells, the oldest son and subject of this sketch, re- ceived a good common-school education and was trained to the life of a farmer. When about twenty years of age he went to Wayne County, Ohid, where he found employment with a concern engaged in the manufacture of potash, serving as clerk in the store, and remaining in the business eight years. He married in Lodi, Ohio, May 4, 1846, Sophia Fitts, and im- mediately thereafter came to McHenry County, 111., settling in the southeast corner of Coral Township. Here he bought 200 acres of land at the Government price of $1.25 per acre, upon which he built a log-house and began improv- ing his land into a farm. On February 5, 1847, his wife, to whom he had been married less than a year previous, died, leaving no children. On December 25, 1848, he was married in Coral Township to Miss Nancy Elizabeth Bridges, the daughter of Abiel and Lucretia (Houghton) Bridges. After his second marriage he con- tinued to reside on his farm, which he improved still further, making of it a comfortable home- stead. To Mr. and Mrs. Wells were born six children — one son and five daughters. Of these one son, Abiel, and two daughters, Alice Elizabeth and Ernestine Lucretia, are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Wells were both members of the Presbyterian church. He was an advocate of local improvements, held the office of School Director, serving as Clerk of the Board, assisted in building the first log school-house in his district, and was one of the chief supporters of the erection of the new school-house which took its place. Originally an, old line Whig in politics, he became one of the original members of the Republican party in McHenry County, and, during the Civil War, was a zealous supporter of the Union cause. While prevented by infirm health from serving as a soldier, he did his full share, as a public-spirited and patriotic citizen, in rais- ing men and money in support of the integrity of the Union and the cause of popular free- dom and good government. In 1871 he removed to Marengo, where he bought residence prop- erty with a farm near the town. He con- tinued to reside in Marengo until his death, which occurred Oct. 4, 1894, at the age of nearly 68 years. Mr. Wells was an industrious citizen, temperate in habits and of high moral character, enjoying the general respect of the community. Fraternally he was associated with the Masonic Order, being an early member of the Lodge at Huntley and still later of that at Marengo. Mrs. John T. Wells (nee Nancy Elizabeth Bridges) was of New England ancestry, her father, Abiel Bridges, having been born in New Hampshire, Dec. 31, 1793. He had a good common-school education for his day pursued the life of a farmer and, early in life, went to Norwich, N. Y., where, on July 13. 1820, he married Lucretia Houghton, who was born there of New England and Puritan stock, Jan. 4, 1805. After marriage, Mr. Bridges set- tled in Green, Chenango County, N. Y., where he cleared up a farm in the forest. In 1835 he removed to Medina County, Ohio, but five years later (1840) came to McHenry County, 111., transporting his family and effects over- land in two wagons — one drawn by a team of three horses and the other by two yoke of oxen. His wagons were covered with home- made linen canvas manufactured by the family. Abiel Bridges' children — all except the two last named born in New York — were: Elvin, born June 29, 1821; Prudence, Sept. 10, 1823; Izanna, Nov. 5, 1825; Nancy E., July 31, 1828; Philip, April 2, 1830; Mila E., May 28, 1841, died Nov. 9, 1841; Philo> E., Oct. 1, 1842. Ar- riving in McHenry County, Mr. Bridges settled on 120 acres of Government land in Coral Township, upon which he built a log-house and which he improved from a state of nature into a goodly homestead. Soon after locating in McHenry County his health became impaired and he was disabled by rheumatism for many years. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church in which he held the office of deacon, and he assisted in building the first church edifice of that denomination in Ma- rengo. Originally an old line Whig, in his- oJr(h> 4 UvU l^OL^-^C^i^iu^ (j)^, Z-^eMc XtswtfisuA yf^JasJk)* McHENRY COUNTY. 1031 later years he became a stanch Republican. He served as a soldier of the War of 1812, when only fifteen years of age. He died on his home farm May 26, 1867. Mr. John T. Wells left a good property to his family at his death. Mrs. Wells, in com- pany with her son Elbert A. bought a farm in Coral Township consisting of 90 acres, which they still retain. Elbert A. received a good education in the Marengo High School, and is now a practical farmer. LOREN WOODARD. Loren Woodard, Marengo, 111., is one of the early settlers of Marengo, McKenry County, where he engaged in the nursery business, and in that and other branches of business, has had a most successful career and accumulated a handsome competence. Of English stock, Mr. Woodard's ancestors were among the founders of New England, who settled in Mas- sachusetts in the days of Puritan emigration. His paternal grandfather, who was a native of New England, became a farmer and settled at an early day in Albany County, N. Y., where he died. He had two sons: Enoch, who married Polly David, a daughter of Rensselaer David and, later in life, settled in La Pere County, Mich., and Jonathan W. The latter was born July 4, 1793, received a common-school educa- tion, adopted the life of a farmer, and served in the War of 1812 as a member of a New York company, taking part in the battle of Sackett's Harbor. He was married in Albany, N. Y., to Deborah David, who was born in Albany County, the daughter of Rensselaer David. The Davids were also of English descent, and related to the family of Sir Isaac Newton. Besides the two daughters already mentioned Rensselaer David had two other children: Rensselaer and Hannah. Jonathan Woodard moved to Onondaga County, N. Y., where he purchased a tract of timber-land on which he opened a farm. About 1843, he removed to Lapeer County, Mich, where he established a home on a tract of 160 acres. His children were: Nancy, born in Al- bany County, N. Y., and died in consequence of an accident at three years of age; William, also born in Albany County, became a soldier in the Civil War and died while in active service on the Western Plains; Deborah Ann, born in Oswego County, March 1, 1822, married Lewis Whitehead, and died at Kingston, Mich., April 30, 1894; Hosea L., born Feb. 11, 1825; Loren, born Feb. 6, 1827; Sophronia, born in 1829; Rena, born in 1831; Warren, born in 1833; John, born May 31, 1835 — the last seven all being born in Oswego County. Mrs. Jon- athan Woodard was a woman of strong re- ligious convictions and a member of the Meth- odist church. She died in Lapeer County, Mich., about 1847, and five years later Mr. Woodard came to reside with his son Loren, at Marengo, 111., where he died Dec. 3, 1881. He was a man of high moral character and sturdy business habits. Loren Woodard, as already stated, was born in Oswego County, N. Y., Feb. 6, 1827, and, until sixteen years of age, enjoyed only the limited advantages of acquiring an education afforded by attendance on the district schools in winter while engaged in farm work during the summer. Then going to Syracuse, N. Y., he learned the nursery business with Messrs. Thorp, Smith & Hanchett, leading nurserymen of that time, remaining nine years. He was married in that city Nov. 14, 1849, to Harriet Levey, daughter of Michael and Mary (Wel- ler) Levey, who was born at Truxton, N. Y., Oct. 23, 1825. Her father, who was of Hol- land-Dutch ancestry, located near Syracuse in 1852, and later removed to Illinois where he settled on Government land in CoTal Township, McHenry County, dying at the age of about fifty-six years. In November, 1852. Mr. Woodard came to Marengo, McHenry County, where he at once engaged in the nursery business, obtaining His stock from the firm with which he had been connected in New York and others, purchased the ground on which he now lives, with an additional tract of thirty-eight acres opposite, and soon had twenty-four acres of grafted stock growing and ready for the market — this being the first nursery of any importance in McHenry County. For twenty-six years he con- tinued in this line, traveling extensively and employing others to sell his stock, thus build- ing up a large trade and introducing much fine fruit throughout the West. About 1867 he engaged in the pickle business, built a fac- tory, and has conducted a large and success- ful trade. Although past his seventy-fifth year, Mr. Woodard is still in active business, was one 1032 McHENRY COUNTY. of the original stockholders of the Dairymen's Bank of Marengo, of which he is at present the Vice-President; is a Director of the First National Bank of Marengo, and one of the orig- inal organizers of the State Bank of Wood- stock, of which he is still a stockholder. Po- litically he is a stanch Republican, casting his vote for John C. Fremont for President in 1856 and for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and 1864; held the office of Township Supervisor four years; for four years was President of the Board of Village Trustees, and for five years a member of the City Council. In 1867 he was chosen the first Treasurer of the Northern Illinois Horticultural Society, a position which he retained thirty-three years, but, in 1901, hav- ing declined a re-election, was accorded the honor of a life-membership in recognition of his long and valued service. Mr. Woodard Is a member of Marengo Lodge, No. 138, A. F. & A. M., and of Lansing Chapter 73, R. A. M., of the latter of which he is a charter member, and of Calvary Commandery, No. 25, K. T. He is also a member of the Marquette Club, Chicago, in which he has held offices. In religious faith and affiliation Mr. Woodard is a Methodist, was a member of the building committee and most liberally contributed to the erection of the new church and parsonage of that denomina- tion at Marengo, besides being a generous con- tributor to other church organizations and be- nevolent enterprises. Mrs. Harriet Woodard, to whom Mr. Wood- ard was married in 1849, died Jan. 14, 1899, having borne him one son, Allen M., who was born July 28, 1856, but died Jan. 26, 1875. They brought up several other children, includ- ing two adopted daughters — Lizzie and Minnie Woodard — who were reared from childhood and given a liberal education. On July 16, 1901, Mr. Woodard was married to Dr. Belle Seward, of Marengo, whose sketch will be given more fully hereafter. The history of Mr. Woodard's business career affords abundant evidence of his strong char- acter as a citizen and business man. A liberal supporter of religious and charitable enter- prises, he has done much to lighten the burdens of others, not only by his acts of un- ostentatious benevolence, but has lightened Ms own household and assured to himself happi- ness, in his declining years, by providing homes for the homeless children of other families. At a time when others have laid aside the burdens and responsibilities of business lite, he is still actively engaged in the discharge of his duties as a citizen of the community in which he has resided for fifty years. BELLE SEWARD WOODARD, M. D.— This well-trained physician and cultured lady has practiced her chosen profession at Marengo and in the surrounding country, for a period of twenty years. She took her course in medi- cine and began practice at a time when the obstacles which barred the entrance of women into the professions in general, and to this one in particular, were in full force and effect, and when popular prejudice excluded women, to a large extent, from employment as physi- cians in private families. It is no doubt true that the first nurse was a woman, and that, in ancient times, with medicines concocted from roots, barks and herbs, she healed the sick and ministered to the wounded; while many records show that, even in our own coun- try, at an early period, there were women who devoted all their time to the treatment of dis- eases and enjoyed a considerable practice. Undoubtedly woman was the first to minister to her sister when the aid of the midwife was needed; but for a woman to engage in actual study for the profession in an established col- lege of medicine, receive the coveted degree of M. D., and settle down to practice, was regarded as an innovation marking an era in the time. And thus it was, that Dr. Belle Seward was entitled to be regarded as one of the pioneers in this new era of progress. Dr. Woodard was born in Marengo, the daughter of Ephraim Hewitt and Maria Louise (Rogers) Seward, in their delightful old home which is still standing, and was probably. In its day, the best residence in this part of Mc- Henry County. The view from its old-fashioned and spacious porch, with its Grecian columns, presents one of the most extensive and at- tractive landscapes in Northern Illinois. When covered, with the ripening crops, It pre- sented a scene unsurpassed in rural beauty. Miss Seward attended the public schools of her native town, finishing her literary course in Rockford Female Seminary, now Rockford College. She then entered the Hahnemann Medical College in Chicago, whence she grad- uated in 1882 with the degree of M. D., and immediately thereafter began practice at the TO^^r^OyL^C. McHENRY COUNTY. 1033 City of Rockford, in which she soon won suc- cess, besides drawing about herself many warm friends. Then, believing she was needed in her native town of Marengo, she removed thither, devoting ber whole strength and abil- ity to her profession with marked success from the outset. Her practice was not confined to the town alone, but has extended to the sur- rounding country, compelling her, at times, to take night rides in all sorts of weather and en- gage in the treatment of all kinds of diseases. She has thus become well-known and highly appreciated throughout a wide region, and has been especially successful in the treatment of diseases peculiar to women and children. She has been a liberal patron of the leading medical perodicals, and has accumulated a valuable li- brary of the most recent scientific and medical works, of which she has been a close student, and has thus kept up with the ever-varying changes and discoveries of modern medical re- search. Her practice has made her a frequent and welcome visitor in the best families in Mc- Henry County, and she has had as large a number of patients and as much success in their treatment, as any other physician in this section of the county. THE SEWARD FAMILY. Ephraim Hewitt Seward (deceased), the fa- ther of Dr. Belle (Seward) Woodard, and a pioneer of Coral Township, McHenry County, was descended from an old Colonial family of that name, of which the Seward family of New York (of which Secretary William H. Seward was a member) was a lateral branch. Jedediah Seward, the father of Ephraim H., was a sol- dier of the War of 1812 from New York State. He was twice married, having a son by the first marriage, also named Jedediah. His sec- ond wife was Susan Hewitt, one of whose brothers, is reputed to have been one of the early settlers and the proprietor of a consid- erable tract of land, on or near the site of Mar- ietta, the first settlement in Ohio, and possibly a member of Gen. Rufus Putman's company. In Indian times, this Mr. Hewitt at one time swam the Miami River to escape the Indians, who were pursuing him. Jedediah Seward mar- ried his second wife (Susan Hewitt) at Mid- dletown, Vt., where they reared a family of children named Lura Ann, Matilda, Margaret, Ephraim and Betsy. He died on his farm near Middletown. Ephraim Seward was born at Middletown, Vt., Sept. 15, 1823, and was reared on a farm, receiving a common-school education, alter which he attended the Troy Conference Acad- emy, at Poultney, Vt., one year. He subse- quently taught school for a time in his native State, after which, at nineteen years of age, he engaged in selling the Gray Horse-power threshing machine invented by Albert W. Gray of Middletown, believed to have been the first grain-threshing machine ever manufactured. The manufacturing firm is still in existence under the name of A. W. Gray & Son. Mr. Seward also sold other agricultural implements of that early period, including the Haynes horse-rake, reputed to be the first of its kind ever made. In the prosecution of his busi- ness he travelled through Varmont and New York and later in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. In 1846 he came to Marengo, 111., and on November 5th of that year, was married to Maria Louise Rogers, whom he had previ- ously met at his old home in Vermont. She was a native of Middletown, born Jan. 6, 1828, the daughter of Anson and Rebecca (Hart) Rogers. Anson Rogers was born at Middletown, Jan. 6, 1802, the son of Jedediah Rogers (see sketch of O. P. Rogers), was brought up on a farm, received a common-school education, becoming a superior mathematician. He learned tne hatter's trade from his father. His wife (Re- becca Hart) was born at Plainfield, Conn.. Sept. 22, 1786, the daughter of Jonathan and Abigail (Prentice) Hart. She had previously been married to Elisha Jones, and there were three children of this marriage, viz.: Maria Louise, born Jan. 6, 1828; Henry O., born March 12, 1831, and Lucinda H., born in December, 1833— all born in Middletown, Vt. Mrs. Rogers' grandfather Hart was a Revolutionary soldier and was killed in the defense of New London, Conn., at the time of the attack on that place by Benedict Arnold. The family was of Welsh descent and Jonathan (Mrs. Rogers' father) lived to the age of eighty years and died in Burlington, Vt., while on a visit to his son. His children were: Benjamin, Moses Lester. Joseph, George, Rebecca, Abigail, Mary, Aseneth and a daughter who married an Emerson. George is still living at Melrose, Mass. Abigail (Prentice) Hart was an aunt of the famous George D. Prentice, editor of the Louisville, 1034 McHENRY COUNTY. (Kentucky) Journal, who was the son of her brother Joseph. After marriage Anson Rogers settled on a farm at Middletown, Vt, and carried on the hat manufacturing business, besides conduct ing his farm with the aid of other employes. In 1846 he moved to Illinois, making the journey by way of the canal, lake steamer and stage- coach to Coral Township, McHenry County. Here he bought the present homestead of his brother Jedediah, who had entered the land but made little improvement. This embraced about fifty acres, besides a claim of about 160 acres. In addition to this Mr. Rogers owned fifty acres in Coral Township, eighty on tbe west side of Marengo and eighty acres more in Riley Township. He built the family residence in 1846-47, hauling the lumber, at that early day, by team from Chicago, including the hand- some Grecian pillars of the roomy old-fashioned porch, which were fluted and finished in tne cellar. The sash, doors, blinds and other wood- work were manufactured by hand. The resi- dence was regarded as the best in McHenry County. Originally a Jacksonian Democrat, Mr. Rog- ers became an earnest Republican, voting for Abraham Lincoln for President and assist- ing to secure the enlistment of troops to fill the quota of Illinois during the Civil War. Fratern- ally he was a member of the old Masonic Lodge at Middletown, Vt., and one of tne early members of the Order at Marengo. He served as Justice of the Peace of his native town in Vermont, and was the first Supervisor of Coral Township, serving seven years. In religious belief he was a Methodist, and was the most liberal contributor to the erection of the first Methodist church in Marengo. Mrs. Rogers was a Congregationalist in her native State, of Vermont, but after coming to Illinois united with the Presbyterian church. Mr. Rogers was a man of sterling character and universally respected. His death occurred on the homestead at Marengo, in September. 1867. Resuming the sketch of Ephriam H. Seward: He and his wife Maria Louise (Rogers), after their marriage in 1846, settled on the farm where he spent the remainder of his days, dying there July 20, 1896. He was one of the early dairy-men of McHenry County, and was one of the first to introduce the Durham short-horn cattle in that part of the State. He was one of the founders of the Kishwaukee Farmer's Club, and for many years a prominent member of the McHenry County Agricultural Society, making the first exhibit from McHenry County at the State Fair in Springfield. Politically he was a stanch Republican and in religious faith a Presbyterian. He left his family, and the community in which he resided for half a century, the reputation of the public-spirited, high-minded and useful citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Seward had eleven children, born as follows: Emma, April 20, 1848; Ara- bella, Dec. 25, 1849; Frank B., March 25, 1852; Henry Rogers, March 24, 1854; Charles X., Jan. 11, 1856; George W., July 3, 1858; Ephraim Ellsworth, April 27, 1861; Grace, April 25, 1863; Margaret Lizzie, Oct. 23, 1866; Susie Walker, Nov. 8, 1867; Richard Richardson, July 6, 1870. Of these the following are de- ceased; Emma, Nov. 19, 1851; Susie W., Jan. 3, 1871, and Henry Rogers, Sep. 10, 1891. Mrs. Seward is still living in the enjoyment of all her faculties and the esteem of the com- munity in which she has so long resided, of which she is one of the few surviving pioneers. BURTON WRIGHT. The history of many of the American pioneer families constitutes a large part of the history and growth of the United States. Families of early New England and Puritan stock trace their origin to Plymouth Rock and the great settlement of the English Puritans on Massa- chusetts Bay between 1630-40. Each genera- tion extended a little farther back from the sea-coast, but it was not until after the Revo- lutionary War that the hardy sons and daugh- ters of New England, of the third and fourth generations from their Puritan forefathers, set- tled as pioneers in the wilderness of Western New York. Their sons and grandsons found these lands too crowded, and so they overflowed into Penn- sylvania, Ohio and Illinois, and their descend-, ants peopled the great West. The story of these migrations is of marvelous interest and its value to mankind cannot be estimated. Tra- dition of these events has been handed down from father to son in many families, and stories of these pioneer journeys and many striking incidents and fragments of history have been preserved to the present generation. In olden times a custom prevailed among the pioneers B^u^^ sTjrt^jfrif- McHENRY COUNTY. 1035 similar to that among the American Indians, and the gray-haired sire was accustomed to re- late the incidents of his youth and the story of his forefathers to the children clustered about the fire on the big hearthstone of a cold winter night. This was a wise custom, and to it is due the preservation of much of the fam- ily history which is now gleaned from the aged man of today. Persons who are now growing old, look back with delight to the early pioneer scenes. They remember the natural, healthful life of their father's home, and the simple pleasures that were a source of so much enjoy- ment, and to them we turn, as to a well-filled book, for the knowledge that we gain of our ancestors and their modes of life. The Wright family is of old New Eng- land Puritan stock, the founders of the family settling there in the early foundation of the colony. Ransom Wright, the father of Burton Wright, of Woodstock, 111., was the son of a pioneer of Schoharie County, N. Y., and was born in that county March 11, 1802. He was a farmer and married there on Feb. 11, 1825, Elizabeth Thompson, born April 10, 1805, daughter of Peter and "Eunice Thompson. Mr. Thompson was of the old New England family of that name, of English descent. He was a pioneer of Schoharie County and a soldier of the Revolutionary War. Later he became an early settler in Geauga County, Ohio, where he and his wife died — he having reached the ven- erable age of ninety years. Two years after marriage, Mr. Wright and wife moved to Ohio and settled in Geauga County, where he cleared up a farm of ninety acres from the heavy timber. They were true pioneers, living in the wilderness and provid- ing everything for themselves. Mrs. Wright spun and wove both flax and wool. She made linen and woolen cloth and cut and made all the clothing for the family. She was an ex- pert spinner and weaver, and wove intricate patterns. A towel that she wove is still in the possession of Mrs. Burton Wright, the flax of which it was made, having been raised on the farm in Schoharie County, N. Y. After being pulled by hand and exposed to the elements to free the fiber from the stem, it was then thrashed by hand in small bundles, broken in a fiax-brake and hatcheled in preparation for the small flax spinning-wheel and the linen thread woven on an old-fashioned hand-loom. The figures in this towel are small and of del- icate pattern, but very distinct. The linen is fine, firm and white, and one would suppose that it had been woven in a modern loom a few years ago, instead of by the hand of a young girl of sixteen, seventy-five years ago in her old home in New York State. This towel was in use for many years. In those days, besides making all the household linen, the housewives even manufactured their sewing thread, both white and colored. Besides making the cloth- ing for the men and for the entire household, the women made the cloth for their own cloth- ing, cut and made their own garments and ev- erything they had to wear. When Ransom Wright settled on the Western Reserve in Ohio, he built a log house in which the family lived until he was able to build a frame house. The log house was built without nails, wooden pins and wooden hinges being used, while the roof was covered with oak "shakes" held in place by roof-poles. In such humble homes as these many of the founders of the best families of McHenry County were born and reared, and around these hearth-stones large families of sturdy children were brought up to an inno- cent and healthful life, which fitted them for the hard labor of the Western pioneer. Ran- som Wright and family were all members of the Baptist church. In political opinions he was an old-line Whig. Mr. Wright was a mem- ber of the old Ohio State militia. The children of this family were: Cyrus J., born Nov. 27, 1825; Louisa, born Sept. 20, 1827; Burton, born March 15, 1829; Leroy, born Dec. 20,1^30; Susan, born March 10, 1832 ; Elizabeth, born March 7, 1834; Columbus P., born Feb. 10, 1836; Charlotte R. and Ransom, born Aug. 20, 1838. Mr. Wright lived to be only thirty-seven years of age. Like many of the pioneer set- tlers he succumbed to the hardships incidental to the clearing up of the farm from the heavy timber and making a home in the wilderness. The immediate cause of his death was an ac- cident which occurred while he was building his new frame house. He had quarried a large block of sand stone for his hearthstone, eight feet long, three feet wide and six inches thick — big enough for the old-fashioned fire-place of the pioneers, capable of receiving its huge back-log and fore-stick, with space at one end for a commodious brick oven. This hearth- stone would barely go through the door of the house, and in trying to adjust it, Mr. Wright injured himself internally, from the effects of which he died April 19, 1839. His wife died Dec. 14, 1867. 1036 McHENRY COUNTY. Burton Wright was born March 15, 1829, gained a common school education in Geauga County and was brought up on the home farm. He can well remember the olden days on the Western Reserve in Ohio. The orchard set out many years ago by his father is still standing, and on a recent visit to the old homestead he found it not much changed. Mr. Wright mar- ried first time April, 1850, in Munson, Geauga County, Ohio, Sophia Byrum, daughter of Jeph- tha and Hannah (Beardsley) Byrum. She was a native of Geauga County, born in July, 1827. About 1853 he moved to Jo Daviess County, 111., making the journey with a team to Cleve- land, Ohio, where he shipped his team and goods to Detroit, Mich., thence traveling by way of Chicago to Rockford, 111., which was as far as the railroad had been finished, from Rockford by team to Jo Daviess County. .Leav- ing home on the first day of April, 1853, he reached his destination on April 7th. Here he bought eighty acres of partly improved land, on which he lived sixteen years, making ad- ditional purchases until he owned 320 acres. He was largely engaged in stock-raising and dealing in cattle. His first wife died Feb. 19, 1861, leaving children named: Rosalia M., born in Munson, Geauga County, Ohio, March 15, 1850; Myron J. and Byron J. (twins), born in Stockton, Jo Daviess County, 111., Jan. 22, .1854. On March 8, 1863, Mr. Wright married as his second wife Huldah Coon, daughter of Daniel and Mary Warren Coon. In 186G he moved with his family to McHenry County, where he bought 200 acres of land in Green- wood Township, and engaged successfully in raising and dealing in stock. He added to his land and now owns 300 acres in Greenwood Township. In 1899 he moved to Woodstock and bought a pleasant residence, where he still resides, surrounded with the comforts and luxuries of life, in strong contrast with the simple life of the log cabin home where he passed many happy days in childhood. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wright delight to relate incidents of pioneer days. Mr. Wright is one of the or- iginal members of the Republican party, hav- ing voted for its first Presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, and has steadily voted for every Republican Presidential candidate since. In Greenwood he was Trustee of the township many years. During the Civil War he was a stanch Union man and in Jo Daviess County was President of the Union Leagi ,e when the "Knights of the Golden Circle' threatened trouble. He was also Captain in the Home Guards. The children of Burton and Huldah (Coon) Wright, born in Stockton, Jo Daviess County, 111., were: Herbert Perry, born June 24, 1866, and Charlie Burton, born Nov. 21. 1868. Daniel Coon, the father of Mrs. Wright, was born in Orleans County, N. Y., April 5, 1806, the son of Alexander and Amy (Saunders) Coon. The father, Alexander, was the son ol of William Coon. The Coons were of Scotch descent. The name, originally spelled M'cCoon, is of Celtic origin. The "Mc" was dropped sev- eral generations ago. The Gazetteer of New York State says that William Coon, who waa the great-grandfather of Mrs. Burton Wright, was the pastor of the First Baptist church at Berlin, Rensselaer County. This church was the denomination of Seventh Day Baptist (not Adventists), organized in December, 1781. Wil- liam Coon died in 1800. He left a family of two sons— Alexander and Prentice — and six daugh- ters, whose names are not known. Alexander Coon married in 1793, Amy Saun- ders, of Berlin, who was of Holland-Dutch an- cestry. This wife having died he afterwards married Huldah Hall, also of Berlin. Their oldest son, Asa, born Feb. 4, 1811, was the first white child born in Shelby, N. Y., and when a babe was rocked in a sap-trough. In 1809 the family moved to Western New York and settled in Genesee County. In June, 1810, they removed to Shelby, Orleans County, N. Y. Their first removal to Genesee County was made with an ox-team. When they remov- ed to Orleans County they made the journey with horses, leaving the main road at what was then called the Lewiston Road, running from Batavia, N. Y., to Lewiston, which is at the foot of the rapids in the Niagara River, and went north into an unbroken wilderness, five and one-half miles from any neighbor. Mr. Coon built a log house in five days and moved into it. It had neither nails, boards nor glass in its construction. The floor was made of split logs, hewn smoothly, and the roof was of bark. The family slept in the wagons until the house was built. Mr. Coon brought with him a pillow case full of apple seeds, and from these sprung the first apple trees in that part of Western New York. In the time of the War of 1812 the settlers became much alarmed for their safety, but there was no real danger. The pioneers of that early date saw many hard- ships, the year of 1816 being noted as the cold P^^^^C^ ^JZ^z McHENRY COUNTY. 