I B RAR.Y 
 
 OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 or ILLINOIS 
 
 977.354 
 
 P83& 
 
 ILLINOIS HISTDRICAl SURVEY
 
 / y* 
 
 RECORJD 
 
 Tazewell and Mason Counties, 
 
 { ILLINOIS, -f 
 
 Containlnn Biographical Sketches of 
 
 Prominent and Representative Citizens of the Counties, 
 
 Together with Biographies and Portraits of all the 
 
 Governors of the State and the Presidents of the United States, 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 PIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 1894,
 
 FIE greatest of English historians, MACAULAT,and one of the most brilliant writers of 
 the present century, has said: "The history of a country is best told in a record of the 
 lives of its people." In conformity with this idea the PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI 
 KEIORD of this county has *;3en prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and 
 taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, out 
 corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by then 
 enterprise and industry, brought the county to rank second to none among those 
 comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life 
 struggles: No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelli 
 gent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy .the 
 imitation of coining 'generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by 
 industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited 
 advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an 
 influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who 
 have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have 
 become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and 
 records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very 
 many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," contend 
 to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy "they have done what 
 
 - they could." It tells how that many in the pride and strength of young manhood left the plow and the 
 anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's 
 
 -; call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace 
 once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not 
 be lost upon those who follow after. 
 
 Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact 
 that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be 
 inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible 
 
 * given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers flatter them- 
 selves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biograph 
 ical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given. 
 
 The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this the 
 publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refused to give the 
 information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally some member of 
 the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested 
 ; one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though repeated calls were made 
 at their residence or place of business. 
 
 July, 1894. BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING Co.
 
 
 portraits and J||iographies 
 
 OF THE 
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINIOS, 
 
 AND OF THE 
 
 Presidents of the United States.

 
 LIBRARY 
 Of THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 
 HE Father of our Country was born in West- 
 moreland County, Va. , February 22, 1732. 
 His parents were Augustine and Mary (Ball) 
 Washington. The family to which he belonged 
 has not been satisfactorily traced in England. 
 His great-grandfather, John Washington, emi- 
 grated to Virginia about 1657, and became a 
 prosperous planter. He had two sons, Lawrence 
 and John. The former married Mildred Warner, 
 and had three children, John, Augustine and 
 Mildred. Augustine, the father of George, first 
 married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, 
 two of whom, Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
 maturity. Of six children by his second mar- 
 riage, George was the eldest, the others being 
 Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles and 
 Mildred. 
 
 Augustine Washington, the father of George, 
 died in 1743, leaving a large landed property. 
 To his eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an 
 estate on the Potomac, afterwards known as Mt. 
 Vernon, and to George he left the parental resi- 
 dence. George received only such education as 
 the neighborhood schools afforded, save for a 
 short time after he left school, when he received 
 private instruction in mathematics. His spelling 
 was rather defective. Remarkable stories are 
 told of his great physical strength and develop- 
 ment at an early age. He was an acknowledged 
 leader among his companions, and was early 
 noted for that nobleness of character, fairness and 
 veracity which characterized his whole life. 
 
 When George was fourteen years old he had a 
 desire to go to sea, and a midshipman's warrant 
 was secured for him, but through the opposition 
 of his mother the idea was abandoned. Two 
 
 years later he was appointed surveyor to the im- 
 mense estate of Lord Fairfax. In this business 
 he spent three years in a rough frontier life, 
 gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
 essential to him. In 1751, though only nineteen 
 years of age, he was appointed Adjutant, with the 
 rank of Major, in the Virginia militia, then being 
 trained for active service against the French and 
 Indians. Soon after this he sailed to the West 
 Indies with his brother Lawrence, who went there 
 to restore his health. They soon returned, and 
 in the summer of 1752 Lawrence died, leaving a 
 large fortune to an infant daughter, who did not 
 long survive him. On her demise the estate of 
 Mt. Vernon was given to George. 
 
 Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie as Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia 
 was reorganized, and the province divided into 
 four military districts, of which the northern was 
 assigned to Washington as Adjutant-General. 
 Shortly after this a very perilous mission, which 
 others had refused, was assigned him and ac- 
 cepted. This was to proceed to the French post 
 near Lake Erie, in northwestern Pennsylvania. 
 The distance to be traversed was about six hun- 
 dred miles. Winter was at hand, and the journey 
 was to be made without military escort, through 
 a territory occupied by Indians. The trip was a 
 perilous one, and several times he nearly lost his 
 life, but he returned in safety and furnished a full 
 and useful report of his expedition. A regiment 
 of three hundred men was raised in Virginia and 
 put in command of Col. Joshua Fry, and Maj. 
 Washington was commissioned Lieutenant-Colo- 
 nel. Active war was then begun against the 
 French and Indians, in which Washington took
 
 20 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 
 a most important part. In the memorable event 
 of July 9, 1755, known as" Braddock's defeat," 
 Washington was almost the only officer of dis- 
 tinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
 day with life and honor. 
 
 Having been for five years in the military serv- 
 ice, and having vainly sought promotion in the 
 royal army, he took advantage of the fall of Ft. Du- 
 quesue and the expulsion of the French from the 
 valley of the Ohio to resign his commission. Soon 
 after he entered the Legislature, where, although 
 not a leader, he took an active and important 
 part. January 17, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha 
 (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy widow of John 
 Parke Custis. 
 
 When the British Parliament had closed the 
 port of Boston, the cry went up throughout the 
 provinces, ' ' The cause ot Boston is the cause of 
 us all! " It was then, at the suggestion of Vir- 
 ginia, that a congress of all the colonies was 
 called to meet at Philadelphia September 5, 
 1774, to secure their common liberties, peaceably 
 if possible. To this congress Col. Washington 
 was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
 congress re-assembled, when the hostile inten- 
 tions of England were plainly apparent. The 
 battles of Concord and Lexington had been fought, 
 and among the first acts of this congress was the 
 election of a commander-in-chief of the Colonial 
 forces. This high and responsible office was con- 
 ferred upon Washington, who was still a member 
 of the congress. He accepted it on June 19, but 
 upon the express condition that he receive no sal- 
 ary. He would keep an exact account of ex- 
 penses, and expect congress to pay them and 
 nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch 
 to trace the military acts of Washington, to whom 
 the fortunes and liberties of the people of this 
 country were so long confided. The war was 
 conducted by him under every possible disadvan- 
 tage; and while his forces often met with reverses, 
 yet he overcame every obstacle, and after seven 
 years of heroic devotion and matchless skill he 
 gained liberty for the greatest nation of earth. 
 On December 23, 1783, Washington, in a parting 
 address of surpassing beauty, resigned his com- 
 mission as Commander-in-Chief of the army to the 
 
 Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He 
 retired immediately to Mt. Veruon and resumed 
 his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning 
 all connection with public life. 
 
 In February, 1789, Washington was unani- 
 mously elected President, and at the expiration 
 of his first term he was unanimously re-elected. 
 At the end of this term many were anxious that he 
 be re-elected, but he absolutely refused a third 
 nomination. On March 4, 1797, at the expiration 
 of his second term as President, he returned to his 
 home, hoping to pass there his few remaining 
 years free from the annoyances of public life. 
 Later in the year, however, his repose seemed 
 likely to be interrupted by war with France. At 
 the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
 take command of the army, but he chose his sub- 
 ordinate officers and left them the charge of mat- 
 ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
 home. In accepting the command, he made the 
 reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
 it was necessary. In the midst of these prepara- 
 tions his life was suddenly cut off. December 1 2 
 he took a severe cold from a ride in the rain, 
 which, settling in his throat, produced inflamma- 
 tion, and terminated fatally on the night of the 
 1 4th. On the i8th his body was borne with mili- 
 tary honors to its final resting-place, and interred 
 in the family vault at Mt. Vernon. 
 
 Of the character of Washington it is impossible 
 to speak but in terms of the highest respect and 
 admiration. The more we see of the operations 
 of our government, and the more deeply we feel 
 the difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common 
 interest, the more highly we must estimate the 
 force of his talent and character, which have bee:i 
 able to challenge the reverence of all parties, 
 and principles, and nations, and to win a fame as 
 extended as the limits of the globe, and which we 
 cannot but believe will be as lasting as the exist- 
 ence of man 
 
 In person, Washington was unusually tall, erect 
 and well proportioned, and his muscular strength 
 was great. His features were of a beausiful sym- 
 metry. He commanded respect without any ap- 
 pearance of haughtiness, and was ever serious 
 without being dull.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of TH 
 
 of IUJNOIS
 
 .
 
 JOHN ADAMS. 
 
 (TOHN ADAMS, the second President and the 
 I first Vice-President of the United States, was 
 Q) born in Braintree (now Quincy) Mass. , and 
 about ten miles from Boston, October 19, 1735. 
 His great-grandfather, Henry Adams, emigrated 
 from England about 1640, with a family of eight 
 sons, and settled at Braintree. The parents of 
 John were John and Susannah (Boylston) 
 Adams. His father, who was a farmer of limited 
 means, also engaged in the business of shoe- 
 making. He gave his eldest son, John, a classical 
 education at Harvard College. John graduated 
 in 1755, and at once took charge of the school at 
 Worcester, Mass. This he found but a ' ' school 
 of affliction," from which he endeavored to gain 
 relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the 
 study of law. For this purpose he placed himself 
 under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. 
 He had thought seriously of the clerical profes- 
 sion, but seems to have been turned from this by 
 what he termed ' ' the frightful engines of ecclesi- 
 astical councils, of diabolical malice, and Calvin- 
 istic good nature, ' ' of the operations of which he 
 had been a witness in his native town. He was 
 well fitted for the legal profession, possessing a 
 clear, sonorous voice, being ready and fluent of 
 speech, and having quick perceptive powers. He 
 gradually gained a practice, and in 1764 married 
 Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, and a 
 lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his 
 marriage, in 1765, the attempt at parliamentary 
 taxation turned him from law to politics. He 
 took initial steps toward holding a town meeting, 
 and the resolutions he offered on the subject be- 
 came very popular throughout the province, and 
 were adopted word for word by over forty differ- 
 ent towns. He moved to Boston in 1768, and 
 became one of the most courageous and promi- 
 nent advocates of the popular cause, and. was 
 chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- 
 islature) in 1770. 
 
 Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first dele- 
 
 gates from Massachusetts to the first Continent- 
 al Congress, which met in 1774. Here he dis- 
 tinguished himself by his capacity for business 
 and for debate, and advocated the movement for 
 independence against the majority of the mem- 
 bers. In May, 1776, he moved and carried a res- 
 olution in Congress that the Colonies should 
 assume the duties of self-government. He was a 
 prominent member of the committee of five ap- 
 pointed June 1 1 to prepare a declaration of inde- 
 pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, 
 but on Adams devolved the task of battling it 
 through Congress in a three-days debate. 
 
 On the day after the Declaration of Independ- 
 ence was passed, while his soul was yet warm 
 with the glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter 
 to his wife, which, as we read it now, seems to 
 have been dictated by the spirit of prophecy. 
 "Yesterday," he says, "the greatest question 
 was decided that ever was debated in America; 
 and greater, perhaps, never was or will be de- 
 cided among men. A resolution was passed 
 without one dissenting colony, 'that these United 
 States are, and of right ought to be, free and in- 
 dependent states.' The day is passed. The 
 Fourth of July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch 
 in the history of America. I am apt to believe it 
 will be celebrated by succeeding generations as 
 the great anniversary festival. It ought to be 
 commemorated as the day of deliverance by 
 solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It 
 ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows, games, 
 sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations 
 from one end of the continent to the other, from 
 this time fonvard forever. You will think me 
 transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I 
 am well aware of the toil and blood and treas- 
 ure that it will cost to maintain this declaration 
 and support and defend these States; yet, through 
 all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and 
 glory. I can see that the end is worth more than 
 all the means, and that posterity will triumph,
 
 JOHN ADAMS. 
 
 although you and I may rue, which I hope we 
 shall not." 
 
 In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed 
 a delegate to France, and to co-operate with Ben- 
 jamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then 
 in Paris, in the endeavor to obtain assistance in 
 arms and money from the French government. 
 This was a severe trial to his patriotism, as it 
 separated him from his home, compelled him to 
 cross the ocean in winter, and exposed him to 
 great peril of capture by the British cruisers, who 
 were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
 1779. In September of the same year he was 
 again chosen to go to Paris, and there hold him- 
 self in readiness to negotiate a treaty of peace and 
 of commerce with Great Britain, as soon as the 
 British cabinet might be found willing to listen 
 to such proposals. He sailed for France in No- 
 vember, and from there he went to Holland, where 
 he negotiated important loans and formed im- 
 portant commercial treaties. 
 
 Finally, a treaty of peace with England was 
 signed, January 2 1 , 1783. The re-action from the 
 excitement, toil and anxiety through which Mr. 
 Adams had passed threw him into a fever. After 
 suffering from a continued fever and becoming 
 feeble and emaciated, he was advised to go to 
 England to drink the waters of Bath. While in 
 England, still drooping and desponding, he re- 
 ceived dispatches from his own government urg- 
 ing the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
 negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health 
 was delicate, yet h immediately set out, and 
 through storm, on sea, on horseback and foot, he 
 made the trip. 
 
 February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. 
 Adams envoy to the Court of St. James. Here 
 he met face to face the King of England, who 
 had so long regarded him as a traitor. As Eng- 
 land did not condescend to appoint a minister to 
 the United States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he 
 was accomplishing but little, he sought permis- 
 sion to return to his own country, where he ar- 
 rived in June, 1788. 
 
 When Washington was first chosen President, 
 John Adams, rendered illustrious by his signal 
 services at home and abroad, was chosen Vice- 
 
 President. Again, at the second election of Wash- 
 ington as President, Adams was chosen Vice- 
 President. In 1796, Washington retired from 
 public life, and Mr. Adams was elected President, 
 though not without much opposition. Serving 
 in this office four years, he was succeeded by Mr. 
 Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 
 
 While Mr. Adams was Vice- President the 
 great French Revolution shook the continent of 
 Europe, and it was upon this point that he was 
 at issue with the majority of his countrymen, led 
 by Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Adams felt no sympathy 
 with the French people in their struggle, for he 
 had no confidence in their power of self-govern- 
 ment, and he utterly abhorred the class of atheist 
 philosophers who, he claimed, caused it. On the 
 other hand, Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
 enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence 
 originated the alienation between these distin- 
 tinguished men, and the two powerful parties were 
 'thus soon organized, with Adams at the head of 
 the One ' whose sympathies were with England, 
 and Jefferson leading the other in sympathy with 
 France. 
 
 The Fourth of July, 1826, which completed the 
 half-century since the signing of the Declaration 
 of Independence, arrived, and there were but 
 three of the signers of that immortal instrument 
 left upon the earth to hail its morning light. 
 And, as it is well known, on that day two of 
 these finished their earthly pilgrimage, a coinci- 
 dence so remarkable as to seem miraculous. For 
 a few days before Mr. Adams had been rapidly 
 failing, and on the morning of the Fourth he 
 found himself too weak to rise from his bed. On 
 being requested to name a toast for the cus- 
 tomary celebration of the day, he exclaimed 
 "Independence forever!" When the day was 
 ushered in by the ringing of bells and the firing 
 of cannons, he was asked by one of his attend- 
 ants if he knew what day it was ? He replied, 
 ' ' O yes, it is the glorious Fourth of July God 
 bless it God bless you all!" In the course of 
 the day he said, "It is a great and glorious 
 day. ' ' The last words he uttered were, ' ' Jeffer- 
 son survives." But he had, at one o'clock, 
 resigned his spirit into the hands of his God.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of THf 
 
 UNIVEKSm Of ILLINOIS
 
 THOMAS JEFFERSON. 
 
 'HOMAS JEFFERSON was bom April 2, 
 
 1743, at Shadwell, Albemarle County, Va. 
 
 His parents were Peter and Jane (Ran- 
 dolph) Jefferson, the former a native of Wales, 
 and the latter born in London. To them were 
 born six daughters and two sons, of whom Thomas 
 was the elder. When fourteen years of age his 
 father died. He received a most liberal educa- 
 tion, having been kept diligently at school from 
 the time he was five years of age. In 1760 he 
 entered William and Mary College. Williams- 
 burg was then the seat of the Colonial court, and 
 it was the abode of fashion and splendor. Young 
 Jefferson, who was then seventeen years old, lived 
 somewhat expensively, keeping fine horses, and 
 going much into gay society; yet he was ear- 
 nestly devoted to his studies, and irreproachable in 
 his morals. In the second year of his college 
 course, moved by some unexplained impulse, he 
 discarded his old companions and pursuits, and 
 often devoted fifteen hours a day to hard study. 
 He thus attained very high intellectual culture, 
 and a like excellence in philosophy and the lan- 
 guages. 
 
 Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
 study of law. For the short time he continued 
 in the practice of his profession he rose rapidly, 
 and distinguished himself by his energy and 
 acuteness as a lawyer. But the times called for 
 greater action. The policy of England had awak- 
 ened the spirit of resistance in the American Col- 
 onies, and the enlarged views which Jefferson had 
 ever entertained soon led him into active politi- 
 cal life. In 1 769 he was chosen a member of the 
 Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1772 he mar- 
 
 ried Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beautiful, 
 wealthy, and highly accomplished young widow. 
 
 In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
 where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
 writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
 was placed upon a number of important com- 
 mittees, and was chairman of the one appointed 
 for the drawing up of a declaration of independ- 
 ence. This committee consisted of Thomas Jef- 
 ferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger 
 Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, 
 as chairman, was appointed to draw up the paper. 
 Franklin and Adams suggested a few verbal 
 changes before it was submitted to Congress. On 
 June 28, a few slight changes were made in it by 
 Congress, and it was passed and signed July 4, 
 1776. 
 
 In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
 Patrick Henry as Governor of Virginia. At one 
 time the British officer Tarleton sent a secret 
 expedition to Monticello to capture the Governor. 
 Scarcely five minutes elapsed after the hurried 
 escape of Mr. Jefferson and his family ere his 
 mansion was in possession of the British troops. 
 His wife's health, never very good, was much 
 injured by this ' excitement, and in the summer 
 of 1782 she died. 
 
 Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
 Two years later he was appointed Minister Pleni- 
 potentiary to France. Returning to the United 
 States in September, 1789, he became Secretary 
 of State in Washington's cabinet. This position 
 he resigned January i, 1794. In 1797, he was 
 chosen Vice-President, and four years later was 
 elected President over Mr. Adams, with Aaron
 
 28 
 
 THOMAS JEFFERSON. 
 
 Burr as Vice-President. In 1804 he was re- 
 elected with wonderful unanimity, George Clin- 
 ton being elected Vice-President. 
 
 The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second ad- 
 ministration was disturbed by an event which 
 threatened the tranquillity and peace of the Union; 
 this was the conspiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated 
 in the late election to the Vice-Presidency, and 
 led on by an unprincipled ambition, this extraor- 
 dinary man formed the plan of a military ex- 
 pedition into the Spanish territories on our south- 
 western frontier, for the purpose of fprming there 
 a new republic. This was generally supposed 
 to have been a mere pretext; and although it has 
 not been generally known what his real plans 
 were, there is no doubt that they were of a far 
 more dangerous character. 
 
 In 1809, at the expiration of the second term 
 for which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he de- 
 termined to retire from political life. For a period 
 of nearly forty years he had been continually be- 
 fore the public, and all that time had been em- 
 ployed in offices of the greatest trust and respon- 
 sibility. Having thus devoted the best part of 
 his life to the service of his country, he now felt 
 desirous of that rest which his declining years re- 
 - quired, and upon the organization of the new ad- 
 ministration, in March, 1809, he bade farewell for- 
 tver to public life and retired to Monticello, his 
 famous country home, which, next to Mt. Vernon, 
 was the most distinguished residence in the land. 
 
 The Fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth an- 
 niversary of the Declaration of American Inde- 
 pendence, great preparations were made in every 
 part of the Union for its celebration as the nation's 
 jubilee, and the citizens of Washington, to add to 
 the solemnity of the occasion, invited Mr. Jeffer- 
 son, as the framer and one of the few surviving 
 signers of the Declaration, to participate in their 
 festivities. But an illness, which had been of 
 several weeks' duration and had been continually 
 increasing, compelled him to decline the invita- 
 tion. 
 
 On the ad of July the disease under which he 
 was laboring left him, but in such a reduced 
 state that his medical attendants entertained no 
 hope of his recovery. From this time he was 
 
 perfectly sensible that his last hour was at hand. 
 On the next day, which was Monday, he asked 
 of those around him the day of the month, and 
 on being told it was the 3d of July, he ex- 
 pressed the earnest wish that he might be per- 
 mitted to breathe the air of the fiftieth anniver- 
 sary. His prayer was heard that day whose 
 dawn was hailed with such rapture through our 
 land burst upon his eyes, and then they were 
 closed forever. And what a noble consummation 
 of a noble life! To die on that day the birth- 
 day of a nation the day which his own name 
 and his own act had rendered glorious, to die 
 amidst the rejoicings and festivities of a whole 
 nation, who looked up to him as the author, un- 
 der God, of their greatest blessings, was all that 
 was wanting to fill up the record of his life. 
 
 Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
 dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear 
 him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. 
 Hand in hand they had stood forth, the cham- 
 pions of freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark 
 and desperate struggle of the Revolution, they 
 had cheered and animated their desponding coun- 
 trymen; for half a century they had labored to- 
 gether for the good of the country, and now hand 
 in hand they departed. In their lives they had 
 been united in the same great cause of liberty, 
 and in their deaths they were not divided. 
 
 In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather 
 above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
 were light, his hair, originally red, in after life be- 
 came white and silvery, his complexion was fair, 
 his forehead broad, and his whole countenance 
 intelligent and thoughtful. He possessed great 
 fortitude of mind as well as personal courage, and 
 his command of temper was such that his oldest 
 and most intimate friends never recollected to 
 have seen him in a passion. His manners, though 
 dignified, were simple and unaffected, and his 
 hospitality was so unbounded that all found at 
 his house a ready welcome. In conversation he 
 was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic, and his 
 language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
 was a finished classical scholar, and in his writ- 
 ings is discernible the care with which lie formed 
 his style upon the best models of antiquity.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OfTHE 
 
 UNIYERSIIY Of ILUNttS
 
 
 . 
 
 

 
 JAMES MADISON. 
 
 (TAMES MADISON, "Father of the Consti- 
 
 I tution, ' ' and fourth President of the United 
 G) States, was born March 16, 1757, and died 
 at his home in Virginia June 28, 1836. The 
 name of James Madison is inseparably connected 
 with most of the important events in that heroic 
 period of our country during which the founda- 
 tions of this great republic were laid. He was 
 the last of the founders of the Constitution of the 
 United States to be called to his eternal reward. 
 
 The Madison family were among the early emi- 
 grants to the New World, landing upon the shores 
 of the Chesapeake but fifteen years after the settle- 
 ment of Jamestown. The father of James Madison 
 was an opulent planter, residing upon a very fine 
 estate called Montpelier, in Orange County, Va. 
 It was but twenty-five miles from the home of Jef- 
 ferson at Monticello, and the closest personal and 
 political attachment existed between these illustri- 
 ous men from their early youth until death. 
 
 The early education of Mr. Madison was con- 
 ducted mostly at home under a private tutor. At 
 the age of eighteen he was sent to Princeton Col- 
 lege, in New Jersey. Here he applied himself to 
 study with the most imprudent zeal, allowing him- 
 self for months but three hours' sleep out of the 
 twenty-four. His health thus became so seriously 
 impaired that he never recovered any vigor of 
 constitution. He graduated in 1771, with a feeble 
 body, but with a character of utmost purity, and 
 a mind highly disciplined and richly stored with 
 learning, which embellished and gave efficiency 
 to his subsequent career. 
 
 Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study 
 of law and a course of extensive and systematic 
 reading. This educational course, the spirit of 
 the times in which he lived, and the society with 
 which he associated, all combined to inspire him 
 with a strong love of liberty, and to train him for 
 his life-work as a statesman. 
 
 In the spring of 1776, when twenty-six years of 
 
 age, he was elected a member of the Virginia Con- 
 vention to frame the constitution of the State. The 
 next year (1777), he was a candidate for the Gen- 
 eral Assembly. He refused to treat the whisky -lov- 
 ing voters, and consequently lost his election; but 
 those who had witnessed the talent, energy and 
 public spirit of the modest young man enlisted 
 themselves in his behalf, and he was appointed to 
 the Executive Council. 
 
 Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
 Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison re- 
 mained member of the Council, and their apprecia- 
 tion of his intellectual, social and moral worth 
 contributed not a little to his subsequent eminence. 
 In the year 1780 he was elected a member of the 
 Continental Congress. Here he met the most il- 
 lustrious men in our land, and he was immediately 
 assigned to one ot the most conspicuous positions 
 among them. For three years he continued in Con- 
 gress, one of its most active and influential mem- 
 bers. In 1784, his term having expired, he was 
 elected a member of the Virginia legislature. 
 
 No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the 
 utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no 
 national government, and no power to form trea- 
 ties which would be binding, or to enforce law. 
 There was not any State more prominent than 
 Virginia in the declaration that an efficient na- 
 tional government must be formed. In January, 
 1786, Mr. Madison carried a resolution through 
 the General Assembly of Virginia, inviting the 
 other States to appoint commissioners to meet in 
 convention at Annapolis to discuss this subject. 
 Five States only were represented. The conven- 
 tion, however, issued another call, drawn up by 
 Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
 delegates to Philadelphia in May, 1787, to draft 
 a Constitution for the United States, to take the 
 place of the Confederate League. The delegates 
 met at the time appointed. Every State but 
 Rhode Island was represented. Georp e Washing-
 
 JAMES MADISON. 
 
 ton was chosen president of the convention, and the 
 present Constitution of the United States was then 
 and there formed. There was, perhaps, no mind 
 and no pen more active in framing this immortal 
 document than the mind and the pen of James 
 Madison. 
 
 The Constitution, adopted by a vote of eighty-one 
 to seventy-nine, was to be presented to the several 
 States for acceptance. But grave solicitude was 
 felt. Should it be rejected, we should be left but a 
 conglomeration of independent States, with but 
 little power at home and little respect abroad. Mr. 
 Madison was elected by the convention to draw up 
 an address to the people of the United States, ex- 
 pounding the principles of the Constitution, and 
 urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
 to it at first, but at length it triumphed over all, 
 and went into effect in 1789. 
 
 Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
 sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became 
 the avowed leader of the Republican party. While 
 in New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. 
 Todd, a young widow of remarkable power of fas- 
 cination, whom he married. She was in person 
 and character queenly, and probaby no lady has 
 thus far occupied so prominent a position in the 
 very peculiar society which has constituted our 
 republican court as did Mrs. Madison. 
 
 Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
 Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
 was chosen President. At this time the encroach- 
 ments of England had brought us to the verge of 
 war. British orders in council destroyed our com- 
 merce, and our flag was exposed to constant insult. 
 Mr. Madison was a man of peace. Scholarly in 
 his taste, retiring in his disposition, war had no 
 charms for him. But the meekest spirit can be 
 roused. It makes one's blood boil, even now, to 
 think of an American ship brought to upon the 
 ocean by the guns of an English cruiser. A 
 young lieutenant steps on board and orders the 
 crew to be paraded before him. With great non- 
 chalance he selects any number whom he may 
 please to designate as British subjects, orders them 
 down the ship's side into his boat, and places them 
 on the gundeck of his man-of-war, to fight, by 
 compulsion, the battles of England. This right 
 
 of search and impressment no efforts of our Gov- 
 ernment could induce the British cabinet to re- 
 linquish. 
 
 On the 1 8th of June, 1812, President Madison 
 gave his approval to an act of Congress declaring 
 war against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the 
 bitter hostility of the Federal party to the war, the 
 country in general approved; and Mr. Madison, 
 on the 4th of March, 1813, was re-elected by a 
 large majority, and entered upon his second term 
 of office. This is not the place to describe the 
 various adventures of this war on the land and on 
 the water. Our infant navy then laid the found- 
 ations of its renown in grappling with the most 
 formidable power which ever swept the seas. The 
 contest commenced in earnest by the appearance 
 of a British fleet, early in February, 1813, in 
 Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole coast 
 of the United States under blockade. 
 
 The Emperor of Russia offered his services as 
 mediator. America accepted; England refused. 
 A. British' force of five thousand men landed on the 
 banks of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into 
 Chesapeake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of 
 Bladensburg, upon Washington. 
 
 The straggling little city of Washington was 
 thrown into consternation. The cannon of the 
 brief conflict at Bladensburg echoed through the 
 streets of the metropolis. The whole population 
 fled from the city. The President, leaving Mrs. 
 Madison in the White House, with her carriage 
 drawn up at the door to await his speedy return, 
 hurried to meet the officers in a council of war. 
 He met our troops utterly routed, and he could not 
 go back without danger of being captured. But 
 few hours elapsed ere the Presidential Mansion, 
 the Capitol, and all the public buildings in Wash- 
 ington were in flames. 
 
 The war closed after two years of fighting, and 
 on February 13, 1815, the treaty of peace was 
 signed at Ghent. On the 4th of March, 1817, his 
 second term of office expired, and he resigned the 
 Presidential chair to his friend, James Monroe. 
 He retired to his beautiful home at Montpelier, and 
 there passed the remainder of his days. On June 
 28, 1836, at the age of eighty-five years, he fell 
 asleep in death. Mrs. Madison died July 12, 1849.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 or rm
 
 JAMES MONROE. 
 
 (TAMES MONROE, the fifth President of the 
 I United States, was born in Westmoreland 
 G) County, Va., April 28, 1758. His early life 
 was passed at the place of his nativity. His an- 
 cestors had for many years resided in the province 
 in which he was born. When he was seventeen 
 years old, and in process of completing his educa- 
 tion at William and Mary College, the Colonial 
 Congress, assembled at Philadelphia to deliberate 
 upon the unjust and manifold oppressions of Great 
 Britain, declared the separation of the Colonies, 
 and promulgated the Declaration of Independence. 
 Had he been born ten years before, it is highly 
 probable that he would have been one of the 
 signers of that celebrated instrument. At this 
 time he left school and enlisted among the pa- 
 triots. 
 
 He joined the army when everything looked 
 hopeless and gloomy. The number of deserters 
 increased from day to day. The invading armies 
 came pouring in, and the Tories not only favored 
 the cause of the mother country, but disheartened 
 the new recruits, who were sufficiently terrified 
 at the prospect of contending with an enemy 
 whom they had been taught to deem invincible. 
 To such brave spirits as James Monroe, who went 
 right onward undismayed through difficulty and 
 danger, the United States owe their political 
 emancipation. The young cadet joined the ranks 
 and espoused the cause of his injured country, 
 with a firm determination to live or die in her 
 strife for liberty. Firmly, yet sadly, he shared in 
 the melancholy retreat from Harlem Heights 
 and White Plains, and accompanied the dispirited 
 army as it fled before its foes through New Jersey. 
 In four months after the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence, the patriots had been beaten in seven 
 battles. At the battle of Trenton he led the van- 
 guard, and in the act of charging upon the enemy 
 he received a wound in the left shoulder. 
 
 As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was 
 promoted to be captain of infantry, and, having re- 
 covered from his wounds, he rejoined the army. 
 He, however, receded from the line of promotion 
 by becoming an officer on the staff of L,ord Ster- 
 ling. During the campaigns of 1777 and 1778, 
 in the actions of Brandywine, Germantown and 
 Monmouth, he continued aide-de-camp; but be- 
 coming desirous to regain his position in the 
 army, he exerted himself to collect a regiment for 
 the Virginia line. This scheme failed, owing to 
 the exhausted condition of the State. Upon this 
 failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
 that period Governor, and pursued with consid- 
 erable ardor the study of common law. He did 
 not, however, entirely lay aside the knapsack for 
 the green bag, but on the invasion of the enemy 
 served as a volunteer during the two years of his 
 legal pursuits. 
 
 In 1782 he was elected from King George 
 County a member of the Legislature of Virginia, 
 and by that body he was elevated to a seat in the 
 Executive Council. He was thus honored with 
 the confidence of his fellow-citizens at twenty- 
 three years of age, and having at this early period 
 displayed some of that ability and aptitude foi 
 legislation which were afterward employed with 
 unremitting energy for the public good, he was 
 in the succeeding year chosen a member of the 
 Congress of the United States. 
 
 Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of 
 the old Confederacy, he was opposed to the new 
 Constitution, thinking, with many others of the 
 Republican party, that it gave too much power to 
 the Central Government, and not enough to the 
 individual States. Still he retained the esteem 
 of his friends who were its warm supporters, and 
 who, notwithstanding his opposition, secured its 
 adoption. In 1789 he became a member of the 
 United States Senate, which office he held for
 
 JAMES MONROE. 
 
 four years. Every month the line of distinction 
 between the two great parties which divided the 
 nation, the Federal and the Republican, was 
 growing more distinct. The differences which 
 now separated them lay in the fact that the Repub- 
 lican party was in sympathy with France, and 
 also in favor of such a strict construction of the 
 Constitution as to give the Central Government as 
 little power, and the State Governments as much 
 power, as the Constitution would warrant; while 
 the Federalists sympathized with England, and 
 were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
 stitution, which would give as much power to the 
 Central Government as that document could pos- 
 sibly authorize. 
 
 Washington was then President. England had 
 espoused the cause of the Bourbons against the 
 principles of the French Revolution. All Europe 
 was drawn into the conflict. We were feeble and 
 far away. Washington issued a proclamation of 
 neutrality between these contending powers. 
 France had helped us in the struggles for Our 
 liberties. All the despotisms of Europe were now 
 combined to prevent the French from escaping 
 from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse than that 
 which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more mag- 
 nanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
 whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in 
 their extremity. It was the impulse of a gener- 
 ous and noble nature, and Washington, who could 
 appreciate such a character, showed his calm, se- 
 rene, almost divine, greatness, by appointing that 
 very James Monroe who was denouncing the pol- 
 icy of the Government, as the minister of that 
 Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
 Monroe was welcomed by the National Conven- 
 tion in France with the most enthusiastic dem- 
 onstration. 
 
 Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. 
 Monroe was elected Governor of Virginia, and 
 held the office for three years. He was again 
 sent to France to co-operate with Chancellor Liv- 
 ingston in obtaining the vast territory then known 
 as the province of Louisiana, which France had 
 but shortly before obtained from Spain. Their 
 united efforts were successful. For the compara- 
 tively small sum of fifteen millions of dollars, the 
 
 entire territory of Orleans and district of Loui- 
 siana were added to the United States. This was 
 probably the largest transfer of real estate which 
 was ever made in all the history of the world. 
 
 From France Mr. Monroe went to England to 
 obtain from that country some recognition of our 
 rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against 
 those odious impressments of our seamen. But 
 England was unrelenting. He again returned to 
 England on the same mission, but could receive 
 no redress. He returned to his home and was 
 again chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon 
 resigned to accept the position of Secretary of 
 State under Madison. While in this office war 
 with England was declared, the Secretary of War 
 resigned, and during these trying times the 
 duties of the War Department were also put upon 
 him. He was truly the armor-bearer of President 
 Madison, and the most efficient business man in 
 his cabinet. Upon the return of peace he re- 
 signed the Department of War, but continued in 
 the office of Secretary of State until the expira- 
 tion of Mr. Madison's administration. At the 
 election held the previous autumn, Mr. Monroe 
 himself had been chosen President with but little 
 opposition, and upon March 4, 1817, he was in- 
 augurated. Four years later he was elected for 
 a second term. 
 
 Among the important measures of his Presi- 
 dency were the cession of Florida to the United 
 States, the Missouri Compromise, and the famous 
 " Monroe doctrine." This doctrine was enun- 
 ciated by him in 1823, and was as follows: " That 
 we should consider any attempt on the part of 
 European powers to extend their system to any 
 portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our 
 peace and safety," and that " we could not view 
 any interposition for the purpose of oppressing or 
 controlling American governments or provinces 
 in any other light than as a manifestation by 
 European powers of an unfriendly disposition 
 toward the United States." 
 
 At the end of his second term, Mr. Monroe re- 
 tired to his home in Virginia, where he lived un- 
 til 1830, when he went to New York to live witli 
 his son-in-law. In that city he died, on the 4th 
 of July, 1831.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of THE 
 
 UNIYERSIIY OF ILLINOIS
 
 
 J.
 
 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 
 
 (JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, the sixth President 
 
 I of the United States, was born in the rural 
 O home of his honored father, John Adams, in 
 Quincy, Mass., on the nth of July, 1767. His 
 mother, a woman of exalted worth, watched over 
 his childhood during the almost constant ab- 
 sence of his father. When but eight years of 
 age, he stood with his mother on an eminence, 
 listening to the booming of the great battle on 
 Bunker's Hill, and gazing out upon the smoke 
 and flames billowing up from the conflagration of 
 Charlestown. 
 
 When but eleven years old he took a tearful 
 adieu of his mother, to sail with his father for Eu- 
 rope, through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. 
 The bright, animated boy spent a year and a-half 
 in Paris, where his father was associated with 
 Franklin and Lee as Minister Plenipotentiary. 
 His intelligence attracted the notice of these dis- 
 tinguished men, and he received from them flat- 
 tering marks of attention. 
 
 John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
 country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. 
 Again John Quincy accompanied his father. At 
 Paris he applied himself to study with great dil- 
 igence for six months, and then accompanied his 
 father to Holland, where he entered first a school 
 in Amsterdam, then the University at Leyden. 
 About a year from this time, in 1781, when the 
 manly boy was but fourteen years of age, he was 
 selected by Mr. Dana, our Minister to the Rus- 
 sian court, as his private secretary. 
 
 In this school of incessant labor and of ennobl- 
 ing culture he spent fourteen months, and then 
 returned to Holland, through Sweden, Denmark, 
 Hamburg and Bremen. This long journey he 
 took alone in the winter, when in his sixteenth 
 year. Again he resumed his studies, under a pri- 
 vate tutor, at The Hague. Then, in the spring of 
 1782, he accompanied his father to Paris, travel- 
 ing leisurely, and forming acquaintances with the 
 most distinguished men on the continent, examin- 
 
 ing architectural remains, galleries of paintings, 
 and all renowned works of art. At Paris he 
 again became associated with the most illustrious 
 men of all lands in the contemplation of the 
 loftiest temporal themes which can engross the 
 human mind. After a short visit to England he 
 returned to Paris, and consecrated all his energies 
 to study until May, 1785, when he returned to 
 America to finish his education. 
 
 Upon leaving Harvard College at the age of 
 twenty, he studied law for three years. In June, 
 1 794, being then but twenty-seven years of age, 
 he was appointed by Washington Resident Min- 
 ister at the Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in 
 July, he reached London in October, where he 
 was immediately admitted to the deliberations oi 
 Messrs. Jay & Pinckney, assisting them in nego- 
 tiating a commercial treaty with Great Britain. 
 After thus spending a fortnight in London, he 
 proceeded to The Hague. 
 
 In July, 1797, he left The Hague to go to Por- 
 tugal as Minister Plenipotentiary. On his way to 
 Portugal, upon arriving in London, he met with 
 despatches directing him to the court of Berlin, but 
 requesting him to remain in London until he 
 should receive his instructions. While waiting 
 he was married to an American lady, to whom he 
 had been previously engaged Miss Louisa Cath- 
 erine Johnson, a daughter of Joshua Johnson, 
 American Consul in London, and a lady en- 
 dowed with that beauty and those accomplish- 
 ments which eminently fitted her to move in the 
 elevated sphere for which she was destined. He 
 reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797, 
 where he remained until July, 1799, when, hav- 
 ing fulfilled all the purposes of his mission, he so 
 licited his recall. 
 
 Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen 
 to the Senate of Massachusetts from Boston, and 
 then was elected Senator of the United States for 
 six years, from the 4th of March, 1804. His rep- 
 utation, his ability and his experience placed
 
 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 
 
 him immediately among the most prominent and 
 influential members of that body. 
 
 In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the 
 Presidential chair, and he immediately nominated 
 John Quincy Adams Minister to St. Petersburg!!. 
 Resigning his professorship in Harvard Col- 
 lege, he embarked at Boston in August, 1809. 
 
 While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense 
 student. He devoted his attention to the lan- 
 guage and history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; 
 to the European system of weights, measures and 
 coins; to the climate and astronomical observa- 
 tions; while he kept up a familiar acquaintance 
 with the Greek and Latin classics. In all the 
 universities of Europe, a . more accomplished 
 scholar could scarcely be found. All through 
 life the Bible constituted an important part of his 
 studies. It was his rule to read five chapters 
 every day. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took 
 the Presidential chair, and immediately appointed 
 Mr. Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave; of 
 his numerous friends in public and private life in 
 Europe, he sailed in June, 1819, for the United 
 States. On the i8th of August, he again crossed 
 the threshold of his home in Quincy. During the 
 eight years of Mr. Monroe's administration, Mr. 
 Adams continued Secretary of State. 
 
 Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's 
 second term of office, new candidates began to be 
 presented for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. 
 Adams brought forward his name. It was an 
 exciting campaign, and party spirit was never 
 more bitter. Two hundred and sixty electoral 
 votes were cast. Andrew Jackson received ninety- 
 nine; John Quincy Adams eighty-four; William 
 H. Crawford forty-one; and Henry Clay thirty- 
 seven. As there was no choice by the people, 
 the question went to the House of Representa- 
 tives. Mr. Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to 
 Mr. Adams, and he was elected. 
 
 The friends of all the disappointed candidates 
 now combined in a venomous and persistent as- 
 sault upon Mr. Adams. There is nothing more 
 disgraceful in the past history of our country than 
 the abuse which was poured in one uninterrupted 
 stream upon this high-minded, upright and pa- 
 
 triotic man. There never was an administration 
 more pure in principles, more conscientiously de- 
 voted to the best interests of the country, than 
 that of John Quincy Adams; and never, perhaps, 
 was there an administration more unscrupulously 
 and outrageously assailed. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired 
 from the Presidency, and was succeeded by An- 
 drew Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected 
 Vice-President. The slavery question now be- 
 gan to assume portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams 
 returned to Quincy and to his studies, which he 
 pursued with unabated zeal. But he was not 
 long permitted to remain in retirement. In No- 
 vember, 1830, he was elected Representative in 
 Congress. For seventeen years, or until his death, 
 he occupied the post as Representative, towering 
 above all his peers, ever ready to do brave battle 
 for freedom, and winning the title of "the Old 
 Man Eloquent." Upon taking his seat in the 
 House, he announced that he should hold hiin- 
 ,se.Lf -bound to no party. Probably there never 
 was a member more devoted to his duties. He 
 was usually the first in his place in the morning, 
 and the last to leave his seat in the evening. 
 Not a measure could be brought forward and es- 
 cape his scrutiny. The battle which Mr. Adams 
 fought, almost singly, against the pro-slavery 
 party in the Governmsnt was sublime in its 
 moral daring and heroism. For persisting in 
 presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, 
 he was threatened with indictment by the grand 
 jury, with expulsion from the House, with assas- 
 sination ; but no threats could intimidate him, and 
 his final triumph was complete. 
 
 On the 2ist of February, 1848, he rose on the 
 floor of Congress with a paper in his hand, to 
 address the speaker. Suddenly he fell, again 
 stricken by paralysis, and was caught in the arms 
 of those around him. For a time he was sense- 
 less, as he was conveyed to the sofa in the ro- 
 tunda. With reviving consciousness, he opened 
 his eyes, looked calmly around and said ' ' This 
 is the end of earth;" then after a moment's pause 
 he added, " I am content." These were the last 
 words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent."
 
 LJBfj/WY
 
 ANDREW JACKSON. 
 
 (31 NDREW JACKSON, the seventh President 
 LJ of the United States, was born in Waxhaw 
 / I settlement, N. C., March 15, 1767, a few 
 days after his father's death. His parents were 
 poor emigrants from Ireland, and took up their 
 abode in Waxhaw settlement, where they lived 
 in deepest poverty. 
 
 Andrew, or Andy, as he was universally called, 
 grew up a very rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
 features were coarse, his form ungainly, and there 
 was but very little in his character made visible 
 which was attractive. 
 
 When only thirteen years old he joined the 
 volunteers of Carolina against the British invasion. 
 In 1781, he and his brother Robert were captured 
 and imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British 
 officer ordered him to brush his mud-spattered 
 boots. "lam a prisoner of war, not your serv- 
 ant," was the reply of the dauntless boy. 
 
 Andrew supported himself in various ways, such 
 as working at the saddler's trade, teaching school, 
 and clerking in a general store, until 1784, when 
 he entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, 
 however, gave more attention to the wild amuse- 
 ments of the times than to his studies. In 1788, 
 he was appointed solicitor for the Western District 
 of North Carolina, of which Tennessee was then 
 a part. This involved many long journeys amid 
 dangers of every kind, but Andrew Jackson never 
 knew fear, and the Indians had no desire to re- 
 peat a skirmish with "Sharp Knife." 
 
 In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman 
 who supposed herself divorced from her former 
 husband. Great was the surprise of both parties, 
 two years later, to find that the conditions of the 
 divorce had just been definitely settled by the 
 first husband. The marriage ceremony was per- 
 formed a second time, but the occurrence was 
 often used by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson 
 into disfavor. 
 
 In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee 
 then containing nearly eighty thousand inhabi- 
 tants, the people met in convention at Knoxville 
 to frame a constitution. Five were sent from 
 each of the eleven counties. Andrew Jackson 
 was one of the delegates. The new State was 
 entitled to but one member in the National House 
 of Representatives. Andrew Jackspn was chosen 
 that member. Mounting his horse, he rode to 
 Philadelphia, where Congress then held its ses- 
 sions, a distance of about eight hundred miles. 
 
 Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- 
 cratic party, and Jefferson was his idol. He ad- 
 mired Bonaparte, loved France, and hated Eng- 
 land. As Mr. Jackson took his seat, Gen. Wash- 
 ington, whose second term of office was then 
 expiring, delivered his last speech to Congress. 
 A committee drew up a complimentary address in 
 reply. Andrew Jackson did not approve of the 
 address, and was one of the twelve who voted 
 against it. He was not willing to say that Gen. 
 Washington's administration had been "wise, 
 firm and patriotic. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
 Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned 
 home. Soon after he was chosen Judge of the 
 Supreme Court of his State, which position he 
 held for six years. 
 
 When the War of 1812 with Great Britain com- 
 menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. 
 Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there 
 was an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jack- 
 son, who would do credit to a commission if one 
 were conferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. 
 Jackson offered his services and those of twenty- 
 five hundred volunteers. His offer was accepted, 
 and the troops were assembled at Nashville. 
 
 As the British were hourly expected to make 
 an attack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wil- 
 kinson was in command, he was ordered to de-
 
 44 
 
 ANDREW JACKSON. 
 
 scene' the river with fifteen hundred troops to aid 
 Wilkinson. The expedition reached Natchez, 
 and after a delay of several weeks there without 
 accomplishing anything, the men were ordered 
 back to their homes. But the energy Gen. Jack- 
 son had displayed, and his entire devotion to the 
 comfort of his soldiers, won for him golden opin- 
 ions, and he became the most popular man in the 
 State. It was in this expedition that his tough- 
 ness gave him the nickname of "Old Hickory." 
 
 Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip 
 Col. Thomas Benton for a remark that gentleman 
 made about his taking part as second in a duel 
 in which a younger brother of Ben ton's was en- 
 gaged, he received two severe pistol wounds. 
 While he was lingering upon a bed of suffering, 
 news came that the Indians, who had combined 
 under Tecumseh from Florida to the Lakes to ex- 
 terminate the white settlers, were committing the 
 most awful ravages. Decisive action became nec- 
 essary. Gen. Jackson, with his fractured bone 
 just beginning to heal, his arm in a sling, and 
 unable to mount his horse without assistance, 
 gave his amazing energies to tha raising.;-bf "an! 
 army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Ala. 
 
 The Creek Indians had established a strong 
 fort on one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, 
 near the center of Alabama, about fifty miles be- 
 low Ft. Strother. With an army of two thousand 
 men, Gen. Jackson traversed the pathless wilder- 
 ness in a march of eleven days. He reached their 
 fort, called Tohopeka or Horse-shoe, on the 2jili 
 of March, 1814. The bend of the river enclosed 
 nearly one hundred acres of tangled forest and 
 wild ravine. Across the narrow neck the Indians 
 had constructed a formidable breastwork of logs 
 and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, with 
 an ample supply of arms, were assembled. 
 
 The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly 
 desperate. Not an Indian would accept quarter. 
 When bleeding and dying, they would fight those 
 who endeavored to spare their lives. From ten 
 in the morning until dark the battle raged. The 
 carnage was awful and revolting. Some threw 
 themselves into the river; but the unerring bul- 
 lets struck their heads as they swam. Nearly 
 every one of the nine hundred warriors was 
 
 killed. A few, probably, in the night swam 
 the river and escaped. This ended the war. 
 
 This closing of the Creek War enabled us to 
 concentrate all our militia upon the British, who 
 were the allies of the Indians. No man of less 
 resolute will than Gen. Jackson could have con- 
 ducted this Indian campaign to so successful an 
 issue. Immediately he was appointed Major- 
 General. 
 
 Late in August, with an army of two thousand 
 men on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson went to 
 Mobile. A British fleet went from Pensacola, 
 landed a force upon the beach, anchored near the 
 little fort, and from both ship and shore com- 
 menced a furious assault. The battle was long 
 and doubtful. At length one of the ships was 
 blown up and the rest retired. 
 
 Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his 
 little army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
 and the battle of New Orleans, which soon ensued, 
 was in reality a very arduous campaign. This 
 won for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. 
 Here his troops, which numbered about four 
 thousand men, won a signal victory over the 
 British army of about nine thousand. His loss 
 was but thirteen, while the loss of the British was 
 twenty-six hundred. 
 
 The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be 
 mentioned in connection with the Presidency, 
 but in 1824 he was defeated by Mr. Adams. 
 He was, however, successful in the election of 
 1828, and was re-elected for a second term in 
 1832. In 1829, just before he assumed the reins 
 of government, he met with the most terrible 
 affliction of his life in the death of his wife, whom 
 he had loved with a devotion which has perhaps 
 never been surpassed. From the shock of her 
 death he never recovered. 
 
 His administration was one of the most mem- 
 orable in the annals of our country applauded 
 by one party, condemned by the other. No man 
 had more bitter enemies or warmer friends. At 
 the expiration of his two terms of office he retired 
 to the Hermitage, where he died June 8, 1845. The 
 last years of Mr. Jackson's life were those of a de- 
 voted Christian man.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of FHf 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS
 
 
 -.
 
 MARTIN VAN BUREN. 
 
 |ARTIN VAN BUREN, the eighth Presi- 
 dent of the United States, was born at Kin- 
 derhook, N. Y., December 5, 1782. He 
 died at the same place, July 24, 1862. His body 
 rests in the cemetery at Kinderhook. Above it is 
 a plain granite' shaft, fifteen feet high, bearing a 
 simple inscription about half-way up on one face. 
 The lot is unfenced, unbordered or unbounded 
 by shrub or flower. 
 
 There is but little in the life of Martin Van 
 Buren of romantic interest. He fought no battles, 
 engaged in no wild adventures. Though his life 
 was stormy in political and intellectual conflicts, 
 and he gained many signal victories, his days 
 passed uneventful in those incidents which give 
 zest to biography. His ancestors, as his name indi- 
 cates, were of Dutch origin, and were among the 
 earliest emigrants from Holland to the banks of 
 the Hudson. His father was a farmer, residing 
 in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, also 
 of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
 ligence and exemplary piety. 
 
 He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing 
 unusual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At 
 the age of fourteen, he had finished his academic 
 studies in his native village, and commenced the 
 study of law. As he had not a collegiate educa- 
 tion, seven years of study in a law-office were re- 
 quired of him before he could be admitted to the 
 Bar. Inspired with a lofty ambition, and con- 
 scious of his powers, he pursued his studies with 
 indefatigable industry. After spending six years 
 in an office in his native village, he went to the city 
 of New York, and prosecuted his studies for the 
 seventh year. 
 
 In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty -one years 
 
 of age, commenced the practice of law in his na- 
 tive village. The great conflict between the Federal 
 and Republican parties was then at its height. 
 Mr. Van Buren was from the beginning a politi- 
 cian. He had, perhaps, imbibed that spirit while 
 listening to the many discussions which had been 
 carried on in his father's hotel. He was in cordial 
 sympathy with Jefferson, and earnestly and elo- 
 quently espoused the cause of State Rights, though 
 at that time the Federal party held the supremacy 
 both in his town and State. 
 
 His success and increasing reputation led him 
 after six years of practice to remove to Hudson, 
 the county seat of his county. Here he spent 
 seven years, constantly gaining strength by con- 
 tending in the courts with some of the ablest men 
 who have adorned the Bar of his State. 
 
 Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr. 
 Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
 beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
 years she sank into the grave, a victim of con- 
 sumption, leaving her husband and four sons to 
 weep over her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. 
 Van Buren was an earnest, successful, assiduous 
 lawyer. The record of those years is barren in 
 items of public interest. In 1812, when thirty 
 years of age, he was chosen to the State Senate, 
 and gave his strenuous support to Mr. Madison's 
 administration. In 1815, he was appointed At- 
 torney-General, and the next year moved to Al- 
 bany, the capital of the State. 
 
 While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
 prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had 
 the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
 not require that ' 'universal suffrage' ' which admits 
 the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right
 
 4 8 
 
 MARTIN VAN BUREN. 
 
 of governing the State. In true consistency with 
 his democratic principles, he contended that, while 
 the path leading to the privilege of voting should 
 be open to every man without distinction, no one 
 should be invested with that sacred prerogative 
 unless he were in some degree qualified for it by 
 intelligence, virtue, and some property interests in 
 the welfare of the State. 
 
 In 1821 he was elected a member of the United 
 States Senate, and in the same year he took a 
 seat in the convention to revise the Constitution of 
 his native State. His course in this convention 
 secured the approval of men of all parties. No 
 one could doubt the singleness of his endeavors to 
 promote the interests of all classes in the com- 
 munity. In the Senate of the United States, he 
 rose at once to a conspicuous position as an active 
 and useful legislator. 
 
 In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the 
 Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected 
 to the Senate. He had been from the beginning 
 a determined opposer of the administration, adopt- 
 ing the "State Rights" view in opposition to what 
 was deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 
 
 Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governor 
 of the State of New York, and accordingly resigned 
 his seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the 
 United States contributed so much towards eject- 
 ing John Q. Adams from the Presidential chair, 
 and placing in it Andrew Jackson, as did Martin 
 Van Buren. Whether entitled to the reputation 
 or not, he certainly was regarded throughout the 
 United States as one of the most skillful, sagacious 
 and cunning of politicians. It was supposed that 
 no one knew so well as he how to touch the secret 
 springs of action, how to pull all the wires to 
 put his machinery in motion, and how to organize 
 a political army which would secretly and stealth- 
 ily accomplish the most gigantic results. By these 
 powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams, Mr. 
 Clay, and Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
 :ew then thought could be accomplished. 
 
 When Andrew Jackson was elected President 
 he appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. 
 This position he resigned in 1831, and was im- 
 mediately appointed Minister to England, where 
 he went the same autumn. The Senate, however, 
 
 when it met, refused to ratify the nomination, and 
 he returned home, apparently untroubled. Later 
 he was nominated Vice- President in the place of 
 Calhoun, at the re-election of President Jackson, 
 and with smiles for all and frowns for none, he 
 took his place at the head of that Senate which had 
 refused to confirm his nomination as ambassador. 
 
 His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal 
 of President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated 
 favorite; and this, probably, more than any other 
 cause secured his elevation to the chair of the 
 Chief Executive. On the 2oth of May, 1836, Mr. 
 Van Buren received the Democratic nomination 
 to succeed Gen. Jackson as President of the United 
 States. He was elected by a handsome majority, 
 to the delight of the retiring President. ' 'Leaving 
 New York out of the canvass," says Mr. Parton, 
 ' 'the election of Mr. Van Buren to the Presidency 
 was as much the act of Gen. Jackson as though 
 the Constitution had conferred upon him the power 
 to appoint a successor." 
 
 His administration was filled with exciting 
 events'. 'The insurrection in Canada, which 
 threatened to involve this country in war with 
 England, the agitation of the slavery question, 
 and finally the great commercial panic which 
 spread over the country, all were trials of his wis- 
 dom. The financial distress was attributed to 
 the management of the Democratic party, and 
 brought the President into such disfavor that he 
 failed of re-election, and on the 4th of March, 
 1841, he retired from the presidency. 
 
 With the exception of being nominated for the 
 Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats in 1848, 
 Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until 
 his death. He had ever been a prudent man, of 
 frugal habits, and, living within his income, had 
 now fortunately a competence for his declining 
 years. From his fine estate at Lindenwald, he 
 still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics 
 of the country. From this time until his death, 
 on the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty 
 years, he resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of 
 leisure, of culture and wealth, enjoying in a 
 healthy old age probably far more happiness than 
 he had before experienced amid the stormy scenes 
 of his active life.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF HUNKS
 
 
 I
 
 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 
 
 fDGjILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, the ninth 
 \A/ President of the United States, was born 
 V Y at Berkeley, Va. , February 9, 1773. His 
 father, Benjamin Harrison, was in comparatively 
 opulent circumstances, and was one of the most 
 distinguished men of his day. He was an inti- 
 mate friend of George Washington, was early 
 elected a member of' the Continental Congress, 
 and was conspicuous among the patriots of Vir- 
 ginia in resisting the encroachments of the British 
 crown. In the celebrated Congress of 1775, Ben- 
 jamin Harrison and John Hancock were both 
 candidates for the office of Speaker. 
 
 Mr. Harrison was subsequently chosen Gov- 
 ernor of Virginia, and was twice re-elected. His 
 son William Henry, of course, enjoyed in child- 
 hood all the advantages which wealth and intel- 
 lectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
 ing received a thorough common-school educa- 
 tion, he entered Hampden Sidney College, where 
 he graduated with honor soon after the death of 
 his father. He then repaired to Philadelphia to 
 stud}' medicine under the instructions of Dr. Rush 
 and the guardianship of Robert Morris, both of 
 whom were, with his father, signers of the Dec- 
 laration of Independence. 
 
 Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and 
 notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends, 
 he abandoned his medical studies and entered the 
 army, having obtained a commission as Ensign 
 from President Washington. He was then but 
 nineteen years old. From that time he passed 
 gradually upward in rank until he became aide 
 to Gen. Wayne, after whose death he resigned 
 his commission. He was then appointed Secre- 
 tary of the Northwestern Territory. This Terri- 
 tory was then entitled to but one member in Con- 
 
 gress, and Harrison was chosen to fill that position. 
 In the spring of 1800 the Northwestern Terri- 
 tory was divided by Congress into two portions. 
 The eastern portion, comprising the region now 
 embraced in the State of Ohio, was called "The 
 Territory northwest of the Ohio." The western 
 portion, which included what is now called Indi- 
 ana, Illinois and Wisconsin, was called "the Indi- 
 ana Territory." William Henry Harrison, then 
 twenty-seven years of age, was appointed by John 
 Adams Governor of the Indiana Territory, and 
 immediately after also Governor of Upper Loui- 
 siana. He was thus ruler over almost as. exten- 
 sive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. 
 He was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and 
 was invested with powers nearly dictatorial over 
 the then rapidly increasing white population. The 
 ability and fidelity with which he discharged 
 these responsible duties may be inferred from the 
 fact that he was four times appointed to this 
 office first by John Adams, twice by Thomas 
 Jefferson, and afterwards by President Madison. 
 
 When he began his administration there were 
 but three white settlements in that almost bound- 
 less region, now crowded with cities and resound- 
 ing with all the tumult of wealth and traffic. 
 One of these settlements was on the Ohio, nearly 
 opposite Louisville; one at Vincennes, on the 
 Wabash ; and the third was a French settlement. 
 
 The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison 
 reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. 
 About the year 1806, two extraordinary men, 
 twin brothers of the Shawnee tribe, rose among 
 them. One of these was called Tecumseh, or 
 "the Crouching Panther;" the other Olliwa- 
 checa, or ' ' the Prophet. ' ' Tecumseh was not 
 only an Indian warrior, but a man of great sagac-
 
 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 
 
 ity, far-reaching foresight and indomitable perse- 
 verance in any enterprise in which he might en- 
 gage. His brother, the Prophet, was an orator, 
 who could sway the feelings of the untutored In- 
 dians as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath 
 which they dwelt. With an enthusiasm unsur- 
 passed by Peter the Hermit rousing Europe to the 
 crusades, he went from tribe to tribe, assuming 
 that he was specially sent by the Great Spirit. 
 
 Gov. Harrison made many attempts to con- 
 ciliate the Indians, but at last war came, and at 
 Tippecanoe the Indians were routed with great 
 slaughter. October 28, 1812, his army began its 
 march. When near the Prophet's town, three 
 Indians of rank made their appearance and in- 
 quired why Gov. Harrison was approaching them 
 in so hostile an attitude. After a short confer- 
 ence, arrangements were made for a meeting the 
 next day to agree upon terms of peace. 
 
 But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted 
 with the Indian character to be deceived by such 
 protestations. Selecting a favorable spot for his 
 night's encampment, he took every precaution 
 against surprise. His troops were posted in a 
 hollow square and slept upon their arms. The 
 wakeful Governor, between three and four 'oT'clock- 
 in the morning, had risen, and was sitting 
 in conversation with his aides by the embers 
 of a waning fire. It was a chill, cloudy morning, 
 with a drizzling rain. In the darkness, the In- 
 dians had crept as near as possible, and just then, 
 with a savage yell, rushed, with all the despera- 
 tion which superstition and passion most highly 
 inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
 little army. The savages had been amply pro- 
 vided with guns and ammunition by the English, 
 and their war-whoop was accompanied by a 
 shower of bullets. 
 
 The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as 
 the light aided the Indians in their aim, and 
 Gen. Harrison's troops stood as immovable as 
 the rocks around them until day dawned, when 
 they made a simultaneous charge with the bayo- 
 net and swept everything before them, completely 
 routing the foe. 
 
 Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
 to the utmost. The British, descending from the 
 
 Canadas, were of themselves a very formidable 
 force, but with their savage allies rushing like 
 wolves from the forest, burning, plundering, scalp- 
 ing, torturing, the wide frontier was plunged into 
 a state of consternation which even the most vivid 
 imagination can but faintly conceive. Gen. Hull 
 had made an ignominious surrender of his forces at 
 Detroit. Under these despairing circumstances, 
 Gov. Harrison was appointed by President Madi- 
 son Commander-in-Chief of the Northwestern 
 Army, with orders to retake Detroit and to protect 
 the frontiers. It would be difficult to place a man 
 in a situation demanding more energy, sagacity 
 and courage, but he was found equal to the 
 position, and nobly and triumphantly did he meet 
 all the responsibilities. 
 
 In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member 
 of the National House of Representatives, to rep- 
 resent the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved 
 an active member, and whenever he spoke it was 
 with a force of reason and power of eloquence 
 which arrested the attention of all the members. 
 
 In 1819, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
 Ohio, and in 1824, as one of the Presidential Elec- 
 tors of that State, he gave his vote for Henry 
 Clay. The same year he was chosen to the Uni- 
 ted States Senate. In 1 836 his friends brought 
 him forward as a candidate for the Presidency 
 against Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the 
 close of Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nom- 
 inated by his party, and Mr. Harrison was unani- 
 mously nominated by the Whigs, with John Tyler 
 for the Vice-Presidency. The contest was very 
 animated. Gen. Jackson gave all his influence to 
 prevent Harrison's election, but his triumph was 
 signal. 
 
 The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Web- 
 ster at its head as Secretary of State, was one of 
 the most brilliant with which any President had 
 ever been surrounded. Never were the prospects 
 of an administration more flattering, or the hopes 
 of the country more sanguine. In the midst of 
 these bright and joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison 
 was seized by a pleurisy-fever, and after a few 
 days of violent sickness died, on the 4th of April, 
 just one month after his inauguration as President 
 of the United States.
 
 01
 
 JOHN TYLER. 
 
 (JOHN TYLER, the tenth President of the 
 I United States, and was born in Charles 
 G/ City County, Va., March 29, 1790. He was 
 the favored child of affluence and high social po- 
 sition. At the early age of twelve, John entered 
 William and Mary College, and graduated with 
 much honor when but seventeen years old. After 
 graduating, he devoted himself with great assi- 
 duity to the study of law, partly with his father 
 and partly with Edmund Randolph, one of the 
 most distinguished lawyers of Virginia. 
 
 At nineteen years of age, he commenced the 
 practice of law. His success was rapid and as- 
 tonishing. It is said that three months had not 
 elapsed ere there was scarcely a case on the 
 docket of the court in which he was not retained. 
 When but twenty-one years of age, he was almost 
 unanimously elected to a seat in the State Legis- 
 lature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
 cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures 
 of Jefferson and Madison. For five successive 
 years he was elected to the Legislature, receiving 
 nearly the unanimous vote of his county. 
 
 When but twenty-six years of age, he was 
 elected a Member of Congress. Here he acted ear- 
 nestly and ably with the Democratic party, oppos- 
 ing a national bank, internal improvements by 
 the General Government, and a protective tariff; 
 advocating a strict construction of the Constitu- 
 tion and the most careful vigilance over State 
 rights. His labors in Congress were so arduous 
 that before the close of his second term he found 
 it necessary to resign and retire to his estate in 
 Charles City County to recruit his health. He, 
 however, soon after consented to take his seat in 
 the State Legislature, where his influence was 
 powerful in promoting public works of great 
 utility. With a reputation thus constantly in- 
 creasing, he was chosen by a very large majority 
 of votes Governor of his native State. His ad- 
 ministration was a signally successful one, and his 
 popularity secured his re-election. 
 
 John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
 man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of 
 the United States. A portion of the Democratic 
 party was displeased with Mr. Randolph's way- 
 ward course, and brought forward John Tyler as 
 his opponent, considering him the only man in 
 Virginia of sufficient popularity to succeed 
 against the renowned orator of Roanoke. Mr. 
 Tyler was the victor. 
 
 In accordance with his professions, upon tak- 
 ing his seat in the Senate he joined the ranks of 
 the opposition. He opposed the tariff, and spoke 
 against and voted against the bank as unconsti- 
 tutional; he strenuously opposed all restrictions 
 upon slavery, resisting all projects of internal im- 
 provements by the General Government, and 
 avowed his sympathy with Mr. Calhoun's view 
 of nullification; he declared that Gen. Jackson, 
 by his opposition to the milliners, had abandoned 
 the principles of the Democratic party. Such 
 was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress a record in 
 perfect accordance with the principles which he 
 had always avowed. 
 
 Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice 
 of his profession. There was a split in the Demo- 
 cratic party. His friends still regarded him as a 
 true Jeffersonian, gave him a dinner, and show- 
 ered compliments upon him. He had now at- 
 tained the age of forty-six, and his career had been 
 very brilliant. In consequence of his devotion to 
 public business, his private affairs had fallen into 
 some disorder, and it was not without satisfac- 
 tion that he resumed the practice of law, and de- 
 voted himself to the cultivation of his plantation. 
 Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, for 
 the better education of his children, and he again 
 took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia. 
 
 By the southern Whigs he was sent to the 
 national convention at Harrisburg in 1839 to nom- 
 inate a President. The majority of votes were 
 given to Gen Harrison, a genuine Whig, much 
 to the disappointment of the South, which wished
 
 JOHN TYLER. 
 
 for Henry Clay. To conciliate the southern 
 Whigs and to secure their vote, the convention 
 then nominated John Tyler for Vice-President. 
 It was well known that he was not in sympathy 
 with the Whig party in the North; but the Vice- 
 President has very little power in the Govern- 
 ment, his main and almost only duty being to 
 preside over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it 
 happened that a Whig President and, in reality, 
 a Democratic Vice-President were chosen. 
 
 In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice- 
 President of the United States. In one short 
 month from that time, President Harrison died, 
 and Mr. Tyler thus found himself, to his own 
 surprise and that of the whole nation, an occu- 
 pant of the Presidential chair. Hastening from 
 Williamsburg to Washington, on the 6th of 
 April he was inaugurated to the high and re- 
 sponsible office. He was placed in a position of 
 exceeding delicacy and difficulty. All his long 
 life he had been opposed to the main principles of 
 the party which had brought him into power. 
 He had ever been a consistent, honest man, with 
 an unblemished record. Gen. Harrison had se- 
 lected a Whig cabinet. Should he retain them, 
 and thus surround himself with counselors whose 
 views were antagonistic to his own ? or, on the 
 other hand, should he turn against the party 
 which had elected him, and select a cabinet in 
 harmony with himself, and which would oppose 
 all those views which the Whigs deemed essen- 
 tial to the public welfare ? This was his fearful 
 dilemma. He invited the cabinet which Presi- 
 dent Harrison had selected to retain their seats, 
 and recommended a day of fasting and prayer, 
 that God would guide and bless us. 
 
 The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for 
 the incorporation of a fiscal bank of ihe United 
 States. The President, after ten days' delay, re- 
 turned it with his veto. He suggested, however, 
 that he would approve of a bill drawn up upon 
 such a plan as he proposed. Such a bill was ac- 
 cordingly prepared, and privately submitted to 
 him. He gave it his approval. It was passed 
 without alteration, and he sent it back with his 
 veto. Here commenced the open rupture. It is 
 said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- 
 
 ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M. 
 Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who se- 
 verely touched the pride of the President. 
 
 The opposition now exultingly received the 
 President into their arms. The party which 
 elected him denounced him bitterly. All the 
 members of his cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, 
 resigned. The Whigs of Congress, both the 
 Senate and the House, held a meeting and issued 
 an address to the people of the United States, 
 proclaiming that all political alliance between the 
 Whigs and President Tyler was at an end. 
 
 Still the President attempted to conciliate. He 
 appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs 
 and Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong 
 party men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary 
 to resign, forced out by the pressure of his Whig 
 friends. Thus the four years of Mr. Tyler's un- 
 fortunate administration passed sadly away. No 
 one was satisfied. The land was filled with mur- 
 murs and vituperation. Whigs and Democrats 
 alike assailed him. More and more, however, he 
 brought himself into sympathy with his old 
 friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his 
 term he gave his whole influence to the support 
 of Mr. Polk, the Democratic candidate for his 
 successor. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1845, President Tyler re- 
 tired from the harassments of office, to the regret 
 of neither party, and probably to his own unspeak- 
 able relief. The remainder of his days were 
 passed mainly in the retirement of his beautiful 
 home Sherwood Forest, Charles City County, 
 Va. His first wife, Miss Letitia Christian, died 
 in Washington in 1842; and in June, 1844, 
 he was again married, at New York., to Miss Julia 
 Gardiner, a young lady of many personal and 
 intellectual accomplishments. 
 
 When the great Rebellion rose, which the 
 State Rights and nullifying doctrines of John C. 
 Calhoun had inaugurated, President Tyler re- 
 nounced his allegiance to the United States, and 
 joined the Confederates. He was chosen a mem- 
 ber of their Congress, and while engaged in 
 active measures to destroy, by force of arms, the 
 Government over which he had once presided, he 
 was taken sick and soon died.
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF f Hf 
 UNlVEftSllv Of

 
 JAMES K. POLK. 
 
 (TAMES K. POLK, the eleventh President of j 
 
 I the United States, was born in Mecklenburgh 
 Q) County, N. C., November 2, 1795. His 
 parents were Samuel and Jane (Knox) Polk, the 
 former a son of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
 at the above place, as one of the first pioneers, in 
 1735. In 1806, with his wife and children, and 
 soon after followed by most of the members of the 
 Polk family, Samuel Polk emigrated some two or 
 three hundred miles farther west, to the rich val- 
 ley of the Duck River. Here, in the midst of the 
 wilderness, in a region which was subsequently 
 called Maury County, they erected their log huts 
 and established their homes. In the hard toil of 
 a new farm in the wilderness, James K. Polk 
 spent the early years of his childhood and youth. 
 His father, adding the pursuit of a surveyor to 
 that of a farmer, gradually increased in wealth, 
 until he became one of the leading men of the 
 region. His mother was a superior woman, of 
 strong common sense and earnest piety. 
 
 Very early in life James developed a taste for 
 reading, and expressed the strongest desire to ob- 
 tain a liberal education. His mother's training 
 had made him methodical in his habits, had taught 
 him punctuality and industry, and had inspired 
 him with lofty principles of morality. His health 
 was frail, and his father, fearing that he might not 
 be able to endure a sedentary life, got a situation 
 for him behind the counter, hoping to fit him for 
 commercial pursuits. 
 
 This was to James a bitter disappointment. He i 
 had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasKS 
 were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this 
 uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when, 
 at his earnest solicitation, his father removed 
 him and made arrangements for him to pros- 
 ecute his studies. Soon after he sent him to Mur- 
 freesboro Academy. With ardor which could 
 scarcely be surpassed, he pressed forward in his 
 
 studies, and in less than two and a-half years, in 
 the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore class 
 in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel 
 Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of 
 scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allow- 
 ing himself to be absent from a recitation or a 
 religious service. 
 
 Mr. Polk graduated in 1818, with the highest 
 honors, being deemed the best scholar of his class, 
 both in mathematics and the classics. He was 
 then twenty-three years of age. His health was 
 at this time much impaired by the assiduity with 
 which he had prosecuted his studies. After a 
 short season of relaxation, he went to Nashville, 
 and entered the office of Felix Grundy, to study 
 law. Here Mr. Polk renewed his acquaintance 
 with Andrew Jackson, who resided on his planta- 
 tion, the "Hermitage," but a few miles from 
 Nashville. They had probably been slightly ac- 
 quainted before. 
 
 Mr. Folk's father was a JefFersonian Republican 
 and James K. adhered to the same political faith. 
 He was a popular public speaker, and was con- 
 stantly called upon to address the meetings of his 
 party friends. His skill as a speaker was such 
 that he was popularly called the Napoleon of the 
 stump. He was a man of unblemished morals, 
 genial and courteous in his bearing, and with that 
 sympathetic nature in the joys and griefs of oth- 
 ers which gave him hosts of friends. In 1823, 
 he was elected to the Legislature of Tennessee, 
 and gave his strong influence toward the election 
 of his friend, Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of 
 the United States. 
 
 In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 
 Childress, of Rutherford County, Tenn. His 
 bride was altogether worthy of him a lady of 
 beauty and culture. In the fall of 1825 Mr. Polk 
 was chosen a member of Congress, and the satis- 
 faction he gave his constituents may be inferred
 
 6o 
 
 JAMES K. POLK. 
 
 from the fact, that for fourteen successive years, 
 or until 1839, he was continued in that office. He 
 then voluntarily withdrew, only that he might 
 accept the Gubernatorial chair of Tennessee. In 
 Congress he was a laborious member, a frequent 
 and a popular speaker. He was always in his 
 seat, always courteous, and whenever he spoke 
 it was always to the point, without any ambitious 
 rhetorical display. 
 
 During five sessions of Congress Mr. Polk was 
 Speaker of the House. Strong passions were 
 roused and stormy scenes were witnessed, but he 
 performed his arduous duties to a very general 
 satisfaction, and a unanimous vote of thanks to 
 him was passed by the House as he withdrew on 
 the 4th of March, 1839. 
 
 In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, 
 as a candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. 
 He was elected by a large majority, and on Octo- 
 ber 14, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. 
 In 1841 his term of office expired, and he was 
 again the candidate of the Democratic party, but 
 was defeated. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was in- 
 augurated President of the United States.- The 
 verdict of the country in favor of the annexation 
 of Texas exerted its influence upon Congress, 
 and the last act of the administration of President 
 Tyler was to affix his signature to a joint resolu- 
 tion of Congress, passed on the 3d of March, ap- 
 proving of the annexation of Texas to the Union. 
 As Mexico still claimed Texas as one of her 
 provinces, the Mexican Minister, Almonte, im- 
 mediately demanded his passports and left the 
 country, declaring the act of the annexation to be 
 an act hostile to Mexico. 
 
 In his first message, President Polk urged that 
 Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be 
 received into the Union on the same footing with 
 the other States. In the mean time, Gen. Taylor 
 was sent with an army into Texas to hold the 
 country. He was first sent to Nueces, which the 
 Mexicans said was the western boundary of Tex- 
 as. Then he was sent nearly two hundred miles 
 further west, to the Rio Grande, where he erected 
 batteries which commanded the Mexican city of 
 Matamoras, which was situated on the western 
 
 banks. The anticipated collision soon took place, 
 and war was declared against Mexico by President 
 Polk. The war was pushed forward by his ad- 
 ministration with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, 
 whose army was first called one of ' ' observation, ' ' 
 then of "occupation," then of "invasion," was 
 sent forward to Monterey. The feeble Mexicans 
 in every encounter were hopelessly slaughtered. 
 The day of judgment alone can reveal the misery 
 which this war caused. It was by the ingenuity 
 of Mr. Folk's administration that the war was 
 brought on. 
 
 ' ' To the victors belong the spoils. ' ' Mexico 
 was prostrate before us. Her capital was in our 
 hands. We now consented to peace upon the 
 condition that Mexico should surrender to us, in 
 addition to Texas, all of New Mexico, and all of 
 Upper and Lower California. This new demand 
 embraced, exclusive of Texas, eight hundred 
 thousand square miles. This was an extent of 
 territory equal to nine States of the size of New 
 York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen ma- 
 jestic States to be added to the Union. There 
 were some Americans who thought it all right; 
 there were others who thought it all wrong. In 
 the prosecution of this war we expended twenty 
 thousand lives and more than $100,000,000. Of 
 this money $15,000,000 were paid to Mexico. 
 
 On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired 
 from office, having served one term. The next 
 day was Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was 
 inaugurated as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to 
 the Capitol in the same carriage with Gen. Tay- 
 lor, and the same evening, with Mrs. Polk, he 
 commenced his return to Tennessee. He was 
 then but fifty-four years of age. He had always 
 been strictly temperate in all his habits, and his 
 health was good. With an ample fortune, a 
 choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic 
 ties of the dearest nature, it seemed as though 
 long year.= of tranquillity and happiness were be- 
 fore him. But the cholera that fearful scourge 
 was then sweeping up the Valley of the Missis- 
 sippi, and he contracted the disease, dying on the 
 1 5th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth year of his 
 age, greatly mourned by his countrymen.
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 umvu&m
 
 ZACHARY TAYLOR. 
 
 7ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth President of 
 I. the Uuiteci States, was born on the 24th of 
 /~) November, 1784, in Orange County, Va. 
 His father, Col. Taylor, was a Virginian 'of 
 note, and a distinguished patriot and soldier of 
 the Revolution. When Zachary was an infant, 
 his father, with his wife and two children, emi- 
 grated to Kentucky, where he settled in the path- 
 less wilderness, a few miles from Louisville. In 
 this frontier home, away from civilization and all 
 its refinements, young Zachary could enjoy but 
 few social and educational advantages. When 
 six years of age he attended a common school, 
 and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, 
 rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of 
 character. He was strong, fearless and self-reli- 
 ant, and manifested a strong desire to enter the 
 army to fight the Indians, who were ravaging the 
 frontiers. There is little to be recorded of the 
 uneventful years of his childhood on his father's 
 large but lonely plantation. 
 
 In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for 
 him a commission as Lieutenant in the United 
 States army, and he joined the troops which were 
 stationed at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. 
 Soon after this he married Miss Margaret Smith, 
 a young lady from one of the first families of 
 Maryland. 
 
 Immediately after the declaration of war with 
 England, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then 
 been promoted to that rank) was put in command 
 of Ft. Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles 
 above Vincennes. This fort had been built in the 
 wilderness by Gen. Harrison, on his march to 
 Tippecanoe. It was one of the first points of at- 
 tack by the Indians, led by Tecumseh. Its garri- 
 son consisted of a broken company of infantry, 
 numbering fifty men, many of whom were sick. 
 
 Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, 
 stealthily, and in large nnmbers, moved upon the 
 
 fort. Their approach was first indicated by the 
 murder of two soldiers just outside of the stockade. 
 Capt. Taylor made every possible preparation to 
 meet the anticipated assault. On the 4th of Sep- 
 tember, a band of forty painted and plumed sav- 
 ages came to the fort, waving a white flag, and 
 informed Capt. Taylor that in the morning their 
 chief would come to have a talk with him. It 
 was evident that their object was merely to ascer- 
 tain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
 Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, 
 kept them at a distance. 
 
 The sun went down; the savages disappeared; 
 the garrison slept upon their arms. One hour 
 before midnight the war-whoop burst from a 
 thousand lips in the forest around, followed by 
 the discharge of musketry and the rush of the 
 foe. Every man, sick and well, sprang to his 
 post. Every man knew that defeat was not 
 merely death, but, in the case of capture, death by 
 the most agonizing and prolonged torture. No 
 pen can describe, no imagination can conceive, the 
 scenes which ensued. The savages succeeded in 
 setting fire to one of the block-houses. Until six 
 o'clock in the morning this awful conflict con- 
 tinued, when the savages, baffled at every point 
 and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. 
 Capt. Taylor, for this gallant defense, was pro- 
 moted to the rank of Major by brevet. 
 
 Until the close of the war, Maj. Taylor was 
 placed in such situations that he saw but little 
 more of active service. He was sent far away 
 into the depths of the wilderness to Ft. Craw- 
 ford, on Fox River, which empties into Green 
 Bay. Here there was little to be done but to 
 wear away the tedious hours as one best could. 
 There were no books, no society, no intellectual 
 stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful years 
 rolled on. Gradually he rose to the rank of 
 Colonel. In the Black Hawk War, which re-
 
 6 4 
 
 ZACHARY TAYLOR. 
 
 suited in the capture of that renowned chieftain, 
 Col. Taylor took a subordinate, but a brave and 
 efficient, part. 
 
 For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged 
 in the defense of the frontiers, in scenes so re- 
 mote, and in employments so obscure, that his 
 hame was unknown beyond the limits of his own 
 immediate acquaintance. In the year 1836, he 
 was sent to Florida to compel the Seminole Indi- 
 ans to vacate that region, and retire beyond the 
 Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty had prom- 
 ised they should do. The services rendered here 
 secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of 
 the Government, and as a reward he was ele- 
 vated to the high rank of Brigadier-General by 
 brevet, and soon after, in May, 1838, was ap- 
 pointed to the chief command of the United 
 States troops in Florida. 
 
 After two years of wearisome employment 
 amidst the everglades of the Peninsula, Gen. Tay- 
 lor obtained, at his own request, a change of 
 command, and was stationed over the Department 
 of the Southwest. This field embraced Louisiana, 
 Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Establishing 
 his headquarters at Ft. Jessup, in Louisiana, he 
 removed his family to a plantation which he pur- 
 chased near Baton Rouge. Here he remained 
 for five years, buried, as it were, from the world, 
 but faithfully discharging every duty imposed 
 upon him. 
 
 In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the 
 land between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the 
 latter river being the boundary of Texas, which 
 was then claimed by the United States. Soon 
 the war with Mexico was brought on, and at Palo 
 Alto and Resaca de la Palma, Gen. Taylor won 
 brilliant victories over the Mexicans. The rank 
 of Major-General by brevet was then conferred 
 upon Gen. Taylor, and his name was received 
 with enthusiasm almost everywhere in the na- 
 tion. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
 Buena Vista, in which he won signal victories 
 over forces much larger than he commanded. 
 
 The tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena 
 Vista spread the wildest enthusiasm over the 
 country. The name of Gen. Taylor was on 
 every one's lips. The Whig party decided to 
 
 take advantage of this wonderful popularity in 
 bringing forward the unpolished, unlettered, hon- 
 est soldier as their candidate for the Presidency. 
 Gen. Taylor was astonished at the announce- 
 ment, and for a time would not listen to it, de- 
 claring that he was not at all qualified for such 
 an office. So little interest had he taken in poli- 
 tics, that for forty years he had not cast a vote. 
 It was not without chagrin that several distin- 
 guished statesmen, who had been long years in 
 the public service, found their claims set aside in 
 behalf of one whose name had never been heard 
 of, save in connection with Palo Alto, Resaca de 
 la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista. It is said 
 that Daniel Webster, in his haste, remarked, " It 
 is a nomination not fit to be made." 
 
 Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a 
 fine writer. His friends took possession of him, 
 and prepared such few communications as it was 
 needful should be presented to the public. The 
 popularity of the successful warrior swept the 
 land. He was triumphantly elected over two 
 opposing candidates, Gen. Cass and Ex-Presi- 
 dent Martin Van Buren. Though he selected an 
 excellent cabinet, the good old man found himself 
 in a very uncongenial position, and was at times 
 sorely perplexed and harassed. His mental suf- 
 ferings were very severe, and probably tended to 
 hasten his death. The pro-slavery party was 
 pushing its claims with tireless energy; expedi- 
 tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California 
 was pleading for admission to the Union, while 
 slavery stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. 
 Taylor found the political conflicts in Washington 
 to be far more trying to the nerves than battles 
 with Mexicans or Indians. 
 
 In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor, 
 after he had occupied the Presidential chair but 
 little over a year, took cold, and after a brief 
 sickness of but little over five days, died, on the 
 9th of July, 1850. His last words were, "I am 
 not afraid to die. I am ready. I have endeav- 
 ored to do my duty." He died universally re- 
 spected and beloved. An honest, unpretending 
 man, he had been steadily growing in the affec- 
 tions of the people, and the Nation bitterly la- 
 mented his death.
 
 LIBRARY 
 OHHE 
 UNIVERSITY Of

 
 MILLARD FILLMORE. 
 
 FILLMORE, thirteenth President 
 of the United States, was born at Summer 
 Hill, Cayuga County, N. Y. , on the jth of 
 January, 1800. His father was a farmer, and, owing 
 to misfortune, in humble circumstances. Of his 
 mother, the daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, of 
 Pittsfield, Mass., it has been said that she pos- 
 sessed an intellect of a high order, united with 
 much personal loveliness, sweetness of disposi- 
 tion, graceful manners and exquisite sensibilities. 
 She died in 1831, having lived to see her son a 
 young man of distinguished promise, though she 
 was not permitted to witness the high dignity 
 which he finally attained. 
 
 In consequence of the secluded home and limited 
 means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender 
 advantages for education in his early years. The 
 common schools, which he occasionally attended, 
 were very imperfect institutions, and books were 
 scarce and expensive. There was nothing then 
 in his character to indicate the brilliant career 
 upon which he was about to enter. He was a 
 plain farmer's boy intelligent, good-looking, 
 kind-hearted. The sacred influences of home 
 had taught him to revere the Bible, and had laid 
 the foundations of an upright character. When 
 fourteen years of age, his father sent him some 
 hundred miles from home to the then wilds of 
 Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 
 Near the mill there was a small village, where 
 some enterprising man had commenced the col- 
 lection of a village library. This proved an in- 
 estimable blessing to young Fillmore. His even- 
 ings were spent in reading. Soon every leisure 
 moment was occupied with books. His thirst for 
 knowledge became insatiate, and the selections 
 which he made were continually more elevating 
 and instructive. He read history, biography, 
 oratory, and thus gradually there was enkindled 
 
 in his heart a desire to be something more than a 
 mere worker with his hands. 
 
 The young clothier had now attained the age 
 of nineteen years, and was of fine personal appear- 
 ance and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so hap- 
 pened that there was a gentleman in the neigh- 
 borhood of ample pecuniary means and of benev- 
 olence, Judge Walter Wood, who was struck 
 with the prepossessing appearance of young Fill- 
 more. He made his acquaintance, and was so 
 much impressed with his ability and attainments 
 that he advised him to abandon his trade and de- 
 vote himself to the study of the law. The young 
 man replied that he had no means of his own, 
 no friends to help him, and that his previous edu- 
 cation had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood 
 had so much confidence in him that he kindly 
 offered to take him into his own office, and to 
 lend him such money as he needed. Most grate- 
 fully the generous offer was accepted. 
 
 There is in many minds a strange delusion 
 about a collegiate education. A young man is 
 supposed to be liberally educated if he has gradu- 
 ated at some college. But many a boy who loi- 
 ters through university halls and then enters a 
 law office is by no means as well prepared to 
 prosecute his legal studies as was Millard Fill- 
 more when he graduated at the clothing-mill at 
 the end of four years of manual labor, during 
 which every leisure moment had been devoted to 
 intense mental culture. 
 
 In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he 
 was admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. 
 He then went to the village of Aurora, and com- 
 menced the practice of law. In this secluded, 
 quiet region, his practice, of course, was limited, 
 and there was no opportunity for a sudden rise in 
 fortune or in fame. Here, in 1826, he married a 
 lady of great moral worth, and one capable of
 
 MILLARD FILLMORE. 
 
 adorning any station she might be called to fill, 
 Miss Abigail Powers. 
 
 His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
 his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advo- 
 cate, gradually attracted attention, and he was 
 invited to enter into partnership, under highly ad- 
 vantageous circumstances, with an elder member 
 of the Bar in Buffalo. Just before removing to 
 Buffalo, in 1829, he took his seat in the House of 
 Assembly of the State of New York, as a Repre- 
 sentative from Erie County. Though he had 
 never taken a very active part in politics, his vote 
 and sympathies were with the Whig party. The 
 State was then Democratic, and he found himself 
 in a helpless minority in the Legislature; still the 
 testimony comes from all parties that his courtesy, 
 ability and integrity won, to a very unusual de- 
 gree, the respect of his associates. 
 
 In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a 
 seat in the United States Congress. He entered 
 that troubled arena in the most tumultuous hours 
 of our national history, when the great conflict 
 respecting the national bank and the removal of 
 the deposits was raging. 
 
 His term of two years closed, and he returned 
 to his profession, which he pursued with increas- 
 ing reputation and success. After a lapse of two . 
 years he again became a candidate for Congress; , 
 was re-elected, and took his seat in 1837. His 
 past experience as a Representative gave him 
 strength and confidence. The first term of service 
 in Congress to any man can be but little more 
 than an introduction. He was now prepared for 
 active duty. All his energies were brought to 
 bear upon the public good. Every measure re- 
 ceived his impress. 
 
 Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, 
 and his popularity filled the State. In the year 
 1847, when he had attained the age of forty- 
 seven years, he was elected Comptroller of the 
 State. His labors at the Bar, in the Legisla- 
 ture, in Congress and as Comptroller, had given 
 him very considerable fame. The Whigs were 
 casting about to find suitable candidates for Presi- 
 dent and Vice- President at the approaching elec- 
 tion. Far away on the waters of the Rio Grande, 
 there was a rough old soldier, who had fought 
 
 one or two successful battles with the Mexicans, 
 which had caused his name to be proclaimed in 
 trumpet-tones all over the land as a candidate for 
 the presidency. But it was necessary to associate 
 with him on the same ticket some man of repu- 
 tation as a statesman. 
 
 Under the influence of these considerations, the 
 names of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore 
 became the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their 
 candidates for President and Vice-President. The 
 Whig ticket was signallj' triumphant. On the 
 4th of March, 1849, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated 
 President, and Millard Fillmore Vice-Presideut, 
 of the United States. 
 
 On the gth of July, 1850, President Taylor, 
 about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
 tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the 
 Constitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus be- 
 came President. He appointed a very able cabi- 
 net, of which the illustrious Daniel Webster was 
 Secretary of State; nevertheless, he had serious 
 difficulties to contend with, since the opposition 
 had a majority in both Houses. He did all in his 
 power to conciliate the South; but the pro-slavery 
 party in the South felt the inadequacy of all 
 measures of transient conciliation. The popula- 
 tion of the free States was so rapidly increasing 
 over that of the slave States, that it was inevitable 
 that the power of the Government should soon 
 pass into the hands of the free States. The fa- 
 mous compromise measures were adopted under 
 Mr. Fillmore' s administration, and the Japan ex- 
 pedition was sent out. On the 4th of March, 
 1853, he, having served one term, retired. 
 
 In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the 
 Presidency by the "Know-Nothing" party, but 
 was beaten by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. 
 Fillmore lived in retirement. During the terri- 
 ble conflict of civil war, he was mostly silent. It 
 was generally supposed that his sympathies were 
 rather with those who were endeavoring to over- 
 throw our institutions. President Fillmore kept 
 aloof from the conflict, without any cordial words 
 of cheer to one party or the other. He was thus 
 forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe old age, 
 and died in Buffalo, N. Y., March 8, 1874.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 or rw 
 
 f ILLINOIS
 
 HRANKUN PIERCE, the fourteenth Presi- 
 ly dent of the United States, was born in Hills- 
 I borough, N. H., November 23, 1804. His 
 father was a Revolutionary soldier, who with his 
 own strong arm hewed out a home in the wilder- 
 ness. He was a man of inflexible integrity, of 
 strong, though uncultivated, mind, and was an un- 
 compromising Democrat. The mother of Frank- 
 lin Pierce was all that a son could desire an in- 
 telligent, prudent, affectionate, Christian woman. 
 
 Franklin, who was the sixth of eight children, 
 was a remarkably bright and handsome boy, 
 generous, warm-hearted and brave. He won 
 alilce the love of old and young. The boys on 
 th? play-ground loved him. His teachers loved 
 him. The neighbors looked upon him with pride 
 and affection. He was by instinct a gentleman, 
 always speaking kind words, and doing kind 
 deeds, with a peculiar, unstudied tact which 
 taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
 veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
 devotion to books, he was a good scholar, and in 
 body and mind a finely developed boy. 
 
 When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, 
 he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me. 
 He was one of ihe most popular young men in 
 the college. The purity of his moral character, 
 the unvarying courtesy of his demeanor, his rank 
 as a scholar, and genial nature, rendered him a 
 universal favorite. There was something pe- 
 culiarly winning in his address, and it was evi- 
 dently not in the slightest degree studied it was 
 the simple outgushing of his own magnanimous 
 and loving nature. 
 
 Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin 
 Pierce commenced the study of law in the office 
 of Judge Woodbury, one of the most distinguished 
 
 FRANKLIN PIERCE. 
 
 lawyers of the State, and a man of great private 
 worth. The eminent social qualities of the young 
 lawyer, his father's prominence as a public man, 
 and the brilliant political career into which Judge 
 Woodbury was entering, all tended to entice Mr. 
 Pierce into the fascinating yet perilous path of 
 political life. With all the ardor of his nature he 
 espoused the cause of Gen. Jackson for the Presi- 
 dency. He commenced the practice of law in 
 Hillsborough, and was soon elected to represent 
 the town in the State Legislature. Here he 
 served for four years. The last two years he was 
 chosen Speaker of the House by a very large 
 vote. 
 
 In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was 
 elected a member of Congress. In 1837, being 
 then but thirty-three years old, he was elected to 
 the Senate, taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren 
 commenced his administration. He was the 
 youngest member in the Senate. In the year 
 1834, he married Miss Jane Means Appleton, a 
 lady of rare beauty and accomplishments, and one 
 admirably fitted to adorn every station with which 
 her husband was honored. Of the three sons who 
 were born to them, all now sleep with their par- 
 ents in the grave. 
 
 In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing 
 fame and increasing business as a lawyer, took up 
 his residence in Concord, the capital of New 
 Hampshire. President Polk, upon his accession 
 to office, appointed Mr. Pierce Attorney-General 
 of the United States; but the offer was declined 
 in consequence of numerous professional engage- 
 ments at home, and the precarious state of Mrs. 
 Pierce's health. He also, about the same time, 
 declined the nomination for Governor by the 
 Democratic party. The war with Mexico called
 
 FRANKLIN PIERCE. 
 
 Mr. Pierce into the army. Receiving the appoint- 
 ment of Brigadier-General, he embarked with a 
 portion of his troops at Newport, R. I., on the 
 27th of May, 1847. He took an important part 
 in this war, proving himself a brave and true sol- 
 dier. 
 
 When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his na- 
 tive State, he was received enthusiastically by the 
 advocates of the Mexican War, and coldly by his 
 opponents. He resumed the practice of his pro- 
 fession, very frequently taking an active part in 
 political questions, giving his cordial support to 
 the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic party. 
 The compromise measures met cordially with his 
 approval, and he strenuously advocated the en- 
 forcement of the infamous Fugitive Slave Law, 
 which so shocked the religious sensibilities of the 
 North. He thus became distinguished as a 
 ' ' Northern man with Southern principles. ' ' The 
 strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
 quently regarded him as a man whom they could 
 safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 
 
 On the I2th of June, 1852, the Democratic con- 
 vention met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate 
 for the Presidency. For four days they contin- 
 ued in session, and in thirty-five ballotings no one 
 had obtained a two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus 
 far had been thrown for Gen. Pierce. Then the 
 Virginia delegation brought forward his name. 
 There were fourteen more ballotings, during which 
 Gen. Pierce constantly gained strength, until, at 
 the forty-ninth ballot, he received two hundred 
 and eighty-two votes, and all other candidates 
 eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was the Whig can- 
 didate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with great una- 
 nimity. Only four States Vermont, Massachu- 
 setts, Kentucky and Tennessee cast their elec- 
 toral votes against him. Gen. Franklin Pierce 
 was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
 State_s on the 4th of March, 1853. 
 
 His administration proved one of the most 
 stormy our country had ever experienced. The 
 controversy between slavery and freedom was 
 then approaching its culminating point. It be- 
 came evident that there was to be an irrepressible 
 conflict between them, and that this nation 
 could not long exist ' ' half slave and half free. ' ' 
 
 President Pierce, during the whole of his admin- 
 istration, did everything he could to conciliate the 
 South; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
 year grew more violent, and threats of the disso- 
 lution of the Union were borne to the North on 
 every Southern breeze. 
 
 Such was the condition of affairs when Presi- 
 dent Pierce approached the close of his four- 
 years term of office. The North had become 
 thoroughly alienated from him. The anti-slavery 
 sentiment, goaded by great outrages, had been 
 rapidly increasing; all the intellectual ability and 
 social worth of President Pierce were forgotten in 
 deep reprehension of his administrative acts. The 
 slaveholders of the South also, unmindful of the 
 fidelity with which he had advocated those meas- 
 ures of Government which they approved, and 
 perhaps feeling that he had rendered himself 
 so unpopular as no longer to be able to accepta- 
 bly serve them, ungratefully dropped him, and 
 nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
 turned to his home in Concord. His three chil- 
 dren were all dead, his last surviving child hav- 
 ing been killed before his eyes in a railroad acci- 
 dent; and his wife, one of the most estimable and 
 accomplished of ladies, was rapidly sinking in 
 consumption. The hour of dreadful gloom soon 
 came, and he was left alone in the world without 
 wife or child. 
 
 When the terrible Rebellion burst forth which 
 divided our country into two parties, and two 
 only, Mr. Pierce remained steadfast in the prin- 
 ciples which he had always cherished, and gave 
 his sympathies to that pro-slavery party with 
 which he had ever been allied. He declined to 
 do anything, either by voice or pen, to strengthen 
 the hand of the National Government. He con- 
 tinued to reside in Concord until the time of his 
 death, which occurred in October, 1869. He was 
 one of the most genial and social of men, an hon- 
 ored communicant of the Episcopal Church, and 
 one of the kindest of neighbors. Generous to a 
 fault, he contributed liberally toward the allevia- 
 tion of suffering and want, and many of his 
 towns-people were often gladdened by his material 
 bounty.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of THf 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS
 
 JAMES BUCHANAN. 
 
 (I AMES BUCHANAN, the fifteenth President ! 
 
 I of the United States, was born in a small 
 \~) frontier town, at the foot of the eastern ridge 
 of the Alleghanies, in Franklin County, Pa., on 
 the 23d of April, 1791. The place where the 
 humble cabin home stood was called Stony Bat- 
 ter. His father was a native of the north of Ire- 
 land, who had emigrated in 1783, with little prop- 
 erty save his own strong arms. Five years after- 
 ward he married Elizabeth Spear, the daughter 
 of a respectable farmer, and, with his young bride, 
 plunged into the wilderness, staked his claim, 
 reared his log hut, opened a clearing with his 
 axe, and settled down there to perform his obscure 
 part in the drama of life. When James was eight 
 years of age, his father removed to the village of 
 Mercersburg, where his son was placed at school, 
 and commenced a course of study in English, 
 Latin and Greek. His progress was rapid, and 
 at the age of fourteen he entered Dickinson Col- 
 lege, at Carlisle. Here he developed remarkable 
 talent, and took his stand among the first scholars 
 in the institution. 
 
 In the year 1809, he graduated with the high- 
 est honors of his class. He was then eighteen 
 years of age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, 
 fond of athletic sports, an unerring shot, and en- 
 livened with an exuberant flow of animal spirits. 
 He immediately commenced the study of law in 
 the city of Lancaster, and was admitted to the 
 Bar in 1812, when he was but twenty-one years 
 of age. 
 
 In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
 candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
 ten years he remained a member of the Lower 
 House. During the vacations of Congress, he 
 
 occasionally tried some important case. In 1831 
 he retired altogether from the toils of his profes- 
 sion, having acquired an ample fortune. 
 
 Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presi- 
 dency, appointed Mr. Buchanan Minister to Rus- 
 sia. The duties of his mission he performed 
 with ability, and gave satisfaction to all parties. 
 Upon his return, in 1833, he was elected to a seat 
 in the United States Senate. He there met as 
 his associates Webster, Clay, Wright and Cal- 
 houn. He advocated the measures proposed by 
 President Jackson, of making reprisals against 
 France to enforce the payment of our claims 
 against that country, and defended the course of 
 the President in his unprecedented and wholesale 
 removal from office of those who were not the 
 supporters of his administration. Upon this 
 question he was brought into direct collision with 
 Henry Clay. He also, with voice and vote, ad- 
 vocated expunging from the journal of the Senate 
 the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for re- 
 moving the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the 
 abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, 
 and urged the prohibition of the circulation of 
 anti-slavery documents by the United States 
 mails. As to petitions on the subject of slavery, 
 he advocated that they should be respectfully re- 
 ceived, and that the reply should be returned 
 that Congress had no power to legislate upon the 
 subject. "Congress," said he, "might as well 
 undertake to interfere with slavery under a for- 
 eign government as in any of the States where it 
 now exists." 
 
 Upon Mr. Folk's accession to the Presidency, 
 Mr. Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as 
 such took his share of the responsibility in the
 
 7 6 
 
 JAMES BUCHANAN. 
 
 conduct of the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed 
 that crossing the Nueces by the American 
 troops into the disputed territory was not wrong, 
 but for the Mexicans to cross the Rio Grande 
 into Texas was a declaration of war. No candid 
 man can read with pleasure the account of the 
 course our Government pursued in that movement. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly 
 with the party devoted to the perpetuation and 
 extension of slavery, and brought all the energies 
 of his mind to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. 
 He gave his cordial approval to the compromise 
 measures of 1850, which included the Fugitive 
 Slave Law. Mr. Pierce, upon his election to the 
 Presidency, honored Mr. Buchanan with the mis- 
 sion to England. 
 
 In the year 1856, a national Democratic Con- 
 vention nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presi- 
 dency. The political conflict was one of the most 
 severe in which our country has ever engaged. 
 All the friends of slavery were on one side; all 
 the advocates of its restriction and final abolition 
 on the other. Mr. Fremont, the candidate of the 
 enemies of slavery, received one hundred and 
 fourteen electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
 one hundred and seventy-four, and was elected. 
 The popular vote stood 1,340,618 for Fremont, 
 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On March 4, 1857, 
 the latter was inaugurated. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only 
 four years were wanting to fill up his three-score 
 years and ten. His own friends, those with 
 whom he had been allied in political principles 
 and action for years, were seeking the destruc- 
 tion of the Government, that they might rear 
 upon the ruins of our free institutions a nation 
 whose corner-stone should be human slavery. In 
 this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly 
 bewildered. He could not, with his long-avowed 
 principles, consistently oppose the State Rights 
 party in their assumptions. As President of the 
 United States, bound by his oath faithfully to 
 administer the laws, he could not, without per- 
 jury of the grossest kind, unite with those en- 
 deavoring to overthrow the Republic. He there- 
 fore did nothing. 
 
 The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administra- 
 
 tion nominated Abraham Lincoln as their stand- 
 ard-bearer in the next Presidential canvass. 
 The pro-slavery party declared that if he were 
 elected and the control of the Government were 
 thus taken from their hands, they would sece:l: 
 from the Union, taking with them as they retired 
 the National Capitol at Washington and the 
 lion's share of the territory of the United States. 
 
 As the storm increased in violence, the slave- 
 holders claiming the right to secede, and Mr. 
 Buchanan avowing that Congress had no power 
 to prevent it, one of the most pitiable exhibitions 
 of governmental imbecility was exhibited that the 
 world has ever seen. He declared that Congress 
 had no power to enforce its laws in any State 
 which had withdrawn, or which was attempting 
 to withdraw, from the Union. This was not the 
 doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with his hand 
 upon Ms sword-hilt, he exclaimed: "The Union 
 must and shall be preserved!" 
 
 South Carolina seceded in December, 1860, 
 nearly three months before the inauguration of 
 President Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in 
 listless despair. The rebel flag was raised in 
 Charleston; Ft. Sumter was besieged; our forts, 
 navy-yards and arsenals were seized; our depots 
 of military stores were plundered, and our cus- 
 tom-houses and post-offices were appropriated by 
 the rebels. 
 
 The energy of the rebels and the imbecility of 
 our Executive were alike marvelous. The na- 
 tion looked on in agony, waiting for the slow 
 weeks to glide away and close the administration, 
 so terrible in its weakness. At length the long- 
 looked-for hour of deliverance came, when Abra- 
 ham Lincoln was to receive the scepter. 
 
 The administration of President Buchanan was 
 certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
 perienced. His best friends can not recall it with 
 pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his 
 fame, that in that dreadful conflict which rolled 
 its billows of flame and blood over our whole 
 land, no word came from his lips to indicate his 
 wish that our country's banner should triumph 
 over the flag of the Rebellion. He died at his 
 Wheatland retreat, June i, 1868.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of THt 
 
 UNIVtKSIlY Of ILUflOJS
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
 
 BRAHAM LINCOLN, the sixteenth Presi- 
 t_l dent of the United States, was born in Hardin 
 | I County, Ky., February 12, 1809. About 
 the year -i 780, a man by the name of Abraham 
 Lincoln left Virginia with his family and moved 
 into the then wilds of Kentucky. Only two years 
 after this emigration, and while still a young man, 
 he was working one day in a field, when an Indian 
 stealthily approached and killed him. His widow 
 was left in extreme poverty with five little chil- 
 dren, three boys and two girls. Thomas, the 
 youngest of the boys, and the father of President 
 Abraham Lincoln, was four years of age at his 
 father's death. 
 
 When twenty-eight years old, Thomas Lincoln 
 built a log cabin, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
 daughter of another family of poor Kentucky 
 emigrants, who had also come from Virginia. 
 Their second child was Abraham Lincoln, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. The mother of Abraham was 
 a noble woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created 
 to adorn a palace, but doomed to toil and pine, and 
 die in a hovel. " All that I am, or hope to be," 
 exclaimed the grateful son, " I owe to my angel- 
 mother. ' ' When he was eight years ot age, his 
 father sold his cabin and small farm and moved 
 to Indiana, where two years later his mother died. 
 
 As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly 
 family was the usual lot of humanity. There 
 were joys and griefs, weddings and funerals. 
 Abraham's sister Sarah, to whom he was tenderly 
 attached, was married when a child of but four- 
 teen years of age, and soon died. The family 
 was gradually scattered, and Thomas Lincoln 
 sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, and emi- 
 grated to Macon County, 111. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years 
 of age. With vigorous hands he aided his father 
 in rearing another log cabin, and worked quite 
 diligently at this until he saw the family com- 
 fortably settled, and their small lot of enclosed 
 prairie planted with corn, when he announced to 
 
 his father his intention to leave home, and to gc 
 out into the world and seek his fortune. Littk 
 did he or his friends imagine how brilliant that 
 fortune was to be. He saw the value of educa- 
 tion and was intensely earnest to improve his 
 mind to the utmost of his power. Religion he 
 revered. Hie morals were pure, and he was un- 
 contaminated by a single vice. 
 
 Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired 
 laborer among the farmers. Then he went to 
 Springfield, where he was employed in building 
 a large flat-boat. In this he took a herd of swine, 
 floated them down the Sangamon to Illinois, and 
 thence by the Mississippi to New Orleans. What- 
 ever Abraham Lincoln undertook, he performed 
 so faithfully as to give great satisfaction to his 
 employers. In this adventure the latter were 
 so well pleased, that upon his return they placed 
 a store and mill under his care. 
 
 In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk 
 War, he enlisted and was chosen Captain of a 
 company. He returned to Sangamon County,- 
 and, although only twenty-three years of age, was 
 a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated. 
 He soon after received from Andrew Jackson the 
 appointment of Postmaster of New Salem. His 
 only post-office was his hat. All the letters he 
 received he carried there, ready to deliver to those 
 he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and 
 soon made this his business. In 1834 he again 
 became a candidate for the Legislature and was 
 elected. Mr. Stuart, of Springfield, advised him 
 to study law. He walked from New Salem to 
 Springfield, borrowed of Mr. Stuart a load oi 
 books, carried them back, and began his legal 
 studies. When the Legislature assembled, he 
 trudged on foot with his pack on his back one 
 hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
 1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here 
 it was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 
 he removed to Springfield and began the practice 
 of law. His success with the jury was so great
 
 8o 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
 
 that lie was soon engaged in almost every noted 
 case in the circuit. 
 
 In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
 Lincoln and Mr. Douglas on the slavery ques- 
 tion. In the organization of the Republican party 
 in Illinois, in 1856, he took an active part, and at 
 once became one of the leaders in that party. 
 Mr. Lincoln's speeches in opposition to Senator 
 Douglas in the contest in 1858 for a seat in the 
 Senate, form a most notable part of his history. 
 The issue was on the slavery question, and he 
 took the broad ground of the Declaration of In- 
 dependence, that all men are created equal. Mr. 
 Lincoln was defeated in this contest, but won a 
 far higher prize. 
 
 The great Republican Convention met at Chi- 
 cago on the 1 6th of June, 1860. The delegates 
 anfl strangers who crowded the city amounted to 
 twenty-five thousand. An immense building 
 called "The Wigwam," was reared to accommo- 
 date the convention. There were eleven candi- 
 dates for whom votes were thrown. William H. 
 Seward, a man whose fame as a statesman had 
 long filled the land, was the most prominent. It 
 was generally supposed he would be the nomi- 
 nee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received the 
 nomination on the third ballot. 
 
 Election day came, and Mr. Lincoln received 
 one hundred and eighty electoral votes out of two 
 hundred and three cast, and was, therefore, con- 
 stitutionally elected President of the United States. 
 The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this 
 good and merciful man, especially by the slave- 
 holders, was greater than upon any other man 
 ever elected to this high position. In February, 
 1861, Mr. Lincoln started for Washington, stop- 
 ping in all the large cities on his way, making 
 speeches. The whole journey was fraught with 
 much danger. Many of the Southern States had 
 already seceded, and several attempts at assassi- 
 nation were afterward brought to light. A gang 
 in Baltimore had arranged upon his arrival to 
 "get up a row," and in the confusion to make 
 sure of his death with revolvers and hand-gren- 
 ades. A detective unravelled the plot. A secret 
 and special train was provided to take him from 
 Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an unexpected 
 
 hour of the night. The train started at half-past 
 ten, and to prevent any possible communication 
 on the part of the Secessionists with their Con- 
 federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train 
 had started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. 
 Lincoln reached Washington in safety and was 
 inaugurated, although great anxiety was felt by 
 all loyal people. 
 
 In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave 
 to Mr. Seward the Department of State, and to 
 other prominent opponents before the convention 
 he gave important positions; but during no other 
 administration had the duties devolving upon the 
 President been so manifold, and the responsibilities 
 so great, as those which fell to his lot. Knowing 
 this, and feeling his own weakness and inability 
 to meet, and in his own strength to cope with, 
 the difficulties, he learned early to seek Divine 
 wisdom and guidance in determining his plans, 
 and Divine comfort in all his trials, both personal 
 and national. Contrary to his own estimate of 
 himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the most cour- 
 ageous of men. He went directly into the rebel 
 capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, with 
 no guard but a few sailors. From the time he 
 had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans had 
 been made for his assassination, and he at last 
 fell a victim to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, 
 with Gen. Grant, was urgently invited to attend 
 Ford's Theatre. It was announced that they 
 would be present. Gen. Grant, however, left the 
 city. President Lincoln, feeling, with his char- 
 acteristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a 
 disappointment if he should fail them, very re- 
 luctantly consented to go. While listening to 
 the play, an actor by the name of John Wilket 
 Booth entered the box where the President and 
 family were seated, and fired a bullet into his 
 brain. He died the next morning at seven 
 o' clock. 
 
 Never before in the history of the world was 
 a nation plunged into such deep grief by the death 
 of its ruler Strong men met in the streets and 
 wept in speechless anguish. His was a life which 
 will fitly become a model. His name as the 
 Savior of his country will live with that of Wash- 
 ington's, its Father.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of THE 
 
 UNIVEKSm OF ILLINOIS
 
 /y
 
 ANDREW JOHNSON. 
 
 Gl NDREW JOHNSON, seventeenth President 
 LJ of the United States. The early life of An- 
 / I drew Johnson contains but the record of pov- 
 erty , destitution and friendlessness. He was born 
 December 29, 1808, in. Raleigh, N. C. His par- 
 ents, belonging to the class of "poor whites" 
 of the South, were in such circumstances that they 
 could not confer even the slightest advantages of 
 education upon their child. When Andrew was 
 five years of age, his father accidentally lost his 
 life, while heroically endeavoring to save a friend 
 from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew 
 was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by 
 the labor of his mother, who obtained her living 
 with her own hands. 
 
 He then, having never attended a school one 
 day, and being unable either to reader write, was 
 apprenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gen- 
 tleman was in the habit of going to the tailor's 
 shop occasionally, and reading to the boys at 
 work there. He often read from the speeches of 
 distinguished British statesmen. Andrew, who 
 was endowed with a mind of more than ordinary 
 ability, became much interested in these speeches; 
 his ambition was roused, and he was inspired with 
 a strong desire to learn to read. 
 
 He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, 
 and with the assistance of some of his fellow- 
 workmen learned his letters. He then called upon 
 the gentleman to borrow the book of speeches. 
 The owner, pleased with his zeal, not only gave 
 him the book, but assisted him in learning to com- 
 bine the letters into words. Under such difficul- 
 ties he pressed onward laboriously, spending usu- 
 ally ten or twelve hours at work in the shop, and 
 then robbing himself of rest and recreation to de- 
 vote such time as he could to reading. 
 
 He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 
 
 Greenville, where he married a young lady who 
 possessed some education. Under her instructions 
 he learned to write and cipher. He became 
 prominent in the village debating society, and a 
 favorite with the students of Greenville College. 
 In 1828, he organized a working man's party, 
 which elected him Alderman, and in 1830 elected 
 him Mayor, which position he held three years. 
 
 He now began to take a lively interest in 
 political affairs, identify ing himself with the work- 
 ing-class, to which he belonged. In 1835, he 
 was elected a member of the House of Represent- 
 atives of Tennessee. He was then just twenty- 
 seven years of age. He became a very active 
 member of the Legislature, gave his support to 
 the Democratic party, and in 1840 "stumped the 
 State," advocating Martin Van Buren's claims to 
 the Presidency, in opposition to 'those of Gen. 
 Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
 readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
 his reputation. 
 
 In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, 
 he was elected a Member of Congress, and by suc- 
 cessive elections held that important post for ten 
 years. In 1 853 , he was elected Governor of Tenn- 
 essee, and was re-elected in 1855. In all these 
 responsible positions, he discharged his duties 
 with distinguished ability, and proved himself the 
 warm friend of the working 'classes. In 1857, Mr. 
 Johnson was elected United States Senator. 
 
 Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
 the annexation of Texas, stating, however, as his 
 reason, that he thought this annexation would 
 probably prove "to be the gateway out of which 
 the sable sons of Africa are to pass from bondage 
 to freedom, and become merged in a population 
 congenial to themselves." In 1850, he also sup- 
 ported the compromise measures, the two essen-
 
 8 4 
 
 ANDREW JOHNSON. 
 
 tial features of which werp, that the white people 
 of the Territories should be permitted to decide 
 for themselves whether they would enslave the 
 colored people or not, and that the free States of 
 the North should return to the South persons who 
 attempted to escape from slavery. 
 
 Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly 
 origin: on the contrary, he often took pride in 
 avowing that he owed his distinction to his own 
 exertions. "Sir," said he on the floor of the 
 Senate, "I do not forget that I am a mechanic; 
 neither do I forget that Adam was a tailor and 
 sewed fig-leaves, and that our Savior was the son 
 of a carpenter. ' ' 
 
 In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of 1860, 
 he was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for 
 the Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of 
 the Southern Democracy became apparent, he took 
 a decided stand in favor of the Union, and held 
 that "slavery must be held subordinate to the 
 Union at whatever cost." He returned to Tenn- 
 essee, and repeatedly imperiled his own life to 
 protect the Unionists of that State. Tennessee 
 having seceded from the Union, President Lincoln, 
 on March 4, 1862, appointed him Military Gov- 
 ernor of the State, and he established the most 
 Stringent military rule. His numerous proclama- 
 tions attracted wide attention. In 1864, he was 
 elected Vice- President of the United States, and 
 upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 1865, 
 became President. In a speech two days later he 
 said, "The American people must be taught, if 
 they do not already feel, that treason is a crime 
 and must be punished; that the Government will 
 not always bear with its enemies; that it is strong 
 not only to protect, but to punish. * * The 
 people must understand that it (treason) is the 
 blackest of crimes, and will surely be punished. ' ' 
 Yet his whole administration, the history of which 
 is so well known, was in utter inconsistency with, 
 and in the most violent opposition to, the princi- 
 ples laid down in that speech. 
 
 In his loose policy of reconstruction and general 
 amnesty, he was opposed by Congress, and he 
 characterized Congress as a new rebellion, and 
 lawlessly defied it in everything possible to the ut- 
 most. In the beginning of 1868, on account of 
 
 "High crimes and misdemeanors," the principal 
 of which was the removal of Secretary Stanton in 
 violation of the Tenure of Office Act, articles of 
 impeachment were preferred against him, and the 
 trial began March 23. 
 
 It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three 
 months. A test article of the impeachment was 
 at length submitted to the court for its action. It 
 was certain that as the court voted upon that ar- . 
 ticle so would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices 
 pronounced the President guilty. As a two-thirds 
 vote was necessary to his condemnation, he was 
 pronounced acquitted, notwithstanding the great 
 majority against him. The change of one vote 
 from the not guilty side would have sustained the 
 impeachment. 
 
 The President, for the remainder of his term, 
 was but little regarded. He continued, though 
 impotently, his conflict with Congress. His own 
 party did not think it expedient to renominate 
 him for the Presidency. The Nation rallied with . 
 enthusiasm, unparalleled since the days of Wash- 
 ington, around the name of Gen. Grant. Andrew 
 Johnson was forgotten. The bullet of the assassin 
 introduced him to the President's chair. Not- 
 withstanding this, never was there presented to a 
 man a better opportunity to immortalize his name, 
 and to win the gratitude of a nation. He failed 
 utterly. He retired to his home in Greenville, 
 Tenn. , taking no very active part in politics until 
 1875. On January 26, after an exciting struggle,' 
 he was chosen by the Legislature of Tennessee 
 United States Senator in the Forty-fourth Congess, 
 and took his seat in that body, at the special ses- 
 sion convened by President Grant, on the 5th of 
 March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-Presi- 
 dent made a visit to his daughter's home, near 
 Carter Station, Tenn. When he started on his 
 journey, he was apparently in his usual vigorous 
 health, but on reaching the residence of his child 
 the following day, he was stricken with paralysis, 
 which rendered him unconscious. He rallied oc- ; 
 casionally, but finally passed away at 2 A. M., 
 July 31 , aged sixty-seven years. His funeral was 
 held at Greenville, on the 3d of August, with 
 every demonstration of respect.
 
 LIBRARY 
 of rm 
 
 UNIVEKSm OF ILLINOIS
 
 ULYSSES S. GRANT. 
 
 HLYSSES S. GRANT, the eighteenth Presi- 
 dent of the United States, was born on the 
 2gth of April, 1822, of Christian parents, in 
 a humble home at Point Pleasant, on the banks 
 of the Ohio. Shortly after, his father moved to 
 Georgetown, Brown County,. Ohio. In this re- 
 mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses received a common- 
 school education. At the age of seventeen, in 
 the year 1839, he entered the Military Academy 
 at West Point. Here he was regarded as a solid, 
 sensible young man, of fair ability, and of sturdy, 
 honest character. He took respectable rank as a 
 scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated about the 
 middle in his class, and was sent as Lieutenant of 
 Infantry to one of the distant military posts in the 
 Missouri Territory. Two years he passed in these 
 dreary solitudes, watching the vagabond Indians. 
 
 The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
 sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His 
 first battle was at Palo Alto. There was no 
 chance here for the exhibition of either skill or 
 heroism, nor at Resaca de la Palma, his second 
 battle. At the battle of Monterey, his third en- 
 gagement, it is said that he performed a signal 
 service of daring and .skillful horsemanship. 
 
 At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant 
 returned with his regiment to New York, and 
 was again sent to one of the military posts on the 
 frontier. The discovery of gold in Califorria 
 causing an immense tide of emigration to flow to 
 the Pacific shores, Cnpt. Grant was sent with a 
 battalion to Ft. Dallas, in Oregon, for the protec- 
 tion of the interests of the immigrants. But life 
 was wearisome in those wilds, and he resigned 
 his commission and returned to the States. Hav- 
 ing married, he entered upon the cultivation of a 
 small farm near St. Louis, Mo., but having little 
 
 skill as a farmer, and finding his toil not re- 
 munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering 
 into the leather business, with a younger brother 
 at Galena, 111. This was in the year 1860. As 
 the tidings of the rebels firing on Ft. Sumter 
 reached the ears of Capt. Grant in his counting- 
 room, he said: "Uncle Sam has educated me 
 for the army; though I have served him through 
 one war, I do not feel that I have yet repaid the 
 debt. I am still ready to discharge my obliga- 
 tions. I shall therefore buckle on my sword and 
 see Uncle Sam through this war too. ' ' 
 
 He went into the streets, raised a company of 
 volunteers, and led them as their Captain to 
 Springfield, the capital of the State, where their 
 services were offered to Gov. Yates. The Gov- 
 ernor, impressed by the zeal and straightforward 
 executive ability of Capt. Grant, gave him a desk 
 in his office to assist in the volunteer organiza- 
 tion that was being formed in the State in behalf 
 of the Government. On the 1 5th of June, 1861, 
 Capt. Grant received a commission as Colonel of 
 the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. 
 His merits as a West Point graduate, who had 
 served for fifteen years in the regular army, were 
 such that he was soon promoted to the rank of 
 Brigadier-General, and was placed in command at 
 Cairo. The rebels raised their banner at Padu- 
 cah, near the mouth of the Tennessee River. 
 Scarcely had its folds appeared in the breeze ere 
 Gen. Grant was there. The rebels fled, their 
 banner fell, and the Stars and Stripes were un- 
 furled in its stead. 
 
 He entered the service with great determina- 
 tion and immediately began active duty. This 
 was the beginning, and until the ' surrender of 
 Lee at Richmond he was ever pushing the enemy
 
 88 
 
 ULYSSES S. GRANT. 
 
 with great vigor and effectiveness. At Belmont, 
 a few days later, he surprised and routed the 
 rebels, then at Ft. Henry won another victory. 
 Then came the brilliant fight at Ft. Donelson. 
 The nation was electrified by the victory, and the 
 brave leader of the boys in blue was immediately 
 made a Major-General, and the military district 
 of Tennessee was assigned to him. 
 
 Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well 
 how to secure the results of victory. He imme- 
 diately pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then 
 came the terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, 
 Corinth, and the siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. 
 Pemberton made an unconditional surrender of 
 the city with over thirty thousand men and one 
 hundred and seventy-two cannon. The fall of 
 Vicksburg was by far the most severe blow which 
 the rebels had thus far encountered, and opened 
 up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 
 
 Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with 
 Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- 
 ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown 
 from his horse, and received severe injuries, from 
 which he was laid up for months. He then 
 rushed to the aid of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas 
 at Chattanooga, and by a wonderful series of 
 strategic and technical measures put the Union 
 army in fighting condition. Then followed the 
 bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout Moun- 
 tain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
 were routed with great loss. This won for him 
 unbounded praise in the North. On the 4th of 
 February, 1864, Congress revived the grade of 
 lieutenant-general, and the rank was conferred 
 on Gen. Grant. He repaired to Washington to 
 receive his credentials and enter upon the duties 
 of his new office. 
 
 Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge 
 of the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed 
 National troops for an attack upon Richmond, 
 the nominal capital of the rebellion, and endeavor 
 there to destroy the rebel armies which would be 
 promptly assembled from all quarters for its de- 
 fense. The whole continent seemed to tremble 
 under the tramp of these majestic armies, rushing 
 to the decisive battle-field. Steamers were crowd- 
 ed with troops. Railway trains were burdened 
 
 with closely-packed thousands. His plans were 
 comprehensive, and involved a series of cam- 
 paigns, which were executed with remarkable 
 energy and ability, and were consummated at the 
 surrender of Lee, April 9, 1865. 
 
 The war was ended. The Union was saved. 
 The almost unanimous voice of the nation de- 
 clared Gen. Grant to be the most prominent in- 
 strument in its salvation. The eminent services 
 he had thus rendered the country brought him 
 conspicuously forward as the Republican candi- 
 date for the Presidential chair. 
 
 At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, 
 May 21, 1868, he was unanimously nominated 
 for the Presidency, and at the autumn election 
 received a majority of the popular vote, and two 
 hundred and fourteen out of two hundred and 
 ninety-four electoral votes. 
 
 The National Convention of the Republican 
 party, which met at Philadelphia on the 5th 01 
 June, 1872, placed Gen. Grant in nomination for 
 a second term by a unanimous vote. The selec- 
 tion was emphatically indorsed by the people five 
 months later, two hundred and ninety-two elect- 
 oral votes being cast for him. 
 
 Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. 
 Grant started upon his famous trip around the 
 world. He visited almost every country of the 
 civilized world, and was everywhere received 
 with such ovations and demonstrations of respect 
 and honor, private as well as public and official, 
 as were never before bestowed upon any citizen 
 of the United States. 
 
 He was the most prominent candidate before 
 the Republican National Convention in 1880 for 
 a renomination for President. He went to New 
 York and embarked in the brokerage business 
 under the firm name of Grant & Ward. The 
 latter proved a villain, wrecked Grant's fortune, 
 and for larceny was sent to the penitentiary. 
 The General was attacked with cancer in the 
 throat, but suffered in his stoic-like manner, never 
 complaining. He was re-instated as General of 
 the Army, and retired by Congress. The cancer 
 soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 1885, 
 the nation went in mourning over the death 01 
 the illustrious General.
 
 UBftAOT 
 
 OF fHt 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of IUINWS
 
 ,. \ u.
 
 RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 
 
 QUTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteenth 
 |^ President of the United States, was born in 
 p\ Delaware, Ohio, October 4, 1822, almost 
 three months after the death of his father, Ruther- 
 ford Hayes. His ancestry on both the paternal and 
 maternal sides was of the most honorable char- 
 acter. It can be traced, it is said, as far back as 
 1280, when Hayes and Rutherford were two 
 Scottish chieftains, fighting side by side with 
 Baliol, William Wallace and Robert Bruce. Both 
 families belonged to the nobility, owned extensive 
 estates, and had a large following. Misfortune 
 overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scotland 
 in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
 George was born in Windsor, and remained there 
 during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, 
 married Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of 
 his marriage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. 
 Ezekiel, son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was 
 a manufacturer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. 
 Rutherford Hayes, son of Ezekiel and grandfather 
 of President Hayes, was born in New Haven, in 
 August, 1756. He was a farmer, blacksmith and 
 tavern-keeper. He emigrated to Vermont at an 
 unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, where he 
 established a hotel. Here his son, Rutherford 
 Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was born. 
 He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia 
 Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors 
 emigrated thither from Connecticut, they having 
 been among the wealthiest and best families of 
 Norwich. Her ancestry on the male side is 
 traced back to 1635, to John Birchard, one of the 
 principal founders of Norwich. Both of her grand- 
 fathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 The father of President Hayes was an industri- 
 ous, frugal, yet open-hearted man. He was of a 
 
 mechanical turn of mind, and could mend a plow, 
 knit a stocking, or do almost anything else that 
 he chose to undertake. He was a member of the 
 church, active in all the benevolent enterprises 
 of the town, and conducted his business on Chris- 
 tian principles. After the close of the War of 
 1812, for reasons inexplicable to his neighbors, he 
 resolved to emigrate to Ohio. 
 
 The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, 
 when there were no canals, steamers, or rail- 
 ways, was a very serious affair. A tour of in- 
 spection was first made, occupying four months. 
 Mr. Hayes decided to move to Delaware, where 
 the family arrived in 1817. He died July 22, 
 1822, a victim of malarial fever, less than three 
 months before the birth of the son of whom we 
 write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore bereavement, 
 found the support she so much needed in her 
 brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
 household from the day of its departure from 
 Vermont, and in an orphan girl, whom she had 
 adopted some time before as an act of charity. 
 
 Rutherford was seven years old before he went 
 to school. His education, however, was not neg- 
 lected. He probably learned as much from his 
 mother and sister as he would have done at 
 school. His sports were almost wholly within 
 doors, his playmates being his sister and her asso- 
 ciates. These circumstances tended, no doubt, to 
 foster that gentleness of disposition and that del- 
 icate consideration for the feelings of others which 
 were marked traits of his character. 
 
 His uncle, Sardis Birchard, took the deepest 
 interest in his education; and as the boy's health 
 had improved, and he was making good progress 
 in his studies, he proposed to send him to college. 
 His preparation commenced with a tutor at home;
 
 9 2 
 
 RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 
 
 but lie was afterwards sent for one year to a pro- 
 fessor in the Wesleyan University in Middletown, 
 Conn. He entered Kenyon College in 1838, at 
 the age of sixteen, and was graduated at the head 
 of his class in 1842. 
 
 Immediately after his graduation he began the 
 study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, 
 Esq., in Columbus. Finding his opportunities 
 for study in Columbus somewhat limited, he de- 
 termined to enter the Law School at Cambridge, 
 Mass., where he remained two years. 
 
 In 1845, after graduating at the Law School, he 
 was admitted to the Bar at Marietta, Ohio, and 
 shortly afterward went into practice as an at- 
 torney-at-law with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fre- 
 mont. Here he remained three years, acquiring 
 but a limited practice, and apparently unambitious 
 of distinction in his profession. 
 
 In 1849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his am- 
 bition found a new stimulus. For several years, 
 however, his progress was slow. Two events 
 occurring at this period had a powerful influence 
 upon his subsequent life. One of these was his 
 marriage with Miss Lucy Ware Webb, daughter 
 of Dr. James Webb, of Chillicothe; the other was 
 his introduction to the Cincinnati Literary Club, 
 a body embracing among its members such men 
 as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, Gen. John 
 Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many others 
 hardly less distinguished in after life. The mar- 
 riage was a fortunate one in every respect, as 
 everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of 
 our Presidents was more universally admired, 
 reverenced and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and 
 no one did more than she to reflect honor upon 
 American womanhood. The LiteraryClub brought 
 Mr. Hayes into constant association with young 
 men of high character and noble aims, and lured 
 him to display the qualities so long hidden by his 
 bashfulness and modesty. 
 
 In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge 
 of the Court of Common Pleas, but he declined to 
 accept the nomination. Two years later, the of- 
 fice of City Solicitor becoming vacant, the City 
 Council elected him for the unexpired term. 
 
 In 1 86 1, when the Rebellion broke out, he was 
 at the zenith of his professional life. His rank at 
 
 the Bar was among the first. But the news of 
 the attack on Ft. Sumter found him eager to 
 take up arms for the defense of his country. 
 
 His military record was bright and illustrious. 
 In October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant- Colo- 
 nel, and in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of 
 the Seventy-ninth Ohio Regiment, but he refused 
 to leave his old comrades and go among strangers. 
 Subsequently, however, he was made Colonel of 
 his old regiment. At the battle of South Moun- 
 tain he received a wound, and while faint and 
 bleeding displayed courage and fortitude tt 
 won admiration from all. 
 
 Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, 
 after his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, 
 and placed in command of the celebrated Kanawha 
 division, and for gallant and meritorious services 
 in the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and 
 Cedar Creek, he was promoted Brigadier-General. 
 He was also breveted Major-General, "for gallant 
 and distinguished services during the campaigns 
 of 1864, in West Virginia." In the course of his 
 arduous services, four horses were shot from un- 
 der him, and he was wounded four times. 
 
 In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress 
 from the Second Ohio District, which had long 
 been Democratic. He was not present during the 
 campaign, and after the election was importuned 
 to resign his commission in the army; but he fi- 
 nally declared, " I shall never come to Washing- 
 ton until I can come by way of Richmond. ' ' He 
 was re-elected in 1866. 
 
 In 1867, Gen. Hayes was elected Governor of 
 Ohio, over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular 
 Democrat, and in 1869 was re-elected over George 
 H. Pendleton. He was elected Governor for the 
 third term in 1875. 
 
 In 1876 he was the standard-bearer of the Re- 
 publican party in the Presidential contest, and 
 after a hard, long contest was chosen President, 
 and was inaugurated Monday, March 5, 1877. 
 He served his full term, not, however, with satis- 
 faction to his party, but his administration was an 
 average one. The remaining years of his life 
 were passed quietly in his Ohio home, where he 
 passed away January 17, 1893.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of (Ht 
 
 UNIYERSm Of ILLINOIS 
 
 r

 
 JAMES A. GARFIELD. 
 
 (TAMES A. GARFIELD, twentieth President 
 
 I of the United States, was born November 19, 
 
 (/ 1831, in the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga 
 
 i County, Ohio. His parents were Abram and 
 
 Eliza (Ballon) Garfield, both of New England 
 
 ancestry, and from families well known in the 
 
 early history of that section of our country, but 
 
 who had moved to the Western Reserve, in Ohio, 
 
 early in its settlement. 
 
 The house in which James A. was born was 
 not unlike the houses of poor Ohio fanners of 
 that day. It was about 20 x 30 feet, built of logs, 
 with the spaces between the logs filled with clay. 
 His father was a hard-working farmer, and he 
 soon had his fields cleared, an orchard planted, 
 and a log barn built. The household comprised 
 the father and mother and their four children, 
 Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and James. In May, 
 1823, the father died from a cold contracted in 
 helping to put out a forest fire. At this time 
 James was about eighteen months old, and 
 Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, 
 can tell how much James was indebted to his 
 brother's toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty 
 years succeeding his father's death. He now 
 lives in Michigan, and the two sisters live in Solon, 
 Ohio, near their birthplace. 
 
 The early educational advantages young Gar- 
 field enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the 
 most of them. He labored at farm work for 
 others, did carpenter work, chopped wood, or did 
 anything that would bring in a few dollars to aid 
 his widowed mother in her struggles to keep the 
 little family together. Nor was Gen. Garfield 
 ever ashamed of his origin, and he never forgot 
 the friends of his struggling childhood, youth and 
 manhood; neither did they ever forget him. 
 When in the highest seats of honor, the humblest 
 friend of his boyhood was as kindly greeted as 
 ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the sym- 
 pathy of one who had known all the bitterness of 
 
 want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
 sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, 
 plain, modest gentleman. 
 
 The highest .ambition of young Garfield until 
 he was about sixteen years old was to be cap- 
 tain of a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious 
 to go aboard a vessel, but this his mother strongly 
 opposed. She finally consented to his going to 
 Cleveland, with the understanding, however, that 
 he should try to obtain some other kind of em- 
 ployment. He walked all the way to Cleveland. 
 This was his first visit to the city. After making 
 many applications for work, and trying to get 
 aboard a lake vessel and not meeting with suc- 
 cess, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
 Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. 
 He remained at this work but a short time, when 
 he went home, and attended the seminary at 
 Chester for about three years. He then entered 
 Hiram and the Eclectic Institute, teaching a few 
 terms of school in the mean time, and doing other 
 work. This school was started by the Disciples 
 of Christ in 1850, of which body he was then a 
 member. He became janitor and bell-ringer in 
 order to help pay his way. He then became both 
 teacher and pupil. Soon "exhausting Hiram," 
 and needing a higher education, in the fall of 1854 
 he entered Williams College, from which he grad- 
 uated in 1856, taking one of the highest honors of 
 his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram Col- 
 lege as its President. As above stated, he early 
 united with the Christian, or Disciples, Church at 
 Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealoua 
 member, often preaching in its pulpit and places 
 where he happened to be. 
 
 Mr. Garfield was united in marriage, Novem- 
 ber 11, 1858, with Miss Lucretia Rudolph, who 
 proved herself worthy as the wife of one whom 
 all the world loved. To them were born seven 
 children, five of whom are still living, four boys 
 and one girl.
 
 9 6 
 
 JAMES A. GARFIELD. 
 
 Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 
 1856, in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and 
 three years later he began to speak at county 
 mass-meetings, and became the favorite speaker 
 wherever he was. During this year he was 
 elected to the Ohio Senate. He also began to 
 study law at Cleveland, and in 1861 was admitted 
 to the Bar. The great Rebellion broke out in the 
 early part of this year, and Mr. Garfield at once 
 resolved to fight as he had talked, and enlisted to 
 defend the Old Flag. He received 'his commission 
 as Lieutenant- Colonel of the Forty-second Regi- 
 ment of Ohio Infantry August 14, 1861. He 
 was immediately put into active service, and be- 
 fore he had ever seen a gun fired in action, was 
 placed in command of four regiments of infantry 
 and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
 work of driving out of his native State the able 
 rebel officer, Humphrey Marshall, of Kentucky. 
 This work was bravely and speedily accomplished, 
 although against great odds, and President Lin- 
 coln commissioned him Brigadier-General, Janu- 
 ary 10, 1862; and "as he had bee.i the youngest 
 man in the Ohio Senate two years before, so now 
 he was the youngest General in the army." He 
 was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, in its 
 operations around Corinth and its march through 
 Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of 
 the general court martial for the trial of Gen. 
 Fitz-John Porter. He was next ordered to re- 
 port to Gen. Rosecrans, and was assigned to the 
 " Chief of Staff. " The military history of Gen. 
 Garfield closed with his brilliant services at Chick- 
 amauga, where he won the rank of Major-General. 
 
 Without an effort on his part, Gen. Garfield 
 was elected to Congress in the fall of 1862, from 
 the Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of 
 Ohio had been represented in Congress for sixty 
 years mainly by two men Elisha Whittlesey and 
 Joshua R. Giddings. It was not without a strug- 
 gle that he resigned his place in the army. At 
 the time he entered Congress he was the youngest 
 member in that body. There he remained by 
 successive re-elections until he was elected Presi- 
 dent, in 1880. Of his labors in Congress, Senator 
 Hoar says: "Since the year 1864 you cannot 
 'think of a question which has been debated in 
 
 Congress, or discussed before a tribunal of the 
 American people, in regard to which you will not 
 find, if you wish instruction, the argument on 
 one side stated, in almost every instance better 
 than by anybody else, in some speech made in 
 the House of Representatives or on the hustings 
 by Mr. Garfield." 
 
 Upon January 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elect- 
 ed to the United States Senate, and on the- 8th of 
 June, of the same year, was nominated as the 
 candidate of his party for President at the great 
 Chicago Convention. He was elected in the fol- 
 lowing November, and on March 4, 1881, was 
 inaugurated. Probably no administration ever 
 opened its existence under brighter auspices than 
 that of President Garfield, and every day it grew 
 in favor with the people. By the ist of July 
 he had completed all the initiatory and prelimi- 
 nary work of his administration, and was prepar- 
 ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Will- 
 iams College. While on his way and at the 
 depot, in company with Secretary Elaine, a man 
 Stepped behind him, drew a revolver, and fired 
 directly at his back. The President tottered and 
 fell, and as he did so the assassin fired a second 
 shot, the bullet cutting the left coat sleeve of his 
 victim, but inflicting no further injury. It has 
 been very truthfully said that this was ' ' the shot 
 that was heard around the world. ' ' Never before 
 in the history of the nation had anything occur- 
 red which so nearly froze the blood of the people 
 for the moment as this awful deed. He was 
 smitten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his 
 life, at the summit of his power and hope. For 
 eighty days, all during the hot months of July 
 and August, he lingered and suffered. He, how- 
 ever, remained master of himself till the last, and 
 by his magnificent bearing taught the country 
 and the world one of the noblest of human les- 
 sons how to live grandly in the very clutch of 
 death. Great in life, he was surpassingly great 
 in death. He passed serenely away September 
 19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J., on the very bank of 
 the ocean, where he had been taken shortly be- 
 fore. The world wept at his death, as it rarely 
 ever had done on the death of any other great 
 and noble man.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF (HI 
 
 UNIVBBI!> Of ILLINOIS
 
 CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 
 
 CHESTER A. ARTHUR, twenty-first Presi- 
 I ( dent of the United States, was born in Frank- 
 \J lin County, Vt., on the 5th day of October, 
 1830, and was the eldest of a family of two sons 
 and five daughters. His father was the Rev. Dr. 
 William Arthur, a Baptist clergyman, who emi- 
 grated to this country from County Antrim, Ire- 
 land, in his eighteenth year, and died in 1875, in 
 Newtonville, near Albany, after a long and suc- 
 cessful ministry. 
 
 Young Arthur was educated at Union College, 
 Schenectady, where he excelled in all his studies. 
 After his graduation he taught school in Ver- 
 mont for two years, and at the expiration of that 
 time came to New York, with $500 in his pocket, 
 and entered the office of ex -Judge E. D. Culver 
 as a student. After being admitted to the Bar, he 
 formed a partnership with his intimate friend and 
 room-mate, Henry D. Gardiner, with the inten- 
 tion of practicing in the West, and for three 
 months they roamed about in the Western States 
 in search of an eligible site, but in the end re- 
 turned to New York, where they hung out their 
 shingle, and entered upon a successful career al- 
 most from the start. Gen. Arthur soon after mar- 
 ried the daughter of Lieut. Herndon, of the 
 United States Navy, who was lost at sea. Con- 
 gress voted a gold medal to his widow in recog- 
 nition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- 
 sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. 
 Arthur's nomination to the Vice-Presidency, leav- 
 ing two children. 
 
 Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celeb- 
 rity in his first great case, the famous Lemmon 
 suit, brought to recover possession of eight slaves 
 who had been declared free by Judge Paine, of 
 the Superior Court of New York City. It was in 
 
 1852 that Jonathan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to 
 New York with his slaves, intending to ship them 
 to Texas, when they were discovered and freed. 
 The Judge decided that they could not be held by 
 the owner under the Fugitive Slave Law. A howl 
 of rage went up from the South, and the Virginia 
 Legislature authorized the Attorney-General of 
 that State to assist in an appeal. William M. 
 Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed to 
 represent the people, and they won their case, 
 which then went to the Supreme Court of the 
 United States. Charles O' Conor here espoused 
 the cause of the slaveholders, but he, too, was 
 beaten by Messrs. Evarts and Arthur, and a long 
 step was taken toward the emancipation of the 
 black race. 
 
 Another great service was rendered by Gen. 
 Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jen- 
 nings, a respectable colored woman, was put off 
 a Fourth Avenue car with violence after she had 
 paid her fare. Gen. Arthur sued on her behalf, 
 and secured a verdict of $500 damages. The next 
 day the company issued an order to admit colored 
 persons to ride on their cars, and the other car 
 companies quickly followed their example. Be- 
 fore that the Sixth Avenue Company ran a few 
 special cars for colored persons, and the other lines 
 refused to let them ride at all. 
 
 Gen. Arthur was a delegate to the convention 
 at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
 Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of 
 the Second Brigade of the State of New York, 
 and Gov. Morgan, of that State, appointed him 
 Engineer-in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was 
 made Inspector- General, and soon afterward be- 
 came Quartermaster-General. In each of these 
 offices he rendered great service to the Govern-
 
 100 
 
 CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 
 
 ment during the war. At the end of Gov. Mor- 
 gan's term he resumed the practice of law, form- 
 ing a partnership with Mr. Ransom, and then 
 Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney of New York, 
 was added to the firm. The legal practice of this 
 well-known firm was very large and lucrative, 
 as each of the gentlemen composing it was an able 
 lawyer, and possessed a splendid local reputa- 
 tion, if not, indeed, one of national extent. 
 
 Mr. Arthur always took a leading part in State 
 and city politics. He was appointed Collector of 
 the Port of New York by President Grant, No- 
 vember 21, 1872, to succeed Thomas Murphy, 
 and he held the office until July 20, 1878, when 
 he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 
 
 Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential 
 ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the 
 famous National Republican Convention held at 
 Chicago in June, 1880. This was perhaps the 
 greatest political convention that ever assembled 
 on the continent. It was composed of the lead- 
 ing politicians of the Republican party, all able 
 men, and each stood firm and fought vigorously 
 and with signal tenacity for his respective can- 
 didate that was before the convention for the 
 nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield received the 
 nomination for President, and Gen. Arthur for 
 Vice-President. The campaign which followed 
 was one of the most animated known in the his- 
 tory of our country. Gen. Hancock, the stand- 
 ard-bearer of the Democratic party, was a popular 
 man, and his party made a valiant fight for his 
 election. 
 
 Finally the election came, and the country's 
 choice was Garfield and Arthur. They were in- 
 augurated March 4, 1881, as President and Vice- 
 President. A few months only had passed ere 
 the newly-chosen President was the victim of the 
 assassin's bullet. Then came terrible weeks of 
 suffering those moments of anxious suspense, 
 when the hearts of all civilized nations were 
 throbbing in unison, longing for the recovery of 
 the noble, the good President. The remarkable 
 patience that he manifested during those hours 
 and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible 
 suffering man has ever been called upon to en- 
 dure, was seemingly more than human. It was 
 
 certainly godlike. During all this period of 
 deepest anxiety Mr. Arthur's every move was 
 watched, and, be it said to his credit, that his every 
 action displayed only an earnest desire that the 
 suffering Garfield might recover to serve the re- 
 mainder of the term he had so auspiciously be- 
 gun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested in 
 deed or look of this man, even though the most 
 honored position in the world was at any moment 
 likely to fall to him. 
 
 At last God in his mercy relieved President 
 Garfield from further suffering, and the world, as 
 never before in its history over the death of any 
 other man, wept at his bier. Then it became the 
 duty of the Vice-President to assume the respon- 
 sibilities of the high office, and he took the oath 
 in New York, September 20, 1881. The position 
 was an embarrassing one to him, made doubly so 
 from the fact that all eyes were on him, anxious 
 to know what he would do, what policy he would 
 pursue, and whom he would select as advisers. 
 The duties of the office had been greatly neglected 
 during the President's long illness, and many im- 
 portant measures were to be immediately decided 
 by him; and to still further embarass him he did 
 not fail to realize under what circumstances he 
 became President, and knew the feelings of many 
 on this point. Under these trying circumstances, 
 President Arthur took the reins of the Govern- 
 ment in his own hands, and, as embarrassing as 
 was the condition of affairs, he happily surprised 
 the nation, acting so wisely that but few criticized 
 his administration. He served the nation well 
 and faithfully until the close of his administra- 
 tion, March 4, 1885, and was a popular candidate 
 before his party for a second term. His name 
 was ably presented before the convention at Chi- 
 cago, and was received with great favor, and 
 doubtless but for the personal popularity of one 
 of the opposing candidates, he would have been 
 selected as the standard-bearer of his party for 
 another campaign. He retired to private life, car- 
 rying with him the best wishes of the American 
 people, whom he had served in a manner satisfac- 
 tory to them and with credit to himself. One 
 year later he was called to his final rest.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of fHt 
 WHVBBI7Y Of
 
 STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND. 
 
 (STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND, the 
 r\ twenty -second President of the United States, 
 \~J was born in 1837, ' n the obscure town of 
 Caldwell, Essex County, N. J., and in a little 
 two-and-a-half-story white house, which is still 
 standing to characteristically mark the humble 
 birthplace of one of America's great men, in 
 striking contrast with the Old World, where all 
 men high in office must be high in origin and 
 born in the cradle of wealth. When the subject 
 of this sketch was three years of age, his father, 
 who was a Presbyterian minister with a large 
 family and a small salary, moved, by way of the 
 Hudson River and Erie Canal, to Fayetteville, N. 
 Y., in search of an increased income and a larger 
 field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
 straggling of country villages, about five miles 
 from Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour 
 was born. 
 
 At the last-mentioned place young Grover com- 
 menced going to school in the good, old-fashioned 
 way, and presumably distinguished himself after 
 the manner of all village boys in doing the 
 things he ought not to do. Such is the dis- 
 tinguishing trait of all geniuses and independent 
 thinkers. When he arrived at the age of four- 
 teen years, he had outgrown the capacity of the 
 village school, and expressed a most emphatic de- 
 sire to be sent to an academy. To this his fa- 
 ther decidedly objected. Academies in those 
 days cost money ; besides, his father wanted him 
 to become self-supporting by the quickest pos- 
 sible means, and this at that time in Fayetteville 
 seemed to be a position in a country store, where 
 his father and the large family on his hands had 
 
 considerable influence. Grover was to be paid 
 $50 for his services the first year, and if he proved 
 trustworthy he was to receive $100 the second 
 year. Here the lad commenced his career as 
 salesman, and in two years he had earned so good 
 a reputation for trustworthiness that his employ- 
 ers desired to retain him for an indefinite length 
 of time. 
 
 But instead of remaining with this firm in 
 Fayetteville, he went with the family in their re- 
 moval to Clinton, where he had an opportunity 
 of attending a High School. Here he industri- 
 ously pursued his studies until the family re- 
 moved with him to a point on Black River known 
 as the "Holland Patent," a village of five or six 
 hundred people, fifteen miles north of Utica, N. Y. 
 At this place his father died, after preaching but 
 three Sundays. This event broke up the family, 
 and Grover set out for New York City to accept, 
 at a small salary, the position of under- teacher 
 in an asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully 
 for two years, and although he obtained a good 
 reputation in this capacity, he concluded that 
 teaching was not his calling in life, and, revers- 
 ing the traditional order, he left the city to seek 
 his fortune, instead of going to the city. He first 
 thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as there was some 
 charm in that name for him; but before proceed- 
 ing to that place he went to Buffalo to ask advice 
 of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted stock- 
 breeder of that place. The latter did not speak 
 enthusiastically. "What is it you want to do, 
 my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
 law," was the reply "Good gracious!" remarked 
 the old gentleman; " do you, indeed? Whatever
 
 104 
 
 STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND. 
 
 put that into your head ? How much money 
 have you got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I 
 haven't got any." 
 
 After a long consultation, his uncle offered him 
 a place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at 
 $50 a year, while he could look around. One 
 day soon afterward he boldly walked into the of- 
 fice of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and 
 told them what he wanted. A number of young 
 men were already engaged in the office, but Gro- 
 ver's persistency won, and he was finally per- 
 mitted to come as an office boy and have the use 
 of the law library, receiving as wages the sum of 
 $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for his 
 board and washing. The walk to and from his 
 uncle's was a long and rugged one; and although 
 the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
 shoes were out of repair, and as for his overcoat he 
 had none; yet he was, nevertheless, prompt and 
 regular. On the first day of his service there, his 
 senior employer threw down a copy of Black- 
 stone before him, with a bang that made the dust 
 fly, saying "That's where they all begin." A 
 titter ran around the little circle of clerks, and 
 students, as they thought that was enough to 
 scare young Grover out of his plans; but in due 
 time he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
 Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleve- 
 land exhibited a talent for .executiveness rather 
 than for chasing principles through all their 
 metaphysical possibilities. ' 'L,et us quit talking 
 and go and do it, ' ' was practically his motto. 
 
 The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland 
 was elected was that of Sheriff of Erie County, 
 N. Y., in which Buffalo is situated; and in such 
 capacity it fell to his duty to inflict capital punish- 
 ment upon two criminals. In 1881 he was 
 elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo, on the 
 Democratic ticket, with especial reference to bring- 
 ing about certain reforms in the administration 
 of the municipal affairs of that city. In this of- 
 fice, as well as in that of Sheriff, his performance 
 of duty has generally been considered fair, with 
 possibly a few exceptions, which were ferreted 
 out and magnified during his Presidential cam- 
 paign. As a specimen of his plain language in 
 a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an 
 
 iniquitous street-cleaning contract: "This is a 
 time for plain speech, and my objection to your 
 action shall be plainly stated. I regard it as the 
 culmination of a most bare-faced, impudent and 
 shameless scheme to betray the interests of the 
 people and to worse than squander the people's 
 money." The New York Sun afterward very 
 highly commended Mr. Cleveland's administra- 
 tion as Mayor of Buffalo, and thereupon recom- 
 mended him for Governor of the Empire State. 
 To the latter office he was elected in 1882, and 
 his administration of the affairs of State was 
 generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, 
 if any, were made very public throughout the na- 
 tion after he was nominated for President of the 
 United States. For this high office he was 
 nominated July n, 1884, by the National Demo- 
 cratic Convention at Chicago, when other com- 
 petitors were Thomas F. Bayard, Roswell P. 
 Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, Benjamin F. 
 Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc. ; and he was 
 elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
 thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Re- 
 publican statesman, James G. Elaine. President 
 Cleveland resigned his office as Governor of New 
 York in January, 1885, in order to prepare for 
 his duties as the Chief Executive of the United 
 States, in which capacity his term commenced at 
 noon on the 4th of March, 1885. 
 
 The silver question precipitated a controversy 
 between those who were in favor of the continu- 
 ance of silver coinage and those who were op- 
 posed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, 
 even before his inauguration. 
 
 On June 2, 1886, President Cleveland married 
 Frances, daughter of his deceased friend and part- 
 ner, Oscar Folsom, of the Buffalo Bar. Their 
 union has been blessed by the birth of two daugh- 
 ters. In the campaign of 1888, President Cleve- 
 land was renominated by his party, but the 
 Republican candidate, Gen. Benjamin Harrison, 
 was victorious. In the nominations of 1892 
 these two candidates for the highest position in 
 the gift of the people were again pitted against 
 each other, and in the ensuing election Presideat 
 Cleveland was victorious by an overwhelming 
 majority.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OFFHt 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS

 
 BENJAMIN HARRISON. 
 
 HENJAMIN HARRISON, the twenty-third 
 
 IC\ President, is the descendant of one of the 
 d/ historical families of this country. The first 
 known head of the family was Maj.-Gen. Harrison, 
 one of Oliver Cromwell's trusted followers and 
 fighters. In the zenith of Cromwell' s power it be- 
 came the duty of this Harrison to participate in 
 the trial of Charles I., and afterward to sign the 
 death warrant of the king. He subsequently 
 paid for this with his life, being hung October 13, 
 1660. His descendants came to America, and 
 the next of the family that appears in history is 
 Benjamin Harrison, of Virginia, great-grandfa- 
 ther of the subject of this sketch, and after whom 
 he was named. Benjamin Harrison was a mem- 
 ber of the Continental Congress during the years 
 1774, 1775 and 1776, and was one of the original 
 signers of the Declaration of Independence. He 
 was three times elected Governor of Virginia. 
 
 Gen. William Henry Harrison, the son of the 
 distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a 
 successful career as a soldier during the War of 
 1812, and with a clean record as Governor of the 
 Northwestern Territory, was elected President of 
 the United States in 1840. His career was cut 
 short by death within one month after his in- 
 auguration. 
 
 President Harrison was born at North Bend, 
 
 Hamilton County, Ohio, August 20, 1833. His 
 life up to the time of his graduation from Miami 
 University, at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful 
 one of a country lad of a family of small means. 
 His father was able to give him a good education, 
 and nothing more. He became engaged while at 
 college to the daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of 
 a female school at Oxford. . After graduating, he 
 determined to enter upon the study of law. He 
 went to Cincinnati and there read law for two 
 years. At the expiration of that time young Har- 
 rison received the only inheritance of his life his 
 aunt, dying, left him a lot valued at $800. He 
 regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to 
 get married at once, take this money and go to 
 some Eastern town and begin the practice of law. 
 He sold his lot, and, with the money in his pocket, 
 he started out with his young wife to fight for a 
 place in the world. He decided to go to Indian- 
 apolis, which was even at that time a town of 
 promise. He met with slight 'encouragement at 
 first, making scarcely anything the first year. 
 He worked diligently, applying himself closely to 
 his calling, built up an extensive practice and 
 took a leading rank in the legal profession. 
 
 In 1860, Mr. Harrison was nominated for the 
 position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be- 
 gan his experience as a stump speaker. He can-
 
 io8 
 
 BENJAMIN HARRISON. 
 
 vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by 
 a handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the 
 Seventeenth Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its 
 Colonel. His regiment was composed of the raw- 
 est material, but Col. Harrison employed all his 
 time at first in mastering military tactics and drill- 
 ing his men, and when he came to move toward 
 the East with Sherman, his regiment was one of 
 the best drilled and organized in the army. At 
 Resaca he especially distinguished himself, and 
 (br his bravery at Peachtree Creek he was made 
 a Brigadier-General, Gen. Hooker speaking of 
 him in the most complimentary terms. 
 
 During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the 
 field, the Supreme Court declared the office of 
 Supreme Court Reporter vacant, and another 
 person was elected to the position. From the 
 time of leaving Indiana with his regiment until 
 the fall of 1864 he had taken no leave of absence, 
 but having been nominated that year for the same 
 office, he got a thirty-day leave of absence, and 
 during that time made a brilliant canvass of the 
 State, and was elected for another term. He then 
 started to rejoin Sherman, but on the way was 
 stricken down with scarlet fever, and after a most 
 trying attack made his way to the front in time to 
 participate in the closing incidents of the war. 
 
 In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined a re-election 
 as Reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 
 1876 he was a candidate for Governor. Although 
 defeated, the brilliant campaign he made won for 
 him a national reputation, and he was much sought 
 after, especially in the East, to make speeches. 
 In 1880, as usual, he took an active part in the 
 campaign, and was elected to the United States 
 Senate. Here he served for six years, and was 
 known as one of the ablest men, best lawyers and 
 strongest debaters in that body. With the ex- 
 piration of his senatorial term he returned to the 
 practice of his profession, becoming the head of 
 one of the strongest firms in the State. 
 
 The political campaign of 1888 was one of the 
 most memorable in the history of our country. 
 The convention which assembled in Chicago in 
 June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief stand- 
 ard-bearer of the Republican party was great in 
 every particular, and on this account, and the at- 
 
 titude it assumed upon the vital questions of the 
 day, chief among which was the tariff, awoke a 
 deep interest in the campaign throughout tin: 
 nation. Shortly after the nomination, delegations 
 began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his 
 home. This movement became popular, and from 
 all sections of the country societies, clubs and. 
 delegations journeyed thither to pay their re- 
 spects to the distinguished statesman. 
 
 Mr. Harrison spoke daily all through the sum- 
 mer and autumn to these visiting delegations, 
 and so varied, masterly, and eloquent were his 
 speeches that they at once placed him in the fore- 
 most rank of American orators and statesmen. 
 Elected by a handsome majority, he served his 
 country faithfully and well, and in 1892 was nom- 
 inated for re-election; but the people demanded a 
 change and he was defeated by his predecessor 
 in office, Grover Cleveland. 
 
 On account of his eloquence as a speaker and 
 his power as a debater, Gen. Harrison was called 
 upon at an early age to take part in the dis- 
 cussion of the great questions that then began to 
 agitate the country. He was an uncompromising 
 anti-slavery man, and was matched against some 
 of the most eminent Democratic speakers of his 
 State. No man who felt the touch of his blade 
 desired to be pitted with him again. With all 
 his eloquence as an orator he never spoke for ora- 
 torical effect, but his words always went like bul- 
 lets to the mark. He is purely American in his 
 ideas, and is a splendid type of the American 
 statesman. Gifted with quick perception, a logi- 
 cal mind and a ready tongue, he is one of the 
 most distinguished impromptu speakers in the 
 nation. Many of these speeches sparkled with the 
 rarest eloquence and contained arguments of great 
 weight, and many of his terse statements have 
 already become aphorisms. Original in thought, 
 precise in logic, terse in statement, yet withal 
 faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as the 
 sound statesman and brilliant orator of the day. 
 During the last days of his administration Presi- 
 dent Harrison suffered an irreparable loss in the 
 death of his devoted wife, Caroline (Scott) Har- 
 rison, a lady of many womanly charms and vir- 
 tues. They were the parents of two children.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of THE 
 
 UMVEMSin Of ILUNOB
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 HADRACH BOND, the first 
 Governor of Illinois after its 
 organization as a State, serving 
 from 1818 to 1822, was born in 
 Frederick County, Maryland, 
 in the year 1773, and was 
 raised a farmer on his father's 
 plantation, receiving only a plain 
 English education. He emigrated 
 to this State in 1794, when it was a 
 part of the "Northwest Territory," 
 continuing in the vocation in which 
 he had been brought up in his native 
 State, in the " New Design," near 
 Eagle Creek, in what is now Monroe 
 County. He served several terms as 
 a member of the General Assembly 
 of Indiana Territory, after it was organized as such, 
 and in 1812-14 he was a Delegate to the Twelfth 
 and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3, 
 1812, and serving until Oct. 3, 1814. These were 
 the times, the reader will recollect, when this Gov- 
 ernment had its last struggle with Great Britain. 
 The year 1812 is also noted in the history of this 
 State as that in which the first Territorial Legislature 
 was held. It convened at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, and 
 adjourned Dec. 26, following. 
 
 While serving as Delegate to Congress, Mr. Bond 
 was instrumental in procuring the right of pre-emp- 
 tion on the public domain. On the expiration of his 
 term at Washington he was appointed Receiver of 
 Public Moneys at Kaskaskia, then the capital of the 
 Territory. In company with John G. Comyges, 
 
 Thomas H. Harris, Charles Slade, Michael Jones, 
 Warren Brown. Edward Humphries and Charles W 
 Hunter, he became a proprietor of the site of the 
 initial city of Cairo, which they hoped, from its favor-- 
 able location at the junction of the two great 
 rivers near the center of the Great West, would 
 rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter- 
 prise, they obtained a special charter from the Legis- 
 lature, incorporating both the City and the Bank of 
 Cairo. 
 
 In i8r8 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor 
 of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6 
 that year, which was several weeks before Illinois 
 was actually admitted. The facts are these : In 
 January, 1818, the Territorial Legislature sent a peti- 
 tion to Congress for the admission of Illinois as a 
 State, Nathaniel Pope being then Delegate. The 
 petition was granted, fixing the northern line of the 
 State on the latitude of the southern extremity of 
 Lake Michigan; but the bill was afterward so amend- 
 ed as to extend this line to its present latitude. In 
 July a convention was called at Kaskaskia to draft a 
 constitution, which, however, was not submitted to 
 the people. By its* provisions, supreme judges, pros 
 ecuting attorneys, county and circuit judges, record- 
 ers and justices of the peace were all to be appointed 
 by the Governor or elected by the Legislature. This 
 constitution was accepted by Congress Dec. 30. At 
 that time Illinois comprised but eleven counties, 
 namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson, 
 Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington 
 and Franklin, the northern portion of the State be- 
 ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears 
 that Mr. Bond was honored by the naming of a
 
 i r 
 
 SHADRACH BOND. 
 
 county before he was elected Governor. The present 
 county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80 
 miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor 
 the people chose Pierre Menard, a prominent and 
 worthy Frenchman, after whom a county in this State 
 is named. In this election there were no opposition 
 candidates, as the popularity of these men had made 
 their promotion to the chief offices of the Slate, even 
 before the constitution was drafted, a foregone con- 
 clusion. 
 
 The principal points that excited the people in 
 reference to political issues at this period were local 
 or "internal improvements," as they were called, 
 State banks, location of the capital, slavery and the 
 personal characteristics of the proposed candidates. 
 Mr. Bond represented the " Convention party," for 
 introducing slavery into the State, supported by Elias 
 Ke.it Kane, his Secretary of State, and John Mc- 
 Lean, while Nathaniel Pope and John P. Cook led 
 the anti-slavery element. The people, however, did 
 not become very much excited over this issue until 
 1820, when the famous Missouri Compromise was 
 adopted by Congress, limiting slavery to the south 
 of the parallel of 36 30' except in Missouri. While, 
 this measure settled the great slavery controversy, 
 so far as the average public sentiment was tempor- 
 arily concerned, until 1854, when it was repealed 
 under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas, the issue 
 as considered locally in this State was not decided 
 until 1824, after a most furious campaign. (See 
 sketch of Gov. Coles.) The ticket of 1818 was a 
 compromise one, Bond representing (moderately) the 
 pro-slavery sentiment and Menard the anti-slavery. 
 
 An awkward element in the State government 
 under Gov. Bond's administration, was the imperfec- 
 tion of the State constitution. The Convention 
 wished to have Elijah C. Berry for the first Auditor 
 of Public Accounts, but, as it was-believed that the 
 new Governor would not appoint him to the office, 
 the Convention declared in a schedule that "an 
 auditor of public accounts, an attorney general and 
 such other officers of the State as may be necessary, 
 may be appointed by the General Assembly." The 
 Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large appoint- 
 ing power in the Governor ; but for the purpose of 
 getting one man into office, a total change was made, 
 *nd the power vested in the Legislature. Of this 
 provision the Legislature took advantage, and de- 
 
 clared that State's attorneys, canal commissioners, 
 bank directors, etc., were all " officers of the State '' 
 and must therefore be appointed by itself independ- 
 ently of the Governor. 
 
 During Gov. Bond's administration a general law 
 was passed for the incorporation of academies and 
 towns, and one authorizing lotteries. The session of 
 1822 authorized the Governor to appoint commis- 
 sioners, to act in conjunction with like commissioners 
 appointed by the State of Indiana, to report on the 
 practicability and expediency of improving the navi- 
 gation of the Wabash River ; also inland navigation 
 generally. Many improvements were recommended, 
 some of which have been feebly worked at even till 
 the present day, those along the Wabash being of no 
 value. Also, during Gov. Bond's term of office, the 
 capital of the State was removed from Kaskaskia to 
 Vandalia. In 1820 a law was passed by Congress 
 authorizing this State to open a canal through the 
 public lands. The State appointed commissioners 
 lo explore the route and prepare the necessary sur- 
 veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution; 
 but, being unable out of its own resources to defray 
 the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned 
 until some time after Congress made the grant of 
 land for the purpose of its construction. 
 
 On the whole, Gov. Bond's administration was 
 fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from 
 any party. In 1824, two years after the expiration 
 of his term of office, he was brought out as a candi- 
 date for Congress against the formidable John P. 
 Cook, but received only 4,374 votes to 7,460 for the 
 latter. Gov. Bond was no orator, but had made 
 many fast friends by a judicious bestowment of his 
 gubernatorial patronage, and these worked zealously 
 for him in the campaign. 
 
 In 1827 ex-Gov. Bond was appointed by the Leg- 
 islature, with Wm. P. McKee and Dr. Gershom 
 Jayne, as Commissioners to locate a site for a peni- 
 tentiary on the Mississippi at or near Alton. 
 
 Mr. Bond was of a benevolent and convivial dis- 
 position, a man of shrewd observation and clear ap- 
 preciation of events. His person was erect, stand- 
 ing six feet in height, and after middle life became 
 portly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were 
 strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and 
 eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died 
 April n, 1830, in peace and contentment
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 of m 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of HUNUIS
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 )>war& Coles 
 
 DWARD COLES, second 
 Governor of Illinois, 1823- 
 6, was born Dec. 15, 1786, 
 in Albemarle Co., Va., on 
 the old family estate called 
 "Enniscorthy," on the 
 Green Mountain. His fath- 
 er, John Coles, was a Colonel in the 
 Revolutionary War. Having been fit- 
 ted for college by private tutors, he 
 was sent to Hampden Sidney, where 
 he remained until the autumn of 1805, 
 when he was removed to William and 
 Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va. 
 This college he left in the summer of 
 1807, a short time before the final and graduating 
 examination. Among his classmates were Lieut. 
 Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Wm. S. Archer, 
 United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice 
 Baldwin, of the United States Supreme Court. The 
 President of the latter college, Bishop Madison, was 
 a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir- 
 cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming 
 personally acquainted with the President and re- 
 ceiving a position as his private secretary, 180915. 
 The family of Coles was a prominent one in Vir- 
 ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old- 
 fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by 
 such notables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison, 
 Monroe, the Randolphs, Tazewell, Wirt, etc. At the 
 age of 23, young Coles founa himself heir to a plant- 
 ation and a considerable number of slaves. Ever 
 since his earlier college days his attention had been 
 drawn to the question of slavery. He read every- 
 
 thing on the subject that came in his way, and 
 listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more 
 he reflected upon the subject, the more impossible 
 was it for him to reconcile the immortal declaration 
 "that all men are born free and equal " with the 
 practice of slave-holding. He resolved, therefore, to 
 free his slaves the first opportunity, and even remove 
 his residence to a free State. One reason which de- 
 termined him to accept the appointment as private 
 secretary to Mr. Madison was because he believed 
 that through the acquaintances he could make at 
 Washington he could better determine in what part 
 of the non-slaveholding portion of the Union he would 
 prefer to settle. 
 
 The relations between Mr. Coles and President 
 Madison, as well as Jefferson and other distinguished 
 men, were of a very friendly character, arising from 
 the similarity of their views on the question of slavery 
 and their sympathy for each other in holding doc- 
 trines so much at variance with the prevailing senti- 
 ment in their own State. 
 
 In 1857, he resigned his secretaryship and spent a 
 portion of the following autumn in exploring the 
 Northwest Territory, for the purpose of finding a lo- 
 cation and purchasing lands on which to settle his 
 negroes. He traveled with a horse and buggy, with 
 an extra man and horse for emergencies, through 
 many parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, 
 determining finally to settle in Illinois. At this time, 
 however, a misunderstanding arose between our 
 Government and Russia, and Mr. Coles was selected 
 to repair to St. Petersburg on a special mission, bear- 
 ing important papers concerning the matter at issue 
 The result was a conviction of the Emperor (Alex-
 
 1.0 
 
 EDWARD COLES. 
 
 ander) of the error committed by his minister at 
 Washington, and the consequent withdrawal of the 
 the latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles 
 visited other parts of Europe, especially Paris, where 
 he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette. 
 
 In the spring of 1819, he removed with all his 
 negroes from Virginia to Edwardsville, 111., with the 
 intention of giving them their liberty. He did not 
 make known to them his intention until one beautiful 
 morning in April, as they were descending the Ohio 
 River. He lashed all the boats together and called 
 all the negroes on deck and made them a short ad- 
 dress, concluding his remarks by so expressing him- 
 self that by a turn of a sentence he proclaimed in 
 the shortest and fullest manner that they were no 
 longer slaves, but free as he was and were at liberty 
 to proceed with him or go ashore at their pleas- 
 ure. A description of the effect upon the negroes is 
 best desctibed in his own language : 
 
 " The effect upon them was electrical. They stared 
 at rne and then at each other, as if doubting the ac- 
 curacy or reality of what they heard. In breathless 
 silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word, 
 but with countenances beaming with expression which 
 no words could convey, and which no language 
 can describe. As they began to see the truth of 
 what they had heard, and realize their situation, there 
 came on a kind of hysterical, giggling laugh. After 
 a pause of intense and unutterable emotion, -bathed 
 in tears, and with tremulous voices, they gave vent to 
 their gratitude and implored the blessing of God 
 on me." 
 
 Before landing he gave them a general certificate 
 of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu- 
 larly with the law of this State requiring that each 
 individual should have a certificate. This act of 
 Mr. Coles, all the more noble and heroic considering 
 the overwhelming pro-slavery influences surrounding 
 him, has challenged the admiration of every philan- 
 thropist of modern times. 
 
 March 5, 1819, President Monroe appointed Mr. 
 Coles Registrar of the Land Office at Edwardsvihe, 
 at that time one of the principal land offices in the 
 State. While acting in this capacity and gaining 
 many friends by his politeness and general intelli- 
 g^nce, the greatest struggle that ever occurred in 
 Illinois on the slavery question culminated in the 
 furious contest characterizing the campaigns and 
 elections of 1822-4. 1 the summer of 1823, when a 
 new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr. 
 Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions, 
 putting forward for the executive office Joseph 
 Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C. 
 Browne and Gen. James B. Moore, of the State Mil- 
 itia. The anti-slavery element united upon Mr. 
 Coles, and, after one of the most bitter campaigns, 
 succeeded in electing him as Governor. His plural- 
 ity over Judge Phillips was only 59 in a total vote of 
 
 over 8,000. The Lieutenant Governor was elected 
 by the slavery men. Mr. Coles' inauguration speech 
 was marked by calmness, deliberation and such a 
 wise expression of appropriate suggestions as to 
 elicit the sanction of all judicious politicians. But 
 he compromised not with evil. In his message to 
 the Legislature, the seat of Government being then 
 at Vandalia, he strongly urged the abrogation of the 
 modified form of slavery which then existed in this 
 State, contrary to the Ordinance of 1787. His posi- 
 tion on this subject seems the more remarkable, when 
 it is considered that he was a minority Governor, the 
 population of Illinois being at that time almost ex- 
 clusively from slave-holding States and by a large 
 majority in favor of the perpetuation of that old relic 
 of barbarism. The Legislature itself was, of course, 
 a reflex of the popular sentiment, and a majority of 
 them were led on by fiery men in denunciations of 
 the conscientious Governor, and in curses loud and 
 deep upon him and all his friends. Some of the 
 public men, indeed, went so far as to head a sort of 
 mob, or " shiveree " party, who visited the residence 
 of the Governor and others at Vandalia and yelled 
 and groaned and spat fire. 
 
 The Constitution, not establishing or permitting 
 slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be 
 defective by the slavery politicians, and they desired 
 a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub- 
 mit a new Constitution ; and the dominant politics 
 of the day was "Convention" and "anti-Conven- 
 tion." Both parties issiled addresses to the people, 
 Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address 
 published by the latter party. This address revealed 
 the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly man- 
 ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti- 
 mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in 
 which the Governor was placed at that time. 
 
 Our hero maintained himself honorably and with 
 supreme dignity throughout his administration, and 
 in his honor a county in this State is named. He 
 was truly a great man, and those who lived in 
 this State during his sojourn here, like those who 
 live at the base of the mountain, were too near to see 
 and recognize the greatness that overshadowed them. 
 
 Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop 
 De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter 
 of Hugh Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestry, 
 who cams to this country with Wm. Penn in 1682. 
 
 After the expiration of his term of service, Gov. 
 Coles continued his residence in Edwardsville, sup- 
 erintending his farm in the vicinity. He was fond 
 of agriculture, and was the founder of the first agri- 
 cultural society in the State. On account of ill 
 health, however, and having no family to tie him 
 down, he spent much of his time in Eastern cities. 
 About 1832 he changed his residence to Philadel- 
 phia, where he died July 7, 1868, and is buried at 
 Woodland, near that city.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of tHt 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 119 
 
 INI AN EDWARDS, Governor 
 from 1827 to 1830, was a son 
 of Benjamin Edwards, and 
 was born in Montgomery 
 County, Maryland, in March, 
 1775. His domestic train- 
 ing was well fitted to give 
 his mind strength, firmness and 
 
 honorable principles, and a good 
 foundation was laid for the elevated 
 character to which he afterwards 
 attained. His parents were Bap- 
 tists, and very strict in their moral 
 principles. His education in early 
 youth was in company with and 
 partly under the tuition of Hon. Wm. 
 Wirt, whom his father patronized ? 
 and who was more than two years 
 older. An intimacy was thus 
 formed between them which was lasting for life. He 
 was further educated at Dickinson College, at Car- 
 lisle, Pa. He next commenced the study of law, but 
 before completing his course he moved to Nelson 
 County, Ky., to open a farm for his father and to 
 purchase homes and locate lands for his brothers and 
 sisters. Here he fell in the company of dissolute 
 companions, and for several years led the life of a 
 spendthrift. He was, however, elected to the Legis- 
 lature of Kentucky as the Representative of Nelson 
 bounty before he was 21 years of age, and was re- 
 lectecl by an almost unanimous vote. 
 
 In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the 
 following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes- 
 see. About this time he left Nelson County for 
 Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his 
 dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and 
 devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He 
 then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and soon 
 became an eminent lawyer, and inside of four years 
 he filled in succession the offices of Presiding Judge 
 of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourth Judge of 
 the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of the State, 
 all before he was 32 years of age! In addition, in 
 1802, he received a commission as Major of a battal- 
 ion of Kentucky militia, and in 1804 was chosen a 
 Presidential Elector, on the Jefferson and Clinton 
 ticket. In 1806 he was a candidate for Congress, 
 but withdrew on being promoted to the Court of 
 Appeals. 
 
 Illinois was organized as a separate Territory in 
 the spring of 1809, when Mr. Edwards, then Chief 
 Justice of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky, received 
 from President Madison the appointment as Gover- 
 nor of the new Territory, his commission bearing date 
 April 24, 1809. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in 
 June, and on the i ith of that month took the oath of 
 office. At the same time he was appointed Superin- 
 tendent of the United States Saline, this Government 
 interest then developing into considerable proportions 
 in Southern Illinois. Although during the first three 
 years of his administration he had the power to make 
 new counties and appoint all the officers, yet he always 
 allowed the people of each county, by an informal
 
 NINIAM EDWARDS. 
 
 vote, to select their own officers, both civil and mili- 
 tary. The noted John J. Crittenden, afterward 
 United States Senator from Kentucky, was appointed 
 by Gev. Edwards to the office of Attorney General of 
 the Territory, which office was accepted for a short 
 time only. 
 
 The Indians in 1810 committing sundry depreda- 
 tions in the Territory, crossing the Mississippi from 
 the Territory of Louisiana, a long correspondence fol- 
 lowed between the respective Governors concerning 
 the remedies, which ended in a council with the sav- 
 ages at Peoria in 1812, and a fresh interpretation of 
 the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de- 
 predations, and was not re-settled for many vej.rs 
 afterward. 
 
 As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in 
 1812, he was re-appointed for another term of three 
 years, and again in 1815 for a third term, serving 
 until the organization of the State in the fall of 1818 
 and the inauguration of Gov. Bond. At this time 
 ex-Gov. Edwards was sent to the United States 
 Senate, his colleague being Jesse B. Thomas. As 
 Senator, Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, and 
 acquitted himself honorably in all the measures that 
 came up in that body, being well posted, an able de- 
 bater and a conscientious statesman. He thought 
 seriously of resigning this situation in 1821, but was 
 persuaded by his old friend, Wm. Wirt, and others to 
 continue in office, which he did to the end of the 
 term. 
 
 He was then appointed Minister to Mexico by 
 President Monroe. About this time, it appears that 
 Mr. Edwards saw suspicious signs in the conduct of 
 Wm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the United States 
 Treasury, and an ambitious candidate for the Presi- 
 dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of 
 his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in 
 order fully to investigate the charges. The result 
 was the exculpation of Mr. Edwards. 
 
 Pro-slavery regulations, often termed "Black Laws," 
 disgraced the statute books of both the Territory and 
 '.he State of Illinois during the whole of his career in 
 ihis commonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main- 
 tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an important 
 actor in the great struggle which ended in a victory 
 for his parfy in 1824. 
 
 In i826--7 the Winnebago and other Indians com- 
 mitted sorre depredations in the northern part of the 
 
 State, and the white settlers, who desired the lands 
 and wished to exasperate the savages into an evacu- 
 ation of the country, magnified the misdemeanors of 
 the aborigines and thereby produced a hostility be- 
 tween the races so great as to precipitate a little war, 
 known in history as the "Winnebago War." A few 
 chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson 
 succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief, 
 and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at 
 least until the troubles commenced which ended in 
 the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre- 
 tation of treaties and execution of their provisions 
 Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The 
 Indians kept themselves generally within the juris- 
 diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor, 
 Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote that ready cor- 
 respondence with him was difficult or impossible. 
 Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to 
 the protection of the Illinois frontier, seems to hava 
 been very efficient and satisfactory. 
 
 For a considerable portion of his time after his re- 
 moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his 
 far'rij rrear'Kaslfaskia, which he had well stocked with 
 horses, cattle and sheep from Kentucky, also with 
 fruit-trees, grape-vines and shrubbery. He estab- 
 lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively 
 in mercantile business, having no less than eight or ten 
 stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding 
 the arduous duties of his office, he nearly always pur- 
 chased the goods himself with which to supply the 
 stores. Although not a regular practitioner of medi- 
 cine, he studied the healing art to a considerable ex- 
 tent, and took great pleasure in prescribing for, and 
 taking care of, the sick, generally without charge. 
 He was also liberal to the poor, several widows and 
 ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to him 
 even for their homes. 
 
 He married Miss Elvira Lane, of Maryland, in 
 1803, and they became the affectionate parents of 
 several children, one of whom, especially, is weli' 
 known to the people of the " Prairie State," namel/ v 
 Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Superintendent c< 
 Public Instruction and still a resident of Springfield 
 Gov. Edwards resided at and in the vicinity of Kas- 
 kaskia from 180910 1818; in Edwardsville (named 
 after him) from that time to 1824; and from the lat- 
 ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his 
 death, July 20, 1833, of Asiatic cholera. Edwards 
 County is also named in his honor.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of mt 
 
 UMVEftSIlT Of ILLINOkS
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 123 
 
 
 : OHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831- 
 4, was born in Montgomery Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26, 1788. 
 His father, Robert Reynolds and 
 his mother, nee Margaret Moore, 
 were both natives of Ireland, from 
 which country they emigrated to 
 the United States in 1785, land- 
 ing at Philadelphia. The senior 
 Reynolds entertained an undying 
 hostility to the British Govern- 
 ment. When the subject of this 
 sketch was about six months old, 
 his parents emigrated with him to 
 Tennessee, where many of their 
 relatives had already located, at the base of the 
 Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of 
 the present city of Knoxville. There they were ex- 
 oosed to Indian depredations, and were much molest- 
 ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior 
 of the State. They were poor, and brought up their 
 children to habits of manual industry. 
 
 In 1800 the family removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with 
 eight horses and two wagons, encountering many 
 Hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed 
 the most of his childhood, while his character began 
 to develop, the most prominent traits of which were 
 ambition and energy. He also adopted the principle 
 and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating 
 liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal. 
 
 this time to the " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of 
 the Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest 
 of Edwardsville. 
 
 On arriving at his 2oth year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing 
 that he must look about for his own livelihood and 
 not yet having determined what calling to pursue, 
 concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly 
 went to such an institution of learning, near Knox- 
 ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his 
 diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of 
 his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered 
 wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a 
 shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himself 
 into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of 
 Knoxville! He attended college nearly two years, 
 going through the principal Latin authors; but it 
 seems that he, like the rest of the world in modem 
 times, had but very little use for his Latin in after 
 life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good 
 degree of literary discipline. He commenced the 
 study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble 
 came on and compelled him to change his mode 
 of life. Accordingly he returned home and re- 
 cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and 
 law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of 1812 he was 
 admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About this time 
 he also learned the French language, which he 
 practiced with pleasure in conversation with his 
 family for many years. He regarded this language 
 as being superior to all others for social intercourse.
 
 124 
 
 JOHN REYNOLDS. 
 
 From his services in the West, in the war of 1812, 
 he obtained the sobriquet of the " Old Ranger." He 
 was Orderly Sergeant, then Judge Advocate. 
 
 Mr. Reynolds opened his first law office in the 
 winter and spring of 1814, in the French village of 
 Cahokia, then the capital of St. Clair County. 
 
 In the fall of 1818 he was elected an Associate 
 Justice upon the Supreme Bench by the General 
 Assembly. In 1825 he entered more earnestly than 
 ever into the practice of law, and the very next year 
 was elected a member of the Legislature, where he 
 acted independently of all cliques and private inter- 
 ests. In 1828 the Whigs and Democrats were for 
 the first time distinctively organized as such in Illi- 
 nois, and the usual party bitterness grew up and 
 raged on all sides, while Mr. Reynolds preserved a 
 Judicial calmness and moderation. The real animus 
 .if the campaign was " Jackson " and " anti-Jackson," 
 'he former party carrying the State. 
 
 In August, 1830, Mr. Reynolds was elected Gov- 
 ernor, amid great excitement. Installed in office, he 
 did all within his power to advance the cause of edu- 
 cation, internal improvements, the Illinois & Mich- 
 igan Canal, the harbor at Chicago, settling the coun- 
 try, etc.; also recommended the winding up of the 
 State Bank, as its affairs had become dangerously 
 complicated. In his national politics, he was a 
 moderate supporter of General Jackson. But 'the 
 most celebrated event of his gubernatorial admin- 
 istration was the Black Hawk War, which occurred 
 in 1832. He called out the militia and prosecuted 
 the contest with commendable diligence, appearing 
 in person on the battle-grounds during the most 
 critical periods. He was recognized by the President 
 as Major-General, and authorized by him to make 
 treaties with the Indians. By the assistance of the 
 general Government the war was terminated without 
 much bloodshed, but after many serious fights. This 
 war, as well as everything else, was materially re- 
 tarded by the occurrence of Asiatic cholera in the 
 West. This was its first appearance here, and was 
 the next event in prominence during Gov. Reynolds' 
 Verm. 
 
 South Carolina nullification coming up at this time, 
 t was heartily condemned by both President Jackson 
 and Gov. Reynolds, who took precisely the same 
 grounds as the Unionists in the last war. 
 
 On the termination of his gubernatorial term in 
 ..834, Gov. Reynolds was elected a Member of Con- 
 gress, still considering himself a backwoodsman, as 
 r.e had scarcely been outside of the State since he 
 became of age, and had spent nearly all his youthful 
 days >n the wildest region of the frontier. His first 
 move in Congress was to adopt a resolution that in 
 all elections made by the House for officers the votes 
 should be given viva zwe, each member in his place 
 naming aloud the person for whom he votes. This 
 created considerable heated discussion, but was es- 
 
 sentially adopted, and remained the controlling prin- 
 ciple for many years. The ex-Governor was scarcely 
 absent from his seat a single day, during eight ses- < 
 sions of Congress, covering a period of seven years, 
 and he never vacillated in a party vote; but he failed 
 to get the Democratic party to foster his " National 
 Road" scheme. He says, in "My Own Times" (a 
 large autobiography he published), that it was only 
 by rigid economy that he avoided insolvency while in 
 Washington. During his sojourn in that city he was 
 married, to a lady of the place. 
 
 In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company 
 with a few others, he built the first railroad in the 
 Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long, 
 leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to 
 the bank of the river opposite St. Louis. Hiving not 
 the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it 
 by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com- 
 pany sold out, at great sacrifice. 
 
 In 1839 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the 
 Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow 
 money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord' ugly, he 
 repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining 
 a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth 
 of what was wanted. The same year he and his 
 wife made at our of Europe. This year, also, Mr. 
 Reyn&lds had'the rather awkward little responsibility 
 of 'introducing to President Van Buren the noted 
 Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, as a " Latter-Day 
 Saint!" 
 
 In 1846 Gov. Reynolds was elected a member of 
 the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu 
 larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter 
 for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis, 
 a distance of nearly 14 miles. This was immediately 
 built, and was the first road of the kind in the State. 
 He was again elected to the Legislature in 1852, when 
 he was chosen Speaker of the House. In 1860, aged 
 and infirm, he attended the National Democratic 
 Convention at Charleston, S. C., as an anti-Douglas 
 Delegate, where he received more attention from the 
 Southern Delegates than any other member. He 
 supported Breckenridge for the Presidency. After 
 the October elections foreshadowed the success of 
 Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo- 
 crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi- 
 ately preceding and during the late war, his corre- 
 spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern 
 secession, and about the first of March, i86r, he 
 urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the 
 treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsenal 
 at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rather talkative 
 man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch- 
 words that ever gained currency, besides many cun- 
 ning and odd ones of his own manufacture. 
 
 He was married twice, but had no children. He 
 died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close 
 of the war.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF m 
 
 Of
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 -w- 
 
 ILLIAM LEE D. EWING, 
 Governor of Illinois Nov. 3 
 to 17, 1834, was a native 
 of Kentucky, and probably 
 of Scotch ancestry. He had 
 a fine education, was a gentle- 
 man of polished manners and 
 refined sentiment. In 1830 John Rey- 
 nolds was elected Governor of the State, 
 and Zadok Casey Lieutenant Governor, 
 and for the principal events that followed, 
 and the characteristics of the times, see 
 sketch of Gov. Reynolds. The first we 
 see in history concerning Mr. Ewing, in- 
 forms us that he was a Receiver of Public 
 Mor eys at Vandalia soon after the organization of 
 tfti.s State, and that the public moneys in his hands 
 v/ere deposited in various banks, as they are usually 
 tf. tin present day. In 1823 the State Bank was 
 ubbed, by which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand- 
 dollar deposit. 
 
 The subject of this sketch had a commission as 
 Colonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies 
 n? acted also as Major. In the summer of 1832, 
 Vhen i ;-ras rumored among the whites that Black 
 Hawk ar.d nis men had encamped somewhere on 
 Rock River, Gen. Henry was sent on a tour of 
 reconnoisance, and with orders to drive the Indians 
 from the State. After some opposition from his 
 subordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed up 
 Rock River in search of the enemy. On the ipth of 
 'uly, early in the morning, five baggage wagons, 
 
 camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti- 
 cles were piled up and left, so that the army might 
 make speedy and forced marches. For some miles 
 the travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swamps 
 and the worst thickets ; but the large, fresh trail 
 gave life and animation to the Americans. Gen. 
 Dodge and Col. Ewing were both acting as Majors, 
 and composed the " spy corps " or vanguard of the 
 army. It is supposed the army marched nearly 50 
 miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed 
 became fresher, and was strewed with much property 
 and trinkets of the red-skin's that they had lost or 
 thrown away to hasten their march. During the 
 following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and 
 the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were thor- 
 oughly drenched. 
 
 On approaching nearer the Indians the next day. 
 Gen. Dodge and Major Ewing, each commanding a 
 battalion of men, were placed in front to bring on the 
 battle, but the savages were not overtaken this day 
 Forced marches were continued until they reached. 
 Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued, 
 resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's 
 men. The next day they continued the chase, and 
 as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians 
 leading icvvurd the Mississippi, Maj. Ewing formed 
 his battalion in orde r of battle and awaited the order 
 of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the 
 ground and ordered a charge, which directly resulted 
 in chasing the red warriors across the great river. 
 Maj. Ewing and his command proved particularly 
 efficient in war, as it seems they were the chief actors 
 in driving the main body of the Sacs and Foxes, in-
 
 128 
 
 WILLIAM L. D. EWING. 
 
 eluding Black Hawk himself, across the Mississippi, 
 while Gen. Atkinson, commander-in-chief of the ex- 
 pedition, with a body of the army, was hunting for 
 them in another direction. 
 
 In the above affair Maj. Ewmg is often referred to 
 as a " General," which title he had derived from his 
 connection with the militia. 
 
 It was in the latter part of the same year (1832) 
 that Lieutenant Governor Casey was elected to Con- 
 gress and Gen. Ewing, who had been elected to the 
 Senate, was chosen to preside over that body. At 
 the August election of 1 834, Gov. Reynolds was also 
 elected to Congress, more than a year ahead of the 
 time at which he could actually take his seat, as was 
 then the law. His predecessor, Chailes Slade, had 
 just died of Asiatic cholera, soon after the elec- 
 tion, and Gov. Reynolds was chosen to serve out his 
 unexpired term. Accordingly he set out for Wash- 
 ington in November of that year to take his seat in 
 Congress, and Gen. Ewing, by virtue of his office .as 
 President of the Senate, became Governor of the 
 State of Illinois, his term covering only a period of 
 15 days, namely, from the 3d to the iyth days, in- 
 clusive, of November. On the 171)1 the Legislature 
 met, and Gov. Ewing transmitted to that body his 
 message, giving a statement of the condition of the 
 affairs of the State at that time, and urging a contin- 
 uance of the policy adopted by his predecessor ; and 
 on the same day Governor elect Joseph Duncan 
 was sworn into office, thus relieving Mr. Ewing from 
 
 the responsible situation. This is the only time that 
 such a juncture has happened in the history of Illi- 
 nois. 
 
 On the agth of December, 1835, Gen. Ewing was 
 elected a United States Senator to serve out the 
 unexpired term of Elias Kent Kane, deceased. The 
 latter gentleman was a very prominent figure in the 
 early politics of Illinois, and a county in this State is 
 named in his honor. The election of Gen. Ewing to 
 the Senate was a protracted struggle. His competi- 
 tors were James Semple, who afterwards held several 
 important offices in this State, and Richard M. 
 Young, afterward a United States Senator and a 
 Supreme Judge and a man of vast influence. On 
 the first ballot Mr. Semple had 25 votes, Young 19 
 and Ewing 18. On the eighth ballot Young was 
 dropped ; the ninth and tenth stood a tie ; but on 
 the 1 2th Ewing received 40, to Semple 37, and was 
 accordingly declared elected. In 1837 Mr. Ewing 
 received some votes for a continuance of his term in 
 Congress, when Mr. Young, just referred to, was 
 elected. In 1842 Mr. Ewing was elected State 
 Auditor on the ticket with Gov. Ford. 
 
 Gen. Ewing was a gentleman of culture, a lawyer 
 by profession, and was much in public life. In person 
 he was above medium height and of heavy build,' 
 with auburn hair, blue eyes, large-sized head and] 
 short face. He was genial, social, friendly and 
 affable, with fair talent, though of no high degree of 
 originality. He died March 25, 1846.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 or m 
 
 UNIVEfiSllY Of
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 131 
 
 - l6> 
 
 OSEPH DUNCAN, Governor 
 1834-8, was born at Paris, 
 Ky., Feb. 23, 1794. At the 
 tender age of 19 years he en- 
 listed in the war against Great 
 Britain, and as a soldier he 
 acquitted himself with credit. He 
 was an Ensign under the daunt- 
 less Croghan at Lower Sandusky, 
 or Fort Stephenson. In Illinois 
 he first appeared in a public capa- 
 city as Major-General of the Militia, 
 a position which his military fame 
 had procured him. Subsequently 
 he became a State Senator from 
 Jackson County, and is honorably 
 mentioned for introducing the first bill providing for 
 a free-school system. In 1826, when the redoubt- 
 able John P. Cook, who had previously beaten such 
 men as John McLean, Elias Kent Kane and ex- 
 Gov. Bond, came up for the fourth time for Congress, 
 Mr. Duncan was brought forward against him by his 
 friends, greatly to the surprise of all the politicians. 
 As yet he was but little known in the State. He was 
 an original Jackson man at that time, being attached 
 to his political fortune in admiration of the glory of 
 his military achievements. His chances of success 
 against Cook were generally regarded as hopeless, 
 Imt he entered upon the campaign undaunted. His 
 speeches, though short and devoid of ornament, were 
 full of good sense. He made a diligent canvass of 
 the State, Mr. Cook being hindered by the condition of 
 his health. The most that was expected of Mr. 
 Duncan, under the circumstances, was that he would 
 
 obtain a respectable vote, but without defeating Mr 
 Cook. The result of the campaign, however, was a 
 source of surprise and amazement to both friends 
 and foes, as Mr. Duncan came out 641 votes ahead! 
 He received 6,321 votes, and Mr. Cook 5,680. Un- 
 til this denouement, the violence of party feeling 
 smoldering in the breasts of the people on account 
 of the defeat of Jackson, was not duly appreciated. 
 Aside from the great convention struggle of 1824, no 
 other than mere local and personal considerations 
 had ever before controlled an election in Illinois. 
 
 From the above date Mr. Duncan retained his 
 seat in Congress until his election as Governor in 
 August, 1834. The first and bloodless year of the 
 Black Hawk War he was appointed by Gov. Rey- 
 nolds to the position of Brigadier-General of the 
 volunteers, and he conducted his brigade to Rock 
 Island. But he was absent from the State, in Wash- 
 ington, during the gubernatorial campaign, and did 
 not personally participate in it, but addressed circu- 
 lars to his constituents. His election was, indeed, 
 attributed to the circumstance of his absence, be- 
 cause his estrangement from Jackson, formerly his 
 political idol, and also from the Democracy, largely 
 in ascendency in the State, was complete; but while 
 his defection was well known to his Whig friends, 
 and even to the leading Jackson men of this State, 
 the latter were unable to carry conviction of that fact 
 to the masses, as mail and newspaper facilities at 
 that day were far inferior to those of the present 
 time. Of course the Governor was much abused 
 afterward by the fossilized Jackson men who re- 
 garded party ties and affiliations as nbove all 
 other issues that could arise ; but he was douut less
 
 JOSEPH DUNCAN. 
 
 
 sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter 
 fiad vetoed several important western measures 
 which were dear to Mr. Duncan. In his inaugural 
 message he threw off the mask and took a bold stand 
 against the course of the President. The measures 
 f.e recommended in his message, however, were so 
 desirable that the Legislature, although by a large 
 majority consisting of Jackson men, could not refrain 
 from endorsing them. These measures related 
 mainly to banks and internal improvements. 
 
 It was while Mr. Duncan was Governor that the 
 people of Illinois went whirling on with bank and in- 
 ternal improvement schemes that well nigh bank- 
 rupted the State. The hard times of 1837 came on, 
 and the disasters that attended the inauguration of 
 ihese plans and the operation of the banks were mu- 
 tually charged upon the two political parties. Had 
 any one man autocratic power to introduce and 
 carry on any one of these measures, he would proba- 
 bly have succeeded to the satisfaction of the public ; 
 but as many jealous men had hold of the same plow 
 handle, no success followed and each blamed the other 
 for the failure. In this great vortex Gov. Duncan 
 was carried along, suffering the like derqgation ; ofr. 
 character with his fellow citizens. 
 
 At the height of the excitement the Legislature 
 " provided for " railroads from Galena to Cairo, Alton 
 to Shawneetown, Alton to Mount Carmel, Alton to the 
 eastern boundary of the State in the direction of 
 Terre Haute, Quincy via Springfield to the Wabasli, 
 Bloomington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, in all 
 about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the 
 improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia, 
 Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ; 
 also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis- 
 jibuted to the various counties wherein no improve 
 ments were ordered to be made as above. The 
 estimate for the expenses for all these projects was 
 )laced at a little over $10,000,000, which was not 
 more man half enough ! That would now be equal to 
 saddling upon the State a debt of $225,000,000! It 
 was sufficient to bankrupt the State several times 
 over, even counting all the possible benefits. 
 
 One of the most exciting events that ever occurred 
 in this fair State was the murder of Elijah P. Love- 
 ioy in the fall of 1837, at Alton, during Mr. Duncan's 
 term as Governor. Lovejoy was an " Abolitionist," 
 editing the Observer at that place, and the pro- 
 slavery slums there formed themselves into a. mob, 
 
 and after destroying successively three presses be- 
 longing to Mr. Lovejoy, surrounded the warehouse 
 where the fourth press was stored away, endeavoring 
 to destroy it, and where Lovejoy and his friends 
 were entrenching themselves, and shot and killed the 
 brave reformer! 
 
 About this time, also, the question of removing th; 
 State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for 
 its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close 
 There was, of course, considerable excitement over 
 the matter, the two main points competing for it be- 
 ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat- 
 ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully 
 allayed. 
 
 Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1838. In 1842 
 he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu- 
 tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against .Ulara 
 W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the 
 Democrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi 
 date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died 
 before the campaign had advanced very far, and his 
 party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected 
 receiving 46,901 votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and 
 pqp.for -Hunter. The cause of Democratic success 
 at this time is mainly attributed to the temporary 
 support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the 
 want o. r any knowledge, on the part of the masses, 
 ihat Mr. Ford was opposed to any given |x>licy en- 
 tertained in the respective localities. 
 
 Gov. Duncan was a man of rather limited educa- 
 tion, but with naturally fine abilities he profited 
 greatly by his various public services, and gathered 
 a store of knowledge regarding public affairs which 
 served him a ready purpose. He possessed a clear 
 judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral 
 courage to carry out his convictions of tight. In his 
 deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira 
 tion of the people. His intercourse with them was 
 both affable and dignified. His portrait at the Gov- 
 ernor's mansion, from which the accompanying was 
 made, represents him as having a swarthy complex- 
 ion, high cheek bones, broad forehead, piercing black 
 eyes and straight black hair. 
 
 He was a liberal patron of the Illinois College at 
 Jacksonville, a member of its Board of Trustees, and 
 died, after a short illness, Jan. 15, 1844, a devoted 
 member of the Presbyterian Church, leaving a wife 
 but no children. Two children, born to them, had 
 died in infancy.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of Wl 
 
 UNIYERSm Of ILLINOIS
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 '35 
 
 HOMAS CARLIN, the sixth 
 Governor of the State of 
 Illinois, serving from 1838 
 to 1842, was also a Ken- 
 tuckian, being born near 
 Frankfort, that State, July 
 18, 1789, of Irish paternity. 
 The opportunities for an education 
 being very meager in his native 
 place, he, on approaching years of 
 jud"ment and maturity, applied 
 himself to those branches of learn- 
 ng that seemed most important, 
 ,nd thus became a self-made man ; 
 .nd his taste for redding and 
 tudy remained with him through 
 ife. In 1803 his father removed 
 jp Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he 
 Hied in 1810. 
 
 In 1812 young Carlin came to Illinois and partici- 
 pated in all the "ranging" service incident to the 
 rar of that period, proving himself a soldier of un- 
 daunted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca 
 puitt, and lived for four years on the bank of the 
 Mississippi River, opposite the mouth of the Mis- 
 jojri, where he followed farming, and then removed 
 10 Greene County. He located the town site of Car- 
 k'.ton, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal 
 lunation of land for county building purposes. He 
 vas the first Sheriff of that county after its separate 
 organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a 
 Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the 
 Black Hawk War he commanded a spy battalion, a 
 post of considerable danger. In 1834 he was ap- 
 pointed by President Jackson to the position of 
 Receiver of Public Moneys, and to fulfill the office 
 
 more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy. 
 
 While, in 1838, the unwieldy internal improvement 
 system of the State was in full operation, with all its 
 expensive machinery, amidst bank suspensions 
 throughout the United States, a great stringency in 
 the money market everywhere, and Illinois bonds 
 forced to sale at a heavy discount, and the " hardest 
 times" existing that the people of the Prairie State 
 ever saw, the general election of State officers was 
 approaching. Discreet men who had cherished the 
 hope of a speedy subsidence of the public infatua- 
 tion, met with disappointment. A Governor and 
 Legislature were to be elected, and these were now 
 looked forward to for a repeal of the ruinous State 
 policy. But the grand scheme had not yet lost its 
 dazzling influence upon the minds of the people. 
 Time and experience had not yet fully demonstrated 
 its utter absurdity. Hence the question of arresting 
 its career of profligate expenditures did not become 
 a leading one with the dominant party during the 
 campaign, and most of the old members of the Leg 
 islature were returned at this election. 
 
 Under these circumstances the Democrats, in State 
 Convention assembled, nominated Mr. Carlin for the 
 office of Governor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten- 
 ant Governor, while the Whigs nominated Cyrus Ed- 
 wards, brother of Ninian Edwards, formerly Governor, 
 and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly 
 for a continuance of the State policy, while Caritr 
 remained non-committal. This was the first time 
 that the two main political parties in this State were 
 unembarrassed by any third party in the field. The 
 result of the election was: Carlin, 35,573; Ander- 
 son, 30,335 ; Edwards, 29,629 ; and Davidson, 28,- 
 
 7*5- 
 
 Upon the meeting of the subsequent Legislature 
 
 (1839), the retiring Governor (Duncan) in his rues-
 
 '36 
 
 THOMAS CARLTN. 
 
 sage spoke in emphatic terms of the impolicy of the 
 internal improvement system, presaging the evils 
 threatened, and uiged that body to do their utmost 
 to correct the great error; yet, on the contrary, the 
 Legislature not only decided to continue the policy 
 but also added to its burden by voting more appro- 
 priations and ordering more improvements. Although 
 the money market was still stringent, a further loan 
 of $4,000,000 was ordered for the Illinois & Mich- 
 igan Canal alone. Ch'cago at that time began to 
 loom up and promise to be an important city, even 
 the great emporium of the West, as it has since in- 
 deed came to be. Ex-Gov. Reynolds, an incompe- 
 tent financier, was commissioned to effect the loan, 
 and accordingly hastened to the East on this respons- 
 ible errand, and negotiated the loans, at considera- 
 ble sacrifice to the State. Besides this embarrassment 
 to Carlin's administration, the Legislature also de- 
 clared that he had no authority to appoint a Secretary 
 of State until a vacancy existed, and A. P. Field, a 
 Whig, who had already held the post by appointment 
 .hrough three administrations, was determined to 
 keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car- 
 lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in 
 this regard, however, was finally sustained by the 
 Supreme Court, in a quo warranto case brought up 
 before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov- 
 ernor had nominated for the office. Thereupon that 
 dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!" 
 endeavoring to establish the principle of life-tenure 
 of office. 
 
 A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici- 
 ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges 
 were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas 
 Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B. 
 Scales, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas 
 all Democrats. 
 
 It was during Cov. Carlin's administration that the 
 noisy campaign of " Tippecanoe and Tyler too " oc- 
 curred, resulting in a Whig victory. This, however, 
 did net affect Illinois politics very seriously. 
 
 Another prominent event in the West during Gov. 
 Carlin's term of office was the excitement caused by 
 the Mormons and their removal from Independence, 
 Mo., to Nauvoo, 111., in 1840. At the same time 
 they began to figure somewhat in State politics. On 
 account of their believing as they thought, accord- 
 ing to the New Testament that they should have 
 
 " all things common," and that consequently " all 
 the earth " and all that is upon it were the" Lord's " 
 and therefore the property of his " saints," they 
 were suspected, and correctly, too, of committing 
 many of the deeds of larceny, robbery, etc., that 
 were so rife throughout this country in those days. 
 Hence a feeling of violence grew up between the 
 Mormons and "anti-Mormons." In the State of 
 Missouri the Mormons always supported the Dem- 
 ocracy until they were driven out by the Democratic 
 government, when they turned their support to the 
 Whigs. They were becoming numerous, and in the 
 Legislature of 1840-1, therefore, it became a matter 
 of great interest with both parties to conciliate these 
 people. Through the agency of one John C. Ben- 
 nett, a scamp, the Mormons succeeded in rushing 
 through the Legislature (both parties not daring to 
 oppose) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir- 
 tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinate with the Fed- 
 eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the 
 .Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov. 
 Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader, 
 as; a"' fugitive from justice. Gov. Carlin issued th 
 writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved. 
 It was again issued in 1842, and Smith was arrested, 
 but was either rescued by his followers or discharged 
 by the municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus. 
 
 In December, 1841, the Democratic Convention 
 nominated Adam W. Snyder, of Belleville, for Gov- 
 ernor. As he had been, as a member of the Legisla- 
 ture, rather friendly to the Mormons, the latter 
 naturally turned their support to the Democratic 
 party. The next spring the Whigs nominated Ex- 
 Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime 
 the Mormons began to grow more odious to the 
 masses of the people, and the comparative prospects 
 of the respective parties for success became very 
 problematical. Mr. Snyder died in May, and 
 Thomas Ford, a Supreme Judge, was substituted as 
 a candidate, and was elected. 
 
 At the close of his gubernatorial term, Mr. Carlin 
 removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where 
 he spent the remainder of his life, i.z before his ele- 
 vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 1849 
 he served out the unexpired term of J. D. Fry in the 
 Illinois House of Representatives, and died Feb. 4, 
 1852, at his residence at Carrollton, leaving a wife 
 and seven children.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of m 
 
 UNIVEKSUY Of ILLINOIS
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 139 
 
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 ^^^^^^** 
 
 HOMAS FORD, Governor 
 from 1842 to 1846, and au- 
 thor of a very interesting 
 history of Illinois, was born 
 at Uniontown, Pa., in the 
 year 1 800. His mother, after 
 the death of her first hus- 
 band (Mr. Forquer), married Rob- 
 ert Ford, who was killed in 1802, 
 by the Indians in the mountains 
 of Pennsylvania. She was conse- 
 quently left in indigent circum- 
 stances, with a large family, mostly 
 girls. With a view to better her 
 condition, she, in 1804, removed to 
 Missouri, where it had been cus- 
 tomary by the Spanish Govern- 
 ment to give land to actual settlers; but upon her 
 arrival at St. Louis she found the country ceded to 
 the United States, and the liberal policy toward set- 
 tlers changed by the new ownership. After some 
 sickness to herself and family, she finally removed to 
 Illinois, and settled some three miles south of Water- 
 loo, but the following year moved nearer the Missis- 
 sippi bluffs. Here young Ford received his first I 
 
 schooling, under the instructions of a M". Humphrey, 
 for which he had to walk three miles. His mother, 
 though lacking a thorough education, was a woman 
 of superior mental endowments, joined to energy 
 and determination of character. She inculcated in) 
 her children those high-toned principles which dis- 
 tinguished her sons in public life. She exercised a 
 rigid economy to provide her children an education ; 
 but George Forquer, her oldest son (six years older 
 than Thomas Ford), at an early age had to quit 
 school to aid by his labor in the support of the family. 
 He afterward became an eminent man in Illinois 
 affairs, and but for his early death would probably 
 have been elected to the United States Senate. 
 
 Young Ford, with somewhat better opportunities, 
 received a better education, though limited to the 
 curriculum of the common school of those pioneer 
 times. His mind gave early promise of superior en- 
 dowments, with an inclination for mathematics. His 
 proficiency attracted the attention of Hon. Daniel P. 
 Cook, who became his efficient patron and friend. 
 The latter gentleman was an eminent Illinois states- 
 man who, as a Member of Congress, outamedagrant 
 of 300,000 acres of land to aid in completing the 
 Illinois & Michigan Canal, and after whom the 
 county of Cook was named. Through the advice of
 
 THOMAS FORD. 
 
 this gentleman, Mr. Ford turned his attention to the 
 study of law; but Forquer, then merchandising, re- 
 garding his education defective, sent him to Transyl- 
 vania University, where, however, he remained but 
 one term, owing to Forquer's failure in business. On 
 his return he alternated his law reading with teach- 
 ir.g school for support. 
 
 In 1829 Gov. Edwards appointed him Prosecuting 
 Attorney, and in 1831 he was re-appointed by Gov. 
 Reynolds, and after that he was four times elected a 
 Judge by the Legislature, without opposition, twice a 
 Circuit Judge, once a Judge of Chicago, and as As- 
 sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, when, in 1841, 
 the latter tribunal was re-organized by the addition 
 of five Judges, all Democrats. Ford was assigned to 
 the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and while in this capacity 
 he was holding Court in Ogle County he received a 
 notice of his nomination by the Democratic Conven- 
 tion for the office of Governor. He immediately re- 
 signed his place and entered upon the canvass. In 
 August, 1842, he was elected, and on the 8th of De- 
 cember following he was inaugurated. 
 
 All the offices which he had held were unsolicited 
 by him. He received them upon the true Jefferson- 
 jan principle, Never to ask and never to refuse 
 office. Both as a lawyer and as a Judge he. stood. . 
 deservedly high, but his cast of intellect fitted him 
 rather for a writer upon law than a practicing advo- 
 cate in the courts. In the latter capacity he was void 
 of the moving power of eloquence, so necessary to 
 success with juries. As a Judge his opinions were 
 round, lucid and able expositions of the law. In 
 practice, he was a stranger to the tact, skill and in- 
 sinuating address of the politician, but he saw through 
 '.he arts of demagogues as well as any man. He was 
 plain in his demeanor, so much so, indeed, that at 
 one time after the expiration of his term of office, 
 during a session of the Legislature, he was taken by 
 a stranger to be a seeker for the position of door- 
 keeper, and was waited upon at his hotel near mid- 
 night by a knot of small office-seekers with the view 
 of effecting a " combination ! " 
 
 Mr. Ford had not the " brass " of the ordinary 
 politician, nor that impetuosity which characterizes a 
 political leader. He cared little for money, and 
 hardly enough for a decent support. In person he 
 was of small stature, slender, of dark complexion, 
 with black hair, sharp features, deep-set eyes, a 
 pointed, aquiline nose having a decided twist to one 
 side, and a small mouth. 
 
 The three most important events in Gov. Ford's 
 administration were the establishment of the high 
 financial credit of the State, the " Mormon War "and 
 ;he Mexican War. 
 
 In the first of these the Governor proved himself 
 to be eminently wise. On coming into office he found 
 the State badly paralyzed by the ruinous effects of 
 the notorious " internal improvement " schemes of 
 
 the preceding decade, with scarcely anything to 
 show by way of "improvement." The enterprise 
 that seemed to be getting ahead more than all the 
 rest was the Illinois & Michigan Canal. As this 
 promised to be the most important thoroughfare, 
 feasible to the people, it was well under headway in 
 its construction. Therefore the State policy was 
 almost concentrated upon it, in order to rush it on tc 
 completion. The bonded indebtedness of the State 
 was growing so large as to frighten the people, and 
 they were about ready to entertain a proposition for 
 repudiation. But the Governor had the foresight to 
 recommend such measures as would maintain the 
 public credit, for which every citizen to-day feels 
 thankful. 
 
 But perhaps the Governor is remembered more for 
 his connection with the Mormon troubles than for 
 anything else; for it was during his term of office 
 that the " Latter-Day Saints" became so strong at 
 Nauvoo, built their temple there, increased their num- 
 bers throughout the count-y, committed misdemean- 
 ors, taught dangerous doctrines, suffered the loss of 
 their leader, Jo Smith, by a violent death, were driven 
 out of Nauvoo to the far West, etc. Ha.ving been a 
 Judge for so many years previously, Mr. Ford of 
 course was non-committal concerning Mormon affairs, 
 and Avas therefore claimed by both parties and also 
 accused by each of sympathizing too greatly with the 
 other side. Mormonism claiming to be a system of 
 religion, the Governor no doubt was " between two 
 fires," and felt compelled to touch the matter rather 
 " gingerly," and doubtless felt greatly relieved when 
 that pestilential people left the State. Such compli- 
 cated matters, especially when religion is mixed up 
 with them, expose every person participating in 
 them to criticism from all parties. 
 
 The Mexican War was begun in the spring of 
 1845, and was continued into the gubernatorial term 
 of Mr. Ford's successor. The Governor's connection 
 with this war, however, was not conspicuous, as it 
 was only administrative, commissioning officers, etc. 
 
 Ford's " History of Illinois " is a very readable and 
 entertaining work, of 450 small octavo pages, and is 
 destined to increase in value with the lapse of time. 
 It exhibits a natural flow of compact and forcible 
 thought, never failing to convey the nicest sense. In 
 tracing with his trenchant pen the devious operations 
 of the professional politician, in which he is inimit- 
 able, his account is open, perhaps, to the objection 
 that all his contemporaries are treated as mere place- 
 seekers, while many of them have since been judged 
 by the people to be worthy statesmen. His writings 
 seem slightly open to the criticism that they exhibit 
 a little splenetic partiality against those of his con- 
 temporaries who were prominent during his term of 
 office as Governor. 
 
 The death of Gov. Ford took place at Peoria, 111., 
 Nov. 2, 1850.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Oft* 
 
 UNWiRSm Of ILLINOIS
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 143 
 
 Augustus C. French. 
 
 jUGUSTUS C. FRENCH, 
 Governor of Illinois from 
 1846 to 1852, was born in 
 the town of Hill, in the 
 State of New Hampshire, 
 Aug. 2, 1808. He was a 
 descendant" in the fourth 
 generation of Nathaniel 
 French, who emigrated from England 
 in 1687 and settled in Saybury, Mass. 
 In early life young French lost his 
 father, but continued to receive in- 
 struction from an exemplary and 
 Christian mother until he was 19 years 
 old, when she also died, confiding to 
 his care and trust four younger broth- 
 ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with 
 parental devotion. His education in early life was 
 such mainly as a common school afforded. For a 
 brief period he attended Dartmouth College, but 
 from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers 
 and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently 
 read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and 
 shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at 
 Albion, Edwards County, where he established him- 
 self in the practice of law. The following year he 
 removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained 
 eminence in his profession, and entered public life 
 by representing that county in the Legislature. A 
 strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste- 
 phen A. Douglas. 
 
 In 1839, Mr. French was appointed Receiver of 
 the United States Land Office at Palestine, Craw- 
 ford (x>unty, at which place he was a resident when 
 
 elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1844 he was 
 a Presidential Elector, and as such he voted for 
 James K. Polk. 
 
 The Democratic State Convention of 1846, meet- 
 ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French 
 for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were 
 Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of 
 Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scales. 
 Richard M. Young and A. W. Cavarly, an array of 
 very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per- 
 haps defeated in the Convention by the rumor that 
 he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, 
 as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant 
 Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi- 
 dates were Lewis Ross, Wm. McMurtry, Newton 
 Cloud, J. B. Hamilton and W. W. Thompson. The 
 resolutions declared strongly against the resuscita- 
 tion of the old State Banks. 
 
 The Whigs, who were in a hopeless minority, held 
 their convention June 8, at Peoria, and selected 
 Thomas M. Kilpatrick, of Scott County, for Governor, 
 and Gen. Nathaniel G. Wilcox, of Schuyler, for 
 Lieutenant Governor. 
 
 In the campaign the latter exposed Mr. French's 
 record and connection with the passage of the in- 
 ternal improvement system, urging it against his 
 election ; but in the meantime the war with Mexico 
 broke out, regarding which the Whig record was un- 
 popular in this State. The war was the absorbing 
 and dominating question of the period, sweeping 
 every other political issue in its course. The elec- 
 tion in August gave Mr. French 58,700 votes, and 
 Kilpatrick only 36,775. Richard Eells, Abolitionist 
 candidate for the same office, received 5,152 vots.
 
 AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH. 
 
 By the new Constitution of 1848, a new election for 
 State officers was ordered in November of that year, 
 before Gov. French's term was half out, and he was 
 re-elected for the term of four years. He was there- 
 fore the incumbe.it for six consecutive years, the 
 only Governor of this State who has ever served in 
 that capacity so long at one time. As there was no 
 organized opposition to his election, he received 67,- 
 453 votes, to 5,639 for Pierre Menard (son of the 
 first Lieutenant Governor), 4,748 for Charles V. 
 Dyer, 3,834 for W. L. D. Morrison, and 1,361 for 
 James L. D. Morrison. But Wm. McMurtry, of 
 Knox County, was elected Lieutenant Governor, in 
 place of Joseph B. Wells, who was before elected 
 and did not run again. 
 
 Governor French was inaugurated into office dur- 
 ing the progress of the Mexican War, which closed 
 during the summer of 1847, although the treaty of 
 Guadalupe Hidalgo was not made until Feb. 2, 
 1848. The policy of Gov. French's party was com- 
 mitted to that war, but in connection with that affair 
 he was, of course, only an administrative officer. 
 During his term of office, Feb. 19, 1847, the Legisla- 
 ture, by special permission of Congress, declared that 
 all Government lands sold to settlers should be 'irh-' 
 mediately subject to State taxation ; before this they 
 were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar- 
 rangement the revenue was materially increased. 
 About the same time, the distribution of Government 
 Jand warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty 
 threw upon the market a great quantity of good 
 lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State. 
 The same Legislature authorized, with the recom- 
 mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern 
 Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the 
 first in the State and now a section of the Wabash, 
 St. Louis & Pacific). It sold for $100,000 in bonds, 
 although it had cost the State not less than a million. 
 The salt wells and canal lands in the Saline reserve 
 in Gallatin County, granted by the general Govern- 
 ment to the State, were also authorized by the 
 Governor to be sold, to apply on the State debt. In 
 1850, for the first time since 1839, the accruing State 
 revenue, exclusive of specific appropriations, was 
 sufficient to meet the current demands upon the 
 treasury. The aggregate taxable property of the 
 State at this time was over $100,000,000, and the 
 population 851,470. 
 
 In 1849 the Legislature adopted the township or- 
 ganization law, which, however, proved defective 
 and was properly amended in 1851. At its session 
 in the latter year, the General Assembly also pas=>ed 
 a law to exempt homesteads from sate on executions 
 This beneficent measure^ had been repeatedly utge<J 
 upon that body by Gov. French. 
 
 In 1850 some business men in St. Louis com- 
 menced to build a dike opposite the lower part of 
 their city on the Illinois side, to keep the Mississippi 
 in its channel near St. Louis, instead of breaking 
 away from them as it sometimes threatened to do. 
 This they undertook without permission from the 
 Legislature or Executive authority of this State ; and 
 as many of the inhabitants thera complained that 
 the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable 
 land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re- 
 sulting in favor of the St. Louis project ; r>.nd since 
 then a good site has existed there for a city (East St. 
 Louis), and now a score of railroads center there. 
 
 It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted 
 to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of 
 the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, 
 which constituted the most important epoch in the 
 railroad we might say internal improvement his- 
 tory of the State. The road was rushed on to com- 
 pletion, which accelerated the settlement of the in- 
 terior of the State by a good class of industrious citi- 
 zens, and by the charter a good income to the State 
 Treasury is paid in from the earnings of the road. 
 
 In 1851 the Legislature passed a law authorizing 
 free stock banks, which was the source of much leg- 
 islative discussion for a number of years. 
 
 But we have not space further to particularize 
 concerning legislation. Gov. French's administra- 
 tion was not marked by any feature to be criticised, 
 while the country was settling up as never before. 
 
 In stature, Gov. French was of medium height, 
 squarely built, light complexioned, with ruddy face 
 and pleasant countenance. In manners he was 
 plain and agreeable. By nature he was somewhat 
 diffident, but he was often very outspoken in his con- 
 victions of duty. In public speech he was not an 
 orator, but was chaste, earnest and persuasive. In 
 business he was accurate and methodical, and in his 
 administration he kept up the credit of the State. 
 
 He died in 1865, at his home in Lebanon, St 
 Clair Co., HI.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 of m 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS

 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 iOEL A. MATTESON, Governor 
 1853-6, was born Aug. 8, 1808, 
 in Jefferson County, New York, 
 to which place his father had re- 
 moved from Vermont three years 
 before. His father was a farmer 
 in fair circumstances, but a com- 
 mon English education was all 
 that his only son received. Young 
 Joel first tempted fortune as a 
 small tradesman in Prescott, 
 Canada, before he was of age. 
 He returned from that place to 
 his home, entered an academy, 
 taught school, visited the prin- 
 cipal Eastern cities, improved a farm his father had 
 given him, made a tour in the South, worked there 
 in building railroads, experienced a storm on the 
 Gulf of Mexico, visited the gold diggings of Northern 
 Georgia, and returned via Nashville to St. Louis and 
 through Illinois to his father's home, when he mar- 
 ried. In 1833, having sold his farm, he removed, 
 with his wife and one child, to Illinois, and entered 
 a claim on Government land near the head of Au 
 Sable River, in what is now Kendall County. At 
 that time there were not more than two neighbors 
 within a range of ten miles of his place, and only 
 \hree or four houses between him and Chicago. He 
 opened a large farm. His family was boarded 12 
 
 miles away while he erected a house on his claim, 
 sleeping, during this time, under a rude pole shed. 
 Here his life was once placed in imminent peril by 
 a huge prairie rattlesnake sharing his bed. 
 
 In 1835 he bought largely at the Government land 
 sales. During the speculative real-estate mania which 
 broke out in Chicago in 1 836 and spread over the State, 
 he sold his lands under the inflation of that period 
 and removed to Joliet. In 1838 he became a heavy 
 contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Upon 
 the completion of his job in i84r, when hard times 
 prevailed, business at a stand, contracts paid in State 
 scrip; when all the public works except the canal 
 were abandoned, the State offered for sale 700 tons 
 of railroad iron, which was purchased by Mr. Mat- 
 teson at a bargain. This he accepted, shipped and 
 sold at Detroit, realizing a very handsome profit, 
 enough to pay off all his canal debts and leave him a 
 surplus of several thousand dollars. His enterprise 
 next prompted him to start a woolen mill at Joliet, 
 in which he prospered, and which, after successive 
 enlargements, became an enormous establishment. 
 
 In 1842 he was first elected a State Senator, but, 
 by a bungling apportionment, j&Sn Pearson, a Senator 
 holding over, was found to be in the same district, 
 and decided to be entitled to represent it. Mat- 
 teson's seat was declared vacant. Pearson, however 
 with a nobleness difficult to appreciate in this day of
 
 JOEL A. MATTESON. 
 
 greed for office, unwilling to represent his district 
 under the circumstances, immediately resigned his 
 unexpired term of two years. A bill was passed in a 
 few hours ordering a new election, and in ten days' 
 time Mr. Matteson was returned re-elected and took 
 his seat as Senator. From his well-known capacity 
 as a business man, he was made Chairman of the 
 Committee on Finance, a position he held during 
 this half and two full succeeding Senatorial terms, 
 discharging its important duties with ability and faith- 
 fulness. Besides his extensive woolen-mill interest, 
 when work was resumed on the canal under the new 
 loan of $1,600,000 he again became a heavy con- 
 tractor, and also subsequently operated largely in 
 building railroads. Thus he showed himself a most 
 energetic and thorough business man. 
 
 He was nominated for Governor by the Demo- 
 cratic State Convention which met at Springfield 
 April 20, 1852. Other candidates before the Con- 
 vention were D. L. Gregg and F. C. Sherman, of 
 Cook ; John Dement, of Lee ; Thomas L. Harris, of 
 Menard ; Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton ; and D. P. Bush, 
 of Pike. Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair, was nom- 
 inated for Lieutenant Governor. For the same offices 
 the Whigs nominated Edwin B. Webb and Dexter A':'. 
 Knowlton. Mr. Matteson received 80,645 votes at 
 the election, while Mr. Webb received 64,408. Mat- 
 teson s forte was not on the stump; he had not cul- 
 tivated the art of oily flattery, or the faculty of being 
 all things to all men. His intellectual qualities took 
 rather the direction of efficient executive ability. His 
 turn consisted not so much in the adroit manage- 
 ment of party, or the powerful advocacy of great gov- 
 ernmental principles, as in those more solid and 
 enduring operations which cause the physical devel- 
 opment and advancement of a State, of commerce 
 and business enterprise, into which he labored with 
 success to lead the people. As a politician he was 
 just and liberal in his views, and both in official and 
 private life he then stood untainted and free from 
 blemish. As a man, in active benevolence, social 
 rirtues and all the amiable qualities of neighbor or 
 citizen, he had few superiors. His messages present 
 a perspicuous array of facts as to the condition of the 
 State, and are often couched in forcible and elegant 
 diction. 
 
 The greatest excitement during his term of office 
 was the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, by Con- 
 
 gress, under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas in 
 1854, when the bill was passed organizing the Terri- 
 tory of Kansas and Nebraska. A large portion of 
 the Whig party of the North, through their bitter op- 
 position to the Democratic party, naturally drifted 
 into the doctrine of anti-slavery, and thus led to what 
 was temporarily called the " Anti-Nebraska " party, 
 while the followers of Douglas were known as " Ne- 
 braska or Douglas Democrats." It was during this 
 embryo stage of the Republican party that Abraham 
 Lincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska" 
 candidate for the United States Senatorship, while 
 Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-nom- 
 inated by the Democrats. But after a few ballotings 
 in the Legislature (1855), these men were dropped, 
 and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, 
 was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson, 
 then Governor, by the latter. On the nth ballot 
 Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac- 
 cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson 's 
 term expired, the Republicans were fully organized 
 as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a 
 full national and State ticket, carrying the State, but 
 not the nation. 
 
 : "; Tlie Legislature of 1855 passed two very import- 
 ant measures, the present free-school system and a 
 submission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the 
 people. The latter was defeated by a small majority 
 of the popular vote. 
 
 During the four years of Gov. Matteson 's admin- 
 istration the taxable wealth of the State was about 
 trebled, from $137,8^,079 to $349,951,272; the pub- 
 lic debt was reduced from $17,398,985 to $12,843,- 
 T44; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the 
 State resumed paying interest on its debt in New 
 York as fast as it fell due ; railroads were increased 
 in their mileage from something less than 400 to 
 about 3.000; and the population of Chicago was 
 nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad- 
 rupled. 
 
 Before closing this account, we regret that we have 
 to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an 
 upright man and a good Governor, was implicated 
 in a false re-issue of redeemed canal scrip, amount- 
 ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon Cir- 
 cuit Court the State recovered the principal and all 
 the interest excepting $27,500. 
 
 He died in the winter of 1872-3, at Chicago.
 
 LiBRWtt 
 
 of rw 
 
 UNIVEKSIh Of ILLINOIS
 
 GO VKKNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 -- <**SS4 
 
 ILLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov- 
 - ernor 1857-60, was born 
 April 25, 1811, in the 
 State of New York, near 
 Painted Post, Yates County. 
 His parents were obscure, 
 honest, God-fearing people, 
 who reared their children under the daily 
 example of industry and frugality, accord- 
 ing to the custom of that class of Eastern 
 society. Mr. Bissell received a respecta- 
 ble but not thorough academical education. 
 By assiduous application he acquired a 
 knowledge of medicine, and in his early 
 manhood came West and located in Mon- 
 roe County, this State, where he engaged in the 
 practice of that profession. But he was not enam- 
 ored of his calling: he was swayed by a broader 
 ambition, to such an extent that the mysteries of the 
 healing art and its arduous duties failed to yield him 
 further any charms. In a few years he discovered 
 his choice of a profession to be a mistake, and when 
 he approached the age of 30 he sought to begin 
 anew. Dr. Bissell, no doubt unexpectedly to him- 
 self, discovered a singular facility and charm of 
 speech, the exercise of which acquired for him a 
 ready local notoriety. It soon came to be under- 
 
 stood that he desired to abandon his profession and 
 take up that of the law. During terms of Court he 
 would spend his time at the county seat among the 
 members of the Bar, who extended to him a ready 
 welcome. 
 
 It was not strange, therefore, that he should drift 
 into public life. In 1840 he was elected as a Dem- 
 ocrat to the Legislature from Monroe County, and 
 was an efficient member of that body. On his re- 
 turn home he qualified himself for admission to the 
 Bar and speedily rose to the front rank as an advo- 
 cate. His powers of oratory were captivating. With a 
 pure diction, charming and inimitable gestures, 
 clearness of statement, and a remarkable vein of sly 
 humor, his efforts before a jury told with irresistible 
 effect. He was chosen by the Legislature Prosecut- 
 ing Attorney for the Circuit in which he lived, and 
 in that position he fully discharged his duty to the 
 State, gained the esteem of the Bar, and seldom 
 failed to convict the offender of the law. 
 
 In stature he was somewhat tall and slender, and 
 with a straight, military bearing, he presented a dis- 
 tinguished appearance. His complexion was dark, 
 his head well poised, though not large, his address 
 pleasant and manner winning. He was exemplary 
 in his habits, a devoted husband and kind parent. 
 He was twice married, the first time to Miss James,
 
 WILLIAM H. BISSELL, 
 
 of Monroe County, by whom he had two children, 
 both daughters. She died soon after the year 1840, 
 and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter 
 of Elias K. Kane, previously a United States Senator 
 from this State. She survived him but a short time, 
 and died without issue. 
 
 When the war with Mexico was declared in 1 846, 
 Mr. Bissell enlisted and was elected Colonel of his 
 regiment, over Hon. Don Morrison, by an almost 
 unanimous vote, 807 to 6. Considering the limited 
 opportunities he had had, he evinced a high order of 
 military talent. On the bloody field of Buena Vista 
 he acquitted himself with intrepid and distinguished 
 ability, contributing with his regiment, the Second 
 Illinois, in no small degree toward saving the waver- 
 ing fortunes of our arms during that long and fiercely 
 contested battle. 
 
 After his return home, at the close of the war, he 
 was elected to Congress, his opponents being the 
 Hons. P. B. Fouke and Joseph Gillespie. He served 
 two terms in Congress. He was an ardent politician. 
 During the great contest of 1850 he voted in favor 
 of the adjustment measures; but in 1854 he opposed 
 the repeal of the Missouri Compromise act and 
 therefore the Kansas-Nebraska bill of Dougla's, and ' 
 thus became identified with the nascent Republican 
 party. 
 
 During his first Congressional term, while the 
 Southern members were following their old practice 
 of intimidating the North by bullying language, 
 and claiming most of the credit for victories in the 
 Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the 
 Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena 
 Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern 
 troops ; whereupon Davis challenged BisseH to a duel, 
 which was accepted. This matter was brought up 
 against Bissell when he was candidate for Governor 
 and during his term of office, as the Constitution of 
 this State forbade any duelist from holding a State 
 office. 
 