1037 season when provisions were very scarce and high. In February, 1817, Alexander Coon was killed by a tree falling on him, at the age of forty- three years. He was a member of the Seventh Day Baptist church. Several of his brothers were ministers in this church and the family was noted for high standard of morality. Dan- iel Coon, father, of Mrs. Wright, lived with his brother, Alexander, after his father's death, until 1824. In 1830 he married in Chenango County, N. Y., Mary Warren, born in Pitcher, Chenango County, daughter of Eli and Marian (Bolster) Warren. Eli Warren was born in Vermont and was of Scotch descent from an old New England Puritan family, probably of the same original stock as Dr. Joseph Warren, the patriot who fell at Bunker Hill. Eli War- ren was a farmer and served as a teamster in the War of 1812. He was killed by a runaway team in 1823 at Pompey Hill, N. Y. He was the son of Major Warren, who served under Washington in the Revolutionary War and died at Brattleboro, Vt., Dec. 10, 1823. His Chris- tian name and his title were the same' — Major. Daniel Coon and wife settled after marriage for a short time at Erie, Penn., and then he removed to Michigan, where he lived but a short time; then he moved to Ohio and settled in Lykens, Crawford County, about 1833 or '34. He cleared up a farm from the heavy timber in this region, his nearest neighbor being five miles distant. He died Oct. 15, 1847, at the age of forty-one years from the effects of hard work and exposure in clearing his land. He and his wife were members of the Free Will Baptist church, in which he was a deacon. The children of Daniel and Mary (Warren) Coon were: Cordelia D., Warren D., Huldah (Mrs. Wright), William, Alexander, Malinda M. and Helen Eliza. After the death of Mr. Coon. Mrs. Coon married as her second husband, at Lykens, Ohio, Perry R. Black, and their chil- dren were: Anna E., Amanda J. and Eugene C. Mr. Black removed to Jo Daviess County, 111., and there died, May 15, 1891, aged ninety-one years. He was a man of high character and proved himself a kind father to the Coon chil- dren. Mrs. Black (the mother of Mrs. Burton Wright) died in Jo Daviess County, Dec. 2, 1894. Like Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Coon was a fa- mous spinner and weaver of both linen and wool, making beautiful coverlets and fine cloth for her family. A fine lace collar of her deli- cate handicraft is carefully preserved by he daughter, Mrs. Burton Wright. She could make her own patterns, which were called "drafts," and weave by them. She had a natural tasts for the beautiful, was ,a lover of flowers and fine fancy work, and in her woodland home cultivated flowers and shrubs. When she first settled in the forest, she went to a neighbor's five miles distant, carrying her young child, and obtained a peony root, then a rare flower, and planted it in her garden. From this peony root many others have been taken, and her de- scendants still preserve them with pride. Mrs. Burton Wright has a flne plant of this species from the original root. When Mr. Coon first settled in the timber, he was obliged to cut away the surrounding trees to keep them from falling on his log cabin. This cabin was a primitive structure, having no floor for some time. AMOS D. WHITING. An early settler and one of those who crossed the great plains to California, in 1850, in the search for gold, is Amos D. Whiting, still living at Nunda, McHenry County. Mr. Whiting was born in Johnson, Lamoille County, Vt., July 27, 1824, the son of Zachariah and Lucinda (Dodge) Whiting. The latter was of Scotch and Puritan stock from Connecticut — his fa- ther's name being Nathaniel. Zachariah Whit- ing, born Sept. 25, 1789, went to Vermont in early manhood and, when about twenty-six years of age, was married to Lucinda Dodge, born Feb. 13, 1800, the daughter of Amos Dodge. Mr. Whiting was a soldier of the Rev- olution and took part in the expedition against the British on Lake Champlain. A,t an early day he opened up a farm in the woods of La- moille County, Vt., became one of the most substantial citizens, and spent his remaining days there, dying at Johnson, Vt, Oct. 31, 1861, aged seventy-two years. His children were: Hannah, Freeman, Amos D., Zachariah, Almon Sarah and Arthur. Mr. and Mrs. Whiting were members of the Baptist church. Mrs. Whiting died Dec. 22, 1872, aged seventy-two years. Amos D. Whiting received an ordinary com- mon school education, took a brief course in an academy and, after being trained as a far- mer, at the age of twenty-one years, went to Massachusetts, where he worked for a year in a stone quarry. In . April, 1847, in company with his older brother, Freeman, he came to Illinois, the latter having visited the State once before. They made the journey from Burling- 1038 McHENRY COUNTY. ton, Vt., to Whitehall, N. Y., by way of Lake Champlain, then by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and by steamer around the lakes to Waukegan, 111. — the journey occupying about three weeks. During the following season Mr. Whiting work- ed on a farm for John W. Smith, the pioneer and early merchant of McHenry County. In the fall of 1847 the brothers returned to "Ver- mont and, during the next spring, made maple- sugar in a camp near their home. Returning to Illinois in the spring of 1848, Mr. Whiting resumed work with Mr. Smith, but later bought two horses and a peddler's wagon, with which he made extensive trips through Northern Ill- inois and Wisconsin, selling goods to the far- mers. In 1850, in company with a party con- sisting, besides himself, of John W. Smith, Joshua Chase and Thomas Heath — the latter a young man of nineteen — he made the trip overland to California. The party left Ring- wood Aipril 18 with a wagon and four-horse team for Council Bluffs, -then the starting point for many of the overland trains. After a few days' stop at Council Bluffs to complete their outfit, they started with a train of some sixty wagons, with a view to mutual protection. This was soon found to be too large, and was broken up into smaller bands. As they trav- eled along the great trail, other trains of can- vas-covered wagons were almost always in sight. The Indians often came into camp to beg and were continually committing thefts and other depredations. In the Black Hills they were hostile, and many of the adventur- ers were killed. The party started out with an abundance of provisions, and at first fared well, but before reaching their destination these were well nigh exhausted. In the mean- time many other "trailers" came to them in a destitute condition and were always supplied with food. By the time they had reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains their teams were worn out, and, owing to the rough character of the country, it was found necessary to aban- don their wagon. This was left standing by the roadside, such supplies as could be carried being packed on the horses, and the remainder of the journey made on foot. Hundreds of wagons were passed on the way which had been abandoned by their owners in a similar manner, while dead horses and mules were so numerous that the wolves and cayotes could not devour them all. The air was so pure in the mountains that dead animals dried up in- stead of decaying. Mr. Whiting passed a team of grey horses which, having been set up on their feet, looked as if still alive. Their train reached Weaversville in the California mining region, Aug. 2, 1850. They already began to meet teams which came out with food supplies, and they bought a small amount of flour at $1 per pound. At Weaversville they took up a placer claim and commenced mining, doing fairly well. Later they removed to the Amer- ican River, where they worked a placer claim about three months. Mr. Whiting next went to Calaveras County, where he mined for a time at Mokelumne Hill with satisfactory re- sults. He subsequently joined with others in the erection of a large hotel at Camp Seco. This having been destroyed by fire just before completion, was immediately rebuilt and then sold out. He was afterwards engaged for a time in the grocery trade, and still later in mining on the Mokelumne River. In 1860 Mr. Whiting returned to the States by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York, en route visiting his native State of Vermont, where he was married, March 21, 1860, to Lois Bassett, who was born at Eden, Vt., Nov. 10, 1842, the daughter of George and Achsa (Adams) Bas- sett. Both the Bassetts and Adamses were of Puritan and Colonial stock from Massachusetts and of English descent, Massa Bassett, the grandfather of Mrs. Whiting, being a patriot soldier of the Revolution who fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. He was a farmer and pioneer settler at Eden, Vt., where he opened a farm in the woods and became a prominent citizen and Justice of the Peace. He and his wife were, at first, members of the Congrega- tional church, but afterwards became Quakers. He died between 1860 and 1864, aged about eighty years, leaving the following named chil- dren: Samuel, Lucinda, Hiram, G-eorge, Cath- erine, Cynthia and Julia. George Bassett, the son, was born Feb. 14, 1810, received a com- mon school education, became a farmer, and was married Sept. 26, 1833, at Eden, Vt., to Achsa Adams, born Oct. 25, 1814, daughter of Joseph and Rhoda Adams. Joshua Adams, the father of Joseph, belonged to the Massachu- setts family of that name which has produced so many distinguished men. He was also a pioneer farmer of Vermont. The children of this family remembered were Joseph, Adolph- us, Diana and Rhoda. The Adamses were Methodists. George Bassett, the father of Mrs. Whiting, was a farmer, held the office of Jus- McHENRY COUNTY. 1039 tice of the Peace and was an influential citi- zen. His wife was a Congregationalist. Their children were: Joseph M., born Aug. 31, 1834; Cynthia, born Nov. 21, 1836; William, born Aug. 24, 1838; Lois, born Nov. 10, 1842; Lucius Hiram, born July 10, 1853. Mr. Bassett died Jan. 4, 1878, aged nearly sixty-eight years, and his wife Aug. 11, 1871. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Whiting came direct to Ringwood, McHenry County, and soon located in the town of McHenry, where he engaged in business as a stock and grain dealer, also kept a meat market. After living here about eight years, in company with his brother Freeman he bought a farm of about 400 acres, one and one-half miles south of Mc- Henry, and there he conducted a prosperous business as a farmer until 1895, when he re- tired, settling in Nunda, where he had erected a pleasant residence. In politics he is a Dem- ocrat; has held the offices of Road Commis- sioner, School Trustee and Township Super- visor. The zeal he has manifested in behalf of good schools and good roads afford evidence of his public spirit. The children of the family are: Cynthia, born Jan. 18, 1861; William E., born April 17, 1868; Bell, born Sep., 5, 1872; Lois D., born April 27, 1879, and Elizabeth born Sept. 15, 1883. Mr. Whiting still owns a fiDe farm of 280 acres. His enterprise and busi- ness energy are indicated in the record of a busy life. ADELBERT S. WRIGHT. The subject of this biography is pre-emi- nently a self-made man, whose life-history illustrates, in a marked degree, what may be accomplished by native force of character. Be- ginning life without capital or influential friends, he has steadily worked his way to the front, overcoming every obstacle until success smiled upon his efforts. By strict honesty and adherence to correct business principles, and the exercise of sound discretion and good judg- ment, he has won universal confidence, and now stands a fair type of American energy and thrift. Adelbert S. Wright was born in Pompey, New York, Feb. 14, 1847, the son of Lysander and Caroline (Seely) Wright. The Wrights are of New England and Puritan ancestry, and were early settlers of New York State, where the father, Lysander Wright, was born. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wright died in middle age, the mother when Adelbert was but nine, and the father when he was thirteen years of age. Be- ing so early left an orphan, he has but a slight knowledge of his parents, and his school days were limited to about two years in the district school. When about eight years old he began to work on a farm near Pompey, N. Y., and from that time on supported himself, beginning at that early age to provide himself with clothing. In 1861 he engaged as a clerk in a drug-store at Manlius, N. Y., and remained there two years, when in December, 1863, he enlisted as a private in Company E, Twenty- second New York Cavalry, to serve three years in the Civil War. Early in the service he was taken sick with a severe case of typhoid fever, and was in the hospital at Wash- ington, D. C, three months, and narrowly escaped death. When partially recovered, he was sent to Fort Schuyler, N. Y., and placed in charge of the medical department of the Mc- Dougal General Hospital, where he had charge of a large and valuable stock of medical sup- plies. This was a very important and respon- sible position for so young a man, as Mr. Wright was then but about seventeen years of age. He was offered the appointment of Hospital Steward, but declined as he did not wish to remain in the regular service as re- quired. Mr. Wright rejoined his regiment and was in active service in the Shenandoah Val- ley until August, 1865, the time of his dis- charge. In January, 1866, he came to Wood- stock and entered the drug store of W. P. Adams, his former employer at Manlius. In 1869 Mr. Wright formed a partnership with John S. Wheat, and in 1880 commenced busi- ness for himself, in which he has been very successful and enjoys the reputation of being one of the most skillful and reliable druggists in McHenry County. For twelve years Mr. Wright was Secretary of the McHenry County Agricultural Associa- tion, and proved himself not only an efficient official, but a man of great executive ability. When he became connected with the County Fair, he found that the interests of the people had been greatly lessened, that matters were in a generally disrupted condition, and the buildings were becoming dilapidated. Always determined and energetic, Mr. Wright's first endeavor was to interest the people of the county in the fair. To do this he not only adopted all the best measures of expert fair managers, but devised a great many unique at- tractions. He appealed to every farmer with 1040 McHENRY COUNTY. whom he came in contact to provide something for exhibition at the fair, and to attend it per- sonally with their friends and families. Mr. Wright, having for several years taken an active part in politics, had a great many in- fluential friends and acquaintances among the foremost politicians and public men of the day, and was thus able to induce many of the most prominent men to visit the fair and address the people on the leading questions of the day. He made it non-partisan in order to give all parties an opportunity, and selected a day for each party, and, in this manner, large numbers of people were attracted to hear these eminent men, of whom the following are a few: Gen. John A. Logan, James Longstreet (the famous Confederate General)- Governors Cullom and Oglesby, and Fifield (of Wisconsin), Carter Harrison, Gen. John C. Black and Hon. E. B. Washburn. These names were among the dis- tinguished guests of the society from 1880 to 1887. Since 1887 the people have had the pleasure of hearing such men as Hon. Samuel J. Randall, of Pennsylvania; Postmaster Gen- eral A. E. Stevenson; Hon. William M. Sprin- ger; Hon. Joseph Fifer; Gen. John M. Palmer; Ex-Governor St. John, of Kansas, and many other famous men. It was a grand opportunity for both old and young to be able to see and hear these great leaders, and the occasions were fully appreciated by the patrons. That such eminent men could be induced to visit a "County Fair," well illustrates Mr. Wright's high standing and wide influence with the leading men of the day. During his term of office as Secretary, the County Fair was raised from a society of little importance to one of the ideal County Fairs of the State, and be- came not only a source of pleasure and re- creation to the people, but an educational factor of intrinsic worth. Politically Mr. Wright has been a Republican from his earliest years, and cast his first vote for the great soldier and statesman, Gen. U. S. Grant. His vote has also helped Presidents Garfield, Harrison and McKinley to the Presidential chair, a record of which he is justly proud. Mr. Wright has worked with great zeal and efficiency for the success of his party, and his efforts have been widely recognized by the leaders and founders of republican thought. In 1889 Mr. Wright was appointed Penitentiary Commissioner by Gov. Fifer, and served four years. During Gov. Tanner's administration, he was President of the Board of Trustees of the Northern Illinois Hospital for the Insane at Elgin. In the early days of Gov. Richard Yates' administration, Mr. Wright received an appointment on the Board of Trustees of the Soldiers' Home at Normal, 111., but later, at the request of Gov. Yates, accepted an appoint- ment as a member of the State Board of Pub- lic Charities, which he still holds. In all of these positions he has proved himself a capable official and of great executive ability. He isi a member of the G. A. R., his home Post being No. 108, Woodstock, in which he has held all the important offices, and has also served four times as a member of the Council of Administration of the Department of Illi- nois. Fraternally Mr. Wright is a Mason. His lodges are Blue Lodge and Calvary Command- ery, Woodstock. He has been twice married, first in 1869 to Cora E. Tew, of Woodstock, who died in 1875, leaving two sons: Verne A., now a successful lawyer and a graduate of the law department of the University of Michigan, and Channing N., a business man representing large interests in Arizona. Mr. Wright's sec- ond marriage was in McHenry, Sept. 12, 1877, with Olive W. Owen, and they are the parents of Claribel and A. S. Wright, Jr. Mrs. Wright is a prominent church worker, a lady devoted to all good causes, and highly esteemed in Woodstock. The daughter Claribel, is a skill- ful violiniste. She was married in 1902 to William P. Hoy, of Woodstock. Mr. Wright has achieved a wide reputation by his acquaintance with public men, and his ability to enlist their interest and co-oper.aton in any cause he may happen to be advocating. Personally, he numbers many friends through- out the State. He is a fine example of a self- made man, beginning to care for himself at so early an age, he hardly remembers being cared for by others. He has never forgotten that he was once a poor boy working on a farm, and that the first overcoat he ever wore was the "army blue" given to him by Uncle Sam. Like most self-made men, Mr. Wright has worked himself up by his determined character and straight-forward conduct, and a feeling that if he was good enough to defend the Union, that he was good enough to be the peer of any man in the State. JAMES WATSON. The family of Watson, of which James Wat- son, a pioneer of McHenry County, 111., and a venerable and respected resident of Wood- (P^UXJ, i f7o ^ S, 4*; /dteJ&Ti. McHENRY COUNTY. 1041 stock, 111., is a representative, is descended from early English stock. Lotos Watson, father of James Watson, was born in Saratoga County, N. Y., sometime during the period of the Revolutionary War, a son of Captain Wat- son, who saw active service in the British army during that struggle. Lotos Watson, who was a farmer, married Olive Arnold, a na- tive of Rhode Island, and located at Junius, Seneca County, N*. Y., whence he removed ta Onondaga County, N. Y., where he cleared and improved a farm and died aged about fifty- three years. For some time he was a faithful member of the Methodist church. His widow subsequently married a man named Griffith, moved to Wisconsin some time after 1840, and died in Greenwood, 111., in her seventy-fifth year. The children of Lotos and Olive (Arnold) Watson were named Stephen, Alan- son, Samuel, Mary Ann, Jane, Susan and Han- nah. James Watson was born at Lysander, Onondaga County, N. Y., April 20, 1818, and in his boyhood attended the common schools and was given a practical education in farming, which involved a good deal of hard work. In 1836, when eighteen years of age, he came to Cook County, 111., by way of Buffalo, thence to Detroit by steamer, on foot to Kalamazoo, Mich., by stage to St. Joseph, and across Lake Michigan to Chicago in a small sailing-vessel. His brother, Alanson, had settled the year be- fore at Meacham's Grove (now Bloomingdale), near the Cook County and Du Page County line, and James remained under his roof until the last of November, 1837, when, in company with Alfred Stone and others, he came to Mc- Henry County. Stone settled on Queen Ann Prairie, afterward included in Greenwood Township. Others of the party were Almon Stone and family, including his father. John Stone, and wife and Luther Finich and wife who was Mr. Watson's sister Mary Ann. Mr. Watson and Luther Finch bought a claim of 320 acres, partly timbered and partly prairie land, within the present limits of Greenwood Township, and built upon it a one-story-and- garret log house,' which did not contain a nail, and the loft of which was reached by a ladder made by driving pegs into logs. Its chimney was constructed of sticks and mud, and its "gl ake" roof was held on with poles. The next year Mr. Watson and Mr. Finch divided their land, of which Mr. Watson received 139 y 2 acres, and for the next seven years he devoted himself to its improvement with such success that he decided to get married and settle upon it permanently. He finally acquired "18 acres of land, upon which he built an attractive residence which was burned in 1890, but im- mediately replaced by another. Mr. Watson has never been an office-seeker, but has been a public-spirited man who has favored good schools and good roads, and was one of the early members of the Township School Board. He cast his first vote for William Henry Har- rison in the celebrated log-cabin and hard-cider campaign of 1840. He became a strong anti- slavery man and voted for Birney, later for Fremont and Lincoln, and has since been a consistent Republican. He is so liberal in his religious views that he has never identified himself with any church. December 20, 1846, Mr. Watson was married in the Virginia Settlement, by Rev. R. R. Whit- tier, to Louisa Button, born at Hunt's Hollow, N. Y., daughter of David and Permelia (Lom- bard) Button. Louisa Button was well edu- cated, receiving her* educational training in the Mt. Morris Seminary, N. Y., and taught sev- eral terms of school in that State. Coming to Illinois when a young woman, she taught two terms in Dorr Township, McHenry County, where she was regarded as a woman of super- ior attainments and sound judgment. David Button, son of Gideon and Polly (Stone) But- ton, became a farmer in New York State and died there. His children were named Joseph C , Luceba, Lucretia, Louisa, Permelia, Delva M. and Fanny. The last mentioned died be- fore the family left New York State. Some- time after the death of her husband, Mrs. But- ton married a Mr. Doty, and they became pioneers of Ridgefield Township, McHenry County, where Mr. Doty died. Mrs. Doty died in Elgin, 111., in her ninety-fifth year. They had two daughters named Helen and Cath- erine. James and Louisa (Button) Watson have had children named as follows: Olive Permelia, born in Greenwood Township, Oct. 3, 1847; an infant son un-named, who was born and died in Greenwood Township, 1850; Orville Clark, born March 24, 1853, and Nelda Adelia, born in Greenwood Township, Sept. 14, 1856. Mr. Watson gave all his children a good educa. tion and his daughters Olive and Nelda were successful teachers in the public schools of McHenry County. Mrs. Watson was born 1042 McHENRY COUNTY. April 19, 1823, and died in Greenwood Town- ship, Jan. 5, 1857. Her daughter, Nelda A., died November, 1898. Mr. Watson assisted to organize Greenwood Township and was personally acquainted with its pioneers. Among them was Louis Boone, of the Boone family of Kentucky, of which DaDiel Boone was a member, who had settled there in the spring of 1837, shortly after David, John and William McCollum had located near by on the edge of McHenry Township. Boone and the head of the McCollum family disagreed over a land-claim and several times came to blows. Boone, who was a powerful man, tore down the log cabin McCollum had built on the land in question, cut every log in two and whipped a man who assisted in building it. Then McCollum organized a party of friends and they waylaid Boone and gave him a good drubbing, but he finally maintained his claim of the land in the courts. Mr. Watson was summoned by Sheriff Walkup to attend the first session of the Cir- cuit Court in McHenry County, held in the loft of Brown's log tavern. Doctor Cornish of Al- gonquin was the clerk and Mr. Watson states that, not being an experienced crier, he opened the court by yelling from the door of the cabin: "O, yes! O, yes! O, yes! Know all men that the honorable Circuit Court is now open for business!" Litigation between Boone and the McCollums occupied the attention of the court, and Mr. Spring, an old lawyer of Chi- cago, represented Boone, and Colonel Strode, also of Chicago, represented the McCollums. After that, Boone and the McCollums had further fights. One of the McCollums secured a judgment of eighty dollars and costs against Boone for assault, and Boone secured judg- ments in the same amount against each of the three McCollums on the same charge. Troubles like those between Boone and McCollum were common among the pioneers, and before courts were generally established, questions at issue were frequently argued with the bare knuckles. December 12, 1883, Mr. Watson was married, in Watonwan County, Minn., to Emeline Whitely McCune, who was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, June 25, 1839, a daughter of James and Hannah M. (Kirkwood) McCune. James McCune was born in Pennsylvania in 1792, a son of Thomas and Mary (Brady) Mc- Cune. Thomas McCune was born in Maryland, a son of James McCune, a prominent member of a colonial family of note. James McCune, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Watson, was a wealthy farmer and allied himself with other patriots of Maryland on the side of the Colonies before and during the Revolutionary War. At one time he entertained Washington and his staff, and he supplied horses and much beef and other provender to the patriot army and, in a general way, aided the cause to such an extent that when, at the end of the war, the conti- nental money he had received from the Gov- ernment was not redeemed, he was practically ruined. His son Thomas was a patriot soldier and fought at Brandywine. In another en- gagement he and three others were surrounded by British and cut their way out most gallantly. This exploit led to his promotion to a cap- taincy, and he served during the remainder of the war under Washington's immediate com- mand. 'After the Revolution, James and Thom- as McCune settled in Alleghany County, Penn. In 1795 the latter became a pioneer in Jeffer- son County, Ohio, where he acquired a quarter section of land which he redeemed from the forest and improved. He had assisted to capture ships from the British and was en- titled to prize money, but they assigned their claims in favor of Washington's army by unanimous vote. A pension of five dollars a month was granted him for his services during the Revolutionary War, but he died in Jeffer- son County, Ohio, after the first payment had been made. He married, in Pennsylvania, Mary Brady, a cousin of Brady, the famous In- dian fighter, and they had children named: Mary, Sarah, Martha, James, Elizabeth, Joseph and William. James McCune, Mrs. Watson's father, was born in Alleghany County, Penn., May 30, 1792. When he was five years old he went to Jefferson County, Ohio, with his fath- er's family, walking most of the way and help- ing drive cattle. He lived on a portion of his father's land in Ohio fifty-two years. In April 1823, he married Hannah Maria Kirkwood, daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Gillispie) Kirkwood, who was born in Belmont County, Ohio, in February, 1808. The Kirkwoods and Gillispies were of Scotch-English stock. The representatives of both families settled early in Maryland, where they were slave-holders. It is said that they liberated their slaves and gave each one $100 in money. Joseph Kirk- wood was a prominent pioneer farmer of Jef- ferson County, Ohio, where he died leaving a valuable estate. The children of James and s^Ui.j&LU/jdL 7%cUftn\ /%lZd^n, McHENRY COUNTY. 1043 Hannah Maria (Kirkwood) McCune were named: Robert K., Thomas, Joseph K., Mary Brady, Elizabeth K., William W., Sarah J., Emeline Whitely, George G., Catherine Ann, Josephine K. and Adeline G. Joseph K., died at the age of twenty, unmarried. James Mc- Cune enlisted three times for service in the War of 1812, and was rejected because more soldiers were not needed. In his young man- hood he made three trips down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, to dispose of produce and walked back, consuming sev- eral weeks in the journey. In April, 1849, he moved from Jefferson County, Ohio, to Fond du Lac County, Wis., where he settled on a 200- acre farm, one and a half miles south of Ceresco (now Ripon), which he improved, and on -which he died, April 30, 1875. He was an original pioneer, his land being entirely wild except forty acres which had been broken. He built the first school house on Green Lake Prairie. This was a frame building, and the teacher was hired at Mr. McCune's expense. Mrs. Emeline W. Watson was educated at Ripon College, Wis., and was a teacher for sometime in Dodge County, Wis. COLUMBUS WALLACE. The venerable citizen of Crystal Lake Town- ship, McHenry County, 111., whose name ap- pears above, is one of the few men in this part of the county who are in possession of their original homesteads on which they located when they came to Northeastern Illinois as pioneers. His ancestors were of that famous Highland Clan of Scotland which produced William Wallace, the patriot. According to tradition three Wallace brothers of that his- toric family, all Puritans, settled in New Eng- land in the colonial period. William Wallace, a descendant of one of the three emigrants, was a farmer and carpenter and lived in North- ern Vermont. His son William, who also be- came a farmer and carpenter, was born in Northern Vermont and was married, at Pawlet, to Miss Elizabeth Penfield, and they were the parents of Columbus Wallace, of Crystal Lake Township, and of other children named: Wil- liam Albert, Franklin, Elizabeth and Sarah. William Wallace died at Pawlet aged about seventy-seven years. Elizabeth (Penfield) Wallace was a member of the Congregational church, and died at the old home of the family at Pawlet. Columbus Wallace was born at Pawlet, Rut- land County, Vt., Oct. 23, 1812, educated in the common schools, reared a farmer and event- ually learned the harness maker's trade. He went to New York State in 1827, living at Whitehall and at Fort Ann until 1837, when he came to Illinois. His brother Franklin, who was born at Pawlet, Vt., in 1804, came to Crys- tal Lake in the spring of 1837, and located a land-claim there, after which he went back East to his old home. When he returned later in the same year, Columbus accompanied him. The journey was made by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo and thence by steamer to Chi- cago. From Chicago to Crystal Lake, a two days' journey, Mr. Wallace walked, arriving at his destination Nov. 1, 1837. The settlement contained a one-story log cabin and three log shanties. In the cabin, Beman Crandall, who had been the first settler there in 1835, kept a backwoods tavern, Isaac King and his brother lived in one of the shanties, and Abner Beards- ley in the third. Mr. Wallace lived for a time with Beman Crandall. He at once located a claim of 340 acres on three different pieces of land and began to make rails with which to fence in his new possessions. He bought the right to his claim from Crandall, who had bought his right to this and other property from Christopher Walkup, who had laid claim to it more than two years before, as a part of a tract of land four miles long and two miles wide, extending from his settlement near Ridgefield to Crystal Lake. There was an un- written law among the pioneers that late set- tlers should purchase "rights" of the first comer, although this gave them no legal right to the land, and in some instances those who had not made such provision against trouble were driven out of the settlements. Mr. Wal- lace's investment in this way was two hundred dollars. In the spring of 1838 he built a log cabin on his claim. The walls were of round logs, it was roofed with shaved oak shingles, had small glass windows, and the loft was ac- cessible by means of rude stairs. As the years went by he gradually developed a productive farm. Mr. Wallace married Hannah (Beardsley) Wallace in November, 1849. His wife, who was the daughter of Abner and Hannah (Wor- den) Beardsley and the widow of his brother Franklin, was born at Alexander, N. Y., Feb. 3, 1818, and had borne his brother twins named Mary and Sarah. Franklin Wallace, who had been associated with Columbus in the work of 1044 McHENRY COUNTY. improvement at Crystal Lake, had died Feb. log cabin, which has been described, until Mr. 22, 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace lived in the Wallace built a substantial cobble-stone house, the first of the kind in the county, which is yet in a good state of preservation. The chil- dren of Columbus and Hannah (Beardsley) Wallace are: Ada, Alice, Carrie, William B., named in the order of their birth. Mrs. Wal- lace died May 31, 1894. Since boyhood, Mr. Wallace has been, until in years comparatively recent, a very hard worker, and his whole career has been dominated by a strong mind. Although now ninety-one years old, he still re- tains his mental faculties and his memory in a remarkable degree for one of his years. He likes to talk about the pioneer days and about the old political campaigns in which the Whigs were a factor. He voted the Whig ticket in those days and when, in 1856, the new-born Republican party named John C. Fremont as its candidate for the Presidency, he voted for him, and four years later for Lincoln, and has voted for every subsequent Republican nomi- nee for the Presidency. His industry and thrift have not gone unrewarded, and he owns about 100 acres as of good farm land as his neighborhood affords. LEVI A. WATERMAN. The family of this honored and esteemed citizen of McHenry County is of English origin, its original seat being in Wales, and it won dis- tinction both in the struggle for American in- dependence and in the War of 1812, when the young republic appealed to the patriotism of ber sons to maintain her honor and prestige as a Nation. According to well-authenticated tradition, seven brothers came from England to the colonies early in the seventeenth century. Of these three settled in New York, two in Massachusetts, and two in Connecticut. One held a commission in the British army under Queen Elizabeth, and this document, of price- less historic value, is yet treasured as an heir- loom by his posterity. Another married the daughter of the man who struck off the original "Pine Tree Shilling," the first coin issued in America. Following down the line of descent from these early days, the genealogist finds the name of Aruna Waterman, the grandfather of Levi A., who was a Commissary in the army of the Revolution. His birthplace was Nor- wich, Conn., and it was there that he married, his wife's maiden patronymic being Hyde Two of his sons, Thomas and Asa, the latter the father of ihe gentleman who is the subject of this narrative, were soldiers in the War of 1812, Thomas taking part in the battle of Plattsburg. Believing that the prospects of success were better for a farmer in the North, Aruna Waterman disposed of his Connecticut property, and, in 1800, started for what is now Lamoille, but was then a rart of Franklin County, Vt. He made the journey on a sled with a yoke of oxen and a team of horses, and in a hogshead, covered by a nondescript assor<> ment miscellaneous material, he took with him four thousand Spanish milled dollars. On reaching his point of destination he bought a partly-cleared farm of 415 acres, on which he erected a saw and grist-mili, his location being in the town of Johnson. Here he held the of- fice of Justice of the Peace tor many years. He died in 1837, after attaining the advanced age of eighty-nine years, leaving a handsome estate to be divided among his children. Asa, the son of Aruna and the father of Levi A. Waterman, was born in Norwich, Conn., Dec. 2, 1772. He accompanied the family to Vermont in 1800, and there married Anna, a daughter of John McConnell, for whose family the village of McConnell's Falls is named. He inherited 150 acres of land from his father, and it was here that he passed the remainder of his life, his farm being now the site of the vil- lage just named. He served with gallantry during the War of 1812. He was a Universal- ist in religious belief, and in politics, first ar. "old-line" Whig, and later a Republican, voting for Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Afcer the death of his first wife he married Anna Dodge, a na- tive of New Hampshire. He fell asleep in 1860, after passing life's eighty-eighth mile- stone. His children by his first marriage were: Erastus, Aruna and Harvey; by the second, Levi, Sanford and Norman. Levi A. Waterman, who was the eldest son by the marriage of his father, Asa Waterman, with Anna Dodge, was born in Lamoille Coun- ty, Vt., Oct. 26, 1818. His early years were spent much after the fashion of other farmers' sons of his day and generation. A term, once or twice a year, in the district school and hard work upon the farm, male up his boyhood and youth. Grass was mowed with a scythe, while grain was cut with a sickle and threshed with a flail. On November 25, 1851, he was married, at Johnson, Vt., to Hannah D. Whiting, whose i?/ TffrTfmc^ J(m <£ A- %%k^&i^ McHENRY COUNTY. 1045 parents were Zachariah and Lucinda (Dodge) Whiting. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Waterman settled on his paternal homestead, and there their four children were born — Wal- ter W., Anna, Lucinda and Howard. For near- ly a quarter of a century they lived upon the old farm, adding to it, from time to time, through thrift, good management and wise in- vestment, until in 1865 it embraced 200 acres. In 1865 they resolved to seek fortune in what was to them a new, untried country. The fertile prairies of Illinois, with their nodding grass and rich, well-watered soil, beckoned to them, and in that year they removed from the mountains of Vermont to the level plains of the Prairie State, settling in McHenry Town- ship, two miles northeast of Ringwood, where Mr. Waterman purchased a farm of 180 acres. This property he has constantly improved, erecting a fine residence upon it, and making it one of the best and most valuable farms in the township. In 1886, having reached the age of sixty-eight years, he resolved to take the rest to which his long, well-spent life richly en- titled him. In that year he retired from active toil, and removed with the wife of his youth to Ringwood. There, at the ripe old age of eighty-two years, he is passing his declining years, looking back upon the past without re- gret and forward to the future without fear. EUGENE STRODE WHEELER. Eugene S. Wheeler was born July 1, 1848, in Warrenville, Dupage County, 111., where his father was then pastor of the Baptist church. He was brought by his parents to McHenry the following March, and the family lived for sev- eral years in a frame house built of oak lum- ber. His father owned 450 acres of land, now known as the Wheeler homestead, for which he paid $12 an acre. He borrowed money at twenty-five per cent interest to pay for this land, and was seventeen years in paying the debt. For several years he made but few im- provements. In addition to this land he owned 160 acres north of Waukegan, forty acres north of Johnsburg, and a large part of what is now called the Ladd farm, near Ringwood. The present residence on the Joel Wheeler home- stead was built in 1852, the brick being made in McHenry by Smith Covey, being the first manufactured in that place. Eugene Wheeler attended school at old Mc- Henry in an old oak-frame school-house near the Universalist church, which was afterwards used as a town-house, later as a gun-smith shop, and was torn down in 1889, being then owned by the widow Zents. His teacher was Frances Wheeler, daughter of Cristy G. Wheeler, and among the pupils were Rollin Waite, present Postmaster of McHenry, Henry Whiteman, Elliot and Hinton Wheeler, Sallie Owen and the Hankins boys, George, Albert and Jeff, who later became noted residents of Chicago. In pioneer times their father was a harness-maker at McHenry and crossed the plains to California in the early days of the gold excitement. Later Mr. Wheeler attended a select school one year at McHenry, kept by a Mr. Case and his sister, and afterwards spent two school years at the Marengo school, after which he attended the McHenry High School. He thus received a fair education, and has al- ways been interested in and taken an active part in educational matters, having been a member of the School Board for ten years and a member of the first Board of Education in McHenry. His father,. Elder Joel Wheeler, was a practical farmer, who worked hard on the farm and preached at different places in log school-houses on Sunday; the pioneers coming to the meetings from far and wide in their carts drawn by oxen. Mr. Wheeler has been known to preach at Algonquin in the morning, Dundee in the afternoon, and at some log dwelling in the evening, driving home many miles late at night. He studied his sermons while driving on the road, using no manuscript but speaking extemporaneously. His son, Eu- gene, began to drive about with his father when but a small boy. Elder Wheeler blazed the line for a wagon-road from Lily Lake to Wauconda, which afterwards became an estab- lished highway. Rev. Wheeler's politics were Democratic. He was married three times, first to Julia A. Elliott of New Hampshire. Their children were: Elliott, Hinton and George B. His first wife having died, he was married at Waukegan, 111., to Mary J. Freeman, who was born in New York State, May 26, 1828, daugh- ter of Rev. Peter Freeman, who, in company with Rev. Joel Wheeler, organized the first Baptist church in Waukegan. By this mar- riage there were two children, Alva and Eu- gene S. Mrs. Wheeler died in October, 1860. Rev. Wheeler married as his third wife, Jan. 18, 1869, Eliza Dunn (Berry) Colbath, of Maine. She was a widow (nee Berry), daughter of Levi and Mary (Hammond) Berry. Levi Berry was born in Maine of Scotch and 1046 McHENRY COUNTY. English parentage. He was a hatter by trade, but, in later years, engaged in the lumber busi- ness. He married Mary Hammond and lived in Smyrna, Me., where he kept a tavern, but still attended to his interests in the lumber business, and owned a farm. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Berry are: Dr. Thaddeus C. S., Jane (Mrs. Winslow), Peleg H., Hon. Andrew J. (member of the Illinois Legislature), Eliza D., Samuel H, Belle (Mrs. Adams) and Levi H. Eugene S. Wheeler was married March 1, 1873, at the old homestead in McHenry, to Luella May Colbath, born at Smyrna, Me., Dec. 15, 1853, daughter of Ivory and Eliza D. (Berry) Colbath. Mrs. Wheeler is well educated, having at- tended public school at Holton, Fairfax and Presque Isle, and an academy at Presque Isle and Fairfield. When but sixteen years of age she began teaching school in Aroostook Coun- ty, Me., continuing for three years, when, in 1872, she came to Illinois to live with her mother, Mrs. Joel Wheeler. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene S. Wheeler were: Joel E., Mabel E. and Lillian E. In politics Mr. Wheeler is a Republican. He owns the old family homestead, consisting of 206 acres, and has a fine home and estate. Ivory Colbath, Mrs. Wheeler's father, was born in Smyrna, Me., the son of Royal Colbath, a farmer, and followed the occupation of a lum- berman. His children were Jessie and Luella. Mr. Colbath was Sheriff of Aroostook County, Me., for several terms, and died at the age oi forty-seven years. SAMUEL H. WALKER. In the death of this pioneer at Ringwood, in 1880, McHenry County lost a prominent farmer and efficient business man. He was born in Hebron, Grafton County, N. H., April 5, 1811, and came of good English ancestry. His grandfather, Bruce Walker, was a loyal Ameri- can, who served valiantly in the Revolutionary War, while Daniel Walker, his father, was a respected citizen of Grafton County, N. H., where he was engaged in farming for many years. In politics he was an ardent Democrat and took an active interest in public affairs. Samuel H. Walker attended the public schools of Grafton County, N. H., and while carrying on his literary studies for some time, devoted a part of his time to work upon his father's farm. When a young man, he went to Boston, where he secured a position in a box factory, working for the meager salary of fifty cents per day, but acquiring at the same time valuable business experience. In 1836, when about twenty-five years of age, the hope of bettering his prospects led him to move to McHenry County, 111., which, like the rest of the State, was then but sparsely settled, Chi- cago, at that time, being only a little log-cabin settlement. On a forty-acre tract in McHenry Township he furrowed off his claim, and there began a home for himself, which, in the course of time, he transformed into a neat, well-culti- cated farm. Mr. Walker married, in McHenry Town- ship, Elizabeth Jane Everett, who died in 1851, and, in 1860. he was married, in Ringwood. Eliza Hendrickson, who was born in Richland, Oswego County, N. Y., May 9, 1835. After her husband's death, Mrs. Walker resided in Ringwood until 1899 when she purchased her present residence property in Lake Geneva, where she passes the summer month, and spends the winter season in Pasedena, Cal. She is a cultured woman with many charming social qualities, and has a large circle of friends. By his first marriage Mr. Walker had two children who died in infancy. By his second marriage there was one child, Nina G., who married William Cristy, a prominent resident of McHenry Township, who is now serving his fellow-townsmen as Supervisor. To Mr. and Mrs. Cristy two children have been born, Harold and Lynn. After his marriage Mr. Wplker settled on a 20-acre tract of land in Ringwood Township, where he made a pleasant residence for him- self, and where he engaged in the grain trade. He also purchased several farms in this vi- cinity, which he greatly improved, becoming in time a wealthy land-owner. During this same period he erected a large pickle factory in Ringwood, where he carried on an extensive business for many years. Mr. Walker was far- sighted and energetic, and met with uniform success in his various enterprises. His honor was unimpeachable, and having made friends at every step in life, he was widely known and highly influential. Politically he was a strong Republican. Mrs.Walker comes of two prominent families. The Drakes and the Hendricksons, the former being descendants from the well-known Ad- miral and explorer of that name. The Hen- dricksons settled in the State of New York . Bishop, born in McHenry, August 13, 1855, daughter of Richard and Mary (Morris) Bishop. Richard Bishop was born in New York State, Nov. 16, 1824, the son of Hezekiah and Char- lotte Bishop. He served as a member of the State Legislature, was on the Board of Super- visors of his town, and one of the early members and founders of the TJniversalist church in McHenry. (See sketch of Richard Bishop in this volume.) Thomas J. Walsh began to work in Mr. Bishop's flouring-mill when a boy. By his in- dustry, attention to business and honest char- acter, he not only learned the business, but gradually worked up to a responsible position. He remained in the flouring-mill until Mr. Bishop's death, when he engaged in the agri- cultural implement business, in which he still continues. Mr. Walsh has met with a marked degree of success and is now one of the sub- stantial business men of McHenry. He is a man of broad views, a member of the TJni- versalist church, and well known throughout th surrounding country as a business man of integrity and high standing in the mercantile community. Mr and Mrs. Walsh have one child, Richard Bishop. JOHN J. WHITESIDE. John J. Whiteside, the rising young law- yer of Woodstock, combines with a more than ordinary legal education unusual inherent abil- ity for the profession, and has prospects for be- coming one of the leading members of the McHenry County bar. He is now about thir- ty-three years old, and has for several years been associated with Mr. Lumley as a member of both law and real estate firms, the latter being known as Lumley, Whiteside & Mur- phey. Mr. Whiteside comes of a highly cultivated and professional family. The early Whitesides were from Ireland, and John Whiteside, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was of the original stock. Phineas Whiteside, great-great-grandfather of John J., came from County Tyrole, Ireland, and settled in Washington County, N. Y., where he secured 1.400 acres of land and en- gaged in agriculture. A practical hard-work- ing farmer and a good business man, he made well out of his enterprise and won for himself a solid prosperity. He passed his last days on this farm, where he died and was buried. He left six sons and one daughter, and their de- scendants still own the greater part of the original tract of 1,400 acres. William, the son of Phineas, was a Lieutenant in the War of the Revolution, and was the father of Dr. John Whiteside, grandfather of John J., the subject of this sketch. Dr. Whiteside was the leading physician of Milford, N. Y. He received a lib- eral education, which he supplemented with a thorough course in medicine. In 1823, from the New York Board of Health, he received his li- cense to practice, and opening an office at Milford in that State, gained a large practice, which was continued throughout his active professional life. Having married in early manhood, he had nine children. He was not only a legal physician, but a man of wide in- fluence in all walks of life. Romeyn Whiteside, father of John J., was born in Milford, N. Y., Oct. 1833, . and there acquired his early education, taking a classi- cal course. His course at Union College hav- ing been interrupted, in 1856, he came to Polo, 1050 McHENRY COUNTY. 111., where he engaged in teaching in the pub- lic school until the outbreak of the Civil War. Early in that struggle he enlisted as a private in Company D, Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer In- fantry. He was later promoted to First Lieu- tenant and transferred to Company H of the same regiment, and, going to the front, took part in the battle of Shiloh, the Vicksburg cam- paign and many other important engagements. Having contracted the yellow fever, he was finally furloughed and returned to Polo for re- cuperation. 'After a short rest he assisted in raising a new company of men, of which he became a member for three years' service and participated in many of the hardest fought bat- tles of the war, in all serving his country for a period of four years and seven months. He proved himself an efficient soldier and received a medal in acknowledgment of his bravery. After the war, Lieutenant Whiteside returned to Polo, and there, in 1869, married Maria Em- ma Stapley, widow of James L. Stapley, born in Rock Falls, 111., daughter of Robert Atkins, and the first white child born in Coloma Town- ship, Whiteside County. Robert Atkins came from Toronto, Canada, and erected the first dwelling in Rapids City, now known as Rock Falls. He met his death by an accident at a barn-raising. He had a family of seven chil- dren: Robert, Charles, Mafy, Albert, Allen, Emma and Maria. Mrs. Whiteside, who was a woman of marked force of character and ability, died in Rock Falls, Feb. 27, 1878. By her marriage to James L. Stapley there were three children: Edward H., Louise S. and James L., Jr. To Mr. and Mrs. Romeyn White- side were born two children: John J., who is mentioned below, and Phrocine. After marriage Mr. Whiteside settled in Polo, 111., where he continued teaching for some time, but later accepted a position as editor and proof-reader for the Lakeside Publishing Company, Chicago, moving to that city and en- tering upon his duties in 1871, where he re- mained for sixteen years. In Aipril, 1887, he received an appointment through Gen. Edward Dustin, a Trustee of the Illinois Soldiers' Home at Quincy, as Head Sergeant of the Home, but died on May 25, 1887, just one month after his appointment. Lieut. Romeyn Whiteside was a man of much ability and gifted in many lines. While in Polo he served as Justice of the Peace for many years. As a veteran of the Civil War he was affiliated with the Polo Post G. A. R. John J. Whiteside, owing to the ill-health of his mother and her early death — which occur- red when he was but seven years old — was reared mainly by a benevolent uncle, Col. Zeb- ulon E. Goodrich, of Marengo, a bachelor of means and prominence, who acted as Colonel of the Eighty-fifth New York Infantry during the Civil War. In 1867 Colonel Goodrich settled in Marengo with his sister, Roxanne, as house- keeper, where, in the steady pursuit of busi- ness, he added materially to his wealth, being one of the founders and a large stock-holder in the Dairyman's State Bank, in which he held the office of President until he was eighty years old. He also owned three large farms in Seneca Township, purchased in 1856, from which he received a considerable income. He lived to an advanced age, dying in Marengo Aug. 8, 1897. He was a man of marked benev- olence and he and his sister furnished homes to twenty-one homeless children, none of them remaining for less than three years. John J. Whiteside was born in Polo. Ogle County, 111., June 3, 1870, and as a child, taking up his residence with his uncle in Marengo, received his early education in the schools of that city. After graduating from the Polo High School, he entered Lake Forest University, where he remained four years, after which he began the study of law, two years later enter- ing the Northern Illinois College of Law, from which he graduated in May, 1899. Later he. took a post-graduate course at the North- western University at Evanston, from which he graduated in June, 1900, and the same year became associated with V. S. Lumley, a prom- inent attorney of Woodstock. On April 3, 1902, Mr. Whiteside was admitted to the bar and has since been associated with Mr. Lumley as a member of the firm. In addition to his pro- fessional work, Mr. Whiteside has assisted in the management of the real estate firm of Lumley, Whiteside & Murphey, and by his close study of the market and the special fea- tures of the property with which he has to deal, is proving himself a capable business man. He is prospering in his work, and he has a pleasant residence in Woodstock, which has been his home since 1900. At Elgin, 111... Sept. 17, 1895, Mr. Whiteside was married to Ruby May Cady, who was born in Riley Township, McHenry County, the daughter of Alfred and Hannah Mary (Ed- wards) Cady. Mr. and Mrs. Whiteside have had one son, Alfred Romeyn, who was born Sept. 2, 1901, and died Nov. 6, 1901. Mr. Whiteside's traits of character and at- MRS. JOHN J. WHITESIDE. wW McHENRY COUNTY. 1051 tainments have won him the confidence and respect of the citizens of Woodstock. He is energetic, decisive and exceedingly practical in business, sympathetic, yet firm with his cli- ents, fair, and even' generous, to opponems. His tact and his readiness at repartee have won him social recognition as well as profes- sional prominence, and he stands high in the best circles of Woodstock. Fraternally he is popular and belongs to the A. O. U. W., Nation- al Union and Royal Arcanum, of Woodstock, having acted as Master of the first named lodge in Marengo. Politically he is a Republi- can. The Cady family of which Mrs. Whiteside is a member, is an old and prominent one. Stephen Peter Cady, great-grandfather of Mrs. Whiteside, who was a blacksmith by trade, was born in Connecticut, an* moved at an early period to Saratoga County, N. Y., where he followed his trade for many years, but later he settled in Stratford, in the same State, and there passed his last days, dying in his eighty- first year. In early manhood he married in Saratoga County, Betsy Edwards and they had seven children: Caroline, Ebenezer (who is mentioned below), Harriet, Edgar, Emily, Sen- eca and Herman. Mr. Cady was honest, pub- lic-spirited and influential in local affairs, and a man highly respected wherever he was known. Ebenezer Cady, grandfather of Mrs. White- side, who was a farmer by occupation, and the first of his line to settle in Illinois, was born in Saratoga County, N. Y., Jan. 15, 1815, and when a small boy, moved with his parents to Salis- bury, Herkimer County N. Y., where he re- ceived a common school education, and there married Mary E. Case, who was born in Salis- bury. She died in that place some years after marriage, and sometime later he married Pau- line P. Jennings, who was born in Salisbury July 17, 1817, the daughter of Samuel Jennings, a farmer, and a descendant of a prominent Connecticut family. By his first marriage Mr. Cady had one child, Mary, who lived to matur- ity, married and resided in Marengo, where she died. By his second marriage Mr. Cady had six children: Edwin, who was a private in the Ninety-seventh Regiment, New York Vol- unteer Infantry, during the Civil War, and was killed at the battle of Gettysburg; Alfred, who. is mentioned below; Sarah A.. Oscar, Lodica ar.d Emily. After marriage Mr. Cady settled in Salisbury, N. Y., and there remained until 1851, when he moved to Vernon, Oneida Coun- ty, same State. In 1863 he moved to Marengo Township, McHenry County, where He settled upon a 100-acre farm one mile west of the vil- lage of Marengo. Here he carried on his farm until 1882, when he retired from business and settled in Marengo, dying there in 1890, at the age of seventy-five years. As a Whig in early days, and later as a Republican, Mr. Cady was influential in local politics. Alfred Cady, father of Mrs. Whiteside, is a retired farmer and business man of Marengo, who has been prominently identified with the public affairs of his city. Born in Salisbury, N. Y., Aug. 2, 1843, he was but seven years old wheu his parents moved to Vernon, N. Y., and nine- teen when they came to Illinois. In the public schools of these different localities he received his education, finishing with a high school course at Marengo. Having entered upon his life occupation as a farmer, on Oct. 13, 1869, he was married at Marengo, 111., to Hannah Mary Edwards, who was born in Greenfield, Saratoga County, N. Y., Sept. 30, 1846, the daughter of William and Mary (Bowen) Edwards, and of this union there have been born three children: Ruby May, who is mentioned above; William Carlton, who died at the age of fifteen years, and Edwin James. After marriage Mr. Cady settled upon a well improved farm of 112 acres in Riley Township, McHenry County. He final- ly increased the area of his farm until it em- braced 152 acres, erecting upon it substantial buildings, materially increasing its value. In 1880 he opened a factory in Marengo for the manufacture of dairying supplies, and also en- gaged in other enterprises with marked suc- cess. In consequence of failing eye-sight he found himself incapacitated for business, his trouble ending in total blindness. He is still, however, a large property owner, besides his well improved farm, being owner of several city lots and residences and other valuable property. Mr. Cady is a well-informed man, possesses a retentive memory and has been a great reader all his life. As a Republican he has figured prominently in local politics and has heid several, offices of trust and responsibility. He is well known and highly esteemed in all circles, and the Methodist church counts him and his wife among its most worthy members. Naturally cheerful and genial, he bears the loss of his sight with remarkable fortitude. 1052 McHENRY COUNTY. WILLIAM WAKELEY. William Wakeley, retired farmer, Harvard. 111., an early settler of McHenry County, and for many years a prosperous farmer of Che- mung Township, is descended from a Colonial Connecticut family of mixec 1 Irish and Welsh ancestry. His father, also named William Wakeley, was a native of Litchfield, Conn., born in April, 1802, the son of a physician William Wakeley, St., was a drummer boy in the War of 1812, later learning the shoemaker's trade, after which he married at Athens, N. Y., in September. 1821, Margaret Whippy, who was born on Nantucket Island, June 11, 1804, the daughter of Reuben and Abial Whippy. The father, Reuben Whippy, who was a lame man, was a shoemaker by trade. Late in life he re- moved from Nantucket to Athens, N. Y., where he died. His children were: Nancy, George, Margaret and Ann. Mr. Wakeley, Sr., worked at his trade at Athens, N. Y., until about 1826, when he removed to Buffalo, N. Y., and a few years later to Williamsville, in the same State, where he remained until 1849. He then started west with a view to settling in Kansas. Leav- ing his family in Chicago with his son William, he proceeded westward alone, but was seized with cholera, en route, arid died on the St. Mary's River in Missouri. He was a self-edu- cated man, but was well informed, and, for many years, served as a Justice of the Peace, and also practiced law at times before the Jus- tices' courts. In politics he was a Democrat, was an industrious citizen and a Kind-hearted, indulgent father, but taught his children the virtue of obedience. His children were: Wil- liam (the subject of this sketch), James, Car- oline, George and Benton. Mrs. Wakeley, the mother of this family, lived to be seventy-sev- en years old. In her later years she went to California and spent some time with her son Benton, but returning to Illinois, lived with her son William until her death, which occurred in February, 1881. William Wakeley, Jr., was born at Athens, N. Y., Feb. 22, 1822, and having received a lim- ited common school education, at thirteen years of age began learning the shoemaker's trade with his father. While working on the bench he continued his studies, and learned to "cipher" until he could perform any example in the old Daboll's Arithmetic. When he had reached twenty years of age he opened a shop for himself at Newstead, fifteen miles east of Williamsville; and here, on April 26, 1846, he was married to Joanna Hunt, who was born at Day, N. Y., Jan. 6, 1824, the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Deming) Hunt. Her father, George Hunt, was born in 1791, and her mother Aug. 19, 1792. Mr. Hunt was a farmer of Newstead, N. Y., where after settlement there, he spent the rest of his life. He and his wife had children named: Lydia, Susannah, Chloe, Joanna, George, Elizabeth, Tryphena, Minerva and Pamela. Before his marriage Mr. Wakeley had bought seventeen acres of land, and, by industry and frugal management, had saved a few hundred dollars. He worked at his trade until 1850, when, in April of that year, he removed to Mc- Henry County, 111., settling in Chemung Town- ship, three miles north of Harvard, where he bought twenty acres of land, seven of which had been broken, the remainder being unim- proved. Here he established a shoe-shop, to which settlers came for many miles to have their work done. The shoemaker of those days was a very different sort of workman from the "cobbler" of the present time. Mr. Wakeley brought leather with him for his first work, and was accustomed to make shoes of all sorts and for all classes — men, women and children. He followed his trade industriously, and often ex- changed work with his farmer patrons, making shoes for them while they paid him by working for him in the harvest field. In this way he prospered, soon doubled his holding of land, later making other additions until he became the owner of 237% acres. The log cabin, cov- ered with oak "shakes," which stood on his land when he bought it, he replaced by a sub- stantial frame dwelling in 1863, and erected good barns and other farm buildings, finally becoming one of the prosperous farmers of his township. He continued his work at the shoe- maker's trade until 1868, when he closed his shop permanently, thereafter devoting his at- tention solely to his farm. Mr. Wakeley has been twice married, the children by his first wife being George H., Chloe, William S.. Milo and Walter A. Mrs. Wakeley, who died April 17, 1880, was a mem- ber of the Methodist church and a woman of many virtues. On November 11, 1882, Mr. Wakeley was married to Arabella Cochran (nee Grimley), the widow of Murray Cochran, who was a Union soldier during the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Cochran had three daughters, Eva, Minnie and Ethel. Mrs. Arabella (Grimley) Wakeley was born at Ellenville, N. Y., Sept. CfU^ftvn Ci }ftUjp McHENRY COUNTY. 1053 29, 1847, the daughter of Thomas and Melissa (Terwilliger) Grimley. Her father, Thomas Grimley, was born in the "Drowned Lands" region in Sullivan County, N. Y., the son of Jonathan and Nancy (Ingham) Grimley. His father, Jonathan Grimley, who was a native of England, was bookkeeper for a wealthy cutlery firm at Sheffield, England, and in his early manhood eloped with and married Nancy Ing- ham, the daughter of Jonathan Ingham, a mem- ber of the firm. Her father having refused to be reconciled, the young couple, after remain- ing in England about four months, came to America and settled in Sullivan County, N. Y., where he became a substantial farmer and where he finally died aged eighty years. The Grimleys were not recognized in the will of Jonathan Ingham, so his property went into the hands of other heirs. Mr. and Mrs. Grimley had fifteen children, eleven of whom grew to years of maturity, viz.: William, John, Joseph, Thomas, Nancy, Eliza, Emeline, Alfred, Mary, Edgar and Sarah. Mr. Grimley was a Presby- terian in religious faith and a man of stanch character. Thomas Grimley of this family, who became the father of Mrs. Wakeley, received a common school education and became a glass- blower in Ellenville, N. Y. He was married there to Melissa Terwilliger, who was born at Mountain Dale, N. Y., the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Terwilliger. The Terwilli- gers were of Holland-Dutch ancestry, and Ben- jamin F. was a farmer at Mountain Dale. He died at the home of a daughter in Sullivan County, N. Y. The children of this family were Debora and Melissa — the latter becoming Mrs. Grimley. Thomas Grimley was a soldier of the Civil War, having enlisted at St. Charles, 111., Sept. 17, 1861, as a private in Company I, Eighth Illinois Cavalry, Col. J. F. Farnsworth. His company commander was Capt. H. L. Rap- elye. He was honorably discharged at Chicago in February, 1864. During the period of his service he was promoted for gallant and mer- itorious conduct from Commissary Sergeant through the various grades to Captain, mean- while participating in an even hundred battles and skirmishes, including the battles of Get- tysburg, the Seven Day's Fight in the Wilder- ness, the battles of Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellorville, Culpepper Court House and Williamsport. During this time he was never wounded nor a prisoner, but on three different occasions re- ceived bullet-holes through his hat. In 1863 he was detailed to purchase horses for the Government and remained in this business for several months. After his second marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wakeley remained on the farm until 1898, when they removed to Harvard, where he now owns a pleasant home, including three lots. He also retains the home farm. Their children are: Roy P., Vera A. and Guy B. — all having received good educations. Mrs. Wakeley is a member of the Presbyterian church and Mr. Wakeley a stanch Republican. He cast his first A r ote for James K. Polk, the Democratic candidate for President in 1844, but from the organization of the Republican party supported its candidates for the Presidency, including John C. Fremont in 1856, and Abraham Lincoln in 1860. He has held various local offices, in- cluding Assessor (1862-3) and Overseer 'of the Poor for Chemung Township, of the latter be- ing relieved at his own request by the Super- visor of the Township. He was also Commis- sioner of Highways for several years. Mr. Wakeley is a man of iron constitution, and now, at the age of over eighty-one years, is in the enjoyment of all his mental j,nd physical faculties, being able to read without glasses. Physically active, he also possesses a marked intelligence and is an especially entertaining conversationalist. CHAPIN A. WILCOX. Chapin A. Wilcox, an early settler of McHenry County, substantial farmer and prominent citi- zen, springs from Puritan and colonial Connec- ticut stock, his remote ancestors coming from Wales. There is a tradition that three broth- ers named Seth, Enoch and Timothy Wilcox, came to America at an early day — the two first named settling in Connecticut and the last in Rhode Island. A descendant of one of these brothers, also named Enoch, was the grand- father of the subject of this sketch. He was a native of Connecticut, born near Hartford, mar- ried Chloe Cossit in his native State, and in 1798, moved to Pompey, Onondaga County, N. \. Their children were: Grandison, Corin- thia, Pattie (or Martha), Jarvis, Chloe, Timothy, Alvira and Warren — all born in Pom- pey, N. Y., except Grandison, who was a na- tive of Connecticut. Enoch Wilcox settled in a heavily timbered region in Onondaga Coun- ty, where he cleared up a farm, but about 1827-8 moved to Chautauqua County, settling at Cas- sadaga, where he became the proprietor of a 1054 McHENRY COUNTY. saw-mill, which he managed some years. He spent here the latter years of his life, partly opened up a farm and died aged about sixty years. He was a soldier of the War of 1812, and took part in the battle of Sackett's Har- bor. In religion he was a Methodist, in poli- tics an old-line Whig, and having some knowl- edge of law, practiced to some extent in the Justices' courts. Amy, daughter of John Wil- cox and a second cousin of Enoch, was the first white child born in Onondaga County. Martha, daughter of Enoch Wilcox, married Delos Beebe, the first white child born in Erie County, N. Y. Grandison, the oldest son of Enoch 'Wilcox, last named, was born in Connecticut, April 4, 1797, and received a common-school education at Pompey, N. Y., but was largely self-edu- cated.- He became a farmer and, in 1821, was married at Pompey, N. Y., to Theodosia Chapin, who was born near Salisbury, Mass., the daughter of Aaron and Martha (Brundage) Chapin. The Chapins are of English descent, and a well-known colonial family of Massachu- setts. After marriage Grandison Wilcox re- mained for a few years on the Wilcox home- stead, but later settled near Manlius, N. Y., where he lived eight years, when he moved to the Chapin homestead. About 1829 he re- turned to the vicinity of Manlius, where he opened up a farm of 100 acres. Here he spent the active years of his life, though his last twenty years were spent for the most part with his son, Chapin A. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he was a class-leader and exhorter; politically, he was an old-line Whig and an early Abolitionist, casting his vote for James G. Birney for President in 1844, and, in his lat- ter years, a Republican. He and his wife were the parents of two children: Chapin A., born Dec. 25, 1822, and Martha, born Sept. 15, 1831 — both born at Manlius, N. Y. Chapin A. Wilcox received a good education in his youth, and has always followed the ac- cupation of a farmer. Early in 1844 he came west, making the journey to Detroit by lake steamer, and thence across the State of Michi- gan by the partially completed Michigan Cen- tral Railroad to Chicago — carrying his baggage on his back seven miles at one point over an incompleted section of the road. On June 19, following, he was married, at Kenosha, Wis., to Susan A. Smith, who was born in Columbia County, N. Y., Jan. 4, 1824, the daughter of Peter E. and Electa (Smith) Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox first settled in Onondaga County, N. Y., but two years later (1846) made a visit to Mrs. Wilcox's parents near Kenosha, Wis. During this trip Mr. Wilcox extended his visit to McHenry County, where he looked over the land where, in February, 1848, he entered 480 acres, besides nine acres of timber-land which he bought in the Marengo woods. It was not until April, 1856, however, that he came west, locating at Evansville, Rock County, Wis., where they resided one year, when, on April 3, 1857, he removed to McHenry County, 111., set- tling on his present homestead. For the first few months they lived in a building which had been erected for a barn, but on November 16th following, occupied the brick dwelling which had, in the meantime, been in process of erec- tion. By his industry and economy Mr. Wilcox opened up a good farm and added to his land, until he became the owner of about 670 acres. Of this he subsequently sold 120 acres, besides giving to his two sons 160 acres each, leaving 225 acres and the family residence, which he still occupies. His first residence having been destroyed by fire on Dec. 10, 1880, it was re- placed during the following year by a com- modious two-story brick residence of more sub- stantial character, making one of the most comfortable farm homesteads in McHenry County. Following in the footsteps of his father, Mr. Wilcox was an original Abolitionist, casting his first Presidential vote for James G. Birney, and has later been a stanch Republi- can. His father was identified with the "Un- derground Railroad," the Wilcox home in New York being a station at which runaway slaves frequently received shelter and food, while making their way to Canada and freedom. In- stances are related in which Chapin Wilcox played the part of "conductor" in carrying fugi- tives, who had been secreted in his father's home at Syracuse, N. Y., by night, in a cov- ered wagon to Oswego, whence they escaped to Canada. Mr. Wilcox, though not a seeker for office, has served his township as Road Commissioner for twelve years and as Assessor one year, be- sides serving several years on the School Board. In these positions he has given evi- dence of public spirit in the promotion of pub- lic improvement and his friendship for the cause of education. Peter E. Smith, the father of Mrs. Wilcox, was born of colonial stock in Connecticut, Dec. QfcJ^&^y, McHENRY COUNTY. 1055 "24, 1800, and his parents having moved to New York, he was educated in a Quaker boarding school at Kinderhook in that State. In 1843 he removed with his family to Bristol, Kenosha <3ounty, Wis., where he became the owner of a good farm. Having sold his farm in his old age, he resided for a time at Evanston, 111., but spent the last eight years of his life with his daughter, Mrs. Wilcox, dying at the age of ninety years. Originally a Democrat, in later years he became a Republican. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and were parents of the following named children: Susan A., born Jan. 4, 1825; Mary P., born March 7, 1826; Debora, born June 8, 1834; Phoebe Au, born Oct. 10, 1836; Emily R., born Nov. 5, 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox have had three chil- dren: Frances Isabel, Eugene Grandison and Emmett S. — whose family records run as fol- lows: Frances Isabel Wilcox, born May 2, 1849, married Samuel L. Tate, and they have had the following named children: Elva, born Oct. 10, 1870 ; Edith Susan, born Dec. 16, 1872 ; Frances Belle, born Feb. 21, 1875; Helen Louisa, born March 14, 1883. Edith Susan Tate, of this family, was married, Feb. 26, 1897, to Frederick S. Eldred, who was born Oct. 7, 1870, and they have one child, Frederick Wil- son Eldred, born May 18, 1901. Eugene Grandison Wilcox, born August 27, 1858, married August 14, 1888, Mary Ellen Green, who was born May 9, 1868, and they have five children: Lawrence Eugene, born Dec. 29, 1890; Marguerette Laura and Marjory Belle (twins), born August 25, 1895; Chapin Aaron, born June 28, 1898; Harry Green, born August 11, 1901. Emmett Smith Wilcox (twin brother of Eugene Grandison,) born August 27, 1858, mar- ried, Jan. 14, 1880 1 , Allatta Grace Metcalf, born August 10, 1860; children— Ada Grace, born Sept. 13, 1880; Maxwell Chapin, born May 30, 1884; Elna Louise, born July 29, 1886. Ada Grace Wilcox of this family married, Nov. 20, 1900, Blanford Frederick Pierce, who was born Nov. 6, 1S78. Emmett Smith Wilcox, the head of this family, was killed by a runaway team, March 15, 1902. Chapin A. Wilcox is a man of strong char- acter who has acquired a good property by up- right, honest methods, and has assisted in the material development of his section of the county. JOHN F. WILSON. John F. Wilson, whose attractive 148-acre farm in Marengo Township is the picture of thrift and prosperity, has long been a resident of this section, for the past fifteen years occu- pying his present home. Mr. Wilson is of good Scotch ancestry, his grandfather, James Wil- son, who was a resident of Scotland, being a farmer by occupation and, for a time, the man- ager of a grist-mill. He was married twice, and of his children there were two sons — John and James — besides one daughter. John Wilson, the father of John F., was born in Berwickshire, Scotland, in May, 1810, and in his native country received careful rearing. Coming to America in early manhood, he spent some years in Canada, where he was married and had one daughter named Eliza. About 1840 he came to Illinois, and, in 1844, settled upon a tract of slightly improved land north of Maiengo, then consisting of 188 acres, where his son John now resides. Possessed of in- dustrious energy, he cleared up his land, re- placed the log cabin, which he found there, with commodious and substantial buildings, making a comfortable home, where he spent the remainder of his life. His first wife, whom he married in Canada, having died about the time he settled in Marengo Township, in 1844 he married Margaret Pringle, who was also a native of Berwickshire, Scotland, born Feb. 15, 1819, the daughter of John and Sidney (Pat- terson) Pringle. Mrs. Wilson was about twen- ty years old when she came with her parents to Illinois. They settled near Galena, and she was about twenty-five years old at the time of her marriage. She was a faithful helpmate of her husband, and has always been most highly esteemed in her community. By his second marriage Mr. Wilson had eight children: James, who died at the age of six years; Sid- ney, who married Dr. Miller; Anna, who mar- ried Ghordis Stull; Mary, Margaret and Emma, who were never married; Helen, who died in early womanhood; John; and Edith, who also died in early life. Mr. Wilson's daughter, Eliza, by his first marriage, married Rev. John Hutchinson. Mr. Wilson was well read, especially upon subjects relating to national policy. A sturdy Scotchman, he became a stanch American citi- zen, was one of the organizers of the Republi- can party in McHenry County, and was a zeal- ous champion of its principles. As a devout member of the Presbyterian church, he gave 1056 M-cH'EN R Y ctmtt^Y.- his support to all good Works)! being especially liberal in his offerings for church benevolences. Possessed of a high sense of honor, kind- hearted and' generous, he was a thoroughly good citizen, and a model husband and father. He died May 18, 1889, aged seventy-nine years. Mrs. Wilson, who still survives him, has been a life-long member of the Presbyterian church, with which she united in her native Scotland during her childhood. John F. Wilson, the son of John and Marga- ret (Pringle) Wilson, was born on the farm, where he now resides, Feb. 26, 1857. In the public schools of his neighborhood he received his early education, afterwards for a time at- tending the Marengo High School. Reared to farm work, upon reaching manhood he chose that occupation for his life-work. September 5, 1888, he married Mary E. Lockwood, of Dorr Township, who was born Dec. 28, 1863, the daughter of Minor and Belva (Button) Lock- wood. By this union there have been eight children: Maxwell Minor, born July 13, 1889; Marjorie Belle, March 16, 1891; Edith Helen, Dec. 24, 1892; Ruth, Nov. 21, 1894; Kathryn H., Nov. 27, 1896; Jean Marie, Nov. 22, 1898; Gladys Ruby, Oct. 10, 1900, and John, Sept. 7, 1902. After marriage Mr. Wilson settled upon his father's farm in Marengo Township, now consisting of 148 acres, and here he has since resided. By his untiring industry he has car- ried on a successful business and has added many improvements. In his methods he is progressive and scientific, and is recognized as one of the foremost agriculturists of his sec- tion. Mr. Wilson is well-informed, public-spirited, practical, business-like and capable. In the public affairs of his community his word car- ries weight, and as a person keenly interested in the advertisement of education, he has acted as school director for many years. A person of high moral principles, interested in all good works he is a power for good in his com- munity. Politically he affiliates with the Re- publican party. His family are regular at- tendants upon the services of the Presbyterian church. WILLIAM P. WALKUP. Prominent among the few surviving pioneers of McHenry County stands the name of Wil- liam P. Walkup, who still resides in the locality which has been his home for two generations His father, Christopher Walkup, traced his lineage through a colonial Virginia family to Irish ancestry, having been himself born in Greenbrier County (now West Virginia) about 1794. He received the limited education com- mon at that time, became a farmer and was married to Sabina Beard, a native of the same county and member of an old Virginia family of Scotch descent. Mr. and Mrs. Walkup first settled in their native county, but later moved to Nicholas County, W. Va., where they lived on a mountain farm some five years. Their children — all born in Greenbrier County- were: John, Margaret, Josiah, William P. (our subject), Janet and Sabina. In 1832 or '33 the older son, John, and John McClure, who had married the daughter Margaret, emigrated to LaPorte, Ind., where they remained two years. In the spring of 1835, they removed to McHenry County, Ill.,\ and settled in Nunda on the border of Dorr Township. The flattering reports concerning the new country which they wrote back to their old home induced the rest of the family to follow them. The journey, which occupied between five and six weeks, was made with a canvas-covered, four-horse wagon (or "prairie schooner" as it was some- times called), that carried the household effects and a part of the family, Mrs. Walkup riding all the way on horseback. At night the family camped by the wayside, sleeping in a tent or in the wagon, and cooking their meals over the camp-fire in camping style. They reached their destination, in what is now Dorr Township, on Oct. 1, 1835, finally settling on the site where Mr. William P. Walkup now re- sides. Here the elder Walkup built a primi- tive log-cabin with a stick and clay chimney, broad fire-place and puncheon floor, in which they lived for several years. The cabin had a loft or attic reached by a ladder, which served for a sleeping room and storage purposes. Through the aid of Mr. Isaac Torbert, he was enabled to enter 400 acres of land, upon which about 1846, he erected the first all frame house in the township. Mr. Torbert was a man of education and capital, as well as one of the earliest settlers of the township, and did much to assist the pioneers in securing title to the lands on which they had located claims and begun improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Walkup were both members of the Presbyterian church and assisted in the erection of the first church edifice of that denomination in Dorr Township — this being built on Mr. Walkup's land. While Lake County was still attached to McHenry Me HENRY GQINIY, 1057 County, he served as Deputy Sheriff under Sheriff Steele, and on the separation of the two counties in 1840, was elected Sheriff o£ McHenry County, serving four years. He died in May, 1869, having reached the age of seven- ty-flve years. He is remembered as a man of honorable, sturdy character, and was widely known and respected. William P. Walkup, the third son and fourth child of this family, was born in Greenbrier County, Va. (now W. Va.), May 25, 1817, re- ceived such education as was customary among farmers' boys at that time, and, at the age of seventeen years, accompanied his par- ents to McHenry County. Here he assisted his father to erect the first cabin home of the family and open the new farm, and attended the first school in McHenry County (1836-37), which was taught by Miss Alvirah Cornish at the residence of Uriah Cottle. After one win- ter term at this school, he attended a school taught in a log-house at Crystal Lake, and this completed his education. He) also labored upon the farm to assist his father in paying off the indebtedness which had been incurred in the purchase of the land, receiving the deed himself from Mr. Torbert. He afterwards sold 200 acres of this land, retaining a like amount, upon which he erected a substantial and con- venient two-story frame residence in 1869, which is now one of the most attractive home- steads in McHenry County. In 1840, being then in his early manhood, Mr. Walkup as- sisted in the erection, on his father's farm, of the first Presbyterian church edifice in Dorr Township. On November 23, 1848, he was mar- ried to Miss Esther Louisa White, daughter of Robert G. and Esther (Ormond) White, born in Bond County, 111., March 23, 1824. Mr. White (Mrs. Walkup's father) early in life was a farmer and brick-mason at Fogg's Manor, Penn., while young went to North Caro- lina where he married, moved thence to Ken- tucky and then to Indiana, spending a short time in each State, and, about 1818, came to Bond County, 111., where he owned and operated a saw j mill and a farm. In 1836 he removed to McHenry County, settling in Seneca Town- ship, where he became the owner of a large farm — also, about 1840, built the first saw-mill in that part of the county and operated it for a number of years. He had four sons and two daughters named, Isaac, Benjamin, Mary, John, Alfred and Louisa, all of whom were settled near him. He was a member, and for many years an elder, of the Presbyterian church; also an early Justice of the Peace and a Coun- ty Commissioner of McHenry County. He died at. .the home of his son4u-law, Mr. Walkup, at the venerable age of eighty^five years, Lowell A., son of William P. Walkup, was born on the present homestead, Dec. 14, 1849, received a good common-school education, at- tended Todd's Seminary at Woodstock and afterwards spent one year at Beloit College, Wis. He engaged in farming and married at Cooper's Plains, N. Y., Dec. 25, 1889, Annie L. Morse, born at Painted Post, Steuben County, N. Y., May 23, 1856, the daughter of Dr. Floyd and Mary A. (Pierce) Morse. . Dr. Floyd Morse was born in Yates County, N. Y., his ancestors being members of an old colonial family from Connecticut. He had a very thorough medical education, practiced medicine at Bradford, Livingston County, N. Y., and later at Painted Post, where he died at the age of thirty-three years. His children were: Emma, Benjamin Rush, Floyd H., and Annie L. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Lowell A. Walkup settled oh the Walkup homestead, where they have since resided. Their children were: William Ralph, born Jan. 28, 1891; Harold Morse, born July 28, .1893; Lowell Al- fred, born August 31, 1895, who died July 8, 1901. Two other children of Mr. and Mrs. Walkup were: Esther, who died aged about two years, and Addie, who died aged about seven years. Politically Mr. William P. Walkup was originally an old-line Whig, became a Repub- lican on the organization of that party and a supporter of both Fremont and Lincoln, but of late years has taken an "independent posi- tion." He held the office of School Trustee for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Walk- up are devoted members and liberal supporters of the Presbyterian church, of which he has been an elder for some forty-five years. Liv- ing an upright and Christian life, kind and courteous to all, no citizen of McHenry County enjoys in a higher degree the esteem of his neighbors and fellow-citizens. PEARSON KELLETT WRIGHT. Pearson Kellett Wright, newspaper editor and proprietor, Richmond, McHenry County, is a worthy representative of the editorial profes- sion, as well as a leading factor in local and county affairs. His father, James Wright, was 1058 McHENRY COUNTY. born in Leeds, England, Oct. 17, 1818, and was left an orphan at an early age — his father hav- ing died before the birth of the son, and the mother dying two years later. After the death of his mother, James was cared for by an aunt for some time, but, at the age of nine years, came to America with a cloth-finisher to whom he had been "bound out" before leav- ing his native country. As a consequence of his early orphanage, he was largely dependent upon his own resources and was entirely self- educated, but became well read, acquiring a practical education through his own efforts. After coming to America he worked for a number of years in a woolen mill, and finally married Elizabeth Kellett, who was born in Leeds, England, Sept. 11, 1823, the daughter of Samuel and Mary (Pearson) Kellett. The father, Samuel Kellett, was a native of Eng- land, was married there to Mary Pearson, and, in 1839, came with his family to America. His children were: John, Thomas, William, Samuel, Ann and Elizabeth, besides an adopted daughter named Eliza — all born in England. Samuel Kellett first settled in New England, where he lived for a number of years, when he removed with his,' family to Minnesota, settling In Goodhue County of that State at an early period. He owned 160 acres of land there, which he improved and on which he spent the remainder of his life, living to the venerable age of ninety-six years. In religious belief he was a Methodist, and was a highly respected citizen. James Wright, the father of Pearson Kellett Wright, came to Kenosha County, Wis., in 1855, and there bought an improved farm of 143 acres. This he still further improved, and spent there the last years of his life. He was a Republican in political sentiment and, dur- ing the Civil War, tendered his services to the Government as a soldier, but was not accepted on account of physical disability. His children were: Mary A., Thomas W., Joseph W., Al- bert S., Elizabeth W., James L., George W., Edwin E., John F., Pearson K, Ella and Nellie R. Mr. Wright died on his farm in Kenosha County at the age of sixty-two years. Pearson K. Wright, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born at Randall, near Kenosha, Wis., June 3, 1862. He received a common- school education in his native State, attending school during the winter months while work- ing on the farm in the == ~summer, until nineteen years of age. In 1884 he came to Richmond, McHenry County, and engaged in the meat- market business. Six years later (1890) he bought a half-interest in the "Richmond Gazette," as the partner of Fred E. Holmes, and has since been one of the editors and pro- prietors of that prosperous local paper. In politics he is a Republican of conservative views, and, governed by strong common sense, entertains broad and liberal ideas on questions connected with national affairs. Mr. Wright was married March 26, 1885, to Sarah L. Mot- ley, who was born in Richmond Township, Mc- Henry County, August 20, 1865, the daughter of Robert and Ann (Sill) Motley, and they have one son, Pearson Ellis. Mr. Wright is a member of Richmond Lodge A. F. & A. M., in which he held the office of Senior Warden three years and Secretary three years; is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and, in the latter organization, has held the of- fice of Consul for seven years, and was Clerk for one year. As a citizen he enjoys the re- spect of the community. Robert Motley, the father of Mrs. Wright, was born in England, adopted the vocation of a farmer and, while still a young man, came to America, locating first in the city of Chi- cago. Here he married Ann Sill, the daughter of Peter Sill, a resident of Richmond Town- ship, McHenry County, but a native of Eng- land. After coming to McHenry County, Mr. Motley settled on a tract of forty acres of land, but prospered and made additions to his hold- ings, until he was the owner of 205 acres and one of the substantial farmers of Richmond Township. His children were: William, Clara, Florence, Edward, Charles, Sarah, Jennie and Alice. In politics Mr. Motley was a Republi- can, a man of integrity and of industrious and thrifty character. ROLLIN WAITE. Rollin Waite is a son of a pioneer in Mc- Henry County and comes of a pre-revolution- ary New England family of English ancestry. The American progenitor of the family located at Cambridge, Vt. David Wait — as he spelled the name — was Rollin Waite's grandfather, and his father was a Revolutionary soldier. He married Fanny Lilly, of an old New Eng- land family, and had children named: John, Lewis, Jason, Fanny, Melissa, Mary, Amity, and Loren. Mr. Waite, who was a black- smith by trade, moved to Illinois sometime McHENRY COUNTY. 1059 before 1840 from Burlington, Vt., by way of Lake Champlain, the Erie Canal and the lakes west of Buffalo. He landed at Waukegan and bought and improved a farm of 160 acres at Wauconda, Lake County, where he died at the age of about eighty years. He was a man of high character, a member of the Congrega- tional church and politically an old line Whig. Lewis Waite, father of Rollin Waite, was born in Willbury, Mass., Jan. 23, 1810, was educated so far as possible in the common schools near his home, and married Mary A. Perkins, Oct. 30, 1831. Miss Perkins was born at Weathersfield, Vt., Dec. 30, 1815. After fifteen years residence at Cambridge Centre, Vt., they came west to Wauconda by way of the canal and the lakes. Mr. Waite lived one year on his father's farm and the next year (1848) rented a farm at Gris- wold Lake, which his son worked while the father was employed at wagon-making at McHenry — for he was a natural mechanic and could do work when necessary as a carpenter, brick-mason, a wheelwright or a carriage- painter — in fact, could make almost anything that could be made with tools. In December, 1849, he settled at McHenry, where, in 1852, he built a wagon-shop. For many years hs was a leading carriage manufacturer of that town, and, after his retirement, did mechanical work from time to time until too old to work longer. He acquired twelve town lots in the northern part of McHenry and prospered otherwise. He became a Republican at the organization of that party. He and his wife are members of the Universalist church. They had children as follows born at Cambridge, Vt: George B., May 8, 1832; Rollin, August 5, 1834; Cornelia, Nov. 6, 1836: DeWitt C. Jan. 3, 1839; Lucinda M., April 16, 1841, and Lucy Ann, May 17, 1842. who died August 6, 1850. William T. was born in Lake County, Feb. 27,1848 and the following in McHenry County: Electa K., April 9, 1851; Charles P., Nov. 21, 1853; Evelyn and Edward (twins), March 19, 1856, the latter dying when six months old. William T. lives in Kansas City, Mo.; Electa K., Charles P. and Evelyn, live at Mc- Henry, 111. DeWitt C, George B. and William T. Waite were Federal soldiers in the Civil War. The father of this respectable family died in 1892. Mary A. (Perkins) Waite, mother of Rollin Waite, was a daughter of Thomas H. and Lu- cinda (Marsh) Perkins. Lucinda Marsh was born in Hartland, Vt., Nov. 28, 1787, and Thomas H. Perkins in Pomfret, Vt., August 12, 1789. They were married May 18, 1812 Mr. Marsh was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The closing years of his life were passed at Woodstock, Vt., where he died. Thomas H. Perkins learned the trade of a blacksmith and, early in life, located at Cam- bridge, Vt., where he established a trip-ham- mer, which furnished employment to many men. He moved from there to Johnson, Vt., and thence to Illinois, and assisted to build the plank road between Waukegan and Liberty- ville, located eventually at Fremont Centre, Lake County, and died at Volo, Oct. 2, 1864. He was until the organization of the Republi- can party, a Whig, afterwards becoming a Republican. He was a member of the Christ- ian church and his wife a Methodist. The following record of births was taken from the old Perkins family Bible: John Perkins, Jan. 12, 1773; David, Nov. 2, 1774; Gaius, Jan. 4, 1777; Elijah, May 12, 1782; Patience, Dec. 12, 1783; James March 12, 1786; Cyrus, Dec. 10, 1787; Thomas H., August 8, 1789; Polly, Jan. 23, 1791; Joseph, Jan. 14, 1793; Simeon, July 13, 1798. Adeline Perkins was born at Weath- ersfield, Vt., August 20, 1813; Mary Ann Perk- ins, at the same place, Dec. 30, 1815; Cynthia Perkins. Oct. 20, 1817; Lucy Keys Perkins, August 23, 1822; Charles Marsh Perkins, at Cambridge, Vt., Dec. 27, 1825; Edwin Perkins, At Cambridge, Vt., Oct. 16, 1827; Clarece Linden Lathrop, at Fremont, Vt., April 4, 1836. Lucy K. Noble, died at Waukegan, 111., July 3, 1856. Rollin Waite was between twelve and thir- teen years old when his parents came to Illi- nois. He had attended the common schools at Cambridge, Vt., and continued his education at McHenry. The family located at McHenry in 1849, a few months after the seat of justice >f the county, was removed to Woodstock, and the old court house became a part of what was afterward known as the McHenry hotel. The school was taught in those days by Miss Caroline Fay, in a frame building on the site of the Universalist church. Among those who were Mr. Waite's school-mates were Henry and John Whiteman and William, Jeff, and Al. Hankins — all of whom became well known in 1060 McHIUtY COUNTY; Chicago, and some of whom achieved national reputation. William Hankins, father of the Hankins boys, was a pioneer in McHenry County, coming from New York City, arid Was a gold-seeker in California about 1850. Jeff went overland to California in charge of an outfit, began to gamble arid lost his money, then struck luck , in the mines. With the capital thus acquired he opened a gambling- house in San Francisco and inade a fortune there. Eventually he met his father, who was with him in the rush for Pike's Peak, and whom he finally brought home to McHenry, where the elder Hankins died. Jeff and William Hankins were hard working boys in the pioneer town in the days of their youth. They support- ed and always helped their mother, and Jeff at one time sent her $1,000 which she loaned to the school board at McHenry. Mr. Waite often worked with the Hankins boys at haying and at other employment. Al., who is the only survivor of the family, lives in Chicago, and was once reputed wealthy, but is said to have lost his property. John I. Story was another of Mr. Waite's schoolmates. Rollin Waite learned the wagonmaker's trade with his father, and drifted into carpentry and build- ing. At eighteen he went to Michigan, and was employed in a saw mill. After marriage, which was celebrated Jan. 1. 1860, he engaged in building at McHenry, and achieved consider- able success. In 1871 he went to Emporia, Kansas, where he worked for a time at his trade. For four years and half he was a build- er at Elgin, 111. He erected a fine residence for Al. Hankins at Hebron, Ind. Politically he is a stanch Republican; was appointed Postmaster at McHenry by President Mc- Kinley, and has proved an efficient and popular official. He was received as an Entered Ap- prentice, passed the Fellow Craft degree, and was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in McHenry Lodge, No. 158, A. F. & A. M., of which he has been Senior Warden; also took the degrees of Capitular Masonry in Chapter No. 36, at Woodstock, and was exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch-Mason, received the degrees of Chivalric Masonary in Calvary Commandery, No. 25. K. T., of Woodstock, and was constituted, dubbed and created a Knight Templar. Mr. Waite loves to talk of the pioneer days, and can tell more good stories of the days that are gone than there is space for record here. The winter of 1847 was severe and the snow was deep and thickly encrusted. He was a mere boy then living at Wauconda. One day he heard that seven deer had been chased by dogs over the snow crusts and were staggering about, cut and bleeding, on the frozen surface of Bangs Lake, unable to make any progress on the ice. Arvilla Hotton, one of Mr. Waite's school- mates, was a strapping sixteen year old pion- eer lass, whom the stoutest boy in the settle- ment could not have worsted in a wrestling match — an athletic back-woods Tom-boy, who delighted to ride a horse at break-neck speed over the prairie or through the woods, stand- ing on its back. When this girl saw the plight of the seven deer, she borrowed a butcher knife of a neighbor and went out on the ice and cut the throats of all of them. Mr. Waite married Mary Ann Britton, who was born in the State of New York in 1839, and whose father, peddling a stock of goods overland, enroute for California, was supposed to have been murdered by some people with whom he had stopped for the night, and whose cupidity had been excited by the sight of some of his belongings. Mrs. Waite, who is a model wife and mother and a consistent and helpful member of the Methodist Episco- pal church at McHenry, has borne her husband seven children: Adel, who died in infancy; Eloise; Carrie M., who died when a young woman; Glen G., Alice G., Earl J., and Mildred, who died at the age of sixteen years. FREEMAN WHITING. Freeman Whiting, veteran farmer and pion- eer settler of McHenry County, traces his lineage through early settlers in Connecticut and Vermont to English-Puritan ancestry. His father, Zachariah Whiting, was born in the State of Connecticut, Sept. 24, 1789, served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and was a farmer and wheel-wright by occupation, but after removing to Johnson, Vt., was engaged for a time in merchandising. He was mar- ried at Johnson, Vt., July 31, 1815, to Lucinda Dodge, who was born Feb. 13, 1800, the daughter of Amos Dodge, a pioneer settler in the vicinity of Johnson, where he cleared up a farm in the forest. Mr. Dodge was a prom- inent citizen in that locality and had children named Jonathan, Amos, Daniel, Solomon, McHENRY COUNTY.. 