 In 1856, when the Republican party first put forth 
 a candidate, John C. Fremont, for President of the 
 United States, the same party nominated Mr. Bissell 
 for Governor of Illinois, and John Wood, of Quincy, 
 for Lieutenant Governor, while the Democrats nomi- 
 nated Hon. W. A. Richardson, of Adams County, 
 for Governor, and Col. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook 
 County, for Lieutenant Governor. The result of the 
 
 election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard- 
 son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a 
 ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal- 
 anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor. 
 His message to the Legislature was short and rathei 
 ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup- 
 posed obligations of the people to the incorporators 
 of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re- 
 opening the slavery question by allusions to the 
 Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion- 
 ment bill, based upon the State census of 1855, was 
 passed, amid much partisan strife. The Governor 
 at first signed the bill and then vetoed it. A furious 
 debate followed, and the question whether the Gov- 
 ernor had the authority to recall a signature was 
 referred to the Courts, that of last resort deciding in 
 favor of the Governor. Two years afterward another 
 outrageous attempt was made for a re-apportionment 
 and to gerrymander the State, but the Legislature 
 failed to pass the bill over the veto of the Governor. 
 
 It was during Gov. Bissell's administration that 
 the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light, 
 'implicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent 
 !Sta.te,offieials. The principal and interest, aggregat- 
 ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except- 
 ing $27,500. (See sketch of Gov. Matteson.) 
 
 In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu- 
 lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and 
 thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a 
 million dollars. The State Government was impli- 
 . cated in this affair, and to this day remains unex- 
 plained or unatoned for. For the above, and other 
 matters previously mentioned, Gov. Bissell has been 
 severely criticised, and he has also been most shame- 
 fully libelled and slandered. 
 
 On account of exposure in the army, the remote 
 cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance 
 into his system and eventually developed paraplegia, 
 affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left 
 his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco- 
 motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was 
 generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste- 
 rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its 
 stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18, 
 1860, over nine months before the expiration of his 
 gubernatorial term, at the early age of 48 years. He 
 died in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, of 
 which he hart been a member since 1854.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of !Ht 
 
 UNIVEftSUY Of ILUNOiS
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 '55 
 
 
 ;OHN WOOD, Governor 1860-1, and 
 the first settler of Quincy, 111., 
 was born in the town of Sempro- 
 nius (now Moravia), Cayuga Co., 
 N. Y., Dec. 20, 1798. He -was 
 the second child and only son of 
 Dr. Daniel Wood. His mother, 
 nee Catherine Crause, was of 
 German parentage, and died 
 while he was an infant. Dr. 
 Wood was a learned and skillful 
 physician, of classical attain- 
 ments and proficient in several 
 modern lauguages, who, after 
 serving throughout the Revolu- 
 tionary War as a Surgeon, settled on the land granted 
 him by the Government, and resided there a re- 
 spected and leading influence in his section until his 
 death, at the ripe age of 92 years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, impelled by the spirit 
 of Western adventure then pervading everywhere, 
 left his home, Nov. 2, 1818, and passed the succeed- 
 ing winter in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following sum- 
 mer he pushed on to Illinois, landing at Shawneetown, 
 and spent the fall and following winter in Calhoun 
 County. In 1820, in company with Willard Keyes, 
 he settled in Pike County, about 30 miles southeast 
 of Quincy, where for the next two years he pursued 
 farming. In 182 r he visited "the Bluffs" (as the 
 present site of Quincy was called, then uninhabited) 
 and, pleased with its prospects, soon after purchased 
 a quarter-section of land near by, and in the follow- 
 ing fall (1822) erected near the river a small cabin, 
 
 1 8 x 20 feet, the first building in Quincy, of which 
 he then became the first and for some months the 
 only occupant. 
 
 About this time he visited his old friends in Pike 
 County, chief of whom was William Ross, the lead- 
 ing man in building up the village of Atlas, of that 
 county, which was thought then to be the possible 
 commencement of a city. One day they and others 
 were traveling together over the country between the 
 two points named, making observations on the com- 
 parative merits of the respective localities. On ap- 
 proaching the Mississippi near Mr. Wood's place, 
 the latter told his companions to follow him and he 
 would show them where he was going to build a city. 
 They went about a mile off the main trail, to a high 
 point, from which the view in every direction was 
 most magnificent, as it had been for ages and as yet 
 untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept 
 by the majestic Father of Waters, yet unburdened by 
 navigation. After Mr. Wood had expatiated at 
 length on the advantages of the situation, Mr. Ross 
 replied, " But it's too near Atlas ever to amount to 
 anything!" 
 
 Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is a 
 city of over 30,000 population. 
 
 In 1824 Mr. Wood gave a newspaper notice, 
 as the law then prescribed, of his intention to apply 
 to the General Assembly for the formation of a new 
 county. This was done the following winter, result- 
 ing in the establishment of the present Adams 
 County. During the next summer Quincy was se- 
 lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then 
 containing but four adult male residents and half
 
 '5 
 
 JOHN WOOD. 
 
 that number of females. Sinoe that period Mr. 
 Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un- 
 til his death, and far more than any other man was 
 he identified with every measure of its progress and 
 history, and almost continuously kept in public posi- 
 tions. 
 
 He was one of the early town Trustees, and after 
 the place became a city he was often a member of 
 the City Council, many times elected Mayor, in the 
 face of a constant large opposition political majority. 
 In 1850 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1856, 
 on the organization of the Republican party, he was 
 chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the 
 ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the 
 death of the latter, March 18, 1860, he succeeded to 
 the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until 
 Gov. Yates was inaugurated nearly ten months after- 
 ward. 
 
 Nothing very marked characterized the adminis- 
 tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam- 
 paign of 1860, resulting in the election of the honest 
 Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the 
 United States, occurred during the short period 
 while Mr. Wood was Governor, and the excitement 
 and issues of that struggle dominated over every 
 other consideration, indeed, supplanted them in a 
 great measure. The people of Illinois, during all 
 that time, were passing the comparatively petty strifes 
 under Bissell's administration to the overwhelming 
 issue of preserving the whole nation from destruction. 
 
 In 1861 ex-Gov. Wood was one of the five Dele- 
 gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at 
 Washington, and in April of the same year, on the 
 breaking out of the Rebellion, he was appointed 
 
 Quartermaster-General of the State, which position 
 he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com- 
 mand as Colonel of the i37th 111. Vol. Inf., with 
 whom he served until the period of enlistment ex- 
 pired. 
 
 Politically, Gov. Wood was always actively identi- 
 fied with the Whig and Republican parties. Few 
 men have in personal experience comprehended so 
 many surprising and advancing local changes as 
 vested in the more than half century recollections of 
 Gov. Wood. Sixty-four years ago a solitary settler 
 on the " Bluffs," with no family, and no neighbor 
 within a score of miles, the world of civilization away 
 behind him, and the strolling red-man almost his 
 only visitant, he .lived to see growing around him, 
 and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the 
 wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second 
 only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in 
 beauty, prosperity* and promise ; whose people recog- 
 nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and 
 liberality that attach to the name and lengthened 
 life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor." 
 
 Gov. Wood was twice married, first in January, 
 ;. i-8i6;:to Ann M. Streeter, daughter of Joshua Streeter, 
 formerly of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. They had 
 eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in 
 June, 1865, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow 
 of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4, 
 1880, at his residence in Quincy. Four of his eight 
 children are now living, namely: Ann E., wife of 
 Gen. John Tillson; Daniel C., who married Mary J. 
 Abernethy; John, Jr., who married Josephine Skinner, 
 and Joshua S., who married Annie Bradley. The 
 last mentioned now resides at Atchison, Kansas, and 
 all the rest are still at Quincy.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of TW 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of IUJ&WS
 
 "
 
 HCHARD YATES, the "War 
 Governor," 1861-4, was born 
 Jan. 18, 1818, on the banks of 
 the Ohio River, at Warsaw, 
 Gallatin Co., Ky. His lather 
 moved in 1831 to Illinois, and 
 after stopping for a time in 
 Springfield, settled at Island 
 Grove, Sangamon County. Here, 
 after attending school, Richard joined 
 the family. Subsequently he entered 
 Illinois College at Jacksonville, 
 where, in 1837, he graduated with 
 first honors. He chose for his pro- 
 fession the law, the Hon. J. J. Har- 
 din being his instructor. After ad- 
 mission to the Bar he soon rose to distinction as an 
 advocate. 
 
 Gifted with a fluent and ready oratory, he soon 
 appeared in the political hustings, and, being a 
 passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the 
 West. Henry Clay, he joined his political fortunes to 
 he party of his idol. In 1840 he engaged with great 
 <=.rdor in the exciting " hard cider " campaign for 
 Garrison. Two years later he was elected to the 
 Legislature from Morgan County, a Democratic 
 stronghold. He served three or four terms in the 
 Legislature, and such was the fascination of his ora- 
 r nry that by 1850 his large Congressional District, 
 extending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties 
 i.orth to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him 
 tn^ Whig nomination for Congress. His Democratic 
 opponent was Maj. Thomas L. Harris, a very pop- 
 v-lar man who had won distinction at the battle of 
 Cerro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had 
 oeates. Hull. Stephen T. Logan for the same position. 
 
 two years before, by a large majority. Yates war 
 elected. Two years later he was re-elected, over 
 John Calhoun. 
 
 It was during Yates second term in Congress that 
 the great question of the repeal of the Missouri Com- 
 promise was agitated, and the bars laid down for re- 
 opening the dreaded anti-slavery question. He took 
 strong grounds against the repeal, and thus became 
 identified with the rising Republican party. Conse- 
 quently he fell into the minority in his district, which 
 was pro-slavery. Even then, in a third contest, he 
 fell behind Major Harris only 200 votes, after the 
 district had two years before given Pierce 2,000 
 majority for President. 
 
 The Republican State Convention of 1860 met at 
 Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov- 
 ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B. 
 Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming- 
 ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were 
 also candidates before the Convention. Francis A. 
 Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated for 
 Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr. 
 Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re- 
 membered as characterized by the great whirlpool 
 which precipitated the bloody War of the Rebellion. 
 The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen cf 
 Crawford County, for Governor, and Lewis W. Ross, 
 of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The 
 Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party 
 had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear- 
 ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr. 
 Yates 172,196 votes, and Mr, Allen 159,253. Mr. 
 Yates received over a thousand more votes than did 
 Mr. Lincoln himself. 
 
 Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the
 
 i6o 
 
 RICHARD YATES. 
 
 most critical period of our country's history. In the 
 fate of the nation was involved that of each State. 
 The life struggle of the former derived its sustenance 
 from the loyalty of the latter; and Gov. Yates 
 seemed to realize the situation, and proved himself 
 both loyal and wise in upholding the Government. 
 He had a deep hold upon the affections of the 
 people, won by his moving eloquence and genial 
 manners. Erect and symmetrical in person, of pre- 
 possessing appearance, with a winning address and a 
 magnetic power, few men possessed more of the ele- 
 ments of popularity. His oratory was scholarly and 
 captivating, his hearers hardly knowing why they 
 were transported. He was social and convivial. In 
 the latter respect he was ultimately carried too far. 
 - The very creditable military efforts of this State 
 during the War of the Rebellion, in putting into the 
 field the enormous number of about 200,000 soldiers, 
 were ever promptly and ably seconded by his excel- 
 lency ; and the was ambitious to deserve the title of 
 "the soldier's friend." Immediately after the battleof 
 Shiloh he repaired to the field of carnage to look 
 after the wounded, and his appeals for aid were 
 promptly responded to by the people. His procla-; 
 mations calling for volunteers were impassionate 
 appeals, urging upon the people the duties and re- 
 quirements of patriotism; and his special message 
 in 1863 to the Democratic Legislature of this State 
 pleading for material aid for the sick and wounded 
 soldiers of Illinois regiments, breathes a deep fervor 
 of noble sentiment and feeling rarely equaled in 
 beauty or felicity of expression. Generally his mes- 
 sages on political and civil affairs were able and com- 
 prehensive. During his administration, however, 
 there were no civil events of an engrossing character, 
 although two years of his time were replete with 
 partisan quarrels of great bitterness. Military ar- 
 rests, Knights of the Golden Circle, riot in Fulton 
 County, attempted suppression of the Chicago Times 
 and the usurping State Constitutional Convention of 
 1862, were the chief local topics that were exciting 
 during the Governor's term. This Convention assem- 
 bled Jan. 7, and at once took the high position that 
 'he law calling it was no longer binding, and that it 
 :,ad supreme power; that it represented a virtual 
 assemblage of the whole people of the State, and was 
 sovereign in the exercise of all power necessary to 
 effect a peaceable revolution of the State Government 
 
 and to the re-establishment of one for the "happiness, 
 prosperity and freedom of the citizens," limited only 
 by the Federal Constitution. t Notwithstanding the 
 law calling the Convention required its members to 
 take an oath to support the Constitution of the State 
 as well as that of the general Government, they 
 utterly refused to take such oath. They also as- 
 sumed legislative powers and passed several import- 
 ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present 
 executive duties, Gov. Yates was ^ revoked to tell 
 them plainly that " lie did not acknowledge the right 
 of the Convention to instruct him in the performance 
 of his duty." 
 
 In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats 
 by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after 
 a recess, met June 2, that year, and soon began to 
 waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and, 
 while the two houses were disagreeing upon the 
 question of adjourning sine die, the Governor, having 
 the authority in such cases, surprised them all by 
 adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the 
 . first Monday in January, 1865 ! " This led to great 
 excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the 
 'Govecnor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in 
 his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive 
 abuse for weeks and months afterward. 
 
 During the autumn of 1864 a conspiracy was de- 
 tected at Chicago which had for its object the liber- 
 ation of the prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, the 
 burning of the city and the inauguration of rebellion 
 in the North. Gen. Sweet, who had charge of the 
 camp at the time, first had his suspicions of danger 
 aroused by a number of enigmatically worded letters 
 which passed through the Camp postoffice. A de- 
 tective afterward discovered that the rebel Gen. 
 Marmaduke was in the city, under an assumed 
 name, and he, with other rebel officers Grenfell, 
 Morgan, Cantrell, Buckner Morris, and Charles 
 Walsh was arrested, most of whom were convicted 
 by a court martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to 
 imprisonment, Grenfell to be hung. The sentence 
 of the latter was afterward commuted to imprison- 
 ment for life, and all the others, after nine months' 
 imprisonment, were pardoned. 
 
 In March, 1873, Gov. Yates was appointed a Gov 
 ernment Director of the Union Pacific Railroad, in 
 which office he continued until his decease, at St. 
 Louis, Mo., on the 27th of November following.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF (H 
 
 UNIVEKSUY Of ILLINOIS
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 163 
 
 ^2@flg!!^ 
 
 Richard JT. Ogles 
 
 .ICHARD J. OGLESBY, Gov- 
 ernor 1865-8, and re-elected 
 in 1872 and 1884, was born 
 July 25, 1824, in Oldham Co., 
 Ky., the State which might 
 be considered the " mother of 
 Illinois Governors." Bereft of 
 his parents at the tender age 
 of eight years, his early education 
 was neglected. When 12 years of 
 age, and after he had worked a year 
 and a half at the carpenter's trade, 
 he removed with an uncle, Willis 
 Oglesby, into whose care he had 
 been committed, to Decatur, this 
 State, where he continued his ap- 
 prenticeship as a mechanic, working six months for 
 Hon. E. O. Smith. 
 
 In 1844 he commenced studying law at Spring- 
 field, with Judge Silas Robbins, and read with him 
 one year. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845, and 
 commenced the practice of his chosen profession at 
 Sullivan, the county seat of Moultrie County. 
 
 The next year the war with Mexico was com- 
 menced, and in June, 1846, Mr. Oglesby volunteered, 
 was elected First Lieutenant of Co. C, Fourth Illinois 
 Regiment of Volunteers, and participated in the bat- 
 tles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. 
 
 On his return he sought to perfect his law studies 
 by attending a course of lectures at Louisville, but 
 on the breaking out of the California "gold fever " in 
 1849, he crossed the plains and mountains to the 
 new Eldorado, driving a six-mule team, with a com- 
 
 pany of eight men, Henry Prather being the leader. 
 
 In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and 
 was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticket 
 of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe, 
 Asia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his 
 return home he resumed the practice of law, as a 
 member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby. 
 In 1858 he was the Republican noaiinee for the 
 Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the 
 Hon. James C. Robinson, Democrat. In 1860 he 
 was elected to the Illinois State Senate ; and on the 
 evening the returns of this election were coming in, 
 Mr. Oglesby had a fisticuff encounter with " Cerro 
 Gordo Williams," in which he came out victorious, 
 and which was regarded as " the first fight of the 
 Rebellion." The following spring, when the war 
 had commenced in earnest, his ardent nature 
 quickly responded to the demands of patriotism and 
 he enlisted. The extra session of the Legislature 
 elected him Colonel of the Eighth Illinois Infantry, 
 the second one in the State raised to suppress the 
 great Rebellion. 
 
 He was shortly entrusted with important com- 
 mands. For a time he was stationed at Bird's Point 
 and Cairo ; in April he was promoted Brigadier Gen- 
 eral ; at Fort Donelson his brigade was in the van, 
 being stationed on the right of General Grant's army 
 and the first brigade to be attacked. He lost 500 
 men before re-inforcements arrived. Many of these 
 men were from Macon County. He was engaged in 
 the battle of Corinth, and, in a brave charge at this 
 place, was shot in the left lung with an ounce ball, 
 and was carried from the field in expectation of im-
 
 i6 4 
 
 RICHARD J. OGLESBY. 
 
 mediate death. That rebel ball he carries to this 
 day. On his partial recovery he was promoted as 
 Major General, for gillantry, his commission to rank 
 from November, 1862. In the spring of 1863 he 
 was assigned to the command of the i6th Army 
 Corps, but, owing to inability from the effects of his 
 wound, he relinquished this command in July, that 
 year. Gen. Grant, however, refused to accept his 
 resignation, and he was detailed, in December follow- 
 ing, to court-martial and try the Surgeon General of 
 the Army at Washington, where he remained until 
 May, 1864, when he returned home. 
 
 The Republican, or Union, State Convention of 
 
 1864 was held at Springfield, May 25, when Mr. 
 Oglesby was nominated for the office of Governor, 
 while other candidates before the Convention were 
 Allen C. Fuller, of Boone, Jesse K. Dubois, of Sanga- 
 mon, and John M. Palmer, of Macoupin. Wm. 
 Bross, of Chicago, was nominated for Lieutenant 
 Governor. On the Democratic State ticket were 
 James C. Robinson, of Clark, for Governor, and S. 
 Corning Judd, of Fulton, for Lieutenant Governor. 
 The general election gave Gen. Oglesby a majority 
 of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a 
 majority in both the Legislature and in the repre- 
 sentation in Congress. 
 
 Gov. Oglesby was duly inaugurated Jan. 17, 1865. 
 The day before the first time set for his installation 
 death visited his home at Decatur, and toik from it 
 his only son, an intelligent and sprightly lad of six 
 years, a great favorite of the bereaved parents. This 
 caused the inauguration to be postponed a week. 
 
 The political events of the Legislative session of 
 
 1865 were the election of ex-Gov. Yates to the 
 United States Senate, and the ratification of the 131)1 
 amend. nent to the Constitution of the United States, 
 abolishing slavery. This session also signalized 
 itself by repealing the notorious " black laws," part 
 of which, although a dead letter, had held their place 
 upon the statute books since 1819. Also, laws re- 
 quiring the registration of voters, and establishing a 
 State Board of Equalization, were passed by this Leg- 
 islature. But the same body evinced that it was cor- 
 ruptly influenced by a mercenary lobby, as it adopted 
 some bad legislation, over the Governor's veto, nota- 
 bly an amendment to a charter for a Chicago horse 
 railway, granted in 1859 for 25 years, and now 
 sought to be extended 99 years. As this measure 
 was promptly passed over his veto by both branches 
 of the Legislature, he deemed it useless further to 
 attempt to check their headlong career. At this 
 session no law of a general useful character or public 
 interest was perfected, unless we count such the 
 turning over of the canal to Chicago to be deepened. 
 The session of 1867 was still more productive of 
 private and special acts. Many omnibus bills were 
 proposed, and some passed. The contests over the 
 .ocation of the Industrial College, the Capital, the 
 
 Southern Penitentiary and the canal enlargement 
 and Illinois River improvement, dominated every! 
 thing else. 
 
 During the year 1872, it became evident that if 
 the Republicans could re-elect Mr. Oglesby to the 
 office of Governor, they could also elect him to the 
 United States Senate, which they desired to do. 
 Accordingly they re-nominated him for the Execu- 
 tive chair, and placed upon the ticket with him for 
 Lieutenant Governor, John L. Beveridge, of Cook 
 County. On the other side the Democrats put into 
 the field Gustavus Koerner for Governor and John 
 C. Black for Lieutenant Governor. The election 
 gave the Republican ticket majorities ranging from 
 35>334 to 56,174, the Democratic defection being 
 caused mainly by their having an old-time Whig and 
 Abolitionist, Horace Greeley, on the national ticket 
 for President. According to the general understand- 
 ing had beforehand, as soon as the Legislature nist 
 it elected Gov. Oglesby to the United States Senate, $ 
 whereupon Mr. Beveridge became Governor. Sena- 
 tor Oglesby 's term expired March 4, 1879, having 
 served his party faithfully and exhibited an order of 
 statesmanship beyond criticism. 
 
 During the campaign of 1884 Mr. Oglesby was 
 .nominated for a "third term" as Executive of the 
 State of Illinois, against Carter H. Harrison, Mayor 
 ^of 'Chicago, nominated by the Democrats. Both 
 gentlemen "stumped " the State, and while the peo-j 
 pie elected a Legislature which was a tie on a join: i 
 ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the 
 jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of 15,018 for Gov-i 
 ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The 
 Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on 
 account of its equal division between the two main 
 parties and the consequent desperate tactics of each ' 
 party to checkmate the latter in the organization of 
 the House. 
 
 Gov. Oglesby is a fine-appearing, affable man, with 
 regular, well defined features and rotund face. In 
 stature he is a little above medium height, of a large J 
 frame and somewhat fleshy. His physical appear- j 
 ance is striking and prepossessing, while his straight- 
 out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are wel. 
 calculated favorably to impress the average masses. 
 Ardent in feeling and strongly committed to the pol- 
 icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism 
 among Republicans, while at the same time hisjovia. 
 and liberal manner prevents those of the oppo?ite 
 party from hating him. 
 
 He is quite an effective stump orator. With vehe- 
 ment, passionate and scornful tone and gestures 
 tremendous physical power, which in speaking he 
 exercises to the utmost; with frequent descents la 
 the grotesque; and with abundant homely compari- 
 sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest 
 vernacular and enforced with stentorian emphar.is, 
 he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure
 
 or
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 u>t 
 
 J Q gjy J PA L HER 
 
 jlOHN Me AULEY PALMER, Gov- 
 ernor 1869-72, was born on 
 Eagle Creek, Scott Co., Ky , 
 Sept. 13, 1817. During his in- 
 fancy, his father, who had been 
 a soldier in the war of 1812, re- 
 moved to Christian Co., Ky., 
 where lands were cheap. Here 
 the future Governor of the great 
 Prairie State spent his childhood 
 and received such meager school- 
 ing as the new and sparsely set- 
 tled country afforded. To this 
 he added materially by diligent 
 reading, for which he evinced an 
 eaily aptitude. His father, an ardent Jackson man, 
 was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which 
 he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 1831 
 he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County. 
 Here the labor of improving a farm was pursued for 
 al'Ut two years, when the death of Mr. Palmer's 
 mother broke up the family. About this time Alton 
 College was opened, on the "manual labor " system, 
 and in the spring of 1834 young Palmer, with his 
 elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained 
 1 8 months. Next, for over three years, he tried 
 variously coopering, peddling and school-teaching. 
 
 During the summer of 1838 he formed the ac- 
 quaintance of Stephen A. Douglas, then making his 
 
 first canvass for Congress. Young, eloquent and in 
 political accord with Mr. Palmer, he won his confi- 
 dence, fired his ambition and fixed his purpose. The 
 following winter, while teaching near Canton, he be- 
 gan to devote his spare time to a desultory reading 
 of law, and in the spring entered a law office at Car- 
 linville, making his home with his elder brother, 
 Elihu. (The latter was a learned clergyman, of con- 
 siderable orginality of thought and doctrine.) On 
 the next meeting of the Supreme Court he was ad- 
 mitted to the Bar, Douglas being one of his examiners. 
 He was not immediately successful in his profession, 
 and would have located elsewhere than Carlinville 
 had he the requisite means. Thus his early poverty 
 was a blessing in disguise, for to it he now attributes 
 the success of his life. 
 
 From 1839 on, while he diligently pursued his 
 profession, he participated more or less in local 
 politics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. In 
 1847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con 
 vention, where he took a leading part. In 1852 lu 
 was elected to the State Senate, and at the special 
 session of February, 1854, true to the anti-slaverj 
 sentiments bred in him, he took a firm stand in op- 
 position to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, 
 and when the Nebraska question became a party 
 issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for thi 
 Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuinj 
 a circular to that effect. A few weeks afterward
 
 i68 
 
 JOHN MC AULEY PALMER. 
 
 however, hesitating to break with his party, he par- 
 ticipated in a Congressional Convention which nomi- 
 T. L. Harris against Richard Yates, and which 
 unqualifiedly approved the principles of the Kansas- 
 Nebraska act. But later in the campaign he made 
 the plunge, ran for the Senate as an Anti-Nebraska 
 Democrat, and was elected. The following winter 
 fle put in nomination for the United States Senate 
 Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men 
 who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their 
 support and elected their man. 
 
 In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State 
 Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in 
 1859, but was defeated. In 1860 he was Republican 
 Presidential Elector for the State at large. In 1861 
 fie was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re- 
 publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at 
 Washington. 
 
 When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his 
 services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the 
 /4th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the engagements 
 at Island No. 10; at Farmington, where he skillfully 
 extricated his command from a dangerous position ; 
 at Stone River, where his division for several hours, 
 Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a : 
 rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major 
 General; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's 
 divisions for two hours maintained their position 
 when they were cut off by overpowering numbers. 
 Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the I4th 
 Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign. 
 At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert 
 disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as- 
 signed to the military administration of Kentucky, 
 which was a delicate post. That State was about 
 half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter 
 element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves. 
 He, who had been bred to the rules of common law, 
 trembled at the contemplation of his extraordinary 
 power over the persons and property of his fellow 
 men, with which he was vested in his capacity as 
 military Governor ; and he exhibited great caution in 
 the execution of the duties of his post. 
 
 Gen. Palmer was nominated for Governor of Illi- 
 nois by the Republican State Convention which met 
 at Peoria May 6, 1868, and his nomination would 
 probably have been made by acclamation had he not 
 persistently declared that he could not accept a can- 
 
 didature for the office. The result of the 
 election gave Mr. Palmer a majority of 44,707 over. 
 John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee. 
 
 On the meeting of the Legislature in January, 
 1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was 
 that portion pf the Governor's message which took 
 broad Slate's rights ground. This and some minor 
 points, which were more in keeping with the Demo- 
 cratic sentiment, constituted the entering wedge fir 
 the criticisms and reproofs he afterward received 
 from the Republican party, and ultimately resulted 
 in his entire aleniation from the latter element. The 
 Legislature just referred to was noted for the intro- 
 duction of numerous bills in the interest of private 
 parties, which were embarrassing to the Governor. 
 Among the public acts passed was that which limited 
 railroad charges for passenger travel to a maximum 
 of three cents per mile ; and it was passed over the 
 Governor's veto. Also, they passed, over his veto, 
 the "tax-grabbing law" to pay r^ilrocd subscriptions, 
 the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The new State 
 Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a 
 peaceful " revolution " which took place during Gov. 
 Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the 
 'great Chicago Fire of October, 1871, was greatly 
 alleviated by the prompt responses of his excellency. 
 Since the expiration of Gov. Palmers 's term, he has 
 been somewhat prominent in Illinois politics, and 
 has been talked of by many, especially in the Dem- 
 ocratic party, as the best man in the. State for a 
 United States Senator. His business during life has 
 been that of the law. Few excel him in an accurate 
 appreciation of the depth and scope of its principles- 
 The great number of his able veto messages abun- 
 dantly testify not only this but also a rare capacity to 
 point them out. He is a logical and cogent reasoner 
 and an interesting, forcible and convincing speaker, 
 though not fluent or ornate. Without brilliancy, his 
 dealings are rather with facts and ideas than with 
 appeals to passions and prejudices. He is a patriot 
 and a statesman of very high order. Physically he is 
 above the medium height, of robust frame, ruddy 
 complexion and sanguine-nervous temperament. He 
 has a large cranial development, is vivacious, social 
 in disposition, easy of approach, unostentatious in his 
 habits of life, democratic in his habits and manners 
 and is a true American in his fundamental principle? 
 of statesmanship.
 
 LSBRAflY 
 
 Of m 
 
 UNIVERSm Of &UMXS
 
 GV VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 171 
 
 OHN LOWRiE BEVER- 
 IDGE, Governor 187 3-6, was 
 born in the town of Green- 
 wich, Washington Co., N. Y., 
 July 6, 1824. His parents 
 were George and Ann Bever- 
 idge. His father's parents, An- 
 drew and Isabel Bcveridge, be- 
 fore their marriage emigrated 
 from Scotland just before the 
 Revolutionary War, settling in 
 Washington County. His father 
 was the eldest of eight brothers, the 
 youngest of whom was 60 years of 
 age when the first one of the num- 
 ber died. His mother's parents, 
 James and Agnes Hoy, emigrated 
 from Scotland at the close of the 
 Revolutionary War, settling also in 
 Washington Co., N. Y., with their 
 first-born, whose " native land " was 
 the wild ocean. His parents and 
 grandparents lived beyond the time 
 allotted to man, their average age 
 being over 80 years. They belonged to the " Asso- 
 ciate Church," a seceding Presbyterian body of 
 
 America from the old Scotch school ; and so rigid 
 was the training of young Beveridge that he never 
 heard a sermon from any other minister except that 
 of his own denomination until he was in his igth 
 year. Later in life he became a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still 
 holds. 
 
 Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed- 
 ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood 
 only by rigid economy and industry, could not send 
 him away to college. He was raised upon a farm, 
 and was in his i8th year when the family removed 
 to De Kalb County, this State, when that section was 
 very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000 
 inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a 
 farm laborer, teaching school during the winter 
 months to supply the means of an education. In the 
 fall of 1842 he attended one term at the academy at 
 Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several 
 terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris, 
 Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At 
 this time, the fall of 1845, his parents and brothers 
 were anxious to have him go to college, even though 
 he had not money sufficient; but, njt willing to bur- 
 den the family, he packed his trunk and with only 
 in money started South to seek his fortune
 
 JOHN L. E VE RIDGE. 
 
 Poor, alone, without friends and influence, he thus 
 entered upon the battle of life. 
 
 First, he taught school in Wilson, Overton and 
 Jackson Cos., Tenn., in which experience he under- 
 went considerable mental drill, both in book studies 
 and in the ways of the world. He read law and was 
 admitted to the Bar, in the South, but did not learn 
 to love the institution of slavery, although he ad- 
 mired many features of Southern character. In De- 
 cember, 1847, he returned North, and Jan. 20, 1848, 
 he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in the old Clark- 
 Street M. E. church in Chicago, her father at that 
 time being Pastor of the society there. In the spring 
 of 1848 he returned with his wife to Tennessee, 
 where his two children, Alia May and Philo Judson, 
 were born. 
 
 In the fall of 1849, through the mismanagement 
 of an associate, he lost what little he had accumu- 
 lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to 
 earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb 
 Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro- 
 fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival 
 from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in 
 money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself,, 
 and family. He borrowed a little money, practiced 
 .aw, worked in public offices, kept books for some of 
 the business men of the town, and some railroad en- 
 gineering, till the spring of iS^4, when he removed 
 to Evanston, 1 2 miles north of Chicago, a place then 
 but recently laid out, under the supervision of the 
 Northwestern University, a Methodist institution. 
 Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial 
 agent and business manager. Here Mr. Beveridge 
 prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law 
 office in Chicago, where he found the battle some- 
 what hard; but he persevered with encouragement 
 and increasing success. 
 
 Aug. 12, 1 86 1, his law partner, Gen. John F. 
 Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment of 
 cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a 
 company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais- 
 ing the company, of course enlisting himself along 
 with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles, 
 HI., was mustered in Sept. 18, and on its organiza- 
 tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at- 
 tached, Oct. 1 1 , to the Eighth Cavalry and to the 
 Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment 
 until November, 1863, participating in some 40 bat- 
 
 tles and skirmishes : was at Fair Oaks, the seven days 
 fight around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellors - 
 ville and Gettysburg. He commanded the regiment 
 the greater part of the summer of 1863, and it was while 
 lying in camp this year that he originated the policy 
 of encouraging recruits as well as the fighting capac- 
 ity of the soldiery, by the wholesale furlough system 
 It worked so well that many other officers adopted 
 it. In the fall of this year he recruited another com- 
 pany, against heavy odds, in January, 1864, was 
 commissioned Colonel of the i-jth 111. Cav., and 
 skirmished around in Missouri, concluding with the 
 reception of the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith's 
 army in Arkansas. In 1865 he commanded various 
 sub-districts in the Southwest. He was mustered 
 out Feb. 6, 1866, safe from the casualties of war and 
 a stouter man than when he first enlisted. His men 
 idolized him. 
 
 He then returned to Chicago, to practice law, with 
 no library and no clientage, and no political experi- 
 ence except to help others into office. In the fall of 
 1866 he was elected Sheriff of Cook County, serving 
 dne.term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced 
 'law., and -.dosed up the unfinished business of his 
 office." He was then elected State Senator; in No- 
 vember, 1871, he was elected Congressman at large; 
 in November, 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Gov- 
 ernor on the ticket with Gov. Oglesby; the latter be- 
 ing elected to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Beveridge became 
 Governor, Jan. 21, 1873. Thus, inside of a few 
 weeks, he was Congressman at large, Lieutenant 
 Governor and Governor. The principal events oc- 
 curring during Gov. Beveridge 's administration were: 
 The completion of the revision of the statutes, begun 
 in 1869; the partial success of the "farmers' move- 
 ment;" " Haines' Legislature " and Illinois' exhibit at 
 the Centennial. 
 
 Since the close of his gubernatorial term ex-Gov. 
 Beveridge has been a member of the firm of Bever- 
 idge & Dewey, bankers and dealers in commercial 
 paper at 7 1 Dearborn Street (McCormick Block), 
 Chicago, and since November, 1881, he has also been 
 Assistant United States Treasurer- office in the 
 Government Building. His residence is still at Ev- 
 anston. 
 
 He has a brother and two sisters yet residing Jn 
 De Kalb County James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet 
 Henry and Mrs. Isabel French.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of m 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINUIS
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 HELBY M. CULLOM, Gover- 
 nor 1877-83,15) the sixth child 
 of the late Richard N. Cullom, 
 and was born Nov. 22, 1829,111 
 Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa- 
 ther then resided, and whence 
 both the Illinois and Tennessee 
 branches of the family originated. In 
 the following year the family emi- 
 grated to the vicinity of Washington, 
 Tazewell Co., 111., when that section 
 was very sparsely settled. They lo- 
 cated on Deer Creek, in a grove at 
 the time occupied by a party of In- 
 dians, attracted there by the superior 
 hunting and fishing afforded in that 
 vicinity. The following winter was 
 known as the " hard winter," the snow [being very 
 deep and lasting and the weather severely cold ; and 
 the family had to subsist mainly on boiled corn or 
 hominy, and some wild game, for several weeks. In 
 the course of time Mr. R. N. Cullom became a prom- 
 inent citizen and was several times elected to the 
 Legislature, both before and after the removal of the 
 capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He died about 
 '873- 
 
 Until about 19 years of age young Cullom grew up 
 
 to agricultural pursuits, attending school as he had 
 
 opportunity during the winter. Within this time, 
 
 Swever, he spent several months teachin<* chool, 
 
 and in the following summer he " broke prairie " with 
 an ox team for the neighbors. With the money ob- 
 tained by these various ventures, he undertook a 
 course of study at the Rock River Seminary, a 
 Methodist institution at Mt. Morris, Ogle County: 
 but the sudden change to the in-door life of a stu- 
 dent told severely upon his health, and he was taken 
 home, being considered in a hopeless condition. While 
 at Mt. Morris he heard Hon. E. B. Washburne make 
 his first speech. 
 
 On recovering health, Mr. Cullom concluded to 
 study law, under the instruction of Abraham Lincoln, 
 at Springfield, who had by this time attained some 
 notoriety as an able lawyer ; but the latter, being ab- 
 sent from his office most of the time, advised Mr. 
 Cullom to enter the office of Stuart & Edwards. 
 After about a year of study there, however, his health 
 failed again, and he was obliged to return once more 
 to out-door life. Accordingly he bought hogs for 
 packing, for A. G. Tyng, in Peoria, and while he re- 
 gained his health he gained in purse, netting $400 in 
 a few weeks. Having been admitted to the Bar, he 
 went to Springfield, where he was soon elected City 
 Attorney, on the Anti-Nebraska ticket. 
 
 In 1856 he ran on the Fillmore ticket as a Presi- 
 dential Elector, and, although failing to be elected as 
 such, he was at the same time elected a Representa- 
 tive in the Legislature from Sangamon County, by a 
 local coalition of the American and Republican par- 
 ties. On the organization of the House, he received 
 the vote of the Fillmore men for Speaker. Practicing
 
 I 7 6 
 
 SHELB Y M. CULLOM. 
 
 law until i %5o, he was again elected to the Legisla- 
 ture, as a Republican, while the county went Demo- 
 cratic on the Presidential ticket. In January follow- 
 ing he was elected Speaker, probably the youngest 
 man who had ever presided over an Illinois Legis- 
 lature. After the session of 1 86 1, he was a candidate 
 for the State Constitutional Convention called for 
 that year, but was defeated, and thus escaped the 
 disgrace of being connected with that abortive party 
 scheme to revolutionize the State Government. In 
 1862 he was a candidate for the State Senate, but 
 was defeated. _ The same year, however, he was ap- 
 pointed by President Lincoln on a Government 
 Commission, in company with Gov. Boutwell of 
 Massachusetts and Cnarles A. Dana, since of the 
 New York Sun, to investigate the affairs of the 
 Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments at 
 Cairo. He devoted several months to this duty. 
 
 In 1864 he enteied upo'n a larger political field, 
 being nominated as the Republican candidate for 
 Congress from the Eighth (Springfield) District, in 
 opposition to the incumbent, JohnT. Stuart, who had 
 been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over 
 Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Cfiicago. 
 The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem- 
 ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he 
 was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler, by 
 the magnificent majority of 4,103! In 1868 he was 
 again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards, 
 another of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes. 
 
 During his first term in Congress he served on the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expenditures in 
 the Treasury Department; in his second term, on 
 the Committees on Foreign Affairs and 0:1 Territories ; 
 and in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of 
 Ohio, to the Chairmanship of the latter. He intro- 
 duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of 
 law in Utah, which caused more consternation among 
 the Mormons than any measure had previously, but 
 which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the 
 Senate. 
 
 The Republican Convention which met May 25, 
 1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor, while the 
 other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor 
 of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the 
 Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists, 
 olaced in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy 
 
 farmer and manufacturer, and A. A. Glenn. The 
 result of the election was rather close, Mr. Cullom 
 obtaining only 6,800 majority. He was inaugurated 
 Jan. 8, 1877. 
 
 Great depression prevailed in financial circles at 
 this time, as a consequence of the heavy failures of 
 1873 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed 
 to gather force from that time *o the end of Gov. 
 Cullom's first administration. This unspeculative 
 period was not calculated to call forth any new 
 issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time 
 put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that 
 had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring 
 classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East 
 St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring 
 men for a short time refused to work or allow others 
 to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and 
 the wheels of industry again set in motion. 
 
 In May, 1880, Gov. Cullom was re-nominated by 
 the Republicans, against Lyman Trumbull, by the 
 Democrats; and although the former party was some- 
 what handicapped in the campaign by A zealous 
 faction opposed to Grant for President and to Grant 
 4iien' : ffir office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected 
 by about 314,565, to 277,532 for the Democratic State 
 ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was 
 about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again 
 became Republican, and no representative of the 
 Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov. 
 Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, iS8i. In his mes- 
 sage he announced that the last dollar of the State 
 debt had been provided for. 
 
 March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United 
 States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul- 
 lon was chosen to succeed him. This promoted 
 Lieutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov- 
 ernorship. Senator Cullom's term in the United 
 States Senate will expire March 4, 1889. 
 
 A.S a practitioner of law Mr. C. has been a member 
 of the firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, at Spring- 
 field ; and he has also been President of the State 
 National Bank. 
 
 He has been married twice, the first time Dec. 
 Ut, 1855, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had 
 t\4o daughters; and the second time May 5, 1863, 
 to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is a member of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mr. 
 C. is also in sympathy.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF HLINW.S
 

 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 179 
 
 M&9M$*9|IHHIK+4IIN^^ 
 
 OHN MARSHALL HAMIL- 
 TON, Governor 1883-5, was 
 born May 28, 1847, in a log 
 house upon a farm about two 
 miles from Richwood, Union 
 County, Ohio. His father was 
 Samuel Hamilton, the eldest son 
 SHI of Rev. Wm. Hamilton, who, to- 
 ffl*m& gether with his brother, the Rev. 
 Samuel Hamilton, was among the 
 early pioneer Methodist preachers in 
 Ohio. The mother of the subject of 
 this sketch was, before her marriage, 
 Mrs. Nancy McMorris, who was 
 born and raised in Fauquier or Lou- 
 } doun County, Va., and related to the 
 two large families of Youngs and Marshalls, well 
 known in that commonwealth ; and from the latter 
 family name was derived the middle name of Gov. 
 Hamilton. 
 
 In March, 1854, Mr. Hamilton's father sold out 
 his little pioneer forest home in Union County, O., 
 and, loading his few household effects and family 
 (of six children) into two emigrant covered wagons, 
 moved to Roberts Township, Marshall Co., 111., being 
 2 1 days on the route. Swamps, unbridged streams 
 and innumerable hardships and privations met them 
 on their way. Their new home had been previously 
 selected by the father. Here, after many long years 
 of toil, they succeeded in paying for the land and 
 aiaking a comfort "M*> home. John was, of course, 
 
 brought up to hard manual labor, with no schooling 
 except three or four months in the year at a common 
 country school. However, he evinced a capacity 
 and taste for a high order of self-education, by 
 studying or reading what books lie could borrow, as 
 the family had but very few in the house. Much of 
 his study he prosecuted by the light of a log fire in 
 the old-fashioned chimney place. The financial 
 panic of 1857 caused the family to come near losing 
 their home, to pay debts ; but the father and two 
 sons, William and John, " buckled to " and perse- 
 vered in hard labor and economy until they redeemed 
 their place from the mortgage. 
 
 When the tremendous excitement of the political 
 campaign of 1860 reached the neighborhood of Rob- 
 erts Township, young Hamilton, who had been 
 brought up in the doctrine of anti-slavery, took a zeal- 
 ous part in favor of Lincoln's election. Making special 
 efforts to procure a little money to buy a uniform, he 
 joined a company of Lincoln Wide-Awakes at Mag- 
 nolia, a village not far away. Directly after the 
 ensuing election it became evident that trouble 
 would ensue with the South, and this Wide-Awake 
 company, like many others throughout the country, 
 kept up its organization and transformed itself into a 
 military company. During the ensuing summer they 
 met often for drill and became proficient ; but when 
 they offered themselves for the war, young Hamilton 
 was rejected on account of his youth, he being then 
 but 14 years of age. During the winter of 1863-4 he 
 attended an academy at Henry, Marshall County,
 
 r8o 
 
 JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON. 
 
 and in the following May he again enlisted, for the 
 fourth time, when he was placed in the i4ist 111. 
 Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111., 
 for the loo-day service. He took with him 13 other 
 lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the 
 service. This regiment operated in Southwestern 
 Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine. 
 
 The following winter, 1864-5, Mr. Hamilton taught 
 school, and during the two college years 1865-7, he 
 went through three years of the curriculum of the 
 Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. The 
 third year he graduated, the fourth in a class of 46, 
 in the classical department. In due time he received 
 the degree of M. A. For a few months he was the 
 Principal of Marshall " College " at Henry, an acad- 
 emy under the auspices of the M. E. Church. By 
 this time he had commenced the study of law, and 
 after earning some money as a temporary Professor 
 of Latin at the Illinois Wesleyan University at 
 B'.oomington, he entered the law office of Weldon, 
 Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of 
 this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge. 
 Admitted to the Bar in May, 1870, Mr. Hamilton 
 was given an interest in the same firm, Tipton. hav- 
 ing been elected Judge. In October following he 
 formed a partnership with J. H. Rowell, at that time 
 Prosecuting Attorney. Their business was then 
 small, but they increased it to very large proportions, 
 practicing in all grades of courts, including even the 
 U. S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued 
 nbroken until Feb. 6, 1883, when Mr. Hamilton 
 was sworn in as Executive of Illinois. On the 4th 
 f March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con- 
 gress. 
 
 In July, 1871, Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen 
 M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. Wm. G. Williams, 
 Professor of Greek in the Ohio Wesleyan University. 
 Mr. and Mrs. H. have two daughters and one son. 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Hamilton was nominated by the Re- 
 publicans for the State Senate, over other and older 
 competitors. He took an active part " on the stump " 
 in the campaign, for the success of his party, and was 
 elected by a majority of 1,640 over his Democratic- 
 Greenback opponent. In the Senate he served on 
 the Committees on Judiciary, Revenue, State Insti- 
 tutions, Appropriations, Education, and on Miscel- 
 lany ; and during the contest for the election of a 
 U. S. Senator, the Republicans endeavoring to re- 
 
 elect John A. Logan, he voted for the war chief on 
 every ballot, even alone when all the other Republi- 
 cans had gone over to the Hon. E. B. Lawrence and 
 the Democrats and Independents elected Judge 
 David Davis. At this session, also, was passed the 
 first Board of Health and Medical Practice act, of 
 which Mr. Hamilton was a dhampion, against eu ' 
 much opposition that the bill was several times 
 "laid on the table." Also, this session authorized 
 the location and establishment of a southern peni- 
 tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session 
 of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President pro tern. 
 of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John 
 A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who was this time 
 elected without any trouble. 
 
 In May, 1880, Mr. Hamilton was nominated on 
 the Republican ticket for Lieutenant Governor, his 
 principal competitors before the Convention being 
 Hon. Wm. A. James, ex-Speaker of the House of 
 Representatives, Judge Robert Bell, of w abash 
 County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and 
 Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. He engaged 
 actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected 
 by , a -majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor, 
 he presided almost continuously over the Senate in 
 the 32d General Assembly and during the early days 
 of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship. 
 When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom 
 to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton 
 succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the 
 oath of office Feb. 6, 1883. He bravely met all the 
 annoyances and embarrassments incidental upon 
 taking up another's administration. The principal 
 events with which Gov. Hamilton was connected as 
 the Chief Executive of the State were, the mine dis- 
 aster at Braidwood, the riots in St. Clairand Madison 
 Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the 
 State militia, the adoption of the Harper high-license 
 liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc. 
 
 The Governor was a Delegate at large to the 
 National Republican Convention at Chicago in June, 
 
 1884, where his first choice for President was John 
 A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but 
 he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr. 
 Elaine, true to his party. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton's term as Governor expired Jan. 30, 
 
 1885, when the great favorite "Dick" Oglesby was 
 inaugurated.
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF IHt 
 UNIVERSITY OF
 

 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 183 
 
 
 )SEPH WILSON FIFER. This 
 distinguished gentleman was 
 elected Governor of Illinois 
 November 6, 1888. He was 
 popularly known during the 
 campaign as "Private Joe. ' ' He 
 had served with great devotion 
 to his country during the Re- 
 bellion, in the Thirty-third 
 Illinois Infantry. A native of 
 Virginia, he was born in 1840. 
 His parents, John and Mary 
 (Daniels) Fifer, were American 
 born, though of German de- 
 scent. His father was a brick 
 and stone mason, and an old 
 Henry Clay Whig in politics. John and Mary 
 Fifer had nine children, of whom Joseph was the 
 sixth, and naturally, with so large a family, it was 
 all the father could do to keep the wolf from the 
 door, to say nothing of giving his children any- 
 thing like good educational advantages. 
 
 Joseph attended school for a while in Virgina, 
 but it was not a good school, and when his father 
 removed to the West, in 1857, Joseph had not ad- 
 vanced much further than the "First Reader." 
 Our subject was sixteen then and suffered a great 
 misfortune in the loss of his mother. After the 
 
 death of Mrs. Fifer, which occurred in Missouri, 
 the family returned to Virgina, but remained only 
 a short time, as during the same year Mr. Fifer 
 came to Illinois. He settled in McLean County 
 and started a brickyard. Here Joseph and his 
 brothers were put to work. The elder Mr. Fifer soon 
 bought a farm near Bloomington and began life 
 as an agriculturist. Here Joe worked and attended 
 the neighboring school. He alternated farm- work, 
 and brick-laying, going to the district school for 
 the succeeding few years. It was all work and no 
 play for Joe, yet it by no means made a dull boy 
 of him. All the time he was thinking of the great 
 world outside, of which he had caught a glimpse 
 when coming from Virginia, yet he did not know 
 just how he was going to get out into it. He 
 could not feel that the woods around the new farm 
 and the log cabin, in which the family lived, were 
 to hold him. ^ 
 
 The opportunity to get out into the world was 
 soon offered to young Joe. He traveled a dozen 
 miles barefoot, in company with his brother George, 
 and enlisted in Company C, Thirty-third Illinois 
 Infantry, he being then twenty years old. In a 
 few days, the regiment was sent to Camp Butler, 
 and then over into Missouri, and saw some vigor- 
 ous service there. After a second time helping to 
 chase Price out of Missouri, the Thirty-third Regi-
 
 184 
 
 JOSEPH W. FIFEE. 
 
 
 ment went down to Milliken's Bend, and for several 
 weeks "Private Joe" worked on Grant's famous 
 ditch. The regiment then joined the forces oper- 
 ating against Port Gibson and Vickshurg. Joe 
 was on guard duty in the front ditches when the 
 flag of surrender was run up on the 4th of July, 
 and stuck the bayonet of his gun into the embank- 
 ment and went into the city with the vanguard of 
 Union soldiers. 
 
 The next day, July 5, the Thirty-third joined 
 the force after Johnston, who had been threatening 
 Grant's rear; and finally an assault was made on him 
 at Jackson, Miss. In this charge "Private Joe" fell, 
 terribly wounded. He was loading his gun, when 
 a minie-ball struck him and passed entirely 
 through his body. He was regarded as mortally 
 wounded. His brother, George, who had been 
 made a Lieutenant, proved to be the means of sav- 
 ing his life. The Surgeon told him that unless he 
 had ice his brother could not live. It was fifty miles 
 to the nearest point where ice could be obtained, 
 and the roads were rough. A comrade, a McLean 
 Coun<ty man, who had been wounded, offered to 
 make the trip. An ambulance was secured and 
 the brother soldier started on the journey. He re- 
 turned with the ice, but the trip, owing to the 
 roughness of the road, was very hard on him. Af- 
 ter a few months' careful nursing, Mr. Fifer was able 
 to come home. The Thirty-third came home on a 
 furlough, and when the boys were ready to return 
 to the tented field, young Fifer was ready to go 
 with them, for he was determined to finish his 
 term of three years. He was mustered out in Oct- 
 ober, 1864, having been in the service three years 
 and two months. 
 
 "Private Joe" came out of the army a tall, tan- 
 ned, and awkward young man of twenty-four. 
 About all he possessed was ambition to be some- 
 body and pluck. Though at an age when most 
 men have finished their college course, the young 
 soldier saw that if he was to be anybody he must 
 have an education. Yet he had no means to ena- 
 ble him to enter school as most young men do. 
 He was determined to have an education, however, 
 and that to him meant success. For the following 
 four years he struggled with his books. He en- 
 
 tered Wesleyan University January 1, 1865. He 
 was not a brilliant student, being neither at the 
 heatl nor at the foot of his class. He was in great, 
 earnest, however, studied hard and came forth with 
 a well-stored and disciplined mind. 
 
 Immediately after being graduated, he entered 
 an office at Bloomington as a law student. He 
 had previously read law a little, and as he continued 
 to work hard, with the spur of poverty and prompt- 
 ings of ambition ever with him, he was ready to 
 hang out his professional shingle in 1869. Being 
 trustworthy, he soon gathered about him some in- ' 
 fluential friends. In 1871 he was elected Corpora- j 
 tion Counsel of Bloomington. In 1872 he was j 
 elected State's Attorney of McLean County. This '_ 
 office he held eight years, when he took Ids seat in ] 
 the State Senate. He served for four years. His 
 ability to perform abundance of hard work made 
 him a most valued member of the Legislature. 
 
 Mr. Fifer was married in 1870 to Gertie, daugh- 
 ter of William J. Lewis, of Bloomington. Mr. Fifer 
 is six feet in height and is spare, weighing only one 
 hundred and fifty pounds. He has a swarthy com- 
 plexion, keen black eyes, quick movement, and pos- 
 sesses a frank and sympathetic nature, and natur- 
 lly makes friends wherever he goes. During the 
 late gubernatorial campaign his visits throughout 
 the State proved a great power in his behalf. His 
 faculty of winning the confidence and good wishes 
 of those with whom he comes in personal contact 
 is a source of great popularity, especially during a 
 political battle. As a speaker he is fluent, his lan- 
 guage is good, voice clear and agreeable, and man- 
 ner forcible. His manifest earnestness in what he 
 says, as well as his tact as a public speaker, and his 
 eloquent and forceful language, make him a most 
 valuable campaign orator and a powerful pleader 
 at the bar. At the Republican State Convention, 
 held in May, 1888, Mr. Fifer was chosen as its 
 candidate for Governor. He proved a popular 
 nominee, and the name of "Private Joe" became 
 familiar to everyone throughout the State. He 
 waged a vigorous campaign, was elected by a good 
 majority, and in due time assumed the duties of 
 the Chief Executive of Illinois.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF I Hi 
 
 UNIVtfftsm Of ILLINOIS
 
 
 
 fl.
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 187 
 
 fllfeeld. 
 
 fOHN P. ALTGELD, the present 
 Governor of Illinois, is a native 
 of Prussia, born in 1848. Shortly 
 after his birth his parents emi- 
 grated to America, locating on 
 a farm near Mansfield, Ohio. 
 When but a mere lad, young 
 Altgeld had to walk from the 
 farm to Mansfield with butter, 
 eggs and garden produce, which 
 he peddled from house to house. 
 About 1856, his parents moved 
 to the city of Mansfield, and for 
 a time our subject was engaged 
 morning and evening in driv- 
 ing cattle to and from the pas- 
 ture, a distance of eight miles. When fourteen 
 years of age he hired out as a farm hand, and con- 
 tinued in that avocation the greater part of his 
 lime until he was sixteen years of age, when he 
 enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Sixty- 
 fourth Ohio Infantry, and served until the close of 
 the war. On being mustered in, the regiment was 
 sent to Washington and was actively engaged in 
 the various campaigns in and around that city 
 until the surrender of Lee. In the fall of 1864, 
 young Altgeld was taken sick, while with his regi- 
 ment in the front, and the surgeon desired to send 
 him to a hospital iu Washington; but he asked to 
 
 be allowed to remain with the regiment, and soon 
 recovering from his sickness was actively engaged 
 until the close of the war. He was mustered out 
 at Columbus, Ohio, in the spring of 1865. The 
 succeeding summer he worked with his father on 
 a farm, during which time he became connected 
 with the Sunday-school and was given charge >J 
 the Bible class. Before entering the army he had 
 but very limited educational advantages, having 
 attended school but a part of two summers and 
 one winter. He had at home, however, studied 
 the German language and had become familiar 
 with some German authors. Determining to fit 
 himself for a useful life, he resolved to attend a 
 select school at Lexington, Ohio, and in a little 
 eight-by-ten room, meagrely furnished, he kept 
 "bachelor's hall," and in time was so far advanced 
 that he secured a certificate as teacher, and for 
 two years was engaged in that profession. At the 
 end of that time he left home and traveled exten- 
 sively over the country, working at odd jobs, un- 
 til he finally reached Savannah, Mo., where he en- 
 tered a law office, and in 1870 was admitted to the 
 Bar. In the fall of 1872, he ran as Prosecuting 
 Attorney for Andrews County, Mo., and was de- 
 feated by four votes. He ran again in 1874 and 
 was elected. But life in the small town of Savan- 
 nah was a little too monotonous for him, and he 
 determined to locate in Chicago. In October,
 
 188 
 
 JOHN P. ALTGELD. 
 
 1875, he resigned the office of Prosecuting Attor- 
 ney, moved to Chicago, and at once commenced 
 the practice of law. For some years after he had 
 but little to do with politics, confining himself to 
 his practice and dealing in real estate. One year 
 after his arrival in Chicago he found himself with- 
 out a dollar, and in debt some $400. By a streak of 
 good luck, as it might be termed, he won a case in 
 court, from which he received a fee of $900, and 
 after paying his debt he had $500 left, which he 
 invested in real estate. This venture proved a 
 successful one, and from that time on the profits 
 of one transaction were invested in others, and 
 to-day he is numbered among the millionaire resi- 
 dents of the great metropolis of the West. 
 
 In 1884, Mr. Altgeld was nominated for Con- 
 gress, but was defeated by three thousand votes. 
 In 1886, he was nominated and elected Judge of 
 the Superior Court of Cook County. His services 
 as Judge were such as to commend him to the peo- 
 ple. Early in the year 1892, by the solicitation of 
 
 many friends, he announced himself as a candi- 
 date for Governor. At the convention held 
 April 27, he received the nomination and at once 
 entered upon an active canvass. Alone, he traveled 
 all over the entire State, and visited and consulted 
 with the leading politicians of every section. He 
 made few public speeches, however, until near the 
 close of the campaign, but it was very evident that 
 he was master of the situation at all times. When 
 the votes were counted at the close of election 
 day, it was found that he had a majority of the 
 votes, and so became the first Democratic Governor 
 of Illinois since 1856. 
 
 Born in poverty, alone, single-handed and un- 
 aided, he faced the world, and with a determina- 
 tion to succeed, he pressed forward, until to-day he 
 has a National reputation, and is the envied of 
 many. The lesson of his life is worthy of careful 
 study by the young, and shows what can be done 
 by one who has the desire in his heart to attain a 
 front rank among the noted men of the country.
 
 Tazewell and 
 
 ^fason Counties, 
 
 * ILLINOIS.
 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 HE time has arrived when it 
 becomes the duty of the 
 people of this county to per- 
 petuate the names of their 
 pioneers, to furnish a record 
 of their early settlement, 
 and relate the story of their 
 progress. The civilization of our 
 
 f 
 ! Xp and the duty that men of the pres- 
 ! SJYIP ent t ' me owe to t' 16 ' 11 ancestors, to 
 themselves and to their posterity, 
 demand that a record of their lives 
 and deeds should be made. In bio- 
 graphical history is found a power 
 to instruct man by precedent, to 
 enliven the mental faculties, and 
 to waft down the river of time a 
 safe vessel in which the names and actions of the 
 people who contributed to raise this country from its 
 primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly 
 the great and aged men, who in their prime entered 
 the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their 
 heritage, are passing to their graves. The number re- 
 maining who can relate the incidents of the first days 
 }f settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an 
 actual necessity exists for the collection and preser- 
 vation of events without delay, before all the early 
 settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. 
 
 To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind 
 from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, 
 in spite of their best works and the most earnest 
 efforts of their friends to perserve the memory .of 
 their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion 
 and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- 
 tion o the nmount of intelligence they possessed. 
 Tin pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the 
 names ;md deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- 
 mations made by the au'heologists of Egy[)t from 
 buried. Meirphis indicate a desire of those people 
 
 to perpetuate the memory of their achievements 
 The erection of the great obelisks were for the same 
 purpose. Coining down to a later period, we find tht 
 Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- 
 ments, and carving out statues to chronicle theii 
 great achievements and carry them down the ages. 
 It is also evident that the Mound-bu'lders, in piling 
 up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea 
 to leave something to show that they had lived. All 
 these works, though many ot them costly in the ex- 
 treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac- 
 ters of those whose memory they were intended to 
 perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of 
 the people that then lived. The great pyramids and 
 some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity ; 
 the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- 
 bling into dust. 
 
 It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli- 
 gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating 
 a full history immutable in that it is almost un- 
 limited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and 
 this is through the art of printing. 
 
 To the present generation, however, we are in- 
 debted for the introduction of the admirable system 
 of local biography. By this system every mun, thongl 
 he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, 
 has the means to perpetuate his life, his histoiy, 
 through the coming ages. 
 
 The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the 
 physical man is left. The monument which Irs chil- 
 dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme, 
 tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his 
 life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, 
 which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated 
 by a record of this kind. 
 
 To preserve the lineaments of our companions we 
 engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col- 
 lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we 
 think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to 
 wait until they are dead or until ihose who know 
 them are gone: -to do this we are aOi.uned only to 
 publish t) the woild the history of those whose live? 
 are unwc r thy of public record.
 
 LiBRAKY 
 
 w INI 
 
 Of ILLINOIS
 
 LYMAN LACEY.
 
 mOGRAPtflCAL. 
 
 ON. LYMAN LACEY. In the course of 
 his active and honorable official career 
 Judge Lacey has become widely known as 
 one of the most eminent jurists of Illinois. 
 His record is that of an impartial, able and learned 
 judge, a fearless advocate, successful attorney and 
 progressive citizen, and since coming to Havana, 
 in 1856, his name has been inseparably associated 
 with many of the leading measures for the devel- 
 opment of the city. Since 1873 he has served as 
 Judge of the Circuit Court, and four years after 
 entering upon the duties of that office he was ap- 
 pointed Judge of the Appellate Court of the Third 
 District, which important position he still holds. 
 
 In Dryden Four Corners, Tompkins County, N. 
 Y., May 9, 1832, the subject of this sketch was 
 born to John and Chloe (Hurd) Lacey, natives re- 
 spectively of New Jersey and New York. The first 
 representative of the Lacey family in America 
 came from England prior to the Revolutionary 
 War and settled in New Jersey, where were born 
 many of his descendants. The great-grandfather 
 of our subject, Richard Lacey, was a farmer and 
 land owner in New Jersey, and during the Revolu- 
 tionary War was Captain of a company of minute 
 men organized to repel the British forces and pre- 
 vent them from stealing cattle and provisions 
 from the patriots. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, who also bore 
 the name of Richard, served as the assistant of 
 Surgeon-General Shippen during the battle of 
 Monmouth, N. J., at which time there were seven 
 hundred men wounded and three hundred and 
 fifty killed. He was born in New Jersey, and was 
 one of eight brothers included in the large family 
 of his parents. When establishing a home of his 
 own, he married Miss Susannah Smith, a native of 
 
 New Jersey, and they became the parents of one 
 son and three daughters, all of whom are deceased. 
 The father of our subject, the last survivor of the 
 family, was born January 8, 1804, in Hunterdon 
 County, N. J., and died in Fulton County, 111., 
 December 23, 1892, aged eighty-eight years, ten 
 months and twenty-six days. 
 
 John Lacey was six years of age when he accom- 
 panied his parents on their removal to Tompkins 
 County, N. Y.. and there he passed his boyhood 
 days. He was trained to habits of industry and 
 perseverance, and his father being a farmer, he 
 naturally chose agriculture for his life occupation. 
 His education was limited to the common schools 
 of that early day, but being fond of reading good 
 books, he kept himself well posted alike upon lit- 
 erary and general subjects. Like the majority of 
 self-made men, he met with marked success in all 
 his undertakings, and ranked among the most 
 prominent agriculturists of his county. He also 
 owned the celebrated mineral springs of Tompkins 
 County, N. Y. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in New 
 York in 1831, and to them were born nine chil- 
 dren, of whom our subject was the eldest. When 
 he was about four years of age, the family removed 
 to Oakland County, Mich., where they made their 
 home for a year and a-half. In the fall of 1837 
 they came to Fulton County, III., where the father 
 both entered and purchased land, becoming the 
 owner of a large and valuable estate. He was 
 very successful as a farmer in the Prairie State, 
 and at the time of his decease was the possessor of 
 fifteen hundred acres. 
 
 During his residence in Fulton County, John 
 Lace}' served two 3'ears as Supervisor of Pleasant 
 Township. For the same length of time he was
 
 204 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Assessor, and also filled the office of Justice of 
 the Peace for several years. He took great inter- 
 est in political affairs, and was a firm believer v in 
 the principles of Democracy. .January 15, 1879, 
 he was bereaved by the death of his wife, who for 
 about forty-eight years had been his efficient help- 
 mate, aiding him in their struggles through life 
 and enjoying with him their successes. She was a 
 woman of well balanced mind, and was beloved 
 by all who kn^w her. 
 
 At the time our subject's parents settled in Ful- 
 ton County, their nearest neighbor was five miles 
 away. In his boyhood the Judge would often 
 circulate petitions in order to get the people to 
 contribute toward hiring a teacher for the winter 
 monlhs. His desire for knowledge has never 
 grown less', and even at the present time, in the 
 midst of the manifold cares of public life, he keeps 
 himself well informed upon events transpiring in 
 the world about him. He remained at home until 
 reaching his twentieth .year, when, in the fall of 
 1852, he entered the Illinois College at Jackson- 
 ville, 111., and was graduated from that institu- 
 tion with the Class of '55, receiving the degree of 
 Bachelor of Science. Since that time he has been 
 honored by his Alma Mater with the title of Mas- 
 ter of Arts. 
 
 After completing his studies in college, Mr. La- 
 cey devoted himself to reading law in the office of 
 Hon. Lewis W. Ross, of Lewistown, this state, and 
 was there admitted to the Bar in 1856. In the fall 
 of the same year he came to Havana, where he 
 formed a partnership with William Walker, at that 
 time the most prominent lawyer in the place, and 
 now a resident of Lexington, Mo. The firm con- 
 ducted business under the title of Walker & Lacey 
 for two years, when the partnership was dissolved 
 by mutual agreement. Our subject then continued 
 the practice of his profession alone fora time, and 
 in 1865 took Charles A. Harnden into the office 
 with him, the firm name becoming Lacey & Harn- 
 den. This partnership lasted for three .years, and 
 would have continued much longer had not the 
 failing health of the junior partner rendered it 
 inadvisable for him to continue longer in active 
 practice. Subsequently Mr. Lacey was in partner- 
 ship with E. A. Wallace, which connection existed 
 
 until our subject was chosen a member of the 
 judiciary. 
 
 Elected to the Circuit Bench January 2, 1873, 
 Judge Lacey has since been the incumbent of the 
 office, having been successively re-elected for four 
 terms of six years each. In 1877 he was appointed 
 by the Supreme Court to the position of Judge of 
 the Appellate Court of the Third District, which 
 office he filled very soon after the establishment of 
 that court. The first term of the Appellate Court 
 was held at Springfield the third Monday in No- 
 vember, 1877, and Judge Lacey remained on the 
 Bench during that term in company with his asso- 
 ciates, Oliver L. Davis, of Danville, and Hon. 
 Chauncey L. Higby, of Pittsfield. He also served 
 as Judge during the May and November terms of 
 1878, and in June, 1879, when a re-election of Cir- 
 cuit Judge took place, he was appointed by the 
 Supreme Court to the Appellate Bench of the Sec- 
 ond District, his associates during that year being 
 George W. Pleasants, of Rock Island County, and 
 Nathaniel J. Pilsbury, of Pontiac. He has served 
 in this position each successive year since his first 
 appointment to the present time, and has remained 
 on the Bench for a longer period than any other 
 judge. 
 
 Under the constitution the Appellate Judges are 
 required to perform the duties of their office for 
 the same compensation as though they were only 
 Judges of the Circuit Court, and the sole advan- 
 tage over the latter position is that it is a much 
 more honorable appointment, and the duties of 
 that court are similar to the Supreme Court. In 
 1885 the Appellate Judges were not compelled to 
 file opinions in any except reversed cases, but 
 since that time written opinions are required by 
 an amended statute to be filed in all cases. There 
 are now forty-nine volumes of Appellate Court re- 
 ports published, in nearly all of which will be 
 found the opinions of Judge Lacey. 
 
 In 1862 our subject was elected to the Lower 
 House of the State Legislature, representing the 
 counties of Mason and Menard. At that time the 
 House was composed on the Democratic side of 
 many young lawyers who have since become noted 
 in the field of law and politics. Of these were 
 Judge M. W. Fuller, now Chief Justice of the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 205 
 
 United States; Judge Burr, who was several times 
 elected to Congress, afterward to the Circuit 
 Bench, and died in office; and Judge Congor, who 
 for many years was Circuit and Appellate Judge. 
 Recognizing his practical knowledge of agriculture, 
 the Supervisors of Mason County appointed Judge 
 Lacey Drainage Commissioner, and under his di- 
 rection were constructed over forty miles of drain 
 in that county for the benefit of the drainage of 
 the wet lands. Mr. Lacey owns several farms in 
 Mason and Fulton Counties, the improvements of 
 which he personally superintends. 
 
 Prior to his election to the Bench, the Judge was 
 one of the prime movers in securing the charter 
 for the Havana, Mason City, Lincoln & Eastern 
 Railroad Com pan 3% and was one of the charter 
 members and incorporators in procuring the build- 
 ing of over one hundred miles of railroad under 
 that charter. He drew up all the petitions for 
 subscriptions from Mason County and the various 
 townships through which the road runs, writing the 
 notices for election, and canvassing the county 
 and township for votes in order to get the project 
 before the people. Afterward the Board of Direc- 
 tors of the Railroad Company appointed him one of 
 the committee to receive contracts for the building 
 of the road, and in their interest he made several 
 journeys to New York and Philadelphia in order to 
 place the contract. He also canvassed in and 
 through Fulton, Schuyler, McDonough and Han- 
 cock Counties for subscriptions toward the build- 
 ing of the Havana, Mason City, Lincoln & Eastern 
 Railroad, and it was largely through his efforts 
 that the people were prevailed upon to vote a sub- 
 scription ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 in the 
 various townships. Unfortunately, however, the 
 panic of 1873 prevented the road from being ex- 
 tended west from Havana to the Mississippi, which 
 otherwise would have been done the next 3'ear. 
 Judge Lacey was Director of the Springfield & 
 North-western Railway Company, and took an 
 active part in securing the building of the road 
 from Havana to Springfield, which has been in 
 operation since 1873. He likewise procured the pass- 
 age through the Legislature of the charter of the 
 Illinois River Bridge Company, of Havana, and 
 largely aided in procuring the subscription of 
 
 about 160,000, which was generously donated by 
 the citizens of Havana, his personal contribution 
 being $500. 
 
 On one occasion, when quite a young man, 
 Judge Lacey- was a candidate for Congress on the 
 Democratic ticket, in a strongly Democratic dis- 
 trict, but failed to get the nomination, for which 
 he has always been exceedingly thankful. Since 
 his election to the Bench he has devoted his ener- 
 gies to the proper fulfillment of the duties of that 
 office, and has neither time nor opportunity to en- 
 gage in public enterprises, although he is greatly 
 interested in all measures tending toward the ad- 
 vancement of the county. 
 
 While engaged in the practice of law, Judge 
 Lacey had the largest clientage in the county, 
 and during many sessions of the court had more 
 cases on the docket than all the other lawyers com- 
 bined. The good health he has always enjoyed 
 is largely due to the fact that by farm work in 
 youth he developed an excellent physique and a 
 robust constitution. After leaving college he de- 
 voted himself perseveringly to the task of learn- 
 ing the German language, and soon mastered the 
 tongue sufficiently to be able to read German al- 
 most as readily as English. He has read the works 
 of a large number of the great German writers in 
 history, poetry, romance and science. 
 
 May 9, 1860, Judge Lyman Lacey and Miss Caro- 
 line A. Potter, of Beardstown, this state, were 
 united in marriage. The lady survived her union 
 only three years, and at her death, September 12, 
 1863, left one son, Lyman, Jr., now a prominent 
 attorney-at-law in Havana. The Judge was again 
 married, May 19, 1865, his wife being Miss Mattie 
 A. Warner, of this city. To them were born seven 
 children: Charles, Frank, Mattie, Edward, Alice G. 
 John and Fannie F., the last two dying in infancy. 
 Mrs. Lacey is a lady of culture, very popular 
 among her associates, and is prominent in the so- 
 cial affairs of the city. 
 
 P. KROLL, Superintendent and 
 yeast maker of the American Distilling 
 Company, was born in this city September 
 2, 1859, while his father, Jacob Kroll, is a native 
 of Germany. The latter is a miller by trade, and
 
 206 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 coming to America when a single man, located in 
 this city and engaged in milling, which business 
 he is still carrying on, at the age of sixty-two 
 years. His wife was Miss Margaret Kiel prior to 
 her marriage, and was also born in German}'. 
 
 Of the five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Jacob 
 Kroll, our subject is the eldest but one. He at- 
 tended the public schools of Pekin until reaching 
 his fifteenth year, when he began work in the Ris- 
 inger Distillery. Later he found employment in 
 the Hamburg Distillery, where he was yeast maker, 
 and continued to hold that position until 1890, 
 when the company was compelled to close out its 
 business. Our subject then accepted the same posi- 
 tion with the American Distilling Company, in^ 
 winch he is a stockholder. It was organized in the 
 spring of 1892, since which time Mr. Kroll has 
 been its Superintendent, and has the entire over- 
 sight of the establishment. 
 
 George P. Kroll and Miss Frances A. Leach were 
 united in marriage in this city in 1888. The lady 
 was born here, and is the daughter of Anson and 
 Amanda M. Leach, early residents of this locality. 
 In social affairs our subject is a charter member of 
 the Modern Woodmen of America, and takes a 
 prominent part in all matters calculated to benefit 
 the city. lie is one of the wide-awake business 
 men, and has the high regard of all with whom he 
 has been brought in contact. 
 
 I. 
 
 H--M-************ 
 
 EH. HURLEY. The gentleman whose name 
 we place at the head of this sketch is the 
 efficient agent for the Atchison, Topeka & 
 Santa Fe Railroad Company, stationed at Pekin. 
 lie is a native of Iowa, having been born in Van 
 Buren County, November 11, 1847, and is the son 
 of Dr. John Hurley, who is a native of Champaign 
 County, Ohio. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, David 
 Hurley, was born in New Jerse}'. Early in life he 
 removed to Ohio, where he was engaged in farm- 
 ing. Later he removed to Louisa County, Iowa, 
 
 where he was also an agriculturist, and where he 
 remained until his death. Dr. John Hurley com- 
 pleted his medical studies in the Medical College 
 at Cincinnati, Ohio, and removing to Iowa, was en- 
 gaged in practice in Louisa County. He was one 
 of the pioneer phj'sicians, and his services were in 
 demand throughout Van Buren, Davis and Louisa 
 Counties. During the late war he was surgeon of 
 the Forty-fifth Iowa Infantry, and departed this 
 life in the last-named county. 
 
 Mrs. Jane (Hearn) Hurley, the mother of our 
 subject, was born in Salisbury, Md., and was the 
 daughter of Ebenezer Hearn, also a native of that 
 state, whence he later removed to Iowa and en- 
 gaged in farming in Van Buren County. To Dr. 
 and Mrs. Jane Hurley was born a family of four 
 sons and one daughter, namely: A. E., who is . 
 a civil engineer in Iowa; E. H., of this sketch; 
 David, who is foreman in the car shops of the Santa 
 Fe Road at Albuquerque, N. Mex.; J. E., Assistant 
 Superintendent of the Chicago Division of the 
 Santa Fe, located at Ft. Madison, Iowa, and Jose- 
 phine, now Mrs. C. E. Toole, of Davis County, Iowa. 
 
 E. H., of this sketch, received his primary educa- 
 tion in the common schools of Wapello, Louisa 
 County, Iowa, and later attended first the Ml. 
 Pleasant and afterward the Wesleyan Methodist 
 Episcopal College. When eighteen years of age 
 he began the study of civil engineering, and soon 
 began operations in the field for the Burlington, 
 Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway Compan}', and 
 later was in the employ of the Chicago, Bur- 
 lington & Quincy Railroad in some four or five 
 different states. la 1880 Mr. Hurley went to Mex- 
 ico, and in the city of that name acted as assistant 
 engineer, having in charge a party of workmen in 
 the field. Three years later he returned north, 
 and going to Kansas City, Mo., began railroad con- 
 tracting and building on his own account. He was 
 thus employed for about eight years, during which 
 time he was on the road all the time, superintend- 
 ing his workmen. His operations covered a large 
 territory, and included the states of Arkansas, 
 Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Wis- 
 consin and Illinois. In 1891 Mr. Hurley came to 
 Pekin, and in March of that year was appointed to 
 the position of assistant agent in the freight de-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 207 
 
 partment of the Santa Fe route. In August, 1893, 
 he was made agent of the company, which posi- 
 tion he is still occupying, giving entire satisfac- 
 tion to his employers. 
 
 jILLIAM BLAND. The original of this 
 sketch, to which our attention is now di- 
 rected, is a prominent business man who 
 has already made a name for himself among the 
 railroad men of the cit}' of Pekin. He is one of 
 the best informed freight men along the lines of 
 the Big Four Road, which he represents as agent, 
 and is highly respected and regarded as a man of 
 sound judgment. 
 
 A native of Ohio, our subject was born in Mil- 
 ford Centre, Union County, November 10, 1852, 
 and is the son of Peter Bland, also a native of that 
 place, while his father, Solomon Bland, came from 
 Virginia. During the late war Peter Bland served 
 in an Ohio regiment, and on the close of hostili- 
 ties returned to his farming pursuits, which he 
 carried on until his decease, in 1870. He was a 
 Republican in politics, and was regarded as a man 
 of true worth in his community. The lady to 
 whom he was married was Miss Eliza Reed; she 
 was also a native of the Buckej'e State, where her 
 decease occurred in 1861. She became the mother 
 of seven children, of whom William, our subject, 
 was the third in order of birth. He passed the 
 first seventeen years of his life on his father's 
 farm, in the meantime prosecuting his studies, 
 first in the district school, and later at Marysville. 
 When ready to earn his own livelihood, he learned 
 the art of telegraphy at Milford, on the Pan 
 Handle Road, and nine months later removed to 
 Indianapolis, where he secured a position as opera- 
 tor on the Big Four. After holding that position 
 for some time, he was transferred to the freight 
 department as clerk, and for three years there- 
 after was Chief Clerk. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Bland came to Pekin as agent for 
 the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western, which 
 road in 18!)0 was changed to the Cleveland, Cin- 
 cinnati, Chicago & St. Louis. He has since been 
 
 in their employ as passenger and freight agent, 
 which position he is filling with distinguished 
 ability. He is a man of unassuming manner, hon- 
 est in all his dealings with his follow-men, and 
 possesses the confidence of his employers. 
 
 In 1884 while residing in Indianapolis, our sub- 
 ject was married to Miss Lillie Campbell. She 
 departed this life two years later, and January 16, 
 1890, Mr. Bland chose for his second companion 
 Miss Gertie, daughter of A. Pautz. Their union 
 has been blessed by the birth of a son and daugh- 
 ter, Willis and Mabel. Socially, our subject is a 
 charter member of the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen, and is likewise connected with the 
 National Union. In politics he has always sup- 
 ported the Republican party, and is recognized as 
 one of the prominent and valued residents of the 
 city. 
 
 ]JE W. CRESS, widely known as one 
 of the largest importers of thoroughbred 
 horses in Tazewell County, and numbered 
 among the successful citizens of Washington, was 
 born in Woodford County, 111., April 5, 1846. His 
 father, Andrew Cress, was the son of a soldier in 
 the War of 1812, and was born in Virginia Au- 
 gust 7, 1809. Thence in 1833 he came to Wood- 
 ford County, 111., and in the year following was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary Kindig. also a 
 native of the Old Dominion. 
 
 Becoming the owner of large tracts of land in 
 Woodford County, Andrew Cress engaged in 
 stock-raising and amassed a large fortune. He 
 was one of the most generous, cordial, kind- 
 hearted and refined gentlemen to be found in Illi- 
 nois, and the success which he attained was the re- 
 sult of merit. His death was sudden and the re- 
 sult of an accident, he having been thrown from a 
 sleigh and run over by a team which was trying 
 to pass him. His loss was deeply mourned by all 
 who knew him, for his many noble qualities of 
 character won him the esteem of his large circle of 
 acquaintances. 
 
 Of five sons, two are older than the subject of 
 this sketch. Benjamin K., a resident of Wood-
 
 208 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ford County, is extensively engaged in stock- 
 raising. P. M. is engaged in the stock importing 
 business. A. J., who formerly imported stock, is 
 now living retired on his farm one and one-half 
 miles from Washington. C. P. has also retired 
 from the importing business; he now makes his 
 home in Washington and is engaged in the grocery 
 business. The five sons were educated in the local 
 schools and in youth were thoroughly trained in 
 the stock business, which they chose for their life 
 occupation. 
 
 In 1881, at the age of twent3'-two years, the 
 subject of this sketch settled on a farm near Wash- 
 ington and with one of his brothers engaged in 
 the stock importing business. Scon the firm of 
 Cress Bros, became known as the largest importers 
 in this part of the state. After some time the3' 
 dissolved partnership and our subject entered into 
 business alone. He was the first to import Shet- 
 land ponies into this section. His large stables 
 are situated in Washington near his elegant resi- 
 dence. 
 
 In the public affairs of the cit3' and county, Mr. 
 Cress has filled many positions of trust and re- 
 sponsibility. For twelve years he was a member 
 of the Board of Education. For three terms in suc- 
 cession he served as Alderman, but before the ex- 
 piration of the third term he was elected Mayor. 
 In that responsible position he served with credit 
 to himself and to the satisfaction of his constitu- 
 ents. Socially, he is a Knight Templar Mason 
 and is the present Master of Taylor Lodge of 
 Washington. In the Eastern Star he is a promi- 
 nent member, being Worthy Patron of that order, 
 and is now Past Chancellor of the Knights of 
 Pythias. With his family he holds membership in 
 the Christian Church. 
 
 February 20, 1868, Mr. Cress was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Celia A. Thompson, a native of 
 Ohio. Her parents, William P. and Mary (Kizer) 
 Thompson, were born respectively in Pennsylva- 
 nia and Virginia, and came to Illinois in 1850. 
 The mother is now deceased; the father resides in 
 Washington. The only brother of Mrs. Cress, 
 Elijah M. Thompson, is a prominent farmer living 
 in Hancock County, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Cress have 
 had five children, one of whom, a son, died in in- 
 
 fancy. Oriana is the wife of James C. Crane, of St. 
 Louis; Laura I., Maona and Clyde L. are at home 
 with their parents. The children are refined and 
 well educated, the eldest daughter having been a 
 student at the Normal School at Normal, and for 
 three years prior to her marriage engaged in 
 teaching; the other daughters are graduates of the 
 high school. 
 
 ENRY DUISDIEKER. The genial and popu- 
 lar proprietor of the Deimonico Restaurant 
 in Pekin is agent for theFleischmann Com- 
 pressed Yeast Company. He was born in 
 Leer, Ostfriesland, Germany, July 17, 1848, and is 
 the son of Christ Duisdieker, also a native of that 
 country, where he was a prominent railroad con- 
 tractor, and died while completing work at Ilons- 
 dorf in Lauenburg. His wife, Mrs. Wilhelmina 
 (I)umpelman) Duisdieker, was born in Schwelm, 
 Prussia, whence she later removed to Hanover 
 with her parents, and is still living in that place. 
 
 Our subject has one brother living, Edward, who 
 occupies a position in the State Bank of Hanover. 
 The former was given a good education in his na- 
 tive tongue, and when fourteen years of age was 
 confirmed in the Lutheran Church in Leer. Go- 
 ing to Hanover, he learned the trade of a gardener 
 in the King's garden, after which he was for two 
 years employed at Graf, Schwiechel. He then se- 
 cured a better position at Lammershagen, near 
 Kiel, Holstein, where he remained until drafted 
 into the army. A soldier's life not being exactly 
 suited to his tastes, he went to England and from 
 there came to America. 
 
 The first work secured by Mr. Duisdieker in this 
 country was as gardener in Brooklyn, N. Y., but 
 after a short sojourn there he came west to Chi- 
 cago, and from there proceeded to Morns, III., 
 where he was employed as gardener for a year. 
 At the end of that time- he went to St. Louis and 
 was employed as clerk for different firms until 
 1881, when he returned to Germany on a visit. 
 
 Mr. Duisdieker remained in his native land for 
 nine months, and while at home was told that he 
 had relatives living in Pekin, this state. In the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 209 
 
 fall of that year lie again came to the New World, 
 this time his destination being Pekin, and the fol- 
 lowing year lie bought out the New City Bak- 
 ery, which he operated with great success for two 
 years, and then changed the name to the Delmonieo 
 Restaurant. It is first-class in every respect, and 
 its proprietor takes great pride in keeping it one 
 of the best in the city. 
 
 In the year 1883 Miss Augustus Kucken became 
 the wife of our subject. She was born in Dayton, 
 Ohio, and was the daughter of William Kucken. 
 Mrs. Duisdieker was drowned in the"Frankie Fol- 
 som" wreck at Peoria, in July, 1892. The body 
 was recovered and buried in Daylon, Ohio. She 
 was a member of Rebecca Degree, I. (). O. F., of 
 Pekin. In social affairs our subject is a Royal 
 Arch Mason, an Odd Fellow and a United Work- 
 man. In religious affairs he belongs to the Luth- 
 eran Church, and in politics always casts a Repub- 
 lican vote. He ranks as a noticeable illustration 
 of that indomitable push and energy which char- 
 acterize men of will and determination, and is 
 looked upon by the business men of Pekin as one 
 worth}- of the front rank. 
 
 |EORGE E. BARNES, who carries on general 
 on section 30, Forest City Town- 
 i a native of the Old Granite State, 
 his birth having occurred in Lineboro, on the 
 5th of September, 1832. The family was founded 
 in America by three brothers who crossed the At- 
 lantic from England, one settling in the south, one 
 in Pennsylvania, and one in New England. The 
 last was the ancestor of our subject. The grand- 
 parents, William and Abigail Barnes, were both na- 
 tives of New Hampshire, and the father, Nathan 
 Barnes, was born in Ilillsboro County, N. II. He 
 married Sarah E. Evans, a native of the Granite 
 State. Her parents, however, were born, reared 
 and married in Massachusetts. 
 
 Nathan Barnes removed from Lineboro to Green- 
 field, N. II., where he followed farming with his 
 father until 1851, when he became a resident of 
 Bunker Hill, III. His death occurred in 1871, but 
 his widow still survives him. Both belonged to 
 
 the Baptist Church, in which Mr. Barnes long 
 served as Deacon. He was also much interested 
 in the cause of education, and lived an honorable, 
 upright life, which made his word as good as his 
 bond. In the family were ten children, seven of 
 whom are yet living, and three of the sons served 
 in the Civil War: Asaph, who is now living in Ma- 
 coupin County; Almun, of Mason County; and 
 Joseph, of Sumner County, Kan. 
 
 Mr. Barnes of this- sketch was reared and edu- 
 cated in Greenfield, N. II., and with his father came 
 to Illinois, lie began earning his own livelihood 
 on attaining his majority, but lived at home until 
 twenty-three years of age. On the 7th of Novem- 
 ber, 1854, he wedded Clarissa II. Hovey, daughter 
 of Peres Gilbert Ilovey, who was born September 
 25, 1795. His father, Gideon Ilovey, was a son of 
 Daniel mid Content (Ramsdell) Hovey, and was a 
 Lieutenant of Captain Town's Cam]) at Lexing- 
 ton. His death occurred in 1776. He was a son 
 of Daniel and Mchitable (Bridges) Hovey, and 
 Daniel's parents were Daniel and Mercy Hovey. 
 The father was born June 22, 1665, and in 1722 
 bought a farm on Long Hill, where he and his de- 
 scendants lived for more than a hundred years. 
 He was a carpenter by trade, and died March 7, 
 1742. His wife died March 30, 1743. The mother 
 of Mrs. Barnes, Clarisa (Packard) Hovey, was born 
 Decemter 2, 1803, and was a daughter of Mayo 
 Packard, of Oxford, Mass. He was born Septem- 
 ber 25, 1795. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Barnes were married Decem- 
 ber 4, 1821, and to them were born the following 
 children: Daniel W., Gideon, Mrs. Mary G. Lan- 
 caster, Clarissa H., James II., Mrs. Eliza J. Ness, 
 Mrs. Olive J. Wilson and Mrs. Sarah II. Manley. 
 Mrs. Barnes was born September 3, 1835, and was 
 educated in Bunker Hill. Seven children graced 
 the union of our subject and his wife, four yet 
 living: Alice, who is the wife of Walter Lancaster, 
 of Nebraska, and has two children; Edward J. t 
 who married Nellie Allen, and has one child; Nel- 
 lie, wife of John Evans, of Forest City Township, 
 by whom she has two children; and Leona, at 
 home. Two of the family died in infancy, and 
 George P. died at the age of thirty-two. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Barnes came to Mason County
 
 210 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 thirty-seven years ago and settled upon the farm 
 which is still their home. It wasswampy land, but 
 our subject drained it and transformed it into a fine 
 farm. It comprises one hundred and sixty-nine 
 and a-half acres, and is improved with all modern 
 conveniences and accessories. He successfully car- 
 ries on general farming, and reaps therefrom a 
 good income. In politics he is a Republican, and 
 for more than twelve years he has served as School 
 Director. Both he and his 'wife are members of 
 the Baptist Church, and are highly respected peo- 
 ple, who have many warm friends in the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 JLLIAM J. CONZELMAN, a popular 
 younar business man of Pekin, and well 
 
 J n 
 
 known as aft expert accountant, is head 
 bookkeeper for the Globe Distilling Company. 
 Born in St. Louis, Mo., May 20, 1865, he is the son 
 of Dr. John Conzelman, a native of Stuttgart, 
 Wurtemberg, Germany, and a graduate of a medi- 
 cal college at that place. When a young man he 
 crossed the Atlantic and opened an office in St. 
 Louis, where for forty consecutive years he con- 
 ducted a large and lucrative professional practice. 
 During the late war he served for two years as sur- 
 geon in a Missouri regiment and aided the Union 
 cause to the full extent of his ability, being a man 
 of loyal spirit, who ever displayed the utmost de- 
 votion to his adopted home. 
 
 A man of great benevolence and kindly spirit, 
 Dr. Conzelman often responded to calls from the 
 destitute, although there could be no hope for re- 
 muneration. He was as careful in the treatment 
 of his patients among the poor as among the rich, 
 and in his efforts to aid them in regaining health 
 was self-sacrificing to the extreme. When he died, 
 in 1888, at the age of sixty-four years, the poor 
 and needy mourned his loss as much as did the 
 wealthy and prosperous. A Republican in polit- 
 ical views, he was a prominent; member of that 
 party, and was active in its councils. 
 
 As School Director, Dr. Conzelman deserves 
 
 special mention. He was one of the founders of 
 the public school library in St. Louis, and was also 
 the prime factor in securing the introduction of 
 the German language in the St. Louis schools. To 
 this day the impetus given the schools of that city 
 by his tireless efforts is resulting in great good to 
 the cause of education there. Himself a man of 
 broad education, he appreciated its value and was 
 desirous of giving the children of his city the best 
 opportunities possible. He was a fluent linguist, 
 and was able to converse in eleven different lan- 
 guages. While a resident of Germany the degrees 
 of A. B., A. M. and M. D. were conferred upon 
 him. 
 
 In Hermann, Mo., occurred the marriage of Dr. 
 Conzelman and Miss Louisa Graf. The latter was 
 born in Switzerland, and at the age of ten years 
 accompanied her father, Jacob Graf, to the United 
 States, where he engaged in farming near Her- 
 mann, Mo. She is still living and makes her home 
 in the West End, St. Louis. Her family numbered 
 ten children, and nine of the number are now liv- 
 ing. Of these the fifth in order of birth is Will- 
 iam J. He was educated in the public and high 
 schools of St. Louis, and in 1882 was graduated 
 from Central High School in the classical course. 
 
 Entering upon a business career, Mr. Conzelman 
 became an employe of the Simmons Hardware 
 Company, with whom he remained for seven years, 
 being salesman and bookkeeper. In 1889 he ac- 
 cepted a position as salesman for E. II. Lindley, 
 but two years later entered the real-estate business 
 in St. Louis, continuing thus engaged for two 
 years. In April, 1892, he came to Pekin, and was 
 with the Star &. Crescent Company until the Globe 
 Distilling Company was formed, when he entered 
 the employ of the latter firm and has since been 
 head bookkeeper. 
 
 October, 21, 1891, at Pekin, Mr. Conzelman was 
 united in marriage with Miss Bertha, daughter of 
 John and Ernestine Herget, prominent residents 
 of this city. Mrs. Conzelman was born and edu- 
 cated in Pekin and is a highly accomplished lady, 
 possessing refined tastes and superior culture. In 
 her beautiful home often gather for social inter- 
 course the friends whom she and her husband have 
 drawn around them by their genial natures and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 211 
 
 kindly hospitality. They stand high in social cir- 
 cles and are active in religious work as members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Polit- 
 ically, he gives his support to the Republican 
 party and the principles for which it stands. 
 
 eHRISTIAN HELLEMANN, JB., owns and 
 operates a good farm of one hundred and 
 thirty acres on section 26, Elm Grove 
 Township, Tazewell County, and is regarded as 
 one of the wide-awake and enterprising young 
 men of the community. His land is under a high 
 state of cultivation, and the neat and thrifty ap- 
 pearance of the place indicates the careful super- 
 vision of the owner. The farm is also improved with 
 a good residence, barns and other outbuildings, 
 which add to its value and attractive appearance. 
 
 Mr. Helleruann was born in Tremont December 
 17, 1860, and is one of six children whose parents 
 were Christian and Dorothy (Stamme) Hellemann. 
 The father was born in Brunswick, Germany, No- 
 vember 13, 1831, and landed in this country on 
 his twenty-second birthday. He located in St. 
 Louis, where he lived for a year, and then spent 
 two years in farm work. In the spring of 1857 
 he came to Illinois and entered the employ of Col. 
 Peter Mcnard, of Elm Grove Township. He was 
 married September 18, 1859, to Miss Stamme, a 1 
 native of Hanover, Germany, who crossed the 
 Atlantic in 1857. They began their domestic life 
 upon a farm, and since 1869 have resided upon 
 the farm which is yet their home. The six chil- 
 dren of the family are: Julia, wife of Charles 
 Giffhorn, of Columbia, 111.; Mary, wife of John 
 Paupenhausen; Frederick, at home; Matilda, wife 
 Fred Becker, of Tremont; Anna, at home; and 
 Christian, .of this sketch. 
 
 Our subject has spent his entire life in Taze- 
 well County and is one of its well known citizens. 
 He was educated in the common schools, and at 
 the age of twenty-two he started out in life for 
 himself, giving his attention to the pursuit to 
 which he was reared. He has made it his life woVk. 
 On the 21st of June, 1887, he was united in mar- 
 
 riage with Miss Jeanette McLean, daughter of 
 Franklin J.and Mary J. (Sample) McLean. She 
 was born in Elm Grove Township, as was her fa- 
 ther, and is one of five children, three of whom 
 are now deceased. Her sister Mary J. now resides 
 with Mrs. Hellemann. Mabel died in February, 
 1886. Annie Laura and Annie Belle both died in 
 infancy. Our subject and his wife have three sons, 
 Frank McLean, Charles Frederick and John Chris- 
 tian. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Hellemann was elected Township 
 Clerk of Elm Grove Township and has since been 
 twice elected to that office, which he now fills with 
 credit to himself and satisfaction to his constitu- 
 ents. He was also Township Collector in 1885 
 and 1886, and in the spring of 1894 he was elected 
 Supervisor of the township. His right of franchise 
 is exercised in support of the Democracy. In the 
 county where his entire life has been passed he is 
 widely known and enjoys the confidence and good 
 will of all. 
 
 AMUEL G. EYRSE, Vicc-President of the 
 State Bank of San Jose, and a prominent 
 citizen of this village, is the son of Henry 
 and Margaret (Gillespie) Eyrse, natives of 
 Virginia. In the Old Dominion he was born June 
 3, 1830, and is one of a family of seven chil- 
 dren. Only three now survive: himself; John 11., 
 of Peoria, 111.; and Mrs. Mary E. Gay, of Pekin, 
 111. The mother of this family died in Virginia in 
 1835. The father came to Illinois in 1856 and 
 died in Pekin two years afterward. He and his 
 good wife were devoted members of the Presbyte- 
 rian Church. 
 
 At the age of nine years our subject, on account 
 of his mother's death, was compelled to go among 
 strangers, and few advantages fell to his lot in 
 childhood, for his hours were passed in dreary and 
 unceasing toil. After having assisted in farm 
 work until a lad of fifteen, he then commenced to 
 learn the trade of a carpenter, which he followed 
 for four years in Virginia. In 1849 he went to 
 Ohio and sojourned a short time in Cincinnati, 
 from which place he went to Lafayette, I nd. In
 
 212 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1850 he came toPekin, III., where the ensuing four 
 years were spent. The year 1854 witnessed his 
 arrival in Mason County, where he settled in 
 Allen's Grove Township, and worked at his trade 
 here for two years. 
 
 In connection with his brother, our subject in 
 1851. entered one hundred and sixty acres in Taze- 
 well County, but three years later he disposed of his 
 interest in the property and purchased one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres in Allen's Grove Township, 
 Mason County. He has since engaged in farming, 
 and buys and ships grain in large amounts. As he 
 has prospered he has added to his first purchase 
 until he now owns four hundred and three acres. 
 In 1892, when the State Bank of San Jose was es- 
 tablished, he was one of the Directors and stock- 
 holders, and in 1894 was chosen V ice-President, 
 which honored position he is now filling. The 
 bank was opened with a capital stock of $25,000 
 and does business in a substantial brick structure, 
 the second floor of which is utilized as an opera 
 house. 
 
 In the Old Dominion occurred the marriage of 
 Mr. Kyrse and Miss Mary .1. Cross, their wedding 
 being solemnized March 6, 1856. This lady is a 
 daughter of Thomas and Mary (Cross) Cross, na- 
 tives of Virginia, where her birth occurred Janu- 
 aiy 22, 1835. She is one of two children, the 
 other, Thomas II., being now a resident of Chero- 
 kee County, Kan. Mr. and Mrs. Eyrse are the 
 parents of seven children, of whom the following 
 survive: Martha E.; Marietta, the wife of Henry 
 Connett, of Mason County; Henry T., who married 
 Clara Patterson and lives in this county; Charles 
 S., James H. and John L., who reside with their 
 parents. George W. is deceased. The children 
 were given excellent educational privileges and 
 received such home training as will make them 
 honored citizens. Mrs. Eyrse is identified with 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church at San Jose. 
 
 In politics a Democrat, Mr. Eyrse has filled a 
 number of local offices, but is not solicitous for 
 office, preferring to devote his energies to business 
 interests. Beginning in life poor, without friends, 
 compelled to spend his childhood days among 
 strangers, his life affords an illustration of what 
 industry and good management will accomplish. 
 
 He has succeeded beyond the cherished dreams of 
 youth and has gained not only material prosperity, 
 but also the confidence of his associates and the 
 esteem of all who know him. 
 
 DAM KUMPF, a successful business man 
 of Pekin,und the present Alderman of the 
 
 // (i First Ward, was born in Waterloo, Mon- 
 roe County, 1 11., July 17, 1852. He is the 
 son of Michael Kumpf, a native of German}' and 
 a wagon-maker by trade, who in early manhood 
 crossed the Atlantic and proceeded direct to Illi- 
 nois, where he engaged in work at his trade and 
 carried on a wagon shop. The year 1868 wit- 
 nessed his arrival in Tazewell County from his 
 former home in Waterloo, and settling in Pekin, 
 he followed his chosen occupation until his death 
 which occurred in this city in 1883. His widow, 
 now a resident of Pekin, was born in Germany 
 and bore the maiden name of Catherine Stetzer. 
 
 In the family of Michael and Catherine Kumpf 
 there were six sons and two daughters, of whom 
 Adam is the eldest. In the public schools of Water- 
 loo he gained a practical education and at the age 
 of fourteen commenced to work at the trade of a 
 wagon-maker, following that occupation for seven 
 years. When the family came to Pekin in 1868 
 he accompanied them hither and secured employ- 
 ment in the wood department of the Smith it 
 Weyrich Header Works. After one year spent in 
 that way he entered the restaurant and saloon 
 business, for a time remaining in the employ of 
 others, and in 1878 embarking in that enterprise 
 for himself. Since that year he has followed that 
 business with such success that he has gained an 
 enviable reputation in his chosen line and has also 
 secured flattering pecuniary results. 
 
 Having invested his earnings with good judg- 
 ment, Mr. Kumpf is now the owner of a commo- 
 dious and attractive new residence on St. Mary's 
 Street, in addition to three substantial houses in 
 this city. His home is presided over by his amia- 
 ble wife, with whom he was united at Pekin in 
 1877. In maidenhood she was known as Chris-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 213 
 
 tina Nagel. A native of Germany, she was brought 
 to the United States in childhood, and was reared 
 to womanhood in Pekin. Three children have 
 blessed the union, Annie, Emma and Louis Adam. 
 A Democrat in politics, Mr. Kumpf is prominent 
 in the ranks of his chosen party, and since the 
 spring of 1893 lias served as Alderman of the First 
 Ward. In the City Council he has rendered ac- 
 ceptable service as member and Chairman of va- 
 rious committees. Socially he is connected with 
 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has 
 represented the lodge in the Grand Lodge. He is 
 also identified with the encampment. The Knights 
 and Ladies of Honor have in him one of their in- 
 fluential members, and he is also prominently 
 connected with the Masonic fraternity and the 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was 
 commissioned Sergeant of the Fourth Regiment 
 and has been active in the various fraternal or- 
 ganizations of the city. 
 
 S****** *+**+!+ 
 
 HI LIP MARQUARDT. The life of this 
 gentleman shows in a striking manner 
 what can be accomplished by persistence 
 and diligence, ' coupled with excellent 
 judgment and honesty. From the position of a 
 poor boy lie has arisen to an honorable rank as a 
 business man and progressive citizen, and to-day 
 Pekin has no resident more highly esteemed than 
 is he. A member of the firm of Marquardt & Lam- 
 pitt, he does an extensive business as a contractor 
 in brick and stone work. 
 
 In Sandbach, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, the 
 subject of this biographical sketch was born July 
 16, 1845. His father, Philip, and his grandfather, 
 Philip, were born in the same city as was he, and 
 both were expert stone cutters. The father died 
 at the age of thirty-two years, in 1852, his death 
 being caused by the accidental falling of a stone 
 upon him. The mother, Elizabeth, was a daughter 
 of Philip Marquardt, who though bearing the same 
 name was not related to the other family. He was 
 
 a farmer and served in the war of 1813-15. Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Marquardt passed away at the age of 
 forty-two years. 
 
 In the parental family there were six children, 
 but only two are now living, our subject and Adam, 
 the latter being a farmer at North Falls, Stanton 
 County, Neb. The former, who was third in order 
 of birth, was reared in his native land, and under 
 the tutelage of his mother's second husband, John 
 Marquardt, learned the trade of a stone mason. 
 From the age of thirteen he worked at his trade 
 in Sandbach and Frankfort-on-the-Main. In the 
 spring of 1864, he took passage on a steamer, and 
 without delay or any event of importance made 
 the journey from Bremen to New York. 
 
 Proceeding directly west to Pekin, Mr. Marquardl 
 worked at his trade for a time. In 1870 ho em- 
 barked in business as a contractor for stone and 
 brick work, and later was for a time with the firm 
 of Snyder, Jansen <fe Co. In 1892 he formed a 
 partnership with Ed F. Lampitt, and the firm of 
 Marquardt & Lampitt has since carried on a flour- 
 ishing and profitable business. In 1893 he erected 
 the brick water tower at Morton, which is seventy 
 feet high, and also helped to build the stone tower 
 in Pekin. Some of the finest and most substantial 
 brick buildings of Pekin stand as monuments to 
 the ability and efficient work done by Mr. Mar- 
 quardt, and he also built the abutments for several 
 bridges on the Mackinaw River. For six months 
 he was employed at Carbondale, Osage County, 
 Kan., where he erected three residences for fann- 
 ers formerly residents of Pekin. 
 
 In the German-American Building and Loan 
 Association Mr. Marquardt is a Director, and is 
 also a member of the Mutual Loan and Homestead 
 Association. His residence at the corner of Sec- 
 ond and Catherine Streets is presided over by his 
 estimable wife, whom he married at Pekin in 1867. 
 She was born in Germany and bore the maiden 
 name of Catherine Hofmann. They were the par- 
 ents of twelve children, six of whom are now liv- 
 ing, namely: Mary and Carl (twins), Louis, Philip, 
 George and Leonard. The three eldest sons are 
 brick-masons by trade and are engaged in that oc- 
 cupation in Pekin. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Marquardt is identified with the
 
 214 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is 
 Past Grand. He is also an officer in the Order of 
 Druids, and is connected with the Mutual Aid of 
 Illinois. Politically, he gives his support to the 
 principles of the Republican party. 
 
 DAM SAAL. The industrial interests of 
 Pekin are ably represented by the subject 
 of this sketch, who is a successful con- 
 tractor and plasterer, to which trades he 
 adds that of manufacturing cement, concrete and 
 artificial stone pavements. He is a native of Ger- 
 many, his birth occurring in Hesse-Darmstadt, 
 February 9, 1850. 
 
 Grandfather Saal was a weaver of fancy goods 
 in Germany, as was also the father of our subject, 
 who bore the name of Henry. The latter came to 
 America with his family, which consisted of his 
 wife and five children, the trip being made across 
 the Atlantic in 1857. He at once located in this 
 ciiy, where his death occurred in June, 1893. His 
 wife, Mrs. Margaret (Vogel) Saal, is also a native of 
 the Fatherland, and is the daughter of George 
 Vogel, who was a fanner. She is still living in 
 this city, having reached the age of three-score 
 years and ten. The brother and sisters of our 
 subject are, Kate, Lizzie, Maggie and Jacob. They 
 are all married and all live in Pekin with the ex- 
 ception of the eldest daughter, who makes her 
 home in Cedar Creek, Cass Count}', Neb. 
 
 Adam, of this sketch, was given a good educa- 
 tion in Germany, and was a lad of fifteen years 
 when he came to America. After locating in Pe- 
 kin, he was apprenticed to learn the trade of a 
 plasterer, and afterward worked with his instructor 
 for two years, when he began business on his own 
 account, and is now the largest contractor in his 
 line of work in the city. About 1888 he began 
 the manufacture of artificial stone work, and plies 
 his trade in Delavan, McLean, Mackinaw and the 
 surrounding towns. He uses the very best ma- 
 terials when making the pavements, and never 
 fails to give entire satisfaction. 
 
 Mr. Saal also owns considerable real estate in 
 
 the city, and besides his own residence, which is 
 located at No. 827 Catharine Street, is the proprie- 
 tor of nine other dwellings. The lady to whom he 
 was married in this city in 1871 is Miss Lizzie 
 Kraeger; she is also a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, 
 and came to America when fourteen years of age. 
 Their union was blessed by the birth of a sou and 
 daughter, Henry and Lizzie. 
 
 Mr. Saal has contributed liberally to all worthy 
 enterprises, and is classed among the most influen- 
 tial and respected citizens in the community. He 
 served as Alderman of the Third Ward for four 
 years, during which time he was Chairman of the 
 Fire and Water Committees. He has been Tax 
 Collector of Pekin Township and city for two years, 
 and in his political affiliations is a strong Demo- 
 crat. Socially he is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, Mod- 
 ern Woodman, and a member of the Order of Red- 
 men. In the conduct of his business affairs he 
 gives to each department of work his personal at- 
 tention, and the care and method ever exercised 
 have contributed to place him among the foremost 
 in his H'ae'of'work in the city. 
 
 REDBRICK P. SIEBENS, stockholder and 
 Director of the T. <fe H. Smith Company, 
 which he also serves in the capacity of Su- 
 perintendent of the wagon department, is a man 
 who owes his success in life mainly to his own un- 
 assisted efforts, and is practically self made. He 
 was born in Germany April 15, 1851, and is the 
 son of Jurjeu Siebens, a native of Canhusen, Ost- 
 friesland, that country, which is also the birth- 
 place of his father, Frederick. The latter was a 
 farm laborer, and died in Pekin when well ad- 
 vanced in years. 
 
 The father of our subject worked at farming in 
 his native land, and when emigrating to America, 
 in 1868, was accompanied by his wife and three 
 sons. The voyage was made on a sailing-vessel, 
 which landed them in Baltimore, Md., August 2, 
 1868, after a voyage of eight weeks and two days.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 of m 
 
 UNIVtKSlU Of ILLINOIS
 
 HON. JOHN HERGET.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 217 
 
 About a week later they came to Pekin, where the 
 father engaged as a gardener, and where he lived 
 until his decease, in 1872. In his native land lie 
 had married Miss Wipke, daughter of Garralt Bild- 
 hoff, who was a farmer. Mrs. Siebens is still liv- 
 ing and makes her home in this city. With her 
 husband she was a member of the German Re- 
 formed Church; she was the mother of three sons, 
 of whom our subject is the first born, his brothers 
 being Garralt, who is living in Sioux City, Iowa, 
 where he has charge of a manufacturing company, 
 and Harry, engaged in working for the T. & H. 
 Smith Company. 
 
 Frederick P., of this sketch, was given a fine 
 education in his native tongue, after which he 
 worked out on farms until the removal of his par- 
 ents to the New World. On arriving in Pekin, he 
 found employment in the wood department of the 
 T. & II. Smith Company, and a year later became 
 an employe in the blacksmith department, where 
 he learned to manufacture the iron work used on 
 both wagons and plows. The factory was burned, 
 and after it was rebuilt, Mr. Siebens confined him- 
 self to wagon work until 1883, when he was made 
 foreman of the blacksmith department. He held 
 that position until the fall of 1892, when he was 
 appointed Superintendent of both the wood and 
 iron department, having in the former sixty work- 
 men, and in the latter one hundred and fifty men 
 under his charge. In 1890, when the firm was re- 
 organized and reincorporuted, our subject became 
 one of the stockholders and Directors. Aside from 
 this he owns stock in the American Home and 
 Loan Association of Pekin, and thus ranks among 
 the prominent and influential men of the city, and 
 is j ustly regarded as a man of true worth. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married in 
 this city April 25, 1881, WHS Miss Carrie Voight,a 
 native of Racine, Wis. She was the daughter of 
 Charles Voight, a fanner near Pekin, where Mrs. 
 Siebens was reared to mature years. By her union 
 with our subject, she .has become the mother of six 
 children, Freddie, Charlie, Grace, Louis, and two 
 who died unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Siebens is a charter member of the Modern 
 AVoodmen of America, and in politics he is and al- 
 ways has been a Republican. Probably there js no 
 2 
 
 man who is more popular in the city than he, and 
 he has won this kind feeling by his genial manner 
 and good judgment in mingling with his fellow- 
 men. 
 
 ON. JOHN HKRGET, who as Mayor of Pe- 
 kin rendered efficient service in the inter- 
 est of his fellow-citizens, is one of the old- 
 est surviving settlers of this place, as well 
 as one of its most influential business men. He is 
 well known throughout Tazewell County as one 
 of its public-spirited citizens and as one who has 
 been variously identified with its interests for 
 many years. By his energetic and resolute force 
 of character and talent- for affairs he has given an 
 impetus to the growth of this section of country, 
 and is still actively forwarding its advancement in 
 important directions. 
 
 A native of Germany, Mr. Herget was born in 
 Hergershausen, Hesse-Darmstadt, October 27, 1830. 
 His father, Philip, was born in the same place in 
 1800 and served as an officer in the German army, 
 after which he followed his trade of a wagon-maker, 
 together with farming pursuits. Our subject was 
 the first member of the family who emigrated to 
 America, and so well was he pleased with this 
 country that he returned to Germany and brought 
 back with him in 1869 his father, brother-in-law 
 and sister. The mother, whose maiden name was 
 Margaret Reuling and who was born in Hergers- 
 hausen, was the daughter of George Reuling, a 
 well-to-do farmer of Hesse-Darmstadt; she died in 
 1836. The father died in Pekin, in September, 
 1871. 
 
 The three children born to Philip and Margaret 
 Ilerget are: John, of this sketch; George, who is 
 interested in business with our subject; and Mary, 
 the wife of Nicholas Reuling, of Pekin. The father 
 was again married, choosing as his wife Miss Anna 
 Kline, and they had five children. Margareta be- 
 came the wife of Adam George, and both are now 
 deceased. Four are now living, all residents of 
 Pekin, as follows: Mary, who married John Krager; 
 Philip, who is carrying on the business of a malt- 
 ster; Catharine, wife of John Block, who at pres-
 
 218 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ent is interested with Smith, Hippin & Co. in the 
 grain business; and Madeline, wife of George 
 Meisinger. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared in the city 
 of his birth, where he learned the trade of a wagon- 
 maker under his father's instructions. In 1849 he 
 came to America, the journey being made by a 
 sailing-vessel to London, England, and thence to 
 New York. From the latter city he proceeded to 
 Columbia, Lancaster County, Pa., where he spent 
 one year. Removing thence to Gettysburg, Pa., 
 he engaged at the trade of a carriage-maker until 
 1853. 
 
 During the year last-named Mr. Herget was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ernestine Schreck, 
 who was born in Saxony, near Saxe-AVeimer, and 
 thence came to Pennsylvania in 1852 with her 
 parents. In August, 1853, Mr. Herget came west 
 to Pekin, the journey being made by rail to San- 
 dusky, Ohio, thence by the Lakes to Detroit, from 
 that city by rail to La Salle and from there by 
 boat to Pekin. In this city he worked at his trade 
 in the T. & H. Smith Carriage Manufactory un- 
 til February, 1860, when he embarked with his 
 brother in the grocery business, the firm name be- 
 ing J. & G. Herget. The first site of the store was 
 at the present location of the German-American 
 Bank. 
 
 In 1870 the firm erected a double store, to which 
 in the following year they removed. Here they 
 engaged in the wholesale grocery and liquor bus- 
 iness until 1891, when they retired from the former 
 and have since devoted their attention to the liquor 
 business, and are also engaged in rectifying and 
 distilling. Mr. Herget assisted in the organization 
 of the Star & Crescent Distillery, and continued 
 with that enterprise until 1892, when it was sold 
 out to Samuel Woolner. In addition to other en- 
 terprises he has an interest in the firm of N. 
 Reuling & Co., dry-goods merchants of Pekin, and 
 is also a stockholder in the Farmers' National 
 Bank. A Republican in politics, he has served as 
 Alderman and has frequently been elected Super- 
 visor. In 1873 and 1874 he occupied the responsi- 
 ble position of Mayor of Pekin, and during his 
 terms of office many reforms were instituted and 
 many needed improvements introduced. He is 
 
 recognized as one of the most influential men in 
 this part of the state. 
 
 In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Ilerget there were 
 eight children, as follows: Mary, who died in 
 1866; Emma, the wife of John Nolle, of Pekin; 
 Lena, Mrs. D. D. Velde, of this city; Martha, wife 
 of George Steinmetz; Bertha, the wife of W. J. 
 Counzelman; George, John and Carl, prominent 
 citizens of Pekin. The family is identified with 
 St. Paul's Evangelical Church, in which Mr. Iler- 
 get is serving as Trustee. 
 
 C. HALL. It has often been said that in- 
 vincible determinati n will accomplish any 
 desired result, and already are the effects 
 of its constant exercise visible in the life of this 
 gentleman, who has won a respected position for 
 himself in the community by reason of industry, 
 perseverance and a genial nature. He is at pres- 
 ent residing in the city of Delavau, where he is a 
 member of the City Council and also the owner of 
 a valuable estate in the township of that name. 
 
 Our subject is a native of this place, and was 
 born November 28, 1846, to the Hon. Ira B. and 
 Sarah A. Hall, of whom a more complete sketch 
 will be found on another page in this volume. 
 Ira B. Hall is a very prominent man of Tazewell 
 County, being Vice-President of the Tazewell 
 County National Bank and ex-member of the 
 Legislature. He is a native of Rhode Island and 
 an old resident of this city. 
 
 O. C. Hall, of this sketch, received his early train- 
 ing in the schools of Delavan, after which he at- 
 tended Bryant <fe Stratum's Commercial College 
 in Peoria. For the succeeding four or five years 
 he was engaged in the insurance business at Dela- 
 van, and at the same time carried on a lively 
 trade in stock, which in fact has been his princi- 
 pal business. He has charge of his father's fine 
 estate adjoining the city, which under his efficient 
 management is classed among the finest in the 
 county. 
 
 Prior to the organization of the city our sub- 
 ject was President of the Village Board for two
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 219 
 
 terms, and since its incorporation lias been for 
 several years a member of the City Council, in 
 which body he is a very influential member. In 
 all positions he has been faithful to the trust re- 
 posed in him, and as a business man and neigh- 
 bor he commands the high regard of a host of life- 
 time friends. 
 
 O. C. Hall was married April 10, 1873, to Miss 
 Clara P. James, who was born in Rhode Island 
 and is the daughter of O. II. P. James, a well- 
 to-do resident of Delavan. Mr. and Mrs. Hall 
 have become the parents of two children: Charles 
 E., a graduate of the Delavan High School; and 
 Katlie G., who is at present a student in that in- 
 stitution. Our subject is, like his father, a strong 
 Democrat in politics, and socially is a Chapter 
 Mason. 
 
 E R. SHAKER, M. D. In the study 
 of the career of those who have been the 
 architects of their own fortunes in the var- 
 ious departments of business or professional life, 
 there may often be encountered suggestions of in- 
 estimable value to those who are just starting out 
 in life for themselves. The men whom we are ac- 
 customed to call self-made are well represented in 
 Morton, and among this class prominent mention 
 belongs to the gentleman with whose name we in- 
 troduce this sketch, and who is widely known and 
 highly esteemed as a physician of this section of 
 the state. 
 
 Our subject was Itorn two miles eastof Washing- 
 ton, this county, September 15, 1858, and is the 
 son of George A. and CatlR'rine (Myers) Shafer, 
 the former of whom was born in Fail-field County, 
 Ohio, which was also the birthplace of his father, 
 who was the first white child born in Fail-field 
 County. The great-grandfather of our subject was 
 a native of Pennsylvania, and was one of the first 
 to locate a farm in the above county. The grand- 
 mother of our subject was likewise one of the first 
 white children born in that portion of the Buckeye 
 State. 
 
 The father of our subject being reared to farm 
 pursuits, he followed that occupation throughout 
 
 his active life, and soon after his marriage in Ohio 
 emigrated to this state, first locating in Shelby 
 County, where he entered two hundred and forty 
 acres of land from the Government. Two years 
 later he disposed of this property, and coming to 
 Tazewell County, purchased a quarter-section of 
 prairie land near Washington. This he lived upon 
 until 1872, when he sold out and removed to 
 Christian County, where he farmed for some time, 
 but is now living in retirement in the town of As- 
 sumption. With his wife he was a member of the 
 United Brethren Church. In politics he was first 
 a Democrat, then a Whig, afterward a Republican, 
 and now votes with the Prohibition party. 
 
 The parental family included seven children, 
 namely: Silas A., Josephus C.; Samuel, who is 
 now deceased; our subject, Jennie, Ida, and Ola, 
 who makes her home with the Doctor. Our subject 
 received his education in the schools of Washing- 
 ton and Assumption. He began the study of medi- 
 cine in 1877, and two years later went to Chicago, 
 where he took a course of instruction in the Ben- 
 nett Medical College, from which he was graduated 
 with the Class of '81. After receiving his diploma 
 he came to Morton, and May 13 of that year be- 
 gan the practice of his profession, and now has a 
 very extensive patronage, which covers a large 
 territory. 
 
 Dr. Shafer is a member of the Illinois State Ec- 
 lectic Medical Association, and has been Corres- 
 ponding Secretary of the same for eight year?. 
 He was honored May 2, 1893, by being appointed 
 a member of the Advisory Council of the World's 
 Congress Auxiliary, on the Congress of Eclectic 
 Physicians and Surgeons, which met at Chicago 
 during the World's Fair. He was married in 1882, 
 in Long Island, to Miss Emma J., daughter of Dr. 
 Harmon A. and Mary E. (Weber) Buck. Their 
 home has been blessed by the advent of two daugh- 
 ters, Viola and Violet, twins. 
 
 In social matters Dr. Shafer belongs to Lodge 
 No. 768, M. W. A., and in politics is a stanch Re- 
 publican. He and his wife are consistent members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in that 
 denomination in Morton the former is Steward and 
 Trustee. In 1890, he completed a large store in 
 the village, in which he has put a fine assortment
 
 220 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of drugs, and is now doing the leading business in 
 that line in the place. He is also the owner of a 
 quarter-section of land in Kansas, and is a stock- 
 holder in the Assumption Coal Mining Company. 
 
 NDREW E. WOOLF, of Delavan, claims 
 New York as the state of his nativit}-, his 
 birth having occurred in Pellamville, 
 _ Westchester County, October 29, 1840. 
 
 His grandfather, Anthony Woolf, was born in 
 Hesse-Cassel, Germany, November 19, 1761, and 
 when a young man was taken from his bed by the 
 British'and forced on board a ship that setsail for 
 America. He was told that they were going to 
 fight the Indians and French, but when the shores 
 of the New World were reached he found that he 
 was expected to join the British army against those 
 struggling for independence. Immediately he de- 
 serted, and hid among the hills of New Jersey until 
 he found a place of safety. He then began work- 
 ing as a farm hand for $25 per year, and finally 
 purchased a tract of land in Westchester County, 
 N. Y. He lived to become quite wealthy, and be- 
 fore his death gave to each of his children a farm. 
 On the 27th of January, 1797, lie was made a citi- 
 zen of the United States in the City Hall of New 
 York, and the quaint old certificate given to him 
 at that time is now framed and hangs in our sub- 
 ject's parlor. Anthony Woolf was the father of 
 the following children: Elizabeth, Ann, Abigail, 
 Sarah, James, Hannah, Andrew and John. 
 
 Andrew Woolf was the father of our subject. 
 He was born in the Manor of Fordan, Westchester 
 County, N. Y. The land which his father gave 
 him became quite valuable and he disposed of it 
 at a handsome price. He then embarked in the 
 real-estate business and laid out Claremont, a 
 suburb of New York City, from which he made a 
 fortune. In 1866 he came to the west and bought 
 for each of his four boys a farm in Tazewcll 
 County. He died February 12, 1877. His wife, 
 who bore the maiden name of Mary De Voe, was 
 born in the Manor of Fordan, July 1, 1805, and 
 was a daughter of John and Sarah De Voe, natives 
 
 of Westchester County, N. Y. Her father at one 
 time owned the land which Mr. Woolf laid out as 
 the town of Claremont. Mr. and Mrs. Woolf were 
 married November 15, 1823, and after her hus- 
 band's death, the lady lived with our subject until 
 called to her final rest, December 9, 1885. She left 
 him considerable property and some interesting 
 and valuable relics, including a Bible that has been 
 in the family for more than a century, and a small 
 jar, which was imported full of tea in 1618 and 
 which came down to him in direct line from his 
 Great-great-grandmother De Voe. 
 
 Andrew E. Woolf is the youngest of six chil- 
 dren, four sons and two daughter. The latter, 
 Sarah and Phoebe, became the wives of George 
 and pjd Morris, respectively, and both died in New 
 York. The eldest brother, John D., was born Au- 
 gust 9, 1824, and resides in Delavan. Anthony, 
 born December 25, 1826, is one of the extensive 
 farmers of Boy n ton Township. William II., born 
 October 25, 1837, is now a large farmer living 
 near Iowa City, Iowa. 
 
 Under the parental roof Andrew E. Woolf was 
 reared to manhood, but having attained his ma- 
 jority he left home, and on the 16th of January, 
 1864, he married Miss Johanna Lucas Reed, who 
 was born in Pike County, Ohio, June 7, 1846. 
 Her father, John Reed, was also a native of the 
 Buckeye State and was a son of Judge Samuel 
 Reed, who for many 3 - ears was on the Circuit 
 Bench of Ohio. His first wife was a niece of 
 Aaron Burr. John Reed was united in marriage 
 
 o 
 
 with Rebecca A. Smith, a native of Virginia, and 
 after his death his widow became the wife of D. P. 
 Withrow. She was called to the home beyond 
 December 24, 1872. The brothers and sisters of 
 Mrs. Woolf are: Samuel J.,who died at the age of 
 fourteen years; Mary Elizabeth, wife of William 11. 
 Woolf, of Iowa City, Iowa; and William, a farmer 
 of the same place. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Woolf have two daughters. Alice 
 L. is -now completing her musical education in 
 the Conservatory of Music in Peoria. Her tal- 
 ent in this direction she inherits from her mother's 
 people. Her maternal grandparents were both 
 fine singers, and Mrs. Woolf has for fifteen years 
 been a member of the choir of the Presbyterian
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 221 
 
 Church. Emma R., the second daughter, is also 
 finely educated in music. She is now the wife of 
 J. M. Allen, confidential clerk in the great 
 drug house of Myers Bros., of St. Louis. He also 
 has charge of raining interests in the western 
 mountains. Mrs. Allen possesses the musical abil- 
 ity of the family and sings in a Presbyterian 
 Church of St. Louis. They have one child, a son. 
 When the boy was quite 3'oung his parents were 
 making a trip on the Santa Fe Road to the mines 
 in the west. An elderly gentleman on the train, 
 attracted by the prattle of the bright little fellow, 
 asked the parents his name and was told that he 
 had yet been given no name. Upon finding out who 
 the father was, the gentleman said, "My name is 
 Hanley. I am the Superintendent of this road. I 
 have no children, and if you will name that boy 
 Hanley Morton Allen, I will deposit $1,000 to his 
 credit to be his at the age of twenty-one and will 
 also pay his way through either Yale or Harvard 
 College." The name was given to the boy. 
 
 Mr. Woolf continued his farming interests until 
 1880, when he abandoned that work and has since 
 given his entire time and attention to looking 
 after his extensive property interests in town. He 
 is a man of most excellent business ability, saga- 
 cious and far-sighted, and though he had property 
 left to him he has largely increased it through his 
 well directed efforts. Both he and his wife are 
 members of the Presbyterian Church, and to both 
 church and charitable work they contribute lib- 
 erally. 
 
 OILMAN BAILEY. The social, political 
 and business history of this section is 
 filled with the deeds and doings of self- 
 made men, and no man in Tazewell Coun- 
 ty is more deserving of the name than D. G. 
 Bailey, who is one of the largest land owners in 
 Delavan Township. He marked out his own career 
 in liis youth and has steadily followed it up to the 
 present time, his prosperity being attributable to 
 his earnest and persistent endeavor, as well as to 
 the fact that he always consistently tries to do as 
 he would be done by. He is honest and upright 
 
 in word and deed, energetic and pushing, and of a 
 decidedly practical turn of mind. 
 
 Our subject is a native of this county, having 
 been born in Pekin, December 4, 1839, and is a sou 
 of David Bailey, a native of Hillsboro, N. H., where 
 his birth occurred June 12, 1801. That gentle- 
 man was next to the youngest son of Joseph Bailey, 
 who was born February 8, 1772, in Rowley, Mass., 
 and liis father bore the name of Daniel Bailey, 
 whose ancestors came over in the "Mayflower." 
 
 The grandfather of our subject late in life re- 
 moved to New Hampshire, and died at Ilillsboro 
 when ninety-two years of age. He had been twice 
 married, and by his first union reared a family of 
 sons, of whom Samuel G. was born November 27, 
 1794; Daniel M. December 11, 1796; Nathaniel 
 March 31, 1799; James August 13, 1800, and 
 David June 12, 1801. By his second marriage he 
 became the father of one son, J. Gordon, who is 
 now living in Delavan, and is the only one of the 
 family of Joseph Bailey who is now living. The 
 father and uncles of our subject were, with scarcely 
 an exception, merchants, and came to Pekin about 
 1819. Nathaniel was a merchant first in Boston, 
 afterward in New Orleans, later in St. Louis, from 
 which latter city he removed to Pekin, and from 
 there finally went to Texas, where he carried on 
 business for thirty years prior to his decease. He 
 left one child, a daughter, Emma, who married Dr. 
 McClenney and now lives in Brownsville, Tex. 
 
 Daniel Bailey, another uncle of our subject, was 
 a prominent merchant of Boston for about ten 
 years, and like his older brother from there went 
 to New Orleans and St. Louis, and after making his 
 home in Pekin lived here until his decease. Sam- 
 uel was at his death a prominent lawyer of Alton, 
 this state. James died in Houston, Tex., where he 
 was engaged in the mercantile trade. 
 
 David Bailey, the father of our subject, came to 
 Pekin when in his eighteenth year, and was en- 
 gaged as a merchant in this place on the outbreak 
 of the Black Hawk War. He then entered the serv- 
 ice as a Captain of militia, and was soon promoted 
 to be Major, and afterward Colonel of his regi- 
 ment, having charge of the army stationed at Ft. 
 Dearborn. While there he met and afterward 
 married Miss Sarah Ann Brown, who was born in
 
 222 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Connecticut May 25, 1811; she was the daughter 
 of Rufus Brown, one of the earliest settlers of the 
 city of Chicago. When locating there he pur- 
 chased a quarter-section of land in what is now the 
 heart of the city, but later disposed of this property 
 because the land was loo marshy to be farmed to 
 advantage. He then removed about sixteen miles 
 out of the city, where he resided until his death. 
 One of Mrs. Bailey's brothers went to California 
 in 1849, and another became a prominent merchant 
 in New York City. 
 
 After the close of the Black Hawk War, Col. 
 David Bailey located on a farm near Pekin, where 
 his wife died January 15, 1847, and where also his 
 death occurred seven years later. He was a prom- 
 inent Mason socially, and a leading member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. Our subject was the only 
 son of the first marriage, but had one sister who 
 was older and one sister younger than himself. 
 Cynthia Ann when fourteen years of age went 
 on a visit to an uncle in Texas, and while there 
 was taken sick and died. The youngest of the 
 family, Caroline R., married S. T. Webster, who 
 for twelve years was Superintendent of the Grand 
 Trunk Railroad, with headquarters in Chicago, 
 and for many years prior to his decease was a 
 prominent Hoard of Trade man. He died leaving 
 a family of five children, who with their mother 
 make their home in Evanston. 
 
 D. Gilman Bailey, of this sketch, was educated 
 in the schools of Pekin and Peoria, after which he 
 engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 1867 
 he was united in marriage with Miss Frances Eliza- 
 beth, daughter of Daniel Crabb, who was one of 
 the pioneers of Dillon Township and one of the 
 largest land owners in Tazewell County. For 
 many years prior to his decease he was a banker in 
 Delavan. For a more extended sketch of Mr. 
 Crabb the reader is referred to the biography of 
 his son, .1. W. Crabb, Mayor of Delavan and Presi- 
 dent of the Tazewell County Bank, which will be 
 found on another page in this volume. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have been born four 
 children. Carrie L. is the wife of T. A. Wittan, a 
 leading attorney of Kansas City, Mo.; Emma .!., 
 Maggie M. and James G. are at home. The daugh- 
 ters are very accomplished young ladies, and com- 
 
 pleted their educations at Northfield, Mass. Our 
 subject is still engaged in farming and stock-rais- 
 ing, and has several estates in different parts of the 
 county. Since 1877, however, he has lived in a 
 beautiful suburban residence adjoining the city of 
 Delavan. He is a stanch supporter of Republican 
 principles, and like all the members of his family 
 for generations back is a Presbyterian in religious 
 belief. 
 
 ARIUS WHITE ORENDORFF, one of 
 the representative farmers of Tazewell 
 County, now living in Hopedale Town- 
 ship, has a wide acquaintance in this 
 community, and we feel assured that this record 
 of his life wilt prove of interest to many of our 
 readers. He was born in Ilopedale Township 
 March 31, 1828, and is descended from Christian 
 Orendorff, who was born in Germany November 
 15, 1726, and in that country married a Miss 
 Miller. In the middle of the century he crossed 
 the Atlantic and settled in Lancaster County, Pa., 
 but later went to Shaftsbury, Md., where he died 
 December 10, 1797. He was a man of prominence, 
 became quite wealthy and owned several mills. 
 
 Christopher Orendorff, the grandfather of our 
 subject, was born Nov.ember 23, 1752, and was a 
 teamster in the Revolutionary War. He held mem- 
 bership with the German Reformed Church. In 
 early life he went to Logan County, Ky., and mar- 
 ried an English lady. His brother Christian served 
 in the Revolution, was taken prisoner, and while 
 a captive fell in love with the daughter of an Eng- 
 lish officer, whom he afterward married. Another 
 brother, Henry, became a Revolutionary soldier, 
 and was an extensive farmer of Shepherdstown, 
 Va. The spelling of the name has been consider- 
 ably changed by various branches of the family. 
 
 The father of our subject was born February 5, 
 1784, acquired an excellent education and be- 
 came a civil engineer. He also engaged in the 
 milling business with his brother John in Ken- 
 tucky, and in 1826 came with his brother Enoch 
 to Illinois on a tour of inspection. So well pleased 
 was he that he purchased large tracts of land, be-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 223 
 
 coming the owner of six thousand acres. In 
 182V he brought his family to the west and lo- 
 cated on the farm now occupied by our subject. 
 Here he built the first brick house of Tazewell 
 County. It is still standing, and is occupied by 
 a married daughter of D. W. Orendorff. Another 
 brother, Esau, also came to Tazewell County, and 
 it is said that the three Orendorff brothers got 
 possession of more land than any other three 
 men in the county. Aaron Orendorff died Feb- 
 ruary 18, 1846. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden 
 name of Martha McDowell. She was born in North 
 Carolina January 29, 1790, and was a daughter 
 of Joseph and Martha (White) McDowell. They 
 were of Scotch lineage, and the father had a 
 brother who served as a General in the Revolu- 
 tion. Mrs. Orendorff had three brothers who were 
 preachers in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 
 Her death occurred June 27, 1849. She had be- 
 come the mother of nine children. Thomas H., 
 born August 22, 1814, in Tennessee, was a tanner 
 by trade, laid out the town of Hopedale in 1852, 
 and there died December 18, 1878, leaving one 
 son, Green Pope, who was born November 24, 
 1844, and is now a resident of Lacon, Ala. Jo- 
 seph M., born January 26, 1816, died in Rush- 
 ville, 111., June 18, 1842. Delilah J., born Janu- 
 ary 5, 1818, became the wife of Samuel McClure 
 January 7, 1848. His death occurred in 1858, 
 and she died in Hopedale January 8, 1871. Mary 
 H., born August 20, 1820, was married Novem- 
 ber 29, 1849, to David Van Devanter, and died 
 November 23, 1857. Abigail C., born March 13, 
 1823, became the wife of Mathias Mount, and 
 died June 2, 1853. Her son, Jasper Mount, is 
 now Postmaster of Hopedale. Cyrus W., born 
 August 18, 1825, died December 21, 1848. Min- 
 erva, born May 17, 1830, was married August 
 28, 1848, to Alfred Reid, who died January 30, 
 1883, and she is now living in Delavan. Solon, 
 born December 26, 1832, was married April 22, 
 1858, to Lydia E. Teft. He followed farming 
 near Ilopednle until 1882, when he went to Pu- 
 eblo, Colo. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared on a 
 farm and acquired a good education. On the 
 
 12th of July, 1855, he married Mary Jane Walter, 
 of De Witt County, 111., who was born in Ohio 
 and came with her parents to this state during her 
 girlhood. Their family numbers five children. 
 Phoebe Jane, who was born August 7, 1856, was 
 married March 6, 1879, to William M. Mount; he 
 is extensively engaged in farming and stock-rais- 
 ing in Dillon Township, and has served as Chair- 
 man of the County Board of Supervisors. Lelia 
 Leduska, born December 12, 1858, is the wife of 
 Adolph Johnson, and lives on the home farm. 
 Flora Ellen, born June 26, 1860; Martha A., No- 
 vember 1, 1862, and Lydia M., April 15, 1864, are 
 at home. The last-named is an artist of some note. 
 Mr. Orendorff has usually followed farming, 
 but has been interested in other business enter- 
 prises. He established the first store in Hope- 
 dale, and owned and operated a woolen mill for 
 some years. This he removed to Arkansas, where 
 he carried on business for three years, and then 
 sold out. He was also engaged in merchandising 
 and in the furniture and lumber business, but is 
 now giving his attention to the management of 
 his fine farm. He has four hundred acres in 
 Hopedale Township, and two hundred and forty 
 acres in Arkansas. Success has crowned his efforts 
 and made him one of the wealthy citizens of 
 Tazewell County. He has held several local of- 
 fices, including that of Justice of the Peace, has 
 been a life-long Democrat, is a Master Mason, and 
 belongs to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 
 
 JOHN T. CLEMENTS occupies an honorable 
 place among the intelligent, capable farmers 
 I of Tazewell County, in whose social and 
 public life he is a prominent factor. He 
 is at present residing upon a fine farm of one 
 hundred and twenty acres located on sections 29 
 and 30, Dillon Township, on which he has placed 
 an admirable line of improvements until it now 
 ranks among the best in the vicinity. 
 
 Our subject was born in Henry County, Ky., 
 July 26, 1830, and is the son of Roger T. Clements, 
 also a native of the Blue Grass State, which was
 
 224 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 likewise the native home of his father, who bore 
 the name of John Clements. The latter was a 
 large and wealthy slave-holder in Kentucky, and 
 one of his brothers fought as a soldier in the War 
 of 1812. His wife, the grandmother of our sub-, 
 ject, lived to be more than a hundred years of 
 
 age- 
 When but a year old our subject was taken by 
 his parents to Indiana, and lived in Boone County 
 until 1864, when they came to this state and 
 made a settlement in Christian County, where the 
 father's death occurred in 1867. The mother of our 
 subject, whose maiden name was Nancy Higgins, 
 was also a native of Kentucky and the (laughter 
 of Robert Higgins, who died in that state when 
 comparatively a young man. Her mother, how- 
 ever, attained the advanced age of one hundred, 
 while the mother of Mr. Clements was a lady of 
 seventy-six years when she departed this life at 
 the home of her sister in Christian County. 
 
 John T. Clements, of this sketch, was the eld- 
 est but one in his parents' family of eight chil- 
 dren, of whom we make the following men- 
 tion: Thomas, the eldest, spent several years of 
 his life in this state; he is now living, however, 
 in Kentucky. ,1. N. was a soldier in the late war, 
 and is now living on a farm near Crawfordsville, 
 this state; William died when five years of age; 
 Milton, who also fought as a soldier in the Civil 
 War, went to Barber County, Kan., and during 
 the Indian troubles was gent to Newton for sup- 
 plies; while en route he was caught in a storm, 
 and losing his way, was so long without shelter 
 that his feet were frozen and had to be amputated. 
 He is ,now living on a farm in that state and 
 draws a pension from the Goverment .of $72 per 
 month. Rebecca, the eldest sister of our subject, 
 married William Smith; she went to Iowa to live 
 and died there. Laonice was the wife of John Hub- 
 ble, a miller of Indianapolis; she is now deceased. 
 Ellen is now Mrs. John Everman and makes her 
 home in Christian County, this state, where her 
 husband is a well-to-do farmer. 
 
 The subject of this sketch grew to man's estate 
 on his father's farm, and in the meantime was 
 given a good education in the select schools. He 
 taught school for some time prior to coming to 
 
 Illinois, and in 1852, when making his advent into 
 Tazewell County, located in the northeastern part 
 of Pekin, which city was his home for about three 
 years. At the end of that time he moved upon a 
 farm five miles south of the city, which lie was 
 occupied in cultivating until 1865, the date of 
 his settlement upon his present estate in Dillon 
 Township. 
 
 On the 20th of August, 1854, Mr. Clements was 
 married to Miss Tamzon B., the daughter of John 
 Bowlby. She was born in New Jersey and came 
 to Illinois in 1850. By her union with our sub- 
 ject have been born five children: Robert, now de- 
 ceased; Frank, a carpenter in Green Valley; Harry, 
 also residing in that place; Jennie, who died when 
 twenty-three years of age; and Minnie, the wife 
 of Charles Nicely, a hardware merchant in Green 
 Valley. 
 
 In religious affairs our subject is a consistent 
 
 -member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 
 
 politics he is a true-blue Republican, but is in no 
 
 sense an 6'fHce-seeker, although at one time he filled 
 
 the responsible position of Justice of the Peace. 
 
 OHN W. MATTHEESSON is connected with 
 one of the leading industries of Pekin, being 
 Superintendent and a Director of the Pekin 
 Plow Company. He is one of the worthy 
 citizens that Germany has furnished to Tazewell 
 County. He was born in Nesse, Ostfriesland, Ger- 
 many, April 9, 1848, and is a son of William J. 
 and Christina (Seeberg) Mattheesson, who were 
 also natives of Germany. Both the paternal and 
 maternal grandfathers were blacksmiths. The fa- 
 ther of our subject also carried on business along 
 that line until his death, which occurred in his na- 
 tive land in 1892, at the age of seventy -seven. In 
 the following spring his widow crossed the At- 
 lantic, and is now living with her children, at the 
 age of seven ty -three. In the family were four sons 
 and a daughter, and three of the brothers live in 
 Pekin. 
 
 John W. Mattheesson, the eldest, attended the 
 public schools until fourteen years of age, when
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of fHt 
 
 UNIVERSm Of lUJNWS
 
 CONRAD LUPPEN.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 227 
 
 lie was apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade. 
 When his term had expired he engaged in work as 
 a journeyman. The year 1866 was an important 
 one in his life, for it was then that he came to the 
 New World. Accompanied by his brother Harm, 
 he hoarded a sailing-vessel at Bremen, and at 
 length reached New York City, whence he made 
 his way to Peoria, 111., where he was employed 
 in the Peoria Plow shops until the spring of 
 the following year. He then came to Pekin, and 
 secured work with the T. & H. Smith Company as 
 a blacksmith in the plow department, thus serv- 
 ing for four years, when he established a smithy 
 of his own in Kickapoo, Peoria County. After a 
 year, however, he returned to Pekin and became 
 a blacksmith with Weber & Fre}", in whose employ 
 he remained four years, when he began business 
 for himself on Elizabeth Street. Later he was 
 with the firm of Schleder, Glouz & Co. for two 
 years, and in 1879 he became Superintendent of 
 the Pekin Plow Works, with which he has since 
 been connected. In 1890, the business was incor- 
 porated under the name of the Pekin Plow Com- 
 pany, with a capital stock of $100,000. Since that 
 time Mr. Mattheesson has also been one of its di- 
 rectors. The business has been steadily increased, 
 and they now have a room for manufacturing 
 plows, a grinding room, Mulshing room, drop room, 
 dipping room, harrow room, ware houses and of- 
 fices. The machinery is run by steam power, 
 furnished by two engines, one of sixty-four horse 
 power and the other of twelve horse power. They 
 manufacture plows, cultivators and harrows of all 
 kinds, having three hundred and seventy-two dif- 
 ferent patterns, and employ about two hundred 
 men during the busy season. 
 
 Mr. Mattheesson was married in Pekin in 1869 
 to Miss Ada Sampen, who was born in Ostfriesland, 
 Germany. They have six children, William J. 
 (senior partner in the grocery firm of Mattheesson 
 & Co.), Tina, .John, Christina, Harm inn and Ru- 
 dolph. 
 
 Our subject exercises his right of franchise in 
 support of the Republican party, and has served 
 for four terms as Alderman from the Third Ward. 
 He is President of the German Mutual Aid Socie- 
 ty, and for the past four years has been President 
 
 of the Working Men's Society, tie belongs to 
 the Knights of Honor, the Legion of Honor, the 
 Modern Woodmen of America and the Mutual 
 Protective Association of Druids. He also holds 
 membership with the German Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and is a pleasant and accommodating gen- 
 tleman, both widely and favorably known. His 
 success in business is the result of his own well di- 
 rected efforts and is therefore justly dese'rved. 
 
 ONRAD LUPPEN, Cashier of and co-part- 
 ' rr ner in the bank of Teis Smith & Co., of 
 Pekin, is also President of the People's 
 Bank in Manito, 111., and a stockholder in the wagon 
 manufactory of T. & II. Smith & Co., and in the 
 grain and commission firm of Smith, Hippin it Co. 
 He was born in Pekin December 6, 1851, and is a 
 son of Luppe Luppen, one of the oldest and most 
 prominent settlers of this place. The father was 
 born in the County of Emden, Hanover, Germany, 
 August 20, 1823, and is a son of Peter Otten Lup- 
 pen, a native of Germany and a cooper by trade. 
 His last days were spent in Pekin. 
 
 The father of our subject was educated in the 
 common schools, and learned the trades of ma- 
 chinist and blacksmith in his native land. He per- 
 fected himself in those occupations in Holland, 
 becoming an expert workman in iron and wood 
 of- every description. In 1848 he married Cath- 
 erine Conrad Smith, a native of Hanover, and a 
 sister of Hon. D. C. Smith, ex-Member of Congress 
 from this district. In 1848 he came to Pekin, and 
 with three brothers-in-law began the manufacture 
 of wagons, buggies and plows. As their trade in- 
 creased they steadily enlarged their facilities until 
 their works were the largest of the kind in this 
 vicinity. Mr. Luppen, Sr., is also connected with 
 the Pekin Plow Works, the T. & H. Smith Wagon 
 Works, the Teis Smith Bank, and the Smith- 
 Hippin Company. He is now the only surviving 
 member of a firm which established business in 
 1849. He is a natural genius and inventor, and 
 always gives his attention to the manufacturing 
 department, and the inventions and improvements 
 are the result of his skill. An invention from a 
 thought is worked out in metal, and the improve-
 
 228 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ment is tested on the machinery in the fields until 
 it operates perfectly. Mr. Luppen has thus made 
 many useful improvements which have benefited 
 the farmer as well as himself. In politics he was 
 formerly an Abolitionist, and is now a strong Re- 
 publican. He is a charter member of the German 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Conrad Luppen was the only child born to his 
 parents, but by a former marriage his mother had a 
 daughter, Susan, wife of Habbe Velde, of Pekin. 
 Conrad prepared for college in Warren ton, Mo., 
 and then entered the Wesleyan University of 
 Bloomington, where for two years he pursued the 
 classical course. He then embarked in business, 
 spending two years in the wagon factory as a 
 machinist, after which he became a clerk in the 
 Teis Smith & Co.'s Bank. In 1875 he became a 
 partner, and served as Teller for a number of years, 
 since which time he has filled the position of 
 Cashier. The bank, which was established in 1866, 
 is the oldest in Tazewell Count}'. Mr. Luppen 
 and his father own a large interest. Our subject 
 was one of the organizers of the People's Bank of 
 Manito, which was established in September, 1893, 
 and has since been its President. Wilh the vari- 
 ous other interests already mentioned he is promi- 
 nently connected, and also owns some valuable 
 real estate, including his beautiful home on Prince 
 Street, situated on a slight eminence, amid lovely 
 surroundings. 
 
 In Lewiston, 111., in 1880, Mr. Luppen married 
 Miss Rosella, daughter of Elijah Barnes, one of 
 the pioneers of Fulton County, Jll. They have two 
 children, Mary and Luppe. In his political opin- 
 ions, Mr. Luppen is a stanch Republican, and at 
 present is serving his third term as Alderman, 
 during which time man}' improvements in Pekin 
 have been made. In his religious connections he 
 is an active member of the German Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 ft WILLIAM LAUTERBACH, the genial and 
 
 pleasant proprietor of the Columbia Hotel 
 of Pekin, and one of the well known citi- 
 zens of this place, claims Germany as the land of 
 his birth, which occurred in Stotternheim, Saxony, 
 
 September 11, 1845. His father, Andrew Lauter- 
 bach, was a farmer in Saxony, and was a member of 
 the Lutheran Church. He died in his native land 
 at the age of fifty-six. His wife, who bore the 
 maiden name of Selma Ludvig, was also a native 
 of Saxony, and there died in April, 1892. The 
 grandmothers on both sides reached a very ad- . 
 vanced age. In the family were six children, of 
 whom four are yet living. The sons all came to 
 America, and Herman was drowned in the Illinois 
 River, at Pekin, in 1869. William is the next 
 younger. Louis died in Pekin in 1892. August 
 is a banker of Colby, Kan. Selma is the wife of 
 P. Prill, of Pekin. Louisa is married and lives in 
 Saxony. 
 
 William Lauterbach was reared on a farm and 
 attended the common schools until fourteen years 
 of age, after which he served as waiter in a hotel 
 for a time. In 1863, he returned home in order 
 to make preparations for emigrating to America, 
 and in July boarded the steamer " Herman" at ; 
 Bremen. He landed at New York City, started 
 westward, spent two weeks in Chicago, and then 
 came to Pekin, where he remained until the 1st of 
 February, 1864, when he enlisted in the Union 
 army, as a member of Company D, Ninth Illinois 
 Cavalry. He was engaged in skirmishing along 
 the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, and took 
 part in Wilson's raid and the battle of Selma, Ala. 
 At that place he was honorably discharged on the 
 1st of November, 1865, and in Springfield, 111., re- 
 ceived his pay. 
 
 Mr. Lauterbach then returned to Pekin, where 
 he engaged in business as a barber until 1872. 
 During that time he was united in marriage with 
 Annie Sassman, a native of Germany, and to them 
 were born three children, Herman, August and 
 Selma. In 1872, our subject purchased the Cen- 
 tral House, which he carried on for two years, 
 when he again opened a barber shop, which he con- 
 ducted until 1881. In that year he returned to 
 his native land, visited his old home and mother, 
 and spent four months in traveling in Germany. 
 
 In February, 1882, Mr. Lauterbach sold his bar- 
 ber shop and bought the Central Hotel, of which 
 he was proprietor until May 1, 1893, when he dis- 
 posed of that property, and in July following he
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 229 
 
 began the erection of the Columbia Hotel, on the 
 corner of Fourth and Margaret Streets, one block 
 from the Big Four depot and two blocks from the 
 Santa Fe de|>ot. The hotel is 65x52 feet and three 
 stories in height and is a well appointed home. 
 
 Socially he is connected with Joe Hannah Post 
 No. 1 15, G. A. R., and is a member of the Druids 
 and the Harugari. In his political views he is 
 a Democrat, and in religious belief he is a Lu- 
 theran. A man of pleasant, genial manner, he is 
 well fitted for his chosen work and is winning a 
 well deserved success. 
 
 i>ILLIAM H. GREEN, who follows farming 
 on section 3, Deer Creek Township, Taze- 
 well County, was born in Worcestershire, 
 England, July 22, 1843. His grandfather, John 
 Green, was a native of the same locality and was 
 a farmer by occupation. He owned a farm of 
 one hundred acres, which had been in the posses- 
 sion of the family for three hundred years. With 
 the Church of England he held membership. On 
 his death his eldest son, John, inherited the prop- 
 erty. There were two other sons in the family, 
 one of whom started for Australia, but changing 
 his mind, came to the United States. Since then 
 nothing has been heard of him. The third, Will- 
 iam Green, became the father of our subject. -He 
 was educated in the schools of his native land, 
 and when about twenty-eight years of age mar- 
 ried Sarah Hands. Her father served in an official 
 capacity under the British Government, and owned 
 property in one of the large cities ot England. 
 
 In 1846 William Green, Si 1 ., emigrated with his 
 family to the United States and located in Iowa 
 County, Wis., before that state was admitted to 
 the Union. He there entered two hundred acres 
 of Government land and began the development 
 of a farm, which he continued to cultivate until 
 1850, when, in eompan}* with eleven others, he 
 crossed the plains to California. For three years 
 he engaged successfully in mining, and then by 
 way of the water route returned to his home and 
 family in Wisconsin. In 1867 he removed to 
 Bremer County, Iowa, where he purchased three 
 
 hundred acres of land and spent his remaining 
 days. While visiting our subject he suffered an 
 attack of la grippe, and after an illness of two 
 weeks passed away, in February, 1889, at the age 
 of seventy-five years. That was the first time 
 sickness had ever confined him to his bed. His 
 wife still survives him, and is now living with her 
 daughter in Kansas. In politics he was a Repub- 
 lican. The family numbered seven children: Ce- 
 lena, wife of Richard Rundle; William H.; Harriet, 
 wife of Ennie Ellis; Walter; Sarah, wife of Wal- 
 lace Parkhurst; Mary, wife of Edward Lock wood; 
 and John. The children are all living, and now 
 have families of their own. 
 
 Mr. Green, whose name heads this record, re- 
 mained with his parents until nineteen years of 
 age, and was educated in the common schools. In 
 August, 1863, he responded to the call of his 
 adopted country for troops, and joined the boys 
 in blue of Company C, Thirty-first Wisconsin In- 
 fantry. Under General Sherman he participated 
 in the battles of Atlanta, Savannah, Averysboro 
 and Benton ville. At the last place he was wounded 
 by a gunshot in the left leg, and was captured and 
 sent to Libby Prison, where he remained for six 
 weeks, being the last prisoner to be released from 
 that place. He was sent to Annapolis, transferred 
 to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, and as soon as he 
 was able was sent to Madison, Wis., where he was 
 honorably discharged June 25, 1865, with the 
 rank of Corporal. 
 
 Soon after his return, Mr. Green went to LaSalle 
 County, 111., where he engaged in coal mining for 
 two years. He then went to Tremont, Tazewell 
 County, where he worked two years. He later 
 rented land and carried on farming for two years. 
 On the expiration of that period he went to Haw- 
 ley, Kan., where he secured a soldier's claim of 
 one hundred and sixty acres. Upon it he made 
 his home for four years, after which he returned 
 to Tazewell County, and after a decade spent on a 
 rented farm, bought his present home, comprising 
 three hundred and forty-eight acres of rich and 
 valuable land, which now pays to him a golden 
 tribute in return for the care and cultivation he 
 bestows upon it. 
 
 In Tremont was celebrated the marriage of Mr.
 
 230 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 Green and Miss Mar}', daughter of Frank and 
 Mary Robinson, but the lady lived only two 3'ears. 
 Our subject then wedded Miss Martha J. Smith, 
 daughter of Samuel and Mary J. (Graves) Smith. 
 They were pioneers of Tazewell County, and their 
 daughter was born in Morton Township. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Green have no children of their own, but 
 have given homes to Emma and Arthur C. Gin- 
 gerich, children of Mrs. Mary Gingerich, a sister 
 of Mrs. Green. Our subject and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are 
 charitable and benevolent people, in whom the 
 poor and needy find a friend. Their many excel- 
 lencies of character have gained them the high re- 
 gard of all witli whom they have been brought in 
 contact, and throughout the community they have 
 a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Mr. 
 Green was formerlj' a member of the Grand Army 
 of the Republic, and in politics is a Republican. 
 
 ^ILLIAM CRANSON COVERT. The gen- 
 tleman whose sketch we now purpose to 
 place before the public is conductor on a 
 local freight on the Santa Fe Road running be- 
 tween Pekin and Streator. He is a native of New 
 York, and was born in Ovid, Seneca County, No- 
 vember 25, 1848. His father, J. I. Covert, was 
 also a native of the above county, and his father, 
 J. J. Covert, was likewise born in New York. The 
 Covert family are descended from French Hugue- 
 nots, and trace their ancestors back to one of two 
 brothers who came hither prior to the Revolution 
 and made his home in New York. The grandfa- 
 ther was a soldier in the War of 1812, and came 
 west to Michigan with his wife when advanced in 
 years, and died in Genesee County. 
 
 The father of our subject followed the carpen- 
 ter's trade in his native state, and in 1852 removed 
 to Genesee County. Mich., where he plied his 
 trade and at the same time cultivated a small farm. 
 He was a well informed man, and being an ardent 
 advocate of Abolition principles, was greatly in 
 demand as a "stump speaker." He was a talented 
 
 musician, being able to play on almost any instru- 
 ment; was a composer of considerable note, and 
 also taught vocal music. He found his religious 
 home in the Baptist Church, in which faith he was 
 reared, and to which faith he was ever devoted. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Ardilla (Clark) 
 Covert, was born in Virginia and removed to New 
 York with her father, where she was married. She 
 is still living, making her home in Flint. Mich., at 
 the age of seventy-five j'ears. Her family in- 
 cluded four daughters and one son, of whom Will- 
 iam, of this sketch, was the third in order of birth. 
 He was reared in Grand Blanc Township, on the 
 Fentonville Plank Road in Michigan, and received 
 a good district-school education. He remained on 
 his father's farm until reaching his twentietli year, 
 in the meantime being employed in driving the 
 stage between Flint and Fentonville and also in 
 teaming in the lumber district. 
 
 On attaining his majority, our subject engaged 
 as baggageman for the Flint <fe Pere Marquette 
 Railroad in Saginaw, and later was made switch- 
 man in the company's yards at Flint. Not being 
 satisfied with that kind of work, he six months 
 later began braking on a local freight train, and 
 two months later went to Jackson, Mich., where 
 he found work braking on the Ft. Wayne, Jack- 
 son & Saginaw Railroad. Soon thereafter he was 
 made passenger conductor on the train running 
 between Jackson and Ft. Wayne, after which he 
 held the same position on a local freight train. He 
 remained in the employ of that company until 
 1881, after which he ran a local freight for eight 
 months, first between Ft. Wa}'ne, Cincinnati and 
 Louisville, and later between Ft. Wayne, Conners- 
 ville and Rushville. Mr. Covert then engaged 
 to work on the Nickel Plate Road, his run being 
 between Ft. Wayne and Chicago on a through 
 freight train, which position he held for six years. 
 
 In 1889 our subject changed to the Santa Fe, 
 having charge of the freight running between Chi- 
 cago and Chillicothe. He made his headquarters 
 at the latter place until February, 1892, when he 
 was transferred to Pekin, and now is conductor 
 on the train running between Pekin and Streator. 
 It will thus be seen that he has been a railroad 
 man for over a quarter of a century, and during
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 231 
 
 all those years has never had an accident, although 
 lie has had some very narrow escapes. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married in 
 Ft. Wayne, Ind., November 14, 1878, was Miss 
 'Frances, daughter of Conrad Pipenbrink. They 
 have become the parents of six children: Eva 
 Blanch, Edith C., Inez M., William C., Harry A. 
 and Lillian C. During the late war our subject 
 was very desirous of joining the ranks of the 
 Union army, and on three different occasions made 
 attempts to enlist his services, but as many times 
 was prevented by his family. lie is a Republican 
 in politics, and is a man of decided beliefs and 
 force of will. Socially he belongs to the Order of 
 Railway Conductors, and those who have been ac- 
 quainted with him since boyhood are numbered 
 among his stanchest friends, a fact which indicates 
 the honorable, upright life which he has led. 
 
 OLOMON PUTERBAUGII, who is now 
 living a retired life in Mackinaw, has be- 
 come through his own earnest and well 
 directed efforts one of the wealthiest citi- 
 zens of Tazewell County. He may well be called 
 a self-made man, for his success is due entirely to 
 his own resources and is the just reward of his la- 
 bors. His life record is as follows: He was born 
 in Miami County, Ohio, September 9, 1822, and is 
 a son of Jacob and Hannah (Ilittle) Puterbaugh. 
 His grandfather, John Puterbaugh, was a native 
 of Germany, who, when a young man. crossed the 
 Atlantic to the New World. He located in Penn- 
 sylvania, and there his eight children were born. 
 They were, Catherine, wife of Solomon Siioup; 
 Daniel, Jacob, Samuel, Andrew, Henry, John and 
 David. The father removed with the family to 
 Ohio, and there the children grew to manhood and 
 womanhood. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, on the line dividing that state from Mary- 
 land, in 1796. He received his education in the 
 common schools, removed to Miami County, Ohio, 
 and in 1839 came to Tazewell Count}', locating 
 upon the farm which is now the home of our sub- 
 
 ject. The year previous he had chosen this loca- 
 tion. He successfully carried on farming and 
 stock-raising, and accumulated about one thou- 
 sand acres of land. In politics he was a Whig, 
 and in religious belief he was a Dunkard. lie 
 gave freely of his means to church and benevolent 
 work, and his life was filled with many good deeds. 
 In 1858 he was called to the home beyond, and his 
 wife passed away during the war. One of their 
 children died in early childhood; Catherine is 
 the deceased wife of Daniel Newcomb; Elizabeth is 
 the widow of Thomas L. Matthews, of Clinton 111.; 
 Solomon is the next younger; Daniel is a retired 
 farmer of Mackinaw; Serena is the deceased wife 
 of J. L. Hatcher; Harriet died in childhood; Samuel . 
 H. is Superintendent of the County Farm of Taze- 
 well County; S. D., deceased, who was a law part- 
 ner of Col. Robert J. Ingersoll, was a prominent at- 
 torney of Peoria and Chicago; heserxred as Circuit 
 Judge, and wrote many law books which are used 
 as authority; Jane is the deceased wife of J. B. 
 Ketchum; Harriet is the deceased wife of J. R. 
 Russell; and George, who was also a law partner 
 of Colonel Ingersoll, is now a Supreme Judge of 
 California. 
 
 Solomon Puterbaugh remained with his parents 
 until after lie had attained his majorit}', and then 
 hired out at $44 per year. Six months later he 
 married Eliza A. Ho well, daughter of Elijah and 
 Marie (McAllister) llowell. She was born in 
 White County, 111., lived in Kentucky between the 
 ages of two and six years, and then came to Mack- 
 inaw. Her father vvas a farmer, and died in 1838. 
 Her mother, who ever remained faithful to his 
 memory, passed away in 1873. In their family were 
 five children. To Mr. and Mrs. Puterbaugh were 
 born four children: John II. and llowell J., who are 
 farmers and stock-raisers of Tazewell County; and 
 Ben and Hannah M., who are deceased. The sons are 
 young men of great enterprise and business abil- 
 ity, and will no doubt win the success which has 
 characterized their father's career. 
 
 Upon his marriage, Mr. Puterbaugh received 
 one hundred and thirty acres of land from his fa- 
 ther, and until three years ago retained possession 
 of that farm. He was principally engaged in stock 
 dealing, and was very successful in his uudertak-
 
 232 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ings. Investing his gains in land, he accumu- 
 lated over one thousand acres. For a number 
 of years he has been interested in Porter Bros. 
 & Pnterbaugh'a Bank, of Mackinaw, of which 
 he .is President, but for the past twenty years 
 has practically lived retired, enjoying the fruits 
 of his former toil. He and his wife are num- 
 bered among the leading members and active 
 workers in the Christian Church, and Mr. Pu- 
 terbaugh is now serving as Deacon. He is the old- 
 est Sunday-school Secretary of the county, and 
 has held that office longer than any other incum- 
 bent. In politics he is a stalwart Republican. The 
 best interests of the community have ever found 
 in him a friend, and his support and co-operation 
 are never withheld from anything which he be- 
 lieves will prove of benefit to the community. His 
 long residence in Tazewell Count}' has made him 
 widely known, and his honorable, upright life has 
 gained him the confidence and esteem of all with 
 whom business or social relations have brought 
 him in contact. 
 
 ^j| OHN ALLEN, who carries on farming in 
 Delavan Township, is one of the self-made 
 men of Tax.ewell County; without capital 
 he started out in life for himself, and has 
 steadily worked his way upward to a position of 
 affluence. His life has been well spent and his ex- 
 ample is worthy of emulation. He was born near 
 Plainfleld, in Somerset County, N. J., December 3, 
 1828, and is a son of David Allen, who was born 
 in the same locality December 22, 1787. He was 
 a soldier in the War of 1812, and his brother John 
 served as Colonel in that war. Joseph Allen, the 
 great-grandfather of our subject, became the owner 
 of the farm on which the grandfather, father, and 
 our subject were all born. The place is still in the 
 possession of the family. David Allen there spent 
 his entire life, his death there occurring at the age 
 of eighty-five. He had married Susan Townely, an 
 English lady, whose father was a soldier in the 
 British army during the early part of the Revolu- 
 tion, during which time he was twice wounded. It 
 is said that he turned traitor, and nothing was 
 
 ever heard of him afterward. So Mrs. Allen was 
 reared by strangers on Manhattan Island, and 
 there lived until arriving at womanhood; she was 
 married in 1878. 
 
 In the Allen family were four sons and three 
 daughters. Aaron and Elias, aged respectively 
 seventy-six and seventy, are now living on 
 the old homestead; David is living in Dillon 
 Township, at the age of sixty-eight 3'ears; and 
 Mary is the wife John Spencer, of New Jersey. 
 The other son of the family is John Allen, whose 
 name heads this record. He received but limited 
 school privileges, and when twenty years of age 
 began learning the carpenter's trade in Newark, 
 N. J. He afterward followed that occupation in 
 New York City, and in 1857 came to Illinois, 
 where his brother David had located five years 
 previous. Here he worked at his trade for a few 
 years, and in 1860, with the capital he had ac- 
 quired, made his first purchase of land, compris- 
 ing eighty acres of the farm which has since been 
 his home. To this he has added from time to time 
 and is now recognized as one of the prosperous 
 farmers of the community. 
 
 Mr. Allen was married in 1854 to Miss Susan 
 Hammond, of New York City, and to them were 
 born three children, two yet living. On the 15th 
 of January, 1864, while Mr. Allen was away with 
 a load of grain, his wife went to the well to water 
 some of the stock. It was icy around the curb, 
 and losing her footing, she fell head lirst into the 
 well. Her little children were the only people 
 near, and they were unable to render assistance. 
 They made their way through deep snow to the 
 nearest neighbor and gave the alarm, but it was of 
 no avail, as life had been some time extinct when 
 the lady was rescued. This was a very sad blow 
 to the husband and children. The son, George E., 
 married Miss Nelia Ray, and has two children, 
 Eugene and Susie. For some years he was exten- 
 sively engaged in farming, but is now living re- 
 tired at his fine home in Delavan. The daughter, 
 Hattie, is the wife of Edward Brawner, who owns 
 a farm adjoining that of our subject. They have 
 four children, Clara, George, Emma and Edward. 
 After his children were grown and married, Mr. 
 Allen married again, wedding Hannah A. Drake,
 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 233 
 
 who for more than twenty years had been his 
 housekeeper. She is also a native of New Jersey. 
 Mr. Allen has always been a hard working, in- 
 dustrious man, and has accumulated a comfortable 
 fortune through his own exertions. He certainly 
 deserves great credit for his success in life. He 
 has always been a Republican in politics, and has 
 held some local oltices, but they were thrust upon 
 him, not accepted from choice. 
 
 ATHIAS T. WOOD, attorney and real-es- 
 tate dealer of Hopcdale, 111., was born in 
 * Tremont Township, Tazewell County, Jan- 
 uary 16, 1842, and is of English and Ger- 
 man descent. His grandfather, Ebenezer Wood, 
 was a native of England and married a German 
 lady. His father, Stephen Wood, was born on 
 Long Island, N. Y., emigrated to Ohio in an early 
 day, and in 1833 became a resident of Mackinaw 
 Township, Tazewell County, 111. Later he removed 
 to Tremont Township, and in 1856 went to Linn 
 County, Kan., where he lived during the trouble- 
 some times preceding the Civil War. When the 
 south attacked Ft. Sumter he immediately offered 
 his services to the Government and faithfully de- 
 fended the Stars and Stripes through the struggle 
 that ensued. He married Elizabeth Trout, a na- 
 tive of Virginia. Her parents were natives of 
 Germany, and during her girlhood they removed 
 to Tennessee, whence she came to Illinois, where 
 she met and married Stephen Wood. She died 
 when our subject was a child of five years, and Mr. 
 Wood died in 1889. In the family were three 
 children, but the sister died at the age of four 
 years. Klias, the brother of our subject, served 
 four years in the Civil War as a member of the 
 Twenty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and took part in 
 many important battles. He is now a farmer of 
 Elmwood, Peoria County. The father of this fam- 
 ily was a second time married and had several 
 children, including Charles, a farmer of Gitard, 
 Kan.; Henry, of Pueblo, Colo.; and Lewis, a harness- 
 maker of Michigan. 
 
 Mathias T. Wood went with his father to Kan- 
 sas in 1856, but returned to Illinois in 1859. He 
 
 worked on a ferry boat at Havana for a time 
 and then came to Hopedale, where he attended 
 school through the following winter. In the 
 spring he began working on the farm of Henry 
 Smith, and was thus employed at the time of the 
 breaking out of the late war. On the 25th of 
 July, 1861, he joined the boys in blue of Company 
 D, Seventh Illinois Infantry, and did service in 
 Missouri and Arkansas, following Forest. The 
 troops went into winter quarters at Port Holt, Ky., 
 and in the spring of 1862 Mr. Wood took part in 
 the battles of Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson. He 
 was also in the thickest of the fight at Shiloh, took 
 part in the siege of Corinth and then did garrison 
 duty until the battle of luka. He served as a dis- 
 patch courier at the second battle of Corinth, and 
 while carrying a message to General Oglesby saw 
 the General shot. His time being about half out he 
 could not obtain a leave of absence so his Colonel 
 permitted him to take some condemned horses 
 back to Illinois and bring him a saddle horse. He 
 rejoined his regiment at Corinth and was engaged 
 in scouting until he started with Sherman on the 
 march from Atlanta to the sea. Ere that march 
 was completed he was taken ill and was honorably 
 discharged, his time having expired about a month 
 previous. For three years he was unable to engage 
 in any work. 
 
 During his furlough Mr. Wood had married Miss 
 Mary liolfson, a school teacher. Pie engaged in 
 different lines of business until 1870, when he 
 commenced the study of law, and since 1877 he has 
 been continuously engaged in legal practice in 
 Hopedale, in connection with the real-estate and 
 insurance business. He is now serving as Justice 
 of the Peace of his township, and has been a mem- 
 ber of the Republican Central Committee. Since 
 casting his first Presidential vote for Abraham 
 Lincoln he has been a stanch Republican, and is 
 now his party's candidate for County Sheriff. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Wood were born four children. 
 Anna L. is the wife of Frank L. Zipf, a prosperous 
 merchant of Hopedale; William, who graduated 
 from the high school, is studying law. Although 
 but a young man he is Chairman of the Town- 
 ship Republican Central Committee; Frank and 
 Letta, aged seventeen and eleven years, respective-
 
 234 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ly, are attending school. They also lost one 
 child, Maggie, who died at the age of seventeen. 
 The parents are both members of the Methodist 
 Church. Mr. Wood takes a very active part in 
 church and benevolent work, and for seventeen 
 years has been a teacher in the Sunday-school. He 
 is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the 
 Republic, and has served as Chaplain of his post 
 since its organization. He is also Chaplain of the 
 Odd Fellows' society to which he belongs. Mr. 
 Wood is truly a self-made man. Without special 
 educational or other advantages he has steadily 
 worked his way upward to a position of promi- 
 nence and has also acquired considerable property. 
 
 rj=TtfRANKLIN FIELD, one of the enterprising 
 substantial farmers of Tazewell Coun- 
 
 ty, now living on section 18, Deer Creek 
 Township, was born in Washington Township -en- 
 the 8th of April, 1840. His grandparents, Anthony 
 and Sarah (Franklin) Field, were both born near 
 the city of New York. The former was born Oc- 
 tober 24, 1757, and at a very early age enlisted in 
 the Colonial army. After several months' service 
 in the Revolutionary War lie received an honora- 
 ble discharge. He was for two years a soldier in 
 the War of 1812, and took part in the battle of 
 Plaltsburg. After being mustered out he returned 
 to his family in Vermont, to which state he had 
 previously moved, and carried on business as a 
 farmer and stock-dealer. lie accumulated a large 
 tract of land and made his home thereon until his 
 death, in 1855. His wife, who was born November 
 4, 1772, also passed away in 1855. They were 
 married in 1795, and Mrs. Field was an own 
 cousin of Dr. Benjamin Franklin. The Field fam- 
 ily is of English origin, and was founded in Amer- 
 ica by the great-grandparents of our subject. 
 
 Anthony Field, father of our subject, was one of 
 a family of fourteen children, two of whom are 
 living in Vermont. lie and his twin brother, 
 Joshua, were born in Addison County, Vt., August 
 15, 1808, but were reared in Rutland County, 
 where the father lived during his active life. He 
 
 acquired a good education and remained with his 
 parents until after he had attained his majority. 
 For about six years he engaged in business as a 
 stock-dealer in Vermont, after which he emigrated 
 to Tazewell County, III., in 1838, making the jour- 
 ney by way of the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois 
 Rivers to Peoria, whence he came to his des- 
 tination. His family then consisted of his wife 
 and one child, for in his native state he had wed- 
 ded Mary A. Hathaway. Having purchased one 
 hundred and sixty acres of land on section 34, 
 Washington Township, Mr. Field at once em- 
 barked in the stock business. He had but little 
 capital, but as the result of good business qualifi- 
 cations, economy and industry he became quite 
 wealthy, accumulating seven hundred and twenty 
 acres of land in Illinois and three hundred and 
 twenty acres in Kansas. He ever gave freely to 
 enterprises calculated to prove of public benefit, 
 and it seemed that he could not do too much to 
 enhance the happiness of his family. He was niar- 
 ried/irgwst'l 1, 1836, to Mary, daughter of Austin 
 and Esther Hathaway. She was born in Franklin 
 County, Vt., in 1819, and they became the parents 
 of ten children who grew to mature years. They 
 were, Elizabeth, deceased wife of Charles Pratt; 
 Franklin; Henry and Benjamin, deceased; Adelia, 
 deceased wife of Martin Lewis; George A., a rail- 
 road engineer of Missouri; Harvey, who has also 
 passed away; Emrna, deceased wife of Joseph Zin- 
 ser; Stephen, who has departed this life; and Mary 
 E., wife of Sturgis Small. The father died De- 
 cember 19, 1878, and the mother was called to the 
 home beyond October 25, 1880. 
 
 Franklin Field acquired his education in private 
 schools and in the old-time log schoolhouses. He 
 began farming on his father's land and gradually 
 worked into the stock business, which he has fol- 
 lowed continuously since. When twenty-three 
 years of age he married Sarah M. Van Camp, who 
 was born in what is now Deer Creek Township, 
 Tazewell County. Her parents were William and 
 Elizabeth (Martany) Van Camp, the former a na- 
 tive of New Jersey, and the latter of Ohio. Seven 
 children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Field: Lizzie, 
 now the wife of B. F. Ay res, by whom she has one 
 son, Herbert R.; Charles, who married Myrtle
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of JHt 
 
 OF (UJftCNS
 
 REV. GEO. W MIN1ER.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 237 
 
 Small and lias one son, George M.; Martha; Mil- 
 dred and Willard, twins; and Ollie A. and Delia, 
 at home. The mother of this family passed away 
 January 15, 1892, and her death was widely 
 mourned throughout the community, for she had 
 the esteem of all who knew her. 
 
 Krom his father Mr. Field received a tract of 
 land in Iroquois County, and after improving it 
 for a time he sold it and bought of his father the 
 farm on which he now lives. He accumulated 
 several hundred acres of land, but has now dis- 
 posed of all except two hundred and eighty acres. 
 The enterprise and industry which characterized 
 his efforts brought him a competence which is well 
 deserved and which makes him one of the wealthy 
 farmers of the neighborhood. He has reared an 
 intelligent and highly respected family and has 
 lived a life that has won him universal confidence 
 and esteem. His fellow-townsmen have frequent- 
 ly honored him with local offices, and at this writ- 
 ing he is serving as a member of the County Board 
 of Supervisors. He exercises his right of franchise 
 in support of the Republican party. 
 
 EV. GEORGE W. MINIER,oneof the early 
 settlers of Tazewell County, and a pioneer 
 Christian preacher of western Illinois, now 
 makes his home on section 13, Little Mack- 
 inaw Township. He was born in Ulster Town- 
 ship, Bradford County, Pa., October 8, 1813, and 
 is a son of John Minier, also a native pf the Key- 
 stone State. The grandfather, Daniel Minier, was 
 of German descent and served under General 
 Washington in the Revolutionary War. During 
 the greater part of his life he followed farming 
 in Bradford County, Pa. In religious belief he 
 was a Methodist. He married Polly Waggoner, 
 who died at the age of ninety-six, and they be- 
 came the parents of five sons and five daughters. 
 John Minier, the second child, was born in Ly- 
 coming County, Pa., and during his boyhood went 
 to Bradford County, where he married Rachel, 
 daughter of Obediah Brown; the latter was a 
 3 
 
 Lieutenant in the Colonial army and aided in 
 the capture of. Burgoyne at the battle of Sara- 
 toga. For some years John Minier followed farm- 
 ing in the Keystone State, and in 1839 emigrated 
 to Bureau County, III., where his death occurred 
 about two years later. His wife passed away about 
 1858, at the age of eighty-seven. In religious 
 belief he was a Univers'alist. In their family were 
 ten children, and with one exception all grew to 
 mature years. Three sons and a daughter are yet 
 living: Robert B., a farmer of Henry County, III.; 
 Theodore L., a banker and ex-State Senator of 
 Elmira, N. Y.; George W.; andMrs. Mahala Burn- 
 ham, of Bradford County, Pa. 
 
 Our subject was reared in Bradford County, 
 and was educated in the public schools and Athens 
 Academ}'. He often walked six miles to and 
 from school. When his college course was com- 
 pleted he engaged in teaching in Chemung, N. Y., 
 for three years, and in 1837 emigrated to Chi- 
 cago, 111., where he mef'Long John Wentworth." 
 He then went to Bureau County and engaged in 
 surveying the state road from Peru to Galesburg. 
 In 1839 he was employed as a civil engineer on 
 the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad, 
 and aided in the survey of the Illinois River. 
 His work along that stream brought on an attack 
 of ague, which lasted for fourteen months, after 
 which he resumed teaching near Princeton, 111. 
 Three years were spent as a teacher in Magnolia, 
 Putnam County, after which he became a preacher 
 of the Christian Church, and continued in the 
 work of the ministry in McLean and Tazewell 
 Counties for many years. He was also at the 
 head of a female college in Bloomington, which 
 he sold in 1850 to Dr. Finley. The following 
 year he came to Tazewell County, and with a 
 land warrant secured one hundred and sixty acres 
 of Government land at eighty-three cents per 
 acre. It was a tract of unbroken prairie, but he 
 cleared and improved it, and has since made his 
 home thereon. In connection with farming, he 
 has also continued his work as a Christian minister. 
 January 1, 1839, Mr. Minier married Sarah Ire- 
 land, of Bureau County, 111., daughter of Jonathan 
 Ireland, who was born in Virginia and who came 
 to Illinois in 1834. His daughter was also born in
 
 238 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the Old Dominion. Mr. and Mrs. Minier became 
 the parents of twelve children, ten of whom are 
 yet living: T. L., of Minier, 111.; Leonidas, a rail- 
 road employe of Chicago; Eliza Jane, wife of James 
 Edmiston, state agent for the Union Central Life 
 Insurance Company at Lincoln, Neb.; Emily, wife 
 of John II. Spears, an attorney at Chicago; Era- 
 ogene, wife of George G.' Sanborn, a wholesale 
 importer of Philadelphia; George, a farmer of 
 Nebraska; Horace M., general agent for the Union 
 Central Life Insurance Company, living in Waco, 
 Tex.; Thomas C., a graduate of the Illinois Wes- 
 leyan University, ^ho now follows farming in 
 Nebraska; Theophilus I., an agriculturist of Ne- 
 braska; and Mary, at home. 
 
 Rev. Mr. Minier was ordained a minister of 
 the Christian Church in 1842, and has since en- 
 gaged in preaching. He was pastor of the churches 
 in Lincoln, Atlanta, Eminence, Bethel, Arming- 
 ton, Washington, Stouts Grove, Blue Mound, 
 Hayworth, Shirley, Hudson, White Oak Grove, 
 Antioch, Concord, Minier, Delavan and Emden. 
 Earnestly has he labored along this line, and the 
 lives of many noble men and women arc evidence 
 that his labors have not been in vain. In early 
 life he was a Democrat in politics, but was a 
 stanch Republican from the organization of the 
 party until a short time since, when he joined the 
 Prohibition party, and was the first man ever 
 nominated in the United States for Congress on 
 the Prohibition ticket. He was a warm personal 
 friend of Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 For man}' years Rev. Mr. Minier has been iden- 
 tified with the Horticultural Society of Illinois, 
 was its President two years, and for five years 
 was Vice-President of the State Agricultural So- 
 ciety. He is a charter member of the Forestry As- 
 sociation of North America, and served one year 
 as its President. Throughout life he has been a 
 member of the Sons of Temperance and is a Di- 
 rector in the American Bible Union. He is a 
 member of the Peace Congress of the United 
 States and was elected a delegate to the World's 
 Convention in London, where he was to read a 
 paper. Being prevented from going, he however 
 sent the article which he had prepared, and which 
 was read before that body. He took a warm in- 
 
 terest in organizing the State University of Illi- 
 nois, and his support and co-operation are given 
 to whatever is calculated to prove of public bene- 
 fit. His library is a fine one, containing many 
 choice volumes. He has always been a great 
 reader and student, and from three until ten A. M. 
 he devotes his time to reading, writing and agri- 
 cultural pursuits. He has now reached the uge 
 of eighty-one years, yet his mental faculties re- 
 main unimpaired. 
 
 eHRISTIAN HELLEMANN.an honored Her- 
 man citizen of Tazewell County, who now 
 resides on a valuable farm on section 13, 
 Elm Grove Township, was born in the province of 
 Brunswick, Germany, November 13, 1831, and is 
 the eldest in a family of five children whose 
 parents were Christian and Fredcricka (Spandau) 
 Hellemann. By occupation the father was a farm- 
 er, and followed that pursuit throughout life. 
 He was killed by a falling tree in the year 1848, 
 and his widow, who survived him for many years, 
 died in 1891, at the advanced age of eighty-four. 
 They never left their native land, but continued 
 there to reside until called to the home beyond. 
 
 Mr. Hellemann, of this sketch, was reared in the 
 Fatherland, but when a young man of twenty- 
 three resolved to seek a home and fortune beyond 
 the Atlantic, and on the 29th of November, 1854, 
 landed in New Orleans. He was the only member 
 of his family that emigrated from Germany. On 
 reaching this country he at once started for the 
 west, and took up his residence in St. Louis, where 
 for two years he followed various pursuits in or- 
 der to earn an honest livelihood. The year 1857 
 witnessed his arrival in Tazewell County, 111. He 
 located in Tremont Township, where he lived for 
 six years, and during part of that time worked as 
 a farm hand by the month. Soon, however, he 
 rented land and engaged in farming for himself. 
 In this way he succeeded in getting a start in life, 
 and thereby laid the foundation upon which his 
 present fortune was built. After renting land for 
 a few years, during which time he was economical
 
 POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 239 
 
 and industrious and laid 113- some capital, he pur- 
 chased a farm, in 1866. It was a small tract of only 
 thirty acres, and was located in Tremont Township, 
 one mile east of the village of that name. There 
 he made his home for three years, when he pur- 
 chased the farm on which he now resides, in Elm 
 Grove Township. When he became its owner in 
 1869, it comprised but sixty acres, but from time 
 to tune he has added to this amount as he has 
 prospered, until he now owns two hundred and 
 seventeen acres in Elm Grove Town hip, while his 
 landed possessions altogether comprise three hun- 
 dred and seventy-seven acres. 
 
 Mr. Hellemann has found a faithful companion 
 and helpmate in his wife. He was married Sep- 
 tember 18, 1859, to Dorothy Stamme, a native of 
 Hanover, Germany, and to them were born six 
 children, two sons and four daughters: Christian, 
 who is represented elsewhere in this work; Julia, 
 wife of Charles G iff horn, of Monroe County, 111.; 
 Mary, wife of John Paupenhausen, of P^lm Grove; 
 Frederick, at home; Matilda, wife of Fred Becker, 
 of Tremont; and Anna, who completes the family. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Hellemann has been a Republican 
 since the organization of the party. By virtue of 
 his energy and ability he has made an unqualified 
 success in his chosen vocation, and is regarded as 
 one of the intelligent and well informed men of 
 the community, as well as one of the very success- 
 ful farmers. Since coming to America, he has 
 made several visits to the land of his birth, and 
 has also sent his children at different times, thus 
 giving them the advantages of education by ex- 
 tended travel. 
 
 ~//fl\< ' , a representative farmer of Del- 
 
 ffl avan Township, Tazewell County, was 
 1ft born near South Orange, N. J., March 17, 
 1834. The family was founded in Amer- 
 ica by Edward Ball, a native of Scotland, who lo- 
 cated on a farm which is now the site of Newark, 
 N. J. This was in 1667. By occupation he was 
 a surveyor, and was a man of considerable promi- 
 nence. His son Thomas was the father of Aaron, 
 and he the father of Joseph Ball, and. the latter 
 
 was the father of Joseph B. Ball, the grandfather 
 of our subject. The last-named was a shoemaker 
 by trade, and lived and died near South Orange, 
 N. J. 
 
 Amzi Ball, the fattier of our subject, was there 
 born November 15, 1806, and in 1835 emigrated 
 to Ohio. The following year he went to Indiana, 
 and in 1851 came to Tazewell County, where he 
 spent his remaining days upon a farm, his death 
 occurring May 8, 1890. He served as a member 
 of the New Jersey Militia for eleven 3'ears, and 
 was a leading and influential citizen. He was 
 married March 19, 1833, to Miss Maria Meeker, 
 daughter of Benjamin Meeker. She was born Sep- 
 tember 19, 1812, and is now living with our sub- 
 ject. She is a bright and cheerful old lady, and 
 her eighty-two years rest lightly upon her, her 
 faculties being quite well preserved. 
 
 A. W. Ball was about seventeen years of age 
 when he came to Tazewell County. He acquired 
 a good education, which was completed in Tre- 
 mont Academy, after which he engaged in teach- 
 ing school for about four years. On the 27th of 
 December, 1855, he married Elizabeth Ann Mose- 
 ley, who was born and reared in Tazewell County, 
 although her parents were natives of Kentucky. 
 She died June 7, 1889, leaving three children, 
 two sons and a daughter. The eldest, C. II., is a 
 Lieutenant in the Illinois National Guards, and is 
 a prominent Odd Fellow and Knight of Pythias. 
 He was graduated from the Jacksonville Business 
 College, and is now the head clerk in the large 
 mercantile establishment belonging to W. V. Mc- 
 Kinstry, of Delavan. He married Ilattie E., daugh- 
 ter of A. Stubbs, the Delavan miller, and their 
 union has been blessed with one child, Arthur W. 
 Gertrude II., born January 22, 1862, is the wife 
 of Frank H. Watkins, who is engaged in farming 
 on the old homestead, and they have three chil- 
 dren: Nellie I., George W. and Charles E. Joseph 
 Harrison, the youngest of the family, who was 
 born' March 20, 1866, married Mary E. Mourer, 
 who is a native of Indiana. He had charge of the 
 Collins Plow Company's exhibit at the World's 
 Fair, and still travels for the company. 
 
 Throughout his entire life Mr. Ball has followed 
 farming, although of late years he has left the
 
 240 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 management of the place largely to his son-in- 
 law, and has devoted his entire time and atten- 
 tion to the care of his aged mother, to whom he 
 is greatly attached. He is a prominent Knight 
 Templar Mason, and has served as Master of the 
 blue lodge, and is a member of the Knights of 
 Honor. One of the valued citizens of the com- 
 munity, all who know him respect him, and it is 
 with pleasure that we present his sketch to our 
 readers. It may also be interesting to note that 
 Mary Ball, the mother of George Washington, was 
 a cousin of Joseph Ball, the great-grandfather of 
 our subject, and his grandmother was Eunice Har- 
 rison, a cousin of William Henry Harrison. 
 
 OSEPH M. COOPER who owns and operates 
 two hundred and twenty acres of valuable 
 land on section 1, Morton Township, Taze- 
 well County, is recognized as one of the 
 leading agriculturists of the community, and is well 
 worthy of representation in the history of his na- 
 tive county. He was born on the farm which is 
 still his home September 22, 1858, and is a son of 
 Thomas and Margaret A. (Strickland) Cooper. 
 His grandparents were William and Mary (Bcal) 
 Cooper. The former was born at Ft. Washington, 
 now Cincinnati, in the year 1806, and there died 
 in the year 1832. His father, who also bore the 
 name of William, was born near Richmond, Va., 
 and served his country in the Indian War dur- 
 ing the reign of "Mad Anthony." The paternal 
 grandfather of our subject was a contractor on 
 canals and roads and became quite well-to-do. He 
 died when his son Thomas was quite young, and 
 his widow afterward became the wife of Mr. Wood. 
 By the first union were born only two children, 
 Thomas and Jesse, both of Pekin. 
 
 Thomas started out in life for himself at the 
 age of twelve years. He was apprenticed to a 
 machinist, but ran away and began working on 
 the river and canal. At the age of fourteen he 
 came to Tazewell County, where he worked one 
 year, after which he returned to Cincinnati and 
 engaged in boating on the Ohio and Mississippi 
 
 Rivers to New Orleans. At the age of seventeen 
 he enlisted for the Mexican War under General 
 Scott, and look part in all the engagements with 
 that commander. At the time of the capture of 
 the City of Mexico he was wounded, being shot 
 in the side. On the close of the war he was mus- 
 tered out and returned to his home in the north. 
 Soon afterward he came to Tazewell County and 
 purchased the farm now belonging to our subject. 
 He married Miss Margaret Strickland, a native of 
 Kentucky, and a daughter of Thomas and Susan 
 A. (Bondurant) Strickland, the former a native 
 of Tennessee, and the latter of Kentucky. Her 
 mother was of French descent. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were born three sons 
 and two daughters: Mary; James, a land agent of 
 North Dakota; Mattie D., wife of P. II. Gupton.a 
 grain dealer of Nebraska; William I)., a land 
 agent of Washington; and Joseph M., of this 
 sketch. The parents are members of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Cooper belongs to 
 the Masonic fraternity. In politics he is a Dem- 
 ocrat, and since 1873 has held office. In that 
 year he was elected County Treasurer, which po- 
 sition he filled for ten years. He served as Rev- 
 enue Collector for the Eighth District during 
 President Cleveland's first administration, and 
 was three times Mayor of Pekin, in which place 
 he has made his home for the past twenty -one 
 years. He came to this county a poor man, but 
 by well directed efforts acquired a handsome com- 
 petency, becoming the owner of three hundred 
 acres of valuable land. 
 
 Joseph M. Cooper, whose name heads this rec- 
 ord, was reared under the parental roof, his boy- 
 hood days being passed amidst play and work, 
 and in the high school of Pekin he completed his 
 education. He remained with his father until 
 1885, and during that time engaged in business 
 as the proprietor of an elevator in Cooper for 
 three years. He then came to the farm on which 
 he has since resided, and devotes his time to gen- 
 eral farming and stock-raising. He has met with 
 good success in his undertakings, and the neat and 
 thrifty appearance of his place well indicates to 
 the passer-by his careful supervision. 
 
 The lady who bears the name of Mrs. Cooper
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 241 
 
 was in her maidenhood Ida B. Robison, a daugh- 
 ter of Frank and Mary Robison. The union of 
 our subject and his wife has been blessed by one 
 son, Frank L. The parents hold an enviable po- 
 sition in social circles, and have many warm 
 friends throughout the neighborhood. Mr. Cooper 
 is a Knight Templar Mason, and he and his wife 
 belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. In poli- 
 tics lie is a supporter of the Democracy, and for 
 four years served as Deputy Treasurer under his 
 father. lie is now serving as Justice of the Peace, 
 and by his prompt and faithful discharge of the 
 duties devolving upon him he has won the com- 
 mendation of all concerned. 
 
 SLONNEGER, one of the enterprising 
 farmers of Tazewell County, now living on 
 section 1, Morton Township, claims Ohio as 
 the state of his nativity, his birth having 
 occurred in Butler Count}', December 12, 1839. 
 His paternal grandfather was a German farmer of 
 limited means. In his family were the. following 
 children: Barbara, wife of David Summers; Mary, 
 wife of John Schatz; Fannie, who married Michael 
 Oswold, and after his death became the wife of 
 Jacob Smith; Peter; John, of Ohio; Christian and 
 Jacob. The father of this family died, and the 
 mother afterward married Mr. Rumsayer, by whom 
 she had a daughter, Fannie. 
 
 Jacob Slonneger, father of our subject, was born 
 in Switzerland in 1813, and in 1825 came with the 
 family to America. His mother was then for the 
 second time a widow, and with her he remained 
 until he had attained his majority. The family- 
 located in Butler County, Ohio, and he there fol- 
 lowed farming for some time. With the excep- 
 tion of a short period spent in the grocery busi- 
 ness in Collinsville, Ohio, he always carried on 
 agricultural pursuits. In 1836 he married Eliza- 
 beth, daughter of Benjamin King. She was born 
 in Baden, Germany, as were her parents, and at 
 the age of eighteen came with her father to Amer- 
 ica. To Mr. and Mrs. Slonneger were born eleven 
 children: Christian, John, Jacob, Joseph; Samuel 
 
 and William, twins, who died at the age of six 
 months; Fannie, deceased wife of Christ Bluch; 
 Barbara, wife of Charles F. Sealman; Anna, wife 
 of Dan Kopendorffer; Mary Magdalina; and Mary, 
 widow of John Jacobs. The mother of this fam- 
 ily passed away in 1857. She was a member of the 
 Mennonite Church, as was also Mr. Slonneger. For 
 his second wife he married Miss Schinbler, and to 
 them were born five children, four yet living, 
 Lydia, David, Philip and Fritz. The father was 
 called to his final rest May 8, 1880. 
 
 In the common schools of" Ohio, the subject of 
 this sketch acquired his education, and with his 
 father remained until eighteen years of age, when 
 he began working as a farm hand by the month. 
 He was thus employed until twenty-four years of 
 age, at which time he married Magdelene Summers, 
 a native of the Buckeye State, and a daughter of 
 Peter Summers, who was born in Alsace, France. 
 To them were born two children, one yet living, 
 Alfred F., who makes his home near Spring Bay. 
 
 For about a year Mr. Slonneger rented land. In 
 1869 he came to Illinois, locating in McLean Coun- 
 ty, where for three years he worked by the month. 
 His first wife having died three years after their 
 marriage, he then wedded Mary Belsey, daughter 
 of Peter and Lena (Springer) Belsey. They then 
 made a trip to Germany, in hopes of benefiting 
 his wife's health, and spent one year and twelve 
 days abroad. They then returned to McLean 
 County, and in 1877 came to the farm on which 
 Mr. Slonneger now makes his home. His wife de- 
 parted this life in 1878. Three children were born 
 of that union: Eddie and Maggie, now deceased; 
 and Bertha. The lady who is now Mrs. Slonneger 
 bore the maiden name of Barbara Zimmerman. 
 She was born in Butler County, Ohio, and is a 
 daughter of Chris and Barbara (Kinsinger) Zim- 
 merman, the former a native of Alsace, France; 
 and the latter of Bavaria, Germany. The children 
 of the third marriage are, Clifford, Chester, Fritz, 
 Willis and John. 
 
 Mr. Slonneger is a member of the Odd Fellows 'so- 
 ciety of Washington, 111., and of the D. O. H. Lodge 
 of that place. He exercises his right of franchise 
 in support of the Democracy, and for eight years 
 has served as Justice of the Peace. He has led a
 
 242 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 bus}' and useful life, his time and attention being 
 largely devoted to agricultural interests, and those 
 who know him esteem him highly for his sterling 
 worth and strict integrity. 
 
 lESSE B. COOPER, Supervisor of Pekin 
 Township, is also Overseer of the Poor and 
 Township Treasurer. He has also been 
 Deputy Collecfor of Internal Revenues at 
 Pekin, and by a systematic and thorough method 
 of work has attained a success which is justly de- 
 served. He was born in Clifton, a suburb of Cin- 
 cinnati, Ohio, February 25, 1831, and is the son 
 of William Cooper, a native of Hamilton County, 
 that slate. 
 
 Grandfather Jacob Cooper was born in West- 
 moreland County, Va., and removed to Cincinnati 
 in 1791, when that city was known as Ft. Wash- 
 ington. He served in the Indian Wars, and re- 
 ceived from the Government a grant of one thou- 
 sand acres of land, which was located where now 
 stands the Queen City, and built a log house on 
 the present site of the court house. He was of Eng- 
 lish descent, an Episcopalian in religion, and died 
 while residing in Hamilton County. 
 
 The father of our subject was a contractor and 
 builder and assisted in the construction of the 
 Miami Canal, and his brother was President of the 
 company that had charge of the work. His death 
 occurred in 1833 from cholera. He was a Jack- 
 sonian Democrat in politics, and when establish- 
 ing a home of his own was married to Miss Mary 
 Beal, who was born in New York State. Mrs. 
 Cooper was the daughter of Jesse Beal, also a 
 native of that state, whence he later removed to 
 Hamilton County, Ohio, where he was a farmer. 
 In 1820 he located near Vincennes, Ind., and after 
 a residence there of two years returned to Hamil- 
 ton County, and in 1847 came to this county, 
 where he led a retired life until his death. The 
 Beal family were of German descent and were 
 Methodists in religion. 
 
 After the death of her husband the mother of 
 our subject came to this county, in 1855, and made 
 
 her home with her son until December, 1889, when 
 she died, aged eighty years. She reared a family 
 of two children, Jesse B. and Thomas. The former 
 lived in Cincinnati until he was seven years of 
 age and then removed with his mother to Marietta, 
 where she was married to Joseph Wood, a butcher 
 by trade. Jesse attended the schools of that city, 
 and after obtaining a high-school education, aided 
 his step-father in his trade until 1849. when he 
 came to Illinois, but remained here only five 
 months. He then returned to Marietta, and in 
 1851 again came to the Prairie State and was en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of brick in Washington. 
 
 November 11, 1851, Mr. Cooper was married in 
 Washington, 111., to Miss Melinda C., daughter of 
 Charles Bunn, who was born in Ross County, Ohio, 
 of which state her father was also a native. Her 
 grandfather, Harmon Bunn, was born in Penn- 
 sylvania and in early life removed to Ohio, where 
 he was a farmer. The father of Mrs. Cooper was 
 likewise an agriculturist, and in 1838 came to Illi- 
 nois, settling in Petersburg, Menard County; he 
 later removed to Pontiac, thence to Washington 
 County, and locating in the city of that name, be- 
 gan practicing dentistry. Later, when on a visit 
 to Ohio, he was thrown from a horse and killed. 
 His wife, Mrs. Mary (Cummings) Bunn, was like- 
 wise born in the Buckeye State, and was the 
 daughter of James Cummings, a native of Scot- 
 land, who, after coming to America, followed farm 
 pursuits in Ohio. Mrs. Bunn died in Washington 
 aged seventy -seven years. 
 
 Our subject after his marriage returned to Ma- 
 rietta and engaged with his step-father in the 
 butcher's business until the latter died, in August, 
 1854. In April, 1855, he made a permanent loca- 
 tion in this state, and renting a farm near Wash- 
 ington, was engaged in its cultivation until 1867. 
 That year he moved into the city, and opening a 
 market, carried on a thriving trade as a retailer 
 and also engaged in shipping stock until 1872. 
 In the last named year he was appointed by 
 the Supervisor of Tazewell County as Superin- 
 tendent of the Poor Farm, of which position he 
 was the incumbent for nine years. The County 
 Farm included two hundred and eight acres of 
 timber land, one-half of which Mr. Cooper cleared
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 243 
 
 and placed under a fine state of improvement. 
 In 1881 he was petitioned to continue as its Sup- 
 erintendent, but refused to do so, and coming 
 to Pekin purchased a farm of seventy-five acres 
 located northeast of the city. This he planted 
 with small fruit trees, including plums, peaches, 
 etc., and was engaged in the nursery business un- 
 til the spring of 1893, when he rented the prop- 
 erty. It is one of the largest fruit farms in the 
 county, and during the summer season Mr. Coop- 
 er engaged from one hundred and twenty-five 
 to two hundred people to pick the small fruits. In 
 the fall of 1892 lie erected a beautiful residence at 
 No. 905 Broadway, where he is preparing to spend 
 his declining years. 
 
 The six children comprising the family of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Cooper are: M. Ada, now Mrs. Waugliop, 
 of Washington Township, this county; William, en- 
 gaged in farming in Arapahoe County, Colo.; Kate, 
 Mrs. Scriven, of Russell County, Kan.; Clara, Mrs. 
 Eckley, of Keithsburg, 111.; Charles, a carpenter in 
 Montana; and John, who is following railroading. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Cooper was elected Supervisor for 
 a term of two years, and in 1891 was re-elected to 
 that position; in 1893 he was made Overseer of 
 the Poor of Pekin Township, of which he is also 
 Treasurer. Socially he is a Mason of high stand- 
 ing, and is connected witli the lodge in Washing- 
 ton, of which he was High Priest. He is a Knight 
 Templar and holds membership witli Peoria Com- 
 mandery No. 3. He is a Democrat in politics and 
 has been a delegate to state and national conven- 
 tions. Mrs. Cooper is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and her life has been replete 
 with good deeds. 
 
 UDGE JACOB RAPP. Among those of 
 foreign birth who are closely associated 
 |l with the business interests of this county, 
 and who were early settlers of the same, we 
 should not fail to present an outline of the career of 
 Mr. Rapp, for he has fully borne out the reputation 
 of that class of industrious, energetic and thrifty 
 men of German nativity who have risen to prom- 
 
 inence in different portions of this country. He 
 has been a resident here since 1860, and has held 
 the oflice of Justice of the Peace since 1884. In 
 1893 he was elected Police Magistrate of Pekin, 
 and in both offices has rendered efficient service, 
 and it is therefore with genuine pleasure that we 
 include his sketch in this work. 
 
 Nicholas Rapp, the father of our subject, was a 
 carpet weaver and grocer in Hesse-Darmstadt, 
 Germany, where he spent his entire life. He was 
 married in that country to Miss Eva Maaser, who 
 was likewise born there and who is still living in 
 Germany. Their family included three sons and 
 three daughters, of whom Jacob, of this sketch, is 
 the only one who makes his home in America, and 
 is the eldest but one. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was also born in Hesse- 
 Darmstadt, February 22, 1845. He received his 
 education in the Fatherland, and remained there 
 until July, 1860, when he departed for Havre, 
 France, and there embarked on the sailing-vessel 
 " Nicholas," which arrived in New York harbor 
 after a voyage of forty-two days. Thence young 
 Rapp came by way of Philadelphia and Chicago 
 to tliis city, where he apprenticed himself to [earn 
 the barber's trade, working in the shop of John 
 Monath until 1864. 
 
 In September of the above year our subject vol- 
 unteered his services in the Union army, and be- 
 coming a member of Company K, One Hundred 
 and Forty-sixth Illinois Infantry, was mustered 
 into service at Camp Butler, and with his regi- 
 ment fought in the states of Kentucky and Ten- 
 nessee. He remained a soldier until the close of 
 the war, when he was mustered out at Springfield 
 as Corporal, and in July, 1865, returned home. 
 His first work was to purchase the barber shop of 
 his former employer and start in business with a 
 Mr. Snapp, which partnership continued for six 
 years. Our subject then removed to his present 
 location, and for two years carried on the business 
 with Mr. Lauterbach. since which time he has op- 
 erated-alone. 
 
 In the spring of 1884 Mr. Rapp was elected 
 Justice of the Peace of Pekin Township, and was 
 successively elected to that position in 1888 and 
 1892. The following year he assumed the duties
 
 244 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of Police Magistrate of the city, and is considered 
 one of the honorable and useful members of the 
 community. 
 
 Jacob Rapp was married in 1865 to Miss Annie 
 McCarthy, who was born in La Fayette, Ind. The 
 six children of whom they have become the parents 
 are: Lulu, Mrs. W. G. Wilds, who was drowned 
 on the " Frances Folsoni" at Peoria; Mamie, Mrs. 
 P. Burns, who makes her home in this city; Katie, 
 Annie and George, who reside with their parents; 
 and William, who died when eighteen months old. 
 Mrs. Annie Rapp departed this life in 1884, and 
 two years later our subject was married to Miss 
 Mary Brady, a native of Ireland. 
 
 In social affairs Mr. Rapp is an Odd Fellow, be- 
 longing to the encampment; he is a member of 
 Joe Ilanna Post No. 117, G. A. R.,and is also con- 
 nected with the society of Druids and the Modern 
 Woodmen. Fie is a prominent Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and has served on various county committees. 
 
 GRACE F. REASON. A residence of more 
 than thirty years in Mason County, during 
 a portion of which time he has conducted 
 a successful business in Mason City, has 
 fully established Mr. Reason in the esteem and 
 confidence of the people. The firm of Ely & Rea- 
 son, of which he is the junior member, deals in 
 agricultural implements, steam threshers, wind 
 mills, etc., and has one of the most complete and 
 valuable stocks of the kind in the county. In ad- 
 dition to this enterprise, Mr. Reason is also serv- 
 ing as Treasurer of Mason City, and is the owner 
 of a valuable farm in Salt Creek Township. 
 
 The famity with which our subject is identified 
 originated in England, but was represented in 
 America early in^the Colonial era. The father of 
 our subject, John M. Reason, was born in Mary- 
 land, and became a pioneer of Warren County, 
 Ohio, where he followed the occupation of a farmer. 
 The mother bore the maiden name of Sarah Mar- 
 tindale, and was a native of Maryland. Horace F. 
 was born in Warren County, Ohio, July 23, 1844, 
 
 and there spent the days of boyhood and youth, 
 receiving a good education in the common schools. 
 At the age of sixteen years, Mr. Reason left 
 home, and coming west unaccompanied by any 
 relatives or friends, has since hewed a way in life 
 for himself. He was a youth of but seventeen 
 when he enlisted in the Union army and became 
 one of the boys in blue comprising Company K, 
 Eighty-fifth Illinois Infantry, commanded by Col. 
 
 C. J. Dilworth, and assigned to the Army of the 
 Cumberland. With his regiment he took part in 
 the battles of Perryville, Stone River, Chicka- 
 mauga. Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, and 
 the march to the sea. At the close of the war he 
 was mustered out, June 5, 1865, at Washington, 
 
 D. C. 
 
 Returning to Mason County, our subject com- 
 menced the active prosecution of farming enter- 
 prises, in which he continued successfully engaged 
 until 1884. At that time, in partnership with S. 
 S. Young, he embarked in business under the firm 
 title, of Reason & Young. One year later the firm, 
 .by., mutual- consent, dissolved, and shortly after- 
 ward Mr. Reason formed a connection with J. A. 
 Clegg in the grocery business, the firm name being 
 Clegg & Reason. Three years later the firm dis- 
 solved, and in 1889 the present partnership in the 
 agricultural implement business was formed with 
 G. C. Ely, and the firm of Ely <fe Reason has since 
 conducted a successful business. Their sales are 
 made to farmers of Mason and adjoining counties, 
 and their reputation as honorable business men is 
 such that they have the confidence of all with whom 
 they come in contact. 
 
 A Republican in political views, Mr. Reason has 
 filled a number of important local oflices, and at 
 present, as above stated, is filling the position of 
 City Treasurer, having been elected in 1893. For 
 three years he was Supervisor of Salt Creek Town- 
 ship, and has for two years served in the same ca- 
 pacity in Mason City Township, and was re-elected 
 for the same office in April, 1894, for two years. 
 In local, state and national issues he is interested 
 and well posted, and also possesses a wide range 
 of information upon general topics. Socially, lie 
 is a member of Wilfred Lodge No. 142, K. I 1 ., and 
 Duvol Post No. 123, G. A. R. His wife, whom he
 
 UBRAKY 
 
 OF fHt 
 
 UNJVERSn Y OF UJNUS
 
 JOHN F. SCHIPPER, 
 
 [DECEASED. j
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 247 
 
 married in February of 1868, was formerly Miss 
 Esther A. Melton, being a daughter of Austin P. 
 Melton, of Mason County. 
 
 
 F. SCHIPPER, deceased, was for many 
 years identified with the business interests 
 of Pekin, and in every relation of life was 
 known as a most liberal, influential and 
 public-spirited man. His high moral character and 
 unswerving devotion to right principles gave him 
 a prestige among his fellow-citizens which it is the 
 privilege of few men to enjoy. 
 
 Mr. Schipper was born December 22, 1838, at 
 "Wundel" the old family home, near Wirdummer, 
 Ostfriesland, Germany. His parents, Frederick 
 and Cliarlotta (Johnson) Schipper, occupied the 
 old family place, which for over two hundred 
 years had been in possession of the Schipper fam- 
 ily, and is now owned and occupied by the young- 
 est son, Gerhart. The father filled responsible 
 positions under Napoleon I., and afterward with 
 the German army, fighting with the latter against 
 Napoleon at the great battle of Waterloo. He died 
 at the old home in 1876, at the advanced age of 
 eighty-five years, an honored and wealthy citizen, 
 surviving his wife by many years. 
 
 John F. Schipper, the subject of this sketch, was 
 the third of five sons, and remained at home until 
 he was seventeen years of age. He then entered a 
 business college, where by his studious habits and 
 eager desire for knowledge he obtained a most ex- 
 cellent education. His college life ended, he sought 
 and obtained a position in a dry-goods store in 
 Emden, and subsequently spent two years in Rot- 
 terdam, Holland. Here his health failed, and he 
 returned home with the intention of going to Ja- 
 pan. To this his father objected and in 1865 he 
 came to America. Pekin became his home, and for 
 the first six months he was employed as clerk in 
 the store of M. Heisel, but the amount of courage, 
 enterprise and brains with which he was endowed, 
 pre-eminently fitted him for a business career, and 
 together with C. Bonk, a partnership was formed, 
 
 which under the firm name of C. Bonk & Co., on 
 Margaret Street, became one of the leading dry- 
 goods stores of the city. 
 
 Upon the death of Mr. Bonk, Henry Block was 
 taken into partnership under the firm name of 
 Schipper & Block. In 1874 they moved to Court 
 and Third Streets. Their increased business led 
 them to build a large double store at the corner of 
 Court and Capitol Streets, to which they removed. 
 A few years later a branch store was established at 
 Peoria, and in an increditably short time was at 
 the head, becoming the largest dry-goods enter- 
 . prise in the state outside of Chicago. Mr. Schip- 
 per was also President of the Schipper & Block 
 Carpet Company located at Peoria. As an outlet 
 to his untiring encrg}-, other enterprises engaged 
 his attention. He was a large stockholder and 
 Director in the Teis Smith <fe Co.'s Bauk, had ex- 
 tensive interests in Wyoming and Colorado, and 
 with several others bought and assumed control 
 of the Pekin Gas Works. 
 
 On the 3d of November, 1869, Mr. Schipper was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna Look, daugh- 
 ter of Mr. and Mrs. I be Look. She was born' and 
 grew to womanhood in Pekin. Her parents were 
 born in Germany, but came to America at an early 
 age. The family located in Limestone, Peoria 
 County, where the grandfather (also an old Water- 
 loo veteran) died. Mr. Look was engaged in the 
 wholesale and retail grocery business in Pekin for 
 twenty-live years. He was a stanch Republican, 
 and a leading and influential citizen whose word 
 was as good as his bond. He died in Pekin in 
 1876, at the age of fifty-one years. Mrs. Look, 
 nee Miss Lena Steen, came to America with her 
 parents, of whom she was deprived at an early 
 ao-e, as both fell victims to cholera, at that time so 
 
 o ' 
 
 prevalent in this country. Mrs. Look survived 
 her husband a number of years. Her death oc- 
 curred in Pekin in 1889, at the age of fifty-six 
 years. 
 
 Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Look, 
 of whom but four sons and one daughter reached 
 mature years, Mrs. John F. Schipper being the 
 eldest. She is a most estimable lady, beloved by 
 many friends, and widely known in the commu- 
 nity in which she resides as a lady of culture and
 
 248 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 refinement, well fitted to adorn the high social 
 circle in which she moves. Her marriage with Mr. 
 Schipper proved a particularly happy union. All 
 of the many who have so often shared the hospi- 
 tality of their beautiful home bear testimony of 
 the genial happy character of its host and hostess. 
 
 Six children came to bless their union, three 
 daughters and three sons. Charlotta, the eldest 
 daughter, died at the age of two years; Martena, at 
 the age of one year, and Leonora, a bright, win- 
 some girl, died at the age of seventeen. The loss 
 of her husband and children has fallen with al- 
 most crushing force upon Mrs. Schipper. The care 
 and education of her three remaining children, 
 Karl, I be and Frederick, is now the one all-ab- 
 sorbing interest of her life. 
 
 During 1873 Mr. and Mrs. Schipper went to 
 Europe, visiting the World's Exposition at Vienna 
 and the country seat of the Schipper famil}', mak- 
 ing extended travels in Germany and other parts 
 of Europe during their stay of six months. In 
 1892 they visited the Pacific Coast, enjoying to- 
 gether the delights of the varied and beautiful 
 scenery of that region. 
 
 Mr. Schipper took a deep interest in all educa- 
 tional pursuits and in whatever added to the in- 
 terests of the community in which he lived. He 
 was a large-spirited, philanthropic citizen, affable 
 and agreeable without ostentation. He was not a 
 politician, but took a deep interest in all that .re- 
 lated to the good government of the country of 
 his adoption. In religion he was a Lutheran, but 
 was too free from narrow inindedness to be either 
 sectarian or partisan. He was several times elected 
 Alderman, and served two different terms as 
 School Inspector. In each capacity he served 
 faithfully and efficiently. 
 
 In 1893, with a hope of regaining his failing 
 health, accompanied by Mrs. Schipper, his children 
 and a nurse, he went to Block Island, near Rhode 
 Island. Here the best medical aid which could be 
 procured was obtained, but ever}' effort proved 
 unavailing, and at Louisville, Ky., on his way 
 homeward, his spirit took its flight, on the 25th of 
 September, 1893. The news of his death caused 
 widespread grief among his many friends and ac- 
 quaintances in Pekin,and on the day on which he 
 
 was laid to rest, a vast concourse came together to 
 pay the last tribute to him, who by his upright- 
 ness and nobility of character had won for him- 
 self an unsullied name and a high place in the 
 hearts of his fellow-men. 
 
 A. WALLACE ranks among the 
 prominent lawyers of the state, and since 
 locating in Havana has won for himself an 
 enviable reputation as an attorney. He is a mem- 
 ber of the firm of Wallace & Lacey, which partner- 
 ship was entered into many years ago, and enjoys 
 the confidence of the people, who repose the great- 
 est trust in his ability. He is a native of the 
 Granite State, and was born in Hillsboro County, 
 June 7, 1843. His father, John W. Wallace, was 
 likewise a native of New Hampshire, where he was 
 born in 1804, and died there in 1878. He in turn 
 was the son of Josiah Wallace, an old Revolution- 
 ary soldier. 
 
 Mrs. Ann C. (Brackett) Wallace, the mother of 
 our subject, also was born in New Hampshire, and 
 was the daughter of James Brackett, who was torn 
 in 1777, and died in 1859. She departed this life 
 in 1890, when in her eighty-fourth year. E. A., of 
 this sketch, after attending the common schools in 
 his native place, went to Henniker, N. II., and en- 
 tered the academy of that place, where he took a 
 thorough course. On attaining his majority, he 
 began reading law with F. N. Blood, a prominent 
 attorney of Hillsboro County, and in 1865 entered 
 the law department of Harvard, from which uni- 
 versity he was graduated with the Class of '67. 
 That same year he was admitted to the Bar in Bos- 
 ton, Mass., and November 4 came to Havana, 
 where he formed a partnership with Judge Lyman 
 Lacey, which connection existed until the latter 
 was elected Judge of the Circuit Court in 1873. 
 
 Mr. Wallace practices his profession in all the 
 courts, both state and federal, and is without ques- 
 tion one of the most prominent attorneys in the 
 state. He is a pronounced Democrat in politics, 
 and socially is a member of Havana Lodge No. 88, 
 F. & A. M., Havana Chapter No. 86, R. A. M., and 
 Damascus Commandery No. 42, K. T. He has al-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 249 
 
 ways taken a prominent part in public improve- 
 ment of all kinds, and in 1885 drafted the Farm 
 Drainage Bill, which passed into effect July 1 of 
 that year, and under which there have been sixty 
 thousand acres of land reclaimed from the swamps 
 in this county and made tillable. He was the 
 projector of the water works and electric light 
 plant of this city, and taken all in all, is one of 
 Havana's most public-spirited citizens. He is a 
 genial, affable and pleasant gentleman, and has an 
 excellent knowledge of law. 
 
 In 1869 K. A. Wallace and Miss Gertrude E., 
 daughter of Holly W. and Ellen M. Lightcup, were 
 united in marriage. Her parents were natives of 
 Ohio, and early settlers of tins county, where they 
 were engaged in merchant tailoring. 
 
 AVID B. McLEAN is a wide-awake and 
 representative citizen of Tazewell County 
 and successfully follows farming in Elm 
 Grove Township. He was born in County 
 Down, Ireland, February 14, 1834, and is of Scotch 
 lineage. He is the only survivor in a family of 
 three children, one of whom died in infancy, 
 while Franklin J. died at the age of thirty-seven. 
 His father, Hugh S. McLean, was born on Christ- 
 mas Day of '1807. He married Janet Breck en ridge, 
 who also came of an old Scotch family. The Mc- 
 Lean clan was a prominent one of that country. 
 The paternalgrandparents were William and Mar- 
 garet (McGowan) McLean. They spent much of 
 their lives in the North of Ireland, where the 
 former died at an extreme old age, and the latter at 
 the age of ninety-nine. 
 
 In 1834, when our subject was four months old, 
 his parents emigrated to the New World and 
 spent three years in New York City, where Hugh 
 McLean served as Superintendent in Kipps Bay 
 Glass Bottle Factory. lie was an expert glass- 
 worker and was therefore capable of holding the re- 
 sponsible position which he filled. On the expira- 
 tion of three years he emigrated to Pekin, 111., 
 July 25, 1837, and the next da}' came to Elm 
 
 Grove Township, making a contract to work on the 
 farm of Josiah L. James for two years. He con- 
 tinued in the employ of that gentleman until 
 1846, when he began working for Isaac Leonard. 
 In 1850 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres 
 of land, the farm on which our subject now re- 
 sides. His death occurred July 28, 1852, at the 
 age of forty-five, and his wife passed away March 
 22, 1878, at the age of seventy- four. 
 
 Mr. McLean of this sketch has lived in Elm 
 Grove Township since the age of three and a-half 
 years, and his home has always been on the farm 
 on which he now resides. During his boyhood 
 he attended a private school for six years, con- 
 ducted by James J. Kellogg, at Tremont. He 
 being the eldest son of the family, upon his fa- 
 ther's death he assumed the management of the 
 farm, which he has since conducted. He was then 
 only eighteen years of age, but he soon gave evi- 
 dence of good business and executive ability. 
 
 On the 31st of March, 1859, Mr. McLean was 
 united in marriage with Miss Lydia Williams, of 
 Greene County, Ind., daughter of William Will- 
 iams, who came of an old Carolina family. She was 
 one of six children. To Mr. and Mrs. McLean 
 have been born the following children: Janet B., 
 wife of L. L. Barnhouse, of Tremont Township, 
 Tazewell County; Alice, wife of Joseph B. Grote- 
 vant, of Livingston County; Hugh S., of Cook 
 County; William F., Charles E. and John, at home. 
 
 In politics Mr. McLean has always been a stanch 
 Republican. At the age of twenty-one he was 
 elected School Director and filled that office for 
 twenty-one years, when he declined to serve 
 longer. He was Town Clerk for nineteen years, 
 School Trustee nine years, Justice of the Peace 
 twelve years, and is now serving as Township 
 Supervisor. Socially he was made a Mason in 
 March, 1877, in Tremont Lodge No. 462, A. F. <fe 
 A. M. The same year he was elected Senior 
 Warden, which position he filled three years. He 
 then served as Master one year, and was afterward 
 Senior Deacon four years; he then again served as 
 Master three years, and has since been Senior Dea- 
 con. He also belongs to Pekin Chapter No. 25, 
 R. A. M. Mr. McLean is always true to the trust 
 reposed in him, whether public or private. In the
 
 250 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 various offices which he lias filled, he has discharged 
 his duties with a promptness and a fidelity which 
 have won him the high commendation of all con- 
 cerned. He is one of the most prominent citizens 
 of this community and well deserves representa- 
 tion in the history of his native county. 
 
 OBERT A. DUNHAM, deceased, was born 
 ' n ^ ort ' iurn ' >ei 'l anc ' County, Pa., April 15, 
 1806, and was a son* of Thomas Dunham. 
 lle was left an orphan when quite young. 
 His early boyhood days were spent upon a farm 
 in the Keystone State, and his school privileges 
 were received before the age of sixteen years. He 
 prepared himself for teaching and followed that 
 profession for several terms in Pennsylvania. He 
 also served a three years' apprenticeship to the 
 tailor's trade under James Hutchinson,of Milton, 
 a little town on the Susquehanna River, and when 
 his time had expired went to Danville, where he 
 worked under the instruction of E. Moore. Later he 
 went to northern Pennsylvania, and as he then had 
 only twenty-five cents, had to engage in the first 
 work which presented itself. This was in a hotel, 
 and he had to sue his employer for his wages, 
 amounting to $200. Later he had to take 1100 
 out in trade, so he decided to open a tailoring es- 
 tablishment of his own. He located in Towanda, 
 Pa., where he remained for eight years, carrying a 
 full line of men's furnishing goods, clothing, etc., 
 making suits to order. 
 
 In 1833, Mr. Dunham determined to come west, 
 and purchasing a horse and buggy, made the trip 
 across the country. He finally determined to lo- 
 cale in Mackinaw. His buggy, of the old style 
 wooden spring pattern, was probably the first in 
 the county. This he traded for a gold watch, 
 which he sold for $80, and with this money he 
 made a partial payment upon the farm which is 
 now the home of his widow. For nearly a year 
 lie engaged in tailoring in Mackinaw, and then 
 returned to Pennsylvania to settle up his business, 
 and in June, 1835, made a permanent location in 
 Tazewell County. On the second trip he brought 
 
 with him a large wagon well stocked with goods 
 and opened a general mercantile store, which he 
 carried on for two years, and then removed to his 
 farm. 
 
 In Pennsylvania, Mr. Dunham had married Miss 
 Keeler, and to them was born a son, Llewellyn, 
 but the mother and child both died. On the llth 
 of July, 1839, our subject wedded Miss Sidney 
 Ann Holse}', a native of Pennsylvania, by whom 
 he had seven children, three of whom are yet liv- 
 ing, Lyman P.; Frances, wife of Homer Miller; 
 and Clarinda. 
 
 From early life, Mr. Dunham was an earnest 
 worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his 
 wife is also a consistent member. He ever labored 
 for the test interests of the community in which 
 he lived, doing all in his power to uplift humanity, 
 and was well known for his charity and benevo- 
 lence. During the late war, although too old to 
 enter the service, he was an ardent supporter of 
 the Union and gave freely of his means towards 
 sustaining the cause of the north. He was always 
 opposed to slavery, and when the Republican 
 part}' was formed to prevent its further extension 
 he joined its ranks. Previously he was a Whig. 
 In business he was successful and -accumulated 
 considerable property, comprising four hundred 
 and fifteen acres of valuable farm land. He pass- 
 ed away in 1886, and in his death the county lost 
 one of its valued citizens and honored pioneers. 
 His wife, a most estimable lady, still survives him 
 and has reached the advanced age of seventy-eight. 
 
 Their eldest son, Lyman P. Dunham, was born 
 on the old home farm near Mackinaw in 1848, 
 and finished his education in Eureka. He remain- 
 ed with his parents until twenty-nine years of age, , 
 when he married Ida M. Miller, a native of Taze- 
 well County, and a daughter of P. J. F. and Martha 
 (Adams) Miller, the former born in Culpeper 
 County, Tenn., and the latter in this county. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Dunham have two children, Myrtle E. 
 and Mabel. The parents are members of the 
 Christian Church of Mackinaw, and they are among 
 the most highly respected citizens of the com- 
 munity. With the exception of a few months 
 spent as a clerk in Mackinaw, Mr. Dunham has al- 
 ways followed fanning. For a time he rented a
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 251 
 
 part of the old homestead, and upon his father's 
 death lie came into possession of one hundred and 
 forty acres of good land, which is now a well im- 
 proved farm. The fields are well tilled, every- 
 thing about the place is kept in good repair, and 
 their home is a pleasant and comfortable residence. 
 Mr. Dunham is regarded as one of the practical 
 and industrious agriculturists of the community, 
 and is one of the representative citizens of his 
 native county. In politics he is a stalwart Re- 
 publican. 
 
 OSEPH C. ELLSWORTH, a successful agri- 
 culturist residing on section 20, Forest City 
 Township, Mason County, is the son of 
 William and Sarah (Medaris) Ellsworth, the 
 former a native of Virginia, born March 24, 1797, 
 and the latter a native of North Carolina, born 
 October 24, 1795. The parents were married in 
 Ohio January 21, 1819, after which they settled in 
 Shelby Count}' upon a tract of unimproved land. 
 There the father built and operated two sawmills. 
 
 Coming to .Illinois in the fall of 1843 William 
 Ellsworth settled in Lewistown, Fulton County, 
 where he sojourned for five years. In 1849 he 
 came to Havana and remained in Forest City 
 Township until his death, October, 14, 1867. His 
 wife had passed away five days before his demise. 
 Their family consisted of nine children, of whom 
 the following six now survive: T. II., J. C., W. E., 
 IS. R., J. F. and J. M., the eldest seventy-three, and 
 the youngest sixty years of age. For over forty 
 years the parents were members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, after which the}' united with 
 the Wesleyan Church, and the father was licensed 
 to preach in the latter denomination. 
 
 In Shelby County, Ohio, Januaiy 1, 1823, the 
 subject of this notice was born and there he was 
 educated in the pioneer log school house. In ad- 
 dition to gaining a practical knowledge of agricult- 
 ure in his youth, he also gained some knowledge 
 of the trades of a carpenter and miller. Accompany- 
 ing his parents to Illinois, he remained with them 
 until 1846. On the 2d of November of that year 
 he married Cynthia, daughter of Charles and Hes- 
 
 ter (DeFord) Wheeler, the former a native of 
 Pennsylvania and a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were married in Ohio and 
 settled in Richland County, where he improved a 
 farm. In 1836 they came to Illinois and settled 
 in Fulton County, where they were early settlers. 
 There Mrs. Wheeler died in 1839, and the father 
 - subsequently made his home with his children un- 
 til his death, September 15, 1865. 
 
 Mrs. Ellsworth is one of seven children, of 
 whom the survivors besides herself are Charles, 
 Mrs. Sarah Grigsby and John. One of her broth- 
 ers, Jacob, was Captain of Company K, Seventeenth 
 Illinois Infantry, and served for a period of three 
 years. In an engagement in Missouri he was se- 
 riously wounded, being shot through the cheek, 
 mouth and back of the head. However, he re- 
 covered his strength and afterward gained consid- 
 erable prominence as a leader in the Republican 
 party of his section. For a time he was a member 
 of the Illinois State Legislature and he also held 
 the position of Internal Revenue Collector. At 
 his death he left a widow and six children. John 
 Wheeler was also a soldier in the Union army, be- 
 ing a member of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry, in 
 which he served as Corporal. He was seriously 
 wounded in the battle of Shiloh. His present 
 home is in Fulton County, 111. Mrs. Ellsworth was 
 born in Richland County, Ohio, March 3, 1828, 
 and received a good education in the schools of 
 Fulton County, 111. 
 
 After his marriage our subject settled in Milton, 
 Fulton County, whence in 1849 he came to Mason 
 County and for one year resided in Havana Town- 
 ship. Returning to Fulton County, he made a 
 brief sojourn there and in 1853 settled upon his 
 present farm, which was then raw prairie land. At 
 present it contains two hundred and forty acres. 
 One hundred and twenty acres of this is finely im- 
 proved land, and one hundred and twenty acres is 
 timber land. The farm is located in Manito Town- 
 ship, is embellished with suitable and substantial 
 buildings and forms one of the most valuable tracts 
 in this locality. 
 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth has re- 
 sulted in the birth of three children now living, 
 namely: Ellen, wife of John O'Leary, of Bath,
 
 252 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 this county, and the mother of seven children; 
 Amanda, who married Harmon Ellenberger and 
 has six children; and Clark W., a resident of Ne- 
 braska, who married Ida Picrson and has two chil- 
 dren. The children were the recipients of excel- 
 lent educational advantages and are well informed 
 and highly respected. Mr. Ellsworth is a Repub- 
 lican iu politics and has been identified with that 
 party since its organization. For nine years he 
 lias served as Road Commissioner and has also 
 served as School Trustee and Director of School 
 District No. 2. 
 
 MARION WHITE. Among the residents 
 of Mason County who have prosecuted 
 their life work successfully and are now 
 enjoying the fruits of their prudence and energy 
 is the gentleman above named, who is well and fa- 
 vorably known to many of our readers. He owns 
 two hundred and forty acres of fertile land lo- 
 cated on section 34, Forest City Township, which 
 is operated by tenants. 
 
 W. W. White, the father of our subject, was 
 born in West Virginia in 1818, and departed this 
 life in 1866. Fora fuller history of his life the 
 reader is referred to the sketch of D. C. White 
 elsewhere in this volume. V. Marion was born 
 July 23, 1844, in Marshall County, W. Va., and 
 was there reared on a farm and was attending 
 school at the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1864, 
 however, he enlisted in Company G, First West 
 Virginia Infantry, and with his regiment went to 
 Woodstock, that state, where they were encamped. 
 From there they were ordered to the Snenandoah 
 Valley under General Sigel and while there fought 
 the battle of New Market. Thence they went to 
 Winchester, and under the command of General 
 Hunter marched on to Lynchburg, and on the way 
 occurred the battle of Piedmont, in which conflict 
 eighty men were killed and wounded. The battle 
 of Lynchburg occupied three days, when the Union 
 forces were driven back to Meadow Bluffs; at the 
 latter place they received their rations and wentb}' 
 boat to ParkeYsburg, and thence by rail to Martins- 
 
 burg, where they joined Gen. Phil Sheridan's com- 
 mand. 
 
 While in the service Mr. White was taken sick at 
 Martinsburg, Va., and after a furlough of thirty 
 days joined his regiment in the Shenandoah Val- 
 ley, where he took part in the battle of Winches- 
 ter, during which time he witnessed General 
 Sheridan's famous ride. He was present at Cum- 
 berland, Md., when General Crook was captured; 
 he participated in all the battles and skirmishes, 
 and guarded train? under Sheridan until he left 
 the Shenandoah. 
 
 The regiment of which our subject was a mem- 
 ber was in 1865 consolidated with the Fourth 
 West Virginia, and was thereafter known as the 
 Second West Virginia Veterans, under the com- 
 mand of Col. Jacob Weddle. After the re-organi- 
 zation the regiment remained in West Virginia in 
 order to preserve peace among the people, and af- 
 ter a time went to Wheeling, where Mr. White re- 
 ceived his honorable discharge July 20, 1865. 
 
 After being mustered out Mr. White came to 
 Illinois and joined his father's family, who had re- 
 moved here in the meantime. He was married 
 September 4, 18C7, to Miss Barbara E., daughter of 
 Conrad and Elizabeth (Gumbel) Elenbergcr, na- 
 tives of Germany but at that time residents of 
 this state. Mrs. White was born in the Fatherland 
 January 29, 1846, and became the mother of live 
 children, of whom Lillian is the wife of Frank 
 Spurrier and lives in Pennsylvania Township; 
 Gertrude was the second in order of birth; Will- 
 iam lives in Arkansas, as does Gertrude; and 
 Harry is at home with his parents. 
 
 After his marriage our subject located on his 
 present fine estate, which was then in a perfectly 
 raw condition, with not a furrow turned. He 
 built his residence in 1866, which lias been re- 
 modeled in later years, and all the improvements 
 on the farm have been placed there by his own 
 hand. He makes a specialty of stock-raising and 
 has a fine drove of Poland-China swine. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. White are active members of the 
 Baptist Church, in which congregation the former 
 is a Deacon, and in the Sunday-school the entire 
 family have been teachers. Mrs. Spurrier is the 
 present Superintendent of the Pleasant Plains
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 253 
 
 school, and Miss Gertrude has been organist of the 
 church; she is a very talented musician and has 
 been a teacher of considerable note in this locality. 
 One daughter of Mr. and Mrs. White, Florence, 
 died aged nineteen years and six months. 
 
 Our subject has always been interested in every- 
 thing that would enhance the prosperity of his 
 township, and as a School Director aided in the or- 
 ganization of District No. 9. He is a straight Re- 
 publican in politics, and socially is a Modern 
 Woodman, a Patron of Husbandry and Master of 
 Pomona Grange of Mason County. 
 
 ILLIAM H. ECKARD. Prominent among 
 the citizens of Mason County who have 
 materially contributed to its prosperity is 
 the subject of this sketch. He owns a fine farm of 
 one hundred and forty acres in this and Hancock 
 Counties, all of which he rents. He has been a con- 
 spicuous figure in the civic life of this section for 
 many years, and is at present filling the position 
 of Supervisor of Quiver Township. 
 
 The father of our subject, Moses Eckard, was 
 born in 1821, in Mainland, while his mother, Mrs. 
 Sarah E. (Simmons) Eckard, was a native of Ken- 
 tucky, where also her father, Pollard Simmons, was 
 born. The latter, who was a prominent man in 
 his locality, came to Illinois, and after making his 
 home for a time in Menard County, removed to 
 the northern part of Havana Township, this coun- 
 ty, in 1835, where he erected what was known as 
 the Simmons Mill, and for many years operated it 
 in connection with farming. The good wife of 
 Moses Eckard died at her home in Winchester, 
 this state, April 22, 1894. 
 
 The parental family included three sons and a 
 daughter, of whom .Sarah A. married Thomas J. 
 Metzler, who is now deceased, and she is living in 
 Winchester. William II. is the next in order of 
 birth. James P. married Ilettie Lukins, and is liv- 
 ing in Quiver Township, where also John R., who 
 took to wife Miss Nannie Bates, makes his home. 
 Moses Eckard came to this county in 1838, where 
 he was married and located on a farm of wild 
 
 land on section 29, this township. lie immediately 
 commenced the hard task of redeeming his pro- 
 perty from its primitive condition, and at his 
 death left a valuable estate of five hundred and 
 ten acres. He was always actively interested in 
 local affairs, although never in any sense an oflice- 
 seeker, and in politics was a strong Democrat. He 
 served as a member of the School Board for many 
 years, and died February 19, 1889. 
 
 William II., of this sketch, was born on the old 
 homestead May 1, 1846, and was there reared to 
 manhood, receiving his education first in the com- 
 mon schools and later in the high school at Ha- 
 vana, lie afterward entered the business college 
 at Peoria, and after taking a commercial course 
 was appointed agent of the Jacksonville South- 
 eastern Railroad, which at that time was known 
 as the Illinois River Railroad. This was in 1867, 
 and he has been the incumbent of that office for 
 twenty-seven years, with headquarters at Topeka. 
 In 1868-69 he was engaged in the merchandise 
 business in that place, which village was laid out 
 ten years previously by his -father and a Mr. 
 Thomas, who was President of the railroad com- 
 pany. Mr. Eckard in addition to discharging the 
 duties of his position is engaged in the grain and 
 coal business, and occupies an assured position 
 among the business men of the county. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married in 
 1868 was Miss Amelia J., daughter of John Ban- 
 dean, of Louisville, Ky., where Mrs. Eckard was 
 also born, April 3, 1846. By her union with our 
 subject there have been born six children, viz.: 
 Fred R., Elmer M., Harry W., Earl C., Frank B. 
 and Nellie M. The eldest sou is train dispatcher 
 for the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad Com- 
 pany; Elmer M. is a student in the Rush Medical 
 College of Chicago, and Harry W. is telegraph 
 operator at the home office. 
 
 In social affairs Mr. Eckard is a Modern Wood- 
 man of America, holding membership with the 
 lodge at Topeka, and in politics has been a life 
 long Democrat. He has always been actively in- 
 terested in the same, and has frequently been sent 
 as delegate to the various conventions of his party. 
 He has been a member of the School Board for ten 
 years, and in 1883 was elected Supervisor of Quiver
 
 254 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Township, having the honor of being the first 
 Democrat to ever hold that position. He was re- 
 elected in 1887, and again in 181)1. He is a Notary 
 Public, and his great popularity lias caused him to 
 be placed before the people as a candidate for the 
 ottice of Clerk of Mason County. He gives his aid 
 to all public measures having for their object the 
 promotion of the welfare of the people, and may 
 be relied upon to give his influence in behalf of 
 all that is true, uplifting and beneficial. 
 
 wi 
 
 JOSEPH B. I RWIN, editor and manager of 
 the Weekly Republican Post and the Even- 
 ing Post, published at Pekin, is a native of 
 _ Circleville, Ohio, where his birth occurred 
 October 11, 1849. He is the son of John E. and 
 Catherine (Tobias) Irwin, natives of Pennsylvania. 
 He passed his boyhood days in his native town 
 and received his education in the public schools 
 and the Circleville Academy. 
 
 In January, 1872, our subject was united in 
 marriage to Miss Inez M. Fifer, a cousin of ex- 
 Governor Fifer, and to them were born two;<'4iil-- 
 dren, both of whom are now deceased. Prior to 
 leaving the Buckeye State our subject held the 
 position of City Clerk of Portsmouth for one term, 
 and since residing in Pekin has been School In- 
 spector for three years; he was elected City Su- 
 pervisor this spring. Upon leaving Ohio he lo- 
 cated in Peoria, where he entered the office of the 
 Peoria Democrat, there remaining until 1873, the 
 year of his advent into thiscity. Soon thereafter, 
 in company with Col. W. T. Dowdall, of Peoria, lie 
 purchased the outfit of the Pekin Register of W. P. 
 Allensworth and began the publication of the 
 Pekin Times. When the first issue of the Times 
 appeared there was no subscription list, as the paper 
 had changed hands so often that its reputation 
 was well nigh gone and the outlook was extremely 
 discouraging. But by much hard work, natural 
 ability and perseverance, our subject soon placed 
 the paper on a solid financial basis, and as a newsy 
 and literary production it ranked among the lead- 
 ing weeklies of the northwest. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Irwin sold the paper and became 
 connected with the Republican Post, which was 
 
 owned by the Post Publishing Company, which 
 had purchased the Tazewell County Republican and 
 changed its name to that of the Republican Past. 
 Our subject was at once installed as editor, and 
 soon thereafter to his other duties was added that 
 of manager. The following fall Mr. Irwin began 
 the publication of the Evening Post, which has been 
 a success from the start, as has also the weekly paper. 
 There is perhaps no better campaigner among the 
 politicians of the county than Mr. Irwin, who is 
 well known to every prominent citizen in Ixjth 
 parties, and being acquainted with all the main 
 roads and byways in this vicinity, can get over and 
 around Tazewell County and in every township 
 and political center quicker than any other man. 
 He has met with several business reverses, but his 
 fine financial standing, business ability and honesty 
 have never been questioned. Among politicians 
 and newspaper readers generally he is conceded 
 to be one of the best editors in the county. The 
 Evening Post and the Weekly Republican are rap- 
 idly forcing their way to the front and now rank 
 among the most popular papers of the Republican 
 'party.. ... . . 
 
 H. GOLLON. This part of the Prairie 
 State has proved a mine of wealth to 
 thousands of men who have come hither 
 from foreign countries and by hard work 
 and enterprise have made for themselves fame 
 and fortune. Mr. Gollon furnishes us with a strik- 
 ing case in point. Like many of the promi- 
 nent men of Pekin, he is of foreign birth, Budzin, 
 province of Posen, Germany, being his native 
 place, and the date of his birth September 13, 1844. 
 Jacob and Barbara (Xinger) Gollon, the parents 
 of our subject, were likewise natives of Germany; 
 they reared a family of live child-ren, of whom our 
 subject was the third in order of birth. The fa- 
 ther was four times married, Miss Zinger being 
 his second companion. M. II., of this sketch, has 
 earned his own living since he was a lad of four- 
 teen years, at that early age having commenced to 
 work on a farm for his half-brother, with whom 
 he remained for four years, or until he came to 
 America. In the spring of 1863 he left Bremen
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of IHt 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 JACOB A. ROELFS.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 257 
 
 on the sailing-vessel ''Helena," and on the trip en- 
 countered a severe storm, which lasted four days, 
 and for two days the passengers were in danger 
 of losing their lives. 
 
 Our subject landed on American soil July 17 
 of that year, and after remaining "in the east for a 
 short time went to Chicago, and thence to Peoria, 
 where he worked in a brewery for five years. In 
 the fall of 1868 he came to Pekin, and after 
 working for others in the malting business for 
 one year opened an establishment of his own, 
 taking in as partner John M. Gill, which connec- 
 tion lasted for ten years. In 1876 they built the 
 new malt house located on Front Street; it is three 
 stories in height and is 150x95 feet in dimen- 
 sions. It is the largest malt house in this vi- 
 cinity and the oldest in either Peoria or this 
 city. Mr. Gollon ships the product of his malt 
 house to Philadelphia and Baltimore, and also 
 finds a ready market in the southern cities. Start- 
 ing with fifty bushels a day, they have since put 
 in machinery which enables them to use five 
 hundred bushels of malt a day. 
 
 Mr. Gollon is a large stockholder and a Director 
 in the Pekin Loan and Homestead Association, 
 and is the possessor of considerable real estate in 
 the city, besides valuable farming lands. He was 
 married in Peoria, in 1869, to Miss Hattie Rick- 
 man, who was born in Berlin, German}'. She is 
 the youngest daughter of Fred Rickman, of Pe- 
 oria, and by her union with our subject has be- 
 come the mother of eight children, viz.: Matilda, 
 who is private secretary for her father; Albina 
 A., engaged in teaching school in the city; Hat- 
 tie II., Clemens II., Rosa, Lizzie, Emma and Jo- 
 sephine. 
 
 Mr. Gollon has been very prominent in public 
 affairs and for two years served as Alderman of 
 the Fourth Ward. He was School Director for 
 three years and was Chairman of the Building 
 Committee at the time the new high school build- 
 ing was erected. It is the finest school edifice 
 in the state, which fact is due greatly to the 
 efforts of our subject, who personally superin- 
 tended its construction. Socially, he is an Odd 
 Fellow in high standing, and belongs to Schuler 
 Lodge No. 200, Encampment No, 78, and Canton 
 4 
 
 Tazewell No. 53. He was also one of the prime 
 movers in the organization of the Modern Wood- 
 men in this city, and holds membership with 
 Parker City Camp No. 615. He is Major of the 
 Fourth Regiment. In politics he is a strong 
 Democrat, has been delegate to state conventions 
 several times, and for four years was Chairman 
 of the County Central Committee. 
 
 [i ACOB A. ROELFS, of the wholesale and re- 
 tail hardware firm of Velde, Roelfs <fe Co., 
 of Pekin, was born in Ostfriesland, Ger- 
 many, December 11, 1847. His grandfather, 
 Jacob A., and his father, L. I. Roelfs, were both na- 
 tives of that place, and both were grocers. The 
 latter was born October 28, 1815, was educated in 
 the common schools and learned both the Dutch 
 and German languages. In 1831 he began clerk- 
 ing in a grocery store at Emden, where he re- 
 mained for three years, and then entered his fa- 
 ther's store. In 1841 he became proprietor and 
 did a large business along that line until 1867, 
 when he emigrated to America. He sailed from 
 Bremen and landed in New York, where he was 
 met by his son-in-law, Henry Velde, and soon 
 reached Pekin. In 1870 he embarked in the gro- 
 cery business and continued operations along that 
 line until 1880, since which time he has lived re- 
 tired. He has been twice married. His first wife 
 died in December, 1842, and in 1845 he wedded 
 Catherine Vandervelde, who died November 14, 
 1892, at the age of sixty-seven. Of her seven 
 children five are yet living. The father is a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is a 
 Republican in politics. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, who was the second 
 of the family, spent his early youth in Germany, 
 but at the age of sixteen bade adieu to friends and 
 Fatherland and sailed from Bremen to New York 
 City, where he arrived in the month of October. 
 He then attended the public schools for several 
 years, after which he became traveling salesman 
 for the grocery house of H. Velde & Co., in which 
 capacity he was employed for about three years.
 
 258 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 He then became clerk in the retail department of 
 the hardware store of Smith, Velde <fe Co., and in 
 1878 was admitted to partnership. The firm name 
 continued the same until 1885, when it was 
 changed to Velde, Roelfs & Co. Their store is now 
 located in the Empire Block, and is 50x95 feet, 
 two stories in height with a basement. The first 
 floor is occupied as a retail store, the second floor 
 is used as a tin shop, and there is manufactured 
 roofing, cornice, etc. The jobbing Jrade covers a 
 radius of one hundred miles; two men are always 
 employed upon the road and twelve men are em- 
 ployed in the store. They make a specialty of 
 heavy hardware and hardwood lumber, for in con- 
 nection with their store they own a hardwood lum- 
 ber yard. They also carry a line of furnaces. 
 
 On the 4th of October, 1871, Mr. Roelfs was 
 united in marriage with Miss Adeline Frances 
 Feltman, a native of Kenosha, Wis., and daughter 
 of Henry and Catharsena (Velde) Feltman. They 
 have one child living, Josephine, who was gradu- 
 ated from the Pekin High School, and who is now 
 the wife of H. J. Rust, of this city. Lucien Jacob, 
 the eldest child, died October 12, 1872. Mr. Roelfs 
 is a stalwart Republican in politics and is a mem- 
 ber of the German Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
 which he is now serving as Trustee. He is a pub- 
 lic-spirited and progressive citizen, in whom the 
 best interests of the community find a friend, and 
 is a practical and enterprising business man, pos- 
 sessed of a resolute will to carry forward to a suc- 
 cessful completion whatever he undertakes. This 
 is the secret of his prosperity. 
 
 \|| OHN VELDE, senior member of the firm of 
 Velde, Roelfs & Co., wholesale and retail 
 hardware merchants, is one of the oldest 
 and best known citizens of Pekin, where he 
 is highly respected and very influential. He is 
 upright and honest in all dealings with his fellow- 
 men, and has hosts of friends throughout the 
 county. 
 
 Our subject was born in Ostfriesland, Germany, 
 August 30, 1831, and is a son of Deidrich and 
 
 Jentje Velde, the former of whom was also a native 
 of that country, where he was a shoemaker; he 
 departed this life in 1840. His father, known as 
 Teis Van der Velde in the Old Country, was a 
 shoemaker Dear Verdum. The father of our sub- 
 ject was a mehiber of the German Reformed 
 Church, and participated in the battle of Water- 
 loo, and while in the army contracted a dii-ease 
 which resulted in his death in 1840, at the age of 
 fifty-one years. His wife, Jentje Velde, was born 
 in Marienhofe, Germany, a city well known for the 
 high tower which looks out over the North Sea. 
 She reared a family of five children, and died in 
 1839. 
 
 John Velde was doubly orphaned when nine 
 years of age, and made his home with a fanner 
 for three years, when he was apprenticed to learn 
 the shoemaker's trade in Hamswerum. Serving 
 thus for three years, he continued to follow that 
 branch of work in Groothusum until 1849. when 
 he came to America in company with his guardian, 
 Conrad Smith, and family. The party left Bremen 
 on a sailing-vessel, which landed them in New Or- 
 leans June 22 of that year, after a tedious voyage 
 of nine weeks. They then made their way up the 
 Mississippi River, stopping at St. Louis. The 
 cholera being prevalent there, they hastened on to 
 Peoria, landing July 4, 1849, and after a stay of 
 two months in that city, came to Pekin. 
 
 On arriving in this city, our subject was vari- 
 ously employed until he was able to get work at 
 his trade. During the cholera scourge of 1850, he 
 was afflicted with that disease, and after his recov- 
 ery went to Beardstown, and later to Greenfield, 
 in which places he spent about eight months. In 
 1852 he returned to Pekin, and started in business 
 for himself on Court Street, where he carried on a 
 good business, employing three helpers. He was 
 compelled to close out the following year on ac- 
 count of ill health. Mr. Velde then entered the 
 employ of the T. & H. Smith Company as carriage 
 trimmer, with whom he remained for seven years, 
 and at the end of that time formed one of the firm 
 of Hippin, Smith, Velde <fe Co., hardware merchants, 
 which connection lasted until 1891, when the firm 
 name was changed to Velde, Roelfs & Co. They 
 have a large wholesale and retail store located on
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 259 
 
 Court Street, and have a patronage extending 
 throughout the entire county. 
 
 John Velde was married in 1852 to Miss Agnes 
 Fry, a native of Baden, Germany, and to them 
 has been born a family of ten children: Jacob, a 
 hardware and grain merchant in Fremont; Deit- 
 rich, who is engaged in his father's store; Cath- 
 erine, Mrs. W. C. Reuter, of Tarkio, Mo.; Henry, a 
 grain merchant of Peoria; Emma, now Mrs. Peter 
 Bergner, of Peoria; Fred W., also employed in his 
 father's hardware store; and Agnes, Lulu, Rudolph 
 and Frank, who arc at home. 
 
 Mr. Velde is a popular gentleman, widely and 
 favorably known in this his adopted county one 
 who exerts a good influence in his community by 
 his example and he has the best wishes of his 
 neighbors and friends for his complete success in 
 life. He has been Alderman from the Second Ward 
 one term, has also served as a member of the School 
 Board, and socially is a Knight of Honor. He is 
 an active member of the German Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, and has aided in the building of 
 three churches. , Politically he is a Republican. 
 
 M. ARNOTT. Although quite a young 
 man, this gentleman has considerable in- 
 fluence in Pekin, where he resides nnd 
 where he is engaged in the wholesale and retail 
 oil business. He is a native of this county, hav- 
 ing been born in Sand Prairie Township, August 
 3, 1860, and is a son of Andrew A. Arnott, a na- 
 tive of Highland County, Ohio, where his father, 
 Andrew Arnott, located on removing from Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 The father of our subject came to Tazewell 
 County when a young man and located in the 
 above township, where he was engaged at his 
 trade, that of a carpenter, together with farming, 
 until his decease, in 1875. He was a Democrat in 
 politics, and from the interest which he took in 
 local affairs was elected to several offices. His 
 wife, Mrs. Nancy (Larimore) Arnott, was a native 
 of Island Grove Township, this county, and the 
 daughter of William Larimore, an early settler in 
 
 this locality and a large land owner. Mrs. Arnott 
 died in 1861. 
 
 L. M. Arnott was the only child born to his par- 
 ents, and was living under the parental roof when 
 his father died. This event occurring when he 
 was fourteen years of age he returned to Ohio and 
 made his home with Mathew Arnott, of Greenfield, 
 for five years, working on the farm. In 1880, hav- 
 ing learned the carriage-maker's trade, he fol- 
 lowed that in Greenfield for six years. Later lie 
 sold out his interest in the business and immedi- 
 ately came west to Pekin, near which cit}' lie pur- 
 chased a farm and was engaged in its cultivation 
 for two years. The old homestead comprised 
 three hundred and twenty acres of improved land 
 in Sand Prairie Township, on which was erected a 
 large and substantial residence, where the family 
 of Mr. Arnott made their home for four years. 
 On account of the failing health of his wife he re- 
 turned to Pekin, and for one year was engaged in 
 laying brick with his father-in-law. In 1890 he 
 began his present business, that of a wholesale and 
 retail oil merchant, and has his office and store- 
 rooms located at No. 313 Elizabeth Street. He is 
 doing a large business in his line, running one 
 wagon and handling both the Pennsylvania and 
 Standard oils. 
 
 Mr. Arnott was married in Pekin in 1885 to Miss 
 Ida Merrill; she was born in Pekin and has become 
 the mother of a son, Fay E. Our subject is highly 
 regarded for his sterling traits of character, and 
 in his political opinions is a Democrat, having 
 early decided that the principles enunciated by 
 that party were most in accordance with his views. 
 
 A. UBBEN, Superintendent of the Acme 
 Harvester Company and one of Pekin 's 
 most prominent business men, was born 
 nearEmden.Ostfrieslaud, Hanover, Germany, June 
 13, 1850. He is the son of Albert Ubben, also a 
 native of Hanover, and a cooper by trade. The 
 latter emigrated to America about 1854 and set- 
 tled near Dixon, 111., where for a time he was em- 
 ployed in the plow factories. In 1856 his family
 
 260 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 came to this country, and two years later, accom- 
 panied by them, he removed to Pekin, where he 
 worked at his trade. After some years thus spent, 
 he returned to Germany for his health, but instead 
 of regaining his strength as he bad hoped, he grad- 
 ually grew worse and died in 1870. His wife, 
 whose maiden name was Jennie Baumann, is now 
 about sixty-six years of age and resides with her 
 son Henry. 
 
 In the parental family there were three chil- 
 dren, as follows: U. A., of this sketch; Henry, 
 foreman in the paint shop of the Harvester Com- 
 pany, and represented on another page of this 
 volume; and Lena, the wife of Herman Becker, of 
 Pekin. The subject of this sketch was a child of 
 eight years when he came to Pekin, and here his 
 education was obtained in the public schools. 
 When about twelve years old he began to learn 
 the painting trade, and in the spring of 1865 
 entered the employ of Haines, Maus <fc Co., manu- 
 facturers of headers. 
 
 In the fall of 1865 the firm's business passed 
 into the hands of Baker & Hawley, with whom Mr. 
 Ubben continued until another change was made 
 to A. J. Hodges & Co. In 1874 he was chosen for 
 the position of foreman of the painting depart- 
 ment, and continued thus engaged until the Acme 
 Harvester Company purchased the business in the 
 fall of 1890. On January 1st of the next year he 
 was made Superintendent of the works, in which 
 capacity he is now engaged. He has charge of all 
 the rooms, viz.: wood shop, warerooms. foundiy, 
 painting, packing and finishing rooms. Special at- 
 tention is given to the manufacture of headers, 
 hay stackers and hay rakes. Constant employ- 
 ment is given to a force of two hundred hands. 
 and the industry is one of the most extensive and 
 substantial in central Illinois. 
 
 The beautiful residence in which Mr. Ubben and 
 his family are comfortably domiciled was erected 
 under his personal supervision, and is situated on 
 Park Avenue. Surrounding it is a well kept lawn 
 of seven and one-half acres, which adds to the 
 value of the property and also enhances its beauty. 
 In addition to his home, Mr. Ubben owns one hun- 
 dred and eight acres near the city limits of Pekin, 
 which he rents. His marriage occurred at Pekin, 
 
 November 26, 1874, uniting him with Miss Eliza 
 Ubben, who though bearing the same name as him- 
 self, and a native of the same province, Hanover, 
 is not a relative. They are the parents of the 
 following seven children: Jennie, Theodore, Tee- 
 nie, Albert, Sarah, Louis and Lena. Theodore is 
 employed in the ofliceof the Acme Harvester Com- 
 pany. 
 
 In the German Baptist Church, Mr. Ubben is a 
 prominent member and a Trustee. All religious 
 and benevolent projects receive his warm support 
 and liberal contributions. In his political belief 
 he is identified with the Republican party, but is 
 not solicitous for office, preferring to give his en- j 
 tire time to the interests of his business. 
 
 /p^,OTTLOB J. ZERWEKH, who in company 
 fife) with his son, William G., is proprietor of 
 
 5^5) the Pekin Bottling Works, is also agent in 
 this city for the Pabst Brewing Company. He has 
 been a resident here since 1854, and has been en- 
 gaged in his present business since the spring of 
 1866. He was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Octo- 
 ber 3, 1833, and is a son of Johannas Zerwekh.also 
 a native of the Fatherland. The latter was a gar- 
 dener and died when in his fiftieth year. His 
 mother was also a native of Germany and bore 
 the maiden name of Christine Schnaitman. 
 
 Our subject has two brothers who are living, 
 Gottleib and Fritz, who make their home in Ger- 
 many. Gottlob J. was apprenticed when old enough 
 to learn the locksmith's trade and was thus em- 
 ployed in his native land for two years, when he 
 went to Switzerland. In 1853 he set sail from 
 Bremen, and after a voyage of seven weeks lauded 
 in New York City. Thence he went to Philadel- 
 phia, later to Hagerstown, where he worked for a 
 short time at his trade, and in 1854 came to Peo- 
 ria. As there was no locksmith shop in the city 
 he walked to Pekin and found work with Mr. 
 Spellman, and later in the shops of Smith & Co. 
 In 1866 he began in business for himself, manu- 
 facturing soda and pop on a small scale. Being 
 the only one in the county thus engaged he was
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 261 
 
 soon compelled to increase his business and is 
 now occupying three floors of the large brick 
 building located at No. 230 Court Street. Three 
 years ago he accepted the agency for the sale of 
 Pabst's beer in the city. 
 
 Mr. Zerwekh was married in Peoria in 1857 to 
 Miss Christina F. Schuaitmaun, who, like him- 
 self, was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany. To 
 them were born five children, of whom the eldest, 
 William G., is a partner in the bottling works of 
 our subject; Albert is proprietor of a bakery and 
 confectionery store in the city; Carl and John are 
 employed in the factor}' of their father, and 
 Bertha is at home. 
 
 Socially, our subject is a prominent Odd Fel- 
 low. He has occupied all the chairs of the en- 
 campment and is a charter member of the Druid 
 Society in the city. He is a consistent member of 
 St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, and in 
 politics is a stanch Democrat. 
 
 MAURICE MAY, M. D. The 
 of this RECORD would fail in 
 object of presenting to their readers 
 an outline of the lives of the best citizens of the 
 county were they to omit that of the gentleman 
 above named. He is located in Green Valley, in 
 and about which place he has an excellent prac- 
 tice. He is well educated, and his extensive infor- 
 mation is not confined to matters-pertaining to his 
 vocation, but includes all topics of general inter- 
 est and literary merit. 
 
 Our subject was born in Mattoon, this state, 
 July 23, 1868, and carried on his primary studies 
 in the schools at Decatur. After completing his 
 education in the liigli school he entered the tele- 
 graph service of the Wabash Railroad and located 
 first at Decatur. He afterward went to Bloom- 
 ington in the employ of the Chicago <k Alton Rail- 
 road, later to Chicago, and finally left the employ 
 of that road to accept ^a like position with the 
 Iron Mountain Railroad Compan}'. 
 
 It being his determination to follow a profes- 
 sional life, Mr. May in 1889 went to Keokuk, Iowa, 
 
 where he attended a course of lectures in the Keo- 
 kuk College of Physicians and Surgeons. He after- 
 ward spent a year in the St. Louis Medical College, 
 after which he returned to Keokuk, and was grad- 
 uated from the above college with the Class of '93. 
 After receiving his diploma he went to Mt. Zion, 
 111., where he engaged in practice with his brother 
 for a short time, but finding a better opening in 
 Green Valley, removed hither and has since made 
 this place his field of operation. 
 
 November 1, 1893, Dr. May and Miss Jessie 
 Black, a native of this county, were united in mar- 
 riage. The lady was the daughter of Jesse and 
 Mary (Johns) Black, who were born in Pennsylva- 
 nia and who came to this state in an early day. 
 In connection witli the practice of his profession 
 our subject is the proprietor of a drug store, which 
 is stocked with medicines, etc., for his own use. 
 Mrs. May was born November 1, 1873; she is a lady 
 of fine accomplishments and a graduate of the 
 schools of Delavan and Bushnell. In social affairs 
 our subject is a Modern Woodman. 
 
 The Rev. Daniel E. May, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Rockingham County, Va., Feb- 
 ruary 24, 1829, and is the son of Adam May, a 
 native of Pennsylvania, where his birth occurred 
 in 1800. The father of the Rev. Mr. May went to 
 Virginia in company with his father, who also 
 bore the name of Adam, and who was a carpenter 
 by trade. The paternal grandmother of our sub- 
 ject was in her maidenhood Nancy Rains; she 
 was also a native of Virginia, of English ancestry, 
 and the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier who 
 was taken prisoner by the British. 
 
 The father of our subject was third in a family 
 of eight children born to his parents, and the eld- 
 est but one of four brothers. Of the latter, George 
 Westey was a railroad conductor. Benjamin was 
 forced into the service of the Confederate army 
 during the late war, but making his escape, joined 
 the Unionists. The Rev. Mr. May was educated 
 in the high school at Port Republic, Va., and later 
 entered the theological school. In 1865 he en- 
 tered the ministry, joining the Illinois Methodist 
 Episcopal Conference, and receiving his first charge 
 at Oakland, Coles County. In 1891 he came to 
 Green Valley, where lie is now located, and ranks
 
 262 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 among the most successful preachers in the state. 
 He is the proprietor of a fine farm in McLean 
 County, which is occupied by tenants. 
 
 Daniel E. May was married August 10, 1852, to 
 Miss Sarah A. Merica, a native of Virginia, and to 
 them have been born four children, of whom the 
 three sons are prominent physicians. Shetiie R., 
 the eldest, is a graduate of the Keokuk College of 
 Physicians and Surgeons, as are also Wilbur F., and 
 Edward M., of this sketch. The daughter, Clara 
 J., is a finely educated young lady and a graduate 
 of the Wesleyan College at Bloomington. Socially 
 the father of our subject is a Mason of high stand- 
 ing and has voted with the Republican party since 
 its organization. 
 
 ENRY A. TOMM. In the Farmers' Na- 
 tional Bank Block of Pekin will be found 
 the olfice of this gentleman, who is well 
 and favorably known as the agent for many 
 prominent fire and life insurance companies, 
 among which may be mentioned the Northern of 
 London, the Glens Falls of New York, the Phoenix 
 of Hartford, and the Hartford Life <fe Annuity 
 Company. A German by birth, he is a loyal 
 American in all things else, and our country has 
 no citizen more patriotic than is he. 
 
 In Saleske, Prussia, Germany, our subject was 
 born on the last day of the year 1839. His father, 
 Joachim Tomm, was also born in the same place, 
 and was a merchant by occupation. Two sons 
 having previously emigrated to America and em- 
 barked in the mercantile business at Pekin, in 
 1853 he brought the remaining members of his 
 family hither, and in this city lived in retirement 
 until his death, in 1873. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Caroline Nunke, and who was born in 
 Prussia, died in Pekin in 1868. 
 
 There were seven children in the parental fam- 
 ily, namely: George, formerly a merchant in Pe- 
 kin, where he died; Philip, who was a merchant in 
 this city and later a farmer, but is now deceased; 
 Paulina, Mrs. Voll, of Pekin; Henry A., of this 
 
 sketch; Emma, Mrs. Muhlmann, of Pekin; Otto, 
 who is a miner in Nevada; and Martha T., Mrs. 
 IIippen,a resident of Pekin. Henry A. was reared 
 in German}' until the age of fourteen years. In 
 the spring of 1853 he took passage on the sailing- 
 vessel " Weichelhausen " at Bremen, and after a 
 voyage of seven weeks landed in New York City, 
 from which place he proceeded to Pekin. The 
 journey hither was made by boat up the Hudson 
 River to Albany, then by rail to Chicago and 
 La Salle, and from the latter city by boat to Pekin. 
 Here he continued his studies in the public schools 
 for a time. 
 
 About two years after coming to this city Mr. 
 Tomm entered the employ of his brothers, who 
 kept a dry-goods store, but later he became a 
 student in the Commercial College at Quiucy, where 
 he spent six months in 1863-64. April 28, 1864, 
 his name was enrolled as a member of Company C, 
 One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Illinois Infantry. 
 He was mustered into service at Peoria, and was 
 appointed Sergeant of his company. In order to 
 fight for the Union he resigned a position in the 
 store, where he was receiving a salary of $60 per 
 month, and entered upon a life of great peril, ex- 
 posure and unnumbered hardships. Such was his 
 loyalty to the land of his adoption. At the ex- 
 piration of his period of service he was mustered 
 out at Peoria, October 28, 1864. 
 
 Returning to Pekin, Mr. Tomm was for a time 
 clerk for his brothers, and afterward became a 
 partner in the firm, the title being George Tomm 
 & Bro. The store was situated on the corner 
 of Court and Capitol Streets, in a building erected 
 by George Tomm and now occupied by the Smith 
 Bank. In 1870 the brother died and the estate 
 was settled. Our subject then abandoned the 
 mercantile and embarked in the hardware business 
 at Delavan, this state, the firm name being King- 
 man & Tomm. After some time thus spent, he 
 disposed of his interest in the concern and entered 
 the grain business, in which he was engaged for 
 three years. His father-in-law, Daniel Crabb, hav- 
 ing a private bank, he retired from the grain busi- 
 ness in order to clerk in the bank, where he re- 
 mained until 1885. On account of trouble with 
 his eyes he was unable to engage in business of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 263 
 
 any kind for the two ensuing years. Regaining 
 the use of his eyes, in 1887 he became a clerk for 
 Teis Smith <^ Co., bankers of Pekin, and held 
 that position until 1889, since which time he has 
 been engaged in the insurance business. 
 
 At Delavan, this state, in 1880, Mr. Tomm was 
 united in marriage with Mrs. Mary (Crabb) Gudell, 
 daughter of Daniel Crabb, one of the pioneers of 
 Tazewell County. By her first marriage, this lady 
 became the mother of one daughter, Asulla, now 
 a resident of Chicago. Her union with Mr. Tomm 
 resulted in the birth of one child, Eugene. She 
 passed away in 1884, mourned by a large circle of 
 friends, to whom her noble character had endeared 
 her. Socially Mr. Tomm is identified with Joe 
 Manna Post No. 117, G. A. R., and is the present 
 Adjutant of the post. Politically he is a Republi- 
 can, and is firm in his allegiance to party men and 
 principles. He well remembers when a mere child 
 seeing Abraham Lincoln, who came to Pekin with 
 the intention of opening a law office at this place. 
 
 YfjOHN A. ANDREWS, the senior member of 
 the firm of John A. Andrews & Co., millers, 
 of Washington, was born in Trumbull 
 County, Ohio, August 13, 1827, and is a 
 son of the Rev. Wells Andrews. His father was 
 born and reared in Connecticut and was a son 
 of Asa Andrews, one of the heroes of the 
 Revolution. Rev. Mr. Andrews was graduated 
 from Jefferson College, of Pennsylvania, entered 
 the Presbyterian ministry and took charge of the 
 church in Alexandria, Va. He there married 
 Nancy Harper, a native of the Old Dominion and 
 a daughter of John Harper. In 1826 he removed 
 to Trumbull County, Ohio, where he remained 
 for ten years as a preacher, after which he became 
 a professor in the Ohio University at Athens. 
 The year 1843 witnessed his arrival in Washing- 
 ton, 111., and after serving as pastor here for a 
 short time he went to Tremont, then the county 
 seat, where he spent eleven years. On the expira- 
 tion of that period he returned to Washington, 
 and was pastor of the Presbyterian Church until 
 
 his decease, which occurred in February, 1867. 
 He was an active and prominent minister for a 
 half-century, and his earnest and untiring labors 
 were productive of much good. He was one of 
 the pioneer preachers of Tazewell County, and all 
 who knew him respected him. His wife passed 
 away July 12, 1872. 
 
 In the Andrews family were eight children, all 
 of whom reached mature years, while five are yet 
 living, viz.: John A.; James, who resides near 
 Geneseo, 111.; Lucy, wife of George Shaw, a resi- 
 dent of Henry County, 111.; Margaret, widow of 
 J. M. Harlan, a resident of Eureka, 111.; and Ches- 
 ter, who is engaged in cattle raising in Nebraska. 
 Those deceased are, Mary, who became the wife of 
 John M. Bush and died in 1856; Robert, whose 
 death occurred in 1856; and Wells, who died 
 March 11, 1894, at which time he was senior mem- 
 ber of the milling firm of W. & J. A. Andrews. 
 
 Our subject was a 3'outh of sixteen years when 
 with his parents he came to Tazewell County. He 
 was educated in the Ohio University, of Athens, 
 and on starting out in life for himself he turned 
 his attention to farming. Having purchased land 
 in Washington Township, he continued to culti- 
 vate and improve his farm for about three years. 
 In 1851 he formed a partnership with his brother 
 Wells and bought out the flouring mill of A. W. 
 Danforth. Since that time he has been engaged 
 in the milling business, and his has been the only 
 mill of importance in Washington during the 
 long period of thirty-eight years. He makes an 
 excellent grade of Hour, therefore receives a liberal 
 patronage and enjoys an excellent trade. He has 
 also engaged in buying and selling grain, and 
 from 1854 until 1866 carried on general mer- 
 chandising. 
 
 In 1855 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. An- 
 drews and Mary Telva Burton, a native of Ken- 
 tucky and a daughter of Dr. Robert Burton, a 
 physician of Kentucky, who brought his family 
 to Tazewell County in 1837. Here he engaged in 
 practice for a time, and then embarked in the 
 dry-goods business, which he followed until his 
 death, in 1859. Mrs. Andrews was reared in Taze- 
 well County, and here died November 21, 1878. 
 To our subject and his wife were born ten chil-
 
 264 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dren, six of whom are yet living: Charles W., a 
 farmer of Washington Township; James, who is 
 now serving as County Treasurer of Dundy Coun- 
 ty, Neb., and makes his home in Benkelman; 
 Telva, who is engaged in teaching in the public 
 schools of Washington; Margaret Wells, at home; 
 J. Andrew, who is studying medicine; and Anna, 
 who completes the family. 
 
 In early life Mr. Andrews affiliated with the 
 Whig party, but since voting for John C. Fremont 
 in 1856 has been a stalwart Republican. He is a 
 member of the English Lutheran Church, to which 
 his wife also belonged. One of the oldest settlers 
 now living in this section of Tazewell County, he 
 may well be numbered among the honored pio- 
 neers, and also among the valued citizens, for he 
 has taken an active part in everything pertaining 
 to the welfare of the community, and withholds 
 his support from no enterprise calculated to prove 
 of public benefit. 
 
 ?ILLIAM R. LACKLAND. The gentleman 
 whose sketch now claims our attention is 
 \ij one of the most successful business men 
 of Morion, and is Cashier of the Morton Bank, 
 which he was instrumental in organizing in the 
 fall of 1886. He was born in Tremont, this coun- 
 ty, November 27, 1862, and is the son of Col. 
 William R. and Cordelia (Warner) Lackland. 
 
 Grandfather James Lackland and his wife were 
 natives of Tennessee, from which state they emi- 
 grated to this county in 1832, and were among 
 the very earliest settlers of Tremont. There the 
 grandfather entered a small tract of land from the 
 Government and led the life of a farmer until his 
 decease, a few years later. The responsibility of 
 caring for the family was thus thrown upon the 
 father of our subject, he being the only son in a 
 family of five children. His education was re- 
 ceived in the common schools of this state, and he 
 followed the life of a farmer during his entire ca- 
 reer, with the exception of the time spent as a sol- 
 dier in the Union army. He was married in this 
 county to Miss Cordelia, daughter of Hiram and 
 
 Phoebe Warner; she was born in New York (of 
 which state her parents were also natives) and 
 came of old Revolutionary stock. The maternal 
 grandparents of our subject were likewise pioneers 
 of this county, having located here a few years 
 after the Lackland family. 
 
 The father of our subject became a soldier in 
 the late war, serving in Company G, One Hundred 
 and Eighth Illinois Infantry. This was a Peoria 
 regiment, and Mr. Lackland was appointed its 
 Captain and was soon promoted to be Colonel. The 
 company was one of the first to respond to the 
 call for volunteers, and Colonel Lackland served 
 In an official position until the close of the war. J 
 His company formed a part of Grant's army and 
 participated in many of the decisive battles of that 
 period, among which was the siege of Yicksburg. 
 
 On his return from the war Colonel Lackland 
 turned his attention to farm pursuits and accum- ' 
 ulated about five hundred acres of as fine land as 
 ;js to be found within the limits of this county. 
 'He was elected Sheriff on the Republican ticket, and 
 while the incumbent of this position he gave the i 
 people the very best satisfaction and bore the 
 reputation of being able to secure all criminals 
 when once he started after them, often capturing 
 them in other states. He was Sheriff of the county 
 for two terms, and the entire community mourned 
 his loss when he died, in June, 1874. His wife 
 still survives and is living on the old home farm. 
 
 William R. was one in a family of five sons and 
 three daughters, of whom Melvin P. is Professor 
 of Mathematics in the Illinois Wesleyan Univer- 
 sity at Bloomington; John J. is engaged in farm- 
 ing in Kansas; Leonard is a senior in the Universi- 
 ty at Bloomington and is taking the classical 
 course; Thomas II. is a fanner in this county; Net- 
 tie is the wife of James Bradshaw, an agriculturist 
 of Kansas; Alice C. married John E. Russell, a 
 farmer of this count3'; as is also Charles Broy- 
 hill. the husband of Frankie. 
 
 Our subject has been the recipient of a fine edu- 
 cation. He attended school at Evanston and Onarga, 
 this state, and was graduated from the school in 
 the latter place in 1885. He then began clerking in 
 the Bank of Tremont, and after holding a position 
 there for a year, in the fall of 1886 organized the
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF m 
 
 UNIVERSm Of ILLINOIS
 
 W. H. COXIBEAR, M. D.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 267 
 
 Morton Bank, of which he is the Cashier and is 
 also a member of the firm. He is also interested in 
 real estate and owns a quarter-section of valuable 
 farming land in Madison Count}', Neb. 
 
 Mi*? Margaret, the daughter of Richard and 
 Elizabeth M. (Evans) Barry, became the wife of 
 onr subject in October, 1888. The ceremony was 
 performed in Tremont, and Mrs. Lackland is a 
 native of Washington City, D. C., while her par- 
 ents were born respectively in Ireland and Eng- 
 land. Mr. Barry was a prominent business man 
 in the east and died when Miss Margaret was 
 quite young. To our subject and his wife have 
 been born two children, William R. and Bruce B. 
 The parents are members of Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and socially our subject is a Modern 
 Woodman, belonging to Lodge No. 768. He is a 
 Republican in politics, but in local affairs votes 
 for the man whom he considers will best fill the 
 office, regardless of party. 
 
 yiLLIAM H. COM BEAR, M. D. This pop- 
 ular and successful physician of Morton 
 was born in Devonshire, England, Decem- 
 ber 12, 1843, being a son of Thomas and Ann 
 (Kingdom) Conibear. The paternal grandfather, 
 George Conibear, who was likewise a native of De- 
 vonshire, was a representative of one of England's 
 oldest families and participated in many of the 
 wars of early days. Both the father and grand- 
 father were wheelwrights, but prior to that the an- 
 cestors were farmers by occupation. 
 
 In Grandfather Conibear's family there were 
 six children, as follows: George, who emigrated 
 to the United States and died in Peoria County, 
 111.; Philip, who died in England about 1888; 
 Thomas, the father of our subject; Mary, who mar- 
 ried Thomas Stephens, and removing to Canada 
 there died in 1893; Ann, whose home is in Lon- 
 don, England; and Margaret, who removed to 
 Australia, though nothing is definately known 
 concerning her at present, but it is probable that 
 she died there. Thomas Conibear received a com- 
 mon-school education and followed his chosen 
 trade throughout the greater |rt of his life. An 
 expert mechanic, he always had plenty of work 
 and good pay. 
 
 Emigrating to the United States in the spring 
 of 1851, Thomas Conibear settled with his family 
 at Peorra, 111., where he worked at his trade. In 
 1855 he came to Tazewell County, where he en- 
 gaged in farming for two years. He then settled 
 on the military tract of Illinois, in Bureau County, 
 where he followed agricultural operations until 
 1866. In partnership with his son Edward he 
 embarked in the mercantile business at Mineral, 
 and a few years after dissolving the connection 
 he followed the trade of a pattern maker in Mo- 
 line. His death occurred in Mineral April 13, 
 1871, at the age of fifty -six years. 
 
 In religious belief Mr. Conibear was a Baptist, 
 and after coming to this country united with the 
 First Baptist Church of Peoria. In politics he 
 affiliated with the Douglas Democrats prior to the 
 war, but that conflict caused a change of opinion on 
 his part and he afterward was a stanch advocate of 
 Republican principles. His wife, whom he mar- 
 ried in England, was a member of an old family 
 of that country. Her parents lived upon land 
 which had been bought the latter part of the last 
 century and was then leased back to them for 
 ninety-nine years. 
 
 The parental family consisted of seven children, 
 but one died in childhood. The others are: Ed- 
 ward, who is in the implement business at Peo- 
 ria; William H.; Elizabeth, the wife of Ralph Mc- 
 Clmtock, of Little Rock, Ark.; Mary, who married 
 Joseph Tompkins, of South Dakota; Sarah, who 
 died at the age of twenty-five years; and Ella, 
 who is the wife of Henry Rile}-, of Denver, Colo. 
 The mother, who is now ( 1894) seventy-three years 
 of age, makes her home with Mrs. Riley. 
 
 When less than twenty years of age the subject 
 of this sketch entered the Union army, and in 
 August of 1862 his name was enrolled as a mem- 
 ber of Company B, One Hundred and Twelfth 
 Illinois Infantry. He accompanied his regiment to 
 Kentucky, and his first field work was in pursuit 
 of Morgan and Pegram. Having been detailed from 
 his regiment with a battery, he took part in the 
 battles of Danville, Dutton Hill and Monticello, 
 Ky., after which he re-joined his regiment and with 
 them participated in the engagements at Athens 
 and Loudon, Tenn. (where the regiment received
 
 268 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 commendation for bravery), Lenoir Station, Camp- 
 bell Station and Knoxville. The day on which 
 Sanders was killed was a trying one for the regi- 
 ment, who were in the thickest of the fight, and to 
 prove how busy our subject was we need but state 
 that he fired one hundred and twenty rounds that 
 day. 
 
 While following Longstreet the regiment took 
 part in a number of skirmishes, and then march- 
 ing to Knoxville, soon afterward joined General 
 Sherman at Tunnel Hill and accompanied him to 
 Jonesboro. Thej- went from there back to At- 
 lanta and pursued Hood into Alabama and fought 
 him at Nashville. Next they were transferred to 
 the coast, and after engagements at Anderson and 
 Wilmington went to the relief of General Cox 
 near Kingston. Marching with General Cox to 
 Goldsboro, they there joined Sherman's army and 
 proceeded to Raleigh and Jonesboro, at the latter 
 place taking charge of General Johnston's muni- 
 tions of war. June 24, 1864, our subject was dis- 
 charged, and on the 6th of the following month 
 he was mustered out at Chicago. Through the 
 entire period of his active service he was never 
 wounded nor taken prisoner. 
 
 Realizing the need of a more thorough educa- 
 tion, our subject entered Eureka College, in Wood- 
 ford County, 111., where he prosecuted his literary 
 researches for one year. Afterward he secured a 
 position as teacher of a district school, his salary 
 being $25 the first three months, but his services 
 proved so valuable that he afterward received 
 $75. Meantime, his leisure moments were devoted 
 to the study of physiology, in which he became so 
 interested that he commenced the study of medi- 
 cine. After studying alone for three years he at- 
 tended a course of lectures at Rush Medical Col- 
 lege in 1867, and from there came to Morton, 
 where he opened an office. In 1875 he returned 
 to Rush Medical College, graduating in the fol- 
 lowing year. He has continued the practice of 
 his profession at this place, and being a skilled 
 physician as well as a genial companion he has 
 won the confidence of the people, who hold him 
 in high regard. He is a member of the Peoria City, 
 the State and National Medical Societies. 
 
 In Bureau County, this state, the Doctor mar- 
 
 ried Miss Jane A. Sterling, a native of Connecticut 
 and a member of one of the old Colonial families. 
 Her parents, David and Cornelia Sterling, were 
 also torn in the Nutmeg State. Six children were 
 born of their union, as follows: Cornelia, a talented 
 artist and a young lady of splendid education, hav- 
 ing been a student in the colleges at Jacksonville 
 and Galesburg; Charles, a farmer of Lee County; 
 John, a graduate of the Illinois Pharmaceutical 
 College and now employed in his father's drug 
 store; En and Grant, both in school; and Bruce, 
 who died in December, 1891. Mrs. Jane A. t'oni- 
 bear died July 31, 1883. 
 
 At the home of the bride's parents, in Deer 
 Creek, October 29, 1885, Dr. Conibear and Miss 
 Mary A. Bogardus were united in marriage. Mrs. 
 Conibear was born in Tazewell County, while her 
 parents, Eri and Mary A. Bogardus, were natives 
 respectively of New York and Virginia, being 
 among the earliest settlers of this county. The 
 Doctor and his wife are the parents of four chil- 
 dren, namely: George II., who died September 1, 
 1887; Ruth B., who was born August 12,1888; 
 Lucy K., April 29,1891; and Florence N., March 
 18, 1893. 
 
 In addition to his practice Dr. Conibear has 
 owned an interest in the drug store at Morton for 
 the past seventeen years. He is the owner of six 
 hundred and forty acres in Lee County, and also lias 
 large tracts in Dakota. He and his wife are iden- 
 tified with the Congregational Church. Socially, 
 he affiliates with the Masonic fraternity at Grove- 
 land, and during the existence of the post at Mor- 
 ton was a member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
 public. Politically a Republican, he has held 
 many of the local offices of village and township 
 and was President of the Board four terms. In 
 the organization of the village he took an active 
 part, and also aided in securing the introduction 
 of electric lights and the water works. 
 
 ORNELIUS B. CUMMINGS is one of the 
 most enterprising and deservedly success- 
 ful of the many eminent gentlemen who 
 have devoted their time and energies toward the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 269 
 
 material advancement of the best interests of Pe- 
 kin, who maintain a high reputation fOyT integ- 
 rity and reliability. As he has been a resident 
 of the county since 1859 he is well and favorably 
 known throughout its length and breadth. His 
 methods have always been straightforward and 
 honorable, and as a consequence he did a large 
 business and is now able to retire from the active 
 duties of life. 
 
 Our subject was born in St. Lawrence Count}-, 
 N. Y., in 1832, and is the son of James P. Cum- 
 mings, whose birth occurred in Burlington, Vt. 
 The family trace their ancestry back to England, 
 whence the first representative came to this coun- 
 try over two hundred years ago. James P. Cum- 
 mings was engaged in the mercantile business in 
 St. Lawrence County, N. Y., and also owned con- 
 siderable real estate. He was a Democrat in pol- 
 itics and died in 1879, when in his eightieth year. 
 His wife, Mrs. Clarissa (Wilson) Cummings, is a 
 native of the Empire State and is now living in 
 Chicago, at the age of eighty-four years. 
 
 Of the eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cummings six are living. C. B. was reared near 
 Can ton, N. Y., where he attended the public schools 
 and lived with his parents on the home farm until 
 reaching his twentieth year, when he went to Pa- 
 latka, Fla., and for two years was engaged in mer- 
 chandising. At the expiration of that time he 
 returned north, and going to Lawrence, Mich., had 
 charge of several sawmills for a Chicago house. 
 In 1859, however, he came to Pekin, and the fol- 
 lowing year established himself in the mercantile 
 business in company with his brother C. R., under 
 the name of C. B. Cummings & Co. This partner- 
 ship was dissolved two years later and our subject 
 took in another partner, G. R. Cobley. They have 
 a fine dry-goods establishment in Pekin. He was 
 engaged in this line of trade for nearly a quarter of 
 a century, and during the war sent out wagons 
 stocked with notions through the central portion 
 of the state. 
 
 Mr. Cummings has been more than ordinarily 
 successful as a business man, and in 1881 was en- 
 abled to retire from active business. He is the 
 owner of a good farm and is also the proprietor 
 of a brick block on Court and Capital Streets. The 
 
 lady to whom Mr. Cummings was married in 1859 
 was Miss Harriet A. Cumings, who was also born 
 in New York and who was the daughter of P. R. 
 Cumings. To them have been born two daughters: 
 Harriet Eugenia, now Mrs. John A. May, of Chi- 
 cago; and Emma L., the wife of Frank Lowery, 
 who makes her home in Pekin. 
 
 In his political relations our subject votes with 
 the Democratic party, and socially is a Mason. He 
 has been Supervisor for twenty years, during which 
 time he served on the Finance Committee. He is 
 public spirited and enterprising, gives his hearty 
 support to all worthy movements, and is much re- 
 spected. He lias built a fine residence in the city, 
 and is recognized not only as one of the wealthy, 
 but as one of the prominent and valued citizens 
 of the community. 
 
 mer. 
 
 LOR1MER, who is engaged in the 
 plastering business in Morton, was born in 
 New York City, July 18, 1828, and is a son 
 of John and Charlotte M. (Sinclair) Lori- 
 His grandparents were Alexander and Char- 
 lotte Lorimer. The father and grandfather were 
 both natives of Coopertown, Fifeshire, Scotland. 
 The latter was a blacksmith by trade and was well- 
 to-do, belonging to a wealthy family in his native 
 land. He had four children, Alexander, William, 
 Isabella and John. The first-named inherited the 
 property, but as he never had children it descended 
 to children of Isabella Lorimer. 
 
 The father of our subject acquired a good edu- 
 cation in his native land, and possessed a most ex- 
 cellent memory. He was the only one of the fam- 
 ily who emigrated to America. In 1818, he became 
 a resident of New York City, and there married 
 Charlotte, daughter of Hector and Isabella Sin- 
 clair. She was born in New York. Her father 
 was a native of Scotland, and her mother, who 
 was born in the Empire State, was of. Scotch line- 
 age. Mr. and Mrs. Lorimer became the parents of 
 seven children, Alexander, John, William, George 
 C.; James, who served in the late war; Isabella, 
 deceased, and Charlotte A. The father of this 
 family was a slater by trade, and was an extensive
 
 270 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 contractor, doing business along that line all over 
 the United States. He accumulated considerable 
 real estate in the east, but in 1835 sold his prop- 
 erty, and in June came to Tazewell County, mak- 
 ing the trip by way of the Ohio and Mississippi 
 Rivers. He entered one hundred and sixty acres 
 of land in Fond du Lac Township, and began its 
 cultivation, but had no practical knowledge of 
 farming and lost considerable money. He was a 
 Knight Templar Mason, and in politics was a 
 Whig. Both parents have long since passed away. 
 
 When the family came to the west the Indians 
 had just been removed to their reservation beyond 
 the Mississippi, and the country was still wild and 
 unbroken. Deer were plentiful and other kinds 
 of wild game abounded. Our subject was reared 
 in the usual manner of pioneer settlers, and was 
 educated in a log schoolhouse. During his vouth 
 he gave his parents the benefit of his services. At 
 the age of eighteen he began learning the cooper's 
 trade, and on attaining his majority went to New 
 York City, where he worked at the plasterer's 
 trade for sixteen months, after which he returned 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Lorimer has been twice married. In Fond 
 du Lac Township, he wedded Margaret A. Arnold, 
 a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Morton and 
 Patsy Arnold, who were born in Virginia. Four 
 children graced this union, but only two are now 
 living. Isabella E., wife of H. Rork, a farmer of 
 Livingston County, 111., and Charlotte, wife of 
 William Witenaur, an agriculturist of Shelby 
 County, 111. The mother died in 1870, and Mr. 
 Lorimer afterward married Miss Mary J. Mooberry, 
 a native of Franklin County, Ohio, and a daugh- 
 ter of John and Lydia (Marion) Mooberry. Her 
 father was born in Pennsylvania, and her mother 
 in Massachusetts. His ancestors were originally 
 natives of Scotland, but at the time of the Crusades 
 were driven to Ireland, and during Colonial days 
 the family was founded in America. 
 
 During his entire residence in Morton, Mr. Lor- 
 imer has been engaged in the plastering business, 
 and is meeting with good success in his undertak- 
 ings. He also owns eighty acres of land in Liv- 
 ingston County, 111., and an interest in the home 
 place. Socially, he is connected with Peoria 
 
 Lodge No. 15, A. F. & A. M., and his wife is a 
 faithful member of the Christian Church. In 
 politics he is a Democrat, has served as Road Com- 
 missioner, which position he filled six years, and 
 since that time has been Justice of the Peace. He 
 has also been Town Clerk for two years, and was 
 elected without opposition. He was Township 
 Supervisor four terms, Collector five terms and 
 Commissioner two terms, and at the time of his 
 re-election as Commissioner he received every 
 vote cast. He has been a member of the Village 
 Board two terms, and at this writing is Notary 
 Public. The duties of these offices he has dis- 
 charged with a promptness and fidelity that have 
 won him high commendation and made him one 
 of the valued citizens of the community. 
 
 ENJAMIN W. KINSEY is the able editor 
 of the principal newspaper of Morton, The 
 Messenger. It contains first, that which 
 even'body wants to know concerning their 
 neighbors and locality; second, a review of the 
 happenings of the world in general, and third, 
 formative opinions by a keen, shrewd business 
 man. 
 
 Our subject was born near Mackinaw, this coun- 
 ty, June 13, 1872. He is the son of Nicholas B. 
 and Caroline (Hatcher) Kinsey, the former of 
 whom was born in Culpeper County, Vn., where 
 he was reared to manhood. Later he came to 
 this county in company with his brother, Andrew 
 J., and on arriving here worked out by the month 
 on farms. He soon became one of the well-to- 
 do agriculturists of this vicinity, and in 1885 
 was chosen Superintendent of the Poor Farm, 
 which responsible position he held until his death, 
 which occurred April 27, 1887, by being thrown 
 from his buggy. He was married in this county 
 to Miss Hatcher, whom he left at his decease with 
 five children, namely: Minnie, now Mrs. Benjamin 
 Russell; James H. and Nora, deceased; the subject 
 of this sketch, and Leon E. Nicholas B. Kinsey was 
 a consistent member of the Christian Church, and 
 socially was a Master Mason. 
 
 Our subject remained at home with his parents 
 until fifteen years of age, when thus early in life
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 271 
 
 he started out to make his own way in the world, 
 working as a farm hand for $8 per month. Prior 
 to leaving home he had received a fair education, 
 and after being employed as a laborer for two 
 years, taught school for about three years, spend- 
 ing his vacations learning the printer's trade in an 
 office at Mackinaw. In the fall of 1893, he came 
 to this village and purchased the Morton Messenger, 
 which he is now editing with good success. The 
 paper is independent in politics, and although the 
 list of subscribers was very small when it came into 
 Mr. Kinsey's possession, he lias doubled the circu- 
 lation and it now receives and merits a liberal 
 patronage of the citizens throughout the town and 
 county. Mr. Kinsey was married May 12, 1894, 
 to Pearl Fly nn, of Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 PRANK J. KELCH, of Pekin, was for many 
 years with the A. J. Hodges Header Works, 
 and is one of the most prominent citizens 
 of this nourishing town. He has one of the most 
 elegant and conveniently arranged residences, situ- 
 ated at No. 900 Prince Street, and which is pic- 
 turesquely located at the highest point in the city, 
 surrounded by about two acres of well kept lawn. 
 
 Born in Morris County, N. J., near the village 
 of Morristown, February 7, 1850, our subject is 
 the son of Nicholas Kelch, a native of Germany. 
 The latter was the son of a wealthy German, and 
 after his marriage in the land of his birth he emi- 
 grated to America, about 1836, settling near Mor- 
 ristown, N. J., where he engaged in farming. In 
 the spring of 1868 he removed to Iowa, and im- 
 proved a farm in Cedar County, where he con- 
 tinued to make his home until his death, in 1873, 
 at the age of seventy-five. In religious views he 
 was a Catholic. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Catherine White, and who was also a native of 
 Germany, died while visiting in Pekin, aged 
 eighty-two years. 
 
 The youngest of nine children, all of whom are 
 now living, is the subject of this sketch. He was 
 reared in Morristown until a youth of eighteen 
 years, meantime enjoying common-school advan- 
 
 tages. In 1868 he removed with his father to 
 Iowa, but a very short time afterward he came to 
 Pekin and joined his brother John, a carpenter 
 here. The date of his arrival in this city was June 
 1, 1868. Under his brother he commenced to work 
 as a bridge builder, and for a time acted as Super- 
 intendent of bridge building on the Peoria, Pekin 
 & Jacksonville Railroad, remaining with that com- 
 pany for nine years. 
 
 Mr. Kelch was employed as foreman in the erec- 
 tion of a large number of bridges on the road 
 above-named. After resigning his position in 
 1877, he entered the employ of the A. J. Hodges 
 Header Works as carpenter, and later was chosen 
 foreman of the wood department, retaining charge 
 of it for six years. During the harvesting season 
 he usually traveled for the firm, sell ing and putting 
 up machines in Kansas, the Dakotas and Iowa. In 
 that line he was an expert, and his services were 
 in constant demand. Remaining with the com- 
 pany from 1877 until August, 1891, the concern 
 was then sold to the Acme Harvesting Company, 
 and he remained with them until August 1, 1892, 
 being foreman of the wood department. At the 
 present time he is engaged in carpentering. 
 
 At Pekin, July 17, 1873, Mr. Kelch married Miss 
 Elizabeth Bitzel, a native of this city. Our sub- 
 ject and wife have three children, A. Katie, George 
 H. and Mabel G. Mrs. Kelch's parents, Henry and 
 Catherine (Shafer) Bitzel, were born in Baden, 
 Germany, and there married. Emigrating to the 
 United States, they settled in Pekin in 1846, where 
 the father followed his trade of a shoemaker until 
 failing health obliged him to abandon active work. 
 Afterward he and his wife kept a boarding house 
 until his death, in 1874; she passed away the fol- 
 lowing year. 
 
 The judgment of Mr. Kelch concurs in the prin- 
 ciples of the Democratic party, which he therefore 
 supports on all occasions. In the spring of 1887, 
 he was nominated and elected School Director, and 
 three years later was re-elected, serving until 1893. 
 For a time he was a member of the Visiting and 
 Building Committee, and was serving on the Build- 
 ing and Finance Committee when the present high 
 school building was erected. About the same time 
 an addition was erected to the Douglas and Lin-
 
 272 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD. 
 
 coin schools. In 1890 he was President of the 
 School Board. To his judgment and excellent man- 
 agement is largely due the fact that Pekin now has 
 one of the finest schoolhouses in the state. Soci- 
 ally, he is identified with the Independent Order 
 of Odd Fellows. In religious views he is identified 
 witli the First Reformed Church, of which he is 
 Deacon. He is prominently connected with the 
 Carpenters' Union. A practical builder, he is 
 thoroughly competent to take charge of work, and 
 being a man of honor his business is conducted in 
 a reliable and straightforward manner, and his 
 word may be relied upon in matters pertaining to 
 it. In his domestic relations he is kindly and con- 
 siderate, in society a pleasing companion, and in 
 all his dealings with mankind both just and gen- 
 erous. 
 
 ISS JOSEPHINE GOODHEART, at pres- 
 ent Principal of the high school at Pekin, 
 was born in Pekin, and is a daughter of 
 John Goodheart, who was a native of Mc- 
 Lean County, 111. Her grandfather. Rev. William 
 Goodheart, and his wife were natives of Ger- 
 many. He was one of the pioneer Methodist min- 
 isters of Illinois and located in McLean County. 
 His old farm is now the site of a fine park in 
 Bloomington. 
 
 John Goodheart was reared on the old home- 
 stead, served in the Mexican War and took part 
 in the battles of Buena Vista and Vera Cruz. 
 When a young man he came to Pekin, where he 
 engaged in pork-packing until 1860. In that year 
 he embarked in the same business in Havana, 111., 
 but when Ft. Sumter was fired upon he immedi- 
 ately enlisted for the war as a member of Com- 
 pany C, Second Illinois Cavalry. He was made 
 Sergeant, and by meritorious conduct rose to the 
 rank of Second Lieutenant. He participated in 
 the battles of Pittsburg Landing, Ft. Donelson, 
 Island No. 10 and Ft. Henry, and while crossing 
 the ferry at Hickman, Ky., was shot and killed, 
 August 11, 1862. His remains were then brought 
 back to Pekin and interred in the cemetery at this 
 place. In politics he was a stalwart Democrat, 
 
 and was ever fearless in the support of his views 
 on any question. 
 
 On the 24th of January, 1859, Mr. Goodheart 
 married Miss Sarah C. Shober, a native of Zanes- 
 ville, Muskingum County, Ohio, and a daughter of 
 Henry Shober, who was born in Germany and who 
 became one of the early settlers of the Buckeye 
 State, where he engaged in the boot and shoe bus- 
 iness. He served in the War of 1812, came to 
 Pekin in 1837 and was in the Black Hawk War. 
 Here he followed fruit farming until his death, 
 which occurred about 1840. His wife, who lx>re 
 the maiden name of Elizabeth Roach, was born in 
 Baltimore, Md., and died in Pekin. Mrs. Good- 
 heart went to the south in November, 1861, to be 
 near her husband, and remained in Cairo, III., until 
 April, 1862, when General Grant ordered all 
 women to return home. She then lived in Ha- 
 vana from the 1st of May until after her hus- 
 band's death. Some time later she became the 
 wife of Stephen Roney, a native of Chester Coun- 
 ty, Pa., and an early settler and blacksmith of Ex- 
 eter, 111. Afterward he came to Pekin, where he 
 engaged in the hardware and agricultural imple- 
 ment business, becoming the owner of the largest 
 store of the kind in this place. During the last 
 four years of his life he lived retired, and passed 
 away in 1884, at the age of seventy-nine. He 
 served as Alderman for many years, was also School 
 Director, and from the age of twenty-one was a 
 member of the Reformed Church, to which his 
 widow also belongs. In politics he was a Demo- 
 crat, and was a prominent Mason. Mis Good- 
 heart, of this sketch, and Mrs. Kate Woost, of 
 Tremont, were the only children in their parents' 
 family. 
 
 PRANZ LORENZ. The enterprising sons of 
 the Fatherland have penetrated all parts 
 of the United States and have left their 
 ineffaceable mark as the sign-manual of industry, 
 energy and a perseverance which has never ad- 
 mitted the existence of any such word as "fail." 
 They have brought to their adopted country the 
 steady habits that were transmitted to them from a 
 substantial ancestry and that have aided them in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 273 
 
 arising to positions of prominence in the industrial 
 and commercial world. 
 
 Among the residents of Pekin who have been 
 important factors in the development of the busi- 
 ness resources of the city may be mentioned the 
 name of Mr. Lorenz, a native of German}', but 
 long a resident of the United States. He enjoys 
 the distinction of having been in the grocery busi- 
 ness for a longer period than any other grocer at 
 this place, and the success which has rewarded his 
 efforts is well deserved. His establishment is lo- 
 cated at No. 311 Court Street. The building is 
 22x80 feet in dimensions, and contains a good 
 basement. Here he carries a full line of general 
 staple and fancy groceries, as well as a complete 
 assortment of groceries. 
 
 In Kirchberg, province of Koblentz, Prussia, the 
 subject of this notice was born March 6, 1834. He 
 is the son of Frederick Lorenz, a native of Ger- 
 many and a book-binder by trade, who spent his 
 entire life in the land of his birth and there passed 
 away. He and his wife, who bore the maiden 
 name of Sophia Junker, were the parents of three 
 sons and five daughters. At the present time two 
 sons and two daughters survive. Of these the 
 third in order of birth is Franz, who was reared to 
 manhood in Prussia, receiving in his boyhood the 
 advantages of the excellent schools of his province. 
 At the age of fourteen, his schooling ceased, and 
 he thereafter assisted his father until twenty years 
 old, when he entered the Prussian army. He re- 
 mained at Vetzlar as a private for three years, and 
 at the expiration of his period of service, left his 
 native country. 
 
 Taking passage on a sailing-vessel at Antwerp 
 in 1857, Mr. Lorenz spent forty-two days upon 
 the ocean and landed in New York City after an 
 uneventful voyage. Thence he traveled westward 
 to Peoria, 111., and in the fall of the same year set- 
 tled in Peoria Township, Peoria County, where 
 he worked on the coal banks and engaged in haul- 
 ing the coal from the banks to the river. After 
 one year thus spent, he was attacked by the ma- 
 larial fever, from which he suffered for nine 
 months or more. As soon as he had recovered 
 sufficiently, he went to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he 
 soon secured work. In 1860 he returned to Peo- 
 
 ria Township and resumed his former labor of 
 hauling coal, but during the same year he came to 
 Pekin and became clerk in the dry-goods store of 
 his brother-in-law, Philip Weyhrich. 
 
 In August, 1862, Mr. Lorenz enlisted as a mem- 
 ber of Company A, Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry, 
 and joined his regiment at Bowling Green, Ky. 
 Among the engagements in which he participated 
 may be mentioned the following: Murfreesboro, 
 Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, 
 Resaca, Dalton, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree 
 Creek, Snake Creek, Jonesboro and Atlanta. From 
 the latter city the regiment was sent back to Ten- 
 nessee in pursuit of General Hood, and under 
 General Thomas our subject took part in the bat- 
 tles of Spring Hill, Franklin, Nashville and Cum- 
 berland Gap. 
 
 During the entire period of his service, Mr. 
 Lorenz was fortunate in escaping imprisonment or 
 injury, and his most serious accident was that of 
 being knocked down by a bomb. So close did the 
 bullets fly, that they penetrated his coat and hat, 
 but glanced aside, thus preventing injury. He en- 
 listed as a private, and when discharged was serv- 
 ing as Corporal, his promotion being due to meri- 
 torious service. In June, 1865, he was mustered 
 out at Nashville, Tenn., and at once returned to 
 Pekin, with a record as a soldier of which lie 
 might well be proud. 
 
 Beginning as a clerk in a grocery store, Mr. 
 Lorenz has since engaged in that business, and in 
 J878 bought out a stock of goods and embarked 
 in the enterprise for himself. Since that time he 
 has gained a lucrative and constantly increasing 
 trade, and as a business man- is well and favorably 
 known among the people of Tazewell County. In 
 this city, November 15, 1866, Mr. Lorenz was 
 united in marriage with Miss Charlotte Briede, a 
 native of Germany. Of the children born to them, 
 three are now living: Rudolph, who is a clerk for 
 his father, Minnie and Edward. 
 
 A Democrat in politics, Mr. Lorenz served as 
 Tax Collector for one year, and has occupied other 
 local positions. Socially he is identified with the 
 Joe Hannah Post No. 116, G. A. R., the German 
 Workmen's Society, of which he was for three 
 years Treasurer, the German Mutual Aid of Chi-
 
 274 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cago, and the Independent Mutual Aid of Illinois. 
 In his religious connections he is a member of the 
 German Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 W. HARMEL, President and Treasurer of 
 the Pckin Milling Company of Pekin, 111., 
 was born on the 22d of September, 1861, in 
 I' Lansing, Allamakee County, Iowa. His fa- 
 ther, Rev. Louis Harmel, was a native of Prussia, 
 and in that country married Matilda Franz. Soon 
 afterward they came to the New World, and the 
 father engaged in the manufacture of threshing 
 machines in Battle Creek, Mich. In his native land 
 he had been a member of the Lutheran Church, 
 but after coming to America joined the Methodist 
 Church and entered the ministry. He preached in 
 Iowa City and Muscatine (Iowa), St. Joseph (Mo.), 
 Mascoutah, Alton, Pekin and Peoria (111.), and is 
 now pastor of the church of his denomination in 
 the last named city. In all his work he is ably as- 
 sisted by his most estimable wife, and the result of 
 their labors cannot be estimated. This worthy 
 couple had six children, three of whom are yet 
 living: Paul L., a farmer of Christian County, Mo.; 
 Mrs. Anna Sleeter, of Boody, 111.; and J. W., of 
 this sketch. 
 
 Our subject accompanied his parents on their 
 various removals and was educated in McKendree 
 College, at Lebanon. He was apprenticed to the 
 miller's trade in Ilalstead, Kan. Before his term 
 of service had expired he had become head miller, 
 and the capacity of the mill had been increased 
 from fifty to four hundred barrels. Later, in 
 company with Messrs. Warkentin and Barkeme3 - er, 
 they organized a stock company known as the 
 Newton Milling and Elevator Company; a mill 
 was purchased in Newton, Kan., and Mr. Harmel 
 was placed in charge. It was supplied with a full 
 roller process and the business was increased from 
 two hundred to four hundred barrels of flour per 
 day. But the climate did not agree with him and 
 also from over work he was compelled to lay aside 
 business cares for a time. He then spent about 
 four months in his father's home in Boody, 111. 
 
 In October, 1888, his old partners wishing to es- 
 tablish a mill in Burton, Kan., Mr. Harmel was 
 placed at the head of the same and continued in 
 charge for some time. Business was carried on 
 under the name of the Burton Grain and Milling 
 Company. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Harmel sold his interests in the 
 mills in Newton and Burton. Kan., and in Janu- 
 ary, 1892, came to Pekin, where in February he 
 succeeded in establishing the Pekin Milling Com- 
 pany, of which he has since been President and 
 Treasurer. He overlooks the management of the 
 mill, which is now doing a good business, his trade 
 having constantly increased from the beginning. 
 Our subject is a practical miller, and through able 
 management he has won success. He also owns 
 an interest in farm and city property. 
 
 In November, 1891, Mr. Harmel was united in 
 marriage with Miss Theresa Smith, daughter of 
 Teis and Dena F. (Neef) Smith. She was born in 
 Pekin and was educated in its public schools and 
 in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. A daughter graces their 
 union, Sieverdena M. L. Socially, Mr. Harmel 
 is connected with the Woodmen's society and 
 with the National Uqion,and held membership 
 with the Presbyterian Church in Burton, Kan. 
 He is a man of sterling worth and strict integrity 
 and has won the confidence and high regard of 
 all with whom business or social relations have 
 brought him in contact. 
 
 EWIS H. BURNS. There are few men of 
 
 the present day more successful or more 
 worthy of honorable mention than the sub- 
 ject of the present sketch, who is one of the 
 wealthiest agriculturists of Tazewell County. A 
 record of his life fully illustrates what may be ac- 
 complished by will and perseverance, for through 
 his own efforts he has became a leading farmer in 
 his community and is well and favorably known 
 throughout the county. 
 
 A native of Maryland, our subject was born in 
 Manchester, Carroll County, March 17, 1827, and 
 is a son of John Burns, whose birth occurred in 
 Baltimore, that state, in 1805. The latter was a
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 277 
 
 carpenter, which trade he followed in connec- 
 tion with tavern-keeping, having a good building, 
 located on the Western turnpike, at Fmksburg. 
 Finally coming west to Green Valley, this county, 
 in 1863 he purchased a farm adjacent to that 
 place, where he resided until his death, in 1873. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Mary Magdaline Leister. She was also born 
 in Carroll County, Md., in 1806, and coming west 
 witli her husband, made her home on the farm un- 
 til she too departed this life, that event occurring 
 in 1885. Grandfather John Burns was a native 
 of Manchester, Md., but his father was born on 
 the ocean while his parents were en route from 
 Scotland to this country. 
 
 The parental family included nine children, of 
 whom Lewis II. was the eldest. Elizabeth is the 
 widow of Thomas J. Lockard, who died in Green 
 Valley in 1893; she is now living in Pekin. 
 Israel B., the third child, died when four years of 
 age; Abraham B. lives at Elkhart, this state, and is 
 engaged in farming near that cit} 1 ; Catherine B. 
 was the wife of Jabez Lcppoand resided in Farmer 
 City until her decease, in 1887; John married Miss 
 Ellen Wilson and is cultivating a farm in Sand 
 Prairie Township; Mary B. is the wife of William 
 Magee, a retired farmer living in the city of Pekin; 
 George, who married Miss Belle Sleath, makes his 
 home in Malone Township; and Nicholas died 
 when six years of age. 
 
 Our subject spent his early life on his father's 
 farm, alternating the duties of a farmer boy with 
 attendance at the district school. One year prior 
 to attaining his majority he learned the miller's 
 trade, which he followed for many years in his na- 
 tive state. In 1854 he came on a prospecting 
 tour to this state and county, and returning to 
 Maryland, stayed there until the following Oc- 
 tober, when he again came to the Prairie State, 
 making his residence here for two years. At the 
 expiration of that time, as he had an important en- 
 gagement to fulfill in the east, he returned to 
 Maryland, and February 12, 1857, was married to 
 Miss Julia Ilildebrant. The young couple im- 
 mediately came to their western home and located 
 upon a farm which our subject had purchased in 
 Sand Prairie Township, which is a quarter of a 
 5 
 
 mile distant from his present fine estate. Mr. 
 Burns being possessed of marked enterprise and 
 much ability, soon put up the needful structures, 
 and as his means would allow, placed upon the 
 farm the latest improvements in the way of 
 machinery, and has continued to reside here for 
 the past forty years. 
 
 Of the six children born to our subject and his 
 wife we make the following mention: Thomas 
 Jefferson was born in 1857 and died in August, 
 1879; John Jacob was born December 13, 1860, 
 and is living at Carthage, S. Dak.; he was married 
 in 1880 to Miss Laura Watts. Sarah A., the third 
 member of the family, is the wife of William L. 
 Woodrow, of Green Valley; Lewis N., who was 
 born January 16, 1866, married Miss Flora Bethard 
 in 1887, and is living in St. Louis, Mo.; George Z., 
 who was born in May, 1868, died November 16 
 of that year; and William II., born October 29, 
 1872, lives with his parents on the home farm. 
 
 Mr. Burns is numbered among the most success- 
 ful agriculturists of Tazewell County and has 
 many friends, who recognize the nobilit3' of his 
 character and realize that he is worthy of being 
 held in the highest possible esteem. Besides his 
 estate in Sand Prairie Township he is the possessor 
 of a valuable farm in Trego County, Kan. With 
 his wife he is a devoted member of the Methodist- 
 Episcopal Church, and they both possess many 
 Christian virtues. Our subject has been a life- 
 long Democrat and always votes that ticket on 
 national issues. 
 
 S VEKETT W. WILSON, Mayor of Pekin, is 
 one of the most enterprising and deservedly 
 
 _ successful of the many eminent gentlemen 
 who devote their time and energies to the material 
 advancement of the best interests of the city. He 
 is also President of the American Distilling Com- 
 pany, and holds the same position in the German- 
 American National Bank of Pekin. 
 
 Our subject was born in Peoria in 1861, and is 
 the son of John Wilson, whose sketch the reader 
 will find in that of his brother, Charles L. Wilson. 
 Our subject came to Pekin in the year 1879 and
 
 278 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 
 accepted a position as bookkeeper in the Hamburg 
 Distilling Company. A year later he was made 
 its manager, and remained in that capacity until 
 the distillery was sold in 1888. 
 
 In the spring of 1893 Mr. Wilson was one of the 
 incorporators of the American Distilling Company, 
 which has a capital stock of $100,000, and which 
 was ready for business in the fall of that year. 
 The buildings of the plant cover about six acres 
 of land, aud the distillery has a capacity of four 
 thousand bushels of grain per day. As before 
 stated, our subject is also President of the German- 
 American National Bank, which was organized in 
 1887 with a capital stock of $100,000. It is one 
 of the largest and most reliable institutions in this 
 part of the state, and is doing an extensive busi- 
 ness among the business men and farmers of the 
 county. 
 
 From 1887 to 1893, Mr. Wilson served as Alder- 
 man of the First Ward on the Republican ticket, 
 and in the spring of the latter year was elected 
 Mayor of the city, assuming the duties of that re- 
 sponsible position May 1. The lady whom he 
 married in 1885 was Miss Anna, daughter of 
 David Wandschneider, and to them were born two 
 sons, John and Everett R. Socially, our subject is 
 a Modern Woodman, in which society he is quite 
 prominent and takes great interest. He is one of 
 the most popular and highly esteemed men of the 
 county. He and his family occupy a model home, 
 which 'was completed in 1889, and which is one of 
 the most beautiful in the citv. 
 
 ^fp^l DWARD O'BRIEN, who is an efficient and 
 popular passenger engineer on the Santa 
 Fe Railroad, was born in Dixon, Van Wert 
 County, Ohio, February 28, 1861. He is the son 
 of Michael O'Brien, a native of Cork, Ireland, 
 who, emigrating to America in early manhood, ac- 
 cepted a position as bookkeeper in the office of the 
 Pennsylvania Railway Company. In 1874 he re- 
 moved west to Indianapolis, whence in September, 
 1888, he went to Chillicothe, 111., and secured a 
 position in the railroad shops there. In March, 
 1893, he came to Pekin, where he still makes his 
 
 home. His wife, who bore the maiden name of 
 Margaret Welch, was born in Ireland and died in 
 Dixon, Ohio. 
 
 In the parental family are two sons and two 
 daughters. Edward, who is next to the eldest, 
 was reared in Dixon, Ohio, and in Indianapolis, 
 Ind., and received ordinary common-school ad- 
 vantages. At the age of seventeen lie began to 
 work in the shops of the '-Pan Handle," where he 
 learned the trade of a machinist. For two years 
 he was foreman on that road between Indianapolis 
 and Columbus, Ohio. In the fall of 1881 he be- 
 came engineer on the same road between these two 
 cities, and continued thus engaged until 1886. 
 
 On January 2 of the above-named year, Mr. 
 O'Brien went to Topeka, Kan., where he secured a 
 position as freight engineer between Topeka and 
 Kansas City, and later from Topeka to Argentine. 
 Later removing to P't. Madison, Iowa, he became 
 an engineer on the Santa Fe between that city and 
 Chicago. On the 2d of. September, 1890, he was 
 transferred to the Pekin branch for the passenger 
 run between Chicago and Pekin, and in that capa- 
 city he has since been engaged, making runs daily 
 except Sunday. The distance of one hundred and 
 fifty-eight miles is covered in five hours and forty- 
 five minutes with an "eight-wheeler," and during 
 the entire period of Mr. O'Brien's connection with 
 the road he has never had an accident. 
 
 At Bradford, Ohio, March 27, 1882, occurred the 
 marriage of Edward O'Brien and Miss Mary Mc- 
 Carty, the latter being a native of the city in 
 which her wedding was solemnized. Four chil- 
 dren have blessed the union, named as follows: 
 Katie, Michael, Margaret and Edward. They are 
 bright and intelligent, and will receive the best 
 educational advantages the city of Pekin affords. 
 Mr. O'Brien has a brother who is a locomotive en- 
 gineer on the branch road at Ft. Madison, and the 
 entire family has been well known in railroad cir- 
 cles for many years. T 
 
 While Mr. O'Brien is able to spend but little of 
 his time in Pekin, he is highly respected by those 
 who have made his acquaintance, and ranks among 
 the public-spirited citizens of the town. He is a 
 member of the Pekin Loan and Homestead Asso- 
 ciation and owns a comfortable residence on the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 279 
 
 corner of Third and Caroline Streets, in addition to 
 valuable property in Cliillicothe, this state. His 
 wife is an amiable and estimable lady, who lias a 
 wide circle of friends in this city. 
 
 -AGIN, foreman of the hominy 
 < ! mills at Pekin and widely known as the 
 inventor of several useful devices, is a na- 
 tive of Kentucky, having been born in Union 
 County, January 8, 1846. The family was prom- 
 inent in Virginia for several generations, and in 
 the Old Dominion our subject's grandfather, James 
 Agin, was born and reared. Thence in an early 
 day he emigrated to Kentucky, becoming a pioneer 
 of the Blue Grass State, where lie continued to re- 
 side until his death. 
 
 The father of our subject, David Agin, was born 
 in Union Count\-, Ky., in 1821, and followed the 
 trades of a shoemaker, blacksmith, carpenter and 
 wagonmaker. In 1849 he removed to Indiana 
 and settled in the vicinity of Terre Haute, where 
 he followed these various trades. After a short 
 sojourn in Chicago he came to Pekin, in 1887, and 
 now makes his home with his son George. At pres- 
 ent he is employed as night watchman in the 
 hominy mills. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Nancy Overpeck, was born in Kentucky of Ger- 
 man ancestry, and died in Indiana. 
 
 In the parental farmily there were six children, 
 but only two are now living. The eldest of the 
 six is George, who was reared in Vigo County, 
 Ind., three miles north of Terre Haute, his boy- 
 hood days being passed on his father's farm. For 
 a time he was a pupil in the subscription schools 
 of the neighborhood, but afterward conducted his 
 studies in the free schools. When sixteen he com- 
 menced to work in a factory, where he remained 
 for several years, being promoted from fireman to 
 engineer. For eight years he operated the sawmill 
 owned by T. B. Johns, and in 1877 accepted the 
 position of engineer in the hominy mill at Terre 
 Haute, remaining there for four years. After 
 three months spent in Mt. Vernon as engineer, 
 Mr. Agin came to Pekin for the purpose of re- 
 
 modeling the engine department in the mills, and 
 was later placed in charge of the mills. 
 
 In Terre Haute, Ind., March 30, 1880, Mr. Agin 
 was united in marriage with Miss Lua Grosvenor, 
 a native of that city. Her father, Augustine 
 Grosvenor, was born in Ohio and educated in 
 Streator, 111.; he resided for some years in Indi- 
 ana, where his death occurred. He was a soldier 
 in the Mexican War, and by occupation he was a 
 painter and contractor. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Catherine Hudnut, was born in Coving- 
 ton, Ky., and was a sister of the late Theodore 
 Hudnut, proprietor of the mills and elevator. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Agin are the parents of two children, 
 Wallace M. and Le Roy. 
 
 In his business transactions Mr. Agin is reliable, 
 energetic and capable, and lifts worthily won the 
 high regard in which he is held. A Democrat in 
 politics, he has been prominent in local affairs and 
 is especially interested in school affairs. From 
 1889 until 1892 he was a member of the School 
 Hoard, during which time the high school build- 
 ing was erected, and for one year he was Chairman 
 of the Building Committee. Socially he is identi- 
 fied with the Mystic Circle, K. O. T. M. 
 
 EDWIN FORRECT LAMPITT traces his 
 ancestry back to the nobility of England, 
 where his father, Capt. Edwin D. Lampitt, 
 was born. The latter came to America with his 
 mother when only four years of age and with her 
 located in New York City, whence they came to 
 Pekin. Here the father learned the trade of a 
 machinist, at which he worked until his decease, in 
 1877, when forty years of age. His wife, Helen 
 (Ilabberneld) Lampitt, was born in New York City 
 and was the daughter of Fred Habberfieid, a na- 
 tive of England. He was an early settler of Pe- 
 kin, and during the late war served as a soldier in 
 a company of Illinois infantry. He departed this 
 life in 1865. The father of our subject also 
 fought during the Rebellion, enlisting as a private 
 in Company F, Eighty-fifth Illinois Infantry. He 
 was later promoted to be Captain of his company
 
 280 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and served as such until 1864, when he resigned 
 and came home. 
 
 Of the three children comprised in the parental 
 family, one is deceased. Herbert is a brick mason 
 of this city, and our subject is a contractor and 
 stone mason of some prominence in Pekin. His 
 father dying when lie was a lad of ten years, Ed- 
 win F. was obliged to begin to earn his own liv- 
 -ing, and was variously employed until reaching his 
 fourteenth year, when he apprenticed himself to 
 learn the trade of a brick mason. After working 
 under instructors for three years he went to Peo- 
 ria, where he was employed for a twelvemonth. 
 At the expiration of that time he returned to Pe- 
 kin, where lie has since been carrying on a success- 
 ful business as contractor and mason. 
 
 Mr. Lampitt was- married in Peoria in 1886 to 
 Miss Fannie Geer, who was born in Kansas in 
 1865. To them has been born a son, Edwin A. 
 In social affairs our subject is an Odd Fellow and 
 Knight of the Maccabees, and in politics never 
 fails to cast a Democratic vote. He commands 
 and deserves the respect of the entire community 
 and is a man who would be sadly missed should 
 he remove from this locality. 
 
 (eT 
 
 EWIS TARBELL. Among the represen- 
 tative and esteemed citizens of Tazewell 
 County, there is probably no one more de- 
 serving of mention than Mr. Tarbell, whose resi- 
 dence within its borders has extended over many 
 years. He has been very successful as an agri- 
 culturist, and is now living retired in the village 
 of Morton, enjoying the fruits of his early toil. 
 
 A native of New York, our subject was born in 
 Chenango County, October 1, 1828, and is the son 
 of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Lamb) Tarbell. The 
 paternal grandparents of our subject were natives 
 of Vermont, whence the former emigrated to Che- 
 nango County, N. Y., when Jonathan Tarbell was 
 quite j-oung. They were engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits, and were highly respected in their com- 
 
 munity. Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Tarbell were mar- 
 ried in New Hampshire, of which state the mother 
 was a native. They came to Illinois in 1838, stop- 
 ping for about nine months in Bloomington. and 
 then came to this county, where the father pur- 
 chased and farmed a small tract of land. The 
 journey to this state was made witli two wagons, 
 in which were stored all their earthly effects. The 
 family consisted of six children, those besides our 
 subject being Horace, a very wealthy, retired 
 farmer of Peoria, where also Isaac is living in re- 
 tirement; Abigail, the widow of Henry Burhans, 
 of Groveland; Eliza, who died when young; and 
 Jane, Mrs. Samuel Berry, who is also deceased. The 
 father of these children departed this life when 
 fifty-five years of age, and fifteen years later was 
 followed to the better land by his good wife. 
 
 Our subject was educated in the common schools 
 of New York and Illinois, and remained with his 
 mother until reaching his twentj'-fifth year, when 
 he established a home of his own and was married 
 to Miss Mary, daughter of Cyrus and Margaret 
 (Cooper) Akers. She was born in Brown Coun- 
 tj r , Ohio, in 1836, while her parents were natives 
 respectively of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and 
 came to this state in 1834. 
 
 Of the seven children born to our subject and 
 his wife, we make the following mention: Charles 
 married Ann Orendorff, and is engaged in the 
 stock business in Delavan; Horace, who is a farmer 
 in North Dakota, married Mary Cross in; Ida be- 
 came the wife of Robert Goodyear, and makes her 
 home in McLean County, this state; Clarence, who 
 married Isabel Ferrier, is deceased; Edith is the 
 wife of Lyman Stinyard, and makes her home in 
 Peoria; and Henry and Alice are deceased. 
 
 Prior to his marriage, our subject purchased 
 eighty acres of land in Morton Township, which 
 he cultivated in such a profitable manner that he 
 was enabled to retire from active work, and five 
 years ago moved into the village. At that time he 
 sold his estate and now owns a quarter-section in 
 Thayer County, Neb., besides valuable town prop- 
 erty. With his wife he is a prominent and active 
 member of the Congregational Church, although 
 he was reared a Methodist. In politics lie is a 
 true-blue Republican, and has always been found
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 281 
 
 ready to aid in any movement which seemed to 
 promise well for his neighborhood, and he has 
 made a favorable impression upon all with whom 
 he lias come in contact. 
 
 ACOB COIIENOUR, a veteran of the late 
 war, is now serving as engineer of the 
 hominy mill of Pekin, and has been a resi- 
 dent of this place since September 1, 1843. 
 He was born in Zanesville, Ohio, on the 14th of 
 June previous. His father, Jacob Cohenour, was 
 a native of Virginia, and became a farmer of 
 Muskingum County, Ohio, whence he removed 
 with his family to Illinois. Purchasing land on 
 Sand Prairie, he there carried on agricultural pur- 
 suits for a number of years, but his last days were 
 spent in retirement in Pekin, where he died at the 
 age of seventy-three. His wife, who bore the 
 maiden name of Mary Woods, and who was a native 
 of Ohio, passed away in 1846. They had twelve 
 children, six sons and six daughters, and with the 
 exception of one, who died at the age of fourteen, 
 all grew to mature years. Five sons and four 
 daughters are yet living. William served in the 
 Union army for three years and four months, and 
 Robert was in the same company for nine months. 
 Jacob Cohenour is the youngest of his father's 
 family. He was reared on a farm, and in 1856 
 went to Jackson County, Iowa, where he worked 
 as a farm hand for about three years, after which 
 he returned home. In 1861, he responded to the 
 country's call for troops, becoming a member of 
 the Eighth Illinois Infantry, but at Cairo, 111., was 
 taken sick and came home. In August, 1861, he 
 again enlisted as a member of Company E, Forty- 
 seventh Illinois Infantry, and participated in the 
 sieges of Island No. 10 and Corinth. In Novem- 
 ber, 1863, on account of physical disability, he was 
 mustered out; he then returned to Jackson County, 
 Iowa, where he engaged in farming on rented land 
 until 1864, when he returned to Pekin. He was 
 then variously employed in the town until 1870, 
 when he began work in the Peona, Pekin & Jack- 
 sonville shops. He then became lireman on the road, 
 and in 1874 was made engineer, thus serving until 
 
 1883, when he became engineer of the City Mills, 
 which position he filled until the fall of 1890. 
 In February, 1891, he became engineer of the 
 hominy mills, and now has charge of two engines, 
 one of sixty and the other of eighty horse power, 
 together with three boilers of forty horse power 
 each. 
 
 Mr. Cohenour was married in Mt. Carroll, III., in 
 1864, to Miss Ariana Doty, who was born in In- 
 gersoll, Canada. She died leaving two children, 
 one of whom, Edwin, makes his home in Pekin. 
 For his second wife our subject chose Susan Angus, 
 a native of Schuyler County, Pa., who died in 
 1882. For his third wife he married Diantha Otto, 
 who was born in Ohio; she was called to her final 
 rest in January, 1893. 
 
 Mr. Cohenour is a member of the Pekin Loan 
 and Homestead Association, and from the spring 
 of 1888 to 1893 was a member of the School 
 Board, during which time he served as its Secre- 
 tary for three years. He was Chairman of the 
 Printing and Supply Committee for five years, of 
 the Building Committee for one year, and of the 
 Finance Committee for one year. He was on 
 the Board when the high school building was 
 erected and when the addition was made to the 
 Dougjas school, and purchased the seats and desks 
 for the former. He belongs to Empire Lodge 
 No. 126, A. F. <fe A. M., to the Royal Arch chap- 
 ter, of which he has served as Scribe; and is a 
 charter member of the Independent Order of Red 
 Men. He is now Great Sachem of thecount}', and 
 has several times been a delegate. The Democracy 
 finds in him a stanch supporter, ever ready to ad- 
 vance its interests. Mr. Cohenouv is a pleasant, 
 genial gentleman and has many friends in the 
 community. 
 
 McFALL, who is engaged in the 
 blacksmith business in Lilly, was born on the 
 4th of June, 1822, in Brownsville, Fayette 
 County, Pa. His great-grandparents were 
 natives of Ireland, but the family was of Scotch 
 origin; however, its representatives had lived on 
 the Emerald Isle for one hundred years before
 
 2X2 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 coming to America. Their emigration to the New 
 World occurred during Colonial days. The grand- 
 father of our subject, Charles McFall, was born in 
 Westmoreland County, Pa., and was a blacksmith 
 by trade, but in his later years followed farming. 
 He reared a large family and all lived to an ad- 
 vanced age. His death occurred in Fayette 
 County, at the age of eightv-six. lie was twice 
 married and outlived his second wife. 
 
 Charles McFall, Jr., father of our subject, was 
 born and reared in Westmoreland County, Pa.; 
 acquired a fair education, and by his extensive 
 reading became a well informed man, who was not 
 only posted on the topics of the day, but was also 
 very familiar with ancient history. For years he 
 was a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church and served as Class-leader. In Fayette 
 County, Pa., he married Jane, daughter of Fred- 
 erick ,1. and Esther Cohenes. Her mother was of 
 French descent. Her father was a weaver by trade 
 and had lie lived three days longer would have 
 been one hundred years of age. 
 
 Charles McFall learned the blacksmith's trade 
 and carried on a shop in Brownsville until 1846, 
 when he emigrated to Peoria, 111., where he en- 
 gaged in business for a few years. He then pur- 
 chased a farm, but after a time returned to Peoria, 
 where he lived retired until his death, in 1881, at 
 the age of eighty-two years. In early life he 
 was a Democrat, but after the war became a Re- 
 publican. His wife passed away at the age of forty. 
 Their family numbered eight children: Nancy, 
 widow of William Stone; John; William, from 
 whom nothing has been heard since he started for 
 California in an early day; Hugh B., a blacksmith 
 of Fulton County, 111.; Hannah, who became the 
 wife of James Bunch, but is now deceased; Mrs. 
 Margaret Albertson, of Kansas; Elizabeth A., de- 
 ceased wife of William League; and James M., 
 who died in childhood. After the death of his 
 first wife the father of this family married Lydia 
 Rigg, and to them were born five children, three 
 of whom died in early life. Minnie, who is de- 
 ceased, was the wife of Henry Green ; and Sarah is 
 living in Peoria. 
 
 Mr. McFall of this sketch attended school until 
 seventeen years of age, prepared himself for teach- 
 
 ing and received a certificate but never followed 
 the profession. lie taught vocal music in differ- 
 ent counties in Illinois and Pennsylvania for 
 many years, possessing much natural talent in that 
 line. In the fall of 1846 he emigrated to Illinois. 
 He had previously learned the blacksmith's trade 
 with his father, and had also learned the trade of 
 manufacturing edged tools. In 1848 he established 
 a blacksmith shop in Kickapoo, Peoria County, car- 
 rying on business there three years, then went to 
 Woodford Count}', where he operated a blacksmith 
 shop through the winter, while in the summer he 
 carried on a brick yard. In 1859 lie embarked in 
 the same lines of business in New Castle, and was 
 thus employed until 1872, when he established his 
 smith} 1 in Lilly. 
 
 When twenty years of age Mr. McFall wedded 
 Mary Wagner, daughter of Andrew and Lucretia 
 Wagner. They became the parents of seven chil- 
 dren, but four died in early life. Those still liv- 
 ing are: Mary E., wife of John L. Brock, of this 
 county; Ellen L., wife of Charles Demon t, of South 
 West City, Mo.; and Jennie, wife of John Plank, 
 of Newton, Kan. 
 
 Since coming to Lilly Mr. McFall served as Post- 
 master for nine months, but at length resigned the 
 office. He has held a number of school oflices, and 
 for nineteen years has served as Justice of the 
 Peace, proving a most competent officer, as is in- 
 dicated by his long term. He is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and his wife belongs 
 to the Christian Church. In politics he is a sup- 
 porter of the Democracy. Faithful to every trust 
 reposed in him, whether public or private, he has 
 the confidence and respect of all who know him, 
 and in the history of his adopted county well de- 
 serves representation. 
 
 ENRY G. WOOST, who resides in Tremont, 
 is engaged in business as a dealer in wall 
 paper, paints and furniture, under the firm 
 name of H. G. Woost & Co. He was born 
 in Pekin, 111., March 3, 1866, and is the fourth in 
 a family of eleven children, seven of whom are 
 yet living, viz.: Sophia, widow of A. Tliurman, 
 of Pekin; William H., of Pekin; Emma, wife of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 283 
 
 George Flagg, of Peoria; Louise, Charles O. and 
 Frank, who also live in Pekin. The parents of 
 tliis family were II. W. C. and Mary (Koch) AVoost. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Germany 
 and came to this country when about twenty-five 
 years of age. Continuing his journey westward, 
 he took up his residence in Pekin, where he has 
 since made his home. He is a tailor by trade, and 
 has followed that business throughout his entire 
 life as a means of livelihood. He is still engaged 
 in that enterprise, and is enjoying a liberal pat- 
 ronage. Socially, he is connected with the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Mutual Aid. His wife was also 
 born in Germany, and when a child crossed the 
 Atlantic to America with her parents. She mar- 
 ried Mr. Woost in Peoria, and since that time 
 they have lived in Pekin. The paternal grand- 
 father, Henry Woost, died in Germany at the age 
 of eighty-one. 
 
 The subject of this sketch during his boyhood 
 attended the public schools of his native town. 
 At the age of nineteen he started out in life for 
 himself, and has since made his own way in the 
 world. He first began earning his own liveli- 
 hood as a painter, and followed that pursuit in 
 Pekin for two years. He was then employed for one 
 year as asistant bookkeeper in the wagon factory 
 of the T. <fe H. Smith Company, and later learned 
 the machinist's trade. In March, 1886, he left 
 his old home and removed to Tremout. He se- 
 cured a position as Cashier in the Tremont Bank, 
 where he continued for two years, when with the 
 capital he had acquired he embarked in business 
 for himself as a dealer in wall paper and paints. 
 To- the sale of those commodities he gave his atten- 
 tion for three years, and was alone in business 
 until March, 1891, when he took a partner. He 
 also opened a furniture and undertaking estab- 
 lishment in connection with his other business. 
 In August, 1893, James Dean bought a half-inter- 
 est in the business, which is now conducted under 
 the firm name of H. G. Woost <fe Co. In Septem- 
 ber their store was burned and they suffered a 
 heavy loss, but a commodious brick building was 
 at once erected on the old site by Mr. Davis and 
 they again resumed trade. 
 
 In September, 1889, Mr. Woost was united in 
 
 marriage with Kate Goodhart, who was a music 
 teacher of Pekin, and a daughter of John Good- 
 hart, of that place. She was one of four children, 
 but two of the number died in childhood. Her 
 sister Josephine is now Principal of the Pekin 
 High School. Her father served in the Mexican 
 War, and when the Rebellion broke out he became 
 a First Lieutenant in the Union army, and was 
 killed while fighting for his country. Unto Mr. 
 and Mrs. Woost were born three children: Jo- 
 sephine, Sophia and George. 
 
 In politics Mr. Woost has always been a stal- 
 wart Republican, and takes a deep interest in the 
 success of his party. He belongs to Tremont Lodge 
 No. 462, A. F. & A. M.. and also to the Odd Fel- 
 lows' society and the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
 ica. He possesses good business ability, is enter- 
 prising and progressive, and is now enjoying a 
 constantly increasing trade. 
 
 ARL F. WINKLE, Secretary and Manager 
 Winkle Brewing Company, of Pekin, 
 was born in this city June 14, 1866. His 
 father, August Winkle, was born in Saxony, Ger- 
 many, and is a butcher by trade. When a young 
 man he came to America and followed the butcher- 
 ing business in Philadelphia, Pa., and in St. Louis. 
 He then came to Pekin and engaged in the same 
 line of trade on Margaret Street until 1860, when 
 he embarked in the brewing business. He began 
 operations in a frame building, but in 1874 erected 
 a brick brewery, which he has since enlarged. He 
 is now President and Treasurer of the company. 
 After coming to Pekin he married Augusta Neu- 
 barth, a native of Saxony, who died in December, 
 1887. They were the parents of six children, 
 four of whom are yet living: August and Carl, 
 who are now connected with the brewing busi- 
 ness; Martha, at home; and Mina, now Mrs. Reul- 
 ing, of Pekin. 
 
 Our subject was reared in his native city, at- 
 tended its public schools, and later completed a 
 course in Bryant & Stratum's Business College of 
 Chicago. He then became his father's bookkeeper,
 
 284 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and later learned the business. In 1888 he went 
 to New York City and spent four months in a 
 brewing school of that place, after which we find 
 him in New York State, where he worked at hib 
 trade until 1889. In that year he returned to 
 Pekin, and in March, 1890, assumed the manage- 
 ment of the brewery owned by the Winkle Brew- 
 ing Company. The business was incorporated in 
 May, 1890, under its present name, with August 
 Winkle, Sr., as President and Treasurer; and Carl 
 F. Winkle as Secretary and Manager. The brew- 
 ery is located on the Illinois River at the west 
 end of Caroline Street. The main building is 
 55x55 feet, and there are two ice houses and store 
 rooms. The machinery is run by engines of 
 thirty horse power, and the boiler has a capacity 
 of six thousand barrels per year. Mr. Winkle 
 superintends the manufacture of the beer himself 
 and manufactures his own malt. 
 
 On the 12th of October, 1892, Mr. Winkle was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna Dietrich, 
 daughter of L. Dietrich, proprietor of the Union 
 and Central Hotels of Pekin. In his political 'View's- 
 Mr. Winkle is a Democrat, and is a wide-awake 
 and enterprising business man. 
 
 y.ILLIAM V. McKINSTRY, of Delavan, is 
 the proprietor of the Palace of Trade, one 
 W^i of the most extensive furniture and hard- 
 ware establishments in central Illinois. He is a 
 native of Tazewell County, having been born in 
 Delavan Township, August 24, 1856. The family 
 of which he is a member originated in Scotland, 
 but afterward removed to the North of Ireland, 
 where his grandfather, Thomas McKinstry, first 
 opened his eyes to the light. So far back as the 
 records extend, the Presbyterian Church was the 
 religious home of the family. 
 
 When a lad of six years Thomas McKinstry ac- 
 companied his parents to the United States and 
 settled with them in Bucks County, Pa. He had 
 two brothers, William, who died in Pennsylvania, 
 leaving three children; and John, whose death oc- 
 curred in Ohio. Grandfather McKinstry passed 
 away in the Keystone State in 1853. His wife, 
 
 whose maiden name was Isabel Huston, was born 
 in Pennsylvania, of Scotch descent, and was a sis- 
 ter of the father of ex-United States Treasurer 
 James Nelson Huston, who for a considerable 
 length of time made his home with our subject's 
 father in Delavan. Mrs. Isabel McKinstry died 
 about 1846. 
 
 James Huston McKinstry, our subject's father, 
 was born in Franklin County, Pa., August 3, 1827, 
 and was the youngest of three children that at- 
 tained mature years. His brother John came to 
 Illinois and engaged in farming and milling. 
 Margaret, the only sister, married J. C. Duncan, 
 then of Pennsylvania, but now a wealthy retired 
 farmer of Delavan. James II. spent his early life 
 on the farm in Franklin County and was educated 
 in Marshall College. In 1851 he moved west to 
 Indiana, whence the following year he came to 
 Delavan Township, Tazewell County. Here he 
 purchased a half-section of land, which he still 
 (>wn.s, and upon which he has been extensively en- 
 'gaged-iji -.fawning and stock-raising. For several 
 years he was also in the grain and mill business. 
 Since 1864 he has resided on an eighty-acre farm 
 adjoining the city of Delavan. He has filled a 
 number of local offices and for three years served 
 as Supervisor of Delavan Township. 
 
 In 1853 James II. McKinstry married Miss Sarah 
 J. McDowell, a resident of Franklin County, Pa., 
 and of Scotch descent. One of her brothers, James 
 McDowell, was killed by sharpshooters during the 
 Civil War. Mr. McKinstry was one of the original 
 members of the Presb3'terian Church of Delavan, 
 which he helped to organize.. Of the charter mem- 
 bers there are but five now living, Mr. and Mrs. 
 McKinstry, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Duncan and Miss 
 Sarah Bell Davidson. In the building up of the 
 church he has long rendered active assistance, be- 
 ing an Elder for the past ten years, and has also 
 promoted the development of the county in gen- 
 eral. Through his influence more than fifty fami- 
 lies have come hither from Pennsylvania. In 
 politics he was formerly a Whig and has been a 
 Republican since the organization of the party. 
 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. McKinstry resulted 
 in the birth of nine children, the two eldest dying 
 in infancy. W. V., the eldest living, is the subject
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 or 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of
 
 HON. H. C. BURNHAM.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 287 
 
 of this notice; Elizabeth L. is the wife of George 
 A. Worden, of Ottuniwa, Iowa; Marguerite Alice 
 died in 1864; Thomas II. died when twenty-two 
 years of age; Charlotte J. died at the age of seven- 
 teen; James T. is engaged in the furniture business 
 at Mason City, this state; Ella May, the youngest, 
 is at home with her parents. 
 
 In the schools of Delavan Willim V. McKinstry 
 received his education, and after his studies were 
 finished he clerked in a drug store for two years. 
 For five years after his marriage he resided upon 
 a farm and then embarked in the furniture and 
 hardware business at Delavan. More than ordinary 
 success has met his efforts. In 1889 he erected a 
 large double two-story brick structure, which is 
 occupied by his extensive stock, which is one of 
 the largest in the state. As a business man he is 
 progressive and popular, reliable in his transac- 
 tions and courteous in manner. 
 
 A Republican in politics Mr. McKinstry has 
 served as a me.iiber of the Central Committee. In 
 religious belief he is a Presbyterian. His social 
 connections are with the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows, in which he has passed all the chairs, 
 and he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias 
 lodge. His wife bore the maiden name of Minnie 
 C. Bryant, and was born in VVatseka, 111. Her fa- 
 ther, H. C. Bryant, was at one time a hardware 
 merchant in Delavan. The}" are the parents of one 
 child, Helen Bryant. 
 
 1 UDGE HENRY C. BURNHAM. This coun- 
 ty is the home of quite a number of men 
 who were thrown upon their own resources 
 at an early age, and whose natural aptness 
 and energy were developed and strengthened by 
 contact with the world, resulting in making their 
 lives more than ordinarily successful in worldly 
 prosperity. Among this number is Judge Burn- 
 ham, who has not only attained a competency, but 
 has won an honorable record on the Judicial Bench 
 and as a private citizen. 
 
 Heredity is so important a factor in life that it 
 may be well before noting the chief incidents in 
 
 the career of our subject to make brief mention of 
 the family history. The first representatives of 
 the Burn ham family in America were three broth- 
 ers, John, Thomas and Robert, who came from 
 England and located in Massachusetts at an early 
 da}' in its history. Our subject is descended from 
 John, who was born in 1618. Ebenezer, a grand- 
 son of John, and the Judge's great-grandfather, 
 migrated in 1733 to Hampton, Windham County, 
 Conn. The grandfather, Daniel, served as a pa- 
 triot in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 The father of our subject, Festus Burn ham, was 
 a native of Connecticut, and served as a member 
 of the Legislature of that state from 1837-39. A 
 man of good judgment, he was often consulted 
 upon matters of public importance, and was a pro- 
 nounced Abolitionist. His death occurred in Con- 
 necticut April 12, 1865. His wife, who preceded 
 him to the better land March 7, 1864, was Lora 
 daughter of Daniel Clark, and a native of the Nut- 
 meg State. 
 
 The subject of this sketch remained in Windham 
 County, Conn., until reaching his eighteenth year, 
 when he removed to Ohio, and after four 3'ears 
 spent in the mercantile business and in teaching 
 returned to his native state, and resided there for 
 the following two years. He was born in the above 
 place in Connecticut January 30, 1826, and was 
 thus in his twenty-sixth year when, in October, 
 1852, he came to Mason County. Here he located 
 and began the work of a general farmer. Having 
 received a good common-school education in Con- 
 necticut, he was fitted to occupy almost any posi- 
 tion in life. 
 
 Mr. Burnham was very successful in his opera- 
 tions as an agriculturist, and continued thus em- 
 ployed until the spring of 1883, when he came to 
 Havana. He still owns his estate, which comprises 
 three hundred and sixty acres of valuable land on 
 sections 33 and 28, Salt Creek Township. The 
 property is under an admirable state of cultiva- 
 tion, and from its rental he derives a good in- 
 come. In 1882 he was elected Judge of Mason 
 County on the Republican ticket by a handsome 
 majority, although the county was Democratic by 
 fiv3 hundred majority. He filled the position for 
 a term of four years, during which time he gave
 
 288 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 entire satisfaction to all who were interested in 
 the county's welfare. 
 
 December 16, 1847, Judge Burnham and Miss 
 Angeline Courrier, a native of New York State, 
 were united in marriage. Mrs. Burnham is the 
 daughter of Eliab and Mary (Blaisdel) Courrier, 
 the former born in New Hampshire, of English 
 descent, while the latter traced her ancestry back 
 to Scotland. Remaining in New York until thir- 
 teen years of age, Mrs. Burnham then accompanied 
 her parents on their removal west to Ohio. By 
 her union with our subject there have been born 
 seven children, of whom those living are, Alonzo 
 F., a prominent physician in Ashland; James E., 
 who is practicing law in Unionville, Mo.; George 
 T., also an attorney in the same place; Henry P., 
 who is engaged in farming in this county, and 
 Carrie, Mrs. Thurman 1). Ellsberry, who resides in 
 Englewood, a suburb of Chicago. 
 
 AVID M. BROWN, well known as a success- 
 ful contractor and builder of Pekin, was 
 born in Franklin, Johnson County, Ind., 
 March 27, 1855. He is of Scotch descent, 
 his ancestors as far back as there is any record 
 having been residents of the land of the heather. 
 His paternal grandfather, Aaron Brown, was born 
 in that country, where lie followed the occupation 
 of a millwright. Thence, accompanied by his 
 family, he emigrated to the United States in 1825 
 and settled in Virginia, amid the picturesque 
 scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1840 
 he removed to Indiana and settled in Johnson 
 County, at a period so early in its history that his 
 family was the third to make settlement there. He 
 served as the second Sheriff the county ever had. 
 His time, however, was devoted principally to the 
 cultivation of his three hundred acre farm, upon 
 which he made his home until his death, at the age 
 of sixty-eight. In religious belief lie was a Pres- 
 byterian. 
 
 The father of our subject, Isaac S. Brown, was 
 
 born near Glasgow, in Lancashire, Scotland, in 
 1827, and was a mere lad when the family came 
 to America. In youth he learned the trade of a 
 millwright, which he followed in connection with 
 the occupation of a farmer. When somewhat ad- 
 vanced in years he retired from active labors, and 
 taking up his abode in the village of Franklin, 
 continued to reside there until his death, at the 
 age of sixty-four years. In the Presbyterian 
 Church he served as an Elder from his twenty-first 
 year until his demise. Politically he advocated 
 Republican principles. 
 
 Cynthia Sorter, as the mother of our subject was 
 known in maidenhood, was born in Glasgow, her 
 father having been a farmer and sheep-raiser in 
 Scotland. In 1826 he emigrated to the United 
 States and settled in Virginia, whence he removed 
 to Kentucky and engaged in farming in Mercer 
 County. Later, moving to Indiana, he had charge 
 of a stage line between Indianapolis, Madison and 
 Louisville. As a Republican he was a man of con- 
 siderable prominence in political affairs and served 
 his district in the State Legislature. In religion 
 he was a Presbyterian. Mrs. Cynthia Brown died 
 after having become the mother of two sons: John, 
 who died in Indianapolis; and David M., of this 
 sketch. Isaac S. Brown was a second time mar- 
 ried, his wife being Mary Cornine, a native of 
 Kentucky, who now resides in Franklin, Ind. She 
 had five children, but only three are now living. 
 
 At the age of nine years our subject accompan- 
 ied the family in their removal from Franklin to 
 Indianapolis, and in the latter place he received 
 excellent school advantages. For a time lie was a 
 student in Hopewell Academy. The Sunday- 
 school which he attended was connected with the 
 Presbyterian Church of which ex-President Har- 
 rison was a leading member. In boyhood he be- 
 gan to work at his trade, and in 1867 commenced 
 the business of a contractor in Indianapolis, later 
 removing to Jacksonville, 111., where he was con- 
 nected with the insane hospital, first as carpenter 
 and afterward as storekeeper for two years. 
 
 In 1880 occurred the marriage of David M. 
 Brown and Miss Annie Morgan, a native of 
 Whitehall, Greene County, 111., and a graduate of 
 the high school at that -place. The year of his
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 289 
 
 marriage lie went to Newton, Harvey County, 
 Kan., where his wife died in 1882. Returning to 
 Indianapolis in that year he embarked in the busi- 
 ness of a contractor and builder, but afterward re- 
 turned to Jacksonville, 111., where he was store- 
 keeper in the insane asylum. His second marriage, 
 which occurred in 1886, united him with Miss Hat- 
 tie Smith, who was born in Deer Creek Township, 
 Tazewell County, 111. She is the daughter of G. 
 W. Smith, a farmer and at one time Township Su- 
 pervisor. 
 
 Again going to Newton, Kan., in 1887, Mr. 
 Brown followed his chosen occupation for one 
 year and then removed to Wichita, then at the 
 height of its great "boom." In the founding of 
 the Garfield University he was a prominent worker, 
 contributing of his time and means to the attain- 
 ment of that object. However, as did so many un- 
 lucky investors in Wichita property, he lost heav- 
 ily at the collapse of the "boom" and found his 
 experience in the Sunflower State more instructive 
 than pecuniarily profitable. 
 
 While Kansas proved a disappointment to him 
 as to many other speculators, yet from the time of 
 his first trip to that state in 1884 until he returned 
 to Illinois for permanent location in 1889, he wit- 
 nessed many wonderful changes. At first all was 
 new, and many now large cities were in their in- 
 fancy. The railroad was entering the state then, the 
 city of Newton had but five frame houses, and so 
 far as the eye could discern stretched a seemingly 
 endless tract of prairie without habitation of any 
 kind. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Brown settled in Peoria,and thence 
 in October of 1891 he came to Pekin, where he has 
 since conducted a profitable business. Wherever 
 he has resided his reputation as a contractor is an 
 enviable one, and he has assisted in the erection 
 of many substantial private residences and public 
 buildings. His home is situated at No. 1202 South 
 Fourth Street, and his shop at No. 14 Capitol 
 Street. While a resident of Newton he was Chief 
 of the Volunteer Fire Department. Socially he is 
 connected with the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows and the Uniformed Rank, K. P., in which 
 he has passed all the chairs. In politics he is a 
 Republican. Of his first marriage he has one child, 
 
 Harry, while he and his present wife, who was 
 
 Miss Hattie Smith, of this county, have one 
 
 daughter, Georgia. The religious home of this 
 family is in the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 >>ELLS COREY, editor and publisher of the 
 II Tazewell County Tribune, was born in Cin- 
 cinnati, Ohio, April 24, 1832. He is a 
 son of A. W. Corey, a native of Goshen, Orange 
 County, N. Y., whose father came from Scotland 
 when a boy and located in New York, where he 
 later became a farmer. A. W. Corey was a pub- 
 lisher in Cincinnati, and was the first publisher of 
 Webster's Dictionary, having for his partner the 
 son of the author of that famous work. 
 
 In 1836, the father of our subject went to Al- 
 ton, this statei where he was general agent for the 
 American Sunday-school Union, and died in God- 
 frey, 111., in 1880. Ills wife, Mrs. Zebiah (Smith) 
 Corey, was born in Danville, Va., and died in Cin- 
 cinnati in 1836. She was the daughter of Oliver 
 Smith, a city missionary of the Presbyterian Church 
 in Philadelphia. 
 
 Our subject spent his boyhood days in Madison 
 County, this state, and remained at home until 
 1846, when he came to Washington, this county, 
 and remained a year. Thence he went to Putnam 
 County and worked on a farm until 1851, at 
 which time he entered Knox College, carrying 
 on his studies in that institution until 1854. That 
 year he went to -Erie County, N. Y., where he was 
 married to Miss Mary Brown, who was a native of 
 that place. The young couple located on a farm 
 in Whiteside County, 111., where he engaged in cul- 
 tivating the soil for five years, when he removed to 
 Sangamon County, engaging in the mercantile bus- 
 iness in Chatham until 1863. Then going to Quinc3 - , 
 he became an insurance agent and resided in that 
 city until 1874, when he purchased the Mason City 
 Journal, editing that paper until 1887. 
 
 In the above year Mr. Corey went to Welling- 
 ton, Kan., and until 1889 published the Welling- 
 ton Daily Quid Nunc. Since that time he has been 
 located at Pekin, engaged as the editor of the Taze-
 
 290 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 well County Tribune, which is a weekly Republican 
 paper. To Mr. and Mrs. Corey were born three 
 children: Lizzie, Mrs. F. R. Sprague, of Kansas 
 City, Mo.; Frank, a printer in Peoria; and Kate, 
 Mrs. John Shade, of this city. In politics he is a 
 stalwart Republican, and is influential in the ranks 
 of his party in this part of Illinois. 
 
 AMES E. RAILSBACK is one of the most 
 enterprising and progressive business men 
 of Minier, and has done much for the up- 
 building of this place. He is now the senior 
 member of the firm of Railsback & Mitchell, deal- 
 ers in lumber and grain. He has the honor of be- 
 ing a native of Tazewell County, for his birth 
 occurred in Little Mackinaw Township, November 
 17, 1833. His father, Thomas F. Railsback, was 
 born in Culpcper County, Va., in 1796. The 
 grandfather was a native of Germany and the 
 founder of the family in America. In his native 
 county Thomas Railsback married Louisa V. Aliens- 
 worth, lie then engaged in farming for a time, 
 after which he removed to Montgomery County, 
 Tenn.. where he again carried on agricultural pur- 
 suits. 
 
 In the autumn of 1830, the father came to Illi- 
 nois, and was here during the deep snow. From 
 the Government he entered a tract of land on sec- 
 tion 5, Little Mackinaw Township, built a log house 
 and began the development of the wild land, 
 which he transformed into a fine farm. His death 
 there occurred in 1864. He was one of the hon- 
 ored pioneers of the county, taught the first school 
 in Little Mackinaw Township, and the first sermon 
 in the township was preached by Elder Oatman at 
 the Railsback cabin. Mr. and Mrs. Railsback, A. 
 B. Davis, Catherine Allensworth, Benjamin and 
 Nancy Ilerndon and Elijah and Maria Hall organ- 
 ized the first church in the township. This was in 
 1833. It was a Christian Church, and James 
 Lindsey became its first minister. The father of 
 our subject for many years served as Elder of the 
 church. He was one of the Township Commis- 
 sioners, and took a very prominent part in every- 
 
 thing pertaining to the welfare of the community 
 and its upbuilding. His wife, who was born in 
 1801, passed away in 1882. 
 
 This worthy couple were parents of ten children, 
 of whom seven grew to mature years, while four 
 yet survive, namely: P. G. H., a farmer of Little 
 Mackinaw Township; James E.; Mrs. Mary Mitch- 
 ell, of Minier, and Ben T., who is engaged in the 
 grain business in Hopedale. Those deceased are, 
 D. G. A., who was a farmer of Mackinaw Town- 
 ship; Mrs. Amanda Briggs; Mrs. Sarah Ireland; 
 Eliza J., who died at the age of eleven years, and 
 twins, who died in Tennessee. 
 
 Mr. Railsback whose name heads this record was 
 reared on the old homestead and educated in the 
 district schools. On the 3d of October, 1855, he 
 married Susan M. Howell, who died January 28, 
 1861, leaving three children, John C., now a grain 
 dealer of Ashland, Neb.; Gilford G., who is in 
 partnership with his brother, and Emma Dell, wife 
 of George W. Darst, of Eureka, 111., Cashier of the 
 Farmers' National Bank of that place. 
 
 Mr. Railsback remained upon the old homestead 
 until his marriage, when he removed to a farm of 
 his own on section 2, Little Mackinaw Township, 
 which his father had entered from the Government 
 for him. It was a tract of wild prairie, but he at 
 once began to break and cultivate it, and made 
 his home thereon until 1859, when he bought an 
 improved farm on section 8 of the same township. 
 For five years he there resided, after which he be- 
 came owner of a farm on section 4, where he lived 
 until 1869, when he came to Minier. Two years 
 previous he had embarked in the grain and lumber 
 business in this place, becoming one of the first 
 dealers in those lines in the town. He formed a 
 partnership with Rodney J. Mitchell, and for 
 twenty-seven years this connection has continued 
 with mutunLpleasure and profit. 
 
 In 1864, Mr. Railsback was again married, his 
 second union being with Ann P., daughter of John 
 Adams, of Tazewell County. She was born in Ken- 
 tucky, and with her father came to Illinois in 
 1833. He was one of the pioneers of this locality 
 and entered land from the Government on section 
 4, Little Mackinaw Township. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Railsback have been born three children, Robert
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 291 
 
 M., a grain dealer of Ithaca, Neb.; Charles A., a 
 commercial traveler and a graduate of Quincy 
 Commercial College, and Olive. Robert was a stu- 
 dent in Eureka College. 
 
 In politics. Mr. Rails back is a stalwart Repub- 
 lican, was Township Collector for several years, 
 has been a member of the Town Board, and for 
 many years has served on the Board of Education. 
 Since the age of fifteen he has held membership 
 with the Christian Church, and he aided in organiz- 
 ing the church at this place. Its original members 
 were, N. P. Williams, J. E. Railsback, J. F. Quigg, 
 J. M. Edmiston and R. J. Mitchell, and the first 
 pastor was .Samuel Lowe. Our subject has taken 
 a very active part in church work, was Deacon for 
 eighteen years,and for the past two years has been 
 Elder. The house of worship was erected in 1874. 
 Socially, our subject is connected with the Masonic 
 fraternity, and has filled many of its offices. In 
 addition to his other business interests, he is a 
 member of the firm of Quigg, Railsback & Co., 
 owners of the Minier Bank, and of Quigg, Rails- 
 back <fe Co., grain dealers. Probably no man in 
 the community has taken a more active part in ad- 
 vancing its interests than our subject, and his 
 name is inseparably connected with the history of 
 this locality. His well spent life has won him the 
 respect and confidence of all, and this work would 
 be incomplete without his sketch. 
 
 OBERT C. IIIETT, Principal of the Doug- 
 las School at Pekin, was born near North 
 River Mills, in Hampshire County, W. Va., 
 une 27, 1865. He is the son of Jo- 
 seph Hiett, a native of the same place and a de- 
 scendant of English ancestors, who were members 
 of the Society of Friends. The father, who was a 
 millwright by trade, for some time operated a mill 
 in Hampshire County, whence in 1869, accompan- 
 ied by his family, he removed to Illinois and set- 
 tled in Pekin. Since that time he has continued 
 to make his home in this city, and is at the pres- 
 ent time employed in the wood department of the 
 
 Acme Harvester Company. At the age of sixty- 
 six years he still enjoys good health and the un- 
 impaired exercise of his mental faculties. In his 
 religious belief he is identified with the Christian 
 Church. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden name 
 of Margaret A. Campbell and was born in West 
 Virginia, of Scotch descent. She is now (1894) 
 fifty -six years of age. Her family numbered 
 eleven children, ten of whom attained mature 
 years and arc now living. The sixth in order of 
 birth is the subject of this biographical sketch, who 
 was brought to Pekin at the age of four years and 
 has since resided in the city. After conducting 
 his studies for some years in the schools of Pekin 
 he was graduated from the high school, in 1885. 
 
 His education completed, Mr. Hiett entered the 
 profession of a teacher and for one year had 
 charge of a school in Elm Grove Township. ]n 
 1887 he accepted the position of Principal of the 
 Lincoln School of Pekin, and one year later ac- 
 cepted a similar position with the Allen School. 
 In 1889 he became Principal of the Douglas 
 School and has since filled that responsible posi- 
 tion in such a manner as to reflect great credit 
 upon his own ability and secure the warm approval 
 and support of the parents of the children placed 
 under his charge. This is one of the largest 
 schools in the city and has a total enrollment of 
 three hundred and eleven. In his work Mr. llictt 
 has the assistance of five teachers, all of whom 
 possess superior culture and thorough knowledge 
 of the profession. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Hiett was solemnized in 
 this city in 1886, his bride being Miss Lillian Rob- 
 inson, a native of Missouri and a graduate of the 
 high school at this place. Two children have 
 blessed this union, Harold and Mabel. In their 
 religious connections Mr. and Mrs. Hiett are mem- 
 bers of the Christian Church, in the work of which 
 they are active, and to the support of which they 
 are generous contributors. While not active in 
 political matters Mr. Hiett is thoroughly informed 
 regarding the great issues of the age and gives his 
 support to the principles of the Democratic party. 
 Socially he is identified with the Ancient Order 
 of United Workmen and is Master Workman of
 
 292 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Pekin Lodge No. 265. He is a man of strong 
 character, with moral and mental endowments 
 that place him among the most intelligent and 
 honorable citizens of Pekin. For his profession 
 he is admirably qualified both by natural traits of 
 character and thorough education, and he ranks 
 among the most efficient and successful teachers 
 of central Illinois. 
 
 yMLLIAM FITZPATRICK, conductor on 
 the through freight running between Pe- 
 w kin and Strcator on the Santa Fe Road, is 
 a fair illustration of the advanced position which 
 the young men are now occupying in every phase 
 of life in the United States. In fact, this might 
 be called the young men's era, for never before 
 has youth taken so prominent a position in affairs 
 as at the present time. 
 
 Mr. Fitzpatrick was born in Cadez, Ohio, No- 
 vember 16, 1866, and is of Irish descent, his par- 
 ents, Valentine and Maggie (Kinsley) Fitzpatrick, 
 being natives of County Tipperary. The former 
 was quite young when he came to the United 
 States, and some years thereafter was section boss 
 on the railroad at Cadez, Ohio. Later he came to 
 Mapleton, this state, whence he moved back to 
 Ohio, and a short time thereafter located in Pekin, 
 where he was foreman of the workmen on the Pe- 
 kin, Peoria & Jacksonville Road. After being 
 thus employed for two years he again returned to 
 the Buckeye State and commenced work on the 
 Scioto Valley Road at Ironton. He is now living 
 retired in Pekin. His good wife, who bore him 
 eight children, died in this cit3' when forty-eight 
 years of age. 
 
 Of the parental family only five are living, and 
 all the sons are railroad men. William received 
 his education in the public schools of Pekin, and 
 in 1881 went to Portsmouth, Ohio, where he ob- 
 tained a position in the freight department of the 
 Scioto Valley Railroad. He remained there until 
 1885, and from 1882 until the time of leaving 
 their service was night yard clerk and switchman. 
 A year later, in 1883, his brother David, who was 
 
 also employed in that place, was run over by a 
 train and the parents of our subject urged him to 
 return home. 
 
 In the spring of 1886 our subject came to Pekin 
 as brakeman on a passenger train running on the 
 Santa Fe Road between this city and Chicago. 
 Four years later he was promoted to be conductor 
 on the freight train carrying freight through to 
 Streator. William Fitzpatrick was married April 
 27, 1889, to Miss Sallie Owens, a native of Green- 
 field, Ind. Her father, Thomas Owens, was born in 
 Ireland, and after coming to America was em-j 
 ployed as section boss in the above place, where 
 his decease occurred. The mother of Mrs. Fitz- 
 patrick was Bridget McGoffln; she was also a na- 
 tive of the Emerald Isle and is now living, making 
 her home in Indiana. The two children born to 
 our subject and his wife are Mabel and William. 
 Socially, Mr. Fitzpatrick is a Knight of Pythias 
 and a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad men 
 at Streator. During the entire time which he has 
 been on the road he has never had more than 
 two or three wrecks, which occurred in Indiana. 
 In politics he is a strong Democrat and is a man 
 who commands the respect of the entire commu- 
 nity. 
 
 J. VEERMAN. A plain statement of the 
 IJD facts embraced in the life of Mr. Veerman, 
 a man well and favorably known to the 
 people of Tazewell County, is all that we 
 profess to be able to give in this volume. Yet 
 upon examination of these facts there will be 
 found the carcerof one whose entire course through 
 life has been marked by great honesty and fidelity 
 to duty. He has followed an active and indus- 
 trious life, and is at present Superintendent of the 
 painting and finishing department of the T. & H. 
 Smith Manufacturing Company. 
 
 Mr. Veerman was born in Hanover, Germany, 
 October 29, 1853, and is the son of Jacob Veerman, 
 also a native of the above place, where he was a 
 farmer by occupation. Jacob Veerman came to 
 America with his family in 1864 and located in 
 Peoria, where he remained until the fall of 1866,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 293 
 
 when he came to Pekin and found work in the 
 blacksmith shop of T. <fe H. Smith. Later he worked 
 in the painting department for the above company, 
 and departed this life in January, 1890. 
 
 Mrs. Ella (Jansen) Veerman, the mother of our 
 subject, was born in Germany, where she met and 
 married Jacob Veerman. She was a Baptist in re- 
 ligious belief, and died in 1892. The parental 
 family included one other son besides our subject, 
 Edwin, who is engaged in painting in this city. 
 
 D. J., of this sketch, attended evening school 
 after coming to America, and in 1866 apprenticed 
 himself to learn the painter's trade under the in- 
 struction of Phil Weber. After thoroughly mas- 
 tering the trade, he began working at the same in 
 this and surrounding cities, and after returning to 
 Pekin, worked for the T. & H. Smith Company, 
 having charge of the carriage department until 
 January. 1893, when he was appointed Superin- 
 tendent of the painting and finishing work, and 
 has a force of about forty men under his direction. 
 
 Mr. Veerman was married in this city in 1876 to 
 Miss Sophia, daughter of John Albertsen, for a 
 further history of whom the reader is referred to 
 the sketch of L. J. Albertsen, on another page in 
 this volume. Mrs. Veerman was born in Germany, 
 and has reared a family of four children, Ella, Ly- 
 dia, Jay 1). and Louis. 
 
 In his political relations our subject is a strong 
 Republican, and takes much interest in local mat- 
 ters. His life has been an honorable and upright 
 one, which has gained him the confidence and re- 
 spect of all with whom he has been brought in 
 contact. 
 
 we 
 
 ENRY UBBEN. Probably no business man 
 in the city of Pekin is more shrewd, care- 
 ful and persistent in his operations, or dis- 
 plays greater ability in his undertakings, 
 than the above-named gentleman, who withal is 
 modest and conscientious. In this place, where the 
 greater part of his life has been passed, he is known 
 and honored as a capable and efh'cientyoung man, 
 and the success which so early in life has crowned 
 
 his efforts proves the possession on his part of su- 
 perior intelligence and ability. 
 
 Mr. Ubben has spent his entire life in the state 
 of Illinois, and was born in Grand Detour, Ogle- 
 County, on the 18th of April, 1858. He is a son 
 of Albert Ubben, and for particulars in regard to 
 the family history the reader is referred to the bio- 
 graphical sketch of U. A. Ubben, to be found on 
 another page. From a long line of honorable 
 German forefathers our subject inherits qualities 
 of thrift and energy which have contributed in no 
 small degree to his success. 
 
 The next to the oldest in the parental family, 
 Henry was a mere babe when the family removed 
 to Pekin in the year of his birth, and here he has 
 since resided. In childhood he was a student in 
 the public schools, but he was obliged at an early 
 age to become self-supporting, and hence the in- 
 formation he now possesses has been gained in 
 that best of all schools, the school of experience, 
 in which he has been an apt pupil. At the age of 
 about eleven years he began to learn the trade of 
 a bookbinder with Mr. Retter, with whom he re- 
 mained for several years. 
 
 In 1873, under John Kitchen, our subject' com- 
 menced to learn the trade of a painter, and for 
 four years was employed in the A. J. Hodges 
 & Company Header Works. When, on the 1st of 
 January, 1891, the concern was purchased by the 
 Acme Harvester Company, he was made foreman 
 of the painting department, in which position lie 
 still continues, having under his personal super- 
 vision a force of fourteen or fifteen men. The 
 position is one of great responsibility, and only a 
 level-headed man, such as Mr. Ubben, could suc- 
 cessfully discharge its duties. 
 
 The public questions of the age receive a due 
 share of Mr. Ubben's attention, and having given 
 careful study 'to the principles and platforms of 
 both great political parties, he advocates the Re- 
 publican, and is an active worker in the ranks of 
 that great organization. He is an attendant at 
 the services of the German Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, the doctrines of which were supported by 
 his forefathers for several generations. As a citi- 
 zen, he advocates all public-spirited measures, sup- 
 porting them with his co-operation and active as-
 
 294 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sistance. In business, he is uniformly honorable 
 and upright, and is a young man of steady hab- 
 its, seldom absent from his post of duty, and ever 
 genial and accommodating. 
 
 GUIS LUICK. Under the second adminis- 
 tration of President Cleveland the appoint- 
 ment of Government Storekeeper in the 
 Eighth District was conferred upon Mr. Luick, of 
 Pekin. The selection of this gentleman for so im- 
 portant and responsible a position met with the 
 hearty approval of his large circle of friends, 
 numbering not only many Democrats, but also a 
 large number of adherents to the opposite party. 
 
 Among the citizens of Pekin Mr. Luick is well 
 known, for in this city he has spent his entire 
 life, and here he was born November 10, 1861. 
 He is a son of George A. Luick, a native of Wur- 
 temberg, Germany, and a gardener by trade, who 
 emigrated to the United States and settled in , 
 Pekin about 1848. For a time he followed his 
 chosen occupation, but at present is engaggftv'lu'- 
 the flour and feed business. His wife, likewise a 
 native of Germany, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt 
 and bore the maiden name of Marguerite Hoffman. 
 
 In a family of six children, the subject of this 
 sketch is the third in order of birth. He was 
 reared in Pekin and received his education in the 
 private schools of this place. Early in life he 
 was trained to habits of industry and energy, and 
 at the age of fifteen entered upon an apprentice- 
 ship to the trade of a cigarmaker, working under 
 II. O. Stein for six years. Afterward he began to 
 clerk in a clothing establishment, where he re- 
 mained for three years. In 1888, when the free 
 delivery was started, he was the first one ap- 
 pointed as mail carrier, his commission bearing 
 the date of January 1. This position he held 
 until the new appointment, when he resigned. 
 
 For two years Mr. Luick was engaged in the 
 clothing business as clerk for A. Schradzier, and 
 in 1891 he became agent for the Columbian Com- 
 pany, of Pekin, filling that position until he re- 
 signed to accept his present office. On the 26th 
 of October, 1893, he was appointed Storekeeper 
 by L. J. Wilcox, and his present headquarters are 
 
 at the Crescent Distillery. To the duties of the 
 office he brings indomitable energy, tireless ap- 
 plication, great care in attention to details and 
 ability of a superior order. 
 
 In social connections, Mr. Luick is identified 
 with the Knights of Pythias, and is Master of 
 Finances of La Fayette Lodge No. 216. lie is 
 also a prominent member of the Uniformed Rank 
 No. 65, K. P. Politically the principles promul- 
 gated by the Democratic party find in him a firm 
 and enthusiastic champion, and he is active in the 
 ranks of that political organization. At the pres- 
 ent time he is serving as a member of the Demo- 
 cratic Township Committee. In his religious views 
 he is a Lutheran, and holds membership with St. 
 Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of this city. 
 
 LBERT VAN HORNE, D. D. S, of Pekin, 
 has a patronage that is large and con- 
 stantly on the increase, which desirable 
 , , . , .State- of affairs has been brought about by 
 a' ; thor6ugh knowledge of his profession, prompt- 
 ness in filling his engagements, and the painstak- 
 ing and careful manner in which he performs all 
 his work. He keeps a full line of dental supplies, 
 which are equal to the requirements of that pro- 
 fession, including all the most improved appara- 
 tus and materials, and all his dealings are charac- 
 terized by fair and honorable methods. 
 
 Our subject was born in Macoupin County, this 
 state, August 29, 1855. and has been a resident 
 of this city since 1879. His father, E. R. Van 
 Home, was born in Schoharie County, N. Y., 
 which was also the birthplace of the grandfather, 
 Elijah B. Van I lorn e, who was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, and who at one time was Sheriff of Sehoharie 
 County. He was Colonel of the state militia, and 
 on his removal to this state became one of the 
 early settlers of Jersey County, where his death 
 occurred when eighty-three years of age. E. R. 
 Van Home was thirteen years of age when he 
 accompanied his parents to Illinois, and when old 
 enough followed farm pursuits in Macoupin Coun- 
 ty. He later removed to Macon County, where 
 he was also engaged as an agriculturist for some 
 time, but after locating in the city of that name
 
 UBWWY 
 OFItt 
 Of
 
 JOHN LANCASTER.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 297 
 
 he followed the milling business until 1878, when 
 he went west to Larned, Kan., and was thus en- 
 gaged until 1890, when he retired from active 
 work, at the age of seventy-four years. 
 
 The mother of our subject was also born in 
 Schoharie County, N.Y., and was formerly known as 
 Miss Martha Cornwell. She came to this state with 
 her parents, where they died, in Tazewell County. 
 Of the four children which were born to her union 
 with Mr. Van Home, all are living, and Albert is 
 the eldest but one. He remained in his native 
 county until 1868, when he completed his studies 
 in the city schools of Macon County. In 1873 
 he began the study of dentistry with Dr. A. S. 
 Waltz, of Decatur, with whom he remained for 
 three years, after which he practiced in different 
 places until 1879, the date of his advent into this 
 city. He has a fine office located opposite the 
 court house and is considered to be one of the 
 popular dental practitioners in the county. 
 
 Dr. A. Van Home was married in 1881 to Miss 
 Lida McGrew, and to them have been born two 
 daughters, Stella and Lucile. In 1889 the Doctor 
 was elected on the Democratic ticket as Alderman 
 of the Fourth Ward, and in social matters is a 
 charter member of the Modern Woodmen. 
 
 OHN LANCASTER, a farmer residing on 
 section 33, Little Mackinaw Township, 
 Tazewell County, was born in Boone Coun- 
 ty, Ky., March 18, 1826. His father, Joseph, 
 was a son of Henry Lancaster and removed from 
 Boone County to Illinois in 1829. In his native 
 county he had married Hannah, daughter of Rich- 
 ard Burt, of Boone County. From the Govern- 
 ment he entered land in Hittle Township, and be- 
 came one of the pioneer settlers of that locality. 
 There he made his home until his death, which 
 occurred in 1877. His wife passed away in March, 
 1844. 
 
 To them were born nine children, as follows: 
 Richard, a veteran of the late war, now residing in 
 Kansas; Henry, deceased; William, of McLean 
 County, 111.; James, who is living on the old home- 
 stead; Joseph, who was also one of the boys in 
 6 
 
 blue, and now makes his home in Iowa; Sarah, wife 
 of G. Haiii line, of Hittle Township; Susan, de- 
 ceased, and Matilda, wife of James Glackiu. After 
 the death of his first wife Joseph Lancaster mar- 
 ried Mary Aldrich, who is still living. The3' had 
 eight children, Thomas and Robert J., both of 
 Hittle Township; Hannah, wife of James Booth, a 
 farmer of the same township; Sarilda, Malinda, 
 Hickson and Mary, all deceased; and one who 
 died in infancy. The father of this family was a 
 faithful member of the Christian Church and took 
 an active part in its work. In politics he was a 
 Whig. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads John Lan- 
 caster spent the days of his boyhood and youth, 
 and remained with his parents until his marriage. 
 On the 19th of August, 1844, he wedded Elvira 
 Hainline, daughter of Henry Hainline, one of the 
 pioneer settlers of Tazewell County of 1827. Mrs. 
 Lancaster was born in Hittle Township, and died 
 in July, 1848, leaving two children, Hannah, wife 
 of E. W. Sullivan, of Missouri, and Enos. In 
 March, 1858, Mr. Lancaster was uuited in marriage 
 with Miss Rebecca Attbery, daughter of Hiram 
 Attbery, a native of Kentucky, and one of the 
 early settlers of Logan County, 111., where his 
 daughter was born and reared. Thirteen children 
 were born of the second union, viz.: William, of 
 Little Mackinaw Township; John, a farmer of 
 Champaign County; Thomas, of St. Louis, Mo.; 
 James, at home; Elvira, wife of George Hainline, 
 of Hittle Township; Amanda, wife of Alfred Hain- 
 line, of Hittle Township; Johanna, wife of William 
 Hainline, of the same township; Eva, wife of David 
 Bradley, of Little Mackinaw Township; Sallie; 
 Leviua and Iva, deceased; and two who died in 
 infancy. 
 
 At the time of his first marriage, Mr. Lancaster 
 located upon his present farm, which was then a 
 wild tract of land, but he has placed it under a 
 high slate of cultivation and the once raw prairie 
 has been transformed into rich and fertile fields. 
 He has also made many excellent improvements 
 upon it, which stand as monuments to his thrift 
 and enterprise. He here has two hundred and 
 eighty acres, and in Hittle Township has a tract of 
 twenty acres. He possesses good business ability,
 
 298 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 is enterprising and industrious, and as the result 
 of his well directed efforts has become one of the 
 substantial citizens of the community. In politics 
 he has always been a Democrat, and for five years 
 served as Constable. He is a highly respected 
 citizen, and in the community where lie has so long 
 made his home has many warm friends. 
 
 WILLIAM S. WOOD WORTH, the genial 
 passenger conductor on the Santa Fe Rail- 
 road running between Pekin and Chicago, 
 was born in Lenox, Mass., November 18, 1861. 
 He is of English descent, his grandfather, William 
 S. Woodworth, having been born in that country, 
 whence he emigrated to the United States, and set- 
 tling in New York, engaged in mercantile pursuits 
 until his death in the village of Canaan. At his 
 demise he was succeeded in business by his son, 
 Charles P., a native of that town, who carried on 
 the store for some time, but later engaged in farm- 
 ing in Columbia County, N. Y. His present home 
 is in the city last named. He is a man of consid- 
 erable force of character and has been active in 
 political affairs for many years. As an advocate 
 of the principles of the Republican party he is in- 
 fluential and popular and has been chosen to rep- 
 resent his fellow-citizens in various local offices. 
 
 The mother of our subject was Eva, daughter 
 of Rufus Hewitt, a wealthy farmer and cattle 
 drover of Massachusetts, where she was born. Her 
 marriage resulted in the birth of three sons, of 
 whom William is the eldest. The others are: Rufus, 
 a railway postal clerk running between Boston 
 and Albany, and George B., who is fireman on the 
 Santa Fe Railroad. The eldest of the sons was 
 reared on his father's farm, and in his boyhood 
 was the recipient of ordinary educational advan- 
 tages. At the age of sixteen years he went to 
 Pennsylvania, but after a short sojourn returned 
 to New York and thence proceeded to New Haven, 
 Conn., where he accepted a position as bookkeeper. 
 Later, going to Northampton, Mass., he learned 
 the trade of a confectioner and caterer. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Woodworth came west to Chicago, 
 where, however, he remained but a short time. 
 
 One of his cousins, Frank E. Hinckley, was Gen- 
 eral Manager of the Chicago, Pekin & Southwest- 
 ern Railroad, and he went to Streator to work in 
 the office of that company. After a month thus 
 spent he became brakeman on the freight train 
 between Chicago, Pekin and Streator, retaining 
 that position for one year and nine months. His 
 next place was that of conductor of the local 
 freight between Chicago and Streator, after filling 
 which for two years he became passenger conduc- 
 tor between Pekin and Streator, later was trans- 
 ferred to the line between Chicago and Ft. Madi- 
 son, and afterward between Chicago and Pekin. 
 
 For three years Mr. Woodworth was conductor 
 on the fast mail train running between Chicago 
 and Kansas City. Prior to that time he had never 
 had an accident of any kind, but in December of 
 1891, near Carrollton, Mo., the train was wrecked 
 by a rail turning Cver, and all the coaches but the 
 express car, baggage car and engine went over the 
 embankment to a depth of twenty feet. Mr. 
 Woodworth was severely injured, his shoulder 
 blade having been broken, while an injury in the 
 head resulted in concussion of the brain. For one 
 month he was unable to do any work, but fortu- 
 nately recovered after a time. Of the passengers 
 on the train no one was killed. 
 
 For six months after his recovery Mr. Wood- 
 worth ran as local conductor for six months, but 
 was then transferred to the main line. When 
 near Ft. Madison in 1892 the train jumped the 
 track, owing to a broken rail, and all the coaches 
 went off. Soon afterward Mr. Woodworth left the 
 fast train and became conductor on the road be- 
 tween Pekin and Chicago, in which capacity he is 
 still serving. The passenger runs daily except 
 Sunday. There are but two conductors on the 
 road who have been connected with the company 
 longer than he, and his record as a genial, accom- 
 modating and efficient conductor is well known 
 among all railroad men, as well as by the general 
 public, who are indebted to him for many cour- 
 tesies. 
 
 In Northampton, Mass., in 1886, Miss Agnes 
 Freeman became the wife of Mr. Woodworth. This 
 lady was born in Orange County, Vt., and is a 
 daughter of Julius and Clara (Smith) Freeman,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 299 
 
 farmers of the Green Mountain State. Two 
 daughters, Florence and Mildred, have blessed this 
 union. Mr. Wood worth's life is such as to prove 
 him to be a practical, industrious and energetic 
 man, and as a citizen he ranks high in the opinion 
 of all who know him. In politics he is a stanch 
 Republican, but is not at all partisan in his prefer- 
 ences. Socially, he is identified with the Masonic 
 fraternity and the Royal Arch chapter at Pekin. 
 
 fOSIAH M. SAWYER, of Tremont, 111., was 
 born in the town which is still his home 
 ,^1, April 28, 1846, and is the younger of two 
 ^Jll children, his brother being A. B. Sawyer, a 
 leading attorney-at-law of Salt Lake City. The 
 parents, Josiah and Harriet R. (Bates) Sawyer, 
 were both natives of New Hampshire. The former 
 was born in Sharon, June 25, 1808, and in early 
 life learned the trade of a machinist in the Granite 
 State. When still a young man he went to Rhode 
 Island, where he took charge of a machine shop. 
 After several years he returned to New Hampshire 
 and again entered the employ of Mr. Steele, with 
 whom he had learned his trade. In 1832, after 
 three years spent with Mr. Steele, he removed to 
 Waterford,N. Y., and in November, 1836, he came 
 to the west and cast his lot among the early set- 
 tlers of Tazewell County. Here he engaged in 
 business as a wheelwright, which he followed suc- 
 cessfully for several years. Possessing inventive 
 genius, he spent some time in the attempt to in- 
 troduce a two-horse corn-dropper (which was af- 
 terward developed into the celebrated "Brown's"), 
 but such radical changes in farming methods were 
 in advance of the times, though it has since been 
 adopted. He was the designer of a machine for 
 turning hinges, and many other inventions were 
 the fruit of his brain. Later in life he became in- 
 terested in the development of the country through 
 the railroads. He was possessed of uncommon 
 ability in many directions. He was the President 
 of the first Agricultural Association of Tazewell 
 County, and for over thirteen years he was the 
 chosen leader of that organization. He was ever 
 alive to the best interests of the community in 
 
 which he lived, and exerted a lasting influence for 
 good in the state of his adoption. In November, 
 1832, he married Harriet R. Bates, a native of Bel- 
 lows Falls, Vt. His death occurred in Tremont 
 October 3, 1883, at the age of seventy-five, and 
 his wife died in 1887, at the age of eighty-three. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, Abiel Sawyer, 
 was of Scotch-Irish descent, and his grandfather, 
 Josiah Sawyer, for whom our subject was named, 
 was the founder of the family in America. Emi- 
 grating to this country, he first located in Ando- 
 ver, Mass. In 1770 he removed to Sharon, Mass., 
 where his death occurred in 1813. 
 
 Mr. Sawyer of this record was educated in the 
 schools of his native county. At the age of six- 
 teen he went to the east on a visit and began 
 learning the machinist's trade. While there he 
 enlisted in Company L, Fourth Massachusetts Cav- 
 alry, in February, 1863, and served until the 
 close of the war, being mustered out in October, 
 1865. He then returned to Illinois and entered 
 the Commercial College of Peoria, where among 
 other studies he pursued a course in telegraphy. 
 On its completion, in the spring of 1867, he ac- 
 cepted a position as telegraph operator and agent 
 in Petersburg, 111., where he remained until 1880. 
 He then acted for several months as clerk in the 
 office of the County Sheriff, after which he re- 
 turned to railroad business for a few months. 
 Subsequently he was employed as a bookkeeper in 
 Memphis, Tenn., for two years, and in June, 1883, 
 he came home to care for his parents in their de- 
 clining years. He then took up the insurance 
 business, which he has since continued, and is also 
 engaged in dealing in hard coal. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Sawyer has always 
 been a Democrat. He has held the office of Town- 
 ship Clerk for two years, and was Village Clerk 
 for the same time. He is now serving his second 
 term as Village Treasurer, and proves a capable 
 and popular officer. Socially he is connected with 
 the Masonic fraternity. In 1868 he joined Clin- 
 ton Lodge No. 19, A. F. & A. M., of Petersburg, 
 and the same year became a member of De Witt 
 Chapter No. 119, A. F. & A. M., of Petersburg. 
 He took the Knight Templar Degree in Jackson- 
 ville, 111., in 1870; in November, 1892, took the
 
 300 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Consistory Degree in Peoria; in September, 1893, 
 took the Council Degree in the Peoria Council; 
 and in October, 1893, became a member of the 
 Mystic Shrine. He has been Junior Warden of 
 his lodge, Royal Arch Captain and Captain-Gen- 
 eral of the commandery. He is also a charter 
 member of Pleasant Grove Camp No. 998, M. W. 
 A., of Tremont. 
 
 On the 7th of May, 1870, Mr. Sawyer wedded 
 Elizabeth M., daughter of Rufus and Angeline 
 Walker. She was born in Fleming County, Ky., 
 April 18, 1850. To them were born five chil- 
 dren: C. Harriet, L. Alice and Hubert N., who 
 are at home; and Angeline and Josiah W., who 
 died in childhood. The parents are well known 
 and prominent people of this community, and Mr. 
 Sawyer is recognized as one of the leading citi- 
 zens of the county a man who has the courage 
 of his convictions, and who is always heartily in- 
 terested in what pertains to the upbuilding of his 
 native town and state. 
 
 P. SCHEIDEL. After years of well 
 directed effort as one of the business men 
 of Pekin, this gentleman has retired in 
 affluence to the enjoyment of an elegant 
 home and the society of a charming family. The 
 record of his business life is creditable alike to his 
 financial ability and manly spirit, while his per- 
 sonal character commands the respect of his friends. 
 As an able financier, a successful public official 
 and a progressive citizen, he has deserved and won 
 the confidence of his fellow-men for his upright- 
 ness and ability. 
 
 Among the many Germans who have built up 
 fortunes in the United States, we mention the 
 name of Mr. Scheidel. He was born in Baden, 
 Steinsford, Germany, June 29, 1842, and is a son 
 of Joseph Scheidel, likewise a native of Baden, 
 and by trade a stone and brick mason. About 
 1845, the father, accompanied by his family, left 
 Germany on a sailing-vessel for Liverpool, where 
 they took a ship for America. After a tedious 
 voyage of ninety-five days they reached New York 
 City, whence they proceeded to Rome, N. Y., and 
 
 one year later journeyed by canal to Buffalo, from 
 there by steamer to Chicago, settling in that city. 
 There'he worked at his trade until 1852. 
 
 During that year Joseph Scheidel came to Pekin, 
 where he continued to work at his trade for a 
 numtter of years. His declining days were spent 
 in retirement from manual labor, and at a good 
 old age he passed away, in 1881. Two years later 
 his wife followed him to the grave. She was 
 known in maidenhood as Mary Fischer, and was 
 born in Baden, Germany. Both parents were de- 
 vout members of the Catholic Church. They had 
 three sons and three daughters, of whom John P. 
 is the youngest. At present one son and two 
 daughters are living. 
 
 When a lad of ten years, the subject of this 
 sketch came to Pekin, during the pioneer days of 
 that now flourishing city. During the forty years 
 and more covering the period of his residence 
 here, he has been a witness of its wonderful im- 
 provement and has himself materially enhanced 
 its prosperity. In the public schools he gained a 
 practical knowledge of the three R's, but his school 
 days were brief, and at an early age he began to 
 learn his father's trade under the instruction of 
 that parent. At an early age he had mastered the 
 trade and was a practical brick mason. His brother 
 Jacob being a butcher, our subject also learned 
 that trade at the age of seventeen, and two years 
 later he began in business for himself, purchasing 
 a shop adjoining the present site of the postotfice. 
 Five years later he built a brick store building at 
 No. 408 Court Street, where he had a large meat- 
 market. His slaughter houses were situated upon 
 a tract of eight acres on East Court, and he always 
 purchased the stock himself, thus securing first- 
 class meat. 
 
 On account of ill health, Mr. Scheidel concluded 
 to retire from business, and accordingly sold out 
 April 17, 1893, since which time he has rented the 
 store. In addition to that building, he owns sev- 
 eral dwellings in Pekin, including his residence at 
 the corner of State and Fifth Streets. His mar- 
 riage occurred in the city April 22, 1862, uniting 
 him with Miss Maggie Saal, a native of Overklin- 
 gen, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Three children 
 have blessed this union: Lizzie, the wife of Fred
 
 POETKAIT AND BIOGEAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 301 
 
 Johannes, a grocer of Pekin; Maggie and Carrie, 
 who reside with their parents. 
 
 As a member of the Democratic party, Mr. Schei- 
 del has for years been a prominent figure in the 
 public life of the city and county. Frequently he 
 has served on the City and County Central Com- 
 mittees, and for three terms he served as Alderman 
 from the Third Ward. While in the City Council 
 he was appointed a member of different commit- 
 tees, and also served as Chairman of the Commit- 
 tee on Streets and Alleys. For two years, from 
 1883 to 1885, he was City Treasurer of Pekin. So- 
 cially he is identified with the Masonic fraternity, 
 belonging to the Royal Arch chapter at this place, 
 also the Druids and the Mystic Circle. 
 
 L. M1NIER, who is general agent for the 
 Union Central Life Insurance Company of 
 Cincinnati, Ohio, makes his home in the 
 town of Minier, Tazewell County, which bears the 
 family name. He was born in Magnolia. Putnam 
 County, 111., May 18, 1842, and is a son of Rev. 
 George W. and Sarah (Ireland) Minier, honored 
 and prominent people of this community, who are 
 represented elsewhere in this work. He lived in 
 his native county and in Bloomington until eight 
 years of age, and then came to Tazewell County, 
 where he grew to manhood. He was educated in 
 the public schools, in the Illinois Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity of Bloomington, and in Bryant and Strat- 
 ton's Business College of Chicago, from which he 
 was graduated. 
 
 In August, 1862, Mr. Minier was found among 
 the boys in blue of Company I, Ninety-fourth Illi- 
 nois Infantry, in which he served as Sergeant for 
 a time. In 1864 he was commissioned Second 
 Lieutenant. He did service in Missouri and Ar- 
 kansas, taking part in the battle of Prairie Grove, 
 December 7, 1862, and the following spring he 
 went by way of St. Louis to Vicksburg, partici- 
 pating in the siege of that city. After its sur- 
 render he went to Yazoo City, thence to Black 
 River and served as patrol along the river for sev- 
 eral weeks. In August of that year his command 
 took part in the battle of Atcliafalaya, and in Oc- 
 
 tober were taken across the Gulf to Brownsville, 
 Tex., where they remained in camp for ten months. 
 They then went across the Gulf to Ft. Morgan, 
 Ala., participated in the capture of Spanish Fort, 
 and were camped on the shell road below Mobile 
 at the time of the terrible explosion in that cit}'. 
 Mr. Minier's company was then sent with prison- 
 ers to Ship Island, and during his service crossed 
 the Gulf of Mexico eight times. From Mobile he 
 was sent to Galveston, Tex., where in August, 
 1865, he was mustered out. 
 
 For a short time after his return north, Mr. 
 Minier engaged in teaching in McLean and Taze- 
 well Counties, and in the spring of 1866 he was 
 appointed state agent under John P. Reynolds to 
 make the Illinois collections for the Paris Exposi- 
 tion. On completing that task, he was appointed 
 under James H. Bowen, of Chicago, for the same 
 work in the northwest, and on completing the col- 
 lection he went to New York City, where he aided 
 United States Commissioner J. C. Derby in the 
 same work in the metropolis of the east. The Illi- 
 nois collection took the first premium at the ex- 
 position of 1867, Mr. Minier having visited every 
 county in the state. 
 
 For twelve years our subject was employed in 
 the civil engineering department of the Chicago <fe 
 Alton Railroad, and then bought a half-interest in 
 the Girard Mills, of Girard, 111. While operating 
 the same he engaged in grain dealing, and was 
 thus employed from 1878 until 1881, when he em- 
 barked in milling with Ellis Briggs, at Roodhouse, 
 HI. That connection continued from 1882 until 
 March, 1893. In addition to his property in 
 Tazewell County, Mr. Minier owns real estate in 
 Nebraska, in Chicago and Roodhouse, 111., and in 
 Wichita, Kan. He is now serving as general agent 
 for the Union Central Life Insurance Company 
 of Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 On the 3d of August, 1870, Mr. Minier married 
 Miss Ellen Armington, of Atlanta, 111., daughter 
 of H. Armington, an early settler of Tazewell 
 County. Four children grace this union: Minnie 
 F., Clara A., Clifford L. and George A. For many 
 years Mr. Minier affiliated with the Republican 
 party, but is now a supporter of the Prohibition 
 party. Socially he is connected with the Grand
 
 302 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Army of the Republic. Since the age of sixteen 
 he has been a member of the Christian Church, 
 and has always taken an active interest in church 
 and Sunday-school work, having often served as 
 teacher and Superintendent. His life has been 
 well spent, and the same fidelity to duty which he 
 made manifest on southern battlefields has charac- 
 terized his private life. His excellencies of char- 
 acter have won him high regard, and with pleasure 
 we present this sketch to our readers. 
 
 Pekin, 
 
 1850. 
 
 ^ILLTAM E. PARKER, one of the efficient 
 engineers on the Peoria, Decatur & Evans- 
 ville Railroad, and an honored citizen of 
 was born in Pepperell, Mass., March 21, 
 He is a member of an old and distinguished 
 family, and is a great-nephew, on his mother's 
 side, of ex-President Franklin Pierce. His paternal 
 grandfather, Edmond Parker, was a native of New 
 Hampshire, where for many years he was one of 
 the most prominent and successful attorneys of 
 Nashua, and in that place he continued to reside 
 until death. 
 
 The father of our subject, Dr. C. E. Parker, was 
 born in Concord, N. H., and was a man of superior 
 ability and education, being a graduate of Dart- 
 mouth College, as well as a graduate of the medi- 
 cal department at Yale College. Upon him were 
 conferred the degrees of A. B., A. M. and M. D. 
 Opening an office at Pepperell, Mass., he conducted 
 a large practice there until 1855, when, deciding 
 that the west offered splendid opportunities for a 
 skillful physician and surgeon, he came to Illinois. 
 Settling in Beardstown, he continued there in the 
 practice of his profession until his death, which 
 occurred in July, 1882. 
 
 In all his undertakings Dr. Parker received the 
 assistance and practical aid of his estimable wife, 
 who is now a resident of Pekin. In maidenhood 
 she was known as Anna K. Pierce. She was born 
 in Michigan, of which state her father was long a 
 resident. He was an own brother of Franklin 
 Pierce. Our subject is the only survivor of two 
 children. In the public schools of Beardstown he 
 received a practical education, remaining at home 
 
 with his parents until 1867. He then went to 
 Springfield, where for several years he was clerk 
 in a mercantile establishment. About the time of 
 the great fire he went to Chicago, where he ac- 
 cepted a position as bookkeeper with Conger 
 Brothers, who ran a commission house. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Parker came to Pekin, and in the 
 shops of the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Rail- 
 road he secured employment as fireman. Two 
 years later he was promoted to the position of 
 engineer on the road. In February, 1882, he 
 removed to Evansville, and from that city ran 
 an engine for about five years, also serving as 
 foreman of the round house for six months. Dur- 
 ing 1887 he returned to Pekin, but continued to 
 act as engineer on the road. In point of service, 
 he is the oldest employe in the machinery depart- 
 ment, and is by far the oldest engineer with the 
 company. During the summer he runs between 
 Pekin and Mackinaw Falls, having charge of excur- 
 sions and picnic parties to the latter place. 
 
 At Chicago, October 20, 1872, Mr. Parker was 
 united in marriage with Miss Eliza Sanders, who 
 was born near Lexington, in Bourbon County, Ky. 
 She is one of seven children born to the union of 
 Frank and Nancy (Willby) Sanders, natives re- 
 spectively of Virginia and Tennessee. Her father, 
 who was a large land owner and a successful mer- 
 chant, died in Indiana, while her mother passed 
 away in Kentucky. Mrs. Parker is a devoted 
 member of the Baptist Church. Politically, Mr. 
 Parker is a Democrat, and is always loyal to party 
 principles. Socially he belongs to the Order of 
 Firemen and Empire Lodge, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 LEMM. Well known among the 
 i business men of Pekin is the gentleman 
 whose name introduces this biographical 
 notice, and who is a wholesale dealer in 
 fish, and also deals in hides and tallow, wool and 
 furs. He is scarcely yet in the prime of life, hav- 
 ing been born March 3, 1865, and his success is 
 therefore worthy of special commendation. A na-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 303 
 
 tive of Germany, his birth occurred in the city of 
 Stolp, province of Pomerania. 
 
 The father of our subject, Herman Lemm, was 
 born in Germany, where he grew to manhood, and 
 for some time engaged in the meat business. In 
 1872 lie emigrated to the United States, and pro- 
 ceeding direct to Pekin, embarked in the hide and 
 wool business, continuing thus engaged until his 
 death, in 1884. His wife, who bore the maiden 
 name of Augusta Lentz, and who was born in Ger- 
 many, died in 1872. Five children had been born 
 of the union, of whom Henry is the next to the 
 eldest. In the city of Buetow he was reared in 
 the family of an uncle, who was an extensive 
 farmer and who also carried on an hotel. 
 
 In childhood Henry Lemm was a student in a 
 gymnasium, where he studied the German, French, 
 Latin and Greek languages. When within one 
 year of graduation he left the institution, and at 
 the age of fourteen became an apprentice to the 
 trade of a baker and confectioner, remaining in a 
 shop at Coeslin for three years. Having resolved 
 to join his father in the United States, he crossed 
 the ocean, and lauding in New York, came direct 
 to Pekin. Until the demise of his father he aided 
 him in the business and afterward assisted his 
 brother Max, successor to his father. In 1885 he 
 purchased the concern and has since conducted a 
 large trade in that line. In the spring of 1891 he 
 opened a wholesale and retail fish market, and 
 now has the largest business in that line at Pekin. 
 During the season he employs eight or ten men 
 to fish for him, and from his market he ships to 
 local points. His establishment is the only one in 
 the city that handles hides, tallow and wool, and 
 these he ships to the eastern markets. From Oc- 
 tober to April, he travels extensively in order to 
 secure a good grade of furs, his route lying along 
 the Sangamon, Spoon and other rivers. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Lemm occurred at Pekin 
 September 21, 1888, and united him with Miss 
 Annie Link, a native of Peoria County. Three 
 children blessed their union, Herman, Augusta and 
 Jacob H. The family worships at St. John's Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church, to the support of which 
 Mr. Lemm is a generous contributor. In his po- 
 litical views he is a Democrat, though his business 
 
 occupies his attention to the exclusion of public 
 affairs. He is a member of the Turner's society. 
 While retaining a natural partiality for the land 
 of his birth, he is an ardent admirer and loyal sup- 
 porter of the Republican form of Government, and 
 may well congratulate himself upon having sought 
 a home in this country, since here he has found 
 prosperity and warm friends. 
 
 J~| OHN F. QUIGG, the efficient and popular 
 Cashier of the Minier Bank, of Minier, 111., 
 i and a member of the firm of Quigg, Tanner 
 & Co., proprietors of a grain elevator, and 
 of the firm of Quigg, Railsback & Co., grain deal- 
 ers and bankers of Minier, was born on a farm in 
 Mackinaw Township, Tazewell County, December 
 13, 1841. His father, Jacob F. Quigg, came to this 
 county in 1836 from Ohio. He was a native of 
 western Pennsylvania, and thence removed to 
 Richland County, Ohio. On coming to Illinois, 
 he purchased a tract of wild land, on which not a 
 furrow had been turned or an improvement made, 
 and began its development. In Tazewell County, 
 111., he married Elizabeth Lance, a native of Rich- 
 land County, Ohio, and upon the farm they began 
 their domestic life. Six children blessed their 
 union: James, who is President of the Minier 
 Bank; Mrs. Kate Williams, of Minier; John F.; 
 Mrs. Mary Ward, of Logan County, 111.; Mrs. Rose 
 Jarred, of Mackinaw; and Margaret,now deceased. 
 The father of this family was called to his final 
 rest in 1860, and the mother passed away in 1884. 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads, John F. 
 Quigg spent the days of his boyhood and youth, 
 attending the public schools through the winter 
 season, while in the summer months he aided in 
 the labors of the farm. In 1869, he came to Min- 
 ier, where he has since been engaged in stock and 
 grain dealing. In 1875 the firm of Williams, Rails- 
 back & Co. was organized, our subject being the 
 silent partner, and upon the death of Mr. Williams, 
 in 1884, the firm name was changed to Quigg, 
 Railsback & Co., and is now at the head of the 
 banking business. The firm of Quigg, Tanner <t 
 Co. was organized in 1890. The bank was estab-
 
 304 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 lished in 1875 by the firm of Williams, Railsback 
 & Co. Its present officers are: James F. Quigg, 
 President; J. E. Railsback, Vice-President; John 
 F. Quigg, Cashier; and R. J. Mitchell, Assistant 
 Cashier. 
 
 In 1871 our subject was united in marriage with 
 Miss Hattie, daughter of Adam Sheets. She was 
 born in Virginia, and in early life went to De Witt 
 County, 111., where she grew to womanhood. Five 
 children grace this union: J. J., a stock dealer; 
 Beauford, a dealer in agricultural implements; 
 Ivy, a student in Normal, 111.; and Etta and John, 
 at home. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Quigg has always been 
 identified with the Democracy. He is Chairman 
 of the Democratic Central Committee, has been 
 President of the Town Board, and for fourteen 
 years has been President of the Board of Educa- 
 tion. Socially he is a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity. In the building up of Minier he has 
 taken a prominent and active part, and is one 
 of its most public-spirited and progressive citizens. 
 His extensive business interests have done.,nj,i,^cit; 
 toward making it a thriving place. The two grain 
 firms with which he is connected also have eleva- 
 tors in Hopedale, Bradley and Atlanta, and are en- 
 joying an immense trade. Mr. Quigg is also quite 
 extensively interested in western lands. His ac- 
 curate and careful business methods, his sagacity 
 and foresight, and his enterprise are the factors 
 which have brought him his well deserved success. 
 
 N. EWING, who is engaged in business 
 as a druggist of Minier, claims Kentucky 
 as the state of his nativity, for he was 
 born in Butler County, the date being De- 
 cember 4, 1849. His parents, Nathaniel and Nancy 
 E. (Young) Ewing, were also natives of Kentucky. 
 The father was a farmer, tanner and shoemaker, 
 and engaged in business along these lines in But- 
 ler County until 1853, when he emigrated to 
 McLean County, 111., where he purchased land 
 obtained on a Mexican land warrant. It was a 
 wild tract, but he at once began its development 
 and transformed it into rich and fertile fields. 
 
 There he lived until his death, which occurred in 
 1876. In politics he was first a Whig and after- 
 ward a Republican. 
 
 During the Mexican War Mr. Ewing enlisted 
 in the army, but peace was declared ere he started 
 for the scene of the conflict. Mrs. Ewing is yet 
 living in Chicago. In their family were nine 
 children, of whom five still survive. John H. 
 died during the Civil War while serving in the 
 Union army; W. W., who was one of the boys in 
 blue, now lives in Mt. Hope Township, McLean 
 County; S. Y. is deceased; Mrs. Sarah Jane Palmer 
 is living in McLean County; Mary F. is the wife 
 of W. C. Trott, a real-estate dealer of Chicago; 
 and Nancy E. is the wife of C. W. Crane, a farmer 
 of Saline County, Neb. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared on the old 
 homestead in McLean County, and his early edu- 
 cation, acquired in the common schools, was sup- 
 plemented by one year's attendance at the Wes- 
 leyaij University at Bloomington, after which he 
 ; resumed farming at the old home. 
 :;-, n-.Xhte'lJ'th of December, 1869, Mr. Ewing was 
 united in marriage with Alvira Darnall, daughter 
 of Nicholas Darnall. She was born and reared in 
 Mt. Hope Township, McLean County, where her 
 father located in an early day. In the spring of 
 1870 the young couple removed to Hittle Town- 
 ship, where Mr. Ewing bought land and followed 
 farming for four years. In 1874 he came to 
 Minier and embarked in the drug business with 
 G. O. Bailey. A year later Mr. Bailey sold out to 
 William Arnold, who continued a member of the 
 firm for two years, when he disposed of his inter- 
 est to Silas J. Nicolay. Mr. Ewing and that gen- 
 tleman were then in business for three years, when 
 our subject bought out his partner's interest, and 
 has since been sole proprietor of the drug store. 
 He has a well equipped store, complete in all its 
 appointments, and is now enjoying a good business. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Ewing were born four children: 
 Iruogene, Alma, Howard and Roy, the latter of 
 whom died in infancy. In politics our subject has 
 always been identified with the Republican part}', 
 and is now serving as Supervisor of his township. 
 He was elected to that office in 1884, filled the posi- 
 tion for three years, and was again elected in the
 
 LIBRAJtt 
 
 of rm 
 
 Of
 
 SAMUEL R. MOOBERRY.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 307 
 
 spring of 1894. He has been a member of the 
 Village Board and is a member of the Republican 
 Central Committee. On the 25th of February, 
 1874, he was appointed Postmaster of Minier, 
 filling the office until November 25, 1885. When 
 the country was again under Republican adminis- 
 tration, he was given that position, and served 
 from July 1, 1889, until July 1, 1893. Socially, 
 lie is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the 
 Odd Fellows' societj r . Mr. Ewing is alike true to 
 every public and private trust, and in business, 
 social and official relations he is always the same, 
 a pleasant, courteous and honorable gentleman. 
 
 AMUEL R. MOOBERRY. Probably no 
 section of country has advanced more 
 rapidly than that of central Illinois, and 
 this has been due almost wholly to the 
 character of its pioneers. They encountered many 
 difficulties during the first years of their sojourn 
 in the Prairie State, but they possessed the energy 
 and perseverance necessary to success, and conse- 
 quently merited the prosperity which they at- 
 tained. After having battled with the elements of 
 a new soil, the inconveniences of rude farming 
 implements and imperfect transportation of their 
 produce, many of them have lived to see pros- 
 perity smiling upon their labors. 
 
 Some, however, have been called from earth 
 and now rest from their labors. Among this num- 
 ber is the subject of this brief biographical notice, 
 formerly one of the well known agriculturists of 
 Groveland Township, Tazewell County. In 1832, 
 when a mere child, he accompanied his parents to 
 Illinois and settled upon the place where his widow 
 now resides. Here, as the years passed by, he be- 
 came the possessor of a valuable estate and the 
 proprietor of a fine farm. His landed possessions 
 aggregated many hundreds of acres, but better 
 than the material prosperity that crowned his 
 labors was the high place he won among his fellow- 
 citizens, who honored him as a man of uprightness 
 and nobility of character. 
 
 In Franklin County, Ohio, Samuel R., the son 
 of David and Margaret (Stumbaugh) Mooberry, 
 
 was born January 18, 1824. He was reared upon 
 a farm in Ohio until eight years of age, when he 
 accompanied his parents to Illinois. His education 
 was limited, but he was a well informed man, ow- 
 ing to the fact that he kept himself posted upon 
 topics of current local and national importance. 
 At the age of twenty-two he married and settled 
 three miles north of the old homestead, where he 
 purchased eighty acres. To this he added until he 
 owned two hundred and forty acres, and he also 
 bought one hundred and twenty acres of timbered 
 land from his father. In addition to this, he was 
 the owner of several hundred acres in Cedar Coun- 
 ty, Neb. 
 
 A very important event in the life of Mr. Moo- 
 berry was his marriage, which occurred October 
 16, 1845. He was then united with Miss Louisa 
 C. Hughes, who was born in Franklin County, 
 Ohio, November 10, 1821. Her parents, Richard 
 and Barbara (Ruffner) Hughes, were born and 
 reared in Virginia, removing thence to Ohio in 
 1810. Mr. Hughes, although a saddler by trade, 
 was engaged in farming while a resident of the 
 Buckeye State, and also followed that occupation 
 in Illinois, to which he removed in 1837, settling 
 in Groveland Township, Tazewell County. In 
 politics he was a Whig, but was not active in party 
 affairs. His religious belief was similar to "that of 
 the Baptist Church, with which he was identified. 
 His death occurred in Groveland Township, De- 
 cember 19, 1855, while his wife passed away July 
 4, 1860, aged seventy-two years. They had seven 
 children, five of whom married, while one son and 
 one daughter are single. Grandfather William 
 Hughes, who was of English descent, married 
 Elizabeth Robinson, and they reared one son and 
 three daughters. 
 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. Mooberry resulted 
 in the birth of eleven children, nine of whom 
 reached mature years. David R. died in Arkan- 
 sas and his remains were brought to Tazewell 
 County and here interred; he was a prominent 
 Mason and belonged to the Brotherhood of Loco- 
 motive Engineers. George E., who during the late 
 war served as a soldier in Company A, One Hun- 
 dred and Fiftieth Illinois Infantry, is now a resi- 
 dent of Oregon; Luther died at the age of twenty-
 
 808 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 eight; Evaline is at home; Elvira married George 
 Pinkham and resides in Woodford County; Milton 
 lives in Groveland Township; Dorcas married Alva 
 P. O'Brien and lives in Groveland Township; Net- 
 tie (the wife of William L. Van Dyke) and Delia 
 died at the ages of twenty-eight and thirteen re- 
 spectively. Floyd and Walter died aged two and 
 a-half and three and a-half years respectively. The 
 children were trained, under the careful supervision 
 of their parents, for responsible and honorable 
 positions in life, and those who still survive are 
 highly esteemed by all who know them. 
 
 Iii the local councils of the Democracy Mr. Moo- 
 berry exercised a 'large influence, and he served 
 for many years as Supervisor and Justice of the 
 Peace, filling these positions with credit to himself 
 and to the satisfaction of the people. However, 
 he was never an office seeker, but preferred to de- 
 vote his attention to his farm and his family, and 
 as a peaceable and law-abiding citizen was highly 
 regarded by all who knew him. It was felt 
 throughout the township that one of the best citi- 
 zens had been lost when, July 24, 1882, he de- 
 parted this life. His widow, an excellent lady, 
 still resides upon the old homestead, upon which 
 she recently erected an elegant residence. She is 
 a lady of superior business qualifications and 
 superintends the farm with excellent judgment and 
 flattering success. 
 
 WILLIAM E. SCHENCK, M. D., is numbered 
 among the leading physicians of Pekin, 
 where he has resided for so many years, 
 and for a quarter of a century has been Examining 
 Surgeon for Pensions in Tazewell County. It 
 seems almost wonderful that so many physicians 
 of repute should be residents of this one city, yet 
 it is a fact that the medical profession is better 
 represented in this place than many others, and 
 among them stands pre-eminently the subject of 
 this brief sketch. 
 
 Our subject was born in Millstone, N. J., May 
 20, 1840, and is the son of Ernestus Schenck, who 
 was likewise a native of that place, where he 
 was a prominent merchant and grain dealer, own- 
 
 ing the boats which conveyed the grain to larger 
 cities. The grandfather of our subject, William 
 Schenck, was born in Ringoes, N. J., and was a 
 farmer by occupation. The first of the family in 
 this country came from Holland and located in 
 New Amsterdam. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Ann (Skillman) 
 Schenck, was the daughter of Thomas Skillman, 
 and was born in Ringoes. Her parents were mem- 
 bers of the Dutch Reformed Church, and the 
 mother, who reared a family of eight children, died 
 in New York City when eighty-five years of age. 
 W. E. Schenck, of this sketch, received a high-school 
 education in Lawrenceville, N. J., and later en- 
 tered the Trenton Academy, where he pursued his 
 studies for some time. When nineteen years of 
 age he began reading medicine under the instruc- 
 tion of Dr. McKissack, of Millstone, and in 1859 
 entered Belle vue (New York) Medical College, 
 from which he was graduated with the degree of 
 Doctor of Medicine in 1864. 
 
 After receiving his diploma Dr. Schenck came 
 to Pekin on a visit, and was so favorably impressed 
 with the country that he determined to make it 
 his future home, and in May of that year began 
 the practice of his profession here. He is now one 
 of the oldest physicians in this county, and from 
 his practice enjoys a large and lucrative income. 
 The country being very sparsely settled when he 
 located here, he has often ridden fifty miles a day 
 in order to visit his patients. 
 
 Dr. Schenck is the proprietor of a valuable farm, 
 including fourteen hundred acres of land located 
 in this and Mason Counties. The entire tract is 
 in a high state of improvement, and the Doctor 
 erected thereon a beautiful residence, which is fin- 
 ished and furnished in modern style. 
 
 Since 1869 our subject has been Pension Exam- 
 iner of this county, which fact in itself is sufficient 
 evidence of his high standing as a physician. In 
 October, 1866, he was married to Miss Emma, 
 daughter of the Hon. Benjamin S. Prettyman, who 
 received her education in the Female College at 
 Jacksonville. Their union has been blessed by the 
 birth of three children. Fannie, now Mrs. Frank 
 Payton, of this city, is a graduate of the Morgan 
 Park Female College; Benjamin is bookkeeper in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 309 
 
 the German-American Bank, and Virginia is at- 
 tending an art school in Chicago. Our subject is 
 local surgeon for the Santa Fe, Jacksonville & 
 South-eastern, and Peoria, Decatur & Evansville 
 Railroads. Politically, he is a Republican, and is 
 very popular in the ranks of his party. 
 
 J| OSEPII REED, a real-estate and loan dealer 
 and Justice of the Peace of Minier, is recog- 
 I nized as one of the most prominent citizens 
 of that place. He was born February 4, 
 
 1824, in Kentucky. His grandfather was a native 
 of Virginia and an early settler of Kentucky. His 
 father, John Reed, was born and reared in the lat- 
 ter state, and there married Catherine, daughter of 
 John Landis, also a native of Kentucky. He en- 
 gaged in building ttatboats and conveying produce 
 and stock down the rivers to New Orleans, until 
 his removal to what was then Sangamon County, 
 but is now a part of Logan County, 111. He set- 
 tled among the Indians, pre-empted land from the 
 Government five miles north of the present site of 
 Lincoln, and began the development of a home- 
 stead, upon which lie resided until 1856. From 
 that time he lived a retired life. He passed 
 away October 30, 1892, at the advanced age of 
 ninety-six years, four months and twenty days, 
 and his wife died June 16, 1858. Their family 
 numbered eight children, six of whom reached ma- 
 ture years, while live are yet living: Samuel, a re- 
 tired farmer of Algona, Iowa; Joseph; Henry, a 
 farmer of Marshalltown, Iowa; Susan, wife of A. 
 K. Lucas, foreman in the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy Railroad shops of Omaha, Neb.; and Mrs. 
 Catherine Stewart, of Vermilion County, 111. One 
 son, William, was a soldier of the late war. The 
 father of this family supported the Whig party in 
 early life, but afterward became a Republican. In 
 religious belief he was a Dunkard. 
 
 Joseph Reed was reared on the old homestead 
 farm in Logan County, and was educated in a log 
 schoolhouse. He went through the experiences of 
 pioneer life and aided in the task of developing a 
 farm. He was married January 12, 1846, to Mary 
 J., daughter of James Williams, who was a native 
 
 of Kentucky, and became one of the pioneer settlers 
 of Woodford County, 111., making his home near 
 Eureka. Mrs. Reed was born in Madison Count}', 
 Ky., February. 22, 1825, and was a maiden of 
 eleven summers when with her parents she came 
 to the west. The young couple began their domes- 
 tic life upon Delavan Prairie, Logan County, 
 where Mr. Reed entered land from the Govern- 
 ment and cultivated a farm. There he engaged 
 quite extensively in buying cattle and hogs, which 
 he shipped to market. In 1849 he sold his farm 
 and removed to the town of Lincoln, then called 
 Postville, where he purchased property, and con- 
 tinued to deal in stock for six jears. He built the 
 third dwelling house in that place, and helped to 
 carry the chain used in laying out the town. Sub- 
 sequently he embarked in the real-estate business, 
 and continued to make his home in Lincoln until 
 1873. 
 
 In that year Mr. Reed removed to Lucas Coun- 
 ty, Iowa, where he bought land and engaged in 
 farming for fourteen months. During the two 
 succeeding years he resided in Peoria, and in 1876 
 came to Minier, where he engaged in stock deal- 
 ing for a time. He now devotes his energies to 
 the real-estate and loan business, which he profit- 
 ably follows. He has about twelve residences in 
 this place, together with two hundred and forty 
 acres of land in Lucas County, Iowa, and twelve 
 hundred acres in Oregon and Reynolds Counties, 
 Mo. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Reed lost their only child, John J., 
 who died at the age of twenty-four years while 
 farming in Iowa. In politics, our subject was a 
 Whig. In 1856, he established the Lincoln Herald, 
 the first newspaper of Lincoln, 111. It is still in ex- 
 istence. He began it as an independent paper, but 
 after three issues it became a supporter of Fremont, 
 for whom Mr. Reed voted on the organization of 
 the Republican party. He was a warm friend of 
 Abraham Lincoln, whom he knew well. For more 
 than thirty-five years he has served as Justice of 
 the Peace, filling the office for fourteen consecu- 
 tive years, and has also been a member of the Vil- 
 lage Board. 
 
 Speaking of pioneer days, Mr. Reed said that 
 nearly every one in the early days raised every-
 
 310 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 thing used, so that the trade of merchants was not 
 very flourishing. Coffee and tea were luxuries 
 used only on rare occasions. The sheep furnished 
 wool for the winter clothing, and the cotton and 
 flax which the farmer raised supplied summer 
 clothing, the goods being spun and woven by the 
 wives and daughters, who colored them with cop- 
 peras and indigo. The fur of the raccoon was 
 used in making hats and caps, and the skins of 
 cattle and deer, dressed in a neighboring tan yard, 
 made the shoes and moccasins worn. The people 
 lived in log cabins, and were quick to supply by 
 ingenious devices the articles which they would 
 have bought had they lived in the east. The fur- 
 niture was largely home-made, also the carts and 
 wagons, and even the farm machinery. This is a 
 picture of pioneer life experienced by many of the 
 early settlers who braved the trials and hardships 
 of the frontier to make homes for themselves and 
 families. 
 
 ON. WESLEY B. HARVEY, known and 
 I) honored throughout this section of the 
 state as one of Washington's most influ- 
 ential citizens, was born in Licking Coun- 
 ty, Ohio, near the cit}- of Newark, December 15, 
 1824. He is the son of James Harvey, a native of 
 Maryland, who in 1792 removed thence to Vir- 
 ginia, and from there went west to Ohio prior to 
 the conflict of 1812. In that war he and three of 
 his brothers rendered valiant service to our cause, 
 and he was also a soldier in the Black Hawk War. 
 He was the youngest in a family of eleven chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Coming to Illinois as early as 1828, James Har- 
 vey settled in Tazewell County, and his was one 
 of the first seven families that located in the 
 township. The property purchased by him was 
 situated within a mile and a-half of the present 
 site of Washington, and through his efforts was 
 placed under first-class improvements. He re- 
 sided upon that place until 1834, when he re- 
 moved to Deer Creek Township, where he spent 
 twenty years. He later spent three years in 
 Peoria, and then returned to this county, where 
 his death occurred in Groveland Township in 
 
 1859. Upon coming to this county his means 
 were limited, but such was his industry and judg- 
 ment that he accumulated a valuable property, 
 and at the time of his demise was well-to-do. 
 
 Tracing the lineage still farther back, we find 
 that the paternal grandfather of our subject, 
 William Harvey, was born on a sailing-vessel on 
 the Atlantic Ocean, when his parents were com- 
 ing to this country from Scotland. They settled 
 in Maryland, where we find the first trace of the 
 family in the United States.. The mother of our 
 subject, who bore the maiden name of Mary Ann 
 Biningsley, was a native of Maryland and was 
 descended from one of the pioneer families of 
 Ohio. She died in 1873, at the age of seventy- 
 three years. 
 
 Wesley B. Harvey is the next to the eldest of 
 eleven children, three sons and eight daughters, 
 of whom all but one lived to mature years. One 
 sister was drowned at the age of five years. Eight 
 of the family are now living. William A., who 
 became a prominent farmer in Ringgold County, 
 Iowa, also served as Postmaster and Justice of the 
 Peace, and is now living retired. John, who was 
 a Captain in the Civil War, is now engaged in 
 farming at Atlantic, Iowa. Martha J. became the 
 wife of J. B. Burrell, a successful stockman of Mis- 
 souri. Drucilla married A. J. Phillips, a Captain 
 in the Confederate army, but now a railroad con- 
 ductor. Hattie became the wife of Dr. Hibbard 
 and resides near Sedan, Kan. 
 
 Brought to Tazewell County at the age of four 
 years, our subject has little recollection of any 
 home save this. His boyhood years were spent 
 on the frontier farm, and he received only such 
 limited schooling as fell to the lot of pioneer boys. 
 For some years he engaged in farming, but re- 
 tired from that occupation on account of poor 
 health, and has since engaged largely in buying 
 notes, as well as in trading. A Republican in pol- 
 itics, he has been very intimately connected with 
 public affairs of the city and county, and has oc- 
 cupied many positions of honor. For ten years 
 he served as Supervisor of his township, for 
 twenty years held the office of Justice of the 
 Peace, and for two terms was Mayor of Washing- 
 ton. In 1880 he was elected to represent his dis-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 ' 311 
 
 trict in the State Legislature and was one of the 
 most active members of the House, serving on 
 several important committees. 
 
 In December, 1849, Hon. W. B. Harvey married 
 Miss Eliza Barrett, who was born in Illinois and 
 died at Washington in 1891, leaving no children. 
 The second marriage of our subject occurred in 
 July, 1892, and united him with Mrs. Nancy 
 (Forbes) Sheppard, a native of New Jersey, who 
 came to this state in childhood. She was first 
 married to Dr. Sheppard, who died in 1875. In 
 religious connections Mr. Harvey is a Methodist, 
 while his wife belongs to the Presbyterian Church. 
 Socially, he affiliates with the Royal Arch Masons. 
 Through good management and unceasing indus- 
 try he has accumulated valuable possessions, and 
 is now the owner of several fine farms, as well as 
 other property. 
 
 eHARLES H. DUISDIEKER is one of the 
 most enterprising and progressive citizens 
 of Pekin, the thriving county seat of Taze- 
 well County. He is now sole proprietor of the 
 Duisdieker Foundry and Machine Works, one of 
 the leading industries of the city. A man of 
 resolute will and excellent business ability, he suc- 
 cessfully manages his affairs and thereby adds to 
 the prosperity of the locality in which he makes 
 his home. 
 
 Our subject was born in Bunde, Westphalia, 
 Prussia, July 20, 1851. His father, Henry Duis- 
 dieker, was a native of the same locality and was 
 a jeweler and watchmaker'. He served in the Rev- 
 olution of 1848, and in 1858 he removed from 
 Bunde to Paderborn, where his death occurred in 
 1876. His wife, Sophia, was born in Iserlohn, 
 Westphalia, and was a daughter of Krauskopf 
 Dumpleman, who kept a hotel in Iserlohn. She 
 died within two months of her husband. Both 
 were members of the Lutheran Church, and in 
 their family were twelve children, of whom nine 
 are yet living. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this sketch 
 was the fourth in order of birth. At the age of 
 seven, he accompanied his parents to Paderborn, 
 and was educated in its gymnasium. At the age 
 of sixteen he became a clerk in a grocery store, and 
 
 at the age of nineteen entered the Franco-Prus- 
 sian War as one of the Cavalry Hussars. He served 
 for two years, and took part in the battle of Mc-tz. 
 It was in 1874 that he crossed the Atlantic to 
 America. Boarding a steamer at Bremen, four- 
 teen days later he landed in New York, and eigh- 
 teen days after leaving home we find him in 
 Pekin, where he secured employment in a grocery 
 store. Two years later he became bookkeeper for 
 John Stoltz, proprietor of a flour mill, and served 
 as its manager for ten years. During this time, 
 he placed the business on a successful financial 
 basis, largely increasing the output of the mill and 
 its sales. 
 
 Mr. Duisdieker was married in 1876 to Martha 
 Voll, who was born in West Prussia, and who when 
 a babe of six months was brought by her parents 
 to Pekin, 111. Her father, August Voll, was a 
 farmer of Groveland Township, Tazewell County. 
 They have two children, Charles and Norma. 
 
 In 1886, Mr. Duisdieker became interested in 
 the foundry and manufacturing company. The 
 business was established in 1866 by Voth & Sack- 
 eureuther. With Mr. Voth our subject was in 
 partnership until 1889, when the senior member 
 sold out to H. F. Smith, and the business was car- 
 ried on under the firm name of Duisdieker <fe Smith 
 until 1891, when our subject became sole proprie- 
 tor. The capacity of the foundry has been several 
 times enlarged. The foundry room is 75x95 feet, 
 and the plant covers a space 200x200 feet. It 
 is fitted up with all the improvements and ac- 
 cessories connected with the business, and turns 
 out as fine iron work as is done in the country. 
 During the financial depression of 1893, he did 
 not suspend business, but in the spring of that 
 year built his present large factory and continued 
 operations throughout the summer. Employment 
 is furnished to from forty to fifty men, and they 
 manufacture the J. C. Sharp Stump and Grub Ex- 
 tractor, the Western Steam Generator Feed Mills, 
 Cyclone Emery Grinders, and iron and brass cast- 
 ings. Mr. Duisdieker owns the patents of all these 
 except the first-named. 
 
 Our subject was one of the organizers of the 
 Turner Opera House Company, which erected the 
 fine opera house in 1890, and from 1892 until May,
 
 312 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1894, he has been lessee and manager. In 1890 
 he laid out the northwest division of Pekin, com- 
 prising thirty-eight lots, and has always been 
 identified with interests calculated to upbuild and 
 improve the city. In politics he is a stalwart 
 Democrat; for five years he was Chairman of the 
 Township Democratic Committee, and for four 
 years was Secretary and Treasurer of the County 
 Democratic Committee. In 1884, he was elected 
 Alderman from the Third Ward for two years; in 
 1889 was elected City Treasurer for two years, 
 and in 1891 was elected Alderman from the Fourth 
 Ward, since which time he has filled that office. 
 He is a member of the finance and of the fire and 
 water committees. Socially, he is a Royal Arch 
 Mason and a member of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America. 
 
 ON. JOHN H. ANTHONY, Mayor of Wash- 
 ingtou, is a native of Vermont, having 
 been born in Rutland County, December 
 14, 1820. He is the son of Capt. Albro 
 Anthony, a native of Newport, R. I., and for many 
 3'ears a sea captain, owning and navigating a mer- 
 chant vessel sailing between the ports of Newport 
 and Liverpool and the West Indies. After retir- 
 ing from the sea he went to the Green Mountain 
 State, where he engaged in farming. He became 
 a man of great influence among his fellow-citizens, 
 whom for many years he represented in the State 
 Legislature. For some time he served as Magis- 
 trate and Town Clerk, and filled other local posi- 
 tions of trust. His death occurred in Vermont in 
 1833, at the age of seventy-two, he having been 
 born in 1761. 
 
 The ancestry of the Anthony family originated 
 in England. The paternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject was a sea-faring man, as was also Church An- 
 thony, a brother of our subject's father. The latter, 
 after many years spent upon the high seas, settled 
 in Charleston, S. C., where he became a wealthy 
 and influential citizen. Of the three brothers of 
 John H., we note the following: Dr. William C. 
 Anthony, a prominent physician of Princeton, 111., 
 died in that city in 1890, at the age of more than 
 four score years; Charles S. N., who came to Wash- 
 
 ington in 1840, was an extensive merchant and 
 successful agriculturist, also served as Magistrate 
 for years, dying here in 1857; Edward N. came to 
 Washington in 1837, and engaged in the mercan- 
 tile business until his death, in 1848. 
 
 The mother of John H. bore the maiden name 
 of Salome Wood, and was born in Hartland, Vt., 
 being a descendant of Puritan ancestors. Her fa- 
 ther, Josiah Wood, was a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary War. In 1837 she came west with three 
 sons and one daughter, and made her home with 
 our subject until her death. John H., of this 
 sketch, received in boyhood a fair education, and 
 was a youth of seventeen years when he came to I 
 Washington. Here, in 1843, he purchased an 
 eight3'-acre tract of land. In 1846 he became a 
 traveling salesman, in which capacity he visited 
 the majority of the western and southern states, 
 and continued thus engaged until 1852. However, 
 his final retirement from the road did not occur 
 until five years later, though much of his time dur- 
 ing the intervening period was devoted to the 
 mercantile business, in which he was engaged with 
 his brother at Washington. 
 
 Settling upon his farm in 1858, from that time 
 until 1890 Mr. Anthony was engaged in general 
 farming and stock-raising, and since then has been 
 a resident of Washington, though he may be seen 
 every day driving to his estate in the country. In 
 the early days of the history of Tazewell County, 
 he was one of its most extensive stockmen, and 
 often drove large herds of cattle to Wisconsin and 
 other states. At the time of retiring, in 1890, he 
 sold his large farm, but still owns two hundred 
 acres, a portion of which is situated within the 
 corporate limits of the city of Washington. 
 
 As a member of the Republican party, Mr. An- 
 thony has long been intimately associated with the 
 history of the city and county. In 1857 he was 
 elected Justice of the Peace, and in 1871 became 
 Township Supervisor, holding that position for 
 twenty years. In 1876 he was elected a member 
 of the State Board of Equalization, which position 
 he filled for four years. In November of 1890 he 
 was chosen to represent his district in the State 
 Legislature, and in that responsible position dis- 
 played the possession of ability of a superior or-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 313 
 
 der. After two years of faithful service, he was a 
 candidate for re-nomination for the office, but 
 after the convention had balloted two hundred and 
 thirty-one times he was defeated by but one vote. 
 In the fall of 1893 he was elected Mayor of Wash- 
 ington, and as the incumbent of that office has in- 
 stituted many worthy reforms and needed im- 
 provements. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Anthony, occurring in 
 1858, united him with Miss Catherine C. Kyes, a 
 native of Michigan and the daughter of Laban 
 Kyes, who from his native state, New Hampshire, 
 enlisted for service in the. War of 1812, and aided 
 in the defense of our country against the encroach- 
 ment of the British. Later he was a pioneer of 
 Washington, to which place he came in 1837. Mrs. 
 Catherine Anthony died in January, 1890, after 
 having become the mother of three sons and one 
 daughter. John A., a graduate of Rush Medical 
 College, Chicago, is a prominent physician of 
 Peoria, 111.; Charles H., who was graduated from 
 the veterinary college of Chicago, is engaged in 
 the practice of that profession in Washington; 
 Mark, a graduate of the Washington High School, 
 is now connected with the Hicks Lumber Com- 
 pany, at Streator, 111.; Kate is the wife of W. T. 
 Cornelison, who for several years has been con- 
 nected witli the Chicago, Burlington <fe Quincy 
 Elevator Company, of Peoria, he being General 
 Superintendent. His father, Rev. I. A. Cornelison, 
 was pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Wash- 
 ington for a quarter of a century. 
 
 BECKER. Among the shrewd, 
 successful and far-seeing young business 
 men of Pekin is Herman Becker, whose 
 life of industry and usefulness and whose 
 record for honesty and uprightness have given him 
 a hold upon the community which all might well 
 desire to share. He is the proprietor of a fine 
 grocery, located on No. 422 Court Street, and ranks 
 among the prominent business men of the place. 
 
 Our subject is a native of this city, where his 
 birth occurred January 4, 1860. He is the son of 
 John Becker, a native of Germany, who came to 
 
 America when a young man and first located in 
 Peoria, where his marriage occurred. Later he 
 came to Pekin, and for some time carried on the 
 grocery business with Ibe Look, they forming 
 one of the well-to-do firms of the city. After dis- 
 posing of his interest in the store, he purchased a 
 farm two and one-half miles north of the city, on 
 which he was residing at the time of his decease, in 
 1872, when forty-eight years of age. His good 
 wife was also a native of the Fatherland and bore 
 the maiden name of Maggie Krie. She came to 
 America with the Look family when fourteen years 
 of age, and is at present living on the old home- 
 stead in this county. 
 
 Herman Becker was the fourth in order of birth 
 of a family of nine children born to his parents, 
 of whom the eldest, John H., accidentally shot 
 himself when twenty-three years of age; George 
 H. is residing in Bloomington, this state; Lydia 
 married William Gay, of this city; Theodore lives 
 on the old farm, and the remainder of the children 
 are all deceased. Our subject was reared to farm 
 pursuits and received his education in the district 
 schools near his home. In 1887 he removed into 
 the city, and in company witli Bonnie Look es- 
 tablished a grocery store under the style of Look 
 & Becker. This connection lasted, however, but 
 twelve months, when Mr. Becker became the pro- 
 prietor of the entire grocery, and has since con- 
 ducted his business affairs afone, having a fine 
 establishment located at No. 422 Court Street. It 
 is 22x95 feet in dimensions and is well stocked 
 with every variety of staple and fancy groceries, 
 and includes a large and varied assortment of 
 crockery. 
 
 In 1887 Herman Becker was married in this city 
 to Miss Lena Ubben, who was also a native of this 
 place. The three children who have come to bless 
 their home are Walter J., Henry G. and Ernest A. 
 Mr. Becker has been a faithful incumbent of several 
 offices within the gift of the people, and in 1889 
 was elected City Supervisor. The following year 
 he was elected Tax Collector of Pekin Township 
 and city, and at the present time is serving as a 
 member of the School Board. Socially he is a 
 Knight of Pythias, being a charter member of La- 
 Fayette Lodge No. 216, in which he has occupied
 
 314 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 all the chairs. He is likewise a charter member and 
 Captain of the Uniformed Rank, Division No. 65, 
 and attended the conclave held at Kansas City, 
 Mo., in 1892. For five years he was a member of 
 Company I, Seventh Regiment Illinois National 
 Guards, and has occupied all the offices in Black 
 Tribe No. 11 of the Order of Redmen. He is like- 
 wise a Modern Woodman and belongs to Celestial 
 Ruling No. 254 of the Mystic Circle. In politics 
 he is a Democrat. For a number of years he was 
 Treasurer and Director of the Pekin Gun Club. 
 
 eHRISTIAN MAY. In reviewing the lives 
 of the citizens of Morton, we find few, if 
 any, more deserving of mention than the 
 gentleman with whose name we introduce this 
 sketch. As an official he has been long and inti- 
 mately connected with the history of this commu- 
 nity; as a citizen he has ever been progressive and 
 public-spirited; while in his relations as a frien'd- 
 and neighbor he has been kind, generous and con* 
 siderate. In a volume dedicated to the pr6mi ; ne"nt 
 men of Tazewell County, it is therefore appropri- 
 ate that mention be made of Christian May. 
 
 Born in Nassau, Germany, in 1834, our subject 
 grew to manhood in his native land. Thence on 
 the 4th of October, 1855, he took passage on a 
 vessel bound for the United States, and after a 
 tedious voyage he landed in New Orleans, January 
 11, 1856. About April 1 of the same year, he 
 joined his uncle, J. C. May, in Morton and has 
 since made this village his home. Since coming 
 here he has witnessed the growth of the place from 
 a small and unimportant hamlet to a thriving bus- 
 iness town, which is now incorporated under the 
 laws of the state of Illinois. Many of his neighbors 
 who best know Mr. May will bear us out in our 
 assertion when we say that much of the improve- 
 ment, thrift and business-like appearance of the 
 place is due to the energy and keen business qual- 
 ifications of our subject. 
 
 After his arrival in Morton Mr. May devoted 
 his attention to agriculture until 1862, when, the 
 Rebellion being in progress, he enlisted on the 
 15th of August as a member of Company E, 
 
 Eighty-second Regiment, Illinois Infantry. The 
 regiment was organized at Camp Butler, Spring- 
 field, and remained in that city^until October, 
 when it was ordered east to join the Army of the 
 Potomac. On the 3d of May, 1863, in the battle 
 of Chancellorsville he was wounded in the left el- 
 bow by a gunshot, and was taken to Fin ley Hospi- 
 tal, Washington, D. C., where his arm was ampu- 
 tated on the 31st of the same month. He re- 
 mained in the hospital until September 8, 1863, 
 when he was honorably discharged from the army. 
 
 Returning to Tazewell County, and realizing 
 the great need of a better education, Mr. May en- 
 tered school at Groveland, where he remained for 
 four months, and later prosecuted his studies for 
 ten months at Tremont. Leaving school, he en- 
 tered the employ of the Marble Works of John 
 Merkle, at Peoria, 111., and traveled for that con- 
 cern until January, 1870. At the time of his 
 marriage he settled permanently in Morton, where 
 he has since held official positions almost continu- 
 ously. In April, 1870, he was appointed Post- 
 nya$te.r.,,.and in the spring of the same year was 
 elected Justice of the Peace. He has been Asses- 
 sor at least sixteen different times, and since 1872 
 has served as Treasurer of the School Board. For 
 four years he has been Village Clerk and at one 
 time served as Township Collector. In connection 
 with the insurance business he was a Notary Pub- 
 lic and devoted his attention to the duties of that 
 office for twenty-three years. Through energy and 
 the exercise of good judgment, he has accumulated 
 some village property and is also the owner of 
 three hundred and twenty acres in Cass County, 
 Neb. 
 
 Mr. May and Miss Mary A. Hay were united in 
 marriage October 28, 1869. Mrs. May is a native 
 of Lyons, N. Y., and in her childhood accompanied 
 her parents, Valentine and Salome Hay, to Illinois, 
 where she has since resided. Their marriage re- 
 sulted in the birth of two children. The daugh- 
 ter, Dora A., who received an excellent education 
 in the schools of Morton and Galesburg, is the 
 wife of J. E. Hooton, Principal of the high school 
 at Mendon, Adams County, 111. The son, Charles 
 H., who has completed the course of study in the 
 Morton schools, is now a student in Knox College,
 
 ubk/uw 
 
 Of !Ht 
 
 UWVEKSHY Of ILLINOIS
 
 
 JAMES M. CAMPBELL. 
 [DECEASED.]
 
 MARY E. CAMPBELL
 
 LIBRARY 
 OFtHt 
 
 umvfltsii t g> ILLINOIS
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 319 
 
 Galesburg. Politically Mr. May is a Republican 
 in his views and always gives his support to the 
 candidates and principles of his chosen party. 
 Socially he affiliates with the Grand Army of the 
 Republic, belonging to Bryner Post at Peoria. He 
 and his family are members of the Congregational 
 Church at Morton and he is at present Chairman 
 of the Board of Trustees. 
 
 I 
 
 AMES M. CAMPBELL, deceased, was born 
 
 in Brown County, Ohio, near Riplcy, 
 September 30, 1810, and was a son of 
 Charles and Elizabeth (Tweed) Campbell. 
 His father was probably a native of Virginia, and 
 at an early day removed to Ohio, where he fol- 
 lowed farming until 1834. With an elder brother, 
 \V. W. Campbell, he then came to Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, 111., and entered from the Government t!ie land, 
 upon which Morton now stands. ,....,., Y, 
 
 When our subject was five years of age his par- 
 ents removed to a farm near Georgetown, Ohio, 
 and he was there reared to manhood. When 
 eleven years of age, through the ignorance of a 
 physician, he lost his right legend as this unfitted 
 him for farm work he learned t.ie tailor's trade, 
 which he followed for many years in Ohio. In 
 November, 1834, he came to Tazewell County, and 
 in May following located at the new home on the 
 present site of Morton. Mrs. Campbell still has in 
 her possession the patent which her husband se- 
 cured from the Government. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. Campbell laid out the town, and 
 afterward platted several additions to it. He made 
 his home with his aged parents, and cared for 
 them until after the death of his mother, in 1870. 
 In March, 1871, he was united in marriage with 
 Mary E. Saul, daughter of George and Nancy 
 (White) Saul. Mrs. Campbell is a native of Frank 
 lin County, Ohio, and her mother was there born, 
 but her father was a native of the Keystone State, 
 and was born June 19, 1805. They came to Taze- 
 well County in 1836, when their daughter was a 
 child of two years, and the father followed farm- 
 ing. He was an active business man until his 
 7 
 
 death, November 19, 1885, when past the age of 
 eighty. His widow, who still survives him, is 
 now living in Harvey County, Kan., at the age of 
 eighty-two, and her years rest lightly upon her. 
 In their family were four children: Jefferson, now 
 of Butler County, Kan.; Mary E.; Caroline, who 
 died at the age of ten years; and Julia A. 
 
 Mr. Campbell was a prominent and influential 
 citizen, and on the incorporation of Morton he 
 was elected Village Councilman, but resigned the 
 position to lead a quiet life. In business he was 
 successful, for he was an untiring worker, and his 
 enterprise, industry and good management won 
 him a handsome competence. He was a man of 
 positive convictions, fearless in support of what 
 he believed to be right, and was charitable and 
 benevolent, giving freely of his means to the poor 
 and needy. He exercised his right of franchise in 
 support of the Democratic party. All who knew 
 him respected him for his sterling worth and strict 
 integrity, and his friends in the community were 
 v .ajjy t; lie died from an attack of la grippe March 
 22,1891. Mrs. Campbell, a most estimable lady, 
 still makes her home in Morton. 
 
 w 
 
 ILLIAM BENNET, who follows farming 
 on section 19, Little Mackinaw Township, 
 is one of the native sons of Tazewell 
 County. He was born in Elm Grove Township, 
 May 5, 1829, and is a representative of an honored 
 pioneer family. His grandfather, Timothy Ben- 
 net, was a native of England, and emigrating to 
 America, served in the Revolutionary War. When 
 his son Nathaniel, a native of Kentucky, was five 
 years old, he removed to Clinton County, Ohio. 
 This was in 1804. He took up land from the Gov- 
 ernment, cleared and developed a farm, and there 
 spent his remaining days. His wife, who bore the 
 maiden name of Elizabeth Iloblitt, was of German 
 descent. 
 
 Nathaniel Bennet was born February 28, 1799, 
 and was reared in Clinton County, Ohio. He mar- 
 ried Elizabeth, daughter of William Manker, a na- 
 tive of Germany, and lived upon a farm in Clin-
 
 320 
 
 PORTRAfT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ton County until 1828, when he started with his 
 wife and three children in a '-prairie schooner" to 
 Illinois, locating in what is now Elm Grove Town- 
 ship, Tazewell County. Later he entered eighty 
 acres of timber land and eighty acres of prairie 
 land in Hopedale Township, and lived in a tent 
 until a log cabin could be built. The Indians 
 were more numerous in the neighborhood than 
 the white settlers, and deer and other wild game 
 abounded. Mr. Bennet was an expert hunter, 
 so his table was usually supplied with meat. 
 He did his hunting with an old flintlock rifle 
 which his father used in the Revolutionary War. 
 His death occurred on the old homestead May 28, 
 1870, and his wife passed away in 1864. He was 
 one of the first County Commissioners of Taze- 
 well County, and was a prominent and influential 
 citizen. In politics he was first a Whig and after- 
 ward a Democrat. At his death he owned about 
 three hundred acres of land which he had himself 
 improved. 
 
 In the Bennet family were nine children, six 
 yet living: John, a farmer of Elm Grove Town- 
 ship; William; Mrs. Eliza J. Mount, of Dillon 
 Township; Mrs. Mary Emily McMullen, of Tre- 
 mont; Mrs. Melinda Ellen Farward, of Hopedale; 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Amanda McMullen, who is living 
 on a farm two miles from Hopedale; Timothy, who 
 died at the age of twenty-three; Margaret, who 
 died at the age of nineteen; and Sarah Ann, who 
 passed away at the age of fourteen years. 
 
 William Bennet was reared on the old home- 
 stead, and was educated in an old log schoolhouse 
 with slab seats, greased paper windows and punch- 
 eon floor. He bore all the hardships and experi- 
 ences of frontier life, and also shared in the old- 
 time pleasures. He became an expert marksman, 
 and is yet quite skillful with the rifle. As a com- 
 panion and helpmate on life's journey he chose 
 Angelina Kitnler, and they were married Septem- 
 ber 3, 1854. Her father, Evan Kimler, was a na- 
 tive of Virginia, removed to Montgomery Coun- 
 ty, Ind., and subsequently became a resident of 
 Knox County, 111. 
 
 In 1853, Mr. Bennet purchased a part of his 
 present farm, and since his marriage it has been 
 his home. He now has here one hundred and 
 
 fifty-seven and a-half acres of valuable land. 
 Twelve children came to bless the home. Emer- 
 son" Luther and Emma Jane were twins. The 
 former married Mary Gillen, and is engaged in the 
 machine business in Lone Tree, Iowa. The latter 
 is the wife of U. S. Gunter, a farmer of Green Val- 
 ley, 111. James Sanford is at home. Maggie is 
 the wife of William R. Tanner, a farmer. Mary is 
 the wife of John Hodson, an agriculturist of Little 
 Mackinaw Township. Bertha is the wife of Fred 
 Waltmier, who also follows agricultural pursuits. 
 Guy C. resides at Hopedale. The others died in A 
 infancy. 
 
 His fellow-citizens, appreciating his worth and 
 ability, have frequently called on Mr. Bennet to * 
 serve in positions of public trust. He was Town_ 
 Supervisor for four years, Highway Commissioner . 
 six years, School Trustee three y ears, Justice of the 
 Peace nine years, was Assessor three years, and is 
 now filling that office. He has ever proved a faith- 
 ful and capable official, true to the trust reposed 
 in him. He belongs to Hopedale Lodge No. 622, 
 A. F. & A. M., and votes with the Democratic 
 party. For sixty-five years he has lived in Taze- 
 well County, has therefore witnessed almost its en- 1 
 tire growth and development, has ever borne his . 
 part in the work of public advancement, and is 
 numbered among the most honored pioneers. 
 
 YMAN PORTER was born in the village of 
 Quechee, Vt., in 1805, and in that place was 
 reared to manhood. At an early age he 
 embarked in merchandising and met with good 
 success, his trade constantly increasing. He trav- 
 eled in the interest of his own business through 
 many of the southern states and became a very 
 prosperous merchant. In the autumn of 1830 he 
 removed to McLean County, 111., where through 
 the following winter he taught a district school. 
 That was the winter of the deep snow, well remem- 
 bered by the pioneers. The snow was of such a 
 depth that the children could not reach school, and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 321 
 
 for a time he had only four scholars. Though his 
 own school privileges were meagre, Mr. Porter, 
 through extensive reading, became a well informed 
 man. 
 
 In the spring of 1831 our subject came to Mack- 
 inaw, where he embarked in general merchandis- 
 ing with a small stock of goods, which he con- 
 stantly enlarged to meet his growing trade as the 
 country round became more thickly settled. He 
 invested his surplus capital in land, accumulating 
 several hundred acres, and then for a few years 
 followed farming, but later resumed merchandis- 
 ing in Mackinaw in partnership with George Mil- 
 ler, who is yet in business here. Their partnership 
 was dissolved after a few years, but Mr. Porter 
 continued in business alone until 1854, when he 
 retired from active life. 
 
 In 1832 Mr. Porter married Mary. A., daughter 
 of George Patterson, one of the pioneer settlers of 
 Tazewell County, who here located about 1831. 
 Her mother died at a very early day and her father 
 was a second time married. Mr. and Mrs. Porter 
 were earnest workers in the Christian Church and 
 did much for its advancement and upbuilding in 
 this community. In politics our subject was a 
 Whig. All who knew him respected him for his 
 sterling worth and many excellencies of character, 
 and his death, which occurred March 13, 1859, was 
 deeply mourned. His wife passed away April 25, 
 1881. 
 
 In the family were two sons and three daugh- 
 ters: John H.; Louisa, deceased wife of A. D. 
 Shellenberger; N. L.; Maria, who died in child- 
 hood; and Agnes, wife of B. T. Briggs, a retired 
 farmer of Tazewell County, now located in Minier, 
 where he is extensively engaged in buying and 
 shipping stock. The children all received good 
 educational advantages, fitting them for the prac- 
 tical and responsible duties of life. The two sons, 
 John II. and N. L., have been engaged in business 
 together from early manhood. In 1855 they em- 
 barked in merchandising in Armington,and the fol- 
 lowing year removed their business to Mackinaw, 
 where they carried on operations until 1866. They 
 then turned their attention to farming, which they 
 successfully followed until 1882, when, in connec- 
 tion with Solomon Puterbaugh, they established 
 
 the present bank, known as the Porter Bros. <fe Pu- 
 terbaugh Bank. 
 
 John H. Porter was married in 1854 to Miss 
 P. E. Clayton, and to them were born seven chil- 
 dren, of whom five are yet living: Mary, wife of 
 Hartz I. Puterbaugh; Lyman, who married Amie 
 Search; Frank, who married Emma Warbrook; 
 Walter, who married Lucy Friday, and Leslie, who 
 married Kittie Wilson. N. L. Porter was married 
 in 1881 to Mrs. Mary D. Allensworth, by whom 
 he has two children, Mary N. and Charley L. The 
 brothers are supporters of the Democratic party, 
 and John II. held the office of Supervisor of Mack- 
 inaw Township for nine successive years, dur- 
 ing which time he continuously served as Chair- 
 man of the Board for nine years. The Porter 
 brothers are the most prominent citizens of the 
 eastern part of Tazewell County. They are recog- 
 nized as leaders of the community, a position to 
 which they have attained through merit. They 
 possess excellent business ability, and by their sa- 
 gacity and well directed efforts have achieved a 
 success of which they are in every way worthy. 
 The wives of J. H. and N. L. Porter are both act- 
 ive workers in the Christian Church. 
 
 AMUEL H. PUTERBAUGH, who carries on 
 general farming and now has charge of the 
 County Poor Farm of Tazewell County, 
 which position he has filled since 1888, 
 claims Ohio as the state of his nativity. He was 
 born in Miami County June 3, 1832, and is one 
 of eleven children, five of whom are now living, 
 Daniel, a resident of Mackinaw Township; Solomon, 
 of the same place; George, of San Diego, Cal., and 
 Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Matthews, of Clinton, 
 111. One brother, Sabin D., died September 25, 
 1892. He was a lawyer by profession, and won 
 distinction in the late war. He enlisted as Major 
 of the Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, and served in 
 that position until November, 1862, when he re- 
 signed. He then located in Peoria, where he en- 
 gaged in law practice until June, 1867, when he
 
 322 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was elected Judge of the Circuit Court, con- 
 tinuing on the Bench for six years. He then re- 
 signed and resumed private practice. He was the 
 author of numerous legal works of authority, in- 
 cluding "Puterbaugh's Common Law Plead ings and 
 Practice," of which six editions have been pub- 
 lished, and "Puterbaugh's Chancery Pleading and 
 Practice," of which three editions were issued. lie 
 was one of the most prominent lawyers of this lo- 
 cality, and was an honor to the community in 
 which he made his home. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Jacob and 
 Hannah (Ilittle) Puterbaugh. The father was born 
 February 28, 1795, in a house which stood on the 
 boundary line between Pennsylvania and Mary- 
 land, and was one of a family of eight children. 
 He spent his early life in his native state, and- in 
 1839 removed with his family to Illinois, locating 
 in Mackinaw Township, Tazewell County, where 
 he spent his remaining days. He always followed 
 farming and acquired a comfortable competency. 
 Both he and his wife died at the age of sixty-three. 
 
 Mr. Puterbaugh of this sketch was only seven 
 years of age when he came with the family to the 
 west. He was reared in Mackinaw Township, and 
 there made his home until 1888, following agri- 
 cultural pursuits as a means of livelihood. In 
 that year he came to Elm Grove Township and 
 took charge of the County Poor Farm, which he 
 has since managed. There are now eighty inmates 
 in the poor house. 
 
 On the 10th of February, 1852, Mr. Puterbaugh 
 was married to Miss Abigail, daughter of Samuel 
 and Susan (Gillespie) Shellenberger, both of whom 
 were natives of Lancaster County, Pa. Her grand- 
 father, Jacob Shellenberger, was a native of Ger- 
 many. He married Elizabeth Keller, and in early 
 life emigrated to this country, locating in Penn- 
 sylvania. The parents of Mrs. Puterbaugh had a 
 family of thirteen children, eight of whom are yet 
 living. In 1851, they emigrated westward and 
 took up their residence in Mackinaw, 111., where 
 the mother died in 1854, at the age of fifty-two 
 years. The father's death occurred in 1866, at the 
 age of seventy. Unto our subject and his wife 
 were born four children, Francis A. and Charles L., 
 who are now living in Mackinaw Township. 
 
 George Louis, who died at the age of twenty-three, 
 and one who died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Puterbaugh of this sketch was a man of 
 sterling worth and strict integrity, and is widely 
 and favorably known in this community, where he 
 has so long made his home. A well spent life IIMS 
 gained for him the high regard of many friends. 
 He is a capable and efficient manager of the Coun- 
 13' Poor Farm, and gives general satisfaction in 
 his administration of affairs. 
 
 y";ARNER L. PRATT, who carries on general 
 farming on section 13, Elm Grove Town- 
 u ship, is a worthy representative of a pio- 
 neer family of Tazewell County, and now lives 
 upon the old homestead. He was born jn Pelham, 
 Mass., May 7, 1838, and is one of five children, 
 but only two are now living. His father, Na- 
 thaniel Pratt, was born in Belchertown, Mass., in ' 
 October, 1799, and was one of fifteen children who 
 grew to mature years. Five of that number be- 
 came physicians and some won prominence in that 
 profession. The father lived in the Bay State un- 
 til about thirty-nine years of age, and in his youth 
 learned the wagon-maker's trade, which he fol- ' 
 lowed for some time. In Pelham he wedded Mary 
 II. Kingman, who was born in that place in 1801, 
 and who was a daughter of Henry Kingman. Mrs. 
 Pratt was a cousin of William Cullen Bryant, the 
 poet. 
 
 In 1838 Mr. Pratt removed to the west with his 
 family and took up his residence in Elm Grove 
 Township, Tazewell County. A year later he 
 went to Tremont, where for several years he en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of wagons. Subsequently 
 he extensively carried on farming, devoting his 
 time and energies to that pursuit throughout his 
 remaining days. In politics he was a stalwart 
 Whig. A prominent and influential citizen, he 
 did all in his power for the best interests of the 
 community and to promote the general welfare. 
 lie was active in the organization of the Congre- 
 gational Church, of which he and his estimable 
 wife were faithful members for many years. He
 
 PORTEAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 323 
 
 died in October, 1853, at the age of fifty-four, and 
 in his death the community lost a valued citizen. 
 His wife was called to the home beyond September 
 15, 1883, at the advanced age of eighty-two. 
 
 Our subject was only a year old when brought 
 by his parents to Tazewell County, where he has 
 since made his home, the greater part of his 
 time having been passed on the old farm. In con- 
 nection with general farming he has engaged ex- 
 tensively in the raising of sugar cane and the man- 
 ufacture of sorghum. His enterprise has proved 
 a profitable one and has yielded him a good in- 
 come. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Pratt was married to Louisa Ams- 
 bary, of Tremont, who died in July, 1873, and in 
 January, 1883, he wedded Alice B. Laughlin, of 
 Elm Grove. In the family are four children, 
 Mary Amelia, Nathaniel, Edward L. and James. 
 The Pratt household is the abode of hospitality 
 and its members rank high in the social circles in 
 which they move, for our subject and his wife are 
 both highly respected citizens and have many 
 warm friends in Tazewell County. In politics he 
 has always been a Democrat. He served as Town- 
 ship Clerk of Elm Grove, and while living in Cin- 
 cinnati Township held the same office for several 
 years. For some time he has been Collector of 
 Elm Grove Township, and has filled the office of 
 School Trustee. He has always been interested in 
 whatever pertains to the welfare of the community, 
 and is one of the representative citizens of the 
 count}'. 
 
 M. ROBISON, one of the self-made men 
 of Tazewell County, who through his own 
 Us well directed efforts has arisen from an 
 humble position to one of affluence, is now 
 numbered among the extensive land owners of the 
 community, his possessions aggregating eight hun- 
 dred acres. His home is pleasantly located on 
 section 35, Morton Township. He was born in 
 Elm Grove Township, this county, November 29, 
 1849, and is a son of Frank and Mary (Myers) 
 Robison. His grandparents were James and Isa- 
 bella (Leslie) Robison, and his great-grandparents 
 
 were James and Jean Robison. The last-named 
 were farming people of Scotland. The grandfather 
 was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, August 16, 
 1801, was educated in the parish schools, and in 
 his twentieth year married the daughter of Will- 
 iam and Ann Leslie. Her father belonged to one 
 of the distinguished families of that name "in 
 Scotland, and traced his ancestry back to illus- 
 trious men and women of the reign of King James 
 of Scotland. He was named for the distinguished 
 officer, William Leslie, who was killed in the Rev- 
 olutionary War at the battle of Trenton, N. J. 
 
 In the spring of 1832 James Robison, grandfa- 
 ther of our subject, emigrated to the United States 
 and made a contract to construct the first railroad 
 across the Alleghany Mountains. He was in part- 
 nership with Jonathan Leslie, and for two years 
 they did a successful business. Mr. Robison then 
 removed to Michigan, where he cleared sixty acres 
 of heavily timbered land near Detroit, and erected 
 a large house and barn. Three years later he sold 
 to a good advantage, converted his money into 
 new mint half-dollars, two thousand of which were 
 packed in one box, and moved to Illinois, arriving 
 in May, 1837. There his family remained for two 
 months while he sought a location. Money was 
 very scarce in this state and so his coins proved a 
 great help to him, and he was able to secure his 
 valuable farm in Elm Grove Township, Tazewell 
 County, on very reasonable terms. Heat once be- 
 gan farming and also made contracts for work on 
 the road bed now occupied by the Indianapolis, 
 Bloom ington & Western Railroad, which bed was 
 finished across Elm Grove Township in 1839. Mr. 
 Robison later was engaged on the construction of 
 the Illinois <fe Michigan Canal at Ottawa, III., and 
 also continued farming until his death, in 1881. 
 His family numbered eleven children, five of 
 whom were born in Scotland and came with their 
 parents to America. They are: William L., de- 
 ceased; Barbara, deceased wife of William II ux ta- 
 ble; Frank; Ann, deceased wife of Nathan Leonard; 
 James W.; Leslie; Susan, wife of Richard Wood- 
 row; Belle, wife of Rev. Charles E. Marsh; George 
 L., deceased; Mary J., wife of Samuel Caldwell; 
 and one who died in childhood. The parents of 
 this family were highly educated people, who read
 
 324 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 extensively and who were always well informed on 
 questions of the day. Six of their children were 
 college students. Mrs. Robison reached the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety-two. Both grandparents 
 were members of the Baptist Church, and contrib- 
 uted freely of their means to church and chari- 
 table work. In politics Mr. Robison was a Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 Frank Robison, father of our subject, was born in 
 Scotland, and at the age of five years came to the 
 United States. He was educated in the common 
 schools, and in Peoria, at the age of eighteen, be- 
 gan learning the carpenter's trade, which he fol- 
 lowed for five years, during which time he aided 
 in building what are now some of the old land 
 marks of Peoria and Pekin. He then bought 
 twenty acres of land in Elm Grove Township, 
 and afterward purchased the County Farm, to 
 which he added until he had several hundred acres. 
 His last years were spent in retirement from active 
 business life. In 1848 he married Mary Myers, 
 daughter of Martin and Ann (Hodson) Myers, the 
 former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of 
 Ohio. Her mother's family came to Tazewell 
 County in 1825, and the first dress which her 
 mother bought here, a common calico, cost fifty 
 cents per yard, while corn sold for eight cents per 
 bushel. The nearest mill was at Springfield, and 
 for a time they largely subsisted on wild game. 
 Indians still lived in the neighborhood, but their 
 relations with the settlers were friendly. Mrs. 
 Robison was born in Tazewell County in 1830. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is the eldest of a fam- 
 ily of ten children. The others are, Mary J., de- 
 ceased wife of William Green; Anna; Archie, who 
 follows farming and stock-raising on the old home- 
 stead, which belonged to his grandfather; Ella, 
 wife of Presley Skaggs, of McLean County, 111.; 
 Ida, wife of Joseph Cooper, of Morton Township; 
 and four who died in childhood. 
 
 In the common schools M. M. Robison scquhed 
 his education, and under the parental roof re- 
 mained until seventeen years of age, when he be- 
 gan operating one of the farms belonging to his 
 father. He was very ambitio"us and worked so 
 hard that his health was broken down. Later he 
 rented land for several years and then located on 
 
 his present homestead, which was left him by his 
 father. Other land he lias purchased from time to 
 time until he now has eight hundred and ten acres, 
 the greater part of which is in Morton Township. 
 In connection with the cultivation of his land he 
 is extensively engaged in stock-raising, having a 
 high grade of cattle, horses and hogs upon his farm. 
 In 1871 Mr. Robison was married to Miss Jane 
 White, daughter of John and Rose Ann (Will) 
 White, and five children graced their union, of 
 whom three are yet living: Vivian, Elton and 
 Emery. Two of the children died in infancy. 
 The parents hold membership with the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and occupy an enviable position 
 in social circles. In politics Mr. Robison is inde- 
 pendent, voting for the man whom he thinks best 
 qualified for the office, regardless of party affilia- 
 tions. He is a worth}' representative of an hon- 
 ored pioneer family and is a valued citizen of the 
 community, well deserving representation in this 
 volume. 
 
 C. CRIIIFIELD is the managing editor of 
 the Minier Neirs, of Minier, and junior 
 member of the firm of Crihfield Bros. 
 They also own the Argus, of Atlanta, the 
 Record, of Waynesville, the Lens, of McLean, and 
 the Gazette, of Kenney, 111., operating three print- 
 ing plants. Our subject was born in Atlanta, 
 June 2, 1864, and is the son of Philip and Sarah 
 (McFarland) Crihfield. The former was born in 
 Clinton County, Ohio, and came to McLean Coun- 
 ty when a young man. He died in Atlanta in 
 1867. 
 
 The mother bravely undertook to support and 
 educate her children, and her energy overcame all 
 obstacles. She was one of the early settlers, hav- 
 ing come from Providence, R. I., with her family 
 to Mt. Hope Township, McLean Count}', in 1837. 
 Their three children are, Horace, of Atlanta; R. C.; 
 and Mattie, wife of P. A. Lower, a commercial 
 traveler living in Minier. The father was a Re- 
 publican in politics. 
 
 R. C. Crihfield was educated in the Atlanta 
 schools, and at the age of fourteen began to learn
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 325 
 
 the printer's trade with G. L. Shoals, editor of the 
 Argus, of Atlanta. In his native town he remained 
 until 1885, when he became a partner of his 
 brother in the newspaper business and came to 
 Minier. Their various papers are neutral in poli- 
 tics, devoted mostly to local news. That which 
 the}- publish here is an enterprising little sheet and 
 does much toward advancing the best interests of 
 the community. 
 
 Mr. Crihfleld was married in 1893 to Miss Delia 
 Whiteman, of Minier. In politics he is a Republi- 
 can, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity 
 and other societies. 
 
 
 WEBB, one of the enterprising 
 h-HS^ and successful farmers of Morton Town- 
 ship, Tazewell County, now living on sec- 
 tion 14, was born in London, England, on the 
 25th of July, 1831, and is one of three children 
 whose parents were Thomas and Maria (Silk) Webb. 
 His grandparents were Francis and Mary Webb. 
 The former was born in Coventry, England, and 
 was a silk dyer. He died when Thomas was a child 
 of ten years, leaving a widow and four children, 
 John, Francis, Thomas and Anna, the latter of whom 
 became Mrs. Gregory. The mother of this family 
 afterward married again, and the father of our 
 subject remained with her until he had attained 
 to man's estate. His education was acquired prior 
 to his fifteenth year, at which time he was bound 
 out to learn the trade of painting and enameling 
 dials for watches, serving a seven years' appren- 
 ticeship. On the day his time expired he and his 
 brother John embarked in business in Coventry, 
 but as trade was poor he went to London and en- 
 tered the employ of a gas company, having the 
 management of the business in a certain section of 
 the city for thirteen years. In 1823 he was mar- 
 ried, and in 1836 set sail for the New World in 
 order to make a home for his family. On leaving, 
 his employers made him a present of $50 and 
 offered to double his salary if he would remain, 
 but this lie refused to do. On reaching the New 
 World he chose Tazewell County as the scene of 
 
 his future labors. On his way hither he passed 
 through Chicago, which then contained only a few 
 buildings, and Peoria, known as Ft. Clark, also 
 contained but a few buildings, most of which were 
 log cabins. Mr. Webb located in what is now Grove- 
 land Township, entering sixty-two acres of land 
 from the Government. In 1842 he bought ninety 
 acres near the present site of Morton, and upon 
 the farm which he there developed and improved 
 made his home until his death, which occurred 
 November 19, 1881, at the age of eighty-five. 
 
 Thomas Webb was an intelligent and cultured 
 gentleman, of high moral worth, and won the re- 
 spect of all who knew him. His wife, who was a 
 devoted member of the Congregational Church, 
 passed away February 27, 1894, at the age of eigh- 
 ty-nine years. Their children were. Thomas, who 
 lives in Peoria; and Louisa and Francis, twins. 
 The sister is now the widow of Edward. Daws and 
 makes her home in Peoria. While engaged in 
 watch-making, Thomas painted the Lord's Prayer 
 with a camel's hair brush on several pieces of 
 watch dial a quarter of an inch long by an eighth 
 of an inch wide, and one of these is yet in the 
 possession of the family. His brother, with whom 
 he was in business, was the inventor of the second 
 dial now used in watch-making, and for many 
 years furnished the enamel used by the Waltham 
 Watch Company of this country. He had two 
 sons who came to the United States and worked at 
 watch-making. The elder, John, worked for seven 
 years with the Waltham Company, and for ten 
 years had charge of the dial department in the 
 watch factory at Elgin, III. He is now engaged in 
 fruit-growing in California. His brother is still 
 working in Elgin. 
 