1061 Lucinda and Sally. Amos Dodge, the father of Mrs. Whiting, died at Johnson, Vt, at the age of sixty-five to seventy years. Zachariah Whiting settled on a farm at Johnson, contain- ing between 300 and 400 acres, now owned by his son Almon. His children were: Almon, born Sept. 8, 1816, died in infancy; Hannah born March 6, 1819; Freeman, born June 8, 1822; Amos D., born July 27, 1824; Zachariah, born Dec. 25, 1826; Almon (2), born Nov. 15, 1829; Sarah L., born Sept. 18, 1832, and Arthur O., born Jan. 9, 1838. Zachariah Whit- ing, Sr., died in Johnson, Vt., Oct. 31, 1861, aged seventy-two years Freeman Whiting, born in Johnson, Vt., June 8, 1822, was reared on a farm, receiving a common-school education, and was employed in his father's store at Johnson for some years. In 1843 he came by lake vessel from Buffalo to Chicago, and walked from the latter place to McHenry, where he hired out to John W. Smith, who had recently bought the historic log tavern of Benjamin B. Brown. He con- tinued in the employment of Mr. Smith seven months, when he returned to his former home in Vermont, but becoming tired of plowing among the rocks of the "Green Mountain State," his thoughts reverted to the smooth prairie soil of Illinois. So again turning his face westward, in the fall of 1844, he arrived at Waukegan, 111., where he entered into the employment of Willard Smith, remaining twd years, when he removed to McHenry County, and there bought 160 acres of land which now constitutes a part of his home farm. This land had upon it some small improvements. On January 8, 1850, he was married, in McHen- ry Township, to Miss Lucy A. Smith, who had been born at Johnson, Vt., April 18, 1832, the daughter of John W. and Clarissa (Clemmens) Smith. John W. Smith was born in Johnson, Vt., the son of Aaron and Hitty (Hawley) Smith — the former, born May 6, 1765, and the latter, Jan. 9, 1775. Aaron Smith was of New England Puritan ancestry, a well-to-do farmer and a prominent citizen. He married Hitty Hawley, Nov. 10, 1787, and they had children born as follows: Samuel, Feb. 12, 1789; Abijah, Feb. 7, 1781; Samuel (2), Aug. 27,1795; Lemuel, May 5, 1799; Abel C, April 25, 1801; John Wire, Sept. 12, 1803; John Wire (2), July 12, 1805; Hitty, Nov. 1, 1807; Harriet H. A., Jan. 26, 1810; Betsy, Jan. 9, 1812. John W. Smith received a common-school education in his native State of Vermont, became a farmer and still later a merchant, and married, at Johnson, Vt., Clarissa Clem- mens, who was born in November, 1824. After marriage he settled on a farm at Hyde Park, Vt., but in the fall of 1841 removed with his family to McHenry County, 111., and purchased a partly improved farm at Griswold Lake. The journey west was made by way of the lakes to Chicago and thence by team to McHenry County. Four years later he removed to Mc- Henry village and bought the Brown Log- Cabin Tavern, which he carried on several years, when he moved to what is known as "Smith's Corners," where he built a store and a wagon-shop as the beginning of a town. The construction of a railroad without touching the projected town site caused the death of this enterprise, and Mr. Smith removed his store to McHenry. The building he there oc- cupied is now in the possession of Mr. Lawless a merchant tailor. A few years later, in com- pany with his nephew, David Smith, he built the Riverside House. In his mercantile busi- ness he had as a partner, Patrick Cassidy, but Mr. Smith continued to live on his farm at Smith's Corners, where he had a fine property of 480 acres of land, besides a large amount of land elsewhere, and some valuable property in Chicago, which was destroyed by the great fire of 1871. Mr. Smith was a Methodist in religious belief and in politics a Jacksonian Democrat. He and his wife had the follow ing named children: Caroline Maria, Lucy A., Emily, Laura, Clarissa, John M., and Philo D. Mrs. Clarissa (Clemmens) Smith having died, John W. Smith was later married at Nunda, McHenry County, to Cynthia A. Gris- wold, and they had children named Julia, Theo- dore H., Willard E., Edward A., Julius D. and Almon N. Mr. Smith was a man of great force of character and a sagacious and active business man, being engaged during his career in a number of important enterprises. Among these was the breeding of Durham Short-horn cattle, in which he was quite successful. After his marriage to Miss Lucy A. Smith, Freeman Whiting settled on the farm adjoin- ing that on which he now lives. Originally consisting of 160 acres, he made additions to' it until he was the owner of 1,000 acres. A part of this he has given to his children, but 1062 McHENRY COUNTY. still retains about 600 acres. For a number of years past he has been engaged in the breed- ing of Durham Short-horns, in which he has been successful. His marked success as a business man has been due to his energy and sagacious management. Mr. and Mr. Whiting have had children named Delbert A., Laura A., Lillian C. and Abby L. In politics he is a Republican of the Abraham Lincoln stamp, and, as a farmer, his career has been as notable for its success as for practical good sense. CHARLES WANDRACK. Charles Wandrack, one of the leading busi- ness men of Algonquin, 111., 'was born in Chi- cago, 111., Nov., 6, 1858, the son of Joseph and Mary (Dworck) Wandrack. Joseph Wandrack was of Bohemian parentage and born in Aus- tria, March 19, 1829. In his younger days he learned the harness-maker's trade, and in 1855, jarae to America. Arriving at New York, he came directly to Chicago, where he worked at his trade until June, 1866, when he moved to Algonquin, McHenry County, and opened a harness shop, where he lived until his death in 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Wandrack were the parents of Charles, Nettie, Nellie and John. In religious belief he was a member of the Catho- lic church, and in politics affiliated with the Republican party. Charles Wandrack received his primary edu. cation in the public schools of Chicago, and coming to Algonquin with his parents when nine years of age, he gained the remainder of his education in the public schools of that, village. Having learned the harness maker's trade of his father, he continued to conduct the old shop after his father's death — which occurred when Charles was twenty-one years old — until 1881, when he engaged in business for himself, meeting with good success from the beginning. December 11, 1883, Mr. Wandrack married at Eau Claire, Wis., Alba T. Argard, who was born in Chicago, 111., Nov. 21, 1858, the daugh- ter of M. J. Argard. Mr. Argard is a native of Norway, but latter in life settled in Chicago, where he engaged in the hardware business, afterwards moving to Eau Claire, Wis., and at the present time (1902) is living in Tennes- see. His children are: Alba T, George, Emma, Rose and Lillie (twins). Charles Wandrack is a man of upright character, who, by practical business experience and a careful study of the daily press and books of standard merit, has added to the common-school education obtain- ed in his younger days, and is now well inform- ed on general topics. In his youth Mr. Wand- rack began to take an active interest in poli- tics. He cast his first vote fro James A. Garfield, and has been a member of the Mc- Henry Republican Committee for the past twelve years. He was President of the Algon- quin Village Board four terms, refusing to serve after 1901; was one of the Trustees of the Village Board from 1895 to 1897, and a member of the Water-Works Committee in which he rendered much valuable service in securing the present system of water-works for Algonquin. Mr. Wandrack was Deputy Sheriff under Sheriffs Udell and Eckert, and at the present time, holds the office of Chief Deputy under Sheriff Keys. Fraternally he is a member of the Cary Station Lodge, I. O. O. F., the Modern Woodmen of America at Algonquin — having passed all the chairs in both lodges — and is also a member of the Royal Neighbors. Mr. Wandrack is descended from sterling ancestry, and possessing a large, stalwart figure, is an excellent representative of the hardy native race of people to which he belongs. He is a recognized leader in all local athletic contests, and won the second prize in the St. George's Society, Chicago, on the Queen's birthday, besides winning several first prizes in Elgin, 111. A man of friendly disposition and pleasing manners, he enjoys the utmost confidence and respect of a large circle of friends. Mr. and Mrs. Wandrack are parents of two children: Lura May, born Dec. 7, 1884, and Martin Joseph, born Nov. 21, 1886. ALFRED WILCOX. Alfred Wilcox, one of the substantial pioneer settlers of Richmond, McHenry County, comes from a family of English extraction, who set- tled in Maryland during the colonial period. Isaiah Wilcox, grandfather of Alfred, resided in Maryland, but later settled in Herkimer County, N. T., where he died at the venerable age of ninety years. He served in the navy during the Revolutionary War. Isaiah Wilcox, Jr., born Nov. 30, 1790, the McHENRY COUNTY. 1063 father of Alfred Wilcox, was a well-to-do farmer and stock-buyer, and also conducted a mercantile business. He married in Herki- mer County, N. Y., Betsy Lovina Thomas, born in Herkimer County, June 10, 1792. Her father was a farmer and moved to Illinois about 1836, settling one mile west of Rich- mond. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox settled in Herkimer County, where he owned two farms, and, like his father, became a farmer, stock-buyer and merchant. They were the parents of the following named children: Polly, Isaiah, Nancy J., Lydia R., Betsy L., Amos T., Irving A., Lucius, Thomas J., Azuba and Alfred. Mrs. Wilcox died July 14, 1835, and Mr. Wilcox married in Herkimer County, Jane Coughfry, who bore him one son, William P., who served as a soldier in the Civil War and was wounded at the first battle of Bull Run. Shortly after his second mar- riage, Mr. Wilcox removed to McKean County, Penn., where he bought 1,400 acres of land upon which he had begun to make improve- ments when he died, Nov. 22, 1840. He was a member of the Baptist church. Alfred. Wilcox, the immediate subject of this article, was born in Herkimer County, N. Y., Dec. 8, 1832, and when a boy four years of age, moved with his father to McKean County, Penn., where he lived eight years. In June, 1844, he came with his older brother, Amos T., to McHenry County, 111., making the journey by the lakes to Kenosha (then Southport), Wis., whence they proceeded directly to Rich- mond, McHenry County, where a family of relatives (the Thomases) lived. Young Al- fred lived with his brother-in-law, Walter Brush, three months, and then accompanied him to Ft. Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wis., where he attended school for six months. At an early age, he engaged in farm labor in Dodge County, Wis., where for two years he worked on the farm through the summer season and attended school during the inter- vening winter months. February 23, 1861, Mr. Wilcox was married in Richmond, 111., to Mary Eliza Martin, born in Cheshire, Berkshire County, Mass., Feb. 22, 1836, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Rider) Martin. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Wilcox settled in Hebron Township, where they purchased eighty acres of land up- on which they made substantial improvements. In 1881 they moved to Richmond Township and purchased the old Martin homestead, but five years later removed to the village of Richmond, where they now reside. In political opinion Mr. Wilcox is a stanch Republican, and for five years served his fellow-citizens of Hebron Township as Supervisor, and has been a mem- ber of the Richmond Town Council for several years. Fraternally he is a member of the Rich- mond Lodge, A. F. & A. M. Mr. and Mrs. Wil- cox are the parents of two children: the older, Estella Mary, married William Foley, a busi- ness man of Richmond, and they have three children, — Frank Wilcox, Cora May and Wil- liam Russell; the other child, Benjamin A., died in childhood. Benjamin Martin, the father of Mrs. Alfred Wilcox, was descended from a Puritan-English family, who were among the founders of the old Massachusetts Colony, and a son of Ed- ward and Mary (Chase) Martin, whose children were named Benjamin C, James, Diana, Leon- ard L., Chloe M., Polly, Lydia A. and Emily J. Mr. and Mrs. Martin were married in Berk- shire County, Mass., Dec. 25, 1831, and resided there for five years, when, in 1836, they re- moved to and settled in Westford, Otsego Coun- ty, N. Y. In 1846 they moved to Illinois, mak- ing the journey by way of the Erie Canal and the lakes to Chicago, and thence with teams to Richmond, McHenry County, where they ar- rived in May of the same year. Mr. Martin bought a farm, consisting of 120 acres of partly improved land, situated two and a half miles west of the village of Richmond, upon which he resided for many years. In 1881 having retired from active life, he sold his farm and moved to the village of Richmond. In politics he was a stanch Republican, and was also a member of the old New York State mi- litia. Mr. and Mrs. Martin were the parents of but one child, Mary Eliza (Mrs. Alfred Wil- cox.) ROBERT WEGG. Robert Wegg, a representative pioneer set- tler from the British Isles, was born at Elham, Norfolk County, England, Jan. 18, 1820, the son of George and Martha (Boyce) Wegg. He re- ceived a common-school education in the sub- scription schools of England and learned the carpenter's trade of his father. In 1835, while 1064 M cHlNfiY X: O 13 N X Y. still a boy, he went to Sussex with an older brother named William, and here completed his trade as a carpenter, following the same in the city of London until 1851. In August, 1843, he married Lucy Murray, born March 18, 18.18, near Norwich, England, daughter of Jo- siah Murray. Josiah Murray was a carpenter and lived a great many years in Norwich, and his children were: Mary Ann, who married a Mr. Hunt; Elizabeth, who married Mr. Pol- ner; James; Josiah, and Lucy. Mr. Murray was a member of the Baptist church and died in England at a venerable age. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wegg contin- ued to live in London where he followed his trade. May 1, 1851, they sailed from Liverpool to Quebec in a sailing-vessel called the "Helen," and bringing with them their entire family. Mr. Wegg went to St. Thomas, Canada, where he lived six years as a contractor and builder, and on August 12, 1857, moved to Richmond, McHenry County, 111., following the same business there, taking contracts for many of the best buildings in Richmond, among them being the residence of George and Frank Mc- Connell, E. Covell, Elijah Bowers, Fred Maure, the McConnell Bank Building, Columbia Hotel, Baptist church, and a great many other build- ings in Richmond, Geneva and Twin Lakes. Mr. Wegg is his own architect, and is very skillful in modern styles of the art, being the designer of his own residence, which is a very attractive structure. Fraternally Mr. Wegg is a non-affiliated member of the I. O. O. F. His children are Emma E. and Robert W. Mr. Wegg still continues in active business at the advanced age of eighty-one years. George Wegg, the father, was long a resident of Elham, England, a carpenter by trade and possessed great skill in the handling of car- penter's tools, besides being an expert mill- wright and general mechanic. He died in El- ham, aged seventy-five years. His children by the first marriage were: George, William, Han- nah, Mariah and Robert. Mr. Wegg's first wife died and he married as his second wife Lucy Murray, there being no children by this mar- riage. Mr. Wegg's father and mother both lived to be over one hundred years of age, and he had an uncle, John, who lived to celebrate his one hundred and fourteenth birthday. Mr. Wegg was a member of the Church of England. > Emma Elizabeth Wegg, daughter of Robert Wegg, was born in London, England, March 8, 1846, and came to Richmond with her parents when eleven years of age. She attended the High School in Canada and married, on Sept. 28, 1870, C. M. Kendall, D. D. S. They lived in Richmond four years and then moved to Woodstock where they resided until May 9, 1893, when Dr. Kendall died. Mrs. Kendall married as her second husband, on Jan. 18, 1894, Dr. J. L. Newman, D. D. S. Dr. New- man died in Chicago, June 14, 1900, and Mrs. Newman returned to Richmond to care for her father, her mother having died Dec. 9, 1896. Dr. Cassius M. Kendall was for many years the principal dentist in Woodstock and Mc- Henry County. He was born in Wyoming Coun- ty, N. Y., July 1, 1839, and received a thorough preliminary education at Linn, N. Y.„ and then studied dentistry at Carlisle. He came to Rich- mond, 111., about 1863, and began the practice of dentistry, being the first dentist to settle in the town and soon proved himself to be skill- ful in the practice of his profession. He mar- ried in Wyoming County, N. Y., Carrie Thayer, who died a few years after they moved to Rich- mond. After his marriage to Emma Wegg, he attended the Philadelphia Dental College, from which he graduated, receiving the degree of D. D. S. in 1875. He was a man of sterling worth, well read in the current periodicals pertaining to his profession, and the first den- tist to administer gas in McHenry County. In politics he was a Republican and reached a high degree in Masonry. He was a member of the Calvary Commandery, Number 25, K. T. of Woodstock, 111., and filled every position in the Commandery from that of Warden to Eminent Commander. He was a member of the Town Council of Woodstock, where he ren- dered efficient services. The Doctor was a man of excellent character, genial disposition and was deeply mourned by a large circle of friends. He died May 9, 1893. Several young men, who became skillful dentists, received their training under his careful supervision. Mr. Wegg has always been a man in favor of public improvements, and has always been known as being extremely careful and relia- ble in carrying out the full measure of his contracts. M^HEKRY ^COUNTY; 1065 JOHN WHITWORTH. The Oliver Typewriter Company, of Wood- stock, McHenry Colnty, has an efficient and capable manager in the person of Mr. John Whitworth, who assumed the duties of that po- sition in 1898. Mr. Whitworth was born in Eng- land, Jan. 30, 1858, and is descended from a family who have been prominently identified with important manufacturing enterprises, his father, Walter Whitworth, being a skilled me- chanical engineer as well as a capitalist. Mr. Walter Whitworth introduced the manufacture of cotton cloth into Russia, and was one of the builders and owners of the first cotton mill in that empire. John Whitworth, of Woodstock, received an excellent education in select boarding schools in his native country, and, at nineteen years of age, came to seek his fortune in America. He had been preceded here by his brother Thomas, who is now manager and superinten- dent of the Piano and Organ Supply Company of Chicago, which is the largest concern of its kind in the United States. After coming to America John Whitworth entered into the employment of the Fitchburg Railroad Company of Massa- chusetts, with which he remained two years. He then came to Chicago and became associ- ated with B. P. Preston & Co., in furnishing fire department supplies. Beginning here in a humble capacity, by industry, capability and strict attention to his duties, he worked his way to the superintendency of the mercantile department of the company. Later he became superintendent of the Fowler Cycle Company, continuing in that position two years when, in 1898, he came to Woodstock to assume the management of the plant of the "Oliver Type- writer" Company, in which he is also a stock- holder. His success in this position is indi- cated by the marked advancement that has been manifest in both the quantity and quality of the output of the manufacturing department under his management, and in the very large increase that has been made in the number of machines produced and the higher degree of perfection that has been attained in a machine which has grown rapidly in popularity and for which there has been a constantly increas- ing demand. Mr. Whitworth was married to Miss Jennie Clark, of Chicago, and they have one son, Walter S. They have made their home in Woodstock. Mr. Whitworth enjoys in the highest degree the respect and confidence of his business associates and the employes of the Oliver Typewriter Company, as well as the general public of Woodstock and McHenry County. EMIL WINDMUELLER, M. D. In 1894 a young physician came to Wood- stock, whose youthful appearance bore out the impression of a student from a German Uni- versity. He opened an office and, before many months, it became known that the new phy- sician was effecting many cures and had al- ready established a good practice. As time passed, his reputation became more widely known as one of the most skillful physicians and surgeons of McHenry County. His uni- form success as a surgeon, in the early stage of his practice, gave to him the deserved credit of being an expert in this department, and a large proportion of the surgical cases from the surrounding country came under his care and, without exception, were treated with satisfac- tory results. The Germans are noted for their thorough and accurate research in all branches of scientific study, and their institutions for the special treatment of disease in all its forma have obtained a deservedly wide reputation, and it is probable that Dr. Windmueller owes much of his recognized skill in surgery to char- acteristics inherited from his German ancestry. Dr. Windmueller was born in Oldenburg, Germany, June 28, 1869, the son of Frederick and Sophia (Meyer) Windmueller. To Freder- ick Windmueller and wife were born, in their native Germany, the following named children: Bmil, Frederick (who died at the age of twen- ty-two years), and John, now a druggist in Chicago. The mother died in Germany and Frederick Windmueller was married in his na- tive country to Anna Franz. In 1881 the fam- ily came to Milwaukee, Wis., where the father conducted a real-estate business for some time. At the time the family came to America, Emil Windmueller was about twelve years of age. He had already received a good primary education in the Fatherland, and, after coming to Milwaukee, attended the public and high school in that city. In 1883 he became a clerk in a Milwaukee drug-store and later attended the School of Pharmacy for a year (1889) in 1066 McHENRY COUNTY. Chicago, after which until 1890, he was en- gaged in the drug business at Lake Geneva, Wis., in Chicago and at Shreveport, La. Dur- ing the latter year he entered Rush Medical College in Chicago, where he took a thorough course, graduating in 1894, also taking a post- graduate course at the Chicago Polyclinic. Immediately after graduation, he established himself in practice at Woodstock, as already noted, where within the last eight years he has won a marked success in his profession. During the year of his location at Woodstock, Dr. Windmueller was married at Lake Geneva, Wis., to Miss Julia Seymour, the daughter of William and Helen (Garfield) Seymour of that place. Both the Seymours and the Garflelds are of old New England ancestry. Dr. Wind- mueller and wife have one daughter named Helen. In his political opinions Dr. Windmueller is a Republican, and fraternally is a member of Woodstock Lodge, A. F. & A. M.; of the Mod- ern Woodmen of America, for which he is Ex- amining Physician; of the Knights of Macca- bees, and several other fraternal orders. He is also surgeon in McHenry County for the Chi- cago & Northwestern Railroad Company. As already indicated in the preceding por- tions of this sketch, Dr. Windmueller has established for himself a high reputation as a progressive physician, which has been recog- nized in the official positions which he now holds. He is a close observer and ardent student, and has familiarized himself with all recent discoveries in medicine and modern im- provements in surgery, which has made such marked advancement during the past few years. As an up-to-date member of the pro- fession, he is, of course, well supplied with the most modern instruments. Apart from his profession, Dr. Windmueller is known as an enterprising citizen who is ever abreast of the times, and he has the distinction of having introduced the first automobile upon the streets of Woodstock. In the prime of his professional career and with a past which has been notable for its success, there is no exag- geration in predicting for him a most promis- ing future. WILLIAM E. WIRE. William E. Wire, educator and Superintend- ent of Schools, McHenry County, was born in Greenwood, McHenry County, March 27, 1858, the son of John and Badelia (Brady) Wire. Both parents were descended from Scotch-Irish ancestry from County Armagh, Ireland. The Wires came to America in a sailing-vessel from Liverpool, about 1824, the voyage to New York occupying five weeks. The parents of this family — who were the grandparents of the subject of this sketch — both died in Castle Garden soon after their arrival, leaving two children, John and Delia. The latter died in infancy, leaving John, who was an infant when his parents came to this country — having been born in County Armagh, Ireland, in 1824 — the sole survivor. He was taken care of and reared to manhood by a Mr. Alexander, an uncle on his mother's side, in New Hampshire. After he grew up he became foreman for his uncle, who was engaged in contract work on railroads. He finally married at Westboro, Mass., Badelia Brady, who was born Nov. 7, 1824, in County Westmeath, Ireland, where her father was a merchant. Her parents' other children were: James, Rose, Jane, Ann and Thomas. The father remained in Ireland, where he died at the age of eighty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. John Wire remained for some time after their marriage at Westboro, Mass., where he continued in contract work, but in 1856, on account of failing health, removed to McHenry County, 111., and settled in Green- wood Township, where he died in 1858. The children of Mr. and Mrs. John Wire were: John Henry, Mary, Eliza, Badelia, Nellie and William E. The father was a member of the Presbyterian church and, in political opinions, a Jacksonian Democrat. After the death of her husband, being left practically without means, the responsibility for bringing up the family devolved upon Mrs. Wire, but she was equal to the occasion, proving herself a faithful and devoted mother. She still survives in Greenwood Townships at the age of seventy- eight years. William E. Wire grew up in Greenwood Township, and early engaged in any employ- ment which offered itself by way of assisting his mother in support of the family, meanwhile attending the public school during the winter months. In this way he acquired the usual common-school education. He was diligent, persevering and studious, which is more than half the battle when a boy is determined to gain an education. He finally attended the high school in Woodstock, from which he cHENRY COUNTY. 1067 graduated in 1872, after which he took a course at the Illinois State Normal University at Normal, 111. In 1876 he began teaching in McHenry Township, remaining one year, after which he taught for four winters in Hebron Township, while working on the farm in the summer. Other places in which he taught in- cluded the Spring Grove village school in Bur- ton Township where he was Principal, and the Solon village school for two years, after which he was invited to accept the principalship of the graded schools at Greenwood, where he re- mained seven years. Then, after retirement from school work on account of impaired health, he spent a year in charge of the schools at Hebron. By his long and successful ex- perience, Mr. Wire acquired a wide reputation as an accomplished teacher and capable dis- ciplinarian. In 1890 he was elected County Superintendent of Schools for McHenry Coun- ty and, by repeated re-elections, is now (1902) serving his third term. Under his administra- tion much useless and effete material has been discarded, and the schools of the county have been advanced to a high degree of efficiency. On July 15, 1885, Mr. Wire was married at Spring Grove, McHenry County, to Josephine Craine, born at Spring Grove, July 6, 1857, the daughter of John and Jane (Cain) Craine. Her father was born on the Isle of Man, of old Manx stock, and came to Richmond Township, McHenry County, in 1850, where he became a prosperous farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Craine were the parents of the following named children: Catherine, Marion, John, Josephine and Emma. Mr. Craine was a Republican and an active member of the Methodist church. He died at the age of about seventy-four years. After marriage William E. Wire and wife settled in Greenwood, and in 1889 removed to Hebron, where he bought residence property and a farm of eighty acres adjoining the vil- lage. Politically he is a stanch Republican and takes an active interest in public affairs. He served seven years a;s Town Clerk of Greenwood Township. His repeated re-elec- tion to the office of County Superintendent af- fords strong evidence of his personal popu- larity and the high estimate in which his serv- ices are held as an educator. In addition to his other public services, Mr. Wire was also one of the chief promoters and organizers of the McHenry County Teachers' Institute. John Henry Wire, the oldest brother of Wil- liam E., ran away from home at the age of fourteen years to become a soldier in the Civil War, enlisting as a private in Company G., Seventeenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He took part in many battles in one of which he was badly wounded. After serving three years, he re-enlisted as a veteran, and, in the latter part of his second term of enlistment, saw service in campaigns against the Indians on the plains. He was one of the youngest of the soldiers who served in the Civil War. PETER J. WELBON. Peter J. Welbon, who is of a pioneer family of McHenry County, has been a resident of Hebron Township nearly all his life. The Wel- bon family, is of English ancestry, John Wel- bon, the father of Peter J., having been born in London, England, about 1815, a son of John Welbon, who came to America about 1830. John Welbon, Sr., and his family landed at New York, and immediately afterwards settled on a farm in Oneida County, of the same State, where he died at a venerable age. His chil- dren were: Peter, Rachael, Hannah, Charity and John. John Welbon, Jr., was about fifteen years of age when he came to America with his fath- er's family. He received a common-school education and learned the stone mason's trade. He was married in New York State to Ann, a daughter of John Holland. Mr. Holland was a native of England, came to America with his father's family in 1831, and settled in Oneida County, N. Y., where he became a substantial citizen and owned an estate of 400 acres. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Holland were: John, James, Alison, Mary and Ann. Mr. Holland was a very successful farmer and lived to be ninety years of age. John Welbon, Jr., settled in Oneida County, N. Y., in 1845, coming to McHenry County and settling in Hebron Township, where he bought forty acres of Government land at $1.25 per acre. Here he built a log house and, being an industrious and enterprising man, made subse- quent additions to his first purchase until he finally owned a good 80-acre farm. Mr. and Mrs. Welbon were the parents of Elizabeth, Peter J., Evaline, John and Mary. Mr. Welbon died in 1854, being then but thirty-nine years of age. Mrs. Welbon lived for many years with her daughter, Evaline, in Marshall Coun- ty, Iowa, and died at State Center, that State, Sept. 13, 1901, aged eighty-one years. She was a woman of high character and a member of the Methodist church. Mc-HE-NrR^ e^OiUi^TrY,^ Peter J. Welbon, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Rome, Oneida County, N. Y., Dec. 17, 1842, and being but three years of age when his parents came to Hebron Town- ship, his earliest recollections are of that sec-, tion of country, which was but slightly im- proved at that time. Mr. Welbon received his primary education in a log-cabin school-house, and among his schoolmates were the Wilcox children. He afterwards attended school in a frame building that stood on his father's farm. Being but twelve years of age when his father died, he was early inured to farm labor. He remained at home until twenty years of age and then hired out as a farm laborer for four years. January 25, 1866, he was married in Geneva, Wis., to Charlotte Householder, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of Charles and Maria (Casterline) Householder. Both the Householders and Casterlines were of sturdy Pennsylvania Dutch stock. Charles Householder was born in Pennsyl- vania, but in early manhood moved to New York State, and later settled on a farm in Indiana, where he was married to Mariah Casterline. In 1852 he moved to Barrington, 111., and ten years later to Hebron Township, McHenry County, where he purchased a farm of 230 acres and lived the remainder of his days, dying at the age of eighty-one years; his wife dying when seventy-five years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Householder were the parents of the following named children: Phineas, Sarah, Lewis, Mary, Henry, Charlotte, Alva, Phoebe, Charles, Ellen, Catherine and Theodore. One of their sons, Lewis, served in the Civil War.. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Welbon settled on the old Welbon homestead, of which he bought eighty acres, and made subsequent ad- ditions to the latter until he owned a fine farm of 145 acres, well improved with substantial buildings. In March, 1893, he bought a pleas- ant residence in Hebron village, where he and his family have since resided. Aside from be- ing a self-made man, Mr. Welbon, after his father's death, assisted his mother in support- ing the younger children of her family. In po- litical opinion he is a Republican, and, as a citizen, is much respected for his upright and high moral character. Mr. and Mrs. Welbon are the parents of Frederick Leslie, Charles Alison, John Harrison and Clyde Elmer. The following facts concerning their children are of interest: Fred L. married Nellie Hawley, who died Dec. 3, 1899, leaving a son, Glen. Charles A. married Kate Ehje; resides in Heb- ron, and they have one child, Harold, John H. married Kate Hackett; resides on the Welbon homestead, and they have a daughter, Verona. Clyde E. is a farmer and married Pearl Finch. Mrs. Peter J. Welbon died April 23, 1902. JOHN WELTZIEN. John Weltzien is one of the substantial self- made business men of Huntley, McHenry County, deriving his descent from sturdy Ger- man ancestry. His father, Charles Weltzien, was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, Nov. 21, 1819, and had a brother John who came to America in 1864 and settled in Huntley. The father of Charles and John Weltzien waa a Russian soldier, but deserted from the army and settled in Germany. Charles Weltzien married in Mecklenburg, Germany, Frederica Schroeder, and they had children named John, Mary (who is now Mrs. D. H. Haeger of Dundee, 111.), Charles (who died in 1861, a small boy), Fred, Sopha, Mina, Carrie and Frank. The five oldest children of this family were born in Germany and the remainder in Illinois. For about ten years before coming to America, Charles Weltzien was overseer of a large farm in his native country. In 1857 he came with his family to America, sailing from Hamburg in July on the good ship "Isaac Newton." During the trip they encountered a great many severe storms, landing in New York after a perilous voyage of two months. From New York they came direct to Barrington, 111., and Mr. Weltzien engaged as a farm laborer near Dundee, where he continued to work for two years. In 1860 he moved to a farm near Huntley, but in 1867 purchased 160 acres northeast of the village, upon which he made substantial im- provements and where he lived until advanced in years, when he rented his farm and moved to the village of Huntley, residing there un- til his death, August 19, 1901, being then about eighty-two years old. He was a mem- ber of the German Lutheran church, and con- tributed liberally toward the support of his church in Huntley, and also assisted in build- ing the church edifice. In political opinions he was a Democrat. He was an industrious and respected man and reared an excellent family. John Weltzien, the immediate subject of this article, was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, C&VL /^f*^&C< who was a farmer, cleared up a farm in the woods in the neighborhood of Palatine, N. Y., but later moved to Oneida County, same State, where he located on another farm. He finally died at the home of his son David, at Jordan, Onondaga County, N. Y., aged about eighty years. His children were: Nathaniel, Alden, Thomas, Mercy, Grant, David and Benjamin. David Hewitt, the father of David Winslow Hewitt, was born at Palatine, in the Mohawk Valley, in New York State, June 9, 1810. He was reared a farmer, meanwhile acquiring a common-school education, and later followed teaming for many years, also being employed as a boatman on the Erie Canal. He married at Conastota, Madison County, N. Y., twenty-five miles east of Syracuse, Candace Lillie, who was born in Oneida, N. Y., Nov. 12, 1814. He and his wife lived here two years, when they re- moved to Elbridge, Onondaga County, where they lived many years. Their children were: David Winslow, born June 19, 1832; Sophia, horn Dec. 10, 1834; Lucy, born Jan. 22, 1839; Mary M., born Jan. 31, 1841; Lucinda, born April 30, 1843, died Dec. 23, 1871; Stephen P., born Oct. 1, 1845 — all born in Onondaga County, except Mary. David Hewitt, Sr., moved to Marengo, McHenry County, 111., in the spring of 1866, and there bought residence property, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying Jan. 17, 1893. His wife died at Jordan, N. Y., Oct. 13, 1856. Mr. Hewitt was a man of indus- trious habits, originally a Democrat in politics, but in later life became a Republican. David W. Hewitt, the subject of this sketch, received a limited education, being taught to read and write by his maternal great-grand- father, Stephen Pratt Lillie, who died aged ninety-eight years. The latter was a soldier of the Revolution who fought at Bunker Hill and on Lake Champlain. In his later years he was a shoemaker at Elbridge, N. Y. David W„ while a boy, began driving horses on the tow- path on the Erie Canal, later was employed as a boat-hand and steersman, but before reach- ing his majority, became the owner of a canal- boat, carrying freight between Buffalo and New York City— 160 miles of the distance south of Troy being upon the Hudson river. During a severe storm off West Point he lost his boat and had a narrow escape from drowning, being rescued by a passing steamer. Mr. Hewitt was married at Brutus, Cayuga County, N. Y., Feb. 11, 1855, to Ursula Hulett, who was born on Onondaga Hill in Onondaga County, N. Y., Feb. 13, 1834, the daughter of Robert and Sarah (Wood) Hulett. Both her parents were natives of Bedfordshire, England, where they were married, and had three chil- dren before coming to America. The father was the son of Robert Hulett, Sr., who was a wealthy brewer of Bedfordshire. After coming to America the Hulett family settled in Onon- daga County, N. Y., but later moved to Brutus, Cayuga County, where the father was accident- ally killed at a railroad crossing. The children were: Charles, James, Jesse, Elizabeth, Ur- sula, Martha, Carrie and Mary Ann. After marriage David W. Hewitt settled at Elbridge N. Y., where he continued his em ployment in connection with the Erie Canal until sometime during the Civil War, when on Feb. 15, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Com- pany E, Tenth Regiment New York Cavalry, serving until May 31, 1865, when the war having ended, he was honorably discharged. The Tenth Cavalry was assigned to the Second Bri- gade, Second Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, and took part in the following en- gagements and campaigns: Hawes' Shop, May 26-28, 1864; Cold Harbor, May 31 to June 6, 1864; Sheridan's Raid, June 7-27, 1864; Peters- burg, June 18, 1864, and April 2-3, 1865; Lee's Station, July 12, 1864; Lee's Mills, July 30,1864; Weldon Railroad, August 18-20, 1864; Ream Sta- tion, August 23-25, 1864; Stony Creek, Sept. 4- 16, 1864; Hatcher's Run, Oct. 27, 1864; Black- water Nov. 18, 1864; Hick's Ford Raid, Dec. 6-11, 1864; Appomattox Campaign, March 29 to April 9, 1865, including nine engagements, he- McHENRY COUNTY. 