 During his early childhood the subject of this 
 sketch came with his parents to America and with 
 them spent the days of his boyhood and youth, 
 not leaving home until the time of his marriage. 
 In 1859 he wedded Mary Evans, daughter of Jo- 
 seph and Harriet Evans. With her parents she 
 came from England, their native land, to Tazewell 
 County in 1844. Her father was a glover by 
 trade and did a very successful business. For 
 many years after coming to this country he fol- 
 lowed farming, but is now living a retired life in
 
 326 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Chenoa, having acquired a comfortable compe- 
 tence. He was one of the first Postmasters of 
 Morton. 
 
 Upon his marriage Mr. Webb removed to the 
 farm which has since been his home. A portion 
 of this was given him by his father, but to it he 
 has added until lie now has two hundred and 
 forty acres, together witli six acres of village prop- 
 erty; he has recently purchased the part of the old 
 homestead on which the buildings are located and 
 which comprises seventeen acres. In 1869 and 
 1870 lie rented his farm and was assistant manager 
 of the dial department of the Elgin Watch Factory, 
 but has since given his entire time and attention 
 to agricultural pursuits. 
 
 Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Webb: 
 Maria, wife of John Van Cam)), a farmer of Deer 
 Creek Township; Ada, wife of Ed Duncan, an ag- 
 riculturist of Morton Township; Ellen, wife of 
 George Dodds, who follows farming in Morton 
 Township; Edward T., Frank G., Mamie and Nel- 
 lie. The two sons were educated in the Peoria 
 High School, and Frank completed the course in 
 the Bloom ingtpn University. They are now run- 
 ning the home farm. Mr. Webb is a Republican 
 in politics and has been honored with some local 
 ollices. A public-spirited and progressive citizen, 
 he takes a commendable interest in everything 
 pertaining to the welfare of the communit3', and 
 has ever borne his part in its advancement and 
 upbuilding. 
 
 illOMAS L. HOLLAND, a retired farmer liv- 
 ing in Washington, has acquired, as the re- 
 sult of his own well directed efforts, a com- 
 fortable competence that now enables him to lay 
 aside business cares and enjoy a well earned rest. 
 He may trul3' be called a self-made man, and his 
 example of perseverance and industry is one well 
 worthy of emulation. 
 
 Mr. Holland was born in Washington February 
 28, 1838. His grandfather, William Holland, was 
 a native of North Carolina, born in Lincoln Coun- 
 ty October 14, 1786. He there married Lavisa 
 
 Bess, May 24, 1811, and removed to Peoria Coun- 
 ty, 111., locating at Ft. Clark, where now stands 
 the city of Peoria. There he served as a Govern- 
 ment employe. For about six years -he made 
 his home there, and then came to the site of W T ash- 
 ington, where in company with others he laid out 
 the town. He followed his trade of a gunsmith 
 and entered land from the Government, upon 
 which a part of Washington is now located. His 
 family numbered twenty-two children, of whom 
 three are yet living: Mrs. Mary Beal, who resides 
 near Ft. Scott, Kan.; Mrs. Lavisa Banday, of Har- 
 rison County, Mo.; and Mrs. Esther Ann Weeks, 
 who resides a mile and a-half north of Washing- 
 ton. When the family located here the Indians, 
 were far more numerous than the white settlers. 
 In fact, William Holland was the first white set- 
 tler in this section of the county. His death oc- 
 curred here in 1871. 
 
 Lawson Holland, father of our subject, was born 
 in North Carolina February 24, 1812, and when a 
 small boy came with his parents to Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, where amid the wild scenes of the frontier he 
 was reared. From the Government he entered 
 Jaiid on' section 24, Washington Township. He 
 married Miss Elizabeth Banday, and then began 
 the development of a farm, which he cleared and 
 improved, making it a good home. His father was 
 one of the most prominent pioneers, and was 
 identified with the development and growth of 
 this county in a great degree. It was in 1834 
 that he laid out a part of the town of Washington. 
 He built the first giist mill in the county in 1827. 
 It was called a hand mill, but was run by horse 
 power. The nearest mill to it was sixty miles dis- 
 tant. Every person using the mill would have to 
 supply the power to run 5t. People would often 
 come fifty miles to mill, and sometimes had to 
 wait two weeks in order to make their (lour. 
 
 Lawson Holland made the first flour in the 
 county, grinding it with a mortar and pestle. The 
 family experienced all the inconveniences and 
 hardships of frontier life, and the history of the 
 pioneer settlement is very familiar to its repre- 
 sentatives who are yet living. Lawson Holland 
 continued to cultivate his home farm until about 
 1871. when he removed to the town of Washing-
 
 w
 
 G. M. BLACKBURN, M. D.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 329 
 
 ton, where his death occurred July 27, 1889. He 
 owned two hundred and forty acres of land in 
 the home farm and had extensive tracts elsewhere. 
 His family numbered nine children, who reached 
 adult age, six of whom are yet living: Thomas L.; 
 Lewis, of Washington; George W., who lives in 
 Washington and practices dentistry in Peoria; 
 Mrs. Sarah E. Fish, of Washington; Isaac, a rail- 
 road employe living in Blue Island, 111.; and 
 Charles C., of this place. Those deceased are: 
 James R., Reuben W. and John P. The father 
 served in the Black Hawk War as a scout, and was 
 afterward Captain of the militia in the old train- 
 ing days. He was a member of the Methodist 
 Church, a very prominent and influential citizen, 
 and his death was widely mourned. His widow 
 is still living in Washington. 
 
 Thomas L. Holland, whose name heads this 
 sketch, was reared on the old homestead in Wash- 
 ington Township, where he remained until March, 
 1861, when he went to California. He spent 
 seven years on the Pacific Slope engaged in min- 
 ing, meeting with fair success, and on his return 
 home devoted his time and energies to agricult- 
 ural pursuits. 
 
 On the 26th of January, 1869, Mr. Holland mar- 
 ried Miss Samaria Shiffer, daughter of George 
 Shiffer. Her father became a soldier of the Mexi- 
 can War and never returned. Her mother after- 
 ward married again, removed to Illinois, and sub- 
 sequently went to Missouri. Mrs. Holland was 
 born in Pittsburg, Pa., and was married in Marion 
 County, Iowa. Three children were born of this 
 union: Charles W., who is clerking in Washing- 
 ton; Minnie, who died at the age of three and 
 a-half years, having been injured in a railroad col- 
 lision; and Thomas E., who is yet in school. 
 
 Mr. Holland continued farming in Tazewell 
 'County until 1870, when he removed to Cedar 
 County, Mo., where he bought a tract of unim- 
 proved land. There he farmed for three years, 
 after which he continued to engage in agricultural 
 pursuits in his native county until 1889, since 
 which time he has lived in Washington. In poli- 
 tics he is a stalwart Republican, and is a member 
 of the Odd Eellows' society, in which he has filled 
 all the chairs. He is a worth}' representative of 
 
 an honored pioneer family, and this volume would 
 be incomplete without mention of the Hollands, 
 for they have taken a very prominent part in 
 everything pertaining to the welfare of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 M. BLACKBURN, M. D., a leading physi- 
 cian and surgeon of Minier, claims Ohio as 
 the state of his nativity, for his birth oc- 
 curred in Jefferson County, September 27, 1844. 
 His parents were Anthony and Hannah (Craw- 
 ford) Blackburn. The father was a farmer by oc- 
 cupation and spent the greater part of his life in 
 Jefferson County, but his last years were passed in 
 Knox Count}', Ohio. Our subject was reared in 
 the county of his nativity and acquired his early 
 education in Harlem Springs, Ohio, after which he 
 attended the college in Hagerstown, Ohio, being 
 graduated in 1861. The following year he en- 
 tered the army as a member of the signal corps, and 
 remained in the service until after the cessation of 
 hostilities, when, on the 28th of August, 1865, he 
 was honorably discharged. 
 
 After his return to the north Mr. Blackburn 
 took up the study of medicine in Maitinsburg, 
 Knox County, Ohio, with Dr. T. B. Meiser, of that 
 place. He took his first course of lectures in the 
 medical department of the State University of 
 Michigan, in Ann Arbor, and completed his educa- 
 tion in Charity Hospital Medical College, now 
 known as the Wooster Medical College, of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, being graduated therefrom in 1869. 
 He immediately entered upon practice in Apple- 
 ton, Licking County, Ohio, where he remained for 
 thirteen years, doing a good business. 
 
 During that period Mr. Blackburn was married 
 in Martinsburg, Ohio, the lady of his choice being 
 Miss Sarah Lawman. In 1880 he brought his 
 wife to Illinois and took up his residence in 
 Minier, where he has since been engaged in the 
 active practice of his profession. He is a close 
 and thorough student, who keeps abreast with the 
 times in everything connected with the science of 
 medicine, and his skill and ability have won for
 
 330 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 him a liberal patronage, which from the beginning 
 has constantly increased. 
 
 The Doctor is a member of the McLean Medical 
 Society of Bloomington, and is connected with 
 various civic societies. He belongs to the Grand 
 Arm} 7 of the Republic and is a member of the 
 Masonic fraternity, holding membership with the 
 chapter of Elwood and the Knight Templar Com- 
 mandery of Bloomington. He exercises his right 
 of franchise in support of the Democracy, but has 
 never sought or desired political preferment. In 
 connection with his business interests he aided in 
 organizing the Minier State Bank in 1890, and is 
 now serving as President of that institution, 
 which is considered one of the safe and conserva- 
 tive financial concerns of the count}'. 
 
 < 
 
 i Sr^ ) ICIlARD C. GAINES, a practical and pro- 
 !IU^7 gressive farmer of Little Mackinaw Town- 
 
 ship, Tazewell County, residing on sec- 
 )tion 8, is a native of Tennessee. He was 
 born in Montgomery County March 28, 1829, and 
 is a son of Barnett F. Gaines, who was born in 
 Rockingham County, Va., as was his wife, who 
 bore the maiden name of Kiltie Kaiser. The father 
 was a farmer, and removed to Montgomery Coun- 
 ty, Tenn., where he bought land and made his 
 home until his emigration to Tazewell County, 
 in 1834. He located on section 8, Little Macki- 
 naw Township, and two years later removed to sec- 
 tion 5, where he entered land from the Govern- 
 ment. The wild tract he transformed into rich and 
 fertile fields, developing a good farm. His death 
 there occurred May 16, 1836, but his wife lived on 
 the old homestead until 1839, when she married 
 John S. Allensworth. He died in 1851, and in 1855 
 his widow removed to Hopedale Township, where 
 her death occurred February 20, 1880. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gaines were the parents of six children, four 
 of whom are yet living: Betsy Ann, wife of 
 George Gordon, of Little Mackinaw Township; 
 John C., a prominent farmer of Tazewell County; 
 Sarah Jane, wife of Isaac Livesay, who died in 
 1885; Margaret, deceased wife of John Neville; 
 
 and William, who died at the age of twenty-one 
 years. The father of this family was a Whig in 
 politics. The grandfather, John C. Gaines, was a 
 native of Virginia, and was of Scotch and Welsh 
 descent, while the maternal grandfather was of 
 German lineage. 
 
 Our subject was a child of five years when with 
 his parents he came to Tazewell County. Upon 
 the old home farm he was reared to manhood, and 
 in the subscription schools was educated. In 1852 
 he and his brother-in-law bought an ox-team and 
 pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land 
 on section 20, Little Mackinaw Township,- upon 
 which a house was erected in 1856. Mr. Gaines 
 afterward bought other land, and in February, 
 1865, removed to the farm on which he now resides. 
 It was then a partially improved tract, and he at 
 once began its cultivation and development, and in 
 course of time rich and fertile fields were made to 
 yield to him a golden tribute. 
 
 On the 23d of September, 1855, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Gaines and Miss Amy S. Ilin- 
 man, daughter of Homer W. Hinman, a native of 
 Connecticut, who removed thence to New York, 
 and in 1845 became a resident of Groveland Town- 
 ship, Tazewell County. He lived upon the farm 
 of his brother until his death, which occurred 
 November 2, 1846. His wife, who bore the maiden 
 name of Ruth Stone, was also a native of the Nut- 
 meg State. To Mr. and Mrs. Gaines were born 
 three children: Walter G., who is now Cashier in 
 the State Bank of St. Edwards, Boone County, 
 Neb.; Mary Effle, wife of Joseph E. Kinsey, a 
 farmer of Little Mackinaw Township; and Ida, 
 wife of T. B. Bollan. They live on the old home- 
 stead. There arc also six grandchildren. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Gaines has always 
 been a Republican, and has served as School Trus- 
 tee, Collector and Assessor of his township for a 
 number of terms. He and his wife are members 
 of the Christian Church, as are also their two 
 daughters, and the family is one of prominence in 
 the community, its members holding an enviable 
 position in social circles. Mr. Gaines is one of the 
 honored pioneers, and has witnessed almost the 
 entire growth and development of the county. 
 He is widely known in the community, and those
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 331 
 
 with whom he has been acquainted from boyhood 
 are numbered among his stanehest friends, a fact 
 which indicates a well spent life. He is the owner 
 of one hundred and ninety-six acres of fine farm 
 land, all in one body, where he and his amiable 
 wife are spending their closing years in the enjoy- 
 ment of a competence earned in earlier life. 
 
 1LLIAM LILLY, a farmer residing on sec- 
 i, lion 12, Little Mackinaw Township, Taze- 
 well County, was born in Allegany Coun- 
 ty, Md., August 12, 1822. His grandfather, Richard 
 Lilly, was a native of Wales. His father, Joseph 
 - Lilly, was born in Frederick County, Md., was a 
 soldier in the War of 1812, and received a land 
 grant for his services. In Allegany County, Md., 
 he married Mary Fisher, daughter of Adam Fisher, 
 a native of German}', and one of the heroes of 
 the Revolution, who was present at the surrender 
 of Yorktown. In 1835 Joseph Lilly emigrated 
 with his family to the west and located on section 
 13, Mackinaw Township, Tazewell County, 111., 
 where in the midst of the forest he hewed out a 
 farm and made a comfortable home. Lilly Sta- 
 tion was named in his honor, and he was one of 
 the esteemed pioneers of the locality. He owned 
 two hundred and sixty acres of valuable land at 
 the time of his death, in 1854. His wife passed 
 away in 1849. In their family were four sons 
 and two daughters. Mrs. Mary Walker, of Macki- 
 naw, and William are the only ones now living. 
 Henry died in Marion County; Miles passed away 
 in Allegany County, Md.; Joseph in Colorado, 
 in 1849; and Mrs. Sarah Bacon in Lilly Station, 
 in 1889. 
 
 Our subject was a youth of thirteen summers 
 when with his parents he carne to Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, where amid the wild scenes of frontier life he 
 grew to manhood. lie was married July 28, 1859, 
 to Elizabeth Aldrich, daughter of Elisha Aldrich, 
 who located in Clay County, Ind., in 1856. He 
 was born in Henry County, Ky., as was his wife, 
 who bore the maiden name of Mary Moore. Mrs. 
 Lilly was born in Clay Count}', Ind., May 24, 
 
 1841. After their marriage the young couple re- 
 moved to Adair County, Mo., where Mr. Lilly 
 purchased land and carried on farming until 1864. 
 During the war he served as a member of the 
 Missouri State Militia. On the 2d of April, 1865, 
 he located in Little Mackinaw Township, on the 
 farm which has since been his home, and his 
 time and attention have been devoted untir- 
 ingly to its development and cultivation. He is 
 one of the largest land-owners in the township, 
 his possessions aggregating seven hundred and 
 forty acres. He also lias twenty-six acres else- 
 where. 
 
 Four children graced the union of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Lilly, three of whom are yet living: Mrs. 
 Mary Garrett, wife of E. O. Garrett, of Little 
 Mackinaw Township; Janet, at home; and Will- 
 iam E., who married Jane Wright and lives on 
 section 11, Little Mackinaw Township. Joseph 
 died in 1862. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Lilly was originally 
 an old-line Whig, but" since the organization of 
 the Republican party has been one of its stalwart 
 supporters. He served as Justice of the Peace for 
 a number of years, was Supervisor one term, 
 Highway Commissioner three years, and Assessor 
 one term. Faithful and true to every trust re- 
 posed in him, he discharged his duties with a 
 promptness and fidelity that won him high com- 
 mendation. He belongs to the Pioneer Society, 
 and is one of the oldest settlers in this township. 
 He may truly be called a self-made man, for he 
 started out in life empty-handed and has steadily 
 worked his way upward to a place of affluence. 
 
 ETER NAFFZIGER, who follows general 
 farming on section 6, Deer Creek Town- 
 ship, is one of the public-spirited and pro- 
 gressive agriculturists of Tazewell County, 
 and in this volume well deserves representation. 
 He was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, on 
 the 2d of July, 1835, and is a son of Valentine and 
 Katie Naffziger. His grandfather, Jacob Naffziger, 
 was born in Bavaria, German}', and there spent
 
 332 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his entire life engaged in milling and farming. 
 He was a man possessed of great strength and be- 
 came quite wealthy. For some years he served as 
 a preacher of the Mennonite Church, and died at 
 the age of eighty-nine. In his family were three 
 sons and two daughters: Peter, who came to Amer- 
 ica and located in Tazewell County; Christian; 
 Valentine; Mary, wife of Jacob Naffziger, and Liz- 
 zie. The last-named is the only one now living. 
 She makes her home with our subject and is now 
 eighty-two years of age. She came with the fa- 
 ther of our subject to America and lived with him 
 until his death. 
 
 Valentine Naffziger was born in Germany about 
 1804, attended the common schools and was well 
 educated in the Bible. Like his father lie engaged 
 in farming and milling. After his marriage he 
 removed to Darmstadt, where all of his seven chil- 
 dren were born. They were: Susan, now deceased; 
 Lizzie, wife of Peter Kinzer; Valentine, Peter, 
 Christian, and two who died in early life. The fa- 
 ther emigrated with his family to America in May, 
 1850, and for one year lived in Butler County, 
 Ohio. They were poor, and the children worked 
 out by the day. At length they came to Taze- 
 well County, locating in Washington Township, 
 where for five years the father rented a farm. He 
 then purchased eighty acres in Deer Creek Town- 
 ship, and afterward sold that and bought a tract 
 of one hundred and sixty acres, together with 
 some timber land. Developing therefrom a good 
 farm, he made his home thereon until his death, 
 which occurred in 1878, at the age of seventy-five. 
 His wife passed away in Germany at the age of 
 forty-four. 
 
 In the public schools of the Fatherland and of 
 America, Peter Naffziger acquired his education. 
 He wasayouth of fifteen when he crossed the briny 
 deep. Here he engaged in farm work, his father 
 receiving his wages, which went toward the sup- 
 port of the family. After four years spent in the 
 employ of others he embarked in farming for him- 
 self on rented land, and two years later, with the 
 capital which he had acquired through industry, 
 perseverance and good management, he bought 
 eighty acres of the farm on which he now lives. 
 Its boundaries, however, he has extended from 
 
 time to time until about five hundred acres of val- 
 uable land pay tribute to the care and cultivation 
 he bestows upon them. His is one of the finest 
 farms of the county, highly cultivated and im- 
 proved, and is a monument to the enterprise of the 
 owner. 
 
 Mr. Naffziger was married in Wood ford County, 
 111., at the age of twenty-eight, to Barbara Gin- 
 gerich, a native of Woodford County, born about 
 1839. Her parents located in that county when 
 the Indians still lived within its borders. To our 
 subject and his wife were born eight children: 
 Julius, Louisa; Lena, wife of Peter Naffziger; Liz- 
 zie, Tillie, Susie, August and Mollie. The parents 
 and their children are members of the Mennonite 
 Church. On questions of national importance, 
 Mr. Naffziger is a Democrat, but at local elections 
 where no issue is involved he votes independently. 
 For twelve years he has served as School Director 
 and has done effective service in the cause of edu- 
 cation. His life has been a busy and useful one. 
 He started out for himself with no capital save a 
 young man's bright hope of the future, and by de- 
 termined energy, a resolute will and steadfast pur- 
 pose he has steadily worked his way upward to a 
 position of affluence. 
 
 J~l AMES F. PIERCE, who follows farming on 
 section 3, Mackinaw Township, Tazewell 
 County, is one of the worthy citizens that 
 Kentucky has furnished this locality. He 
 was born in Covington, of that state, October 22, 
 1838, and is a son of John J. and Mary A. (Steel) 
 Pierce. His father was left an orphan at an early 
 age, and was reared by his elder brother, Samuel, in 
 Cincinnati. The members of the family to which 
 he belonged were, Samuel, John J., William, Mrs. 
 Jane McCully, Martha (wife of Nathan Spencer), 
 Abigail, Nancy and Deborah. John J. Pierce ac- 
 quired a good common-school education; lie was 
 very studious, was an extensive reader and prepared 
 himself for teaching. When twenty years of age 
 he began learning the stone-cutter's trade. He 
 was married in Franklin County, Ohio, to Ma 1-3-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 333 
 
 A. Steel, a native of New Jersey, and a daughter 
 of .Tosiah and Hannah Steel. 
 
 Josiah Steel was a soldier in the War of 1812, 
 and for a number of years received a pension in 
 recognition of his services. After his marriage he 
 made his home in Covington, Ky., until 1840, 
 when he removed to Ogle County, 111., where he 
 entered a claim upon which he lived for five years. 
 He then sold out and returned to Ohio, where he 
 followed farming and teaching. Eleven years 
 later, however, he again went to Ogle County, 
 where he engaged in teaching until his death, 
 which occurred at the age of forty-five. His wife 
 survived him many years. They were the parents of 
 seven children: William S., of Nebraska; James F.; 
 Hannah M., deceased; Amanda J., wife of Marvin 
 Wilton, of Henry, 111.; Nancy, wife of Bert. Smith, 
 of Peoria, 111.; Mary B., wife of J. A. Long, of 
 Mackinaw; and Matilda, who died in childhood. 
 The father of this family was a member of the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity in early life, and in politics was a 
 Democrat. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads, James F. 
 Pierce was reared, attending the common schools 
 through the winter season, and aiding in the labors 
 of the farm through the summer months. He be- 
 gan renting land on attaining his majority, and 
 followed farming in his own interest. He used 
 ox-teams in cultivating his fields, and lived in 
 Ogle County for a number of years, after which he 
 came to Tazewell County, where he again rented 
 a farm. 
 
 In this county, Mr. Pierce was united in mar- 
 riage witli Rachel M. Smith, a native of Kentuckj^, 
 and a daughter of Asa and Elizabeth (Nevelle) 
 Smith. Their union was blessed by six children: 
 Fannie; Sanford F., now of Bloomington, 111.; 
 Elizabeth, wife of Peter Shirtz, of Stanford, 111.; 
 Anna, wife of David Blair, of this township; Eva 
 J. and Ella, at home. They also have five grand- 
 children. 
 
 Mr. Pierce made his first purchase of land about 
 three years after his marriage, becoming owner of 
 sixty-five acres near Mackinaw. A year later he 
 sold out and rented for a year. He then went to 
 Schuyler County, 111., where he lived five years, 
 and then returned to Tazewell County, where he 
 
 purchased eighty-one acres of his present farm. He 
 now has two hundred and twenty-four and a-half 
 acres of valuable land under a high state of culti- 
 vation and well improved, and his farm is consid- 
 ered one of the best in the neighborhood. The 
 owner is an enterprising and progressive man, and 
 the neat appearance of his place indicates his care- 
 ful supervision. He and his wife are members of 
 the Christian Church of Mackinaw, and in his po- 
 litical affiliations he is a Democrat. 
 
 IfDMSI 
 
 C. ALLENSWORTH, Postmaster at Pckin, 
 , and until recently the editor and manager 
 of the Pekin Times, was born October 27, 
 1845, one-half mile southeast of Bradley, in 
 Little Mackinaw Township, this county. His par- 
 ents were William P. and Arabell (Waggenner) Al- 
 lensworth, both of whom were born in Ken tuck v. 
 The father departed this life in Minier in 1874, 
 leaving a widow and seven children, three sons 
 and four daughters. 
 
 Our subject, who was the eldest of the family, 
 spent his early life on his father's farm and in at- 
 tendance at the district school until reaching his 
 twentieth year, when he entered the State Normal 
 University, from which institution he was gradu- 
 ated with the Class of '69. In the fall of that year 
 he took charge of the schools in Elmwood, this 
 state, and for three years was one of the most effi- 
 cient and prominent educators of Peoria County. 
 
 In the spring of 1872 Mr. Allensworth purchased 
 a half-interest in the Pekin Register, his partner in 
 the enterprise being J. F. Mounts. The suc- 
 ceeding fall W. T. Meads, the former owner of 
 the paper, bought out Mr. Mounts, and the firm of 
 Allensworth & Mounts was in existence only until 
 the 1st of January, when our subject was com- 
 pelled to sell out on account of failing health. 
 Deciding that the best way to regain his lost 
 strength was to live out of doors as much as possible, 
 he immediately went to Minier, where he engaged 
 in farm work and remained for several years. 
 
 October 7, 1875, B. C. Alleusworth was married 
 to Miss Charity A. Tanner, and to them has been
 
 334 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 born a family of five children: Adelaide, William 
 P., Nellie A., Ellis D. and Myra, of whom the two 
 eldest are deceased. In 1877 our subject was 
 elected Superintendent of Schools in Tazewell 
 County, and was the incumbent of that responsi- 
 ble position for nine years. When first elected he 
 was engaged in teaching at Minier, and continued 
 to make that place his official headquarters until 
 April, 1884, when he removed to Pekiu, where he 
 is now residing. 
 
 April 28, 1885, Mr. Aliens worth took charge of 
 the Pekin Times as editor and manager, and being 
 a thorough business man he left no stone unturned 
 in developing its business interests as far as possi- 
 ble. On the 21st of December, 1893, he was ap- 
 pointed to the Postmastership of Pekin, which 
 position he now holds. His life has been ruled 
 by upright and honorable principles, and every- 
 where he makes friends and is respected by all who 
 know him. 
 
 I 
 
 L. ROBISON, a worthy representative 
 
 of the agricultural interests of Tazewell 
 
 "111 
 II County, now resides ou section 10, Elm 
 
 Grove Township. He comes of a family 
 of Scotch origin. His grandfather, James Robison, 
 was born in Scotland, and married Isabella Leslie, 
 also a native of that country. In 1835 he emi- 
 grated to America with his family and located in 
 Johnstown, Pa., where he was employed as a con- 
 tractor on the first railroad built across the Alle- 
 ghauy Mountains. Subsequently he removed to 
 Detroit, Mich., where he engaged in farming for a 
 short time. He then came to Illinois, locating in 
 Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County, where he 
 carried on agricultural pursuits throughout his re- 
 maining days. His death occurred at the age of 
 eighty-four, and his wife died in December, 1891, 
 at the advanced age of ninety. 
 
 Frank Robison, the father of our subject, was 
 one of ten children. He was born in Scotland in 
 1825, and was only ten years old when the family 
 crossed the briny deep to America. When a youth 
 of twelve he became a resident of Elm Grove 
 Township, where he has since lived, devoting his 
 
 time and attention to farm work. He was an en- . 
 ergetic and enterprising man, and met witli signal 
 success in his business dealings. In the year 1849 
 he wedded Mary Miars, daughter of Martin and Ann 
 Miars. Her father was a Virginian by birth, but was 
 reared in Ohio, and in 1825 came to Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, becoming one of the earliest settlers of Elm 
 Grove Township. He wasa prominentand influen- 
 tial citizen, and did much toward the development 
 of the county and the promotion of its best inter- 
 ests. His death occurred here at the age of eighty- 
 five. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Robison were horn ten 
 children, five of whom are yet living: Martin, now 
 of Morton Township; Annie, who is living with 
 her mother; Ella, wife of O. P. Skeggs, of McLean 
 County; Ida, wife of James Cooper, of Cooper 
 Station, 111.; and Archie Leslie, of this sketch. 
 The father died at the age of fifty-nine years, but 
 the mother is still living in Elm Grove Township. 
 
 Mr. Robison whose name heads this record was 
 born in Tazewell County, November 31, 1859, and 
 in his boyhood attended the schools of the town- 
 ship, and afterward was a pupil in the Pekin High 
 School. At the age of nineteen he started out in 
 life for himself as a farmer, and has since success- 
 fully carried on farming In 1884 he removed to 
 his present place, a part of which he inherited 
 from his father. He has extended its boundaries, 
 however, from time to time, until he now owns 
 four hundred and thirty-five acres of rich land, 
 comprising one of the best farms in the county. 
 It is supplied with good buildings and all modern 
 conveniences. 
 
 On the 13th of March, 1884, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Robison and Lida Richmond, a 
 native of Hittle Township, Tazewell County, and 
 a daughter of Wilson and Emily (Fisher) Rich- 
 mond. Her parents had a family of nine children, 
 six of whom are yet living: J. E., Martha, Emma, 
 B. W., Laura and Mrs. Robison. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Robison have been born five children: Frank Wil- 
 son, Archie Leslie, Richmond, Don and James. 
 
 In politics Mr. Robison is an ardent Republican, 
 and is a close student of the affairs and questions 
 of the day, always keeping well informed on topics 
 of general interest. He is a pleasant, genial gen- 
 tlemen, and he and his wife have man}' friends
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 335 
 
 1 ,S I 2. 
 
 throughout the community. His life has been 
 welt and worthily spent, and he is numbered 
 among the representative farmers of Elm Grove 
 Township. 
 
 DANIEL SAPP, proprietor of the Spring 
 Lake Stock Farm, and one of the success- 
 ful stockmen of the Illinois Valley, was 
 born in Fleming County, Ky., May 18, 
 When a mere child he was left an orphan 
 and thus thrown upon his own resources. At the 
 age of fourteen years, in 1856, he accompanied a 
 stock trader to Bloomington, 111., where he worked 
 on a stock farm at Randolph Grove for two years. 
 As may be imagined, his school advantages were 
 necessarily very meagre, and all the knowledge 
 he now possesses has been practically acquired by 
 self-culture. 
 
 The year 1858 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Sapp 
 iu Spring Lake Township, Tazewell County, where 
 he assisted in breaking prairie and doing farm 
 work, being for three years in the employ of one 
 man, and receiving as compensation for his serv- 
 ices forty acres of land in Peoria County. Of this 
 property he was naturally quite proud, as it was 
 the first he had ever owned and had been gained 
 through his unaided exertions. In 1861 he en- 
 tered the employ of the Memphis Ice Company 
 and went south for them, having charge of the ice 
 barges. He also attended to the unloading and 
 sale of ice, and the securing of the collections. 
 In May, 1861, when travel was especially danger- 
 ous on account of the war, he went south as far 
 as the mouth of the Arkansas River with two 
 barges, and on his return to Memphis Dr. Smith, 
 of that place, gave him a letter to Gen. M. Pope, 
 which secured his passage through the lines. He 
 then returned to Spring Lake Township. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Sapp was united in marriage with 
 Mrs. Elizabeth (Prettyman) Offutt, a native of 
 Delaware. After that event he settled on his pres- 
 ent farm and engaged in raising grain and stock. 
 From time to time he has added to his original 
 purchase until his landed possessions now aggre- 
 gate two thousand acres, for the most of which he 
 
 paid $40 or $50 per acre. This farm is pleasantly 
 situated on the Mackinaw River seven miles south 
 of Pekin. Here he built a substantial residence, 
 72x36 feet in dimensions and two stories in height, 
 which was the most elegant rural home in Tazewell 
 County. Unfortunately the dwelling burned to 
 the ground, but it was afterward replaced by 
 another attractive and conveniently arranged 
 house, a trifle smaller than the first. The entire 
 property is well improved, the soil well cultivated, 
 and the place embellished with several commodi- 
 ous barns and other substantial outbuildings. 
 
 After the death of his wife, iu 1886, Mr. Sapp 
 came to Pekin, and during the following year he 
 purchased two hundred and thirty-two acres within 
 the corporate limits of the city. Here he has a 
 one-mile track, as fine as any in the state. The 
 farm in itself is well improved with a barn, 100x36 
 feet in dimensions, with two wings 36x36 feet, 
 and two large sheds outside. On the place are 
 usually about one hundred horses. The value of 
 the land is greatly increased by the presence of 
 never-failing springs. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Sapp began breeding standard 
 horses, commencing with "Billie Wilkes," which 
 he still owns. "Billie Wilkes 2938" was sired by 
 "Harry Wilkes," record 2:13|; first dam, "Dyra 
 Seldon," by "Clark Chief 89." "Billie" is a 
 brown stallion, sixteen hands high, of magnificent 
 proportions, foaled in Richmond, Ky., in 1880. 
 Throughout the States he is well known as the 
 sire of some of the fast trotters and pacers of 
 to-day, among which may be mentioned the fol- 
 lowing: "Bloomfield," record 2:18; "Mary Mar- 
 shall," 2:12f; and "May Marshall," the fastest 
 pacer mare in the world, with a record of 2:08^; 
 and "Joe Jett," 2:14. Mr. Sapp is one of the 
 most extensive breeders of standard horses in 
 central Illinois, and his reputation in that line is 
 not limited to Pekin or Tazewell County, but ex- 
 tends throughout the state. 
 
 The second marriage of Mr. Sapp occurred in 
 March, 1893, uniting him with Mrs. Nellie Smith, 
 a daughter of B. S. Prettyman ; she is an ac- 
 complished lady, and was born and educated in 
 Pekin. A Democrat in politics, Mr. Sapp served 
 for twelve years as Supervisor of Spring Lake
 
 336 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Township, and was the Chairman of the County 
 Board for some time. In 1886 he was nominated 
 for County Treasurer, and was elected by a major- 
 ity of two hundred, he and one other candidate 
 being the only Democrats who secured election 
 that fall. Entering upon the duties of the office 
 in December, 1886, he served with efficiency until 
 December, 1890. Socially, he is a member of 
 Pekin Lodge No. 29, A. F. & A. M., the Royal 
 Arch Chapter, and Pcoria Cornmandery No. 3, 
 K. T. He has reached the thirty-second degree 
 and holds membership in Peoria Consistory No. 
 1. He has traveled extensively throughout this 
 country, and has been in every state except Flor- 
 ida and Washington. 
 
 \f ACOB STOUT. The subject of the follow- 
 ing sketch can certainly look back upon a 
 busy life and feel that his labors have not 
 been in vain. When success crowns any. 
 victor in a struggle, reward is his due, and' Mr. 
 Stout receives his reward in the peace and plenty 
 which surround his declining years and the rest he 
 can now take after the hard fight against the dis- 
 advantageous circumstances of poverty. 
 
 Born in Greene County, Pa., November 19, 
 1812, our subject is the son of Benjamin Stout, a 
 native of New Jersey. The latter when a young 
 man removed to Pennsylvania, where he married 
 and engaged in farming pursuits. In 1814 lie came 
 farther west, locating near Zanesville, Ohio, on 
 the Muskingum River, whence he later removed 
 to Newark, where he followed farming pursuits 
 until his decease, at the age of eighty-five years. 
 The lady to whom he was married was known in 
 her maidenhood as Elizabeth Setoria; she was 
 born in the Keystone State and died in Newark, 
 Ohio, when seventy-eight years of age. 
 
 Of the five sons and one daughter comprised in 
 the parental family, Jacob is the fourth in order 
 of birth. He was reared on his father's farm in 
 Newark, Ohio, and received his education in the 
 little log schoolhouse with its slab benches and 
 other rude furnishings. When eighteen years of 
 
 age he began to make his own way in the world 
 and learned the carpenter's trade. He was a pnomi- 
 nent contractor in that place, and when in business 
 for himself employed from twenty-five to thirty 
 men. He aided in the construction of aqueducts, 
 etc., and was an expert workman in the ship yards 
 of the above place. He also built some canal boats. 
 
 April 20, 1848, Mr. Stout came to Pekin, mak- 
 ing the journey overland with wagons. His fam- 
 ily, however, came to their new home by way of 
 boats, in company with William Strausbory. At 
 that time there were only a few hundred people 
 living in the county, and our subject began work- 
 ing by the day at his trade. Later, however, he 
 removed to a farm situated three miles south 
 of Pekiu, where he made his home for a short time. 
 In 1851 he returned to Ohio and followed his 
 trade at Newark, where he owned some property. 
 He had been enabled to lay by a snug sum of 
 money, but the bank in which he was a depositor 
 failing, he lost the entire amount and was thus 
 _eompelled to begin life again at the bottom round 
 <irf. the hlddtir'. 
 
 In the fall of 1853 Mr. Stout disposed of his 
 property in Newark and returned to Pekin, mak- 
 ing the trip by rail to Sandusky, thence by boat to 
 Detroit, where he boarded a train which conveyed 
 him to Chicago. From there he went to LaSalle, 
 and by means of boat to the Illinois Rivci, arrived 
 in Pekiu October 3 of that year. He immediately 
 began work for A. & J. Hains, by whom he was em- 
 ployed for six years, two seasons of which he spent 
 in traveling through Indiana and Ohio in the in- 
 terest of the company. At the expiration of that 
 time he engaged in the grocery business in com- 
 pany with a Mr. Seely. After the dissolution of 
 the partnership Mr. Stout clerked for a time, and 
 later opened up another store with a Mr. Morris. 
 Some years afterward he formed a partnership 
 with Mr. Bergstresser, and during the six years in 
 which they carried on the grocery business our 
 subject erected three brick stores located on Court 
 and Fifth Streets. In 1883 he disposed of his in- 
 terest in the grocery to his partner and later sold 
 his business property. Mr. Stout has one of the 
 most beautiful residences in the city, the substan- 
 tial dwelling being surrounded by over one-half
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 or rw 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of
 
 LORENZO DURHAM.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 339 
 
 an acre of fine lawn. It is located at the junction 
 of I5ro.it! way and Court and Seventh Streets and 
 was purchased in 1864 from Jacob Thorpe, who was 
 one of the first settlers here. lie owned a quarter- 
 section of land, which is the present site of Pekin. 
 In 1833 while residing in Newark, Ohio, our sub- 
 ject was married to Miss Julia Langley, who was 
 born in Virginia and who departed this life July 
 9, 1880. Although always a busy man, Mr. Stout 
 has yet found time to serve the public as Town- 
 ship Assessor for two terms; he was also Overseer 
 of the Poor for the same length of time. He has 
 been a life-long Democrat in politics, and as a kind 
 friend, adviser and public-spirited citizen he is 
 widely known. 
 
 bORENZO DURHAM, the efHcient and capa- 
 I ble Police Magistrate of Morton, has occu- 
 , pied that office since 1877, and during the 
 entire time has given the best of satisfaction. He 
 was born in Baldwinsville, Onondaga County, N. 
 Y., August 24, 1838, being the son of Lorenzo D. 
 and Matilda M. (Minard) Durham, and the grand- 
 son of John and Elizabeth Durham. The grand- 
 father was born in Harvard County, Md., of En- 
 glish descent. He occupied an official position 
 in the War of 1812, and was a man of consid- 
 erable wealth, leading a retired life in Baltimore 
 for many years prior to his decease. His family 
 numbered twenty-one children, only nine of whom 
 grew to mature years. The paternal great-grand- 
 father of our subject was a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary War. 
 
 The father of our subject was educated in one 
 of the eastern colleges, and acquired a good knowl- 
 edge of the French language. After completing 
 his schooling, lie was placed by his father in the 
 service of a Mr. Simeon, a large silk merchant, in 
 order that he might acquire a knowledge of busi- 
 ness. He was a very talented young man and 
 wrote many articles in both prose and poetry. 
 His high attainments qualified him to enter the 
 best society in New York, where he was often 
 8 
 
 called upon in social gatherings to read some of 
 his own productions. 
 
 For a number of years Lorenzo D. Durham was 
 a large importer of dry goods in New York City, 
 but when in 1835 his property was swept away by 
 fire, he left the city and went to Tonawanda, N. 
 Y. His decease occurred in 1849, in Buffalo. He 
 served in the Mexican War, and his family still 
 have in their possession his sword, which from the 
 engraving thereon indicates that he held an offi- 
 cial position. The mother of our subject <!ied 
 when he was quite young, leaving besides himself 
 his sister Matilda, now the widow of E. Lawton, 
 for many years Chief Engineer in the United States 
 Navy. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared by strang- 
 ers until 1852, when his aunt, Mrs. Col. Hugh Gel- 
 ston. of Baltimore, offered him a home. His uncle 
 was a large real-estate owner in that city, and un- 
 der him young Durham acquired a good business 
 education. In 1854, after completing his studies 
 in the common schools, he entered the wholesale 
 drug house of Clotworthy cfe Flint, of Baltimore, 
 with whom he remained for two years, and then 
 came west to Washington, this county. Here he 
 served a three years' apprenticeship at the carpen- 
 ter's trade, and after working thus for a year he 
 was compelled to abandon that occupation on ac- 
 count of failing eyesight. He then went to Grove- 
 land and hired out to work on farms by the month 
 and was thus occupied when, in November, 1861, 
 he enlisted in Company H, Fourth Illinois Cav- 
 alry. 
 
 After joining the army, our subject was at once 
 ordered with his regiment to the front, and the 
 first general engagement in which he participated 
 was at Ft. Henry. This was followed by Donelson 
 and Shiloh. About a month after the last battle, 
 he was kicked in the left shoulder by a horse, and 
 was given a furlough. At the end of that time, 
 although unfit for duty, he again joined his regi- 
 ment, and being placed on detached duty, assisted 
 in raising the Second Tennessee Colored Infantry, 
 of which he was commissioned Lieutenant. In 1865 
 he was promoted to be First Lieutenant of Com- 
 pany C, and was afterward tendered a commission 
 as Major of another company, but would not leave
 
 340 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his old regiment to accept it. Finally he almost 
 entirely lost the use of his arm, which though not 
 amputated, is of but little service to him, and has 
 been the cause of much suffering on his part. 
 
 After serving his country faithfully and well 
 for fifteen hundred days, Mr. Durham returned to 
 Tazewell County, and until 1875 was engaged in 
 farming. That year he removed to the village of 
 Morton, and has been variously engaged serving 
 as Justice of the Peace since 1877. At one time 
 he began reading law, and although not taking a 
 thorough course, he has found the knowledge thus 
 gained very useful to him in his official capacity. 
 He is a Republican in politics, and a Notary Pub- 
 lic of the village. 
 
 In Morton Township in 1867, our subject mar- 
 ried Miss Minerva B., daughter of Franklin and 
 Deborah (Tupper) Gay. She is a native of this 
 place, while her parents were born in Vermont. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Durham was born a son, Will L., 
 who is following the agricultural implement trade. 
 Social!}' our subject is a Grand Army man and be- 
 longs to Groveland Lodge No. 352, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 BENJAMIN S. FORD, a harness manufac- 
 turer of Hopedale, and Supervisor of Ilope- 
 dale Township, was born in Oldham Coun- 
 ty, Ky., July 9, 1842. The grandfather, 
 Milnor Ford, was a native of Delaware, and was 
 of Irish extraction. He served as a minute-man 
 in the War of 1812, and in religious belief was a 
 Quaker. The father of our subject, Abraham N. 
 Ford, was born in Delaware in 1801, learned the 
 shoemaker's trade, and about 1827 removed to 
 Kentucky, where his death occurred in 1859. He 
 had three brothers and four sisters, and his brother 
 William is still living in Pennsylvania. Abraham 
 Ford married Rebecca Hendrickson, a native of 
 Delaware, and of Swedish descent. Her father was 
 a soldier in the War of 1812, and she died in 
 Hopedale in 1886. 
 
 B. S. Ford is the youngest of four brothers, all 
 of whom were numbered among the boys in blue. 
 His brother J. II. was a physician, served through- 
 
 out the-war as Surgeon of the Ninety-third In- 
 diana Regiment and died in Columbus, Ind.; II. 
 M., a member of the Ninth Kentucky Cavahy, 
 was wounded but recovered, and is now a real- 
 estate dealer of McCune, Crawford County, Kan.; 
 W. A., a member of the Sixth Kentucky Infantry, 
 was wounded at Stone River, and died from the 
 injury several years later. 
 
 On the breaking out of the late war, our subject 
 left school to enter the service of his country, re- 
 sponding to President Lincoln's first call for three 
 hundred thousand volunteers. On the 1st of June, 
 1861, he became a private of Com pan 3' D, Sixth 
 Kentucky Infantry, and did service with the Army 
 of the Cumberland. He participated in the battles 
 of Shiloh, Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary 
 Ridge, and tlie Atlanta campaign, "and at the bat- 
 tle of Chickamauga was wounded in the head and 
 the right leg. For meritorious conduct on the bat- 
 tlefield he was promoted to the rank of First 
 Lieutenant, October 26, 1864. Having served for 
 more than three years, he was honorably discharged 
 and returned to Kentucky. He now draws a pen- 
 sion of $6 per month. 
 
 In 1866. Mr. Ford went to Quincy, 111., where 
 he worked at his trade of harness-making until 
 1877, since which time he has engaged in that 
 business in Hopedale. He served as Postmaster of 
 this place for four years under President Harrison, 
 was Trustee and Town Clerk for several years, is 
 a member of the Village Board, and is now serv- 
 ing his second year as a member of the County 
 Board of Supervisors. 
 
 Mr. Ford was married in 1870, the lady of his 
 choice being Miss Mary Russell, who was born in 
 Ireland, but came to America during her girlhood. 
 They have five children: Mary, wife of El. G. 
 Schneider, a .young business man of Hopedale, and 
 its popular Mayor; Anna, a teacher in the Hope- 
 dale schools; and John H., Nellie and Edward, at 
 home. 
 
 In addition to his other business interests, Mr. 
 Ford has a small farm near Hopedale, and to some 
 extent is engaged in stock dealing. He is a lead- 
 ing member of the Grand Army of the Republic, 
 and has served as Quartermaster of Hopedale Post 
 Since its organization. In politics he has been a
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 341 
 
 life-long Republican. No trust reposed in him 
 has ever been betrayed, and he manifests the same 
 loyalty to his country in days of peace that he 
 displayed when on the field of battle fighting in 
 defense of the Stars and Stripes. 
 
 eAFf. R. J. BEATTY, President "of the Old 
 Soldiers' Association, and a popular citizen 
 of Delavan, was born in Ulster, in the North 
 of Ireland, October 14, 1842. His ancestors for 
 many generations resided in the Highlands of 
 Scotland, but during the religious revolution in 
 that country removed to the North of Ireland 
 and became prominent in that part of the Emerald 
 Isle. Their descendants are scattered throughout 
 almost every state in the Union. 
 
 The father of our subject, Guy Beatty, was a 
 farmer by occupation, and in religious belief was 
 a member of the Episcopal Church. His life was a 
 very brief one, and he passed away at the age of 
 twenty-six, when our subject was only six years 
 old. The mother of the Captain bore the maiden 
 name of Margaret Armstrong, and was the daugh- 
 ter of William Armstrong, who was of Scotch an- 
 cestry and a man of prominence in the North of 
 Ireland. For many years he was the manager of 
 the great estate of Sir Henry Brooks. Among the 
 early Methodists he was influential and an active 
 worker. 
 
 After the death of Guy Beatty his widow mar- 
 ried George Dawson. Some years after his demise 
 she became the wife of William Day and now re- 
 sides in Delavan. The Captain is the only child 
 of his parents, and was a lad of nine years when, 
 with his mother and step-father, he came to the 
 United States, settling in New York. His educa- 
 tion was conducted at the East Bloornfield Acad- 
 emy and Genesee College, of Lima, N. Y. At the 
 age of seventeen he began to teach school at Vic- 
 tor, N. Y., and soon afterward went to Missouri, 
 where he taught until the outbreak of the Rebell- 
 ion. 
 
 At the first call for troops our subject tendered 
 his services, and for a time was held in the home 
 guards, as more than the required quota had been 
 
 secured to go to the front. In August of the same 
 year (1861) he enlisted in the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, 
 under the first three hundred thousand call. The 
 regiment was made up of troops from Iowa, Mis- 
 souri and Nebraska, and he was commissioned Sec- 
 ond Lieutenant. At the battle of Ft. Donelson he 
 was slightly wounded. lie also participated in the 
 memorable battle of Shiloh. The greater part of 
 his service was in the Army of the Cumberland. 
 In the fall of 1862 he was promoted to First Lieu- 
 tenant, and became Captain after the battle of 
 Franklin. January 26, 1865, an order was issued 
 from the War Department that all oflicers who had 
 served for three years could take their discharge, 
 and he retired from the army, after having partic- 
 ipated in many of the leading evunts of the Re- 
 bellion. 
 
 The war closed, Captain Beatty came to Delavan, 
 where for several years he was engaged in fanning 
 two -miles from the city. In 1866 he married 
 Miss Eleanor F., daughter of Elisha M. Holmes, a 
 prominent farmer of Palmyra, N. Y. Mrs. Beatty 
 is an accomplished lady and a graduate of the 
 Marion Collegiate Institute of New York. During 
 the panic of 1873 the Captain lost almost all his 
 property, and afterward taught three terms of 
 school. In 1882 he retired from the farm and en- 
 gaged in the grain and coal business, to which he 
 has since devoted considerable attention. In 1884 
 he aided in the erection of Armory Hall, which he 
 now owns and controls. 
 
 Under the administration of President Arthur, 
 Captain Beatty was appointed Postmaster at Del- 
 avan, and was again chosen for that oflice by Pres- 
 ident Harrison, holding the position until Febru- 
 ary. 1894, when his time expired. F' or some years 
 he served as Justice of the Peace, but failed to 
 qualify the last time he was elected. He has al- 
 ways been an ardent Republican and takes an ac- 
 tive part in local politics. He is prominent in the 
 Grand Army of the Republic, and three times has 
 been chosen Commander of the post. As above 
 mentioned, he is President of the Old Soldiers' As- 
 sociation. In his religious belief be is a Methodist 
 and holds membership in the church of that de- 
 nomination at Delavan. 
 
 Captain and Mrs. Beatty have had five children.
 
 342 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 The eldest son, Guy, a prominent newspaper man 
 of Delavan, is the owner of the Times Building, 
 one of the finest brick structures in the place, and 
 which- is occupied by the Times printing office and 
 the postofflce. At sixteen he was the editor of the 
 Delavau Times, the success of which he largely in- 
 creased, and in the publication of which he after- 
 ward associated with himself his brother, S. H.. to 
 whom he finally disposed of the plant and paper 
 in June, 1893. Kate is the wife of C. D. Hopkins, 
 who is conducting a newspaper at Greenview, this 
 state. Starr II., editor and proprietor of the Del- 
 avan Times-Press, is represented elsewhere in this 
 volume. John is a graduate of the Delavan High 
 School, in which the younger daughter, Grace, is 
 now being educated. 
 
 pear. 
 
 ENRY F. FROEBE. This BIOGRAPHICAL 
 
 RECORD of Tazewell County would be in- 
 complete if within its pages a sketcli of the 
 above-named gentleman should fail to ap- 
 His standing is high among the citizens of 
 Pekin and the surrounding country, and he is de- 
 servedly respected by those who are favored with 
 his friendship. He is at present the traveling rep- 
 resentative of the Pekin Plow Company, in which 
 he is a stockholder, and also travels in the interest 
 of the T. & H. Smith Company. 
 
 A native of this state, our subject was born in 
 Beardstown. Cass County, February 20, 1852. He 
 is of German parentage, his father, John J. Froebe, 
 being a native of Saxony. The latter was a miller 
 in his native country, and coming to the United 
 States when eighteen years of age, located at 
 Quincy, where he learned the trade of a carpen- 
 ter, and from that city removed to Beardstown, 
 this state. About 1858 he came to Pekin; lie 
 worked at his trade for one year, when he removed 
 to Danvers, where he was a general merchant. His 
 next removal was made in 1863 to Bay port, Mich., 
 where he was also engaged as a merchant, and the 
 following year, enlisted in the Union army, in the 
 
 Twenty-third Michigan Infantry. After a service 
 of about eighteen months he was discharged, and 
 returning to Bayport, located on the farm on 
 which he departed this life when sixty-two years 
 of age. His good wife, Mrs. Maria (Sch river) 
 Froebe, died in this city in 1859. Her husband 
 was later married to Miss Sarah Gollia, a resident 
 of Pekiu, and by her he became the father of four 
 children. 
 
 Henry F. was the second child born of his fa- 
 ther's first marriage, his sisters being Carrie, now 
 Mrs. D. C. Smith, of this city, and Amelia, Mrs. 
 Herman Roedell, who also resides in Pekin. Our 
 subject attended school in this city until seven- 
 teen years of age, when he learned the art of pho- 
 tography under the instruction of J. C. Parker. 
 After working for two years at this business his 
 health was impaired to such an extent that he was 
 obliged to go where he could have outdoor exer- 
 cise, and in 1871 went to Ba}' City, Mich., and be- 
 -gan : ,working in the lumber woods. For five years 
 he vttC&ehgaged in rafting up the Cass and Pigeon 
 Rivers, and at the expiration of that time re- 
 turned to this city in robust health. This was in 
 1876, and the following year Mr. Froebe began 
 work in the shops of the T. & H. Smith Wagon 
 Company as assistant bookkeeper, and in October, 
 1879, it was incorporated as the Pekin Plow Com- 
 pany. He continued to hold that position until 
 1891, when, in the fall of that year, he went on 
 the road in the interest of the company, his ter- 
 ritory being the northern half of this state. 
 
 Henry F. Froebe and Gersena, daughter of John 
 Albertsen, were united in marriage in this city in 
 1879. Mrs. Froebe was born in this city, and by 
 her union with our subject has become the mother 
 of four children, Carrie A., Albert A., Nellie M. 
 and an infant unnamed. In social affairs our sub- 
 ject is a Knight of Pythias, belonging to the Uni- 
 formed Rank, and is a member of the Legion of 
 Honor and the Woodman's Mutual Protective 
 Association. He is a stockholder in the Pekin 
 Loan and Home Association, and is connected 
 with the Traveling Men's Protective Association. 
 He is a man of keen intelligence and good busi- 
 ness qualifications, and conducts successfully any 
 enterprise with which he chooses to connect him-

 
 JOHN S. MOOBERRY.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 345 
 
 self. A respected citizen, a true and loyal Re- 
 publican, a man of progressive ideas and fine 
 principles, he surely embodies the highest type of 
 American citizenship. 
 
 OHN S. MOOBERRY. A finely improved 
 farm of three hundred and twenty acres 
 pleasantly situated in Grovcland Township, 
 Tazewell County, has been the home of Mr. 
 Mooberry for more than forty years. A native of 
 Ohio, he was born near Columbus, November 5, 
 1826, and was educated in the common schools of 
 the neighborhood. He is well informed on gen- 
 eral topics, as well as in the work to which he has 
 given his attention as a life labor. He is success- 
 fully conducting the vocation of a general farmer, 
 keeping up the improvements upon the homestead 
 and displaying many of the qualities which led 
 his father to success in the same calling. 
 
 The Mooberry family is of Scotch origin. The 
 first record that can be found of their history in 
 America is the death of Robert Mooberry, which 
 occurred June 4, 1798. According to the most 
 creditable theory, he was our subject's great-grand- 
 father, and the son of one of the members of the 
 original Quaker colony founded in Pennsylvania 
 by William Penn. Our subject's grandfather, 
 William, was born in Chester County, Pa., Sep- 
 tember 18, 1752, and labored continuously and 
 successfully in agricultural pursuits. The only in- 
 termission in his labors on the farm was at the 
 time of the Revolution, when he joined the Colo- 
 nial army and served through the entire period of 
 the war. On his return home he was expelled 
 from the Quaker Church because he would not ad- 
 mit that he had done wrong in going to war. He 
 had served as baggage master in the army, but was 
 never able to secure a pension on account of hav- 
 ing lost some of his papers. 
 
 October 16, 1788. in Pennsylvania, occurred the 
 marriage of William Mooberry and Elizabeth Ram- 
 sey, the latter being a native of York County, Pa., 
 born February 7, 1707. They became the parents 
 of five sons and two daughters: William. Alexan- 
 
 der, David, John, Samuel, Jane and Nancy. The 
 daughters died in childhood, Nancy being scalded 
 to death on the day of* the funeral of Jane. In 
 1806 Grandfather Mooberry removed to Franklin 
 County, Ohio, where he and his wife passed away, 
 the former January 28, 1829, and the latter Au- 
 gust 27, 1822. 
 
 The father of our subject, David Mooberry, was 
 born in York County, Pa., October 7, 1798, and 
 was taken by his parents to Ohio in childhood. He 
 came to Illinois overland in 1832, and on the 20th 
 of October arrived in Groveland Township, Taze- 
 well County, where on section 11 he entered eighty 
 acres. Throughout his entire life he followed the 
 occupation of a farmer and stock-raiser, in which 
 he was prospered. At various times he entered 
 five hundred and twenty acres, and accumulated 
 by purchase and entry about nine hundred acres. 
 In addition to farming, he operated a sawmill 
 for eight or ten years. In politics he was a Whig. 
 The community where he had so long resided 
 mourned his death, July 9, 1850, as a public be- 
 reavement, for he had ever been active and ener- 
 getic in all good works. 
 
 Margaret Stumbaugh, as the mother of our sub- 
 ject was known in maidenhood, was born in Frank- 
 lin County, Pa., on the 26th of February, 1801, 
 and died in December, 1890. Her children, nine in 
 number, were as follows: Samuel R., William, John 
 S.; Elizabeth, who died at the age of nineteen; 
 Margaret, Mrs. Oliver; George, who died at the 
 age of twenty-two; Martha J., the deceased wife 
 of Alexander Mooberry; Alexander; and Mary, a 
 widow. Our subject's maternal grandfather, John 
 Stumbaugh, was born in Pennsylvania, and died 
 in Franklin County, that state, where for years he 
 had engaged in farming. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared upon the 
 home farm and received a limited education in the 
 primitive schools of his neighborhood. At the 
 age of twenty-one, beginning for himself, he rented 
 land belonging to his father and some of the neigh- 
 bors, and January 16, 1851, he settled upon the 
 place where he now resides. His father gave him 
 an eighty-acre tract, to which he has added by 
 subsequent purchase until his possessions aggre- 
 gated one hundred and sixty acres of timber land,
 
 346 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and three hundred and twenty acres of tillable 
 soil. To his children he has given liberally of his 
 property, and now retains but three hundred and 
 twenty acres. The success which he has attained 
 is well deserved and is the result principally of 
 the raising of stock, in which he formerly engaged 
 to a large extent. 
 
 The Mooberry farm is one of the most valuable 
 in Groveland Township, being improved with good 
 buildings and all the appurtenances required by 
 the progressive and industrious agriculturist. Mr. 
 Mooberry keeps himself posted upon modern meth- 
 ods of agriculture, and avails himself of the most 
 approved machinery in the cultivation of his land. 
 Prior to 1860 he was a Whig in political senti- 
 ment, and since that time has given his support to 
 the Republican party. He has served in various 
 township offices, and was active in contributing 
 toward clearing the township of draft. In relig- 
 ious belief he is a Universalist. 
 
 January 7, 1851, Mr. Mooberry married Miss 
 Jane Cunningham, who was born in Ross County, 
 Ohio, and died on the home farm April 10, 1877. 
 Her parents, Thomas and Mary (Cameline) Cun- 
 ningham, came to Illinois about 1840, where her 
 father followed the occupation of a farmer. Dur- 
 ing the War of 1812 he joined the army and 
 fought in various important engagements. He 
 and his wife died in Illinois, after having reared to 
 mature years seven children: John, William, James, 
 Eliza, Jane, Mary and Nancy. Mr. and Mrs. Moo- 
 berry became the parents of six children, namely: 
 Helen, the wife of La Fayctte Birkett; Emeline, 
 John C., George W., Mary L. and Lewis G., all of 
 whom were given good educational advantages. 
 
 C. HAYBARGER, one of the enterprising 
 and leading businessmen of Mackinaw who 
 is now interested in a gristmill at this 
 place, claims West Virginia as the State of 
 his nativity. He was born in Augusta County, 
 July 30, 1828, and is a son of Abraham and Mary 
 (Crobarger) Ilaybarger. The former was born in 
 Pennsylvania in 1799, and his parents were natives 
 of Germany. He was reared upon a farm and then 
 
 learned the cooper's trade with his brother-in-law. 
 In his father's family were the following children, 
 John, Jacob, Abraham, Mary, Betsy and Katie. 
 With his parents he removed to West Virginia, 
 where he was married, and in the year 1834 
 he emigrated with his family to Illinois, locating 
 on the line between Tazewell and Woodford 
 Counties, where he engaged in farming until 1840. 
 He then removed to McLean County and bought 
 a farm of one hundred and sixty-one acres of partly 
 improved land. Thereon he reared his family of 
 seven children. David, the eldest, died of cholera 
 at the age of twenty-two; Susan is the deceased 
 wife of Charles Henshaw; Sarah is the wife of J. 
 B. Ayers; Elizabeth is the wife of John Smith, a 
 fanner of Tazewell County; Julia is the wife of D. 
 B. Smith, of Normal, 111.; one child died in infancy. 
 The parents are both members of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and the father was a Democrat in politics. 
 His death occurred in McLean County in 1845, 
 and his wife passed away in 1888, at theadvanced 
 age of eighty-eight yqjirs. 
 
 J. C. Ilaybarger came with his parents to the 
 west and was reared amid the wild scenes of the 
 locality, sharing with the family the experiences 
 and hardships of pioneer life. The common schools 
 afforded him his educational privileges. He was 
 eighteen years of age at the time of his father's 
 death, and the care of the family devolved upon 
 him. In 1852 he, his mother and a brother and 
 sister all suffered an attack of the cholera at the 
 same time. Engaged in the cultivation of the 
 home farm, Mr. Ilaybarger spent the early years of 
 his manhood, remaining with his mother until his 
 removal to Mackinaw in 1879. While in McLean 
 County he served as Justice of the Peace for eight 
 years. During this time he accumulated two hun- 
 dred and thirty-seven acres of land, which he yet 
 owns. He also has two town lots, a half-interest 
 in a store building and lot, a half-interest in an 
 unimproved lot and a fourth-interest in the Macki- 
 naw gristmill, with which he has been connected 
 since his removal to this place. 
 
 In McLean County was celebrated the marriage 
 of Mr. Ilaybarger and Miss Catherine, daughter of 
 David Puterbaugh. Six children graced this union, 
 but two died in early life, and John is also de-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 347 
 
 ceased; Emma is the wife of Charles Puterbaugh 
 and has three children; Mary ,1. is the wife of 
 George Miller and has two children: Samuel wed- 
 ded Mary Judy. The mother of this family passed 
 away in 1884, and Mr. Haybarger afterward mar- 
 ried Almeda Lamason. He is a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church, and his wife and three chil- 
 dren are members of the Christian Church. So- 
 cially, he is connected with Mackinaw Lodge, A. F. 
 & A. M., and with the Order of the Eastern Star. 
 In politics he is a Democrat, has four times served 
 as Assessor of Mackinaw, and was once a member 
 of the Town Board. For about sixty years he has 
 resided in this part of Illinois, and may well be 
 numbered among the early pioneers who have been 
 the founders of the county and in its upbuilding 
 have taken so prominent a part. 
 
 y~ILLIAM M. BAYNE. The prominent 
 resident of Pekin whose name opens this 
 article is a bridge contractor in the city, 
 where lie is also a lumber, steel and iron merchant. 
 He has many friends in the community, who hold 
 him in high regard, and in 1893 he was elected 
 Alderman of the Fourth Ward. Mr. Bayne was 
 born in La Salic County, 111., August 1, 1860, and 
 is a son of Milton Bayne, whose birthplace was 
 Brown County, Ohio, while the grandfather of 
 our subject was a native of Bourbon County, Ky., 
 and was of Scotch descent. The latter early in 
 life removed to the above county in Ohio, where 
 he was a farmer, and whence he came to Wood- 
 ford County, this state, and lived a life of retire- 
 ment. 
 
 The father of our subject came to Illinois in 
 1851, at which time he located in LaSalle Coun- 
 ty on a farm which he improved, making of it 
 a valuable estate. In 1868 he became engaged 
 as a bridge contractor in this state, and remov- 
 ing to Wenona, made that place his home un- 
 til the year 1891, when lie removed to Chi- 
 cago and is now living a retired life. He was the 
 
 second oldest bridge contractor in this state, and 
 accumulated a handsome property in this branch 
 of work. His wife was prior to her marriage 
 Miss Nancy Carson; she was born in Adams 
 County, Ohio, and was the daughter of James A. 
 Carson, a farmer and trader in the above county. 
 Mrs. Bayue is still living, and is the mother of 
 five sons, all of whom are living with one ex- 
 ception. 
 
 William M. Bayne, of this sketch, was educated 
 in the schools of Wenona, and in 1878 began in 
 business witli his father and brother as a lumber 
 merchant, they usually owning and operating two 
 yards. In the fall of 1880 he removed to Gard- 
 ner, this state, and in partnership with his father 
 did a retail business in that line for about a year, 
 when they returned to Wenona and carried on 
 business there until 1882. Mr. Bayne then spent 
 three years in constructing bridges throughout 
 Illinois, and erected three across the Illinois River, 
 lie has been operating alone since 1889, and on 
 coming to Pekin two years later purchased the 
 lumber and stave mill from Samuel Wood & Co., 
 which is now incorporated as the Pekin Lumber 
 and Stave Company, of which his father is Presi- 
 dent and himself Vice-President. His brother, 
 L. M. Bayne, is Secretary and Treasurer, and since 
 our subject has been traveling in the interest of 
 the company the latter superintends the opera- 
 tion of the mill. The firm which carries on the 
 bridge work is known as M. Bayne & Son, builders 
 of iron and steel highway bridges. 
 
 William M. Bayne was married in May, 1885, 
 to Miss Lillie, daughter of Johnson Brown. The 
 lady was born in Wenona, this state, while her 
 father is a native of Pennsylvania and the son of 
 Charles Brown, an early settler of this state, where 
 he was a farmer of prominence. The father of 
 Mrs. Bayue is now living in California, to which 
 state he moved during the gold excitement, and 
 being very successful in his operations, is now liv- 
 ing retired. The maiden name of his wife was 
 Augusta Reuiff. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born two 
 children, Roland L. and Edith. Socially, Mr. 
 Bayne is a Mason, and Mrs. Bayne is a consist- 
 ent member of the Presbyterian Church. In pol-
 
 348 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 itics he is a Republican, and upholds all things 
 which seem right in his sight. His good business 
 qualities have resulted in his acquiring a compe- 
 tence, and his acquaintance is large, he numbering 
 among his friends the best residents in the county. 
 
 v .$.==.5;==* - 
 
 ' ACOB W. BARKDOLL, one of the honored 
 veterans of the late war, who is successfully 
 engaged in business in Tremont as a dealer 
 in wagons, buggies and farm machinery, 
 claims Ohio as the state of his nativity, for his 
 birth occurred in Ricliland County, on the 22d of 
 May, 1848. His father, Joseph Barkdoll, was a 
 native of Germany, and when quite .young was 
 brought by his parents to America. In Ricliland 
 County, he married Margaret Augustine, daughter 
 of Dr. Jacob Augustine, and a native of Germany. 
 She crossed the Atlantic with her parents when.?, 
 maiden of thirteen, and after living for a time in 
 Maryland went to the Buckeye State. From Rich- 
 land County, Mr. and Mrs. Barkdoll removed to 
 Williams County, Ohio, where the mother is still 
 living. They had a family of ten children, George 
 E. and Louisa, both of Daviess County, Mo.; Jane, 
 deceased wife of John Deitrick; Jacob W.; LaFay- 
 ette, of Antelope County, Neb.; Franklin, of Will- 
 iams County, Ohio; Albert, of Oregon; Maria, who 
 died at the age of eighteen; Mary, now of Michi- 
 gan, and Malan, of Antelope County, Neb. The 
 father of this family was a stalwart Democrat, 
 served as County Treasurer and County Super- 
 visor, and was honored with other local ollices. He 
 held membership with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, to which his wife belonged, and was an in- 
 fluential and highly respected citizen. His death 
 occurred about 1885. 
 
 J. W. Barkdoll was still at home at the time of 
 the breaking out of the Civil War, in 1861. Al- 
 though only fifteen years of age he joined the 
 boys in blue, and became a member of Company C, 
 Thirty-eighth Ohio Infantry. He took part in the 
 battles of Chickamauga, Jonesboro, Missionary 
 Ridge and-Atlanta, and all the engagements of the 
 
 Atlanta campaign. He went with Sherman on the 
 celebrated march to the sea, and on the expiration 
 of his three years' term veteranized at Chattanooga. 
 He was mustered out in Louisville, Ky., and re- 
 ceived his final discharge in Cleveland, Ohio, in 
 July, 1865, after four years of faithful and valiant 
 service. His braveiy equalled that of the men of 
 middle age, for he was always found at his post, 
 faithful to every duty devolving upon him. 
 
 After his return home, Mr. Barkdoll engaged at 
 working at the blacksmith's trade. In 1872, he 
 removed to Mackinaw and established a smithy of 
 his own, carrying on business along that line for 
 about fifteen years, when he began dealing in bug- 
 gies, wagons and general farm machinery. About 
 1891, he formed a partnership with L. B. David- 
 son. They carry a stock valued at $7,000 in 
 Mackinaw. In Tremont they established a branch 
 house, and the business here so steadily increased 
 that Mr. Barkdoll came hither to take charge of it. 
 : Our subject has been twice married. He first 
 .w^def}"'N'a.hnie Ilerndon, daughter of Walker 
 Ilerndon, and after her death he married Catherine 
 Peardon, daughter of George Peardon, and a na- 
 tive of Ohio. They have two children, Lula A. 
 and an infant. Mr. Barkdoll is a Royal Arch Mason, 
 and also belongs to the Odd Fellows' society. In 
 politics he is a stalwart Republican, and for three 
 terms served as one of the Aldermen of Mackinaw. 
 He possesses most excellent business ability, is an 
 enterprising and industrious man, sagacious and 
 far sighted, and as the result of his own efforts he 
 has achieved a high degree of success. 
 
 AVID WANDSCHNEIDER is one of the 
 
 oldest contractors and builders in the city, 
 which business he mastered in his native 
 land, Germany. He has long been iden- 
 tified with the interests of this county, and al- 
 though his biography is well known, a brief recital 
 here may still more firmly establish the record 
 of his honorable, upright and useful life. John
 
 or
 
 CHRISTOPHER SHAFFER.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 351 
 
 Wandschneider, the father of our subject, was a 
 native of Mecklenburg, Germany, where also his 
 father, John, Sr., was born. The maiden name of 
 our subject's mother was Marie Quant; she was 
 also a native of the Fatherland, and, became the 
 mother of five children, of whom David was the 
 third child, the date of his birth being October 1, 
 1827. The latter was reared on his father's farm, 
 and although having no extended opportunities for 
 an education, he punctually attended the schools of 
 this neighborhood when he could be spared, and 
 lost no chance to gain the knowledge he coveted. 
 When sixteen years old lie found time to learn 
 the carpenter's trade, at which he was employed 
 during the summer, and in the winter season at- 
 tended the Builders' College, where he took up 
 drafting and architecture. 
 
 During the Revolution of 1848 Mr. Wand- 
 schneider served in the Prussian army, in which 
 he was Sergeant of his compan}'. He served dur- 
 ing the entire campaign, and in 1849 went to 
 Denmark, where he found work at his trade, and 
 was boss carpentei and contractor until 1855. 
 That year he decided to come to America, and 
 leaving Hamburg on a vessel bound for New York 
 City, came directly to Tazewell County, this state, 
 and that same year we find him in Pekin, where 
 he has been engaged as a contractor ever since. 
 He is now one of the most; prominent architects 
 in the city, and is an expert in the building of 
 both brick and frame structures. He built the 
 residence of Mayor Wilson, which is the finest in 
 the city; he was the architect of the American Dis- 
 tillery, and has put up several brick blocks both 
 in Pekin and Peoria. 
 
 Mr. Wandschneider was married in Denmark, 
 in J858, to Miss Minnie Buck, a native of that 
 place. She became the mother of four daughters, 
 and died in 1873. Her children are, Sophy, resid- 
 ing in Missouri; Elsie and Emma, at home; and 
 Annie, now Mrs. E. W. Wilson, of Pekin. Our 
 subject was married the second time to Miss Ther- 
 esa Richter, who was born in Germany. He has 
 been Alderman from the Second Ward for one 
 term, and served the same length of time as Su- 
 pervisor and Assessor. He is a Democrat in poli- 
 tics, is one of the public-spirited citizens of the 
 
 county, being interested in all enterprises of a 
 worthy nature, and every laudable movement finds 
 in him a strong supporter. 
 
 HRISTOPHER SHAFFER. This gentleman 
 is one of the many who have spent the 
 greater portion of their lives in developing 
 the country in order that their children and 
 grandchildren might enjoy the advantages which 
 they themselves were denied. In truth, we to-day 
 are the "heirs of all ages" and profit by the labor 
 and self denial of the hard working classes of times 
 past. Our subject is one of the wealthy agricult- 
 urists of Tazewell County, and is now living on 
 section 23, Morton Township, where he has a val- 
 uable estate. 
 
 A native of Greenbrier County, Va., our subject 
 was born April 29, 1813, to Christopher and Mary 
 (Fisher) Shaffer, natives of Pennsylvania. The 
 former was reared on a farm in the Keystone 
 State, and when a young man emigrated to Vir- 
 ginia, where he married. He was a miller by trade 
 and followed that occupation through life, to- 
 gether with that of farming. He was twice mar- 
 ried, and by his first wife became the father of 
 four children, George, Peter (a soldier in the War 
 of 1812), Elizabeth and Mary. By his union with 
 the mother of our subject there were born three 
 children, Pluiibe, Philip and Christopher. 
 
 About 1825 Christopher Shaffer, Sr., emigrated 
 with his family to Franklin County, Ohio, where 
 he lived for a number of years. Later he came to 
 this county, making his home with our subject un- 
 til his decease, which occurred at the advanced age 
 of ninety-three years and six months. At the time 
 the family located in the Buckeye State our sub- 
 ject was a lad of thirteen years and soon began to 
 make his own way in the world, being first em- 
 ployed as a. farm hand. He received his education 
 in the subscription schools of that day. and when 
 reaching his majority received as pay for his labors 
 only $10 a month. lie was very economical and 
 industrious, and from this small salary was enabled 
 to save money. He spent one year working in a
 
 352 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tan yard, and although becoming quite proficient 
 in that business, followed it only a short time. 
 
 A year after becoming of age Mr. Shaffer mar- 
 ried Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Emmer and Eliza- 
 beth (Huff) Cox. The lady 1 was born in Ohio, 
 November 25, 1812. while her parents were natives 
 of Virginia and were farmers by occupation. After 
 his marriage Mr. Shaffer began farming on rented 
 land in Franklin County, but soon came with his 
 family to this county, where he was convinced he 
 could better his financial condition. The trip was 
 made overland in 1841, and all their worldly pos- 
 sessions were placed in a wagon drawn by four 
 horses, and Mr. Shaffer says that even then it was 
 not very heavily loaded. By trading one of his 
 teams on his arrival in this county he was able to 
 make a payment on a quarter-section of land 
 which he had purchased, and which is included in 
 his present fine estate. He now owns four hundred 
 acres of choice land in Morton Township, upon 
 which he settled in 1842, the family then making 
 their home in a hewed log cabin which he erected. 
 
 Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Shaffer, of whom Orlando and Phoebe are deceased. 
 Lavina married William Huxtable; Eliza is the 
 wife of Joseph Walden; the others are, Sarah J., 
 Lewis M., William and John H. Our subject is a 
 member of the Baptist Church, with which he has 
 been connected since 1840, and has held the office 
 of Deacon for over a quarter of a century. His 
 estimable wife departed this life September 9, 
 1886. Mr. Shaffer has sixteen grandchildren and 
 twelve great-grandchildren living. He is one of 
 the best citizens of the county, and during his 
 long career here not a word could ever be said 
 against his honesty and uprightness. 
 
 ~ HOMAS B. HAMILTON, one of the early 
 settlers of Pekin, who has here made his 
 home since 1856, is now engaged in busi- 
 ness as a contractor in mason and brick work. 
 He also takes contracts for plastering and for lay- 
 ing artificial stone sidewalks, and is a retail dealer 
 in cement, lime and other materials of the kind. 
 
 His honorable, straightforward dealings and the 
 faithfulness with which he fulfills his part of a 
 contract have won him" a liberal and well deserved 
 patronage. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton was born in Port Hope, Canada, 
 December 21, 1845. His parents, Christopher and 
 Elizabeth Persons, were both natives of England. 
 The maternal grandfather brought his family to - 
 America in an early day and spent his last days 
 in Toledo, Ohio. The father of our subject, on - 
 crossing the Atlantic, located in Canada, and in 
 1847 removed to Toledo, where he was employed 
 as foreman and engineer in a sawmill. He died 
 of cholera in 1849, leaving a widow and a son s 
 Thomas, their only child. Mrs. Persons afterward 
 became the wife of John Hamilton, and our sub- 
 ject took the name of his step-father, by which he 
 has been called since six years of age. The mother 
 was a third time married, her last husband being 
 Samuel Ingram. Her death occurred in Pekin, 
 July 13, 1891, at the age of sixty -seven years. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton of this sketch was reared in Ohio 
 until 1856, when he removed to Peoria, where he 
 spent one winter. He then came to Pekin, where 
 he worked on a farm and attended school. Later 
 he engaged as an emploj'e on a steamer plying 
 between La Salle and St. Louis, and in 1862 he 
 entered the Union army. Mr. Hamilton was mus- 
 tered in at Camp Butler for three months' service; 
 he was a member of Company K, Sixty-eighth Illi- 
 nois Infantry, and when his time expired, returned 
 home. In February, 1865, he again enlisted, be- 
 coming a member of Company C, Fourteenth Illi- 
 nois Infantry, and again did service in Virginia 
 until the close of the war. He participated in the 
 Grand Review in Washington, after which he re- 
 turned to his home. 
 
 In 1866, Mr. Hamilton learned the trade of a 
 plasterer, and a year later bought out his employer. 
 From that he has branched out into his present 
 business, and in 1884 he began contracting for 
 the laying of cement sidewalks. He now gives 
 employment to seven men and enjoys a fine busi- 
 ness. He did the plastering in the high school 
 and in the Douglas.. school, and also did some of 
 the brick work and has been employed on other 
 leading buildings of the city. He is connected
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 353 
 
 with the Pekin Loan and Homestead Association, 
 and with the National Loan and Homestead As- 
 sociation. 
 
 In 1864 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ham- 
 ilton and Miss Selena L. Cottrell, who was born in 
 Beardstown, 111., and who died December 16, 1892, 
 leaving six children: William C., a brick mason; 
 Mrs. Alice E. Lester, of Pekin; Mary, wife of John 
 Leslie; Edith, Louisa and Thomas C. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton has been School Director for three 
 years, and takes an active interest in the cause of 
 education. In his political views he is a Democrat, 
 but has never sought or desired public office, pre- 
 ferring to give his entire time and attention to 
 his business interests, in which he has met with 
 good success. He may truly be called a self-made 
 man, for his prosperity is due entirely to his own 
 efforts. 
 
 -,ENDEL FARISCHON is one of the noted 
 men of this part of the state, and 
 widely known for the extensive knowl- 
 edge he possesses in this line. He is at present 
 yardmaster for the Santa Fe Railroad at Pekin, 
 which position he has held since October 4, 1872. 
 
 Our subject was born in Baden, Germany, Oc- 
 tober 21, 1845, and is the son of Bernard Farischon, 
 likewise a native of the Fatherland, where he was 
 a miller and carpenter. He took part in the Rev- 
 olution of 1848, and six years later emigrated with 
 his family from Bremen on a sailing-vessel, which 
 landed them forty-eight days later in New York. 
 One sister died on the voyage, and after landing 
 in the New World the father went to Columbus, 
 Ohio, and four days after arriving there found 
 work in the lumber yards. Later he worked at 
 the trade of a carpenter and died in 1868. His 
 wife, Mrs. Catherine (Meckcrly) Farischon, was 
 born in Germany and died while residing in Co- 
 lumbus, Ohio, in 1856. The lady to whom the 
 father was married a second time was Miss Frances 
 Ropp; she died in 1892, after having become the 
 mother of five children. 
 
 Of the first marriage of Bernard Farischon, 
 three children were born, of whom our subject is 
 
 y;JJNLl 
 ,,;, 
 _ is wi 
 
 the only one living. He was nine years old when 
 the removal was made to America, and thus had 
 attended his native school but three years. When 
 locating in Ohio he carried on his studies in the 
 public schools of that city for five years, after 
 which he was apprenticed to learn the cigarmaker's 
 trade. He worked at this for three and a-half 
 years, and in the fall of 1864 began in the rail- 
 road business as switchman for the Columbus, 
 Chicago <fe Indianapolis Central Railroad Com- 
 pany. In 1870 he went to Urbana, Ohio, as yard- 
 master, and in September, 1873, was employed in 
 Indianapolis, after which he came to Urbana, this 
 state, and accepted the position as switchman 
 witli the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western 
 Railroad. He was thus employed until October 3, 
 1875, when lie came to Pekin' as yardmaster in 
 the interest of the above company, in whose em- 
 ploy he remained seventeen and one-half years, 
 when he engaged with the Santa Fe. 
 
 While residing in Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Faris- 
 chon was married, in 1869, to Miss Frances I. Free- 
 man, who was born in Medford, Mass., but was 
 reared in Ohio. Their union has been blessed by the 
 birth of five children, all at home, viz.: Susan C., 
 Frederick, Philip H., Otto C. and Nellie M. So- 
 cially, our subject is a member of the United An- 
 cient Order of Druids, and in politics is a strong 
 Democrat. He is a man whose pleasant, genial 
 nature makes him friends, and in all the relations 
 of life he has borne himself in an honest and up- 
 right manner. 
 
 ANIEL BECKLEY is one of the most 
 highly respected citizens of Mackinaw. 
 He has been prominently connected with 
 its business, social and official interests, 
 for on a number of different occasions he has been 
 called upon to serve his fellow-townsmen in 
 positions of public trust. All who know him 
 esteem him highly for his sterling worth, and we 
 feel assured that this record of his life will prove 
 of interest to many of our readers. 
 
 Mr. Beckley was born in Union County, Pa., 
 April 15, 1831, and is a son of Daniel and Mary
 
 354 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 M. (Tittle) Beckley. The paternal grandfather 
 was of English descent, and the grandmother was 
 a native of Wales. Daniel Beckley, Sr., was born 
 in Pennsylvania, and engaged in keeping hotel 6n 
 the Susquehanna River in the early days, when 
 people shipped their produce to market on rafts. 
 There his children, nine in number, were born. Six 
 grew to mature years. Sabina became the wife of D. 
 S. Ilisinger; Mary, after the death of her sister, be- 
 came the wife of Mr. Ilisinger; Eliza A. became the 
 wife of John Wenck; Henry is the next younger; 
 Daniel is the fifth; and Alexander is deceased. 
 The parents were both members of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and in politics Mr. Beckley was a Whig. 
 For a number of years he served as Constable. He 
 removed to Pekin in 1839, and for a few years en- 
 gaged in farming. His death occurred in 1846, 
 and his wife passed away in 1841. The boat in 
 which they came to their new home was the first 
 to make the trip from Pittsburgh to Pekin, and 
 was named the "London." 
 
 Daniel Beckley, whose name heads this record, 
 remained at home until his father's death, but 
 for two years previous had worked for Mathias 
 App, a pioneer on the Mackinaw River, receiving 
 $3 per month and his board and washing. He was 
 then apprenticed to Henry Clauser, a blacksmith, 
 witli whom he remained until 1849, after which he 
 worked by the day or month with D. S. Risinger, 
 making wagons. In May, 1854, he located in 
 Mackinaw, where he established a general repair 
 and wagon making shop, carrying on business 
 along that line until 1868, when he turned his at- 
 tention to farming. He became the owner of two 
 farms, and continued to engage in agricultural pur- 
 suits until 1876, when he established an agricultural 
 implement store which he carried on until 1888. 
 In that year he resumed farming, in which line of 
 business he is still interested. He has accumulated 
 four hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, 
 owns a half-interest in a brick business block, and 
 has one of the finest residences in Mackinaw. 
 
 Mr. Beckley was married in this place in the 
 year 1856 to Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel and 
 Sophia Flesher. The parents removed from Vir- 
 ginia to Illinois in a very early day, and her birth 
 occurred in Mackinaw. Mr. and Mrs. Beckle}' 
 
 have a daughter, Lora E., who was educated in 
 Eureka College, and who is now the wife of L. M. 
 Brock, an ice dealer of Mackinaw. They and their 
 daughter are members of the Christian Church 
 and are numbered among the most prominent peo- 
 ple of this community. 
 
 Since the fall of 1854, Mr. Beckley has been a 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, and belongs to 
 the blue lodge, chapter and council, having taken 
 the higher degrees in Pekin. In 1856 he became 
 a member of the Odd Fellows 'society. He is now 
 Master of Mackinaw Lodge No. 132, A. F. & A. M., 
 and has filled this office for nineteen years. He 
 cast his first Presidential vote for Win field Scott, 
 but since that time has been a supporter of the 
 Democratic part}', and has served in local ottices 
 of the town and township. His well spent life is 
 one worthy of emulation. 
 
 OLOMON D. LAROSH. Among the suc- 
 cessful agriculturists of Tazewell County, 
 he with whose name we introduce this 
 sketch holds no unimportant position. He 
 has met with success as a tiller of the soil and has 
 made a specialty of stock-raising, for which pur- 
 pose he has one of the finest bodies of land within 
 Groveland Township. For. the past ten years he 
 has engaged in the raising of Hereford cattle and 
 also makes a special feature of Poland-China hogs. 
 The. soil is fertile, and upon the land have been 
 placed the various improvements to be found upon 
 a first-class farm. 
 
 The LaRosh family is of French origin, and 
 three successive generations lived in Pennsylvania. 
 Near Allentown, in Lehigh County, that state, 
 Jonas, our subject's father, and the son of Isaac 
 LaRosh, was born February 20, 1812. When a 
 young man he went to Niagara County, N. Y 
 where he followed the trade of a carpenter and 
 also operated a sawmill on Mud Creek. In 1851 h 
 moved to Illinois, making the journey via canal 
 lakes and railroad, and locating in Grovelano 
 Township, Tazewell County, where he purchased 
 two hundred acits included in our subject's pres- 
 ent farm. On section 18 he improved a valuable
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 or iHt 
 
 UNIYEKSm OF ILLINOIS
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 357 
 
 homestead from the raw prairie and there he con- 
 tinued to reside until his death, in April, 1887. In 
 politics he was first a Whig and then a Republican. 
 In the Evangelical Church of his home neighbor- 
 hood he was one of the charter members and an in- 
 Iluential and active worker. 
 
 Jonas LaRosh was three times married. His 
 first wife, Amelia Dunkelberg, was born in Somer- 
 set County, Pa., June 10, 180 1, and bore him eight 
 children. Two sons, George and Samuel, died in 
 boyhood. Daniel D. enlisted in the Union army 
 ill 1861, and was killed while guarding stock on an 
 island near Memphis. The other sons are Solomon 
 D., John D. and Daniel D. The second and third 
 marriages of Mr. LaRosh (the former with Mrs. 
 Salona Myers, and the latter with Rebecca Fass) 
 were childless. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was bora six miles 
 south of Lockport, N. Y., July 22, 1839, and re- 
 ceived a fair education in the district schools. At 
 the age of twenty-five lie began the independent 
 career of a farmer in Washington^ Townsliip, and 
 in 1869 he bought one hundred'-tind' forty 1 acres 
 adjoining his father's property. In the spring of 
 1884 he disposed of that place and settled upon 
 the old homestead, where he now owns three hun- 
 dred and forty acres. As above mentioned, he 
 makes a specialty of stock-raising. He also has a 
 large* orchard and raises fruit of fine varieties. 
 
 April 28, 1864, Mr. LaRosh married Miss Chris- 
 tena Ramige, who was born in Wayne County, 
 N. Y., and died April 2, 1885, at the family home 
 in Groveland Township. She was .a daughter of 
 George and Barbara (Eier) Ramige, the former a 
 native of Alsace, France, whence he emigrated to 
 America, and about 1845 settled on section 7, 
 Groveland Township, Tazewell County. In addi- 
 tion to his trade as a cooper he also officiated for 
 many years as a local preacher in the Evangelical 
 Church. Mr. and Mrs. LaRosh became the parents 
 of nine children, one of whom, Lillie R., died at 
 the age of six. The others are: George W., Jonas 
 E., Reuben I., Frederick A., Newton F., Ida J., 
 Tillie R. and Christena L. The family worships 
 at the Evangelical Church, of which the wife and 
 mother was also a devoted member. 
 
 In all matters pertaining to the welfare of the 
 
 community and the development of the resources 
 of township and county, Mr. LaRosh is deeply in- 
 terested. Politically he supports the principles of 
 the Republican party. The people, appreciating the 
 fact that he is admirably adapted for service in 
 official capacity, have chosen him at various times 
 to serve in local places of trust. He has served as 
 Treasurer and Commissioner of his township, and 
 also takes an active interest in educational affairs. 
 
 ABBE VELDE, a highly respected citizen 
 of Pekin, is one of the original members, 
 and is now President and manager of the 
 T. & II. Smith Company. A man of great 
 energy and resolute purpose, he is in business saga- 
 cious and far-sighted, and through his well directed 
 efforts has won a high degree of success. He was 
 born near Emden, Hanover, Germany, November 
 29, 1832, and is a son of Carsjen Vandervelde, who 
 was born in 1794. The spelling of the name has 
 since been changed to its present form. His grand- 
 father was a shoemaker and grocer of Emden. The 
 father of our subject was a shoemaker and farmer, 
 and served in the Prussian army. In 1847, accom- 
 panied by his wife and five children, he boarded 
 the sailing-vessel "Emigrant" at Bremen, and af- 
 ter five weeks landed in New York City. By way 
 of the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the Great* 
 Lakes, he made his way to Keuosha. Wis., where 
 he followed farming for a time and then came to 
 Pekin, where his death occurred in 1880. His 
 wife, Fraucke Isebrandts Lupkes, died over twenty 
 years ago. Mr. Velde was a Deacon in the Ger- 
 man Reformed Church in his native land, but in 
 Pekin held membership with the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. In the family were six children, 
 four yet living. Mrs. Aggie Speaker died in Wis- 
 consin; Mrs. Catherine Feltman is living in Pekin; 
 Eetje is living in Hanover; Habbe is the next 
 younger; Teis died in Wisconsin; and Dinah is 
 the wife of George Alfs. 
 
 Our subject was reared in his native land, and 
 there followed shoemaking and farming. In Au- 
 gust, 1847, he became a resident of Southport, now
 
 358. 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Kenosha, Wis., and in the fall of 1851 came to 
 Pekin. Here he secured employment with the T. 
 & II. Smith Company, who carried on a wagon 
 manufactory and repair shop, and for about four 
 years ran the saws. He then worked in the black- 
 smith shop. He was thus employed in the winter, 
 and through the summer engaged in farm labor in 
 Wisconsin. In 1855 and 1856, he was employed 
 in the Baine Wagon Works at Kenosha, Wis. In 
 the fall of 1858, he located permanently in Pekin, 
 and early in 1859, on the death of Henry Smith, he 
 was made foreman of the blacksmith department, 
 remaining in charge for seven years and doing 
 a big business along that line. In 1866 he became 
 a partner in the company, and later was made gen- 
 eral manager and shipping clerk. In 1874 the 
 factory was destroyed by fire, but was at once re- 
 built, and Mr. Velde has since continued as man- 
 ager. At the same time the Pekin Plow Company 
 was incorporated and he became one of its Direc- 
 tors. He is also interested in the Smith-Hippin 
 Elevator Company and in the business of Teis 
 Smith & Co., bankers. The greater part of his at- 
 tention, however, is given to the manufacture of 
 wagons. 
 
 The buildings owned by the company are sev- 
 eral in number: One is 30x100 feet, four stories 
 in height; another is 60x100 feet, four stories in 
 height; the main factory is 75x75 feet; another is 
 30x170 feet and three stories in height; the blac:k- 
 * smith shop is 40x120 feet and two stories in 
 height; and there are several dry-houses, the wood 
 workers' shop and lumber and iron sheds, which 
 cover nearly three blocks. Mr. Velde buys all the 
 raw material, and the wagons and other products 
 of the factory find a ready sale throughout the 
 country. The machinery is of one hundred horse- 
 power in the wagon-making department. Employ- 
 ment is furnished to two hundred men, and the 
 factory has a capacity for turning out seven thou- 
 sand wagons annually. The company was incor- 
 porated in 1890, with a capital stock of $200,000. 
 
 In 1859, in Pekin, Mr. Velde was united in 
 marriage with Susan Luppen,a native of Germany, 
 and a step-daughter of Luppe Luppen. To them 
 were born seven children, four yet living: Charles 
 L., a lumber dealer of Pekin; Franklin L., who 
 
 was graduated from the University of Michigan 
 and the Union Law College of Chicago with the 
 degree of LL. B., practiced for a time in Chicago, 
 but is now connected with the T. & II. Smith Com- 
 pany; and Kate L. and Sarah, who are still at home. 
 Mr. Velde is now serving his seventh term of 
 two years each in the City Council, is Chairman 
 of the Finance Committee, and is a member of the 
 Committee on Bridges and Licenses. In 1882, he 
 returned to his native land and spent six months iu 
 traveling over Germany and France. In politics, 
 he has been a Republican since casting his first vote 
 for Fremont. He aided in the organization of the 
 German Mutual Aid Society of Pekin, of which 
 he was President for five years, is a member of the 
 German Methodist Episcopal Church, and is now 
 serving as Superintendent of the Sunday-school. 
 He takes a very prominent part in church and 
 benevolent work, and in 1888 was a delegate to 
 the General Conference in New York. 
 
 bOUlS MOSCHEL, the popular Postmaster 
 of Morton, was born in the Rhenish prov- 
 ince of Bavaria, Germany, May 30, 1847. 
 He is the son of Nicholas and Susannah (Schwartz) 
 Moschel, and the grandson of George and Eliza- 
 beth (Augnew) Moschel. The grandfather of our 
 subject was a son of Christian Moschel, who was 
 born in France and who was a soldier in Napoleon's 
 army during the latter part of the eighteenth 
 century. He later went to Switzerland, but re- 
 moved to Bavaria in 1811 and located near the 
 River Rhine, where our subject was born. 
 
 Both the father and grandfather of Mr. Moschel 
 were farmers by occupation; the3' owned their 
 property and were considered quite well off in 
 the part of Germany where they resided. The 
 latter reared a family of nine children, of whom 
 John, Nicholas, Frederick, Elizabeth and Charlotte 
 came to the United States. Those who remained 
 in their native land were, George, Christian, Jacob 
 and Philip. They are all now deceased. The 
 grandfather was a man of good education and a 
 devoted member of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Nicholas Moschel was reared to manhood on his
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 359 
 
 father's farm, and when old enough entered the 
 German army, serving six years us a soldier. On 
 reaching his thirtieth year he was married, and in 
 1861 emigrated to the United States, coming at 
 once to this county, where our subject was lo- 
 cated, lie purchased one hundred and ten acres 
 of land near Morton, on which be lived until his 
 decease, in 1892, at the advanced age of eighty- 
 three years. His good wife preceded him to the 
 better land by many years, dying in 1808. 
 
 Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Nicholas Moschel two are deceased, and those be- 
 sides our subject are, Frederick, Jacob, William, 
 Christina and Catherine. Louis, of this sketch, 
 was educated in the common schools of his native 
 country, and at the early age of fourteen years 
 started out in life for himself and crossed the At- 
 lantic alone. On arriving in America, he made 
 his way to Peoria, near which city an uncle was 
 living, and for a time he worked on his farm. 
 His father then coming hither he aided him in 
 placing the new farm under cultivation, and re- 
 mained at home until his marriage, in 1868, to 
 Miss Jacabena, daughter of Conrad and Jacabena 
 Hussong. Their home has been blessed by the 
 birth of three sons, viz.: William, who is employed 
 in the drug store of Dr. Shaffer, of Morton; Ed- 
 ward, assisting his father in the postoflice; and 
 Louis, who is still a student in the village school. 
 After completing his education the eldest son took 
 a course in pharmacy in Chicago, receiving a di- 
 ploma in the spring of 1894. 
 
 Although reared in the Presbyterian faith, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Moschel have identified themselves with 
 the Congregational Society, owing to the fact 
 that there is no Presbyterian Church in the village. 
 At one time our subject was a member of the 
 Odd Fellows' lodge at Washington, and was also 
 connected with the Druids' lodge of Peoria. He 
 was appointed Postmaster of Morton under Cleve- 
 land's first administration, and on the re-election 
 of that official was again chosen to fill that re- 
 sponsible position. He has likewise held many 
 local positions of trust; he has been President of 
 the Village Board, Trustee, Township Collector 
 and Constable. He has thoroughly identified 
 himself with the community in which he resides, 
 
 and all moral public measures which commend 
 themselves to his excellent judgment find in him 
 a hearty and liberal supporter. 
 
 yj? B. COONEY is engaged in the practice of 
 law in his native city, Pckin. He was 
 born June 7, 1859, in the old Eagle House, 
 one of the first hotels of this place. For some 
 time it was carried on by his father, William 
 Cooney, under whose management in that early 
 day it enjoyed a wide reputation throughout the 
 state. The father was a man of marked character- 
 istics and a very prominent citizen. He was born 
 in Ireland, and in 1849 he emigrated to New York, 
 where he arrived without a dollar, but he possessed 
 youth, health and a hopeful disposition, which en- 
 abled him to cope with the hardships of life. He 
 came west to Pekin, where his sister, Mrs. Fleming, 
 then resided, and for a time worked on the Illi- 
 nois Central Railroad. Later he was employed on 
 a steamboat running from Peoria to points as far 
 south as New Orleans. In 1862, he left his hotel 
 and removed to the northern part of Mason Coun- 
 ty, where he purchased one hundred and sixty 
 acres of land, but he found it too near ,to the 
 swamps to prove desirable, and in 1865 took up 
 his residence near Manito, 111., where he spent his 
 remaining days. He died August 13, 1892, leav- 
 ing a widow and three sons, William B., Richard 
 J. and Thomas J., all lawyers of prominence. The 
 two last are practitioners of Peoria. Richard served 
 as City Attorney of Havana, Mason County, and is 
 now State's Attorney of Peoria County. The 
 mother bore the maiden name of Alice Median. 
 She was born on the Emerald Isle, and is yet liv- 
 ing in Pekin, a well preserved lady. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood 
 days upon his father's farm near Manito. and 
 when nineteen years of age became a teacher in 
 the Coon Grove School. For three years he con- 
 tinued to follow that profession during the winter 
 season, receiving a good salary, which he carefully 
 saved and which he expended from time to time 
 during vacations in acquiring knowledge. He 
 attended the law department of the Northern
 
 360 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Indiana Normal College of Valparaiso, Ind., was 
 graduated therefrom iii May, 1883, with the degree 
 of LL. B., and was then admitted to the Bar by 
 the Supreme Court. 
 
 Mr. Cooney went west to begin practice, and lo- 
 cated in Fargo, N. Dak., where he spent two years 
 in the prosecution of his chosen profession. Since 
 1886 he has been successfully engaged in practice 
 in Pekiu. One observing him would come to the 
 conclusion that he works on the motto "Drive your 
 business and do not let it drive you." lie has the 
 reputation of being an aggressive, forceful worker 
 and has already secured an enviable reputation as 
 a lawyer. 
 
 On the 24th of December, 1891, our subject 
 wedded Miss Idelhi llodenbeck, a native of Pekin. 
 Her father was a carpenter and builder, and was 
 one of the old and respected residents of this place. 
 His death occurred in December, 1893. In politics, 
 Mr. Cooney is an ardent Democrat, and although 
 he has held few ottices, he has always taken an ai>- 
 live interest in the affairs of the city and county. 
 He was City Attorney of Pekin for one term and 
 served its interests with fidelity and ability. We 
 bespeak for him a bright and successful career, 
 which his merits deserve. 
 
 OBERT WKIMER, a stockholder in the T. & 
 II. Smith Company, wagon manufacturers 
 cii\\\ of Pekin, one of the most important in- 
 ) dustries in this part of the state, also has 
 charge of the' shipping department of the com- 
 pany, lie is an old resident of the county, and 
 has been connected with the factory longer than 
 any other man in its employ. 
 
 When a lad of fourteen years our subject cross- 
 ed the Atlantic from Stuttgart, Germany, where he 
 was born March 31, 1837. His father, John M. 
 Weimer, was a manufacturer of furniture in the 
 above place, although a native of Wurtemberg. 
 He was a Lutheran in religion, and died in 1845. 
 His wife, Mrs. Fredericka (Held) Weimer, was also 
 a native of the Fatherland. Mr. Held was Super- 
 intendent of freight in the wagon service in Stutt- 
 
 gart. Mrs'. Weimer died while residing in this 
 city in 1882, when in her eighty-second year. 
 
 Mr. Weimer was one in a family of four chil- 
 dren, of whom Charles died in Marseilles, France, 
 from cholera. Robert came with his mother and one 
 sister to this country in 1851; after landing here 
 they made their home for a short time in Newark, 
 N. J., where he was engaged in working on 
 a farm. The next year he came to Pekin and 
 found work in a chair factory of Mr. Shafe. A 
 3'ear later be entered the factory of the T. & II. 
 Smith Company, where he learned the trade of a 
 wagon-maker, continuing there until the outbreak 
 of the late war, when, April 18, 1861, he enlisted 
 in Company F, Eighth Illinois Infantry, and was 
 mustered into service at Springfield. On the ex- 
 piration of his three months' term of enlistment he 
 was discharged, and returning home, began work- 
 ing at his trade, which he continued to follow un- 
 til 18.60, when he opened a grocery store on Court 
 ^^et.;. v 'ijPl^refe' years later he purchased an inter- 
 est in the distilling and refining company, and 
 at its incorporation was elected its Secretary. 
 Later Mr. Weimer represented it on the road, his 
 territory lying in the states of Nebraska, Kansas, 
 Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana and Illi- 
 nois. 
 
 His connection with the distillery lasted for 
 about three years, and in 1879 our subject re- 
 turned to work with the T. & H. Smith Company, 
 and in 1884 was made foreman of the wood de- 
 partment. This he held until April, 1893, when 
 he was given entire charge of the shipping rooms, 
 his duties being to receive all the stock and fill all 
 orders and mount all the wagons before shipping, 
 in order to see that they are perfect. In 1890 he 
 became stockholder in the company with which he 
 has been connected for so many years. His life 
 has been full of business, and he has been success- 
 ful in many ways, accomplishing much more than 
 many of those who started under more favorable 
 circumstances. 
 
 Robert Weimer was married in this city in 1870 
 to Miss Martha J., daughter of the Rev. Michael 
 Mullinger, and was born in Pomeroy, Ohio. Her 
 father is the minister of the German Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, of which he was one of the pio-
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of tHt 
 
 # ILLINOIS
 
 ADOLPH KREBAUM.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 363 
 
 neer ministers; he died in 1858. The eight chil- 
 dren born to our subject and his wife are: Edwin 
 A., who is studying medicine in the Rush Medical 
 College, of Chicago; Amelia, a school teacher in 
 the city of Douglas; Cora, Robert, Jr., Carl, Irvin, 
 William, and one who died in infancy. Politi- 
 cally, Mr. Weimer is a Republican. 
 
 -.. DOLPH KREBAUM. Now somewhat re- 
 fill tired from active business cares, this hon- 
 ored citizen of Havana enjoys in the 
 afternoon of life the fruits' of yearsof toil. 
 He and his wife occupy a brick residence which 
 was erected in 1875, and which, both in point of 
 architecture and appointment, is one of the finest 
 in the city. He was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany, 
 October 10, 1814, and is a son of Bernhard Kre- 
 baum, also a native of the Fatherland. The father 
 came to America in 1834, lauding at New Ov- 
 leans in June, after a voyage of two months on the 
 Atlantic. Thence he made his way up the river 
 to Havana, where he remained until his death, in 
 1853. The lady, whom he married in Germany 
 was Miss Fredericks Siebert. She, too, was living 
 in Havana at the time of her decease, which event 
 occurred in 1845. 
 
 Adolph was the eldest but one of fourteen chil- 
 dren and spent the first nineteen years of his life 
 in Germany, where he was given a good education 
 in the German language. He emigrated with his 
 parents to America, and thirteen years after locat- 
 ing in Havana was elected Clerk of Mason Count}', 
 to which position he was re-elected for eighteen 
 successive years. He was the second man to hold 
 that position in the county, and while the incum- 
 bent thereof performed his duties in a most satis- 
 factory manner. In 1875 he was one of the or- 
 ganizers of the First National Bank of Havana, in 
 which he is still a large stockholder. He is the 
 proprietor of a valuable farm in this county, be- 
 sides owning a large amount of real estate in the 
 city. In 1856 he was instrumental in securing the 
 Illinois River (now the Jacksonville South-east- 
 ern) Railroad through Havana. In numerous other 
 9 
 
 ways he has aided in promoting the best interests 
 of the city and has contributed very liberally of 
 his means toward gaining this end. 
 
 In 1860 Adolph Krebaum married Miss Sarah 
 K. Field, an intelligent and estimable lady, who was 
 born in Massachusetts in 1832. Her parents, Ran- 
 som and Eliza (Russell) Field, were natives respect- 
 ively of Leverett and Hadley, Mass., and her an- 
 cestors were people of influence in that state. Rev. 
 John Russell was the founder of the first church 
 in Iladley and was also its first pastor. The Fields 
 were long one of the leading families of Massa- 
 chusetts, and the present representatives have by 
 their honorable lives added lustre to the name 
 they bear. 
 
 The political affiliations of Mr. Krebaum have 
 always been with the Democratic party. Socially, 
 he is a member of Havana Lodge No. 88, A. F. & 
 A. M. Although now in his eightieth year, he 
 enjoys good health and the unimpaired use of his 
 mental faculties. He well merits his successes and 
 the high character for probity which years of 
 intimate business and social acquaintance have 
 brought him. 
 
 W" JLLIAM SMITH. The agricultural element 
 that has been so largely instrumental in 
 the upbuilding of Mason County is well 
 lepresented by this gentlemen, who is one of the 
 foremost farmers of Allen's Grove Township. The 
 farm which he owns and operates consists of four 
 hundred and eighty acres of choice land and is 
 one of the most valuable estates in the locality. 
 This property he has acquired by the exercise of 
 keen judgment, incessant industry and wise econ- 
 omy, and he is numbered among the prosperous 
 agriculturists who are using their influence to ad- 
 vance the welfare of the town and county. 
 
 Referring to the ancestral history of our subject, 
 we find that he is the eon of Sardius and Mary 
 (Woodard) Smith, natives of Worcester, Mass. 
 The grandfather on the maternal side was Noah 
 Woodard. William was born in Hague, Warren 
 County, N. Y., June 4, 1826, and is one of nine 
 children. The following still survive: Sardius,
 
 364 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ithamnr, William, Warren, Edmund; Sarah J., who 
 is the widow of Edmund Phillips, and Eliza A. 
 Those deceased are Mary, and Dennis Arthur, a 
 half-brother. Our subject preceded his parents to 
 Illinois about two years, coming in 1853, and first 
 settled in York, Carroll County, where he entered 
 three hundred and forty acres of land. 
 
 A short time afterward Mr. Smith came to Ma- 
 son County, where he met and married Mrs. Phebe 
 A. Adams, the widow of James Adams. This lady 
 was born in Vermont July 9, 1824, and is the 
 daughter of Joseph and Catharine (Burt) Gush- 
 man. In 1844 she and her husband came to Illi- 
 nois by way of the lakes and settled near White 
 Hall, in Greene County, whence in 1852 she re- 
 moved to Mason County. Her first marriage oc- 
 curring in Vermont in 1843, united her with Mr. 
 Adams, and their union resulted in the birth of 
 three children. The only one now surviving is 
 Emma, the wife of Edward Whitney, and a resi- 
 dent of Mason City. Mr. Adams passed away Oc- 
 tober 19, 1852. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Smith took place 
 March 22, 1855, and has resulted in the birth of 
 six children, as follows; George W., who married 
 Miss Annie Cunningham and has three children, 
 William I., Edmund V. and Mary H.; Edmund A., 
 who married Miss Mary Brooks; Herbert F., who 
 was united with Miss Ellie B. Gilchrisl, and they 
 have three children, Charles II., Russell C. and 
 Walker G.; Allie J., who resides with her parents; 
 Josie and Ella, who are deceased. Prior to this 
 marriage Mr. Smith had been united in New York 
 with Miss Jane M. Cushman, who died in that 
 state February 2, 1852. Her two children are now 
 deceased. 
 
 After his second marriage Mr. Smith settled 
 upon the land entered by Mr. Adams and there he 
 engaged in farming and stock-raising. After his 
 step-children grew to mature years he sold his 
 property in Carroll County and purchased their in- 
 terest in the home farm. He and his wife are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and 
 they enjoy the confidence and esteem of their large 
 circle of acquaintances. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican and has been elected upon that ticket to a 
 number of responsible positions. For two terras 
 
 he served as Supervisor, for two terms as Town- 
 ship Collector, for twenty years as School Direc- 
 tor and for some time as Highway Commissioner 
 and School Trustee; all of the offices he filled to 
 the satisfaction of his constituents. He and his 
 wife occupy an enviable position both in religious 
 and social circles and are numbered among the 
 best people of the county. 
 
 ROF. D. B. PITTSFORD, County Supeiin- 
 l) tendent of Schools of Tazewell County,! 
 now residing in Delavan, claims Ohio as 
 the state of his nativity, his birth having 
 occurred near Granville, on the 21st of April, 
 1846. He is of Welsh descent, the family having 
 been founded in America by David Pittsford. a 
 native of Wales, his son, James Pittsford, being the 
 father of our subject. The latter was born in Chester 
 County, Pa., June 15, 1812, and when a child of 
 four years went to Licking County, Ohio, with his 
 parents. He was a man of good education, and 
 during curly life taught school. In the commu- 
 nity where he lived, he was a leading and influen- 
 tial citizen, and by his fellow-townsmen was called 
 upon to serve as Trustee of his township and as 
 County Commissioner, and was President of the 
 Agricultural Society. He was also candidate for 
 the nomination of County Treasurer, but lost the 
 primary election by twelve votes. In political be- 
 lief he was a Democrat. For three-quarters of a 
 century he lived upon one farm, his death there 
 occurring May 5, 1891. He married Maria Jones, 
 who was born in Utica, N. Y., in 1816, and was a 
 daughter of David R. Jones, a stone mason, who 
 went to Ohio in 1830. Her brother, Thomas D. 
 Jones, was one of the most noted sculptors of his 
 day, and his works may be found in many of the 
 public places of the nation. Another brother went 
 to the Sandwich Islands, became quite wealthy, and 
 there died in 1870. Mrs. Pittsford was a lady of 
 fine education, was a devout Christian woman, and 
 the world was made better for her having lived. 
 She died August 15, 1890, at the age of seventy- 
 four years. Her grandfather was from Wales, and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 365 
 
 was a prominent Baptist preacher; her father was 
 Deacon of the same church. 
 
 Professor Pittsford had three sisters older than 
 himself, but was the eldest of four brothers. Phoebe 
 A. was married at the age of eighteen to Edward 
 Jones, a Deacon in the Baptist Church of Alexan- 
 dria, Ohio, and died at the age of twenty-three; 
 Mary E. is the wife of Henry II. Hilbrant, a farmer 
 of Union Station, Ohio, and is Secretary of the 
 Baptist Home Missionary Society of that state; 
 Susan was for many years the Matron of the Ohio 
 Orphan Asylum, and all of the sisters taught school; 
 Enoch J. is a commission merchant of Lawrence, 
 Kan.; William II. is living on the old homestead 
 in Ohio; and Frank J. resides in New Castle, Ind. 
 He is the only member of the family who has not 
 been a school teacher. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads, Superin- 
 tendent Pittsford spent his childhood days. He 
 acquired his early education in the common schools, 
 pursued a course of study in Dennison University 
 of Granville, Ohio, and was graduated from the 
 Iron City Commercial College August 24, 1866, 
 and at the age of eighteen he began teaching. In 
 1867 he came to Illinois, and the following year 
 was employed as a teacher in Tazewell County. To 
 that work he then devoted his time and energies 
 until 1874, when, on account of failing health, he 
 went to Texas, where he followed teaching for five 
 years. He then returned to Tazewell County, and 
 until 1882 taught in the schools of Tremont, 
 Ilopedale and Minier. He then became manager 
 of the grain business in Delavan for the firm of 
 William Railsback <fe Co., and continued with them 
 until 1886, when he was nominated Counly Su- 
 perintendent of Schools, lie was elected by a ma- 
 jority of seventy-two, and in 1890, when again 
 nominated, received a majority of seven hundred 
 and seventy-four, the increased vote showing his 
 personal popularity and the confidence and trust 
 which he won by his efficient service. He this 
 year declined to be a candidate for a re-nomina- 
 tion, but is now an applicant for the position of 
 General Superintendent of Indian schools, and is 
 highly indorsed. 
 
 Mr. Pittsford was married July 9, 1872, to Mar- 
 garet M., daughter of Alex Wynd, a merchant of 
 
 Tremont, and they have a very interesting family 
 of five children: Edith N., who was born in Minier) 
 111., May 30, 1874, and ably assists him in his office; 
 James A., who was born in Kaufman, Tex., Decem- 
 ber 12, 1875, and is now clerking in Delavan; Ben 
 C., who was born in Will's Point, Tex., February 
 11, 1878, and is now working at the printer's trade 
 in Morton, 111.; Marion J., who was born in Hope- 
 dale, 111., March 13, 1881, and is now serving as 
 Page in the House of Representatives; and Walter 
 E., born June 8, 1883, is attending the Deluvan 
 school. 
 
 Professor Pittsford is without doubt one of the 
 most progressive and popular educators of Illinois, 
 and has a wide acquaintance throughout the state. 
 He belongs to the Knights of P3'thias fraternity, 
 and is a zealous and an honored member of the 
 order. Under his administration the schools of 
 Tazewell County have won a high standard of ex- 
 cellence, taking rank among the best in the slate, 
 and the appreciation of his services by those inter- 
 ested was shown by his largely increased majority 
 at his second election. 
 
 [JOSEPH A. MEYERS. The original of this 
 sketch, to which our attention is now di- 
 rected, is a rising 3 r oung agriculturist, who 
 has already made a name for himself among 
 the farmers of Sand Prairie Township, Tazewell 
 County, where he is residing on section 36. He 
 was born October 30, 1865, in Sand Prairie Town- 
 ship, and his early life was spent upon his father's 
 farm. His education was limited to the common 
 schools, and although being permitted to attend 
 only during the dull seasons on the farm, he was 
 very industrious in applying himself to his studies, 
 and is to-day intelligent and well informed. 
 
 Our subject is the son of John and Mary 
 Meyers, natives of Sand Prairie Township, who 
 are now living in Pekin. The lady to whom he 
 was married January 6, 1893, was Miss Mary, 
 daughter of John George Hild, who was born in 
 Germany in 1830. The latter was a carpenter by 
 trade, and after emigrating to America followed 
 that branch of work in New York for fourteen
 
 366 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 3 r ears. Then corning to this county he purchased 
 a farm and spent the remainder of his life in its 
 cultivation, or until 1886. The maiden name of 
 his wife was Eva Maria Teryl, and the year of 
 their marriage was 1 870. After the death of Mrs. 
 Meyers' father, in 1886, her mother still continued 
 to reside on the old farm. She was born in Ger- 
 many in 1840, and on coming to America, in 1861, 
 located in Tazewell County, where she met and 
 married Mr. llild. 
 
 The wife of our subject was the second in or- 
 der of birth in a family of five children born 
 to her parents. John lives on the homestead with 
 his mother, as do also Frederick," Sophia Mag- 
 gie and Henry. To Mr. and Mrs. Meyers has 
 been born a son, Ray John, whose birth occurred 
 December 8, 1893. Mr. Meyers is honest in all his 
 dealings and is an industrious hard working farm- 
 er, who is now residing on a farm belonging to 
 his father. He is a Democrat in politics and be- 
 lieves in the principles taught by that great party. 
 
 ACOB L. MEYER. There are few things 
 that inspire a more general interest than 
 does the sketch of a successful business man, 
 who, by achieving fortune himself, gives an 
 example to those trying to climb the ladder of 
 fame and encourages them to hope for similar 
 successes. Our subject is a man of decided ability, 
 and is without doubt one of the largest, if not the 
 largest, landowner in Tazewell County, having in 
 his possession eleven hundred and fifty broad acres. 
 Our subject was born in Switzerland, December 
 6, 1830, and is the son of Jake Meyer, whose birth 
 occurred in that country in 1784. The latter was 
 given a fine education, attending school until of 
 age, and then learning the mason's trade, at which 
 he worked until his decease, in 1858. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Mary Smith, and by his mar- 
 riage with her he became the father of six children, 
 of whom our subject was the eldest born. Of the 
 other members of the family we note the follow- 
 ing: Burgen married Joe Grossweiller, has five chil- 
 dren, and is now living in Pekin, this state; Lena 
 
 is the widow of Joe Ilitz, who died in 1887; Joe 
 married in the Old Country Miss Anna liirkmcir. 
 and on coming to America in 1865 made his home 
 for a time in Chicago, where he followed his trade 
 of a mason; he later came to Peoria, and subse- 
 quently to Pekin, where his wife died in 1893. He 
 was a second time married, and now makes his 
 home in Woodford County, this state. Anna M., 
 the youngest child of the family, was married to 
 Frank Birkmeir, and now resides on a farm in Sand 
 Prairie Township. 
 
 Alois Meyer, the grandfather of our subject, was 
 also a native of Switzerland, where he followed the 
 trade of a brick mason during his active life. Ik- 
 had five sons, viz.: Joe, who died while living in 
 France; Martin, Ignatius and Michael, who emi- 
 grated to America, and Jacob L. The subject of 
 this sketch was given a good education, as there is 
 a law in his native country which compels parents 
 to send their children to school so many months 
 during each year. They were also expected to at- 
 tend church once each Sunday. 
 
 Our subject lived under the parental roof until 
 attaining his majority, and May 2, 1852, embarked 
 on a sailing-vessel which landed him forty days later 
 in America. During the trip there was a tragedy 
 on board ship, the Captain killing the first mate, 
 after having found out that the latter was a leader 
 of a mob whose intention it was to kill him and 
 then land the vessel in a South American port and 
 sell the passengers for slaves. The murder hap- 
 pened when the vessel was two days out from 
 Liverpool, and upon arriving in New York the 
 Captain reported what had been done. 
 
 Our subject made his home for about three 
 months in Philadelphia, where his uncle, Michael 
 Meyer, lived. Afterward he came to Pekin, in the 
 vicinity of which city he began working out on 
 farms by the month. This continued for about six 
 years, and during that time, having accumulated a 
 sufficient sum of money to enable him to establish 
 a home of his own, he married, in February, 1858, 
 Miss Lena Merkie, also a native of Switzerland. 
 The young couple commenced housekeeping on a 
 farm in Dillon Township, where they remained for 
 two years, and then moved near to Green Valley, 
 which place was their home for about a twelve-
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF IW
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 369 
 
 month. Mr. Meyer then purchased property near 
 where he is now living, and after cultivating it 
 for eight years, in 1870 bought one hundred and 
 two acres of his present fine estate, for which he 
 paid $35 per acre. He was compelled to break and 
 cultivate his land, a task that naturally called for 
 both energy and skill. He is to day very prosper- 
 ous, and owns eleven hundred and fifty acres of 
 valuable farming land all fertile and cultivated. 
 The habits of economy which he learned in his 
 youth he carried through his maturer years, so that 
 now he is able to supply his family with every 
 comfort which wealth can bestow. 
 
 The three children born to our subject who have 
 grown to mature years are, Joseph M., who mar- 
 ried Miss Mary Watson and resides on a farm in 
 Elm Grove Township, this county; Fannie M.,-tho 
 wife of Joseph Kellar, who also lives in that town- 
 ship, and Frank, who resides at home. Mrs. fje.na 
 Meyer departed this life January 3, 1873. Tye 
 lady whom our subject married in KoVlemfcer .of 
 that year was Miss Maggie Haas, a native of Ger- 
 many, where her birth occurred in 1847. She was 
 the daughter of Jacob and Catherine Haas, also 
 natives of the Fatherland, who came to America a 
 year after her birth and located in Peoria. They 
 afterward engaged in farm pursuits in Woodford 
 County, where the mother is still living. Mr. 
 Haas departed this life in 1889. 
 
 By his second union our subject became the fa- 
 ther of four children, namely: Mary, Henry, Anna 
 and Otto. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer are both members 
 of the Catholic Church at Pekin. In politics he is 
 a strong Democrat. During the late war he was a 
 loyal supporter of the Union, and while he was not 
 drafted into the service, his interest in the cause 
 was so great that he paid 11,200 to send another 
 man into the army. 
 
 G. MEISINGER. Tazewell Coun- 
 ty is greatly indebted for its present wealth 
 and high standing to the sturdy, intelli- 
 gent and enterprising tillers of the soil who have 
 been instrumental in developing its vast agricult- 
 ural resources. As a worthy member of its farm- 
 
 ing community who has contributed towards its 
 material advancement, it gives us pleasure to rep- 
 resent Mr. Meisinger in this volume. He has 
 long been associated with the farming interests of 
 Sand Prairie Township, and has built up a com- 
 fortable home on section 7. 
 
 Our subject was born May 31, 1840, in Hesse- 
 Darmstadt, Germany, and is a son of Baltz Meis- 
 inger, also a native of that empire, where his 
 birth occurred in 1806. The latter attended the 
 common schools of his native country until four- 
 teen years of age, and then learned the shoe- 
 maker's trade, which occupation he followed for 
 two years. At the end of that time he again 
 turned his attention to tilling the soil, at which 
 he worked in his native country for ten years 
 after his marriage. That event was celebrated in 
 1837, at which time Miss Anna Catherine Kurapf 
 . becaine his wife. 
 
 The young couple immediately went to house- 
 keepiflg on their own property, and were en- 
 gaged in farming pursuits on that place until 
 1846, when they took passage on a sailing-vessel, 
 which landed them in New York in August of 
 that year. From that city they went to Buffalo, 
 thence to Cleveland, from that place to Cincin- 
 nati, afterward to St. Louis, and finally to Pekin. 
 In visiting the latter place it was Mr. Meisinger's 
 intention to find a location in Tazewell County, 
 and this being done, he returned to the Mound 
 City and brought his family with him to their 
 new home in Sand Prairie Township. ' The land 
 was in a wild condition, but by hard work he 
 broke the soil and put in a crop which yielded a 
 good harvest. He remained there until 1863, 
 when he purchased the farm where his son, our 
 subject, is now residing. He retired from active 
 work in 1876, although still making his home on 
 a farm, and in 1881 departed this life. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Baltz Meisinger were the parents 
 of eleven children, four of whom died in infancy. 
 Of those who grew to mature years, Maggie mar- 
 ried Leonard Orth and resided on a farm in Cin- 
 cinnati Township, this county, until her decease, 
 in 1861. Our subject is the next in order of 
 birth; Elizabeth married George Weyhrich and 
 made her home on a farm in Spring Lake Town-
 
 370 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ship until her decease, in 1889; Catherine, who is 
 now Mrs. Adam Weyhrich, is living in this town- 
 ship; Lizzie, now Mrs. Jacob Iloehr, makes her 
 home on a farm in Cincinnati Township; Eve 
 became the wife of George Meisinger and is liv- 
 ing at the present time in Cass County, Neb.; and 
 Anna also married a man by the name of George 
 Meisinger and is making her home in Cass Coun- 
 ty, Neb. 
 
 After coming to America, our subject attended 
 the district school, and during the summer worked 
 on his father's farm. He remained at home until 
 his marriage, in 1866, to Miss Mary Elizabeth 
 Orth, also n native of the Fatherland, and a daugh- 
 ter of Peter Orth, who, emigrating from Germany 
 to America, first located in Canada, but finally 
 made his way to this county, where he was num- 
 bered among the early settlers. After his mar- 
 riage Mr. Meisinger rented land until enabled to 
 purchase a farm of his own. This was accom- 
 plished in 1881, and he is now the proprietor of 
 three hundred and eighty acres of the finest land 
 in Sand Prairie Township. It is tilled in a most 
 thorough manner, adorned with a fine set of 
 buildings, and the substantial dwelling is sur- 
 rounded with all that goes to make a home pleas- 
 ant and attractive. 
 
 Of the seven children born to our subject and 
 his wife, those living are: Eve, the wife of Leon- 
 ard Vetter, who resides in this township; Adam, 
 who is living with his parents and is engaged in 
 farming on his own account; Leonard, Mary and 
 Jacob, who also live under the parental roof. The 
 wife and mother died June 11,1891. Our sub- 
 ject has been Road Commissioner for a number 
 of years, and has always manifested a deep inter- 
 est in educational matters in this locality, having 
 occupied the position of School Director for some 
 time. He belongs to the German Lutheran Church, 
 and is a Christian man in every sense of the word. 
 
 ,EORGE WALKER, of Mackinaw, is one of 
 the most extensive land owners of Tazewell 
 County. He deserves great credit for his 
 success in life, which has been achieved through 
 his own efforts. lie is now the owner of twelve 
 
 hundred acres of land, and his home is the finest 
 residence in this town, surrounded by a beautiful 
 and well kept lawn and supplied with all the con- 
 veniences which go to make life worth the living. 
 
 Mr. Walker was born in Maryland, May 23, 
 1832, and is the son of George E. and Harriet 
 (Mercer) Walker. The former was born near Phil- 
 adelphia of English parentage, and was reared on 
 a farm. He went to Maryland *s overseer of a 
 plantation, and while there was married. His wife 
 was an aunt of Judge David Davis, who served as 
 Judge of McLean County, and was one of the most 
 prominent citizens of central Illinois. In 1838, 
 the father of our subject came to this state and lo- 
 cated on a farm of sixty-four acres, four miles 
 from Bloominglon, where he reared his family and 
 spent his remaining days. He was a man of ex- 
 cellent education and a great reader. In politics he 
 was a Democrat, and in his later years was a mem- 
 ber of the Catholic Church. His wife was a Prot- 
 estant. In their family were ten children. John, 
 who served in the Mexican War, went to California 
 in 1849; he spent all his life in traveling, and 
 died in Normal, ill.; Thomas is also deceased; 
 George is the next younger; Edward, deceased, 
 married Sarah Bay and operated the old homestead; 
 David is employed in a wholesale house in St. 
 Louis; Rozetta is the wife of Lee I jams, of Farmer 
 City; Sarah is the wife of Samuel Railey, of Kan- 
 sas; and three died in childhood. 
 
 During his early boyhood Mr. Walker of this 
 sketch was brought by his parents to Illinois and 
 was reared in the log cabin home near Blooming- 
 ton. At about the age of twenty he began work- 
 ing for Judge David Davis at $12 per month. He 
 afterward engaged in operating a farm of two 
 hundred acres at $20 per month. Later he rented 
 the old homestead and began farming in his own 
 interest. At the age of twenty-six he wedded 
 Mary Lilly, daughter of Joseph Lilly; she was 
 born in Ohio, but her parents were natives of 
 Maryland, and came to McLean County, 111., in 
 1835. Mr. and Mrs. Walker became the parents of 
 five children. AVilliam W., who was educated in a 
 business college, now follows farming in Tazevvell 
 County; Frank, who attended Wesleyan College, 
 operates his father's farm; Lillie, who was educated
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 371 
 
 in the State Normal, is the wife of Dr. Charles 
 Smith, of Homer, 111.; Sallie, who was also a student 
 in the State Normal, is the wife of Maxwell Shaw, 
 a farmer; and Fannie is being educated in the Wes- 
 leyan University. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Walker rented a farm near 
 Bloomington, and later spent a year upon a rented 
 farm near Lilly. He then bought one hundred and 
 twenty acres ofjand, to which he has added from 
 time to time until he now has twelve hundred 
 acres, together with two houses and lots in Macki- 
 naw. He has always followed farming and stock- 
 raising, and through the legitimate channels of 
 business he has won the success which places him 
 among the wealthy citizens of his adopted county. 
 In politics he is a Democrat, and he and his wife 
 are members of the Christian Church. He has 
 prospered, yet he has not used his means entirely 
 for his own benefit, for he gives freely of his pos- 
 sessions to charitable and benevolent work and 
 never withholds his support from any worthy en- 
 terprise calculated to prove of public benefit. 
 
 LLEN LEONARD, who is practically liv- 
 ing a retired life upon his farm on section 
 26, Elm Grove Township, Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, claims Ohio as the state of his nativ- 
 ity, his birth having occurred in Clinton County, 
 on the 21st of January, 1827. His grandfather, 
 Ezekiel Leonard, was a native of North Carolina, 
 and at an early day removed with his family to 
 the Buckeye Stale, becoming one of its early set- 
 tlers. There he spent his remaining days, his 
 death occurring at the age of seventy-seven. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Rebecca Hodg- 
 son, also died at an advanced age. 
 
 Thomas Leonard, father of our subject, was born 
 in North Carolina in the year 1801, and was very 
 young when the family went to Ohio, locating in 
 Fulton County. They settled in the midst of the 
 forest and endured all the hardships and priva- 
 tions incident to pioneer life. For several years 
 they subsisted largely upon game of the region, 
 which at that early day could be had in abundance. 
 
 Thomas Leonard was married in the Buckeye State 
 to Hannah Starbuck, who came of a family which 
 for several generations had resided in North Caro- 
 lina. Her father removed to Ohio, and there spent 
 his remaining days. Members of the family are 
 still living in that locality. 
 
 In 1830, Mr. Leonard with his wife and five 
 children came to Illinois and took up their resi- 
 dence in Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County. 
 In the succeeding winter occurred the memorable 
 "deep snow," which is remembered by all of the 
 early pioneers. The father of our subject entered 
 from the Government a farm of one hundred and 
 sixty acres, the same upon which his son Thomas 
 now resides. As his financial resources increased, 
 he extended its boundaries until it comprised four 
 hundred acres. His entire life was devoted to 
 agricultural pursuits, in which he met with good 
 success. His death occurred at the age of seven- 
 ty-six. 
 
 Allen Leonard spent the first years of his life in 
 his native state, and has since lived in Elm Grove 
 Township, Tazewell County. The journey to this 
 state was made in a wagon, and the family ex- 
 perienced all the hardships and trials of the fron- 
 tier. When he was a young man of twenty-one 
 years, he began to earn his own livelihood by- 
 working as a farm hand in this locality, and 
 was thus employed for two years. He then began 
 the further cultivation and improvement of the 
 furm which has been his home for forty-five years. 
 It comprises one hundred and twenty acres of val- 
 uable land. 
 
 In 1849, Mr. Leonard married Louisa Fisher, a 
 native of Elm Grove Township, and a daughter of 
 James and Amy (Bennett) Fisher. Her parents 
 were natives of Ohio, and became pioneer settlers 
 of this locality. They had a family of thirteen 
 children. Two children were born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Leonard: Almina, wife of H. Laugherry, of 
 ' Elm Grove Township; and Raphael, of Woodford 
 County; the latter married Mary L. Matthew. 
 
 Mr. Leonard is thoroughly in sympathy with 
 the principles of the Republican party, with which 
 he has been identified since its organization, and he 
 does all in his power to promote its growth and 
 insure its success. He has been honored with some
 
 372 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 local offices of trust, having served as Township 
 Collector and Road Commissioner. It is needless 
 to say that lie discharged its duties with prompt- 
 ness and fidelity, for he is always true to every 
 public and private trust. He is regarded as one 
 of the representative citizens of the community, 
 and is a man of sterling worth and strict integrity. 
 
 AMUEL BLAIR, of Mackinaw, for many 
 years followed farming in Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, but is now living a retired life. lie 
 was born in County Antrim, Ireland, July 
 11, 1834, and was one of sixteen children, eleven 
 of whom grew to mature years. The parents were 
 Thomas and Jane (Gillan) Blair. The grandfather, 
 Samuel Blair, was also a native of County Antrim, 
 and there followed farming. He reared a family of 
 four sons and four daughters, all of whom re- 
 mained on the Emerald Isle. In religious belief, 
 he was a Presbyterian. The father of our subject 
 followed farming in Ireland and there married 
 Jane Gillan, by whom he had sixteen children. 
 Six of the number went to the World's Fair in 
 1893 with their parents. Those who grew to ma- 
 ture years were, William, of McLean County, 111.; 
 Samuel; David, now living in England; Thomas, a 
 railroad engineer of Peoria, 111.; Matthew, a car- 
 penter of Chicago; Robert, a distillery supervisor 
 of Chicago; James, who resides on the old home- 
 stead in Ireland; Mary, wife of Robert Tinsdale, 
 of Ireland; Eliza, wife of Arthur McNeal, of Chi- 
 cago; Jane, who became the wife of Alex Totten, 
 and died of smallpox in Chicago in April, 1894; 
 and Hannah, who died on the Emerald Isle. 
 
 No event of special importance occurred during 
 the childhood and youth of Samuel Blair, who was 
 educated in the common schools and remained 
 with his parents until his marriage. In 1856 he 
 was married to Miss Jane Smith, daughter of Na- 
 thaniel and Jane (Colville) Smith. Her father was 
 a son of Nathaniel and Margaret Smith, and her 
 mother was a daughter of Alexander and Margaret 
 (Magill) Colville, of Scotland. 
 
 In 1858 Mr. Blair bade adieu to home and native 
 land and crossed the Atlantic to the New World, 
 
 locating in Tremont, Tazewell County, 111. His 
 cash capital then consisted of five sovereigns. He 
 began work as a farm hand and was thus employed 
 for three years, when he purchased a team and 
 engaged in the operation of a rented farm for 
 five .years. His first purchase of land comprised 
 twenty acres in Tremont Township. On selling 
 this he bought a tract of ninety acres in the same 
 township, and later became the owner of two hun- 
 dred acres in Mackinaw Township. For some 
 years he successfully engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits, but in 1889 left this farm and came to Mack- 
 inaw, where he has since made his home, enjoying 
 with his amiable wife the rest which they have so 
 truly earned and richly deserve. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Blair were born five children: 
 Thomas, now living in Allentown; David, who 
 follows farming; Jane, wife of Gus Flegin; Mag- 
 gie, wife of William Firre; and Nettie, who for 
 five years has successfully engaged in teaching in 
 : tile' public schools of Mackinaw. She was educated 
 in Bloomington, III. Mrs. Flegin was also a 
 teacher of recognized ability in the county for 
 seven years. The parents were members of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Ireland. In politics Mr. 
 Blair is a Democrat, lie need never regret his 
 emigration to the New World, for here he has 
 found a pleasant home, has won a handsome com- 
 petence in his business dealings and has gained 
 many warm friends. 
 
 JEFFERSON DONAVAN. Few words are 
 
 needed in introducing Mr. Donavan to the 
 ; people of Mason County, as his name has 
 / been familiar to the majority of them for 
 many years. He is a man of fine character, and of 
 that firmness of will and unerring judgment that 
 have gained for him the esteem and confidence of 
 all with whom lie has had dealing. Formerly num- 
 bered among the agriculturists of the county, he 
 now resides in Mason City, where lie gives his at- 
 tention to the supervision of his extensive in- 
 terests. 
 
 Near the city of tlrhana, in Champaign County, 
 Ohio, the subject of this sketch was born in 1829.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OftW 
 
 UNIVtKSm Of (UJNUks
 
 JAMES HAINES.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 375 
 
 He is of direct Irish descent, his grandfather, 
 Robert Dunavnn, having been born in the Emerald 
 Isle, whence he emigrated to America, landing 
 upon the shores* of this country October 12, 1741. 
 Robert Donavan, our subject's father, was born in 
 Pennsylvania and became an early settler of Cham- 
 paign County, Ohio. His death occurred upon his 
 farm near Urbana in 1850. He was a Democrat in 
 politics, as were all of his family. 
 
 The mother of our subject was Rachel, daughter 
 of Samuel Cox, one of the heroes of the Revolu- 
 tionary War. She was born in Franklin County, 
 Pa., and passed away in Champaign County, Ohio, 
 in 1872, at the age of eighty-four. Jefferson Don- 
 avan spent the years of his boyhood in Champaign 
 County, where he gained the rudiments of his ed- 
 ucation in the common schools and afterward 
 prosecuted his studies in the Urbana Academy for 
 a period of two years. In 1848 he came to Mason 
 County and commenced farming, first upon a 
 small scale and later upon a more extensive plan. 
 To his original purchase he added land until his 
 possessions were extensive and valuable. In con- 
 nection with the raising of grain he engaged in 
 feeding and shipping live stock, a branch of agri- 
 culture in which he met with flattering success. 
 
 For some years Mr. Donavan has resided in Ma- 
 son City, but still owns his farm and personally 
 superintends its management. He is the owner of 
 eight hundred and eighty-five acres of valuable 
 land in Mason and Logan Counties, seven hundred 
 and sixty acres in Dakota and six hundred and 
 forty-eight acres in Texas, and in addition owns 
 some valuable residence property in Austin, Tex., 
 and Mason City. In religious matters he supports 
 the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church and has 
 served as a Trustee for some time. 
 
 The home of Mr. Donavan indicates in a marked 
 manner the qualities of character which have 
 shown conspicuously in. all the relations of life. 
 The lady who became his wife on the 2d of July, 
 1861, was Miss Matilda, daughter of Alexander R. 
 Chestnut, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio, and one of 
 the early settlers of Illinois. Mr. Donavan is a 
 man of prominence in his locality and is numbered 
 among the influential and enthusiastic Republicans 
 of the county. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Dona- 
 
 van has been blessed by the birth of five children, 
 all of whom died young but one son, Alex R., an 
 intelligent and manly lad, in whom rest the fondest 
 hopes of the parents. 
 
 AMES HAINES. Among the prominent 
 business men of Pekin who are counted 
 among the oldest and most honored resi- 
 dents of the county may be mentioned Mr. 
 Ilaines. He has been connected with the interests 
 of this section since 1827, and no name may be 
 more properly placed in the histor}' of the county 
 than his. 
 
 Our subject was born in Butler County, Ohio, 
 September 10, 1822, and is the son of Joseph and 
 Sarah (Long) Ilaines. The father's birth occurred 
 in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania line; he 
 fought as a soldier in the War of 1812, being a 
 resident of Ohio at the time. In thatstatc he car- 
 ried on his trade of blacksmith until his removal to 
 Illinois in 1827, making the journey hither by 
 teams. He located with his family near Pekin, where 
 he erected a little log cabin and also a blacksmith 
 shop, built after the same primitive style. He 
 also purchased land, and until the time of his 
 death, in 1846, followed the combined occupations 
 of farmer and blacksmith. 
 
 The mother of our subject, whose maiden name 
 was Sarah Long, was born in the Quaker City, 
 and died on the farm in Tazewell County during 
 the cholera scourge in 1832. James, of this sketch, 
 passed the first five years of his life in Ohio, and 
 on coming with the family to this state, saw many 
 Indians from the Winnebago, Pottawatomies, the 
 Sac and Fox tribes. There were about three red 
 men to every white settler in that early day, and the 
 country round about was little more than a wil- 
 derness, dotted over here and there with rude log 
 cabins. 
 
 Mr. Ilaines, of this sketch, attended his first 
 school in a rude structure with the most primitive 
 furnishings, but later completed his studies in the 
 more modern schools of Pekin. Previous to com- 
 pleting his education he taught school for several 
 terms in the country, boarding around among the
 
 376 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 patrons. He worked on bis father's farm until 
 starting out in the world on his own responsibility, 
 and until 1848 followed farming, together with 
 buying and selling land. In the above year he be- 
 gan the study of law in the office of B. S. Pretty- 
 man, of Pekin; then he entered the law depart- 
 ment of Transylvania University in Louisville, 
 Ky., from which lie was graduated in the year 1851. 
 
 After receiving his diploma, Mr. Ilaines located 
 in this city for practice, but soon abandoned that 
 profession to engage in the banking business, 
 forming a partnership with G. H. Rupert and T. N. 
 Gill. This connection lasted until the outbreak of 
 the late war, when the hard times which followed 
 caused him to close out his business in that line. 
 He then engaged in the insurance and real-estate 
 business, which he is carrying on at the present 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Ilaines has been a very prominent factor in 
 forwarding the best interests of this section, and 
 besides laying out three additions to the city, has 
 been President of the Peoria <fc Springfield Rail- 
 way. He has also been manager of the Ilaines' 
 Illinois Harvester Works several years, and is the 
 oldest insurance man in this part of the state. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was united in 
 marriage in 1852 was Miss Anna E., eldest daugh- 
 ter of Dr. W. S. Maus. The latter was born in 
 Cumberland County, Pa., arid was one of the prom- 
 inent physicians of this county. He was a mem- 
 ber of the Legislature, and held many positions of 
 trust in the county and state. Mrs. Haines de- 
 parted this life in 1889, leaving one son, James, 
 Jr., who is engaged in business with his father. 
 
 Mr. Ilaines was Postmaster for three years under 
 Cleveland, and was Supervisor of the township for 
 some time. He is an active Democrat in politics, 
 and is recognized as an influential member of 
 the party. He was the first County Superintend- 
 ent of Schools in Tazewell County, and is Vice- 
 President of Tazewell County's Old Settlers' As- 
 sociation. 
 
 ->4-C-> 
 
 r.ILLIAM L. PRETTYMAN. Among the 
 names held in honor in Pekin, that which 
 introduces these lines has for many years 
 occupied a prominent place. He who bears it is a 
 
 native of the city, and has borne an important 
 part in its growth, maintaining an unceasing in- 
 terest in its prosperity and contributing to its up- 
 building. He stands very high in the legal pro- 
 fession, and has led a very active and busy life. 
 
 Our subject was born in this city February 1, 
 1850, and is the son of B. S. Prettyman, Sr., whose 
 sketch the reader will find on another page in this 
 volume. When fifteen years of age, our subject 
 entered the Highland Military Academy, at Wor- 
 cester, Mass., and after spending one year in that 
 institution, went to Chicago and carried on his 
 studies in the Douglas University. In the mean- 
 time he read law, and in 1871 was admitted to 
 practice at the Bar in Pekin, under Judge Turner. 
 His father, who was also a prominent lawyer, took 
 him in as partner, the firm being known as B. S. 
 Prettyman & Son until 1876, when the father re- 
 tired. 
 
 Our subject was elected State's Attorney in 1876 
 for a term of four years, and in 1884 was re-elected 
 to that responsible office. He is the owner of val- 
 uable farms located in Peoria, Mason and Tazewell 
 Counties, which are all improved and occupied by 
 tenants. Mr. Prettyman is one of the organizers 
 and incorporators of the Peoria and Pekin Street 
 Railway Company, and it was through his in- 
 fluence that the right of way was secured. The 
 line will be completed in 1894, and it is the in- 
 tention of the company to erect a power-house in 
 this city and also one in Peoria. Our subject is at- 
 torney for the Chillicothe (111.) Water and Electric 
 Light and Power Company, of which he was one of 
 the prime movers. He is a stockholder in the 
 Spring Lake Hunting and Fishing Club. 
 
 Our subject was married in 1871 to Miss Mary 
 Frances Vandervoort, of Chicago, who was born in 
 New York in 1850. Their union was blessed with 
 the following children: Fannie, John and William 
 S. Mr. Prettyman stands very high in the commu- 
 nity, and from 1873 to 1875 was Alderman of the 
 Third Ward, and in 1891 was elected to the same 
 position from the First Ward. He is a prominent 
 Democrat in politics, and is Vice-President of the 
 Tazewell Club, and has been Chairman of the 
 County Democratic Central Committee. He is 
 one of the public-spirited men of the city, is active
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 377 
 
 in liis support of all enterprises tending toward its 
 improvement and development, and gives liberally 
 of his means toward accomplishing this end. He 
 has been attorney at different times for all the 
 railroads running through the city, and is justly 
 regarded as one of the leading lawyers of this part 
 of the state. 
 
 HRISTIAN SMITH, who is engaged in gen- 
 eral farming on section 2, Morton Township, 
 Tazewell County, was born in Woodford 
 County, 111., on the 18lh of January, 1846, and is 
 of French descent. His paternal grandfather was 
 a native of Lorraine, France, and there followed 
 carpentering throughout life. His father, Chris- 
 tian Smith, was born in Lorraine, and was educated 
 in the schools of that country. While still a youth 
 he crossed the Atlantic to America, in 1831, and 
 for two years resided in Pennsylvania. In 1833 
 he came to Woodford County, where he worked at 
 carpentering and also engaged in farming. Here 
 he married Miss Magdelene Schrock, who was also 
 a native of Lorraine, France. They became the 
 parents of eight children: Mary, wife of Frederick 
 Felnreth; Barbara, who died in childhood; Peter, 
 deceased; Anna, deceased wife of John Garber; 
 Lena, who became the wife of Peter Newhouser, 
 and after his death married Valentine Mininger; 
 Joseph, deceased; Christian, of this sketch; and 
 John, who died in childhood. The parents, one 
 brother and one sister died of cholera about 1850. 
 Christian and Peter also suffered an attack of the 
 disease, but finally recovered. The father and 
 mother held membership with the Mennonite 
 Church. 
 
 After the death of his parents, Mr. Smith of 
 this sketch lived with an uncle for several years. 
 His education was acquired in the common schools, 
 and at the age of twelve years he began to earn 
 his own livelihood, working by the month. He was 
 thus engaged until 1864, when, at the age of eigh- 
 teen, he responded to the country's call for troops 
 to aid in putting down the rebellion, and became 
 a member of Company G, One Hundred and Eighth 
 Illinois Infantry. He served with General Banks 
 
 at Spanish Fort, and when the war was over was 
 honorably discharged, in August, 1865. He then 
 returned to Tazewell County, where he again 
 worked by the month as a farm hand. 
 
 On the 13th of February, 1873, Mr. Smith was 
 united in marriage with Miss Bena, daughter of 
 John and Mary Sweitzer. Two children grace this 
 union, William A. and Frederick A. The parents 
 are members of the Mennonite Church, and are 
 highly respected and well known citizens of this 
 community. In his political views Mr. Smith is a 
 Democrat, and has served as School Trustee for a 
 number of years. Upon his marriage he rented a 
 farm for eight years, and then with the capital he 
 had acquired through earnest labor, economy and 
 perseverance, he purchased eighty acres on section 
 11, Morton Township. His wife owns eightv acres 
 on section 2, and a small tract of timber land. His 
 possessions have all been acquired through his own 
 labors, and he may truly be called a self-made 
 man, for he started out in life a poor boy, depend- 
 ent entirely upon his own resources. Sleadil}' he 
 has worked his way upward, overcoming the diffi- 
 culties and obstacles in his path, and has now 
 reached a position of affluence. 
 
 PT, R E D REULING. In giving an account 
 gj of the different business enterprises of Mor- 
 ton we desire particularly to call attention 
 to the hardware and furniture establishment which 
 is carried on under the firm name of Reuling & 
 Weiss. Our subject was born in Germany May 11, 
 1860, and is the son of Henry and Fredricka 
 (Schroth) Reuling, both of whom were born in 
 Hesse-Darmstadt. 
 
 Henry Reuling was a butcher by trade and im- 
 ported stock on a large scale. He was also an ex- 
 tensive land owner in the Fatherland and a very 
 prominent man in his locality. The parental 
 family included five children, namely: Jacob, 
 Henry, Margaret, John and our subject. The elder 
 Mr. and Mrs. Reuling were devoted members of 
 the Lutheran Church and were most highly re- 
 garded by all who knew them. The former died 
 in the Old Country when our subject was only
 
 378 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 two years of age, and in 1869 the mother emi- 
 grated with the remainder of her family to the 
 United States. She came immediately to Pekin, 
 where her elder children were located, and is still 
 living in that city, making her home with her son 
 John. 
 
 Fred, of this sketch, attended school for three 
 years in Germany, and after coming to this coun- 
 try completed his education in the Pekin High 
 School. Afterward he entered the store owned by 
 his mother and his brother-in-law, and remained 
 there as clerk until 1884, when he came to Morton 
 and established himself in the hardware business, 
 putting in a stock of goods worth $1,500. His 
 business rapidly increased, :md lie has enlarged his 
 store from time to time until now he lias his estab- 
 lishment stocked with hardware and furniture val- 
 ued at $5,200. He is also interested in the bank 
 at Morton, and is a man of whom the village may 
 be proud. 
 
 Fred Reuling was married in 1888 to Miss 
 Emma, daughter of William and Elizabeth Weiss, 
 of Pekin, where the former is living, having re- 
 tired from business. Their union has resulted in 
 the birth of three children, Eleanor, Fred and 
 Lulu. Socially onr subject belongs to Pekin Lodge 
 No. 200, 1. O. O. F., the Modern Woodmen No. 
 678, of Morton, and in politics is a strong Democrat. 
 
 B. MULLER, one of the enterprising and 
 progressive agriculturists of Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, now living on section 22, Washington 
 Township, was born on the 17th of June, 
 1840, in what was then Alsace, France, but is now 
 a part of Germany. His father, Anthony Muller, 
 was born and reared in Alsace, and there married 
 Miss Katie Maner, a native of the same locality. 
 By occupation he was a farmer, and owned and 
 operated land in Franco. In 1854 he determined 
 to seek a home in the New World, and crossing 
 the briny deep, located in Lancaster, N. Y., where 
 he remained from May until October, when he be- 
 came a resident of Naperville, 111. Purchasing a 
 tract of land he made his home thereon for a year, 
 
 after which he removed to Peoria, but soon became 
 a resident of Tazewell County, settling in Grove- 
 hind Township, in March, 1856. On the 14th of 
 September following, he was called to the home 
 beyond. His wife died in her native land in 1840. 
 They had only two children. The daughter, Grace, 
 is now the wife of Jacob Wikle, a farmer of Peoria 
 County, 111. 
 
 Our subject was a youth of fourteen summers 
 when with his father he emigrated to the New 
 World. Here he began work as a farm hand by 
 the month, and was thus employed for eight years, 
 when he determined that his labors should benefit 
 himself, and began farming on rented land in 
 Groveland Township. When lie had acquired 
 some capital he purchased one hundred acres of 
 partially improved land, and settling upon hisown 
 farm, continued its cultivation from 1862 until 
 1875. 
 
 On the llth of February of the former year was 
 celebrated the marriage of Mr. Muller and Mary 
 (Myers) Patzmann, who was born in Groveland 
 Township, and is a daughter of John Myers, one of 
 the pioneer settlers of Tazewell County, who came 
 thither from Alsace, France, in 1835. From the 
 Government lie entered land and became one of the 
 substantial farmers of the community. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Muller were born five children. Mary 
 died at the age of twenty-nine years; William 
 makes his home in Deer Creek Township; Fred- 
 erick is now in the south, and George and Frank 
 are at home. By her former husband, John G. 
 Patzmann, Mrs. Muller had two sons, John, of 
 Washington Township, and Charles, of Ford Coun- 
 ty, 111. 
 
 In 1875, Mr. Muller sold his farm in Groveland 
 Township and bought that upon which he now 
 resides. He has a valuable tract of three hundred 
 and eighty-seven and a-half acres, pleasantly situ- 
 ated about a mile from Washington, and has a 
 highly cultivated and improved farm, supplied 
 with all modern accessories and conveniences. His 
 home, a beautiful and commodious residence, was 
 erected in 1884. All the improvements upon his 
 place stand as monuments to his thrift and enter- 
 prise. In politics, Mr. Muller is a Democrat, and 
 belongs to the Independent Order of Mutual Aid
 
 RESIDENCE OF JAMES HERBERT, 1023 BROADWAY, PEKIN, ILL. 
 
 
 RESIDENCE OF J. B. Ml'LLER, SEC. 22, WASHINGTON TP., TAZEWELL CO., ILL.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 of m 
 
 (f flJJNOlS
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 381 
 
 and to the Odd Fellows' society, in which he has 
 served as Past Grand. His wife holds membership 
 witli the Evangelical Church. He is a self-made 
 man. who by his own efforts steadily worked his 
 way upward, and the success of his life is the just 
 reward of his labors. 
 
 AMES HERBERT, a well known citizen of 
 Pekin, and locomotive engineer on the Atch- 
 ison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, formerly 
 between Chicago and Ft. Madison, but now 
 between Chicago and Pekin, is one of our foreign 
 born citizens who have contributed so largely to 
 the development of Tazewell County. The shire 
 of which he is a native was at the time of his birth 
 situated in Wales, but is now a part of England, 
 and he inherits the excellent traits characteristic 
 of the people living "near the line." 
 
 The parents of our subject, James and Sarah 
 (Green) Herbert, were both natives of Wales, 
 where the former was for many years an,, employe 
 in the shops of the Great Western Railroad. He 
 is deceased, but his widow still survives, making 
 her home in the land of her birth. Eight children 
 blessed their union, of whom six are now living. 
 Of these the third in order of birth is James, who 
 was born in the village of Pontypool, Monmouth- 
 shire, February 8, 1843. In early childhood he 
 gained the rudiments of au education in the vil- 
 lage schools, but at an early age was obliged to 
 assist in the maintenance of the family. Entering 
 the tin works, he engaged in the manufacture of 
 tin sheets, but as frequently as possible he pros- 
 ecuted his studies in the neighboring schools, al- 
 ternating work at the tin furnace with attendance 
 in the schools. Through this employment he 
 gained a practical knowledge of the manufacture 
 of tin, which is a most interesting process, a single 
 piece of tin passing through about sixty-five hands. 
 At the age of fifteen Mr. Herbert left the tin 
 works and engaged in railroad repairing in the 
 shops of Pontypool, afterward securing a position 
 as machinist, later promoted to be fireman, then to 
 hostler, and finally becoming engineer. He was 
 about twenty years old when he ran his first en- 
 gine, which went from Pontypool to Newport, 
 Swansea, Birkenhead and Birmingham. Believ- 
 
 ing, however, that rapid as had been his promotion 
 in the Old Country, the United States offered ad- 
 vantages still more desirable, he emigrated to 
 America in April, 1868, landing at New York 
 City. Obtaining a position as engineer on Long 
 Island, he was for a time thus employed, after 
 which he made his home with a sister in Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 The year 1861) witnessed the arrival of Mr. 
 Herbert in Illinois, and for a time he made his 
 home on a farm near Peoria with an uncle and 
 aunt. Later he ran an engine in a Houring-mill 
 for a short time, after which he went to St. Louis, 
 intending to return to New York. Instead of this, 
 however, he secured a position as passenger en- 
 gineer on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. Three 
 months later he obtained a position on a switch 
 engine, before the Eads bridge was built, and 
 afterward became passenger engineer on the Ohio 
 & Mississippi Railroad between Vincennes, Ind., 
 .and St.. Louis, Mo., making his home in the former 
 place. For sixteen years he was thus engaged, and 
 at the expiration of that time resigned, intending 
 to retire from the railroad. But sixteen months 
 later, in Ma3', 1888, he accepted a position on the 
 local freight of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 
 Railroad, running between Chicago and Ft. Madi- 
 son. In September, 1890, he was transferred to 
 the branch road, and lived in Streator for two 
 years, coming to Pekin in 1892. 
 
 In Chicago, in 1889, Mr. Herbert was united in 
 marriage with Miss Julia Bazzard, who was born 
 in England and is a lady of estimable character 
 and amiable disposition. Three children have 
 blessed this union, Gifford J., Bertha M. and Iver 
 L. While Mr. Herbert has been obliged, by the 
 nature of his occupation, to devote his energies 
 almost exclusively toil, he has nevertheless found 
 time to keep himself posted*upon topics of general 
 interest, and is a well informed man. Social^', he 
 is connected with the Masonic fraternity and the 
 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. 
 
 CLARK. Among the residents of 
 Mason County who have prosecuted their 
 life work successfully and are now enjoy- 
 ing the fruits of their prudence and energy, sur-
 
 382 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 rounded with comforts, is the gentleman above 
 named, who is well and favorably known to many 
 of our readers. He is now occupying a pleasant 
 home in Havana, which is the center of social 
 and domestic joys, being presided over by a most 
 estimable lady. 
 
 Mr. Clark is a native of New York, and was 
 born at Cooperstown, Otsego County, May 9, 1818. 
 His father, John Clark, was a native of Massachu- 
 setts, whence he removed to the Empire State, 
 where he carried on his business of a boot and 
 shoe merchant. He iu turn was a son of John 
 Clark, Sr., whose ancestors came from England 
 and located in Massachusetts in an early day. 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Prudence Merritt. She likewise was born in the 
 Bay State, and her father was born in France. 
 
 Nathan Clark, of this sketch, received his early 
 education in the common schools of New York, 
 and when old enough began his business career 
 as a clerk in his father's store. Early in life he 
 displayed a remarkable talent for music, and 
 while acting in the capacity of clerk carried on 
 his musical studies. When only nineteen years 
 of age he played the violin for Gen. Winfield 
 Scott to dance. He was very proficient as a per- 
 former on the violin, trombone and bass viol, and 
 in Cooperstown, N. Y., organized a band and or- 
 chestra, of which he was the director for many 
 years. 
 
 In 1857 our subject came west to Indiana, 
 where he remained until the fall of 1863, when 
 he located in this county, and here he purchased 
 a farm, upon which his family resided until 
 July, 1892. For the first five years after settling 
 here Mr. Clark filled the position of conductor on 
 the Jacksonville South-eastern Railroad, but at 
 the end of that time he returned to the farm, 
 which he was engaged in cultivating until re- 
 moving to Havana. He still owns his estate, how- 
 ever, which comprises one hundred and twenty 
 acres of fine land in Quiver Township. 
 
 In September, 1845, Nathan Clark and Miss El- 
 vira, daughter of Capt. Philo Benedict, were 
 united in marriage. The lady was born in Ot- 
 scgo County, N. Y., while her father was a na- 
 tive of Danbury, Conn., and her mother, Mrs. 
 
 Rebecca (Chase) Benedict, was born in New York, i 
 Mrs. Clark received her education in the Empire ' 
 State, where her father was a well-to-do merchant, i 
 The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Clark was Jonah 
 Chase, of New England. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born 
 nine children, all of whom are living, viz.: Les- 
 lie B.; Inez E., the wife of John Clay, of Grand 
 Rapids, Mich.; Addie S., the widow of E. W. 
 Eads; Sadie E., engaged in teaching school in 
 Biggs' Station; Jerome B., located at Delavan, 
 this state; Elbridge G., residing in Hoinewood, 
 111.; Marion M., whose home is in this city; Katie, 
 Mrs. Luther Hoppins, of Nebraska; and Nathan, 
 a telegraph operator. 
 
 Besides being a man of much energy, tact and 
 business capacit}', Mr. Clark is also an artist of 
 local reputation and has painted man}' fine pic- * 
 lures, which now adorn the walls of his home. 
 He lives in a neat and tastily furnished frame resi- I 
 dence in the city which marks the presence of an 
 intelligent and cultured household. 
 
 i ICIIAEL ALBRIGHT, one of the oldest 
 \l\ settlers of Tazewell Comity, now living 
 IA in Minier, was born in Lincoln Count}', 
 Tenn., December 19, 1820. His father, 
 Jacob Albright, removed from Rowan County, N. 
 C., to Tennessee, and about 1816 married Esther 
 Touchstone, who was born in Wilson County, that 
 state. Her parents were from Fowl's Valley, Pa. 
 Michael's mother taught him the alphabet when 
 veiy small and also taught him to read. His par- 
 ents took great pains to send their children to 
 school and were much interested in their progress. 
 Our subject started to school at the age of five and 
 had to walk three miles. About 1828, his father 
 came on horseback to Illinois in search of a loca- 
 tion, and in the spring of 1829 sold his Tennessee 
 farm, and in October located in Tazewell County. 
 Slavery was the immediate cause of the removal, 
 for Jacob Albright did not believe in holding 
 slaves. 
 
 The Albright family was of German descent, and 
 the Touchstone family was of English origin. Both
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 383 
 
 the paternal and maternal grandfathers of our sub- 
 ject were Revolutionary soldiers, and Jacob Al- 
 bright was a stalwart supporter of the Union dur- 
 ing the late war. He voted with the Democratic 
 party until the time of Polk, and on the organiza- 
 tion of the Republican party joined its ranks. 
 He was reared a Lutheran, but he and his wife 
 joined the Christian Church about 1836, and were 
 ever faithful members. With others of the church 
 they organized the Union League in 1864, for the 
 purpose of sending clothing, bandages and other 
 needed supplies to the soldiers. Mrs. William A. 
 Verry became President of the League, and many 
 of the most prominent men and women of the 
 county of whatever church or creed became its 
 members, for the common cause of a common 
 danger made all unite their efforts. Again the 
 same universal and charitable spirit was mani- 
 fested at the time of the Chicago fire, when the 
 people banded together to send relief to the suf- 
 ferers. 
 
 In the winter of 1830 occurred what was known 
 as the deep snow, which fell to a depth of four 
 teet, and drifted so badly in some places that it 
 was from ten to fifteen feet deep. The roofs were 
 unshingled and snow would often drift in between 
 the logs. The clapboard roofs were held in place 
 by logs laid across them, and much suffering from 
 the cold was experienced by the early settlers. The 
 home of the Albright family was a two-roomed log 
 cabin. When the great snow came the people's 
 supply of flour gave out, and some of the men de- 
 termined to make their way on horseback to mill, 
 but on account of the great drifts had to return 
 home, and many families had to go without bread 
 for weeks. Wild game of all kinds was unfit for 
 the table, for there was nothing for it to subsist 
 upon, and many domestic animals also perished. 
 The settlers were clothed in cotton and woolen 
 garments, which were spun and woven by the 
 mothers and daughters, and dyed with indigo and 
 copperas. Most of the shoes were made at home, 
 and hats and caps were made of skins. Wheat was 
 harvested with a sickle, and our subject often 
 worked for ten cents per da}'. 
 
 Michael Albright was united in marriage with 
 Mary Ann Malick, who was born in Northumber- 
 
 land County, Pa., December 13, 1822, and was a 
 daughter of George and Abigail (Jackson) Malick. 
 Her parents came to Tazewell County in 1836, and 
 in 1845 removed to Kendall County. In 1847, 
 they started across the plains with ox-teams. The 
 family consisted of father, mother and six chil- 
 dren. On reaching the Platte River, Hiram Malick 
 was drowned. The oxen gave out before reaching 
 their destination and had to be abandoned. After 
 man}' hardships they reached Vancouver, Wash., 
 where they made a claim. The father died about 
 1854, and the mother passed away about 1865. 
 The father of Mrs. Malick was an East India mer- 
 chant, and her mother was of English descent. As 
 she married contrary to their wishes she was disin- 
 herited. It is said that the blood of the House of 
 Stuart flowed in her veins. The family crossed 
 the Atlantic to America; some of its members be- 
 came quite wealthy, and to the Revolutionary 
 War it furnished many representatives. David 
 Malick, who experienced the hardships of the terri- 
 ble winter at Valley Forge, died in 1834. 
 
 Mrs. Albright was a faithful Christian woman, 
 and was very active in church and charitable work. 
 She died May 18, 1888, in Armington, and after 
 the funeral services, conducted by Elder George W. 
 Minier, she was laid to rest. In the family were the 
 following children : Mrs. Ann Hickey, born in May, 
 1844; Homer, June 27, 1845; Sarah, who was born 
 November 1, 1846, and died October 16, 1847; 
 Mrs. Esther Abigail Griffin, born April 22, 1848; 
 Rachel Jane, who was born August 29, 1853, and 
 died July 23, 1854; Charles, born November 1, 
 1849; George M., October 5, 1854, and Florence 
 C., July 23, 1871. Homer enlisted in the late war 
 and served for three years in the Thirty-eighth 
 Illinois Infantry. Soon afterward he re-enlisted in 
 the One Hundred and Fifty-second Illinois Infan- 
 try, and remained at the front until the close of the 
 war. Mr. Albright was a second time married De- 
 cember 24, 1890, to Mrs. Caroline P. Thompson, 
 a native of Indiana. She was born in 1840, and 
 is the daughter of Rev. John H. and Martha C. 
 .(Avey)Hull, both natives of Ohio. The Rev.J. II. 
 Hull was very prominent in church matters in 
 Indiana, and was one of the pioneer Methodist 
 ministers of that state. He still resides in Dan-
 
 384 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ville, Ind., at the age of seventy-seven years. The 
 mother died in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1850. 
 
 Mr. Albright cast his first vote for William 
 Henry Harrison, supported Fremont in 1856, and 
 has since been a Republican. Few, if any, have 
 longer resided in Tazewell County than he, and 
 none are more familiar with the history of its pio- 
 neer experiences. He is respected alike by young 
 and old, rich and poor, and with pleasure we pre- 
 sent his sketch to our readers. 
 
 HERGET, President of the Globe 
 Distilling Company, President of the Pekin 
 Electric Light Company, and President of 
 the Pekin Steam Coopering Company, ranks among 
 the most prominent and successful business men 
 of central Illinois, and has not only sustained the 
 reputation of the family name, but by his honor- 
 able and worthy life has added to its lustre. A 
 man of superior intelligence, sound principles and 
 noble character, he is always an earnest advocate 
 of the cause of justice and right, and has exerted 
 a beneficial influence in the community with whose 
 interests his own have long been identified. 
 
 Born May 9, 1833, the subject of this sketcli is a 
 native of Hergeshausen, Kreis Deiburg, Hesse- 
 Darmstadt, Germany. Concerning the family his- 
 tory, mention is made in the sketches of John and 
 Philip Hergct, presented elsewhere in this volume. 
 In his native land he spent the days of boyhood, 
 and learned the trade of a wagon-maker. In 1852 
 he took passage at Havre, France, on a sailing-ves- 
 sel bound for America, and after landing in New 
 York, proceeded to Gettysburg, where he engaged 
 in the trade of a carriage-maker until the fall of 
 1853. 
 
 Coming west at that time via the Ohio and Mis- 
 sissippi Rivers, Mr. Herget settled in Pekin, where 
 he became a carriage-maker in the T. & II. Smith 
 Carriage Works. In 1858 he embarked in the re- 
 tail grocery business, and two years later he was 
 joined by his brother John. In 1870 lie built a 
 block containing two stores, and there, since 1871, 
 he has conducted an extensive business, being for 
 
 some time in the wholesale grocery and liquor 
 business, but now devoting his attention wholly 
 to the latter line of work. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Herget assisted in the organization 
 of the Pekin Steam Coopering Company, and lias 
 since been its President. In the fall of 1892 he 
 built the Globe Distillery, which was completed 
 and opened in April of the following year. This 
 concern is situated on the Jacksonville South-east- 
 ern Railroad, and has a capacity of five thousand 
 bushels per day, being the largest distillery in Pe- 
 kin. In addition to these enterprises, Mr. Herget 
 is interested in the Globe Cattle Company, which 
 owns about thirty-eight hundred head of cattle. 
 In the organization of the Electric Light Com- 
 pany he was a prominent factor, and has been its 
 only President. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Herget occurred in Pekin 
 in 1861, his bride being Miss Caroline Goehner, a 
 native of this city, and a daughter of George 
 Goehner, an old settler and prominent farmer of 
 Tazewell County. Four children blessed their 
 union: Ilejxi'y G.; Mary L., wife of George Elir- 
 licher, a resident of Pekiu; William P. and Carrie 
 A. The family stands high in the social circles of 
 Pekin. and its members are universally respected 
 for genuine worth and nobility of character. 
 
 ^HJiteffi^Er-SBrJgig-SilH 
 
 >IIOMAS J. BARTON, a leading agriculturist 
 of Malone Township, Tazewell County, was 
 born in Chaiitauqua County, N. Y., Febru- 
 ary 16, 1836. He is of Scotch descent, his grand- 
 father, Joel Barton, having emigrated from Scot- 
 land to America, settling in New York in an early 
 day. The father of our subject, Albert (J. Barton, 
 was born in Old Brimfield, Mass., July 8, 1808, and 
 spent his boyhood years upon a farm, receiving a 
 common-school education. He married Sylvia 
 Jordan, who was born in Gcnesee County, N. Y., 
 in 1816, and died in Muscatine County, Iowa, in 
 1854. Her parents, Elijah and Stella Jordan, were 
 also natives of Genesee County, N. Y. 
 
 After their marriage, Albert G. Barton and his 
 wife continued to reside upon a farm in Massachu- 
 setts until the fall of 1852, when they removed
 
 LIBRARY 
 OFTHt 
 UNIVERSITY Of
 
 GEORGE E. Me HOSE.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 387 
 
 in covered wagons to Muscatinc County, Iowa, 
 the trip requiring five weeks. Arriving at their 
 destination, the father purchased one hundred and 
 sixty acres of farming land and engaged in its 
 cultivation until 1861, when he retired from busi- 
 ness. His closing years were spent in Wilton, 
 Iowa, where his death occurred in 1874. 
 
 The family of which our subject is a member 
 consisted of twelve children, five of whom died in 
 infancy. Lucinda married Thomas Ilecker, a resi- 
 dent of Warren County, Pa., and they have three 
 children. Martha first married George Ludlow, of 
 Rhodes, Iowa, whom she bore two children, Elsie 
 and Ernest. Her second union was with Joseph 
 Baxter, and they have four children. Elsie became 
 the wife of J. Stuart, and they with their son live 
 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tillie, the wife of R. F. 
 Ramsey, lives in Allegheny, Pa., and has two sons. 
 William is married and makes his home in Iowa. 
 
 Upon the home farm the youthful years of T. 
 J. Barton were somewhat uneventfully passed. 
 August 4, 1861, he married Martha Thornton, who 
 was born in Mercer County, Pa., July 12, 1844. 
 Her parents, Otis and Olive Thornton, were born 
 in Pennsylvania, the father in 1808, and the mother 
 July 12, 1810. He was a fanner by occupation, 
 and died in 1846. Ten years later the widowed 
 mother with her daughter came to Illinois and 
 settled in Tazewell County, where she died in 
 1860. After his marriage Mr. Barton rented land 
 until 1882, when he purchased a farm of fifty acres 
 on section 15, Malone Townsjiip, and here he has 
 since resided. 
 
 Four children complete the household circle. 
 Ida R., who was born September 4, 1862, married 
 Daniel Ide, and they live on a farm adjoining the 
 old homestead; they have six children, Walter, 
 William, Daisy May, Charles, Roy and Ora. Alice 
 May, who was born December 3, 1865, married 
 Nelson Woodruff, and they with their daughter 
 Nettie live in Malone Township. Georgtana, born 
 July 5, 1870, married George Coriell, of Manito 
 Township, Mason County, and they have one 
 child, Harry. Guy C. was born July 12. 1876, and 
 is a promising youth, who now assists his father on 
 the home farm. 
 
 A Democrat politically, Mr. Barton has been 
 10 
 
 elected upon that ticket to a number of responsi- 
 ble local offices, and is now serving as Supervisor. 
 Social!}', he is a member of Delavan Lodge No. 
 156, A. F. & A. M., Grossman Chapter No. 155, R. 
 A. M., the Green Valley Lodge No. 308, I. O. O. 
 F., Pekin Encampment No. 176, and Delavan Lodge 
 No. 319, K. P. 
 
 E. MclIOSE. "Some men are born 
 great, some achieve greatness, and some 
 have greatness thrust upon them." The 
 subject of this sketch is one of those men who 
 achieve their own success. Most of our public men, 
 and men who have legitimately grown rich, are 
 intelligent and persevering, of which class Mr. Mc- 
 Hose is an honored member. He is at present oc- 
 cupying the honored position of Mayor of Havana, 
 and besides discharging the duties of that respon- 
 sible ollice he is cngaered in building excursion 
 boats which ply the Illinois River. 
 
 Our subject was born in Detroit, Mich., January 
 17, 1840, and is the son of Abram and Catherine 
 (Mundinger) McIIose, the former born in Pennsyl- 
 vania of Scotch-Irish descent, and the latter a na- 
 tive of Germany. In an early clay the father of 
 our subject came west to Detroit, where he estab- 
 lished and operated the Michigan Brewery. He 
 departed this life in Detroit in 1854. His good 
 wife, who came to America when only eleven years 
 of age, and who had been his efficient helpmate 
 during their entire wedded life, followed him to 
 the better land three years after his demise. 
 
 George E. McIIose attended the schools of De- 
 troit until reaching his sixteenth year, after which, 
 having learned the trade of a ship carpenter, he 
 followed that business in Detroit until the break- 
 ing out of the late war. In the fall of 1861 he 
 went to Nashville, Tenn., in the employ of the 
 Government, and there built several transports. 
 Thence he went to Bridgeport, Ala., and later re- 
 turned to Tennessee. In Chattanooga he took 
 charge of forty men employed in the construction 
 of vessels for the Government, and built for Gen- 
 erals Sherman and Burnside the following-named 
 vessels: "Stone River," "Kingston," "Holston" 
 and ''Chickamauga." 
 
 After the close of the war Mr. McHose pur-
 
 ill 1 IklmtliU 
 
 U/, MtU 
 
 388 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 chased ''Holston" and "Stone River," and was 
 engaged in steam boating on tlie Mississippi River, 
 carrying both freight and passengers, until 1870. 
 In that year he sold the vessels and came to Ha- 
 vana, where he has since made his home, and fol- 
 lowed the business of building pleasure and pas- 
 senger boats. He constructed the Government fish 
 boat "Lotus," which was used by the fish commis- 
 sion on the Illinois River, and also built the screw 
 propeller "City of Peoria." He owns many excur- 
 sion boats which p\y the waters of the Illinois 
 River, and for the last quarter of a century has 
 taken an active interest in all river improvements. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. McIIose and Miss Jennie, daughter 
 of W. S. Dillon, were married, and to them was 
 born a son, James. The wife and mother departed 
 this life in 1880, greatly mourned by all who knew 
 her. Our subject was for several years President 
 of the Illinois River Bridge Company, and in 
 1887 was elected Mayor of Havana on the Demo- 
 cratic ticket. After serving a term of two years 
 he was again elected to that office in 1890, and re- 
 elected in 1892. 
 
 Previous to this he served as Alderman of the 
 Third Ward for two years, find he has also rendered 
 eflicient service as School Director. Socially, he 
 is a member of Havana Lodge No. 88, A. F. & A. 
 M.; Havana Chapter No. 86, R. A. M., and Com- 
 mandery No. 42, K. T. He is a charter member of 
 the Independent Order of Mutual Aid, which body 
 he served as President for several years. While in 
 Detroit he was a member of Union No. 7, of the 
 Fire Department, and after locating in Havana or- 
 ganized the present fire department, of which he is 
 Chief. 
 
 ON. IRA B. HALL, Vice-President of the 
 ' Tazewell County National Bank of Dela- 
 van, was born in Exeter, Washington 
 County, R. I., November 29, 1812. He is 
 the eldest son of Preserved and Eunice (Browning) 
 Hall, natives of Rhode Island. The ancestry is 
 traced through Caleb, P-reserved and John to 
 William Hall, who with two brothers emigrated to 
 America from England about the middle of the 
 
 sixteenth century and settled in Rhode Island, 
 where William married Miss Alice Tripp, January 
 26, 1670. 
 
 Preserved Hall, father of our subject, came to 
 Illinois, and settled in Delavan, Tazewell County, 
 in the fall of 1844. He was one of a family of] 
 nine children, and remarkable sjs it may seem, up 
 to that time (1844) there had not been a death in 
 the family for about sixty-four years. He was a 
 mechanic by trade, though he followed a variety 
 of callings during his active life. For many years 
 he was Justice of the Peace. He was a man of 
 education and good business judgment and com- 
 manded the respect of all who knew him. His 
 death occurred October 26, 1847, at the age of 
 sixty-eight. His wife passed away September 29, 
 1849, at the age of sixty-seven. 
 
 The common schools of Rhode Island combined 
 with good parental training gave our subject an 
 excellent education, which in later" years he en- 
 larged by close observation of men and things. 
 His first business engagement was with a publish- 
 ing house in New York, but he soon went back to 
 his native state and for some years was engaged 
 in teaching school. Later he went to Kentucky, 
 where he also taught school. In the fall of 1839 
 he came to Illinois and settled in Springfield, 
 where he was engaged in business that brought 
 him into contact with many of the leading men of 
 the day. Lincoln and Douglas were among his 
 warm friends. 
 
 Coming to Delavan in 1840, Mr. Hall became 
 proprietor of the Delavan House, which soon be- 
 came the headquarters for the most prominent 
 men of the country as they passed through the 
 city en route from Springfield to Peoria and 
 Chicago. Mr. Hall started in life without means, 
 but he possessed the elements of character that 
 were of great value to a man in those days as well 
 as in these closing years of the century. Such 
 was his course in life that he won for himself the 
 confidence of all who knew him. After leaving 
 the hotel business in 1845, he engaged in agricult- 
 ural pursuits, having purchased a large tract of 
 land adjoining Delavau. From this farm he has 
 platted several additions to the city, and in this 
 way has accumulated wealth. lie owns consider-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 389 
 
 able valuable property in this city and is a stock- 
 holder in the Tazewell County National Bank, of 
 which he is Vice-President. 
 
 A Democrat in politics, Mr. Hall was in former 
 years very prominent in the party. In 1870 he 
 was elected to the State Legislature and served 
 with marked ability. Though now in the twilight 
 of his life, he still takes an activ.e interest in the 
 issues of the age, and each da}' he may be found 
 in the private office of the bank carefully perusing 
 the daily papers and taking as deep an interest in 
 vital questions as he did a half-century ago. He 
 has been twice married. His present wife, with 
 whom he was united February 11, 1846, was 
 formerly Miss Sarah A. Briggs. She is a daughter 
 of Samuel Briggs, originally of Providence, R. I., 
 but later one of the pioneers of Delavan. One of 
 her brothers is Lieut. Thomas B. Briggs, U. S. A., 
 now retired from the service and a resident of 
 Delavan. Six children have blessed this union. 
 On another page of this volume further mention 
 is made of their two sons, O. C., who is a farmer 
 and stockman and a member of the City Council, 
 and James N., Cashier of the Tazewell County 
 National Bank. 
 
 ON. WILLIAM A. CALLENDER is a mem- 
 ber of the Callender Bitters Company of 
 Pekiu, he being the inventor and patentee. 
 This tirm is engaged in the manufacture of 
 Left Liver Bitters, and is doing a good business 
 along that line. Our subject was born in Lexing- 
 ton, Ky., October 11, 1818, and is a grandson of 
 Col. Philip Callender, a native of Scotland, who 
 on emigrating to America, settled in Virginia, and 
 when the Revolutionary War broke out, entered 
 the Colonial service and rose to the rank of Col- 
 onel. The father, Joseph Callender, was born in 
 Culpeper Court House, Va., and from his native 
 state removed to Kentucky. He engaged in ship- 
 ping produce down the Mississippi River to New 
 Orleans, and took part in the battle of that city 
 under General Jackson during the War of 1812. 
 Later he returned to Lexington, Ky., and engaged 
 in farming, and afterward followed the same pur- 
 
 suit in New Castle, Ky., where he died at the age 
 of sixty-eight years, his death resulting from in- 
 juries caused by a tree falling upon him. lie mar- 
 ried Ruth Reynolds, who was born in Kentucky 
 of German parentage, and thirteen children graced 
 their union, eleven of whom are yet living. 
 
 AVilliam A. Callender is the eldest. He was 
 reared in Henry County, in the heart of the blue 
 grass region of Kentucky, and remained at home 
 until eighteen years of age, when, in 1836, he went 
 to Cincinnati, where he served an apprenticeship 
 to the machinist's trade. In 1842 he was married 
 in Covington, Ky., to Mary Wolfe, a native of that 
 place. Later he went to Lawrenceburg, Ind., 
 where he built and operated a distillery for sev- 
 eral years, after which he built a still house in 
 Ohio. Later his home was in Covington, Ky., but 
 in 1858 he went to Hamilton, Ohio, where he built 
 a distillery with a capacity of twelve hundred 
 bushels. In this line of business he was very suc- 
 cessful, but his partners robbed him of $500,- 
 000. In 1855 he located in Peoria, and in the 
 year 1858 built the lirst distillery in Pekin, the 
 Hamburg. He also built the Star Distillery, and 
 erected another in Wesley City, which he carried 
 on for five years. From that time until 1872 he 
 wag engaged in the milling business. He then sold 
 out and returned to Peoria, where he invented 
 and engaged in the manufacture of the Callender 
 Liver Bitters, carrying on business at that place 
 until the 1st of August, 1892, when he came to 
 Pekin. He does all the compounding himself, and 
 manufactures the only bitters that are warranted 
 to cure all diseases of the liver, stomach and 
 blood. The firm is now William A. Callender & Co. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Callender were born eight chil- 
 dren, but only three are now living: John W., 
 who is now foreman of the A. Lair & Woodward 
 Compounding Company, of Peoria; Lillie, wife of 
 A. Chandler, of Buffalo, N. Y.; and William H., a 
 railroad employe now living in Monticello, 111. 
 The mother of this family died in Peoria in 1876. 
 
 Mr. Callender has been honored with a number 
 of offices. While in Kentucky he served in the 
 State Legislature for two years, and was a member 
 of the Constitutional Convention of 1848, which 
 framed the present constitution of Kentucky.
 
 390 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 While in Peoria he served as Alderman for ten 
 years. He has always been a supporter of the 
 Democracy, since 1844 has been a member of the 
 Odd Fellows' society, since 1850 has been con- 
 nected with the Masonic fraternity, and since 1868 
 has been a member of the Universalist Church. 
 
 NATHAN B. HODGSON, who is exten- 
 sively engaged in fanning and stock-raising 
 on section 26, Elm Grove Township, Taze- 
 well County, was born on the old home- 
 stead in this township, August 20, 1851. He is 
 descended from one of the early American fami- 
 lies. The great-grandfather, John Hodgson, was 
 born in this country in 1731, and was a son of 
 George Hodgson, who was born about 1701, in 
 Ireland, of English parentage. In his youth he 
 crossed the Atlantic to America, becoming the 
 founder of the family in this land. Amos Hodg- 
 son, grandfather of our subject, was a native of 
 Ohio, and from that stale emigrated to Illinois in 
 an early day. lie wedded Mary Barnett. 
 
 Daniel Hodgson, father of our subject, was born 
 in the Buckeye State, and during his boyhood 
 came with the family to Illinois in the autumn of 
 1830. lie spent his life here as an agriculturist, 
 subduing the virgin soil and developing a line 
 farm. He was a famous hunter of his day and 
 brought down large quantities of game. His sons 
 have inherited his tastes in that direction and are 
 among the most noted marksmen in this part of 
 the state. Mr. Hodgson died in Tazewell County 
 at an advanced age. His wife, who was former- 
 ly Mary Ann Largent, is now living with her son, 
 Isaac L., at the age of seventy years. She was born 
 in Virginia, and was a daughter of William and 
 Elizabeth (Frazier) Largent, both of whom were 
 Virginians by birth, and at an early day came to 
 the north, settling near Pekin, 111. Unto Mr. and 
 Mrs. Hodgson were born seven children, who are 
 yet living, Isaac L., who resides on the old home- 
 stead; Almina, wife of W. S. Manker, of Elm 
 Grove Township; Elmira, wife of N. Bennett, of 
 the same township; Nancy, wife of John Hill, of 
 Elm Grove Township; D. Louis, who is living on 
 
 a part of the home farm; and Amy, wife of Ed 
 Miars, of McLean County, 111. 
 
 Jonathan B. Hodgson has spent his entire life in 
 Elm Grove Township, where he was reaped in the 
 usual manner of farmer lads, aiding in the labors 
 of the field during the summer, and attending the 
 public schools of the neighborhood through the 
 winter season. On attaining his majority he 
 started out in life for himself and has since en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits. As a companion 
 and helpmate on life's journey he chose Martha 
 Matilda, a daughter of Thomas Prunty. She was 
 one of four children, the others being Clara, wife 
 William Cooper, of Colorado; Anna, wife of 
 Charles Bennett, of EJm Grove Township; and 
 Lewis, of Colorado. The wedding of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Hodgson was celebrated November 6, 1873, 
 and their union has been blessed with five children: 
 Martha V., Daniel Burr, Flora May, Sarah A. and 
 Leonard Boone. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Hodgson bought his first farm, a 
 tract near Tremont, where he made his home until 
 December, 1882. He then removed to his present 
 farm, which is pleasantly located about three 
 miles southwest of Tremont. It comprises two 
 hundred and twelve acres of fine land, and in con- 
 nection with its cultivation he is successfully en- 
 gaged in stock-raising, making a specialty of hogs. 
 He is regarded as one of the progressive and pros- 
 perous farmers of the community. In politics he 
 is a Democrat. He is interested in educational 
 matters and is a member of the Board of School 
 Trustees. Socially he is connected with the 
 Modern Woodmen. 
 
 ETER BROONER. A lifetime of earnest 
 endeavor in pursuing his chosen calling, 
 ^ coupled with strict integrity, honesty of 
 purpose and liberality, has tended to place 
 Mr. Brooner among the highly honored and suc- 
 cessful agriculturists of Salt Creek Township, Ma- 
 son County, where he is now living retired on 
 his fine estate, comprising three hundred and 
 twenty-five acres on sections 14, 22 and 23. He is
 
 RESIDENCE OF J. B. HODGSON, SEC. 26, ELM GROVE TP., TAZEWELL CO., ILL. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF PETER BROONER, SEC. 22, SALT CREEK TP., MASON CO., ILL.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF IHl 
 
 UNIVfcKSIlT i MUNUiS
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 393 
 
 a native of this county, having been born in the 
 above township, April 7, 1838. 
 
 Ephraim Brooner, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Warrick County, Ind., and came to Menard 
 County, this state, in 1829, at which time he loca- 
 ted near Old Salem. After a short residence there 
 he came to Mason County, where his death oc- 
 curred at the age of thirty-three years. His wife, 
 who prior to her marriage was Miss Mary Green- 
 way, was born in 1811 in Kentucky, but was 
 reared to womanhood in the Hoosier State. After 
 the death of her husband Mrs. Brooner married 
 Reason Virgin and died when sixty-seven years 
 of age. 
 
 Peter, of this sketch, was the youngest son in his 
 parents' family of eight children, three of whom 
 grew to mature years and are sttll living. He was 
 thrte years of age when his father died, and he 
 remained with his mother until attaining .his 
 eighteenth year, when he began life for himself, by,, 
 working out on farms by the month. He was thus 
 employed for a period of thirteen years, when, in 
 1864, he began the cultivation of a farm of his 
 own. 
 
 The lady who became the wife of our subject, 
 September 8, 1873, was Miss Mary E., daughter of 
 David Swing. She was born in Clermont Count3 - , 
 Ohio, December 23, 1847, which was also the 
 birthplace of her father. The latter was a car- 
 riage-maker by trade, at which he worked in Cin- 
 cinnati for fourteen years. Later he purchased a 
 farm in Clermont County which he cultivated 
 until removing here in 1868. His wife, the 
 mother of Mrs. Brooner was, prior to her marriage, 
 Miss Lucy Greenway, who was born in the Blue 
 Grass State in 1819. Her parents removed to 
 Indiana when she was a babe of twelve months, 
 and there she acquired her education and lived 
 until 1837, when she came to this county. After a 
 residence here of five years she returned to Ohio, 
 and made her home in that state until 1868, when 
 we again find her in this county. She is still 
 living, and resides in Mason City. 
 
 Mrs. Brooner is the oldest of seven children in- 
 cluded in the parental family, and is a twin of 
 Joseph, who is now deceased. Soon after his 
 marriage our subject located on his present fine 
 
 estate, and being an industrious man his diligence 
 and perseverance soon transformed the raw prairie 
 into rich and fertile fields. By his union with 
 Miss Swing he has become the father of six chil- 
 dren, of whom Marietta and three who were un- 
 named are deceased. Those living are Hattie T. 
 and Dora E. 
 
 As stated in our opening paragraph Mr. Brooner 
 is the proud possessor of three hundred and 
 twenty-five broad acres which he has placed under 
 the best methods of improvement. He now rents 
 his property, and from the income thus received is 
 enabled to take life easy. He is actively inter- 
 ested in everything that pertains to the welfare of 
 his town and county, and is a prominent worker in 
 the ranks of the Democratic party. His life has 
 been an honorable and upright one, and his ster- 
 ling worth and many excellencies of character 
 have gained him the high regard of all with whom 
 he Ijas been brought in contact. 
 
 DAM GUMBEL. An honorable position 
 among the agriculturists of Forest City 
 (I Township, Mason County, is held by the 
 gentleman above, named, who is the pos- 
 sessor of two hundred acres of land located on 
 section 24. He is a son of Charles Gumbel, who 
 was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany, in 1812, and 
 there followed the combined occupations of black- 
 smith and farmer. He was married in the Father- 
 land to Miss Sabina Ritter, also a native of the 
 above place, who died in the Old Country. 
 
 Mrs. Sabina Gumbel became the mother of eight 
 children, of whom Ernest makes his home in War- 
 saw, this state; Elizabeth married the Rev. George 
 Himniel and lives in Forest City Township; John 
 makes his home in Manito Township; and Adam, 
 of this sketch, is the youngest of the family. After 
 the death of his first wife, Charles Gumbel was 
 married to Catherine Deisher, also a native of the 
 above province in Germany. Their union resulted 
 in the birth of four children, all of whom are de- 
 ceased. They came to America in 1850 and lo- 
 cated on a farm, where our subject is at present
 
 394 
 
 PORTEAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 making his home. There the father built a log 
 house, in which the family lived until 1863, when 
 he erected a commodious frame structure, which 
 his son is now occupying. His first purchase of 
 land in the New World included forty acres, 
 which was the largest amount he could pay for, as 
 there had been much sickness in his family. He 
 left at his death, in 1884, however, an estate of 
 one hundred and twenty acres of finely improved 
 land. Religiously, ho was a member of the Evan- 
 gelical Church, in which lie was Class-leader, and 
 in politics he was a stancli Republican. 
 
 Adam Gumbel, of this sketch, was born No- 
 vember 7, 1840, in Ilesse-Cassel, Germany, and 
 was a lad of nine years when he accompanied his 
 father on his emigration to the United States. As 
 there were no schools in the neighborhood of the 
 new home, his education was ver}' much neglected, 
 and many years of his life after he was old enough 
 to do so were spent in working on his father's farm. 
 
 When attaining his twenty-sixth year, our sub- 
 ject assumed the management of the home farm, 
 and that same year was married to Miss Chris- 
 tina Stem, a native of Saxony and the daughter 
 of Conrad Stein. Her death occurred in 1875, 
 and the following year Mr. Gumbel was married 
 to Miss Matilda, daughter of Garrett Bruning, an 
 old settler in this county, who came from Ger- 
 many and is now deceased. Mrs. Gumbel was 
 born May 22, 1851, and has become the mother of 
 six children: Oscar Adolph, Krnest Frank, George 
 Henry, Myra Margaret, Carl Clarence and Reuben 
 Adam. 
 
 Our subject is the proprietor of two hundred 
 acres of land, the greater portion of which is the 
 old homestead. The house which lie occupies was 
 erected by his father many years ago, but he has 
 lately remodeled it. built a fine barn, set out an 
 orchard and placed those improvements upon the 
 farm which indicates him to be a man of push and 
 enterprise. He gives his attention exclusively to 
 the cultivation of land, and besides raising wheat, 
 corn and oats breeds fine grades of stock. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gumbel are members of the Evan- 
 gelical Church at /ion, in which the former has 
 served as Trustee. He has been a School Director 
 of District No. 1 for ten years, and has given his 
 
 children good educations in both the German and 
 English languages. Politically, he is a true Re- 
 publican, and has been Road Commissioner for 
 three years. William Gumbel, a brother of our 
 subject, served as a soldier in the Civil War as a 
 member of Company K, Eighty-fifth Illinois In- 
 fantry, of which he was Sergeant. He died in 
 1890, leaving a wife. 
 
 ILLIAM IT. HARRIS, the able and popular 
 Postmaster at Tremont, was born in this 
 town December 24, 1844, and is the only 
 child of John IT. and Sarah (Fairbanks) Harris. 
 His father was born in Westchester County, N. Y., 
 in 1792, and when quite a young man went to 
 New York City, where he worked as a journeyman, 
 learning the hatter's trade. Soon afterward he 
 embarked in business on his own account as a hat 
 manufacturer and built up a very extensive trade, 
 continuing in business in that city until 1835. He 
 received orders from all over the county, and 
 operated two factories, one in the city and the 
 other at Sing Sing. He also had a branch store in 
 Charleston, S. C., and during the War of 1812 
 was twice taken prisoner by the British on his way 
 to and from that place, but both times was parolled. 
 During his first year's residence in New York, 
 Mr. Harris was made a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity. He was also married during that year. 
 In 1835 he determined to seek a home in the west, 
 and in company with Josiah James and William 
 Sampson, was appointed a committee to arrange 
 for the purchase of lands for a colony of New 
 York people who desired to locate in the west. 
 The committee made a settlement at Tremont ind 
 entered land in this vicinit3'. Mr. Harris acted as 
 Treasurer of the colony until the land was all sold. 
 In 1836 he closed out his business interests in New 
 York and brought his family to his Illinois home. 
 He was twice married. He wedded Catherine 
 Montross, a native of New York, who died in 
 1840, leaving three children, Elizabeth, now the 
 widow of Dr. S. R. Saltonstall, of Tremont; Dr. J. 
 M., of New York City, and J. II., of San Francisco. 
 In 1843 Mr. Harris wedded Sarah Fairbanks,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 395 
 
 who was born in Weare, N. H., October 29, 1800, 
 and w[io was a lady of noble character, the influ- 
 ence of her beautiful life being fresh in the hearts 
 of her descendants to-day. Mr. Harris was a large 
 land owner, having over one thousand acres in one 
 body. He took a very prominent part in the de- 
 velopment and upbuilding of this section, and at 
 one time gave twenty acres of land and $2,000 in 
 cash for the permanent location for the county 
 seat in Tremont. He was also a very prominent 
 and influential member in the Baptist Church, and 
 his influence was ever found on the side of right. 
 In early days he was a Whig in politics, but after- 
 ward became a Republican. His death occurred in 
 1882, at the age of ninety, and his wife passed 
 away in 1880. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, Ezekiel Harris, 
 was a native of Wales, and his father was a school 
 teacher of Dublin. In early life the former crossed 
 the Atlantic and located in Westchester County, 
 N. Y., where he reared a family of twelve children. 
 He died at an advanced age, and his wife passed 
 away at the age of one hundred. 
 
 William Harris, whose name heads this record, 
 has spent his entire life in Tazewell County, where 
 he was reared and educated in the usual manner 
 of farmer lads. For many years he was engaged 
 in the nursery and fruit business and in agricult- 
 ural pursuits, meeting with success in his under- 
 takings. In 1869 lie married Frances, daughter of 
 Felix and Harriet Fenner, early settlers of Taze- 
 well County. His father was a Pennsylvanian by 
 birth, and her mother was a native of Chemung 
 County, N. Y. To Mr. and Mrs. Harris have been 
 born seven children, Charles, a carpenter of Peoria; 
 Frank, at home; Thomas, of Clinton County, Pa.; 
 Lee, the local editor of the Pekin Times, of Pekin, 
 111.; A. W.; Mamie, who died aged ten years, and 
 Walter, who died at the age of one year. 
 
 Mr. Harris manifested his loyalty to the Govern- 
 ment during the late war by enlisting in Company . 
 H, Seventieth Illinois Infantry, in 1862. Forsome 
 time he was confined in a hospital, and was dis- 
 charged at the expiration of his term of enlist- 
 ment. Socially, lie is a member of Tremont Lodge 
 No. 462, A. F. & A. M., with which he has been 
 connected for twenty-seven years. In politics he 
 
 has always been a Democrat, and is deeply inter- 
 ested in the party's principles. He served for four 
 years as Township Collector, was Assessor two 
 years, for several years was a member of the Town 
 Board of Trustees, and in March, 1893, was ap- 
 pointed Postmaster at Tremont by President Cleve- 
 land, which position he now fills in a creditable 
 and acceptable manner. 
 
 ENRY F. SMITH, Secretary of the Pekin 
 Milling Company, is one of the native 
 sons of this city. lie was born February 
 18, 1866, and is a son of Hon. Teis Smith, 
 who was one of the most prominent and progressive 
 citizens of Tazewell County. Here he was reared to 
 manhood. His fathei was born in Hamswerum, Ost- 
 friesland, March 21, 1827, and was the eldest child 
 of Conrad and Margaret ( Vandervclde) Smith, who 
 were also natives of Germany and belonged to old 
 families of that country. He acquired a good 
 education, and in the spring of 1848 crossed the 
 briny deep to New Orleans, whence he went to 
 St. Ixniis, where for nearly a year he worked at 
 his trade of wagon-making. His parents, brothers 
 and sisters arrived in that city in 1849, and soon 
 after that removed to Peoria, 111. In August they 
 came to Pekin, and Teis and Henry Smith worked at 
 wagon-making for a time, after which, in connec- 
 tion with their brother Frederick, they bought a 
 small shop and established the firm that existed 
 until 1870. It is now theT. & II. Smith Company, 
 wagon manufacturers, and they also incorporated 
 the Pekin Plow Company. The father of our sub- 
 ject was also the founder of the Teis Smith & Co.'s 
 Bank, and the Smith, Hippen & Co., grain mer- 
 chants. 
 
 In the spring of 1852 the father of our subject 
 married Elizabeth Neef, a native of Germany, and 
 to them were born six children, but only one is 
 now living, Mrs. Maggie C. Neef, of Pekin. The 
 mother died in 1862 and Mr. Smith afterward 
 married Miss Sieverdena Neef, a cousin of his 
 former wife. They had three children, two yet
 
 396 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 living: Henry F., Secretary of the Pekin Milling 
 Company, and Theresa, wife of .1. W. Ilarmel. 
 
 Mr. Smith died September 12, 1870, but his wife 
 is still living in this city. From the organization 
 of the party lie was a stanch Republican, and was a 
 devout member and liberal supporter of the Ger- 
 man Methodist Episcopal Church. He took an 
 active interest in everything pertaining to the 
 welfare of the community, and his life was one of 
 usefulness. His aims were high, noble and patri- 
 otic, and his business dealings were always straight- 
 forward and honorable. From a small beginning 
 he steadily worked his way upward until he be- 
 came connected with some of the leading indus- 
 tries of this city. He was connected with several 
 banking houses outside of Pekin, was a director 
 of several railway companies, was a Trustee and 
 prominent member of the Pekin Agricultural and 
 Mechanical Society, and was a member of the Pe- 
 kin Railway Construction Company. He was a 
 member of the State Board of Equalization. jMMJl! 
 the Board of Supervisors, and was a member of 
 the City Council. This is a summary of the pri- 
 vate and public interests which engrossed his time 
 and attention and made him one of the leading 
 and influential citizens in this section of the state. 
 
 Henry F. Smith attended the Weslcyan Univer- 
 sity for two years in Warren town, Mo., and was 
 graduated from the commercial department of the 
 Wesleyan University of Bloomington. He was then 
 in the employ of Schipper & Block for one year, 
 when he became one of the organizers of the Ger- 
 man-American National Bank, in which he served 
 as teller for three years, or until the fall of 1890. 
 He then bought out the senior partner in the 
 foundry business of Voth <fe Duisdieker and con- 
 tinued in partnership with the latter gentleman 
 under the name of Duisdieker & Smith until July, 
 1892, engaged in the manufacture of various kinds 
 of machinery. In the beginning of that year he 
 became interested in the milling business, and in 
 July of that year sold his other business to his 
 partner in order to devote his entire time and at- 
 tention to milling. 
 
 Mr. Smith was one of the organizers of the Pe- 
 kin Milling Company, which was incorporated in 
 1892 with J. W. Harmel as President and Treas- 
 
 urer; Henry Block, Vice-President, and I-I. F. Smith, 
 Secretary. They enlarged the mill, built tl^e ware- 
 houses and increased the capacity to one hundred 
 and seventj'-five barrels of flour per day. The 
 mill is supplied with a full roller system, is run by 
 a steam engine of eighty horse power, and the 
 wheat used is shipped from Kansas and Missouri. 
 Their principal grades of flour are "Crystal," 
 "Golden Medal" and "Beats 'em All." 
 
 On the 27th of October, 1887, in Pekin, was cel- 
 ebrated the marriage of Mr. Smith and Miss Lena 
 Steinmetz. The3 r have three children, Mary L., 
 Loraine II. and Teis P. In his political views Mr. 
 Smith is a Republican, and socially is connected 
 with the National Union, with Empire Lodge No. 
 126, A. F. & A. M.; Pekin Chapter No. 25, R. A. M.; 
 and is a charter member of the Woodmen's soci- 
 ety. In connection with his other interests he 
 owns and carries on a stock farm comprising two 
 hundred acres of land in Mason County, four 
 mtles'fedirtirbf Manito. Excellent business abil- 
 ity, sagacity and enterprise are numbered among 
 his chief characteristics and will no doubt win for 
 him the success which attended his father's efforts. 
 
 OHN W. NOLTE, proprietor of the Pekin 
 Steam Laundry, is a widely known and 
 prominent young business man, who was 
 born in this city, March 19, 1867. He is the 
 son of Justice C. Nolle, a native of German}^ who 
 when sixteen years of age came to America and 
 located in St. Louis with his parents, where they 
 died soon after of cholera. Their son was em- 
 ployed in teaming in the Mound City until com- 
 ing to Delavan, this county, when he located on a 
 farm on the prairie and was engaged in its culti- 
 vation until coming to Pekin some years later. 
 While living in the city he was engaged in team- 
 ing on quite an extensive scale, but is living at the 
 present time on a farm of eighty acres within the 
 corporate limits of the city. His wife, before her 
 marriage known as Miss Rosanna Davis, was born 
 in New York City, and was married to Mr. Nolle 
 ;n Pekin. 
 
 Of the four sons and one daughter comprised 
 in the parenlal family, our subject is the eldesl
 
 UBRAOT 
 Of !Ht 
 
 OF ILLINOIS
 
 DANIEL BROWN.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 399 
 
 hut one. He was reared in this city, attended the 
 common schools until reaching his thirteenth year, 
 when he found employment with the Pekin Plow 
 Works, and for four years was in the finishing 
 room. Later he was engaged as clerk for A. Fuld, 
 a general clothing merchant in the city, and re- 
 mained with him for about a twelvemonth. Then 
 in 1887 he went to work for the Pekin Steam 
 Laundry Company, with whom he continued as 
 manager for two years, and at the end of that 
 time went to Lincoln, this state, where he estab- 
 lished a steam laundry, which he operated with 
 groat success until March, 1892. 
 
 Returning to this city in the above year, Mr. 
 Nolle bought out the Pekin Steam Laundry, and 
 in April of the following year he built his present 
 brick building, which is 30x95 feet in dimensions 
 and is located at No. 360 Elizabeth Street, oppo- 
 site the court house. He is a practical, energetic 
 and persevering young business man and has met 
 with more than ordinary success in his under- 
 taking. He uses modern methods in his laundry, 
 which contains the latest improved machinery, 
 thus enabling its proprietor to turn out first-class 
 work. lie gives employment to six people, and is 
 proving himself worthy in every respect to be 
 placed among the prominent business men repre- 
 sented in this volume. 
 
 DANIEL BROWN, for many years one of 
 the most influential agriculturists of Taze- 
 well County, was born in Dillon Town- 
 ship, November 1, 1829, and here met his 
 death April 11, 1884. So prominent was he in 
 this section that his name is still, after a lapse of 
 ten years, mentioned as the synonym for all that is 
 manly, honest and true. lie was a member of a 
 leading pioneer fainily of the county that settled 
 on the banks of the Mackinaw in 1828. 
 
 Before William Penn obtained a grant to Penn- 
 sylvania, James Brown resided in Marcus Hook, 
 that .state, and it is supposed that he emigrated to 
 America as early as 1680, as after coming to this 
 country he married a daughter of William Clay- 
 ton, who brought his family hither in 1677. He 
 was a weaver by trade, and like most of the trades- 
 
 men of Colonial times he engaged in farming. Ob- 
 taining a patent in 1683 to one hundred and fif- 
 teen acres on Chichester Creek, he gave to the 
 property the name Poddington, and on the 21st 
 of June, 1705, transferred the place to his son 
 William. He also had in his possession several 
 other tracts of land which he sold prior to his 
 removal to Nottingham. One of his brothers, 
 William, from whom our subject is descended, 
 came to this country from England in the seven- 
 teenth century and settled in Lancaster County, 
 Pa. Three brothers, William being one of the 
 number, founded the Society of Friends in Amer- 
 ica, and from that time to the present the descend- 
 ants of the "Browns of Nottingham" have ad- 
 hered to the faith of their forefathers. 
 
 The father of our subject, William Brown, was 
 born in Pennsylvania March 13, 1805. At the 
 East-land meeting house, he married Miss Rachael 
 Milner, the ceremony being performed in the rites 
 of the Quaker Church. In 1828 they left the Key- 
 stone State, accompanied by their seven children, 
 a brother of Mrs. Brown, Daniel Milner by name, 
 together with her mother, Mary Milner, and two 
 manumitted slaves. They commenced their west- 
 ward journey on the 28th of August, and stopped 
 for ten days at Richmond, Ind., where the father 
 visited his uncle, Samuel Brown, a native of North 
 Carolina, and a hero of the Revolutionaiy War. 
 Leaving Richmond, the emigrants traveled through 
 forests so dense as to obscure the light of day. On 
 the 20th of October. 1828, they arrived at the home 
 of John Wilson, a brother-in-law of the father, hav- 
 ing made the entire journey in a covered wagon. 
 
 The house occupied by the Wilson family was a 
 typical pioneer structure, and was a log cabin 18x 
 18. Across one side of the building, about six 
 feet from the floor, was a shelf which was reached 
 by a ladder and constituted the only sleeping 
 apartment the house afforded. This was the bed- 
 room of the women and children, while the men 
 slept in the wagons. About New Year's, William 
 Brown purchased from Enoch T. Orendorff, a claim 
 on which was a log cabin 20x18, and another near- 
 by 12x14 feet, the latter being used for the loom. 
 
 The surroundings were primitive, the land un- 
 improved, settlers few and wild animals plentiful.
 
 400 
 
 POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 p]very spring and fall the Kickapoo and Delaware 
 I ndians, in passing to and from Peoria (then called 
 Ft. Clark), camped on Cedar Bluff, four miles north- 
 west of Delavan, where they sought game in the 
 timber that skirts the Mackinaw River. Often the 
 squaws were to be seen and always with their ba- 
 bies fastened to their backs with a strap, and 
 while the men of the tribe brought in game from 
 their hunting expeditions, they performed the 
 manual labor and procured the other provisions, 
 consisting chiefly of corn-meal, which they begged 
 from the settlers. When moving they carried the 
 tents and other camping outfit, the men carrying 
 the hunting material only. 
 
 The original claim consisted of fifteen acres un- 
 der cultivation, but afterward other property was 
 purchased and the farm enlarged to sixty acres. A 
 house was built for a blacksmith shop, and in the 
 spring of 1829 father and sons began to work at 
 the trade of a blacksmith. In March the father 
 went to St. Louis, where he purchased some Ten- 
 nessee iron and English steel, and this was con- 
 veyed to Pekin in a flat boat. The up-rooted 
 trees washed out by floods obstructed the channels 
 of the western rivers, and had to be removed be- 
 fore a steamboat could effect a passage. During 
 the administration of J. Q. Adams, who was elec- 
 ted to the Presidency in 1824. snag boats were 
 built for the purpose of removing the snags from 
 the rivers in the west, and as an immediate result 
 great prosperity followed. Glass for window panes 
 was introduced into the county in 1829, when 
 Aaron and Enoch T. Orendorff each built a brick 
 residence and used glass for the windows. During 
 the following year Mr. Brown bought some glass 
 and put several window panes in his house. 
 
 In hunting, the pioneers of Tazewell County 
 took great pleasure, and thereby furnished the 
 meat for the family. Deer, turkeys and prairie 
 chickens were plentiful. For some years wolves 
 were very numerous, and in the autumn evenings, 
 especially if a storm threatened, a distant growl 
 could be heard; the refrain would be taken up un- 
 til on every hand resounded their continuous 
 howling. Then woe to the lamb that strayed from 
 the sheepfold, or the belated traveler without a 
 safe retreat near at hand! 
 
 A well-to-do and progressive citizen, William 
 Brown became quite prominent in this locality, 
 and represented his district in the Legislature, be- 
 ing a member of the House at the same time with 
 Abraham Lincoln. Of his family we note the fol- 
 lowing: Miriam married Jeremiah Bailey; Isaiah 
 went to California in 1852, and died there leaving 
 a family; Joshua is a prominent resident of Holder, 
 McLean County, this state; Hester married Jesse 
 W. Fell, well known for his philanthropy, and a 
 prominent factor in establishing the various state 
 institutions at Normal, his home; Milner married 
 Rebecca Russell, a native of Loudoun County, Va., 
 and a daughter of James and Susan (January) 
 Russell, the former of whom was a direct descen- 
 dant of Capt. James Russell, an oflicer in Crom- 
 well's Army. Milner Brown and his wife had one 
 child, Mary Milner, the wife of Samuel D. Wood, 
 her third cousin ; they live on a large estate left 
 them by her father. 
 
 The subject of this sketch completed his educa- 
 tion at Knox College, in Galesburg, and became 
 one of the wealthiest agriculturists of Tazewell 
 County. November 13, 1859, he married Miss 
 Arietta Lillie, a native of New York and the daugh- 
 ter of Elisha Lillie, who was born in Vermont, of 
 a family prominent in the history of that state. 
 He was a commissioned ollicer in the War of 1812, 
 and in early life settled in Connecticut, whence 
 he removed to New York. He died at the age of 
 ninety. His wife was Cynthia, daughter of Wat- 
 rous Clark, a native of Connecticut, and a sister 
 of Lot Clark, partner in the building of the first 
 Niagara suspension bridge, Congressman from New 
 York from 1823-1825, and for years a leader of 
 the Democratic party of his state. He was at an 
 early day owner of ten thousand acres of land 
 near Delavan. Mrs. Brown was one of six chil- 
 dren, all of whom are living, with the exception 
 of Lewis, who went to California in 1849, and 
 there married a niece of Ben Butler. A lady of 
 culture, Mrs. Brown came to Illinois and engaged 
 in teaching school at Delavan, and prior to her 
 marriage followed that profession successfully. 
 
 At the time of his marriage, Mr. Brown was set- 
 tled on the farm where he resided throughout his 
 entire life. He had two sons, the younger of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 401 
 
 whom, Daniel Milner, is engaged in business in 
 Keosauqua, Van Buren County, Iowa. January 10, 
 1889, he married Miss LotellaC. Regur. The elder 
 json, Lewis E., who was educated in Knox College, 
 resides on the home farm. He is a Republican, 
 and prominent in politics. For some years lie was 
 extensively engaged in raising blooded stock, but 
 does not give so much attention to that branch of 
 agriculture as in former years. He superintends 
 the management of the large estate and is a young 
 man of ability. lie was married June 6, 1894, to 
 Miss Minnie Brereton, of Pekin, 111. 
 
 The death of Mr. Brown was widely mourned. 
 It was felt throughout the count}' that one of its 
 foremost citizens had been lost. Commenting on 
 his decease, a local paper says: "Daniel Brown was 
 a man of great force of character, of indefatigable 
 energy, but of a most gentle and humane nature, 
 loving and forgiving in his family, and consider- 
 ate and generous toward his neighbors and friends. 
 Among the hundreds who gathered about his grave 
 were not to be found the rich only, but many of 
 the poor whom he had at times befriended, and 
 who will remember him as a true counsellor and 
 timely benefactor. 
 
 "Mr. Brown was a man of excellent public 
 spirit, taking great interest in the affairs of his im- 
 mediate neighborhood and section, and well illus- 
 trating that better quality in men that delights in 
 the upbuilding of communities first of all, rather 
 than in public honors. He amassed a fortune by 
 diligence and faithfulness in business, leaving an 
 estate of one thousand acres of valuable land, but 
 above all is the heritage of a good name, which he 
 has left to his family." 
 
 
 IklLLIAM P. FAULKNER is one of the 
 pioneers of Mason County. Coming here 
 about fifty-five years ago, he has wit- 
 nessed the great change wrought by the hand of 
 man in bringing this section of country from .a 
 state of nature to its present condition as one of 
 the richest and most highly developed counties in 
 Illinois, and he ma}' well take pride in what he 
 has done to aid in producing this wonderful re- 
 
 sult. As a farmer and stock-raiser, he was one 
 of the most prosperous of that class of people, 
 and after accumulating a sufficient amount of 
 property to provide the comforts of life for his 
 declining years he retired from active labor, and 
 now makes his home in Mason City. To him be- 
 longs the distinction of having cut the logs for 
 the first house ever built here, and from that 
 time to the present he has watched the growth of 
 the place with commendable pride and interest. 
 
 Near Moore's Hill, in Dearborn County, Ind., 
 the subject of this sketch was born December 23, 
 1825. lie traces his lineage to Ireland, whence 
 his paternal grandfather, Thomas R. Faulkner, 
 emigrated to the United States and made a set- 
 tlement in New York. He was one of the heroes of 
 the Revolutionary War, and aided in the achieve- 
 ment of the independence of the Colonies. Thomas 
 R., Jr., our subject's father, was born in Genesee 
 County, N. Y., August 9, .1801, and removed 
 thence to Dearborn County, Ind. Later, he came 
 to Mason Count}', and here his death occurred 
 in 1865. While not active in political affairs, 
 he was firm in his allegiance to the Republican 
 party. His wife, who bore the maiden name of 
 Phoebe Heaton, was born in New England and 
 died in Mason County in May, 1839. 
 
 At the age of four years our subject was taken 
 by his parents to Madison County, Ind., and there 
 he remained until he was thirteen years old, 
 meantime gaining the rudiments of his educa- 
 tion. With his parents he came to Illinois in 
 1838 and settled in Fulton County, but the so- 
 journ there was a brief one, for in the spring of 
 the following year the family removed thence to 
 Mason County. Here William P. grew to man- 
 hood, and upon selecting a life occupation lie- 
 chose that of a farmer, in which he was engaged 
 until April, 1889. As a raiser of stock and grain 
 he met with more than ordinary success, and is 
 now the owner of four hundred and twenty-six 
 acres lying in this county. The entire tract is 
 well cultivated and improved with good buildings. 
 
 March 21, 1851, William P. Faulkner and Miss 
 Melissa Virgin were united in marriage. This 
 lady was a daughter of Abram Virgin, one of the 
 early settlers of Mason Count}'. At her death,
 
 402 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in 1877, she left one son, Francis R., who lives 
 in this county. After the death of his first wife, 
 Mr. Faulkner married Mrs. Mahulda (Swiger) 
 Phillip, and two sons, Walter and William, have 
 been born to bless their union. The various issues 
 of the age receive from Mr. Faulkner merited 
 consideration, and he gives his support to the 
 cause of Prohibition, believing this to be the most 
 important question of the day. In educational 
 affairs he has been active, and during his sixteen 
 years' service as Director of Schools was instru- 
 mental in advancing the standard of scholarship 
 and promoting the welfare of the schools of his 
 locality. 
 
 I ESSE S. WILSON, who for many years has 
 followed farming and now carries on agri- 
 cultural pursuits on section 25, Trcmont 
 Township, Tazewell Count}', was born in 
 Tremont Township on the 23d Of October, 1861. 
 His grandfather, William Wilson, was a Kentuck- 
 ian by birth, and married Nancy Spencer, also a 
 native of that state. In 1828 they came with their 
 family to Illinois and located in Sangamon Coun- 
 ty, where they resided for a year. On the expira- 
 tion of that period they came to Tazewell County, 
 where they spent their remaining days. Their first 
 location was in Little Mackinaw Township, and in 
 1831 they removed to Hopedale Township. 
 
 Mr. Wilson was one of the honored pioneers of 
 this section of the state and over bore his part in 
 the arduous task of developing the county. He 
 died upon the old homestead in 1863, at the age 
 of sixty-three, and in his death the community 
 lost one of its best citizens. Edward Wilson, fa- 
 ther of our subject, was born in Kentucky and 
 was a child of only four summers when he came 
 with his parents to Illinois. In 1845 he located in 
 Tremont Township. More extended mention is 
 made of him in the sketcli of Benjamin F. Wilson 
 on another page of this work. 
 
 Our subject has always lived in Tremont Town- 
 
 ship, and agriculture has been the work of his life. 
 He became familiar with farming in all its details 
 during his early years and now has a valuable 
 tract of land, which gives evidence of the careful 
 supervision of the owner. On the 5th of April, 
 1888, he was united in marriage with Miss Sophia 
 Hittle, who was born in Mackinaw Township and 
 is a daughter of Lewis and Addie (Sparks) Hittle. 
 In their family were four children, two sons and 
 two daughters, namely: Mrs. Wilson; Orville, now 
 a farmer of Mackinaw Township; Maud, wife of 
 Ben Miller, of Mackinaw; and Roy, who makes his 
 home in Mackinaw. The father was bom in 
 Mackinaw and is a representative of one of the 
 earliest families of the county. His wife is a 
 native of Ohio. He is now successfully engaged 
 in the drug business. Two children grace the 
 union of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, Walter and Orvetta. 
 Our subject holds membership with Mackinaw 
 Lodge No. 132, A. F. <fe A. M., and with Pekm 
 Chapter No. 25, R. A. M. He is also a member of 
 Greening Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Mackinaw. In 
 politics he is a stalwart supporter of Democratic 
 principles and is now serving as a member of the 
 Board of Road Commissioners. A public-spirited 
 and progressive citizen, he manifests a commen- 
 dable interest in everything pertaining to the wel- 
 fare of the community in which he makes his 
 home. He is regarded as one of the representa- 
 tive young citizens of Tazewell County and is one 
 of the most extensive farmers of this region. His 
 successful business career is the result of well di- 
 rected efforts, energy and perseverance. 
 
 J^'ACOB IIOFMANN owns and operates a 
 fine farm of one hundred and seventy acres 
 on section 18, Mackinaw Township, Taze- 
 _ well County. His place is one of the best 
 improved in this locality. The fields are well 
 tilled, and the buildings are such as are found on 
 a model farm and are always kept in good repair. 
 Everything is neat and thrifty in appearance and
 
 RESIDENCE OF JACOB HOFMANN, SEC. 18, MACKINAW TP., TAZEWELL CO., ILL. 
 
 HICKORY GROVE STOCK FARM, 
 
 PROPERTY OF J. S. WILSON, SECS. 24 AND 25, TREMONT TP., TAZEWELL CO., ILL.
 
 LiBRAftY 
 Of tt 
 
 OF ILLINOIS
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 405 
 
 ndicatcs to the passer-by the careful supervision 
 of the owner. 
 
 Mr. Hofmann was born in Wurtemberg, Ger- 
 inauy, April 27, 1848, and is a son of Jacob and 
 Hannah (Dick) Ilofiuann The father was born 
 'in Germany in November, 1811, and was a weaver 
 and farmer. lie served as a soldier for four years 
 but took part in no war. In the family were seven 
 sons and two daughters, but Jacob and Benjamin 
 were the only ones who ever came to the United 
 States. 
 
 Our subject remained at home until fifteen years 
 of age and then began earning his own livelihood 
 and also contributed of his wages to the support 
 of the family. At length he determined to seek a 
 home beyond the Atlantic, and when a young 
 man of twenty bade adieu to friends and Father- 
 land and sailed for the New World. His brother 
 furnished the money for the passage, but after a 
 short time the loan was all paid. Coming to 
 Tazewell County, he worked by the ruontlr as a' 
 farm hand for live years. 
 
 On the expiration of that period Mr. Hofmann 
 was united in marriage with Christina Fornoff, 
 who was a native of Pennsylvania, though her 
 parents were born in Darmstadt, Germany. There 
 were eleven children born of this union and the 
 family circle yet remains unbroken. They are, 
 John, Ida, Jacob, Philip, Ann, Lizzie, August, 
 Gottleib, Harriet, Katie and Mary. The parents 
 are providing them with good educational privi- 
 leges. Some of them have attended the Mackinaw 
 High School, and three have been students in the 
 German schools of Pekiu. The parents are mem- 
 bers of the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 For eleven years Mr. Hofmann engaged in the 
 operation of rented land and then purchased his 
 present farm. It was in a dilapidated condition, 
 buthe at once began improving it with the success 
 before mentioned. He raises some of the finest 
 crops in the Mackinaw Valley and has gathered as 
 high as eighty or ninety bushels of corn to the 
 acre. He also makes a, specialty of the breeding 
 of Durham cattle and Chester White hogs. 
 
 In politics Mr. Hofmann is a Democrat and has 
 held some local olHces. In 1891, accompanied by 
 his brother, he made a trip to Germany and spent 
 
 three months in visiting his native land, together 
 with Scotland and Kngland. The journey proved 
 a ver}' pleasant one, but he is content with Amer- 
 ica as his home, for here he has found success and 
 become a prosperous citizen. 
 
 I 
 
 RA F. RANDOLPH. Our subject is a man of 
 more than average ability, and one who has 
 made the most of his opportunities. He is a 
 representative agriculturist and prominent citizen 
 of Sand Prairie Township, Tazewell County, liv- 
 ing upon a good estate on section 35. He was 
 born May 20, 1834, in Plainfield, Essex County, 
 N. J., while his father, Morris Randolph, was born 
 in Middlesex County, that state, in January, 1807. 
 
 The father of our subject was a blacksmith 
 by trade, which occupation he followed until 
 1852, When he moved upon a farm in his native 
 county and for four years followed farm pursuits. 
 In 1856 he came west to this county, and pur- 
 chasing a farm in Malone Township, one mile 
 south of the city, he engaged in its cultivation, 
 and made that place his home until his decease, 
 which occurred March 18, 1886. The lady to 
 whom he was married was Miss Maria Lyon. She 
 was likewise a native of New Jersey, and was born 
 in December, 1806, in Essex County. She was a 
 lady of good education, and married the father of 
 our subject November 4, 1829. She joined the Bap- 
 tist Church when a young girl, and was true to 
 the faith of that body until her death, March 21, 
 1878. Her husband was likewise a member of that 
 denomination, and in early life voted the Whig 
 ticket. Later he joined the ranks of the Republi- 
 cans, and in all the affairs of life bore himself in an 
 upright manner, and was regarded as a man of 
 true worth. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Randolph had nine children: Mary 
 Margaret, who died in infancy; Sarah Ann, Ira F.; 
 Juliet, now deceased; Lydia M., Daniel, Charles, 
 Albert and Julia. Sarah Ann married Jacob Boice 
 and lives in Summerville, N. J. Lydia was the 
 wife of Nathan Blackford, and until her decease, 
 in 1892, resided in Plainfield, N. J. Daniel mar-
 
 406 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ried Miss Hannah Bird, a native of New Jersey, 
 and they make their home on a farm south of 
 Green Valley. Charles lives on a farm in Malone 
 Township, this county. Julia married Philip Davis, 
 an extensive farmer near Forest, Livingston Coun- 
 ty, this state. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent his early life in 
 attending the district schools near Plain Held, and 
 on arriving at his majority he began clerking in a 
 general merchandise store in his native place. He 
 was thus employed for about seven years, when 
 he returned to the home farm and aided his father 
 in its cultivation until the removal of the family 
 to this state, when he accompanied them hither; 
 he continued to reside under the parental roof 
 until his marriage, in the fall of 1862. The lady 
 of his choice was Miss Rebecca Wilson, daughter 
 of Matthew and Hannah (Walmagott) Wilson, 
 formerly residents of Ohio, but natives of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Ira Randolph the following 
 five children have been, born: Lillie, Frank Ed- 
 ward, Charles M., Ira W. and Nelson A. The 
 eldest son was married in 1893 to Miss Hattie 
 Lawler, and Ira W. was married the previous year 
 to Miss llattie Petty. In his political faith our 
 subject is a Republican of the deepest dye. 
 
 AVID CLYDE WHITE. For many years 
 Mr. White has enjoyed a reputation not 
 only as a substantial farmer, but also as 
 an intelligent and thoroughly posted man 
 in public affairs. He has had a vast amount of 
 experience, and his most trivial business trans- 
 actions are characterized by good judgment and 
 strict integrity. He is a prominent citizen of 
 Forest City Township, Mason County, and has 
 been of much benefit to the community. He is one 
 of the large land owners of this section, owning 
 four hundred acres of valuable property pleasantly 
 located on sections 20 and 21. 
 
 William W. White, the father of our subject, 
 was a native of Pennsylvania and his birth oc- 
 curred in the year 1818. lie in turn was a son of 
 Zachariah White, also a native of the Keystone 
 
 State, who in early life followed the trade of ; 
 blacksmith and machinist, but afterward* became 
 a well-to-do farmer. The family originally cairn 
 from England and made settlement in Pennsyl-| 
 vania in about 1790. The lady to whom William 
 W. White was married was Miss Elizabeth Civile. 
 who was born in 1817 in Pennsylvania and was' 
 the daughter of David and Ann (Sloan) Clyde,; 
 natives of Scotland. Her parents on coining 
 to America made their home first in New York 
 and afterwards in Pennsylvania, where Mr. Clyde 
 was a brick and stone mason. 
 
 The parents of our subject were reared and 
 married in Pennsylvania, after which they re- 
 moved to Marshall County, W. Va., and lived 
 upon a farm until 1865, when they came to Illi- 
 nois and purchased land on section 28, Forest City 
 Township. Here Mrs. White died in October of 
 the above year, and the father in November of 
 the year following. Of their family of eleven 
 children nine are now living. Sarah J. is the 
 wife of V. H. Maxwell and lives in Slay ton, 
 Minn.; David C., of this sketch, was the next in 
 order of birth; Vachad M. is residing on section 
 34 of this township; Milton married Emma 1'ier- 
 son and makes his home at Sigourney, Iowa; John 
 C. married Anna R. Wilson and is living in Dallas, 
 Tex.; Ellen A. is now Mrs. Martin A. Smith and 
 resides in Iowa Park, Tex.; Ellbert is a fanner 
 on section 28 of this township; Wilfred A. is also 
 a farmer of section 17 of this township, and Anna 
 M., the wife of A. C. Watt, is also living in Iowa 
 Park, Tex. 
 
 The eldest son, /achariah A., M. D., was for 
 three months during the late war Sergeant of Com- 
 pany II, First West Virginia Infantry. He was 
 later made surgeon of the First West Virginia 
 Cavalry and remained with his regiment during 
 the entire period of the war. He was taken 
 prisoner in West Virginia and taken from there 
 to 'Charleston, S. C., and later to Salisbury, 
 N. C., where he was placed under lire of the 
 Union guns in order to try and stop their 
 advance. He was fortunate enough to send a 
 letter to his father, which the latter took to the 
 Governor of West Virginia and by him to the 
 Secretary of War, who secured his exchange, after
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 407 
 
 which he returned home for a short time, when he 
 again rejoined his regiment. After the war /ach- 
 ariah White located in Wayuesburgh, Pa., where 
 he was made Deputy United States Revenue Col- 
 lector under President Johnson, and in 1867 he 
 met his death very suddenly when in the act of 
 getting into a stage coach. 
 
 The parents of our subject were members of 
 the Wesleyan Methodist Church, in which they 
 were prominent workers. The father was an ac- 
 tive politician in West Virginia, but in no sense 
 an office-seeker. He was one of the original Abo- 
 litionists of that state and lived on the line of the 
 Underground Railroad. The grandparents of our 
 subject on both sides were Whigs in politics, and 
 Grandfather Clyde was a Presidential elector in 
 1844, at the time James G. Birney ran for Pres- 
 ident. 
 
 David C. White, of this bketch, was born August 
 26, 1842, in Marshall County, W. Va., and was 
 reared to manhood there and thoroughly trained 
 to farm pursuits. He received his primary educa- 
 tion in the public schools and completed his 
 studies in the Waynesburgh (Pa.) College. While 
 a student there he enlisted as a soldier in Com- 
 pany II, First West Virginia Infantry, and served 
 a term of three months. At the end of that time 
 he returned to the college, and later, when a com- 
 pany of students was raised, he joined it and it 
 was afterwards known as Company F, Fifteenth 
 Pennsylvania Cavalry. He enlisted as a private 
 but was soon promoted to be Corporal, afterwards 
 Sergeant, and finally was made First Lieutenant of 
 his company. The regiment thus organized par- 
 ticipated in the battles of Antietam, Stone River, 
 Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge. 
 They also fought in all the engagements from 
 Chattanooga to Atlanta, from which latter place 
 they returned to Nashville under the command of 
 General Thomas and drove Hood into Missis- 
 sippi. From there they went to Ilunlsville, Ala., 
 and were engaged in various raids through that 
 state, spending the winter of 1864-65 at Knoxville, 
 Tenn. During that time they participated in the 
 Sloneman Raid, and in the spring, when going to 
 North Carolina, captured and destroyed the town 
 and prison at Salisbury. From there they skir- 
 
 mished through South Carolina and Georgia hunt- 
 ing for Jefferson Davis, and going into Alabama, 
 rendezvoused at Iluntsville, at which place they 
 were mustered out of service and arrived home 
 July 3, 1865, after a service of three years and 
 three months. Mr. White had command of his 
 company during the greater part of the last year 
 of the war and was wounded during a fight with 
 the Cherokee Indians in the Smoky Mountains, in 
 North Carolina, by a musket ball, which passed 
 through his thigh. lie had his horse shot from 
 under him at Dandridge, Tenn., and during the 
 entire period was never off duty nor in the hos- 
 pital except on a visit to some sick comrade. 
 
 The father of our subject had removed to this 
 state during the war and located in Mason County. 
 The latter, however, entered college with the in- 
 tention of studying law. but was prevailed upon 
 to join the family in their new home. He was 
 married in 1867 to Miss Mary E., daughter of 
 John and Martha (Gittin) McKuight, both natives 
 of Ohio, who came to this county in 1848 and 
 located in Walker's Grove. Mr. McKnight is 
 now deceased and his good wife makes her home 
 with our subject. Mrs. White was born February 
 28, 1842, and after her marriage with our subject 
 made her home with his mother until 1874, when 
 they located upon their present fine estate. Mr. 
 White has since purchased from time to time until 
 he now owns four hundred broad and fertile acres, 
 on which area number of as atttactive and sub- 
 stantial buildings as can be found anywhere in the 
 county. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born six 
 children, of whom those living are John C., Lewis 
 E. and Laura. With his wife and family he is a 
 member of the Baptist Church, of which he has 
 been Clerk since its organization in this town- 
 ship. He has also been Superintendent of the 
 Sunday-school for eight years and takes an active 
 part in all good works. As may be expected he is a 
 Grand Army man, and also belongs to the Modern 
 Woodmen of Forest City. He has likewise been 
 Master and is now Chaplain of the Grange, and as 
 a Mason he belongs to the Blue Lodge No. 476 at 
 Manito, of which he is Past Master. 
 
 Mr. White has aided greatly in advancing the
 
 408 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 standard of scholarship in this vicinity and lias 
 been Township Treasurer of Schools for the past 
 seventeen years. His eldest son is a graduate of 
 Brown's Business College at Peoria, and Lewis 
 E. is a student at Dixon College. In 1892 our 
 subject was a candidate for the State Board of 
 Equalization from District No. 13, and the same 
 year his name was placed before the Republican 
 convention as Representative to the State Legisla- 
 ture. He has been Supervisor for his township 
 and has served as a member of the Drainage Com- 
 mittee of Mason and Tazcwell Counties. 
 
 <& 
 
 OHN M. McREYNOLDS. With the progress 
 of Mason County, and more especially the 
 history of Quiver Township, the subject of. 
 this sketch has been intimately associated 
 for many years, having contributed materially to 
 the development of its resources and the growth 
 of its industries. His life occupation has been 
 that of fanning, in which, through industry and 
 perseverance, he lias met with success and gained 
 prosperity. The farm which he occupies consists 
 of two hundred and thirty acres, embellished with 
 suitable and substantial buildings and bearing first- 
 class improvements. 
 
 Robert McReynolds, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Columbia County, Pa., April 13, 1791, 
 and was the son of Hugh McReynolds. The former 
 married Miss Susannah Moyer, also a native of the 
 above county, and the daughter of John Moyer, a 
 native of Germany, who after coming to this coun- 
 try located in the Keystone State. The paren ts con- 
 tinued to reside in Columbia County until 1838, 
 when they came to this county and made their home 
 first in Havana Township, on the farm now occu- 
 pied by Mr. Heston. It was an uncultivated tract 
 at that time, and during the years which they lived 
 upon it they made many substantial improvements, 
 and in 1848 came to Quiver Township and pur- 
 chased the property now occupied by J. W. Him- 
 meleyros. There the father of our subject carried 
 on farm pursuits for many years, and afterward 
 removed to Havana, where he lived and held 
 
 some importantoftices, which he filled satisfactorily 
 until his death, which occurred November 15, 1872. 
 His good wife followed him to the better land two 
 years later, dying June 16, 1884. 
 
 The parental family included nine children, all 
 of whom grew to mature years, and the following 
 seven are still living: John M., of this sketch; 
 Sarah, Mrs. Fisk; Andrew J.; Nancy Jane, Mrs. 
 Cross; Margaret. Mrs. Cross; Mary, Mrs. Coppel; 
 and Hannah C., now Mrs. Appleman. The parents 
 of these children were members in good standing 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which de- 
 nomination Mr. McReynolds was Steward and 
 Class-leader. Meetings were often held in their 
 farm house, which was built with that purpose in 
 view, and once as many as fifty people took break- 
 fast with them on Sunday mornings. The father 
 of our subject was also one of the prominent mi'ii 
 of this county, and was afforded the high esteem 
 and confidence of its best residents. He was a 
 Dejuocrat in politics, and held the ollices of Coun- 
 ty ^Commissioner, County Assessor and was Asso- 
 ' ciate justice in 1848, and ten years later filled the 
 office of County Judge. He was widely known 
 throughout the state, and was an intimate friend 
 of Peter Cartwright. 
 
 John M. McReynolds was born September 8, 
 1822, in Columbia County, Pa., and was a lad of 
 sixteen years at the time of his parents' removal to 
 this state. He received a meagre education in the 
 common schools of that state, and since then, by 
 extensive reading, has become well posted upon 
 general topics, and is a man of broad information. 
 Mr. McReynolds remained upon his father's farm 
 until 1847, when, having been married the pre- 
 vious year, he removed to a home of his own. 
 His wife was Miss Catherine A., daughter of Will- 
 iam and Catherine Den tier, early settlers of this 
 state. She was a nativeof Pennsylvania, and died 
 December 1 3, 1 855, after having become the mother 
 of five children: Robert H., Lemuel W., Eliza J., 
 Arminda F. and Willis D. 
 
 Mr. McReynolds was again married February 2, 
 1860, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary C. 
 Cadwallader, natives of Fulton Count}', tnis state. 
 She was the daughter of Reece and Sarah (Hum- 
 phrey) Cadwallader, both of whom are now de-
 
 LIBRARY 
 OFIW
 
 MRS. J. A. NEIKIRK.
 
 J. A. NEIKIRK.

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 413 
 
 ceased. Mrs. McReynolds was born April 16, 1839, 
 and received a good education in Mason County. 
 By her union with our subject the following chil- 
 dren were born: Clara C. (deceased), A. C., Louella 
 M., Oscar R., John C., Ralph B. and Pearl E. 
 
 Our subject has resided upon his present, farm 
 since 1847. It was then in a wild condition, 
 and wolves, deer and other animals infested the 
 country. He is now one of the oldest living set- 
 tlers in Quiver Township, and owns a valuable 
 property of two hundred and thirty acres. lie 
 gives his attention to mixed farming, and has on 
 his place some of the finest breeds of hogs and 
 cattle. 
 
 Mr. McReynolds is an active member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, which he served as 
 Recording Steward for over thirty years, during 
 which time he never missed a quarterly meeting. 
 He is serving at the present time as Trustee, Class- 
 leader and Sunday -school teacher. He has given 
 his children the very best advantages for obtain- 
 ing an education, and for many years has been 
 Director on the School Board. He takes .-inactive 
 part in politics, ana is a strong Republican with 
 Prohibition proclivities. He now fills the office of 
 School Trustee, and in times past has been Super- 
 visor and Assessor. He was one of the Trustees of 
 the Methodist Church at Topeka during the erec- 
 tion of their fine church edifice, which cost $4.000, 
 and is President of the Mason County Farmers' 
 Mutual Fire and Lightning Association; he has 
 held this office for the past six years, which indi- 
 cates his efficiency. 
 
 
 AMES ALEXANDER NEIK1RK. Located 
 in Forest City Township lies one of the 
 finest rural homes in Mason County. Here 
 Mr. Neikirk has resided for many years, 
 meanwhile adding to his property, on which first- 
 class buildings have been erected and other sub- 
 stantial improvements introduced which prove his 
 thrift and enterprise as an agriculturist. 
 
 Referring to the parental history of our subject, 
 we find that his father, George Neikirk, was born 
 in Washington Count}-, Md., January 19, 1798. He 
 in turn was the only son of Michael Neikirk, a na- 
 il 
 
 tive of Pennsylvania, where in early life he fol- 
 lowed the trade of a weaver and later became a 
 fanner. The first representatives of the family in 
 America came from Holland and located near 
 Philadelphia. Mrs. Elizabeth (Bowser) Neikirk, 
 the mother of our subject, was also born in Mary- 
 laud, the date of her birth being July 16, 1803. 
 She was the daughter of John and Magdalene 
 (Buyers) Bowser, of whom a further history will be ( 
 found in the sketch of E. J. Bowser on another 
 page in this volume. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. George Neikirk were married in 
 their native state and afterward lived in Washing- 
 ton County until the fall of 1841, when they re- 
 moved to Seneca County, Ohio. In that place 
 they made their home until the fall of 1853, when 
 they came to Mason County and located on sec- 
 tion 13, Forest City Township, at a time when the 
 country was very sparsely settled. The estate at 
 that time included about five hundred acres, to 
 which the father added until at his death he was the 
 proprietor of two thousand acres of valuable land. 
 His death occurred April 23, 1855, and his good 
 wjf.e, who survived him man} 1 years, died February 
 7, 1873. 
 
 Of the parental family of six sons and three 
 daughters seven are now living, namely: James A., 
 of this sketch; William K., John E.; Mary E., now 
 the wife of T. II. Cheek, of Sherman Township; 
 George W.; P^mma P., Mrs. Sherer; and Belle, who 
 married O. W. Van Ormau. Those deceased are 
 Solomon and Eli. The mother of these children 
 was a devoted member of the Methodist Church. 
 In politics, the father was an old-line Whig, and 
 was a well informed man. Three of his sons, 
 Eli, John and George, served as soldiers during 
 the Civil War, the eldest being Second Lieutenant 
 of Company C, Twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry. 
 The elder Mr. Neikirk was one of the largest land 
 owners in Mason County and occupied a high po- 
 sition in the esteem of his fellow-citizens. 
 
 Our subject was born April 15, 1825, in Wash- 
 ington County, Md., and was there reared and ed- 
 ucated. Like all farmer lads he received a thor- 
 ough training in farm work, and at the time his 
 parents removed to this state he came hither with 
 them, January 26, 1853, he married Miss Barbara
 
 414 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ann, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Gotschall) 
 Den tier. Her father was born in Lancaster Coun- 
 ty, Pa., March 13, 1780, and her mother was a na- 
 tive of Northumberland County, that state, where 
 her birth occurred February 26, 1799. They were 
 married in Pennsylvania, where they continued to 
 reside until their decease, the father dying April 
 22, 1864, and the mother departing this life Sep- 
 tember 5 of the following year. 
 
 Only two of the fifteen children comprising 
 the family of Mr. and Mrs. Dentler are now liv- 
 ing, Elizabeth, the wife of Dr. Aaron Graves, and 
 a resident of Guernsey Count}', Ohio, and Mrs. 
 Neikirk. The latter was born November 6, 1825, 
 in Lewisburgh, Pa., and received her education in 
 the schools of Butler County, that state. After- 
 ward she taught school for some time in Lawrence 
 County and also followed that vocation after re- 
 moving to Seneca County, Ohio. Her parents 
 were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 Three of her brothers served as soldiers in the Civil 
 War. 
 
 Mrs. Neikirk's grandfather, Jacob Dentler, was 
 born in Lancaster County, Pa., and married Miss 
 Barbara Funk, whose ancestors came from Ger- 
 many. He also traced his lineage to the Father- 
 land, the family originally living near the Rhine. 
 Her maternal grandfather, Michael Gotschall, was 
 born in Northumberland County, Pa., and served 
 as a soldier in the Revolutionary War; he married 
 Miss Catherine Mottier, whose parents came from 
 Wittenberg, Germany. 
 
 After his father's decease our subject moved 
 upon his present farm, which comprises five hun- 
 dred and sixty-five acres of valuable land. Here 
 in 1872 he erected a substantial residence, which 
 cost when complete $3,000. Although he still su- 
 perintends his farm he has retired from active ag- 
 ricultural labors. The improvements on the estate 
 are his handiwork, and its high state of cultivation 
 is due to his excellent judgment. 
 
 Of the eight children born to our subject and 
 his wife those living are: Mary L., widow of E. S. 
 Maring; Louis N., who married Elizabeth Maxwell 
 and makes his home in this township; Edith N., 
 the wife of Isaac K. Smith, of Seneca County, 
 Ohio, and George F., a soldier in the Regular 
 
 United States army. Mrs. Neikirk is a consistent 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
 which she is an active worker. 
 
 In politics our subject votes with the Republi- 
 can party, and in 1880 was elected Supervisor of 
 Forest City Township. He discharged the duties 
 of the office in a most admirable manner, and dur- 
 ing his incumbency was instrumental in securing 
 the thorough drainage of the county. He lias been 
 a member of the School Board and has always 
 been greatly interested in educational matters. A 
 natural mathematician, he completed without any 
 assistance his studies in algebra, geometry, trig- 
 onometry and surveying. lie has a finely selected 
 library, which contains among other volumes a 
 full set of Encyclopedia Britannica. Having long 
 been a thoughtful student of standard works by 
 the best authors, he possesses a large and varied 
 fund of information in scientific and historical 
 lore, and is considered one of the best informed 
 men in the township. 
 
 >HOMAS II. LEONARD, who carries on farm- 
 ing on section 35, Elm Grove Township, 
 Tazewell County, was born at his present 
 place of residence April 16, 1838. His grandfa- 
 ther, Ezekiel Leonard, was a native of North Caro- 
 lina; he married Rebecca Hodgson, also of that 
 state. In 1803, they removed with their family 
 to Ohio, becoming pioneer settlers of Clinton 
 County, where Mr. Leonard entered land and 
 opened up a farm, there making his home for 
 twenty-eight years. In 1831, he came with his 
 wife and children to Illinois, settling in Elm Grove 
 Township, where he again entered land. Upon 
 the farm which he improved he spent his remain- 
 ing days, passing away March 1, 1849, at the age 
 of sevent3 r -seven. His wife was called to her final 
 rest in July, 1851. They had seven children, five 
 of whom grew to mature years. 
 
 Thomas Leonard, father of our subject, was born 
 in North Carolina, April 13, 1801, and from his 
 third year until he had attained the age of twenty 
 lived in Ohio. At that time he came west and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 415 
 
 settled in Elm Grove Township, where he took up 
 land from the Government. The wild and unim- 
 proved tract he transformed into a good farm, mak- 
 ing it his home throughout his remaining days. It 
 is now the property of our subject. In the Buck- 
 eye State Thomas Leonard, Sr., married Hannah 
 Starbuck, who was born in January, 1802, in 
 North Carolina. She is a daughter of Gear Star- 
 buck, who was born on Nnntucket Island, and who 
 went to North Carolina, thence removing to Ohio, 
 where he lived until his death, which occurred 
 when past the age of ninety years. Unto Thomas 
 and Hannah Leonard were born nine children, as 
 follows: Nathan, of Johnson County, 111.; Matilda, 
 wife of AVilliam Lindsej', of Mackinaw Township, 
 Tazewell County; Eli, who died in 1884, at the 
 age of sixty years; Allen, of Elm Grove Township; 
 Alfred E., now of Florida; Rebecca, who died in 
 1884, at the age of fifty; Levi G., of Elm Grove; 
 Thomas II., of this sketch, and Susanna, who became 
 the wife of William Eads, and died at the age of 
 twentj'-five. The father of this family was called 
 to his final rest in January, 1876, at the age of 
 seventy-live, and his wife passed away in April, 
 1864, at the age of sixty-two. 
 
 Our subject has always lived upon his present 
 farm. He was early inured to the arduous labors 
 of the field, and to his father he gave the benefit of 
 his services until he had attained his majority, 
 when he took an interest in the old home. Five 
 years later he assumed the entire management, and 
 has since carried on the work of further cultiva- 
 tion and improvement. He is a man of practical, 
 yet progressive ideas, and his enterprise is shown 
 in his business. His farm comprises two hundred 
 and forty acres, and upon eighty acres of this are 
 three miles of tiling. He has expended $2,000 in 
 draining the place, and has transformed the other- 
 wise swampy land into rich and fertile fields. 
 
 Mi* Leonard was married May 25, 1865, to Mary 
 E. Loy, a native of Pckin Township, Tazewell 
 County, and a daughter of Isaac and Mary A. 
 (Largent) Loy, the former a native of Ohio, and 
 the latter of Virginia. Five children have been 
 born to them, Emer A., now of Tremont; Ehnon 
 Loy, who is living in another house on the old 
 homestead; Mertie M. and Ednie T., who are with 
 
 their parents, and Mary C., who is now attending 
 school. The family is one of prominence in the 
 community, the household is the abode of hospi- 
 tality, and its members rank high in social circles. 
 In politics, Mr. Leonard is a stalwart Democrat, 
 and for some years held the office of Path Master. 
 He was afterward Road Commissioner for three 
 years, and in 1887 was elected Supervisor, which 
 position he filled for four terms. He is now serv- 
 ing his third year as School Trustee of his town- 
 ship. In all his public offices he has been found 
 faithful and true, discharging his duties with 
 promptness and fidelity, which have won him high 
 commendation. The best interests of the commu- 
 nity have ever found in him a friend, and he is 
 regarded as one of the progressive, leading and 
 representative farmers of his township. His life 
 has been an honorable and upright one, and has 
 won him the confidence and high regard of many 
 friends. 
 
 l OHN II. HERGET. Though scarcely yet in 
 the prime of life, Mr. Merge t has already 
 attained a success that is gratifying alike to 
 himself and his friends. He is the son of one 
 of the progressive and prominent citizens of Pekin, 
 Hon. John Herget, and for further facts in regard 
 to the family history the reader is referred to the 
 biography of that gentleman, presented on another 
 page. This city is the only home our subject has 
 known, and here he was born October 21, 1863. 
 In boyhood and youth he was given the best edu- 
 cational advantages the city afforded, and by dili- 
 gent application acquired a broad information 
 upon general topics, so that he is now well posted. 
 A young man of genial manners, he is also an en- 
 tertaining conversationalist, and one with whom it 
 is a. pleasure to meet. 
 
 At the age of fifteen Mr. Herget entered the 
 employ of J. & G. Herget, wholesale grocers and 
 liquor dealers, and for ten years remained with 
 them, being principally in the shipping depart- 
 ment. Later he became one of their traveling 
 salesmen, and was on the road for four years, his 
 route being principally in Illinois. Meantime he
 
 416 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 formed a partnership with his father and Henry 
 Herget, and the firm erected the Star & Crescent 
 Distillery, which they opened and operated suc- 
 cessfully until selling the concern in 1892. At 
 the present time Mr. Herget is interested in the 
 Globe Cattle Company, one of the most extensive 
 enterprises of its kind in Illinois. Their accom- 
 modations are such that they can stable and feed 
 four thousand head of cattle in their sheds at one 
 time. 
 
 In Pekin, May 2, 1889, Mr. Herget was united 
 in marriage witli Miss Linnie Reeves, who was born 
 in this city, and who is a popular young lady. Her 
 father, Benjamin Reeves, is one of the old set- 
 tlers of Pekin, as well as one of its most promi- 
 nent citizens, and for many years filled the posi- 
 tion of Deputy Sheriff. To the political questions 
 of the day Mr. Herget gives an intelligent interest, 
 and believing that the principles of the Republican 
 party are best calculated to promote the prosper- 
 ity of the people, he gives to that organization his 
 hearty support. 
 
 ANIEL W. PUTERBAUGH, who for 
 many years carried on farming in Taze- 
 well County, and became one of its exten- 
 sive land owners, is now living a retired 
 life in Mackinaw, enjoying the rest which he has 
 so trul}' earned and richly deserves. He was born 
 in Miami County, Ohio, October 24, 1824, and is 
 a son of Jacob and Hannah (Ilittle) Puterbaugh. 
 When a child of ten summers, the father left 
 Pennsylvania and removed with his parents to 
 Greene County, Ohio, where he was reared to man- 
 hood. He then went to Miami County, where he 
 engaged in farming and in operating a sawmill. 
 His wife was a native of Pennsylvania, and after 
 her marriage her parents removed to Indiana, and 
 thence to Tazewell County, about 1827. Her fa- 
 ther became the first white settler of Ilittle Town- 
 ship, which was named in his honor. He was one 
 of the first County Commissioners who selected 
 Mackinaw as the county seat, and was a very 
 prominent and influential citizen in those early 
 days. A devoted member of the church, he lived 
 
 an honorable and upright life, and all who kne 
 him respected him. 
 
 Jacob Puterbaugh first came to Tazewell Count 
 in 1838, making the journey in a light wagon. II 
 was favorably impressed with the countr3',and th 
 following year brought his family. From th 
 Government he entered a small tract of land and 
 devoted his time and attention to farming through- 
 out his remaining days. His death occurred in 
 1858, and his wife passed away in 1863. He was 
 a member of the Dunkard Church, and his wife cf 
 the Christian Church. In politics he was a Whig, 
 and he held a number of local offices. 
 
 Our subject acquired the greater part of his edu- 
 cation in log schoolhouses of Ohio, and pursued 
 his studies to a limited extent after coining west. 
 On attaining his majority he began working the 
 farm on shares with his father, being thus em- 
 ployed two years. Asa companion and helpmate 
 on life's journey, he chose Sarah J., daughter of 
 Daniel and Margaret (Scarlet) Smith. She was 
 the_ first wliite child born in Mackinaw Township, 
 tiie date being September 9, 1829. Her father 
 came from Tennessee to Tazewell County about 
 the time of the arrival of the Ilittle family, and 
 Mrs. Puterbaugh saw many of the Indians that 
 lived in the neighborhood. She proved to her 
 husband a faithful companion and helpmate, and 
 after about forty-five years of married life was 
 called to her final rest, October 17, 1892. In the 
 family were six children: James S., of Mackinaw; 
 Elizabeth, wife of W. II. Dabb, professor of music 
 at Minier; Ella; Maggie, wife ot J. D. Clark, of 
 Mackinaw; Almeda; and D. G., proprietor of a 
 restaurant in Mackinaw. 
 
 Mr. Puterbaugh received from his father forty 
 acres of prairie and eight}' acres of timber land. 
 In 1853 he engaged in merchandising in Macki- 
 naw, but with the exception of that year through- 
 out his entire business career he followed farming. 
 He won a high degree of success, and at one time 
 owned six hundred and nineteen acres of valuable 
 land. For thirty years he has been an Elder in 
 the Christian Church, in which his wife also held 
 membership. In politics he has been a Prohibi- 
 tionist for the past six years. He is a worthy rep- 
 resentative of one of the honored pioneer families
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OFTHt 
 
 UNWERSm OF lUJfWC
 
 
 LEMUEL ALLEN.
 
 POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 419 
 
 of the county. Through long years he has been 
 numbered among the valued citizens of the com- 
 munity, and this volume would be incomplete 
 without the record of his life. 
 
 1EMUEL ALLEN, ex-County Superintendent 
 (7g) of Schools of Tazcwell County, and one of 
 JiX-, the highly respected citizens of Pekin, was 
 born March 23, 1818, in Loudoun County, Va., 
 within sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains and of 
 the Bull Run Battle ground. His father, James 
 Allen, wasborn in 1769 in Virginia, and the grand- 
 father, William Allen, was a native -of Ireland. 
 When a boy he crossed the briny deep, locating in 
 New Jersey, where he worked for a time as a farm 
 hand. On his removal to the Old Dominion he 
 located upon the farm which was the birthplace of 
 our subject, and there spent his remaining days. 
 James Allen was reared in that state, purchased 
 .the old homestead and subsequently became the 
 owner of six hundred and twenty acres of valuable 
 land. He married Elizabeth Lee, a native of 
 Prince William County, Va. Her father owned 
 part of the land upon which the battle of Bull Run 
 was fought. Both parents died in Loudoun County. 
 
 Lemuel Allen was the youngest in a family of 
 thirteen children, four of whom are yet living. 
 His educational privileges were very limited. He 
 remained at home until lie had attained his ma- 
 jority, and in 1839 came to Illinois on horseback. 
 It was his intention to educate himself, and for a 
 year he was in the preparatory school in Waverly. 
 He then taught his first school in St. Louis Coun- 
 ty, Mo., thus entering upon the work which he 
 has followed through life. He became assistant to 
 his former teacher in Waverly, who was then 
 Principal of the schools in Springfield, 111., and 
 after a year he taught in Decatur, where he num- 
 bered among his pupils Richard J. Oglesby, after- 
 ward Governor of the state. In the spring of 
 1843, in connection with Mr. Oglesby, he rented 
 land and engaged in farming, but when the summer 
 was over he sold out to his partner. 
 
 In the fall of 1843, in Uecatur, Mr. Allen wed- 
 
 ded Mrs. Margaret Pratt, daughter of Col. John 
 Robinson, a merchant and stock-dealer of Picka- 
 way County, Ohio. Her father was born in Dela- 
 ware, and at an early day removed to Pickaway 
 County. He married Mary Short, a native of 
 Delaware, and their third child, Margaret, was born 
 on the 10th of November, 1803. In Ohio she be- 
 came the wife of William Pratt, of Maryland, and 
 on the 15th of September, 1835, they located in what 
 is now Piatt County, 111., but afterward removed 
 to Decatur, where Mr. Pratt died, leaving a daugh- 
 ter, Annie A. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Allen engaged in farm- 
 ing until 1846, when he came to Pekin. There was 
 no schoolhouse here, but he rented a room and 
 engaged in teaching for three years. A small 
 brick schoolhouse was then erected and he held 
 the first school therein. After six months he re- 
 moved to the farm and continued its cultivation 
 for three years, when he once more took charge of 
 the school in this place. In 1850 he located upon 
 the site of his present home, where he had eighty 
 acres situated on the bluff, and now has one hun- 
 dred and twenty-eight acres. 
 
 In the same year Mr. Allen was chosen County 
 Superintendent of Schools, and was elected four 
 times, filling the office for ten consecutive years, 
 after which he returned to the farm. He then 
 served as County School Commissioner,_and also 
 taught several terms, but of late years has been en-* 
 gaged in the cultivation of his property. He 
 planted all the trees upon it, set out two orchards, 
 and also engaged in raising grain. About forty 
 acres of his farm is probably underlaid with coal. 
 Through his friendship with Governor Oglesby 
 Mr. Allen was appointed a member of the first 
 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois at 
 Champaign, and held the office for four years. He 
 was a member of the Washingtonian Society and 
 Sons of Temperance, and is a stalwart Republican. 
 He voted for William Henry Harrison, and also for 
 his illustrious grandson, Benjamin Harrison. He 
 aided in organizing the Baptist Church at Pekin, 
 and for a half-century has been one of its Deacons. 
 On the 18th of October, 1893, their many friends 
 celebrated the golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Allen, for during fifty years this worthy couple
 
 420 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 have traveled life's journey together. All who 
 know them esteem them highly, and it is with pleas- 
 ure that we present to our readers this record of 
 their lives. 
 
 eilARLES L. WILSON, Secretary and Treas- 
 urer of the American Distilling Company, 
 is one of the prominent business men of 
 Pekin, where he is residing. His father, John Wil- 
 son, was born in Poughkeopsie, N. Y., of which 
 state the grandfather, Henry Wilson, was also a 
 native. The latter was an early settler in Peoria, 
 near which city he was engaged in farming at the 
 time of his decease. Though now somewhat re- 
 tired from active duties, John Wilson is still inter- 
 ested in various important enterprises connected 
 with the progress of Pekin and Peoria, his home 
 being in the latter city. He has been successful as 
 a cattle dealer, and is a stockholder in the American 
 Distilling Company in this city and senior member 
 of the John Wilson & Co. stock firm, also of Pekin. 
 He married Miss Emily Woodruff, a native of the 
 Buckeye State, and the daughter of George Wood- 
 ruff, also an early settler of Peoria. 
 
 Charles L., of this sketch, was born in the above 
 city August 6, 1863, and was there reared to man- 
 hood, graduating from the high school. Later he 
 took a course in the business college of that city, 
 and in 1882 went west to Burton, Harve}- Coun- 
 ty, Kan., where he was engaged in the mercantile 
 business in company with his brother A. W., under 
 the style of Wilson Bros. Two years later our sub- 
 ject purchased his brother's interest in the store 
 and continued alone, carrying on the largest en- 
 terprise in the place until 1887, when he sold out 
 and came to Pekin. After his advent in this city 
 he accepted a position as bookkeeper with the 
 Hamburg Distilling Company, by whom lie was 
 employed until January of the following year, 
 when the company sold out to the trust. He was 
 still retained in the capacity of bookkeeper, how- 
 ever, until 1892, when, in the fall of that year, 
 lie purchased an interest in the American Distilling 
 
 Company, and after its incorporation was elected 
 Secretary and Treasurer of the same. 
 
 In addition to the above enterprise, Mr. Wilson 
 is extensively engaged in the cattle business with his 
 father, owning fifteen acres of ground in the city, 
 and cattle sheds which will accommodate four thou- 
 sand animals. He is also interested in the whole- 
 sale house known as the Wilson Grocery Company, 
 which is doing business with a capital of $100,- 
 000. The distillery has a capacity of five thousand 
 bushels a day, and gives constant employment to 
 one hundred men. 
 
 In Burton, Kan., December 11, 1889, Charles L. 
 Wilson married Miss Georgia Easly. Mrs. Wilson 
 was born in that state, and is the daughter of Dr. 
 Peter Easly, a prominent physician of Burton. 
 Their union was blessed by the birth of a daugh- 
 ter, Edith. Our subject has been identified with 
 the Republican party for many years, and is a lead- 
 ing factor in all worthy movement*. 
 
 eHARLES F. MURREL. The plain state- 
 ment of facts embraced in the life of Mr. 
 Murrel, a man well and favorably known 
 to the people of Mason County, is all that we 
 profess to be able to give in this volume, yet, 
 upon examination of these facts, there will be 
 found the career of one whose entire force through 
 the world has been marked by great honesty and 
 fidelity of purpose. He is now living in the city 
 of Havana, where he won the honored position 
 of Superintendent of the water works, to which 
 he was appointed May 3, 1891. 
 
 Our subject was born in Henry. Marshall Coun- 
 ty, this state, January 20, 1856. and is the son of 
 John and Elizabeth (Lehman) Murrel, the father 
 a native of North Carolina, and the mother born 
 in England. John Murrel came to Marshall Coun- 
 ty in an early day, where he was classed among the 
 pioneers and where he lived until his decease, in 
 1862. Mrs. Murrel was brought to America by her 
 parents when quite young, they locating in Putnam 
 County, this state, where they engaged in farm- 
 ing pursuits. Mr. .Murrel was a very successful
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 421 
 
 agriculturist and made a specialty of breeding fine 
 grades of stock, keeping on his place a large num- 
 ber of thoroughbred animals, among which were 
 valuable horses. He always took an important 
 part in public affairs, was upright and honest in 
 all his dealings, and was looked upon as one of 
 the leading citizens of Marshall County. 
 
 Charles F. Murrel, of this sketch, attended 
 school in Marshall County until reaching his tenth 
 year, at which carty age he started out in the 
 world on his own account, and was variously em- 
 ployed for four years, when he hired out on a 
 canal boat, running between Clullicothe and Chi- 
 cago. After making a few trips, he remained in 
 Chicago in the employ of a man named M. C. 
 Gregory, in a boiler and engine supply house, 
 for whom he worked for about six months. At 
 the expiration of that time he found work with 
 Eugene Howard, engineer on the tugboat "O. B. 
 Green," and under his instruction he learned naval 
 engineering. 
 
 Having become a competent engineer, Mr. Mur- 
 rel secured a first-class license after being duly ex- 
 amined by John P. Far, who was boiler inspector 
 of Chicago, and accepted a position on a com- 
 pound canal boat running between Chicago and 
 Lockport, loaded with grain for Norton <fe Co. 
 He had full charge of the boat for one season, 
 and in the fall of 1878 went to St. Louis, where 
 he found employment in the St. Louis Machine 
 Shops, and the next spring was made Chief En- 
 gineer of the steamer "C. W. Anderson," plying 
 between St. Louis and Peoria. He acted in that 
 capacity for one season, when he hired out to the 
 Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad Company as 
 a locomotive engineer, which position he held 
 until 1887. Later we find him acting in the ca- 
 pacity of engineer of the water supply for the 
 Jacksonville South-eastern Company, by whom 
 he was employed until the spring of 1891, when 
 he came to Havana, and May 3 was appointed to 
 his present position of Superintendent of the 
 water works. He has full charge of the works, 
 lays all the water mains in the city, and often has 
 in his emplov from thirty to thirty-five men. 
 
 July 2, 1877, Charles F. Murrel was married to 
 Miss Jennie, daughter of James Salisbury. The 
 
 lady was born in Fulton County, this state, of 
 which place her father was a pioneer. She is a de- 
 voted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and with her husband, occupies a nice residence 
 pleasantly located in the city. Socially, our sub- 
 ject is a member of Mason Lodge No. 143, 1. O. 
 O. F., and is a stockholder in the Havana Build- 
 ing & Loan Association. He is classed among 
 the most respected citizens of the community, 
 and in politics is a strong supporter of the Demo- 
 cratic party. 
 
 ,ETER MEIREIS. The following is a brief 
 sketch of the career of Mr. Meireis, whose 
 present substantial position has been reached 
 entirely through his own perseverance and 
 whose life shows what can be accomplished by a 
 person with enlightened views. During his child- 
 hood he experienced many disadvantages and for 
 years had to struggle against a seemingly adverse 
 fate. But notwithstanding discouragements he 
 pushed ahead and the result proves the wisdom of 
 his course. He is at present residing in Havana, 
 where he is engaged in carrying on a prosperous 
 business in the manufacture of brick. 
 
 A native of Germany, our subject was born 
 May 10, 1835, and is the son of John and Catha- 
 rine (Larch) Meireis, the former of whom lived 
 and died in the Fatherland. He spent the first 
 nineteen years of his life in Germany, where he 
 was given a good education, and in 1855 decided 
 to try his fortune in America, and boarding a sail- 
 ing vessel, landed in New York City several da}'s 
 later. He remained in that place for about three 
 months, when he came west to Beardstown, this 
 state, and in 1864 made his advent into Havana, 
 where he engaged in the manufacture of brick in 
 company with John G. Reichel. This connection 
 lasted for about three years when our subject pur- 
 chased his partner's interest and conducted the 
 business alone, until taking into the concern A. 
 England. They operated together for about thir- 
 teen years, but for the last five years Mr. Meireis 
 has carried on the business alone. His brick yards 
 are located near the Jacksonville South-eastern
 
 422 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Railroad tracks, and there he manufactures build- 
 ing and joining brick of a very superior quality, 
 and has furnished the material for the erection of 
 many of the best business blocks in the city. 
 
 In May, 1864, Peter Meireis and Miss Catherine 
 Ringel were united in marriage. The lady was also 
 born in Germany, and died in March, 1873. He 
 was later married to Miss Mary A. Ilaeix, who 
 by this union has become the mother of eight 
 children, namely: Carrie, Katie, George, Mary, Al- 
 bert, Henry, Minnie and Frieddie. Both our sub- 
 ject and his wife are members of the Lutheran 
 Church, and have done much to advance all relig- 
 ious causes throughout the community. 
 
 The political sympathies of our subject are with 
 the Democratic part}'. He is a man of good hab- 
 its and is well thought of in the community where 
 he has resided for so many years, and as one of 
 the self-made citizens of Mason County we are 
 pleased to present his sketch in this RECORD. 
 
 AMUEL W. SMITH, the owner and occu- 
 pant of a finely improved farm situated 
 on section 22, Havana Township, Mason 
 County, is an honored representative of a 
 family that settled in Rhode Island prior to the 
 War of the Revolution. He is the son of James 
 and Charlotte (Smith) Smith, the former of whom 
 was engaged in the manufacture of tin plate and 
 sheet iron. They were married in Warren, R. I., 
 and there continued to reside until death. 
 
 Of two children born to his parents our subject 
 is the only survivor. He was born in Warren, R. 
 I., December 6, 1835, and was reared in the place 
 of his birth until sixteen years old. At that age 
 he came as far west as Cincinnati, Ohio, where for 
 a time he attended the high school, and later was 
 a student in the select school of Charles Mathews, 
 a brother of Stanley Mathews. After completing 
 his studies he was employed as bookkeeper for a 
 grain and distillery firm in Cincinnati. Leaving 
 thatcity in 1858 he came to Tazewell County, and 
 was employed as bookkeeper in Pekin, later in Ha- 
 vana, where in the summer of 1863, he kept books 
 
 for Mr. McFadden. He was also engaged in the 
 grain business there. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Smith came to his present farm, 
 where his original tract consisted of one hundred 
 and twenty acres. He now owns three hundred 
 and twenty acres of well-improved laud, embel- 
 lished with first-class farm buildings. His resi- 
 dence was erected in 1893 at a cost of $2,000 and 
 is one of the most attractive rural homes in the 
 township. The barn which was built in 1890 cost 
 $700, and contains ample space for the s.i...ter of 
 stock and storage of grain. Mr. Smith is a prac- 
 tical, progressive farmer, who through energy and 
 perseverance has made a success of his chosen oc- 
 cupation. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Smith occurred in 1865, and 
 united him with Miss Elizabeth Walker. This 
 lady was born in Havana, 111., in January, 1849, 
 and is the daughter of William and Catherine 
 (Wheeler) Walker, natives respectively of Ken- 
 tucky and Indiana, who in an early day settled at 
 ; Havana. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of 
 , offe. C.lViM,' Albert B. Politically our subject was 
 reared in the faith of the Republican party, and in 
 later years affiliated with the Democrats but is 
 now independent in his views. He is a member 
 of the Peterville Grange, in which in former years 
 he held official positions. For a number of years 
 he has been Director of School District No. 2, and 
 is now Township Trustee. 
 
 iiENJAMIN II. IRONMONGER, formerly 
 proprietor of the Mason City Flour Mills, 
 was born in Staffordshire, England, Octo- 
 ber 1, 1832. He is of English descent 
 through a long line of ancestry. His paternal 
 grandfather, Benjamin, spent his entire life in that 
 country, which was also the birthplace of Joseph 
 Ironmonger, our subject's father. The latter emi- 
 grated to America in 1845, and landing in New 
 York, proceeded thence to Virginia, but afterward 
 removed west and settled in St. Louis, Mo., where 
 he followed his occupation of an engineer. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was'Elizabeth Hickman, 
 was born in England and died in Jackson ville, 111. 
 At the age of thirteen years our subject accom-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 or rot
 
 ALEXANDER STUART.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 425 
 
 panied his parents to America and remained witli 
 them for some years thereafter. Under his father's 
 tutelage he learned the trade of an engineer and 
 acquired a thorough knowledge of engineering, 
 and of mao.hinery in general. At the close of the 
 war he embaiked in the milling business at Dela- 
 van, 111., in partnership with Arthur Stubbs, the 
 concern being known as the "Young American 
 Mills." After three years thus occupied the firm 
 sold out the business, and in 1871 our subject came 
 to Mason City, where he built a mill. 
 
 Business was carried on under the firm name of 
 Ironmonger & Co., the company being Messrs. 
 Johnson and Tibbets. Later Mr. Johnson disposed 
 of his interest to Morgan Barngrover, and in 1880 
 that gentleman sold his interest to Mr. Tibbets, 
 the firm being then changed to Ironmonger & Tib- 
 bets. This connection continued until the death 
 of Mr. Tibbets, in April of 1887, at which time 
 our subject assumed the full control. Through- 
 out the surrounding counties he transacted an 
 extensive business, and the flour being of a superior 
 quality, found a very ready saJe. Three grades 
 were manufactured, the "Gold Drop," "Sunrise" 
 and "Wife's Delight." 
 
 Though of foreign birth and antecedents, Mr. 
 Ironmonger was reared under American institu- 
 tions, and the United States has no more loyal or 
 law-abiding citizen than he, nor one who more 
 heartily favors the Republican form of Govern- 
 ment. In politics the Republican party finds in 
 him an intelligent supporter of its policy. He has 
 taken an active interest in the public schools and 
 public improvements of all kinds, and was one of 
 the prime factors in the organization of the water 
 works Sociall3', he is a member of Mason City 
 Lodge No. 143, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 In 1855 Mr. Ironmonger was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elizabeth, daughter of George Stubbs. 
 Mrs. Ironmonger was born in England, where her 
 education was commenced, and after emigrating 
 to the United States she was a student in the pub- 
 lic schools. Three- sons and four daughters were 
 born of this marriage, namely: Olive E., wife of 
 John G. Green, of Mason City; Hattie, deceased; 
 Laura, who married Henry Stevenson, of Ne- 
 braska; Minnie R., Benjamin F., Arthur J. and 
 
 Joseph D., who are at home. In their religious belief 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ironmonger are Presbyterians, and 
 the church of that denomination in Mason City 
 has in him one of its most liberal supporters; he 
 has served as an Elder for a number of years. 
 Coming to this country without means, he has ac- 
 quired a handsome competence by the exercise of 
 those traits that mark him as a man of more than 
 ordinary push and foresight, endowed with excel- 
 lent powers of calculation and discrimination. 
 
 LEXANDER STUART. There is in the 
 development of a successful life a princi- 
 ple which is a lesson to every man, a lesson 
 leading to , higher and more honorable 
 positions than the ordinary. Let a man be indus- 
 triously ambitious and honorable in his ambitions, 
 and he will rise, whether having the prestige of 
 family or the obscurity of poverty. These reflec- 
 tions are called forth by the study of the life of 
 Mr. Stuart, who is a retired capitalist residing in 
 Havana. 
 
 Mr. Stuart is of Irish birth and education, and 
 was born in County Darz, in Juty, 1815. He is 
 the son of Charles and Mary (Hamilton) Stuart, 
 also natives of Ireland, where the mother died in 
 1820, and the father in 1835. Alexander spent 
 the first twenty years of his life in his native land, 
 and when in 1835 he landed on American shores he 
 made his way directly to Philadelphia, where he re- 
 mained for a short time, thence removed to Craw- 
 ford County, that state, where he was engaged on 
 a farm with his brother for about six months. 
 
 The next move which our subject made was 
 south to Louisiana, where he was employed by the 
 Government on the Red River, clearing out a log 
 drift which was interfering seriously with naviga- 
 tion. He remained there for six months, receiving 
 as his wages $21 per month and his board. On 
 returning to the Keystone State he aided his 
 brother in his farming operations until the fall of 
 1836. At that time lie was employed on a flat boat 
 which was engaged in transportation of merchan- 
 dise, and later found work on a steamer plying the 
 lower Mississippi River. 
 
 After having been variously employed for some
 
 426 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 time, Mr. Stuart finally came to Havana, where he 
 was engaged in different lines of work. Being 
 economical, he soon saved a sufficient sum of money 
 to enable him to embark in the grocery business. 
 When ready to begin his business career he formed 
 a partnership with George Robinson, and they car- 
 ried on the grocery business for six years under 
 the style of Robinson & Stuart, when the partner- 
 ship was dissolved. 
 
 In 1840 our subject entered the mercantile busi- 
 ness, which lie was conducting at the outbreak of 
 the late war. He then engaged as a coal and wood 
 merchant, and carried on a large trade until 1867. 
 Having meanwhile accumulated a vast amount of 
 property he then retired from active business, and 
 since that time has given his entire attention to 
 looking after his varied interests. At present he 
 is recognized as one of the wealthiest men in the 
 county. 
 
 The lady whom our subject married in 1846 was 
 Miss Margaret Gardner, a native of New York and 
 the daughter of Andrew Gardner, who was an early 
 settler of Fulton County. To Mr. and Mrs. Stuart 
 have been born a son and daughter, Charles, who 
 is engaged in farming in Mason County, and Jen- 
 nie, now the wife of Daniel Cullinane, of this city. 
 Mrs. Margaret Stuart departed this life in 1856. 
 
 With the public enterprises connected with the 
 progress of Havana Mr. Stuart has been closely 
 associated. He was the projector of the wooden 
 bridge, which was the first structure of the kind to 
 span the Illinois River at Havana. His career has 
 ever been upright and honorable. A man of sterl- 
 ing worth and strict integrit}', he has been the ar- 
 chitect of his own fortune. In polities he is a 
 Democrat, stanch in his support of party principles. 
 As one of the valued citizens of Mason County he 
 well deserves representation in this volume. 
 
 -^ RANK E. MEYERS, although a young man, 
 has become well known in agricultural cir- 
 ii cles and is recognized as a careful, ener- 
 getic farmer, who, by his advanced ideas and pro- 
 gressive habits, is doing much to improve the 
 farming interests of this section. He is not only 
 prominent as a tiller of the soil, but as a citizen 
 
 and neighbor is held in the highest esteem. He is 
 the occupant of an estate located on section 36, 
 Sand Prairie Township, Tazewell County, from 
 which by a proper rotation of crops he reaps a 
 good income. 
 
 Our subject was born in this township October 
 21, 1867, which is also the native place of his fa- 
 ther, John Meyers, whose birth occurred August 
 26, 1838. The latter is a man of good' education, 
 and March 12, 1863, was married to Miss Mary 
 Hafliger, also a native of this county, where she 
 was born in Dillon Township, March 28, 1840. 
 The 3'oung couple commenced life as agricultur- 
 ists, and so successful were they in this branch of 
 work that in 1893 they were enabled to remove to 
 Pckin, where they are now living a retired life. 
 They are very wealthy, owning over five hundred 
 acres of valuable land in this county, which is now 
 rented to good advantage. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of our subject, John 
 Hafliger, was born in Switzerland in 1809, and on 
 coming to America in 1818 located near Reading, 
 Pa., where he was given good advantages for ob- 
 taining an education. After his graduation he 
 left the Keystone State, and going to New Orleans, 
 secured the position of Cashier in the New Orleans 
 Bank. While in the descent City he belonged to 
 a company of militia, and he now keeps as relics 
 of that time an old musket and sword which he 
 highly prizes. 
 
 John Hafliger was married in New Orleans and 
 came to Tazewell County in 1834. Here he pur- 
 chased a large tract of land, on which he and his 
 wife made their home for a half-century. They 
 removed to Green Valley in 1884, and are now liv- 
 ing retired. The mother of our subject had six 
 brothers and sisters, namely: John, who married 
 Miss Sarah McClintock and now resides on a farm 
 near Delavan; Joseph, who married Miss Fannie 
 Squires and is also an agriculturist near that place; 
 Lottie, the wife of Port McClintock, who makes 
 her home near Cincinnati, Ohio; Catherine, who 
 married John W. Dicks and resides in this town- 
 ship; Elizabeth, Mrs. Henry Kinsey, who makes her 
 home in Colorado; and Fannie, now Mrs. Henry 
 Squires, who lives in Green Valley. 
 
 The father of our subject was prominent in local
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 427 
 
 affairs and held the office of Supervisor of his 
 township for seven consecutive terms. He lias 
 also been the recipient of various other township 
 and county offices and in every position gave en- 
 tire satisfaction. He became the father of three 
 children, Frank E., Joseph A. and Katie May, of 
 whom the latter is still at home. 
 
 Our subject received his education in his native 
 place and continued to reside under the parental 
 roof until his marriage with Miss Carrie B. Lari- 
 mer, February 20, 1891. Mrs. Meyers was born in 
 this county and is the daughter of Thomas and 
 Jane Larimer, who came hither from Ohio in an 
 early day. Their union has been blessed by the 
 birth of a little daughter, Katie Daisy, who was 
 born June 3, 1892. In politics our subject is 
 Democratic, and is active in all worthy enterprises 
 that have for their object the upbuilding of his 
 community. 
 
 LUCAS. In giving an account 
 5^, of the different business enterprises of Pe- 
 kin, we desire particularly to call atten- 
 tion to Mr. Lucas, who is V ice-President and 
 Treasurer of the Independent Biscuit and Cracker 
 Company, and is likewise Treasurer of the Water 
 Works Company. Since locating here in 1870 he 
 has conducted his various affairs very satisfactorily 
 on his own responsibility and by fair dealing has 
 obtained a good share of public favor. 
 
 Our subject was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger- 
 many, .January 13, 1824, and is the son of George 
 Lucas, Sr., who was likewise a native of the Father- 
 land and one of the clerks in the Mayor's office in 
 Gimhsheim. Later the father came to America, 
 and in 1868 located on a farm near Pekin, where 
 his decease occurred in 1869, when seventy-two 
 years of age. He was a Protestant in religion, as 
 was also his wife, Mrs. Helena (Metzger) Lucas. 
 
 Jacob Lucas, one of the four brothers, of w.hom 
 three are living, remained in his native land at- 
 tending school until after the Revolution of 1848, 
 in which conflict he took part, and after the estab- 
 lishment of peace came to America. George Lucas 
 
 left Rotterdam in 1848 on the sailing-vessel "Cor- 
 nelius Grinnell," and twenty-four days later 
 landed in New York City and soon afterward went 
 to Rochester and found work on a farm near that 
 city. After two and one-half years spent in the New 
 World, our subject returned to Germany, which 
 trip consumed only nine days, and in his native 
 land followed farm work two years. 
 
 In 1853 our subject came to America, this time 
 coming west as far as Cleveland, Ohio, where he 
 spent one summer. It was his intention to join 
 his brothers in St. Louis, Mo., but as the cholera 
 was raging in that city he remained in the Buck- 
 eye State until the fall, when he went to Mound 
 City, where he was employed in a wholesale 
 house for one year. Thence he went to Hermann, 
 Mo., where he was engaged as clerk in a coun- 
 try store. A year later he started in business for 
 himself and was very successful in his undertak- 
 ing until the outbreak of the late war, when the 
 hard times caused him to lose all his property. 
 In addition to this enterprise he also owned a 
 valuable farm of two hundred and seventy acres, 
 which he operated with great profit after the close 
 of the war. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Lucas sold out his interests in Mis- 
 souri, and coming to Pekin opened a grocery store 
 which had formerly been owned by his younger 
 brother, then deceased. He carried on a profitable 
 business in company with another brother, whose 
 decease occurred in August, 1886, and Mr. Lucas 
 then ran the. establishment alone for some time. 
 It was one of the best grocery houses in the city, 
 was 28x80 feet in dimensions and was stocked with 
 a great variety of staple and fancy groceries. In 
 the meantime he had purchased another store on 
 North Court Street, which he carried on for five 
 years, and in January, 1891, disposed of both 
 of his groceries. 
 
 Mr. Lucas was one of the organizers of the In- 
 dependent Biscuit and Cracker Company, of which 
 he was Secretary and Treasurer the first year. The 
 company have a paid-up capital of $25,000 and 
 occupy a large three-story and basement building, 
 which is located on Third and Margaret Streets. 
 They find a ready market for the product of their 
 factory and manufacture six hundred boxes of
 
 428 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 crackers a day, besides numerous varieties of bis- 
 cuits. 
 
 Mr. Lucas has a fine home located on Broadway, 
 in which comfort reigns supreme. He is one of 
 the Directors of the German National Bank. His 
 life has been crowned with success because he has 
 earned it, and he now enjoys the respect and es- 
 teem of all with whom he has become acquainted. 
 
 C. BECK WITH resides on sections 9, 10 
 and 16, Kilbourne Township, Mason Coun- 
 ty, where he owns two hundred and fifty- 
 three acres of finely improved land and 
 one hundred and fifty-five acres on section 17, 
 which he devotes to diversified crops. The build- 
 ings which have been erected upon the estate are 
 neat and substantial, sufficiently commodious for 
 their respective uses, and include every necessary 
 and convenient edifice. Mr. Beckwith pursues his 
 calling with zeal and intelligence, winning from 
 the soil an abundant share of the various grains 
 which he cultivates, and in this way securing for 
 himself and family all the comforts and many of 
 the luxuries of life. 
 
 Our subject was born in Crawford County, this 
 state, April 25, 1841, and is a son of Elijah Beck- 
 with, a native of Elmira County, N. Y. The latter 
 came to Illinois in an early day, and in 1850 took 
 up his residence in Havana Township, this count}', 
 on a farm which he made his home until his de- 
 parture for Nebraska. There his death took place 
 in Ouster County January 31, 1893, when in his 
 seventy-fourth year. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, Benja- 
 min Beckwith, was also a native of the Empire 
 State and served as a soldier in the Mexican War. 
 He, too, located at an early day in Crawford 
 County, this state, where he spent the remainder 
 of his life. His father was an Englishman by birth, 
 and coining to America during the Revolutionary 
 War, served as an officer in the Continental army 
 during that entire period. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Emily Seaney; she was born in Crawford County 
 and there lived until 1850, when she accompanied 
 her husband to this county. She is still living 
 
 and makes her home in Kansas. II. C. was the 
 eldest of the parental family of three children and 
 was a lad of nine years at the time of his parents' 
 removal to this county. His primary education 
 was carried on first in the subscription, and later 
 in the public schools near his home. He was 
 thoroughly trained to farm pursuits and began 
 following the plow at the very early age of nine 
 years. 
 
 H. C. Beckwith and Miss Sarah E. Ileston were 
 
 % 
 
 united in marriage November 30, 1865. The lady 
 was born in Chester County, Pa., and came to this 
 state in 1853. The young couple after their 
 union located on the farm which Mr. Beckwith 
 owned and for which he paid by working out at 
 sixty cents a da}'. He is the proud possessor of 
 two hundred and fifty-three acres on sections 9, 
 10 and 16, and one hundred and fifty-five acres 
 on section 17, making in all a handsome property 
 of four hundred and eight acres. As a matter of 
 course he has been very mucli prospered iu his 
 farming ventures and is very successful in every 
 branch of agriculture. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Beckwith have been born three 
 sons and one daughter. The latter, Lizzie, is the 
 wife of Jesse Craggs and lives in Kilbourne Vil- 
 lage. The sons are Henry A., Howard P. and Charles 
 F. In politics our subject is a stanch Democrat 
 and held the office of Supervisor in his township 
 two terms, for nine years was School Director, and 
 was Highway Commissioner for many terms,, in 
 each capacity winning laurels as an efficient pub- 
 lic servant. He is a Director of the Farmers' 
 Mutual Insurance Company, and as a reliable citi- 
 zen and intelligent man commands respect from 
 those about him. 
 
 [/ A. MARSHALL is one of the most enter- 
 prising business men of Manito, being now 
 engaged in the sale of buggies, surries, 
 wagons, hardware and stoves, and every- 
 thing found in a first-class establishment of the 
 kind. He was born September 23, 1846, in Madi- 
 son County, Ohio, and is a son of Joshua Marshall, 
 who was born in Virginia in 1814. His parents 
 were Joshua and Sarah (Haynes) Marshall. The
 
 RESIDENCE OF J. A. MARSHALL, MAXITO, TAZEWELL CO., ILL. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF H. C. BECKWITH, SEC. 16, KILBOURNE TP., TAZEWELL CO., ILL.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of THt 
 UNIVERSITY Of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 431 
 
 father of our subject moved to Knnkakee, 111., in 
 1816, and built a new hotel, but was burnt out in 
 1858, suffering a loss of 16,000. He also met other 
 losses and this caused his removal to Mason Coun- 
 ty, where he was more prosperous. In 1862 he sold 
 the produce of his farm for $6,200, and in his busi- 
 ness interests met with success. In March, 1838, 
 he married Drusilla Rackstraw, and to them were 
 born the following children: Mrs. Samantha Black, 
 Kmeranda, J. A., of this sketch, Horace S., Allen J. 
 and Henry S. 
 
 The subject of this sketch worked at home upon 
 the farm until twenty-seven years of age, when he 
 determined to engage in agricultural pursuits for 
 himself. He purchased in Spring Lake Township 
 three hundred acres of land on which was a good 
 house, barn and other improvements. His farm 
 residence was destroyed by fire in 1883, but witli 
 characteristic energy he built a new residence, it 
 being 30x14 feet with an "L" 14x18. It is two 
 stories in height and cost $1,600. There is a fine 
 barn 33x30 feet, with large cribs for the storing of 
 his grain, in fact the place is complete in all its 
 appointments, no accessory being wanted,: The. 
 place is enclosed by a good hedge and a wire fence, 
 and is divided into fields of convenient size. There 
 is also a four-acre orchard. In 1878 Mr. Marshall 
 built the North Elevator in Manito, at a cost of 
 $3,500, and in connection with his brother Horace 
 is engaged in grain dealing, doing a good business 
 in that line. In the fall of 1881 he came to Man- 
 ito, purchased lots and built him a home. He now 
 has a fine residence 14x28 feet, with a front 18x20 
 feel, two stories in height, witli a kitchen 20x14, 
 the cost of erecting which was $3,500. It is supplied 
 with all modern improvements and is one of the 
 lint'M, homes of the village. He also built his pres- 
 ent hardware and implement store, which is 70x32 
 feet, with an addition of 30x100 feet for buggies 
 and carriages, and an implement shed 60x18 feet, 
 at a cost of $3,400. There is a hall above the 
 main building with a stage, and seating capacity of 
 three hundred. In his store is the public tele- 
 phone, and he also has a private telephone con- 
 nected with his house. In the office is a Caligrapli 
 type writer, which is operated by his son Clarence. 
 
 Mr. Marshall was married October 23, 1873, to 
 
 Elizabeth Docker, of Pekin, daughter of William 
 and Letitia Docker. Her father was a native of 
 England, came to America in 1855, settled in 
 Shawneetown, 111., and embarked in the banking 
 business in Pekin. He afterward built the O K 
 Mills of Pekin, which he operated for two years, 
 when he failed. In 1868 he was elected City- 
 Clerk, which position he filled about three years. 
 He made his home with Mr. Marshall for four 
 3'ears, and then removed to Virginia, 111., where 
 he died in the fall of 1892. He was a Republican 
 in politics, was a member of the Reformed Church 
 and served as Elder for about twelve years, taking 
 an active part in church work. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Marshall was called upon to mourn 
 the loss of his wife, who died in October. They 
 had three children, two of whom are now living, 
 Clarence K., born December 5, 1875, and Horace 
 A., born June 20, 1878. They are both receiving 
 excellent educational advantages, both were grad- 
 uated with honors a"t the Manito High School, and 
 will complete their education at some college 
 which will fit them for any walk in life. Mr. 
 Marshall was again married, December 10, 1884, his 
 second union being with Sarah A. Strickler, who 
 was born in Philadelphia, Pa., January 6, 1861, 
 and is a daughter of Samuel and Mary Strickler. 
 Her father was a dealer in books and stationery in 
 Peoria, and died in November, 1882. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Marshall lias been born one child, Samuel J., 
 born November 15, 1886. 
 
 Mr. Marshall is a Republican in politics, and is a 
 well informed man, whose worth and ability have 
 placed him in the front rank in business and social 
 circles. He is sagacious and far-sighted and by 
 his perseverance and well directed efforts lie has 
 gained a handsome property which numbers him 
 among the substantial citizens of the community. 
 He has done much for the upbuilding of Manito, 
 and its best interests ever receive his support. 
 
 LARK BARTON, a retired farmer, who now 
 owns and occupies a pleasant home in Mack- 
 inaw, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was 
 born in Columbia County, December 21, 1812,
 
 432 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and is of English descent. His grandparents, 
 Elislia and Hannah Barton, were botli natives of 
 England, whence they emigrated to the New World 
 during Colonial days. The parents of our subject 
 were Elisha and Rachel (Miller) Barton. The fa- 
 ther was reared on a farm in Pennsylvania, and 
 for a short time engaged in merchandising. He 
 died when our subject was only two and a-lialf 
 yetirs of age, leaving a widow with six children to 
 support, but Clark is the only one now living. The 
 others were, Anna, wife of Dennis Percil; Mary, 
 wife of Dr. William S. Maus; Abraham, Cyrus and 
 Elislia. After the death of her first husband, Mrs. 
 Barton became the wife of Peter Percil, and to 
 them were born six children: Amelia, wife of 
 Washington Smith; Rebecca, wife of Dr. Harris 
 Awl; Thomas; Boyd, deceased; and two who died 
 in childhood. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of Clark Bar- 
 ton we present to our readers the life record of 
 one who is both widely and favorably known in 
 Tazewell County. He remained at home with his 
 mother until nineteen years of age, and in the 
 common schools acquired his education. He was 
 reared on a farm, but determined to engage in 
 other pursuits. For two years he engaged in clerk- 
 ing in a dry-goods store in Bloomsburg, Pa., and 
 for a like period was employed in the same capa- 
 city in another town of his native state. In 1835, 
 he determined to seek a home and fortune in the 
 west. 
 
 Emigrating to Tazewell County, 111., Mr. Barton 
 cast in his lot with the early settlers of Mackinaw 
 Township. He entered laud from the Govern- 
 ment, becoming owner of two hundred and forty 
 acres, and at once began the development of a 
 farm, which he cultivated and improved, making 
 it a valuable and productive tract. He then sold it 
 and purchased a farm nearer Mackinaw, where he 
 lived until 1891, since which time he has made his 
 home in the town. 
 
 After coming west, Mr. Barton married Eliza 
 Myers, a native of Armstrong County, Pa., and a 
 daughter of John and Catherine (Shumakcr) My- 
 ers. They became the parents of ten children, but 
 six of the number died in early life. Those still 
 living are Cyrus A., a hotel keeper; and Mary F., 
 
 wife of Alfred Lindsey, of Nebraska. Susan be- 
 came the wife of Benjamin Bachrnan, but is now 
 deceased; and Racliel died at the age of sixteen 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Barton is the oldest Democratic voter in 
 Mackinaw Township, having cast a ballot in sup- 
 port of his party in 1836. He served both as Tax 
 Collector and Assessor for many years, and aided 
 in organizing the townships and school districts. 
 His wife, a most estimable lady, is a member of 
 the Christian Church. For fifty-eight years he has 
 lived in Tazewell County, and has not only wit- 
 nessed its growth and development, but has aided 
 in its upbuilding and advancement, ever bearing 
 his part in the work of public improvement. He 
 may well be numbered among the founders of the 
 county, to whom a debt of gratitude is due for 
 what they have done in its behalf. Mr. Barton is 
 now well advanced in years, but is still quite well 
 preserved, and we join with his many friends in 
 wishing that he may yet be spared for many years 
 to come. 
 
 ;ILLIAM LINDSEY, a representative farmer 
 of Tazewell County, now living on sec- 
 tion 23, Mackinaw Township, was born in 
 Christian County, Ky., on the 13th of October, 
 1817, and is a son of James A. and Jane (Scott) 
 Lindsey. His grandparents were James and De- 
 lilah Lindsey. The former was a North Carolina 
 farmeivand about 1806 emigrated from his native 
 state to Kentucky, where he entered a large tract 
 of land from the Governmentand carried on agri- 
 cultural pursuits. She was twice married, and 
 reared a family of eight children: Rebecca, Deli- 
 lah, Susan, Temperance, Aichibald, John, James A. 
 and Suck field S. All are now deceased. The fa- 
 ther was a member of the Baptist Church, and dur- 
 ing the Revolutionary War aided the Colonies in 
 their struggle for independence. His death occur- 
 red in Kentucky about 1840. 
 
 James A. Lindsey, father of our subject, was 
 born in North Carolina in 1793, and was a lad of 
 thirteen summers when he went with his parents 
 to Kentucky. His education was acquired in the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 433 
 
 common schools, and he prepared himself for 
 teaching, which profession he followed at various 
 intervals through life, both in Kentucky and in 
 Illinois. He learned the saddler's trade and be- 
 came a civil engineer, after which he engaged in 
 surveying to some extent. He also owned and 
 operated a farm in Kentucky, where he remained 
 until April, 1834, when with a team and buggy he 
 came to Tazewell County, 111. Here he entered 
 land from the Government and accumulated quite 
 a large tract. To each of his children he gave 
 about sixty acres. 
 
 Mr. Lindsey was married in Kentucky to Jane, 
 daughter of William and Elizabeth (Roddy) Scott, 
 and they became the parents of twelve children, .ill 
 of whom grew to mature years, although the greater 
 number have now passed away. They were: 
 Elizabeth, deceased wife of C. O. Neville; James, a 
 local preacher, now deceased; William; Alfred, a 
 minister of the Christian Church, now deceased; 
 John, who was also a Christian minister, and has 
 passed away; David, who has departed this life; 
 Delilah, deceased wife of Edward S. Ewing; Jane, 
 widow of Dr. S. K. Lynn, of Normal, III.; Eliza D., 
 deceased wife of John L. Boing; Lucy A. M., de- 
 ceased; Mary E., wife of James E. Phillips, of Nor- 
 mal, 111.; and Eelix, a farmer of Kansas. In early 
 life the father of this family joined the Baptist 
 Church and became one of its preachers. Subse- 
 quently he united with the Christian Churcli, and 
 continued as one of its ministers until his death. 
 During the War of 1812 he was engaged mostly in 
 lighting Indians. In his political views he was a 
 Whig. His death occurred at the age of seventy- 
 nine years, and his wife, who survived him about 
 twelve years, passed away at the age of ninety-two. 
 
 William Lindsey remained with his father until 
 twenty-four years of age, when he came to Illinois 
 and entered forty acres of land from the Govern- 
 ment, a part of his present farm. He secured the 
 patent while Andrew Jackson was President of 
 this country. As a companion and helpmate on 
 life's journey he chose Matilda, daughter of 
 Thomas and Hannah (Starbuck) Leonard. Her 
 father was a son of Ezekiel and Rebecca Leonard, 
 natives of North Carolina, who removed with 
 their family to Ohio during the childhood of their 
 
 son Thomas. He became a farmer of the Buckeye 
 State, where he lived until 1825, when he came 
 with an uncle to Illinois. In 1830 he removed 
 with a four-horse team to Tazewell County, bring- 
 ing with him some sheep, hogs and two cows. Hav- 
 ing entered land from the Government he began 
 the development of a farm and made his home 
 thereon until his death, which occurred at the age 
 of seventy-five. His wife passed away at the age 
 of sixty-four. 
 
 Mrs. Lindsey is a native of Clinton County, 
 Ohio, and has been to her husband a faithful help- 
 mate. Eight children were born to them: Josiah, who 
 is living near the old home; Alfred, now Sheriff 
 of Thayer County, Neb.; Thomas, a farmer of this 
 locality; Nancy A., deceased wife of P. P. Hill; 
 Leona E., widow of P. P. Hill, and the present 
 Postmistress of Mackinaw; Mary L., wife of Will- 
 iam N. Reveal, of Hoopeston, 111., and two who died 
 in childhood. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey began their domestic life 
 upon the farm which is still their home. Their 
 residence was twice destroyed by fire and their 
 barn was burned once. But with characteristic 
 energy Mr. Lindsey at once replaced these build- 
 ings. He became the owner of four hundred and 
 fourteen acres of valuable land but has given some 
 of this to his children. His business career has 
 been one of success, and his prosperity is well de- 
 served. In national politics he is a Republican, 
 but at local elections, where no issue is involved, 
 he votes independently. He and his wife belong 
 to the Christian Church, in which he has been an 
 Elder for a number of vears. 
 
 , ETER E. JOHNSON. It is not necessary for 
 a visitor to the rural district to understand 
 agriculture in order that he may know the 
 i\ good farmers of a section. The sight of the 
 tumbled down fences, machinery exposed to the 
 wind and weather and inadequate shelter for 
 stock and crops is sufficient so stamp the proprie- 
 tor of such a farm as one lacking in enterprise and 
 judgment. Well built farm structures, neat fences 
 and fields, where useful gram has the upper hand
 
 434 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of the weeds, are equally conclusive proof of the 
 skill and energy of him under whose management 
 this state of things exists. 
 
 The subject of this notice is numbered among 
 the enterprising farmers of Delavan Township, 
 Tazewell County, and was born near the Scandina- 
 vian Mountains in the northern part of Sweden, 
 September 8, 1833. His father, Jonas Johnson, 
 was a mechanic, and came to America in 1844, lo- 
 cating near Bishop Hill, Henry County, this state, 
 where his wife, Mrs. Sarah Johnson, died three 
 months later. The father lived to the advanced 
 age of eighty-seven years and departed this life in 
 the above county December 20, .1891. 
 
 Peter F., of this sketch, was the eldest of three 
 children comprised in his parents' family, and as 
 his father was a poor man when he c:ifl| to this 
 country, young Johnson was bound out soon after 
 the death of his mother to a man by the name of 
 Horace Clark, living in Tazewell County. He re- 
 mained with him until reaching his majority, dur- 
 ing which time he gained an education sufficient to 
 enable him to teach school. ';"- 
 
 After leaving the home of Mr. Clark our subject 
 worked for himself three years and traded in 
 stock, during which time he saved $500, with 
 which he purchased his first eighty acres of land, 
 which forms a part of his present fine estate. In 
 the springof 1860 he moved upon the property on 
 which he has resided ever since, and now lias one 
 of the finest tracts of land in Tazewell County. 
 The previous year he was married to Miss Emily 
 Bowman, who was born in Washington, this county. 
 By their union were born three daughters and two 
 sons, and Mrs. Johnson died in July, 1877. Of 
 their family a daughter died when sixteen years 
 of age, and a son when in his eighth year. Of 
 those living Ida is the wife of Samuel Yontz, and 
 resides in Harper County, Kan.; Arthur L. married 
 Catherine Harris, and is living on a farm with his 
 father; Edith M. is now Mrs. John L. Trollope, 
 and also makes her home in Kansas. 
 
 Our subject has become one of the most success- 
 ful farmers and stockmen of this locality, and so 
 closely has lie been identified with Delavan Town- 
 ship that in acquiring wealth he has furthered its 
 material prosperity and enhanced its progress. He 
 
 has been a Republican in politics since I860, ;md 
 has served his fellow-citizens in many positions of 
 trust and honor. His record is that of an upright 
 man, whose high personal character has made him 
 an influence for good in this county. 
 
 ,ROF. ALBERT C. COIIAGAN. "Our schools 
 are the hope of our country," and no more 
 fitting subject for representation in a work 
 of this kind can be found than one whose 
 talents are given to promote the cause of educa- 
 tion. Our subject is Principal of the llopedale 
 schools and is using his most earnest efforts to ele- 
 vate and enlighten the* minds of those who are 
 placed under his instruction. 
 
 Mr. Cohagan was born in Morgan County, Ohio, 
 in December, 1866, and is the son of Thomas Co- 
 hagan, also a native of the Buckeye State, who, on 
 coming to Illinois in 1868, located in McLean 
 County. He became a prominent farmer of that 
 section j-iind having accumulated a handsome prop- 
 erty, is now living retired in Lexington, 111. The 
 mother of Professor Cohagan prior to her mar- 
 riage was Miss Mary Henderson, likewise a native 
 of Ohio. She reared a family of four children, in- 
 cluding three sons and one daughter. Charles 
 lives near Lexington on a farm; Emmet also re- 
 sides near Lexington, where he is engaged exten- 
 sively in the raising of fine stock; H.ittie married 
 Charles Brown, and they also conduct farming near 
 Lexington. 
 
 Albert C. was reared to man's estate on the farm 
 in McLean County and received his primary edu- 
 cation in the common schools. AVhcn attaining 
 his nineteenth year he became a student at the 
 State Normal, and after being graduated from that 
 institution taught school there for two years. In 
 1891, however, he came to Hopedale and accepted 
 the position of Principal of the high school, which 
 under his direction has become one of the best ed- 
 ucational institutions in the county. The Profes- 
 sor has a host of warm friends in this locality who 
 have brought him to the front as candidate for the 
 position of County Superintendent of Schools. 
 August 29, 1893, Professor Cohagan and Miss
 
 UBRARV 
 
 of im 
 
 01
 
 E. N. HOPPING.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 437 
 
 Helen Cresswell, daughter of the Rev. R. N. Cress- 
 well, were united in marriage in Normal, 111. The 
 latter is a minister of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Normal and has been very active in furthering the 
 good work in that locality. Mrs. Cohagan besides 
 being possessed of a fine literary education has re- 
 ceived thorough training in instrumental music 
 and taught that art some time prior to her mar- 
 riage. Her sister Alice is the wife of the Rev. 
 Orr Milligan, a Presbyterian minister having a 
 charge at Portland, Ore.; and another sister, Mary, 
 married the Rev. Frank Morrow, Pastor of the 
 Presbyterian Church at Lawrence, Kan. The re- 
 maining sisters and brothers of Mrs. Cohagan are, 
 Anna, Mrs. Dr. Sherwood, of Wenona, this state; 
 Ida, who married Willard Cowan, Cashier of the 
 First National Bank at Des Moines, Iowa; Robert, 
 n ranchman in California, where he is also general 
 agent for an insurance company; Benjamin, who 
 is engaged in the latter business in Bloomington; 
 Julia, who is single and a teacher in the public 
 school of Wenona, 111.; and Nettie, also single and 
 a teacher in Berea, Ky. 
 
 EPHRAM N. HOPPING. In recalling the 
 labors which have made of this county a 
 / ;"' region noted for its agricultural resources, 
 
 we feel a glow of admiration for all who bore a 
 part in the scenes of the early days, and take great 
 pleasure in noting prominent incidents in their 
 lives. One of the early settlers is the worthy gen- 
 tleman above named, who has abundantly shown 
 his industry and good judgment by the accumula- 
 tion of an excellent estate, well supplied with im- 
 provements. He is now living retired in the city 
 of Havana, and is able to relate many an interest- 
 ing event in connection with the early settlement 
 of Havana Township. His companionship is de- 
 sirable, and his reputation excellent. 
 
 The birth of Mr. Hopping took place in Canada, 
 April 2, 1815, and his residence in Illinois began 
 in 1860. He is the son of Ephram Hopping, Sr., 
 a native of New Jersey, who departed this life in 
 Dearborn County, Ind., whitjjer he had removed 
 12 
 
 in 1816. He married Mary Young, a member of 
 a prominent family of Virginia. 
 
 Our subject was an infant at the time his par- 
 ents removed to Dearborn County, Ind., where he 
 received a common -school education, and when 
 old enough to do so, aided his father in carrying on 
 the farm. He began life for himself as an agri- 
 culturist in I860, at which time he came to Illi- 
 nois and located in this county. During the years 
 that have since elapsed, he has' acquired a solid 
 reputation as a straightforward, honorable man and 
 as a thrifty, hard-working, capable farmer. He has 
 managed with skill and profit his well equipped 
 farm on section 36, Havana Township, since it 
 came into his possession. There he resided until 
 1890, when, on account of failing health, he re- 
 moved into the city of Havana. 
 
 With whatever will best promote the highest in- 
 terests of his adopted count}', Mr. Hopping thor- 
 oughly identifies himself. His liberality helps for- 
 ward many schemes for its improvement, and he 
 is numbered among its most loyal citizens. In 
 politics he votes with the Republican party. So- 
 cially he is prominently identified with the order 
 of Odd Fellows, and belongs to Lodge No. 143, A. 
 F. & A. M., at Havana. 
 
 In 1841, Mr. Hopping was united in marriage 
 with Miss Ann Horsley, who was bom in Indiana 
 July 15, 1815, and was the daughter of Thomas 
 Ilorsley. The latter was born in Virginia and be- 
 came one of the early settlers of Indiana, where 
 he spent the rest of his life. Mrs. Hopping became 
 the mother of four children, and departed this life 
 April 15, 1851. Her sons and daughters were: 
 Ephram, Jr., now residing in Arkansas; Sarah Ann, 
 the wife of Wallace Caldwell, of Nebraska; Will- 
 iam, living in Wyoming; and Mary E., Mrs. L. W. 
 Coon, of Havana Township, this county. 
 
 The lady whom our subject married January 1, 
 1854, was Miss Harriet Hunter Andrews. She was 
 born in Versailles, Ind., and was the daughter of 
 Lumau Andrews, a native of Massachusetts. Their 
 union resulted in the birth of eight children, all 
 but one of whom are living, viz.: Charles, a resi- 
 dent of Mason City, this state; Luman, residing in 
 Beaver City, Neb.; Luther, who located near Cedar 
 Bluff, Kan.; Ida A., Luella and Fannie, who are
 
 438 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 at home; John, living in Beaver City, Neb.; and 
 May, also at home. The wife and mother died 
 September 28, 1889. 
 
 The fine property of Mr. Hopping is a standing 
 monument to the energy which he has put forth in 
 the labors of life and the good judgment which 
 has characterized his efforts, while his high stand- 
 ing among his fellow-men is an equally satis- 
 factory evidence of his worth as a neighbor and 
 citizen. 
 
 OSEPH TAYLOR, a retired business man 
 and large land owner of Mason County, 
 was born in Barren County, Ky., August 
 20, 1819. His father, John Taylor, a farmer 
 by occupation, removed to Warrick County, Ind., 
 in 1822, where he improved a farm and remained 
 until his death, at the age of about fifty years. He 
 was a descendant of Scotch and Welsh ancestry, 
 and in youth was a Quaker, though later he did 
 not affiliate with that society. He was a partici- 
 pant in the War of 1812. The grandfather of our 
 subject was a native of one of the southern states, 
 presumably North or South Carolina or Georgia, 
 and it is believed that he was a soldier in the 
 Revolutionary War. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden name 
 of Nancy Sanders and was of southern birth, dy- 
 ing some time in the '70s. Her father refused to 
 enter the war on account of being a Quaker, and 
 was killed because of his refusal to join the army. 
 Our subject is one of twelve children, and was in 
 his third year when the family moved to Warrick 
 County, I ud., where he was reared to manhood. 
 At the age of ten he began in life for himself and 
 for some time worked by the day or month in the 
 employ of others. When a mere child he com- 
 menced riding race horses, and it was claimed that 
 he was the best rider of his time. 
 
 About 1839, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage 
 with Lucinda Houchin; she was born one-half 
 mile from the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and 
 was there reared until the age of fifteen years. 
 Mr. Taylor located on land in Pike County, Ind., 
 where he improved a farm of seventy acres, and 
 
 he also owned eighty acres in Warrick County, 
 Ind. In 1851 he disposed of his property in In- 
 diana and came to Mason County, 111., where lie 
 invested his capital of about $1,050 in land, be- 
 coming in time one of the largest land owners in 
 the county. His possessions aggregated twelve 
 hundred acres, the larger part of which lie has 
 given to his children, retaining for his own use 
 but eighty acres. In connection with general 
 farming, he has engaged in buying and shipping 
 stock. Since his wife's death, in 1883, he has lived 
 somewhat retired from business. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Taylor had ten children, of whom 
 five are still living: Benjamin R., of Allen'sGrove 
 Township; John J., of Mason City; Malinda E., 
 the wife of E. J. Mell, of Allen's Grove Township; 
 Lucy Ann, who is the wife of William Cogdal, of 
 Mason County; and Melissa J., who resides with 
 her father. The deceased were named, Georgie 
 Ann, Davis, Joseph, Reason Alonzo and Charles E. 
 The first Presidential ballot cast by Mr. Taylor was 
 for Harrison in the campaign of 1840, and since 
 that time he has been somewhat independent in his 
 political ties, voting for the men and the measures 
 unbiased by party lines. For ten years or more he 
 served as Assessor of Mason City Township, and 
 at various times he has occupied other positions of 
 trust and responsibility. 
 
 COVINGTON. Although Mason 
 County has much in the way of natural 
 resources and commercial transactions to 
 commend it to the public at large, the chief inter- 
 est centers upon the lives of those citizens who 
 have achieved success for themselves, and at the 
 same time benefited the community in which they 
 reside. Prominent among these men is he whose 
 name heads this sketch. He is engaged in the furni- 
 ture and undertaking business in Havana, and as 
 one of the early pioneers took an active part in 
 laying the foundation for the present prosperity of 
 this community. 
 
 Thomas and Elizabeth (Nichols) Covington, the 
 parents of our subject, were natives respectively 
 of Maryland and Kentucky. In an early day, the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 439 
 
 father located in Dearborn County, Ind., where 
 he was engaged in farming, and in politics voted 
 the Whig ticket. Thomas, of this sketch, was born 
 in the above county in Indiana Novembers, 1826, 
 and there spent bis boyhood days engaged in at- 
 tending the district schools and aiding bis father 
 in cultivating the farm. 
 
 In 1848 our subject came to Mason County and 
 located at Quiver Mills, where he learned the trade 
 of a cabinet-maker, which be followed for a num- 
 ber of years. Four years later he came to Havana 
 and opened up a furniture establishment, which be 
 has conducted successfully to the present time. 
 Hecarriesa full line of furniture and undertaking 
 supplies and is devoting bis entire time and atten- 
 tion to this line of business. He is a genial, open 
 hearted gentleman, ready at all times to do what 
 wealth and good feeling can accomplish, both in 
 business and social circles. 
 
 In 1849 Mr. Covington and Miss Christiana, 
 daughter of Daniel Dieffenbacher, were united 
 in marriage. The latter was born in Columbia 
 County, Pa., August 7, 1803, and when twenty- 
 four years of age was married to Catherine Long, 
 whose birth occurred in that county September 3, 
 1808. Daniel Dieffenbacher, in tbe fall of 1837, 
 came to Mason County and located in Havana 
 Township, where he engaged in fanning and soon 
 ranked among the well-to-do agriculturists of this 
 section until bis decease. He was a very public 
 spirited man and served as one of the School 
 Directors of his district and also sat on the first 
 grand jury in this county, which was in 1841. He 
 identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in 1839. The mother of Mrs. Covingtou 
 died November 4, 1860. 
 
 Our subject and his wife have become the par- 
 ents of one son and three daughters, namely: 
 Luella, now Mrs. S. E. Kirk; Eva, tbe wife of Sam- 
 uel Bivens, of Beatrice, Neb.; Agnes, who is at 
 home, and Oliver D., who is Assistant Cashier of 
 the First National Bank of this city. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Covington is an Odd Fellow. He 
 belongs to Mason Lodge No. 143, in which order 
 be lias held all the chairs, and is a member of the 
 State Encampment No. 34, 1. 0. O. F. He is also a 
 Knight of Honor, in which body he takes great 
 
 interest. He is not an active participant in polit- 
 ical affairs other than to vote the Republican 
 ticket, preferring to give bis attention to his busi- 
 ness. He is respected, as his merits deserve, by all 
 who are acquainted with his character and attain- 
 ments. 
 
 LBERT WEISS. During the last nine 
 years Mr. Weiss has been editor and pro- 
 prietor of the Pckin Freie Prcsse, a paper 
 which is so well known throughout this 
 portion of the state, that it needs no special men- 
 tion or eulogy in this biographical sketch. Our 
 subject was born in Mellenbach, province of Thu- 
 ringia, Germany, Julj- 23, 1855, and is the son of 
 Johann Michael and Christiana (Koehler) Weiss, 
 also natives of the Fatherland. The father was a 
 porcelain artist of considerable note, and late in 
 life served for fifteen years as Mayor of Mellen- 
 bach. The last years of his life were passed in re- 
 tirement, and be passed away in October, 1885. 
 The mother is still living and makes her home in 
 Germany. 
 
 Our subject is the only sou and youngest child 
 but one in his parents' family of four children. 
 Two make their homes in America, and the re- 
 mainder still live in the Fatherland. Our subject 
 was given a line classical education in his native 
 land, and practiced the mechanical arts there from 
 1869 to 1878. Then he determined to come to 
 America, and in 1878, in company with his uncle, 
 William Weiss, arrived in Pekin. His first em- 
 ployment here was as steam and gas fitter, in which 
 he engaged with George II. Lucas, the firm style 
 being Lucas & Weiss. Later the firm name was 
 changed to Fogelmark & Weiss, and continued 
 thus until 1884, when our subject withdrew from 
 that line of business and engaged to work in the 
 office of the Freie Presse. In the fall of the fol- 
 lowing year he purchased the plant, which had 
 been established in 1876, and is the only German 
 newspaper in Tazewell County. Since it has come 
 into bis possession Mr. Weiss has enlarged it to 
 twice its original size, from a seven-column folio 
 to a six-column quarto, with a four-page supple-
 
 440 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 rnent. It is Democratic in politics, and finds its 
 way into the homes of a large portion of the Ger- 
 man people of the county. 
 
 Our subject was married June 24, 1880, to Miss 
 Elizabeth, daughter of William Weiss, an old set- 
 tler of this region. .Socially, Mr. Weiss is a mem- 
 ber of the Turners' .Society, which body he has 
 served as President and Secretary, and is at pres- 
 ent a Trustee. He is also connected with the order 
 of Odd Fellows and the Harugari Society of Pekin. 
 
 IELO J. RUST. Among the young business 
 men of Pekin probably none have achieved 
 a success which, in consideration of their 
 age, is more notable or praiseworthy than 
 that which Mr. Rust lias already attained. From 
 a long line of German ancestors he has inher- 
 ited the quality of eneray and thrift for which 
 that nation is noted, and to these characteristics' 
 he adds the American qualities of push, enterprise, 
 perseverance and force of will. For the responsi- 
 ble position he holds, that of Assistant Cashier of 
 the banking house of Teis Smith & Co., he is ad- 
 mirably adapted both by natural ability and edu- 
 cation. 
 
 This city has been the only home Mr. Rust has 
 known, and here he was born October 31, 18(59. 
 He is a namesake of his grandfather, Hielo Rust, a 
 German gentleman of leisure and means. His 
 father, John II. Rust, was born in Wybclsum, Geiv 
 many, and in his youth learned the trade of a 
 blacksmith in his native land. Thence he crossed 
 the Allan tic in 1865, and arriving in the United 
 States, came direct to Illinois, locating in Free- 
 port, Stephenson County. Subsequently he came 
 to Pekin, where he has since made his home. 
 
 In this city John H. Rust was united in marri- 
 age with Miss F. D. Stuck, a native of Emden, 
 Germany, who accompanied her mother to Amer- 
 ica. They reared two children, Hielo J., of this 
 sketch, and Theda, who is at home. The former 
 was reared principally in Pekin, where his edu- 
 cation was commenced in the public school and 
 
 completed in the high school, graduating from the 
 latter in 1885. 
 
 Three months after completing his studies, Mr. 
 Rust accepted a position as messenger and col- 
 lecting agent for the firm of Teis Smith & Co., 
 bankers, and his ability being soon recognized, he 
 was promoted to the position of bookkeeper, and 
 about the same time became Assistant Cashier of 
 the bank, which position he still holds. When just 
 twenty-one years of age, in 1891, he was nomi- 
 nated and elected City Treasurer upon the ticket 
 of the Democratic party. He' assumed the duties 
 of the office in May, 1891, and served faithfully 
 and efficiently until the expiration of his term in 
 May, 1893. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Rust occurred May 17, 1893, 
 and united him with Miss Josephine C. Roelfs, 
 who was born in Pekin; she was graduated from 
 the high school herein 1893, and is a charming and 
 accomplished young lady. Her father, Jacob A. 
 Roejfs, is a hardware merchant of this city, and 
 further'facts in regard to the family history may 
 ttfe obtaaiiecf by referring to his biographical sketch 
 presented on another page of this volume. Mr. 
 andJVIrs. Rust are the parents of an infant son. 
 In his religious connections our subject is identi- 
 fied with the American Reformed Church. Politi- 
 cally the Democratic party in this city finds in 
 him one of its firmest friends and most influential 
 workers, and among the young men of the place 
 none are more prominent in political circles than 
 is he. 
 
 jiILLIAM P. POLLARD, who follows farm- 
 ing on section 22, Manito Township, 
 Mason County, has the honor of being a 
 native of this locality, his birth having occurred 
 in Quiver Township, July 28, 1850. His father, 
 Andrew M. Pollard, was born near Maysville, 
 Ky., in 1807, and at an early day came to Spring 
 Lake Township, Mason County, 111. He engaged 
 in buying grain until the breaking out of the late 
 war, when, in August, 1861, he responded to the 
 country's call for troops and became a member of 
 Company G, Thirty-eighth Illinois Infantry. He
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS
 
 ENOCH HtERONYMUS.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 443 
 
 continued in the service until the close of the war, 
 and in May, 1866, received an honorable dis- 
 charge. He then returned to Manito and opened 
 a general store, which he carried on until his 
 death, which occurred in July, 1867. His wife 
 bore the maiden name of Phoebe Houten and was 
 a daughter of Elijah Houten. She was born in 
 1824 and died in the fall of 1865, leaving five 
 children, James S., William P.; Mrs. Eflie Goff, of 
 Champaign, 111.; H. T. and Mary Seibert. In 
 186!) the father married Miss Sarah Golden, of 
 New Jersey, who was born in 1842 and spent her 
 last da3 r s in Manito Township. By this union 
 there were four children, Andrew M., who was 
 born in 1870 and is now in business in Manito; 
 Eph, who was born in 1872 and is also in Manito; 
 Aaron, born in 1874; and Louisa, born in 1876. 
 
 Under the parental roof William P. Pollard was 
 reared to manhood and in the public schools was 
 educated. In 1873, he embarked in business for 
 himself, and for one year followed farming at 
 Spring Lake, after which he began railroading. 
 Later, however, he resumed agricultural pursuits. 
 He was united in marriage with Miss Anna Flem- 
 ing, daughter of Thomas and Melissa Fleming, of 
 Scott County, III. He continued farming for 
 four years and then went to St. Louis, where he 
 secured a position as fireman on a railroad. Sub- 
 sequently he was for three years in charge of the 
 car repair shops, after which he returned to Spring 
 Lake Township and purchased one hundred and 
 twenty acres of good land, upon which he made 
 his home "for a year. He then spent two years 
 upon what is known as the old Cox farm, after 
 which he removed to the Gay farm, placing 
 upon it improvements to the value of $3,000. He 
 has made it one of the desirable places of the 
 neighborhood, and its neat and thrifty appearance 
 indicates the careful supervision of the owner. In 
 connection with general farming, he is quite ex- 
 tensively engaged in breeding fine horses and has 
 fourteen full blooded Percheron horses and two 
 very fine roadsters. He also raises hogs and cattle. 
 
 To. Mr. and Mrs. William P. Pollard have been 
 born the following four children: Anna, born 
 April 16, 1871; Rex, July 13, 1875; Ray, May 6, 
 1878; and James S., November 1, 1887. The par- 
 
 ents are giving their children good educational 
 advantages that they may thereby be fitted for 
 the practical and responsible duties of life. In 
 politics Mr. Pollard is a Democrat, and is now 
 serving as School Director. He belongs to the 
 Modern Woodmen of America, and also to the 
 Ro3 r al Neighbors. A wide-awake and progressive 
 citizen, the best interests of the community receive 
 his support, and he aids in all worthy public un- 
 dertakings. An early settler of the county, he has 
 a wide acquaintance and is held in the highest 
 
 regard by all. 
 
 *^-+-->- 
 
 ENOCH HIERONYMUS, who follows farm- 
 ing on section 13, Hittle Township, Taze- 
 well County, claims Kentucky as the state 
 of his nativity, his birth having occurred in 
 Madison County March 7, 1816. His grandfather, 
 Henry Hieronymus, was born in Germany, or 
 else in Virginia, of German parentage. He emi- 
 grated from the Old Dominion to Kentucky about 
 1805, making the trip on horseback, accompanied 
 by his son William, father of our subject, who 
 was then about seventeen years of age. They 
 were so well pleased with the Blue Grass State 
 that the son remained while the father returned 
 for his family. Purchasing land of the Govern- 
 ment, he gave his attention to farming and the 
 breeding of race horses, and at one time owned 
 the fastest horse in the state. 
 
 William Hieronymus was born in Virginia Feb- 
 ruary 13, 1788, acquired a good education, read 
 extensively and was a fine mathematician and 
 penman. He made farming his life work, but fol- 
 lowed carpentering and cabinet-making with his 
 brother to some extent, becoming quite proficient 
 in both trades, which lie put to good use in the 
 pioneer days of Tazewell County. He was a pub- 
 lic benefactor, for while his sons operated the 
 farm he was busily engaged in making plows, 
 looms, barrels, etc., for his neighbors. He was a 
 natural mechanic and an expert workman both in 
 wood and iron. In those pioneer- days he tanned 
 and dressed the leather from which he made the 
 shoes worn by himself and family. 
 
 On the 14th of August, 1811, Mr. Hieron3'mus 
 married Elvira Darnell, who was born in Georgia
 
 444 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 February 8, 1796. In 1828 they came to Taze- 
 well County and built a house 16x20 feet with a 
 shed roof, eighty rods from the present home of 
 our subject. There was no window or floor, and 
 they lived in a true pioneer style. They came in 
 company witli twenty others from Boone County, 
 Ky., bringing horses, cows and sheep, and were 
 upon the road about thirty days. The father was 
 in limited circumstances, but entered eight3 T acres 
 of land, which, with the aid of his sons, he de- 
 veloped into a fine farm, and its boundaries he in- 
 creased by the additional purchase of eighty acres. 
 
 In the parental family were eight children: 
 Cynthia, the deceased wife of Benjamin Brooks: 
 James, deceased; Enoch; Benjamin, deceased; Will- 
 iam, who is living on the old homestead; Henry 
 and Catherine, who have passed away; and Eliza, 
 the deceased wife of William Darnell. The par- 
 ents were members of the Christian Church, and 
 the father was a Whig in politics. Although his 
 father owned slaves, lie was strongly opposed to 
 slavery, and it was largely on that account that 
 he left Kentucky. He died March 12, 1848, and 
 his wife passed away June 2, 1857. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was educated in the 
 old-time subscription schools, and remained with 
 his parents until twenty-three years of age, when 
 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Shared and 
 Catherine Thompson. Her death occurred Feb- 
 ruary 23, 1882. On the 26th of June, 1884, Mr. 
 Hieronynnis married Virginia Roberts, daughter 
 of Ellis and Nancy (Judy) Roberts. She is a 
 cultured lady, possessing many accomplishments, 
 which with her wide general knowledge, largely 
 gained from traveling, makes her a very entertain- 
 ing companion. She displays good taste and judg- 
 ment in the care of her beautiful home, and 
 there hospitality reigns supreme. As Mr. Hierony- 
 mus had no children of his own, he reared three 
 of the five children who were left fatherless by 
 the death of his brother James. They are, El- 
 vira, wife of Benjamin McAtee, of Washington; 
 Benjamin R., ft banker of Springfield, 111.; and 
 Thomas II., a retired farmer of Eureka, 111. To 
 each he gave a good farm of eighty acres, thus 
 comfortably starting them out in life. 
 
 Mr. Hieronymus is a self-made man. He began 
 
 in the world with nothing, and from the Gov- 
 ernment entered forty acres of prairie and forty 
 acres of timber land. To this he added until at 
 one time he owned over eleven hundred acres, 
 but the greater part he has since sold, his home 
 farm comprising about two hundred acres. His 
 residence is one of the finest in Tazewell County, 
 and upon it he has spent over $11,000. In poli- 
 tics lie is a Republican. Both he and his wife are 
 prominent and faithful members of the Christian 
 Church of Flieronymus Grove. In 1869, seeing 
 the need of a church in the neighborhood, he 
 built the beautiful house of worship known as the 
 Hieronymus Grove Church, which stands as a 
 monument to his liberality and his consistent 
 Christian life. The poor and needy find in him a 
 friend, and his straightforward, honorable career 
 has gained him universal confidence and esteem. 
 
 O. CATTRON, M. D. In Pekin resides 
 one of the best known physicians in Taze- 
 well County. He is now occupy ing a posi- 
 tion in the medical world which is most desirable 
 and gratifying, as his opinion is considered con- 
 clusive by his medical brethren, and his skill is 
 recognized by patients throughout the county. 
 This position has not been gained without effort, 
 for Dr. Cattron has been a close student for many 
 years in order to qualify himself for any case that 
 may come to him. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in La Porte 
 County, Ind., December 31, 1852, and is the son 
 of Samuel Cattron. likewise a native of the Hoos- 
 ier State. Grandfather Valentine Cattron was a 
 farmer in East Tennessee. He was born in Sulli- 
 van County, that state, near Ready Creek postorlicc. 
 Later in life he went to Indiana, locating near 
 Westville, La Porte County, and died in his sev- 
 enty-sixth year, and was buried at Westville in the 
 year 1840. He was a large land owner and was of 
 German descent. 
 
 Samuel Cattron was born in Fountain County, 
 Ind., near Attica, in 1826, and in 1834 moved with
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 445 
 
 his parents to La Porte County. He was an agri- 
 culturist, and was so successful in his occupation 
 that in 1871 he sold his estate and moved into La 
 Porte, where he leads a retired life. He is one of the 
 pioneer ministers of the Baptist Church and was 
 very active in that line of work in the early days, 
 having charge of two or three churches. He was an 
 Abolitionist, and during the late war aided greatly 
 in breaking up the Knights of the Golden Circle. 
 His wife was Mrs. Nancy Ann (Concannon) Cat- 
 tron, a native of Ohio, and the daughter of James 
 Concannon, who was born in Brown County, Ohio. 
 She was born in 1826 in the same county, and went 
 to Indiana in 1829. The grandfather and grand- 
 mother of Mrs. Cattron came from Scotland and 
 Ireland respectively, and located in Kentucky, but 
 later removed to Ohio. The father removed from 
 his native state, Ohio (where he was born in Brown 
 County in 1805), tolndiana, locating in LaFayette. 
 There he engaged- first as a grain merchant, and 
 later was employed in boating on the Wabash 
 River, then on the Mississippi River, shipping 
 grain to New Orleans. Not following this occu- 
 pation very long, however, he soon embarked in 
 business as a merchant, in 1848, at Westville, Ind. ? 
 and was thus engaged at the time of his death, 
 which occurred when seventy-eight years of age. 
 The parents of oursubject were married in 1845. 
 Of the six children included in the parental family, 
 five are living, those beside our subject being: 
 James V., a dentist at La Porte, Ind.; A. E., who 
 is a graduate of the Medical College at Cleveland, 
 Ohio, now located at Sliarpsburg, Pa.; Sarah F., 
 Mrs. James Mason, of La Porte, Ind., and May, who 
 is at home witli her parents. W. O., of this sketch, 
 remained on the farm until nineteen years of age, 
 in the meantime being given a good education, 
 and thereafter taught school fora number of years. 
 It being his desire to follow a professional life, he 
 began the study of medicine while teaching, read- 
 ing under the instruction of Dr. C. S. Fahnt-stock, 
 of La Porte, Ind. In 1873 he entered Hahnemann 
 Medical College of Chicago, and was graduated 
 witli the Class of '76. During that time he also 
 took a special course in diagnosis under Profes- 
 sors Ross and Herring of the Cook County Hos- 
 pital, and in this department of work also received 
 
 a diploma; in 1877 he received a diploma from 
 the Chicago Homeopathic College. 
 
 When ready to locate for practice Dr. Cattron 
 went to Valparaiso, Ind., where he remained until 
 1889, and then came to Pekin, where lie has built 
 up a good patronage. The lady to whom he was 
 married in La Porte, Ind., November 29, 1876, was 
 Miss Lydia Ella Jones, who died at Valparaiso, 
 October 6, 1882, leaving a daughter, Etta. The 
 second union of our subject occurred in 1883, at 
 which time Mrs. Georgia L. Haywood became his 
 wife. They had one daughter, Edith, who died in 
 infancy. 
 
 Dr. Cattron was very active in the Young Men's 
 Christian Association, of which he was President 
 for two years. He is likewise connected with the 
 Illinois Medical Society and has been a member of 
 the Indiana Institution of Homeopathy since 1878. 
 He is a Baptist in religion and is a Trustee and 
 Treasurer of his church. He is a strong Republi- 
 can in politics, and socially is a Knight of Pythias, 
 a United Workman and a member of the Royal 
 Arcanum. 
 
 <A jjfelLLIAM YOULE, a member of an honored 
 \/\lr P' oneer family of Tazewell County, and a 
 Wy successful agriculturist residing in Dela- 
 van Township, was born in Sandusky County, 
 Ohio, in October, 1851. He is the son of William 
 and Sarah (Askren) Youle, natives of Yorkshire, 
 England, who were there married May 5, 1845. 
 Soon afterward they crossed the Atlantic, and after 
 a short sojourn in Sandusky, Ohio, came to Illi- 
 nois, in 1851, and settled in Sand Prairie Township 
 not far from the city of Delavan. In 1866 they 
 removed to a farm adjoining Delavan on the east, 
 and there the father passed away August 4, 1878. 
 His widow is still living and makes her home in 
 Delavan. Further information regarding the fam- 
 ily history may be gleaned from the sketch of 
 William Youle, Sr., presented on another page of 
 this volume. 
 
 The family contained four sons and five daugh- 
 ters, but at the present time only four are living, 
 namely: Anna, who lives with her mother in Dela- 
 van; William, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth,
 
 446 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 who is the wife of John T. Gibson, of Denver, 
 Colo.; and Ada M., the wife of Harry Cheney, of 
 Dekvan. William was an infant when brought to 
 Tazewell County, and he has known no other 
 home than this. His life occupation has been that 
 of agriculture, in which, being energetic, capable 
 and persevering, he lias gained success. His farm 
 consists of two hundred and fifty acres adjoining 
 the city of Delavan and contains all the improve- 
 ments to be found upon a first-class modern estate. 
 The marriage of Mr. Youle occurred April 26, 
 1881, and united him with Miss Ella Bratt, of Ma- 
 son County, and the daughter of Job Bratt, an 
 Englishman by birth. They are the parents of six 
 children, who bear the names of Raymond, Carey, 
 Walter, Clarence, Laura and Ada. The family is 
 highly regarded in social circles and is one of the 
 most prominent in the township. 
 
 EF. VERRY, one of the most highly respected 
 citizens of Armington, who is engaged in 
 business as a banker and grain dealer, has 
 the honor of being a native of this village, his 
 birth having here occurred on the 23d of Novem- 
 ber, 1852. His parents were William A. and Sarah 
 A. (Farnsworth) Verry. The father was bom in 
 Massachusetts in 1819, and during his childhood 
 cair.e to Illinois, the family locating in Jackson- 
 ville. In that city he was married. The young 
 couple started out with nothing to depend upon 
 save their own exertions, having no capital or in- 
 fluential friends to aid them. The}' soon came to 
 Tazewell County and Mr. Verry entered from the 
 Government one hundred and sixty acres of land, 
 on which he lived for many years. He devoted 
 his time and attention entirely to fanning and 
 stock-raising, and as the result of his earnest la- 
 bors lie was soon able to add more land to his farm. 
 In 1868 he erected upon the old homestead one of 
 the finest residences to be found in Tazewell 
 County. As his financial resources increased he 
 made additional purchases and became the owner 
 of three thousand acres of land in Tazewell 
 
 County, six hundred and forty acres near Atlanta, 
 111., and one hundred and sixty acres near Chenoa, 
 111. In connection with our subject and a son-in- 
 law he also has a five thousand acre stock farm in 
 Kansas. He now makes his home on that ranch, 
 where he is raising a large herd of cattle. 
 
 William Verry has followed farming and stock- 
 raising throughout his entire life, and he knows 
 what it is to work hard. His life has been an indus- 
 trious one, and even now at his advanced age lie 
 is always occupied with some labor. While he has 
 been by far the most successful farmer in this part 
 of the state he has never manifested the slightest 
 tendency toward penuriousness in dealing with his 
 fellow-men, but has given freely to charity and 
 has aided many deserving relatives and friends 
 in their efforts to get a start in life. In politics he 
 is a Republican. He was reared a Presbyterian, 
 and his wife is a devoted member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. They have' had six children: 
 William E., a farmer of Tazewell County; George, 
 an agriculturist living near Atlanta, 111.; E. F., of 
 ;this" sketch; Frances, wife of E. S. Medbery, who is 
 living on the old homestead, and two who died in 
 childhood. 
 
 Mr. Verry of this sketch was educated in the 
 common schools and in Eureka College, which he 
 attended one year. He embarked in business for 
 himself as a grain dealer of Armington in 1874, 
 and has since carried on operations aiong that line. 
 In 1891 he also began banking, carrying on a 
 strictly private bank. Although he received as- 
 sistance from his father when he started out in 
 life his success is largely due to his business tact 
 and ability and his industry and enterprise, which 
 are numbered among his chief characteristics. His 
 father divided his land among his children in 
 Tazewell County, and our subject received seven 
 hundred acres in Fliltle Township, which he yet 
 owns. 
 
 Mr. Verry was united in marriage with Ella M., 
 daughter of Thomas II. and Massie A. E. (Darnell) 
 Dills. To them were born three children, two yet 
 living: Fred, aged fourteen; and Thomas, a lad of 
 six summers. Leon died aged two years. The 
 parents are both faithful members of the Christian 
 Church of Armington, and socially Mr. Verry is a
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of M 
 
 UNIVERSH t Of JLLlNOfc
 
 
 BENJAMIN H. HARRIS, M. D.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 449 
 
 member of Nona Lodge No. 152, I. O. O. F. He 
 exercises bis right of franchise in support of tbe 
 Republican party. 
 
 *==*s=* 
 
 BENJAMIN II. HARRIS, M. D. Having re- 
 sided in Tazewell County for about a half- 
 Yi century, the subject of this sketch has an 
 extensive acquaintance throughout this 
 section of country. His long residence in Grove- 
 land Township, together with his active participa- 
 tion in all worthy measures for the development 
 (if the resources of the community, has made him 
 prominent both socially and in the ranks of his 
 profession. It may be truly said that few resi- 
 dents of the county are more widely, and none 
 more favorably, known than he. 
 
 In the consideration of the life of any man, it is 
 well to briefly note his ancestral history, and we 
 therefore present a few facts concerning our sub- 
 ject's progenitors. His great-grandfather, Ezekiel 
 Harris, was of Welsh descent, and was born in the 
 township of Bedford, Westchester County, N. Y. 
 Little is known of his life, save that he served as 
 an Elder in the Presbyterian Church at Bedford, 
 and spent his days in the place of his birth, dying 
 there at an advanced age. Grandfather Ezekiel 
 Harris was born on the farm where his father had 
 first opened his C3'es to the light. An agricultur- 
 ist b}' occupation, he cultivated one hundred and 
 sixty acres of valuable land and was well-to-do. 
 In politics he was a Jefferson ian Democrat, while 
 in religious belief he was identified with the Bap- 
 tist Church. 
 
 Twice married, Grandfather Harris had two sons 
 b}' his first wife. His second wife, whose maiden 
 name was Elizabeth Hamilton, became the mother 
 of eight sons and four daughters, all of whom sur- 
 vived to mature years. Seven of the sons reared 
 families, viz.: Abijah, of New York; Ezekiel, who 
 located in Mississippi; Lemuel, a resident of New 
 York; John and Thomas, who lived in New York 
 City; William, of Mississippi; Nathaniel, of New 
 York, and James, who went to Mississippi and 
 
 there died. Two of the daughters, Elizabeth and 
 Mary, married, and the others died single. 
 
 The father of our subject, Lemuel Harris, was 
 born in New York, and was a farmer by occupa- 
 tion. In the fall of 1835 he came to Illinois, mak- 
 ing the journey by canal, rail and lake; he settled 
 on one hundred and sixty acres on section 29, 
 Morton Township, Tazewell County, becoming a 
 member of the Tremont colony. At the time of 
 his death, which occurred September 4, 1864, at 
 the age of seventy-four, he owned four hundred 
 acres. In his political views he was a Jeffersonian 
 Republican, and in religious matters was an active 
 member of the Baptist Church. 
 
 Lemuel Harris was four times married, and by 
 his first union had three children, Catharine; John, 
 who resided in Mississippi until after the Civil 
 War, and thence removed to New York, where he 
 died, and Benjamin II., of this sketch. The mother 
 of these children bore the maiden name of Mary 
 Kearney, and was born in New York, to which 
 state her parents came from Ireland. The second 
 wife of Lemuel Harris, Theodosia Reynolds, had 
 no children. His third union was with Mrs. Mary 
 (Snillin) Lovlett, who bore one son, Lemuel. By 
 his fourth marriage, which united him with Jane 
 Crawford, he had a son, William. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in West- 
 Chester County, N. Y., April 19, 1821, and attended 
 the district schools a short time in his boyhood 
 days. It has been said that there are two kinds of 
 education, one which is received at school and the 
 other, more important, that which we give ourselves. 
 While the Doctor did not have the former educa- 
 tion, he gained a wide knowledge in the school of 
 experience and observation, and is one of the best 
 posted men in the township. From youth it had 
 been his ambition to become a physician, and ac- 
 cordingly, at the age of twenty-three years, he began 
 the study of medicine with Dr. Saltonstall. In the 
 winter of 1845-46 he took a course of lectures at 
 the St. Louis Medical College, where he practiced 
 for one year. 
 
 Coming to Groveland Township in the winter 
 of 1846-47, Dr. Harris at once began the prac- 
 tice of his profession, which he has since contin- 
 ued. In those earl}' days there were few physi-
 
 450 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cians in the county, and frequently he was obliged 
 to ride many miles in order to visit his patients. 
 The hardships of pioneer life he witnessed and ex- 
 perienced, but it has also been his privilege to ex- 
 perience the jo}'S of prosperity and the highest 
 civilization. In the winter of 1854-55 he received 
 the degree of M. I), at St. Louis. 
 
 An active Republican in his political views, Dr. 
 Harris was one of the organizers of that part}', and 
 attended the state convention at Bloomington in 
 1856. He has filled a number of local offices, in- 
 cluding that of Township Supervisor. Socially, 
 he is a Mason. His pleasant home in Groveland 
 is presided over by his amiable wife, who is one 
 of the popular ladies of the place. Becoming the 
 wife of Dr. Harris July 23, 1846, she was prior to 
 that time known as Miss Ann Hutchison, and was 
 born in Boyle County, Ky., four miles east of Dan- 
 ville. Her parents, Thomas and Eliza (Burgess) 
 Hutchison, removed in an early day from Virginia 
 to Kentucky, where they remained until death. 
 They were the parents of four daughters, two of 
 whom lived to maturity. 
 
 In their religions belief Dr. and Mrs. Harris are 
 identified with the Baptist Church, which he joined 
 at the age of twenty-three, and she at the age of 
 sixteen. They have three children, all daughters. 
 Theodosia E. is the wife of Judge W. R. Hall, of 
 Leadville, Colo.; Margaret C. married William D. 
 Hodge and lives in Iowa, and Catharine is the 
 wife of Joel O'Brien, a farmer by occupation. 
 
 EDWARD WORSTALL was for more than 
 thirty years an influential citizen of Malone 
 ? Township, Tazewell County, and his death, 
 November 12, 1892, was mourned by his large 
 circle of personal friends. lie was the son of John 
 and Lucy (Morris) Worstall, the former born March 
 1,1773, and the latter February 6,1780. They 
 were married January 24, 1802, and moved from 
 Bucks County, Pa., to Zanesville, Ohio, in June, 
 1818. Their famil}' consisted of eight sons and 
 three daughters. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in Zanes- 
 ville, Ohio, July 7, 1824, and spent his boyhood 
 days in the city of his birth. At the age of 
 
 fifteen he commenced to learn the blacksmith's 
 trade, which he followed both in Zanesville and 
 Stovertown, Ohio. October 4, 1849, he married 
 Miss Mary V. Foster, of Zanesville. Her parents, 
 William and Sarah (Cooper) Foster, were born 
 October 18, 1783, and March 14, 1799, respectively, 
 and were married December 21, 1815. In May of 
 1830 they moved from Culpeper County, Va., to 
 Zanesville, Ohio, where they reared their family of 
 nine daughters and five sons. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Worstall followed his 
 trade in Stovertown until March, 1851, when with 
 his wife he came to Illinois, settling across the 
 river from Pekin, in which city he carried on his 
 blacksmith shop. In 1852 he removed to Circle- 
 ville, 111., where lie resumed work at his trade. In 
 1861 he purchased the valuable farm of two 
 hundred acres where he resided until death, and 
 which is now the property of his widow. Building 
 a shop here, he carried on work at his trade. He 
 was also closety connected with the public affairs of 
 the locality, served as Justice of the Peace for over 
 twenty years, and held many other township offices. 
 November 12, 1892, he fell dead in church, his 
 death resulting from heart disease. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Worstall had ten children. Sarnh 
 A., who was born September 29, 1850, was married 
 August 8, 1867, to William Dean, a farmer of 
 Mason County, and they are the parents of four 
 living children: Eugene, Alice, Edward and Mabel. 
 John C., who was born August 4, 1853, married 
 Manty Debolt, of Ohio, and lives in Mills County, 
 Iowa. Charles M. was born Jul}- 10, 1855, and is 
 now deceased. Arrilla J., who was born February 
 25, 1857, married Isaiah Cornel and lives in Malone 
 Township. Celia M., whose birth occurred April 
 10, 1859, married Thomas Boyer, and they reside 
 on his father's old homestead. George F. was born 
 January 30, 1861, and makes his home with his 
 mother, being the operator of the farm. James M., 
 who was born April 12, 1863, married Dora Kino 
 and they live in Malone Township. William H. 
 was born September 20, 1865, and is now a resident 
 of Peoria, this state; he married Julia Hole}', who 
 died in 1893. Lottie B. was born Novemter 17, 
 1871, and is now deceased. 
 
 In the various localities where they reside the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 451 
 
 i sons and daughters of Mrs. Worstall are occupying 
 positions of trust and are prominent in social 
 circles. Slie is a lady of noble character and a 
 sincere and active member of the Christian Chinch. 
 Her life has been devoted to her family, and it 
 may well be her pride that her children have 
 amply rewarded her for her care and training. She 
 numbers many friends among the people of the 
 community where she has so long resided. 
 
 
 LMON II. BARNES has made farming his 
 POl life work, and his energies are now de- 
 ll' voted to that pursuit. He resides on sec- 
 tion 30, Forest City Township, Mason 
 County, and is recognized as one of the represen- 
 tative farmers of the community. lie is the son 
 of Deacon Nathan Barnes, of whom a history is 
 given in the sketch of George E., and was born 
 October 16, 1842, in Greenfield, Hillsboro County, 
 N. II. 
 
 Our subject was 7iine years of age when he ac- 
 companied his parents on their removal to Bunker 
 Hill, Macoupin County, this state, and in that 
 place attended the common schools and acquired 
 a fair education. He came to this county when a 
 lad of fifteen or sixteen years, and after working 
 for a time for Richard Allen of Havana Township, 
 returned home and again carried on his studies in 
 the public school. 
 
 August 6, 1862, Mr. Barnes enlisted his services 
 in behalf of the Union cause, and joined Company 
 A, Ninety-seventh Illinois Infantry as a private. 
 The regiment was organized at Springfield under 
 Colonel Rutherford, and was later sent to Coving- 
 ton, Ky. From there they marched after General 
 Morgan to Lexington, Ky., then to Louisville, 
 where they embarked on a boat which conveyed 
 them down the Ohio River to the Mississippi, and 
 then down the Father of Waters to Vicksburg, 
 where they made the first attack upon that city, 
 under the command of General Sherman. After 
 that, siege the regiment sailed down the Yazoo 
 River to Young's Point, and later went to Arkan- 
 sas Post, where they captured the fort and took 
 
 many prisoners. They then returned to Young's 
 Point, where they went into winter quarters until 
 the spring of 1863, when the army was re-organ- 
 ized under General Grant. Our subject's division 
 formed a part of General McClernand Corps, and 
 being ordered to Vicksburg marched around to the 
 rear of that city and was engaged in a fight at 
 Magnolia Hills. Our subject served all through 
 the siege of that city and was under fire from May 
 1 to July 4, 1863. 
 
 On the above date the regiment to which Mr. 
 Barnes belonged immediately started on a march 
 to Jackson, Miss., where they drove out Gen. Joe 
 E. Johnston. Returning to Vicksburg our subject 
 was given a furlough on account of sickness and 
 returned home. After a short time spent in rest 
 he rejoined his regiment at New Orleans, Ind., 
 and did provost duty until July, 1864, when he 
 was sent with others to Milliken's Bend, on the 
 Mississippi River, and skirmished with the rebels. 
 Later they went on a raid to Natchez, and when 
 the army was again re-organized Mr. Barnes' regi- 
 ment was placed under the command of General 
 Steele, and going to Dauphin Isle crossed the Mis- 
 sissippi and skirmished with the enemy. They 
 then went by boat to Florida, thence to Blakely, 
 opposite Mobile, where a battle was fought and the 
 fort captured. They then sailed up the Alabama 
 River to Selma, from there were sent back to 
 Mobile, and by ship went to Galveston, Tex., 
 where they were mustered out. Our subject from 
 there went to New Orleans, thence to Camp But- 
 ler, where he received his honorable discharge Au- 
 gust 19,1 865, after a term of three years and eleven 
 days. 
 
 During the time Mr. Barnes was in the trenches 
 before Vicksburg, he was grazed by a bullet on the 
 right leg, and although a soldier for so many 
 years, was never off duty excepting the short time 
 he spent at home. After the war our subject 
 worked for his brother in Bunker Hill for two 
 years, and then, in 1867, came to this county and 
 carried on a farm as a rente* in company with his 
 brother John B. They erected a board shanty 
 and kept bachelor's hall on the place until the fall 
 of the succeeding 3'ear, when he purchased the 
 farm where he is at present residing and erected
 
 452 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 thereon a good residence. In 1869 lie boarded 
 witli the family of the Rev. John Pinckney, who 
 had moved into his house, and August 17 of that 
 3'ear, he was married to their only daughter, Miss 
 Annie E. Her mother was, prior to her union. Miss 
 Mary Fieek, and both parents were natives of Eng- 
 land. Mr. Pinckney was a minister of the Wes- 
 leyan Methodist Church and died in 1873. The 
 mother is still living and makes her home with 
 our subject. 
 
 Mrs. Barnes was born August 26, 1848, in Will-, 
 lamson Corners, N. Y.,'and lias become the mother 
 of six children, of whom Fannie L., Delia M., Willis 
 P., Lillie I., and an infant unnamed are deceased. 
 The surviving child is named Tessie. Mr. Barnes 
 gives his attention exclusively to farming, and 
 owns one hundred and twenty acres of improved 
 land. In 1887 he completed his present comfort- 
 able residence, and all the substantial buildings on 
 the place have been the result of his industry. 
 With his wife he is a member of the Christian 
 Church, worshiping with the congregation at 
 Pleasant Plain. He has lieen School Director of. 
 District No. 2 for seven years, and his daughter 
 has been given a good education. Our subject at- : 
 tends his regimental reunion, which is held each 
 fall in different cities in the United States. He is 
 a strong Republican in politics, and has served for 
 three years as Road Commissioner. Social!}', he is 
 a Modern Woodman of America, meeting with the 
 lodge at Forest City. 
 
 AVID ELLMORE. The tastes of men 
 j/ give rise to varied wants and occupa- 
 tions. Some find their enjoyment in the 
 bustle of the busy haunts of men, and 
 some amid the less exciting scenes of rural life, 
 while others combine the two. The latter is the 
 case with the subject of this biographical sketch, 
 whose home is a cozy residence in Mason City, 
 while his attention is 'devoted to the cultivation 
 of his valuable farm in Mason City Township. 
 His estate comprises three hundred and forty acres, 
 of which the entire tract, but twenty acres, has 
 been placed under a high state of cultivation and 
 
 improved with all the accessories of a model farm. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Peter and Elizabeth 
 (Victor) Ellmore, were natives respectively of 
 Virginia and Pennsylvania, and both died in 
 Green County, Ky. The former was born June 15, 
 1797, and died December 31, 1859, and the latter 
 was born September 22, 1799, and died October 2, 
 1854. The father was a farmer by occupation, as 
 was also the grandfather, William Ellmore. David 
 was born in Green County, Ky., January 19, 1838, 
 and spent his boyhood days in his native place, 
 where he received a common-school education. In 
 boyhood he assisted his father, who was an exten- 
 sive tobacco raiser. His career as a farmer began 
 in the spring of 1858, at which time he settled in 
 Green County, 111., near the city of Jacksonville, 
 making his home in that place until the fall of 
 1860. 
 
 Coming at that time to Mason County, Mr. Ell- 
 more settled in Mason City Township, where he 
 has since conducted extensive and profitable farm- 
 ing operations. From time to time he made im- 
 provements in the place, until at the present time 
 it. ranks among the best in the locality. The fields 
 are separated by a good system of fencing and are 
 devoted some to the pasturage of stock, and others 
 to the raising of grain. In October of 1891 Mr. Ell- 
 more came to Mason City, and during the follow- 
 ing year erected the elegant residence which his 
 family now occupies. In politics he is a pro- 
 nounced Democrat, and in public improvements 
 maintains a commendable interest. 
 
 November 28, 1858, Mr. Ellmore was united in 
 marriage with Miss Margaret T. Hill, a native of 
 Tennessee, and a daughter of William B. Hill, whose 
 birth also occurred in Tennessee. Mrs. Ellmore 
 died April 5, 1877, leaving seven children. The 
 family originally numbered eight children, as fol- 
 lows: John E., now deceased; William F., who died 
 in infancy; David O., residing in Colorado; Ed- 
 ward P., in Nevada; Wiley W., a resident of Ma- 
 son County; Dora Ma}-, the wife of D. S. Wingler, 
 of Salem, Ind.; George Clinton, who is at home, 
 and Walter Scott, living in Denver, Colo. 
 
 The second marriage of Mr. Ellmore took place 
 April 10, 1879, his wife being Miss Bettie A. 
 Skaggs, a native of Kentucky. Her parents, Jerry
 
 Of
 
 JOHX A. SMALLWOOD.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 455 
 
 aid Mary (Larimore) Skaggs, were born in the 
 l.lue Grass State, where they now live in Taylor 
 County. Her grandfather, Richard Skaggs, died 
 in January, 1890, at the age of more than four- 
 score years. Mr. and Mrs. Ell more are the parents 
 !of three children, Leona Sherman, Lloyd Cleve- 
 land and Lounettie, all of whom are bright and 
 intelligent children. The family residence is a 
 two-story structure, pleasantly located on the coi- 
 ner of Chestnut and South Menard Streets, and 
 furnished in a manner indicative of the refined 
 taste of the inmates. 
 
 In their religious belief Mr. and Mrs. Ellmore 
 are identified with the Baptist Church, and they 
 are always generous contributors to benevolent 
 projects. Mr. Ellmore has always been a man of 
 temperate habits, and to this fact may be ascribed 
 the excellent health he has ever enjoyed. He is 
 looked upon with respect by his fellow-men as an 
 honorable citizen and kind-hearted man, while the 
 lovable disposition and pleasing manners of his 
 wife win many friends. 
 
 A. SMALL WOOD is one of the lead- 
 
 ing and successful agriculturists of Tazewell 
 
 I 
 
 t County, residing in Boynton Township. 
 I) He is a native of New Jersey, and was born 
 April 22, 1822, eighteen miles from the city of 
 Philadelphia, Pa. His father, who bore the name 
 of Jehu, was born in that locality, as was also the 
 grandfather, Joseph B. The latter was a merchant 
 and farmer, and for many years held the office of 
 Justice of the Peace. 
 
 Jehu Smallwood was the only son in his father's 
 family, and was a roan of good education, having 
 for a time engaged in teaching school. In his 
 youth he assisted his father in the store. In 1832 
 he came to Illinois and settled at old Naples, then 
 in Morgan, but now in Scott County, where he 
 purchased a hotel and a livery stable, and also 
 ran a. stage to Jacksonville. His life in the west 
 was soon, however, terminated by death, and in 
 August of 1832 he passed from earth. 
 
 The mother of our subject, was in maidenhood 
 Elizabeth Sickler, and was born in New Jersey. 
 
 She married twice after the death of Mr. Small- 
 wood, and died in 1891, at the age of ninety- 
 three. The maternal grandfather of our subject, 
 Christopher Sickler, lived on the Jersey side of the 
 river during the Revolutionary War, and it is a 
 notable fact that his father's house was often occu- 
 pied by General Washington, and at other times 
 by the British oflicers. Our subject had six brothers 
 and one sister; the eldest of the family died in in- 
 fancy. Joseph B., who went to California in 1850, 
 has always been interested in the raising of blooded 
 horses, and when last heard from was residing in 
 that state. Horace T., another brother, is living 
 at San Bernardino, Cal. 
 
 When ten years old our subject was orphaned by 
 the death of his father, after which he was obliged 
 to assist his mother in the support of the family. 
 He was employed in a store where groceries, to- 
 bacco and whiskey were sold, and while it was a 
 trying place for a boy, he has never taken a drink 
 of liquor in his life. After some years there, he 
 commenced to work upon a farm, and when his 
 mother married again, some seven years after his 
 father's death, he worked on the farm of his step- 
 father, Thomas Green. .Later he embarked in 
 farming for himself. 
 
 In 1853, Mr. Smallwood settled in Logan Coun- 
 ty, ten miles south of his present home, and on 
 Sugar Creek. In 1876 he purchased the farm 
 where he has since resided. While his life lias in 
 the main been successful, he has had his share of 
 reverses and misfortunes. In the fall of 1893, 
 while he was driving to Delavan, his horses took 
 fright, jumped to one side and breaking the tongue 
 of the wagon, ran away. Mr. Smallwood in jump- 
 ing out to save himself fell on his face. This ac- 
 cident proved almost fatal. His face was most 
 dreadfully cut, his nose broken, which necessitated 
 the taking out of several pieces of bone, and 
 thirty-seven stitches also had to be taken in his 
 face. While he suffered excruciating pain, he bore 
 it without a murmur. At the time it was thought 
 impossible for him to live, and a man of less de- 
 termination, although he might have been much 
 younger, could not have stood the shock. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Smallwood in 1845 united 
 him with Miss Mary J. Van Gundy, a native of
 
 456 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 this state, of which her father, David Van Gundy, 
 was a pioneer fanner and millwright. They have 
 had eleven children, of whom five survive, viz.: 
 Martha A., the wife of Henry Shirley, a fanner of 
 Logan County; Mahala J., who married William 
 II. Bowles, a fanner living in Logan County; 
 Peter, who lives with his parents and cultivates an 
 adjoining farm; Theo II., who married Ida Belle 
 Matlock, December 31, 1877, and is now an agri- 
 culturist of Logan County, and Ada Belle, who 
 is at home. 
 
 Mr. Smallwood was the first Justice of the Peace 
 ever elected in Lincoln Township, Logan County, 
 after the township organization. lie has been an 
 Elder in the Christian Church for many years, and 
 all the members of his family are identified with 
 that denomination. As a farmer he is progressive 
 and practical, and ranks among the influential 
 agriculturists of the township. 
 
 A. MELTON. Among the residents of 
 Mason County who have prosecuted a suc- 
 cessful business career for many years, and 
 ) then invested their means in such a man- 
 ner as to derive a good income without undue ex- 
 ertions, have retired from the arduous labors of 
 life, is the gentleman above named. Mr. Melton 
 is an old settler of this county, and is now living 
 on his present farm, located on section 16, Salt 
 Creek Township. He was born in Norwich County, 
 Ind., June 22, 1826. 
 
 The father of our subject, A. P. Melton, was 
 born in South Carolina, March 12, 1800, and re- 
 mained in his native state until attaining his four- 
 teenth year, when he came west to Indiana and 
 made location in Norwich County. When attain- 
 ing mature years he was married in the Iloosier 
 State to the mother of our subject, Miss Olive 
 Grenway, who was born in Kentucky. Their union 
 resulted in the birth of eight children, six of whom 
 grew to mature years. 
 
 A. P. Melton emigrated further west in 1829, 
 making his home in Sangamon County, this state, 
 where he lived for two years, and then came to 
 
 this county and resided on a farm north of Salt 
 Creek Township, where his wife departed this life 
 in the winter of 1844. 
 
 The second union of Mr. Melton was when he 
 married Mrs. Julia Rupel, and to them were born 
 six children. When leaving this county the father 
 of our subject rercoved to Tazewell County, and 
 then came back to Mason County, where he died 
 July 1, 1877. He was a stanch Republican in 
 politics and an intimate friend of Abraham Lin- 
 coln, who was a frequent caller at his home. He 
 was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and a man who was held in the highest 
 esteem by all who knew him. 
 
 R. A., of this sketch, was the second in order of 
 birth of his parents' children, and was four years 
 of age at the time of their removal to Sangamon 
 County. lie received his education, however, in 
 this county, and as soon as old enough began work- 
 ing out by the month on farms. The first house 
 which his parents occupied in Mason County was 
 built of logs, had a mud and stick chimney, pun- 
 cheon floor, clapboard roof and all the primitive 
 furnishings found in the pioneer home. 
 
 Miss Margaret E. Rupel became the wife of our 
 subject in 1848. She was born in Virginia, and 
 came to Tazewell County when quite young, with 
 her parents. Soon after his union Mr. Melton lo- 
 cated in the above county, where he lived for eight 
 years and improved a fine farm. He then came 
 to this county and purchased the property upon 
 which he now resides, and which he has placed un- 
 der such excellent tillage. At the time of his ad- 
 vent into this section, there were but two or three 
 houses which could be seen from his dwelling, and 
 the entire surroundings were of a most primitive 
 order. He broke the first land and erected the 
 first dwelling on his property, and has ever since 
 given nis entire attention to farm pursuits. Mr. 
 Melton* operated the first threshing machine ever 
 used in Tazewell County, and has been engaged in 
 running a thresher off and on since 1850. 
 
 Of the twelve children born to our subject and 
 his wife, there are four daughters and eight sons. 
 William D. and Gilson are deceased; Reece makes 
 his home in Havana, this state; Joseph is a fanner 
 of Pennsylvania Township, this county; Mary,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 457 
 
 married John A. Ferguson, and is living in Salt 
 Creek Township; Olive Ann, now Mrs. Dave West, 
 is residing in Mason City; R. Henry is living in 
 Iowa; Frank is a well-to-do agriculturist of this 
 township ; Nora, Mrs. Lewis Auxier, makes her 
 home in the Ilawkeye State; Rosnnna is deceased; 
 Horace is living on a portion of the old homestead, 
 and Charlie is at home with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Melton has a quarter section of land, where 
 he is living, lie has witnessed much of the pio- 
 neer growth of this county, and has acted well his 
 part in its development. Those were very trying 
 times in the early days of the settlement of this 
 count} 1 , as the pioneers had much to contend with. 
 There were scarcely any facilities for carrying on 
 labor, such as the farmer of to-day enjoys, and he 
 can well remember when Hour was made by the 
 most primitive methods. 
 
 Mr. Melton is a Democrat in politics during 
 national elections, but in local elections votes for 
 the one whom he thinks the best man. He has 
 been Highway Commissioner for twenty years, and 
 for the same length of time served as School Trus- 
 tee. He has the honor of being the oldest living 
 settler in Salt Creek Township, in whose advance- 
 ment he has taken such a prominent part. 
 
 
 ENJAMIN S. PRETTYMAN, Su. To the 
 pioneers of Tazewell County the present 
 generation owes a debt that can never be 
 repaid. Through their efforts, continued 
 uu wearied ly through a long period of years, is 
 due the present high standing of this section of 
 the state alike in commercial, agricultural and so- 
 cial matters. Having borne the heat of conflict, 
 many of them have passed to their final reward, 
 but a few remain to witness and enjoy the fruition 
 of their early hopes and labors. 
 
 Such an one is B. S. Prettyman, Sr., to whom 
 belongs the distinction of being the oldest attor- 
 ney in Tazewell County, who now makes his home 
 in Pekin. At the time he accompanied the other 
 members of the family hither, this now flourishing 
 city contained but one hundred inhabitants, and 
 
 Tazewell County embraced the entire territory ex- 
 tending from the Illinois River on the east to San- 
 gamon County on the south. Chicago was then 
 in this county, and Mr. Prettymau remembers hav- 
 ing seen the Sheriff start on horseback for the city 
 by the lake. About 1841 the county was reduced 
 to its present boundaries, and he was appointed 
 one of the Commissioners to district the county 
 into towns, which he did, laying it out into nine- 
 teen townships, the present number. 
 
 Mr. Prettyman comes of good old Revolution- 
 ary stock, his grandfather, Benjamin Prettyman, 
 having served both in the army and the navy dur- 
 ing the Revolutionary War. With old Commo- 
 dore Decatur, he sailed the seas in the vessel "Fair 
 America," but was finally captured and placed in 
 one of the New York prison ships, whence he was 
 released some time afterward. In Delaware, the 
 state of his nativity, he engaged in farming pur- 
 suits until his death, the closing years of his life 
 presenting a tranquillity and peace in marked con- 
 trast to the eventful days of the Revolution. He 
 and a brother were the only representatives of 
 their branch of the family in America, and each 
 left a son. 
 
 The father of our subject, Lewis Prettymau, was 
 born in Sussex County, Del., and participated in 
 the War of 1812, being Lieutenant at the bom- 
 bardment of Lewistown. Later he made a trip 
 on horseback to Ohio, and was so well pleased 
 with that section of the country that, in 1831, he 
 brought his wife and five children west, journey- 
 ing up the Delaware to Philadelphia, thence to 
 Pittsburgh, and from there down the Ohio and up 
 the Mississippi. The boat upon which they jour- 
 neyed from St. Louis to Pekin was the second that 
 made the passage up the Illinois. Arriving in Taze- 
 well Count}', Mr. Prettyman entered four or five 
 eighty-acre tracts, upon which not a furrow had 
 been turned nor any improvement made. On 
 Mackinaw Creek he built a fort, afterward put up 
 a log cabin at the edge of the forest and broke the 
 prairie soil with the first wooden mold-board plow 
 introduced into the neighborhood. 
 
 In politics a radical Democrat, Lewis Prettyman 
 held a number of oflicial positions. For several 
 years he was County Surveyor, first by appoint-
 
 458 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 inent of the Governor in 1832, and in 1840 by 
 election. In religious belief lie was a Presbyterian. 
 His death occurred on Lis farm in 1856. His wife 
 was Harriet, daughter of John Mason, a Quaker 
 fanner who lived and died in Delaware. .She was 
 born in Kent County, Del., and was of English de- 
 scent. In religious belief she was a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Her death occurred 
 at the home of a daughter in Mason County in 
 18G5. In her family were eight children, of whom 
 five are now living. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, the only son and the 
 second in order of birth in the parental family, 
 was born in Smyrna, Kent Count}', Del., Novem- 
 ber 21, 1819. He was about twelve years of age 
 when he accompanied his parents to this state. 
 His educational advantages were confined to three 
 months' attendance in the district schools, but be- 
 ing energetic and observing, he became well in- 
 formed. From 1840 until 1844 he served as De- 
 puty Surveyor, and then commenced the study of 
 law under Judge Robbins, of Springfield, 111. He 
 went to the olHce of Logan & Lincoln, but ,it--'Was; 
 crowded with law students, and Logan advised 
 him to get some legal books, adding that he would 
 loan him such volumes as he desired. In March, 
 1845, he was admitted to the Bar of Illinois, at 
 Springfield, and afterward settled in Pekin, which 
 then had a population of four hundred. 
 
 While Mr. Prettyman neither sought nor desired 
 ortice, he was chosen to occupy a number of respon- 
 sible local positions. In 1860 he was nominated 
 for State Senator, but suffered defeat with the re- 
 mainder of the ticket. His law library included 
 that of Stephen T. Logan, as well as many books 
 selected by himself. At the time of commencing 
 practice, there were but three Illinois reports, and 
 now there are more than one hundred and thirty. 
 In early days he often rode to Decatur, Clinton, 
 Bloomington and Woodford, where court was held. 
 As a stump speaker, he was in constant demand 
 during campaign days. For years he was Chair- 
 man of the County Democratic Committee, and 
 served as delegate to every Democratic National 
 Convention from 1860 to 1892, excepting that of 
 1876. For six years he made the political speech 
 at the opening of court, while Lincoln was the 
 
 Whig speaker. During the war he was twice 
 elected Mayor of Pckin, and served in the same 
 cupacity several times afterward. 
 
 At Pekin, in April. 1840, Mr. Prettyman and 
 Miss Sarah A. Haines were united in marriage. 
 This lady was born in Butler County, Ohio, and 
 died in Pekin, in February, 1893. HIT father, 
 William Haines, was one of the proprietors of this 
 city in early days, and owned a mercantile estab- 
 lishment, a distillery, as well as the ferry and oilier 
 important interests here. Fourteen children were 
 born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Pretty man, and 
 of that number seven attained mature years, while 
 live are now living: Emily, the wife of Dr. Sclienck; 
 Elizabeth, the wife of Judge Rider; Mrs. Hat- 
 tie Murray; Nellie, the wife of Daniel Sapp; and, 
 William and Benjamin S., Jr., attorneys of Pekin. 
 All the children are residents of Pekin. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Prettyman is a demitted member 
 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has 
 ...been a Master Mason since 1845, belonging to the 
 ; Royal Arch chapter. A prominent member of 
 SUieV'O&f'Seitlers' Society, he has served as its Pres- 
 ident and ever been interested in its success. In 
 securing the railroads at this place, he was enthusi- 
 astic and energetic. In getting the first railroad, 
 it was necessary to build the Illinois River Rail- 
 road (now the Jacksonville South-eastern) to keep 
 the county seat. Mr. Prettyman drove to Lewis- 
 town and Chandlersville, through which the new 
 road was to pass, and canvassed both cities in the 
 interest of the road. He was chosen Vice-Presi- 
 dent and Director of the company, and accom- 
 panied the President to New York for the purpose 
 of securing iron for the road, the object of their 
 trip being accomplished only after considerable 
 effort and annoyance. Mr. Prettyman was also in- 
 terested in securing the Indiana, Bloomington & 
 Western Road at this place, and also in the con- 
 struction of the Peoria, Decatur <k Evansville, as 
 well as the Chicago, Pekin & South-western (now 
 the Santa Fe). Of the latter road he was Presi- 
 dent until its completion to Marseilles, when he 
 resigned. Of the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway 
 Company he was a charter member, and active in 
 its enterprises, serving for a time as its President. 
 One of Mr. Prettymau's plans was to run the In-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OfTW 
 
 UNIVERSmr Of fUJNUS
 
 DIEBOLD FURRER. 

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 461 
 
 diana, Bloomington & Western Road through Ft. 
 Madison, Iowa, to Ft. Kearney, Neb., and to secure 
 the success of this enterprise he worked arduously, 
 making speeches at various points along the route 
 and endeavoring to arouse public enthusiasm on 
 the subject. The company agreed to go to work 
 immediately upon the construction of the road, 
 and Mr. Pretty man was elected President of the 
 Division to Ft. Madison. The contract was drawn 
 up and signed, but at a meeting in Pekin the Di- 
 rectors were persuaded that a better plan could be 
 developed; consequently the road was never built, 
 and its projectors lost all the money they had in- 
 vested in the enterprise. 
 
 However, Mr. Prettyman has been more fortu- 
 nate in his other schemes, and has been the origi- 
 nator of many plans whereby the best interests of 
 Pekin have been conserved. Though now ad- 
 vanced in years, he is still active and vigorous, 
 and it is the wish of his many friends that he may 
 long survive in the enjoyment of good health and 
 unimpaired mental faculties. 
 
 1KBOLD FURRER, grain dealer of Easton, 
 and a wide-awake and enterprising busi- 
 ness man, was born in Baden, Germany, 
 October 11, 1841, and is the son of John 
 and .Sarah (Schlager) Furrer, who were both 
 natives of Baden. They came to America in 1852 
 and located in Quiver Township, Mason County, 
 III. They had four children, Andrew, Diebold, 
 George and John, the latter of whom is deceased. 
 The mother having died, Mr. Furrer was again 
 married, and by that union were born the follow- 
 ing children, Barbara, Mary, Elizabeth (deceased), 
 Louise and Sarah. The father of this family 
 died in May, 1864. 
 
 Mr. Furrer of this sketch was a child of only 
 ten years when with his parents he bade adieu to 
 his native land and crossed the briny deep to the 
 New World. lie was reared in the usual manner of 
 farmer lads, and early in life became familiar with 
 the arduous task of developing wild land. To his 
 13 
 
 father he gave the benefit of his services until 
 after the breaking out of the late war, when on 
 the 1st of August, 1861, he enrolled his name as 
 a private of Company A, Twenty-eighth Illinois 
 Infantry. 
 
 This company was organized at Havana and 
 was commanded by Capt. R. R. Hitter. It was 
 the first at Camp Butler organized under the di- 
 rection of Governor Yates. The regiment was 
 commanded by Col. A. K. Johnson, of Peters- 
 burg, 111., was drilled at Camp Thebes, thence 
 went to Bird's Point, Mo., on to Ft. Hold, Ky., 
 to Paducah, and up the Tennessee River to Ft. 
 Henry. Mr. Furrer took part in the battle of 
 Piltsburg Landing, was in the siege of Corinth, 
 then was in the Mississippi Valley Expedition 
 under General Grant, and the battles of Holly 
 Springs, Memphis, Bolivar and Hatcher's Run. The 
 following fall he was in the campaign under 
 General Grant, marched back to Memphis, took 
 transports for Vicksburg, landed at Young's Point, 
 marched around the city and took boat for Grand 
 Gulf. He was in the brigade that made the 
 charge on Jackson, Miss., and afterwards returned 
 to Vicksburg, whence he went to Natchez, Miss., 
 where he did provost duty for about nine months. 
 He took part in the battle of Morganzia Bend, after- 
 wards went to New Orleans and later to Mobile, 
 and was shipwrecked on the Gulf of Mexico, 
 but succeeded in reaching land. He then marched 
 seventeen days through rain, mud and water, 
 aided in building the corduroy road to Spanish 
 Fort and took part in the capture of that place and 
 Ft. Blakely and Mobile, being at the latter place 
 when the news of Lee's surrender was received. 
 lie then went to Mobile, Ala. In the meantime 
 he had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant and 
 was now detailed to take a squad of men to Citro- 
 nelle, where the surrender was consummated. 
 Later he did duty in Texas as one of the Army 
 of Observation until February, 1866, when, at 
 Brownsville, he was mustered out and by steamer 
 returned home, receiving his discharge at Spring- 
 field, April 6, 1866, having served for four years, 
 eight months and five days. He was never 
 wounded or taken prisoner, but out of the com- 
 pany of one hundred and five men who left
 
 462 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Havana only eleven of the original number re- 
 turned. 
 
 After being mustered out Mr. Furrer at once 
 returned to bis home and began farming in Sher- 
 man Township. He was married on Christmas 
 Day of 1867 to Christina Drechler, a native of 
 Baden, Germany. Nine children have been born 
 to them, and the family circle yet remains un- 
 broken. They are Laura, Edward, Mary, L. H., 
 Ilattie, Irene, Earl, Freddie and Albert. Laura 
 married Austin Barrett, a farmer of Sherman 
 Township. They have three children, Russell, 
 Glen and Grace. Mary married Charles Bowman, 
 an engineer of Easton. They have one child, 
 Cecil. 
 
 Mr. .Furrer continued farming until 1873, when 
 he embarked in merchandising, which he continued 
 for eight years. On the expiration of that period 
 lie turned his attention to the grain business, to 
 which he now devotes his time and energies. His 
 sagacity and well directed efforts have brought 
 him success, and he is now possessed of a hand- 
 some competence. Both he and his wife are 
 members of the Lutheran Church, and he belongs 
 to J. Q. A. Jones Post, G. A. R., of Havana. 
 In politics he is a Democrat, has served as School 
 Director, Road Commissioner and as Township 
 Clerk, and has been Supervisor of Sherman Town- 
 ship for six years. The cause of education has 
 always found in him a warm friend, and he has 
 given his children good advantages in that di- 
 rection. 
 
 ICIIAEL WOERNER,a prominent and rep- 
 resentative farmer residing on section 10, 
 Manito Township, Mason County, was 
 born January, J, 1834, in Hesse-Darm- 
 stadt, Germany. His father, Michael Woerner, 
 was a native of the same localitj' as was his mother, 
 who bore the' maiden name of Catherine Heyl. In 
 1857 his parents left their native land and crossed 
 the broad Atlantic to America, where they spent 
 their remaining days, their home being in Mason 
 County. The father died in 1887, and the mother 
 passed away in 1891. They had two children, 
 
 Michael, and George, who is now living in Pekin, 
 111. Mr. and Mrs. Woerner were members of the 
 Evangelical Association and took an active part 
 in church work. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent the first seven- 
 teen years of his life in his native country, and in 
 accordance with its laws attended the public schools 
 until fourteen years of age. He then began learn- 
 ing the trade of a tailor, which he followed until 
 his emigration to America. The year 1851 wit- 
 nessed his removal to the New World and saw 
 him located in Pekin, where he began work at his 
 trade, being thus employed until 1867, in which 
 year he removed to the farm upon which he has 
 since made his home. In connection with his 
 brother, he secured one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land, and together they operated it until I860, 
 when they divided the land, each getting eighly 
 acres, and our subject has since cultivated the 
 tract alone. 
 
 On the 1st of February, 1860, Mr. Woerner was 
 united in marriage with Miss Catherine B. Star/, 
 a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, born in 1829. 
 She came to America in 1859, locating in Tazewell 
 County. Four children were born of their union. 
 John II., who is living in Manito Township, mar- 
 ried Ida Heyl, and has one child; William married 
 Lois Van Orman, and is living in Forest City 
 Township, Mason County; George wedded Fannie 
 Meigs, and with their two children they reside in 
 Manito Township; and Amelia M. is the wife of 
 Henry Guinbel, of Manito Township, by whom she 
 has two children. 
 
 Mr. Woerner is now recognized as one of the 
 leading agriculturists of this community. He owns 
 one hundred and twenty acres of land in the 
 home farm, and a quarter-section in Dakota. His 
 pleasant residence was erected at a cost of $1,000, 
 and barns and outbuildings of like value have 
 been erected. A fine hedge fence surrounds the 
 place and divides the farm into forty-acre fields. 
 Everything is neat and thrifty in appearance and 
 gives evidence of the careful supervision of the 
 owner. Jn connection with general farming, he 
 raises full blooded Jersey cattle. 
 
 Mr. Woerner is a member of the Evangelical 
 Association, and is serving as Trustee and Class-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 463 
 
 leader. He has also been Superintendent of the 
 Sunday-school and one of the teachers in the same, 
 taking an active and commendable interest in 
 church and benevolent work. He has always been 
 a strong temperance man, and is ever found on the 
 side of right. In politics he is a Republican, has 
 served as School Director twenty-five years, and 
 has been Highway Commissioner two terms. 
 
 ON. J. WARREN CRABB, Mayor of Dela- 
 van, and President of the Tazewell County 
 National Bank, was born in Dillon Town- 
 ship, this count}', December 28, 1854. His 
 father, the late Daniel Crabb, was born in Brown 
 Count}', Ohio, May 8, 1818, and was the fifth child 
 of Edward and Nancy (Figgins) Crabb, natives 
 respectively of Kentucky and Ohio. In an early 
 day the grandparents came to Illinois, and were 
 numbered among the first settlers of Greene 
 County. After a sojourn there of several years 
 they removed to Madison County and continued 
 to reside there until death. 
 
 Amid pioneer surroundings, without educational 
 advantages, and with little or no means, Daniel 
 Crabb attained to manhood, gaining in youth a 
 thorough knowledge of agriculture. In 1843 he 
 was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Bailey, 
 of Madison County, 111., soon after which he set- 
 tled in Grundy County, Mo. His sojourn there 
 was, however, of brief duration, and in December, 
 1844, he came to Tazewell County, where for a 
 time he made his home in Sand Prairie Township. 
 After two years there he removed to Dillon Town- 
 ship, where he resided until his death, March 21, 
 1888. 
 
 Such was the energy and perseverance with 
 which Daniel Crabb pursued his chosen occupa- 
 tion of agriculture, that he became one of the most 
 extensive and successful farmers and stockmen in 
 the county. In 1874 he established a private 
 bank in Delavan, which in 1887 was merged into 
 the present Tazewell County National Bank. His 
 conduct in all the relations of life was such as to 
 win for him the esteem of his associates. He 
 assisted his children so generously that he had 
 
 given them each a fortune before his death, yet he 
 left an estate valued at about $300,000. His wife 
 passed away in 1856. 
 
 Of the seven children comprising the family of 
 Daniel Crabb we note the following who are 
 living: Edward resides at Rich Hill, Mo., where 
 he is interested in coal lands; Frances is the wife 
 of D. Gilman Bailey, one of the most extensive 
 farmers of Tazewell County, and a resident of 
 Delavan; Emily married J. N. Philips, a prosper- 
 ous farmer of Malone Township, this county; 
 Letitia is the wife of Henry Bailey, a capitalist of 
 Delavan; J. Warren is the youngest of the family, 
 and was but two years old when his mother died. 
 Spending his youthful years upon his father's 
 farm, he received the advantages of the best 
 schools of Pekin and two years of Lake Forest 
 Academy. 
 
 On completing his studies, Mr. Crabb engaged in 
 farming and stock-raising upon the home place. 
 The management of the property was left largely 
 in his charge, and he was the staff upon which his 
 father leaned in his declining years. At an early 
 age he developed the traits of conservatism in his 
 business transactions and shrewdness in his deal- 
 ings that have since characterized his life. While 
 he had a fortune left him, it is but just to say that 
 he would have made one for himself had he 
 started as his father did. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. Crabb married Miss Elizabeth, 
 daughter of John Schureman,an agriculturist near 
 Green Valley, this county. They have three chil- 
 dren, Daniel, a student in the Western Military 
 Academy at Upper Alton; Lulu, who attends the 
 Delavan schools, and Willis Warren, a bright 
 child of two years. Mr. Crabb remained upon the 
 farm until 1885, when he came to Delavan in order 
 to be more centrally located for the management 
 of his business. He has also continued to deal 
 extensively in stock, and owns valuable farming 
 property in Delavan and Dillon Townships, aggre- 
 gating almost three thousand acres, all under cul- 
 tivation. His property also includes many of the 
 finest buildings in Delavan and one of the most 
 beautiful homes in central Illinois. 
 
 Deeply interested in all matter pertaining to 
 local welfare and advancement, Mr. Crabb may
 
 464 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 always be relied upon to lend a helping hand to 
 progressive measures. He has been President of 
 the Tazewell County Fair Association and has 
 served as Alderman. At the present time (1894) 
 he is Mayor of the city, and as such lie guards 
 well the interests of the people, and recommends 
 such ordinances as will be for the highest progress 
 in the development of material resources. Politi- 
 cally he is a leader in the Democratic party in this 
 section of the state. With his wife he holds mem- 
 bership in the Presbyterian Church. The only 
 order lie belongs to is the Masonic, in which he is 
 a Knight Templar, also a member of the Mystic 
 Shrine, Mohammed Temple, of Peoria, 111. 
 
 OBERT DONA VAN. Prominent among 
 the citizens of Mason County who have 
 materially contributed to its prosperity is 
 the subject of this sketch, who is one of 
 the ablest farmers and stock-raisers in this section. 
 He is the proprietor of one of the largest and best 
 equipped farms in Mason City Township, and here 
 he and his family have one of the best appointed 
 and most attractive homes within its limits. His 
 landed estate comprises eight hundred and sixty- 
 seven acres, and the greater part of it is under the 
 best methods of cultivation. His residence is lo- 
 cated on section 16. 
 
 Our subject was born near Zanesville, Muskin- 
 gum County, Ohio, October 21, 1822, while his 
 father,- who also bore the name of Robert, was 
 born in Franklin County, Pa. He was a farmer 
 by occupation and a tanner by trade, and when a 
 young man removed to Champaign County, Ohio, 
 where his decease occurred when sixty-eight years 
 of age. His father, whose surname was likewise 
 Robert, came from Ireland to America when a lad 
 of nineteen years and located in the Keystone 
 State. During the Revolutionary War he served 
 three years as a private in the Continental army. 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Rachel Cox; she was born in October, 1789, in 
 Pennsylvania and was of Irish descent. She 
 reared a family of six sons, trained them to occupy 
 
 honorable positions in life and departed this life 
 in February, 1872. Robert of this sketch was the 
 third in order of birth and was reared to manhood 
 in his native county, where he attended school in 
 a log cabin with primitive furnishings. lie re- 
 mained under the parental roof until September, 
 1848, when he came to this county and made loca- 
 tion in what is now Mason City Township. For 
 the first few years he rented land, and in 1852 was 
 enabled to purchase property of his own. When 
 coming here there were only a few families in the 
 township and the country roundabout was little 
 more than a wilderness, over which roamed many 
 wild animals. 
 
 Mr. Donavan was married in 1856 to Miss Car- 
 oline Laughery. Prior to this event, however, he 
 kept bachelor's hall in a little log cabin witli 
 puncheon floor, clapboard roof and chimney built 
 of sticks and mud. Mrs. Donavan was born in 
 1832, in Logan County, this state, of which section 
 her parents were very early settlers. The latter 
 were natives of Virginia, whence they removed to 
 Ohio and later to Illinois. The wife of our sub- 
 ject was of Scotch descent and departed this life 
 March 19, 1873. having reared a family of four 
 sons: Francis E., Christopher C., Robert O. and 
 Samuel C. 
 
 The lady whom our subject chose as his second 
 wife and to whom he was married February 22, 
 1877, was Miss Mary Colon, a native of Columbia 
 County, N. Y. She was ten years of age when she 
 accompanied her parents on their removal to Liv- 
 ingston County, this state, where they became 
 well-to-do farmers. To Mr. and Mrs. Donavan 
 has been born a son, John, who resides under the 
 parental roof. 
 
 He whose name heads this sketch engages in gen- 
 eral farming, and that he has profited greatly in 
 his undertakings is evidenced by the fact that he 
 came to the county poor in this world's goods and 
 now owns eight hundred and sixty-seven broad 
 acres, and as a tiller of the soil and stock-raiser is 
 second to none in the state. He occupies an as- 
 sured position among the. business men of the 
 county, having the confidence of his associates and 
 the regard of all his friends. He always votes 
 with the Democratic party and gives his aid to all
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 465 
 
 public measures having for their object the pro- 
 motion of the welfare of the people. Mr. Dona- 
 van still lias the management of his estate though 
 he does but little work himself and is living in 
 peace and contentment, enjoying the fruits of Ins 
 former labors. 
 
 OICHARD D. SMITH. This in brief is the 
 .., sketch of the ex-Postmaster of Pekin 
 
 whose present substantial position in life 
 has been reached entirely through his own 
 perseverance, and the facts contained herein show 
 what a person with courage and enlightened views 
 can accomplish. His reputation for honesty and 
 integrity has been tried -and not found wanting; 
 his financial ability has been more than once put 
 to the test but never without credit to himself; 
 his social qualities are well known and appreciated 
 and he has hosts of friends whose confidence and 
 esteem are his highest eulogium. 
 
 He of whom we write was born in Homer, Cort- 
 land County, N. Y., August 16,1833. He is the 
 son of Noah Smith, who comes of an old Connect- 
 icut family of English descent, and who was for 
 many years a miller in Homer, N. Y. He was a 
 prominent member of the Congregational Church, 
 and one of the founders of Hamilton College, at 
 Clinton, Oneida County, and served on the first 
 Board of Trustees of that institution. He was 
 likewise Treasurer of the college, and a member 
 of the Board of Selectmen for many years. His 
 wife, Mrs. Susan (Doud) Smith, was also born in 
 Connecticut and died at Lake Geneva, Wis., at the 
 remarkable age of ninety-four years. 
 
 Richard D. of this sketch was the youngest 
 member of the parental family of eleven children, 
 only two of whom are now living. He was reared 
 in his native place and was graduated from Cort- 
 land Academy when sixteen years of age. He was 
 preparing himself to enter Hamilton College, but 
 having a brother in Lake Geneva, Wis., came west 
 upon his earnest solicitation and engaged as clerk 
 in his dry goods establishment. Later, his brother 
 having been appointed Postmaster, he became his 
 assistant and remained in Wisconsin until 1859, 
 when he came to Tazewell County and located in 
 
 Washington, where he opened up a dry goods store 
 which he operated until 1866. He controlled the 
 principal business in that line in the city, and, two 
 years after, disposing of his store, was elected 
 County Clerk on the Republican ticket, and re- 
 jected in 1872, thus serving from 1868 to 1876. 
 While residing at Washington he was appointed 
 Postmaster under Lincoln, and was the incumbent 
 of the position about a year when Andrew Johnson 
 appointed his successor. 
 
 Mr. Smith spent the years between 1876 and 
 1880 in Colorado and in 1881 returned to this 
 state and located in Pekin, where he was appointed 
 Postmaster under Arthur, and was re-appointed to 
 the same position by President Harrison in 1889, 
 and held the office until the middle of January, 
 1894, holding several months after his term had 
 expired. 
 
 Our subject was married at Lake Geneva, Wis., 
 to Miss Beeden, who was born near Lake Geneva. 
 N. Y. They reared a family of five children, of 
 whom Fannie, Mrs. Gilman, is deceased; Charles 
 B., who is publisher of the Mirror in Peoria, was 
 formerly engaged with Brown, Howard & Co., of 
 New York as civil engineer and surveyor, and af- 
 ter quitting their employ, became agent for the 
 Wells, Fargo Express Company, and also for the 
 St. Louis, Naples and Peoria Packet Company; 
 Thomas B., the third child, is clerking for the firm 
 of Schipper & Block, in this city, while Annie M. 
 is at home. 
 
 While residing in Washington, Mr. Smith was 
 Supervisor for three years. He is a member of the 
 Masonic fraternity, is connected with Washing- 
 ton Lodge 98, and was one of the organizers of 
 the Chapter Royal Arch Masons in that place. 
 He is a member of the Episcopal Church and has 
 been vestryman since he came to Pekin, and has 
 been liberal in his contributions toward the erec- 
 tion of the new church building. He is a true 
 blue Republican in politics and cast his first vote 
 for John C. Fremont. He is a personal friend of 
 ex-Governor Shelby M. Cullom, who was reared 
 in this county. He has always taken a great in- 
 terest in political affairs, was chairman of the Re- 
 publican Central Committee eight years, and a 
 member of the State Republican Committee one
 
 466 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 year. In 1880 he was one of the contesting dele- 
 gates at the National Convention held in Chicago, 
 when Robert G. Ingersoll made a plea for Mr. Smith. 
 One week after the committee decided him the dele- 
 gate, it was contested by John McNulta, at that 
 time a member of Congress for this district. Mr. 
 Smith has attended every Republican National 
 Committee since 1860, and is the stanchest of the 
 stanch Republicans. 
 
 ON. JOHN W. PUGH. Among the citizens 
 of Mason Count}' who have gained emi- 
 nence in public affairs may be mentioned 
 the name of John W. Pugh, a well known 
 resident and real estate owner of Mason City. 
 For many years identified with the progress of this 
 section of the state, he has achieved a notable suc- 
 cess in every enterprise with which his name has 
 been connected, and has gained pre-eminence 
 among the people of his community. For two 
 terms he represented the counties of Mason, Cass, 
 Sclmyler and Menard in the Stale Legislature, 
 having been elected to that office on the Demo- 
 cratic ticket, and in that responsible position, as 
 well as in every other place he lias been chosen to 
 fill, he discharged the duties connected therewith 
 to the satisfaction of his constituents and with 
 credit to himself. 
 
 The family of which Mr. Pugh is an honored 
 representative has for several generations been 
 identified with the history of Pennsylvania, to 
 which state his paternal ancestors emigrated from 
 Scotland, while his maternal progenitors were of 
 German stock. His father, Joshua Pugh, a native 
 of the Keystone State, was reared to manhood in 
 the city of Easton, where he learned the trade of a 
 tanner. Throughout his entire active life he fol- 
 lowed that occupation, and was also extensively 
 engaged in the milling business. While not prom- 
 inent in public affairs, he took an intelligent in- 
 terest in all measures calculated to enhance the 
 prosperity of his community, and advocated the 
 principles of the Democratic party. His death oc- 
 curred in Pennsylvania at the age of seventy-three 
 
 years. His wife, whose maiden name was Theresa 
 Tillsbury, was a daughter of Abram Tillsbury, who 
 likewise was born in the Keystone State. She 
 died in 1853, the year of her husband's demise. 
 
 The boyhood years of John W. Pugh were 
 passed in a comparatively uneventful manner in 
 the village of Plymouth, Luzerne County, Pa., 
 where he was born in 1824. He was the recipient 
 of such educational advantages as the common 
 schools afforded, and the extensive information he 
 now possesses has been gained less by training in 
 school than by self-culture. In the spring of 1850 
 he came west, with the intention of settling per- 
 manently in Illinois. Purchasing property in 
 Mason County, near Havana, he embarked in the 
 occupation of farming, at which he con tinned suc- 
 cessfully engaged until 1891. During the sum- 
 mer of 1854 he ran a canal boat between Havana 
 and Chicago, the venture proving fairly remuner- 
 ative. 
 
 With the public affairs of the county, Mr. Pugh 
 has been closely connected since first coming to 
 the state. In 1865 he was elected to represent his 
 township upon the County Board of Supervisors 
 and held the office twelve successive years, being 
 re-elected eleven different times. He then resigned, 
 declining to serve longer in that capacity. In 
 1873 he was chosen to represent Mason, Menard, 
 Cass and Schuyler Counties in the State Legisla- 
 ture, and not only did he faithfully represent the 
 Democratic party, on which ticket he had been 
 elected, but he proved loyal at all times to the in- 
 terests of the people, irrespective of political ties, 
 and was one of the most popular legislators this 
 county has ever hatf. He was re-elected to the 
 Legislature in 1887, serving until 1889. 
 
 While representing the district in the Lower 
 House, Mr. Pugh was instrumental in securing the 
 passage of the Farmers' Insurance Bill, and was 
 a very strong advocate of the compulsory school 
 system. In everything tending to advance the 
 welfare of the county, he has been interested, 
 and has championed all worthy projects. He was 
 very active in securing railroads for the county, 
 and has taken a deep interest in the public schools, 
 advocating and aiding in the erection of school- 
 houses. While a member of the County Board,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 467 
 
 the fine fireproof court house was built at Havana. 
 Since 1891 he has made his home at Mason City, 
 although he still owns three hundred and twenty 
 acres of well improved and highly cultivated land, 
 upon which are a substantial residence, commodious 
 barns and the other accessories of a first-class farm. 
 The lady who in 1854 became the wife of Mr. 
 Pugli was in former years Miss Sarah Apple. A 
 native of Ohio, she is the daughter of Henry 
 Apple, who was likewise born in the Buckeye 
 State, removing thence to Illinois and settling in 
 Fulton County in 1836. He was one of the pio- 
 neers of that section of the state, and there contin- 
 ued to reside, engaged in farming pursuits, uutil 
 his death, in 1868. During the early years of the 
 history of Fulton County, he was prominently 
 identified with public affairs and served for a 
 number of years as Supervisor, having been elected 
 to that position upon the ticket of the Whig party. 
 The mother of Mrs. Pugh was known in maiden- 
 hood as Miss Mary Bonser, and was a native of 
 Ohio, whence she accompanied her husband to 
 Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Pugh are the parents of 
 six children, three of whom are living, namely: 
 Charles W., a resident of Mason County; George 
 B., of Peoria, 111; and Clara, the wife of John 
 Stone, of Mason County. 
 
 MOOBERRY, a farmer residing 
 on section 36, Fond du Lac Township, 
 Tazewell County, was born in Franklin 
 County, Ohio, May 26, 1825. His father, David 
 Mooberry, was born in York County, Pa., in 1798. 
 The grandfather, William Mooberry, Sr., is sup- 
 posed to be a son of Robert Mooberry, who it is 
 believed was the founder of the family in America. 
 He was of Scotch descent and located in Pennsyl- 
 vania. His death occurred June 4, 1798. 
 
 William Mooberry, the grandfather, was born in 
 Chester County, Pa., September 18, 1752, and al- 
 though a Quaker, he served in the Revolutionary 
 War. He had four sisters: Ann, born January 28, 
 1755; Phoebe, born January 28, 1757; Mary, born 
 April 26, 1760; and Sarah, born September 14, 
 
 1766. William Mooberry was married October 16, 
 1788, to Elizabeth Ramsey, who was born in York 
 County, Pa., February 7, 1767, and died August 
 27, 1822. In 1806, he removed with his family to 
 Franklin County, Ohio, and became one of its 
 pioneer settlers. His death occurred January 28, 
 1829. In his family were five sons and two 
 daughters, but the latter, Jane and Mary, died in 
 childhood. William, the eldest son, born Novem- 
 ber 18, 1793, never married; he became the owner 
 of a large farm in Tazewell County, upon which 
 he lived until his death. Alexander, born July 
 23, 1796, spent his entire life in Ohio; he mar- 
 ried but reared no children. David was the next 
 younger. John, born February 2, 1801, was mar- 
 ried in Ohio, came to Tazewell County in 1832, 
 and followed farming until his death, February 4, 
 1884. His widow is still living on the old home- 
 stead. Samuel, born December 17, 1804, emigrated 
 to Tazewell County in an early day and here passed 
 the remainder of his life. 
 
 David Mooberry, father of our subject, was 
 reared to manhood in Franklin County, Ohio, and 
 was there married February 13, 1823, to Margaret, 
 daughter of John Stumbaugh, a native of Ger- 
 many, who removed to Ohio from York Count}', 
 Pa. His family numbered seven children, of whom 
 six grew to manhood and womanhood, viz.: Annie, 
 Polly, Margaret, John, Cassie, Frederick and Eliza- 
 beth. All were married except Annie and George, 
 the latter of whom died in childhood. In 1832 
 David Mooberry emigrated with his family to 
 Tazewell County, and entered Government land 
 on section 11, Groveland Township, where he 
 began the development of a farm. He was very 
 successful in his undertakings, and at one time 
 owned about one thousand acres of land. He 
 made all the improvements upon his place and 
 it became one of the valuable farms of the neigh- 
 borhood. He also owned the farm on which 
 our subject now resides, and operated it for seven 
 years. His death occurred July 9, 1850. His 
 wife, who was born February 26, 1801, passed 
 away December 2, 1891. They had five sons 
 and four daughters, of whom five are yet liv- 
 ing, as follows: William; John, a farmer of Grove- 
 land Township; Margaret, the widow of Thoma*
 
 468 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 P. Oliver, who was a farmer and blacksmith of 
 Groveland Township; Alexander, an agricultur- 
 ist of Saline County, Neb.; and Mary Ann, 
 widow of John F. McGinnis, of Groveland Town- 
 ship. Those deceased are, Samuel R., who followed 
 farming in Fonddu Lac Township; Elizabeth, who 
 died at the age of eighteen; George, who lived in 
 Morton Township, and at his death left a wife and 
 one child; and Martha, who became the wife of 
 Alexander Moo berry, now of Nebraska. She died 
 in Morton Township, leaving two children. The 
 father of this family was a Whig, and both he 
 and his wife were members of the Congregational 
 Church. 
 
 Our subject was a child of eight years when his 
 parents came to Tazevvell County. lie was reared 
 amid the wild scenes of frontier life and early be- 
 came familiar with the arduous task of developing 
 a new farm. Under the parental roof he remained 
 until his marriage, on the 3d of September, 1848, 
 to Matilda E. Marion, daughter of Calvin Marion, 
 who was born in Stoughton, Mass., March 25,4802. 
 His grandfather was killed during the Revolu- 
 tionary War. Calvin Marion removed to Frank- 
 lin County, Ohio, in 1816, and in 1833 came to 
 Tazewell County. His death occurred in Grove- 
 land Township November 6, 1892. His wife bore 
 the maiden name of Elizabeth Hughes, and they 
 had a family of eleven children, of whom Mrs. 
 Mooberry was the second. She was born in Frank- 
 lin County, Ohio, December 29, 1830. 
 
 Upon his marriage our subject removed to the 
 farm which has since been his home. Here he 
 owns two hundred and five acres of valuable land, 
 which he has placed under a high state of culti- 
 vation and improved with all modern accessories 
 and conveniences. lie also owns one hundred 
 and sixty acres in McLean County, and three 
 hundred and twenty acres in Livingston and Ford 
 Counties. He carries on general farming and 
 stock-raising, and his enterprise and well directed 
 efforts have brought to him a handsome compe- 
 tence. 
 
 Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Moo- 
 berry, of whom four are yet living. William C., 
 a prominent farmer of Anchor Township, McLean 
 County, married Lizzie Morton and has six chil- 
 
 dren. Laura M. is the wife of James S. Ritten- 
 house, a government gauger of Peoria, 111. Lizzie 
 Luella is the wife of Emory G. Gish, a fanner of 
 Onarga, Iroquois County. Maggie is at home. 
 Francis Marion died at the age of nineteen years. 
 Mr. Mooberry was reared a Whig, and since the 
 organization of the Republican party has been one 
 of its supporters. lie has held every office in the 
 township except that of Supervisor, and has ever 
 been found faithful to his duties. Socially, he is 
 a member of Peoria Lodge No. 15, A. F. & A. M., 
 of Peoria, and he and his family are all members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Since 1832 
 he has lived in Tazewell County, and is numbered 
 among its highly respected citizens, its leading 
 farmers and honored pioneers. 
 
 EORGE A. STARZ, one of the young and 
 ..Teading business men of Green Valley, 
 Tazewell County, is there engaged in the 
 grain business as agent for the Smith-Hippin 
 Company, and as this is one of the most important 
 industries of the city, the gentleman well deserves 
 representation in this volume. He is a native of 
 this county, his birth having occurred in Dela- 
 van, March 7, 1869, his parents being Frederick 
 and Magdelena (Lux) Starz. The former was the 
 owner of a mill in Delavan, and the history of his 
 life is recorded elsewhere in this book. 
 
 Our subject was reared and educated in his na- 
 tive town, and in addition to attending the com- 
 mon school, studied telegraphy. When seventeen 
 years of age he engaged as a traveling salesman 
 for a wholesale grocery firm located at Chicago, 
 and was connected with them for the following 
 three and a-half years, when he decided to em- 
 bark in the grain and milling business at Mt. Pu- 
 laski, this state. He there made his home until 
 December, 1892, when he came to Green Valley, 
 where he has since carried on his business with 
 more than ordinary success. 
 
 George A. Starz was united in marriage June 8, 
 1893, with Miss Laura, a daughter of the Hon. 
 Richard and Eleanor (Carr) Holmes, of Delavau.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF m 
 
 UNIVERSm HUMMS
 
 
 JOHN H. TAYLOR.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 471 
 
 Mrs. Starz is a highly educated and cultured 
 young lady, and with her husband is connected 
 with the Methodist Episcopal Church. The sub- 
 ject of this brief sketch is one of the rising young 
 business men of Tazewell County, and stands 
 high in the estimation of all with whom he is ac- 
 quainted. Socially, he is a leading member of the 
 Uniformed Rank of the Knights of Pythias, and 
 also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows of Delavan. Politically, Mr. Starz casts 
 his vote and influence with the Republican party. 
 
 m 
 
 O H N II. T A Y L O R, a man universally 
 popular and one who has achieved great 
 success in life, is the subject of the pres- 
 ent sketch, and we are pleased to repre- 
 sent such a public-spirited and courteous gentle- 
 man in our RECORD. Mr. Taylor has been a lead- 
 ing citizen of this city for many years. He was 
 born in Washington County, Pa., June 9, 1840, 
 and is the son of Henry Taylor, a native of Tusca- 
 rawas County , Ohio. Some time in the '30s the 
 father removed to Washington County, Pa., where 
 he lived until 1855. He then came to Illinois, and 
 made his home in this county until his decease, in 
 1879, at the advanced age of seventy-two years. 
 He was a chair-maker by trade. All who knew 
 him respected him not only as an old settler, but 
 as a good citizen and a man of many excellent 
 traits of character. He was a stanch Democrat in 
 politics. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah (Stone) Taylor, the mother of our 
 subject, was born in Virginia and was the daugh- 
 ter of W.G. Stone, a native of the Keystone State. 
 She made her home during the latter years of her 
 life in this county, where she died in 1887, in her 
 seventy-sixth year. John H., of this sketch, spent 
 the first iifteen years of life in Pennsylvania, after 
 which he came to Illinois and made his home with 
 his parents in Mason County, at a time when the 
 country was little more than a wilderness. His 
 father purchased land in the woods, on which he 
 erected a cabin and commenced to clear the land 
 preparatory to cultivating the soil. 
 
 Our subject began working for himself when 
 
 sixteen years of age and engaged in driving teams 
 in Havana. In 1862, however, he left home and 
 went as far west as the Rocky Mountains, where 
 he was engaged in ranching in Colorado for the 
 first year in his own interests, then for Benja- 
 min Ilolliday, and the following twelve months 
 for the firm of Wells, Fargo <fe Co., carrying ex- 
 press from Denver to Ft. Halleck, a distance of two 
 hundred and thirty miles. In 1864 he formed a 
 partnership with his brother, William S. Taylor, 
 under the firm name of W. S. & J. H. Taylor, and 
 for two years carried on an extensive business in 
 the stock trade. 
 
 In February of the above year our subject 
 returned to Havana and purchased the Walker 
 House, which he conducted for four years. He 
 then returned with his family to the Rocky Moun- 
 tains,wherehehad property, and there remained for 
 one year. At the expiration of that time he again 
 came to Havana. In 1872 he embarked in the 
 grocery business, and for the following two years 
 was proprietor of a well stocked store, which he 
 afterward sold to Joyce & Lally. His next enter- 
 prise was as a clothing merchant, and during the 
 years in which he was thus engaged he also super- 
 intended the operations of his fine farm in Mason 
 County. 
 
 March 22, 1866, our subject and Miss Nurinda, 
 daughter of Jesse Riggins, were united in mar- 
 riage. The latter was a pioneer of Beardstown, 
 111., and at the present time resides in the city of 
 Havana, having attained his eightieth 3'ear. Mrs. 
 Taylor departed this life in 1872, leaving two sons 
 and a daughter, William S., Henry J. and Maude. 
 In November, 1873, our subject married Miss Ida 
 Belle Riggins, a sister of his former wife, and by 
 her he has become the father of six children, only 
 four of whom are living, Lulu, Fred, Bessie and 
 Mabel. John II., Jr., and Ralph are deceased. 
 
 To his various interests in the city Mr. Taylor 
 devotes considerable time. He is a stockholder in 
 the Asher Drill Compan} 7 and the building and 
 loan association. Socially, he is a charter mem- 
 ber of Prosperity Lodge No. 14, A. O. U. W. In 
 1868 he was elected Alderman, and during his 
 term of two years aided in establishing the first 
 city lights. His popularity is great, both in the
 
 472 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 city and throughout the county. He is a firm be- 
 liever in the principles of Democracy, and as all 
 true citizens should do, takes an active part in 
 public affairs. 
 
 ' 1 'i fr^HS i I 
 
 EVI G. LEONARD has the honor of being 
 a native of Tazewell County. He was 
 born in Elm Grove Township, April 19, 
 1836, and has here spent his entire life, his home 
 being now on section 34. He was reared in the 
 usual manner of farmer lads, attending the district 
 school throughout the winter season, and aiding 
 in the labors of the farm throughout the summer 
 months. WJien he had arrived at years of ma- 
 turity, he became interested with his father in 
 farming and stock-dealing, and to that work has 
 since devoted his energies. 
 
 An important event in the life of Mr. Leonard 
 occurred on the 31st of December, 1861, when was 
 celebrated his marriage with Miss Amanda Picker- 
 nell, a native of East Stoughton, Mass., and one 
 of a family of nine children, whose parents were 
 Samuel and Melvina (Dean) Pickernell. Her fa- 
 ther was a native of New Hampshire, born in 
 1818, and her mother was a native of Massachu- 
 setts. In 1855 her parents came to the west with 
 their family and took up their residence in Tre- 
 mont Township, Tazewell County. Mr. Picker- 
 nell responded to the country's call for troops 
 after the breaking out of the late war, enlisting 
 among the boys in blue of the Eleventh Illinois 
 Cavalry. I!e died in the service in April, 1862, 
 at the age of forty-seven years. His widow still 
 survives him and is now living with her children, 
 at the age of eighty-three. 
 
 Unto Mr. and Mrs. L. G. Leonard were born 
 thirteen children, eleven of whom are yet living: 
 Hannah S., at home; Melvina D., wife of Eugene 
 I. Miars, of Adair County, Iowa; Thomas E., who 
 lives in Iroquois County; and Ermina A., Hattie, 
 Estelle May, Levi C., Samuel P., Charles G., Roy 
 A. and Nellie L., all of whom arc yet under the 
 parental roof. Frederick died in early childhood, 
 and Clayton died at the age of six years. In the 
 family to which Mrs. Leonard belonged there are 
 four children yet living: Mrs. Cornelia Coleman, 
 
 of Sioux City, Iowa; Windsor, who is also living 
 in Iowa; and Hattie, wife of George Fritz, of 
 Chicago. Three of the family died in infancy. 
 Wilbur enlisted in the Fourth Illinois Cavalry 
 during the late war, and died in March, 1862, at 
 the age of twenty-two. Arvilla died in March, 
 1862, at the age of seventeen. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Leonard has always 
 been a stalwart Democrat, and has served as a 
 member of the Democratic County Central Com- 
 mittee for several years, during which time he has 
 done effective service for his party. He has been 
 called to public oftices of honor and trust, and 
 for the long period of twenty-four years has been 
 School Director of his township, during which 
 time he has served as Clerk of the Board. In 
 1887 he was elected Justice of the Peace, but de- 
 clined to fill the office. The cause of education 
 has ever found in him a warm friend, and the 
 best interests of the community ever receive his 
 hearty support and co-operation. He is a worthy 
 representative of one of the honored pioneer fam- 
 ilies of the community, and is a man of sterling 
 worth. 
 
 W. SPEECE, a wide-awake and en- 
 terprising farmer of Tazewell County, now 
 lives on section 18, Mackinaw Township, 
 where he owns a fine farm comprising two hun- 
 dred and twenty-seven acres. This is a valuable 
 tract and is well cultivated and improved. Its 
 owner was born in Champaign County, Ohio, in 
 1845. His grandparents were Peter and Polly 
 Speece, and his parents were Peter and Tamar 
 (Swiger) Speece. His father, a native of Virginia, 
 was born on the 10th of June, 1824, was reared on 
 a farm in the Old Dominion, and in Ohio, and 
 from the Buckeye State removed to Mason County, 
 111. 
 
 Having attained to mature j'ears, the father 
 there married the daughter of George Swiger. They 
 became the parents of the following children: 
 George W.; William H., of Lone Tree, Iowa; Frank, 
 who is living in Tremont Township, this county; 
 Martha A., wife of Clay Swigert; Mary E., wife of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 473 
 
 James Swigert; Sarah E., wife of James Camerlin; 
 Peter E., deceased; Allie, who died at the age of 
 ten years, and one who died in infancy. The par- 
 ents of this family were botli members of the 
 Christian Church. In 1850, they removed to Mason 
 County, 111., where the father had previously pur- 
 chased a farm, and there resided until 1865, when 
 the}' came to Tazewell County, where Mr. Speece 
 spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 
 1889. He owned three hundred and forty-eight 
 acres of land in this county. In politics he was a 
 supporter of the Demociacy. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads our subject 
 was reared, remaining under the parental roof un- 
 til his marriage, when he began farming on the 
 old homestead. At the age of twenty-five he was 
 married to Miss Melinda Flegel, a daughter of 
 Christian and Amanda (Hudson) Flegel. Three 
 children have been born to them, two sons and a 
 daughter, William W., Louis O. and Mary A. The 
 parents hold membership with the Christian Church 
 in Mackinaw, and Mr. Speece exercises his right of 
 franchise in support of the Democracy. lie spent 
 one year in a gristmill of Benjamin Whistler, but 
 with the exception of that period has given his en- 
 tire time and attention to farming, and is now the 
 owner of a good property. 
 
 V ETER SWEITZER, who is engaged in gen 
 eral farming and stock-raising on section 2, 
 Morton Township, here owns one hundred 
 and sixty acres of valuable land, constitut- 
 ing a well improved farm, which is complete in all 
 its appointments, and which is stocked with thor- 
 oughbred short horn cattle and fine horses and 
 hogs. Both as a farmer and stock-raiser, Mr 
 Sweitzer has been successful, having through good. 
 business ability and well directed efforts won a 
 handsome competence. 
 
 Our subject was born in that part of Tazewell 
 Count}' which is now Woodford County, Septem- 
 ber 7, 1849. His parents were John and Mary 
 (Engel) Sweitzer. The former was born in Lorraine, 
 France, and his father was a farmer and miller of 
 
 that locality. John acquired his education in the 
 common schools, and remained with his parents 
 until his emigration to America, at about the age of 
 twenty-two years. Being drafted for service in the 
 French army, he ran away from home and sailed 
 for America. On reaching the shores of the New 
 World, lie located in Lancaster County, Pa., where 
 he worked by the day and month for two years, 
 after which he removed to what is now Woodford 
 County, III. There in 1832, he entered land from 
 the Government and began the development of a 
 farm. In 1850, lie came to the farm on which our 
 subject is now living, and to his landed possessions 
 he added from time to time until he had about 
 seven hundred acres. In France he wedded Mary, 
 daughter of John Engel, and to them were born 
 ten children, Joseph, who was drowned in Oregon; 
 Barbara; Fannie; John, of Washington, 111.; Chris- 
 tian, who was drowned in the Pacific Ocean; Mary; 
 Benna; Peter; Katie, and one who died in infancy. 
 The parents were both members of the Mennonite 
 Church, and became prominent and highly re- 
 spected citizens of this community, but both are 
 now deceased. 
 
 Peter Sweitzer has known no other home than 
 Illinois. Embarking in business for himself, he 
 began operating a tile factory in Washington, and 
 continued business along that line for four years. 
 His education was acquired in the district schools 
 of the neighborhood, and he was reared in the 
 usual manner of farmer lads. Havingattained his 
 majority, he married Lena Unsicker, but she lived 
 only twenty-three months. He afterward wedded 
 Rachel, daughter of John and Barbara Ingram, 
 and their union was blessed with four children, 
 but one died in infancy. Those still living are, 
 Willard, Freddie and Fern. 
 
 Mr. Sweitzer received from his father eighty 
 acres of land, and with this as a nucleus he began 
 accumulating his present landed possessions. He 
 now has one hundred and sixty acres in the home 
 farm, and three hundred and twenty acres in Iro- 
 quois County. In connection with its cultivation 
 he is quite extensively engaged in stock-raising, 
 making a specialty of the breeding of fine short 
 horn cattle. He has also owned imported draft 
 horses and Poland-China hogs. lie has led a busy
 
 474 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 life, yet has found time to devote to public inter- 
 ests, having for four years served as Justice of the 
 Peace, and for one year as Supervisor, which posi- 
 tion he still holds. In politics he is a Democrat, 
 and was formerly a member of the Odd Fellows' 
 society of Washington. 
 
 frENDEL SCHERER. Every community 
 has among its citizens a few men of rec- 
 ognized influence and ability, who by 
 their systematic and thorough method of work 
 attain success which is justly deserved. That a 
 lifetime spent in the pursuit of one's calling will 
 result in substantial success, is found to be true in 
 the case of Mr. Scherer, who from boyhood has 
 given the occupation of agriculture the principal 
 part of his attention. He is now residing on sec- 
 tion 5, Sand Prairie Township, where he has two 
 hundred and forty acres of valuable land. He has 
 four hundred acres which he rents, and also has 
 ninety-five acres of timber, all in Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, tli is state. He was born in Germany, June 17, 
 1839. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Philip and Anna 
 Scherer, were likewise born in the Fatherland, the 
 father's birth occurring in 1806. Philip Scherer 
 was also a farmer in his native land, which occu- 
 pation he also followed after coming to America. 
 The emigration hither was made in 1852, at which 
 time the parents embarked on a sailing vessel which 
 landed them on American shores forty-two days 
 later. They made their way directly to Pekin, 
 this state, and in the spring of the following year 
 the elder Mr. Scherer rented a farm; this he 
 worked until 1855 and then purchased property of 
 his own where his son, our subject," now lives. 
 He departed this life in 1882, and his good wife 
 makes her home the greater part of the time with 
 our subject. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Philip Scherer was born a 
 family of five children, of whom Wendel was the 
 eldest. Margaret, who married John Eighlraan, 
 lives in Cincinnati Township and has three chil- 
 dren; Eva became the wife of Philip S. Ripper, 
 
 is also residing on a farm in the above township 
 and is the mother of six children. Mary S. is now 
 Mrs. Leonard Beck; she too lives in that township 
 and has a family of eight children. 
 
 Wendel Scherer, of this sketch, attended school 
 in the Fatherland and also obtained a good knowl- 
 edge of the English language in the district 
 schools of this county. When attaining his ma- 
 jority he was married to Miss Margaret Schaefer, 
 and the young couple made their home with his 
 parents until the death of the father. Their union 
 has resulted in the birth of seven children, of whom 
 Margaret married Fred Reader, a farmer in Peoria 
 Count}-; Eva is Mrs. An tone; Frederick lives in Cin- 
 cinnati Township; William makes his home with 
 his parents; Lizzie married Philip Weyhrich, a far- 
 mer of Sand Prairie Township; John, Leonard and 
 Philip are all at home. Mr. and Mrs. Scherer are 
 members of the German Lutheran Church, in which 
 they take great interest. The former affiliates 
 with the Democratic party in politics and is greatly 
 esteemed in the community in which he resides. 
 
 ENRY URICII. Although this gentleman 
 is still comparative!}' young, he has been 
 for some time identified with the agricult- 
 ural interests of Tazewell County and has 
 become quite well known as an enterprising and 
 prosperous man. His present residence is located 
 on section 34, Sand Prairie Township, and his es- 
 tate comprises one hundred and sixty broad and 
 fertile acres, which are under excellent tillage and 
 bear numerous improvements. 
 
 Our subject was born in this county June 22, 
 1866, and he was reared to manhood in the place 
 of his nativity. His worthy parents instilled into 
 his mind and heart those principles of conduct 
 which led to an honorable career, and bestowed 
 upon him a good education. Ma}' 12, 1892, he 
 was married to Miss Tina, daughter of Nicholas 
 and Mary Rocker, natives of Germany. Mrs. 
 Urich was also born in the Fatherland and crossed 
 the Atlantic in company with her parents in 1874, 
 locating witl^ them in Tazewell County. By her
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 475 
 
 union with our subject there has been born one 
 son, Willie, whose birth occurred February 16, 
 1893. 
 
 Philip Uricli, the father of oursubject, was born 
 in this count}- in 1834, and is the son of George 
 and Maggie Uricli, natives of Germany, who came 
 to America many years ago. The father is still 
 living and makes his home in Sand Prairie Town- 
 ship, where he is the possessor of three hundred 
 and forty acres of land and ranks among the 
 wealthiest agriculturists in the county. He is a 
 consistent member of the Lutheran Church, and by 
 doing deeds of charity to those less fortunate than 
 himself has won a warm personal regard through- 
 out the community. He is an ardent Democrat 
 in politics, true at all times to the interest of his 
 party. 
 
 The parental family of our subject included 
 nine children, of whom those living are, Lizzie, 
 Mrs. George Gogan, of this township; Henry, of 
 this sketch; and Martin, Maggie and George re- 
 siding in Green Valley. Our subject, like his 
 father, is a stanch Democrat and is highly esteemed 
 by his neighbors as an upright and honorable cit- 
 izen. 
 
 I-I. HOLE, who carries on general farming 
 on section 29, Havana Township, was 
 born in Washington County, Ind., April 
 13, 1836. His grandfather, Daniel Hole, was an 
 early settler of Ohio, and the father, Stephen Hole, 
 was born there in the year 1795. He married 
 Lucinda Mitchell, a native of Kentucky, for his 
 second wife. lie had previously been married and 
 had two children, Phoebe E. and Mary Ann, both of 
 Havana. The parents of our subject were married 
 in Washington County, Ind., and in 1856 took up 
 their residence upon a tract of wild land in Ha- 
 vana Township, Mason County, where the father 
 improved a good farm. He was a Whig in politics, 
 and afterwards a Republican. In Washington 
 County, Ind., he served as Sheriff for eight years, 
 and was Revenue Collector for ten years. lie 
 was temperate in :ill things, honorable and up- 
 right in all the walks of life, in fact was one of 
 
 nature's noblemen. His deatli occurred in 1872, 
 and his wife died in 1877. They had the following 
 children, of whom three are now living, Thomas 
 A., Louisa M., widow of Robert Lofton, and a 
 resident of Chicago, an.d W. II. His other chil- 
 dren, who readied mature years, were James II., 
 who died leaving five children; Joseph E., a 
 farmer who died leaving two children; Daniel P., 
 who at his death left three children; John II., who 
 died in Ogden, Utah, leaving one child; and 
 Robert M., also deceased. Two sons of the family 
 were heroes of the late war. 
 
 W. H. Hole spent the days of his boyhood and 
 youth upon a farm, and came with his parents to 
 Illinois in 1856. On the 18th of August, 1862. 
 he entered his country's service as a private of 
 Company K, Eighty-fifth Illinois Infantry, under 
 Col. Robert Moore, went to Louisville, Nashville 
 and Murf reesboro, and took part in the battles of 
 Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Ring- 
 gold, the siege of Atlanta, Kenesaw Mountain, 
 Peach Tree Creek, went with Sherman on the cele- 
 brated march to the sea, and was present at the 
 surrender of Johnston's Army in Raleigh, N. C. 
 He was with his regiment in all of its engagements 
 except Perryville, and was a brave and valiant 
 soldier who followed the Hag wherever it led and 
 thus aided in the preservation of the Union. lie 
 inarched through the Caroliuas to Washington, D. 
 C., and participated in the Grand Review in the 
 Capitol Cit3 r . He had been promoted to the rank 
 of Orderly -Sergeant, and was mustered out in 
 June, 1865. 
 
 After his return Mr. Hole remained at his home 
 until the 26th of January, 1866, when he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Rebecca Diffcn- 
 backer, sister of Dr. P. L. Diffen backer, of Ha- 
 vana. In 1868 the}' removed to the farm which 
 is now the home of our subject, and here the wife 
 died April 11, 1877, leaving two children, Dr. U. 
 W., a practicing physician of Menard, 111.; and 
 Garnet D. Mr. Hole was again married March 30, 
 1880, his second union being with Elizabeth D. 
 Dietrick, who was born in Pennsylvania, September 
 22, 1839. 
 
 Mr. Hole gave his children good educational 
 advantages and both are graduates of the Havana
 
 476 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 High School. He takes quite an active interest in 
 politics, is a stalwart supporter of the Republican 
 party and is now a candidate for County Treas- 
 urer. Socially he is a member of the Grand Army 
 Post of Havana. His farm comprises eighty acres 
 of land and yields to him a good income. His life 
 has been well spent, and he is recognized as one of 
 the highly respected citizens of the community. 
 
 ON. E. F. UNLAND, President and Man- 
 ager of the .Smith-IIippin Company, Pekin, 
 has been engaged in the grain business with 
 the above company for a number of years. 
 They do a large business, and have elevators in 
 Ilainesville, Manito, Forest City, Green Valley, 
 Emden, Dalton City, Mt. Pulaski, Spring Lake, 
 Tremont and Pekin. 
 
 Our subject was born in Prussia, Germany, in 
 1836, and is the son of C. II. Unland, who also 
 was born in the Fatherland. The latter came to 
 America with his family in 1844, and locating 
 near Beardstown, this state, engaged in farming, 
 and there resided until his decease, in 1890. His 
 wife prior to her marriage was Mary Carls; she 
 was likewise born in Germany, and departed this 
 life after coming to America, in 1891, at the age 
 of eighty-seven years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the third in order 
 of birth of his parents' family of nine children. 
 He was a lad of eight years at the time of 
 their emigration to America, and he very well re- 
 members the voyage, which was a tedious one, 
 consuming nine weeks. The family landed in 
 New Orleans, and immediately came by the way 
 of the Mississippi River to this state, where our 
 subject has since made his home. He was reared 
 to man's estate on his father's farm, and received 
 his early education in the old log schoolhouse of 
 that day. When reaching his twentieth year he 
 taught school for a time, and later became a stu- 
 dent in the college at Quincy. 
 
 In 1860 Mr. Unland came to this city, it being 
 his intention to follow the profession of a school 
 teacher. He was thus occupied for one year, 
 
 when the call resounded throughout the country 
 for volunteers to enter the Union army. He was 
 one of the first to enlist, and becoming a member 
 of Company F, Eighth Illinois Infantry, was mus- 
 tered into service at Springfield. After a service 
 of three months, however, he was taken sick and 
 was obliged to return home. The following year 
 he taught school, and in 1864 came to Pekin and 
 engaged with the Smith-IIippin Company in the 
 grain business. Two years later he became a 
 partner, and is at present President and Manager 
 of the company, which is one of the oldest grain 
 firms in Illinois. 
 
 In the fall of 1884 Mr. Unland was elected to 
 represent Tazewell, Marshall and Woodford Coun- 
 ties in the State Legislature, and four years Inter 
 was called upon to fill the honorable position of 
 Mayor of Pekin. He is a Republican in politics, 
 and for many years was a member of the School 
 Board. Socially he is a Grand Arm}' man, being 
 connected with Joe Hanna Post. In religious af- 
 fairs he holds membership with the German Meth- 
 odist Church. 
 
 Mr. Unland and Miss Mary Feltraan were united 
 in marriage in this city. The lady was born in 
 Kenosha, Wis., and by her union with our subject 
 has become the mother of five children: Otto, who 
 is engaged in business with his father; Clara, wife 
 of Walter E. Rosenthal, of Boston, Mass.; and 
 Edgar, Mary and Ernest, who are at home. 
 
 EANDER C. AGNEW, for many years the 
 we " known and efficient Supervisor of Salt 
 Creek Township, Mason County, is one of 
 its worthy citizens, who is cultivating a fine farm 
 on section 30. He was born in Monroe County, 
 this state, August 30, 1832, while his father, Fran- 
 cis Agnew, is a native of Hamilton County, Ohio. 
 The latter came to Illinois in 1826 and located in 
 Monroe County, where he carried on his trade of 
 a carpenter and had the honor of erecting some of 
 the best houses in the county. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in 
 Monroe County in 1828, the mother being Miss
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 477 
 
 Catherine Robinson, a native of that county. 
 She was born in 1812 and was the daughter of 
 David Robinson, a native of Virginia, who on com- 
 ing to Monroe County was classed among the earli- 
 est settlers of that section, as was also his wife's 
 parents. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Agnew remained 
 in the above county (with the exception of a few 
 years spent in Marion County) until the decease of 
 the mother in 1854. The father then continued to 
 make his home in various places until 1877, when 
 he joined our subject in this county and lived in 
 this place until his death, at the age of eighty years. 
 He was of Irish descent, while the mother of our 
 subject was of German parents. 
 
 L. C., of this sketch, was the second in order of 
 birth of the eight children comprised in his par- 
 ents' family, only three of whom grew to manhood 
 and womanhood. He continued to make his home 
 under the parental roof until two years after reach- 
 ing his majority, iu the meantime acquiring such 
 an education as could be obtained in the subscrip- 
 tion school near his home. When beginning to 
 make his own way in the world he worked for 
 seven summers in a brickyard, and in 1855 came 
 to this county, locating in what was then Crane 
 Creek Township, where he was engaged in farm 
 work. 
 
 Miss Margaret McDaniel became the wife of our 
 subject February 26, 1857. She was born in this 
 state and became the mother of eight children, 
 Nancy C., now Mrs. J. II. Potts, living in Kansas; 
 William F., a farmer of Salt Creek Township, which 
 is also the home of George M.; Henry A., living in 
 Franklin Grove, this state; Royal W., a resident of 
 Mason City; R.Frank, an agriculturist in this town- 
 ship; Estella M., now Mrs. Frank Kendall, living in 
 the above township, and A. Gertrude, at home with 
 her father. The wife and mother died in February 
 1877, and the lady to whom our subject was mar- 
 ried March 8, 1882, was Mrs. Sarah C., widow of A. 
 Baxter. She was likewise born in thisstate,and by 
 her union with Mr. Agnew became the mother of 
 a son, Harry L. 
 
 Our subject gives his entire time and attention 
 to farm pursuits. He is a stalwart advocate of 
 Democratic principles, on which ticket he was 
 elected Supervisor of Crane Creek Township in 
 
 1872 and 1873, and again in 1878. After remov- 
 ing to this township he was elected to the same po- 
 sition, which office beheld each successive year un- 
 til 1884. In 1885 he was appointed to fill a va- 
 cancy, and in the spring of 188G was again elected 
 Supervisor and continued to discharge the duties 
 of that office with the exception of three years un- 
 til 1894, making in all a service of fourteen years. 
 He has also been Assessor and Collector and ren- 
 dered efficient service as School Director and Trus- 
 tee. He is ever found to be a promoter of every 
 worthy enterprise which tends to advance the best 
 interests of the community and to aid in the up- 
 building and development of the county. He 
 may be truly called a self-made man and is deserv- 
 ing of all the praise that that term implies. 
 
 OHN FITZGERALD, one of the wide-awake 
 and progressive young citizens of Pekin, 
 who has been prominently connected with 
 the official and business interests of the 
 
 ^^sr 
 
 place, is now engaged in the real-estate, abstract 
 and farm loan business. He has the honor of be- 
 ing a native of Tazewell County, and was- born in 
 Dillon Township on Christmas Day of 1857. His 
 father, John Fitzgerald, Sr., was born and reared 
 in County Waterford, Ireland, and when a young 
 man emigrated to the New World, taking up his 
 residence in Dillon Township in 1853. He bought 
 land and improved a farm, which he continued to 
 cultivate until his death, in 1868. He wedded 
 Mary Ryan, who was also born in County Water- 
 ford, Ireland, and is yet living on the old home- 
 stead. They had two children: John, and Mrs. 
 Mary O'Reilly, of Unioiiville, Mo. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads, our subject 
 was reared to manhood. His early education, ac- 
 quired in the common schools, was supplemented 
 by a two years' course in Notre Dame University, 
 of South Bend, Ind. He then returned home and 
 engaged in teaching in the Dillon district from 
 1879 until 1882, when he began farming on the 
 old homestead. To agricultural pursuits he de- 
 voted his energies for two years, when, in the fall
 
 478 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of 1884, lie was elected, on the Democratic ticket, 
 Clerk of the Circuit Court and Recorder. In De- 
 cember of that year he entered upon the duties of 
 the office, and being re-elected in 1888, he contin- 
 ued to (ill the position until December, 1892. 
 
 On the 26th of November, 1885, in Dillon, Mr. 
 Fitzgerald married Miss Flora Boyle, a native of 
 Tazewell County, and & daughter of 6. J. Boyle, 
 who was born in Virginia and who afterward 
 moved to Kentucky. In the year 1835 he be- 
 came one of the pioneers of Dillon Township, this 
 county. Two children grace the union of our sub- 
 ject and his wife: Louise and Edwin W. On his 
 retirement from office, Mr. Fitzgerald embarked in 
 the real- estate, abstract and loaning business, and 
 represents the loan department of the Connecti- 
 cut Mutual Life Insurance Company. From 1883 
 until 1885 he served as Supervisor of Dillon 
 Township, but resigned that position when elected 
 Circuit Clerk. He is the youngest man ever 
 elected to that office in the county. In politics he' 
 is a Democrat, and is a member of St. Joseph's 
 Catholic Church. His entire life has been : 'passed 
 in Tazewell County, and throughout its borders 
 he has many warm friends who esteem him highly. 
 
 TERLING R. HESS has resided in Penn- 
 sylvania Township, Mason County, since 
 1863, and has occupied a farm on section 
 24 since 1873. At the time of purchase 
 it consisted of eighty acres, but the property has 
 since then been doubled in acreage, and its value 
 is also largely increased by the introduction of 
 modern improvements, including a residence that 
 cost $1,000, and barn and'granaries costing $250. 
 Five acres have been planted to fruit trees, while 
 the remainder of the land is devoted to the past- 
 urage of stock and raising of grain. 
 
 The father of our subject, John A. Hess, was 
 born in New Jersey in 1810, and in early life 
 followed the trade of a cabinet-maker, later serving 
 for some time as Deputy Sheriff of Mason County, 
 111. The paternal grandfather, John Hess, was a 
 native of Germany, while the maternal grand- 
 father, Shadrack Austin, was a native of Penn- 
 
 sylvania. Our subject's mother, Abigail, was born 
 in Luzerne County, Pa., and there died in 1853. 
 Three years afterward Mr. Hess, Sr., came to Illi- 
 nois and settled in Pennsylvania Township, Mason 
 County, in the spring of 1856. Here he died in 
 December, 1878. He was a man of prominence in 
 the community and held a number of public 
 offices, serving as Constable and Justice of the 
 Peace for many years. lie and his wife were 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
 which he long served as Deacon. 
 
 In the family of John A. Hess there were four 
 
 children, of whom the survivors are: Sterling R. 
 
 and Elisha O. The latter married Lucy B., daughter 
 
 of J. C. Temple, and resides in Mason City. The 
 
 former was born in Luzerne County, Pa., in March, 
 
 1836, and with the exception of two years, from 
 
 five to seven, spent with his grandfather, remained 
 
 beneath the parental roof until he was nineteen. 
 
 He then was employed for one year on a canal 
 
 .boat, after which in 1856 he came to Illinois and 
 
 "se.ttled. in Mason County. For three years he 
 
 'worked on a farm belonging to Mr. Griffith, of 
 
 Allen's Grove Township, where he raised a crop of 
 
 corn and sold it in the field. He also operated a 
 
 threshing machine. 
 
 January 1, 1861, Mr. Hess married Miss Phicbe, 
 daughter of J. C. Temple, who was born at Heath, 
 Mass., March 6, 1816, and was in early life a 
 farmer. In 1856 he came to Illinois, whence in 
 1866 he went to Minnesota and practiced medicine 
 until his death, in 1884. His wife, Lucy, was born 
 April 10, 1813, and died January 30, 1891, being 
 a daughter of Leonard and Phoebe Eddy, natives 
 of Massachusetts. The paternal grandfather of 
 Mrs. Iless was Asa Temple, of Massachusetts, who 
 was born December 4, 1789, and died in New 
 York at an advanced age. Mrs. Hess was born in 
 St. Lawrence County, N. Y., in September, 1841, 
 and received a good education in the schools of 
 that state. 
 
 After marriage Mr. Hess rented a farm in 
 Allen's Grove Township, which he cultivated until 
 1863. He then bought eighty acres of unimproved 
 land in Pennsylvania Township, and in the fall of 
 1873 purchased eighty acres comprising a portion 
 of his present estate. Of his marriage there have
 
 LJBRARY 
 
 Of THf 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 J. M. WINN, M. D.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 LSI 
 
 been born nine children, of whom the survivors 
 are: Charles ()., of Pennsylvania Township, who 
 married Mollie Benscoter and has one child; Fred 
 R., a student in the commercial department of the 
 college at Beatrice, Neb.; Flora B., who is married 
 and lives in this county, Ralph C. and Roy S. 
 
 A Democrat in politics, Mr. Hess has served as 
 Supervisor for two terms, Road Commissioner for 
 three years and has occupied other positions 
 of trust. Socially he is identified with the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Mutual Aid and the Grange. 
 His wife is a member of the Baptist Church of 
 Mason City, and both are attendants at the Union 
 Sunday-school in this township. 
 
 M. WINN, M. D., a practicing physician 
 of Forest City, was bom in Virginia, Octo- 
 ber 1, 1822. and is a son of John S. Winn, 
 a native of Maryland. Two families of the 
 name came from Wales in the early Colonial days, 
 one settling in Virginia and the other on William 
 Penn's grant. The Doctor is descended from the 
 former. His father was a Captain in the War of 
 1812 and married Janett Maver, a native of Liver- 
 pool, England. Her father was born in Scotland. 
 When a maiden of fifteen she came to America 
 and was soon afterward married in Philadelphia, 
 Pa. They located in Loudoun County, Va., and 
 in 1823 removed to Zanesville, Muskingum Coun- 
 ty, Ohio, where John purchased land. He brought 
 with him thirteen negroes, but never sold his 
 slaves, and gave to each forty acres of land and a 
 cabin. Their descendants still occupy that prop- 
 erty. Mr. Winn passed away in 1844, and his 
 wife passed away in 1879. They were the parents 
 of sixteen children, thirteen of whom reached ma- 
 ture years. One son, Albert, resided in California 
 from 1849 until his death. He became very prom- 
 inent during his residence there and was for some 
 time President of the Mechanics' Mutual Benefit 
 Society of the state. Hamilton was killed in the 
 Mexican War, and John was a Lieutenant of the 
 Mississippi Rifle Camp during the war. Later he 
 was given a clerkship in the War Department at 
 14 
 
 Washington, D. C., and has held that position 
 many years. Ludwell lives in Neponset, III. Mrs. 
 Amanda Wall, Mrs. Almeda Taylor and Mrs. Ann 
 Lemon all reside in Zanesville, Ohio. The mother 
 of this family was a life-long and consistent mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Church. The father was a 
 Whig in politics and served as Justice of the Peace 
 in Ohio. 
 
 The Doctor was reared in Zanesville, Ohio, at- 
 tended its public schools, and was for some time a 
 student in Delaware College, after which he' en- 
 tered the ministry of the Methodist Church, being 
 ordained in Coshocton, Ohio. His medical educa- 
 tion was completed in the old Ohio College of 
 Cleveland, and he began practice in Mnskingum 
 County in 1848. In 1853 he became Surgeon on 
 the steamship "Ohio," which sailed from New 
 York to the Isthmus of Darien. In 1855, however, 
 he returned, and during the next six years made 
 his home in Minnesota, where he was engaged in 
 the practice of medicine. He was appointed and 
 served as United States Surgeon of Port Superior 
 for a year, when he resigned and came to Mason 
 County, 111., where he resumed private practice. 
 He was located in Mason City from 1867 until 
 1884, when he came to Forest City. 
 
 The Doctor was married in Ohio, in 1844, to 
 Esther Pyle, who was born, reared and married in 
 one house in Morgan County, Ohio, the date of 
 her birth being August, 1827. On the 19th of 
 August, 1894, they celebrated their golden wed- 
 ding, having traveled life's journey together for 
 fifty years. To them have been born seven chil- 
 dren: Alonzo; Elnora J., wife of Joseph Faith, of 
 Mt. Vernon,Ill.; Frank, wife of John J. Cox, of Ha- 
 vana,- by whom she has five children; Katie, wife 
 of Professor Ballinger, County Superintendent of 
 Schools, by whom she has four children; Ulysses 
 M.. who married Amanda Hardcastle and has three 
 children; Ella May, who became the wife of Rev. 
 Edward Williams, of Kansas, and has six children; 
 and Ida, wife of Henry Adams, of Forest City. 
 
 The Doctor and his wife are faithful mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he 
 still preaches occasionally. He has been a life- 
 long Mason, was for many years a Republican 
 and is now a stalwart Prohibitionist. In the year
 
 482 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1858 he was elected to the Minnesota Senate, 
 was Chairman of the Committee on Education 
 and Science, drafted the school laws of Minnesota, 
 and nominated William Windham for Congress. 
 He is now a leader of the Prohibition party and 
 was its candidate for Representative. He was sent 
 as a delegate to the United States Medical Con- 
 vention in Utica, N. Y., in 1849, and in 1856 was 
 a delegate to represent the Henry County Medical 
 Society in the State Medical Society. He now 
 owns a finely equipped drug store, in which he 
 fills his own prescriptions, and has a large medical 
 practice which is well merited by his skill and 
 ability. He is recognized as a power for good in 
 the community, and his long residence in Mason 
 County has made him one of its foremost citizens. 
 
 ENOS STEWART STARRETT. The biog- 
 raphies of successful men who, without 
 the influence of wealth or the prestige of 
 family, have obtained positions of usefulness and 
 honor, serve the two-fold purpose of encouraging 
 the young and paying a well-merited compliment 
 to the man himself. Not only has Mr. Starrett 
 gained the confidence of his acquaintances, but lie 
 has also been a very successful man. He is one 
 of the largest laud owners in the county, owning 
 eight hundred and seventeen acres of laud lo- 
 cated on sections 4, 5 and 35 Manito Township, 
 and sections 8,31 and 34 Forest City Township, 
 Mason County. 
 
 Samuel Starrett, the father of our subject, was a 
 farmer in Kentucky, in which state he was born, 
 while his mother, Mrs. Paulina (Best) Starrett, was a 
 native of Virginia. They were married in Indi- 
 ana and coming to Illinois in March, 1854, located 
 on section 31 of the above township, when it bore 
 but little improvement. There they both died, 
 the father passing away in 1866 and the mother 
 six years later. Of their family of nine children 
 only three are now living, namely, our subject, 
 John B. and William L. They were regular atten- 
 dants at the Methodist Episcopal Church of which 
 they were members for many years. In politics 
 
 the father was a Democrat and an influential man 
 in his locality. 
 
 The original of this sketch was born December 
 24, 1834, near Terre Haute, Ind., and was there 
 reared and received his education. He came with 
 his parents to this state a year prior to obtaining 
 his majority, after which event he settled on a 
 farm of his own in this township, and March 6, 
 
 1856, was married to Miss Eliza E., daughter of 
 John Thomas. That gentleman came from Mis- 
 souri to this state in 1853 and located on section 5 
 of the above township, where his decease occurred. 
 
 Mrs. Starrett was born in April, 1836, and after 
 her marriage located with her husband in a little 
 frame house on their present farm in February, 
 
 1857. It comprised eight}- acres and has been 
 their place of abode for thirty-eight years. Mr. 
 Starrett has been very successful in his chosen vo- 
 cation, and is the proud possessor of a vast estate 
 of eight hundred and seventeen acres, which is all 
 improved with the exception of eighty acres of 
 timber land. He completed a fine residence in the 
 fall of 1891, which cost 12,000, and previous to 
 this he erected a barn 40x60 feet in dimensions, 
 at a cost of $1,700. On his large estate stand two 
 
 | other residences, barns and outbuildings which 
 were completed in 1885, and are valued at $2,500. 
 In addition to general farming our subject makes 
 a specialty of raising short-horn cattle. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Euos S. Starrett have been born 
 four children, two of whom are living. Elizabeth 
 P., now Mrs. George Heckman, makes her home in 
 this township on a part of her father's farm, and 
 John R., who married Annie livers, is living on 
 section 5. The parents are members of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church at Manito, in which Mr. 
 Starrett has served as Steward and Trustee. He 
 has always taken an active part in Sunday-school 
 work and has been teacher and Superintendent. 
 Socially he is a Mason, holding membership with 
 the blue lodge at Manito, in which order he has 
 been Junior and Senior Warden and also Worship- 
 ful Master. He likewise holds membership with 
 the Chapter of Pekin and the Havana Command- 
 ery. He aided in the organization of School Dis- 
 trict No. 1, and has held the oflice of Director for 
 seventeen years. His children were educated at
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 483 
 
 Bloomington, and the daughter taughtschool prior 
 to her marriage. 
 
 Mr. Starrett has always been a Democrat in 
 politics, and has been Road Commissioner of Man- 
 ito Township and Supervisor for seven years. He 
 helped to organize the Mason and Tazewell Spec- 
 ial Drainage District, and gave his bond for its 
 successful completion. He is very popular in his 
 vicinity and gives his aid to every project calcula- 
 ted to advance the interests of the community, and 
 is justly regarded as one of the wealthy and influ- 
 ential citizens of Mason County. 
 
 KNRY L. HAHN. One of the finest farms 
 of Mason County is owned and operated 
 by the gentleman with whose name we 
 
 !j?)j introduce this sketch, and whose efforts 
 have materially promoted the agricultural inter- 
 ests of Havana Township. His life affords an 
 illustration of the results of energetic applica- 
 tion, coupled with economy and the exercise of 
 sound common sense. Upon landing in this coun- 
 try, lie came direct to Havana, accompanied by his 
 family, reaching this city with a cash capital of 
 $32. Of this amount he spent $30 for a stove, 
 leaving $2 with which to commence housekeeping. 
 
 In that humble way did Mr. Hahn enter upon 
 life in Mason County, -but being a man of energy 
 he did not long remain poor. As time passed, 
 he was prospered in his efforts, and added to his 
 property until he accumulated four hundred and 
 ninety acres of valuable land. This property was 
 purchased as follows: One hundred and twenty 
 acres for $4,000; eighty acres for $3,000; one 
 hundred and forty acres for $5,000; and one hun- 
 dred and thirty acres for $3,400, making a total 
 of four hundred and seventy acres, for which he 
 paid $15,400. In addition to this, he owns twenty 
 acres of timber land. 
 
 A native of Hesse-Cassel, Germany, our subject 
 was born April 18, 1832, and is a son of Lawrence 
 and Sophia (Kipp) Hahn, both of whom were born 
 in Hanover. After their marriage in that prov- 
 ince they moved to Ilesse-Cassel, where he en- 
 
 gaged in farming. He also served as a soldier in 
 the German army. In 1856 he brought his fam- 
 ily to America, and settled in Mason County, 111., 
 where his death occurred about 1873. His widow 
 still survives (1894), and is now eighty-three 
 years of age. They were members of the Luth- 
 eran Church in the Old Country, and transferred 
 their membership to Mason County. Their four 
 sons were, H. L.; William, of Logan County, 111.; 
 Fred, a resident of Mason County; and August, 
 whose home is in Havana Township. 
 
 In the excellent schools of Ilesse-Cassel our sub- 
 ject gained a good education in the German lan- 
 guage. From the age of fourteen years he was 
 employed on a farm in his native province. In 
 1853 he married Caroline Pfetzing, the sister of 
 Justus Pfetzing, whose sketch is presented on 
 another page. This lady was born in Hesse-Cas- 
 sel, February 27, 1831, and died in 1856, leaving 
 three children. Caroline, the eldest, is the wife 
 of Herman Hornicamp, of Quiver Township; Lizzie 
 married Gus Glakemyer, a farmer living on Bull's 
 Eye Prairie, and they have four children; and 
 Annie is the wife of Christ Wamsegans, of Quiver 
 Township. 
 
 Emigrating to America in 1852, Mr. Hahn 
 landed in Baltimore, Md., whence he came to Illi- 
 ' nois, and for one year was employed in a ware- 
 house at Havana. Later he and his brother Will- 
 iam rented a farm in Matanzas, upon which they 
 incurred an indebtedness of $800 in order to begin 
 and carry on the cultivation of the land. This 
 property they rented for two years, and during 
 the first twelve months made but $300 for both. 
 Afterward our subject rented another farm in 
 the same township for two years, when he bought 
 a partly improved farm of one hundred and 
 twenty acres, paying $1,500 for the property. 
 Four years later he sold the place and purchased 
 one hundred and twenty acres, comprising a por- 
 tion of his present homestead. 
 
 In 1858 Mr. Hahn married Miss Catherine 
 Schwarz, who was born in Wurternberg, Germany, 
 January 18, 1828. Six children bless the union, 
 viz.: Mary, who married Fred Mauer, of Logan 
 County, and has three children; Sophia; Henry, 
 residing in Havana Township, who married Miss
 
 484 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Sophia Tegedes, and they have two children; 
 William, of Havana Township, who chose as his 
 wife Miss Amelia Speckman, and they have one 
 child; Frederick C.; and Fredericka, the wife of 
 George Reichel, of Havana Township. The fam- 
 ily is connected with the Lutheran Church at Ha- 
 vana, of which Mr. Halm is an official member. 
 He supports the principles of the Democratic 
 party, and has held the office of School Director. 
 
 (JLLIAM H. COGDAL. Among the men 
 who have devoted their energies to the 
 occupation of agriculture, prominent men- 
 tion belongs to the gentleman whose name intro- 
 duces this brief sketch. He is thoroughly efficient 
 in every department of farm work, has made of 
 his chosen occupation a science, and through the 
 proper rotation of crops and fertilization of the 
 soil has been enabled to secure the very greatest 
 results from every acre of property. His landed 
 possessions aggregate six hundred and fifty-six 
 acres, located on sections 6, 23 and 31, Manito 
 Township, Mason County. 
 
 Our subject is a son of John Cogdal, a native 
 of Kentucky, where he was a powder manufacturer 
 and served as a soldier in the Black Hawk War. 
 His wife, Mrs. Louisa (Trent) Cogdal, was born in 
 Virginia, and was a daughter of William Trent, 
 who removed from that state to Kentucky. There 
 she met and married Mr. Cogdal; in the fall of 
 1832 they came to Illinois, where they were classed 
 among the early settlers of Sangamou County. 
 The father died seven years later, and the mother, 
 who is still living in that county, has attained 
 the remarkable age of ninety-four years and four 
 months. 
 
 W. II., of this sketch, was the third in order of 
 birth of the seven children born to his parents; 
 only four of the family are living: Nancy Jane, 
 Parthenia and Elizabeth. The mother of these 
 children, after the death of Mr. Cogdal, married 
 Henry Miller, who is now deceased, and by that 
 union reared three children, of whom Tilford and 
 Martha Ann are living. The parents of our sub- 
 ject were members of the Baptist Church. Po- 
 litically the father was a Whig, and held the re- 
 
 sponsible position of Justice of the Peace for 
 many years. 
 
 Mr. Cogdal was born February 2, 1832, in San- 
 gamon County, this state, and was reared to the 
 age of fourteen years on his father's farm, during 
 which time he obtained only a very limited educa- 
 tion. Although quite young, he left home and 
 worked for one man for seven years, and in ISSyl 
 came to this county with only seventy-five cents 
 in his pocket. He worked very hard, saved his 
 money, and was soon enabled to become a prop- 
 erty owner. 
 
 Four years after making his advent into this 
 county, our subject was married to Miss Margaret 
 R., daughter of Samuel and Lina (Best) Starrett. 
 Mrs. Cogdal was born in Clay County, Ind., in 
 August, 1832, and departed this life June 16, 
 1880. She had become the mother of six children, 
 of whom those living are: Elliott W.; Nancy, the 
 'wife of Henry Linback; Chauncy R.; and Mar- 
 garet R., now Mrs. Sherman Jackson. 
 
 September 24, 1889, Mr. Cogdal took for his 
 wife Mrs. Lucy A. Conklin,the daughter of Joseph 
 and Lucinda (Houchin) Taylor, who make their 
 home in Mason City. Mrs. Cogdal was reared in 
 this county, and was educated in its public schools. 
 Her first husband, Philo H. Conklin, was a native 
 of New York, and a cousin of Senator Roscoe 
 Conklin. During the late war he was Sergeant- 
 Major in an Illinois regiment, and departed this 
 life March 2, 1870. Her nnion with Mr. Conklin 
 resulted in the birth of two children, viz. : Frani-es 
 L., now Mrs. Fred W. Rockwell; and Helen A., 
 who married Whitney L. Miller. 
 
 Our subject is an active member of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, which he has served as Stew- 
 ard, Trustee and Class-leader. His good wife, 
 however, worships with the Baptist congregation 
 in Mason City. In politics he is a stanch Repub- 
 lican and always lakes a prominent part in local 
 affairs. He has served as Road Commissioner, and 
 is at present serving his fifth year as a member of 
 the Drainage Committee of the Mason and Taze- 
 well district. He is one of the Township Trustees, 
 and has been School Director for maii3' years. So- 
 cially he is a Knight of Pythias, and Mrs. Cogdal 
 is a member of the Pythian Sisters of Forest City,
 
 RESIDENCE OF GEO. W. NEIKIRK, SEC. 12, TP. 22, R. 7, MASON" CO., ILL. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF WM. H. COGDAL, SEC. 6, TP. 22, R. 6, MASON CO., ILL.
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of IHt 
 
 OF ILLINOIS
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 487 
 
 of which she has been presiding officer since its 
 organization. 
 
 Our subject, as before stated, is one of the larg- 
 est land owners in this section, and owns an estate 
 including nearly seven hundred acres. He built a 
 beautiful residence in 1875, at a cost of 12,800. 
 He has broken about one thousand acres of land 
 in Mason County with ox-teams, and in connec- 
 tion with farming he is engaged in raising fine 
 breeds of horses, cattle and hogs. He has given 
 his children good educations. W. Elliott is a 
 graduate of Wesleyan University at Bloomington, 
 III., and is now practicing law in Oklahoma Terri- 
 tory. Mrs. Rockwell and Mrs. Miller are the chil- 
 dren by Mrs. Cogdal's former marriage. The for- 
 mer is a graduate of Vassar College, and the latter 
 of Mason City High School. 
 
 IEORGE W. NEIKIRK. WitKW-thfe:;lirttt3f 
 of Mason County there are few farms more 
 valuable than the one upon which Mr. 
 Neikirk makes his home. This consists of two 
 hundred acres of well improved land lying in 
 Forest City Township, upon which have been 
 placed all the improvements of a first-class estate. 
 The residence, which was erected in 1892, at a 
 cost of about $4,500, is one of the most conven- 
 iently arranged and attractive houses in the coun- 
 ty, as well as one of the finest. This place has 
 been the home of Mr. Neikirk since 1875, and the 
 improvements thereon are due entirely to his 
 energy, skill and efficiency. 
 
 Born in Clear Spring, Washington County, 
 Md., December 12, 1839, the subject of this notice 
 is the seventh in the family of George Neikirk. 
 (For further reference see sketch of J. Alex Nei- 
 kirk, presented on another page of this volume.) 
 In the fall of 1840 the family moved from Mary- 
 land to Seneca County, Ohio, and thence came to 
 Illinois in October, 1853. The father, who was a 
 son of Michael and Catherine Neikirk, was born 
 January 19, 1798, and on the 24th of January, 
 
 1821, married Elizabeth Bowser, who was born 
 July 16, 1803. The father died April 23, 1855, 
 while the mother passed away February 7, 1875. 
 
 There were nine children in the family of 
 George Neikirk, viz.: Solomon, who was born 
 January 9, 1822, and died January 29, 1890; J. 
 Alex, of whom mention is elsewhere made; Eh 
 T., who was born September 6, 1828, and died 
 March 3, 1883; William K., who was born Octo- 
 ber 27, 1830; John E., whose sketch is presented 
 on another page; Mary Elizabeth Cheek, who was 
 born October 29, 1836; George W.; Emma P., 
 born August 3, 1842; and Sarah Belle, born Oc- 
 tober 25, 1845, and now the wife of O. W. Van 
 Orman, presented on another page. 
 
 On the outbreak of the Civil War, our subject 
 enlisted in the Union army as a member of Com- 
 pany C, Second Illinois Cavalry, and joined the 
 regiment at Camp Butler, 111., under Colonel Noble. 
 On the 4th of October he was ordered to Cairo, 
 111., and thence on the 10th of the same month 
 marched to Caledonia. March 30, 1862, he was 
 ordered to Hickman, Ky., where his regiment 
 e<mted the country. On June 7 they reached 
 Union City, Tenn., and three days later were 
 placed on picket duty at the Obion River. July 
 4 they returned to Union City, and on the 16th 
 of August pursued the rebel Captain Buford for 
 a distance of thirty miles to Merriweather's Ferry. 
 During a very hard fight of a half-hour at that 
 place forty were killed and sixteen captured, the 
 enemy being completely routed. 
 
 August 20, 1862, the regiment joined Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonel Hogg at Dyersburg, and after an 
 eight days' scout they went into camp at Jackson, 
 Tenn. September 3 they pursued the rebel Gen- 
 'eral Armstrong, arriving at Bolivar, Tenn., on the 
 9th, and at LaGrange, Tenn., on the 27th. Oc- 
 tober 5 they escorted General Hurlbut to the 
 Hatchie River, and were in the engagement at 
 Metamora, where they were highly complimented 
 by the generals for coolness in battle. October 9 
 there was a skirmish with the Haywood Rangers 
 at Woodville, and forty-five of the number were 
 captured by the Federal troops. After having 
 been out for four days, they returned to camp 
 with sixty prisoners and one hundred horses.
 
 488 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 November 4 they went to La Grange, and driv- 
 ing the rebels from there, occupied the place. 
 
 At Lamar, Miss., the Federal troops met the 
 rebel General Jackson, whom they charged, kill- 
 ing eighteen of his men, wounding sixty and cap- 
 turing one hundred and thirty. On the 30th of 
 November they advanced to Holly Springs and 
 preceded General Grant's army to Oxford, whence 
 they were ordered back to guard Holly Springs. 
 On the 20th of December they were attacked by 
 the rebel General Van Dorn with six thousand 
 men, and the battle lasted from six until eleven 
 o'clock in the morning. When the ammunition 
 was entirely exhausted, the troops fell back to 
 Cold Water Station, having lost seven killed and 
 forty-three wounded. On the 23d of December 
 they started in pursuit of General Van Dorn, 
 whom they followed until the 29th, and on the 
 following day started for Memphis, where they 
 were placed on orderly duty until June 27, 1863. 
 
 Ordered to report to Major Larrison, the com- 
 pany proceeded to Ft. Pillow, Tenn., July 29, 
 1863, and on the 1st of August reached Denmark 
 Tenn., where they had a skirmish with the rebel 
 Colonel Grier, whom they routed. On the 19th 
 of August they engaged in scouting and broke 
 up several guerrilla bands, returning to Union City, 
 Tenn., September 27. October 24 they went on a 
 four days' scout, and on the 31st started on a ten 
 days' scout. November 19 they started in pursuit 
 of Major Street, whom they charged at Merri- 
 wealher's Ferry, killing eleven of his soldiers, and 
 capturing forty prisoners and sixty horses. De- 
 cember 4 they were placed on post duty at Troy, 
 Tenn., and five days later scouted to Bend No. 14 
 in the Mississippi River. December 11 they cap- 
 tured twenty of Major Street's command, killed 
 two and captured thirty-five horses. 
 
 On the 23d of December the troops engaged 
 in the expedition under Gen. A. J. Smith to 
 Jackson, Tenn., following General Forrest for 
 seventeen days. January 22, 1864, they joined a 
 cavalry expedition under Col. George K. Warring, 
 Jr., and went to Collierville. Tenn., being gone 
 twenty days. The cavalry expedition of Gen. 
 W. S. Smith followed on the 19th of February, 
 the troops penetrating Mississippi and traveling 
 
 as far as Aberdeen on the Tombigbee River. On 
 the 20th of February they went back to Memphis, 
 Tenn., after a skirmish with Forrest. 
 
 There was a general engagement at Ivy Farm, 
 Miss., on the 22d of February, after sixty miles of 
 continuous fighting to Camp Grierson, Tenn. On 
 the 28th of February they b: ought out of Missis- 
 sippi twenty-five hundred negroes, between three 
 and four thousand horses and mules, and one 
 hundred prisoners. April 1 they joined the regi- 
 ment at New Orleans, and April 16 arrived at 
 Baton Rouge, joining the regiment at that place, 
 and remaining there until mustered out August 
 11, 1864. Mr. Neikirk was honorably discharged 
 at Springfield, 111., having served for some time 
 as Corporal. 
 
 Among the engagements in which Mr. Neikirk 
 participated were the following: Merriweather's 
 Ferry, August 10, 1862; Hatehie River, October 
 5; 1862; Holly Springs, December 20, 1862; Ivy 
 Farm, Miss., February 22, 1864, and other import- 
 ant battles. He enlisted July 23, 1861, and was 
 discharged August 11, 1864, after a continuous 
 service of more than three years, during which he 
 was never wounded nor taken prisoner. 
 
 Returning home, Mr. Neikirk commenced farm- 
 ing on a portion of the old homestead, which he 
 rented. August 12, 1868, he married Eliza A., 
 daughter of Adam and Mary Ann (Meyer) Shock. 
 Her parents removed from Seneca County, Ohio, 
 to Mason County, 111., in 1854, settling in Forest 
 City Township, where the father died November 
 1, 1886, and the mother July 14, 1867. Mrs. Nei- 
 kirk was born December 21, 1846, and has spent 
 her entire life in the township where she now 
 resides. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Neikirk were the parents of nine 
 children, of whom eight are now living. Mary 
 E., who was born on the 3d of September, 1869, is 
 the wife of Charles Richard and lives in Forest 
 City Township, having one child by her marriage; 
 Catherine L. was born March 22, 1871, and 
 died January 31, 1890; Irvin, who was born 
 March 25,1873, married Miss Lizzie Himmel, of 
 Forest City Township; Stephen D., born May 14, 
 1875; Elmer, November 3, 1877; James G., June 
 3, 1880; Vernon B., February 26, 1882; Warren,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 489 
 
 December 8, 1885; and Gertie G., March 29, 1888, 
 are at home with their parents. Socially, Mr. 
 Neikirk is identified with J. Q. A. Jones Post No. 
 526, G. A. R., of Havana, and in politics he is a 
 stanch Republican. 
 
 ACOB G. SPAITS, JR., who is engaged in 
 general farming on section 9, Manito Town- 
 ship, Mason County, is of German parent- 
 age, his father, Jacob Spaits, ST., having 
 been born in Bavaria, in 1'807. The grandfather, 
 Jacob, who died at the age of eighty-six years, was 
 the son of Jacob Spaits, who likewise passed away 
 when eighty-six. It will be noted that for four 
 generations the representatives of the family have 
 borne the name of Jacob, and it is also a remarka- 
 ble fact that each was the eldest son in the 
 family. 
 
 The father of our subject was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, and served for three years as a soldier in 
 the German Army. In Bavaria he married Miss 
 Mary Grepps, who was born in that province in 
 1806, and was daughter of Simon Grepps, who died 
 there at eighty years of age. During the admin- 
 istration of William Henry Harrison as President 
 of the United States, Mr. Spaits came to this coun- 
 try, and for a time made his home in Schuylkill 
 County, Pa. In 1849 he came to Illinois, and the 
 following year settled in Sherman Township, Ma- 
 son County. Purchasing a tract of wild land he 
 cleared and improved the place, which he sold in 
 1853, and settled on the farm now owned by our 
 subject. The land then bore no improvements, 
 but during the period of his residence here, he 
 placed the soil under good cultivation and made 
 many valuable additions. In 1870 he moved to 
 Pekin, and one year later went to the village of 
 Manito, where he has since resided. 
 
 In religious belief the parents were members of 
 the Lutheran Church in their native land, but sub- 
 sequently united with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. The mother died in 1886, after having 
 had five sons. Four of the number are now liv- 
 ing: Jacob G.; Charles, who lives in Missouri; 
 Fred and John. The first-named of these sons 
 
 was born in Bavaria, December 26, 1833, and in 
 childhood accompanied the family to America, 
 where he soon gained sufficient knowledge of the 
 language to enable him to use it in business. In 
 his youth he assisted his father on the home farm 
 and early gained a practical knowlede of agricul- 
 ture. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. Spaits married Miss Susan, daughter 
 of William McGalliard. Mrs. Spaits was born in 
 Ohio in February, 1833, and died in Mason Coun- 
 ty in 1869. Four children are now living of the 
 six that blessed the union. Tillie married Frank 
 Colburn, of Neosho, Mo., and two children have 
 been born to their union. Ellen, who is the wife 
 of Oscar Graham, lives in Quiver Township and 
 has four children. Minnie, Mrs. Joseph Perrill, 
 lives in Manito and has one child. Jennie be- 
 came the wife of George Firth, and they, with their 
 four children, live in Green Valley. Harvey, the 
 only son, was killed in the memorable Chatsworth 
 wreck, August 10, 1887, aged twenty-four years. 
 Susie died at the age of twenty-four. 
 
 The second marriage of Mr. Spaits, occurring in 
 1870, united him with Mrs. Rebecca (Marshall) 
 Vennard, the daughter of Freeman and Elizabeth 
 (Rakestraw) Marshall, both deceased. Mrs. Spaits 
 was born in Ohio, August 30, 1834, and receiving 
 in girlhood an excellent education, was for a time 
 engaged in teaching school. Three children have 
 been born of this union, of whom Fannie and 
 Jessie are now living. The only son, Jacob M., 
 died at the age of six and one-half years. 
 
 The farm owned and operated by Mr. Spaits 
 consists of eighty acres of finely improved land, 
 containing a set of substantial buildings, and em- 
 bellished with many ornamental trees which 
 greatly enhance its beauty. The residence was 
 erected some thirty-three years ago, but about 
 1884 it was remodeled and enlarged at a cost of 
 $1,000. The barn was built in 1879 at a cost of 
 $600. In politics, Mr. Spaits is a Republican, and 
 for two terms served as Supervisor of Manito 
 Township. He is interested in educational mat- 
 ters, and gave his children the best of advantages; 
 they are well educated, and two have taught school. 
 
 It is worthy of note that he is the oldest School 
 Trustee in the county, having officiated in that
 
 490 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 capacity for forty years. Socially, he is identified 
 with the Grange, and has served as its Chaplain. 
 He contributes liberally to the support of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his wife is 
 an active member. 
 
 EDWARDS NEIKIRK. One of the 
 finely improved farms of Mason County is 
 located in Forest City Township, and is the 
 property of Mr. Neikirk, who through per- 
 severance and the exercise of good judgment has 
 gained a prominent place among the agriculturists 
 of the community. The farm consists of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres on section 19, upon which he 
 has erected a suitable equipment of substantial 
 buildings. lie has also introduced other valuable 
 improvements, and 1ms placed the soil under a 
 high state of cultivation. 
 
 Our subject is a son of George Neikirk. wtiose' 
 sketch may be found in that of J. Alexander Nei- 
 kirk, elsewhere in this book. The former was born 
 March 26, 1834, in Washington County, Md., and 
 as he was given but little schooling it may be 
 proper to speak of him as self-educated. He came 
 to Illinois in company with his father, and on the 
 death of the latter began life on his own account, 
 working out for other people. 
 
 During the first year of the war our subject en- 
 listed in July, in Company C, Second Illinois Cav- 
 alry, of which he was elected First Corporal. The 
 regiment was organized at Camp Butler under 
 Colonel Noble, and from there went to Carbondale, 
 and then to Cairo, where it was divided into Bat- 
 talions. Our subject's company did guard duty 
 on the Ohio River from Cairo to Caledonia until 
 March, 18C2, when it was sent to Ilickman, Ky., 
 and took part in the battle fought at that place. 
 From there they went to Union City, and in Au- 
 gust took up the line of march to Jackson, Tenn., 
 and went into camp at Bolivar. Next followed 
 the battle of llatchie River, when the regiment 
 marched to LaG range, where they remained until 
 the fall of that year. Mr. Neikirk was then sent 
 out on detached duty until March, 1864, when he 
 
 rejoined his camp at Memphis, Tenn., and with 
 them went to Louisana, and later went in camp at 
 Baton Rouge, where he was mustered out to. 
 
 After receiving his honorable discharge in Au- 
 gust, 1864, after a service of three years, he re- 
 turned home with his health very much impaired. 
 During his entire army experience he never re- 
 ceived a scratch nor was made a prisoner, although 
 on numerous occasions he had very narrow es- 
 capes. He was a man of indomitable pluck, and 
 after recuperating for a year, he engaged in work 
 and lived with his mother until 1868. 
 
 The lady to whom Mr. Neikirk was married in 
 1873, was Miss Phoebe, daughter of John Charles 
 Reed, a native of New York State, and a cooper 
 by trade. The lad}' was born in Ohio, whither her 
 father had removed in an early day and located in 
 Seneca County. Her mother, Mrs. Sarah (Jackson) 
 Reed, was a native of Pennsylvania, and the daugh- 
 ter of Benjamin Jackson, also an early settler of 
 tli e Buckeye State. The parents of Mrs. Neikirk 
 ! laleii . in life removed to' Indiana, and lived in 
 Noble County until their death. The}' were the 
 parents of nine children, namely: James D., Mary 
 Matilda, William LaFayette, Minerva, Phojbe (Mrs. 
 Neikirk), Joseph Myron, John Monroe, Perry and 
 Sarah Emily. William served through the entire 
 Civil War as a soldier in the Thirtieth Indiana 
 Infantry. Mr. Reed also fought in the Mexican 
 War, and was a Republican in politics. He was a 
 man who took a great interest in public affairs, and 
 with his wife was a member of the Christian 
 Church. 
 
 Mrs. Neikirk was born April 16, 1848, in Seneca 
 County, Ohio, and after receiving her education 
 in Indiana, taught school in that state and after- 
 ward in Illinois, whither she removed in 1869. 
 Her union with our subject has been blessed b" the 
 birth of five children, Viola Lucretia, Oscar John, 
 Orin Herschel, Mary Augusta and Frank Colburn. 
 They located upon their present farm soon after 
 their marriage, and in 1880 completed their pres- 
 ent substantial residence. Mr. Neikirk is engaged 
 in mixed farming, and is making a success in his 
 chosen field of labor. 
 