1079 sides other battles not here enumerated, amounting to more than one hundred in all. Mr. Hewitt was wounded by a saber cut in the hand at Hatcher's Run and was in Findlay Hos- pital, at Washington, D. C, twenty-one days. After the war Mr. Hewitt returned to his home in New York State and, in the spring of 1866, moved with his family to McHenry County, settling at Marengo. After coming to McHenry County he was engaged successively in farm work, teaming, running a threshing machine and clover-huller and a wood-sawing machine. Nearly twenty-one years ago he received an appointment as City Marshal of Marengo, a position which he has filled continuously to the present time. He has also served as Dep- uty Sheriff two terms and as Constable for the last eighteen years, discharging his duties in these several positions to the satisfaction of the public. Mr. and Mrs. David W. Hewitt are parents of the following named children: David Allen, born Dec. 23, 1856; John V., born March 21, 1859; Florence O, born July 25, 1851, died Nov. 6, 1862, in Jordan, N. Y.; Stephen W., born Feb. 2, 1863; Harvey M., born Sept. 9, 1866, died Sept. 17, 1868; Bertie W., born March 12, 1869, died July 31, 1894; Lucy Ann, born Dec. 29, 1871, died July 15, 1873; Sarah A., born April 3, 1876. HENRY W. BEARDSLEY. Henry W. Beardsley, pioneer citizen of Nunda, 111., and veteran of the Civil War, was born at Alexander, Genesee County, N. Y., August 1, 1828, the son of Ziba S. and Ency (Winters) Beardsley, and believes himself to be the oldest surviving settler — in point of res- idence — in Nunda or Crystal Lake Township. His father, Ziba Beardsley, was born at Har- persfield, N. Y., Aug. 3, 18 A 0. the son of Najah and Rachel (Woodard) Beardsley. Najah was a native of New England (probably of Connec- ticut) and came in pioneer dpys to Genesee County, N. Y., where he opened a farm. His children were: Abner, Cynthia, Gratie, Han- nah and Ziba S. Ziba S. became a farmer, and married at Alexander, N. Y., July 4. 1823, Bncv W. Ellis, who was born in Orange County, N. Y., March 20, 1803, the daughter of John and Catherine Ellis. He settled on a farm in Gen- esee County, but for a time drove stage between Alden, N. Y., and Buffalo. In 1835 Ziba S. and his father, Najah, came to Illinois, making the journey by sailing vessel — the "Queen Char- lotte" — which had been captured from the Brit- ish during the War of 1812, the voyage from Buffalo to Chicago beginning in the early part of September and occupying twenty-seven days. Chicago was then a frontier hamlet, while Fort Dearborn was still standing. Ziba first settled at Naperville, DuPage County, where he re- mained two and a half years, in the meantime, during 1836, locating a claim in McHenry, a part of which is now embraced within the Dole farm in Algonquin Township. This claim he sold and later took up another on the east side of Crystal Lake, to which he removed in 1837. This tract, originally consistng of about 150 acres, he improved, building upon it a house, where the village of old Crystal Lake was af- terwards located. His father, Najah Beards- ley, removed from DuPage County about 1836 to Crystal Lake, where he bought 75 acres of land and improved a farm, upon which he died Oct. 5, 1844, aged seventy-four years, his wife dying at Alexander, N. Y., Oct. 26, 1849. Ziba S. had children as follows, all born in New York except the two younger, who were born in Illi- nois: Alonzo D., born April 10, 1824; Theodore E., born August 27, 1826; Henry W., born Aug- ust 1, 1828; Earl A., born June 20, 1830; Cyn- thia A., born August 25, 1832; Fannie M., born Feb. 18 1834; Catherine L., born Dec. 11, 1840; Frank, born March 7, 1846. Ziba S. was a mem- ber of the Baptist church and served as Justice of the Peace at Crystal Lake for several terms. He was a soldier of the Civil War, enlisting first when over sixty years of age as a private in a 100-days' regiment, in which he served one month over time, after which he re-enlisted in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, but was discharged after four months' service on account of his ad- vanced age. His father, Najah Beardsley, who came west with the son in 1835, was also a soldier of the War of 1812. Henry W. Beardsley attended the first school taught in Crystal Lake in a building on the old 'Squire Crandall place, but owing to conditions in those pioneer days, received a limited educa- tion. He assisted his father in improving his farm, and when about twenty-five years of age, on Jan. 10, 1854, was married at old Crystal Lake, to Alzina (Raymond) Maynard, the wid- owed daughter of Charles and Polly Raymond. Her father was born in Massachusetts of col- 1080 McHENRY COUNTY. onial Puritan ancestry, Jan. 22, 1794, and on June 6, 1815, married Alzina Maynard, and they afterwards became early settlers at Waukesha, Wis. Mr. Raymond was a ship carpenter by trade and was accidentally killed in a ship-yard on the lake shore, March 12, 1847. His children were: Juliette, born March 9, 1816; Martha, born June 9, 1818; Desdemona, born Jan. 15, 1821; Bertha, born Nov. 29, 1822; Lovina born Dec. 27, 1824; Alzina, born Feb. 18, 1827; Esther Ann, born Sept. 6, 1829; Charles H., born March 27, 1832; Martin VanBuren, born June 15, 1834; Mary H., born Feb. 7, 1840. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Beardsley settled one and a half miles north of Nunda, McHenry County, and still later he learned the carpenter's trade. In August, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company D, Ninety- fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under command of Col. Humphrey, but nine months later was honorably discharged on account of disability incurred in the service. After remaining at home about eighteen months, he re-enlisted in the same company and regiment, serving until the close of the war. During his first period of en- listment he participated in the siege of Vicks- burg and was under fire much of the time. Having contracted rheumatism about this time he was in hospital at Jackson, Tenn., and at Memphis six weeks, resulting in his discharge as already stated. During his second term of service he spent about six months — Dec. 8, 1864, to June 22, 1865— in hospital at Nashville, at Jeffersonville, Ind., and at Quincy, 111., and after his return home was entirely disabled for more than a year, when, having sufficiently recovered, he resumed his trade as a carpenter, which he has followed ever since. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Beardsley are: Ann Estella, born Nov. 24, 1854; Frank H., born June 21, 1857; Herbert J., born Oct. 4, 1860; Julia W., born April 17, 1863; and Newton S., born Oct. 10, 1866, besides one child (deceased) a twin of the last named. Mr. Beardsley is a charter member of the G. A. R. Post at Nunda, in which he has held the position of Vice-Commander and other offices. Mrs. Beardsley, for many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal, but later of the Free Methodist church, died Oct. 4, 1894. Mr. Beardsley has always main- tained the reputation of a straight-forward and trustworthy citizen. He now resides with his son-in-law, Elias Paine. Elias Paine was born in Nunda Township, McHenry County, Oct. 5, 1848, the son of Jason and Harriet (Pierson) Paine, received a com- mon-school education and is a carpenter by trade, but owns a farm of fifty-three acres in Nunda Township. His children are: Clarence H., born June 15, 1872, and Laura A., born July 31, 1876. The son, Clarence H., married on August. 24, 1898, Flora Wood, and they have two children: Frances Mabel, born Feb. 14, 1900; Charles Henry, born March 7, 1902. WILLIAM A. CARMACK. William A. Carmack, Harvard, 111., member of a pioneer family of Dunham Township, Mc- Henry County, is descended from Capt. William Carmack, a native of the North of Scotland, who, in early manhood removed to the North of Ireland and there married. Captain Carmack, who became the founder of the family in Amer- ica — described as a man of dark complexion, while his wife was a blonde with red hair, both being very tall. They were Scotch Presbyter- ians. The Captain was a boat-builder by occu- pation, and emigrated to America sometime before the Revolutionary War, settling in New Jersey on the Delaware River. His location is said to have been near where General Washing- ton made his famous crossing of the Delaware, before the battle of Trenton in December, 1776. Capt. Carmack followed boat-building after com- ing to America, and is said to have advised Gen- eral Washington where to effect the crossing ot the river, and to have furnished and commanded five of the boats used in that memorable event. He is also said to have rendered valuable ser- vice to the Colonies in other respects during the war. He was the father of two sons, William and David. The former settled in Crawford County, Penn., and the latter in Southern Ken- tucky. From the latter is descended Senator Carmack of Tennessee. William Carmack, the son of Captain Car- mack, and grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born on the banks of the Delaware about 1788. While a young man he adopted his father's occupation as a boat-builder, but after- wards became a carpenter and mill-wright, was a soldier of the War of 1812 and took part with the land forces in the battle of Put-in-Bay. At an earlier date he served as ensign under Gen. William Henry Harrison at the battle of Tip- pecanoe, and was a member of the Council of McHENRY COUNTY. 1081 War held by General Harrison after the battle. In 1813 he participated in the battle of the Thames, which resulted in the defeat of the British General Proctor and the death of Chief Tecumseh at the hands of Col. Richard M. Johnson of Kentucky. After the latter battle he witnessed the skinning of the Indian chief's body by soldiers of the Kentucky regiments to procure souvenirs of that tragic event. He also served as a soldier of the Black Hawk War some twenty years later. William Carmack married in Crawford Coun- ty, Penn., Mary Blystone, who was born in that county, the daughter of Abraham Blystone, who was of Holland-Dutch ancestry from New Jer- sey. After marriage he settled on a tract of land at French Creek in Crawford County, which he had received from the Government for his services during the war. This land was located within thirty miles of Meadville, Penn., and here Mr. Carmack built a mill, and also carried on the rafting of logs down the Alle- gheny and Ohio Rivers to Cincinnati. Later he removed to the River Raisin region in Michigan, where he kept a hotel, and still later kept a hotel in Door Prairie, west of LaPorte, Ind. In the spring of 1839 he moved by ox-team to Mc- Henry County, 111., where he bought a claim, and later perfected the title from the Govern- ment to a half-section of land, which now con- stitutes a part of the corporation of the City of Harvard, extending from below the Railroad Depot to, and beyond, the school building. He also owned eighty acres now in the north- eastern part of Harvard. He built a double log-house where the residence of B. L. Church now stands, which was the first house within the central portion of Harvard. In 1847 he bought a farm two miles south- west of Harvard, where he lived some years, when, having sold this farm, he "bought what is known as the Martin farm, consisting of 240 acres, and there he and his wife spent the remainder of their days, after having be- come advanced in years, living with their son Abram. Mr. Carmack owned between 400 and 500 acres of land, and gave his children a good start in life. In politics he was an old-line Whig. The children of Mr. and Mrs. William Carmack were: Abram, David, Christopher, Sylvanus, William and Perry. William Car- mack, Sr., died Sept. 28, 1865, aged eighty-two years. Abram Carmack, of this family, was born in Crawford County, Penn., March 3, 1815, and was about fifteen years of age when his parents moved to Michigan. He received a common- school education and showed especial capability in arithmetic, but followed farming as his life occupation. Before coming to Illinois, in Porter County, Ind., he married Ruth Massey, who was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains in West Vir- ginia, some six miles south of Harper's Ferry, daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Farns- worth) Massey. Her father, who was an Eng- lish Quaker, was a currier and tanner by trade, and a practical abolitionist, not hesitating to assist fleeing slaves to freedom by way of the "underground railroad." On this account he left Virginia, going to Pittsburg, and thence by boat to a point below Cincinnati, afterwards settling south of, and near, Indianapolis. His sons having visited Northern Indiana, selected a considerable tract of land in Porter County, to which Samuel Massey removed with his fam- ily. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Massey were: Tamar, born April 10, 1802; Levi, born Sept 17, 1804; Mordecai, born Oct. 9, 1807; Isaac, born April 20, 1809; Phebe, born July 21, 1811; David, born Sept. 13, 1813; Ruth, born Nov. 11, 1815; Joseph, born June 23, 1818. Mr. Massey died June 14, 1848, aged about 86 years, and his wife Jan. 11, 1864, aged 81. After marriage Abram Carmack settled on an 80-acre tract of land received from his father- in-law, Samuel Massey, to which he added forty acres more, making a farm of 120 acres. Two years later he moved to Coffee Creek, Porter County, Ind., where he purchased 160 acres of land, but in 1839 came to McHenry County, 111., with ox-teams, settling on a claim purchased of Thomas and John Metcalf, which he afterwards entered at the Government Land Office. This tract consisted of 240 acres with two log-houses upon it. He built a good frame house and other- wise improved his land, finally becoming the owner of five good farms in McHenry County. Abram Carmack was a member of the TTniver- salist church and held the ofiice of Justice of the Peace for many years, and was also Asses- sor of his township. His children were: William A., born Feb. 15, 1837; Mary C, born Nov. 11, 1839; and Robert L., the two first named born in Porter County. Ind., and the last in his grand- father's double log-house at Harvard, 111. Mrs. Ruth (Massey) Carmack having died, Abram 1082 McHENRY COUNTY. Carmack married as his second wife, in Mc- Henry County, about 1866, Caroline Niewerth, born in Hanover, Germany, Nov. 16, 1837, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Niewerth. The children by the second marriage were: Flora E., born August 31, 1869; Merville A., born Aug- ust 23, 1872; Minnie C, born Dec. 23, 1875. The father, Abram Carmack, died on his home farm Feb. 17, 1892. At the time of his death Mr. Carmack was the owner of nearly 1,000 acres of land. William A. Carmack was about five years old when his father removed to McHenry County, and can remember incidents of the journey, camping out in a tent and the big ox- teams. He received his education in the graded school at Harvard and the Belvidere High School, in the latter studying Latin, surveying and the higher mathematics. June 11, 1861, he was united in marriage, at Franklinville, Mc- Henry County, to Charlotte D. Robinson, born Sept. 7, 1840, at Geneva, Wis., the daughter of Joseph and Harriet (Carr) Robinson. Joseph Robinson, who was a native of North of Ireland, came to America about 1834, settling near Tor- onto, Canada, four years later (1838) coming to Lake Geneva, Wis., where his wife's mother bought land. In 1840 he removed to Franklin- ville, McHenry County, 111., and there bought 240 acres of land, but died while on a visit to Springfield, Mo. His children were: Rachael, Rebecca, Henry W., Maria and George W. After marriage William A. Carmack settled on a farm south of Harvard, where he resided one and a half years, when he removed to Tripoli, Bremer County, Iowa. He there bought 197 acres of land, which he improved, but after residing there seven years, returned to Mc- Henry County, locating on Section 7 in Marengo Township. This land he still owns, and here his sons, George A. and John B., still live. He is also the owner of 90 acres in Dunham Town- ship, upon which he now resides. His children are: George A., born in McHenry County, April 1, 1862; John E., born at Tripoli, Iowa, Dec. 19, 1863; and Hattie M., born at Tripoli, Jan. 22, 1866. Mrs. Carmack died March 15, 1896. Mr. Carmack is a member of the Metho- dist church, in which he holds the office of trus- tee and steward, and has been a Sunday school teacher for fifty years, from the time when he was sixteen years old. In politics he is a Re- publican and takes an earnest interest in polit- ical affairs in which he has been, at times, an active worker. While in Iowa he served as Justice of the Peace and was Collector of Taxes in Dunham Township, McHenry County, in 1860. Fraternally he is an unaffiliated Mason of Marengo Lodge. During his residence in Iowa, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Joseph E. Robinson, Mr. Carmack built a saw- mill, which they ran for six years. He is an expert stationary engineer and a practical sur- veyor, and has been an occasional contributor to the local press. MERVILLE A. CARMACK. Merville A. Carmack, lawyer> Harvard, 111. is one of the youngest members of the McHenry County bar, with offices in both Woodstock and Harvard. Mr. Carmack was born on his father's farm in Dunham Town- ship, McHenry County, Auugst 23, 1872, the son of Abram and Caroline (Niewerth) Carmack. (See sketch of William A. Carmack for Carmack family history.) Merville A. re- ceived his education in the district school and the Harvard High School, graduating from the latter in 1891. His parents died in February, 1892, and for the next two years he managed the home farm of 200 acres. In the fall of 1894, he entered the Sac County Normal School, at Sac City, Iowa, which he attended for one year, when he entered the Illinois State Uni- versity at Champaign. Owing to ill-health he was compelled to return home, however, and there resumed management of the home farm and engaged in the buying and selling of stock, which he continued for two years. He then entered the law office of Judge O. H. Gill- more, as a student of law, continuing his reading for the next two years when, in 1902, he was finally admitted to the bar and immedi- ately began practice with satisfactory results. Although one of the youngest members of the McHenry bar, Mr. Carmack has a promising future. In political opinions he is a Republi- can, but being a man of independent views, is in no sense of the term a strict partisan, in local affairs being the advocate of good men and sound measures. Personally he is a man of unimpeachable integrity and correct life, and is building up for himself a good reputa- tion at the bar as a reliable and capable at- McHENRY COUNTY. 1083 torney. He is a man of property, being the owner of a farm of 200 acres. GEORGE W. FIELD. George W. Field, Woodstock, 111., prominent attorney and Master in Chancery for McHenry County, was born in Woodstock, McHenry County, Jan. 18, 1870, the son of Albert F and Addie (Walton) Field. George W. received his early education in the public schools of Woodstock, and then became clerk in the office of his father, who at that time was the Sta- tion Agent at Woodstock for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway. During 1894-95 he at- tended the Law Department of the University of Chicago from which he graduated, mean- while reading law in the office of W. S. Lumley, a prominent attorney of Woodstock. In 1896 he was formally admitted to the bar, and during the next five years, remained in the office of Mr. Lumley, who was then State's Attorney, and to whom he gave a full share of assistance in the duties of that office. In 1900 he established himself in business alone, and has met with marked success; during the same year he was appointed Master in Chancery for McHenry County, a position which he still holds; at an earlier date served four years as City Clerk, when, in 1897, he was chosen City Attorney, serving until 1903 and proving him- self a capable official in these several offices. On May 17, 1901, Mr. Field became a member of the Illinois National Guard, and was im- mediately commissioned First Lieutenant of Company G, Third Infantry, on Dec. 3, 1901, being promoted to the captaincy of his com- pany. Fraternally Mr. Field is a member of the Order of Elks, Lodge No. 4, Chicago. The notable success which has attended Mr. Field's career furnishes conclusive evidence of his ability and the confidence of the people of McHenry County. In politics he is a Re- publican. ALBERT F. FIELD. The Field family is of Colonial and Puritan blood, descended from English ancestors, who settled in New England at an early day, the McHenry County branch being of the same gen- eral stock as the late Cyrus W. Field, whose an- cestors were long residents of Stockbridge, Mass. The particular branch of the family of which we write were early settlers in Vermont. Oliver Field, the grandfather of Albert F. Field, was the son of a Revolution- ary soldier and he was a soldier of the War of 1812, taking part with the Vermont troops in the battle on Lake Champlain. He and his wife were parents of the following named children: Oliver F., Charles C, Martha and Julia. Oliver Field came to Elk Grove, Cook County, 111., in 1844, with his wife and sons, and there spent the latter years of his life with his son Oliver F., dying at the age of about seventy years. He was a Presbyterian in re- ligious belief, and was buried in Elk Grove Cemetery. His wife lived to be about ninety years old, dying at Barrington, 111. Oliver F. Field, the oldest son of this family, and father of Albert F., was born on his father's farm in Vermont, received the ordinary common-school education of his native New England, grew up a farmer and, in 1844, removed with his family overland by teams to Elk Grove, Cook County, 111., where he settled on a tract of 110 acres of Government land, which he improved and upon which he lived for ten years. He then removed to Arlington Heights, Cook County — at that time known as Dunton — where he was engaged in farming, but in 1866 became a resident of Lake County, buying there a farm of 160 acres. This farm he soon after sold when he again moved to Barrington, Cook County, and there died in 1868, aged 53 years. Oliver F. Field was married twice; the first time in Vermont, and of this mar- riage two children were born — Albert F., near Waitsfield, Vt, Jan. 20, 1841, and Edward C, in Illinois, September, 1844. His first wife hav- ing died soon after settling in Illinois, Mr. Field married as his second wife, Narcissa Miner, daughter of Dr. Frederick T. Miner, the pioneer settler of Elk Grove, who located there at an early period when the Indians were still oc- cupying the lands in that section and were a source of considerable trouble to the early settlers. The children by the second mar- riage were: Flora, Floyd, Ella, Frank, Ida, Frederick, Kate, Minnie, Fannie and Charles. Mr. Field was a typical pioneer and a man of sterling character. Albert F. Field, born in Vermont, Jan. 20, 1841, was about three years of age when his family moved to Illinois. Here he grew up 1084 McHENRY COUNTY. among pioneer surroundings, and entertains a high regard for the sturdy integrity and simplicity of character of the early settlers, and the natural lives led by the members of a community in which there was seldom oc- cassion to appeal even to a Justice of 1 Peace. He has a vivid recollection of scenes connected with that early period — especially the prairie fires which annually swept over * large areas of country — consuming grass and weeds as high as a man's head, and often im- periling both life and property. In childhood Mr. Field had but limited opportunity of ac- quiring an education in the pioneer schools of Elk Grove, but the family having removed to Dunton (now Arlington Heights) when he was about thirteen years old, he there attended school three winter terms while working on the farm during the summer, and under the instruction of a better teacher, obtained a good knowledge of the common branches and became especially expert in arithmetic. When about sixteen years of age he found employ- ment as clerk in a general store at Dunton. where he remained six years, when ne ac- cepted the position of Station Agent at Dunton for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. This position he retained four years, when he went to Lake County, and there spent nearly one year with bis father on the farm. On July 22, 1867, he became Station Agent of the Chi- cago & Northwestern at Woodstock, continu- ing until April, 1887 — a period of nearly twenty years. Retiring from the position in con- nection with the Chicago & Northwestern, he then engaged in the coal business, to which he has since added the insurance business. He served two years as Secretary of the Mc- Henry County Agricultural Society, and a like period as Treasurer of the same organization. On September 7, 1864, Albert F. Field was married, at Arlington Heights, 111., to Addie F. Walton, born in Maine Township, Cook County, May 26, 1843, the daughter of John W. and Catherine (Mohnson) Walton, and they had three children born to them; Clara, born nt Dunton, 111., June 7, 1865; George W., born Jan. 18, 1870, and Ethel, born Nov. 28, 1877— the last two born in Woodstock. Clara mar- ried Jesse M. Austin, of Chicago, and they have one child, Gordon. Ethel married S. A. Greenleaf, now bookkeeper of the Oliver Type- writer Company, Woodstock. Mrs. Albert F. Field died in Woodstock, August 2, 1902, deeply mourned by her family and a large circle of friends. John W. Walton was a Chicago pioneer and assisted to build the second frame house in that city. Later he settled on a farm in Maine Township, Cook County, and held the office of Justice of the Peace in his township. In 1849 he visited California as a gold-seeker His children were named Catherine and Addie F. Mr. Walton died at the home of his son- in-law, Albert F. Field, aged about 75 years. Edward C. Field, a brother of Albert F., was a soldier of the Civil War, serving in the Chi- cago Board of Trade Battery, and participated in a number of important engagements. He was killed in battle before Atlanta during the campaign in Northern Georgia. Albert F. Field is a Republican in politics, and served one year as a member of the Wood- stock Board of Alderman. He is also a charter member of the Woodstock A. O. U. W. De- scended from that class of patriots who won our national independence over a century ago, he inherits that marked decision of character which bespeaks the typical American citizen, and enables him to rely upon his own judg- ment without leaning upon that of another man. Outspoken and frank in manner, his word is trusted implicitly where he is best known, while his rugged honesty commands universal respect. JOHN MARSHALL. John Marshall, venerable pioneer and Civil War veteran, Harvard, McHenry County, 111. is of Scotch-Irish descent — ancestors of the family having emigrated at a remote period from Scotland and settled in County Armagh, Ireland. William Marshall, great-grandfather of John Marshall, was a farmer at Market Hill, near the city of Armagh, and is believed to have been the first of the family to own the farm on which he lived. His wife was a Miss McCune. John Marshall, a son of William Marshall, married a Miss Agnes Blair, inherited his father's farm of sixty acres, and here spent his life. The children of John and Agnes (Blair) Marshall were: Hugh, David, William, Sarah, Margaret, Mary and one daughter wnose name is not remembered. In religious faith McHENRY COUNTY. 1085 the family were Scotch Presbyterians. John Marshall died on his farm, aged 84 years. Hugh Marshall, of this family and father of John Marshall of McHenry County, was horn on the paternal homestead in Ireland, received a good education, and married Margaret Fergu- son, who was born in 1808 near her husband's birth-place, the daughter of William and Eliza (Watson) Ferguson. Their children were: Martha J., born Feb. 15, 1832, and married William Paul; John (subject of this sketch), born June 11, 1834; William, born July 1, 1836; Agnes, born April, 1840, married Peter Fitzer; Hugh, born Nov. 3, 1845; Elizabeth, born March, 1848, married James B. Huynd- man; Thomas, born Sept. 16, 1850; Robert J., born Jan. 21, 1855. Hugh Marshall lived after his marriage on a farm which he had inherited in the neighborhood of his birth-place, until 1843, when, on AprU 27th of that year, he left Liverpool on a sailing-vessel, the "Patrick Henry," for America, the voyage to New York occupying twenty-one days. His family at that time consisted of his wife and the five older children, the remaining four children be- ing born in Illinois. From New York he came by steamer up the Hudson to Albany, thence by canal and railroad to Buffalo, and from there by lake steamer to Chicago. Proceeding with his family by private conveyance, he went from Chicago to Boone County, arriving at Belvidere, June 7, 1843, and finally settling two miles northeast of that city, where he bought 175 acres of land from the original purchasers from the Government. This land had received but little improvement, being without a house and only a small portion of it broken. Here Mr. Marshall erected a brick house, which was one of the first of its kind in that neighborhood, and made other valuable improvements. Seven years later (1850) he removed to Chemung Township, McHenry County, where he bought 330 acres of land which had some improvement on it, includ- ing a log-house. This land he still further im- proved, erecting on it good buildings, and here spent the remainder of his life, dying in February, 1864, aged about fifty-seven years. His wife lived to the age of over eighty years. Hugh Marshall was originally an old-line Whig, later a Free-Soiler, and finally one of the original members of the Republican party in McHenry County. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which he held the office of deacon. Three of his sons — William, David and John — served as soldiers of the Civil War. William enlisted as a private in Company H, First Illinois Artillery, and veter- anized at the termination of his period of enlistment — in all serving over three years and eight months. During his term of service, he took part in the battle of Shiloh, the siege of Vicksburg, the Atlanta campaign, and many other important movements and engagements, including the memorable "March to the Sea" under Sherman. He died in April, 1902, at the age of about sixty-six years. David was a private in Company E, Ninety-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving three years, and participating in the Vicksburg and Atlantic campaigns. John Marshall, principal subject of this sketch, born in County Armagh, Ireland, June 11, 1834, was between eight and nine years old when he came with his parents to America in 1848, and well remembers incidents of the long journey by ocean and by the lakes from Liver- pool to Illinois. He entered the schools of his native country at four years of age and. before leaving Ireland, had obtained several years of schooling, but after coming to Boone County, attended school there until about fif- teen years of age. December 17, 1858, he was married, in Le- roy Township, Boone County, to Mary Jane Thompson, born in Providence, R. I., May 12, 1836, the daughter of James and Eliza (Mc- Cullough) Thompson, who were also of Scotch- Irish ancestry. After marriage Mr. Marshall settled on a tract of eighty acres of land on which he had previously built a house, and upon which he and his family continued to reside twenty-seven years. In the meantime he made additions to his land until he was the owner of 180 acres, constituting a well im- proved farm with good buildings. The children of Mr. and Mrs. John Marshall are: Harriet, born March 17, 1863; Margaret, born March 31, 1870 ; and Jane Elizabeth, born May 1, 1877. Mr. Marshall's war service, already alluded to, was as a private in Company I, Ninth Illi- nois Cavalry, in which he enlisted at Belvidere, Oct. 1, 1861. and was mustered in Nov. 30, following. His company commander was Capt. 1086 McHENRY COUNTY. William M. Chichester, and tne wrsu com- mander of the regiment Col. A. G. Brackett. After a service of fifteen months, Mr. Marshall was discharged on account of disability in- curred in the field. His service was chiefly in Missouri and in Arkansas, where he took part. in a number of skirmishes. That in Missouri was especially severe, being employed in the pursuit of and fighting bushwhackers and guer- rillas. Much of the last few months was spent in hospital at St. Louis and, later, m Quincy, where he was finally discharged, Dec. 15, 1862. A daughter was born to Mr. Marshall during his absence in the field. Having returned home, after recruiting ms health Mr. Marshall turned his attention to improving his farm, upon which he continued to live until 1886, when he retired from active life as a farmer, settling in Harvard, where he now resides. He still owns his farm of 180 acres, which has developed into a valuable property. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which he has held the office of elder for more than thirty years. Mr. Marshall is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has served as Commander of his Post for nine years. In politics he is a zealous Republican, was present at a mass convention held at Woodstock, August 27, 1854, at which the first steps were taken for the organization of the party in McHenry County, and cast his first vote for President for John C. Fremont in 1856, and four and eight years later for Mr. Lincoln. For the past four years he has been President of the Chemung and Dunham Republican Club. Mr. Marshall's three daughters have been well educated. Margaret and Jane are both graduates of the Harvard High School, and Margaret was a teacher in the Harvard public schools for seven years. The elder daughter, Harriet, married Frank Demunn, a farmer of Boone County, and they have children named: Jay M., Roy P., Floyd S., Merritt T., Paul Kenneth and Mary. Margaret married John B. Rumsey, who is a general merchant at El Cajon, Cal. Jane E. married A. L. Tibbetts, who is employed in a general store at El Cajon, Cal. James Thompson, the father of Mrs. John Marshall, was a native of North of Ireland, born about ioju, tne sou or .mines auu Mary (King) Thompson. His parents being then deceased, wheu about twenty years of age James Thompson came to America, settling in Providence, R. I., where he followed the occupation of a thread-bleacher. In May, 1835, he married in Providence, Eliza McCullough, daughter of James and Hannah (Faulkner) McCullough, and they had children named- Mary Jane, born Aiigust 24, 1836; Elizabeth Ann, born Dec. 21, 1843; Sarah M. born Nov. 30, 1845. Mr. Thompson having come to Illi- nois in the hope of benefitting his health, bought eighty acres of land in Squaw Prairie, Boone County, but remained only a short time, when he returned to Rhode Island. In 1857 he came to Chemung Township, McHenry County, bought a small place for a home and there died, May 20, 1868, aged about fifty-six years. He was a Republican in politics and, in reli- gious belief, a Presbyterian, being an elder in the church both in Rhode Island and in Illi- nois. JOSEPH M. HARRIS. The Harris family in America is descended from James and Sarah (Dennison) Harris, who were married in Boston in 1666. James Harris, who was of an ancient British family, came from England. The branch of the family to which he belonged had a coat of arms. Richard Harris, the great-grandfather of Joseph M. Harris, whose name heads this sketch, was of colonial New England ancestry and emigrated from Massachusetts to New York at an early day, settling in Ogden, Monroe County, in the latter State, where he cleared up a farm and made potash for years. He owned a considerable tract of land which was inherited by his descendants. His children were: John, Caleb, Richard, Ceiia, Polly, Lucy and Armilla. The family were Presbyterians in religious faith. Richard Harris died on his New York farm. John Harris, the oldest son of this family and grandfather of Joseph M., was born in Massachusetts, Jan. 13, 1807, received the ordinary common-school education, and be- came a farmer. On October 3, 1833, he was married in Ogden, N. Y., to Abigail McArthur, who was born Nov. 7, 1808. He settled in Ogden, where he bought 100 acres of unim- McHENRY COUNTY. 1087 proved land, which he cleared up from the woods and built on it a log-house and a frame barn. He later sold the farm and located on an improved farm of 125 acres in the town of Gates, where he spent the latter part of his life, dying there Nov. 11, 1853, his wife having died March 24, 1852. Their children were: Emily F., born April 17, 1836; Joseph S., born Nov. 22, 1840; John Charles, born June 23, 1842; Marietta, born April 14, 1844; and Ann Adella, born August 15, 1848. The parents were members of the Presbyterian church. Two of the sons — Joseph and John Charles — were soldiers of the Civil War. Joseph S. first served as a private in the Twenty-Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, taking part in a number of battles. Still later he re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Eighth New York Volunteer Infantry, in which he served as First Lieutenant and Quarter-Master. John Charles Harris, the other brother re- ferred to, and father of the principal subject of this sketch, was born in Ogden, N. Y., re- ceived a common-school education, and for a time attended a preparatory school at Brock- port, N. Y., after which he spent some time in the preparatory department of Oberlin Col- lege, Ohio. In July, 1862, he enlisted at Rochester, N. Y., as a private in Company B, One Hundred and Eighth New York Volun- teers, served out his term of three years and was honorably discharged at Bailey's Cross Roads, Va., in 1865. His service was with the Army of the Potomac, the last two years being in the capacity of Quarter-Master's Sergeant, to which he was appointed from the ranks. He was married Nov. 15, 1865, at Succasunna Plains, in Morris County, N. J., to Cordelia S. Merritt, who was born in Morris County, N. J., June 26, 1844, the daughter of Daniel L. Merritt. Her parents were natives of Vermont and of colonial ancestry. Their children were: Mnnson Hampton, George, Jennie, Ellen and Virginia. Daniel L. Merritt died in Coral, Mc- Henry County, at the home of his grandson Joseph M. Harris. After marriage John C. Harris settled In Ogden, N. Y., where he bought 100 acres of land and carried on farming for five years, after which he moved to Morris County, N. J., remaining there three years. In 1876 he came west with his family, first locating in Chicago, where he remained three months, and later in Blue Island, Cook County. Then (about 1878) removing to Marengo, McHenry County, he remained there five years, during a part of this time being engaged in farming. In 1884 he established himself in the draying business at Harvard, which, five years later, he extended to general teaming, continuing until about two years ago (1901) when he be- came a Rural Mail Carrier. In political opin- ions Mr. Harris is a stalwart Republican and has served two terms as Highway Commis- sioner for Chemung Township. He is a non- affiliated Mason and member of the J. B. Morgan Post, G. A. R., Harvard, 111. His children are: Etta, born Nov. 17, 1866, John C, born August 14, 1871; and Joseph M., born July 4, 1875. Joseph M. received his educa- tion in the public school of Harvard and the Atchison Business College, at Atchison, Kansas, from which he graduated. Then, having re- turned to Harvard, he entered into the em- ployment as book-keeper of the E. L. Church manufactory; later was engaged for two years as a clerk in W. R. Collins' clothing store, and finally, in 1896, became book-keeper for Mr. James Lake, lumber-dealer. Since 1899 Mr. Harris has been a member of this firm, now doing business under the name of Lake & Harris. On November 30, 1898, Mr. Harris was mar- ried, at Harvard, 111., to Grace Louisa Lake, daughter of James and Mary (Burditt) Lake, and they have one daughter, Sylvia Lourine, born April 13, 1903. In politics he is a Re- publican and fraternally a Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge and Harvard Chapter. He has proved himself a successful business man, and maintains a high reputa- tion for integrity of character. JOSEPH I. LANG. Joseph I. Lang, rising young lawyer, Rich- mond, 111., was born in Ypsilanti, Mich., Jan. 30, 1878, son of Cornelius and Jennie G. (Gunn) Lang. The father, Cornelius Lang, was a na- tive of Michigan, but of German parentage. He married at Ypsilanti, Jennie G. Gunn, daughter of George Gunn, who was a native of Ireland, but came at an early day to Michigan, settling at Ypsilanti, where he became a contractor in the construction ot 1088 McHENRY COUNTY. the Michigan Central Railroad. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Lang were the parents of six chil- dren: George W., Elizabeth, Mary G., Joseph I., Jennie R. and Helen M. Their children received a liberal education at the State Normal School, Ypsilanti. Joseph I. received his primary education in the St. James Paro- chial School and the Ypsilanti High School, completing his education in the State Normal. While in the High School he was President of the "Sigma Delta," a Greek Letter society, was an officer of the military company and captain of the base-ball team. In 1897 Mr. Lang went to Duluth, Minn., where he was employed as clerk by a lumber firm two years, at the expiration of this period entering in the employ of E. J. Stone, a bridge- contractor on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In 1899 he bought a one-third interest in this firm, which had the contract for building bridges on the Nippersink cut-off between the head of Fox Lake and Janesville. This contract resulted successfully. The com- pany built ninety-nine bridges and culverts. Later it entered into a contract with the same road for the construction of bridges in Iowa and Minnesota. During a part of this time Mr. Lang was located at Preston, Iowa, and later at Rice Lake, Minn. October 9, 1901, Mr. Lang was married at Ypsilanti, Mich., to Ella Lewis Knight, who was born in Providence, R. I., and received her education in the high school at Richmond, 111. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lang settled ir Woodstock, and having sold out his interest in the firm of which he was a member, he re- tired from the contracting business. On January 1, 1902, Mr. Lang entered the office of C. P. Barnes as a student of law, in the meantime taking a course in the Law De- partment of the Northwestern University. In politics he is an Independent. A young man of energy and native ability, he has won success in life by his own unaided effort, establishing for himself a reputation as a straight-forward and reliable business man. Since the above sketch was written Mr. Lang has established himself permanently in the practice of his profession at Richmond, McHenry County, where he is entering upon a prosperous career. GEORGE ECKERT. George Eckert, Woodstock, 111., veteran of the Civil War and ex-Sheriff of McHenry County, was born in Alsace, then France, but now a province of Germany, Feb. 24, 1843, the son of Harry and Elizabeth (Herdklotz) Eckert. Hen- ry Eckert removed to the central part of France and spent the latter years of his life near Paris, where he died. His children were: Henry, Eliz- abeth, Catherine, Michael, Lena, Peter, George and Jacob B. After the death of her husband Mrs. Eckert came with her family to America in 1849, her oldest son, Henry, having already located in St. Louis. From New York she came to Waukegan, and thence to Queen Ann Prairie, McHenry County. Her children immediately began to support themselves. Mrs. Eckert lived with her brother, Peter Herdklotz, a few years, but later lived with her children, dying at the age of 84 years. In religious faith the family were German Presbyterians. George Eckert was but six years old when he came with his mother and family to America, and well remembers the voyage on an old-fash- ioned sailing-vessel, occupying thirty-six days. He first lived with his relatives, but soon be- gan farm work at $4 per month and his food, during the season earning $36. During the win- ters he attended the district school in Queen Ann Prairie, and thus acquired a common-school education. In 1858, when nearly sixteen years of age, he obtained employment in the store of A. W. Fuller & Co.— later Fuller & Sher- wood — general merchants at Woodstock, where he remained until the summer of 1862, when, on August 14, he enlisted as a private in Com- pany F, Ninety-fifth Volunteer Infantry, served his term> of three years and was honorably dis- charged at Springfield, 111., in August, 1855. Soon after his enlistment he was appointed to the office of Sergeant, later, was advanced to Orderly Sergeant, and, hear the close of the war. received a commission as Second Lieutenant of his company. During his term of service he took part with his regiment in the important battles of the campaign which ended with the capture of Vicksburg, in the Red River expedi- tion with Banks, in the disastrous Guntown affair, was under fire at Nashville, and was present at the capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, which preceded the fall of Mobile. In all this time he was never wounded or a pris- McHENRY COUNTY. 1089 oner, never in hospital and suffered no severe sickness. Returning after his military service to Wood- stock, during the following winter he engaged in buying and selling produce, hut in 1866 be- came a elerk in the general store of Philbrick & James, continuing until they sold out to Thomas & Son, with whom he remained six months. For the next eighteen years he was clerk in the general store of J. T. & A. L. Salis- bury, but in 1886 was elected Sheriff of Mc- Henry County, serving one term of four years. He then engaged in the grocery business for four years, when he was again elected to the office of Sheriff, and since the expiration of his term of service has held the position of Deputy Sheriff. Mr. Eckert has also been a member of Woodstock City Council for sixteen years, and served two terms as Collector of Dorr Township. A stanch Republican in poli- tics, he maintains a high reputation for loyalty to his friends and as a public-spirited citizen. Mr. Eckert has been twice married, his first wife being Amy Green, who was born in New York, the daughter of Robert and Amy (Cur- tis) Green. (See sketch of Barney Terwilliger in this volume.) Mrs. Amy (Green) Eckert bore her husband two children: Willis, who died in infancy, and Georgia. Mrs. Eckert having died, Mr. Eckert married Rhoda Green, a sister of his first wife, with whom he now resides in their home in Woodstock. Mr. Green is an hon- ored member of the Woodstock Post, G. Aw R., in which he holds the office of Quartermaster, and is Past Commander. Self-made and self- educated, he has won a remarkable success in life through his individual efforts, and enjoys in an eminent degree the confidence of his fel- low citizens. BEARDSLEY LlAiKE. Beardsley Lake, pioneer settler of Walworth County, Wis., and for over thirty-five years a resident of Harvard, McHenry County, 111., was born in Otsego County, N. Y., Aug. 13, 1814, the son of Rev. Phipps Waldo and Rebecca (Beards- ley) Lake; grew up on a farm and attended a country school during the winter season, while doing farm work in the summer until he was seventeen years old, when he became a clerk in the general store of Willard R. Wheeler, and la- ter in that of Elliott Graves. October 16, 1836, he was married at Ames, N. Y., to Mary K. Welch, who was born in New York State, near the line of Otsego County, Oct. 1, 1812. After marriage Mr. Lake settled on his father's farm, which he managed on shares for two years, when, in the spring of 1840, he moved west, settling in Wal- worth County, Wis., where his father had lo- cated a few months earlier. Here he bought the north half of a tract of 640 acres of land upon which his father had settled the fall pre- vious. He lived for a time with his father's family in a primitive log house, built in pioneer style, with' clap-board roof, but later erected a story-and-a-half frame house, which for some time was the best house in Big Foot Prairie. The lumber for this house was hauled from Chicago and Kenosha, Wis., while the finishing, including doors, window frames, sash, etc., were made on the spot. Here Mr. Lake lived with his family for twenty-seven years. His chil- dren were: Charles W., born Sept. 30, 1837; David D., born Dec. 23, 1839— both born in Ames, Montgomery County, N. Y. — with six others born in Walworth County, Wis., viz.: Mary L, born Dec. 15, 1841; George W., born July 13, 1845; Arthur B., born July 16, 1848; James, born Sept. 23, 1850; Jennie W., born Jan. 1, 1853; Fremont, born Oct. 10, 1857. Mr. Lake improved his land until he had one of the most valuable farms in Walworth County, also bought forty acres more of land, which he sub- sequently sold, but still retains the original homestead of 320 acres. In April, 1852, in com- pany with a party of men from Big Foot Prairie, Mr. Lake started across the plains for Califor- nia, crossing the Missouri river at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Mr. Lake drove an ox-team, walk- ing the whole distance, the journey occupying five months. Arrived in California, he followed mining successfully on Feather River, but fin- ally returned by way of the Isthmus of Pana- ma and New York. In 1861 he made a second trip to California, this time remaining in the mining business eighteen months, when he re- turned to the States. Originally an old-line Whig, Mr. Lake became one of the early Repub- licans of his locality, voting for Fremont and Dayton in 1856 and for Lincoln and Hamlin in 1860. He served as the first Assessor of Wal- worth Township, and was Supervisor of his township for several terms during the Civil War period. In the latter position he was able to render valuable service in raising funds to pay bounties for the encouragement of enlistments, 1090 McHENRY COUNTY. thereby avoiding the necessity for a draft to fill the quota of Walworth County. He also served his township as Road Commissioner for a time. Before leaving New York he was a member of the State militia, filling various pos- itions from that of Corporal to Captain. September 23, 1867, Mr. Lake moved from Walworth County, Wis., to Harvard, McHenry County, 111., where, for the next three years, he lived in practical retirement. At the end of this period he engaged in the lumber business at Harvard, in partnership with Cyrus Clark. A few years later Levi Lake became a member of the firm and they did an extensive business. Levi Lake eventually sold out, the firm re- maining Lake & Clark for some years, when James Lake, the son of Beardsley Lake, pur- chased the interest of Mr. Clark, the firm then becoming Lake & Son. Three years later Mr. Beardsley Lake sold his interest in the concern to A. D. Crumb, and has since lived a retired life in his home at Harvard. By a life of industry, prudent management and honest methods, Mr. Lake has had a suc- cessful business career, and accumulated a handsome property. JAMES UAKE. James Lake, lumber dealer and prominent citizen of Harvard, McHenry County, was born in Big Foot Prairie, Walworth County, Wis., Sept. 23, 1850, the son of Beardsley and Mary (Welch) Lake, and received his education in the public schools while working on the farm during the summer months, In 1867, when about seventeen years of age, he came with his parents to Harvard, McHenry County, and there attended school two years longer. In 1871, in company with his brother Arthur, he returned to his 1 father's farm in Walworth County, Wis., which they carried on for the next two years, after which James managed the farm alone for some time. November 4, 1874, Mr. Lake was married at Harvard, 111., to Mary Emma Burdi f t, after which they settled on the Wisconsin farm, re- maining until 1876, when they removed to Har- vard, where he engaged in the liverv business in company with Joseph Swinney. This part- nership lasted one year, when Mr. Lake, hav- ing sold his interest in the livery business to Mr. Swinney, purchased a half interest in the lumber firm of Lake & Clark, of which his father, Beardsley Lake, was a member, and ever since has been engaged in the lumber trade on an extensive scale. Mr. Clark having retired, the firm was, for three years Lake & Son, when Mr. A. D. Crumb bought out the in- terest of the father, Beardsley Lake, and the firm became Lake & Crumb for the next six years. Mr. Lake then became sole proprietor of the. concern, conducting the business alone for eighteen years, but in 1900 he sold a half interest to his son-in-law, J. M. Harris, since when the business has been carried on under the name of Lake & Harris. Throughout his business career Mr. Lake has given evidence of a degree of energy and prac- tical foresight which has been rewarded with a good degree of success. Besides his lumber- yard property, Mr. Lake is the owner of three large farms in McHenry County, aggregating 500 to 600 acres, three houses and lots in Har- vard, with valuable lots at Geneva Lake, Glen- wood Springs and Riverdale, a suburb of Chi- cago. In political relations he is a stanch Re- publican, and in 1900 was elected Supervisor of Chemung Township and re-elected in 1902. Fra- ternally he is a Mason, a member of Harvard Lodge and Woodstock Commandery Knights Templar, and also of Knights of the Globe. Mr. and Mrs. James Lake are parents of the following named children: Grace Louise, born Nov. 23, 1875; Ruby Mary, born Nov. 23, 1881; George Burditt, born Feb. 26, 1890. Grace Louise graduated from Harvard High School in 1895, and, on Nov. 30, 1898, was married to Jos- eph Merritt Harris, who is now a partner of his father-in-law, Mr. James Lake, in the lum- ber business under the firm name of Lake & Harris. Mr. and Mrs. Harris have one child, Sylvia Lourine, born April 13, 1903. Mr. James Lake's youngest daughter, Ruby Mary, grad- uated from Harvard High School in 1900, at- tended Ferry Hall, at Lake Forrest, 111., 1900- 01, and is now devoting her attention to vocal music at Rockford. Mr. and Mrs. Lake are members of the Congregational church, of which he is a trustee. Mrs. James Lake (nee Burditt) was born in South Danville, Steuben County, N. Y., July 17, 1853, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann (Ojers) Burditt, and came with her parents to Harvard, McHenry County, 111., in 1869. The family is of mixed Colonial New England and Holland-Dutch stock. The father, Thomas Burditt, was born ^ McHENRY COUNTY. 1091 in Rutland, Vt, Nov. 16, 1822, the son of George and Millie (Wadsworth) Burditt. George Bur- ditt was born Jan. 13, 1796, was a Vermonter by birth, and was engaged in business as a trader in live stock. Sometime prior to 1830 he moved to Steuben County, N. Y., and there settled on a farm, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying August. 17, 1851. He was a member of the Methodist church. His first wife was Millie Wadsworth, born in 1795, the daughter of David and Eleanor (Capen) Wadsworth, and died in 1839. David Wadsworth was a descend- ant in the sixth generation from Christopher Wadsworth, the progenitor of the American branch of the family, who came from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony on the ship "Lion" in 1632, and whose descendants were among the noted colonial families in New Eng- land. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, through the maternal branch, was of this family. In England the genealogy of the family is traced back many generations. The Wadsworths cf Perristone, County of York, England, were of this stock and were the possessors of a coat- of-arms. A very complete genealogical record of the American Wadsworths has been pub- lished. Thomas Burditt, the father of Mrs. Lake, was taken by his parents when a child to South Danville, N. Y., received an ordinary education and became a blacksmith by trade. On February 25, 1847, he was married to Mary Ann Ojers, torn in London, England, Oct. 28, 1822, the daughter of Peter and Mary (Barton) Ojers. Peter Ojers was a native of Holland, and was engaged in the spice trade, his father, who was a wealthy man, being a member of an East In- dia spice firm. On the division of his father's estate, Peter took as his share a ship with which he went to England. This vessel was afterwards captured in some war. Peter Ojers married Oct. 20, 1812, Mary Barton, an English woman, and their children were: Richard, John and Mary Ann. Richard came to Albany, N. Y., where he was a banker, and his father and family, coming over still later, settled at South Danville, N. Y., in 1836, and here the father lived until his death in 1860. Thomas Burditt lived here many years, and he and his wife had the following named children: Maria Louise, born March 25, 1849; Mary Emma, born July 17, 1853. In 1869 Mr. Burditt came with his family to Harvard, McHenry County, and here died, Nov. 6, 1893, and his wife Dec. 24, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Burditt were members of the Methodist church, and in politics he was a Democrat. During his residence at South Dan- ville, N. Y., he served for many years as a Justice of the Peace. Mrs. James. Lake received a good education, being first a pupil in the South Danville Semi- nary, in New York State, and, after coming to Illinois, in the Harvard High School. LA FAYETTE THOMAS. LaFayette Thomas is descended from a fam- ily of Illinois pioneers prominently identified with the early history of McHenry County, be- ing the son of LaFayette 1 and Arvilla (French) Thomas. The father, LaFayette Thomas, Sr., came to Illinois with two brothers, Nelson and Fianton M., in 1835. (See sketch of Stanton M. Thomas in this volume.) These brothers took up land in the western part of Lake Coun- ty near the McHenry County line, now known as the "Powell place," but later entered 320 acres of land at what is now Cary Station, McHenry County, and here the brothers as- sisted in improving the farm. LaFayette Thomas, Sr., married in Algonquin Township Arvilla French, daughter of Joshua French, a pioneer settler of McHenry County. .Almira, a sister of Arvilla French, married Mr. Thomas's brother, Stanton M. The sisters were both early teachers in McHenry County, Ar- villa being a teacher in the Munshaw district, where she boarded with Hosea B. Troop. La- Fayette Thomas, Sr., built a log-house on his land, in which he lived until 1867, when he erected a substantial brick residence which is still standing. He bought the interest of his brother, Stanton M., in this land, and made ad- ditions to the farm until he became the owner of 329 acres, besides sixty-eight acres in Lake County, where the original settlement was made. He was a typical pioneer and expert hunter, and coming to Illinois when the coun- try abounded in game, and when creeks and lakes were stocked with fish, he and his broth- ers had no difficulty in providing the family with meat. Timber wolves and foxes were numerous, and flocks of wild ducks and geese swarmed on the rivers and often fed in the corn- fields. A rifle which Mr. Thomas brought with him from New York and used in his many hunt- ing expeditions, is still preserved as a valued 1092 McHENRY COUNTY. relic of pioneer days by his son. In politics originally a Democrat, on the formation of the Republican party, he allied himself with that organization. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were: Marion J., who married William T. Hamilton, and they have one daughter, Mary G., who married Alva H. Hale^of Nunda; Mary, died aged fourteen years ; Dora W. ; LaFayette, jr., born March 18, 1857; Berr W., born Dec. 26, 1860. In October, 1881, Mr. Thomas moved to Diamond Prairie, Newton County, Mo., where he and his son Berr bought 120 acres of un- improved land upon which they built a resi- dence, and which they otherwise improved. About four years later Mr. Thomas moved to Carthage, Mo., where he bought residence prop- erty, which he still further improved, and where he finally died, Feb. 6, 1899, aged seventy-four years. His widow still survives at the ven- erable age of eighty-nine years. LaFayette Thomas, Jr., born on the paternal homestead, March 18, 1857, received the usual common school education and grew up a farmer. On September 28, 1882, when about twenty-five years of age, he was married near Nunda, Mc- Henry County, to Carrie Munshaw, who was born Nov. 13, 1861, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Newton) Munshaw. Since his mar- riage Mr. Thomas has lived on the old home- stead at Cary Station, where he built a pleas- ant residence which he now occupies. In 1895 he erected a two-story frame house adjoining his home, which he has since sold. Mr. Thom- as is a member of the Town Council and, for six years, has been a member of the School Board. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are parents of the following children: Ethel C, born Oct. 28, 1883; Glenn Earl, born Feb. 28, 1885; Audrey, born December, 1897; LaFayette, born Oct. 20, 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have an ideal home, and are prominent citizens of Cary Sta- tion. Their two older children, Ethel C. and Glenn Earl, are pupils in Elgin Academy, from which Ethel will graduate in 1904. John Munshaw, the father of Mrs. LaFayette Thomas, was born at Youngstown, Ontario, about 1818, the son of John and Catherine (Ful- ton) Munshaw. John Munshaw, Sr., was a na- tive of Massachusetts, and of mixed Irish, French and German ancestry. The Fulton branch of the family were of the same general stock as Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steam-boat. John Munshaw, Jr., was a farmer, and owned a farm near Youngstown, Ontario. In 1861 he moved to Illinois, where he became the owner of a farm of 103 acres, and here he died Aug. 28, 1891, aged seventy-three years, two months and four days. Elizabeth (New- ton) Munshaw, his wife, was born Nov. 9, 1837, the daughter of Thomas and Sophia Newton, who were of English descent. They were the parents of the following named children: Sophia, born Feb. 7, 1858; Caroline, born Nov. 13, 1861; Edwin, born June 11, 1864; Thomas Arthur, born Dec. 20, 1866; Fred Albert, born in 1869; Mary Louisa, born March 16, 1870; Frances May, born May 1, 1871. MORRIS S. M. WEST. The West family in America are of Scotch- Irish extraction, according to tradition being descended from three brothers — Peleg, Elisha and one other whose name is not recalled — coming to the Colonies in the days of Puritan immigration. One of the descendants of the branch was Elisha West, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who was a farmer near Rutland, Vt. Children of this family were: Cyrus, John, Polly, Christina and Jede- diah. Elisha West was a talented musician, both as a performer and a composer; was also a teacher of instrumental and vocal music and author of a book of vocal lessons for which he composed the music. His son John, father of the subject of this sketch, was born near Rut- land, Vt., Sept. 7, 1782, was a farmer by occu- pation, but, like his father, a natural musician and a teacher of vocal music, traveling exten- sively in the prosecution of his profession. He was also the author of a work on musical in- struction in the publication of which he was associated with the late Lowell Mason, the celebrated composer and publisher of Boston, Mass. John West came to New York State, when a young man, where he was engaged in teaching, and at Utica in that State, on Jan. 17, 1807, was married to Sally Slayton, who was born in that city, Oct. 2, 1788, the daughter of David and Sally (Crossman) Slayton. David Slayton was born in England and became a sea-captain, in his early manhood commanding sea-going vessels, but later in life settled on a, farm one mile west of Utica, N. Y., afterwards removing to Leroy, Genesee County, where he McHENRY COUNTY. 