 In religious affairs Mi's. Neikirk is a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she is
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF IHI 
 
 UNIVfcKSHY Of ILUNUfc
 
 
 J. L. INGERSOI.L.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 493 
 
 one of the Stewards and a teacher in the Sunday- 
 school. Socially, our subject is a Grand Army 
 man, and in 18C6 aided in the organization of 
 Forest City Post No. 26, in Forest City, of which 
 he was an oflicer. He also is connected witli the 
 John Quincy Adams Post No. 526, at Havana. He 
 is one of the charter members of the local Grange, 
 of whicn he lias been Master, and is identified with 
 the Knights of Pythias at Forest City. He has 
 been School Director of District No. 1, and his 
 daughter Viola, and his son Oscar are school 
 teachers. He is a stanch Republican in politics, 
 and has frequently represented his party as dele- 
 gate to its various conventions. He has also filled 
 the offices of Road Commissioner and Township 
 Collector, and is a man whose character and per- 
 sonal attributes are such as to win him the confi- 
 dence of the community and the people by whom 
 he is surrounded. 
 
 . INGERSOLL, who is engaged in 
 business in Easton as a dealer in farm im- 
 plements, claims Ohio as the state of his na- 
 tivity, his birth having occurred in Medina 
 County, on the 3d of February, 1834. His father, 
 Reuben Ingersoll, was a native of Massachusetts, 
 and in eaily life was a farmer, hut in 1849 opened 
 a hotel on St. Clair Street in Cleveland, Ohio, and 
 continued in that line of business for some years. 
 He married Christine Van Dusen, also a native of 
 the old Bay "State, and in .1818 they removed to 
 Medina County, Ohio, where they resided until 
 1849, in which year they became residents of 
 Cleveland. In later years the father laid aside 
 business cares and in his last days lived a retired 
 life in the home of his son, A. D. Ingersoll, now of 
 Green Valley Prairie, Tazewell County, 111. In 
 the family were eleven children, six of whom are 
 living at this writing, in the summer of 1894, 
 namely: A. D., just mentioned; John, a resident of 
 Arkansas; Dr. B. F., who makes his home in Ne- 
 braska; James L., of this sketch; Orman V. and 
 Mary, also of Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Ingersoll of this sketch spent the first fifteen 
 years of his life upon his father's farm in Medina 
 County. Ohio, and then accompanied his parents 
 on their removal to Cleveland. He acquired his 
 
 education in the public schools, and on starting 
 out in life for himself secured a position in the 
 car shops of Cleveland, where he was employed 
 until 1858. In that year he determined to seek a 
 home in Illinois. The following year he made a 
 permanent location in Mason County, and pur- 
 chased a farm on section 5, Pennsylvania Town- 
 ship. It was a tract of wild land, no improve- 
 ments having been made thereon, but with charac- 
 teristic energy he began its development and im- 
 provement. 
 
 As a companion and helpmate on life's journey 
 Mr. Ingersoll chose Mary E. Ryno, who was born 
 in New Jersey in 1844, and came to Illinois about 
 1858. Their marriage was celebrated in 1860, and 
 they began their domestic life upon a farm which 
 was their home until 1889, when they came to 
 Easton. Here they have a pleasant home, and in 
 addition Mr. Ingersoll owns two hundred acres of 
 valuable land which he now rents. In February, 
 1890, be built his present fine store building, and 
 was in partnership with Andrew Furrer until Jan- 
 uary, 1892, when Mr. Furrer sold out to Bruce 
 Cheneoweth, and the firm is now Ingersoll & Chen- 
 eoweth. They handle all kinds of farm imple- 
 ments and are doing a good business. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Ingersoll were born twelve 
 children, eleven of whom arc yet living: George C., 
 Mrs. Emma Bruning, Mrs. Nellie Hedrick, Mrs. 
 Eugenia Furrer, Lyman, Mrs. MWcia Blunt, Elsie, 
 Freeman, Delia, Edgar and Fred. 
 
 Mr. Ingersoll has been a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity for fifteen years and has taken the 
 Knight Templar Degree. He supports the men 
 and measures of the Republican party and since 
 attaining his majority has been one of its warm 
 advocates. He has been School Director, was Road 
 Commissioner for seven years in Pennsylvania 
 Township, and was Drainage Commissioner in the 
 Garden Special Drainage District for seven years. 
 He was one of the original commissioners and 
 filled the office until his removal to Easton. 
 
 A. HIGH is prominent in the so- 
 cial, literary and political life of this coun- 
 ty as editor of the Havana Republican, a 
 journal which he is ably conducting in company
 
 494 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 with Ulysses L. Town in the interests of the Re- 
 publican party. When our subject took charge of 
 the oflice, just one year ago, the paper had a circu- 
 lation of Hve hundred and eighty. Now, however, 
 it finds its way into over eleven hundred homes 
 and the list of subscribers is still on the increase. 
 The firm has the latest improved appliances in the 
 oflice, including a Campbell press, which has a ca- 
 pacity of one thousand copies per hour. In con- 
 nection with their paper they have a jobbing de- 
 partment and are prepared to turn out the finest 
 work in that line, keeping in their employ only 
 expert job printers. 
 
 Our subject was born in Quiver Township, this 
 county, March 14, 1870, and is the son of John 
 High, who located in this region in 1840. At 
 the age of fifty-six years he is now making his 
 home in Havana. The ancestors of our subject 
 originally came from Germany, and the first to 
 make their home in America settled in Pennsyl- 
 vania. The maiden name of his mother was Mary 
 Morris, the daughter of George Morris, a native of 
 the Blue Grass State, who on coming to Illinois 
 made his home in this county. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject bore the 
 name of Frederick High, and was born in Virginia 
 in 1800. When a young man he emigrated to In- 
 diana, where he remained until 1838, when he took 
 up his residence in Kankakee, this state. A year 
 later he went to C\ay Countj', and in 1840 we find 
 him in Mason County, where his death occurred in 
 1865. ,)ohn High, the great-grandfather of our 
 subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1745 and de- 
 parted this life in Warren County, Ind., in 1851, at 
 the age of one hundred and six. The paternal 
 grandmother of our subject was prior to her mar- 
 riage Miss Maria Rakestraw and was born in Ohio. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Warren 
 County, Ind., June 7, 1837, and the lady to whom 
 he was married when reaching mature years was 
 Miss Mary, daughter of George and Elizabeth 
 (Hurd) Morris. She was born in Adams County, 
 Ohio, and came with her parents to this county 
 some time in the '50s. 
 
 Freeman A. High, of this sketch, received his 
 early education in the district schools of his native 
 township, and when old enough to do so helped 
 
 his father to cultivate the farm. He remained at 
 home until the spring of 1881, when he removed 
 to Havana, where he attended the public schools 
 and was graduated from the high school June 3, 
 1890. July 20 of that year, he accepted the posi- 
 tion of Deputy Postmasterof the city, and acted in 
 that capacity until October, 1892, when he resigned 
 in order to engage in the publication of the Ha- 
 vana Republican. The paper is well conducted, is 
 a bright, newsy, original sheet, and is by no means 
 confined to party lines fora circulation, for though 
 our subject is true to the principles of the Repub- 
 lican party and is strictly aggressive, he is not offen- 
 sive in the defense of party issues. He is at present 
 Secretary of the Republican Count3' Central Com- 
 mittee, and is one of the rising young men of the 
 county with a promising future before him. 
 
 Socially Mr. High is a Mason, belonging to Ha- 
 vana Lodge No. 88, and is connected with the Hes- 
 perian Chapter No. 137, O. E. S. He also belongs 
 to Havana Lodge No. 258, K. of P., the Havana 
 Division No. 64, U. R. K. P., and the Ancient Or- 
 der of United Workmen. 
 
 OLYSSES L. TOWN, senior member of the 
 firm of Town & High, was born in this 
 x^-^-j county February 6, 1866. He is a 'son of 
 B. C. S. Town, a native of Pennsylvania, where 
 his birth occurred, in W i Ikes Barre, July 5, 1806. 
 The father settled in Bath, this county, in 1849, 
 where his decease occurred August 5, 1887. The 
 Towns were New England people, and the paternal 
 grandfather of oursubject, Joseph C. Town, fought 
 as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, at which 
 time he served under General Washington. He 
 died in 1814. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Mary Miller 
 Town, was a native of Ohio and came to Illinois 
 with her parents, and with them located in Deca- 
 tur, where she metand married Mr. Town. Ulysses 
 L., of this sketch, pursued his studies in the 
 schools of Bath, and when reaching his eigh- 
 teenth year, as he had a decided inclination to- 
 ward journalism, he learned the trade of a prin- 
 ter in the office of the Mexico Daily Ititelligen-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 495 
 
 cer, sit Mexico, Mo., whicl) was at that time 
 edited by John E. Ilutton. There Mr. Town re- 
 mained from 1884 until 1887, and two years 
 later came to Havana and engaged to work in the 
 office of the Havana Republican, under the man- 
 ment of P. F. Warner. It was not long before he 
 was appointed foreman of the office, and November 
 1, 1892, formed a partnership with F. A. High and 
 purchased the plant which they are conducting 
 successfully at the present time. 
 
 May 18, 1892, Mr. Town and Miss Carrie R., 
 daughter of William Hoffner, were united in 
 marriage. Mrs. Town was born in Havana. Their 
 union has resulted in the birth of a daughter, 
 Mildred. Socially our subject is a Mason and 
 holds membership with Havana Lodge No. 88. 
 He is local Secretary and Treasurer for the Se- 
 curity Loan and Savings Association, which po- 
 sition lie accepted in October, 1893. He possesses 
 many pleasant social qualities and is very popular 
 among his associates. 
 
 ,ETER RINGHOUSE. The farming lands 
 of Mason County comprise its most val- 
 uable property, and the men who have 
 redeemed them from their primitive con- 
 dition occupy no unimportant place among a vast 
 and intelligent population. The subject of this 
 sketcli properly belongs to this class, as he an- 
 nually pays a handsome sum to the county treas- 
 ury as taxes on his property. His land has been 
 accumulated entirely by the labor of his own 
 hands, and is pleasantly situated on section 15, 
 Quiver Township; it comprises seven hundred 
 acres, and is under good cultivation. 
 
 John Peter Ringhouse, the father of our subject, 
 was a native of Germany, where he was a well-to- 
 do farmer, and his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth (Rid- 
 dle) Ringhouse, was also born in the Fatherland. 
 There the parents were married, and after emigrat- 
 ing to America in 1834 lived for a twelvemonth 
 in Baltimore, Md.,and for the same length of time 
 were residents of St. Louis, Mo. In 1836 they 
 came to Mason County and settled on section 11, 
 
 this township, where they were classed among its 
 earliest residents. They made their permanent 
 home in this section, and although owning at first 
 only a quarter-section of land, by hard labor and 
 economy accumulated an estate comprising six 
 hundred acres. They later removed to Havana, 
 where the father's decease occurred. The mother 
 died in Iowa. 
 
 Peter, of this sketch, was the second in order of 
 birth of the parental family of four children, of 
 whom only one sister is living, Elizabeth, now Mrs. 
 Kroell, who makes her home on section 18, this 
 township. The former was born June 20, 1829, 
 in Germany, and received the greater part of his 
 education in his native land, as there were no 
 schools near his home after coming to America. 
 He remained at home until attaining his majority; 
 he and his brothers purchased the home farm, on 
 which our subject was residing in 1853, when he 
 crossed the plains to California, making the trip 
 overland with ox-teams. Four months later he 
 arrived in Marysville and was there employed in 
 hauling provisions and freight until the spring of 
 1856, when he returned home by the Nicaragua 
 route. He was very successful in his western trip 
 and during the three years spent in California 
 cleared $3,000. 
 
 Peter Ringhouse again located on the home farm 
 and was married in March of the succeeding year 
 to Miss Orpha Howell, who was born in this coun- 
 ty. The young couple continued to reside on the 
 home farm for a number of years when our sub- 
 ject purchased a part of his present property and 
 erected thereon a residence which cost about 
 $6,000 and is the finest in the township. Mr. 
 Ringhouse is the proprietor of seven hundred 
 acres of land in this county and also owns a farm 
 of two hundred acres in Missouri. He has aided 
 greatly in the upbuilding of this township, and 
 erected and operates the Ringhouse Theater. His 
 farm is devoted to general farming and stock- 
 raising, having upon the place some fine Perche- 
 ron horses and pure blooded cattle and swine. 
 
 Mrs. Ringhouse died in 1874, leaving six chil- 
 dren. William, the eldest of the family, is liv- 
 ing on the old homestead; he married Miss Jose- 
 phine Beebe. Emma is at home with her father.
 
 496 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Frank is married and lives in the state of Wash- 
 ington ; and Kate, Ettabell and Charles are at home. 
 Mr. Ringhouse is a prominent Mason socially, be- 
 longing to the chapter in Havana. He is also a 
 Knight Templar and Knight Workman of the 
 lodges in that city. 
 
 Our subject has given his children fine educa- 
 tions, and his interest in school affairs lias led him 
 to be elected a member of the Board. He has been 
 a Republican in politics ever since the late war 
 and served his fellow-townsmen as Road Commis- 
 sioner. He is a good and upright man and his life 
 record shows him to possess sound discretion and 
 unllincliing integrity. He is always cordial and 
 kind in his relations with others and fair in his 
 dealings with them. 
 
 THOMAS TYRRELL was for about thirty 
 years a well known farmer of Tazewell 
 '' County. A native of the Emerald Isle, he 
 was born in Dublin, January 18, 1827, and was a 
 son of George and Kate (Tyrrell) Tyrrell, the 
 former born in Ireland, November 1, 1798, and the 
 latter in 1800. The father was a farmer by occu- 
 pation. In 1851 he crossed the Atlantic to Amer- 
 ica, landing in New York on the 25th of May. 
 There he lived a retired life. He was a man of 
 good education, and a great reader. In church 
 work he took a deep interest, and held member- 
 ship in St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Both he and 
 his wife were buried in New York City. They had 
 a family of seven sons: Thomas, James, George, 
 John, Matthew, and two who died in childhood. 
 Four of the number are j ? et living. One is a 
 farmer, another a, captain on a steamer, and the 
 third a grocer. 
 
 Thomas Tyrrell was educated in the public 
 schools of his native land, and by his extensive 
 reading became a well informed man. He came 
 with his parents to the United States, and in New 
 York was united in marriage with Miss Mary Hea- 
 ney, daughter of Henry and Lizzie Heaney. She 
 was born near Dublin, Ireland, and with her par- 
 ents crossed the briny deep to the New World. 
 Her mother died soon after their arrival in New 
 
 York, and she remained with her father until her 
 marriage. Her parents were members of the Cath- 
 olic Church. 
 
 For many years Mr. Tyrrell was foreman of a 
 horse-car line in New York City, occupying that 
 position until his removal to the west. About 
 thirty years ago he came to Illinois and took up his 
 residence in Tazewell County, settling in Tremont 
 Township, where he purchased a farm. After cul- 
 tivating that land for several years, he purchased 
 the farm on which his widow now resides, becom- 
 ing the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of 
 valuable land, to which Mrs. Tyrrell has since 
 added seventy acres. He was a man of sterling 
 worth, and the many excellencies of his character 
 won him the high regard of all with whom busi- 
 ness or social relations brought him in contact. 
 He exercised his right of franchise in support of 
 the Democratic party, and was honored with some 
 local offices. He passed awa}' March 7, 1886, and 
 many friends mourned his loss. In 'the family 
 were fifteen children, twelve of whom are yet liv- 
 ing. With the exception of two who are married, 
 all are still with their mother on the old home 
 farm. The family is one of prominence in the 
 community, and its members hold an enviable po- 
 sition in social circles. 
 
 OHN H. BISHOP, a grain and coal dealer of 
 Bishop Station, is recognized as one of the 
 most prominent citizens of this part of Ma- 
 son County. His father, Henry Bishop, was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, in 1824, and in 1838 
 came with his parents to America. The family 
 spent a few months in St. Louis, and lived for one 
 year in Havana, 111., where the grandfather of our 
 subject died. They then came to what was known 
 as Long Point, now Forest City Township, Ma- 
 son County, which was a wild and undeveloped 
 region. There was only one house between the 
 present home of our subject and Havana. Henry 
 Bishop was the first settler of this locality, and 
 since his arrival has resided continuously in this 
 place. He wedded Mary Wessling, a native of 
 Hanover, Germany, and a daughter of Garrett
 
 ELEVATOR AND RESIDENCE OF JOHN H. BISHOP, BISHOP, ILL. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF E. J. BOWSER, SEC. 23, TP. 22, R. 7, MASON CO., ILL.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of lHt 
 
 UNIVEKSI1 1 Of ItUIHMi
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 499 
 
 Wessling, who came to Mason County about 1844. 
 Her death occurred in 1861, and Mr. Bishop after- 
 ward married Catherine Wessling, a sister of his 
 first wife. By the former union he had eight chil- 
 dren, four yet living: Elizabeth, wife of Conrad 
 Iliinmel; Mrs. Annie Kuhnert, of St. Louis; John 
 II.; and William, of Bishop. By the second mar- 
 riage were born ten children: George II., Harmon 
 W., Paulina, Louis W., Laura, Nellie, Blondina, 
 Ernest II., Carl II. and Edith. With the excep- 
 tion of the two eldest all are still at home. 
 
 Henry Bishop died August 3, 1893, and his 
 death was mourned throughout the community. 
 He was a member of the Evangelical Association, 
 served as Trustee for some years, and aided in 
 building Zion Church. He took quite an active in- 
 terest in education and did effective service for the 
 cause while acting as School Director. In politics 
 he was a supporter of Democratic principles. He 
 laid out the town of Bishop and his name was 
 prominently connected with other works of public 
 improvement. Although he came to the county 
 in limited circumstances, he steadily worked his 
 way upward and accumulated eigh-Lhund-red- acres . 
 of land beside personal property. 
 
 John II. Bishop is the eldest son of the family. 
 He was born December 28, 1857, on the old home- 
 stead, was reared in the usual manner of farmer 
 lads and acquired his early education in the public 
 schools. Later he attended college in Naperville 
 for two years. In 1879 he went to Burlingame, 
 Kan., where he spent two years in clerking, and in 
 1881, having returned , to Mason County, he em- 
 barked in business with George W. Wessling in the 
 town of Bishop. That connection was continued 
 until the spring of 1884, when our subject with- 
 drew and gave his time and attention to farming 
 on section 15, Forest Citj' Township, until 1891. 
 He then bought out the grain business of J. W. 
 Pierce, and has since carried on operations along 
 that line. He handles about one hundred and fifty 
 thousand bushels of grain and thirty car loads of 
 coal annually. His elevator, which he erected at a 
 cost of $4,000, has a capacity of twenty thousand 
 bushels. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Bishop was united in marriage with 
 Maggie Bowser, adopted daughter of John Bowser, 
 
 who was born in this county in 1863. They have 
 two children, John Oliver, aged eight; and Nelson 
 II., a child of four summers. Mr. Bishop is a mem- 
 ber of the order of Modern Woodmen of Topeka, 
 III., has been Road Commissioner of Eorest City 
 Township, and is now serving as School Director. 
 He takes an active interest in politics and votes 
 with the Democratic party. 
 
 SMMETT J. BOWSER. The present high 
 standing of Mason County among the ag- 
 ricultural regions of Illinois may be attrib- 
 uted to the patient, self-sacrificing labors of the 
 men who have for years conducted general farm- 
 ing pursuits here. As a representative of this 
 class we present the name of E. J. Bowser, a suc- 
 cessful and capable farmer residing on section 23, 
 Forest City Township. Although a lad of eight 
 years when coming to this county, in 1853, he has 
 witnessed its development, and when further ad- 
 vanced in years contributed to its material pros- 
 perity. While advancing his personal interests, he 
 has-also promoted the welfare of the people. His 
 landed possessions aggregate two hundred and 
 thirty acres, upon which he has placed first-class 
 improvements. 
 
 Our subject is the son of John Bowser, who was 
 born in Maryland in 1817. He was a farmer by 
 occupation, and after his marriage to Miss Mary 
 A. Rickenbaugh, who was also a native of the 
 above state, moved to Seneca County, Ohio, and 
 carried on agricultural pursuits near Tillin. In 
 1853, however, they came to thisstate, locating on 
 a portion of the property now included in our 
 subject's farm. The wife and mother departed 
 this life in 1868, and the father, who survived her 
 many years, died in 1881. 
 
 The parental family comprised four children, 
 namel}', E. J., of this sketch, Sarah, Samuel and 
 Albert. Mr. and Mrs. John Bowser were devoted 
 members of the Evangelical Church and were much 
 esteemed in their community. The father was 
 prominent in local affairs and for many years 
 served as a member of the School Board. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Seneca 
 County, Ohio October 2, 1845, and was a lad of
 
 500 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 eight years when he accompanied his parents on 
 their removal to this county. lie received his 
 primary education in the public schools and for 
 two terms was a student in the Northwestern Col- 
 lege in Plain field. Since starting out in life for 
 himself he has always followed farm pursuits and 
 has on his place some fine Percheron and Norman 
 horses. He has made most of the improvements on 
 the farm since it came into his possession and is 
 regarded by his fellow-agriculturists as one who 
 thoroughly understands his business in every de- 
 partment. 
 
 There is a power mill on the place, operated by 
 wind, that grinds feed, saws wood, and does the 
 churning and tool grinding. In connection is a 
 tank that holds sixty barrels of water, with a gauge 
 that tells the amount of water in the tank. From 
 this tank he has pipes running to different lots for 
 watering stock and the garden. 
 
 Miss Mary Rose became the wife of our subject 
 in 1876. .She was born in Germany and by her 
 union with Mr. Bowser has become the mother of 
 three children: Ralph E., Roy 1). and Bern ice E. 
 With her husband she is a working member of the 
 Evangelical Church, in which he is a Trustee. 
 They are giving their children the very best op- 
 portunities for obtaining a good education, and 
 Mr. Bowser is at the present time a member of the 
 School Board. As every public-spirited citizen 
 should do he takes an intelligent interest in local and 
 national issues of importance, and in matters polit- 
 ical gives the weight of his influence and ballot to 
 the principles of the Democratic party. lie is 
 Secretary of the Mason County Fanners' Mutual 
 Fire & Lightning Insurance Company, which posi- 
 tion he has held for the past ten years. 
 
 ILNER BROWN, deceased, was for many 
 years a prominent and honored resident of 
 Tazewell County, and it is but meet that 
 the -record of his life should find a place 
 in this volume. He was born in Lancaster Coun- 
 ty, Pa., March 20, 1812, and was a lineal descend- 
 ant of William Brown, who came to America from 
 England in the seventeenth century. His brother, 
 
 James Brown, lived at Marcus Hook before Will- 
 iam Penn obtained the grant of land for Pennsyl- 
 vania. He was a weaver by trade and must have 
 arrived in this country as early as 1680, for his fa- 
 father-in-law, William Clayton, crossed the Allan- 
 tic in 1677, bringing with him his family; and, James 
 Brown was here married. Although a weaver, he 
 doubtless carried on farming to some extent, and 
 like most of the tradesmen of old Colonial times 
 obtained a grant to one hundred and fifty acres 
 of land on Chichester Creek. This he called Pod- 
 dington, and conveyed it to his son William June 
 21, 1705. He owned several tracts of land in Chi- 
 chester Township, but sold before his removal to 
 Nottingham about 1682. His brother William em- 
 igrated from England to Nottingham. They were 
 among the first of the Society of Friends in the 
 United States, and from that day to the present 
 the Browns of Nottingham have adhered to the 
 Quaker faith. 
 
 William Brown, father of our subject, was born 
 in Pennsylvania, March 13, 1805, and married 
 Rachel Milner at the East Land meeting house 
 according to the Quaker faith. In 1828 he came 
 by team to Illinois and settled on the banks of the 
 Mackinaw, in Dillon Township, Tazewell County. 
 He was a man of considerable education and abil- 
 ity and was one of the leading citizens of this 
 community. He served in the State Legislature 
 with Abraham Lincoln and other men of promi- 
 nence and was a man of strict integrity and sterl- 
 ing worth, a firm believer in the faith of the Society 
 of Friends. 
 
 To William and Rachel Brown was born a large 
 family of children. Miriam, born December 23, 
 1825, became the wife of Jeremiah Baile3 r ; Isaiah, 
 born March 14, 1808, went to California in the 
 year 1852; his death resulted from falling on a 
 broken fork handle. Joshua, born August 11, 
 1809, is now living in Holder, 111. Hester, born 
 March 2, 1819, is the wife of J. W. Fell, who was 
 one of the founders of the State Normal, and was 
 a prominent citizen of Illinois. Daniel, born No- 
 vember 1, 1829, was educated at Knox College, of 
 Galesburg, and became one of the wealthiest farm- 
 ers of Tazewell County; he was married Novem- 
 ber 13, 1859, to Miss Arietta Lillie, a native of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 501 
 
 New York, and a daughter of Elisha Lillie, who 
 was born in Vermont and was a soldier in the War 
 of 1812. Daniel Brown was killed by being gored 
 by a mad bull April 11, 1884; he left two children. 
 Daniel Milner, who was born October 27, 1867) 
 was married in 1889 to Lotella Regur, and now 
 resides in Iowa. Lewis Elisha, born March 30> 
 1862, is living with his mother. 
 
 No event of special importance occurred during 
 the childhood and youth of our subject. In 1850 
 he was married to Rebecca Russell, a resident of 
 Fulton County, 111. She was born in Loudoun 
 County, Va., and is a daughter of James and Susan 
 (January) Russell. Her father was the sixth in a 
 family of nine children born to John and Hannah 
 (Fincher) Russell. The former was a direct de- 
 scendant of Capt. James Russell, a native of Eng- 
 land, who served as a Captain in Cromwell's army. 
 The wife of our subject died March 25, 1884- 
 They had but one child, Mary Milner, who was born 
 July 30, 1851, and was educated at Normal; she was 
 married November 30, 1871, to Samuel D. Wood, 
 who was born in Lancaster County, Pa., June 10, 
 1850. His father, Samuel C. Wood, was a native 
 of Lancaster County, and there died March 26, 
 1886, at the age of eighty years. His wife, Han- 
 nah Wood, was a daughter of Jeremiah Brown, a 
 first cousin of William Brown, the grandfather of 
 Mary Milner (Brown) Wood, therefore Mr. and 
 Mrs. AVood are third cousins. Mr. Wood was an 
 only son, and had two sisters, Anna E., now 
 the wife of Day Wood, and Hannah C., who 
 died at the age of eight years. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Samuel Wood have been born two children, 
 Many Milner, born February 21, 1873; and Charles 
 Brown, born November 20, 1885. Mr. Wood Las 
 one of the finest farms in Tazewell County, own- 
 ing about eleven hundred acres. Like his ances- 
 tors he belongs to the Society of Friends and is a 
 Knight Templar Mason and a stalwart Republican. 
 
 Milner Brown was a man of great force of char- 
 acter, gave freely of his abundant means to the 
 poor and needy and during the Civil War sent lib- 
 eral gifts to the soldiers. He was a very public- 
 spirited and progressive man who did much to 
 benefit the community. He attempted to sink an 
 artesian well, but after spending more than $8,000 
 
 was forced to give up the enterprise. Like all of 
 his brothers he met his death by accident. While 
 going out of his home he slipped and struck his 
 back on the stone steps. From the injuries thus 
 sustained he died March 28, 1891. All who knew 
 him respected and honored him and his life was 
 well spent. He left to his daughter the priceless 
 heritage of a good name, and his memory will 
 long be cherished by many friends. 
 
 EDWARD. BROWN. The simple record of 
 an honorable life is the best monument 
 that can be reared to any citizen, and we 
 therefore shall not attempt to enlarge upon the 
 history of the gentleman above named, who is 
 one of Havana's most reputable citizens; here he 
 is carrying on a profitable trade as an ice dealer. 
 
 Our subject was born in Sussex County, En- 
 gland, on the 8th of June, 1822, and is the son of 
 Abraham Brown, also a native of that country, 
 where he spent his entire life, dying in 1828. 
 His wife, the mother of our subiect, was Mary A. 
 Steele prior to her marriage, and she too died in 
 England, the year of that event being 1840. 
 Edward spent the first twenty-eight years of his 
 life in the Mother Country, and during his boy- 
 hood days was given a fair education in the com- 
 mon schools. Later he learned the trade of 
 a butcher, in which business he was engaged until 
 sailing for America in 1850. Landing in New 
 York City after a tedious voyage, he came di- 
 rectly west to Havana, where he decided to make 
 his future home, and after being variously oc- 
 cupied for a number of years, established a meat 
 market of which he was the proprietor for some 
 time. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Brown began dealing in ice, and 
 that year built a large store house, which he fills 
 during the winter season with the clearest and 
 purest of ice, cut from the Illinois River. His 
 storage house has a capacity of about two thou- 
 sand tons of ice. The year prior to coming to 
 the United States our subject was married to 
 Miss Mary A. Ellis, also a native of England and 
 a most intelligent and estimable lady. By her
 
 502 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD. 
 
 union with Mr. Brown she has become the mother 
 of two sons, William, who is residing at the pres- 
 ent time in Bond County this state, and George, 
 engaged with his father in the ice business. 
 
 Although over seventy-one years of age Mr. 
 Brown is enjoying good health, which fact is due 
 largely to his having been a very temperate man all 
 his life. In politics he is a stanch Republican and 
 was elected on that ticket Trustee of the village 
 prior to its becoming a city. Himself and wife 
 are valued members of the Episcopal Church and 
 take an active part in its work. He has been in- 
 dustrious, prudent and thrifty and has acquired a 
 goodly amount of property, owning a comfort- 
 able home in the city. 
 
 /*,|l J. MORRIS, M; D., is one of the most suc- 
 LJIi cessful members of the medical profession 
 
 as represented in Mason City, and is favor- 
 ably known throughout the entire count}-. 
 As a physician of high mental endowments he en- 
 joys the confidence of the people, who recognize the 
 fact that he possesses a thorough knowledge of 
 medicine as well as exceptional skill and consider- 
 able experience. 
 
 On the 24 th of June, 1854, the Doctor was born 
 in the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., being the soil of 
 Arthur .1. and (i race (Ash) Morris, natives respect- 
 ively of Ireland and England. The father, upon 
 emigrating to the United States, settled in New 
 York and continued to reside upon hong Island 
 until his death, which occurred in 1892. He was 
 a man of wide information, notwithstanding the 
 fact that his educational advantages had been very 
 meager. His wife died in 1855, many years prior 
 to his demise. 
 
 Of Irish and English pafentage, the Doctor has 
 inherited the versatility characteristic of the former 
 race, together with the firmness of will and deter- 
 mination found among the English race. In child- 
 hood he was a pupil in the schools of Brooklyn 
 and there laid the foundation of the fund of 
 knowledge he has since acquired. At the earl}' 
 age of fourteen he started out in the world for 
 himself and made the long journey to the west 
 
 alone. Reaching Henry County, 111., he there se- 
 cured employment upon a farm, continuing this 
 occupation for eight years. Though the manual 
 labor required was arduous, he did not fail to im- 
 prove every opportunity for the culture of his 
 mind. Whenever the opportunity was presented 
 he attended the school of the neighborhood, and 
 the leisure hours during the evening were devoted 
 to the study of good books. Reading was his 
 favorite occupation, and to this day he retains his 
 boyish love for a book. Nor was he content with 
 the mere reading of the volume, but in addition 
 he endeavored to impress upon his mind the prin- 
 cj^pal thoughts brought out by the author, and 
 thus he acquired a wide range of knowledge. 
 
 Leaving the farm in 1877, our subject next 
 applied for and secured a school at Walker's 
 Grove, which he continued to teach for three 
 years, beginning with 1878. Afterward he taught 
 the school at Red Oak, 111., for one year, and was 
 similarly engaged in Easton for three years and 
 San Jose for one year. For four years lie had 
 charge of the school in New Holland, Logan 
 County, III., and in the meantime devoted his 
 spare moments to the study of medicine. In 1887 
 he entered the office of Dr. J. M. Taylor, at that 
 lime a prominent physician of Mason County, and 
 under the tuition of that able and successful prac- 
 titioner he acquired the rudiments of Ins medical 
 knowledge. In 1890 he passed an examination 
 before the Illinois State Board of Health and re- 
 ceived license to practice. Later he took a course 
 of lectures at Hahnemann College, Chicago, and 
 was graduated from that institution in 1891, since 
 which time he has conducted a general practice of 
 medicine and surgery in Mason City. 
 
 Socially the Doctor is identified with the Mason 
 City Lodge No. 337, I. O. O. F. In politics he is 
 a pronounced Prohibitionist and is an enthusias- 
 tic advocate of the platform of that party. In 
 1884 lie passed an examination for a teacher's cer- 
 tificate of perpetual standing, the securing of 
 which is considered quite an honor for the recip- 
 ient and which cannot be obtained without a high 
 degree of scholarship. 
 
 In the spring of 1878 Dr. Morris was united in 
 marriage with Miss Flora Ringland, who was born
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OFTHF 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of LUIWS 
 
 .41
 
 REV. W. B. HARRIS.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 505 
 
 in Mason County, this state, being a daughter of 
 Thomas Kingland, one of the pioneers of Peoria 
 County, 111. Dr. and Mrs. Morris are members of 
 the Baptist Church, in the work of which they are 
 actively interested. They are the parents of three 
 children. Herbert Garlield, Nellie Louise and Eva 
 Marguerite. The Doctor is a genial, affable gen- 
 tleman, successful as a practitioner and popular as 
 a citizen. 
 
 |EV. WILLIAM B. HARRIS, who is now 
 living on section 21, Mackinaw Township, 
 Tazewell County, was born in Warren 
 ^County, Ky., August 22, 1813. His father, 
 Rev. William Harris, was a son of James aud Ann 
 (McKinney) Harris. The grandfather was born in 
 England in 1740, and came to America with his 
 parents, who died the same year, leaving their son, 
 who was then not a year old. He was reared in 
 the family of a Mr. McClure. He read the Bible 
 through before he was live years of age and ac- 
 quired a good education. For seven years he 
 aided the Colonies in their struggle for independ- 
 ence. About 1785 he removed to Rockbridge 
 County, Va., locating on a farm within sight of 
 the famous natural bridge. In 1796 he removed 
 to Green County, Ky., where he soon died. His 
 wife survived him about twenty years. In their 
 family were six sons and three daughters: Sallie, 
 wife of Josiah McClure; Polly, wife of Timothy 
 Dunham; Susan, wife of John Chapman; Alexan- 
 der, James, Josiah, John, William and Samuel. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, August 7, 1772, prepared himself for the 
 ministry and became a prominent Cumberland 
 Presbyterian preacher. He was ordained in Feb- 
 ruary, 1812, but had preached for many years pre- 
 vious. By trade he was a general mechanic and 
 weaver. In December, 1797, he married Nancy 
 Ilighsmith, daughter of Thomas and Sallie (Mor- 
 ris) Highsmith. She was born in Burke County, 
 Ga., on the 23d of March, 1782, and about the 
 year 1796 went with her parents to Kentucky, 
 where she was married in her fifteenth year. 
 By their union were born twelve sons and six 
 15 
 
 daughters, all of whom reached ndult age, namely: 
 James, Sallie, Jdhn, Thomas II., Rev. David R., 
 Harvey, Rev. Alexander C., William B.; Y. F. 
 E., deceased; Rev. Josiah G., of Texas; C. H. 
 D., a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
 Church; Louis D., who was formerly a minister 
 but is now deceased; Cyrus L., who has also passed 
 away; Sallie, wife of Luther Johnson; Anna M., 
 wife of James Hudspeth; Poll}', wife of Edward 
 Neal; Susan, wife of Wesley Redman; and Nancy, 
 wife of the Rev. George L. Blewett, of Richard- 
 son, Tex. All are now deceased except William B., 
 J. G. and Mrs. Blewett. They were all meml>ers 
 of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and six 
 of the sons were preachers. The father was a 
 Whig in politics and was strongly opposed to slav- 
 ery. Socially he was connected with the Masonic 
 fraternity. He often walked fifteen or twenty 
 miles to preach a sermon, and was a devoted 
 worker for the cause of Christianity. He died 
 July 8, 1845, at the age of seventy-three, and 
 his wife passed away November 2, 1862, when 
 nearly eighty-one years of age. 
 
 William B. Harris, the subject of this sketch, re- 
 mained with his parents until the age of eighteen 
 and then entered Pilot Knob Academy, from 
 which he was graduated. His own labors provided 
 the means necessary to meet the expenses of a col- 
 lege education. His brother was at that time 
 Principal of the school, and after his graduation 
 Mr. Harris was one of the teachers in the academy 
 for two years. He was then employed in two dif- 
 ferent academies in Logan County, Ky., for about 
 twenty years, and in Warren County, Ky., in Oc- 
 tober, 1847, he was ordained as a minister of the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He engaged 
 in preaching for many years, but during the past 
 few years has practically retired from the ministry, 
 although he frequently preaches at different places 
 when traveling. 
 
 In Logan County, Ky., on the 1st of March, 
 1836, Mr. Harris married Harriet B. Paisley, a na- 
 tive of that county, and a daughter of Samuel and 
 Nancy (Perry) Paisley, the former a native of 
 North Carolina, and the latter of South Carolina. 
 Twelve children were born of this union: Alma- 
 rinda, wife of Joseph Ferry; Clean thes; Clarinde
 
 506 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 C., wife of I. C. Williams; William R.; Cyllene J., 
 wife of A. J. Ilinshaw; David'R.; John Q., de- 
 ceased; Waldo B., a Congregational preacher of 
 Peoria; Harvey B., James S., Harriet A. and Polly 
 S. There are also thirty-two grandchildren and 
 four great-grandchildren. Mrs. Harris departed 
 this life at her home in Tazewell County April 13, 
 1888. 
 
 On the farm which Mr. Harris owned in Ken- 
 tucky was located the great saltpetre cave, one of 
 the marvelous creations of nature. On the 1st 
 of September, 1864, he left his native state and 
 took up his residence in Bloomington, 111., where 
 he engaged in preaching the following year, when 
 he came to his present farm. In politics he is a 
 Republican, and socially is a member of the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity. His has been an honorable and 
 well spent life, worthy of emulation, and his excel- 
 lencies of character have gained for him the confi- 
 dence and high regard of all with whom he has 
 been brought in contact. 
 
 ARMON HENRY ELLERBUSCII. In every 
 state of the Union the German : American 
 citizens are to be found, making their way 
 steadily onward in the accumulation of 
 ptoperty and securing their means by honest in- 
 dustry, prudent economy and untiring zeal. In 
 this county a prominent position among agricult- 
 urists and land owners is held by the gentleman 
 above named, who is a native of Hanover, Ger- 
 many, but is now living retired in the city of 
 Havana. 
 
 Our subject was born January 22, 1836, and 
 .spent the first twenty years of his life in his native 
 land. When only twelve years of age lie was com- 
 pelled to start out in the world for himself, and 
 worked at various occupations in Germany until 
 1856, when he boar'ded a sailing-vessel bound for 
 America and six and one-half weeks later landed 
 in New York harbor. He remained in that city 
 only a short time, however, when he came west 
 and stopped for a time in Chicago, and later came 
 to Mason County, where lie worked out on farms 
 
 by the month for different people until enabled to 
 purchase property of his own. lie soon began 
 farming on his own account, and being energetic 
 and industrious, soon accumulated a handsome 
 property, which he placed under the very best 
 methods of improvement and resided upon until 
 February, 1892. That year he moved his family 
 to Havana, where he purchased a pleasant resi- 
 dence and is preparing to spend the remainder of 
 his life in peace and quiet. He still owns his estate 
 however, which comprises two hundred and sixty- 
 eight acres located on section 36, Forest City 
 Township, which he developed into one of the 
 choicest farms in this section. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Albert and Adelaide 
 (Bloomer) Ellerbusch, were natives of Germany, 
 where they spent their entire lives, the father dy- 
 ing in 1848 and the mother in 1866. Our subject 
 was married in the year 1865 to Miss Barbara, 
 daughter of Diebold Fuller, a native of Baden, 
 Germany. Mrs. pjllerbusch was also a native of 
 that place and was brought to America by her par- 
 ents when quite young. Since her union with our 
 subject she has had born to her four sons and three 
 daughters, of whom Henry is located in this coun- 
 ty, where he is engaged in farming; George is liv- 
 ing on the home place; Elizabeth is the wife of 
 Prof. August Brandt and resides in Havana; 
 Adelaide is at home with her parents; Louisa is 
 the wife of John Eudenheir, living in Havana, 
 and Frank and Harry are at home and attending 
 the city schools. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ellerbusch are active and eflicient 
 members of the Lutheran Church, and are highly 
 esteemed b}' those who know them for their con- 
 sistent and useful lives. In 1873 our subject was 
 instrumental in the building of the Forest City 
 church and parsonage. He is also a member of the 
 Building Committee for the erection of the new 
 Lutheran Church in Havana, which is to "be a fine 
 brick structure and will cost when completed 
 $9,000. He is a representative Democrat in poli- 
 tics, has taken an active part in local affairs, and in 
 the spring of 1893 was elected Alderman of the 
 Second Ward. With his family he is now occu- 
 pying a large and handsome residence, located in 
 the southern part of Havana, which is finished
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD. 
 
 507 
 
 and furnished in a most elegant manner. Mr. 
 Ellcrbuscli was skillful in bis calling as an agri- 
 culturist, and by well directed and incessant labor 
 accumulated a handsome fortune, and by invest- 
 ing his means in a suitable manner reaps an excel- 
 lent income. He is a man of steady habits, is a 
 kind and helpful neighbor, and is in everyway to 
 be relied upon. 
 
 OBERT PRATT. There are few men of the 
 present day more worthy of honorable 
 mention, or whose history affords a better 
 !example of what may be accomplished by 
 perseverance and strict integrity, than the subject 
 of this sketch. He is now one of the prominent 
 farmers of Ilittle Township, Tazewell County, and 
 has a fine estate of six hundred acres. 
 
 Born May 2, 1832, in Wheeling, W. Va., our 
 subject is the son of Robert and Mary (Harvey) 
 Pratt, the former of whom was born in Dorset- 
 shire, England, about 1781. He was there reared 
 to manhood and commenced in early life to work 
 at the cooper's trade. Mr. Pratt was married in 
 his native place to Miss Harvey, whose father was 
 a sea captain; he lost his life in the English Chan- 
 nel. After the birth of their first child the parents 
 emigrated to the United States, and resided for a 
 short time in Philadelphia. From that city they 
 went to Pittsburg, and later to Wheeling, W. Va., 
 .where the father was engaged in keeping a store 
 for several years. 
 
 When our subject was three years of age the 
 elder Mr. and Mrs. Pratt removed to Zanesville, 
 Ohio, where the former purchased a farm and 
 turned his attention to its cultivation until about 
 1852, when he disposed of this property and with 
 his wife returned to England on a visit. After 
 coming again to the United States they traveled 
 back to Ohio and began farming on a small tract 
 of land near Delaware. Later they made their way 
 to Tazewell County and became property owners; 
 they lived in Delavan until their death, the father 
 dying a year after his removal here, and the 
 mother survived him until ?vbout ten years ago. 
 
 They were both members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, and in politics Robert Pratt, Sr., was 
 a Whig. 
 
 Our subject was one in a family of six children 
 comprised in the parental family, who grew to ma- 
 ture years. Jane, Henry and Harvey arc now de- 
 ceased, and the remainder of the family are, Mar- 
 tha, Mne. Richard Sunderland; Mary, now Mrs. 
 Samuel Sunderland, and tour subject. Robert came 
 west in 1852, when attaining his majority, and be- 
 gan working by the month in this county on farms. 
 He was thus employed for several years, when he 
 was enabled to purchase eighty acres of land in 
 Delavan Township, on which he moved with his 
 bride, to whom he was married in 1854. She bore 
 the name of Miss Lovina, daughter of Elias and 
 Polly P. Ogden, and by her union with Mr. Pratt 
 has become the mother of eight children, viz.: 
 Mary, Eliza, Austin, Frank, Irene, Harry, Robert, 
 Jr., and Edward. 
 
 Mr. Pratt sold his land in Delavan Township in 
 1871, and in March of that year, came to his pres- 
 ent location, purchasing at the time three hundred 
 and thirty-six and one-half acres of partly im- 
 proved land. lie has been more than ordinarily 
 successful in his vocation of a farmer, and now 
 owns over six hundred acres, all in Ilittle Town- 
 ship, which is in a perfect state of cultivation. He 
 has a beautiful home, and the dwelling on the es- 
 tate is one of the finest in the township. In poli- 
 tics he votes the Republican ticket, and is always 
 found ready to aid in any means for the upbuild- 
 ing of the community. 
 
 feT" 
 
 D. TERRELL. It is a well known fact 
 S that circumstances in life make or mar the 
 ' -5 prospects of a man to a certain extent, but 
 a determined spirit will bend even the force of 
 circumstances to its will. The career of Mr. Ter- 
 rell since his arrival on the stage of human action 
 is abundant proof of this trite saying: That which 
 is better than silver and gold, a good name, adds 
 luster ill adverse circumstances, and the sterling
 
 508 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 qualities of character arc strengthened in the 
 combats of life. 
 
 Our subject is the present clerk of Mason 
 County, to which position he was elected in the 
 fall of 1890 on the Democratic ticket for a term 
 of four years. He was born in Somerset County, 
 N. J., in 1836, and is the son of Squire Terrell, 
 also a native of that state, where he liyed and 
 died. His mother prior to her marriage was Re- 
 becca Kirkpatriek; she was also a native of the 
 above place and of Scotch ancestry. 
 
 E. I). Terrell, of this sketch, prosecuted his 
 studies in the common schools near his home, and 
 when reaching his majority determined to try his 
 fortune in this then western country. In 1856 he 
 came to Illinois and located in this county, where 
 he purchased a tract of land and was actively en- 
 gaged in farming for about fifteen years. In 
 1873 he removed to Easton and opened a store, 
 where he was engaged in the sale of general 
 merchandise for about twenty years; he disposed 
 of it in 1893. 
 
 As above stated, our subject was elected clerk of 
 the county in 1890, which position he is still ably 
 filling. Socially he is a member of Havana Lodge 
 No. 88, A. F. & A. M., belongs to Chapter No. 86 
 R. A. M., Damascus Commandery No. 42, K. T., 
 and Mohammed Temple No. 55, Ancient Arabic 
 Order of the Mystic Shrine Oasis of Peoria. A 
 reliable, steady-going citizen and an able official, 
 he is looked upon with due respect and has 
 many friends in the county. 
 
 1CHAEL HILD, who resides on section 
 10, Sand Prairie Township, Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, is one of the prominent farmers of 
 that section, and is widely known through- 
 out the county. He well deserves representation 
 in this volume, and it is with pleasure that we 
 present to our readers this record of his life. He 
 was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Septem- 
 ber 10, 1848, and is the son of George Ilild, 
 whose birth occurred in that country in October, 
 1799. 
 The father of our subject was a farmer in Ger- 
 
 many and was married in 1835 to Miss Anna 
 Margaret Schaffer, when they commenced house- 
 keeping on property of their own in the Father- 
 land. In the spring of 1852 they decided to try 
 their fortune in the New World, and after land- 
 ing on our shores stopped for a time in Roches- 
 ter, N. Y. Finally they came to Pekin, where 
 Mr. Ilild rented land and was engaged in farm 
 pursuits until his decease in 1883. His good wife 
 survived him three years when she, too, passed 
 away. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. George Ilild there was born 
 a family of six children, of whom our subject was 
 the youngest but one. His brothers and sisters 
 were, George, Jr., whose decease occurred in Sand 
 Prairie Township in 1890; Philip, who makes his 
 home in the above place; Elizabeth, who died 
 when in her thirty -seventh year; Adam, who is 
 now residing in Cass County, Neb.; and Lottie, 
 'V.tto departed this life when in her third year. 
 George, .was., married in 1869 to Miss Margaret 
 Feyrblph, a native of Germany, and they made 
 their home in Sand Prairie Township until his de- 
 cease. Mrs. Ilild is now living in Dillon with a 
 sister. Philip married Catherine Feyrolph and 
 has five children. Elizabeth was the wife of Fer- 
 dinand Hoffman, and died in 1879. Adam mar- 
 ried Catherine Reg. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was a little over two 
 years of age when his parents emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, and when old enough he worked on his fa- 
 ther's farm until ready to establish a home of his 
 own. He was married April 28, 1871, to Miss 
 Catherine Heisel, a native of this county, wlu'le 
 her parents, John and Margaret (Swiu) Heisel, 
 were born in Germany. The latter came to Amer- 
 ica in 1850, and located in this county, where 
 they spent the rest of their lives. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ilild have been born 
 the following children: John William, who was 
 born December 19, 1874; Louisa, July 29, 1876; 
 Leonard, October 6, 1877; Catherine, December 
 1, 1880; Philip, March 29, 1883; Clara, July 7, 
 1886; and Henry, September 13, 1890. The par- 
 ents are members in good standing of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church, and two of their children 
 have been confirmed. In politics Mr. Ilild is. a .
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 of m 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of
 
 D. B. MEEKER.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 511 
 
 Democrat, and has served for three terms as School 
 Director. He has every reason to be proud of the 
 way he has worked himself up from the foot of 
 the ladder, but is not in the least boastful of the 
 way lie has conquered "Dame Fortune;" on the 
 other hand is rather modest and unobtrusive. 
 
 nity. 
 state 
 
 B. MEEKER, who now follows farming 
 in Defavan Township, Tazewell County, 
 is one of the worthy citizens that New 
 Jersey has furnished to this commu- 
 He was born in Nevyark, Essex County, that 
 August 19, 1819. The progenitors of the 
 Meeker family came from Wales to America in the 
 early part of the seventeenth century. The first 
 of whom we have record in America is William 
 Meeker, who removed from New Haven, Conn., to 
 New Jersey and located in Elizabethtown before 
 Vranford and Milford Colony settled in"Ourtowne 
 upon the Passaick." 
 
 The paternal mansion of the family was built 
 by Williain Meeker between 1665 and 1670, and 
 still stands on the main road of Lyon Farm, being 
 now occupied by Williain Grummon, whose mother, 
 Phoebe (Meeker) Grummon, was the lastof thesur- 
 vivors of the direct line of Meekers to occupy it. 
 She died in the fall of 1890, at the age of ninety- 
 two. From the time the house was built down to 
 the present there has never been a deed made to it 
 and it has never passed out of the possession of 
 the family. It was erected before any one was 
 vested with power to grant land in New Jersey, 
 and it has been handed down from generation to 
 generation by will or gift. 
 
 The original proprietor left it to his son Benja- 
 min, who had three sons, Jonathan, Isaac and 
 David. The second inherited the property and had 
 two sons, William and Jonah. The latter occu- 
 pied the home during the Revolutionary War, and 
 was a scout and dispatch courier for the Continen- 
 tal army. When the British occupied Elizabeth- 
 town, lie was compelled at times to entertain par- 
 lies of English ollicers at the old home on Lyon 
 Farm, and on one occasion of this kind he slipped 
 
 out of the house for the purpose of getting some 
 neighbors to aid him in the capture of the En- 
 glish, but during his absence an old negress told 
 the officers of Mr. Meeker's intention and they 
 made their escape. It is said that Timothy Meeker, 
 a brother of Jonah, went into battle at Springfield 
 with his ten sons and four grandsons. 
 
 Benjamin Meeker, son of Jonah, and the father 
 of our subject, was a soldier of the War of 1812. 
 Emigrating westward, he spent his last days in 
 Tazewell Count}', dying near Delavan in 1857. 
 He had six sons and a daughter, but only one 
 brother of our subject reached mature years, Moses 
 R., who died in Pckin, 111., about 1890. The sis- 
 ter, Maria, was born May 19, 1812, and was married 
 September 19, 1833, to Amzi Ball, who was born 
 near South Orange, N. J., November 15, 1806. 
 His father, Joseph Ball, was the fourth in descent 
 from the Scottish ancestors who founded the fam- 
 ily in America. Amzi Ball is now deceased but 
 his widow is living with her son, A. W. Ball, of 
 Delavan Township, and her eighty-two years rest 
 lightly upon her. 
 
 We now take up the personal history of D. B. 
 Meeker, who at the early age of eleven years 
 started out in life for himself. He worked as a 
 farm hand until sixteen years of age, after which 
 he followed carpentering until 1857. In that year 
 he determined to seek a home in the west, hoping 
 thereby to benefit his financial condition, and came 
 to Tazewell County, 111. He has since lived upon 
 his farm in Delavan Township. 
 
 In New Jersey Mr. Meeker married Eliza, 
 daughter of John Baldwin, a native of New Jer- 
 sey and an uncle of W. R. Baldwin, the Delavan 
 banker: In 1857 he came to Tazewell County, 
 made judicious investments in real estate and ac- 
 quired a handsome property, which he left to his 
 children. His death occurred in May, 1887. Mrs. 
 Meeker died December 2, 1889. In the family 
 were ten children, six of whom are yet living: 
 Eliza, wife of Benjamin Edes; Charles, who fol- 
 lows farming; Catherine, wife of Albert Rhodes; 
 Edward, Harry and Frank. All of the children 
 own farms upon the same road where Mr. Meeker 
 resides. Frank married Libby, daughter of Sam- 
 uel Sunderlin, an old soldier, and they have one
 
 512 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 child, Daniel Sunderlin Meeker, born in June, 
 1893. Harry married a daughter of John Culbert- 
 son, editor of the Daily Advertiser. 
 
 Mr. Meeker now makes his home with his son 
 Frank. Me has been a member of the Odd F'el- 
 lows fraternity for more than half a century, and 
 in politics is a supporter of the Republican party. 
 His life has been well spent, his career has been 
 an honor.ible and upright one, and throughout the 
 count}- he is held in high regard. 
 
 xp^ERHARD I1USMANN. This gentleman is 
 (|| c ; numbered among the practical and suceess- 
 ^^(J! ful businessmen of Natrona, Allen's Grove 
 Township, Allison County. Here he embarked in 
 the mercantile and poultry business in 1891, and 
 although lie began with small capital he has met 
 with Haltering success. As his trade increased lie 
 enlarged his stock, until lie now carries a full as- 
 sortment of general merchandise valued at $5,000. 
 His business house is 25x70 feet in dimensions, 
 with a shed 14x50 feet, and is filled with a varied 
 assortment of goods, such as are usually found in 
 a first-class general store. He conducts a busi- 
 ness mounting to about $20,000 per annum. 
 
 Born February 25, 1859. our subject is a native 
 of Hanover, Germany, in which province were 
 born his parents, D. A. and Fokje (Loop) Husmann. 
 There were twelve children in the family, eleven 
 of whom are yet living, as follows: John D., Ger- 
 hard, Margaret, Fredericka, Maria, Dietrich, Henry, 
 Jacob A., Theresa, Reinhard and Alide. By a 
 former marriage there was one child, Taalke. The 
 parents and eight children are still residents of 
 Hanover, Germany, while the four children who 
 came to the United States are residents of Illinois. 
 April 6, 1887, Mr. Husmann was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Catherine Hesse, who was born in 
 Stedtdorf, Hanover, May 5, 1860. She is one of 
 four children, Catherine, Heinrich, Maria .and 
 Dora, born to the union of Heinrich and Margaret 
 (Yen Ohlan) Hesse, both of whom died in Germany. 
 Mrs. Husmann came alone to the United States in 
 1884 and settled in Natrona, where she has since 
 
 made her home. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Hus- 
 mann has resulted in the birth of four children, as 
 follows: Albert Heinrich, Margaret Fokje, Fred- 
 erick John and Henry Cornelius. These children 
 will be given good educations in German and 
 English, and will be trained in the religious faith 
 of the parents. 
 
 In "politics a stanch Democrat, Mr. Husmann has 
 filled the office of Town Clerk and was a member 
 of the Board of Aldermen in Mason City for two 
 years. He also served on the Township Commit- 
 tee. Of the success which he has attained he is 
 in the highest degree worthy. Coming to the 
 United States in 1883, he began as a clerk in a 
 business house in Mason City, but being a young 
 man of enterprise and energy it was nol long be- 
 fore he had saved a sufficient amount to permit 
 him to embark in business for himself. During an 
 honorable career as a sagacious business man he 
 has attained financial prosperity and has displayed 
 in a good degree those solid traits of character 
 that are needful in securing success in an}' calling. 
 In his dealings with others, whether in a business 
 or social way, he has ever shown himself to be a 
 man of truth, honor and the utmost probity. He 
 and his wife are numbered among the best people 
 of the county and occupy an enviable place in so- 
 ciety, both religious and social. 
 
 ETER SPECKMAN, an agriculturist of Ha- 
 vana Township, Mason County, now living 
 on section 23, was born on a farm in this 
 locality, March 14, 1838, and is therefore an 
 honored pioneer. His father, Frederick Speckman, 
 was born in the province of Oldenburg, German}', 
 January 6, 1810, and married Anna Maria Ncteler, 
 who was born in Hanover May 4, 1808, and was 
 a daughter of John Neteler, who on the 14th of 
 February, 1837, landed at New Orleans, and on the 
 5th of April became a resident of Mason County. 
 The father of our subject located here in 1835, 
 atter several years spent in New Orleans. He had 
 to split rails for a fence, break the land for a farm, 
 and built his house of logs. There were only six
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 513 
 
 buildings in Havana at that time. Mr. Speckman 
 secured eighty acres of land, but afterwards ac- 
 cumulated three hundred and twenty acres, and in 
 course of time he replaced his cabin home by a 
 commodious frame residence. His death occurred 
 November 27, 1854, and his wife passed away 
 August 22, 1875. They had three sons and two 
 daughters, of whom Peter, William and H. F. are 
 now living. The parents were members of the 
 Lutheran Church, and Mr. Speckman affiliated 
 with the Democratic party. His wife was a lady 
 of excellent business ability and after the death 
 of her husband ably cared for her family. 
 
 The only school privileges which Peter Speck- 
 man received were those afforded in a log school- 
 house witli slab seats and puncheon floor, but the 
 mother, who was well educated, used to teach her 
 children in the evenings, reading aloud to them in 
 German. The sons were of much assistance to her 
 in the farm work, and all remained at home with 
 the mother until they married. Our subject was 
 married October 3, 1865, the lad}- of his choice being 
 Eliza Jane, daughter of Garrett Armeling, a native 
 of Hanover, Germany, who came to America in 
 1845 and located in Mason County, where he and 
 his wife spent their last days. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Speckman began their domestic 
 life upon the farm which has since been their home. 
 They now have a fine place, upon which is a pleas- 
 ant residence, which was erected at a cost of $3,000. 
 The farm comprises five hundred and fifty-five 
 acres of valuable land, of which three hundred and 
 fifty acres are under a high state of cultivation and 
 yield to the owner a golden tribute in return for 
 the care and cultivation he bestows upon them. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Speckman were born nine 
 children, but four died in infancy, and Anna 
 Maria, who was born October 2, 1867, died April 
 23, 1889, just before her graduation from the 
 Havana High School. She was considered one of 
 the best scholars in her class. Those living are 
 Amelia, wife of William Ilahn, of Havana Town- 
 ship; Frederick W.; Eda and Alia. 
 
 During his entire residence here, Mr. Speckman 
 has served as School Director, and has done effec- 
 tive service in the interest of education. In poli- 
 tics he is a Republican, but is not strongly partisan. 
 
 He is now serving as Road Commissioner, to which 
 office lie was elected by a majority of one hundred 
 and seventy. He is a broad and liberal-minded 
 man, possessed of progressive ideas, and his well 
 spent life ha,s won him universal confidence and 
 esteem. 
 
 OHN H. MATHERS. The record of the life 
 of this gentleman affords a striking illustra- 
 1 tion of the results of force and decision of 
 purpose, as well as of the power which an 
 honorable and energetic character exercises upon 
 the lives of others. Possessing versatile talents, 
 he has been successful in every enterprise with 
 which his name has been connected. For many 
 years he carried on a large and valuable farm, but 
 retiring from agricultural pursuits in 1893, he ac- 
 cepted the responsible position of President of the 
 First National Bank of Mason City, which he still 
 holds. 
 
 Referring to the ancestry of our subject, we find 
 that his grandfather, John Mathers, was born in 
 Ireland, and emigrating from the Emerald Isle to 
 America became a pioneer of Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 where he followed his trade of a blacksmith. Near 
 the city of Cincinnati, David, our subject's father, 
 was born and reared. There he engaged in farm- 
 ing throughout his entire active life, meeting with 
 fair success in his chosen occupation. While not 
 a politician in the usual sense of the word, he was 
 loyal to the Democratic party and always ready 
 and able to give a reason for his preference to that 
 organization. 
 
 The marriage of David Mathers united him with 
 Margaret Williams, a native of New York, who ac- 
 companied her parents to Ohio in girlhood. Her 
 father, Miles Williams, who was born in New 
 Jersey, was a man of patriotic impulses and served 
 with valor in the War of the Revolution, being a 
 soldier under General Washington. In political 
 opinion he was a Jeffersonian Democrat and was a 
 man of prominence in his community. David 
 Mathers died in Ohio in 1848, in the prime of his 
 useful and honorable life. His widow survived 
 his demise for many years, and coming to Illinois,
 
 514 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 resided in Mason County until her death in 1875. 
 In Miami County, Ohio, John II. Mathers was 
 born April 23, 1827. In his youth lie was the re- 
 cipientof ordinary educational advantages, though 
 his time was employed principally in aiding in the 
 farm work. At the age of eighteen years he com- 
 menced to learn the trade of a blacksmith, hut 
 followed that occupation one year only, and was 
 afterward engaged at different kinds of work. Be- 
 lieving that the great and growing west offered an 
 opportunity for gaining independence which the 
 east did not present, he came to Illinois in 1851, 
 and in March, 1853, settled in Mason County. 
 Here he purchased land upon which he engaged 
 in the raising of stock and grain for many years. 
 His property interests are still extensive and valu- 
 able, including considerable farming land as well ns 
 city real estate. 
 
 In December, 1852, Mr. Mathers married Miss 
 Eli/.abeth Caven, a native of Ohio. This lady died 
 in 1865, after having become the mother of seven 
 children. Five of the number are now living: Eu'- ; 
 gene, Artensa, .John, Lucy and George. The pres- 
 ent wife of Mr. Mathers, witli whom he was united 
 in 1866, bore the maiden name of Martha J. Say- 
 ers and was born in Ohio. The family of which 
 she is a member 1ms long resided in America, and 
 during the War of the Revolution her grand father, 
 Thomas Sayers, was one of the gallant soldiers who 
 fought untiringly and amidst the most trying and 
 perilous surrounding for the freedom of the Colo- 
 nies. The father of Mrs. Mathers was Samuel 
 Sayers, who was born in Ohio, and there passed 
 away May 29, 1877. Her mother, Jane (Sims) 
 Sayers, was born in the Old Dominion and died in 
 Miami County, Ohio, in 1866. By his present 
 wife Mr. Mathers has one child, Eflie A., now the 
 wife of Paul Enlow, of Mason City. 
 
 As a citizen Mr. Mathers deserves the high es- 
 teem in which he is held. With sound under- 
 standing developed by intelligent reading and 
 careful observation, a stable character and indus- 
 trious habits, he is an influence for good in Mason 
 City, with whose financial and business interests he 
 is closely connected. He and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the Presbyterian Church. A citizen of 
 progressive and public spirit, he has always evinced 
 
 a deep interest in the welfare of Mason City and 
 County and has been connected, either directly or 
 indirectly, with the foremost enterprises for the ad- 
 vancement of the material welfare of the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 ORACE M. YOUNG. In enumerating the 
 successful agriculturists of Tazewell 
 County, mention should be made of Mr. 
 Young, who owns and operates a valuable 
 farm on section 20, Malone Township. He is a 
 native of Ohio and was born in Medina County, 
 May 3, 1834. His parents were Ulysses and Mary 
 (Swan) Young, the forme' 1 born in Ilaverhill, N. 
 H., March 27, 1796, and the latter in Berlin, Vt., 
 March 16, 1797. The mother was a daughter of 
 Joshua and Martha (Collins) Swan, who were 
 married March 10, 1788; Mr. Swan was born Feb- 
 ruary 2, 1767, and died at Sharon, Vt., June 15, 
 1847, while his wife was born in 1766 and died in 
 September, 1859. They were the parents of ten 
 children. 
 
 Accompanied by his family Ulysses Young mi- 
 grated to Ohio in 1831, eleven years after his mar- 
 riage, and settled in Miami County, where he pur- 
 chased land. After erecting a house for his family 
 he commenced the arduous task of improving the 
 farm upon which he continued to make his home 
 until liis death August 30, 1864, in the town of 
 Granger. His wife died there October 26, 1858. 
 They were the parents of twelve children. Dor- 
 man L. was born June 15, 1822, and died July 16, 
 1852, while en route to California. Helen M. was 
 born November 1, 1823. Eliza Swan, who was 
 born April 18, 1825, was accidentally killed, May 
 13, 1844, by an old oak tree falling on her. Otis 
 S. was born January 7, 1827. Adam V. was born 
 May 31, 1829. Andrew J., whose birth occurred 
 February 25, 1830, died September 15, 1879, in 
 Kansas. Sally A. was born March 4, 1832; Horace 
 M., May 3, 1834; Laura J. and Maria F., May 15, 
 1836; Hiram N., June 16,1838; and Homer N., 
 July 18, 1841. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, Benja- 
 min Young, was born February 28, 1771; and was
 
 LIBRARY 
 OMHt 
 UNIVERSITY OF
 
 R. N. BARGER, M. D.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 517 
 
 drowned at Haverhill, N. H., July 23, 1811. His 
 wife, Chloe Swan, whom he married in 1794, was 
 born January 12, 1 785, and died at Haverhill, Sep- 
 tember 16, 1848. Grandfather Young was a far- 
 mer and spent his life in that occupation. For 
 some time the father of our subject resided in 
 Canada, making his home near Montreal. He was 
 a private in the War of 1812 and served until the 
 close of the conflict. After removing to Ohio, he 
 cultivated a large farm and was one of the leading 
 agriculturists of Miami County. 
 
 After securing a common school education, our 
 subject devoted his attention to farm work. At 
 Pekin, 111., July 4, 1862, he married Fannie G. 
 Coriell, and they have had two children, Myron 
 L., born March 16, 1867, and Lucy G., born Janu- 
 ary 29, 1879, who died in infancy. Myron L. 
 married Linnie Griffin, January 1, 1889, and they 
 had two children, Byron Leslie, born January 
 2, 1889, and Howard A., born September 1, 1891; 
 he lived at his father's home until he died, Janu- 
 ary 20, 1893, and his widow and children still re- 
 main here. 
 
 Removing to Medina County, Ohio, after his 
 marriage, Mr. Young spent one year there and then 
 -came to Mason County, 111., where he operated as 
 a renter for four years. He then purchased the 
 farm on section 20, Malone Township, where he 
 now lives. In politics he is a Republican and has 
 held many of the township offices, in all of which 
 he has rendered efficient service. The parents of 
 Mrs. Young, John and Elizabeth (Bush) Coriell, 
 were natives of New Jersey, born in Somerset 
 County. lie followed the trade of a hatter in 
 Plainfield until 1855, when lie came to Illinois and 
 settled upon a farm in Tazewell County. There 
 he died in 1863. His widow continued to reside 
 there until 1883, when she moved to Green Val- 
 ley and two years later, went to Normal, 111., 
 where sl'ie now lives. 
 
 Mrs. Young is the eldest of nine children and 
 was born in Somerset County, N. J., June 23, 1843. 
 Of her brothers and sisters we note the following: 
 Richard, who was born October 8, 1845, is a far- 
 mer of Sand Prairie Township; he married Kmma 
 McGee, and they had five children. Archibald, 
 who was born August 10, 1847, is a farmer living 
 
 in Green Valley; he and his wife, whose maiden 
 name was Hettie Briggs, have three children. 
 George was born August 20, 1849, and is now en- 
 gaged in farming in Sand Prairie Township; he 
 married Julia Briggs, and they have one son, 
 Walter. Isaiah, whose birth occurred August 2, 
 1851, is a farmer of Malone Township; he chose 
 as his wife Rilla Worstall, and they have two sons 
 and two daughters. Anna was born September 14, 
 1855, and married Charles Nichols, a farmer of 
 Malone Township, their union resulting in the 
 birth of three children. Harry was born January 
 12, 1857, and died January 20, 1858. William, 
 born January 11. 1859, and now a resident of 
 Pekin, is a school teacher by profession; he mar- 
 ried Emma Magness and they have one son. Ada, 
 who was born December 25, 1861, lives with her 
 mother and teaches school. 
 
 OBERT N. BARGER, M. D.,who is numbered 
 among the leading residents of Hopedale, 
 was born in Pulaski, Hancock County, this 
 state, March 19, 1845, and is the son of 
 the Rev. John S. Barger, a native of Virginia 
 and a pioneer minister of the Methodist faith 
 in this state. He was engaged in preaching the 
 Gospel here for more than a half-centur3', and 
 during thirty years of this time was Presiding 
 Elder. lie departed this life in 1876, when in his 
 seven ty-fifth year. 
 
 James H. Barger, the eldest brother of our sub- 
 ject, was the first graduate of the Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity at Bloomington, where he fitted himself to 
 become a minister. For some time he was Presid- 
 ing Elder of the Quincy district. His death re- 
 sulted from the accidental discharge of a gun. 
 Another member of the family, John Barger, is a 
 dentist.in Sedalia, Mo.; William M. is engaged in 
 the real-estate business in Iowa, and Richard W. is 
 attorney for a prominent insurance company in 
 Chicago. 
 
 Our subject received his literary education at 
 Illinois College in Jacksonville, and after prepar- 
 ing himself to take a course of medical lectures he 
 became a student at Rush Medical College of Chi- 
 cago, from which institution he was graduated
 
 518 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 with the Class of '68. He immediately commenced 
 the practice of his profession at Minier, Tazewell 
 County, and in 1871 came to Hopedale, where his 
 professional lalwrs and good judgment have been 
 rewarded by the acquisition of a good property. 
 
 The Doctor has of late years devoted considera- 
 ble attention to numerous inventions and has de- 
 veloped quite a genius in this line. Some time 
 ago, while confined to his home by sickness, he 
 studied out an invention which is likely in the 
 near future to bring him fame, if not fortune. It 
 is a combination folding bed, billiard table and 
 sofa, which remarkable piece of ingenuity it is 
 expected will come into general use as soon as 
 placed upon the market. Several have already been 
 sold in Chicago, and the Doctor is now preparing 
 to manufacture his invention at his factory in 
 Ilopedale, together with other articles which he 
 lias patented. Among the latter may be men- 
 tioned the combination billiard cue and chalk 
 holder, also an article of furniture for a doctor's 
 office, a combined operating table, settee, etc. 
 
 In 1870 Dr. Barger married Miss Martha S. Poe, 
 who departed this life February 22, 1891. His 
 present wife, whom he married June 1, 1893, was 
 Miss Allie .1. Petty. The Doctor served for three 
 years as a soldier in the Civil War, enlisting as a 
 private in Company I, Seventy-third Illinois Infan- 
 try, and being on duty the greater part of the time 
 as Hospital Steward. He is now prominently con- 
 nected with the Grand Army post, and in social 
 affairs is an influential Mason. In his political 
 preference he is a Democrat, ever loyal to party 
 principles. His professional life has been a busy 
 one, and as one of the public-spirited men of the 
 place he is active in the support of all enterprises 
 tending toward the improvement and develop- 
 ment of the county. 
 
 )!nP REDERICK STARX ' proprietor of the City 
 Irw Ro ^ er M'" s of Delavan, was born in Win- 
 Til terberg, Germany, May 23, 1838. He is 
 the son of George Starz, the occupant and opera- 
 tor of a small farm in the Old County, who emi- 
 
 grated to the United States in 1859 and died in 
 Illinois three years later. The mother, who was 
 born in 1816, still survives. Frederick remained 
 in the land of his birth until 1856, when he crossed 
 the Atlantic, seeking a home and fortune in the 
 New World. In boyhood he had developed a taste 
 for mechanical work, for which he has considera- 
 ble native ability. 
 
 At the time of coming to the United States Mr. 
 Starz had no means. He made his way as far 
 west as Cleveland, where he secured employment 
 in a wood-turning furniture shop, remaining thus 
 engaged for three years. He then came to Mason 
 County, III., where he engaged in farming for 
 three years. When corn became so low in price 
 that it was sold for fourteen cents per bushel, he 
 made up his mind that agriculture was not his 
 forte and abandoned the occupation. Going to 
 Pekin, he secured a position in the car shops, 
 where for three years he had charge of the wood- 
 working machine. Later, he had full charge of 
 all the machinery in the T. & H. .Smith Co.'s Shops. 
 
 In 1868, Mr. Starz came to Delavan, and in 
 company with A. Stubbs and Fred Lehman, under 
 the firm title of Starz, Stubbs & Lehman, built the 
 mill that he has continued to operate ever since. 
 He has kept pace with all the improvements in 
 the milling business and now has a full roller pro- 
 cess mill, with a capacity of one hundred barrels 
 per day. The flour manufactured is of a superior 
 quality and is shipped principally to England, Ire- 
 land and Scotland, although large quantities are 
 sold in this country. The mill is conceded to be 
 one of the best in this section of the state and its 
 enviable reputation is the result of the exertions 
 of Mr. Starz. 
 
 The lady who in the fall of 1859 became the wife 
 of Mr. Starz was formerly Miss Magdalena Lux, 
 and was born in New ^ork State. Their oldest 
 son, Frank B., who is interested in the nlill, mar- 
 ried Miss Alice, daughter of A. Stubbs, his father's 
 former partner and now the proprietor of the 
 Young America Mills of Delavan. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Frank Starz have two children, Leila and Bessie. 
 He is one of the leading young business men of 
 this city, is at present serving as a member of the 
 City Council and belongs to the Knight Templar
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 519 
 
 Masons. In religious belief he is a Presbyterian. 
 W. Frederick, the second son of our subject, 
 married Miss Lulu Briggs, and they reside at Mt. 
 Pulaski, where he is in the milling business. 
 Emma, the oldest daughter, married Fred Grau, a 
 tailor of Howling Green, Mo. George A. chose as 
 his wife Miss Laura, daughter of Hon. Richard 
 Holmes. Fannie is the wife of Charles Ruplc, a 
 miller living in Mt. Pulaski. Charles is a clerk 
 in a drug store at Delavan. The youngest mem- 
 ber of the family circle is Etura, a student in the 
 public schools. The father is a member of the 
 Methodist Church, in which he is serving as Trus- 
 tee. Socially he is identified with the Knights of 
 Honor and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 | ACOB PRETTYMAN, proprietor of a large 
 grocery house in Havana, has met with 
 success in worldly affairs and ranks high 
 in commercial circles. Being an old set- 
 tler in this county he is well known, and that he is 
 highly respected it needs but a mention of his 
 name to prove. Fortune having smiled upon his 
 efforts, he is numbered among the well-to-do citi- 
 zens of the place, has a good business and owns a 
 substantial residence, where he and his family 
 enjoy all the comforts that heart can desiie. 
 
 Isaac and Mary (Jones) Prettyman, the parents 
 of our subject, were born respectively in Dela- 
 ware and Philadelphia, Pa. The son, Jacob, had 
 his birth March 23, 1824, in Salem, N. J., and was 
 the son of Isaac Prett3'man, a native of Delaware, 
 who in turn was a son of Perry Prettyman, who 
 fought as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and 
 also was a patriot in the War of 1812, in which 
 conflict he served under General Green. The 
 ancestors of our subject, on his father's side, were 
 French Huguenots, who went to Wales, whence 
 two brothers, Isaac and Nehemiah, came to Amer- 
 ica and located in Delaware. The father of our 
 subject departed this life in that state in 1838. 
 He was a sea-faring man and served in the United 
 States navy as a sailor on the "Constitution," the 
 "Brandy wine" and the "John Adams." He was 
 
 noted among his crew for his daring and bravery, 
 and in politics was a pronounced Democrat. 
 
 The mother of our subject was the daughter of 
 John Jones, who was a ship carpenter in Philadel- 
 phia, in which city her birth occurred near the old 
 Swedish Church. The Joneses in America original- 
 ly came from Wales, the first -representative of the 
 family locating in the Quaker City many years 
 ago. Jacob Prettyman, of this sketch, was born in 
 Greenwich, Salem County, N. J., March 23, 1824. 
 There he spent his boyhood days receiving a com- 
 mon school education, and when fifteen years of 
 age learned the trade of a shoemaker, for which 
 knowledge he served an apprenticeship of six 
 year*. He worked as journej'inan shoemaker in 
 Philadelphia for about nine years. 
 
 In 1855-56-57, Mr. Prettyman was successively 
 elected Assessor of the South Ward in the city of 
 Camden, N. J., which position he resigned in the 
 fall of the last named year in order to cotne west, 
 at which time he located in Mason County, near 
 Havana, where he was engaged in general farming 
 for about six y ears. In March, 1864, he moved 
 into the city, where he was employed working at 
 his trade, and in April of that year was elected to 
 the position of Justice of the Peace, of which otlice 
 he was the incumbent for twenty-one years. Dur- 
 ing that time he was engaged in the manufact- 
 ure of boots and shoes, giving employment to six 
 or seven men. 
 
 In July, 1884, our subject embarked in the gro- 
 cery business, which he is conducting successfully 
 at the present time, carrying on an extensive trade, 
 and has one of the best stocked houses in that line 
 in the city. 
 
 October 27, 1844, Mr. Prettyman and Miss 
 Hannah A., daughter of Jesse P. Mullen, were 
 united in marriage. The lady was born in New 
 Jersey on April 22, 1825, and departed this life in 
 1881. Her grandfather (Bigger) fought under 
 General Washington during the Revolutionary 
 War and was of Irish ancestry. The children who 
 have been born to our subject and his wife are: 
 Jacob H., located at Lincoln, this state, was a sol- 
 dier during the late war, serving in Company K, 
 Eighty-fifth Illinois Infantry, which formed a part 
 of Sherman's army; George W., the second son, is
 
 520 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 engaged in shoemaking j n tliis city; William M. is 
 holding tlie responsible position of Police Magis- 
 trate of Havana; Isaac Perry is acting as clerk in 
 his father's store; Elwood N. is located at Red- 
 land, Cal.; Sylvester is living in Chicago; Charles 
 F. is also aiding his father in conducting the gro- 
 cerj 1 ; Edward and Henry are deceased; Ida Vir- 
 ginia is the wife of Charles W. Gossett, of Lone 
 View, Tex., and Leona, Mrs. Robert Harwood, 
 is also living in Dallas, that state. 
 
 The lady to whom Mr. Prettyman was married 
 in 1882 was Mrs. Ellen Phalen, daughter of John 
 Jones, a native of Utica, N. Y. By that union 
 there has been born one daughter, Nellie-, who is 
 now nine years of age. Our subject is a stalwart 
 among the Republicans of his section, and socially 
 is a member of Havana Lodge No. 88, F. & A. M. 
 and Mason Lodge No. 143, I. O. O. F. 
 
 m 
 
 1 AMES DEAN, a retired farmer now living 
 in Tremont, was born in Tremont Town- 
 ship, October 21, 1846, and is a representa- 
 tive of one of the early families of this 
 community. His parents were Joseph and Mary 
 (Brittnell) Dean. His father was born in Alfred- 
 shire, England, November 15, 1809, and with his 
 wife and three children crossed the Atlantic in 
 June, 1844. Coming to Illinois, he purchased a 
 farm in Tremont Township, Tazewell County, 
 upon which he spent his remaining days. He first 
 bought only eighty acres, but to this he added 
 from time to time until four hundred acres of val- 
 uable land paid to him a golden tribute in return 
 for the care and cultivation he bestowed upon it. 
 He was recognized as a successful farmer and en- 
 terprising man. In early life he was a supporter 
 of the Whig party, but in later years became an 
 earnest adherent of the Republican party. He 
 passed away January 15, 1887, at the age of sev- 
 enty-seven, and his wife was called to her final rest 
 April 15, 189.3, at the advanced age of eighty-four. 
 They were the parents of eight children, six of 
 whom are yet living: James; William, of Tremont 
 Township; Emma, wife of G. S. Higgins, of Iro- 
 
 quois County, III.; Anna, wife of W. D. S perry, of 
 Allentown Station; Kate; and Susan, wife of J. 
 N. Shanholtzer, of Manito, Mason County, 111. 
 
 In his boyhood James Dean attended the public 
 schools of Tremont, and completed the course in 
 the high school. Thus well educated he started 
 out in life for himself at the age of twenty-one 
 years. He turned his attention to farming, and 
 began the operation of the old homestead, one 
 mile from the village. From that time he success- 
 fully and continuously carried on agricultural 
 pursuits until 1892, when he came to Tremont, and 
 here lie has since lived. He now rents his farms, 
 which comprise three hundred and twenty acres 
 of rich land in Tremont Township, and he derives 
 a fine income therefrom. In August, 1893, he en- 
 tered into partnership with H. G. Woost, as deal- 
 ers in furniture, paints and wall paper. Recently 
 they have removed to a new building which was 
 erected especially for them, and which is one of 
 the finest business blocks in the town. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Dean has always been a stalwart 
 Republican, warmly advocating the principles of 
 the party. In 1889 he was elected Supervisor of 
 Tremont Township, and served in that position 
 for two years. He won his election by overcom- 
 ing a Democratic majority of fifty, and carrying 
 the township by a vote of fifty-three, which fact 
 indicates his personal popularity and the high re- 
 gard in which he is held. He has been for four 
 years, and is now, School Director of Tremont, 
 and during this time the new school building was 
 erected. He is ever alive to the best interests of 
 the community, and does all in his power for the 
 promotion of the general welfare. The cause of 
 temperance finds in him a warm advocate. So- 
 cially lie is connected with Tremont Lodge No. 
 320, I. O. O. F.,and also belongs to Pleasant Grove 
 Camp, M. W. A. 
 
 M. HART, one of the leading merchants of 
 I Minier, is engaged in business as a dealer 
 in furniture, hardware, groceries, boots and 
 slices. His stock occupies three storerooms 
 and he is enjoying a large and constantly increas- 
 ing trade. lie well deserves a liberal patronage as
 
 HARDWARE FURNI PURE 
 
 mm 
 
 m 
 
 
 BUSINESS PROPERTY OF J. M. HART & SON, MINIER, TAZEWELL CO., ILL. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF JAMES DEAN, SEC. 20, TREMONT TP., TAZEWELL CO., ILL. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF THOMAS HILL, SEC. 27, MANITO TP., MASON CO., ILL.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of IHt 
 
 UNIVERSin Of IUJMNS
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 523 
 
 the reward of his fair and honest dealings, cour- 
 teous treatment and earnest desire to please his 
 customers. 
 
 The life record of Mr. Hart is as follows: He 
 was born in Ashland County, Ohio, September 
 27, 1842, and is a son of John M. and Regina 
 (Cunningham) Hart, who were natives of Somer- 
 set County, Pa. The father was a shoemaker by 
 trade. In 1835 he emigrated to Ashland County, 
 Ohio, where he bought land and followed farm- 
 ing and shoemaking. About 1846 he removed to 
 Wyandot County, Ohio, where he engaged in 
 the same business until 1855. Until 1864 he lived 
 in Defiance County, Ohio, after which he spent 
 six months in Indiana, and in the spring of 1865 
 went to McLean County. 111. 
 
 Purchasing land in Lexington Township, John 
 M. Hart there engaged in farming until 1875, when 
 he came to Minier and embarked in the grocery 
 business. He is now living a retired life. In his 
 dealings he was quite successful and accumulated 
 a comfortable competence. He holds membership 
 with the Christian Church. His wife was called 
 to the home beyond February 6, 1884. In their 
 family were ten children, live of whom reached 
 mature years, while four are yet living. Solomon 
 followed farming in McLean County, and there 
 passed away; Samuel is an agriculturist of Hicks- 
 ville, Ohio; David follows the same pursuit in 
 Phelps County, Neb.; and Abraham, late of Nor- 
 mal, 111., died May 11, 1894. 
 
 Under the parental roof J. M. Hart was reared 
 to manhood. In 1862 he entered his country's 
 service as a member of Company II, Eighty-eighth 
 Indiana Infantry, and on his return from the war 
 engaged in teaching school. Later he followed 
 farming in McLean County. On the 14th of 
 October, 1867, he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Mary, daughter of John Walker, a farmer 
 and early settler of McLean County. Four chil- 
 dren have been born to them: Jessie, her twin 
 brother, John, who has charge of the grocery de- 
 partment of his father's store; and Joseph V., who 
 was graduated from the high school of Minier in 
 1894. 
 
 Mr. Hart followed farming in McLean County 
 until the spring of 1872, when he came to this 
 
 place and for a year engaged in the grocery busi- 
 ness. Later he dealt in hardware and furniture 
 in connection with Henry Lower, and on selling 
 out went to Chicago, where he purchased a new 
 stock of groceries, carrying on business along that 
 line for several years. His next venture was as 
 a lumber dealer, and while thus engaged he also 
 dealt in grain. After selling out his lumber yard, 
 he carried on business as a grain dealer and dealer 
 in hardware, furniture and farm implements for 
 a time, when he disposed of his store and l;e- 
 came one of the organizers of the Minier State 
 Bank, of which he was Cashier for fifteen months. 
 Since that time he has carried on a general store. 
 He occupies two large storerooms, one 70x48 
 feet, and the other 35x48 feet, and carries the 
 largest stock of goods of any store in the place. 
 He and his son John are conducting a grocery 
 and boot and shoe business in the same block 
 where he carries on his other establishment. They 
 have a large and profitable trade, and their store- 
 room, 24x46 feet in dimensions, is well stocked 
 with a complete assortment of groceries, staple 
 and fancy, together with boots and shoes. 
 
 .Socially, Mr. Mart is a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic and the Modern Wood- 
 men of America, and in politics he has always 
 been a Republican. He served as a member of 
 the Town Board, was a member of the Board of 
 Education for ten years, and has been Notary 
 Public for six years. He has frequently been a 
 delegate to the county conventions and is a mem- 
 ber of the Republican Central Committee. In re- 
 ligious belief he is an active member of the Chris- 
 tian Church, in which he now serves as Secretary 
 and Treasurer. At all times he has been identified 
 with those interests calculated to promote the 
 growth and development of the town. He was 
 instrumental in securing the water works in Minier, 
 and has been a prime mover in other leading en- 
 terprises which have done much for the upbuild- 
 ing and progress of this region. 
 
 >IIOMAS HILL. Twenty-six years ago the 
 subject of this sketch settled upon a tract 
 of partly improved land in Manito Town- 
 ship, Mason County, and here he has since resided.
 
 524 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 The farm, which lies on section 27, consists of two 
 hundred and eighty acres of highly cultivated land, 
 upon which may be noticed all the improvements of 
 a model estate. The residence was erected in 1883 
 at a cost of #1,500, while the barn, a substantial 
 structure, was built at a cost of $1,100. 
 
 The parents of our subject, John and Jane 
 (Nichols) Hill, were natives of Lincolnshire, Eng- 
 land, where the father engaged in farming until 
 his death in 1878. His wife passed away the 
 same year. They had three children who attained 
 mature years, but Thomas is now the only surviv- 
 ing member of the family. lie was born in Lin- 
 colnshire in September, 1825, and was reared to 
 mil n hood in the land of his birth, receiving a good 
 education in the common schools. In 1851 he 
 crossed the Atlantic, and landing in the United 
 States, proceeded direct to Knox County, 111., where 
 he was employed on a farm and in a brickyard. 
 After spending some time in Victoria and Abing- 
 don he went to Peoria and worked in a tavern for 
 several years. Later he bought a team and oper- 
 ated a farm near Princeville. 
 
 Coining to Mason County in 1860, Mr. Hill 
 rented a farm in Man i to Township, and then op- 
 erated as a renter in Egypt, this county, for a few 
 years. Afterward he bought live acres and a 
 house in Tazewell County, which he disposed of 
 in six months. On his return to Mason County 
 he resided for three years on the Alfs place and 
 then purchased the farm where he now resides and 
 upon which he is engaged in raising grain and 
 stock. An untiring worker and a persevering man, 
 he has gained success, not by luck, but through the 
 exercise of good judgment and sound common 
 sense. His time has been devoted entirely to his 
 farming pursuits and he is not actively interested 
 in politics, preferring to give his undivided atten- 
 tion to agriculture. 
 
 The lady who in March of 1862 became the wife 
 of Mr. Hill bore the maiden name of Nancy C. 
 Long and is the daughter of John and Belinda 
 (Kuykcndall) Long, natives respectively of Ten- 
 nessee and Indiana. Her parents were married in 
 Indiana, and about 1815 settled in Clark County, 
 111., before the Indians had left the state. In 1851 
 they removed to Mason County and established 
 
 their home in Manito Township, where the father 
 died in 1853 and the mother in 1864. Of their 
 twelve children four are now living. Mrs. Hill 
 was born August 15, 1835, and first married Will- 
 iam Charlton, who died January 3, 1861. The 
 two children born of this union are: James B., who 
 married Mary Iscnbarg and has five children; and 
 Abraham Lincoln, who married Catherine Wood- 
 ling and has four children. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hill are the parents of five chil- 
 dren, viz.: John T.; George, a resident of Manito, 
 who married Alice Combs and has two children; 
 Sergeant M., of Manito Township, who married 
 Laura Callaway, and they have one child; Corne- 
 lius Edward, who chose as his wife Miss Irene 
 Steward, and they with their child reside in Man- 
 ito Township; and Columbus, a teacher of this 
 township, who by his union with Ada Kennedy 
 has one child. Mrs. Hill has devoted her life to 
 the welfare of her family and may well be proud 
 of the fact that they are useful and honorable cit- 
 izens of this locality. In her religious connections 
 she is identified with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 r -//RANC'IS E. SMITH is a leading business 
 man of Hopedale, Tazewell County, who is 
 successfully engaged in the hardware busi- 
 ness. He is a native of this township and county, 
 his birth occurring September 15, 1864. He is the 
 onl}' son of Henry M. Smith, who was also a na- 
 tive of this county, and his father, John, was one 
 of the earl3' pioneers here, coming from Kentucky 
 in an early day, and died when comparatively a 
 young man. 
 
 The father of our subject has been a farmer in 
 this township all his life, and has been prominently 
 identified with the Methodist Church from his 
 boyhood days. He is a great worker in the church 
 and for the cause of temperance, and at the present 
 time is County Superintendent of Sundaj'-schools. 
 The mother of Francis E. was Miss Mary E., a 
 daughter of William R. Hodson, an early settler in 
 this county. She has borne her husband four chil- 
 dren: Our subject; Ella, who married William E. 
 Hobert, a merchant in Armington, this county;
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 525 
 
 Evaline, the wife of John M. Prugli, a traveling 
 salesman, also making his home in Armington, and 
 Carrie, who is a teacher in the public schools. 
 
 The original of this sketch grew to manhood on 
 his father's farm, and received his education in the 
 Wesleyan College at Bloomington. Although a 
 young man he is extensively engaged in the stock 
 business, and besides is the owner of five hundred 
 acres of good fanning land, but has lately engaged 
 in the hardware business in Ilopedale with his 
 brother-in-law, W. II. Orndorff. 
 
 On the 2-2d of October, 1886, Mr. Smith was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary E., a daugh- 
 ter of E. T. Orndorff, a prominent farmer and one 
 of the pioneers of the county. To this young 
 couple have been born two children, Howard E. 
 and Milton Orndorff. Mr. Smith, like his father, 
 is a devoted Methodist in religion, and with his 
 wife is a member of the church in Ilopedale. Po- 
 litically, he casts his vote and influence with the 
 Republican party. He is a man of excellent judg- 
 ment and firm convictions upon all subjects of 
 importance, and is regarded as one of the substan- 
 tial citizens of the community. 
 
 GE W. WESSLING is one of the 
 brightest and most enterprising young men 
 of Mason County, doing business in Bishop. 
 His father, John G. Wessling, now a resident of 
 Havana, came to Mason County in 1844, locating 
 on section 22, Forest City Township. The grand- 
 father, J. G. Wessling, was a native of Hanover, 
 Germany. The mother of our subject bore the 
 maiden name of Catherine A. Wessling, and died 
 in 1887. In the family were seven children, four 
 yet living: Mrs. Anna Wahlfeld; George W., 
 Mrs. Emelie Wahlfeld and Mrs. Adele Trimpe. 
 
 Our subject was born June 30, 1856, on a farm 
 on section 23, Forest City Township, and acquired 
 his education in the public schools, in the college 
 of Naperville( which he attended two years), and in 
 . the German school of Petersburg, III. He then en- 
 gaged in teaching, which he followed from 1879 
 to 1882. In March, 1881, he embarked in business 
 
 with John H. Bishop, at his present location, as a 
 dealer in general merchandise, but in 1884 bought 
 out his partner and has since been alone. His 
 sales amount to about 19,000 annually, and he has 
 a well stocked store and receives from the public 
 a liberal patronage, which is well deserved. 
 
 On the 21st of February, 1884, Mr. Wessling 
 was united in marriage with Luella A. Rogers, a 
 native of Linden, Whitcside County, 111., born 
 October 9, 1865, and a daughter of George W. 
 Rogers, now of Newton, Kan. In their family are 
 two children, Annie Gertrude and John Mott. 
 
 Mr. Wessling is a member of the Modern Wood- 
 men society of Topeka, III. In 1886, he was ap- 
 pointed Postmaster of Bishop, serving in that 
 capacity until March, 1889, when he resigned. In 
 politics he has always been a Democrat, and is a 
 warm advocate of the principles of his party. He 
 served as Justice of the Peace from 1885 to 1893, 
 and is now serving his fifth consecutive year as 
 Supervisor of Forest City Township. His frequent 
 re-election to these positions well indicates the 
 prompt and faithful manner with which he dis- 
 charges his duties and the confidence reposed in 
 him by his fellow-townsmen. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Wessling drew up and circulated a 
 petition for the investigation of the books of sev- 
 eral county officials, extending back several years. 
 The petition was presented to the County Board 
 and rejected. He then tried to make it an issue 
 at the next election, but failed in this. The 
 matter was then brought before the people through 
 the papers, and he got out a petition for each 
 township to be signed at the time of the election. 
 Out of thirteen petitions four were returned and 
 presented to the Board, which in 1889 ordered an 
 investigation; and shortages, in some of them 
 amounting to several thousand dollars, were found 
 on the books of the Sheriff, Circuit Clerk, Treas- 
 urer and County Clerk. " Fee Book 00 " was miss- 
 ing, and has not yet been discovered. Through 
 this investigation several thousand dollars were 
 re-imbursed to the count}-, and won for Mr. Wess- 
 ling the confidence of the honest people, and since 
 his first election on the Board he has been a mem- 
 ber of the finance committee of the Board and has 
 been its chairman for four years. He is also chair-
 
 526 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 man of the personal property equalization com- 
 mittee, and is one of the foremost members of the 
 County Board. At this writing he is a candidate 
 on the Demociatic ticket for County Treasurer. 
 He lias a host of friends throughout the commu- 
 nity, and all who know him hold him in the highest 
 regard for his sterling worth and strict integrity. 
 
 \EORGE PIERSON, who devotes his time 
 and attention to agricultural pursuits, oper- 
 ates one hundred and twenty acres of 
 land on section 20, Forest City Township, Mason 
 County. He is the son of Robert Pierson, who 
 was born in Pennsylvania about 1815 and came 
 with his parents, Abel and Nancy Pierson, in a 
 boat of their own construction to Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, when that now large city contained only 
 a few scattering houses. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Miss Susan Black. She was likewise a native of 
 the Keystone State and a daughter of John and 
 Christina Black, who were born there and removed 
 to Hamilton County, Ohio, during pioneer times. 
 There the father purchased a large amount of 
 Government land and resided until their death. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pierson were married in the 
 Buckeye Slate and afterward located on a farm in 
 Harrison Township, Hamilton County, which had 
 been purchased from Grandfather Black. On this 
 the}- located in the spring of 1828 and made the 
 place their permanent home. They reared a family 
 of nine children, and the father died in 1865, and 
 was followed to the better land by his wife, who 
 died a year later. Our subject is the eldest of the 
 children living, the others being Adam and Eliza- 
 beth. The mother was a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church, in which she was an active worker. 
 The elder Mr. Pierson was an extensive farmer, 
 and for his well spent life occupied an enviable 
 position in the regard of his many friends. 
 
 George Pierson of this sketch was born August 
 31, 1828, on the Pierson homestead in Hamilton 
 County, Ohio, and was there reared to manhood, 
 
 and like other farmer boys attended school in the 
 old log house with its primitive furnishings. 
 When reaching mature years he was married, Octo- 
 ber 17, 1850, to Miss Jane Laughlin, a native of 
 Ireland, who came to America with her parents 
 when four years of age and located in Butler 
 County, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Pierson 
 worked on his father's farm until the following 
 spring, when he moved upon his own place, which 
 was in the same locality, and was engaged in furm 
 pursuits until the death of his father, lie then 
 moved upon the old homestead, which he managed, 
 and took care of his mother until she too departed 
 this life. 
 
 He of whom we write came west in 1867 in 
 order to find a suitable location, and in that year 
 selected and purchased his present farm. He moved 
 his family here a few months later, they making 
 their home in a temporary house which had been 
 erected on the new farm. Mr. Pierson built the 
 residence where his son Clinton is now living, in 
 1877, at a cost of 11,100. His present dwelling, 
 however, is a much more modern structure and 
 with the barn and numerous outbuildings is 
 valued at $3,000. He is engaged in general farm- 
 ing on his tract of one hundred and twenty acres, 
 and for the past sixteen years has dealt very 
 extensively in stock, and keeps constantly on his 
 place many fine animals. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. George Pierson are the parents of 
 twelve children who grew to mature years. Emma, 
 Mrs. Milton White lives in Sigourney, Iowa; 
 Mary Jane married Jacob Smith and makes her 
 home in Hoopestown, this state; Adam took to 
 wife Clara Beal and is living in southern Nebraska; 
 John Wesley married Katie Zimmerman, and also 
 lives in that section of Nebraska, as does also 
 Elizabeth, Mrs. J. W. Martin, and George L., who 
 married Mary Ilubscy; Sarah became the wife of 
 Samuel Gumbel, and is now deceased; Annie mar- 
 ried Willis Martin and makes her home in Ne- 
 braska; Clinton married Annie Twellback, and is 
 a farmer in Mason County; Ida May is now Mrs. 
 Clark Ellsworth and is living in Nebraska; Minnie 
 is at home with her parents, and Fred, who married 
 Leoni Johnson, is a resident of Nebraska. Mrs. 
 Pierson is a member of the Baptist Church, and
 
 UBRMV 
 OF THt 
 UNIVRS|?> Of
 
 
 E. C. CULBERTSON.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 529 
 
 our subject, although not a member, gives liberally 
 of his means toward its support. 
 
 He whose name heads this sketch has rendered 
 efficient service on the School Board in his district, 
 and is serving his third term as Treasurer of the 
 Grange. He is one of the Commissioners of the 
 Mason and Tazcwell Drainage District, which has 
 accomplished $220,000 worth of improvements in 
 this locality. In his political views he supports 
 the principles of the Democratic party, and has 
 represented the same in county conventions. 
 
 Adam Pierson, a brother of our subject, went 
 overland to California in 1850, and during the 
 Civil War was wounded. He is now living in 
 Clay County, this state. 
 
 I. 
 
 ++*+**********+* 
 
 l DWARD C. CULBERTSON, who is a retired 
 farmer of Delavan, was born in Muskingum 
 ^ County, Ohio, October 29, 1826. He traces 
 his lineage to Scotland, whence his ancestors re- 
 moved to the North of Ireland during the Revo- 
 lution in the former country. The first repre- 
 sentative of the family in America settled in 
 Pennsylvania, where was born our subject's grand- 
 father, Alexander Culbertson. The latter was a 
 tanner by trade and accumulated considerable 
 wealth, which he invested in large tracts of land 
 in Ohio. Several brothers of Alexander were sol- 
 diers in the Colonial army during the War of 
 the Revolution, and one was killed by the Indians. 
 John Culbertson, father of our subject, was 
 born in Franklin County, Pa., July 4, 1792, and 
 was the youngest of eight children. The oldest 
 brother, Samuel, was a prominent lawyer in Zanes- 
 ville, Ohio; James was the owner of large glass 
 works and salt works in the same place; Alexander 
 owned and operated a tannery; William was an 
 extensive farmer in Ohio; Robert, who was edu- 
 cated for the Presbyterian ministry, died in mid- 
 dle life; Elizabeth married Jacob Casel, a mer- 
 16 
 
 chant; Margaret married a Mr. Wilson, who 
 cultivated a farm in Pennsylvania. 
 
 The lady whom John Culbertson married was 
 Ann M. Beavers. She was born in Virginia in 
 1797, and was the daughter of Samuel Beavers, a 
 pioneer of the Buckeye State. Her family con- 
 sisted of three sons and five daughters, but the 
 latter died in childhood. Edward C. is the eldest 
 of the brothers. The second, William, went to 
 California in 1853, and died during the same 
 year. The youngest, John, is Postmaster at Dela- 
 van, and is an influential newspaper man of this 
 city. Edward C. grew to manhood amid the pio- 
 neer scenes of Ohio, and as advantages were 
 meager in those early days he received but a lim- 
 ited education. After his mother's death, he being 
 the eldest took charge of the housework with 
 his brother William until his father married again. 
 
 September 5, 1864, Mr. Culbertson came to Taze- 
 well County and settled south of Delavan, where 
 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land. In time he became one of the most exten- 
 sive stock-raisers and dealers in the count3', and 
 as he was prospered he added to his original prop- 
 erty until he owned six hundred and thirty acres. 
 A large portion of this, however, he has disposed 
 of to his sons, but still retains in his possession 
 one hundred and ninety acres. In 1891 he re- 
 tired from his farm, though lie still superintends 
 its management. He has been a member of the 
 Methodist Church for forty-three years, and is 
 an active worker in religious and temperance 
 causes. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Culbertson occurred No- 
 vember 29, 1854, uniting him with Miss Ruth C. 
 Shertz, a native of Maryland, who in childhood 
 accompanied her parents to Ohio. They have six 
 children: William J., a grain and stock dealer of 
 Delavan; Morris E., residing on a farm two miles 
 west of Delavan; Elizabeth, the wife of William 
 C. Duncan, a farmer of Delavan Township; John 
 T., an agriculturist living in Delavan Township; 
 Ruth Caroline, who was educated at the North- 
 western University and in St. Mary's Seminary, of 
 Knoxville, and is now at home; and Mary Belle, 
 who was educated at Oxford, Ohio, and is now a 
 teacher. While never aspiring to political hnors,
 
 530 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mr. Culbertson has held various local offices, and 
 is at this time City Treasurer of Delavan. 
 
 /^pjN IIARLES GUSTAVUS KREBAUM, a prom- 
 f|( inent business man of Havana, and widely 
 ^^^/ known as a breeder of fine trotting horses, 
 was born December 22, 1837, in the city where he 
 now resides, and enjoys the distinction of having 
 been the first white child born in Mason County. 
 For particulars regarding the family history, the 
 reader is referred to the sketch of his brother, 
 Adolph, which is presented on another page of 
 this volume. He grew to manhood in Havana, 
 and received a practical education in the common 
 schools of this place. 
 
 The business career of Mr Krebaum commenced 
 in 1851, at which time he accepted the position of 
 Deputy Clerk in the office of his brother, Adolph, 
 who was Clerk of Mason County for a number of 
 years. After having filled the position of Deputy 
 until 1863, he embarked in the mercantile business 
 in Havana, and with G. W. Langford as his part- 
 ner, did an extensive and lucrative business under 
 the firm name of Langford & Krebaum. Later 
 Mr. Langford withdrew from the enterprise, and 
 Henry Middlekamp entered the linn, the business 
 being conducted in that manner for some time, 
 after which our subject sold out to Slade & Mid- 
 dlekamp. 
 
 Entering the grain business in 1868, Mr. Kre- 
 baum has since conducted a large trade in that line, 
 and makes shipments to the various markets of the 
 country. For several years he was engaged in the 
 buying and selling of cattle and hogs, which he 
 ships in large numbers to different markets. He 
 has grain warehouses and elevators at Poplar City, 
 Liverpool and Topeka, 111. In addition to these 
 enterprises he is also engaged in the sale of hides 
 and furs, seeds, etc. 
 
 With the breeding of fine trotting horses, the 
 name of Mr. Krebaum is perhaps more closely iden- 
 tified than with any of his other enterprises. Every 
 animal on his place is standard-bred, and many of 
 them represent in their blood lines some of the 
 
 leading sires that hold the world's record. "Honest 
 Byerly," a five-year-old, has a record of 2:24^, and 
 in his first race, at Peoria, June 27, 1893, won three 
 straight heats, and upon the following Tuesday, 
 July 4, at Monmouth, 111., he made a record of 
 2:24 on a muddy track. He has been in nine 
 races, and has proved beyond a doubt his superior 
 qualities as a trotting horse. He was sired by ll By- 
 erly Abdallah," 1856; dam, "Nina K.," who has a 
 record of 2:28. "Honest Byerly" is half-brother 
 to Jerome Turner, with a record of 2:15f. 
 
 The bay mare "Nina K.,' % foaled in 1878, was 
 sired by "Honesty" 170, record 2:42, also the sire 
 of "Big Soap," 2:23; first dam, "Bay Pet," by 
 "Champion Black Hawk;" second dam by "St. 
 Lawrence." In color "Nina K." is a beautiful bay, 
 and is fifteen and one-half hands high. She is 
 sound, kind and gentle, and her record of 2:28| 
 is no measure of her speed. She trotted the Lin- 
 coln track in 2:22, timed by half a dozen horse- 
 men; a half-mile at Freeport in 1:10, a quarter in 
 thirty-four seconds, a 2:12 gait. Her produce arc: 
 1887, "Honest Byerly," by "Byerly Abdallah;" 
 1889, "May Day," by "Strawn" 3330; 1890,"IIon- 
 est," by "Byerly Abdallah" 1856; 1891, "Elector- 
 ite" by "Elector "No. 10830; 1893, "Midnight" by 
 "Billy Wilkes" No. 2938. 
 
 "Honest" No. 21860, a three-year-old colt, 
 stands sixteen hands high, and has a speed of 3:00 
 at any time. "Electorite," 21861, dam by "Nina 
 K.," sired by "Elector" No. 10830 is a beautiful 
 bay. "Dottie Dimple, "a bay mare, is a half-sister 
 of "Nina K.," record 2:28^ and dam by "Honest 
 Byerly," 2:24; sired by "Indianapolis" 517, rec- 
 ord 2:21, sire of "Budd Doble," 2:13^; "Bonaven- 
 ture," 2:18; "Indigo," 2:23^; "Regulator," 2:28}; 
 "De Jarnette," 2:17; "Indianapolis Boy," 2:20^; 
 "Indianapolis," 2:28|; "Holstein," 2:29; and the 
 dams of "Opliir," 2:26; "Captain Lee," 2:29. 
 First dam, "Bay Pet," by "Champion Black Hawk." 
 Second dam, by "St. Lawrence," trial 2:28; "In- 
 dianapolis" 517, by "Tattler" 300, record 2:21; 
 dam "Indiana," by "Mambrino Chief" 11; "Tatt- 
 ler" 300, by "Pilot, Jr.," record 2:26; dam, "Tell- 
 tale," by "Telamou," son of "Medoc." "Dottie 
 Dimple" is sixteen hands high, and is compactly 
 built, with plenty of bone and substance, making
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 531 
 
 her desirable both for the track and as a brood 
 mare. 
 
 "May Day," standard, registered volume twelve, 
 is a bay mare, fifteen and one-half hands high, and 
 is one of the most promising fillies on the farm. 
 She was foaled in 1889, sired by "Strawn" 3330, 
 sire of "Carrie Strawn," 2:29f, first dam, "Nina 
 K.," by "Honesty" 170, record 2:42; second dam, 
 "Bay Pet," by "Champion Black Hawk," sou of 
 "Black Hawk" (Vermont); third dam, by "St. Law- 
 rence Strawn" 3330, by "Mammont" 2052; dam, 
 "Black Swan," by "Bashaw" 50 (Greens); "Mam- 
 mont" 2052, by "Almont" 33; dam, "Mag Fergu- 
 son," by "Mambrino Chief" 11; "Honesty" 170, 
 by "Hiatoga," (Stier's) son of "Hiatoga" 497. 
 
 "Krebaum Honesty" 9239, standard, registered 
 in volume eight, is sixteen hands high, and in 
 harness is pleasant and gentle. Though never 
 driven by a professional, he has shown remarkable 
 speed. He is an own brother to "Nina K.," and 
 was sired by "Honesty" 170, record 2:42. "Hon- 
 est" 21860, standard, registered volume twelve, is 
 a bay colt, sixteen hands high, foaled 1890; one of 
 the handsomest colts on the farm, with splendid 
 trotting action and can be driven in 2:30, or bet- 
 ter if given sixty days work. He is a full brother 
 to "Honest Byerly," 2:24^, and was sired by "By- 
 erly Abdallah" 1856; first dam, "Nina K." 
 
 Among the horsemen of the state, Mr. Krebaum 
 is well known, and his horses have a reputation 
 equal to the best. A lover of the animal, he finds 
 one of his chief pleasures in owning and raising 
 fine horses, and is thoroughly capable and efficient 
 in this line. In politics he is a Democrat, but does 
 not take an active part in public affairs. Socially, 
 he is identified with Havana Lodge No. 88, A. F. 
 & A. M., Chapter No. 86, R. A. M. and Havana 
 Commandery No. 42, K. T. 
 
 In 1861 Mr. Krebaum was united in marriage 
 with Miss Mary E. John, of Tazewell County, the 
 daughter of William M. John, a native of Ohio. 
 Four children have blessed the union, one of 
 whom, Francis, is deceased. Nina F. is bookkeeper 
 for a law firm in Chicago, and is also a Notary 
 Public: Carl G. and Hope Beatrice, aged respect- 
 ively fourteen and nine years, are students in the 
 Havana schools, The family home js beautifully 
 
 situated and a comfortably furnished residence 
 situated on Pearl Street. 
 
 OHN McCARTY. A visitor strolling along 
 the streets of Mason City will invariably 
 note with a glance of admiration the at- 
 tractive frame residence in which Mr. Mc- 
 Carty and his family make their home, which is one 
 of the finest dwellings in the city, is modern in 
 architecture, and contains every convenience as 
 well as elegant furnishings, which prove the re- 
 fined tastes of the inmates. 
 
 One of the sons of the Buckeye State, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch was born in Clark County, April 
 19, 1836. His father, Cornelius, was one of the 
 pioneers of Mason County, having come hither in 
 1851. A Democrat in his political views, he was 
 a man of influence in public affairs, and his death, 
 in 1866, was deeply mourned. His wife was 
 known by the maiden name of Jemima Bell, and 
 was born in Tennessee; her death occurred in Ma- 
 son County in April of 1865. 
 
 The subject of this sketch accompanied his pa- 
 rents in their removal from Ohio to Illinois, and 
 grew to manhood upon a farm near Petersburg, 
 Menard County. His time was principally de- 
 voted to the work of improving the land, his ed- 
 ucational advantages being limited to a brief at- 
 tendance at the neighboring schools. At the age 
 of eighteen he commenced the independent career 
 of a farmer, and from the first met with success, 
 his methods of cultivating the land being such as 
 to secure the most advantageous results. In ad- 
 dition to the raising of cereals, he also engaged 
 extensively in raising stock, which he shipped to 
 the various markets. 
 
 That Mr. McCarty has been successful in his en- 
 terprises, it need but be stated that he now owns 
 nine hundred acres of valuable land in Salt Creek 
 Township, fifteen hundred acres in Hall County, 
 Neb., a half interest in thirty-two hundred acres of 
 school lands in Nebraska (lying in Cedar County), 
 and considerable residence property in Mason City. 
 In public affairs he has always taken an active part,
 
 532 
 
 POKTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and was one of the instigators and projectors of 
 the present drainage system. Politically he sup- 
 ports the principles of the Republican party. 
 Both in educational and religious enterprises he 
 is warmly interested, and to them he gives his cor- 
 dial support and active aid. 
 
 November 14, 1866, occurred the marriage of 
 Mr. McCarty and Miss Anna Josephine Beck. 
 This accomplished and amiable lady was born in 
 Ohio, and in childhood accompanied her father, 
 Arthur Beck, to Illinois. She is the mother of two 
 children. The elder, Ona B., is the wife of Dr. 
 Isaac McCarty, of Riverside, Cal., while the 
 younger, Ida B., still remains with her parents 
 and is numbered among the popular young ladies 
 of Mason City. The religious home of the family 
 is in the United Brethren Church, to the support 
 of which Mr. McCarty is a liberal contributor. 
 He assisted in the organization of the First Na- 
 tional Bank, and for several years served as one of 
 its stockholders and directors. 
 
 v ALTER K. TERRELL. In the spring of 
 1860 Mr. Terrell came to Mason County 
 and purchased in Pennsylvania Town- 
 ship the farm where he has since resided. At the 
 time of his arrival the place was unimproved, con- 
 sisting of raw prairie land, but through his per- 
 sistent and intelligent efforts it has been brought 
 under a high state of cultivation, and is now one 
 of the finest estates in the neighborhood. It is 
 embellished with a neat residence, 20x30 feet in 
 dimensions, with an "L" 14x20. The house is two 
 stories in height, and was erected at a cost of 
 $2,000. There is also a substantial barn, 40x40, 
 built at a cost of f 900. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in New 
 Jersey, February 14, 1839, and is a son of Squire 
 and Rebecca (Kirkpatrick) Terrell. The paternal 
 grandparents were Thomas and Mary Terrell, 
 while the maternal grandparents bore the names 
 of Alexander and Sarah Kirkpatrick. The Kirk- 
 patrick family was represented in New Jersey at a 
 period very early in its settlement, and our sub- 
 
 ject's great uncle, Andrew Kirkpatrick, held a 
 very important position, filling an office known in 
 those days as that of Chief Justice. 
 
 Squire Terrell was born September 10, 1792, and 
 died January 4, 1867. In 1819 lie married Re- 
 becca Kirkpatrick, whose birth occurred June 15, 
 1796, and who passed away August 5, 1864. Of 
 their children we note the following: Aulley was 
 born November 9, 1820, married October 27, 1841, 
 and died October 27, 1851; Mary, who was born 
 January 27, 1822, married April 18, 1840, and de- 
 parted this life February 22, 1876; Jane was born 
 August 7, 1823, married February 28, 1847, and 
 died November 15, 1863; Ann, whose birth took 
 place April 3, 1828, married November 13, 1852, 
 and died September 6, 1853; Thomas, who was 
 born May 14, 1832, was married on the 1st of 
 September, 1860; Margaret was born September 3, 
 1834; E. D., August 16, 1836; W. K., February 
 14, 1839; and George, March 29, 1842. 
 
 Under the parental roof Walter K. was reared 
 to manhood, acquiring a common school education 
 in the home locality. When about twenty years 
 of age he came west, and in 1859, stopped in 
 Jersey County, 111. After a sojourn there of a 
 few months he came to Pennsylvania Township, 
 Mason County, in 1860, and here he has since 
 made his home. Purchasing an unimproved farm 
 he broke the sod during the first season and grad- 
 ually brought the place under good cultivation. 
 
 The first purchase made by Mr. Terrell in this 
 township consisted of one hundred and sixty 
 acres, to which he has from time to time added, 
 until his landed possessions now aggregate three 
 hundred and sixty acres, all under cultivation. A 
 neat hedge fence has been planted around the 
 farm, which is also divided and subdivided into 
 fields of convenient size by a good system of 
 fencing. The marriage of Mr. Terrell occurred in 
 1873, and united him with Miss Ellen, the daugh- 
 ter of James Riggins, of this county. Two chil- 
 dren bless the union, Maud and Roy, both of 
 whom are at home. 
 
 As a citizen Mr. Terrell is public spirited and 
 progressive, and gives his support to all measures 
 for the promotion of the welfare of the people, 
 lie served as Supervisor of Pennsylvania Town-
 
 LIBRARY 
 Of (W 
 UNIVERSITY Of
 
 JAMES M. WATKINS.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 535 
 
 ship fora number of years and is the incumbent 
 of that office at the present time, having been re- 
 elected in the spring of 1893. He is discharging 
 the duties of the position in an efficient manner. 
 He is also serving his second term as School Trus- 
 tee. In political affairs he supports the principles 
 of the Democratic party and casts his ballot in 
 favor of its men and measures. 
 
 -****! 
 
 M. WATKINS, M. D. Among the 
 names held in honor in Green Valley, that 
 'which introduces these lines has for many 
 years occupied a prominent place. He who 
 bears it came to this place in 1873 and has since 
 taken an important part in its growth, maintain- 
 ing an unceasing interest in its prosperity and 
 contributing to its upbuilding. 
 
 Our subject is a son of William Watkins, and 
 was born in Parke County, Ind., near Montezuma, 
 November 15, 1830. The father was a native of 
 Rockbridge County, Va., and in 1829 went to 
 Richmond, Ind., but subsequently journeyed to 
 Parke County, where he was engaged in farm pur- 
 suits until 1835. In that year he took up his resi- 
 dence in Terre Haute and there made his home 
 until his death, which occurred in 1873. He was 
 a soldier in the War of 1812, and his father, who 
 was a Welshman by birth, was a gallant soldier in 
 the War of the Revolution. 
 
 The mother of our subject, who was known in 
 her maidenhood as Mary Patterson, was a native 
 of Virginia and the daughter of Thomas and Mary 
 Patterson, both of Irish ancestry. She passed 
 from this life in 1863, at sixty-four years of age. 
 James M. Watkins had four brothers and three sis- 
 ters, all of whom grew to mature years but are now 
 deceased with the exception of two: George, who 
 is a farmer near Terre Haute; and Frances, the wife 
 O. B.Soules, a farmer, also living near Terre Haute. 
 Our subject lived on his father's farm until reach- 
 ing his eighteenth year, receiving until that time 
 only a common-school education. He then com- 
 menced the study of medicine, which had been his 
 life ambition, but being in limited circumstances 
 
 he could not afford to carry it on steadily, and for 
 some time was engaged in his father's sawmill. 
 Again resuming his medical studies, in 1862 he 
 attended lectures at the Philadelphia Medical Col- 
 lege, and in 1864 was graduated from Rush Med- 
 ical College at Chicago. 
 
 Dr. Watkins commenced to practice at Monte- 
 zuma, Ind., at which place he remained for several 
 years, and then for three years resided at Terre 
 Haute. Thinking he could find a better field for 
 his labors, in 1873 he came to Green Valley, and 
 since that time has been in active practice here, 
 giving his undivided attention to his profession. 
 His life has been a busy one, for he has always 
 been quick to respond to the call of distress, and 
 his skill is recognized by patients throughout the 
 county. 
 
 In 1852 Dr. Watkins married Mary Ann Hodges, 
 a native of Indiana, and to them was born one 
 child, Sarah, who is now the wife of H. B. Ferth. 
 After the death of his first wife, in 1862, the Doc- 
 tor was again married, taking as his companion 
 Sarah McGaw, who was also a native of Indiana. 
 To this union were born four children, only two 
 of whom are now living. The eldest son, Samuel, 
 was accidentally drowned in the Okaw River 
 when a young man. Anna is now the wife of 
 Lewis Woodrow, a merchant in Green Valley. 
 James E., who resides with his father, is telegraph 
 operator at this point. The good mother of these 
 children passed to the life beyond May 21, 1888. 
 Politically, Dr. Watkins has been a life-long Dem- 
 ocrat, but has never aspired to public office. He is 
 a genial gentleman, a loyal citizen and a true and 
 trusted friend. 
 
 LEXANDER D. INGERSOLL, one of the 
 large land owners of Tazewell County, and 
 an influential citizen of Malone Town- 
 ship, was born in Graf ton, Ohio, Novem- 
 ber 28, 1826. He is the son of Reuben Ingersoll, 
 who was born in Lee, Mass., in May, 1788, and 
 grew to manhood upon his father's farm, alternat- 
 ing attendance at school with the tilling of the
 
 536 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 soil. At the age of twenty-one he commenced to 
 teach school, and followed that profession for 
 three years. He then married Miss Christina Van 
 Deusen, of Lee, Mass., shortly after which event 
 he brought his wife to Grafton, Ohio, and pur- 
 chasing property, commenced to clear and improve 
 a farm. 
 
 In 1826 the family moved to Ilinckley, Medina 
 County, Ohio, where the father purchased a farm, 
 and for a number of years engaged in agricultu- 
 ral pursuits. Thence removing to Cleveland, Ohio, 
 he embarked in the hotel business, and became the 
 proprietor of the Ingersoll House. After the 
 death of his wife, which occurred in 1867, he dis- 
 posed of the hotel and came to Illinois, where he 
 made his home with his son, A. D., in Pekin, until 
 his death in 1872. He and his wife had eleven 
 children, one of whom died in infancy. The oth- 
 ers are: Henry, Jared, Truman, Samuel (all de- 
 ceased), Mary, Hattie (deceased), Dr. B. F., a 
 physician and farmer in Nebraska; Lyman, who is 
 an agriculturist in E.iston , Mason County, III., and 
 Orman, who is a butcher living in Nebraska. 
 
 When an infant our subject was taken by his 
 parents to Ilinckley, Ohio, where he had such edu- 
 cational ad vantages as the common school afforded. 
 At the age of nineteen he left home and worked 
 on a neighbor's farm, receiving $8 per month. 
 After two years he embarked in the dry goods and 
 grocery business at Hinckley, and was thus en- 
 gaged for four years, when he disposed of the 
 stock and closed up the business. While a resi- 
 dent of Hinckley, February 22, 1853, he married 
 Miss Sarah Van Orman, who was born in Ontario 
 County, N. Y., her parents, James and Orpha 
 (Flemming) Van Orman, having also been natives 
 of Ontario County. 
 
 After selling his stock of goods, Mr. Ingersoll 
 came to Illinois, and settled in Tazewell County 
 in the spring of 1855, making the journey from 
 Ohio by team, and spending twenty-two days upon 
 the road. His first home in this county was near 
 the site of his present farm, and after tilling the 
 soil thirteen years he moved to Pekin, in 1868, in 
 order that his children might have the advantages 
 afforded by the excellent schools of that city. In 
 1873 he returned to Maloue Township, where he 
 
 has since resided. At the present he is the owner 
 of sixteen hundred acres in Tazewell, and twelve 
 hundred and sixty-eight acres in Mason County. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ingersoll are the parents of ten 
 children, namely: James R., who was born Novem- 
 ber 27, 1853; George, June 9, 1854; Edward V., 
 July 1, 1855; John E., September 27, 1857; Hu- 
 bert L, July 1, 1860; Charles E., August 31, 1862; 
 Henry C., November 12,1867; Ella M., June 16, 
 1868; Dr. Benjamin F., September 21, 1871; and 
 Josie, April 16, 1876. John E., who lives on the 
 home farm, is married and has six children. Po- 
 litical^ 7 a Democrat, Mr. Ingersoll has held the 
 offices of Road Commissioner, Assessor, Drainage 
 Commissioner, and other local positions of trust. 
 
 J. KNUPPEL is numbered among 
 the gentleman of German birth and pa- 
 rentage who make their home in the 
 prosperous township' of Forest City, Mason 
 County, where he is generally conceded to be one 
 of the substantial and enterprising farmers in the 
 community. He came to America poor in this 
 world's goods, and by means of his natural ability 
 and energy has accumulated a handsome property, 
 being at this writing the owner of a farm com- 
 prising four hundred acres of valuable land which 
 is the result of unceasing labor on his part. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred February 21, 
 1838, in Hanover, Germany, and when attaining 
 his eighteenth year he decided to try his fortunes 
 in America, and crossing the Atlantic, made his 
 way to Cook Count}', this state, where he engaged 
 in farm pursuits. This was the first work of the 
 kind which he had ever done, and he remained 
 there working for other people until 1858, when 
 he came to Mason County and found work on the 
 railroad. The first month being cheated out of his 
 pay, he abandoned that kind of life, and again hired 
 out as a farm laborer, this time for J. G. Wcssling. 
 Later he worked for John Corey, and was after- 
 ward in the employ of Hugh Mcllarry. 
 
 After spending several years in the New World 
 working for other people, our subject rented
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 537 
 
 property, which lie cultivated to good advantage, 
 in this township. He had been thus occupied one 
 year when the Civil War broke out. and feeling 
 brave enough to encounter danger and hardships 
 belonging to a soldier's life, he in July, 1861, en- 
 listed as a soldier in Company C, Second Illinois 
 Cavalry, under the command of Captain Fullerton, 
 of Havana. He was sent with his regiment to 
 Cairo, where they were drilled and then placed on 
 guard duty at Caledonia, this state, at which place 
 the telegraph lines were threatened. From there 
 his company went to Ilickman, Ky., on a scouting 
 expedition, and later was engaged in a battle at 
 Union City,Tenn. During his army experience 
 our subject participated in the following well 
 known conflicts: Obine River, Tenn., in 1862; 
 Hatcher's Run, October 5 of that year, and Holly 
 Springs, December 20, 1863. 
 
 At the battle of Holly Springs Mr. Knuppel re- 
 ceived a sabre wound on the right side of the 
 head which he did not think of sufficient conse- 
 quence to secure his discharge. He went on duty 
 as usual, but taking a heavy cold was compelled 
 to go to the hospital at Memphis, Tenn. After 
 convalescing he was placed on detached duty and 
 remained there until the expiration of his term of 
 enlistment. August 18, 1864, Mr. Knuppel, was 
 honorably discharged at Springfield, after a service 
 of three years. 
 
 After returning from the battlefield our subject 
 crossed the Atlantic and spent one year in his 
 native land, receiving treatment for his eyes, 
 which had been in a critical condition ever since 
 being wounded in the army. At the expiration 
 of that time he returned to his rented farm, which 
 he carried on for two seasons, and then purchased 
 his present property. 
 
 In January, 1866, Henry J. Knuppel and Miss 
 Anna Harfst were united in marriage. The lady 
 was also of German birth, and the daughter of 
 Garret Ilarfst, who came to America and settled in 
 this township in 1858; he is now deceased. Mrs. 
 Knuppel 's birth took place in April, 1849, and by 
 her union with our subject she has become the 
 mother of six children. The eldest of the family, 
 Emma Johanna, is now the wife of Joseph Hove}-, 
 and makes her home in Pennsylvania Township; 
 
 the remainder of the children are: August, Anna 
 Catherine, John Garret, Henry William and Louisa 
 Rebecca. Mr. and Mrs. Knuppel are members in 
 good standing of the Methodist Lutheran Church, 
 in which body they are both Sunday-school teach- 
 ers, and the former holds the office of Deacon. 
 
 Our subject has given his children good educa- 
 tions in both the German and English languages, 
 and from the interest which he has taken in school 
 affairs, his fellow-citizens have elected him a mem- 
 ber of the Board, which position he is at present 
 holding from District No. 2. As before stated, lie 
 is the proud possessor of four hundred acres of 
 land, which he has improved and cultivated until 
 it is one of the best in Mason County. His resi- 
 dence, which he erected in 1888, cost besides his 
 labor $2,100, and is finished and furnished in a 
 manner which indicate its occupants to be people 
 of means and culture. 
 
 In his political belief Mr. Knuppel is a stanch 
 Republican, on which ticket he was elected Road 
 Commissioner, and served for a term of three 
 years. He takes an active part in all the work- 
 ings of his party, and has on various occasions 
 been sent as a delegate to county conventions. As 
 may be expected, he is a prominent Grand Army 
 man, meeting with J. Q. A. Jones Post No. 526, 
 at Havana. 
 
 J~~? OHN M. BUNN derives both pleasure and 
 | profit from the management of the old 
 i homestead, which is located on section 24, 
 _ Mason City Township, and bears a full line 
 of excellent improvements. He was born on a 
 farm in Quiver Township, Mason County, May 5, 
 1855, and is the son of David Burin, a native of 
 New Jersey, where the father was reared to man's 
 estate and followed farm pursuits. 
 
 In 1848 David Bunn emigrated to this state, 
 and locating in Quiver Township, this county, 
 purchased a quarter section of land, which, when it 
 came into his possession, bore no improvements 
 whatever. He remained there until 1869, when he 
 took up his abode on four hundred and ten acres 
 of land in this township, three hundred and forty- 
 nine of which is the property of our subject. On
 
 538 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 it the father erected first class buildings and made 
 many other valuable improvements, until it is now 
 one of the best appointed and most attractive 
 homes in this part of the state. David Bunn re- 
 tired from the farm in 1882, in which year he re- 
 moved to Mason City, but only lived there for 
 eighteen months, when he returned to the farm and 
 spent the following two years. When that time 
 had expired we again find him in Mason City, 
 where his death took place in 1886. He was an 
 ardent Democrat in politics, which party he often 
 served on various committees in his township and 
 for many years was School Trustee. 
 
 Mrs. Cornelia E. (Appleman) Bunn, the mother 
 of our subject, was also born in New Jersey and is 
 now living, making her home in Mason City. 
 She is the mother of three children, Martha A., 
 Mrs. M. D. Woodruff, who makes her home in Lin- 
 coln, this state; John M., of this sketch, and Will- 
 iam C., who is an agriculturist of this township. 
 lie of whom we write spent the first fourteen years 
 of his life in Quiver Township, and after coming to 
 this township carried on his studies in the district 
 school. He had been thoroughly trained in farm 
 pursuits by his honored father, and often when the 
 latter was away on business he assumed the man- 
 agement of the estate, although quite young in 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Bunn remained under the parental roof un- 
 til his marriage January 26,' 1876, when Miss 
 Martha J. Anderson became his wife. She was 
 born in Jacksonville, this state, whence she was 
 taken by her parents, when four years of age, on 
 their removal to Sangamon Count}', and later to 
 Logan County, where she met and was married to 
 our subject. Soon after his union, the original of 
 this sketch made his home in Sheridan Township, 
 the above county, where he resided until the spring 
 of 1881, when he took possession of the old home- 
 stead. The first two years after coining here lie 
 lived in the city, but soon found that he could 
 manage affairs better by living upon the estate. 
 He has the place slocked with thoroughbred horses, 
 cattle and swine, and is giving the greater part of 
 his attention to stock-raising. This estate, which 
 is considered one of the finest in Mason County, 
 includes three hundred and forty-nine acres, and 
 
 our subject from his thorough understanding of 
 farm pursuits is adding to its value year by year. 
 He displays excellent judgment and untiring in- 
 dustry, and the success which is attending his ef- 
 forts is well deserved. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. John M. Bunn have been born 
 two sons, David M. and Walter A. In his politi- 
 cal belief he is a Democrat, and may be relied 
 upon at all times to give his influence in behalf of 
 all that is true, uplifting and beneficial. 
 
 AMTTEL BIGGS, President of the State 
 Bank of San Jose, is at the head of one 
 of the largest and most solid financial con- 
 cerns of Mason County. The bank was 
 established in 1892 with a capital stock of $25,000, 
 and although soon afterward came the trying days 
 of the panic, when banks on every hand sus- 
 pended operations, yet this institution preserved 
 its credit, and now ranks among the substantial 
 concerns of its kind. The bank building is a 
 credit to the village of San Jose, and of it Mr. 
 Biggs is half-owner. It is an elegant two-story 
 brick structure, with an imitation stone front. 
 The first floor is occupied by the bank, while on 
 the second is situated a fine hall. 
 
 In addition to this important enterprise, Mr. 
 Biggs is engaged in farming and stock-raising on 
 section 1, township 21, range 5, Allen's Grove 
 Precinct, where he owns and operates four hundred 
 and forty acres of choice land adjoining the vil- 
 lage of San Jose. He is a native of Ohio, having 
 been born in Clermont County, January 13, 1834. 
 His parents, David G. and Elizabeth (Anderson) 
 Biggs, were born, reared and married in New Jersey, 
 and there five of their children were born. Thence 
 about 1830 they migrated to Clermont Count}-, 
 Ohio, where their family was increased by the 
 birth of two children. 
 
 The brothers and sisters of our subject were 
 named: William E., Margaret J., John A., Cath- 
 arine A., David F. and Mary R. E. All are still 
 living with the exception of David F. The 
 parents are deceased. In 1855 Samuel Biggs came
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF (HI 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ttilNWS
 
 G. W. GREELEY.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 541 
 
 to Illinois and settled near Delavan, Tazewell 
 County, where he worked as a farm laborer for 
 two years. Later lie went across the plains to 
 Pike's Peak, where he worked in the mines for a 
 short time. From there he went to Denver and 
 soon afterward returned to Illinois. The trip 
 westward had been made with an ox team and it 
 required from March 15 to July to reach the 
 journey's end. When passing through Kansas, 
 Mr. Biggs noticed many Indians and buffaloes, 
 but habitations of white men were very few. 
 
 Having gained in experience, though not in 
 monej', Mr. Biggs returned from his trip west, and 
 for two years continued to work as a farm laborer. 
 July 7, 1860, he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac C. and Agnes Brown. 
 This lady was born in England, October 1, 1838, 
 and accompanied her parents to the United States 
 in infancy. She died January 25, 1881, after 
 having become the mother of four children. 
 Oliver S., who was born May 6, 1861, married 
 Miss Frances Rummel, March 3, 1887. and now 
 lives in Allen's Grove Township. Matilda, who 
 was born March 6, 1864, married Henry Rummel, 
 November 17, 1887, and they reside in Logan 
 County. Agnes E. died March 27, 1885; Jean- 
 nette died in infancy. 
 
 February 19, 1884, occurred the marriage of Mr. 
 Biggs to Miss Elizabeth F., daughter of George 
 W. and Mildred A. Corbin. Mrs. Biggs was born 
 in Douglas County, 111., May 21, 1854, and is a 
 lady of amiable disposition, devoted to the wel- 
 fare of her family. Her only daughter, Mary E., 
 was born February 1, 1885, and is a bright child, 
 the pet of the household as well as of a large 
 circle of friends. 
 
 August 12, 1862, Mr. Biggs enlisted in the de- 
 fense of the Union, becoming a member of Com- 
 pany II, One Hundred and Eighth Illinois Infantry. 
 He was with the Army of the Mississippi under 
 General Ulysses S. Grant, and participated in the 
 battle of Haynes Bluff and Arkansas Post. While 
 he was not wounded, he was not so luck}' in escap- 
 ing disease. While in camp at Young's Point, he 
 was seized with a severe attack of measles in 
 February, 1863. The following March he was 
 honorably discharged for disability. After his 
 
 discharge he returned home to his family iu Mason 
 County and resumed farming as soon as he was 
 able. 
 
 In 1865, Mr. Biggs purchased eighty acres of 
 his present farm, upon which he at once commenced 
 the work of improvement. As prospered, he has 
 added to his original purchase until he is now the 
 owner of four hundred and forty acres of as fine 
 farming land as is to be found in the count}'. In 
 addition to this tract he owns four hundred acres 
 in Barber County, Kan. In politics he is a Demo- 
 crat and has held a number of minor offices in the 
 township. The family has a warm place in the 
 hearts of the people of San Jose and Allen's 
 Grove Township, and is prominent in social 
 circles. 
 
 ^^ EORGE W. GREELEY,a well known farmer 
 (|| c -, of Elm Grove Township, Tazewell Count}', 
 ^^^ has for forty-four years made his home at 
 his present place of residence. He was born in 
 Salisbury Township, near Franklin, N. II., Janu- 
 ary 1, 1824, and is one of nine children, four of 
 whom are yet living. His father, Benjamin Gree- 
 ley, was born in the same locality as our subject, 
 and the grandfather, Benjamin Greeley, Sr., was a 
 native of Salisbury, Mass., and became one of the 
 early settlers of Salisbury, N. II., where he spent 
 his last days, dying at an advanced age. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden 
 name of Rebecca Whitcher. She, too, was born in 
 New Hampshire and is a daughter of Jonathan 
 Whitcher. Benjamin Greeley, Jr., was a cooper 
 by trade and carried on that occupation in con- 
 nection with farming. In 1836 he emigrated 
 westward with his family and located in Elm 
 Grove Township, Tazewell County, 111., where he 
 remained until called to the home beyond. In 
 the summer he followed farming and in the win- 
 ter carried on coopering. His death occurred in 
 1857, at the age of seventy-seven, and his wife 
 passed away in 1826. 
 
 The subject of this sketch came to Tazewell 
 County when twelve years of age. He had ac-
 
 542 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 quired a good education in his native state and 
 followed teaching as a means of livelihood in his 
 earlier years. In the year 1851 he was united 
 in marriage with Sarah Becker, a native of Al- 
 bany, N. Y., and a daughter of Adam P. and Sa- 
 rah (Briggs) Becker, the former a native of New 
 York, and the latter of Massachusetts. Unto Mr. 
 and Mrs. Greeley were born four sons and one 
 daughter: Edward II. and George D., who are now 
 in California; Benjamin L., who remains on the 
 home farm; and James M. and Laura M., both de- 
 ceased. 
 
 Mr. Greeley has resided upon the farm which 
 he still makes his home since the year 1850. It 
 comprises three hundred and twenty acres of valu- 
 able land, which as the result of his untiring ef- 
 forts is under a high state of cultivation and 
 well improved, being supplied with all the acces- 
 sories and conveniences of a model farm. It is 
 neat and thrifty in appearance and indicates the 
 careful supervision of the owner, who is justly 
 numbered among the practical and progressive 
 agriculturists of this region. 
 
 Mr. Greeley has always manifested a deep inter- 
 est in everything pertaining to the development 
 of his town and county and does all in his power 
 to aid in its upbuilding and promote its advance- 
 ment. In 1851, when Elm Grove was first organ- 
 ized, he was elected Tax Collector, and was three 
 times re-elected to that office. Since the township 
 has had an existence he has continually served in 
 some of its public offices and has ever been found 
 true and faithful to his duties. For eighteen years 
 he has filled the office of Justice of the Peace and 
 is still serving in that capacity with credit to him- 
 self and satisfaction to his constituents. He was 
 for some years Commissioner of Highways and 
 at different times has served as Town Clerk, Asses- 
 sor and Supervisor. He has been Treasurer of the 
 school fund for more than thirty-five consecutive 
 years, and his public spirit and devotion to the 
 interests of the people have made him one of the 
 valued citizens of the community. 
 
 Benjamin L. Greeley, a son of our subject, now 
 operates the home farm. He was born in 1866, 
 and on the 3d of March, 1892, he married Miss 
 Mary E. Simpson, a native of Kentucky. She is 
 
 one of a family of ten children born unto W. D. 
 and Nancy J. Simpson, both of whom are still 
 living. 
 
 F. AND C. A. GRIFFIN, who follow farm- 
 ing in Hittle Township, Tazewell County, 
 are natives of Madison Count}-, Ohio, and 
 sons of Foster and Anna (Allen) Grilfin. 
 The grandpaients were Benjamin and Experience 
 (Mitchell) Griffin, and the great-grandfather also 
 bore the name of Benjamin. He was a farmer by 
 occupation, and was one of the heroes of the Rev- 
 olution. The first American ancestors, three broth- 
 ers by the name of Griffin, crossed the Atlantic in 
 the historic "Mayflower" in 1620 and landed at 
 Plymouth Rock. One of the brothers was cap- 
 tured by the Indians and was never heard from 
 again. 
 
 When nineteen years of age his grandfather left 
 his home in New York and went to Bradford 
 County, Pa., where he carried on farming and 
 blacksmithing. Later he emigrated to Ohio, loca- 
 ting near Cincinnati, where he carried on mer- 
 chandising for a short time. He served in the War 
 of 1812, and was never wounded. His last days 
 were spent in Van Wert County, Ohio, where he 
 died at the age of ninety years, while his wife 
 reached the age of ninety-one. Foster Griffin, 
 father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania 
 in 1806, acquired his education in the common 
 schools and embarked in business for himself as a 
 merchant of Liverpool, Ohio, where he carried on 
 operations for eighteen years. He was married in 
 Madison County to Anna Allen, who was born 
 in 1809, and was a daughter of Daniel and Anna 
 (Dodd) Allen. In 1856 Mr. Griffin emigrated with 
 his family to Armington, 111., and located on the 
 farm now owned by his sons. Here he carried on 
 farming and stock-raising until his death, which 
 occurred in 1872. His wife survived him twelve 
 years and passed away in 1884. They were mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and were 
 highly respected people. In politics Mr. Griffin 
 was a Republican. The family numbered five chil- 
 dren: Mary E., wife of J. Q. Darnell; S. F.; B. H.,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 543 
 
 deceased; S. E., wife of William Kelley; and C. A. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads S. F. and C. 
 A. Griflin were reared and with their parents came 
 to Illinois. After their father's death B. H. and 
 C. A. engaged in business together. B. H. died in 
 February, 1892. Since then C. A. has continued the 
 business. The elder brother is now quite exten- 
 sively engaged in the breeding of fine horses and 
 owns some fine imported stock. They are both 
 men of good business ability, and b}' their well 
 directed efforts have won success. The younger 
 brother is not only now engaged in farming, but 
 also carries on business as a grain and lumber mer- 
 chant of Armington. 
 
 In 1876 C. A. Griffin was united in marriage 
 with Miss A. E. Albright, daughter of Michael and 
 Mary A. Albright. Their union has been blessed 
 with three children, Anna, Homer and Virgil. The 
 father of this family is a member of the Odd Fel- 
 lows' society, and is a public spirited and pro- 
 gressive citizen, who gives his support and co-op- 
 eration to all enterprises calculated to prove of 
 public benefit. The brothers are representatives 
 of an honored pioneer family, and are numbered 
 among the leading farmers and valued citizens of 
 their adopted county. 
 
 . J, -> S-^. <* 
 
 J" [ AMES MOSLANDER. This gentleman may 
 truly be called a self-made man, as will be 
 ! seen by the perusal of his history. He oc- 
 cupies a finelj' improved farm on section 
 10, Salt Creek Township, Mason County, and 
 ranks among the highly respected citizens of the 
 county by reason of his intelligence and sterling 
 character. He is an enterprising farmer, prudently 
 changing the crops in order to keep up the fertil- 
 ity of the soil, and devoting the greater amount of 
 his land to grain without neglecting other articles 
 of produce. 
 
 Our subject was born in Cape May County, 
 N. J., November 16, 1834, and is the son of James 
 Moslander, also a native of that county, where his 
 birth occurred in 1794. He spent the years of his 
 life until 1840 in New Jersey, and that year com- 
 ing west to Illinois located in Sangamon County, 
 
 whence he afterward removed to Menard Count}'. 
 After a residence in the latter place of a year the 
 father came to this county and made location in 
 Leeses Grove, where he purchased property for 
 which he paid $1.25 per acre. He erected a log 
 house on the new land and worked hard to place 
 it under cultivation. He lived here until his de- 
 cease, which occurred in April, 1849, when in his 
 fifty-fifth year. His father, Abram Moslander, is 
 supposed to have been born in Long Island and 
 was of German descent. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth (Evans) Moslander was born, 
 reared and married in New Jersey and was the 
 daughter of David Evans. James, of this sketch, 
 was the third in order of birth in the parental 
 family, and was six years of age when he was 
 brought by his parents to this state. After their 
 location in this county he carried on his studies 
 in a log schoolhouse in Salt Creek Township. 
 During vacation he assisted in performing the 
 farm duties and remained at home until his mar- 
 riage, which event was celebrated March 31, 1859, 
 when Miss Eliza Shay became his wife. Mrs. Mos- 
 lauder was torn in Luzerne County, Pa., Novem- 
 ber 19, 1840. She came to this county in compan}' 
 with her mother and step-father when fifteen years 
 of age, and here met and married our subject. 
 
 Soon after his marriage James Moslander lo- 
 cated on a farm in Salt Creek Township, which he 
 operated with good success for six years. In 1866 
 he purchased his present estate of one hundred 
 and twenty acres, when it bore but few improve- 
 ments. It is now thoroughly tilled, improved in 
 every part, and is made more valuable by the 
 erection of good and favorably located buildings. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born 
 eleven children, all of whom are deceased with the 
 exception of two. They are: Alpheus P., born in 
 1869, and Arthur F., who was born in 1880. The 
 former was married in 1891 to Miss Ellen B. Ben- 
 nett, of Menard County, where they now reside; 
 they have one child, Harmon. Those deceased are: 
 Charles L., who died in 1864, as did also George 
 W. and Sarah E.; James and Christine departed 
 this life in 1868,and John F. in 1874. Three died 
 unnamed. 
 
 In politics Mr. Moslander gives his allegiance
 
 544 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 to the Republican party. He has never sought 
 office, but at the solicitation of his fellow-citizens 
 he has at different times occupied the positions of 
 School Director and Commissioner of Highways. 
 With his wife he is an active member of the Meth- 
 odist Epicopal Church, in which he has been Trus- 
 tee and Steward. 
 
 Mrs. Moslander is the youngest of thirteen chil- 
 dren born to her parents, ten of whom grew to 
 manhood and womanhood. She was seven years 
 of age when her father, Samuel Shay, died. He 
 was born July 10, 1797, and died in 1833. He 
 was a native of New York, while her mother, Mrs. 
 Sarah (Fowler) Shay, was born February 29, 1800, 
 in New Jersey, and died in Wisconsin in 1867. 
 
 [OHN T. TOM LIN. Crane Creek Township, 
 Mason County, is a rich agricultural center ) 
 and the men who conduct its farming in- 
 terests are enterprising, self-reliant and 
 shrewd business men. Among these the subject of 
 this sketch occupies no unimportant place, being 
 the owner of two hundred and eighty-seven acres 
 of finely cultivated land, pleasantly located on 
 sections 1 and 2. 
 
 He of whom we write was born in Sangamon 
 County, this state, March 19, 1841, and is the son 
 of Thompson Tomlin, a native of Cumberland 
 County, N. J., where his birth occurred in August, 
 1812. He was there reared to manhood, and 
 resided until 1887. when he journeyed to this state 
 and located on land about ten miles west of 
 Springfield. This he cultivated until 1846, when 
 he came to this county, making his home in Crane 
 Creek Township, where he also engaged in farm 
 pursuits. The land here was purchased from Isaac 
 Tinkem,and the only improvement which it bore 
 was a rude log cabin and about ten acres of the 
 soil broken. 
 
 In 1854 Thompson Tomlin removed to another 
 purchase in the same township,. which was located 
 on section 11, where his decease occurred when in 
 his sixtieth year. He was one of the earliest set- 
 tlers of the township, and so conducted himself in 
 
 his career as a farmer, husband, father and neigh- 
 bor as to win the respect and regard of all who 
 knew him. He was a Douglas Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and held the office of Justice of the Peace for 
 many years. He was the son of John Tomlin. who 
 was of Irish and English descent. 
 
 Mrs. Rebecca (Moslander) Tomlin, the mother 
 of our subject, was, like her husband, also a native 
 of Cumberland County, N. J., and the date of her 
 birth was September, 1815. She was reared and 
 married in her native place, and at the present 
 time makes her home in this county. She became 
 the mother of ten children, seven of whom grew 
 to manhood and womanhood. John T. was the 
 fourth in order of birth, and was a lad of five 
 years when the removal of the family brought 
 them to this county. Here he attended school in 
 a log cabin with its puncheon floor, old-fashioned 
 fireplace and rude seats, and during vacations 
 assisted on the farm. 
 
 When attaining his majority, our subject began 
 earning his own money, his first work being as a 
 farm laborer. This he carried on for a twelve- 
 month, and after farming on his own account for 
 the same length of time, he was married the next 
 year, July 2, 1863, to Miss Catherine Zentmire, a 
 native of Ohio. Mrs. Tomlin was born in Warren 
 County in June, 1839, and departed this life two 
 years after her marriage, her death being occa- 
 sioned by the explosion of a can of oil. The two 
 sons of whom she became the mother died in 
 infancy. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married in 
 1866 was Miss Lydia J. Neal. She was born in 
 this state, while her parents were natives of Vir- 
 ginia. Of this marriage were born ten children, 
 of whom the six living are: Bertha, at home; 
 Rose, attending college in Bushnell, McDonough 
 County, this state; Eva, Oscar, Roscoe and Rus- 
 sell. Those deceased are Catherine, Scott, John T. 
 and Frank. 
 
 After his first marriage Mr. Tomlin located on 
 the farm where he now lives, and a portion of 
 which he purchased from William Pelham without 
 even a dollar to pay down. He began tilling the 
 soil and gradually accumulated means which ena- 
 bled him to pay off his indebtedness, lie gives
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 umvERsm ILLINOIS
 
 
 EDWARD PRATT.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 547 
 
 considerable attention to the breeding of fine 
 stock, and the well tilled acres are devoted to 
 raising mixed crops. He has a substantial dwell- 
 ing, which was completed in 1889 at a cost of 
 $1,700, and a barn which is valued at $1,000. 
 
 Mr. Tomlin is a Democrat in politics, and was 
 a Constable for three years. Has been Tax Col- 
 lector, Justice of the Peace for eight years, Road 
 Commissioner eight years, and School Director and 
 Trustee twelve years. (Socially, he belongs to 
 Lodge No. 403, A. F. & A. M., at Mason City; 
 Havana Chapter No. 86; Damascus Commandery 
 No. 42. He and his wife are members of the 
 Methodist P^piscopal Church, and they live the 
 lives of true Christians. 
 
 PRATT, one of the highly re- 
 spected citizens of Tazewell County, who 
 resides in Tremont and follows farming in 
 Elm Grove Township, claims Massachusetts as the 
 state of his nativity, and was born in Pelham, 
 Hampshire County, June 10, 1833. His father, 
 Nathaniel Pratt, was a native of Belchertown, 
 Mass., and in 1838 came to the west with his fam- 
 ily, locating in Elm Grove Township. He was a 
 wheelwright by trade and followed that pursuit for 
 many years. In 1849 he turned his attention to 
 farming, and carried on agricultural pursuits until 
 his death, in 1853. His wife, who bore the maiden 
 name of Mary II. Kinginau, was born in Bridge- 
 water, Mass. 
 
 The Kingman family was founded in the Old 
 Bay State in 1627, when the first American ances- 
 tors landed at Plymouth. The father of Mrs. 
 Pratt was Henry Kingman, of Bridgewater, Mass. 
 In early life he removed to Pelham, Mass., and 
 some of his descendants are now living on the old 
 homestead at that place. In the Pratt family were 
 five children: Amelia, who died at the age .of six- 
 teen; Eliza, who died at the age of eighteen; Ed- 
 ward, of this sketch; Warner L., a resident of Elm 
 Grove; and Henry, who died at the age of twenty- 
 four. 
 
 Mr. Pratt, whose name heads this record, was a 
 
 lad of six summers when with his parents he came 
 to Illinois. In the usual manner of farmer boys 
 he spent his childhood days, and when he had 
 reached the age of twenty years he started out in 
 life for himself to make his own way in the world. 
 He had acquired a good education, having at- 
 tended a private school at Tremout, and later an 
 academy in Galesburg, 111. He was twenty-eight 
 years of age when, in August, 1862, he responded 
 to the President's call for troops to aid in crushing 
 out the Rebellion, and became a member of Com- 
 pany I, One Hundred and Eighth Illinois Infan- 
 try, in which he served three years, being mustered 
 out in August, 1865. For a time he was Sergeant- 
 Major, but when discharged was serving as First 
 Lieutenant. He participated in the battles of 
 Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Champion Hills, 
 the siege of Vicksburg, the battles of Guntown and 
 Memphis and the siege of Mobile, together with 
 many other engagements of lesser importance. He 
 was always found at his post of duty, true to the 
 Old Flag and the cause it represented. 
 
 When the country no longer need his services, 
 Mr. Pratt returned home and resumed farming. 
 In February, 1879, he married Mary A. Griffith, a 
 native of Tazewell County, and a daughter of 
 John Griffith, who came of an old Virginia family. 
 On removing to the north he settled in Illinois, 
 where he and his wife spent their last days. Since 
 his marriage Mr. Pratt has carried on agricultural 
 pursuits, and is regarded as one of the practical and 
 progressive farmers of the county. He also has an 
 honorable ofh'cial business career. 
 
 In politics Mr. Pratt is a stalwart Democrat, and 
 has frequently been elected on that ticket to public 
 office. In 1859 he was made Assessor of Elm Grove 
 Township, and was afterward re-elected; he also 
 served as Collector one term. In 1868 he was 
 elected County Sheriff for a term of two years, af- 
 terward served as Commissioner of Highways, and 
 for one term was County Supervisor. In 1874 he 
 was again elected Sheriff, and on the expiration of 
 his term was ckosen his own successor. Later he 
 was made Highway Commissioner. He has also 
 served as School Trustee, has frequently been 
 Trustee of Tremont, and for three terms has been 
 President of the Village Board, which position he
 
 548 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 now occupies. The confidence and trust reposed 
 in him are shown by his frequent call to office, and 
 his faithfulness and fidelity have been manifested 
 by his various re-elections. His course in office has 
 ever been straightforward and honorable, and has 
 won him the high commendation of all concerned. 
 Since 1868 he has been a member of Tremont 
 Lodge No. 462, A. F. <fe A. M. 
 
 1 OHN J. DONALDSON, a capitalist and real- 
 estate owner of Havana, was born in New 
 York in 1840, and is a son of James Don- 
 aldson, a native of Scotland, hav ing been 
 in I laddington, October 20,1811. On the 
 15th of May, 1830, the date of his marriage, he 
 came to the United States, leaving his young wife 
 in the land of Scotia. So well was he pleased with 
 the prospects offered by the New World, that he re- 
 turned for his wife, and in the spring of 1832 
 again crossed the ocean, the voyage consuming 
 eighty days. 
 
 Settling in New York, Mr. Donaldson there re- 
 mained for a number of years, removing thence to 
 LaSalle County, 111., in 1845. During the follow- 
 ing year he was employed on the canal, and sub- 
 sequently ran a repairing boat for the state, em- 
 ploying from sixteen to twenty-five hands. In 
 1849, he bought forty-six acres of canal land at 
 $4.50 per acre, and fifteen years afterward bought 
 another eight}' at $30 an acre. He opened a quarry 
 on his farm, and for three years supplied sandstone 
 for some of the best buildings in the count}' and 
 for the bridges on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa- 
 cific Railroad, at the same time carrying on his 
 farm. In 1861 he moved to Utica, and there, until 
 1875, was engaged in the meat business, after 
 which time he lived retired until his death, Sep- 
 tember 12, 1890. 
 
 A Democrat in politics, Mr. Donaldson served as 
 Justice of the Peace for five years, and as Highway 
 Commissioner for six years. In educational mat- 
 ters he was especially interested, and served as 
 superintendent in the erection of a large school- 
 house in Utica. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 
 Margaret Caroline McKinzie, and who was born 
 in Scotland, passed from earth January 16, 1885. 
 Five children had been born to them, but two of 
 the number died in infancy. The survivors are 
 our subject and his two sisters, Frances, wife of 
 Lewis Falrad, and Harriet, who married Clark 
 Dickinson. 
 
 At the age of six years the subject of this sketch 
 accompanied his parents to LaSalle County, III., 
 settling witli them near Utica, where he received a 
 common school education. In 1861 he enlisted as 
 a member of Company K, Eleventh Illinois In- 
 fantry, commanded by Capt. H. H. Carter and Col. 
 W. H. L. Wallace, assigned to the Seventeenth 
 Army Corps. After having served for three 
 years, he was mustered out at Vicksburg, Miss., 
 August 9, 1864, and returned immediately to La- 
 Salle County. In the spring of the following year, 
 he came to Mason County, and purchasing land 
 embarked in farming, which he has since conducted 
 successfully. For some years he has engaged in 
 the buying and shipping of stock, and has also 
 transacted business in shipping grain. His landed 
 possessions are large and valuable and require con- 
 siderable attention on his part. 
 
 While not at all partisan in his preferences, Mr. 
 Donaldson entertains a pronounced sympathy for 
 and belief in the principles of the Democratic 
 party. Socially he is a member of Havana Lodge 
 No. 88, F. & A. M., Chapter No. 86, R. A. M., and 
 Damascus Commandery No. 42, K. T. On the 9th 
 of December, 1864, he married Miss Margaret Mc- 
 Harry, who was born near Albany, in Floyd 
 County, Ind., removing thence with her parents to 
 Mason County, 111., where she was reared. Her 
 father, Hugh McHarry, was a native of the North 
 of Ireland, and emigrated thence to the United 
 States, settling in Indiana. From there, some 
 time during the '40s, he came to Mason County, 
 and on Quiver Creek built the first flour mill in the 
 county. He always took an active interest in pub- 
 lic affairs and built the new iron bridge at Havana. 
 Hugh McHarry, about 1872, bought the wooden 
 bridge that spanned the Illinois River at Havana, 
 which at the time was out of repair, the draw hav- 
 ing fallen into the river. He immediately replaced 
 the draw by an iron draw, after which he made the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 549 
 
 entire bridge of iron. Mr. McHarry made a con- 
 tract with the city of Havana, by which the 
 bridge was to fall to the city at his death. The 
 stipulation in the contract was, that the city was 
 to pay him $100 per month during his life time, 
 and then at his death this payment was to stop, 
 and the city was to become owner of the bridge 
 in fee simple. 
 
 A successful business man, at the time of his 
 death lie was said to be the richest man in the en- 
 tire county. In politics, he was a stanch Repub- 
 lican, always upholding the principles of that 
 party with fidelity and enthusiasm. Prior to com- 
 ing to Illinois, he made a brief sojourn in both 
 Kentucky and Ohio. His wife, whose maiden name 
 was Rachel Davis, was born in Pennsylvania, re- 
 moved thence to Ohio, and died in Mason County 
 September 28, 1869, at the age of sixty-five years. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson were the parents of four 
 children, as follows: Mellora L.; James H., deceased; 
 Dollie L. and Margaret Caroline. 
 
 JOHN BKNTON BARNES. There are few 
 residents of Mason County who are un- 
 familiar with the name introducing this 
 ' sketch. It is that of a self-made man in 
 the broadest' sense of the term, one who in his 
 youth resolved to make life a success if, that result 
 could be secured by industry and wise manage- 
 ment. Without the prestige of family or the in- 
 fluence of wealth to aid him he has worked his 
 way to the highest round of the ladder and now 
 occupies a prominent place among the agricultur- 
 ists of Forest City Township, where he owns a 
 quarter-section of valuable laud; he is also the 
 proprietor of an improved tract of eight hundred 
 acres in Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest son of Deacon 
 Nathan Barnes, now deceased, and of whom a 
 more extended sketch will be found in the biog- 
 raphy of George E. Barnes on another page of this 
 work. John Ben ton Barnes was born on the 3d of 
 October, 1846, in Greenfield, Hillsboro County, N. 
 
 H.,and upon the removal of his parents to Bunker 
 Hill, Macoupin County, this state, there attended 
 the public schools. 
 
 During the progress of the late war Mr. Barnes, 
 in February, 1864, left home and in company with 
 Fred Cross, who was sutler for the Seventh Illi- 
 nois Infantry, joined that regiment at Pulaski, 
 Teun. It formed a part of General Sherman's 
 army and was stationed the greater portion of the 
 time at Rome, Ga. In September of that year our 
 subject was appointed Clerk to the Postmaster of 
 the Fourth Division, Fifteenth Army Corps of 
 General Sherman's army, which position he held 
 until April 13, 1865, when he participated in the 
 celebrated march to the sea and on through the 
 Carolinas. He left his regiment at Goldsboro, 
 N. C., returning home May 11 of that year to this 
 county. 
 
 In the fall of the above year Mr. Barnes pur- 
 chased forty acres of land on section 30, this 
 township, which he sold three years later to A. H. 
 Barnes, and going to Whiteside County rented 
 land there. He was married in that place June 9, 
 1869, to Miss Mary L., daughter of Rev. Francis 
 and Marcia Cornelia (Blair) Smith, the former of 
 whom was born in Ireland, and the latter a native 
 of New York State. Her parents were married in 
 the Empire State and there made their home until 
 coming to Illinois in 1846. The father was a min- 
 ister of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and died 
 near Independence, Iowa, in 1872. The mother 
 still survives. Three of their children are now 
 living. Marian, the wife of J. W. De Lapp, re- 
 sides in Chickasaw County, Iowa. Flora J., now 
 Mrs. Robert Miller, makes her home near Shenan- 
 doah, that state, and Mrs. Barnes, who is the 
 youngest, was born June 2, 1851, near Mel leu ry, 
 this state. 
 
 In March, 1870, our subject and his wife came 
 to Mason County and lived for a year with A. II. 
 Barnes, when they purchased a farm on the bluffs 
 nine miles northwest of his present place. But 
 selling very soon afterward, he rented property 
 for three years and in 1875 bought his present 
 estate. It includes one hundred and sixty acres, 
 and bears a fine line of improvements, the most 
 of which he has placed upon it himself. His pres-
 
 550 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ent substantial and commodious residence was 
 erected in 1874. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are the parents of three 
 children: Ida M., now Mrs. James B. Whittaker, 
 who lives in Man ito Township; Gilbert A. and Alta 
 Roselle. The wife and mother is a member of the 
 Wesleyan Methodist Church, while our subject isa 
 Baptist in religion. They have given their chil- 
 dren fine educations. Mrs. Whittaker was a stu- 
 dent in the Lincoln (111.) University. 
 
 Our subject is a Republican in politics with 
 prohibition tendencies, and has been keenly alive 
 to the interests of his party. He has been Direc- 
 tor of School District No. 9, and for eleven years 
 was Commissioner of Garden Special Drainage 
 District, of which he was one of the organizers, 
 and was very active in getting it in working order. 
 An uncle of our subject, Artemus Barnes, was a 
 bachelor and made his home with him for seven- 
 teen years, or until his death, January 23, 1892. 
 Mrs. Marcia C. Smith, the mother of Mrs. Barnes, 
 has also made her home with our subject for the 
 past twenty years. 
 
 AMES M. SAMUELL, SK., is now living a 
 retired life on his fine farm on section 26, 
 Sherman Township, Mason County. As he 
 is widely and favorably known in this com- 
 munity, we feel assured that this record will prove 
 of interest to many of our readers. Born in Vir- 
 ginia, on the 27th of July, 1809, he is a son of 
 Andrew Samuell, who was born in Virginia in 
 1784, and a grandson of Thomas Samuell. who was 
 of English descent. The father served as a soldier 
 in the War of 1812. In the Old Dominion he mar- 
 ried Sarali Broaddus, who was born in Caroline 
 County, Va., in 1788, and was a daughter of Ed- 
 ward Broaddus, a native of the same state. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Samuell continued to live in Virginia un- 
 til 1815, which year witnessed their emigration to 
 Kentuck}-. They settled in Christian County, near 
 Hopkins ville, where they made their home for some 
 time. In 1835, they removed to Morgan County, 
 111., and in 1838 came to Mason County, locating 
 
 five miles south of Bath on the Illinois River. The 
 father died in 1869, and the mother passed away 
 some years previous. They were the parents of a 
 family of nine children, six of whom are yet liv- 
 ing, namely: James, whose name heads this record; 
 Robert, Benjamin, William, Henry, and Mrs. Sarali 
 Thompson, a resident of Kansas. 
 
 Our subject spent the first six years of his life 
 in the state of his nativity, and then accompanied 
 his parents to Kentucky, where in the common 
 schools he acquired his education. He was reared 
 on a farm and early became familiar with all the 
 duties of farm life. In 1834, he made his way to 
 Havana, 111., and since that time has lived in this 
 section of the state. 
 
 In 1838, Mr. Samuell was united in marriage 
 with Matilda Taylor, daughter of John and Bar- 
 bara (Beason) Taylor, both natives of North Caro- 
 lina, the former born September 13, 1782, and the 
 latter March 7, 1788. Removing to Tennessee, 
 they lived near Nashville for a time, and in 1828 
 became residents of Cass County, 111., where the 
 father died September 3, 1842. His wife long sur- 
 vived him, being called to the home beyond June 
 13, 1871. They were the parents of five children, 
 but Mrs. Samuell is now the only survivor of the 
 family. She was born on the 4th of January, 
 1819, in Sunnier County, Tenn. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Samuell lookup his resi- 
 dence in Virginia, Cass County, 111. He hauled 
 the first stick of timber used for a "house at that 
 place, and for some time was prominently identi- 
 fied with the growth and development of that 
 region. The history of pioneer life in this com- 
 rnunit}' is familiar to him, and he can relate many 
 interesting incidents of the days when this was a 
 frontier settlement. In 1844, he came to Mason 
 County, and settled on Field's Prairie, five miles 
 southeast of Bath, where he improved a farm. For 
 several years he continued its cultivation, but in 
 1855 removed to the farm on which he has since 
 lived. It was then a wild tract, not a furrow hav- 
 ing been turned or an improvement made, but 
 with characteristic energy he began its develop- 
 ment, and in course of time abundant harvests 
 were garnered as the reward of his earnest labors. 
 As his financial resources increased he made addi-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 of m 
 
 UNIVEKSI1Y Qf
 
 GEORGE FURRER.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 553 
 
 tional purchases of land, until atone time he owned 
 one thousand acres, but of this he has given a con- 
 siderable portion to his children. In 1872 he laid 
 out the village of Easton. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Samuell were born twelve chil- 
 dren, of whom five are 3'et living. JohuT., of Sher- 
 man Township, married Octavia Samuell and has 
 nine children; James M. married Mary Cooper. and 
 has six children; Paschal II. married Annie Lacy 
 and has eight children; Robert B. is at home, and 
 Lucy E. is the wife of W. A. Lee, a wholesale mer- 
 chant of Peoria, by whom she has two children. 
 
 The parents of this family are members of the 
 Baptist Church, and for many years Mr. Samuell 
 has been a member of the Masonic fraternity. He 
 organized the school district and built the first 
 schoolhouse, served as School Director, and has 
 ever labored in the interests of education. He cast 
 his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay, and for 
 many years supported the Democracy, but is now 
 independent in politics. He served as Justice of 
 the Peace during the late war, and has long been 
 recognized as one of the prominent and highly 
 honored citizens of Sherman Township. 
 
 FURRER, one of the progressive 
 farmers of Sherman Township, Mason 
 County, is now living on section 36, where 
 he owns and operates three hundred and twenty 
 acres of valuable land, all under a high state of 
 cultivation. He was born on the 17th of Decem- 
 ber, 1843, in Baden, Germany, and when about 
 nine years of age was brought by his parents to 
 America. He was reared under the parental roof 
 and worked at farm labor in all its various de- 
 partments until he entered the Union army.. 
 
 Feeling that the country needed his services, 
 and prompted by patriotic impulses, Mr. Furrer in 
 December, 1861, joined the boys in blue of Com- 
 pany M, Second Illinois Cavalry, at Havana 
 under Captain Solenbarger, now deceased. He 
 17 
 
 joined his regiment at Bird's Point, Mo., went 
 thence to Kentucky, and entered Columbus with 
 the first troops that marched into that city. lie was 
 engaged for a time in guarding railroads and par- 
 ticipated in some skirmishes, after which he went 
 to Union City and later to Moscow. He took part 
 in the battle of Bolivar, where Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Hogg was killed, and in the battle of La Grange. 
 Under the command of General Grant he went 
 through Mississippi to Oxford, after which lie re- 
 turned to Holly Springs. His company served as 
 body guard for General Lahman on this expedi- 
 tion until they fell back to Memphis, where they 
 joined the regiment. They then went to Baton 
 Rouge, La., where they were engaged in scouting 
 and in guard duty. A sharp fight occurred at 
 Tallahatchee River. From Baton Rouge they 
 marched seven hundred miles to West Pascagoula 
 Bay, and thence to New Orleans, after which 
 they returned to Baton Rouge. Our subject was 
 there mustered out and in Cairo, 111., was honor- 
 ably discharged in January, 1865. He was in all 
 the engagements of his company, but was never 
 wounded or taken prisoner. 
 
 When his time had expired Mr. Furrer returned 
 to his home and began farming on the old home- 
 stead, where hecontinued to reside until 1869. In 
 that year he married Miss Margaret Kreiling, a 
 daughter of H. G. Kreiling, now deceased. Their 
 union has been blessed with ten children, namely: 
 Barbara, Oscar, Henry, Clara, Annie, Eva, Fannie, 
 Addie, Ollie and George. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Furrer resided for one 
 year in Pennsylvania Township, and in 1870 re- 
 moved to a farm on which he has since made his 
 home. He now owns three hundred and twenty 
 acres of land, which is under a high state of culti- 
 vation and finely improved. In 1882 he erected a 
 fine residence at a cost of $3,000, and the other 
 buildings upon the place are in keeping with his 
 home. In connection with general farming he 
 makes a specialty of raising shorthorn graded 
 stock for the market. His success in life is his 
 own achievement. It results from earnest and 
 untiring effort, not from fortunate circumstances, 
 and is therefore well deserved. In politics, Mr. 
 Furrer is a Democrat, and he and his wife are
 
 554 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 members of the Lutheran Church. Throughout 
 the community they have a wide acquaintance and 
 are held in high regard by all. 
 
 |; OSEPH CULBERTSON DUNCAN, one of 
 the wealthy retired farmers of Deiavan, was 
 born near Newville, on " Big Spring " in 
 Cumberland County, Pa., July 29, 1822. 
 His paternal grandfather, William Duncan, was 
 three times married, and the grandmother of our 
 subject was in her maidenhood a Miss Culbertson. 
 Joseph Duncan, father of our subject, was born in 
 Cumberland County, Pa., May 24, 1787. His 
 brother, Alden, lost his life in the Revolutionar}' 
 War. Joseph Duncan married Miss Nancy Beat- 
 tie, daughter of William Beattie, a native of Scot- 
 land. She was born in Cumberland County, and 
 there died when her son Joseph was only a year- 
 old. In 1826, the father removed with the family 
 to Franklin County, near Mercersburgh, Pa., where 
 he made his home until 1850, when he became a 
 resident of Fayette County, Ind., locating near 
 Connersville. In 1859 he made a visit in Deia- 
 van, and the following year took up his residence 
 here, but was not long permitted to enjoy his new 
 home, his death occurring in 1861. In the Duncan 
 family were the following children: Margaret, 
 born August 6, 1809, became the wife of Archi- 
 bald Skinner, and died in Ohio, June 20, 1840; 
 Mary, born November 21, 1810, died July 31, 
 1813; William Culbertson, born February 27, 
 1814. died January 9, 1815; Mary Jane, born 
 March 25, 1816, became the wife of William Dor- 
 ranee, removed to Deiavan in 1855, and in 1867 
 moved near Pawnee City, Neb., where she still re- 
 sides; her husband died in Deiavan in 1858; Isa- 
 bella Elizabeth, born October 16, 1819, is the wife 
 of William Huston, father of ex-United States 
 Treasurer Huston. Her death occurred June 1, 
 1849. 
 
 The youngest of the family is our subject. He 
 was reared upon the old home farm in Pennsylva- 
 nia, and on the 4th of February, 1845, was united 
 in marriage with Margaret, daughter of Thomas 
 
 and Isabella (Huston) McKinstry, sister of James 
 Huston McKinstry, now of Deiavan. She was 
 born February 4, 1824. In 1850, Mr. Duncan 
 came with his family to Indiana, in 1855 to Illi- 
 nois, and five years later began farming three and 
 a-half miles southwest of Deiavan, III., where he 
 purchased two hundred and forty acres of land, 
 and later added one hundred and sixty acres. His 
 capital at the time of his arrival was about $8,000, 
 and he was numbered among the wealthiest men 
 of the county. His possessions were acquired 
 through his own efforts and are the just reward of 
 his labors. He continued farming until the year 
 1874, when he became a resident of Deiavan. In 
 1876 he embarked in the hardware and implement 
 business, but in 1877 sold out and has since lived 
 retired. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Duncan have been born the 
 following children: Nancy Belle, who was born 
 December 5, 1845, became the wife of William 
 Reed September 12, 1872, and died December 19, 
 1873, leaving one child, who was born September 
 13, 1873, and died August 6, 1874. Emma Jane, 
 born February 5, 1848, died in infancy. Joseph B., 
 born March 1, 1849, married Martha E. Roberts, 
 and they have four children, James R., Margaret 
 B., Joseph C. and May I.; he is now engaged in 
 business as a dealer in hardware and machinery in 
 Deiavan. Thomas McKinstry, born April 13,1851, 
 is now a farmer of Lawrence, Kan.; he married 
 Nancy Higbee, of Jacksonville, III., and they have 
 four children, Thomas Nelson, Grace, Allington 
 and Mina. Mary Elizabeth, born August 25, 1853 5 
 is at home; William Culbertson, born November 
 12, 1855, is a farmer of Tazewell Count}'; he 
 married Lizzie, daughter of E. C. Culbertson, and 
 they have two children. Margaret Sophia, born 
 May 20, 1858, was married December 12, 1881, 
 but is now deceased. Florence Harriet, born Octo- 
 ber 19, 1860, was married October 4, 1887, to Mor- 
 ris Culbertson, a son of E. C. Culbertson. The 
 parents of this family are among the original 
 members of the Presbyterian Church of Deiavan, 
 and from the beginning Mr. Duncan has served as 
 Elder. They have taken a prominent part in 
 church and benevolent work, and the best inter- 
 ests of the community have always received their
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 555 
 
 support. Since the organization of the Republican 
 party, Mr. Duncan has been a Republican, and has 
 held some local offices, but has never sought polit- 
 ical preferment. By all who know hirn he is held 
 in high esteem, and this work would be incom- 
 plete without his sketch. 
 
 M. REINHEIMER, the leading dry-goods 
 and clothing merchant of Delavan, was 
 born in Thaleischweiler, Germany, October 
 6, 1844. He is of Jewish ancestry and 
 personally adheres to the faith of his forefathers. 
 His father, Jacob Reinheimer, who was a hide and 
 leather merchant, was a man of considerable means, 
 and also of large influence among his fellow- 
 citizens. For many years he was a member of the 
 City Council in his native city, where he passed 
 away in 1892, aged eighty-four. 
 
 In the family there were five sons, of whom the 
 subject of this notice is the next to the eldest. 
 The eldest brother, Joseph, is the only one of the 
 number who did not come to America, and he has 
 succeeded to his father's business in Germany. 
 Michael J. is a clothier at Mt. Pulaski, this state. 
 Lewis is a manufacturer of clothing in New York 
 City. Simon is a clothing merchant in Sacramento, 
 Cal. The subject of this sketch grew to manhood 
 in his native place and received the advantages of 
 a good education. When his studies were com- 
 pleted, he was apprenticed to the dry-goods busi- 
 ness at Blies-Castel, some twenty miles distant 
 from his native town. He served for three years 
 without any remuneration, and then, an ambitious 
 youth of seventeen, he came to the United States. 
 For four years Mr. Reinheimer was employed as 
 clerk in a dry-goods store in Louisiana, Mo., and 
 from that city went to Terre Haute, Ind., where he 
 clerked for a number of mouths. In 1868, he came 
 to Delavan and opened a small clothing store. 
 From the first he prospered and soon added a com- 
 plete assortment of dry-goods to his stock. His 
 business has increased until now he has one of the 
 largest stores to be found in any town of the size 
 of Delavan. This result has been secured not only 
 
 by his native abilit}', but also by a strict honesty 
 and square dealing. He has gained the confidence 
 of the people of the community, who know that 
 what Mr. Reinheimer says can be depended upon. 
 In 1875, he took in as partner David Strouse, the 
 firm now being S. M. Reinheimer & Co. In ad- 
 dition to his large business he owns several val- 
 uable pieces of property and one of the linest 
 homes in Delavan. 
 
 In 1869, Mr. Reinheimer married Miss Theresa, 
 daughter of Leopold Stern, an instructor in the 
 German language. They have seven children, of 
 whom the eldest, Rose, is the wife of H. H. Al- 
 shuler, a clothing merchant at Aurora, 111. The 
 others, Tenriie, Bertha, Lillie, Carry, Emma and 
 Edwin, are at home. Mr. Reinheimer has been a 
 Democrat during his entire life, and has filled 
 man}' positions of trust. For some time he was 
 President of the Village Board, and was the first 
 Mayor of the city, serving in that capacity for two 
 terms. For thirteen years he has been a member 
 of the Board of Education, and during ten years 
 of that time was Clerk of the Board. While 
 filling these positions satisfactorily, he has never 
 been an aspirant for official honors, preferring to 
 devote his entire attention to business affairs. 
 
 ~ ' 
 
 j^ETER F. RANKIN, a farmer and stock- 
 raiser residing on section l,Manito Town- 
 ship, Mason County, is the son of John 
 and Elizabeth (Limback) Rankin, the 
 former born in Hanover, Germany, in 1808, and 
 the latter in Prussia in 1829. In 1848 the father 
 emigrated to America, and settling in LaSalle, 111., 
 there followed the trade of a weaver. Upon com- 
 ing to Pekin he was in the employ of Teis Smith 
 & Co., and later worked on a farm belonging to 
 James Wilson, near Delavau. In the interests of 
 Mr. Netler he went to Havana, and soon afterward, 
 about 1852, entered one hundred and sixty acres 
 on section 11, Manito Township. 
 
 The land was wholly unimproved, and it re- 
 quired the most arduous exertions on the part of 
 Mr. Rankin to clear and cultivate the place. After
 
 556 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD. 
 
 building a small frame house he gave his attention 
 to the cultivation of the soil, and succeeded in 
 evolving from its primitive state a valuable es- 
 tate. In all his enterprises he received the assis- 
 tance of his wife, whom he married in February, 
 
 1854, and who is still living. He passed away at 
 the home farm August 21, 1871, and in his death 
 the community lost one of its most highly re- 
 spected citizens. In the Lutheran Church he was 
 one of the leading members, and served as Deacon 
 and Trustee for some time prior to his death. His 
 widow is also identified with that church. Their 
 children were five in number, of whom four are 
 living, viz.: Peter F., Fred, Mary Hilse and Henry. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born April 16, 
 
 1855, in the township where he has since resided. 
 In the common schools of the locality he gained 
 a fair education, which lie has since enlarged by 
 reading and observation. October 7, 1877, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Emma R. Singley, 
 who was born in Pennsylvania July 27, 1856, be- 
 ing the daughter of Jacob and Sabina (Bailie) 
 Singley, who died in Indiana. In the spring of 
 1878 Mr. Rankin settled on the farm he now oc- 
 cupies, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres 
 of improved land. In the fall of 1891 he increased 
 the beauty as well as the value of his property by 
 the erection of a residence at a cost of $1,700. He 
 also has a substantial barn, built at a cost of $650. 
 In addition to the raising of cereals, he has on his 
 place a number of Poland-China hogs and Short- 
 horn cattle, also several horses of Arabian stock. 
 lie lias made a success in the raising of stock, and 
 is conducting that department of agriculture upon 
 a constantly increasing scale. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rankin are the parents of seven 
 children, of whom four are now living, namely: 
 John I., George F., Daniel Frank and Louis W. 
 The family is identified with the Lutheran Church, 
 of which Mr. Rankin has been Secretary and Treas- 
 urer for nine years. Interested in educational 
 matters, he has not only given his sons excellent 
 advantages, but has also labored in behalf of others 
 in that direction, having been School Director 
 since the age of twenty-three. He is a member of 
 the Vigilance Society, organized in 1857 by his fa- 
 ther, and has been its Secretary for fifteen years. 
 
 He is also Secretary of the Grange. As a member 
 of the Democratic party, he has long taken an ac- 
 tive interest in politics. He has filled the position 
 of Road Commissioner and was Supervisor of 
 Manito Township from 1885 to 1892. 
 
 JOHN T. BURNS, the owner of a valuable 
 farm in Malone Township, Tazewell Coun- 
 ty, was born in Carroll County, Md., Sop- 
 _ ' tember 5, 1836. For an account of his 
 parentage the reader is referred to the sketch of 
 L. II. Burns, of Sand Prairie Township, presented 
 on another page of this volume. His early life 
 was spent upon the home farm, going to school 
 three months each winter and working on his fa- 
 ther's farm in the summer. Believing that the 
 west offered better opportunities to agriculturists 
 than the east afforded, he came to Illinois in the 
 spring of 1857, and settled in Tazewell County, 
 where for a time he worked by the month in the 
 employ of different farmers and neighbors. 
 
 In the spring of 1865 Mr. Burns married Miss 
 Ellen Wilson, a native of Ohio, and the daughter 
 of Joseph and Mary Ann Wilson, who were born 
 in New Jersey and removed thence to Ohio in an 
 early day. Shortly before his marriage he pur- 
 chased the farm where he now lives, and he and 
 his wife commenced housekeeping upon the place 
 where they have since continued to reside. For 
 some years he was actively engaged in tilling the 
 soil, and as a farmer was distinguished by pro- 
 gressiveness and business sagacity. Owing to ill- 
 health in recent years he has been compelled to 
 relinquish active work and now rents his land. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Burns are the parents of three 
 children. The eldest, Anna May, was married in 
 November, 1886. to Grant Davis, who engaged in 
 farming until his death in 1887; they had one 
 child, Harry Stanley, who now lives with his 
 grandparents. The other children, Beesie Maud 
 and Elmer Guy, reside with their parents. By 
 hard labor and frugality Mr.'Burns has acquired a 
 valuable property of one hundred and sixty acres, 
 situated on section 2, Malone Township. In re-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 557 
 
 ligious connections Mrs. Burns is identified with 
 the Green Valley Methodist Episcopal Church, the 
 services of which the other members of the family 
 regularly attend. Mr. Burns was reared in the 
 faith of the Lutheran Church but has never united 
 with that denomination. As a citizen he is well 
 posted upon the great questions of the age, and in 
 his political views is unbiased by party lines, sup- 
 porting the men and measures that in his opinion 
 are best adapted to promote the welfare of the 
 people. 
 
 BRAM THOMPSON. There is no greater 
 pleasure for the hand and pen of the 
 biographer than to record the life and 
 achievements of a man who has begun 
 life's battles under adverse circumstances, and 
 through his own unaided efforts has secured the 
 general acknowledgment of being one of the best 
 farmers in the county. Such a man is Mr. Thomp- 
 son, who is the possessor of five hundred and three 
 acres in Mason County; he has accumulated a 
 sufficient amount of this world's goods to enable 
 him to retire and enjoy the fruits of his earlier 
 toils. 
 
 Our subject, who was born in Muskingum 
 County, Ohio, January 31, 1828, is the son of 
 Archibald Thompson, a native of Virginia; he 
 died when our subject was a lad of six years. The 
 maiden name of his mother was Elizabeth Stout. 
 She was born and reared in New Jersey, and by 
 her union with Archibald Thompson reared a fam- 
 ily of five sons and one daughter. Our subject, 
 who was the fourth son and fourth child, grew to 
 manhood in Shelby County, Ohio, and remained 
 at home with his mother until his marriage. He 
 learned the cooper's trade when sixteen years of 
 age, and followed it for six years and thereafter 
 turned his attention to farming. 
 
 Abram Thompson was married in 1848, while 
 residing in Ohio, to Miss Cynthia A. Conroy, who 
 was a native of Shelby County, that state. Soon 
 after his union he located on a farm on which he 
 resided until coming to Mason County in 1854. 
 That year he purchased a quarter-section of land 
 
 in Salt Creek Township, where he lived until 1891 
 engaged in general farm pursuits. His landed 
 possessions include two hundred and forty acres 
 of the old homestead, near which is located his 
 one hundred and sixty-acre tract, and eighty 
 acres in Pennsylvania Township, which with the 
 twenty-three acres on which he resides, make in 
 all five hundred and three acres, all of which he 
 rents to good advantage. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were born six chil- 
 dren, of whom Sarah E. is the wife of Lorenzo 
 House and resides in Union County, Iowa. Je- 
 mima J. is the widow of Thomas Norton and re- 
 sides in Pennsylvania Township, this county. 
 Rebecca E. married Joseph Barton, a farmer in 
 Salt Creek Township. Harriet I. is now deceased; 
 she was the wife of P. W. Stevens. George E. is 
 also deceased, and Isaac M. lives on one of his 
 father's farms in Salt Creek Township. 
 
 In politics our subject is a stanch Democrat 
 and is foremost among the members of his party 
 in the county. He has been Supervisor of his 
 township for three years and has held numerous 
 other offices of trust. The best interests of the 
 community ever find in him a friend, and he is in 
 sympathy with everything that tends to promote 
 the general welfare. Genial and pleasant in man- 
 ner, he has gained a host of warm friends and well 
 deserves representation in the history of his 
 adopted county. 
 
 ?ILLIAM WALKER. Mason County, like 
 other portions of the United States, is in- 
 debted largely to citizens of foreign birth 
 for the development of her agricultural resources 
 and for examples of a good citizenship. The Em- 
 erald Isle has sent forth many sons who have held 
 honorable places, and among the number is the 
 subject of this biographical notice, who occupies 
 an estate of one hundred and sixty-five acres lo- 
 cated on section 1, Mason City Township. 
 
 Our subject was born in County Tyrone, April 
 23, 1830, where also his father, Robert Walker, 
 was born. The latter was a farmer by occupation,
 
 558 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and came to America in 1838, in which year he 
 located in Behnont County, Ohio, where he en- 
 gaged in farm pursuits for many years. Later he 
 came to this state and passed the remainder of his 
 life in Logan County, where his death occurred 
 when eighty-five years of age. His wife, who 
 prior to her marriage was Miss Isabel Fulton, was 
 born in County Tyrone, Ireland, and departed this 
 life in Bellaire, Ohio, when forty-five years of age. 
 
 The parental family of our subject included five 
 sons and two daughters, all of whom with one ex- 
 ception grew to mature years. William, of this 
 sketch, was the second son, and as he was a lad of 
 eight years when he came with the rest of the fam- 
 ily to America, he obtained his schooling in the 
 state of Ohio. In March, 1854, he came to Logan 
 County, this state, where he farmed for one season, 
 and then removed to Stark County, where he also 
 made a business of cultivating the soil. 
 
 October 17, 1856, William Walker and Miss 
 Elizabeth Jarvis, a native of West Virginia, were 
 united in marriage. The lady was*born in Green- 
 brier County, October 31, 1839, and was the daugh- 
 ter of William Jarvis, also a native of that state, 
 and a farmer by occupation. He died when Mrs. 
 Walker was nine years of age, and her mother, 
 Mrs. Lucinda (McCamey) Jarvis, departed this life 
 two years previously. She was reared in the fam- 
 ily of Isaac V. Cunningham, and is the only mem- 
 ber who is living of her parents' family of six sons 
 and four daughters. 
 
 Immediately after his marriage, our subject lo- 
 cated on property in Stark County, and in 1861 
 removed to this county, and for three years lived 
 in Allen's Grove Township. At the expiration of 
 that time they made another move, which brought 
 them to this township, where they are at present 
 residing and have a good home. At the time their 
 farm came into their possession it was a tract of 
 wild prairie, but the labors of Mr. Walker soon 
 transformed it into rich and fertile fields. It is 
 now one hundred and sixty-five acres in extent, 
 and yields to the owner a golden tribute. 
 
 To our subject and his wife were born nine chil- 
 dren: Mary I., now Mrs. W. H. Anderson; Eliza 
 F., deceased; as are also Charles F., Thomas J., 
 William V., Robert M., Elizabeth L. and George 
 
 B. F. Amnah Bell, the youngest in the family, 
 married James B. Harris, and is living in Menard 
 County. 
 
 Mr. Walker is a stanch Democrat in politics, but 
 he has never sought or desired the honors of pub- 
 lic office, preferring to devote his entire time and 
 attention to his business. 
 
 EORGE E. EMMITT. The Buckeye State 
 has contributed to Illinois many estimable 
 citizens, and none are more worthy of re- 
 spect and esteem than the sub'ject of this sketch, 
 who is manager and yeast maker in the Globe Dis- 
 tillery at Pckin. He was born in Waverly, Ohio, 
 June 17, 1853, and is the son of Robert Emmitt, 
 who was a native of Pennsylvania, and who lo- 
 cated with his parents in Ohio when quite young. 
 The father was also a distiller, which business he 
 carried on in Peoiia, whither he had come in 
 1856. He remained here six years, and on his re- 
 turn to Ohio, carried on the same business in part- 
 nership with his brother, James Emmitt, until his 
 decease, in 1883. 
 
 Mrs. Eliza J. (Renode) Emmitt, the mother of 
 our subject, was born in New York, and accom- 
 panied her parents on their removal to Ohio. 
 They first located in Waverly, but afterwards 
 moved to Chillicothe. Her father, Stephen Renode, 
 was a cooper by trade and an early settler of Pitts- 
 field, Ohio, where the declining years of his life 
 were spent. 
 
 George E., of this sketch, was educated in the 
 public schools of the Buckeye State, and when 
 reaching his sixteenth year was apprenticed to 
 learn the distiller's trade under the instruction of 
 his father. He was thus employed for about ten 
 years in Chillicothe and Waverly, and in 1882 
 went to Lexington, Ky., accepting a position as 
 manager of a distillery in that city. Six years 
 later he came to Pekin and was made Superintend- 
 ent of the Star Distillery, later was with the Cres- 
 cent and is now manager of the Globe Distillery. 
 The building of the latter was erected in 1892 
 under the supervision of our subject, and was in-
 
 PORTEAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 559 
 
 corporated with a capital of $250,000. It employs 
 about one hundred men and has a capacity of five 
 thousand bushels of grain a day. 
 
 While residing in Kentucky, in 1886, Mr. Em- 
 mitt was married to Maude McClure, who was a 
 native of that state; she bore him two children, 
 Minnie F. and George R. Socially, our subject is 
 an Odd Fellow, belongs to the encampment and is 
 connected with the Ancient Order of United Work- 
 men. He has also been Assistant Adjutant of the 
 Fourth Regiment, and is in politics a true-blue 
 Republican. He keeps thoroughly abreast of the 
 times in the improvements and progress made in 
 his calling, is well informed on the current topics 
 of the day, and converses with intelligence on all 
 leading subjects. 
 
 ^ILLIAM McGINNIS owns and operates a 
 valuable farm of two hundred acres on sec- 
 tion 10, Little Mackinaw Township, and is 
 regarded as one of the leading agriculturists of 
 Tazewell Count}-. His place is under a high state 
 of cultivation and is well improved with all neces- 
 sary buildings and other accessories of a model 
 farm. The improvements were placed there by his 
 own efforts, and therefore stand as monuments to 
 his thrift and enterprise. 
 
 Mr. McGinnis was born in Hawkins County, 
 Tenn., September 27, 1831, and was brought to 
 Tazewell County in 1844 by his parents, Abraham 
 and Elizabeth (Myers) McGinnis, natives of Ten- 
 nessee. The father was a farmer, and on coming 
 west, located on section 3, Little Mackinaw Town- 
 ship, where he purchased a partially improved 
 tract of land of one hundred acres. His death oc- 
 curred in 1850. He was a supporter of the Dem- 
 ocratic party, and was a highly respected citizen. 
 Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. McGin- 
 nis: John, who was a soldier of the Union army, 
 and who now lives in Ilittle Township; James, a 
 farmer of Mitchell County, Kan.; Isaac, who fol- 
 lows farming in Mitchell County; Amanda, wife 
 of John Gordon, of Little Mackinaw Township, 
 
 and Charlotta, wife of Richard Pippin. Three of 
 the family are now deceased. 
 
 Since of the age of thirteen years, Mr. McGinnis 
 has been a resident of Tazewell County, and upon 
 the old homestead was reared to manhood, there 
 living until his marriage. On the 1st of March, 
 1864, he wedded Miss Martha, daughter of Nich- 
 olas Fail, a native of Coles County, and an early- 
 settler of McLean County, 111. His last days, 
 however, were spent in Little Mackinaw Town- 
 ship, Tazewell County. His wife, who bore the 
 maiden name of Lydia Anna Stilwell, was a na- 
 tive of Indiana, but during early girlhood came 
 to Illinois. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. McGinnis began their domestic 
 life on section 10, Little Mackinaw Township, 
 where our subject purchased a tract of unbroken 
 prairie land and began the development of one 
 of the fine farms of the county. Twelve children 
 came to bless their home, two of whom are deceas- 
 ed: Mary; Polly, wife of William Lower, who is 
 living near Bradley, 111.; William, who follows 
 farming near the old home; Julia, wife of C. W. 
 Cruse, a carpenter and builder of Minier; Eppa, 
 Margaret, David, George, Charles and Edward. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. William McGinnis are faithful 
 members of the Christian Church of Minier, are 
 prominent people of the community, and occupy 
 an enviable position in social circles. In politics 
 he is a Democrat, and has served as School Di- 
 rector of his township. The best interests of the 
 community have ever found in him a friend, and 
 during his long residence in Tazewell County he 
 has ever borne his part in promoting those enter- 
 prises which are calculated to prove of public 
 benefit. 
 
 W" WILLIAM G. LE SOURD. There is no 
 greater pleasure for the hand and the pen 
 w of the historian to perform, than to record 
 the life and achievements of a man who has begun 
 life's battles under adverse circumstances and 
 through his own unaided efforts has secured the 
 general acknowledgment of being an honest man, 
 a gentleman, and one who has accumulated a 
 handsome fortune. Such a man is Mr. Le Sourd,
 
 560 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 who is the proprietor of eight hundred acres of as 
 fine farming land as is to be found in Mason 
 County. 
 
 Joseph Le Sourd, the father of our subject, was 
 a native of Ohio, and was born September 23, 
 
 1811. He was taken to Maryland by his parents 
 when an infant, his father, Peter Le Sourd, who 
 was a native of that state and an early settler of 
 Butler County, Ohio, having been compelled to 
 return to his native place on account of the War 
 of 1812. After the cessation of hostilities he re- 
 turned to Ohio and continued to reside there un- 
 til his decease. The mother of our subject, Mrs. 
 Rachael (Gorsuch) Le Sourd, was also a native of 
 Maryland, where her birth occurred in 1809, and 
 was the daughter of Charles and Ruth (Rutledge) 
 Gorsuch. Her father was a soldier in the War of 
 
 1812, after which he removed to Butler County, 
 Ohio, where he was living at the time of his de- 
 cease. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Le Sourd were married in 
 Maryland, and made location in Ohio in 1835. 
 They operated a farm in Butler County, that state, 
 until 1866, the date of their advent into Topeka, 
 111., where they both died in 1883. Of their fam- 
 ily of six children only four are living, of whom 
 William G. is the eldest. Sarah J. is the widow 
 of James Newlin; Mar}' Ellen married Leonidas 
 Jones and is living in Nebraska; Charles T. makes 
 his home in Mason County. The parents were 
 devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, with which they were identified for many 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Le Sourd was born September 26, 1834, in 
 Maryland and was reared and educated in Butler 
 County, Ohio. He remained upon his father's 
 farm until reaching his thirty-fifth year, when he 
 established himself in the grain and stock business. 
 In 1883 he came to Illinois, and for six years was 
 engaged as a general merchant in Topeka. 
 
 In 1864 William G. Le Sourd and Miss Sarah Ann 
 Gorsuch, who was born in Butler County, Ohio, 
 in 1842, were united in marriage. This lady died 
 August 2, 1882, leaving a family of three chil- 
 dren, of whom Russell is the only member living. 
 While residing in the Buckeye State Mr. Le Sourd 
 served. on the School Board and was Township 
 
 Trustee. In politics he has always been a stanch 
 Democrat, and is foremost among the members of 
 that party in the county. He is the promoter of 
 every worthy enterprise which tends to advance 
 the interests of the community and aid in the up- 
 building and development of the county. His 
 life has been well and worthily passed, and from 
 a financial standpoint may also be said to be very 
 successful, and he deserves all the more credit for 
 his prosperity, as it has been achieved through his 
 own unaided efforts. 
 
 KNJAMIN S. PRETTYMAN, JR. The 
 v learned professions have many disciples bo 
 aspire to honor and dignity in their chosen 
 field, and all, with greater or less reason, 
 expect their efforts to be crowned with success. He 
 of whom we have the pleasure of giving a short 
 biographical sketch is one of the many who has 
 won success before the Bench and Bar of Pekin. 
 Nor does he aspire without cause, for nature has 
 gifted him generally with those qualities that 
 make themselves felt in the legal profession. 
 
 Our subject is a son of Benjamin S. Prettyman, 
 Sr., and was born in this city, February 22, 1857. 
 He received his education in the schools of the 
 city, and in 1874 entered the University of Illi- 
 nois, where he was a student for three years. 
 After being graduated from that institution, he 
 began reading law with his father and John B. 
 Cohrs, a former prominent attorney of Pekin, and 
 in 1879 was admitted to practice at the Bar. From 
 1880 to 1884 he was City Attorney of Pekin, 
 and the year after the expiration of his term of 
 ofh'ce, he was appointed Deputy United States 
 Revenue Collector, which position he still occu- 
 pies. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married in 
 this city, in 1879, was Miss Lillie M. Sholl, who 
 was born in Peoria County, and is the daughter of 
 Adam Sholl. Their union has resulted in the 
 birth of four children, Benjamin (now deceased), 
 Lewis, Nellie also (deceased) and an infant son. 
 The family occupy a beautiful residence on Buena
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF fHt 
 UNIVERSI1Y OF
 
 
 MARK COOPER.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 563 
 
 Vista Street, which is all that a model home should 
 be, and here they entertain a host of friends and 
 acquaintances. 
 
 In politics he is a pronounced Democrat and 
 takes much interest in the triumphs of his party. 
 lie is highly respected and his advice and aid in 
 all enterprises regarding the advancement of the 
 city are much appreciated. 
 
 ARK COOPER, who is now successfully en- 
 gaged in farming on section 26, Sherman 
 Township, has for many years been prom- 
 inently identified witli the history of 
 Mason County, and his name is inseparably con- 
 nected with the growth and development of some 
 localities. He came here in an early day, and has 
 always borne, his part in advancing the best inter- 
 ests. A native of Yorkshire, England, he was born 
 May 13, 1844. His parents, Mark and Jane (Las- 
 celles) Cooper, were also born in England, and the 
 father was of Scotch descent, while the mother was 
 of French lineage. They were married in their na- 
 tive land, and there resided until 1857, when they 
 crossed the Atlantic to America. In July thej' came 
 to Mason County and located two and a-half miles 
 south of Bath, where they made a permanent home. 
 The father died June 17, 1863, and the mother 
 died in 1877. She was a member of the Methodist 
 Church. 
 
 In the Cooper family were ten children, seven 
 of whom are yet living, Mrs. Ann Fletcher, of 
 Lynchburg Township; John, who resides in Bath 
 Township; Mark, of this sketch; Henry, who makes 
 his home in Coffey County, Kan.; Robert, a resi- 
 dent of Kippeha, Neb.; Mrs. Mary Jane Samuels, 
 of Sherman Township, and Mrs. Elizabeth Patter- 
 son, of Mason City Township. 
 
 Mark Cooper was only thirteen years of age 
 when with his parents he came to the New World. 
 At the age of eighteen he responded to the call of 
 his adopted country for troops, enlisting in the 
 Union service, July 15, 1862, as a private of Com- 
 pany F, Fifty-first Illinois Infantry. He joined 
 the camp at Chicago, was sent to luka, theirtoTe- 
 
 cumseh, and later to Decatur, Ala. He went to Nash- 
 ville with the command of John M. Palmer, and 
 after the battle at that place marched to Mitchell- 
 ville, Ky., where he met the army of General Rose- 
 crans. Returning to Nashville, his regiment after- 
 ward participated in the battles of Murfreesboro 
 and Stone River, and the engagement at Columbia, 
 Tenn., under General Sheridan. Going to Bridge- 
 port, he crossed the river to Chattanooga, and par- 
 ticipated in the battle of Chickamauga on Satur- 
 day afternoon, September 19, 1863. He was there 
 struck in the head behind the left ear by a slug, 
 and ten minutes later a bone in his right leg was 
 shattered by a minie ball. lie was carried to the 
 field hospital and was captured the next day by 
 rebel cavalry, but after thirteen days was paroled 
 and taken to Chattanooga. Later he was conveyed 
 across the mountains in a wagon train to Steven- 
 son, Ala., and from there by railroad to Nashville, 
 where he remained in the hospital for two weeks. 
 He was afterward in the hospital at Louisville, Ky., 
 where a bullet was taken out of his head, thence 
 wont to New Albany, Ind., and on to Evansville, 
 where he was granted a sixty days' furlough. 
 On the expiration of that period he returned to 
 Evansville, and after four days was sent to the 
 United States Hospital in Springfield, 111., where 
 he was discharged June 29, 1865, and on the 4th 
 of July reached home. He now draws a pension 
 of $6 per month. 
 
 For a year after his return, Mr. Cooper engaged 
 in farming on the old homestead, and in the fall 
 of 1866 rented a farm on section 25, Sherman 
 Township. Two years later he purchased land. 
 In 1868, he married Miss Lilley J. Patterson, who 
 was born in- Mason County December 13, 1844, 
 and was a daughter of William and Sabina (Moore) 
 Patterson. Her father was a native of Ireland, but 
 during his infancy was brought to America, and 
 became one of the early settlers of Mason County, 
 where he still makes his home. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cooper were born three children, two yet living, 
 Minnie, wife of Wylie Elmore, who resides on sec- 
 tion 26, Sherman Township, and Lillie Jane, wife 
 of David Van Ettan, a farmer living on section 23, 
 Sherman Township. The mother of this family 
 died in 1871, and for his second wife, Mr. Cooper
 
 564 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 chose Isabel Waterworth, who was born in York- 
 shire, England, in 1850. This marriage occurred 
 December 18,1873. Her parents, James and Nancy 
 Waterworth, came to America in 1857, and located 
 in Havana Township, Mason County, where the 
 mother is still living. The father has now passed 
 away. 
 
 From the time of his first marriage, Mr. Cooper 
 resided on section 25, Sherman Township, until 
 1881, when he removed to his present farm. In 
 that year he built a comfortable residence at a 
 cost of $1,300, and put up barns and other out- 
 buildings to the value of $2,200. His home farm 
 comprises four hundred and three acres' of rich 
 land, all of which is under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion. In addition he owns one hundred and sixty 
 acres in Allen's Grove Township. In 1889, he 
 erected a house and other necessary buildings on 
 a farm on section 28, Allen's Grove Township, at a 
 cost of $1,750. He has ever been a progressive 
 and practical farmer, and the improvements which 
 he has made have done much toward the develop- 
 ment of the county. In politics, Mr. Cooper ie a 
 Republican, has served as School Director for a 
 mimber of years, was Justice of the Peace seven 
 years, served as Township Supervisor and Collec- 
 'tor, and was Drainage Commissioner for five years, 
 during which time $140,000 were spent on the 
 work of draining in the district. Socially, Mr. 
 Cooper is connected with J. Q. A. Jones Post, 
 G. A. R., of Havana, and with the Modern Wood- 
 men of America. 
 
 IRAM N. HOFFMAN. The finely im- 
 proved farm owned and occupied by this 
 well-known resident of Mason County is 
 situated on section 18, Allen's Grove 
 Township, and consists of one hundred and ten 
 acres of choice land. Our subject it a son of Eli 
 and Elizabeth (Chance) Hoffman, natives of New 
 Jersey, the former of Swedish descent and the latter 
 of English ancestry. They were married in New 
 Jersey, and there the father died in 1845, after 
 having become the parent of twelve children. 
 Three now survive: Oratio T., who resides in 
 
 Sumner County, Kan.; Eunice W. C., the wife of 
 James Sweeney, of Allen's Grove Township; and 
 Hiram N. 
 
 In 1852, the mother was again married, becom- 
 ing the wife of James Mickle, a native of New Jer- 
 sey. The year of their marriage they came to 
 Illinois and settled in Pleasant Plains, Sangamon 
 County, where Mr. Mickle died in 1853. In Feb- 
 ruary, 1854, the mother came to Allen 's Grove, Ma- 
 son County, where the preceding fall she had pur- 
 chased one hundred and sixty acres. After re- 
 maining there about three years, she came to the 
 place where Hiram N. now lives. The latter re- 
 mained with his mother until he was twenty-three, 
 when he married Miss Sarah A. Cox, the daughter 
 of L. D. and Mary W. (Ryker) Cox. She was 
 born in Jefferson County, Ind., October 20, 1844, 
 and is one of a family of ten children. The fol- 
 lowing are now living: John J., of Havana; Jared 
 R., Warren L. and Theodore E., all of Jefferson 
 County, Kan.; L. D., of Pennsylvania Township, 
 this county; Mahersa A., the wife of Samuel C. 
 Hoffman, of Nevansville, Iowa, and Mrs. Hoffman. 
 
 The union of our subject and his wife lias re- 
 sulted in the birth of eleven children, nine of 
 whom are now living, namely: Clara L., the wife 
 of Charles Tomlin, of Tazewell County; Ezra R., 
 who married Miss Belle Marts and lives in Jefferson 
 County, Kan., Lorenzo C., Sarah A., Hiram O., Re- 
 becca M., Reuben W., Elsie B. and Eunice B., all of 
 whom are with the parents. These children have 
 all been given good opportunities for acquiring an 
 education, and also received such home training as 
 will make them honored citizens wherever their 
 lots may be cast. 
 
 At the time of coming to this state, it was in the 
 primitive condition of nature, and our subject en- 
 dured all the hardships and privations incident to 
 pioneer life. When he and his good wife com- 
 menced housekeeping, their residence was a one- 
 story frame structure, 14x20 feet in dimensions, 
 and divided into two rooms. Now the passer-by 
 will notice an elegant two-story residence, with 
 barns and outbuildings that compare favorably 
 with the best in the township. The fields show 
 care and good management on the part of a thor- 
 ough and practical farmer, who keeps up with the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 565 
 
 times in modern agriculture and farm machinery. 
 In their religious connections Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hoffman are members of the Baptist Church at 
 Mason City. In politics he is a Democrat, but has 
 always declined public office, preferring to give 
 his time and attention to his private affairs. All 
 enterprises for the good of the township and 
 county receive his warm support, and he is num- 
 bered among the substantial men of the commu- 
 nity. The family is held in high esteem in social 
 circles, and among the people of the county none 
 are more respected than they. 
 
 L. REID. The following is a brief 
 sketch of the career of Mr. Reid, who is a 
 resident of Delavan Township, Tazewell 
 County. His present substantial position 
 has been reached entirely through his own perse- 
 verance, and his life shows what can be accom- 
 plished by a person of courage and enlightened 
 views. Notwithstanding the many discourage- 
 ments which beset his path, he pushed forward and 
 the result proves the wisdom of his course. 
 
 Robert Reid, the father of our subject, was born 
 in Springfield, Ohio, August 11, 1813, while his 
 father, who bore the name of Hugh Reid, was born 
 in Pennsylvania and became a very early settler 
 of the Buckeye State. He served as a soldier in 
 the War of 1812. His father, William Reid, was 
 born in the North of Ireland, and though only 
 thirteen years of age when he crossed the Atlantic, 
 had followed the trade of a weaver in the Emerald 
 Isle. He is said to have lived to be one hundred 
 and fifteen years of age. 
 
 Mrs. Anne (Moore) Reid, the mother of our 
 subject, was born in Brown County, Ohio, in 1823, 
 and departed this life in April, 1889. In Decem- 
 ber the previous year her husband, while living in 
 Delavan, had passed to the land beyond. James 
 L. was the eldest of the three children born to 
 them, of whom his brother John lived to mature 
 years, and died in AVhiteside County, this state. 
 His sister, Mary, never married, and makes her 
 home in Delavan. 
 
 Our subject spent his early life on the home 
 
 farm, and fitting himself to teach school, followed 
 that vocation for one year. The greater part of 
 his life has been spent as a farmer. The lady to 
 whom he was married in 1870 was Miss Marietta 
 Jenks, who was born in Tremont, this count} 7 , and 
 is a daughter of George Jenks, one of the early 
 settlers of this locality. Her mother, who prior to 
 her marriage was Miss Henrietta Owens, died 
 in May, 1887. Her husband died in 1878. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Reid have become the parents of 
 three children, of whom the eldest. Walter, died 
 when in his eighteenth year. Olive, who is a 
 graduate of the Delavan High School, is engaged 
 in teaching in Ilopedale, and Bruce is at home 
 with his parents. The Baptist Church finds in our 
 subject one of its most active members, and in 
 his political relations he is a Prohibitionist. He 
 lias been a hard worker, a good financier, and is 
 now the owner of a beautiful farm located near 
 the city. He always gives his aid and influence 
 toward the promotion of every enterprise that 
 will benefit the community, and is held in the 
 highest esteem by all who know him. In 1880, 
 Mr. Reid and wife went to Osage County, Kan., 
 where they lived until 1888, when they returned 
 to Tazewell County. 
 
 WEYHRICH. A foremost place 
 among the agriculturists of Sand Prairie 
 Township must be accorded to the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, who owns and occupies 
 a fine farm on section 8. His landed estate amounts 
 to three hundred and forty acres, which is cul- 
 tivated in the best possible manner and reflects 
 great credit upon its worthy owner. 
 
 Our subject is of German birth, having been 
 born in Hesse-Darmstadt, on the 31st of August, 
 1843. He continued to reside on the farm where 
 he was born until 1857, in which year he came to 
 America with his father. The latter, who bore the 
 name of Philip Weyhrich, was born in the Father- 
 land in 1812 and attended the model schools of 
 Germany until reaching his fourteenth year. The 
 succeeding four years he spent in working out as
 
 566 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a farm hand, and at the end of that time he learned 
 the cooper's trade, which he followed for two years 
 and then turned his attention again to farm pur- 
 suits. 
 
 When attaining his majority the father of our 
 subject was married to Elizabeth Stoehr, also a 
 native of the Fatherland, where her birth occurred 
 in 1813. She departed this life in 1853, and four 
 years later her family emigrated to America, mak- 
 ing their home in Tazewell County, where Jacob 
 Weyhrich, the grandfather of our subject, had lo- 
 cated in 1828. 
 
 Nine children were comprised in the family of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Philip Weyhrich: Peter, Elizabeth 
 and Betty (deceased), Jacob, Philip, George, Eliza- 
 beth, Adam (our subject) and Peter W. 
 
 After locating in the New World our subject 
 aided his father in working out on farms until 
 they were enabled to purchase property of their 
 own. When it came into their possession it was 
 in its wild state, and thus necessitated much hard 
 labor on their part to place.it under good tillage. 
 Adam continued to reside with his parents until 
 1864, when he was married to Miss Catherine 
 Meisinger, also a native of Germany, who was 
 brought to America by her parents when two 
 years of age. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Weyhrich soon after their union 
 went to house-keeping on the farm where they 
 now live. The former by strict attention to 
 business, energy, thrift and enterprise was enabled 
 to add to his original purchase until he is to-day 
 one of the wealthy farmers of the county. In 
 the family are eight children. Peter A., born on 
 the 1st of January, 1866, is married to Miss 
 Clara Ripper and lives on a farm near Fisher, this 
 state; George W., born October 16, 1869, makes 
 his home with his brother near Fisher; Jacob was 
 born January 20, 1871, and resides at home, as do 
 also the other members of the family, who are: 
 Adam, born April 22. 1873; John J.,May 25, 1875; 
 Lizzie, March 16, 1877; Fred J., February 20, 1881, 
 and Henry G., February 18, 1883. 
 
 As before stated, our subject owns three hun- 
 dred and forty acres of fine land, two hundred acres 
 of which he has cleared himself. With his wife he 
 is a consistent member of the German Lutheran 
 
 Church. Although not a politician, Mr. Weyhrich 
 is an ardent Democrat and always votes that ticket. 
 The parents of his wife, Balz and Anna C. (Kumpf) 
 Meisinger, were natives of Germany. The father 
 of our subject made his home with him until 1880, 
 the date of his decease. 
 
 OMER C. McHARRY. Situated on section 
 36, Pennsylvania Township, lies one of the 
 most attractive rural homes in Mason 
 County. The residence combines all the 
 advantages to be derived from existence in the 
 country with those usually supposed to be con- 
 fined to the city. It is a three-story structure, 
 elegantly furnished and containing all the modern 
 improvements. Its beaut}' is still further en- 
 hanced by the environments. In front, extending 
 for a distance of one-half mile, is a row of orna- 
 mental shade trees, while the well-kept hedge 
 fences prove the thrift of the owner. 
 
 This farm has been the home of Mr. McIIarry 
 since 1869. His first purchase consisted of two hun- 
 dred and forty acres, to which he has added until 
 he now owns four hundred acres in the home farm 
 and in addition has a controlling interest in ten 
 hundred acres in his father's estate. The improve- 
 ments now noticeable on his place have been in- 
 troduced by himself and through his efforts the 
 raw prairie has been transformed into a fertile 
 tract. The residence and barn were erected in 
 1893. The latter is about 100x60 feet in dimen- 
 sions, and is two stories in height with a basement 
 containing stabling room for about forty head of 
 horses. 
 
 Mr. McHarry is of direct Irish descent, his 
 father, Hugh, having been born on the Emerald 
 Isle in 1806. Thence he emigrated to Amer- 
 ica in the spring of 1826, and after landing in 
 Quebec proceeded to New York, where he made a 
 brief sojourn. He left that city with seventy-five 
 cents for his sole possession, and arriving in Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, after having worked his way there, 
 he was employed for four years as foreman on 
 the canal between Cleveland and Portsmouth. In
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 56< 
 
 the spring of 1830 lie went to Louisville, Ky., 
 near which point he was for four years engaged 
 as superintendent of construction of a canal. 
 Later he took charge of a heavy milling plant. 
 
 In 1843 Hugh McIIarry came to Illinois and 
 settled in Beardstown, Cass County, where he 
 bought a mill and embarked in business. The mill 
 was purchased very cheap at a sheriff's sale, and 
 he continued it successfully until the spring of 
 1845, when he sold out, and coining to Mason 
 County bought a sawmill in Quiver Township. 
 This business he followed, in connection with the 
 management of his flour mill, until 1882, when he 
 retired. He was a man of more than ordinary 
 sagacity and was uniformly successful in his en- 
 terprises. The wagon bridge across the Illinois 
 River at Havana was constructed and for some . 
 time owned by him, but later was deeded to 
 the city of Havana. His death occurred in the 
 fall of 1890. 
 
 The family of Hugh McIIarry consisted of six 
 children now living, namely: John, who resides 
 on the old homestead in Quiver Township; Hugh, 
 a resident of Mason City; Homer C.; William; 
 Mrs. Josephine Dexter, of Topeka, 111.; and Mrs. 
 J. J. Donaldson, of Havana, 111. The subject of 
 this notice was born in Corydon, Ind., in 1834, 
 and remained at home assisting his father until 
 December, 1864. He then married Miss Rebecca 
 Fullerton, of Youngstown, Ohio, and the daughter 
 of James and Mary Fullerton, natives of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 As above stated, Mr. McIIarry came to his pres- 
 ent farm in 1869, and here he engaged in raising 
 grain and stock until 1891, when he retired from 
 active business and gave the management of the 
 home place into the hands of his sons, Frank W. 
 and Charles. They have at present four hundred 
 acres under cultivation, and devote considerable 
 attention to stock-raising, having at this writing 
 (1894) seventy-five head of cattle, ninety head of 
 sheep, one hundred and twenty-five hogs and 
 twenty fine Norman horses. There is also an or- 
 chard on the place containing different varieties 
 of fruit trees. 
 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. McIIarry, three in 
 number, are Willis, Charles and Le,na,allof whom 
 
 are well educated and popular among the young 
 people of the vicinity. Charles completed the 
 course in the Jacksonville Business College and 
 taught school for one j'ear, since which time he 
 has engaged in farming. Miss Lena is an accom- 
 plished young lady, and finished her education in 
 the Jacksonville Female Seminary. Politically 
 Mr. McHarry works in the ranks of the Republican 
 party, and upon that ticket has been elected to 
 various local offices. For ten years he has served 
 as Township Treasurer, for three years as Super- 
 visor and has also filled the positions of Highway 
 Commissioner and School Director. 
 
 ENRY ZIEGENBEIN. Among the promi- 
 nent business men in the city of Pekin the 
 gentleman whose name appears above is 
 |jj/ numbered among the most energetic and 
 ambitious. He is engaged in the manufacture of 
 cigars and is at the same time efficiently perform- 
 ing the duties of City Treasurer, to which office he 
 was elected in 1893. 
 
 Our subject was born in this city December 1 1, 
 1856. He was the third child of his parents' family 
 of seven children, only three of whom are living. 
 lie received his education up to the age of twelve 
 years in the German parish school of this city, and 
 at that tender age was apprenticed to learn the 
 trade of a cigar-maker under the instruction of 
 Ed Gehrig, with whom he remained until 1871. 
 In 1879, after working with different firms for a 
 number of j'ears, he started out in business on 
 his' own account. In 1882 he took in as partner 
 A. Haschcrt, and they continued to manufacture 
 cigars at No. 403. Court Street until 1893. In 
 July of that year Mr. Ziegenbein disposed of his 
 interest in the factory and since then has been 
 engaged in retailing cigars, in which business he 
 has a fine trade.. 
 
 Our subject has always been greatly interested 
 in public affairs, and a worthy enterprise is never 
 allowed to drag for want of support on his part. 
 In 1887 he was elected City Treasurer on the Re- 
 publican ticket, holding that office until 1889, and
 
 568 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 is now serving his second term, having been re- 
 elected in the year 1893 for a term of two years. 
 He was elected to the office by a majority of 
 one hundred and seventy-five, which was the 
 largest majority ever given any Republican can- 
 didate for city office. 
 
 In 1882 our subject was married to Agnes 
 Matthes, who was born in Saxony and who came to 
 America when fifteen years of age. The six chil- 
 dren who have come to bless their union are, 
 Walter, Albert, Henry, Agnes, Fred and Charles. 
 
 VAN BOENING. There is not within the 
 limits of Pekin a man who is held in more 
 general respect than the subject of this 
 sketch, who is proprietor of a transfer 
 and storage business, agent for the St. Louis, 
 Naples & Peoria Packet Company, and the repre- 
 sentative in this city of the Anhauser-Busch 
 Brewing Company of St. Louis. He was born in 
 Hanover, Germany, December 20, 1851, and is the 
 son of Simon Van Boening, who was likewise born 
 in that empire, as was also his father, who bore 
 the name of Egbert. His mother, who bore the 
 maiden name of Elizabeth Dieken, was a native of 
 Hanover and the daughter of William Dieken, a 
 nurseryman in the Fatherland. Simon Van Boe- 
 ning departed this life in Germany in 1856, but 
 his wife lived to emigrate to America, where her 
 decease occurred in 1876. 
 
 Nine of the twelve children comprised in the 
 parental family grew to mature years and seven 
 _are living at the present time. The subjectof this 
 sketch was educated in his native tongue, and in 
 1867 left Bremen on the steamer "Union," land- 
 ing in New Yoik eleven days later. He had 
 two brothers who located in America the previous 
 year and he immediately came to Pekiu to join 
 them, and for two years found work on farms near 
 the city. At the expiration of that time he en- 
 tered the employ of T. & H. Smith Co., working 
 in the wagon department. This establishment 
 burning in 1875, he entered the plow shop of that 
 company. Two years later he purchased a horse 
 
 and dray, and has followed the draying business up 
 to the present time, now owning three teams. He 
 likewise has a large storage house located at No. 
 102 Court Street, and from 1878 to 1890 was 
 agent for the Peoria and St. Louis Packet Com- 
 pany. April 15 of the latter year he left that 
 company and engaged with the St. Louis, Naples 
 & Peoria Packet Company, now the Eagle, which 
 he represents. 
 
 Mr. Van Boening was married in this city in 
 1875 to Miss Mary Heyl, a native of Germany, who 
 came to this country when quite young. Their 
 union has resulted in the birth of five children, Os- 
 car, Alfred, Emma and Lillie (twins) and one de- 
 ceased, Nellie. Socially, our subject is an Odd Fel- 
 low, a member of the Knights and Ladiesof Honor, 
 a United Workman and a member of the Druids and 
 Turner Society. In politics he is a true-blue Re- 
 publican and has been prominently connected with 
 many important measures for the progress of the 
 city. Self made in the broadest sense of the term, 
 his career illustrates in an admirable manner what 
 may be accomplished by unflagging industry, per- 
 severance and good management. 
 
 HARLES W. WILSON, one of Mason 
 County's most efficient and industrious 
 agriculturists, and at present a resident of 
 Pennsylvania Township, was born near Pekin, 
 Tazewell County, this state, January 13, 1856, and 
 is the son of Edward A. and Rebecca Wilson. 
 Reference to his parentage and ancestry will be 
 found on another page of this volume. His youth 
 was passed in a comparatively uneventful manner 
 upon the home farm, alternating attendance in the 
 district schools with the labor of tilling the soil. 
 When twenty-one years of age Mr. Wilson com- 
 menced life for himself, and for some time operated 
 one of his father's farms adjoining the old home- 
 stead. January 26, 1881, he established domestic 
 ties, being at the time united in marriage with 
 Miss Ella, daughter of Hon. J. W. Pugh, of Mason 
 City, of whom further mention is made elsewhere 
 in this work. Mrs. Wilson was born in Mason
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 569 
 
 County, November 21, 1857, and here spent her 
 entire life until she was called hence by death, May 
 9, 1892. She was a lady of many characteristics, 
 one who gained the esteem of all who knew her 
 and was universally respected for her amiable dis- 
 position and kindliness of heart. At her death she 
 left two children, Carrie, who was born July 2, 
 1882, and Lelia, November 29, 1886. These chil- 
 dren are now making their home with their grand- 
 parents, Mr. and Mrs. Pugli. They are bright and 
 promising girls and are students in the public 
 schools of Mason City. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Wilson settled on the 
 farm where he has since continued to reside, and 
 where in addition to general farming he also makes 
 a specialty of stock-raising, keeping on his place 
 the best grades. He has several Clydesdale, Eng- 
 lishsire and Norman horses, and in cattle be is im- 
 proving with the Polled Angus breed. On his farm 
 will also be noticed one hundred head of Poland 
 China hogs. The farm is a part of the undivided 
 estate of his father, and he cultivates two hundred 
 and thirty acres. He has the fields enclosed with 
 neat hedge fences and the entire tract is under 
 cultivation. He is well entitled to a position 
 among the foremost farmers of the township and 
 justly merits the high regard in which he is held. 
 
 &HOMAS A. HOLE, a successful farmer of 
 Mason County, and the owner of a valua 
 ble estate lying on section 32 of Havana 
 Township, is a son of Stephen Hole, to whom 
 further reference is made in the sketch of William 
 H. Hole, elsewhere presented. He was born in 
 Washington County, Ind., October 18. 1834, and 
 was reared upon a farm, receiving a common- 
 school education in the home neighborhood. In 
 1856 he accompanied his father to Mason County, 
 of which he has since been a resident. 
 
 March 9, 1856, Mr. Hole was united in marriage 
 with Miss Eliza Snyder, who was born in Wash- 
 ington County, lud., on Christmas Day of 1834. 
 
 She is the daughter of William and Matilda 
 (Mitchell) Snyder, natives respectively of Ken- 
 tucky and Indiana. Her father, who was an early 
 settler of Indiana, came thence to Illinois, and set- 
 tled at Canton in 1839. After following the 
 trades of tanner and shoemaker at that place for a 
 time, he removed thence to Pekin. In 1848 he 
 went to California via the Atlantic and Pacific 
 Oceans, and remained in the far west for more than 
 twenty years, meantime traveling through Cali- 
 fornia, Oregon, Washington, and also spending 
 three years in Old Mexico, where he was taken 
 prisoner by the Mexicans. Upon his return to 
 Illinois he settled in Havana, where he remained 
 until his death. 
 
 Twice married, the second union of Mr. Snyder 
 was childless. By his first marriage there were 
 born six children, four of whom are now living, 
 viz.: Mrs. Hole, Mrs. Rosanna Coats, Joseph Sny- 
 der and Mrs. Louisa Page. Mrs. Hole received a 
 good education in the schools of Illinois and is a 
 refined, amiable lady and a sincere Christian, hav- 
 ing been a member of the Baptist Church since 
 1854. Since her marriage she has lived upon sec- 
 tion 32, the place of her present abode, and here 
 she has reared her three children, Effie, Grant S. 
 and William S., twins. The only daughter is the 
 wife of Lawrence Sarff, of Mason County, and 
 they have two children, Eva and Ray. Grant S. 
 married Miss Lizzie Meyer, and they reside in Ha- 
 vana. William S. married Miss Lucy Dare, and 
 they live upon the old homestead. 
 
 As a farmer Mr. Hole has met with more than 
 ordinary success and now owns two hundred acres 
 of improved land, upon which he raises grain and 
 stock. Socially, he is a member of the Encampment. 
 I. O. O. F., and he and his wife are connected with 
 the Rebekah Lodge. He is interested in educa- 
 tional matters and has been a member of the 
 School Board for twenty years. To his children 
 he gave excellent educational advantages, and the 
 daughter taught two terms of school in this county. 
 Politically, he is a Republican and has frequently 
 served as a delegate to local conventions. In a 
 township which usually gives a Democratic major- 
 ity of one hundred and seventy, lie has been 
 elected Assessor upon the Republican ticket, and is
 
 570 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 now serving in that capacity. For nine years 
 consecutively he otliciated as Road Commissioner. 
 
 ON. JOHN STOLTZ, ex-Mayor of Pekin, is 
 a man of influence in this com in unity, and 
 possesses sound judgment in public affairs, 
 as well as in matters relating to his private 
 interests. He is one of the oldest residents in the 
 city, having located here as early as 1849, and has 
 therefore witnessed the wonderful progress made 
 by the city in the past forty-five 3'ears. 
 
 Like many of the best residents of Tazewell 
 County, our subject is a native of Germany. He 
 was born in Wurtemberg March 7, 1825, and is a 
 son of Fred Stoltz, also a native of the Father- 
 land. When fourteen years of age he was appren- 
 ticed to learn the cabinet-maker's trade, at which 
 he worked until reaching his majority. In 1847 
 he left Hamburg on a vessel bound for Amer- 
 ica; landing in New York, he came west to Mil- 
 waukee, and two years later we find him a resident 
 of Pekin, where he engaged in the manufacture of 
 furniture up to 1865. In that year his furniture 
 factory burned down and although sustaining a 
 severe loss, he three years later purchased the city 
 flouring mills, which he operated until 1892. The 
 plant was entirely remodeled in 1883, at which time 
 Mr. Stoltz put in a full roller system, which had a 
 capacity of turning out one hundred and thirty- 
 five barrel of flour per day. 
 
 Our subject disposed of his mill property in 
 1892 in order to give his undivided attention to 
 the Independent Biscuit and Cracker Company, 
 which was organized the previous year, when he 
 was elected its President. The building which the 
 company occupies was erected by our subject in 
 1860, and is a large structure fitted out with the 
 latest improved methods for the manufacture of 
 biscuit and crackers. 
 
 The lady whom our subject first married was 
 Miss Amelia Dalcher. She was born in this state, 
 and became the mother of a daughter, Mary, now 
 Mrs. F. Schnellbacher, of Pekin. Mrs. Stoltz de- 
 parted this life in 1871, and five years later our 
 subject married, in Peoria, Mrs. Emma Gosewitz, 
 
 also a native of Germany, but who was reared to 
 mature 3'ears in Peoria. Their union has resulted 
 in the birth of one child, Anna. 
 
 Mr. Stoltz has always been an ardent Democrat 
 in politics, and in 1872 was elected on that ticket 
 as Mayor of the city. He discharged the duties 
 of. that responsible position in a most satisfactory 
 manner. In all the affairs of life he has borne 
 himself in an upright manner, and is regarded as a 
 man of true worth. 
 
 \1l ^, ENRY DIX is now successfully engaged in 
 * farming on section 26, Manito Township, 
 Mason County, and is doing a good busi- 
 ness. He owns two hundred and forty acres 
 of land, a part of which he now rents, while the 
 remainder he operates, engaging in general farm- 
 ing. He is a wide-awake and enterprising man 
 and carefully manages his interests. 
 
 Mr. Dix was born in Ohio on the 12th of Au- 
 gust, 1849, and is a son of Barney and Regena 
 (Erfman) Dix, both of whom were natives of 
 Germany. The father died in Indiana in 1870, at 
 the age of sixty-seven years, and the mother's 
 death occurred in 1876 at the age of fifty-six. Our 
 subject was reared in the usual manner of farm- 
 er's lads, spending the days of his boyhood and 
 youth at work in the fields or in attendance upon 
 the district schools of the neighborhood in which 
 he made his home. He came to Illinois in 1879. 
 He has since made his home in Mason County and 
 is one of its well known citizens. 
 
 On the 28th of May, 1875, Mr. Dix was united in 
 marriage with Miss Minnie Wickemeyer, who was 
 born in Germany, July 25, 1850, and is a daughter 
 of Benedict Wickemeyer. Their marriage was 
 celebrated in Ripley County, Ind., and they began 
 their domestic life in this county. For four years 
 Mr. Dix rented land, and then purchased the farm 
 upon which he now resides. He first bought one 
 hundred and sixty acres of land, and as his finan- 
 cial resources increased, lie added to this by addi- 
 tional purchase until he now has a fine and valuable 
 tract of two hundred and forty acres. There are 
 good buildings and other improvements upon the
 
 UBRAKV 
 
 OFTHt 
 
 UNIVERSm OF HUMMS
 
 S. B. CROSS.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 573 
 
 place, including an orchard which covers two acres. 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. Dix has been blessed 
 with the presence of two children, both daughters, 
 named Katie M. R. and Louisa E. The parents 
 are members of the Lutheran Church, and take an 
 interest in its growth and welfare. In his social 
 relations Mr. Dix is connected with the Modern 
 Woodmen of America and in his political affilia- 
 tions is a Republican. He has served as School 
 Director of his district and has been commissioner 
 of drainage, but has never sought or desired public 
 otlice, preferring to give his entire time and atten- 
 tion to his business interests, in which he has met 
 with a well deserved success. He and his estima- 
 ble wife are held in high regard by all who know 
 them, and it is with pleasure that we present this 
 sketch of their lives to our readers. 
 
 TEPHEN B. CROSS, an early settler of 
 Mason County, was for many years ac- 
 tively engaged in agricultural pursuits 
 in Mason County, and still owns one of 
 its valuable and productive estates, which he de- 
 veloped from the wild prairies by well directed 
 toil and good management. The farm is now 
 rented, while he and his wife are living in retire- 
 ment in a cozy home in Mason City, surrounded 
 by all the comforts and many of the luxuries of 
 life. 
 
 The family of which the subject of this sketch 
 is a member originated in Ireland, whence many 
 years ago representatives of that name emigrated 
 to the New World, settling in New Jersey. There 
 Grandfather William Cross was born and there 
 also was the birthplace of Robert Cross, our sub- 
 ject's father. Stephen B. was born in Somerset 
 County, N. J., October 31, 1824, and spent the 
 years of boyhood in the state of his nativity, ac- 
 quiring a good education in its public schools. In 
 1839 he accompanied his father to Illinois and 
 settled in Greene County, where he grew to man- 
 18 
 
 hood upon a farm. His father died in 1854, 
 while his mother, whose maiden name was Maria 
 D. Brown, and who was born in New Jersey, died 
 in Mason County in 1870. 
 
 Beginning his independent career as a farmer 
 in early manhood, Mr. Cross displayed from the 
 first keen judgment and sound common sense. 
 As a result, success crowned his efforts. Grad- 
 ually increasing his possessions, he is now the 
 owner of seven hundred and thirty acres of fertile 
 land, all of which is under cultivation and well 
 improved and divided into four farms. On 
 coming to Mason County he settled near Havana, 
 but afterwards moved to the vicinity of Mason 
 City, and from there came to this place, where he 
 now resides. However, he still looks after his 
 farming interests and superintends the manage- 
 ment of his property. 
 
 The first marriage of Mr. Cross occurring in 
 1852 united him with Miss Margaret McReynolds, 
 who died in August, 1856, leaving two sons, 
 Robert I. and Albert. The estimable lady who 
 since 1857 has been the helpmate of Mr. Cross 
 was formerly Miss Sarah L. Appleman, and was 
 bora in Somerset County, N. J. Her father, John 
 Appleman, came to Illinois in 1848 and settled in 
 Mason County, where in 1866 he was killed by a 
 runaway team. His wife, whose name was Cathe- 
 rine Cross, and who was a native of New Jersey, 
 died in Mason County in April, 1872. The union 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Cross has resulted in the birth of 
 three children, Luther W., John A. and Charles, 
 the latter of whom died in infancy. The family 
 is actively identified witli the Presbyterian Church, 
 to the support of which Mr. Cross is a generous 
 contributor. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Cross supports the 
 principles of the Republican party and uniformly 
 casts his ballot for the candidates of the party of his 
 choice. He has attained to his present position, 
 socially and financially, by his own honest and 
 energetic efforts, having started out in life without 
 other means than his industrious and persevering 
 disposition and integrity, which has gained for him 
 the confidence and esteem of his fellow-men. He 
 has reason to be proud of the manner in which he 
 has overcome every obstacle to success by his ex-
 
 574 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cellent business management and the exercise of 
 rare judgment. In social, business and religious 
 circles his position is among the highest. 
 
 eHARLES PULLING is one of the oldest set- 
 tlers in Mason County, to which place he 
 came in 1848. Long years of merito- 
 rious conduct in private and public life have won 
 for him a reputation which is the choicest heritage 
 that he can leave to his posterity when called from 
 time to eternity. Formerly residing on a fine farm 
 in Havana Township, he is now living retired in 
 Havana, to which city he moved with his family 
 in 1891. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Thomas and 
 Sarah (Haines) Pulling, natives of Buckingham- 
 shire, England, where our subject's birth occurred, 
 January 31, 1828. The father set sail for Amer- 
 ica in 1831, and after landing here located in Phil- 
 adelphia, whence he later removed to Jefferson 
 County, Ohio, where he was classed among the 
 earliest settlers. He departed this life while a res- 
 ident of Mason County, this state, whither he had 
 removed in 1848. He was a farmer by occupation 
 and in politics was a strong Democrat. 
 
 Charles Pulling was the second in order of birth 
 of his parents' family of ten children, and was 
 only three years of age when his parents emigrated 
 to the United States. He spent his boyhood in 
 Jefferson County, Ohio, where he was given mea- 
 ger advantages for obtaining a district school edu- 
 cation, and when beginning in life for himself 
 came to Mason County, where he purchased farm- 
 ing land, which he operated with great success un- 
 til 1891. His tract included two hundred and 
 eighty acres, which he worked hard to place under 
 the best methods of improvement, and which now 
 ranks among the best estates in the county. 
 
 Mr. Pulling in 1848 was married to Miss Eliza, 
 daughter of Edward Leaf. She was a native of 
 this county, of which section her father was an old 
 settler, and died February 18, 1850, leaving two 
 daughters, Caroline and Adaline, twins. Caroline 
 is now the wife of Benjamin Brandt. Adaline 
 
 is deceased. Our subject in 1865 took to wife 
 Miss Louisa Samms, also a native of this county, 
 who departed this life on July 9, 1890. She had 
 become the mother of two sons and one daughter, 
 Jonathan, Clark and Eveline, the latter of whom 
 is now the wife of William Putt, of Fulton County, 
 this state. 
 
 The lady to whom Mr. Pulling was married in 
 April. 1892, was Miss Ellen Eel, likewise a native of 
 Fulton County; and one child was born to them 
 March 30, 1894. He has also taken an active inter- 
 est in public life, and has served as School Director 
 for nine successive years. He is independent in 
 politics and is generally popular among^his fellow- 
 citizens. 
 
 LLEN ROBINSON. No name is more hon- 
 ored or more worthy of reverence among 
 those of the noble pioneers of Mason 
 County, by whose labors it was established 
 on a firm foundation of enduring prosperity, than 
 that of this gentleman, who has played an impor- 
 tant part in the agricultural and religious devel- 
 opment of Crane Creek Township, and so of the 
 county. In his work he was much prospered, ac- 
 cumulating a goodly amount of property, and was 
 living retired in Havana, where he was quietly and 
 pleasantly passing the declining years of a life 
 well spent in all that goes to make a true man 
 and good citizen. He died December 9, 1893. 
 
 Elijah and Nancy A. (Budderick) Robinson, the 
 parents of our subject, were natives of New Jer- 
 sey, where the mother died when our subject was 
 quite young. The father later removed to Sanga- 
 mon County, this state, where he was engaged in 
 farming, and died in 1841. Allen, of this sketch, 
 spent the first twenty years of his life in his native 
 place, where he received a common school educa- 
 tion, and worked on his father's farm. He was 
 born in Cape May County, September 8, 1821, and 
 came in 1840 to this state, and spent two years in 
 Sangamon County. In the spring of 1842, he 
 made his advent into this county, at which time 
 he located at Faulkner Grove, where he entered a 
 tract of land from the Government, and also pur-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 575 
 
 chased property on which he engaged in general 
 fanning. He performed much pioneer labor, and 
 by unceasing industry finally established a home 
 of his own and became well-to-do. 
 
 In March, 1890, Mr. Robinson moved with his 
 family into Havana, where he made his homej 
 although he gave his personal attention to the ope- 
 rations of his valuable farm, comprising one hun- 
 dred and eighty acres in Crane Creek Township. 
 He enjoyed a high personal standing throughout 
 the county, where the most busy years of his life 
 were passed, and was held in high esteem wherever 
 known. He was always very prominent in public 
 affairs, and was especially interested in schools, 
 having served as a member of the Board for forty 
 years. 
 
 In 1847 Allen Robinson was married to Miss 
 Matilda, daughter of James Veach, a pioneer of 
 this county. The lady was born in Delaware, and 
 by her union with our subject has become the 
 mother of five sons and five daughters, namely: 
 Charles C., who is living in Louisville, Ky.; Eliza 
 M., the wife of Frank Schultz, lives in Walker 
 Grove, this county; William, who makes his home 
 in Nebraska; Matilda, now deceased; Malinda, who 
 is the wife of Charles Gilmore, is living in Crane 
 Creek; Pernal and George on the- farm; Rose 15. 
 and Rhodie D. (twins), and Delia are all at home. 
 Mrs. Robinson is a devoted member of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church, and is well thought of by 
 all about her. Politically our subject was identi- 
 fied with the Democratic party, and no one was 
 more willing than he to help in forwarding the best 
 interests of this community. 
 
 )ENJAMIN F. WILSON, one of the pro- 
 gressive and successful fanners of Tazewell 
 County, resides on section 36, Tremont 
 Township, where his entire life lias been 
 passed. He was born on the old homestead on 
 the 12th of January, 1855, and is therefore one of 
 Illinois' native sons. His father, Edward Wilson, 
 was born in Kentucky in 1824, and when about 
 four years of age came with his parents to this 
 state, the family locating in Sangamoij County. 
 
 After a short time, however, they came to Taze- 
 well County, settling in Little Mackinaw Town- 
 ship, where they remained two years. In 1831, 
 they again moved, locating in Hopedale Town- 
 ship, near the Tremont line. 
 
 When twenty-one years of age Edward Wilson 
 started out in life for himself. He came to Tre- 
 mont Township about the year 1845 and embarked 
 in fanning and stock-raising, which occupation he 
 followed throughout his business life. He was pos- 
 sessed of excellent business and executive ability, 
 was sagacious and far-sighted, and during his suc- 
 cessful career acquired a property which made 
 him one of the noted men of this region. He at 
 one time owned over twenty-one hundred acres 
 of land, all of which was acquired through his own 
 efforts. He married Mary E. Alii ngsworth, and to 
 them were born five sons and a daughter, namely: 
 Edward, who is living in Kansas; Susan, wife of 
 Richard Sparks, of Mackinaw; William and Jesse 
 S., both of whom are located in Tremont Town- 
 ship; and John S., of Mackjnaw Township, Taze- 
 well County. The father was called to his final 
 rest on the 18th of February, 1888, at the age of 
 sixty-four years. He was a valued citizen of the 
 community, and his loss was widely and deeply 
 mourned. His widow still survives him and is 
 now living with her son, Benjamin F., on the old 
 homestead. 
 
 Mr. Wilson, whose name heads this record, has 
 always resided upon the farm, to the cultivation 
 and improvement of which he now devotes his 
 energies. His childhood days were passed amidst 
 play and work, and in the common schools he ac- 
 quired his education. He has been familiar with 
 the labors of the fields since an early age. On at- 
 taining his majority he started out in life for him- 
 self as a farmer and has since arduously and suc- 
 cessfully followed that occupation. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Wilson was united in marriage 
 with Miss Ophelia Wilson, a native of McLean 
 County, 111., and one of six children born unto 
 Joseph and Elizabeth (McClure) Wilson, both of 
 whom were natives of Indiana. Four children 
 graced the union of our subject and his wife: Ada 
 Elizabeth, Mary Etta, Myra Melvina and Jennie, 
 and the family circle remains unbroken. In poll-
 
 576 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ties Mr. Wilson is a Democrat, and is a member of 
 the Masonic fraternity of Mackinaw. In 1892 he 
 was elected Supervisor of Tremont Township and 
 is now acceptably filling that position. He is re- 
 garded as one of the representative young farmers 
 of the county, and it is with pleasure that we pre- 
 sent to our readers this record of his life. 
 
 UF. HOWARD. Among the representative 
 and esteemed citizens of Tazewell County 
 W^l there is probably no one more deserving 
 of mention than Mr. Howard, who is one of the 
 oldest railroad engineers in this section, covering 
 a period of thirty-two years. Formerly in the 
 employ of the Chicago, Burlington <fe Quincy 
 Road, he now has a position with the Santa Fc, 
 running between Pekin and Streator. 
 
 Our subject was born in Wyoming County, 
 N. Y., January 8, 1839, and is the son of Walter 
 Howard, a native of Connecticut. The latter on 
 removing to New York was first engaged as a dis- 
 tiller, and later became a prominent merchant. 
 The lady whom he married was likewise a na- 
 tive of the Nutmeg State and bore the maiden 
 name of Ruth Kenney. She is still living, at the 
 remarkable age of ninety-three years, and makes 
 her home in New York. 
 
 W. F. Howard was the fourth in order of bii'th 
 of the seven children born to his parents, and 
 after completing his education in his native state 
 became an engineer in the employ of the Erie 
 Railroad Company. In 1857 he came as far west 
 as Galesburg, and spending two years there as 
 brakeman returned to New York, where he was 
 fireman in the employ of the Erie Railroad Com- 
 pany. Later he was promoted to be engineer on 
 that road and continued to hold that position un- 
 til 1864, when he came again to this state and 
 began working for the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy Road, running between Quincy and Gales- 
 burg. He remained with that company until 
 February, 1887, when he was compelled to strike 
 with the other employes, and leaving their employ, 
 four roontUs later accepted the position of engin- 
 
 eer on the Santa Fe Road, running between Chi- 
 cago & Ft. Madison. In August, 1891, he came 
 to Pekin, where he is now living, and is engineer 
 of locomotive No. 193. During all the years in 
 which he has been on the road he has never met 
 with but one accident, and is thus looked upon as 
 a very lucky man among his brethren in the pro- 
 fession. 
 
 December 28, 1869, W. F. Howard and Miss 
 Lottie E. Cuyler were united in marriage. The 
 lady was born in Vermont and has become the 
 mother of four children: James, a printer residing 
 in Galesburg; Charles, Nellie and Carrie. Miss Nel- 
 lie is the popular teacher of a kindergarten in the 
 city, which was the first started here, and of which 
 she was the originator. In social affairs our sub- 
 ject is a Mason and a member of the Brotherhood 
 of Locomotive Engineers. He cast his first vote 
 for Abraham Lincoln and has never ceased to vote 
 for Republican candidates. He is a man well 
 known throughout this portion of the state and 
 deserves the high place which he occupies among 
 railroad men. 
 
 <fl fifclLLIAM M. GANSON. This prominent 
 vv\A/*7 gentleman, who is Supervisor of Manito 
 ^7^ Township, Mason County, devotes his 
 time and attention to agricultural pursuits and 
 makes his home on section 2. His father was Will- 
 iam II. Ganson, a native of Lancaster County, Pa., 
 where his birth occurred in 1802. lie was a 
 wagon-maker by trade, to which in later life he 
 added the vocation of a farmer. His wife, Mrs. 
 Anulette (Toxey) Ganson, was also born in the 
 above county in 1817. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in the 
 Keystone State, and in 1834 removed to Ohio, 
 making their home at Urbana until their death, 
 the mother passing away in 1847, and the father 
 surviving until 1887. They reared a family of 
 five children, of whom William M. was the eldest 
 but one. Charles Henry married Jane Rawalt 
 and makes his home in Urbana, Ohio; Benjamin 
 Franklin married Mamie Ambrose and also lives 
 in that city, as do the two other daughters: Anna
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OFTHt 
 UNIVERSm OF ItUNUfc
 
 A. M. BIRD, M. D.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 579 
 
 Eliza, the widow of Horace Happcrsett; and 
 Emma Josephine, the widow of Mathew Weaver. 
 Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Ganson were consistent mem- 
 bers of the United Presbyterian Church, and the 
 latter since the war voted the Republican ticket. 
 He was scrupulously honest in all business trans- 
 actions, public-spirited and enterprising, and was 
 one of the county's much esteemed citizens. 
 
 Our subject was born October 22, 1838, in Ur- 
 bana, Ohio, where he was reared and educated. 
 He came west in 1858, and the next year located 
 in this township, where he has made his perma- 
 nent home. The lady to whom he was married 
 October 2, 1859, was Miss Mary, daughter of Maj. 
 Jonas Rawalt, a native of New York, who came 
 to Illinois in 1832. He located in Fulton County 
 in that year, and served as a member of the Illi- 
 nois Legislature with Lincoln and Douglas. Dur- 
 ing the late war he was Major of the Seventh 
 Illinois Cavalry, and during his two years of en- 
 listment rendered his country valuable service. 
 He was a man of wide knowledge, and was one 
 of the most prominent citizens of Fulton County 
 
 Mrs. Ganson was born in the above place in Jan- 
 uary, 1837, and by her union with our subject has 
 become the mother of seven children, viz.: Benja- 
 min F., Charles, William, Edward, Jennie, Lizzie 
 and Harmon. She is a devoted member of the 
 Swedenborgian Church, and is active in all good 
 works in her community. Our subject is a Demo- 
 crat in politics, and for eight years was Justice of 
 the Peace. He served seven years as Supervisor, 
 and is the present Chairman of the County Board. 
 In 1873 he was elected County Clerk, which re- 
 sponsible office he held until 1890. 
 
 Charles H. Ganson, a brother of our subject, 
 was -also born in Urbana, October 19, 1836, and 
 like him was reared and educated there. He was en- 
 gaged in farming in his native state until coming 
 to Illinois in 1867, at which time he located upon 
 raw land in this township, upon which he resided 
 for ten years. At the expiration of that time he 
 returned to his native state, and is now engaged 
 in the livery business at Urbana. He was married, 
 in 1857, to a sister of our subject's wife, Miss Jane 
 Rawalt, who was born in Fulton County in June, 
 1834. Their family comprises two children, Emma, 
 
 the wife of Theo W. Cook, of Cleveland; and 
 Jonas R., who is married and also makes his home 
 in the Forest City. Another brother of our sub- 
 ject, Benjamin F. Ganson, served four years in 
 the Civil War as Captain of Company B, Sixty- 
 sixth Ohio Infantry. He was wounded and cap- 
 tured, and as a prisoner was placed first in Libby, 
 and latter in Salisbury Prison. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Ganson are members of 
 the Swedenborgian Church, and the former is 
 Trustee of Urbana University, of which their son 
 is a graduate. The daughter, however, completed 
 her studies in the Cleveland Female Seminary. 
 He is a Mason, and also belongs to the Knights of 
 Honor, Legion of Honor and Knights of Pythias. 
 He is a true-blue Republican in politics, and was 
 elected on that ticket as Mayor of Urbana for 
 fourteen years. lie has held numerous other of- 
 fices of great trust, and at present is serving as 
 Director of the infirmary. 
 
 JOHN BERRY. Whatever the natural re- 
 sources of a country or its business facili- 
 ties, still history must depend chiefly upon 
 ' the men who have resided there, and who 
 by their energy and ability have added to the 
 natural attractions and wealth. The subject of 
 this sketch figures prominently among such men, 
 the seat of his labors being the city of Delavan, 
 where he is extensively engaged in the saloon busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Our subject was born in Ireland, March 14, 1883, 
 and is the son of Joseph Berry, who was a small 
 farmer in the Emerald Isle, and emigrated to 
 America in 1840. The latter located in Chicago, 
 where he was engaged in mercantile business until 
 1849, when he came to this county and made his 
 home in Pekin. He was very successful in all his 
 ventures in the New World, and made a handsome 
 sum of money boating on the Illinois River. He 
 reared a family of ten children, and departed this 
 life in 1852. 
 
 Our subject and his sister Mary, now Mrs. M. E. 
 McCormick, are the only members of the family
 
 580 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 who are now living. Mrs. McCormick is at the 
 head of the millinery department of the retail es- 
 tablishment of Marshall Field & Co., of Chicago, 
 in whose interest she makes two trips to Europe 
 each year to purchase stock. 
 
 John Berry, of this sketch, prior to locating in 
 this city in 1871, was engaged in business first in 
 Pekin, and later in Chicago. While in the former 
 place he was Chief of the fire department many 
 years, and is now one of the most popular and 
 prominent business men of Delavan. He may be 
 truly called a self-made man, for he started out in 
 life empty handed, and by his own industrious 
 and enterprising efforts has steadily worked his 
 way upward to a position among the substantial 
 citizens of the community. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married in 
 1861 was Miss Jane A. Bishop, a native of Oswego 
 County, N. Y. Mr. Berry is an influential Odd 
 Fellow, and politically votes to sustain the princi- 
 ples of the Democratic party. 
 
 DONAVAN, an old settler and one 
 the wealthiest citizens of Mason County, 
 makes his chief occupation that of farm- 
 ing and stock-raising. The wide-awake manner in 
 which he has taken advantage of every method 
 and idea tending toward enhancing the value of 
 his property has had considerable to do with his 
 success in life. ' In addition to being a successful 
 agriculturist whose opinions on all matters per- 
 taining to that industry carry with them much 
 weight in the county, Mr. Donavan is a man of 
 broad intelligence, and has given much attention 
 to questions of public import. He is now the pro- 
 prietor of eleven hundred and forty acres of land 
 in this state, nine hundred of which lie in Mason 
 City Township. 
 
 Originally from the Buckeye State, our subject 
 was born in Champaign County, May 1, 1833, and 
 is sixth in order of birth of the eight children in- 
 cluded in the family of Robert and Rachel (Cox) 
 Donavan. He received his education in the 
 schools of his native county, and remained in 
 
 Ohio engaged in general farming until 1861, the 
 date of his advent in this county. His stay here, 
 however, was a short one, and two years later he 
 returned to Champaign County and resided there 
 until 1871, when he made a permanent location iu 
 this county, purchasing at that time the farm on 
 which he is now residing, and a portion of which 
 is located on section 36. 
 
 Frank Donavan was married in 1880 to Miss 
 Mary Paul, a native of Winchester, Ohio. She was 
 the daughter of Eben and Ann (Elrod) Paul, who 
 removed from Ohio to this state when she was 
 only two years of age. The five children born to 
 our subject and his wife are Frank, Marion Ar- 
 thur, Joseph S., Paul and Ada ]. Our subject has 
 followed farm pursuits all his life, and has worked 
 very hard, increasing his acreage as opportunity af- 
 forded until now he is the happy possessor of nine 
 hundred acres in Mason City Township, and two 
 hundred and forty acres in Mcnard County, join- 
 ing his other estate. He has accumulated a hand- 
 some competence and has made for himself and 
 family such a pleasant home that he can now rest 
 from his hard manual labors and enjoy with ease 
 the many comforts which surround him. 
 
 In his political views our subject is a strong 
 Democrat and is now serving as a member of the 
 School Board. He is a self-made man in the true- 
 est sense of the word, as he came to this county a 
 poor man, and by good management and foresight 
 lias worked his way up to the top round of the 
 ladder of fortune. He is intelligent and well in- 
 formed and his splendid character has placed him 
 in the high regard of his fellow-men. 
 
 pILKE TAMMEUS. Among those of our 
 citizens who have developed a high order 
 
 Mi f 
 
 of ability in connection with agricultural 
 pursuits, and whose rare personal and social quali- 
 ties have given them :i deserved and added promi- 
 nence, Mr. Tammeus is conspicuous. Like many 
 of the representative men of this county, he was 
 born in the kingdom of Hanover, Prussia, Novem- 
 ber 15, 1839. He needs no introduction to the 
 people of Tazewell County, however, for a long
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 581 
 
 residence here, and above all a career of usefulness 
 and prominence, have given him an extensive ac- 
 quaintance. 
 
 Our subject is a son of Martin Tammeus, also a 
 native of the Fatherland, who thought to try his 
 fortunes in the New World, and came hither in 
 1866, three years after our subject became a resi- 
 dent of the United States. He located in Logan 
 County, and was there engaged in farm pursuits. 
 A short time before his death, he located in Iro- 
 quois County, his decease occurring in the year 
 1888. Wilke, of this sketch, was the only son of 
 his parents, and like all German youths, attended 
 school in his native land until fourteen years of 
 age. A year later lie was apprenticed to learn the 
 blacksmith's trade, at which he was engaged until 
 coming to America in 1863. 
 
 After landing on American soil, our subject 
 made his way to Wisconsin, where he found work 
 at his trade, and the following year was united in 
 marriage in Freeport, this state, with Miss Kate 
 Van Gerpen. The young couple then located in 
 Pekin, where Mr. Tammeus worked at his trade 
 about two years, and then removed to Mason 
 County, where he lived for the same length of 
 time, still working as a blacksmith. He then 
 thought to better his financial condition by en- 
 gaging in farm pursuits, and renting property in 
 Tazewell County, was engaged in its cultivation 
 for twelve years. He was very successful in this 
 calling, and made his first purchase of a quarter- 
 section of land from J. C. Duncan. To this he soon 
 added another one hundred and sixty acres of land, 
 which was formerly the property of J. W. Crabb, 
 and now Mr. Tammeus has one of the finest and 
 best equipped farms in Delavan Township. 
 
 To our subject and his wife has been born a 
 family of eight children, of whom Lottie is the 
 wife of Jacob Albers, a farmer of this county; 
 Hank married Miss Kattie Albers, and aids his fa- 
 ther in the cultivation of his estate; Kate is now 
 Mrs. Fred Ross, whose husband is also a farmer in 
 this township; and the other members of the fam- 
 ily, Martin, John, Wilke, Jr., Gertie and Minnie, 
 are at home. The parents are members in good 
 standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 are numbered among the substantial members of 
 
 the community. In politics the former is a true- 
 blue Republican. By careful attention to details, 
 and by good management he has worked his way 
 steadily upward until he is now one of the well- 
 to-do farmers of this section. 
 
 ISAAC BELLAS is one of those worthy citizens 
 who have won a comfortable fortune by the 
 exercise of unflagging industry, wise economy 
 and good judgment in the conduct of the business 
 to which they have devoted themselves. His 
 home is located on section 10, Salt Creek Town- 
 ship, Mason County, and includes one hundred 
 and twenty acres. Everywhere upon his property 
 one sees evidence of the qualities which have won 
 for its owner his good standing in the community. 
 He is an old settler in this county, and was born in 
 Luzerne County, Pa., March 2, 1820. 
 
 Anthony Bellas, the father of our subject, was 
 also a native of the Keystone State, where he car- 
 ried on farm pursuits, and died when in his forty- 
 fifth year. "He was of German descent, his mother 
 having been brought when a babe of six months 
 from Germany. The lady whom Antony Bellas 
 married was Miss Susannah Benscoter, born in 
 Pennsylvania of German parents. She lived to be 
 seventy-two years of age and reared a family of 
 nine children, of whom our subject is the eldest. 
 Of these, Eveline, Lydia, William W., Lucy A., 
 Washington and Wesley are deceased. Jacob is 
 living on the old homestead in Pennsylvania, in 
 which state Shadrach also makes his home. 
 
 Isaac Bellas was reared to manhood on his father's 
 farm and remained in his native state till 1854,when 
 he came west to try his fortunes in this state. Lo- 
 cating in Mason County he soon settled upon the 
 farm where he is now living, and where he has 
 led a very active career. He was not afraid of 
 personal hardships, but overcame the trials and 
 laid by a sufficient sum of money to enable him to 
 pass the remainder of his life in comfort. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married in 
 Pennsylvania in 1846 was Miss Dorcas Benscoter, 
 also a native of the Keystone State, having been
 
 582 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 born in Luzerne County, March 17, 1827. Their 
 union has been blessed by the birth of eight chil- 
 dren, three of whom are living, namely: Susannah 
 E., now Mrs. Irvin Nay lor, of Mason City; Ross 
 and Rosa A., who are at home with their parents. 
 The deceased members of the family are James> 
 Monemia C., Dyson B., Sarah A. and Mary J. 
 
 As before stated Mr. Bellas has a well improved 
 estate of one hundred and twenty acres, the man- 
 agement of which is in the hands of his sons. He 
 is a Democrat in politics and has served as Asses- 
 sor of his township for four years, Collector six 
 years and lias been a member of the School Board 
 for the past fifteen years. lie and his wife are 
 highly regarded by the members of the community 
 among whom they have spent so many years. 
 
 kOUIS T. SMITH, assistant bookkeeper for 
 I Teis Smith & Co., bankers of Pekin, was 
 , born in this city, August 13, 1871. He 
 is the son of Frederick C., a native of Emden, Ost- 
 fricsland, Germany, and the latter was in turn the 
 son of Conrad Smith, of whom mention is made in 
 the sketches of Teis and Henry T. Smith. In his 
 native land Frederick C. was reared to manhood, 
 learning meanwhile the trade of a blacksmith. 
 Emigrating to the United States with his familj' in 
 1849, he was for a time thereafter occupied at his 
 chosen trade. He was one of the original mem- 
 bers of the T. & H. Smith Wagon Manufacturing 
 Company, with which he was connected until his 
 demise. 
 
 In addition to other important interests, Fred- 
 erick C. Smith was with the Pekin Plow Com- 
 pany, the banking house of Teis Smith & Co. and 
 the Smith-Hippin Company, grain dealers. As 
 early as 1857 he began traveling in the interests 
 of the wagon factory and represented that firm on 
 the road until his death, being widely known as 
 one of the oldest traveling salesmen in the state. 
 On the 3d of December, 1890, about 7:00 p. M., he 
 was taken to the Jacksonville South-eastern depot 
 by his son, Louis T., whose custom it was to ac- 
 company him to the train when leaving. Previous 
 
 to this he had called all the members of the family 
 together and bade them good-b3^e, and it was 
 noticed that he seemed in lower spirits than usual. 
 At the, depot he took a sleeping car for St. Louis. 
 About 1:00 A. M., at the Jacksonville crossing, the 
 Wabash train ran into the sleeper, and later de- 
 velopments showed that Mr. Smith was killed in- 
 stantly. The remains were brought home for 
 interment. 
 
 Among his former fellow-citizens Mr. Smith is 
 still remembered as a man of noble character, de- 
 voted to the welfare of Pekin and enthusiastic in 
 the support of its public-spirited enterprises. Suc- 
 cessful in business, he left his family amply pro- 
 vided for, and his widow still occupies the beautiful 
 home which he had erected on one of the most de- 
 sirable residence streets of the city. A man of 
 deep religious nature, he was a charter member of 
 the German Methodist Episcopal Church of Pekin 
 and was one of its officials for many years. In 
 politics he gave his support to the principles of 
 the Republican party. 
 
 May 6, 1855, at Pekin, Frederick C. Smith 
 married Miss Louisa Grundenberg, who was born 
 in 1836, at Heodecke, on the Rhine, in Prussia. Her 
 father, Fred Grundenberg, was a manufacturer of 
 woolen goods and resided in Heodecke until his 
 death. Her mother, a native of Prussia and known 
 in maidenhood as Charlotte Ilalfman, brought the 
 family to America in 1858, after her husband's de- 
 mise, and for one year sojourned at Highland, 111., 
 but thence came to Pekin in 1851. Here she died 
 in 1885, at the advanced age of ninety-seven 3'ears. 
 
 In the parental family there were nine children, 
 of whom we note the following : Fred F. is a 
 plumber in the state of Washington; Conrad F., 
 also a resident of Washington, is a bookkeeper; 
 Lincoln lives in the state of Washington; George 
 and Louis T. reside in Pekin; Teis H. is assistant 
 miller in the Pekin Milling Company; Charlotte, 
 Marguerite and Charles are at home. Louis T. 
 was reared in Pekin, where in boyhood he attended 
 the common and high schools, graduating from the 
 latter in 1889. Later he entered the Wesleyan 
 University at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where he prose- 
 cuted his studies for one year. 
 
 Returning home in the spring of 1890, Mr.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of IHf 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS
 
 JOHN Y. SWAAR.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 f>sr, 
 
 Smith accepted a position in the Teis Smith <fc 
 Co.'s Bank, with winch his father was inter- 
 ested. He began as messenger and collector and is 
 now assistant bookkeeper. At Pekin, November 
 9, 1892, he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Mamie, daughter of Dr. A. R. Warren. Mrs. 
 Smith was born in this city and is an accomplished 
 and popular young lady. The family residence, 
 erected by Mr. Smith, is a pleasant abode and is 
 situated at No. 715 Park Avenue. In religious 
 belief both he and his wife are members of the 
 German Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically 
 he gives his support to the principles of the Re- 
 publican Party. 
 
 ENRY M. SWAAR. A prominent place 
 V among the agriculturists of Mason County 
 is the just meed of the efforts of the gen- 
 tlemen above named, who is located on 
 section 23, Salt Creek Township. His farm, which 
 he owns in partnership with his two youngest 
 brothers, consists of one thousand acres of land, 
 which is a highly productive tract and is kept 
 above par by a wise rotation of crops and the use 
 of the best fertilizing agents. A first-class set of 
 buildings has been erected upon it and other im- 
 provements have been made which stamp it as the 
 home of one who believes in progress and enter- 
 prise. Mr. Swaar is also an extensive stock-raiser 
 and keeps constantly on his place from seventy- 
 five to one hundred of the best breeds of cattle. 
 
 Our subject was born in Menard County, this 
 state, August 9, 1841, and is the son of John Y. 
 Swaar, who was born March 17, 1816, in Sciota 
 Count}', Ohio. He resided in his native place 
 until 1829, when he came to Illinois and engaged 
 in boating on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers for 
 eight years. At the expiration of that time he 
 made a permanent location in this state and died in 
 January, 1892. He was a leading man in his com- 
 munity, and the interest which he displayed in the 
 good of those about him was recognized by his 
 neighbors, who often called upon him to hold 
 public oflice. His father, Jacob Swaar, was born in 
 
 Germany, and after coming to America served for 
 seven years in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah R. (Powell) Swaar, the mother of our 
 subject, was born June 4, 1822, in Ross County, 
 Ohio, and departed this life December 15, 1893. 
 She was of Irish and German descent and by her 
 union with John Swaar became the mother of 
 twelve children, ten of whom grew to manhood 
 and womanhood and are still living. Henry M., 
 of this sketch, was the eldest of the family; Har- 
 riet E. married E. S. Hibbard and lives in Kansas; 
 William M. is a resident of this county; George 
 H. is an agriculturist of Salt Creek Township; 
 Catherine, now Mrs. W. P. Mark well, is also living 
 in Kansas; Elsie J., Mrs. John T. Bradley, makes 
 her home in Salt Creek Township, as does also 
 Isabel A., now Mrs. W. A. Davis; Letitia A. and 
 Oratio N., twins, and Abigail are at home with 
 their brothers. 
 
 Our subject was reared on the farm upon 
 which he now lives and since the age of seven 
 years has been dealing in stock. He has been 
 very successful in this branch of agriculture, 
 and in company with his two youngest brothers, 
 owns many fine animals and one thousand acres 
 of land. Mr. Swaar has never been out of this 
 state, and has spent his entire life in farm pursuits. 
 He began plowing corn before he was old enough 
 to harness a horse, and drove four yoke of oxen in 
 breaking prairie when a lad of ten years. He has 
 always stood stanchly by the Republican party in 
 politics. He has been a hard worker, always at- 
 tending strictly to his own affairs, and begrudges 
 happiness to no one; he is no man's enemy, and 
 has no enemies of his own, but on the contrary 
 many friends. Mr. Swaar has passed his entire life 
 in this county and has never had a law suit. 
 
 OHN D. MOUNT is a prominent resident of 
 Delavan. It is said that the history of a 
 place is best told in the lives of its people, 
 and in giving the sketch of Mr. Mount 
 mention will be made of several of the leading in- 
 dustries of Delavan with which he has been con- 
 nected. He is now owner of the electric plant
 
 586 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and is serving as City Marshal. He was born on 
 a farm in Dillon Township, six miles from this 
 place, March 6, 1860, and is a representative of 
 one of the honored pioneer families of Tazewell 
 County. 
 
 His father, Mathias Mount, was born in Ken- 
 tucky in 1810, and in 1831 became a resident of 
 Jacksonville, where he worked for an uncle. lie 
 served in the Black Hawk War with the rank of 
 First Lieutenant, after which he went to Indiana, 
 whither his family removed during his childhood. 
 Soon afterward he came to Tazewell County, set- 
 tling on a farm in Dillon Township. He served as 
 Supervisor of this township for eighteen consecu- 
 tive years, and was one of the most prominent and 
 influential citizens of the community. In his 
 business dealings he won success, becoming quite 
 well-to-do. He was three times married and died 
 in 1888, at the age of seventy-eight years. His 
 father, Mathias Mount, Sr., was a son of Thomas 
 Mount, a Revolutionary soldier, and was born 
 March 11, 1767. Thomas Mount was a native of 
 Holland and with three brothers came to America. 
 He settled in Maryland, his brother Mathias in 
 Pennsylvania, while Ezekiel made his home in 
 Ohio, and Elijah went to Louisiana. During the 
 struggle for Independence Thomas Mount carried 
 an old flintlock musket, which is now in possession 
 of our subject. Clayton Mount, an uncle of our 
 subject, is a prominent Methodist preacher, and it 
 will thus be seen that he comes of a respectable 
 and honorable family. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden 
 name of Eliza J. Bennett, and was born in Taze- 
 well County, where her people settled at a very 
 early day. She is now living on the farm left 
 her by her husband. She was his third wife, and 
 by their marriage were born three sons and two 
 daughters. William M., a farmer of Dillon Town- 
 ship, for a number of years has been a member 
 of the County Board of Supervisors and served 
 as its Chairman one term; Mary E., a twin ,sister 
 of John D., died several years ago; Nathan G. 
 operates his mother's farm; and Ida is the wife 
 of William Evans, an extensive farmer and stock 
 dealer living near Lincoln, 111. 
 
 Mr. Mount whose name heads this record was 
 
 reared in the usual manner of farmer lads. His 
 early education, acquired in the public schools, was 
 supplemented by study in the Commercial College 
 of Keokuk, Iowa, from which he was graduated in 
 1886. He then embarked in the hard ware business 
 in Delavan, but after two years retired from that 
 enterprise and served on the City Council. In 
 1888 he was appointed City Marshal of Delavan, 
 a position which he has filled with marked ability. 
 He is one of the most popular officers that ever 
 held the position, and his efficient service has won 
 him universal commendation. 
 
 Mr. Mount was married in December, 1885, to 
 Miss Eliza A. Crawford, daughter of James Craw- 
 ford, one of the wealthiest farmers of Boynton, 
 and a pioneer of Tazewell County. Three chil- 
 dren graced their union, Alice A., James Mathias 
 and Bessie. The family has a wide acquaintance 
 in the communitj' and its members rank high in 
 social circles. 
 
 In addition to his official duties, Mr. Mount is 
 half owner of the Delavan Electric Light and 
 Power plant, one of the best in the state, and has 
 other possessions, having had a considerable com- 
 petence left him by his father. At this writing 
 he is the Democratic candidate for the nomination 
 for Sheriff with good prospects of success. He is 
 a Knight Templar Mason and an Odd Fellow, and 
 both fraternities recognize in him a prominent 
 member. He has a wide acquaintance throughout 
 his native county and all who know him hold 
 him in high esteem. 
 
 CASPER HI LST, a successful farmer of Ma- 
 lone Township, Tazewell County, was born 
 in the kingdom of Hanover, Germany, July 
 8, 1834. His father, likewise a native of 
 Hanover, was born Decembers, 1796, and in youth 
 was employed on the large farm owned by his 
 father. He had but little schooling, and when sev- 
 enteen went into the German army, serving three 
 years for himself and nine years as a substitute for 
 a rich man who paid him $1,500 for his time. 
 During that period he was in active service for 
 three years. 
 
 After retiring from the army Rolf A. Ililst mar-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 587 
 
 ried, in May of 1823, Miss Geeske Otten, a native 
 of Hanover, and they lived upon his father's farm 
 until Easter, 1855, when with their children, John, 
 Jasper, George, Elizabeth and Charles, they took 
 passage from the port of Bremerhaven on the sail- 
 ing vessel '' Roland." After a voyage of forty- 
 five daj'S they reached New York City, from 
 which place they came to Peoria, 111., and from 
 there to Pekin, reaching this city at seven o'clock 
 in the morning. Hiring a livery team they drove 
 into Manito Township, Mason County, where they 
 bought a farm, with all its appurtenances, includ- 
 ing crop and stock. The same day the other fam- 
 ily moved out, and on the following day they 
 settled on the place, which consisted of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres. Three of the sons, Albert, 
 Otto and Ralph, did not accompany the family to 
 America, but remained in the Old Country. 
 
 As long as his health permitted, the father con- 
 tinued to cultivate the farm, and after retiring 
 from active work he continued there to make his 
 home until, after a short illness, he passed away, 
 June 27, 1875. Afterward his widow remained on 
 the home place, her daughter Elizabeth keeping 
 house for her until her death, which occurred 
 April 20, 1880. The paternal grandfather of our 
 subject, Albert R. Hilst, was born in Hanover, Au- 
 gust 28, 1764, and in June, 1784, married Eliza- 
 beth Stoehr. June 18, 1818, he was killed by a 
 stroke of lightning while driving a yoke of oxen. 
 After his death, his widow, Elizabeth, moved to 
 Rio Janeiro, Brazil, accompanied by her two 
 daughters, and there resided until her death in 
 1826. She was a lady of great wealth. The ma- 
 ternal grandparents of our subject were Otto and 
 Catherine Otten, natives of Hanover. 
 
 In Germany, Jasper Hilst received a good edu- 
 cation in his native language, and on coming to 
 America he was well prepared, both by natural 
 ability and training, to take the lead in the man- 
 agement of the farm. July 8, 1857, he married 
 Miss Anna Catharine Rocker, and they commenced 
 housekeeping on a rented farm. Buying teams 
 and machinery, Mr. Hilst raised a large crop of the 
 various cereals, but as prices were low he held it 
 until the following season, when he had another 
 large crop. However, as the prices were then still 
 
 lower, he held both crops until the next year, 
 when he sold for a good price. On settling up he 
 found he had $1,200 to his credit after paying all 
 the expenses for the two years. 
 
 After another season spent on a rented farm, 
 Mr. Hilst purchased land on section 6, Malone 
 Township, where he has acquired a tract of three 
 hundred and thirty acres. He was bereaved Janu- 
 ary 3, 1886, by the death of his wife, who passed 
 away after a brief illness. She was a consistent 
 
 Christian and a devoted member of the German 
 
 t 
 
 Lutheran Church, to which our subject belongs, 
 Politically, he is a Democrat, and has held various 
 township offices, in which he has served with effi- 
 ciency. 
 
 Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hilst. 
 The eldest, Anna, who was born June 15, 1858, 
 was married to William Kramer in 1874, their 
 union resulting in the birth of four children; they 
 lived upon a farm until the deatli of Mr. Kramer, 
 January 9, 1885. In 1889 Mrs. Kramer married 
 Charles Black, a native of Tazewell County, and 
 they now reside on a farm in Sand Prairie Town- 
 ship. Rudolph, who was born April 16, 1859, 
 married Miss Mary Schmidt, February 14, 1885, 
 and they live in Sand Prairie Township; their 
 children are named, John, Martha, Jessie, Henry 
 and William. Carolina, who was born September 
 4, 1861, was married in 1883 to Peter Iinig, of 
 Boynton Township, and they are the parents of 
 six children, Jasper, Jacob, August, Ferdinand, 
 Rosa and Ida. John, who was born June 15, 1865, 
 is now a resident of Manito Township, Mason 
 County; he married a cousin, Kate Hilst, and they 
 have two children, Jasper and Mary. Katie, whose 
 birth occurred September 13, 1868, married John 
 Limback, and they with their two children, Jasper 
 M. and Minnie E., live upon the farm occupied 
 by our subject. 
 
 >><* 
 
 ff AMES N. HALL, Cashier of the Tazewell 
 County National Bank, of Delavan,and son 
 I' of Hon. Ira B. Hall, Vice-President of the 
 same bank, was born September 17, 1856, 
 in the city where he now resides. In boyhood he 
 was the recipient of excellent educational advan-
 
 588 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tages in the Delavan High School, from which he 
 was graduated. Entering the Bryant & Stratton 
 Commercial College of Davenport, Iowa, in 1875, 
 he remained a student in that institution until 
 graduating in the spring of 1877. 
 
 Upon the completion t>f his studies, Mr. Hall 
 spent one year in agricultural pursuits, but not 
 desiring to make this his permanent occupation, 
 he accepted a position as clerk in the Tazewell 
 County National Bank, entering upon the duties 
 thereof March 1, 1878. Here he has since re- 
 mained, at various times receiving promotions. In 
 1882 he became head bookkeeper and four years 
 later was appointed Assistant Cashier. Upon the 
 organization of the bank as a national institution 
 in 1887, he still retained the position of Assistant 
 Cashier, but one year later he was promoted Cash- 
 ier, a position he has since filled with marked abil- 
 ity. It is said of him, and with truth, that he is 
 one of the most popular as well as efficient bank 
 officials of central Illinois, and his efforts have 
 aided largely in securing for the bank an enviable 
 reputation as a solid and substantial concern. 
 During the panic of 1893, when throughout every 
 portion of the United States there was a stringency 
 in the money market, and banks previously sup- 
 posed to be as impregnable as the Rock of Gibral- 
 tar, succumbed to the pressure and closed their 
 doors, the Tazewell County National Bank hon- 
 ored all its drafts and retained the confidence of 
 its depositors. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Hall took place November 
 2, 1882, and united him with Miss Gertrude, 
 daughter of Lewis W. Shelton, formerly a farmer 
 of Delavan Township, but who died when she was 
 quite young. They have had a family of three 
 children, one of whom died in infancy. The surviv- 
 ors are Marie and Mildred. Socially, Mr. Hall is 
 one of the leaders in the order of the Knights of 
 Pythias, serving now as Past Chancellor, and he is 
 also connected with the Grand Lodge. Though not 
 identified with any denomination, he attends the 
 Christian Church, of which his wife is a member, 
 and in which she is also a very successful Sunday- 
 school worker. While he has never aspired to 
 political honors, preferring to concentrate his en- 
 ergies upon his business, he nevertheless never fails 
 
 to cast a ballot at every election for the support of 
 Democratic principles and candidates, and is loyal 
 in his adherence to his chosen party. 
 
 AMES R. CAMPBELL, who is one of the lead- 
 ing and enterprising farmers of Hopcdale 
 Township, Tazewell Count}', and whose life 
 has been spent in or near his present place, 
 was born in Logan County near the Tazewell Coun- 
 ty line, March 15, 1829. His father, John Campbell, 
 was born hi New York, and is the son of a native- 
 born Scotchman, who during the boyhood days of 
 his son, settled in Ohio, and later came to Logan 
 County, this state, where he was one of the early 
 settlers, locating as early as 1827. Three years later 
 he went to Woodford County, and afterward went 
 to the far west, but the family not hearing from 
 him again, it is thought lie was killed by the In- 
 dians, as it was during the troublous times. 
 
 The good mother of our subject was Priscilla 
 Moore in her maiden days, and was the daughter 
 of Charles Moore, a native of one of theCarolinas, 
 and a Revolutionary soldier, who died in Wood- 
 ford County, this state. Our subject is one of 
 four children born to his parents. His two broth- 
 ers, Alexander and John, went to California dur- 
 ing the gold fever, and both died there. His sis- 
 ter, Emily, married Jesse Fisher, and is now living 
 at Table Rock, Neb. 
 
 Since the early age of twelve years, our subject 
 has had to make his own way in the world, and 
 consequently could obtain but little schooling. lie 
 is, however, of a studious turn of mind, and through 
 his desire for learning and eagerness to seize upon 
 everything liable to increase his store of knowl- 
 edge, has acquired a good idea of business. In 
 1853, Mr. Campbell was married to Miss Charlotte 
 Iliner, who was born in this county, and who is 
 the daughter of Abraham and Phebe Hiner, na- 
 tives of Ohio and early pioneers of this county 
 Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have become the parents 
 of three children. Willard was in Colorado when 
 last heard from; Levi is at home; and Florence E. 
 is the wife of Lewis Snyder, of Calhoun County, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Our subject is located on a fine farm of one
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 589 
 
 hundred and ninety acres, all of which is under 
 an excellent state of cultivation. The improve- 
 ments to be found on the place are first class and 
 his knowledge of agriculture is deep and broad. 
 Besides tilling the soil, Mr. Campbell raises some 
 of the finest stock to be found in the county, 
 of which he justly feels proud. He has served his 
 fellow-citizens as Justice of the Peace and Super- 
 visor for many years, and for the past twenty 
 years has been a member of the School Board. In 
 his political afliliations Mr. Campbell is a true-blue 
 Republican, and with his wife is a devout member 
 of the Christian Church at Autioch, in which de- 
 nomination he is serving as Elder, and to the sup- 
 port of which he liberally contributes of his means. 
 
 -/,,,.: LFRED G. CHAMPION. The name of 
 
 HLJl this much respected citizen is well known 
 throughout Tazewell County, for he has 
 been successfully engaged in the arduous 
 duties of the farm in this locality for many years, 
 and now owns one of the most productive and best 
 cultivated tracts of land in Sand Prairie Town- 
 ship. He was born in Huntingdon County, Pa., 
 January 3, 1837, and there his youthful days were 
 passed. 
 
 Abraham Champion, the father of our subject, 
 was likewise a native of the above county in Penn- 
 sylvania, where his birth occurred July 26, 1813. 
 He was a carpenter and millwright by trade and 
 followed these combined occupations until his re- 
 moval to this state in July, 1837, and from that 
 time until his death, in 1862, was a well-to-do 
 farmer in Tazewell County. He purchased a large 
 tract of land in Sand Prairie Township, which he 
 placed in admirable tillage. 
 
 The lady to whom Abraham Champion was mar- 
 ried in 1834 was Miss Sarah Barto. After her 
 decease, which occurred November 22, 1856, the 
 father was married to Miss Catherine Hawkins, and 
 resided on the farm above mentioned until his de- 
 cease. Of his first union there were born eleven 
 children, of whom Alfred G. was the eldest. Those 
 younger were William, Thomas, Henry and Mary 
 
 Ellen. William is a carpenter by trade, is married 
 and makes his home in Chicago ; Thomas is also 
 married and lives on a farm in Dillon Township, 
 this county; Henry, who is single, is operating a 
 farm in Sand Prairie Township, and Mary Ellen 
 lives with her husband, W. W. Porter, on a farm 
 in the vicinity of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Six are 
 deceased. 
 
 The original of this sketch was given the ad- 
 vantages of a common school education, and by 
 aiding his father in the care of the farm gained a 
 thoroughly practical knowledge of the pursuit of 
 agriculture, so that on the death of the former he 
 was well fitted to operate the estate. He was mar- 
 ried March 6, 1862, to MissEmeline Kibby, and to 
 them have been born two children, Charles, whose 
 birth occurred June 29, 1863, and Mary Ellen, 
 born October 15, 1867. Charles was married in 
 1885 to Miss Laura Hootman, a native of Ohio. 
 They make their home with our subject, and have 
 a family of three children, Alfred II., Mary Eme- 
 line and Ethel. Mary Ellen Champion married 
 John Henry Larimore, and they reside in Green 
 Valley, 111. They are the parents of two children, 
 Eugene and Emeline. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are devoted members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Green Val- 
 ley. In politics the former is a strong Republi- 
 can. Personally he is an unassuming and modest 
 man, yet commands the esteem and respect of his 
 neighbors. 
 
 'REDERICK BECKER, who resides in Tre. 
 mont and follows farming, operating one 
 hundred acres of land which adjoins the 
 village, was born in Hanover, Germany, January 18, 
 1849. He is one of seven children, six of whom are 
 yet living, namely: Margaret, wife of August Car- 
 son, who is living near Pekiu ; Richard II., of Elm 
 Grove Township; Charles, of San Francisco, Cal.; 
 Sophia, wife of Philip Herget, of Pekin; Henry, of 
 Pekin, and Annie. The parents of this family, Car- 
 son and Mary (Garlish) Becker, were both natives 
 of Germany, and in 1853 left that land for the New 
 World. On reaching America they started west- 
 ward, and made location in Lawrenceburg, Ind.,
 
 590 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 where Mr. Becker engaged in farming until the 
 spring of 1873. He then came with his family to 
 Illinois, settling near Pekin, Tazewell County, 
 where he purchased a farm and reared his chil- 
 dren. He carried on agricultural pursuits through- 
 out his remaining days, and was successful in his 
 undertakings. His death occurred in 1878, at the 
 age of sixty-eight years. His widow, who still 
 survives him, now resides with her daughter in 
 Pekiu. 
 
 Fred Becker attended the schools of Indiana 
 during his boyhood, and thus acquired a practical 
 English education. As he grew older he aided in 
 the support of the family, and gave his father the 
 benefit of his services until twenty-three years of 
 age, when he started out in life for himself. He 
 has always followed farming. He carried on that 
 pursuit in Logan County for a year, and on the 
 expiration of that period he sold out and returned 
 to Tazewell County, renting a farm in Elm Grove 
 Township, to the cultivation and improvement of 
 which he devoted his energies for seven years. In 
 the spring of 1889 he came to Tremont Township 
 and settled upon his present farm, which lies 
 partly within the village limits. That now within 
 the corporation limits is divided into town lots. 
 In addition to this he has one hundred acres, 
 which are under a high state of cultivation and 
 yield to the owner a golden tribute. 
 
 In 1876 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Becker and Ann Clouson, a native of Hanover, 
 Germany, who died in September, 1891, leaving 
 three children. August G. and Josiah P. are still 
 at home, but Walter II. died in June, 1892. Mr. 
 Becker was again married, January 26, 1893, his 
 second union being with Matilda Hellemann, 
 daughter of Christian and Dorothy (Stamme) 
 Hellemann, of Elm Grove Township, whose sketch 
 appears elsewhere in this work. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Becker is a Democrat, 
 but at local elections supports the men whom he 
 thinks best qualified for the office, regardless of 
 party atliliations. In the spring of 1890 he was 
 nominated and elected as a member of the Board 
 of Village Trustees, and served four years, and by 
 the prompt and faithful discharge of his public 
 duties lie has won high commendation. He is an 
 
 the 
 
 honored and active member of Pleasant Grove 
 Camp No. 998, M. W. A., of Tremont. In his bus- 
 iness dealings he has been very successful, and by 
 his well directed efforts and good management he 
 has acquired a comfortable competence, which 
 numbers him among the substantial citizens of the 
 community. 
 
 OIIN DICKS owns and operates a produc- 
 tive farm, consisting of eighty acres on sec- 
 tion 36, Sand Prairie Township, Tazewell 
 County. His home is one of comfort, set in 
 midst of the ordinary surroundings of the 
 prosperous farmer. He was born in Hampshire 
 County, W. Va., January 19, 1844, and is the son 
 of Jackson Dicks, whose birth occurred in Ohio in 
 1825. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of our subject, James 
 and Susan (Short) Dicks, were natives of Penn- 
 sylvania, and the grandmother was the daughter 
 of Michael and Catherine (McBride) Short, resi- 
 dents of West Virginia. Jackson Dicks was a 
 blacksmith by trade, which occupation he followed 
 in his native state for many years, and also after 
 his removal to Coles County, this state. He was 
 deprived by death of his wife while living in that 
 place, and soon thereafter came to Taztwell Coun- 
 ty, making his home in Dillon, where he prose- 
 cuted his trade until his decease, which occurred 
 in 1890. 
 
 John, of this sketch, was one of a family of 
 nine children born to his parents. Arthur D. is our 
 subject's only brother; Margaret Jane, the wife of 
 Albert Sisson, makes her home in South Dakota; 
 Elizabeth is the wife of Frank Gondcre and re- 
 sides in Chicago; Lucy married II. Blevins and 
 lives in Keokuk, Iowa. Susan is now Mrs. Edward 
 Montgomery and is living in Peoria; Nancy be- 
 came the wife of Daniel Pugh and also makes her 
 home in that city; Emma, Mrs. Andrew Rush, is a 
 resident of Delavan, this state; and Alice is sin- 
 gle and lives in Peoria. 
 
 Our subject made his home in his native state 
 until the removal of his parents to Coles County, 
 where he attended the common school and during
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 591 
 
 the summer season aided in the farm work. 
 April 5, 1870, when attaining his twenty-fifth year, 
 he was married to Miss Catherine E. Hafliger, and 
 soon after that event came to Sand Prairie Town- 
 ship, where he engaged in farm pursuits on his 
 own account and has since made that branch of 
 work his life occupation. His good wife departed 
 this life in 1890, after having become the mother 
 of four children, viz.: Lottie A., born Februarys, 
 1871; William IT., November 17, 1873; Lewis E., 
 March 25, 1875; and Catherine L., February 9, 
 1885. They are all living at home with their 
 father, and the elder members of the family have 
 been well educated. Mr. Dicks is an ardent Dem- 
 ocrat in politics. He is known and respected for 
 the honesty and sincerity of his character, and 
 has the friendship of the best men in the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 EN T. RAILSBACK, a prominent grain 
 merchant and stock-dealer of Hopedale, 
 f3M))ll) was born in Little Mackinaw Township, 
 Tazewell County, April 23, 1843. He is a 
 representative of a family that has long been 
 identified with the history of our country. The 
 following is a brief history of that branch of the 
 Railsback family to which lie belongs: His great- 
 grandfather, Henry Railsback, accompanied by his 
 wife and three children Henry, Edward and Eliz- 
 abeth left Hamburg, Germany, in May, 1765, 
 for the American colonies. 
 
 Landing in Virginia, on the Chesapeake Bay, 
 Henry Railsback stopped for a time in Loudoun 
 County, where his brother John (the grandfather 
 of William and Jacob Railsback, late of Indian- 
 apolis) had settled five years before. They then 
 moved to the Yadkin River, Rowan Count}', N. C., 
 where his family circle was increased by the 
 birth of six children: David, Mary, Daniel, Rosa, 
 Lydia and Anna. Here also the wife and mother 
 died at the age of eighty-five. Henry Railsback 
 passed away when eighty-eight years of age. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, Daniel Rails- 
 back, was born about 1771, married and removed 
 to Frederick County, Va. Of that marriage was 
 
 born Frederick Railsback, late of Linn County, 
 Iowa. After the death of his first wife, in 1794, 
 he married Miss Rachel Klugh, who was born 
 April 9, 1773. That union resulted in the birth 
 of one son, Thomas F., December 14, 1795. Dan- 
 iel Railsback died in September, 1797, and was 
 buried in Frederick County, Va. 
 
 Thomas F. Railsback resided with his mother in 
 Frederick County, Va., until he entered the army 
 as a soldier in the War of 1812. After the close 
 of that conflict, he removed with his mother and 
 step-father, Daniel Carter, to Todd County, Tenn. 
 Having received a fair education, he there engageil 
 in teaching school. On the 14th of May, 1818, 
 in Christian County, Ky., he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Louisa V. Allensworth, who was 
 a native of Culpeper, Va., born December 20, 
 1801, of Scotch-Welsh parentage. To them were 
 born four sons and six daughters, two of the lat- 
 ter dying in infancy. 
 
 In 1830 the family came to Illinois, and set- 
 tled upon the farm where our subject was born, 
 about thirteen years later. The father was one of 
 the first Commissioners of Tazewell County, and 
 also served as Justice of the Peace for a number of 
 years. He died in 1864 and was survived many 
 years by his wife, who passed away in 1882, aged 
 eighty-one years. Of their children we note the 
 following: Daniel G. A. engaged in farming until 
 his death in 1891; Philip G. H. is a farmer and 
 stock-raiser of this county; James E. is in the 
 grain and banking business at Minier, this county; 
 Eliza Jane and Mary E. were twins, the former 
 dying at the age of twelve years, and the latter 
 becoming the wife of R. J. Mitchell, a banker and 
 grain and lumber merchant of Minier; Amanda 
 V., deceased, was the wife of J. S. Briggs; Harriet 
 E. and Sarah E. (twins) died in infancy; Sarah E. 
 (the second bearing that name) became the wife of 
 Theophilus Ireland. 
 
 Reared to manhood on the old homestead, our 
 subject received his education in the common 
 schools. On the 22d of August, 1862, his name 
 was enrolled as a member of Company I, Ninety- 
 fourth Illinois Infantry, and for two years he was 
 a brave soldier in the Union army. He partici- 
 pated in the Missouri and Arkansas campaigns, the
 
 592 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 siege of Vicksburg, and the battle at Mobile. By 
 special order he was honorably discharged at New 
 Orleans on account of sickness and returned to the 
 home farm. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Railsback moved into Hopedale 
 and engaged in the grain business. He owns a part 
 of the site of Hopedale and a farm in the vicinity 
 on which he raises fine grades of stock. In this 
 enterprise he has been quite successful. He is a 
 man of untiring energy, progressive in his ideas, 
 and in the community where he has so long made 
 his home, he is well and favorably known. 
 
 In 1875 our subject was united in marriage with 
 Miss Maggie Flenniken. Mrs. Railsbsck is a native 
 of Columbus, Ohio, and came to this state about 
 1853. She has become the mother of four chil- 
 dren, namely: Ro\ r J., now attending school at 
 Normal, 111.; Lee W., Howard and Fred, students 
 in the school at Hopedale. Our subject is a mem- 
 ber of the Grand Army of the Republic and has 
 been Commander of the post at Hopedale. Po- 
 litically he is a stalwart and true Republican, and 
 is ever foremost in good works and benevolent 
 enterprises. 
 
 GE W. BENSCOTER. Since coming 
 to Mason County this gentleman lias suc- 
 ceeded in bringing to a high state of cul- 
 tivation his property on section 22, Pennsylvania 
 Township. At the time of purchase, the tract 
 was wholly unimproved, and with an ox-team he 
 broke the sod preparatory to planting grain and 
 raising the first crop on the place. At the pres- 
 ent time he is the owner of three hundred and 
 twenty acres, and has recently sold an eighty-acre 
 tract to one of his sons. The farm presents an at- 
 tractive appearance, with its commodious residence, 
 erected at a cost of $1,000, its barns and gran- 
 aries built at a cost of $1,200, and its forty-acre 
 fields separated from each other by fences of hedge 
 and wire. The entire farm is enclosed by a neat 
 hedge fence. 
 
 The father of our subject, Isaac Benscoter, was 
 born in Muhlenburg, Luzerne County, Pa., and 
 was a farmer by occupation. In Union Town- 
 
 ship, Luzerne County, in 1815, he married Chris- 
 tina, daughter of William Bellas, who was born 
 in that county about 1780, and was for a number 
 of years engaged in the hotel business. Remov- 
 ing later to Columbia County, Pa., he made a brief 
 sojourn there, and then settled on a farm, where 
 he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, 
 at the age of eighty or more years. 
 
 The parents of our subject continued to reside 
 in Luzerne County until their death. Their fam- 
 ily numbered eleven children, four of whom are 
 living: George W.; Joseph, a resident of Union 
 Township, Luzerne County, who married Miss 
 Susan Moore, becoming by that union the father 
 of five children; Alexander, of Mason City, 111., 
 whose union with Catherine Hontz resulted in the 
 birth of six children; and Stewart, a farmer of 
 Ross Township, Luzerne County, Pa., who married 
 Esther Rood, and has one child. 
 
 Born in Union Township, Luzerne County, Pa., 
 January 21, 1819, the subject of this sketch re- 
 mained with his parents until lie was sixteen, 
 when he began to work in a sawmill. There for 
 two years he filled the position of a foreman. 
 The mill conducted an extensive business, and 
 among its other contracts supplied the Hazleton 
 & Lehigh Railroad with timber for its construc- 
 tion. At the age of eighteen he went to Wilkes 
 Bar re, Pa., and became an employe of the Wilkes 
 Barre & White Haven Railroad Company, but 
 after a short time thus spent he returned home 
 and resumed farming. 
 
 Mr. Benscoter married Miss Hulda Wandel Oc- 
 tober 28, 1841; she was born in Luzerne County, 
 December 6, 1822, being a daughter of George 
 and Margaret (Moss) Wandel. Her father, who 
 was a farmer by occupation, died in Mason Coun- 
 ty, 111., in 185C. Her paternal grandfather was 
 a Revolutionary soldier. After his marriage Mr. 
 Benscoter purchased one hundred acres in Penn- 
 sylvania, upon which he built a house at a cost of 
 $200, the timber and lumber for which were pre- 
 pared in a mill on his father's farm. For twelve 
 years he remained upon that place, after which, in 
 1853, he came to Illinois, and rented a farm near 
 Lease's Grove, in Mason County. One year later 
 he came to his present property, purchasing one
 
 UBRARt 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of lUJNOS
 
 JOHN H. BALE.
 
 PORTRAIT ANT) BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 595 
 
 hundred and sixty acres, to which he has since 
 added by purchase. In connection with the rais- 
 ing of cereals, he makes a specialty of stock-rais- 
 ing, and has ten brood sows of the Poland-China 
 breed, forty-nine young pigs and seventeen ready 
 for the market. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bcuscoter are the parents of twelve 
 children, eight of whom are now living: Jasper, 
 of Mason City; Headley Laudinier, a resident of 
 Coffeeville, Kan.; Minor, who lives in Allen's 
 Grove Township, this county; A. Byron, who as- 
 sists his father in the management of the home 
 farm; Harrison Rush, whose home is in Hoss 
 Township, Luzerne County, Pa.; Frances, who 
 married John Earhart, has five children and lives 
 in Allen's Grove Township; Mary F., who re- 
 sides with her parents; and Amy J., the wife of 
 W. A. Melmn, of Mason City, and the mother of 
 one child. The children received excellent edu- 
 cational advantages, and Mary F., after complet- 
 ing the course in the district school, attended 
 the high school in Mason City. Afterward she 
 taught school for eighteen years, and during six- 
 teen years of that time had charge of schools so 
 near home that she was able to drive back and 
 forth eacli day. 
 
 In his political preferences Mr. Benscoter is a 
 loyal Democrat, and always supports the princi- 
 ples of that party. For four years he served as 
 Assessor, and for two years filled the position of 
 Collector, lie has for years been interested in 
 educational matters, and has served as School 
 Treasurer for fifteen years, also as Director for ten 
 years. 
 
 On the 28th of October, 1841, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Benscoter celebrated their golden wedding day, 
 upon which eventful occasion a host of warm per- 
 sonal friends assembled to offer their congratula- 
 tions to the estimable couple standing on the 
 "golden" landing in life's rugged stairway. A 
 large pavilion was constructed to accommodate 
 the guests at supper, and nearly three hundred 
 partook of the bounteous feast. After supper 
 the gray beards recounted with much fervor rem- 
 iniscences of fifty years ago, while the young, 
 though in a manner somewhat different, found 
 equal enjoyment in the fast-fleeting hours, Nu- 
 19 
 
 merous souvenirs were left with Mr. and Mrs. 
 Benscoter as tokens of remembrance and love. 
 With truth it may be said that no residents of 
 Mason County are better or more favorably known 
 /than they. They were married in Pennsylvania, 
 and moved to this community nearly fifty years 
 ago. As pioneers, they did much to reclaim the 
 broad prairies from the wilderness, and as sub- 
 stantial citizens they have added much to the gen- 
 eral welfare of the county. Throughout their long 
 lives they have had the same experiences that are 
 common to all, and have gathered about them, as 
 they stand facing the setting sun, a host of per- 
 sonal friends who wish them many years of con- 
 tinued activity. 
 
 ~> OHN II. BALE. This honored citizen and 
 prominent agriculturist of Mason County 
 was borne to his long home December 5, 
 1891. Few of the old residents of this sec- 
 tion have been more thoroughly identified with 
 its various interests than he, or would be mourned 
 with greater sincerity when called hence. In the 
 bereavement which befell them, the family have 
 the general and hearty sympathy of the commu- 
 nity, whose members met in large numbers to pay 
 the last sad tribute to the deceased. Mr. Bale was 
 formerly one of the well-to-do agriculturists of 
 Crane Creek Township and at his death left an es- 
 tate of two hundred and twenty acres located on 
 section 11. 
 
 Our subject was a native of this county and was 
 born January 10, 1842. His father, Solomon 
 Bale, was born in Kentucky and emigrated to this 
 state many years ago. At that time he located in 
 Crane Creek Township, where he made his home 
 until going to Missouri, where his death took 
 place. His wife, the mother of our subject, was 
 Mrs. Nancy (Edwards) Bale. She, too, was born 
 in the Blue Grass State, and, like her husband, 
 died in Crane Creek Township, Mason County. 
 
 John H. was one in the parental family of ten 
 children and was reared to farm pursuits and car- 
 ried on his studies in Crane Creek Township. He 
 became thoroughly acquainted with agricultural
 
 596 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 pursuits, so that after his marriage, which occurred 
 April 15, 1871, he was thoroughly competent to 
 manage an estate of his own. The lady who be- 
 came his wife was Miss Josephine Ashmore, who 
 was born August 20, 1853, in Tazewell County, 
 this state. She was the daughter of Joseph Ash- 
 more, who was also a native of Illinois, as was her 
 mother, Mrs. Sarah J. Ashmore. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bale have been born five sons 
 and one daughter, namely: Emery, Eliza, Roy, 
 Earl, Lora and Raymond. Our subject was a Dem- 
 ocrat in politics and a man of intelligence, relia- 
 ble in his citizenship, honorable in his dealings 
 with his fellow-men and kindly in his social and 
 domestic life. The estate which he left is now 
 managed by his widow and sons and is one of 
 the most highly cultivated tracts of land in Ma- 
 son County. 
 
 1 OIIN KROELL, SK. In no portion of the 
 world is the result of patent industry illus. 
 trated more forcibly than in the great west. 
 Could the young man of forty years ago 
 have had the power to look into the future and 
 discover not only what he himself would accom- 
 plish, but what would be done by his fellow-citi- 
 zens, he would have labored with even greater 
 courage than he has done. Among those whose 
 energy, tireless perseverance and judicious man- 
 agement have contributed to the progress and ma- 
 terial interests of Mason County, is the gentleman 
 above named, who owns a farm located on section 
 19, Quiver Township. 
 
 A native of Germany, our subject was born in 
 Hesse-Darmstadt, November 20, 1822, and is the 
 son of Jost Kroell, who lived and died in the Old 
 Country. Of the parental family of four children 
 only two are now living: John, of this sketch, 
 and Elizabeth, now Mrs. Gerhard t, who makes her 
 home in Iowa. He of whom we write was reared 
 a farmer bo}', and emigrated to America October 
 6, 1851, landing some days later in New York 
 City. He came directly to Illinois, and for a time 
 worked out on a farm near Havana, until he was 
 
 enabled to purchase property of his own, his first 
 estate comprising eight3' acres of improved land 
 on section 7 of this township. 
 
 Mr. Kroell was married in November, 1851, to 
 Miss Mary Katz, also a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, 
 and after making his first purchase of property, the 
 couple resided on the farm until 1867, when Mr. 
 Kroell moved upon his present place. His wife 
 departed this life December 5, 1885, aged sixty- 
 three years. Of the family of five children of 
 which she became the mother, four are living. 
 John married Julia Reddinger and makes his 
 home on a farm in Quiver Township; Lizzie, the 
 second in order of birth, is in Clinton; Conrad 
 took to wife Miss Mary Heimel and is also a 
 farmer of this township; Mary, Mrs. Fred Zelle, 
 is living in Kansas. Hartman died when a young 
 man of twenty-one years. 
 
 May 11, 1886, our subject was married to Eliz- 
 abeth Crawford, the widow of Dr. Hen^- Craw- 
 ford, and the daughter of Peter and Elizabeth 
 (Riddle) Ringhouse. Her father was born in Ger- 
 many, and removed to Mason County in 1833, 
 where he died in November, 1859. His good wife, 
 who isalso deceased, departed thislife in 1883. Mrs. 
 Kroell was born February 20, 1824, in Hesse- Darm- 
 stadt, Germany, and was reared to womanhood in 
 this country. Her first marriage, which took place 
 in 1840, was with William Atwater, by whom she 
 became the mother of twelve children, five of 
 whom are living. Edwin W., who married Ellen 
 White, lives in Nebraska; Louis is now of Mason 
 County; John married Josephine Dare and lives 
 in Havana; Sheldon, who is a farmer of Quiver 
 Township, married Iris Jones; Emma, who is the 
 wife of Woodford Roundtree, also lives in this 
 township. The others are deceased. 
 
 Mr. Kroell has resided on his present farm since 
 1867, and it comprises two hundred and fifteen 
 acres of very valuable land. He is also the pro- 
 prietor of a quarter-section in Hardin County, 
 Iowa, which finely improved estate he rents to 
 good advantage. In 1876 he built his present res- 
 idence at a cost of $2,350, and also erected a barn 
 at the same time which cost $600. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kroell are church members, the former belonging 
 to the Evangelical and the latter to the Christian
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 597 
 
 Church. He has served as a School Director of 
 his district, and in politics never fails to cast a 
 vote for Republican candidates. Mrs. Kroell is 
 also a warm advocate of Republican principles, 
 and is actively interested iu advancing the cause 
 of temperance in this township. They are botli 
 old settlers here, our subject having been a resi- 
 dent of Mason County for forty-three years, and 
 his good wife for sixty-one years. They attended 
 the old settlers' meeting held at Manito' several 
 years ago, on which occasion Mrs. Kroell was given 
 a chair in honor of her being the oldest settler in 
 Quiver Township. Our subject is charitable and 
 benevolent, and the poor and needy find in him a 
 friend. In his business career he has met with sig- 
 nal success, and his diligence and good manage- 
 ment have made him the owner of a fine farm 
 and the possessor of a competence. He loves his 
 adopted country, and the community recognize 
 in him a valued citizen. 
 
 ARL ROBERT SCHURMAN, member of the 
 firm of Conklin, Schurman A Hippeu, con- 
 tractors and builders at Pekin, and also 
 owners of a large planing mill at this place, is 
 numbered among the eflicient and successful busi- 
 ness men of Tazewell County. A native of Ger- 
 many, he was born in Hanover, April 4, 1850. He 
 is the son of Conrad II. and Amelia (Voiglit) 
 Schurman, the former of whom followed the trade 
 of a cigar manufacturer until his death in Ger- 
 man y. Afterwards the mother accompanied her 
 children to the United States, and resided in Pekin 
 until her demise in 1890. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, who is the youngest 
 of four brothers, was educated in a gymnasium in 
 Germany, and afterwards became bookkeeper for 
 a wholesale house in Norden. In 1868 he came 
 witli his mother to America and settled in Pekin, 
 to which point his oldest brother had come four 
 years previously. After spending three months in 
 the public schools here he became a clerk in the 
 dry-goods establishment of Bouk & Co., and later 
 accepted the position of bookkeeper with that 
 
 firm. In 1872 he entered the office of the T. & 
 H. Smith Co. as assistant bookkeeper. This firm 
 had a branch bank at Delavau, the title of which 
 was Smith Bros. Bank, and to that city he was sent 
 in 1875 as bookkeeper for the concern. 
 
 Returning to Pekin after one year in Delavan, 
 Mr. Schurman made application for and secured 
 the position of bookkeeper in the Farmers' Na- 
 tional Bank. Later he resigned that position in 
 order to enter the firm of Weiss & Co., contractors 
 and builders and lumber dealers, with whom his 
 brother Ernest had formerly been connected. Some 
 time afterward Mr. Weiss disposed of his interest 
 to Mr. Hippen,and the firm then became Conklin, 
 Schurman & Hippen. In their planing mill they 
 employ forty or fifty men. The warerooms cover 
 about one block, and the mill is one of the finest 
 in this section of Illinois, the sash, doors and 
 blinds manufactured being as good as the products 
 of any first-class mill in the state. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Schurman occurred in 
 Windsor, Ontario,, September 13, 1876, and united 
 him with Miss Clara Ackerman, a native of Ohio, 
 and the daughter of C. W. Ackerman, now a resi- 
 dent of Pekin. Five children have blessed this 
 union, Edwin, Richard, Robert, Elsie and Clar- 
 ence. The family residence is pleasantly located 
 at No. 710 Hillyer Street and is the abode of hos- 
 pitality. In politics a Republican, Mr. Schurman 
 has served as Supervisor of Pekin Township for 
 two years, and has occupied other local positions 
 of trust. Socially he is identified with the Royal 
 Arch Masons and belongs to Empire Lodge No. 
 126, A. F. <fe A. M. He is also a prominent mem- 
 ber of the Mutual Aid and the Turners' Socie- 
 ties. As a business man, lie is honorable, energetic 
 and capable, and the success to which the firm has 
 attained is due in no small measure to his ability. 
 
 ?ILLIAM MIARS, one of the representative 
 farmers of Elm Grove Township, Taze- 
 well County, residing on section 28, is a 
 self-made man, who by his own efforts has worked 
 his way up from an humble position to one of 
 affluence. He was born in this township May 14,
 
 598 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1843, and was one of fourteen children, but only 
 four of the number are now living. His father, 
 Martin Miars, was born in Hampshire County, 
 Va., in 1801, and when nine years of age went 
 with his parents to Clinton County, Ohio, where 
 he lived until 1826, when he was married to Ann 
 Hodgson and removed to Illinois, locating in Elm 
 Grove Township. In 1826 he took up a quarter 
 section of land from the Government and began 
 the development of a farm. His remaining days 
 were devoted to its further cultivation and im- 
 provement and he made of it a valuable property. 
 He owned four hundred acres ere his death, and 
 was considered one of the substantial citizens of 
 the community, to the best interests of which he 
 was ever devoted. His death here occurred at the 
 age of eighty-four. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject was a 
 native of Germany, and on crossing the Atlantic 
 located in Virginia. He was a blacksmith and also 
 followed the occupation of farming. His last days 
 were spent in Ohio, where he died at an advanced 
 age. The members of the Miars family now living 
 are: Mary, widow of Frank Robison,of Elm Grove 
 Township; Sarah, wife of John Boyle, of Tremont 
 Township; and Isaac, a resident of Adair County, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Mr. Miars of this record has always lived in his 
 native town. He was reared in the usual manner 
 of farmer lads, and on attaining his majority 
 started out in life for himself. For about ten 
 years he operated the home farm on shares, and 
 then afterward removed to a farm of his own. His 
 home, which he erected in 1868, stands upon a por- 
 tion of the land which his father entered in 1830, 
 more than sixty-four years ago, and the patent of 
 which, signed by Andrew Jackson, is now in his 
 possession. His farm work has proved profitable 
 and has yielded him a good income. 
 
 On the 21st of May, 1864, Mr. Miars was united 
 in marriage with Miss Ann, daughter of Amos 
 and Elizabeth (Allison) Hodgson. Their union 
 has been blessed with five children, who are yet 
 living: Edwin, now of McLean County; Frank, 
 Martin, Elmer and Etta Luella, who are still under 
 the parental roof. The family is one of promi- 
 nence in the community, the home is the abode of 
 
 hospitality and good cheer, and the members of the 
 household rank high in the social circles in which 
 they live. In politics Mr. Miars warmly advocates 
 the principles of the Republican party and has the 
 courage of his convictions, but is in no sense a 
 politician, having neither sought nor desired pub- 
 lic office. A well spent life has gained for him 
 the high regard of all with whom he has been 
 brought in contact. 
 
 -*=*-*- 
 
 ^ICIIARD H. BECKER is a well known 
 
 ZK farmer of Tazewell County who owns and 
 !iii\\\ operates a fine farm of one hundred and 
 \^)sixty-four acres on section 13, Elm Grove 
 Township. The farm is pleasantly located a mile 
 to the northwest of Tremont. He also has sixty- 
 three acres just across the road from his home. 
 Well cultivated fields and the improvements that 
 are found upon a model farm indicate that the 
 owner is a man of thrift and enterprise, who thor- 
 oughly understands his business and gives it his 
 careful supervision. 
 
 Mr. Becker was born in Germany, July 23, 1846, 
 and is one of a family of seven children, the oth- 
 ers being Maggie, wife of August Carson, of Cin- 
 cinnati Township; Frederick, of Tremont; Charles 
 of San Francisco; Sophia, wife of Philip Herget, 
 of Pekin, 111.; Henry, also of Pekin, and Annie. 
 The parents of this family were Carson and Mary 
 (Garlisch) Becker. Accompanied by his family, 
 the father emigrated to the United States in 1853, 
 and took up their residence in Dearborn County, 
 Ind., where he engaged in fanning. In February, 
 1873, he came to Tazewell County, 111., and settled 
 in Fjlm Grove Township, where lie carried on agri- 
 cultural pursuits up to the time of his death. lie 
 was a successful farmer, and by well directed efforts 
 won a comfortable competence. His death occurred 
 in the spring of 1878. His widow, who still sur- 
 vives him, is now a resident of Pekin. 
 
 Richard Becker, of this sketch, was a lad of only 
 seven summers when he crossed the briny deep 
 with his parents. In his boyhood he attended the 
 public schools of Indiana, and assisted his father 
 upon the farm, remaining under the parental roof
 
 UBRAW 
 OF THE 
 Of
 
 DANIEL W. HOVEY.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 601 
 
 until he had attained his majority. At the age of 
 twenty-one he started out in life. He began work- 
 ing as a farm hand by the month, and was thus 
 employed for about seven years, when he resolved 
 that his labors should hereafter benefit himself. He 
 then rented land and began farming in his own 
 interest. In 1886 he purchased the farm on which 
 he now resides and has since made his home. 
 
 In January, 1873, Mr. Becker was joined in wed- 
 lock with Addic Papenhausen, a native of Ger- 
 many, and a daughter of John Papenhausen, who 
 came with his family to this country when Mrs. 
 Becker was a small child, and settled in Ripley 
 County, Ind. There he still resides, but his wife 
 departed this life some years since. Unto our sub- 
 ject and his wife were born six children: Mary, 
 John II., Frank August, Lewis Fred, Fred H. and 
 Arthur II. The family circle yet remains unbroken, 
 and the children are still at home. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Becker is connected with Pleasant 
 Grove Camp No. 998, M. W. A., of Tremont, and in 
 politics has always been a Democrat. In 1893 he 
 was elected Road Commissioner of Elm Grove 
 Towrship for a term of three years, and is now 
 creditably and acceptably filling that office. He is 
 recognized as one of the enterprising and substan- 
 tial citizens of the community, is a man of sterling 
 worth, and well deserves representation in this 
 volume. 
 
 DANIEL WEBSTER HOVEY, a farmer 
 residing on section 30, Forest City Town- 
 ship, Mason County, is the son of Peres 
 Gilbert and Hannah Jackson (Packard) 
 Hovey. The father, who was born in Oxford, 
 Worcester County, Mass., in 1796, was a scythe- 
 maker and followed that trade until 1838, after 
 which he engaged in farming. In the fall of 1839 
 he came to Illinois, and after a sojourn of two 
 years in Troy, Madison Count}', removed to 
 Bunker Hill, Macoupin County. 
 
 In Worcester County, Mass., Peres G. Hovey 
 married Miss Hannah Jackson Packard, who was 
 born in South Bridgewater, Mass., in 1803, being a 
 daughter of Mayo Packard, a nail-maker by trade. 
 Mr. Ilovey passed away July 6, 1851, but his wife 
 
 long survived him, her death occurring in July of 
 1892. They were the parents of twelve children 
 who attained mature years, and of these eight are 
 now living, viz.: Daniel W., Mrs. Mary G. Lan- 
 caster, Mrs. Clarissa H. Barnes, Gideon, James 
 Henry, Mrs. Eliza Jane Ness, Mrs. Olive J. Wilson 
 and Mrs. Sarah H. Manley. The father was a 
 minute man in the War of 1812, and one son, 
 James Henry, served for four years as a soldier in 
 the Civil War, marching with Sherman to the sea. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born October 22, 
 1829, in Charlton, Worcester Count}', Mass., and 
 was a lad of ten years when he came with his 
 father to Illinois. The journey hither was made 
 in two one-horse wagons, and required six weeks 
 and one day before the destination was reached. 
 He was a student in subscription schools in boy- 
 hood, but his information has been mainly self 
 acquired. January 25, 1855, he married Miss 
 Rebecca Ann Barnes, who was born in Greenfield, 
 N. H., February 28, 1836, and was educated in the 
 public schools of the Green Mountain State. 
 
 Mrs. Ilovey is the daughter of Nathan and 
 Sarah E. (Evans) Barnes, the former born in 
 Greenfield, Hillsboro County, N.H.. June 13, 1801, 
 and the latter born in Peterboro, Hillsboro County, 
 N. H., June 4,1806. The paternal grandfather 
 was William Barnes, a huckster by trade, and the 
 maternal grandfather was Asaph Evans, a farmer 
 by occupation. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes were married 
 in New Hampshire, and in 1851 came to Illinois, 
 settling in Bunker Hill, Macoupin County, where 
 he died in 1871. Mrs. Barnes is still living. Of 
 their ten children, seven now survive, namely: 
 George E., Rebecca A., Ruben K., Asaph H., 
 Almon II., Joseph H. and John B. Three of the 
 sons were soldiers in the late war. The parents 
 were members of the Baptist Church, in which for 
 many years the father served as Deacon. In poli- 
 tics he was a Republican. 
 
 After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hovey resided in 
 Macoupin County, 111., until 1857, when they 
 came to Mason County. At that time there was 
 no house to the south for a distance of eight 
 miles; all was prairie, which was often covered 
 with water. Mr. Hovey built a frame house, in 
 which the family lived until 1872, when the present
 
 602 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 substantial residence was built. In 1859 he bought 
 one hundred and sixty acres, to which he has since 
 added until he has now four hundred and sixty- 
 seven acres. Here he engages in the raising of 
 stock and grain. 
 
 Six children comprise the family of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ilovey, viz.: Daniel Gilbert, who married 
 Hannah Hepler and lives in Pennsylvania Town- 
 ship, where he owns a farm; Charles Nelson,, Tohn 
 Nathan, deceased; William, who died in infancy; 
 Francis Peter, who died at the age of two years, 
 and Joseph Henry, who married Miss Emma 
 Johanna Knuppcl, and lives in Pennsylvania 
 Township, where he owns a farm. In religious 
 belief Mrs. Hovey lias been identified with the 
 Baptist Church for forty years, and is especially 
 interested in Sunday-school work. Politically Mr. 
 Hovey affiliates with the Republican party and 
 takes an intelligent interest in public affairs. For 
 seven years he was Director of Schools and aided 
 in the organization of School District No. 2, and 
 was Trustee for three years. 
 
 , AVID POWELL. For many years a prom- 
 inent and successful merchant of Mason 
 City, the subject of this sketch now lives 
 in his pleasant home retired from active 
 business cares. It is with pleasure that his biogra- 
 phy is incorporated in this volume, for it affords 
 an example well worthy the emulation of the 
 young, and furnishes an illustration of what may 
 be accomplished by good management coupled 
 with sound common sense and indefatigable en- 
 ergy. 
 
 Born near Mt. Vernon, Ohio, in 1830, Mr. Pow- 
 ell is a representative of an English family that 
 settled in America prior to the Revolutionary 
 War. His father, Thomas Powell, was a native of 
 Ohio, and became an early settler of Fulton Coun- 
 ty, 111., where he died in the fall of 1842. He 
 was a man of pronounced views, and in politics 
 was a Whig. Ills wife, whose maiden name was 
 
 Margaret Engle, died in 1858. At the age of four 
 years David was brought by his parents to Illinois, 
 where he attended the pioneer schools, and shortly 
 after attaining the age of fourteen commenced to 
 learn the trade of a blacksmith. 
 
 During the gold excitement in California Mr. 
 Powell crossed the plains, in 1852, spending three 
 months en route and making the journey with ox 
 teams. Upon his arrival in that state, he com- 
 menced gold mining, and was thus engaged for 
 four years, when he returned to Mason County 
 and resumed farming. On the 20th of October, 
 1864, he formed a partnership witli A. A. Cargill, 
 under the firm name of Powell & Cargill. and em- 
 barked in the general mercantile business. Seven 
 years later lie left that concern and formed a con- 
 nection with E. M. Sharp, the firm title being 
 Powell & Sharp. He was thus engaged for three 
 years. In the fall of 1874, in company with F. 
 N. Smith, he organized the banking house of F. N. 
 Smith <fe Co., retaining his connection with that 
 institution for five years. In 1883 he opened a 
 shoe store, which he carried on successfully for 
 eight years, when he sold the establishment and 
 retired from business. 
 
 The first marriage of Mr. Powell occurred July 
 18, 1860, at which time he was united with Miss 
 Mary A. Cox, a native of Indiana. This lady died 
 March 16, 1877, leaving three daughters and one 
 son, viz.: Clara, wife of J. H. White, a resident of 
 Mason Count}-; Arthur S., who lives in this county; 
 Laura, who is the wife of Lafe Stene, of Mason 
 City; and Flora, who was graduated from Morgan 
 Park College in 1892, and at present teaches in the 
 public schools of Mason City. The present estim- 
 able wife of Mr. Powell, with whom he was united 
 in marriage August 6, 1884, was formerly Miss 
 Parmelia M. Samuels, and was born in Illinois. 
 
 Mr. Powell is a man of sterling worth, whose 
 word is believed to " nail the subject to the wall." 
 Though his early education was necessarily lim- 
 ited, he is a man of broad information upon all 
 topics of general interest, and having given to 
 the political issues of the age his careful study, 
 favors the principles of the Republican party. 
 Socially he is a member of the Mason City Lodge 
 No. 403, F. & A. M. He has watched with inter-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 603 
 
 est the gradual growth of the county, and can 
 point with pride to his share in the good results 
 obtained. 
 
 1 OHN E. TRIMBLE. This gentleman is the 
 owner and occupant of a productive tract 
 of land on section 2, Hopedale Township, 
 Tazewell County. It consists of one hun- 
 dred acres of land, bears the usual improvements, 
 and is so managed as to bring forth abundant 
 crops of good quality. 
 
 Our subject was born in the state of New York, 
 June 3, 1849, and is the son of Thomas Trimble, a 
 native of Ireland. His parents dying when he was 
 young, he came to America a poor boy, and worked 
 his way up in the world until he occupied an hon- 
 orable and influential position among the farmers 
 of the Empire State. He was married there to 
 Miss Elizabeth McCoy, a lady of Scotch ancestry. 
 The young couple came in 1851 to this state, when 
 our subject was two years of age, and making their 
 home in 'Fremont Township, remained there until 
 1858, when the father purchased land on the west 
 side of the Mackinaw River, where he is at present 
 living in Hopedale. 
 
 John, of this sketch, aided his father in the farm 
 work as soon as old enough, and during the dull 
 seasons at home attended the little log cabin, 
 where he received his primary education. He re- 
 mained under the parental roof until a short time 
 after reaching his majority, and March 12, 1873, 
 was united in marriage with Miss Emily J. Pro- 
 basco, who was born and reared in this county. 
 Her father, Samuel Probasco, was one of the pio- 
 neers of Tazewell County, and died in April, 1894, 
 at the age of sixty-seven years. Her mother, in 
 her maidenhood known as Miss Eunice Bennett, is 
 still living and makes her home with our subject. 
 The parental family of John Trimble included 
 nine children, of whom George is at home with 
 his father and mother; Jane married James Ben- 
 nett, who makes his home in Missouri; Emma is the 
 wife of Eli Tollinger, and resides on a farm north 
 of Delavan; Ella, the twin of Emma, married Dan- 
 iel Gilmartin, and is at present residing in McLean 
 County, this state; Lucy is the wife of Casper 
 
 Tollinger, a farmer owning property just north of 
 Delavan; Ann became Mrs. William Fleming, and 
 is living in Boynton Township, this county; Laura 
 married William Smith, the son of A. M. Smith, 
 and is now deceased; Etta became the wife of Oli- 
 ver Smith, a brother of William Smith, and lives 
 on a farm near our subject. 
 
 Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Trimble 
 moved upon the farm where they are at present 
 residing, and which is one of the finest on the 
 banks of the Mackinaw River. In politics Mr. 
 Trimble has always voted the Democratic ticket, 
 and for the past eighteen years has served as a 
 member of the School Board. lie has likewise 
 been a Road Commissioner, and in various ways 
 has been instrumental in advancing the interests 
 of his township. He is a devoted member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and at the present 
 time is holding the ollice of President of the Board 
 of Trustees. Six children have been born to our 
 subject and his wife, namely: Alvin, Albert, Eva, 
 Ada, Cora and Elsie. 
 
 g 
 
 has 
 
 OIIN G. RE1CHEL is well known through- 
 out this section, as he has been a resident 
 of Mason County since 1863, and has thus 
 witnessed the greater part of its growth and 
 assisted its development in various ways. 
 For many years he was one of the prominent con- 
 tractors and builders of Havana, in which city he 
 is now living retired, occupying with his family a 
 beautiful residence. 
 
 Born in Saxony, Germany, in 1826, our subject 
 is a son of John G. Reichel, also a native of the 
 Fatherland, where he lived and died. His mother, 
 whose maiden name was Johanna Sophia Zoen- 
 chen, also spent her entire life in that country. 
 John G. was given the advantages for obtaining a 
 good education, and when old enough served a 
 three years' apprenticeship at the brick mason's 
 trade. 
 
 Mr. Reichel crossed the Atlantic in 1857, and 
 after landing in New York City, made his way west 
 to this state, where he was employed working at 
 his trade in various places until 1863, when he
 
 604 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 came to Havana, and he soon ranked among the 
 best contractors and builders of the city. He has 
 erected many of the finest business blocks and res- 
 idences here, and although commencing his busi- 
 ness career empty handed, he has accumulated a 
 considerable fortune, and is now living retired in 
 his beautiful residence, which was completed in 
 1891. It contains eight rooms, and is built after 
 the latest style in architecture, and is one of the 
 finest dwellings in the city. 
 
 In 1863, our subject was married to Miss Anna 
 Frederich, also a native of Germany, and the 
 daughter of George Frederich. Their family now 
 comprises seven children, four sons and three 
 daughters, namely: August, George, Dora, Johnny, 
 Dealia, Charlie and Amelia. The sympathies of 
 Mr. Reichel are with the Democratic party and lie 
 is always a strong advocate of those political meas- 
 ures that promise to benefit his county and state. 
 He is a public spirited man and one who has met 
 with success in his journey through life. In relig- 
 ion, he is, with his wife, a member of the Lutheran 
 Church, with which denomination they have been 
 identified for many years. 
 
 ILLIAM II. WEIRICK, M. D., one of the 
 /* most successful physicians of Tazewell 
 County, was born in Union County, Pa., 
 September 14, 1841. He is a descendantof worthy 
 German ancestors, and the family has long been 
 one of prominence in the United States. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather, George Weirick, a native of 
 Pennsylvania, served as an officer in the War of 
 1812, and later became a member of the Legisla- 
 ture of his state. 
 
 In Union County, Pa., about 1806, occurred the 
 birth of Dr. Thomas Weirick, who was one of a 
 large family. His brother Samuel was an attorney 
 of note, a prominent citizen of his locality, and a 
 member of the Pennsylvania Legislature for some 
 years. Another brother, Franklin, was a newspaper 
 man. Receiving excellent educational advantages 
 in youth, Thomas Weirick became a man of broad 
 information upon general subjects, and was espec- 
 
 ially well read in medical literature. He followed 
 his chosen profession until his death, which oc- 
 curred in the Keystone State. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Margaret Roush, was 
 born in Pennsylvania in 1807, and was the daugh- 
 ter of a prominent business man, the owner of a 
 mill, distiller}- and hotel. At the age of seventy- 
 six years she died, in 1883. In her family were 
 two sons and two daughters. One of the former 
 died at the age of nine years, and one daughter 
 passed away when twenty-one. The other daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. Mary A. Lodge, lives in Union County, 
 Pa. Our subject grew to manhood in the county 
 of his birth, and received a good education in 
 Dickinson Seminary, Williamsport, Pa. While con- 
 ducting his studies in that institution, the Civil 
 War broke out, and he left college in 1862 to en- 
 list under the Old Flag, becoming a private in the 
 One Hundred and Thirty-first Pennsylvania In- 
 fantry. 
 
 Retiring from the army in 1863, our subject be- 
 gan the study of medicine, and early in 1865 re- 
 ceived the appointment of Assistant Surgeon of 
 the Two Hundred and Thirteenth Pennsylvania 
 Infantry, in which he served until the fall of the 
 same year. On his return to the Keystone State 
 he was graduated from the medical department of 
 the University of Pennsylvania in the Class of '66. 
 At once after completing his studies, he came west 
 to Missouri, and engaged in practice in Henry 
 County, where he remained six or seven years. 
 From there he came to Washington, and in this 
 city has engaged in active practice ever since. 
 While a resident of Missouri he served on the 
 Pension Examining Board. 
 
 In 1869 the Doctor married Miss Harriet N. 
 Wilson, who was born and reared in Union County, 
 Pa., being of Scotch-Irish descent. Her father was 
 a soldier in the War of 1812, and her brother, 
 David B. Wilson, a young attorney at the time of 
 the opening of the Rebellion, went to the front as 
 Lieutenant of the One Hundred and Thirty-first 
 Pennsylvania Infantry, and at the close of the war 
 joined the regular army. Dr. and Mrs. Weirick 
 have three daughters and one son. Agnes B. is a 
 student in Elmira College, Elmira, N. Y.; Margaret 
 was educated in a female seminary; Ralph W. and
 
 r 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 D. W. HILYARD.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 607 
 
 Elizabeth are students in the Washington schools. 
 Among the physicians of Tazewcll County, Dr. 
 Weirick has for years held a position of influence. 
 His skill in the diagnosis of difficult cases is con- 
 ceded by all, while his success in their treatment 
 has brought to him the confidence of the public. 
 Socially, he is a Mason, and is Past Master of his 
 lodge. In the circles of the Grand Army of the 
 Republic, lie has gained considerable prominence. 
 In politics he has always upheld the principles of 
 the Republican party since he cast his first ballot 
 for Abraham Lincoln. In religious connections 
 he and his wife are identified with the Presbyte- 
 rian Church, in which he is au Elder. 
 
 QUIRE DAVID W. HILYARD is a repre- 
 sentative and highly respected farmer of 
 Salt Creek Township, Mason County, re- 
 siding on section 5. As he has a wide 
 acquaintance in this community we feel assured 
 that this record of his life will prove of interest to 
 many of our readers. Born April 1, 1827, he is a 
 native of Cumberland County, N. J., and a son of 
 Henry Hilyard, who was also born in that state. 
 The latter was a farmer by occupation and de- 
 parted this life in New Jersey at the advanced 
 age of seventy-six years. His father, Christian 
 Hilyard, was a native of Germany and came to 
 this country in an early day, making a location in 
 the above state. 
 
 Our subject's mother, who also hailed from New 
 Jersey, was Rachel Sneathen prior to her mar- 
 riage. She was reared in that state and there 
 spent her entire life, dying when fifty-seven years 
 of age. By her union witli Henry Hilyard she be- 
 came the mother of six children, of whom one son 
 died in infancy. The others grew to manhood 
 and womanhood, but the only ones who are now 
 living are our subject and Elizabeth, the latter 
 of whom is the widow of James Evans, of Salem 
 County, N. J. 
 
 David W. was the youngest member of the fam- 
 ily and spent the years of his life up to twenty- 
 four in his native place. His education was ob- 
 
 tained in the district school, and when ready to 
 start out in life for himself he was married, in 
 1851, to Miss Catherine F. Tomlin, who was a na- 
 tive of the same state as himself. Four years after 
 their union Mr. and Mrs. Hilyard came to Illinois 
 and made location on section 5, which is his present 
 estate but which at that time bore little resem- 
 blance to the highly improved and valuable place 
 of to-day. He owns one hundred and eight3'-five 
 acres of land, which comprises his home farm and 
 fifty acres located in Crane Creek Township. He 
 has always given his attention to farm pursuits, and 
 in addition to cultivating the soil engages to some 
 extent in stock-raising. He possesses good busi- 
 ness ability and his well directed efforts have 
 brought him in a good competence. 
 
 Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 I). W. Hilyard, three daughters and five sons. 
 Mary E., the wife of Lorenzo Chester, lives in Cass 
 County, Iowa. Hannah is Mrs. Amos Jacoby, and 
 is living in Lawrence County, Mo. Preston J. P. 
 makes his home in Cass County, Iowa, where also 
 Lincoln II. and Edward F. are living. Robert F. 
 and Charles B. are at home. Emma E. is the wife 
 of W. W. Baker and lives in Tallula, Menard 
 County, this state. 
 
 In political sentiment our subject is a stanch 
 Republican and may be counted upon to bear a 
 part in every worthy enterprise, which fact has 
 been recognized by his fellow-citizens, who have 
 bestowed upon him the offices of School Director, 
 Trustee and Justice of the Peace. Socially he is a 
 prominent Odd Fellow, in which order he takes 
 great interest. 
 
 3PE 
 
 LAUDE L. STONE, a practical agriculturist, 
 who has successfully won his way to a posi- 
 tion of honored usefulness, has for over 
 twenty years been prominently associated with 
 the rapid growth and development of Mason City 
 Township. His fine farm of three hundred and 
 sixteen acres is located on section 22, and his 
 home is well known to a wide circle of acquaint- 
 ances as the abode of hospitality. 
 
 A native of this state, our subject was born in 
 Menard County, September 20, 1845, and is the
 
 608 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 son of W. A. Stone, whose native state was Vir- 
 ginia. He passed his boyhood days, however, in 
 Kentucky, and came to Illinois with his parents in 
 1830, locating in Menard County, where he is now 
 living at the advanced age of eighty-four years. 
 He is of Scotch-Irish descent, as was also the mother 
 of our subject, whose maiden name was Martha 
 Patterson. She was born in the Blue Grass State, 
 and came to Illinois the same year as did her 
 husband. She is now deceased, having departed 
 this life when in her sixtieth year. 
 
 Claude L. Stone, who was' the fifth in order 
 of birth, was the fourth son of the family born to 
 bis parents and was reared to manhood in Menard 
 County. His first schooling was obtained in a log 
 schoolhouse, and later his studies were carried on 
 in the north Bryant & Stratton College of Chicago. 
 One year after attaining his majority he engaged 
 in the hardware and furniture business in Mason 
 City, which he carried on with fair success for five 
 years. In 1872 he traded his business for the farm 
 upon which he is now residing, and has since that 
 time given his entire attention to farm pursuits. 
 He is well known throughout Mason County, and 
 the incorruptible integrit3' of his character and 
 his many fine qualities of head and heart have 
 placed him high in the regard of his fellow-citi- 
 zens. 
 
 In 1871, while engaged in business in Mason 
 City, Mr. Stone was married to Miss Mary Marot, 
 a native of Ohio, and the daughter of Quaker pa- 
 rents. Their union has been blessed by the birth 
 of four sons, namely: William E., Supervisor of the 
 Incurable department of the State Feeble Minded 
 Institution; Arthur L., attending school in Zanes- 
 ville, Wis.; Clyde E., and Hal M., who was grad- 
 uated May 10 of this year (1894) from the Mason 
 City High School. 
 
 Mr. Stone is greatly interested in educational 
 affairs, and has been Trustee and Director of his 
 township for seventeen years. He also filled the 
 oflice of Road Commissioner for three years, and is 
 a candidate at the present time for the oHice of 
 County Treasurer on the Republican ticket. So- 
 cially he is a prominent Mason, belonging to Lodge 
 No. 403, in Mason City, and is also a member of 
 the Grange. In religious affairs he is actively con- 
 
 nected with the Presb3'terian Church. He is a 
 talented business man, rapid in all his transactions, 
 yet carefully weighs and considers every move- 
 ment; but having decided upon any work or en- 
 terprise, he throws the entire force of his energy 
 toward its success. 
 
 ACOB ROAT, one of the large land owners 
 of Mason County, who now resides on sec- 
 tion 16, Havana Township, is the son of 
 John and Sophia (Scliuyler) Roat. natives 
 of New Jersey. The family removed to Ohio in 
 an early day, and settled in Warren County, where 
 the father operated a rented farm. In 1851 he 
 moved further westward, and with his family came 
 to Mason County, where he settled on section 16 
 of Havana Township. Later he purchased an 
 eighty-acre tract on the same section. At the 
 time of purchase the place contained few improve- 
 ments, and the house was built of cotton wood logs. 
 In the improvement and cultivation of the farm 
 the father was engaged until his death, in 1889. 
 His wife had passed away some time prior to his 
 demise. 
 
 Of the family of eight children, four are now 
 living, Jacob, Mrs. Margaret Athy, John and 
 George, the first-named l>eing the only one of the 
 number who lives in Mason County. He was born 
 in Warren Count}', Ohio, August 16, 1832, and 
 was reared upon a farm in the Buckeye State, re- 
 maining with his father until he was twentj'-two. 
 Upon starting out for himself he worked by the 
 month for a short time, and later was employed 
 by the day, receiving fifty cents per day. In com- 
 pany with his brother-in-law he rented a farm, 
 and soon afterward bought a second-hand thresh- 
 ing machine, which he operated with success. As 
 soon as able, he purchased a new machine, and at 
 the present time (1894) owns three Altons and 
 two Sweepstakes. 
 
 The first purchase of land made by Mr. Roat 
 consisted of forty acres on section 16, which had on 
 it an old log house, but few other improvements. 
 After cultivating the soil for a short time, he sold
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 609 
 
 the place to his father, and bought his present 
 farm. He now owns six hundred acres, the greater 
 part of which is under cultivation. Of this prop- 
 erty he cultivates two hundred and fifty acres, and 
 rents the remainder. He is numbered among the 
 prosperous farmers of Havana Township, and his 
 success is well deserved, for he started out in life 
 without capital, and all that he has he gained 
 through his intelligent management of affairs. 
 
 At the age of forty-one years, Mr. Roat married 
 Miss Christina Peterson, a native of Sweden. They 
 have had nine children, of whom the following 
 now survive: John, Annie, Addie, David, Henry. 
 Ella and Benjamin. The children have received 
 excellent advantages, and are well informed and 
 popular young people. Mrs. Roat belongs to the 
 Baptist Church, which the family attends. The 
 political views of Mr. Roat are in harmony with 
 the principles of the Democratic party, which he 
 uniformly supports. He has not been an aspirant 
 for official positions, and has held none with the 
 exception of School Director. A few years ago he 
 placed several full-blooded Jersey cows upon his 
 place, and now has a fine and valuable herd. 
 He also owns several German coach horses, as well 
 as a very fine French coach horse. In the raising 
 of blooded stock he has met with considerable suc- 
 cess, and finds that branch of agriculture congenial 
 and profitable. 
 
 BRADKIELD,a druggist residing in Green 
 Valley, was born in Page town, Morrow 
 County, Ohio, July 7, 1846. His father, 
 Isaac Bradfield, was born in Columbiana 
 County, Ohio, in 1805, and was a weaver by trade, 
 although during the latter part of his life he en- 
 gaged in farming. The paternal grandfather, 
 Thomas Bradfield, was a native of Pennsylvania, 
 of English ancestry, and was a farmer by occupa- 
 tion, being a man of influence in his community. 
 The mother of our subject, whose maiden name 
 was Mary Kannal, was born in Columbiana Coun- 
 ty, Ohio, of German parentage. Her father, who 
 was a soldier in the War of 1812, conducted farm- 
 
 ing pursuits throughout his entire active life, and 
 at his death, when eighty-four years old, left con- 
 siderable property. Isaac Bradfield is now deceased 
 and his widow makes her home in Morrow County, 
 Ohio. Our subject is the fifth in a family of nine 
 children, of whom four are sons. Thomas, a resi- 
 dent of Clinton, 111., is a traveling salesman and 
 also owns a fine farm in the southern part of the 
 state; Hannah, who now resides with her mother, 
 is a well educated lady, and has been a successful 
 teacher; Joseph Kannal, who was a soldier in the 
 Civil War, is now engaged in the real-estate busi- 
 ness in Columbus, Ohio; James lives in Delaware 
 County, Ohio, where he is engaged in the insur- 
 ance business; Mary and Martha were twins, the 
 former residing with her mother in Ohio, and the 
 latter deceased; Alice is the wife of E. D. Van 
 Sickle, who is the owner of six hundred acres in 
 Delaware County, Ohio. 
 
 Reared to manhood upon the home farm, our 
 subject had but limited educational advantages. In 
 1867 he came to DeWitt County, 111., having in 
 his possession only sufficient money with which to 
 buy a corn-cutter, and thus equipped he began to 
 work. Farm life, however, had no charms for him, 
 and during his leisure hours he was employed in 
 the study of the best works, in which way he 
 gained a good education. Securing a second grade 
 certificate, he began to teach a country school, but 
 after one term he had made such advancement 
 that he was granted a first grade certificate, and in 
 a short time was recognized as one of the best edu- 
 cators in central Illinois. 
 
 Upon coming to Green Valley, Mr. Bradfield 
 accepted the position of Principal of the village 
 school, which he taught for ten terms. Meantime 
 he took up and mastered the study of medicine, 
 not with the intention of practicing, but in order 
 to gain a knowledge of the science. In 1876 he 
 retired from the school room and embarked in the 
 drug business, in which he has since continued. 
 He has also been engaged in the insurance busi- 
 ness, and for years has done the banking for the 
 village. He started out in life with certain fixed 
 purposes in his mind; one was that he would ac- 
 complish whatever he set out to do, and another 
 was that lie would secure an education. It is said
 
 610 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 that lie never spent but five months in school when 
 he was not teaching. Another purpose was to save 
 $200 ever}' year of his life. All of these things 
 he has accomplished, and every year since the age 
 of twenty-one he has saved at least '1200, though 
 in later years he has added much more rapidly 
 than this to his fortune. 
 
 After he left the school room Mr. Bradfleld had 
 considerable spare time, and began to learn the 
 game of checkers, in which he determined to be a 
 leader. To-day he is known as the champion 
 checker player of the United States, his ability in 
 that direction being widely recognized. He is also 
 an accomplished musician, and has taught both in- 
 strumental and vocal music, although he never 
 took a lesson in his life, having gained his knowl- 
 edge of the science by the development of his 
 natural ability in that line. In 1877 he married 
 Miss Laura I., only daughter of the late Justin 
 Trowbridge, one of the pioneers of Tazewell 
 County. 
 
 ^ILLIAM WAGGONER. Mason County is 
 the home of a large number of enterpris- 
 ing and progressive farmers, whose estates 
 add attractiveness to the landscape, being marked 
 by first-class improvements, and the air of thrift 
 that gives one unacquainted with rural life a good 
 idea of the value of farm property. Manito Town- 
 ship has her share of these well regulated farms, 
 and one of them is located on section 35, where 
 Mr. Waggoner owns one hundred and sixty acres 
 of land. In addition to this property he is also 
 the proprietor of fourteen acres of valuable land 
 located in the city of Pekin. 
 
 In this sketch it is but a fitting tribute to a noble 
 man, that mention should be made of the father of 
 our subject, Henry Waggoner, who was born in 
 Germany, and on coming to America located in 
 New Jersey. Thence in 1837 he came to Tazewell 
 County, where his decease occurred in the fall of 
 1838. His trade was that of a carpenter, and he 
 took an active interest in all public enterprises. 
 
 Our subject was born in Monmouth County, N. 
 J., August 28, 1813, and there spent the years of 
 
 boyhood and youth. Two years previous to his 
 father's death he married Miss Deborah, daughter 
 of Benjamin and Palina (Anderson) Chambers. 
 Mrs. Waggoner was born in New Jersey in 1827, 
 and in June of the year following her marriage, 
 came with her husband to Illinois. They made 
 their home in Pekin, where our subject followed 
 the carpenter's trade until 1860, when he engaged 
 in the mercantile business. This he carried on for 
 three years, and then resumed his trade, at which 
 he worked until 1880, the date of his advent into 
 Manito Township. During that year he located 
 on the farm where he is at present residing. When 
 the property came into his possession it was noth- 
 ing more than raw prairie. He immediately set 
 about clearing and improving the land, and now 
 has a comfortable and pleasant home. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner were born eight 
 children, four of whom are now living, namely: 
 Martha, Lydia, Emma and Benjamin. His first 
 wife died in 1852, and he was again married in 
 1867, choosing as his wife Mrs. Jane Eagle, a most 
 worthy lady, who died in 1869, mourned by man y 
 friends. Although our subject can scarcely be 
 called a politician he is an ardent supporter of the 
 Republican party, and is a law-abiding citizen. 
 Personally he possesses the qualities whicli have 
 surrounded him with many warm friends, and his 
 honorable life is well worthy of emulation. 
 
 NDREAS FURRER is a well known resi- 
 dent of Easton, and a representative of 
 one of the prominent families of Mason 
 County. His parents, John and Sarah 
 (Schlager) Furrer, were both natives of Baden, 
 Germany, and in that country were married. The 
 mother's death occurred there, and the father was 
 a second time married. By the first union were 
 born four sons, who are yet living, namely: John, 
 Andreas, Dee and George. The children of the 
 second union are, Mrs. Barbara Ellerbusch, Mrs. 
 Mary Dorrell, Mrs. Louisa Day and Mrs. Sarah 
 Morgan. 
 
 In the spring of 1853, John Furrer bade adieu 
 to friends and Fatherland, and with his family
 
 UBMft 
 
 Of THE 
 
 Of ILLINOIS
 
 \VM. YOULE, SR.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 613 
 
 sailed for America, landing at New Orleans after a 
 voyage of forty-eight days. lie then spent sixteen 
 days in coming up the river to Havana. For two 
 years he resided in Quiver Township, Mason 
 County, and then removed to Sherman Township, 
 purchasing the southeast quarter of section 25, 
 where he improved a good farm. This he after- 
 wards sold, and removed to a farm on section 19, 
 Pennsylvania Township, where he spent his re- 
 maining days, his death occurring in 1864. His 
 wife still survives him and is yet living on the old 
 homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Furrer were members of 
 the Lutheran Church, and in the community where 
 they resided had the respect of all who knew 
 them. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this record 
 spent the first fourteen years of his life in his 
 native land, and then came with his parents to 
 America. He had acquired a good German educa- 
 tion, but never attericled the English schools, and 
 in the language of this country is self-educated. 
 He earned his livelihood by working as a farm 
 hand until the fall of 1860, when he was joined in 
 wedlock with Miss Mary Ann Dorrell, a daughter 
 of Francis and Hulda (Denman) Dorrell, early 
 residents of Pennsylvania Township, Mason 
 County. The parents are now both deceased, and 
 only two of their children are living, Mrs. Sarah 
 H. Sanders and Mrs. Furrer. The latter was born 
 in Sangamon County August 26, 1837. 
 
 Our subject and his wife began their domestic 
 life upon a farm belonging to her father, where 
 they lived three years. On the expiration of tint 
 period, Mr. Furrer purchased one hundred and 
 twenty acres of land on section 19, Pennsylvania 
 Township, a partially improved tract, to the fur- 
 ther cultivation of which he at once turned his 
 attention. He made of it a valuable and desirable 
 place, and continued his residence thereon until 
 1892, when he came toEaston, where he has since 
 made his home. He now owns six hundred acres 
 of fine land in Pennsylvania Township, .all under 
 a high state of cultivation, and improved with two 
 sets of fine farm buildings, which were erected by 
 him. On the home farm the buildings are valued 
 at $3,000, and on the farm on section 18 they were 
 erected at a cost of $2,200. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Furrer were born six children. 
 Hulda D., born December 11, 1861, is the wife of 
 Frank G. Hauk, of Peoria County, 111., and they 
 have five children; John D., who was born March 
 13, 1865, and lives in Pennsylvania Township, 
 married Nora Tomlin and has one child; Nathaniel 
 D., born June 10, 1867, married Jennie Ingersoll, 
 and with their two children they reside in Penn- 
 sylvania Township; Sarah K., born December 5, 
 1869, is the wife of Henry Severance, of Kansas, 
 and they have two children; Susanna C., born 
 June 22, 1872, and Francis D., born February 7, 
 1875, complete the family. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Furrer entered into partnership 
 with J. L. Ingersoll in the implement business, but 
 sold out in 1892, and has since given his time and 
 attention to his farming interests. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Mutual Aid Society of Mason County. 
 He has served as School Director for some years, 
 has done effective service for the cause of educa- 
 tion, and has provided his children with good 
 advantages along that line. For twelve years he 
 filled the office of Road Commissioner, and for one 
 year was Town Supervisor. In these various posi- 
 tions he has ever discharged his duties with 
 promptness and fidelity, and his faithful service 
 has won him high commendation. He exercises 
 his right of franchise in support of the Democracy. 
 Mr. Furrer may truly be called a self-made man, 
 for he started out in life empty handed and has 
 steadily worked his way upward, winning a hand- 
 some competence. 
 
 jlLLIAM YOULE, SB., formerly a promi- 
 nent agriculturist of Tazewell County, but 
 now deceased, was born in Yorkshire, En- 
 gland, January 4, 1822. The count}- where he 
 was born, reared and educated has been connected 
 with some of the most noted events in the hi.storj' 
 of the world, dating back hundreds of years. It 
 was but a short distance from his birthplace that 
 the Romans, led by Agricola, subdued the Britons 
 A. D. 71. In the same vicinity Harold, the last 
 of the Anglo-Saxon kings, defeated the last of the 
 Danish and Norwegian foes only a few weeks prior
 
 614 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 to his fall before the Normans on the fatal Held of 
 Hastings, which took place October 14, 1066. On 
 this same ground the great battle of Wakefield was 
 fought in the year 1460, when the Duke of York 
 was defeated by Queen Margaret. In the follow- 
 ing year occurred the sanguinary conflict in which 
 was dealt the final blow to the tottering throne of 
 Charles II. 
 
 Man}" other historical facts might be related con- 
 cerning the birthplace of the good man whose name 
 we place at the head of this sketch. In his native 
 place, May 5, 1845, he married Miss Sarah Askren, 
 who was born in Yorkshire. Soon afterward they 
 came to America and settled in Sandusky, Ohio. 
 In 1851 they came to Illinois, and settled in Sand 
 Prairie Township, not far from the city of Dela- 
 van. In 1866 he located on a farm east of Dela- 
 van, and there he continued to reside until his de- 
 mise. On coming to this state, his means were 
 very limited, but by honesty and diligent effort 
 he accumulated a fortune. His death, August 4, 
 1878, was widely mourned as a public loss. 
 
 Soon after the death of her husband, Mrs. Youle 
 came to Delavan, where she now makes her home. 
 She still owns a large tract of valuable land which 
 comprised a part of the estate, the other property 
 having been divided among the children. The 
 family consisted of four sons and five daughters, 
 but only four are now living. Anna, who is un- 
 married, lives with her mother, for whom she tend- 
 erly cares in her declining years; William is rep- 
 resented elsewhere in this volume; Elizabeth is the 
 wife of John T. Gibson, of Denver, Colo.; Ada 
 M., who married Harry Cheney, has one child, 
 Gretchen, and lives in Delavau; Emma, who mar- 
 ried John Cummings, and lived in Pontiac, 111., 
 died April 17, 1893, leaving two children, Iva and 
 Charles; and George S., who lived on the old home- 
 stead, was the most prominent member of the fam- 
 ily, and for years engaged in the stock business at 
 Delavan. and by his industry added to the fortune 
 left him by his father. His first wife, whose 
 maiden name was Jessie Tear, died leaving two 
 children, Wilber Tear and Clifford Tear. He mar- 
 ried a second time and was afterward induced to 
 move to Sherman, Tex., where he purchased a 
 large farm. About a month after going there, he 
 
 died very suddenly, October 4, 1893. His two 
 children reside with their grandmother Youle in 
 Delavan. Mrs. Youle is a devoted member of the 
 Methodist Church, with which her husband was 
 identified for many years before his death. 
 
 TARK II. BEATTY, editor and proprietor 
 of the Times-Press, of Delavan, was born 
 in this city, April 11, 1872, and is the 
 second son of Capt. R. II. Beatty, of whom 
 further mention is made elsewhere in this volume. 
 His unique Christian name was given him after the 
 eminent Dr. Starr King, of whom his fattier was an 
 ardent admirer. He was graduated from the Dela- 
 van High School at the age of eighteen years, and 
 immediately afterward entered the office of the 
 Delavan Times, then owned" by his older brother, 
 Guy. There he mastered the mysteries of the "art 
 preservative" in all its branches, and after a time 
 became one of the proprietors of the paper. 
 
 Later the Press was purchased and the paper 
 was called the Times-Press. In June of 1893 Mr. 
 Beatty bought out his brother's interest, anil since 
 that time has been the sole proprietor of the paper. 
 The Times-Press has the largest circulation of any 
 paper in Tazewell County and is one of the spici- 
 est and newsiest journals of central Illinois. It is 
 also most ably edited, Mr. Beatty being a thorough 
 newspaper man, and familiar with every depart- 
 ment of the business. His office is situated in the 
 Times' Building, a fine two-story brick structure 
 erected by his brother Guy in 1890. In this build- 
 ing is located the postorfice, the remainder of the 
 space being devoted to the editorial and job rooms 
 of the Times-Press. 
 
 In politics the paper is uncompromisingly Re- 
 publican, and as the organ of that party wields a 
 great influence in the county. The editorials at- 
 tract no little attention, and the journal is recog- 
 nized as one of the progressive and representative 
 papers of this section. It is a zealous advocate of 
 local interests, and supports all public-spirited 
 measures. The advertising columns arc well filled, 
 which proves that the business men of Delavan
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 615 
 
 appreciate it as a medium of communication with 
 the people. 
 
 September 1, 1892, Mr. Beatty was united in 
 marriage with Miss M. Fllla, daughter of the late 
 R. P. Jennings. One child has blessed their union, 
 a daughter Luclla, who was born December 1, 
 1893. The family is one of prominence in the 
 city, and is highly regarded in social circles. Mr. 
 Beatty is one of the prominent members of the 
 Knights of Pythias, and has been a prominent 
 factor in building up the order in Delavan. 
 
 G. ONSTOT. Few of the resi- 
 dents of Forest City are more widely and 
 none more favorably known than the sub. 
 ject of this notice, who, through his able contri- 
 butions to various newspapers, has gained an envi- 
 able reputation throughout this community. He 
 is at present a regular contributor to the Havana 
 Republican, and through his weekly articles in that 
 paper has formed a large circle of friends in this 
 county. His recollections of Abraham Lincoln and 
 Peter Cartwright have been published and widely 
 read, as well as other productions of his pen. 
 
 Referring to the personal history of Mr. Onstot, 
 we find that he is the son of Henry and Susannah 
 (Schmick) Onstot, both of whom were born in Lin- 
 coln Count}', Ky., in 1804. The paternal grand- 
 father, Gottlieb Onstot, migrated from Pennsyl- 
 vania to Kentucky at a very early day, while the 
 maternal grandfather, Casper Schmick, moved from 
 Maryland to the Blue Grass State. The parents 
 were married in Kentucky and came to Menard 
 County, 111., settling in Sugar Grove in 1824, when 
 the Indians were still plentiful in that locality. 
 They settled near Greenview on a tract of wild 
 land at the edge of the timber, where the Marbold 
 place now is situated. 
 
 In 1830 the father moved to Salem, Menard 
 County, where he became the proprietor of a log 
 tavern, and among his guests was Abraham Lin- 
 coln, who remained with him for two years. To 
 Henry Onstot, as much perhaps as to any other 
 man, was due the decision of the afterward famous 
 
 statesman to enter the legal profession. In 1840 
 Mr. Onstot removed to Petersburg, moving his 
 log house down to that place, where it is still 
 standing. About 1846 he came to Havana, where 
 he remained until 1865. The last ten years of his 
 life were passed in the home of our subject, where 
 he died in 1876. His wife had passed away ten 
 years before that time. 
 
 Six children comprised the parental family, only 
 two of whom are now living, T. G. and R. ,1., the 
 latter a resident of Mason City, this county. The 
 parents were members of the Cumberland Presby- 
 terian Church for more than forty years, and the 
 father was an influential officer in that denomina- 
 tion, in which he served as an Elder. As a citizen, 
 he was loyal to the Whig party so long as it ex- 
 isted, and after its disintegration he joined the 
 Republican party, to which he afterward gave his 
 support. His youngest son, William Henry, en- 
 listed in the Union army at the age of seventeen 
 years, becoming a member of Company E, Twenty- 
 seventh Illinois Infantry, and served as Orderly- 
 Sergeant of his company. He died in 1864, while 
 in service, and the body was brought to Havana, 
 where it was interred in the old cemetery. 
 
 In Menard County, 111., the subject of this 
 sketch was born, July 20, 1829, and in Petersburg 
 he was a student in the common schools. His edu- 
 cation, however, has been acquired largely by self- 
 culture, and he is a man of broad information 
 upon subjects of local or historical importance. 
 In 1852 he married Miss Sarah L. Ellsworth, a sis- 
 ter of Joseph C. Ellsworth, of whom a sketch is 
 elsewhere presented. Mrs. Onstot was born in 
 Shelby County, Ohio, in 1828, and died in Forest 
 City, January 19, 1887. They were the parents of 
 seven children, three of whom are now living. 
 Ellen, who died at the age of twenty-four, was a 
 graduate of the Jacksonville Female Seminary, and 
 was one of the most intellectual young ladies in 
 the county; Mary is the wife of Harmon G. Bren- 
 ning, of Havana; Sue E. makes her home with her 
 father; Lulu is the wife of B. F. Jackson. The 
 other three children died in infancy. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Onstot settled upon the farm in 
 Forest City Township now owned by Fred Meyers. 
 At that time the land was wholly unimproved,
 
 616 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and he frequently saw large herds of deer and 
 wolves roaming within sight of the house. For 
 fifteen years he resided upon the place, improving 
 it and placing the soil under good cultivation, 
 after which he came to Forest City, and here he 
 has since resided. For more than a quarter of a 
 century he was actively identified with the busi- 
 ness interests of Forest City, but recently he re- 
 tired, transferring his mercantile interests to his 
 son-in-law, B. F. Jackson, and his daughter Sue. 
 
 A man of firm religious belief, Mr. Onstot has 
 long been a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, in which he has served as Trustee, Stew- 
 ard and Sunday-school Superintendent for many 
 years. Politically, he was early trained into the 
 principles of the Republican party, under the 
 teaching of no less a man than Abraham Lincoln, 
 and he has since remained firm in his allegiance to 
 that party. He is a strong advocate of temperance, 
 both by example and precept. For several years 
 he has served as Township Collector, and at vari- 
 ous times has filled other positions of trust and 
 honor. He is ft genial, good-natured gentleman, 
 full of life, humor and anecdote. Though the 
 frosts of sixty-four winters have silvered his head, 
 he is still hale and vigorous, bidding fair to retain 
 a young heart to a ripe old age. 
 
 most 
 
 I LPIIEUS P. ROLL has for many years rep- 
 resented the agricultural interests of Ma- 
 son County as one of its prominent and 
 successful farmers. He owns one of the 
 valuable farms in Salt Creek Township, 
 whose rich harvest fields are the source of a desir- 
 able income. Some j-ears since, however, he re- 
 tired from the active pursuits of agricultural ope- 
 rations, and now makes his home on Kiefer Street, 
 Mason City, where he and his family have estab- 
 lished a cozy home. 
 
 Throughout his entire life, covering a period of 
 more than sixty years, Mr. Roll has been a resident 
 of Illinois, and has consequently witnessed much 
 of its growth and development. Born in San- 
 gamon County, this state, September 12, 1830, he 
 
 is a son of William and Mary (Eddy) Roll, natives 
 of New Jersey. Shortly before the birth of 
 Alpheus P., the parents came west to Illinois and 
 purchased a farm in Sangamon County, where 
 they continued to reside until the death of the fa- 
 ther, in August, 1849. In addition to the occu- 
 pation of a farmer he was also engaged as a sur- 
 veyor. Politically he favored the Whig party. 
 His wife survived him for many years, her death 
 occurring December 6, 1876. 
 
 Alternating attendance in the school room with 
 work upon the home farm, the subject of this 
 sketch passed his childhood and youth. Upon se- 
 lecting an occupation in life, it was natural that 
 he should chose the one to which he had been 
 reared, and with which he had been familiar from 
 childhood. He entered a tract of land at Lease's 
 Grove, where he embarked in general farming, 
 continuing to make it his home until May 10, 
 1891, the date of his removal to Mason City. He 
 still owns three hundred and ninety-six acres of 
 valuable land in this county, all of which is under 
 cultivation and embellished with substantial farm 
 buildings. He is also the owner of an eighty-acre 
 tract in Cass County, Iowa. In addition to these 
 interests he has considerable real estate in Mason 
 City, the value of which is constantly increasing. 
 
 The lady who in 1850 became the wife of Mr. 
 Roll bore the maiden of Mary Moslander and was 
 a native of New Jersey. That state was also the 
 birthplace of her father, James Moslander, who 
 became one of the early settlers of Illinois. Seven 
 children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Roll, of 
 whom four are now living. John is a resident of 
 Mason County; Charles and Sidney are farmers of 
 this county; and Mary married William Petterson, 
 a farmer of Mason County they have four chil- 
 dren. The family is one of prommejice in the 
 community and its various members are highly 
 esteemed in social circles. 
 
 Mr. Roll is well known throughout Mason Coun- 
 ty, where so many years of his life have been 
 passed, and it is the united testimony of all that 
 his personal character is above reproach. A just 
 and open hearted individual, he has an influence 
 for good in the community and merits the high re- 
 gard in which he is held. His support in political
 
 UBRMY 
 
 Qf fur 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF
 
 GREEM HAINLINE.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 619 
 
 matters has always been given to the principles of 
 the Republican party. In educational matters he 
 has maintained a deep interest and for some time 
 served as a member of the School Board. 
 
 EBN IIAINLINE. On section 15, Ilittle 
 , Township, Tazewell County, lies a fine farm 
 of one hundred and forty acres of fertile 
 land, one of the most pleasant homesteads in the 
 county. The owner, Mr. Hainline has used great 
 care and judgment in the cultivation of the soil 
 and has introduced the improvements of a first- 
 class farm. 
 
 Our subject was born in Boone County, Ky., 
 March 16, 1816, and is a son of Henry and Nancy 
 (Darnell) Hainline. His paternal grandparents 
 were George and Hannah Ilainline, the former of 
 whom came from Germany when a lad of sixteen 
 years in company with two elder brothers. They 
 landed in South Carolina, where the grandfather at 
 once began working on a farm. A few months 
 later the Revolutionary War broke out and the 
 man for whom he was working gave him a horse, 
 saddle and other equipments in order that he 
 might join the British army. In the first battle in 
 which he participated his horse was killed and he 
 immediately joined the Continental army, with 
 which he fought until the close of the seven years 
 of war. He then returned to his former employer, 
 who again gave him work. He followed the trade of 
 a wagon-maker until his marriage, which event took 
 place in South Carolina. Afterward he turned his 
 attention to farm pursuits and moved to Kentucky, 
 where the father of our subject was born. The 
 later years of his life were spent in Illinois at the 
 home of Henry Hainline, and he died at the age of 
 about ninety years. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in the Blue 
 Grass State, where he received a very limited edu- 
 cation. After his marriage with Miss Darnell he 
 engaged in farming there until 1827, when he 
 came with his wife and nine children to this state, 
 20 
 
 locating in Tazewell County. At the time of his 
 settlement here Indians and wild animals were 
 the principal inhabitants and there were only five 
 families in Ilittle Township, where h,e purchased 
 a quarter-section of land. Afterward he entered 
 the Black Hawk War, and received as pay for his 
 services a land grant, which he used in purchasing 
 other property in this township. At his decease he 
 was the owner of a valuable estate com prising three 
 hundred acres. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hainline were born 
 twelve children, one of whom died when quite 
 young, the others bear the respective names 
 of Polly (now deceased), Caleb, Green, Massy, 
 George (deceased), Sylvester, Hannah S., Lorenzo, 
 Alvira (deceased), Amanda and Henry. The par- 
 ents were active members of the Christian Church, 
 and in politics the father was a stanch Whig. 
 
 When they located in this township their chil- 
 dren had for playmates Indian boys, with whom 
 they often ran races and played various kinds of 
 games. Green, of this sketch, received his edu- 
 cation in the common schools of Tazewell County, 
 and began when very young to earn his own way 
 by working in the woods. He was only eleven 
 years of age when with another brother he made 
 four thousand rails during one winter. 
 
 Two years after attaining his majority Mr. Ilain- 
 line married Miss Esther, daughter of Solomon 
 and Polly Allen. To them were born six children, 
 of whom two died when quite young. Nancy, 
 Mrs. Valentine Summers, is now deceased. The 
 other children are: Solomon A., Obed H. and 
 Henry. Mrs. Esther Hainline departed this life 
 about sixteen years ago. Our subject afterward 
 married Mrs. Jerusha Smith, who died a few. years 
 later, and his next wife was Miss Mary Wright. 
 His present wife was Mrs. Sallie Ritter, the daugh- 
 ter of Joseph Lancaster. 
 
 After his first marriage our subject entered forty 
 acres of land from the Government and immedi- 
 ately began its improvement. He added to it from 
 time to time and now has one hundred and forty 
 acres, besides which he has given valuable property 
 to his children. Many years ago Pekin and Peo- 
 ria were the trading posts of the pioneers, and Mr. 
 Hainline once made a trip to Chicago which con-
 
 620 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sumed fourteen days. He is a member of the 
 Christian Church and is an active temperance man, 
 voting the Prohibition ticket. 
 
 HJOIIN G. D1RKSON. For some years this 
 gentleman was numbered among the busi- 
 ness men of Pekin, where he was proprietor 
 of a drug store at No. 432 Court Street. He 
 was born in Germany April 4, 1851, and departed 
 this life December 7, 1893, at the age of forty-two 
 years. His ancestors were people of prominence 
 and influence in the Fatherland. His paternal 
 grandfather, Rev. John G. Dirkson, was a minister 
 in the Reformed Church, and died in Germany at 
 the advanced age of ninety-four years. 
 
 The father of our subject, N. H. Dirkson, was a 
 druggist in his native country. He passed away 
 when seventy-three years of age, having for three 
 years prior to his demise lived in retirement. His 
 wife bore the maiden name of Hamchen Von Veck- 
 ensteck, and was a member of an influential family 
 of Holland, her father having been one of the no- 
 bility of that country. She died at the age of lif- 
 ty-one years, having had a family of ten children. 
 
 Reared to manhood in his native place, John G. 
 Dirkson received a good education in his 3'outh, 
 and at the age of fifteen years secured a position 
 as a drug clerk, continuing thus employed for four 
 years. Afterward he learned the trade of a ship- 
 builder. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 
 he was a soldier in the Tenth Company, Seven- 
 ty-fifth Bremen Regiment. He served through the 
 entire period, and was present at the battles fought 
 in Paris and Metz. He continued in the service 
 one year after the close of the war, and after 
 being mustered out was engaged in the grain bus- 
 iness for a twelvemonth in company with his 
 brother. 
 
 In 1873 our subject sailed from Bremen on the 
 steamer "Rhine," and after a tedious voyage of 
 four months reached the New World. In Novem- 
 ber of that year, he came west to Pekin, thence 
 went to Minonk, where lie began as a pharmacist. 
 He was thoroughly conversant with the English 
 
 language and while there was appointed Assistant 
 Postmaster. In 1875, however, he "removed to 
 St. Joseph, Mo., and engaged in the drug business 
 in that city for one year. Then selling out, he 
 came to this city and for four years was clerk for 
 William Millman. In 1880 he opened a store of 
 his own and occupied a good location at No. 432 
 Court Street. He was very energetic and persever- 
 ing, and that the people of the city had confidence 
 in his skill and ability was shown by their large 
 patronage. 
 
 In this city in 1885, Mr. Dirkson married Miss 
 Emma Fehrmann, a native of this place, and the 
 two children born of their union are Emma P. and 
 Herman N. Socially our subject was connected 
 with the Turners' society, and in politics voted the 
 Republican ticket. 
 
 ERRY W. STEVENS, agent of the Illinois 
 |i Central Railroad at Easton, is one of the 
 worthy citizens that Ohio has furnished 
 to Mason County. He was born in Fair- 
 view, Guernsey County, March 31, 1846, and is a 
 son of Joshua Stevens, and a grandson of James 
 Stevens. The former was born in Maryland in 
 1802, and having attained to mature years was 
 united in marriage with Caroline McCartney, who 
 was born in Virginia in 1803. There they resided 
 until 1856, when they came to Illinois. After a 
 year spent in Clayton County, however, they re- 
 turned to Waverly, Pike County, Ohio, where 
 the mother died in 1879, while the father's death 
 occurred in 1893. They were the parents of 
 eleven children, six sons and five daughters, and 
 with the exception of one son all are yet living. 
 They are, Elizabeth, James, Sophia, Mrs. Rachel 
 Frey, Thomas M., Mrs. Mary J. Taylor, John 
 W., Mrs. Nancy Bishop, Perry W. and Lewis. 
 Three of the sons served in the Civil War. 
 Thomas M. was Second Lieutenant of the One 
 Hundred and Eighty-sixth Ohio Infantry, and 
 John W. was Corporal of the Ninety-first Ohio 
 Infantry. The parents were life-long members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Ste-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 621 
 
 vens usually served as Class-leader. They had 
 many friends, and all who knew them held them 
 in high regard. 
 
 Perry W. Stevens was reared on a farm, and 
 was educated in the city schools of Waverly, 
 Ohio, and in the Iron City Commercial College, 
 of Alleghany City, Pa. Later he engaged in teach- 
 ing, following that profession for two years in the 
 Buckeye State, and for four years in Illinois. 
 The country found in him one of its faithful de- 
 fenders during the late war, and on many a south- 
 ern battlefield he followed the Old Flag. 
 
 Mr. Stevens entered the service on the 18th of 
 December, 1863, enlisting as a member of Com- 
 pany D, Seventy-third Ohio Infantry. He joined 
 the company at Chillicothe, its members being 
 then at home on a veteran furlough. He went to 
 Chattanooga, Tenn., participated in the Atlanta 
 campaign under Gen. Joe Hooker, and at the bat- 
 tle of Resaca he was struck in the left fore-arm 
 by a musket ball, which shattered both bones. He 
 was then sent to Bridgeport, Ala., and there re- 
 mained in the hospital until he was granted a 
 sixty days' furlough. After his return to Louis- 
 ville, Ky., he did provost duty until .January, 
 1864, when he went to Charleston, S. C., by the 
 way of New York City. lie joined his company 
 at Raleigh, N. C., the day after President Lin- 
 coln's assassination, marched with the regiment 
 to Richmond, and on transports went to Alex- 
 andria, lie took part in the Grand Review in 
 Washington, D. C., and carried the regimental 
 colors. He then went to Louisville, Ky., where 
 he was discharged in June, 1865. He now draws 
 a pension of $12 per month. 
 
 When his country no longer needed his serv- 
 ices, Mr. Stevens returned to his Ohio home, com- 
 pleted his education and fitted himself for teach- 
 ing. In 1871 he came to Illinois, and for two 
 years taught school in Lawrence County. In 1873 
 he taught school in Mason County, and in the 
 same year came to Easton. He was appointed 
 agent for the Illinois Central Railroad Compaq', 
 and has held that position continuously since. 
 
 On the 8th of October, 1871, Mr. Stevens was 
 united in marriage with Harriet Irene Thompson, 
 a daughter of Abraham and Cynthia A. Thomp- 
 
 son. She was born November 8, 1853, in Shelby 
 County, Ohio, and was killed by a runaway horse 
 October 21, 1893. 
 
 "A precious one from us has gone, 
 
 A voice we loved is stilled; 
 A place is vacant in our home 
 
 Which never can be filled. 
 
 "God in His wisdom has recalled 
 The boon His love had given, 
 
 And though the body slumbers here 
 The soul is safe in Heaven." 
 
 By their union were bom six children, five of 
 whom are yet living: Ada May, Oliver Perry, 
 Hugh Thompson. Edna S. and Lloyd. The chil- 
 dren have all received good educational privi- 
 leges, and Miss Ada is a graduate of the Mason 
 City High School. 
 
 Mr. Stevens is a faithful member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, to which his wife also 
 belonged. Socially, he is a Royal Arch Mason, 
 and is a member of J. Q. A. Jones Post, G. A. R., 
 of Havana. He exercises his right of franchise in 
 support of the Republican party, and is now 
 serving as a member of the School Board of 
 Easton. For twenty-one years he has been sta- 
 tion agent at this place, and his long continued 
 service shows how faithfully he has performed his 
 duties, and indicates the confidence and trust re- 
 posed in him. His life has been well and worthily 
 passed, and a straightforward, honorable career 
 has won him the esteem of all with whom he has 
 been brought in contact. 
 
 ROBERT ANDERSON. In glancing at the 
 ft records of the prominent young business 
 \V men of Pekin, we find no one who has at- 
 tained a higher success, in spite of great 
 obstacles, and while yet in life's prime, than 
 has the genial and affable gentleman whose name 
 introduces this biographical notice, and who is the 
 local passenger and freight agent for the Peoria, 
 Decatur & Evansville Railroad. 
 
 To the principal events of his life history we 
 now invite the attention of our readers: He was 
 born in College Corner, Butler County, Ohio, De-
 
 622 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cember 3, 1868, and is the son of James Anderson. 
 The latter was born in England, on the borders of 
 Almwick, and was of Scotch descent. A carpenter 
 by trade, he followed that trade for a time in his 
 native land, whence immediately after his marriage 
 he emigrated to America, and settling in Ohio, en- 
 gaged in farming near College Corner. There his 
 death occurred in 1883. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Isabella Conn, was born in Almwick, 
 and now resides at the old Ohio homestead. 
 
 In the parental family there are three children, 
 of whom our subject is the eldest. The others are: 
 Delia (Mrs. McCray) a resident of Indianapolis, and 
 Annie, who lives with her mother. Upon his 
 father's farm, consisting of one hundred acres, in 
 Butler County, Ohio, Robert Anderson spent the 
 years of boyhood and youth, alternating work on 
 the home place with study in the district schools. 
 After the death of his father he took charge of the 
 homestead until 1887, when he entered the railroad 
 business. At Oxford, Ohio, he learned telegraphy 
 on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Indianapolis Divi- 
 sion of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Rail- 
 road. 
 
 After working for a short time at Liberty, Ind., 
 Mr. Anderson was then offered a position on the 
 Terre Haute <fc Peoria road, at Dccatur, 111., which 
 he accepted and held for one year. Afterward he 
 accepted a position as operator, at Pekin, for the 
 Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railroad, and coming 
 to this place in the spring of 1891, was engaged as 
 operator and chief clerk until June, 1893, when he 
 was promoted to be agent. In his present position 
 he has six men under him, and maintains a general 
 supervision of the work of his department in such 
 a manner as to elicit the commendation of his su- 
 periors in office and the confidence and respect of 
 all with whom he comes in contact. 
 
 Socially Mr. Anderson is identified with the 
 Knights of Pythias and has passed all the chairs in 
 that fraternity. He is also a member of the Na- 
 tional Union, in which he has held various official 
 positions. In the Order of Railway Telegraphers 
 he is prominent as a member of Division No. 28, 
 at Peoria, and in the spring of 1893, he was elect- 
 ed by that division as delegate to the grand con- 
 vention at Toronto, Canada, which he attended. 
 
 In his religious belief he is in sympathy with the 
 doctrines of the Presbyterian Church, of which he 
 is a member. In political affiliations lie gives his 
 support to the Republican party, the principles of 
 which he is ever ready to uphold. 
 
 yiLLIAM HIERONYMUS, a prominent ag- 
 riculturist of Ilittle Township, is a repre- 
 'yyi sentative of one of the honored pioneer 
 families of Tazewell County. He comes of an old 
 German family, which at an early day removed 
 from Virginia to Kentucky. His grandfather, 
 Henry, and his father, William, made that jour- 
 ney in 1805, and there located. The latter was 
 born in Virginia, February 13, 1788, and was a 
 cultured and highly educated gentleman, who 
 was always regarded as a leading citizen of the 
 community in which he made his home. His wife 
 bore the maiden name of Elvira Darnell, and was 
 born in Georgia, February 8, 1796. They were 
 married August 14, 1811, and in 1828 cast in 
 their lot with the honored pioneers of Tazewell 
 County. Their home was a rude log cabin, 16x20 
 feet, one end of which was entirely taken up by a 
 fireplace, and the smoke made its escape through 
 a clay chimney. They went all through the ex- 
 periences and hardships of frontier life, performed 
 the arduous task of developing a new farm, and 
 were worthy pioneer settlers. 
 
 With no special advantages in his youth, Will- 
 iam Ilieronymus grew to manhood. Although his 
 school privileges were limited, his training at farm 
 work was not meagre, for as soon as old enough 
 to handle the plow he began work in the fields. 
 In 1848 he was married, the lady of his choice 
 being Miss Lucinda Gardner, a native of Ohio, 
 who during her girlhood came with her parents 
 to Cumberland County-, 111., and at the death of 
 her parents came to Tazewell County. Eight chil- 
 dren graced this union: Adaline, who died at the 
 age of eighteen; Cynthia, wife of John W. Miller; 
 James, John L. and Alonzo, who follow farming 
 near the old homestead; Ella M., wife of John C. 
 Britt, a farmer of this locality; Nancy J., wife of
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY Qf 

 
 RICHARD PROCTOR.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 625 
 
 G. T. Murphy, an agriculturist of the same com- 
 munity, and Maggie, who is deaf and dumb, but 
 was well educated in a mute school. The chil- 
 dren all received good school privileges, and 
 were thus fitted for the practical duties of life. 
 There are also fourteen grandchildren and two 
 great-grandchildren. 
 
 The father of our subject died the year previ- 
 ous to the marriage of his sons, who continued to 
 live upon the old farm with their mother until after 
 her death. In connection witli his brother Enoch, 
 William bought the old homestead, but later they 
 divided it. He has accumulated nine hundred acres 
 of fine land, and has given to each of his married 
 children a tract of eightj- acres. His time and at- 
 tention have been given entirely to farming and 
 stock-raising, and he has won success, not as the 
 result of fortunate circumstances, but through 
 hard labor, enterprise and good management. His 
 prosperity is therefore well deserved, being the 
 just reward of earnest effort. 
 
 In early life Mr. Hieronymus was a strong op- 
 ponent of slavery, and when the Republican party 
 sprang into existence to prevent its further ex- 
 tension, he joined its ranks, and was long one of 
 ito supporters. He now votes with the Prohibi- 
 tion party. Both he and his wife are members of 
 the Christian Church, and are well worthy of rep- 
 resentation in this volume. 
 
 tICIIARD PROCTOR. Although not one 
 of the earliest settlers, Mr. Proctor may 
 /ii\\\ justly be regarded as one of the pioneers 
 ^^) of Mason County, which owes much to his 
 untiring labor. He has ever been active in ex- 
 tending its commercial and agricultural interests, 
 has contributed generously to all schemes that 
 would enhance its material prosperity, and has its 
 educational, religious and social interests at heart. 
 Notwithstanding the fact that he has reached the 
 advanced age of seventy-nine years he enjoys 
 good health and is far more robust than many 
 men twenty years his junior. This is doubtless 
 due to the fact that he has always been temperate 
 
 in his habits, abstaining from the use of tobacco 
 and intoxicants. 
 
 Born in Barnwell District, near Charleston, 
 S. C., the natal day of our subject was September 
 11, 1815. His father dying when he was an in- 
 fant he was reared by his widowed mother, whose 
 maiden name was Martha Pettis. Being early 
 thrown upon his own resources, lie had few ad- 
 vantages in youth other than those which were 
 secured through his own determination and en- 
 ergy. In 1846 he came to Illinois and settled in 
 Morgan County, where he engaged in farming 
 until 1852. From that place he removed to San- 
 giiinon County, where he continued to till the soil 
 for eleven years. The date of his arrival in Mason 
 County was November 5, 1863, and here he has 
 since conducted agricultural pursuits. Though 
 now living retired from active labor he still su- 
 perintends the management of his farm, consisting 
 of two hundred acres of valuable land, well im- 
 proved and under cultivation. 
 
 In 1840 Mr. Proctor was united in marriage 
 with Miss Rachel S. Harris, a native of Clayton 
 County, Tenn. Her parents were John and Eva 
 (Moyers) Harris, the latter being a daughter of 
 Michael Moyers, a native of Pennsylvania, who 
 removed from that state to Virginia and thence to 
 Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Proctor were the parents 
 of six children, as follows: William Harrison, a 
 farmer residing in Mason County; Martha Ann, 
 the wife of G. L. Sinks, of Mason City; Eva Jane 
 and John, deceased; Harriet, wife of Joseph Clegg; 
 and Rachel S., wife of R. D. Fletcher, Superin- 
 tendent of the Vermillion Coal Mines at Streator. 
 
 A man widely known, Mr. Proctor is honored 
 wherever known. His life has been a busy one. 
 Realizing, as has been said, that "We have a whole 
 eternity to rest in," and that the aim of life is 
 not to merely "kill time," he has rightly valued 
 every moment given him, and has thus gained a 
 reputation for promptness and dispatch in busi- 
 ness matters. In political views he is a pronounced 
 Republican. In 1836 he enlisted under Captain 
 Powell and for two years served in the Seminole 
 War, during which time he had many thrilling 
 experiences with the Indians and many narrow es- 
 capes. With his wife he has held membership in
 
 62(5 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the Methodist P^piscopal Church for many years. 
 From a perusal of his life record the reader, though 
 he may not be personally acquainted with Mr. 
 Proctor, will decide that he is a man of energy, 
 industry and honor. Commencing in business 
 without capital, he nevertheless achieved success; 
 coming to this county a stranger, he gained a host 
 of warm friends, who unite in wishing him many 
 years in the enjoyment of good health and mental 
 vigor. 
 
 ID WARD A. WILSON was born in Penn- 
 sylvania, June 4, 1812, and died in Mason 
 County, 111., December 7, 1888. The years 
 that intervened between his birth and demise rep- 
 resent and witnessed much of honest toil and 
 patient industry on his part. Though not one of 
 the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania Township, he 
 was well entitled to rank among its pioneers, as 
 he was also one of its most efficient and success- 
 ful agriculturists. 
 
 Orphaned by his father's deatli when he was a 
 mere lad, our subject was early obliged to earn 
 his livelihood, and contact with the world devel- 
 oped in him the traits of self-reliance and perse- 
 verance that characterized his later years. As 
 early as 1836 he came to Tazewell County, 111., 
 and a few years later purchased a tract of land, 
 but after a few years disposed of the property 
 and came to Mason County, where he resided for 
 about eighteen months. He then moved to Taze- 
 well County, where he spent the following six 
 years. In 1856 he came here, and with a Mexi- 
 can land warrant secured one hundred and sixty 
 acres on section 14, Pennsylvania Township. The 
 land was then raw prairie without improvements, 
 and its present highly cultivated condition is due 
 to his efforts. Being a carpenter by trade and 
 having a natural taste for building, he devoted 
 all his leisure hours to the improvement of his 
 farm, which in time became one of the best in the 
 county. 
 
 To his original purchase Mr. Wilson added until 
 he became the owner of four hundred and fort}' 
 acres. Here he built a residence at a cost of $1,000, 
 
 and a barn costing $1,800, adding from time to time 
 other needed buildings. Around his farm he planted 
 a hedge fence, and also used hedge together with 
 wire in subdividing the land into fields of con- 
 venient size. Very soon after coming here he 
 planted one and one-half acres to fruit trees, and 
 his orchard was one of the best in the locality. 
 He also planted fifteen hundred walnut trees, 
 which now, together with the magnificent cotton- 
 wood trees, comprise the beautiful grove sur- 
 rounding the residence and adding to its value. 
 Altogether the place is one of the prettiest and 
 most valuable in the township, and under the ex- 
 cellent supervision of Mrs. Wilson the improve- 
 ments are maintained at the high standard estab- 
 lished by our subject. 
 
 Mrs. Rebecca Wilson was born in Ohio August 
 4, 1823, being a daughter of Samuel and Cather- 
 ine (Montayne) Woodrow, natives respectively 
 of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the former born 
 on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Janu- 
 ary, 1798, and the latter September 6 of the same 
 year. They were married in 1818, near Colum- 
 bus, Ohio, and thence came to Illinois, settling 
 on Sand Prairie, near Pekin, 111., where the father 
 engaged in farming pursuits. He passed away in 
 January, 1874, while his wife died in November, 
 1863. Both were members of the Presbyterian 
 Church, in which for many years he served as 
 Deacon. He was a Republican in politics, and 
 filled the office of Justice of the Peace for fifteen 
 years. Of their thirteen children, but four are 
 now living: Mrs. Wilson; Sarah, Mrs. Darling, 
 who lives in Green Valley, 111., and has eight chil- 
 dren; Sylvester, of Green Valley, who married 
 Anna Hill, of Springfield, 111., and they have four 
 children; and Catherine, Mrs. Kilpatrick, a resi- 
 dent of Luverne, Minn., and the mother of five 
 children. 
 
 The marriage of Edward A. Wilson and Rebecca 
 Woodrow took place March 3, 1846, and resulted 
 in the birth of ten children, six of whom are liv- 
 ing. Melvina, the eldest, resides with her mother, 
 whom she relieves of all household duties, and 
 for whom she tenderly cares in her declining 
 years; Catherine is married to Josiah McKnight 
 and lives in Allen's Grove Township; John A.,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 627 
 
 who resides on the old homestead, has charge of 
 the farm; C. W., who lives on a part of the estate 
 situated on section 13, Pennsylvania Township, 
 married Ella, daughter of Hon. J. W. Pugh, of 
 Mason City; C. R., of Allen's Grove Township, 
 married Florence McIIarry and lives in Allen's 
 Grove Township; and Anna Belle, Mrs. Charles 
 W. Pugh, resides in Pennsylvania Township and 
 has six children. 
 
 In early life Mr. Wilson was a Democrat, but 
 when Abraham Lincoln was a candidate for the 
 Presidency, he cast his ballot twice for that famous 
 statesman, after which he could never again be 
 persuaded to vote for President. For seven years 
 he officiated as School Director, during which 
 time he promoted the standard of scholarship in 
 his vicinity. He also gave to his children the 
 best educational advantages possible, desiring that 
 they might have the opportunities and privileges 
 which he was denied in youth. 
 
 m 
 
 ! OHN KINSEY is a successful agriculturist 
 of Tuzewell County, and no man within the 
 limits of Dillon Township is more highly 
 esteemed than he. For many years he lias 
 been engaged in farm pursuits and has a valuable 
 tract of seventy-seven acres, located in the above 
 place, to which he gives his entire time and atten- 
 tion. He was born in Elm Grove Township, this 
 county, November 4, 1830, on a farm only one- 
 half mile distant from his present place of resi- 
 dence. 
 
 Nathan Kinsey, the father of our subject, was 
 born in 1804 in Clinton County, Ohio, and was 
 the son of Christopher Kinsey, also a native of the 
 Buckeye State, and who was of German descent. 
 Of the brothers and sisters of Nathan Kinsey, the 
 following is noted: John, Sr., who was bora in 
 Jones County, N. C., August 23, 1798, came to 
 Illinois in 1843, and died August 5, 1852; he was 
 a carpenter by trade and a Quaker in religious be- 
 lief. Absalom, who was born in North Carolina 
 in 1800, followed the occupation of a farmer until 
 his death in Illinois in 1862. Sarah, who was born 
 
 in North Carolina in 1802, died in 1850. Rachel, 
 whose birth occurred in Ohio in 1806, died in 
 1857. Ruth was born in Ohio in 1810, and died 
 in Iowa in 1864. Mary, a native of Ohio, born 
 in 1810, died in Illinois in 1875. Edward, who 
 was born in Ohio in 1812, followed the calling 
 of a farmer, and died in Iowa in 1862. Fanny, 
 likewise a native of the Buckeye State, born in 
 1814, resides in Iowa. Christopher, who was born 
 in Ohio in 1816, engaged in farming until his 
 death in Iowa in 1878. The brothers sup- 
 ported the principles of the old line Whigs, and 
 in religious belief they and the sisters were 
 Quakers. All married and established homes of 
 their own. 
 
 Nathan KinsBy took up his abode in Illinois 
 September 2, 1829, when he located upon the farm 
 where our subject was born. A year after his 
 birth, however, he removed upon the estate which 
 is now occupied by the original of this sketch, 
 and there departed this life, September 3, 1863. 
 On the llth of February, 1830, he married Miss 
 Elvira Fisher, likewise a native of Ohio, and the 
 daughter of Theodore Fisher, whose birth took 
 place in North Carolina. The latter was a Quaker 
 in religion, and made his home in Tazewell 
 County from 1829 to October 20, 1867, when his 
 decease occurred. Mrs. Nathan Kinsey died of 
 cholera in 1834, and the father was a second time 
 married, August 6, 1835, his bride on that occasion 
 being Miss Lydia Edwards. 
 
 John, of this sketch, was the only son of his 
 father's first union; he had a sister, Louisa, who 
 married Thomas Alexander, and died in April, 
 1855. He also had two half-brothers and four 
 half-sisters. The eldest, Mary Kinsey, was born 
 May 3, 1836, and October 12, 1856, married 
 Thomas Alexander, a resident of Pekin, and a car- 
 penter by occupation. James, who was born 
 August 26, 1837, followed the occupation of a 
 farmer, and died unmarried, September 12, 1856. 
 Phoebe, born April 6, 1840, was married February 
 27, 1862, to Abraham Sturdy vin, an iron moulder 
 by occupation, who died November 14, 1888. 
 Sarah, born July 6, 1841, was married September 
 15, 1867, to Rev. Joseph Hart, a minister of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, residing in Little
 
 628 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Rock, Ark. Ruth was born November 14, 1843, 
 and died September 14, 1844. Klias, whose birth 
 occurred July 26, 1847, is unmarried, and engages 
 in farming in Fremont, Iowa. 
 
 John Kinsey received a thorough training in 
 farm pursuits, and a very limited education in the 
 district school. The lady whom he married, 
 December 21, 1854, was Miss Rebecca Ann Wilson, 
 who was born August 16, 1834, four miles south- 
 east of Pekin. Her father, Seth Wilson, was born 
 in Pennsylvania in 1796, came to Illinois in 1820, 
 and died March 16, 1836. He was a soldier in the 
 War of 1812. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Sarah Hussy, was born in Tennessee in 1798, be- 
 came his wife in Ohio in 1816, and died January 
 20, 1874. Of their family we note the following: 
 Margaret L., who was born in Ohio in 1818, was 
 married in 1839 to John S. Young, a farmer by oc- 
 cupation; Christopher II., a native of Ohio, born 
 in 1819, was a farmer by occupation, and died in 
 Iowa in 1869, thirty years after his marriage; 
 Mary, born in Illinois in 1821, was married in 
 1836 to Austin Prouty, a farmer living in the 
 State of Washington; John II., born in Illinois in 
 1823, was married in 1842, and is now an agricul- 
 turist in Iowa; Jane E., whose birth occurred in 
 1825, was married in Peoria County in 1840 to 
 Jacob Wolgamot, a cabinet-maker, and died in 
 Iowa in 1876; Seth, who was a native of this 
 state, born in 1827, was a brickmaker by occupa- 
 tion, and died in Nebraska in 1889, having mar- 
 ried September 10, 1850; Nathan H., born in 
 Illinois in 1828, a cooper by trade, married in 
 1849, and died in this stale May 20, 1894; Cather- 
 ine was born in Illinois in 1831, married in 
 August, 1855, to Jacob Dillon, a farmer, and died 
 in this state in 1856; Rebecca Ann, the 3'oungest, 
 was born in Illinois in 1834, and became the wife 
 of Mr. Kinsey December 21, 1854. 
 
 Five children have been born to our subject and 
 his wife. Henry, who married Elizabeth Haflinger, 
 resides in Colorado; Seth W. resides with his 
 parents; Sarah W., who is the wife of John W. 
 Manker, makes her home in McLean County; 
 Charles, who married Eva Luft, is farming in 
 Dillon Township, and Moleston F. resides with his 
 parents. Mr. and Mrs. Kinsey are members in 
 
 good standing of the Christian Church. In politics 
 the former is a Republican, and his progressive 
 public spirit has placed him among the foremost 
 who have sought to promote the growth and en- 
 hance the general welfare of his community. He 
 has served for thirty years as School Director, and 
 it is seldom that any man is held in such universal 
 esteem as this good resident of Dillon Township. 
 
 __ 
 ~ 
 
 it 
 
 ACOB LUCAS was born in Hesse- Darmstadt, 
 Germany, November 9, 1825, and is the son 
 of George Lucas, also a native of the Fa- 
 therland, where he was a farmer and Col- 
 lector of Revenues. He crossed the Atlantic in 
 1866, and made his home with our subject in Pekin 
 until his decease in 1870, when in his seventieth 
 year. His wife, Mrs. Johanna Helena (Metzger) 
 Lucas, was likewise born in German}', where her 
 decease occurred at the age of forty-six years. 
 
 Of the nine children comprised in the parental 
 family, five sons grew to mature years, those beside 
 our subject being: Adam, an iron builderof Peoria; 
 George, residing in this city; and John and Au- 
 gust, who are now deceased. Jacob was reared to 
 mature years in Germany, and -for four years was 
 a student at the College of Friedberg, near Frank- 
 fort-on-the-Main, from which institution he was 
 graduated in his twentieth year. He then began 
 teaching, which occupation he followed for five 
 years, and then decided to try his fortunes in 
 America, joining his two elder brothers who had 
 preceded him to the New World. In the spring of 
 1851 he left Rotterdam for London, and on reach- 
 ing the sea board took passage on a sailing-vessel 
 which landed him thirty days later in New York 
 Harbor. From that city he went to Rochester, and 
 until the fall of the above year clerked in a whole- 
 sale grocery store. Then thinking to better his 
 condition farther west, he located in St. Louis, Mo., 
 and began his old occupation of a school teacher, 
 which he followed until the spring of 1855, when 
 he returned to New York, and at Syracuse was en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of vinegar. In the sum- 
 mer of 1855 our subject came to Pekin, and as
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF THt 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS
 
 THOMAS PAWSON.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 631 
 
 there was no vinegar factory near this city lie 
 bought a building on Court Street, which he used 
 for that purpose, and until 1864 was engaged in 
 the manufacture of that necessary article. That 
 3^ear he sold his factory and accepted the position 
 of editor of the Deutche Zeitung of Peoria, con tin- 
 ning to act in that capacity until 1869. That year, 
 his health being very much impaired, he went on a 
 visit to his native land, and recuperated at the 
 different watering places of Germany. 
 
 In the fall of 1869 Mr. Lucas returned to Amer- 
 ica, and in November of that year was appointed 
 United States Revenue Gauger, which position lie 
 held until 1875. The following year he engaged 
 in the insurance business and now represents six 
 of the largest companies in the United States, in- 
 cluding the Home, of New York; Phoenix, of Lon- 
 don; Northwestern, of Milwaukee, and is agent for 
 the Hamburg and Bremen line of ocean steamers. 
 
 In 1859 Jacob Lucas and Mrs. Catharine Hoff- 
 man were united in marriage. The lady was born 
 in Vienna, Austria, in 1820, and is a most estima- 
 ble and intelligent woman. Our subject has filled 
 the office of Township and City Assessor on four 
 different occasions, and in politics is an independ- 
 ent Republican. 
 
 S PAWSON, who is now living on a 
 farm on section 14,Delavan Township,Taze- 
 well County, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 December 17, 1821. His father, William Pawson, 
 was a native of England and a wheelwright by 
 trade The grandfather, William Pawson, Sr., was 
 a farmer of Yorkshire, England, and was a tenant 
 of the estate of 'Squire Fawks. He was also a rel- 
 ative of John Pawson, the great Methodist minis- 
 ter, who was a particular friend of John Wesley. 
 
 Emigrating to America, the father of our subject 
 went to Cincinnati about 1818 and worked at his 
 trade. He wedded Hannah Newsom, a native of 
 England, and a daughter of Richard Newsom, a 
 farmer. Both Mr. and Mrs. Pawson died in Cin- 
 cinnati. They had three sons and five daughters 
 
 who grew to mature years, while five are yet living. 
 Isaac is a carpenter of Jeffersonville, Ind.; John, 
 who followed carpentering, died some years ago; 
 Milton was a steamboat engineer; Grace, widow of 
 John McCafferty, is a resident of Springfield, Mo.; 
 Elizabeth is the widow of Alexander Latta and a 
 resident of Cincinnati; Jane is the wife of David 
 Johns, of Alabama. 
 
 In his native city Thomas Pawson spent the 
 days of his boyhood and youth and was graduated 
 from the primary department of the Cincinnati 
 College. In early life he learned the pattern- 
 maker's trade, which he followed for nineteen 
 years, and afterward engaged in several lines of 
 business. As a companion and helpmate on life's 
 journey he chose Miss Rebecca Weeks, who was 
 born in Cincinnati May 21, 1826, and was one of 
 a pair of twins. Her father, Henry Weeks, was 
 born in Peekskill, N. Y., August 25, 1790, and 
 died during the Civil War. His second wife, the 
 mother of Mrs. Pawson, bore the maiden name of 
 Rebecca Cox, and was born in Baltimore, Md., June 
 1, 1807. Her death occurred in 1882. Her father 
 was a ship carpenter and was with John Jacob Astor 
 when he made his first trip to the northwest coast. 
 During his seven years' cruise he was landed at 
 Astoria and left there for the purpose of fitting up 
 the spars of another ship. The others on board 
 the boat were lost afterward, but he was saved, be- 
 ing the only one to return home. After an ab- 
 sence of seven years he made his way back, reaching 
 home just before his wife, who supposed him dead, 
 was to be married again. The mother of Henry 
 Weeks bore the maiden name of Nancy De- 
 pew, and was an aunt of Chauncey Depew. She 
 had one brother who was taken prisoner during 
 the Revolutionary War, but was never again heard 
 from. 
 
 Mrs. Pawson had nine brothers and two sisters. 
 James, who was born in 1824, and is a ship carpen- 
 ter by trade, served as Captain of a war vessel dur- 
 ing the Civil War, and is now living in Indiana; 
 Travis, who was also a ship carpenter and served 
 in the War of the Rebellion, now makes his home 
 in Cincinnati; Sylvester is a Methodist minister 
 now located at Winton Place, near Cincinnati; 
 Charles is a ship carpenter of that city; Lewis,
 
 632 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 born in 1844, is living in the same city; and Frank, 
 born in 1850, is a druggist of Cincinnati. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Pawson were married November 3, 
 1847, and the following year went to New Albany, 
 Ind., where they lived until 1864. They then 
 came to Illinois and since that time have resided 
 upon the farm which is still their place of abode. 
 Their home has been blessed with six children. 
 William married Jennie, daughter of Samuel Sun- 
 derland, and follows farming; Edward, who mar- 
 ried Jennie, daughter of Rev. J. T. Orr, a Method- 
 ist minister, is a traveling salesman; John married 
 Emma K. Orr, and is a Methodist minister, now of 
 Wapella, 111.; George married Susie, daughter of 
 Samuel Sunderland, and makes farming his life 
 work; Henry wedded Kate Stansbury and carries 
 on agricultural pursuits; and Mary is the wife of 
 Vernon V. Baily, a farmer of Dillon Township. 
 
 Mr. Pawson votes with the Republican party 
 but has never sought or desired office. His wife 
 holds membership with the Methodist Church. This 
 worthy couple are now spending their declining 
 days in their pleasant home upon the farm where 
 they have resided for thirty years. Their many 
 excellencies of character have gained them univer- 
 sal esteem, and with pleasure we present this sketch 
 to our readers. 
 
 OHN CULBERTSON, editor of the Delavan 
 Advertiser, and the present Postmaster at 
 Delavan, was born July 23, 1837, eight 
 miles east of Zanesville, Muskingum Coun- 
 ty, Ohio. The family is of remote Scotch origin, 
 and was for several generations represented in the 
 North of Ireland, whence our subject's great- 
 grandfather emigrated to America. He had several 
 sons who served in the Revolutionary War, and 
 one of them lost his life during that struggle, 
 being killed by the Indians. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, Alexander Cul- 
 bertson, was born in Pennsylvania, and in youth 
 learned the trade of a tanner. Removing to Ohio 
 he purchased large tracts of land and accumulated 
 a fortune. His son John was born in Franklin 
 
 County, Pa., July 4, 1792, and removed to Musk- 
 ingum County, Ohio,as early as 1816, there being 
 united in marriage with Miss Ann Beevers, who 
 was born in Virginia in 1797, and was the daughter 
 of Samuel Beevers, an early settler of Ohio. Their 
 family consisted of Edward C., William, John, 
 and three daughters who died in childhood. 
 
 Prior to the age of thirteen, the subject of this 
 notice lived on the home farm, receiving but a 
 limited education. At that age he decided to be- 
 come a newspaper man, and November 3, 1851, 
 entered the office of the Zanesville Aurora, now 
 the Zanesville Signal. After serving a three years' 
 apprenticeship, he remained with the paper for 
 four years ensuing, and then, in 1857, he went to 
 Cincinnati, where he was employed on the Cincin- 
 nati Gazette. The famous journalist, Whitelaw 
 Reid, was then a reporter for the same paper. 
 
 In 1862, Mr. Culbertson settled on a farm near 
 Zanesville, where he spent four years. The next 
 three years he spent in the mercantile business at 
 Bridgeville, Ohio, where he lost all that he had 
 gained through \-ears of industrious toil. Though 
 not an ardent admirer of Horace Greeley, he deci- 
 ded to follow his advice and go west. The Del- 
 avan Advertiser had been established, but discon- 
 tinued after a brief existence. He secured the 
 plant, and April 28, 1870, published the first issue 
 of the paper under the new management. To his 
 credit it may be said that he has never failed to 
 issue the paper on time during the four and twenty 
 years it has teen under his supervision. 
 
 Originally Democratic in politics, the Delavan 
 Advertiser, during the Greeley campaign, refused to 
 support that Presidential candidate, but gave its 
 allegiance to the principles expounded by Jeffer- 
 son in the early days of our nation's history, and 
 suggested Charles O'Conor, the straight Demo- 
 cratic candidate. Since that time Mr. Culbertson 
 has continued in same line, and through his paper 
 his influence is felt throughout the entire state. A 
 forcible writer and a man of firm convictions, he 
 does not hesitate to express his sentiments upon, 
 the great questions of the age, and his editorials 
 are spicy and able. During the first administration 
 of President Cleveland, lie was appointed Post- 
 master at Delavan, serving thirty-three months
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 633 
 
 under him, and six months under President Har- 
 rison. February 1, 1894, lie again assumed the 
 duties of the office, which he still holds. 
 
 Mr. Culbertson married Miss Sarah E., daughter 
 of Samuel Morris, a merchant of Cincinnati. 
 They have had live children, but two are deceased. 
 Cecelia B. is the wife of II. C. Meeker, a prosper- 
 ous farmer. Ella A. was assistant in the post- 
 ottice during his first term, and was retained in the 
 same position under Captain Beatty, who recently 
 retired from the office; she continues to assist her 
 father there. Sarah A., usually known as Ertie, 
 is a stenographer in the office of N. K. Fail-bank 
 & Co.. of Chicago. 
 
 S. DEMPSY. One of the most successful 
 business enterprises of Armington is the 
 mercantile establishment of which Mr. 
 Dempsy is the owner and proprietor. The 
 building which lie occupies is a three-story struct- 
 ure, 24x30 feet in dimensions, with an addition 
 22x60. Here may be found a full and complete 
 assortment of general merchandise, which includes 
 everything that can be imagined, from a threshing 
 machine down to a paper of pins. He carries a 
 full line of farm implements, which are stored in 
 buildings adjacent to his main rooms. The value 
 of his stock is estimated at $20,000. This success 
 he has attained solely as a result of his own un- 
 aided exertions, and during the twenty-three years 
 in which he has engaged in business at this place, 
 he has established an enviable reputation as an 
 honorable and reliable business man. 
 
 Born in Maryland in 1844, our subject was 
 a mere infant when brought by his parents to 
 Peoria, 111. In that city his parents and a twin 
 brother died of cholera when he was about four 
 years old. The children were taken into the 
 homes of strangers, by whom they were reared, 
 our subject being adopted by Mrs. A. O. Merriam, 
 the widow of Rev. Jonathan Merriam. At the 
 present time he has two brothers and two sisters 
 
 living, namely: William, a resident of Peoria, 111., 
 John, whose home is in Tennessee; Catherine, the 
 wife of George W. Martin, of Peoria; and Mar- 
 garet J., who married R. ]Nf. Moffin and lives in 
 Armington. 
 
 Upon a farm three miles from Armington, our 
 subject was reared to manhood, receiving a good 
 education in the district schools. He was not 
 eighteen years of age when, on the 7th of August, 
 1862, he enlisted asa member of Company A, One 
 Hundred and Seventeenth Illinois Volunteers. He 
 served in the Sixteenth Army Corps until June, 
 1865, when he was honorably discharged atQuincy, 
 111. For many months his regiment was located at 
 Memphis, Tenn., and after considerable skirmish- 
 ing in and around that place, they were trans- 
 ferred to Missouri, where our subject was taken 
 ill. He was sent to Quincy, 111., where later he 
 received his discharge. Soon after returning 
 home Mr. Dempsy began a course of study in a 
 commercial college of Chicago, where he remained 
 for several months. He was then for two and a- 
 half years engaged in the sheep business, and was 
 for a time a resident of Missouri. Upon disposing 
 of his interests there he returned to Armington 
 and embarked in the grocery business, but later 
 sold out, and for eight years conducted an exten- 
 sive drug business. lie then purchased a stock 
 of general merchandise and established the store 
 which he has since conducted with flattering suc- 
 cess. He is a thorough business man, genial in his 
 intercourse with all with whom he comes in con- 
 tact, and uniformly reliable in his transactions. 
 In addition to the property he owns in Armington, 
 he and his wife have one hundred and sixty acres 
 in Logan County, which they rent. His time has 
 been devoted closely to his business affairs, but he 
 keeps himself well posted upon matters of public 
 interest and supports the principles of the Repub- 
 lican party. 
 
 In Pennsylvania occurred the marriage of D. S. 
 Dempsy and Miss Elizabeth B., daughter of James 
 Ewing. Five children bless the union; Harriet 
 B., James Ewing, Catherine J., David R. and Mar- 
 garet. Mrs. Dempsy was reared in the Presbyter- 
 ian faith, but is now identified with the Christian 
 Church. Socially our subject is a member of Al-
 
 634 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 toona Post No. 166, G. A. R., Nona Lodge No. 
 152, I. (). O. F., at Armington, and the Masonic 
 fraternity in Mmier. 
 
 v RLANDO WELLINGTON VAN ORMAN 
 is recognized as one of the prominent and 
 influential citizens of Mason County. He 
 is the proprietor of one hundred and sixty acres 
 of improved land, pleasantly located on section 29, 
 Forest City Township. His father, Isaac Van Or- 
 man, was born in New York State, near Canandai- 
 gua, in 1798. His father, who also bore the name 
 of Isaac, was a native of Scotland, and served as 
 a soldier in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Miss Adeline Turner. She was born in Trumbull 
 County, Ohio, in 1802, and was the daughter 
 of John Turner, a native of New Jersey, and a 
 patriot of the War of 1812. Her parents were 
 early settlers of the Buckeye State, having re- 
 moved there at a time when their nearest white 
 neighbor was in Lower Sandusky, about one hun- 
 dred miles distant. 
 
 The father of our subject settled in Ohio about 
 1822, and there met and married Miss Turner, af- 
 ter which event he removed on a raw farm in 
 Medina County, where he was accidently killed in 
 1842, by a tree falling upon him. Orlando W., of 
 this sketch, was the first in the parental family of 
 four children, of whom those living are Lois A. 
 and John T. Mr. and Mrs. Van Orman were mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the 
 mother departed this life in 1847. The former 
 was active in local politics, as was his father be- 
 fore him, and during elections cast a vote for 
 Whig candidates. Throughout the community he 
 was held in the highest regard, and at his decease 
 left a well improved farm. 
 
 Our subject was born September 21, 1832, in 
 Medina County, Ohio, and was there reared on his 
 father's farm until the death of his parents, after 
 which he made his home with an uncle, and worked 
 out until purchasing property of his own. The 
 lady to whom he was married in 1856 was Miss 
 
 Mary A. Kent, born in Summit County, Ohio, in 
 1835. She became the mother of two children, 
 both of whom are now deceased, and her death 
 occurred in 1858. 
 
 Mr. Van Orman came west to Tazewell County 
 in 1852, and made location in Sand Prairie Town- 
 ship, on a new farm which he worked hard to im- 
 prove during his residence upon it. In 1858, how- 
 ever, he made his advent into this county and lo- 
 cated on section 29, when it was little more than a 
 wilderness. In 1865 he took up his abode on his 
 present farm, which he has cultivated in a most 
 profitable manner, and completed a comfortable 
 residence thereon in 1884, at a cost of $1,400. His 
 possessions have all been acquired through his 
 own efforts, and stand as monuments to his enter- 
 prise. His estate, which includes a quarter-section, 
 is divided into four forty-acre fields, each section 
 being surrounded by a beautiful hedge fence. In 
 addition to raising grain, he gives considerable at- 
 tention to breeding fine grades of animals, and has 
 upon his place a number of Poland-China hogs. 
 
 Mr. Van Orman was married in 1865 to Miss 
 Belle, the youngest daughter of George Neikirk. 
 A full sketch of her parents will be found in the 
 sketch of J. Alexander Neikirk, elsewhere in this 
 volume. Mrs. Van Orman was born in the year 
 1845, and by her union with our subject has be- 
 come the mother of eight children: Ruth, the wife 
 of John Harvey, of this township; Lois, now Mrs. 
 William Warner, also makes her home in this lo- 
 cality, as does Letha, who married Samuel F. Mar- 
 tin. The remainder of the family are Bertha, 
 Nellie, Mark, Earl and Ford. 
 
 On the outbreak of the Civil War, our subject 
 enlisted in July, 1861, joining Company C, Second 
 Illinois Cavalry. The regiment was organized at 
 Springfield, from which city they went to Carbon- 
 dale, this state, from there to Ft. Massac, and later 
 to Bird's Point, Mo. Soon returning to Illinois, 
 they were ordered to Cairo, and from there to 
 Ilickman, Ky., where Mr. Van Orman was dis- 
 charged on account of sickness. lie returned home 
 in June, 1862, and has since given his undivided 
 attention to the cultivation of his farm. 
 
 The wife of our subject and all the daughters of 
 the family are members in good standing of the
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 
 ELI C. FISK.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 637 
 
 Baptist Church. Mr. Van Orman belongs to the 
 G. A. R. Post at Havana, and is a member of the 
 American Protective Association. He is also con- 
 nected with the Masonic order, which he joined in 
 1857, and meets with the lodge at Delavan. lie 
 has given his children the best advantages for ob- 
 taining a good schooling, and Miss Bertha and Miss 
 Lois have been school teachers. He aided in the 
 organization of District No. 9, which he served as 
 Director for many years. Mr. Van Orman has 
 been a life-long Republican, and as an active poli- 
 tician has been frequently sent as a delegate to the 
 various conventions of his party. He is always 
 found on the side of right, and his influence and 
 support are given to the best interests of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Warren Van Orman, a brother of our subject, 
 also was a soldier in the late war, serving as a 
 member of the Eighth Missouri Infantry. He is 
 now deceased, as is also his wife, and their only 
 son, Fred, makes his home in Iowa. 
 
 LI COOLEY FISK, a representative farmer 
 of Havana Township, Mason County, now 
 living on section 3, was born in Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, August 22, 1825, and is one of the pioneer 
 settlers of this community, where he has made his 
 home since the age of ten years. He is a lineal 
 descendant of John Fisk, an English lord of the 
 realm, who flourished from 1399 to 1422. The 
 original American ancestor, who also bore the 
 name of John, crossed the Atlantic in 1637, loca- 
 ting in Wenharn, Mass. From him and his three 
 brothers the Fisk family in the United States is 
 descended. Samuel Fisk went to Windham, Conn., 
 with Rev. Thomas Hooker and located in Stafford, 
 Conn. His old home there was occupied by his 
 descendants until 1784. 
 
 Asa Fisk was the grandfather of our subject, and 
 Eli Fisk was the father. He was born in Stafford, 
 Conn., April 9, 1781, and married Margaret, daugh- 
 ter of John and Maria (Lawson) Moore. Her fa- 
 ther commanded a company under General Gates 
 at the battle of Saratoga during the Revolution, 
 
 and helped to carry Benedict Arnold off the field. 
 He was also at the massacre in New London, Conn., 
 but escaped. His daughter was born in Union, 
 Conn.. May 16. 1788, and for several years was a 
 school teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Fisk were married 
 in Union, May 13, 1813, and there resided until 
 1817, when they removed to Indiana County, Pa. 
 From 1824 until 1835, they resided in Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, and while in that city their property was 
 destroyed by fire. Coming to Illinois, they lived 
 for two years in Havana, and then moved to the 
 farm, where the mother died February 12, 1857, 
 while the father's death occurred February 27, 
 1861. He was an expert with tools, and was a 
 farmer, shoemaker, millwright and builder of 
 steam engines. 
 
 In the Fisk family were three children. Esther 
 Lawson, born February 5, 1814, in Union, Conn., 
 was married to Frederick Buck in Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, April 26, 1832, and died May 5, 1871. His 
 death occurred April 14, 1874. Their children 
 were, Henry C., born August 21, 1835; Louisa C. 
 Lindley, October 22, 1838; Mrs. Ann Maria Rog- 
 ers, November 9, 1844; and Mrs. Esther Elizabeth 
 Ross, March 11, 1849. John Moore Fisk was born 
 in Indiana County, Pa., September 17, 1822, mar- 
 ried Sarah Ann McReynolds February 27, 1845, and 
 lives in Sangamon County, 111. Their children are, 
 Mrs. Frances Luciuda Canterbury, born February 
 25, 1846; Mrs. Margaret Jane Bentley, June 30, 
 1850; Warren Chauncey, September 26, 1853; Wil- 
 lis Elbert, August 15, 1858; Mrs. Esther Elizabeth 
 Canterbury, June 10, 1860; and Elmer M., born in 
 June, 1868. 
 
 Eli C. Fisk was educated in the schools of Cin- 
 cinnati and Mason County until 1847, when he en- 
 tered Illinois College of Jacksonville, from which 
 he was graduated in 1853. He taught school at 
 intervals, and studied theology under the Rev. 
 Albert Hale, of Springfield, 111. He was ordained 
 on the 19th of February, 1858, by the Rev. L. Fos- 
 ter, and was pastor of the Congregational Church 
 of Havana for two years, but resigned on the 9th 
 of February, 1859. Since August, 1837, his home 
 has been upon the farm where he still resides, and 
 since 1858 he has carried on agricultural pursuits. 
 He owns four hundred and twenty acres of farm
 
 638 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 land, and raises hogs, cattle, corn, wheat, rye and 
 oats. He has developed two new varieties of corn, 
 and is engaged in the culture of fruit. One of 
 the most progressive farmers of Illinois, he is al- 
 ways interested in everything pertaining to the 
 development and improvement of agriculture. 
 
 Mr. Fisk was united in marriage June 23, 1867, 
 with Rosanna Wagoner, who was born in Knox 
 County, Ohio, in 1840, and is a daughter of Cas- 
 per and Maria Wagoner. They have seven chil- 
 dren: Margaret Maria, wife of James W. Edlin, 
 by whom she has two sons; Lucy Adda Olive; Eli 
 Casper, who married Adda Crater, and is a fanner 
 of Pennsylvania Township, Mason County; John 
 Moore, Frank Fredrick, Rose Mary Esther and 
 Bertha Eleanor, at home. 
 
 Mr. Fisk has served as School Director and Treas- 
 urer for twelve years, has been a Republican since 
 the organization of the party, and was a member 
 of the first Republican convention in Springfield. 
 He was also one of the committee who invited 
 Abraham Lincoln to address that body. He lias 
 frequent^- been a delegate to conventions, and al- 
 ways takes au active part in political affairs. He 
 has delivered many speeches throughout the coun- 
 ty, and frequently contributes articles to newspa- 
 pers. He has a large and finely selected library, 
 and his extensive reading has made him a well 
 educated man, whose opinions on various subjects 
 are well worthy careful consideration. 
 
 ICHARD N. OSBORN. One would not live 
 in Mason City long without becoming ac- 
 W, quainted with the part that has been per- 
 ) formed by Mr. Osborn in the progress of 
 this thriving municipality. As the proprietor of a 
 large and successful business, as an honored vete- 
 ran of the late war, as the owner and improver of 
 real estate, and as a public official, he has deserved 
 and won the esteem of his fellow-men for his up- 
 rightness, ability and success. 
 
 The Osborn family originated in England and 
 some of its members settled in Connecticut during 
 Colonial days. In the same state the father of 
 
 our subject, Gideon byname, was born, and thence 
 he removed to New York, later to Ohio, and fin- 
 ally coming to Illinois died in Mason County in 
 1865. His wife bore the maiden name of Harriet 
 Porter, and was the daughter of Richard Porter, 
 who died at the advanced age of one hundred 
 years; she was born in New York State and died in 
 Steuben County, N. Y. Our subject was a mere 
 child when the family removed from Steuben 
 County, N. Y., where he was born April 1, 1838, 
 to Geauga County, Ohio, where he remained until 
 sixteen years of age. Thence he accompanied 
 his parents to Mason County, 111., where he has 
 since made his home. 
 
 In 1862, when the dark clouds of the Rebellion 
 overshadowed the country and valiant men were 
 called for to fight for the Stars and Stripes, our 
 subject was one of the boys in blue who marched 
 to the front. He enlisted in Company C, Eighty- 
 fifth Illinois Infantry, commanded by Colonel 
 Moore, of Havana. His regiment was assigned 
 to the Army of the Cumberland, with which Mr. 
 Osborn did service until his health became so poor 
 as to incapacitate him for the hardships of forced 
 marches and the exposure incident to life in camp 
 and on the field. In 1863 he was honorably dis- 
 charged at Nashville, Tenn., and returned to his 
 home in Mason County. 
 
 Here Mr. Osborn entered upon the career of a 
 farmer, and engaged in raising grain and stock 
 until 1884, when he removed to Mason City and 
 embarked in his present business. He carries a 
 large and complete assortment of lumber, lath, 
 sash, doors, blinds, shingles, posts, lime, cement 
 stone, paints and oils, hard and soft coal, carpet 
 paper and sewer pipe. In addition to his interests 
 in the city, he owns eighty acres of valuable land, 
 all under cultivation and well improved. With 
 the enterprises of a public nature, he has been 
 closely identified, and was a prime factor in the 
 organization of the Water Works Company. In 
 political views he favors the Prohibition party. 
 Socially he ia identified with Duval Lodge No. 
 123, G. A. R. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Osborn occurred in 1864, 
 uniting him with Mary F. White, a native of New 
 York, who accompanied her parents to Ohio, and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 639 
 
 later came to Mason County, where she grew to wo- 
 manhood. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn are the parents of 
 five daughters, namely: Dora, wife of W. J. Pot- 
 torf, of Mason City; Lottie J., wife of Charles 
 Ritter, residing in Chicago; Carrie PL, Edna Esth- 
 er and Elma Irene, who are at home. Mrs. Osborn 
 is a lady possessing rare modesty and sweetness of 
 disposition, yet is strong in her convictions and 
 steadfast in her purpose. She is a devoted mem- 
 ber of the Presbyterian Church, with which Mr. 
 Osborn is also identified. 
 
 LBERTUS DEAN, one of Tazewell Coun- 
 ty's progressive farmers, now residing on 
 section 28, Malone Township, was born in 
 Mercer County, Pa., January 1, 1840. He 
 is the son of Jonathan Dean, who was born in 
 Huntingdon County, Pa., May 21, 1816, and in 
 the fall of 1835 accompanied his parents to Mer- 
 cer County, where,' February 21, 1839, he married 
 Susan Wentz. This lady was born in that county 
 January 9, 1813, while her parents, Christopher 
 and Mar3 r (Martin) Wentz, were natives of Hun- 
 tingdon County, the same state. 
 
 After marriage Jonathan Dean settled upon a 
 farm in Mercer County, and remained there un- 
 til the fall of 1858, when he removed to Taze- 
 well County, 111., locating in Malone Township 
 and purchasing a farm. In the year 1871 he 
 disposed of his propertj- and went to Mercer 
 County, Mo., where he engaged in farming for 
 four years. On his return to Tazewell County he 
 purchased forty acres, where he and his wife have 
 since resided. For ten years he was Justice of 
 the Peace and has held other township offices. 
 
 Of the eight children comprising the family of 
 Jonathan Dean, Albertus is the eldest. Elmira was 
 born March 13, 1841, and died in 1859. William, 
 who was born May 18, 1843, married Miss Sarah 
 Ann Worstall, a native of Tazewell County, and 
 they now live in Mason County; they are the 
 parents of four children, Eugene, Edward, Alice 
 and Mabel. Mary E. was born June 13, 1845, 
 married George Ail, and they reside in Green Val- 
 
 ley. Leah, whose birth took place May 17, 1847, 
 married Oliver Priddy and lives on a farm iu Iowa; 
 she has four children, Wilber, Benjamin, Guy and 
 Ertie. Harriet, who was born August 15, 1849. 
 married Manuel Boyer and lives on a farm; of 
 their fifteen children, three died in infancy, and 
 the others are, Alta, Mahlon, William, Manuel, 
 Jonathan, Louisa, Maud, Lottie, Clab, Susie, Min- 
 nie and Clarence. Hilary, who was born June 16, 
 1854, married Ida Torrland and they live on the 
 farm; their children are six in number, Morrel, Del- 
 bert, Etta, Nellie, Seymour and Aaron. Aaron was 
 born July 4, 1856, and now lives in Iowa; he mar- 
 ried Anna Hart, and they have four children, 
 Delia, Cora, Ella and an infant unnamed. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, Aaron 
 Dean, was born in Maryland, and after his mar- 
 riage to Leah Steele he removed to Huntingdon 
 County, Pa., where he engaged in farming. Later 
 he went to Mercer County, Pa., where he and his 
 wife died. For a number of years before going 
 to Pennsylvania he kept an hotel in Baltimore, Md. 
 The maternal grandfather of our subject was a 
 soldier through the entire War of 1812, and 
 though a participant in many engagements es- 
 caped uninjured. His death occurred while on a 
 visit to his relatives in Tazewell County. 
 
 No event of especial importance occurred dur- 
 ing the boyhood of our subject. He remained an 
 inmate of his father's home until his marriage, 
 June 27, 1867, which united him with Miss Nettie 
 Quance, a native of Ontario County, N. Y., born 
 near Shortsville, September 30, 1851. Her father, 
 Stephen Quance, was born in Michigan, August 
 16, 1816, and followed the trade of a mason in 
 Rochester, Geneva, Syracuse, and other cities in 
 New York. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Mary Harris, was born May 12, 1829, and moved 
 to Mason County, 111., in 1858, dying there two 
 years later. Afterward Mr. Quance removed to 
 Michigan, and there married Almira Heath, who 
 died in 1881. Since that time he has made his 
 home with one of his sons in South Bend, Ind. 
 
 After marriage Mr. Dean rented land in Taze- 
 well County for a season, when he purchased a 
 farm in the vicinity. Three years later he sold 
 the place and accompanied his father's family to
 
 640 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 
 Mercer County, Mo., where he purchased one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of land. However, on ac- 
 count of the climate not agreeing with the health 
 of his family, he disposed of his interests there, and 
 in 1875 came back to Tazewell County. He oper- 
 ated rented land until 1892, when he purchased an 
 eighty-acre farm in Mason County adjoining the 
 one he rents. In politics he is a Democrat, and 
 has held various township offices. For fourteen 
 years he has been Assessor, and served eight years 
 as Constable. 
 
 Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Dean we 
 note the following: Jonathan E. was born August 
 24, 1868, and died October 19, 1873. Lyron L., 
 who was born October 15, 1870, married, October 
 28, 1891, Miss Florence Marlin, who was born in 
 St. Louis. September 8, 1873, and they with their 
 daughter Nellie May, live on a farm in Mason 
 County. William S. was born September 6, 1873, 
 and assists in cultivating the home farm; he mar- 
 ried, January 5, 1893, Miss Lulu A. Brown, .who 
 was born in Tazewell County, November 3, 1873, 
 and they have one child, Nettie. Alva A. was born 
 August 7, 1876, and lives at home. Frederick A. 
 was born July 31, 1880, and died May 5, 1881. 
 Lulu was born June 29, 1882, and is a student 
 in the home schools. Cora A. was born October 
 18, 1887. 
 
 THOMAS LASCELLES. Mason County fur- 
 nished its full quota of noble men to the 
 rank and file of the Union army during 
 the late war, among whom our subject occupied 
 an honorable place. He is now prosperously en- 
 gaged in agriculture in Bath Township, where he 
 has a good estate, upon which have been erected a 
 substantial residence and such other buildings as 
 are needed on a modern farm. 
 
 John Lascelles, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Yorkshire, England, in 1812, and lived in 
 the village of Sherryhulton during his entire life. 
 He was given a good education, and when ready 
 to engage in business for himself, buying and sell 
 ing stock, he was married in 1836 to Miss Ann 
 Galtres, also a native of England, and the young 
 
 couple immediately after their marriage began 
 housekeeping in Sherryhulton. Their union was 
 blessed by the birth of two children, Thomas, and 
 Robert, who was married, and makes his home in 
 Leeds, England. 
 
 Grandfather Thomas Lascelles was born in 
 Yorkshire, and there resided until his decease in 
 1860. The maternal grandparents of our subject, 
 Phineas and Elizabeth Galtres, were likewise born 
 in Yorkshire, where they died, the grandmother 
 passing away in 1845, and the grandfather living 
 until 1852. 
 
 Our subject attended school in his native land 
 until twelve years of age, when he began working 
 out on farms, receiving as his pay $25 per year. 
 He was thus employed until 1858, when in the 
 fall of that year, in company with Mark Cooper 
 and family, he crossed the Atlantic, and after 
 arriving on the soil of the New World made his 
 way directly to this county, where he found work 
 on the farm of Richard Ainsworth in this town- 
 ship. He remained in the employ of that gentle- 
 man for two years, and was engaged for the same 
 length of time on other farms in the locality. 
 He enlisted in the late war, joining Company C, 
 Sixth Illinois Cavalry. He served his country 
 faithfully and well for three years, during which 
 time he participated in the battles of Corinth, 
 Nashville, Memphis, and was with General Grant 
 on his famous raid extending from Memphis to 
 Baton Rouge. 
 
 Mr. Lascelles was mustered out of service in 
 July, 1865, and returning to this township, again 
 worked at farm duties, and was married March 16, 
 1866, to Miss Mary Fletcher. The lady, who was the 
 daughter of James and Maggie Fletcher, was born 
 in England, and became the mother of three chil- 
 dren, two of whom died in infancy. Lizzie was 
 born in 1879, and makes her home in Easton, this 
 state. The wife and mother departed this life in 
 1885, and in July of that year our subject was 
 married to Miss Charity Miller, who was a native 
 of this township, and the daughter of William and 
 Hester (Anderson) Miller. 
 
 Mrs. Charity Lascelles was born March 30, 1860, 
 and by her union with our subject has become the 
 mother of four children, John William, Benjamin
 
 LlBRARt 
 OFM 
 UNWERSW Of
 
 J. B. PAUL. 
 [DECEASED. 1
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 643 
 
 F., Gracie May and Robert Thomas. The parents 
 are members in good standing of the Ml. Zion 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Our subject has 
 always voted with the Republican part}', and is 
 deeply interested in all those movements which 
 will enhance the material and educational pros- 
 perity of this section. He lias succeeded well in 
 worldly affairs, is the proprietor of two hundred 
 and forty acres of excellent land in Bath Town- 
 ship, and is therefore able to surround his family 
 with all the comforts and many of the luxuries of 
 life. 
 
 I OSEPH B. PAUL, M. D. The eminent phy- 
 sician whose name introduces this sketch 
 impressed even those who met him in a 
 casual way as a man who had drifted easily 
 and naturally into the medical profession, who 
 realized that he had made no mistake in the choice 
 of his vocation, and who felt thoroughly at home 
 in the position which he occupied. This first im- 
 pression deepened with a more intimate acquain- 
 tance, and familiarity with the history of his life 
 leads to the unbiased and impartial view that the 
 splendid success which he achieved was the result 
 of energy and industry never misapplied. He set- 
 tled at Havana in 1855, and engaged in the prac- 
 tice of his profession in this city until his death. 
 Our subject was born in Somerset County, Me., 
 April 30, 1823, and was the son of William A. 
 Paul, a native of Massachusetts, and a farmer by 
 occupation. The father was born in Greenwich, 
 October 5, 1780, and departed this life while liv- 
 ing in Maine, August 16, 1868. The maiden name 
 of our subject's mother was Catherine Rice; she 
 also was a native of the Bay State, her birth hav- 
 ing occurred in Brookfield, March 26, 1788, and 
 her death took place in Solon, Me., August 10, 
 1871. 
 
 Joseph B. Paul spent his boyhood days in Som- 
 erset County, and received his early education in 
 the academy at Foxcraft. When sixteen years of 
 age he left the parental roof and apprenticed him- 
 self to learn the blacksmith's trade, at which he 
 worked for two yearSi One year prior to reach- 
 21 
 
 ing his majority, he began teaching school in his 
 native state, and was thus employed for six years, 
 meeting with fair success in that line of work. 
 
 In the spring of 1851, our subject came west, 
 and after remaining for a short time in Wiscon- 
 sin, came in the fall of that year to Illinois, and 
 taught school in Peoria. At the same time he read 
 medicine in the office of Dr. J. D. Arnold, who 
 was then one of the most prominent physicians of 
 the city. Later he entered Rush Medical College 
 in Chicago, where he took a course of lectures and 
 was graduated with the Class of '57. Two years 
 previous to this, however, he had come to Havana, 
 and to this place he returned after receiving his 
 degree as Doctor of Medicine. He became a phy- 
 sician and surgeon of wide reputation, and was a 
 member of the Brainard District Medical Associa- 
 tion, of which he was one of the organizers, and 
 served as Vice-President for a number of years. 
 
 In politics, Dr. Paul was a pronounced Repub- 
 lican, and was a strong advocate of the temperance 
 cause. He was also a prominent Mason, and held 
 membership with Havana Lodge No. 88, Havana 
 Chapter No. 86, R. A. M., and Damascus Com- 
 mandery No. 42, K. T. The Doctor found in the 
 study and practice of medicine an occupation 
 more congenial to his taste than anything else 
 could possibly have been, and was greatly devoted 
 to his profession. He possessed great literary tal- 
 ent, and contributed many important articles to 
 the various medical journals. 
 
 September 30, 1848, Dr. Joseph B. Paul was 
 united in marriage with Miss Lavinia, daughter of 
 James and Sarah (Wellman) Laugh ton, natives of 
 Maine, in which state Mrs. Paul was also born. 
 Her father was a soldier in the War of 1812, and 
 was a farmer by occupation. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Paul were born six children, three of whom are 
 living: Dr. Edward W., a prominent physician of 
 Forest City, this state; Charles Augustus, residing 
 in Peoria; and Catherine, Mrs. W. W. Lindsley, of 
 Havana. The Doctor was a devoted member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in the con- 
 gregation in this city served as Trustee and Stew- 
 ard for many years. In 1889 he was Treasurer of 
 the building fund, and handled all the cash used 
 in the erection of the new church, which cost $11,-
 
 644 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 000. Mrs. Paul is also identified with that de- 
 nomination. 
 
 When, upon the 29th of November, 1893, Dr. 
 Paul closed his eyes upon the scenes of earth, it 
 was felt throughout the entire community that 
 one of its best citizens was gone. His loss was 
 mourned by all with whom business, professional 
 or social relations had brought him into contact. 
 Among other expressions of tribute to his memory 
 is the following testimonial of the order with 
 which he was long associated: 
 
 To the Eminent Commander and Praters: 
 
 "Another distinguished Mason and Sir Knight 
 has joined the great majority, and it is proper for 
 us to pause a moment and briefly review some of 
 the characteristics of a life so intimately blended 
 with the interests of our fraternity. 
 
 "Sir Knight Joseph Blodgett Paul was dubbed 
 and created a Knight of the valiant and magnani- 
 mous Order of Knights Templar in Damascus Com- 
 mandery on June 28, 1880, and on November 29, 
 1893, a summons came to him from the Supreme 
 Ruler of the Universe to join the valiant throng 
 on high; in that asylum, that house not made with 
 hands, eternal in the Heavens; and with a faith in 
 Him who doeth all tilings well, obeyed the Mas- 
 ter's call and entered into that rest, to which all 
 true and valiant Templars are awarded. 
 
 "Immediately upon joining our order, Sir Knight 
 Paul secured a uniform and became one of the ac- 
 tive workers in the Commandery, always wielding 
 his sword in defense of the cause in which he had 
 drawn it. He was elected to the station of Junior 
 Warden for 1881; rising in office, until 1884 he 
 was elected Eminent Commander. Sir Knight 
 Paul has ever been a faithful and earnest member, 
 filling several of the most important offices in the 
 order, and he will be greatly missed within our 
 ranks, for he was acknowledged to be a Christian 
 leader, and we as Masons will ever revere his mem- 
 ory and virtues, for he was an upright, faithful 
 Mason, a physician of eminence, an honor to man- 
 kind, a noble Christian, and a pillar of strength to 
 the fraternity. 
 
 "His pilgrimage is ended, and his warfare is 
 completed, and ere long the Angel of Death will 
 
 knock again at our doors to summon another, and 
 when that time shall come, let us hope that we 
 shall one and all be ready to meet at the Great 
 White Throne of Our Supreme Ruler, having 
 striven to advance the cause of purity and relig- 
 ion, we too maj' leave the world better because we 
 have lived." 
 
 "To the past go more dead faces 
 
 Every year; 
 As the loved leave vacant places 
 
 Every year; 
 
 Everywhere the sad eyes meet us, 
 In the evening's dusk they greet us. 
 And to come to them entreat us 
 
 Every year. 
 
 "But the truer life draws nigher 
 
 Every year; 
 And its morning star climbs higher 
 
 Every year; 
 
 Earth's hold on us grows slighter, 
 And the heavy burden lighter, 
 And the Dawn Immortal brighter 
 
 Every year." 
 
 H. A. COLLIXS, } 
 
 F. M. COPPEL, > Com. 
 
 ISAAC N. MITCHELL, ) 
 Approved December 12, 1893. 
 
 eW. MOORE is the proprietor and manager 
 of a first-class livery and feed stable in Bath, 
 where he has a good building, well and com- 
 fortably arranged. It affords shelter for a number 
 of fine horses, a good supply of buggies, carriages 
 and the various appurtenances belonging to the 
 business in which Mr. Moore is now well estab- 
 lished. He was born in Lynchburg Township, this 
 county, March 12, 1853, and is a son of John 
 Moore, whose birth occurred October 30, 1817, in 
 Tennessee. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared to farm pur- 
 suits, and alternated the duties of a farmer lad with 
 attendance at the district school. In the fall of 
 1837 he emigrated to this state and located on a 
 farm in Greene County, where his father had pur- 
 chased land. The latter was Thomas Moore, and 
 his wife Mrs. Sarah (Mitchell) Moore. They were
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 645 
 
 natives of Virginia and moved to Tennessee in 
 1816. They reared a family of seven sons and five 
 daughters, and departed this life soon after mov- 
 ing to Illinois, in 1842, within a day of each other. 
 The brothers and sisters of our subject's father 
 were William, James, Mercy, Tyrus, Thomas, Zach- 
 arias, Sarah, Mary, Nathaniel and Laura. 
 
 John Moore removed from Greene County to 
 this section in 1844, and located in Lynchburg 
 Township, where he purchased property and began 
 farm work. He had learned the trade of a mason 
 prior to coming hither, and followed the business 
 in connection with his farm duties during the 
 greater part of his life. lie was married January 
 15, 1848, to Miss Susan Bowen, who was born April 
 22, 1828, in Montgomery County, N. Y., and was 
 the daughter of Caleb and Rutli (Randall) Boweu, 
 also natives of the above county. Her parents, 
 who were born respectively in 1790 and 1792, 
 were married in April, 1815, and in 1835 they came 
 to Hancock County, this state, and farmed for five 
 years, when they moved into this county and pur- 
 chased land on which they spent the remaining 
 years of their life. The ten children of whom they 
 were the parents were: Peter, Catherine, Margaret, 
 Andrew, Julia Maria, Angelica, Susan, Nancy, 
 Christina V. and William H. 
 
 The parental family included eight children. 
 Sarah, who married William Sorff, resides in Lynch- 
 burg Township; Lovina became the wife of G. 
 Taylor; C. W., of this sketch, was the next in or- 
 der of birth; Mary E. married William Ketchum 
 and makes her home in this township; John E. 
 married Emma Deahn and is living in this state; 
 Susan E. died in July, 1881; Hattie J. is the wife 
 of George W. Lacy and resides in Bath; Francis 
 H. is single. 
 
 Our subject has spent his entire life in this 
 county, with the exception of the first six weeks 
 spent on earth. He attended the village school 
 and was married April 20, 1890, to Miss J. Work- 
 man, whose birtli occurred in Cass County, June 
 20, 1864. She was the daughter of Jesse and Julia 
 (Foster) Workman, also natives of that county, 
 who came to Mason County in 1872, where they 
 are now living in Bath Township. 
 
 To our subject and his wife has been born a son, 
 
 Clyde. Besides his livery stable, our subject owns 
 an eighty-acre farm in this township, which he has 
 placed under a high state of cultivation. He 
 identifies himself witli the Democratic party, and 
 has served his fellow-citizens in the capacity of 
 Constable for several terms. He is known and 
 respected for the honesty and sincerity of hischar- 
 acter, and has the friendship of the best men in 
 the community. 
 
 ;1LLIAM VINCENT BAILY. Tazewell 
 
 County is justly proud of her native- 
 born citizens who are honorably bearing 
 their share in sustaining her interests and extend- 
 ing her wealth. Among these is the subject of 
 this biographical review, who is one of the most 
 progressive and enlightened farmers of Dillon 
 Township, and also one of its largest land owners, 
 his possessions aggregating five hundred acres of 
 valuable land. 
 
 Our subject was born on the banks of the Mack- 
 inaw, in the above township, on the llth of March. 
 1831, and is the son of Dr. Jeremiah Baily, a 
 native of Chester Count}*, Pa., where his birth 
 occurred in 1805. There the grandfather, Vincent 
 Baily, was born, and thence he subsequently went 
 to Baltimore, Md., where the early life of our 
 subject's father was spent, and where he also en- 
 gaged in the drug business in company with his 
 uncle, George Baily. 
 
 Dr. Baily lias three brothers, the eldest of whom, 
 Samuel P., was an attorney, and coming to this 
 state in 1830, practiced law in Pekin until his de- 
 cease. Bernard, the next in order of birth, was 
 the first Mayor of Pekin, and is now residing in 
 Peoria, where he has held the office of Justice of 
 the Peace for thirty-five years. The other brother, 
 Isaac, died when in his twentieth year. 
 
 The father of our subject came to Illinois iu 
 1825, and after spending some time in Galena, re- 
 moved to Pekin, and was engaged in the mer- 
 cantile business in that city for several years 
 in company with David Bailey, who, although 
 bearing the same name, was in no way related to 
 him. When retiring from business life in Pekin 
 he removed to Dillon Township, and soon after-
 
 646 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ward erected on his farm a saw and grist tread- 
 mill, run by oxen, which he operated for three or 
 four years. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married about 
 1829, the maiden name of the mother being Mir- 
 iam Brown. She was born in Lancaster County, 
 Pa., in 1805, and was the daughter of William 
 and Rachel Brown, prominent Quakers in that 
 state. The mother of our subject had several 
 brothers, of whom Isaiah went to California in 
 1852, and there died, leaving a family. Joshua 
 makes his home near Bloomington, this state; 
 Milner became one of the wealthy men of this 
 county, and at his death left a large fortune to 
 his only child, Mary, who is now Mrs. S. D. 
 Wood. Daniel, who also became very wealthy, 
 was killed by a mad bull, and his widow, Mrs. 
 A. L. Brown, lives on the estate left to the two 
 sons. One of Mrs. Baily's sisters, Hester, married 
 J. W. Fell, who was the founder of the Blooming- 
 ton Pantagrapli. For a more complete history of 
 the Brown family the reader is referred to the 
 sketch of Daniel or Milner Brown, elsewhere in 
 this volume. 
 
 Dr. Jeremiah Baily also crossed the plains to 
 California in 1852, but returned soon after. He 
 departed this life in 1880, and was followed to 
 the better land by his good wife in 1881. Our 
 subject was the eldest of four brothers, of whom 
 Joshua served as a soldier in the late war as a 
 member of the Seventy-third Illinois Infantry. 
 At the battle of Chickamauga he was shot in the 
 neck, and although he was thought to have been 
 mortally wounded, it was but six weeks until he 
 was back in the ranks. He served until the close 
 of the war, and was First Lieutenant of his com- 
 pany. After peace was established, he went to 
 southern Missouri, where he purchased a large 
 tract of land and died several years ago, leaving 
 a wife with two children. Another brother, Jo- 
 seph, also removed to Missouri about that time, 
 and still makes his home there. Cyrus, who was 
 likewise a member of the Seventy-third Illinois 
 Infantry, is living at Lincoln, Neb. The three 
 sisters of our subject are Eliza, Mrs. Jesse Black- 
 burn, who lived and died at Normal; Frances, 
 the wife of William Haines, residing in Missouri; 
 
 and Rachel, who married James Davis and is liv- 
 ing in Carthage, Mo. 
 
 In his youth our subject was a student in the 
 college at Galesburg. He has been a resident of 
 this county during his entire life, with the ex- 
 ception of a few years when he lived in Warren 
 County, and was engaged in running a sawmill. 
 While living in the latter count}', he was married, 
 March 2, 1852, to Miss Bethania C. Ferguson, 
 who was born in Oxford, Butler Count}', Ohio, 
 May 27, 1832. Her father, Rev. William Finley 
 Ferguson, D. D., was born July 24, 1804, and be- 
 came a minister of the Presbyterian Church. He 
 was a graduate of Miami University, at Oxford, 
 Ohio, in which he afterward became Professor of 
 Mathematics, and the degree of Doctor of Divin- 
 ity was conferred upon him by this school. At 
 his death, in 1853, he was President of McDon- 
 ough College, at Macomb, this state. 
 
 The mother of Mrs. Baily, prior to her marriage, 
 was Miss Salome Snow, .and she was born in Barn- 
 stable County, Mass., July 7, 1804. Her parents 
 reared a family of sixteen children, thirteen of 
 whom attained mature years and married. Mrs. 
 Ferguson died in 1835, when her daughter, Mrs. 
 B. F. Baily, was only three years of age. The 
 latter had four sisters, and her only brother, Jo- 
 seph, died in infancy. Sophronia Snow Ferguson 
 was born in 1827, and when twenty years of age 
 was married to Rev. Reuben S. Monroe, a Baptist 
 preacher at Thornton, Ind. They are both now 
 deceased. Mary C. was born in 1829, and died 
 in Monmouth, this state, in 1851. Lydia Ann, 
 born in 1834, was married in 1853, in the above 
 place, to James Brown, and died many years ago. 
 
 The wife of our subject had the advantages of 
 a good education, becoming fluent in the use of 
 French, and also studying Greek. Commencing 
 life with nothing, Mr. Baily has by industry and 
 economy accumulated a large estate, the greater 
 portion of which he rents. Though advanced in 
 years he is constantly at work, and has given 
 special attention to stock-raising, having upon his 
 place some very line animals. In his political be- 
 lief he has voted with the Republican party since 
 its organization, but in no sense has been an office- 
 seeker.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 647 
 
 Of the nine children born to our subject and 
 his wife, only six are living. Milner Brown, born 
 in Dillon Township, December 23, 1852, was mar- 
 ried, in 1880, to Miss Laura Kurd; he is a gradu- 
 ate of the Iowa State University, and is a promi- 
 nent attorney in Dunlap, that state. Eva V., born 
 August 14, 1856, was married in 1880 to Allen 
 II. Taylor, a prominent merchant of Delavan, and 
 they have two children, Reuben Brown and Anna 
 L. Daniel Brown was born August 4, 1857, and 
 died March 8, 1860. Miriam, born April 30, 1861, 
 became in 1882 the wife of Thomas II. McKinstry 
 who died in California in 1883; in 1888 she mar- 
 ried Charles L. Waltmire, a lumberman living in 
 Delavan. William Ferguson was born October 7, 
 1863, and died March 21, 1864. Mary Fergu- 
 son, whose birth occurred April 21, 1865, died 
 March 21, 1866. Vernon Vincent, born July 26, 
 1867, married in 1888, Mary, daughter of Thomas 
 Pawson, of Delavan Township, and is now the 
 owner and occupant of a farm adjoining that of 
 his father; they have three children: Pawson H., 
 Clifford V. and Reuben W. Henry Snow, born 
 November 12, 1870, married in February, 1893, 
 Miss Jessie, daughter of Jerome Baily,of Delavan, 
 and resides upon a farm west of that city. Kffle 
 Sophronia was born November 30, 1873, and is 
 at home witli her parents. 
 
 ,,.( DAM LIST stands among the foremost of 
 the successful farmers who have contrib- 
 
 lii uted so greatly to the development of 
 Mason County. His interest is centered 
 in Crane Creek Township, where he has six hun- 
 dred and forty acres of land, which is one of the 
 largest and best managed farms in this part of the 
 state. He is actively and successfully engaged in 
 its cultivation, and for many years has reaped 
 handsome profits from his stock interests. 
 
 Mr. List was born January 27, 1835, in Bedford 
 County, Pa., and is the son of Lewis List, a native 
 of Germany, who on emigrating to America located 
 in the Keystone State. In 1835 the father crossed 
 the country to this state, making his home at first 
 
 in Peoria. Later he located on the farm in Taze- 
 well County, which he entered from the Govern- 
 ment, paying for it $1.25 per acre. He improved 
 eight}' acres of this tract and resided on it until 
 his decease in about 1846. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Catherine 
 (Gaeble) List, was also born in the Fatherland, 
 whence she came to America when in her twenty- 
 fifth year. Like her husband she too made her 
 home in Pennsylvania, and after her marriage ac- 
 companied him on his various removals, departing 
 this life in this state, when in her seventy-fifth 
 year. She reared a family of eight sons. Her 
 only daughter died when an infant. 
 
 He of whom we write is the second child in 
 order of birth of his parents' family, and was only 
 three months old when the removal was made to 
 Peoria. When a lad of eleven years he began to 
 make his own way in the world, and worked out 
 by the month on farms. He was engaged at this 
 a short time, however, when, in company with his 
 brothers, he began the improvement and cultiva- 
 tion of the land which his father had entered from 
 the Government, in Tazewell County. 
 
 In October, 1861, Adam List was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Elizabeth Kile, a native of Taze- 
 well County. After their union the young couple 
 located on a farm of one hundred acres which now 
 comprises a portion of our subject's valuable es- 
 tate. He has prosecuted Ins calling with good suc- 
 cess, adding to his farm from time to time and 
 placing it under good improvements. He now 
 has six hundred and forty acres, and from its well 
 cultivated, highly productive fields, reaps rich har- 
 vests in compensation for the toil and care ex- 
 pended. He has watched the growth of his town- 
 ship with pleasure, promoting it in his capacity of 
 an energetic agriculturist. The land is divided 
 into two bodies, one-half of it lying in Salt Creek 
 Township and the remainder in Crane Creek Town- 
 ship, on which is located the farm residence. This 
 was built in 1878 at a cost of $3,000. Mr. List has 
 also placed convenient barns and outbuildings on 
 his estate, and gives considerable attention to stock 
 breeding. 
 
 The three sons and three daughters comprised 
 in the household of our subject and his wife are,
 
 648 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Charles F., a farmer of Salt Creek Township; Julia 
 E., at home with her parents; Lewis A., an agri- 
 culturist living in Crane Creek Township; E. J., a 
 veterinary surgeon located in Havana; Katie M. 
 and Matilda M. M., residing at home. Prior to 
 his advent into this county our subject had learned 
 the carpenter trade and also for some time oper- 
 ated a threshing machine. He is truly a self- 
 made man, and unlimited praise is rightfully be- 
 stowed upon him for the noble manner which he 
 has battled with the trials and privations that the 
 poor are compelled to endure. Political!}', he has 
 been a life long Democrat and served as School 
 Director for a quarter of a century. 
 
 W. TAYLOR, a farmer and stock-raiser 
 residing on section 7, Allen's Grove Town- 
 ship, Mason County, is the son of Joseph 
 and Lucinda (Houchin) Taylor, natives of 
 Kentucky, who, removing to Indiana, there met 
 and married. In April, 1851, they came to Illinois, 
 the trip being made with ox-teams and consuming 
 eighteen days. Arriving in Mason County they 
 settled in Allen's Grove Township. Like the 
 majority of the pioneers who came to this section, 
 they were poor in purse, but rich in energy and 
 hope for the future. Their first property con- 
 sisted of one hundred and sixty acres of swamp 
 land, entered from the Government in 1851. 
 
 After preparing a home for the family, Mr. 
 Taylor's next task was to keep the proverbial wolf 
 from the door. In order to do this he engaged in 
 breaking prairie for others, while B. W., the eldest 
 of the children, raised the first crop, which con- 
 sisted of ten acres of corn. In those early days 
 the mother wove the cloth, from which she after- 
 ward made the garments worn by the family. 
 Industry nnd energy resulted in the acquisition of 
 a valuable property, and at one time the father 
 owned eleven hundred acres of choice farm land. 
 In the family of Joseph and Lucinda Taylor 
 there were ten children, of whom the following 
 survive: B. W.; John; Melinda, who is married 
 and lives in Mason County; Lucy, also a resident 
 
 of this county, and Melissa J., of Mason City. 
 The mother of these children is deceased; the 
 father, now seventy-two years of age, makes his 
 home in Mason City. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Harriet E. Hill, who was born in 
 Scott Count}', 111., August 6, 1850. She is one of 
 ten children comprising the family of William 
 and Mildred (Mason) Hill. Five of the number 
 are now living: Cynthia, Sarah, Louisa, John and 
 Harriet. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are the parents of 
 six children, as follows: Harry, who married Miss 
 Fanny Dowell, and lives in Allen's Grove Town- 
 ship; R. A., who is telegraph operator for the 
 Chicago & Alton Railroad at Mason City; Char- 
 les L., Benjamin W., Jr., who married Miss Flora 
 B. Hess, and lives in Allen's Grove Township; 
 Joseph and Bessie, who reside with their parents. 
 The children have been given the best advantages 
 for obtaining good educations, and have received 
 such home training as will make them honored 
 citizens of any community where they may reside. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Taylor afliliates with the Demo- 
 crats, and has held the position of Supervisor for 
 five years. He has also served as Collector, Road 
 Commissioner, School Director and Trustee, and as 
 a public servant has given entire satisfaction to the 
 people. He is one of the large land owners of 
 the county, having two hundred and sixty acres in 
 the home farm land, and three hundred and eighty- 
 seven acres on sections 5 and 6, township 21, 
 range 5, and section 31, township 22, range 5. 
 Upon starting out in life, he was given by his 
 father seventy-four acres, which formed the nu- 
 cleus of his present broad possessions. 
 
 In connection with Capt. S. Bivens and E. 
 Starrett, our subject was instrumental in securing 
 the ditching of the big swamp in Mason and 
 Tazewell Counties. He signed the bond to guar- 
 antee the payment of the expense of districting, 
 surveying, and paying the court providing the 
 enterprise failed. ]t did not, however, fail, but 
 has proved to be one of the most beneficial im- 
 provements, whether of a public or private nature, 
 in this section of the state. It has converted 
 thousands of acres of once waste and worthless 
 land into productive property, and too much
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 649 
 
 praise cannot be bestowed upon the gentlemen to 
 whose persistent efforts, in the face of all opposi- 
 tion, is due the success of the enterprise. 
 
 J~|OHN SHREFFLER KENNELLY, M. D., 
 who is now successfully engaged iu the 
 practice of medicine in Easton, has the 
 honor of being a native of Illinois, for he 
 was born in Plainfield, Will Count}', this state, on 
 the 10th of August, 1853. His father, Daniel 
 Kennelly, was born in Pennsylvania in 1811, and 
 came of an old family of that state. His mother, 
 who bore the maiden name of Sarah Goist, was 
 born in the Keystone State in 1819, and was a 
 daughter of Henry Goist. Her death occurred in 
 1888, but Mr. Kennelly is still living, his home 
 being in Joliet. Their seven children are all yet 
 living, namely: Henry G., Winfield S., Samuel M., 
 John S., Mrs. Sarah J. Soper, Mrs. Doubbleline 
 Bischman, and Frank C. The eldest son entered 
 the army when sixteen years of age as a member 
 of the Forty-sixth Illinois Infantry, was made 
 Sergeant, afterwards became Second Lieutenant, 
 and later served as Adjutant on the staff of a 
 general. He was in the service throughout the 
 entire war. 
 
 We now take up the personal history of Dr. 
 Kennelly, knowing that it will prove of interest 
 to many of our readers. He was reared in his 
 native county, and his early education, acquired in 
 the common schools was supplemented by study in 
 the high school of Plainfield, and in Naperville 
 College. In 1876 he came to Mason County, 
 where he engaged in teaching school. Wishing to 
 enter the medical profession and make its practice 
 his life work, he began studying with Dr. J. W. 
 Downey, of Topeka, 111. Subsequently he at- 
 tended a course of lectures at the College of 
 Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, and 
 was graduated from that institution in the Class 
 of '80. In June of the same year he opened an 
 office in Easton, and lias since been continuously 
 engaged in practice in this place. 
 
 Dr. Kennelly was united in marriage in June, 
 
 1882, with Miss Fannie McReynolds, a daughter of 
 John M. McReynolds, who is living in Quiver 
 Township, Mason County. The lady was born on 
 the 28th of August, 1853, in this county, and was 
 educated in the Female College of Jacksonville, 
 after which she engaged in teaching school for a 
 time. To the Doctor and his wife were born two 
 children, Frank Clair, who was born March 21, 
 1883; and Fred Herald, who died February 28, 
 1890, at the age of four years and seven months. 
 The parents are both members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and are numbered among the 
 best citizens of this community. 
 
 Dr. Kennelly is a Knight Templar Mason, 
 belonging to the Blue Lodge of Mason City, and 
 to the Chapter Commandery of Havana. In 
 politics he is a supporter of the men and measures 
 of the Republican party. He has served as Pres- 
 ident of the School Board, is a member of the 
 Brainard District Medical Society, of which he 
 served as President in 1883, and also belongs to the 
 State Medical Society. He has often furnished 
 contributions to medical journals, and has several 
 times prepared and read papers before the medical 
 societies. He is now enjoying a good practice, 
 which has been won through his skill and ability, 
 and in the line of his profession in Mason County, 
 he occupies a high position. 
 
 ILTON S. McCLINTICK, Supervisor of 
 Crane Creek Township, Mason County, 
 and the owner of property on section 24, 
 was born in Tazewell County, 111., May 16, 
 His father, George S., was a native of 
 Virginia, and thence was brought to Illinois by his 
 parents at the age of two years, growing to man- 
 hood in Tazewell County. Grandfather Robert 
 McClintick, a native of the Old Dominion, came 
 to Illinois about 1836, and became one of the 
 early settlers of Tazewell County. Our subject's 
 mother, Sarah J., was born in Ohio, but was reared 
 in Missouri and Illinois. She died at the age of 
 about fifty years. 
 
 Our subject is the younger of two children 
 comprising the family of George S. McClintick. 
 
 1863.
 
 650 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 He came to Mason County at the age of five 
 years, and was afterward a student in the schools 
 of the home locality. In the fall of 1884, he 
 settled on the place where he now resides. Sep- 
 tember 21, 1887, he married Miss Sophia E. Berger, 
 a native of Mason County, 111., and a daughter of 
 William and Mary Berger. They are the parents 
 of three children, Bessie L., Clyde and Seth. 
 
 The farm occupied and operated by Mr. McClin- 
 tick consists of one hundred and forty acres of 
 valuable land, upon which have been placed 
 suitable improvements. In the public affairs of 
 the county he takes an intelligent interest, and 
 gives his support to all measures for the benefit of 
 the people. In 1893, he was elected upon the 
 Republican ticket to the office of Township Super- 
 visor, and he has since served acceptably in that 
 office. Socially he affiliates with the Knights of 
 Pythias, belonging to Lodge No. 213, at Mason 
 City. 
 
 W* . 
 
 C. HARL. The journalistic profession is 
 one of such peculiar nature, so complicated 
 in its literary and business channels, that 
 to call a man an editor has become equiva- 
 lent to saying that he is apt in speech, acute in 
 perception and well versed in mind. In this age 
 of the world an uneducated man cannot conduct 
 a paper even in what might be called the "back 
 woods," and much less in the midst of an en- 
 lightened community, who demand that their 
 local papers shall be spicy, newsy and readable. 
 All these characteristics are true of the Bath 
 Sentinel, which is edited by the subject of this bio- 
 graphical notice. 
 
 Our subject was born in Metamora, Woodford 
 County, this state, September 21, 1861, and is the 
 son of G. L. Ilarl, whose birth occurred July 12, 
 1825, in Loudoun County, Va. The latter came 
 with his parents to Beardstown. this state, their 
 family including eight children. The paternal 
 grandparents of our subject, James and Susan F. 
 (Shoemaker) Ilarl, were, natives respectively of 
 Wales and Virginia. The time of their removal 
 to this state was in the fall of 1833, and the father 
 
 died the following year. His family resided in 
 Beardstown for about six years, and in 1840 
 located in Jacksonville, where the father of our 
 subject learned the printer's trade, working in the 
 office "Goudy on the weather." 
 
 After spending nine months in the above city, 
 G. L. Harl went to St. Louis, where he thoroughly 
 mastered the art preservative in the office of the 
 St. Louis Republic, and soon thereafter took up his 
 abode in Peoria, this state, working on the Inde- 
 pendent. To him belongs the distinction of having 
 done the first job work in the city. About 1856 
 he moved to Tiskilwa, where he engaged in the 
 publication of the Tiskilwa Independent about one 
 year, after which he published the Galva Watch- 
 man for six months. Upon selling the latter paper 
 he returned to Peoria, and was employed on the 
 Transcript until the fall of 1861, when he removed 
 with his family to Metamora, finding employment 
 in the office of the Sentinel. In 1866, in company 
 with Thomas L. Powers, he purchased that plant, 
 and they continued to publish the paper together 
 until 1877. That year Mr. Harl bought his part- 
 ner's interest, and was engaged in the publishing 
 business until his decease, July 12, 1891. 
 
 The lady whom G. L. Harl married March 12, 
 1860, was Miss Eliza Thurlow. She was born in 
 London, England, and was a daughter of James 
 and Ann (Golden) Thurlow, also natives of that 
 city. Mrs. Harl came with her father and three, 
 brothers to America, and in the spring of 1847 
 located with them in Peoria. Her mother had 
 previously died in London, and her father de- 
 parted this life two years after coming to the New 
 World. Mrs. Ilarl is still living, and makes her 
 home in Bath with her two sons and daughter, 
 Harry, Ilervcy and Jennie T. Mary C., the other 
 member of the family, was born in 1864, and died 
 two years later. 
 
 Harry C., of this sketch, learned the trade of a 
 printer in his father's office in Metamora, and 
 entered upon that business in 1877. On his 
 father's death, in 1891, he took charge of the paper, 
 and conducted it until December of that year, 
 when he sold the plant, but again purchased it in 
 June, 1892. That year he moved to Washington 
 and with a partner began the publication of the
 
 LlbKAItt 
 Of (Hi 
 
 umvtKsm of
 
 ISAAC REED.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 653 
 
 Washington Herald. The following November he 
 moved to Bath and established the Sentinel, the 
 increasing circulation of which indicates that its 
 editor has ability for journalism. 
 
 ISAAC REED. In all the broad expanse of 
 the Mississippi Valley no finer farms are to 
 be found than those which are located in 
 the Prairie State. The agriculturists of this state 
 are generally men of energy and good judgment, 
 under whose careful management the fertile soil 
 yields abundant^' of golden grain and various 
 fruits in their season. In Mason County, Allen's 
 Grove Township is not behind other sections 
 in attractive and remunerative farms. One of 
 these is occupied by the subject of this sketch and 
 comprises six hundred and eighty acres. 
 
 A native of Pennsylvania, our subject was born 
 in Franklin County November 15, 1826, and is 
 a son of Jacob and Margaret (Gunter) Ueed, 
 both of whom were born in the Keystone State. 
 In the family there were nine children, eight of 
 whom are still living, viz.: Ephraim, Frederick, 
 Isaac, Mary, Sarah, Margaret, Elizabeth and Cath- 
 erine. Solomon died after arriving at manhood. 
 At the age of about ten years our subject went 
 to the home of his grandfather, where he lived 
 for seven years. He then proceeded to Strasburg, 
 near which place he spent two years in learning 
 the milling trade. Later he was employed for 
 two years at his trade in Pennsylvania, whence he 
 removed to Ohio in 1848, and stopping at Day- 
 ton, worked in a mill there until 1850. 
 
 During that year Mr. Reed came to Illinois, 
 and in Springfield worked at his trade for about 
 eighteen months. From there he removed to 
 Tazewell County, where he was employed in a 
 mill for six years. He then came to his present 
 home in Allen's Grove Township, Mason County. 
 His first purchase consisted of one hundred and 
 twenty acres of unimproved land. This he had 
 broken prior to coming hither, and after settling 
 here at once began the work of improvement and 
 cultivation. As he was prospered, he added to 
 
 his first purchase until he now owns six hundred 
 and eighty acres of the best land in the state. 
 The entire tract has been placed under cultiva- 
 tion, and the home farm is embellished with a 
 commodious residence and outbuildings suitable 
 for the storage of grain and the shelter of stock. 
 Of the latter he keeps a goodly number con- 
 stantly on the farm. 
 
 In October, 1846, Mr. Reed was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Catherine, daughter of Andrew 
 and Catherine (Kinnard) Hanegan. They were 
 the parents of two children, the elder of whom, 
 Jacob A., is deceased. The younger, Leonard, 
 was born in Franklin County, Pa., in April, 1848, 
 and married Miss Henrietta L. McCollough. by 
 whom he has three living children: J. I., Charles 
 and Kennith L. He and his family reside on 
 section 10, Allen's Grove Township. In religious 
 belief Mr. Reed is liberal, but contributes to the 
 support of the Presbyterian Church, of which his 
 wife is an active member. In politics he is a 
 Democrat, and for a number of years served as 
 Assessor and Supervisor of Allen's Grove Town- 
 ship, in which positions he rendered satisfactory 
 service. As a successful agriculturist, a reliable 
 citizen and an honorable man, he is regarded with 
 respect by his fellow-men, particularly in the 
 township where so many years of his life have 
 been spent, and where he is so well known. 
 
 X G. SPARROW, a well known agri- 
 culturist of Hopedale Township, Tazewell 
 County, was born in Logan County, Ky., 
 March 25, 1825. His father, Elias Sparrow, was 
 born in Maryland, but went to Kentucky when a 
 youth of fifteen with his father, who was also a 
 native of Maryland. The Sparrows are of English 
 lineage. In 1827 the family came to Illinois, lo- 
 cating on the Mackinaw River not far from the 
 present farm of our subject, to which they removed 
 after a short time. The father was in limited cir- 
 cumstances, and although a settlement had been 
 made upon Government land, it was still subject to 
 entry and in this way lie lost his farm. A few 
 } r ears later, however, Felix purchased the place and
 
 654 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 continued to make their home thereon during their 
 remaining days. The mother bore the maiden 
 name of Nancy Barker, and was also a native of 
 Kentucky. 
 
 In the Sparrow family were fourteen children, 
 of whom Felix was the ninth in order of birth; 
 with the exception of two all grew to mature years. 
 James M. and Spencer B. both died of measles in 
 the Civil War. Only three of the family are now 
 living : Emily, who is the wife of William Hod- 
 son, of Hopedale Township, and Adeline, Mrs. Kerr. 
 
 Mr. Sparrow of this sketch had but limited 
 school privileges, but his train ing at farm labor was 
 not meagre. From an earl}' age he was inured to 
 arduous work, and throughout life he has carried 
 on agricultural pursuits. He has been twice mar- 
 ried. He wedded Elizabeth Bright, who died 
 leaving four children, of whom three are yet living: 
 Mrs. Lavina Morrow, of Nebraska; Benjamin, of 
 Farmer City, 111.; John, a farmer of Boynton 
 Township, and Mrs. Emily Louisa Sands, who re- 
 moved to southwestern Kansas, where her death 
 occurred. 
 
 In the fall of 1859, Mr. Sparrow married his 
 present wife. She bore the maiden name of Mar- 
 garet Lucy Hannah, and was the widow of James 
 Morris. Her father, Newton Hannah, was born in 
 Nashville, Tenn., and was a pioneer of Gallatin 
 County, 111. He married Ellen Crawford, a native 
 of that county, and removed to Brown County, 
 Kan., where his last days were passed. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Sparrow were born eleven children, nine yet 
 living. Serena became the wife of John Henshaw 
 and died leaving one child. Alma is the wife of 
 William Smalley, of Hopedale Township. Llewel- 
 lyn is at home. Ida is the wife of Freeman Smal- 
 ley, of Hopedale Township, by whom she has three 
 children, Harvey, Glenn and Clifford. Laura G. 
 is the wife of Harvey Hess, an agriculturist, and 
 they have a daughter, Lottie. Lucy is the wife of 
 William Smalley, of Hopedale. Maggie is the wife 
 of Charles Smalley, who follows farming near 
 Hopedale, and they have one child, Dot. Julian 
 and Daisy complete the family. Three sisters of 
 the Sparrow family married three brothers of the 
 Smalley family, and one daughter married an uncle 
 of the three Smalleys above mentioned. Mrs. 
 
 Sparrow had two brothers, William and James, who 
 were in the Civil War, and died from the effects 
 of their service. 
 
 Mr. Sparrow has filled several local offices, and 
 has long been recognized as one of the valued and 
 highl}' respected citizens of the community. For 
 more than forty years he has been a member of the 
 Christian Church; his wife is a Presbyterian and 
 his children belong to the Methodist Church. He 
 has also been a Mason for many years. In politics 
 he was formerly a Whig, but has been a Republi- 
 can since the organization of the party. 
 
 IIILIP S. RIPPER. One of the fine farms 
 of Tazewell County is situated in Cin- 
 cinnati Township, and is owned and oper- 
 ated by the subject of this sketch, one of 
 the progressive and capable agriculturists of the 
 community. He is of German birth, having been 
 born in Hesse-Darmstadt, October 8, 1837. The 
 family of which he is a representative was one of 
 prominence in that province. His grandfather, 
 Peter Ripper, Sr., was born in the same locality 
 and was a shoemaker by trade. He passed away at 
 the age of about seventy years in the faith of the 
 Lutheran Church, of which he had long been a 
 devoted member. 
 
 In the family of Grandfather Ripper there were 
 five children, viz.: John, Philip, Leonard, Peter 
 and Maggie, the latter becoming the wife of Peter 
 Getz. The father of our subject, Peter Ripper, 
 received a common-school education in his native 
 land, and under his father's instruction learned 
 the trade of a shoemaker. At the age of twenty- 
 one he married Miss Maggie, daughter of Daniel 
 and Caroline Conrad, and after his marriage began 
 the cultivation of a farm of forty-three acres. For 
 many years he was an incumbent of school and 
 village offices, and in his religious belief supported 
 the doctrines of the Lutheran Church. His deatli 
 occurred at the age of forty-seven, while his wife 
 passed away when fifty-four years old. They 
 reared five sons and three daughters, as follows: 
 Catherine, who married Martin Webber; Leonhard; 
 Peter, a soldier in the Old Country; George; Philip,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 655 
 
 of this sketch; Adam, whose home is iu St. Louis; 
 Maggie, deceased; and Lizzie, who married and 
 is now deceased. 
 