1092 bought 100 acres of unimproved land and opened up a farm. In his old age he sold this farm and removed to Bethany Center, where he lived with a son, finally dying about 1840, aged about eighty-six years. Mrs. Slayton died aged eighty-two. In politics Capt. Slayton was a Whig and in religious belief a Baptist. Their children were: Uriah, the only son who lived to manhood, and Sally, an only daughter. John West and his wife Sally (Slayton) set- tled at Leroy, Genesee County, N. Y., on 100 acres of unimproved land, developed a farm, and gave singing lessons in that part of the country. In politics he was an old-line Whig. Their children were: Hiram, born Oct. 22, 1808; Melinda, born June 15, 1810; Ann Eliza, born Sept. 18, 1812; Harrison, born Dec. 15, 1814; Anson T., born April 1, 1817; Jane A., born Sept. 28, 1819— (still living in 1903); George W., born Jan. 18, 1822; Louisa, born June 10, 1824; Morris S. M. (subject of this sketch), born March 8, 1827. John West, the father of this family, died March 14, 1829, and his wife, Feb. 14, 1845. (This record is taken from the West family Bible). Mrs. West was a Baptist. Morris S. M. West received a limited educa- tion in the common schools, and worked on the farm in his boyhood. His father having died when he was two years old, he was brought up by his mother, who died when he was about eighteen. During the latter years of her life, Mrs. West was supported by her son, Morris, who worked out for wages. Soon after the death of his mother, he began learning the blacksmith's trade at Linden, Genesee County, but eight months later went to Perry, N. Y., where he spent seven months in the same line. In 1849 he came to McHenry County, 111., mak- ing the journey by way of the lakes and the Michigan Central Railroad to New Buffalo, Ind., and from there by steamer to Chicago, and arriving in Algonquin Township, June 23. Here) he bought a thrashing machine and en- gaged in thrashing grain the following fall, but soon after bought an 80-acre farm in Algonquin Township, one and a half miles north of Cary Station, which he still owns. This farm had no improvements except twenty-five acres broken. On March 8, 1854, he married in Mc- Henry village Deborah Diantha Crabtree, born in Allegany County, N. Y., July 3, 1835, the daughter of Newman and Sally (Hicks) Crab- tree. (See sketch of George and William Crab- tree in this volume.) After marriage Mr. West settled on the land he had bought, erected on it a small frame house, in which he lived until able to erect a more substantial residence, which he did in, subsequent years, having now one of the best improved farms in the town- ship. During the Civil War Mr. West carried on his business as a blacksmith at Cary Sta- tion and, in 1888, removed to that place per- manently, erecting there the residence he now occupies. Mr. and Mrs. West are members of the Free Methodist Church in McHenry County, with which they have been identified for the past thirty-three years. For forty years he has been Superintendent of the Sabbath School In his neighborhood and, since 1887, has been a local preacher in his church; is also one of the church trustees. In politics he is a Prohi- bitionist. The children of Mr. and Mrs. West, with dates of birth, are: Ida M., Dec. 13, 1856; Inez C, May 29, 1859; Mary E., Aug. 7, 1877, (died aged five months). Ida M. has been married twice: first, March 12, 1874, to Fred G. Thompson, and they had one child born to them, Josephine W., born Sept. 21, 1876. She married as her second hus- band, Nov. 16, 1876, Harvey W. Philip, who died in Elgin, 111., May 6, 1900'. Inez C. married, August, 1878, Rev. Frank Miller of Crystal Lake, and they settled at Elgin. Their children are: Hugh A., Alta B., Earl (died in infancy), and Helen. Mrs. Ida M. (West) Philip was educated in the public school at Cary and in Elgin Academy, and afterwards taught at Nunda, Udina (Kane County), Pingrey's Grove, Syca- more, Silver Lake, and in the Miller District in Algonquin Township. After the death of her second husband in May, 1900, Mrs. Philip returned to Cary Station, where she is now car- ing for her aged parents., Hugh Miller, son of Rev. F. A. and Inez C. (West) Miller, married Edith Bonner, daughter of Dr. Bonner of Knox, Ind., and they have one child — Verne. Alta B. Miller married John B. Collin and they have one child — Harold. Josephine W. Thompson, daughter of Mrs. Philip by her first marriage, lived with her grandparents until fifteen years of age, gradu- ated from the Cary public school in 1892 and from the Elgin High School in 1896, later took 1094 McHENRY COUNTY. a course in the State Normal School at Normal, 111., after which she engaged in teaching for nearly two years. March 8, 1899, she married L. A. McKenzie, who is station agent at Wooddale, 111., and they have one child— Mary Leone, born Feb. 10, 1900. LORENZO DOW LOWELL, M. D. Among the older physicians of McHenry County stands the name of Dr. Lorenzo Dow Lowell, of Nunda. The family is of English origin, the founders of the American branch coming to Massachusetts Bay Colony, in the days of Puritan immigration between 1630 and 1640. Dr. Lowell, of McHenry County, is descended from the same stock as the late James Russell Lowell, the celebrated author, from whom in relationship he is not far re- moved. Abraham Lowell, grandfather of Dr. Lowell, was a native of Massachusetts, and in early manhood left home with a brother, going on foot to New York State. This was before the days of improved roads and bridges, and they were in some cases obliged to swim rivers when the ice was forming. They settled in Schoharie County, N. Y., about ten miles from Cooperstown. Abraham Lowell married a Miss Inman, who was a native of Pennsylvania. The family were the owners of a very large amount of lands which afterwards became very valu- able, part of it being coal lands. The title was directly from the Government, but the lands being held under leases covering a period of one hundred years, through neglect on the part of the occupants, in some cases these were allowed to lapse and great confusion as to ownership was the result. Abraham Lowell passed his last years in Schoharie County, dying between eighty and ninety years of age, his wife dying at the same place. Their chil- dren were: Nyrum, Abraham B., Reuben, De- loss, Clara, Hannah and Sarah Jane. The last named married Thomas Taylor, of Coopers- town, N. Y., and she is still living, at present being a resident of Chicago. Abraham B., of this family, was born on his father's farm in Schoharie County, Jan. 30, 1904, received a limited common-school educa- tion, and proving a natural mechanic, followed brick-making for a time, and was also engaged in the manufacture of pumps, and established the water-works in Mohawk Village, N. Y. for the canal and railroad purposes. He married Anna Seeber, who was born in Schoharie Coun- ty, the daughter of William Seeber. The mother's maiden name was Cline, and both families were of German descent. The father, William Seeber, was an educated man and able to speak six different languages. He was a native of Schoharie County, and his father was one of five brothers who fought under Gen. Herkimer at the battle of Oriskany dur- ing the Revolutionary War. The British force was made up of Tories and Indians under com- mand of Gen. St. Leger, and three of the Seeber brothers were killed and the two others wounded and crippled. William Seeber and wife were the parents of children named: Syl- vanus, Luther, James, Anna, Betsy, Elizabeth and Nicholas. The parents died at an ad- vanced age. After marriage Abraham Lowell settled in Mohawk Village on the Mohawk River, where he lived many years. He and his wife were parents of the following named children: Clarissa, Darius, Lorenzo D., Celia A., Emory G. (who was a soldier in the Ninety-fifth Regi- ment Illinois Volunteers), Abraham A., Jane, Angevine D., Reuben D. and Othello. The last named died at the age of twenty-three years from injuries received in an accident at ten years of age. Abraham Lowell moved to Oneonta. Otsego County, N. Y., and there en- gaged in the manufacture of brick and pumps. In 1845 he moved to Sharon, Wis., coming by way of the canal and lakes to Kenosha, and thence by teams across the country. In the vicinity of Sharon he pre-empted eighty acres of Government land, which he improved and to which he made additions until he owned 528 acres. His wife having died he married at Nunda, 111., Arvilla Olds, and later a third wife who is still living. Mr. Lowell gave farms to his five younger sons. He was a great admirer of Lorenzo Dow, the celebrated evangelist, for whom he named his second son and subject of this sketch, was a member of the Methodist Church and a class-leader. He died June 5, 1892. Lorenzo Dow Lowell, born in Mohawk Vil- lage, N. Y., July 19, 1836, attended school in his native place until nine years of age, when he came with his father to Sharon, Wis. Here he attended the public school for a time and later was a pupil in an academy at Darien, McHENRY COUNTY. 1095 Wis., after which he taught one winter near Harvard, McHenry County, and still later at Sharon, Wis., where he made a specialty of mathematics. Meanwhile he studied Latin with a Rev. Mr. White and began the study of medicine with Dr. Reuben Wilson of Sharon, Wis., with whom he practiced two years. In 1862 he came to Crystal Lake, McHenry Coun- ty, and practiced in partnership with Dr. E. Ballon, after which during 1863-4 he was a student in Rush Medical College, Chicago. After an experience covering forty years, the Doctor is still in active practice. July 2, 1862, Dr. Lowell was married in Wis- consin to Sarah Elizabeth Miller, born Aug. 27, 1842, daughter of Thomas and Anna (Ide) Mil- ler. Thomas Miller was a native of Rens- selaer County, N. Y., the son of Henry and Hannah (Wylie) Miller, was a snoemaker by trade and married in Columbia County, N. Y., Oct. 26, 1837, Hannah Ide, daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth (Salts) Ide. The Ide and Salts families were both of English origin, the Salts being of Quaker stock from Dutchess County, N. Y. Oliver Ide, a farmer, came to Wiscon- sin in 1841, where he improved a farm and where he finally died aged sixty-nine years. Thomas Miller and wife came to Wisconsin in 1844, settling near the Illinois State line, and owned land on both sides of the line. He and his wife were parents of the following named children: Ebenezer, Sarah, Orson, Edward and Thomas. The son Orson was a soldier in the Ninety-fifth Regiment Illinois Volunteers during the Civil War. Mr. Miller died on his farm Nov. 29, 1853, aged about forty years. Mrs. Miller lived with her daughter, Mrs. Lorenzo D. Lowell, for the last twenty-five years. In religious belief Dr. Lowell is a Congrega- tionalist and in politics a stanch Republican. He and his wife have had the following named children: Edith L., born April 25, 1863; Lorenzo D., born Jan. 1, 1867; Edward T., born Nov. 16, 1870 ; Ferdinand G, born Oct. 23, 1873 ; George D., born Dec. 2, 1881. Mrs. Lowell died June 30, 1902. Dr. Lowell has taken a deservedly high rank in his profession and maintains the respect ot a large circle of friends. LORENZO DOW LOWELL, JR. Lorenzo Dow Lowell, Jr., late Master in Chancery and present State's Attorney of Mc- Henry County, was born in Crystal Lake, 111., Jan. 1, 1867, the son of Dr. Lorenzo D. and Sarah (Miller) Lowell, received his early edu- cation in the Crystal Lake public school and in the high school, graduating from the latter, when he took a three years' course in Oberlin College, Ohio. He then entered upon the study of law with Judge C. H. Donnelly or Woodstock, and in 1893 was admitted to the Dar and im- mediately began practice in the McHenry County Circuit Court with offices in Woodstock and Nunda. He soon succeeded in establish- ing for himself a successful practice, and was finally appointed Master in Chancery for the McHenry County Circuit Court, followed in 1900 by his election to the position of State's At- torney, which he still holds and in which he has proved himself a capable and efficient pub- lic prosecutor. Mr. Lowell was successful in unravelling one of the most intricate and mysterious murder cases that has come before the courts of Northern Illinois for many years, finally obtain- ing a complete confession from the murderer — to- wit: the celebrated Ellsworth case, which oc- curred in 1902. The main facts of this case, briefly summarized, are as follows: Benjamin P. Ellsworth was a prosperous wagon-maker ot Woodstock. His family consisted of himself and wife and one son, besides an elderly man named Amos W. Anderson, seventy-eight years of age, who had roomed and boarded with the family for several years. The tragedy occurred on the morning of Feb. 28, 1902, the first knowledge of it being furnished by Earl Ells- worth, the son, as he came from the Ellsworth home with the announcement that Anderson had shot his father, and that the latter had shot Anderson in turn. The room in which the tragedy occurred was located at the head of the stairs in the northeast corner of the house, and was used by Anderson as a sleeping room — the bed standing in the northeast corner — and at the foot of the bed, was a door opening to the stairway leading to the lower floor, while on the south side was a door leading to a front bed-chamber. Beside the head of the bed was a window facing towards the east, the sill ot which was but five or six inches above the floor. The first persons to enter the house after the discovery of the tragedy found the elder Ellsworth ly^ing outstretched in a south- easterly direction, with his head on the sill of 1096 McHENRY COUNTY. the west doorway, while Mrs. Ellsworth lay in the same direction with her head near the sill of the south doorway, their feet almost touch- ing. Both were dead with bullet holes in their heads. The old man Anderson was still alive, but writhing on the floor south of his bed, with his head on the window-sill, and from which the blood was flowing upon the floor and onto the veranda below the window. He was placed upon his bed and later moved to the south bed-room, but died within half an hour. His body bore several bullet wounds, besides two or three on his head, one on each hand and one through the breast from right to left. He died from internal hemorrhage and the shock, and, although partially conscious until a few mo- ments before his death, gave no clue to the perpetrator of the crime. Earl Ellsworth, tne son, promptly surrendered himself to the Sheriff and employed Messrs. Barnes and Lumley as attorneys for his de- fense, while State's Attorney Lowell, with the assistance of attorneys Smiley & Lyon, looked after the prosecution from fts inception. The Coroner's jury rendered a verdict binding young Ellswoth over to the Grand Jury with- out bail. The attorneys for the defense at once prepared a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in behalf of the prisoner, but on its presentation to Judge Donnelly, it was denied of the ground of lack of jurisdiction, Ellsworth being then a voluntary prisoner. The at- torneys for the prosecution being desirous ot further time for the preparation of their case, waived this point, and the attorneys for the defense asked for the release of their client on bail, but this was refused by Judge Donnelly and the application was withdrawn. This was followed by a second application for release on bail, submitted to Judge Frost at Rockford, which, with the consent of the prosecution, was granted and Ellsworth admitted to bail in the sum of $8,000. At the May term of the Circuit Court the Grand Jury found a true bill against Ellsworth for the murder of Amos W. Ander- son, and the case was set for trial at the Sep- tember term following; but before that date Mary Lee, an important witness for the prose- cution, disappeared, and, as the jury for the case had not been impaneled, the prosecution asked and obtained a continuance. With the aid of detectives employed at his own expense, State's Attorney Lowell kept close watch on the movements of young Ells- worth, and was finally successful in securing a confession — first made to the detectives, and later, in a room adjoining another in which were two prominent citizens of MeHenry Coun- ty, in a position to hear what was said through a door-way hung with portierres against which was placed a desk. On the strength of this last confession, Ellsworth was rearrested, again repeated his confession, was brought before the Circuit Court at Woodstock, Judge Donnelly presiding, repeated his confession before the court and received a life-sentence to the State Penitentiary at Joliet for one of the most re- volting crimes ever perpetrated in the history of MeHenry County. For the success attending the prosecution of this celebrated case, with comparatively little cost to the county. State's Attorney Lowell is entitled to great credit. He devoted himself untiringly for many months to the investiga- tion of the case, freely advancing means from his own pocket for the employment of detec- tives. Practically there was so little evidence at the outset on which to base a verdict of con- viction, that, without the employment of some such methods as those so successfully resorted to, the perpetrator of this foul crime would in all probability, have gone unpunished, and the mystery attending it have remained unsolved forever. Mr. Lowell was united in marriage, at Nunda, MeHenry County, Nov. 3, 1892, with Mary H. Philp, who was born in Nunda, the daughter of Robert and Jane (Hoskin) Philp. (See sketch of Robert Philp in this volume.) Mr. and Mrs. Lowell have two children, viz.: Beatrice M., born Oct. 11, 1894, and Gordon L., born June 2, 1900. Fraternally Mr. Lowell is a member of Cary Lodge Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Modern Woodmen of America, and of the Order of Knights of the Maccabees. ROBERT PHILP. Robert Philp, early settler and worthy citi- zen of Nunda, MeHenry County, was born in the village of St. Tudy's, Cornwall, Eng., June 4, 1834, the son of John and Philippa (Hooper) Philp. John Philp, the father, was also a na- tive of Cornwall, born May 2, 1797, the son of Robert and Elizabeth (William) Philp, who were of old English stock and life residents ol McHENRY COUNTY. 1097 St. Tudy's. Their children were named John and Ann. Mr. Philp, the father of this family, died aged about seventy years. John Philp, father of the subject of this sketch, was a shoe- maker by trade, and married, in St. Tudy's, Philippa Hooper, who was born in that place, Sept. 7, 1799, the daughter of James and Eliza- beth (Prout) Hooper. James Hooper was a blacksmith by trade, and spent his life at St. Tudy's where he died. His children were: Samuel. John, James, Thomas, Gerry, William and Joseph. Six of these sons were black- smiths. William of this family went to New Zealand with his brother George, where the former died. John Philp lived all his life at St. Tudy's, dying there in 1877, aged eighty years. The family were members of the Church of England. His children were: James, Robert and Elizabeth. Robert Philp, second son and subject of this sketch, received a limited education in a sub- scription school in his native village, and learned the blacksmith's trade, serving three years as an apprentice. He worked at his trade in his native place until twenty-one years of age, when he came to America, sailing from Plymouth, Ehg., in a sailing-vessel, in August, 1855, the voyage to Quebec occupying seven weeks. From Quebec he came directly by rail- road to Chicago, wnere he arrived Sept. 30, 1855. From Chicago he proceeded to Algonquin, McHenry County, where his brother James had settled in 1851, and an uncle, Thomas Hooper, in 1847. John Pooley, now of Aurora, came to America at the same time. Mr. Philp worked at his trade in Algonquin, ana, on July 11, 1877, was married in the city of Chicago to Jane Hoskin, who was born in St. Teath, Corn- wall, Eng., Feb. 19, 1847, the daughter ot Nicholas and Fannie (Parnall) Hoskin. Nicho- las Hoskin, the father, was born in St. Teath, England, June 3, 1824. He married Fannie Parnall, born in England, the daughter of John Parnall. Nicholas Hooper was a member of the Church of England, and came to America in 1826, sailing from Plymouth, Eng., to Quebec. He died at London, Ont, six weeks after his arrival, leaving two children, Jane and Nicholas. His family remained at London, Ont., several years, and here his widow mar- ried a second husband and they had children named Mary, Sarah and one other now de- ceased. Jane Hoskin, afterwards Mrs. Robert Philp, came to Chicago in 1877, the year of her marriage to Mr. Philp. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Robert Philp lived two years in Al- gonquin and, on April 1, 1879, removed to Nunda, where he established himself in the blacksmith business in which, at the present time (1903) he is still engaged. He built a comfortable residence at Nunda in 1878, which he now occupies. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Philp are: Ida J., John R., Mabel E., Mary H. and Bessie A. Mr. and Mrs. Philp are members of the Episcopal Church. During the Civil War Mr. Philp was in the Government service as a blacksmith, being stationed for six months at Nashville, Tenn. In politics he is a Republi- can and served for fifteen years as a member of the Nunda Village Board of Trustees. Mr. Philp has provided all his children with good educations. His son, John R., graduated from Dixon College, 111., afterwards studied law at Rockford, and is now practicing his profession in the city of Chicago. GEORGE EVERETT MORTON. George Everett Morton (deceased) was one of the younger citizens of McHenry County and descendant of a pioneer family. He was born in Algonquin, June 27, 1870, the son of Edward and Maria G. (Everett) Morton, received his primary education in the Algonquin public schools, and later took a course in Drew's Busi- ness College at Elgin, 111. He then engaged in the livery business in Algonquin, in which he was successful. On June 19, 1901, he was mar- ried in Algonquin to Catherine Hope Doig, who was born Feb. 14, 1874, the daughter of An- drew Doig. (See sketch of Andrew Doig in this volume.) To Mr. and Mrs. Morton was born one child — George Everett Morton, Jr., born Dec. 1, 1902. On November 16, 1902, less than two years after his marriage, Mr. Morton died of typhoid fever, leaving his bereaved wife to mourn her loss and care for their son, who was born a few weeks after the death of the father whose name he bears. Like his father, Mr. Morton was a stanch Republican in politics, and fraternally was connected with the Cary Station Lodge Independent Order of Odd Fellows, with the order of Maccabees and Modern Woodman of America. Mrs. Morton 1098 McHENRY COUNTY. received a good education in the Algonquin public schools and is a lady of refinement and high character. DORR W. THOMAS. Dorr W. Thomas, a native of McHenry Coun- ty and respected citizen of Algonquin Town- ship, was born April 25, 1852, the son of La- Fayette and Arvilla (French) Thomas. (See sketch of S. M. Thomas elsewhere in this vol- ume.) He received his education in the pub- lic schools of Algonquin Township and Gary Station, grew up a farmer and married, in the town of Algonquin, Seraphina Morton, daugh- ter of Edward and Charlotte (Brewer) Morton. (See sketch of Morton family.) After his mar- riage Mr. Thomas first settled on a farm in Al- gonquin Township, but a few years later sold this farm and engaged in the milk business in the city of Chicago, which he continued about three years. This he finally exchanged for the stock and butcher business, which he carried on in Algonquin. He has recently erected an electric light plant in Algonquin Village, which is being conducted successfully and for which he has a franchise covering a period of twenty years. In politics Mr. Thomas is a Republican and, fraternally, a member of the Knights of Maccabees and Modern Woodmen of America. THOMAS W. COFFEY. Thomas W. Coffey, early settler and success- ful farmer of McHenry County, 111., was born in Johnstown, County Meath, Ireland, in 1835, the son of Thomas and Mary (McDonough) Coffey. Thomas Coffey, Sr., was a native of Johnstown, where the family had lived for many generations. His mother's maiden name was McGill. The families were of old Celtic stock. The children of Thomas and Mary Cof- fey were: Ann, Teddy, William, Thomas W., John (who died in America aged twenty-five years), and Christopher. Thomas Coffey, Sr., was a farmer and stock-trader in the fairs of Ireland according to the custom of that coun- try. In 1850 he came with his family to America, sailing from Liverpool in the last days of February for New York, in the ship "Underwriter," the voyage occupying seven weeks. From New York he went immediately to Saratoga County, settling in Jonesville. Be- ing already advanced in years, he had retired from active labor, but his children promptly found employment. Five years later (1855) he removed to Spring Prairie, Walworth County, Wis., where his sons, Thomas and John, had already located, and with them he made his home and there he finally died aged about seventy years. In religious belief he was a Catholic. His wife had died before the family left Ireland. Thomas W. Coffey, the son, attended school but little in his native Ireland, and was about fifteen years old when his father removed to America. In Saratoga County, N. Y., he found employment at farm-work, at four dollars per month for the first year, and eight dollars per month for the second. When about seventeen years old he went to Albany, N. Y., and being unable to find other employment, engaged his services to an old Scotchman as a bar-keeper, with whom he remained two years at $30 per month. Notwithstanding his youth and sur- roundings' during this period, it is to his credit to say that he contracted no bad habits as to drink or otherwise, but was unable to save anything from his meager wages, and, at the end of two years, returned to his old neigh- borhood in Saratoga County, and resumed farm-work at $12 per month. Here he was al- most free from expense, and having saved his wages for eight months, amounting to almost $100, came with his brother John to Illinois, traveling by rail to Chicago and thence by stage to Richmond, McHenry County. Then going to Lake Geneva, he spent a month in the employment of a farmer there, when he went to Hudson, Walworth County, Wis., and there engaged in farm-work, in all spending there about five years, of which two years was with one employer. His father having come west, he and his brother made a home for him in Wisconsin until his death. Thomas W. Coffey was married, Nov. 29, 1859, in Hartland Township, McHenry County, to Mary Ann Claresy, who was born in Paw- tucket, R. I., Sept. 29, 1845, the daughter of Patrick and Catherine (Brady) Claresy. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Coffey settled on an 80- acre tract of rented land in Linn Township, Walworth County, where they remained three years, when in 1862 they moved to McHenry County. For the next three years he lived on a rented farm of 200 acres in Greenwood Town- ship, but in 1865 bought eighty acres of land in Hebron Township, upon which he lived the McHENRY COUNTY. 1099 next fifteen years, in the meantime adding eighty acres more, and improving his land by the erection of good farm buildings. His first purchase of land originally costing him $13 per acre, he subsequently sold at $22 per acre, and then bought a 200-acre farm in Greenwood Towjiship at $22 per acre. In place of the worn-out buildings on his last purchase he has erected new and more modern structures, and now has one of the best improved tarms in McHenry County. Besides this farm he owns another of 122% acres in Greenwood Township, with eleven acres constituting his homestead just outside the city limits of Woodstock on the south, on which there is a good two-story frame house and other farm buildings. He also owns some valuable real estate in Wood- stock, while his wife is also the owner of resi- dence property in her own name. In political opinions Mr. Coffey is a firm ad- herent of the doctrines of Jefferson and Jack- son, but voted for John C. Fremont, the first candidate for President of the Republican ticket. Four years later he supported Stephen A. Douglas for the Presidency, and during the Civil War was a stalwart supporter of the Union cause. He is recognized as a man ot sound practical judgment, and for twelve years served as School Director of his township. His family is Catholic in religious belief. Mr. Coffey is what may be justly termed a self-made man, who owes his success in life to his individual efforts, aided by his faithful and efficient wife. Beginning life with nothing but his hands, a stout Irish heart, and that native ability and shrewdness characteristic of the Celtic race, he has won deserved success as an enterprising farmer and established for him- self a reputation as a trustworthy and re- spected citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Coffey have had born to them the following named children: William Thom- as, born Sept. 29 1860, died March 20, 1865; Mary Ellen, born Sept. 3, 1862, died aged three years; Edward, born May 9, 1864; Francis Wil- liam, born Sept. 20, 1867; Rose A., born June 9, 1869 ; Catherine, born Jan. 25, ' 1876, died Aug. 17, 1891; Margaret, born April 3, 1880, died Oct. 6, 1893; Christopher, born Jan. 25, 1884; Frances Pearl, born March 28, 1888. Mrs. Coffey was in Chicago during the great fire of Oct. 8-9, 1871, and witnessed that historic con- flagration. Edward Coffey, son of Thomas W., married Maggie Halloran, and they have two children — Gilbert and Paul. They reside In Greenwood, McHenry County. The son Francis William, married Susan Bonner, and they reside on a farm in Green- wood. Christopher married Nellie Cusack, and they reside in Woodstock. They have one son- Joseph. Patrick Claresy, the father of Mrs. Coffey, was born in County Limerick, Ireland, about 1800, came to America in early manhood and worked in the cotton factories in Rhode Island. He married Catherine Brady, who was a native of County Longford, Ireland, born about 1800. In her girlhood she came to America and was employed as a domestic, earning the money which she sent to Ireland to enable her broth- ers and sisters to reach this country. The children of this family were: William, Ellen, Catherine, Francis, Mary Ann, John, Elizabeth and Maggie. Of these the first five were born at Pawtucket, R. I., where Mr. Claresy was em- ployed for many years in the cotton mills. About 1848 he moved with his family to Hart- land Township, McHenry County, where tie bought a farm of 150 acres in the Donnelly set- tlement. This land he improved and added to it until he became the owner of 300 acres. Mr. Claresy was a Democrat in politics and in re- ligious faith a Catholic. He served for some- time as school director in his district. He died Dec. 3, 1863, aged about 65 years, while his widow survived him nearly thirty-five years, dying, May 20, 1898, aged nearly 100 years. JOSEPH E. ROBINSON. Joseph E. Robinson, Harvard, 111., member of a pioneer family of McHenry County, was born near Montreal, Can., April 22, 1837, the son ot Joseph and Harriet (Carr) Robinson. Joseph Robinson, Sr., was a native of Canada, born near Montreal, now in the Province of Quebec, and was a farmer by occupation. According to tradition the Robinson family was originally of English stock, this branch of the family be- ing descended from a soldier of the English army who settled in the Scotch settlement in the North of Ireland, an incident which has given rise to the belief that they were of Scotch-Irish ancestry. If there was Scotch- Irish blood in their veins, it was derived from 1100 McHENRY COUNTY. the maternal side. Joseph Robinson, St., was married near Montreal to Harriet Carr, daugh- ter of William and Rachel Carr, the Carr fam- ily being of Yorkshire English stock. Joseph Robinson and wife first settled twenty-four miles north of Montreal, where they remained a few years, when they removed to Walworth County, Wis., settling near Geneva Lake. Here he began improving a farm, but subsequently sold out and in 1841 removed to McHenry County, 111., locating at Fanklinville, where he bought 320 acres of land in company with his mother-in-law, Mrs. Rachel Carr. This land he improved and it remained in possession of the family until 1902. Mr. Robinson and wife were members of the Methodist Church, but on coming to Geneva Lake, there being no church of that denomination there, they became identified with the Baptist Church. They were parents of the following named children: Rachel, Joseph E., Rebecca, Charlotte, Henry, Richard, Mariah and George. In political opinions he was originally an old-time Whig and later a Republican. He was a man of sound morals and high character. Mrs. Robin- son lived to the age of seventy-four years, dy- ing on the farm in 1884. Joseph E. Robinson, the immediate subject of this sketch, was four years old when his par- ents moved to Franklinville, McHenry County, received a common-school education in his boy- hood, and later spent two terms in the Todd Seminary at Woodstock. His life occupation was that of a farmer, remaining at the paternal home until twenty-six years of age, when, in December, 1864, he removed to Bremer County, Iowa, where he bought 200 acres of unimproved land with ten acres of timber land. Here during 1865 he built a grist and saw^mill, carrying on a considerable busi- ness. He also built a good frame house, and on July 7, 1868, he married in Rockford, IN., Mary C. Carmack, who was born Nov. 4, 1839, in Porter County, Ind., the daughter of Abram and Ruth (Massey) Carmack. (See sketch of William A. Carmack in this volume.) Mrs. Robinson was an infant when brought by her parents to McHenry County, and grew up on the farm in Dunham Township, where she attended the district school. Her first teacher was Mary Barnes. Her mother having died when she was twenty years old, she remained at home for several years caring for her fath- er's household. Her brother, Robert, having be- come blind from an attack of measles when about five years old, came under the charge of his sister, and she cared for him with sisterly affection and devotion. He was a bright, in- telligent boy and made excellent progress in his mental studies, especial mental arithmetic and music, and learned to play well on the violin and the cornet. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Rob- inson located in Bremer County, Iowa, on the land which he had bought, and made of it a pleasant home developing a valuable property. His farm was situated fifteen miles northeast of Waverly, Iowa, and he added to it until he was the owner of 277 acres. Here he lived twenty-six years, and here their two children were born, viz.: Robert E., born Sept. 16, 1869, and Frank A., born July 8, 1873. Mr. Robinson served as Secretary of the School Board of his district thirteen years. Robert E. Robinson, the elder son of this family, received his education In the district school, later graduated from the business de- partment of the Fayette High School, after which he attended the Medical College at Iowa City three years. He then spent one term in the Rush Medical College, Chicago, when, re- turning to the Medical College at Iowa City, he graduated there in 1894, and soon after began practice at Frederica, Iowa, which he contin- ued successfully for eight years. Then, having taken a special course in the Medical College at Iowa City, he became the resident physician in charge of the Mercy Hospital at Davenport, Iowa. He is at present engaged in practice at Tripoli, Iowa. Frank A., the younger son, received his edu- cation in the district school and in the high school at Tripoli, Iowa, after which he spent some time in the horological school at Elgin, 111., graduating there in 1893. On December 20, 1893, he was married to Rose Guiney. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Robinson visited the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893, after which they came to Harvard, Mc- Henry County, then spent a year at Marengo, and finally purchased the property where they now reside, consisting of two acres adjoining the corporation limits of the City of Harvard on the south. Here Mr. Robinson has erected a pleasant residence, and here they have since resided. He is a stanch Republican in politics, McHENRY COUNTY. 1101 and a man of sturdy moral character and sound business judgment. He has invested largely in fertile farming lands in Clark and Codington Counties, South Dakota. Mrs. Robinson inherited from her father, Abram Carmack, the Carmack homestead, consisting of 179 acres of valuable land. She is a member of the Presbyterian church, in which she is an active worker and a liheral supporter. She is an ex-member of the Ladies of the Maccabees and of the Woman's Relief Corps — an auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic — and, for fifteen years, has been a member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union; is also a member of the Patriotic CluD of Harvard. ERRATA. Page 652— (Sketch of Frank F. Axtell) Second Column, 2d line: For "Genoa, 111.," read Geneva, 111. Same Page — Same Column, 6th line: For "John D." read Joseph D. ■^S^FlLLINOlTuRBANA C001 ^tS 1 L%CVCLOPED.A OF ILLINOIS INCL