 At the age of fourteen years Philip S. Ripper 
 commenced to learn the trade of a tailor, at 
 which he served an apprenticeship of three years, 
 and afterward followed the trade in the Old 
 Country about two years. In 1857 he emigrated 
 to the United States in company with a brother, 
 reaching this country with but a few dollars in 
 his possession. He came at once to Pekin, arriv- 
 ing in this city in August of the same year. After 
 working at his trade for six months, he was em- 
 ployed in a blacksmith shop for one and one-half 
 years, and then worked on a farm for John Shafer, 
 receiving $150 and board per year. After two 
 and a-half years thus spent, he began the cultiva- 
 tion of rented land, and two years later bought 
 one hundred and twenty acres of improved and 
 fifteen acres of timber land, where he now lives. 
 The place cost $4,500, and as he was unable to 
 pay cash for it, he was obliged to incur a heavy 
 indebtedness. As time passed by, however, he 
 was able not only to pay off the debt, but also to 
 add to his possessions, which at the present time 
 aggregate three hundred and fifteen acres. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. Ripper married Miss Eva, daughter 
 of Philip and Eva (Shafer) Scherer. Mrs. Ripper 
 was born in Germany, and at the age of about 
 two years was brought to America by her parents. 
 She was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church, 
 which at her death, in January, 1881, lost one of 
 its valued members. Nine children blessed this 
 union, two of whom died in childhood. The 
 others are John, William, Peter, Philip, Jr., Mary, 
 George and Eva. They have received excellent 
 educations, both in the German and English lan- 
 guages, thus becoming fitted for honorable posi- 
 tions in life. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Ripper is a stanch Democrat. 
 He has served as School Director and School Trus- 
 tee, and for three years lilled the position of 
 Township Collector. Later he was chosen Super- 
 visor of the township, in which capacity he has 
 served for ten years. In him the Lutheran Church 
 has one of its active workers; he officiated as its 
 Treasurer for ten years, and as Secretary for a 
 
 number of years. His daughter Mary has kept 
 house for him since she was twelve years of age, 
 and is a lady of more than ordinary ability, her 
 success as a housekeeper and cook being univer- 
 sally recognized in the community. The family 
 is one of prominence in socially circles, and its 
 members enjoy the esteem of all with whom they 
 come in contact. 
 
 A. NICHOLS, the well known editor of 
 the Manito Express has the honor of be- 
 ing a native of Illinois, his birth having 
 occurred in Vermont, this state, on the 
 14th of July, 1870. His father, W. II. Nichols, 
 was born in New York about 1842, and was a 
 harness-maker by trade. Having arrived at years 
 of maturity, he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Virginia (Dairy) Morrison, of Havana, 111., where 
 they have since resided. Their union was blessed 
 with three children, who are yet living, and they 
 lost two: S. J., now makes his home in Peoria; 
 and Mrs. Olive (Turner) Spink, who is living in 
 Havana, and has one child by her first husband 
 and one by her second. 
 
 Our subject spent the days of his boyhood and 
 youth under the parental roof, and was educated 
 in the public schools. At the age of fifteen, he 
 started out to make his own way in the world, and 
 began learning the printer's trade in the office of 
 the Republican, of Havana, where he spent three 
 years. He was next employed in the office of the 
 Mason County Democrat, where he remained for 
 nearly a year, when he went to Toulon, Stark 
 County, and worked for one year. Returning 
 home on the expiration of that period, he was then 
 once more employed in the office of the Havana Re- 
 publican, and continued his connection therewith 
 until 1893. 
 
 On the 19th of August, of that year, Mr. Nichols 
 was united in marriage with Miss E. May Havens, 
 daughter of John and Eva Havens. Her father 
 was a native of New York, and was a farmer by 
 occupation in his early days. After his marriage, 
 our subject came to Manito, and bought out the
 
 656 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Manito Express, of which he is still editor and pro- 
 prietor. It is a five-column quarto, published 
 weekly, and is an interesting and newsy sheet, 
 which receives from the public a liberal patronage, 
 which is well deserved. The editor is a young 
 man, but he handles his business interests with 
 ability, which argues well for his success in future 
 life. A pleasant, genial gentleman, he has already 
 made many warm friends in Manito. 
 
 ARIUS WHITE ORENDORFF, one of 
 the representative farmers of Tazewell 
 County, now living in Hopedale Town- 
 ship, has a wide acquaintance in this 
 community, and we feel assured that this record 
 of his life will prove of interest to many of our 
 readers. 
 
 D. W. Orendorff is Corresponding Secretary for 
 the American Orendorff Reunion Association. 
 There are ten branches of the Orendorff family in 
 America. The grandparents of the branch from 
 which the pioneers of Tazewell County originated 
 were born and married in Prussia, Germany. 
 Christian Ohrendorf, Sr., born November 15, 1726, 
 was a military officer of high rank in Germany, 
 and married Elizabeth Miller, a Countess. A few 
 years later, with his family and a brother, he emi- 
 grated to America, and settled in Lancaster Coun- 
 ty, Pa., about the middle of that century. About 
 1765, lie moved to Sharpsburg, Md., and bought 
 large tracts of land in Maryland and Virginia, 
 lie built extensive flouring-mills on the Big Anti- 
 etam, where he managed his plantation and en- 
 gaged in milling until his death, December 10, 
 1797. 
 
 His early training, thorough knowledge of 
 human nature, and his position in life made 
 Christian Ohrendorf a very useful and influential 
 member of the Colonies, before, during, and after 
 their independence. Three of his sons fought 
 through the war, and lived to enjoy the fruits of 
 their labors. He was the father of five sons and 
 six daughters. His third son, Christian Ohrendorf, 
 
 Jr., who was a General in the Revolution, married 
 Anna Maria Stille, an English lad}', and died at 
 Martinsburg, W.Va.; some of his descendants live at 
 Hagerstown, Md., and Washington, D. C.; his son 
 Perry fought under Gen. W. H. Harrison, at Ft. 
 Meigs. The second son, Henry Ohrendorf, was 
 taken prisoner by the British, and during his im- 
 prisonment, in the absence of the officer, married 
 said officer's daughter; his last and permanent 
 location was Shepherdstown, Va. 
 
 John Ohrendorf, the bachelor son of Christian 
 Ohrendorf, Sr., and the Nirarod of the family, moved 
 to Kentucky on horse-back, with his gun, hounds, 
 and horn in hand, by which he announced his 
 approach some time before reaching his brother 
 Christopher's camp; he died in Logan County, 
 Ky., in 1807. Jacob Ohrendorf married Susan 
 Miller, and received by will the home plantation, 
 mills, and stock, with a reserve of one-third for 
 his mother, Elizabeth Ohrendorf, and his grand- 
 mother, Elizabeth Cophaver. Among the provis- 
 ions of the will is one, that the other "sons had 
 received their full Legacies," and another for 
 the sale, of his land in the District of Columbia, 
 a part of which is now occupied by the Baltimore 
 & Ohio Railroad, the proceeds to be paid to, and 
 equalize " The Legacies of his six daughters." The 
 majority of the descendants of Jacob Ohrendorf re- 
 side in Maryland. Many of them have been, and are 
 now prominent men in Baltimore and Washington, 
 D. C. Recent extracts from the German Reformed 
 Church Records of Hagerstown, Md., show that 
 a number of Henry, Christian, Jr., and Jacob 
 Ohrendorf's children were baptized there between 
 the years 1795 and 1806. 
 
 Of the six daughters of Christian Ohrendorf, 
 Sr., the following is noted; Margaret, born in 
 German}' in 1747, was given by her father a large 
 tract of land on the Little Antietam. After 
 young Jacob Hess completed the mills for Ilerr 
 Ohrendorf, on the Big Antietam, he took Peggy to 
 wife, and with her fled to the land of Little 
 Antietam, where he built a large dwelling, Swiss 
 barn, and flour-mill. Margaret died in 1813, 
 Jacob in 1814, leaving a large family. Elizabeth 
 Ohrendorf married Peter Stille, an Englishman, 
 and they remained until death on their farm near
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 657 
 
 Braddock, Frederick County, Md. Some of the 
 descendants live in Frederick County, a number in 
 Washington, D. C., and many in the west. Barbara 
 Ohrendorf married a Mr. Keagan in 1799, and they 
 resided near Uagerstown, Md. Catharine married 
 John Rohrer, and moved to Logan County, Ky. 
 Their descendants live in Kentucky, Illinois, and 
 many of the Western States. Rose was born on the 
 31st of January, 1780, married Jacob RohreY, March 
 30, 1799, and moved to Frankfort, Ky., their family 
 keeping pace witli emigration. Mary Magdahne, 
 the belle and beauty of her day, rejected a pro- 
 posal of marriage from Gen. Horatio Gates, on the 
 grounds that he was as old as her father. Capt. 
 Jonathan Hager, Jr., more fortunate, was accepted 
 the next day. Captain Hager died, December 18, 
 1798, leaving his beautiful widow with one child, 
 Elizabeth, and a very large estate. Luther Martin, 
 the most distinguished lawyer in the state, fell in 
 love with the young widow, and wrote her a 
 number of letters (the first dated Annapolis, May 
 14, 1800.) in which he expressed his love for her, 
 his desire for a kind and amiable companion for life, 
 &c., &c. This was immediately followed by another 
 letter in which he incidentally mentioned his large 
 landed estate in Maryland and Virginia, and a prac- 
 tice bringing him more than $ 12,000 a year. An 
 engagement was entered into, but afterward 
 broken, Mrs. Hager having learned that Mr. 
 Martin was a man of very intemperate habits. 
 Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan and Mary M. 
 Hager, married Col. Upton Lawrence; their chil- 
 dren and grandchildren may be found in Balti- 
 more, Md., Washington, D. C., New York City, St. 
 Paul, Minn., and Little Rock, Ark. 
 
 Christopher Ohrendorf was born in Lancaster 
 County, Pa., November 23, 1752, had the contract 
 of the teams in hauling the product of his father's 
 mills and farm from Sharpsburg to Baltimore, his 
 management of teams being proverbial. He re- 
 ceived an appointment to serve his country in that 
 line during the Revolution. March 21,. 1775, he 
 married a German lady, Mary Thomas, located 
 near Sharpsburg, Md., moved to Virginia, probably 
 in 1797, thence to Logan County, Ky.,about 1800. 
 He engaged in farming and milling, and died 
 December 10, 1823. By this union were born 
 
 eight sons and four daughters; Christian married 
 Mrs. Mary Wiseman, a sister of John and Jacob 
 Rohrer, and they had thirteen children; Elizabeth 
 married a Mr. Miller; Rosa'n died single, aged 
 thirty-one years; John, born January 7, 1782, was 
 twice married. He was an expert mechanic, and 
 he and Aaron began business together by building 
 and operating saw and grist mills on the Red 
 River, in Logan County, Ky. Absalom, born 
 January 13, 1786, died unmarried, April 15, 1838, 
 and his was the first body buried in the Ohrendorf 
 Cemetery; he owned considerable land in Taze well 
 County, 111. Noah and Enoch died young. Leah, 
 born September 10, 1794, married William Mor- 
 gan, and died November 5, 1875. Delilah, after 
 keeping house for her brother John, married 
 John Grubb, at an advanced age. 
 
 Esau, born January 17, 1790, was united in 
 marriage May 18, 1815, with Mary E. Miliken, 
 who in her youth was quite a belle. This union 
 was blessed with eight sons and four daughters. 
 The second daughter, Mary Ann O. Milner, was a 
 devout Christian, an energetic church worker, 
 founder, and a prominent worker in the Cumber- 
 land Presbyterian Church at Atlanta, 111. Esau 
 moved to Tazewell County in 1837 and improved 
 a large farm on section 33, township 23. 
 
 Enoch T., born November 29, 1799, in Jefferson 
 County, Va., was reared on a farm in Logan Coun- 
 ty, Ky., and came with Aaron on an exploring 
 tour through Illinois in 1826. The autumn of the 
 same year he moved to Tazewell County. Elias 
 Sparrow and John Mosley came with him and 
 located in township 23. Enoch T. first improved 
 a farm on the Mackinaw, but after shaking for 
 eighteen months with an early Illinois malaria, 
 Aaron pursuaded him to settle on prairie land 
 that the former had selected on section 32, town- 
 ship 23. He was a successful farmer, an active 
 and liberal member of the Cumberland Presbyte- 
 rian Church, and as a neighbor was beloved by 
 all, especially by the young people of the neigh- 
 borhood. Of his family of five children, three are 
 living. 
 
 Aaron, the fifth child of Christopher Ohrendorf, 
 was born near Sharpsburg, Md., February 5, 1784. 
 At the age of thirteen years he and his parents
 
 658 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 moved to Harper's Ferry and Shepherdstown, Va., 
 into an English speaking settlement, where the 
 family learned and ever after spoke the English 
 language. Later he moved with his parents to 
 Logan County, Ivy., where he was principal team- 
 ster in hauling the farm and mill products to 
 Nashville. Tenn. He finished his education at 
 Sheplierdstown, Va., in 1808, his studies including 
 civil engineering. On returning to Kentucky, 
 heing deterred by Indian trouble from filling an 
 appointment as government surveyor to Illinois, 
 he and his brother John engaged in the mill busi- 
 ness, first erecting a saw mill, then a flour mill, 
 which they operated together until Aaron mar- 
 ried. He then sold his interest in the mills to 
 John, and moving across the state line improved 
 his wife's land, in Robertson County, Tenn. He was 
 united in marriage September 2, 1813, with Martha, 
 daughter of Joseph and Martha (White) McDow- 
 ell, and niece of Gen. McDowell, of Revolutionary 
 fame. Her ancestors were Scotch, emigrating to 
 the North of Ireland and thence to America, locat- 
 ing at Cowpens, S. C. She had two sisters and 
 three brothers, Joseph, Jarnes and Abner, all prom- 
 inent ministers in the Cumberland Presbyterian 
 Church, and early settlers in Illinois. 
 
 Concluding so make an exploring trip through 
 Illinois, early in 1826 Aaron Orendorff and his 
 brother Enoch T. started for this state on horse- 
 back, and after a few days' travel in Illinois they 
 heard of Christopher Orendorff. Calling on .him, 
 they found that he was from Maryland, and that 
 Christian Oluendorff, Sr., of Sharpsburg, was his 
 uncle. He had married Elizabeth Phillips, of 
 Hagerstown, Md., about 1791, moved to Georgia, 
 thence to the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and 
 finally to Sugar Creek, 111., in 1823. Of his large 
 family, William and Thomas located in Blooming 
 Grove, McLean County. William was for many 
 years a Justice of the Peace, and was active in or- 
 ganizing Tazewell County. John located in Can- 
 ton, 111., where 'his son and son-in-law are manu- 
 facturing agricultural implements under the firm 
 name of Parlin & Orendorff. Joseph located a 
 farm and mills on Sugar Creek. 
 
 After a short rest Aaron and Enoch T. contin- 
 ued their journey, passing a point of timber on 
 
 section 34, township 23, forded the Illinois River 
 near Ottawa, thence went west and south, swim- 
 ming the Illinois River at Ft. Clark on horse- 
 back. They returned through township 23 N., 
 range 3 W., where they made selections for home 
 sites, Aaron selecting a location on section 34. 
 Returning to Tennessee he closed his business there, 
 and moving to Illinois opened up a stock farm on 
 section 34. As soon as the lands came in market 
 he entered a considerable quantity in Tazewell and 
 Marshall Counties. 
 
 Politically, Aaron Orendorff was a supporter of 
 Jacksonian principles and the African Coloniza- 
 tion Society. The dislike of slavery was one of 
 his reasons for leaving the south, and having a 
 thorough knowledge of the low moral condition of 
 the African race, he was conscientiously opposed 
 to their freedom in America. He was a devout 
 member and an Elder in the Cumberland Presby- 
 terian Church, with which his children united. 
 He never sought, nor would he accept the offer 
 of public office, yet he was influential in building 
 up the country, and in the moral and mental ad- 
 vancement of the people. He was the first to in- 
 troduce into the neighborhood improved stock, 
 and farm implements, investing in the scouring 
 plow and McCormick reaper as early as 1840 and 
 1842. In his house the first school was taught and 
 the first sermon preached in the township. 
 
 Mr. Orendorff and his wife reared a family of 
 nine children, six of whom were born in Tennes- 
 see, and three in Illinois. Thomas H., born Au- 
 gust 22, 1814, after finishing his education in 
 Kentucky, worked at the tanner's trade with his 
 uncle, Abner McDowell, in Rushville, III.; Joseph 
 McD., born January 26, 1816, returning from 
 school in Kentucky, made brick one season for the 
 Delavan Colony, and then joined his brother in 
 the tannery. November 5, 1840, Thomas H. was 
 united in marriage with Letitia C. Mitchell, a niece 
 of Hon. Henry Grider, U. S. C., of Kentucky; Jo- 
 seph dying June 28, 1842, and his own health fail- 
 ing, Thomas sold his tanyard and settled upon a 
 farm. During the winter of 1849-50, he went into 
 the sawmill business with his brother, Darius W. 
 lie laid out the town of Ilopedale in 1853, and was 
 appointed Postmaster. Darius withdrew from the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 659 
 
 mill and Thomas added steam power and flouring 
 mill. About 1860 he entered the mercantile busi- 
 ness, which he pursued the remainder of his active 
 life. He was an Elder in the Cumberland Presby- 
 terian Church, and enterprising in public and local 
 improvements, including moral, mental and relig- 
 ious advancement. Of his family of four, only 
 one lived to mature age. Green P. Orendorff, 
 born November 24, 1844, aided his father in his 
 business occupations, and served two terms in the 
 Legislature. After his father's death, December 
 18, 1878, Green P. continued stock farming and 
 banking in Ilopedale for seven or eight years. 
 He then sold out his entire property in Tazewell 
 County, invested in lands, a large brick and tile 
 factory, and laid out the town of Lacon at his 
 brick and tile yards, midway between Decaturand 
 Birmingham, Ala., where he now resides. 
 
 Delilah J. Orendorff, born January 5, 1818, re- 
 ceived her last schooling in Rushville, 111., in 1841, 
 where she boarded with her aunt. She was united 
 in marriage with Samuel McClure, of McLean 
 County, January 7, 1848, and reared five sons. 
 Aaron B. McClure, a prosperous farmer, influential 
 citizen and Elder in the Cumberland Presbyterian 
 Church of Ilopedale. Samuel A. McClure, Jr., 
 formerly had a lumber yard in Ilopedale, but 
 moved to Opolis, Mo., where he is engaged in 
 farming. William R. McClure, a dealer in real es- 
 tate, first in the southwest, sold his lands there 
 and opened a real estate oflice in New York City. 
 Marion, a very successful farmer of McLean Coun- 
 ty, owns a number of farms in that and other 
 counties, and resides in Bloomington, 111. Milton 
 H. first engaged in the manufacture of buggies 
 and carriages in Carthage, Mo., but his trade in 
 agricultural implements is now his chief occupa- 
 tion. 
 
 After the death of Samuel McClure, Sr., in Feb- 
 ruary, 1858, his widow moved to Hopedale, thence 
 to her farm on sections 30 and 31, Ilopedale Town- 
 ship, from there to Lincoln, 111., where she died 
 January 8, 1871. From girlhood through life she 
 was a most modest lady, yet a leader in all private 
 and public associations, from the varied duties re- 
 quired in household affairs to those of an exem- 
 plary Christian and church member. 
 
 Mary H. Oreudorff, born August 20, 1820, mar- 
 ried David VanDevender, November 29, 1849, and 
 died in Delavan, November 23, 1857. In child- 
 hood she had for playmates not only the white and 
 colored children of Tennessee, but the papoose of 
 the native Americans in the early settlement of 
 Tazewell. Of her four children, two are living, 
 Mahala J. Pugh, at Fremont, Iowa, and Rachel I)., 
 at Delavan, 111. 
 
 Abigail C. Orendorff, born March 13, 1823, mar- 
 ried Mathias Mount, November 14, 1843, and died 
 June 2, 1853, leaving three children, Jasper Mount, 
 postmaster at Ilopedale, 111.; Jane (Mount) Hess, 
 and Martha (Mount) Kinsey, who live in this 
 County. 
 
 Cyrus W. Orendorff, born August 18, 1825, died 
 December 21, 1848. He was principal plough-boy 
 from the age of nine years, a good manager on 
 the farm, an excellent nurse and was universally 
 liked in the community. 
 
 Minerva Orendorff, born March 17, 1830, mar- 
 ried Alfred Reid, and the}' reared a family of three 
 sons and two daughters. 
 
 Solon Orendorff, born December 26, 1832, mar- 
 ried Lydia E. Teft April 22, 1858, opened and op- 
 erated a farm, was interested in public improve- 
 ments; Elder and active member of the Cumber- 
 land Presbyterian Church at Hopedale; he moved 
 to Pueblo, Colo., about 1870, and owns a green- 
 house and a ranch near the city. 
 
 Darius W. Orendorff was born March 21, 1828, 
 on section 34, township 23 north, range 3 west, in 
 Hopedale Township. His home is now on sections 
 27, 33 and 34, and he also owns two farms in Ar- 
 kansas. In the winter of 1849-50 he engaged in 
 the sawmill business with his brother Thomas. In 
 1853 they laid out the village of Ilopedale. Da- 
 rius withdrew from the mill and afterwards built 
 a number of the first houses, the first Cumberland 
 Presbyterian Church edifice and a storehouse in 
 Ilopedale. April 1, 1854, he opened the first store 
 here. July 12, 1855, he married Mary J. Walters, 
 who was born in 1831, and came from Ohio with 
 her parents, settling in 1834 in Wilson Town- 
 ship, DeWitt County, 111., where they built a 
 log '-mansion" with clapboard roof and puncheon 
 floor. Darius sold his store and stock of goods
 
 660 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 August 1, 1856, afterward traveled extensively 
 and invested in Kansas lands. Building a frame 
 dwelling, he moved to his farm on section 34, 
 December 3, 1860, and bought five hundred head 
 of fine Spanish sheep in 1864. lie built a wool 
 mill with fine machinery, at a cost of $15,000 
 in 1865, and five years later erected a flour mill 
 in Ilopedale. This he sold in 1872 and opened 
 a lumber yard, built a large furniture room and 
 the first public hall. lie added furniture to the 
 lumber trade, his daughter Phoebe using a part 
 of the same building for the sale of fine dress 
 goods and millinery. In January, 1876, he sold 
 out and took a prospecting tour through Texas, 
 Arkansas and Missouri, to look up a site fora wool 
 mill, and during the same year took his wife and 
 daughter Phoebe to the Centennial at Philadelphia. 
 He returned to Harrison, Ark., in October, with 
 his daughter Phoebe, making the trip via the Chi- 
 cago ife Alton Railroad the night the east end of 
 the bridge fell into the Mississippi River. 
 
 In January, 1878, Mr. Orendorff moved his 
 wool machinery to Judsonia, Ark., and operated 
 it four summers, part of the family being there 
 and the others remaining on the farm. In the fall 
 of 1886 he moved to Lincoln, 111., for school 
 privileges, going back to the farm March 1, 1890. 
 In his dealings with the public his motto has been, 
 "Manufacture and deal in the best and guarantee 
 satisfaction." He has a family of five daughters, 
 viz.: Phebe J., born August 7, 1856, the wife of 
 William M. Mount; Lelia L., born December 12, 
 1858, married Adolph Johnson, and lives on the old 
 homestead; Flora E., born June 26, 1860; Martha 
 A., born November 11, 1862; and Lydia M., born 
 April 15. 1864; the latter is an artist of consider- 
 able note. 
 
 ILES VAN HORN, a farmer residing on 
 section 22, Pennsylvania Township, and 
 one of the prominent young agricultu- 
 rists of Mason County, lias spent his entire 
 life within the limits of the township where he now 
 makes his home. His father, John Van Horn, was 
 born in Pennsylvania in September, 1817, and 
 was a son of David Van Horn, likewise a native 
 
 of the Keystone State, who died in 1852. Our 
 subject's mother was Jane, daughter of David 
 Mathers, who was born in Warren County, Ohio, 
 in 1823, and died in 1854, after having devoted 
 his entire life to farming pursuits. 
 
 After the marriage of John Van Horn, which oc- 
 curred in Miami County, Ohio, in 1836, he con- 
 tinued to till the soil in the Buckeye State until 
 the spring of 1855, when he came to Illinois and 
 settled near Teheran, where he operated as a renter 
 for two years. He then came to Pennsylvania 
 Township and purchased one hundred and sixty 
 acres of raw prairie land, to which in the follow- 
 ing year he added an eighty-acre tract. He built 
 a handsome residence at a cost of $2,200, and also 
 built barns, corn cribs and other outbuildings 
 that cost $2,000. By a system of good hedge 
 fencing he divided the property into eighty-acre 
 fields. In 1883 he moved to Mason City, where 
 he bought fourteen acres within the corporate 
 limits, paying $3,000 for the property. There he 
 continued to reside until his death, June 26, 1887. 
 Politically he was a Republican and served for 
 several years as Justice of the Peace and School 
 Director. 
 
 October 17, 1863, the subject of this sketch was 
 born on the farm where he now resides. After com- 
 pleting a common-school education he attended 
 Blackburn University, and is now a well informed 
 3'ouug gentleman. He is one of thirteen chil- 
 dren, of whom eight now survive, the others 
 besides himself being David P., of Washington, 
 Iowa, who married and has two children; John E., 
 of Wellington, Kan., who has two children; Mar- 
 garet, the wife of H. C. Hull, of Washington, 
 Iowa, and the mother of one child; Joel R., who 
 is married and lives in Indian Territory; Martha, 
 the wife of George Peet, living in Pennsylvania 
 Township; Elizabeth, at home; and Susan, Mrs. 
 Frank Ludlam, of Mason City. 
 
 At the age of twenty-one Mr. Van Horn started 
 out on his own account and for eight years rented 
 his father's farm. His first purchase consisted of 
 eighty acres, to which he has added until he now 
 owns two hundred and forty acres. February 17, 
 1892, he married Miss Catherine Berry, of Rushville, 
 Schuyler Count}-, 111., and one child, Marguerite,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 661 
 
 has blessed their union. Mrs. Van Horn was born 
 November 8, 1868, and is a daughter of F. E. Berry,' 
 whose birth occurred December 22, 1842, the latter 
 being a son of Daniel Berry, a native of Pennsyl- 
 vania. The mother of Mrs. Van Horn was Mar- 
 garet, daughter of William Milby, who was born 
 in Delaware. 
 
 Politically Mr. Van Horn supports the principles 
 of the Republican party and has served as Tax 
 Collector and Road Commissioner for one term, 
 and has also rendered efficient service as School 
 Director. Socially he is a member of the Grange 
 and the Knights of Pythias of Mason City, while 
 his wife is connected with the Fanners' Alliance. 
 
 ILLIAM ABBOTT. Notable among the 
 /// valuable farms of Mason County is that 
 situated on section 23, Lynchburg Town- 
 , ship, and owned and operated by the subject of 
 this sketch. While the land is devoted mainly to 
 the raising of cereals, considerable attention is also 
 paid to stock-raising, and upon the farm are to be 
 seen a number of full-blooded Jersey cattle and 
 Chester White hogs. The residence, erected by Mr. 
 Abbott at a cost of $2,000, is a two-story structure, 
 16x24 feet in dimensions, with an 4% L" 20x20. The 
 other buildings are substantial, adapted to their 
 varied uses; the barn, 50x30 feet, was built at a 
 cost of $800, and is one of the best in the locality. 
 Everything about the place indicates the energetic 
 disposition and excellent judgment of the owner. 
 Our subject is of English parentage and descent. 
 His father, Henry Abbott, who was born in that 
 country February 1, 1829, came to America in 
 1842, and settled in Cass County, 111., near Vir- 
 ginia, which place he reached with his wife and 
 two children and $5 in cash. For three years he 
 worked at the shoemaker's trade in that place, 
 after which he came to Mason County and bought 
 an eighty-acre tract near Fairview Church, in 
 Lynchburg Township. Six years later he settled 
 upon the farm now owned by our subject, and to 
 his original purchase of two hundred acres, in a 
 few mouths added eighty acres. He did not, how- 
 
 22 
 
 ever, give his personal attention to the cultivation 
 of this tract, but removing to Logan County, 
 bought three hundred and twenty acres, and for 
 some years engaged in farming there. Retiring 
 from active business in 1876, he bought a residence 
 in Lincoln, 111., and there he still makes his home. 
 His landed possessions now aggregate six hundred 
 and twenty acres in Mason County, eight hundred 
 acres in Logan County, and eight hundred in 
 Champaign County, 111., the entire amount being 
 under cultivation, with the exception of one hun- 
 dred acres of timber land. 
 
 The lad}' with whom Henry Abbott was united 
 in marriage in England bore the maiden name of 
 Martha A. Keen, and was the daughter of English 
 parents, who lived and died in that country. There 
 were seven children in the family, all but one of 
 whom still survive. William is the eldest, and the 
 others are, Mrs. Alice Fletcher, of Sterling, 111.; 
 Mrs. Nancy Campbell, of South Dakota; J. B., a 
 resident of Mason City, 111.; James, living in 
 Logan County; and Mrs. Mary E. Pegram, whose 
 home is in Lincoln, this state. All the children 
 are married and have children. 
 
 The first six years of the life of our subject 
 were passed in Lancashire, England, where he was 
 born October 3, 1838. Thence he came with his 
 parents to the United States, where he grew to 
 manhood in Illinois. At the age of twenty-four 
 he married Miss Sarah J., daughter of Robert Mc- 
 Intosh, of England, who was born November 4, 
 1820, and in early life worked at the weaver's 
 trade. In 1847 he emigrated to America, landing 
 in Philadelphia, where he spent three years. Upon 
 sending for his famil}' to join him, he settled in 
 New Bedford, Mass., but after a year there he 
 went to New Hampshire, where he engaged in 
 farming for seven years. In 1856 he removed 
 westward to Illinois, and coming to Mason County, 
 bought eighty acres in Lynchburg Township. 
 Afterward he added ninety-five acres to his estate, 
 and at the time of his death, April 9, 1888, he was 
 numbered among the prosperous citizens of his 
 community. His wife was a daughter of Thomas 
 Thorn ley, of England. 
 
 Immediately following his marriage, January 1, 
 1863, Mr, Abbott settled in Lynchburg Township,
 
 662 
 
 PORTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 where he purchased from his father one hundred 
 and sixty acres. Five years later he bought 
 another quarter-section, upon which he engaged 
 in tilling the soil for five years. As it was thought 
 that a change would benefit his wife, who was in 
 poor health, he went to Logan County, where he 
 resided for seven years. Since then he has made 
 his home on section 23, Lynchburg Township. He 
 cultivates four hundred acres, and superintends the 
 management of his father's property in Mason 
 County. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Abbott is a Republican. He and 
 his wife are members of the Methodist Church and 
 prominent workers in the Sunda3"-school, Mrs. 
 Abbott being at the present time V ice-President of 
 the Township Sunday-school Association. They 
 were the parents of nine children; two are deceased, 
 Mrs. Alice A. Winters, who was born October 7, 
 1863, and died April 24, 1889, leaving two chil- 
 dren that are now in Iowa; and Louisa E., who 
 was born November 18, 1869, and died August 5, 
 1878. The other children arc: Mary E., who 
 married Mr. Daniel, and has three children; 
 Pernecia, an accomplished young lady, who at- 
 tended the Jacksonville Female College for one 
 year; Henry A. and Dora J., who are graduates of 
 the Mason County schools; Gracie, William R. 
 and Elmer R., who are students in the home 
 schools. 
 
 lARTLEY FARR HO WELL. Mason Coun. 
 ty is the home of a goodly number of men 
 who have put forth such industrious and 
 well directed efforts that they have been 
 enabled to retire from the toil and cares of life, 
 and are now spending their time in ease and en- 
 joyment. Among this number is the gentleman 
 above named, who occupies a fine home in Havana. 
 Our subject is a native of Pennsylvania and was 
 born April 29, 1828, in Lycommg County. His 
 father, Nathan Howell, was likewise born in the 
 Keystone State, and came to Mason County in 
 1840, where he was engaged in farming until his 
 decease ten years later. He in turn was the son 
 of William Howell, an old Revolutionary soldier. 
 
 He followed the occupation of a farmer. The 
 mother of our subject, prior to her marriage, was 
 known as Ann Richards. She was born in New 
 Jersey and was the daughter of William Richards, 
 who also fought as a soldier in the Revolutionary 
 War and participated in the battle of Bunker Hill 
 and Lundy's Lane. 
 
 Hartley F. was a lad of twelve years at the time 
 of his parents' removal to Mason County, and lo- 
 cated with them on farm near Havana when that 
 now thickly populated district contained but five 
 or six families. He remembers the old block house 
 in which the women and children were placed for 
 safety when the male portion of the inhabitants 
 were engaged in fighting the Indians. Like all 
 farmer lads he assisted his father in improving 
 and cultivating the land of their new home, and 
 in the winter season prosecuted his studies in the 
 district school. 
 
 During the early settlement of our subject's 
 parents in this county the pioneers were compelled 
 to go a distance of thirty miles to have their grain , 
 ground into bread stuffs, and the first bushel of 
 grain which was made into flour in the old Quiver 
 Creek Mill was carried there by our subject. He, 
 a few years later, assisted in clearing the brush 
 from the present site of the court house in Havana, 
 and aided in the erection of the first schoolhouse 
 in that then hamlet, which was built of clapboards, 
 with furnishing of a most primitive style. 
 
 Mr. Howell began his chosen career as a farmer 
 in an early day, and has helped to garner in the 
 grain from fifty-three successive harvests. He has 
 been very successful as an agriculturist, and now 
 owns a valuable estate comprising two hundred 
 and fifty-five acres in this county, besides three 
 hundred and twenty acres of cultivated land in 
 Labette County, Kan. His property in this county 
 contains all the modern improvements, and be- 
 sides the large and substantial barns on the place, 
 is embellished with a handsome residence, which 
 was erected at cost of $6,000. 
 
 In his political relations Mr. Ilowell is a stanch 
 Democrat, and has always taken an active part in 
 public affairs, being especially interested in the 
 progress of schools, and has rendered ellicient ser- 
 vice as a member of the Board for several years.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 663 
 
 The lady whom he married in 1849 was Miss 
 Amanda, daughter of Reuben Henninger, an early 
 settler of Mason County. Their union has been 
 productive of five children, of whom John Wes- 
 ley is living in Kansas; Mary M. is the wife of 
 Richard Quick, of Chariton Count}-, Mo.; Susan 
 Ella married George Hurley, a resident of this 
 county; Lavinia Isabel is now Mrs. Charles Walker, 
 of Pueblo, Colo., and Charles Clark is a farmer in 
 this county. Mr. Howell and his wife move in 
 the best circles of society in Havana, where they 
 have a beautiful and comfortable home. 
 
 II tFSTCIS PFETZING. For a number of years 
 ' past the city of Havana has been noted far 
 and wide for its mercantile establishments, 
 and particularly that conducted by Mr. Pfet- 
 zing, who is one of the first-class business men of 
 the place. In his active career through life he has 
 gained to an unlimited extent the confidence and 
 esteem awarded integrity, honor and industry, and 
 is now one of the well-to-do men of the county. 
 He is progressive in his ideas, pleasing and court- 
 eous in his manner, and is carrying on the busi- 
 ness of furniture dealer and undertaker. 
 
 Our subject was born in the province of Kuhr- 
 Hessen, Germany, July 1, 1832, and there received 
 his education and learned the trade of a cabinet- 
 maker. Deciding to come to America, lie sailed in 
 1852 and landed here November 18 of that year in 
 Baltimore, where he remained for two and a-half 
 years. May 11, 1855, he found he could better 
 his condition in this then western country, and 
 coming to Havana, followed his trade for the suc- 
 ceeding five years. He then went into business 
 for himself, and from 1865 to 1883 was the owner 
 of a grocery house. 
 
 In 1859 Mr. Pfetzing erected the building 
 where he conducts his business at the present 
 time and which is 66x155 feet in dimensions. 
 Since 1885, however, he has devoted himself to 
 the furniture business, to which he has since added 
 that of undertaking, having one of the largest and 
 . best equipped establishments of the city. The un- 
 
 dertaking department is under the supervision of 
 his son Oscar F., who is an expert embalmer, being 
 graduated from Clark's School in St. Louis, and 
 the Embalmer's School in Indianapolis. Ind. 
 
 Our subject was married July 26, 1860, to Miss 
 Anna Adelheid Kreiling, of Hanover, Germany. 
 To them have been born eight children, of whom 
 Carl J., a graduate of the Jacksonville Business 
 College, is engaged in the drug business in this 
 city. August C., who also took a course in the 
 above college, is now clerking in a clothing store 
 in Havana; Oscar we have already mentioned as 
 being in business with his father; Lewis Henry is 
 in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad 
 Company; Henry G., Sophia Anna, Adelheid C., 
 and Ida M. are all at home and attending school 
 in this city. 
 
 Our subject is a good business man, a very pleas- 
 ant gentleman, whom it is a pleasure to meet or 
 have any dealings with. He is one of the promi- 
 nent business men of the city, and in every walk 
 in life has conducted himself with honor. He is 
 independent in politics. 
 
 V HILIP SCHEMBER, foreman in the finish- 
 ing room of the Acme Harvester Company, 
 and one of the old settlers of Pekin, is of 
 German nativity, having been born in Or- 
 tenberg, Hesse-Darmstadt, June 5, 1847. The 
 family of which he is a member was long identi- 
 fied with the history of Ortenberg, where both his 
 grandfather, Nicholas, and his father, John, were 
 born. The latter learned the trade of a shoemaker 
 and carried on a shop in his native city, where he 
 continued to reside until his death, at the age of 
 sixty-six years. In religious belief he was a Luth- 
 eran, which was the faith of his ancestors for many 
 generations. He married Johanna Wiesner, a na- 
 tive of Ortenberg, who died there at the age of 
 seventy-eight. 
 
 In the parental family of six children, all grew 
 to mature years, and five are now living. Philip 
 is the only one who came to America, the others 
 having remained in Germany. In his native land
 
 664 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 be received a common school education, but his 
 school days ended at the age of fourteen. He 
 was then apprenticed as a machinist in a large 
 machine shop in Langen, where he learned all de- 
 partments in the manufacture of iron, steel and 
 brass, and made a specialty of the manufacture of 
 locks. After three years in that shop he traveled 
 as a machinist in Alsace, France, but on account 
 of military oppression he concluded to emigrate 
 to America. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Schember left his native hind and 
 at Hamburg took passage on the steamer "Almira," 
 landing in New York after an uneventful voyage 
 of three weeks. He soon found employment with 
 Fleishman & Bros., manufacturers of scales, on 
 Ludlow Street, and later was with the firm of Dea- 
 gle & Weiler, manufacturers of hand printing 
 presses. On the 10th of June, 1868, he came to 
 Pekin and accepted a position with Hodges & 
 Weyrich as machinist, continuing with the firm 
 when the name was changed to Hodges & Co., 
 one year later. Two years afterward he be- 
 came an employe in the finishing room of T. & 
 II. Smith, and after twelve months with them re- 
 turned to Hodges & Co., where he was engaged 
 in the finishing room until 1876. 
 
 Upon the organization of the Pekin Plow Com- 
 pany, Mr. Schember became a machinist in their 
 employ and was engaged in the manufacture of 
 brass and wood patterns and in originating new 
 designs for machines. For thirteen years he was 
 with Luppe Luppen, and in the spring of 1890 
 accepted a position with the Acme Harvester 
 Company, successors to Hodges & Co. Since 
 that time he has been foreman in the finishim' 
 
 o 
 
 room and has charge of forty men. He is well 
 known as an expert pattern maker, and in his 
 chosen line few are his superiors. Having had 
 thirty-two years' experience in the machinist's 
 trade, lie is thoroughly familiar with every detail 
 of the business, and is a practical and rapid work- 
 man. 
 
 At Pekin in 1869 occurred the marriage of Philip 
 Schember and Miss Dora Cappel, the latter being a 
 native of Prussia, Germany. Four children re- 
 sulted from this union, namely: Johanna, who is 
 in Chicago; Philip, a molder in Pekin; William, a 
 
 cigar manufacturer in this city; and Henry, a ma- 
 chinist under his father. Mrs. Dora Schember died 
 in 1879, and the following year our subject mar- 
 ried Miss Elizabeth Moehring, of Pekin. Their 
 children are: Dora, who died at the age of four 
 years; Charles, Freddie, George and Louis, who 
 are with their parents. 
 
 A Democrat in his political opinions, Mr. Schem- 
 ber has been an active worker in the interests of 
 his party, and upon its ticket was in 1888 and 
 1889 elected Alderman from the Third Ward. 
 While a member of the City Council he served as a 
 member of various committees, and as chairman 
 of the railroad committee. He is interested in 
 the Mutual Building and Loan Association. His 
 residence, a commodious structure at No. 513 
 Catherine Street, was erected under his personal 
 supervision, and is one of the pleasant homes 
 for which Pekin is noted. Since 1868 he has been 
 identified with the Lutheran Church, and is now 
 serving as Trustee in that denomination at Pekin. 
 
 <w? J. ALBERTSEN. . The biography of the 
 successful gentleman whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch furnishes another instance 
 of a poor boy who by industry and thrift has 
 gained a competence and asocial position through 
 his own unaided efforts. A prominent business 
 man of Pekin, he is very popular and well known 
 throughout the surrounding country as the propri- 
 etor of a fine grocery and part owner of the Inde- 
 pendent Biscuit & Cracker Company. 
 
 Our subject was born in Rysum County, Sweden, 
 August 30, 1848, and is a son of John Albertsen, 
 also a native of that place. The father was the 
 younger of two sons in the family, and prior to 
 coming to America owned a grocery store in his 
 native land. The trip across the Atlantic was made 
 in 1856, and occupied sixty-three days. Mr. Al- 
 bertsen, after landing in New York, made his way to 
 Freeport, this state, where he located near Worth's 
 Grove, and in the fall of that year purchased prop- 
 erty and began farming. The panic of the follow- 
 ing year, however, caused him to lose his farm, and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 665 
 
 thus being compelled to start anew in life, he name 
 to Pekin, and was variously employed until 1870, 
 when he opened up a grocery store in the city. 
 Two years later he took in our subject as partner, 
 which connection lasted for two years, when the 
 father died. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Hilkei Albertsen, 
 was born in the same place as was her husband, 
 and is at present living, making her home in this 
 city, at the age of three- score years and ten. She 
 reared a family of eleven children, of whom the 
 subject of this sketch was the third in order of 
 birth. He was a lad of ten years at the time of the 
 family's location in this city, and for six years car- 
 ried on his studies in the public schools. At that 
 early age he began to earn his own living, and ap- 
 prenticed himself to learn carriage painting in the 
 shops of the T. & H. Smith Co. After mastering 
 this branch of work he continued in the employ of 
 the above firm until 1866 or 1867, when his health 
 failed him, and he was obliged to refrain from 
 steady work. He continued to do job work, how- 
 ever, for several years longer, and in 1872, as be- 
 fore stated, entered his father's grocery as an equal 
 partner. 
 
 After the decease of his father, our subject pur- 
 chased the other half interest of the business, which 
 he has since conducted in a most profitable man- 
 ner, and enlarged the store from time to time, now 
 occupying a building 50 x 60 feet in dimensions, 
 with two stories and a basement. He is one of the 
 oldest grocers in this city, and in the management 
 of his affairs has shown excellent judgment, and 
 has a large patronge of the best people in Pekin. 
 He was one of the organizers of the Independent 
 Buiscuit & Cracker Co., with which he is still con- 
 nected, and his position in the community is one 
 of prominence and importance. 
 
 October 25, 1871, Mr. Albertsen was united in 
 marriage, in this city, with Miss Mary M. Gobel, a 
 native of Cook County, this state. To them has 
 been born a family of seven children, of whom 
 Franklin H. is engaged as clerk in his father's 
 store. The others are: Lyda, Clara, Elsie, Cora, 
 Edna and Emma. He has always been deeply in- 
 terested in school affairs, and from 1886 to 1889 
 rendered efficient service as a member of the School 
 
 Board, and was re-elected to the same position 
 in 1893. In his political preference he is a decided 
 Republican, and the city in which he lives looks 
 upon him as one of the most progressive of her peo- 
 ple. He is a member of the German Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and no man in his locality is 
 more devoted to the cause of Christianity. 
 
 | OHN HENNINGER, a retired farmer resid- 
 ing in Havana, was born in Bourbon County 
 Pa., May 28, 1829. The family of which 
 he is a representative originated in Ger- 
 many, but was represented in America at an early 
 period in the settlement of Pennsylvania. His 
 father, Reuben Henninger, was a native of the 
 Keystone State, and became an early settler of 
 Dauphin County, Ohio, whence, in 1842, he came 
 to Illinois, settling in Havana Township, Mason 
 County. He died in October, 1885, aged eighty- 
 five years. His wife, who bore the maiden name 
 of Susan Boyer, was born in Pennsylvania and 
 died during the '40s. 
 
 The early boyhood years of our subject were 
 passed in Ohio, whence at the age of thirteen 
 years he accompanied his father to Mason County. 
 Here he grew to manhood upon the home farm, 
 meantime receiving a common school education, 
 At the age of twenty-three years he embarked in 
 farming pursuits, and sucli was the success with 
 which he conducted his enterprises that at the 
 present time he is the owner of one thousand 
 acres of land, all under cultivation and well im- 
 proved. In the spring of 1893 he abandoned ac- 
 tive labors upon the farm and came to Havana, 
 where he has since made his home. The comforts 
 by which his family are surrounded have been se- 
 cured through his own untiring industry, and the 
 success which he has attained is the result of merit. 
 The marriage of Mr. Henninger occurring in 
 1852, united him with Miss Altha ,1. Faulkner, a 
 resident of Mason County, and a daughter of 
 Thomas Faulkner, one of the early settlers of this 
 part of the state. Three sons and two daughters 
 were born to this union, as follows: Charles A.,
 
 666 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 whose home is in Mason County; James S., who 
 lives in Taylor County, Neb.; Ora A., wife of C. 
 E. Tice, of Havana; Ada J., who lives in Ne- 
 braska, and is the wife of Thomas Quick, and, John 
 M., of Havana. 
 
 Mrs. Altha J. Henninger died March 20, 1886, 
 and in 1893 our subject was united in marriage 
 witli Miss Hattie Quick, whose father, James Quick, 
 was an early settler of Mason County. Mrs. Hen- 
 ninger is an amiable and accomplished ladyi 
 and a consistent member of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, to which our subject also belongs. 
 Politically lie gives his support to the principles 
 and candidates of the Democratic party, but has 
 never sought or desired office, preferring to devote 
 his attention to private affairs. He is a man of 
 temperate habits, cordial in his intercourse with 
 others, an interesting conversationalist and an in- 
 telligent man. 
 
 W, A. BOLEY, President and Manager of the 
 W. A. Boley Ice Company, and one of Pe- 
 kin 's influential citizens, was born in Pitts- 
 burg, Pa., on the 15th of January, 1836. The family 
 of which he is a member traces its lineage to Ger- 
 many, but has long been identified with the his- 
 tory of Pennsylvania, where were born our sub- 
 ject's father, Daniel, his grandfather, John Boley, 
 and also his great-grandfather. In early life Dan- 
 iel Boley engaged in farming pursuits, but after- 
 wards conducted business as a coal merchant on 
 the Ohio River in Pennsylvania. His death oc- 
 curred at Sewickley, that state, in 1847. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Ruth, was the daugh- 
 ter of Dr. William Alexander Crawford, a native 
 of New York, who located in Westmoreland 
 County, Pa., and died in the prime of life. Mrs. 
 Ruth I. Boley was born in Westmoreland County, 
 and accompanied our subject to Pekin, where she 
 died in 1877, aged sixty-seven. In her religious 
 belief she was a member of the Presbyterian Church, 
 and a lady of noble character, whose influence still 
 
 lives in the hearts of her family and friends. Of 
 ten children, six attained mature years. The eldest 
 of these is our subject, who was reared in Penn- 
 sylvania, receiving a good common school and ac- 
 ademic education. After the death of his father 
 he assumed the management of the coal business, 
 which, however, he sold a year later. We next 
 find him on an Ohio River steamboat, where for 
 three weeks he filled the position of watchman, 
 then was promoted to second mate, and after five 
 months became first mate, in which capacity he 
 was employed for three years on the Ohio and 
 Mississippi Rivers, between Pittsburgh, St. Louis 
 and New Orleans. 
 
 At the age of twenty-three years Mr. Boley be- 
 came superintendent of the Memphis Ice Company 
 at Kingston, 111. This company was one of the 
 most prominent in the state, owning thirteen 
 barges, as well as a number of towboats. In 1860 
 he accepted the position of superintendent for 
 John Lowny, and six years later purchased the 
 business which he has since conducted. In 1888 
 the concern was incorporated as the W. A. Boley 
 Ice Company, with a capital stock of $32,000, and 
 our subject has since filled the position of Presi- 
 dent and Manager. The ice houses of the company 
 are situated on Pckin Lake, and have a capacity of 
 twenty thousand tons. The lake itself is owned 
 by the company, having been purchased in 1873 
 for $5,000. By means of side-tracks the ice is 
 loaded on the cars and shipped by rail to various 
 points in the state. Steady employment is given 
 to a force of twenty- five men, a large wholesale 
 and retail business is transacted, and the enter- 
 prise is one of the most important and successful 
 in the county. 
 
 In May, 1893, Mr. Boley purchased an interest 
 in the Pekin Gas Light Company, in which he has 
 since served as Director. In politics a Republican, 
 he gives his support to the principles of that party. 
 For two terms he has served as Alderman from the 
 Second Ward, and during his incumbencj' of the 
 office many improvements were secured, including 
 the electric light works, the water works and the 
 bridge. 
 
 In Peoria, this state, in 1862, occurred the mar- 
 riage of W. A. Boley and Miss Annie Taylor. The
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 667 
 
 latter was born in England, but resided in Peoria 
 from the age of seven years until the time of her 
 marriage. The only child born of this union is 
 Annie B., wife of Dr. S. D. Lowe, formerly of Pe- 
 kin, but now a resident of Chicago. 
 
 ENRY W. LACKMAN, a young gentleman 
 ); of acute business ability, is the present rep- 
 resentative of the Peoria <fe Pekin Union 
 Railway Company at Pekin, and occu- 
 pies a prominent position in railroad circles. He 
 was born in the city where he now resides, Oc- 
 tober 21, 1859. The family of which he is a mem- 
 ber have long been residents of Germany, where 
 was born William, father of our subject. Emi- 
 grating to America at the age of sixteen years, he 
 came to Illinois and settled in Pekin, where for 
 a number of years he was occupied as a teamster. 
 
 For twenty years William Lackman was em- 
 ployed as stationery clerk for the Peoria, Pekin 
 & Jacksonville Railroad, which was the first rail- 
 road in Pekin. At the expiration of twenty years 
 he entered the employ of the Peoria. Lincoln & 
 Decatur Railroad (now known as the Peoria, De- 
 catur & Evansville), and was stationery clerk in 
 Pekin until the office of the company was re- 
 moved to Peoria. He then removed to the latter 
 city, but after a short sojourn returned to Pekin. 
 He married Miss Mary Linnenbaum, a native of 
 Germany and the daughter of M. Linnenbaum, 
 who is still living in Washington at the age of 
 eighty-five years. 
 
 Henry W. Lackman was one of a family con- 
 sisting of four sons, but at the present time only 
 two survive, himself and Rudolph, the latter being 
 bookkeeper for Lucas & Ruhaak. Our subject 
 attended the public schools of Pekin until reach- 
 ing his sixteenth year, when he accepted the po- 
 sition of check clerk for the Peoria, Lincoln & 
 Decatur Railroad, and after one year became agent 
 and telegraph operator for that company in Wes- 
 ley City. After filling that position a twelve- 
 month, he went to Peoria and accepted the posi- 
 tion of chief clerk in the freight department of 
 
 the Peoria <k Springfield Railroad (now known as 
 the Peoria & Pekin Union). 
 
 When eight months later the company sold out 
 to the Wabash System, Mr. Lackman became agent 
 at Washington on the old Chicago, Pekin <fe South- 
 western Railroad, now owned by the Santa Fe. 
 After five years thus spent, he came to Pekin as 
 chief clerk and operator for the Wabash, now the 
 Jacksonville South-eastern. March 4, 1893, he 
 was appointed agent for the Peoria & Pekin Union, 
 which position he has since filled with credit to 
 himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. 
 
 In May. 1883, Mr. Lackman married Miss Min- 
 nie Pfeiffer, a native of this county, and one child 
 has blessed their union, a daughter named Viola 
 May. In social affairs Mr. Lackman is a charter 
 member of the National Union, and is also iden- 
 tified with the Modern Woodmen of America and 
 the Order of Railway Telegraphers. He is a val- 
 ued member of the German Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and is a generous contributor to religious 
 causes. In political opinions he favors the Re- 
 publican party, but his time being devoted closely 
 to his business duties, he has never desired office. 
 Among railroad men he is very popular, while by 
 the citizens of Pekin he is highly respected as a 
 man of enterprise and integrity. 
 
 =HB^SP^^IB^iK-- , 
 
 <X* -7 x. AXi -vi r^*rt ! ^ N_ X/ 
 
 ELI AS HULL. Located on section 34, in 
 Salt Creek Township, there lies one of the 
 best rural homes in Mason County. Here 
 Mr. Hull has two hundred and seventy-three acres 
 of land, on which first-class buildings have been 
 erected and other substantial improvements intro- 
 duced, which prove his thrift and enterprise as an 
 agriculturist. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Mahoning County, 
 Ohio, where his birth occurred February 4, 1838. 
 Ilis father. Elias Hull, Sr., was born in New Jersey, 
 where he was reared and followed farm pursuits. 
 When emigrating to the Buckeye State he made 
 the journey overland with an ox team, and pur- 
 chased property in Mahoning County, where he 
 was residing at the time of his decease, when
 
 668 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 thirty-eight years of age. His father was born in 
 Germany, and on emigrating to the New World 
 when a young man made settlement in New 
 Jersey. 
 
 Mrs. Anna (Helderbrandt) Hull, the mother of 
 our subject, was, like her husband, born in New 
 Jersey, where she was reared on her father's farm. 
 The latter came from German}' to America, and 
 made his home for the rest of his life in New Jer- 
 sey. Mrs. Hull reared a family of seven daugh- 
 ters and six sons, and departed this life at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-four years. 
 
 Elias, of this sketch, was the ninth in order of 
 birth in the above family, and was sent to school 
 during his earlier years in his native county. He 
 started out in life for himself when eighteen 
 years of age, and at that time came alone to this 
 state and located in Menard County. This was in 
 1856, and on arriving here he found employment 
 in a woolen factory in Petersburg, by which he was 
 employed for three years. 
 
 December 4, 1859, Mr. Hull and Miss Maria J. 
 Lloyd were united in marriage. The lady was the 
 daughter of William Lloyd, and was born in 
 Menard County, this state, October 23, 1842. Her 
 father was also a native of Illinois, while her 
 mother, prior to her marriage, Miss Narcisa P. 
 Cogdell, was a native of Kentucky. Mrs. Hull is 
 the eldest of twelve children born to her parents, 
 and considering the limited advantages which 
 were given her, is a lady of good education. 
 
 Soon after his marriage our subject located in 
 Mason County, and purchased a farm in Salt Creek 
 Township, where he has ever since been engaged 
 in farm pursuits. His landed possessions include two 
 farms, one containing one hundred and fifty-three 
 acres, and the other one hundred and twenty acres. 
 He has met with good success in his chosen voca- 
 tion, and may be truly called a self-made man, for 
 he has worked his way upward from an humble 
 position to one of affluence. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hull have been born six sons, 
 viz.: James R., Harry A., Thomas S., Charles L., 
 Fred R. and Alonzo D. In his political prefer- 
 ences, our subject is a stalwart Democrat, and held 
 the position of Township Treasurer for ten years. 
 He has also been the incumbent of various other 
 
 positions of trust, having been Cle rk and Com- 
 missioner of Highways for many terms. With his 
 wife he is a devoted member of the Christian 
 Church, in which they are classed among the most 
 active workers. 
 
 HILIP IIERGET. The gentleman whose 
 sketch now claims our attention, is one of 
 the most successful malsters of Tazewell 
 County, owning and operating two malt 
 houses in Pekin. He was born in Hesse-Darm- 
 stadt, Germany, February 24, 1848, which country 
 was also the birthplace of his father, Philip Her- 
 get, Sr., who was a wagon-maker by trade. In 
 1868 the latter emigrated to America with his fam- 
 ily, and located in Pekin, where he spent the rest 
 of his life. 
 
 Mrs. Anna (Kline) Herget, the mother of our 
 subject, was born in the same place in Germany as 
 was her husband, by whom she became the mother 
 of eight children: John and George, wholesale 
 liquor dealers; Philip, Mary, Gretta Mary and 
 Kate living in this city; and Lena, who resides in 
 Peoria. 
 
 Our subject accompanied his parents on. their 
 removal to the New World, and having learned 
 the wagon-maker's trade in his native land, on lo- 
 cating in Pekin, found work in the factory of the 
 T. & H. Smith Co., with whom he remained for 
 about eight months. His brothers running a gro- 
 cery store in the city, he then entered their em- 
 ploy, and in 1869 was taken into the firm as a 
 partner. This connection did not last long, how- 
 ever, as our subject the following year purchased 
 the interest of Mr. Hirsh, of the firm of Hirsh <fe 
 Ray, and changed the name of the company to 
 Ray & Heiget. They began the manufacture of 
 malts, and continued in partnership for one year, 
 when Mr. Ray died, and our subject then pur- 
 chased his interest from his famity, and has since 
 continued to carry on the business alone. The 
 malt house was built in 1867, and remodeled and 
 enlarged in 1881. It is now 40x60 feet in dimen- 
 sions, three stories in height, and conveniently lo-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 (Kill 
 
 cated on Front Street, near the Illinois River. It 
 is run by water-power, and has a capacity of one 
 hundred bushels of barley a day. In 1880 he pur- 
 chased the brewery owned by Siedler & Bender, 
 which he also converted into a malt house. This 
 building is located near his other establishment, 
 and consumes one hundred and fifty bushels of 
 barley per day. Mr. Herget is a practical malster 
 and gives his personal attention to the carrying on 
 of his business. 
 
 In 1878 our subject was married in this city to 
 Miss Sophia, daughter of Carsten Becker, who was 
 a farmer of this locality. Mrs. Herget was born 
 in Indiana, and by her union with our subject has 
 become the mother of six children, who are all at 
 home, namely: Otto, Dora, Amelia, Alfred, Harry 
 and Walter. Mr. Herget is truly a self-made man, 
 and by his industrious efforts and strict attention 
 to business has steadily worked his way upward to 
 a position of wealth and affluence. Politically he 
 is and always has been a stanch Republican. 
 
 -JRTHUR STUBBS, one of the enterprising 
 (@/LI|i business men of Delavan, is the senior 
 member of the firm of A. Stubbs&Son, of 
 the Young America Milling Company. 
 He was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, on 
 the llth of December, 1837, and is the son of 
 George Stubbs, who was an edged-tool maker by 
 trade, and came to this country in 1847, having 
 been previously reduced to poverty by free trade 
 prices in his native land. His home and other 
 property was sold for rent, and in this desperate 
 state of affairs he determined to seek a home in 
 America. He had not money enough to bring his 
 family, consisting of a wife and six children, but 
 it was decided that he should come alone, and as 
 soon as he could earn enough, send for the wife 
 and children. After two years of striving and 
 earnest toil this was accomplished, in 1849. In 
 the meantime he worked at his trade in St. Louis, 
 and in 1850 he entered land in Scott County, 111., 
 
 and embarked in farming, but liis tastes and talents 
 were in the direction of mechanical work, and his 
 agricultural ventures did not prove successful. 
 
 The mother of our subject died in 1852, after 
 which Mr. Stubbs again worked at his trade in St. 
 Louis. He was twice married after that time, and 
 his death occurred in February, 1872. Mrs. Stubbs 
 bore the maiden name of Harriet Parks and was born 
 about eight miles from Sheffield, England. The 
 gentleman whose name heads this record was one 
 of twelve children, five of whom grew to mature 
 years, he being third in order of birth. His eldest 
 brother, John, is now employed in the Young 
 America Mill. His sister Elizabeth is the wife of 
 
 B. II. Ironmonger, a miller of Mason City, 111. 
 Hattie is the wife of P. II. McSherry, a grocery 
 merchant of Springfield. 
 
 When our subject was only ten years old he 
 began to earn his own livelihood and to aid in the 
 support of the family. He secured a position as 
 errand boy in a drug store in Sheffield and was 
 later employed in a silversmith's establishment, 
 where he remained until he came with the family 
 to America. He was then a youth of thirteen 
 years. After his mother's death, in 1852, he went 
 on the Mississippi River and became an engineer. 
 In 1855 lie went to Jacksonville, 111., where he was 
 employed as engineer in a (louring mill, but in 
 1858 returned to the river. In 1860 he returned 
 to Jacksonville, 111., and secured employment in a 
 flouring mill. 
 
 During his residence in the city last named 
 Mr. Stubbs was married to Celia A. Sanford, of 
 Girard, 111., daughter of Thomas and Luc3 r San- 
 ford. Her parents were natives of Culpeper 
 County, Va. Her father is now deceased, but 
 her mother is living in Delavan, at the advanced 
 age of ninety-two. Mrs. Stubbs was born in Ken- 
 tucky. Their marriage was celebrated in Feb- 
 ruary, 1861, and has been blessed with ten chil- 
 dren, but two died in infancy. Alice A. is the 
 wife of Frank Starz, of the firm of Starz & Sons, of 
 the City Roller Mills; Hattie Eva is the wife of 
 
 C. II. Ball, a clerk in Delavan; Charles W. is in- 
 terested in his father's mill, but resides in Minne- 
 apolis, Minn., where he is engaged in the insurance 
 business; Earnest A. is employed in the mill; Nellie
 
 670 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 May, Edwin L., Bertha B. and Harry R. are still at 
 home. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Stubbs removed with his family to 
 Pekin, where he had charge of a flouring mill. 
 In 1868 he came to Delavan, and in company 
 with Fred Starz built the City Mill, with which 
 he was connected two years. He then sold out, 
 and in 1870 built the mill with which he has since 
 been connected. It has a capacity of one hun- 
 dred and fifty barrels per day, and they are doing 
 a good business, for the products of the mill are 
 of the best, and therefore a liberal patronage is 
 received. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs is a Republican in politics and 
 warmly advocates the principles of that party. He 
 has served as a member of the City Council, and 
 is ever interested in what pertains to the welfare 
 of the community. He is a member of the Odd 
 Fellows' society, in which he has filled all the 
 chairs, and for twenty years has been a member of 
 the Grand Lodge. He belongs to the Presbyte- 
 rian Church, in which he has long served as Elder, 
 and has lived an upright, honorable life in har- 
 mony with his professions. 
 
 LARIMORE, who is numbered 
 among the representative agriculturists of 
 Tazewell County, is now engaged in general 
 farming in Elm Grove Township. As he is both 
 widely and favorably known in this community, 
 we feel assured that the record of his life will 
 prove of interest to many of our readers. A 
 native of Virginia, he was born on the 14th of 
 March, 1830, and was one of a large family of 
 children born unto William and Nancy Larirnore. 
 His parents were both natives of the Old Dominion, 
 in which state they resided until the autumn of 
 1832, when they emigrated westward to Illinois. 
 A location was made in Elm Grove Township, 
 upon land which Mr. Larimore entered from the 
 Government. He at once began its development 
 and to its further cultivation and improvement 
 devoted his energies throughout his remaining 
 days. He was recognized as one of the leading 
 
 and influential citizens of the community who 
 always bore his part in public works. His death 
 occurred at the age of sixty-six years, and his wife 
 passed away many years previous. 
 
 Thomas Larimore was only eighteen months 
 old when brought by his parents to this state. 
 Since that time he has always made his home in 
 Illinois, with the exception of four years. In the 
 days of his boyhood and youth he became familiar 
 with all the details of farm life. Through the 
 winter season he generally attended the common 
 schools, where his education was acquired. 
 
 Mr. Larimore has been twice married. In 1856, 
 he was joined in wedlock with Miss Lucy Welsh, 
 a native of Elm Grove Township, and a daughter 
 of Hugh Welsh, who came of an old Kentucky 
 family. She was called to the home beyond in 
 1858, and left at her death one son, Thomas, who 
 is now living in Dillon Township, Tazewell Coun- 
 ty. Mr. Larimore was again married in 1859, his 
 second union being with Miss Jane Reed, a native 
 of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and a daughter of Jacob 
 and Mary (Aikens) Reed. This worthy couple 
 were parents of eleven children, of whom nine are 
 yet living. The father was a farmer and through- 
 out life followed that occupation. His death 
 occurred at the age of eighty-seven years, and his 
 wife, who passed away many years previous, died 
 at the age of forty. To Mr. and Mrs. Larimore 
 were born eight children: Belle, wife of William 
 Shea, of Kansas; Sarah, wife of D. Richmond, who 
 also resides in Kansas; Carrie, wife of Frank 
 Miars, of Sand Prairie, 111.; Lou, wife of N. Suft, 
 a resident farmer of Dillon Township; Daisy, 
 Bertha and Benjamin, who are still with their 
 parents. 
 
 Mr. Larimore is one of the extensive land- 
 owners of this locality, his possessions aggre- 
 gating nine hundred acres. In connection with 
 the cultivation of his land, he is also engaged in 
 stock-raising, making a specialty of horses and 
 cattle. His business career has been one of pros- 
 perity, and his success is well merited. In politics 
 he has always been a supporter of Democratic 
 principles, but has never sought or desired office. 
 He is a man of sterling worth and strict integrity, 
 whose many excellencies of character have won
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 671 
 
 for him high regard, and gained for him the 
 confidence and good will of all with whom busi- 
 ness or social relations have brought him in con- 
 tact. 
 
 
 IJOHN B. MEIGS, M. D., since 1856 a prac- 
 ticing physician of Manito, and a leading 
 citizen of this village, was born in Morgan 
 County, 111., March 30, 1835. His father, 
 William D. Meigs, was born in Logan County, Ky., 
 in February, 1812, and in youth came to Illi- 
 nois, sojourning for a time in Madison County, 
 and removing thence to Morgan County. Later 
 lie settled in Sangamon County, where he con- 
 ducted the study of law and was admitted to 
 the Bar at Springfield. During the latter part of 
 his life, after having long engaged in the legal 
 practice at Springfield, he came to Manito and here 
 he passed away, March 12, 1877. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, John 
 S. Meigs, emigrated from Ireland, his native land, 
 to America, and settling in Kentucky remained 
 there until his death. The mother of our subject 
 was Susan, daughter of William and Sarah Hope, 
 of Knox County, Tenn. She was born in that 
 county, October 8, 1812, and was married in Sanga- 
 mon County, 111., in 1835. The union resulted in 
 the birth of eleven children, of whom three are 
 living, John B.; Ruth, who is married and lives 
 in Peoria, 111., and Mrs. Josephine Freeman, of 
 Chicago. 
 
 As a boy our subject was recognized as the pos- 
 sessor of more than ordinary ability, and although 
 it was not his privilege to attend school regularly, 
 he studied at home and easily kept up with the 
 school children in his studies. When but fifteen 
 he began the study of medicine, and at the age of 
 twenty commenced the practice of the profession 
 at Woodburn, III., where he remained one year. 
 The year 1856 witnessed his advent into Manito, 
 where he has since conducted a large practice. 
 
 During the late war the Doctor was examined 
 for an appointment in the Eleventh Illinois Cav- 
 alry, but failed to receive the commission, which 
 was forwarded to another regiment. However, at 
 
 the request of his comrades, he remained with them 
 as Assistant Surgeon. At the close of the war he 
 was discharged, July 1, 1865, and returning to 
 Manito, resumed the practice of medicine here. A 
 Baptist in religious belief, he has served as an El- 
 der, and since the age of twenty has preached the 
 Gospel whenever an opportunity was presented. 
 
 October 19, 1856, Dr. Meigs married Miss Ze- 
 linda J., daughter of John W. Stevens, a cabinet- 
 maker of Mt. Sterling, Ky. Nine children were 
 born to them, of whom seven are living, namely: 
 John W., who was born in April, 1860, and is a 
 resident of Pekin; Abner Y., whose birth occurred 
 in August, 1864, and who now lives in St. Louis; 
 Nellie, born in August, 1867, who is married and 
 resides in Manito; Fannie (twin of Nellie), who is 
 married and makes her home in Manito; Hosmer 
 R., born in 1871; James S., in 1874, and Cornelia, 
 in 1878. Mrs. Meigs is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 The principles of the Prohibition party are sup- 
 ported by Dr. Meigs. In earlier life he held a 
 number of local offices and has kept himself intel- 
 ligently posted upon the important issues of the 
 age. Formerly he owned property near Manito, 
 but this he sold, investing in western lands, and 
 now owns one hundred and sixty acres in Arkansas. 
 
 S EONHARD HE1SEL. Among the promi- 
 
 I (f) nent business men of Tazewell County 
 I vc\ 
 II I ^Vs, who attained to the highest round on the 
 
 ladder of success, and were counted among its 
 worthy and honored citizens, ma3 r be mentioned 
 Leonhard Ileisel. No name may be more prop- 
 erly placed in the history of the county than 
 his, for he was not only one of the most successful 
 and popular business men, but was of such a social 
 and genial nature, that he made many friends. He 
 was one of the oldest settlers of the county and 
 engaged for many years as a merchant, and later 
 in the insurance business in Pekin, where he was 
 classed among its wealthiest citizens. 
 
 Our subject was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger- 
 many, March 26, 1819. He was the son of John
 
 672 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 
 Heisel, a native of Germany, and a farmer and 
 weaver. He was an active member of the Luth- 
 eran Church, and died in his native land when 
 sixty-four years of age. His wife, Mrs. Elizabeth 
 (Karg) Heisel, was also a German by birth, and 
 reared a family of eight children, only two of 
 whom are living. 
 
 Leonhard was the fifth in order of birth in the 
 family, and attended the schools of Germany until 
 reaching his fourteenth year, when he helped his 
 father in his business, and later learned the tailor's 
 trade. In 1842 he began to do journeyman work, 
 traveling through Baden, Prussia and Wurtem- 
 berg. Four years later, at Graefeldt-on-the-Rhine, 
 a silk manufacturing town, he married Miss Mary 
 Charlotte Wilhelmina Saur, who was born in Ber- 
 lin. 
 
 In 1848, Mr. Heisel decided to come to America 
 and left Antwerp on a vessel which forty-two days 
 later landed him in New York City. Thence he 
 went to Albany, and after a stay there of three 
 weeks, came to Pekin by way of canal and river, 
 when this now prosperous city contained but six 
 hundred inhabitants. He immediately opened up 
 a merchant tailoring establishment, which he car- 
 ried on for four years, then engaged in the grocery 
 business, and later became a dry-goods merchant. 
 His first partner in the latter trade was Mr. Reul- 
 ing, his second Mr. Steinmetz, and the last gentle- 
 man with whom he did business was C. A. Becker. 
 He was very successful as a merchant, and had one 
 of the finest establishments in the city until 1881, 
 when he sold out. A few months .later he took 
 the agency for many of the principal insurance 
 companies. 
 
 From the time Mr. Heisel came to this city in 
 1848, nearly everything he touched turned to 
 money, and he was one of the substantial men of 
 the county. He built several business houses in 
 the city, owned three brick stores, and consider- 
 able valuable residence property. His good wife 
 departed this life May 22, 1884, after having be- 
 come the mother of eight children, of whom five 
 are living: Rudolph, living in Terre Haute, Ind.; 
 Henry, a hardware merchant of Stillwater, Minn.; 
 Martin, a prominent grocer of this city; and Eliza- 
 beth and Mary, at home. Socially, Mr. Heisel had 
 
 been a Mason since 1851, and was Treasurer of the 
 lodge for over a quarter of a century of the order 
 in Pekin. He also belonged to the Turner society, 
 and in politics was a strong Democrat. His death, 
 December 15. 1893, was mourned by the citizens 
 of Pekin, with whose interests his own had so long 
 been identified. 
 
 UFUS BLAKELEY. It is a well established 
 fact that a man of natural ability, if pos- 
 sessed of integrity and energy, can accom- 
 i; plish almost any given purpose in life. 
 Ever}' day furnishes examples of men who com- 
 menced their business career empty handed, and in 
 a brief period of time accumulated considerable 
 fortune. Our subject, who is one of the shrewdest 
 and most intelligent agriculturists of Mason Coun- 
 ty, is one of this class as is shown by the success 
 which has crowned his efforts. His home is on 
 section 8, Kilbourne Township, and his real estate 
 comprises eight hundred and thirty-two acres of 
 the very best land. He rents a portion of this 
 property, and to the remainder he gives his per- 
 sonal attention, putting in the crops best suited to 
 the situation and the soil on which he works. 
 
 Our subject is a native of this count}', having 
 been born in Havana Township, December 15, 
 1859. He is the eldest sou of A. S. and Sarah Jane 
 (Brown) Blakeley, whose sketch will appear on an- 
 other page in this volume. He attended school 
 mainly during the winter months, and the sum- 
 mers were devoted to work on the farm, in which 
 he, as the oldest of the family, bore a prominent 
 part. Young Blakeley remained at home until 
 reaching his majority, when he was married, Sep- 
 tember 20, 1882, to Miss Sarah J. Drake, also a na- 
 tive of this county, having been born in Topeka 
 Township in 1862. She was the daughter of Piatt 
 and Julia Drake, early settlers and well-to-do 
 farmers of Mason County. 
 
 Immediately after his removal, Mr. Blakeley lo- 
 cated on the old Jones place, which he had pur- 
 chased in Kilbourne Township, and where he lias 
 ever since engaged in farm pursuits. He has been
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 673 
 
 very successful in this vocation, and has been an 
 important factor in the present prosperity of this 
 section of the country, and lias accumulated a 
 handsome fortune. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife was bo'rn 
 a family of four daughters and two sons, namely: 
 Mabel, deceased; Cora, Oscar, Edith, Daisy and 
 Aaron Scott. Mr. Blakeley has worked hard in 
 the accumulation of his property, and has received 
 valuable aid from his wife, who is a cheerful, capa- 
 ble and willing helpmate. He has always attended 
 strictly to his own affairs, letting other people's 
 business alone, and always gets along well with his 
 neighbors. He is a Republican in politics, and 
 thoroughly identifies himself with whatever will 
 best promote the highest interests of this, his na- 
 tive county, his liberality helping forward many 
 schemes for its improvement, and he is numbered 
 among its most loyal citizens. 
 
 ELWOOD M. GARLICK. One of the bright- 
 est and newsiest papers in Tazewell County 
 is the Weekly Review, which is published at 
 llopedale, and of which the subject of this sketch 
 is the editor and proprietor. It was established in 
 1886, and since that time has enjoyed a steady in- 
 crease in circulation and prosperity, numbering 
 among its subscribers many of the citizens of Hope- 
 dale as well as the residents of the surrounding 
 country. In its editorials it has adopted and 
 closely follows the motto, "Independent in all 
 things and neutral in nothing." All measures 
 projected for the benefit of the people or the de- 
 velopment of the material resources of the commu- 
 nity receive the support of the paper and the co- 
 operation of the editor. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Mortimore A. 
 and Martha (Gilmore) Garlick. The father, who 
 was an attorney by profession, served in the Mex- 
 ican War and there contracted the disease which 
 resulted in his death when Elwood was nine months 
 old. The mother was again married six years 
 later, her second husband being J. W. Curd, and 
 she now resides at Sidney, Ohio. Elwood M. was 
 
 born in Plain City, Clarke County, Ohio, Septem- 
 ber 19, 1849, and spent his boyhood years prin- 
 cipally in Xenia and London, that state. He has 
 been self-supporting since a lad of fifteen years, 
 when he entered a printing office and began to 
 learn the trade. As may be imagined his educa- 
 tional privileges were few, but by extensive read- 
 ing he has become well informed. 
 
 After coming to Illinois Mr. Garlick was em- 
 ployed in the composing room of the Delavan 
 Advertiser for fifteen years and five months. Upon 
 resigning from his position with that paper he took 
 charge of the Review, of which he has been the 
 editor for the past three j'ears. He still owns his 
 residence property in Delavan, where he now 
 makes his home, going from there to llopedale each 
 morning and returning at night. His political 
 views bring him into affiliation with the Democratic 
 party, the principles of which he has supported 
 since attaining his majority. His first vote was 
 cast in 1872, when lie supported Charles O'Connor, 
 the candidate of the straight Democratic ticket, 
 against General Grant, Republican, and Horace 
 Greeley, the candidate of the liberal Democrats. 
 
 On the 9th of April, 1875, at Delavan, Mr. -Gar- 
 lick was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth 
 Keefe, and they are the parents of two children, 
 Minnie M. and Mattie E. They were bereaved by 
 the death of their younger daughter November 
 27, 1877, in infancy. Minnie M. was graduated 
 with high honors from the Delavan High School 
 June 12, 1894. The family is one of prominence 
 in the social circles of Delavan, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Garlick enjoy the esteem of a host of warm personal 
 friends. 
 
 OHN F. KREILING. Situated on section 
 26, Forest City Township, lies one of Mason 
 County's fine farms. It consists of one hun- 
 dred and eighty acres of well improved 
 land, upon which may be noticed a suitable com- 
 plement of buildings. This is the property of Mr. 
 Kreiling, who has here spent his entire life. He 
 was born on this place Christmas Day, 1858, and
 
 674 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was here reared to manhood, receiving his educa- 
 tion in the neighboring schools. 
 
 The father of our subject, B. II. Kreiling, was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, and thence accompan- 
 ied by his family came to America about forty-five 
 years ago. Proceeding westward to Illinois, he 
 settled in Butli Township, Mason County. After 
 the death of his first wife he married Helen C. 
 Witte, a native of Oldenburg, and they became the 
 parents of seven children. Four are now living: 
 Lydia, wife of Fred Myers; John F.; August II. and 
 George W. The father died in 1879 and the 
 mother in 1891. 
 
 The original purchase of land made by Mr. Kreil- 
 ing, Sr., consisted of one hundred acres, to which 
 he afterward added eighty acres. At the time 
 of purchase the land was open prairie and wholly 
 unimproved, but in time lie placed the land under 
 good cultivation and erected substantial buildings. 
 In politics he was a Democrat. He was an official 
 member of the Lutheran denomination and assisted 
 in the erection of St. John's Church. 
 
 April 26, 1883, ouix subject married Miss Lena 
 Theis, who was born in Hanover in 1863, and came 
 to America in 1882. Their seven children are all 
 living, viz.: Johanna Helene, Louis August, Har- 
 mon Frederick, Mary Maggie, Carrie Catherine 
 Maggie, Minnie Louise Augusta and an infant. In 
 religious belief the family is connected with the 
 Lutheran Church, in which Mr. Kreiling is Trustee, 
 and he is also a teacher in the Sunday-school. In 
 politics he is a Democrat and is the present in- 
 cumbent of the office of Highway Commissioner, 
 to whicli he was recently elected. At present he 
 is also serving as School Director. Sociall}' he is 
 a member of the Modern Woodmen of America at 
 Topeka. 
 
 J"~ OHN J. FLETCHER. Within the limits of 
 Mason County there is probably no man 
 whose lauded possessions are larger than 
 those belonging to Mr. Fletcher, a prosper- 
 ous and popular citizen of Lynchburg Township. 
 Since settling there he has from time to time 
 added to his property until he now owns fourteen 
 hundred and eighteen acres, of which the greater 
 
 portion is improved. He is also the owner of 
 about one-third the real estate included within the 
 corporate limits of Bath, and has valuable prop- 
 erty in Havana. 
 
 Of English birth and parentage, our subject is 
 the son of James Fletcher, who came to this coun- 
 try about 1854, and made his home with John J. 
 until his death. Here also occurred the death of the 
 mother about 1884. The paternal grandfather, a 
 native of England, bore the name of William 
 Fletcher; he was born in 1780 and died in 1856. 
 Our subject is the eldest of eight, children, of 
 whom the other survivors are: William, a resident 
 of Mason City; Charlotte, who is married and lives 
 in Easton, 111., Joseph, of Bath, who is married and 
 has four children; Mrs. Martha Hawkins, living in 
 Franklin, 111.; and T. M., of Lynchburg Township. 
 In Yorkshire, England, the subject of this sketch 
 was born on the 28th of April, 1820, and early 
 in life he became self supporting. When a lad 
 of twelve years he began to earn his livelihood, 
 and for one year worked in the employment of 
 a farmer, who paid him 2 10s. The following year 
 his wages were increased to 3. In the spring of 
 1844, dissatisfied with the prospects offered in 
 England, he crossed the Atlantic and the Gulf of 
 Mexico, landing in New Orleans, whence he pro- 
 ceeded to St. Louis. After a short sojourn there 
 he went to Iris Landing, in Scott County, I II., and 
 soon afterward entered the employ of R. South- 
 well, a farmer living near Winchester, that county. 
 His salary was $9 per month during that summer, 
 but in 1845 he received an advance in wages of 
 
 i $2, working in the employ of John Thompson. 
 
 j In 1846 he worked on the farm of James Cotton, 
 near Winchester, who paid him $16 per month. 
 
 In the fall of 1856 Mr. Fletcher was employed 
 in husking corn for Mrs. Hannah (Kay) Briggs, 
 and the acquaintance thus formed ripened into an 
 esteem and affection resulting in their marriage at 
 Carrollton, 111. Mrs. Fletcher's father was a car- 
 penter and cabinet-maker of Ilomefui'th, England. 
 She was married in that country to a Mr. Briggs, 
 whom in 1835 she accompanied to America, set- 
 tling in St. Louis, where he died soon afterward. 
 By that union she had six children, while her mar- 
 riage to Mr. Fletcher resulted in the, birth of one
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 675 
 
 son, James J., now a resident of Bath, who mar- 
 ried a daughter of William Patterson, of that 
 city. 
 
 Settling near Winchester in 1856, Mrs. Fletcher 
 there bought fort}- acres, but two years later dis- 
 posed of the property and with her husband came 
 to Lynchburg Township. After cultivating a 
 rented farm for two years, they purchased forty 
 acres, upon which they made a cash payment of 
 $300, the remaining amount being paid on the in- 
 stallment plan. This was the nucleus of the pres- 
 ent possessions of Mr. Fletcher. The farm is finely 
 improved, contains large and substantial build- 
 ings, and is surrounded with a neat hedge fence. 
 
 A Democrat in political views, Mr. Fletcher has 
 served as Supervisor for two terms, County Sur- 
 veyor one year, and Justice of the Peace for a 
 period of sixteen years. He has been identi- 
 fied with Lynchburg Township from the early 
 days of its settlement. He enjoys the distinction 
 of having operated the first horse corn shellerever 
 used in this township, the machine shelling fifteen 
 hundred bushels the first day. He has worn out 
 three Alton threshing machines, three flag reapers, 
 two hodger headers, two McCormick reapers and 
 two corn shelters, which proves that he has been 
 a very active and busy man. 
 
 When Mr. Fletcher came to this county game was 
 plentiful, and, as he was an unerring shot, many a 
 fine day's sport did he enjoy, usually accompanied 
 by Colonel West, Doc O'Neil and John Connover. 
 On his place were always to be found several hun- 
 ting dogs, as well as a number of fine guns. One 
 time during the '50s he was out on a nine days' 
 hunt, killing six deer, with a double barreled gun. 
 About the same time a herd of six deer was noticed 
 on the island opposite Bath, and our subject, cross- 
 ing on the ice, killed five of the herd in a few days. 
 Though now past his seventy-fourth year he still 
 goes on an occasional hunting expedition, and his 
 enjoyment of the sport is almost as keen as it was 
 forty years ago. Failing sight, however, renders 
 his aim less unerring than formerly, but he is still 
 considered one of the best shots in the county. 
 At present he has three rifles and four double- 
 barreled shot guns, one breach loading that cost 
 $200 and another $65. He takes great pride in 
 
 keeping his guns in good order and has a fine 
 glass front case in which they are kept. 
 
 In addition to the elegant residence in which he 
 lives Mr. Fletcher owns several tenement houses, 
 one a brick structure. He has two wind mills on 
 the home place, and the improvements he has added 
 to the farm have cost $5,000. Six hundred acres 
 are cultivated under his direct supervision, and 
 in his agricultural affairs he has been most success- 
 ful. In the spring of 1894 he sold four thousand 
 bushels of corn, which he put on board the cars 
 two miles east of his place. Two days later he 
 loaded in the cars at the same place fourteen hun- 
 dred bushels of wheat, using eight teams. A man 
 of great energy and tireless perseverance, he is still 
 as active as when in life's prime. He is held in 
 high esteem by a large circle of acquaintances, and 
 is recognized as one of the foremost citizens of the 
 county. 
 
 IEUT. THOMAS B. BRIGGS, an honored 
 veteran of the late war, was born in Kent 
 County, R. I., November 16, 1825, and 
 now makes his home in Delavan, being one of 
 its highly respected citizens. His father, Samuel 
 Briggs, was a native of Dighton, Mass., and for 
 more that half a century followed teaching in the 
 Bay State and in Rhode Island. In 1840, he 
 came west, locating near Atlanta, in Logan Coun- 
 ty, 111., and a few years later he came to Delavan, 
 where he spent his remaining days. His wife bore 
 the maiden name of Sarah Bunn,and was a daugh- 
 ter of one of the Revolutionary heroes who served 
 as body guard to Gen. George Washington. His 
 brother was the founder of the city of Buffalo, 
 N. Y. Mrs. Briggs died in 1867, and a few years 
 later Mr. Briggs passed away at the advanced age 
 of eighty-three. In their family were twelve chil- 
 dren, five sons and seven daughters, of whom 
 two sons and two daughters are yet living. A 
 brother of our subject, E. M. Briggs, was a soldier 
 of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois Infan- 
 try during the Civil War, and now follows farm- 
 ing near Delavan. A sister is the wife of Hon.
 
 676 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ira B. Hall, Vice-President of theTazewcll County 
 National Bank of Delavan; and Mary A. is the 
 wife of Samuel Law ton, a jeweler of Newton, Kan. 
 
 Lieutenant Briggs was a youth of fifteen years 
 when the family came to Illinois. He secured a 
 liberal education under the direction of his cult- 
 ured father, and in June, 1846, entered the United 
 States service as a member of Company G, Fourth 
 Illinois Infantry, for the Mexican War. He was 
 present at the landing of the troops at Vera Cruz, 
 March 9, 1847, and participated in the capture of 
 that city. He was a member of the squad which 
 had the honor of capturing, at the battle of Cerro 
 Gordo, the famous fighting leg of Santa Anna. 
 After the war, Mr. Briggs returned to his native 
 state and was engaged in the bookbinding busi- 
 ness until the breaking out of the Civil War. On 
 President Lincoln's first call for troops he respon- 
 ded, and on the 17th of April, 1861, again took 
 up arms in defense of the Old Flag. He had be- 
 longed to the militia of Rhode Island, Massachu- 
 setts and Connecticut, and was appointed First 
 Sergeant of Company A, First Regiment Rhode 
 Island Volunteer Militia. He went to Washing- 
 ton under Colonel Burnside, and during his three 
 months' service was stationed in the Capitol City. 
 On the 2d of August, 1861, his term expired, and 
 he promptly re-enlisted in the Third Rhode Island 
 Infantry, being mustered in on the 20th of Aug- 
 ust. The regiment afterwards became heavy ar- 
 tillery, and Mr. Briggs was commissioned Captain. 
 He was present at the capture of Hilton Head and 
 Port Royal, and was then in command of Ft. 
 Wells for three months, and later had command of 
 line intrenchments composed of six batteries on 
 Beaufort Island. In April, 1863, while making a 
 reconnoissance around the island and on the river 
 on the transport "George Washington," with a 
 detachment of his company, he was fired upon by 
 the enemy about day break. The ammunition was 
 exploded and the boat was blown up, killing 
 fourteen of his men and nearly causing him to 
 lose his life. 
 
 On the 22d of May, Captain Briggs resigned 
 his commission and returned to civil life, but it 
 was not long before he had fully recovered from 
 his injuries, and again entered the service, as First 
 
 Lieutenant of the Fourteenth Rhode Island Artil- 
 lery, subsequently changed to the Eleventh Uni- 
 ted States Artillery. On the 1st of January, 1864, 
 he left New Orleans for Matta Gorda Island, was 
 made ordnance officer at Ft. Espanronza, Tex., 
 and subsequently was made Ordnance Officer of the 
 First Division, Thirteenth Army Corps on the 
 Staff of Brig.-Gen. B. S. Roberts. Later he was or- 
 dered by General Sherman to report to the com- 
 mander of Ft. Jackson, La., where he received the 
 appointment of Assistant Acting Quartermaster 
 a position he held until October 2, 1865. He re- 
 mained there until May 5, and was then trans- 
 ferred to Brasheor City, when he was again mus- 
 tered out of the United States service. He was 
 discharged October 25, in Rhode Island, but army 
 life had become second nature to him, and it was 
 not long before he decided to enter the regular 
 service. 
 
 On the 20th of July, 1867, Mr. Briggs received 
 an appointment as Second Lieutenant of the Third 
 United States Infantry, was assigned to duty at 
 Ft. Leaven worth, Kan., and soon after sent to Ft. 
 Lyon, Colo. For sixteen years he was on the 
 western frontier. The duties of an officer in the 
 regular service are not as exciting as during the 
 time of the Civil War, but he was always found 
 faithful to his trust, and was universally respected 
 by his fellow-officers. His health failing him in 
 1883, he was transferred to the retired list as in- 
 capacitated for active duty, and given an annual 
 salary of about $1,500. 
 
 When Lieutenant Briggs left the army, he de- 
 cided to make his home in Delavan, where his boy- 
 hood days were passed and where the rest of the 
 members of his family lived. His wife's people 
 also lived in this place. He was married May 31, 
 1849, to Rebecca Keech, a native of Windham 
 County, Conn., who died in 1873, leaving one son, 
 Walter S., who was for twelve years in the stock 
 business on the plains, arid is now engaged in mer- 
 chandising in Lusk, Wyo. Mr. Briggs was mar- 
 ried in 1874 to Mary Rhoads Arnold, who died in 
 1876. He was again married March 4, 1879, to 
 Carrie A. Hiscox, who was born on Narragansett 
 Bay in 1852, and is the daughter of Edwin Hiscox, 
 who came to Delavan during her girlhood. They
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 677 
 
 now have two children, Thomas B., Jr., and Jo- 
 sephine A. 
 
 Lieutenant Briggs is a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, the Loyal Legion and the 
 Masonic fraternity. The most of his life has been 
 spent in military service and he has made a record 
 of which he may justly be proud. 
 
 f AMES A. HARPHAM. The history of any 
 country, state or county must depend in a 
 great measure upon the lives of those men 
 who by industry, natural ability and perse- 
 verance have achieved success. For the interest 
 with which it inspires the general reader therefore, 
 a history of Mason County would in no measure be 
 complete without a description of him whose name 
 heads this sketch, and who is now living retired in 
 the city of Havana. 
 
 Mr. Harpham was born in Philadelphia, Pa., 
 September 14, 1815, and is the son of Jonathan 
 Harpham, whose birth took place in England. 
 The latter came to America when a lad of fourteen 
 years of age, locating in Philadelphia, where he 
 was employed in merchandising. When ready to 
 establish a home of his own, he was married to 
 Miss Mary Bater, a native of Massachusetts. She 
 departed this life a number of years ago when 
 living in Marion County, this state. Jonathan 
 Harpham also passed away in that county at the 
 age of seventy-three years. He was actively inter- 
 ested in advancing the welfare of his adopted 
 county, and during elections never failed to cast 
 a Whig ticket. 
 
 James A., of this sketch, was only three years of 
 age at the time of his parents' removal from the 
 east to Indiana, in which state they located in 
 Dearborn County, and engaged actively in farming. 
 In 1851, our subject came to Mason County, where 
 he entered a quarter-section of land from the 
 Government, and at the same time purchased a 
 considerable amount of land in Havana Township. 
 He immediately set to work to improve and culti- 
 vate his property, and that he has been more than 
 ordinarily successful is evidenced by the fact that 
 23 
 
 he is now living substantially retired from work of 
 any kind, devoting himself to the sale of his city 
 property, owning about fifty acres in the central 
 portion of Havana. 
 
 September, 1841, James A. Harpham and Miss 
 Elizabeth Linn, were united in marriage. The 
 lady was a native of Dearborn County, Ind., and 
 the daughter of Joel and Elizabeth Linn, both 
 natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Harpham departed 
 this life May 18, 1889, after having become the 
 mother of four sons and three daughters. They 
 bear the respective names of Albert S., who is'loca- 
 ted in Monroe County, Mo.; Mary, now Mrs. H. 
 F. Williams, of St. Louis, Mo.; Charles L., a farmer 
 in that state; Edwin L., a prominent attorney in 
 Chicago; Flora, engaged in teaching in the North- 
 hampton College of Massachusetts; Anna, Mrs. L. 
 Evurs, residing in Sioux City, Iowa, and James A., 
 Jr., who is engaged in farming in Monroe County, 
 Mo. 
 
 Mr. Harpham is an active worker in the ranks 
 of the Republican party. He is regarded as one 
 of those men of progressive ideas who endeavor 
 to keep pace with current affairs and his popu- 
 larity is alike great in both business and social 
 circles. Ele has resided in Havana since 1851, and 
 throughout this section of the county has many 
 warm and personal friends who fully appreciate 
 his worth and his natural kindness. 
 
 R. R. W. CROTHERS, deceased, was born 
 in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, April 25, 1833, and 
 was a son of Noble and Rachel Crothers. 
 His father was a prominent farmer and 
 stock dealer, but we have little information con- 
 cerning the early history of the famil}'. His 
 brother, Dr. E. K. Crothers, was a well known 
 physician, who died in Bloomington in April, 
 1893. Another brother, Rev. Warren Crothers, is 
 a prominent Methodist preacher, now located in 
 the far west, and is the only son of the family liv- 
 ing. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this record 
 spent his early life in the usual manner of farmer 
 lads, and after attending the common schools was
 
 678 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a student in an academy. Desiring to enter the 
 medical profession and make its practice his life 
 work, lie entered the St. Louis Medical College, 
 and graduated from the Jefferson Medical College, 
 at Philadelphia, in the spring of 1855. The 
 following year he came to Delavan and opened a 
 drug store, which he carried on in connection with 
 his extensive practice. He became one of the 
 most noted physicians and surgeons of central 
 Illinois, received a very liberal patronage, and won 
 an enviable reputation among his professional 
 brethren. He continued in active practice, and 
 also carried on his drug store until his death. 
 
 The Doctor was united in marriage on the 12th 
 of July, 1864, with Miss Minerva Lillibridge, a 
 native of Oneida County, N. Y., who resided in 
 Detroit, Mich., at the time of her marriage. She 
 is a lady of culture and refinement, and is liv- 
 ing a quiet life in the beautiful home left her 
 by her husband. The Doctor was called to his 
 final rest January 10, 1890, and his death was 
 deeply mourned, for he had won many friends 
 throughout the community and was held in the 
 highest regard by all. 
 
 A. ROSEBROUGII, a prominent and rep- 
 resentative fanner, and well known citizen 
 of Mason City Township, Mason County, 
 follows agricultural pursuits on section 14, 
 and claims Ohio as the state of his nativity. He 
 was born in Champaign County, April 16,1832, 
 and is a son of William Rosebrough, whose birth 
 occurred in Kentucky, November 11, 1799. The 
 father removed to Ohio when eleven years of age 
 with his parents, and while living in that state 
 learned and followed the trade of a carpenter. 
 On coming to this state, however, in 1849. he 
 located in Quiver Township, Mason County, on 
 raw land which he entered from the Government, 
 and thereafter carried on farm pursuits. 
 
 The father of our subject improved and lived 
 upon the above farm until the spring of 1865, 
 when he made his advent into this township and 
 
 lived until his decease, March 28, 1876, in his sev- 
 enty-seventh year. He was an active member of 
 the old school Baptist Church, and led an honora- 
 ble and upright life. His father, the grandfather 
 of our subject, James Rosebrougli, was a native 
 of Ireland, and crossed the Atlantic to the New 
 World when quite young. The maiden name of 
 our subject's mother was Hannah Ayres; she 
 was born in 1804 in Hamilton County, Ohio, 
 where she was reared to womanhood and met and 
 married William Rosebrougli. Her father, Ben- 
 ajah Ayres, came from New Jersey. 
 
 He whose name heads this sketch was the sec- 
 ond child of the parental family, which comprised 
 two daughters and three sons. He came to this 
 county when a lad of seventeen years, and ob- 
 tained his education in the common schools of the 
 Buckeye State. Upon leaving the school-room he 
 learned the carpenter's trade, which occupation he 
 followed until 1865, when he was elected to the 
 responsible office of County Treasurer. After 
 serving a term of two years he located upon the 
 farm where he is at present residing, and in the 
 cultivation of which he is making a success. Five 
 years previous to being elected Treasurer, he held 
 the office of County Commissioner, of which he 
 was incumbent for a short time, being one of the 
 last commissioners to hold that office prior to the 
 township organization. For thirteen years he was 
 Supervisor of Mason City Township, during nine 
 years of which time he was chairman of the board. 
 He is identified with the Democratic party in pol- 
 itics and gives his support to every enterprise cal- 
 culated in any way to upbuild and improve the 
 community. 
 
 B. A. Rosebrougli was married in 1856 to Miss 
 Maria L. Tomlin, who died in 1872, leaving five 
 children, namely: Elizabeth, now Mrs. Joseph 
 Fisher, residing in Elliott, Iowa; Cora, the wife of 
 George D. Coon, of Clinton, Mo.; B. A., who 
 makes his home in New Holland, this state; Frank, 
 living in Quincy, and Bertha, at home with her 
 father. The second union of our subject oc- 
 curred on the 28th of September, 1876, at which 
 time Mrs. Amelia, daughter of Abraham and 
 Malissa Swing, widow of John Sikes, became his 
 wife. To them were born two children, of whom
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 679 
 
 one died in infancy, and the other bears the name 
 of James Roy. 
 
 Our subject owns a quarter-section of fine farm- 
 ing land, which he has placed under such excel- 
 lent tillage that it now ranks among the finest es- 
 tates in the township. In social affairs he is a 
 prominent Mason, belonging to Lodge No. 403 in 
 Mason City. 
 
 I i 
 
 OSEPH J. AND RUN YON H. VAIL, constitu- 
 
 J"~? 
 ting the manufacturing firm of Vail Bros., 
 of Green Valley, 'faze well County, are con- 
 ducting one of the most extensive indus- 
 tries of that kind in this part of the state, their 
 main article being washing machines. 
 
 Joseph J., the oldest brother, was born in Somer- 
 set County, N. J., September 7, 1843, his father 
 being Lewis Vail, who was born in the same county 
 as his son, February 11, 1812, and was 03' trade 
 a hatter. His father, the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, also bore the name of Joseph, and was like- 
 wise a native of New Jersey, and a Quaker, whose 
 ancestors came from England long before the Rev- 
 olutionary War. The father of our subject was 
 married to Hannah Matilda Harris, who was born 
 in Middlesex County, N. J., March 17, 1822, and 
 whose ancestors came from England about the 
 same time as did the Vail family. The mother 
 did not belong to the' Friends' Society, so the 
 father by marrying her was severed from that 
 faith. 
 
 In 1855, the Vail family came west and located 
 in Racine, Wis., and one year later went to EIow- 
 ard Count}', Iowa, where the father engaged in 
 farming until 1863. After making his home in 
 LaSalle and Logan Counties until 1865, Mr. Vail 
 decided to take up farming in this county and 
 hither moved with his family, making settlement 
 south of Delavan, where his death occurred No- 
 vember 1, 1886. The good mother is yet living 
 and making her home in Green Valley with her 
 sons. Only one of the five boys of this family 
 has ever married, he being Randolph., who took 
 to wife Miss Elizabeth Kirkman and is now in 
 the employ of his brothers, Joseph and Runyon 
 
 H. The other brothers are Andrew H. K. and 
 Lewis D. The former has charge of his aunt 
 Margaret V. P. Harris' landed estate in Logan 
 County, 111. The latter is also on a farm in Tre- 
 mont County, Iowa. 
 
 Joseph J., our subject, is socially a prominent 
 Odd Fellow of a high degree, having passed all the 
 chairs in his order, and is now entitled to a seat 
 in the Grand Lodge. He also belongs to the Mod- 
 ern Woodmen. Politically our subject is a stanch 
 Republican, as are also his brothers. He has not 
 held any offices for the past few years, preferring 
 to give his attention to his business. The firm is 
 engaged in the manufacture of washing machines, 
 and are carrying on a successful business in that 
 line. 
 
 URDON F. SA.LTONSTALL. The gentle- 
 man whose life will be briefly sketched in 
 these paragraphs is one of the most success- 
 ful lawyers of Pekin, and is at present officiating 
 as State's Attorney. He is a member of an old 
 and prominent eastern family that dates its history 
 back to the Puritans of New England. The first 
 representative of the family in America was Rich- 
 ard Saltonstall, who settled in Massachusetts in 
 1830. 
 
 The fatiier of our subject, Dr. G. F. Saltonstall, 
 was born in New London, Conn., and was a grad- 
 uate of a medical college in Philadelphia. Early 
 in the '40s, after a short residence in Scott Coun- 
 ty, Ky., he came to Tremont, Tazewell County, 111., 
 and here engaged in practice. In 1848 he removed 
 to Missouri, and settled at Fayette, Howard Coun- 
 ty, where he retired from the profession and en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of hemp rope and bag- 
 ging. In 1850 he died of cholera in Marietta, 
 Ohio. His wife, who bore the maiden name of 
 Sarah A. Thompson, was born in Kentucky, and 
 died in Fayette, Mo., in 1866. 
 
 The parental family consisted of five children, 
 of whom three are now living, Gurdon F. being 
 the second in order of birth. He was born at Tre- 
 mont, then the county seat of Tazewell County, 
 and accompanied his parents to Fayette, Mo., where
 
 680 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his education was conducted under private teach- 
 ers. In 1866 he came to Pekin and commenced 
 the study of law in this city. The following year 
 he was admitted to the Bar at Ottawa, this state, 
 since which time he has conducted an extensive 
 practice in Pekin. For a few years he was engaged 
 in partnership with another gentleman, but since 
 1870 he has been alone. 
 
 As an attorney, Mr. Saltonstall has gained an 
 enviable reputation, and his councils are sought by 
 the leading men of this section. lie is thoroughly 
 read in the law, and skilled in the management of 
 cases submitted to him. In the Democratic party 
 lie wields a considerable influence, and invariably 
 gives his support to the nominees of that organi- 
 zation. The political questions of the age have 
 received from him the serious consideration which 
 they demand, and he has firm convictions upon all 
 subjects of general importance. In 1888 he was 
 elected State's Attorney, and four years later was 
 re-elected to that position, of which he is the pres- 
 ent incumbent. He gives his aid to all public 
 measures having for their object the promotion of 
 the welfare of the people, and may be relied upon 
 to support all projects that are beneficial and up- 
 lifting in their influences. 
 
 Si SAAC N. MITCHELL, Secretary of the Havana 
 Building & Loan Association, and senior ruem- 
 /il ber of the firm of Mitchell <fe Son, was born in 
 Morgan County, 111., February 13, 1829. The 
 family is of Scotch descent, and has long been rep- 
 resented in this country. His father, Isaac Mitch- 
 ell, was a native of Virginia, and in 1828 settled 
 in Morgan Cqunty, 111., where he followed the oc- 
 cupation of a farmer, lie was a man of influence 
 in his community, and advocated the principles of 
 the Whig party. His death occurred in 1864. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Frances Strib- 
 bling, was born in Virginia, of Welsh ancestry, and 
 died in 1836. 
 
 In Morgan County our subject spent the days 
 
 of boyhood receiving a common-school education 
 in the home locality. With his father he came to 
 Mason County at the age of seventeen years, and 
 for four years thereafter engaged in farming. 
 When twenty-one years old he accepted a clerk- 
 ship in the general mercantile store of J. M. Bees- 
 ley at Bath, where he remained for two years. In 
 1857 he formed a partnership with Morrow Bros., 
 under the firm name of Mitchell & Morrow Bros., 
 in which connection he carried on the mercantile 
 trade for two years. lie was then Cor a time em- 
 ployed as clerk on a steamboat plying between La 
 Salle and St. Louis. 
 
 Upon the Democratic ticket in 1867, Mr. Mitch- 
 ell was elected to the office of County Treasurer, 
 for a term of three years, and in 1869 he was 
 chosen County Clerk, which position he filled for 
 four years. Later he was for two years engaged 
 in the drug business. His connection with the real 
 estate, loan and insurance business commenced in 
 1877, and in 1889 he took into partnership his son 
 Frank J., since which time the firm title has been 
 Mitchell & Son. 
 
 When, in 1882, the Havana Building & Loan 
 Association was organized, our subject was one of 
 its charter members, and has since been a stock- 
 holder. He has also served as its Secretary from 
 the date of organization to the present time. In 
 February, 1893, he was appointed Master of Chan- 
 cery, and is now the incumbent of that office. His 
 political affiliations are with the Democratic party, 
 and upon that ticket he has been chosen to serve 
 in a number of influential positions. In 1874 he 
 was elected Mayor of Havana, being the second 
 one to occupy that position after the organization 
 of the city. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Mitchell is a member of Havana 
 Lodge No. 88. F. & A. M., Chapter No. 86, It. A. 
 M., Damascus Commandery No. 42, K. T., and 
 Havana Grove Lodge No. 40, A. O. U. D. He was 
 one of the Board of Directors in 1875, when the 
 public school building of Havana, a line brick 
 structure accommodating five hundred children, 
 was erected at a cost of 125,000. In addition to 
 his other enterprises, he is also interested in farm- 
 ing. In 1856 he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Ann L. Campbell, a native of Tennessee, and a
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 681 
 
 daughter of P. W. and Lucy W. Campbell. Of 
 this marriage two sons survive, Frank J., who is 
 in partnership with his father, and I. E., who is 
 employed in the office. 
 
 A. MARKERT. Bath Township, 
 Mason Count} 1 , is a rich agricultural cen- 
 ter, and the men who conduct its farming 
 interests are enterprising, self-reliant and shrewd. 
 Among these the subject of this sketch occupies 
 no unimportant place, being the possessor of three 
 hundred and seventy acres of fine land. He is a 
 native of the kingdom of Bavaria and was born 
 February 23, 1831. 
 
 Jacob Markert, the father of our subject, was 
 likewise a native of the above place, his birth oc- 
 curring August 12, 1800. He was married in 
 1825 to Miss Eve Funch and made his home in 
 the village of Hafenlohr, where he was engaged 
 in buying and selling oak trees. He spent his en- 
 tire life in that place, his death occurring in 1889. 
 Grandfather Thomas Funch was a farmer by oc- 
 cupation and died at a good old age in 1844. 
 
 George A. was one in a family of eight children 
 and came to America in 1850. Having learned 
 the cooper's trade in his native land he followed 
 it for six years prior to crossing the Atlantic, and 
 for seven years worked at his trade in Newark, 
 N. J., and while there was married, August 13, 
 1854, to Miss Elizabeth Knabb. They continued 
 to reside in that cit}' until 1857, when they came 
 to Illinois, and Mr. Markert found employment in 
 making barrels for the Havana Packing House. 
 After being thus engaged for a short time he 
 rented land and turned his attention to farm pur- 
 suits. A few years later, however, in April, 1865, he 
 purchased ninety acres of the land comprised in 
 his present estate, to which he later added one 
 hundred and sixty acres, and in 1893 increased it 
 to three hundred and seventy acres. 
 
 The three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Markert 
 are, Frank, Rosina C. and Catherine. The wife 
 and mother departed this life February 24, 1876, 
 firm in the faith of the Lutheran Church. Our 
 
 subject makes his home at present with his son 
 Frank, who was married October 2, 1877, to Miss 
 Augusta Henrietta Caroline Bohl, whose birth oc- 
 curred March 4, 1860, in Germany. They are the 
 parents of five children, Elizabeth S., George F., 
 Bertha M., August J. C. and William C. A. Au- 
 gusta Bohl was a native of the Island of Bergen 
 and the daughter of Frederick and Sophia M. 
 Bohl, both born in Germany. Her parents came 
 to America in 1869, locating near Havana, where 
 they are at present living. Mrs. Markert is a de- 
 voted member of the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 The well tilled acres included in our subject's 
 estate are devoted to raising mixed crops and the 
 ordinary amount of stock, both grains and animals 
 being of good quality. A home like dwelling and 
 various outbuildings, together with a well kept 
 orchard and neat fences, indicate to the passer-by 
 that the land is owned by a gentleman of enter- 
 prise and good judgment. Mr. Markert takes no 
 active part in political matters except to deposit 
 his vote, which is a Democratic one. 
 
 AMES HALL, an honored veteran of the late 
 war, who for three years wore the blue and 
 valiantly aided in the struggle to preserve 
 the Union, is now successfully engaged in 
 farming on section 35, Sherman Township, Mason 
 County. He was born in Sangamon County, 111., 
 on the 10th of September, 1841, and is a son of 
 James Hall, a native of Scotland, who when a young 
 man came to the New World and cast his lot with 
 the earl} 7 settlers of Sangamon County. His brother 
 Andrew had previously located there and for a 
 short time lived in a cave. The mother of our 
 subject bore the maiden name of Catherine Daven- 
 port, was born in Kentucky, and at an early day 
 became a resident of DeWitt County, 111. After 
 her marriage she lived in Sangamon County, eight 
 miles northwest of Springfield. There Mr. Hall 
 carried on farming. Their remaining days were 
 spent in that locality and they were laid to rest in 
 the cemetery near their home. Five children were 
 born to them. Andrew, who was a soldier of the
 
 682 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 late war, and for nine months was held a prisoner 
 by the Confederates, is now living in Dallas Coun- 
 ty, Mo.; James is the next younger; Hugh makes 
 his home in Texas; Mrs. Elizabeth Davenport is 
 living in Kansas; and Mrs. Mary Davenport resides 
 in De Witt County, 111. 
 
 No event of special importance occurred during 
 the boyhood and youth of our subject, for he lived 
 quietly upon the home farm until his enlistment 
 in the Union army in August, 1862, as a private 
 in Company B, One Hundred and Fourteenth Illi- 
 nois Infantry. The regiment was organized at 
 Camp Butler, and he was there taken sick, but in 
 February, 1863, he joined his command at Jackson, 
 Tcnn., and participated in the sieges of Vicksburg 
 and Jackson. He also did scouting duty for a 
 time and then went to Memphis, where he did pa- 
 role dut}' during the winter. He took part in the 
 battle of Guntown and was detailed as a perma- 
 nent guard to the Provost Marshal. He partici- 
 pated in the battle of Tupelo, then returned to 
 Little Rock, and followed General Price through 
 Arkansas and Missouri to the Kansas border. At 
 St. Louis he leceived his pay and supplies and par- 
 ticipated in the battle of Nashville, where Hood 
 was defeated. At Mobile, Ala., his regiment had 
 charge of the pontoon bridges and in protecting 
 the same did some sharp fighting. They took part 
 in the siege of Spanish Fort, and afterward went to 
 Montgomery, Ala. Our subject was discharged in 
 the rear of Vicksburg in August, 1865, after three 
 years of faithful and meritorious service. 
 
 Mr. Hall at once returned toSangamon County, 
 and in February, 1866, came to Mason County, 
 and located upon his present farm, which was par- 
 tially improved. As a companion and helpmate 
 on life's journey he chose Isabel Rocole, a native 
 of Indiana, and a daughter of John C. Rocole, de- 
 ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have seven children: 
 Charles F., Orlo A., Archie, John Emery, James A., 
 Bettie Ann and William Ervin. 
 
 In politics Mr. Hall is a Democrat, has served as 
 Road Commissioner, and is now serving his second 
 term or fifth year as Commissioner of the Central 
 Special Drainage District. His wife is a member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Hall has 
 made farming his life work, and is now the owner 
 
 of three hundred and ninety-five acres of valuable 
 land, of which three hundred and fifty acres are 
 under a high state of cultivation. The neat and 
 thrifty appearance of the place indicates his care- 
 ful supervision and also tells of his enterprising 
 and progressive spirit. 
 
 ACOB MUSHBAUGH is the proprietor of a 
 boot and shoe store of East Peoria, and is 
 a wide-awake and enterprising merchant, 
 tl in whom the community finds a valued citi- 
 zen. He was born in Berks County, Pa., August 21, 
 1847, and is a son of Henry and Christina (Kuhu) 
 Mushbaugh, natives of Bavaria, Germany. In 
 1847 the father crossed the Atlantic to Quebec, Can- 
 ada, and thence went to Berks County, Pa., where 
 he owned and cultivated a vineyard until 1858. 
 In that year he came to Illinois, locating in Peru, 
 where he carried on farming and stock-raising. 
 Subsequently he removed to Fond du Lac Town- 
 ship, Tazewell County, where he engaged in farm- 
 ing for five years. He then went to Minonk, 
 and afterward made his home for a time in Peoria. 
 His death occurred in Peru in 1893, and his wife 
 passed awaj' in 1885. They were the parents of 
 six children, five of whom are still living: Will- 
 iam, now a resident of East Peoria; Henry, who 
 follows farming near Princeville; Jacob, of this 
 sketch; Fred, who is engaged in mining in Missouri; 
 Mary, wife of Joseph Lemer, of East Peoria, and 
 Mrs. Christian Lowry. 
 
 The subject of this record spent the greater part 
 of his childhood and youth in Tazewell County. 
 At the age of nineteen years he responded to the 
 country's call for troops, enlisting in 1864 as a 
 member of Company I, One Hundred and Forty- 
 seventh Illinois Infantry. Later he became a 
 member of Company I, One Hundred and Fifty- 
 sixth Illinois Infantry, and continued in the war 
 until its close. On account of the injuries sus- 
 tained during his service he now receives a pen- 
 sion of $6 per month. 
 
 When the south had laid down its arms and the 
 preservation of the Union was an assured fact, Mr.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 683 
 
 Mushbaugh returned to the north and located in 
 East Peoria, where he followed shoemaking. This 
 he merged into his present business, and now for 
 four years he has dealt in boots and shoes, build- 
 ing up a good trade. His fair and honest dealing 
 and courteous treatment of his patrons have won 
 for him a liberal patronage, which is well deserved. 
 In his political views Mr. Mushbaugh is a Popu- 
 list. He lias served as one of the Trustees of the 
 village and takes an active part in everything 
 pertaining to the welfare of the community and 
 its upbuilding. Socially he is a member of the 
 Odd Fellows' society and the Grand Army of 
 the Republic. The best interests of the commu- 
 nity ever find in him a friend and he is recognized 
 as a valued citizen. 
 
 \ ACOB KENNEL, who follows farming on 
 section 3, Morton Township, is one of the 
 worthy citizens that Germany has furnished 
 to Tazewell County. He was born in Pa- 
 vien, near the River Rhine, November 16, 1821. 
 His parents, John and Madeline (Naffziger) Ken- 
 nel, and his grandparents were also natives of 
 the same locality. The great-great-grandfather of 
 our subject was a member of' the Mennonite 
 Church and was driven from Switzerland on ac- 
 count of his religious belief. His father was a 
 member of the nobility of Switzerland and occu- 
 pied a very prominent position, but when he 
 joined the Mennonite Church he dropped his title 
 and went out into the world as a common man. 
 It is supposed that a large estate should have de- 
 scended to the Kennel heirs, but possession of the 
 same could not be obtained. The grandfather of 
 our subject was a farmer living upon rented land. 
 He had three children, Peter, Ann and John. 
 
 The last-named acquired his education in the 
 common schools and made farming his life work. 
 
 He carried on that business in connection with his 
 brother for a few years, but he afterward was alone 
 in business, and in 1830 he emigrated with his 
 family to America, taking up his residence in But- 
 ler County, Ohio. He there purchased about one 
 hundred and seventy acres of heavy timber land, 
 but was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, 
 for his death occurred in the autumn after his ar- 
 rival. His wife survived him for about eighteen 
 years. Like their honored ancestor, they were 
 members of the Mennonite Church. In their fam- 
 ily were six children who grew to mature years: 
 Madeline, now the wife of Joseph Augspurger; 
 Barbara, deceased wife of John Oswelt; John; 
 Jacob; and Katie, wife of Peter Unzicker. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of Jacob Ken- 
 nel we present to our readers the life record of one 
 who is widely and favorably known in this local- 
 ity. He was a child of about nine years when 
 with the family he crossed the briny deep. He 
 remained with his mother until about twenty 
 years of age and later came to Tazewell County, 
 111., where he spent one year working out by the 
 month. On the expiration of that period he re- 
 turned to Ohio and later went back to the Father- 
 land, where he also spent about a year. In 1851, 
 we again find him in Illinois, located upon the farm 
 which is now his home. At the time of his arrival 
 he had about 11,600, and with this small capital he 
 began life in the west. His possessions, however, 
 have been steadily increased through his own well 
 directed efforts, and he is now the owner of five 
 hundred and fifty acres of land in Tazewell 
 County and one hundred and sixty acres in Kansas. 
 
 Mr. Kennel was united in marriage with Miss 
 Catherine Garber. She was born in Ohio, but her 
 father was a native of Germany, and her mother 
 was born in the Keystone State. By this union 
 they became the parents of thirteen children: 
 Mary, George, Lena, Amelia, Katie, Berta, Thomas; 
 Emma, who died in January, 1894; Anna, Lucy, 
 Peter, John, and Lizzie, deceased. The parents 
 and their children are all members of the Mennon- 
 ite Church, and the family is one of prominence 
 in the community. The household is noted for 
 its hospitality, its doors being ever opened for the 
 reception of their many friends. In politics Mr.
 
 684 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Kennel is a Democrat, and lie has served as School 
 Director and Road Commissioner for several terms. 
 
 .,, ARON S. BLAKELEY. In giving the his- 
 Ol tory of Mason County, as told in the 
 lives of its citizens, mention should cer- 
 tainly be made of the gentleman above 
 named, who is one of the most prominent agricul- 
 turists within its bounds. He owns one thousand 
 acres of land in Kilbourne Township, and is not 
 only a substantial and progressive farmer, but an 
 intelligent and thoroughly posted man in all 
 public affairs. He has had a vast amount of ex- 
 perience and his most trivial business transactions 
 are characterized by good judgment and strict in- 
 tegrity. He is a prominent citizen and one who 
 has been of much benefit to the community. 
 
 Mr. Blakeley was born October 2, 1836, near 
 Springfield, this state, while his father, James 
 Blakeley, was a native of New Jersey. The latter 
 was reared in his native state and located iu San- 
 gamon County, 111., about 1835. Two years later 
 we find him in this county, where he remained un- 
 til his death, which occurred in 1870, when in his 
 sixty-third year. His wife, the mother of our sub- 
 ject, was prior to her marriage Miss Hannah Scott. 
 She too was born in New Jersey of Scotch parents, 
 and lived to reach the age of three-score years and 
 ten. 
 
 The parental family included nine children, of 
 whom six are now living. A. S., of this sketch, was 
 the third in order of birth, and was an infant when 
 his parents came to this county. He received his 
 education in the district school, and here attained 
 a stalwart manhood. In 1858 he married Miss 
 Sarah J. Brown, a native of New York State, who 
 came to this county with her parents when eight 
 years of age. 
 
 After his union our subject began farming on 
 rented land, and in this manner cultivated the 
 soil for about eight years. At the expiration of 
 that time he had laid by a sufficient sum of money 
 which enabled him to purchase one hundred and 
 twenty acres in Kilbourne Township, to which he 
 
 added as years passed by, until now he is one of 
 the largest land owners in the county. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley have been born four 
 children, of whom Rufus is a large land owner in 
 this township, having in his possession eight hun- 
 dred acres; Emma, the wife of Sylvester Drake, also 
 makes this township her home, as does also Edwin; 
 Nellie is at home with her parents. Mr. Blakeley 
 is a member of the Republican party. He was the 
 second man to hold the office of Supervisor, and 
 the first Road Commissioner of the township. He 
 enjoys all the esteem commanded by men of strict 
 integrity and superior strength of character, and is 
 especially respected for having so nobly fought the 
 battle of life, gaining for himself prominence with- 
 out other assistance than his ability and excellent 
 judgment. 
 
 GEORGE FREDERICK RANKIN, whocar- 
 
 ries on general farming on section 11, 
 Manito Township, Mason County, is the 
 owner of a good farm of one hundred and sixty 
 acres, which, by its well tilled fields and neat ap- 
 pearance, indicates the thrift and enterprise of the 
 owner, who is justly ranked among the well-to-do 
 farmers of the community. He is a native of the 
 township, and having many warm friends in the 
 neighborhood we feel assured that this record will 
 be received with interest by many of our readers. 
 Our subject was born December 31, 1856, and 
 was reared to manhood in the usual manner of 
 farmer lads. When ready to establish a home of 
 his own, lie was married, in 1879, to Miss Singley, 
 daughter of John Singley, and the young couple 
 commenced life on the old home farm. There 
 they resided until the spring of 1885, when our 
 subject purchased his present farm, which com- 
 prises a quarter-section. When it came into his 
 possession it was devoid of improvement, and 
 whatever success Mr. Rankin has achieved is due 
 entirelj' to his own efforts. His labors have re- 
 sulted in bringing him a competence, and he is 
 now surrounded with all that goes to make life 
 comfortable. In 1887 he erected on his farm a 
 good dwelling costing $500, and a barn 49x60 feet
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 685 
 
 in dimensions, which is valued at $1,600. Mr. 
 Rankin is engaged in general farming, and has 
 upon his place a number of good grades of horses, 
 cattle, etc., which will be found on the farm of 
 every first-class agriculturist. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born six 
 children, namely: Emma R., Edward P., Daniel R., 
 Sarah, Maude E. and Charlie. Mrs. Rankin was 
 born May 24, 1860, in Schuylkill County, Pa., of 
 which place her father was also a native. She was 
 given a common-school education, and her broth- 
 ers and sisters who are living are, Sue, Mrs. Ste- 
 vens, who makes her home in the Keystone State; 
 William; Emma, Mrs. Link, also residing in Penn- 
 sylvania; Edward; Charles and Frank, living in 
 Peoria, and Minnie and Maude, twins. 
 
 Our subject is a son of John and Elizabeth 
 Rankin, natives of Germany, the former of whom 
 is deceased. With his wife he is a member of the 
 Lutheran Church, which he served as Secretory 
 and Class-leader. His interest in school affairs has 
 caused him to be placed on the Board, which posi- 
 tion he held for about five years. In politics he is 
 a supporter of the Democratic party, but has never 
 been an applicant for political honors, preferring 
 to devote his time and attention to business affairs 
 and the enjoyment of home. 
 
 Ji OIIN HENRY KREILING is a well known 
 farmer of Sherman Township, Mason Coun- 
 ty, now living on section 4, and we feel 
 ' assured that this record of his life will 
 
 prove of interest to many of our readers. His 
 father, Bernard Henry Kreiling, was a native of 
 Germany, born in Hanover in 1813. Having at- 
 tained to man's estate he married Miss Mary Land- 
 wehr, who was also born in Hanover. In 1850 
 they bade adieu to friends and native land and 
 crossed the wide Atlantic to the New World. 
 They landed on the llth of January, 1851, and 
 coming to the west, Mr. Kreiling rented a farm in 
 Bath Township, Mason County, 111., for one year. 
 He then removed to another farm in the same 
 township, upon which he lived for three years. 
 
 when in 1855 he took up his residence on section 26 
 Forest City Township, the farm now occupied by 
 his son, John F. He at first purchased one hundred 
 acres of raw prairie land, but to this he added from 
 time to time, as his financial resources were in- 
 creased, until at his death he had five hundred and 
 sixty acres, the greater part of which was under a 
 high state of cultivation and well improved. 
 
 In the fall of 1851, Mr. Kreiling was called upon 
 to mourn the .loss of his wife, who died at their 
 home in Bath Township. On the 22d of Novem- 
 ber, 1852, lie was united in marriage with Helene 
 Catherine Witte, by whom he had four children, 
 three sons and a daughter, who are yet living. 
 There were four children of the first marriage. 
 Harmon G., of Manito Township, was born April 
 28, 1839, and wedded Mary Budke, by whom 
 he lias five children. Mrs. Justus Pfetzing is men- 
 tioned on another page of this work. John II. is 
 the next younger, and Mrs. George Furrer is also 
 represented elsewhere. The parents were mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran Church, and Mr. Kreiling 
 served as one of its Trustees, lie was interested to 
 some extent in the ditch building in Forest City 
 Township. His life was a busy and useful one, 
 and his earnest and industrious efforts overcame 
 the dilticulties in his path and won him a hand- 
 some property. 
 
 We now take up the personal history of John 
 Henry Kreiling, who was born in Hanover on the 
 7th of September, 1845. When a child of five 
 summers he accompanied his father to America, 
 with him remained until after he had attained his 
 majority, and then engaged in operating a part of 
 his father's land. From an early age he was 
 inured to the arduous labors of the farm, and soon 
 became familiar with the work in all its depart- 
 ments. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Kreiling was united in marriage with 
 Miss Hermiene Christena Aufdem-Brinke, a native 
 of Hanover, Germany, born July 13, 1849. With 
 her sister, Annie, who is now deceased, she came 
 to America on the 9th of September, 1867. An- 
 other sister, Dorothy, is now the wife of August 
 Sasse, a resident of Harlan County, Neb., and they 
 have eight children. Her sister Elizabeth is the 
 wife of William Ahland, of Oldenl>erg, by whom
 
 OSfi 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 she has three children. Her husband served in the 
 German army, and is now one of the railway offi- 
 cials of Germany. The parents both died in the 
 Fatherland. 
 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. Kreiling has been 
 blessed with four children, three of whom are now 
 living, Lydia Anna Helene, born December 30, 
 1869; August Carl Henry, born Decembers, 1871; 
 and Edward Herman George, born May 20, 1888. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kreiling began their domestic life 
 upon the farm which has since been their home, 
 and our subject has given his entire time and at- 
 tention to the cultivation of his land. He now has 
 two hundred and fifty acres, and his fields are well 
 tilled, yielding to the owner a golden tribute in 
 return for the care and labor he bestows upon 
 them. He has improved his farm by remodeling 
 his home, and in 1888 he erected a fine barn at a 
 cost of $1,000. He has also built other outbuild- 
 ings to the value of $400. He is widely recog- 
 nized as one of the leading agriculturists of the 
 community, and as such deserves mention in this 
 volume. A Democrat in politics, he has served as 
 Road Commissioner of his township, and is now 
 School Director. Both he and his wife belong to 
 the Lutheran Church, and throughout the commu- 
 nity in which they make their home are held in 
 the highest regard. 
 
 ON. WILLIAM T. EDDS. One of the most 
 prominent men in the city of Pekin is the 
 gentleman whose well known name opens 
 this sketch. He has represented the city as 
 Maj-or, Marshal and Chief of Police, and is now 
 a member of the Pekin Steam Cooperage Company. 
 He is one of the oldest settlers in this locality, 
 having come here as early as 1831, since which 
 time he has been very successful in his business 
 ventures. 
 
 Our subject was born in Springfield, this state, 
 November 25, 1827, and is the son of Bartlett 
 Edds, a native of Virginia. The family name was 
 originally spelled Eads, but was changed by Grand- 
 father Barnett Eads, who was of Welsh descent. 
 
 Bartlett Edds was an infant of two years when his 
 parents removed to Kentucky, where he made his 
 home until 1822, when he came to Illinois and lo- 
 cated in Sangamon County. In 1831 he came to 
 this county, and was engaged in farming on the 
 Mackinaw Creek at the time of the Black Hawk 
 War, in which conflict he participated. He de- 
 parted this life in 1873 in this county. His wife, 
 Mrs. Dianna (Kemper) Edds, was born in Ken- 
 tucky, and departed this life in Tazewell County. 
 She was the daughter of Thomas Kemper and 
 reared a family of nine children, of whom our 
 subject was the fourth in order of birth. 
 
 William T., of this sketch, was four years of age 
 when he accompanied his parents on their removal 
 from Springfield to Tazewell County, and when 
 old enough to do so attended school in the log 
 schoolhouse. He remained at home on the farm 
 until eighteen years of age, when he learned the 
 trade of a cooper under the instruction of an uncle, 
 and worked at his trade in Pekin for a time. He then 
 removed to Newark, Ohio, and from there went to 
 Muskingum County. In 1853, however, he re- 
 turned to this city, and opening an establishment, 
 here engaged in the manufacture of pork, lard and 
 whiskey barrels. He was very successful in this 
 venture, and five years later found him the pro- 
 prietor of four shops in different parts of the city, 
 and at the same time he was engaged as a whole- 
 sale liquor dealer and retail grocer. These enter- 
 prises he abandoned in 1873, and in 1889 he organ- 
 ized the Pekin Steam Cooperage Company, of which 
 he is General Superintendent. The President of the 
 company is George Herget, and the Secretary and 
 Treasurer is J. A. Edds, a son of our subject. The 
 factory is located on Twelfth and Margaret Streets, 
 within a convenient distance of the railroad, and 
 covers an area of 60x240 feet. They give employ- 
 ment to from seventy-five to eighty men, and have 
 a capacity for turning out one hundred thousand 
 barrels per year. 
 
 Our subject was married in Newark, Ohio, in 
 1849, to Miss Mary E., daughter of James Dewar, 
 who was born in Virginia. Her father was also a 
 native of that state, but removed to Ohio in an 
 early day and located in Newark. The three chil- 
 dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Edds are, George B.,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 687 
 
 who died when young; Frances E., the widow of 
 David VanAtta, and James A., who is engaged in 
 business with his father. He is a graduate of the 
 Abin*don College, and was engaged in the grain 
 and feed business in this city until 1889, since 
 which time he has been Secretary and Treasurer of 
 the Cooperage Company. He was married in this 
 state to Miss Lena, daughter of Thomas Payne, 
 and to them have been born four children. He is 
 a Mason of high standing, and is also a Modern 
 Woodmen. He is very popular and prominent in 
 public affairs and was elected Alderman of the 
 First Ward. 
 
 Our subject has been interested in real estate in 
 the city, and in 1867 laid out Edds' Addition. He 
 has built many houses which he has sold, but still 
 has in his possession much valuable property. So- 
 cially, he is a prominent Mason, and is a strong 
 Democrat in politics. For eight years he held the 
 office of Chief of Police, and was Marshal of the 
 city for some time. He has met with the success 
 attending perseverance and industry, and is now 
 one of the leading business men of this city. 
 
 \\!, AMES O. JONES. As a representative of 
 the legal fraternity of Tazewell County, 
 this successful attorney of Delavan has be- 
 come widely and favorably known, and his 
 abilities are of an order so high as to secure for 
 him the confidence of his clients and the regard of 
 the people. He has been chosen to serve in a 
 number of positions of a responsible and honora- 
 ble character, in all of which his discharge of du- 
 ties and obligations has proved his tact, accurate 
 judgment and high talents. 
 
 July 20, 1847, the subject of this notice was 
 born in Rensselaer County, N. Y., not far f,rom the 
 city of Troy, and is of Welsh descent. His father, 
 Elias O. Jones, was born in that county July 21, 
 1820, and in youth learned the trade of a carpen- 
 ter. In 1854 he came west to Delavan, and the 
 following year returned to New York for his fam- 
 ily. While a resident of the Empire State he was 
 a Captain in the militia, and after coming west en- 
 
 listed in the Union army, becoming a member of 
 the One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois Infantry. 
 For twenty-five years he was Justice of the Peace 
 in Delavan, where he now lives. One of his 
 brothers, James A., a prominent physician, was 
 surgeon of the Seventy-third Illinois Infantry dur- 
 ing the late war, and was killed at the front in 
 July, 1864. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mary (Brockwav) 
 Jones, was born in Rensselaer County, N. Y., Feb- 
 ruary 6, 1823, and died in 1872. She had two 
 sons, James O. and Harry P. The former was 
 eight years old when the family came to this city, 
 and here he received his education. Learning the 
 trade of a blacksmith, he and his brother carried 
 on a blacksmith and wagon shop for fifteen years. 
 Meantime he employed his evenings and leisure 
 hours in the study of law, and in March, 1890, 
 was admitted to the Bar. Opening an office at 
 Delavan, he hassince followed professional duties, 
 and has also been extensively engaged in the real- 
 estate business. 
 
 Politically a loyal Republican, Mr. Jones takes 
 an active part in local affairs, and is intelligently 
 posted in the questions of the day. He has been 
 a member of the City Council, and for the past 
 three years has served as Police Magistrate. So- 
 cially, he affiliates with the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows, and has passed all the chairs in the 
 lodge. His pleasant home is presided over by his 
 wife, whom he married in 1874. She was in 
 maidenhood Eliza F. Tripp, and was born in 
 Rhode Island, coming to Delavan in 1856. They 
 have had three children, but lost two in infancy. 
 Henry L., the only survivor, is a bright and ener- 
 getic youth, who is being trained for a useful and 
 honorable position in the business world. 
 
 ELI HAAS, formerly one of the largest land 
 owners of Tazewell County, and an in- 
 > fluential citizen of Spring Lake Township, 
 but now deceased, was born in Pennsylvania and 
 was a son of Valentine and Mary (Monk) Haas. 
 The father was a native of the Keystone State and 
 of German descent, his occupation through his en- 
 tire -life being that of a farmer. Eli was one of
 
 688 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 nine children, and in youth accompanied his par- 
 ents to Illinois, settling in Spring Lake Town- 
 ship. Tazewell County. The trip to this state was 
 made by boat, down the Ohio, then up the Missis- 
 sippi and Illinois Rivers, landing at Pekin. 
 
 After coming to this township, father and son 
 entered land from the Government and soon be- 
 came well-to-do. The latter, in early manhood, 
 married Miss Anna C. Orr, who was born in Vir- 
 ginia and came to Tazewell County with her par- 
 ents in childhood. After his marriage he formed 
 a partnership with a brother, and entering large 
 tracts of land, engaged in clearing and improving 
 the property, thereby gaining a handsome fortune. 
 At the time of his death he was the owner of about 
 tifteen hundred acres of tillable land in Spring 
 Lake Township, in addition to two hundred and 
 fifty acres of swamp land. He was by far the 
 wealthiest man in the township, and yet there was 
 no resident of the community more generous and 
 liberal-hearted than lie. 
 
 Politically Mr. Haas was a stanch advocate of 
 the principles of the Democratic party. He and 
 his wife were devoted members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, in which he served as Trustee 
 for many years. He assisted in the erection of the 
 church in Spring Lake Township, and was a cheer- 
 ful giver to all religious and benevolent projects. 
 When he passed away November 21, 1882, it was 
 felt that the township had lost one of its most 
 able and public-spirited citizens, and his acquaint- 
 ances, far and near, mourned his death as that of 
 a kind friend. His widow, who still survives him, 
 makes her home on the farm left her by Mr. Haas. 
 
 The only son of our subject is Edward S., to 
 whom the writer is indebted for the above facts 
 relative to his father's life career. He was born 
 December 1, 1862, and received a good education 
 in the common schools. Since the death of his 
 father he has managed the home place, and with 
 such success that he has not only displayed the 
 possession of exceptional ability, but has also en- 
 hanced the value of the property. The home is a 
 very beautiful one, and the surroundings, embrac- 
 ing a view of Spring Lake, are as charming as any 
 to be found for miles around. 
 
 At the age of nineteen years Edward S. Haas 
 
 was united in marriage with Miss Lucy L. Patter- 
 son, who was born in Morgan County, 111., and is 
 a daughter of Frank and Catherine Patterson. 
 Twochildren bless the union, Eli F. and Catherine 
 G. The political views of Mr. Haas bring him 
 into connection with the Republican party, the 
 principles of which he supports with enthusiasm 
 and fidelity. As an agriculturist, he is progress- 
 ive and practical, and he and his family are highly 
 esteemed by all who know them. 
 
 OHN WESLEY SPEAR, M. D. For about 
 twenty years this gentleman has engaged in 
 the practice of medicine and surgery at 
 Mason City, and such has been the success 
 with which his labors have been rewarded, that he 
 has attained a high reputation for learning among 
 the other practitioners of this section. Progressive 
 in his ideas, he keeps abreast with modern discov- 
 eries in medicine, and the proper application of the 
 same. His practice is not limited to Mason City, 
 but extends throughout the counties of Tazewell, 
 Logan, Menard and Mason. He is a careful and 
 thorough student of his protession, arid may be re- 
 garded as one of the foremost pli3 r sicians of the 
 state. 
 
 The Doctor was born in the city of Petersburg, 
 111., October 20, 1848, and is the son of E. B. and 
 Ellen (Wclb) Spear, natives respectively of New 
 York and England. His father, who was a shoe- 
 maker by trade, became an early settler of Peters- 
 burg, and died in that city in 1853. The mother 
 accompanied her parents to America at the age of 
 three years, and was reared in Baltimore, Md., her 
 deatli occurring in Mason County, September 18, 
 1892. Our subject spent the years of boyhood in 
 Petersburg and Havana, and began the study of 
 medicine under the tutelage of Dr. J. P. Walker. 
 Later he took up a course of lectures at Rush Med- 
 ical College, Chicago, from which institution he 
 was graduated in 1875. 
 
 Opening an office in Mason City, Dr. Spear for 
 three years conducted practice in partnership with 
 Dr. Walker, since which time he has been alone.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 689 
 
 As above stated, he is prominent among the phy- 
 sicians and surgeons of Mason County. He is 
 identified with the American Medical Society, the 
 Illinois State and the Brainard Medical Societies. 
 For a number of years he has been surgeon for the 
 Illinois Central Railway Company, and still holds 
 that position. In 1887 he was a member of the 
 Ninth International Medical Congress, convened 
 at Washington, D. C. 
 
 The same ability that lias placed Dr. Spear in the 
 front rank of his profession is always at the ser- 
 vice of the community for the promotion of meri- 
 torious enterprises. In politics he is a Republican, 
 and although mainly occupied with the demands 
 of a wide practice, he is intelligently interested in 
 local and national affairs. He has, however, no 
 desire to enter the arena of political life, but mani- 
 fests a commendable interest in everything per- 
 taining to the advancement of the community. 
 In his social relations he is a member of Wilfred 
 Lodge No. 219, K. P. 
 
 
 ,,.,: BEL L. DARLING, M. D. Success in any 
 profession can only be obtained through 
 
 industry and study, and the good phy- 
 sician must necessarily be the haidest of 
 workers and the best of students. Mason Count}' 
 is proud to number among her physicians the one 
 with whose name we head this sketch. He is a 
 most conscientious man, and whatever he under- 
 takes is done thoroughly. He keeps apace with 
 every onward movement made in his profession 
 and presents a remarkable example of what may 
 be accomplished by unremitting toil. 
 
 Patrick M. Darling, the father of our subject, 
 was born in 1812, in Virginia, and is the son of 
 Abraham Darling, also a native of that state; the 
 latter in turn is the son of William Darling, 
 who came from Ireland and became one of the 
 early settlers of Virginia. He served as a soldier in 
 the Revolutionary War, in which conflict he lost 
 his leg in battle. The grandfather of our subject 
 removed from Virginia to Ohio about 1814, and 
 made location on a wild tract of land on Owl 
 
 Creek, Knox County. He was a strong Anti- 
 slavery man, and on his removal to the Buckeye 
 State was accompanied by many of his negroes, 
 who remained in his employ for years afterward. 
 Later Abraham Darling engaged in the banking 
 business, and was one of the founders of the Owl 
 Creek Bank at Mt. Vernon, Ohio. He was also 
 County Judge at one time and lived in Ohio until 
 quite an old man, when he came to Illinois and 
 made his home with his daughter Mary, then Mrs. 
 Dixon, of Fulton County. His death took place 
 in 1874. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Jemimah 
 (Strong) Darling, was born in 1814, iu Maryland, 
 and was the daughter of Jacob and Catherine 
 Strong, who on their removal to Ohio located in 
 Seneca County. The parents of our subject were 
 married in Cosliocton County, that state, after which 
 they moved to Knox County, where the father died 
 in 1857. Mrs. Darling is still living and making her 
 home with her son Charles in that county. 
 
 The parental family included seven children, 
 three of whom are living: Mrs. Temperance 
 Butler, residing in Mt. Vernon, Ohio; Abel L., of 
 this sketch, and Marion. The mother of these chil- 
 dren is a most estimable lady and a devoted 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Our 
 subject was born April 4, 1849, near Mt. Vernon, 
 Knox County, Ohio, and remained in his native 
 place until nineteen years of age, in the meantime 
 carrying on his studies in the New Castle Academy. 
 
 Mr. Darling came to Illinois in 1868, and for 
 some time taught school in Fulton and Mason 
 Counties. September 2, 1874, he was married to 
 Miss Fannie Clary, a native of Fulton County, and 
 the daughter of Henry Clary, who was born in Ken- 
 tucky, and who was an early settler in the above 
 locality. Mrs. Darling's birth occurred in 1851, 
 and her education was obtained in the schools of 
 Lewiston, this state. After his marriage our subject 
 located on a farm in this county, where he re- 
 mained for a short time and then moved to 
 Summum, Fulton County. 
 
 When enabled to carry out his long cherished 
 destre of studying medicine, our subject went to 
 Cincinnati and took a three years' course in the 
 Cincinnati Eclectic Medical Institute, from which
 
 (illO 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 he graduated with the Class of '81. After re- 
 ceiving liis diploma lie came to Topeka, where he 
 has been engaged in active practice since, his field 
 of operation covering a large territory. 
 
 To Dr. and Mrs. Darling, have been born four 
 children: Byron C., Fred L., Temple B. and Lyle 
 Henry. Mrs. Darling is an active member of the 
 Christian Church, and the Doctor socially belongs 
 to the State Eclectic Medical Association, and also 
 the United States Eclectic Medical Association. 
 He is likewise connected with the Railroad Sur- 
 geons Society, and is widely known throughout 
 the county, and is exceedingly popular in his 
 community. Gifted by nature with high endow- 
 ments, he has cultivated these to the utmost, and 
 his indefatigable labor has brought to him the 
 esteem of his fellow-men. He is the possessor of 
 a fine farm in Havana Township, which is occupied 
 by tenants. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of our subject, Will- 
 iam Strong, married Catherine Boher, a native of 
 Germany, who lived to the remarkable age of 
 ninety-four years. He died when in his eighty- 
 fifth year. Abraham Darling, the paternal grand- 
 father of our subject, married Rhoda Shrimplen, 
 who lived to be eighty-five years of age, while he 
 lived to be ninetj'-four years of age. 
 
 OHN GUMBEL, a successful agriculturist of 
 Mason County, residing on section 16, Man- 
 ito Township, is the son of Carl and Sabina 
 (Kilter) G umbel, natives of Hesse-Cassel, 
 Germany. The father who was born in 1808, 
 came to America in July of 1849, and proceeding 
 direct to Illinois, settled in Forest City Township, 
 Mason County. There he continued to reside un- 
 til his death in 1884. His wife passed away in 
 1844, prior to his emigration to the New Worlrl. 
 
 In Hesse-Cassel the subject of this sketch was 
 born April 15, 1836, and there he spent the first 
 thirteen years of his life, receiving an excellent 
 education in the German schools. For a short 
 time after coming to this country he was a student 
 
 in the subscription schools of the locality, but was 
 early obliged to become self supporting, and his 
 educational privileges were few. He was hired 
 out to work upon a farm for $6 per month, the 
 wages to go to his father until he was twenty-one. 
 He then began to work for himself, and engaged 
 in driving an ox-team, breaking prairie, and doing 
 other work necessary to the improvement of the 
 land. 
 
 On establishing domestic ties, Mr. G umbel was 
 united in marriage, in September, 1859, with Miss 
 Leah Zaneis, who was born in Somerset County, 
 Pa., April 7, 1839. Her father, Nicholas Zaneis, a 
 native of Alsace, emigrated to America in 1840, 
 and settled in Penns3'lvania, whence he came to 
 Illinois in 1854, locating near Washington in Taze- 
 well County. There he died in 1885. His widow 
 still survives, and is now (1894) eighty-five years 
 of age. They had four children, Nicholas, Jacob, 
 Mrs. Susannah Wagh, and Mrs. Leah G umbel. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Gumbel lived on a rented 
 farm in Tazewell County for two years, after which 
 he operated as a renter in another part of the same 
 county for one 3'ear. After one year in Iroquois 
 County, and four years in Woodford County, he 
 came to Mason County and for three years rented 
 the J. A. Barnes place. In 1868 he purchased his 
 present farm, upon which a few acres had been 
 put under the plow and a shanty had been 
 built. The other improvements have been placed 
 there as the result of his own efforts, and he now 
 has one hundred acres of valuable land. Recently 
 he remodeled the residence at a cost of $1,200. 
 He has a good barn that cost $600 and has set out 
 an orchard of several acres. From the date of 
 coming hither, tiiis farm has been his home contin- 
 uously, with the exception of four years, 1881-85, 
 when he resided in Spring Lake, Tazewell County, 
 for the purpose of giving his children the advan- 
 tages of the excellent schools of that place. 
 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. Gumbel has resulted 
 in the birth of six children. The eldest, Samuel 
 A., has three children, one by his first union and 
 two by his second wife, who was in maiden- 
 hood Sarah Wamser; Henry C. married Amelia 
 Woerner, and they have two children; Susan 
 E. is the wife of Solomon Stansbury, and they
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD. 
 
 691 
 
 have two children; Louisa M. is with her par- 
 ents; Ella 8., the wife of Harry Neikirk, has two 
 children; Emma M. married John Folkman, and 
 they have one child. The children are all well 
 educated and they have a special talent for 
 music, in which the father is also naturally gifted. 
 He takes an active interest in politics, and supports 
 the principles of the Republican party. For some 
 time he was a member of the Board of School Di- 
 rectors of District No. 8. The family is connected 
 with the United Evangelical Church, to the sup- 
 port of which they contribute liberally, and the 
 good works of which they aid with enthusiam and 
 earnestness. 
 
 WILLIAM L. WOODROW. What honesty, 
 hard work and steadfast determination 
 will accomplish cannot be better illustra- 
 ted than by giving a brief sketch of the life of Mr. 
 Woodrow, who is now one of the well-to-do farm- 
 ers of Sand Prairie Township, Tazewell County. 
 He is a native of this place, where his birth oc- 
 curred March 2, 1863. Richard Woodrow, his fa- 
 ther, was likewise born in this county, in March, 
 1833. lie was a farmer by occupation and resided 
 upon the property which he purchased in 1856 for 
 twenty years. His death was accidental, resulting 
 from injuries received in moving a building in 
 1876. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was Su- 
 san Robison. She was married to Richard Wood- 
 row in the year 1855, and on his decease removed 
 to Normal, this state, where she purchased property 
 and is now living. The early life of the father of 
 our subject was spent in going to school during 
 the winter season, and in assisting his father on the 
 farm during the summer months. He thus re- 
 ceived a thorough training in agriculture, and 
 when ready to cultivate property of his own, he 
 was fully prepared to do so in a most profitable 
 manner. 
 
 The mother of our subject is a finely educated 
 lady, being a graduate of Knox College. She reared 
 a family of five children, of whom Charles, the 
 
 eldest, died when twenty-one years of age, in 1882; 
 William L., of this sketch, was the next in order of 
 birth; Howard S. married Miss Jeannie Brawner, 
 and is living in McLean County, where he has a 
 farm; Frank died when six years of age; and 
 James R. makes his home with our subject, and 
 will graduate from the Jacksonville Deaf and 
 Dumb College in June, 1894. 
 
 When choosing a life companion, William L. 
 Woodrow was married, in the year 1886. to Miss 
 Sallie Burns. Their union was blessed by the birth 
 of a son, Richard L. Mrs. Woodrow is a devoted 
 member of the Green Valley Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and is a most estimable lady. In politics 
 he is a Republican, the party with which he has 
 been associated for many years. 
 
 Mr. Woodrow prosecuted his studies first in the 
 common schools and later attended the State Uni- 
 versity at Champaign. On his father's side he is 
 descended from Samuel Woodrow, who was a 
 native of Ohio, and on the maternal side of 
 the house his grandfather was James Robison. who 
 was born in Scotland in 1801. His wife, whose 
 maiden name was Isabella Leslie, was also born in 
 that country in the same year. The grandpar- 
 ents were married in 1821, and on emigrating to 
 America made their home for a time in Michigan, 
 when they moved on a farm in this county, which 
 was located near a station which was named in 
 honor of the grandmother. They resided there un- 
 til 1881, in which year Grandfather Robison died, 
 and his wife then removed to Peoria, where she 
 made her home with a daughter, Mrs. Mary Cald- 
 well, until her death, in 1892. 
 
 HARLES L. BRERETON. The subject of 
 this sketch is a man of much influence in 
 the city of Pekin, where he is the proprie- 
 tor of a fine merchant tailoring establishment. He 
 is the son of Edward P. Brereton, who was born 
 on the eastern shore of Maryland, February 27, 
 1826. His father, Stephen Brereton, was a native 
 of Delaware, while the great-grandfather of our 
 subject, who bore the name of Henry, came from
 
 692 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 England and located in Delaware, where he car- 
 ried on the occupation of a farmer. 
 
 Stephen Brereton was born in 1792, and was a 
 millwright in his native state, which trade he also 
 followed in Maryland for some time. In 1835 he 
 came with his family to Illinois, making the trip 
 by boat to Pittsburgh, thence to St. Louis, and up 
 the Mississippi River to Pckiu. He located on 
 Sand Prairie, where he erected a mill and was en- 
 gaged in its operation until his decease, in 1855. 
 He was a cousin of Benjamin S. Pretty man, Sr., a 
 prominent attorney of this section, whose sketch 
 is also to be found in this volume. The grand- 
 mother of our subject was Mrs. Mary (Warrington) 
 Brereton, a native of Delaware, and the daughter 
 of Stephen Warrington, who was born in England; 
 she departed this life in 1850. 
 
 Edward P. Brereton, the father of our subject, 
 came with his parents to Sand Prairie in 1835, and 
 in the fall of 1841 was apprenticed to a merchant 
 tailor in Pekin to lea'ru that trade. A year later 
 he went to Peoria, where he completed his trade 
 in that line, and in 1844 began work as a journey- 
 man tailor. Several years later he became the pro- 
 prietor of a tailor shop, which he carried on for 
 two years in Pekin. In 1853 he sold out and re- 
 moved to Peoria, where he prosecuted his trade 
 until 1859, and was at that time the leading mer- 
 chant tailor in the city. That year he decided to 
 abandon further work in the city, and selling out, 
 rented a farm in Sand Prairie Township, where he 
 was engaged in funning until 1861. This kind of 
 work not being entiiety satisfactory, and as his 
 services were greatly in demand, he removed to 
 Pekin, and was employed as cutter for C. B. Cum- 
 niings & Co. until 1865. In February of that 
 year the firm of Brereton & Rhoades was organized, 
 which was dissolved after three years. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in Pe- 
 kin on the 1st of October, 1849, the maiden name 
 of the mother being Mary A. Broadwell. She was 
 born in Sangamon County, this state, and is a 
 daughter of Charles Broadwell, an early settler and 
 well-to-do farmer in this locality. Their union 
 was blessed by the birth of four children: Stephen 
 W., engaged in ranching and mining near Denver, 
 Colo.; Charles L., of this sketch; Clara, a teacher in 
 
 this city, and Minnie, a graduate of the high school, 
 who are at home. 
 
 Charles L. Brereton was born in Pekin June 18, 
 1860, and was here reared and educated. In 1878, 
 having learned the trade of a tailor, he engaged 
 in business with his father under the style of E. 
 P. Breretou & Son, and this connection lasted un- 
 til 1882. when our subject went to Colorado on 
 account of failing health. There he engaged in 
 mining for a year, and on his return entered his 
 father's establishment, where he was employed un- 
 til 1887, when he purchased the business. He car- 
 ries a full line of domestic and imported goods, 
 and gives constant employment to four or five 
 men. He turns out some of the finest work in the 
 city, and his name is well known in commercial 
 circles. 
 
 Mr. Brereton was married in this city in Decem- 
 ber, 1892, to Miss Minnette Brants, who is also a 
 native of this place. Socially our subject is a 
 Knight of P3'thias. 
 
 F LBERT EGGER. The following biograph- 
 ical sketch is a memorial offered as a lov- 
 ing tribute by the widow who was for 
 many years the happy companion and 
 helpmate of Albert Egger, and is intended to pre- 
 serve a few facts for his children and friends that 
 may be of interest in the 3 ? ears to come. Mr. Eg- 
 ger died in 1877, and that he was a good and suc- 
 cessful citizen, whose life had not been spent in 
 vain, was attested by the fact that he was generally 
 mourned by those who were comparative stran- 
 gers to his personal life, as well as by the members 
 of his family. 
 
 Mr. Egger was born in Switzerland December 7, 
 1837, and was there reared on a farm. When at- 
 taining his eighteenth \'ear he emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, and locating in Ohio with an uncle, remained 
 there for some years, when he came to Pekin and 
 learned the trade of a butcher, which business he 
 carried on in connection with a partner. Later 
 he operated alone, and at the time of his decease 
 was the proprietor of a fine market on Courl 
 Street. 
 
 The lady to whom our subject was married
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 693 
 
 March 22, 1866, was Miss Barbara Wild. She was 
 born in Baden, Germany, and was the daughter of 
 Michael Wild, likewise a native of the Fatherland, 
 where he was employed in preparing flax for the 
 weavers. In 1857 he came to America with his 
 family, which consisted of his wife and three chil- 
 dren. The voyage to this country was made on 
 the sailing-vessel "Tornado" and occupied twenty- 
 eight days. After landing in New York the father 
 of Mrs. Egger came directly to Pekiu, where his 
 brother George was located, and found work in 
 building a still-house, in which lie afterward worked 
 for many years. Later he formed a partnership with 
 our subject in the butcher business, but is now living 
 retired, making his home with his son Edward in 
 Sheldon. His wife departed this life in 1891, after 
 having reared a family of four children, of whom 
 Mrs. Egger was the eldest. The latter remained 
 in Germany until eight years of age, when she was 
 brought by her parents to the New World, and 
 here met and married our subject. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Egger was born a family of 
 three children: Edward A., at home; George W., 
 foreman in the office of the Courier in Elgin, 
 this state; and Fred R., a stenographer and type- 
 writer in Chicago. 
 
 ==31 
 
 C. BRENNEMANN, one of the 
 wealthy farmers of Tazewell County and 
 the present Supervisor of Boynton Town- 
 ship, was born near Lebanon, in Warren County, 
 Ohio, December 8, 1849. He is of German de- 
 scent, his ancestors for several generations having 
 been residents of Hesse-Cassel. There his grand- 
 father, Jacob Brennemann, was born April 7, 1764, 
 and there, June 20, 1788, he married Miss Anna 
 Gingerich. Four of his sons came to this country. 
 Michael, who first settled in Ohio, later came to 
 Illinois, and died several years ago. Jacob is still 
 living in McLean County, this state. 
 
 The father of our subject, Daniel Brennemaun, 
 was born in Hesse-Cassel in 1804, and came to 
 America in 1832, sojourning for a time in Ohio 
 and thence in 1854 coming to McLean County, 
 111. The year 1855 witnessed his arrival in Boyn- 
 24 
 
 ton Township, Tazewell County, where he settled 
 upon the farm now owned by our subject. Prior 
 to leaving Germany he was united in marriage, 
 September 26, 1826, with Miss Elizabeth lutzi, and 
 three children were born to them in the Old Coun- 
 try. Altogether there was a family of thirteen 
 children, nine of whom attained mature years, 
 while six are now living. 
 
 Jacob, the eldest of the family, was one of the 
 most prominent men of Boynton Township, where 
 he died in 1887. He had filled many offices, and 
 for several years served as Supervisor. Marie 
 married Jacob Hauter, and died March 15, 1882, 
 in this township; Eliza is the wife of Peter D. 
 Springer, a retired farmer of Stanford, McLean 
 County; Joseph is a well-to-do citizen of Repub- 
 lic County, Kan.; Ellen is the wife of T. E. Orn- 
 dorff, of Hopedale Township; Jacobine was born 
 in Ohio and died in 1836; Christian and John 
 died in childhood; Anna, residing in Delavan, is 
 the widow of Philip Tomm, who died January 13, 
 1876; William is a prosperous citizen of Superior, 
 Neb.; Amelia married F. A. lutzi, and lived upon 
 a farm adjoining that of our subject until her death, 
 January 22, 1892. 
 
 The youngest member of this large family, E. 
 C., was in his fifth year when his father came to 
 Illinois, and here he grew to manhood upon the 
 farm where he has ever since resided. His mother 
 died July 26, 1879, and his father passed away 
 March 14, 1884, leaving a large fortune accumu- 
 lated after coming to America. In 1876 our sub- 
 ject married Miss Laura Bender, who was born in 
 Putnam County, this state. She is the daughter 
 of Jacob Bender, a German by birth, and now a 
 retired farmer of Putnam Count}'. She has a 
 brother and sister; the latter, Ella, married Fred 
 Sucher and lives in Putnam County; the former, 
 Victor E., is a graduate of Knox College, and now 
 a prosperous newspaper man in Omaha, Neb. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Brennemann have had eleven children, 
 Bertha, Ella, Alma, Eliza (who died at the age of 
 six years), Laura, Ernst, Marie, Martha, Edgar, 
 Clara and Helen. 
 
 Upon the ticket of the Democratic party Mr. 
 Brennemann has been elected to various local posi- 
 tions. For one year he was Assessor, for ten years
 
 694 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 officiated as School Director, and is now serving 
 his second year as Supervisor. His farm, one of 
 the finest in the township, consists of three hun- 
 dred and eighty acres, and he also owns one hun- 
 dred acres in Indiana. In religious connections 
 he and his wife are Mennonites. 
 
 REDERICK KEITH. This gentleman is 
 numbered among the successful agricultur- 
 ists of Bath Township, Mason County, and 
 has by dint of energy and prudent management 
 become the possessor of seven hundred acres of 
 the fine land for which this county has become 
 noted. Like many of our best residents, he is a 
 native of Germany, having been born in Wurtem- 
 berg, May 12, 1836. 
 
 Frederick Keith, the father of our subject, was 
 also born in the above kingdom, in the village of 
 Durmonz,and received his education in the model 
 schools of that country, after which he worked for 
 his father until becoming of age. He married 
 Miss M. Barbara Herman, a native of the Father- 
 land and the daughter of John and Katie Herman, 
 who died in that country in 1841. The father of 
 our subject was a day laborer and was thus em- 
 ployed until his decease in 1861. IILs good wife 
 survived him many years, departing this life in 
 1886. 
 
 Until his fourteenth year the subject of this 
 sketch was a student in the schools of Germany. 
 In the spring of 1851, when only fifteen years old, 
 he set sail for America, embarking on a vessel at 
 Rotterdam, which was forty-two days in crossing 
 the Atlantic. As his parents were poor, the uncle 
 whom he accompanied paid his passage, which 
 money he repaid two years later. Arriving in 
 New York City he remained there for a short 
 time and then went to Bolivar, Tuscarawas 
 County, Ohio, where he obtained work on a farm, 
 receiving as his pay $30 for the first year, and for 
 the next year he was promised $40. He re- 
 mained one and a-half years in that locality, and 
 in the spring of 1853 came to this county, stop- 
 ping in Havana, near which city he worked on a 
 
 farm for three years. During the first summer he 
 received $8 per month, and afterward his wages 
 were increased. Meanwhile he sent money home 
 to pay the passage of his brother, John, who came 
 to this country, and died in 1860, near Matanzas. 
 Upon another farm our subject was also emplo3'ed 
 for three years, and thus became thoroughly fitted 
 to manage an estate of his own. 
 
 On April 15, 1858, our subject married Mrs. 
 Margaret Roloff, who was born in Germany, May 
 7,1831. Her parents, John and Mary (Bishop) 
 Beselbecke. were born in Hanover, the former in 
 1790 and the latter in 1803. They are both now 
 deceased, the father dying in 1856 and the mother 
 in 1888. Mrs. Keith came to America in 1844 
 with her parents. Embarking at Bremen in Sep- 
 tember of that year, they landed in New Orleans 
 forty-nine days later, and immediately made their 
 way to St. Louis, and thence to Schulte Land- 
 ing. After their marriage, the young couple 
 commenced housekeeping on a rented farm near 
 Matanzas, which they operated for one year, and 
 then purchased property of their own in Bath 
 Township. Our subject was employed in its cul- 
 tivation until the spring of 1866, when he sold it 
 and purchased the estate upon which he is residing 
 at the present time, and which includes seven hun- 
 dred broad acres. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Keith have been born 
 six children, of whom we make the following 
 mention: Maria L. is now the wife of Martin 
 Herman, and makes her home in Nebraska; George 
 L. married Miss Katherine Herman, and is living 
 in Lynchburg Township, this county; J. H. first 
 married Miss Alice Black, who died in 1883; he 
 afterward married her sister, Miss Mira Black, 
 who passed away in 1888, and his present com- 
 panion bore the maiden name of Arizona Welsh; 
 Louis F. married Miss Laura Morrow, and makes 
 his home in Bath; Margaret M. is the wife of 
 Frank Friend, and is living in Kilbourne Town- 
 ship; Sophia, the youngest of the family, still lives 
 at home. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Keith are members in 
 good standing of the German Lutheran Church at 
 Chandlerville. While he is what is commonly 
 designated as a self-made man, Mr. Keith is well
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 695 
 
 educated and keeps himself thoroughly posted on 
 public affairs. lie is public-spirited and delights 
 to advance both his own interests and those of his 
 neighbors. To-day he ranks among the wealthy 
 and influential agriculturists of Mason County, 
 and is surrounded by all the comforts of life, 
 proving the truth of the old assertion that "indus- 
 try will win in the race for fortune and position." 
 He is a Republican in politics, and for fifteen 
 years has held the office of School Director. He 
 has also served his township three terms as Com- 
 missioner of Highways and Treasurer, and many 
 years as Road Overseer. At present he rents his 
 farm to neighbors, but retains the residence, thus 
 enabling himself and wife to live incase and com- 
 fort. It has been his aim to improve his farm as 
 much as possible, so that he need not be ashamed 
 of it hereafter, and also to furnish to the people 
 of the locality an example of a well improved 
 estate. 
 
 L- I1UFTY ' M - D -' for the p ast flft >' 
 
 a practicing physician and surgeon of 
 Delavan, was born in Greene County, Pa., 
 July 4, 1823. He is the son of John Hufty, a 
 native of the same county, born September 23, 
 1793, and a brick and stone mason by trade. The 
 grandfather, Jacob Hufty, was born in Bucks 
 County, Pa., November 5, 1751, and had two sons, 
 John and James, the latter having been a farmer 
 and distiller by occupation. 
 
 May 11, 1820, John Hufty married Miss Mary 
 Craft, a native of Greene Count}', Pa., who died 
 August 13, 1868. lie was a prominent man in his 
 community, and for a time served as a Captain of 
 the militia, afterward becoming Captain of volun- 
 teers. His death occurred November 21, 1866, 
 at the age of about seventy-three years. He and 
 his wife were the parents of three sons and three 
 daughters, of whom the Doctor is the next to the 
 oldest. John C., who was born September 9, 1821, 
 was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil 
 War, and now lives in Greene County, Pa., where 
 the value of his farm is largely increased by a 
 valuable oil well thereon, Minerva M., whose 
 
 birth occurred June 29, 1825, is the wife of 
 William Bailey, a farmer of Fairbuiy, Livingston 
 County, 111. Minor was born December 22, 1826, 
 and died at the age of twenty-nine years. Phebe 
 A., who was born November 29, 1828, married 
 Joseph Guynn, and in 1890 removed from Greene 
 County, Pa., to Iowa, where they now live. Mary 
 was born December 8, 1834, and married Parker 
 Covert, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 After completing an academic education, our 
 subject studied medicine under Dr. Samuel Culver 
 and Dr. A. G. Richardson, of Jefferson, Pa., in 
 which city he commenced practice in the spring of 
 1844. Afterward he followed his profession in 
 various cities of that state until the spring of* 
 1861, when he came to Delavan, and here he has 
 since remained in charge of an extensive and 
 profitable practice. He was first married March 
 12, 1846, his wife being Elizabeth C. Davidson, of 
 Fayette County, Pa. She died in 1865, after 
 having become the mother of four children. The 
 eldest, John Thomas, was boru August 9, 1848, and 
 is now a railroad conductor, living at Hannibal, 
 Mo. Maiy Agnes, who was born June 15, 1851, 
 married Joseph Regur and lives in Iowa. Joseph 
 N., born September 25, 1855, is now deceased. 
 William J. was born December 12, 1858, and is 
 now a resident of Missouri. In the fall of 1893, 
 the Doctor married his present wife, Elizabeth 
 Hogan, who was born seven miles east of La Porte, 
 Ind. They have a pleasant home in Delavan and 
 are highly esteemed among their many acquaint- 
 ances. 
 
 ZRIAH ENGLAND. There is always more 
 or less curiosity to know the true and 
 III li inner history of a man who has been long 
 and favorably identified with the social 
 and business interests of any community, and 
 undoubtedly the biography of Mr. England will 
 prove interesting alike to old and young. Brought 
 up to a knowledge of farm duties, he naturally 
 chose the avocation of a farmer in early life, 
 which calling he prosecuted fora number of years,
 
 696 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 but since 1874 has been engaged in the manu- 
 facture of brick in Havana. 
 
 Our subject was the son of George England, 
 who was born in Tennessee, and after coming to 
 this county in an early day, made his home here 
 until his decease, in March, 1875. He was married 
 to Miss Susan Lewis, a native of Kentucky, who 
 departed this life when our subject was an infant. 
 The latter was born in this county in 1847, and 
 spent the years of his life here until his twenty- 
 second birthday, when he went to Fulton County, 
 this state, and for two years was engaged in farm- 
 ing pursuits. Previously, however, in May, 1864, 
 he became a Union soldier, enlisting in Company I, 
 One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Illinois Infantry, 
 under the command of Capt. W. II. Colwell, of 
 Havana, and was mustered out of service in No- 
 vember of that year in Peoria. 
 
 As before stated, Mr. England has been engaged 
 in the manufacture of brick since 1874, and turns 
 out each year in his yard over eight hundred 
 thousand brick, which are well burnt and of a 
 very superior quality. lie furnished the brick 
 which were used in the erection of the Court 
 House, in the Methodist Church, Wahlfeler's gro- 
 cery, Myers Opera House, Masonic Temple, the 
 McFadden Block, First National Bank, Myers dry- 
 goods house, and many more of the brick buildings 
 in Havana. 
 
 In September, 1868, A. England and Miss Lottie 
 M., the daughter of Charles Bcidleman, were 
 united in marriage. Mrs. England is a native of 
 this county, and has become the mother of six chil- 
 dren, Charles R., engaged with his father in the 
 brick business; George II., Lewis A., Lottie A., 
 Grace M. and Annie May. Mr. England is Presi- 
 dent of the Illinois River Bridge Company, to 
 which position he was elected in May, 1893. He 
 has served as Alderman of the First Ward in 
 Havana; he was elected on the Republican ticket, 
 although that part of the city has a Democratic 
 majority of ninety. In 1894, he was elected Super- 
 visor of Havana Township, by a majority of one 
 hundred and fifty-four, while the township has a 
 Democratic majority. Socially he is an Odd Fel- 
 low and a Knight of Pythias, and takes great in- 
 terest in the workings of the Grand Army Post in 
 
 the city of which he is a resident. He discharges 
 the duties of citizenship in a most reliable man- 
 ner, and as an honest, upright man is well known 
 throughout the county, and is well liked by his ac- 
 quaintances. 
 
 In 1863, Mr. England made a trip across the 
 plains to Pike's Peak, during the gold excitement. 
 The part}' left Havana in wagons on the 2d of 
 April, and arrived at the Peak July 15 of the same 
 year, and on the trip enjoyed the antelope and 
 buffalo hunts, and also had some amusements with 
 the Indians. 
 
 'RED W. SOADY. Although quite a young 
 I '** man, this gentleman already has consider- 
 able weight in the community where he re- 
 sides, a fact which is easily accounted for by his 
 strong principles, his active interest in the welfare 
 of all around him, and his pleasant manners, which 
 are the crowning charm of a fine nature. 
 
 Mr. Soady was born in Farmington, Fulton 
 County, this state, September 5, 1867, and is the 
 son of Zephaniah Scad}', a native of England. 
 The latter came to America when a young man, 
 and locating in Pekin, carried on his trade of a 
 tailor. Later he removed to Farmington, but in 
 1868 returned to this city, and is now the Super- 
 intendent of the Pekin Lake Ice Company. He 
 has been very prominent in local affairs, and has 
 served as Alderman. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Susan R. Jones. She was born in Zanesville, 
 Ohio, and is the daughter of Robert Jones, who 
 later became a resident of Farmington, this state, 
 where he was the proprietor of a blacksmith shop. 
 Mrs. Soady departed this life in 1883, leaving a 
 family of three children, of whom Fred W., of this 
 sketch, is the second in order of birth. 
 
 Our subject received his education in the com- 
 mon schools of this city, and when ready to earn 
 his on living, became Collector for the Farmers' 
 National Bank, and was thus employed for three 
 years. September 1, 1883, he accepted the posi- 
 tion of baggageman in this city for the Wabash 
 Railroad Company, but which is now the Jackson-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 697 
 
 ville South-eastern Road, and eighteen months 
 later was promoted to be clerk of the freight de- 
 partment. It was during this time that the road 
 changed hands, and in 1887 Mr. Soady was ap- 
 pointed agent for the Jacksonville South-east- 
 ern Railroad, which position he is still holding. 
 
 The lady to whom Mr. Soady was united in 
 marriage in this city September 12, 1888, was Miss 
 Laura, daughter of James Mclntosh. Socially, our 
 subject is a Mason of high standing, and in politics 
 is a strong Republican. As a business man he has 
 been quite successful and enjoys the reputation of 
 being clear-headed. He is deliberate in his judg- 
 ments, is a good judge of men, and is univer- 
 sally esteemed for his integrity and social quali- 
 ties. Notwithstanding his success while yet young, 
 he has none of the pretense of a vain man, and 
 none of the hesitancy of a weak one, but moves 
 about his business with the fullest consciousness of 
 his ability to manage and conduct in detail. 
 
 WILLIAM STANBERY, one of the early 
 settlers of Pekin, dates his residence here 
 from 1847. He was born in Newark, Ohio, 
 January 1, 1816, and is a son of William Stanbery, 
 a native of New York City. The grandfather, Dr. 
 Jonas Stanbery, was a physician of New York, 
 whence he went to Zanesville, there passing his last 
 days. The family is of English origin. The fa- 
 ther of our subject was a lawyer, and was admitted 
 to the Bar in his native city. In 1808 he became 
 a practitioner of Newark, Ohio, and won a fore- 
 most place among the lawyers of the west. He 
 also served as State Representative and Senator, 
 and for six years was a Member of Congress. In 
 politics he was first a Whig, and afterward a Re- 
 publican. He held membership with the Episcopal 
 Church, and died in Newark, Ohio, in 1873. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Shippy, 
 died just three weeks from that time. They had 
 eight children who grew to mature years, while 
 five are yet living. 
 
 After attending the common schools, William 
 Stanbery entered Miami University, of Oxford, 
 
 Ohio, from which he was graduated in 1837 with 
 the degree of A. B. He then studied law, and in 
 1840 was admitted to the Bar. For some years he 
 served as Master in Chancery in Newark, and in 
 1847 cast in his lot with the early settlers of Pekin. 
 Here he purchased four hundred and forty acres 
 of land, and for about ten years engaged in the 
 cultivation and improvement of his farm. 
 
 Mr. Stanbery was married in Newark, Ohio, in 
 1839, to Emma J. Woodbridge, a native of Con- 
 necticut, and in 1889 their golden wedding was 
 celebrated. In 1891 the lady who had been to 
 him a faithful companion and helpmate for fifty- 
 two years was called to her final rest. They had 
 three children, two yet living: Mrs. Ella Barber, 
 and Frank II., of Pekin. 
 
 In 1857 Mr. Stanbery bought the Cit}' Mills, 
 having learned the milling business in the Buck- 
 eye State, and in 1866 the firm of Stanbery & 
 Stoltz was formed. In 1873 he became President 
 of the Gas Light Company, which was organized 
 in 1865, and of which lie had been a Director since 
 1866. In 1873 he was made President and man- 
 ager, and by careful management and methodical 
 efforts he greatly enlarged its business until it be- 
 came one of the leading industries of the place. 
 With it Mr. Stanbery was connected until April, 
 1893, when he sold out. He is the only charter 
 member now living of the Episcopal Church of 
 this place, and since its organization in his own 
 home in 1849 he has been Senior Warden. The 
 present house of worship was erected in 1 1872. In 
 politics, Mr. Stanbery was a Whig in early life, and 
 on the organization of the Republican party joined 
 its ranks. 
 
 L. CHAMPION. Among the representa- 
 live, thorough-going and efficient officials 
 of Tazewell County there is probably no 
 one more deserving of mention than Mr. 
 Champion, who holds the responsible position of 
 Count\- Clerk and Recorder and lives in Pekin. 
 Although retiring and unpretentious in manner, 
 he has always been a strong factor in the city, 
 promoting the community's welfare in whatever 
 way he could, and, honorable and upright in all
 
 698 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 his relations with the public, the confidence in him 
 has not been misplaced. 
 
 Our subject was born in Green Valley, this 
 county, May 30, 1860, and is the son of Abraham 
 Champion, a native of Pennsylvania, where his 
 father was a farmer and spent his entire life. 
 Abraham Champion was a millwright by trade, 
 which he followed in his native state and also 
 after coming to this county in 1838. At the same 
 time he followed farm pursuits and operated a 
 sawmill on the Mackinaw, and was very prominent 
 in township affairs. His farm property consisted 
 of a section of land, on which he made his home 
 until his death in 1862. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Catherine Haw- 
 kins, was born in West Virginia and was the 
 daughter of William Hawkins, also a native of 
 that state, who came to Illinois in 1836, and lo- 
 cated in Center Township, this county. He was a 
 blacksmith by trade, but after locating here gave 
 the greater part of his time to farm pursuits, own- 
 ing several hundred acres of land. He lived to the 
 advanced age of ninety years, dying in 1881. He 
 served as a soldier in the Mexican War, and lived 
 an honorable and upright life. His wife, the 
 mother of Mrs. Champion, is still living, making 
 her home on the old farm. 
 
 Of the three children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Abraham Champion, Belle married Mr. Copes, and 
 John M. is deceased. A. L., of this sketch, was 
 reared to man's estate on the farm in this county, 
 and obtained a high school education at Delavan. 
 When only seventeen years of age he received a 
 certificate which enabled him to teach, and for 
 thirteen years he was one of the prominent edu- 
 cators of the county. While residing in Green 
 Valley he was Postmaster from 1885 to 1889, and 
 for eleven consecutive years was Assessor of Sand 
 Prairie Township. 
 
 Mr. Champion and Miss Clara Darling, who was 
 born in Iowa, were united in marriage in 1881. 
 The two children born of their union are May B. 
 and Anna P. In 1892 our subject was nominated 
 on the Democratic ticket for Circuit Clerk and 
 Recorder of Tazewell County, and received the 
 largest vote ever accorded a candidate for that 
 office. He has always taken a prominent part in 
 
 politics and for a number of years was a member 
 of the County Central Committee. Socially he be- 
 longs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
 in whicn order he has passed all the chairs and 
 has been a delegate to the National Encampment. 
 He is also a Modern Woodman, and a charter 
 member of the lodge at Green Valley. He is a 
 man whose career has been above reproach and 
 whose honesty and uprightness have never been 
 questioned. 
 
 M. BROWN, who is living on section 16, 
 Little Mackinaw Township, is recognized 
 as one of the wide-awake and highly re- 
 ^spected fanners of Tazewell County. He 
 was born in Morton Township, this county, on the 
 1st of November, 1837, and is a son of William and 
 Permelia (Cullom) Brown, natives of Kentucky. 
 His mother is an aunt of Senator Cullom. In 1830 
 the father came to Illinois, locating in Morton 
 Township, where he entered land from the Gov- 
 ernment and began transforming the wild prairie 
 into rich and fertile fields. He was also a Meth- 
 odist Episcopal preacher and was one of the pio- 
 neer ministers of this locality. In politics he was 
 a Whig. His farm comprised one hundred and 
 twenty acres,and thereon his death occurred about 
 1845. His wife, who was also a consistent mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, passed 
 away February 27, 1891. These worthy people 
 were the parents of the following children, J. W., 
 a resident of Sedgwick County, Kan., T. J., a farmer 
 of Oklahoma; Levi, who is living in Morton, 111.; 
 Alvin, an agriculturist of South Dakota; R. M., of 
 this sketch; by a former marriage, Mrs. W. Brown 
 had a child named Susan Ayres. 
 
 No event of special importance occurred during 
 the childhood and youth of our subject. He was 
 quietly reared upon the home farm and was 
 early inured to the arduous task of developing 
 new land. On the 1st of November, 1859. he 
 was united in marriage with Miss Julia McBride, 
 daughter of Samuel and Mary (Will) McBride, 
 a native of Lee County, Ohio. In 18C7, within 
 a period of eight days, he lost his wife and two
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 
 
 699 
 
 of his children with diphtheria. The daughters 
 bore the names of Ida Jane and Caroline. Two 
 daughters survived their mother, Hattie Belle and 
 Ltiella, the latter of whom is now the wife of Her- 
 man Sweeney, of Minier. 
 
 After his murriage Mr. Brown located on the 
 old homestead, where he resided until 1865. In 
 1871 he purchased the farm on which he has made 
 his home since the spring of 1872. In the former 
 year he married Miss Providence McBride, a half- 
 sister of his first wife. The present wife's mother 
 was in her maidenhood Julia Will, and was a 
 half-sister to Mr. MeBride's first wife, Mary Will. 
 To our subject's second marriage were born seven 
 children: Josephine, wife of Rodney Johnson, of 
 Little Mackinaw Township; Cassie, Hulda, Myrtle 
 Delia and two who died unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Brown is now the owner of a valuable farm 
 comprising one hundred and twenty acres of rich 
 land, which is under a high state of cultivation 
 and well improved. Its neat appearance indicates 
 the careful supervision of the owner, who now 
 successfully follows general farming and stock- 
 raising. In his political views Mr. Brown is a Re- 
 publican, but has never sought or desired political 
 preferment,, desiring rather to give his entire time 
 and attention to his business interests. 
 
 eLEMENT C. DARE has met with more than 
 ordinary success as one of the most skillful 
 and wide-awake farmers and stock-raisers 
 of Mason County, and while far from being an 
 old man, he has been enabled to practically retire 
 from business. He has a fine estate consisting of 
 five hundred and seventy acres in Salt Creek 
 Township, upon which he has erected a comfortable 
 residence, and has also fitted out his farm with all 
 the improved machinery. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Cumber- 
 land County, N. J., December 7, 1830, and is the 
 son of Ludlem Dare, who also hailed from that 
 state, where he was a farmer by occupation. The 
 lady to whom he was married was Miss Mary Shin- 
 ner, who was also born in the above state, where 
 she lived and died. The mother of our subject was 
 
 of German descent and reared a family of whom 
 he is the third in order of birth, and is the only 
 son now living. 
 
 C. C. attended school in his native place, and 
 remained there until 1853, when he came to this 
 county and began making his own way in the 
 world by working out on farms by the month. He 
 was thus occupied for three years when he found 
 he had laid by a sufficient sum of money to pur- 
 chase property of his own, and soon was the posses- 
 sor of eighty acres included in his present fine 
 estate. When he bought the land it bore no im- 
 provements whatever, unless five acres partially 
 broken and a little log house could be called such. 
 He added to this tract at various times until now 
 he has one of the finest farms in the county, and 
 Ms justly considered a self-made man, as he virtually 
 commenced his career with nothing but his strong 
 hands and a determination to succeed. 
 
 October 4, 1864, C. C. Dare was married to Miss 
 Comfort Garrison, who was born in Cape May 
 County, N. J., May 25. 1842. She was the daugh- 
 ter of Samuel Garrison, also a native of that state, 
 where his birth occurred in Salem County, Decem- 
 ber 31, 1809. He was a sailor, which occupation 
 he followed till his removal to Illinois in 1849. 
 The maiden name of Mrs. Dare's mother was Mary 
 A. Long. She was also born in New Jersey, in 
 which state she received her education and was 
 married. Our subject's wife came to Illinois with 
 her parents when only seven years of age, and at- 
 tended school until completing her education. Af- 
 ter her union with Mr. Dare, she located with him 
 on a portion of the farm, were they are at present 
 residing. Their home has been brightened by the 
 advent of nine children, the eldest of whom, 
 David L., is engaged in farming in this county; 
 Robert G. is deceased; Mary A. will graduate from 
 the Westfield College in 1894; Albert N. will 
 also receive a diploma from that institution in 
 June, 1894; Franklin H. is at home with his par- 
 ents; Comfort died in childhood; Clement G. is 
 next in order; and two infants died unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Dare's agricultural ventures have brought 
 him money, and his estate of five hundred and 
 seventy acres is one of the most valuable and 
 highly productive in central Illinois. He sustains
 
 700 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a most enviable reputation for strict integrity and 
 firmness of purpose, and has the good will of the 
 community at large. He takes great interest at all 
 times in politics, and is a strong supporter of the 
 Republican part}-. He has served some time as 
 School Director, and with his wife is a consistent 
 and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, in which he lias been both Trustee and 
 Steward. 
 
 E z. BARNES, n. v. M. in the sub- 
 ject of this sketch we have one of the most 
 prosperous and successful men in Pekin, 
 and the fact that he commenced life with a small 
 capital speaks well for his subsequent career of 
 perseverance, industry and good management. He 
 is the proprietor of a veterinary hospital located 
 in this city, and in his business evinces rare ability 
 and good judgment. 
 
 Our subject was born in Sheffield, this state, 
 September 10, 1866, and is the son of M. J. Barnes, 
 a native of New York, and where also Grandfather 
 Orlando Barnes was born. The latter came to Ill- 
 inois and made his home in Bureau County, whence 
 he later removed to State Centre, Iowa, where he 
 is now living the life of a retired farmer. M. J. 
 Barnes was a harness-maker in Sheffield, whither 
 he had removed, and during the Civil War served 
 as a soldier for nine months; he received his dis- 
 charge on account of having lost a leg while in 
 battle. 
 
 Our subject was the only child born to his 
 mother, Mrs. Weltha (Brasted) Barnes, a native of 
 Cuba, Allegany County, N. Y. George Z. was 
 reared in State Centre, Iowa, and after complet- 
 ing a high-school education learned the art of 
 telegraph}', which he followed, however, only a 
 short time. In 1884 he entered the State Agri- 
 cultural College at Ames, where he took the scien- 
 tific course one year. He afterward spent two 
 years in the veterinary department of that col- 
 lege, from which he was graduated in 1887 with 
 the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He 
 then took charge of a stock farm in Nonchalanta, 
 Ness County, Kan., and after running it for two 
 years spent the winter of 1889-90 in Chicago, 
 
 where he took a post-graduate course under Dr. 
 Billings. 
 
 In the spring of 1890, Dr. Barnes came to Pekin, 
 where he established a veterinary hospital and 
 livery business. This year (1894) he built the Pal- 
 ace Livery, the most complete establishment of 
 the kind in the city. He is still engaged in the 
 practice of his profession, his services being 
 greatly in demand throughout Tazewell, Peoria 
 and Mason Counties. He is the owner of several 
 fine horses, among which are "Charles Wood, sired 
 by "Fairy Gift," one of the most famous trotters 
 in the state: "Louisa Medium;" "Unhappy Me- 
 dium," half-sister to the great "Nancy Hanks," 
 and several other high-bred brood mares. 
 
 While residing in Kansas in the spring of 1889, 
 Dr. Barnes was married, in Woodson County, to 
 Miss Hattie Brown, a native of Knox County, this 
 state, and to them has been born a son, Fred Lee. 
 Socially our subject is a Mason and a member of 
 the National Union. He belongs to the State 
 Veterinary Society, and in politics is a Republican. 
 He invented and is a patentee of the Barnes 
 Mouth Speculum, and since it has been placed upon 
 the market he has received complimentary letters 
 from surgeons throughout this country and Eu- 
 rope. 
 
 ENRY HAHN. Reference to the agricult- 
 ural interests of Mason County would be 
 incomplete were no mention made of Mr. 
 Hahn, among others engaged in tilling the 
 soil. The farm of which he is the owner and pro- 
 prietor is pleasantly located on section 31, Havana 
 Township, and has been embellished with all the 
 improvements of a model estate. A portion of 
 the land has been planted to fruit trees, while the 
 remainder is devoted to the raising of cereals, in 
 which Mr. Ilahn has met with flattering success. 
 
 Our subject is one of our German-American citi- 
 zens who have contributed so largely to the growth 
 and development of the United States. He was born 
 in Hanover. October 21, 1844, and is the son of 
 Ludwig and Fredrika Zelle Hahn, who with their 
 family came to America in 1851 and settled two 
 miles east of Havana. Later the family settled
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 701 
 
 on section 5, Havana Township, where the father 
 passer! away in 1874. The mother survived him 
 for a number of years, dying in July, 1893. They 
 were the parents of five children, of whom four 
 now survive, namely: Regena, a widow, has four 
 children and resides on section 5, Havana Town- 
 ship. Louis is a resident of Mason County; he is 
 married and has eight children. Louisa was the 
 wife of John McConnie, of Havana; he is now de- 
 ceased. Henry is our subject. The parents were 
 members of the Lutheran Church and were sincere 
 'Christian people, highly esteemed by all who knew 
 them. 
 
 Of the land of his birth, Henry Halm retains 
 little recollection, as he was but seven years of 
 age when brought to the United States. In the 
 schools of this township he received a good 
 English education, while his knowledge of the 
 German language has been increased througli the 
 conversation in the home circle as well as by self- 
 culture. He was reared in the usual manner of 
 farmer lads, and throughout his entire life has 
 followed the occupation with which he became 
 familiar in his youth. For a number of years he 
 gave his father the benefit of his services, and 
 upon starting out for himself settled upon his 
 present farm. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Halm married Miss Hannah, 
 daughter of John H. and Mary (Heye) Dierker, 
 a native of Hanover, German}', who emigrated to 
 the United Statei in 1839 and settled in Mason 
 County, 111. After one year's sojourn in the 
 vicinity of Havana he came to section 31, where he 
 was residing at the time of his daughter's marriage. 
 Mr. Hahn cultivated his father-in-law's farm fora 
 time, and since then has acquired the ownership 
 of one thousand acres, mostly improved. He is 
 also the owner of a farm consisting of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres in Logan County, for which 
 he paid $11,000. While he makes a specialty of 
 corn and wheat, he also engages in stock-raising 
 and lias upon his place a large number of cattle 
 and hogs. 
 
 Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hahn have been born three 
 children, namely: Louis, who married Miss Lizzie 
 Buerman and lives on section 29 of this township; 
 Marj', deceased, and Fred, who is at home. The 
 
 family is identified with the Lutheran Church, of 
 which Mr. Hahn is an official member. The two 
 boys are also prominent in the church and are 
 popular in social circles; both are practical, ener- 
 getic farmers and intelligent young men. Polit- 
 ically our subject was formerly an advocate of 
 Democratic principles, but is now independent in 
 his views. As School Director he lias rendered 
 efficient service since 1875, but with that excep- 
 tion has refused to accept office. 
 
 LI C. CLEVELAND, a retired farmer re- 
 siding in Mason City, was born in Cortland 
 County, N. Y., August 2, 1828. The 
 Cleveland ancestry originated in England, and the 
 family was represented in America at an early 
 period of its settlement. The paternal grandfather 
 of our subject, Benjamin Cleveland, was a native 
 of New Jersey, and his brother Henry was one of 
 the oldest trappers in the vicinity of the present 
 site of the city of Cleveland. 
 
 Brain ard Cleveland was born in New York, and 
 became one of the pioneers of Seneca County, 
 Ohio. Later he came to Illinois, where his death 
 occurred at the age of eighty-three years. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was Sophia Church, 
 was born in New York, being a daughter of Eli 
 and Elizabeth (Chaddock) Church, natives of New 
 Jersey, the former a wheelwright by trade. At the 
 age of two years our subject accompanied his 
 parents to Ohio, and there, four years later, he was 
 orphaned by the death of his mother. In early 
 boyhood he was a pupil in the common schools, 
 and at the age of twelve years he started out in 
 life for himself, and was afterward variously em- 
 ployed until he learned the carpenter's trade. 
 
 In the fall of 1856 Mr. Cleveland came to Mason 
 County, settling in Havana, and in 1857 was ap- 
 pointed Deputy Sheriff for a term of two years. 
 Upon retiring from that office he settled upon a 
 farm in Crane Creek Township, where he success 
 fully engaged in farming pursuits for many years. 
 In 1885 he came to Mason City and embarked in 
 the livery business, which he conducted for three 
 years. Since that time he has lived retired from
 
 702 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 active business. As a farmer he was energetic, as 
 a business man efficient and capable, while as a 
 citizen he has always taken an active interest in 
 public affairs. 
 
 For several years Mr. Cleveland served as School 
 Director in Crane Creek Township, and was the 
 prime factor in the election of Walker's Grove 
 School House, which was constructed at a cost of 
 $5,000. In his political belief he is a Republican, and 
 is always ready to give his support to the measures 
 advocated by that part}'. Socially he is identified 
 with Mason City Lodge No. 337, 1. O. O. F. 
 
 April 14, 1852, Mr. Cleveland was united in 
 marriage with Miss Mary Mefford, a native of 
 Knox County, Ohio, and a descendant of French 
 ancestors. Her father, John H. Mefford, a native 
 of Pennsylvania, served as a soldier in the War of 
 1812, and became an early settler of Ohio, where 
 he died in 1844. Her mother, whose maiden name 
 was Abigail Mitchell, was born in New Jersey, a 
 daughter of W. T. Mitchell, and died in Ohio in 
 186C. In the Buckeye State Mrs. Cleveland spent 
 the years of girlhood, and in Republica, Seneca 
 County, she became the wife of our subject. They 
 have had two children of whom May is deceased; 
 Blanch is the wife of J. H. Riggs, a native of North 
 Carolina, and now a resident of Mason City. In 
 religious belief Mrs. Cleveland is identified with 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the good works 
 of which she takes an active part. 
 
 AMP SPEAKER. A man's life work is the 
 measure of his success, and judged by this 
 standard Mr. Speaker may be called a most 
 successful man, for through his own exertions he 
 has attained a prominent position among the busi- 
 ness men of Pekin. He is a native of Germany 
 having been horn in Ostfriesland, October 5, 1846. 
 His father, Gart Speaker, a native of the same 
 place as himself, was a shoemaker by trade. In 
 1847 he brought the family to the United States, 
 and located in Kenosha, Wis., where he was em- 
 ployed at his trade. His death occurred some time 
 during the '50s. His wife, who died in Wisconsin, 
 
 was a sister of Habbe Velde, of whom see sketch 
 on another page. 
 
 Our subject is the second in order of birth 
 among three children. He was reared in Kenosha, 
 and coming to Illinois was employed on a farm 
 near Antioch. In 1863 he came to Pekin, and 
 worked at the blacksmith's trade in the employ of 
 T. & H. Smith Co. Though only in his teens at 
 the time of the Civil War, his enthusiasm was 
 kindled in behalf of the Union, and in the spring 
 of 1864 he volunteered in the service, becoming a 
 member of Company C, One Hundred and Thirty- 
 ninth Illinois Infantry. The company was mus- 
 tered into service at Peoria, and thence proceeded 
 to Paducah Station at Cairo. In the fall of 1864 
 they were ordered to Missouri in pursuit of Price's 
 army, but as that General had transferred his sol- 
 diers to other quarters before the arrival of the 
 Union troops, the latter returned to Peoria. In 
 September, 1864, they were mustered out of the 
 service and honorably discharged. 
 
 Upon returning to Pekin Mr. Speaker served a 
 three years' apprenticeship at the carriage-maker's 
 trade in the shops of the T. & H. Smith Co. He 
 continued in the employ of that firm until 1884, 
 meantime occupying various positions of impor- 
 tance. In 1868 he became foreman of the wood 
 department, and as such continued until 1876, after 
 which he engaged in the manufacture of wagons. 
 The capacity of the works was about one hundred 
 wagons per week, and employment was given to 
 one hundred or more men. From 1882 until 1884 
 Mr. Speaker had entire charge of the business, but 
 during the latter year he embarked in the grocery 
 and provision business, and has since carried on a 
 lucrative trade in that line. He occupies three 
 floors in the Smith Row, 22x95 feet in dimensions, 
 and is numbered among the successful grocers of 
 the place. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Speaker was united in marriage 
 with Miss Kate Albertson, a native of Germany. 
 Four children were born of that union, of whom 
 the only survivor is Carape George. Socially Mr. 
 Speaker holds membership with the Knights of 
 Honor nnd the Mutual Aid of Workmen, and 
 aided in the organization of the latter society. 
 He is a charter member of the Bay State Bene-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 703 
 
 ficiary Association, and is serving as one of the 
 Councilmen. In his religious belief he is identi- 
 fied with the German Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 He believes in the principles laid down by the Re- 
 publican party, and therefore votes the straight 
 ticket. As a business man he has been very suc- 
 cessful, and his prosperity is the result of his un- 
 aided exertions. A liberal and public-spirited cit- 
 izen, he is always ready to contribute of his time 
 and means for the advancement of the enterprises 
 calculated to promote the welfare of the people. 
 
 GEORGE F. SCOTT, the owner of a valua- 
 ble farm in Boynton Township, Tazewell 
 County, was born in Delavan, 111., on the 
 2d of May, 1850. He is the son of John Scott, a 
 native of Warwick, England, and of Scotch par- 
 entage, the grandparents, George T. and Sarah 
 Ann Scott, having been born in Annan, Scotland, 
 December 8, 1797, and December 5, 1797, respec- 
 tively. The family came to the United States about 
 1830 and settled in Providence, R. I., whence they 
 removed to Massachusetts and from there came to 
 Illinois, October 18, 1843, and established their 
 home near Atlanta, in Logan County. Grand- 
 father Scott died May 25, 1882. 
 
 The father of our subject was the third in a fam- 
 ily of five sons and three daughters, and he was 
 the youngest of the three born in England, his 
 birth having occurred in Warwick, September 22, 
 1827. By trade a blacksmith, he followed that 
 occupation, together with farming throughout the 
 most of his life. He was a quiet, unassuming 
 Christian gentleman and was highly regarded by 
 his associates. Socially, he was identified with the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in relig- 
 ious belief held membership in the Christian 
 Church. He had resided at Atlanta for a time, and 
 from there came to Delavan, but returned to Logan 
 County and finally, in 1868, settled in Delavan, 
 where his death occurred March 15, 1894. 
 
 Of the brothers and sisters of John Scott we 
 note the following: Richard, a soldier in Company 
 B, Seventy-third Illinois Volunteers, was wounded 
 at the battle of Chickamauga, and afterward at 
 
 the battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864, from 
 the effects of which he died on the 22d of Decem- 
 ber following. Simon is now a retired merchant 
 of Atlanta; George is a physician at Sedalia, Mo.; 
 William is in business in Chicago; Frank is a farmer 
 in South Dakota; Lizzie is the wife of Allen Per- 
 rin, a farmer in South Dakota; Sarah, who lives in 
 Chicago, is the widow of Harvey Pratt; Christiana 
 married John Phillips, now a retired farmer in 
 Delavan, where she died. Of this family Simon 
 and George were born in Annan, Scotland; Lizzie, 
 Christiana and John at Warwick, England, and 
 the others in the United States. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden 
 name of Mary Jane Rook, and was born near 
 Trey, Ohio, March 18, 1832. Her parents were 
 natives of Germany. She removed witli the fam- 
 ily to La Fayette, Ind., and from there came to 
 Illinois in 1846. On the 2d of August, 1849, she 
 was married to John Scott, whom she preceded 
 in deatli, passing away November 7, 1869. Her 
 children were eight in number, viz., George F., 
 M. Isahclle, John A., William, Kate, Mary A., Jen- 
 nie E. and Charles R. Four are now living, as 
 follows: George F., the eldest; Kate; Jennie E., 
 the wife of Gilman Waltmire, Assistant Cashier of 
 the Tazewell County National Bank, of Delavan; 
 and Charles R., who is bookkeeper for a wholesale 
 house of Chicago. 
 
 Our subject received an excellent education in 
 the schools of Delavan and is a well informed 
 man. In 1874 he married Alice C. Paul, who was 
 born in Logan County. Her father, H. A. J. Paul, 
 of Indiana, was one of the pioneers of Logan 
 County, and, with his wife, is now living near the 
 north line of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have 
 had six children, of whom the following survive: 
 Cora B., Charles II., M. Pearl, Eflie A. and Grace 
 L. Cora was married in November, 1893, to Allen 
 Short, a farmer residing two and one-half miles 
 southeast of her father's farm. 
 
 Mr. Scott dates his residence on his present farm 
 from the ye.ar 1877. The land was the first he 
 ever purchased and is now well improved and 
 placed under good cultivation, the farm now being 
 one of the best in the locality. In politics he is a 
 Republican, and upon that ticket was elected to
 
 704 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the office of Township Treasurer, which he now 
 holds. He has also been Tax Collector and a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Education for many years. 
 With his wife he holds membership in the Chris- 
 tian Church. 
 
 D. CLARK, printer and publisher of 
 the Mackinaw Enterprise, of Mackinaw, has 
 the honor of being a native of Illinois, for 
 he was born in Moultrie County, on the 
 10th of October, 1856. His father, Dr. Sumner 
 Clark, was born in Ohio, October 22, 1830, and 
 with his parents removed to Moultrie County. He 
 is a self-educated and self-made man. His father 
 died soon after coining to Illinois, and upon the 
 Doctor devolved the care and support of the fam- 
 ily. Having prepared himself for teaching, he 
 followed that profession for a few years. On the 
 10th of September, 1855, in Shelhyville, he married 
 Margie A. Harris, who was born in Ohio, April 23, 
 1836. For a short time he rented a farm, but 
 soon removed to the town of Sullivan, where he 
 carried on a drug store and engaged in the study 
 of medicine. Subsequently he began practice in 
 Ramsey, Fayette County, and continued until 
 1870, when he entered Rush Medical College, of 
 Chicago, and the following year was graduated 
 from the St. Louis Medical College. He then re- 
 turned to Ramsey, where he continued in practice 
 for several years longer. He is now one of the 
 most successful physicians of southern Illinois, 
 and makes his home in Effingham. He keeps 
 abreast with everything connected with the sci- 
 ence of medicine, and by his skill and ability has 
 won a high reputation. He is a member of the 
 National and State Medical Associations and the 
 Wabash Valley Medical Association, has been City 
 Physician of Ellingham, and was also surgeon for 
 the Ohio & Mississippi, the Illinois Central and 
 the Vandalia Railroads. He has gained a hand- 
 some competency, and is now the owner of several 
 large farms in different parts of the state. 
 
 To Dr. and Mrs. Clark were born five children, 
 but Charles died in early life. Those still living 
 are Dora, wife of J. T. Potter; John D.; Ida, at 
 home; and Albert II., who is associated with his 
 
 brother in the newspaper business. Dr. Clark re- 
 moved his family to Eureka, III., and educated his 
 children in the college of that place. His wife and 
 children are all members of the Christian Church. 
 He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and a 
 stalwart advocate of the principles of the Demo- 
 cratic party, but at local election votes independ- 
 ently. 
 
 The genial and popular editor of the Mackinaw 
 Enterprise completed a course of study in the Ram- 
 sey High School, and in 1874 became a student in 
 Eureka College, from which he was graduated on 
 the 9th of June, 1879. He carried off the honors 
 and was valedictorian of his class. He was also 
 one of the leaders of the literary society, and his 
 work along that line fitted him for his present la- 
 bors. In compliance with the wishes of iiis father, 
 he began the study of law in the Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity, and in the spring of 1881 passed an ex- 
 amination before the Supreme Court of Illinois at 
 Springfield. On the 15th of June, of that year he 
 completed his course of law study in school, and 
 received his diploma. He then located in Ramsey 
 and was at once appointed City Attorney, but his 
 profession proving somewhat distasteful, in 1882 
 he bought out an independent paper and began 
 publishing the Ramsey Democrat, a strong party 
 organ. 
 
 On removing to Tazewell County, Mr. Clark en- 
 gaged in farming for a short time, and then again 
 engaged in the newspaper business with Mr. Brock, 
 of Mackinaw. Later he successfully followed 
 school teaching for several years, and in July, 
 1890, he purchased the Mackinaw Enterprise. His 
 office was burned in November following, but with 
 characteristic energy he started anew, and to-day 
 is the owner of a fine office, equipped with all the 
 latest machinery and improvements. The Enter- 
 prise is published in the interest of the Democracy, 
 and is well worthy the large patronage it receives. 
 On the 9th of November, 1882, Mr. Clark was 
 joined in wedlock with Maggie H. Puterbaugh, 
 (laughter of D.W. and Sarah J. Puterbaugh, whose 
 sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Their 
 home has been blessed with two children, Mabel 
 and Clark P. The parents are both members of 
 the Christian Church, and Mr. Clark is a member
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 705 
 
 of Mackinaw Lodge No. 455, I. O. O. F.; the Re- 
 becca Lodge; and Diamond Lodge No. 309, K. of 
 P. He is a public spirited and progressive citizen, 
 ever alive to the best interests of the community, 
 and throughout Tazewell County he has the high 
 regard of all with whom he has been brought in 
 contact. 
 
 jr=BpRANCIS M. SNYDER. There is always 
 ilr^ moi ' e or l ess curiosity to know the true and 
 lib inner history of men who have been long 
 and favorably identified with the social and business 
 interests of any community, and undoubtedly the 
 biography of Mr. Snyder, who is one of the prom- 
 inent grain merchants of llopedale, will prove in- 
 teresting alike to old and young. It is expected 
 that he will remove to Bloomington ere long, 
 where he will engage in track buying of grain and 
 the real-estate business, leaving the management 
 of his elevator in this place to his two sons. 
 
 Our subject was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, 
 February 3, 1844, and is the son of Jonathan Sny- 
 der, whose birth occurred in Warren County, that 
 state, in 1818. He in turn was the son of John 
 Snyder, a native of Virginia and an early settler 
 of the Buckeye State, where he was living at the. 
 time of his enlistment in the War of 1812. He 
 was a prominent man in his locality and lived to 
 attain the advanced age of ninety-six years. 
 
 The father of our subject was the youngest of 
 nine brothers, all of whom were' born in Ohio and 
 there lived to attain mature years. He was a 
 weaver by trade, at which he served an appren- 
 ticeship of five years before reaching his majority. 
 He followed this line of work during the greater 
 part of his life and died in Ohio in 1871. His wife 
 was Martha Seeds, a native of Pickaway County, 
 Ohio, and the daughter of John Seeds, also born 
 in this state and of Scotch ancestry. Mrs. Snyder 
 is still living in her native place and has attained 
 the age of seventy-five years. 
 
 Francis M. was the third in order of birth of the 
 parental family, including seven sons and two 
 
 daughters, of whom those living besides himself 
 are: Hiram, residing on the homestead in Picka- 
 way County; Emily, the wife of James Braskct, a 
 farmer of Grant County, Ind.; John N., an agri- 
 culturist of Pickaway County; Je^e. owning a farm 
 in Fayette County, Ohio; and Augustus P., who is 
 engaged in the grain business in McLean County. 
 Our subject received a common-school educa- 
 tion near his home and was engaged in farm pur- 
 suits until the outbreak of the late war. He en- 
 listed in Company A, Eighty-eighth Ohio Infantry, 
 in 1862, and after nine months' faithful service 
 was honorably discharged for disability. In 1865 
 he made a visit to this state, and on his return to 
 Ohio lived there for three years, when he made 
 permanent location in, Illinois and was engaged in 
 farm pursuits in McLean County. In 1870 he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna Rowe, also a 
 native of Pickaway County, and to them was born 
 a son, Jasper L., who married Georgia B. Dunavan 
 and occupies his father's residence, also succeeding 
 him in the management of the elevator at Hope- 
 dale. The wife and mother died in 1872, and the 
 lady whom Mr. Snyder chose as his second com- 
 panion and whom he married in 1873 was Miss 
 Martha A, a daughter of John Armstrong. She was 
 a native of McLean County, this state, where her 
 father was an early settler and is still living. Mr. 
 Armstrong is a man of influence in his communit3' 
 and has been Justice of the Peace for many years 
 and served as a member of the Board of Super- 
 visors. His father, the grandfather of Mrs. Snv- 
 der, is living at the age of ninety-six years in 
 Posey County, Ind. 
 
 The family of Mr. and Mrs. Snyder includes 
 seven children, of whom William O., who assists 
 his half-brother, Jasper L., in the grain business in 
 this place, was born April 8, 1874. He is a rising 
 young business man, and during the time he has 
 been connected with the grain business has dis- 
 played marked ability in the management of affairs. 
 Ira B., the second son, was born October 25, 1876; 
 L. J., July 20, 1879; Ima E., July 29, 1882; Hazel 
 V., January 18,1884; Ernest, January 8, 1889; and 
 Francis M., Jr., March 2, 1891. 
 
 Mr. Snyder was engaged in farming in McLean 
 County for about twelve years, and then finding
 
 706 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a good opening in the grain business in Stanford, 
 that county, removed there and still has an inter- 
 est in the business in that place. For five years 
 he was a grain merchant in Delavan,and two years 
 ago came to llopedale and built one of the finest 
 residences in the county, expecting to make this 
 place his permanent home. Since then, however, 
 it has been decided that he will conduct the busi- 
 ness in Bloomington, where his children can re- 
 ceive better advantages for an education. 
 
 While living in McLean County Mr. Snyder 
 served his fellow-townsmen as Clerk and also 
 taught school for one term. He always votes the 
 Democratic ticket but takes no other active part 
 in political work. He has accumulated a hand- 
 some fortune, which has been the result of his own 
 exertions and loses no opportunity for contribut- 
 ing to the general welfare of the community where 
 he is held in high esteem. 
 
 <J 
 
 w 
 
 H. BURLING AME, who has carried on 
 agricultural pursuits throughout the greater 
 part of his life, has resided for forty-three 
 years upon a farm in Delavan Township, 
 and therefoie is numbered among the early set- 
 tlers of Tazewell County. He was born in Meigs 
 County ; Ohio, not far from the Ohio River, July 
 13, 1824. His father, Edwin Burlingame, was born 
 in Marietta, Washington County, Ohio, November 
 21, 1796, probably In old Ft. Harmon-. The grand- 
 father, Christopher Burlingame, was a native of 
 Massachusetts, and served as an Ensign in the 
 Revolutionary War. He married Susanna Putnam, 
 daughter of Gen. Rufus Putnam, of Revolutionary 
 fame, and the founder of the Marietta (Ohio) 
 colony. 
 
 The father of our subject was one of a family of 
 eleven children. He reached the advanced age of 
 ninety-two years, and died at the home of one of 
 his sons in Delavan, January 10, 1888. He has no 
 sister and but one brother living, the latter being 
 
 Rufus Putnam Burlingame, who was born August 
 7, 1805, and now resides in Iowa. On the 1 1th of 
 March, 1819, Edwin Burlingame married Jane 
 P>ans, daughter of Dr. Joseph Evans, and they 
 traveled life's journey together for fifty-six years. 
 Her death occurred in 1875. In their family were 
 five sons and five daughters, and with the excep- 
 tion of one who died in infancy all reached mature 
 years. The eldest, Mary Evans, was born April 
 28, 1820, and married William Stockard, of Phila- 
 delphia, but both are now deceased; Susan, born 
 November 8, 1821, is the widow of Henry Pratt, 
 and resides in Larned, Kan.; William Rufus, born 
 in August, 1826, came to Illinois with our subject 
 and died in this state; Maria M., born December 
 15, 1828, died in infancy; Emeline, born January 
 4, 1832, is the wife of Abner Deaver, of Ohio; 
 Caroline Elizabeth, born July 15, 1834, died in 
 Ohio; James C. is a merchant of Delavan; Edward 
 M. was born April 9, 1840; George A., born March 
 17, 1845, is a Methodist preacher of Plants, Ohio. 
 
 In the state of his nativity, Mr. Burlingame of 
 this sketch was reared, and in its public schools 
 was educated. He remained with his father on a 
 farm until twenty-seven years of age, but during 
 that time made several trips with an uncle who 
 owned a boat on the Ohio River. He also had 
 charge of one of his boats for a time. In April, 
 1851, he came to Illinois and has since followed 
 farming. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1852, Mr. Burlingame 
 was united in marriage with Miss Jane Allison, 
 who was born near Zanesville, Ohio, January 31, 
 1832, and is a daughter of John and Elizabeth 
 (Moore) Allison. Her parents died during her 
 childhood. Her sister, Rebecca, is the wife of 
 Reuben Parschal, but little is known of the family. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Burlingame were born eight chil- 
 dren, six of whom are living, Thomas Edwin, a 
 farmer of Tazewell County; Mary S., wife of J. 
 Bradly Foot, a dairyman of Delavan; Sarah E., a 
 teacher of Chicago; Fannie P., who graduated 
 from the Female Seminary of Oxford, Ohio, and 
 is now a teacher of Ashland, Neb.; Louisa E., who 
 graduated from the Oxford Seminar}', and is now 
 a teacher of Chicago, and Charles H., a farmer of 
 Delavan Township, who married Gertrude Trollop,
 
 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 707 
 
 and has two children. Jane Evans died at the age 
 of two and a-half years, and Robert C. died at the 
 age of one year. 
 
 Mr. Burlingame is one of the highly respected 
 citizens of Tazewell County. He has successfully 
 carried on farming for many years, and has become 
 
 the owner of a valuable property. In politics he 
 is a Republican, but has never aspired to office. 
 His father was for fifty years an Elder in the Pres- 
 byterian Church, and he has been a life-long mem- 
 ber of that church, in which he has served both as 
 Deacon and Elder.
 
 INDBX 
 
 kjpnj&rsT 
 
 
 Abbott, William 6l 
 
 Adams, J. Q 39 
 
 Adams, John 2H 
 
 Agin, George 279 
 
 Agnew, L. 476 
 
 Albertsen, L. J 664 
 
 Albright, Michael 382 
 
 Allen, John 232 
 
 Allen, Lemuel 418 
 
 Allensworth , B. C . .333 
 
 Altgeld, J. P 187 
 
 Anderson, Robert.. 621 
 
 Andrews, J. A., Sr 263 
 
 Anthony, Hon. J. H 312 
 
 Arnott, L. M 259 
 
 Arthur, Chester A 99 
 
 B 
 
 Bailey, D. G 221 
 
 Baily , W. V 648 
 
 Bale.J.H 598 
 
 Ball, A. W 239 
 
 Barger, R. N., M. D 517 
 
 Barkdoll.J. W 848 
 
 Barnes, A. H 481 
 
 Barnes, G. E 209 
 
 Barnes, . Z., D. V. M 700 
 
 Barnes, J. B 849 
 
 Barton, Clark 431 
 
 Barton, T. J 384 
 
 Bayne, W. M 847 
 
 Beatty, Capt. R. J 341 
 
 Beatty.S. H 614 
 
 Becker, Frederick 889 
 
 Becker, Herman 313 
 
 >- 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL, 
 
 Becker, R. H 598 
 
 Beckley, Daniel 353 
 
 Beckwith, H. C 428 
 
 Bellas, Isaac 581 
 
 Bennet, William 319 
 
 Benscoter, G. W 5S2 
 
 Berry, John 579 
 
 Beveridge, John L 171 
 
 Biggs, Samuel 538 
 
 Bishop, J. H 496 
 
 Bissell, William H 151 
 
 Blackburn, G. M., M. D 329 
 
 Blair, Samuel 372 
 
 Blakeley, A. S 684 
 
 Blakeley , Kuf us 672 
 
 Bland, William 207 
 
 Boley, W. A 666 
 
 Bond, Shadrach Ill 
 
 Bowser, E. J 499 
 
 Bradfield.S 609 
 
 Brennemann, E. C 693 
 
 Brereton, C. L 691 
 
 Briggs, Lieut. T. B 676 
 
 Brooner, Peler 390 
 
 Brown, Daniel 399 
 
 Brown, D. M 288 
 
 Brown, Edward 501 
 
 Brown, Milner 500 
 
 Brown, R. M 698 
 
 Buchanan, James 75 
 
 Bunn, J. M 537 
 
 Burlingame, J. H 706 
 
 Burnham, Hon. H. C 287 
 
 Burns, J. T .....566 
 
 Burns, L. H 274 
 
 C 
 
 Callender, Hon. W. A 389 
 
 Campbell, J.M 819 
 
 Campbell, J. B 688 
 
 Carlin, Thomas 136 
 
 Cattron, W. O.,M. D 444 
 
 Champion, A. G 589 
 
 Champion, A. L 697 
 
 Clark, J.D 704 
 
 Ulark, Nathan 381 
 
 Clements, J. T 223 
 
 Cleveland, E. C 701 
 
 Cleveland, 8. Grover 103 
 
 Cogdal, W. H 484 
 
 Cohagan, Prof. A. C 434 
 
 Cohenour, Jacob 281 
 
 Coles, Edward 116 
 
 Conibear, W. H., M. D 267 
 
 Conzelman, W. J 210 
 
 Uooney , W. B 369 
 
 Cooper, J. B 242 
 
 Cooper, J. M 240 
 
 Cooper, Mark 563 
 
 Corey, Wells 289 
 
 Covert, W.C 230 
 
 Covington, Thomas 438 
 
 Crabb, Hon. J. W 463 
 
 Cress, G. W 207 
 
 Crihfield R. C 824 
 
 Cross, S. B 573 
 
 Crothers, Dr. R. W 677 
 
 Culbertson, E. C 529 
 
 Culbertson, John 632 
 
 Cullom, Shelby M 176 
 
 Cummings, C. B 268 
 
 D 
 
 Dare, C. C. 699 
 
 Darling, A. L. , M. D 89 
 
 Dean, Albertus 639 
 
 Dean, James 620 
 
 Dempsy. D. 8 633 
 
 Dicks, John .690 
 
 Dirkson, J. G 620 
 
 Dix, Henry 570 
 
 Donaldson, J. J M8 
 
 Donavan, Frank 580 
 
 Donavan , Jefferson 372 
 
 Donavan, Robert 464 
 
 Duisdieker, C. H 311 
 
 Duisdieker, Henry 208 
 
 Duncan, Joseph 131 
 
 Duncan, J. C 554 
 
 Dunham, R. A 250 
 
 Durham, Lorenzo 339 
 
 E 
 
 Eckard, W. H 253 
 
 Edds, Hon. W. T 686 
 
 Edwards, Ninian 119 
 
 Egger, Albert 692 
 
 Ellerbusch, H. H 508 
 
 Ellmore, Da.vid 482 
 
 Ellsworth, J. C 251 
 
 Emmitt, G. E 658 
 
 England, Azriab 696 
 
 Ewing, Bl N 304 
 
 Ewing, W. L. D 127 
 
 Eyrse, S. G 211 
 
 Farischon, Wendel 353 
 
 Faulkner, W. P 401 
 
 Field, Franklin 281 
 
 Flfer.J. W 183 
 
 Fillmore, Millard 67 
 
 Fibk.E.C 637
 
 710 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Fitzgerald, John 477 
 
 Fitzpatrick, William 292 
 
 Fletcher, J. J 674 
 
 Ford.B.S 340 
 
 Ford, Thomas 139 
 
 French, A. C 143 
 
 Froebe.H.F 342 
 
 Furrer, Andreas 610 
 
 Furrer, Diebold 461 
 
 Furrer, George 553 
 
 G 
 
 Gaines, E.C 330 
 
 Ganson, W. M 576 
 
 Garfleld, James A 95 
 
 tlarlick, E. M 673 
 
 Gollon, M. H 254 
 
 Goodheart, Miss Josephine. .272 
 
 Grant, Ulysses S 87 
 
 Greeley.G. W 541 
 
 Green, W. H 229 
 
 Griffln,C. A 542 
 
 Griffin, S. Y 542 
 
 Gumbel, Adam 393 
 
 Gumbel, John 690 
 
 H 
 
 Haas, Eli 687 
 
 Hahn, Henry 700 
 
 Hahn, H. L 483 
 
 Haines, James 376 
 
 Hainline, Green 619 
 
 Hall, Hon. I. B 388 
 
 Hall, James 681 
 
 Hall.J. N 587 
 
 Hall.O. C 218 
 
 Hamilton, J. M 179 
 
 Hamilton, T. B 352 
 
 Harl, H.C 650 
 
 Harmel, J. W 274 
 
 Harpham, J. A 677 
 
 Harris, B. H., M. D 449 
 
 Harris, Rev. W. B 505 
 
 Harris, W. H 394 
 
 Harrison, Benjamin 107 
 
 Harrison, William Henry 51 
 
 Hart, J. M 520 
 
 Harvey, Hon. W. B 310 
 
 Haybarger, J. 346 
 
 Hayes, Rutherford B 91 
 
 Heisel, Leonhard 671 
 
 Hellemann, Christian 238 
 
 Hellemann, Christian, Jr. . . .211 
 
 Henninger, John 665 
 
 Herbert, James 381 
 
 Herget, George 384 
 
 Herget, Hon. John 217 
 
 Herget, J. H 415 
 
 Herget, Philip 668 
 
 s,8.R 478 
 
 Hierony mus, Enoch 443 
 
 Hieronymus, William 622 
 
 Hiett, R. C -. 291 
 
 Hiffh, F. A 493 
 
 Hild, Michael 508 
 
 Hill, Thomas 523 
 
 Hilst, Jasper 586 
 
 Hilyard, D. W 607 
 
 Hodgson, J. B 390 
 
 Hoffman, H. N 564 
 
 Hofmann, Jacob 402 
 
 Hole, T. A 569 
 
 Hole, W. H 476 
 
 Holland, T. L 326 
 
 Hopping, E. N 437 
 
 Hovey , D. W 601 
 
 Howard, W. F 576 
 
 Howell.B. F 662 
 
 Hufty, N. L..M. D... 695 
 
 Hull, Ehas '. 667 
 
 Hurley.E.H 206 
 
 Husmann, Gerhard 512 
 
 Ingersoll, A. D 535 
 
 Ingersoll, J. L 493 
 
 Ironmonger, B. H 422 
 
 Irwin.J.B 254 
 
 Jackson , Andrew 43 
 
 Jellerson. Thonr.as 27 
 
 Johnson, Andrew 83 
 
 Johnson, P. F 433 
 
 Jones, J. 687 
 
 K 
 
 Keith, Frederick 694 
 
 Kelch, F. J 271 
 
 Kennel, Jacob 683 
 
 Kennelly, J. S., M. D 649 
 
 Kinsey , B. W 270 
 
 Kinsey, John 627 
 
 Knuppel. H. J 536 
 
 Krebaum, Adolph 363 
 
 Krebaum, C. G 630 
 
 Kreiling, J. F 673 
 
 Kreiling, J. H 685 
 
 Kroell , John, Sr 596 
 
 Kroll, G. P 205 
 
 Kumpf , Adam 212 
 
 Lacey, Hon. Lyman 203 
 
 Lackland, W. R 264 
 
 Lackman.H. W 667 
 
 Lampitt, E. F 279 
 
 Lancaster, John 297 
 
 Larimore, Thomas. 670 
 
 La Rosh, S. D 354 
 
 Lascelles, Thomas 640 
 
 Lauterbach, William 228 
 
 Lemm , Henry 302 
 
 Leonard, Allen 371 
 
 Leonard, L. Q ..+72 
 
 Leonard, T. H 414 
 
 Le Sourd, W. G 559 
 
 Lilly, William 331 
 
 Lincoln, Abraham 79 
 
 Lindsey, William 432 
 
 List, Adam 647 
 
 Lorenz, Franz 272 
 
 Lorimer, John 269 
 
 Lucas, George 427 
 
 Lucas, Jacob 628 
 
 Luick, Louis 294 
 
 Luppen, Conrad 227 
 
 M 
 
 Madison , James 31 
 
 Markert, G. A 681 
 
 Marquardt, Philip 213 
 
 Marshall, J. A .428 
 
 Mathers, J. H 513 
 
 Matteson , Joel A 147 
 
 Maltheesson, J. W 224 
 
 May, Christian 314 
 
 May, E. M.,M. D 261 
 
 McCarty , John 531 
 
 McClintick, M. S 649 
 
 McFall, John 281 
 
 McGinnis, William 659 
 
 McHarry , H. C 566 
 
 McHose.G. E 387 
 
 McKinstry, W. V 284 
 
 McLean, D. B 249 
 
 McReynolds, J. M 408 
 
 Meeker, D. B 511 
 
 Meigs, J. B., M. D 671 
 
 Meireis, Peter 421 
 
 Meisinger.G. G 369 
 
 Melton, R. A 45K 
 
 Meyer, J . L 366 
 
 Meyers, F. E 426 
 
 Meyers, J. A 365 
 
 Miars, William 597 
 
 Minier, Rev. G. W 237 
 
 Minier, T. L 301 
 
 Mitchell, I. N 686 
 
 Monroe, James 35 
 
 Mooberry, J. S 345 
 
 Mooberry.S. R 307 
 
 Mooberry, William 467 
 
 Moore, C. W 644 
 
 Morris, A. J, M. D 502 
 
 Moschel, Louis 358 
 
 Moslander, James 543 
 
 Mount, J.I) 585 
 
 Muller.J. B 378 
 
 Murrel, C. F 420 
 
 Mushbaugh, Jacob 682 
 
 N 
 
 NalTziger, Peter 331 
 
 Neikirk, G. W 487 
 
 Neikirk, J. A 418 
 
 Neikirk, J. E 490 
 
 Nichols, A. A 655 
 
 Nolte.J. W 3S6 
 
 o 
 
 O'Brien , Edward 278 
 
 Oglesby , Richard J 163 
 
 Onstot, T. G 615 
 
 Orendorff, D. W 656 
 
 Osborn,R.N 638 
 
 Palmer, J. M 167 
 
 Parker, W. E 302 
 
 Paul, J. B. , M. D 643 
 
 Pawson, Thomas 631 
 
 Pf etzlng, Justus 663 
 
 Pierce, Franklin 71 
 
 Pierce, J. F 332 
 
 Pierson, George 526 
 
 Pittsf ord, Prof. D. B 364 
 
 Polk, James K 59 
 
 Pollard, W. P 440 
 
 Porter, Lyman S20 
 
 Powell, David 603 
 
 Pratt, Edward 547 
 
 Pratt, Robert 507 
 
 Pratt, W. L 322 
 
 Prettyman, B. S.,Sr 457 
 
 Prettyman, B. S., Jr 560 
 
 Prettyman, Jacob 519 
 
 Prettyman, W. L 376 
 
 Proctor, Richard 625 
 
 Pugh, Hon. J. W 466 
 
 Pulling. Charles 574 
 
 Puterbaugh, L>. W 416 
 
 Puterbaugh, Solomon 231 
 
 Puterbaugh, S. H 321 
 
 Q 
 
 Quigg.J.F 303
 
 ItfMKI 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 711 
 
 R 
 
 Railsback.B. T 591 
 
 Railsback.J. E 290 
 
 Randolph, I. F 405 
 
 Rankin.G.F 684 
 
 Rankin.P. F 855 
 
 Rapp, Hon. Jacob 243 
 
 Reason, H. F 244 
 
 Reed, Isaac 653 
 
 Reed, Joseph 309 
 
 Beichel, J. G 003 
 
 Reid.J. L 665 
 
 Reinheimer, S. M .555 
 
 Reuling, Fred 377 
 
 Reynolds, John 123 
 
 Ringhouse, Peter 495 
 
 Ripper, P. S 654 
 
 Koat, Jacob 608 
 
 Robinson, Allen 674 
 
 Robison, A. L 334 
 
 Robison.M. M 323 
 
 Roelfs.J. A ."257 
 
 Roll, A. P 616 
 
 Rosebrough, B. A 678 
 
 Rust , H. J 440 
 
 Saal, Adam 214 
 
 Baltonstall, G. F 79 
 
 Samuell, J. M., Sr 550 
 
 Sapp, Daniel 335 
 
 Sawyer.J.M 299 
 
 Scheidel, J. P 300 
 
 Schember, Phi lip 663 
 
 Schenck, W. E.,M. D 308 
 
 Scherer, Wendel 474 
 
 Schipper, J. F 247 
 
 Schurman.C. R 597 
 
 Scott, G. F 703 
 
 Shafer, G. R. , M. D 219 
 
 Shaffer, Christopher 351 
 
 Siebens, F. P 214 
 
 Slonneger, John 241 
 
 Smallwood, J. A 455 
 
 Smith, Christian 377 
 
 Smith, F. E 524 
 
 Smith. H. F 395 
 
 Smith, L.T 582 
 
 Smith, R. D 465 
 
 Smith, S. W 422 
 
 Smith, William 363 
 
 Snyder, F. M 705 
 
 Soady, F. W 696 
 
 Spaits, J. G., Jr 489 
 
 Sparrow, F. G 653 
 
 Speaker, Camp 702 
 
 Spear, J . W., M. D 688 
 
 Speckman, Peter .512 
 
 Speece.G. W 472 
 
 Stanbery, William 697 
 
 Starrett.E. S 482 
 
 Starz, Frederick 518 
 
 Starz, G. A 468 
 
 Stevens, P. W 620 
 
 Stoltz, Hon. John 570 
 
 Stone, C. L 607 
 
 Stout, Jacob 336 
 
 Stuart, Alexander 425 
 
 Stubbs, Arthur 669 
 
 Swaar, H.M 585 
 
 Sweitzer, Peter 473 
 
 Tammeus, Wilke 580 
 
 Tarbell, Lewis 280 
 
 Taylor.B. W 648 
 
 Taylor, J. H 471 
 
 Taylor, Joseph 438 
 
 Taylor, Zachary 63 
 
 Terrell, E. D 507 
 
 Terrell, W. K 532 
 
 Thompson, Abram 557 
 
 Tomlin, J. T 544 
 
 Tomm, H. A 262 
 
 Town, U. L 494 
 
 Trimble, J. E 603 
 
 Tyler, John 55 
 
 Tyrrell, Thomas 496 
 
 U 
 
 Ubben , Henry 293 
 
 Ubben, U. A 259 
 
 Unland, Hon. E. F 476 
 
 Urich, Henry 474 
 
 Vail, J. J 679 
 
 Vail.R. H 679 
 
 Van Boening, A 568 
 
 Van Buren, Martin 47 
 
 Van Horn, Miles 660 
 
 Van Home, Albert, D. D. S. .294 
 
 Van Orman, O. W 634 
 
 Veerman, D. J 292 
 
 Velde, Habbe 367 
 
 Velde, John 25H 
 
 Verry.E. F 446 
 
 W 
 
 Waggoner, William 610 
 
 Walker, George 370 
 
 Walker, William 557 
 
 Wallace, E. A 248 
 
 Wandschneider, David 348 
 
 Washington, George 19 
 
 Watkins, J. M. , M. D 535 
 
 Webb, Francis 325 
 
 Weimer, Robert 360 
 
 Weirick, W. H., M. D 604 
 
 Weiss, Albert 439 
 
 Wessling.G. W 525 
 
 Weyhrich, Adam 565 
 
 White, D. C 406 
 
 White, V. M 252 
 
 Wilson, B. F 575 
 
 Wilson, C. L 420 
 
 Wilson, C. W 568 
 
 Wilson, E. A 626 
 
 Wilson, Hon. E. W 277 
 
 Wilson, J. S 402 
 
 Winkle, C. F 283 
 
 Winn, J. M., M. D 481 
 
 Woerner, Michael 462 
 
 Wood, John 155 
 
 Wood.M. T 233 
 
 Woodrow, W. L 691 
 
 Woodworth, W. S 298 
 
 Woolf, A. E 220 
 
 Woost.H. G 282 
 
 Worstall, Edward 450 
 
 Yates, Richard 159 
 
 Youle, William, Jr 445 
 
 Youte, William.Sr 613 
 
 Young.H.M 514 
 
 Zerwekh, G. J 260 
 
 Ziegenbein, Henry 567
 
 Adams, John 22 
 
 Adams, John Q 38 
 
 Allen, Lemuel 418 
 
 Altgeld.John P 186 
 
 Arthur, Chester A 98 
 
 Bale, J. H 594 
 
 Barger, K. N ,M. D 516 
 
 Bevendge, John L 170 
 
 Bird, A. M., M. D 578 
 
 Bissell. William H ISO 
 
 Blackburn, G. M., M. D 328 
 
 Bond , Shadrach 110 
 
 Brown, Daniel 398 
 
 Buchanan, James 74 
 
 Burnhain, Hon. H. C 286 
 
 Campbell, J. M 316 
 
 Campbell, Mary E 317 
 
 Carlin, Thomas 134 
 
 Cleveland, S. Grover 102 
 
 Coles, Edward 114 
 
 Conibear, W. H.,M. D 266 
 
 Cooper, Mark 562 
 
 Cross, S. B 572 
 
 Culbertson, E. C 528 
 
 Cullom, Shelby M 174 
 
 Duncan, Joseph 130 
 
 Durham, Lorenzo 338 
 
 Edwards, Ninian 118 
 
 Ewing, W. L. D 126 
 
 Fifer, Joseph W 182 
 
 Fillmore, Millard 66 
 
 Fisk, E. C 636 
 
 Ford, Thomas 138 
 
 French, A. C 142 
 
 Furrer, Diebold 460 
 
 Furrer, George 552 
 
 Garfleld, James A 94 
 
 Grant, U. S 86 
 
 Greeley, G. W 840 
 
 Haines, James 374 
 
 Mainline, Green 618 
 
 Hamilton, John M 178 
 
 Harris, B. H., M. D 448 
 
 Harris, Rev. W. B 504 
 
 Harrison, Benjamin 106 
 
 Harrison, W. H 50 
 
 Hayes, Rutherford B 90 
 
 Herget, Hon. John 216 
 
 I liiTmiy MIIIS, Enoch 442 
 
 Hilyard.D. W 006 
 
 Hopping, E. N 436 
 
 Hovey,D. W 600 
 
 Ingereoll, J. L 492 
 
 Jackson, Andrew 42 
 
 Jefferson, Thomas 26 
 
 Johnson, Andrew 82 
 
 Krebaum, Adolph 362 
 
 Lacey, Hon. Lyman 202 
 
 Lancaster, John 296 
 
 Lincoln, Abraham 78 
 
 Luppen, Conrad 226 
 
 Madison, James 30 
 
 Matteson , Joel A 146 
 
 McHose. G. E 386 
 
 Meeker, D. B 510 
 
 Minier, Rev. G. W 236 
 
 Monroe, James 34 
 
 Mooberry , J. S 344 
 
 Mooberry , S. R 306 
 
 Neikirk, J. A 410 
 
 Neikirk, Mrs. J. A 411 
 
 Oglesby, Richard J 162 
 
 Palmer, John M 166 
 
 Paul, J. B., M.D 642 
 
 Pawson, Thomas 630 
 
 Pierce, Franklin 70 
 
 Polk, J. K 58 
 
 Pratt, Edward 546 
 
 Proctor, Richard 624 
 
 Reed, Isaac 652 
 
 Reynolds, John 122 
 
 Roelfs, J. A 256 
 
 Schipper, J. F 246 
 
 Shaffer, Christopher 350 
 
 Smallwood, J. A 454 
 
 Stuart, Alexander 424 
 
 Swaar.J. Y 584 
 
 Taylor, J. H 470 
 
 Taylor, Zachary 6i 
 
 Tyler, John 54 
 
 Van Buren, Martin . 46 
 
 Washington, George 18 
 
 Watkins, J. M 534 
 
 Winn, J. M., M. D 480 
 
 Wood, John 154 
 
 Yates, Richard 158 
 
 Youle, William, Sr 612 
 
 Beckwith, H. C 429 
 
 Bishop, J. H 487 
 
 Bowser.E.J 497 
 
 Brooner, Peter 391 
 
 Cogdal, W. H 485 
 
 Dean, James 521 
 
 Hart, J. M $Son 821 
 
 Herbert, James 379 
 
 Hill, Thomas 521 
 
 Hodgson , J. B 391 
 
 Hofmann. Jacob 403 
 
 La Kosh, Mrs. Rebecca 355 
 
 Marshall, J. A 429 
 
 Meisinger, G. G 367 
 
 Meyer, J. L 367 
 
 Muller.J.B 379 
 
 Neikirk, G. W 485 
 
 Tyrrell, Mrs. Mary 497 
 
 Wilson, J.S 403
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF TAZE